Want the good news or the bad news? Ok, let's do the good news first:

Today was the "Meet'n'Greet" at school for the boys. Both Jax and Dex have two teachers this year. The school district is big on job sharing (good way to retain teachers, I guess) and they both happen to be in the classes in their grades that have job sharing teachers. I guess it is a good idea (but it means double the teachers' gifts at Christmas and end-of-the-year, right?!). Anyway, they are both excited to start class on Wednesday. The first Wednesday is a regular day but beginning the following Wed and throughout the year, they have early dismissal and get out at 1:30.

The bad news? I went for a follow-up mammogram today. Then I had to have a follow-up follow-up. Then a meeting with the radiologist who showed me, with the help of a magnifying glass, tiny calcifications in my breast. She called them "suspicious" and recommended a biopsy. Of course they have an opening tomorrow but I swore off having any procedures done on Tuesdays again because the results always come out on Friday so if I miss their call I have to wait all weekend long to find out. Anyway, I am going in on Friday afternoon for a stereotactic breast biopsy (it is x-ray guided and less invasive than regular biopsy).

I have been saying prayers of thanks all day that I went for a mammogram last week. Honestly, these things are so tiny and they would *never* be felt with a breast self-exam.

Now I have a migraine for being so uptight and crying. What a wimp! And I cannot take any imitrex or aspirin or ibuprofen from now until two days after the biopsy so I will just have to go to bed and hope it is gone by tomorrow morning.

Summer O'Fun Three (week) Days before School

We spent the day at the beach and it was fun and relaxing. The kids made a wonderful sand castle/"island" and they spend a long time working on it. We walked to the sand bar and skipped stones for a while then back to beach before we packed up. We dropped everything at the car except for the buckets and spent the next hour picking blackberries along the paths near the parking lot. Big, fat, juicy berries. I did get stuck by a few thorns (that actually broke the skin!) but it was worth it to get these succulent berries.

I arrived home to see that the hospital had called me (but did not leave a message). I don't normally do this but I called the number back and sure enough it was the breast center. I left a message (it was almost 5pm on a Friday) saying that I had noticed they had called and could someone call me back. At 6:20 they called again and the woman said that she did not like to leave messages on Fridays (but it is ok for the number to show on the caller id?!) but I do need to go back in for more films on my right breast. Then she said to come in at 9:30 on Monday morning. *gulp*

As you know, I am a WORST CASE SCENARIO type person so just imagine what I am thinking. I'll need a whole case of chocolate to get me through this weekend.

Mish-Mash

Cars is still sleeping in our bed most of the night. He goes to sleep about 9pm and awakens between 11pm and 1am and spends the rest of the night in our bed. He insists on sleeping on MY pillow (he says it is his) and he drools all over it (gross!).

We had the same problem with Dex. Up until he was 2 he slept in our bed during the night (same thing, go to sleep in crib then in our bed once he woke up in the night). Then things magically changed once we moved him into the bunk bed. From the very first night he climbed into that bed and slept through the night. So I am hoping to repeat the magic with Cars and I just ordered a toddler bed that I hope arrives within two weeks. Wish us luck!

And on a completely different topic - Should Elizabeth wait for Anthony? For Better or For Worse

I am sure I have said this before but I need to say it again:

The stay-at-home parents forum sucks! I hate the format so much. I am mad and sad about it because it was my "home" for nearly 5 years.

Summer O'Fun Day xx

Kids spent the morning at Ash's house while I went for a mammogram. What a barrel of fun that was. Actually, when the technician announced I was all done I was thinking that it wasn't so bad as the last time (baseline done about 3.5 years ago). However, I thought too soon and she announced that she had to redo two of them and then the painful contortions started. My boobs do not hurt as they are being squished. What hurts is having the little shelf jabbed into my ribcage and then being told to not move or breathe for what seems like 4 minutes (but it is actually more like 15 seconds).

Anyway, I shall hear back with the results in a week or so. And since I have hit the magical number, I now get to go EVERY year.

I have read where friends get together and make a day of it - mammogram, lunch and shopping. Ah, to have such good friends nearby to do that...

So I am having a garage sale next month. We need to get rid of tons'o'stuff in the house, particularly toys toys TOYS! OMG my kids have way too much stuff. And we got more stuff when we were in Toronto. We had to borrow an extra suitcase to bring it all home. And we left some stuff there (sorry Mom and Barb but I just could not pack the Little People thing nor the Rescue Hero and all accessories).

We bought Jax a new bike yesterday because he had outgrown his other one. His knees were coming up almost to his chin when he peddled. So we have that old bike to sell. He wanted to know if he could get $100 for it! Right. It was on sale for $33 at Target when we bought it three years ago. He is so interested in earning/making money. On Friday we went to the beach and he wanted to bring home a bucket of rocks. I was in no mood to argue so I said he could (and I figured I could just throw them in the garden later). After we arrived home he announced that they were to sell at the garage sale for $100 (hmmm...he is obsessed with $100 apparently). I told him that no one would buy them for that. He decided that surely someone would pay $5 for them. Oh brother...

I think I will be selling the double stroller, the pack'n'play, the high chair, baby gates, old stroller and various other baby stuff. We are definitely done having children and I cannot see holding onto any of this stuff. I would keep it if we had a basement to store it. But our garage is getting full and there is no way I can store it until I am a grandma.

Jax just asked if he could do a chore to earn some money. I bet he thinks that sweeping the floor is worth...$100.

Off to supervise...

BIL called today to let us know that one of the twins - Tori - has roseola. He wanted to let us know in case Cars comes down with it. I thanked him and hung up and started thinking about Cars' fever while we were away and the rash that covered his torso after the fever broke. A quick search online and I realized that is what Cars probably had while we were away (he was on antibiotics for an ear infection which we assumed was causing his fever but roseola is viral which would explain why the fever did not go away once the antibiotics started). So, looks like Cars gave it to Tori. Ooops!

My niece, Fiona, is so adorable. She had the best hair - it is very curly at the ends. I thought for sure that Wally and Andrea flipped it into those curls but it grows that way. She is so funny and outgoing and she scares the bejesus out of Cars. Whenever she would see him while we were visiting she would run up to him while shouting BOY BOY and then pinch his cheek or tweek his nose. Poor Cars became so tired of her doing it that he eventually would run and hide when he saw her coming. Or do this:

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Here is another picture of Fiona. She looks like Cars around the eyes, I think

(see the curls at the back of her head?)

And since I am on a roll, here are two more pictures from our holidays.
Cars' 2nd birthday:


Boys swimming in the neighbour's pool:
Removed because pervs are looking at my kids!

I've been tagged by Ramona at Kross-Eyed Kitty. I tag
Without A Trace, Heidi and Kimmer.

Here is the Meme:

When did you move to the neighborhood?
I moved to our area 6 years and one month ago.

What region of the neighbourhood are you from?
We live up a hill on a plateau in the "slums" of our city as my neighbour calls it. Our houses are just about the cheapest you can find in the city. Lots of multi-million dollar homes make our houses look like sheds.

What is your favourite part of the neighbourhood?
I love, love, love my house and being away for two weeks in my mom's and my in-laws tiny kitchens have made me realize how fortunate I am to live in this house.

What is your favourite place to visit around these parts?
The Seattle-area has so many lovely gardens and parks to visit. I love going to the locks to watch the boats go through the canal and then heading onto the salmon fish ladder to see those little buggers swim for their lives to go to spawn. I love seeing Mt. Rainier on a clear day and the fact that we have next to no snow in the winter (yet if I want some, I can drive to Snoqualmie Pass ~ 30 minutes away).

Where would you suggest someone new to your region should visit?
The Ballard Locks, Pike Place Market, Lake Sammmamish State Park, Beaver Lake Park and Pine Lake Park.

Home again Home again
Jiggity Jig

Summer o'Fun Day ??

We leave in two more days but I am so ready to go home now. Just want to sleep in my own bed and use my own washing machine and not stress about sorting the billion types of garbage into their 872934 different recycle bins. Hey, I am all for recycling and I do my part but everyone here has all of these little itty bitty garbage bins and every little bit of garbage needs sorting. Kleenex and cotton balls can go into the same garbage bin that food scraps and diapers go in (biodegradable stuff) but q-tips with plastic handles cannot. I am here on vacation and am having anxiety attacks about putting the ice cream sandwich wrappers in the wrong garbage bin. AAArgh!

We had a pizza party yesterday to see all of our friends. It was so fun to see everyone (and for those who have them - their kids).

Judi found out today that the cancer is back and is a higher grade. Not sure why they did not just give her a hysterectomy to begin with. Her doctor is on vacation AGAIN so she won't be seeing him for at least another week to find out what they will do next. Remind me never to live in Alberta. And please keep my sister in your thoughts.

Summer O'Fun Day (Lost count)

I bought the outfit I am going to wear to Ramona's wedding today. I had no intention of buying the outfit while on vacation but after the fifteenth time that Killjoy told me "You don't want to go in THERE, do you?" while shopping with her at the mall today I said f*ck it and went into this little overpriced boutique anyway. As I entered the store, I spied a beautiful gold organza top. I asked to try it on with a skirt (black satin) and I loved the outfit so I bought it. Killjoy at least told me that it looked nice on me and she was kind enough to watch the kids while I tried it on but she still went on about the price of it. I said "How often does one's best friend get married?" and that shut her up although I know she was thinking I could probably find a more practical dress at Sears.

Yesterday I took the kids to the Islands with my mom (aka Killjoy) and my MIL. The kids had a grand time taking the GO train and a ferry, They went on some rides at Centreville and we went through the hedge maze that has been there for 38 years.

Wednesday, Stephen and my mom (KJ) took the kids to my brother Wally's house for a swim and to hang out with Fiona. I stayed home because I had food poisoning from my night out with the girls. No, it was not from drinking too much (one martini and two glasses of wine!) but I had mussels for dinner (mussels, shrimp and scallops in spaghetti) and the last mussel I ate tasted like crap! I had to try to get rid of the taste with 495 pieces of bread. Ramona asked me later why I just didn't spit the damn thing out. I should have. Anyway, I spent Wednesday vomitting then well, you know. One good thing is that I could have sworn I lost 10 pounds that day but no such luck. I guess I will not win the weight loss contest at HerTime.

Five days left of vacation. Tomorrow is my aunt's birthday party. Sunday we are having a pizza party at the outlaws and have invited friends of old. Monday is one last hurrah (park or something), Tuesday will be spent trying to pack all of our newly acquired possessions (read: toys for the kids) into the suitcases and then we leave on Wednesday. I miss my own bed. I miss my shower and I miss my computer.

Summer O'Fun Days 31-33

Miss me? :)

So far vacation has been good. The kids were so good on the plane. Toronto is friggin hot and I have had two weather-induced migraines to date.

The kids are enjoying all of the attention (and new toys) they have been receiving. Cars has been sick though and isn't eating much. I had to take him to the doctor Wednesday at 4:50pm the evening before we left. He had an ear infection (and a 103F fever). His fever finally broke but now he has a rash on his body. If it isn't gone by tomorrow I will consider taking him to a walk-in clinic.

We have been busy. We've visited family and friends, we went to the Ontario Science Centre and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) to see feathered dinosaurs and knights' costumes. We had two birthday parties for Cars (Happy 2nd birthday, baby!). The boys have played in the sprinkler and in the neighbour's pools. I had a girls night out with Ramona and Alicia. (Ramona's ring is gorgeous!). We still hope to fit in two amusements parks and a bbq with old friends before the trip is over.

Peter Jennings died the other day and I keep getting teary-eyed over it. Of course since he was Canadian and being in Canada while it happened, you can imagine the publicity. Geez, I am choking up again just thinking about him. I will miss him.

Well, I should go to bed. One vokda martini and two glasses of wine tonight has drained me. I had such a great time chatting with Ramona and Alicia. Nothing like dear old friends.

Great balls of Fire

Great - plane crash at Toronto airport two days before we fly there.

All survive Air France jet crash and fire

Summer of No Fun Day 30

It never fails. Before we go on a trip I wig out. I get completely stressed and things bug the shit out of me. Today has been no exception. Ok, I know it hasn't been the most fun day for the kids but I have lots of laundry to do and then pack so when Ash called to ask if the older boys could come over to play I jumped at the change so that they could have a little bit of a change of scenery and I could get some packing done while Cars slept. I said sure and told them to get their bathing suits together and brush their hair. I ran upstairs and when I come back down they have been squirting water at each other all over the family room (from the squirt bottle that they use to wet their big bushy hair when they brush it). I completely LOSE it and now all three of my children are upstairs for a nap for the next 1.5 hours while I sit down here trying to calm down. No fun stuff today and really I am acting like Mommy Dearest (sans the beating with the wire hanger but just as mental).

Oh, before this, I had already taken their backpacks and gameboys away from them until the trip on Thursday (can you see that this has been a very lovely day?).

I know my reaction was over the top but at the moment all I could think of was that they were perfect little monsters and I wanted them away from me but not away having fun.

Oh, I am sufficiently cooled down enough that I can resume packing. In peace...at least for another 75 minutes.

Serenity now.

Blah-blah-blah

Summer O'Fun Day 29

Today I met some forum friends at the Seattle Locks today. Jojo and her dd were there (she lives in Olympia so it was a long drive for them). I had met Jojo several times in the past too, most recently in Florida last year! lol

I also met Shelly and the boy. They were up from California because Shelly's friends are in a band and they were touring up this way (Rain). I was so delighted to meet them!

Here's a photo of us (taken by Jax so it is a little blurry). Today was cool so I just grabbed my hoodie on the way out the door and I look like a frumpy-old-middle-aged woman (hey wait! I am a frumpy-old-middle-aged woman!).


After we left the locks, I took the kids to Archie McPhee for fun. It is a cross between a surplus store and a joke shop. They had a great time poking around the store and I ended up buying them a couple of little Star Wars figurines, some pirate bandaids and toy rings.

Three more days until we leave on our trip. Jax is nuts out of control excited. He has packed and unpacked his backpack about 12 times in the past two days. Stephen is basically packed already and I haven't even started. I am doing laundry as I type so I can start first thing tomorrow morning.

Cars' second birthday is on Friday. We are just having a small cake for him at my mom's on Friday before the big bash (I guess big) at the in-laws. MIL finally agreed to bake him a cake rather than buying the booze-soaked cakes from Fabian's. She is excited to make it using the Betty Crocker Bake N'Fill pan.

The only thing I have bought for Cars for his b-day is Darth Tater. My poor baby gets the short-end of the stick! No party. No special cake from Mom. Only a Mr. Potato Head for a pressie. I suck.

Stephen is of course sick because we are going away. He gets sick before we go and I completely wig out because of stress. He had a bad ear infection. He also had a wellness check at work a few weeks ago and this triglycerides were HIGH (cholesterol was good). He asked her about it and she said it could be from stress and a bad diet. I feel completely guilty because I haven't been a very good cook for the oh say past 12 years of our 12 year marriage. When we get back from holidays we start the Mediterranean diet and then he needs to go see her for a complete physical.

Oh, there is the laundry buzzer calling me to change loads.

The picnic today was a lot of fun. It was sunny and hot though and I had to line up for 20 minutes for two cups of water! There were no lines for the cans of pop and lemonade but I only wanted water. The kids had great time too. We only had to wait in one long line up (well two if you count the water) for one of the inflatables.

Here is a picture of the guys enjoying a blue staining blue popsicle (Dex still has blue lips and Jax has a melt line from his wrist to his elbow - even after baths!).

Summer O'Fun Day 28

Nanny came in the afternoon today and I went to get my hair cut. I got bangs again. I have spent the last 22 years growing my bangs out only to have them cut again after a short time. I think I will stick with them for a while since I am getting lines (ok, they are wrinkles!) across my brow. I have had one for quite a while but I am getting the kind that people get Botox for. As well as an arch-shaped on above my left eyebrow.

Anyway, the stylist made my hair super straight and it feels really weird. First she used a hairdryer then a flat iron. My hair is sleek and it feels like I have half the head of hair that I really do. Back to frizzy-wavy hair tomorrow.

I finally finished a necklace I was working on.

Tomorrow is dh's annual company picnic. The company holds a picnic over two days to accomodate the 20000 employees in this area. They rent out a farm at the base of a mountain and there is tons'o'food, games, rides, activities. The weather is supposed to be beautiful tomorrow so we'll have a great time.

Summer O'Fun Day 27

Not much happened today. We went to Target to buy new toys for the airplane ride next week. Jax was so excited that he wanted to pack TONIGHT! Stephen says we need to pack light and he was packing only 3 shirts, 2 shorts and 3 pair of underwear. I told him I hoped he enjoyed doing his own laundry because there was no way I was going to spend everyday washing his clothes while I am on VACATION. I will sneak more clothes for him in my suitcase.

We were trying to figure out what to see while we are in Toronto. I really want to go to Niagara Falls. (I haven't been there since 1992 when I went with Sheila and Jackie on the first weekend in July. It was to have been Sheila's wedding that weekend but she and Marc broke up. We stayed in a cheesy motel in the US side and went to a bar that accepted Canadian money at par! Oh, it was called "The Pleasure Dome". lol)

Anyway, Stephen doesn't want to go there. I cannot believe he doesn't think the kids will be interested in seeing 600,000 gallons of water rushing over the falls each second! And that is just on the Canadian side! I would love to take them on the Maid of the Mist. I think I will just have to make the trip without him.

We have a couple of amusement parks picked out plus of course we have to go to the Toronto Island (I have such fond memories of me as a child at the amusement park on Centre Island).

I have NO desire to go to the Toronto Zoo. It is a much better zoo than the one here but it is big and there is tons'o'walking and I can remember complaining to my parents because I was tired and there is no way I will put my kids (or me!) through that!

Oh boy this vacation had better be fun.

Summer O'Fun Day 26

We spent a good chunk of the day at the beach. Kids had a great time. I am a little red where I did not apply sunscreen well. Cars did a face plant in the water trying to reach down for a rock and panicked when he got water in his face. He wasn't far from me but when it happened it seemed like he was miles away. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. He also ran off as we were walking back to the car. I think I need to get him a leash.

Craft today was sand art (glue on dark construction paper then add sand) but no one was interested in doing it. I must be premenstrual because I got a little pissy with my kids about it. Dex said we could take sand home and do it there and I said no way. How childish of me.

Book club was fun. Everyone enjoyed the book. One of the women always had weird thoughts about the characters or situations in the book. For instance, in this book a man took advantage of a situation where Jews were robbed of their belongings during WWII. He then bought them for little money but they were worth hundreds or thousands of dollars (he made his fortune this way). She took it as he saw a business opportunity and took it while the rest of us where abhorred by his behaviour. Another time she liked a character who was mean and cruel but she did not think he was (and clearly the author wanted us to see him this way). Strange.

Anyway, no meeting until the middle of September. I will have to re-read The Time Traveler's Wife by then!

Summer O'Fun Day 25

Today was probably the hottest day of the summer so far. We went to the park to see "Reptile Man", who has the unfortunate real name of Scott Peterson. I swear the adults in the crowd all gasped a little when he said his name. It was fun for the kids (except for B who screamed and cried and ended up sitting on my lap with Cars (she is 7 yrs old).

Afterwards we came home with my friend Rachel and her kids (her middle son was in Dex's preschool class when they were 3). The boys all did slip'n'slide (surprised?) for an hour. I swear it is the best summer toy EVER!

I am in the middle of colouring my hair - 15 minutes to go. Light Golden Brown with highlights. I might not add any highlights this time since I am sure the brassy ones from last time will show through.

Stephen is working late...(pause)...oh, he just walked in the door and in not impressed that I told the kids they could stay up until 9pm. Oh well! :P

I finished "The Time Traveler's Wife" this morning. I really enjoyed the book but I rushed through the last bit because I wanted to know how it ended. I need to go back and re-read a few parts but overall I loved the story and how the book was written. Tomorrow night is book club but we are discussing the book I finished three books ago - "Broken For You". I need to skim through it tomorrow to remember parts I want to discuss.

Ramona is going to look for a wedding dress tomorrow. I hope she finds one she likes!

Summer O'Fun Day 24

Another slip'n'slide day and a trip to the Crazy doctor. I won't see her for the next month due to vacation schedules. I hope I stay sane!

For DMouse - here is a photo of my whole PEZ collection. Click on the photo for more detailed photos.

Top row is special edition PEZ and Pez with no feet.
Second row is superheroes, trucks, headless Pez dispensers and clowns
Third row is Looney Tunes and Disney (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck et al)
Fourth row is holiday Pez - Christmas, Easter, Valentines and Halloween
Fifth and sixth rows are just row on row of Pez: Incredibles, TMNT, Flintstones, Star Wars, Jack-in-the-Box (burger place), Pooh, Tweenies, Pink Panther, Bob the Builder, various animals, Shrek, Hanna-Barbera, E.T., etc
Seventh row is more various Pez and Pez dressed in Pez clothes
Bottom row is Giant Pez, fuzzy Pez and watches, keychains etc

And there you have it. I also have a couple of drawers in a desk full of duplicates that the kids can play with. Jax has also picked out the ones he wants to take when he moves out to go to college. lol

I have been power-walking every night for an hour with my neighbours and I am gaining weight! How is that possible? Aargh.

Today I spent well over an hour dusting and re-arranging my PEZ collection. I have 312 dispensers on display plus 2 Giant Pez dispensers, a Pez car, a Pez truck, Pez Christmas ornaments, Pez magnets, Pez popcorn (gross!), three motorized Pez dispensers, a Pez bobblehead, various Pez keychains, watches, lip balm and party favours. I get giddy looking at the Pez because some of them I love so much! Our oldest one is a Popeye that once belonged to Stephen's cousin's husband. He bought it when he was a young boy in the 1950's. My favourite Pez is a Road Runner Pez (also somewhat rare) and a snowman Pez (one of the first ones Stephen bought for me when we first started dating in 1986). I wish I had had a bride and groom Pez for the top of our cake when we were married. However, they were extremely rare (and expensive), the bride fetching upwards of $1500. They have since re-issued the bride and groom (available directly from Pez for $30/pair).

I see now that there are Bratz Pez which I am in no hurry to add to my collection. I am still always on the lookout for Mr. Bean Pez and I saw some Japanese Barbapapa mini-Pez on eBay. My cabinet is nearly full though so I am not sure what I will do when I get more. In my dream house I will have a Pez room and I will have Pez posters and other memorabilia. In the meantime I will just keep crowding them in the cabinet and hope we do not have an earthquake that will knock them all down like dominos.

Summer O'Fun Day 23

I paid Nanny for 1.5 hours today while I read a friggin book. Can you believe it? It was my original intention to take Jax shopping for pants at 8am when she arrived but I slept a little late and was not ready to go when she arrived. Then I blow dried my hair (which takes a long time but not as long as usual since I am going BALD again) while reading "The Time Traveler's Wife". (OMG That book is so good). So after I finished getting ready I sat on the bed and read until 9:30. Jax was going to a friend's house for the day (the friend whose tooth-fairy gives video games) so I took him there then spent the next 40 minutes trying to drive 6 miles along to parkway to go shopping. Paying Nanny while I sat in traffic was worse than paying her while I read a book!

I called my MIL today and spoke to her for the first time in months. She put me on the biggest guilt trip than my mother has even ever done.
MIL: Sighing heavily "It will be so nice to have everyone finally together for once" (~sniffle~)

Eeek! Even my mom does not cry when she says she wishes we all lived closer to her. Of course my mom is used to it since 4/5 of her children do not live within 1000 miles of her while Stephen is the only one of his siblings to dare move away.

Anyway, MIL is now going to make elaborate plans to get us all together for a family portrait while we are there. Guess we need to take some dressy clothes with us now.

Now I am sighing heavily.

Summer O'Fun Day 22

Not much fun for the kids today until Ash took them in the afternoon. I stayed home with Cars and did laundry.

Summer O'Fun Day 21

Beach day for us. We spent 3 hours at Lk. Samm. State park and it was such a lovely day. It was only about 75 degrees so it did not get too hot. The kids had a grand time.

JP and Marilyn stopped in yesterday on their way back from the Oregon coast. They stayed overnight. They are going to come down to stay with my mom while she babysits the kids when Stephen and I go to Ramona's wedding.

Jax lost a tooth today. It is one of his upper incisors. It was pretty loose and I told him before we went to the beach that I hoped he would not lose it in the lake. Next thing I know he tugged it right out. Then he spent the day wondering what he will get from the tooth fairy. His friend, C, gets xbox games. I have explained to Jax that I did not think our tooth fairy brought things like that. I was excited to have two half-dollar coins to give him but I think he will be disappointed in our tooth fairy. You'd think he learn since this is the third tooth he has lost.

Summer O'Fun Day 19

We are sure getting good mileage out of the slip'n'slide this year. The kids love it (it is a Star Wars one). The kids spent at least 45 minutes on it today (can't wait for my water bill). The only problem is that Jax has been having such a problem with hives this year from the grass, I guess. This is what he looked like today:


I called the allergist over a week ago but cannot get him in until September 8th. I won't worry about it just yet because Benadryl takes the hives away right away but he just looks so horrible in the meanwhile then Benadryl knocks him out. Now I did run out of Zyrtec and am awaiting his refill (damn mail order prescription service!) but he was having hives (not this bad) even when he was on it. Allergies SUCK! Perhaps I should just make an appt with the pediatrician and ask them if they can suggest something.

I finished reading "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". While I realized early on who would be gone by the end of the book, I was surprised and disappointed at who did it. I thoroughly enjoyed the book though. I love these characters so much. Next time I will not buy the book via Amazon but will go to a book store at midnight to get it.

Stephen installed the new range hood today. What a fiasco. When he took the old one off the duct fell apart so he had to partially dismantle the cabinets, then go and buy new ducts and vents etc. So what we thought might be a 45 minute job turned in to a 4 hour job. We "saved" $130 (Sears install) by installing it ourselve but ended up spending $40 on materials. You could tell that the original installers (builder) did such a shitty job. The main exhaust duct does not line up with the center of the range so that was the biggest problem. Anyway, it is finally installed and Stephen was excited to use duct tape on an actual duct.

I am off to read more HP6. I am only 1/2 way through the book. Darn kids kept interruping me today! ;)

Summer O'Fun Day 18

First news first has nothing to do with Summer O'Fun...

My very best friend in the whole wide world is getting married! In November in Las Vegas! I am so excited and happy and delighted for her! Whoo-hoo! Watch her blog for details!

More fun news. I met my friend Mar today. We have been friends online for about 3 years. Sadly, her dh's grandmother passed away and the funeral was just outside of Seattle. She and I made arrangements to meet for a short while at a park. It was so nice to meet her and her family. Here's a picture of she and I (and Cars):



Stephen and I actually have a date planned for tomorrow night. First one in ages. We are going to a movie but the early show this time so there is no repeat of Stephen's $100 nap (babysitting, tickets, popcorn and two drinks before the movie).

Summer O'Fun Day 17

Summer O'Fun Day 17

It was finally warm enough to go to the beach! We went to Lk Samm State Park (think Ted Bundy hunting grounds) and had a good time. There was a nice breeze coming off the lake which kept it from getting too hot. Jax and Dex had a great time swimming in the water and Cars had fun lying on the shore playing in the wet sand. We did have to leave abuptly though when Jax broke out in hives all over his face. It was the worst case of hives I have seen on his face before. I thought I had benadryl in the car but I didn't so we sped home. I will carry benadryl with me from now on. I can put a few tablets in the Epi-Pen case and I will put some in the first aid kit in the car too.

Once we got home, the kids played on the slip'n'slide for a half hour then they sat wrapped up in towels on the chairs in the sun talking and being silly. It was such a perfect summertime day today.

Summer O'Fun Day 16

Our Summer O'Fun group went to Laurie's today. It rained early in the morning so it wasn't the best day. She has a bounce house from Costco that she inflated for the kids to play in. Next week it looks like we will finally have a run of summer weather so the plan is to go to the beach.

Stephen is working late tonight and I need to get the kids bathed and garbage out.

Looking forward to meeting an online friend on Friday afternoon at a park out near the airport!

Summer O'Fun Day 15

Not much fun going on here today. The weather was cool and overcast today. The kids were in crappy moods and I had a migraine most of the day. I finally took an Excedrin Migraine which took away the pain (why didn't I just take the damn thing earlier?).

Our new stove came today. It rocks! I am going to love cooking (ok, so maybe not love) with it. I wonder if it will help me not burn things...

I bought our tickets to Toronto today. The trip will end up costing more than we had anticipated because we waited so late to book them and we decided to take the more expensive (direct) flight to Toronto because the flight via Vancouver leaves at 6AM while the direct flight leaves at a more reasonable 8:15am. So, it was about an extra $300 for the convenience of the direct flight leaving 2 hours later. We are are flying through Vancouver on the way home though.

One interesting tidbit...the flights from Toronto/Seattle and Toronto/Vancouver are approximately the same duration but Air Canada does not serve free food on the Toronto/Vancouver flights (meals for purchase) but they do on the Toronto/Seattle route. I wonder if it is just that Canadians expect less from their airlines than Americans do.

I called the airline after I booked the tickets online to let them know that we had a severe peanut allergic member in our party. The woman gave me the standard line "We do not serve peanuts but cannot guarantee that someone will not bring peanuts on the plane blah blah blah". I replied "I understand that but, as a courtesty, I thought I would let Air Canada know that there will be someone on their flight with a potential life-threatening condition. You know, just in case people bring peanuts on the plane." Silence. Then clickity-clickity-clack-clack as she updated the record and then thanked me for letting them know. We will pre-board and wipe down the arm rests and tray table with Clorox wipes before Jax touches anything.

Summer O'Fun Day 14

Ash's kids were here all day while she had her angiogram (doc did not see any blockage so that's good for her). It was a looong day, esp when Kins had one of her crying jags that lasted 40 minutes because I made her take a time out for lying about Cars hitting her. Geez, I am lucky I think that I do not have girls! No way could I handle the drama!

Anyway, the kids played on the slip'n'slide for almost an hour. My sideyard is a big pile of mud now but they did have a great time.

I am working on a beaded necklace right now. It will be so pretty when it is done. I have got to get back to my knitting though. I still haven't finished the sweather for DeniSe's baby and I have my Booga Bag to make.

Tomorrow we will be going to the library to collect the first prize for completing 300 minutes of reading. Jax just about DIED because we could not go today (right after Gav and Kins left we had to go meet Stephen then I had my Crazy Doctor appt). The prizes are just pencils or stickers but you'd think it was a chest of gold the way Jax is behaving. I am glad that it is keeping him interested in reading through the summer.

I made some beaded stitch markers in case I ever decide to finish the knitting projects I have started. They fit up to a size 6.5mm needle (US size 10 1/2):

Summer O'Fun Day 12

Jax had a friend over today to play. They wanted to play inside most of the day so they missed the sunshine except when I made them march up the street to see if a school mate was home so they could say hi (she was not home). After we took the kid home we stopped by the library. Stephen worked late so I went through the McD's drive-thru and we took our food to the park to listen to a concert (a Mowtown Cover band). There were several people there that we knew and the kids had fun. Dex said he didn't get to have all the fun there was to be had though because we left 15 mins early (it was nearly their bedtime!).

The neighbours directly across the street and neighbours directly to their left (my right) have been feuding for about 7 years. Well maybe feuding is the wrong word. They had a big fight and now they completely ignore each other. Today I was going out to get the mail and the lady across the street and her oldest dd (she's 18) were sitting on their lawn. We exchanged greetings. Just then, their next door neighbour was walking up the street. She looked over and said "Hi Pez" to me very chipper then completely ignored the neighbours as she passed not 5 feet in front of them. They did not react as she walked by - it was as though she were invisible anyway. It was surreal.

Summer O'Fun Day 10

We went to a park in the city that I have never been to before. It was really cool - it had a huge covered area that was good because it did threaten to rain. Anyway, the place has two totem poles (forgot my camera) that are huge and very impressive.

The planned activity was to paint a mural but I told the kids it was a totem pole so they could tell us the story of their painting after they had finished. I had a long roll of paper and I divided it into 2' sections for each kid (some moms painted too). They had such a blast painting it and then sharing their stories. I brought the painting home and took individual photos of each section then cropped them together. You can see it here.

I had taped down the paper and as we were telling the stories, the wind picked up and ripped the paper in half through the heart that Ash had painted. It was ironic because she found out this morning that she has to have an angiogram because she has been having heart pains and flutters for a few months and the meds the cardiologist put her on haven't helped.

Summer O'Fun Day 9 (weekends and holidays don't count)

We did nothing much today. The boys and I cleaned up all of the ashes and debris left over from the spent fireworks. Then I started putting the house back together. Then I was tired so I had a nap with Cars while Jax and Dex watched tv (what a great mom I am, eh?).

I finished reading my book - "Broken For You". I loved it so much. I cried and laughed and cried some more. I wish we had book club this week to talk about it (book club has been pushed out until the 27th and August's meeting is canceled). At least I have cleared the way to start "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" when it arrives next week!

Now we're cooking

I went to Sears today and bought a new range/oven and hood. I didn't think we needed a new hood but Stephen insisted that we get one if we were getting a new range. We've been having problems lately with our oven and the stove top burners no longer work on "LO". Plus Jax broke the lock to the self-cleaning oven when we moved in here 6 years ago so I have to use oven cleaner which has ruined the finish inside a little. And because the self-cleaning feature does not work I do not even clean it often enough anyway. The oven is original to the house (16 years).

Stephen said he wanted to get a new oven next month but Sears had a 4th of July Weekend sale that ends tomorrow. The stove was on sale plus I saved 10% by charging it to my Sears account. No payments or interest until July 2006 and free delivery. So of course we could not wait another month. I bought the Kenmore that was rated #1 in Consumer Reports May edition. Stephen will be happy to have a new range and maybe it will help me with my cooking too. ;)

Tomorrow is our barbeque. Looks like it is going to be a nice day afterall. Today is sunny but barely 70 degrees.

In honour of Canada Day (July 1) and Independance Day (July 4) falling on opposite sides of the same weekend, I thought I would share a few interesting Canadian/American facts between these two cousins:

• Canada is the largest source of imported crude oil in the U.S., bigger than Saudi Arabia or the yet untested reserves of Iraq.*


• Total U.S.-Canada trade is over $1 billion a day.**


• US is Canada's largest trading partner. Canada is US' largest trading partner.***


• None of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists entered the U.S. from Canada.*


• Canada-U.S. trade supports more than five million American jobs.*

* source: The Toronto Star (thestar.com)
** source: USDA (http://www.ers.usda.gov)
*** source: United North American (http://www.unitednorthamerica.org/home.htm)

Happy Canada Day!
Happy 4th of July!

Summer O'Fun Day 8

Yesterday the kids made life-sized self-portraits (or some semblance of them):


They had a good time doing it and they took a long time doing them which is good (sanity keeper for me). Gav and Kins were doing theirs too so it kept all 5 kids busy for about 30 minutes!

Today, Nanny brought over some cardboard for the kids to make a castle.

The castle is great because it folds up and can be stored until the next time they want to play with it. Nanny got the cardboard free from Costco (it apparently is between stacks of Kirkland-brand toilet paper and they let her have it for free. She takes it all the time for her M-Th kids.

I have a movie on for the kids right now. I think I will read my book so it is finished by the time Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince arrives in 10 days! Otherwise, I am sure I will not get my bookclub book read by the next meeting.

Summer O'Fun Day 7

Sunshine! We had sunshine! What a nice break. I watched Ash's kids for a few hours today. The kids played relatively nicely together then I took my kids to the library after Ash picked up her kids. Dex insisted on borrowing a Spanish-language Rugrats video. He said he knew Spanish because Dora speaks it sometimes and he knows what she is saying.

Found at Katie's blog:

Summer O'Fun Day 6

We had a picnic at the park with lots of friends today. Then the kids ran around the baseball field for a while, playing baseball (with wiffle bats), soccer and just being crazy. It was nice to have them in an enclosed area. Tomorrow we are going to the library and maybe we'll work on our American Flag. Also, Gav is due to come over in the afternoon to play.

Tonight, Ash, Glo and I went out for drinks. We walked to the local Mexican joint. My margaritas were yummy. Glo and Ash put back quite a few. No wonder they insisted on walking there! Glo has to get up for work in the morning too. Good luck to her. It was a lovely night to walk home. Why are the skies so friggin clear at night but overcast during the day!? Forecast for tomorrow? Morning clouds with sunbreaks later in the day and clearing in the evening.

Summer O'Fun Day 4 (I don't count weekends)

Jax went to C's for the day. C is his friend in class whom he always gets in trouble with for being silly. The teacher had to email me about 3 or 4 times throughout the year about Jax's behaviour. How embarrassing! Anyway, about two weeks before school ended the teacher told me she is going to have to recommend that Jax and C are placed in different classes next year. Even MORE embarrassing! Anyway, Jax spent a few hours there today and he had a good time. C is coming here next Thursday.

Dex was in a foul mood today and he did not want to do anything so we did nothing.

Tomorrow we are meeting some friends at a park. The rain is due to stop so hopefully the sun will shine.

Not much happened this weekend. Yard work, errands, etc. I found out last week that "The Bead Man" was closing today so I had to go and stock up on some silver wire. The cost of his beads were never a deal. My first shaker bracelet cost over $100 in supplies but the next one was closer to $60 because I bought my crystal beads from ebay. But, I did take the class there that taught me how to make bracelets so I am grateful for that. Now I only have Michael's and Joann's to chose from unless I make a trip to Shipwreck Beads in Olympia.

For Mother's Day, Jax gave me a coupon which stated he would take me to buy some jewelry. I thought today I could take him to The Bean Man and he could pick out a nice crystal bead that I could incorporate into a bracelet (so he would not have to spend more than $1.00). He picked out a pretty amber 6mm Swarovski Crystal bicone which costs $0.85. Great! Then he started looking around and saw some glass beads for $0.25 and thought he would get me one of those instead so he would not have to spend as much money. What a cheapo!

I had three people come up to me after church today to tell me I was brave to handle three boys by myself during Mass. How is that brave? You do what you have to do. They were all very well behaved anyway (they just played and coloured - I told Jax that starting in September he had to start paying attention because he will be going for his first communion next spring). Anyway, I don't mind taking all three with me because Stephen's guilt about not going with us (he is anti-church these days, thanks in part to Skeptic magazine, I'm sure) makes him vacuum the house and mop the kitchen floor while I am gone. ;)

I have spent 2 hours trying to figure out the cheapest and most convenient way to book our vacation. It is impossible. I feel like just calling American Express Travel and letting them do it. You cannot book minivans in Toronto through any airline website or via air+car with Travelocity or Expedia dot coooooooom (don't you just hate that jingle? It is stuck in my head for the night now).

We haven't told my mom or Stephen's parents that we are for sure coming yet. I guess we'll wait until we book it then let them know.

Remember that lovely Stellars Jays I was raving about a couple of weeks ago? Well the freaking things starts awk-awking at 5 in the morning each day and continues throughout the day! Last night nosy neighbour dropped by for a bit and while we say in the backyard one sat on the fence awk-awking at us the whole time and it drove us bananas! Plus they are pooping all over the Gladys Kravitz Perch and the new bbq! Where are the bloody neighbour's cats, that normally poop in my yard, when I need them?!

Summer O'Fun 2005 - Day 3
I have arranged for Jax to go to his friend's house on Monday to play. Now what will I do with Dex? I will have to see if I can get a friend of his over to play.

I spent my 4 hours of me time shopping at Costco. Well, 2 hours of it going to Costco, shopping and then home. I also went to Pacific Fabrics and bought some plain white fabric to make an American Flag to display at the 4th of July bbq.

Per Katie's request, here are some photos of the boys wearing their tie dye shirts. Only Cars's turned out really well. I used some Rit Dye on the others and it is not nearly as vibrant.


I also took the elastic bands off too early when rinsing the shirts. I'd like to try it again sometime now that I know what I am doing.

My SIL called and they are finally settling in the house in Minnesota. I had to laugh though because the phone company screwed up their name and the last 4 letters are showing up as BERG rather than BERT on the caller ID. Hehehe

Summer O'Fun 2005 - Day 2
Nothing much today. A trip to the library and we played outside most of the afternoon. All the while I had to listen to Jax lament that he had no one to play with and why can't his best buddies come over to play. *sigh*

Nanny will be here tomorrow morning so she can listen to Jax wish to play with his school buddies for 4 hours while I go to Costco and to the grocery store. Love this time to myself thing.

This'n'that

Summer O'Fun 2005 - Day 1
We tie-dyed shirts today. Actually, I did it. The kids were all keen on dyeing their shirts until they realized that they might actually get dye on them so we compromised and they picked the colours and I dyed (and tied) them. They are still dyeing but I need to rinse them out in a couple more hours. My hands are a lovely shade of dark blue and green.

Day 2 has nothing scheduled except maybe a trip to the library. Hopefully the sun will come out and warm things up too!

Cars has had a fever for days. Dex had one too (104.5! with a temporal scan thermometer which did register normal temps for the rest of us) but his broke finally. The doctor says it is just a virus going around. They both have bad coughs too. Anyway, I have been giving them Robitussin DM but I have to hold Cars down to give it to him. He hates it.

I am taking Katie's advice and I am not going to have a garage sale. At least not at this time. Maybe in September. That gives me all summer to sort through things.

Stephen and I have been watching Season 5 of "The Sopranos" on dvd this past week. Besides the violence, I love the show. We had ordered HBO to watch season 5 ON Demand but we missed it when it was on. We should probably cancel HBO until season 6 comes on next spring.

One hour of my life that I will never get back. Why did I think it would be revealing or interesting?

Happy Father's Day. We did not do much at all today. Stephen slept in and I skipped church. It was a nice day and the kids played outside much of the day. I did a little gardening and fell off the retaining wall while I was trying to climb out of the back garden onto a ladder. Doh! I have a lovely bruise/scrape on my upper thigh.

Stephen was happy with his Father's Day Gifts: a pair of shorts, a Mad Magazine subscription, renewal of his Skeptic Magazine subscription, two basil plants and some stuff the kids made for him at school (a paper weight and an emergency kit). Now he is making dinner for all of us. He decided to forgo the steaks and is having chicken wings. I am having a steak kabob.

I did not talk to my mom today. I usually call her on Father's day to let her know I am thinking about Dad. I'll call her tomorrow since that is the actual anniversary of his passing. I wonder if June 20th will ever fall on Father's Day again.

Terry called today and she wanted to know if I wanted to have a garage sale. Sure! But of course she wants to have it here because we get more traffic than she does. I will have to think about it. We'll have it in 3 weeks if I decide to go ahead with it. Although I am remembering my promise last year to never again have a garage sale in July! What to do, what to do...

Stephen took Jax and Dex to the local drugstore today because "Vicky the Lego Lady" was there giving out free little Lego kits and they had a display of the new Star Wars Lego. I specifically asked Stephen not to buy them Lego because 1) they were getting a free one and 2) we have too much of the damn stuff all over the house. What does he do? He lets them buy it with their own money. Duh - it wasn't a money issue. They both just had birthdays. They both have too much stuff. Plus Cars breaks up the Lego sets whenever he gets the chance and leaves trails of Lego blocks all over the house.

I am mommy watch me roar

Had a little run in with another mom at Dex's preschool today. Tonight was the end-of-year carnival and I volunteered to help set up. While putting out the baked goods and other goodies that were donated by parents for the cake walk, I noticed a lot of chocolate bars and chocolates that contain peanuts or nuts (this is a peanut-free/nut-free school). I told the mom who was in charge of the cake walk that some of the stuff should not be there. She got all snippy with me and as I pointed out things here and there she would snatch them off the shelves and roll her eyes at me. Then in a very sarcastic tone she said "All candy is labeled that way. I guess your children do not eat ANY candy". And I said "No, only candy that may contain or does contain peanuts is labeled that way". We were done so I walked out of the room and over to the preschool owner and told her that lots of the treats had peanuts or tree nuts in them and they need to let people know.

Then Snotty mom comes out and starts going on how the candy that *may* have nuts have been removed and another mom said "Actually, there are a lot of M&M's there and they are still on the shelf". I said that this school is supposed to be peanut and nut free and the notice sent home asking for goodies stated no nuts". Snotty mom interrupted me, stating that a responsible parent would not let their child pick something from that room then. Geez I was mad. I said "Please do not interrupt me" and I turned back to the owner and said that even if parents had their child choose something that they knew was safe, another child who might eat something with nuts or peanuts could make it dangerous for the allergic children. Snotty mom started rolling her eyes and sighing. Whatever, bitch.

To top it all off, I had to have this talk in front of my children. I kept my cool but I was assertive. No way I will let someone make me feel badly for protecting my child.

So the owner agreed to put up signs all over the room where the cake walk was to be held that the food may contain nuts and peanuts (while the stuff that definitely does was taken away).

And in the end we chose not to go into the room at all even though I knew the rice crispie treats and chocolate chip cookies I sent in where safe.

Stephen told me I should have asked her point blank if she were really saying that she was unwilling to protect the lives of children - then I should have called her an asshole.

I frigging hate that Jax has this peanut allergy. I hate that we have to watch out for a little protein, that is in so many foods, that could kill him. I hate we have to check and double check ingredients of food that we buy every week. Grocery shopping can take a long time because everything (and I mean everything) gets checked even if I had just bought the same thing the week before. I hate that I have read that peanuts are undeclared in medicine. I read just today that there might be peanut oils in baseball glove conditioner (this could explain Jax's hives after every frigging baseball game and practice).

Protect a Life. Be a PAL. Help find a cure.

Dex's last day of preschool today. I had to run out and get teachers' gifts this morning (got a late start though because I was sick through the night and so I had Stephen stay home until 9:30 so I could get some sleep). Anyway, I was so worried about getting the gifts that I completely forgot that Dex was special helper today and we were supposed to take in a snack. Not until we sat down to dinner did Dex say "I was special helper today and we forgot to take in the snack!" YIKES! What a way to end the year. Not only that but I was supposed to deliver some baked goods for the carnival tomorrow but since I slept in I did not have time to make the cookies I had planned. Good thing we are not going back there next year!

When Dex came home today he brought home a little binder filled with some work that he did throughout the year and some photos of him and some of his friends in class. It was a really nice thing for the teachers to do.

Our next door neighbours are hiring a landscaper to fix the drainage in their backyard. They have a bog like us but now I am worried that their yard will drain into ours making it soggier than it already is. Hmmm...

Stephen announced yesterday that we WERE going to Toronto this summer. I am still not so sure. heh

Migraines kicking my ass these past couple of days. Excedrin Migraine is my constant companion.

28 Seconds of Fame

On the theme of my 15 minutes of fame, yes, I was on Oprah a few years ago. They wanted me to fly to Chicago to be on the show but I had thyroid surgery scheduled. That I did not want to reschedule my surgery to be on the show seemed a little unbelievable to them (sorry Oprah but finding out if I had cancer was more important than meeting you in person).

Since I could not go to Chicago, they had me read my letter over the telephone and flashed pictures of me while the audio played. BTW, ever want to know why all of the letters on Oprah sound the same? It is because they re-write them!

Anyway, I was happy to be on the show for 28 seconds. I was finally able to upload the file. Click HERE. The file is large so it might take a moment to load.

5 Seconds of Fame

Yesterday I went out and enjoyed the sunshine. Dex, Cars and I walked to the park to meet Jax after school and I let the kids play for ages. We did not get home until 4:30 (I left the house at 2!).

While at the park, I was speaking to a friend who is a doula (we met because Stephen and her dh are on the same management team at MS). Anyway, we got on the subject of breastfeeding and she told me that one of the commentators, Ken Schram, on KOMO4 had made some stupid comments about breast-feeding in public and at the end of his commentary, the anchorwoman at the station called him an "Idiot" (click here to hear it or here to read his transcript. If you watch the video, wait until the very end to hear her comment.

Anyway, after bookclub last night, and two glasses of red wine, thank you very much, (for the record, I did not drive), I went out to view the video. I was so outraged that I decided to email Ken Schram and tell him just what I thought of him.

Here's my letter (not my finest moment):

You compared breastfeeding a baby with urinating in a cup in the mall? My God! You are a moron! Here's news for you - no one cares that *you* find it "impossible to switch from breasts as something sexual to breasts as take-out-food". Most women who breastfeed their children do it discretely. If you don't want to see it don't look! Didn't your mother teach you not to stare?

Pez
My City, WA

I really did not expect to hear from the jerk but I felt good writing it. Then I emailed the anchorwoman to let her know she was alright! :)

This afternoon, one of my bookclub friends emailed me that she had heard what had happened on KOMO4 so she had gone to the website to see what the fallout was and lo and behold - Ken Schram had compiled some comments from "thousands" of emails he had received and he had taken a sentence out of mine and used it in his latest commentary. Ken Schram Commentary: Modesty Is A Moot Point. Then the 5 o'clock news he read his commentary (and he pronounced my name wrong!). You can hear the audio by clicking on "Hear Audio Report" under his lovely mug.

So, that was my few minutes of fame today. Not even a full 15 minutes. :)

What's that I see??? The SUN! First time it has shone in what seems like weeks but really it is about 10 days. No rain in the forecast today either. Maybe it will finally warm up and I can stop wearing slippers and a sweater around the house.

I had such a migraine yesterday and of course Stephen was worked late. After dinner, the boys were wrestling after I told them to stop. I ended up shouting at them and sending them to bed at 7pm. I feel horrible for shouting and I did apologize to them as I put them to bed.

My hair is falling out again. I guess this is part of the regular cycle that started back after my two operations in one year. It makes me feel unattractive with this HUGE forehead. I cannot properly have bangs during times like this to even hide it. I hope it stops falling out soon and I wish I could shed hair evenly like normal people.

Oh and I feel off the roof yesterday and my face is covered in pimples. And I am still fat.

What a joy I am.

Happy 40th Birthday, Ramona!

June 8th. It is my very best friend's 40th Birthday. So in honour of this milestone, I would like to share a few photos with you.

Thirty-one years ago, we met in Grade 3 at our local public school. We became friends the next year (which was actually Grade 5 because we both skipped Grade 4). Here we are, 30 years ago, in Mr. L's class.

(Edited here because I said here we are 25 years ago but it is *gasp* 30 years ago! I cannot do math apparently!)

We were best friends all through school. The teenage years were not kind to us so I will not post any photos.

Ramona was the maid of honour at my wedding. Here we are in 1993. Ramona flew 6600 miles to be there for me (she was working in Saudi Arabia at the time).


Since the early 1990's, we have not lived in the same city, or even country yet we have maintained our great friendship across the miles. Ramona has visited me here in WA State and back in MN several times and of course I see her everytime I go "home".

Here we are in Las Vegas just a few short weeks ago. It was the first vacation we took together since 1991 (or was it 1992?).


Happy *40th* Birthday to Ramona. Cheers to the next 40!

For the birds

I don't know what it is about this year but there are birds everywhere this spring and it is exciting to see. I mean besides the damn crows that live around here and poke through everyone's garbage, we have some really cool birds. In my backyard I have seen Stellar's Jays, American Goldfinches, Robins and chickadees.

From my backyard I have seen a group of five bald eagles circling over the trees in the green belt across the street. One-quarter mile down the street, where I saw a coyote a couple of years ago, there are always some California quails strutting around the road. At the park last week I saw a Pileated Woodpecker (I thought it was called a red-headed woodpecker).

It has been so amazing seeing these beautiful birds so close to home.

Survivor DEX

Cross-posted at SAHP Forum.

Dex's party was today and he had a blast. The rain held off until the end of the party so we were able to have the party outside (yeah!). The kids started off making "immunity" necklaces then they tied their buffs either on their head, around their neck or around their arm.

Survivor Birthday boy and his cake which has a "Survivor - OurCityName" flag on it

Survivor Dex with his buff and Immunity Necklace

The first challenge was an obstacle course which consided of kicking a soccer ball into the net, climbing over a wagon, going across the monkey bars, up the rock ramp/wall, down the slide, in and out of tiki torches that were stuck in the ground, through a tunnel then touching the "Survivor - OurCityName" Flag.

The next challenge was to throw water balloon at signs with their names that were nailed to the retaining wall. The kids had the most fun with that and it is amazing how quickly you can go through 200 balloons! Next I told them the challenge was to pick up as many broken balloons as possible but Stephen got mad at me (heh) and told the kids to stop. Dex later said it was the worst challenge EVER!

Team Survivor

Next was cake and ice cream. Then presents and back outside for the pinata. The the kids just played in the yard for 30 minutes or so until it was time to go. Two of the kids were dropped off and two of them had their parents stay. Dex had a great time so it was a successful party.

A few dull days. Today, Jax had a baseball game (Dex has a "bye" this week). Tomorrow is Dex's b-day party and hopefully it will not rain. I bought these water balloon launchers for the kids and they have to hit their own name but if it is raining I am not sure what we will do.

I forgot to give the kids their allergy meds today and then in the late afternoon they were playing outside while Stephen cut the grass. Jax broke out in hives and Dex's cough returned. I hope that cough is gone tomorrow! He had it for 4 weeks and it had only just cleared up with antibiotics (sinus infection). :(

This coming week will mark 6 years since we moved to the Pacific Northwest. Let's see, we moved on Wednesday, June 9th. Spend Thursday and Friday (10th & 11th) looking at houses - 20 houses in 2 days. This is the last house we looked at on Friday at about 5pm. Then we went back to the real estate agent's office and put in an offer. Saturday and Sunday we waited word from the homeowners. They took the house off the market because of problems they were having with the sellers of the house they were buying. They said they would hold onto our offer. Monday the 14th, Stephen started his new job at the Evil Empire. Wednesday the 16th, my aunt called me and told me that my dad was hospitalized and I should think about coming home. I booked a flight for the 30th and she called me back and said to come right away. I called Air Canada back straight away and they were "kind" enough not to charge me for that flight and gave me the "compassion" fares of $1000 each for Jax and I to fly to Toronto on the 18th.

I arrived in T.O. on the 18th in the late afternoon and spent the next day and a half at the hospital. My dad got such a kick out of Jax who spent a lot of the time running in and out of the privacy curtain. Dad looked pretty ill but I remember thinking "Shit, I am going to have to go back to Seattle then come back again in a few weeks when it is really time for him to go". But, the next day I knew he knew it was time. He had such a final look on his face when he shook my cousin's hand as my cousin was leaving. I will never forget the knowing look on both of their faces.

Then on the 20th, Father's Day, my aunt came by my parents' place at 5am (Mom was spending all of her time at the hospital) to tell Wally and I (Wally was staying there too because it was too far to drive to his house) that we needed to get to the hospital. Mrs. Read came down from her house four doors up to watch Jax. Dad had died shortly before we arrived.

Wow, I still tear up thinking about my dad dying.

Dex had a great day yesterday and is really looking forward to his party this weekend.

Today is Leah Ann's *40th* birthday. I have only spoken to her once since Vegas (she wasn't home today). Just 7 more days until Ramona's 40th!

My mother is completely pissing me off these days. Grrr!

Happy Birthday, Baby!


Dex's First Moment
May 31, 2000


Dex
May 2005

The whole family went to see Madagascar today. Geez, the total with ticket prices and popcorn/drinks for everyone we paid $54! And Cars got in free! That was the first time I had been to the movies with the kids in over 3 years. The last time we all went 1) Cars was not born (nor was I yet pregnant!) and 2) We saw Ice Age but had to leave early because Jax was scared at the loud noises. Stephen has taken the kids to see a few movies in the last year but it was a long time before Jax would go because he doesn't like how loud they are. Even today he was holding his head and I asked him what was wrong and he said it was LOUD. :(

Anyway, the movie was cute but I could have waited for the DVD.

Stephen installed the air-conditioner just in time for the weather to cool 25 degrees! Brrrr! My feet have been cold all day.

I washed that grey right out of my hair, thanks to L'Oreal Couleur Experte 6.0. I missed a few strands at the temples...again. I was examining my hair very closely before I coloured it and the right side of my head is completely grey but the left side is more salt and pepper. Weird!

Today was hot and the kiddie pool did not have as big of a whole in it as I thought so I was able to fill it up for the kids to splash in for a while. Cars had a great time screaming "BAH! BAH!" (translation: "BATH! BATH!"). The water heated up very quickly and it sure did feel like a bath.

For this Memorial Day Weekend we have planned NOTHING. Well, not entirely true. I have insisted that we buy a new grill because once again I almost singed off my eyebrows trying to light the damn thing and the burgers I cooked yesterday were all ready at different times. So the grill is coming out of the Maybe-We'll-Go-To-Toronto trip fund.

Oh, and I do have some sewing to do this weekend and I have to iron on the "SURVIVOR - OURCITYNAME" transfers onto the buffs (more like bandanas) for Dex's party next weekend. I bought some tiki torches (99 cents after rebate at Ace. Oh and I was so glad I went to Ace because I found 3 PEZ dispensers that I did not have - Simba, Nala and Timon from "The Lion King". I had Pumba already - thanks to a friend in Australia! :)

Speaking of PEZ, JP called me the other day and he found the newest "Star Wars" PEZ for me and picked them up for me. Apparently there is this great store in Vancouver that always has the latest and greatest PEZ. He picked me up "The Incredibles" PEZ before they were available here (both the masked and unmasked <-not sold in the USA). Gotta love that brother of mine!

Oh, I just found out that there are Madagascar PEZ and I am still missing Mufasa from "The Lion King"!

And just when you think "Could she talk about PEZ anymore?"...the answer is yes! There are now "Star Wars" Giant PEZ which dispense packettes of PEZ candy rather than just individual pieces. They are so cool! I hope to buy one sometime - maybe the R2D2 or Darth Vader because they look the best.

And one last PEZ note...they are coming out with a PEZ MP3 player. You can go here to be put on the mailing list for when they become available.

No school for Jax tomorrow (4 day weekend) so we get to sleep in. Actually, I know the kids will be up at the crack of dawn but we don't have to rush around so that is almost like sleeping in, right?

Remember last month I wrote that to reduce stress, I have decided to buy things online and stop running around? Well, have been shopping! I bought myself these pants and this shirt:



except the shirt is in white - oh and a lot bigger. (I do so love the coupon code I got to use though - $25 off a $50 purchase!).

Then I ordered some sapphire sheets from The Company Store. Again, love those sale items with a coupon code!

Next, I ordered Dex's birthday present:

As if we don't have enough Imaginext and Pirate stuff around.

Finally, I ordered The Original Chocolate Factory:


I also had a shopping bagful of clothes for the kids at Gymboree but realized the insanity and closed my browser before I was tempted further.

Oh, the dryer buzzer just sounded. Off to take my new sheets upstairs to put on the bed.

Yesterday, I found out from an allergy forum I go to (WA-FEAST) that Safeway brand Dimetapp contains PEANUTS! (A mom had given it to her peanut-allergic dd who ended up with swollen eyes). So does the Safeway brand Tussin DM (Robitussin) (coconuts and nuts but the manufacturer was not able to verify what type of nuts until they hear back from a supplier). And Safeway brand Children's Ibuprofen (orange) DOES have nuts! This is ridiculous! I cannot believe that they can make these medications with a major food allergen and not list it on the label! And not only that, the new label law that goes into effect in January 2006 only covers food and NOT medicines!

So, I had to throw out the cough medicine I recntly bought for Dex's cough just in case we accidentally give it to Jax. And I will never buy orange or grape flavoured meds for them again.

Just when I think we have a handle on this allergy...

Dex's cough is getting a little better. He has developed a little throat clearing though and that is almost as loud and annoying as the cough. I hope it all clears up soon.

Jax finished his Movies By Kids class today. He won't actually get a copy of the movie for a week or so. I cannot wait to see how it turned out. He worked in a group of 4 other kids. He loved the class and wants to take it again next year.

Jax is going on a field trip tomorrow to a local slough. What is a slough, you ask? And just how do you pronounce slough? A slough is wetlands or swamp and here it is pronounced "slew" although I believe the correct pronunciation rhymes with "plough". The slough looks really interesting and I would love to go but once again, another field trip with no siblings allowed. I could of course just go there and walk around since it is just a public park but I won't. I think I will arrange a trip there this summer as part of our "Summer'o'Fun 2005".

I am still plugging along with the baby sweater. I am almost ready to start decreasing and shaping the shoulders. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

The weekend is here so things are looking up.

Today I met my friend Lori and her dh and oldest son at the Seattle Aquarium. She flew into town last night and were driving out this afternoon to a wedding in North Eastern WA. It was great to see her. We used to work together at IBM. She, DeniSe and I would have lunch together. We had all started there within a few months of each other and we all did basically the same job but for different managers before we all were moved to new jobs (no more secretaries, excuse me, "Information Specialists" for the managers!). Then we were all trained for IT positions and became computer whizzes. I left in Nov '93 to move to Minnesota. Lori left in Feb '94 when she got married and moved to the Mennonite country outside of Kitchener. DeniSe stuck it out the longest and left in Mar '95 when she moved to...Minnesota too! Hard to imagine we three career women are all SAHM's now.

Anyway, it was great seeing her. It has hard to believe it had been 7 years since I had last seen her - she looks so pretty and still so young!

Dex went back to the doctor today because his cough is getting worse. Doc says he has a sinus infection and he is not sure about what is going on with the cough. Could be the infection is draining slightly. So he is now on antibiotics. If it gets worse still we are to go back. If it is not cleared up in 10 days we are to go back. In any event, he needs to stay on Zyrtec for a while.

I played "Fenopoly" (Dex's pronunciation) today with Jax and Dex. Dex never buys any properties because he wants to have the most money. Jax buys everything and then cannot afford to pay rent or taxes. Then he threw doubles three times and you would think I was sending him to an actual jail the way he acted. They want to continue the game tomorrow. God grant me patience.

Book club tonight. We had a good discussion about "Life of Pi". I find it so interesting to hear other people's opinions about a book or how they understand it to mean something different. Some did not find it as humourous as it was billed (where I LOL'd in places others were only mildly amused). And no one could really decide if the better story is the true one or not.

Next month: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

I did have a better day after my rotten day. Today was good too.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Today, Cars said "Thank you" for the first time without me prompting him. I handed him a toy he wanted and he said "Day Doo" and wandered off with it. This little boy continues to amaze me.

Jax told us a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to work for Microsoft in the xbox division when he grows up (after he has finished making movies like George Lucas). On the weekend we had to stop by the xbox building to pick something up. We walked in the building, picked up the item, spent a few minutes looking at all the games in the lobby. As we were walking out Jax stopped and took a wide look around and then with awe in his voice he said "This is where I am going to work when I grow up". It was such a magical moment for him. I loved it!

It was six years ago this past week that I became a stay-at-home mom. It was supposed to be temporary, just until we got settled after our upcoming move to WA. It wasn't until I was very pregnant with Dex one year later that we decided to make it permanent. Or at least until the kids were in school full-time. That's four years from now...

Forgot to mention that my re-pap earlier this month came back normal. ~whew~ I will have another one in December and if that one is normal I am back to an annual schedule.

If you are behind on your pap - schedule one now!

Knit One, Purl Two

I have picked up my knitting again. DeniSe is having a baby in October (please let it be a boy because I am knitting a little baby jacket in baby blue). This is how much I have knit so far.

Ok, so who can spot my mistake? I thought it was not that noticeable so I decided just to leave it. Now it is very glaring! Maybe I won't even finish this... Ok, but I am determined to finish it since I never did finish the baby blanket I started making for Adrienne who is now three. Anyway, if DeniSe has a girl, I will just girlie-up this sweather with some fancy ribbon ties or pretty buttons.

My next project is going to be this (but in a different colour). I am very excited about it! (so excited that I want to ditch the baby sweater!).

Dex has allergies. I knew it was just a matter of time before he had an official diagnosis. No food allergies (that we know of) thankfully but it seems he is probably allergic to grass. He has been coughing and sneezing like crazy so off to the ped we went and she said allergies so he too is now on Zyrtec too.

While I had Dex at the doctor I figured I would get Cars his 18 month shots that he was 3 months behind on (he had a bad cold when he went for his 18 month appt so we put off the shots). Dex watched intently while Cars had his three shots and by the end Dex was shaking. Then the nurse said to him "We'll see you at the end of the month for your 5 year appointment". Dex remembers all too well that Jax had shots at his 5 year appointment. He started tearing up and announced that he was never coming back to the doctor. I think I will let Stephen take him in for that appointment!

Dex has been such a pip lately. He shouts when he talks (I barely remember when he couldn't talk?!). In his not so soft voice, while we were walking up for communion, he demanded to know how old he had to be to get chips like the rest of us. When I just shook my head at him to shush he said "TELL ME! WHEN DO I GET CHIPS TOO?!"

At the grocery store:
Dex: MOM? IS IT AGAINST THE LAW TO BUY GROCERIES THAT ARE NOT ON SALE?
Me (shushing him): No, of course not.
Dex: WHY DO YOU ONLY BUY STUFF ON SALE THEN?

At baseball practice while the coach was playing Simon says with the kids and let Dex be Simon:
Dex: SIMON SAYS PRACTICE IS OVER
Coach: No it isn't Declan.
Dex: YOU SAID I COULD BE SIMON!

He reminds me so much of David from the book No, David! by David Shannon. LOL

I finished "Life of Pi" yesterday. I found it very interesting and I cannot wait until book club to discuss it (phooey that the meeting has been moved to next Thursday). I saw on www.imdb.com that there is to be a movie made of the book and the director is Alfonso Cuarón (he directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban") so I am sure it will be a good movie.

I went grocery shopping today - we needed so many staples. I had over $20 in coupons (both store and manufacturer). So much for not clipping coupons, eh? lol Most were from the Fred Meyer Sunday ad (loss leader stuff) and others were for free things like FREE PINT of BEN & JERRY's (it was on sale so that was $2.50) and FREE TRIDENT (on sale too - $0.79) and FREE CELESTIAL SEASONINGS TEA ($3.59).

Now I need to figure out a time to get to Costco to get veggies, meat and bottled water.

I rearranged the living room and family room yesterday. Rearranging the family room really opened it up more and I love how it feels. Now if I can only get a handle on the clutter.

My mother's day:

Today was one of the days that are so wonderful for being nothing special. Stephen took the kids out for breakfast this morning then to buy a mother's day present for me. Then Dex had a t-ball game early in the afternoon. Afterwards we stopped at the local bike shop to buy new helmets for Dex and Jax. Stephen just happened to notice this cool shoes on clearance that were just his size. Serendipity.

Then the boys and I spent the rest of the afternoon outside, playing hockey, golf, watching them ride bikes and scooter. Then Jax and Dex spent almost an hour running up and down the street making kites fly. DingDong girl came by too for an hour and I didn't even mind except when we were standing in front of her house and she told me to go home and get her some water because she was thirsty. I reminded her that we were right in front of her house so she could run right in but she decided she really did not need the water (I think she didn't want to risk being told it was time to come in). lol

After dinner I pulled weeds from the garden while the kids played on the climber. I even climbed up too so I could take a good look around from the Gladys Kravitz perch.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I am having a bacon and tomato sandwich for breakfast. I can't stop thinking about it. Mmmm...

Thanks to everyone for the advice about dealing with my copy cat friend. I know I need to say something so I am just going to wait until the right moment when I can bring it up easily. Geez, I hate confrontation!

Forty minutes after dropping Jax off at school today I received a call on my cell phone that he was in the office covered in hives again! I had just given him Zyrtec before school (because I forgot to give it to him Thursday night- Survivor was on!) so it seems it had not yet kicked in when he was exposed to whatever allergen (I am still thinking grass). It was a half-day of school so I told the secretary I would just come and pick him up (it was not 9am yet) and take him home.

When I arrived at the school (I had been shopping for CONDITIONER at Fred Meyer and had to leave without buying it), Jax's hives were mostly gone (Zyrtec kicked in) but I took him home anyway and dropped him off with Nanny so I could go back out and buy some damned CONDITIONER.

Anyway, I hope he doesn't break out tomorrow. I will give him Zyrtec again in the morning but I need to get back onto an evening dosing schedule because it makes him sleepy.

And speaking of sleepy, it is late here and I must get my beauty rest.

Add another copy cat...

She bought the same bathroom faucet that we just had installed in our masterbath. Unbelievable! When I saw it sitting in her house today I saw red. And I think I have realized what is bothering me so much about it. I do things, then she copies me, shows everyone and takes all of the credit, glory, kudos, etc. So this new faucet will be in the bathroom where everyone coming to her house can see it and admire it and she can revel in it all but meanwhile it was one that I had painstakingly picked out, found the best deal on etc. Not that I need the reassurance but it has happened with everything. Geez, I gotta say something to her! I hate confrontation.

Yesterday, Jax came home from baseball practice covered in hives. Huge big welts everywhere! Stephen shrugged it off and said it hadn't looked that bad so he had not brought him home earlier. His lips were not swollen and his tongue looked fine. I am certain it is just from grass (and not from peanuts) so I gave him Benadryl and sent him to shower then to bed.

He was hive-free this morning. I was going to give him some Zyrtec but since it makes him drowsy I decided to wait until tonight. I received a call from the school shortly after 1pm telling me that Jax was covered in hives and asking if I could come in and give him some Benadryl. I rushed over there and found him sitting all forlorn in the health office. I gave him the Benadryl and he said he wanted to go back to class so I walked him to his classroom. I told his teacher that he was fine and wanted to stay.

I know in the whole scheme of things, allergies are not that bad (he could have some serious illness). But kids do not like to be different. Jax was not concerned that he was covered in hives. It was the fact that another kid in his class noticed and made a big deal about it. Jax just calmly walked over to his teacher and said "I need to go to the office to get some Benadryl".

~~ MINI RANT HERE ~~ WTF do they not have anyone at the school to administer his meds? Aaargh! They have a bottle of Benadryl (plus his epi-pen) and two letters from the allergist explaining when and how much to dose. Grrr! /MINI RANT

And since I am on the topic of allergies, I found out at our last book club that one of the other mom's also has a peanut-allergic child. However, Peanut Mom has decided not to keep a peanut-free house because "My daughter needs to live in the real world". (Oh and that giving up peanut butter would be so hard on her). My eyes probably popped out of my head when she said that. I completely understand that yes, children do need to learn to live with and manage their allergy out in the "real world" but I feel it is important for me that my son feel safe in his own home. Anyway, I just shrugged Peanut Mom off as an allergy whack and I knew that we would never have playdates so what she chooses to do is her problem. I was not preachy but I was confident and firm with my position.

Another book club friend, T, called me up today and told me that Peanut Mom was considering not coming to book club anymore because of our differences and she thinks she offended me. WTF? T had missed book club so she could not really comment so I called another book club friend and asked her if I gave the impression that I was angry with Peanut Mom. My friend, who I know would be completely straight with me, told me no but she thought that Peanut Mom was a whack too for keeping peanut butter around (my friend also deals with food allergies in her family but not peanuts).

So I decided that I had better call up Peanut Mom.

Me: Hello Peanut Mom
Peanut Mom: Hello Pez
Me: Peanut Mom, T told me that you were considering not coming to bookclub anymore because you think you offended me.
PM: Yes, I thought what I said bothered you and I thought you became defensive.
Me: DID NOT! (kidding here I really said):
I don't know why you got that impression. I know you have one view on the issue and I have another. I don't think that means that we cannot be in the same book club.
PM: I just don't want my presence to make you uncomfortable at book club.
Me: We just have a different view about dealing with this food allergy. While I admit I do not agree with or understand your view (I inserted a small chuckle here to let her know that I was not a complete bitch), it is not something that should be an issue at our book club unless you don't respect my peanut-free household and bring peanuts to my home.
PM: I had another friend who had a peanut allergic child and our friendship was lost over our different views. (<--so this was the real issue)
Me: I am sorry that happened to you.
PM: Thank you. I just did not want to feel I could not state my opinions and make you uncomfortable.

So then the conversation basically ended there and I think things are ok with us. At least I don't have a problem with her as long as she doesn't mention peanuts and "real world" again! lol

Crowning Glory

I bought a new type of conditioner for my hair the other day because I ran out of my current favourite (L'Oreal Vive). I was shopping at Safeway so the selection was limited and since Vive was not on sale, I would not buy it. I finally decided on a bottle of Suave because 1) I am frugal and 2) the bottle claimed "SPECIAL HUMECTANT FORMULA replenishes vital moisture as well as Nexxus®". I gave it a try yesterday morning and I hated how it felt in my hair. I was thinking how dry it made my hair feel - gross! Then when I was combing my hair, it was so tangled. I was so mad that I had spend good money (but not much money!) on this shit. While I was drying my hair I composed an indignant letter to Suave in my head. What a crappy product! And I will *never* buy Nexxus brand either!

I made a mental note to myself to buy more conditioner when I went out later. There is where the problem lay...the mental note. I lost it. I should have pinned it to my shirt because this morning as I was stepping into the shower I realized I had no friggin conditioner except the Suave with "SPECIAL HUMECTANT FORMULA replenishes vital moisture as well as Nexxus®". Damn! I figured some was better than none and as I was just about to apply it to my head I noticed the tiny little word that I had apparently failed to notice when I bought it...SHAMPOO.

Ok, so apparently if you apply SHAMPOO to your hair as you would CONDITIONER it will not actually condition, detangle, moisturize, etc your hair. I know this. I am forty years old. I have it figured out. I of course did not figure that I would not actually READ the bottle (why the frig were the SHAMPOO and CONDITIONER bottles identical? Why didn't I just buy the brand I normally buy? Why did I go shopping with three children?

Now I am faced with the problem that yet again today, I have forgotten to go to the store to buy CONDITIONER. I might be able to squeeze in a quick trip on the way to my Crazy Doctor appointment this afternoon. All because I am too damn cheap (it is not frugality when you buy the wrong stuff and it ends up being SHITTY).