Stephen and I had a date tonight. It was good to sit and talk because he has been so busy lately that we haven't seen each other. We talked about vacation (most likely NOT happening during Spring Break), going to Toronto for a visit and buying a new vehicle. And we talked about the kids of course.

We went to a local restaurant where we had a gift certificate. I had joked that we had better go and use the gift certificate before the place closes. But maybe it was not such a joke after all! I ordered a Cosmo (it is Cosmo Friday after all!) and they brought it in a low ball glass instead of a martini glass. The waitress gave some dumb excuse that they had recently broken all of their martini glasses but had some more on order. Hmmm... Then, after we had paid but were finishing up our drinks, she asked for the check billfold because "we only have a few and I need it for another check". Hmmm... Then, I went to the bathroom and it was a mess! Trash all over the floor and the soap dispenser was empty. I could not believe it! We have to go back and use the second gift certificate very soon!

The boys were excited that Nanny came to babysit. I think it has been about three months since they had seen her. She has a very nice job these days. The family she is a nanny for recently took a vacation to Hawaii and took her along to watch their child! She saw Bill Gates twice in the restaurant at the resort so imagine the nice place they stayed. Maybe I need to become a nanny to get my trip to Hawaii!

With all the snow we've had again this winter, I have been obsessed with getting a new vehicle - one that has 4WD or AWD so I don't get stuck in it. Even with my new tires, I could not drive my van up our driveway in the snow so I keep imagining getting stuck in the snow with the kids anywhere here on the plateau with all of these hills. It snowed again today (but no accumulation except on my car in the church parking lot while I was at MOPS, thankfully) but I kept thinking "How will I get to guitar lessons in the snow?!" I have things to do, places to go, people to see and the snow cannot stand in my way!

I've looking at SUV's because minivans do not have 4WD/AWD options. Now, with hauling all of the baseball and hockey equipment around a sedan will not work. I want something that has three rows of seats but where the boys could still comfortably sit in the middle row for long distances (thinking about camping now). And, it has to have a hitch that is HIGH off the ground so the bike rack won't scrape going up and down driveways. (I cannot take another Stephen hissy fit over that - yes I called him "crabby" in that blahg entry but it was a full-blown hissy fit that lasted the whole drive from here to Lake Wenatchee State Park!).

Just this week the Consumers Report Car edition came out so I have been poring through it, dreaming of a new vehicle. There are a lot of SUV's that I like that are recommended by CR (and some that are not). I already envision myself driving around in a cool, new vehicle with vanity plates that say something like PEZ ME or IFRGNROCK (666-PEZ is already taken). The car will be blue with black interior, a great sound system so I can blast Green Day and P!NK and my bike rack sitting high off the ground. Oh, and of course it will have a GPS in it so that I will never get lost.

So that's my dream car (which is really not at all a "car"). I guess I'll just keep fantasizing about it for now because at this point, I really do not want to $pend money on one (never mind thinking about the $$ we've lost due to the stock market cra$h). It will stay a dream...along with my Hawaiian vacation.

I am trying to convince my SIL, who lives in Minne-snow-ta, to come visit in two weeks. My brother will be away in Toronto and my mom will be here so I thought it would be nice if my SIL came for a visit. I am trying to remember if she has even met Cars but I don't think so. I think the last time I saw her, she and my brother and my nieces were here for a visit in 2002. Oh wait, I did see her at my middle brother's wedding in May 2003 when I was pregnant with Cars. Anyway, it would be fun if she came too plus my mom would be on her best behaviour during her visit. ;)

The kids do not have school on Friday and I am trying to decide what we will do. Cars does have a b-day party to go to from 2-4 but the rest of our day is free. The weather forecast is for sunshine (with cold temperatures and maybe snow on Sunday!) so we should take advantage of the nice weather while it lasts. Jeff Renner, the weather guy on KING5, reminded us tonight that we had measurable snowfall on April 18th of last year. I will cry if our spring is as cold as it was last year.

And I will continue to dream of a beach vacation in Hawaii...

Stephen has been working crazy hours lately so I have been single parenting it for a few days. He promised the boys that next week he'd take them somewhere special to make up for all the time he's been away from home. Um...hello? What about me?

Actually, we have a date on Friday night. Nanny is coming to babysit for us and we are going to the local steakhouse to use up the two gift certificates that our realtor gave to us (one last month and one in January ;08! Nice to see how often we go out as a couple). I am already thinking about what I am going to eat. And they have really yummy Cosmos there.

No Cosmo Friday this week for a whole host of reasons such as no school, a b-day party in the afternoon for Cars to go to, Spy and her family are going out-of-town, etc. So, I will enjoy my Cosmo elsewhere.

Homework

Scene opens with Jax at the computer desk doing homework.

Jax: grumble grumble school district grumble
Me: Pardon me?
Jax: Nothing!
Me: Please tell me what you said.
Jax: No! Because if I do you will just get mad at me and tell me I am lucky that I am not living in Thailand making shoes!
Me: (fighting to keep a straight face) Please tell me what you said.
Jax: I want to write to the school district to tell them that homework is a waste of time AND no wonder kids are fat! They have to sit around for hours after school doing homework and when they are done, it is too dark to go outside to play!
Me: You get to go outside in two minutes because we have to go to Cars' t-ball practice
Jax: No! I want to finish my homework!!

Stephen is super busy at work so he had to go in today which totally sucked because my house did not get cleaned today! ;) He normally cleans while I am at church with the kids (love that ex-Catholic guilt!). Guess I am going to have to do it tomorrow while the kids are at school.

And tomorrow I am going to go to the gym for the first time in two weeks! OMG I miss it! I have been doing the exercisetv.tv on demand stuff but it is not quite the same (I chose not to do cardio at home).

So, I did give up chocolate for Lent along with bacon and I am not doing too well. I mean, I haven't had any but I think about it all.the.time. Especially since the Girl Scout cookies came out this week and I had ordered three boxes of Samoa's! OMG - they are my favourite and I love to eat them frozen. So I have two boxes hidden away (I let the kids eat the other box plus the Thin Mints) and I think they are actually calling my name.

How many more days until Easter? Oh, that reminds me of Cadbury's Easter Creme Eggs. Yum!

Cars was sitting with me on the couch and he put his head in my lap. Suddenly, he turned his head and then reached over and patted my belly. "Looks like you have inflatable pants, Mom!".

You have to love a child's honesty.

And (another) diet starts tomorrow.

I am building up some nice calluses on my fingers as I continue to learn to play the guitar. I am struggling a bit with chords (well, transitioning from one chord to another) but I think I am doing well plucking away at song like "Waltzing Matilda" and "Jamaican Farewell". I am so happy that I decided to give this gift to myself this year.

I wish that my kids were interested in learning to play the guitar right now. They only want to play drums and there is no way I am buying a drum kit.

One last update (hopefully last) on Dex. He has Reactive Airway Disease so he is now on albuterol. We went to the doctor just to follow-up on the pneumonia and the doctor says he has something going on with his lungs so they gave him one treatment with albuterol then sent us to get a prescription filled. I hope he gets better soon. Poor boy.

It is snowing outside right now. Ugh. I hate snow. Actually, that is not true. I hate snow where it does not belong...and that would be in Seattle.

Now we play the wait'n'see game about school tomorrow...delayed, canceled or on time.

Dex made it to school today! Hurray! I spent two hours photocopying for Jax's teacher, an hour in Cars' class supervising kids on the computer then I finally made it to the grocery store for the first time in ages.

Dinner tonight was french toast. I was going to make pancakes since it was Pancake Tuesday but I really don't cook them very well. French toast is virtually idiot-proof...well, unless you soak the bread too long (btdt). I also cooked some bacon with brown sugar and cayenne pepper - yum!

I decided to give bacon up for Lent. I eat it every weekend so it is something that I will definitely miss. Still thinking about giving up chocolate too.

Dex stayed home today because his cough was bothering him. He had a TON of homework (Jax brought it home) but I only made him do 1.5 hours of it. Ugh!

I spent the day trying to find a great deal on a vacation. No luck yet!

Dex is feeling better but I am not sure if he will be up for school tomorrow or not. We'll see in the morning.

I am still feeling crappy. My voice comes and goes. Stephen is not feeling great either. We are a mess here! At least Jax and Cars are healthy right now.

Today was day 6 of fever for Dex. Stephen and I kept thinking he has *got* to get better but in fact, he slowly got worse as the day progressed. He also started having this dry cough last night. Tonight, his fever was up to 104.2F (40.1C) so I called the nurse line who asked me a bunch of questions then told me since he had had a fever for 6 days and it was so high, that he should be seen *immediately* and I was to take him to the ER. She mentioned meningitis which of course flipped me out. This was at 8:55pm. So I got him out of bed and he cried that he was so tired and he just wanted to sleep. Even trying to entice him with his Nintendo DS did not lift his spirits.

I went to the nearest ER which is actually a very small satellite of one of the downtown Seattle hospitals because I did not relish driving all the way into Seattle tonight to go to Children's Hospital. We arrived by 9:20 and by 9:25 we were in a room and they were handing him a little cup of liquid Tylenol because the Motrin I had given him at 8:30 had not yet bought down his fever. The doctor came in and examined him and a short while later we were on our way to X-Ray.

Dex has pneumonia!

OMG! I feel like such a horrible mom for keep telling him he is going to get better and for not taking him to the doctor sooner. To be honest though, there have been plenty of times I have taken him in for a fever only to be told "it's just a virus" and we go home empty-handed to await the end of the fever. I just thought this was the same. Geez, Stephen even had him at hockey today and Dex did not complain except to say he was tired so he did not skate the last 15 minutes.

We left the ER shortly after 10pm. I am sure we would have been out a little sooner but Dex could not decide on which Beanie Baby he wanted (he chose the rat). We went to Walgreens to get his prescription, more Motrin, some Tylenol (ok, Walgreen's brand of those drugs) and some kids' Robitussin DM. I also bought him some Mike'n'Ike's because he said, in the most pathetic and sweetest voice, that since he was sick he should get a treat. I let him eat 4 of them after we got home and he took his medicine.

Now he is lying in bed, coughing away. It is really funny because his cough seemed barely noticeable even just a few hours ago. Stephen and I agreed that his cough seemed like nothing before he went to the hospital but maybe that is just because we were just so concerned about his fever.

Dex is also very concerned that he might not be able to go to school on Monday. He cried in the ER "Great! Now I will miss *more* school". The doctor said he could go as long as his fever was gone by Monday. Jax would feel the same way but only because he'd be worried about how much school work he'd have to catch up on. Dex is missing his friends and teacher.

I am feeling like a failure of a parent. I had two sick kids this week and I decided that I was not going to drag them to the doctor to be told there was nothing to be done by wait it out. I did call the nurse line the other day about Cars' croup (was advised to give him warm liquids, honey and steam if he has trouble breathing). I really did not think there was anything more seriously wrong with Dex other than just a virus. Looking back, even though he did not have a cough, he complained bitterly about the couple blocks we walked in Seattle on Wednesday and he was sitting down to pee because it took too much effort to stand. I made sure he was drinking plenty of water all week but he really did not eat much because he had no appetite. Ugh, I suck.

Dex was still sick today and now I am too. Boo! I spent the day in bed except for walking Jax and Cars to/from the bus. Dex has had his fever for over 4 days so I wonder when it will finally break. Hopefully it will be gone in the morning.

I hope I am feeling better tomorrow too because our neighbourhood is having a meeting to a "Map Your Neighborhood" meeting where our neighbourhood (street) will gather everyone else's contact info, learn how to turn off water/gas in an emergency and learn which neighbours might have special concerns (disabilities or young children, etc). Should be interesting. And hopefully we'll never need it. Though I guess during the windstorm in Dec'06 a lot of trees fell on the homes on this street and across the road so there was a lot of clean up to be done.

Ok, off to lie down again. I am feeling woosy.

Dex was still sick today so no school for him and no MOPS or guitar lessons for me. Unfortunately my guitar instructor did not have times available to reschedule so looks like I paid for no lesson this week. Bummer.

I thought that Dex was feeling better during the day but by dinner time his fever was back (it was under 100 most of the day then back up over 100) so I am unsure if he will be able to go to school tomorrow or not. We'll see how he is in the morning.

I really hope he goes because we are desperate for groceries and I have some other errands to run. Plus it is Cosmo Friday so if he is sick, we cannot go. :(

Dex was still sick today but we had an appointment downtown so we packed into the car and drove downtown Seattle. We arrived a bit early so we walked a couple of blocks to the Pike Place Market sign (not even into the market, just to the sign where I took a photo of them). Then we walked back to the Canadian Consulate where I had to sit in front of bullet-proof glass while the woman reviewed the forms and identification for the kids' Canadian Citizenship applications (yes, the ones that I meant to send in last summer!). At least the woman behind the glass was friendly and funny unlike the very serious USCIS (formerly INS) workers who just glare and never crack a smile.

And even though the trip downtown was very quick, it was not without interest. First, there was the guy walking in front of us who seemed to know everyone walking down the street and who greeted one guy with “Hey! Remember me? We met a couple of years ago in County! Yeah, we were locked up together”. Next, there was Leroy's Mens Wear. Here are some photos of the clothes on display in the window:


Yes, that is a lavender plaid suit.

And here are the kids in front of the Pike Place Market sign:


After our appointment, we had originally planned to go to lunch then hang out at Gameworks for the afternoon but since Dex was burning up with fever and complained about walking three blocks, I decided to forgo Gameworks. Instead, after we arrived home, I gave the kids Mario Cart for Wii (we had purchased in December but had held it since they didn't really need more games). I let them play video games ALL afternoon. Like from 1pm until 6pm. I was feeling a bit guilty that we did not get to do anything really adventurous and fun these past couple of days. Though really, I think the kids playing video games all afternoon was very fun for them.

And I am glad that I got the Canadian Citizenship card applications out of the way. Now I just have to wait 12+ months for them. Good thing we are not in a hurry.

Today is day two of mid-winter break and both Dex and Cars are sick. Well, Dex has a fever and is lethargic (until the Advil kicks in and then he is fine for the next four hours and then miserable for two until it is time for another dose). Cars has croup. He gets it surprisingly often (his fingers are always in and around his mouth - ew germs!) but today it was different because he did not just have the cough during the night and in the morning but throughout the day. Anyway, we just hung out around the house today then and did not go to the movies with Spy and her kids as planned.

So, we decided to make stuffed pigs. If anyone is familiar with the story "The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs" by Phoebe Gilman, those are the pigs we attempted. In the story, Jillian makes tons of pigs out of old stockings and extra buttons, yarn, fabric scraps, etc. For years we've been saying that we'll make them but since we had nothing else on the go, today seemed like a good day.

I pulled out some stocking and cut them up (instructions are in the back of the book) and sewed up one end then the boys started stuffing. It was slow going because I was the only one sewing and so there was a lot of waiting around for them. Waiting around = boredom so Jax had a great idea about what to do with some of the extra stuffing and Dex just had to capture it (Sir Mix-A-Lot Anyone?):


So, after watching me sew up the ends, sew on the noses, glue on eyes, and sew a little mouth, the kids all announced that they were bored so we decided to put away the pigs for now.


Don't look too closely at my very uneven stitches


Sad unfinished pigs looking a lot like sausages. Dex wants to make his pig a Pirate Pig. I think even just getting it to look like a regular pig is ambitious enough!

Spoiler alert: Spy - stop reading here because I am going to talk about "The Middle Place"

I just finished reading The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan. I originally heard of her book after seeing her "Transcending" video that was making the email rounds (you can see it by clicking on "The Middle Place" link). Anyway, the Transcending essay was wonderful and so I too had to pass it along. One of our book club members then decided to chose this book for our March meeting.

I loved this book! I felt as though she were sometimes writing about bits of my life because she captured a lot of the feelings I had so exactly. Like when I was called back for a second mammogram and then having to have a biopsy. Unlike Kelly, mine came back clear. But that short time, for those long excrutiating days waiting for the call, I felt that way too. And how she felt about her dad getting cancer and what needed to be done to treat him and trying to be so involved when you are a million miles away.

And finally, feeling as though she were not quite a grown up, even though she had a husband, a house and children. That is me! I think I liked that my parents still treated me like their daughter who needed them because it made me feel safe and secure and like nothing bad would happen or go wrong.

I cried and laughed my way through this book. I worry a bit about discussing it at book club because I feel that somehow I will not be able to precisely express my feelings about the book. I feel a little selfish about it right now. Like I want to guard the feelings and thoughts I have about the book but at the same time I want everyone I know to read it! I am sure that every woman, because she is a daughter, mother or wife, will somehow relate to parts of this book.

Ok, I fell off the roof and my dreary mood has improved (thanks in part to Hershey Kisses - I have given up Kissables). Now I just have to wait for my face to clear up.

We took the kids skating today (no hockey this weekend) and then to the sporting goods store to buy new sleds. Not that we have any snow but just in case...plus the sleds were on clearance.

The kids have the next three days off school. No real plans yet and the weather will not be great so whatever we do will probably be indoors. Maybe we can get out to throw the baseball around a bit though because baseball season starts soon. I hope hockey and baseball do not conflict!

Two school Valentine's Day parties + Cosmo Friday = One tired Pez

Oh and book club last night. And for the record, children born in the USA to non-American parents can indeed be President of the United States, thank you very much. I perhaps made my point a little louder than need be but ignorance completely pisses me off.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_born_citizen_of_the_United_States

Ok, since I obviously cannot buy clothes (see yesterday's post), I had to resort to buying make-up. Well, I bought skin care products, actually. Some nice eye cream to help get rid of the dark circles under my eyes. I did however, receive some make-up as a "gift with purchase". However, I failed to get any concealer to hide the huge zit on the bridge of my nose, right between my eyes. Aargh!

I am also hating my haircut. She really texturized it a lot at the back with the razor and the length is just not right so my hair is not doing what I want it to do. Good thing my hair grows quickly.

I am having an "ugly" week. I just need the weekend to come so I can prepare to start fresh next Monday.

I had a wardrobe crisis today. Nothing fit right or looked good. I am in between sizes and I hate how I look in all but one pair of my pants. Also, my thighs are getting bigger. I am not sure if it is from the all the squats and lunges or the Hershey Kissables! Hmmm...

I have now sworn off the Kissables and I'll be back to the gym tomorrow (if there is not another snow delay/day tomorrow). I have been doing the exercises ON Demand but I definitely need some fat-burning exercise to go along with it.

I need to go back to WW. Or invest in some full-body Spanx.

We awoke this morning to SNOW! Fortunately, school was only delayed two hours rather than being canceled. I missed my circuit training class as a result though. So, I did some exercise ON Demand to make up for it.

I also spent another hour looking for those damn Valentine's Day decorations. No luck! I will have to go buy another tablecloth tomorrow.

I also received a not from Cars' teacher today because:
1) I forgot to send in 100 gummi bears for 100 days of school which is coming up
2) I forgot to send in Valentine's Day cards for the Valentine's day party on Friday (!) and
3) I forgot to send in 100 things to count for 100 days of school (separate from the 100 gummi bears).

Oh, and the gummi bears and the 100 things (Cars and I ended up counting out 100 PEZ candies) in zippered sandwich bags which of course I do not have. I have gallon-sized, quart-sized and snack-sized bags but no sandwich-sized so I had to go to Safeway.

Aren't Mondays grand?

I spent two hours today looking for my Valentine's Day decorations. I do not have a lot (a tablecloth, some heart garland, a string of foam conversation hearts and gel window clings). I cannot believe I cannot find them anywhere!

In the process, though, I managed to clear off some of the junk on my "craft table" in the laundry room, organize my Christmas cards for next year (maybe I will even finish them next year!), find some bead-making/jewelry bits and pieces and the Art Start packet for 3rd grade.

If I cannot find it by end-of-day tomorrow, I am going to have to go to Fred Meyer of Joann's to buy a new tablecloth because I said I would bring one in for Dex's party on Friday.

Argh! This is so frustrating that I had to open a bag to Hershey Kissables to console myself.

For the past three days I have been doing some mini-workouts using Exercise ON Demand from Comcast. You can see and buy the workouts at exercisetv.tv as well. I really like it because I haven't had time to go to the gym and normally I am not motivated enough to exercise on my own. Now, I can just start one of the 10 minute workouts and get it over with! Today I did two mini workouts - one for abs and another for legs. It was great! If you have Comcast ON Demand, check it out.

I went to a Cookie Lee jewelry party tonight. I had a $25 credit because the hostess had booked from my party back in November. Before I went I decided I would buy one thing that was about $25 (free) and one more item that was no more than $30. Sure...

The first thing I fell in love with was a bracelet that was $29. Hmmm, ok, just $4 more than the credit I had. No problem. Then I just had to have the necklace that was featured with it (you can see the necklace and bracelet if you click on that link - it is the bracelet on her left wrist - of course I imagine that I look just like her when I wear them, nevermind that my skin is pasty white and I have at least 40 pounds on her). Of course the necklace was over $30.

Then there was this set of 7 skinny little bracelets that would look great with a few other bracelets that I have. One would never know that there was a recession going on the way I $pent money tonight.

Somebody take away my chequebook!

I am back. It wasn't that I was too sick to post. I just really had nothing to say. Well, I have a lot to say but nothing that I thought would be of interest.

What has been on my mind for the past few days is that kids are growing up too fast. I watched the movie "Thirteen" on Saturday night and I cannot stop thinking about it. Top that off with a girl in Jax's grade who is a self-described bisexual, having a relationship with a 7th grader girl (and boy? Spy, is the boy in 7th grade too?). She also apparently is also a cutter, has tried to commit suicide and there was a rumour going around this week that she is pregnant. THIS GIRL IS IN FIFTH GRADE!!

I feel sick about it all. I feel very badly for this girl but also for all of the other kids who are less mature (physically and emotionally) who are hearing all this! The pregnancy rumour is not true as she told Spy's dd (who is also in 5th grade) that. FIFTH GRADE!

These are not the kind of things that I would imagine my kids would need to start dealing with until they were in 7th or 8th grade. I guess I am living in some fantasy world.

Spy and I were talking the other day and discussing whether the counselor at the school should be notified about all of the rumours about this girl. I was wondering if the school might be aware of it all already and are dealing with it. However, today I was speaking to one of the "Mentor Moms" at my mom's club who used to be a school librarian. She said they had a 6th grader at her school become pregnant and apparently the "fun" thing to do at the school was for all of the kids to get together to have sex. The administration and teachers had no idea until there was an article printed about it in the local paper about the goings on at their school. These are just young kids!

So, I don't know what to do at the moment. I had decided that when my kids start asking the right questions, I would fill them in on what they need to know that is age appropriate. Jax knows how babies are made. What we really haven't discussed is having sex for pleasure rather than just for function. And when is the appropriate time (NOT 5th Grade!) and then about why people would want to try to kill themselves. Why people might try to harm themselves. All these things that, I think, a 10 year old should not have to worry about. I guess I am thinking back to me in grade 5 and what was going on then. The biggest worry was the Chris K might misbehave during the week so Mr. L would not play his guitar on Friday.

Anyway, I think I am having a paradigm shift about Fifth Graders and it has really blown me away.

I did not do much today because I wasn't feeling well. My stomach is so upset. Stephen's is too but he had to go to work. I even went back to bed for a while (from 9:30-11:00 - ok, a long while). Ugh. I did get out for an hour though to get my niece a b-day present (I am a week late - I suck!) and then I decided to invest in a good pair of athletic shoes because my feet have been hurting a lot lately.

I went to a store that specializes in running shoes and the guy analyzed my walk and the wear of my current runners and recommended three pair. Of course none of them were cheap. I think picked a pair that has great arch support (which should help since my arches are falling and I am too vain to get orthotics - they are for old people!). ;)

Anyway, I hope these shoes help my aching feet. Of course losing some weight would probably help too.

Go Steelers!

We went to a Superbowl Party at Spy's house today. I was the only one rooting for the Steelers so I was the only one who was delighted with the outcome. What an exciting game though, eh?!

And I am still stuffed from all of the food (loved the Corn chowder - yum!).

Wrestlemania

My boys have been wrestling each other a lot lately and it is driving me crazy. I don't mind if they want to wrestle each other but someone is always getting hurt and crying or whining and I just cannot stand it! I keep telling them they are welcome to wrestle downstairs with the door shut or out in the garage but no one is allowed to complain about getting hurt. Of course they all agree until ... someone gets hurt. So tonight I said NO MORE WRESTLING and they stopped wrestling. Until bedtime.

Every Friday and Saturday night we let them have "Crazy Sleep Night" (CSN) which means they can sleep in any bed (except mine) or any of their bedrooms or on the floor in those bedrooms. When they were all smaller, the three of them could fit easily into a full sized bed and even into a twin bed and it was cute and cozy. Now that they are bigger, only two can fit in the full bed and just one to a twin bed so mostly they sleep on the floor in sleeping bags on CSN.

So, at bedtime tonight, they chose to sleep in Jax's bedroom on the floor for CSN. It was quiet for a few minutes then I heard Jax yell and Dex whine so I snuck upstairs and found them all wrestling on the floor. I put an end to CSN for tonight and maybe forever! I am just so sick of it! Stephen says I am a hard ass but really he is not home for a lot of the wrestling and whining (usually happens after school before dinner) and the thing is, Jax weighs almost twice what Cars weighs so while Cars can be the aggressor, one big push from Jax is enough to make Cars fly (and yes, usually he is the one who gets hurt the most while Jax is the whiniest about it).

I also hate it because the whining and crying when someone gets hurt brings me back to my childhood. My siblings and I used to fight. A lot. We'd punch and scratch and throw things at each other. More than one door in our house was broken when someone was being chased and tried to slam a door behind them while the chaser would shove a broom handle in the gap to stop the door from closing. We'd fight and bully and scream (while my mom and dad were at work mostly). It never stopped until we were all adults!

Getting back to my kids, for the most part they do not physically fight. I will not tolerate it. Cars is one who will hit when frustrated but Jax and Dex do not (so Cars is the one who spends the most time in his room). This wrestling is not fighting but just play and I know that but the outcome (whining and someone being hurt) totally brings back those feelings of being teased, bullied and hit in my home when I was a child and I do not want to feel that way. Ever.

Now, I must say that I have a great family and I love my brothers and sister. I do not love parts of my childhood and really, the fighting was not constant (I have some friends whose homes were battlegrounds!) and when we did have fights they would be over pretty quickly with no lasting hard feelings (mostly). I just do not want that for my children.

I hope that by taking away CSN tonight and maybe turning it into something they have to earn rather than something they expect, I can get them to curb the wrestling. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Every Friday we have pizza for dinner and usually from Papa John's. I usually order it before we head out to Cosmo Fridays or just before our guests arrive here. They have a "plan ahead" feature which is great so I can order the pizza online and request a certain delivery time. It has worked out really great for us (now that I know they might be a few minutes early so I order it to be delivered at 6:30 and it arrives usually at 6:15, right when we arrive home from CF and as Stephen gets home from work).

Anyway, today the I had to drive the kids to/from school because there was a substitute bus driver (no guarantees that they have been trained to use an Epi Pen). I had a couple of minutes before I had to run out so I quickly ordered the pizza (pizza and wings special combo!) then rushed out to get the boys. I arrived home about 25 minutes later to a Papa John's delivery car (truck actually) in my driveway and the pizza guy looking irritated on my front step while he is talking on the phone. Oh shit! I completely forgot to chose PLAN AHEAD order so my dinner was here three hours early!

I apologized profusely to the guy and told him what had happened, hoping that he'd then say "OK, we'll bring you back a fresh order at 6:30!" when of course he grumbled "There are re-heating instructions on the box" as he shoved the boxes at me and walked away.

Fortunately, I had room in my fridge for the boxes. And the pizza and wings did reheat nicely when following the directions on the box but I'll be sure to click on PLAN AHEAD next time.

We received notices in the mail this week that all three boys are due for re-check appointments with their allergist in April. You have to book way in advance so I called on Monday and left a message. No one called me back that day or the next so I called again on Wednesday and actually spoke to someone LIVE the first time I called (a rare event at this very busy office).

Anyway, I said I needed to set up appointments for all three kids and guess what? I cannot make their appointments all on the same day due to "new office policies". How stupid is that?! So, Jax and Dex have appointments one day (and I will either have to take Cars out of school early to go with them OR find someone to pick him up from school for me) and Cars has another appointment the next week. The day Cars has the appointment, they had openings at 10:00, 10:30 or 11:00 but I was not allowed to book Jax, Dex and Cars in those three slots! It makes no sense whatsoever!

I will be sure to tell the allergist about this (often the doctors do not even know what is going on in the clinics). I am also so irritated about this that I am considering taking the kids to another practice. Although this one is so convenient because they have quite a few offices around and the kids can see the doctor at either the Seattle or Redmond offices, depending on which day of the week works best for us so in reality I will have to think long and hard about doing it. But I'll think about it! You mark my words!

Stephen's new passport arrived today. The turn around was pretty quick - about 10 days. We had to FedEx it to Canada and it was sent back via courier.

We've been looking into vacation ideas for spring break. We'd like to go somewhere warm but we are limited because at this time, we do not want to go outside of the USA due to food allergy issues. You may have read about a family whose son died of an allergic reaction to peanuts on the first day of their vacation to Mexico (you can read the dad's story here). So, at this point we'd like to avoid any language barrier issues.

We'd love to go to Hawaii. My dream vacation. We'll see...

I went to bed early last night with a migraine. I have had so many lately. I am not sure why. Sometimes in the summer I can pinpoint the weather as the trigger. Or if I am traveling then stress does it. But I really don't know why I've had them lately. It is so frustrating.

So, I made the drive to Vancouver and back and I survived! :) Now I know I can do it again if I ever need to. The scariest part of the drive was taking that big bridge over to New Westminster.

I spent the afternoon with L'R and her kids at the mall. We had a very nice visit. It was so nice to see her again. I hadn't seen her in about a year and a half - not too long after D was born. We walked around a bit, bought a couple of things then sat on a bench and had a nice chat. The mall was very crowded. Apparently Canada is not having a recession judging by the number of people in the mall. Also, this particular mall was MASSIVE and the people who worked for the mall (not the stores but the mall) wander around on roller blades! Funny!

I spend the night at my brother's house. OMG Lola is too freaking cute! I love, love, love that age (she is almost 21 months). She is a very happy little girl! I usually buy her little girlie outfits when I go visit but after she tossed the clothes when she opened the bag, I think it is time to switch to toys! LOL

Stephen survived a very busy weekend without me. All three boys started "Beginner Hockey" yesterday then they had swimming lessons in the afternoon (well, the older two while Stephen took Cars swimming in another pool). Today, they had to go to religion class (I figured it was too much to ask to have Stephen actually take them to Mass) then a birthday party.

When I left BC today it was cold but the sun was shining brightly and the skies were blue. Shortly after crossing back into the States, the skies turned grey and there was SNOW!! Yikes! There are still a few flakes coming down now. There is snow on the grass and trees but not on the roads. I hope we don't wake up to even more snow in the morning.

I'm going on an adventure tomorrow. I am excited and nervous. I am driving to Canada by myself. I am going to meet at friend for some shopping in the afternoon then heading to my brother's house for the evening and I'll drive home on Sunday.

I have mentioned before that I have a phobia of driving over bridges but my counselor said she thought I actually had a driving phobia. It is really a phobia of being stranded by a broken down car. Fortunately, I will be taking the new car with the GPS so 1) no getting lost and 2) hopefully no mechanical problems (not that mine has any but newer=more reliable, right?).

Ok, off to pack. I am excited about seeing everyone, especially Lola!

This and That

1. I called the police on some guys who were smoking pot at the park yesterday. They later walked down to the school yard so I reported it to the school today. However, they left before the cops arrived (as did I). Pot smokers on the school grounds are not a priority on our city.


2. Big Software Company layoffs did not affect us at this point. Whew!


3. My boys are starting a beginning hockey class this Saturday. I had to take them for equipment rental today (what an ordeal!). Stephen bought the things that cannot be rented (jerseys, jocks, socks and sticks). They are all set to go!


4. I took Jax to the eye doctor today. He does not have retinoblastoma (ok, long story that did not post about but basically in a photo that I took, Jax's eye reflected back with white pupil). Another Worst Case Scenario dispelled. Whew!


5. Our replacement bed came last night and it is much firmer than the other. I am sure this is how the other should have been. The delivery guys even noted that the other bed was collapsed on one side. Stephen did sleep better but said he is still going to withhold judgement for a week. Hopefully his back pain will go and he will stop being so grumpy.


6. I finally found a Tinkerbell PEZ dispenser to complete the Disney Fairies PEZ set for my collection.


7. My guitar instructor lent me some Beatles DVDs today and taught me the chords to "Hey Jude". Chords! Squee!! :) He is very happy that I am a Beatles' fan.

Ugh, I haven't worked out since last week and I feel like a slug! Monday was MLK day so no school so no working out. Today, they delivered our replacement bed during my circuit training class time. Then the kids got out early today so there was no time to go afterwards. Tomorrow I have MOPS, then guitar lessons then Jax has an eye appointment. Friday morning I am teaching art in Dex's class. I wonder if I can squeeze a workout in the afternoon?!

Tomorrow for MOPS, it is my table's turn to bring in items for a local shelter. I totally forgot until this afternoon that I needed a laundry basket and a set of spatulas so after the kids' playdates today, we headed to Target then to Fred Meyer for dinner (the kids love the mac'n'cheese from the deli). I was SHOCKED at how dead both Target and FM were. We were at the stores between 5:30 and 6:15 - normally very busy times as people stop there on their way home from work. I was most shocked at FM's. Was it the day or are people really not shopping?! It felt surreal.

Not sure if it were the excitement from today (Hello, President Obama!) or from inhaling the fumes while photocopying for one and a half hours for Jax's teacher (I am sure I went through 4 reams of paper!) but I have a wicked migraine. I am "resting" and Stephen has taken the kids out to dinner. Usually if I have a migraine I can nap or sleep but not this time. I ran out of my prescription stuff and when I was at the doctor a couple of months ago I forgot to get a renewed prescription (I asked about it at the beginning of the appointment but we got sidetracked on my bursitis or heel spur).

As I said, I am too wound up to sleep. The sound from the tv hurts my head. Reading takes too much concentration. I can do ok lying here in the dark with my monitor turned down low but I cannot do much more than read the forums (and post to my blahg) because I cannot concentrate with this pain. Woe is me.

Ok, off to read about some more crazies who think that Obama is the Anti-Christ. Yes, I did swear off that forum but lack of entertainment drew me back in.

Today it was warm again (not AS warm) but it did get to the mid-50's. In the morning we went to the skatepark and met some friends there. Afterwards, the one of the kids came back to our house for a playdate.

My boys also worked on creating their own superhero costumes using a cardboard box, duct tape and elastic bands. Jax created a superhero named "The Vulture" back when he was taking the cartooning class and so today he made The Vulture's costume. I am not sure why he thought Vulture was a good name for a superhero... Anyway, it is amazing how long a cardboard box can keep kids occupied.

I am going to watch some of the inaugruation tomorrow morning. I've arranged with Jax's teacher to move my volunteering to later in the day. I am excited for a new administration. Yes we can!

On Saturday night, we went to E & T's house to watch some University of Minnesota Hockey. They have DirectTV and are able to watch Minnesota hockey every week. We are a little jealous. Way back when E and Stephen were both still PhD students at the UofM, each year we'd get season tickets for the games (actually, I think we split season tickets the first year with E & T because we could not afford them on our own). Anyway, it was always great fun going to Mariucci Arena to watch the Gophers play and watching them last night in E&T's family room, 1600 miles away, was still a lot of fun! BTW, the Gophers beat the St. Cloud State Huskies 8-6. We definitely were not ripped off any goals that game.

Today we had a super sunny and WARM day! It got up to 65 degrees at my house. I loved it! I turned off the heat and opened the front and back doors and let the fresh air in. It was nice.

The kids have tomorrow off school for MLK day. We haven't any plans though I understand there is more sunshine in the forecast so maybe we can do something outside! Hurray!

Rumours abound that Big Software Company is going to announce layoffs next week when they release their earnings. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we are good here.

Our electric/gas bill came today and OMG. It is $100 than last January's bill AND we used less gas. I think I need to get a job!

Well, I managed to yet again mangle another dinner. Here it is, 6:30 and dinner is still cooking (we normally eat at 6pm). Let's see...the London Broil is what is holding us up. The recipe I followed said 10 mins per side on the grill. Did that and the internal temperature was only 113F (Mooo!). The roasted carrots are now cold and the peas are mushy. The Lazy Daisy cake I made is lopsided (guess I did not mix the ingredients enough?).

So, I am having a glass of wine on a Thursday night while I wait for the meat to cook. Of course the rest of the family is taking advantage of this time by playing xBox and no doubt there will be tears when bath and bedtime come immediately after dinner.

I should have let my vacation day extend beyond 3pm.

Tomorrow I have NOTHING on my schedule. No Mom's club, no guitar lesson (it was moved to Tuesday of this week). No volunteering at the school. Nothing!

I think I will take a vacation day and catch up on a couple of TV shows (Weeds Season 1 and Intervention, start reading my next book club book (it finally arrived today - Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama) and maybe take a trip over to Starbucks and treat myself to a cranberry-orange scone and a grande Earl Grey tea with 1 tea bag.

Of course what I should be doing is planning meals for the next few days and getting some groceries, cleaning the house, changing sheets, vacuuming, tidying up the laundry/mud/junk room and of course there is the ever present laundry to tackle.

But no, I am taking a vacation day. At least between the hours of 8am and 3pm. If only it were paid vacation time then I would go shopping for new shoes.

I ordered some things from Crate & Barrel and for some reason they were shipped separately via UPS (well, it looks like one of the items is even on back order). Anyway, two items were shipped the same day. One arrived yesterday and it looks the the other will arrive today. However, if you look at the UPS tracking, it seems they may have both been on the same truck that arrived at the UPS sorting center in Redmond yet one was delayed a day due to "Adverse Weather Conditions". Huh?! It was barely raining yesterday. The roads from here to UPS are clear. The centre is about 6 miles from my house. No flooding on the roads between here and there. I find it so bizarre especially since both packages arrived at UPS (one minute apart) on January 11th.

My $21 hamburger

I went to Fatburger last month and had one of their Fatburger (on Tuesday evenings, their Fatburger are only $2.49 (a $1.20 savings!) and a big blob of grease and ketchup dripped off the bun and onto the front of my relatively new top. Of course, this was just before Jax's appointment and I did not notice that it happened until after we met with Jax's counselor and it was right in the middle of my shirt. Doh!

When I got home, the shirt went right into the wash after I sprayed it with Zout. But the grease stain was still there! I washed it again after scrubbing it with a Tide To Go pen but it did not wash out. Then I tried Spray'n'Wash and the stain STILL did not come out. Then for good measure I washed it again with no stain remover but of course the stain is still there.

I am so upset! It is (was) a great top from Lands' End (mine was green though). I loved it because the sleeves were long. And I don't just mean long-sleeved but they were LONG and fell about 1.5" below my wrist bone (I have long arms so sleeves are always too short). I loved that top! Especially since Lands' End sizes are slightly larger than other manufacturers so I fit nicely into a "M".

So that really juicy and tasty $2.49 burger ruined my $18.50 top. Next time, I'll wear a not-so-new shirt. Or a bib.

We went skating again today but this time we rented hockey skates for Jax and Dex (they normally give out skates that have a TOE PICK!). Jax did well with the change but Dex had to re-learn to skate and he was frustrated.

We left the arena just before 4pm and I have been chilled to the bone since! I hope I am not coming down with anything.

The kids' swimming lessons moved to Saturday so Stephen took them to the pool while I worked out in the fitness centre. I really did not have time for a full workout but I did get some cardio and ab work in which is better than nothing.

We then went to Old Navy because all of the boys were in need of some jeans. Cars busted out the knees on two pairs over the past couple of weeks. Then we went to Sports Authority and Stephen just *had to buy street hockey sticks for the boys. We took his car today so the boys had to carry the sticks across their laps on the way home because they would not fit in the (tiny) trunk.

I have a renewed my pledge to practice the guitar everyday. I let it slide during the last few weeks before Christmas and I was kicking myself because I would go to my lesson and basically I was paying them to practice. I am also determined to start learning chords soon too so I want to zip through "Guitar Method Book 1.

Ok, off to practice.

It seems I made a subconscious New Year's resolution to eat as much food as humanly possible. I cannot stop eating! But I keep telling myself I am just eating vegetables but then I dip them in some very fattening french onion dip. OMG, it is soooo good.

Anyway, time to get back to eating more healthy fair and stop buying Hershey's Kisses that are on sale half-price because they are wrapped in Christmas foil.

I took Jax, Dex and Cars to the Lego Store so they could spend some of their Christmas money. Now that the new shelves are up downstairs, we need to fill them up, right? Anyway, Jax and Dex both bought the same one. Dex wanted a new pirate Lego which they did not have in stock. What is nice about the Lego store is if they do not have it in stock, you can order it and they will ship it to you for free. So Dex has to wait about a week for his.

My kids love Lego so much and while I do bitch and moan about all of the Lego in the house, I am happy that they are so happy playing with and collecting it.

Do my glasses hide my crow's feet?

I volunteered in Cars' classroom today. I arrived as the kids were coming in from morning recess. One very observant boy said "Hi Cars' Mom! Where are your glasses?" I said "I am wearing my contact lenses today". "Oh", he replied and looked at me thoughtfully. Then he added "You look almost OLD!".

Gotta love 5 year old honesty, right?

Whew! The kids went back to school today! It poured rain through the night so most of the snow was gone by morning. Regardless of what Jax says, I think all three of them were happy to go back too.

I was very happy to be able to go to the club to work out. It was hard and I am going to be sore tomorrow but I loved it. I think I love the really long, hot showers afterwards as much as the work out. No way I'd ever have such long showers at home. :)

Book Club is at my house later this week so I have quite a job of getting the Christmas stuff put away. The tree has been stripped (Stephen had chopped it up and put in the yard waste bin) but now I need to get all of the ornaments wrapped and back into boxes. The decorations and ornaments always seem so tired and sad after Christmas.

OMG, it is snowing again! I tried to get my car out of the garage but it got stuck on the driveway then slid and I almost hit Stephen's car! I was able to manoeuvre the car back down the driveway and into the garage. Unless it starts raining tonight, I am not going anywhere tomorrow (I so totally need to work out, not just for my physical well-being but for my mental health!).

And if tomorrow is another snow day my kids will be going to school into July!

So we never did buy a new bed back in November when we went looking at Co$tco Home because they ALL had pillow tops and Stephen says never again! I had completely tuned out his complaints about how uncomfortable our bed is for quite a few weeks now but yesterday I lay on his side of the bed and the friggin bed is broken! Seriously, there is no support near the edge about in the middle of of the bed on his side. No wonder he hates the so-called "Heavenly" bed.

I called today and they will ship us a new mattress as soon as I mail the "DO NOT REMOVE BY PENALTY OF LAW" tag to them.

Welcome 2009!

Happy New Year!

We welcomed the new year in with too much fun at Ash's house. The highlight (?) of the party may have been the towel that caught fire in the bathroom from a candle. Cars walked up to Ash and very calmly said "Excuse me, Ash. There is kind of like a fire in the bathroom". Wow! Lucky that he happened by at that moment because it could have been so much worse! The only casualty was the towel.

My cold is worse so we did not do much today. The boys did not mind because we are letting them play a lot of video games. They really do not get a chance to play often during the week (maybe 3 hours per week) so they are totally eating this up. Stephen was not feeling well today but his was from a little bit too much celebrating the New Year but nothing that some ibuprofen did not help.

We were going to take the kids tubing at Snoqualmie Pass tomorrow but the pass is closed due to avalanche maintenance and tons more snow falling so it looks like we'll have to try another day. More snow is expected to fall here too but I hope it is just rain. We'll have to find something else to do - perhaps a movie? Dex wants to see Tale of Despereaux".

What I am most excited about for tomorrow is garbage pickup! How pathetic is that, eh? But we have not had our garbage picked up since December 11th! Both the garbage bin and the recycle bin are completely jammed-packed (96 gallon bins that have been sitting at the end of the driveway for three weeks!). Plus we also have all of this to go out too:


The recycling of course is the worst with Christmas presents arriving in boxes, being packaged in boxes and all of the Christmas wrapping! I am worried that they won't take it all and we'll be left to deal with a wet soggy mess of cardboard boxes at the side of the road. And, with snow in the forecast for overnight, I will be so disappointed if the trucks do not come tomorrow. How sad is it that I am looking forward to Garbage Day?!

Update Friday morning: It did snow overnight but the garbage truck still came by (I heard it at 6:30am!). Hurray! Let's hope the recycling truck comes too.

I spent a good chunk of the day today going through receipts to ensure that I have spent enough money for reimbursement for our Flexible Spending Account. This is the first year we have actually participated in it. Anyway, my new crown and my glasses pretty much used up most of the funds that we decided to put in it but I was still about $100 short. I found receipts for crap-loads of Benadryl, Zyrtec (before we determined it was evil) and Children's Motrin that we've purchased through the year and those purchases more than cover that balance. Now I just have to submit the receipts.

We are off to Ash's house for her annual NYE party. I have a cold (runny nose, sore throat and body aches) so I don't imagine we'll stay much past midnight. My kids are napping right now so they'll be good to go right to the end of 2008.

I am looking forward to 2009 and all the good things that it will bring.

Happy New Year!

I know you missed me yesterday. Our cable went out before 9pm and was not back until this morning. Of course this meant that the cable, Internet AND phone was out. I swore I would not renew our "triple play" with Comcast because of all of the phone outages but it saves us about $50 per month so I stuck with it. But now my new cell phone service (AT&T) works in our house (so there, T-Mobile!) so we can keep the spotty cable telephone service too.

I finally made it back to the gym to work out today. I barely made it through the class. Hopefully I will be back on track by next week (me an thousands of others who are making New Year's resolutions to get back to the gym). Later, we took the kids ice skating today (back in the old country I would just say "skating" but living here I feel that I need to add the "ice". Like when I order tea in restaurants I have to say "hot tea" so I am not brought a big jug of overly sweet icky iced tea). Anyway, it was Jax and Cars' first time skating and Dex's second time. They all did really well. We took Ash's kids as our Christmas gift to them. I think Kins enjoyed it more than Gav but they both did well too. Amazing to see how quickly everyone caught on! We also rented a "walker" to help the younger kids learn to skate. It helped them learn to balance a bit. I think they need larger ones for bigger kids though.

Spy's dh and her sons were there too practicing hockey on the little mini-rink they have their. Cars was so pleased to see Col and not long before we were ready to go, Col came out on the regular ice to skate and Cars told me to let go of his hand because he did not want Col to see that he needed help skating! It was so funny to see my 5 yr old trying to look cool and tough for his 4 yr old friend! Stephen took Jax for his appointment today - for the first time since Jax started going just over a year ago. Just a few more to go and Jax will be done. I am so happy and proud of him.

Ok, off to get ready for bed. I think I am coming down with a cold and I need to rest up for the annual New Year's Eve party at Ash's house.

We went to The Container Store to buy more $helving for the Lego Room because of all of the new Lego. Stephen will probably put it up tomorrow or the next day. Afterwards, we bowled at Lucky Strike Lanes which apparently is the most expen$ive bowling alley around (it was upstairs from The Container Store). The kids had a really great time though so that was fun.

After dinner, I decided it was time to clean our oven because Stephen accidentally dripped some grease in there on Christmas when he took the roast out of the oven. The self-cleaning stopped abruptly and the display screen is flashing F9 at me. I looked it up online and it looks as though our oven is now broken. Aargh! The door is still locked (presumably due to the heat from self-cleaning) but apparently this is a common problem with these types of ovens and the fix is expen$ive. Merry Chri$tmas!

Looks like it was our day to $pend a lot of ca$h.

Hurray! I got out of the house today and went somewhere other than Safeway! I vroomed Stephen's 4-wheel drive car up the driveway and sloshed and slid down the street to the main road which was bare and off I went to the mall.

Of course the mall was packed and it took me 20 minutes to find a parking spot. The stores had good sales and the selection was really good but the lines in all of the stores were horrible. Long, long, long lines. Anyway, I did get a few things that I needed (b-day present for Ash and a black belt for me. Ok, and a pair of black patent pumps). I also treated myself to an Orange Julius. I don't think I had had one in about 10 years. It was so refreshing and just what I needed because the mall was about 80 degrees. I actually left two stores (The Children's Place and Illuminations) because the stores were so hot and I felt as though I were going to faint. The clerks in The Children's Place were complaining to each other about the heat so I know it was not just me.

I have to say I wonder who all of the people were in Nordstroms who were swarming the designer shoe sales rack. Shoes on sale 50% off for $200-$500! Wow! And I felt so extravagant buying myself that pair of patent leather pumps at Macy's for $50.

In the hours (and hours) that I was at the mall, it rained and warmed up so much that our street was a breeze driving along when I arrived home. I am sure by the end of tomorrow or the day after there will be no more snow on the road. We'll be back to our normal rainy winter. I am so looking forward to it.

Happy Boxing Day! I hope everyone had a happy Christmas.

We had several people (18 including us) over for dinner and a few more (6) for drinks/playing after dinner. I had a great time and I think that our guests enjoyed themselves too.

The kids and I bought Stephen a Wii for Christmas and they are just setting it up now because typically we reserve Boxing Day for Lego Building. And boy did they build Lego.


It has been snowing all day (although it has actually stopped for the moment). It was a snow/rain mix for a while so it is really yucky outside. I am about to venture up the driveway to see if I can cram anymore garbage in our bin which has been sitting out for 9 days now. Today was supposed to be garbage pick up but looks like we'll have to wait until next week so that will be 3 weeks worth of garbage at once. The no-stinky garbage (Christmas wrapping, etc) is sitting in the garage with the recycling that cannot fit in the recycle bin. What a mess!

Whomever is dreaming of a White Christmas...

please stop!

Photos from today (December 24)




And of course it would not be Christmas Eve without a photo of my boys in front of the tree wearing their Christmas Jammies.



Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas is coming...

Well, Christmas is just about here. It seems a little surreal since I lost about a week's worth of prep time (and shopping time).

The roads are better today so Stephen went out with his car and hit Big 5 Sports, Costco, QFC, the butcher shop, liquor store and Safeway. So many of the stores have not been able to get their deliveries so Stephen could not find garlic until he hit Safeway. Later, I went to Safeway to get icing sugar (powdered sugar) and Safeway was out so I had to go to QFC. The gas stations by QFC have run out of gas and the gas trucks cannot get up the plateau to deliver more. Glad my tank is full. Of course I have not driven my car since Wednesday (I took Stephen's out today since it is an all-wheel drive). It has been parked out on the street since last Tuesday.

Anyway, we are all set for dinner so now I have to whip the house into shape tomorrow. I completely forgot to take my linen tablecloth to the cleaners to have it pressed! Yikes! I am going to try to do it tomorrow but it is 120" long and will probably take HOURS.

I feel a little better today because Ash and I got down off the plateau in her truck. The roads were really bad but we were able to get to Target and Fred Meyer for groceries and I was able to get a few gifts. What a relief! I still don't have gifts for everyone.

Our dinner plans for Christmas have changed as it was first to be my family and Ash's family. But today T called because her parents' flight from the Midwest was canceled so they are not coming for Christmas so T, E and their kids will come here now. Then, Ash's dh asked if one of his friends could come too because his flight was canceled today too. So we are up to 14 people with a possibility of 18 as another friend had her flight to Denver canceled so they will be home for Christmas now with no plans.

BTW, all of these flights have been canceled due to snow at SEA-TAC.

Still more friggin snow! Aargh!

We had a great time at Spy's house last night. She and her dh sure know how to throw a party! It was much smaller than planned because everyone from out-of-town had to cancel due to the roads so there were just 5 couples. Spy stole the show from her dh with her "championship belt" as Stephen called it. :)

I shoveled the driveway twice today. The kids told me they were "bored" of the snow so they did not go out until late afternoon. Then they built snow forts and had a snow ball fight.


I ordered new snow boots from endless.com and they are supposed to arrive tomorrow. I hope they come early in the day. The boots that I have are inadequate for traipsing through the snow. I bought them 11 or 12 years ago when I lived in Minnesota where of course we would get way more snow much more often BUT the roads and sidewalks would get ploughed so I was never really trudging through 6-8" of snow unlike here.

I have also been wearing my big winter coat that I bought 11 years ago. It screams 1990's with the big gold buttons but it is longer than my other coat (which I bought not necessarily for warmth but because it is waterproof - something usually more important than warmth around here in winter).

Of course being snowbound does not mean that I have finished my Christmas cards! Oops! Hopefully I can finish them up tomorrow. I have been mailing them as I go so at least half of the people should have them already.

The next round of snow has hit and everyone here is in full panic mode. Safeway was crazy again today (Stephen went there). I went to the drug store and I was not the only one buying Christmas gifts there. I also popped in the liquor store to get some minibar sized bottles for Stephen's stocking and the line was huge as people were stocking up to hunker down for a few days.

I think we are prepared for the wind storm. Stephen brought in a few piles of wood for the wood stove. We have our cast iron fry pan for the stovetop if need be as well as the cast iron kettle. We are probably a little short on water but I won't worry about that unless a water pipe bursts. I really do not want to lose power but the news and the city's website are basically calling it a sure thing. Let's hope it won't be for long.

Our babysitter is walking down the big hill tonight and Stephen will walk her home (she lives across the street from our old house so just 1/3 mile away). We are going to Spy's house tonight for her dh's 40th birthday party and they are just 1/2 mile away so we'll walk there too (or maybe catch a ride with Ash and her dh as they are dropping their kids off here to be babysat).

Ok, off to get ready for tonight...

Snow Day #3

School for today was canceled by 5pm yesterday. We had soooo much snow. The roads are so icy. Stephen treked off the plateau today and bought chains for his car at the tire store. I need some for my van too. This weather is nuts!

Today, the kids played outside for ages and then we walked to the store. We stopped for lunch first then off the Safeway and it was a complete zoo! People were in panic mode because of the snow AND we are due for a wind storm tomorrow night. And everyone remembers the last big winter wind storm so they were stocking up like crazy.

Later, the kids and I walked to Ash's house for Cosmo Friday. It was painful going there (just under a mile away) because we had to walk up two big hills while lugging sleds. Coming home was smooth sailing though. I almost liked the walk because it reminded me of home and of the years we spent in Minnesota - Stephen and I walked all the time in all kinds of weather then. It was clear and crisp and cold. Like this:

Snow Day #2 (with snow!)

School was canceled again today but at least we had snow this time. I could hear the frozen rain hitting the window in the morning before I awoke but then it changed to snow. It snowed all day long. Spy invited the kids and I over for lunch so we walked over (she lives about 1/2 mile away). The kids had a blast and played outside for nearly 3 hours! I think there was over 6" of snow.

Stephen of course did not go to work today and was irritated that he could not connect to work (as the other 30,000 people who work for his company in the area could not go in either and they were all trying to connect at once apparently). He was able to get some work done while we were at Spy's so that is good.

Here are a couple of photos:

Boys playing in our yard about 9:30AM


About to trek home from Spy's house about 3:15PM (photo courtesy of Spy)

School has already been canceled for tomorrow because the temperatures are expected to drop well below freezing tonight (and that was to be the last day of school for the Christmas vacation!). The roads are nearly impassable without chains. The highway was closed and they showed accident after accident on the news tonight. Buses are not running and people are stranded everywhere. What a mess! This is not the weather we are supposed to have in Seattle!

Jax has an eye doctor appointment tomorrow at 10AM that I will have to cancel (at a co$t of $25 according to their website). I will walk to Safeway tomorrow morning to get milk, cheese, bread and some supplies to make Christmas cookies. Hopefully they'll still have some of those things and that the delivery trucks get through.

We had a snow day today but no snow! It was in the forecast but it did not arrive. It snowed to the north and to the south but no snow anywhere in our school district!

So, to pass the day, the kids and I went to the grocery store, had hot chocolate at Starbucks, built a gingerbread house, played the game of "Life". They then played Battleship, played a bit on the computer, made videos using Jax's Flip video camera and they read. They were perfect!

Now, more snow is coming as well as very cold weather again (help me)!.

Schools are closed due to icy roads and the threat of a huge snowfall which is expected to start any minute.

I'll never finish my Christmas shopping!

I am so tired of this cold weather already. The faucet outside popped a leak and was spewing water for God-knows how many hours. Can't wait to get our next water bill. And the furnace has been running non-stop too - the gas bill will be lovely.

I know that I sound like such a suck, complaining about the cold weather. Especially since I lived in Minnesota for six years and I grew up in Toronto and Ottawa. But, the difference is that I have acclimated to this milder region (well, what used to be a milder region) AND there are so many hills around and a lack of snow removal/sanders/de-icer equipment around that it makes it very stressful trying to get around.

I have driven in horrible snow storms in my life. Storms that would make the roads virtually impassable and driving home from work would take well over 2 hours for a normal 25 minute commute. In Minnesota, it was so cold that often my car would not start (no engine block heater to plug in - nor outdoor outlets at our apartment). But that was ok because I knew eventually I could get the AAA to come (maybe 12 hours later but they'd come) to give me a boost or that the snow ploughs would have the roads cleared by the next day. That just does not happen here.

I had such a hard time of it last winter with the cold weather. And I was so looking forward to a beach vacation that disappeared with the Saab's exploding radiator. I honestly don't know how I will make it through another really cold winter again without some warmth. Maybe I just need to re-invest in some nice wool sweaters and sheep-skin slippers? Whatever the answer is, I need to find it to make it through this winter.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Silence!

Normally this is the time of day when all hell is breaking loose. The kids would have arrived home from school, been complaining that they were STARVING or about HOMEWORK while unpacking their backpacks, their lunch boxes and shoving armloads of paper at me to sort through. Teasing, bickering and whining is what I am used to hearing at this time.

No today though.

Jax and Dex are at their cartooning class (last one today) and Cars is on a playdate. Cars was so excited to take the bus one extra stop today to go to his friend's house. So, I have another sweet hour and a bit of quiet time until I have to pick up Jax and Dex at the school then swing by to get Cars. I guess all I've managed to do is put off the chaos for a couple of hours.

And what I am doing with my time? Blogging and desperately trying to decide what last minute gifts I can get for some young adults on my Christmas list. Usually I buy them American Express Gift Cheques/Checks but today I arrived at my local American Express Travel Office only to find out that they closed up shop in November. And of course these need to be mailed to Canada TODAY to make sure they arrive on time.

So, I came home (oh, after spending 55 minutes in the post office, after a 10 minute wait for a parking spot and then finding out that the very cute Christmas cards that I bought are "bumpy" so each card mailed to Canada and Internationally require an additional $0.20 of postage. That is a freaking lot of money considering that most of my cards are mailed to Canada!) to surf some lame Canadian shopping sites for gift cards for these receipeitns who will be now be receiveing their gifts AFTER Christmas.

Oh, and since I spent soooo long at the post office (and too long in Kohl's as I ran into a very chatty friend), I just now took something out of the freezer for dinner so I am hoping it is defrosted in time to reheat (a meat pie) for dinner. And we have to eat a little early because Dex has his "Third Grade Performance" tonight at the school and since he has a speaking part, I want to arrive a little early to get a front row seat to video him (ok, writing "video him" sounds weird but I had written video tape him then changed it because it is not video tape but digital video on Jax's Flip Video Camera - ok, rambling here).

Ok, so while I hear nothing but sweet silence, all I can hear in my mind is a great big clock counting down.

I hate being cold. I hate the snow.

But...

I love that my kids love it!

It has been a crazy week! I took the boys to the dentist on Wednesday and Dex has two cavities and he is DEVASTATED! He was wailing "I WILL HAVE IT FOR THE REST.OF.MY.LIFE!" (in his adult molars where the sealants fell off). I haven't had the heart to schedule the appointment yet.

Yesterday, I had offered to take a meal to a friend whose mother has had a stroke and she has been spending a lot of time at the hospital and getting her mom settled at home. Ok, I know I cannot cook. You know I cannot cook yet I offered to do this. I made my mom's famous pork chops (they are really pretty good and honestly, one thing that I can actually make without screwing up). Anyway, I burnt my hand on the oven rack while testing the temperature of the pork chops (ouch)! About 5pm, I packed the kids in the car with the pork chops, corn, salad, buns, bottle of wine and a Lazy Daisy cake and off we went to deliver it. She was not home! No one answered their phone. I called my other friend who organized it and she said "Just leave it on the porch" so I got out of the car and started walking up the driveway when a big, brown lab charges up to me and starts barking its head off. I called my other friend back who said "Oh that's just 'Insert Dog's name here as I now forget because I was scared shitless'. Don't mind him". Riiight. This dog is barking and GROWLING at me and I was thinking "I am not leaving these pork chops on the porch for this damn dog to eat!" so my friend suggested I drop the food off at her house and she will contact other friend to come get it when she gets home.

Whew

So, I do that (they live right around the corner from each other) then rush home to work on dinner for my family (also pork chops but I put them in just before we left). I burnt my hand AGAIN. Geez!!!

Stephen got home and I put dinner out for them and then go get ready because it is our book club's Christmas Celebration which was a lot of fun!

Now today, we a big winter storm has hit. What that means here is a lot of rain and wind. The power has gone off once so far today. but I am prepared. Flashlights, tons'o'D batteries, plenty of food, the grill's propane tank is full, we have a neat pile of wood outside for the wood stove in case we lose power for any length of time.

Hopefully the storm will pass without the rain turning to snow (the temperatures are to drop). We do not yet have our Christmas tree so we'll be out picking out a sopping wet tree this weekend.

Ok, off to post this before the power goes out again!

We went to another work Christmas party today at Stephen's VP's house. I started chatting with the wife of one of his co-workers who I had met briefly at the party on Friday night. Anyway, she asked me if I was at the gym today because she said she thought it was me because "I recognized your hair". LOL

Yes, it was my hair. I coloured it. Well, sort of. I mean, yes, there is colour but not all-over-colour like I used to do. Just foils with high lights and low lights.

After all that pain and ugliness I went through to grow out my hair colour, why on earth did I go and do it again?! It's simple. Pure vanity.

I bought a really pretty top to wear for the holidays, figuring I would just pair it with some black wool pants. Anyway, it was pewter and black. I thought it looked nice on my in Macy's (where is there a different sale every day and coupons galore that they practically PAY you to take the clothes). I brought it home and in the different light, the pewter with my grey hair made me look MATRONLY! OMG! It was horrible. I decided right there and then that the shirt was going back. And I started obsessing about colouring my hair.

When I first grew it all in, I thought it looked ok (well, after I finally cut it). I had enough dark hair left that the grey looked, at least with my rose-coloured glasses on, distinguished and unique. But in the last year it has become more grey. I was first struck at how grey it really was in CraftyMama's Zoo photo. And when I pulled it back, the right side was completely WHITE underneath.

Then, wearing that top and looking OLD and MATRONLY was the final straw. It did not help that I was in dire need of a haircut since I had not had it cut since the end of August.

I made an appointment at the local $alon and told them I wanted to discuss hair colour. I went in, said I did not want all-over-colour but just something to make it look a little less grey. Also, she assured me that it would not be that noticeable growing out. I hope she is right.

So that's my story. All this angst and battling with myself over hair colour is over. I am very happy with the results. I may even go back for more in a couple of months.

Oh, and thank you for all the lovely comments. I'd better watch it or I'll get a fat head.

Can you see the difference?

Here are two photos of me taken about a month apart. The most recent is on the right and was taken on Friday. There is something slightly different about me. So slight, in fact, that none of my friends have even noticed. Stephen did though.

Leave a comment if you think you know what it it is.

I haven't been much inspired to write in my blahg lately. Even the mundane day-to-day stuff is a chore to write about. Hoping this indifference lifts soon as I don't want to lose my readership. :)

Thanks to those of you who still read.

Stephen, Jax and Dex put up the Christmas lights today. They look good and I am so proud of the boys for helping Stephen out.

We went to Stephen's holiday party last night. It was fun. The food was great (especially the desserts!).

I need to start on my Christmas cards. I cannot believe how many I have received already! Yikes!

OMG! Christmas is in three weeks!

¡panic!

Gotta love the dentist. Why else would you pay someone $500 to torture you - break your teeth, jab sharp objects in your mouth, inject you with some chemicals that make kill your taste buds, cement man-made materials to what's left of your tooth, then spend the rest of they day aching?

Sunday night at dinner we were talking about dreams and Dex described a dream that he had about church:

I was going down the aisle on the way to the Children's Liturgy. (the kids in grades K-6 can leave the church and go into the chapel during the readings and the homily but come back for communion) All of the kids were chained together at the ankles and it was very hard to walk because we were walking through some thick, green goo. Then, if we did not get down the aisle fast enough, we had to start all over again.

Stephen had a heyday as he is "anti-church". (I'd say at the moment but the moment has lasted about a decade). Anyway, Stephen says to me "Are you hearing this?". Of course I was hearing it. I told Dex it was just a dream and then Stephen starts on about how some people believe in dream interpretation but I stopped him before he decided to interpret Dex's dream for him.

I know that my children do not like going to church but they also don't like eating vegetables or brushing their teeth. But it is something that I have decided they need to partake in. They all complain about going to church. Well, that is not true. Cars rarely complains as, up until this year, it was always fun for him. He had Sunday School during Mass and then he got to play in the gym/social hall for an hour with his friends while his brothers went to their religious instruction classes. He is less impressed this year as the kindergartners now go to Mass and now he has religious instruction afterwards so he misses playing with Spy's son, Col, and other preschool and Sunday school friends in the gym.

When Jax complains about going to church, I just tell him that I made a promise to God that I would take him until he was a man and he doesn't want me to break a promise to God, does he? Ah, I've started the Catholic Guilt early, eh? Jax is terribly concerned with the idea that someone may have eaten peanut butter before coming to church and perhaps they have not washed up so he hates giving the Sign of Peace and holding hands during the Lord's Prayer (ok, I have to admit that I don't like that either).

Dex does not really complain that much either. At least, not loud. I can hear him muttering from time-to-time during Mass that it is "so long". He is the one most likely to follow along in the hymnal (reading, but not singing but I'm ok with that) so I guess it can't be that bad for him, right? Hey, I can interpret things too! ;)

I guess I really cannot understand their feelings about church. My mom left the church when I was about 6 or 7 years old so my family all stopped going because there was no way my dad would get all 5 kids up and ready to go to church on Sundays. Up until that point, I loved to get all dressed up and go to church. I had fond memories of wearing white tights with velvet dresses and shiny shoes every Sunday. I did not go back to church again on a regular basis until I was an adult. So it was a decision that I made and not something I was "forced" to do by my parents.

To make matters worse, our Mass has stretched to an an hour and twenty minutes in length! Our priest is not the most dynamic speaker and his homilies take ages! He insists that we sing every verse of every hymn. And now he has eliminated the "sattelite" communion stations so what really should be an hour service is regularly one hour and twenty minutes long. An eternity for children (and for their parents who try to keep them occuppied). I do not believe that my kids should have to sit still for that length of time and even with them going out during the Children's Liturgy (which is infrequent due to lack of volunteers for that program), Mass is just too long for them.

Our neighbours, whom I just found out go to our church as they told me they do not go all that regularly (I admit we don't go often during the summer), asked me if Mass ever ends "on time". Funny to say that. Mass should be an hour long. It should not be longer unless it is Good Friday, Easter Sunday or any of the Christmas Masses.

Oh, so here I am complaining about church, just like my children. Perhaps I do understand their feelings after all.