A few more....

More random pics

Eric, the middle child

My handsome man. These pics are priceless because in most, he has a frozen fake smile...this is actual laughter. Icky bathroom humor instead of saying cheese...it works.

Emma, the teenager

My oldest, the dreaded teenager. There are more great ones of her, and some very goofy ones, but I'm trying to get pics uploaded before law and order comes on.

Love this!!!

How cute is this???? Definetly going to get a print and frame it.

Abby, the baby

My baby, Abby. Denise came up today to take pics of my kids. I think she took 200. These are just a few of my favorites. She hates having her pic taken and Denise spent quite a bit of time chasing her, trying to get her to look in the direction of the camera.

Calgon, take me away!

Do you ever feel like running away and hiding from the world? I seem to have too much on my plate lately and not much motivation to get things done. This is why I havent blogged in ages...havent done much of anything in ages really. I had some time off work, which is really not a good thing. You get used to having more time and then when your free time is gone, you wonder how on earth you'll ever get anything done. Being broke doesnt help...most of my stresses would be taken care of if I had more money but since I dont, I stress more. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know how it is...things are bad enough now with the kitchen reno and the kids growing out of every single thing they own...Christmas is just around the corner and there will undoubtedly be that thing, the one thing that happens every year to break the bank. One year it was the car dying, another year our oil tank needed replacing, hot water boiler once, well pump and the best (worst) was my getting laid off on Dec. 14, 40 hours shy of the required hours for pogey.
I think I'm just having a bitch of a day. Ignore me. I'll be back to normal...ha ha..by the end of the month.

A lame entry, because I have no imagination

Working, again. I am so tired. I worked the overnight last night. Got home at 7:30 but had to stay up until I got Eric off to school. Crawled in my bed at 8:30 and slept until my little princess woke up at 10. I managed another 30 min nap before I had to come back to work but I am exhausted. Thank God I'm off for several days.
I have a whole bunch of plans for my time off. I dont think we'll get to do everything but I'll be pissed if we dont get to do any family stuff as my time off will be wasted....yet again. Jerry and I are going to see if we can put a huge dent in the kitchen renovation too. He's been too busy lately to make any progress and we're having a party next weekend so that's our motivation. It doesnt have to be finished because we have another kitchen, and its an outdoor party...but if it rains, I'd rather not have guests tracking plaster dust through the house. I'll be praying for decent weather. Chilly is ok, just not wet.
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I am uber excited about tomorrow night. Hubby gets his birthday gift from me! I'm making a kickass romantic dinner for two..thats right, two, not five! The kids are sleeping over at my mothers. This has NEVER happened. I've gotten rid of one or two but 3??? Wow, a dream come true. lol. I wont say what his gift will be but it'll be damn good.

The kids

First let me say that I am not one of those overprotective psycho moms. Eric came home from school, grabbed a snack and said he was going to V's to play. Fine. Suppertime, I sent Emma across the street to get him...no Eric, they hadnt seen him all day. I called the only other 2 friends in the area, no Eric. He does not go anywhere else, ever. He always lets me know where he'll be, even if its in the next yard. The feeling you get when this happens is indescribable. My heart was in my throat and I'm sure all the color drained from my face. Even Jerry, who is not one to panic, looked scared and jumped in the van. I live on a main road and I'm sure there are nutjobs out there. So many things went through my mind in the 30 minutes it took to find him....alone, at the river in our backyard, fishing. Phew!
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Last fall Emma opted not to go back to Girl Guides...it just wasnt cool. Today, she decided that it is cool again and joined Pathfinders. I love this! All of the girls in Pathfinders were with her in Brownies and Girl Guides for a few years and they are really good kids. It seems like the friends that she's been hanging around with are an awful lot like I was at that age, and that scares me. Hopefully, this new/old crowd will keep her out of trouble.
She is also taking sewing lessons starting next week. My mother is giving classes and Em can go for free provided she helps with the cleanup after each class. Looks like everyone is getting handmade gifts this year for Christmas.
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No blog entry would be complete without mention of my youngest, Abby. Damn she is cute and getting cuter every day. She never shuts up, ever. If she isnt talking, she's babbling or singing...and this kid sings everything. Every theme song of all of her favorite shows...when she doesnt know the words, which is quite often, she throws in a lalalalala in the right tune. Its sweet. She knows twinkle twinkle, all of it, and sings it to me every 4 minutes or so. lol. She also loves Chicka chicka boom boom and I am forced to read it to her many times a day....how can I say no? The child is showing an interest in books and I love that.
Still no sign of readiness re: potty training. I'm not even going to bother trying yet because she just isnt ready. I'm waiting for my sis in law to comment on that...should be fun since her 5 year old just got out of pullups last month. I am in no hurry for her to grow up....I'd keep her little forever if I could.
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I'll post some recent pics of the little darlings tomorrow or the next day. =o)

Men!

It seems like the majority of my blog entries are complaints about my darling husband...I wonder why? The phone rang early this morning...it was Light and Power, wondering why they havent recieved a payment in 2 months. I was tired, said I'd pay today and went back to sleep. It didnt occur to me to get angry until the cable company called to tell me that we were scheduled for disconnection tomorrow. Ummm, cable internet..disconnected..season premieres...missed? I dont f**king think so. Both companies have main offices near where hubby's company office is so he figured its just easier to stop in every month with payment...but he hasnt done it! We are set up to pay everything online but one thing got screwed up months ago so he'd prefer not to. I just checked and we have the money but he didnt pay the bills. I am so taking over the bill paying in this house, starting today. I paid online and everything should be fine now, but what kind of person risks losing his wifes cable??? My god that man has a death wish!

Dammit!

Noooooooooo! Eva is the new Canadian Idol. Ugh! Craig was so much better. He has an awesome voice and should have won. I'm not just saying that because he's a fellow Newfoundlander, he was just better, and he's only 16! Hearing him sing Danny Boy tonight gave me chills. I hope he goes far on his own....being second may be better since he has more freedom than the winner has. Go Craig!

Just stuff...it's late

I am a kitchen goddess! Ok, so we've been eating crap for a while now. I dont have time to cook anymore and when hubby does, its grillin' or kraft dinner. Today I decided to give the kids a decent meal for a change...when kids start asking for gravy and veggies, something is wrong. I made a fantastic pork loin roast with ooodles of veggies and kickass gravy, but the kicker, was an apple salsa that I made for the pork. I need applesauce on my pork but wanted to make something different. Peeled and sliced apples, apple juice, brown sugar, red onion, maple syrup and crushed chilies. Sounds weird but was sooo, sooo good. The little bit of spicy from the chilies was perfect...and I dont do hot. I've got to get back to cooking again. Decent meals at least twice a week. I get all of my veggies for free, no reason not to eat them regularly.
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I was speaking with my grounded teenager today. She thinks it is unfair that her punishment is grounding for 2 whole weeks when her friend was only grounded for 1 day for something much, much worse. My kid came home 2 hours past curfew....the other kid...hit.her.mother! OMG! One day of grounding for hitting your mother. I was floored. What is going on with kids today??? More importantly, what kind of mother grounds her kid for one measly day for something so major??? Makes me ill.
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I'm at work right now. It's 5am. I'm tired, hungry, cold and am feeling a tad nauseous. I am DYING to find out if LadyA had her wee one but forums and the like are strictly forbidden at work so I cant go check. It's KILLING ME! I'll be home in 2.5 hours and can check then.

Wanna buy a teenager?

Seriously! Less than a year in to this teenager thing and I am pulling my hair out. The boys are one thing, the attitude is a whole other area that I am not ready to deal with. I worked Sat. night...before I left I let the teenager know that she had to be in by 11 if she went anywhere. Hubby needed the van so he drove me to work and had to pick me up at 1am. I called home shortly after 11 to say goodnight to teenager, but she wasnt home. I called again at 12, still not home but hubby said he could hear them across the street so he'd just give a shout if she wasnt home in time for him to come pick me up (she has to be here with the other kids...apparently there is a rule about leaving them home alone. lol). I figured he'd deal with that so at 1 I finished work and went outside to wait. No hubby. At 1:15 I decided to call home..hubby answers, says he is just leaving because teenager just walked in the door. She decided, along with a few friends, to walk the other friends home. I was sooooooooo mad! Honestly, if she had called I would have let her stay out til 12:30, as long as she was here in time for hubby to leave. She said she couldnt call because they were at a party, and it was outside. Ugh! It was in a freaking backyard...near a house...with a phone. Anyway, I finally had a chance to sit and discuss this today. I decided on a 1 week grounding and no computer during that time. She was such a little snot! She didnt even understand why. Fast forward to suppertime. I told her that after homework, she has to put away the piles of clean laundry in her room and tidy her other stuff. I go up hours later and it isnt done...know why? She said she didnt want to. She lost her stereo for that one. I told her to have the laundry put away before bed....she didnt do it! She completely ignored me! So, I took the guitar. Next is the tv. Teenagers suck.

I owe you one!

I have got to stop saying that. Anytime someone does me a favor, or even does something nice, I follow up with a 'Thanks, I owe you one'. Ugh! I keep forgetting that at some point, the 'I owe you one' becomes a favor that someone will eventually call me on. I have myself roped into babysitting because my sister gave me a pair of jeans and I said...I owe you one. I am spending several hours over the next few days painting my mother in laws rental house because she babysat for me and I said...you guessed it, I owe you one. No more! From now on, I'll say Thank you and move on...if somehow, I forget and say I owe you one again, I'm giving someone a kid or something instead of doing a favor. Keep that in mind if 'I owe you one' and you decide to take me up on it. =o)

Think Good Thoughts!

My nephew is back in Toronto for yet another surgery. The poor kid has been through hell these past few years....hopefully the surgeons who are working with him now have the know how to fix him so he can live a normal life. He goes in at 9am tomorrow (its after midnight so today really) and the surgery is expected to last 3 hours. The last time it was a 4 hour surgery and it lasted 6 hours. My poor sister was going crazy waiting for someone to talk to her and tell her what was going on...turned out it was going better than planned so they kept going (embolizing veins). He ended up back in the hospital when he got back home and was laid up for a month because of some after effects of the surgery. He was only out of the hosptial a week when he had to go back in for chemo for the thyroid cancer. He is a trooper though and has an amazing sense of humor about it all. Gotta love him. If you pray, say an extra one tomorrow....if you dont pray, think good thoughts.

How to survive the teenage years?

This isnt a 'how to' entry. I have no idea how I'm going to survive the next 5-6 years. My teen isnt half as horrible as some of her friends....at least not that I can see...but how is she when she's not at home? Yesterday, she comes home with 3..count 'em..3 teenage boys and they all want to come in and watch a movie. I'm not ready for boys! I let them all in as it seems smart to at least keep 'em where I can see 'em. She talks to boys on msn all the time and they are constantly phoning too. When I was her age, I had very few 'girl' friends as I got along better being one of the guys....but....one of the guys was also my boyfriend. I am not ready to accept that my little girl has a boyfriend. I hope she is smarter than I was and has a helluva lot more respect for herself than most kids these days. The sad part, this is only the beginning with her, and then I get to turn around and do it all over again, twice. Arrrrggghhh!!!

When Good Husbands Go Bad

It happens. Last week all was sunshine and roses, today, I want to commit murder. I am sick and tired of coming home from work to a mess. I have to walk through demolitionville to get into the house...this I understand...but why does every room in the house need to be a mess too? All I ask is that I dont come home from working all day, and immediatly have to do the dishes and pick up toys so that I dont go insane. I'm not a neat freak or anything, a far cry from it actually, but I dont have to live in squallor either. I worked yesterday, got home close to midnight, threw in a load of laundry, made my lunch for today, packed Eric's bag for tonights sleepover and tidied a little before bed. This morning I went off to work leaving a semi-acceptable house. After work I threw a fit. The dishes were piled in the sink, there were cheerios crushed all over the carpet, toys everywhere, no beds made....I could go on. The one thing that really made me flip was a cabinet. Apparently Abby pulled it over and spilled the contents all over the place....she got a little ouch in the process. When I see the cabinet I assume it was done just before he left to pick me up at work...why else would it still be there? No! It was done hours ago and wasnt picked up because he is busy working on the kitchen. Ummm, ok, but how does that make it right? I'm busy at work, is it fair that I do it? We had an argument over this. He thinks he should do nothing but 'the kitchen' or whatever project he is working on. Yes, it needs to get done and as soon as possible would be great...but while ignoring everything else? I dont f*cking think so. I've done many room renos and makeovers in this house and managed to stop and feed the kids, do the housework, work full time and still find the time to spend on the computer. LOL.
It seems like we have this argument too often. Will he ever learn or is it time to trade him in? The bastard even brought home a box of donuts a little while ago. Diet sabotage obviously. Prick.

Being bad

I feel like a kid again. Not that I'm ancient but I dont often get the chance to be spontaneous and even fewer chances to get a little wild. We went to a luau last night at my father in laws. The whole family went..myself, hubby and 3 kids. The kids were really good and the oldest was watching the youngest so hubby and I took off to the barn, went up in the hayloft and well, we were spontaneous. LOL. It was dark and we got caught coming out of the barn and even though no one said anything, they knew what was going on. Who goes into a pitch black barn for any other reason? hee hee. We are now trying really hard to find some time to run away together without the children. Wish me luck! =o)

8 years later

8 years ago today, my son was born. I remember the look of pure joy on his fathers face upon hearing those three little words...'its a boy'... it made him the happiest man on earth. He loves his girls dearly but every man wants a son.
Eric is a sweetheart. He wants to be a mommas boy but only when dad isnt around...in dads presence he's a tough little boy who wouldnt dream of kissing his mother...ewwwww. Right now, his favorite thing is lizards. He has a lizard bedroom and not a day passes that I dont hear a request for a live one. I 'almost' got him one for his birthday but just couldnt bring myself to do it. I really dont want one of those in my house. Maybe when he's older. We got him an electric scooter instead and that seems to be a huge hit so far. The whole family went to Jungle Jim's for supper at Eric's request. Never again. The food was NASTY! I've eaten there a few times...never by choice...and the food is always less than desirable. I had to send my meal back twice..I bet someone back there spit in it or something. The first time they gave me carribean chicken with fries..I hate fries and would never order them on purpose, I wanted the rice that was on the picture. I got the rice but the whole thing was ice cold so I sent it back again. I'm usually not a bitch about these things but c'mon, is it asking to much to have my meal hot? $100 and a happy boy later, we went home and gorged on a divine DQ ice cream cake...and then I took my bloated self off to bed so I could catch a few Z's before my graveyard shift. Here I sit. Eric let me take an extra piece of cake to work for my snack. Gotta start the diet on Monday.

Pssst...wanna buy a house?

I havent fallen off the face of the earth....I've just been very busy. Between work, kids and this house, I have very little time for anything else. Ok, I still manage to squeeze in my delphi time but even that time shorter than usual. We've decided that the house is going on the market asap. We have to put the kitchen back together (right now its scrapped!) and finish all the little things, like moldings, hanging a few doors, have carpet, that we bought months ago, installed, replace a few light fixtures and do a major de-clutter and clean. I'm having a yard sale in a few weeks....my next weekend off, and already have a house full of stuff to get rid of. What doesnt sell is going off to the Salvation Army..NOT back inside my house. The one thing that kills me, is walking around outside. No matter where we move, I know I'll never get this kind of property again. I love my mature trees, my river, my deck and most of all, my awesome neighbors. Maybe they'll come with me? lol
So, if anyone wants to buy a lovely (ok, not so lovely but it has potential!) house on 2 lovely...really lovely, acres for a super low price...gimme a call.

Aging Parents

I went to visit my dad today. I've never thought of him as being 'old' even though my mother (they've been divorced for years) always says how old he looks. Today was different. He is only 60, give or take a year, but seems to have aged years since the last time I saw him...a few months ago. You know, the whole grunting and knee cracking when you stand up, oodles of prescription meds on the kitchen counter (no point putting them away because they are used several times a day) and the kicker...the thing that made me realize that, hey, my parents are getting old...were the metal safety bars that were recently installed next to the toilet. When you need help to get on and off the toilet, thats scary. Whats scarier is the fact that if 'they' are getting old....I must be too!!! Aaaaggghhhhh!!!!

The Teenager

Yes, I have 3 kids. lol. I spend most of my time with the youngest, and she still lets me take pictures so it may seem to some like I only have one kid...or only want to share one with the world. Not so. I have a teenager as well....I am not prepared for this. She called me from her grandparents house this evening wanting me to make a hair appt. for her. No prob, when and what are you planning on getting done. She wants her hair dyed...blue! Ok, I'm a cool mom. I took this same kid last week to get her nose pierced but stated very clearly at the time that there will NEVER be another piercing unless its in her ears and a tattoo is never going to happen unless she wants to die. She tells me how cool I am, how she'll never get a tattoo, never pierce anything else, stay in school, never drink, no drugs etc etc etc but pleeeeeeeease can she have blue hair. I am obviously not as cool as I thought....any cool mom could see that if you have a blue nose ring you HAVE to have matching hair. DUH!

The Terrible Twos?

No! This cant be happening. I have always believed that the 'terrible twos' dont really exist. My other kids had their moments but never something I could blame on an 'age'. Little Miss Abby has changed, overnight. During the day, she is a sweet, quiet little thing who plays on her own, naps when I says so and is just a pleasure to be around. Fast forward to supper time. Ugh! She refuses to feed herself (a task she perfected months ago) but also refuses to be fed. Hmmm, does anyone else see a problem here? Diaper changes are a battle! Changing her clothes is a serious workout that leaves me sweating and breathless. And then there is bedtime...every night since forever, I would simply put her in her crib, and walk away. She might play for a bit, talk to herself, on rare occasions she would cry for a minute or two...but now its WAR! Putting her into her crib is now (in her warped little 2 year old mind) the same as dropping her into hot lava. She clings to me, pulls my shirt (it is hilarious when Daddy...the one with the super hairy chest..does this!) squeals and tries to give me hugs...every smart kid knows that mommy will take a hug anytime thus taking her mind off the whole crib thing and leaving an opening for possible escape. I am so glad that I work mostly evenings and dont have to deal with this every night. lol. I went through pregnancy and c-sections, let HIM deal with toddlerhood.

The Cutest Pic!

A friend of my sisters dropped by while we were visiting with this little cutie. Abby fell in love! She kissed him numerous times and bawled her little eyes out when he had to go home. I love this pic.....ignore the dirt on my kid. She's normally clean, honest.

Ducktopia

Abby is still nuts about ducks, or quack quacks as she calls them. We found this cute little river in Brigus yesterday and were amazed at how friendly the ducks are. They were eating out of our hands and didnt seem to mind when we picked up the babies. Em got the runt of the bunch and wanted to take it home...and I was ok with it as long as she ducknapped a friend for him but Jerry, the party pooper, said no ducks in the new van. Whatever.

Me, the no longer housebound

I am the proud owner of a vehicle!!! No idea what it is though. lol. I was seriously fed up with being housebound....and really not looking foward to travelling to work in the oil truck again, so I told hubby to go ahead and pick it out himself. My only stipulations....must be a 7 seater van and it cannot be turquoise or green. Turquoise is just ugly and mom had a dream 25 years ago that there was a bad accident and a green car was involved...we are not allowed to own green vehicles...'cause she said so.
I'm also going to cave and buy a lawn mower tomorrow. I need one badly. Things might get better. =o)

Kids

I have very little to talk about today. Nothing has changed since yesterday so a real entry would just be a repeat of the last. I'll post some pictures instead.
Not sure what order they'll be in. Check out my super intelligent toddler fending for herself. What a survivor. She can find water! She pulls the plug from her water table and drinks what falls out..then sucks up the rest. That child will never go thirsty. She is also quite fearless. I have to retrieve her from the neighbors house the other day...I didnt let her go off on her own...I followed her to see how far she would really go...she got to their living room (through the open garage door) turned on the tv and sat on the couch. They consider my kids their honorary grandchildren because they have none and actually thought this was cute. I would not be impressed if strange little toddlers broke into MY house. lol. Anyway, she likes to try and get into the pool too...this freaks me out a bit because she is not afraid of anything!
And finally, I had hoped to capture the elusive nocturnal creature known as the teenager on film and I got lucky! This one was spotted coming up for air and was not pleased at being photographed without its perfect hair and makeup.

*Oh yeah, cant forget the boy child...he's in there too.*

*ok, so the pics dont show in the order I thought. You can figure it out. I didnt actually take any of these either...Denise did...I'm still too poor to own a digital camera worth using and if I had one, it would probably be broken anyway. lol*

Life is crap

Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. On Monday, hubby got ready to go to work...his oil truck wouldnt start. No biggie, he hopped in the car to go get the other oil truck, no reverse...the transmission crapped out. I decided to mow the lawn after lunch, nope, the mower decided to crap out on me too. A few weeks ago he was 'laid off'. He'll collect EI but will still make the same because his employer/father will pay the difference. He only works a few hours a day this time a year so no biggie..except being laid off is a big biggie when one is trying to get financing for a new vehicle. Ugh!!!! I thought we could just pay the $1000 or so and get the car fixed but NOOOO, life cannot be this simple, it's a freakin' hyundai so it'll actually cost more like $4000. The car is a '97! It isnt worth that much. I'm ready to sell some kids to get a new car...anyone interested? They're going cheap.
Which brings me to the other crappy side of my life. The kids are driving me insane. The older 2 are fighting constantly and the youngest has decided to try out the 'terrible two's' because, hey, why not? I started a book last week and am not even halfway through it because I have had too many days off. How sad that I get more reading done at work than at home.
And finally, the rest of the crap....my house. It is a disaster area. I have no floor in my kitchen and the cabinets are piled up in the porch! I have to walk through this several times a day and it is really starting to get to me. I spend so much time cleaning but it makes no difference at all because at the end of the day, this place is still a shithole. Is shithole one word or two? I'd love to just take off somewhere for a while, alone, with my half finished book and a case of Piat D'or but I have no freakin' way to do that!!! Anyone wanna give me a lift?

A long distance marriage?

I think not! Hubby wants to take off to Alberta to work on the oil rigs. There is big money to be made there and after seeing his buddies do so well with it, he wants to try too. He has a good job but until his father retires, it will always be the same...same hours, same money, same shit. I'd love to make enough to allow him to go back to school to retrain but sadly, I dont. If he goes, it will be for a few months, then home for a few weeks, then off again. We can pay off all of our debt in less than a year and he'll be able to say he went...and hopefully be content to come back to his old job. BUT...I'll be here, alone, with 3 kids. I enjoy working, mostly because I know the kids are at home with dad when I work....but I'll have to get a sitter...which will make my working, less enjoyable. There is nothing worse than worrying about whats going on at home when you are unable to do anything about it. And what about MY time? Curves? Sunday morning yard sales, alone? Sleeping in?
Part of me is excited at the possibility of being debt free in such a short period but the other part can already envision the burned out, crabby mom that I will become. I didnt sign up for single parenthood! Am I just being selfish? Oh well, this is just a vent...we'll see what happens.

Ketchup is a vegetable

If it isnt, it damn well should be! Abby has always been a good eater, that is, until she discovered ketchup. She wont eat anything, even her old favorites, unless she has a dollop of ketchup on her plate for dipping. Most of the time, she just dips her fork in the ketchup and ignores the food. I'm hoping this will be a short lived phase.

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...

And cry she did. Poor little girl has pink eye in both eyes and what sounds like croup. She's been running a low grade fever for a few days and is just plain miserable. The weather this morning was crappy so I considered phoning the few people I had invited to her party and cancelling....but I dont have another day off for quite a while so I went ahead with it. The kids had to play inside because it rained overnight and everything was drenched. They had fun but poor Abby spent most of her party in mine or daddy's arms. She didnt even get excited about her presents...of which there were many! Eric and I made a cake last night that turned out pretty good. It was one of those betty crocker bake and fill dome cakes. Chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling. Mmmm. The icing was green (grassy hill) and Dora and the gang were on it. I might have taken a pic, not sure.
Now for the vent. You thought there wouldnt be one, huh? I invited my father in law to the party last week. I told him it was at 1pm. He showed up at 5 and insisted I said it was at 5. Who has a party at 5? Anyway, that didnt bother me as much as the crappy ass gift he gave her. He stopped at a convenience store along the way and spent about $5....maybe 6 if I include the cost of the gift bag. Its not the cost that counts...I know...but there was no thought put into it either, and the gift is crap! Its a cheap crappy (how many times can I say crap?) stuffed animal that makes noise when you squeeze it. I almost bought some for prizes yesterday but they were too crappy! Said it again. He also threw in a bag of candy (those marshmallow bananas that I love) and ate more than half while he sat and told us how stupid we are for buying this money pit of a house. I managed to not kill him but it took every ounce of self control I could muster. He is why I never changed my name when I married. Ugh!

I am an idiot

Why on earth did I agree to take an extra shift today? Because I am a complete idiot! Went to bed last night at midnight, got a call to reset the fax servers at 2:30am, got back to bed by 3 but didnt fall asleep right away. Woke up at 6 and got to work by 7. I had planned on getting home from work at 3 and having a nap but hubby had to work so all I got was a 20 min. power nap before leaving for work at 11. Here I sit, it's 3am, and my eyes are sticking together. I dont think I can make it til 7am. Need. coffee. now. I just discovered that typing does not keep me awake. Oh well, time to put my head down on my desk and see what happens.

The week in review

Finally, I am blonde. I messed up after trying to do it myself, several times and called a professional today. She quoted me an astronomical price and the time that would be involved just wasnt feasible, so I went back to the drugstore one last time. I bought 2 ash blonde dyes and am a little more pleased with the result than I was with the previous dye jobs. The orange is gone now but I'm not as blonde as I wanted to be. Being blonde requires more maintenance so after a few touch ups I should have the color I want. Phew. Glad thats over with.
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My boss asked me to do something for him last week as he will be out of the country and may not be able to do it himself from there. I am NOT a technical kinda gal but I learned how to reset the fax and email servers at work from home and it isnt that hard! I was delighted to be trusted with this task and just assumed that I was doing him a favor. Turns out I get paid, and paid well, to do it. Sweeeeeeeeet!
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My poor little princess is sick. She has pinkeye, a nasty cold and jaw teeth coming in. She is miserable! Her birthday is on Sunday and its just not right for little people to be sick on their birthday! I spent hours at Toys R Us today looking for the perfect gift for her. She has everything a child could possibly want so she ended up with this cute little desk...and some other small junk that I just couldnt resist.

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School is out!!! The kids finished up today and are now, officially, on their summer break. I am so proud of them both! Their report cards were great. I am super proud of Emma for getting through her first year of intensive french with an 85% average overall! I'll probably use the extra money from work to treat them to some kind of kickass reward. =o)

Do blondes have more fun?

My natural haircolor is a light sandy brown. I havent seen it in many years. As a teen, I had black, blonde, purple, green, funky red and a million combination haircolors. I finally settled on blonde and stayed that way for several years. After I got married, I dyed my blonde locks brown and they have stayed pretty much the same (except for the occasional bottle of auburn dye) ever since. Some people say it looks nicer brown, most prefer blonde. Sooooo, yesterday, partly because of the aforementioned comments, and partly because of a desperate need to make my grey less noticable, I gave myself blonde highlights. This was just to lighten a little without a drastic change. The highlights were orange...a ghastly orange, but only on the top of my head...the bottom half needed more processing time or something because I had rust colored clumps of hair there. I wore a ball cap to work (I can do that on evening and weekend shifts) and ran to the drugstore on my lunch for more dye. Champagne Fizz...I figured to hell with subtle, I'd go all over blonde in one shot. Again, the top half is lovely, the bottom is still dark. I have to work this evening!!! Mom is coming up later so she's going to pick me up one more Champagne Fizz. If this doesnt work, I'm going dark brown and leaving it like that.
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I also wanted to point out that I am a freaking moron! I like my job, so much that I picked up a bunch of extra shifts this week. Ok, so it was more for the money but since the job is great, working a lot doesnt bother me as it would for most people. I go in tonight at 7pm-1am, then again at 6am-3pm. I will be tired tomorrow. On Friday, I work from 6am-3pm and then again...later on Friday...11pm-7am. There wont be time in between shifts for a nap since I have to get things ready for Abby's birthday party. Oh well, I shouldnt complain since I brought this upon myself...but I know how tired I'll be and am not looking forward to it. I should start drinking coffee again.

Ahhh, a nice relaxing day off

No work today! I picked up a bunch of extra shifts but left today free because I figured I'd need the break. I got to sleep in until 9! Had breakfast, got myself and Abby dressed and went grocery shopping. Left her with my sis in law while I did my 30 mins. at curves and then came home to put away the food. We are going to start demolishing our kitchen soon, so I had to move everything into the smaller kitchen next to it. Fitting food, dishes, pots/pans etc etc into 5 cupboards is NOT POSSIBLE! I did my best and will have to have a yard sale at some point as this process showed me what I really cant live without, and the rest is junk. I mowed the lawn, washed/dried and put away 4 loads of laundry and vacuumed everything....plus tidied while I was vacuuming. Grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for supper (I had a lean cuisine) and then headed out to Home Depot to look at cabinets. I really wanted the middle of the line ones but I think we're going to go cheaper as we're selling the house eventually and I just cant bear to put too much into it. I think I picked some decent ones....now we need to measure and order. Then to Walmart for sandals...Abby is growing too fast! Finally got home and had to make lunches, get the kids bathed and into bed, did one more load of laundry (I'm waiting for it to dry now so I can get my clothes ready for work tomorrow) and then I'm off to bed. 5am comes too soon. It's so good to get a day off every now and then to just relax, take things easy and recharge. Ahhh, life is good.

A love of reading

I feel truly sorry for people who dont read for pleasure. I was having a discussion the other day with a group of people about The DaVinci Code. I tried to include one woman in the conversation by asking her if she had read it...she looked at me like reading is gross and said "I dont like to read.". Ummm, you dont know what you're missing, weirdo.
I remember sitting in my room as a child reading anything and everything I could get my hands on. One of the best days of my life was when I walked, by myself! to City Hall (where one of the city's libraries is located) and got myself a library card. They had to call my mom for permission and I got in big trouble for going there alone, but I had a library card, woo hoo! and my punishment was being grounded...with books! LMAO! Real smart Mom. I think I fell in love with Judy Blume first but it wasnt until I was around 12 or 13, and discovered V.C Andrews that I became obsessed with reading.
Discovering an unread book, or finding free time to read, is one of those things that just makes me happy. Seeing my kids curled up with a good book, or having them ask for a ride to the library is equal to a lottery win to me...well, almost. Think of the books I could buy if I won the lottery!

Jo's Nature Park

Over the past few days my backyard has been a wildlife haven. The rabbits must have had a good breeding year because there are oodles of them in my yard and sadly, squashed on the street in front of my house. I caught a bat in a flowerpot on my deck yesterday. It was the first time I had seen a bat and didnt even realize that we have them here in Newfoundland. I have squirrels that are around daily for the treats I put out (and a rat who comes out at night to get what the squirrels left behind) and all kinds of cool birds. My favorite visitor would have to be the moose that stroll through my yard quite regularly. I got a pic of this one a few days ago. There were 2 but one went on across the street and this guy turned around...I chased him trying to get a closeup but those buggers are fast.













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I'm at work right now and I am NOT having fun~! I'm suffering from allergies and the sudafed that I took made me drowsy, and a tad nauseous. The new clients that we have are annoying. Ok, so maybe they wouldnt be if I had a clue about what I need to do when they call. My training lasted a whopping 10 minutes, no calls were taken during this training...all I got was a few sheets of paper 'telling' me what to do. Anyone who works with computers knows that this is NOT how it works. Nothing is going right and I'm frustrated. Ugh! I have tomorrow off so I hope the glitches are worked out when I get back in on Monday.

The Treasure Hunter

A few days ago we took Eric to a nearby swimming hole (empty this time of year) to search for treasure. He 'needed' a metal detector for Christmas after seeing a show about a guy who found old coins that were worth a fortune. He now thinks that he doesnt need a job when he grows up as he will be rich from his finds. Ahhh, to be young and have dreams. He found several hair clips, a few dinkies (hot wheels to you 'mericans lol) and some coins. The coins were older silver ones (50's and 60's) but the best was a 1906 dime. It's too worn to be worth anything but finding it has made Eric even more convinced that his fortune awaits him, somewhere out there, under the dirt.

Do I really need a title?

I'm almost at the one week mark. I'm such a bad dieter/exerciser. I promise myself that I WILL exercise this time and I WILL watch what I eat but by day 2, I'm pigging out on KFC and feeling like a failure. I havent had any junk for a few days and have been walking and doing my crunches daily. Ok, so 4 days is no big accomplishment but I really feel like I'll do it this time. I bought some minutes at the tanning salon and am poking away a few bucks for a new hairdo (I'm thinking I need to be a blonde again). Doing stuff for myself makes me want to lose weight more. I even bought some new makeup! I'm still a member of curves but finding the time to go there...kidfree...isnt easy, especially since I'm working almost every day. I'll try and find a way now that the kids are finished with their lessons and some evenings are freed up. I WILL be thin again! I hope. lol
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My darling husband cannot finish a project. He will start it and be 90% done, then forget about it. The master bedroom finally got done after a year of nagging. The walls were plastered and painted, new flooring etc etc. Looks great, but I still have no baseboard moldings and the room looks unfinished. I did Eric's room last week...I might post a pic if it ever gets done. Same thing in that room. Paint, furniture, bedding, accessories...no baseboard molding. It looks ugly! Now he wants to rip out my kitchen! We have another small kitchen so he wants to use that while he works on the main one. He works full time so the project will undoubtedly take a while, but he doesnt realize that we dont have the money to put a kitchen back. lol. Men, cant live with 'em, cant kill 'em.

The Lazy Moms Playdate

I really needed to do laundry and Abby was having a clingy morning soooooo, I let her play with computer baby. =o) She does a double take whenever she sees a picture of a baby but Leif is special, she really likes him and waves to the computer when I'm reading his moms posts or blog. I put her in front of the computer and got at my laundry but of course I had to peek at her a few times. She kissed him, gave him loves, tried to give him some juice from her sippy cup and even went and got her Ernie to share with him. It was priceless. This is why I need a new digital camera.