Jo-prah's Favorite Things

Oprah's List

http://http//www.oprah.com/presents/2007/holiday/gifts/gifts_oft_350_101.jhtml



Jo-prah's List.

20. My camera. Love it! http://http//www.fujifilm.ca/x15478.xml


19. The best truffles in the world! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000WN2T1I/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=3370831&s=gourmet-food


18. Everyone should collect something. This is one of my favorites from my egg collection. http://polartcenter.com/Cyrstal_Egg_St_Moritz_p/9320031.htm


17. http://http//www.yowiemaggi.com/tea/images/gaffer.gif


16. Chenille socks. No need for a link. They are the best when you live in an old, cold house.

15. Avon Bubble Bath. I'm a fan of the french lilac. http://http//www.maddoc.net/bridgett/sales/bubblebath.html

14. My swiffer. Without it I'd be so sad....and buried in dust bunnies. http://http//www.hardwareandtools.com/invt/u577744

13. Old Navy Jeans. Love these! Need more. http://http//www.oldnavy.com/browse/product.do?cid=5465&pid=522045

12. Books. They can be a favorite thing! I dont have a favorite book, I just love to read. Somewhere in this blog is a list of all time favorites, however, it is not complete as I have more favorites all the time. Best book this year : http://http//www.amazon.ca/gp/reader/0671042564/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link
Favorite ever: http://http//www.amazon.ca/gp/product/images/0312997116/sr=1-2/qid=1195877761/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=916520&s=books&qid=1195877761&sr=1-2

11. Rodrigues Wines. Mmmmm. I love the blueberry, strawberry and barrens blend. Just noticed that there is a raspberry and black currant wine....they werent there before. Gotta hit the liquor store asap. http://http//www.rodrigueswinery.com/catalogue.htm

10. I am fascinated by these things. I remember making my first out of one of my mothers psychology books....that she needed as she was attending university. My bad. I love them still and collect them and any other containment unit disguised as a book. http://http//www.secretstoragebooks.com/ and http://http//www.save-on-crafts.com/woleboboboen.html

And now we have reached the halfway point. I'm sure you are all dying to see what else I might add...but you must wait, it is late, and I need my beauty sleep. Ooooh, speaking of beauty...gotta add one more before I hit the sack.

9. Oil of Olay, daily regenerating serum. It's amazing how this stuff makes my face feel...like the description says, velvety smooth. Honest. Costs a fortune but I get it on ebay for next to nothing. http://http//www.regenerist.com/en_ca/products.htm#serum

To be continued....

I have returned. Finally. Ok, here goes, the last 8.

8. Funky mirrors. Regular mirrors with funky frames, mosaic mirror art, funky shaped mirrors etc. One of my favorite things is a star shaped mirror over my bed. Love it. Want more.

7. I will have this! I cannot justify the cost right now but someday. Luckily, hubby wants it as badly as I do so I can actually buy it for him as a gift and we'll both be pleased. Maybe next xmas. http://www.redriderleglamps.com/productDetails.cfm?merchID=2&showDescription=yes

6. C'mon, you have to admit this is the awesomest (yep, a word, dont fight it) gift idea for a grandparent ever! http://www.findgift.com/gift-ideas/pid-45912/
Not just for grandparents either, and there are many variations. Love the whole idea. Must have one.

5. I am so okay with my jewelry being cz. I love this set. I rarely wear my 'real' wedding rings. I want these. http://www.limogesjewelry.com/custom.asp?productid=4851

Shoot, kids need me. To be continued..again.

Tattoos and piercings, oh my!

I dropped my lovely 14 year old daughter off at a tattoo parlour this morning. They are doing something with school that involves job shadowing. Each child got to choose who they wanted to work with, submit a 'resume' telling the person why they want to shadow them for the day and then follow up with phone calls to arrange it all. Afterwards they have to write an essay about the experience. Some kids shadowed teachers, secretaries, carpenters and even a chiropractor...my kid, a body piercer. When I brought her there I went in with her to make sure she found it ok and that they hadnt forgotten about it....oh, and also because I'm freakishly overprotective and nosy. I met Mr.Body Piercer and he scared me. Big guy with a mohawk and at least 20 piercings above the neck!! Seemed polite enough but it damn near killed me to walk out of the place. She begged me not to call and check up on her so I'm keeping my promise even though its driving me nuts. She's done for the day at 6pm. My nerves should be ok til then.

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeets!

There are so many! All belonging to Eric. Abby isnt much of a trick or treater, in fact, she hates the whole idea of it. She isnt exactly the kind of kid you can bribe with chocolate so promises of oodles of candy didnt get her excited about Halloween. Eric scared the crap out of her with his costume and it all went downhill from there. Every kid out there, even the cute little pumpkins and angels made her scream and run away. She tried a few times to scare back by said "Moooooo" in the scariest possible way. The gorgeous witch costume didnt work because it was freezing and a jacket would have hid it...so we used the backup cow costume.

Wasted years

My nephew was recently 'discharged' from his doctors care. He had been seeing specialists for several years at Sick Children's in Toronto and the last trip left him feeling like finally, something will get done. He was told of an experimental treatment that might help him and he could be done with that, and surgery within the year. It was put off. Doctors never returned calls and we werent given any definete time as to when the treatment would begin. He turned 18 in Aug. and calls were finally returned in the past week...to say that he is no longer a pediatric patient and has to seek other care. No referalls, nothing. He has missed his teenage years completely. His best friends have moved on, gotten jobs, girlfriends, cars etc and he has barely left his room. It's just sad....worse now that he has to go through everything again with new doctors, more money needs to be spent and he'll have more time to worry about whether or not his condition is even fatal. No one knows a thing. As much as I disagree with most aspects of the US medical system, I'm thinking it would be best to head that way and see what can be done.

Just an entry.

I saved Christmas! Ok, so it wasnt in any real danger but I got the ultimate gift for Eric that will surely make his Christmas the best ever. The Ultimate Bumblebee transformer. Sold out everywhere but available, of course, on Ebay. I paid less for the item plus shipping than the regular cost in the Sears Wish Book. I am loving Ebay! Most of my shopping is done and I havent been inside a store yet. I am not dreading the holidays for the first time ever. I might even decorate early to celebrate.
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New photo shoot. Notice how there is one kid missing. The teenager just doesnt like to play outside and get her picture taken like the other two. I'll get her, eventually.





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Still waiting on the 3 addresses from the previous entry. =o) No address, no prize.

Tired

First, let me just say that my email went wonky and I lost the addresses of all of my online friends. If you were one of the 3 to respond to my 'I'm sending you a surprise!' entry...please send me an email with your address. Thanks.
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I am exhausted. I have had the last 4 days off. I should be relaxed but I swear I never sat down once during that time. lol. With house projects, kid stuff, everyday errands and preparing for our flea market on Sunday....I'm beat. The flea market was a semi-success. Em raised almost $400 towards her trip and we have yet to count and roll the coins so it'll be closer to $450 I think. She had already saved $425 on her own from babysitting and generous relatives so I am no longer worried about having to fork out 2k just before Christmas. We have a few bigger items to sell (privately) and the recycling hasnt been dropped off yet.
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The date. She went on her first 'real' date on Friday night. He took her to a movie and she had a great time. I came home Saturday afternoon and there 'he' was. He's obviously smitten. He worked his little butt off all evening setting up the flea market with us. Seems like a nice kid.
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Two friends/coworkers left today for a kidney donation/transplant! These are awesome ladies. L, without even a second thought, offered her kidney to R since it was discovered that they had the same blood type. L has 3 small children and will be off work for 6wks or more. R is 23 and a sweetheart who has dialysis 4 times a week and has never missed even a minute of work. If you are the praying type, throw in an extra one please!

I'll get you my pretty!

The worlds cutest witch. Today was the first day I had a chance to play with my new camera. I still dont know how to really use it and didnt want to take time today to do it since it was warm and sunny 'right now'. No real blog entry today, just sharing pictures.

Let's see who reads my blog. =o)

For the first three people that reply to this post, and who re-post this challenge: you win!For your prize, I will send you a gift.It might be something I've made, or something cool from my hidden stash of fabulousity. It might be a mix CD, or a rubber duck, or a book I think you might enjoy. A love letter, a useful object, or something else that is awesome or maybe just taking up room in my house.Whatever it is, I promise I will get it to you in 365 days of your posted comment or less, and I will need your snail mail.The only thing you need to do to receive your gift is PARTICIPATE.Be one of the first three bloggers to reply to this, and post this very same thing in your journal, and YOU are the lucky giftee.

8 Years Ago...

Oct 2, 1999 was one of the best days of my life....so far, who knows, there may be something really freaking good in my future. lol. This one is right up there with the birth of my children and the day I got my crockpot (kidding...sort of). God, look at how young the kids are in the pic! My nephew Brad is standing behind Em...he's 6"2 now and towers over me. Eric was only 14 months old and Emma refused to smile because she was missing quite a few teeth. Jerry and I are both a little bit greyer...and a little heavier but still as happy...most of the time...as we were on that day. Happy Anniversary!

Fa la la la la, la la la la

I know, it's too early for Christmas songs but I'm sitting here at work, 2am, reading old magazines....mostly Christmas issues. I have my shopping started thanks to Ebay and a few other online shopping venues and I actually have ideas aplenty so I can shop without stressing about what to get for everyone. I'm dying to decorate the house (thanks to the Martha Stewart mag it will look like a winter wonderland) but I think its because before decorating, comes major cleaning and I need that...badly. Everything gets done around the house before Christmas...fresh paint where needed, little projects get finished and if we're feeling ambitious, projects get started too. We're not as broke this year either which always makes the upcoming holidays something pleasant to look forward to. For the next few months I'll be in bed with visions of furniture arrangements and paint colors in my head.....hubby will be in bed cringing with $$$$$$$$ in his.
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The Quebec/Montreal school trip is a go! Emma paid her deposit on Friday along with 28 other kids....they needed 20 for the trip to go ahead. $2000 to come up with before Christmas...shouldnt be too hard...right? Em is already up $300 and its only been a week since she started saving. She's spread the word to relatives everywhere that she would like their recycling, pennies and is free to babysit and clean house....and is make a few bucks picking green beans and bagging veggies for Jerry's dad on weekends. I think she'll do it. She says that as soon as she returns from this trip, she plans to start saving for the 2009 trip to Europe. Ack!
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Update on the potty training. It's going well. Not perfect, but better than it ever has. Abby has been going around the house nekkid for the most part because she cant get the underwear off fast enough to pee so we just dont bother. She is down to 1 or 2 accidents a day but they are usally because we are outside playing or dont get to the potty in time. I'm just glad that she gets excited about going potty....I seriously thought she'd be going to school in pull ups.
Oooh, more news. We have joined playgroups! Yay! Finally. Every Tuesday morning at 10 we meet, along with 14 other 2-4 year olds, at a local community room for storytime, crafts and a snack...then the kids get to play a bit while the moms chat. On Wednesdays, we meet at the local library where the kids play downstairs (with a story and craft) and the moms relax upstairs..with no kids!! Bonus, its a literacy program so the kids get free books....bigger bonus, both playgroups are FREE! I love free.
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I was going to stop here but I cant talk about 2 of 3 kids, its just not fair. Eric spent the morning helping me clean...the kid gets excited when I buy swiffer wet cloths...seriously. He did the swiffer sweep and vac throughout upstairs and then washed the floors. If you want your kids to clean, buy the neat (more expensive but who cares when this is the result) products. He'll dust the entire house when I buy the pledge duster with spray in the handle. Next week I'm buying the coolest bathroom cleaner on the market!

Birthdays and hikes and pottys, oh my!

Happy Birthday my middle child! Eric turned 9 on Aug. 18th. We had a little surprise party for him in Terra Nova. It was sweet...hubby cooked jiggs in the cookhouse for our camping neighbors and everyone went out and got little gifts for him at nearby stores and gift shops. We killed 4 cakes and a good time, and full bellies, were had by all. When he goes back to school he is having another party, his 'real' one. No, its' not a gift grab. Summer birthdays suck. He has never had a birthday party with classmates so this year he will.
I still cant believe its been 9 years! Holy crap, where does the time go?

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While camping in Terra Nova National Park, I decided to take a hike a small mountain. Its a pretty big tourist attraction because its just so damn gorgeous when you reach the top. The walk up through the woods is pretty nice too...if you can stop gasping for breath and clutching your heart long enough to take in the scenery. I am out of shape, this proved it. It was only a 5km hike but there were points where I welcomed death. My sister mentioned several times that she was afraid to see a bear...I wanted one to drag me away and eat me just to put me out of my misery. I kept looking up hoping to see something, anything, that signalled the end of the hike...never saw a damn thing until I was a few feet from the lookout. It was worth it. We carved our names in the deck so no one can ever say I didnt do it....I might even do it again next year. Hubby wants to sign us up for a 45km overnight hike...not sure we're ready for that yet.

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Look how cute! Its all a farce. She is evil, pure evil. I wont go into it here but lets just say that the potty training...isnt working.

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It's been a while

I have been a little busy lately with life. I'm working a bit more than I'd like because we are very short staffed at work these days but that just makes me appreciate my days off so much more. I dont have anything to blog about really but felt bad for not writing anything is so long so I'll just do an update. Hows that?

Abby. God Bless her. She is such a joy. Every single morning she runs into bed with me (and daddy if he's not gone to work already) and is just so darn pleasant to wake up to. She brings a story for us to read, sings me songs and gives oddles of kisses and hugs before we march downstairs for cereal. She is still infatuated with Nemo although Monsters Inc is a close second. The potty training just did not happen as planned. Every. single. time she pees in her pull up, she'll stop and say "I'm post to pee in the potty". She knows when she has to pee and where she should do it but coming to tell me she has to go still doesnt happen until after the fact...sometimes midway. I'll try again next week while we're camping because she thinks the camper potty is cool.

Eric. I cant believe my little boy will be 9 in a few weeks. We'll be having a little celebration at the cookhouse where we're camping but the real party will wait until he goes back to school. Summer birthdays suck. He has never had a party with more than 2 or 3 friends in attendance (cousins..all girls, usually make up the rest of the guest list) because of summer activities. This year he can invite his whole class and he is delighted with that idea. His dad took him to see the transformers movie last week and this has rekindled his love for some old toys. I love seeing him play with 'real' toys instead of the playstation. Oh, and he still loves to read. I caught him curled up in a hammock swing the other day with a *gasp* book, during summer holidays?? Unheard of.

Emma...my oldest. She still thinks I'm the coolest mom. Not only because I let her get her eyebrow pierced but because I also got mine done. That makes me an awesome mom in the eyes of teenagers everywhere. Woo Hoo. She actually likes going camping with us and has been very fun and helpful most of the summer. Alien teenager? Last week she got her first aid certification to help her get more babysitting jobs even though she has been pretty busy babysitting already...she got a little taste of the $$$$ and now wants MORE. She is really looking forward to going back to school but I think it has a lot to do with showing off the nice clothes she is buying out of her hard earned money than getting back to daily learning.

Thats about it. Work is work, the house is pretty much the same and nothing new or interesting has happened in quite some time. I need to actually go out looking for adventure...yeah, thats what I'll do. Stay tuned.

Note To Self

I know Christmas is a long way off but I plan on shopping online very soon. The hardest to buy for is my oldest. She's 14 and rarely asks for anything until the last minute. I need to keep track here so I can start ebay'ing.
Guitar Hero 2
Gene Simmons Family Jewels dvd
A cell phone
A dig. camera
Gene Simmons Rock School dvd
These are just ideas, she doesnt get everything but I come up with something, then forget...so I need to jot these things down.

Terrible 3's?

I am going to start drinking, or doing drugs...I have to if I'm going to get through this horrible stage my child is going through. I dont remember the other two doing it, or maybe they did and I was too drunk to notice? Ha, just kidding, I was never much of a drinker. Maybe it's time to start. Abby cannot go out in public any more...ever. Last week we went to McDonalds to kill some time. I had a cup of tea and a muffin and she played in the playplace...until an elderly man wandered in with a coffee and a newspaper...and a patch over his eye. Miss Abby came running up to him shouting "Argh! I'm a pirate!!!" Today we ate supper at a family restaurant...someone was having a birthday and it wasnt my child. When the staff started to sing to this person who we couldnt even see, my child screamed "No, in 6 more days!". When they didnt stop singing, she started. Apparently they have their own little version of Happy Birthday that did not include living in a zoo or smelling like a monkey...so she let them know, loudly. Then we hit Old Navy...where I am pretty sure we are no longer welcome. She found a ball and a pair of sunglasses and was ready to leave. I took the $14 sunglasses and laid them out of her reach and she had a meltdown ... a major meltdown. I, being the calm, cool, and collected mom that I am, walked away from the screaming, writhing toddler on the floor. I walked away saying "Hmmm, I wonder who owns that unruly child?"

The Butler Family goes camping!

Here's our new 'baby'. The first outing is planned for Canada Day weekend. June 28-July2. I cant wait!!! It isnt huge but I think we'll all be comfortable enough in it. I'm so stoked! I'm just happy to be able to pee indoors. lol. Better again, I can shower!!!!

Random Stuff

Potty training has failed, miserably. She has no desire whatsoever to get out of diapers. She has peed in the potty a few times and it seemed as if we were making progress but now flat out refuses to sit on it. I'll give her a break for a week or so and start again.
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Exams are over. Emma was on the verge of failing 2 core subjects and getting a really good mark in those 2 exams was crucial. She studied her butt off and says the exams went well but we wont know until report cards come home on Thurs. I'm a nervous wreck....probably more that she is. Keep your fingers crossed!
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Tomorrow I'll post pics of the new camper. Eric is over the moon. He knew we were looking around for one but thought we were getting a crappy little small one. We didnt tell him that we bought one until he came home and saw it in the driveway. I'm at work now, working the overnight shift...Jerry, Abby and Eric are sleeping in the camper. They rented a movie to watch out there and picked up some snacks....when I left I could hear giggles. Gotta love that.
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Running

I've started! I tried a few years back after quitting smoking but couldnt really get into it. I'm not exactly into it now either but I'm trying harder so it could become a regular activity. I'm following a start running program I read in a magazine and it seems to be working so far..this is only week 2. There is a baseball field near my house that is perfect. I can do laps on the soft gravel (actually its more like a kitty litter/chaulk combo) and not do severe damage to my body PLUS Abby can come with me and run around the fenced in field while I run. There is a little playground next to the field so I can take Eric or Emma some days and they can play there with Abby. Knowing that I dont need to get someone to watch the kids so I can exercise makes me more likely to keep it up. Hubby wants to start too but I dont think he will...he says he will but he also said he'd start walking with me, a month ago.
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We made a fairly large purchase today. I'll post pics just as soon as we get it home.

Facebook

In the past few days I have 'hooked up' with friends from every phase of my life. How awesome! I have found 4 'best friends' and several old boyfriends, former coworkers and even a few teachers. There are networks for almost every neighborhood I have ever lived in....it's like taking a walk down memory lane without leaving the comfort of my computer chair.
I fear I am becoming an addict. Are you on facebook? Look me up. =o)

Treasures

First let me say that my house is not a pigsty. Really.

Abby has 4 sippy cups. One has been missing for few days so today I decided to search for it. I was afraid that it may have contained milk when it went missing. Ewww. I couldnt find it anywhere and had given up my search when I decided to do Abby's hair. She has a winnie the pooh chest on her dresser that I keep hair bows in. When I opened the lid I almost passed out from the stench...and the sippy cup was found, along with a few other things. A wet diaper...an old one at that. A soggy, dirty sock belonged to Eric (he fell in the river with this particular sock on many days ago) and 8 Always maxi pad wipes. We just peel the wipe part off of the pad wrapper and toss them (not anymore because I realized I can use them as wet naps for a sticky toddler). It seems the little princess has been taking them from the garbage to add to her collection. When I asked her about it she looked at me with the sweetest face and said proudly, "it's my treasure mommy!"
And yes, the sippy cup contained milk. Nice.

I am fat...and other stories.

I have gained a considerable amount of weight in the past few years. After Em was born, my 19 year old body bounced right back. After Eric was born, it took a while longer and I didnt get back to my original weight...but I was at a happy, healthy weight for me. Then, we quit smoking. Hubby and I both gained 50 lbs each! I had half of that gone when I found out that I was pregnant on Abby. After her birth, I lost quite a bit of weight but still have about 30-40 lbs to go to be in my happy place. I know this yet when I get all dressed up to go out, as I did on Sat. night...I think I look good. Not so. lol. I caught glimpses of myself all night and I was disgusted. The kicker though, the one thing that got me off my ass this morning and out for a walk was something someone said to me. A male friend of my sisters, who I hadnt seen in a few years (since I was a skinny smoker) looked at me, did a double take and then said "Hey, where did this come from?" referring to my extra pounds. Yes, he was rude and I should have slapped him but I didnt. I did tell drunk hubby to beat him up...but I was only kidding..sort of.
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Saturday nights benefit for my nephew was a success. We raised 4100.00! Still no word on when he is going to Boston but at least now he's ready and just waiting for the call.
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My dream dining room table, the one I actually visited and blogged about because I am lame, is not to be. A local store had a big sale on all furniture because they are no longer stocking it so I took my dream table off layaway (it was just about paid for) and bought the cheaper one. I put the remainder of the money on bills. I couldnt justify spending more than I needed to when there are bills to be paid. Oh well, the other is a nice color, seats 6 and matches my other stuff nicely. I also wont freak out when I see the kids at this one as I would have with the other. Maybe I'll get it when Abby is a little older.

Ocean front property?

I took Abby out for a walk around the garden today. We still have a fair amount of snow but only where hubby plowed it into huge piles over the winter. We were finally able to get to the path that leads to our little river so off we went, armed with pockets full of rocks and my camera. Abby was delighted! She liked the spiders that 'swim' on the water more than the trout or clams but throwing rocks was even better. Sadly, she cant throw worth shit. One rock landed a mere inch from the water so she leaned in to get it and 'SPLASH'...face first into the icy cold water. She cried for a minute but on the way up the driveway she sniffled and said "I fall in the ocean...I'm okay, I'm OKAY". She came straight in the house and told Em about her fall in the ocean, then we had to phone daddy so he could hear too. She is quite the drama queen but kept insisting that she is okay, so I guess she wasnt traumatized. We'll go back to the river later for more pics.

It would have been cruel to take a pic of her IN the ocean....so I didnt...but I did take a few of her today and am feeling the need to share.

I took the dog one at our neighbors house yesterday. I have the best neighbors ever.

No time!

So I did buy a digital camera. Not the one I wrote about previously...I got a better deal on a slightly better camera. Kodak easyshare c663, or something like that. I love it for its ease of use! I am technologically/electronically challenged so this is perfect for me. I have take a few recent pics of the kids and updated our family webpage..www.butlerfamily5.piczo.com for anyone who cares.

I have been spending much of my free time helping my family with a fundraiser for my nephew. While I love Canada's health system, it has its faults. My nephew has to go to Boston for a new 'experimental' treatment and then back to Toronto for several surgeries. He is expected to be gone for 2-3 months. We dont pay for treatment but there is very little help with travel expenses. Several months away from home can be costly so we do have to raise some $ for the trip. We have a few local bands playing a benefit dance this weekend with oodles of donated prizes to sell tickets on. I'm hoping for a decent turn out and a good time for myself as well since I havent been out dancing in years.

Potty Pictures? Soon!

I am finally getting a digital camera. Nothing fancy, but a camera nonetheless. I have been waiting for hubby to get me one...Christmas, my birthday, mothers day and no camera, for 3 years, so I'll get my own. Checked out a few at Shopper's Drugs the other day and it works out that I can get the one in the link below, for pretty much nothing! Gotta love Shoppers Optimum points. I'll end up paying $30 or so. I'm sure everyone will be quite annoyed with the multiple daily pics I'll be posting/emailing. =o) Who wants to see pics of Abby on her potty? Ha! It will all be possible in a few short days. *Gotta do one more shopping trip to up the points to the next reward level*
http://http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/A530/A530A.HTM

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Speaking of Abby on the potty......ummm, not going so good. She'll be 3 on June 25th and I would like to have the whole process complete by her birthday. Emma was trained before she was 2, Eric, shortly after his 3rd birthday. I'm not 'seriously' training yet but for the past few days I've been letting the princess go around in her undies and we've spent some quality time reading stories while she sits on her princess potty. All I need is one pee in the potty to make this work. Just once and I will make such a huge deal out of it, buy her presents, give her chocolate, whatever her little heart desires that she'll only want to do it more...right?
This is what worked with the other two so I'm hoping it will for her as well.

Urge to kill, rising!

I dont know if I will make it through the teenage years. I feel so bad now for what I did to my mother. I'm sure she was sane before I hit age 13.
Em was caught skipping school...not once, not twice, but 8 times! Skeevy teenage boy lives across the street from the school...how convenient...and this is where she spent those days. Report cards came home yesterday and her grades show just how much interest she has in skeevy vs. schoolwork. Failed math, failed social studies, both core subjects. Science and religion..she went from 90's last term to 50's. She felt the need to point out how well she did in phys. ed, home ec and music. I almost throttled her. She has been banned from tv, computer, friends, phone and ipod since I found out about the skipping school but she still found her ipod and took it to school the other day. She had to use the computer to charge the battery and while she was at it, she checked her email. Last night she used the phone when I went to Eric's parent teacher meeting. This is why mothers drink.

I came up with some very interesting new punishment ideas last night and laid it all out for her. She does good, she gradually gets back what she lost...she does bad, she loses more. She insisted that she lost everything thats important already but I made a list. Next to go, the nosering, then the guitar, stereo and my favorite...her hair! Ha! I told her that I'll give her a bowl cut. Then the stylish clothes. I'll sell her Converse all stars on ebay and buy her $7 walmart sneakers with velcro. Oh yeah, the haircut, the shoes....she'll be the most popular girl in school.

Life List

Thanks for the idea, April.

Many years ago, I had a life list. A fairly long list of things I wanted to experience/accomplish before I died. Actually, I remember breaking mine down into age categories...things I want to do before I turn 20-30-40 and so on. Looking back, I remember only a few things that were important enough to make the list...but kids came along and the list fell to the wayside and now, most of the things on my list arent important to me anymore. I'm a different person now than I was when I wrote the original. So, at age 33, married with 3 kids, I will make a new list...without limiting my to-do's to age.

Things I'd like to do before die.

• Plan and build a house, my dream house.
• Own a camper, one big enough for the 5 of us and more...in case we bring friends.
• See my husband change careers.
• Visit Ireland
• Bungee jump
• Learn to play a musical instrument. Possibly guitar since I have a teacher right here in the house. I dont need to be good, just a song or two to say I can do it.
• Own farm animals! Ok, if/when the time actually comes, I may hate the idea, but I always wanted a few farm animals...goat, ducks, horse and maybe a pig.
• Make a piece of furniture, start to finish, all by myself.
• Go on a cruise.

To be continued: Kids need feedin' and chores need doin'.

Time...

I have none. Why is it that when we have some free time, we automatically look for ways to fill it? I have 2 days off so I am making lists of things to get done during that time so that my days off end up busier and more rushed than my workdays. Why cant we just do nothing and relax on days off? I'm trying to adjust my work schedule so that I dont work on the nights that the kids have scouts, pathfinders and kungfu as we only have one vehicle and it makes getting everyone to their destination and back on time quite impossible. I have errands to run on these days too, and any social events must fall on the off days as well. I'm off today...I've done oodles of laundry, have a toddler and a sick 8 yr old at home, I'm heading off to get groceries in a bit so I can come home and cook supper before I head out to a friends fundraiser. Why are they called days off?
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Speaking of time. Abby has started saying 'in 5 minutes'. It doesnt matter what I ask or say, her response, 'in 5 minutes mom'. She heard it on a minute rice commercial. =o)

I'm cool, I'm really cool!

Yesterday, my teenager told me that I am awesome, hilarious and way cool for a mom. I was floored! We were joking around and she said that we should never ever fight. Huh? Where is this coming from? She is a teenager and she is acting this way? What gives?

Does this make me weird?

I went to visit my table yesterday. lol. I love this thing! I made a payment too and will have it soon...but still need to wait for hubby to finish the kitchen so I can move the kitchen table from the dining room and bring in this new baby. New stuff makes me freakishly happy. A blog entry about a table...no, thats not weird. Is it?

Disorganized!

One of my many New Years Resolutions was to declutter my house and finally get rid of some of the junk I've been holding on to. Wow! How on earth did I accumulate this much crap??? I have enough in my house to fully furnish 2 more houses! I know I gave away several garbage bags of the kids clothes in Sept. so why do I have so much more? Did they really grow that much? I'm doing it room by room but just thinking about some of the other rooms that I need to tackle...the worst ones...is making me feel totally overwhelmed. Will I ever be clutter free?
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I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair...

http://www.sandithom.com/site/video.php

My new favorite song! Thanks for bringing it to my attention Karen. I love this and havent been able to get it out of my head since I first heard it. Love the beat and the sexy black guy in the background. =o)

Another death

On New Years eve, a 14 year old boy who lived just down the street from us, was killed. Everyone in Emma's school was upset...there were grief councellors, an early closing for the funeral and a memorial service for those who couldnt attend. Last night, another 14 year old boy in her school died. He choked to death on his food. It breaks my heart when someone so young dies. Hugging my kids a little closer now.

My New New Years Resolution

In the year 2007 I resolve to: Dedicate my life to making someone else's horribly miserable. Get your resolution here.

A scientific study

You need to have your sound on for this. Very interesting stuff.

Count your blessings

Today is one of those days that really make you stop and thank God for what you have. I spoke to a young woman who lost her husband on Friday and found out today that she is pregnant: A mom whose hiv+ child now has full blown aids. A local boy died last night, his young body fished out of a pond this morning. He was only 15 years old. Another boy, 17 years old, has been missing for over a month and it kills me to think what his family must be going through right now.
My kids are happy, healthy and warm. I know where all three are right now and I cant wait for this shift to be over so I can go home and hug them, a little tighter maybe, but I need that today.

I resolve to...

**in no particular order**

Lose weight! My goal is 40 lbs but I'll really be happy with half of that. I plan to keep a food journal and get in some exercise every day.

Take better care of myself. This one is actually a combination of a bunch of little goals/resolutions. I have put off my yearly pap for 3 years now so that has to get done. I'm going to stop cutting my own hair and actually pay to get myself 'prettified' on a regular basis. Every now and then I'm going to go shopping and buy things for ME! This will work out much better if the whole weightloss thing goes well.

Have a permanent layaway at a local furniture store. I'm sick of thrift store and hand me down furniture buy dont want to finance any large purchases soooo...I'll just layaway stuff and pay on it like a bill.

Speaking of bills. I resolve to take over all bill payments! Hubby, God love him, is not great in this department. The money is always there but he just forgets. He also has no concept of time so when a cut of notice comes in the mail because a bill hasnt been paid for 3 months, he really believes that he just paid that 'last month'.

Get my kids on some sort of schedule. The past few months have been hectic because of my work hours. I wont be change those but can get hubby to help me out with things. They are getting more chores, scheduled homework times and less computer/playstation and tv time. I dont think they'll notice the latter too much...they'll be too busy doing chores! ha. Just kidding.

Spend more time with hubby. We rarely see each other right now. He works days, I work evenings. He usually gets home just as I'm walking out the door. On my days off, we are usually too busy doing other things to take time for each other. The kids have lessons and homework, plus we want to spend time with them while we arent rushed, then there is housework and a seemingly endless pile of 'to do's' to do. So, I'm making a date night. One night a month isnt too much to ask for and shouldnt be hard to do. Dinner out, or a movie and dinner in, hell, even just sitting for more than 10 minutes to talk about something other than children would be fantasic.

I think thats about it. There are a million other things that need to be done but they'll get done anyway. The above are goals that I am going to make a conscious effort to achieve. We'll see how it all goes.

Happy New Year!!!

I'm done!

I am finally done Christmas shopping. About time huh? The house is mostly clean...decorated the tree and the rest of the house today...picked up the last few things I needed on my way to work and now I have no need to go into a store until well after the holidays. I dont however, have anything wrapped, nothing, not one freaking thing. I may have to barricade myself in a room tomorrow to get it done. I also have a little Christmas baking to do but thats not considered work as I actually enjoy baking and its ok to do that on Christmas eve....the house will smell good for company.

To anyone who reads this blog, Merry Christmas! I hope you have a wonderful, family filled, safe, chock full of food holiday!

My neighbors gift

Really, what do you think? I havent printed any yet...except the test page, because the labels are friggin' pricey! If you look closely, you can see Abby near the front door. I was going to put wine types on the labels but he makes so many different kinds and I'd like him to be able to use them all...do the 2 lines look dumb? It's 3.5x5 and one line doesnt seem like enough room to write those long names or to add any notes. Any suggestions or anything that should be added, taken off???

Spending Money

Wow! It is so easy to overspend when you arent paying attention. I went out this morning and got some great deals on gifts for Emma. This evening, Jerry and I hit Canadian Tire to buy a new vaccuum (badly needed and NOT a Christmas gift). Lights were on sale. This means, to my husband, the Clark Griswold wannabe, that he has to buy some. Lots. He declared last week that he wasnt doing lights this year....the sale however, was a sign from God and who is he to ignore God? lol.
After that, we hit walmart, where I spent more than I should have on clothes for the kids, movies, toys and the one thing that I hated to buy...the ipod video. $300 f***ing dollars! It's so small! She wanted one that was half the price but I couldnt find it anywhere so lest she have neither one, I caved.
Jerry grumbled all the way home about how much we spent. Odd, he never said a word about what we spent at Canadian tire. Men. Apparently its ok to spend his hard earned money on flashy lights but not on clothes that keep his children warm? When it gets cold, they can huddle around his multicoloured glowing orbs for warmth.

It's Me!

This is probably the only picture of me (not counting warped whore pics from Halloween) that has been taken in the last 5 years at least. We spent the day in Bowring Park last month and I got in a pic! Some day we'll get a nice, colour coordinated family picture done but until then, this is it.

Time

It's December already!?! Remember when you were a kid and Christmas took FOREVER to get here? Now that I'm a grown up, it seems like we just freakin' had Christmas and now its almost here again. These next few weeks will just fly and I'll be rushing around at the last minute trying to get everything done...and this is the first year that I started shopping early. I'm so glad I did.
The kids are getting so excited that its hard to grumble about it all. I love how happy they get at the littlest things. I let Eric take a cd player and some xmas cds to his room the other day and he sat quietly and listened to music for hours. Abby has been playing with all of my little snowman ornaments and Emma has been writing down every fudge recipe she can find for our fudge making day.
Hubby is off playing poker right now. I think first prize is $1000. Keeping my fingers crossed. A few extra bucks right now would be sweet.

Title-Less

It's been ages since I posted anything and honestly, I still have nothing of interest to say. I'm counting down the days until I can decorate for Christmas...around here, decorating before Dec. 15 means you are a total whackjob. I can put up the outdoor lights but they cant be turned on...big no no.
This is the first year that Abby will be really interested in whats going on. Last year she only cared for bead garland, this year she is going to flip out when she sees all of the presents and decorations. I cant wait!
Eric still believes in Santa, a little. I know that this will be the last year for believing and after that, I only have to convince him to go along with the farce for Abby's sake. It's sad when they stop believing. He emailed Santa the other day and was giddy when he got his reply. Too cute.
Emma is still being a teenager and that has me very, very concerned. She is still grounded, indefinetly. I wonder if I can keep her in for 5 more years? There is no way that I was like that. =o)