a mommy going crazy

My last night as a child.

2009-06-14T22:07:00.004-06:00

This week end was rather productive.
I:
~ held two babies (rocked one of them to sleep, I still have "it")
~ pulled weeds in my front yard
~ wrapped 4 presents
~ attended 2 birthday parties
~ borrowed 13 books from the library
~ washed, folded and put away 4 loads of laundry, and yet I am still not caught up. Ugh.
~ bought 2 new blouses for my new job
~ fell asleep on the couch while watching my husband play Rock Band
~ dyed my hair, it looks fabulous
~ looked at houses on mls
~ played with my children
~ read a couple of chapters from, Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down I am on the second book and am loving the series. The series is about a group of random Christian women who met at a interdenominational women's retreat, they are placed into a prayer group, which was out of their comfort zone, however, they had a spiritual connection which led them to keep the group going. What is so facinating about this series is how they interact and learn from each other, given there very diversified backgrounds. Not only do they have different denominations, but different social classes, ages and race. There diversification brings them closer to God by learning through each other's experiences they may not have encountered other wise. As the group gets closer, they too find themselves connecting with God on a more personal level. I highly recommend the books.
~went to church
~ put ice on my child's eye at church
~ went out for lunch after church
~ picked up the tomato plants and egg plants from my friends house. I will be planting them tomorrow. The tomato plants are already 2 feet tall. I can't wait to see what they will do in my garden.
~ enjoyed a nice bowl of ice cream.
~relaxed

After all that, I am ready to grow up and start a near full time job tomorrow. The good thing is it is only this week that I am in the office, after that I will be only out working 25 hours a week in field. I am looking forward to the flexibility and increase in pay.

Yeah, to growing up. Boo, for having to wake up every day before 9:00am. Yeah, for having a job which will teach me and my daughter to be ready by 8:30 every morning. Boo, for going to bed early. And yeah, to God for giving me the experience needed to take this job, and giving me this job.

Look who's all grow'd up.

2009-06-07T11:05:00.002-06:00

My baby brother is 20 today! It seems like only yesterday my brother and I were sitting in my parent's basement and Corey was screaming, "Mom! Brandy's hitting me!" While I sat 5 feet away from him. It's a good thing he has matured since then. I think now I will keep him as a brother. 13 years ago, not so much.

Oh, Little Monkey!

2009-06-07T10:58:00.002-06:00

Friday, while Pooky Bear was in school, Chad and I were sitting on the couch wondering what to do. Little Monkey comes along and we decide it would be a good idea to tickle her. There is nothing cuter than hearing my children laugh.

We began to tickle her and she starts laughing very hard. In between her breaths, she says, "Hey what's the big idea Momma!" Chad and I had a very good laugh.

I thought I would share.

my new alarm clock

2009-05-29T09:51:00.003-06:00

For the last 3 days, our cat Frodo has been waking me up in the morning. She normally sleeps by my feet however, when she feels it is time for me to get up she will creep up to my head and begin to lick my hands. Since I am completely grossed out with saliva, I cringe when she does this. I quickly cover my arms with my blanket, thinking I will be able to sleep longer. Nope, she then proceeds to licking my nose. GROSS!

This morning Chad came into the bedroom after work and laughed at me because he could not see me at all. I put the pillow on my head and covered the rest of my body with the blanket. It worked, I just won't be able to do this in the summer.

I should probably let you know I did try kicking her out of our room, but our door does not close properly. All she has to do it push on the door a little and she can get in. Earlier in the week I tried putting something to block the door from opening. All she did was whine as loud as she could at the door. Not wanting her to wake up the kids, I let her in.

She really is Chad's cat!

2009-05-27T11:01:00.003-06:00

For the last week, or so, I set a goal each day to clean something before I go to bed. It has been working great. I thought I could inspire pooky bear and little monkey to join me. I started talking to them about my goal and how they should do the same thing. I suggested picking up toys and making their bed. These are things I want them to do everyday, but constantly have to either nag them or do it myself. Pooky bear agreed to try to make sure she will make her bed and clean. Little Monkey, is of course going to need help. We will see what happens

NEW JOB!

2009-05-25T13:20:00.004-06:00

I just received the official job offer today for a job I applied for back in March. After 3 interviews, weeks of phone conversations, they decided I was the best candidate! Huzzah!

This is a true blessing for our family because it now means financial security. Not that we were not finincially OK before, but now we will be more comfortable. Yeah! I can't wait to start looking at houses as soon as my probation is done!

Huzzah!

GiST: Day 28

2009-05-24T19:39:00.006-06:00

1. Going to church this morning. It was enlightening and thought provoking. I enjoy services like that.

2. Going for brunch with my grandparents. We have never done that before. It was very nice. I enjoyed it.

3. Not tripping over things cluttering up my hallway. I cleaned my hallway yesterday. including scrubbing walls again.

4. Pooky bear loosing her first tooth. She lost it on Friday. We went bowling after supper to celebrate. When it came time to put the tooth under the pillow Friday night Pooky bear commented, "Mom, does the tooth fairy have to take my tooth?" I advised her she did not have to sell her tooth to the tooth fairy. I asked her what dhe wanted to do with her tooth instead. She thought intensly for a while, then said, "I guess I don't need it, I am going to grow a new one anyway". Have I mentioned how cute that girlie is.

5. Being able to borrow, the yada yada: prayer group from the library. I have heard good things about it and I can't wait to read it. I am almost finished, The colours of His love, and can't wait to start another book after.

On a side note, Little monkey has to go in for a polycystogram tomorrow to find out what is wrong with her bladder. Please pray the test goes well and not be incomplete like last time.
Thanks!

Mommy's say the funniest things

2009-05-22T01:56:00.003-06:00

Pooky bear has her first loose tooth right now. Tonight, pooky bear wanted me to see if the tooth was going to fall out. I checked and all it would need is a small tug. Pooky bear would not let me. I was concerned she would swallow the tooth in the middle of the night, I begged her to allow me to pull the tooth. She would not let me.

I then started talking to her about calling the tooth fairy and letting her know she would have to come and collect Pooky Bear's tooth. Pooky bear became excited and starting asking questions like, "how do I know the number to call the tooth fairy?" and "what does the tooth fairy do with all the teeth." Being that it was late, I wanted her to go to sleep, and wanted the tooth out. My brain came up with this reason to pull the tooth:

"I am worried you will swallow the tooth while you sleep. You know, the tooth fairy will not come if the tooth comes out your bum." Of course my comment only made her laugh hysterically and me feel like an idiot for saying that phrase.

Normally, it is the children who say cute, funny things. However, parents can say cute, funny things too.

GiST: Day 27ish

2009-05-21T23:40:00.003-06:00

1. Clean bathroom. Yesterday, I cleaned the bathroom from ceiling to floor. Yep, I scrubbed the ceiling, walls, cupboards, tub, tub suround, closet. I even cleaned out the drawers and shelves. This ordeal took me 4 hours and resulted in 2 garbage bags full of things to dispose of (ie. recycle, give-away, or garbage). I knew I had a large bathroom, but I had no idea how much stuff could be contained in it.

2. Finding my gold chain and gold hoop ear-rings in the bathroom closet. They were hidden on the 2nd top shelf. I was very pleased with myself , almost in tears for being relieved to find them. Either I was very emotional about the jewlery, or I was stoned from the lysol was using. None the less, I am relieved to be wearing the jewelry again.

3. Sticking with my goal of cleaning something every day. At first I started with simply washing dishes and few loads of laundry each day. This week is the bathroom, foyer closet, and kitchen. My ultimate goal is to have the upstairs completely cleaned by early next week, which would lead to sorting and cleaning the dreaded basement. I guess you could say I am well into spring cleaning.

4. Finding sales on summer clothing for the girls. It is amazing how much it costs to clothe my girls. Although Little Monkey receives quite a few hand-me downs from Pooky Bear, I still buy her a few new outfits to freshen up her wardrobe. I find there are times I am tired of seeing the same outfit 2 years in a row. So, when I see a bargain, I can't resist taking advantage of it.

5. My cats curled up beside me while I blog. I like it when they grace me with their presence.

I am in His hands

2009-05-19T11:59:00.002-06:00

I applied for a job back in March, which has taken a long time to go through the interview process. I am in the final stages in which they are now checking my references. I am concerned, stressing out, and needing to be reminded I am in His hands. If it is God's will for me to get this job, I will.

I keep thinking, "what if my boss gives me a bad reference?"

I need to trust God, and have patience.

I am not that bad of a person, am I?

GiST: Day 26

2009-05-12T21:52:00.002-06:00

1. My husband for cooking meal #5. Which was chicken breast BBQ'ed on cynder planks served with mashed potatoes, and of course, creamed corn. It was fabulous.

2. My husband washing dishes while I took little monkey to the doctor. Have I mentioned how much I appreciate that man?

3. Terrill making coffee at mom 2 mom today, one cup kept me awake for the rest of the day.

4. Wearing my jeans all day today. I am going to be working the rest of this week and attending a wedding Saturday. No more jeans until maybe Sunday.

5. Being able to wear my sandals. No more snow!

GiST

2009-05-11T22:55:00.003-06:00

1. My mother-in-law for taking little monkey to the park during Pooky Bear's t-ball game. It was nice to have someone to take turns taking little monkey to the park.

2. Being able to walk into my oldest daughter's room with out stepping on anything. For the last week, I have been after Pooky Bear to clean her room on her own. I warned her she would not like it if I cleaned her room for her, however all attempts failed to produce a clean room. Today, it was my turn. It is wonderful now.

3. Fizzgig, for not kneading my stomach tonight before she slept on my lap. Traditionally, she enjoys kneading me for 10 minutes before she sits on my lap. This would not be a problem if she was de-clawed, but since she has claws, it is painful. I now have a towel beside the couch that I use when she wants to sit on me. However, tonight, the towel was not neccesary. Yes!

4. My husband for cooking meal #4 for our family. Aside from getting the girls breakfast and making simple sandwiches with vegetables, I have not made a full meal for 4 days. Yes! I definately love that man of mine.

5. Watching House comercial-free. I love our DTVR!

GiST: Day 24

2009-05-10T17:53:00.003-06:00

1. My husband for making Cinnamin roll biscuits for lunch. They were fabulous with orange slices and a tall glass of milk.

2. My family, for spending the afternoon making cards for the special mommy's in their life. It was sweet to watch. The girls needed baths afterwards, but it was definately worth it.

3. Having the house to myself during mother's day. Chad took the girls with him to visit his mom, allowing me to have peace and quiet.

4. My mother, for who she is and what she has taught me.

5. The cards and e-mails I received for mother's day. It's amazing how today can really make a mom feel special.

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mom's and Mom's to be!

GiST: Day 23

2009-05-08T23:42:00.003-06:00

1. My husband. Ten years, today, Chad and I had our first date. Nine years ago, today, he proposed to me. May 8th is a good day.

2. Driving home from Saskatoon with my cousin, of whom I don't talk to very much. It was nice getting to know her better, and also great to have company for the long drive.

3. Chocolate. My cousin and I enjoyed 2 boxes of chocolate on our way home. It was good. What is better is she ate more than me.

4. The lilllies which are growing in a pot on my table. They make me happy.

5. Watching a movie with my husband at home. It is very relaxing being able to wear your sweats and a t-shirt while curling up next to your man to watch a movie.

GiST: DAY 22

2009-04-21T19:38:00.004-06:00

1. Shopping at Bulk Barn for a few birthday supplies for Pooky Bear's party. I seriously love that store.

2. My girls getting their pajamas on by themselves. It is nice to relax and not have to worry about getting the kids changed for bed. My job now is to help brush their teeth, read bedtime stories, say prayers, tuck them in and smother each of them with hugs and kisses while reminding them how special they are and that I love them. Oh and activate Pooky's dream catcher and start Care Bear stare.

3. Story time with my girls. They each pick a story to read at bed time. Little Monkey has her select favourites she will have me read over and over, however, Pooky Bear enjoys selecting books we have not read in a while. I can't wait to find out what they will pick tonight. My guess is:
Little Monkey - Robert Munsch's, "Look at Me"
Pooky Bear - "Giggle, Giggle, Quack" by Doreen Cronin.
We will see.

4. Being wrong about what books my children chose for bed time. Pooky bear chose a Berenstain Bear book, "On the Moon". We definitely have not read that one in a while. Little Monkey chose Mo Willems', "The pigeon wants a puppy". They were fabulous.

5. A quiet night at home. Need I say more?

GiST: DAY 21

2009-04-20T19:52:00.003-06:00

1. Pooky Bear. For the last 6 years and 9 months, I have been very thankful for her. I feel truly blessed to have her in my life. I remind her of that every day. One of these days she is going to look at me and say, "MOM, I know, do you have to tell me everyday?". My answer will simply be, "yes".

2. Bowling with good friends. After church, yesterday, we went bowling then had cake with friends and family after. It was a blast bowling with little children. Especially when the bumpers are up. No gutter balls for me!

3. Having a quiet house this afternoon. Pooky bear is back at school, little monkey and Chad both had naps, it was nice.

4. My cat for sitting on my lap this afternoon. She is not particularly the cuddliest cat, but when she feels like it, I appreciate it that much more.

5. Taking my girls to the dollar store to pick up supplies for Pooky bear' kid birthday this Saturday. They are a hoot to take shopping.

Happy 6th Birthday Pooky Bear!

2009-04-20T13:08:00.004-06:00

It is very hard to believe I am the mother of a 6 year old. 6 years ago today I:

- said the phrase, "No more kids after this". Repeatedly
- ate more jello then humanly possible.
- lost all sense of modesty
- despised my husband for not being able to experience the pain I was going through.
- loved my husband for not leaving my side.
- learnt epidurals only work on 90% off patients and I am the lucky 10% it does not work on.
- Heard Dr's ask too many questions. Don't ask, just DO it!
- Realized it is possible to tear and have an epesiotomy(unsure of spelling)
- Discovered there is such a thing as 4th degree tear requiring a surgical consult.
- Was scared I was going to poop while I was pushing.
- Heard my oldest daughters cry and thought it was wonderful. The one and only time it was.
- Cried of joy when I held her for the first time.
- Was thankful to God for my little girl.
- Realized I would be able to have another child. Just not for at least 2 years.

GiST Day 20

2009-04-19T02:58:00.002-06:00

1. Surviving 2 children's birthday parties in one afternoon. Pooky bear had fun bowling for her friend's birthday, while Little monkey enjoyed her friend's "Dora on the farm" party. I hope Pooky Bear will not be bored of bowling considering we are going bowling with my family for her birthday tomorrow.

2. Holding my friend's babies. I had a chance to hold two babies today. It was awesome! Especially when I discovered one of the babies is super ticklish by his rib cage.

3. Sending babies back to their parents after you realize they messed their diapers. No more diapers for ME!

4. My little monkey, for sleeping with no diapers at night. We were finding she was having more accidents as long as she had the diaper on at night. Now she is dry at night, and only has a minor accident in the morning when she wakes up and can't take her panties off properly. Now if only we could convince her to go on the potty when we want her to instead of when she wants to. She will get very upset if you ask her to go potty before she actually has to go. Oh well, baby steps...or should I say toddler steps.

5. Planning a supper menu for my family for the next 12 days. I enjoy cooking better when I plan ahead like this. It takes the guess work out of "what's for supper?".

GiST: Day 19 ...a few days late

2009-04-17T02:29:00.004-06:00

1. Wireless internet. I was having problems with my wireless connection for a while. It was hard to go downstairs to use the internet. I am SO lazy!

2. Finishing Pooky Bear's invitations for her 6th birthday party. We bought them today and I already filled the information in and sealed the envelopes. Normally I leave something like this to the last moment, who knew I could be productive!

3. Buying birthday presents for 3 birthday parties 3 days in advance. This is a new concept for me. I am accustomed to purchasing presents on the day of the parties. This time I have the gifts all ready. I have even wrapped a box in wrapping paper and brown craft paper to put one of the presents in. Again, who knew I could be productive!

4. Rock Band. It has occupied many hours of free time. We just bought one of the expansions for Rock Band and I have already completed it on medium level, in one night. This was done after I completed Pooky's invitations and wrapped the box. I deemed it was my reward for working so hard. I can't wait to see Chad's reaction when he realizes how far I have gotten in the game.

5. Finding good deals at stores. Today, I found numerous deals at various stores. Saving money makes me very happy. Unfortunately, it also has the tendency to trick me into spending more because I am saving SO much.

GiST: Day 18

2009-03-29T23:47:00.004-06:00

1. CAA for unlocking my van tonight. I have been working the odd evening at a hotel my friend works at. They are short staff for banquets, so I have been picking up the odd shift. Tonight, I got home at 8:30pm, emptied the van, went to pick up a pen off the floor, heard something fall out of my hands, thought nothing of it. I proceeded to lock the van and walk in the house. Then it dawned on me, I locked the key in the van. Frantically I went searching for our spare key. The one I put somewhere where I would not loose it. I could not find it anywhere. Knowing Chad had to go to work soon, I phoned CAA and they had someone come in ten minutes. They are wonderful.

2. Eating on the job. After I finished clearing tables and the banquet doors were closed for speeches, the head of catering allowed the staff to fill a plate with food before the kitchen cleared the tables. It was wonderful.

3. My husband, for helping me clean the house the last two days. We are not finished, but we have made some great progress together. He re-configured our amp and speakers to allow our mp3 player to play from the amp. Did I mention I love him!

4. Pooky bear receiving a free round of mini golf in her goodie bag from the birthday party she went to today. What's even better, is I found another coupon for free mini golf on top of our fridge tonight. We will definitely be going mini-golfing next weekend.

5. The nice weather we had today. It was gorgeous. I let Pooky bear wear runners to the birthday party this afternoon so her feet would not get hot in her boots. She thought it was great. I now realize she needs new runners.

6. An excuse to go shoe shopping. Pooky bear and I have a love for shoe shopping. I told her next weekend I will take her to buy new runners and new puddle boots. I need a new pair of black dress shoes. This is a very good thing. Maybe I will buy a new purse as well..?

March 27 GiST: Day 17

2009-03-28T09:29:00.003-06:00

1. Bowling with my family. Because I have been working so much, Chad decided to not do anything with his friends this weekend so he could spend more time with his family. Last night we decided to go bowling then go out for supper after. We had a blast. I am sure we will go again soon.

2. Watching Quantum of Solace after the children went to bed. It had been so long since we watched the movie in the theatre. I nearly forgot how brilliant the movie was.

3. Finding a book I used to read as a child while working. I happened to glance at an end cap display and saw the book. I quickly finished working, then went back to buy the book. I was going to save the book for a rainy day, however, I forgot to take the book out of the car before going bowling. Little monkey nearly sat on it. Mental note: do not leave items i am wishing to save for later on the girl's car seats. Oops!

4. Talking birthday cards. It is my cousin's birthday, so I had a lot of fun going through all of the talking cards at the store. They make me happy.

5. Finally winning a free coffee with Tim Horton's Roll Up the Rim. After 15 coffees, I have finally won simething! YEAH!

GiST: Day 16

2009-03-26T22:28:00.002-06:00

1. Listening to music I like. It is how I clean my house and how I survive several trips to Saskatoon.

2. Having chocolate for breakfast. Seriously, it is the best! If you have not tried it, I highly recommend it. However, parental discression is advised.

3. Not living out of a suitcase. I have already unpacked and washed all the clothes I took to Vancouver. I think this is a first for me. Normally it takes me a week to fully unpack my suitcase.

4. Having Mom 2 Mom today to make up for not having Mom 2 Mom on Tuesday. It was so much fun to watch Tara's reaction to the mint chocolate I brought with me. (She loves mint chocolate).

5. Dropping off a box of chocolates to Terra to help cheer her up. I knew my friends would love me just a little more this week. Hee! Hee!

GiST: Day 15...a few days late

2009-03-25T20:31:00.005-06:00

1. Getting my van back today!!!! I am super excited to be driving the van again. Although the car was nice with the heated seats and XM radio. My hips are extremely thankful for the van returning home to us. My girls are equally pumped about our van's return. My husband does not share his joy though. I think he felt younger driving the car.

2. Supreme Basics. I needed to print some important documents today, so I saved the documents on my flash drive and went to various office supply stores. Staples did not have a USB port compatible with my flash drive. Then Office Depot advised me it would not be printed until the morning. So, at that point, I was praying if it was at all necessary to print the documents today or not. Shortly after asking God for direction, I remembered Supreme Basics was not too far away. I quickly headed over there and a gentleman helped me out. Printed the documents in the matter of minutes and didn't even charge me. My answer from God was clear.

3. Seeing my girls this morning when they woke up. It is so exciting seeing their face after I have been gone, even for a day. The interesting point for this is they still have yet to ask what I got them from Vancouver. They are going to flip when they find out it is gourmet chocolates and suckers.

4. Flying home with 7 boxes of gourmet chocolate. Could my week get any better? I have a feeling my friends are going to love me just a little more this week.

5. My husband, for all he has done for my family and I this past week. I think I will keep him around.

GiST: Day 14

2009-03-18T19:02:00.002-06:00

1. A productive work day.

2. Plans for this week end.

3. Clean sheets on my bed.

4. Only having one cup of coffee while on the road today.

5. Coming home 2 minutes earlier than I anticipated from work.

All in all today was a simple day.

GiST: Day 13

2009-03-17T19:12:00.004-06:00

1. Truthfulness. In it's purest form with the best intentions.

2. Understanding and accepting the truth for what it is and where it comes from.

3. God, for answering prayers in short notices.

4. Friends who feel comfortable calling "after hours" to make sure I am OK.

5. Prayer and scripture. I would not be who I am today with out them.

6. You, for reading my blog.

Monday, March 16. GiST: Day 12

2009-03-17T08:16:00.005-06:00

I went to bed at 8:30 last night, so I missed posting. Here it is:

1. My car not being written off by SGI.

2. Maaco for not taking SGI's suggestion to bend out the dented part and paint it. They are going to replace the entire side panel for the driver's side. For a van, that is a lot of money.

3. The 2009 Hyundai Sonata I am currently driving right now. It is fully loaded with heated seats and XM radio. Am I going to want my van when it is done?

4. Talking with my new manager. I have had chances to work with Elaine in the past, specifically with my last conference, so it was a very comfortable transition. I think it will be a lot of fun working with her.

5. Finding out I fly to Vancouver next Monday. This is an exciting trip for me as I have never been to B.C, however, I am not able to visit with people I want to see. I will be by the airport which is out in the boonies. To make up for it I am going to wave in the directions of all my firends while I am there.

Gist: day 11

2009-03-15T23:14:00.002-06:00

1. Watching my girl's fashion show they put on for family time. Today the theme was "guess which scooby they are". It was super fun. Who knew you could have a princess cheer leading tourist scooby!

2. Pancakes for supper. My recipe consisted of me grabbing ingredients and mixing until I had the right consistancy. They were seriously the best pancakes I have ever made. Chad noticed they were different from the usual and asked which recipe I used. I commented, "I think I can make them again?!" He was impressed I had no recipe, but seems concerned I will not have the exact same recipe next time. We will have to see

3. Spending a day in your PJ's. Although the weather was beautiful and all of the windows were open in the house, I was not feeling very well this morning, so Chad declared it a HOME DAY. It was nice.

4. The weather getting nicer. I am looking forward to a snow-free environment. Now if only we could skip spring for my allergies and stay in summer mode all year round, that would be great! Highly impossible, but I could breathe and be warm all at the same time.

5. Catching up on all of the T.V shows I missed the nights I went to bed early last week. It made tonight's procrastination justified. "I have to watch the shows tonight. I work every day this week, which will require me to go to bed early, which means I need to tape more shows, which will use up more memory on the DTVR. So, by watching my shows tonight, I can delete them. Creating space for this week's entertainment." See, it is all justified and fabulous.

Saturday, March 14. GiSt: Day 10

2009-03-15T09:50:00.004-06:00

Saturday was very busy day, so I am posting for Saturday now.

1. My husband for letting me sleep in this morning and for taking pooky bear to ballet while I relaxed at home with little monkey.

2. Pooky bear for taking us swimming as a family today. She has been receiving allowance money for feeding the cats. Since then, she has been thinking of things she wants to buy or do with her money. She was the one who suggested swimming for the family. At first I was against the idea of her paying, but then I realized it would help teach her responsibility. I also knew it would only cost $11.00, so she wouldn't use all of her money towards swimming. Did I ever mention how much I love and appreciate that girlie.

3. Wal-mart re-usable large grocery bags. I know this sounds strange, but the bag was the perfect size to hold 6 of our beach towels, personals, and brush. I didn't have to worry about the bag getting wet. It was awesome. I don't know why I never thought of using one before for swimming, it will definitely be my bag of choice in the future.

4. My friend, who invited me to attend the SHEA awards tonight. It was so much fun. I felt special being able to wear my little black dress and my black aldo shoes. I so rarely have a chance to wear that combination. I looked fabulous, so did the other ladies I went with, I might add.

5. Going out for iced tea after the awards and participating in awesome girl talk. It was nice. I like being a girl. Most days.

GiST: Friday, March 13 :Day 9

2009-03-14T00:02:00.003-06:00

1. Names of streets in Saskatoon. There is a street called Cope St where they are building a series of senoir's complexes. What is even funnier is the St is right next Brand Dr where there are major retailers. Too funny. I am thankful for things that make me laugh.

2. Being able to listen to Wired 96.3 all the way to Regina Beach coming home from Saskatoon. This is a first for me. Normally there is no reception past Chamberlain, so it was a happy drive home for me!

3. My husband for vacuuming while I was working today. This was a huge task in it self, so I am very thankful I did not have to do it myself.

4. Large Double, Double with a shot of french Vanilla Tim Horton's coffee. I had three today because each time I ran out, I wanted more. And fortunately, there was a Tim Horton's where ever I had to drive. What I am not liking is the fact I am still awake because I had three coffees.

5. Being greeted by my children when I walk in the door after I have been working all day. I love how excited they are that I am home. It show me they missed me as much as I missed them. They are super cute kids!

Gist: Day 8

2009-03-12T15:02:00.003-06:00

1. My husband for doing the errands this afternoon, so I could work from home. I really dislike having to venture downtown, and am super thankful he is going for me.

2. Sleeping for 12 hours straight. Yep, I think that is a first in a long time. I went to sleep at 8:30 last night and woke up at 8:30am.

3. My husband again for letting me sleep in 30 minutes later this morning. Our girls woke up before me, so Chad took care of them until I woke up because he was still awake. I think I will keep that man of mine!

4. Watching people's reaction when I share the Reese's cookies with them. It is awesome to see their expression of joy on their face.

5. Frodo cuddled by my side while I "work". Hee Hee!

Grace in Small Things: Day 7

2009-03-11T19:01:00.002-06:00

I am posting this early because I am planning on going to bed early tonight. Whether I do or not is a good question.

1. Having a productive work day. I was able to work from home and in the field and accomplish more than I expected to. I consider that a good day.

2. Finding out I am going to have the chance to fly to Vancouver sometime at the end of this month, or the beginning of next month. I have never seen the ocean and am tickled pink to have the opportunity to see it. An added perk is being close to many friends. Yeah!

3. Bacon, eggs, toast and assorted oranges for supper. My girls both loved the clementines and blood oranges. Pooky bear asked to take a blood orange for snack tomorrow. I wonder what the other kids will think when she tells them it is a blood orange. Oh to be in kindergarden again!

4. Finding out my friends cat will be OK. She was having digestive problems, but now everything has worked out of her system and she will be fine.

5. Bedtime. I am very thankful for bed time.

One of my favourites

2009-03-11T00:00:00.001-06:00

ARROGANT WORMS ARE COMING TO REGINA!!!

Can you tell I am excited!

GiST: Day 6

2009-03-10T20:54:00.003-06:00

My list is short and sweet today, is that a bad thing?

1. Having the ability to work from home, especially on a cold day.

2. My husband making supper while I lay down and relax.

3. Oh Henry cookie's. Do I have to say more?

4. Children in bed before 8:00pm. It is a wonderful thing!

5. My electric heating pad. I would freeze with out it.

GiST Day 5

2009-03-09T22:24:00.005-06:00

1. Tonight's episode of Corner Gas. The episode reminded me of how much I don't like it when people kiss me on each cheek as a greeting. I find it socially awkward when someone greets me with two kisses. It is even worse when I attempt to "blend in" and greet people with the two kiss greeting. The V.P, of the company I work for, advised me I need to loosen up when participating in the 2 kiss greeting. Ha! Yeah, that will only happen when saliva stops coming in contact with people's lips.

2. Left overs. I was very impressed the roast did not dry out over night. It made left over night that much better.

3. Play doh. It can occupy my children for hours. It is fabulous. Plus, I like to play with it as well. It is fun to pretend you are a child.

4. Pooky bear for suggesting she use her allowance money to take the family swimming on Saturday. (We will go swimming, but we will pay) She is so thoughtful. She is the type of person who would give you her shirt she was wearing if you needed it. She is a good cookie, I think I will keep her.

5. Being able to relax and watch some of my favourite shows on T.V.

GiST Day 4

2009-03-08T22:34:00.003-06:00

1. My children eating all of their supper. I made an amazing pot roast and served it with whipped potatoes and honey dilled carrots. Both of the girls ate all of their food. Pooky Bear beat me eating. That was way out of the ordinary.

2. My pot roast. Did I mention how wonderful it was! It came out so tender and moist. I highly recommend braising, then searing, then mirepoix with 1 cup of water to make a quick broth in the skillet used for the searing. Then pour the broth along with the mirepoix on top of the roast, cover then bake at 350. All of that = YUMM!

3. My "niece" coming over this afternoon. It was fun to watch the three girls play together. Little girls are cute!

4. Our left over candy stash from last night. Mmm. I am definitely brushing my teeth longer tonight!

5. My cat, for recognizing I needed someone to cuddle with tonight.

Saturday GiST Day 3

2009-03-08T10:32:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the lateness.

1. Swedish berries. Boy, do I love them. I had them last night while I helped make my aunt's wedding invitations.

2. My mother-in-law for babysitting the girls so Chad could come with me and spend time with Mark.

3. Nicky's cafe. Such a wonderful place to eat. There are very few places in town where I can order cabbage rolls and perogies. Also, there cinnamon buns are AMAZING!

4. Wall-E. It is such a good movie, I highly recommend for everyone. We watched it again last night with friends.

5. Having time with my husband alone. It was only for 45 minutes while we went for supper, but it was nice.

GiST: Day 2

2009-03-06T15:30:00.003-06:00

1. MacDonald's play structure in the east end of town. It provided a change of scenery for the children and a chance for me to sit and chat with a good friend of mine.

2. My DTVR for recording House at 3:00am. It is the one show I have an obsession with watching every night.

3. My friend's dog, Molly. She is a Bichon Shih tzu . I will never own a dog like her, but she is very dear to my heart.

4. My husband for working 12 hours last night during inventory. I can't imagine counting all that medication.

5. The paper person for delivering the flyers for this week. We have not had flyers for at least a year. Either this will allow us to save more money; or because I can track the sales, spend more money. Time will only tell.

Grace in Small Things: DAY 1

2009-03-05T17:40:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine has beeng posting 5 things she is thankful for each day. She will do this for a full year. I think it is a wonderful reminder to be thankful every day for what God has done for us. So, here I go:

1. My little monkey, who chose raisins as her choice of snack food while shopping at the grocery store. It is important to note she chose the raisins after walking through the candy/chip isles and did not ask for anything.

2. Being reminded of how big our children have gotten. While at the grocery store, the clerk was an old babysitter for us when pooky bear was 2 years old. She was so excited to see them and could not get over how big they are. Moments like that make me happy.

3. Friends calling me back after they have seen I called on their caller ID. I admit I am not always good at this myself, so I really do appreciate it when it is done for me.

4. Having supper on the table at 5:00pm. It feels good to let the children play after supper and not have to rush to get them ready for bed.

5. A nice cup of tea. I have never been much into drinking tea, however, with my caffiene limitations I have grown to appreciate a nice cup (more like mug) of tea.

Happy Birthday!

2009-01-26T10:17:00.004-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MONKEY!

It is hard to believe she is 3. We have been through so much the last few years with her, it is a true blessing she is here.

On Saturday, we had a birthday party for her involving all of her little friends, all 12 of them! She had so much fun! This morning when I said happy birthday to her, she instantly said, "I go to my class?!" (she calls gymnastics her class) I thought it was cute.

Tonight ,we are taking the girls to C-H-U-C-K-Y C-H-E-E-S-E. It is sure to be a blast!

Actually

2009-01-08T22:37:00.004-06:00

I was on the phone with my new boss today going over a detail aid for pharmacists. After I read my detail to her, she commented I say the word, "actually" a lot. My comment to her was, "Actually, it is my replacement word for um or like". Then it dawned on me that I actually do say it a lot. Look I just did it again. No wonder Pooky bear says, "actually" a lot as well.

I thought it sounded more professional than saying, "um, or like" when you are trying to place your thoughts into words. I am actually... "DOH!" I did it again! I am scheduled for another conference call tomorrow morning to go over the detail aid one more time before Montreal. Here's hoping I can get my thought process quick enough to stop saying actually.

Here's hoping!

Feeling accomplished

2009-01-06T01:05:00.003-06:00

Tonight I:

* did the girl's entire bedtime routine; which is changing the girls into pj's, brushing their teeth, reading one of the world's longest bedtime stories, prayers, water change, care bear stare, and then finally leaving them to fall asleep.

* washed, dried, folded and put away 3 loads of laundry

* washed two loads of dishes

* made 2 dozen muffins using a recipe I created from scratch

* watched Corner Gas and Little Mosque on the Prairie and other various shows

* mended, I mean preformed surgery, Pooky Bear's bunny.

* visited facebook several times through out the night.

* blogged.

I can't wait for Pooky bear to wake up to realize her Bunny's surgery went well and Little monkey's reaction to having muffins for breakfast. I love being a mom!

Pooky bear's concert.

2008-12-29T18:43:00.004-06:00

Here is a clip from pooky bear's Christmas concert. My flaw video taping is I like to not look through the camera to see what is happening, not realizing my hand slips and I end up recording the wrong spot. Thankfully it was only for 10 seconds.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2008-12-18T02:15:00.004-06:00

This year it has been a challenge to get into the Christmas spirit. Financial constraints and health obstacles have made it diffcult to even think about Christmas. My husband and I procrastinated in putting up the Christmas tree as a result of this. We ended up putting it up on Sunday, and it started to look like Christmas. However, it still did not feel like Christmas. It was not until tonight that it felt like Christmas.

I was at Superstore taking advantage of my husband being sick at home and being able to go to Superstore, which is now open 24 hours. I walked into the store, grabbed a basket, and leisurely shopped. Ever so often, I would check the cashier line ups. There were two cashiers working which had line ups leading into the isles. When I saw how long the line up was, I decided to "shop" in another department I had not been to yet.

When it was just after 11:00pm, I decided to check the line ups again. That time it was not looking too bad. There was one line up which was still rather long, however most of the people in the line had only a few items each to purchase. The other line only consisted of one mother and her daughter. Her cart was very full and was just starting to unload her cart. I took a chance on the mother and daughter.

While I was watching her unload her cart, I noticed her shopping trip was not a leisure one, like mine was. Her shopping trip was an entire grocery shop which, I would assume, would last at least 2 weeks. The mom looked tired, and worn out. Her daughter appeared happy to sit and play with the chain on the cart. She didn't even seem to notice it was late and probably way past her bed time.

When the mom finished paying for her groceries, it was my turn. I quickly paid for my items, bagged them and noticed the mom still working on bagging her groceries. Looking down at my groceries and realizing she still has half of her groceries to pack, I quickly set my groceries down out of the way and offered to help the mom bag her groceries. After offering, the mom looked at me, pondered if it would be a good idea, then agreed to receive my help. I quickly went to work.

After we were done, she quickly said thank you to me. I told her I understand what it is like to be by yourself shopping with a toddler. I wished her a Merry Christmas, which had caught her by surprise. She paused for a moment, then wished me a Merry Christmas also. With how she responded to my wishes, I felt as though no one has said Merry Christmas to her this year and I was the first one to. That could be why she acted surprised when I said it to her.

I definitely now feel it is Christmas. I think it was actually a blessing, I ended up in line just behind the mom. I think we helped each other. She reminded me to be a servant of Christ and I reminded her of Christmas.

10 comandments for parents

2008-12-11T00:26:00.003-06:00

This was written when I was in grade nine in a family studies class. I stumbled across it while looking for old Christmas cards. I was surprised to see I actually follow most of the comandments. I am pretty sure I have broken the "thou shalt not say do this or do that" comandment. However, I am comforted to know that if I do ask my girls to, "do this or do that"; I am polite when asking them for help. So, I think I am on the right track for the ideals I set as a teenager for what a parent should be. I just hope my children are happy with it.

I'm it!

2008-12-09T23:29:00.004-06:00

Jill tagged me, so here I go:

I need to list 5 unusual things about me

1. I have a gag reflex at the sight or even mention of saliva. How I survived my 2 daughters, only God knows!

2. I display O.C.D. tendencies when it comes to things needing to be closed. This can be cupboards, books, or even decorative zippers on a sweater. I can not rest until what ever needs to be closed is shut.

3. I sometimes pronounce "don't" as "doe-ant" when I am quickly attempting to stop my husband's joking nature.

4. I think I am one of the few people who does NOT like cherries. My dislike for them started when I was a child. I was prescribed cherry medicine for all my ear infections, which were many.

5. I detest pickles on my hamburgers. I am not a fan of pickles to begin with, but having a pickle on my hamburger, ruins the flavour of the hamburger for me.

OK, so there is my top five list, which I realize I could have probably counted ten of them. Oh well!
Now time to tag:

Maryanne

David

reverse psychology

2008-12-08T21:07:00.004-06:00

Tonight at story time, Little Monkey kept standing on our couch. After repeatedly asking her to sit down, I resorted to telling her she had until the count of three to make a better choice to sit down. She glared at me and demanded I stop counting. After counting to three, I took her off the couch. It was then, I fully realize I am parenting a near three year old!

Little Monkey screamed at the top of her lungs, in a pitch only opera singers can sing, to which had Pooky bear covering her ears. It was hard not to laugh, because even though she was very upset, she still had a song in her voice which is not demanding at all, it is her facial expressions which clearly indicate she is unhappy with the consequences.

After her scream, she quickly ran out of the room. Not wanting her to go to her room, I told her to "GO TO YOUR ROOM!" She quickly replied, "NO!" I also didn't want her in the hall way, so I told her to "STAY IN THE HALL WAY!" She, yet again, replied, "NO!" Then, she went quiet for a moment, realized she was in the hall way and did not want to go to her room, so she came back to the living room.

Parenting is great!

chicken pox diary - Day 3

2008-12-07T21:59:00.005-06:00

Since the last entry I have:

- Taken pooky bear to the hospital Sat night to discover that it was a good thing we did. The erythromycin was not working effectively due to the nauseating side effects. This resulted in the sores expanding in size. A pediatrician prescribed new antibiotics including a stronger antibiotic ointment. The Dr left us his number and advised us to call if there were any changes we were concerned about. We were very fortunate to avoid IV antibiotics.

Note - Biaxin is a part of the erythromycin family. However, it has been developed to be easier on the stomach, specifically for children. It is a pricy drug, however worth every penny. Some plans cover it (like my husband's), however, the Saskatchewan provincial government will only cover it after submitting a claim for it. You must pay the $80.00 then reimbursed for it later.

- Made approximately 10 snowflakes for the E.R. while waiting to see the pediatrician. My husband and I kept "one-up'ing" each other with our snowflake making abilities. Pooky bear thought it was great. I was so happy I brought scissors, and books to occupy us.

- Discovered that Micheal Martchenko, the illustrator for Robert Munsch books, likes to put taradactol dactyls in every book. The taradactol is hiding and is not found on every page. We are thinking that the older Robert Munsch he has mice hiding in the pages, and in the newer Robert Munsch books, they are taradactols. My suggestion is to read "More Pies" and you will see what I mean.

-Realized the only way to get Pooky bear to have the antibiotic ointment on her is to have her hold my hand and squeeze. Let me tell you, she has a strong grip! She thinks it is actually funny to have me react as though she is hurting me. She completely forgets about the cream.

- Witnessed her daughter not crying for missing a Christmas party today. I was sure she was going to be upset, so my husband and I did our best to make her understand why she could not go and her little sister could. Our efforts paid off, and she was thrilled to have her little sister come home and give her a gift.

After all of this. I am happy my youngest has had the chicken pox vaccination. I am a little frustrated with the Sask health for not covering the cost of the vaccination when it first came out when Pooky was a baby. I do remember when the vaccination first became available for a cost, there were many Dr's, including ours, who did not agree with the vaccination. This, also could have been prevented with the proper material eduating the Dr's on the risk of chicken pox. From my understanding, it was the pediatrician's of Saskatchewan that helped the chicken pox vaccination become covered by Sask health. If only they would have been helping to educate G.P's about the risks as well.

Oh well, what's done is done. I feel very blessed that Pooky is on the road to recovery, finally. God was definately watching over our pooky bear, and that makes me VERY thankful! Our prayers are answered.

chicken pox diary - hour 48

2008-12-06T12:05:00.003-06:00

Since the last diary entry, Pooky bear has been through a lot. Her first night (hours 8-18) was rough on her. She woke up repeatedly because she was in so much pain and itched at the same time. Her pox were scratched so much the night we didn't know she had them, that she had huge scabs where the pox were. By hour 18, the sores were red, very large and irritated. She still had normal chicken pox, but also had these sores (about 10 of them).

Being concerned about the chicken pox, I had plans to take Pooky with me to my Dr's app't. By our 19, I slept in and nearly missed my appointment. Pooky quickly reminded me that she was to come with me to my appointment. We both quickly got dressed and headed out the door. At the appointment, the Dr. explained that the sores were actually chicken pox which became infected. What actually happened was the first night Pooky bear became itchy on her neck, she scratched so hard it became a big infected scab. Then when the chicken pox spreaded, she would scratch her neck, then other chicken pox, therefore infecting them as well.

I felt so bad for Pooky bear and wished there was something I could have done. I did tell the Dr. I had been putting polysporin on all of the scabs. The Dr commented that is why her infection did not spread to flesh eating disease. This made me feel a lot better, knowing that my instinct to put polysporin on the sores helped Pooky.

Putting on the polysporin has not been the easiest task. She finds it very painful because of the sores. My husband and I had to both put on the polysporin on her at the same time to speed up the process. (Note - It definately helps to give acetometaphen 1 hour before hand to help with the pain) Once the polysporin was on the pain was gone and the itchiness.

She is now on antibiotics for the infection, benadryl for the inflamation and irritation, acetometaphen for the pain and polysporin. So far, this winning combination is helping combat the chicken pox and infection. She is feeling much better. Her and little monkey have been playing and getting ready to put up the Christmas tree. She is not out of the woods yet, but is 80% better than even last night.

Lessons learnt in the last 48 hours:

- teach pooky bear to call us even if she does not feel it is neccessary

- excess scratching leads to infection, which if not treated quickly can lead to flesh eating disease

- difference between reactine and benadryl: reactine - great for prevention
benadryl - great for treatment

- combination of reactine once a day and benadryl every 6 hours helps with further break out and treatment of the chicken pox. (note- I understand that chicken pox is not an allergy, but the medications used to treat allergies also help in the treatment of chicken pox. This does not mean the reactine and benadryl can prevent chicken pox, but help once chicken pox has appeared)

- erythromycin is hard on the stomach, so giving her the acetometaphen and benadryl and food 1 hour before ensures all medication will remain in her stomach and not be lost in a possible upset stomach loosing all contents. It is still important to take the medication with food as well.
My routine 1 hour before antibiotics: administer benadryl, 1/2 hour before antibiotics: administer acetometaphen. This has helped huge with pooky bear. It is important to note we did not discover this technique until hour 36.

chicken pox diary - hour 5

2008-12-04T17:11:00.003-06:00

Pooky bear is doing surprisingly well right now. I failed to mention in the previous post that I gave her 24 hour relief children's Reactine, to help bring down the swelling and itchiness, which has proven to help. I also have been using polysporin on the spots with scabs to help speed the healing process and scaring. Acetaminophen has also come in handy to reduce fever, because the chicken pox has the tendency to appear in warmer places on the body, so reducing fever is a good thing.

So, so far we are surviving. She is happy playing on the computer, watching TV and visiting with friends. I am tempted to think that she is actually going to enjoy having the chicken pox, minus the fact she is upset she will miss ballet lessons.

chicken pox diary - hour 1

2008-12-04T12:22:00.003-06:00

Pooky bear finaly has the chicken pox. I first discovered it when she was changing for school. She was complaining her tummy was itchy, my first instinct was her eczema, but the little red dots all over her belly proved me wrong. She was not a happy camper to find out she would miss school today, but was quickly calmed with the idea of lots of oatmeal baths and computer time.

I have been hoping she would get them soon, I was beginning to wonder if she had immunity given she had been exposed at least two times to chicken pox. But now that she has them, I know her days will be filled with what ever makes her: A. happy and B. not itch.

My mom quickly helped me out with the traditional home remedies, which so far has proven to not work. She first recomended calmine lotion (unsure of spelling), this in the first 30 minutes of discovering she has chicken pox, did not help. She then advised me to make a paste of baking soda and water, I tried this after the calamine lotion. The baking soda and water made her cry. So, I did what I know works on itchy, irritated, eczema: oatmeal bath.

She right now is lying in the water, which in the first 45 minutes of discovering the chicken pox, is helping. Now I just need to figure out a way to stop the itch while out of the tub. Hmm, oatmeal paste??? Messy, but maybe worth a try.

back to the gind

2008-12-02T19:16:00.002-06:00

Well I am back at work and am doing OK. I am still sore, but was excited to work with my new boss today. My boss and I have children the same age, so we had lots to talk about. It is funny how having children the same age can be an instant conversation starter. We filled our driving time by comparing the differences in our 5 year old's schooling. Since she lives in Ontario, her 5 year old is in sr kindergarden 2 full days of the week, where my pooky bear is in school 1/2 days all week. Whether one is better than the other, who knows. I do know I think I scared her when she came with me to pick up my 5 year old from school. The idea of 8 busses is a little intimidating to even me, let alone some one who is not used to it. Oh well.

All in all, it was a good day and look forward to working tomorrow. Not before 1:00 p.m. though. (Little monkey has gymnastics in the morning) No rest for mommy!

Simplicity

2008-11-30T18:41:00.002-06:00

What time is it? 6:49pm

What are you doing? blogging and waiting for the girls to finish playing in the tub

What are you eating? currently nothing, but just finished eating an entire bowl of Chad's Chicken Fried Rice...Yumm!

What are you planning? putting the kids to bed, facebook, maybe watch "You've go Mail", go to bed early

What is happening tomorrow? making phone calls for work, more lab testing, cleaning house, talking on the phone with friends and my mom, sleeping, facebooking periodically through out the day, more sleeping. I think that sums it up!

What are you craving? hmm, back bacon on a bun sandwich from the st laurent's market in Toronto.

What are you praying for? for me to start feeling better, to buy a house in the spring, for Chad to have a easy transition back to work, for the girls to be healthy, happy and safe, and many other things.

By the power of oatmeal

2008-11-28T19:27:00.006-06:00

For the last 3 years, for those who don't know, I have been having a battle with Pooky bear's eczema. In the summer it is bad when it is really hot and in the winter it flares up when it is dry. This winter I have vowed not to be reliant on steroid cream for relief for the eczema. I am winning this battle with the powers of oatmeal.

I have been grinding the oatmeal up in my coffee grinder (about 2 cups full) and adding it to Kira's bath. I have been bathing her nearly every day with it. (side note - if you do try this, make sure the hair stays dry during the soak and use fresh water to wash hair). After her tub, I have been using either Aveeno baby 24 hour moisturizer (comes with a navy blue lid) or a lotion I have for sensitive skin which does not have any paraben or fragrance in it. With those two powers combined (oatmeal bath and lotion) Kira has not needed steroid cream for 10 days. This is a huge victory for us. Especially when we do eventually need the steroid cream, it is only needed once and then we get back on the routine. I have noticed she flares up when we stop her routine. Lesson learnt and I am anxious to see how long we can go with out steroid cream now.

Pooky bear does not like the steroid cream at all. It burns her when it goes on, and although it relieves the irritation, it still uncomfortable for her. This summer, I got smart in using the steroid cream. I started putting polysporin underneath the steroid cream to act as a barrier for her skin. It also served for healing her skin from the cracks and scratches which occur with eczema. She now asks for the polysporin when she needs the steroid cream. (I highly recommend the polysprin for kids with acetaminophen to help relieve pain as well, however, the private label polysporin works just as well)

I have been feeling these last few months have been helpful in teaching me how to better take care of my daughter and husband's condition. I now find myself reading all I can about managing eczema. I have discovered I have to be careful in what is recommended. I have tried several creams, soaps and lotions which were recommended, but they were, for the most part, unsuccessful. I am so happy I found a routine which is working right now and not reliant steroids to relieve it.

I still read all I can about eczema to better understand what my daughter and husband are going through. Today, I actually read a wonderful article in my dr's office about eczema. It described eczema how eczema is genetic in most cases, and that on average, only 10 percent of children will have their eczema into adulthood (given my husband had it as a child and continues to, I am pretty sure Pooky will fall in the 10 percent category). The article also went onto explain how eczema can flare up in the summer and the winter. How the author put it was, think of the person with eczema as having skin which is unable to seal in the spots where the eczema is. (I thought of it like puzzle pieces not able to totally come together but leaving cracks). In the spots where the skin can not seal, is where bacteria and even sweat can get into the cracks and irritate the skin. It is almost like they are allergic to there own sweat, but the sweat is just irritating the open skin. This made total sense to me. It completely explains why Pooky has horrible flare ups with eczema on hot days in the summer.

Now, the winter flare ups make sense too, because if the areas with the "weak skin" (for lack of a better term) have the cracks and the air is too dry it would irritate it worse than normal. This is why using lots of oatmeal (which is a natural moisturizer) and lotion help prevent and treat the skin. The article's basic summary was to moisturize the skin as much as possible, bath frequently to illuminate bacteria on the skin which could cause irritation (also to illuminate sweat from the skin) NOTE: it is important to know that the article cautioned on bathing frequently using soaps and lotions which would dry out the skin and not moisturize it.

I found it interesting that I would read the article after I have already found a routine which helps Pooky, but it really helped me understand why the routine we have for her works. This winter I think will be fine for her eczema. The battle will be this summer, keeping her skin clean, cool, and moisturized. I think we can handle it though. Maybe I should by oatmeal in bulk form to help.

I am an addict

2008-11-26T22:50:00.003-06:00

I think today is the first night in a long time where I have not been horribly addicted to facebook. Although facebook is a great place to connect with people I would not otherwise, it also seams to have this control on me which gives me the urge to check my home page every chance I get. Even right now I am wondering if anyone wrote on my wall, commented on the group I manage, or posted new pictures. I am so bad, I even check Chad's facebook page. Of course, he asks me to....most of the time.

I have realized that facebook, although important for maintaining contacts, lacks in my selfish need to express my thoughts and feelings. Posting status updates just not cutting it anymore. That being said, status is such a brief way to express your current thoughts. What if my current I don't have just one current thought, but multiple ones? This is where my blog will hopefully serve my purpose.

One can hope.

Beauty in Regina

2008-06-16T17:27:00.003-06:00

I like finding spots in Regina which remind me how pretty it is here.

2008-06-15T02:03:00.002-06:00

I took this while I was working. Did I ever mention I love my job! It is funny how when I tell people from Ontario that I live in Saskatchewan, they automatically assume it is completely flat. I end up in conversations with my co-workers defending Saskatchewan and it's beauty. This is why I am now taking several pictures for them to see, through my eyes, what Saskatchewan is about.

new and improved hair

2008-06-03T13:03:00.002-06:00

My day in reverse.

2008-05-01T21:33:00.000-06:00

Today was Pooky Bear's first t-ball game for the year. She did very well especially for it being so cold!

smart shopping

2008-04-04T00:58:00.000-06:00

Pooky Bear and I had a great ladies shopping night tonight. She picked out her birthday invitations and a birthday present for her friend at Toys R Us. We then found ourselves at Northgate mall enjoying a starbucks strawberry frappicino while wondering through out the mall. After picking wrapping paper for the birthday present we ended up at Safeway picking up a "few" things.

While we were picking up a "few things", we ended up in the yogurt section where I looked at almost every ingredients label on yogurt in hopes to find one with out sugar added. Pooky Bear saw the yogurt tubes I used to by and commented,"mommy, if yogurt tubes are bad for you; why do they put them on sale?". The tubes were on special 2 for $5.00, something like that. What a great question. What do I tell an inquisitive 4 year old about marketing and the economy. Fortunately the conversation diverted quickly when I found Dairyland yogurt and knew their was no sugar added to it. She instantly became excited about the different kinds of yogurt which were in the box. I was saved from Pooky's curiosity, so I thought.

I then moved on to Sour cream. If you know me, you would know I try to stick to dairyland products as much as I can. I was raised on Dairyland (AKA Dairy Producers) and have grown accustomed to the fresh taste and quality which comes with the products. This is definitely being passed down to my daughter as she instinctively looked for the dairyland sour cream. Once she helped me find it, she asked why I always look for "that kind", instead of what's mostly there. I confidently told her about the taste and quality and the fact it is made is Saskatchewan where we live. Yes! one question answered, confidently. I knew she would stump me again.
I just thought we could at least get to the rest of the store first.

She asked another question right after I put the sour cream in the cart. Looking at the rows of Energy drinks, she asked, "mommy, those drinks are not good for you, why do they put them on sale?" Many thoughts entered my head:
1. How does she know what energy drinks are
2. Yes! My daughter knew they were not good for her and didn't want them
3. This question again?!
4. My child is too smart for her own good
5. I hope her ideas on what is good and bad for her stay when she is older.
6. WHAT ON EARTH DO I TELL HER!!

Do I tell her some companies don't care how healthy products are as long as they sell? NO
Do I tell her not everyone knows some of the products are not good for them? maybe
Do I teach her about the marketing strategies that are used by companies to sell products in stores? too complicated.

I ended up talking to her more about not paying attention to what is on sale, but what is healthy for her. I reminded her about looking at the labels on foods. I reminded her healthy food can be on sale too, like some of the fruit we were buying.

What a girl.

Goal setting night

2008-04-02T20:06:00.000-06:00

As opposed to my goal setting days, I am starting my evening of with a list of goals.

- one load of dishes, maybe two? yeah, I only did one load
- kids bathed, and bedtime routine done
- e-mail check and send did on Thursday
- avoid girlie movies thanks to Ang coming over, chick flicks were avoided. yes!
- at least 3 loads of laundry Done, time to do a happy dance
- work and make my computer printable semi-complete, computer still not printable

Bonus for the night was pulling out the bread maker and setting the timer on it so we would have fresh bread for breakfast. Mmm delicious. Best idea I have had in a while.

for one night I think this can be done.

more pics

2008-04-01T21:48:00.000-06:00

I am always amazed when I look at pictures of my daughters and realize how fast they have been growing. It seems like yesterday they were babies. I definately miss them as babies, but also am enjoying the freedom that comes with their age. They are both strong-willed children. Pooky bear is definately the drama queen and Little monkey is Curious George in human form.
I wouldn't trade them for anything!

a success

2008-03-31T20:47:00.000-06:00

My to do list:

relax: done, including a nap

watch food network : done

clean: - toys in living room picked up
- laundry in dryer and washer
- Pooky Bear's room sorted, organized and cleaned
- garbage collected
* I would say this is done

work: done

bonus: Mom 2 Mom, having little monkey sitting on the potty, and Chad realizing he needs to help more around the house.

I would say this day was a huge success!

Calm, quiet day

2008-03-31T12:15:00.000-06:00

This week has definitely been a trying week for me. I have been having a hard time with my new medication and the lack of caffeine has not been good for my patience level either. I have decided to make today more relaxing while being productive.. I am only going to talk above a whisper in volume level. I am going to rest in the afternoon after I work for a little bit. Find some energy to clean a little and enjoy my newest addiction: food network.
I am thinking a nice cup of white pomegranate and blueberry tea will be a great start to my calm, quiet day.

my girls

2008-03-27T12:48:00.000-06:00

productive morning

2008-03-22T10:25:00.000-06:00

Today is I think the most productive day I have had in a while. I have put away two loads of laundry and washed two more loads of laundry after that. I also managed to clean the whole bathroom and wash dishes. This is a fabulous thing for me because it is not even 10:30 am yet!

Next on my list: two more loads of laundry (including putting them away) and clean the living room. I have learnt cleaning the living room/ dining room is one of the longest chores to do. However, I am tired of toys taking over my living room and random stuff left on half of my table. I also have to get the 9 boxes of stuff out of my living/dining room. Fortunately I will have Chad help me out with this. Oh to have my living/dining room back!

fabulous day

2008-03-14T20:11:00.000-06:00

Today was a good day. It started with me checking the status of my lappy. I was greatly excited to find out that my lappy was on a truck headed for my house TODAY! 30 minutes after I discovered this I received my lappy. Yeah!

Then, while at work today I made a donation to the Z99 radio-a-thon for the neonatal unit in Regina. After that happened and I was heading to my next pharmacy, I received a call from Z99 saying that I one free tickets to Avril Lavene. I am not the hugest fan of hers, but was very excited to find out I won free tickets for tomorrow's concert. Yeah!

Also, my husband is feeling better, which is a wonderful thing and I washed dishes. Not so fabulous of a chore, but fabulaous enough I willingly washed them with no complaints. It is important to note I washed them before I received lappy and went to work.

So, now I am having fun with lappy. Enjoying being on the internet upstairs. By the way, I phoned today to find out when I could have wireless internet installed and Saskel pleasantly surprised me with the knowledge that our current motem has wireless internet which just needs to be set up. How easy was that.

Yep, a fabulous day.

Thank you God for this day!

It is important to note that I thank God for every day, but I am a little more vocal about it today.

Frustrations

2008-03-13T12:08:00.000-06:00

I am torn right now as to what to look forward to. My lappy or my specialist appointment on the 25th. Right now I am frustrated with Mr courier company who keeps updates like this everyday:

TRACKING DETAILS

Status
In Transit in U.S.
Date/Time : MARCH 10, 2008 AT 14:30
Depot : U.S.A. GROUND LINEHAUL

This is what it has said since the 10th. Now it is the 14th, you think there would be updates. Argh. Oh my lappy. The good news is lappy is half paid off already. I got paid today with my bonuses and was thrilled to be able to pay half of the cost of lappy already on my credit card. Maybe I could have it paid off before it comes....hmm?

On a very different note:

I get to join Pooky bear on her field trip to the museum! Bus ride and all! I am very excited, but not as excited as Pooky Bear. She was a little sad that Chad could not take her (he has mild pnemonia) but was totally fine when I said just her and I were going.
Paleo Pit here we come!

rant

2008-03-12T14:08:00.001-06:00

I found out recently that my least favourite courier company is delivering my lappy. It is apparently stuck in customs. Oh to have my lappy and to not have to come downstairs to go on the computer. My basement does not have windows and is surrounded my grey concrete walls, with exceptions of the peach walls which surround the family room I made down here. I attempted to make it "homey" but still did not like the lack of natural light down here. Was this a one of the justifications to getting my own computer? YOU BET!

It will be interesting to find out how my cat Frodo takes to me having the computer upstairs. Currently she is my side-kick every time I use the computer. Chad could be using the computer, and Frodo does not care. However, the moment I go downstairs in the direction of the computer, Frodo follows me like a puppy. It has been especially more frustrating because we recently acquired a flat screen monitor which now allows for more space for Frodo to be. Before she would sit on my hand that uses the mouse, she doesn't mind that I still use the mouse while she sits on me. Now she also will sit in front of the monitor. She gives me this look as though to say, "I am going to annoy you until you pay attention to me, and if you take me off the computer, you know I will just get back on." Oh, Frodo. She only cares about me if I am either going to bed (so she can sleep on me) or on the computer, the rest of the time she is Chad's cat.

waiting for my lappy

2008-03-10T10:48:00.001-06:00

I have just recently purchased my own computer. My own. No one else's. I have shared a computer my entire life, and now freedom! I have officially banned my husband from adding on any of his games onto my new lappy. He is persistant in asking, but ultimately he knows I could delete his stuff at any time on my computer, so why take the risk? Hee Hee. For once the power is in my hands. Next on my list of things to do is have wireless internet installed in the house and then I can avoid the basement as much as I want! (with exceptions of doing laundry)

Yeah!

Listening

2008-02-11T19:25:00.000-06:00

Lately I have come to realize I have not been listening to God lately. I have not been reading scripture, I still pray, but no follow through. I am now listening. I have been feeling lately I need to organize some kind of fundraiser for Cancer involving our church. Right now there are people in my church who are dealing with cancer hands on. I know it is not a missions trip to a far away country, but I feel it is equally important to help those who are close to us here in our city. Missions work to me has never been on a global scale. I believe there are people out my front door who need help just as much as those in other countries. They just need a different kind of help. So now, after lots of prayer and me finally listening to His answers and prompting me in certain directions, I am going to see where my idea is going to be taken. We shall see. Any ideas?

procrastinating

2008-02-10T22:01:00.001-06:00

Because of all the things I still need to do tonight, I have decided to help myself feel better by listing all the things I have already acomplished this weekend.
- cleaned front closet (this is a task I have been needing to do for over a year now)
- washed dishes
- gave my girls baths. (I think this counts even though they have one every two days)
- arranged to have the van fixed.
- made cookies. (Ok, confession, they were the pilsbury valentine cookies, but I had to put them in the oven none the less)
- went to church. (given the weather for this weekend, this is a huge acomplishment in it self, especially when we went using someone else's car)
- watched too much TV.

I still need to do paper work for my job and I was thinking about making a cake for a friend at Mom 2 Mom. I can do it!

Come to Realize

2008-02-05T11:04:00.000-06:00

Stolen from Married Life
1. I've come to realize that my butt: Will never be as it once was.

2. I've come to realize that when I talk: I like to use facial contact, lips and eyes baby!

3. I've come to realize that I need: To have my husband tuck me in at night.

4. I've come to realize that I've lost: in touch with many people I still pray for.

5. I've come to realize that I hate it when: I find out something bad happened to a child which otherwise could have been prevented.

6. I've come to realize that I have a crush on: my husband still. I'm such a mush!

7. I've come to realize that the last time I cried was: yesterday, watching Extreme home make-over.

8. I've come to realize that my cell phone is: never where I need it.

9. I've come to realize that when I wake up in the morning: I am happy when Chad is in bed with me. Unhappy if he is not home yet.

10. I've come to realize that before I go to sleep at night I: watch the Cosby show, I can't seem to sleep before the show is over. At least not enless Nyquill is involved.

11. I've come to realize that when I get on Facebook: I like to see new pictures posted

12. I've come to realize that today I will: Work, and take my daughter to her first class of Kindermusik

13. I've come to realize that I really want to: buy a house.

14. I've come to realize love: is all my children want to be reminded of everyday.

15. I've come to realize my best guy friend: is currently sleeping on my side of the bed.

16. I've come to realize my best girl friend: is more than one person.

too cute!

2008-01-31T17:58:00.000-06:00

I had to post this picture, it was too cute. I took it 20 minutes ago.

Meme

2008-01-22T17:42:00.000-06:00

Here is a meme I got from Queen of West Procrastination. You put in bold all that applies to you.
Enjoy!

1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
9. Were read children's books by a parent
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
25. You had your own room as a child
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family

Changes

2007-11-19T21:14:00.000-06:00

Chad ended up not getting the job with the printing company, but the great news is he got a better job! He is now working for McKesson Canada. It is a warehouse for pharmaceuticals. It's funny because I order the drugs, he fills the drugs. I really think God has great sense of humour. It is neat though because now we understand eachother more because we share similar jobs. Gee, kind of like the good old days when we both worked for Sears.

The job is nights, so we don't need a babysitter. Chad had his first day yesterday, it went well. He intends to stay there a long time. Yeah! We are going to play it by ear to see how me working the two jobs goes. I just got a team lead position at the call center I work at (which I love being a team lead!) and I still work with Norrizon which is a cool and unique job in itself. We are going to wait until after the new year before we decide anything. It is all in God's hands. I am willing to work both jobs, or quit one if necessary, I am leaving it up to God to let me know what to do.

On a cool side note. My benifits from work at the call centre kick in at the beginning of next month and I am really looking forward to going to the dentist and chiropractor again. On another cool note, the call center I work at has a massage therapist come in once a month to give massages to the staff and work pays for it. Is that not awesome!

It is some-what official

2007-10-18T00:40:00.000-06:00

Chad 98% has a new job he starts Monday. Reason we don't know 100% is the person who wants to hire him offered the job to him on the phone and he is going for a "formality" interview on Friday, but starts on Monday. The job is working with a printing company which makes books etc. I think it is cool, he will be getting wages similar to Inland and there is no crazy shift work like other jobs he has tried since then. Yeah!

My life right now has been a little crazy looking for a babysitter who is close to Pawson school or Dr Hanna. I am hopeful I can find one which will accommodate my few hours needed of babysitting. We shall see. I am so excited about Chad working, I will make it work. God will help me find a way, he always does.

150th anniversary.

2007-10-14T15:50:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I have posted 150. To some of the blogs I read, 150 posts is a small number, to me this is big!

A lot has changed since my first post. Little monkey is no longer a baby, she is now a full fledged toddler. Pooky bear is attending a public school. I have new jobs as does my husband. My family and I have also grown spritually and emotionally. It has been a good 150 posts.

funny story:

Pooky bear and little monkey have taken to playing together as soon as they wake up. Pooky bear goes into little monkey's room and they have fun. This morning, all of a sudden, pooky bear came to Chad and I and said, "I think you better come see what little monkey did to make her room smelly!" What a great way to start the morning!

It's been a while.

2007-10-09T14:29:00.000-06:00

This past couple of weeks have been filled with establishing new routines. This week is starting to finally feel normal. I am able to take Pooky bear to and from school, which few working moms can do with a pre-school aged child. I am able to attend mom 2 mom, knowing I can work in the afternoon. I have to say I am really enjoying the new routine now.
Since Chad was not able to get funding for school, he is currently looking for a job. For now I am still working at IQ Metrix in the evenings. Yes, life is definately busy, but only temporary. Once he gets a job, it will be a new kind of busy....Ok, so my life will probably not ever be not busy....it's just the way I am.

Happy

2007-09-28T08:21:00.000-06:00

I am happy to be at home,
Happy to hug and kiss my girls,
Happy to have my own bed,
Happy to be off the plane,
I'm just happy!

up, up and away.....again!

2007-09-22T00:06:00.000-06:00

Calgary was awesome. I will never be able to beat a first day like that in my life! On my second day, I found out they would like to fly me to Toronto Sunday-Thursday this coming week. Crazy! Me, the girl, who before recently, have not been on a plane since I was 12. Now I am flying to Toronto. I know this will be my last flight until April, so I don't have to worry about this happening very often, which will be nice.

On a Pooky Bear update, she had her first day of official pre-kindergarden and enjoyed every minute of it. Then today we had our first family day where we all went to Gymnastic Adventures. Little Monkey had her first school bus ride. FUN! We all had a good time, little monkey was tired because it was during her nap time, however pooky bear was the "vetran" their because she was the only one who has ever been there before. It was good.

a weird, make no sense, chat

2007-09-16T10:20:00.001-06:00

I am spending time with family today, extended family and my family. Yesterday, we celebrated my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. Pooky bear and Celeste stole the show with their cuteness. Today, Pooky bear really wants to go to church so she can be around kids for a while before going back to the environment where her and her sister are the youngest ones there. Poor girls, I sat with my cousins at supper reminiscing about "the good old days" with my cousins, then looked at Pooky bear and realized "good old days" with cousins will not be for a long time for them. At least they have each other.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This morning I woke up realizing I am not going to see my girls in the morning tomorrow. Wow, I am going to miss them! I have been already talking to Pooky bear about me going away and she does not want to talk about it. I know she will have fun without me, especially because she gets to go to school tomorrow. Still, I am sad to miss her and been feeling guilty for being excited to go on a plane for a business trip. Today will entail as much family time as we can tolerate.

I needed to read this.

2007-09-14T18:27:00.000-06:00

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalm 37:5-7

A new path

2007-09-14T02:15:00.001-06:00

With the fall comes a new path to walk. Here is the skinny of our new path:

*Chad was unable to get funding, so he is now looking to get a temporary job until he can get funding for the winter semester (prayers being answered that is).

*Pooky bear is officially accepted into the pre-K program somewhat near our house; this one deserves a big "WHOOP-EE!" as we have been praying for her to get in. We were not sure until just this last Wednesday if she was in or not. Her first day of school is this Monday (with just a few kids in her class, then her first official day is Thursday, Sept 20. Yeah!

*Little monkey is recovering from a trip off our last step leading into the basement. She would only let the Dr put one stitch in her forehead. If you know my little monkey, you totally are not surprised by this happening, she is such a little monkey! She is doing fine now, 10 minutes after it happened, she didn't even care, it was me who was freaking out and insisted she see a doctor. Wow, even after a second child I am still paranoid. At least little monkey keeps us on our toes. No sleeping around that one!

*I am taking a leap in a different direction career wise. I started a new job working with jump.ca doing outbound calls for customer service purposes. I also, just today actually, was offered a job with Norrizon Marketing which will be a fun job. I am very excited about this job, especially since I am flying to Calgary on Monday for my first business trip! How exciting is that! However, I am going to miss Pooky Bear's semi-official first day of school, and little monkey getting her stitch out, however, I will not have to be gone on a lot of business trips like this one. It just so happened I got hired 2 days before regional conference. I have not been to Calgary since grade 11, weird. I'm going to miss my girls, and Chad, but I am excited about the new opportunities for my family and I.

So, it is definitely a new path for all of us. If Little monkey has her way, everyday would be a new path. Oh little monkey!

A triumphant moment

2007-09-02T09:36:00.000-06:00

This morning at 2:45 a.m., I finished Pooky Bear's blanket! I am very excited over this. I vowed to myself to get it done last week (this beingSunday and the start of a new week). I would not go to sleep until it was done. I thought I finished it earlier, however after looking at how much yarn was left and playing with different stitches, I continued to do one more layer. Yeah!
Now my next domestic adventure, Little Monkey's blanket. I am trying to figure out how I would make hers into the shape of a daisy. I think I can figure it out, so hopefully it works out.

a story

2007-08-31T16:51:00.000-06:00

So, I was downstairs on facebook when pooky bear decided to come and join me. After she opened the door to the basement she did not shut it again. I was happy to see her and let her help look at things on facebook. This was all good until I hear Chad yelling at me to come upstairs and see what my daughter was up to. I get to the top of the stairs to find little monkey playing in the cat food. She had some in her mouth (gross) then proceeded to put the cat's dry food in the cat's water dish. Water and cat food were everywhere! Joy! Yet another thing to add to little monkey's things she ate as a child! Now I'm feeling like a bad mom, but laughing at the fact it will be a funny story to share at Little Monkey's wedding!

obsessive

2007-08-26T09:55:00.000-06:00

For the last week I have been trying to finish crocheting the blanket I started for Pooky Bear when I was pregnant with her. I am nearly finished and don't want to put it down. I even made the comment, "it would be easy for me to do at church". Chad quickly stopped that idea. My goal is to have it finished by this week, so I have 4 months to work on a blanket for Little Monkey. This is very ambitious of me, however, with money constraints due to Chad being in school, I think a home made blanket from mommy would more than make up for a little less toys this year.

It's so weird to already be worried about Christmas presents and school has not even started yet!

Sad

2007-08-18T11:36:00.000-06:00

We wanted to go to the lake for one last "sleep over", but the weather said no. Pooky bear is sad about this, but I got her to feel how cold it was outside, and she really didn't like to the cold at all.

This afternoon, we get to go to the church to clean, which Pooky Bear and Little monkey love to help! Maybe this will help take Pooky bear's mind off the lake. I also was thinking of taking the kids somewhere special because we are home tonight. We will have to see.

A random chat

2007-08-17T08:28:00.000-06:00

We are getting ready for one last over-night at my Grandma's wonderful cabin. The cabin is not insulated, so it gets very cold at night now. We are only staying for one night this weekend. It seems weird to me because the last time I packed for the lake we stayed at Lumsden Beach for 6 days, came home for 2 days, then went to Arlington Beach for another 4 days. That was a lot of packing!

Last night, while I was figuring out the few things we should bring, Chad and I made yummy, triple chocolate cookies to take to the lake. I have to say, I am liking the cooler weather, as I am much in the mood to cook and bake because of it.

Tonight for supper is pot roast with chocolate zuccini cake for dessert.

Wow!

2007-08-13T14:28:00.000-06:00

I realized it has been a while since I have posted. We have been busy with many trips to Lumsden Beach and Arlington Beach. The weather has been awesome, except for the last few days, it is starting to feel like fall already. I am unsure if I am OK with this.

I like the colours of fall, the weather is tollerable, the bugs are minimal; however, it means summer is over. I have to say I have had a really good summer all in all. We experienced some ups and downs, but all in all it has been life changingly good.

Chad starts university in the fall. He has his classes picked and everything! That is very exciting. He is getting nervous as the summer starts to come to an end. He will be fine though.

I don't know what I will be doing. I am done babysitting in September. I have had questions asked about me babysitting their children, but nothing set in stone yet. I know I need to find something for the fall, and I dread the idea of going to work and putting the kids in daycare. I, right now, am looking for a job which requires administration work in the afternoons leading into the evenings through out the work week. I am praying hard that something will come through as we are now supporting Chad, who was the main bread winner for our family.

This is something again that is in God's hands. We have been in his hands a lot lately, I hope He doesn't mind.

newest pics

2007-07-17T14:34:00.000-06:00

Update

2007-07-16T21:49:00.000-06:00

Little monkey has come down with a small (apparently there is such a thing) case of pnemonia. It is more a chest infection which turned into a mild case of pnemonia. She will be fine, we caught it in time and is on anti-biotics, advil and sabutimol (unsure of spelling). We spent our evening at the e.r. yesterday and the dr's office today. The doctor is confident she will be fine, and is wanting to see her next week to investigate her asthma further. I am happy something is being done about her finally. She had a rough summer last year and this year needs to be better. I am so thankful she is in God's hands, and with her speedy recovery showing all ready, I know she is!

Now I am off to bed!

Momment before chaos

2007-07-06T16:08:00.000-06:00

I am taking a brief moment before I go into extreme packing mode for the lake. The good thing is that we are staying at a "full service" cabin, so packing is a lot easier than camping.
Hope everyone has a wonderful, rested week end, I know I will once I get out to the lake and get settled in.

Getting ready

2007-07-05T09:30:00.001-06:00

I am slowly getting mobile today. Yesterday, my body was not functioning so well, I spent most of my day sleeping. Today, I am doing a lot better, but am slowly getting in the swing of things.

I am going to attempt at having another goal day to see how much I can get done.
Update: 12:53pm
Laundry- just do as many loads as I can load 3 in washing machine...yes!

make a list for packing to go to the cabin 1/2 done, it's a working progress as I come accross things I forgot

tidy up the living room ....but... we're still using it... :o)

have a shower (this is a reasonable goal, I think) Does a water fight in the back yard with your daughters count?

play with kids outside, this morning (who said some of the goals couldn't be fun) See previous update, I could not procrastinate at all about this goal. A chance to play with my girls, YES!

start packing for the lake I have a suit case started, just don't ask how much is in there.

Dishes if feeling ambitious yeah, right.

vacuum this will have to be later, the carpet (and couch) is a little wet right now.

I will check in later to update my progress.

Feeling bad for not posting

2007-07-03T18:29:00.000-06:00

I confess, now my days are filled more with checking my facebook account rather than my blog. I appologize to those who regularly check my blog.
For a Gray family update:
Chad is enjoying his new job, he does not want to continue the job long term, but is happy to have a job until he starts school in the fall.
The girls are doing great, they spend most of their time outside in the gazebo in the back yard, when we are at home. I can't wait to take them to the lake this week end!
I am my busy crazy self. I always seem to have something on the go, Oh well, it is how I like it.

I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful warm weather!
I am off to a friends house tonight,
Take care and stay cool!

*Cute story about little monkey: she can now count to three and says "blast off!" at the end. For her it sounds like, "On, ewe, eie, bast ohf!" It is too cute!

New Job!

2007-06-26T18:52:00.000-06:00

I don't have long to blog, but I am excited to quickly share that Chad officially has a new job starting tomorrow morning. He went in this morning expecting an interview and ended up negotiating a wage for him and when he wants to start. Hurray for normal hours!
Hurray for Chad actually being at home and able to spend time with us. Hurray!

Have I fallen off the face of this earth?

2007-06-23T11:41:00.000-06:00

It seems I have had no time to check in on my blog, or other blogs for that matter. My time has been crazy busy with my family including a day trip out to the lake to cut grass. Hurray for having the cabin ready to use for the summer! Today, we were actually going to go out to the lake for the day, however, the weather said "no". So today, I am going to bury myself in house work and do some errands that need to be done (specifically, set up for discovery land at church). I am normally good at not leaving it to the last minute, however, this week has been so crazy, I had to leave it until now. Oh well.

On another note, tomorrow Chad and I will be official members at our church. I've been attending the church for the last 9 years (Chad 6 years), however, I struggled with the idea I would be tied down to one denomination. I thought I was a Christian, that should be enough. I have now since lost that idea and choose to support the church I go to and declare that to the entire church. I will still not refer to myself as free-Methodist, but as a Christian, when asked about my religious background. But it feels good to know that my church is officially my "home church". There will be a BBQ after and then we have a birthday party to go to. Yeah for fun business!

On a Chad update: we are still praying for a suitable job for him. I know God has the perfect job planned for Chad, we just have to be patient and wait for the job to open up. We are in God's hands and there is no other place to be!

my little monkey

2007-06-20T22:48:00.001-06:00

These were taken at Little monkey's friends house today, I can't believe how big she looks in these pictures, she is definately a toddler now!

playing at a friends house

2007-06-16T01:23:00.000-06:00

what to do?

2007-06-12T00:14:00.000-06:00

Chad is at his job right now, and he is misserable. He found out it is not four 10 hours shifts, but rather four 12 hours shifts with no overtime. He talked to a guy working there who has three kids and he said he never sees his kids because he is always too tired. He said he spends his week ends trying to catch up on sleep from the week. Chad phoned me in near tears because he does not want that for us. He wants to be the kids and I. I am very touch and warmed by his desire to want to be with us. However, what do we do about money?

Answer is simple, I know. Give it to God. Gee, psalm 37 for me, again. I told Chad to phone me at 2, then at 4, so we could talk. We both agree a good prayer session with God would be a great idea when he got home.

It is interesting though, now that I think of it. When Chad got the job, there were no houses available for sale in Pilot Butte. 95% of my friends were very much against us moving to Pilot Butte. Chad's stomach has been acting up HUGE for the last few days (IBS) Is this a sign from God telling us He has something better for us? I think only prayer and reading scripture are going to answer this question.

The Lord himself will go ahead of you.

He will be with you.

He will never leave you.

He'll never desert you.

So don't be afraid.

Don't lose hope.

(Deuteronomy 31:8)

Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust and not be afraid.

The LORD, the LORD,

is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation.

(Isaiah 12:2)

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

(Matthew 11:28-30)

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink;

or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food,

and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air;

they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much more valuable than they?

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

(Matthew 6:25-27)

Vent

2007-06-10T18:02:00.000-06:00

I just experienced the realization that my lifestyle is going to be significantly different now that Chad has a new job. His 3:30pm-3:30am shift is going to throw a switch into my sleeping in routine. Chad and I have always rotated who got to sleep in and who had to get up with the kids. Now, I am going to be the one to get up with them, and be the one to put them to bed. I am thinking that I am going to have to start having the girls sleep in, so I can too!

I am happy he has a job where he is still going to be home everyday. Plus, I am loving the idea of him having a long week end every week end. Still, I love, love, sleeping in. On the week ends, Chad is going to keep his sleep schedule as it would be if he was working, this way his body will not have a hard time adjusting each Monday. We will see if this works.

I know this is a very selfish vent, and I know I am going to be fine with out sleeping in. None the less, I needed a good vent about it.