Christmas Goodies

I had a good Christmas. I'll leave it at that. Mostly.

The kids had a really good Christmas too. The only thing was Bear needs a manners course. He kept asking for more presents after he had opened all of his. I was not impressed. Still both him and Smiles made out like bandits. Too many presents, toys and clothes and books. Coming back from Hubby's Uncle place on Christmas day we almost did not have enough room in the trunk for everything. The same could be said for when we came home from the farm on Boxing Day. Yes I did actually make it out to my parents place, Yay!

I did not get a lot of presents but the two that I did get that made it worthwhile for me were the cookie jar and the serger. YAY!!! A SERGER!!! Of course I have no room for one but I now have one and Raven and I might be able to set it up at her place so more sewing can be done. hehe. Or I might just use it here and have to set it up on the kitchen table every time. It'll be a pain but I could do that. Knowing me though I won't because it'll be too much energy and I won't have time. Especially with Eyes schedule still so wacky.

She has been more awake during the day which is good yet my sleep schedule is still a 3 am type. Which means I still sleep longer during the day than at night. Sigh!

Home for the holidays

For the past two days I have been trying to go out to my Mom and Dad's only to be too sick to do the 1 hour drive out to the farm. The kids are disappointed and therefore more irritable and likely to get into trouble. Smiles already broke the wrapping on one of her presents that I had wrapped the night before. Sigh! I really dislike peppermint but right now my stomach is so upset that's what I going to have in my tea. The ginger ale doesn't seem to be as effective anymore.

So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody.

Christmas Concert

Just to get the complaining out of the way. I'M SICK AGAIN AND HATING IT!!!!!!

Okay I went swimming with Raven on Tuesday after the kids Christmas Concert at school. I enjoyed the swim and I really liked the Christmas Concert as well. The kids sang beautifully (off key, too loud or not on the beat) but the best was the Orff ensemble that the new music teacher used for the concert. The reason being you culd actually tell what song the kids were playing. Many of the kids performed really well and I was quite happy with it. Bear was happy to show off his instruments playing and Smiles got to shake her bells and sing for her songs. All in all a good time was had by all.

P.S. Don't tell my husband but the new music teacher is HOT! He has that Asian, wavy black hair that needs to flipped out of his face thing going for him. Hehe.

On the note of my newest daughter I am not impressed with her nighttime schedule. In fact I think that is why I am so sick right now. Yesterday I only got 4 hours of sleep and most of that was after the kids had gone to school. 6:30 am is not a good bedtime. Last night I was determined not to have it happen again so at 3 am I simply let her cry til she stopped. 4 am I went in, fed her, swaddled her and then went to sleep myself. Yay! So I have had some more sleep today but not enough still. Tonight if she fusses again the lay down time will be 2 am. I am hoping!

Otherwise Eyes has been absolutely adorable. She has started smiling and is sooooo cute!

Broken Ornaments

So the Christmas Party on Friday was fun. It was at the Community Center Hall and the kids had a lot of fun. There was crafts and other kids to play with. There was even a magic show. And of course Santa himself came to deliver presents to all the kids that attended. What I liked the most was that the presents were age appropriate and had the kids names on them. The magician was okay. He was no David Copperfield but as an amateur he kept the kids entertained and that's what mattered most. Bear almost got up on stage for a trick but chickened out at the last second. Oh well. His choice.

Yesterday was the baby shower and boy was that alot of fun. Star was a darling and totally made of awesome (even if she was late for it!). All in all it was a small affair with the girl pack and my mother in law attending. I wouldn't say quiet for that it certainly wasn't. The gifts were cute and I am so happy more booties for Eyes! Yay!!! I need to pick up some more socks for her. The food was delicious and there was more than enough for everyone. Star outdid herself baking and I really liked her brownies even if there were structural integrity problems. Eyes gave some very cute pictures and I love the one of her staring at Red Necked Rabbit. I really enjoyed myself talking to my 'girlfriends'. I never really thought about it before but I have some awesome female friends and I am starting to treasure them more and more. Even the ones who move away (Like Baby Jail and Nfld K).

Today though I really want just one more hour of sleep and I don't think I'll be getting it any time soon. Now that Hubby's home let's see if I can get him to take care of the kids and I'll try and disappear for an hour or two. I can wish! As long as the kids don't knock over the Christmas tree again. We have already lost five glass ornaments. Luckily they mostly went under the couch and that made it easier to shoo the kids out and clean it up. Sigh! Can I take down the Tree please!? Oh alright I'll just take the glass ornaments off, hopefully that'll help.

Advice

Last night Raven tortured my baby keeping her awake so she would hopefully sleep longer after I fed her when I got home. Okay maybe not tortured but played with her and tickled her and talked to her. My favorite part is when I went upstairs and Raven was talking to Eyes. (Paraphrasing here) "Now that mommy has gone I can do unspeakable things to you!" Eyes response was to stick out her tongue and go "pbbbltt!" I found this out when I came back down with a tart. We did not get much sewing done but we did decide on some colour decisions and turned the flannel that I bought into receiving blankets.

But on another note as I was watching Raven torment Eyes I was also talking to Lady Mike (Yes this is very close to one of my knicknames but in this case it works for her as well) Lady Mike is talking about how she would like to get pregnant some day and I wish her well in that endeavor. Some of the things we talked about though was what a new mom should do with her newborn. I realized that I was doing one of the things on my list. Which was get out and do something to save your sanity. Woohoo!

So here's a short list...

1. Give the baby eye time. Meaning look at your baby for as long as s/he is willing to let you.
2. Tummy time. Every baby needs to work on their crawling and head control. Best to start early!
3. You time! This is just as important as giving your baby attention. If you do not relax and do something for yourself you will flip and do something stupid. This is why you hear most new moms go "Adult company! I need to talk to someone who can say more than 'gaga'" This usually happens around the three month mark. I should know I did that after my first two pregnancies. This one I am going swimming and getting out of the house at least twice every week. Since I know I am post partum depressive suspect I do not want to be inactive.

Still I could go on about things like sitz baths or singing to your child but you know what that would go under the best advice I can give any new mom. Of course I will admit I have been very good at offering it out to anyone who I think needs it! Trust your instincts! You will get so much advice (most of it conflicting) that it is simply best to listen, smile and throw away the ones you do not trust or know will work with your child. Believe me it makes the world of difference.

Sleep Deprivation

So I am at the point where I just want sleep and Eyes is not letting me get any. Her schedule is not conducive to our household. Sigh! And I can't keep expecting Hubby to take the kids to and from school. Also my after school care child is also waiting for me to take her back. Time for me to try and sleep Eyes finally went down. Lets see if I can one or two more hours.

Haphazard Postings

I am sure everyone will understand that my postings will be... well haphazard at best. A newborn tends to make getting on the computer a little more complicated than normal. I have to wait until Eyes goes to sleep before I can get on and secondly with Hubby home I have to make sure he's not on it already. Thirdly I am so exhausted I don't really want to be typing when I could be say - sleeping!! So now is a bit of an anomaly. Things are lined up and I am taking advantage of it.

Oh and yes Baby S will be known as Eyes on my blog. Wow! I forgot how adorable a baby's eyes could be and they are so blue. I could could gush for hours on how adorable she is. Until she wakes up and wants to eat again. That's the problem with breastfeeding you are kind of inseparable for a few weeks if not months. I am planning on breastfeeding for at least a month and then I will introduce a bottle just so Hubby can look after the baby while I go swimming or something.

Man, I so want to go swimming and all I can do is settle for a sitz bath. So until things heal a little more swimming will just have to wait. The sitz baths have been helping and speaking of which I should go take another one while Eyes is still sleeping. You see heat helps the healing process and with the older kids gone... oh I haven't mentioned that yet. The kids are at GRANDMA's and GRANDPA's for the weekend!!! I had called my Mom to see if she could come in and help out a little and her answer was to take Bear and Smiles for the weekend. I will miss them but it will be so nice not to have to deal with three needy children. The baby will be demanding enough.

I was thinking of doing a post partum list of aches and pains but I will suffice it to say that I hurt! Not only from the normal places and the post birth contractions but man am I bruising so easily right now. Of course being clumsy from lack of sleep doesn't help though man you should see my arms and legs right now! Oh maybe you shouldn't! You might think Hubby is being bad to me. In fact though he has been wonderful and really been helping out around the house. He's been doing the dishes, gets Eyes if she cries and has been looking after Smiles and Bear so I can concentrate on the baby. So yeah he's been really good to me. I'm happy.

New Addition

My new daughter was born on Nov 16th, 2007 at 4:38am in the morning. She weighs 8 pounds 14 ounces. (Which by the way makes her the biggest of my three babies. My son was born at 8 pounds 11 ounces and Smiles was 7 pounds 9 ounces. So yeah she's big!) She measures 52cm long and has blue eyes and blonde hair.

WOW am I tired! Exhausted in fact. In love with a brand new baby and very happy the labour is over with. You see I was determined not to take any pain medication with this baby and I am very proud to say that I succeeded! Except for the forced penicillin due to me being a carrier of the Group B Strep. I will relate the IV Horror Story in a little bit. On Thursday I had woken up in a lot of pain due to my hip dislocating during sleep and it took awhile before it went away. After picking up Smiles from school another kindergarten Mom mentioned that I had dropped. She was right!

I was still in denial though. I usually am until I have to actually go to the hospital! So then around 7 or 8 pm the contractions started coming on stronger. I decided at 9pm to go to bed, just in case and am glad I did. That hour of rest was badly tested by the time the labour was over. So at 11pm people were called and Auntie Ski was wonderful and came and slept over so the kids would not be disturbed and could still go to school in the morning.

At the hospital Hubby was invaluable as a labour coach and I honestly do not think I could have done it without him! Other than a few wild labour contractions things went fairly well and when the time came to push it was literally 2 minutes and she was out! I remember yelling the baby's coming! I need to push! The baby's coming! and a few other things but all in all the doctor was there right after I yelled that! Lucky for me since she had just came from doing a C-Section. Once again I can not explain the relief you feel once the baby has exited the birth canal. For me it meant an end to those horrible contractions (mostly). Oh and I have sworn up and down that I AM NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN! This is my last child! Baby S is my bonus baby and I am not gong to have another one!

Okay onto the IV Horror Story. So I had Group B Strep and needed an IV. The nurse poked my arm and got a vein. Alas when the drip was started I swelled. So she tried my other arm. I swelled again. Another nurse came in and found another vein. Once again I swelled. So the anathesiologist (however you spell it) came and tried to find another vein. That one was no good and finally on the back of my hand (with a smaller needle) the IV drip was installed. And you know what I complained more about the IV then I did about the labour contractions. Man am I strange. So after the swelling went away I have these bruises from them and those I have been calling them my war wounds that I can actually show people from this birth. LOL.

The kids reactions to the new baby are radically different. Smiles was ecstatic to find out she had a sister and immediately told everyone she met at the playground she had a new sister. Bear on the other was disappointed to find out he did not in fact have a baby brother and told Auntie Ski that there must have been some mistake. I do think he will come to love her just as much as he does Smiles. The biggest thing is he already has a baby sister, he just wanted a baby brother too! Unfortunately he's been a big of a stinker and a pest for Hubby and I think just wanting attention. Alas Hubby was stupid and did not get as much rest yesterday when I was in the hospital as he should have and so did not get as much of the housework done that he said he would do. Of course I should have done more before going in but am glad I reserved as much of my strength for the labour that I could. I even asked for food after giving birth because I was so hungry!

All in all she is beautiful and home now and I will have another long and sleepless night tonight!

Pregnancy Whining

So I decided that I haven't complained about being pregnant in awhile so here's an update. Oh and you have been warned this may turn messy!

Let's see first thing - Hip Dislocation!
Ugh! Can that ever be painful. You are standing around trying to wash your hands and the next thing you know your grabbing the sink. As your soapy hands slip on the basin you are wondering where your leg disappeared to?! If your lucky you catch yourself before you drop into the bathtub and brain yourself on the faucet.

Second thing - Leaks! This will be messy and not pleasant for some. WARNING!!!
Not only do you need to go to the bathroom more often you end up leaking smelly fluids that require the feminine napkins before the actual birth. Afterwards its to help with the tears leaking blood from the baby's passage. Then to top it all off you sometimes actually lose bladder control and its mere meters from a bathroom. I can't tell you how frustrating this is some days. Thankfully most of these accidents have been on the way home from picking kids up from school and not on the way there!

Third thing - Swollen Feet!
This is normal for most people and in my case I just happen to have had it the entire pregnancy through. Alas now that the due date is, oh, 3 days away my feet have been puffballing on a more regalur basis. Especially in the evening but that is mostly due to me not doing anything but watching TV or playing on the computer.

Fourth thing - I hate being SICK!!!!
This has nothing to due with being pregnant so much as I just hate being sniffly, whiny and miserable. And this has been going on for the past week and half now! Of course I could take something for this cold but will it be good for the baby? That's the crux and so I have suffered and been miserable for the last week and a half. It's particularly frustrating in the morning or just after naps because thats when the sinus' clog up again and if I am unlucky a wicked headache accompanies them.

Fifth thing - Contractions.
Or false contractions to be specific. Whenever I walk or drive that wave of pain rolls through my stomach muscles and I just grit my teeth and bear it. Then in the evening they start again and then stop, going nowhere. It's very frustrating because at this point you just want it over and done with! Alas I am expecting them to last for about two weeks because that's about the time they lasted before Bear and Smiles were born.

Sixth thing - Just General Uncomfortableness!
This is where I lump getting out of bed every hour to 2 hours every night. Not being able to turn over to the other side when your sleeping and for someone who can't sleep on her back this is a real chore. Oh and the drool from snoring all night. I so need to change my pillowcase! Then there's the pelvic exercises and keigels and the pills which sometimes make me gag. Oh and worst of all acid reflex! This time I am sure it is acid reflex and not low stomach acid. The only thing that helps is ginger ale and sleeping on my right side. My father pointed out that your stomach empties on your right so if you lie on it while sleeping the digestion process still continues. Where as if you sleep on the left it stays in the stomach and tries to come back up the esophagus. I don't know if this is true or not but you know IT Works! and I am not going to stop doing it!

So there you go a detailed explanation of my current pregnant state and its woes! Have fun and remember babies are so CUTE! Otherwise we would never have them!

Birthday Supper

Last night was Hubby's birthday supper and we went to a fabulous Greek restaurant. We ordered too much food and ate almost all of it. The kids even enjoyed most of their meal which means we may just get them to like Greek food after all. Heehee. Hubby liked his presents, some more than others. How can you compete with comic books after all! Still I think my practical gift of a wallet attached with a chain to a change purse will be good for both of us. This way I won't be irked by coins lying around the house all the time. (I am hoping anyways!) Still Hubby liked the sweater Bear gave him and the hair trimmer set from Smiles (yes both were influenced by Mommy - mostly me going this looks nice do you want to get it for Daddy?). Other than that a thermos for soups and clothes and two cookbooks from the rest of the family. All things that I know Hubby will enjoy.

At the restaurant we had a good time and the kids were mostly well behaved. Bear wanted to keep playing with Granddad but our restaurant rules dictates he must stay in his seat. Smiles got lucky and was sitting next to Granddad and so got to play with him a little more. Both kids were happy to have haircuts, courtesy of Mom, and Smiles liked showing off her necklace that she had received on her birthday. I have a problem cutting bangs but you know what Smiles' were not too short and anyways her hair grows fast so I am not worried. This morning she went up to her teacher and showed her the hair cut. Laughs. She loves being the center of attention!

I had to laugh because Nana asked Smiles if she wanted a baby brother or baby sister or if she didn't care. Smiles response was she didn't care. She just wants a baby so she can push the stroller! I am very thankful that I did not go into labour last night. Someone always gets jipped when you have two birthdays on the same day. Yeah one party but for who? This way Hubby can have his and the baby will have its later. I am thinking next week sometime. We'll just have to wait and see.

Arguments

My husband and I have been disagreeing on a very important subject lately but I do not want to go into it right now. Suffice it to say that although our yelling made Smiles cry at one point we have come to an agreement and I am hoping he sees why I am being "stubborn" (his viewpoint - I would use the term "firm") about this matter. The only thing I can say is you usually hear the phrase never yell at each other in front of the children. I disagree. Being angry is just an emotion and one that needs to vented every now and then. What our argument showed the children should be that although Mommy and Daddy disagreed and were angry with each other they were still able to come to an agreement peacefully.

Disagreements happen. It is learning how to resolve them that matters and that is what I want to show as an example to the kids. God it is so hard though!

So doing that whole trying to stay positive thing means I will do some positive reinforcement now.

1. Stayed firm during a heated argument.
2. Went shopping with the kids for Daddy's birthday presents.
3. Treated the kids to lunch at the mall.
4. Successfully came to a peaceful (if uneasy) agreement after a heated argument.
5. blogged.

Now I just need to figure what to make for supper for myself and the kids. I think I just might order in pizza.

Friends, Movie and Dessert Afterwards!

Last night I saw Stardust with Raven, Star and EMW. Raven and Star had already seen the movie but felt it was worth watching again and I glad they came. I enjoyed the movie and the company! I can see why people would want to watch it again. I think I will have to buy it on DVD! Heehee loved the pirates and Michelle Pfieffer as the evil mistress of magic!

Afterwards we crossed the parking lot to a restaurant for nibblies where we all talked further. I introduced EMW to Raven and Star and I think they got along fine. I have always wanted to do something with her outside of the Anniversary Dinners where the boys usually monopolize the conversation. She is a cool person and since it my treat for the night I really wanted her to come! I am so glad they all made it:)

Today was an assembly at the school for Remembrance Day and I cried through the whole thing. I was already weepy when I arrived so I just made sure I was at the back and covered up my tears with my blowing my nose. One good thing of colds I guess! Unfortunately I then found out one of my favorite people at the school is leaving for another job. I don't blame her it's full-time year-round as opposed to summers off, but she was cool! I always liked going to the office and seeing her smiling face. Especially when I had a problem I knew she would do her best to answer it. I hope the new secretary is as nice as Mrs. P. Sigh, that's life!

Friends and a Movie Night

1. Did dishes.
2. Took a shower.
3. Got the car seat from Star.
4. Set up a date to go see Stardust tomorrow evening with Star, Raven and EMW.
5. Let Hubby go tonight to see Stardust so I can go tomorrow.
6. Thinking of going to bed early tonight.

The one accomplishment that really makes me happy is that the crib was assembled when I got home with Smiles from Star's house today! I can't take credit for it though since I had told Hubby was that was the last thing he had to do for the nursery. The rest is up to me to decorate and make snuggly for a newborn. Which won't take me long at all!

Alas other tasks always crop up which Hubby then needs to deal with. Like the crawl space, but that is not what I want to get into right now. So if the movie gets out early tomorrow I might be able to let Hubby go out with his friends tomorrow night. Or maybe not! After all he is going out tonight, Saturday and Sunday! And Sunday is his birthday! He wants to go for a family supper (his family which includes his mother and siblings - which I don't blame him they are family:)) and then after he's dropped me and the kids off at home he'll go gaming. Haha Laughs. So we'll see about tomorrow. All I know is that I am looking forward to going and seeing a movie. The last movie I saw in the movie theaters that wasn't a kids movie was.... oh my I don't remember. Memoirs of a Geisha I think and that was like two or three years ago. So yeah I definitely want to see another one before the baby is born!

Oh and Bear's Pink Eye no longer is pink. He went to school today and was fine. Other than losing the medicine drops (which I found at the office) he was very glad to have the baggy of wipes to keep his hands clean lest he accidentally touch his eyes. I think I will just send the wipes tomorrow and keep the medicine at home. LOL. This way they won't be "stolen" because someone forgot to put them in his pocket. Kids! Gotta love them.

A New Oven

It is so strange how one day can be filled with so many things. On that note I better do a positive reinforcement.

1. We got a new stove today. A convection oven to boot!
2. Went swimming with Raven and talked!
3. I actually did housework today!
4. I started organizing the baby's room.
5. Bear's Pink Eye looks like it should be a quick recovery.

I really like our landlady. She's awesome! Ever since we moved in our oven door on the range was missing hinges on the arms that held the door into the oven. So my landlady when she found out that we had exhausted all possibilities of trying to fix it ourselves went out and got a new oven for us! She is awesome. The only problem is her timing. The new oven didn't get here til close to 10pm and Hubby had to help move it in and the old one out. He was complaining earlier that he had to get up at 5:30am tomorrow morning and yet he's now watching the Silver Surfer. Go figure!

The housework was a big thing as well since I have let things slide so badly this weekend. I hate being sick and the dishes went the way of the dodo for awhile. So now things are caught up for the most part and I hope I can keep it up.

I guess the thing that pleases me the most about today was the fact that I went swimming. I did not do nearly as many laps as I normally do but that did not stop me from enjoying my swim. That and Raven and I had a good talk. The hot tub soak was the best since both of us were sick and mainly wanted to just get out of the house. It is amazing how my mood changes when I am swimming. I just feel better. I will so be doing my best to make swimming happen after the baby is born.

Which brings me to the last thing. The crib is now in the nursery. Not yet assembled but once that is done then Hubby is done with the nursery. Then I can decorate the nursery and we'll be ready for the baby's arrival! I even have the baby's bag packed. I just need to pack my own overnight bag. LOL.

Now if only the kids can get over the colds that they have then things would be um... back to normal! Hahaha

There is a House of Sickness....

Hack, sniffle, cough...HONNNNKKKK!

I think, I think, I think... I am starting to get to the recovery stage of this cold but it is still aggravating me. I so wish I could chew and breathe at the same time. You know it is so hard to eat when your children are telling you "Mommy chew with your mouth closed!" Sigh! I wish I could!

The only thing of importance that happened today was that Bear was sent home from school due to the fact that he has Pink Eye. Thankfully Hubby was home and went and got him. I had been at my doctor's appointment and he would have had to wait at school otherwise. It seems if it is not one thing it's another! I live in a house of Sickness!!! Even Hubby seems to be succumbing to my cold. The only one who is truly on the road to recovery is Smiles and I was still not going to give her candy today. I am so cruel as a Mom. My rule is if you are sick - No Candy!!! And this is just after having acquired a bagful of Halloween Candy!

Partial Victories

The nursery was cleaned out except for three boxes and some miniatures in the closet. The twin bed has been brought in and set up since we have a little girl sleeping in it right now. Bird is over so her Daddy can game with Hubby. I was hoping the crib would be in and assembled but since I have realized that I have no crib sheets I am ok if Hubby brings the crib in tomorrow. Unless I go into labour. Hahaha. In that case I won't be doing anything else in the nursery at all!

I ended up talking to Little H's mom today (the little girl from across the back alley) and her due date is 2 days before mine. Apparently her nursery is not quite done either but she's now home from work and is working on it. Once the crib is set up in our nursery all I need to do it get things set up and I'll be a lot happier. One thing that made me really happy was that Lazarus fixed my desktop screen so I can actually change it if I want to. YAY!!!! That and I am starting to figure out links better. I just need to try and fine tune things on how to navigate these things which really aren't that hard.

Other than that we have tons of Halloween Candy left over and I am hoping to get rid of some on our gamers tonight. Me, I will be playing on the computer for awhile and then I hope I can go to sleep. I have been having problems breathing right now. So if I can't use my nasal passages my mouth gets so sore and raw and sleeping and eating become an annoyance at best. I hate this stage of a cold. ---WHINE ALERT--- and all I can take is Tylenol, nothing else!!! Smiles on the other hand seems to be alot better. Bear looks like he has my cold too. So with daylight savings time, tomorrow morning should be fun. I hope my after school care child comes on time and not an hour early.

Otherwise today was an odd day. The kids went to Little S's birthday party today where a friend of ours who is a professional performer did a show for the kids. Smiles liked how he kept hitting himself accidentally. Bear loves the balloon dragon that N made him. Wow the dragon is very elaborate. Hubby used the party as an excuse as to why he didn't do all his tasks today. And I even let him sleep him in this morning so he wouldn't need a nap in the middle of the afternoon. Yet he needed one. Sigh!!! AND then he wonders why I get annoyed when he abandons his tasks because he now has hosting duties when his friends arrive. Sigh!

Okay that's enough husband bashing. In other news my sister in law is okay and the chest pains are apparently just a new form of migraine. I don't understand how this can be but that is what my mother in law told us. So Auntie Ski is home and recovering and me being selfish here means no more massages for me before labour. I don't think I'll pressure her in that regards. It would have been nice but that's life I guess. Same thing as my friend having to move back to Newfoundland.

Sickness Never Fails to Strike Again....

Yes I am miserable and whiny. I stayed home last night and therefore do not have a better picture of the dragon head costume piece. I decided to keep my misery to myself last night. Unfortunately Hubby has friends over on Fridays because I am usually not there and so my misery was inflicted on them for a bit. Thankfully it was only before bedtime for me and was only because I followed the instructions from Hubby regarding a virus attack on the computer. I started reading things out to him when the pop ups first happened and he wasn't wanting to pay attention to me so I did as he said and almost got another virus on the computer. Thankfully his brain caught up to him and he jumped on the computer to deal with it right away. Unfortunately he tried to blame me for "Doing what he told me to do!" and we had a small spat in front of his friends. I went to bed after that.

It's funny how you can be arguing the same point and still not want to stop arguing. When that was pointed out to us that's when I decided to retreat because I knew I would just continue otherwise. When I am sick I am even more unreasonable then normal. Heck who wants sore throats, lightening runs to the bathroom, headaches and fevers. I sure don't and I had to explain to Hubby today that when I am sick and miserable like this all I want is to be looked after and pampered. Simply because I do not want to do the necessary chores that need to be done. Like dishes. So they are currently piled up beside the sink (two days worth and no more glasses or kids plates available) and he thinks I will be willing to help him in the morning. Ha! At least he said he will get up with the kids tomorrow and let me sleep in. I think that's the only way he knows how to pamper someone. Let them sleep so they can regain the energy to resume their normal chores so he doesn't have to do them. Sigh!

I suppose I could be mad at him right now for dropping the ball on the nursery yet again and going over to his friends house tonight but I don't have the energy. He always says he's going to do something and if he does half of what he says he was going to do that's good enough for him. That really irks me because it just means more work for him tomorrow and if he doesn't do what he says he was going to do I just might let Lazarus hold him down while I beat him up. After all the nursery needs to be ready and darn quick. My due date is in another 14 days (two weeks)!!! Men!

I guess the reason why I am not angry with him right now is that he is worried about his sister. Auntie Ski was taken to the hospital today with chest pains and is being monitored really closely. I don't know all the details yet but they are worried about aneurysms because that's how her Grandfather died. It was very quick for him. To the best of my knowledge she should be okay but I am still going to pray for her.

Oh and for those on the west coast-ish - it's for Daylight Savings Time this weekend. It's either tonight or tomorrow but either way we'll be losing an hour.

Dragon Head Costume Piece

As promised here is the dragon head I made for Bear. Which he loves and he tried to do this pose every time he went up to a door to trick or treat.



I may be able to get a better picture tonight from Raven but I just love this photo of him.

Hoping for a good nights sleep

It was interesting the last few days. Halloween last night of course was both draining and fun at the same time. The costumes were well received by the houses and Raven did take a picture of the dragon head but I am a technically inept peon when it comes to figuring out links so I will wait til tomorrow when she can maybe show how to link the picture properly. I even ended up stopping by both Auntie Ski's and Nana's(my mother-in-law's) house to show off the costumes. Which meant I did not get back home in time to see K and her family before they left for Newfoundland. I did manage to get them an airplane care package. Smiles and I painted some pictures and then drew dark lines on them. I cut out the pieces that we had drawn and voila homemade puzzles to keep two young boys hopefully amused. Bear also cut out a Megatron for the boys to play with and I wrote a letter to K.

Today on the other hand I woke up with a sore throat, headache and due to insomnia and my hips now popping out of joint only having gotten 5 hours of sleep. Plus J was dropped off by her mom this morning so I could start that after school job I for some reason took! Then it was off with Hubby to get the car insured and registered. I am looking forward to having my own car to use again. I got Smiles from school and was feeding her chicken noodle soup when she put her elbow in the hot HOT soup and spilled it down her side. Sigh! Luckily my reactions to a screaming child who just burned herself were still active and I immediately stripped her threw her in a tub and after cooling down the burns put ointment and bandages on the burns. Thankfully the areas were small enough and it looks like the soup burned but not enough to require a hospital trip. She calmed down significantly after the bandages were on so I think it was mostly scared screaming. I checked her elbow before bed time and it was not nearly as red as it was at lunch time. I think she'll be ok. I'll just have to monitor her burns.

On that note when I was picking Bear up from school and he told me he had run into a girl at lunch time while playing soccer and scraped his knee. Oh and by the way J had acquired a huge bruise on her hip yesterday from being slammed into a post at the playground. The girl pushing her on the sliders had gotten a little too enthusiastic and hadn't been watching where she was going. So all three of the kids I am looking after have injuries. I guess they come in threes! So I am hoping I get more sleep tonight and we will see how I am tomorrow. I find I can function fine one day on 5 hours of sleep. It's the next day that I usually crash really bad.

Earning my time on NWN tonight!

So this morning I had a doctor's appointment and since it was at 9:50am instead of my usual 9:30am I thought I would have time to do some extra things around the house. As it turned out Hubby dropped me off early (9:20am) at the doctor's which was incredibly quiet. Meaning non-busy. Meaning they got me in at 9:25am and I was done by 9:40am and on the bus home by 9:45am. Which meant that all the fabric pieces that I had cut out for Bear's Dragon head (his costume for Halloween is a dragon this year) a mere two hours ago could be assembled before picking Smiles up from school. As it was I was able to get almost all the fabric pieces sewn together and started pinning the gold scales down. So from the top of the head down the back of his neck he will have gold ridges sticking out.

After picking Smiles up from school I would have gotten more done but when it comes to reading to Smiles I have to indulge. As it was she got three books out of me and the dragon head is all the way up to having one horn sewn on and most of it sewn down to the baseball cap. I decided to cheat and use the cap as a better way of keeping the head on Bear's Head, especially at school. This one I have been making sure I do not cover up the adjustable strap in it so we can maybe put it over a hood! If I can I so want to post a picture of it. Unfortunately that means I need someone else's camera since I do not own a digital camera or a scanner. Hmmm! Raven sweetie, darling, best buddy?.....

I am sure somehow I'll get a picture and all I can say is Bear is pretty excited about it! The only worry I currently have is that I could not find any polyester batting or filling to puff the head up in to a real dragon's head and not just a baseball cap. I ran to the fabric store(and yes bought material I didn't need. Some 4.5 meters of black fleece which was on sale) to get some and they were all out. Sheesh, you would think it was the Christmas and Halloween season or something! Anyways I did pick up some zippers for my hoodies so I can actually wear them again. Also some black thread which, I know I had a roll of 1000m black on my machine last time I had looked, mysteriously was missing when I went to sew this morning. Hmmmm. Must have been the cats! The kids would never... nah!

So my solution for the batting to fluff up the head was a simple and economic one. I did not have time to go look for a cheap pillow (which was the suggestion of the staff at the fabric store) I went to the drugstore instead. Cotton balls! Light, fluffy and cheap! I just hope it doesn't snow or rain on Halloween cause then I'll have one limp dragon. Lol.

I deserve a little break tonight I think. Never Winter Nights should do just fine!

Staying Positive is Hard

I am trying to stay positive right now so this will be a quick blog only.

1. Had fabulous food and conversation at the Girl's Night Out (aka Raven's birthday party) last night.
2. Have a mattress for the bed going in the nursery.
3. Worked on the boxes of books in the nursery and got 10 down to three.
4. Did housework.
5. Had an argument with the husband and made myself say something positive at the end so he would hopefully not go to bed angry.
6. Had a good talk with Star.
7. Got baby clothes and some toys from Star.

All we have left that will be needed for the baby's arrival will be receiving blankets and a car seat. The car seat Star said she'll provide once she's washed it for me. Other than that the nursery is getting closer and closer to being set up and done. Yay! Okay positive is done now it is time to flush my brain down the toilet with some mindless games before going to bed.

A week of denounemont....

After that wonderful party on Sunday the rest of this week has been - blah for lack of a better word. At least that's how I have been feeling, lol. Smiles has been very happy -mostly- she has a cold. But she did make it to school on Tuesday I was worried for awhile that morning that she wouldn't make it for her real birthday and school pictures. She did though and got dressed up in one of her special occasion dresses and Daddy gave her one last present. A necklace with a horse and a small garnet on it. She was thrilled and loved being able to wear it to school. Still she was sick and her cough has gotten worse so I have been monitoring her. This weather is playing havoc with everyone's systems I am certain of it. Hot - Cold -Hot - Cold. Make up your mind already!!!

Right now its gorgeous out and I have all the windows in the house open just to cool things off. Today we are going to carve the big pumpkin and put that in the bay window. I am going to open it up and scoop out all the insides before picking Bear up from school. Then after he's done his homework and if there's time before supper I'll let him draw the face he wants on it. Then I get to try and carve it out. Lol that should be fun. I figure I better do this today since tomorrow is garbage day. haha.

Last night was fun. I went swimming with Raven and we met Fox and Slickie? in the hot tub afterwards. We even went in the current pool for awhile before the main pool closed at 9pm. Fox had never been in there and had a lot of fun just floating around in it. Then I ended up going over to Raven's to check out this Renaissance Costume she wants to make for herself. Don't mind me if I giggle through out this process because she is finally attempting to use patterns for the first in in her sewing career. I was able to point out a few things and explain a few others but for the most part I do think Raven will be fine. She is a good sewer (that's sower not suwer people!) and she has DD and I to call and ask questions of should she need help. As I said before I think she'll be fine. Her materials and colours are gorgeous. Teal satin with flocked black velvet pattern. A gorgeous gold satiny patterned lining and for the bodice a black gold and some silver brocade style material. All of those together look fabulous. Wow. Definitely her colours.

I am looking forward to Friday because that's Raven's Birthday Party and she has been holding it at the top East Indian Restaurant for the last 4 or 5 years. Which means the girls night out get to eat really really well. Yum!!! I just hope Hubby can make it home early enough because there are some of our friend who can only come for a short time. Still I am sure some of us will be there til 11pm which is our usual departure time on these nights. Haha. Otherwise Raven and I have decided since Ladies of Hack just wasn't going anywhere on Fridays that we were going to turn it into another swimming/costuming night. Which makes me happy cause I need to do both!

Other than that my friend who's moving back to Newfoundland is borrowing my air mattress because they currently have no furniture in the apartment. Lol. That and they got flights back on Halloween at 11 pm so the boys will be able to go trick or treating that night. Yeah!!! This makes her happy because she was thinking she would not survive the 6 day Drive back to Newfoundland. The boys apparently have trouble keeping to themselves in the car for a few hours let alone 6 days! So I am happy for her she got her flights but am still sad she has to leave. Sigh them's the breaks!

Oh and the baby is getting more and more active while my hips are being displaced. I definitely have that distinctive pregnant waddle. Waddle waddle waddle!

I survived!!!!

The party went according to plan, mostly. I was a little terse when I kept getting crowded by kids wanting to get at Smiles present that I was trying to rip out of a box. Lol that was fun. At least three of my nails had to be trimmed because they are incredibly weak right now and broke during this excution. Sigh! But the weather was lovely and Auntie Ski was fabulous as a cohost for the games and she even got the coolest party decorations. My mother in law supplied a pirate Pinata which the HIT of the party. I was able to do the crawl through the fort, throw a cannonball (basketball) into a hoop, walk the gangplank and then hit the Pinata for the TREASURE!!!! They went through that line-up around four or five times before I finally called it quits and let Auntie Ski smack it (by the way I think she bent the Pinata stick). A few good whacks from her and down came the treasure in all its candy glory.

Then it was time for presents and cake. All the kids had fun and were very cute. Little H from across the back alley unfortunately was sick and could not make it so after the party Smiles and I took a Loot bag and a piece of cake over to her house for her. Then it was a quick cleanup and Hubby tried to get in a nap but failed because Grandma and Grandpa showed up. Lol. We did not have any appetizers like usual mainly because Hubby tried to take the nap and he was not feeling well. Sigh. It's a perpetual cycle it seems. But the family party went very well and Smiles was quite happy with all her loot from the two parties.

Okay here I have to boast. Of all the presents the one that got the reaction of Eyes wider than saucers and the toy getting hugged before it was even out of the box was mine! She has been wanting a stroller for her dolls for a long time now and when we walk home from school she'll pretend that we have our baby sisters with us and she's pushing their stroller. She even goes so far that if we are walking with Baby C whom Little B's mom takes care of - she wants to push the baby's stroller. So when I saw the toy stroller in the store I had to get it for her. She currently has it by her bed sitting there with dolls and stuffies in it. She loves it! The other toy that she was cuddling when she went to bed was the huge white teddy bear that Little B got her. I know she likes the other toys and is thrilled to have them but those two make me very happy.

Raven, Bear was the one who ended up playing with the Dora mega block set just so you know! Smiles did a little but she was more interested in taking pictures with HER camera. It came with a Bratz doll (hhhrrrmmmm as Marge from the Simpsons would say) but Little M's mom was nice enough to send a roll of film with the package. So now I'll have to go develop that roll. Haha! So once again we had a lovely time and I was glad that most of the kids that we invited made it. We would have had only eight but I saw Little B's brother R in the neighbours yard and had to invite him to come over too. So in the end we had nine kids and I had two wonderful helpers in Star and Auntie Ski. Star and Cosmic stayed even though they did not have to and I am glad they did because Star got some fantastic photos of the event. Yeah!!! I should go to bed soon I am tired. Except I had at least three pieces of cake today and I think I am still buzzing on the sugar high. LOL!

Housework and Party Preparation

1. Did housework.
2. Did more housework.
3. Did even more housework.
4. Went swimming with Raven.
5. Moved the last two bookshelves out of the nursery.

I must admit I only planned on doing two things for housework today which I figured were absolutely essential. Wash the floors and do the dishes. So when I was done the dishes and the floors I ended up washing the walls. I cleaned both doors (front and back - including screen doors). And I moved things around in the nursery. I put my cloth into our bedroom.

When Raven came over to pick me up for swimming she "helped" Hubby move the bookshelves into our bedroom. Sigh! Which means both of them are in our bedroom. I suppose I will have to deal. At least Hubby has all of his bookshelves in the house. Sigh. So the current state of the nursery is there's a change table in it!!!! Raven brought it over tonight. It was one of the reasons she helped Hubby move things I believe. Though there are still books all over the floor and some boxes. I was hoping for a few more things done tonight but Hubby was getting very aggravated and grumpy with me for insisting on doing things. You know what, he's just going to have to deal with it. It needs to be done and we are literally running out of time. Sure my due date is a month away but in reality it could be any day now. And if the nursery is not done before I go into labour he's going to be in big trouble!!!!

Still Smiles is very excited about her party tomorrow and I am sure she'll be happy. I did have the thought that if the nursery was cleared of things we could use that space should the weather turn out bad. Otherwise I have things planned for outdoor entertainment before bringing them in for presents and cake. You know what I think things will be fine. The only two tasks I left for myself tomorrow was to clean the bathroom (10 mins tops) and then to take a shower. I may do a little more like clearing a table here or some laundry but on the whole I feel quite ready to deal with the party.

I just hope Hubby doesn't make to much of a mess in the kitchen tomorrow morning. I don't want dirty dishes littering the counters when the kids come. Which just means that Hubby should not go on the computer and play WoW in the morning. I know he will because he "hasn't had the chance to play yet!" and will put his tasks off until the last minute. Which may cause stress between us because I will want him to use his time better. I have asked him not to be in the kitchen or on the computer when the kids are here. Simply because I do not think the computer needs to be on (the images of WoW are not really appropriate for young kids - yeah I know our kids see them all the time) and I will be doing the cake in the kitchen so I don't want a mess in there.

Hmmm I hope we don't butt heads too badly tomorrow. After all apparently I am the one in charge of the kids party so he thinks he can sit back and do nothing during it. While he's doing the supper for the family meal that night. The only job I have then is cleaning up after him. Hmmm is that fair? On the most part if he helps a little with the kids I don't think its a problem doing the dishes after his meal preparations. I think that's fair, I just hope he does too.

Lasagna Night

I had some good compliments on it tonight. I did in fact take the two casseroles of lasagna to Raven's tonight to feed the gamers. One was completely gone and the second one was cut into. I left the second one there for Raven and her family and made sure I brought back the large white casserole dish for Hubby. He wants to use it for making Pasticho for Sunday night for Smiles birthday family supper. Which should be a fun night. As long as Smiles calms down her announcement that her birthday party should be on Tuesday which is her actual birthday instead of Sunday.

All this week the kids have been...off is the best way to describe it, I suppose. After school we have noticed that kids have all been more physically aggressive or just throwing tantrums. All the moms I have been talking to this week haven't been able to figure it out. Tonight I was talking to Cosmic and he suggested that he noticed his kids have been having trouble sleeping due to the changing light patterns. You know Fall and the coming darkness. Which may be a reason for the kids being so out of sorts this week. Anyways I just hope Smiles gets more excited for Sunday. I think she will especially if the party is about to start.

I am very thankful that Auntie Ski said she would be willing to help out for that party. It is only scheduled for an hour but still it's going be ten 5 to 7 year olds in a small house (if the weather is bad - otherwise I plan on doing the games outside). Still I plan on doing the cake last just so I am sending sugar happy kids home at that time. We'll see if my plans survive the actuality of ten 5 to 7 year olds.

Other than that Smiles has been awfully cute lately. Today as I was chopping up vegetables for the psuedo Spanish rice concoction for my family's supper she asked if she could have some of the broccoli. Then she grabbed the strawberries (from Grandma's garden) and took one out. Poured some of the strawberry juice into the bowl and got the last banana. That's when I found out she was making a fruit salad. Um yeah. Later when the spaghetti squash was cooked she insisted that some of it went in as well. Oh, don't forget the butter and cheese. Silly me I promised her I would taste it. I wonder if she would notice if I threw it out tonight while she sleeps. Lately her memory has been very good so yeah I think I just might have to suffer a bite. Haha. Thankfully she used the line that if I didn't like it I didn't have to eat it. Somedays I like it when they parrot back what you have told them. That just may save me tomorrow. Haha.

The other thing of note from today was that we made cutouts of construction paper of Halloween things for the window today. I made a large witch with green hair and a couple of pumpkins. Bear made a dragon and Smiles made a plethora of vampires (pink), bats and a pumpkin. It was very cute. Other than the real pumpkin we are going to carve that's all we are going to do for Halloween decorations. I am more into having permanent Christmas decorations than Halloween ones. Oh though Smiles did draw on the tiny pumpkin that she got from her field trip to the farm last week. We had it out the last few nights and this morning she touched it and found it was cold. She suggested a blanket for it but I thought it would be better to just bring it in. It is now sitting in the bottom of the bay window. All in all I am looking forward to the next few months being over and done with. I may love the holiday season but this year it might be too much work for me. Sigh. I am sure I'll survive somehow.

Anniversary

Last night was our Ninth Anniversary. We had a wonderful meal with our friends who we have been celebrating with for the last four years. We were both married in the same year and Hubby was the best man at their wedding. I like the wife she's very funny especially when she's tipsy. (No I did not drink - I know better - though the chocolates for dessert had some alcohol in them. Thankfully it was minuscule so I don't think it'll affect the baby.) Otherwise it was a wonderful meal and the waiter was very attentive. He even brought those plates that have Happy Anniversary written on them in chocolate and it had a candle on it. That's what we get though for going to the Five Star Hotel Restaurant in town. It's too bad we can only do it once a year.

Unfortunately now I am sick. I feel like I have a fever and have been battling a headache all day. But still with all that I still got presents for Smiles with Bear and am still planning out her party for Sunday. I just want to sleep. Ugh!

Lasagna!!!!!!

So I had a better day today. I was not nearly so bitter and annoyed. Though guess what Hubby did not do as he said he would yesterday. That's right, no boxes were taken out of the Nursery. He did pick up Smiles from her field trip, drop me off at the medical image center for my Ultrasound and helped Bear with his homework. He also tried to muscle in on my lasagna making. So all in all it was an okay day. Haha!

1. I made three lasagnas. One for supper tonight and two for Friday at Raven's.
2. I voted in the city election.
3. I had my Ultrasound. The baby is big and long. 6 pounds 12 ounces.
4. I did dishes twice. Once to clear the lasagna dishes and then the after supper dishes.
5. I gave the kids a bath.

One thing I realized as I was making the lasagna was that I did not make a vegetarian one for the friends of Blankshield's who comes over some Friday's. Oops. I do have some spaghetti squash and zucchini I should use up soon. Maybe I can make that into something for them. One thing I am happy about - the kids both said they loved the lasagna. Which makes me happy because truth be told I like making lasagna. It's one of the dishes that I enjoy making. I should warn you though Raven I forgot to put salt in the meat like I usually do so I won't be offended when you have all the salt shakers out on the table come Friday.

Oh and I am so proud of Smiles. She was helping today with the dishes. She was drying them for me. On Saturday both kids were helping and since I hadn't done dishes for two days previously they had been a big piled up mess. I gave them extra big helpings of pie. So I am quite happy with the fact that I am teaching my kids to help out with the household chores. Smiles said today that when she was a teenager she was going to do the dishes all by herself so I wouldn't have to. Aww that so sweet. I do think when she's a teenager that may change but we will just have to wait and see.

Road Rage

So I had a road rage incident on the way to the grocery store. Unfortunately I was the angry one. I was in the parking lot of the store and had come to an intersection. There was no stop signs and two cars were trying to turn left across my lane. I was also turning left into a stall. So as per the rules of an intersection that has no stop signs or traffic lights I let the first car turn left because they had stopped first. Then I went and the second car's driver got angry and I saw her shouting at me. So I gave her the finger and shouted back. After all no traffic signs turns any intersection like that into a four way stop.

Too many times have I seen people disregard the rules of traffic just because they think they have the right of way when they don't. A couple of years ago I could have been killed if I had decided to obey the rules and turn onto 50th street. I would have been hit by a delivery van that was also going to fast to stop if I had pulled in front of him. Yes it was rainy and the signal lights were out but once again it meant that the intersection turned into a four way stop. Aaarrrggghhh!

VENT

Of course the reason why I am angry and upset is because my husband said he would help clear out the nursery room today. Instead he got on the computer and played all afternoon, occasionally getting up and taking out a box here or there out. When all it would take is an hour or two at most he decided to play instead whining like a little kid that he was "TIRED!". Then he had the gall to say he would do a little of it all week. Once again postponing the job that he has said he would do for the last three months. We can't put any furniture into the room til all the junk that is in there has been moved out. And I am getting annoyed and frustrated because so far I have been doing all the work. The only time he does anything is if I nag him to death or get someone else to assist him in moving the heavy furniture out. So yeah Road Rage and Home Rage!

Just in Case!

It is definite my friend and her family are moving back to the East Coast. She is trying to find flights for the family instead of driving back in the convoy of Newfoundlanders on Halloween. That way she may be able to let the kids still trick or treat before getting on a plane. I hope she finds one that will fit her schedule.

So today I had a doctor's appointment and everything is going well. She (my doctor) laughed at how blase I was to indignities she had to put me through. After all I have had to go through them before with my last two pregnancies, why should this one be different. I really like this obstetrician. She has a good sense of humor at least and is willing to listen to me about what concerns me. Not that I have a lot of concerns at the moment or throughout most of this pregnancy. I know I will get post partum depressed because I have been struggling with depression during this pregnancy. Still the baby is healthy to the best of my knowledge. It is at least kicking alot. And I mean alot. It has been very active lately.

The only thing I don't like is the step up in appointments I must now start to go through. Sigh. Soon it'll be once a week to the doctor's. Plus I have an ultrasound booked for Monday just to make sure the baby is not in a breech position. Though that doesn't worry me even if it is. I have a month to go for the baby to still do cartwheels and handstands in my belly before it decides to come out. I am certain that it won't stay breech. At least not for labour. But I am trying to keep all contingencies planned for so I won't be overwhelmed at that time. I also realized that I should get a baby or overnight bag packed soon. You know just in case!

Good and Sad

So despite having had an excellent massage from the wonderful, beautiful, fantastic Auntie Ski (I'm trying to suck up for another massage in a few weeks - grin) I found out my friend from Newfoundland is definitely moving back. Which makes me sad because I was hoping to have someone to talk to all this year at the school. The other thing is that they are going to be leaving on Halloween so the kids will not be able to go trick or treating that night. So I am hoping I have enough energy to do a gift bag for the kids on their way home.

The other thing that made me sad was the new fleece hoodie (which is awesome because it is light gray and has subtle skulls in black and darker gray) that I had bought a few weeks ago had the zipper break tonight. Grrr! I am not surprised just annoyed. It was a plastic zipper so all it means is that I am going to have to go to a fabric store and pick up two new ones. After all the reason I bought the new hoodie was because my old blue one had the zipper break also. I will be a good girl (I need to keep repeating this to myself) and not buy anything else. Right! I guess we will just have to see. I currently have no time or energy to sew and I really should be. Especially if I want to make all the cloaks I want to for Quad War.

Right now though I need to work on Bear's Dragon Costume. The body is good and I am thinking of just having him wear dark pants. It's the head that I have been at an impasse on trying to figure out how to do. So on Tuesday I came up with the brilliant idea of using a baseball cap as a base. This way all the sewing that needs to be done is to build it up to look like a dragon's head. Which should be fun. LOL.

A day in the life...

Despite not sleeping after only 3 and a half hours last night I still managed to have a fairly decent day. I did practice more scrabble online and got in a two hour nap. I also did the dishes and still got the kids to school and back on time. I also did not freak out while helping Bear do his homework. Mainly because he had chosen easy books to read for his reading homework. It's when he has words that he has to sound out that the tears sometimes happen. I even got to go swimming tonight. I had a short nap and then a bowl of chicken noodle soup before Raven picked me up. I was not able to drive functionally tonight. Then we went to the wonderful Greek restaurant we had previously visited with Fox and his friends. Yummy.

One particularly nice thing that happened today was that I received my first baby gift for the new baby. Pixie or DD sent me a baby blanket that is a wonderful crocheted pink, purple and green blanket which should be good for either a boy or a girl. Lol. It's not like it is going to matter one way or the other. Smiles liked the blanket and was bugging me until I finally opened both packages. Pixie also sent me a scroll, a little bottle with a skull on it and some more Green Griffon seals from her work at Gencon. Wow. I feel so loved. Thank you DD!

Of course we can't all have good things happen or life wouldn't be exciting. Little B's Mom told me today that she and her family may have to move back to Newfoundland at the end of the month. Which is really sad because I have grown to like her. I always try to see if I can talk to her everyday when we are picking up the kids. But alas I understand life is not always fair. Which means Smiles will definitely have to have Little B over for her Birthday Party coming up in a few weeks. She wants to do a pirate party and I like that idea. I just have to get off my butt and print out some invitations or write them out or something soon. Otherwise no one will come to Smiles party. So Star both Bug and Little S are welcome to come if I somehow do not get an invitation to you in time. Raven already knows and I just have to invite the three kids from Smiles class and our back alley neighbour Little H.

Mostly it just means getting organized and then doing something about it. Like our Nursery! This weekend we at least got the desk out and now just have to remove the boxes of stuff and the last two bookshelves out of it. Then Hubby can bring in the furniture from the garage and assemble everything. I mean to have it done by the end of October but I am telling Hubby in two weeks. We'll see if it works.

Oh one thing I didn't mention earlier that I meant to was that on Sunday as I was cleaning my bathroom for the guests that night I looked up and saw the fan. So I called in Hubby and got him to take it down for me. Wow was it ever dusty. So by the time I was done cleaning the bathroom I had literally cleaned it from top to bottom. And I then promptly had to use it to take a shower from all the dust that had fallen on me from cleaning that fan. Lol.

Family Thanksgiving

Last night was a really good night where my parents and only one of my brothers showed up for supper. Which was nice. Especially since Little B and his brother R came over to play for awhile yesterday afternoon. They had actually came over to visit our new next door neighbours with their parents but ended up at our house for awhile. Hehe. It was funny on Saturday when Hubby announced that our new neighbours were moving in the kids immediately yelled "They have a dog!" So of course I had to go make sure they weren't making pests of themselves.

Our new neighbours seem really nice and of course are from Newfoundland which is were Little B and his family are from hence their visiting our neighbours yesterday. So after my brother and parents left I ended up chatting with everyone over the back fence until pretty late. I had only meant to go out and check if the garage had been locked but was apparently feeling more social than I thought. Which was alright even Hubby came out and talked awhile.

I also got my butt handed to me by my Mom in our Scrabble games. I showed her the rules for Speed Scrabble but I don't think she'll be interested in playing it. She likes to think about her words before playing. Which is okay by me. I like both versions and I know my Mom was happy to play last night. She kept saying that she hadn't had been able to play since the last time we did which was last Christmas. Which means that she's bored and wants more of a social life in my opinion. Unfortunately I don't know how to help her in that regard. So I think in the coming season of festivities I will try to get her to sit back and play more games. After all I think she deserves it.

Thanksgiving giving!

Last night at Raven's was fun. Star hosted a fabulous Friends and Fiends Thanksgiving dinner and wow was it ever full of good food. Even though Hubby had made a good Roast Buffalo dinner at home I ended up having a little of the stuffing and mashed potatoes and incredibly yummy caramelized carrots. Then of course there was the 5 different kinds of dessert that she brought. Sigh. Happy full tummy right now. If only I could get rid of this wicked headache I would be content.

I had tried not eat too much of the dinner and ended up being a serving wench for most of it. Which if people know me well enough I actually enjoy doing. It makes me happy when I can help other people have a good meal. Somedays I wonder if I should have gone into waitressing. Other days I know that I would not be able to handle all the long hours on my feet for that long. lol. Anyways I apparently was so good that they threatened me with a Cori Zap. It is an in joke from a game called Cosmic Encounters. We were able to make up our own cards and one was called the Cori Zap because our friend was always cleaning or helping with supper when everyone else would be playing. So with the Zap card she had to sit down and join in the game and relax and play. Didn't always work on her mind you. Hahaha.

Still a good time was had by all and I almost won the Hearts game afterward. That was fun I haven't played Hearts in person for ages. Oh and my conversion to facebook is complete merely because I check my Scrabulous games at least three times a day if not more sometimes. The rest of facebook is interesting but I am holding back on some things. I only wish I had a photo to put up. Right now I am limiting my friends because quite frankly there are some people I would rather not talk to. I like these people but I don't need them to see into my daily life and I would rather talk to them in person every so often.

So yeah tomorrow we are hosting my parents for supper and they seem to be the only ones available to come so far. Which for me is all right. I wanted a small family dinner anyways and hopefully this way we won't have a ton of leftovers. This may be just wishful thinking on my part. Hubby likes to make extras. Which means more dishes for me afterwards. Lol.

So Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (At least in Canada anyways!)

Brightly Coloured Cookies

So last night I made cookies with the kids and they are from a fundoe that I bought a couple years ago. There was four colours red, green, blue and yellow. All very bright and primary which is why the kids love it. So now we have cookies that I really don't know what they are though Bear says one is a dragon. The ones I made you can tell are birds or hearts. Haha.

Anyways I don't have anything else to say except that I am both looking forward and not looking forward to having my parents over for supper on Sunday for Thanksgiving. But I know the kids are looking forward to it.

Princesses with Swords

I have succumbed to Facebook.

Mainly because I want to play Scrabble as much as I can.

Anyways, Smiles and I made a picture out of fall leaves, flowers and bird feathers we found on the ground walking home from school the last couple of days. I did that artsy crafty thing where you put all these things on a wax paper and then iron down another piece of wax paper on top of it. Smiles teacher liked it so much that she is putting it up in the window of the classroom. This makes me smile because I feel like I am actually a good craft Mom. Hehe. Of course I do sew but that's not always something I can share with a Kindergarten class. Except maybe Smiles Halloween costume. I really like the fact that she wants to be angel this year instead of a princess.

Not that there is anything wrong with being a princess. After all on Saturday Smiles got to be a princess at Raven's daughter's birthday party. K had originally invited Bear only because she had other kids from school invited. Alas some came back negative and Raven decided to allow Smiles to join the party since she would be paying for a certain number of kids anyways. The place chosen was done up beautifully. The walls looked like the stones from a castle with various dragons all over the room. K had chosen to do the Knight's Tournament instead of the Princess one. So I did not actually see all of the other rooms but wow whoever designed it put an awful lot of thought into it. Even the floors were mosaicked to look like cobblestones with faux gems inlaid in it.

SO guess where Bear and Smiles want to have their birthday parties?! Yup, you guessed it at the same place. I told Smiles she would likely have to wait for a few years. I might do it for Bear this year depending on the price. Ok back to the actual party on Saturday. Bear was the only boy to show up and was one of the 2 knights. Bird was the other knight and looked very cute too. The visor on her helm looked like a chin guard most of the time due to her wanting to be able to see. Hehe. The rest of the girls including K all chose to be princesses. So it was very interesting watching all these fancied princesses use swords, bows and arrows and even catapults. Still a good time was had by all and that is what matters most.

So today I have done...

1. Dishes.
2. Housework.
3. Grocery shopping.
4. napped.
5. Succumbed to the evil of Facebook.
6. Visited with Grandma and Grandpa who stopped by unexpectedly.

If I could I would go down for another nap but since I will have to pick Bear up from school soon I will just tough it out and maybe see if I can nap afterwards. I doubt it but we'll see. Now to just finish clearing out the nursery and get Hubby to assemble all the necessary things in it.

Dream Home?

Your home is a Spawn-camping Wizard's Stronghold Your kitchen is manned by a team of Keebler Drow Elves. There's a pantry with emergency backup caffeinated beverages. You also have some breakfast cereals in there, but you haven't had breakfast since last Spring. Your master bedroom is decorated to look like the treetop village of the Galadhrim. Your study has every fantasy novel ever written, including multiple editions of the Silmarillion and advance copies of Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition. One of your garages houses your Hummer, and others contain your H2, and H3... with room for an H4, if they ever invent one. Your home also includes a roost for griffons. You've never actually seen a griffon, but you keep the roost ready anyway. Your guests enjoy your home theater with hi-def plasma screen TV, and the thrones you watch it from. Outside is the moat that protects your home from goblin invaders and extended family. And, you have a pet -- a unicorn named "Shadowhooves". Below is a snippet of the blueprints:

Build YOUR Dream Home!

I like the Unicorn named "Shadowhooves", though the 4 Hummers are not quite my style. But I like the overall design of the house. Lots of room for the cats.

Well luckily most of it didn't get cut off. Grr.

The Pixie has not Landed.... Yet!

I have an excited pixie running around the house at the moment. My friend DD from the Gencon forums sent me an anatomy book for drawing and three fairy wings. Smiles immediately grabbed one set of wings and took off. Literally. Smiles is very happy and the wings are beautiful. I had been thinking I would keep them hidden until Halloween but I could not not open the package without Smiles seeing the contents. Haha. Now I have sparkles all over my floors!

It was a nice boost when I got home from the Doctor's office today. Which by the way my blood pressure read 116/68 today. So I am thinking I just had a bad weekend and it reflected itself in my blood pressure that day. Otherwise I am healthy and the baby is doing fine. I did mention to my Doctor that I was depressed after both of my previous kids births. After Smiles I even went on anti-depressants for a year. So I know that I am at risk with this pregnancy and know it is important to let my Doctor know now.

1. Swept my floors. (Before the sparkles arrived)
2. Moved more books into our bookshelves in the living room.
3. Ordered the new FREE computer. (With Hubby's help)
4. Got the ringer on my phone changed from 3 rings to 6 rings before going to voice mail. Hopefully this way I may actually have time to get up from my nap if the phone rings.
5. Let a little girl play with a new costume piece.
6. Lowered my blood pressure back to normal. Yay!

Salsa Sizzle! Pregnancy drizzle....

I have fed my daughter a fresh tomato slice. Now for the wait to see if her lips turn red or if she gets hives from it. Since I am thinking that it may be a factor of how much over how short a time span I may give her another tomato later on today just to make sure. Otherwise I am back to wondering what it is that made her break out? The rest of the tomatoes are to be turned into a salsa! I picked up the cucumbers, jalapeno banana peppers, and fresh cilantro and I think celery and onions are added into the mix too but I haven't received Raven's salsa recipe from her yet so I am not entirely sure. Hint hint! Still anyway it is made it will use up this plethora of tomatoes that I received and grew this year.

Since I can't remember what else I wanted to blog about I think I'll leave it at that!

Oh wait I remember now....

Pregnancy Detail that is gross but must be shared!

Why is it that when a 7 month pregnant lady goes walking she immediately feels pressure on her bladder? I mean I went to the bathroom before leaving the house but as soon as I am moving my bladder tries to tell me "Pee Time! Now! Pee Time! Pee Time NOW!" And if I go to the bathroom upon returning it is a small dribble. Grrrrr! I hate this stage. The third trimester is a good one because it means your in the home stretch, but come on I do not have that many inner organs displaced by this gestational parasite. Of course then there are the Braxton hicks contractions. (I am sure my spelling is off on that one)

I mean if I go driving for 20 minutes now I end up having these waves of muscles going "Haha just you wait til its the real deal missy!" I have trouble getting out of bed (common complaint at this point) and am starting to think I should do sit-ups just so my stomach muscles really have something to complain about! Of course going back to the pee problem I am now at the stage where I am lucky if I get 6 hours of sleep at night. Sigh! I hate having to get and go the bathroom every 2 hours. Yes, yes I know it is my body's way of getting me ready for when the baby wants to be feed every 1-3 hours. Sigh! I had a lady at Safeway read my shirt and comment on it saying she liked it. "Damn right I'm good in bed - I can sleep for days." Me, I think it is totally appropriate at the moment. Mainly because all I really want to do is just sleep like I have nothing to get up for.

Give me twenty years or so. I hope!

A day in the life...

1. Dishes.
2. Napped.
3. Laundry.
4. Read Smiles more books.
5. Helped Bear with homework and didn't have him break down in a total crying fit. (Came close though)

I know I am sick. I am pretty sure that Hubby is still sick and that is why he's gone to bed at 7pm. Smiles is most likely recovering or almost over the cold she has and that leaves Bear to come down with hers or another one. Sigh! Some weeks you just can't win.

Last night I went swimming with Raven which was good. We even got to play jellyfish, hehe. The pool had added new inner tubes to the wave pool area which are clear plastic rings. Raven and I got to play in the current section with them and all I can say is "Raven! No kicking the jellyfish!" Though I will admit I am definitely going to need a new bathing suit once this pregnancy is over and done with. Don't try and force yourself into a clear plastic inner tube when your bathing suit is already stretched to its limits. At least I do not think I flashed anyone.

Fox had brought his husband and a friend along and they went to the gym to work out. So eventually we all ended up in the hot tub and then went out for a bite to eat afterwards. We went to a Greek restaurant where Raven and I were able to help everyone share their orders. This way we have new converts to Greek food. Fox's friend was so pleased by the olives that he asked if he could take a small container home. We tipped well just because it was good food and good service. Yummy. I am so glad Hubby knows how to make this wonderful Greek food. I should see if he would be willing to make Spanokapitas's again soon. Hmmmm Yum! Keftedes, Saganaki, Mousaka and my all time favorite Dolmethes (or Dolmades depending on the spelling).

Anyways I did do a self monitor check on my blood pressure last night and it is high but not in the danger levels yet. I was at 134/76 with my pulse at 90. Since I have to be worried about over 140/90 I think I can relax a bit until my doctor's appointment on Friday. Though I do know I need to keep trying to relax and not get stressed out over things. One of these days I will be hit in the head and no longer have the functions of being able to worry about any of this stuff. Yeah, that's it! I can only hope, eh? Until then I will continue to do my best not to freak out at my husband and kids. Today I got lucky, Smiles was in too good of mood not to reciprocate it. I love her tickle fests.

Stress is bad

So I went to the doctor's this morning and found out that my blood pressure is high. I mean today of all days when the worry from that is just going to get me more stressed why did that happen? Probably because I am stressed! See I know I have a problems right now and life is not going according to my plans or desires. Yes the kids are back in school and yet Bear has been more difficult at home. He doesn't mind and do the things that he's supposed to do. Like on Friday I decided not to do his homework right after school. This morning Bear was all proud of the fact that he didn't do his homework this weekend. He remembered, I did not! Arrghh!

My Hubby thinks I am making mountains out of molehills everywhere and all that I do is nag him. My housework is atrocious and I only get the feeling that I am falling further and further behind in it. So yeah I am stressed and depressed and have high blood pressure. The doctor was so concerned about it that she asked me to get self monitored tomorrow and to come see her again this Friday.

Pregnancy Detail that may not be to some people's tastes! Small paragraph only.
Oh and I have high levels of sugar in my urine. Which I have no idea what that means. I took the gestational diabetes test and came back negative so I don't know if this is related or not to the blood pressure. Arrghh!

That and Hubby's asthma has been getting worse and I am certain he's not over his strepthroat/bronchitis from last week. So yeah! Ain't life wonderful some days!

Simple chores and dreams

I have been smote by the sickness bug once again. Fortunately it does not seem to be the strepthroat that Hubby had last week. I am just really tired and foggy headed and not wanting to do much except sleep. Which means the plans for moving boxes out of the nursery is most likely not going to get done. Though I did do housework yesterday including mopping the floor. *Trumpets toot and there is a great cheering of voices* (at least from Hubby anyways). So Smiles friend from Kindergarten did not show up for the planned playdate yesterday. His mom was supposed to call if they couldn't make it so I was a little annoyed at that but I understand since she did warn me that if her husband came home from work early they would probably do something with him instead. Also B was sick on Friday - hmm maybe that's where this came from.


So instead of hosting B and his brother I ended up getting into a huge argument with Hubby over the housework. Sigh, I just want him to do his chores. After all if the kids can pick up their clothes and put them in the hamper why can't he? They put away the folded clothes, help with the dishes and Bear feeds the cats every morning. These are little things but I end up nagging him to do a simple task for over a week and then he gets angry with me for nagging him. So it is a vicious cycle and I am hoping that he gets where I am coming from. I have already stated that I am not that great of a housekeeper but I do try. I just get tired of picking everything up after everyone has gone through a room.

And if I am sick, wow, nothing gets done around the house. It is very frustrating because then instead of recuperating like I am supposed to I end up spending all my energy on just trying to maintain the status quo. Which quite frankly is minimal to be begin with, but at least I can see my floors and know they are dirty as opposed to some people I know. I also ran out of dish soap and need to get more before doing the dishes tonight. I do understand Hubby's position where he has been working long hours lately and is tired when he comes home. But if he can help me with a few simple tasks then it makes it easier to get the larger ones done. Such as changing over the nursery. I was hoping to get that done before September ended but I may have to wait til mid October.

Anyways I have been trying to wash all of my fabric purchases and want to get some sewing done before the baby is born. Because quite frankly I do not know if I will have the energy or time once baby has arrived. So my plans of making double the cloaks I made last year may be overly optimistic. I think reality will be closer to me making as many as I did last year which if I remember correctly was around 10-15 cloaks. Also Raven and I have been going to the gym with Fox and that has been fun. But by the time we are done (if we can get to a hottub in time) it is getting late and I do not want to stay up very late because of the kids and school in the morning. So our sewing plans have not come to anything like fruition lately. I am hoping that changes soon since bending down and crawling on my knees cutting things up will only get harder for me. haha.

Positive blogging. Except for the sickness thing...

I am not in the mood to blog so I'll just do my positive reinforcements for today.

1. Dishes.
2. Did grocery shopping.
3. Went to the Meet the Staff night at school tonight.
4. Bought some books at the bookfair for the kids.
5. Napped.
6. Read more books to Smiles for her Reading Log.
7. Put the kids to bed an hour earlier than usual since they have been tired lately.

I think I am coming down with Hubby's strepthroat or hopefully it is just a cold. Though it could just be me wearing myself out these days. Oh and Raven (in a small voice) I bought more fabric. Mostly twills though which is good so now I have linings for some of my wool cloaks. I am currently in the process of washing most of them. I do still plan on attending Raven's Friday night of gaming though. Hmm maybe I should finish making up my character. Lol.

Oops

1. Rescued the swings wound up around the poles at school this morning.
2. Read Smiles more books.
3. Took a good long nap.
4. Helped Bear with his homework.
5. Blogged.

So I accidentally fed Smiles some ketchup at lunch time. I was not thinking and offered some for her patties. Oops. Her lips didn't swell though nor did the hives increase in size so I am thinking that it is the fresh tomatoes that may be the problem. To be on the safe side I will still try to avoid tomato products for the rest of the week.

Hives

So I have discovered to my dismay that Smiles may be allergic to tomatoes. Last night after eating the homemade tomato sauce I made from the dozens of tomatoes I have lined up on my counters she had red and blotchy lips that were slightly larger than usual. After giving her the spaghetti again for lunch today, her lips swelled again and a few hours later she developed red spots all along the upper part of her arms and chest. Since I know she did not get bitten by anything I am fairly certain they were hives. You see I have never actually encountered hives before in person. Sure I have heard lots of people talk about how they or their children get them due to one allergy or another.

Sigh to be absolutely certain I have to make sure that Smiles does not partake of any tomato products at all for the next week. Since I doubt all of my green tomatoes will be ripe before next week I can give her one then and see if she reacts. I am wondering if it fresh tomatoes or just the sauce. Since Hubby has a mild intolerance to fresh tomatoes this is a bit of a surprise but not a huge one. He has no problem with cooked or canned tomatoes so it must be the enzymes in the skin of the tomatoes before it gets cooked off or changed when put into salsa. But I peeled the skins off before making the sauce last night. Of course I only cooked it for about 45 minutes. That might also have made the difference. But alas I won't know until next week sometime.

Ok so today I also did

1. Dishes.
2. Put books back into the bookshelf now in the living room.
3. I read books to Smiles.
4. I hosted Little H for a couple of hours this afternoon.
5. I folded and put away the laundry.

Yesterday I did stuff too but other than be grouchy for no discernible reason the only things of note was making the tomato sauce and having swept the floor. Now hopefully one of these days I will actually get around to mopping the floor. Oh and growing an increasingly active child. Wow this kid has good kicks and punches. I let Smiles feel the baby kick today before I took a nap. She was quite happy about it.

A better day despite still being sick.

Today has been a slightly more productive day.

1. I played basketball with Smiles.
2. I am almost done putting the games away in the blue cubby.
3. I have sorted through most of the winter gear and have it ready for winter snows. Except for new boots for Bear - he grew - who knew! Haha!
4. I have partially swept the floor and helped Smiles clean up the Lite Brite pegs she spilled.
5. I went through all of the tomatoes from our neighbour and our own and am thinking of making another tomato sauce from them.
6. I found a check that had gone missing! Yay!
7. I went to the General Assembly at school.

These are all little things but all in all they have made me feel good. My kitchen is still a war zone of boxes, papers and a filthy floor but at least I feel like I am making progress. I guess it was because I went to bed at the same time the kids did last night. Wow I had been tired. I am hoping this cold goes away soon so I can continue on getting things organized before the baby comes. There is still lots to do. Of course my mantra for the last week to remind me that Hubby is not all bad has been "He mowed the lawn! He MOWED the lawn!" It took awhile but he did it. Now to see if I can get him to help out with the other tasks.

Bad Day

I am sick. So are Bear and Smiles. It is just a cold but since I am now in the third trimester I am wiped. Smiles lost my sunglasses somewhere in the house and on the way home from school I tripped taking down Smiles as well. So the two of us have matching scrapes on our left knees and hands. So yeah, it has been a bad day today.

That and I have left the dishes since yesterday and now they are piled high by the sink. Ugh! I just want a nap but if I don't do them the kitchen will just get messier. It's already a jungle of boxes and winter clothing and papers from school.

The Internet is back at our House!

Yay, we have Internet again! This will make Hubby extremely happy. He has been a bit miserable without his daily WoW fix. Also because I canceled our newspaper subscription he has nothing to read in the morning. He needs to stimulate his brain into productivity before work. That and I am happy to be blogging again.

Anyways while the technician was working today I got a lot accomplished. I seem to have this compulsion that if someone is doing work around my house (especially if it is a stranger) then I need to do work as well. Even if it is just to make it look like I care about the state of my house. Hah! Anyways the conversion of the computer room to a nursery is still in progress and not going as fast as I would like, but eh whatever. We still have a few months to go. At least we have all the necessary components now to get the nursery finished. Yay! Thanks to my brother with his crib and playpen. I also told him if there was any other baby things he did not want to keep storing let me know and we would probably take them.

So with the change table from Raven all I need now to is to talk to Star and see about the baby clothes and car seat she had mentioned earlier. We already had Big D (elder Vacuum brother) give us some diapers from a friend who did not need them. And I got a diaper bag sent to me from Nestle. Woohoo! I am pretty much set once. Just need to get the room set up. Hehe.

Oh, and a big round of applause should go out to Hubby who finally mowed the lawn on Sunday. Yay! Balloons and doves fly up into the air! and all that.

In other news since the pool is closed for maintenance Raven and I checked out the Gym and actually got the nice guy there to show us some of the equipment. He was very glad to help out and pointed us to machines that would not harm the baby. (Which by the way is kicking alot more now! Erg!) Also we are switching from Thursdays to Tuesdays so that Blankshield can go Capoeria-ing (I know this is spelled wrong - eep! Sorry Star) more often.

And lastly Smiles is having a blast in Kindergarten. She really likes her teacher and even though it is a big class the teacher already knows her name. Probably because out of 29 kids she is one of the 8 girls in the class. Bear this morning told me he hates school because now he can not watch TV in the mornings anymore. Oh well, too bad, so sad! As it is he'll have fun trying to learn the new channels for his favorite TV shows since we switched providers. That and movie nights are now limited to Fridays since the kids do not have school the next day.

There has been more things that have happened in the last week but I am tired and will have to go get Bear from school soon. So later everyone!

Last Summer Vacation of the Year

So I am tired but I just wanted to say that apparently our old internet provider has decided to not switch off the internet connection but I am not currently paying for it either. Oh well. They may figure out their mistake at any time now so I will just do a quick post now and if my internet is still on tomorrow I will give more details about my adventures this weekend.

First off the trip down to visit my family and friend was very good and the kids really enjoyed themselves. The dinosaur museum (Royal Tyrell Museum) was fun even if it started off frustrating. The main note here was when we arrived at the museum I needed to use a washroom. Only to discover they did not have any out door public facilities and the only washrooms were inside the museum. Which had a huge line-up in front of it so I was in agony for a good half an hour maybe longer. I don't remember. After that it was a fun time had by all despite Hubby wanting to actually stop and read everything whereas the kids and I zoomed through most exhibits. Well as fast as I could waddle anyways.

At my brothers house was fun and I got to introduce my sister-in-laws to Speed Scrabble both of whom absolutely loved it. It was a fun game and Auntie C squealed a couple of times when she won a round. It was quite amusing. Saturday mostly consisted of trying to get the kids to sleep while I played Speed Scrabble with Auntie C. Hubby played on their computer. Sunday was a nice relaxing day where we got up late. Except for EEK(my brother) who had gotten up when he heard Smiles playing quietly in the bonus room. He gave her breakfast (toast) since all of their cereal was past the expiry date. We later went shopping for muffins for Mondays breakfast. Sunday we had Brunch where I helped cook the pancakes and Auntie C did the eggs. In the afternoon we took the kids to Let's Play where all the kids had fun. Bear had taken up a chant of "Let's Play! Let's Play!" when he saw the Let's Play sign. It was cute for the first 30 seconds. Nephew E loved running around the ball section and EEK was the main one who looked after the kids helping them down slides and such. He was such a nice brother.

Later that evening we had my other brother and his wife and kids over for supper. Which consisted of a buffalo roast Hubby and I brought down to share with EEK and Auntie C as a thank you for letting us stay with them. EEK made roasted potatoes and Auntie G had brought salad and 2 pies. Yum! Then we had fun with Speed Scrabble again where Auntie G won(lost) by getting to a hundred points first. She's such a good sport. We had a lot of fun. Both nights I stayed up way to late but it was nice being able to chat with Auntie C. I really like her and am glad EEK chose her for a wife.

Today we woke up and had organic chicken sausages that EEK and Auntie C had picked up from the farmer's market. Oh by the way my brother and his wife are very much into the organic foods. Everything they buy is organic. Sigh! At least I recycle and they don't so I don't feel like I am totally unsophisticated and unenvironmentally sound. Still it was yummy and then we loaded up the truck with the baby stuff that EEK had stored in his basement which he will no longer need. Nephew E is 4 and they have stated that they won't be having anymore. Nephew E is mostly likely Autistic and I am hoping they get him tested soon. Though that is their decision and I understand their frustration with doctors sometimes. I hate being patronized too.

Then it was off to the C Zoo where I met my friend and her family. Her daughter is one year older than Bear and her son is one year older than Smiles. So it was absolutely adorable when both girls were walking around holding hands. I had a made a comment to the boys how they too must be partners today and they grinned before giving each other a high five. My friend's son then insisted that he and Bear hold hands as they walked around looking at animals and it was adorable seeing both sets of kids walking holding hands. I amazed at how quickly they became friends and enjoyed each other's company. It was so sweet. They even gave hugs when it was time to say goodbye. So we are definitely planning on going down again next year if we can because we had a really good time this year. Despite coming back with more stuffies and toys for the kids than I would have liked. Haha. Oh well they are happy and now I just get to look forward to Bear starting school tomorrow.

Oh, on the note of the cat, the change in cat litter seems to have done the trick. We did not come home to an offensive smelling house and I actually saw the cat in the cat litter box using it. So now I just have to find that Gal Friday stuff Auntie Ski recommended for the past offenses.