a child

This online video is so insightful. If you're a parent, you will get the message it's trying to send.
Raising Small Souls

It's here .. it's BLOGDAY around the world. Have you chosen to play along as well?

It was so difficult to narrow my most read blogs down to just five. In fact, I chose to use ones I don't comment on, as my five. I read these often, enjoy the content, but have made no personal friendships out of them .. just good reading, inspiration and entertainment.

So without further adieu ... and in no particular order

1. http://postsecret.blogspot.com/
2. http://www.bloggeruniversity.blogspot.com/
3. http://www.autumnleaves.com/freestyle/
4. http://selfportraitchallenge.net/
5. http://www.rebeldad.com/index.html

Blog Day!

If the blogworld has captured your attention as it has mine, why don't you take a moment tomorrow (August 31) to celebrate Blog Day by listing five of your most favourite blogs. Link back to the BlogDay 2006 blog in your post, to keep the celebration alive.

*sorry for the HTML codes. They were supposed to be a little image from the blogday site used to promote this very day. I've removed it. :)

We've been attending the rodeo and bull-a-rama (two seperate events) for the past 7 years. We love bull-a-rama because there's mainly just bull riding and the excitement is high, the crowd's pumped and cheering, the music is loud and pulsating the beat across the arena getting the rider and bull ready for a good possible 8 second ride. We really enjoy it!
Anyway, this year they got a new clown. Sneaky Pete was really a great clown, but he's moved on to bigger and better things, I'm thinking. Perhaps he moved to Calgary where the Stampede attracts thousands upon thousands of onlookers, or even bigger would be Texas. Hmm .. but anyway .. this new clown is hysterical. I have never met a clown that can keep me in stitches for so long. He's in touch with his feminine side. Very flamboyant and limber (has that hippy walk and loose wrist routine down pat). I won't outright call him gay, but he plays the part well if he isn't. And what makes it even funnier is that this is a rodeo where rough and tough cowboys strut their stuff. Simply not a place one would expect homosexuals to hangout, but again, I won't make a judgement call on that.
So you can imagine why he keeps me in stitches. It's his slightly higher pitched voice, the jokes and comments that only an adult would understand, leaving the poor children giggling but not fully understanding what he's getting at. Perhaps this is his angle at playing his clown part, he's guarenteed a few laughs because lets face it, who wouldn't laugh at a guy with face makeup on doing a very hippy walk down the arena towards a cowboy mounted up on his manly horse, teasing him with the odd "try and rope me, I bet you $50 bucks you can't" as he runs the other direction in that same hippy jog. It's side splitting I tell ya.

________________________________________________________________________________

So a week from tomorrow marks the day my girlies head to school. I think my apprehension is wearing off on them because Hailey's not as anxious to head back to school as she was last year. I'm excited for HER to be going. To see some of the friends she didn't see over the summer, again .. to get a new teacher and classroom and all the extra more grown up assignments and subjects she'll learn. It's Alissa, my baby. I've been through this already in another post, so I won't bore you again .. but I'm still not settled over the fact that my baby's heading to Kindergarten. All I can say is thank god we live in BC where it's half days of Kindergarten, and not Ontario where they go all day. I'm sure a couple weeks into it and I'll be F.I.N.E with it all. But until next week, can we please not discuss the start date of school and if I'm ready? Cuz I'm not and there's not enough hours in the day for the next week to fit everything I want to do yet before the summer break is officially over.

celebrity look-alike

I found this cool little thing while blog surfing and couldn't help myself. Other's have higher percentages matching up with some celebrities but I'm happy with this. I've never in my life been told I look like anyone famous, and I know it won't start now either, but it's kinda flattering to know this program thought I resembled some stunningly gorgeous celebrity women. :)

our brother?

It was just recently that the girls have asked when was it that we got Meesha. In all the pictures they've seen of themselves as babies, they've seen ones with Meesha (our cat) in them. I've told them the story about when we 'adopted' Meesha and how we picked him out of a small litter of other kitties.
So because he's 10 yrs old, and we had him before the girls were even thought of, they've come to the conclusion that he's their older brother. Think what you want. I'm going with the thought of 'crazy girls'. :P

And much to their begging and pleas for a 'real' little baby brother to love and dote on, D and I will NOT be having anymore little munchkins. We've made well sure of that! 

singshot

The other day I was directed to this site by way of a blog I just recently discovered, and have been having such a blast singing and realizing my voice SUCKS! :P One time when I feel I've done a well enough job with a song, I may just post the link. But for now .. I'm sharing the site and hoping some of you will be brave enough to go have fun karaoke'ing (sp?)

*the site is free for unlimited amounts of recordings for two weeks 

WHAT was I thinking?

It's that time of year .. the stores are loaded with fresh fall attire .. the malls are abuzz with parents and children/teens in search for those back to school clothing and school supplies, and yes .. I decided we were to head into that mess.

Actually I say mess, but really we did have a wonderful day, just the girls and I.
I wish I could say we came home with having hit many bargains, but alas $200 spent and only one dear daughter will be wearing 3 new full outfits and three very cute tops. The other very picky daughter that couldn't find anything to her liking? She'll be wearing one pair of very darling embroidery decal'd jeans and a pair of equally adorable Bratz brand indoor running shoes. Her pickiness is a whole other story that I should go into more detail for you one day just because it is so in depth that it totally drives me nuts, but I digress.

So after getting home and unpacking things and ooo'ing over all the cute outfits again, I remembered why we didn't do this the past two years. It was because really, for the first month or so of school, the weather is still nice enough to wear capris/shorts and even t-shirts. Okay so they may have to wear a light sweater or jacket in the morning just to indure that first chill, but it still warms up quite nicely for the remainder of September. So why are we in such a hurry to buy those fall clothes along with the rest of our town? Hmm .. not sure and that's why I've never done it. But this year was different. Hailey's going into grade two, she's careing more about her wardrobe and actually having a say in what she wears, which has it's pros and cons. She wants to dress nicely (not like I ever let her dress inappropriate especially for school), and one thing she wanted more then anything (and her daddy is VERY pleased) was to own a pair of camo pants. Score one for Mommy, cuz we did better then that. We found camo pants AND a camo long sleeved shirt. She won't be all girlie like I usually like (bows, sparkles and shiny things decorating the fronts of her tee's, although she picked out plenty of those too), but it's green camo all the way for that particular outfit.

So enough about school, clothes and shopping.

Today's Dave's aunts birthday. So even tho I know for a fact she won't read this .. I still would like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY DD!

OH OH OH .. AND I got a new faucet in my kitchen. It's been leaking so badly lately, that when the maintenance guy had a look at it, he deemed it necessary to put a whole brand new one in there instead of a new gasket or whatever would have fixed it. :) :)
Funny what little things excite me. hee!

the hills are alive with .....

THE SOUND OF MUSIC!!!! My ultime favourite musical EVER! I adore the music, and the storyline and could watch it over and over .. it's that kinda movie for me. So you could imagine my utter joy when I popped the movie in for the girls to watch and Hailey showed her enjoyment too. I've owned the soundtrack for awhile and a little while back pulled it out upon Hailey's request. She falls asleep at night to her radio/cd/alarm clock playing, and asked to have The Sound of Music soundtrack play one particular night. This went on for quite sometime until the cd made it's way downstairs to our stereo system, and then just the other day, out to the car.
This is the part that makes me grin.
Yesterday, D was on this 'it's YOUR car, YOU drive' kick again .. which I normally don't mind but like him to drive if we're out as a family. And because we were doing a few errands for him and he knew exactly where he wanted to go, I thought it best that he drive. But nope .. he stuck to his 'it's YOUR car' yabber. Okay, so we all climb in and Hailey requests we turn the stereo from radio over to the CD. Yep, sure no problem honey. ;) So "raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens" chimes forth from the speakers and I hear D groan. I looked over and smiled my evil, evil grin and said "yes babe, it's MY car and we play MY music"! Heehee .. I so love to torture him. 

VIEX

This weekend is the anual Vancouver Island Exibition .. a place we like to go every year.
We always have a great time meandering through the barns of every kind of farm animal you can think of, and paying special attention to those that look for some lovin'. The girls love to try their hand at milking a goat and I have to say, Hailey should have been raised on a farm setting with goats at her disposal. She's got talent! She works her hand and gets milk to squirt forth from the mama goat like she's been doing it all her life. Then there's the sheep and oh how soft and puffy they are before they're sheared. There's at least three inches of sofness, but somehow I still felt a little sorry for them having to stand out in the sun or hot shade, panting away like they're in labour, but oh so hot!
There were piggies sleeping, chickens tending to their just days old young, rabbits lounging .. especially the gigantic 161/4 lb one we saw. And then there's always the fair rides (which ordinarily we avoid for two reasons. 1) the girls aren't interested in rides .. even the simplist, childlike rides and 2) you can spend WAY to much money on rides and wasting money throwing darts only to win a cheap dollar store toy that nobody loves past the first day). But Dave talked Alissa into riding the Ferris Wheel with him, and the darts game showed Dave's not such a bad player and he won the girls each a 'Cat in the Hat' type hat.
We even took in the late night entertainment show, which was a band we've both seen before. Trooper, an older Canadian band that's been around for quite awhile, was their usual great self. We had the worst viewing spot possible, but I managed to get a few pics with my oh so faithful zoom Canon before we decided it was late enough and we packed it on back to the car. It was a wonderful fun and sun and LOTS of wonderful events filled day. 

summer treats

Mmmm Mmmm Watermelon! Something only consumed during the summer months it seems. And it sure doesn't last that long in our home. The girls and I LOVE the stuff. I could probably eat an entire normal sized watermelon in one sitting, except I have this huge fear of the consequences .. them being a non-stop trip to the bathroom.

Today we spent the afternoon at the beach. There weren't many people at this particular beach, and it was just so calming and relaxing. The girls weren't to anxious to hit the water, since having swimmers itch they're a little leary, but we enjoyed it just the same.

 

wanna know more about me?

To bad .. you're going to get it whether you like it or not. lol
I saw this questionaire on a blog I frequent and decided I may as well waste some of my own blogging time filling it out too, since it's one I haven't seen before.


1. Do you sleep with your closet doors opened or closed? Closed. I don't care to see the mess that my closet generally is.
2. Do you ever take the soaps and shampoos from hotel rooms? Yep I do. I usually use up half the tiny little bottle anyway, and I know they just toss them once they're opened. The soap? Not so much. I'm not a fan of their cheap icky smelling soaps.
3. Have you ever had sex in a hotel room? Umm, well I suppose I should be honest here huh? Yep. Had to. Dh worked out of town for awhile and the only way I saw him was to visit him. 'Nuf said!
4. Have you ever stolen a street sign? No, I wasn't that much of a bad ass.
5. Do you use post-it notes? I used to, but not so much anymore.
6. Do you cut coupons out but never use them? Sometimes. They land in my purse with good intentions then I forget when paying.
7. Would you rather be attacked by a bear or a swarm of bees? A bear. I think I'd rather die quickly.
8. Do you always smile for pictures? I like to mix it up abit. A smile, a tongue sticking out, a grin .. you get the picture.
9. What is your biggest pet peeve? Whining and cocky attitudes.
10. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? In. I like to keep my feet covered, thanks!
11. Have you ever peed in the woods? Are you kidding? Heck yes! With my teeny tiny bladder, I have indeed.
12. Do you chew on your pens or pencils? No, I'm not crazy about a chewed up pencil.
13. What is your favorite animal and why?I love giraffes .. they're so graceful and sleak.
14. Do you like popcorn from those big tins? No .. usually it's stale. I do like carmel popcorn, or just give me the microwave stuff and I'll pop it myself.
15. Could you marry the person you are with right now? In a heartbeat. I love him so very much.
16. Is it okay for a guy to wear pink? Call me old fashion, but I give guys dressed in pink a second look. I guess they need that second look for me to confirm things on my gaydar.
17. Do you still watch cartoons? Not intentionally .. but with two kids (5&7rs) I do. I love Spongebob Square Pants.
18. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had it? In the washing machine, since it seems I'm the only one that touches that appliance.
19. What do you drink with dinner? Water.
20. What do you dip your chicken nugget in? BBQ sauce.
21. What is your favorite food cusine? Chinese.
22. What movies could you watch over and over again, and not get tired of them? Dirty Dancing.
23. Were you a boy scout or girl scout? No
24. When was the last time you wrote a letter to a person on paper? This past week actually, but before that it had been Christmas time.
25. Favorite kind of sandwich? Ham, cheese, lettuce, tomatoe and lots of mayo.
26. Best thing to eat for breakfast? Granola
27. What is your usual bedtime? 10:00
28. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as a kid? My parents didn't believe in Halloween, so I was deprived of dressing up but I probably would have gone as some frilly princess.
29. Do you read the newspaper? I skim for good articles, but don't have time to actually read it all.
30. How many languages can you speak? English
31. Do you have any magazine subscriptions? Reader's Digest, Scrapbooks Etc and Parent.
32. Are you in love? Yep, even after 14 years with my man.
33. Which are better? Lego or Linking Logs? I'll say Lego because I'm not sure what the other is. No boys, so none of these around our place.
34. Red or white wine? Red is my fave. Especially if it's our own homemade stuff. Yum!
35. Are you stubborn? Most of the time.
36. Watch a soap-opera? I'm more into reality TV. But I used to be a diehard All My Children fan for years.
37. Sing in the car? Always. But shut up when at a stop sign/light.
38. Dance in the shower? Isn't that a little dangerous?
39. Dance in the car? Does tapping the steering wheel count?
40. Ever use a gun? Raised in the great north, and married to a hunter .. yep I've handled a rifle or two.
41. Last time you got a picture taken from a photographer? Last Christmas.
42. Are musicals cheesy? Not at all .. I love me some Sound of Music.
43. Is Christmas stressful? Some years are, if things have been slow and money's tight, otherwise nope .. I love creating memories for the girls.
44. Favorite type of fruit pie? I like apple rhubarb.
45. What did you want to be as a kid? A mom.
46. Do you believe in ghosts? I believe they exist, but have never seen or witnessed one in action, so I'm a skeptic.
47. Ever have a deju-vu feeling? a couple times.
48. Take daily vitamins? No, but I should but always forget.
49. Wear slippers? In the winter.
50. Wear a bathrobe? I have one really REALLY pretty one, but am scared to ruin it, so no.
51. What do you wear to bed? Umm .. jammies :P.
52. First concert? Believe it or not, but I've never been to a 'real' concert. I've seen Trooper and a Kiss tribute band, but nobody famous.
53. Walmart, Target, or K-Mart? Walmart I guess. We don't have K-Mart or Target in Canada.
54. Nike or Adidas? Either.
55. Fritos or Cheetos? Either one, any time.
56. Corn nuts or Sunflower Seeds? Yum, corn nuts please.
57. Have you ever chosen a boy/girl over a friend? Not that I can remember.
58. Ever take dance lessons? No, but this is on my 'to do' list.
59. Can you curl your tongue? Yes.
60. Ever won a spelling bee? I never was in a bee, but did well on spelling tests.
61. Have you ever cried because you were so happy? To many times to count.
62. Own any records or record player? Just tossed some old records not long ago, but didn't have a player to play them on.
63. Regularly burn incense? I use candles.
64. Who would you like to see in concert? Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken, or INXS.
65. Ever been in-love? I believe we covered that in #15 and #32.
66. Hot tea or iced-tea? I love me a cup of hot tea during the cold months.
67. Tea or coffee? Coffee, xtra cream, no sugar.
68. Favorite kind of cookie? No Bake (aka haystacks)
69. Can you swim well? I think I can.
70. Can you hold your breath without manually holding your nose? Yeah, but that entails slowly blowing air out your nose and that feeling makes me panic.
71. Are you patient? Not usually.
72. Ever won a contest? Little ones, but nothing major to remember.
73. Ever have plastic surgery? No, but one day I'd like to have a little lift and a little tuck, just to freshen things up.
74. Which are better, black or green olives? neither .. yuck!
75. Can you knit or crochet? I learned both, but can't remember how to knit .. but love to crochet.
76. Best room for a fire place? Living room.
77. What is the best way to show affection? Hugs and a soft loving touch. Although we have a secret wink we give eachother when we want to show we're thinking of the other across the room or when others are around.
78. Would you rather do without your cell phone or car? Without the cell since we just got it and aren't that dependant on it yet.
79. Do you have any regrets? None that's significant enough to mention.
80. Did you do well in high school? I barely passed in the basic classes, but excelled in the classes that interested me (accounting, home ec)
81. Do you still talk to people from high school? A couple. One is my sister in law.
82. Have you ever been betrayed by a friend? I'm not sure if I would call it betrayal, but I lost a friend just from distance and time and I believe (she would disagree) her husband encouraged her to hang out with people of her own blood. Other then that .. nope.

neighbourhood sights and sounds

We happen to live in a complex of duplexes. Not my idea of the perfect living, but at the moment with real estate the way it is, it's our only choice. We've lived here for four years and have seen pretty much every other person within our side of the complex, come and go many times over. This year (our 5th summer) has proven to be the best yet. We're down to only one other family having small children, and they're two boys the same ages as our girls. They get along quite well, and I've noticed the parents seem to have some of the same rules as we do. It does make it easier to put up with kids when you know their parents are also watching/listening to their ever move (unlike years past when I seemed to be the only parent supervising all the various aged kids coming and going around the place).

But what makes living in a complex interesting is the gossip, the sites and sounds you end up experiencing whether you like it or not. Our windows are open in the summer, our yards side by side, heck .. even our cordless phones can pick up a neighbour at times. So last year's little summer quirk was our wall neighbour (I call them this because they lived in the other side of the duplex we're in) had this thing about sleeping through their alarm clock. He had to get up at around 6am, and it never failed, for an hour or more every morning the alarm would buzz buzz buzz. I can understand one person sleeping through an alarm (okay, I can't really understand it cuz I've always been a morning person and usually wake before the alarm even goes off, and if not then I'm pouncing on the clock the moment I hear a tiny peep emerge), but both he AND his wife could continue sawing logs clear through the monotonious buzzing. I would just get up, turn my own alarm off and go downstairs and make coffee. Downstairs we couldn't hear a thing.
They've since moved, and a new and very quiet lady has moved in.

BUT .. across the parkinglot, a new couple has just moved in at the beginning of this month. Two days ago I discovered they have an active sex life. Yes .. my ears picked up that godawful moaning, and I just about died when I realized what it was. It was about 9am and I had just stepped out of the shower. Our bathroom window faces out that way, and it was cracked open to let the steam escape. I was quietly getting dried and dressed and heard them, and listened closely because the girls were downstairs and well, any Mom will know what your ears do when you're not in the same room as your kids. Always straining to hear what they're up to, and then THAT was intercepted into my innocent listening. Gag!
But then again last night about 3:30am, I was awoken to more moaning. Another time my ears are subconsiously tuned in for any peeps and sounds from down the hall. Gag me yet again! Next time we're feeling a little umm, you know, I'm not insisting our window is closed. Hell, let's give the neighbours something to talk about. :P

day three

We're on day three of the newly implemented chore chart. So far things are going better then I could have expected. Yes, there are things not ticked off, and that could be because of how our day ended up (like Sunday, no bath) but I can't complain. I think it makes it so much easier when the girls can see what's expected of them (there of course is much more then the list says) and can figure out what they have left to do, and so on.
I'm not sure how much leverage I should take advantage of, but this morning when I asked Alissa to get dressed (a spot on her list) she told me in a huge loud voice "NO". Hailey gently reminded her that not only would she not get to tick off "get dressed", but the "listen to Mommy and Daddy the first time" wouldn't be ticked off either. That's TWO for one day. *gasp* I know making the latter of the two mentioned right above, a chore isn't necessarily 'correct', but it's something we're always telling the girls, and I wanted it out there for them to see and a goal to reach each day.
So slowly, these little four hands that can suck the energy out of me as fast as a millisecond .. have started to become helping hands. :) 

my love of the ocean and a little Dilana looksee

I know I've often mentioned how much I simply LOVE living here where I do. We have the best of all worlds. Access to the ocean, lakes, rivers and even swamps and marshes. There's so many resources we've taken full advantage of with Dave's love of fishing and hunting. There are lush green vegetation surrounding us and the winters are mild but we get a couple snowfalls a year, enough to keep the Island kids satisfied. I honestly don't think I would want to live anywhere else.
With that said .. we took a wonderful walk along a beach path this afternoon. Actually it was more of a hike then a walk, because there was some rock climbing involved .. all done with the girls and I in flipflops (flippies). Umm, yeah .. we're diehards alright!
The view was spectacular and my eye was constantly scanning for angles and precious gems to photograph. Unfortunately, the batteries slowly died, and I soon realized that my backup batteries weren't charged from the last time I had switched over. Oops .. I'm so fired from my current position of family photographer. (okay maybe not fired since it's very unlikely anyone else would take my place)

There were many fallen trees, or trees that had grown in interesting twists and curves over time. And oh the rocks along the water line .. oh so very cool how smooth and rounded they had become from the gentle wash of constant water they endure. The rocky, rooted path made for a little obstacle course that we all mastered with only one little spill by the youngest explorer. The fresh sea breeze cooling us off was so welcomed, and we stopped often to look down at the beauty so far below. These little gems hidden on the Island are places we often forget about because we've become immune to the beauty surrounding us. I have to keep remembering that we live in such a beautiful, tropical part of the province, and to take full advantage of it by feasting our eyes and other senses more often then we do.

On another note ... I'm a huge fan of almost any reality tv, but the singing kind always capture me. So, I've been watching Rockstar:SuperNova. Here's my favourite and who I think should win it, before her time on Rockstar. Although the song's a tad cheesy, I like her look better here, but I do understand how if you're auditioning for a rock lead singer, you must look the part.

DILANA SMITH - DO YOU NOW

hooker?

A conversation that went on between Alissa and myself. I was in the bathroom getting ready for the day and she was hanging out in the hallway just outside the bathroom door, with a couple Polly Pocket dolls.

Alissa: (talking to her Polly Pocket)
"You're going to be a hooker girl"
Me: "A what?"
Alissa: "Ya know Mom, a hooker, like this"
(she holds out a fishing bobber she must have scooped from her dad's tackle box)
Me: "Ahhhhhh, now I get it!"

She was going to hook her doll with it (don't worry, there's no hooks on a bobber) or perhaps use the doll as a lure. lol

revenge of the blackberry bush

When it comes to picking blackberries, pain is NOT a factor. Okay, I lied a little. Those big thick branches that carry a million prickles that tear into you like a knife. Not so fun. Neither is it fun when your clothes get snagged up on those same big thick blackberry bush branches. But the tiny ones that easily move aside when I need to reach way back or way up high, those aren't so painful and I can ignore the pain because I know I'm picking hugely plump, sweet blackberries and that in itself is so worth it.

Ever since I can remember, I've been picking berries of any kind. My Mom used to drag us out as kids, to pick raspberries on the huge piles of debris in the hay fields. It was a forced effort then, but we had little competitions between us kids and Mom was the one who benefitted from that with gallons and gallons of plump berries. Then in the fall, it was time to pick cranberries, blueberries and saskatoon berries. My most favourite was saskatoon berries because they grow on little trees, and there's no bending involved. Much nicer on the back.

But ever since moving here to the Island, I've loved picking blackberries every summer. I make jam, lots of baked goodies (muffins, blackberry crisp/crumble, pies *drool*, etc) and of course a good portion gets put into the freezer for those long wintery days. But before any can get preserved in any fashion, you can bet the girls, D and I get our due share of fresh yummy berries topping icecream, or straight from the bush into the mouth .. by passing the bucket.

This year, however, I'm on a mission. This mission is to make our very own blackberry wine right from fresh Vancouver Island grown blackberries, and not from the boxed kits we've been using up until now. It takes 20lbs to make a batch. Do you have any idea how many berries that is? Neither do I, but I can tell ya it's A-L-O-T!! It's best to freeze them so they break down easier, so with that method in mind, I can slowly add to my growing stash of wine berries, and not be overwhelmed with the thought of picking 20lbs worth in just one picking. So far I have about 10lbs, not so bad .. but STILL! It'll all be worth it tho. All these scratches, picking out in the heat of the day, to taste that pure blackberry wine during the winter months. Mmmmm!

Dave actually laughs at how addicted I get to picking. He'll say .. "kay I think I'm done" and he'll hear me respond "no not yet, I just saw another good clump of good ones." I think it's in my blood (like I said .. I've been picking berries all my life), and if there's berries on the bush, I can't leave until I've completely filled the container/bucket I brought with. And although I don't consider myself a quick picker, if I compare myself to many others I've picked alongside .. I must have a technique that works for me because they fill my bucket quite quickly. Gotta love the plump ones tho .. that helps. :)

Black fingers anyone?

P.S. If you're a 'chick' and want a place to hang out and read over 200 blogs written by other 'chicks', run over to http://bloggingchicks.blogspot.com.
Every Sunday, a carnival is hosted as well. You can showcase your blog by entering a little short write up about a specific post. Here's where you can find this week's.

thinking out loud

As a SAHM, you can already imagine how much of my time is consumed with picking up toys/stuff, cleaning, doing laundry, preparing meals, and the list goes on.
(this is where I insert my usual comment of .. I simply do no get how a working mom can do ALL this AND work 8 hours outside of the home)

So today, as I was doing the majority of my weekly cleaning (I like to pick a day where I a good sweep and mop, vacuum, give the bathroom a good scrubbing, tackle the majority of the laundry, dust most of the main living area's surfaces, etc .. the rest of the week it's just KEEPING it in that orderly fashion and state of cleanliness) I began thinking how sick and tired I am of doing ALL this work, to turn around and see a glass of milk being dumped on that clean floor or toothpaste smeared all over the bathroom counter, or the latest dump of toys scattered over the livingroom floor. This system of me being THE maid/servant/cook/and the list goes on, has worked for the past 7 years, but I came to the sudden conclusion while listening to the hum of the vacuum, that this won't work anymore.
My two little angel girls need to learn to help out, not just hear their mother whine and order them to clean up their messes, but in fact put my words into action and MAKE them do it!
Enter the chore chart. This week I'm going to come up with and go over the chart with the girls, and starting next Monday, this new system is going to be implemented into our household.

You may be wondering why I haven't done this sooner. That my children are certainly of an age where they CAN help out. Yes, I agree .. but you see, I'm a perfectionist to a certain degree. No, I don't have a magazine show home. Far from it actually. Yes there's clutter, but you get that with four people and their over abundant of things living in an 1100 sq ft, two level duplex. Lots of clutter, never enough closet space to hide ALL the things we never use. Perhaps I need someone to come in while I'm out, and just chuck everything that's covered in dust, cause dust is a sure clue that it's not being used. Back to why I'm a perfectionist. I don't know really why, but I have a certain way I do dishes, a certain way I fold pants, panties and towels, the way I like the toilet paper on the roller, and the list goes on. Obviously I learned this all from my own mother, and I certainly can teach my own children this precise way of doing things, but the thing is .. I have no patience. I did with babies and toddlers .. but when I know they can do better .. out goes my patience, and in comes that snappy monster that would rather just 'do it myself'.
I need to change this particular trait of mine of I want to have the help I spoke of earlier.
So not only is this a huge step for the girls, in their 'life lessons', but it's also a very large step for myself. I'll need to accept the not so perfect way something is cleaned or put away. I need to let go of that. I just need to!

So although most chore lists small children have consist of personal hygene .. I probably will add that to my girls lists as well, because those are easy star earners that they already do each day. But the major 'to dos' will be picking up their rooms, carting toys back up to their rooms from the living room on a daily basis, and small helping out types of chores like helping with dishes or dusting .. things that are age appropriate.

I'm certainly up for any suggestions that have worked for you, or feedback too.
I'll give an update at the end of next week, to see how it's going.

Oh yes, and another thing I'm debating is .. doing these chores, does that intitle them to an allowance if they complete everything? So far we haven't given any allowance, and quite frankly I'm not sure if I'm willing to pay them for helping out, when in fact they SHOULD be putting some participation into a home they live in. Harsh? Perhaps.
However .. the girls NEVER go without .. and our change from pockets and my purse always land up in their piggy banks, so it's not like they're deprived of money.
Hmm .. good debate.

one less baby tooth

Alissa had her adult tooth coming up behind her second lower front tooth, and after having it sit patiently waiting for over a month, waiting for the baby tooth to wiggle free .. but to no avail .. off to the dentist we went. She was having some other work done, so with just a little topical numbing, out came the tooth.
She was such a trooper and oh so brave!

The best thing about having your tooth pulled by the dentist? According to Alissa it is .. a very cool treasure chest to bring the tooth home in. But it'll stay there only until tonight, when she'll tuck it under her pillow for the tooth fairy.

Her prize from Mama?, because when forced to watch your child go through ANY sort of discomfort us Moms melt into a puddle of 'give ins', a new little Winx fairy doll.
Oh and I should say, the other work was two small fillings but freezing was needed, so she did endure a huge needle too. So I didn't give in THAT easily with the toy .. it was certainly earned. ;)

scratch, scratch

Strike lake swimming from our remaining summer agenda.
This picture shows just a couple of the tormenting little buggers the girls and I have been dealing with for the past couple days. Swimmers Itch! :(

We've been swimming in this particular lake for as many years as D and I have lived here, and up until last year, never got the Itch. Last year, we got covered in them, but the optimistic that I am, thought perhaps this year would be different so the girls and I braved the waters with D looking on. Already as soon as our drive home, the little buggers started to appear, and new ones are STILL appearing two days later!
I treat them much like I did when the girls had chicken pox (they remind me very much of them .. the look, the itchyness, etc), so oatmeal baths, the Johnson and Johnson anti- itch spray, and even I tried teatree oil, and am open to any other suggestions that may relieve us of this horrible constant need to scratch!

So back to the river for our cooling off we go. Ironically enough tho .. today it's raining.

in the eyes of my beholder

I was so busy taking pictures of the girls eating icecream after our mini golfing session, and then I discovered the neatest thing. I realized that I was reflected in Dave's glasses when I took some pictures of him .. so I played abit more, lowering the camera to expose my face, and voila .. MY coolest picture ever!

Have I mentioned how much I love my camera lately?

And just so I don't leave the girls out of this post. This really cool car made from cement, was the 18th hole for one of the courses. (the one we took) The ball rolled down a path into the cage in the back, if you got it in the middle hole you won a free game. (none of us are THAT good)

*Alissa disclaimer .. don't mind her .. she's going through a stage of not liking the camera, and will make crazy faces or turn her head, so this is better then the back of her head, I say.

a peek at our ghetto pool

Here you have it .. our ghetto pool (aka our version of the WT pool that Pam has so endearingly called theirs).
When we're not heading to enjoy the water parks or the like, this is where the girls like to cool down while I tend to household matters. It's just a $10 piece of plastic that blows up quite quickly and although they can't stretch out to much and practice their swimming, that doesn't stop them from dumping in any and every toy around and playing. Today we have a floating flipflop (or as we call them .. flippies), a boogie board, and a semi deflated small innertube, plus two girls playing with their mermaidia barbie dolls. (I snuck up on them to get this picture so I wouldn't get the silly face or tongue sticking out expressions they tend to give when any camera is faced in their direction)

Oh yes, and I must not forget to say. Today it was on the cool side of being warm. And since the pool is located in the shade of the back of our place .. straight tap water was just a tad chilly to keep the girls enticed. This is how desperate I was to keep them outside. I dumped 4 medium (3 gallon) sized buckets of hot water into it to make it resemble a bath rather then a cooling off effect.
Oh and get this. Later on in the evening while at a bbq supper with some co-workers of Daves .. the girls were jumping in and out of a little kiddie pool that was filled with pure cold water AND it was after 8pm. Hmm .. me thinks they have me wrapped around their wee little fingers. :P 

happy birthday 'baby' sis!

Today my 'baby' sister turns 31! She's my 'baby' sis of about 1yr10mos14days.

Kathy .. in case you read this. Happy Birthday girl! Have a wonderful WONDERFUL day celebrating your special day with K, the kids and Mom and Dad. :)
Love ya!




*she's the one second from right
**picture taken of us four sisters, last May

a little bit of humour

The other day while sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office when I brought Alissa in for her followup, I picked up 'The Patience News' .. a small pamphlet with stories, jokes and ads.
I began reading the jokes and laughed out loud at many of them, but this one I thought was so worth sharing, since we JUST came through this with a certain 5 yr old. Although she wasn't smart enough to say anything this witty to us. :P

I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colours yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what colour it was. She would tell me, and always she was correct. But it was fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door, saying sagely, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!"

spring/winter relationships

Something that came up in conversation last night that got me thinking about this. I can understand why an older person (man or woman) would want a younger partner, but what I don't get is why the younger person would want to be coupled with an older person.

When I was 16, I dated a guy who was 23. Thinking back on it now, there was only one reason he dated me .. because honestly, why would someone who was already established in a full time job, want to date someone still in high school? Even though *that* didn't happen .. he hung in long enough. Being the younger one in the relationship .. I can say it was nice to be able to 'brag' to my friends about dating an older guy, but that was high school. I wouldn't want to do that now, that's for sure. Dave is 5 months older then me, and it works. Even a few years wouldn't make a difference. But if he was 10 or more years older .. what would we have in common is what I'd like to know. Of course it different for the one that's older, dating a fresh and much younger person. Keeps you feeling young, energetic .. a prize upon your arm perhaps?

Just a little food for thought....