Changing My World

Look What They Brought Home

2012-02-18T22:57:00.001-05:00

Not exactly great for Mommy who's trying to lose weight!

I figure these delicious, homemade chocolate chip cookies are at least 3 points each. I ate 2 yesterday & 1 today. How could I resist?

The boys had a fabulous time out all day. Grumps won the bowling match, they got a Happy Meal with a toy (spinning star wars top), and then spent the rest of the afternoon baking and playing hide & seek with their cousins. They were out of my hair for about 6 hours! As my hubby would say the peace & quiet was deafening. Blissful for me and little K!

PD Day Joy

2012-02-17T10:27:00.000-05:00

A normal PD day in our household, especially in the winter, ends up being a PJ day. As do "snow days" when the buses are cancelled or weekends when Daddy is working. The kids are comfy & happy and it's fine with me since I don't have to listen to "Where do my clothes come from?" from the 9 year old, "I don't want to wear that!" from the 6 year old, & "No socks!" from the 2 year old.

I'll admit I normally dread PD days since it means I have to keep 3 kids happy, entertained & quiet. I really don't like when a PD day is added to an already long weekend, like this one. Monday is Family Day in Ontario so that means my kids are home for 4 days straight. I know why the school boards do it. So families can plan to go out of town or extra special activities. But my hubby works retail and rarely gets even one day off on the weekend. So it's no big deal to me.

Today however is different because my wonderful mother-in-law called me up last night and asked if my 2 boys would like to spend the day with them & 2 of their cousins. I don't know if my in-laws realize what they're getting themselves into with a 6 year old boy, 8 year old boy, 9 year old boy & 10 year old girl. These kids have A LOT of energy and are very loud. Especially when put together. But they're not just going to sit at home with them all day. Oh no, they're going to be adventurous and take them bowling, then to lunch at McDonald's, and finally back to their house to make cookies. This will be the first time that they've taken more than 2 of the grand kids out anywhere at the same time. I am looking forward to the few hours of relative peace & quiet I'll get. I mean I will still have the 2 year old here but hopefully she'll oblige me with a nap at that time. I'll report back later how the day goes and how long they're actually out of the house. They're picking them up in about half an hour and it'd be nice if they didn't come home until around 4pm. I think it'll be more like 2pm though. I'll take what I can get!

Weight Watchers - Week 2

2012-02-16T20:15:00.000-05:00

So, week 2 was definitely harder than week 1. Once I gave into temptation it was a slippery slope as my willpower weakened. But I was accountable to myself and tracked every morsel I put into my mouth. Yesterday I reigned my self back in and feel more in control once again. I was very worried about gaining weight but it was okay, if not great.

Starting weight - ???
Weekly Weight Loss - 1 lb
Total Weight lost - 8 lbs
Weeks since starting - 2

The meeting leader did say that many people after having such a big loss the first week end up gaining during the second week. Now I just need to reprogram my kids to not share their chocolate with me ;P

Thanks for following along with me :)

All opinions on this blog are my own. I am not being compensated in anyway for this post.

I have paid for my own membership to Weight Watchers.

Weight Watchers - 3rd Times The Charm

2012-02-14T14:32:00.000-05:00

On Feb 2 I signed up for Weight Watchers. Actually to be totally honest with you this is my third time trying to lose weight with them. The 1st time I signed up with a coworker before my wedding. I was hoping to lose some of those extra pounds before the big day. I did lose a little bit but I got laid off from my job and didn't have the money or motivation to keep going on my own. The 2nd time was about 2 years after my first son was born and I was trying to get rid of the much dreaded baby fat. And I'm sure I lost a few pounds again that time & then I got pregnant with my second son. I did go back for a little bit after he was born but we had a really bad first year (blood transfusion for aenemia shortly after birth; pneumonia at 7 weeks; then I suffered with post-partum depression). Fast forward to 2 years after third child (a girl this time, YAY) and I'm ready to succeed!

I'm going to share my journey with you. And while at this point I'm not brave enough to tell you how much I weigh, I will once I get to my ultimate goal.

Starting weight - ???
Weight lost - 7 lbs
Weeks since starting - 1

Thanks for following along with me :)

All opinions on this blog are my own. I am not being compensated in anyway for this post.

I have paid for my own membership to Weight Watchers.

Recipe: Simply Delicious Pork

2012-01-17T22:01:00.002-05:00

Before I share last night's recipe let me tell you a story full of woe. Whenever the whole family gets dragged grocery shopping or to run errands I try to limit the # of stops & times in and out of the car to 3. My kids are still young, they get tired & cranky & complain a lot. My last stop on our grocery shopping outing Sun was supposed to be Metro to pick up pork ribs they had on sale for $1.99/lb. I needed this ingredient for 1 of my recipes. Since our first two stops on Sun took longer than expected we skipped going to this store. We used to live 2 mins down the street from Metro. From the new house it's a 10-15 min walk depending on weather & sidewalk conditions. Not a fun walk in winter but very doable. Anyway I decided I would put the boys on the school bus and then walk over to pick up the few things I needed.

I hadn't considered that the cold snap we were enduring for the past few days would still be a factor. It was -19 C (-34 C with the windchill), BRRR !!!!!!!!!!!! I really didn't want to go but I didn't have anything else that I could make from my meal plan since I was still missing the chicken I needed for 3 other recipes (more on that later). I could have just thrown together a pasta dish but I was determined to not screw up my meal planning attempts in the first few days. My 2 year old was well bundled up in the stroller and I was dressed fairly warmly (should have worn long johns under my pants & a scarf though). Oh and when I went to pull my jogging stroller out of the garage one of the rear wheels was locked up. Hubby fixed it quite quickly for me.

So off we went and about 5 mins into the walk I encountered a jeep blocking the sidewalk because it's hooked up to a Hydro truck to try and get the truck's battery started. Guy comes out from behind the truck and I ask "How am I supposed to get by?" He says "What am I supposed to do? My truck won't start." Did I mention we've had a fair amount of snow recently and the snowbanks would be impossible to push a stroller over? I stand there looking around for a moment thinking I should just go home. He says "Give me a second and I'll back up the jeep." By the time I got to the store I was feeling frozen & grouchy. Once there I had to wait about 10 mins for the meat dept to package up some of the ribs I needed. So I wandered the store and picked up some veggies that were on sale (whole mushrooms $0.99 package & broccoli $0.99 each) & a few other toiletries that we were going to need soon that were also on sale. I got lucky and found a big package of boneless pork chops with a reduced coupon because it was expiring the next day. Perfect for that night's recipe.

Go through the cash, bag everything up, grab my purse to pay & no wallet! I have a loonie in my coat pocket. That won't cover the $45 I need. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! When we had stopped at McD's for lunch on Sun I had taken it out of my purse and it was sitting on the shelf in our entryway. Oh how I was wishing we still lived across the street. There was no way I was going to walk home, walk back & walk home again in the freezing temperature we had. I texted a friend who lives in my old complex. No response. I called another friend who lives in my old complex. No answer. Third try was a call to my inlaws who live about a 5 min drive away. Yay, my father-in-law to the rescue. They are not morning people however and since it was 9:45 a.m. he was still not really up or dressed. I was happy to wait paitently for him to come and bail me out. And he drove us home.

If you've gotten this far, thanks for listening to my rant!

Here's the recipe: Simply Delicious Pork, done in the crockpot. Another recipe from the Rival Crock-Pot Recipe Card Collection.

The only changes I made to this recipe were that I used 9 small pork chops because that's how many were in the package I bought. And I used 3 heaping Tbsp of yellow sugar. I cooked them on low for about 7 hours. I served this with boiled carrots & chow mein noodles on the side.

It was okay but I think I was expecting something much more spectacular since my house smelled amazing while it was cooking. The pork chops were a bit dry even though they had been cooking in their own juices plus those of the apples. Both my younger kids ate the pork but not the apples. My oldest ate the apples no problem (they were the yummiest part) but only ate about half a pork chop under much duress. He does not like to try new meats or meat cooked in different ways I should say. There was enough leftover for both hubby & I to have for lunch today and still 1 serving left. It tasted fine reheated.

It served 2 adults & 3 kids for dinner (9, 6 & 2) and 3 adults for lunches.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

2012-01-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

One of my New Years resolutions (every year it seems) is to be more organized. I don't know about you but I am always scrambling when the kids get home from school to figure out what to make for dinner. More often than not dinner isn't ready until 6:30 when my hubby gets home from work or even later. This isn't good for the kids because they're cranky & hungry. It isn't good for me because I'm stressed & rushed. And it isn't good for hubby who is tired after working all day.

So last week when the grocery flyers arrived I sat down and looked through them all to see what was on sale. Then I browsed a few cookbooks to match up the main meal components for dinners. There we have it, a menu plan & a grocery list! Both are pretty foreign to me. I usually glance through the flyers then head to the store with a list in my head and no idea what I'm going to cook with all theses ingredients once I get home. We weren't starving but our meals needed to be healthier & more balanced.

I wasn't able to get out to the grocery store until Sun when hubby was off work. I don't have my full driver's license (something else I need to work on) & dragging 3 kids with me is no fun for anyone. We went to 2 stores & after an encounter with the meat manager at Loblaws I was pissed off and we all needed lunch. McDonald's it was! Luckily I had managed to get all the required ingredients for one meal.

Here it is: Black Bean Stuffed Peppers, done in the crockpot. This recipe came from the Rival Crock-Pot Recipe Card Collection which I got this past Xmas from my kids.

I followed the recipe almost exactly. I used mozzarella cheese instead of monterey jack. And I used mild salsa for all except hubby's, to which I added hot salsa. The peppers I found at Walmart were HUGE. I was only able to fit 5 of them in my big crockpot and they were only half filled. It worked out though because there are 5 of us in the family & I added rice-a-roni to the top. I cooked them on low for about 6 hours and they were starting to fall apart when I lifted them out. The boys and I added sour cream & hubby suggested adding some nacho chips for crunch.

Everyone liked it but the kids thought it was a bit spicy. Next time I'll do the bean mixture in 2 batches and use less spice in the kids & more in hubby's. And I'll use more cheese - beacuse who doesn't love melted cheese? Maybe I'll even add some ground beef. It was very filling and the boys ate about 3/4 of theirs & K ate about half of hers. There was enough leftover for both hubby & I to have for lunch the next day. It tasted fine reheated but didn't look extremely appetizing.

It served 2 adults & 3 kids for dinner (9, 6 & 2) and 2 adults for lunch the next day.

Enjoy!

Aspergers?

2011-12-05T14:19:00.001-05:00

My oldest son C is 9 years old. He has always been an over emotional child. I'm emotional too so I thought maybe he'd grow out of it. He hasn't. He cries over the smallest things. Yesterday he was colouring with his younger sister K (she's almost 2). He wanted the crayon she was using & she wouldn't give it to him. I told him she didn't have to & he could use any of the 100 other crayons we have. He got "the face" and sulked away to the corner. That was a mild reaction. Later my 3 kids were playing with magnets. C always has to be in charge & tells his siblings what to do. He wanted K to only play with the small amount of magnets he deemed useless to him. Meanwhile he had a pile of 30 or so. I asked him to go get dressed. He wanted to hide the magnets from her. I said she was allowed to play with all of them. He got "the face" & started yelling. I had to send him to sit on his bed in timeout. I worry that he'll get teased for being a "crybaby".

C acts & talks younger than his age. His tone of voice, his mannerisms, the toys & games he plays with, the tv shows he choses to watch. Dora the Explorer, I think it's aimed at 2-4 year olds. Not something you'd expect a 9 year old boy to want to watch. We had banned it altogether for awhile. But now that K is old enough to voice her opinion on what she likes she asks for "Dowa". He pretends he's putting it on tv for her. He actually prefers to play with kids much younger than him or stick around the adults. I worry that he'll get teased for acting so young.

C can't tell time on an analog clock. He has little concept of the value of money. He has no real sense of time in the bigger sense. He doesn't know the proper order of the days of the weeks. He asks me when something is going to happen over & over again. He does not remember our phone #. He is terrible with basic addition & subtraction. I asked him the other day what 10 - 7 was. He asked if he could count on his fingers. It took him a few minutes to give me the answer. I worry that he'll get teased for being "dumb".

C does not like the dark, he sleeps with a night light & the hall light on. He does not like loud sounds, he covers his ears. He won't go near his younger brother Q (he's 6) if he has face paint, a temporary tattoo, a stamp on his hand. He doesn't like to hold my DH's hand that has his wedding ring on it. He won't hug me if I'm wearing jewellery. He doesn't like to get his hands dirty with paint or glue. I worry that he'll get teased for being "odd".

C has terrible fine & gross motor skills. He's printing is very messy & painstakingly slow, never mind asking him to write in cursive. He still draws stick figures & uses very little colour in his work. He can't tie shoes. He can't ride a bike. He's clumsy & awkward in physical activity. He really has no interest in any team or individual sports. He only recently started brushing his teeth on his own. His favourite saying "I can't do it". I worry that he'll get teased for being "wimpy".

This is just off the top of my head. I'm sure this is much more that I'm forgetting but I wanted to get this out there so people could understand what life with a special child can be like. And while he hasn't been officially diagnosed yet, we do believe he has Aspergers. Even if it's a mild case.

So please don't judge me for being a bad parent & not raising my child to be "perfect" like yours.

It All Takes Time

2011-11-14T15:16:00.001-05:00

A moment, A day, A month, A year...

Do you ever stop and wonder - What am I doing? Is this what my life should be? How do I make lasting changes?

I feel like I can never stick to anything. I start, and maybe go strong with something for months or more often than not days, if I'm lucky. I need to get some focus back in my life. I'm hoping this will help me.

That's where I'm at what about you?

I'm So Excited!

2011-06-17T16:46:00.001-04:00

Do you remember way back when, last year sometime I think, when I told you all about my new blog? Well, I've kinda been in a slump with many aspects of my life and just existing day to day. This week was a turning point for me. I'm still taking it slowly but watch out world - HERE I COME! Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself ;P All this cryptic talk to say keep an eye on Mommy Life Savers for some upcoming reviews & GIVEAWAYS!!!

I Know, You've Probably Forgotten Me!

2011-03-08T13:18:00.004-05:00

It's been a LONG time since I've posted anything here! Bad, Bad, Bad....

And I'm going to start right away by asking you for some help :)

My 5 year old son Q has entered his drawing of a "froggy alien" into a Facebook contest being run by Kidorable. Isn't it cute!

He can win the whole Frog collection that they have. All you have to do to help him win is "LIKE" Kidorable on Facebook and then click on "LIKE" underneath Q's frog picture. Easy Peasy!!!

Thanks for voting and please leave a comment below to let me know you did :)

I started a new blog!

2010-10-09T21:20:00.003-04:00

Wish me luck! I'm starting a new blog to do product reviews and giveaways. I will still be posting here about family & life stuff but I really hope you'll come follow me at my new blog Mommy Life Savers too :)

Breastfeeding Challenge 2010

2010-10-01T19:10:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow morning at 11 am I will hopefully be latching Baby K on to nurse at the Breastfeeding Challenge. I had first heard about this challenge when C was a baby but unfortunately I was not nursing at the time of the challenge. And then again when Q was a baby breastfeeding him did not work out. So, I am very pleased that at 9 months Baby K and I are still going strong with the nursing. It's tiring at times being her constant food & comfort source but I woudn't change anything. I love knowing that I am providing her with nourishment and creating a strong bond between us. So, cross your fingers that she is awake & hungry tomorrow at 11 am and that the boys are willing to sit quietly & patiently.

Free Starbucks Coffee

2010-08-07T09:13:00.002-04:00

If you like coffee you'll love this! Just sign up here to receive a coupon in the mail for a FREE Starbucks coffee!

One coupon per email, valid only in Canada, coupon Expires Sep 30. 2010

Enjoy it!

Blog Contest @ My Organized Chaos - Step 2 Playhouse

2010-07-28T20:38:00.002-04:00

I really want to win this prize! It would be great fun for the kids (either outside or indoors in winter). Blog contests really are legit and they often have great odds.

Check out My Organized Chaos for your chance too! But you better hurry because the contest ends tonight...

How To Get $5 From The Tooth Fairy

2010-07-14T11:19:00.003-04:00

If you are an almost 8 year old boy go to the grocery store with your Mom. Say you're going to push the shopping cart. Proceed to ram the cart into the back of your Mom's ankle, ripping a large amount of the skin off in the process. At the same time manage to somehow ram your mouth into the handle of the cart. End result top 2 front teeth get knocked out with a lot of blood and pain.

I think the Tooth Fairy felt bad for C since she usually only leaves $1 per tooth!

Oh Canada!

2010-07-01T10:39:00.002-04:00

5.5 Earthquake!

2010-06-23T16:35:00.002-04:00

This afternoon around 1:40 pm I was sitting on the couch watching a movie and nursing baby K. All of a sudden the whole house started rumbling and shaking. It lasted about 30 seconds. At first I thought it was a big truck driving by the side of the house. Then I thought maybe something actually hit the house. So, I went outside to investigate. The baby by the way was not impressed to have been woken up so rudely! Anyway, a neighbour confirmed that it was an earthquake. We didn't have any damage at the house. The kids were at school but were fine and wanted to know if I had felt the earthquake when they got off the bus. C said he was a bit scared because he was worried that he would be separated from the rest of the family. I reassured him that we don't get big earthquakes like that here. Q said he wasn't scared because he was a brave boy. DH who works about a half hour drive from home felt it too. He was hoping there computers would go offline so they'd be sent home. No such luck!

The earthquake's epicenter was in Quebec along the Ottawa River. Not far from where we are in Ottawa.

Look At My Hair Mom!

2010-05-21T21:00:00.004-04:00

The kid's school does theme dress-up days every once in awhile. Today was "Crazy Hair Day". Of course I only realized this as I was standing outside to put C on the bus this morning. I had seen it in the school newsletter calendar at the start of the month but there was no reminder sent home. I asked C if he knew that it was today and he said he forgot (no big surpise there!). Since his hair is so short the only thing we could have done to it was dye it and he wouldn't have wanted to. But Q was all excited by this and wanted crazy hair. His hair is a bit longer so I thought I could spike it up a bit and then go from there. Only thing is we don't really have any hair products since neither DH or I use any. Nevertheless a quick Google search told me I could easily make my own hair gel with just gelatin and water. Didn't work so well for me. First it didn't seem to set and then when I went back to it after being sidetracked (remember I have 3 kids, lol) it was hard and rubbery. Alright, nix the gel idea. I take Q up to the bathroom and wet his hair a bit and start running a comb through it in all directions. Then the fun part FOOD COLOURING!!! Red on top & blue at the back. Quick spritz of hairspray and he was ready to go. Turns out he was the only kid in his class with crazy hair. I guess the JK's don't normally participate much in these things. Q had fun though & loved all the attention!

No Longer A Miracle Worker

2010-05-06T15:28:00.002-04:00

Not that I ever deluded myself into thinking I was but that was the saying on my favourite mug. Which today I broke :( The handle is now in 3 pieces! I loved this mug because it was a nice big size and very cheery to look at. Plus it was a gift from my brother and his wife who we don't see nearly often enough in person since they live on the West Coast. Good thing Skype exists!

We Are Officially The Plague House

2010-04-30T16:37:00.002-04:00

I hate to whine but be forewarned this post is going to be whiney!

Sunday night before bed we notice Q has some discharge in his eyes. Not a lot and he's had a cold so I thought it was related to that. He had not been eating much because of the cold for a few days. Ended up going to bed early without eating anything. Wakes up crying around 9 pm that his eyes were stuck shut. Coughing like crazy. Give him his inhaler and get him calmed done and back to bed about an hour or so later. Long night. Kept him home from school the next day and his eye seemed to be getting better. Tuesday comes and his eye looks good so I sent him to school. When he got off the bus - OMG I just looked at him and knew it was Pinkeye (even though we've never had to deal with it before). His eye was so red and goopy! Poor Q. Managed to book him a Dr appt for 7:30 that night. Hubby took him while I stayed home with the other 2. Oh, did I mention the baby is teething (no tooth yet, but I can see it coming) and feeling very screamy the whole day. By the time they got home it was almost 9:30 (hubby was not impressed with how long they waited) and he still had to go back out to the pharmacy to pick up his medications. Yes, that is plural - turns out he had Pinkeye in both eyes, an ear infection (with a fever) and the lovely cough due to his reactive airways (just call it Asthma already!). So, he stays home from school for 2 days. And on the 2nd day the baby gets Pinkeye! Do you know how hard it is to put eye drops in an infant or a 4 year old for that matter! Now, during this time I develop a cold (or maybe allergies) with an increasingly worsening cough & sore throat, and today my ear is killing me. Hubby has the sniffles and so far C is the only one completely healthy. Could be because he refuses to get within 10 feet of his ill siblings for fear of getting sick.

Sigh, I am so tired because I don't think I've gotten more than 2 hours of sleep at a time for almost a week. I've been spoiled by the baby only waking up once a night to nurse but with her not feeling well she's been waking up a lot.

My Heart Just Broke A Little Bit

2010-04-26T09:29:00.004-04:00

Q just said "I wish you would never yell at us"...I don't like yelling but sometimes, all too often if I'm honest, it seems like it's the only way to get the boys to listen to what I'm saying or to get them to stop doing something they shouldn't...I told him "If you and C would listen to Mommy & Daddy we wouldn't have to yell"...He said "And then you can hug us"...Yes, I did just hug him tight until he squirmed to be let go...

Baby Pictures

2010-04-01T20:55:00.003-04:00

Ack, I've been slacking! She's 3 months now and so wonderful.

Unwanted Parenting Comments

2010-03-26T16:26:00.003-04:00

Last week the boys were on March Break. DH was supposed to go back to work from his 3 months Parental leave on the Monday. He was able to extend it to the Friday by taking 4 days vacation. What a relief since I may have had a nervous breakdown with all 3 kids home by myself for the week. Friday afternoon we walked over to the grocery store with a friend of mine and her baby. The boys were kind of restless since shopping is boring (unless it's for toys of course). By the time we got to the cash C had lost his video game privileges for the weekend due to not listening. This upset him and while I turned my back to put my items on the conveyor belt he disappeared. I think I called him 2 or 3 times before he came back. I told him very sternly NEVER to do that again. I didn't know where he was and even though it was only a few seconds my heart was beating a hundred miles a minute. He started crying. This little old lady standing in line behind me pipes up and says "Awww, he's upset and not happy." Like I should be hugging and comforting him or something. I forget exactly what I said but it was basically "Well sometimes kids need discipline". Come on! He ran off in the store toward the exit when I've got 2 other kids with me, one a baby, and I was worried and scared. Can't I verbally discipline my child without getting unwanted comments?

2 Months Old

2010-02-20T08:22:00.002-05:00

She wakes at 2 am, 5 am & 7 am...gives me the most amazing smile in the world and I'm overwhelmed by how full my heart feels. Yes, I'm tired but it's SO worth it. I can't believe this little person is growing and being fully sustained by me. It's a very different experience than I had with the boys who had to be supplemented and bottle fed with formula. Yes, it's still hard at times but breastfeeding is working this time!

The Proud Big Brothers

2009-12-30T07:49:00.002-05:00

Baby Kathleen

2009-12-24T17:37:00.004-05:00

I was scheduled for a planned c-section on Tuesday, Dec 22 @ 8 am. Saturday afternoon, Dec 19, I started having contractions. Nothing new. Didn't think too much about it until around 4 pm when they were every 5 minutes. I called the hospital. They said I should come in and be checked. I called DH at work (it was his last shift before starting his 12 weeks of parental leave). I packed my bag and the kids backpacks (yes I'm a PROCRASTINATOR)! DH got home and we took the boys to the inlaws. My FIL was convinced it was false labour. Got to the hospital around 6 pm. Put me on the monitor and yes indeed I was having regular contractions. Only 1 cm dilated. Told us to go sit in the labour lounge for 2 hours then come back to be checked again. Waited and watched bad tv. Hooked back up. Contractions still coming regular, a bit stronger now. Still only 1 cm dilated. Dr decides to give me drugs to try and stop the labour. They don't like doing emergency c-sections. The drugs didn't work. Told they'll have to do the c-section now since the risks of uterine rupture are high after having 2 previous c-sections.

Kathleen Mary Elsa

- Born on Dec 20, 2009 @ 12:33 am

- 7 lbs 4 oz

- 18.5 inches

Asthma...

2009-11-27T07:22:00.003-05:00

Here's the background. C is 7 years old. Before he was 1 he had Pneumonia the first time. When he was 5 he had Bronchitis and then Pneumonia for the second time. Ever since the first time with Pneumonia whenever he gets a cold he gets a stubborn, long lasting cough. He's been prescribed inhalers (Flovent & Ventolin) since that first chest infection. Dr's will not diagnose Asthma unless there have been two significant breathing difficulty episodes. They just say he has Reactive Airways and to start using the inhalers when he gets a cough.

Fast forward to September this year. C got a cold at the beginning of the school year with a cough of course. The rest of the cold symptoms lasted about a week or so. The cough was finally starting to get better when about 3 weeks ago it got worse again. I took him to the Dr 2 weeks ago and our GP said it was probably Croup. Said his chest sounded clear and to double the dose of the Flovent and he should be better in about a week. I asked if we should use the Ventolin as well and he said it wasn't necessary but may help with the cold symptoms (I continued to use it). He also suggested exposing him to cold air at night would help (I didn't).

On Tues I got a call from the school that C was in the office complaining of a sore stomach and feeling sick. I went and got him and when we got home he slept for an hour & a half and then seemed to be feeling better. Wed he went to school but when he came home he was complaing of the same thing and within half an hour had vomitted some mucous. He then went to sleep for more than an hour. Woke up and vomitted some more mucous and went back to sleep. Hubby said he woke up around 11 pm saying he was hungry (he had hardly eaten any lunch & didn't eat any dinner). So he got him something light to eat and he ended up vomitting again, caused by all the coughing and phlegm built up in his lungs. He had also been very wheezy at night for a few days. I decided to keep him home from school yesterday and called the Dr. Our GP wasn't in but we got him an appt with another Dr for noon. Hubby took him since I had to stay home with Q and get him on the school bus. Shortly after 1 pm hubby called to say C was hooked up to a Ventolin machine for a 15 minute dose because his oxygen level was only at 91% (if it had been even 1% less he would have been sent to CHEO, children's hospital). After the 15 minutes he was up to 98% oxygen so the Dr sent them home with 3 prescriptions - Prednisone (which they prescribe as a last resort for kids), Alvesco (another inhlaer that's more effective than Flovent) & Ventolin (the inhaler our GP said wasn't necessary to be using). Instructions to stay out of the cold because it irritates the lungs and to keep him home from school today and have him relax for the weekend. We need to take him back in a month for a follow-up.

I know Dr's are only human but to get such contradictory information from our GP, especially when it was harming my child just infuriates me.

I strongly believe C has Asthma, even if they still haven't diagnosed him.

Some Names Q Has Suggested

2009-11-12T15:31:00.002-05:00

Q has been saying for months that we should name our soon to arrive little girl "Baby, just Baby"...

The other day he decided she should be "Santa"...

Today he told me we should name her "Violet because it means purple in French"...

Needless to say he doesn't approve of our name choice and keeps trying to sway us!

Childhood Milestone - 2nd Lost Tooth!

2009-11-11T20:41:00.001-05:00

C lost his 2nd tooth, another botttom one, after he came home from school. It had been loose for a little while but last night while eating dinner it was really bothering him. He tried wiggling it; I tried brushing his teeth to see if it would help it along; Hubby suggested he pull it out (C was not keen on that idea). For breakfast he requested soft foods. I gave him yogurt & oatmeal - even that he wasn't really wanting to eat. At school all day he only ate 1/4 of a sandwich & some blueberries. He was really worried about the tooth falling out while he was eating and swallowing it. When he came home he sat and finished the rest of his lunch & snack and out it popped! He decided he was going to wait to put it under his pillow so he could show it to Dad before the Tooth Fairy comes to get it (Hubby was working late). I think he'll find $1 under his pillow tomorrow night.

Baby Name

2009-11-10T15:32:00.002-05:00

I'm about 99% sure that hubby & I have decided on a name for our first little girl.

Drum roll please!................................................................................................................

Kathleen Mary Elsa

For some reason I had a really hard time coming up with a name I loved this time. With the boys we only ever had 1 boy name picked out. Well actually with Q hubby also wanted to name him Duncan and we waited until the day after he was born and then I decided! When you're naming a subsequent child you have to take into consideration how the name sounds with the siblings names as well as middle names & last name. Then you have to think about the meaning, possible bad nicknames, initials, etc.

So, since our last name is Irish & the boys names are Irish it seemed only natural that this baby have an Irish name as well. Kathleen means pure. Mary is one of mine & my Mom's middle name. Elsa is my Mother-In-Law's middle name. The boy's middle names are family names as well.

What do you think?

32 Weeks - only 6 more to go!

2009-11-09T15:41:00.003-05:00

I know I've been neglecting my blog (as my charming hubby is quick to point out). For that I'm sorry. I do often pop by and read the blogs I'm following but have also been commenting less and less.

I'm just so tired most of the time. It's hard being pregnant...with a third child...at 35. I know it's not an excuse. I woke up 3 times last night (having to pee, heartburn, just uncomfortable) and finally gave up around 5:30 am.

I need to really start getting organized for our little girl. A friend is throwing me a baby shower next month at our house. I feel like I should be deep cleaning & decluttering and I have good intentions but more often that not I get sucked in by the computer or tv.

And Xmas too. Especially since we won't be able to do any last minute shopping or wrapping.

I'm rambling and have to go get the boys off the school bus. Stay tuned!

We are okay

2009-10-28T11:52:00.001-04:00

Baby is fine and so am I. Just very tired today so I'll update more later.

Thanks Jamie for your concern. Hope you and your lovely wife are doing okay.

Good Vibes Please

2009-10-26T06:36:00.004-04:00

I noticed some light bleeding last night. It was very minor and did not last long. I've also been having a lot of contractions and pressure. I'll be going to the hospital after C goes to school this morning. Just want to check everything out and hopefully get some reassurance that everything is okay with baby.

I'm 30 weeks and 2 days pregnant.

28 Weeks, 2 Days

2009-10-12T08:28:00.000-04:00

Banana Crumb Muffins

2009-09-24T12:16:00.002-04:00

I had some over ripe bananas to use up in the fridge so decided to do some baking. I got this recipe from an online forum that I visit on a regular basis. I was going to make these in the afternoon when both kids were at school since I wouldn't have then pestering me. But I stopped and thought about what I could make for dinner that would also have me using the oven. That way I wasn't heating up the oven just for one thing. It made things a bit more rushed for me but if I plan better I'll do this again in the future without any hesitation.

Banana Crumb Muffins

Ingredients:

Muffins
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon (I used 1 tsp)
3 bananas, mashed (I used 4 bananas)
¾ cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
⅓ cup oil
½ teaspoon vanilla

Topping (I forgot to do the topping)
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Method
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, oil and vanilla. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. For the mini muffins, I checked them after 10 minutes and they were done.

For some reason whenever I make muffins I always end up with more than the recipe says it will make. Maybe I don't fill my muffin tins enough? Anyway I ended up with a dozen regular sized muffins and 22 mini muffins. The minis are perfect for the kids to take to school and so cute! I'll try to remember to take a picture later.

Hope you enjoy!

Pretty!

2009-09-22T14:27:00.002-04:00

DH asked Q (remember he just turned 4) "Is Mommy pretty?" Q said "No" DH asked "Do you know what pretty is?" Q's answer "Flowers are pretty".

Today Q told me "Your shirt is pretty because it has flowers on it."

25 Weeks, 2 Days

2009-09-21T12:02:00.000-04:00

Have had a migraine since Saturday night, tylenol has not helped. Friday & Saturday I was feeling a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions. Enough that I was actually considering going to the hospital to be checked. They subsided yesterday thankfully. Have had a few days of sciatic nerve pain again but today is better. Heartburn has come back after giving me a bit of a break.

Other than that kids are both sick with a cold. Yay, the joys of sending them back to school (germ infestations)!

Only 15 More Weeks To Go!

2009-09-19T13:32:00.002-04:00

What a scary thought! Of course I can't wait until our little baby girl is finally here but it also seems like the impending date is coming too quickly. I have so many things I want to get done before she arrives. And technically she'll likely be here at least a week early, maybe even two depending on when they set my c-section date for.

Anyway just wanted to let my faithful readers know that I've added a bunch of older posts from the summer that I had written elsewhere. Thought I should try to organize everything in one spot. So, if you're bored today and want to catch up on what was happening during the summer then please read to your hearts content! Feel free to comment as well ;)

Cloth Diapers? - Magik

2009-09-12T20:42:00.001-04:00

Wondering if any of my readers out there have used this type of cloth diaper -

Magik cotton diapers have a unique velcro system which allows a perfect adjustment for all 8-32 pounds babies. They include a cotton lining to increase their absorption. Made entirely of cotton, the Magik diapers are more absorbent, thinner and easier to dry than other fabric diapers.

Opinions good or bad appreciated. Thanks

24 Weeks Today

2009-09-12T08:47:00.000-04:00

I just threw up this morning :( Caught a whiff of a scented candle and had to run to the toilet. Blech! I know I'm luckier than some that may still have constant nauseau & require meds but I really thought I was done with this. It's gone much later this time around than my 2 previous pregnancies with my boys.

3rd Ultrasound - 23 Weeks 6 Days

2009-09-11T18:16:00.002-04:00

Anterior Placenta

2009-09-11T15:49:00.000-04:00

I went to my prenatal this morning and mentioned to the nurse that I thought I had been feeling the baby less often and not as strongly as just a couple of weeks ago. She asked if I was worried and of course I was because as we all know when you're pregnant you worry about every little thing. So she said they would fit me in for an ultrasound right then (they have an ultrasound clinic connected to their practice in the same office space). Baby is doing well, we were able to see her moving around (even though I couldn't feel it), she's about 1 lb 10 oz and a bit above average in size. Turns out I have an anterior plancenta and that is why I don't feel her moving as much. I wonder why I wasn't told this at my previous ultrasounds? Anyway of course it's a relief to know everything is okay and to see our little one and hear the hearbeat (143) and the u/s tech said she also believes it's a girl so we got a second opinion there, LOL!

Childhood Milestone - 1st Day Of JK!

2009-09-10T18:35:00.005-04:00

Today my little boy embarked on the first day of many in the learning adventure that is known as school. He was excited - in fact all morning he was asking when it would be time to go! I was a bit leary as I watched him go since he's only ever been home with me. He's never even been babysat by anyone other than family. He only looked back once before they went inside. "Sniff, Sniff" I suppose I should be happy that he's ready but I felt a bit lost for my 2 1/2 child free hours. He is a confident and eager little boy and he had a great afternoon. Tomorrow he's excited about taking the school bus for the first time and coming home on the bus with his big brother. He got to be the "leader" of the line and was very happy about this special role since he got to hold his teacher's hand. Here's a few pictures I thought I would share of this monentous occassion.

Q's Junior Kindergarten Intake Interview

2009-09-04T14:35:00.004-04:00

Well, we went and met the teacher today. She's actually only there for a month since she's retired and was asked by the Principal to come back since they had to add a 4th JK class (that's right there are 72 JK kids registered at our school this year). Then hopefully one of the morning JK teachers will be able to take on this class in the afternoon.

She was very pleasant and Q seems to like her. They made a special hat for him to wear to school for the first little while until the teacher learns everyone's names. He'll start next Thurs with 1/3 of the class (staggered entry) and then the whole class goes on the Fri. Q had fun taking pictures of his classroom.

Happy 4th Birthday Q!

2009-09-02T09:44:00.004-04:00

How did you grow from a precious little baby who we spent the first 4 months being very worried & stressed about your health? (Actually if I'm not kidding myself it was the first year.) Exhausting days & nights...

How did you turn into a funny, adventurous, smart little boy? How is it that next week you will start junior kindergarten at school?

I hope I am a good Mother to you and that you will always love me as much as I love you.

22 Weeks Today

2009-08-29T08:21:00.002-04:00

Feeling sick with a cold (sore throat, stuffed up, sinus headache) which I caught from my youngest who caught it from the little girl I was babysitting. Oh, so wonderful to be sick when pregnant and not able to take anything to ease the symptoms and feel better. I just hope it doesn't end up being strep throat.

And the past 2 days I've been having trouble sleeping due to indigestion & heartburn. Any bets if this little baby girl will have a full head of hair like the old wifes tales say? I had terrible heartburn with the boys and they both had lots of hair.

It's raining and I'm drinking tea & eating animal crackers, still in my pjs. I think I'll let the boys stay in their pjs all day and we'll just relax. DH is at work.

Baby Murmel has been moving a lot but not enough for DH to feel the movements yet. Sometimes I think I can feel them from the outside with my hand on my belly, they feel strong enough. But usually it's when DH is not around or if he is they stop once he tries to feel them.

p.s. I'm going to make an effort to post more. I'll try for a little something every day :)

21 weeks, 2 days

2009-08-25T08:57:00.000-04:00

Feeling pretty good but if I do too much in a day I'm really tired the next day. Guess I have to learn to pace myself!

The baby has been moving around a lot. Still not strong enough for DH to feel yet though.

H1N1 Vaccine

2009-08-20T14:00:00.000-04:00

You know I wasn't overly worried about the H1N1 virus until I started reading more about it and then went to look up more info online. Now I'm worried.

I have 2 kids 7 & almost 4. They both have had problems with respitory infections all their lives. The 7yo will be in school full time. The 4yo will be starting JK and going half days. I'm a SAHM. My DH works in retail so comes into contact with hundreds of people everyday. It was initially my plan to spend 2 days a week volunteering at the school before the baby comes. Now I'm rethinking this.

Will you get the H1N1 vaccine even though it hasn't been widely tested and no one knows what possible side effects may come from it down the road? I'll have to ask my OB what he thinks and maybe even the high risk unit at the hospital that's also following me.

I Feel Like I'm Breaking Down

2009-08-18T08:04:00.000-04:00

I've been close to tears all morning. I'm tired, not sleeping well because of the heat. 7yo woke me up at 5 am. I told him to go back to bed. 20 minutes later I find him and the 3y playing in the bathroom. Oldest swears he didn't wake up his brother. I don't think so, since 3yo is now back asleep! Cranky because of the heat & humidity (no A/C). Feel like I'm stuck in the house because if I spend any time outside I feel sick and get a headache. Feel like I'm not getting anything done at home because it's too hot & I have no energy or motivation. Ugh, I really woke just like the temperature to drop to about 25 and the humidity to go away.

1st Tri Symptoms Coming Back

2009-08-15T09:08:00.000-04:00

I don't remember this happening with my 2 boys but for the past few days I feel like I'm back in the first few weeks of pregnancy with being sore & tired, nauseau & gagging, heightened sense of smell...

20 weeks today! I'm half way there :)

19 Weeks, 2 Days

2009-08-11T06:12:00.000-04:00

Back to feeling very tired and exhausted...Weather has turned hot & humid and we don't have A/C...Not much else to report

So, We're Having A.....

2009-08-04T20:16:00.000-04:00

Girl! I'm so happy. I already have 2 boys and have always wanted a little girl :)

U/S This Afternoon

2009-08-04T10:22:00.000-04:00

Going for my 2nd U/S this afternoon. Hoping we'll catch a peek to see if it's a boy or girl. And hoping to get reassurance that baby is doing well and I won't have to be followed for the rest of my pregnancy at the high risk unit of the hospital.

Camping Trip

2009-08-03T18:05:00.006-04:00

My DH when he was growing up went camping almost every summer for family vacations. Even as he got older he was still involved with Scouts and went camping often to help out. I have rarely been camping. A few times with DH & friends when we first started dating and that's the extent of it. We hadn't been camping since before I got pregnant with C (so at least 8 years). DH loves nature and the outdoors and I know he wants to pass that on to the boys. My inlaws had mentioned that they would come with us if we went this summer. The weather has been SO rainy the past month that when they saw that we had a few days without rain in the weather forecast they jumped at the opportunity and had booked the campsite before I even knew what happened. Remember I'm 4 1/2 months pregnant! And was not really thrilled with the idea of sleeping on the ground and having to get up and wander around in the middle of the night to visit the bathroom.

So, we had 1 1/2 hours to pack and get organized for 3 days & 2 nights camping at Murphy's Point Provincial Park. Great family place, with kids activites, a nice beach, good amenities. Thank you FIL for booking us into a lot that was fairly close to the bathrooms & showers. Yay, running water!

Overall, it was fun. The kids enjoyed it and so did the adults. I did not enjoy the million mosquitos, the raccoons snooping around (I was sure they were going to climb into the tent with us), the hard ground to sleep on, the sound of acorns dropping from the trees above us onto the tent (sounded like we were being bombed). I did enjoy watching the kids enjoy life away from the tv & video games, the huge ice cream cones, the time spent relaxing with family. I told my FIL that he may convert me to a camper yet BUT only if we were to get an inflatable mattress and a bigger tent. Here's a bit of advice - a 4 person tent doesn't sleep 4 comfortably, even if 2 of them are small kids.

18 weeks, 2 days

2009-08-03T10:27:00.000-04:00

No major complaints. Have an U/S at the high risk unit at the hospital tomorrow and then an appt there on Thurs to meet with the specialist. Maybe we'll get a peek to see if it's a boy or girl :)

Some Pictures To Share Of The Birthday Party

2009-07-27T16:52:00.007-04:00

Yesterday afternoon we had C's birthday party at the inlaws house. We are very lucky that they always offer us the use of their place which has a big backyard & swimming pool. Thankfully the weather co-operated and even though it looked doubtful in the morning the rain held off. Have I mentioned that most of this summer has been rainy? And I don't like it?

It was actually hot so the kids enjoyed swimming, then we had a BBQ, did cake (I wasn't happy with how it turned out but everyone said it tasted good) and opened presents. In case you wondering what 7 year old boys like these days here's what he got - 2 Star Wars Lego sets, a Knex helicopter set, 3 Bakugan figures and storage case, a puzzle book, a Chapters gift card, lots of clothing and a his first watch. Fun was had by all. It was mostly Kevin's family, since my Mom came over for lunch on Friday, and a few friends.

Q was trying to protect his watermelon from Uncle B's dog Toby!

17 weeks, 2 days

2009-07-27T16:31:00.000-04:00

Last week I had my 1st appt with the OB who's taking over my care. He referred me to the high risk unit at the hospital to have a consultation and see how they want to proceed. Got a call from the hospital today and I have an u/s booked with them next tues & an appt with the specialist next thurs to go over the results. And my GP called with my blood test results and my antibody levels are still the same. Good news :)

Other than that I'm doing well besides all the headaches. I'm blaming the weather in part. We've had so much rain and the barometric pressure changes are one of my migraine triggers.

What We Did For The Birthday Yesterday

2009-07-24T08:21:00.005-04:00

Day started off with C waking me up before 6 am as usual. Yawn...Let Daddy sleep in until 7 am. We had breakfast while watching the local morning news show to see C's birthday announcement. Kids always get a kick out of seeing a picture of themselves on tv! Dropped the boys off the inlaws at 8:30 am so we could go to meet my new OBGYN (more on that to come tomorrow). The kids love spending time at Gramma & Grumps, they have lots of cool old toys (original Fisher Price), let them watch lots of tv, and feed them snacks (to quote Q "her gives me gummy bears"). LOL! Came back to get the kids around 10 am and hubg around updating the grandparents on baby progress for a bit.

Then we took them to East Side Mario's for lunch. There were a few reasons I choose that particular restaurant. It's family friendly (and not McD's), they have good size portions & a nice kids menu, they have a treasure chest for the kids to pick a prize, they give you FREE dessert and have all the servers sing to you on your birthday, they let you spin a wheel to win a prize on your birthday. Well, things have obviously changed since the last time we were there. Portions have gotten smaller and the kids menu has changed to reflect that as well. They no longer have the treasure chest (C was very disappointed). They still bring you a FREE dessert for your birthday, but that's it. I felt a let down by this whole experience. The food was good BUT for what it cost I could have taken them to McD's for half the price and they would have been happier about it. Live and learn I guess.

After lunch I looked around a few stores for pjs for C. Why is that past size 6X stores only seem to sell pajama pants? I want a full set of pajamas that's not going to cost me $25 or more! No luck...We got home after 2 pm and gave C his presents. Q gave him Clue JR (which I picked up second hand for $3) and DH & I gave him the Lego Indiana Jones game for our Wii (it was really the only thing he was asking for). DH was happy about that present too :) We also gave him 3 chapter books (got those second hand as well for $2 each). One is for a new series that we haven't read yet "Secrets Of Droon" and the other 2 were from the "Magic Tree House" series which DH has been reading to the boys as bed time stories for awhile now.

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing inside (it was raining again & is also doing the same today...blah) and playing the new video game. On Sunday we're having his family birthday party at the inlaws (NO rain please!). And at a later date next month we're having his friends party.

Love New OBGYN, Not happy With GP

2009-07-23T15:40:00.001-04:00

Saw the OBGYN who is taking over my care. He and his staff are really friendly & compassionate. The offices are beautiful and they have an ultrasound clinic connected to them. So, when you go for your u/s you see your Dr right after and they go over the results with you. Heard the baby's heartbeat on the first try. It's 145. Have my next u/s scheduled for Aug 10 and hopefully we'll be able to see if it's a boy or girl.

Because my last child had a blood incompatibility with me I'm high risk. My GP was just monitoring my blood every 4 weeks to watch for rising antibody levels. The OBGYN has said he wants me to be seen by the high risk unit at the hospital to make sure we get the proper care. I'll be seen by the regional specialist that deals with hemolytic disease. If all is progressing well I can continue to see the OBGYN and he'll likely preform my c-section when I'm 38 weeks (Dec 19). Otherwise I'll have to have all my appts at the hospital and other interventions may need to be taken.

I'm feeling a bit miffed with my GP & his office. First reason, they never notified me I was being referred to the OBGYN. I found out when the OBGYN called me to make an appt. Second reason, I had my last blood work done July 15. The OBGYN did not have these results yet. I called the GP today to ask and was told they have the results but my Dr hadn't signed off on them yet. And he's on holidays. I was told the Dr on call will look at them but not until July 27! Then I had to ask her to make a note to call me with the results. Is it too much to ask and expect to be kept informed of what's going on with my pregnancy and my care? Especially since I am high risk? Okay, rant done...

Happy Birthday To C!

2009-07-23T00:01:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe 7 years have passed. Now our little family has grown to 2 little boys and a new baby on the way. Time really does fly when you're having fun!

Childhood Milestone - 1st Lost Tooth!

2009-07-13T11:39:00.005-04:00

My little boy is growing up! In fact he'll be 7 next week so it's actually quite surprising that it's taken this long for him to reach this milestone. He reported to me Saturday morning while eating breakfast that his tooth hurt and he needed to go to the dentist. I took a look and sure enough one of his bottom front baby teeth was loose. And I could see the adult tooth already coming through behind it. (As is visible in the pic, no cute toothless gap this time!) Now, just 2 days later the tooth has fallen out and is waiting to be put under his pillow and collected by the Tooth Fairy tonight! I wonder what she'll bring? As it happens both boys have a dentist appt on Wednesday for a check up. It'll be good to have it checked to make sure that adult tooth will move into it's proper space.

So Tired

2009-07-07T15:57:00.003-04:00

I am just exhausted today. Yes, I am pregnant so should expect some extra fatigue but usually during the 2nd trimester that eases up a bit. Today I feel like I'm dragging myself. I woke up at 7 which is late for me, since C usually wakes up around 6, and I just wished I could have gone back to sleep for another hour or two. Add to my normal day with my 2 kids (is summer vacation over yet?) an extra 3 year old and I need a nap. I babysit S two days a week and she's mostly a quiet, well behaved little girl. Sometimes I wonder why I'm doing it since if it was just my 2 I could go and lie down while I set them up with a movie or try and convince them to nap. Oh yes, the extra money it brings in. It may not be much but every extra $ helps especially with baby 3 on the way.

And the rain does not help either. We've had SO much rain here already this summer that I don't want to see anymore.

Done whining now...

YAY! Who Said There Were No Good Selfless People Left In This World?

2009-07-03T17:44:00.003-04:00

The saga has ended! Well, mostly. After much searching in the all the places we might have lost him and much advertising online a little Karma miracle happened for Q. I got a response to my Kijiji ad from Angela in Oshawa who had accidentally clicked on my city's for sale site instead of her own. She had the same little stuffed dog, which I verified from the pictures she emailed me, and would be happy to send it to us. For nothing, not even to cover her costs to send it by Purolator courier! It arrived this afternoon and Q was happy when he peered inside the envelope but then C said it was a "new" doggy. Q said "but it's not my doggy". I reassured him that it was indeed his doggy but I'm not sure if he's fooled! No smile in the picture above, but look at that HUG! Anyway, I'll keep trying to find the original but at least we have a replacement to ease some of the heartache.

Oh, and if any of you ever come across a Max dog by Russ Berrie/Amram's and it's not too expensive I'd be happy to have an extra just in case!

Have You Seen This Little Doggy?

2009-06-30T13:36:00.001-04:00

This is Q's most favourite and well loved stuffed toy in the world. Yesterday Lost & Found (aptly named don't you think) got lost further than just in our own home. So, far he has not turned up in any of the places we visited yesterday. I've got my fingers crossed that he'll be found or someone will at least recognize it and be able to tell me what company made it so I can try and track down a replacement. I've even posted ads on Freecycle, Kijiji, another Used site, Today's Parent VGS as well as Facebook.

Q is very sad, and keeps asking when Doggy is coming home. I feel so bad for him.

Baby Bliss

2009-06-19T13:01:00.003-04:00

First photo op for baby Murmel! I'm 11 weeks 6 days today. Baby's heartbeat is a strong 163, size from crown to rump is 57 mm which is right on track. And the NT measurement for IPS is 1.1 mm which is well within the normal range. I'm still smiling :) It's so extraordinary to see your baby on an ultrasound for the first time. It makes it real! Seeing the heart beating and the baby moving around...WOW!!!

Some Good News

2009-06-12T16:32:00.002-04:00

Finally some good news from the Dr's office today. I have my first ultrasound scheduled for next friday (I'll be one day away from 12 weeks at that point). I'm SO excited to get my first glimpse of this baby! Luckily DH is actually off work that day but we're supposed to have our bedroom carpet replaced with hardwood laminate. Have to wait until closer to the date to confirm that though.

Then they called me back this afternoon to tell me my latest blood test showed that my antibody levels hadn't risen from the first one. That is very good news! Of course, it could change and there is still a long way to go with this pregnancy. We're still taking it one day at a time. For now I'm happy and going to keep thinking positive.

Need To Increase My Iron Intake

2009-06-11T21:38:00.001-04:00

Another thing my Dr told me from my blood test results is that I'm at the very low range of where my iron levels should be. In the last trimester of my pregnancy with Q I had to take iron supplements in addition to the prenatal vitamins. Right now he's not recommending any but I'm going to focus on eating more iron rich foods. I think this is especially important in my case where the baby needs all the red blood cell help it can get.

Here's what I've found out in my online research:

There are 2 types of iron:
Heme - from animal products such as meat, fish, poultry, which is the most easily absorbed type of iron.

Non-Heme - from fruits and vegetables, not as easily absorbed so you need to have vitamin C when you eat these foods to help absorb them.

Dairy & caffeine actually block the absorption of iron so these so should be avoided for an hour before or after you eat your iron rich foods.

I'm looking for recipes to try so if you have any that are rich in iron please forward them on to me!

Feeling Discouraged

2009-06-09T12:13:00.000-04:00

I went to the Dr today and finally got to discuss my blood test results that were taken at 6 weeks 3 days. The titre level for the "Anti E" antibody in my blood is 1:4 which is still on the very low side but it does mean that this will be a high risk pregnancy and will likely have some effect on the baby. Blood work every 4 weeks to check if the level is rising (which is bad news) and an ultrasound every month starting at 16 weeks to make sure baby is growing as expected. We knew right from the start that there was a 50 percent chance that this would be what we'd be dealing with. I guess I wanted to believe this complication would just go away and I could just enjoy this last pregnancy and look forward to a healthy baby. I know there is still a small chance that the baby won't have any negative effects and even if a blood transfusion is needed at birth that the outcome is good. It's just all the "what-ifs" and "worst case scenarios" running around in my head. Just want to climb back in bed and hide under my covers all day.

Thanks for letting me ramble on.

Contest Win on Feisty Frugal & Fabulous

2009-06-04T17:02:00.004-04:00

Last month I won a blog contest hosted by Feisty, Frugal, & Fabulous. The contest was for a $20 Gift Certificate from Oliver's Labels. I picked the mini labels which come in a set of 100 and are waterproof. They're even supposed to last through the dishwasher (haven't tested that yet)! I was happy to win this contest because these labels were something I could actually get a lot of use out of. You know how Sharpie markers are supposed to be permanent on any surface? Well, they are NOT! At the beginning of the school year I wrote on all of C's school plastic lunch containers with a black Sharpie and I think you can only see the faint name on 2 or 3 of them now. Some of the email correspondance with Oliver's Labels was slow to be replied to. But I was impressed with the fast shipping. My order was shipped 3 business days after I made my Paypal payment of $4.09 (shipping & taxes - would have been nice if that was covered in the contest win) and I received it by Cda Post lettermail 2 days after that. It had rained that day and the envelope and the contents were pretty wet (even with an inner plastic covering the labels) but since they are supposed to be waterproof the company has assured me they should be fine.

News Travels Fast When Spread By My Mom

2009-06-03T16:09:00.002-04:00

When I went for my first Dr appt on May 8th I had my Mom come and babysit Q and to be there for when C got home from school. I told her I was pregnant that day because she had asked me why I was going to the Dr. I asked her to keep the news to herself until I told her she could tell people. And she did keep the secret for 3 1/2 weeks. So, I have to give her credit for that! But the moment I told her this past Monday that we had told the kids and my inlaws on the weekend and that she could tell my various Aunts - she started calling people!

Within half an hour I had a phone call from my Aunt J. Then an email from my Aunt D and later that afternoon a phone call from my Aunt B. Now, I had thought she'd just tell people in passing the next time she was talking to them. I guess she was just bursting to share the news that she was going to be a Grandmother again!

Told The Kids And The Inlaws

2009-05-31T21:59:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we told the kids that around Christmas they'll have a new baby brother or sister. C's first reaction (he's 6 1/2) "Then Santa won't come to our house!" Q's reaction after we told him the baby would grow in my belly (he's 3 1/2) "You mean you're going to eat the baby!" Gotta wonder how those little brains work :)

Today we finally told my inlaws. I'd been leaving it up to my DH but he seemed to keep putting it off. I said me had to tell them now since we told the kids. They actually seemed okay with the news. We were a bit worried that they would be disappointed or think it was a bad thing. My father-in-law seemed a bit leary about the whole idea. My mother-in-law seemed surprised but alright with the news - maybe even a bit excited.

We also went and looked at new car seats yesterday and have found a solution that will let us fit all 3 kids in the back seat of our Honda Civic. This was a real worry for us since it's a tight squeeze back there. It'll mean buying 3 new seats which will cost us around $700 BUT we won't have to fin a way out of current car lease and that will save us money in the long run.

2 Months Today

2009-05-29T11:55:00.002-04:00

So, today I am officially 2 months pregnant or 8 weeks and 6 days (since a normal pregnancy is 40 weeks long). And according to my pregnancy calendar - "Baby's arms and legs are moving now. This would be visible on ultrasound." I'm still experiencing some naseau, tired a lot of the time, very thirsty (which may explain why I wake up so often at night to pee!), feeling cold most of the time, and a few other symptoms which I don't feel the need to publish on the internet ;) I was able to pick up 2 boxes of maternity clothes from someone in my neighbourhood through Freecycle. So happy about that since I won't have to buy much and can now feel comfy in clothes that aren't tight around my belly. I called my dr's office earlier this week to ask about an ultrasound and they have bumped up my next prenatal appt to June 9. I'll be able to ask about my blood test results and hopefully he'll book me for an ultrasound not to long after that. I'll be sure to share the first baby picture when we get it!

Cautiously Optimistic

2009-05-23T11:06:00.003-04:00

I called the Dr's office today to find out if my 1st prenatal blood tests results were in since it has been a week and a half. The receptionist very kindly found my file and said that everything looks normal and that if anything was wrong they would call me. This sounds like good news but I'm not sure if she really know how to read the results to specifically look for the Anti E blood incompatibility. My next appt is not until June 26 (seems like an eternity away) and I hope to get more answers then and to try and hear the baby's heartbeat. Keep yours fingers & toes crossed for me!

Happy Birthday To Me

2009-05-05T13:22:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I turned 35...yikes! How did that happen? My DH was working late yesterday so we celebrated on Sunday. First we went out for a nice leisurely brunch. Then he took the boys to buy me presents. They picked out a Bleeding Hearts plant which produces nice flowers and is perfect for our shady yard. They also bought me 2 hair clips. A few days before they had broken one of my older ones while they were playing with it. So, C thought they should buy me a new one to replace it. I had given him two $5 Walmart GC (which I got from a Glade promo that ran before Xmas), so it didn't cost anything OOP. My big gift that we picked up a few weeks ago was the Wii Fit. I've been wanting one for a long time but they are really hard to find since they never seem to have enough stock. Anyway, I was lucky enough to finally get one and had decided that it would be my bday & mother's present as well as DH's father's day present. And then later in the day we went to Dairy Queen to have an ice cream treat. It was a nice day.

Yesterday my best friend S took me out to lunch. I wasn't feeling great since I had a headache (and can't take any of my usual migraine drugs) and was feeling naseous. But I had a great time chatting with her and shared our news with her. She's offered to lend me a few baby things so that will help out.

Today the headache is still hanging around but now it's just a dull throb. Hopefully tomorrow it will be gone.

Journal

2009-05-01T19:53:00.002-04:00

You'll be seeing many older posts popping up here on my blog. The reason being is I want to amalgamate everything that I've written about my life in one space. I am a member of a few different online forums & groups and often post looking for advice, etc. I realized that I have a really bad memory so this is really for my sake. I decided to go back and look for anything about the kids and then said "What the heck, I'll just move it all over". Afterall it's my blog and I'll do with it as I wish - and maybe you'll get some enjoyment out of reading it too ;)

Time Moving Slowly

2009-05-01T17:18:00.003-04:00

I swear this has been the longest 4 days of my life. And to think I have to wait a whole other week before my first prenatal appt with my Dr. Argh!!! So frustrating when I just want to tell everyone I know that I'm pregnant. Trying to be patient. So far it's only my little group of followers (who may or may not actually even read my blog anymore) that know our tiny secret. But it includes my brother and his wife. And I've been emailing back and forth with her...Thanks A! It's so nice to have someone (besides my DH) to share my feelings with.

5 weeks today...only 35 more weeks to go ;)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-29T05:00:00.001-04:00

(Okay, I'm going to cheat and add a few words ;) If you know me in real life or from another online forum, I ask that you please keep this info to yourself for now. Thank you

Debt Be Gone

2009-04-26T19:36:00.002-04:00

We've been trying for awhile to really dig ourselves out of our sinking debt hole. I think we realized we needed to make serious, mature, grown-up decisions and changes last year when we leased our new car and almost didn't qualify. I think at that moment in time something turned over in my brain and shouted at me WAKE UP! At that time we said no more using credit cards but of course we've had out slight setbacks. The biggest was in the summer when we made the leap and replaced our very old and very inefficient washer & dryer with shiny, new front loaders that are much more energy efficient. We bought them on the HBC CC under a don't pay for 6 months agreement. In the past this was a downfall for us. This time they were paid off within the month that they became due! Since the start of this year I've been making extra payments on all the cards (we had 4 with varying balances on them), basically pumping any extra cent I can into them. Tomorrow the last of those CC will be paid off! On Thursday my student loan will be paid off! And then that leaves just my DH's student loan as our outstanding debt.

I'm so excited to be able to now start to plan what to do with all this money that's been wasted away. I'll be doing another post soon all about that.

Mommy Questions

2009-04-14T17:15:00.003-04:00

I just saw this over at My Daily Life : http://mykingdom-dina.blogspot.com/ and thought it is so cute and decided to ask my 2 boys (C is 6 1/2 & Q is 3 1/2) the following questions :

What is something Mommy always says to you? C - "Don't play on the stairs" & Q - "Something grumpy" (Hmmm, I don't think I'm always grumpy)

What makes Mommy happy? C - "If I get you a present that you like for the birthday like flowers" & Q - "Play a game with you"

What makes Mommy sad? C - "If I call you not a good name" & Q -"Doing work" - LOL

How does Mommy make you laugh? C - "By telling me a silly joke" & Q - "Jump up and down"

What was Mommy like as a child? C - "A baby" & Q -"A baby

How old is Mommy? C - "34" (he's right!) & Q - "4"

How tall is Mommy? C - "That I don't know" & Q -"That tall" (and he reached up his arms)

What is Mommy's favorite thing to do? C - "Sometimes play with us a game" & Q - "Play"

What does Mommy do when you're not around? C - "Sometimes cleans up" & Q - "Do work - vacuum"

If your Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? C - "A painter" & Q - "For something for you to do"

What is Mommy really good at? Q - "Making stuff for us to eat" & Q -"Playing Mario Kart"
What is Mommy not very good at? C - "She's not very good at driving" (So true, I need to practice more to get my license) & Q - "Not at Wii playing"

What does Mommy do for a job? C - "She vacuums" & Q - "Do work"

What is Mommy's favorite food? C - "Mayonnaise and olives" (He said mayo first and then said that was a dip so changed it to olives) & Q - "Mustard"

What makes Mommy proud of you? C - "That I make my bed" & Q - "Playing hide & seek"

What do you and Mommy do together? C - "We sometimes tidy up with each other" & Q - "Play a game"

How are you and Mommy the same? C - "But there's nothing that's the same" & Q - "That we play a game"

How are you and Mommy different? C - "She is a girl and I am a boy and she is taller than me and am littler than her" & Q - "Smaller and bigger"

How do you know Mommy loves you? C - "When she smiles I know that she loves me" & Q - "We play outside"

What does Mommy like most about your Daddy? C - "That sometimes he gets Quinn dressed" & Q - "Go to work" LOL

Where is Mommy's favorite place to be? C - "At a restaurant" Q - & "At the restaurant" (So, funny!)

This is my kind of chocolate!

2009-04-13T10:46:00.004-04:00

My Mom won this HUGE hollow chocolate bunny and brought it over for the kids. It's 1400 g, that's more than 3 lbs! And it's over 2 feet tall!

Happy Bunny Day!

2009-04-12T06:45:00.004-04:00

Easter is not a big celebration around our house as we are not very religious. And as seems to be with every holiday it has become far too commercial. I don't want the kids to feel left out but I also don't want them to expect huge amounts of gifts everytime there is some holiday or celebration. Especially since C learns about all the different holidays in school so we will do a small egg hunt and I got them a few treats. Here's what I got them for a total OOP (out of pocket) cost of $0.64 since I used a $5 GC that someone gave me in exchange for a toddler bed rail we were no longer using - Yay me!!!

175g solid chocolate eggs - $2.25
340g Whoppers robin eggs - $3.38
255g Reese peanut butter cups - $0.01 (SCOP - rang it at wrong price so got it FREE, well 1 cent)
6 x 21g solid chocolate bunny - FREE (DH brought these home from work)

VHS movie "It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" (gift stash)

Grade 1, Wipe-Off Addition workbook (gift stash)
Grade 1, Wipe-Off Subtraction workbook (gift stash)
Sandylion Scooby Doo stickers (gift stash)
K'nex 44 pce building toy (gift stash - FREEBIE)
Crayola mini poster with markers (gift stash - FREEBIE)

Beach ball - (gift stash)
Little People 3 pce figurine set (gift stash)
Sandylion rainbow stickers (gift stash)
Crayola mini poster with markers (gift stash - FREEBIE)

A bit about my gift stash. I have a HUGE stockpile of items (mostly kids stuff) that I buy throughout the year on clearance, etc. This way I'm not overwhelmed and stuck buying full price when a birthday or Xmas comes around. I really need to sort, organize and clear it out though because now it's pretty scattered over many various spots around the house. But that is a goal for another day.

We are having my Mom over for dinner tonight. We just had her last weekend for her birthday but felt bad that she would be all alone. I'm not cooking a turkey or ham though.

Wings

2009-04-08T20:29:00.004-04:00

Q said he wanted to have wings so he could fly "high up in the sky". He wanted to know where our wings are. I told him people don't have wings. He turned to me and asked "Where is the wings store?"

The other morning he looked out the window and said "It's snowing! When's Santa coming?" The snow had all melted and now we're back to winter gear. Ah, the joys of Spring in Canada.

I love how a 3 year old's mind works :) Here's my cutie! (But don't let him hear you call him that or any other endearment.)

Happy Birthday To My Mom

2009-04-05T20:48:00.004-04:00

My Mom turned 71 this week. My DH, Q & I went to see her on her actual birthday and took her out to lunch. We also brought her some potted Mums and a fruit tart for her to enjoy. She's diabetic so shouldn't eat a lot of sugar. But since C was at school we decided to save the rest of her present (2 shirts & a nightgown) for when she came over for her birthday dinner. The kids also made her a birthday card and drew some pictures. I made Garlic Chicken in the crockpot. It was good and moist but not spectacular. Not sure if I'd make it again. We also had stir fried carrots, broccoli & cauliflower and dinner rolls. C helped me make the cake earlier today. I had borrowed a diabetic cookbook from the library and made a Banana Snack Cake. C insisted we put chocolate icing on it!

Sorry, I've Been MIA...

2009-03-11T17:08:00.002-04:00

I've been focusing my energy on bringing more money into our household. My current source of income has been mystery shopping, occassional focus groups, and part time daycare. Not exactly bringing in the big bucks! With our BIG goal of eventually being able to own a home (many smaller goals need to be completed first along the way), I need to step up and be more responsible. I've basically been a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) since C was born 6 1/2 years ago. I did have a brief stint of going back to the workforce part time but it didn't work out since they really didn't have enough work for me to do. And I also did home daycare on and off from the time C was about 3 months until the end of my pregnancy with Q (so about 3 years). I've toyed with the idea of getting a "real" job but that would require me to either work part time around DH's hours (and never see him) or pay for someone to take care of my kids (kind of defeats the purpose). Anyway, DH had reconnected with a high school friend on Facebook and found out she was looking for childcare for when she goes back to work in the summer. I decided to make a real go of having a full time home daycare. I've made up a contract, started advertising, and am in the process of joining a Child Care Network to upgrade my CPR & first aid and also get a police check done. I did my first formal interview with DH's friend on the weekend and think it went okay. But even if they don't choose to place their daughter with me I'll keep trying. In fact I have another interview set up for next week for another little girl who would be full time in the summer as well. And my current part time daycare customer is thinking about going back to work full time so that may work in my favour!

Gee and I thought I wouldn't have anything to say...Keep checking back. I will try to post more frequent updates and I have been reading you're blogs when I get a few moments. Hope you'll keep reading mine as well.

Hydro Bill

2009-03-05T13:33:00.001-05:00

I'm so depressed, I just got my latest Hydro bill which covers from Dec 11 to Feb 11 and it's almost $600! I feel sick to my stomache - I always dread the bill at this time of the year because it's always the most expensive, covering the coldest winter months. It's $170 more than the one at this time last year and an increase of more than 20 kwh/day. I'm forever turning off lights, unplugging appliances not in use, turning down the heat... I called Hydro and they said it's an actual reading from our Smart meter and there's nothing I can do but pay it.

Changes

2009-02-27T17:50:00.002-05:00

Well, if you're a regular reader you've probably noticed some drastic changes. Please be patient while I work through this new phase of how I want my blog to look and function. I hope you'll keep checking back - I hope to have some exciting things happening in the near future :)

Not Buying It

2009-02-21T16:23:00.004-05:00

We have been trying to curb our spending this year. I really agonize over most of our purchases now before I make them. Recently when out shopping I came across a bunch of clearance priced toys. I couldn't resist looking and even put a few items in our cart. I like to have a stash of gifts that can be used for gifts for our kids, nieces & nephews or bday parties that my boys get invited to. And while it's true the toys I was looking at would have eventually been gifted to someone, I am very proud to say I put them back. I didn't buy them just because they were a great deal! I already have enough gift items to fill a whole room - maybe a slight exaggeration but only a smidgen of one.

We've also been trying to find FREE things to do with the kids. A few weekends ago (I'll do a separate post) we had a totally free weekend full of 3 different outings. Last Sat I took the kids to the library while DH was at work. We took the city bus for FREE (because of the recent transit strike) and borrowed 5 kids dvd's, a pile of kids books, and I picked up 4 or 5 books for myself to read. Now, I just have to make the effort to return everything on time so I don't end up with huge late fees (which I had to pay on Sat). Kind of defeats the purpose of borrowing from the library!

Anyway, one of the books I borrowed was "Not Buying It, My Year Without Shopping" by Judith Levine. The title says it all! I just started reading it today but know it'll be a book I breeze through without wanting to put it down.

I know I couldn't do a whole year. Not at this point in our lives. But it's certainly something to think about and strive for - even if it's small steps.

It's Cold Out There...

2009-02-05T18:49:00.002-05:00

But I just came back from a 30 minute walk. I know I said I would walk for an hour but considering it's late in the day (I don't like the dark), it's freaking cold (currently -16C), and icy (which when combined with the dark and black ice in places, slowed me down quite a bit), I think I should be proud of myself. I actually didn't mind the cold for the first 10-15 minutes but then I gradually got colder and colder and by the time I got home was quite miserable.

I'll be glad when Spring comes. Too bad it's another 6 weeks or so away. Now I'm going to have a nice warm cup of chai tea.

Being Good To Me - Walking

2009-02-05T08:11:00.002-05:00

I weighed myself yesterday :( I hadn't done so for quite a long time. I'm not happy.

My new weekly habit is to walk 1 hour everyday. Right now the weather is not so great what with winter, snow and -30 freezing temperatures. But as much as possible I do want to walk outside. We have a manual folding treadmill which I got for free from freecycle but I've yet to use it. I guess I'll have to get DH to set it up and test it for me so I can have it as a back up.

Anyone willing to join me in my quest?

Me And The Kids

2009-02-03T10:32:00.003-05:00

So my hubby is gone to Barrie, Ontario for 4 days. Business training on presentation skills.

The kids have been pretty good so far. C asked me when he got home from school yesterday "Did you forget that Daddy was on vacation?" LOL! I don't think Q quite understands how long he'll be gone - 3 is still young to grasp "time". He asked me this morning when he woke up if Daddy was still sleeping. I'm sure he was at that point just not in our bed.

DH will be home Thurs afternoon and then is off work until Mon. That'll be nice and hopefully I'll get some kid free me time too!

Laundry Everyday

2009-02-01T18:24:00.002-05:00

Coming up with a new habit every week is a bit harder than I imagined it would be. That's why I'm late with this one :P Should have posted this last Thurs...anyway, as the title states my new habit will be to do 1 load of laundry everyday. From start to finish - for some reason I never quite get all the clothes put away after folding them. Hopefully this will help conquer the laundry monster that piles up in our house.

Week 3 - WTP Cross Stitch Progress

2009-01-31T06:46:00.000-05:00

Here's the progress after last night. Woohoo - his head is done! I can see the end in sight. I've only missed one day so far since I started this back up. I've been averaging 2-3 hours...but if you've ever done cross stitching you know that you really have to focus all your attention on it. I'm usually watching tv when I'm working on it.

Pear, Apple, Mango Sauce

2009-01-27T14:52:00.004-05:00

This is what I made with the reduced fruit I picked up this morning. Just peeled, cored and chopped up the fruit. I added 1 cup of water, 2 Tbsp sugar (although I think I could have used just 1) & 1 Tsp cinnamon. Let it simmer for about half an hour then pureed it after it had cooled for a few minutes. It made approx 4 cups. Pretty good for $1.00.

What To Do Today?

2009-01-27T10:10:00.003-05:00

Got C onto the school bus then took a walk over to A&P with Q. I wanted to pick up some blueberries since they're on sale this week for 99 cents and C had requested them. I always look over the reduced and clearance racks wherever I go. I got an english cucumber, 3 zuchinni, 1 pepper, 2 trays of small tomatoes, and a tray with 4 pears, 2 apples & a mango - all this for $4.49. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to make a fruit crisp or a fruit sauce. And if I want to make zuchinni muffins or cake. Decisions, decisions! That will have to wait until the dishwasher finishes running. We have a portable dishwasher that you roll up to the sink and connect it. I love it because I hate doing dishes but because our kitchen is galley style I can't do any cooking while the dishwasher is running - there's just no space around it.

I have to fold 1 load of laundry that's sitting in a basket and then another that's waiting in the dryer and then put everything away. I really need to pull everything out of my dresser and closet and decide what I want to keep. I have lots of clothes but half of them don't fit me - sigh! I can't bring myself to get rid of everything though because I want to lose weight and don't want to have to buy all new clothes if I ever get there.

I also need to figure out what craft to make for playgroup tomorrow since it's my turn to organize that. It needs to be something simple since most of the kids are 2-3 year olds. I'll have to do some browsing online and see if anything jumps out at me.

Wow, what an exciting life I lead...

Friends

2009-01-22T09:02:00.004-05:00

Do you have one or two really good friends who you've known forever? Or do you make friends with ease and have many of them?

It takes me awhile to get to know people and really be comfortable with them. I have trust issues...so when I open up to you it's because I trust you with my life. I've been burned more than once but haven't we all? I recently found a bunch of notes written to me by various friends throughout high school. Only one of those people is still my friend - my very best friend! Oh sure, a few of the others I still see on occassion or communicate with through this great big world wide web...but I wouldn't really consider them friends anymore. Just people I can smile & say a few words to. What an eye opener those notes were though...full of teenage drama & angst! I would not go back and live through those years of my life again.

I met my best friend when we were in elementary school - grade 5 to be exact. So, we have known each other a LONG time. 23 years - that's more than 2/3 of my life! Wow! Of course over that time span we've had our spits and spats and there were periods of time when we didn't see each other or even talk to each other. But I'm happy to say they were few and far between. She's the type of person who I can just pick up a conversation with like it was yesterday; the type of person I can talk to for hours and say everything and nothing at the same time; the only person besides my DH who I feel I can really open up to and not be judged.

Yesterday my DH came home from work and asked "How's S?" I said "How did you know I was talking to her?" His answer because he had called home on his lunch hour and the phone was busy...tried again 15 minutes later and it was still busy. It's true - she's the only person I talk to on the phone for more than a few minutes. Usually it's at least an hour if not longer.

My new habit I'm picking up this week is to make more of an effort to keep in touch with family & friends. Sometimes when life gets busy we put them on the back burner and just take it for granted that they'll always be there.

Winnie The Pooh XStitch Progress

2009-01-21T14:21:00.007-05:00

I promised updates so here's the photo showing how I'm coming along.
So, I finished both of Pooh's arms as well as his shirt and made some progress on the balloon. Still have to finish the balloon, the lettering, his head & face, plus the outlining. A lot of work left!

We're All Sick

2009-01-21T08:29:00.005-05:00

Well so far it's just me and the two boys. But DH says he's fighting it. A nasty cold (achy, tired, sore throat, headache, alternating stuffed up & runny nose, sneezing & coughing). I just love when we all get sick at the same time :( I never really get to be the one waited on hand and foot because I'm not feeling well. The joys of being Mom! Whenever I get a cold it gets all into my sinuses and I feel like I'm havning a full blown allergy attack at the same time. It's just miserable. I only hope it doesn't turn into Sinusitus. I had that last year and it was terrible - even my teeth were aching!

Enough whining for me...I did manage to bake 2 dozen banana chocolate chip muffins this morning. That's an achievement right? I had bought the bananas the other day, they were on the reduced rack for half price because they were getting over ripe. Perfect for using for baking.

Waste - I Need A Composter

2009-01-17T09:17:00.003-05:00

I've been trying to make sure we don't end up throwing out food that's gone bad because we buy too much and don't use it in time or it gets forgotten at the back of the fridge. We've been doing pretty well for about a week after I did a huge fridge clean-up. Although Thursday night I opened a container of leftovers that had to be chucked because the chicken was going bad (it had been 5 days - guess we should have used it up 2-3 days before). Then this morning I was getting the boys breakfast and reached into the box of clementines in the fridge and grabbed a mushy, moldy one - YEACH!!! At least it hadn't affected any of the others yet.

This got me thinking again about composting. We don't have a composter but I do want one. I'd really LOVE to have this one from Lee Valley but it's a bit pricey. I'm sure we could get a less expensive one and it would do the job just fine or even make our own (not sure that would go over well with the neighbours). The city used to give out free composters I'll have to check and see if they still do or maybe they sell inexpensive ones. The city is supposed to implement a Green Bin Program this fall. It's been in a trial phase FOREVER (at least 8 years) and we all know how quickly city programs and officials work. Anyway, if it does go ahead that would be great. I've also heard a lot recently about vermicomposting with worms and want to do some research. I'm not fond of bugs so not sure if this would be right for me but I'm sure the boys would get a kick out of it!

Unfinished Craft Projects

2009-01-15T09:05:00.003-05:00

I used to do a lot of different crafting (cross stitching, candle making, beading, etc). That was before my kids...now my crafts consist of lots of paper, glue & stickers, LOL! I have bins of unfinished and also unstarted projects. So, I am promising myself that I will spend at least an hour a day working on something from my stash.

I'm starting with this Winnie The Pooh printed cross stitch baby quilt. I can't remember when I originally started this. It was either when I was pregnant with C or Q (so 4 or 7 years ago)! I'll keep you all updated with photos of my progress.

My insipiration to get back into my crafting hobby was from my sister-in-law. She and my brother came down for a visit last weekend and it was so much fun. After talking to her and seeing her passion for knitting I knew I wanted to have that feeling in my life again. Thank you Allie!

Survived

2009-01-11T17:37:00.000-05:00

So, I can proudly say we survived our first time having guests staying over for a few days. I didn't get everything done that I wanted to do but I did get a lot done that I posted and a lot more that I didn't post. Overall it was a great 4 days. Everyone had fun, was well fed and well rested. That's what counts right! I am glad though to get my house back to normal and hopefully the kids will calm down and get back to a regular sleep schedule. And who knows we may have then stay with us again in April when they come down for a wedding.