On the upside!

I'm so happy to report that Mason is finally starting to be a better boy to be around :) His constant crying seems to have decreased, his vocabulary seems to be growing every day (Finally!!), and he's just happier in general! He's fallen in love with Dora. Which pleases me to no end because it's given me a barganing tool!! Do this, and you can watch Dora! Stop crying and you can watch Dora! It's lovely!

Jenna started grade one yesterday!! I can't believe it!! This is it...when the kids start getting cool, or not cool. When the attitudes from their friends really come shining through (For instance, one of the first things Jenna said this morning? "It's really freakin' raining out there!" WHAT!?! oh no no no my love!! She was sooo nervous about starting grade one!! For DAYS she talked about how nervous she was, and nothing I said could soothe those nerves :( But!! She's in a class with the best grade 1 teacher in our school, she's with her best girlfriend, and the boy she's been in love with since she was 1 :) So I'm really hoping for a good year for her :) Fingers crossed. What I'm not looking forward to is that the routine is Every day now!! I've had it easy for the past two years...going every other day! not anymore!!

And to add to that excitement!! Aidan starts Junior Kindergarten this year!! I am SO excited for him. He's been ready to go to school since last year! It's strange, I was really nervous about Jenna going to school when she started. But not Aidan! I think because he's so outgoing, and so confident. He's far more advanced than Jenna was when she started; I think we were happy that she knew how to print her name...Aidan can do that, plus mosst of the alphabet, plus he knows all his letters by sight, and he knows all their sounds fairly well (Thank you LeapFrog Letter Factory video!)...Jenna was sooo not there by JK! I'm also excited for him to talk someone else's ear off all day long :) That boy always has something to say about everything!! And if he doesn't know...he'll make it up :) Yesterday, we were walking to get Jenna from school, and he was telling me all about how he has the best teacher in the world, and that she's lucky because he's in her class and he's such a funny boy. and he just went on and on about how great she was.....problem is....he's NEVER met her!! LOL We go tomorrow to meet her, and see his classroom, and then he starts next Tuesday. I'm so happy :)

So, that's the kid update for ya! Off to work I go now :) have a great one!
Lisa

Timmins trip journal. Reealllllly long and boring! LOL

August 25
We made it to Timmins safe and sound. Well, safe anyway J The trip started well, we got out of the driveway about 5 minutes behind schedule, I only forgot my shoes and a coat for Aidan so far (I meant to go back to the closet for them). I managed to catch about an hour or so of sleep on the way to North Bay, which was Much needed, since I’ve been up since 1:30AM with Mason L Who, of course, got the luxury of falling asleep again at the precise minute I needed to start getting ready to pack up and go. So I got showered, gathered the few last minute things together, we got the kids in the van and were off.

Made it to North Bay in really good time, stopped for breakfast and coffee (Thank God) and then headed out again. Unfortunately, the second leg of the journey wasn’t quite as smooth as the first. About 40 minutes outside of North Bay, Al got a speeding ticket. Thankfully the cop was kind, and gave him a reduced fine, so it’s not a bad ticket…but still! And then, 15 minutes after that, Mason started crying, and we couldn’t please him no matter what we offered! And then he barfed. UGH!!! So, we had to stop again to get him cleaned up and changed. I thought there was something wrong when I picked him up to get him into the van. He was sweating sooo much L I had hoped that it was just because I had dressed him warmly anticipating the cool morning…but I guess not. My poor boy L. Once we got some Gravol into him he was sleeping peacefully within about 20 minutes, and slept until we got into Timmins.

Jenna, Aidan, Al and I spent most of the rest of the trip watching/listening to the Cars DVD. I love that movie J! And then Al and I took turns picking CD’s J I’m proud to say I know almost all the words to my Norah Jones CD! LOL I’m so in love with her. I totally wish I knew her in real life so that she could sing at my wedding. LOL…whatever J Jenna and Aidan know far too many words from our Mika CD LOL! Their favourite is the Lollypop song. Mine is Big Girls. Fun stuff on that one.

So we get to Timmins. Al checked the trip timer on the display, it took 6 hours and 45 minutes! Awesome time! Considering the two unplanned stops, and me nagging Al to slow down after he got the ticket! We stopped at Al’s Mom’s first. Mason was just brutal there L I couldn’t put him down, he fell off his chair at lunch, constant crying/screaming. There’s a lot of stuff in her house…and I think it was just over-whelming for him…plus he’s not feeling well of course. I guess I finally gave Al the piercing eyes, “we need to get out of here before I lose it” look enough times that we finally headed over to his sister’s house. Mason did Much better there!! It’s definitely more kid friendly. Plus, Joseph (Al’s nephew) wasn’t there…I don’t know why, but Mason just really doesn’t like Joe L Joe’s 11, and of course, doesn’t understand…I feel bad for both of them L

So, now we’re at Noreen’s boyfriends for a BBQ/birthday celebration for Al’s Mom. Which is a bit hurtful, since Mason’s birthday is a day before my MIL’s, and no one has acknowledged that L That’s what this family is like though, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. Mason and I are sitting in the van watching Dora. Because it’s 8:30, and he’s too damn tired to be a cute 2 year old any longer. Dinner was just served about an hour ago. Which I gratefully got to eat…but now Mason and I are out here, and No one invited us in to blow out candles for a combined birthday, I’m pretty much ready to go home. I don’t know, I’m probably just crabby because I’m so tired. And it’s hard on me since Mason is such a mommy’s boy. He won’t go to anyone else. Even Al at times. It sucks a bit. But, we’re here for Al’s family, and it’s more important for him to spend time with them than it is for me to whine about anything.

So anyway, that’s where we’re at so far in our journey to the (not so) great north. I’m writing this in Word, since there’s no wireless connection out here in the boonies. Hopefully I’ll be able to get on when we’re back in the city. I’m feeling very disconnected out here

August 27
Still in Timmins. Ready to go home and get back to normal…but we’re having a better time than the first day we were here! I’d like to personally thank the creators of Dora the Explorer! She’s saved us many tantrums from Mason!! I wish I knew why he was so sensitive to everything. I have high hopes for two! He’ll be talking and communicating so much better, he’ll be toilet trained (He actually peed on the toilet this morning! Yay! Progress!) And if there’s any sort of a higher being, he won’t cry all the damn time!! Hey, a girl can hope!

I went to bed early last night. Tried to read, but I couldn’t focus on the words…so gave up and chose to dream instead J I didn’t move all night…which actually kinda sucked, because the bed we’re sleeping on is hard as a rock, so when I woke up, the muscles on the right side of my body were screaming! I am sooo looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again!

Not much planned for today. Noreen has an insurance adjuster coming over this afternoon to go over everything from the accident, so we’ll probably take the kids to the park for awhile, and then back to Al’s Mom’s so Mason can sleep. I think the best part of the day is going to be tonight…it’s tradition now, on the night before we head home from Timmins, we get the BEST poutine on the PLANET! So, if you’re ever in Timmins (HA!) check out Chez Nous on McLean. Get a Large (if you dare, I can’t finish it though!) Quebec, Double Cheese. Oh. My. God. A whole lot of heaven in that heart attack filled Styrofoam bowl!! Yum!

I was a good girl. Only got the small Poutine J It was the perfect amount. We watched Wimbledon, it’s a cute little chick flick, highly predictable, but sweet, non the less J

August 28
We’re on our way home. We left Noreen’s at 9:25…baring any major catastrophes, we should get home at about 4. Mason’s had his dose of Gravol and is sleeping, Jenna and Aidan are watching Cars; all is quiet on the western front! I wish we could have left earlier, it’s nice to spend the first couple hours sleeping…which I don’t usually do when we’ve left later like this L But, Al, understandably wanted to be able to say goodbye to everyone…something we can’t really do at 4AM.

Al’s Mom has promised to visit more…we’ll see. We hear that every time we come up to visit. She’s a really sweet woman, and I know she means well…but I don’t usually hold my breath hoping they’ll come visit. They’ve only been our way less than a handful of times in 7 years. And once was for a funeral. Oh well. We’ll just have to try to make the most of the visits we do get.

We've made it home, safe and sound. I got to drive halfway home. No speeding tickets, no barfing. It was a good trip LOL. As soon as I can find the camera in our jumble of luggage I'll try to get some pics up!!

I'm happy to be home.

Lisa

Why blog when facebook is so handy!? and other stuff.

I think I have a new internet love. In fact, I know I do. Hi. My name is Lisa. I'm addicted to Facebook. I check it about a gazillion and one times a day. ***Collectively now...Hi Liiisaaaa***

I've found so many old friends on there!! Even friends from public school! it's so cool to see who has changed, and who has stayed the same. Who had kids that I never expected to, who married who. It's fun. Even my husband and I communicate through it! LOL...he leaves me little messages in the morning before work. I respond...and it's nice to use when one is annoyed at the other.

Plus! Let's not forget SCRABULOUS!! Which has been down for a couple days and ACK! The Withdrawl!!

On to other news...I'm starting to feel more human. I went to the clinic on Tuesday evening. I have Acute Acidosis. So, while it feels like I'm dying, I'm actually not. I'm taking Prevacid...but I hope I don't have to for much longer. Ever since I started taking it I've been having the weirdest dreams. It's also making my head feel a bit fuzzy, so that I'm feeling a bit disoriented at times, and my poor ticker is palpatating at a vicious speed today. So, I think I'll take it back to one a day and see what happens from there.

I'm REALLY annoyed with my bank. We have a loan that we took out to pay off the older van, and Al's student loans...at a lower rate. It was coming out on the 14th, but I asked it to be changed to the 28th because that's the day after I get paid and it's easier that way. So, on Tuesday I planned on visiting my best friend and her twins for the day. I stopped off to get gas on the way...Imagine my surprise when my card was declined!! Funds not Available it said! WHAT!! I KNEW there was money in there. Very confused. So, I pay from a different account and went on my way. Down the road a bit it occurred to me what could have happened. the loan came out. And now I'm in a very big negative. NOT COOL! I emailed the woman who was supposed to change the dates, and didn't get an answer back. So, I finally called at 4:20, and got a bit of run around, couldn't talk to my normal person, but was assured this would be taken care of. Finally Did get to talk to C, and she doesn't understand why the date wasn't changed. I personally have a feeling she never filed the request :( So, now I'm stuck waiting to see if they are going to give my money back and then take it again on the 28th like they were supposed to! Buggers!!

Mason's party is on Saturday. Can y'all believe he's going to be 2?! I'm doing a construction theme. Should be fun :) he's SO into big trucks. Whenever he sees a crane, or dozer, or even a larger pickup truck he says "ohhhh! Be tuh!!!" Translation: "ohhh! Big Truck!!!" It's cute :) So, that's what I'm up to the next couple days. I'll post pics...if we take any! LOL...we're bad for not taking pics of the parties...and my Mom is bad for not emailing me the ones she takes!! Vicious Circle :)

Better run. Hope you're all doing well :)

So, I guess it's about time I updated huh??

Where to start?! uhhhhh......

Well, Al went back for his post-op appointment last week. The right side looks really good. Unfortunately, the left side "Has the most impressive scar tissue" the doctor has ever seen! So, because the scar tissue is partially blocking the sinuses on that side, he has to go back in October to have it taken out. Either by having it cotterized or with a chemical peel. Either way? GROSS!!

I did contact my ex. Let him know who I was (like I suspected, he knew it was me). Things are actually going pretty good. We email every day. Keep things fairly light, and we seem to be okay! Even his wife and I are emailing back and forth :) She's a really nice girl. I still haven't decided about the Buck and Doe we were invited to. Al is really leary of S. Also a bit jealous...and I don't want to make Al uncomfortable all night...but then, the other side of me says what's the point of contacting S if I still can't be in the same room as him. Still frustrated I guess. My loyalty is to my husband OF COURSE...it's just hard to put him into a situation that I'd like to be in and he wouldn't. I feel a bit stuck between a rock and a hard place.

So, have any of you ever had an ulcer? or a hernia? I've got this pain, at the bottom of my ribcage, centred, and it feels kinda like someone stuck a lump of hot coal in there. Yesterday was pretty bad, the pain was constant unless I was laying down, and then when I got up, I would belch like a man! (sorry!). It seems better today. When I woke up this morning, I felt like I had been kicked in that spot, and it left a bruise, but then once I ate lunch (Mac N cheese) it came back a bit. I haven't had any caffiene today. Not even the tea I was tempted to make this morning to replace my usual cup or two of coffee. Only water to drink. no chocolate. But, I seem to burp a lot more after I eat or drink. Sound familiar to anyone!? I think I'll have to make an appointment tomorrow to get checked. ****edited to add...I've had dinner now, octoberfest sausages, noodles, tomato and cucumber salad. And a tea. And I'm back in pain again. This sucks so bad :(

Better go, boys are battling it out :)

~Lisa~

Long or Short? Votes? Ideas? Help?

I'm about 15 pounds lighter now than in the short hair picture, so my face is thinner.

Lisa

I realized today how far I've come....

I weigh myself almost daily. Bad habit, I know, but I don't care :) I weighed myself back in April and I was creeping back up to close to 170 pounds. Not cool. At my heaviest, after having Jenna, I was about 185 pounds. And miserable. I'm only 5'5"...that much weight doesn't sit well on me. But then I got pregnant with Aidan, and lost a lot of weight during my pregnancy. After having him I got down to about 155 pounds. I was okay with that then. After having Mason, last summer I got down even farther, to 146 pounds. I was soo happy!! I don't know what happened though. Because the weight went up and up and up. Until I looked like this.

I cringe every time I look at that. blech. lol :)

So, today, we decided to take the kids to the beach. Now, I'm a regular girl. I hate bathing suits as much as the next girl. But, for the sake of my kids, I tolerate them. I even took the time to pick something out this year that I really like. Al took pictures of us all at the beach today. And I am sooo happy to report that when I look at this:

I don't cringe :) I still have a ways to go. About 10-15 pounds I think. And a whole lot of toning. Which SUCKS, because I loathe exercise :) I think I might look into something fun like Badminton...where it won't FEEL like exercise, but will be :) We'll see :) For now, I think I'll spend some time enjoying the fact that I am not cringing.

ETA!! I went to Old Navy this afternoon to return a dress I'd bought that was (!) too big. I couldn't find any other dresses I liked as much, but then, when I went into the jeans area...OMG! I found a pair that I LOVE and they are size SIX!! Ladies...after I had Jenna, I was teetering on the edge of 14...almost a sixTEEN! I am soooo happy :)

~Lisa~

Kid Pics!!!

I hate waiting!!!

I have very limited patience for some things. Waiting, and being late are VERY high on my list. I hate the feeling of being late. Of being off schedule. Of thinking that someone out there is waiting on me to arrive, and I'm about to make them wait longer than necessary! Hate it. I also hate to wait. I hate to wait for people to arrive. I've grown over the years to realize which of my friends are notoriously late, and have adjusted to that.

I hate waiting for other things too. Like my turn in the drive-thru. And a phone call. And payday, I especially hate waiting for that. I hate waiting for emails to come. I hate waiting for my kids to get their shoes on. I hate waiting around while someone else is getting ready. I hate waiting for the Friday paper to come (it always has the good flyers). I hate waiting for my favourite shows to come back on after the summer. I hate waiting for my food in restaurants.

Mind you, I am reallllly good at not showing my annoyance, if there is any, at other people who have kept me waiting, or are going to make me late. So, if for some reason, you're ever late...no worries, because I will realize by the time you get to my door that I am glad you are here. That really, you aren't that late at all. I will realize that I appreciate the lateness, because it allowed me to get some extra things done.

But really, I hate to wait. Especially for things that I don't know are actually going to happen.

~Lisa~

Wow, I'm feeling all special and popular like!

So, I was updating my profile this morning, and saw that I've had 637 profile views!! At first, I was like, WOW! I am SO COOL! and then I realized...If I am so cool, why doesn't anyone ever comment?

So, I'd like to know who reads me!!

Lisa

So, I'm kinda confused...

A little background. About 11 years ago, I was in highschool, and I had landed myself a pretty good boyfriend. We dated all throughout high school, and it was pretty certain in everyone's eyes that we were it. High school sweethearts, destined for forever. And that would have been fine. Except that he turned out to be a little bit crazy. As in like stalker boyfriend crazy. And that wasn't so cool. The summer before we went off to college/university, was okay for us. There were a couple big bumps in the road, but we were young, in love, and could handle it right? no. Once I got to my college, about 1o hours away from S, things happened, and I realized that I was feeling very trapped in that relationship. I was trying to fit into a mould he had made for us, and I just didn't fit! I needed to be free. I needed to have some understanding from him. I needed him to not 'check up' on me all the damn time. But I didn't get that. So, I decided enough was enough, and ended it for good. And then it got worse. S became suicidal, and even more persistant, and omg the guilt trips he tried to lay on me...wow. He even got my parents on his side. That was rough. Especially since I was starting a new relationship with the man I eventually married! It seemed to me that no one from back home was on my side, except for a very loose handful of people, and my very best friend (Thank god for her!!). it seemed to me that most people took his side, and that was fine, because he was obviously sick, and needed that support. So, life went on, I made new friends, got married, had kids, saw S occasionally at functions that my best friend hosted, and that was it. We didn't talk. We didn't look the other in the eye, we tried to stay in different rooms. I'm sure because he was still very hurt and probably angry, and I because I didn't want to hurt him even farther.

Fast forward. I found out that he blogs, and his sister gave me his wife's blog address, and I've been lurking ever since. Recently, he posted about how his old friends had hurt him very badly, and it seemed to him that he was on the wrong side of the chosen sides again. I felt so awful for him, that I left an anonymous comment saying that I knew how he was feeling, and that he wasn't alone. A few more comments between he and I went back and forth, always anonymously on my part. I *Think* he knows who I am, but he won't say so.

I would Love to be able to go to gatherings with old friends and not feel that animosity with him. I'd like to introduce my kids to his and see them play and laugh. I'd like to get past all that heartache. He seems, from his comments, to be willing to do all that, but without knowing if he knows it's me commenting, how do I do that?! He seems to have matured greatly. Which is sooo nice to see.

I don't know. Is it worth it? Will it freak out our mutual friends? is it ever too late? Let me just be clear that I in NO way am romantically interested in him. He was a friend first all those years ago. We had a good thing for awhile, until it soured, and now, I would just like to be in the same room with him without feeling like I am stealing his air. but like I said, I wonder if it's too late.

We were invited to a buck and doe for S's best friend J. A man I once considered a best friend of mine as well. And one who took S's side back then. Who told me that he had no interest in ever talking to me again after what I had done to S. J's fiance is lovely. So sweet to my kids, speaks to me at gatherings, shows a genuine interest...but not J. he never has offered more than the bare minimum to me in 8 years. My best friend sent the invite through facebook...and looking at the guestlist, it looks to me that she invited everyone we went to highschool with...so my name would naturally be included on that facebook generated highschool list.

Al thinks there's no reason not to go...that we all need to get past this silliness. I just wonder if it's the wrong time and place? But since it's a facebook invitation, my name is going to be attached to the event in one of three places...Attending, Maybe Attending, or Not Attending. And I really don't know where my name belongs :(

Part of me is wishing I had never made that first comment, and had never received that invitation. And the other part is hopeful that this is the beginning of the end of the madness.

~Lisa~

GAWD! Doesn't she ever update this thing!?

No, not really. Apparently.

I think life is starting to get back into some kind of normal. Al is attempting to go back to work today, the kids are back at the babysitter's and I'm at home...wait, What? yeah, I was SUPPOSED to be working today, but H's mom called 2 seconds after I loaded the kids into MY NEW VAN, and cancelled...because she realized that H wasn't home...at 10:43 last night....HUH?? How do you Not know that your kid isn't going to be home for therapy when he's been gone all weekend, and tomorrow is Monday, a regular therapy day??? I'm a wee bit cheesed. But will live. I suppose. ugh.

But, on to more important news!!! You might have missed it in the previous paragraph, but I GOT A NEW VAN!!!! and I am SOOOO in love with it!! We got a 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6. It's White, and it seats 7, and it's low km's, and it's such a smooth, beautiful ride. I just love it. I especially love that it doesn't look like traditional Mini Vans do. It's got a sporty grill, and a sporty rear(don't we all wish for sporty rears?! LOL), dark tint on the windows, and I love it...incase I hadn't mentioned that. Also? DVD System!!!! YAY! Dora in the car!!! Woooo!!! We traded the car in, it was just getting sooo cramped in there, with three kids across one seat. It worked for awhile, when the kids were all smaller and didn't bicker as much, but now that they are all getting bigger, and wanting to bring books and toys and stuff everywhere, the upgrade was long over due. We didn't start out looking at vans, although when we saw the Montana's we both agreed they would be nice...I think we were just in denial. We looked at a bunch of SUV's with various sized back seats. But none felt quite as right as the Montana...who at first we were going to call Tex, and then maybe the Full Monty, but I think have settled on Betty, since she's a quieter, more peaceful van than the other names may imply her to be...also? definitely a girl :) And I love her :) And will keep her until I die...or she dies...which she assures me will not be for a very very long time...also? Extended Warranty :)

Al is well on his way to being on the mend. He still feels very dry, and very congested. But, there is gel up in his sinuses and nasal cavaties to help the healing process and keep everything straight...so that can't be comfortable. He's starting to be able to smell a few things again, and has been able to taste a couple really salty foods. I guess that's the biggest downside to having your nose cotterized! :( It's been very nice to have my husband back...for the most part...he's still a bt cranky at times, but we're dealing with that as it comes along. The big baby. :)

We had Al's niece here for a week to help out with the kids and Al if he needed it. That was... interesting...I don't think she was really prepared for what she got herself into. She's, I'm sure, a very good babysitter, as many others have told me...but at 13?? I think my three kids were a bit too much to ask of her. And, she's 13...what does she want with being stuck with three little kids and a sick uncle all day right? She wants to be at the mall! She wants to be with her friends! She probably wanted to be anywhere but here. But, she was some help, and I saved on my own babysitter costs a little, and near the end of the week she loosened up a bit, and Fun Ashley started to emerge. So, all in all, no one died, and for that we are grateful :)

And I guess that's about that!

~Lisa~

ETA: Betty!

A wee update

Al had the packing taken out of his nose on Sunday. That wasn't too bad. He said that he went in to the hospital at a pain level of between 6-7/10. And when we left, he had no pain! unfortunately, the story isn't quite as smooth as that :)

I had been told by the nurse we had Friday afternoon that we were to be back at the hospital on Sunday at 9:30AM. Nope! At 9:10 on Sunday I looked at the appointment form and saw that it actually said 9:00! CRAP! So, we flew out of here, and off to the hospital. Waited for a few minutes, and luckily, being as they are, the doctor was late (PHEW!). So, Al gets the packing removed, which, yes was gross, but not as bad as I anticipated. Unfortunately for him, the whole thing, plus the Tylenol 3's he'd taken made him feel REALLY nauseous. And unfortunately for me, everything caught up with me, and I passed out :( Just for a couple seconds, and because I could feel it coming on, I had the sense to at least sit down before I lost it completely :( I felt just awful because I was supposed to be there for Al, and instead I was on a stretcher of my own :( And everyone thought it was the grossness factor that got to me, but it really wasn't!! I can handle gross!! Really!!! Oh well...it passed pretty quickly, and I was able to get back to Al.

So the next few days after that were pretty uneventful. Until yesterday when Aidan came down with Scarlet Fever AGAIN! Third time for my poor wee man :(

I'm really tired. I hate to show it to Al and the kids though...but it's really catching up with me. But I don't want to complain :) Hopefully only a few more days and we'll be back to normal...whatever that may be :)

Well, better run, I have to get going to work. Thanks for all the support guys!

~Lisa~

Al is doing well.

So, I've come to the realization that I never told anyone that Al was due to have surgery this month! Well, he was, and he did, and he's done. He had to have his Deviated Septum repaired. It's the cartalidge that runs between your nostrils. His was VERY crooked. It caused his sinuses to not drain properly, thus draining in behind his ears, and causing him to have MANY ear infections from all the blockages the drainage caused. He also got a tube put into his right ear, since it was the one getting infected the most, and the canal had all but collapsed. Had we left it much longer, he would have been deaf in that ear! Luckily for me, now he can't tell me "You never told me that!" When I know darn well that I did, and he just didn't hear me!

I'm starting to think that he would have preferred to deal with the ear infections than go through this :( He's in so much pain still. :'( He goes in this morning to get the packing and tubes removed from his nose. On Friday, his two nurses and his doctor told me that he would be really miserable until the packing came out. Well, they were right. Luckily for me though, he's been a pretty good patient. Which is a little surprising to me, since he's a man and he's in soooo much pain. I wish there was more that I could do for him.

This has been harder than either of us anticipated I think. Blah.

Lisa

My poor Jenna!

(First, I promise that my blogs are not all going to be about pee from now on!!!)

Jenna has a bladder infection :( And I feel so awful, because I have only ever had a minor one, when I was pregnant with Aidan. So I don't really know what she's going through.

She was complaining about a month ago of being itchy, so we lectured on hygiene, stopped the bubble baths, etc. And she stopped complaining, so I figured we had solved the problem.

Unfortunately just before dinner yesterday, when she tried to go to the bathroom, she couldn't. said it hurt too bad. But that she realllly had to go! The poor girl was practically screaming trying to go :(

So, off we went to the clinic and sure enough, she's got a bladder infection. The doctor said Little girls are only allowed to have ONE bladder infection. After that it indicates a more serious problem, and will require more testing. So, hopefully this is it for her :(

At least it's something new...and not scarlet fever again :) right :)

Lisa

I can't even believe it!!!!!!

Holy Cow!!!!!! I was sitting here, waiting for Julie to make her move in Scrabulous, when Mason came up to me, took my hand and started pulling. He was patting his diaper, saying "Pee? Pee?" So, I took off in a hurry, got his shorts and diaper off, put the stool up to the toilet and put him on it. And waited. AND HE WENT PEE!!!!!!! Just like that!! No prompting from me. No previous efforts on my part. He just went. He's not even TWO yet!!!

I am not putting any expectations on this. Because I don't want to be disappointed, and because he's not even two yet!!

But can you imagine if it was this easy????? Like seriously????

I'm still in shock!!!

Lisa

It's not you, it's me.

Man! I can't believe how little time I have to post these days! Or even read! June was such a crazy busy month for us! We had a wedding on the 9th, a wedding on the 16th, Jenna's party on the 22nd, Jenna's 6th birthday on the 25th, and then camping this past weekend. Plus school and work and life thrown in to keep it all interesting!! And there's still no end in sight for July either! This weekend we're at my Mom's camping out with most of my siblings. Next weekend we're heading to Toronto to check out some Van's and SUV's to see about a trade for the car (sob, it's just not big enough for the three growing kids :( ). Then on the 20th Al is having surgery to repair his Deviated Septum, and is getting tubes in both ears! So that puts us down for a week or two. We've been invited to a BBQ on the 27th, but I doubt Al's going to be up to it. But still!! That gets us all the way to August! Where we have a BBQ with my sister and family on the 11th, a trip to Marine Land the following weekend, and a trip up to Timmins the weekend after that! And then we're back in school! Holy crap! I'm exhausted just typing it all out!

My caterpillars are getting bigger and bigger. I managed to get some pictures up on Facebook, and will try to update here as well, but I have no idea when!!

Maybe blogging is a winter sport for me???

Anyway, sorry for neglecting everyone again, but as you can see, it's with good(ish) reason!

Missing everyone!!

Lisa

Can you see them!?

But first, a sad note. The first caterpillar I found has gone missing :( I don't know what happened, but I went out to check on him, and the plant he had been on was kinda pushed over, and he was gone :( I'm really sad. I hope he's okay!! But, for the good news! I found two more this morning!!

I'm guessing from their sizes that the one on the left is about 2-3 days old, and the one on the left hatched sometime yesterday. Can you believe how small they are!?

I couldn't get a good shot :( It was really windy, so i couldn't hold the camera still enough. But I'll keep trying!

Lisa, The Nature Nut apparently!

It HATCHED!!!!!

One of my eggs has hatched!! I can NOT believe how wee they are!!

This is on Day One. See that little hole? that's what he ate that day :)

Found another egg! :)

Day Two!! Notice how much more he's eaten? There's two holes in the leaf now!!

If you click on the picture you'll get to see the Awesome detail!! the pics are huge though!

Lisa

Right under my nose!

So, I was in the back yard with the kids the other day...as we are most every day now that the nice weather is here! I looked over into one of the gardens, and thougt to myself "Hmmm...that looks an awful lot like a Milkweed Plant." Sure enough, when I broke off one of the leaves and the white fluid seeped out, I knew for sure that it was!! Why is this so exciting you ask? Well! remember last summer? When we raised butterflies?! And I told you that the only thing Monarch butterlfies eat is Milkweed?! Well, I have some!!!

So then I thought to myself, "Hmmm....I saw Monarchs in North Bay and one here the other day, I wonder if they are laying eggs yet?" So, off I went to investigate. And I found about 7 of these little beauties!! Right in my own back yard!!

I can't believe how teeny tiny they are!! I'm so excited to be able to watch the process from pretty much day one! The caterpillars shed their skin a few times before finally turning into a Chrysalis...and I missed all that with the other ones we had last year.

So, stay tuned for updates!!!

Lisa

What a wonderful weekend!!

Everything went sooo smoothly!! The kids were great for my Dad and Marilyn, the drive up and home was perfect, the weather was amazing, the wedding was gorgeous, and SOOO much fun. But you know what the very best part was? Being back there.

The college smelled exactly like I remembered. Which is important to me, because I am addicted to smells :) The form a lot of my memories, and if the smell doesn't match the place, it gets kinda ruined for me. So when we walked in to Canadore, and it smelled so perfect, my weekend was set.

Despite thinking that I wouldn't have much fun, because we wouldn't know anyone, I was wrong!! We knew the Matron of honour, and one of the other bridesmaids...and had a BLAST with them and their husbands!! We were pretty much the last ones to leave :) And the Bride could DANCE!! I never knew that about her, but am thrilled to know, since, despite the fact that I have the rythym of a white girl (HA!), I LOVE to dance. I love all kinds of music. Actually, Al and I laughed ourselves silly over the number of crazy lyrics we both know :) My kids are like that too. I often catch them singing songs I wouldn't imagine them knowing :) I love it! But I digress.

So, we took two very important pictures while we were there. First, this one....

This is where it all began. I came through those doors, up the stairs, and that's where Al hugged me. Out of the blue. It was like magic being there again. I almost cried as we were leaving, I don't know if we'll ever be back. I hope to take the kids one day to show them where Al and I met...but that will probably be more for me than them :) We'll see. So, to commemorate the occasion, we took this one(that totally needs some serious photo editing since it's so dark :( )...

It was just like old times. Only better :)

So, that was all the mushy stuff...now for the wildlife adventures! I never knew we would see so many animals on our trip!! It started out with the family of groundhogs under our house...

There were 5 babies in all. SO cute, they would just lay on the path in the sun until someone came by.

Then at the wedding we saw a couple dozen Canadian Geese, and a Beaver! Sorry, so pictures though. After that we hit a lull, until the next morning, when we met this little guy...

Tiniest Squirrel EVER! There were two of them running around. Just after we took this, a chipmunk ran right behind our friend. Like literally right behind his feet! The same chipmunk had previously visited the Brides father and brother in the house they were staying in!! Like, right in the kitchen, and in one of the bedrooms! Yeah, classy joint this college residence!!

On the drive home we saw these....

Two White-Tailed Deer! We kept inching the car forward until they ran back up the hill, hopefully they didn't decide to try to cross again, that's a pretty busy stretch of highway.

And then to top it all off...

Funny eh?

So, that was our weekend. SO much fun. And, we get to go to my cousins' wedding this weekend!!! Another night without the kids, full of fun and dancing. I can't wait!!

Lisa

Looking forward to this weekend. And feeling pretty good.

Friends of our from college are getting married this weekend. And I am SO excited!!! Not so much about the wedding and reception, because I'll only know about 4 people there, and not very well...but because of the location!! They are getting married at our college!!! AND!! Al and I are staying in one of the residence townhouses!!! It's going to be Such a trip down memory lane!

And when I say Al and I, I totally mean NO KIDS!!! My Dad and step-Mom are coming tomorrow morning to pick the kids up, and then Al and I are on our way to North Bay! I am soooo looking forward to a weekend away.

Although, on the other hand, I am TOTALLY dreading it. I've never left Mason over night before. And Jenna and Aidan only once. I'm thinking that might sound a little sad and pathetic, but I just feel more at peace knowing that I'm in the same house with them. I'm hoping that being at my Dad's, breathing in the fresh air, and having them run around outside for HOURS will tire them out so much that they don't fuss over bedtime. Jenna has a hard time going to sleep in anyone else's house, even when I am there. And Mason...well, we all know how well Mason sleeps. HA! Aidan will just follow in Jenna's lead until he tuckers out and goes to sleep. I'm not as worried about him. But still. It's my job to worry about the what-ifs right!?

Now, on to the feeling good part! When Jenna got home today, I emptied her backpack like usual, but this time, there was a little card inside. At first I thought it was an invitation to a party for one of Jenna's classmates...but no! When I turned it over, the front said "In appreciation of Mrs. McAlendin" I was invited to the Volunteer tea! I'm feeling pretty damn special!! I'm not sure I'm going to go, since I don't know if any of the other Mom's I know will be going, but still, it was nice to be asked!

And then!! remember the lady across the street that went after Mason when he escaped? Well, I got a thank-you card, and made the Banana Bread(I love you JJBB!!), and took them over the next day. Today, her husband came over with my container, and inside were three little bags of gummy bears for the kids! How nice is that?! And all these years I've been calling her the crazy neighbour. LOL. Not anymore!! her husband was super funny, and told me that his wife didn't get any of the loaf, because he ate it all!! He said that because she's always on some crazy diet, and since he's a diabetic, he never gets that kind of thing :) I guess Mason escaping wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Well, I guess I'd better get back to my packing. I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Love and Hugs!

Lisa

I'm such a bad blogger/blogger friend!

So, I'm totally hooked on Facebook. Like, totally. I'll be sitting at work, and out of nowhere a name will pop into my head, and I think to myself, OH! I totally have to facebook that person! It's crazy!!



So, because of that, I've been neglecting my blog, and your blog and everyone elses blog too :( I've read you all a few times, but haven't posted a comment in far too long, and for that I appologize.



I'm going to try really hard over the next few days to get all caught up on everyone!!! Promise!!



Love and hugs,


Lisa

Today is NOT my day!!!

So, my day started out pretty good. I wasn't late, I even managed to fit in time to grab a coffee on the way to work. Henry had a GREAT morning, and all seemed fine. Until I got home. You see, Al installed a new deadbolt and door handle with lock last night. Well, Apparently, the door handle locks itself when you leave. But only when you have decided that since you're walking to get the kids, you don't need to bring your purse and keys. ARGH!! We have a Really safe house. Short of breaking a window, there is no way in when all the windows are closed! Luckily for me, we had forgotten to close the livingroom window, and I have a skinny 3 year old. That's right. Also lucky that no one has come to take away Ken's old fridge. And that I let the kids on the deck at the little plastic table last night. Are you getting the picture here? Yeah, I moved the fridge over to under the window, moved the table in front of that, put my stool (Which was outside and I don't know or care why) on top of the table and then climbed onto the fridge. Then i got Aidan up there with me, and squeezed him through the window, which last year I had so smartly put a screw into the track of so it wouldn't open all the way so he wouldn't fall OUT of!!! OY!!

After that adventure, we went to Rona to get a new tap for outside because the guys broke mine while making the deck. Aidan was playing with my keys and LOCKED ME OUT OF THE CAR!! It was about 2 annoying minutes before he finally pushed the right button to let me back in.

SO! (Are you still with me?) We get home. Finally. I put the boys in the back yard and run down to Ken's to turn off the water so that I can be super mom and change the tap so the kids can play in the sprinkler when Jenna gets home from school. I couldn't get the damn thing to turn so figure it's time to give up. As I come up the stairs, Aidan is shouting for me, and ringing the front doorbell. Where he is NOT supposed to me. Oh my God you Guys! He was there to tell me that Mason was running away. I didn't know where to run first. Until I saw my neighbour, who I always thought was a grouchy lady and never have spoken to once, on the sidewalk of the main road that T's onto my street. Heading towards Jenna's school. Oh Man. When I think of what COULD have happened, I just feel so sick. I was only gone for about 2-3 minutes. But that's a hell of a long time to a toddler! I am NOT looking forward to telling Al.

I guess I should have known when I was locked out that I should jus give up on my plans. I guess there are a lot of Should Have's in my day isn't there.

Do you think a Thank-You card would be appropriate for my neighbour? After all, if it wasn't for her...who knows right? Thoughts??

The new deck!!

We've been busy all weekend with the construction of our NEW DECK! WOOT WOOT! I love love love it!!

My Dad has the before pictures on his camera, but here are the afters!!

Julie Q!

LMAO! I completely forgot about this until I was looking for another photo! Check out Mason last November.

Oh how I miss those curls :)

~Lisa~

Nothin' New.

I keep thinking I outta have SOMETHING to blog about. But I don't really.

Mother's Day was fine. Pretty low key. Al saved me from a bunch of Mason's meltdowns, and really, all I wanted was a day off...so it was great. I also bought myself some cute new shoes and a BBQ veggie griller thing (JJBB...How do I use it!?). go me. I was supposed to go and get my hair cut, but that didn't work out. Oh well.

We're hopfully starting construction of our new deck this weekend. I say hopefully, because stupid me forgot to call the call before you dig people until yesterday, and I was supposed to call last week. Stupid. I can't say I'm overly excited about the deck. It's going to be really great, and much safer than the broken iron steps we have at the side door now, but still. I was told I would be getting a new kitchen this year. Not going to happen. Then I was told I would be getting all new windows this year. Only getting half. I was told laminate would be Great in the living room this year. Also not happening apparently. I KNOW we have a budget to stick to. I am fully aware, and gladly accept that fact. My whole life revolves around the budget. I just wasn't expecting a deck. Oh well, when it's all said and done, I know I will Love the deck.

I'm getting a Little Tykes basketball net from a freecycler today :) I can't wait to give it to Aidan :) Ever since he was wee he's liked playing basketball. I'm thinking though, that I will probably take a trip out to Wal-Mart to get THREE basketballs for it. I'm not stupid ALL the time :)

See? Nothing to blog about. boring. blah. :) Oh well, sometimes Mundane is a good thing.

~Lisa~

Mason Update

Mason's doing a bit better. He's sleeping much better, which is a huge relief!! He's still waking up between 4-6 to come cuddle in our bed, but that's fine with me, if it means I've had all those other middle of the night hours to sleep!!

Now I just need to work on his screaming/tantrum issues. I swear, I have never seen a toddler throw so many tantrums!! I think that's probably the most tiring thing in the world for me. Getting through all the tantrums in a day. I think his speech is a bit delayed (And compared to Jenna and Aidan, significantly delayed), so I can understand some of his frustration, but dude!! The screaming is outta control! And he is the master of making himself go limp so I can't hold him or pick him up off the floor/driveway/sidewalk. I'm sure the neighbours must think he's regularly beaten :( He's not. It's been tempting, and he's gotten a few swats on the bum, but really, they don't accomplish anything, so why bother right?

He's getting good at taking me by the hand to show me what he wants, so language wise he's doing good...but he doesn't have many words..not labels like most kids his age. He says things that are really unusual. Like clear as day, he can say Thank You, and he's trying to say You're Welcome, but it comes out Me Ma. Which is pretty cool :) But he doesn't label the basics, like Juice, truck, ball etc. I'm probably just over-reacting :) Yesterday he said Sorry (After he whacked me in the face and I pretended to cry) and I'm pretty sure he said Slide after he and I went down one together...so it's coming.

But he's still the funniest, cutest thing :) And he dances like a black man :) Really, the boy has Rhythm!!

So, that's that. He's trying, but I love him :)

Nice

So, I was off today. It was a pretty good day. I went to school with Jenna this morning. Then I came home to clean before I had to get the boys from daycare. I will be the first to admit that my house is alway messy. I just can't keep up. Well, that's not true. I could keep up just fine if I never sat down, and never played with the kids or left the house for any reason. I choose to stay sane thanks :) Anyway, today my house was past messy. It was actually bordering on dirty. Which REALLY bothers me!!!

So, as I set about to mop my kitchen floor, I decided to call my Mom for a bitch-fest. She's awesome, she understood completely about the un-wiped up juice splatters. And the Laundry strewn about. And the kitchen becomming the garage. She even gave me some good advice about it all :) I love her. So, after I got off the phone cleaned some more, then picked up the boys. Mason must have noticed the clean floor, because he immediately spilled an entire (Sealed!) cup of juice! I just took a deep breath and mopped it up.

After all that, we went to pick-up Jenna from school. She walked it, dropped her things by the front door (In the middle of the hall of course) and went into the kitchen. Where she promptly made my day :)

Here's how the conversation went:

J: Wow! you've been busy Mom!

M: Thanks Jenna! That makes me feel better!

J: Why!? Were you upset?

M: Well, I was a little because everything was such a mess, and no one was helping out. but now that you noticed that I worked hard today, I feel better.

J: I'm happy you're feeling better. Thanks for working so hard today.

Seriously!!!! I guess it's moments like that that keep humans from eating their young :) She's awesome that girl of mine :)

~Lisa~

Jumped the gun on that one!

I'm really glad I gave in and made a Doctor's appointment for Mason. It sounds awful, but I'm really happy that he is sick! At least now I have a reason for all this weird behaviour. Just as I suspected, he's got an ear infection. So, hopefully by the end of today, when he's had 24 hours of anti-biotics in him we can get past all this craziness. He only woke up once last night, at 4:30! And, I don't think it was because of the pain. He was just looking for his blankie.

I feel like a somewhat normal person this morning, thank god, because seriously. I was losing it :) I think my doctor saw that, he told me yesterday to "go home and have a few drinks! Doctor's Orders!" I love my doctor, don't you!? He's so funny, when I was describing Mason's moods and symptoms, he laughingly said, "Hmm...Sounds like depression to me" I shot back with "If this doesn't stop soon I'M going to be depressed!" I guess he figured the drinks would help with that :) I didn't have any, too damn tired, and we rarely have any alcohol in the house. I may just stop by the liquor store on my way home tonight to get a bottle of wine. yeah, that sounds pretty good :)

Thanks for all your support. Julie, I am definitely planning on taking you up on your offer of a girls night...just have to figure out when :) Maybe in a couple weeks :)

Oh and about Al, he was much nicer last night. And this morning too. He can be a bine head sometimes, but when it comes right down to it, I love him anyway :)

Have a Great day!!

~Lisa~

Going through a rough patch.

Mason isn't sleeping. Again. Still. Whatever. He's not. Monday night he was up every 3 hours. Tuesday night every 1-2 hours. Last night was better, only up twice. But I am drained. I'm starting to get sick, I have NO patience, no drive, no nothing. I've resorted to sleeping on the couch with Mason. Not my idea of fun. Our couches SUCK!

I was at a point yesterday when I just felt myself turn off. Mason was crying again, and I just didn't care. Didn't want to hear it anymore, didn't want to help him to feel better, didn't want to even be near him. How Awful is that?! I'm his mommy! It's my JOB to care, and soothe and be there for him. But I wasn't. I left. (Al was home, no worries!!) I went to the grocery store. I bought cake :) (And milk!! In my defense!) I truly didn't want to come home. I wanted to keep driving until I ran out of gas, and then walk away from there. I stayed out as long as I dared, figuring Al would need a break I came back.

But no. He didn't need a break, because as far as I could tell, the whole time I was gone, he just played with his tools. I felt guilty about leaving, and came home to a disaster, and still I felt guilty about leaving!! Aidan had been playing with Play-Doh when I left. At the table, where he knows is the ONLY place I allow playdoh. I HATE the stuff, except the homemade stuff, because at least I can get it out of the carpet and clothes. Well. When I walked into the living room, the first thing I saw was playdoh on the couch. When I looked a little farther, I nearly cried. There was playdoh bits all over my carpet. Aidan was sitting right in th middle of it all, and Jenna was Very quick to lay the blame on him...even though she is well aware of the playdoh rule.

I didn't say much. Just asked what they were thinking, and then got out the vacuum. Al finally woke up, and said to Aidan, "I thought I told you to put that away! That's it, throw it in the garbage!" And then went back to playing with some tools while I vacuumed, tidied and started the dishes from dinner.

Now, in Al's defense, he's usually pretty good. Normally if he knows I've been having a bad day he'll help out a whole lot more. So I just don't understand where his head was last night. All I wanted to do was come home, give the kids a bath, put them to bed, watch ANTM, eat my cake and go to bed myself. But no. Instead I had to scrape playdoh out of my carpet. Ugh.

I made an appointment for Mason with our doctor. He felt a little warm this morning, so I'm wondering if he has another ear infection. If not, I am seriously considering Melatonin. He falls asleep just fine, but won't stay asleep. He'll be 2 in a few months, I figure enough is enough. I read somewhere that new mothers lose approximately 700-900 hours of sleep during a baby's first year. That's almost 1400 hours of sleep I haven't gotten since he was born. I guess it's no wonder I'm a little bit looney. No wonder I was considering asking for Depression meds. But then, when my thoughts turned that way, I realized it's probably not depression, just sleep deprevation, which can't be helped until Mason is sleeping.

I don't know. I'm just tired of being tired. And tired of complaining about being tired.

~Lisa~

A little boost :)

When I was at work today I was commenting to Jenny that I had noticed a big drop in Henry's enthusiasm lately. He's guessing at answers, making up answers, and just not trying. It's so frustrating, especially when I KNOW that he is capable of so much more (man, what parent/Teacher hasn't said that!?). We discussed the possible reasons for awhile, and decided to increase his iron, and start giving his fish oils again. And I'm going to take him out more, rather than keep him at the table so much. Yay, Fun! I was wondering if the new programs + learning every day + new teaching strategies have tossed him for a loop, and tired him out.

So then, after we figured all that out, Jenny gave me a great boost. She said that her and Scott (dad) had both noticed that Henry is more conversational with me then anyone else they know. Including family that he see frequently...including his own parents. I was so shocked to hear that. He is a chatty kid at times, but I don't get to see him around others very often. But then, when I got to thinking about it, I had to admit that it's probably true. I'm often surprised that a story Henry told me a couple hours before loses about 75-90% of it's steam when he tells it to someone else. Like today, he was telling me about how he went somewhere with a friend this weekend, they walked horses and got to pet a donkey, and then when he was walking away, the donkey started braying(LOL, not his word!!), because the donkey didn't want him to leave! So funny. But then, when I dropped him off at school this weekend, the only part of the story I could coax out of him for his EA was that the donkey didn't want him to leave.

Anyway, it was a nice boost that I could take a boy from wanting to scratch my face off, from telling me I was too Expensive and needed to leave, to being willing to tell me so much about his world.

I'm on top of the world today :)

~Lisa~

7 Things about me!

1. I'm thinking of getting a tummy tuck! Seriously. Al and I were talking about it the other day, and when our loan is paid off, I'm really thinking of using that money to get a tummy tuck. There's no way diet and exercise are ever going to fix it, my c-section belly hang-over is crooked, and I am REALLY self conscious about it. I hate it. Hate.

2. I've never been able to BBQ very well. I think I must always try to rush it. But! This season, the skill seems to have come over me. I made chicken the other night on the grill....And it tasted GOOD! Not over cooked!! Not as good as Al's always is, but in my defence, I was also watching all three kids in the back yard while trying not to ruin yet another dinner on the BBQ! I'm so proud of myself!!

3. I've lost a grand total of 13 pounds!! only 3 more pounds and Jenny has to babysit for me!!! Which actual makes me a little nervous, because dude, Mason can be a Brute, and I am terrified of coming home to find him still awake, and Jenny losing her hair :) But, I'll try not to think of that, and enjoy my night OUT!

4. I hate being in a room without a clock. I swear I have some kind of tic when I don't have the option of looking up to see what time it is. Am I crazy? Don't answer that.

5. I also have a little bit of OCD when it comes to doing the dishes. I like to wash them in a certain order, and stack them in a certain order. Al laughs at me. He also thinks it's Hilarious to throw things into the sink out of order, just to annoy me. It transfers to the dishwasher too. I like that loaded a certain way, and will actual change the placement of things if Al has done it 'wrong'. Although, this isn't an option right now...because my dishwasher is broken :(

6. I have a favourite child. I'm not going to say who, because it's possible that it may change one day, but it's true. I feel guilty about it though. Very guilty.

7. I hate my hair. All the hair on my body. The hair on my head can't decide if it's curly or straight. the hair on my chin keeps getting dark. The hair under my arms is a b---ch to shave. And the hair on my legs is Very dark, Very thick and grows in Super fast. I hate it all :)

So, there you go. 7 things you may or may not have known about me. 7 things you maybe didn't ever want to know but HAHA! now you do. Tag to anyone that hasn't done this yet!!

Lisa

Outside fun!

I think we saw more of our back yard than the inside of the house all weekend. It was so awesome out there! I even managed to snap a few good pics of the kids! The one of Jenna is Amazing at its full size :) I don't know what caused that bright spot on the side though :( and I wish her hat wasn't coming apart right in the front like that. I really need Photoshop...and some lessons on how to use it :) Doesn't Mason look like he's totally up to no good!? He was. He climbed the ladder up to the monkey bars, and then let go :( that was pretty awful :( But he's okay, and climbed the ladder again shortly after. He'll be the one I spend a lot of time in the ER with, getting stitches and casts :) I could barely get Aidan to look up from the sandbox to get his picture :) He's such a busy kid :) Anyway, enjoy :)! I do!!

~Lisa~

OH what a day...and night :)

I had quite the day yesterday!

I started out by rushing around in the morning to get the house cleaned up and then raced out the door to make my 9:30AM appointment to donate blood. I got there in good time, and relaxed. Here's where I provide you with a very helpful public service announcement. Never ever rush before you're about to donate blood. ever. Because what will happen is this, you'll get there, and you'll get through the screening process, then climb into the big cushy chair, and relax. Your body will slow down in such a hurray, that it will forget to stop slowing down. Which results in cold sweats, nauseousness, dizzyness and a tendancy to lose focus. Luckily, as I started feeling like that, I took a few deep breaths and got everything to settle long enough to get the whole litre out! YAY! 3 lives saved :) As the nurse was coming over to look at my progress and tell me that I was done, she looked up at me and asked if I was okay. I said i didn't think so, heard her say she needed help, and then everything went a little grey for a moment. SO scary!! I have NEVER passed out in my whole life. Ever! Luckily the nurses were AWESOME! They wiped me down with cool cloths, and got a fan on me right away. It was only a few minutes before I felt like myself again. But wow. I do NOT want to feel like that again!

Luckily the day got better from there! My Dad and step-mom came over to meet with yet another window company. Good news!! We're Finally getting new windows!!!!!! How excited am I!! All new windows upstairs! Right now the windows are wood frames, totally falling apart and with an R factor of about -98. Not good. :) The house is going to look so pretty when we're done :) I bet Al and I stand at the windows feeling for air leaks for days after they're installed :) Al says it's going to be so quiet in here that we won't be able to sleep :) I might even forget about my plan to give the nieghbours yappy dog a poison steak for barking all damn night! Just kidding...i would never!

After my Dad left, we went down to the back yard to have a BBQ with our tenant and his fiancee! I'm liking them more and more. I think because they remind me so much of Al and I when we were just starting out :) And they're totally sarcastic and teasers like me :)

After dinner we sat around and gabbed for awhile and laughed at Aidan as he pretended to be Spiderman and hung from my lilac bush :) Karen came over and invited C and I for drinks later. So I hurried and put the kids to bed and off we went :) Man...I laughed SO hard the whole time we were there. Especially as I tried to explain over and over what my attraction to House was about. I don't think they got me...but whatever, I'm still in lust with him :) I had way too much drink, and an awesome time. And decided C is totally awesome :) I'm not the best at making new friends, but this was just easy :) She's great. And so close! :)

So that was my Saturday :) Pretty awesome. Hope yours was too!

~Lisa~

I need an idea...

So, on the mornings that I can't walk Jenna to school, her best friend's mom walks her. I drop Jenna off about 20 minutes before school starts, and D makes sure she's safe and entertained. We've had this arraginement for nearly the entire school year. It's awesome for me, and I love D. She's a great Mom, and just one of those people you know understands just what life is really like. I've offered to pay her for her time and energy etc. a few times, but she always flat out refuses.

So, I was thinking, that with the end of the year coming up, I'd love to give her a gift. But I haven't a Clue as to what kind of gift would be appropriate for this. I don't know her on a level where I would know many of her interests, music/movie/book tastes. I DO know that she likes to cook and bake. I know that she's an early to bed early to rise kind of person, and that because of an illness she has, she often has days where it's hard to get going, and she tires easily.

She has three incredible kids, whom I know she loves to bits, and a husband who works out of town and is often away most of the week.

I really want to do something for HER. I've offered to watch her kids any time she needs me to, but her oldest is 11, and is the most responsible 11 year old I know, and is very capable of watching her siblings. I was thinking of taking over a meal...but it doesn't seem like enough. Then I considered doing up a basket for a family movie night, with a Blockbuster gift card, popcorn, candy, the whole shabang...but I don't know if it's enough for HER. I could get movie theatre tickets for her and her husband, and free babysitting...but again, I know she goes to bed really early, and she's said before that when her and S were dating, she used to fall asleep at the movies. So, maybe not right?

I considered a spa card, but some people aren't really into that...and with her illness, I worry that she could have allergies, and wouldn't be able to have the creams and lotions used at the spa. So, out goes that AND the bubble bath gift basket idea too.

She said yesterday that she would LOVE to have a housekeeper (God, wouldn't we all!?) So I thought it might be cool to get her one for a month or something...but would that be like saying her house is a disaster (It's soooo not!!!)??

See my dilemma? What do I get D?! I need to say thank you in the kindest most thoughtful way, and my brain can't get past the basics :(

Help me out here!? Please? And Thank you in the kindest most thoughtful way :)

~Lisa~

Look what we made!!

I was so sick and tired of my closet being crammed with clothes. There was just one metal bar going from end to end and a shelve. Just your average closet. I wanted MORE! So, I drew out a picture for Al of what it was that I really wanted in our closet, and he made it the next day!! and it ROCKS!!!! No more shoving Al's stuff out of the way to get to my things, no more losing my pants in the mess. Just pure, organized bliss :) I LOVE IT!! I know it's a little hard to see from the picture, but there are a lot of clothes packed in there...the closet extends another almost 2 feet each side past the doors :)

I think I'm going to find a couple new laundry baskets to put on the floor in there, so I can get that mess out of my living space too! WOW! I am Just on a ROLL!

Just had to share, and brag about how handy my husband is :)

~Lisa~

Tough Love

I hate tough love. I hate being the Mommy sometimes. I hate needing to bring out my inner hard-ass. Blah. Hate.

Jenna is entering her "I'm-almost-6-and-I-am-the-princess-of-this-house,-and-my-mother-is-quickly-losing-all-of-her-intelligence-thereby-making-me-the-boss-of-the-world" Stage. How I loved that stage when I was almost 6. How I Loathe it at 27.

I swear, she tries my patience over everything! Unless someone else is watching. It's time to get dressed, Oh no! She didn't WANT That Shirt! Heavens no!! But!! Take her to the baby-sitters and she's an angel! Time to eat, stop talking, What!? I'm sure she couldn't hear me because she Won't Stop TALKING! BUT!! Take her to the store, and she's helping get the groceries, and suggesting menus for the week if she thinks someone might be listening to her! Have someone over for Dinner? She's setting the table and handing out napkins. Get her into her car seat, and she's a whiny brat because Aidan got to the seat she wanted first.

What on earth happened to my sweet as pie, take her anywhere, princess that I was once so proud of!? Where do they learn this Attitude from!?

She's currently up in her room, cleaning it from top to bottom because she was trying to take an hour to get her boots and coat on so we could all go to Wal-Mart. Al asked her about 20 minutes before he and I started getting ready to go to get her things on. Then he asked her again. Then I told Aidan to go get ready to go to Wal-Mart. He did. He got his coat, boots, hat and mits on in the time it took Jenna to get on one shoe. A shoe! AFTER I had told her to get her boots on. The came the melt down. The straw that broke this mommy's back. So I finally gave up...or maybe this time I didn't give up. I took my coat off, stopped butting on my boots, and told her we were staying. And then Al informed her of her room cleaning punishment, and an early bed time. And cue the second of many more melt downs tonight.

Are we asking too much of her!? I mean really. It was boots and coat. Which her 3 year old brother can do just fine. I didn't think it was too much to ask.

How the hell am I going to get through her defiant teen years if I am already pulling out my hair at 5 1/2? Oy. I almost want to take up smoking. But I won't. Because ew.

Pray for me.

~Lisa~

So far so good!

Well, I've had a couple days with the new programs. I'm liking them! I'm pretty sure that I am taking down the data in a completely asinine way, but I'll meet with my boss on Monday to talk about any kinks like that. Henry is a little off, but that's to be expected. He and I have been doing some of the same programs for almost 2 years now. And the programs have always been run the same way. Now that it's completely different, and I am probably acting a little like a fish out of water, he's a bit confused by it all.

Any ideas on how to make reciprocating social questions fun!? LOL...he needs a little help making conversation, and the natural, basic way to encourage that skill is to ask social questions (Name, age, address, parents names etc.) He can do all of that, answer tonnes of questions, but what he can't grasp is how to ask them back. I tried to do a mock-up today where he and I were just meeting in the park, but he didn't quite understand what I was asking him, and ran around like a hooligan :) I guess I'll be needing some more thought on this one :)

I love my job you know. I love teaching, and seeing the changes in Henry. I love discovering the world of Autism with him. I cry at the same frustrations his parents cry at. I cheer when they cheer. I swear, he's like my fourth child.

On the weightloss side of things! WOOHOO!!! As of yesterday I've lost 7.5 pounds!! I can't believe how fast it's coming off! And I am having such an easy time of it! I'm still counting some points, but now that I've been doing it for almost 3 weeks, it's become second nature. I don't snack on heavy calorie filled crap anymore, I am loving the healthy stuff, and I have the BEST inspiration :) Al has been AWESOME!! He too is always looking to loose weight, and has always complained that I never help him enough to be successful. Which, for a long time I thought was crazy, since I figured it was Him that made the decisions to eat what he as eating. Well! Now that I see how helpful he is in making me healthy, low point meals, and keeping me on track, I can see how easy it was for me to sabbotage his progress all these years. I feel really awful for it. It's easy to see that he is losing weight too! He's wearing size 46 pants comfortably. When we met he was in a 44! And the year I got pregnant, when he was at his heaviest, I am pretty sure that his size 54 pants were getting tight. I am soooo proud of his progress, which definitely gives me the motivation to keep going.

Of course, I have my period this week, and the Easter bunny was pretty generous, so chances are my weight will go up a bit, but I'm honestly not too worried about it! The day after I started on my way to eating healthier, I tried on a pair of jeans I got last September. I could barely pull them up over my bum, and the button and button hole were a good 3-4 inches away from meeting. Well! On a whim this morning I tried them on again. Not only could I pull them up, but I did them up too!! button, Zipper! All of it!! I even sat down, and climbed stairs! now, there's no way in hell they are decent enough to be wearing in public yet, but man! What a good feeling it was when that button slid through the hole :)

So, that's where we're at. All is good in Dodge.

This is it!

I start full(ish) time today. I'll be home by 1:00, so I guess it's not too bad. But I am still kinda dreading it. And I am really going to miss the kids :( Really Really. Even Jenna said this morning that she was sad that she wasn't going to get to spend time with me anymore. I'll have to dream up something fun for when I get home. I can't wait for the weather to turn back into spring so that we can go to the park when I get home in the afternoons.

I'm also going to miss doing laundry! How crazy is that!? I used to be able to spread it out over the two or three whole days that I was home a week, with a couple loads on Saturday. Now I'll probably have to do some every afternoon to keep up. Blah. Oh well, I guess it's a fair trade for the fewer diapers I'll be changing. :)

I am really excited about the new programs I get to run with Henry!! There's some really fun ones. I was SO bored with the old stuff. Now I just have to learn the new style (Totally different teaching method than I have ever used before) and we'll be good to go!

Guess I'd better get back in gear so I'm not late! have a great one! If you're reading this, wish me luck :) I am going to be soo tired by the end of the week :)

~Lisa~

YA'LL!!!!!!!!!!!

You have GOT to make these cookies!!!!!!!! OMG! Best I have EVER tasted in my WHOLE life!!! I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com..it's got well over 3500 reviews, and you'll regret the day you ever came upon it, because they are sure to ruin Any diet! But wow, really, try them!!

The secret is in the pudding :) I used 1 cup milk chocolate chips, and 1 cup peanut butter chips. Yum! Also, I only needed to bake mine for 6 minutes, but my oven does tend to run a little hot. So, without further ado, the recipe!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Award-Winning-Soft-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

Seriously, try them! You'll thank me! And then you should invite me over to try them :)

~Lisa~

Scared

So, I am starting with Leaps and Bounds next week. It should have been this week, but the stupid Ministry was late sending Jenny her cheque. I am so scared about this you guys. Not the job. I am quite confidante in my abilities to do the job. It's the pay that is tearing me up inside.

The way Leaps and Bounds pays is once a month. So,my hours are due on the 4th, I will have to work all of this month, and submit my hours on May 4th. Then I will have to work all of May, and will get paid on the 4th of JUNE for the hours I work in April. They are always behind like that...which is nice for the month after I finish working for them, since I will get what might feel like an extra cheque.

But right now?? What am I supposed to do right now? I make enough now to pay the babysitter, and get the groceries. I know that we can survive grocery wise, as there's enough meat in the freezer to get us through. But I really don't know what I am going to do about the babysitter. I'll be working 5 mornings a week, meaning that I will have to pay for all 3 kids 2-3 days a week. And gas to get to work.

I hate being broke. I hate having Just enough every month. I hate that Jenny took off for 2 weeks in March with no thought to what that might do to me. And I hate thinking that, because who the hell doesn't deserve a vacation?

Ugh. Any money saving ideas for me?

Donations kindly accepted. HAHA! maybe I should get a bumper sticker that says that?? perhaps some random wealthy person will just stuff my car with money one day!? naw.

Oh well, I'm sure we'll figure it out. Thanks for letting me vent/whine.

Lisa