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

Like night and....dawn?

Aidan had his first dentist appointment yesterday. I'm sure you remember the torture we went through with Jenna. The screaming, the crying, the refusing to open her mouth. Ugh, I shudder to think about it.

But Aidan!!! Wow! Completely different! He even sat perfectly to have two x-rays done! And totally charmed ALL of the girls in there!! A sample if I will (Which obviouly I will!)

Sarah: So Aidan, what's your favourite show on TV?
Aidan: My favourite is DIEGO!!
Sarah: Oh! That's a good one. Do you watch Treehouse?
Aidan: *Looking at Sarah like she has lost her damn mind* "Well, Actually, Treehouse is a channel. It's not a show."

And Then:

Aidan: Hey! How did you remember my name?!

Sarah: well, uh, you told it to me.

Aidan: No I didn't. And neither did Mommy....There's a A in my name you know. Two A's. Then proceeds to 'spell' his name..."ADAN"

Sarah: Turns away to laugh histerically.

That's right. And he's only 3!

So anyway, we finally get him to stop talking (A feat in itself let me tell you!) and we get through the appointment. He has 2 cavities in his front teeth :( Dr. M says it looks like my kids must have soft, cavity prone teeth. BUT! All Aidan's other teeth look terrific. YAY! Hopefully they stay that way.

And seriously, are anyone else's kids getting up at the crack of Dawn!? I've only slept past 6:00AM ONCE this week! And that was just because I sent Jenna downstairs to watch TV alone. Ugh. I don't know what's causing it. And it's driving me nutty!! Oh well, I' sure things will improve soon.

Hope you're all doing well!!

Lisa