Good Old Mr. Raditch

I have been happily reliving my childhood TV watching days...yes, I have rediscovered Degrassi Junior High. Is there any better show than that? I don't think so. I mean, when a Canadian show can have parts of episodes banned in the States, you know it's good.

Ah yes, I've missed you, Spike, and the trauma of your teen-pregnancy and your boyfriend who ditched you, did acid, and jumped off of a bridge and now has a lower IQ than your baby daughter. I've missed Lucy with her neglectful parents that drove her to shoplift, and poor Wheels whose parents were killed in a car crash and sent him off to try to live with his birth father who was only 16 years his senior...Caitlin with her bizarre peroxide streak in her hair, and her crusade for every cause going...Stephanie dressing like a hooker and winning the school election (all the way with Stephanie Kaye!)...Joey Jeramiah--love the hats! And the first shot of male butt nudity I had seen on TV...oh, I could go on and on. What an awesome show. Yay Degrassi!

The reason I wrote about it today, actually, is because I saw an episode where the English teacher, Mr. Raditch, was talking about an assignment in critical thinking...which led to flashbacks of a course of the same name that I took in university. The teacher's name was Billy Glassman, and had an unlimited number of shaker-knit sweaters, with matching knitted ties. He wasn't a bad teacher, actually, but all I seem to remember of his class (brutal wardrobe aside) was the fact that I was constantly both distracted and creeped out by the unnatural length of his fingers. It was bizarre. They were at least half again the length of a normal man's hands. (Shudder....) I remember leaning forward to whisper a comment about them in the ear of my friend Vince. He was taking a sip of Minute Maid orange soda at the time, and he burst out laughing and it shot through his nose. It was too funny. We both were asked to leave because we could not regain any semblance of calm after that.

And now that I think about, Vince was very careful to A: not drink in class anymore, and B: to sit far away from me...sorry buddy!

Today is my father-in-law's 70th birthday...HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA! We had a dinner party for him here yesterday. He had a nice time I think. He especially enjoyed the cake I made for him, which was a world map with red dots showing all of the places he has travelled to. And there were a lot of them! Jeez, no moss grows on that guy. Happy trails, Papa.

Typical Monday around here. Laundry day, which meant the kids stayed in their pjs all day because all of their pants were in the wash. Dishes. Continued attempts at weaning (which is going NOWHERE! Tips are welcome!). Chatted on the phone with no less that 7 telemarketers, two of which actually spoke English. Spoke to Phoenix's teacher about a new program he's been accepted into (will go into detail tomorrow). More laundry. Yadda yadda yadda. Hope the week picks up. I am seriously dragging today...maybe I need a pedicure to perk me up or something...Hey Auntie Joanne, what are you doing tomorrow?

Call of the child, nope make that children....gotta jet. Adios, amigos!

No Wonder I'm Exhausted!

Things I did this morning before 8:00 am:

Woke up. Went to the bathroom. Brushed hair and teeth. Got dressed. Got Keegan dressed. Dressed and nursed Ty. Made Phoenix's lunch. Packed his school bag. Got out coats etc. for the school run. Gathered glass baby food jars for school art project. Did the dishes. Took out the garbage. Put cover back on barbeque. Threw in a load of laundry. Woke up Phoenix. Made sure he got dressed. Combed kids' hair. Fed kids breakfast and plunked them in front of Lunar Jim. Boiled water for today's attempt at formula. Checked e-mail (includes deleting all e-mails devoted to mortgage approvals and penis enlargement). Whew. No wonder I am wiped out by 9:00 am every day!

Oh, To Be Five!

10 things I admire about children:

1. They still have the same energy level at 8:00 pm that they did at 6:00 am
2. Someone smiling at them makes their whole day, and provides fodder for a 20 minute story
3. They can complain of a stomach-ache, go throw up, and then go on with their day
4. A hug and kiss solves the worst of their problems
5. Sesame Street is considered must-see-tv
6. The ability to quote someone word for word on something they said 2 years ago
7. Belief in Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy
8. Constant self-pride
9. How saying hi to another kid makes them an instant best friend
10. Most of all, how they can avoid punishment with a sweet smile, and an "I love you SO MUCH, Mommy!"

Ah, my boys. I love them so, even when they drive me bonkers. Even on the worst of days, one or all three can do something to make me feel happy. A kiss or hug in passing, an "I love you" out of the blue, or a simple giggle. I may bitch a lot here, but believe me, I count my blessings every day.

SNIFF!

PS A very Happy Birthday to my Auntie Cathy!!!

The Little Tooth Beaver

ACK! I'm Wounded! Time For Operation Wean

Okay, I have to say the the worst ordeal any nursing mother can go through is weaning. With my first son, it was hell. Ended up cutting him off cold turkey, as he would just starve himself until the next breastfeeding. Keegs was no problem, really. Ty, well, I probably would have kept nursing him for a few months, but he has this little weapon in his mouth. It's called the razor-tooth. Nothing I do can deter him from biting, and that little tooth is freaking sharp!!! As a result, I have a series of cuts, you know where. OUCH!

So, today started project wean. He cried for 1/2 hour non-stop, drank half an ounce and fell asleep. Sigh. This may be harder than I thought. I am not doing a cold-turkey wean. I plan to nurse for his morning feeding and evening one, and bottle feed throughout the day. Wish me luck!

Onto other matters...Friday night was HBO party night at my aunt's house to celebrate her and my cousin's birthdays. The idea was to dress up as your favourite Sex in the City or Sopranos character. My one cousin went with Miranda, while the rest of us favoured the Sopranos. I went as Tony's sister Janice, complete with the Rolling Stones tattoo on my left boob. Verreee classy, yeah baby.

Food was Italian, of course, and awesome. Good job, Cath. We even had loot bags! (Thanks Dana!)Cosmo glasses filled with red and clear beads, with recipes for Cosmopolitans, bags of linguine pasta, with recipes out of the Sopranos cookbook, and even toy guns that shout "FIRE! FIRE!" complete with bullet blasting sound. My kids swiped these from my obviously-poor hiding place and are now tearing up the joint. Great, now I'm raising little gangsters!

Last week was pretty crappy. I had the flu, and it wiped me out for a few days, thus the lack of posting. Better this week though. Kids have their swimming lessons tomorrow. Hey, and today is the federal election! I'll be glad to see the campaign signs off of everyone's lawns, if nothing else. Our neighbourhood seems to be a 50/50 split between Liberal and PC. I think it may be a close result in our city.

When the boy gets home from work, I intend to hustle over to the school and cast my ballot. Vote, people, VOTE!

Well, my children inform me that it is time for Elmo's World (oh, yeah...um..yippee?) so I'd better dash. TTFN.

Update: 4:35 pm...Ty has a new tooth! Upper left. What a smile...upper and lower left...

What A RIP OFF!!!

Kripes! What is this world coming to? My poor cousin goes out for a nice dinner with her family and comes home to a break-in. They took all of her and her daughter's jewellery, her camera and, of all things, her husband's hockey jerseys. What the hell?

I am lucky enough to say that we have never been victim to a home invasion, however, several of my relatives have, and the residual fear it instills in them breaks my heart. I mean, how can you feel safe in your home, knowing someone has been in there, going through your stuff?

A couple of months ago, this happened to one of my aunts. And a year or two before, to my husband's grandfather. And actually, our van was stolen several years ago as well, on Boxing Day. I guess as long as people have stuff, there are people out there just waiting to rip it off.

Bastards! I'm just glad that no one was hurt and no real damage done.

One the home front, we are very slowly creeping toward health. I emphasize the slowly. I think that things are on an upswing though, because Ty smiled today for the first time in five days. I assume that means he is feeling a little better. Poor guy has barely slept in a week, which means that I haven't either...quick tempers flaring all over our house the last few days.

God Bless my hubby, who went on a whirlwind cleaning frenzy today, and vacuumed and decluttered the place within an inch of its life. Good job, babe. I, and my exhausted soul, thank you from the bottom of my (cough, wheeze) heart.

I Knew I Should Have Pursued Medicine

Well, give me my MD degree and get it over with. After a trip to the clinic, Bun and Keegs are on puffers as am I, and poor little Tyger is on antibiotics and a puffer as he not only has an ear infection, but a chest infection as well. I hope he sleeps tonight! (Knock on wood!)

I have come to the conclusion that one has to be very careful when sending e-mails these days with respect to tone. Well, I do, anyway. Sarcasm or good-natured humour can very easily be miscontrued as anger and overall bitchiness, as evidenced by a little "cyber-war" I had with a buddy of mine today. (Mark laughed when I said this; he asked if it involved cyber weapons of mass destruction...).

I think that I am going to have to do some serious self-editing when writing to certain people. I certainly don't want to hurt anyone's feelings...so to all my e-mail recipients, I apologize for any unintentional verbal wounds. And if I come across that way, let me know!

In my defense, I haven't slept in over 72 hours, and that makes me snippy with myself, let alone others. Oh crap, there goes Ty...so much for a night of rest.

Will They Let Us In Now?

It is day 6 of sick-as-a-dog around here. I KNOW my kids have bronchitis. I KNOW that I have bronchial pneumonia. I don't need a freaking medical degree. But apparently the rule around here is that you must go to the clinic a minimum of 3 times before they officially declare your kids sick enough to medicate. In the meantime, I have not slept in three days, because Ty is coughing his lungs out and to top it off, being sick makes the other two boys so miserable that they fight with each other all day long until I want to run screaming from the house.

And hubby wonders why I'm so bloody pissy at the end of every day? Kripes! It's just one of those days where you wish the MOM-fairy would arrive and say, "Sweetie, go to bed for the next 24 hours. I'll take all the kids for you and even magically nurse your baby so you can recharge your batteries."

Well, fantasies take all shapes and sizes, and that's mine. Hmm. Sad.

By the way, if you look under my name in the dictionary, it says to also see-dream on, you wish, and ain't gonna happen...

Hey! We're Being Good Parents!

Happy Wednesday everyone! No, I'm not this cheery. More like feeling slightly drugged to due severe lack of sleep. Tyger cried from 12:15 am to 4:10am this morning. I think I cried a bit in there too. He is sick with a horrible croupy cough, and has generously spread the virus to his mother. Keegan has it too. We are a miserable bunch around here today, with the exception of Phoenix, who shook off the cold in two days.

Went for the meeting at Phoenix's school with the resource team there. They basically told us that he has made a great improvement since his last assessment, and that everything we are doing for him at home is awesome. So nice to have someone validate your efforts. So, I ordered him some educational toys to help things along and he will be reassessed in March.

Phoenix & Keegan had their first swimming lesson last night (pictures to follow). They were so cute! Keegs was great; so enthusiastic! I thought he would freak out at the prospect of having to go into the water without Mark or I, but he was all for it. I'm glad that this is shaping up to be a favourable experience for them.

I'd like to take a moment to welcome Leanne back to the world of blogging; looking forward to your efforts.

Gotta run; want to actually drink my tea while it still retains an iota of warmth.

Later.

PS. A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my nephew Hunter!!!! XOXOXO

My List

In response to a cyber-request from my fellow blogger, Jenny, here is my list:

4 jobs I have had:

1.video store clerk
2. medical claims adjudicator
3. life insurance claims maint.
4. MOM

4 movies I could watch over and over:

1. The Princess Bride
2. The Shawshank Redemption
3. Legends of the Fall
4. Terms of Endearment

4 places I have lived:

1. Northern Ontario
2. Nova Scotia
3. Southern Ontario
4. still there

4 tv shows I like to watch (even if they are off air):

1. Sex and the City
2. Degrassi
3. Survivor
4. Miami Ink

4 places I have been on vacation:

1. New Zealand/Australia
2. Cozumel
3. Alberta
4. Nova Scotia

4 websites I visit daily:

1. JuJuBee Jenny
2. Weathernetwork.ca
3. streamrescue.com
4. zip.ca

4 favourite foods:

1. anything chocolate
2. fettucine alfredo
3. sour cream and onion rings
4. pork ribs

4 places I'd rather be:

1. sleeping
2. Cozumel
3. Australia's sunshine coast
4. hanging with my Mom

4 albums I could not live without:

1. ABBA Gold
2. Billy Joel's Greatest Hits II
3. Moxy Fruvous
4. my amazingly extensive 80's music collection

And to add to the list:

4 favourite books:

1. Gone With the Wind
2. To Ride the Wind
3. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
4. Clan of the Cave Bear

4 favourite book characters:

1. Julian Marquet
2. Ayla
3. Scarlett O'Hara
4. Jamie Fraser

Feel free to post your own favourites!

Sad Bun aka The Guilt Picture

Big Words Out Of Little Mouths

It always amazed me when I would hear small children use large words in their ceaseless chatter. I would think, My God, does this child have vocabulary drills 3 times daily with flashcards? That was, until I had a "big talker" of my own. Thus here is the list of the 50-cent words Phoenix has used this week (bear in mind that he is only 5 1/2):

disintegrated: "The laser blast totally disintegrated the fuel tank!"
appropriate: (when speaking of Flintstone vitamins) "Did you choose the one that was appropriate for your child?"
exasperated: "Keegan! You make me so exasperated!" Me-what does that word mean, dear? Him-sad, angry, upset and frustrated all at the same time...
ridiculous: "That's ridiculous, Mommy! And by the way, that means really, really silly."
fortuitous: "Well, that was fortuitous for him, wasn't it, Mommy?"

Umm...holy crap? And what is really sad, is not that he knows these words and uses them correctly, but that I think I spelled half of them wrong...

So where is he getting these words from? Some, from me. Some, from books. The rest, educational tv.

If you are a stay-at-home mom, then you are probably in the same position as I, in that your daytime television viewing is limited to either TVO, Kids CBC, PBS or Treehouse (or your country's equivalent, Nick Jr. etc.). This week on Kids CBC, a new show premiered called, seriously, "Pinky Dinky Doo". Every day on this show, they showcase a big word, define it, and use it in several different sentences. Words such as exasperated. And fortuitous. Wow. Well, I guess he'll score well on the language portion of his grade level testing. Or SAT's for that matter (assuming we win the lottery and he can go Ivy League).

Other cute things that happened in the last few days:

Phoenix asked to play a video game at a time when I was very busy with other tasks. I said, sorry, not now. He stormed off in a sulk, and came back about 10 minutes later and thrust a crayon rendition of himself into my hands. (I should really scan this picture and post it, because it is too cute). It is a picture of a boy with a huge sad frown on his face, labelled with his name. It's now hanging on the fridge with an assortment of magnets.

Phoenix went for a play date today. Keegan burst into tears when he left. I asked him what was wrong he sobbed, "Oh my Phoenix. Oh, my grief!"

Phoenix passed gas (ie farted) quite loudly. It startled Ty so much that he burst into tears. Phoenix and I burst into laughter. Yeah, we're a crude, cruel bunch.

Oh, why don't they stay this small and cute? Answer: parents could not survive for more than a few years at this tolerance level without jumping in front of a bus.

And on that cheery note, I bid you goodnight. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite!

13 Hours vs. 13 Minutes

13 HOURS: how long Ty cried for yesterday.
13 MINUTES: how long Ty slept yesterday.

Ah, the joy of teething. You've got to feel sorry for the little ones when they go through the hell of cutting new teeth. Little razors pushing their way through swollen gums. OUCH! Although, having recently been on the receiving end of his one VERY SHARP tooth while nursing, I have to say that the pain is not entirely one-sided. Wowsers! Hmm...time to wean, perhaps?

Phoenix is off on a 5 hour play date today. God bless that kid's mother, is all I have to say. Not only does her son have Phoenix over to play, but her other two kids have friends over as well. I guess she figured that it is better to get all of the play dates over in one shot, so she can collapse from nervous exhaustion until school starts on Monday. Petty, but, better her than me!

Made some steps toward cleaning the closet today. Took out all of my maternity clothes (gee, it's only been almost 8 months, so I guess it's about time), and ditched all of my early 90's workwear. Some charity is in for a heck of a lot of clothes. Now I know where all the hangers have been for the past year. Jeez. Now I just have the two closet shelves to attack, and I'll be done. Sort of. I still need to find some large rubbermaid containers to pack up all the mat. clothes for whoever needs them next in my circle of friends.

My next major project is the toy room. Disgustingly, we have 4 HUGE containers overflowing with toys. I plan to donate at least half of them. The trouble is, every toy I get rid of is suddenly one of the boys' favourite toy EVER and can't be ditched. So, I am waiting until Phoenix goes back to school, or I will enlist Mark to help me one night after the kids are asleep.

Sneaky, sneaky,sneaky...

Sadistic? Or Typical?

Okay, maybe I'm a mean mommy, but sometimes, when my kids cry, I get the urge to laugh.

Oooooh. Okay, felt that dead silence. Don't get me wrong. I am not unsympathetic to their various woes, be it due to non-sharing of toys, stubbed toes, or teething pain. But...they just look so darned cute! Makes me want to run for the camera before administering hugs and band-aids.
But I don't...so stop dialing the social welfare numbers. I am a hug-and-kiss-first, tiny-smile-to-myself-later kind of mom.

That being said, onto other matters of no general concern.

Now that the new year is upon us, I have gotten off of my sizable butt (which I was about to blame on three pregnancies, but anyone who actually knows me, would say that this baby has always had back), and taken down the Christmas decorations. Yes, to the dismay of the children, I dismantled the tree, packed up the trimmings and stowed away the sugar-plum fairy visions until next December.

In a fit of apres-holiday need for space, I also did a overhaul of the dressers in the boys' rooms and mine and now, not only do I have three garbage bags of clothes for charity pick-up, I also have beautiful, if only temporarily, clean and tidy clothes drawers. I say temporarily, because I am a realist. I know that after the next laundry day, all my work will have gone to hell (I mean heck) as I stuff things away between calls of the child. Next stop, the closets. Sigh. Always a painful job, but it has to be done. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and realize that the next person to be wearing a size 6 will be your son, and not yourself.

And speaking of clothing sizes, I went on a Boxing Week Sale shopping spree (to replace all of the stuff I purged from the armoire) and picked up 7 pairs of pants (4 jeans, 2 casual, and one yoga), two polar fleece zips, 3 t-shirts, 3 tank tops, 3 long-sleeved shirts and a new pair of gloves. Sigh. Still no shoes. Part of my New Year's resolution---buy new shoes! Anyway, I digress. The point I am laboriously trying to make is this: have you ever seen an item of clothing in a store, think it looks so good, and then realize that this is because you are looking at the size 0? When you move up into human sizes, these items look like something you could put a sleeping bag in and go on vacation! Who are these size 0 people? And why are you still breathing? Does your diet consist of more than water and water-alternatives (ie, ice)? Because if you women are actually out there and are eating real food, I want your diet plan. Seriously.

I had lots more to share today, but this entry is getting long, and my back is getting sore, and frankly, it's past my bedtime. Night all, and I'll talk atcha later!

Out With The Old, And In With The New!

Well, it's the end of another year. All in all, I think it was a good one. Lots of new babies born this year, including my own Tyger, so that's always good. An official welcome to the world to all of our precious new children: Aiden, Ty, Madeline, Sophie, Hailey, Jordyn, Brynn, Will, and Grace. (Will and Grace, hey, that's kinda funny! Okay, yeah, I'm tired...)

My brother started a great new job, we went on a nice family vacation, and for the first year in I don't know how many, Mark did not dislocate, break or sprain anything! (Baseball sliding injuries don't count). Keegan is slowly (s.......l.......o.........w.......l..........y.....) adapting to potty training, and his speech is much more clear to the listener. Phoenix is doing well at school and is working very hard there and at home to overcome any difficulties. Ty has a tooth. He can sit up.

My niece got straight A's on her report card. I met my little niece Miranda for the first time. I got to see every one of my relatives within 3 days over the holidays.

I finally bought myself some jeans that fit! (Still have to work on the shoes though...)

So with everything that's happened around here in 2005, what are the plans for 2006?

Well, child-wise, I hope to have Keegan totally trained by the spring. I plan to have Phoenix working on a comprehensive learning program to have him geared up for grade one. I will teach Ty to say the names of all of his relatives (especially Grandpa...). I will endeavor to make some money in a constructive manner, hopefully with freelance articles or my children's books in progress.

I will try to get out more. Mark and I will institute a date-night. I will lose a minimum of 15 pounds by July 1st. I will try to stop swearing. (I don't swear in front of the kids, but when they are out of earshot, it's like a torrent! What the hell? I mean, "Gosh! What the heck?"

I will budget my time more efficiently.

Well, these are the plans. I'll get back to you on July 1st...

I hope everyone had an excellent 2005. I wish all my readers peace, happiness and prosperity in the year to come.

Love each other. More importantly, love yourself.

Shann out.

Woo-hoo! A New Toy!

I am so excited! I got a great new toy for Christmas from my hubby! Okay, after you pull your mind out of the gutter, I will tell you what it is...

A Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT camera. It does just about everything but wash the dishes. It even makes the cool sound, you know like at the beginning of the songs Freezeframe and Girls on Film...awesome. And as soon as I figure out how to hook it up to the computer to download the shots, I will share some photos. Mark also got me two additional lenses, a telephoto lens (to spy on the neighbours-watch out people over the hedge!) and a panoramic lens. Too cool, I tell you. The memory card is 1 G. It stores over 300 photos on the highest quality setting. I also got a carrying case and 200 free prints from the store where Mark picked it up.

Also got some nice gifts from the rest of my family, including mall and book store gift certificates, a deluxe George Forman grill, 4 bottles of Little Penguin wine (2 white, 2 red) and a Stage West package for a show, dinner, wine, and overnight stay at the hotel. Oh yeah, and a nice chunk of cashola too.

My house looks like we robbed Toys R Us. Thomas trains to Rescue Heroes to Fisher Price to Transformers to the nth power. It's a bit sickening, actually. At least I haven't heard any bitching from Bun yet about what he didn't get...

Christmas Eve dinner was at my sister-in-law's house, and was fantastic as usual. 4 kinds of fish and tons of side-dishes as well as fabulous desserts. It was a great bonus this year to have Mark's brother and his family out for the holiday, as they live on the other side of the country from us. Met their youngest daughter for the first time and she's nearly two! What a dolly! She and Keegs had a great time together.

Christmas Day was spent at home with my middle and youngest brother and my Dad, and then we all went to my aunt's place for dinner. A good time was had by all. Kids were really good, especially Ty. Not a peep out of him the whole time.

Boxing Day (today) all of my brothers as well as my sister-in-law and my two nephews came out for lunch. My nephews entertained Bun and Keegs quite nicely, and even constructed one of the more complicated toys for them (the Justice League Watch Tower). Thanks boys! Mark took Bun over to his sister's place for dinner, and I had a quiet evening with the younger boys, playing with the new toys and watching Frosty for the 3000th time. It is now 9:30 pm, the kids are asleep, and I'm off to Timmy's for my nightly outing. Hope everyone had a great holiday, and I hope you all have fun shopping at the boxing week sales...

It's Been Decided...And I'm Sad :-(

Mark and I were having our regular mock argument today regarding (read in dark, ominous tones) the vasectomy. You know, the usual, where I say, you're getting it, right? And he says, over my cooling corpse, that sort of deal.

So today I said, so are we decided then, that we're not having anymore? And he got serious and said that he would absolutely love to have one more, but doesn't think we should. Not for any financial reasons, because we could always manage somehow. But his main reason was that since Phoenix is having potential troubles with his language development etc at school, and Keegan has his own developmental issues regarding speech and other areas, we should really focus on the boys, and not bring a new child into the mix that could possible take our time away from them when they really needed us. And he was right. And that's probably why I cried.

It's one thing to tell everyone, "Oh yeah, we're done," or "Oh, never say never," when you haven't really decided. But now that we have, it's just so final. I love my kids so much, they are my life; that's why I would love to have more. And petty and small as it sounds, there was that tiny part of my heart still yearning for a daughter. And that missing daughter is who I cry for. My Mom and I had such an awesome relationship, and I was so hoping to have the same with a daughter of my own...

Well, enough of that pity party. Stepping back from the situation, I know that Mark and I have been blessed not once, but three times by having the beautiful children that we do. I couldn't love them more. And every day with them is a gift. I will no longer cry for the children I don't have, but for the people who don't have any at all.

I said in another post that my mother was once asked why she had four (horrors!) children. And that she coldly looked the questioner in the eye and replied, "I suppose because we didn't have five." Well said, Mom.

Forsooth! A Tooth!

Hurray! Finally! Ty has broken his first tooth through those puffy gums. All that gnawing on anything within reach (including Mom, furniture, crib rails, his feet, anyone else's feet within range, toys, sweaters, blankets, etc.) finally has a pay-off! Bottom left tooth. Soon he'll have a whole new smile.

Well, he DID tell Santa that all he wanted for Christmas was his two front teeth...looks like he may just get his wish!

Finally finished all my shopping! Yay!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDD...actually did pick up a holiday outfit for myself! The skirt is a plaid, navy, black, yellow, green and cranberry. Much nicer than it sounds. It is just above knee length and is sort of flirty at the bottom. Cute! And on sale for $20. Got a matching cranberry-coloured velvet jacket to match. It's really nice. I even got a matching necklace. Was too shopped out to get shoes...think I may not bother till after Christmas. Enough snow around here to wear my boots anyway...Should pick up some tights or pantyhose though.

Phoenix had his school concert today. Oh it was so adorable! Quite a lot of songs and poems for little 4 and 5 year olds to memorize but they were all great. Oma came out to sub for Mark to watch the show. Got it all on video, and then went back to the class for cookies and cake.

Actually the cake was really cute. One of the moms had made a snowman cake. It was beautiful and looked quite tempting. I was just heading over for a piece when I spotted a little girl with her head bent over the cake licking the icing off of the side of the cake. Gross! Her mom spotted her too and freaked out! I ran. I see enough parental frustration whenever I look in the mirror without witnessing that of a stranger.

Had my Dad over for dinner today. He had come over earlier today to watch Keegs and Ty while I went to the concert. Keegan was having a major tantrum over something and Mark said to Keegs, "If Grandpa wasn't here, I'd lay the boots to ya!" Dad kindly called out, "I can step outside for a few moments if you want to go ahead...". Yeah, every good dad knows the power of a threat.

My Dad never had to lay a hand on me. It was what will go down in history as "THE LOOK". It was enough to send me crying to my room every time! My brother's needed more of a fear factor. Dad would get out "the belt" and fold it in half. Then he would buckle it, you know so that it was shaped like a U on the bottom and the mirror on top. Then he would snap it. The leather made a horrible cracking sound that you just knew was the sound of pain. He would say, "Put your hand in there!" and we would say "NO DAD!" Then he would say, "Go to your room!" and we'd say, "Okay!!!" and run like hell. Yeah, there's nothing better than a threat. I don't any of us were actually stupid enough to put a hand in the belt slap zone. Hmm...on second thought, Paul probably did, but he is the rebel of my siblings...

Anyway, it's getting late, I'm tired, my stomach is doing the cha cha, or as we like to say, "I've got a rumble in my Bronx", and I need a nice cup of tea. Have a good night, and God Bless all of the fathers who only gave the look and the threats, but loved their kids too much to act on them.

Whoa! Pre-Christmas Anxiety Rears Its Ugly Head

Holy Mother! Talk about stress...Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas, and all that it entails, even the shopping part. What I don't like, is the 8 hours of planning involved in order for me to leave the house for two hours. There's something to be said about bottle-feeding around this time of year, that's for sure!

Anyway, I believe, truly, that I have finished my shopping. Well, for other people, that is. I have yet to find myself an outfit to wear at Christmas. You must understand that the majority of my wardrobe is either maternity clothes, which I no longer require, or post-pregnancy hide in the house clothes, consisting of too-large ripped jeans, and old track suits of my mother's. So when I have to actually be seen by more than my forgiving immediate family, I am in a constant panic of what to wear. I have tried on everything at the local mall with no dice. I think I'm going to have to venture further abroad and try the mall on the other side of town. And, because I don't drive (yeah, yeah, skip the lecture, I hear it every three days around here), this means coercing my hubby into rounding up the kiddies into the Rover and hauling me over there. I may have to call in some favours here...or promise some...

So, I optimistically post that tomorrow I will report a description of the lovely new outfit that I will get tonight. Wish me luck! (I wonder who the patron saint of shopping is? Hmm...St. Laurent?)

The Countdown Is ON!

Well, only 7 more shopping days till Christmas, my friends. Want my list? Just kidding! (Kinda...) I am almost finished with my shopping. Still have a few things to pick up for the hubby. I want to get one of those "Hey, that's awesome!" kind of gifts, and I have no idea what that could be. May end up with a bunch of "Um, gee, thanks, Babe," gifts instead.

Also need to pick up something extra for my youngest brother, and some stocking stuffers, and I think that's about it. I am still determined to get a Christmas outfit for myself though...might have to sneak out a few more times before next weekend.

Next week I am having the skunk-stripe removed from the top of my head (read, alarming stripe of WHITE). My hairdresser has been trying to talk me into getting a chunk of funky-mom colour put in...I might actually go for it. A nice electric blue, perhaps? My aunt recently had some pink put into her hair. She got some mixed reactions, but I thought it looked really cool. It suited her. And I figure, since I can't afford liposuction, or breast-reduction/lift into upper body area where they are supposed to be, spicing up the do is a fun option. And if it looks like crap? Well, I'll be back in 6-8 weeks, so I can fix it then.

Mark and Bun are off today to church for the final practice for the Christmas concert, after which they will be decorating sugar cookies. I am enjoying (and yes, realize that even while typing, I am cursing myself) a quiet moment while Keegan and Ty take much needed naps.

Tomorrow morning is the concert, and on Tuesday, Phoenix's kindergarten class is putting on a show of their own. I can hardly wait. They've been rehearsing for months!

Well, (gee I say well a lot, eh?) I suppose I should go wrap the stuff I bought yesterday before Markus comes back. Not that he's a snooper. Oh crap, what did I tell you!!!!! There goes the Ty alarm. Gotta jet. Happy shopping...

And for those millions of you out there that are not nursing mothers, have an eggnog for me, heavy on the spiced rum!