Happy Anniversary!!!

Happy 9th Wedding Anniversary to my dearest hubby. As you are comotose in bed with the latest illness to infiltrate the household, I will celebrate by myself, and with your (unknowing) blessing, will shop on-line :)

Thank you to our parents, who remembered our day, and were thoughtful enough to send cards.

To my wedding party...hmmm...where are you? My matron of honour wished us happiness when I saw her a few weeks ago...my cousin...I know she's out there, being super mom like me! My sister-in-law...the ultra super mom...my friend Lucinda? Apparently has dropped off of the face of the earth since I haven't spoken to her in two years, and she never responds to any of my e-mails or letters. I hope you are doing well...

Mark's side? Best man...I don't know...falling out in the friendship by multiple means...my brother Paul, still kickin'...brother-in-law Fern? Just got a new job...congrats! Our coolest usher; Sandy? Where are you, girlfriend? Another one that moved with no forwarding address.

Strange how when we get married, we surround ourselves with people that are so important to us, and yet less than a decade later, 3 members of our wedding party are off of our social map. Sad. I miss them all...

On that cheery note! Just wanted to point out that Mark was clueless as to the significance of the day until I wished him a happy anniversary. Bastard! (Just kidding..sort of...). But he did remember that it is his mom's birthday tomorrow. At least there's hope. After all he's known her for 21 years longer than he's known me. Maybe by our 30th wedding anniversary, he'll remember today's date too!

Just another reason why I want our 10-year anniversary to mean: VACATION SOMEWHERE HOT WITH ALL-INCLUSIVE BAR!

Mark, all kidding aside, you are the love of my life. We have been together over 13 years, and married for nine of those years, and I adore you more every day. You have given me 3 beautiful boys, and the best in-laws one could hope for. Here's to many, many, many years more.

XOXOXO

Wife

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-CHOO!

Kripes! It seems like we're always getting over sickness around here! This time it was Keegs that brought home an evil cold from school. He was sick as a dog all weekend, better today. Mark came down with it on Saturday night. Ty got it yesterday. And now, it seems like it's trying to invade my body as well. Phoenix (knock on wood) is still safe.

You know that feeling you get in your head like you are going to sneeze, and then you don't, so you have that permanent skew to your eye and a pain in your sinus cavity? That's me today. And seriously cold. The older boys are at school, at Ty just went for his nap, and I plan (in between loads of laundry) to curl up under a big comforter on the couch.

Kids are cute, aren't they? I just love the things they say sometimes, especially when they're been such little buggers that you want to give them away to the first taker, and then they say stuff like Keegs did this morning: "Give me a hug, Mommy!" (I did). "Oh Mommy! I love you so much! You're my best girl!" (Took me a while to get up after I melted into a pool of emotion on the front porch).

My one ray of optimism on this frosty, snot-infested morning, is that hopefully we will get these colds out of our system and will all be healthy for Hallowe'en. Every year, one of the kids has been sick. Last year, it was Ty with pneumonia. This year, I want happy, excited, non-hacking-3-pack-a day-kids. That's all I have to say about that.

My Dad just came back from Florida, were he was sunning himself for 2 weeks. Rude awakening with this weather, I tell you. The ground was covered in frost this morning! Brrr. Where's the Indian Summer?

Well, my hands are turning blue. I'm off to fold hot laundry in hopes of thawing them out. Have a healthy (aaaa-choooooooo!) day...sniff....cough...pathetic sigh...

October Means Candy

Ah, October. Quite possibly my favourite month of the year. The weather is crisp and perfect for family walks, and the kids and I love the crunching of leaves beneath our feet. Of course, October also means Hallowe'en, a.k.a CANDY! Oh yeah, and costumes. I have a cute little lamb costume ready for Ty, and Keegan made it easy on me this year, saying he wants to be Batman. We have a mask, and he has Batman pyjamas, complete with a cape, so he's done too. Phoenix, on the other hand, issued a costuming challenge. He wants to be Soundwave, from the Transformers. For those of you that are unaware, Transformers are "Robots In Disguise". They change from robot to various modes: vehicle, animal, insect etc. Soundwave transforms into a ghetto blaster.

I rose to the challenge by heading off to Fabricland, and picking up some assorted fabrics and thread and attachment items. Got quite carried away while I was there, and picked up a length of polar fleece and made pillow cases for Keegs and Bun, with their monograms. I must mention at this point that I don't sew. Or rather, I don't own a sewing machine. So, I sew by hand. Halfway through the Soundwave project, my carpel tunnel syndrome kicked in, so I went to plan B. The glue gun. Yes, the crafter's best friend. Well, when all was said and done, I came up with a nifty costume. Phoenix loved it, and that's the important part.

My mom always made our costumes. We would have costume contests at school. My brother Mike and I invariably won for our grade. A memorable year was when he went as Darth Vader and I was Princess Leia, complete with the cinnamon-bun hairdo on the sides of my head. I must see if I can dig up a picture of that, because it was pretty awesome! Mom, you were so cool. I will spend the rest of my life trying to be the kind of mom you were to us.

Today is Sunday, and Mark has taken the eldest boys off to church for Sunday school. I (darn-it-all-anyway!) have to stay here with Ty, while he naps. This afternoon, we're off to the in-laws for turkey. Tomorrow we're having two of my brothers over for dinner for Thanksgiving. Then it's back to the daily grind of work and school.

Phoenix is doing really well at school this year. He reading is coming along nicely, although getting him to read is like bamboo shoots under the fingernails. What a complainer! When he resigns himself to the inevitable, he does a great job. I miss the Mr. Muggs readers we had as children. My brother gave Bun some Dick and Jane primers for his birthday or Christmas last year, and now he's able to make his way through there, although he thinks the stories are lame!

Keegan is loving school this year too, and hopefully we will get the call soon to put him in 5 mornings a week instead of just three.

Ty....is still a bugger! Climbing, destroying, wreaking havoc! All with a sweet smile, and self-applause. His saving grace is that he is so damned cute!

Anyway, I guess I'd better go finish decorating the bay window with Hallowe'en decorations. BOO! From me to you.

PS. If anyone has not discovered the following blog, you must visit. It is freaking hilarious! This guy, Joe Mathelete, explains Marmaduke cartoons. Too funny:

http://marmadukeexplained.blogspot.com/

Ouch!

madeleine • \MAD-uh-lun\ • noun 1 : a small rich shell-shaped cake*2 : one that evokes a memory

Example sentence:The long needle and inappropriate amounts of anesthetic were madeleines for Mark, calling up memories of the horror of his vasectomy.

As you can see by the example sentence...OUCH! He just called me from his Mom's house (funny who we run to when we are ailing) and said, and I quote, "Yeah, it FUCKING hurt!"

So, now I am wracked with guilt. Will update later when he gets home.
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Well, I think it is safe to say that Mark will not volunteer for that assignment ever again! And his recommendation to any guys that are about to embark on this endeavour? "Make sure you're fully frozen before they start. Right side good. Left side...OH MY HOLY GOD!" Yeah, ouch. But he is okay now, a little achey(sp?), but nothing ice packs and Tylenol 3's won't cure, I suppose...
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Ty has now moved into the realm of "Let's give Mom a heart-attack every 10 minutes". I've said before that he's a climber. On top of tables, up bookshelves, etc. Well, today he discovered how to open doors, AND, once open, how to navigate the stairs! I turn my back for 2 seconds, and he's two levels down! Kripes, at this rate I'll have to dye my hair every week!
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Flashback: Graduation Day 1995. My journalism grad friends and I chatting on the forecasted dream careers that we will achieve within the next, um, three days or so.

"I'm going to have my own radio show"
"I'm going to be the hot new newspaper columnist"
"I'm going to have my own monthly page in a leading magazine".

Hmm...somehow, I don't recall saying that I would be, 11 years later, writing a blurb in my son's school newsletter about food...but there you go. Some dreams take radically different paths. Always good to know that those 4 years of university paid off! Seriously though, other than Blogging and writing the occasional kid story for the boys, I haven't really done much writing over the years. (And the novel that I will finish when I'm about 65!) It's nice to get back into it, if only for 100-250 words a month. Thanks, Christy, for not letting my brain melt away into writer's block land too soon.

(And in case you are dying of curiosity, this month's sample was on peanut- free snacks, with a recipe for nut-free granola bars!--Leave a post if you want the recipe. It's really good).

Wedding!

Hubby and I attended our first out-of-country wedding on Saturday. We went to the tropical villa of West Seneca, New York. Okay, yes, I am joking. West Seneca is NOT tropical, but the place the wedding was at was beautiful, and the dinner was awesome. Congratulations Rob & Ginny! I wish you a lifetime of wedded bliss.

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And, after almost 9 years of wedded bliss, and 3 boys later, Mark is having the "Snip" this Friday. He is quite stressed about it. So we are currently employing the denial method of "speak no evil. If we don't talk about it, he can pretend it's not happening. Well, for a few more days, anyway!

Well, I guess I'd better be off. Got to get Keegers off to school, and settle in with Ty to watch back episodes of Smallville.
Educate yourself! Here are some new words for ya:

Word of the Day: Sept 26

gadarene • \GAD-uh-reen\ • adjective : headlong, precipitate

Example sentence:Mary has criticized her brother for his gadarene rush into marriage with a girl he has known for only 2 weeks.

Word of the Day: Sept 27

mellifluous • \muh-LIFF-luh-wus\ • adjective *1 : having a smooth rich flow2 : filled with something (as honey) that sweetens

Example sentence:Lucy recognized the actor's mellifluous voice immediately from the many voice-overs he had done for 800-sex line commercials.

Sept 23: Word of the Day

Word of the Day:

schwarmerei • \shvair-muh-RYE\ • noun : excessive or unwholesome sentiment

Example sentence:Her boyfriend's later love notes were refreshingly free of the schwarmerei that hobbled his earlier efforts.

You Were A Kid in the 80's if...

You Were a Kid In The 80's if:
1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word PSYCH.
2. You watched the Pound Puppies.
3. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do the Carlton
4. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
5. You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club and tried to start a club of your own.
6. You owned those lil' Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls.
7. You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey on Blossom
8. Two words: Hammer Pants
9. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock"
10. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars... and spokey-dokes or playing cards on your spokes for that incredible sound effect
11. You can sing the entire theme song to "Duck Tales" (Woo ooh!)
12. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons
13. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
14. You saw the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the big screen..and still know the turtles names.
15. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school. (Ok, help me out here...first of all, we didn't have computer class. We had one computer, a Commodore 64, that loaded the game BLIP by tape and took the entire recess to boot...what the heck is Oregon Trail day?)
16. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold yourshirt in a knot on the side.
17. You played the game "MASH"(Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)
18. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
19. L.A. Gear....need I say more?
20. You wanted to change your name to "JEM" (She'sTruly Outrageous.)
21. You remember reading "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" and all The Ramona books.
22. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF"
23. You wanted to be a Goonie.
24. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (Some of us...head-to-toe)
25. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted.
26. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
27. You took lunch boxes to school...and traded Garbage Pail Kids cards inthe school yard.
28. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
29. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.
30. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts.
31. Barbie and the Rockers was your favorite band.
32. You thought She-Ra (Princess of Power!) and He-Man should hook up
33. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
34. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.
35. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?"
36. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"
37. You remember going to the skating rink before there were in-line skates.
38. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
39. You have ever played with a Skip-It. (Or Lemon-Twist)
40. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
41. You've gone through this nodding your head in agreement
.42. You remember Popples.
43. Don't worry, be happy
44. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks.
45. You wore socks scrunched down (and sometimes still do...getting yelled at by younger, hip members of the family)
46. You remember boom boxes and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.
47. You remember watching both Gremlins movies.
48. You know what it meant to say "Care Bear Stare!!"
49 You remember watching Rainbow Bright and & My Little Pony Tales
50. You thought Doogie Howser was hot.
51. You remember Alf, the furry brown alien from Melmac.
52. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool...and don't even flinch when people refer to them as "NKOTB"
53. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on"Saved By The Bell," The ORIGINAL class.
54. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
55. You just sang those words to yourself.
56. You remember watching Magic vs. Bird.
57. Homemade Levi shorts.. (the shorter the better)
58. You remember when mullets were cool!
59. You had a mullet!
60. You still sing "We are the World"
61. You tight rolled your jeans.
62. You owned a banana clip.
63. You remember "Where's the Beef?"
64. You used to (and probably still do) say "What you talkin' 'bout Willis?"
65 You had big hair and you knew how to use it.
66. You're still singing Shot Through the Heart in your head, aren't you?

Man, talk about the making of a generation...98% of those applied to me!
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Word of the Day:
lotusland • \LOH-tus-land\ • noun *1 : a place inducing contentment especially through offering an idyllic living situation 2 : a state or an ideal marked by contentment often achieved through self-indulgence

Example sentence:With its selection of white, dark and bittersweet offerings , the Walker's Chocolate store is a lotusland for women suffering from PMS.

Word of the Day:

diapason • \dye-uh-PAY-zun\ • noun 1 *a : a burst of sound b : the principal foundation stop in the organ extending through the complete range of the instrument c : the entire compass of musical tones d : range, scope2 a : tuning fork b : a standard of pitch

Example sentence: She didn't realize that she had left the bathroom with her skirt tucked into the back of her pantyhose until she heard the diapasons of laughter echoing through the office.

Budget,Shmudget!

My hubby and I are attending a wedding this Saturday. With that in mind, my thoughts turned to clothes. With being a stay-at-home mom, I don't often have call to shop for fancy dresses, and my hubby wears work-clothes (aka, clothes meant to be destroyed by dirt and chemicals), so we were in need of some wardrobe updates. I wanted a new dress, shoes and some matching jewellery. Mark needed a new suit with all of the stuff that goes with it. So, we budgeted. We know a suit will cost in the general ballpark of $300-$400 (hey, we wish we were Armani folk, but get real!), and a dress about $100-$150. With shoes and other necessities, we figured about $600 between the two of us.

Mark calls me from the suit shop after work yesterday to tell me that he's getting suited up and will be home soon...Later, he walks in with a description of his nice new black suit, and a bag containing 3 new shirts, 2 ties, a belt and a shoe-shining kit. Oh, and two silky hanky things for the suit pocket (salesman saw him coming a mile away!). To get to the point, in the bag was one more item. The bill. $798. Kripes! To his credit, he was a little sheepish about having blown my dress budget, but now it was time to think.

I have a beautiful dress; I wore it to our friends' Jay and Alison's wedding. It will do nicely. But I really did need new shoes. So I jetted off to the mall. On a side note, the last time I went shoe shopping, there were 7 shoe stores in the mall. Now there are 3. Naturalizer (ah, no....), Payless (great for kids, not for dancing shoes) and the Bay. (Actually there is one called STEPPS, but the heels in there are all 7 inches high. I want wedding-dance shoes, not pole-dancing shoes!). So, I trudged around the Bay. Saw a perfect pair of black sling-backs. I just knew that there would be no 7 1/2's there. Murphy's Law and all...but no! The shopping gods were with me, and they had my size and they fit! And they were comfortable, and...ON SALE!

With such savings, (even with a -$200 budget) I knew that this was a call for some jewellery. Hey, if I can't have a new dress...so I found a great necklace and matching earrings that are PERFECT for my dress. So, all in all, it turned out okay.

But the next big event, I fully intend to blow the budget. ON ME.

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On a separate and sad note, I was holding Ty on my lap yesterday, and noticed something dismaying about his hands. Gone are the sweet little baby hands of infancy. He now has real big-boy toddler hands. No dimples. Sigh...I miss the baby hands...

And speaking of the word baby, and lack thereof, Mark goes for the snip it two weeks! Sucker! (Just kidding, honey!)

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And before I head off, I must tell you about the coolest thing that happened to me the other night. I walked into Tim Horton's for my nightly XL tea, and there was a group of about 30 men there, ages ranging from 60-80 years. They were from a travelling barbershop quartet group and apparently had been entertaining the customers. Sotto voce, I sang "Goodnight Ladies..." and to my delight, the whole group joined in and sang the whole song! I clapped with glee like a 4-year old at the Santa parade. Then they invited me to sing with them. I begged off, saying I didn't know any of their songs, that I wasn't good enough, etc., but they wouldn't take no for an answer. One man (who looked startlingly like my great uncle Jimmy) asked me if I had ever seen the Wizard of Oz. I told him that it is one of my very favourite movies. He said, do you know "Over the Rainbow"? I said yes. He said, start singing. So, I did. It was like something out of a movie. The whole gang joined in with about 20 different octave ranges and made me sound awesome. It was one of the most fun moments I've ever had in my whole life. I applauded them all, took a bow, and headed for home. I grinned all the way.
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And as a new tradition on my blog, the word of the day: improving your vocabulary the fun way!

insuperable • \in-SOO-puh-ruh-bul\ • adjective : incapable of being surmounted, overcome, passed over, or solved
Example sentence:My refusal to iron one more freaking shirt for my husband proved to be an insuperable obstacle for the housework-impaired male.

What I Really Want To Say Is...

Got this idea from my pal Jenny's site...and thought I'd post my own:

LIST TEN THINGS YOU WANT TO SAY TO PEOPLE YOU KNOW BUT YOU NEVER WILL, FOR WHATEVER REASON. DON'T SAY WHO THEY ARE. USE EACH PERSON ONLY ONCE.

1. You should leave him. He's dragging you into a hole, and you could do SO much better.

2. It's not all about you. Occasionally, I'd like to get a word in edgewise.

3. Friends are important. If someone is making an effort, you should return it. One day you will need me. I hope I'll still want to be there.

4. What comes around, goes around. I am a firm believer in that. Will you want to be alone when you are sick or dying?

5. Being a mom is the toughest job there is. You are doing great. Don't dispair. When things get tough, look around. There are people that are a lot worse off, and you are the lucky one. You have love.

6. Sometimes people do things they regret. I am one of them. I am sorry for the grief I put you through.

7. I love you to the end of the earth, but you are really stupid sometimes. Think before you speak, and you'll save people a lot of pain.

8. It is hard to forgive and forget. I am trying, but you wounded me. I think forgetting will take me the rest of my life.

9. Sometimes, I wish I had your life.

10. I think your husband is really hot.


So, I guess you're out there wondering which one applies to you, eh?....Well, as my friend Carly Simon once sang, (sort of) "I bet you think this post is about you...you're so vain!"

This was a great exercise. Very soul-lightening. Thanks for the idea, Jenny.

Excuses

Well, I suppose that I could make lots of excuses as to why I haven't posted in a while, but why bother...just busy and blocked, I guess.

My Tyger-tot is 16 months old today! He is just so darned cute! He is a little monkey; climbs on anything and everything. I turn my back for a second and he's on top of the dining room table trying to catch our betta fish, or on the edge of the bookshelf, three stories up. Reminds me of stories I used to hear about my brother Paul. My mom took a picture of him climbing the racks of the refridgerator once. Genetics will out, I suppose. He is a little chatter-box, and a copy-cat at that. Repeats a word you say, and then never again. Just storing in the back of his brain to spill out at a later date. He finally figured out how to clap, and does that all day long, then looks around for praise at his accomplishment. He is so proud of himself.

Phoenix, or rather Phoenix and I, just finished his first school project. He had to do a time-line of all of the important events in his life thus far. I was saying stuff like the births of his brothers etc., and he said with disdain, "NO, Mommy. Not that kind of stuff. IMPORTANT stuff. Like, the first time I saw a movie in the theatre, you know. Life-changing stuff." So, we loaded it up with his six years of important stuff, with pictures to go with his one-liner sentences. He has to present it in front of the class tomorrow. I hope he doesn't get stage-fright!

This Wednesday, Keegan starts his grammar group at speech therapy. I think there are 3 or 4 other kids in the group working on the same language goals. It is an 8 week group, every Wednesday afternoon for 45 minutes. Should keep him busy!

That's about it for news around here, I think. I'm sure there's more, but I have dinner on the stove and a baby, no, toddler now, crying on the monitor, so I'd better jet for now! Have a good week, and feel free to drop me a line to say hey! Jenny, where are you, sugar?

Phoenix Ready For School!/Late Night Visitor...

First Day of Grade One!

I can't believe that another year has flown by, and my little baby is starting Grade One! (He would absolutely KILL me for calling him my little baby...). Phoenix was quite excited this morning, and was happy to see all of his friends again. He said he was looking forward to seeing what his class looked like, and to getting his very own desk.

Keegan was a little lost without his big brother to play with this morning. He's been so used to having Phoenix here all summer as a playmate. And Ty just annoys him by taking all of his toys and shoving them in his mouth!Well, tomorrow is Keegs' first day of school, and he is really looking forward to going.

I called Keegan's school this morning to see if the fees had changed and got some great news! Apparently, I had overpaid them a few bucks a day all last year, and now I have a tidy little credit, to the tune of three free months of school. Sweet. That's definitely news I can stand to hear!

I hope all of my readers had a good Labour Day weekend. Weather here was absolute crap, so we really didn't do much. Yesterday (Monday) was a decent day though, and we had a BBQ for some of Mark's baseball team mates. They came for lunch, took a break and showed back up for dinner, along with my Dad, and my sister-in-law and her family. Party didn't die until 11:30 last night.

I threw in the towel about 11:00, and headed off to bed, but Mark and his buddy hung out in the hot tub. I'm sure they're both hurtin' today. All well and good to get sauced at a party, but not so good if you have to get up at 6:00 am to go to work the next day!

Last night we had a rare wildlife sighting in our backyard. A possum! I took a million pictures. I know, I know, it's not like it was a Bengal tiger or anything, but I had never seen one before so it was a bit of a novelty to me.

The skunks must have been out in full force last night. I woke up this morning and the whole place reeked! Must have floated in through the window...needless to say, I had the scented oils and candles going this morning to clear the air a bit.

Well, with Bunny at school, Ty snoozing and Keegs planted in front of his favourite movie, it is laundry day for me, so I guess I'll get to it. Pictures of Bun and Mr. (or Mrs., I didn't get THAT close) Possum to follow...

3 Days Until School!

Can you tell I'm excited for school to start? It should be fun this year. Phoenix starts grade one, so this is his first year of being at school all day, 5 days a week. He is happy to have two of his good friends in his class with him this year, and by all reports, his teacher is excellent.

Last night Mark and I went to a dinner theatre to see the Buddy Holly Story. It was really good. I had quite a crush on Buddy by the end of the show. Helped that I was quite tipsy too. I really am such a cheap date these days when it comes to alcohol. I had one Long Island Iced Tea, and was a giggling idiot. Probably shouldn't have followed it up with a B-52 coffee...anyway, it was a great show, and we had a good time. It so rare that we get out without the kids. It's fun to "date" every once in a while.

In a few weeks, we are going States-side to a wedding in West Seneca, New York. Any excuse to hunt for a new dress, is good enough for me.

As I mentioned, the kids are gearing up for school. Keegan will still be at preschool, even though normally he would be starting JK. We are keeping in preschool for a year so he can access the resources that would be cut off once he enters the public school system.

Keegan's resource person came over last Friday on a fact-finding mission, basically just to get background history on Keegs and what he has done so far. We also went to speech therapy this past week. She was impressed with his improvement over the summer, and has set a bunch of new goals for him, like using "he" and "she" in sentences, as opposed to "the boy" and "the girl". We are also working on "they" and putting sequential stories in order. Enough to keep us busy for a while. At the end of the month, he will be joining a speech therapy group. He will go once a week, for 8 weeks, and I think after that, there is a social skills one that he can join, which is like the summer group he was in.

Phoenix is not looking forward to the work portion of grade one, but told me he is anticipating recess...funny kid. Should be a joy getting him to do homework! It's going to be really weird with him gone 5 days a week now, instead of every second day...Keegan will start off going Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and is on the wait list for the Tues/Thursday classes. I have been told that he will probably get into that session in January. Boy, what are Ty and I going to do with all that free time?

Well, as far as Ty goes, most of it will be spent in nap. I think Mark is hoping that the extra time I will have will be channelled into housework for a change, but...I don't think you can teach an old dog new tricks. I vow to put forth an effort though. Don't think, Mom, that I don't see you shaking your head at my pathetic housekeeping skills. I guess I didn't get that gene. Only the cake decorating and knitting one.

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate my bed? Or rather, my mattress? It cost a fortune, and is only 2 years old now, but it cripples me. Mark has always had back problems (sciatica etc) and opted for the extra firm mattress, but even with the pillow top, to me, it's like lying on the Flinstone bed. Which is why, more often that not, my kids find me snoring on the couch downstairs most mornings. I dream (when actually sleeping, and not tossing and turning) of the perfect mattress! One day! I will find you!

Ty has turned into a monkey when I wasn't looking. I turn my back for two seconds, and he's dancing on the coffee table. My friend over the hedge commented that it might be a good way for him to make money in the future, but maybe not something you'd want to see your son doing...I said that as long as he signed a few calendars for me to sell on E-Bay, that I was alright with it...

Writing that made me remember a skit from long ago from Saturday Night Live, with Patrick Swayze and Chris Farley, and they were both trying out to be Chippendale dancers. I thought my mom and I would pee our pants watching that one!

Anyway, speaking of bladder accidents, I am about to have one if I don't run right now, so bye for now!

PS. Happy belated birthday to my brother-in-law Fernando! (Do you hear the drums?)

Another Birthday Greeting!

LEANNE! Happy Birthday, girlfriend! Wishing you luck and happiness this year and always. Best of luck with the new job and congrats on finding some living space!

XO

Me

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Happy Birthday to my Mom. I love and miss you more every day. I swiped this picture of her from my aunt's blog. It was taken in Florida in 1960. She was 19.

(Thanks Auntie Susan, for the picture).

Carolyn Frances McMahon Carroll

Always loving; always loved.

Blog Filler...Feel Free To Move On

Well, the count-down to school is officially on (15 days!)...got Phoenix his new Superman backpack with matching lunch bag, so he's happy. I had discovered $250 worth of GAP gift certificates lurking in my kitchen a few weeks ago, so the boys have some nice back to school wear.

This Friday I am meeting with Keegan's resource worker. She will be the one going into his preschool to work on his various issues. So I now have to come up with a series of goals for her to work on with him over the next three months.

Also discovered a gift certificate that my Dad had given Mark and I for Christmas for Stage West dinner theatre. We are going next week to see the Buddy Holly Story. Should be fun, and the food is always really good there.

On Wednesday, I'm finally hooking up with my friends Alison and Teresa and their daughters. It has been such a busy summer, that with our various holidays, we've been missing each other.

On Saturday I had left a post wishing my eldest brother Tommy a happy 43rd birthday. He was quick to respond that he was only 42, thank you very much...at least now I know he reads the blog;). I have since corrected. Sorry, brotha!

I can't believe how busy August is for birthdays. 3 cousins, 1 brother, two friends' kids, one grandparent, two friends, and a brother-in-law. Busy fall for those people's parents!

Mark's grandfather, if I'm not mistaken, will be 95 this Friday. Wow! Power to ya, Dzia Dzia!

That's about it for now. No exciting news, really. Pretty boring post. Feel free to erase it from your mind....NOW!

Hey, Hey Tommy!

Hey, hey, Tommy
Happy 42nd Birthday!!!!
Hope you have a good one!

XOXOX

Your much-younger sister,

Shann

Shout Out To My Girlfriend

YO YO YO Kris! Happy Birthday! XO Me

Some pictures from our vacation at the cottage. Note the mouth-full of sand in Ty's mouth as he smiles with Mark...Phoenix's six pack on the beach...Ty in the sink-tub...and Phoenix, Keegan and Mark doing the "dead llama". (If you've seen The Emperor's New Groove, you'll know what this is...). See how Phoenix is putting an X over his eye to indicate cartoon death. Yeah, they're pretty sick puppies...

Lots Of Thoughts

Yesterday was the four year anniversary of my mother's death. I had a cramp in my heart the whole day. Four years. Seems like forever, and yesterday, at the same time. My son Phoenix said to me, "I'm the lucky one, because I knew her for two whole years!". Yes, my son, you were the lucky one indeed. Keegan knew her for only three months of his life, and Ty, not at all.

We went to the cemetery to visit her grave, and I did my little update monologue and shed many tears. The kids came and gave me a hug, and gave their updates too. Pretty sweet. Ty was fascinated by all of the markers, and decided that it was a great green space to run around in. We also took the opportunity to visit my grandparents, who were recently interred together in a wall niche. My grandmother passed away in 1991 and my grandfather in 2004, and you might think that I had my grieving process well in hand. But seeing their names together; it made it suddenly real. I was surprised at the rush of tears that came. I looked at my husband and just whispered, "Oh my God, it still hurts!"

Keegan came and took my hand, and looked at the plaque and said, "Look Mommy. It says Thomas!" I think he was quite impressed that GG and his favourite train share the same name.

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We arrived home on Friday evening from a week at the cottage. The kids were great. Phoenix is now swimming like a little fish, and all three of the boys would have been quite content to stay in the water all day long. Keegs was not impressed whenever I would tell him it was time to get out. Can you say, "TANTRUM!!!"? The weather for the most part was fantastic. The last two days were a bit cool, but it made for great sleeping. Bugs were virtually non-existant. We didn't get any bites until Thursday, when I took the boys blueberry picking in a forested area. But even so, only 2 or three bites each.

We met a lot of nice families and there were plenty of kids for our guys to play with. We took a day and went with another family to Santa's Village, where it's Christmas all summer long. Weird to walk around in tank tops and shorts and listen to Jingle Bells at the same time. I went on 4 or 5 rides with the kids, and they got to ride on the train. Oh, and see Santa and the wife too, which was neat. Having said all of that, I now say, been there, done that. It was great for the kids but very expensive. It was over $80 for us just to get in and that was with Ty being free! Jeepers. Thank goodness we brought our own food to eat, or we would have had to take out a loan to cover the costs!

It's nice to be back home though, and I will be glad to get Keegan back to his school routine. It seems that all that he learned at his summer camp has leaked out his ears. Major behavioural issues, I tell you! Well, as with everything Keegan, one step forward, two steps back.

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Took Keegan to the pediatrician today for a check-up. Regarding his development, she seems to think that Keegan may have Asperger's Syndrome, which, in layman's terms, is like saying one has a touch of autism.

From what I understand, it is characterized by lack of social skills, or rather, inappropriate social skills. Like when someone says, "How are you, Keegan?" and he responds inappropriately, "Thomas is blue." Kids like this are often obsessed with a particular thing, like cars or trains or parts of objects.

Kids with Asperger's are usually extremely bright. This has nothing to do with intelligence, and actually, many who are diagnosed as such are gifted in certain areas. As adults, they may be geniuses in their chosen fields of work, but may be seen as eccentric, because of their lack of social skills.

To make a long story short, he seems to meet a lot of the critera, and she is recommending him to a developmental pediatrican for testing. The wait list is, yeah, two years long. However, she said that once a positive diagnosis is made, it makes additional resources available to him that wouldn't be there otherwise, like having a full-time EA (educational assistant) at school, if required.

Have I mentioned lately how much I hate these freaking waiting lists! Anyway, gotta help with the potty run. Feel free to leave comments. I love to hear from ya!

PS Happy belated birthdays to cousins Hailey and Rachel, and their mom Lori, and to Sophie and Brynn.

It's A Bird! It's A Plane! Nope...Just My Lousy Computer...

ARRGHHH! Sometimes, I really hate computers. Like the one I am currently typing on. From day to day, I don't know if it will let me onto the internet. I have been without for a while. Today, it decided to work, so I thought I'd throw in an update while I can.

This week, I am gearing up my stress level preparing for our yearly trip to the cottage. It really is so much to organize. I mean, it's not that I just have to pack clothes for 5 people. I have to pack clothes for all weather, footwear for all weather, sunny day activities and rainy day activities. Playpen. Bedding. First aid stuff. Toiletries. Food, food, and more food. Toys. And on and on. I actually have three lists going, if you can believe it.

I thrive on lists these days. My memory is shot. Mark's is worse. If I don't write things down, they won't get done. I'll end up at the cottage and think, F*&%! I forgot a kid! So, I am list Queen this week.

I am putting off laundry, and therefore packing of the clothes, until Friday. I just can't seem to get motivated. I always have a great time when we're there, but I hate the lead time. Must be my inate procrastination. Always put off today, what you can find an excuse not to do tomorrow, that's my motto.

Keegs is still enjoying his summer program, and is doing quite well, I think. He is really starting to verbalize his needs and wants, which makes for a lot less tantrums around here.

I don't know how the weather is wherever you are reading this, but it is freaking HOT here. Like, lung-searing hot. Brutal. I cringe to think of the energy bill when it comes next. Can you say, Kraft Dinner for a month?

Anyway, I am feeling the blahs setting in. Need some chocolate. I do have a lot to vent about and news to share, but can't seem to focus my brain. I'll try again tomorrow.

If my computer lets me into Blogger, that is.

Later, taters!

PS Happy belated and upcoming birthdays to Spencer, Sophie and Brynn!

You're Not Losing A Limb!

You know, it's funny. Throughout literature, and history, women have been labelled "the weaker sex". Obviously, this was in the days before the vasectomy...

In my life of a teeny bit over 3 decades, I have come to know pain on a too intimate basis. I've had 3 endoscopies (not fun!), given birth three times, had three epidurals (also no walk in the park) and a total of 32 stitches in a rather delicate area. I have had a miscarriage and a D &C. I have had my gall bladder removed. And most painful of all...a tattoo on my pelvic region. So, I can say with all confidence that I am familiary with pain in general. I have accepted these pain-causing events with an "that's life for ya" type attitude, and didn't bitch all that much.

My husband, on the other hand, has recently had to come to grips with the reality that a vasectomy is in his immediate future. He doesn't deal. He is of the see no evil, hear no evil variety of man, who, coincidentally, seems to equate a vasectomy with castration. For God's sake! It's a tiny incision , with a local, and is over in 10 minutes. You're not losing a freaking limb!

Am I the only one who has a hubby of the big baby variety when it comes to pain, potential pain, or illness? Somehow, I doubt it...let me know!

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Onto other matters, Keegs started his summer program this week. He seems to really enjoy it. It is 2 hours a day, three days a week. I watch from an observation room, which is equipped with one way glass, and a sound system. It's almost like being part of a cop drama. The best part is when the kids come up to the "mirror" and stare. It's creepy, because you know they can't see you, but it's like they have a sixth sense or something and they invariably make eye contact. Or just stand in front of you with their index finger up their nose to prod at their frontal lobe.

There are 6 kids in total in the program with 2-4 teachers on each day. Some are E.A.'s and the others are therapists in the areas of speech, behaviour, and occupational. They have a very rigid schedule, which these kids thrive on, and it's amazing how after only 3 days, these kids have it down pat. They know when to check their schedules, they know when play times, circle times, and snack times are. They sing all the songs and do the actions. It's neat. Kinda like watching brain-washing first hand, but instead of making you a cold-blooded assassin, they turn you into a human with normal speech and behaviour patterns! A person who will obey a request, and say please and thank you without prompting. A person who will share a toy, and comfort a friend. They should have these sessions for adults in every workplace. The world would be a much nicer place.

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Do you have a vice? Drinking? Smoking? Gambling? Me too.

E-Bay. E for EVIL. Bastards. Husband is going to have a bovine when the AMEX bill rolls in next month...I think I need a 12 step program.

Hello. My name is Shannon. I am an E-Bay addict.

(HELLO SHANNON!)

Nine Words You Don't Want To Hear

Monday July 10: 9 words that you don't want to hear during your physical exam:

"You have a fusiform lump in your right breast".

Well, I heard those nine words today. My doctor assured me that I shouldn't worry, and that it was probably just a cyst or backed up milk duct, and that he would send me for an ultrasound just to make sure. He came back and the appointment was for the next day. I have decided not to worry until I have something to worry about.

Tuesday July 11: Ultrasound

A painless procedure; it took about 20 minutes. Then the technician said, and I quote, "Hmm. I'm just going to have our doctor look these pictures over." Then she left me to ponder the potential frightening future...then she came back with the doctor, who said that he didn't think there was anything to be concerned about. "Get dressed. You'll have the results in about 2 days."

So, I'm calmer now, but will not breathe easy until my own doctor calls with the all-clear.

Friday, July 14: Calling the Dr

Busy all morning. Now have to wait till Monday.

Monday July 17:

Got through. Breathing easy now. Just normal dense tissue. Whew! Now I can enjoy this lovely day until the next crisis strikes...

Niagara Falls Aviary-Not For The Birds!

Mark & I took the boys to the Aviary in Niagara Falls yesterday. The birds there were absolutely beautiful, and we all had a great time watching them, and as you can see, we got some wonderful photos as well. Unfortunately, our timing was off, and we couldn't participate in the feeding of the lorakeets, but the kiddies enjoyed watching all their feathered friends perching around them. If you get a chance to get to the Falls, it's a great place to visit with kids, along with the Butterfly Conservatory. We are hoping to head there again soon, as we haven't been there for about 2 years.

Ty is finally back to normal, and is eating and drinking well. Keegan is back to normal spirits too. It took them each a full week to recover. Nasty virus, that! Knock on wood that we are through in the house now. Phoenix, Mark and I seemed to have avoided it. I am giving credit to vitamins, and in my case at least, major mind-over-matter philospohy. After all, there is the die-hard rule: "Moms aren't allowed to get sick."

With that in mind, going for my annual physical today. Keep your legs crossed for me;).

No End In Sight or The Worst Smell

Day 6 of flu-hell. Ty still barfing. Made the mistake of giving him milk, since he hadn't thrown up in 8 hours. Yeah. Came back in the form of rotten cottage cheese. I don't care what anyone says, milk-barf is THE worst smell on earth. Kripes! So he hurls this morning. I hose him off and change him. Put him in his highchair. Yarfs all over that. Put him in the bathtub. Wash him down. Put him in the crib while I bathe the other boys (3 birds with one stone...). Come back to find him covered in milk-vomit again, so I have to not only re-bathe him, but strip the bedding for the second time in 1/2 hour. Damn. And it's only 8:11 am.

(INSERT MENTAL IMAGE OF ME BAWLING MY EYES OUT HERE)

PS. Evening update: 9:39 pm

Here is my new answering machine message:

"Hello, and thank you for calling the House of Vomit. I'm sorry I can't take your call right now. I am either hosing vomit from a child, or wiping diarrhea from his ass. But you did call at a very opportune time! Now on special, with every flu-ridden child, you get 19 free loads of laundry a day, with pre-treatment for all bodily-fluid stains! And if you buy this special package today, we also provide 4 times a day bathing, and deep carpet and furniture steam cleaning. Thanks for calling, and have a great day....(this message funded in part by Spray 'n' Wash Dual Power, and Gravol)."

Welcome To My Nightmare!

Or maybe I should title this post, Welcome To The House Of Vomit. Yeah. Gross. Finally get Keegan to stop puking and then Ty starts. 32 hours later, and the poor little punkin is still throwing up anything I try to give him, and a fever with it. Breaks my heart. Worse is the "I've been violated!" look on his face when I have to give him the Tylenol or Gravol suppositories, because he returns anything given orally. It's so sad. He just wants to lie in my arms all day, which normally I wouldn't mind at all, but when I also have a 4 and 6 year old to take care of, and hourly washing to do, it's not always feasable. (sp?)

Anyway, going to try fluids again, and see what happens. Wish us luck and good health, and that Phoenix doesn't get it too (or me!)

Happy Canada Day!/OK Blue Jays!

On Canada Day, my friend Leanne invited Phoenix, Keegan and I to the Jays game in Toronto. It ended up just being me and Phoenix, as Keegan came down with the flu on Friday night, and he spent Canada Day puking out of both ends :(

Phoenix was very excited about riding on the train into the city, and from the time we got on the bus (2:02 pm) until we exited the train (3:07 pm) he asked 47 questions! Inquisitive boy! When we got the the Skydome, oops, I mean Rogers Centre or whatever the heck it is that they call it these days, Phoenix got to ride on a giant inflatable slide, high 5 a guy on stilts, and pose with a stand-up of the BJ Birdie. Then he declared that he must have a snack before he fainted, so we hustled indoors and rounded up a bag of popcorn. He plowed through that. Then announced he was ready for a hot dog. Then urgently required ice cream! Gee whiz! I don't think he really cared about the baseball game itself. He was more interested in looking around, and waving his foam Canadian Flag that they gave him at the door. The promise of fireworks at the end of the game was enough to convince him to live through all 9 innings. Thank God there was the distraction of the dome roof closing to keep him occupied for about 20 minutes.

The Jays won (yay!) and the fireworks were great. Unfortunately, because we stayed to watch them, we missed our train by one minute (CRAP!!!) and had to wait an hour for the next one. So, I got a coffee and Phoenix got the biggest rice krispie square known to man, and we waited it out until the train arrived at 8:43 pm. We didn't walk through our front door until 10:00 pm, and poor Bunny was wiped! For the first time in recorded history, Phoenix slept in this morning, until 9:00! I couldn't believe it. I also couldn't enjoy it, since Keegan and Ty were up at 6:00.

Keegan was still feeling like crap today. He's barely eaten since dinner on Friday night. I hope he's better tomorrow. It is so unlike him to be so listless. Poor Keegers. Because Ty decided to voice his objection regarding my 9 hour absence yesterday, I was up with him for way too freaking long last night. As a result, when he took his morning nap at 10:00 this morning, so did I. We both crashed until 1:00. Sweet. I could have slept all day, I swear.

Well, I think I'm going to try to catch some zzzzzzzzzz's while I have the chance. Talk soon!

PS. Pictures are:#1: Phoenix on the train, #2: Phoenix with BJ Birdie, #3: Phoenix with Leanne and his bag o' popcorn, and #4 is Phoenix and I with our flags...

GRADUATION DAY!

Yes! Phoenix graduated from SK today! On to a new year in Grade One. All day. Every day. Sweet. Congrats Bunny! You did a great job this year, and we are all very proud of you! (And by the way, nice hat!)

Endings and Beginnings

Endings

• today is Keegan's last day of preschool. I packed him off this morning with presents for his two teachers and beloved bus driver
• potty training! Keegan finally got the hang of things (thanks to many Thomas the train-related bribes)
• tomorrow is Phoenix's last day of Senior Kindergarten. He did very well on his report card, and his teacher gave me a whack of homework to do with him over the summer to bring up his numeracy comprehension before the start of grade one
• tomorrow is my last day of two-kid days

Beginnings

• summertime, summertime, summer summer summertime! Not having to rush and get a kid off to school is going to be great! At least for two weeks... when Keegan starts his CIP classes, a 6-week program of intense behaviour, language, socialization and sensory therapy. This runs for 2 hours, 3 days a week. God bless Christy, who will be watching Bun and Tiggs while we attend.
• family fun days! Mark has every second Friday off, and we intend to use these to our advantage to have family days, where we take off to the far reaches of Ontario to have adventure. This week, we will be joined by our friends Dave and Teresa, and their cutie girl kidlets.
• teaching Keegan his letters. He already knows them all verbally, and by sight, but I am determined to have him writing at least his name by the end of summer. He's bright, so I'm sure we'll get 'er done.
• helping Phoenix to learn all of his sight words with the goal of him reading a book all by himself by the end of summer. We will also start a journal, where he can write about what he did during the week
• encouraging Ty to say some new words, like maybe, Mom? Phoenix and Keegs have already started by trying to teach him to say llama.

Well, I guess those are enough goals to tide us over for a while. Should be a fun weekend. My friend Leanne invited me and Phoenix and Keegan to the Blue Jays game on Saturday. The boys are inside-out with excitement at the idea of riding the train into the city. We are looking forard to it. Hope everyone (Canadian) has a great Canada Day weekend, and happy July 4th to all American readers in advance for whatever it is that you celebrate on that day. Oh yeah, BBQ's ,beer and fireworks, right? Not so different from us. Except maybe that our beer is stronger.

Happy impending holiday everybody!

Dino-Party Pix

The picture of all of the kids on the ground is when they were playing Mark's game of "Extinction". Anything to get kids to stop moving for 2 minutes is a great game!

Ty and the other party kids are having a blast digging for dinosaur bones and fossils!

Phoenix is posing in front of Mark's "Jurassic Yard" sign...

And the dino cake. Yum!

An Actual Date!!!

I have so much to post about today! Where to start? Well, let's start with last night: date night! My hubby took me on a surprise outing. We went on a rock 'n' roll dinner and sail on Canada's tallest sail ship, the ...okay, the name escapes me at the moment. But it was large. About 400 of us were on board. We set sail at 7:00 pm, and had a great buffet dinner, and there was a really good band. About 10:00 the desserts rolled out and they were awesome! The tallest chocolate fudge cake, caramel cheesecake, raspberry chiffon cake and on, and on. Yum! At the end of the evening we watched a spectacular fireworks display, and as we left the ship, the gave us chocolate-dipped strawberries. It was such a fun night, and especially so because there was no occasion for it. Just my hubby wanting to take me out. Sigh. I love him. (You're shmoopy. No, YOU'RE shmoopy!) Anyway, good times.

Now today. Today was Phoenix's first all-friend birthday party. There were 10 kids all together, and miracle of miracles, all that were invited, showed up! There were 8 boys and two girls. They were all really, really good. That being said, 2 1/2 hours is WAY too long for any kids party. For a parent, that is. It's funny, you know. You spend two weeks planning all of these games and activites, anticipating that each one will take 1/2 hour to complete, and you'll never get to all of them, only to discover that kids go through these activities at a scary pace, and they're all done and you still have an hour and a half to kill, without wanting to run screaming from the backyard.Note to self: must stock up on post-party alcohol for parents.

The kiddies had a great time. First up was a cartoonist, who drew pictures of all the kids, some doing their favourite activities (swimming, dancing etc) and others riding dinosaurs (did I mention we had a dinosaur theme?) Then we did a craft activity where they made pterodactyls. Then we did a dino-egg stomp (where the kids jumped on balloons to pop them). We played pass the dino-egg (like hot potato) and had a mini-dig, where the kids dug in sand trays to find dinosaur bones and fossils that Mark and I had contructed from clay. It was at this point that I thought, oh no, I'm out of games! So Mark invented one (pictures to follow) called "Extinction" where he had all of the kids lie on the ground and be extinct dinosaurs, and they couldn't move until he came to "dig" them out. That ate up at least 5 more minutes. Okay, let's open presents! Phoenix got some really great stuff, like a whack of new Transformers, some books, a mask and snorkel set, a Power Ranger, two games (including Twister!), some Superman stuff and lots more that I can't recall at present because I am too beat.

Oh, and as usual, I spent the whole day coating the kids in sunscreen and naturally forgot about myself, so I am currently surrounded by a cool, yet frightening red skin-glow.

Then we did the cake, which gave them some more sugar energy, in case they were running low. I tried to calm them with colouring, but it didn't last long. The last 45 minutes, we just let them run helter-skelter around the backyard until their folks came to collect them.

I just want to note that one of Phoenix's buddies, Riley, was so darned cute! He was so sweet, I just wanted to adopt him! What a doll!

10 minutes after the last child left, party #2 began, the family BBQ, with two grandparents, 3 uncles, two aunts and 4 cousins. That ended at 8:00, when I parcelled the kiddies off to bed. Whew! If I have some energy later, I will post some pictures. If not, then tomorrow. Mark did a great yard-entry decoration, Jurrasic Park style (changed to Jurrasic Yard) and included a great sign, shrubbery and the Jurrasic Park Jeep, and I'll post pictures of those too.

Thanks to all for everything and everyone who attend either party. Now I am going to collapse on the couch for a while and watch the end of Mr. Holland's Opus.

Night!

PS. I apologise for any typos. I am very tired, and can't think.
PPS. I don't want to curse myself, but I think it's safe to say that Keegan is officially 100% potty-trained! It took a lot of bribery (in the form of Thomas the train toys) but we got 'er done! Yay Keegs!

Why I Gave Up My Garden This Year

Yes, Monsieur Lapin has invaded my backyard space, and as he has daily snacks from my FENCED-IN garden, what's the point?

Phoenix and Keegan love this little guy and have named him Flash. He's really cute, so I do not begrudge him my sprouting veggies, and besides, it appeals to my lazy nature and fuels the desire to NOT weed the garden. Enjoy, Flash!

Happy Birthday Bunny!!!

Bunny! (Phoenix to all the rest...) You are 6 today! My God, I remember when you were born. Seems like yesterday you were just my first cutie baby boy, weighing in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces. Now you are tall and lanky and a whopping 42 pounds. Time flies.

You had a very tough start to your life. 24 hours after your birth, you suffered a frontal lobe haemorrage, and were rushed off to the NICU hospital. When we arrived, you were hooked up to 4 different machines, and had a breathing tube. We weren't allowed to hold you, and I wasn't allowed to nurse you. We had to make do with touching your tiny hand through the porthole of the incubator unit. Your father and I cried enough tears to last a life-time. During your stay, we were first told that you would make it three days maximum. You saw 21 different doctors. You had hearing tests, vision tests, EEGs and EKGs. You had 3 CT scans and 3 MRIs. And two weeks later, they sent you home. :)

You have proved all the doctors wrong by being very smart, and hitting all of your milestones in advance. They gave you 3 days. You've given us 6 of the happiest years of our lives. Your genetic sarcasm is developing nicely, and you have the vocabulary of a 28 year old. (Actually, Mommy, I think the problem is a bit more complicated than it appears. Have you checked the logistics?) (He said that yesterday, I kid you not!)

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, to my gorgeous, funny, adorable, miracle child. I wish you love, happiness and success as you start your journey into your seventh year.

XOXOXO

Mommy

PS. Some people who share your birthday:

Actors: Errol Flynn, Martin Landau, Danny Aiello, Nicole Kidman
Musical Artists: Chet Atkins, Brian Wilson, Anne Murray, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie
All-Around Handyman: Bob Vila

If My Kids Were Cartoons...

I Did NOT Sign Up For This!!!

I sooooooooooooooo DID NOT sign up for this. Here is a little excerpt from my personal hell:

I am awoken by my eldest son with these words this morning: "Mommy, I am sorry to have to tell you this, but Keegan went poo in his pants, and pulled them off and now there's poo everywhere and Daddy said to tell you that he is already 10 minutes late for work, so you have to deal with it."

Yeah. Nice. Crap on the stairs (two floors), on the floor, and pretty much all over Keegan's lower extremities. Eff. Nice way to start my day. It MUST be Monday. It can only get better from here, I hope.

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On to nicer matters, my friend Leanne sent me some exciting news this morning so I am going to brag on her behalf. Her five-part series "Mind Over Myth", which dealt with mental illness, took the Dave Rogers award at the Radio Television News Directors Association's National Awards ceremony in St. John's, Newfoundland on Saturday night. She had won the regional award prior to that. Now she and the Canadian Mental Health Association are in discussions to have the series put up on their national website! Good job Leanne! On behalf of all the Rye High grads, we're real proud!

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Over the last few days, I have been up to my orbital sockets in Phoenix's birthday party preparations. We are going with a dinosaur theme, and I have been doing a lot of behind the scenes work. I finished the loot bags (shoot the mom or dad who invented this terrible necessity!) each of which include dino fact sheets, colouring pages, plastic mini dinos, 3 colour pictures of dinos, 12 b & w pics of dinos with facts and foam dino craft cut-outs. Also, I have hired a cartoonist, who will do caricatures of the kiddies to take home with them in their loot bags. I have also planned a few games, including pass the dino egg, dino egg (balloon) stomp, and an archaeological "dig", where they get to excavate dino "bones" that I made out of clay, from sand filled trays. I also spent a few hours putting together essentials for their craft time, at the end of which they will have created a pterodactyl mobile made of paper and CD's. Trust me, it's neat.

All of that to celebrate turning six. Kripes. Oh, Ty's crying. Gotta jet. Later!

That "Bites"!

I know that Phoenix is sweet, but he must be tasty too, because a child in his class bit him on the back yesterday. It wasn't bad, no marks or broken skin, but still! Barbarians! I love the way they handle these things though...he (the biter) was put on a lengthy time-out, then was forbidden from taking part in the "Power Hour" which is basically an hour of die-hard fun and games, had to write Phoenix an apology note (Dear Phoenix, I am sorry for biting you. From, Tyler) and then had to do an hour of "community service" which entailed going around the school and picking up garbage. He reportedly sulked the entire time, and was pretty pissed off, so I don't think he'll be doing any further biting. For this year, anyway.

Phoenix is still enjoying playing soccer, although (and I know it's probably mean of me to say this, considering I am his mother), he has absolutely no talent for it. He generally seems to be more interested in just running up and down the field and waving at his fans (parents, brothers, uncles, grandparents). Oh well, he's having fun, and getting exercise, and that's the important part. Their last game was tied 2-2, and when he came home, he said to Mark, "It was a tie game, and that's great, because that means we both won!" Too cute, I tell you.

Keegan is still trucking on with his speech therapy. We have been going once a week for the last few weeks. He is making lots of progress with words such as "in", "on", "under", "beside", "in front" and "behind" and consistantly uses his "is" and "-ing" ( the bird IS flyING). Our major roadblock is still the word NOT. He just doesn't get it, and it frustrates the hell out of me. You can almost see the gears sticking in his head, trying to process the word. I just keep waiting for that lightbulb moment.

Ty is running all over hell's half-acre, as my mom would say. He is a happy, smiley, laughing child pretty much all day. He absolutely LOVES his brothers, and they do everything they can think of to make him laugh. It's so sweet. He has come up with some new words to accompany the constant "Da Da" and "NO!". He now says (after several brain-washing hours with my Dad) "Grandpa" and his newest word is "crazy", which he says whenever he sees Phoenix. Pretty appropriate, I think!

Phoenix and I have been working in earnest to bring up his reading and numeracy skill levels. Flash cards abound! It's going to be a working summer, that's for sure.

So, I suppose soon I will have to get around to buying the end-of-year teacher gifts, and there's a lot of them this year. One for Phoenix's teacher, one for his reading coach, one for each of Keegan's two teachers, and one for Keegan's bus driver, his adored "Miss Rose". Must put on my thinking cap.

Well, I think I am going to grab a cup of tea, and then get working on Phoenix's b-day party invites. Have a swell day everyone!

And a very happy birthday to my friend Alison!!!!

I'm Like The Wicked Witch Of The West!!!!

Aww.....it's like Oz around here..."I'm melting! I'm melting!" Kripes! Is it ever hot here today! About 33C, that's about 90-ish F, for you Americans. Closer to 100F with the humidex. Great day for the TTC to go on strike, stranding 700,000 commuters in the GTA. Then again, I'm at home. No commute, just kids and laundry. Today, and most every day, I have the better deal. But, man! It's hot.

I am reluctant to turn on the air conditioning this early in the season, however, the temperature indoors is rapidly rising, and this weather is wreaking havoc on the allergy sufferers in our house, especially poor Keggers. Maybe time to bring out the kiddie pool instead?

We had a great weekend! The FSRT duck race was a success, as was the Festival, and we brought in an estimated 5000 people...awesome! The kids had a great time, and they were as good as gold.

Now, back to the grind. School, laundry etc. I think I hear an ice-packed glass of iced-tea calling me, so have a good week, and try not to melt!

Could It Be? A Cake-Free Week?

It seems like all I have been doing all month is baking cakes. A Barbie cake for the school raffle, a Saturn cake for Keegs, a Pocoyo cake for Ty...now I have a blessed week off. Until next week, that is, when I am making another one. My next cake venture is for my friend Teresa, who, with 6 of her friends, are raising money for the Run for the Cure for Breast Cancer. They have each pledged to raise $2000, a total of $14,000 for their team. Good luck guys! In the spirit of their fundraising event, I am going to be making a cake modelled on my very own double D's. Anything for charity!

Looks like we may finally get some warm weather in the coming week. It has been wicked cold these last few days. I was pulling out the hats and mitts for the boys over the weekend. By Saturday we are supposed to have sun and 26C, which will be awesome for the FSRT Rubber Duck Race that day.

Keegan resumes language therapy on Thursday, where we will meet with his therapist, and develop a summer program for him. I'm anxious to get started. He has come a long way already, and many people have commented that his sentence length and clarity has improved since we began with his exercises. This morning, he actually uttered a 10-word sentence (yes, now I am constantly in the habit of counting his words...). He said, "May I please go downstairs and play with my trains?" Absolutely, doll! And so polite too, which is always nice to hear.

Mark took Phoenix and Keegs to a turkey farm yesterday. They were quite excited when they came home. Keegan got to hold a baby turkey and some eggs, and Phoenix petted a baby chick. They came back with a turkey feather, and 4 farm fresh, straight-from-the-chicken's-butt eggs. Keegan wanted to know when they would "'atch". Mark said, as soon as I put them in the frying pan! He didn't appreciate that answer.

Ty is a ramblin' man these days, making continuous circuits of the main floor of the house: hallway, kitchen, dining room, living room and back to hallway. Over and over and over. At least he's worn out for his naps!

Well, I suppose I should get over to Keegs and get some lessons in before lunch. Later taters.

OY! My Aching Back!

7:00 am. Woken by children. Stumble to bathroom. Crawl back into bed with hubby. Hoping for some rare morning action. Foreplay interrupted after 2.2 seconds by first and second child crawling into bed with us. Abandon hope. Make bottle for Ty. Feed Ty. Throw in a load of laundry. Give boys breakfast. Do dishes. Get kids dressed. Get Keegs off to school. Pack Ty and Bun into the car. Go scouting for patio furniture en route to grocery store. Go grocery shopping. Go to bank. Come home. Uppack food. Bake a cake. Make lunch. Put Keegs and Ty down for nap. Make icing. Help Mark unload new patio furniture. Laundry. Ice cake. Feed Ty. Go to hairdressers. Get Ty's haircut. Come home. Put kiddies into jammies and into bed. Feed Ty. Put Ty to bed. Make food for party tomorrow. Walk to store because I forgot three ingredients. Come home. Make more food. Laundry. Dishes. Put on jammies. Too tired for action, but determined.
11:33 pm.

The Big 0-1!!!

Happy Birthday Ty! You are one year old today! Boy, did that year go fast...with several false labours, you finally arrived with minimal fuss, and great joy. How happy we were to finally meet you! And your brothers were so excited to have a new boy in the house.

People generally have a hard time deciding who you look like, and it's no wonder! Everyday, you seem to change. When you were a newborn, you looked just like Keegan, and at 8 months, just like Phoenix, and now you are a combination of the two that is ultimately TY. Your hair is the colour and texture of cornsilk, yet when you were younger, we held out hopes for red. Your beautiful eyes are like your great-aunt Susan's, blue one minute and grey the next. Your smile is daily reminder to me of your Uncle Tommy, but your laugh is truly your own.

You are a sweet, good natured little guy. You blessed my tired soul by sleeping through the night at 7 weeks! I thought that babies that did that were urban legends until you arrived! You always have a 6-toothy grin for everyone you see (especially the girls!) and still love a bedtime snuggle.

Yesterday you woke up from your nap, and decided that you could walk, and went from one side of the room to the other without your familiar furniture hand-holds. Of course, you promptly fell on your butt, but I'm sure you were just startled by my enthusiastic cheering! Chasing after you will shake those extra pounds off of me, I'm sure!

Happy, happy birthday, my little Tyger. I wish you love and happiness and a whole new vocabulary (which now only consists of Mama, Dada and the constant "NO!") as you venture into your second year.

XOXO

Mommy

Lost And Found

My friend Teresa called me last night to see how my Mother's Day was. Very sweet of her, I thought. It wasn't until I got off of the phone that I realized that the reason she was checking on me was because my mom wasn't here for me to spend the day with. And then I had another realization: that this was the first Mother's Day in four years, that I didn't cry.

Not because I miss her less. Not because accepting her loss has become any easier. Not because the pain in my heart has eased in the slightest. I think it is because for the first time, I can see her clearly, in every part of my day. When she comes to me in dreams, she looks healthy, and not sick, as she has for the past 4 years in my sleep. I see her in Phoenix's troubled brow when he struggles with a problem, in Keegan's dark, navy-blue eyes, in Ty's delight at the smallest surprise. I see her when I look at my own hands. When I hear the love for her in her sisters' voices, and in the mannerisms they share with her. I see her when I look in the mirror.

So, although I lost my mother to cancer, I have found her again. She is all around, every day. And I think that that's a reason to smile, instead.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day...
My dishes went unwashed today.
I didn’t make my bed.
I took his hand and followed where his eager footsteps led.
Oh yes, we went adventuring
My little child and I.
Exploring all the great outdoors,
Beneath the sun and sky.
We watched the robin feed her young.
We climbed a sunlit hill.
Saw cloud-sheep scamper through the sky,
We plucked a daffodil.
That my house was so neglected,
That I didn’t brush the stairs,
In twenty years no one on earth
Will know or even care.
But that I helped my little child
To noble adulthood grow,
In twenty years the whole wide world
May look and see and know.
- Anonymous

Wishing all the MOMS out there a wonderful Mother's Day to enjoy with their little darlings...

The Big 0-4!

Happy Birthday Keegan! You are 4 today! Wow, I remember when you were a tiny little baby at 5 lbs, 15 oz. My friend Leanne said, upon observing a diaper change, "That's not a butt! It's a hole with legs!" Yes, you were teeny. Then by six months, you were so chubby you looked like a sausage in a casing! Once you started to walk, the fat rolled off, but you are still a cute, solid kid, with pure muscle power and equiped with amazing lung power to shatter the strongest of windows in the middle of an awe-inspiring tantrum...

You are a loving affectionate child, with a passion for trains and outer space. You have had a rough year with lots of different doctors and therapists to see, and you have a tough road ahead, but I know that you are smart and strong, and will pull through!

You amazed your Grandpa the other day by reciting the names of all of the planets in order, and then pointing them out correctly in pictures. You can also name and visually identify all of the instruments in the brass, woodwind, string and percussion sections of the orchestra, and even identify individual instruments by sound.

You have a smile that can light up a room, and a hug that can steal a breath. And your laugh! It is infectious and adorable. I wish you love and luck and happiness in your journey into your fifth year.

XOXOXO

Mommy

Introducing...................

Introducing...my three fish. In the bottom left of the picture is Hans, named after Hans Lipperhey, the inventor of the telescope. Thanks for that awesome name suggestion, Tommy! Directly above Hans, is HereBoy, which I always thought would be a great name for a dog, but since I will never have one due to allergies, I pass the name to my fish. And last but not least, Fishy-Swa.

Thank you to all who participated in the name game.

I can't believe that it is May already. EEK! Only two more months left of school! Then what will I do!!!???!!! But May has a lot of great things in store. My Keggers is turning 4, baby Ty will become toddler Ty in two weeks...Mother's Day...a birthday party to attend...birthday parties to throw for my boyz, FSRT duck race...the list goes on. Hope your May is merry.

Shann out.

PS. I was watching American Idol tonight. They started by having the remaining contestants sing a song from their respective birth years. Paris' birth year was 1990. 1990! I was in grade 12! Made me feel old, dude. Very old. Kinda like using the word "dude". Maybe I should take a page from Randy's book and say "dawg" instead.

What's That Buzzing Sound?

Just came back from watching hubby's band play in a show. Consumed first alcohol in 12 months. Got quite a happening buzz going on...yeah baby! Managed to not "break the seal" until I home, so now I've gone pee 3 times in 10 minutes. Kripes. I'm gonna be in the bathroom all night. Can't type. Too drunk. Bye.

Oh Keegan, My Keegan!

Keegan and I have been working very hard this past week. We have been playing games giving to us by his language therapist to help him to learn to follow simple one step, two step and three step directions, and complex one and two step directions. He has no problem with the one step directions (Please pick up the toy) and is pretty good with the two step (pick up the toy and put it in the box). Three step directions (pick up the toy, put it in the box, and bring me your cup) leaves him bewildered. At present, he can only hold two directions in his mind at a time. Or if I ask him to do two things, he will do them out of order, which we are also trying to correct (show me the blue block and THEN show me the red block-he'll show me the red one first).

I have also been working on the concept of NOT. I'll have three red blocks and one blue one, and I will ask him to show me the one that is NOT red. Invariably he'll point to a red one, because he is still not grasping the concept of NOT. However, we made some headway today, and he was able to point out the "NOT" object 3/10, which is great compared to his 0/10 of last week. So, slow progress, but any progress is awesome, so I am happy and he is so excited when I give him praise for following directions correctly.

He seems to have grasped the concept of in and on. We are now working on beside and behind and in front. It is working well, because we play these games when Phoenix is at school, and Ty is sleeping so it is just "Mom and Keegs time".

He was exhibiting a bit of jealousy this morning when I was playing with Ty. I was encouraging Ty to take a few steps to me, and when he did, of course I was all "Great job Tyger! Good walking!" and Keegan would say "My turn!" and walk over to me and expect similar praise. It was cute, I did it, but was also careful to explain that he is older than Ty, and is already great at walking and running, and it is our job to teach Ty how to do it correctly. So after that, he was trying to get Ty to walk to him too. What a doll.

Well, I am "starvin Marvin!" as Phoenix would say, so I'm going to grab a late breakfast while Keegan is playing with his puppets. And keep those names coming! I have had some non-blog suggestions and I have decided on two names already, but I still need a third, so think FISH and come up with a great moniker for my third telescope goldfish.

I Need Some Names...

Okay blog readers, I need some names...no! I'm not pregnant! Just the owner of three new fish that need cool names...

They are telescope goldfish, which basically means that they are white with black and orange splotches and huge, bulgy black eyes that look like they've gone 12 rounds with a bad-ass boxer-fish. So, step up to the plate, creative ones, and give me some ideas...winning names will be posted with photos of the fish!

Felt like we spent the whole day shopping today! This morning, while Keegs was at school, Mark, Bun, Ty and I headed off to Costco, did a bit of wallet-damage there, and then headed over to Pet-Smart, where we picked up a fresh load of goldfish for our pond (or should I say raccoon food, since it is a popular late-night dining spot for them...), and my three new fishies. Then we headed home to pick up Keegs, had some lunch and then went on a field trip to Toys R Us, where I did a bit more damage. Managed to pick up some items that the kids didn't notice for the boys' upcoming birthdays, so that was cool. Also, slid over to Babies R Us, and got a new "manly-looking" diaper bag, and some jammies for Tiggs.

Upside, we spent a nice family day. Downside, missed naps for Ty and Keegs, so we had a few crankos in the house around dinner time. Upside, Ty got the giggles during dessert and had us all falling over in our chairs with hysteria as we all joined in. Pretty damned cute, let me tell you.

Now that Easter is over, it is my turn to host some sort of family event, so it's batter up for Keegs 4th birthday and Ty's first. As their b-days are only 6 days apart, we'll be celebrating them together, as we will until Keegs is old enough to bitch about wanting his own day;) .

Well, Mark's in the studio practicing for his upcoming show with his band, the kiddies are sleeping, and the fish are all fed, so, I am going to settle down on the couch with a cup of tea, and watch several episodes of season 3 of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

PS. Congrats to Dianna and Jon, who welcomed their first baby into the world last week, William Henry (Will). He's a doll! Good job, guys!

A Long Road Ahead

I took Keegan this morning for his speech and language assessment. Although he does pronounce individual words quite well, it is when he speaks in sentences that he becomes difficult to understand. This is due to his delay in receptive language, or how he understands language. For example, he does not understand some simple concepts such as in, on, under, in front, behind etc., so he fills in with "jargon" (da da da) to complete his sentences. So instead of saying, "The toy is under the chair", he may say "the toy da da da the chair".

In terms of how extensive his delay is, it has been classified as severe. A child his age usually falls in the 40-60 percentile. Keegan is in the 1st percentile. Yeah, I know. We have a tough row to hoe, as they say. He also has difficulty with negatives, such as "not". So if I tell him, "We're NOT going to Grandpa's house today," he'll go get his coat and shoes on. He just "hears" the part about going to his Grandpa's. Makes sense now that when I say, "Poo does NOT go in your underwear", that we still have toileting issues.

So what next? Well, Mark and I have to go to 2 two-hour parenting workshops to help us learn strategies to help Keegan at home. Once we have completed the workshops, we will have a follow-up appointment with the language therapist.

Once he begins to understand the concepts of in, on, under, over, behind, in front and so on, he will start to use them in his sentences, and thus will become much more coherent in his language. So if you are speaking with Keegan, and have a hard time understanding him, please be patient, and know that he is working hard to gain these important skills.

Speaking of the devil, I am being summoned, so I'll chat later. And if there are any readers out there with similiar circumstances, I would love to hear from you!

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter everyone! XOXO

Shann, Mark, Keegs, Tyger and Bun

PS. Happy Birthday to my cousin Sam!

Wowzers!

First of all, a big "WOWZERS!" and congrats to my cyber-pal Jenny, who just announced her pregnancy!!! The wowzer bit is that, in addition to a kindergardener, she also has a baby of less than a year...yeah, I know. Bit of a surprise, I think. But, my mom had Tommy and Paul 18 months apart, and still had the guts to have two more kids, so power to ya, Jenns!

I am having an extremely bad hand day. I am typing with my left hand only, because bending the fingers on my right hand would cause a tidal wave of blood to sweep the keyboard "Y" through "?". Ouchie. It was bad when I woke up, but made considerably worse by doing two loads of dishes, and washing and folding 6 loads of laundry and bathing three kids. Man, I swear, I keep band-aid brand in business these days. I should take out stock...

To top off my stellar day, I had a dental appointment and was told that I have not one, but two cavities, plus a chipped tooth that "really should be repaired...". Yeah. So, between my check-up and Phoenix's, that bill was $220, and that's not including my fillings and repair work scheduled for Thursday. Kripes. Crappy time to not have dental insurance, let me tell ya!

Mark went on a whirlwind of house chores this weekend. The first thing we tackled was rearranging the boys' room. We had bunk beds set up, with Phoenix on the bottom, and Keegan was in a toddler bed. We were going to move Phoenix to the top bunk, but then thought that the bigger worry was Keegs + a ladder, so we opted to lift and separate. So now they have side by side Bert and Ernie style furniture. Of course, after this was done, their old dressers (which we had planned to replace since they don't match anything anyway) didn't fit back into the room. So, Mark went out and bought a beautiful pine 8-drawer dresser. Which he had to assemble. So after all that was done, they boys were very happy with their new bedroom situation, and Keegs now sleeps in his OWN bed, instead of crawling into Phoenix's or ours.

Then he decided to tackle the overflow of Rubbermaid containers full of clothes in the closets. He went out and bought 4 closet organizers with drawers, so now everything is neat and organized in the bedrooms.

Apparently, that wasn't enough work for him. He then decided to take on the backyard, and trimmed back the trees and shrubbery, mowed and edged the lawns, turned over and composted the gardens, and cleaned the gutters. Finished? Hell, no! Then he gets it into his head to move the fish pond from one part of the yard to the other. Mud city! But, when all was said and done, it all looked great, and he felt he could relax in chores (outdoors at least) for the next few weekends. And with all of that dirt and mud to play in, the boys were as happy as pigs in the proverbial.

Oh yeah, then he made dinner. I love my husband! He makes a great wife...

On the Tyger front, he is the proud owner of a new tooth (bottom right) to bring his running tooth total up to 5. And he took 3 three unassisted steps to me today!!! Damn, he's just too cute! I love that kid!

Keegan is still loving school, and his teachers report back to me daily about how well he shares, and how polite he is! (Excuse me? Where is my son, and what have you done to him?) Nice to know that my manners and sharing drills are taking effect somewhere, if not at home. Actually, I shouldn't say that. His manners are quite exemplary for his age. It's the sharing at home that he sucks at...

Well, I guess I should wrap things up before carpal tunnel syndrome sets in. TTFN!

It's Not My Name!

My Dad came over the other day to pick something up, and had his co-worker with him. He introduced her as Margaret. She said, "Michelle!" I laughed at Dad, and said, "Hey, I'm the Margaret, remember?" Michelle said, "I thought your name was Shannon?" I said, "Yes, it is..."

Flashback to the summer of 1991, when I was working in the same office building as my Dad. I had stopped into his office to say hi before my shift, and a woman tapped me on the shoulder. She said, "I say hello to you every day, and you never acknowledge me!" I was quite embarrassed and apologised. She said, "I always say, Hi Margaret! But you keep on walking." I just smiled at her and said, "Well, no wonder! My name isn't Margaret!" She said that she always heard my Dad call me Margaret. "Well, he's the only one who does. Anyone else calls me that, I just figure he's talking to someone else!"

If you haven't figured it out yet, my middle name is Margaret. Dad has always called my that, and has, throughout my life, caused confusion to all of my friends...I guess some things never change!
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I bought a new vacuum a few weeks ago. This thing is awesome. It's one of those cyclone bagless jobs, that shows you all of the disgusting stuff that lives in your carpet. I read somewhere recently that the average vacuum picks up 40 pounds of dust per year! Eww! No wonder we have such allergies! But no more. This sucker is being put to the test around here...after all, I've stated before that I am a crappy housekeeper, and tend to dust only when the kids start practicing writing their letters in the tabletops. Today I went on a dusting frenzy and actually ran out of Swiffer sheets, so the top floor will have to wait until I buy more. Note to self: take a Benedryl soon...
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Keegs finally got picked up for speech therapy and goes for his initial assessment on April 18th. Yay! Jeez, only been on the waiting list for seven months for that one! Poor kid seems to always be going to one doctor's appointment or the other. It's at the point now where we get dressed to go in the car, and he says, "We're going to the doctor, Mommy?" Sadly, more often than not, I've been saying, "Yes, sweetie!"
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Tim Horton's update: so far in this Roll Up The Rim To Win season, I have won 6 coffees and 4 doughnuts. It's no car, tv, bbq or cash, but it is also more than I have won any other year!
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I ran away from home last night and went to the mall. You would be proud! For once, I actually bought myself something! A skirt, 4 tops, a pair of capri pants and two pairs of pantyhose. Oh, and a black, knee-length belted trench coat. (I'm still suffering from shopper guilt though...so I did buy a shirt for Mark and 3 pairs of pyjamas for Ty. Plus a cartload of Easter crap for all of the cousins. This Easter is at my sister-in-law's house, and she's expecting 30 people. What's worse than that, is that next year it's here!!!!
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Well, I guess I'd better go and clean something while Keegs is still at school and Ty is still sleeping...c ya.

PS A very Happy Birthday to my nephew LUCAS!!!!