And What About My Week...

I've taken a little time off of this challenge because we have just gone the 2000km home.  And, day 26 gives me a chance to tell you about our busy, busy week!!

So, we live in the Northwest Territories, Canada, but are originally from Saskatchewan, Canada.  Where??? you say?  Well, my hometown is about 2 hours north of the Canada/U.S. border at Montana.  So, I have been busy packing myself and our 2 kids to fly home for a month and a half.  Hubby has to stay and work for another 2 weeks, but because he's going to be out of town for most of the 2 weeks, we figured we'd go early.

Anyway, my week consisted of packing, cleaning the house, and trying not to forget anything.  I spent a few days cleaning the house pretty good, and am just hoping that with the hubster being there by himself in and out for a couple of weeks, it stays that way!  We took the first flight to Yellowknife, then another flight to Edmonton, and finally the last flight to Regina.  Travelling with a 2 and a 4 year old is trying, but thank goodness we can get there all in one day. 

We arrived at about 10 at night, and are now settling in, and getting ready to take the kids to a Wiggles concert.  I'm almost ashamed to say I'm probably more excited than the kids, but only because I can't wait to see their faces at the concert.  Should be a good time.

Hopefully I can finish this challenge within the next few days, being on holidays keeps me off the computer, but I will be on every now and again. 

Cheers!

Day 24 and 25

Dontchya just love how I'm doing this 2 days at a time every few days.  I'm getting this done, just kind of my way, right?!

Day 24 is where I live.  I live in a very remote, very tiny town in the very north of Canada.  The town is called Norman Wells, and it is pretty isolated.  There are no roads out in the summer, and only ice roads in the winter.  If you catch a show called "Ice Pilots NWT" you will see our town quite a bit, as they fly food and supplies to us several times a week.  We moved up here for my husband's work (he is with the RCMP) and have been here for a little over a year.  Having lived in the same city or very close to both of our families for our whole lives, this was a big move.  Especially with a 3 year old and a 1 year old.  We do miss home, but we're finding that being away from everything is also nice, we have a lot more time for our own little family, and life up here is very laid back.  I love living in the north, and can see why "they" say once people move north, a lot of times, they never move back home.

Here are some pics of where I live, it's quite beautiful!

The barge that brings food and supplies via the Mackenzie River in the summer

Up in the foothills overlooking our town and the other mountain range on the other side of the river.

Fog over one of the lakes that float planes use.

So, that is the town I live in and on to day 25....

my day in detail.  Hmmmm, as I said before, it's pretty laid back here, and the weekend days are our family days, as hubby works weekend nights.  So, today we got up around 8, watched a little tv, and had breakfast.  It was really cold and windy out, so playing in the yard was pretty much out.  We played some games, colored some pictures and basically just hung out in our jammies all morning.  I made lunch, put some laundry away and settled in to watch some tv - our PVR is my very best friend these days!  At 3, our beloved Saskatchewan Roughrider football team played.  If you're a Rider fan, you know that the world gets put on hold for a few hours during their games - unfortunately they lost today, so that was kind of a bummer.  I made pizza buns for supper and sent hubby off to work.  After giving the kids their baths and hanging out with them for a bit, they had their snack, and off to bed for them.  I did some cleaning up and am now writing this post, while watching my Saturday night Sex and The City marathon. 

I know, I know, it's riveting stuff, isn't it?  I do miss living in a place that has more going on, but at the same time, I love not having to have a schedule, and pretty much do what we want.  I keep telling myself that once the kids are old enough to be involved in 27 things when they are older, I'm really going to miss these days. 

Oh, and I took my turkey out to thaw for Monday - Happy Thanksgiving my fellow Canadians!!

Gobble Gobble!

Day 22 and 23

These two days call for a website and a youtube video.  Could I just cheat and use youtube as my website? No? Okay, here is another great website:

http://www.wikipedia.org/

I know what you're thinking, everybody knows about that site.  The reason I'm posting that site is I have a big beef about my wiki addiction.  I will admit I go to wiki everytime I want to know something about anything (mostly who died today - so the morbid side of me, and mostly about a tv show or movie I'm watching).  Anyway, I jump to this site for the written in stone, God's honest truth about absolutely factual information about everything in the world.  I had heard the rumors about information being false on this site, and I refused to believe that my "go-to" had flaws. 

That is until Jack Nicholson died.

Or so it said.

As I was viewing the obits one morning on wiki, I was shocked to see Jack Nicholson was dead.  The actor, not the golfer.  (Hubby always gets them mixed up).  A few minutes later, his name was taken off of the dead list, apparently giving him a second chance on this earth. 

Apparently, anyone can go on wikipedia and enter information about anyone or anything.  It is only taken off if it's discovered to be false.  So, information on pages that are widely visited are probably pretty acurate, as I would think false info would be reported by the readers.  However, if I wanted to know something about, let's say, the long-horned beetle, the information could very well be wrong and no one would know (or, let's face it, even care).  I still have a love for this site, and while everyone mocks it, I still use it with a little more than a grain of salt.

And now for a youtube video:

This is the best video I've seen in a long time, it was between this and a dancing dog, and hopefully you haven't seen this because I think it's freakin' hilarious!  Maybe you should get your substance of choice out first, because I can't figure out if I have a really stupid, twisted sense of humor, but both my hubby and I laughed so hard at this:



So, there you have it, hopefully that was your laugh for the weekend!

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian people!

This is making me hungry!!

Well, these two days (20 and 21!) really tie into each other.  Cooking and baking are hobbies of mine, I love doing them on a cold, house bound day, and Lord knows there are enough of those up here!  These two days are asking for a hobby and a recipe.  Here is one of my favorite recipes:

Buckets O' Bacon Potato Soup - Mamabear Style

Cook 2 - 3 lbs of diced bacon (really depends on how much you love bacon, and how much soup you want to make!) - drain most of the fat
Saute 2 chopped onions in remaining bacon fat
Add diced potatoes, usually 10 or so, depending on how much soup you want and how thick you want it.  Cover with water and cook until potatoes are tender but still firm (not mushy!!)  Heat 2 cans of cream of chicken soup in microwave on low until creamy.  Blend with the soup, add salt to taste.  Heat soup (don't boil). 
***Top with shredded cheddar cheese when serving***

This is the best cold day, comfort food I can think of - it's sooooo good, and reminds me of my Mom's cooking - she is the original soup nazi!!

Another really quick recipe I have is for the easiest appetizer ever - maraschino cherries wrapped with bacon.  It's just like it sounds - wrap a cherry with 1/2 piece of bacon, spear with toothpick, lay on cookie sheets and cook until bacon is crispy.  I know, I know, the first time I heard of this, I though - GROSS!!  But once I tried them, I couldn't stop!  Seriously, you must try these!

I'd love to hear if any of you try these recipes - let me know how they work for you!

Cheers!

Day 18 and 19

Day 18 and 19 are my wedding, and a talent of mine.

Well, first off, our wedding.  It was September 28, 1996 (we just celebrated our 14th anniversary!) and it was one of those big weddings where we just couldn't pare down the guest list.  There was never any question it wasn't going to be a "small" wedding, and it's not like we had 500 people or anything but I think there was 275ish invited.  Anyway, it was a great day!  I had my sister as  my maid of honor, and 2 best friends and my sister in law stand up for me.  Hubby had 2 friends and his brother in law and my brother stand up for him.  I was thinking the other day about what time the wedding took place, and for the life of me I can't remember.  Isn't that awful?!  After the ceremony, we went for pictures.  I can remember having to smile so much that my mouth hurt by the time we were done and I was getting a little bitchy.  Not good, but really, the photographer was veeeeery thorough.

The reception was a sit down dinner for about 200.  The food was awesome and the program afterward was great too.  We had a live band, and everyone had a great time.  We were one of the last ones to leave (I've never understood the bride and groom leaving at, like, 10 o'clock - we wanted to stay and party with all of our guests!)  I have no pictures to post because all of our old pictures are in storage while we live up north (and I'm pretty sure no one had a digital camera there!). 

Day 19 - a talent I have.  Well, I like to think I'm pretty good cook.  I think my talent with cooking is being able to create great dishes without using recipes.  I hate using recipes, and I like to just browse my pantry to see what might go good together.  When I get in the mood to cook or bake, I love searching the internet for ideas, and then off I go to make something from the ideas I get.  Sometimes I combine 2 or 3 different recipes, and most of the time it works out great!

Cheers!

Day 16 and 17!

Bear with me as I play a little catch up!  I'm on to days 16 and 17 - a song that makes me cry and a favorite piece of art, sculpture, etc.

Alrighty then....a song that  makes me cry is Letter To Me by Brad Paisley.  I'm not sure why it makes me cry, but I love getting all sentimental about growing up, the good, the bad, the things I wish I could take back - all of it.  Here is the video - if you haven't heard this song, have a listen!




Now, hmmmmm, a favorite piece of art would be.....

Naw, just kidding!! Seriously, here is a great piece of artwork that I really like:

"The Scream" by Edvard Munch.  I don't know what it is about this painting, I get a mini shock every time I see it.  Every.  Single.  Time.  Weird, right?  It's kind of like why people watch horror movies.  You don't really want to get scared, but you kind of do.  That's what this painting does for me.

Cheers!

Award Winning!

I was given an award!!  Seeing as how I have, like, 2.3 people visit my blog every day, this is huge! lol

I'd love to thank Sweet Pea for this lovely award!  I think her blog is pretty fabulous, and she is a pretty fabulous gal!   Here's how the award works:

- Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award
- List 7 things no one knows about you
- Send the award off to 7 bloggers who you think are fabulous!

Here are my 7 things:

1.  I went to university for 3 years to become a teacher, but never finished, and ended up getting my 4 year optician/contact lens licenses.

2.  I won $2000 playing bingo a few months ago - the first time ever at the bingo!

3.  I am anal about paying off my bills - I pay them even before the bill comes sometimes.

4.  I was sad to move our family away from the rest of our families last year, but secretly I'm liking being away from the drama sometimes.

5.  I find online arguments on blogs and message boards highly entertaining.

6.  I love my Honda Civic that was left behind 2000 kms away at my in laws house.  When we go on vacation (ie: back home) I am so happy to see it, it almost brings me to tears.

7.  I am amazed that I am still alive after some of the crap I pulled as a teenager.  Funny how driving at 14 because all of your friends were drunk seemed like a swell idea at the time.

So, although not riveting, there you have it - 7 things you didn't know about me!

Thanks again to Sweet Pea for the award!  I am sending this award to:

Kelly at Blue Frogs Legs

Robin at Lolidots Blog

Mama M. at My Little Life

Tami at 29 and Holding

Nancy at TheNewLifeofNancy

Jen at The Tale of Two Coins

Tina at It May Be a Crazy Life But It's Our Life

Cheers!

Whoops - Yes, I Slacked

Wow, I leave for a couple of days and it turns into a week?  Okay, focus, Claire, focus.

I'll do a couple of days per day from now on, as we leave for holidays on October 15th, and I'll never get to the end if I don't!  Time off is dangerous for me!  Thanks for lighting the fire Sweet Pea!

Day 14 and 15 - a non-fiction book and my dream home.

Non-fiction book - I don't know if I have a favorite other than Into Thin Air, which I've already used for day 3 or 4, and that would just be cheating to use it again, wouldn't it?  I am reading the autobiography of Slash, the guitarist from Guns N' Roses right now, and it's a really great book.  In fact, I'm reading it for the second time, and it's every bit as good as the first.  What a life this guy has led, what a life they lead in this industry.  Pretty amazing most of them are still alive! 

Dream home - one with a maid, a butler and a chef.  Kidding.  Our dream is to eventually buy an acreage somewhere close to where we grew up.  We will be on the move every few years or so for the next 15 years with hubby's job, so buying one right now is not really an option, but it gives us more time to save up, right?  The actual house would be spacious, bright, colorful (no browns and taupes for this girl!) and would have a porch and a great fire pit area for campfires.  I haven't thought too far ahead about the real specifics of the house, although I do know that I loved the brand new house we bought a couple of years ago, so I do know I want the latest innovations in pretty much everything!  Not asking a lot, right?

Have a great weekend, I sure hope to be back tomorrow! ha

Cheers!

Days 12 and 13

Okay, I'm slipping a little and need to include 2 days into one.  At least I haven't given up completely!!

Day 12 is something I'm OCD about.  Anyone who knows me, knows I am OCD about more than a few things, but I'll just pick one for today.  I'm totally OCD about not having crumbs on my floor.  This is something that is drives me, especially having a 2 and a 4 year old around.  I am constantly (okay, like, 4 or 5 times a day) sweeping my floors.  We live in housing provided by my hubby's work, and let's just say it's a far cry from the brand new home we owned just over a year ago.  I miiiiissssss my central vac.  I could just plug it in, zip around, and - voila!  Crumbs be gone!  I've had to retrain in using a dust pan over the last year which sucks, but at least it keeps the crumbs at bay!

Day 13 is a favorite fiction book.  I've always been a fan of John Grisham, and have loved most of his books, but the one I keep going back to is one of his first one.  A Time To Kill is a great book (he wrote this book first, had it rejected by many publishers, and then after The Firm, The Pelican Brief and The Client became best sellers, it was reprinted and became a best seller in it's own right).  The premise is a black father kills the two white men that raped and left his daughter for dead.  It covers the court battle and the inside goings on of racially charged Mississippi during the trial.  If you've seen the movie, read the book - it's so much better (aren't they always?)!

That's about it!  Cheers!

Day 11 - Me Now!

Day 11 calls for a current picture of me.  Seeing as how I hate having my picture taken (I think that stems from hubby needing to learn how his new camera works, and his constant surprise picture taking of me.  I have never in my life seen so many ugly candid shots of anyone. UGH.), I don't have a lot to choose from.   Anyway, here is a (fairly, like, within 4 months) current pic of me...

It's a picture of me holding the birthday cake I made for our son.  Dontchya love the beer beside me on the counter?  Oh, and don't overlook the bottle of wine in a brown paper bag behind it!  Yep, we're a little redneck.

Cheers!

Day 10

So, this is the post where I post a picture of myself from 10 years ago.  That's pretty funny.  I don't have a picture older than 2 years old of me, I don't have digital pics of me from that far back, and I don't even have any old pictures to scan, as when we moved up north, we put 80% of our stuff in storage, including all of my photo albums.  (It really makes you think about how much you can actually live without!)

So, I went to facebook.  I went to the pictures that my friends from high school have mercilessly posted.  Here is my picture from approximately 10 years ago....

I know it's a small picture, I swear I didn't do that on purpose, but when I try and enlarge it, it's pretty fuzzy.  I am the second from the left standing in the gold dress.  I know.  You wish you had this dress, too.  Let me tell you the opportunities I've had to wear it again....

*enter chirping cricket....



Anyway, that is my lovely mug from 10 years ago, hope you enjoyed this little trip into the late 90's.


Cheers!

Day 9 of the 30 day challenge...

Well, I'm still here doing the 30 day challenge - I'm really liking it, but seeing what I have to post tomorrow has me stumped - but I'll worry about that later!  Anyway, today's challenge is to post a       picture that I took.  That's easy enough, but what picture to choose

I took these pictures on a little road in our town.  I know I'm only supposed to post one picture, what can I say, I'm an overachiever!  Anyhow, earlier in the summer, the bears were coming into town, so there was a humane bear trap set up.  When I saw this I was so excited (I love watching wildlife, and just loved the thought of seeing a bear in town). 

Anyway, they set this trap up and the kids and I kind of stalked it.  We would go for a drive a few times a day to see if there was anything in the trap.  The pictures don't show it, but there is a big bag of bait hanging inside of the trap, so I figured if the bears are coming into town, it means they're hungry.  This bag of food would attract them for sure! 

Well, this trap caught no bear.  Pretty soon they removed it, and I never did see a bear in town.  We did, however see a lot of bears out at the dump, and would go bear watch almost every night.  What can I say, there's not much to do in this town!  I later found out that another town had tried to use these bear traps and they never worked, so they sold them to our town.  Apparently the record stands - still no bear.

There is so much about living in the north that I love, and most people up here would probably roll their eyes at me, but coming from the prairies, I have never lived around the mountains and wildlife they have up here.  I can see why they say once you live up here, you won't want to move back home.

On that note, hubby gets home today from being south for a week and a half, and as excited as I am to see him, I'm even more excited to see the brand new camera he bought me! 

Cheers!

Day 8!

Day 8 of the challenge calls for a picture that makes you angry or sad.  Kind of a downer, dontchya think?  Oh well, I guess it's reality, so here goes.  I didn't have a picture that came to mind immediately, so I had to go looking for one that correlated to something that makes me mad.

What makes me angry is this:

I just can't get over how bad the economy is, and how many people are losing their homes.  People who had good jobs, people who have children, people who thought that their lives would never turn into this.  The actions of a few are affecting millions of people who don't deserve to lose the rewards of years of hard work.

We haven't been affected like others have, thankfully, and I can't imagine our life savings, the kids' university funds, everything - wiped out in an instant.  It makes me so angry when I hear the government say that things are on the upswing, and that everything is great - ask the people who are a month away from being kicked out of their home, or the people that have been on 50 job interviews with out a hope of getting a job.

I can only hope that very soon, things start to happen for these people, I could handle losing my home, but it would kill me to have my kids lose a stable place to call home.

Day 7!

Well, on to day 7, where I am to post a photo that makes me happy.  Rather than spend 3 hours going through all of my pictures of my kids and hubby, I'll post a picture of where I live (perhaps with the kids in it!)

This is a pic of my kids out at a place called Jackfish Lake, a small campground and picnic spot up in the mountains, about 20 minutes from where we live.  It was taken a few weeks after we moved 2000 km from home, and that night was when I knew we made the right decision to move, knowing that the kids would be just fine no matter where we lived. 

I love that they are muddy, they ran and ran up and down this road.  It looks like my son was going to bite the big one, but he managed to keep it together (pretty good for a kid who was only 16 months old!)  They were having so much fun that night, and we capped it off with a bonfire and yummy warm drinks with the new friends we had made.

Day 6 - A Toughie!

Day 6 asks for 20 of your favorite things. I'm not going to go with the obvious "my kids, my husband, etc..." because I think that those are kind of a given. Instead I'm going to go with obscure things that you wouldn't think of, but make like just a little sweeter. I recently read an article about a guy who has a gratitude blog. Every day, he posts about one thing he is grateful for. These things can be big or small, but they are a little piece of what makes life great. So, I guess that's my inspiration for these choices:



1. My Emu Slippers I got for Christmas last year.

2. My dishwasher. I spent 2 months without it, and I could hug it every day.

3. Spin Brush toothbrushes. They just clean so much better than manual.

4. The northern lights. They are amazing where I live.

5. An email from a friend.

6. A really good hair conditioner.

7. Looking at pictures of when my kids were babies to now.

8. A good movie, a tasty snack and a cozy blankie.

9. Chocolate bars.

10. Going to Las Vegas with my husband for vacation.

11. Laughing until it hurts.

12. The sound of my kids singing, especially when the words are wrong.

13. Popcorn and m&m's - seriously, if you haven't tried this together, you really need to!

14. Season premiers of my favorite shows!

15. A cool fall day with the sun shining enough to keep you warm.

16. Waking up feeling refreshed (hasn't happened in a while, but I remember the feeling).

17. Not only going on a trip, but all of the planning involved (Internet research, buying the ticket, checking and rechecking for lower prices - I'm a little anal that way!).

18. The noise in my house during the day, and the quiet in my house in the evening.

19. Reading a really inspirational story.

20. Deciding to dedicate more time to my blogs, and meeting my goals.

So, there are some of my favorite things, I probably could go on and on, but if you've made it this far in my post, kudos to you!

Cheers!

Day 5

Favorite Quote....

Well, I've always been a fan of "what goes around, comes around" and "karma is a bitch" (not sure if that's a bonifide quote, but I use it).

I found this quote one day, and felt that it fit my life thus far to a tee:

"It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives".

Cheers!

Day 4 WOO HOO!

Yeah! I made it 4 whole days in a row! Go me!!
Ahem. Anyhow, today's topic is favorite book.


I love reading (when I get time) and usually only read at night before bed, which more often than not, leads to a very late bedtime. I think the kids know when I've been up reading late, the next day tends to be very early. So, needless to say, I don't get as much reading in as I used to.


Having said that, I just finished a book (for the second time) called Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.





It is the first hand account of the 1996 Mount Everest Disaster, where on one day (the day he made summit on the mountain) eight climbers were killed and others injured when a storm suddenly came in.

For some reason, I've always been kind of enamoured with Mt. Everest, and find this story so interesting. It covers the whole climb, from his arrival in Tibet, to base camp to the top and all of the intricacies involved in a climb. This is such an amazing, exciting and tragic story all at the same time.

I have always been a huge fan of non-fiction, I find autobiographies intriguing and love true stories of tragedy and triumph. This story is riveting to me, and I highly recommend it to anyone. Like I said, I finished it for the second time (I read books like I watch movies, apparently!) and I will probably read it again in a year or so.

What is your favorite book?

Cheers!

Day 3 Fav TV Program

Let's just say that living in the extreme north presents plenty of opportunity to watch television. How the heck did I ever live without DVR? Seriously, besides having my kids in the last few years, it's my DVR that has boosted my happiness level by a bajillion percent. That may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. Anyway, needless to say I have a few favorite shows. I am going to categorize them by old shows and new shows.

Here goes:

(Oh, and by the way, in case you haven't noticed, I have a problem limiting my favorites to just one, so please bear with me!)

Old Shows:

Friends

Roseanne

Cheers

All in The Family

Seinfeld

New Shows:

Chopped

Hell's Kitchen

Survivor

The Apprentice

Dexter

Glee

Arrested Development (kinda new, although it's now off the air)

Of course, this is just to name a few. I generally love a good series, and am interested in getting into a couple of new shows (namely How I Met Your Mother, and Modern Family). It's interesting to me to see more reality shows on the new list than non-reality.

But....if I had to pick just one show to watch, it would be this one...

The Shield. It's now over, and can only be seen in reruns, but what a great show! Michael Chiklis is awesome in this show, the story was riveting every week. If you like a good cop/action/drama, this is the one for you.

So, what's your favorite show?

Cheers!

Day 2 - Fav Movie

I have a love of movies, as well as music. I love to watch a good movie over and over again. This is something my husband won't do, and shakes his head at me when I'm in the middle of, say, "28 Days" for the 43rd time. (And for the record, I love Sandra Bullock, and loved her before it was hip to do so. Damn that Jesse James - what a dillhole...) Ahem.

Anyway, I will admit that I love cheesy chick-flicky movies, some of which I won't even admit to, seeing as how I'm not a 14 year old girl who will turn to Bring It On when she sees it playing on the movie channel. Okay, it's only because Kirsten Dunst is such a stellar actress. Right. I'm not much for action movies, although I'd never get to watch a movie with the hubs if I didn't ever watch one.

So, back to my favorite movie....

There are a few movies that really affected me, and the more I watch them, the more I love them. Here is a little list:

"Schindler's List" - just amazing.

"Forrest Gump" - another great movie, every time I watch it, it amazes me how they worked history into this movie so cleverly.

"Good Will Hunting" - I love the story of this movie, and love the story behind how the movie was written.

And one of my all time favorites.....

To me, this is a completely brilliant movie - Quentin Tarantino is so brilliant and twisted, I love it! This is probably my favorite of all of his movies, but many of his others are close seconds!

What's your favorite movie?

Cheers!

My 30 Day Challenge

I stole (okay, borrowed - stole is kind of harsh!) from a blog I have been reading for quite some time. She is a really great read, seems like a really great gal, and has gone through fertility issues as well, so I feel kind of connected to her in some way. She started this blog topic list at the beginning of September, and it seemed like a really interesting way to get to know someone. Here goes my crack at it, and knowing me, I'll get to day 2 and not post again for a month, but I'm really going to give this a good effort!!



Here is the list of topics, and below it, I will tackle day #1...

Day 1 - your favorite song
Day 2 - your favorite movie
Day 3 - your favorite television program
Day 4 - your favorite book
Day 5 - your favorite quote
Day 6 - 20 of your favorite things
Day 7 - a photo that makes you happy
Day 8 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 9 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of you
Day 11 - a photo of you recently
Day 12 - something you are OCD about
Day 13 - a fictional book
Day 14 - a non-fictional book
Day 15 - your dream house
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc)
Day 18 - my weddingfuture weddingpast wedding
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe
Day 22 - a website
Day 23 - a youtube video
Day 24 - where you live
Day 25 - your day, in great detail
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - your worst habit
Day 28 - what's in your handbag/purse
Day 29 - hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - a dream for the future



Day 1



Favorite Song

I have a lot of favorite songs. It really depends on the mood I'm in... I'm the kind of person who would say "oh, this is my favorite song" and then I'd hear another song and say "oh, wait this is my favorite song"... Most of the songs I love have a great memory attached, or some sort of sentimental meaning for me.

Here are a few of my favorites:

"American Pie" by Don McLean - it's just such a poetic song to me about such a sad tragedy. I love anything with a story.

"My Little Girl" by Time McGraw - This song came out in 2006, the same year our daughter (whom we waited almost 10 years for) came along. Just play this video for me and you'll have me in tears.

Pretty much anything by Garth Brooks. Yep, the man is that good. And, better in concert!

I'm not a huge fan of U2, but the song "With or Without You" is such a gut wrenching, all or nothing song, I just love the passion it has.

I could go on and on, but I'll leave you with another one of my very favorite songs:

(I promise, I'm not a 16 year old girl, but you know, because my daughter loves Jacob from Hedley, I kinda have to watch the videos....)

Hedley - Perfect

Cheers!

Wishing...

Wishing we didn't have to remember this day.

Wishing the family members of those lost didn't have to feel the pain they feel today and everyday for the rest of their lives.

Wishing the people who made it necessary to remember this day for the rest of history were never born. (it's much nicer than wishing they burn in hell)

Wishing that 9 years ago, our day wasn't spent in front of televisions, no matter where we were, open mouths, tears rolling and hearts hurting.

Wishing that everyday further we are from this horrific mark in history, the world can get it's shit together and find a way to live in some semblance of peace.

Wishing that the wishes that really matter really did come true.....

Beary Bizzare

We live in a small, remote town in the middle of nowhere in the Northwest Territories, Canada. We are surrounded by two mountain ranges, beside the mighty Mackenzie River, and have no roads to drive out on (in the summer), therefore, we can only get out and in by plane. It is a nice town, and our place (provided to us by the government) is not bad (although it's not the brand new house we had at our last posting :( ). I have the kids outside everyday to play in the back yard, and they love it. Our yard is littered with cars, balls, a slide, a playhouse, all of the things a little kid could want.

But.

Lately there have been a lot of bears in town. They usually hang out at the dump, a few miles out of town, but in their infinite wisdom, the ENR (environmental gurus) have decided to enforce the electric fence at the dump. Therefore, the bears are looking for food. They are looking for food in town. With a vengence.

Last week, a bear had torn apart a freezer on someone's deck, and they shot it. This week, a bear attacked someone in a residential area, and decided to break down someone's door to eat their food in their kitchen in the middle of the night. They killed that one, too.

As I sit on my back deck watching the kids play (and typing this, and keeping a keen eye on the areas outside our 4 foot high fence that a hungry bear wouldn't hesitate to jump), I am a little nervous. I mean, at the dump, the bears are pretty happy, with all of the garbage they can eat, and not really minding the people that go out there to dump their own garbage or just bear watch. It makes me wonder why they want to keep them out so bad, I seem to think that a bear at the dump, happily feasting on leftovers is a hell of a lot more safe there than roaming the streets of our town.

And on that note, it just blows me away at how people just let their kids ride around town by themselves, play in the front (unfenced) yards by themselves. I admit I am a little over the top when it comes to protecting my kids, but I would never let them roam the streets alone, let alone let them play in the fenced yard without me watching at all times.

People are different up here, for sure. Nobody seems to be worried that there are bears all over town, but I guess because I am just an immigrant prairie girl, I am really the one that's different here.

But, I bet I won't get eaten by a bear.

Feel Good Friday

This is my first time at Feel Good Friday, and I love the idea! I'm going to commit to getting back to my blog (after all of my summer fun is over, as well as my self admitted addiction to bejewelled blitz on facebook - what can I say - I am type A, super competitive, and it's really facebook's fault for posting all of your friend's scores - I. Must. Beat. Everyone.)

Ahem.

Anyhow.

My feel good post is about my daughter. My soon to be 4 year old daughter. Her birthday is on Saturday, and the day she was born will be etched in my memory forever. Every little detail.

You see, she isn't really even supposed to be here. A series of events occurred that, in many opinions, created and saved her little, fragile, perfect life. First of all, she was an IVF baby. She was conceived after 1 failed fresh IVF cycle and 3 frozen cycles. On our second (and last) crack at IVF, we finally got our BFP. We were thrilled (and a little stunned, as I had finally, after 9 years, accepted that we might not be able to have a child).

At my 18 week ultrasound, her measurements were small, and because we knew the exact date of conception, they were concerned. I was monitored closely, and had an u/s once every few weeks to measure growth. I had placenta previa, which was preventing her from getting the nutrients she needed to grow properly. As time went on, her growth got to be less and less.

Finally, when I was 7 months, the u/s alarmed everyone enough to send me to the next big city to have her. That is where I met the doctor that saved my girl's life. This doctor monitored me so closely, I think I could run an u/s machine on my own by now. She kept my daughter inside of me for more than a month after that, and even though she was only 2.5 lbs. when she was born, it would have been devastating had she been born before that.

The morning my daughter was born, I was sent for yet another u/s. It was at this appointment (and definitely kept from me) that the cord was wrapped around her neck twice. The radiologist ordered me to the hospital immediately for a c/s (but not before calling my hubby off of the golf course while he was having the round of his life). Right before they gave me the spinal, they did another u/s, later I found out it was to make sure my baby was still alive.

The next 6 weeks were spent in the NICU, watching her get big enough to come home, with no real ill effects.

Even though it wasn't the ideal pregnancy, so many things happened at the right times, with the right people to allow us to not only meet our daughter, but to watch a perfectly healthy, vibrant, bright tiny newborn grow into our wonderful 4 year old.

That is what makes my Friday so Feel Good!

By the way, this is being linked through this great girl's blog - check her out - you'll love her!!

Some Blogger I Am

Well, I started up this new fandangled blog, just to blow it off after only 20-some posts. I have to admit, I've been cheating on my blog.

Cheating with all of the nice weather we've had, cheating with my kids in the back yard, cheating taking drives with the kids looking for wildlife...

And we've been having a great time!

I'm loving finally having a vehicle (I didn't have one for the first 8 or so months that we've been here), the freedom to just take off and go exploring is awesome! For those of you who don't know, we moved up to the Northwest Territories, Canada last August for my husband's work. It is way north, in fact less than 100 km south of the Arctic Circle. The weather has been awesome this summer so far, but the winters can get really ugly - one of the perks of staying at home with the kids here is that I can actually stay home if I want!!

We love going to the dump. I know that makes us sound really redneck (and in many ways I will admit we are), but the dump is a huge source of entertainment here. We go bear watching, people watching (it's amazing how interesting it is to watch people "shop" at the dump) and bird watching. I swear our ravens are as big as large dogs.

Okay, not that big, but still.

It certainly is a different world up here, I have become someone who went from panicked type "A" to not really watching the clock to make sure we get some where on time. I hate people like me. How inconsiderate! I fear I'm getting lazy in my new found freedom-from-time-and-responsibility, but the trade off is hanging out with the kids all day, doing whatever we want.

What the hell am I going to do when my daughter starts school and I have to actually set an alarm clock? Does carpooling work if only the other Mom drives? Yep, getting lazy.

Anyhow, I am recommitting to my blog, hoping to share some more pics of the beauty that is the NWT and hoping to get back to writing.

A girl can dream, right?

My 3 Year Old Wants Boobies

I was going to try and use this blog as just my own, my "time away from the kids", but I just have to share. My 3 year old girl is obsessed with watching me get dressed, obsessed with my bra and my "boobies". I find it quite funny, yet disturbing all at the same time. She loves playing with my bras, pretending she's wearing them, she's even taken a toy with an elastic attached to it, and wore it around her chest, claiming that she, too, has a bra.

Funny stuff.

Until.

I started thinking about all of the things to come with a daughter, and got sweaty palms (that's what happens to me when I think of things like this, or, you know, death and stuff). I flashed forward to the first day of her period, the day she has questions that I know the answers to, but will stumble and fumble with my words, finally faking a coughing/choking episode. With any luck, I won't be faking and I won't recover from it.

I am the kind of person who will ride the wave, thinking that there is lots of time to come up with the right things to say, that I have all of the time in the world to prepare for the inevitable, but I also know in the back of my mind that one day she's just going to spring shit on me and I'm going to do my best deerintheheadlights.

But for now, I'm going to enjoy the cuteness of it all, enjoy the little 3 year old that has so much innocence. So much innocence in fact, that I wasn't surprised at all when, the other day, she asked if I have hair on my bum.

Excuse me while I dry the palms of my hands...

Something I've Always Wanted To Do

As I approach a number closer to 40 (not until next March, but still - time seems to be going faster and faster), I am thinking about the things I have ambitions to do. Lately, I have been thinking that I would like to run a 5K.



The thought of crossing that finish line with so much pride and satisfaction gets me a little excited! The thought of actually running it terrifies the bejeebies out of me. I mean, really. I'm not a runner. I don't even own a pair of runners. I own loafers (huh, what is this telling me?), I own sandals, sandals with straps, heels, flowers, I even own golf sandals (which I love, by the way). I don't own runners. Therefore, I don't run. But, I think I could run.



I'm not sure how I would start training, or where I would run, or even how long a 5K should take me (I don't care, really, how long it takes, I just don't want to finish last). You know that saying, "you don't have to be the fastest, you just have to be faster than the slowest"? That's kinda where I see myself. Although, I do have to say, I am kind of athletic, I think I could do this. I do pretty much every sport but running.



I think I'm talking myself into this.

By Definition

In looking back on my life, I guess I've always been defined by something. Whether it was being the daughter with the good grades, or the athletic one, or the musical one (yes, I was a band geek, and yes, I did go to band camp - you don' t know what you're missing!). There was always something there that defined me.

I guess in a way that's good, but I don't want my kids to ever think that that's what they "are". I think it's important for everyone to have something they can call their own, but I certainly don't think it should define them totally. As a side note, I don't think the above labels were ever put on me by my parents, just by myself. Thus the reason for this post.

Is it fair to put labels on ourselves, define ourselves by something we do or have in our lives? I'd like to think that there are many things that define me, totally. I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a friend, an optician, a golfer, the list could go on and on.

Another reason for this post is that I was thinking back about the time period where we dealt with infertility for 9 years, before we were blessed with our daughter. There was a period where I let our inability to have kids define me. It was all consuming. It seemed that no matter where I looked, someone was asking us when were having kids, someone was pregnant, or I was getting an invitation to a baby shower. It was everywhere, and I felt like I couldn't escape this horrible feeling that my failure to have kids was who I was.

I have a different view of things now that I have come out to the "other side". I would admit, as well, that it is easier to say that it was wrong (for me) to let infertility define me now that we have kids. For those who will never get their chance to be parents, it is easy to let it define them, perhaps for life. I am one of the very lucky ones who can look back on it as a learning experience, a lesson in patience, acceptance and perseverance.

I don't define myself by this any longer, but I do wear the label, the badge with pride. It is nothing you would ever want to go through, but it does change you, and for the better, if you let it. It will be with us forever, when we explain to our daughter how she was conceived, to our children how very much they were wanted and how the pain of the journey never quite goes away.

These days, by definition, a part of me is a Mom, a big part of me. While I don't think it's necessarily a good thing to let one thing define a person, this is one label I will proudly display for the rest of my life.

Break Up

Over the last week or so, we've been experiencing "break up" here in Norman Wells. The ice on the Mackenzie River is breaking up and flowing towards the Arctic Ocean, and normally it's really something to see. This year, apparently is a little different, in that it's a slower break up, so not as dramatic as in past years. Having never seen this, we are still very impressed! The mountains of ice are really impressive to see, and it's nice to see open water down the river. Here are some pictures we took of break up, it's hard to realize the size of the ice mountains until there is a person standing in front of them (unfortunately, that person was me!).



The river covered in ice with the trees and mountains in the background

Jayda wanted to go swimming, so we tested the water. She decided it was a little too cold!!

Really beautiful ice formations, it really is quite a neat sight to see!

From The Worst To The Best

I used to hate Mother's Day. I would just dread the day and everything having to do with it. Don't get me wrong, I am very appreciative of my Mom, and celebrated the day with her every year. However, after getting married and deciding to try to have a baby ourselves (with no success for 9 years), I disliked the day more and more, year after year. Commercials on tv, signs everywhere you turn, even people wishing you a Happy Mother's Day (I must have "looked" old enough to have kids, and I guess it was just an assumption). Hate, hate, hate.

I know that hate is a strong word, but ask anyone who has trouble having children when they want to have them. Hate is pretty appropriate.

Mother's Day 2007 became one of my favorite days, after our daughter was born in July of 2006. I feel a little selfish in saying that I hated a day meant to honor my Mom, and like I said, I would celebrate with her every year, but there was a huge chunk of my heart missing, especially on that day. Anyhow, in preparation for "MY" special day in 2007, I did everything I could to instruct my husband on how to make this day the best it could be for me. That sounds very selfish as well, but let me tell you, my hubby's specialty isn't putting a huge amount of thought into special occasions.

He does okay, but he's a last minute kid of guy, so I wanted to make sure I wasn't getting tennis rackets for my very first Mother's Day (another story for another time). I informed him that I was sleeping in that day, and that I wanted a ring from my daughter. That was pretty much it, but it was important that I got a piece of jewelery from my little girl. And to this day, whenever I look at my ring, I remember how special my 1st Mother's Day was, and how long I waited for it.

I am not high maintenance, by any means (even my hubby will tell you that), but, damnit, I was going to get the gift I wanted and spend the day the way I wanted - and I did. Because I earned it. Happy Mother's Day to all Mom's, and to everyone who has a child whom they haven't met yet.

Judgement and Lemonade

I got insulted today, very insulted. The jist of the situation was that I got called ignorant and a racist. I had made a comment on a message board, first questioning whether someone was Jewish or not (I really didn't know), and second stating that I don't like the double standard that our society has as far as things like the "N" word. I don't feel that one group should be able to use them, and another shouldn't. NOBODY should be using these derogatory terms. So, that's where I stood on that.

After making those statements, I was basically attacked by the author of the post, who called me ignorant and racist. I take great, great issue with this. I am the farthest thing from those things.

Enough of the rehash. What I learned from this was that even when someone doesn't agree with you, even when they have their facts way wrong, even when they try to embarrass you and even when they refuse to even see another side to their own, a person must step back and take the situation for what it is.

I admit I was so very hurt to begin with, the shock rang through my body at being told what my statements meant, even when they didn't mean what someone interpreted them to say. After stepping away from that part of the conversaton, I began to see that this was a person upset about something else that had occurred and that I may have become the punching bag for her frustration with her situation.

Just like we take things out on people when we shouldn't and when they don't deserve it, we still do it. I am the type of person who likes to see the positive side of things, who likes to get something good out of every situation, even really shitty ones. This one is no different, from now on, I'm sure to choose my words very carefully, and give everyone the benefit of the doubt and a chance to explain themselves before I judge. See, there it is - lemonade...

Finding time

I haven't found time lately to blog, and that really makes me sad. I enjoy blogging and find it cathartic, but with the nice weather we've been having, and a new commitment I made to myself and my kids, I have been spending every waking moment with them on long walks and playing in the backyard. It's not that I'm on the internet all hours of the day, but for sure there are times when I'm telling them "just wait until Mommy is done her 'work' on the computer". I am coming to the realization that they really are growing up so quickly (what they say is true) and I don't want to look back thinking that all I did was spend my time with them playing on the computer (or whatever I was doing). Guilt will do that to you.

As I am typing this, I am in the living room with my son, who is watching tv and playing, and we're waiting for little girl to wake up. Hypocritical, no? Maybe, but I am playing with him, too, causing me to take 3 times as long to get this post out. But, I don't mind being interrupted.

After spending so much of my time with the kids everyday (and, well, I should be - I'm a stay at home Mom!), I've gotten to thinking about what is fair in my "me time" expectations. Really, is it fair to ask for a little time for myself during the day, obviously not when they "need" me, but maybe if they are watching a show, doing a puzzle or playing cars? I know everyone does it, but does everyone feel a little guilty like I do? Do you ever feel like you're taking something away from your kids because you are doing something for yourself?

I've been told that is the joy of motherhood - a permanent, entrenched feeling of guilt. At all times. Mostly self inflicted, but there regardless.

I'm off to play with my kids - it's a beautiful day out there!

37 Things I Know

Since I turned 37 last month, I thought I would post 37 things I know - whether it is about me or just life experiences. I love reading getting to know you posts, and thought this would be a great way to have you know me a little better.

1. I am a middle child - and don't seem to have as much of an issue about it as a lot of people do.

2. I chewed my fingernails as a child, and was told by a family friend that "no boy will ever like you if you keep doing that". It crushed my ego, and apparently still has an effect to this day if I still remember that.

3. I love cats, grew up with cats, but lost the "animal love of my life" in my dog, who was 13, a year and a half ago.

4. I married at 23, and was told by a few that maybe we should wait. We are both type A personalities, so listening to anyone's opinions wasn't an option. We will celebrate our 14th anniversary this year.

5. I am quick to judge, quick to speak and slow to listen at times.

6. I am outgoing most of the time, but don't like to go out. I prefer to stay home with my family.

7. We struggled to have a family for almost 9 years, and 2 months before our 10th anniversary, I gave birth to our daughter.

8. I always took for granted I would have kids no problem. I'm used to getting my way, so having to wait 9 years was a crushing blow.

9. I think I would die without my kids.

10. I love sports, and hate going to people's houses to watch games because I'm usually expected to hang out with the wives, none of who likes sports. I hate to miss a game.

11. I love chocolate, almost to a fault.

12. I am blunt, almost to a fault.

13. I love my coffee in the morning, and drank it (with caffiene) during both of my pregnancies.

14. I don't have a lot of really close friends, but the few that I do, I would do anything for.

15. I think child abusers will never be rehabilitated.

16. My husband is one of the most open men I know, and the best Dad for our kids that I could ever imagine - he is way too much fun!

17. I love the Biggest Loser.

18. I hate fighting with someone, as I always say the wrong thing, it's taken the wrong way, making it very easy to use against me. I'm not a quick thinker that way.

19. I need to have more patience.

20. I wish I would have gone to Europe when I had the chance as a young adult.

21. I am against the death penalty, until someone does something serious to someone I love.

22. I regret not finishing my university degree.

23. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

24. I sometimes have a hard time allowing myself to be happy.

25. I am more my father's daughter than I probably realize.

26. If I had to do it all over again, I would marry my husband again, in a heartbeat.

27. If I had to do it all over again, I would have said no to that first cigarette.

28. I get hungover after 2 drinks.

29. I don't sleep as much as I should, I value my "me" time at night when the kids are in bed, and just can't bring myself to go to bed early.

30. I don't eat breakfast most days.

31. I hate most horror movies, I can't stand feeling uneasy for 2 hours, but I watch them because my husband is scared to watch them alone.

32. I would love to find something to do at home to make more money, but haven't found the right thing, yet.

33. I judge people, although I try not to. I also have a lot of compassion for people.

34. I wish I had more time and imagination to write in my blog.

35. I am not a housewife, I am a stay at home Mom.

36. I appreciate how hard my husband works probably more than I let him know.

37. I never could have predicted how my life would go, but through the ups and downs, I wouldn't change a thing. The most important things in the world to me are my husband, my daughter and my son. I would be rich if that's all I had!

This is my second shot at Five Question Friday, courtesy of Mama M. over at My Little Life.

Here goes:

1. What words do you use on your blog/online that you don't use in real life?

I don't really use any words on my blog that I wouldn't use in real life, it's really the opposite. I swear like a sailor that needs her mouth washed out with soap somwtimes, and I would never put those words to paper (or my blog, as it were). I'm fully aware that my potty mouth is not that attractive most days.

2. Do you still write checks?

Yes, I still write a lot of cheques. I just can't justify taking money out of an ATM and paying them $3 or whatever it is to access MY money.

3. Who was your favorite President and why?

Well, being Canadian, I really don't have a favorite president, although I have to say I admire a lot of them.

4. Are you a yeller?

Oh, my, yes. Bigtime. So much so, I'm sure when we moved into this new town, I alone raised the decible level a few notches. Okay, not quite that bad, but I am definitely the "Type A, need to have it my way, come from a loud family, should have been Italian" yeller

5. Have you ever dumpster dived?
Nope. Not even sure what that is, but sounds disgusting. I've done some other gross stuff, but not this one.

If you would like to take part, copy this button, give a shout out to Mama M. and show us your five answers!

Death, Taxes and Crumbs

There are a few things are inevitable in life. Some are great and wonderful, some suck rocks. (There's a phrase I haven't used since I was 8) Anyhow, obviously death sucks. I mean, to the point that I find myself thinking about it so much sometimes that my palms start to sweat. Don't think I'm not normal or anything, this really has only started since I had kids, and hate the thought of leaving them alone in this world. Okay, that's enough on death, my keyboard is getting wet...

And then there is taxes. While having someone take a large percentage of money right off the top of your paycheck sucks, and I don't trust most politicians as far as I can throw them overboard, I do believe they are a necessary evil. Here in Canada, we have a wonderful quality of life. Education, health care, infrastructure, I could go on and on. These services are provided by our (sometimes) decent government through the taxes we pay. And let me tell you, most years I love tax time (we usually get a refund), I just hate having to get them done. That's the lazy person in me coming out.

Finally, there are crumbs. One of my biggest pet peeves is walking barefoot on a crumby floor. And believe me, with a 2 year old and a 3 year old running the show around here, there are a ton of crumbs. Just their presence (the crumbs, not the kids) has amped up my OCD when it comes to cleaning my floors. It's gotten so bad, that when I enter the kitchen, I instinctively reach for the broom. Now that we are living in a townhouse (provided by hubby's work) without central vac (oh how I miss my central vac), I can no longer whip the vacuum around the floors a few times a day like I used to. Oh, how I hate, hate, hate crumby floors!!

But, it's not like they'll be the death of me - and even if they are, at least I won't have to pay taxes.

What holiday??

Okay, so, without sounding ungrateful for a whole month off (actually a 5 weeks), to say the "vacation" we took home really wasn't that much of a holiday. We moved way up north last August, and this was the first time we went home. We were excited, needing a break, and wanting to see friends and family.

Well, the first week or so was great, spent by Dan and I in the Bahamas, although the weather could have been much better, it beat the extreme cold of the north. When we got home, we went to his parent's for a few days, then to his sister's for a few days, back to the parent's for a few days, I went to visit my sister for a few days, and then to my parent's for a little more than a week. After that it was back to his parent's to stay overnight before catching our flight out, over night in Edmonton and then home. I packed and unpacked suitcases 8 times, and we changed beds 8 times over the course of the month. Add to that our days were filled with visiting friends and family (my Mom had 35 of our closest relatives for Easter dinner), running to doctor and dentist appointments, and all of the shopping we had to do for supplies that we can't get here or are much too expensive.

Again, not to complain, but we really needed to get home so we could have a rest. I think when we go home again, we will do it differently - we'll spend 2 weeks at each of our parent's houses and if people want to see us, they can come to where we are. Bottom line. There were people we didn't get a chance to see, but we did what we could do.

Whew. I'm tired just reading this over. Who calls it a holiday anyway? Now, I'm off to relax and do laundry (yes, that is what I call relaxing these days!!)

Missing My Blog

We've been away on holidays for a month now, and I haven't had time to post on my blog. I miss it. A lot. We have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off for the last little while, trying to see everyone that it seems we've ever met in our lives, and we're ready to go home. And I'm ready to resume my blog, big time! So many things going through my head, so little typing. But that will change soon.

One thought I had in my mind today was, who gives a 1 year old a hard, huge sucker?? Well, my 1 year old has a sticky face, so someone did...and that someone was his doctor. Really. I just about fell over, but that is probably just me being the overprotectivemychildwillchokehowdidweeversurvivechildhood Mom that I am. I worked hard for these kids, I intend to keep them around...

*eye roll*

Mourning My Loss

So, this weekend, my wonderful, sweet, lovable son decided to end my computer's life. He's 1. (the son, not the computer.) He loves playing with the cd table, all of the blinking lights, and yes, the power button. He even knows where the sleep button is on my keyboard. Yep, he turns my computer off on me when I'm using it by pulling the keyboard out and pushing the right button. Do you think he's trying to tell me something?

He actually switched off the power bar under my desk (this was new), so I turned it back on. And then there was a bang. A loud bang. And that really gross electrical smell. By this point, I though he was going to succeed in burning the house down, but alas, only the computer got it.

I am so sad. I feel like I'm going through withdrawal (although I've stolen my hubby's laptop to keep up on all of the important stuff, you know, facebook, blogfrog, blogger - I'll pay bills later). Couple that with the Olympics being over tonight, and I think I'm going to have to start wearing a patch. Anyway, I loved my old, slowish, overloaded computer. I spent the better part of 2 hours flipping back and forth from searching for my backup disks, to cringing at the memory of what has been lost and not backed up.

This sucks bad. Well, I always try and look at the bright side of things, and I know my son certainly does, too. In fact, 10 seconds after the fateful blowup, he just looked up at me, smiled, and hopped across the room like a bunny. How can you be mad at that?

International Retail Customer

Okay, let's call this what it really is - closet internet shopping junkie. First of all, I don't spend all day online, ordering crap I don't need like I'm in front of the home shopping channel (although they do have some really great stuff that I just know would make my life better...). We live in a very remote place, where the shopping is somewhat limited. Okay, it's limited to a $15 dollar jug of milk and a $9 frozen cake. Oh, and I think they sell socks. Anyway.

In order to get the regular, everyday things I need for my family, I order them online (the things, not my family). I have mixed feelings about shopping online. I like to see and touch what I'm buying (especially clothes and shoes), but on the other hand, it's like having a thousand stores right in front of your little nose to choose from. Fun times!

I have had pretty good luck ordering online, but have gotten stung by one company in West Virginia that is really pissing me off right now. Keep in mind that this is a great website for kids that sells sports merchandise and looks very professional. You'd never tell from their colorful and fun website that they are a bunch of parasitical ripoff artists. I ordered curtains (hard to find, very specific curtains) for my son's room, and they charged my credit card right away. I waited, and waited and waited some more. In fact, I waited so long that the 120 day chargeback policy on my credit card went by and I screwed myself into losing my money, never to see the curtains. I am a pretty civil person, can have a heated discussion every now and again, but always come out of it respectful of the other person. I have worked in retail, so I know how important it is to keep your cool in business. But this is different.

I decided that I was pissed. I sent them a scathing email telling them I know they've ripped me off and a few other choice words. Then, I went to the BBB and lodged a complaint against them. This is where I found that they have an "F" rating there and that there are 80 complaints against them right now. Shit. Shoulda checked that out before I ordered them. So, lesson learned, and I do feel much better lodging the complaint against them. I don't jolt out of being half asleep at night and seethe anymore.

By the way, that BBB site is awesome, you can find out the rating for any business or charity - pretty cool.

So, I'm going to kiss my $40 goodbye. Actually it's not the $40 I'm so upset at, it's the fact that I looked for these curtains for 2 months and finally found someone who would ship to Canada. I guess if it seems to good to be true...

Five Question Friday

EDIT: I should add that this nifty little button at the top of this post belongs to Mama M., a blog I recently started to follow. I love finding blogs that I enjoy reading, and this is definitely one of them! 5QF comes from her blog, and I'm happy to take part in this, my very first contribution...


This is my first 5QF, so here goes...

1. Do you sing karaoke? If so, what is your go to song? Not so much anymore, but when I was in university, my sister worked at a karaoke bar. 'Nuff said. My go to song was pretty much anything by Elton John. What does that say about me?

2. What is your favorite coffee drink? My very fav is just coffee with cream, good strong coffee with cream. That or just a regular espresso.

3. If you could choose your own name, what would it be? Seeing as how Princess Consuela Bananahammock was taken by Pheobe on Friends, I would have to say Kate. I love the name Kate for some reason.

4. Were you ever bullied? Yep, by an older boy who punched me in elementary school. I'm not saying I didn't deserve it (I don't remember the circumstances) and it wouldn't have been the first time my mouth got me into trouble, but he really was a bully to everyone.

5. How often do you eat fast food? We live in a place that has 3 restaurants, and all of the food sucks, so I haven't eaten out in about 7 months. And yes, I had fast food the day before we got here. Having been forced to give it up, I have to say that I really don't crave it at all - I only crave a good meal in a nice restaurant.

Motherhood makes me cry

Well, not motherhood itself, but ever since I've had kids, I've turned into a big mushy mess. During pregnancy, of course, the hormones were flying. I would cry if I burnt my toast or missed one of my favorite shows. I thought that I would get back to normal once I had the baby. Wrong.

Let me preface this with "I'm not a crier". I'm not. I am the one in the family who is pretty together when it comes to emotions. But now I have to say I'm a crier. Well, a closet crier. I prefer to do my crying away from people and in front of commercials or silly chick flicks. The big one lately to bring tears to my eyes is this one:



I discovered this commercial when I found my 3 year old sitting on the couch sobbing her little heart out watching it. I guess she gets her emotional strength from her Mama.

I cry at one of my favorite movies, Armageddon. (Okay, don't laugh too loud, I like cheesy movies). You know, the part where Liv Tyler has her hands on the computer screen, saying goodbye to her dad (Bruce Willis). "No, Dad, don't go, Dad, no...". Ugh, I have tears in my eyes now...

And don't get me started on Steel Magnolias, The Sex and The City Movie where Carrie gets stood up by Big (really, sick, I know), even tv shows like Intervention and The Biggest Loser. I'm as tough and strong as the next gal, don't get me wrong, but I just fall apart when it comes to what I would have, prebaby, called "cheese".

I refuse to watch certain movies with my husband because I know at certain parts he'll do the lean and look. You know, where he slowly leans over and looks to see if I'm crying, and if so, he teases me. This is not the woman he married 13 years ago. I think he's having fun with it.

Just so you know, I draw the line at Titanic.