Friday

Well, hello there. It's a beautiful snowy day here...thought we were done with that winter crap, but I guess not. It snowed pretty hard yesterday.

I worked yesterday, and we had a pretty good day. The office is renovating, so our office space has been cut down by more than half but there is still usually full staff. But 2 girls called in sick yesterday so it was ok. Those 2 aren't very useful so if they're not there then I can get more done. I wish they would just quit, actually.

I'm thinking of painting the bathroom. It needed painting anyway, but then Kylie decided to dye her hair a deep chocolate brown and splashed dye all over the walls. So guess who's going to help me paint??  Ha ha, that'll teach her.

This is Pee Pee Baby. Pee Pee Baby has clothes and diapers, but she is always naked because it's fun to pour water in her eyes and then watch it dribble all over the floor. Fun for Sam, that is, not for me.

This is a chair in our waiting room where a contractor sat the other day as he was telling me about...I don't know, renovating stuff. I wasn't really listening because I was trying to do a million other things at once. I just thought it was funny that he left a butt print on a chair in the waiting room so I took a picture. 

Sam's heart-shaped sandwiches that she took for her school snack today. 

Well, that's about it for my week. My sister is coming for coffee pretty soon, Sam is at preschool and I will go to work this afternoon. Now I'm off to finish my coffee and do some laundry.

Later :)

Valentine's Day

This is just a silly random picture from the other day...Sam yelling, 'take my picture!' from the back seat.

Jacob asked for bacon to take to his class party. Yes, bacon. Full-fat, pork bacon. I cut the strips into two, folded each into 3, and poked it with a toothpick to hold it in place. Then I baked them in the oven (had to Google that because I have never cooked pork bacon before). I was amazed at how much they shrunk, but I guess I shouldn't be considering how much fat was left on that cookie sheet! I can't imagine people eating that on a regular basis. I'll stick to my turkey bacon, thank you.

Our annual candle-lit Valentine's Day dinner. We try to get through one meal a year without rude noises at the table...I said we *try* . I don't think we've ever made it through the entire meal without someone making a fart noise in there somewhere. I made chicken cordon bleu, mashed potatoes and salad. We had cherry jello and whip cream for dessert, and drank cream soda. Jake said it was hard to pick what his favourite part of this year's dinner was, but he particularly liked the part where you get to eat your dessert in the living room. I liked that part, too. 

The tulips that my boyfriend sent me for Valentine's Day. Shhh...don't tell Scott (wink). 

Well, off for a run on the treadmill. I definitely need it after that dinner.

Worst headache *ever*...

The weather must be changing. I think I will take the headache if it means some warmer weather is on its way. Winter stinks.

Jacob left for school this morning with his pocket full of wadded-up fake moustaches from Christmas. The glue has worn off so he put a glue stick in his other pocket. So he is gluing the moustaches to his face with a glue stick at school...that is the weirdest kid haha.

Kylie doesn't talk lately. She reads, drinks tea and types furiously on her laptop. That is, when she comes out of her room. That's ok. I'm sure next week she will a happy girl again. These things tend to come and go with her (mostly go, she's a pretty happy kid).

I'm going to pick up Sam from school, then we are going to do some shopping at Wal Mart. I think I will buy myself some yarn, because I found the cutest free pattern for amigurumi mermaids HERE . I just realized that I need to register Sam for kindergarten NEXT MONTH. Oh my goodness, where has the time gone?!?

Later.

Pics!

Rice Krispie Pops for the school bake sale.

Sammy Sunshine's Christmas picture. I loved our tree this year. It looks sort of sparse here, but at night with the lights on it was amazing.

 

My boys decorating Christmas cookies.

Every year when I ask Jacob what he wants for Christmas, he tells me 'a potato with a toothpick in it'. This year, it was on the top of his stocking :) . He also got this great smashing tomato toy (HERE) but he accidentally popped it with his toothpick potato when he put everything back in his stocking before breakfast haha. That was a really neat toy, I have to find more.

Kiki, early Christmas morning with her new laptop.

Jacob and his new netbook. He also got a package of stick-on moustaches in his stocking. They entertained him for an entire week.

My goofball boy.

Jacob got a box full of duct tape from one of his aunties: silver, camouflage, paint splatter and green. The other day he made himself some slippers using the same technique as making his duct tape wallet : start by making a sheet of duct tape, then fold and tape until it's what you want. I know this is a terrible picture though...they are silver with green accents and he slips his feet into them from behind. 

Off to work today, need to do a bit of cleaning first. It's getting cold here, it almost feels like winter!!

Tuesday.

Wow, it feels like forever since I've worked a shift...Christmas really threw things off around  here.

We are going to see Chipwrecked today (is that what it's called?). The Alvin and the Chipmunks one. Kylie is going through a movie phase, she doesn't care if it's a dollar movie, Netflix movie or whatever. Jacob got to pick today, though, but Kylie is always down for a movie. I think it's $5 Tuesdays...I guess we'll see when we get there. I have a bunch of airmiles movie passes but I'm saving those for two movies: Underworld, which Scott will have to find another wife to go with, because I refuse. Those movies irritate me to no end. Also saving passes for when Kylie goes to see The Hunger Games, because I think she read each book about 4 times and right now it's all she thinks about.

Sam is going through this pretend phase right now, where she goes into her room for a while, invents a persona, and comes out to tell me all about how she's "the new girl in the world and her name is not Sam". She has come to live with us for a while, and will sleep in Sam's bed until Sam returns from school or grocery shopping or wherever she is right now. Then she tells us this huge story about her former life, how she lived in a castle with her pony or whatever haha. It's so stinkin' cute. Right now her name is Isabella, and she is sending a text to her dad, the King...on a toy cell phone.  Then she will go back in her room, and return as Sam.

*Yawn*...I need a shower before that movie. Best get on that :) .

Reflection Questions for 2011

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?

Finally figuring out what I was good at (professionally) and deciding that I LOVE going to work. Love it, really do :)

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

Helping my kids and husband deal with my FIL's passing. That was hard. I miss him too :(

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?

The work thing. I knew it was time to sort this stuff out but I really didn't think it would be this much fun. I look forward to going to work and when I'm there, it's just go go go. All of a sudden, it's time to go home.

4. What was an unexpected obstacle?

Other than my FIL's passing, probably the effort it took to keep the weight off that I lost last year. That was harder than losing it, definitely. And to be completely honest, I don't think I was successful :(

5. Pick three words to describe 2011.

I will pick 6 words because 3 draws me to focus only on the hardships, and I don't want to do that.

Sad. Mourning. Tears. FIL's diagnosis and then his death happened within 3 months, such a whirlwind.

Happy. Love. Respect. FIL's passing also reinforced that I married a wonderful, caring man. I respect him more now than I ever did, for how he took charge of many situations and stepped up to be the rock his mother and children needed. I love that man.

6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2011 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you).

Fulfilled, pirates, zombies. He had a Neo Citron before he went to bed and that makes him loopy haha.

7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2011 (again, without asking).

Sad, change, family. (I hope 2012 is good to him.)

8. What were the best books you read this year?

Why on earth would I read ?!? Honestly, I'd rather mend socks. I love mending socks.

9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?

My Scotty, my kids and my mom.

10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?

I went from being 'Susan the stay-at-home-mom' to 'Susan, the Medical Office Assistant'. That's cool...this was always the way it was supposed to be. The seasons of life :)

11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?

I have no idea what that question means. Next.

12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?

We had a lot of spiritual discussions in our household over the last 6 months. I think we left the kids with more questions than answers, but that's a good thing (I think). If I knew all the answers to that stuff, then I could solve a lot of world problems. I'm trying to teach my kids that they will never know the answers to a lot of life's spiritual questions, and that's ok. It's good to have something to think about. Anyone who thinks they know it all doesn't know squat, really.

13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?

Well, my ass is still growing apparently...

14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?

My relationship with my husband. I thought after 19 years together, I would know him inside and out.  It was just really cool and very powerful to rediscover what a great guy he is.


15. What was the most enjoyable area of managing your home?

Contributing substantially to our monthly income. We always said, we would live off of what Scott brought into the home and then whatever I made would be gravy. Well, I have to tell you it's really awesome to have that gravy sitting there when you need it. Like, not swimming in gravy but just being able to say, "Hey, lookit that gravy sitting there". That reminds me, I made a turkey last week because it was so cheap and I made the tastiest gravy to go with it. From scratch and everything...mmm, gravy. I've never done that before so that was a great achievement, as far as sauce-making goes. Speaking of sauce, I'm out of sauce. I mean wine. So I guess I wasn't speaking of sauce, but of wine...am I sauced? It's only 11:00. Where's that other darn bottle of wine?

16. What was your most challenging area of home management?

Balancing chores with working 25 hours a week, as well as carting my mother all over creation...and driving the kids everywhere, making sure someone is available to pick up Jake from his after-school things, finding parking downtown 4x a week. And there is no way I'm paying for parking. Easing the big kids into helping more with laundry and cleaning...Scott taught Kylie how to do her own laundry last week. I have the cutest little laundry area, I swear it was the only place in the whole house that was just mine and now I have to share it haha.

17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?

I can't decide, it's a 3-way tie: Facebook, Pinterest and Free Cell cards on the computer. Do people really watch tv episodes and movies from start to finish? I can't remember the last time I did that without being on the laptop at the same time. So I can tell you how an episode of Big Bang Theory starts, but I usually can't tell you how it ends. Or the other way around.

18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?

I normally start work at noon (3 weekdays) so I can cram a lot of junk into the time period from 830am - 11am. Cleaning, meal planning, pre-cooking, etc. Sam likes to help me with all that stuff.    

19. What was the biggest thing you learned this past year?

That I am who I am, and if someone doesn't like it...then they can get bent. I am fine explaining my introverted personality to others without defending it, because I don't think I have to. And because I am fine with the way I am, that helps my introverted child to see that she is ok too. She doesn't have to be like everyone else to be happy.

20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2011 for you.

That's stupid. I'm not doing that. Maybe in the morning when I sober up. Ha ha ha...

Happy New Year!!! Whoooo!!!

It's only 1030...not exactly New Year's just yet. As usual, we spent it at home. I can't imagine facing the crowds tonight, be it at a restaurant or at the movie theatre that we thought we may go to. Jacob was invited to a sleepover, Kylie is on the couch with her phone and her laptop, Scott is watching the non-stop 90s video marathon on Much and Sam is in bed. We counted down the New Year while watching Toronto's fireworks on TV at 10pm and then we all yelled, "Happy New Year!" followed by lots of kisses. That was fun...I remember doing that with Kylie when she was little. So cute to see a little one's first New Year's countdown. Then I stuffed her in bed so I could have a glass of wine :) .

This is the video we are watching right now:

...a minute ago, we watched "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch and tried to explain to Kylie that it's the same guy from the movie "The Italian Job" but she didn't believe us. Ha ha...that was pretty funny. 

Scott is going to bed now, he's not feeling well. Poor guy, he always gets a sinus cold around New Year's...I don't know how he manages that.

Happy New Year's!! Best wishes for a great 2012, from our house to yours :) .