Santa Baby

For the last two weeks around here, all I've heard from the kids is 'Santa this' and 'Santa that'. They've written letters, cut pictures out of the Sears Wishbook and glued them to their letters, and held deep, serious, spiritual discussions about what Santa eats for breakfast and if he has kids. They've shared memories of visits with Santa at the mall ("I remember being a tiny baby", "Oh yeah, well one time I farted on his lap!" -- uh, no he didn't, showoff).

So we happened to be at Bower Mall today and I thought I'd take the two little ones for a quick little visit. Not a picture because I only had three kids but just a little meet-and-greet. We managed to catch Santa right before his lunch break and, miracle of all miracles, there was NO lineup.

Lena was super-excited, all those weeks of talking and reminiscing and remembering about Santa, and now here he was! Her excitement spurred Ryder's and there went the two of them, racing up the ramp towards SANTA!!!!!

Screeching halt. Both children stopped about five feet away from the old guy and refused to move. The larger-than-life cartoonish vision of St Nick floating in their heads didn't match the reality. (No offence to the very nice Mall Santa, but you know what I mean. Look at him, he's not like the Coca-Cola Santa, is he?).

I said to the camera lady, "Oh, we're just here for a visit, no picture today."

"Oh, but its free picture day!" What now? A free 5x7? Sign me up! So then it was like, "Okay kids, sit on Santa's lap for a picture!" (Even though I was thinking that they weren't 'dressed' for pictures, their hair was a mess, Ardan was in a friggin' skull shirt and hat FPS!)

Hell no, they were not into that. Lena was practically surgically attached to my butt as she hid behind me, and Ryder was looking at Santa like he was an evil clown. He wouldn't even stand next to him.

All of a sudden, Santa leans over and picks Lena right up and lifts her onto his lap! She was shocked out of her shyness by the action, but it worked. Santa reached over to Ryder to do the same (got a bit of a shock when he realized how heavy that kid is, haha). Only Ryder didn't sit on his knee all meek and mild, no he started screaming "AR-NAN! AR-NAN!", reaching desperately for his big brother to save him from the fat old creepy bearded guy. Ardan, being the awesome older brother he is, immediately came and sat beside him and reassured him, "Its okay buddy, its Santa!"

Snap went the camera, the two little ones jumped off Santa's lap like it was on fire and ran down the ramp 'to safety'. A couple minutes later our free pic was ready and away we went.

Mentally scarring my kids for the sake of a free photo = priceless.

Okay, I sat nicely on his knee for the picture, now GET ME OUTTA HERE! (Look how he's clutching Ardan with one hand and grabbing Lena's hand with the other, while his eyes beseech the photographer 'SAVE ME!')

Difference Between the Sexes

What Men Would Do If They Had a Vagina For a Day
10. Immediately go shopping for zucchini and cucumbers.
9. Squat over a hand-held mirror for an hour and a half.
8. See if they could finally do the splits.
7. See if it's truly possible to launch a ping pong ball 20 feet.
6. Cross their legs without rearranging their crotch.
5. Get picked up in a bar in less than 10 minutes ... BEFORE closing time.
4. Have consecutive multiple orgasms and still be ready for more without sleeping first.
3. Go to the gynecologist for a pelvic exam and ask to have it recorded on video.
2. Sit on the edge of the bed and pray for breasts too.
1. Finally find that damned G-spot.

What Women Would Do If They Had a Penis For a Day
10. Get ahead faster in corporate America.
9. Get a blow job.
8. Find out what is so fascinating about beating the meat.
7. Pee standing up while talking to other men at a urinal.
6. Determine WHY you can't hit the bowl consistently.
5. Find out what it's like to be on the other end of a surging orgasm.
4. Touch yourself in public without thought as to how improper it may seem.
3. Jump up and down naked with an erection to see if it feels as funny as it looks.
2. Understand the scientific reason for the light refraction which occurs between a man's eyes and the ruler situated next to his member which causes two inches to be added to the final measurement.
1. Repeat number 9......

Advantages of Being a Woman

Why it's better to be a Woman!

1. We got off the Titanic first.
2. We get to flirt with systems-support men who always return our calls, and are nice to us when we blow up our computers.
3. Our boyfriend's clothes make us look elfin and gorgeous. Guys look like complete idiots in ours.
4. We can be groupies. Male groupies are stalkers.
5. We can cry and get out of speeding fines.
6. We've never lusted after a cartoon character or the central female figure in a computer game.
7. Taxis stop for us.
8. Men die earlier, so we get to cash in on the life insurance.
9. We don't look like a frog in a blender when dancing.
10. Free drinks, Free dinners, Free movies ... (you get the point).
11. We can hug our friends without wondering if she thinks we're gay.
12. We can hug our friends without wondering if WE'RE gay.
13. New lipstick gives us a whole new lease on life.
14. It's possible to live our whole lives without ever taking a group shower.
15. We don't have to fart to amuse ourselves.
16. If we forget to shave, no one has to know.
17. We can congratulate our team-mate without ever touching her butt.
18. If we have a zit, we know how to conceal it.
19. We never have to reach down every so often to make sure our privates are still there.
20. If we're dumb, some people will find it cute.
21. We don't have to memorize Caddyshack or Fletch to fit in.
22. We have the ability to dress ourselves.
23. We can talk to people of the opposite sex without having to picture them naked.
24. If we marry someone 20 years younger, we're aware that we look like an idiot.
25. Our friends won't think we're weird if we ask whether there's spinach in our teeth.
26. There are times when chocolate really can solve all your problems.
27. We'll never regret piercing our ears.
28. We can fully assess a person just by looking at their shoes.
29. We know which glass was ours by the lipstick mark.
30. We have enough sense to realize that the easiest way to get out of being lost is to ask for directions.

Recipe: Fajitas

Its hard to come up with new and exciting meal ideas for a big family. I tend to stick to the basics like spaghetti, chili, stew, stir-fry. So whenever I do haul out a cookbook and come up with something new, its a surefire hit (the sheer novelty of "NEW food!" haha). Which is how Fajitas came to be on our menu.

Basically I just use cheap steak meat from the store (could use chicken), and the vegetables I prefer are green and red bell peppers, onions and mushrooms (but you could use whatever you want, really). Then I make a pot of rice on the side. And, of course, the tortillas (corn for Tyler, flour ones for the kids). The whole thing about the fajitas is the SAUCE. That's the secret.

Oh, and marinating the meat for at least 4 hours.

(When I make this, I do a double batch so I have lots of sauce left over.)

FAJITA MARINADE

Prep: 5 minutes

Marinate: 4 hours

Makes about 1/2 cup marinade

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried oregano leaves

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1. In shallow glass or plastic dish or resealable plastic food-storage bag, mix all ingredients.
2. Add about 1 pound boneless or 2-3 pounds bone-in beef, pork or chicken, turning to coat with marinade. Cover dish or seal bag and refrigerate, turning meat occasionally, at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
3. Remove meat from marinade; reserve marinade. Cook meat as desired, brushing occasionally with marinade.
4. Remaining marinade MUST be boiled to be served as a sauce (if not boiled, discard marinade). In 1-quart saucepan, heat marinade to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute.

I usually saute the vegetables in another pan while the meat is cooking, with the rice already cooked, and the tortillas warming in the oven. Tyler and the kids like to sprinkle shredded cheese over the hot beef and vegetables, drizzle some marinade on, then a dollop of sour cream, then roll it up in the tortilla. So good!

A Story about Sterility

As I laid in the hospital bed, wearing the gown and robe, all tucked in under a warm blanket, I thought back to the day I'd booked the surgery. Way back in July it was, the 6th, and I remember thinking at the time that five months was forever, and with my luck I'd get pregnant in the meantime. But the months had flown by and here I was, anxiously awaiting my turn in the OR.

The male student nurse, Cameron, chattered happily as he filled in his paperwork and took my vitals. When it came time to insert the IV, I had to tell him, somewhat apologetically, that my veins suck and he should be prepared to search for one for like half an hour. He groaned in misery as only a student nurse can. Even with the help of his supervisor, they were unable to find the vein. Poked the needle in my wrist, yes, but find an actual vein, no.

In came the senior RN and she was not happy to see them fiddling around with this needle in my arm. "I really wish you two would've waited until after she's had her suppository."

Um, what now?! My head whipped toward her in disbelief. "You're kidding right?" She shook her head. Apparently Dr Marais likes his patients to have a suppository before surgery, for pain relief. "Uh yeah, I'd much rather have a pill or something." Another head shake. I was handed the small bullet-shaped object, with some frickin' LUBE (classy) and sent on my merry way to the bathroom.

There's nothing quite like that waddling walk of shame back to the bed afterward, where you know that they know what you were just doing. I did my best to be cool about it.

Finally, the IV was in and after almost an hour of nervous, anxious waiting, a nurse came in to get me and away we went. I was led down a winding hallway, into the OR and helped up on to the table. Its pretty surreal to see a room full of people and know that in a few minutes you'll be out like a light while they all work on your naked body. The anaesthesia was administered into my IV and I was told to keep my eyes open. I remember telling myself, 'Okay, stay awake and remember the exact moment the drug hits you...'

Of course, that thought cut off mid-way and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room. In extreme pain. Coming to with the sounds of my own groaning and crying. I honestly did not expect that. I was led to believe that this would be a piddly little surgery, in and out, with minimal recovery time, only needing tylenol for the pain.

LIES!

I'd been the first patient in the OR, yet was the last one to wake up from the anaesthesia. I heard a nurse talking about how the suppository reacts with the anaesthetic and makes recovery harder. Gee thanks Dr Marais. My entire upper back and neck were rigid and stiff, I couldn't even move my neck, and my lower back was on fire. Constant back spasms. I've honestly never felt anything like that since having back labor with the kids. I was literally gasping for breath as I tried to do calming yoga breaths.

Eventually a nurse noticed my agony and brought me some pills. Finally! I thought, only to have her tell me they take up to half an hour to kick in. I frantically tried to alleviate the lower back pain by scissoring my legs in the bed, even attempted to roll to my side to take some of the pressure off. Big mistake. There's no moving around after abdominal surgery. I was a writhing, groaning, moaning, sobbing mess.

I was helped in to a sitting position, then led toward the bathroom so I could go pee. Quite a process in itself. Another nurse came to take me for a 'walk' around the hallway, to help with the back pain. And while it did seem to help for those five minutes, the second I was back in bed it returned with a vengeance. And the pills still hadn't kicked in.

By this time, I'm thinking 'Okay, its gotta be about 2 o'clock, maybe 2:30'. Then I heard a deep voice hesitantly asking "I'm looking for my wife, her name is Beau?" It was Tyler, with Lena and Ryder.

See, my surgery was booked in the Olds hospital, as it would've been up to a 3 YEAR wait for Red Deer. So Hubs had taken the day off work, drove me to the hospital, then toodled around with No.3 & 4 for a couple hours. I'd packed a big lunch for them all that morning, and activity bags, and they'd made plans to visit Bass Pro while I was in surgery. We'd been told the surgery would take 3-4 hours. So by our calculations, he'd come to get me around 2-3pm. So I was thinking, Wow, right on time! when he walked in to the recovery room.

Turns out it was actually 4:30pm! That's how long I'd been out. Poor Ty was looking a little frazzled and who could blame him? Imagine trying to entertain and keep occupied two little kids for over 6 hours! So even though I wasn't physically ready to leave the hospital, mentally and emotionally I wanted the heck outta there. The nurses refused to give me something stronger to help with the pain for the ride home, even after I'd told them we had over an hours' drive home and my back was killing me. Bitches!

So I toughed it out. I was a shaking mess by the time we got home, barely able to walk to the house, barely able to talk. Hubs managed to scrounge up a perc for me and tucked me into a little nest on the couch with a couple of heating pads for my back. Soon I was in a cloud of foggy-headed bliss while the kids anxiously flitted about me, telling me how much they loved me and could they get me anything?

Its kinda nice being 'sick' (as kids see it) sometimes, it provides you with these outpourings of emotions you normally wouldn't be privy to.

The thing with my back, fyi, was caused because of the anaesthetic. (It always come back to that, doesn't it?) When you're put under, laying there, the drug tends to settle in the muscles of your back, especially the shoulders and neck. In my case it also settled in my lower back, and it didn't help that the hospital bed I was in was harder than a rock and my upper body was up on an angle, putting pressure and weight on that area. The nurses said basically all you can do is shoulder-and-back stretching exercises and use heating pads. And its now been three days since the surgery and I can honestly say my back is STILL f*cked up.

As to my 'war wounds', all I have to show for them is two puncture marks, one inside my belly button (*shudder*) and the other two inches below. Its funny, before the surgery as I was laying in the bed waiting, I read over the pamphlet and was astounded to read all these things I should not do before surgery. One of which was shaving the area where the incision would be. "For 10 days prior, one should not shave that area" it read. Um, oops! But seriously, tell me what woman, with a healthy dose of vanity, would just let that area be wild and free when she knew the doctor and nurses would be all up in there? Right? So that was one thing I did wrong. Another was wearing makeup. Of course, I put on makeup, what's it going to harm if I have mascara and lipstick on? Stupid rules.

Overall though, I'm really happy I had the surgery. No more worrying and stressing when it gets closer to that time of the month, wondering if this is month my luck runs out (seeing how Hubs has Olympic swimmers). We can be like rabid little, well, rabbits. Not that we weren't before but now there's no repercussions! Woohoo!

So just a word of advice here, it would probably be a good idea to call before you drop in! You never know what your eyeballs will be witness to, right?

LOL

Hats are great

This is what I asked for (the exact picture I brought in):



This is what I got:

Sometimes hairstylists really SUCK BALLS!!!

Editors Note: OMG, I just realized I am wearing a shirt that looks EXACTLY like Ellen's! Does this mean I'm a lesbian now?

Recipe: Apple Crisp

Walmart had a sale on apples the other day, a bag of Spartans for $1, so I picked up 3 bags. The kids asked for apple pie and/or tarts, to which I replied, "Are you crazy? Make pastry?" So apple crisp it was. This recipe was taken from my most favorite recipe book ever (it has everything in it), Betty Crocker Cookbook: New Edition.

APPLE CRISP

Prep: 20 min

Bake: 30 min

6 servings

• 4 medium tart cooking apples (Greening, Rome, Granny Smith), sliced (4 cups)
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (self-rising flour can be used)
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• Cream or ice cream, if desired

1. Heat oven to 375F. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with shortening. (I used cooking spray)
2. Spread apples in pan. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients except cream until well mixed; sprinkle over apples. (I used a spatula to pack it down)
3. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

BLUEBERRY CRISP: Substitute 4 cups fresh or frozen (thawed, drained) blueberries for the apples.

CHERRY CRISP: Substitute 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling for the apples.

RHUBARB CRISP: Substitute 4 cups cut-up rhubarb for the apples. Sprinkle 1/3 cup granulated sugar over rhubarb; stir to combine. Continue as directed in step 2. If rhubarb is frozen, thaw and drain.

*******************************************************

So I made this recipe for the first time using the 8-inch square baking dish, but I made a couple variations -- obviously I used Spartan apples instead of those listed, and I used 6 because they were small, not medium. The kids gobbled it all up in seconds and wanted more. So the second time I made it I used a 9x13-inch baking dish (made a double batch, those little piglets), so I adjusted the recipe to (this is per batch): 10 small Spartan apples, 1 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup oats, 1/2 cup butter, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg. Also, I added a secret ingredient!! You know the caramel sauce you buy to top ice cream? Well, I liberally drizzled it all over the apples before I sprinkled the dry mixture on top.

Turned out pretty darn spectacular, if I do say so myself.

Come into my boudoir....

Last week, I was inspired to get off my fanny and actually do some of the things I've been meaning to in my bedroom. I put a curtain rod up above each window and hung the off-white panels I've had in storage for years. I hung a picture above Tyler's dresser. But most importantly, I put into reality what has only been floating around in my head for a long time....

My "four-poster" bed! I wanted to somehow recreate that look of hanging sheers overhead without having the actual "four-posters". So I installed a curtain rod on the wall about two feet above the headboard; then came the hard part, suspending the other rod from fishing line attached to hooks on the ceiling. It took forever because I couldn't get it quite even. Finally I was satisfied with the result, and I hung my beautiful purple sheers. And voila! I love it, its so romantic.

Here's the fabulous mirror that Tyler got me for Mother's Day one year. And this is my dresser with all my girly stuff.

My jewelry 'girls' and ring slipper. Found these at a convenience store of all places!

One of the flower displays I made for my wedding. I'm still in awe that I did that, sometimes I convince myself that I could do this sort of thing for a living. But to create something based on your own likes and desires is one thing, to do it for someone else is another.

My little bedside table. It came with the matching mirror, and also a little stool. The lamp was a birthday gift from Julie, my sister-in-law, its all maroon and magenta beads. So pretty! And there's a few of my bedside reading books. All romance of course!

Here's Tyler's dresser, on 'his' side of the room. The painting above is one that I found at Value Village. Its an actual picture of the Three Sisters mountains out by Canmore. Can you believe I got that pic for $3? Does it not fit my room perfectly?

Here's my knick-knack shelf from Ikea. Top shelf is all stuff from my wedding, pictures, candles, etc. Below that is my perfume collection (in the pink bowl) and bath oils. The rest of the stuff is just various misc stuff, books, pictures, makeup cases, etc. Beside the shelf is that little stool, covered in a beautiful sarong Mom brought back from Mexico one time. And then there's the cool candle holder on the wall, its sets quite the mood.

So there's my room. Isn't it fabulous and pretty and beautiful? Thank you for visiting, now get out.

Time to light those candles...

OFPS

I ran into an old friend of mine in Walmart today, we waitressed together at the Lodge wayyy back when. We were standing by the produce section, chit-chatting, and I happened to look toward the entrance doors and there was Justin, a friend of my brothers'. I noticed he was wearing what looked like a street-bike-gear jacket. We did the wave and head-nod thing and I went back to my conversation with Bev.

Later, after I'd loaded the vehicle with groceries and was returning the cart, I saw Justin again, sitting on his bike putting on his helmet, about 3 lanes away. I caught his eye and threw my arm up, giving a huge wave. He did a double-take, slowly raised his own hand and waved back, and then kind of leaned forward and squinted at me.

That's when I realized it wasn't Justin. Different coat. Shorter.

I let out kind of a crazy laugh, shook my head at myself, grinning sheepishly ear-to-ear, face beet-red, and hustled it back to Suzi at record speed. Poor guy is probably still wondering who the heck I am and how he knows me.

Gramma DeeDee is the best!

Ryder and Milena spent some time with their Gramma DeeDee today while I was getting an eye exam (that's a whole 'nother post). Gramma made them "nutritious" (inside joke!) banana and strawberry soy milk smoothies, and they nibbled on fresh strawberries (Ryd's favorite) and buns with REAL butter. And of course, jelly beans!

After my exam we spent a couple of hours at Gramma's house (waiting for my stupid eyes to un-dilate) and Lena informed me that she was not coming home with me, nope, she was going to have an overnighter at Gramma DeeDee's. Gymnastics? "Who cares!? Gramma and me are going to Paul's house, then we're going to sew, then we're going to watch cartoons, then we're going to...." on and on it went. Usually she waits all week until her gymnastics class, counting down the 'sleeps', so you KNOW this overnighter was special to her if she didn't even care about missing a class. She was just so darn excited! And I remember being a little kid and being just thrilled to death to be spending a night at Gramma DeeDee's, so I could relate.

When it was time to go home, we said our goodbyes and I walked a sleepy-headed little boy out to my vehicle. After I'd strapped him into his carseat and started up Suzi, he snapped to attention and yelled "DeeDee? Where DeeDee?" He thought she was coming home with us! When he realized she wasn't, he was just heartbroken. "Gramma DeeDee!! Gramma! Want DeeDee! Want!" and the howls continued until we were on Hwy 2 and he finally fell asleep.

As I pulled into our driveway, he roused a bit and the first words out of his sleepy mouth, "Gramma DeeDee? Where Gramma?" and the tears started again. When I laid him in his bed so he could finish his nap, he burrowed under the covers and I could hear his muffled voice, "Love Gramma DeeDee...." and then he was asleep.

Laughter is contagious

All praise the Hockey Mom

I know I've talked about it before but being a Hockey Mom can be kind of a pain in the ass at times. Not just the travelling and never having a free weekend or even the stinky gear. No, what gets me is the mandatory volunteering we're required to do. If you're lucky you can snag one of the easy positions at the first parent meeting, like time/scorebox coordinator (basically, just pairing up parents to work the box at home games) or parent liaison (anyone having a beef with the coach goes to that person first; if you have a good coach its basically a nothing job). The next job that is almost as easy but requires a bit more actual work is to be the jersey coordinator, which is basically just someone who is responsible for washing the jerseys and bringing them to games. Because there are two separate batches of jerseys, white home jerseys and black away ones, two people usually share that job.

I was lucky enough during that first parent meeting to snag the job of Home Jersey Coordinator (like how I capitalize that? Makes me feel important, lol). In my mind I was thinking that home jerseys would be so much easier than away, because home jerseys can be kept in the storage closets at the arena. So if you can't make it to a home game, but you've washed the jerseys and put them back in storage, the coach can get the jerseys without you having to bring them in person. Whereas with the away jerseys, you have to actually bring them with you to that game, wherever it may be. So it seems like home jerseys is the way to go, right?

Wrong.

I realized this after I brought them home last week for their first washing. When I'd gathered them up after the game and stuffed them in the bag, I didn't really take a close look. When I divided them into two piles to be washed in two loads, and even when I threw them in the wash, I didn't see anything. It wasn't until I took them out to hang dry, that I noticed almost every jersey had black marks and smudges all over them, almost like scuff marks. What the heck? Were those marks there before I washed them? They must have been, because how could a washing machine make marks like that? I called Ardan into the laundry room to ask his opinion, if that was normal for jerseys to have scuff marks on them, and he said yes, they were from the hockey sticks. Okay, that makes sense. Phew, it wasn't my machine's fault.

So out came the Shout stain remover. Sprayed all the stains liberally and let them sit for half an hour. Threw them back in the wash and waited with bated breath to see the outcome. Awwww, crap!! Same as before. Did the stain-remover-routine again, this time used an old toothbrush to scrub the stains. Washed jerseys again. Same result. Okay, by this time, I'm pulling out my hair and seriously stressed. I thought I'd heard someone say these jerseys were brand new this season, so that meant the stains were new. So if I couldn't get them out there might be a possibility that when we returned the jerseys at the end of the season, we wouldn't get our deposit back (almost $400, which is a fair amount).

Then, THEN, I noticed that on one jersey in particular the material across the butt was all scrunched up and ripply, like it had been stuck to super-strong Velcro and ripped off really fast. So then I was frantic. When the hell had that happened? I definitely hadn't noticed that before. I couldn't even let myself deal with it until I'd gotten the stain situation resolved. I blocked it from my mind.

By this time, I'd used up all the Shout. Made a run to Walmart for OxyClean, raced back to do yet another load, but this time I was sure that the OxyClean would be the difference. I pre-treated the stains with it and added some to the load. And it actually did work on a good majority of the jerseys, but there were still a few with very resistant stains.

I hit a wall (metaphorically, not literally). I was done. I'd put those damn jerseys through the wash like six times, used up about $10 worth of stain-remover, probably grew a few gray hairs, and I had a nightmare that night about washing machines that actually make the laundry dirtier, a definite first for me. I mean, who dreams about laundry?? So the next morning I bit the bullet and sent an email to Deb, the team manager. You're probably thinking, Why didn't she just do that in the first place? Because I didn't want to admit defeat! Plus, I wanted to be able to honestly say I'd done everything humanly possible to fix the problem.

So there I was, waiting anxiously for her reply email, to hear the verdict on the situation. Was it somehow my fault and now we probably wouldn't get our deposit back? Did she know about some magic solution to the stains and/or the bunchy-fabric situation? Was she laughing hilariously at me because I allowed myself to get so stressed out over the situation, when most people would've just been like 'Meh' after the first wash?

Finally, there was her reply in the inbox. As I read it, I could practically feel the weight and worry and stress just lifting off my shoulders. Phew! The jerseys are three years old, not new, so most likely some of those stains were there before. Scuff marks are indeed from hockey sticks and are extremely common. Expect them every time. She already knew about the velcro-like situation, the jersey was like that before, in fact there was another like it in the away jerseys. So all in all, I was told to stop worrying but that I was a sweetheart for caring so much.

At Ardan's Novice tournament in Rocky yesterday, I brought the jersey bag into the change room and as I was hanging it up one of the dad's commented to me, "Its the jersey girl, what would we do without you?". My eyes slid to Deb's and we both snorted.

Spezzy

When it comes to hockey, I've given Gunnar the nickname 'The Cros', based on Sidney Crosby, so I have to come up with one for Ardan now. And seeing how his favorite player is Jason Spezza from the Ottawa Senators, I'm going to call him 'Spezzy'.

We were at Spezzy's Novice tournament in Rocky today (aaalllll day); their first game was against Rocky and their second game was against Lacombe. They won both games, and Ardan got three assists and one goal. So they've made it to the finals tomorrow, lets cross our fingers they play as well as they did today.

Ardan's team is on a perfect winning streak -- they haven't lost a single game since the season started!! Pretty incredible. Look at Ardan on the video, how fast he is, how he can just suddenly change directions. Can you believe this is only his 2nd year playing hockey? His 2nd year of even skating?

So anyway, here's some video footage of Ardan playing during the first game. The Lakers are in black (Ardan is #14) and Rocky is in white. Of course, my camera batteries just had to die during that first game so I didn't even get to video Ardan's goal. Doh!

My almost-2yr old is smarter than yours!

Because you just never know...

The Cros

One of the hockey dads from the PeeWee A Lakers sent me these pics of our Gunnarboy, thought I'd share them with y'all. These pics are from the game on Halloween day.

Out of the Broom Closet: Litha 2008 - Field notes

Mom, this is cool, made me think of you. (From that website I just told you about)

Out of the Broom Closet: Litha 2008 - Field notes