Ryder and Lena got to use their Toys R Us gift cards (thank you Gramma DeeDee!), check out what Ryder chose! (I had to throw in another $5 but it was worth it, this thing is coo-ell!) Lena got a Playdough icecream maker set, a giant coloring book (its seriously giant, like two feet tall), a super-annoying little critter-thing that makes annoying sounds (can you tell I'm regretting that purchase?) and a really cool blow-pen/stencil thing that makes designs on clothing (mom, you will love it). But back to Ryder's toy, its a Hot Wheels Wall-Trax set. You put it up on the wall! Even Ardan was enthralled with it. It pretty much does the same thing, over and over, but the two of them, Ardan and Ryder, played with it for a half hour straight!
Showing posts with label brothers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brothers. Show all posts
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Saturday, December 24, 2011
A Simcoe Christmas
 |
| I was just sitting on the couch all by my lonesome; the kids came upstairs and one by one came to sit by me. I just had to get a pic taken to capture the moment... my kids love me! |
 |
| Is Baby Wyatt not the spitting image of Levi? He is the cutest baby, just wanna cuddle him forever. Well, until he starts fussin', then its back to Mama. Lol |
 |
| Lena got a Barbie makeup kit from Uncle Trapper and Aunty Becky, she was in heaven! |
 |
| Opening their gifts from Uncle Levi and Aunty Amber... GTs! |
 |
| Wearing her new hot-pink Barbie lipstick. |
 |
| Playing with Wyatt's gift from us, Christmas finger puppets. Levi played with it for like five minutes! |
 |
| Trapper was like, "Aww, poor Ryder, that's not a very fun gift" THEN he saw Ryd's reaction to it: "THOMAS BEDDING, YESSSSS! How did you know I really NEEDED this, Gramma?" Ryder even took it out of the packaging (even the sheets, lol). We thought it was funny that Ryder said 'bedding', not blanket. How grown up. |
Schlockey Christmas Surprise!
Isn't it funny what your brain remembers, and what it stashes away for an "Oh YEAH!" moment?
I knew my brothers had been working on a really cool handmade gift for the boys. Trapper came down a few times from Edmonton to help Levi build their surprise gift, and I knew it would be something big and for outdoors. But I had no clue what it could possibly be. Neither the boys or mom would give me any hints; it was to be a surprise for me as well.
Our Simcoe family Christmas dinner was planned for Thursday, Dec 22nd (yesterday), as that was the only day it would work for Trapper and Becky. The boys' big surprise gift was to be unveiled that night. However, that morning I was talking to mom and she just had to tell me. "Its a schlockey board!"
"Huh?"
"You know, schlockey! Don't you remember schlockey?"
"Um, no."
"Beau! Your gym teacher, Mr Rands, at the CP school, made a schlockey board for all the kids to play with at recess and it was such a huge hit, kids would literally line up at recess for a turn. Your brothers got your dad to make them one and they were outside every day for hours on that thing."
"Huh. Really? I don't remember that at all."
I felt like such an idiot, how did I not remember that? But when the big moment arrived and we all went outside to watch the boys' reactions to their surprise present, when I saw the schlockey board I was like, "Oh yeah! Schlockey!"
It is so cool. Its like a little mini-rink, with two holes in the centre board, and one at each end. Players use a sawed-off hockey stick that has an angled end and they madly bat the puck around until someone scores.
The time, effort, and care put into the creation of this schlockey board is just incredible, I'm in awe of my brothers. They used regular plywood and boards, painted the surface white and then lacquered it so it would be slippery. They even painted the lines and circles you see on regular rink surfaces, AND they found an Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins (the boys favorite teams) decals.
Well, the gift was a HUGE hit and the boys and their uncles played all night. Gunnar didn't want to go home because the schlockey board was to be delivered by their uncles in the morning, he wanted to keep playing. Thankfully, sweet Trapper drove the board to our house later that night. And sure enough, when I woke up I could hear the sounds of sticks madly slapping and the boys hootin' and hollerin' coming from outside. They must've woke up early and went straight outside. Ardan's friend Dawson came over today and the schlockey marathon was ON. Gunnar strutted inside and bragged "I'm the undisputed schlockey champion, a 21-game winning streak!" So now noone wants to play him anymore, haha.
So to my brothers I want to say, THANK YOU. You guys rock!
I knew my brothers had been working on a really cool handmade gift for the boys. Trapper came down a few times from Edmonton to help Levi build their surprise gift, and I knew it would be something big and for outdoors. But I had no clue what it could possibly be. Neither the boys or mom would give me any hints; it was to be a surprise for me as well.
Our Simcoe family Christmas dinner was planned for Thursday, Dec 22nd (yesterday), as that was the only day it would work for Trapper and Becky. The boys' big surprise gift was to be unveiled that night. However, that morning I was talking to mom and she just had to tell me. "Its a schlockey board!"
"Huh?"
"You know, schlockey! Don't you remember schlockey?"
"Um, no."
"Beau! Your gym teacher, Mr Rands, at the CP school, made a schlockey board for all the kids to play with at recess and it was such a huge hit, kids would literally line up at recess for a turn. Your brothers got your dad to make them one and they were outside every day for hours on that thing."
"Huh. Really? I don't remember that at all."
I felt like such an idiot, how did I not remember that? But when the big moment arrived and we all went outside to watch the boys' reactions to their surprise present, when I saw the schlockey board I was like, "Oh yeah! Schlockey!"
It is so cool. Its like a little mini-rink, with two holes in the centre board, and one at each end. Players use a sawed-off hockey stick that has an angled end and they madly bat the puck around until someone scores.
The time, effort, and care put into the creation of this schlockey board is just incredible, I'm in awe of my brothers. They used regular plywood and boards, painted the surface white and then lacquered it so it would be slippery. They even painted the lines and circles you see on regular rink surfaces, AND they found an Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins (the boys favorite teams) decals.
Well, the gift was a HUGE hit and the boys and their uncles played all night. Gunnar didn't want to go home because the schlockey board was to be delivered by their uncles in the morning, he wanted to keep playing. Thankfully, sweet Trapper drove the board to our house later that night. And sure enough, when I woke up I could hear the sounds of sticks madly slapping and the boys hootin' and hollerin' coming from outside. They must've woke up early and went straight outside. Ardan's friend Dawson came over today and the schlockey marathon was ON. Gunnar strutted inside and bragged "I'm the undisputed schlockey champion, a 21-game winning streak!" So now noone wants to play him anymore, haha.
So to my brothers I want to say, THANK YOU. You guys rock!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Crazy Things Parents Say
I once submitted Mom's infamous "Denzel Weasel" comment to the website Crazy Things Parents Say, but for whatever reason they didn't use it. Maybe because the "black guy" part of it was too racial? Who knows. But I want to submit more things my crazy parents said, so Trapper and Levi, help me remember some of those gems, okay? Put them in the comments.
For those of you unfamiliar with Mom's little snafu, here it is to the best of my recollection...
Me: (talking about a movie that was coming out)
Mom: "Oh, yeah, yeah! I love that guy! What's his name again?"
Me: "Who?"
Mom: "You know, that black actor guy."
Me: .....
Mom: "Oh, oh! Denzel Weasel!"
Me: (bursting out laughing) "You mean Denzel WASHINGTON??"
Mom: "Yeah, isn't that what I said?"
Anyway, here's some good ones from that website.
Grandma's 80th birthday party speech:
Grandma: …and so we were blessed with seven kids, because you know, at this time, there was no birth control.
Elderly Guests: -laugh-
Grandchildren: O_O
Me: I think I may be gay.
Mom: Great! I'll have someone to go shoe shopping with me!
Me: What are your false teeth doing in the kitchen?
Dad: Minding their own business which is more than I can say for you!
(While on a long road trip, my brother and I were fighting in the back seat)
Dad: I'm gonna pull this car over, pull my pants down, and spank you both!
Uncle: Wow, that's pungent!
Me: What is?
Uncle: Grandma.
(brother goes to put canned cheese on a cracker)
Dad: Don't touch that, that's my sexual cheese!
Sister: I want to have a girl and name her Allie.
Dad: Why, cause that's where she was conceived?
Mom: Lets watch The Wall together!
Me: Okay!
Mom: But I need to take my pills first. It'll make the movie better.
Step Dad: Love is a strong word. I don't love math. I'd maybe sleep with math and then not call it the next day.
Mum: What's teabagging?
Me: I'm not telling you!
Mum: Is it something me and your father might have done?
Dad: This is another chick-flick isn't it? I'm starting to grow tits!!!
Me: I don't like flying. I hate heights. And I really don't like the security guys feeling me up without buying me dinner first.
Mom: Well, I wouldn't mind. It's been awhile…
Me: Why did you give me a car deodorizer for christmas?
Grandma: To cover up the smell of pot…
Mom: Where's that house with the propellers?!
Me: You mean a windmill?
Mom: Yeah, that!
Mom: Hmmmm… I definitely need a pair of those…
Me: Pair of what?
Mom: Vibrating panties.
Me: WHAT?!
Dad: What's this vajazzling thing that everyone's talking about? Should I be getting on? Is it like an iPhone?
Me: Oh dear.
Dad: Is a bird in the hand worth 2 in the bush?
Mom: There are things I would rather have in my hand and bush.
Dad: When I die, I don't want you to waste money on a nice casket. Bury me in Glad trash bags.
(Whilst watching a bondage scene in a fim)
Mum: I'll have to try that with your father sometime.
Grandma: Could you pirate me some TruBlood?
Dad: Isn't that just about hot vampires having sex?
Grandma: That's what I'm into!
Grandfather: Listen, some people are just born gay. Like some people are born with big noses. So don't let them give you any sh*t for being gay.
Me: OK Pawpaw.
Grandfather: And don't let 'em give you any sh*t about your big nose either.
While at McDonalds my younger brother is trying to eat an ice cream cone in one bite.
Me: There's no way you can fit that whole thing in your mouth, it's too big!
Mom: Here, let me show you how it's done!
Mom: I do random acts of kindness every day, I want to kill people and I don't.
Mom: If I ever became a white rapper, my name would be "Snow Job."
Me: WHAT!?
Mom: Y'know, because I'd be as white as snow and it'd be my job to rap.
Mom: No getting pregnant in my house.
Me: You've been pregnant three times. You've broken your own rule.
Mom: What makes you think it was in the house?
Mom: Stop being a pussy.
Dad: Stop being a dick!
Mom: Well someone has to be the dick around here.
Grandma: You have some nice boobs, honey.
Mom: Yeah, she does. She takes after Mama.
Grandma: What is she?
Mom: I think a 40 C.
Me: MOM!?!
Grandma: It's okay. I'm a double A LONG…
Mom: MOM!?!
Mom: Not everyone has a twin their same age.
Mom: Have a good day yesterday!
Grandmother: Your double chin looks smaller.
Mom: You need to go to saturday church with your grandma tonight.
Me: why? i never go to saturday church.
Mom: BECAUSE I WANT TO GET LAID AND YOUR DAD WONT DO ANYTHING WITH YOU IN THE HOUSE! NOW GO GET DRESSED FOR CHURCH!!
Me: Dad, was I adopted?
Dad: Yes…but they sent you back.
Mom: Oh Gordon, your fly is undone.
Step-Dad: Oh, am I putting on a show for the restaurant?
Mom: No. A dead bird won't fall out of its cage.
Me: Female bodybuilders have no boobs, they're totally flat-chested.
Dad: Well you'd be good at it then.
Mom: The good thing about going senile is everything's funny all over again!
Me: I don't want to sleep on a futon.
Dad: Hey, don't knock futons. You were conceived on a futon.
Dad: Next Saturday will fall in a weekend.
Grandma: When you have kids if you have two daughters, drown one.
(In regards to a Trojan vibrator commercial)
Dad: I know what to get Grandma for Christmas.
Dad: Look at these tiny glasses! How would you drink from that?!
Me: Uhhh… That would be a shot glass, Dad.
Me: How do you get people to help you out at Guitar Center? I've been standing here for about 45 minutes.
Dad: Pull your pants down and start playing your organ.
Dad: I can't wait until pot is legalised and we can all smoke it together as a family!
(Discussing a talent show)
80-year-old Grandpa: What was your talent? A striptease?
Mom (about to start cooking): I better put some pants on, wouldn't want hair in the gravy.
Mom: Hello, I'm the parent of my daughter.
Mom's Friend: Ron Howard's kids' middle names are the places where they were conceived.
Mom: Dining table!
(This was during choir practice)
Me: Dad, who do I look like more, you or Mom?
Dad: You look like the hobo who gave you to us.
(In the midst of a fight)
Mom: Now wait a minute there, Smith!
Dad: What's this Smith crap?
Mom: (Pause) I can't remember your first name!
Dad: Well, I see the last 20 years made an impression.
Sister: Don't we want entertainment for our party, though?
Mom: Fine, I'll strip.
Mom: You know how sometimes you come across a carrot that tastes like a wet mitten?
Me: Dad, you want some of these peanuts?
Dad: No thanks, they get in my mouth.
Mom: Look! Look!
Me: What? What's wrong?
Mom: MY FIRST WHITE PUBE!
Me: What's the point of having an alarm system if you never use it?
Mum: What's the point of having a daughter that asks stupid questions?
(Upon finding out my mom and I were both stoned)
Gramma: You guys should smoke more often, you're so much more fun to be around.
Me: What's for dinner?
Mom: Poison.
(I like this one, might have to start using it, haha!)
(After I've come home early one afternoon)
Dad: Bet you you're glad you didn't come home 15 minutes earlier!
Me: Ewww.
Mom: Bet you wish you weren't sitting on that couch!
Grandmother: "If you had told me we were going somewhere nice I would have put on a bra."
(Speaking about chopping wood)
Mom: You could always go over and pound your brothers wood.
Mom: If you need a clean bra, go into your brother's room.
Grandapa: For Christmas we'd get a pair of pants with a hole in the pocket. That way we'd have something to wear, and something to play with.
Me: Dad,I need some batteries. Do you know where any are?
Dad: Check your mother's dildo.
Me: Which would you give up if you absolutely had to: cigarettes or coffee?
Dad: Your Mother.
Okay, I could add tons more but you'll have to check out the website yourself. Aren't these great? Makes you feel like your family wasn't the only dysfunctional one, haha.
For those of you unfamiliar with Mom's little snafu, here it is to the best of my recollection...
Me: (talking about a movie that was coming out)
Mom: "Oh, yeah, yeah! I love that guy! What's his name again?"
Me: "Who?"
Mom: "You know, that black actor guy."
Me: .....
Mom: "Oh, oh! Denzel Weasel!"
Me: (bursting out laughing) "You mean Denzel WASHINGTON??"
Mom: "Yeah, isn't that what I said?"
Anyway, here's some good ones from that website.
Grandma's 80th birthday party speech:
Grandma: …and so we were blessed with seven kids, because you know, at this time, there was no birth control.
Elderly Guests: -laugh-
Grandchildren: O_O
Me: I think I may be gay.
Mom: Great! I'll have someone to go shoe shopping with me!
Me: What are your false teeth doing in the kitchen?
Dad: Minding their own business which is more than I can say for you!
(While on a long road trip, my brother and I were fighting in the back seat)
Dad: I'm gonna pull this car over, pull my pants down, and spank you both!
Uncle: Wow, that's pungent!
Me: What is?
Uncle: Grandma.
(brother goes to put canned cheese on a cracker)
Dad: Don't touch that, that's my sexual cheese!
Sister: I want to have a girl and name her Allie.
Dad: Why, cause that's where she was conceived?
Mom: Lets watch The Wall together!
Me: Okay!
Mom: But I need to take my pills first. It'll make the movie better.
Step Dad: Love is a strong word. I don't love math. I'd maybe sleep with math and then not call it the next day.
Mum: What's teabagging?
Me: I'm not telling you!
Mum: Is it something me and your father might have done?
Dad: This is another chick-flick isn't it? I'm starting to grow tits!!!
Me: I don't like flying. I hate heights. And I really don't like the security guys feeling me up without buying me dinner first.
Mom: Well, I wouldn't mind. It's been awhile…
Me: Why did you give me a car deodorizer for christmas?
Grandma: To cover up the smell of pot…
Mom: Where's that house with the propellers?!
Me: You mean a windmill?
Mom: Yeah, that!
Mom: Hmmmm… I definitely need a pair of those…
Me: Pair of what?
Mom: Vibrating panties.
Me: WHAT?!
Dad: What's this vajazzling thing that everyone's talking about? Should I be getting on? Is it like an iPhone?
Me: Oh dear.
Dad: Is a bird in the hand worth 2 in the bush?
Mom: There are things I would rather have in my hand and bush.
Dad: When I die, I don't want you to waste money on a nice casket. Bury me in Glad trash bags.
(Whilst watching a bondage scene in a fim)
Mum: I'll have to try that with your father sometime.
Grandma: Could you pirate me some TruBlood?
Dad: Isn't that just about hot vampires having sex?
Grandma: That's what I'm into!
Grandfather: Listen, some people are just born gay. Like some people are born with big noses. So don't let them give you any sh*t for being gay.
Me: OK Pawpaw.
Grandfather: And don't let 'em give you any sh*t about your big nose either.
While at McDonalds my younger brother is trying to eat an ice cream cone in one bite.
Me: There's no way you can fit that whole thing in your mouth, it's too big!
Mom: Here, let me show you how it's done!
Mom: I do random acts of kindness every day, I want to kill people and I don't.
Mom: If I ever became a white rapper, my name would be "Snow Job."
Me: WHAT!?
Mom: Y'know, because I'd be as white as snow and it'd be my job to rap.
Mom: No getting pregnant in my house.
Me: You've been pregnant three times. You've broken your own rule.
Mom: What makes you think it was in the house?
Mom: Stop being a pussy.
Dad: Stop being a dick!
Mom: Well someone has to be the dick around here.
Grandma: You have some nice boobs, honey.
Mom: Yeah, she does. She takes after Mama.
Grandma: What is she?
Mom: I think a 40 C.
Me: MOM!?!
Grandma: It's okay. I'm a double A LONG…
Mom: MOM!?!
Mom: Not everyone has a twin their same age.
Mom: Have a good day yesterday!
Grandmother: Your double chin looks smaller.
Mom: You need to go to saturday church with your grandma tonight.
Me: why? i never go to saturday church.
Mom: BECAUSE I WANT TO GET LAID AND YOUR DAD WONT DO ANYTHING WITH YOU IN THE HOUSE! NOW GO GET DRESSED FOR CHURCH!!
Me: Dad, was I adopted?
Dad: Yes…but they sent you back.
Mom: Oh Gordon, your fly is undone.
Step-Dad: Oh, am I putting on a show for the restaurant?
Mom: No. A dead bird won't fall out of its cage.
Me: Female bodybuilders have no boobs, they're totally flat-chested.
Dad: Well you'd be good at it then.
Mom: The good thing about going senile is everything's funny all over again!
Me: I don't want to sleep on a futon.
Dad: Hey, don't knock futons. You were conceived on a futon.
Dad: Next Saturday will fall in a weekend.
Grandma: When you have kids if you have two daughters, drown one.
(In regards to a Trojan vibrator commercial)
Dad: I know what to get Grandma for Christmas.
Dad: Look at these tiny glasses! How would you drink from that?!
Me: Uhhh… That would be a shot glass, Dad.
Me: How do you get people to help you out at Guitar Center? I've been standing here for about 45 minutes.
Dad: Pull your pants down and start playing your organ.
Dad: I can't wait until pot is legalised and we can all smoke it together as a family!
(Discussing a talent show)
80-year-old Grandpa: What was your talent? A striptease?
Mom (about to start cooking): I better put some pants on, wouldn't want hair in the gravy.
Mom: Hello, I'm the parent of my daughter.
Mom's Friend: Ron Howard's kids' middle names are the places where they were conceived.
Mom: Dining table!
(This was during choir practice)
Me: Dad, who do I look like more, you or Mom?
Dad: You look like the hobo who gave you to us.
(In the midst of a fight)
Mom: Now wait a minute there, Smith!
Dad: What's this Smith crap?
Mom: (Pause) I can't remember your first name!
Dad: Well, I see the last 20 years made an impression.
Sister: Don't we want entertainment for our party, though?
Mom: Fine, I'll strip.
Mom: You know how sometimes you come across a carrot that tastes like a wet mitten?
Me: Dad, you want some of these peanuts?
Dad: No thanks, they get in my mouth.
Mom: Look! Look!
Me: What? What's wrong?
Mom: MY FIRST WHITE PUBE!
Me: What's the point of having an alarm system if you never use it?
Mum: What's the point of having a daughter that asks stupid questions?
(Upon finding out my mom and I were both stoned)
Gramma: You guys should smoke more often, you're so much more fun to be around.
Me: What's for dinner?
Mom: Poison.
(I like this one, might have to start using it, haha!)
(After I've come home early one afternoon)
Dad: Bet you you're glad you didn't come home 15 minutes earlier!
Me: Ewww.
Mom: Bet you wish you weren't sitting on that couch!
Grandmother: "If you had told me we were going somewhere nice I would have put on a bra."
(Speaking about chopping wood)
Mom: You could always go over and pound your brothers wood.
Mom: If you need a clean bra, go into your brother's room.
Grandapa: For Christmas we'd get a pair of pants with a hole in the pocket. That way we'd have something to wear, and something to play with.
Me: Dad,I need some batteries. Do you know where any are?
Dad: Check your mother's dildo.
Me: Which would you give up if you absolutely had to: cigarettes or coffee?
Dad: Your Mother.
Okay, I could add tons more but you'll have to check out the website yourself. Aren't these great? Makes you feel like your family wasn't the only dysfunctional one, haha.
Friday, December 31, 2010
2011 Resolutions
Okay, enough is enough. Time to wisen up and get serious. After careful consideration, I've determined that these are the areas I need to improve upon...
1. STOP SMOKING.
2. A renewed commitment to the WLJ.
Seriously, enough is enough. No more procrastination, no more bingeing and fasting. Back to the healthy eating and daily exercise, even if its just twenty minutes. The 2012 Final Countdown is a'comin' and I need to be in fighting form. (I'm only half-kidding.)
3. Be a KINDER person.
I know most of you will think, 'But you ARE a kind person, Beau!' Well, honestly, a lot of the time I'm not. I think unkind thoughts, I make snap judgements about people based on their appearance or actions (when I know damn well what happens when you ASSUME), and I hold grudges. I need to make a conscious effort to be nice in both deed and thought. I think I'll become a much happier person.
4. Tame back the road rage.
I used to gape in horrified amazement when Hubs would let loose the road rage and think to myself, 'Wow, he has some ISSUES!' Haha. Well now I find myself being the one screaming at other drivers, letting loose angry tirades about the stupidity of mankind. Some reactions are uncontrollable, like when that jerk cuts you off or passes too close. But sometimes I find myself being fully aware that I am unreasonably angry (I mean, c'mon, is it that big of a deal that buddy waited until the last second to put on his turn signal?), and yet I still yell and curse. I justify it by telling myself I am teaching my children what NOT to do so that when they are drivers, they will be aware of the kind of things some idiot drivers do. And while that may be somewhat true (yes, now they know to be defensive drivers and be watchful for morons that try to run red lights, etc), do I really want my kids to see me exhibiting such rage?
5. Be more PATIENT.
This is kind of related to the kindness thing, but this one in particular is aimed more towards my children. And I'm sure you all think (because I've heard it said) that I am always ever-so-patient with my kids, yaddayadda. Its a show! A put-on for the public! Not saying I'm an evil raging bitch behind closed doors, but sometimes, a little. I find that I don't have patience or even the desire to be patient when it comes to getting what I want done. For example, if I have to tell my kids to get something done more than twice, I can literally feel my blood pressure rising and then its like, "NOW!" I realize this is normal for any parent, especially one with four kids, but there is a lot to be said for recognizing that these are just KIDS and as such, they flow on their own time path. When Ryder is taking forever to get his coat and boots on, I need to stop and take a breather because what seems like such an inconsequential thing is actually teaching him independence and self-reliance. Little things like that, where I tend to take over just to get it done quickly, or bigger things like Gunnar waiting til what seems like the last minute to get his papers done... those are moments when I have a learning opportunity, to become a better parent and create stronger relationships with my children. Give them a break, understand where their behaviour is coming from (after all, its -20 outside, would I really want to be delivering papers in that?), and just let it be, go with their flow.
6. Show true appreciation for what I've been given, and what I've had to work for.
7. Be more loving to Hubs, and more expressive to him how I'm in love with him.
Many times I lose patience with him (there's that patience thing again) or get angry because he doesn't see something the way I do, or if he says or does something I don't agree with. I can be very short-tempered with him or flippant, or I say something disrespectful like 'pffft!' or roll my eyes. Very rude and its embarrassing to admit that I do that. I am a very stubborn person and I tend to think I'm always right. At times my personality can be very dominating and bossy. If you're not with me, you're against me, that sort of thing. Plus, I have a lot of issues with 'authority' that stem from my teenage years, when I felt very stifled, repressed and controlled. A sure way to get me to do something is to tell me NOT to do it. You know? A lot of times I'm actually reacting to the tone of voice or the manner something is being expressed to me, rather than the actual words. Ty might say something to me and his voice sounds angry, but really its because he just got home and had a stressful day; I'll take it in as a criticism or slight, and then in return I've got a bitchy tone and I'm resentful. Its so stupid and childish but its a rut I get stuck in. And so it needs to END, and I need to grow up. Treat my man as a MAN, not my father, not my child, as my HUSBAND that I've willingly chosen to bind myself to, and as such give him the respect, admiration and most importantly, LOVE, that he so deserves. I always compare our relationship to Levi and Amber's, "Why don't you treat me like Levi treats Amber? Why don't I get PDA's and sweet little kisses when noone's looking? Why don't my feelings come first?" etcetc. But its that old adage that I firmly believe in, 'You reap what you sow'. And I'm a big hypocrite! I want all that stuff but I don't expect to have to return the actions, or initiate them in the first place. So that all stops this year. This year I am going to be the best wife ever, considerate and unselfish, thoughtful and caring. And LOVING. The best example of how true mates should treat each other will always be my parents. No matter their issues, no matter the situation, the highs and lows, they were always about showing each other respect, consideration and love. My mother would NEVER have rolled her eyes at my dad. From now on, I will ask myself, 'Would Mom do this?' (we'll call it: WMDT?) and that will be the measuring stick I hold myself accountable to.
8. Stay in better touch with my loved ones, and be the first to initiate contact and communication.
I am sooo bad for this. I leave it for the other person to contact me. (Well, with the exception of Mom and Christine.) But I mean with my brothers, Fred, Kelly, my grandparents... its usually them who calls me, not vice versa. So this year I'm going to really try to be a better friend, sister, daughter, etc. If I find myself thinking of someone or remembering something funny or cute about them, well then dammit I'm going to call them up right then and there and tell them about it! Its something my mom has always encouraged (she's so wise) and I'm going to start doing it more often. So be prepared to be seeing my number on your call display more often!
So there you have it. My list of resolutions for 2011. While I've accomplished some of last year's resolutions (be more organized, procrastinate less), there's still more work to be done. And this will be the year!
So I will it, so shall it be. :)
Five Question Friday
1. How long does your Christmas tree stay up?
Usually until mid-January, although one time it was still up on my birthday! (Which is the 27th.) I have to be 'in the mood' to take it down, you know? The sheer volume of Christmassey stuff I have to take down and get all packed away neatly and properly in the 3 giant bins, it really requires a good solid full day. So if I don't have the time or energy to devote to that project, UN-decking the halls, as it were, it just doesn't get done.
2. Do you have plans for New Year's Eve?
Our plans for tonight are as follows: eat, drink, be merry, watch movies, play the many board games we got for Christmas, laugh, stay up late, let the kids drink their 'wine' (sparkling juice or Baby Duck), and do the countdown, then hit the sack in drunken splendor.
3. Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
Many, many. To be discussed in a later post.
4. How did you spend New Year's Eve when you were younger?
Mom and Dad would always have a bottle of Baby Duck for us young'uns. Depending on the ferocity of the weather, we'd usually have a roaring bonfire out by Muckletoose, roasting wienies and marshmallows. The video camera would be rolling to catch all our hijinks and antics. Lots of bellylaughs and stories told. If it was just too cold outside, we'd cuddle up on the couch in the livingroom, the wood-burning stove going full-blast until we were sweating and in our undies (in the case of Dad and the boys, Mom and I would put on our summer shorts and tees); watching movies, tv, home videos. Snacky foods and nibbles. And of course, by the time the countdown rolled around, we'd all be hyper and giddy and screaming, "10...9...8...7...!" Us kids, the boys in particular, would pretend to be drunk off our 'wine'. There would usually be a contest between us kids who could stay up the latest and most years Trapper would win, because poor little Levi would just zonk out after the countdown and there was no way I could keep up with wiry, hyper little Trapper. I think there were a few times Mom and Dad had friends over for a little NYE party, in which case all those listed activities were carried out to the nth degree, only with more adults and kids adding to the merriment and loudness. I'm pretty sure on those occasions, with drunken adults paying no attention to us kids, we would sneak some real wine (or booze) and then the fun would REALLY start. And we would devote hours to 'spying' on the adults. Haha, good times...
5. What was the best way you've ever spent New Year's Eve?
I've enjoyed all our New Years Eve's together, but two in particular were very memorable. The Y2K countdown (remember how everyone thought it would be the end of the world and the power grid would fail?) we spent in Edmonton at Christine and Joel's house. Gunnar was a little over a year old and being the perfect angel he was, he played nicely, ate his dinner, then went nicely and quietly to bed. Now, at the time Tyler didn't know he had a wheat allergy, so he'd brought a case of beer to drink, which he put on the deck to get cold and then forgot about until hours later, when the beer had frozen. He was so upset about the waste of money that he stubbornly refused to throw them out, and ended up drinking them all! Of course, we all know what happens when you drink thawed frozen beer; add to that a wheat allergy and you can guess his reaction. He got staggeringly drunk in like half an hour and ended up passed out in the hallway in front of the bedroom we were going to sleep in. Poor Christine had the flu so she was on the couch, half-dozing the whole night. So it was just me and Joel, steadily drinking and making small talk while we watched this momentous countdown on tv, waiting for the world's power grids to fail and for some spectacular catastrophe to occur, which it didn't. Then Joel tucked poor sick Chris in bed while I heaved and hauled my passed out guy from the hallway into the room. I was so mad that I just left him on the floor beside the bed, without even covers. So that was a memorable NYE.
The other NYE that brings back good memories is probably the year before that other one, because Gunnar was just wee. We lived in that apartment right downtown and we were excited because there was going to be a huge NYE festival-type thing just down the street from us, at the field by the elementary school. Julie, Randy and their boys (only 4 of them at the time) came in to town, and I believe Tari and Dave did as well, with little Scarlet and Kimmie. We all walked down to the field together, drank hot chocolate, mingled in the crowd while the kids ran around together, and then there was the countdown with the entire crowd yelling out together. And THEN, a huge fireworks display! Gunnar was fast asleep all warm and cozy in his stroller and I remember looking up into Ty's face as fireworks exploded overhead and the crowd oohed-and-aahed, and thinking "This is the best New Year's Eve ever!"
Usually until mid-January, although one time it was still up on my birthday! (Which is the 27th.) I have to be 'in the mood' to take it down, you know? The sheer volume of Christmassey stuff I have to take down and get all packed away neatly and properly in the 3 giant bins, it really requires a good solid full day. So if I don't have the time or energy to devote to that project, UN-decking the halls, as it were, it just doesn't get done.
2. Do you have plans for New Year's Eve?
Our plans for tonight are as follows: eat, drink, be merry, watch movies, play the many board games we got for Christmas, laugh, stay up late, let the kids drink their 'wine' (sparkling juice or Baby Duck), and do the countdown, then hit the sack in drunken splendor.
3. Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
Many, many. To be discussed in a later post.
4. How did you spend New Year's Eve when you were younger?
Mom and Dad would always have a bottle of Baby Duck for us young'uns. Depending on the ferocity of the weather, we'd usually have a roaring bonfire out by Muckletoose, roasting wienies and marshmallows. The video camera would be rolling to catch all our hijinks and antics. Lots of bellylaughs and stories told. If it was just too cold outside, we'd cuddle up on the couch in the livingroom, the wood-burning stove going full-blast until we were sweating and in our undies (in the case of Dad and the boys, Mom and I would put on our summer shorts and tees); watching movies, tv, home videos. Snacky foods and nibbles. And of course, by the time the countdown rolled around, we'd all be hyper and giddy and screaming, "10...9...8...7...!" Us kids, the boys in particular, would pretend to be drunk off our 'wine'. There would usually be a contest between us kids who could stay up the latest and most years Trapper would win, because poor little Levi would just zonk out after the countdown and there was no way I could keep up with wiry, hyper little Trapper. I think there were a few times Mom and Dad had friends over for a little NYE party, in which case all those listed activities were carried out to the nth degree, only with more adults and kids adding to the merriment and loudness. I'm pretty sure on those occasions, with drunken adults paying no attention to us kids, we would sneak some real wine (or booze) and then the fun would REALLY start. And we would devote hours to 'spying' on the adults. Haha, good times...
5. What was the best way you've ever spent New Year's Eve?
I've enjoyed all our New Years Eve's together, but two in particular were very memorable. The Y2K countdown (remember how everyone thought it would be the end of the world and the power grid would fail?) we spent in Edmonton at Christine and Joel's house. Gunnar was a little over a year old and being the perfect angel he was, he played nicely, ate his dinner, then went nicely and quietly to bed. Now, at the time Tyler didn't know he had a wheat allergy, so he'd brought a case of beer to drink, which he put on the deck to get cold and then forgot about until hours later, when the beer had frozen. He was so upset about the waste of money that he stubbornly refused to throw them out, and ended up drinking them all! Of course, we all know what happens when you drink thawed frozen beer; add to that a wheat allergy and you can guess his reaction. He got staggeringly drunk in like half an hour and ended up passed out in the hallway in front of the bedroom we were going to sleep in. Poor Christine had the flu so she was on the couch, half-dozing the whole night. So it was just me and Joel, steadily drinking and making small talk while we watched this momentous countdown on tv, waiting for the world's power grids to fail and for some spectacular catastrophe to occur, which it didn't. Then Joel tucked poor sick Chris in bed while I heaved and hauled my passed out guy from the hallway into the room. I was so mad that I just left him on the floor beside the bed, without even covers. So that was a memorable NYE.
The other NYE that brings back good memories is probably the year before that other one, because Gunnar was just wee. We lived in that apartment right downtown and we were excited because there was going to be a huge NYE festival-type thing just down the street from us, at the field by the elementary school. Julie, Randy and their boys (only 4 of them at the time) came in to town, and I believe Tari and Dave did as well, with little Scarlet and Kimmie. We all walked down to the field together, drank hot chocolate, mingled in the crowd while the kids ran around together, and then there was the countdown with the entire crowd yelling out together. And THEN, a huge fireworks display! Gunnar was fast asleep all warm and cozy in his stroller and I remember looking up into Ty's face as fireworks exploded overhead and the crowd oohed-and-aahed, and thinking "This is the best New Year's Eve ever!"
Friday, December 3, 2010
Five Question Friday
1. What's on the top of your holiday wish list and why?!
A sweet new camera, mine sucks! Okay, well, it doesn't really but have you seen the new cameras out there? Mine is a Kodak EasyShare C813, pink, and I picked it up on sale last Christmas for $70. So it was a good deal, and it does take good pics and video, too. But it doesn't hold that many pics (internal memory is like 10 pics, sucky) and the memory card I have only holds like 60. To record a video uses like all the memory. And a lot of the pics come out dark so I have to fix them up with my photo editing software. For once, I'd like a camera where you just point and click, it takes perfect pics the first time, has tons of memory, and all the bells and whistles other cameras have. You know?
2. What is your favorite Christmas gift from the past?
The Adam Lambert cd I got last Christmas, duhhhh! (Thanks Amber and Levi!) As well, the set of 7 books (about the Fae) from mom, the photo frame with all the pics of the kids (also L&A), all my gifts from Chrissy over the years (Avon makeup last xmas, woohooo!!!), jewelry from Hubs and the kids, and so much more I can't even list them all...
3. If you had life to do over, what would you be when you grow up?
Dumb question, I've answered this like three times before. Next!
4. When do you put up your tree?
Usually the first week in December. We have ZERO hockey this weekend (a true Christmas miracle) so it looks like tomorrow or Sunday will be the day. Yay! I love Christmas, which answers this next question...
5. What is your favorite Holiday?
A sweet new camera, mine sucks! Okay, well, it doesn't really but have you seen the new cameras out there? Mine is a Kodak EasyShare C813, pink, and I picked it up on sale last Christmas for $70. So it was a good deal, and it does take good pics and video, too. But it doesn't hold that many pics (internal memory is like 10 pics, sucky) and the memory card I have only holds like 60. To record a video uses like all the memory. And a lot of the pics come out dark so I have to fix them up with my photo editing software. For once, I'd like a camera where you just point and click, it takes perfect pics the first time, has tons of memory, and all the bells and whistles other cameras have. You know?
2. What is your favorite Christmas gift from the past?
The Adam Lambert cd I got last Christmas, duhhhh! (Thanks Amber and Levi!) As well, the set of 7 books (about the Fae) from mom, the photo frame with all the pics of the kids (also L&A), all my gifts from Chrissy over the years (Avon makeup last xmas, woohooo!!!), jewelry from Hubs and the kids, and so much more I can't even list them all...
3. If you had life to do over, what would you be when you grow up?
Dumb question, I've answered this like three times before. Next!
4. When do you put up your tree?
Usually the first week in December. We have ZERO hockey this weekend (a true Christmas miracle) so it looks like tomorrow or Sunday will be the day. Yay! I love Christmas, which answers this next question...
5. What is your favorite Holiday?
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Just... UGH.
I love my boys, I really do. You know I do. But sometimes... I tell ya, that old family threat of "I'm going to sell you to the Indians!" (or was it gypsies?) really sounds good.
There is a certain behaviour that children exhibit, more specifically - MALE children, that just makes me want to SCREAM!! And I can't even say that they grow out of it because my youngest brother is a perfect example (and Amber, I know you know what I'm talking about). He still continues to do it to this day, and he flat out admits to doing it!
WIPING SNOT ON THE WALL.
I'm about done, people. DONE. For some strange reason I was in a cleaning mode this morning, took a microfiber cloth to the china cabinet, baseboards, shelves, etc. And then I thought, 'Hmm, might as well do a couple of walls while I'm at it.' Bad idea. Bad, bad idea.
You know, it wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't such a blatant, obvious display of "I-know-this-is-wrong-and-gross-but-I'm-still-going-to-do-it". You don't accidentally wipe snot on the wall. Doesn't happen that way. And if I've told them once, I've told them a thousand times: WIPE IT ON YOUR DAMN SHIRT.
Which may horrify and disgust you but think about it. That way, you never have to see it, never have to touch it, you don't even know its there. The shirt goes into the wash, comes out clean. Easy. Done.
On the frickin' wall? Try getting that stuff off with just a cloth, I dare you. Its impossible. No, you have to wrap a cloth around your finger and then SCRAPE with your fingernail. And the entire time, your brain is stuck on repeat: This is snot. This is snot. Dried, hardened snot. This is snot.
And also, its frickin' embarrassing! Try explaining THAT to guests when they come over. "Oh, don't mind that. Just leftovers from last month's cold. Sorry you leaned against it, though."
And another thing... it also wouldn't be so bad if it was just one or two snots on the wall. But I counted six! And that was just on one wall, in one general area! Not even the entire wall! If I did the math (which will probably come out wrong, I don't claim to be Einstein), that small area was about 1/6th the size of the whole wall. So multiply that by 6, you're looking at at least 36 snots! Just on the one wall! I have like a billion walls in this house!
What the hell is wrong with my children? No, seriously. Levi, maybe you can explain to us in the comments the mindset of a snot-wiper. Is it just habit, or a deeper compulsion? Like, 'you didn't buy me the video game I wanted so ha-HA!'
I don't get it.
But I tell ya, I'm about at the point with those boys that I'm going to threaten that they have to scrape those snots off with their TEETH, every last one. And when I have them utterly believing, crying and begging, promising on the birth of their firstborn that they will never, EVER snot-wipe again... then, I will hand them the putty knife.
I need a cigarette.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Five Question Friday
1. What is the most physically painful thing that has ever happened to you?
Memory is a strange thing; something that you'd swear was the most physically painful thing to ever happen to you, loses its intensity over time and you think 'Eh, it wasn't that bad'. So with that in mind, the few that stick out in my mind are kinda tied for first place. Getting the tubes and stitches pulled out after my breast reduction surgery, almost fainted that time. In labor with Milena, being told by the nurses that I had to stop the urge to push or she would be strangled to death, and having to keep that urgent need in check for over an hour! I seriously wanted someone to knock me out with a blow to the head or else just cut me open right there in the delivery room and pull her out to safety. After my wisdom tooth surgery, when Ryder bashed his head into that one spot on my jaw, I blacked out for a few seconds and literally saw stars. All these things happened to me as an adult but there is one thing I'll always remember as being physically agonizing, and that is when I was six years old and had my back problem. One of the disks between my vertebrae was dissolving for some mysterious reason, and the vertebrae would rub together with even the slightest movement. I remember one night waking up with the urgent need to pee and not being able to walk to the bathroom, so I dragged/pulled myself along the floor to reach the bathroom, sobbing with pain. My mom must have heard the commotion and came rushing upstairs. She was just devastated. I think up until that point she hadn't taken my sore-back claims seriously, thinking I was just making up excuses not to have to do my chores. Thank God the whole thing was eventually figured out and I healed up.
2. How much sleep do you get at night?
Depends when I go to bed. Usually I fall asleep (that's the key phrase because I can go to bed early but not fall asleep until hours later) around midnight-1am. Sometimes later. Weekdays my alarm is set for 6:45am, weekends (depending on hockey schedules) I get to sleep in a tiny bit later and am up at 7:30am. I'll let you do the math.
3. How long did you believe in Santa Claus? How did you find out that he does not exist?
I honestly can't remember what age I was and the exact moment of horrifying discovery. I do recall being older, maybe 8 or 9 (because I know my brothers were between 4-6 at the time), it was Christmas Eve and we were all sleeping together, so excited and unable to sleep, whispering about what Santa was going to bring us. And suddenly we heard a loud THUMP on the roof, then more thumps and what actually sounded like footsteps! And I remember thinking, "Wow, Dad is really going to a lot of trouble just to keeps us believing in Santa", but then logic kicked in and I realized that Mom would NEVER allow Dad to climb the rickety old ladder and stomp about on a steep icy roof during the middle of the night. So cynicism turned to wonder and in that moment, I really truly believed.
4. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?
Toy Story 3 with Milena and Ryder. Lena was invited to a school friend's birthday party that was being held at the theater; parents and siblings were also invited (which was so nice!). That was actually Ryder's first movie in a theatre, he did great and really enjoyed the show, as did I. In fact, the damn stupid movie made me cry, not just once but twice! Pretty embarrassing when Lena noticed and in her overly-loud whisper voice, alerted everyone to the fact, "Mom, are you CRYING?! Why are you CRYING?!"
5. What do you wear to bed?
Depends what mood I'm in. If its a good mood, I have a couple of sexy nighties I really like. If its a bad mood (or else a certain time of the month, and you're welcome for that TMI) then I have a really long black sleeveless dress-type thing that Mom brought back from Mexico for me. Many years ago, I used to sleep in the buff but that ended once I realized that little ones tend to barge in uninvited, pull back the covers and crawl in beside you. Oh, and one time I had a traumatizing dream that the house was on fire and I ended up on the front lawn totally naked with neighbors looking on from their yards. And so ended that phase.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Levi & Amber, you are LOVED
As I mentioned in my previous post, Levi and Amber came by to drop off a movie (the just-released Beauty & The Beast disney dvd) and some cookies for the kids. You know, probably just something that is, to them, nothing.
But to me, to the kids, it is EVERYTHING.
As kids growing up, my brothers and I never really had 'relationships' with our aunts and uncles. Sure we saw them at family events. And sure we loved them. I especially loved it when my mom and her two sisters would get together. I would sit there and just watch them interacting with each other, the laughing, the inside jokes, the same sense of humor. And I loved it! I always thought my aunties were hilarious! But I wouldn't necessarily say that we had special relationships, or that they went out of their way to visit and interact with us. And that was fine, because its just the way it was. We didn't know any different. I'm telling you this because the point I'm trying to make is that its not like we had role models, per se, when it came to being an aunt or uncle. No real point of reference there.
So I know that Levi's role of 'uncle' comes from the heart, its REAL; he acts the way he does towards and with my kids because he's just doing what comes naturally to him. As for Amber, I can't say what kind of aunty role models she's had or the impact they've made on her (I DO know that she bawled when she found out her one aunt had travelled here just for the bridal shower!). But I could not ask for a better Aunty for my kids and Amber, I can honestly say that you are going to make one HELL of a mother and I cannot wait to witness first-hand the amazing job you'll do!
Levi and Amber have always taken a very active role in my children's lives. For a while there it was certainly easier because we had regular family dinners and would see each other on a weekly basis. But even when those became sporadic, they still made an effort to see the kids and do fun stuff together.
Taking all the kids (or sometimes just one! And you know THAT was special for that particular child) to a movie. Meeting up at a park to play with the kids. Going for long walks together. Coming over for quick little visits with treats for the kids. Coming to the Westerner Fair with us and then the two of them taking the little ones on the baby rides so me and the boys could do the big rides. Bringing over something that might help with Ard's warts. So many other instances where, just by their INTEREST in them, they've shown my kids how much they are loved and appreciated.
I cannot even begin to express how it makes me feel. I am in awe, I am utterly impressed, I am proud of you both, I am so deeply touched. I appreciate, I marvel, I get a bit teary. And I am just so damn thankful to have two such special people in my life and the lives of my children!
Levi and Amber, you have set the 'aunty and uncle' bar SO high, I don't even know how I can ever compare when you two start having kids.
Maybe I could just be the Crazy Candy Aunty, who brings awesome cool candy???
But to me, to the kids, it is EVERYTHING.
As kids growing up, my brothers and I never really had 'relationships' with our aunts and uncles. Sure we saw them at family events. And sure we loved them. I especially loved it when my mom and her two sisters would get together. I would sit there and just watch them interacting with each other, the laughing, the inside jokes, the same sense of humor. And I loved it! I always thought my aunties were hilarious! But I wouldn't necessarily say that we had special relationships, or that they went out of their way to visit and interact with us. And that was fine, because its just the way it was. We didn't know any different. I'm telling you this because the point I'm trying to make is that its not like we had role models, per se, when it came to being an aunt or uncle. No real point of reference there.
So I know that Levi's role of 'uncle' comes from the heart, its REAL; he acts the way he does towards and with my kids because he's just doing what comes naturally to him. As for Amber, I can't say what kind of aunty role models she's had or the impact they've made on her (I DO know that she bawled when she found out her one aunt had travelled here just for the bridal shower!). But I could not ask for a better Aunty for my kids and Amber, I can honestly say that you are going to make one HELL of a mother and I cannot wait to witness first-hand the amazing job you'll do!
Levi and Amber have always taken a very active role in my children's lives. For a while there it was certainly easier because we had regular family dinners and would see each other on a weekly basis. But even when those became sporadic, they still made an effort to see the kids and do fun stuff together.
Taking all the kids (or sometimes just one! And you know THAT was special for that particular child) to a movie. Meeting up at a park to play with the kids. Going for long walks together. Coming over for quick little visits with treats for the kids. Coming to the Westerner Fair with us and then the two of them taking the little ones on the baby rides so me and the boys could do the big rides. Bringing over something that might help with Ard's warts. So many other instances where, just by their INTEREST in them, they've shown my kids how much they are loved and appreciated.
I cannot even begin to express how it makes me feel. I am in awe, I am utterly impressed, I am proud of you both, I am so deeply touched. I appreciate, I marvel, I get a bit teary. And I am just so damn thankful to have two such special people in my life and the lives of my children!
Levi and Amber, you have set the 'aunty and uncle' bar SO high, I don't even know how I can ever compare when you two start having kids.
Maybe I could just be the Crazy Candy Aunty, who brings awesome cool candy???
Update: Wisdom Teeth
I was cocky. I bragged that I led a charmed life. Well, it all came back to bite me on the butt, big time. (Or the TOOTH, as it were.)
Monday I had my post-surgery consult with the oral surgeon, as I reported it was fine, great. That night, I started feeling nauseous and out of nowhere, just started puking my guts out. AGONY. I could feel my mouth trying to stretch wide and I tried, I really did, to keep it closed but puke doesn't care. The body can't help what it wants to do. It felt like something wrenched in my jaw area on that one side and it was like an explosion of the most intense pain I've ever felt.
The nauseous-ness continued on to Tuesday. After that first time, I was so paranoid of my jaw doing that wrenching-thing again that I was frantic to stave off future vomiting episodes. Plus I really needed something for the pain. So I took a couple of percocet and ate a yogurt, hoping the food would calm the nausea that usually accompanies the taking of the percocet. But no, that just fed the fire, excuse the pun.
And so began a vicious circle; puking, taking a pain pill with food and water, then puking it all back out again, and so on. I wasted a TON of my precious percs.
Finally, by Tuesday night whatever 24-hour bug I picked up ran its course. Blessed relief.
Early Wednesday morning: as I'm packing the kids' lunches, I bent down to give Ryder his good-morning-hug and the little DICK (no 'ens' on that one) rammed his big ole rockhead right into my jaw, RIGHT on that one painful spot. On purpose!
I just about blacked out from the pain. I thought what I felt during that first puke episode was the epitome of pain, well. That was nothing compared to this. Instantly I was hunched over, waves of nausea, light-headed, jaw THROBBING. It felt like the inside of my mouth had exploded. Immediately I popped two percs, pulled up my big girl panties, and finished the morning routine of packing lunches, getting breakfasts ready, hustling the kids through their routines of brushing teeth, getting dressed, etc. All on autopilot, all done while waiting for the meds to kick in.
Which they did, for a brief hour. An hour! And then the pain returned. And it was horrific. I wanted to take more pills but I only had two left, so I waited as long as I dared, made it to noon. Took those last two pills with a prayer that the relief would be longer this time. And they definitely did take the edge off but there was still that constant throb.
And what a day for visitors. My cousin Kim called out of the blue and asked if she could come over for a visit as it was her lunch break. I'd mentioned in the past that she should come over for coffee and a chat, so I WAS happy that she took me up on the offer. Most people just say 'sure!' and then you never hear from them. So I said yes, come on over. But part of me was like, 'Really, today of all days?' When I was wandering around in a perc-and-pain daze, looked like absolute SHIT, greasy hair, unwashed body, wearing dirty clothes? Because of the pain, I was in that mood where I just didn't care. And I told her that on the phone, that I was a complete mess, so she was forewarned.
And of course, being a hair stylist, she was dressed all snazzy, awesome hair, looking friggin' GREAT (she's lost at least 20 pounds since I last saw her, I swear!). So we had our coffee and somewhat-awkward chitchat -- being that we don't have a whole lot in common beside kids and husbands and messy houses. Lol! But those DO make great topics of conversation, so it was all good.
Later that night, Levi and Amber stopped by to drop off a movie for the kids and cookies. Levi could tell that I wasn't myself, he noticed it at once just by the way I opened the door! Hah.
So yeah, not a very good night. And not a very good Thursday (today) either. I knew, I knew, that something was very wrong with my mouth. I called the surgeon's office and she said to come in right away and they'd fit me in. Ryder and I arrived at the office and were there probably a good half hour before they called us back to the doctor's room. He took a look and of all the things I'd braced myself to hear (infection, dry sockets, exposed nerve, abscess) it was NOT this:
"There's some food impacted in the site."
Uh, what now? Friggin' FOOD?! You mean to say that the source of all this agony was some bits of G-D food? I felt like a beast, a slobbish pig of a beast!
He assured me that that was very common and it was definitely a good thing I came in because it would have turned to an infection in a day or two. He used a cool little water-pick looking thing, basically a syringe with a long curved tip, to flush the food out and it was GROSS! I was just so, so embarrassed. He gave me one of those syringes to take home and advised that I use it after each meal to keep the site clean. So now I'm paranoid about it happening again and I've been flushing the area constantly.
So yeah. Brought down from my charmed-life pedestal by a piece of food. Niiiice.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Five Question Friday
1. Did you have a pen pal when you were little (or now)? Where were/are they from?
I had totally forgotten until just now that I DID have a penpal, two actually! The school started a penpal program and we could choose one from a long list; I chose a girl from Thailand. I must admit she was better at the whole penpal thing than I was -- she would send me letters with little gifts enclosed, usually origami animals or beautifully decorated bookmarks that she made herself. I was always in awe that she made those things! And her letters were always so neatly printed and full of really interesting things about her daily life. Mine were utterly boring, I'm sure; talk about school and friends, life on an acreage, boys. Maybe to her they were interesting, just because our lives were so different, who knows. I would recieve a letter from her probably about once every couple of months or so. My letters in return were more sporadic, usually when I finally remembered to reply. Bad me! The other penpal I had was from Australia, I think. Only corresponded with her a couple of times then I think we both sort of lost interest. Eventually my Thai penpal quit corresponding, I think because she graduated (she was older than me, obviously), but we had a good two-or-three year run.
2. If you could do a different job for one day, what would it be?
Sometimes I think I'd like to try nursing. This is usually brought on by being on the recieving end of a really special nurse who has made an impact on me. When I was in labor with Gunnar, I had a Scottish nurse who took me under her wing, I was a scared-shitless eighteen year old going through this scary process and she comforted me like I was her own daughter; and yet she wasn't afraid to scold me when I said "I can't do this!" or to give me tough-love encouragement ("You got yourself into this, you can darn well finish it!" and that was exactly what I needed to hear). Something about nurses like that make one think that if you have those qualities of empathy and encouragement, that you could help someone else like that. Of course, then I remember that I don't take demands very well and that people start to annoy me after a while. Nurses are a very special breed and I honestly don't think I have the capacity to be a truly good one.
3. Do you remember your biggest fear from when you were little?
Being kidnapped or else having my mom or brothers die. I used to have nightmares about that all the time.
4. What do you think is a waste of time? Why?
Trying to reason with a bratty kid. I know that sounds harsh, but its true. I always see kids having meltdowns and the parent is practically kissing their ass to get them to behave. I call that a "first-time parent thing", haha. And yes, I do remember doing that as well. When we just had Gunnar and I had it in my head that I would be the best parent ever, I would do everything the child-rearing books said, try to reason with him, calm him down, promise this and that, try to talk it out with him. Once I had more kids, I realized that's all just a waste of time. What a kid in melt-down mode really needs is for the parent to step in, set firm guidelines and then follow through.
In most cases, the child's emotions are raging out of control, they don't know how to process what they're feeling, usually they can't even identify what exactly it is they're feeling. I remember teaching Gunnar the difference between feeling angry, confused, sad, jealous, nervous (remember? "nervous and allergic"?? lol), so that when he did get overwhelmed with emotion, he could use his words to describe why he was upset. So I'm a big advocate of taking a firm hand during tantrums. And I don't mean beating the child or anything like that. I just mean, recognizing that the situation has gotten out of hand, that no amount of talking or reasoning is going to help, and that sometimes you just have to say "Enough!", take the child to a quiet place, tell them you will come back when they have calmed down enough to talk, and then follow through. I do not believe in spanking during tantrums. A tantrum is usually just an overflow of confusing emotions being expressed the only way a child knows how; I would never punish the child for that. Spanking is saved for situations when its called for, like intentionally hurting someone, doing something self-harmful like running into the street when a car is coming, etc.
5. What is the oldest item you have in your closet?
I have a pair of white jeans, size 30, from before I had Gunnar. I remember buying them for the start of grade 12 and they were my absolute favorite pair of jeans. I looked hot in them. So I've kept them for all these years because they're my "one day" jeans. One day I'll be able to wear them again, hahah. I also have a really cute jean jacket from those days as well.
I had totally forgotten until just now that I DID have a penpal, two actually! The school started a penpal program and we could choose one from a long list; I chose a girl from Thailand. I must admit she was better at the whole penpal thing than I was -- she would send me letters with little gifts enclosed, usually origami animals or beautifully decorated bookmarks that she made herself. I was always in awe that she made those things! And her letters were always so neatly printed and full of really interesting things about her daily life. Mine were utterly boring, I'm sure; talk about school and friends, life on an acreage, boys. Maybe to her they were interesting, just because our lives were so different, who knows. I would recieve a letter from her probably about once every couple of months or so. My letters in return were more sporadic, usually when I finally remembered to reply. Bad me! The other penpal I had was from Australia, I think. Only corresponded with her a couple of times then I think we both sort of lost interest. Eventually my Thai penpal quit corresponding, I think because she graduated (she was older than me, obviously), but we had a good two-or-three year run.
2. If you could do a different job for one day, what would it be?
Sometimes I think I'd like to try nursing. This is usually brought on by being on the recieving end of a really special nurse who has made an impact on me. When I was in labor with Gunnar, I had a Scottish nurse who took me under her wing, I was a scared-shitless eighteen year old going through this scary process and she comforted me like I was her own daughter; and yet she wasn't afraid to scold me when I said "I can't do this!" or to give me tough-love encouragement ("You got yourself into this, you can darn well finish it!" and that was exactly what I needed to hear). Something about nurses like that make one think that if you have those qualities of empathy and encouragement, that you could help someone else like that. Of course, then I remember that I don't take demands very well and that people start to annoy me after a while. Nurses are a very special breed and I honestly don't think I have the capacity to be a truly good one.
3. Do you remember your biggest fear from when you were little?
Being kidnapped or else having my mom or brothers die. I used to have nightmares about that all the time.
4. What do you think is a waste of time? Why?
Trying to reason with a bratty kid. I know that sounds harsh, but its true. I always see kids having meltdowns and the parent is practically kissing their ass to get them to behave. I call that a "first-time parent thing", haha. And yes, I do remember doing that as well. When we just had Gunnar and I had it in my head that I would be the best parent ever, I would do everything the child-rearing books said, try to reason with him, calm him down, promise this and that, try to talk it out with him. Once I had more kids, I realized that's all just a waste of time. What a kid in melt-down mode really needs is for the parent to step in, set firm guidelines and then follow through.
In most cases, the child's emotions are raging out of control, they don't know how to process what they're feeling, usually they can't even identify what exactly it is they're feeling. I remember teaching Gunnar the difference between feeling angry, confused, sad, jealous, nervous (remember? "nervous and allergic"?? lol), so that when he did get overwhelmed with emotion, he could use his words to describe why he was upset. So I'm a big advocate of taking a firm hand during tantrums. And I don't mean beating the child or anything like that. I just mean, recognizing that the situation has gotten out of hand, that no amount of talking or reasoning is going to help, and that sometimes you just have to say "Enough!", take the child to a quiet place, tell them you will come back when they have calmed down enough to talk, and then follow through. I do not believe in spanking during tantrums. A tantrum is usually just an overflow of confusing emotions being expressed the only way a child knows how; I would never punish the child for that. Spanking is saved for situations when its called for, like intentionally hurting someone, doing something self-harmful like running into the street when a car is coming, etc.
5. What is the oldest item you have in your closet?
I have a pair of white jeans, size 30, from before I had Gunnar. I remember buying them for the start of grade 12 and they were my absolute favorite pair of jeans. I looked hot in them. So I've kept them for all these years because they're my "one day" jeans. One day I'll be able to wear them again, hahah. I also have a really cute jean jacket from those days as well.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Five Question Friday
1. What is the first nightmare you remember?
Didn't I just do a post about this subject? The first nightmare I remember is the one about the grinning skeletons in the forest, hanging from nooses, while I ran frantically down a dark, narrow path. I believe I was around three or four at the time.
2. Even if you're not a sports fan, what's your favorite sport to play/watch?
I like to play soccer and badminton; I also like playing catch, and sometimes even volleyball (though I always make the ball go soaring in the opposite direction I want it to). I like to watch hockey, but only if its live; I can't stand hockey on tv because the non-stop commentary irks me (mostly because I don't understand all the jargon). I love watching the summer Olympics, especially the water sports like diving, synchronized swimming (not lane swimming though, borrrring); and the gymnastic events like the uneven bars, floor routines, balance beam, etc. I also really like figure skating. I was privileged enough last year to see Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's emotional and breath-taking Gold-winning Olympic performance. On tv, not live, didn't mean to make it sound that way. But the tv commentary person even agreed that it was second only to Torville and Dean's Olympic performance back in the 80s (which I have seen on youtube and agree that it was the most elegant, flowing, emotional, stunning ice performance EVER).
3. If you could pull off one piece of trendy fashion, what would you want it to be (jeggings, hats, thigh high boots, etc.)?
Omg, I would never wear jeggings (jean leggings), ack! But that look, of the skinny jeans/pants, is one I wish I could pull off gracefully and stylishly; instead, I'd look like an apple on toothpicks, lol! Also, I've always wished I could pull off a cool scarf, wrapped funk-ily. I now know that my own friggin' Diva Fashionista daughter, at age five, can pull off that look (thanks Granny Hag, its her new favorite outfit, she wore it to school today!) like she's been doing it all her life. She even knows three different ways to tie/wrap the scarf. And she looks amazing! So funky and cool and just plain awesome. I'd probably look like a nerd who was trying too hard to be cool. *sigh*
4. Did you make good grades in school?
Of course! I was lucky, though, to be blessed with a photographic memory and a genuine love of learning. School came easy to me, I never had to study for tests or exams (at least until grade 12, when suddenly I found myself having to make an effort to get those good grades, it SUCKED!). The subject that was easiest for me was always English; I aced all the essays, words and thoughts just seemed to flow onto the page. It helped that in the eyes of Mrs. Berry, the English teacher, I could do no wrong, I was her Golden Child. She even asked to keep a copy of my "The Art of Being Cheap" short satirical essay, and years later my brothers excitedly told me that they were studying the "composition" of that very essay in their English class! Kind of thrilling: my one educational claim-to-fame, haha. Also, I do recall that grade nine math was a cinch, 100% or close to on every test. (What can I say, I loved algebra.)
5. What magazines do you subscribe to?
None at the moment. I used to subscribe to Star magazine (celeb gossip) because the school was having a magazine fundraiser and I got the subscription for like 80% off what the average person would have to pay. $20 or something for a year's subscription, can't beat that. Of course, now I just get all my celeb gossip from my favorite websites, like A Socialite's Life, Bitten and Bound, D-Listed, Celebitchy, In Case You Didn't Know, Crazy Days and Nights (great blind items), and Celebrity Smack.
Didn't I just do a post about this subject? The first nightmare I remember is the one about the grinning skeletons in the forest, hanging from nooses, while I ran frantically down a dark, narrow path. I believe I was around three or four at the time.
2. Even if you're not a sports fan, what's your favorite sport to play/watch?
I like to play soccer and badminton; I also like playing catch, and sometimes even volleyball (though I always make the ball go soaring in the opposite direction I want it to). I like to watch hockey, but only if its live; I can't stand hockey on tv because the non-stop commentary irks me (mostly because I don't understand all the jargon). I love watching the summer Olympics, especially the water sports like diving, synchronized swimming (not lane swimming though, borrrring); and the gymnastic events like the uneven bars, floor routines, balance beam, etc. I also really like figure skating. I was privileged enough last year to see Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's emotional and breath-taking Gold-winning Olympic performance. On tv, not live, didn't mean to make it sound that way. But the tv commentary person even agreed that it was second only to Torville and Dean's Olympic performance back in the 80s (which I have seen on youtube and agree that it was the most elegant, flowing, emotional, stunning ice performance EVER).
3. If you could pull off one piece of trendy fashion, what would you want it to be (jeggings, hats, thigh high boots, etc.)?
Omg, I would never wear jeggings (jean leggings), ack! But that look, of the skinny jeans/pants, is one I wish I could pull off gracefully and stylishly; instead, I'd look like an apple on toothpicks, lol! Also, I've always wished I could pull off a cool scarf, wrapped funk-ily. I now know that my own friggin' Diva Fashionista daughter, at age five, can pull off that look (thanks Granny Hag, its her new favorite outfit, she wore it to school today!) like she's been doing it all her life. She even knows three different ways to tie/wrap the scarf. And she looks amazing! So funky and cool and just plain awesome. I'd probably look like a nerd who was trying too hard to be cool. *sigh*
4. Did you make good grades in school?
Of course! I was lucky, though, to be blessed with a photographic memory and a genuine love of learning. School came easy to me, I never had to study for tests or exams (at least until grade 12, when suddenly I found myself having to make an effort to get those good grades, it SUCKED!). The subject that was easiest for me was always English; I aced all the essays, words and thoughts just seemed to flow onto the page. It helped that in the eyes of Mrs. Berry, the English teacher, I could do no wrong, I was her Golden Child. She even asked to keep a copy of my "The Art of Being Cheap" short satirical essay, and years later my brothers excitedly told me that they were studying the "composition" of that very essay in their English class! Kind of thrilling: my one educational claim-to-fame, haha. Also, I do recall that grade nine math was a cinch, 100% or close to on every test. (What can I say, I loved algebra.)
5. What magazines do you subscribe to?
None at the moment. I used to subscribe to Star magazine (celeb gossip) because the school was having a magazine fundraiser and I got the subscription for like 80% off what the average person would have to pay. $20 or something for a year's subscription, can't beat that. Of course, now I just get all my celeb gossip from my favorite websites, like A Socialite's Life, Bitten and Bound, D-Listed, Celebitchy, In Case You Didn't Know, Crazy Days and Nights (great blind items), and Celebrity Smack.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Ardan's "disease"
(I say "disease" because that is how it was referred to in the medical book we have, and Gunnar has been delighting in telling Ardan he "has a DISEASE!", and of course then Ardan wants to strangle his brother.)
It all started last Sunday night. Ardan complained of a sore throat, "Mom, I think I have strep throat!", which immediately freaked me out because we have such a history with that. But he wasn't coughing or sneezing, which is the usual sign. I said we'd just have to keep an eye on it. Monday night, his poor hands erupted in SPOTS! Tiny little red pin-pricks all over the palms. They were itchy as hell. We concluded that it must be an allergic reaction of some sort, what had he been in contact with that day? Well, he'd helped Gunnar clean the garage by sweeping the floor with our old garage-broom, and he'd moved a few boxes. Could some type of chemical been on the broom or boxes and he'd touched it? No, no chemicals, so what could it be? Gave the kid some benadryl, hoping that would do the trick.
No. In fact, the red spots spread, to only his feet, though. Itchy, red, swollen heels and soles with those damn red spots! Only now, it wasn't just his throat being sore, he said his tongue felt swollen! So I was just freaking out, convinced it was still some sort of allergic reaction. Out came the benadryl again, but as before, it didn't do a thing.
So by Wednesday night, it was a serious toss-up... take him in to the ER (possibly spending hours there just to be told to give more benadryl and wait it out) or wait til morning and try the walk-in clinic. I've had quite the experiences with the ER lately so that was ruled out. As long as Ardan wasn't having trouble breathing -- which he wasn't, just swallowing -- we'd go in the morning.
In an insane stroke of luck, the Associate walk-in clinic at the mall was practically empty and we were seen in less than ten minutes. The doctor came in, examined Ardan's hands and feet, hmmm-ing and nodding, then asked if there were any sores inside his mouth. "No, I don't think there's any sores, but he IS having problems swallowing." She looked in his mouth with a flashlight and said, "Yes, there is, his mouth is riddled with sores!" What? I felt like the worst mom ever.
She nodded her head in some type of silent agreement with herself and said, "Oh yeah, its obvious. He has Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease."
You could have heard a pin drop in that room. We all stared at her, mouths agape. "I have a DISEASE?!?" Ardan cried.
"Oh no, honey, its okay. Its just a virus, don't worry. This will pass in a few days, the spots and sores will go away. It is slightly contagious, but its one of the more milder viruses. Just keep washing your hands so your siblings don't get it." That was a relief to hear. Didn't require any medication or treatment, beyond tylenol for the mouth-pain and lots of fluids.
So we returned home and I immediately consulted my children's medical book, and sure enough, there it was. 'Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease' -- I'd never even heard of it before! The incubation period is 1-2 days, it usually starts with a sore throat and low fever (Ardan didn't have the fever), then the spots and sores come. In infants, its quite a serious illness but older children should be fine, providing they are being kept well-hydrated. (The sore throat tends to make children hesitant to drink liquids.)
But what really horrified both the kids and myself was the description of HOW the virus is transmitted: through mouth-to-mouth contact ("Ardan, did you kiss someone?", "NO!! GROSS!" haha) or by hand-to-mouth transfer of fecal matter or feces. Hence the hand-washing instruction. Gunnar and I looked at each other in complete horror, but the other kids were clueless, "What's feces?" Um, how do you tell your kid that they probably ingested poop particles? Poor Ardan. The look on his face as he listened to the explanation.
"I did NOT eat poop!" (Typical Gunnar, "You mean FECES. You ate FECES.")
So now poor Ardan is fanatical about hand-washing, and who can blame him? He must have somehow picked up the virus (from a convenience store he visited with his dad and brother on a fishing trip that Sunday, we're thinking), got it on his hands, then touched his mouth with his virus-and-feces-infected hand. He'll probably need therapy for this.
It all started last Sunday night. Ardan complained of a sore throat, "Mom, I think I have strep throat!", which immediately freaked me out because we have such a history with that. But he wasn't coughing or sneezing, which is the usual sign. I said we'd just have to keep an eye on it. Monday night, his poor hands erupted in SPOTS! Tiny little red pin-pricks all over the palms. They were itchy as hell. We concluded that it must be an allergic reaction of some sort, what had he been in contact with that day? Well, he'd helped Gunnar clean the garage by sweeping the floor with our old garage-broom, and he'd moved a few boxes. Could some type of chemical been on the broom or boxes and he'd touched it? No, no chemicals, so what could it be? Gave the kid some benadryl, hoping that would do the trick.
No. In fact, the red spots spread, to only his feet, though. Itchy, red, swollen heels and soles with those damn red spots! Only now, it wasn't just his throat being sore, he said his tongue felt swollen! So I was just freaking out, convinced it was still some sort of allergic reaction. Out came the benadryl again, but as before, it didn't do a thing.
So by Wednesday night, it was a serious toss-up... take him in to the ER (possibly spending hours there just to be told to give more benadryl and wait it out) or wait til morning and try the walk-in clinic. I've had quite the experiences with the ER lately so that was ruled out. As long as Ardan wasn't having trouble breathing -- which he wasn't, just swallowing -- we'd go in the morning.
In an insane stroke of luck, the Associate walk-in clinic at the mall was practically empty and we were seen in less than ten minutes. The doctor came in, examined Ardan's hands and feet, hmmm-ing and nodding, then asked if there were any sores inside his mouth. "No, I don't think there's any sores, but he IS having problems swallowing." She looked in his mouth with a flashlight and said, "Yes, there is, his mouth is riddled with sores!" What? I felt like the worst mom ever.
She nodded her head in some type of silent agreement with herself and said, "Oh yeah, its obvious. He has Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease."
You could have heard a pin drop in that room. We all stared at her, mouths agape. "I have a DISEASE?!?" Ardan cried.
"Oh no, honey, its okay. Its just a virus, don't worry. This will pass in a few days, the spots and sores will go away. It is slightly contagious, but its one of the more milder viruses. Just keep washing your hands so your siblings don't get it." That was a relief to hear. Didn't require any medication or treatment, beyond tylenol for the mouth-pain and lots of fluids.
So we returned home and I immediately consulted my children's medical book, and sure enough, there it was. 'Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease' -- I'd never even heard of it before! The incubation period is 1-2 days, it usually starts with a sore throat and low fever (Ardan didn't have the fever), then the spots and sores come. In infants, its quite a serious illness but older children should be fine, providing they are being kept well-hydrated. (The sore throat tends to make children hesitant to drink liquids.)
But what really horrified both the kids and myself was the description of HOW the virus is transmitted: through mouth-to-mouth contact ("Ardan, did you kiss someone?", "NO!! GROSS!" haha) or by hand-to-mouth transfer of fecal matter or feces. Hence the hand-washing instruction. Gunnar and I looked at each other in complete horror, but the other kids were clueless, "What's feces?" Um, how do you tell your kid that they probably ingested poop particles? Poor Ardan. The look on his face as he listened to the explanation.
"I did NOT eat poop!" (Typical Gunnar, "You mean FECES. You ate FECES.")
So now poor Ardan is fanatical about hand-washing, and who can blame him? He must have somehow picked up the virus (from a convenience store he visited with his dad and brother on a fishing trip that Sunday, we're thinking), got it on his hands, then touched his mouth with his virus-and-feces-infected hand. He'll probably need therapy for this.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Five Question Friday
1. Do you have any nicknames and if so how did it come about?
Well, I'm sure everyone knows the 'Saxy' story; if not -- one time in Superstore when I was a young teen, Mom yelled at me across the store "Saxy!", I was mortified because it sounded like 'sexy' so I pretended I didn't know her, haha. Mom also calls me 'Booey', don't know the story behind that one. Mom, you wanna tell us in the comments? Aunt Stephanie calls me Sadie, from my middle name Mercedes. Dad briefly called me Moose ('briefly' because it made me so upset) because I would clomp around the house. Oh, and a few times he called me Chester (for obvious reasons, at least back then) but he made the mistake of calling me that one time when his biker buddies were over and of course, all their eyes went to my boobs and then I think he realized that was a HORRIBLE nickname for a young woman. When my brothers were little they called me BoBo, which I absolutely despised. So I put an end to that right chicken-louie. And I think that's it for nicknames. Unless you guys can think of any??
2. What is your birth order amongst your siblings?
Oldest, and wisest. Hah. Four years older than Trapper, six years older than Levi.
3. In a movie of your life, who would play your significant other?
Well, if I got to choose it would obviously be Adam Lambert because then I could play myself and we could have all those wonderful love scenes, he he. But I'm sure Ty would FER-EEK. I think he would want someone like Johnny Depp, or Brad Pitt, or The Rock. Oh, who am I kidding, those are all still my choices (coincidentally, all on my List).
4. What is currently your favorite song?
'Somebody to Love' by Justin Bieber; also, I'm loving 'Fever' by Adam Lambert.
5. Are you saving your money for anything right now? Big or small purchase?
YES!!! We are saving up for a family trip to Disneyland in the spring!!!
Well, I'm sure everyone knows the 'Saxy' story; if not -- one time in Superstore when I was a young teen, Mom yelled at me across the store "Saxy!", I was mortified because it sounded like 'sexy' so I pretended I didn't know her, haha. Mom also calls me 'Booey', don't know the story behind that one. Mom, you wanna tell us in the comments? Aunt Stephanie calls me Sadie, from my middle name Mercedes. Dad briefly called me Moose ('briefly' because it made me so upset) because I would clomp around the house. Oh, and a few times he called me Chester (for obvious reasons, at least back then) but he made the mistake of calling me that one time when his biker buddies were over and of course, all their eyes went to my boobs and then I think he realized that was a HORRIBLE nickname for a young woman. When my brothers were little they called me BoBo, which I absolutely despised. So I put an end to that right chicken-louie. And I think that's it for nicknames. Unless you guys can think of any??
2. What is your birth order amongst your siblings?
Oldest, and wisest. Hah. Four years older than Trapper, six years older than Levi.
3. In a movie of your life, who would play your significant other?
Well, if I got to choose it would obviously be Adam Lambert because then I could play myself and we could have all those wonderful love scenes, he he. But I'm sure Ty would FER-EEK. I think he would want someone like Johnny Depp, or Brad Pitt, or The Rock. Oh, who am I kidding, those are all still my choices (coincidentally, all on my List).
4. What is currently your favorite song?
'Somebody to Love' by Justin Bieber; also, I'm loving 'Fever' by Adam Lambert.
5. Are you saving your money for anything right now? Big or small purchase?
YES!!! We are saving up for a family trip to Disneyland in the spring!!!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Dreams that resonate
Its weird, my dreams are either totally forgettable or else so strange and intense and emotional that I always remember every detail. I can recall three or four specific nightmare-type dreams from my childhood; one about skeletons, one where I was kidnapped, another where I had to choose which brother would be saved. Each one was traumatizing in its own way.
You never remember the really great dreams, do you? At least, I don't. Good dreams are common -- you win the lottery, make out with a man from your List, a vacation paradise. But bad dreams, really bad dreams, stay with a person, deep in your psyche. And its kind of funny, as an adult remembering childhood nightmares you think to yourself, 'Why was I so afraid of that?' I mean, skeletons, really? But to my four-year-old-self, running frantically through a winding path in a deep, dark, dense forest that had grinning skeletons dangling from nooses in the trees, those skeletons were the most terrifying thing ever. I remember the sheer terror I felt. I guess that is what really sticks with me, the terror. Feeling helpless and in mortal danger.
In the kidnapping nightmare, I was in the backseat of a car. My mom ran into the store to get something and a stranger jumped in and just started driving away, with me still in there. I remember I turned to look out the back window and saw my mom pressed to the glass inside the store, screaming and banging her fists.
The nightmare about my brothers was probably the first one I ever had where I was crying in real life as well as in the dream, and the sound of my own cries was what woke me. For hours afterward, I could only lie in bed shivering and shuddering, reliving the nightmare over and over, agonizing over every dream-decision made, if I could have changed the outcome by making another choice. Even though the dream was over. Even though it wasn't even real! I prayed and prayed that the dream wasn't some kind of portent for the future, like a warning of some sort to be vigilant and aware.
I always do that with dreams, over-analyze and pick it apart. Is it some hidden fear or repressed memory; maybe it IS some sort of sign and if so, what does it mean (I'm feeling some Double Rainbow there, lol); is it a warning of some sort or a glimpse of the future. And then I think I'm probably assigning it too much importance, its most likely just some mental thought bubble that worked its way to the surface, ha.
The memorable nightmares I've had as an adult have mostly revolved around a death in my family, usually one of my children but once where I lost Tyler. There was another one, the most recent from just last month, where I was the victim of a brutal rape and beating and I lost my memory and experienced bizarre and cruel personality changes. THAT one was freaky. It was like I was two people, the sane normal me I am now, and this other crazy mean person, and the sane me was conscious throughout and just couldn't understand how I could be like that.
Of course, there's the incredibly emotional and meaningful dreams I've had that have stayed with me for very different reasons. These ones leave me feeling mentally, emotionally and spiritually refreshed, if that's the right word. As if the depths of emotions, the utter lows and dizzying highs, sadness and joy, grief and peace, have affected to cleanse me of all those harbored feelings.
Which points to the reason behind my analyzing, I guess. How could something that affects me so intensely, whether its through terror or elation, be something so simple as a random brain impulse? Dreams MUST mean something.
What are your thoughts on the matter?
You never remember the really great dreams, do you? At least, I don't. Good dreams are common -- you win the lottery, make out with a man from your List, a vacation paradise. But bad dreams, really bad dreams, stay with a person, deep in your psyche. And its kind of funny, as an adult remembering childhood nightmares you think to yourself, 'Why was I so afraid of that?' I mean, skeletons, really? But to my four-year-old-self, running frantically through a winding path in a deep, dark, dense forest that had grinning skeletons dangling from nooses in the trees, those skeletons were the most terrifying thing ever. I remember the sheer terror I felt. I guess that is what really sticks with me, the terror. Feeling helpless and in mortal danger.
In the kidnapping nightmare, I was in the backseat of a car. My mom ran into the store to get something and a stranger jumped in and just started driving away, with me still in there. I remember I turned to look out the back window and saw my mom pressed to the glass inside the store, screaming and banging her fists.
The nightmare about my brothers was probably the first one I ever had where I was crying in real life as well as in the dream, and the sound of my own cries was what woke me. For hours afterward, I could only lie in bed shivering and shuddering, reliving the nightmare over and over, agonizing over every dream-decision made, if I could have changed the outcome by making another choice. Even though the dream was over. Even though it wasn't even real! I prayed and prayed that the dream wasn't some kind of portent for the future, like a warning of some sort to be vigilant and aware.
I always do that with dreams, over-analyze and pick it apart. Is it some hidden fear or repressed memory; maybe it IS some sort of sign and if so, what does it mean (I'm feeling some Double Rainbow there, lol); is it a warning of some sort or a glimpse of the future. And then I think I'm probably assigning it too much importance, its most likely just some mental thought bubble that worked its way to the surface, ha.
The memorable nightmares I've had as an adult have mostly revolved around a death in my family, usually one of my children but once where I lost Tyler. There was another one, the most recent from just last month, where I was the victim of a brutal rape and beating and I lost my memory and experienced bizarre and cruel personality changes. THAT one was freaky. It was like I was two people, the sane normal me I am now, and this other crazy mean person, and the sane me was conscious throughout and just couldn't understand how I could be like that.
Of course, there's the incredibly emotional and meaningful dreams I've had that have stayed with me for very different reasons. These ones leave me feeling mentally, emotionally and spiritually refreshed, if that's the right word. As if the depths of emotions, the utter lows and dizzying highs, sadness and joy, grief and peace, have affected to cleanse me of all those harbored feelings.
Which points to the reason behind my analyzing, I guess. How could something that affects me so intensely, whether its through terror or elation, be something so simple as a random brain impulse? Dreams MUST mean something.
What are your thoughts on the matter?
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Five Question Friday (May 7 edition)
1. What is your worst memory of your siblings?
I remember getting into a fight one time with Trapper. He was about 8-9 years old, I would have been 12-13. I had just gotten a new pair of glasses literally the day before and was so excited to wear them to school for the first time. It was morning-time and we were sitting at the table waiting until it was time to leave for the bus stop. I don't even remember why we were fighting or what it was about. The fight got out of hand and Trapper actually PUNCHED me right in the face, in the eye, and BROKE my new glasses! Cracked the lens and busted the frame! I was so livid I punched him back as hard as I could in the arm, then immediately phoned mom who was at work. I was crying hysterically. Had to wear my old glasses to school. I can't even remember if I ever did get that new pair replaced because back then it was incredibly expensive to buy me glasses, the lenses alone were about $400 because of my extreme nearsightedness. Trapper got in major trouble for that, the little shit! The only bad memories of Levi I have are all the times he ratted me out for stuff. Trapper and I realized early on never to tell Levi our secrets or let him in on what was going on because he just couldn't wait to run straight to the parents and tattle on us.
2. What was YOUR naughtiest childhood memory? (Must be something YOU did, no pawning it off on someone else!)
Lied to the parents a few times about spending the night at a friends house when I really went to a party. Oh, one time when I was 16 or 17, mom and dad took the boys on a trip to Montana and I stayed home alone for a week because I was working at A&W. On the night before they all came home, I went to a friends house party with a couple of my girlfriends. We all got really drunk, made out all night with our boyfriends, then passed out on the floor. I woke up totally hungover and freaked out when I saw what time it was. My friend drove me straight home, I ran inside, changed clothes and brushed my teeth, and my family drove down the driveway literally ten minutes after. They probably passed my friend on the road as she headed back to Sylvan! Close call. (Sorry that you're just finding this out now Mom, I was a brat!)
3. Where do you like to go to relax?
I can relax almost anywhere, as long as I have a good book to read and a comfortable place to sit or lay down.
4. What was the last thing you won?
A Dairy Queen icecream cake, from entering my name in a draw.
5. If you could be on a game show, which would you choose?
Price is Right, of course!!
Five Question Friday (April 30th edition)
1. If you could, would you go back to high school?
No, never.
2. If a genie appeared and granted you two wishes, what would they be? (And, no saying "more wishes".)
To never have to worry about financial matters again, and that my family was always safe and healthy.
3. What kids show do you secretly like?
I love Big & Small, there's a surprising amount of adult humor that goes right over the kids' heads and Small is kinda sarcastic and bossy, love it.
4. What is your beverage of choice?
It used to be diet pepsi but I can now say I am over that addiction. Most days I only drink water and skim milk, sometimes the occasional glass of juice.
5. What is something that you would change about yourself (or are working to change in yourself)?
Well you all know the answer to this question. I am currently on a mission to achieve my goal weight and measurements. I'd like to see some significant changes by the time Levi and Amber's wedding rolls around in early July, but definitely by our planned Vegas trip in November. Seeing as how I'm planning on getting all new clothes for my all new body! Can't wait.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thank You
I was moved by the Christmas spirit today and thought I'd send out some heart-felt thanks...TO GRANDMA DEA
For never hesitating to say yes when I ask if you can watch the kids for me, or for rearranging your work schedule so you can say yes; they adore you and love to spend time at your house (as evidenced by Ryder's obsession with "DD!").
TO LEVI AND AMBER
For making time in your lives and schedules to do fun activities with my kids, like taking them all swimming or to the movies; and for taking an interest in the boys' hockey games, finding out their schedules so you can attend games, even if the game is not in Sylvan (and bringing the little ones timbits!).
TO TRAPPER
For being interested in me, in my life, what I'm doing, how I'm doing; for the hours-long phone conversations we've had; for the quick little visits just to chitchat and catch up.
TO GRAMMA HAG
For calling me whenever I am on your mind, even if its just to torment me with a ZZ Top song blaring in my ear.
TO CHRISTINE
For not holding it over my head that I didn't see baby Carleigh until she was over four months old; for giving honest, thoughtful advice when I need it; for being my BFF for twenty years.
TO KELLY
For keeping in touch with me from half the world away, for always being the one to call; for accepting and encouraging my inner freak, because we are soul-mates that way (LOL).
Thank you, everyone, for being who you are. I love you!
Friday, December 11, 2009
The tradition continues...
Remember these?
Aren't they so cute and adorable? They bring back so many memories of my childhood Christmases. I'm hoping they'll do the same for my little ones.
Grandma DD bought these cute little Santa mugs for us three kids back in the early 80s. I can't even remember how old I was. Was Levi even born yet? It became a Christmas tradition for us kids to drink our hot chocolate out of these tiny mugs (seriously, they hold maybe like half a cup, so cute and little!). When Christmas was over, Mom would wrap them up ever so carefully in tissue paper and box them up, putting them away with all the Christmas stuff until next year. And it wouldn't truly feel like Christmas for us Simcoe kids until we saw these mugs being unwrapped from the tissue. And, of course, until we had that first mug of hot chocolate! It just seemed to taste so much better.
A few years ago, Mom unearthed the mugs and passed them along to me, figuring that I would take better care of them, and appreciate them more, than my two bachelor brothers. And so I've carried on that tradition with my own kids, of making a big spectacle of bringing them out and unwrapping them from the tissue while the kids ooh and aah. And I tell the story of how Grandma DD bought them for the three little Simcoe kids many, many years ago. Lena wanted to know how old the mugs are. I looked on the bottom and here it said '1982'. "Whooooaaahhhh," the kids were awed, "they're almost as old as YOU, Mom!" Gee thanks.
But it does kind of boggle the mind, that these little mugs are 27 years old. Still in mint condition, still bringing joy and cheer to the little ones. And who knows, in 15-20 years time it might be my grandkids drinking hot chocolate from these little Santas!
Of course, because there are only the three original mini-mugs, poor Ryder got this one (sucks to be #4, I guess!). A much bigger, less breakable, more toddler-friendly mug, you could say.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)