A day in the life of a SAHM

Yikes

2010-04-23T15:10:00.000-06:00

Payton is feeling a little better and has not thrown up since 11 last night thank goodness. So far no one else seems to be sick but I am waiting to see who will be the next victim. Personally my money is on Issy since Payton threw up on her but maybe I will be surprised. Today was a day of laundry, cleaning, disinfecting, baking and cooking a big pot of chicken soup. I also worked at the daycare for a couple hours. Let me go on record as saying the men and women brave enough to do that job for a living should be named national hero's cause WOWZA! I have a new respect for the Duggar family I tell ya lol.

We bought a camper today and are rather excited. Its older but in good shape and we can't wait to take the family camping. I missed my workout today because P was very clingy and whiny so I am hoping that I will be able to squeeze in a walk after supper. Hopefully the rain will quit by then otherwise its off to the basement for yoga and elliptical trainer for me lol. Wish me luck.

The sick

2010-04-22T08:11:00.002-06:00

I went to bed last night with a bad toothache. I finally fell asleep around 1, at 4 I was awoken by the usual crying from miss Payton. I went into her room to change her diaper, fill er bottle, rub her back or whatever it was she needed tonight. As I approached her room I smelled something very unpleasant to say the least. I found her sitting up in bed covered in puke. I stripped her clothes off , gave her a sponge bath, changed her bum and tucked her neatly in bed beside her daaeee (daddy in Paytonese in case you all were wondering lol). Then I stripped the bed, washed a new bottle and climbed back into bed. I lay there for a while rubbing P's back and then I had one of those mommy feelings. You all know what I am talking about the kind you get when the kids are outside playing and you get this overwhelming urge to check on them only to find them dumping buckets of dirt into the rain barrel. So anyways I just felt like I should grab a towel and bring it to bed just in case. Good thing I did cause when I got up at 5 to pee (thank you to the 3 children who have destroyed any ability I ever had to go more than 3 hours without peeing) I had just closed the bathroom door when Colin yelled "honey come quick!". I got there just in time to see her throw up all over my new sheets, the freshly washed blanket and her dad. I took her and ran a bath and put her in a bubble bath while Colin took all the sheets off the bed.
After the early bath we all lay on the couch and watched cartoons while dozing. So far she has thrown up about 6 times. I thinks its gonna be a long day...

Ramblings of a tired mom

2010-04-21T22:11:00.003-06:00

Have you ever looked back on your life and even though you wouldn't give away your children or your husband for anything in the world you still just feel like something is missing? That's how I have been feeling lately. Maybe its the lack of sleep, maybe its the stress of life or maybe its just me.
I opened up the store without giving much thought to the consequences it would have on my family or my life. I loved my store. I loved meeting new people, finding new products, educating people on cloth diapering and being more Eco friendly. I loved talking to other store owners and sharing little secrets. I didn't however love that I never saw my children, or that even when I was at home I wasn't really at home. I was always too busy finishing paperwork, placing orders, filling orders, paying bills or doing any of the other millions of things that have to be done behind the scenes.
Payton was/is sick and needs me. I quit my store to be with her and the other girls because I swore when I was a little girl that my children would not be raised by babysitters and that I would be there for them after school, and whenever they needed me. With the store I wasn't. After 6 months that seemed to fly by I realized one day that I needed to be a mom . That doesn't mean that I don't want to work though.
I want to do something that is flexible and that I enjoy and that works for our family. So I decided to turn my photography hobby into a bit of a business. Its something that I love to do, and something that I can do at my own pace. I have a lot to learn but everyday I feel like I am getting better and better. Yet I still feel like something is missing.......
I want to be one of those people who contributes something, someone who gives back someone who isn't afraid to live life instead of letting it pass by . When I die I want people to remember me as someone who did something, or who gave something. Right now I am not.
Yes I am a mom and I love every minute of it and yes I am a wife but I am nothing special. My Uncle and Aunt travel around the world helping in churches and orphanages and giving so much to others. My cousin moved to China for months to help get women and children out of slavery, my parents give every ounce of who they are to other people. And what do I do?.........nothing. I. Do. Nothing. I want so badly to teach my children to give back and to be unselfish and to help others, but how do I do that when I don't even know myself?
These are the things I think about. These are the things that trouble me.
I tuck my babies into bed every night and ask myself how do I be a better person for them? How do I guide them to be wonderful , caring, thoughtful adults when I am not one myself?
Maybe one day when I grow up I will know all the answers, but until then I will just keep trying and failing until one day... I will get it right.

Here I am again

2008-01-26T11:05:00.000-06:00

Well it has been a busy couple of week. Colin and Emily went on the school ski trip. They both had a blast Colin even got some skiing in. They loved it so much that they want to go back as a family, I haven't figured out how to tell them that Issy and I can't ski but I will figure it out, so that should be fun.

I am currently trying to plan Emily's birthday party. She wants a Hannah Montana one let me tell you how easy it is to find Hannah Montana party supplies. So I am trying to find some. She also wants to have a swimming party so I have to plan all that. Thank goodness they only have one birthday a year.

I had a small little scare and have been relaxing since Wednesday. Colin has been wonderful and doing everything around here and letting me nap. I am feeling better but Colin refuses to let me do anything until I go back to the Dr on Monday. So I guess I will be going back on Monday. Otherwise things have been normal but busy. I will put up some skiing pictures as soon as I get them on the computer.

Quickie

2008-01-12T08:50:00.001-06:00

I am sick. I am tired. I am sick and tired. Therefore this is gonna be a quickie. We had a wonderful dinner last night with Chop and Jode and the kids. Thanks for the steaks mmmm. I drove home in some wonderful fog and as a result was nice and dizzy by the time I pulled in the driveway but we made it. I put the kids to bed and crawled in my own bed. I fell asleep almost instantly. Issy however had other plans for me. She was up 4 times last night and then decided at 7 that she should fill her diaper and get up for the day. So we got up. I have a sore chest, stuffed up nose, plugged ears and pretty much anything else you can think of. Yuck. i feel like I was hit by a bus, add to that the fact that I think I have a nice bladder infection and yeah life is good today. I think I am going to go to the Dr today. Emily is supposed to have a birthday party today at one of her classmates houses so I am not sure what to do about that. So that is all for today I hope you all have a great day.

Lazy day

2008-01-06T09:35:00.000-06:00

Not much to report today. We are just going to stay home and vegetate in front of the TV and stay in PJ's. We are going to have Chinese food for supper though Yummmm. I can't wait. Otherwise we are pretty boring. Sorry folks.

Two days in a row!!

2008-01-04T12:48:00.000-06:00

I am on a roll I tell you. Well maybe we shouldn't call it a roll quite yet more like a ....turn..yeah that's it. Not much to report today other than the weather is absolutely beautiful, finally, so I kicked Emily to get some much needed fresh air for her and a break for me. Only 3 more sleeps, only 3 more sleeps. I can make it...right? I love having her home...for the first week or so then she starts to drive me completely crazy. What happened to the days of children playing outside or reading or colouring? Not now I tell you. The child just got a toy store worth of crap for Christmas and she actually had the nerve to say to me this morning that she was bored! I think the vein in my forehead almost exploded. How in the world can someone be bored a week after Christmas? I don't get it. I just don't get it.

Christmas and other cute pictures.

2008-01-03T22:45:00.000-06:00

I'm back and man do I have updates

2008-01-03T11:46:00.001-06:00

Well first of all I am back. it has been a long time I know. I already told you all that i was like the worst blogger in the history of blogging. You probably want updates right? Well of course you do. That's why your here. So fasten your seat belts people and here we go.

First of all Colin. After his rather long struggle with "the virus" ,as we are affectionately calling the West Nile he had in august, we decided that it was in the best interest of our marriage, our family and Colin's health for him to quit his job. The long hours, the stress, the things he had to deal with in a day were just getting to be too much. He was working 12-16 hour days and as a result was never seeing the kids or me. He would come home tired and cranky and nobody wanted to be around him. His blood pressure was up to a dangerous level for someone of is age and as a result he was on blood pressure medication. He wasn't eating properly because he never had time and had started to have stomach trouble. I really think that him getting sick was Gods way of telling him that it was time to slow down.

Now he is farming with his Dad and back to hauling grain for farmers. he is loving it the kids get to see him all the time and he is home almost every night for supper and can make his own schedule around Dr's appointments, school plays and parent teacher interviews. His blood pressure is back to normal and he no longer has to take medication. He is eating properly again and his stomach is slowly getting better. It has also done wonders for our marriage. We spend more time together, he isn't exhausted when he gets home so we can actually sit and talk about things. All in all I think it was the best decision that he could have made. Money is a little tighter but I would rather have a little less money and a lot more husband.

In November we found out that baby number 3 would be making his/her appearance in the middle of June. We are very happy and the kids are pretty excited. Well Emily is anyways, Isabelle has just started pointing to my belly button when asked where the baby is. I don't think she quite has it figured out yet, I guess she will in a hurry when we bring a new baby home in a few months. for the first few months it was all I could do to keep down water, now however I am feeling much better and am starting to actually enjoy myself.

I am teaching playschool and loving every minute of it. It gives me a chance to get out of the house, make a little extra money and do something I enjoy. some days it is a challenge since there are 18 three and four year olds. Thank goodness they are split into two groups.

Emily is still struggling in school and we are trying everything to help her out. we haven't figured out if she doesn't know the stuff or just refuses to do it. It is quite the struggle sometimes and frustrates everyone. She has an appointment with a child psychologist so we are hoping that he can help us and give us a few ideas. she is also in skating this year and really enjoying it. It is a lot of running back and forth but it is worth it.

Isabelle is growing like a weed and becoming quite the character. It seems like every day she has a new word or four. She has decided to be a picky eater though and eats pretty much nothing, or at least it seems that way, she must be getting something though because she is now up to 24 lbs. She was a blast at Christmas this year and loved to open presents. every time she opened something it would get a "wow" and a "yay" then she would move on to the next gift . It was really cute and very entertaining.

Christmas was very nice. we spent this year with Colin's family and we actually got to have a a family dinner with both of his sisters which was wonderful. New Years was spent at home with a few friends watching movies. We are such party animals I tell you lol.

So that is the Patterson family update. i hope you enjoyed it and I am going to try really really hard to keep up better than I have been.

Isabelle the skunk (I wanted her to be a bunny but noooo Colin had to make her the skunk)

2007-10-17T14:58:00.000-06:00

Our day at the farm

2007-10-16T13:10:00.000-06:00

here you go Bonnie.

2007-10-16T12:53:00.000-06:00

This is going to be short and sweet. I am tired. Bonnie has been hounding me for the last 3 weeks to come and update my blog. So here I am. Consider it updated.

I am now teaching playschool and babysitting. Needless to say I have been super busy. Add to that the fact that the girls got sick again, Colin is still combining and Emily decided to bring lice home from school and I have definitely been kept "on my toes" so to speak. I am still trying to catch up on housework and laundry from the lice episode. Let me tell you if you ever want to clean out your house in a hurry get lice. You automatically throw everything that is cloth, looks like cloth or could possibly be related to cloth in the basement to be washed. Then you use a whole bottle of Lysol spraying down anything that is too big to fit down the laundry shut. The lice letters get sent home at least once a month. You know the ones that say "we regret to inform you that there has been another case of head lice in the school............" they then go on to tell you what to look for and how to treat it. Well I have always thrown the letter out with a laugh thinking my child will never get lice. That only happens to other people. Well folks I am here to tell you that it most certainly can and will happen to anyone. Just when you are least expecting it you will find one and then you will spend the next 24 hours armed with a bottle of Lysol, a nit comb and some lice shampoo. While your children run away from you screaming "no mom they are gone please don't wash me again!"

On the up side my house smells really clean now.

A tale of two ears.

2007-09-18T15:43:00.000-06:00

Emily had her hearing tested yesterday and everything is good. her right ear doesn't hear as well as her left ear but it is still within normal range. She goes back in three months to be tested again and we will see how it is then. Otherwise the consensus is that she is just not paying attention and can actually hear fine.

I suck

2007-09-17T07:58:00.000-06:00

I was doing so well with this blogging thing. I really was. Then Mr suck got sick and I have spent the last 3 weeks nursing his sad little self back to health. It has been a very trying time. I mean I really had to try some days not to dump his soup on his head. We both survived it though. It was close one day when I took him his breakfast in bed (a muffin and some cheese. which was what the rest of us were having) and he looked at me and said "do I look like a muffin and cheese kind of guy?". You would all be so proud. I walked away. I didn't yell, I didn't throw things (it was close) I just walked away.

Sickness...

2007-09-05T20:58:00.000-06:00

OK peeps this is gonna be a quick one. I have not fallen off the face of the earth nor have I forgotten about you all. The few weeks have been crazy. Issy had an ear infection and refused to sleep and by this I mean I was getting on average 2 hours a night. Now though Colin is sick with West Nile. Yep you heard right. My hubby got the sleeping sickness. You all know what that means. Yep a sick whiny man home in the house with me 24 hours a day for the next three weeks at least. I am gonna lose my mind . I will try to update you all soon but Mr needy is making that a little difficult. Don't get me wrong I love him dearly but a person needs a break. OK that is all I am now off to spend some time with Colin........wish me luck.

Issy Pictures

2007-08-15T09:29:00.000-06:00

Here, for your viewing pleasure are some

new Isabelle pictures. Stay tuned for Emily pictures.

Swimming Lessons

2007-08-14T09:37:00.000-06:00

Issy and I had our first swimming lesson last night. Let me just say HOLY CRAP!! My child has no fear of the water at all! She was putting her head in and sticking her face in and splashing and everything. She loved it. Most of the other kids their were all freaking out and crying and clinging to their parents but not mine. Oh no, she wanted me to let her go. Then we played chop chop timber. I set her on the edge of the pool and took a step back and she ran and jumped (well as much as a baby can jump) off the edge right into the water. She went right under and came up laughing. She did it like 6 times and thought it was great. I could not believe it. The teacher was even surprised at how well she was doing. I will try to get some pictures before lessons are over. We go all week at 6:30.

Today

2007-08-13T15:56:00.000-06:00

Well today Lynda and I went to the farm with the kids (who drove grandma nuts by the way) to give the horses water. Lynda drove the tractor like a pro and even did better at positioning the water tank than dad did. LOL we won't be telling him that any time soon though. It was nice. Lynda and I were having a disagreement until we sat down and had a really good talk. We realized that it was all a big misunderstanding and that there were people just trying to cause trouble. We are all good now and have been having a blast together. Its good because I really missed her and the kids.

Then we went to Lestock and helped Colin and Lynda's Brother and his wife clean up their new house and get it ready for them to move into. It needs a lot of work right now but it is gonna be beautiful when it is done.It has a lot of hardwood features like the floors and the banister/staircase. It is going to be nice to have all the family so close. We will be able to get together more often.

Colin is heading to Winnipeg for the week with loads for work. So I guess it will just be me and the munchkins. I am going to miss him but I know that he has to do it. We have texting each other like little maniacs and it has been great. Well that is the happenings of the day.Have a nice evening everyone.

Revelations and other happenings.

2007-08-12T10:59:00.000-06:00

I am back everyone. I know that I always seem to have some excuse and I swear that is not my intention at all. However it has been a very long and stressful few weeks with a so called friend and her obsession with my husband and her sending him some x rated photos on his phone. However it is all good now and Colin and I are stronger now than ever before. We are both working hard on our marriage and things are going great. It is slow and a learning process, but we have both decided that we are in this thing for the long haul. So now that I have bored you all with that little story I will get on to the real stuff that you have all been waiting for.

Colin is still working his butt off. That is nothing new. He did however get to run the track hoe the other day and had a blast. Bonnie and I took the girls in to the city and went to watch him. He looked about as happy as a kid with a new tonka toy. He is a little car crushing maniac. It is great. I am so glad that he was enjoying himself and that he got to do something new for a change. The girls all thought it was pretty neat and Shailyn sat int he back seat going "crunch, crunch, crunch " the whole time. It was pretty cute. Even Bonnie got into it, giving Colin directions from the car lol.

Emily is going through a lazy, stubborn streak. She just wants to sit and watch TV and if you try to get her to do anything else she loses it. Crying and yelling and refusing to do it. This of course results in her eventually sitting in her room for a while. This doesn't seem to be very effective though so if anyone else has a new suggestion please feel free to let me know. I am hoping that she gets better and that things settle down with her before school starts. Speaking of which. Holy school supplies batman!! $140.00 for school supplies for her to go to grade one. Can you believe that? I am just glad that I am not some of these people that have 3 or 4 kids in school at once because we would go broke.

Isabelle is a little walking, talking maniac. He is now trying to run which is pretty cute. She is in to everything. The childproofing I did is however holding its own so far,but I am beginning to doubt their loyalties to the babies safety. The other day Issy managed to get the laundry shoot door open even with the child lock on it. I went in just in time to see her throwing all of the shampoo down into the basement while saying "uh oh mama" . It was cute but scared the crap out of me. I just thank God it wasn't her going down the laundry shoot.

I am understandably having a rough time. Things are slowly getting better though like I said. I am enjoying my marriage more and more each day and Colin has been sure to tell me that he loves me and I am beautiful at least once a day. I get cute little text messages and nice phone calls during the day and I find that even though I miss him still. It is easier. It is OK when he is just gone for the day but he has been gone for some overnight trips and I find the nights are the hard part. I have been working really hard not to be so controlling and to loosen up and have some fun with him and even though it was really hard at first it is getting easier every day. I am glad that we sat and talked about everything rather than just throwing in the towel.

The girls and I went for a road trip with Colin to Winnipeg in the Semi. It was a long trip and I am not sure that I would ever take the kids again but it was wonderful to just spend time together as a family. We slept in the truck and got to see where Colin drives to all the time. I have never been to Winnipeg so Colin took great pleasure in showing me all the things there are to see on the way there. It was a long but very much needed trip. You know what they say right "the good things in life are worth fighting for".

Vote for us!

2007-07-23T21:47:00.000-06:00

Stacie over at the Twinkies is having a photo contest. So once again here is my entry. After you are done looking at the unbelievable cuteness, be sure to head over to http://twinkies.bastetweb.com/2007/07/20/summer-photo-contest-2/ and vote for Cindy (that's me) as many times as you can. Thank you all for your votes.

Housework

2007-07-19T13:51:00.000-06:00

Whoever invented this? I mean lets talk about housework for a minute. It never ends, it is tedious at times, it is disgusting at times and it is always repetitive.. It doesn't just include the "work" part though. It also entails the general maintenance and upkeep of said house.

There are the jobs that you don't mind such as oh, loading the dishwasher. Then there are the jobs that you don't like. These include things like laundry and sweeping the floor. After these jobs we get to the jobs that you HATE. I mean with a capital H. Things that you would rather ignore and hope that the little house cleaning fairies that your husband seem to think keep the house clean will do. Now for everyone these things are different but for me it has to be cleaning the drains in the bathroom. EWWW! I mean come on could we not have come up with a better system then making some poor person stick their hand in the drain and pull up a wad of what can only be described as the equivalent to the family dog in hair. Now I am a mom. I have been peed on, pooped on, thrown up on. I can wipe the greenest boogy you can give me using nothing but my pants and without blinking an eye, but please do not make me clean out the drain in the tub. I just about lost my lunch. I mean really how do you now what is actually on there. Ick!

Then there is the making of the beds. Now you and I know that you make your bed every morning. That's just the way things are.Apparently this is not something that some people understand though. The other day as I was making the bed, Colin came in and asked me "why are you even bothering? I mean we are going to mess it up again in a few hours." Now here's the thing. Sometimes Colin makes really good points like this, but, me being me I have got to have an answer for everything. So I said " well you have to make the bed. I mean it makes the sheets much More comfortable." Yes people that is the best I could come up with on short notice. After he left I stood there thinking " why do I bother?". Needless to say I still make the bed even though he has now planted that seed of doubt in my mind.

So there it is folks. That is my take on housework. Now if you will excuse me I have a bed to make.

I'm not tired mom honest!

2007-07-18T22:11:00.000-06:00

Laundrey, Laundrey and more Laundrey!

2007-07-17T12:40:00.000-06:00

Today is a fun filled day with cleaning and doing laundry. Yay me! You know when I was a kid I never realised how much work it really was doing laundry.I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to my poor mother. I mean in my teenage years I had to change my clothes at least 4 times a day. I mean no matter how much you wash there is ALWAYS something else that is dirty. I am beginning to hate the washing machine. Would it be wrong for me to ask everyone to go naked for a few days so that I can have a laundry hiatus?

Add your blog

2007-07-16T18:05:00.000-06:00

OK if you want your blog or website added to my list please send me a comment and I will be sure to add them in. I love to read other peoples blogs so come on people lets see them.

HEAT WAVE!!!

2007-07-16T17:59:00.000-06:00

OH MY GOODNESS!! I have never in my life felt so unbelievably hot and sweaty. I don't wish to disgust you all with the gory details but lets just say that I am sweating in place I did not even know could sweat. The humidity is insane and as a result I look as though I have driven through a wind tunnel in a convertible. Not a very sexy look.

The poor kids are laying on the floor in shorts and tank tops, sweating and panting. I miss my air conditioner. I am actually debating the merits of sitting in Issy's paddling pool with the kids. I mean I don't want to inflict the nastiness that is my cellulite infested body on the neighborhood let alone my children, but desperate times call for desperate measures right.

If any of you here of a beached whale rescue happening in the middle of the prairies, have no fear it is only me in a swimsuit.

Birthday party pictures.

2007-07-14T20:44:00.000-06:00

Well Issy is officially one. We had her party today and it was great. Here are some pictures for you all to see. I tried to narrow it down for ya.

Officially the worst blogger EVER!!!

2007-07-11T20:13:00.000-06:00

Here is my favorite picture of the girls. You can just see how much Issy adores her big sister. Emily had just taken a break from pulling Issy around the yard.

I win! If there were a contest for the absolute worst blogger on the planet, it would be me. Life has been so hectic around here that I have had some serious trouble updating you all. This is a really lame excuse considering one of my friends from the July moms has twins and more than one blog and she still manages to somehow keep them all up to date. I really need lessons. She is a teacher after all. Hmmm?!

Anyways, tomorrow my baby is one. One year old. I can't believe it. The time has flown by and I am not sure where it went. She has such a little personality now and she gives me something new to laugh about everyday. She is walking like a little maniac and that was so something that I wasn't ready for. To me walking is a little too much Independence. I am so not ready for her not to need me anymore. *sigh* You can't really stop them though can you?

Emily is going batty ever since school let out. She passed kindergarten by the skin of her teeth and with the teacher writing a note in her report card saying that she has to put in more effort next year. It is so frustrating I tell you. She is perfectly capable of doing the work yet she refuses to do it. Practice won't help that. Unfortunately she got her stubbornness and willpower from both her dad and me. We are sooo screwed!

I have bronchitis right now and feel like crap. However crap is a huge step up from yesterday when I felt as though death was waiting on my doorstep. I have drugs from the Dr and can now breathe so that is a bonus. breathing is a great thing I tell ya. I have also taken a part time job at the local meat shop and am working for my good friend. One of the perks to working there is the yummy sausage. Mmmmm, fresh meat!!! I went and had my manicure and pedicure that Colin bought me for mothers day and it was great. So relaxing and my feet felt great for about a week. So I have decided that I must have a pedicure at least once a week. Colin is not so much going for that idea though. Hey you can't blame a girl for trying can you?

Speaking of Colin he has himself a motor bike and is now a biker-a-holic. He loves it and goes out on the weekends riding with friends. It scares the poop out of me but he enjoys it so I am trying really hard to curb the fear and not throw myself in front of the bike so that he can't leave. No I am doping something way more mature and way less productive. I am throwing a temper tantrum and crying like a 4 year old who just lost his ice cream cone to the dog down the street. All this does is produce some interesting looks from birth Colin and the kids and give me a stuffy nose. I am thinking it is time to review my strategy. Any ideas?

Finally Lynda and the kids are finally home. It is so nice to have them just down the street (FYI- In small town Saskatchewan everything is just down the street) We have coffee, well she drinks coffee and I watch, I am not a coffee drinker. We have water just doesn't have the same ring to it though. Anyways, we visit and the kids get to play together it is great. I love it that she is so close now.

Well I should continue getting ready for the birthday party on the weekend. I promise to try and keep you all updated more often. Feel free to give me a good swift kick start when you see me slacking off again. Night all.

Its been a long time

2007-06-18T14:30:00.000-06:00

Well where do I start. I believe that when I last talked to you all we were getting the horses and waiting for Issy to have her EEG. Since then it has been a whirlwind of company at my house.My parents were here, Colin's mom has moved in and the SAHM's that we released are now permanent figures on the weekends. Have you ever read that book "if you give a mouse a cookie"? Its a lot like that.

We got the horses home and they are settling into there new home really well. I try to go out there at least 3 times a week to spend time with them. Lately of course because of the torrential downpours we have been experiencing that has been a little difficult. My wonderful sister in law and her friend were kind enough to come out and trim up the horses feet for us. It was not very nice. We discovered that Colin's horse has a nasty case of thrush in his feet. So needless to say I will be spending some time out there trying to fix that. Poor guy I remember how my nipples felt and I can only imagine how his feet feel.

Isabelle had her EEG and let me tell you that was quite the experience. We did manage to keep her awake on the way to the city and by the time we got there we had one VERY grumpy baby. There was no doubt about it she was tired. Then I got to hold her down so that they could put all of the "leads" on her head. More fun I tell you. After that was all done I was supposed to get her to go to sleep. Yeah sure no problem. She has a weird hat on her head, is not in her room or her bed and she has to hold fairly still so that she doesn't get tangled in all the wires coming off her.

I will get right on that for you. Thankfully I am an awesome mom and she was exhausted so she fell asleep. Then about 20 minutes into her nap the nurse says "OK can you wake her up now please?" . Uh say what? Well they needed to see her brain asleep and awake. OK well so I wake her up and let me just say I was not in her good books. Then the nurse tells me it will be 2 weeks before we get the results. Great more waiting. I am getting good at this waiting thing.

Before all of this though we had taken the girls to the circus and they thought it was great. Emily rode and elephant, Issy stared in aw at all the pretty lights and Colin ate so much carnie food that his stomach hurt. It was nice. We got to have fun with the girls and the our good friends the Ivey's all at the same time. Here is a little lesson I learned though. NEVER eat a 3 year olds cotton candy even if she says you can. Cause you know that half an hour later she is gonna want it back and you are going to have a lot of explaining to do.

My parents came out for a week and we had a wonderful visit with them. They had tonnes of fun with the kids and the kids had lots of fun with them. Because they won't be here for Isabelle's 1st birthday we had a small pretend birthday while they were here. Isabelle massacred a cake and got a singing animal train. She loves it. I however find myself curled in the fetal position rocking in bed at night trying to get the song out of my head. Its not going so well. I guess though I should thank God that they didn't buy her the drum set that they had first thought of.

The last exciting thing is that Colin bought his motorbike and wrote his bike learners. He passed with flying colours and is now riding around like a kid with a new scooter. I don't really like the bike. It scares the pee out of me, which by the way is not hard to do after 2 kids, but he likes it so I guess that is all that matters right? I bought him a jacket, helmet and gloves. I figure if he is going to ride it he will at least be doing it safely.

Tomorrow I head to the OB/GYN to get the tests all done so that we can have another baby. I am soooo excited I tell you. Nothing screams fun like spending the day at the gyno's office being poked and prodded. Personally I think that they should pay me for what they do. I mean Colin had to buy me supper at least before he was allowed to do half of what they do. Oh well. That is what happens when you have infertility and want to have babies. Wish me luck.

Well that is all the new happenings at the Patterson plantation. I am off to finish packing up some parcels to mail tomorrow and get ready for my Sparks to show up. Have a good afternoon all.

Quick Update

2007-06-10T15:54:00.000-06:00

My parents are out from BC so I won't say much right now. When they are gone I will update you on everything. In the meantime some prayers for Tonie and her family would be greatly appreciated. She is in the hospital in a lot of pain and they don't know why. They are doing tests and trying different things. Today they are checking gout her heart since she has been having some irregular heart rhythms and other sorts of things. So if you could all keep them in your prayers and thoughts that would be great. I will post again as soon as my parents are gone. Good day all.

I found me

2007-05-27T18:32:00.001-06:00

Today I finally figured it out. Figured what out you ask? Well for a long time now I have been trying to figure out who I am. I mean I obviously know my name and all that stuff but I am talking about who I am inside. I am so busy being a mom and a wife that I had forgotten who I was. Today though I figured it out. I went for a walk/drive all alone and listened to the animals and watched the birds and thought. As I was doing this it came to me. I have been spending so much time trying to figure out what I am besides a mom and a wife that I totally missed the fact that, that is who I am. The real me is a mom. A mom who loves her kids more than anything in the world. A mom who would do anything for her kids. A mom who actually enjoys soccer practices and spark meetings and braiding hair at night.

The real me is a wife. A wife who loves her husband so much that she gets butterflies in her stomach when she thinks about him. A wife who lives everyday to make her husband happy and feel fulfilled. A wife who is so lucky to have a husband that makes her feel like she is his world.

All of this came to me in a sudden moment of clarity. As I was struggling to figure out where the real me went I discovered that I have been here all along. I have just changed to become a better person. My kids make me a better person. My husband makes me a better person. They give me a reason to live and a reason to be a better person.

I may not party like I used to, I may not be able to have a conversation without talking about Colin or the girls. I may not be able to do anything without thinking about them but that is because they are a part of me. So the real me has them in it.

I also realized that even though I get frustrated and need a break sometimes, I still need them just as much as they need me.

A family day

2007-05-26T23:39:00.000-06:00

Today was a great day. We spent the whole day together as a family. What a novel thought that was. I mean who would have guessed that spending 10 whole hours together with your husband and children could make for a fun and enjoyable day? Not me. Not because I don't enjoy or love my family and not because I don't like to spend time with them. Its just that it happens so seldom that I never think of it. It is like one of those unattainable goals that you set for yourself at new years. You very rarely full fill your resolution but when/ if you do it is so worth it and you wonder why the hell you didn't do it before. That is what having an actual family day is like. I mean we do things together as a family but there is always a job or seven for other people thrown in there somewhere. Parts to pick up for his dad, groceries to pick up for his sister, something to drop of for his boss. At the very least there are the phone calls asking whether or not he can work today or some other work related type talk. Therefore I don't classify those as true family days. Today was a true family day.

First of all we went to Chuck E. Cheese with Bonnie, Keith and the kids. It was Isabelle's first time and she had lots of fun. She even played a game and won her first ticket. I was so proud. She got her picture taken while riding in a car with Chuck E. Once I get my printer all loaded up I will share that with you it is pretty cute. Emily, being the big mouse expert that she is, ran around and played games like a wild woman. At the end of it all she had enough tickets to get a ring, a necklace and a sucker which Colin had to point out cost him 60 bucks. Lol that's my honey always the practical one.......HA HA I am too funny no he isn't.

After that we went to the archery place. I like to compare this to a child visiting Toys R Us for the first time. You know big bulging eyes, darting around trying to take it all in and not miss anything. All the while trying to process how it is that so many wonderful things could come to live in the same space and how they are lucky enough to be in said fun filled space. I wish my camera was working because it was very cute. The help of a friend and one hour later and we were off. Fully equipped with a trigger thingy, arrows and a whisker bun or some other weird named thing like that. Colin carrying his bow like a proud first time father carrying his new baby to the car.

Next stop was Cowtown the home of all things western. I got a pair of pants and Colin bought a bunch of stuff for the horses....OK so maybe I helped. Either way we got a few things there and went to visit Chop. Jody and the kids for a little bit. We picked up Lynda and off we went to see the horses. They are so pretty. Colin and I both decided that we wanted to take them home right then and there but alas a place to put them and a place to haul them would probably help. Otherwise it would have been a long cold walk lol. So we both fell in love and are impatiently waiting to bring them home.

Grocery shopping was the last stop and ooh the fun. I mean really how exciting can getting groceries be? not much. We bought our stuff and after a zip through the McDonald's drive through and we were heading home. Of course we had to stop at the place where he got his motorbike from since the guy had forgotten to give him the key. Keys are a little important. We got home put away the food and had a snack and then put the kids to bed. You know they are tired when Emily asks if she can please go to bed. After the shock and me feeling her forehead to check if she was sick I put her to bed but for a minute there I was sure she was sick or I was on some sort of prank TV show. Nope she was just tired.

So now here I sit telling you all about it and after I hit the publish button I am heading for the sack myself. So goodnight all and talk to you later.

My adventure with Colin

2007-05-25T09:22:00.000-06:00

We are healthy again!! You have no idea how very, very happy that makes me. Let me tell you I was getting a little worried that we were just infecting and reinfecting each other. Poor Lynda came out this weekend and she ended up getting our illness too. It was quite the scene I tell you. Me laying on the couch, Colin on the floor right next to me and Lynda next to him. It was quite the weekend and it had nothing to do with anything fun either. 3 sick adults and one sick baby does not make for a fun time. Thank goodness for my mother in law she took very good care of us all. So it was kind of a wasted weekend, but hey at least we got to spend time together.

I went for a ride in to the city in the semi with Colin on Wednesday. Let me just say that that I don't think I will ever do that again. It was snowing and blowing and cold. We drop of the load and are on the way back when the brakes go in the semi. Talk about scary. Driving through the city with a big truck hauling 2 trailers and no breaks. I was a little worried. We go to the truck fixer place (that is my technical term by the way), and they say that they have no time to fix it he will just have to drive it like that. UM HELLLOO!!! BIG TRUCK.NO BRAKES. Am I the only one that sees this as a problem? apparently because we head home. Half way home the truck dies on the side of the road. It won't start, we have no cell service its blizzarding and I am convinced that we are going to freeze to death and have to eat each other. Colin of course tries to calm me by saying that he can always walk half a mile down the road to the farm yard we passed and use their phone. Not only that but the wife of the guy he works with is visiting her cousin and has to drive right passed us to go home. So if nothing else she will stop and pick us up. I was just being irrational and panicking that's just the way I am. Needless to say we got picked up and did not freeze to death.

I then got the fun job of helping his dad separate calves and haul them in to the auction mart. This went relatively well except for the getting smacked into the paneling and getting a huge bruise on my hip. I am sore but I will survive. We sold one calf of ours and the price was just super (that was sarcasm for all those who didn't quite catch on) we got a whole $1.10 a pound. Now this makes me angry considering if I want to go to the store and buy a steak it costs me at least $5 a pound. Now someone explain to me how that works out. Highway robbery I tell you. Alas such is the life of a farmer. Always getting screwed 2 ways from Tuesday and then listening to people talk about how much the farmers complain. You would complain too if you were getting ripped off constantly. This is precisely why Colin has another job.

So on today's agenda is housework and planting my strawberries since it finally quit snowing. Have a good day everyone talk to you soon.

here we are.

2007-05-20T09:51:00.000-06:00

It has been quite the last few weeks. First of all we welcomed baby Joe. He finally made his appearance after a lot of waiting. 7lbs 13oz and cute as a button. His brothers are loving him and think he is great. So congratulations to Chop, Jody and family on the newest arrival.

Then I was sick but you all knew that, so I won't bore you with that story again. Other than that life is just motoring along. We have had family over for a while so it has been rather busy. The weekend was great with lots of comings and goings and throwing up and trips to the bathroom. What that's not what you do on the long weekend? Well you don't know what you are missing out on. I mean 9 people in one house 5 of which are sick with the flu and fighting over the bathroom. It was a very enjoyable weekend I tell you.

We bought 2 horses. One for me and one for Colin. Mine is named Dancer and Colin's is Buck. We go to pick them up on the 2nd of June so we are very excited about that. Emily and Isabelle have both been registered for swimming lessons in the summer, of course this means that I have to take swimming lessons also as Issy is a tiny bit to small to go by herself lol.

Colin's mom has been here helping out and it has been wonderful to have the extra help. The only down side is that she will eventually have to go home. Oh well we will cross that bridge when we get to it. My garden has been planted and I am now just impatiently waiting for my veggies to surface. YUM!!

So that is our life and what we have been up to. Sorry it was such a short post but when I have time I will update again. Love you all and I will update again soon I promise.

Oh the sickness!!!

2007-05-14T10:39:00.000-06:00

This is going to be short and sweet people. So if you are looking for some lengthy, humorous tidbit for the day then I suggest you go and pick yourself up a copy of the newspaper and read yourself some Garfield cartoons. Now since that warning is out of the way here it is.

I want a remote for my life, yes I know that this has been done in an Adam Sandler movie but I would not be nearly as careless with the power as he was. You see I have a stomach bug. By this I mean I have been up all night throwing up and dizzy, oh and lets not forget the wonderful stomach cramps that feel as though someone is trying to pull your innards out through your belly button. Yes it was a long long night. However as a mom I must now pretend that I don't feel like the grim reaper is walking behind me just waiting for me to succumb at any moment. No I must feed children, change the baby and still do my daily mommy duties. So you see if I had this life remote then I could just pause the kids and lay down and sleep without worrying about what Isabelle has decided to try and eat now, or how many pieces of chocolate cake Emily has helped herself to. But alas there is no such thing so I must do what mothers before me have done......fake it. I tell you there should be an Oscar award given out to every mom on the planet because we have all had to act at one time or another and dammit I think we are good.

On a happy note my Moms Mother's Day present should be delivered to her today. Apparently Friday was too busy, however the lady at the flower shop assures me that they will be delivered today. I just want to say thank God for tele florists.

Well people I am off to my nest of sickness on the couch. From there I can see the happenings of the whole living room. Think of it as a lookout of sorts. Have a good day all!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2007-05-13T09:52:00.000-06:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there. You know anyone can be a mother but it takes someone really special to be a Mom. Being a mom is the most important job in the world. No one tells you that from the time you first lay eyes on that little person a piece of your heart will forever be carried around outside your body. You will always worry about your children no matter how old they get.

Being a mom can be the most rewarding job too. This was my first Mother's Day with Emily in school. I remember making my mom things in school for mothers day and thinking that they were ugly and how would she ever love them. Now I understand. Emily brought me a flower that she had potted herself, sand at brownies in a jar and a card. It brought a tear to my eye. It wasn't diamonds or gold or a fancy dinner, yet it was the most wonderful gift I have ever been given. Who knew that I would become such a softy and would cry about something so simple. Since I am in a sappy mood I will share with you all the poem that was in the card Emily made for me at school.

Dear Mommy,

I think of all

The things you do,

And then I know

Why I love you.

You make my breakfast,

You wash my clothes.

You take me places

I want to go.

You teach me things,

You read to me.

You help me become

What I want to be.

You sing me songs,

You hold me tight.

You hold my hand

In the dark at night.

In all the world

I know it's true,

There is no mommy

Just like you.

Now if that wasn't enough to make you cry then she hugs me and says " you are the best mommy ever". Talk about make a person cry. So to all the mommies out there I just want to say, have a very extra special day!

Happenings at our house.

2007-05-12T22:42:00.001-06:00

My baby is 10 months old today. I can hardly believe it. 10 months ago she was brand spanking new and so little. I was tired but oh so happy, we had finally met this little girl who had caused so much trouble before she was even born. Apparently she decided to keep up the trend and we are still having trouble with her.

Where do I start? You all know about Isabelle’s “episodes: don’t you? Well here let me tell you a little about it. About three weeks ago I was sitting on the floor playing with Isabelle when all of a sudden she starts to scream as though someone was tearing off and arm or some other appendage. Then she got kind of stiff and her eyes kind of rolled back in her head and she turned blue. This want on for about a minute and then she lay on the floor with her eyes closed and was still blue. She was breathing fine but was blue around the lips. In my panicked state I called my good friend Bonnie and she told me to call the Health line. Now for those of you that don’t know what that is I will tell you. It is a number you call where you can talk to registered nurses and they ask you a whole bunch of questions and then tell you whether you should rush your little self in to the hospital or if you can wait until morning to go to see the Dr. Well they tell me that I should take her in right away, which by the way I was going to do anyhow considering my baby was blue.

So away we go to the hospital and see the DR. Now I am not an expert by any means but I do think that if you a medical PROFESSIONAL, and I use that term loosely, and you rely on people to feed your family then you should maybe be, oh I don’t know…….Friendly maybe? But that is just me perhaps I am asking too much. I mean what do I know right? I mean I didn’t go to medical school. Anyways the DR tells us that the health line tells everyone to go to the hospital and that Isabelle looked fine and we could have waited until the morning to bring her in. Oh I am sorry the next time my baby turns blue I will be sure and wait until a more convenient time for you. GRRR. Then he tells us that she probably got mad and threw a temper tantrum and that is why she turned blue. Um ok but for 5 minutes? Give me a break. I have seen many a temper tantrum but never one where the child turns blue for an extended period of time. So we left with everyone thinking that I was a hypochondriac mother who didn’t know what the hell I was talking about.

The next morning she did it again and then again that afternoon so I called the pediatrician. We went to see him and he tells me she is having seizures. It took all I had not to go back to the first Dr we saw and say “ha I told you there was something wrong”. It’s a good thing I am more mature than that. Anyhow, he wants to take her off of any and all medications and vitamins. He is thinking that maybe since she has been on so many drugs in the last few months maybe her little body has just had enough. We do this and it seems to help for a few days and then she starts with some strange eye things and some weird mouth thing. Not very technical description I know but that is the all I could come up with. I called the pediatrician back and he wants her in for an EEG, the soonest appointment they can get is for the 13th of June at 12:15pm. This sounds great right? Not really. There is a catch. She can’t have a morning nap! Now someone tell me how the hell I am supposed to accomplish that. An hour and a half drive into the city at her naptime and she can’t sleep? Umm sure no problem. Are there any other impossible feats you would like me to try whilst I am at it? Like catching a faerie in a bottle or taking a picture of a purple dragon or some sort of other impossible act? So if anyone has any ideas about how one would go about keeping an 11 month old awake in a car for over an hour and a half when she is supposed to be napping please let me know. If ever there was a time when I wanted my mommy instincts to be wrong this is definitely that time. You know what I am talking about all mothers have it. You just “know” when there is something wrong with one of your children.

Emily is still having trouble in school and has decided that she is going to exert her 16 year old mouth. As in having an attitude with me and giving me serious amounts of lip. I haven’t quite figured out how come Colin doesn’t get the same treatment though. She spent the day at the farm with her Daddy today so that I could have a break from her mouth and her attitude. I love her very much but I just don’t know what to so with her when she is like this.

At school she is just plain stubborn. She is fully capable of doing the work she just refuses to do it. What do you do with that? I mean if she was having trouble understanding something or didn’t know how to do it, I could practice with her and help her, but no amount of practicing is going to make her do the work. I just don’t know what to do with her. Colin’s mom and Grandma tell me that Colin was the exact same way in school. How lucky for me. However I have to say that I am a little relieved as I was sure that her stubbornness was my parents fault. I thought that when I was young and wonderful they had wished something like this on me but apparently it is her dad’s genetics. Yay I knew I was perfect.

On a happier note I am super duper happy and excited. First of all my parents are coming in June for a visit. Shhhhhh! It is a surprise for the kids. I am really looking forward to seeing them since it seems like it ahs been too long even though it was just at Christmas time. It still seems like forever to me though. I miss them every day and think about them all of the time. I wish they were closer and my kids could have the privilege of spending lots of time with them. My parents are truly special people who have the biggest hearts I have ever known. I have learned a lot from them over the years even if they don’t know about it. I strive all the time to be half the person that my parents are……Ok sappy moment over.

Happy occasion number 2 is that my bestest friend Bonnie told me about Dancing with the Stars and how it is coming to Saskatoon in July. She and Keith are going and now so are we. Colin is taking me for my birthday. I am soooo excited. You really have no idea how excited I am. It is great I tell you. So thank you, thank you Bonnie! And another thank, thank you to my hunny. Some people look their whole lives to find a friend like I have and a Hubby like mine. I am one lucky woman.

So that is the happenings at the Patterson household in a nutshell. If you made it this far in my book, thank you. I knew I had some loyal followers. Granted they are probably all my family but hey a follower is a follower right?

Another about us.

2007-05-07T18:49:00.000-06:00

We are still here. Issy has been having some weird eye movements and mouth actions. Otherwise she has been good. I am still very tired. Went to the city today to get groceries. Had a huge ice cream cone and came home.

Colin's mom is here helping out for a week or so and let me tell you it is very much appreciated. As much as it pains me to admit it i need all the help I can get right now. So that is the basic happening of us. I will try to update more often now that I have some help and can maybe get a few minutes to myself each day.

The only other thing that I have to tell you all about is that we are all impatiently awaiting the arrival of baby Joe. Jodi has been told by the DR that he is on his way. So hurry up little man we are all waiting!!

Update on us.

2007-05-02T09:24:00.000-06:00

Sorry it has been so long everyone. This is going to be short and sweet and to the point and there will be no humour intertwined in the message for your pleasure. For this I apologize.
Isabelle has been sick for about a month. I took her in about 2 weeks ago and they tell me that she has bronchitis. So they give her medication to clear it up. By this time I haven't slept in a week because she hasn't slept. I start her on the medications and she has this episode where she turns blue and cries and her eyes kind of do this weird closing thing. We take her to the hospital (thanks Keith and Bonnie) where she is all happy and perky and they basically brush me off and say that she is fine. Next day she has 3 more "episodes" I call the pediatrician and he says to bring her in. It turns out she is having seizures. The Dr is thinking it may be from all the meds that she has been on in the last few months. Her body is just telling us that it has had enough. So we are to stop all the meds and vitamins and everything and let her system clear out. If she has any more seizures she will be admitted to the hospital and they will run a bunch of tests to see what is going on. My sister has epilepsy so therefore there is always the possibility that she has it too. So that is all I know. I have now been going 9 days with little to no sleep and my brain has shut down all unnecessary functions in order to keep me breathing and my heart beating. Things like humour, wit and thought are now unavailable until further notice. So I apologize. I will try to keep you all up to date on whats going on.

Emily is doing better in school and just started soccer. She is loving it and having a blast. Growing like a weed and getting prettier by the day other than that she is just being a typical 6 year old.

Colin and I are both exhausted and Colin is still working long hours. I feel like I am teetering on the edge of a cliff just waiting for one more little breeze to come along and blow me over. How does that saying go again? What doesn't kill us makes us stronger right?

More pictures from the release of the SAHM's

2007-04-25T11:32:00.000-06:00

Tonie and Lightening having a nap. Hmm it looks like they both had a rough night doesn't it?

Lynda doing Lightenings feet. Luv u Lynda!!!

Tonie giving Mr. Sonny a kiss.

Lightening trying to eat my car.

Adventures in poison control

2007-04-25T11:03:00.000-06:00

I am here, barely. Isabelle is still not sleeping. Between her teeth and this weird cold thing she has there is no one sleeping in this house. Not to mention that when she does actually sleep she gets up 5 times and then thinks that 5 am is a wonderful time to get up. I however would like to disagree, but sadly trying to explain your point of view to a 9 moth old at 5 in the morning when your eyes aren't open yet only earns you a smack in the face and a "dada". Yep there is just no reasoning with a baby. Believe me I have tried they just won't listen to reason. Mean creatures these babies. I hope that she will change her mind and start to sleep again because let me tell you, I miss sleep!!!!

There has been nothing new going on here lately. The snow is finally melting and I am starting my yard work today. I can't wait to plant my garden. I didn't plant one last year because I was pregnant with Isabelle and on bed rest. So this year I am going to make up for it. I love gardening. Emily is ever so excited about being able to wear a light coat and her new sandals to school. She is loving playing outside and thinks it is just fabulous. I am babysitting a couple of days a week now for a friend so that should help to make some money on the side. Colin is still working and currently has a throat infection yet refuses to see the doctor. Apparently he feels that swallowing is overrated and can continue to not eat or drink anything and it will get better.

We did however have some excitement last week when Issy thought it would be cool to stick her hand in the Vick's vaporizer stuff for her humidifier and then suck in her fingers. This resulted in a call to the poison control centre and me feeling like the worst mother in the world. Poison control told me to have her drink some milk and that she should be fine but to watch her for seizures and to take her to the Doctor if she complains of a sore mouth or seems sleepy. Now this did nothing but confuse me because first of all she is a baby and it is past her nap time so of course she is sleepy. Second of all how the hell is a 9 month old going to tell me her mouth hurts? and lastly SEIZURES?!?!? OK first you assure me that she is fine and then tell me to watch for seizures. Ummm hello talk about your mixed signals. So I kept her up and made her drink a butt load of milk and she was fine. *Note to self* put humidifier on shelf when Isabelle is awake.

I just want to end this off by saying welcome back Tonie we missed you. Glad you and all your family made it back in one piece.

Well people I am off to do my yard work. Have a good day!!

I used to sleep....I think.

2007-04-20T23:22:00.000-06:00

Before I had kids I would get tired once in a while or so I thought. The tired of yesteryear is nothing compared to the tired of today. Before kids I would get tired and feel like sleeping but I could still function. Before kids I would get tired and have a nap. Now though, I get so tired that it is physically hard to function, I can barely keep my eyes open and it is hard to concentrate. Concentration and open eyes are kind of key to motherhood. I mean with closed eyes goodness only knows what kind of trouble the little munchkins would get into. I don't even want to imagine. The other major difference is in the napping, or lack there of. You see when you have children they only ones napping are the kids. Now those of you without kids are saying "well nap when the kids do." WRONG. Every mother in the world knows that if she tries to lay down for a nap when the kids are sleeping, as soon as her head hits the pillow they will be awake and you will have to get up. It is some sort of sick sixth sense that children are born with. "moms trying to sleep. Quick wake up!!!" It never fails. I have tried laying down as soon as I have put Issy for a nap and I kid you not as soon as I am comfortable she is awake.

So the moral of this story is being a parent equals being exhausted. I have been assured that this gets better once they turn 18 and move out. I will let you know in another 12 years if this is true or not. Until then someone pass the coffee.

The challenges of being a SAHM

2007-04-18T18:01:00.000-06:00

Those of you who are not SAHM's probably think that we have it easy, that it is a simple job with little or no thought involved, well I am here to tell you otherwise. Being a SAHM is actually more like having 6 jobs and not just one. Our jobs include but are not limited too, cook, cleaner, laundry person, taxi cab, personal shopper, and nurse. One of the biggest things is that we don't get to go home at the end of the day and have a "break" from our job. We work 24 hours a day 7 days a week and don't get holidays or weekends off. If we did there would be a lot less women out there that go through the day chanting "I love my kids. I love my kids. I love my kids. " . Don't get me wrong I really do love my kids and I enjoy staying home with them (most days) but every once in a while, you get one of those moments that just force you over the edge of that cliff you have been teetering on since your daughter tried to give the cat a hair cut.

Another challenge that I find I have is trying to figure out what to make for supper. After a while you run out of ideas. I mean there are only so many things you can do with chicken and beef without having a degree in cooking. This challenge leads into another challenge. Its the try not to slap your husband for saying something like "that again. Can't we have something different?" This I have found to be one of the most difficult challenges yet. I can't count the number of times poor Colin has come home and said something that has made me want to give him a black eye. I haven't of course but let me tell you it was close there for a few minutes.

Speaking of things that Colin said made me think of another challenge. The don't hurt your husband for things he says because he really is that unsmart sometimes challenge. I am sure every SAHM has heard these words come out of her husbands mouth at one time or another. When you ask them to help get the kids to bed he says "I'm tired, I worked all day." to which you give the response "Yeah cause I sat on my butt and ate bonbons all day.". Or he says to a friend " hey Cindy can do that for me she doesn't do anything during the day anyways." this one usually earns him the glare of death. Then there is my personal favorite stupid man comment. let me set the scene for you. You have worked all day, cleaning and scrubbing and polishing and washing. Then your daughter and husband come home and take off there stuff and throw it all over and get a snack and leave plates everywhere, the kids get out all the toys and leave them on the floor in the living room then your husband sits down on the couch with a drink. He looks around and says .....are you ready for it? "what did you do today?". After the redness is gone from my vision I usually tell him "nothing I took the day off!" then I go and hide in the bathroom with a book and a warm bath and stay there until the water is cold and the urge to choke him with his bootlace is gone. Now remember they aren't like this all the time it just seems to come in spurts. Like when they have a bad day at work they seem to feel the need to spread the cheer around. I really wish he would quit doing that.

The other challenge is dealing with people who treat you like being a SAHM is easy and that you don't deserve to breathe the same air as them because they have a "real" job. I have actually been told this once. I was filling out a form of some sort and the woman asked me what my job was. I told her I was a SAHM, to which she replied "how nice for you. But do you have a real job?" After a brief moment of stunned silence I convinced myself that she must not have had any kids and if she did then she mist certainly had never stayed home with them. If she had then she would have known that I do have a "real " job. I have come to realize after my 5 years as a full time SAHM that some people just have that kind of mentality and nothing short of leaving them alone with your children for a week is going to change there mind so why bother.

So those my friends are some of the challenges of being a SAHM. If you have more please share them. I would love to hear from you.

Here you go Tonie.

2007-04-17T08:45:00.000-06:00

At Tonies request. Here I am.

The release

2007-04-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

Alright, I just want to start off this post with a little disclaimer. You know how I told you all a few posts ago to free a SAHM, well let me just go on record as saying I am NOT responsible for any harm these SAHM do. I also want to say that once you let these SAHM's out there is no turning back and look out because it is something like releasing a bull in a china shop. They just go nuts and you really don't want to get in the way, for fear of being run over or getting a horn in the side. On the bright side though you are helping a SAHM to find herself away from her children and husband and if nothing else it is damn entertaining.

This weekend was one of those weekends that happens in a whirlwind and you don't really know what the hell happened until its over. Then you look back and go "oh shit" and wonder like hell how you are going to fix all the damage that was done (remember bull in china shop) Scary stuff I tell you. Colin and I personally released two SAHM from captivity this weekend and lets just say that I recommend maybe one at a time. Learn from me people, 2 of them is a lot. The whirlwind I was talking about turns into more of a hurricane and then there is really no stopping them. Now that's not saying that I wanted to stop them, slow them down a little maybe but not stop them completely.

That all being said though we all had a great time and sang our faces off and had an absolute blast. I am glad that I got to witness the release of the SAHM's it makes me realize that I really need to get out more. For your enjoyment I will post some pictures for you all to see what the weekend was really like. (*see exhibit A, B and C to the right) Oh and this time I can't say that no men were harmed in the release of the SAHM's cause well lets just say there was a trail of man parts left behind as hurricane SAHM went through this little town and life will never be the same again.

Water and other tragedies.

2007-04-14T10:22:00.000-06:00

Who needs water anyway? Our town shut off our water on Wednesday night to flush the lines. Not totally sure why you would have to shut off all the water in town in order to run more water through the lines but whatever. Now normally this would not be a big thing except that they called some people to tell them about it and not others. I think if you are going to call one person you should then call them all. It was off from 10 until 6 in the morning. Wednesday this wasn't a problem as we were on our way to bed when it went off anyways. I was just more miffed that I didn't make the "phone call" list. I know that sounds a lot like the I wanna be a cool kid but it really isn't. Anyways Thursday night I run a hot bath and sit and soak for a bit and then Colin is going to have a shower before bed. Lets just say its a good thing I tried to add hot water to my bath because I discovered that there was in fact NO water again. So I get out of my bath, which I didn't even get to actually "bath" in, and let Colin have it. Let me tell you he needed it way more than I did lol. So OK not a huge problem again right? Right. Well last night we were having a BBQ/birthday party with about 20 people, 10 of which were children, and yep you guessed it no water again. So poor Colin had to carry pails of water from our rain barrel to use for toilet flushing purposes, there was no washing of the hands (thank goodness I have wipes) no wiping of counters and no washing of the dishes. Needless to say my house is a total sty this morning because of this lack of water, so what am I doing today? yep that's right people I am cleaning and Washing and you can be damn sure that at 9:30 I will be filling my tub up with water since the rain barrel is empty now.

Yesterday also was a very sad day in the house. A very dear, faithful old friend died yesterday.My washing machine. *pausing for moment of silence while taps plays in my head* I went down to wash a load of diapers and lifted the lid and a piece flew out and that was it. She was a faithful old girl. Always there when I needed her. We have been through mud, grass, poop, grease, dirt, and food together without so much as a complaint. Its stupid but I did feel a little sad, now whether or not that was because I was standing there holding a bag of poop diapers or not we will never know. So either Colin will try to jimmy rig it to work for now until a suitable replacement can be found or we will just be looking for a new one. I do have to thank Bonnie though for washing my diapers at her house and watching my baby so I could go to the city and retrieve the Tonie. Thanks bunches Bonnie, Issy's butt and I both thank you.

The party last night was awesome. We stayed up until 5 this morning singing karaoke thanks to my wonderful brother in law and sister in law. I even sang and damn if I didn't actually enjoy myself. The kids ran around like little banshees but had a blast and supper was super tasty even if I do say so myself.

Well today I am going out. Colin is watching the girls for a few hours and I am going out. I don't know where I am going to go but dammit I am gonna go somewhere. I am off to have some me time. I love my husband so much what a nice guy to parent his kids whilst I have a zen moment.

Random Cuteness!!!

2007-04-12T14:44:00.000-06:00

I am sooo cute!!!

Its my sucky and you can't have it!!!!

Oh my gosh she has teeth!!

2007-04-12T12:34:00.000-06:00

Isabelle has decided that she has these 2 sharp little things in her mouth and therefore she should use them to her full advantage. You know, Daddy won't share his dinner so I will bite him. mommy won't give me that toy, I'll bite her too. The dog looks tasty let me try him out. Not only does she bite but she bites hard. She left teethmarks on Colin's leg and I swear I thought she drew blood on my finger when I, God forbid, tried to take a piece of plastic out of her mouth. Pardon me for not wanting her to choke. She bites so hard that she starts to shake while she is doing it. I am not really sure what standard procedure for dealing with a biting 9 month old is. Does anyone have a book or a video or something?

This week has seemed to drag by mostly because Emily is home from school and feeling better which means back to the whining and arguing. Lucky me. I don't know if it is a phase but every time I ask her to do something or say no to something that she wants to do she throws herself on the floor and cries. Not just any cry but this nails on a chalkboard, someone call the cops because my mother is tearing off my arm kind of cry. If there was a competition for best temper tantrum Emily would win hands down. I am not sure this is something to be proud of but hey what are you gonna do.

Yesterday was nice weather and so I decided to open the door and let in some fresh air. The dog went and sat nicely on the step and apparently the cat snuck out too because as of 9 last night we were outside yelling and calling like a couple of idiots only to discover that the stupid creature had fallen asleep under the step and just didn't want to come in. I was on the fence about whether or not I wanted to find him or forget about him. Don't get me wrong I love my animals but one can only take so much peeing on laundry and pooping in closets. Want to know what else I did yesterday? I rearranged my living room. Why might you ask did I do this. Well Isabelle in all her mobile state had escaped my living room and tried to crawl down the stairs headfirst (note to self. Must buy baby gate) after that she made it to the bathroom and was again playing in the toilet, this time with toys YUCK!! I mean the toilet was clean but still, its the principle of the thing.

Today I am going to clean my house some more and try to conquer mount laundry. If you don't hear from me for a while you know that I am lost somewhere on the summit lol. Lynda and the kids are out and Ally is having a sleep over so her and Emily are playing and keeping each other occupied. Tonie will be out tomorrow and we are having a BBQ so it should be lots of fun. Well back to cleaning and folding. Have a good day everyone.

Whoever said mobility was a good thing....

2007-04-09T14:03:00.000-06:00

Curiosity killed the cat. That is the old saying isn't it? Well I am not sure that Issy has heard that one. I think she missed that class because let me tell you holy smoker doodles. If it is within reach..or not she will try to grab it, eat it, push it, pull it or just generally touch it. so far today she has beat the poor cat up. I tried to feel sorry for him as she was body slamming him but the stupid creature just lay there and then ran away as soon as her attention was averted. It was actually kind of funny.

Then she was playing in the toilet oh that was fun. Thank God I had just flushed it. This earned her a scrubbing down with soap. After the toilet incident she pulled the safety plug out of the electrical outlet in her room and chewed on it or rather put the whole thing in her mouth. She looked like a cross between the cat that ate the canary and a chipmunk storing up for winter when I asked her what she was doing. What I want to know is how in the heck she got it out of the outlet? I can barely get them out and isn't the whole point to those things to keep them out of the socket of death? I thought it was but maybe I was wrong.

While I was making lunch she got into the recycling box and pulled out a pop can and sliced her finger open on it. I wouldn't have even know except for the blood everywhere. From the amount that there was I was sure that the affected finger must be dangling by a thread but no thankfully it was a minor cut. Now as I was typing this she climbed up into her chair and just did a nosedive out of it and is laughing hysterically. Oy the child is cruel, cruel I tell ya she thinks it is super funny to be driving mommy nuts. Wish me luck I am off to try and figure out the inner workings of the toilet safety latch. Hopefully it works better than the plug in covers.

Easter Weekend

2007-04-09T09:16:00.000-06:00

We had a great Easter weekend and I am feeling somewhat better after spending quality time with my family. It was a busy one but oh so fun. On Friday we took the girls and Bonnie's daughter swimming in the city and to McDonald's for lunch. They all had a blast. It was nice to get away and spend time together. Issy just floated around in her new water ring we bought her and Emily and Shai chased each other around the shallow end of the pool and splashed one another. Everyone was very tired and we all passed out in the car on the way home. poor Colin got to drive all alone. Then we had a nice supper at Keith and Bonnie's and came home. All in all it was wonderful day.

Saturday was a birthday party in Regina. We all went and visited. Tonie did an awesome job for the kids. They had an Easter egg hunt and even Isabelle got in on the action. She thought I was rather mean though because every time she would find an egg and try to put it in her mouth I would make her put it in the basket. She even got her first taste of chocolate and thought it was fabulous I might add. After the birthday we headed to Lynda's for supper and so that Colin could fix her car. She had done most of the work and just needed her little bro to do the fine tuning. We had a great visit with them and then came home to get ready for the hop hop.

Sunday we got up and the kids hunted for their treats. By this time Issy was a pro and was super quick at shoving those little foil covered eggs in her mouth before I could take them away. Both girls did really well and had lots of fun. Then we headed of to the farm for Easter supper. It was another wonderful day spent with my family. Just what I needed. Today Colin is working part of the day and then driving to Winnipeg tonight. I am going to do laundry since I took a laundry hiatus if you will over the weekend and let me tell you it shows. I think since it is so nice today I will call Bonnie and see if she wants to take the kids for a walk. I hope you all had as good of a weekend as I did.

Happy Birthday to Tonie!! See you this weekend sweetie.

Things that I am good at

2007-04-07T10:55:00.000-06:00

There are some things that I am good at and no one knows. Then there are things I am good at and people do know. Things like reading. Everyone who knows me, knows that I am good at reading. Being a friend people who know me, know that I am a great friend (or at least I think so), I am a wonderful wife and a fantastic mother.

No one know that I am very good at hiding my true feelings, no one knows that I can act like a happy person when inside I am really dieing. No one knows that I can be different people. I am like a chameleon really. Except instead of changing to suit my environment I change to suit what other people expect me to be and feel. Something else that not many people know about me is that I don't like attention. In fact I hate it. I don't like people to make a fuss over me or to do things for me. I like to do things for myself, partly because I hate feeling like people think badly of me and partly because I have to have things done a certain way. I know this bugs a lot of people and some people think that I should just stop it but I can't. I tell Emily all the time that there is no such thing as can't but in this case there is. So I guess now that I have typed that all out, the things that no one knows are now the things that everyone knows.

My thoughts on life

2007-04-06T23:17:00.000-06:00

Well first and foremost it sucks most of the time. Not just sucks like I scraped my knee more like the proverbial version of a country song. You know my wife left me, my dog died, the bank is coming to take my house, that kind of sucks. There are things that happen in life that no one will ever be able to prepare you for. Things like how your husband will work and work and you will still be lucky if you can pay all the bills in the same month and buy your own groceries. How your kids will not be the perfect little angels that you envisioned and they will have an opinion and their own will and they are gonna use it whether you like it or not. Things like how people that you called friends and valued will hurt you and say things about you that just go to show you that they really didn't bother to get to know you at all.

Some of the worst things you can ever say to a parent, especially a mother, is that she uses her kids and sets a bad example. I have tried my whole life to do what was right and what was best for my babies but I am now told that this is a bad thing and I am setting a bad example for them. So will someone please tell me exactly what I am to teach them. Apparently it isn't to stand up for yourself and what you believe in. If this is the case then I guess my parents also did a shitty job because these are the same values that they instilled in me. I really think that someone needs to write a book on what you should and should not teach your children and how you should raise them. I think that this book should be written by someone who doesn't have kids because they seem to be the ones who have all of the answers. Man I wish I would have thought of some of the questions I have now before I had kids then I could have jotted down the answers. This way when I had kids and got stupid I could look back to my smarter days and avoid being told how to raise my kids by childless people. Oh what a headache that would have saved. I am sure that all of you parents out there can relate to what I am saying. I am sure that you have all at one time or another been told,by someone who doesn't have kids, all the things you are doing wrong. Doesn't it just make you feel great? I know it makes me feel wonderful.

The only thing that is in the same category with being told how to parent by people without kids , is being told how to parent by people who have now got grand kids. When they raised children they all ran around outside drinking water from puddles and licking the lead paint from on their cribs and they turned out fine. I mean why make my children wear seat belts or sit in car seats how stupid and a waste of money. Oh I could go on and on but I will stop there.

Even though you all think that this is nothing but a woe is me life sucks story it does have some happy spots. As much as it can really, really suck sometimes it can also be really really good too. Times like when you spend a whole day with your husband and children and watch the man that you love look at your children with such love in his eyes that it takes your breathe away. When your kids look at you and smile, making their little faces light up.Or when they say Mommy you are a great Mom. Or when your husband says he doesn't need friends as long as he has you. Or when you are feeling really fat and can't get your pants done up because of that second piece of chocolate cake that you ate and he looks at you and tells you how beautiful you are and how lucky he is. Those are the good times and even though the bad times really,really suck the good times make it all worth while. So even though my life sucks a lot its OK because it makes me appreciate the good times all the more.

Where do I start?

2007-04-02T19:51:00.000-06:00

Greetings all. Did you miss me? I have been VERY busy. Wednesday morning I packed up the kids and headed into the city to take Emily to the ENT (tonsil doctor). Thanks to my previous trip to the city with my father in law I even drove! Nothing like the fear of death to make you do thinks that you used to think impossible. Anyways, he deemed Emily fit for surgery and so we stayed in the city at Lynda's (sister in law) and waited for 7 am to roll around so we could head to admitting. I have to say I am glad that the offending tonsils are gone but really not happy that our surgery time was screwed up, thus making us show up at 7 am for surgery that was scheduled for 9:45. I was not impressed. I could have slept for at least another hour. I will in the future be making my charitable donation of the year to the hospitals foundation and going to specify that the money go to the people making the surgery appointments.

Emily did wonderful, she didn't cry and didn't even need the sedative that they gave the other kids to make them sleepy for when they took them to the OR. She was awake by the time they wheeled her back to us and the first thing she said was "my mouth feels empty." lol No doubt considering she had 2 tonsils the size of oranges back there. My mouth would feel empty too. We got to leave the hospital at 2:30 as long as she had drank lots and we stayed in the city. So we got have another sleep over. I got to wake up every 3 hours to give her medicine and make her drink water. Let me tell you how fun that was a tired, grumpy child with a sore throat. Yeah nothing is as fun as that at 2 in the morning. We both made it through the night (barely) and got to come home the next morning. For the next two nights we had to wake her up and make her drink, and by we I mean me by the way, and get up with Issy. I felt like the walking dead and kind of still do actually. Emily is feeling much better and is actually eating some real food now. You know its bad when your 6 year old says "mom do I have to have ice cream?". On a good note though I won't have to beg her to eat food before dessert anymore.

Other things have happened this last week or so too. The most exciting being that I reported one of Colin's so called friends for ripping around and and burning tires in front of my house at 10 at night and waking up my kids. I had asked him many, many times to stop but he didn't listen and apparently didn't think that I would actually do anything about it. He was so wrong. There is one thing that you never do and that is underestimate me. Especially when it comes to my kids. When you carry something around inside of you for 10 months you tend to get a little protective of that thing. Now there is no way a man could ever understand this feeling but let me tell you piss off a mother and you will figure it out really quickly. So anyways I called the police and they pulled him over and gave him an inspection ticket, this means that you have to take your vehicle into be inspected and if there is anything wrong than you have to fix it. Well one of his other friends decided that this was his problem and is now not speaking to us because of this whole thing. It is so stupid we lost a good friend because of something that had NOTHING to do with him. I guess it just shows that he wasn't as good of a friend as we thought. The hardest part of all of this is that my kids loved him and now I have to try and explain why they won't see him around anymore. Life goes on though and we will persevere.

Lets see what else is new? Hmmmm. Oh I know it is costing us $730 to renew Colin's license. When he put the car in the water this spring they added all sorts of surcharges to his drivers license and we didn't know about them until today when he went to renew it. Talk about a mad scramble to try and dig up the money to pay for that. It was a tad important to have a drivers license when your job is DRIVING a truck. So needless to say we got that all cleared up and life is moving on. Emily is on the road to recovery and life is moving on slowly but surely. To end on a happy note we got Isabelle's hair bows in the mail today and they are super super cute. I will post some pictures of that and Emily's haircut that fixed her self haircut as soon as I find some batteries for my camera. I am off to wrangle the kids to bed. Wish me luck. Ta ta for now.

A day of fun.

2007-03-27T10:36:00.000-06:00

Well I found my house. Or at least parts of it. The bathroom is now clean and the kitchen is livable. Colin was so proud of himself for fashioning a swiffer pad that I could no longer be upset with him. When I mentioned it he got that "cat that ate the canary" type look. So i was a nice wife and told him I loved him and that he did a good job. It pained me to do so but I did it. I just blocked out the fact that it took me 2 hours to clean the kitchen and wash the floor and smiled at him. Besides he did take Emily to her ski trip and they had a blast.

Emily had a great time skiing and was apparently skiing like a little pro by the afternoon. Colin has decided that we should go skiing every year now. He was so excited that I didn't have the heart to tell him I don't ski. Not because I don't like it but because I just can't I fall. Not once but EVERY time I stand up. When I fall i break things just ask my parents they know what happens when I fall. It isn't pretty. I think I have spent 3 years of my life in some sort of a cast or on crutches or in a sling. I have enough trouble standing on my own feet never mind with slippery things trapped on. So no I will not be skiing. I am more of the sit in the lodge by the fire reading a book kind of skier.Emily already skis better than me, she only had one accident all day so that was better than I would have done. She fell and tried to use her face to stop. It didn't work out so well. Apparently she only sat for 20 minutes after her fall and then got up and went again. I am going to try to figure out how to post videos here so you can all see.

Today will be more cleaning because there was no way that I could clean the whole house yesterday. Also I will be doing more laundry since yesterday my wonderful cat decided to pee on my bed. Let me tell you how impressed I was. After the cat peed on the bed the dog pooped on the floor. It was a great day I tell you. Needless to say the cat spent the day locked in the basement with his litter box and food and the dog spent the day in the bathroom with his food. They both got released from there solitary confinement in the evening and proceeded to chase each other around and run over the baby.

Isabelle seems to be feeling a bit better and the river of boogers has slowed down some thank goodness. She still has a nasty cough but she is on antibiotics so hopefully that will fix that. Well I am going back to cleaning I guess that is my duty for the day. Fun times I tell you, fun times.

"At least I watched the kids"

2007-03-26T10:44:00.000-06:00

These are the words that my husband said when I got home from my girls day out with Bonnie. Why was he saying this you ask? Well when I left my house it was clean. Not just tidy but clean, I got home and it was anything but. There was clothes and toys literally from one end of the house to the other, juice boxes and bottles all over the floor and various other messes that I am right now trying to block out.

I could hardly get into the bathroom. There was soap on the floor, clothes and towels on the floor and hanging from the toilet paper holder. Then there was that lovely dried crusty toothpaste in the sink with the toothbrush stuck in it. There was makeup on the counter and I don't even want to know why the cat toy was hanging down the laundry shoot. Oh my gosh where is the cat!? Here kitty, kitty.

Emily had a half eaten sandwich in her sock drawer and juice spilled on her floor. Then there were the movies thrown all over the room, almost as though someone was playing Frisbee. Her blankets and pillows are under the bed and there is some sticky substance on the sheets that looks like it may have at one point been a fruit snack or three. Not sure how I am gonna get that out. Any ideas?

The living room, oh the living room. Pieces of sausage and bread behind the couch, bottles everywhere, chocolate milk on the carpet and every dish we own is somewhere in this room I swear. I am still at a loss as to how one man and 2 children go about using EVERY dish and utensil on the house, especially when said ADULT didn't cook anything but sandwiches. Don't even get me started on the movie shelf. There are movies everywhere. On the floor on the shelves on the couch. It looks as though a actual tornado has gone through my house. I am at a loss as to how to turn the solid, crusty, milk chocolate infested carpet back into the fuzzy one of yesteryear but I will prevail. Stain remover and brush in hand it shall be returned to its glorious state of nasty brown shag once more. The books are all on the floor and it looks as though someone or something tried to climb the shelf.

Then there is the kitchen. Where to start. The syrup trail on the counter and floor? Nah. The nasty dried sandwich fixings on the counter? Nope. How about the fact that everything out of the fridge seems to have now taken up residency on the counter or in the sink? Nuh uh. We will start with the sudden disappearance of 2 brand new rolls of paper towel. Now one would think that if 2 rolls of paper towel were gone they would a) be in the garbage and b) something would be clean and if something is cleaned then man I don't want to know what it looked like before the use of the paper towel. There is no paper towel in the garbage so its safe to assume that it hasn't been used to clean anything right? WRONG! My husband, being the innovative individual that he is, used a roll of paper towel to cover my swiffer. I have the pads for it but apparently he didn't look in the cleaning supplies cupboard. When I say covered I do mean covered. We are talking a one inch thick swiffer cleaning pad that is now covered in something sticky, yellow and full of hair. Either it is a new breed of mouse or the dog got stuck in some syrup and since he is sitting here looking at me with that "something about Mary" hair do I am going to go with the latter.

Anyone want to guess what I am doing today while Colin and Emily are off on a ski-trip? That's right cleaning, bathing the dog, picking up all the movies and book, finding the cat, and plotting ways to torture my wonderful husband. How can you be mad though when he is standing in the doorway giving you those big sad brown puppy eyes, holding a sticky baby, his shirt and pants covered in what I think was Issy's lunch, hair all askew, Emily still in her pjs and he says " Sorry about the house but at least I watched the kids, right?" Yeah right. Thanks honey for giving me the day off.

Greetings from the house of Snot

2007-03-23T09:44:00.000-06:00

In one of my previous posts I talked about how when you become a mom things like boogers no longer bother you. Let me just say that even a Mom can only take so much! Isabelle and I both have a cold and let me tell you its been rough. I have no idea how someone so little can possibly have that much snot in her body. Thank goodness that having a runny nose isn't dehydrating otherwise I am sure she would have shriveled up and blew away by now. Also there is nothing that screams fun like having a head cold and feeling as though your head could explode at any moment and taking care of a cranky baby who fights you when you have to wipe her nose. Which by the way is every 5 minutes if not more. Oh the joys I tell you. The only thing that could be worse is that I know Colin is going to get sick and anyone who has ever been married knows that when a man is sick there ain't no one in this world that has ever been as sick as they are. Never mind that you had the exact same thing the week before oh no they are very sick and can't possibly get off the couch and do anything. Surely death is just around the corner waiting for them. When us women get sick we are still responsible to get the kids dressed, washed, changed and fed and keep the house clean and have food waiting when said men folk return from the arduous task of "bringing home the bacon". Sure they bring home the bacon but no one ever says anything about the wives waiting at home to clean, cut, cook and serve this "bacon". OK I am not totally sure where all of that came from but I am for now going to blame it on my cold and the drugs I am taking to combat the small cotton farm that is trying to take up residency in my head. Moving on.

I like to think I am a open minded individual. I was raised to treat everyone equal and to try new things and give everything a chance at least once. Every now and then though there comes along something that even I can't give the benefit of the doubt to. A prime example being orgasmic childbirth. I somehow stumbled across a website on my Internet travels that discusses how you too can have a pleasurable, sensual childbirth. Now first let me just say that I am in no way saying that it is wrong or anything like that and if any one believes in this or has experienced this, hey more power to you. To each his won right. After my initial shock and having to read the front page twice. I sat stunned. I mean I don't know about the rest of you but I have had 2 children and I don't recall anything sensual or orgasmic about it. Pain? yes. Agony? At times. Tiring? definitely. Orgasmic? Not so much. Let me say though I am willing to sign up for that kind of birth next time. I am sure that if everyone experienced this "orgasmic" childbirth there would be a lot more pregnant people around and happy ones at that.

Well on that note I am going to go and lay down with Isabelle and try to convince her that having a nap isn't a bad thing. Wish me luck.

Cookies

2007-03-21T19:06:00.000-06:00

Well today started off rather quietly. After a full 4 hours of sleep last night. I got a wonderful wake up call from the delivery truck driver who was going to deliver the girl guide cookies. From now on he will affectionately be called "the cookie man" kind of like the "epidural man" for those of you who have had his wonderful assistance in childbirth. The only difference being the cookie man brings happiness that tastes good not just happiness that feels good. Ooh IDEA an epidural man that brings cookies with him. Oh the happiness he would bring...... anyways back to reality. So I got up and impatiently waited for the cookie man. He woke me up at 7 but he was bringing cookies so how can one be angry with that? You just can't.

The cookies arrived at a quarter to 10 and I stacked them in my kitchen. Now let me just say there is nothing in this world that brings a smile to a fluffy woman's face like 20 cases of cookies sitting in her kitchen. After the cookie man left I packed up the girls dropped Emily off at Bonnie's and then headed to the doctor with little miss Issy and her super runny nose. After sitting in the office for over an hour I opted to see the other doctor in the practice. Isabelle has a sinus infection and a chest thing. So more medications for us. Came home and picked up Shailyn and Emily from the doctors office in town and cookie delivering we went. Can I just say that girl guide cookies sell themselves. In the first few hours we had already sold almost 3 cases. This should be a breeze right? Cookies anyone?

Came home put my jammies back on and sat around the house. It was great. Then the unthinkable happened. My father in law showed up for a surprise visit!!! The house wasn't as clean as he likes it, Isabelle is in a sleeper I am in my pajamas and the dog hasn't been bathed since he told me too. I saw him coming up the drive and instantly panic set in and I did the flight of the bumble bee otherwise known as throw shit in closets and anywhere else you find room. Thank God he had Grandma with her and there was ice on the walkway. I swear that must have bought me at least 3 minutes.

They only stayed long enough for fil to get into a fight with Colin about who knows what and to critique the smell of the dog. Let me tell you that was enough though. They left and we had breakfast for supper. Now I am sitting here telling you all about it. I am going to go and sit in a hot bath with my book and a box of cookies. Now if I could only remember where I put my book.....and the bathtub plug, and...............

Happy day to you!!

2007-03-20T19:57:00.000-06:00

First I want to start off by saying Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband Colin who today turns 27 years old. Wow how time flies. I have known him since the tender age of 7. Man he was a cutie pie back then. Now he is a handsome man before some off you wonder why I said back then. The only thing I don't like about him having a birthday is that it means mine is coming soon too. Sad times I tell you.

After taking Emily to her appointment with the therapist, which went well by the way, I took her to school and came home to relax. Or so I thought, it turned out Isabelle had other ideas. Starting with a diaper blowout, a whole lot of grouchiness and ending in a super runny nose. i swear if I see one more booger today I am gonna scream. The thing about being a mom though, you no longer get the icky "I am going to hurl in my mouth" feeling when you see boogers, vomit, poop or any other bodily fluid that should really stay in the body. One of the things that no one tells you when you have kids is that, sure they are cute but they are also little fluid factories waiting to pounce when you least expect it. Take the time Emily threw up in the middle of Walmart for example. I can honestly tell you I didn't see that coming and I am sure that the lady who cleaned it up didn't either. It was just one of those moments that pre parent you would have been totally grossed out by and post parent you just shrug and clean the child up.

There are a lot of things that people don't tell you about before you have kids. Things like: you will never sleep again. OK maybe that is a little over kill you will sleep just not till they reach the age of 5 or so. When people say "babies put everything in their mouths" they aren't exaggerating. They will put anything in their mouths. Paper, fuzz, toys, food (old or new) even the dog. Yes the dog just the other day Isabelle decided to sample gizzmo, and like the brilliant creature he is he just lay there while she chewed on his tail. Let me tell you that grossed me out more than anything else being a mother has put me up against. Can you give hairball remedy to an infant?

Life in our house has been rather routine and boring but this is my life like it or not. bonnie is home so that makes me ever so happy. I have someone to call and bug and talk about anything to. i am very lucky to have her and I hope she knows how much I appreciate her..... OK hallmark moment over now moving on. Colin is still a little workaholic and I am still a SAHM. The cloth diapering is going great. I love it and it really isn't anymore work. I just throw them in the wash and walk away. Its great. I figure it has already saved us roughly 20 dollars. I know that this doesn't seem like much, but when you are poor every little bit counts. Well we aren't really poo but we aren't scrooge McDuck either. We are rich in love though (man I could hardly get that out without peeing myself). Well all I am of to wrestle the children into bed and then spend some time with the birthday boy *wink wink*

Quiet

2007-03-18T08:47:00.000-06:00

We are going to have a quiet day at home today. Well except for me doing the never ending stack of laundry. Today will be a day of movies popcorn and naps lol.

I have to say this whole mobile Isabelle thing is not quite so cute anymore. She is into everything!! She is getting quick too. One minute she is in the living room the next minute she is in the kitchen. Keeps me on my toes I tell you. She still thinks she is pretty smart with this whole crawling thing. She will crawl around and then sit up and squeal. So cute. Until she gets into something she isn't suppose to then it abruptly loses its cuteness.

Yesterday during the day besides the usual household stuff I went through all of the clothes in the basement. Wow we had a lot. I sorted through them all and ended up weeding out 4 garbage bags full. Now you would think that this is a lot but I still have 7 totes (boxes) full. However I have virtually nothing for Isabelle now. Sizes 9 months to 24 are virtually non existent. I am hoping that I lent them to someone because I know that I had some. I mean Emily certainly didn't go naked for over a year of her life lol. Oh well they will turn up.

Last night we went out for steak for Colins birthday. His actual birthday isn't until the 20th but because of that being the middle of the week we decided to celebrate this weekend. It was by far the best steak I have ever had. juicy and tender. Yummm so good. There were 15 of us for supper, including my father in law which I thought was a pretty good feat. He seemed to really enjoy himself though so I am glad that he decided to come. After supper we went back to Colins bosses house and had a party of sorts. Visiting, drinks, food and of course cake. It was lots of fun and being the party animals that we are we were home by 12:30. The kids had lots of fun and Emily ran and played all night.

On a super happy note Bonnie is on her way home!! YAY!!!! I am so excited and can't wait for my friend to be home. I have missed her lots and will be very happy when I can go visit all the time. So I am going to go and sit and relax and wait for Bonnie to call.

Have a good day all. I am going to relax.

Tired oh so very tired.

2007-03-16T20:54:00.000-06:00

After the events of yesterday and Colins lack of respect for my sleep I went to bed early. Granted it wasn't 8:00 but it was before midnight. So fo me that is early. Isabelle got up at 5 to eat and this time went right back to bed. It was great! Quarter after 6 rolls around and the phone rings. FLASHBACKS!!! It is Colins ride again, this time Colin quietly gets up and gets his own lunch. I think that yesterdays silent treatment served me well lol. So I fall back asleep again. Quarter to 7 the phone rings again! This time it is one of his bosses. Looking for Colin. I tell him that he has left and hang up. Back to sleep. 7:30 yet again the phone is ringing. It is a guy Colin works with wanting to know about the supper we are having on Saturday for Colins birthday. I tell him about it and then try yet again to go to sleep. Now the kids are up and come and crawl into bed with me and are jumping around so I figure it is time to get up. Once again I got hardly any sleep. Sleep is over rated right? Who needs sleep?

After the lack of sleep I had to brave the city and pick up Colins birthday cake and some other things for the party. It was really good actually, but I think it was because I had soem very good company. The only bad part to the day was the nasty chinese food that we had. Let me tell you I will not be visiting that place any time soon.

We are home now and relaxing. I am going to be taking one of my new books and crawling in a warm bath. Then I am going to bed and I will sleep. Colin is going to be getting up with the kids. he doesn't know it yet but he is. So on that note goodnight all.

A "fuzzy" experience

2007-03-15T14:07:00.000-06:00

We got the fuzzy bunz today. I came straight home from the post office put Issy to bed and washed and dried them. Then I waited...and waited....and waited because of course the one time I want Isabelle to wake up early she sleeps longer than usual. Finally after a 3 hour nap she was up and I was ready. I picked the colour I wanted her top wear first and put it on. Then I turned her over and over looking at her butt like you would an apple in the store. I think its on right, I mean there isn't a wrong way to put on a diaper is there?

Now I do have many many people I could ask about this on my infamous buddy group but I don't want to seem stupid, so trial and error it is. So far she has been wearing it for 27 minutes and counting and there are no leakages and its hasn't fallen off so that has to count for something right? I am loving them already but I haven't had to change a dirty one yet so I won't get too hasty. I can however say that I love watching Isabelle lay there and rub her bum and squeal. It is pretty cute.

So wish me luck on my cross over to the crunchy side.

I used to like him.

2007-03-15T07:36:00.000-06:00

Colin that is. Last night he fell asleep on the couch and slept there for 2 hours whilst I cleaned the house up, put groceries away and got the kids to bed. This morning rolls around and Isabelle decides that she should eat at 5:45. So I get up and feed her and put her back to bed. Well she is having none of that, no way no how. How I could I be so cruel as to feed her and change her and then just put her in the box of torture without so much as a backward glance? I mean what kind of a cruel mother am I? So after listening to her cry for 15 minutes she finally goes to sleep. Now keep in mind I didn't get to bed until 1:00 this morning so I am a little tired.

I just nicely start to fall back asleep and the phone rings. I block it out and continue to doze. Its Colin's ride to work. He will be here to pick him up in a few minutes. Colin gets up and starts to get dressed. Then he says the dumbest thing that has come out of his mouth in a long time. Are you ready for this.... "I think you should get up and make my lunch." not so bad but wait. I mumble something about being tired and he says "well grandma made my lunch yesterday and besides I had just as much sleep as you did and don't you think you should get up anyways?". So this isn't too bad yet but wait he isn't done yet. I get up and start making his lunch he is getting all ready to go. His ride shows up and Colin says to him "she is mad at me because I made her get up and make my lunch for once." For once? For once? I make his damn lunch all the fricken time. The last week or so he has been doing but I did it before then and he has the nerve to say for once. Then he asks if his face is swollen because it feels swollen. To which I reply "no but it could be!" .

I give him his lunch and he says " you can go back to bed now. " Gee thanks could I really. Emily will be up in an hour to get ready for school what is the point? So here I am still up and grouchy. On a happier note though my Mei-tei came yesterday so I am going to be trying to figure it out today lol. Today I think I will take a nap and maybe starch his gotch. Hmm that sounds like fun. I used to like him you know.

A lesson in patience

2007-03-14T21:01:00.000-06:00

That is the only way I can think of to describe my day. I went to the city with my father in law (dramatic gasp). I should have know that when I got to the farm to pick him up and he was just walking down to check the cows that the day wasn't going to end well. After waiting 45 minutes for him to play nurse maid to a cow we were off. First stop Colin, he hadn't packed a lunch (because we were somewhat lacking in the food department) so his loving Grandmother had sent him lunch complete in a shoebox with a shoelace to hold it closed. When we got there Colin decided that the guy who owns the place where he is currently working could hook our car up to his computer to see why the engine light was on. Now let me just say that the only way to describe this man and his worker is cheech and chong meet the Beverley hillbillies. Very nice guys but my father in law was sufficiently amused . Once Colin had his lunch his dad greeted him with a " look under the car, I am sure she took out something when she went over that big ridge back there." To which Colin dutifully got down on hands and knees, looked under the car and assured his dad that all was well in car land.

After hooking the car up to the computer and me being sure that it was going to cost at least a thousand dollars to fix it, because that is just our luck, we find out that the gas cap was put on wrong the last time that I got gas. I have never felt so relieved and stupid all at the same time before. So After a minor gas cap adjustment and a kiss from Colin we were on the road again.

Now let me just say that going anywhere with my father in law is a challenge to say the least. He kind of reminds me of Eeyore with that little black rain cloud always over head and that woe is me attitude. Now don't go thinking that I hate my father in law because I don't. He is a great guy...in short spurts......and not in a small enclosed space travelling down the road at 60 mph where jumping out would really hurt.

So while driving to the city I got to listen to the usual barrage of "your going to fast", "look out for that pot hole",and "don't have that music so loud, you'll make the kids go deaf" mixed in with a little of the complaint of the morning "how could you not know that your gas cap was on wrong?" Pardon me the next time I get gas I will be sure to inspect the gas cap to ensure that proper closure has been achieved. No I didn't say that but I really really wanted to. We get to the city and take the kids to the Golden Arch otherwise known as McDonald's. Emily plays and I order food and then we eat. Lunch was very pleasant and there was no complaining which I now understand was me being lulled into a false sense of security.

Leave McD's and I give fil directions to get onto the ring road (we are now heading to the girls Dr's appts). All those that know me know that I don't drive in the city. I don't like it it makes me very nervous and I perspire. Since I am a woman I am not supposed to perspire so there fore I do not drive in the city. Get onto ring road and I get the "well this isn't the right way we should have gone the other way it would have been quicker why did you make me come this way?" . First of all you asked me which way to go, second of all I don't recall putting a gun to your head "making" you do anything. we are driving along and of course there would have to be a train going across the tracks so we have to stop and wait. You can all imagine what I heard about after that.

At the Dr's office life is good girls are fine. Get back in the car which is "too small and crampy" and" how does Colin even fit in it?" and Isabelle decides that she isn't having anymore of this travelling thing and starts to cry. Not a quiet cry oh no a "my mother is tearing off my arm without any sedation" type of cry. Get to the parts place for fil after him cutting off a car and freaking on me for warning him about the car he almost hit because "he saw it". By this point I have decided that sweating may not be a bad thing and get in the drivers seat. he comes out and the place didn't have the parts. He was told by a guy back home that they would have them all but no they don't . The semi will never get fixed and he might as well not even fix it.

Cindy to the rescue!! Drive to the next parts place and I go in armed with the list and a set of boobs. A very nice guy told me or my breasts rather that he didn't have the parts either but he would call around and find them. I thank him and off we go to the address he gives me. They have the parts YIPEEE!!

We get the parts and now both kids are grumpy and crying/whining. we get our groceries and head home. On the way home we hit a snowstorm complete with blowing snow and visibility of 20 feet. I am still driving and having a panic attack. All the while listening to "go slower", "follow that rut", "watch out for that hole" and much more. Finally we make it to the farm and as we are pulling in I am told that I am not allowed to drive home by myself. I have to wait for fil to drive me home or Colin has to come and get me. Now normally I would have been offended by this but the weather was so bad that I was all good with it. We pull up to the house and Colin sticks his head out the door and says hi. I have never been so happy to see him in all my life.

I have a headache, the kids are crying, the dog is whining to get in the car, fil is complaining about the weather, the snow is coming down and I have absolutely no patience left for anything but seeing Colin's smiling face makes it all better. He grabs his stuff and brings me home.

It's days like this that make me rethink free a SAHM day. Tomorrow will be better......right?

We have achieved babylegs people!!!

2007-03-13T14:31:00.000-06:00

We have achieved babylegs people!!! I was really starting to get grumpy. Finally they came today. What are babylegs you ask. Well they are basically tights without the crotch. They are so cool. Yes my name is Cindy and I am an internet shopaholic! But you have to admit they are uber cute. Don't worry Colin has grounded me from spending any more money for the next month. that's OK it just gives me time to find more to buy, muwahaha!!!

Day 2196 of my captivity....

2007-03-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

Yes you read that right I said captivity. Thanks to the weather, the price of gas and my total lack of interest in packing up 2 kids to go anywhere I am a home body. I blame no one for this captivity but myself. Those of you that have children know though that by the time you get said children dressed in 7 layers of winter clothing twice, because the first time you did it they had to pee, and loaded their marshmallow like bodies into the car, you are ready to stay home and take a nap. This is the life of the SAHM. I recently saw a blinkie that said "moms are working moms" and wanted to say AMEN sister!!

I impatiently wait for the days when I can send Emily out to play without the hassle of winter clothes, when Isabelle can just be put in her stroller for a walk without a snowsuit, toque and 4 blankets and when I can wear my favorite article of clothing again.......Sandals. Ahhh sandals how I have missed you. You protect my feet from the sharpness of rocks yet are open and let me feel free and natural.

So I am declaring today to be free a SAHM day. This means that you all must find a SAHM, just look in any house that has a vehicle in the driveway with car seats or a yard full of playthings buried under snow, and free them. Yes free them. Take them for coffee take them to the grocery store, heck take them anywhere. Just do your part and get them out of the house. Why you may ask have I decide this. Well after the "get together" of last weekend I saw a display of something that I can only compare to the spring break of SAHM's. This is not a bad thing at all. Good times were had by everyone and no men were harmed in the release of said SAHM's. Although it was a close call a few times. So I have decided that this should be made a more frequent occurrence.

Yes I go for walks everyday but this doesn't count as release from captivity. Why? because to be classified as release one must have some sort of ADULT interaction. I mean I look rather funny having a philosophical debate about the merits of 2 ply toilet paper with my 8 month old. So adult conversation is the key to this all. Not only must it be adult conversation it must be non child oriented conversation. Now this may be difficult for the SAHM you have chosen to free. You see spending 24 hours a day 7 days a week changing diaper, wiping snotty noses, and doing your child's homework assignments makes non child conversation a little difficult. Have no fear though the SAHM will come around.

Now I don't want anyone to take this to mean that I hate my children or being a SAHM. Believe me there is nothing I can think of that is as rewarding as watching my children grow and discover new things. Although there are times when I wonder what the heck I was thinking the good moments do make it all worth while. I love my girls very much and wouldn't trade them for the world.......well not today anyway but the day is young.

8 months today

2007-03-12T09:51:00.000-06:00

Isabelle is 8 months old today. Where did the time go? To mark the occasion she decided that last night it was time to crawl. Up until now she has been scooting along on her butt, or crawling backwards. Last night however she looked at a toy and crawled right over to it. Then sat up and looked at us like "look what I just did." It was one of those moments that you are so proud you could cry. Then of course Colin and I had to throw the toy back and forth to each other and make her crawl for it. After a few times of this however it was deemed "cruel" by Colin and that was the end of that.

The last month has been a busy time for Miss Issy. 2 teeth, sitting up on her own, crawling, feeding herself finger foods and trying to stand up in her crib. The latter resulted in a lowered crib mattress, which she is still not to sure about, but I would rather have her mad about "baby jail" than falling on her head.

Emily has had a pretty busy month also. School is still a struggle which resulted in her losing TV and fun stuff privileges for a while but we will trudge on and hopefully things will improve. She marked the last month with a figure skating carnival, Sparks, and to finish off the month last night she cute her hair. I am not talking a minor trim either. We are talking bangs that are now half an inch long and a chunk on the side that is 3 inches long. I am calling the hairdresser and praying to God that she can fix it. So much for growing her hair out.

The weather has finally warmed up and I am taking every opportunity to be outside with the girls. I think that we were all going stir crazy. So we make a daily trek up to the post office to see if there are any parcels for us. Mail being slow as it is though usually there is nothing but hey at least we got out of the house and got some fresh air.

I have ordered some fuzzi bunz. What are fuzzi bunz you might ask. Well they are cloth diapers. Now before you all go jump on the 'you are crazy" bandwagon let me just say cloth diapers are not what they used to be. I was very anti- cloth diaper until some Internet buddies showed me the light. You no longer have to have a degree in origami and own 50 pins. No, no the cloth diapers of today are just like disposables, minus the throw them away part. They have snaps and are preformed and have a built in cover so no ugly plastic pants either. I am very excited even if I only use them at home I am still sure to save some money. Colin, whom I thought would be totally against them, is even excited. He was however disappointed that I didn't get the lime green diaper that is the same colour as his semi. *insert rolley eyes here* Apparently semi coloured butt is the look we are going for. Oh well he is still willing to cloth diaper so I am not going to complain.

Today's jobs are looking much the same as every other weekday. Clean the house (thanks to a "get together" we had this weekend), rearrange some cupboards (also thanks to said"get together" and a certain person who shall remain nameless and thought it would be funny to mess them up), do laundry, feed kids and make the daily jaunt to the post office to see if the babylegs or Mei tei are in.

Well I am off to do my job and hope you all have a good day.