wow what a dizzying holiday

Well now that life in general is back to normal.....I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Our was......well busy, Christmas eve afternoon at Oscars mom and dads, Christmas eve at my mom and dads. Back home for precious sleep, wake our daughter up early (which I really don't think is fair, but when you have families to keep happy, what do ya do) to open presents here; then to my parents for a quick morning, presents, quick breakfast and off to Oscars mom and dads for the remainder of the day.

New years is almost as bad. Who are we spending new years eve with? who do we have to spend all of New years day with?

I am not going to get into how I feel about Christmas, it makes me all riled up and grouchy. I hate having to talk about where and when and how and on and on.

So thankfully it is over, don't get me wrong I love spending time with family and giving gifts. but I am so happy it is done. I took down the tree yesterday, and put away the Christmas decorations. I left out all my snowmen though. They represent winter, which I am totally ok with.

Back to the grind, you will hear from me again soon.

Christmas Stress

I can't believe that it is Christmas already, I say this every year.

The last 2 Christmas' I have managed to get myself somewhat into the spirit. I put up the tree, get the lights on the house, get all of my snowmen from storage (I love snowmen by the way). Get the house wintery and warm.

I do love Christmas, I love the shopping for gifts and lovingly wrapping them with pretty paper and ribbons, topped off with my home-made gift labels. I get everything wrapped long before Christmas, I love that part.

On the other hand I find Christmas very stressful, I always have since Oscar and I have been together, because both of our families live right here. So of course everyone wants you, and neither of us will give anything up (our families would freak anyway). It is a blessing and a curse! Now with Isabel around it is even worse. I just want to stay home and not have to think about it. Complaining? I guess a little bit. Just today talking about having to put Isabel to bed super early so we can get her up super early is so not fair for her. I don't think this will happen next year.

Ahhh the joy of the holidays!

Mucking

You know those things that you put off until tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that until months have passed?

"Mucking" ot our room is one of those things" and now that I work at home I decided I should probably tackle this one. I came out of our room with a black garbage bag full, as well as a basket full of things for the basement and things that just need to be put away. I also emerged with a box of items for a garage sale, and countless books to pass along.

I also had a little helper who loves to throw things in the garbage and get into many things that she shouldn't! She makes things more interesting, and the job to take longer.

The job is complete and I feel great and I imagine that Isabel feels the same.

I love the snow

I took Isabel out into the snow for her first real time today. She has been out there, but it has been to cold for her to really get into it and play, she tasted the snow off her mitts and her cheeks got rosy red. It was so fun, it made me remember how much I loved playing out in the snow, you know one of those trips down memory lane.

I remember going out and playing for hours in the snow. Mom would send me out in the middle of the afternoon and I wouldn't go back in until Dad would get home from work and it was dark out. What did I do outside in the snow? I really cant remember much, other than laying with my dog Sheara and digging out snowdrifts. I remember going to skate at the outdoor rink and going into the little building to huddle up to the heater, just to go back out again.

One of my favorite memories is when we would all go skating on the creek. Family and friends would pack up hot dogs, hot chocolate and everything you would need for an evening of skating and visiting around a fire while us kids would skate on the creek and some of the adults would come out for a quick skate as well. Another great outside holiday memory I have is on Christmas day when supper was at our house all of my Aunts, Uncles cousins, grandparents.....Everyone would come over early in the day so that we could all suit up and head out to the big hill behind our house and we would sled and visit and play all day until we were either frozen or it was time to head in for supper.

Tis' the season for snowy memories!

It's All Gone to the Dogs

It is a cool -50 with the windchill outside.

Our dogs......think that gives them the right to refuse the outdoor toilet and use the dining room and kitchen floor.

If you could look at my face you would see one that is not very happy and sees absolutely no humour in it.

Oscar's excuse for his little poodle is that she is like over 100 years old, so give her a break. I give my chih zhu no excuses other than laziness, and by the way I don't give the poodle any slack either, ya shes old, but she still knows how to do her business outside. Really get out do it and get in.

I am about to lose it on their little furry behinds.

I may be advertising two free dogs to go on here soon if it doesn't warm up out there. Watch for the advertisement coming soon.

Christmas Makes Us Crazy

Ahhh ha-ha. So we ventured out in the -50 weather on Saturday to go to the big city and complete our Christmas shopping. Seriously, why? Because we just had to, up at 6:30 WTF its a day off! But I sacrificed. My vehicle never did fully heat up (engine I mean for all you non-mechanical brains). My tush was warm with the heated seat don't you worry about me.

You know...shopping is fun, and the mall (west ed) was soooo quiet in the morning, but holy cow, the clock strikes 12 and the mall is a zoo. We quickly got the rest of what we had to do in the mall completed (including eating Opa! yummm), then headed out to the south side. Where you get to park somewhere in the middle of where you want to go and you run people you run when it is that cold, to get to each store without freezing your appendages off. We had to hit, Ikea (which I am a pro at speed walking through, I believe we were in and out in record time 30 minutes.) then we had to hit: golf town, Michael's (my personal fave), Children's place, Quicksilver outlet....hmmm oh a Walmart seriously I know we have two right here, but we were trying to find a certain item and we just wanted to get 'er done. I am missing a few stores, I know it. However I am proud to say that Christmas shopping is complete and all gifts are wrapped. whoop whoop!

We were completely done shopping by 6:00 and headed out of the city, but of course you always have to stop and visit friends when you are up that way. Needless to say we didn't actually get home until 2:00. sleep

sooo anyway just an update to where we stand today.

To get you all up to speed. I have gotten pregnant, been on bedrest...gotten out of bed, had a few seizures. Spent some time in the hospital, been off work; had my baby....been on Mat leave and back to work for three months and gotten stressed out; and here we are today....back in the GOOD. We are here to stay.

Home again, Home again, Jiggity Jig

I am so excited and at the same time, so absolutely scared! For the first time in my life I am going to working at a job that I do not make money at. I will make many other things and raise my beautiful daughter, but unfortunately we do not get paid to be a domestic engineer. You know that we do not get paid because no one could afford to pay us.

We are accountants, personal shoppers, chefs, bakers, laundry service, nurse, electricians, handy women (or man), body guards, only to name a few, our job description goes on with: working 18 + hour shifts, be proficient in toddler-lingo, must be able to multi-task to the max, must work well under pressure (and not use potty words), must be able to perform repetitive and mundane tasks always with a smile. Must be able to work miracles with limited budget, must have eyes in the back of your head, and train your peripheral vision to reach far beyond normal. Should have experience with crowd control, experience in waste management is a big plus….and the list goes on.

The benefits package is great though, lots of smiles, random hugs and kisses, lots of help removing items as you put them away, and from time to time bouquets of weeds, the odd rock that looked really special, and special drawings that were made just for you.

As I said before, it is a scary leap but one that I am very willing to take, I want to raise my daughter, not have someone else do it. I know everyone in the world has different opinions on this, but many of the people that I am leaving behind have told me I am doing the right thing…..no amount of money can replace your child growing up.

So as of 4:30 Friday afternoon on December 11th I will leave the place I have worked for 5 years and venture on home…to stay.

Do I have to?????

I dont want to work anymore....well I want to work, just not the current job I have. I want to be a creator, a photographer, a designer; really anything that uses the creative juices are the ones I want. I really think I am going to take a photography course, do some fun stuff do some family stuff and see what people think. I honestly love photography I could watch a professional do their thing for hours, not to mention looking at the amazing work that comes out after all the creativity. You should see the stuff I take pictures of, Oscar things I'm weird when I agree to go to the golf course with him and while he's golfing Im taking pictures of a flower, or the landscape, or I set up a shot of him putting or really anything that catches my eye. I erase all the nonsence later, because no one is going to look at it other than me, but I loooooove taking pictures, and if I could do it for "real" would be awesome. Now, to find some money to take this course with is my problemo. I of course havent worked all summer because I have had something like three more seizures and my doctor took me off work; oh I tell ya life is grand for me. Seizures....then a kidney infection that I thought was going to kill me, then another seizure, more medication. I look like the drug queen when you see what I get to take everyday; but enough about me. Money......hmmm any ideas??

Here I Am!!!

I could tell you that I took the summer off, but then I would be totally lying. So we will go with that, I took the summer off, of everything really....no work, no blog. I guess you could say I have been totally useless, well to some extent. I am currently growing a human, so I have been "working". I was reminded about blogging this weekend by a two strangers...."stranger danger, stranger danger!" Well I haven't seen them in forever and a day, so I am teasingly calling them strangers. None of us has changed, other then I have a basketball in my shirt and ole Duff is trying to catch up to me......Stacy really THREE pieces of dessert?? Oh well it helped soak up some of those drinks hey buddy? This past weekend was by little cuz's wedding, it was very nice, but the best part of it is seeing family and friends that you don't get to see often....like my strangers I mentioned in the above paragraph. Why I am writing a paragraph about seeing family I really don't know because the ones that live far away...its nice, and I will be happy to keep it that way. You know family is one of those things you keep hidden at the back of a shelf and you only pull out for "special occasions" and you shove 'em right back into the the dark corner of that shelf when its all said and done. Now don't get me wrong, not all of the family has to be shoved away; just the weirdos, and I have to say, some families have way more of them than others. Then there are the ones that seem normal, you cant really place your finger on why you have them shoved away in the darkest space at the back of your cluttered closet......then they open their mouth and it all comes racing back. Oh ya, I had some of that this past weekend. Nuff said really. I just want to note here, that Somerlee's camera has many random pictures on it....and I didn't do it...well not all of it. I only did a few fun ones and then someone saw me having fun.....that is all I will say. I hope to see my strangers again soon. Please enjoy my picture of Stacy very much enjoying his 3rd piece of dessert, which he spread all over the table. Yes he is special, but we love him anyway.

Crazy Canucks and our love of the sport

It’s pretty funny how passionate people get about their hockey, and I must admit I fit into this mold. This mostly means us crazy canucks but I know there are some passionate Americans as well but I am not one of those people I am a proud and ardent Canadian. We Canadians have our one most cherished favourite team, and we also have our one most despised hockey team. Now when someone else put our beloved team down, we get very defensive, as if that individual just cut down our brother or best friend. I try not to get to upset over the everyday jibber jabber, like all the crap getting thrown at me right now because people are highly jealous that my beloved team is currently wiping the ice with the Pittsburgh Penguins. I let them have their five minutes on game day to tell me how the Penguins are going to show up and kick the Wings, blaa blaa blaa. So of course the next day….for example today, I came into work with a smile on my face and then proceed to ask the certain individuals….not naming names but today it was Kevin and Chris, I asked them what it was that they were talking out of their “behinds” about yesterday. I enjoy when the smart mouths have to eat it the next day, sweet revenge. When we lose and people like to rub it in, I love to not give them the satisfaction, I simply smile and say "oh well" nothing bothers a guy worse than that, ahhhh. For dirty hockey talk come play off time anything is legal, Canadians fight over hockey almost the way that the Europeans are over footy; ALMOST. Oh, and my highly despised hockey team is my loving husbands favourite team, things get interesting in our house. In fact, right now he is cheering for the Penguins, so you can imagine some of the spurs we are giving each other lately. I enjoy watching my Wings play hockey anytime and Oscar enjoys watching any hockey, he is a Canadian guy, he lives it, breaths it, he would eat it if he could. However when his Oilers are playing on TV I would rather go have my fingernails pulled out one by one (ok not quite that bad, but I hate watching them play). So to wrap today up all I have to say is GO WINGS GO, and if you don’t agree….you can go eat dirt, and the odd worm.

my thoughts on movies....

You know when you go to a movie and you expect this great movie and then you leave feeling like you have had the biggest let down of your life? You feel as if you wasted $10.00 on your ticket? Well last night I went to the new Indiana Jones movie (and just for your knowledge, not because I wanted to) and don’t worry I didn’t go in expecting some amazing movie. I went in expecting a dorky movie and that is exactly what I got. I suggest when anyone goes to a movie you should go in expecting a mediocre movie (even if deep inside you hope the chosen movie will be amazing), just so that if it is a great movie you can leave with a big grin on your face; and if it is a crappy movie you can leave a little less disappointed. See I am quite excited to go see the Sex and the City movie, but I am not letting myself get swept up in the commercials, because for all I know those are the only good tidbits of the movie at all. I don’t want to leave there thinking that those girls should have left their cosmos and sex stories retired. So I am going in really expecting nothing but a bunch of fluff (which should be just about right because honestly even the biggest die hard Sex fan knows that that is really all that show is in the long run). So the next time you go to a movie and come out disappointed I don’t want to hear the grumbles about how you expected so much more. The only reason you are disappointed is you own fault, you expected too much from Hollywood……honestly think about it, you expected too much from the home of silicone and whackos.

my perfect vision

I have a dream, nay a vision. Of the perfect kitchen to ever exist on this planet, but don’t you know that one thing stands in my way….Money. My honey made me proud by buying a lottery ticket yesterday, in hopes of building me my dream kitchen, and bathroom and anything else I can think of. Back to the kitchen though, it’s rough for Oscar because I went to school for interior design, so my brain is constantly turning with new colours and ideas for our home, inside and out. The kitchen however is on my mind 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I have drafted, oh, I will say about 5 different layouts for my kitchen. They have the same basic plan, but everyday I think of something different or better. Oh when I get my kitchen make over (someday over the rainbow in years I don’t even want to count) I want to make a royal mess of my main floor. When I go remodel I go all out or don’t go at all. I am ripping out walls and putting in beautiful floors, dark cabinets, stone counter tops as far as the eye can see, an island the size of Hawaii. New appliances of course and lovely glass tile backsplash….I could keep going but I would hate to bore those of you that find reconstruction and design rather boring. I also have to say that if you find that boring then you must be dead, how can you find that stuff boring?! Crazies.

smash the alarm!

Who honestly likes to wake up an hour earlier than they are used to? Not me, I will admit that right now. It’s really hard especially after having three months in bed and waking up whenever I wanted to. Now I have to get up extra early and be ready in time for my dear man to drive me to work; an hour early no less! Oh this is because when you have a seizure the docs think it is fun to punish you by taking away your license. Now don’t get me wrong if you have seizures in the middle of the day for no reason it is a good idea to remove that individual from the roads, because hello….hazard. I am not a hazard, my medication was not strong enough in my system anymore and I have my seizures IN MY SLEEP! Yes, in my sleep, if I didn’t live with someone I probably wouldn’t be aware that I have had any seizures….I’m sure I would eventually figure it out, bitten tongue no idea where I am or who I am for a few hours; but still. I am only willing to do this wake up early crap for so long, and I’m already getting really tired of it.

seizure fun

So I had another seizure, I was going through my pregnancy thinking everything was ok on that front at least, and it sure as a hell isn’t ok there. My medication is being metabolized a lot quicker than normal and I have a heck of a lot more blood in my system; so now I am so freaked and worried over having to take more medication and having to have my levels checked. I am freaking out about what my medications could do to my child even. Tell you what, the internet is a scary place when you want to find information, I am finding out that I could possibly give my baby a cleft palate and if I’m not taking enough folic acid I could cause the poor thing spina bifida. What was I thinking, imagining that I could have a child while on my seizure medication? My Neurologist put me on this kind and told me it was the best one if I planned on having a family, but I feel as if I really shouldn’t be allowed to have kids; I am screwed up, my health isn’t really all there, so why would I play Russian roulette with a life? I should not have even thought about having a family. Maybe I should have let my husband move on and have a healthy family with someone else, because who knows if our family will be healthy? I can only hope that the only “problems” my children have are family traits you know, like goofy sense of humour, funny ears and the weirdness required to want to stand between two goalie posts…..that sort of thing.

Let me tell you what, I have had one stressful year and a half, I just want it to calm down and go with the flow…..I need my life off I think.

Sooooo I had another one

So the weekend was going great, things were looking normal, I was back to work life was great. Then at quarter to six on Sunday morning I had another seizure, flubhappy-muckaluck wonderful. Another fun ride in the ambulance and a few hours in emergency, and my meds upped and informed that I cant drive again. I don't think anyone can try to commiserate with me over the driving thing, no one knows what it is like to lose your freedom until you have your licence taken away, for no reason. I do not have my seizures while I am awake, they are called "waking seizures" for a reason! I have them when my body is leaving the land of dreams otherwise known as REM sleep. I got to have some blood work done to check the levels of my medication, and the are making me take more....much fun! Oh and get this the blood work has to go to Toronto because nowhere in western Canada does that particular test! We did get to have an ultrasound done yesterday to see the little gaffer, and we get our regular scheduled one next Wednesday so that is fun, we get to see the swimmer two times in two weeks. It is so cool to see the little thing moving and kicking the heck out of my bladder already....yes already. I want to go shopping, now I'm getting bigger and the "regular" clothes that I have been stretching out are not doing it anymore, they are stretched and will never go back (haha don't tell Oscar but that means I get to go shopping again after!) He figures that two shirts and 3 pairs of pants will do me just fine for the next 20 weeks...ya sorry NO. We have three maybe four weddings to go to, jeans don't do it, and I need some cute shirts and capri pants, I am going shopping dang heck it whether he likes it or not....one problemo, I cant drive who wants to take me up to the big city to buy some clothes?

Happy birthday to me happy birthday to me!!!! That’s all I have to say! Oh and above is what I am buying myself for my birthday, because I have always wanted a pair and because my hubby just bought himself a new set of irons.....I think its only fair.

The two dont mix

I have to share with the world how peeved I am, and have always been that my birthday is right around (and sometime even on) Mothers Day. I do not think this is very fair at all, even when I was young I knew it spelt trouble. I always had to share my day MY DAY with my Mom and Grandma and the rest of the moms in the family. Then when I was old enough to realize that I may one day have children I have always sworn that I would kill the people closest to me if they tried to roll the two days into one. One is my birthday people and the other is Mothers Day, two very different days indeed. Even if it happens to be one of the years when they fall on the same day, I should get two cards and two presents. At least this year my birthday thankfully is on Saturday and Mothers day is on Sunday. You bet your gonna hear about it if the families try to mush the two together…oh there will be hell to pay.

ITS ME! IM BACK!

Hello world!! So I am back into the world, 3 months of bed rest really sucks after a while. I mean thank the powers that be that I got to lay in bed for most of my puking. Things were a bit scary, but my great hubby took awesome care of me and now I’m up and just look like I have gained a small paunch from lying in bed. Beautiful! It is totally amazing all the things that make a pregnant woman puke, morning breath (yours or someone elses), smells of food you normally love, and the best is simply the thought of some things make you puke! At least I have a reason, and a good one at that. I get a little pumpkin out of the deal, the only thing I beg of is that the pumpkin does not come out with reddish orange hair like its cousin just did this past January. Hopefully it pops out with thick dark hair like its mom, and really I hope it comes out without all of its father’s ills and stuff. My husband is the king of allergies and scoliosis, not to mention a little weeeeeeird in the melon. So for all of you that read and would like to know, today I am sitting nicely at 17w/3d, reaching for that 20 weeks, cause then its half way AND maybe these stretching pains will subside, one can only hope!

Woweee, I will be filling you all in soon on my daily goings on.

I am wildly mad

I have to ask how it is that you ask someone to be in one of the most important days of you life....and then take it back, for no better reason than one bitch who complained and complained about being in the wedding (but wanted to be pregnant, and the whole world has to bow to her becuase she "might" be on bed rest). So you let the "woman" be in the wedding anyway, and ask another guy to be part of the day. The dumb bitch gets pregnant and says she cant be on her feet at the time of the wedding, so you call the guy and say...so oops, dont want you now! I dont think that is right. NO WAY You swallow the pill from the chick, and either find someone else or you have one extra person on one side. I was in a wedding last year, there were three girls and two guys, it was still nice. So what he wants more guys, or she wants more girls. YOU DONT ASK A PERSON AND THEN TAKE IT BACK!!! That is what my cousin did....Right at this moment in time....I am not going to the damn wedding. Its a damn good thing my husband didnt book the days off of work yet.