Not too bad a picture with my Blackberry. Quite something. I got this picture as we were driving by. I'm as bad as all those people that slow down to stare out the window. In my defense, Craig was driving. That's not to say I wouldn't have tried to get a picture.

03.30.10

Week 27??? Are you sure????

Who would have thought that we would keep this up when we started?

The boys love it and I love it. I try to get pics throughout the week but this one is a hard and fast Tuesday rule. They both agree that maybe we need to get a new GNOMEE as ours is missing an arm. I like this guy and think we will keep him until our week 52 picture then maybe invest in a new one to start the new year.

Not too much here. The boys have been playing outside with the neighbors all afternoon and will be in shortly (come in when the street lights go on). They have so much fun playing with the E and L. Their imaginations are so great. They have had other friends that could ride scooters or bikes but didn't have the imagination to take some sticks and turn them into wands. Love to see that.

Had a nice bonus today of having my gorgeous hubby come up to my neck of the woods begging for a ride home. There was a CN Rail train derailment and the GO was cancelled so he hopped on the jitney and came to me for a drive home. It was nice getting the chance to chat and spend some time together. I very much enjoyed it. With any luck we may get to do this a little more often.

Day off tomorrow! Can't tell you how much I am looking forward to that. You really appreciate your days off when they don't come in pairs.

Took a picture of the train derailment with my BBerry today so I will try and figure out how to get that on the computer so you can see what a mess it was.

Last thing - I have a challenge for Jessica and the girlies and the Klassens and the boys. It will take 5 minutes a week and a 1 year commitment. Let me know if you might be interested. That is all I'm saying.

Have a great night. I'm home with the fam so I know I will!

How To Train Your Dragon

The boys decided they were going to treat themselves to a movie yesterday afternoon and they went and saw "How To Train Your Dragon". Craig and I are not much into cartoons (except Toy Story 3), so the boys did the solo thing. I took them into the theater got the tickets organized and they bought their treats. Love it when they spend their own money. Got them settled in the theater and then Craig and I went and did the groceries. Not as exciting as the movies but it still needed to be done.
We picked them up (ahh, the memories of my childhood) and they spent the rest of the afternoon doing homework, playing on the computer, watching TV and hanging out. Kaedo spent a couple of hours with a friend and Sterling and I almost finished his latest Hardy Boys book, as well. Needless to say when I looked at the clock at 11:11pm I was shocked it was already so late!
Back to life today. Boo!

Just had to share...

Got my latest issue of "Real Simple" in the mail this week (thanks Jessica - awesome birthday present!) and just had to share this with you.

Readers sent in their answers to the following question:
What is the most embarrassing thing you have done for the sake of speed?

Taken a "shower" with wet wipes

Sent the kids to school in their pajamas (under a coat, of course)

Duct taped the hem of my work pants

Temporarily delayed having sex so I could start a load of laundry and a pot of coffee so that they would be ready just as we finished

Ironed only the parts of my clothing that could be seen

Cut off the mold from old bread for sandwiches

Painted only the toenails that would show through my peep-toe shoes

Exercised the dogs in the backyard with a laser pointer so I didn't have to take them for a walk

Skipped changing the sheets when my daughter "lightly" wet the bed

Knowingly dropped my son off at daycare without shoes and acted shocked at his shoelessness at pick up


These are so hilarious. I was reading them at work and burst out laughing. What is the most embarrassing thing you've done for the sake of speed????

You Know You....

...really bumped your head hard when a crown falls out and you almost swallow it. Nothing like an emergency dental appointment to make your night.

By the way - this is my 700th post! Who woulda thunk it?

Happy Friday

Got this picture yesterday afternoon of the boys playing outside. Notice the short sleeves? They are loving Spring and I am loving it too. Kaedo had a mouth full of Spitz and so only a smirk was possible.
I don't know if you eat Spitz, but my guys (all three of them) are addicted to them. Especially the Cracked Pepper ones. They would eat them all day every day if possible and much of the weekend is spent spitting the shells into bowls. I personally think they are disgusting but what do I know. Sterling likes them I think because he shouldn't be eating them with his braces. We are definitely strict with his braces but do concede on the Spitz front. So, if you ever want to bribe my guys - this is all you have to give them. They will pretty much be putty in your hands (or should I say shells in a bowl?)

From the Archives

Hello All -

Just a brief post with some pictures from the Archives. These are from 2004. The boys are doing good. Sterling has decided he likes taking the bus to school in the morning so he has been doing that all week. Kaedo hates taking the bus so I am finding myself kissing Sterling at the door as he rushes out to catch the bus then taking Kaedo to school. He says he won't complain about having to take the bus the two days a week he has to but is adamant that he will not be taking the bus the other 3 days a week. Whatever. A few more minutes with him in the morning is awesome so I'm not complaining.

Yesterday I picked them up from school and on our way home one of their friends was getting off the bus. We hadn't been home 2 minutes when he rang the bell. He ended up calling his mom, doing his homework at our house then having supper with us. "your food is delicious". Can't beat that. especially when all it was was Pate Chinois (gross). Nothing like making you feel good.

Weekly Gnome

Week 26 already. Can you believe we have been doing this for 6 months? We missed the weeks we were away but got other gnome pictures as you have all seen.

The boys are doing great. They took the bus to school this morning and they did awesome. I'm so proud of them. Thankful for cell phones and Sterling texting me to let me know they have made it to school. What did people do before them?

On the fall down the stairs incident. Went to work this morning and was stiff but OK. By 12:30pm I was in the bathroom throwing up. I called my doctor and was advised to come to the office. I left work early, went to the doctor and was advised to take it easy. Apparently throwing up is a sign of a concussion. Crazy. Going to take it easy the next couple of days - thank goodness I'm off tomorrow.

Rest In Peace my dear friends. We have been together since Christmas 2008. A gift from the boys. I love you. But you are dangerous to my health. Take today for instance. Walking down the stairs with you on my feet, a load of laundry in my arms, when suddenly I kept walking and you decided not to. So what happened you may ask? Down I went, basket in arms, head hitting the stairs, tailbone bouncing off the floor. A trip to the clinic, a mild concussion and bruised tailbone later and the only logical thing to do is retire you. I'm sorry. I really am. I love you guys. I'm not getting rid of you but you will now reside in my closet. I'm sorry my friends, but I am already a klutz and really don't need any help from you. So, RIP my friends. This hurts me more than it hurts you.

03.21.2010

Terrible pictures, I know. This is what you get when you let two boys take every available pillow and blanket in the house and put them in the office for a camp out. They slept there on Friday and Saturday night and I can't believe they actually can walk straight up today. Craig won't let them stay in the basement as he doesn't want the TV down there on all night and there is no exit, so for them the best option is the office. Right now I have had to threaten with "all afternoon boredom" in order to get them to clean up their mess.

Spring Break is officially over and it is back to school tomorrow. I'm going to miss having the little buggers home.

03.20.2010

Only in our house would you get a call telling you that your 10 year old swallowed a penny. That's right. A penny. I was just getting to my car after work on Thursday when my phone rang. Craig called to tell me that Kaedo had swallowed a penny. I immediately called Kaedo and he told me what happened - goofing off with his brother - and then told me his chest was hurting. Yikes! Craig zoomed him over to the walk-in where the doctor checked him out then advised us to head to the hospital. I took Kaedo out to the hospital and after a round of x-rays and a visit from the doctor he was told one of his poops over the next couple of days would be worth more than the others!
This is something you expect from a 4 year old but not a 10 year old. The thing that made me laugh about it all was thinking "this would only happen to Kaedo!"

Spring Things

Spring has Sprung in our neck of the woods. The boys spent Wednesday afternoon outside playing on their scooters, Easy Roller, RollerBlades, playing with pylons, rope, wood AND spending lots of time with their friends out at the park. It was a great day. Sterling wanted to get practicing his roller blading and after a while felt comfortable with me getting a little footage. Next he's going to teach himself how to go backwards. Hoping the weather stays good through the weekend so they can pull out their bikes and maybe we'll take a trip to Darlington Park for a walk.

Hope Spring has Sprung wherever you are.

Tooth Fairy

Not great pictures - but aren't those teeth huge? The dentist said they were no way near ready to come out. Could have taken another year. Glad we got them pulled. They are the 2nd to last in the back. The xrays show the big teeth but they are still a ways from coming in. Sterling said the hygienist tapped on his forehead while they were freezing him. He said the conversation went something like this:

Sterling: "That's really annoying"

Hygienist: "Ya, but you're not thinking about the needles right now, are you?"

So, for now he is just taking it easy. His mouth is full of gauze and he will be eating soft foods for a while. Next month he gets his bottom tracks on. They are a mess so I am glad we will be getting them done. There is a lot of moving that needs to be done with those teeth so hopefully it isn't too painful for him.

Anyways, he was a real trooper. I have been advised that the tooth fairy should fork out at least $15 for these beauties. Yikes!

Week 25

Week 25 - can you believe it? At home today with the boys. Sterling is getting two teeth pulled this morning. He is thrilled. Not. Just hanging out, enjoying my day with them. Craig is working from home today as we have an appointment at 4pm to go to. Loved my day shift yesterday. It was great. Was home at 6:55pm and got a chance to spend the whole evening with the family. The boys played outside with their friends after supper until it was dark. Love that. So nice to see them outside enjoying the wonderful weather. Another beautiful day here today. I think I'll have to spend some time outside.

What a nIce Surprise

Heading into work this morning - first day shift - I got a call from my sweetie - he was up in my neck of the woods.
Craig: "hi, I'm on the jitney at Eg_________ and Bi_________"
me: "what are you doing there?"
Craig: "meetings"
me: "cool"
Craig: "I'm looking at the parking lot - I think you'll have to park in the back 40"
me: "Thanks for the tip"

I wish he was up here everyday. It would sure save on me having to drive through the parking lot looking for a spot. Maybe he could set up a lawn chair in an empty space and save it for me.

Sleepover Aftermath

This is what happens when 3 boys decide to sleep in the office. 15 pillows on the floor, every blanket in the house, a 5'4" boy sleeping on a love seat and the sun shining in at 10am. To say Craig was not thrilled to tell them to go to sleep at 3am this morning would be an understatement of epic proportions.

Note to self - no more sleepovers when someone has to go to work in the morning. My bad.

Sunday

You know your kids are growing up when you make plans with them and they go hang out with their friends instead. SOB! Just joking. Kaedo and I had plans to spend some time together today but alas, a call from a friend changed all that and now he is with Josh and then Josh will be spending the night tonight. Yesterday Sterling spent the afternoon and evening with a friend. I'm so glad my kids have chums they can spend time with.

Spring Football starts in a couple of weeks and Craig and his friends are starting some pick up games next weekend. He's here in the office lovingly (ha) putting his football bag together and counting down the days until he gets back on the field.

Got some great news this week - I am changing two of my shifts to 10am-6pm. This will allow for me to be home 3 nights during the week. The boys and I had some long conversations weighing out the pros and cons of me working nights and them taking the bus in the morning. Taking the bus won out, so I am happy about that.

Craig is watching hockey, Sterling is watching a movie and I think I'll sit down and read a book. Hope you have a great rest of the weekend, whatever your plans.

Friday

Today is the beginning of Spring Break for the boys. They are off all week next week and are very much looking forward to it. Aside of course for the dentist appointment Sterling has. He is not thrilled about that. At all. Oh well, such is life.

As for Ketchup he is doing well. His cheek is still swollen but he is sweet as always. We are giving him his medicine and for now it seems to be working. At least a little. Poor guy.

Got some great news yesterday. My shift is changing to 1:30-8 Tuesday and Thursdays. Looking forward to getting home even a little earlier during the week. There may be some 10-6pm shifts coming available so I am looking forward to maybe scooping up a couple of those.

Heading off to work and the first meeting of our new team. An hour off the phones on a Friday is a nice bonus. Working tomorrow - ugh. Hope you have a great weekend.

Poor Pooch

On Sunday we noticed that one of Ketchup's eyes looked swollen. We kept an eye on it and Craig and I both washed it out and held compresses over it (no small feat with a dog) and it wasn't getting better. We thought maybe it was a blocked tear duct (ahh, the wonders of the Internet).One side of his face is swollen and he has seemed a little lethargic. He has been eating well and still going out but he just didn't seem right.

I have to be honest and say that I didn't want to take him to the vet. I was so scared that they would tell me he has cancer or something and I would have to tell the boys. So yesterday we could wait no longer. I took him to the vet. I'm happy to report that he does not have cancer - thank god- but he does have an abscessed tooth that is pushing the infection up into his eye area.
Let me say that Ketchup really costs us nothing. Almost. About $100 a YEAR in food and maybe $20 in treats (unless Emma is visiting). He is a great pet and an important part of our family. He is Sterling's best friend and we love him to bits. We have never regretted getting him (thanks again, Cheryl - he is awesome!)

In saying all that, I have to tell you, I thought I was going to be sick when they gave me the estimate for his surgery - $1081. I almost had a heart attack. Needless to say he is taking antibiotics and we have been told that should get rid of the infection and buy us some time to save the money. So, $116 later, I have a dog that's sick, smelly canned dog food in my fridge and two relieved boys.

$22 million tonight for the 649. If anyone wins can they send $1081 our way???

a day late weekly

Weekly gnome picture, a day late. Forgot yesterday morning until I was driving the boys to school, so I made sure we got one today. Love Kaedo's glove. Sterling said Gnomie's hat was poking him in the eye. This picture is a little silly but I love it. I'm so glad the boys like doing this.

In other news, Sterling went to his ortho appt this morning and we learned today that he has to have two baby teeth pulled. So, next Wednesday his dentist is going to take out the two teeth. To say he is not happy would be an understatement. We also learned today that at his next appointment he will be getting his bottom tracks. He'll be a full brace face on April 22. He is not looking forward to that. His ortho has done such a great job of the top teeth I can't wait to see how the bottoms turn out. Can you believe he has had his braces for 18 months already? I can't believe it. Can't wait to be done paying - that's for sure.

A very special HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dad! I can't believe I wasn't the first call. Damn it! I waited because I thought he might sleep in a little and Jessica beat me! Damn her. I vow to be first on mom's birthday next month. So beware mom, I'll be calling at 5am!

a few smileys for your monday

Thought these were cute and thought I'd share them.

:-) happy

;-) winking

~:-) one hair

:-* kiss

:-{} lipstick

:-0 surprised

*-0 oh my god

;^) smirking

:-)) really happy

{:-) toupee

0:-) angel

:-# lips are sealed

@:-) turban

:-D laughing

:-P sticking out your tongue

Politically Incorrect Jokes brought to you by Sterling

Sterling and a friend were texting back and forth yesterday and here are some of the jokes that came out of their conversation. There is nothing funnier than a 12 year olds belly laugh. Enjoy. Or not.

What do you call a dead blonde in a closet?
The 1995 Hide and Seek Champion

Blonde 1: I can't get the car door unlocked
Blonde 2: Well hurry up - it's about to rain and the roof's down

How do you confuse a blonde?
You don't, they are born that way

Why did the baby cross the road?
He was strapped to the chicken

Happy Friday everyone

Weigh In Thursday

Hello all - a day late this week. Start with the weight news - down about 1/2 lb. Not much action. Need to get renewed, revitalized about this. Going to go and do some yoga after posting this. They have free exercise programs on Rogers On Demand, so I'm going to check it out.

Even though I was off yesterday, it was a very busy day. Took the kids to school, returned some videos to the library, met up with a friend for a visit, took Sterling to an appointment, picked Kaedo up from school, took them to Wal-Mart (Sterling was looking for something), brought them home for supper, read 100+ pages with Sterling to get his Book Study book completed, scribed his report and typed it out, watched some TV with the boys, started the laundry, got Craig's breakfast and lunch together, and ironed his clothes for today. Got to bed about 10:15pm.
Try saying that 5 times fast.

A good day all around. Now back to work for 3 days. The weather here is awesome. The boys were out in their short sleeves yesterday afternoon. Don't know if we can put the ski jackets away yet, but it sure has been great. I'm hoping we're done with Winter and can safely move into Spring. Here's hoping!

weekly gnome

Weekly gnome. Week 23 - can you believe it? To be true, we should be on week 25, but Disney got in the way.
Crazy busy at work last night with the last day of RRSP season. I was shocked at how many people called at 9:30pm to make their contributions. Talk about down to the wire!
All is well here. The boys are doing great and are looking forward to their next break in 2 weeks for Spring Break.
The weather is great and I am looking forward to my day off tomorrow. I get to pick the boys up from school and spend time with them. Craig is working tomorrow night and so it will just be the three of us. Looking forward to being with my boys!
Hope you have a great day wherever you and and whatever you're doing.

One from the archives

A new week ahead of us. Who knows what it will bring. Yesterday was spent gutting the office, cleaning it and re-organizing it. It looks great. Happy with the results. Also finished watching "Charade" with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. So happy to be able to share my love of old movies with the boys. They really love them as well and so the 3 of us cuddled up on the couch and watched it. We really enjoyed it. Love me some Cary Grant!

Craig was glued to the TV watching the Canada vs USA game and I came up for the last period to watch with him. What a great game. A nail biter. Was so thrilled to see our Canadian Boys Win! So exciting. I can just imagine all of our family watching the game as well. It was great to watch them celebrating on the ice. Loved it.

Does March 1st mean winter is over? We have been so blessed this winter. I don't even know if I would call it winter. We have only had to shovel twice. I am hoping that Spring is on its way.

Today it is back to school and work. Thank god the Olympics are now over. My stats at work have been sucking because I was watching the Olympics between calls!