Happy Holiday!

here's a quick note from me..I'm finally out of the dark... & finished with the kids school year...As I said Jessica had her Grade 7 Leaving Ceremony & will be off to High school in the fall...*sigh* -here's a pic of her & her slightly frazzled but very proud Mommy :)

Just had a great weekend & our annual "Red & White" themed Canada Day Party over the weekend LOTS of Red & white food & drink.. which in itself is lots of fun ;) We had gorgeous weather for fun in the sun, lots of friends, neighbours & critters everywhere!
Then a great 'nother day on July 1st here in town where we spent our day watching darlin daughter do her Taekwondo Demo Team stuff..
Still amazes me-- she just started in Sept & is one of the newest members of the club & the lowest belt ever asked to be on this Team which does performances at all sorts of Community events . who knew!?


Hoping all you my friends across the border ,are having a Wonderful 4th of July today!!
Take care & talka you soon now that I am back in the land of daylight now!

There's just no time..

in my world for blogging right now ..& I am sorry .. I got asked to do a rotation of nights for June & have been a mess case ever since.. I'm just not sure why -but I'm tired all the time & don't have much of a brain!

When I'm not at work I'm sleeping away perfectly good day time hours or worse yet ..staying up to do year end things with the kids & then a mish mash of sleeping when I can..

I've gotten a year older a week ago..which was a nice relaxing day since I'd worked the night before *yawn*.. then had a nice Japanese food dinner here while my girlfriend gave me a manicure & pedicure :)

Steven finished up his season of baseball games - for which I am grateful.. there just didn't seem to be an eve that we weren't at a damn ball field! They've now just finished their wind-up Tournament as well.. So the uniform is scrubbed, treated, bleached washed & returned for the last time! WHO thought that WHITE was a good colour for 10yr old boys to wear in a game where they are encouraged to SLIDE on the ground?? *agggh*

Jessica is finishing up Gr 7 & somehow I ended up in charge of the stuff for the Leaving Ceremony.. So again .. my bleary eyed waking hours have been filled with searching out, getting, Sorting ,storing & then yesterday putting up all the fun decor that we did :)

It was a lovely ceremony ...but I couldn't help but get teary when we were off to find more tape in the office & saw the brand New Kindergartens that were at the school for their "Welcome Day" ...wasn't that just US a second ago?! *sigh*

On top of that we've been tryin to get some pretty serious house painting & gardening done.. & for some obscure reason...the bloody weather won't co-operate!..we can't seem to get more than a few hours in a row sunshine..so when it is.. it's GO time..
Ok .. you know what.. scratch the first comment I think I KNOW why I'm tired all the time! ~lol~

The good thing is- This is my last set of nights starting tonight :) Hope you are all well & will check in when I can keep my eyes open..

Some long overdue pics..

Decided since coming back to blogging I should post some pics of everything that has been going on.. - you know that whole "visual cues" are easier than a bunch of words thing ~lol~
Or at least to show you some recent photos of my darlings that have each just gotten a year older each..
Jess is 13 now...*sigh* so many thoughts that go with that number..& Steven is 10.. wasn't he only 2 just a minute ago??

other than that .. trying to keep up with all the busy busy activities .. & focusing on not letting the depressive "monsters" sidetrack me..:)
I've also putting everything into Fitday for the first time in ages.. & doing what I can.. even went out dancing the other night .. almost forgotten how very Fun that can be :)

Ummm.. kay..

You Are Fairly Normal

You scored 40% normal on this quiz Like most people you are normal in some ways... But you aren't a completely normal person. You're a little weird too! Why You Are Normal: You prefer the sun to the moon You rather be screwed over than screw someone else over You prefer fiction to non fiction You prefer a good meal to a good nap You eat the frosting first Why You Aren't Normal: You'd rather have cockroaches than rats in your home You would rather be a movie star than an astronaut If given the choice, you would choose to have more time over more money You are no longer with your first love You don't think glasses make anyone more attractive

What's Normal About You... And What's Not?

Hmmm yea well .. ahh oops.

Hi all ... & first off I should say a thanks to those of you who have kept pestering me ;) .. no --pestering sounds bad.. perhaps caring is the simplest way to put things!

Yes, I know once again I have disappeared off the face of the earth ..or just out of the reach of you my Blends.
I really meant to tell you about the good things that were happening in March..really I did.. In fact I sorta thought I had ..again with that whole "ooops" thing.
Maybe it's just that ski trips & birthday parties are a bit redundant here in my blog & my brain thought I'd done it already.


So yes - we went Skiing for Easter.. great fun .. friends joined us & we had a great time :)
Then next was Jessica's 13th b-day party & all the planning adventures that entailed to put together the family b-day & of course come up with something suitably "Unique" for the BIG 13!


So we started off here- did the Pizza & "Jones soda" thing.. not sure why it is thought to be so cool by that crowd .. but hey as a Mom who aims to please.. we bought a flat of it! ~lol~
Then it was pile the kids into both cars.. staying in touch by "radio contact"- Read cell phones & bluetooths :P
Take them to the Skytrain..( ummmm lets see .. the closest thing we have to a subway..oh..nevermind mostly like the Monorail at Disneyland THAT you should all understand! )

Anywho.. lots of fun getting all 10 of us on there & down to Vancouver.. we live out in an almost rural suburban area.. So for some of these 12 & 13 yr olds ... this was their first time going on this thing... and it showed!! :P
Gods we are sheltered & naive! ~lol~

We then went down to where they were having something called PLAYDOME - basically take a carnival rides & all & put it inside...This Is B.C ya know!- they figure Spring break will be raining & they'll make $$
So the kids got to run free , do what they like, ride all the rides as many times as they like.. Lots of fun for them .. & all inside so peace of mind for me. :)
SO count that as a sucess...Then there have been a few other things in our world that have kept us busy & not necessarily in a good way.. but that isn't really something for here..


Now for those of you paying attention.. NO- in all that I've talked about - there has been NO mention of Food or Fitness or Fun & rah rah rah!.. .. & there lies the crux..
Somewhere along the line in trying to get back into working out- I managed to pinch or aggravate my Sciatic nerve pretty seriously-probably due to my mucked up posture & alignment with the foot & limping ..or hell I don't know why!
But it is only now starting to ease up after many trips to the Chiro -which I think I Undo every time I go to work.. Our ward is really incredibly physically heavy right now..*sigh*
so needless to say .. I've not been in a very fun headspace...Again.. & I've not been able to focus on doing fitness related stuff...Again.. & it was just depressing the heck out of me "watching" you all be SO into it all .. So Again-I hid.. Sorry .. I still love you .. but it was making me sadder & more frustrated with myself to try to come visit & say hi.
But I am here ..I hope you are all well & I will come say hi soon - Promise!

welll....

It only took me a couple of years, but I finally have a new hairdo to show you .. LOL gees am I pathetic eh??
It has been something that has been coming for a LONG while .. & I'm still reeling from the HUGE changes.. even days later . Does that make me weird ..i dunno.

Bangs for the first time in almost 15 yrs & the shortest hair I've had in almost 20 yrs.. Ok now this whole admission is just aging me ~lol!
Anywho here's a pic

*shhhhhh*

Don't tell anyone.. well actually tell who ever you like .. I've been all but MIA on so many fronts for so very long that those that still read here well-- Kudos & thank-yous to you :)

The fact of the matter is that I have finally decided to crawl out from under my rock .. & make a serious attempt to climb back on to the fitness wagon .. It was getting a little squishy under there lately anywho.. ~lol~

Don't know if it is Spring coming that I can feel in the air that is stirring me ..or that I've finally wrapped my brain around the fact that after the most recent visit to the dopey Foot specialist who confirmed that YES there really is still is permanent ligament damage..& NO running isn't gonna be part of my world again ..but hey I can still do other stuff as long as I don't go heavy duty on impact exercise ...So Suck it up Princess & quit feeling sorry for yourself!

I've started my week with a very basic return.. went for walks on the Weekend with Jamie that didn't kill me too badly then Monday was UBWO.. & today was a 20min HIIT on the machine..

Reality is -All the info is here in my brain .. I know that ..You know that ..it's just putting it into play ..

I'm trying to catch some of the great Vibes some of you are radiating around here & Ive even spent a few minutes lurking over at Blends & YES Gods forbid snuck over & spent some time peeking around & getting motivation at Tracker! OH MY ~lol~

Wow.....

My Aunt just sent this to me to watch and then pass along .
I would love to give you insight into what you are about to see but I am left speechless and thinking that there are truly amazing people in this world.
Please take the time to watch this as it is among the MOST inspirational videos and there is not a single person who won't be able to draw something from this man.


click on the link to view ...You may have to copy & paste if it is being silly...but it IS well worth it regardless...

http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=ithct48cqw

Happy Valentines All :)

Hoping who ever & where ever you are , that today is a good day for you!...

The "traditional" &" expected" version of this day has never been my favourite... too many ways for people to muck it up .
Too much pressure to "get it right"....

Love has so many faces now a days.. somewhere somewhere in your world I hope you know there is always Someone who loves you in some way ... a parent,or other relative, a child, a friend.. whether it is someone you have known all your life..
or someone you have Never seen face to face.. but have shared thoughts , hopes, dreams & worries with.
-right my Blendies?

Personally I think one of my best memories of Valentines is from when I was in Grade 7 & my teacher had us create "warm fuzzies" for each other.
Yes -ok it was the 70's but hey.. ~lol~
We had to actually Think .. not just write our names on something..but think & write a little note to each other kid in the class ..just one thing we liked about them..

Not that complicated right?? Not about "romance" or professions of "undying passion" .. Just something nice to read & feel good about.

So today I think I'm gonna wander around .. & hand out "warm fuzzies" thru my day..
just something to say Hey .. don't forget ..someone cares ..

*BIG HUGS* to you all!

What have we been up to?

This should explain ..
We had a Pro-D day ...& then 2 Snowdays off from school .. & just got back from a quick weekend skiing ( where I am still kicking myself I forgot to take any pics! )
About the pics..

well as some might remember..we live backing onto a greenbelt .. and just around the corner from us is the access to a very cute little trail & bridge.. which takes us right to the kids school ..complete with GREAT sliding hill!
& Ummmmm Yes that IS a canoe... full of ohhh pretty much every kid in our neighbourhood.. ! Yea ...only mostly nuts!

update & amusing thoughts..

We've had bout of the Norovirus hit the household the past several days... First Jessica woke me at 6am Sunday with the words "Mommy?? My tummy hurts..." which from a 12yr old is a dead give away that something is wrong when they start the sentence with "Mommy" ! This also then sadly put a swift end to the plans for skiing that day for poor Jamie's Birthday.. :(

then Yes..Tues at 2am .. there was Mommy ...very very sick..*sigh*
The only good thing is that when Steven said he didn't "feel well" when he got up at 7 & I kept him home wondering how we would "share " It turned out to be a false alarm .. He was quiet & subdued.. but never did throw up.. Just sat at the other end of the couch from me & read Harry Potter for hours..then made me a "get better soon Mommy" message on the Litebrite..How cute eh?
thankfully we are all well now .. ..I'm just a little sore ..Gees that kick the heck outta ya doesn't it?

So again ..I'm just catching up with things bit by bit.. & found these quotes on my homepage that I thought I would share since I haven't anything really "fun" to tell you ..

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
- Herm Albright

No good deed goes unpunished.
- Clare Booth Luce

Cute joke for a dreary day,,,

BANNED FROM WALMART...........
This is why women should not take men shopping against their will.
DON'T TAKE ME IF I DON'T WANT TO GO...........

After Mr. and Mrs. Fenton retired, Mrs. Fenton insisted her
husband accompany her on her trips to Wal-Mart.
Unfortunately, Mr. Fenton was like most men--he found shopping
boring and preferred to get in and get out.
Equally unfortunately, Mrs. Fenton was like most women--she
loved to browse. One day Mrs. Fenton received the following
letter from
her local Wal-Mart.

Dear Mrs. Fenton,
Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a
commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and maybe
forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against
Mr. Fenton are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.

2 . July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women's restroom.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away.'

5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.

6. September 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

7. September 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department.

8. September 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'

9. October 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.

10. November 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.

11. December 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the ' Mission Impossible' theme.

12. December 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonna look' by using different sizes of funnels.

13. December 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'

14. December 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!'

And last, but not least ..

15. December 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! There's no toilet paper in here!'

Regards,
Walmart

Ok...already...

So here it is the beginning of yet another year... Gods where does the time go?

As to December... well I must say ..it was rather a roller coaster month..or more a teeter totter come to think of it..
Each up bit seemed to be quickly followed by a down..& we never really got a chance to catch our breath it seemed

Lets see..in condensed point form review..

-Finally after a whole lot of research , penny saving & adventures got my very first ever Brand New vehicle & got rid of my yucky old minivan YAY!

then only days later was parked out in front of the kids school for a early Christmas concert in the afternoon & came out to find that I had been sideswiped - FUN -NOT
then got to deal with our delightful ( read uncaring) insurance Co. ..gotta love ICBC those of you who know them!

-Next thanks to the wonders of connections thru Facebook ..finally had a chance to hook up with a friend I grew up with & had lost track of..for about 20yrs! - spent a wonderful evening with them & left with many promises of visits to come..

-got home to a message on our answering machine ..one of our other friends.Daryll..who you can check back & see from the Wedding last summer where Jamie was the best man..was apparently in the ICU... he'd had a Heart attack .. at 36!!

needless to say that lead to several tense days & much back & forth calls with his wife .. but in the end after an artieriogram & arthroplasty .. he was heading home to be home the weekend before Christmas..

-Somewhere in that time I was a good girl & went for my annual physical . where I was found to finally be having enough pain with my stupid foot to warrant yet another trip to a specialist .. Whoo Hoo!
something about eating Antiinflams enough to give me real problems with my stomach kinda spelled it out I guess
& Geee Golly I only have to wait until Feb..( which now doesn't seem so horrid .. but them seemed a lifetime away..*sigh*

What else? .. well darling daughter played the lead in the grade 7 Christmas production.. which she did a fabulous job at .. & as my Mom pointed out .. "she'll never be a famous singer dear, but BOY can she act! " ~lol~ it was a wonderful time! & I was so proud of her.. :)

Then finally the kids were off school only days before Christmas
I being generally burnt out .. had decided as I was gonna work all thru Xmas & New Yrs... with the exception of the 24 & 25th we were NOT doing any sort of party here.. we would go see people on my days off if we were up to seeing anyone more...
yea --except then one of the neigbours asked what we were doing the next eve ( Sat ) & we said nothing really on the plans.. & she asked if it would be a good time to get together? .. I said sure"c'mon over with the kids for a "glass of Christmas cheer" .
Well by the Am ..I was feeling guilty about not even sending a "perfunctory" invite to other neighbours .. even if I figured everyone would already have plans..

So sent the kids out in their Santa hats with a handful of candy canes .. "just tell them if they have nothing else to do later come by for a glass of Christmas Cheer" I said.."& if they can't come that's ok too ..& to Have a Good Christmas! "
... after an explanation to Steven that YES you could drink Cheer!.. off they went..

Well by the time all was said & done we had almost 30 people show up throughout the eve ! AKKKKK! oh well it was nice.. the older couple that had recently moved in next door got to meet some of the friends from our "old neigbourhood " ..& folks that hadn't seen each other much since summer- got to catch up!

-again the next day things came crashing ... my sister called in a state to say that one of her best friends out there in Alberta had gotten sick with a terrible Mono like virus ... & Died..
He was only 31! WTH!!

Needless to say that threw us into a whole different head space for a few days.. got thru the Juggling of kids for Christmas & the whole family dinners thing..

New Yrs ..yes I worked .. but then deciding life is too damn short .. got off at 11 & headed over to play catch up with friends for yes you guessed it .. more Christmas Cheer ~lol ~

So now it's the New Year..
Do I have any amazing plans or goals??
Honestly - Not sure just yet... Mostly going to try to live each day the best I can right now I think...