From the Ashes...

Where am I?

2010-03-04T11:03:00.002-07:00

No baby yet. Am now overdue. Currently working on house renovations - basement flooded with sewer backup two weeks ago and I am the one at home to work with the contractors, insurance companies, and adjusters. Yay! Up-to-date info on facebook for those that use it. Sorry I haven't been blogging, but will start up blogging in earnest once that baby finally arrives!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T22:16:00.002-07:00

Whatever you are celebrating, all the best to you and yours this holiday season!

Deep Freeze

2009-11-28T07:55:00.003-07:00

Wow.

It was sunny and warm just two days ago. Yesterday morning, it was warm enough to rain. Lots and lots of rain...and then it got colder...and turned to sleet...and then flurries...and then lots and lots of snow.

It looks beautiful - the window looks out on a frosty wonderland that the movies would kill for. And, it still isn't all that cold - it's in the -5 Celsius range.

However, I am supposed to be traveling today to visit close friends I haven't seen in a year. Hmmm...a layer of rain followed by several layers of snow? Yeah, highway travel is so NOT recommended.

I'm hoping they get things cleared up later this morning so I can still go. Unfortunately, I'll have to pass if the roads don't get better. Baby Bump and I can't really risk having an accident. Boo!

Finally Feeling Better...

2009-11-24T21:36:00.003-07:00

The flu is nasty. I recommend staying away from it. Far, far away from it. Two weeks later, but I am finally feeling good. I actually had enough energy to get housework done on the weekend. The laundry had piled up to the breaking point, but aside from doing that, there was a ton of just stuff that I wanted to get done. Hanging curtains, organizing the basement, etc. I must be starting to nest.

Unfortunately, being sick has put me miles behind at work. Not sure how I am going to get through the piles as November quickly becomes December. Only two more months until mat leave too - I am not sure if I will have everything done by then. I am hoping baby doesn't come early. But, if he/she does, I guess the piles will end up as someone else's problem!

Sick of Being Sick

2009-11-18T08:57:00.002-07:00

Back in the hospital again last night - horrific tears streaming down the face headache that would NOT go away. So, I called my Mommy (after 9pm!) and she took me down to the hospital again while Thammuz stayed with the kids.

Know what the cure is for a bad headache? Apparently it is a shot of morphine. Yup, they shot my hip full of morphine. My whole leg fell asleep, but the headache went away.

Wow.

On the plus side, I have today off so I can be preschool helper for my little girl. I also have a follow-up doc appt. today. And it looks like today is starting off good - Johnny Depp is People Magazine's sexiest man alive. Cannot wait for Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland!!

Annoyed or annoying?

2009-11-14T23:00:00.002-07:00

Back at the hospital again today. Had 'the flu' last week and was treated with tamiflu, but that apparently did not prevent the illness from morphing into a sinus infection. So, now I am on antibiotics. WTF? Also with the WTF, I did not win the lottery again this week. I thought this was a viable way to pay my household expenses?? Apparently not, Lotto Max, apparently not.

Between illness and pregnancy, I also find that my tolerance levels for other people are practically nonexistent. People are irritating the crap out of me. I am now concerned that if I find everyone around me stupid and irritating that this must mean that I am bitchy and preachy. I think I might be coming across as that stuck-up chick that doesn't have any idea how to have any fun. Actually, I worry that I come across that way a lot of the time. If I am not speaking via computer, I tend to be painfully shy and overthink everything. I consistently think I come across as a bitch, especially around other girls. And pregnancy seems to be making it that much worse. Bleah.

I need a hobby to take my mind off myself. Suggestions?

Top 10: Why are They Famous?

2009-11-08T16:12:00.003-07:00

I am irritated today. Despite a great week's vacation that included a kicky new Zooey Deschanel-style haircut, an awesome massage, fun shopping, and exploring a fab new city with tons of art museums, I managed to catch the flu. So, I am coming off my vacation high to a state of mundane misery. And the docs at the hospital say I need to stay home from work til Thursday to ensure that baby and I are okay. Bleah.

So, to vent my frustration, here are my top 10 'Why are they famous?' These people irritate the crap out of me.

1. Jon and Kate. And you can add to this spot anyone that exploits their children to gain fame. These people are idiots. Toddlers and Tiaras is evil incarnate. I am seriously considering boycotting TLC for putting this crap on the air. Please stop watching these morons - they do not deserve one second of your attention.

2. Heidi and Spencer. WTF? I don't even know why I know these people's names. I have never seen this Hills show and I never want to. Do these people have any talent at all other than spewing out narcissistic garbage? Doubtful.

3. Lindsay Lohan. Okay, five years ago, she probably was worth paying attention to. Now, she is a train wreck. Stop giving this girl money. She needs about 10 years in rehab and a good slap before she deserves any kind of second chance at being a star. I liked Mean Girls, she has some talent, but she is too far gone on drugs to use it at all at this point.

4. Paris Hilton. I think this speaks for itself. Thankfully, she no longer seems to dominate the news.

5. The Kardashians. I have no idea who these people are or why I see news coverage on them. What do they do? I don't get it at all.

6. Tori Spelling. 90210 is dead. Live with it.

7. Pamela Anderson. Baywatch is also dead. And people are thankful.

8. D-List or lower celebrities who have babies. 'X' from some 90s era show that you don't remember is pregnant! Eeeek! What? Who cares?

9. Chris Brown. I beat my girlfriend to a pulp, but I am really sorry, please keep buying my music! WTF? Stop giving this guy play in the media and send him to prison for a few years. In this same category, I think Roman Polanski could probably stand to go to jail for a bit and think about the consequences of his own actions too.

10. Miley Cyrus. She just annoys the crap out of me. I get that she has sold billions of albums, but seriously? I don't understand why.

There are probably more, but these are the ones that, at the moment, I would be happy to never have to see come up in the media ever again. Did I miss one of your faves? Please add to the list.

I am going to go find soup now. Or possibly egg and toast.

I'm Still Here...

2009-09-10T17:36:00.002-06:00

I've pretty well defected to Facebook, but I still check the blog daily and occasionally - though rare now - post on it. I should be posting more on it shortly, actually, so stay tuned for that.

*wracks brain to think of something interesting to say*

*nothing comes to mind*

*panics*

And I hope this moment does not replay itself at 'Meet the Teacher' night tonight. It's been a long week of new school things. My baby girl just started preschool yesterday. How is this possible? And Pirateboy is in Grade 3 now. Grade 3!!

I think I will go feel old now. At least I can pretend I am young at the Manson concert tomorrow night. Please, please, don't let Thammuz decide the mosh pit is a good idea. I will totally abandon him for the stadium seats.

And Marilyn Manson? Who the hell gives up Dita Von Teese? I am not sure I should be attending the concert of a confirmed moron, but I will try to suffer through anyway. Here's hoping he plays some of the old school music!

See, what did I tell you? I am SO old.

And I think Thammuz might owe me either a football game or a GBS concert now. :) My turn to pick!

This MUST Be Shared with the World!

2009-06-03T22:47:00.001-06:00

Seriously! Clisk on it! Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas, and Danny DeVito are the best back-up singers in the world!

Best moment ever!

Mother's Day

2009-05-09T18:29:00.002-06:00

I hate Mother's Day. Worst holiday ever.

Oh Good...

2009-01-02T14:44:00.002-07:00

It's another blizzard!

Much as I like winter, the snow can stop at any time now.

Resolutions

2009-01-01T12:10:00.002-07:00

1. Drink More Water

2. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

3. Be More Active (even if it is Dance Dance Revolution)

4. Spend Less Time Online

5. Reduce Debt

If I can do these five things a little better (heck, one more glass of water a day - I hate drinking water), it should be a pretty good year.

And just for good measure:

6. Take a vacation. So needed.

Randomness

2008-12-27T23:42:00.002-07:00

I just watched Ratatouille. We have owned it for over a year and between work and kids, it was the first time I had to watch it. Despite the fact that it is a cartoon, the kids were uninterested. I probably should have savoured the time to watch a 'grown-up' movie, though, as I got to listen to Kung Fu Panda five times today. Samurai Girl was not watching it, but she insisted it stay on the TV. Joy. Good movie, but really. Five times. Not so much. Anyway, after watching Ratatouille, I want to be a chef and go to France.

France might be doable.

However, I'm pretty sure the ambition to learn cookery will fade fast. Especially once I clue in to the doing dishes portion of it.
I also painted my nails kaleidoscope green.
I want to learn yoga. No one in this area teaches yoga at a time that will work with my schedule. 10am yoga times? Does no one work a real job around here?

I am not sure if learning from a DVD actually works. Maybe I should get a Wii Fit? I hear that is better. Thoughts?
Now that the holidays are winding down, I realize that I am seriously broke.
And my hair is terrible. Cut = pretty good. Colour = ick. Why must my hair pick up so much red every time I dye it? Bad juju. My coworkers are trying to be nice about it.
I am very very tired and need to go to bed before midnight. Somehow, this never happens. When you have two small kids, this is very very stupid.
Falls asleep at keyboard...

Happy Samhain!

2008-10-31T19:46:00.003-06:00

It's Halloween! This year's costume was a throw-away because it has been nutty around here. I'm Wednesday Addams which is oh-so-easy to cobble together from my goth wear. My car broke down late last week and it turns out it was a total loss. So, most of today was spent hastily signing things so that I could drive home in my brand new vibe. Happy happy.

And speaking of nutty around here, ya gotta love All Hallows on a Friday night. It's not even 8pm and I have already been challenged to two drag races (RACE! RACE! RACE! Um, yeah, that's likely) and saw some guy go through the main street intersection with the passenger side door wide open and crap flying everywhere as he weaved down the street. It will only get crazier as the night progresses, so I'm glad I'm home now with the kids.

Blessed be - Enjoy All Hallows!

It's Election Day

2008-10-14T19:51:00.002-06:00

Voting. Urgh.

But I did it.

And the week just keeps on going...

2008-09-20T23:12:00.002-06:00

I've hit the ground running this week with no signs of letting up anytime soon. I am already very tired. The rundown:

Sunday: Got up reeaalllyyy early to let in film crew at library and stayed for filming. Results of library film coming soon to a youtube near you. Stay tuned.

Monday: Library Managers meeting out of town. Went really long. Then, had to get back to my library so that I could conduct interviews for a job opening.

Tuesday: Taught teleconference course that I have been practicing for months. Incredibly stressful. 19 people signed in for it and tons of questions. Seemed to go well, so will likely recap for the Jasper conference. Another job interview and beginning of hiring process. Evening staff meeting. Then, off to record voiceover track for aforementioned film that, thank gods, I did not have to act in.

Wednesday: Prep finance meeting. Call all the interview candidates that did not get the job. So depressing, but I hate leaving people hanging wondering 'did I get it?' Sucky, sucky, sucky. Generally quiet day, but the phone rang off the hook.

Thursday: Board Annual General Meeting. Spent most of day typing prep work and minutes of the Monday meeting which I had the great pleasure of recording (four typewritten pages later...)

Friday: Errands. More errands. Bills. Bleah. Left work early so I could remember what my family looks like.

Saturday: First Aid Training. And Thammuz's high school reunion. We are old enough to have reunions now. Oh, and FrozenEyes Birthday, but due to all the crap I had to do today, only able to send facebooked message. Which sucks.

Sunday: More First Aid Training and Test.

And then I work another full week. Monday-Friday seem just as jampacked between training new staff, vendor visits, weeding, more meetings, planning the schedule, and prepping payroll.

So yeah, 13 day work week. I cannot describe how awesome my Mom is who keeps picking up my kids, feeding them, and getting them ready for bed.

Burnout may be a possibility here. Thank goodness I have no plans next weekend except watching Spiderwick Chronicles with Pirateboy and SamuraiGirl (formerly Ninjababy).

333

2008-09-07T09:43:00.002-06:00

Just finishing up an entire week off work during which I did not really update this blog. There wasn't all that much interesting to write about for most of the week, though.

Pirateboy had his first day of school on Tuesday - he is now in grade two! Craziness.

Spent the rest of the week cleaning. Seriously. The good news is that the house is almost spotless now. I haven't had this clean of a kitchen since before we moved in. My goal is to actually get our old dishes booted and to put all the shiny new stuff from our wedding two years ago out and start using it. I have a stack of boxes a foot deep and four feet high that is all unopened kitchen-y wedding presents in our basement. I have been too lazy to reorganize the kitchen to put them out until now. Very, very sad.

House was completely cleaned (minus one room and one closet) just in time for all our visitors this weekend with Thammuz and Ninjababy's triple-three birthday bash. Ninjababy was very, very excited about turning three. She thanked everyone, except her two honourary uncles who sneaked out during the kids' party. They thought she wouldn't notice and they could get away from the kids for a bit, but when they got back, she sternly looked up at them and said, 'YOU MISSED IT!' *laugh* Everything else went well, though. Next up is prepping for Pirateboy's birthday. A lot more extravagant: our soon-to-be-seven year old wants a giant costume party for his October birthday. I think I might try and rent a place to avoid cleaning up the mess afterward!

Brrr....

2008-08-31T21:05:00.002-06:00

Autumn is definitely on its way. I actually had to shut the windows in the house today and I am contemplating turning the heater back on. Only 6C overnight tonight - gettin' pretty chilly.

On the other hand, autumn is my favorite season. So, a list of my 10 fave things about autumn to help me forget how cold I am:

1. Canning and Baking. Canned peaches, pumpkin pie, mmm....
2. Leaves turning colour. So pretty.
3. Back to school. Pirateboy can stop whining about how bored he is.
4. Quilts.
5. Dressing warmer: jackets, scarves, and cozy sweaters.
6. Soups, stews, roasts of beef.
7. Flannel jammies...and the window open just a little bit.
8. Pumpkins!!!!! I am obsessed.
9. Apples. Almost as good as pumpkins. Especially crab apples.
10. Curling up with a blanket, a book, and hot chocolate.

Theres probably a million more things, but those are uppermost in my mind right now. Anything you'd like to add?

Why is this?

2008-08-21T21:10:00.001-06:00

Management often feels like an invitation to have people throw up their lives all over you. Sometimes I wonder how I got into this.

Cake

2008-08-21T18:44:00.001-06:00

Me: Ninjababy, what do you want for your birthday?

Ninjababy: Cake!!

Me: Cake?

Ninjababy: Yes! A verrrryyyy special cake.

Me: I see.

Ninjababy: Cake, cake, cake.

Me: Okay.

Ninjababy (with sudden panic-stricken look on face): And [Ninjababy] needs presents!

Apparently, there was a worry that there would only be cake. LOL

Chicken Soup with Rice

2008-08-19T19:56:00.002-06:00

And now I've gotten sick! Boo!

On the plus side, when I asked Ninjababy whether she wanted juice or water today, she said: Large coffee! Two cream!!

I laughed for a good two minutes.

I'm off for some Chicken Soup with Rice. Both the Lipton and Sendak varieties.

I Need New Sneakers

2008-08-18T21:36:00.002-06:00

...or skids as Ninjababy calls them.

It's been a productive weekend. Saturday was Thammuz's family reunion, so we went and schmoozed with the relatives. It was pretty cool actually. They rented a bouncy castle and playset for all the kids AND they had treat bags for them. Ninjababy and Pirateboy were suitably impressed. You couldn't pry them away from the bouncy castle with a big stick. Luckily, you could pry them away with brownies or they might still be there. Thammuz's wonderful sister FrozenEyes was working her henna magic as a form of entertainment, so I also walked away with a very cool henna tattoo on my hand. People keep telling me that it looks awesome, so here's hoping I drum up some business for her.

Saturday night we drove into Calgary and FINALLY saw The Dark Knight. I have an obsession with comic book movies, so it was driving me nuts that I hadn't managed to watch it yet. I was impressed that even after the long wait, it was every bit as good as I was expecting. Excellent movie. I really don't know why Gary Oldman has yet to win an Oscar. The man is a chameleon. Seriously. Compare Commissioner Gordon to Sirus Black to his role on Friends. He's not even recognizable as the same person. Kudos.

Stayed overnight in Calgary with our good friends Mr. SuperHappyAura (Orange) and Darth Vader. Then got up obscenely early (at least, it was obscene after being up til 2am to watch Dark Knight) for the Ronald McDonald House Rock the House run. Darth Vader and Thammuz were running the thing and Mr. SuperHappyAura (Orange) and I were scheduled to walk it. Mr. SuperHappyAura (Orange) and I have no delusions about our fitness level and walking 5k seemed smarter for us. I have high hopes of being able to run it one day, but I can't do it right now. It was our second year participating though, and we all had a blast. However, if we run next year, I am defs going to need some new shoes. I have a blister on each foot the size of a dime. Apparently, my sneakers are shot and cannot protect my feet on a 5k walk in plus 30 weather. Bleah. I tried to assuage the situation with blister pads after the run, but this was the worst idea in the history of ideas as somehow the pad managed to graft itself to the blister and it was NO FUN AT ALL getting it off later.

Took today, Monday, off work and spend most of it either housecleaning or nursing my sore feet. Eventually gave it up to hide at my Mom's house where there is glorious air conditioning. That is definitely the next reno project - cold would be lovely right now.

I am actually looking forward to sitting in my air conditioned office tomorrow. Possibly with epsom salts hidden under my desk if these blisters don't start to heal!

Man, I hope it rains.

2008-08-08T15:34:00.003-06:00

The humidity combined with the plus 30 degree weather is slowly killing me.

All Ninjababy wants to eat are freezies.

Ninjababy is brilliant.

I am not working today!

2008-08-08T11:25:00.005-06:00

Instead, I watched my little girl at swimming lessons and am now watching her scarf down an entire can of ravioli followed by sliced pineapple. Ninjababy will eat nearly anything. Example: most kids will have a hissy fit at the grocery store about not buying cookies, chips, or candy. What will Ninjababy have a fit about if you don't buy it? Ninjababy screams at the top of her lungs if she doesn't get...

wait for it...

Broccoli. Yep. This is my daughter's essential food. My baby is gloriously odd. I can't believe she'll be three in a few weeks. She is currently considering changing her pseudonym to Samuraigirl (she is a huge fan of both Samurai Jack and the Backyardigans Samurai Pie episode). Three year olds are apparently too old to be ninjababies.

Pirateboy has ditched me this afternoon to go play at a friend's house. Then, he's off to his Mommy's house for the weekend.

I am contemplating doing some light housework or, since I am ver ver lazy, lying on the couch for the whole afternoon reading the new issue of In Style.

Also, should I buy a lottery ticket today? It is 08/08/08 - the luckiest day in the Chinese calendar. But, ostensibly, not everyone can win even if it is 08/08/08. Only those who are true believers. I believe! Plus, 10 million would really come in handy. Meh. For $3.00, I'll probably go for it.

And speaking of luck, my lucky new doorknocker:

I love etsy.

When life gives you lemons...

2008-08-07T20:46:00.003-06:00

you take three day weekends.

I have not had a full staff since, oh I dunno, February? Maybe March. There is always something. Scheduling shifts is a nightmare. Based on the scheduling nightmare, I haven't really been able to take a vacation. Which sucks because I am stressed. You know you are stressed when you kind of sort of hope you get a critical illness because then you could take time off and not feel guilty about it. Yeah, sorry, I'd like to work, but it's that brain hemmorhage...the doctor says I have to stay home. And play nintendo. And read a little. And never do schedules again.

So, I am ignoring the fatalistic idea of poisoning myself with arsenic (damn you Agatha Christie) and taking some mini-breaks. So, for August, every weekend is a three day weekend.

Plus, the reno is mostly done except for organizing crap, so staying home won't be that stressful either. Hurrah!

I am spending most of tomorrow finding the exact perfect shade of nail polish for my toes. And probably doing a tiny bit of laundry since it is once again reaching critical mass. Potty training your two year old = lots of sketchy laundry.

Bahahahahahahahahahaha

2008-07-23T19:49:00.003-06:00

http://www.spike.com/video/crank-yankers-season/2796195

Just click on it. It will brighten even the worst case of the Wednesdays.

Reno 911

2008-07-22T23:13:00.005-06:00

Literally.

We decided to renovate our townhouse this summer. So, we have been going through minor reno hell the past two weeks...or is it two months? So far, we have managed to:

Put flooring in the basement. Yeah, painted concrete isn't the most hip flooring, so it had to go. We put flooring down in the 'finished' half of the basement. The giant laundry room/storage area is still a concrete jungle.
Rip out all the flooring on the main level and put in laminate. We previously had ceramic tile in the kitchen, bathroom, and entryway, and very frightening carpet in the living room. It had seen much better days. The tile was the worst. When the guys pulled up the bathroom tile, the subfloor came with it. Apparently, it had rotted through. Fantastic! Was sorry I had to miss that - I was at a meeting out of town. The tile was also glued to the floor to a disturbing degree. Just removing the tile took a day and a half. Eek!
Discover during the floor removal that a)the baseboards were firmly attached to the walls and paint came with them when they were removed and b)that these brilliant people really could not paint worth crap. My favorite moment was moving the stove knowing already that, yes, they painted AROUND it. There was a stove shaped white patch on the wall. I knew that before, but I think I had repressed it. So, we went out and bought paint to repaint the main floor as well.
Repaint. Our main floor is no longer mauve brown. You know the colour of the metal on school desks? That icky pale brown? That colour. They are now a cream white with one green wall just so I don't get bored.
Buy new furniture. Okay, not entirely. But the coffee table we had was cracked and the side table was 1970s chic. So, IKEA seemed like a good idea. We also got some new area rugs.
Refinish the basement stairs. I don't want to use the word hazard, but...yeah, okay, hazard. Anyway, they are now beautiful. I might not ever be able to move because I would have to leave the stairs. Here's hoping I don't go goth enough to start living under them. Though if you saw them, you might understand.

We are currently working on getting the house back together after ripping it apart. Will post reno pics soon! Cannot thank enough the friends and family who helped us out! Will probably have to buy kick ass holiday presents. Moms already suggested that a cruise for their anniversary would not go amiss...she also has decided to start charging $125 per hour for painting services. You can tell we all had fun, hey?

VACATION!!!

2008-06-19T21:20:00.002-06:00

Okay, really it's just a 4 day weekend, but this is my level of excitement. It's been a long time since I have had any time off.

You know, not counting last week when I spent the whole week off with pneumonia. Who freakin' gets pneumonia?

Me, apparently.

Anyway, am taking the kids to the zoo tomorrow. Kind of hate the zoo now that I am grown up and realize the animals are sad and enclosed, but know that the kids will love it. I will just avoid looking at the elephants. Also have plans to take the kids to the science centre where they have recreated....Sesame Street! Can you stand it? Sunny days...I am ver ver excited. Far too excited for someone who has passed the other side of 30. Oh well. Sesame Street!!!

And I am going to visit my grandfather for his 95th birthday. I really really hope I inherit his constitution. It would be cool to see 95.

That's it...must continue packing so I am done for when Thammuz gets home!

Courtesy of Librarychik

2008-06-08T10:39:00.001-06:00

take the WHAT BAD BOOK ARE YOU test.

and go to mewing.net. not as good as reading a good book, but way better than a bad one.

When life gives you lemons...

2008-06-08T10:07:00.002-06:00

You buy Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii.

I've had a craptacular couple of weeks. Interviewing sucks. People who decide they can't handle a job after four hours of work suck. Doctors appointments suck. Parades in pouring down rain suck...especially when you are walking. Putting in a new floor sucks (but I am anticipating the end result and that makes me happy). Laundry that does not do itself definitely sucks.

But now Bowser will feel my wrath! Bahahahahahahahahahaa......

And I also got pink grapefruit body wash! w00t!

Oh, Good, It's almost Rodeo...

2008-06-02T21:51:00.003-06:00

And it's pouring down rain. And the short term forecast is for more rain. And the long term forecast is for more rain. And while I do love rain, I am supposed to be walking in this damn rain for the parade chasing after the library float, strings of wet hair slapping into my face, as I try and hand out candy to the zillion kids lining the parade route taunting me with their umbrellas and hot chocolate.

But it will be fun, right?

If You're Bored

2008-05-26T23:03:00.002-06:00

You could always knit a thong out of red shoestring licorice:

http://www.knitty.com/issuesummer04/PATT302calories.html

I swear, I am the only one that can innocently search the net for sock patterns and come up with this instead.

What the?

2008-05-23T17:44:00.002-06:00

Who shows up to an interview in a bathing suit? Honestly!!

Seriously, chick today showed up wearing a bathing suit with a peasant blouse and skirt cover-up combo and flip-flops. And the interview went downhill from there.

I am so glad it's Friday. I may need to get drunk to erase the day of interviews. Since I can't have alcohol, I am going to be imbibing chocolate by the pound.

There will be running tomorrow.

Haiku

2008-04-28T21:24:00.003-06:00

So, http://www.dailyhaiku.org/.

so damn tired it hurts
cannot think of good haiku
fall asleep at comp.....................

ILS is Live

2008-03-13T23:21:00.002-06:00

We're up and running. 90% of my day or more was answering questions and trying to make everyone feel comfortable with the change-up.

New computer systems are exciting, awesome, and extraordinarily exhausting.

I could sleep for a week.

Have totally fallen off the exercise wagon...plan to make up for it and start from scratch this weekend.

Ouch Ouch Ouch (aka Jog and Blog)

2008-03-04T21:43:00.002-07:00

So. Much. Pain. But it's manageable in small doses.

As per my previous blogs, I've been trying to exercise but keep whining that I have no time. I found this on MSN that was labelled under the slightly misleading pre-heading of "get fit in 10 minutes." Yeah, but it's 10 minutes in bursts throughout the day. Not, as I was pathetically hoping, just one 10 minute session in the morning. Still, it seemed like something that I could handle. I mean, I could, theoretically, do 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at lunch, 10 minutes before supper, and 10 minutes in the evening. It's at least do-able. Plus, it's only 20 10-minute bursts per week, so really, that's less than three times a day. I was psyched. I have time for this!

Then, I tried it.

Holy crap - I am so out of shape.

I chose the "tone your body" routine and it hurts.

I managed the toning walk - I've done two so far. The stairs are evil and I am somewhat sweaty when I finish, but the sweatiness is encouraging because it means I am getting a workout.

The squats and lunges - I've done this routine once so far. Holy pain!!! I had no oxygen and my legs began to shake. After only 10 minutes. Pirate Boy suggested I lay down. I felt much, much better after water and some slow walking.

Next, I tried the belly-toning exercises. After baby, I can't even do them. Okay, I can do some of them, but the sit ups are not working. I'm going to try hooking my legs under the couch next time because I literally can't do this. It makes me sad because I could do it pre-baby. Bleah.

I am going to try and stick with it, though, because 10 minutes a day is really something that I should be able to tackle.

Updates on whether I give up and eat a billion chips will follow.

Fight or Flight?

2008-03-02T10:09:00.003-07:00

I have been stressed beyond capacity for the last two months. Putting a new computer system in a library is not easy. I'm not really complaining in that regard - there are other people working on this changeover that have way more stress than I do. Nevertheless, it's added a lot of hassle to my life. It is one of the single most stressful things that a library can go through. Awesome. My job has basically involved training and ensuring that all my staff members are prepared for the change. Thankfully, I have a pretty cool staff and no one has suggested all out rebellion. In addition to the computer stuff, I've had a few other things going on at work. The day-to-day grind like preparing for payroll and board meetings. Also, as a public librarian in Alberta, the monumental task of preparing a couple of grant applications, one of them extremely intensive that requires surveying our library population for two weeks. Bleah. Oh, and in the last couple weeks of February, I was also asked to teach a course on a certain topic. And they wanted the proposal in two days. No pressure.

Of course, having all of this stuff to do at work does not let me off the hook at home. Collapsing when I walk in the door is not really an option. I have two kids to take care of, a household to keep in semi-working order (dishes, laundry, garbage, and Pirate Boy's homework/school requests are must-do's), and our taxes to prepare. Also, Ninjababy has been pretty sick. She is, we're fairly sure at this point, lactose intolerant. As soon as we cut milk out of her diet (which was not fun, but not as bad as I'd feared), she got better. Apparently, I was also sick for all of January, so when I took Ninjababy to the doctor, he also made me go on antibiotics.

It's been fairly insane and I have really not been posting until now. The interesting part of this was my reaction to the stress. Mentally, I run away from it all. It's something I've really always done.

The last two months, I have spent my very little free time:

Thinking wistfully about vacations. Planning trips that I can't take. Missing London terribly. I even signed up for a conference session on library exchange programs.
Looking at house plans. Our house is too small for all of our things and it has made keeping the house organized that much more difficult. My kingdom for a playroom where I can shove all the kids' stuff and not look at it anymore.
Considering cutting all my hair off. I seem to think that if I look different, I might be different, and maybe the new, different me could handle all of this better.
Buying lottery tickets, figuring if I win then I can literally just walk away from the stress.

I've not actually run away, but I am definitely a "flight" person mentally. Thankfully, the worst of it is over.

I'm curious, does anyone else react to stress this way? What do you guys do?

Seriously...

2008-02-24T13:13:00.002-07:00

I will begin posting more once February is over. Our library system is migrating to a new ILS (for the non-librarians, this is our computer system). It's a changeover from a DOS format to a Windows format and the training is a bit challenging to say the least. I have no time and tons of stress.

Also, I am in real need of a new exercise program and am desperate to try running. For you runners out there (such as Frances) is it hard to get into a running routine? Especially when you are a couch potato who almost never leaves the computer desk either at work or at home?

I actually think my biggest fitness challenge is working full time while still being a Mom to two kids under the age of six. I am always always tired, so exercising is not appealing to me, even though I know I will feel better after I start.

*sigh* Thoughts?

Rachael Ray is Trying to Kill Us

2008-01-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

Was looking for a recipe book at the library today -- recipes that are quick, fun, and easy that I can make quickly after work for me and the family.

Of course, I was bombarded with Rachael Ray and her 30 minute meals.

So, I took a peek, figuring there might be something cool to try.

Holy UNHEALTHY, Batman!

As a sample, may I present the wafflewich. The wafflewich is a sandwich, in which the bread is replaced with eggo waffles.

Eggo waffles are quite possibly the most unhealthy things you can eat (though, the high fibre ones honestly aren't too terribly bad) and I'm supposed to replace my whole grain bread with them? How is using waffles any quicker, faster, or better, than using bread?

The mind boggles...

And news reports every day are freaking about obesity levels. And Rachael Ray is the most popular chef on TV.

Um, really??

Babies Should NOT Eat Jalapenos

2008-01-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when your baby is an adventurous eater...she gets hold of a jalapeno. And, worse, she thinks it's tasty so takes a bigger bite.

Drink milk, Ninjababy, lots and lots of milk!!

Sidelined

2008-01-09T14:05:00.000-07:00

I'm out of commission right now with a back injury. I've been struggling through at work for the last week, but finally gave in. I've been trying to see the doc, but it really is impossible to get in right now. I hopefully will have an appointment tomorrow if it isn't cancelled -- keep fingers crossed for me. It appears to be a repetitive stress injury brought on by consistently trying to lift things that are too heavy for me (like a two year old). I've been avoiding lifting, but what do you do when there's no one else at home and you have to lift the baby into her crib? I guess it's time to purchase a real bed for the Ninjababy.

Anyway, am off work today as I cannot move without pain or stand without getting dizzy and nauseated. Fun!

So, on to something ACTUALLY fun. Don't know about the rest of you, but I cycle through obsessions where I can't get enough of certain things. Here are my January obsessions:

1. Nintendo Wii
2. Star Wars
3. Paris (France, not Hilton)
4. Art History
5. Folklore and Fairy Tales
6. Writing - you'll notice the blog is getting updated more
7. Home Decorating
8. Rabbits

How about the rest of you? What are you gaga for right now?

Fresh Start

2008-01-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else feel a huge sense of relief when the holiday decorations come down? I like putting them up as much as the next person, but in our small space, even the few decorations we put up tend to be a bit overwhelming.

It's so nice to pack everything neatly away and have everything look clean and new in their absence.

Here's to the new year! So far, I've spent most of it playing Wii and learning to be a lego Jedi!

Baby's Sick

2008-01-03T13:16:00.000-07:00

My daughter is ill. She's actually had a bit of a cold for the last two weeks. I have been trying to get a doctor's appointment, but doctors are so hard to come by here that her appointment has been cancelled three times.

The receptionists for two different clinics told me to take her to emergency.

I actually already had on Christmas Eve (a wonderful night for an ER visit) when her throat closed up on us and she was gasping for breath. Good thing my husband is calm because I may have been a bit over-stressed.

So, today, she was back in emergency. At the last ER visit, they said she was fine. Today, nearly two weeks later, it has morphed into breathing problems brought on by a viral infection.

I now have two inhalers and an aero chamber that I need to figure out how to give my baby.

*sigh*

And now I have to get back to work because it's audit season. Hurrah!

YA Novels becoming Films

2008-01-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

Did anyone else know that they were making a film of City of Ember? Am I the last person on the trolley here?

Also coming up: The Spiderwick Chronicles - more for kids than YA, but I am still so excited about a Holly Black novel getting big screen treatment. I just hope that they eventually film Valiant. That would be a dream of a movie.

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is due next year, Iron Man based on the comic books, The Lovely Bones which is an adult book that has some YA crossover, The Incredible Hulk - why oh why after the first one, and of course, the next Harry Potter movie. Hurrah!

Looks to be a great year for YA movies! If I've missed something cool, do comment! Heaven knows, I don't know all the latest films - there are so many!

Unrelated to books, I am oh-so-excited for the release of Get Smart. I loved that show when I was a little girl. And how perfect is Anne Hathaway for Agent 99?

Breathing Room

2007-12-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you can't breathe? Like your environment is stifling you?

Here's the thing: I hate clutter. I can't deal with it. I am currently on holidays from work, sitting at home, stressed out of my mind because I can't see the floor with all the post-holiday clutter. I've been spending most of my time spaced out on the computer so I don't have to look at it.

The worst part? The clutter has nowhere to go. We have literally used up every last inch of space in this house. The shed is full. The basement storage is packed to the rafters. Our bookshelves creak under the strain of books and movies and toys.

It is slowly driving me insane.

We are at least a year away from being able to afford moving to a bigger space. The thought of a new house is one of the few things able to sustain me. The idea of a garage to store tools instead of trying to cram them into a front hall closet that is already overburdened with hats and coats. The idea of a spare bedroom as opposed to a futon shoved into a playroom/office/storage space.

My husband is a collector (he has more toys than the kids if you count his miniatures collection) and a pack rat. I, too, hate to throw things away, though I am the first to snap and start hauling boxes to the salvation army when things get too tight.

The worst part is that it is so difficult to get rid of things. The kids do still play with their toys. We are holding on to tons of baby clothes and accessories because we may have another in a couple of years (we're still undecided, but the crap stays here in the meantime). I am not the kind of wife that can ask her husband to get rid of action figures, especially when they mean so much to him...just like he would not ask me to get rid of my boxes and boxes of books. And frankly, most of the room is taken by things that we need, like furniture, that we just don't have the room to store. We know we'll need it when we get a new place, so we hold on to it, because we can't afford to buy all new furniture on top of a new house when we do finally buy a new place.

I feel like I am drowning. We just need a little more space -- space to move in. I am not sure what else I can do to this house to expand our storage space. I actually stary crying a little just thinking about the fact that I cannot move.

In the meantime, the next person to buy something that isn't food just might face a towering inferno of rage if they don't find a place that they can put it BEFORE they buy it!

Waffles

2007-12-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

So,yesterday was the most insane shopping day of the year. The newspapers always talk about Black Friday or the Saturday before Christmas or all these other days, but all of us know that it's Boxing Day. It does not matter how many freakin' pre-Christmas sales the stores have in an effort to stem the tide, it is absolutely ingrained in Canadian shoppers that you get the BEST prices on Boxing Day, even if it isn't true.

Of course, I went out into the madness. Kind of glad I managed it too, because now I have holiday cards for next year and way too many clothes from JoeFresh and Reitman's. Still no pants, though. Buying pants sucks when you are short. It will probably end up being another expensive trip to the GAP for me, because they seem to be the only ones that cater to my height. It's possible that petite specialty shops have pants in my size, but they only seem to carry things that are suited to my grandma. If anyone has suggestions for great pants for really short people (that is not Gymboree), please let me know! I may ask one of our friends' kids where she gets her jeans because they look awesome, but they will probably never make it past my hips. Damn hips.

For the record, I never even had hips before I had my girl. Now, however, they are definitely there. If I ever take up salsa dancing, I'm sure I'll appreciate them. Until then, they are this bizarro part of my body that recently sprung into being. Perhaps they will go away if I go on the waffle diet...

Had this incredibly odd dream last night that three of my friends were on a waffle diet. They had all lost a lot of weight and were practically unrecognizable. They claimed it was due to this new diet, and they were all at the kitchen table eating these gi-noromous (we interrupt this blog to stop Ninjababy from styling the wall with a hairbrush) strawberry-shaped eggo waffles. Eggo waffles are, seriously, one of the most evil things you can eat. But, when I looked at the box, the things were like, zero grams of fat, seven grams of fibre, and oh-so-good for you. I wish my dreams were reality, because if I could lose the last of my baby fat eating waffles, I would be very very happy.

Mmmm....waffles....

Happy Solstice!

2007-12-22T23:49:00.000-07:00

Wishing all of our friends and family a wonderful holiday season, whatever you celebrate!

Merry Solstice and Happy New Year!

Baby Got Book...

2007-12-05T20:12:00.001-07:00

Proof she's a future librarian:

she's stealing my books for some light bedtime reading.

Elementary, My Dear Watson...

2007-11-23T21:30:00.001-07:00

Hmmm...and just in the last three blog posts, I have words like 'distillation' and 'dichotomy' not to mention 'hell' - a minor curse word! My gosh!

Dichotomy is elementary? What do I need to hit college level? Diaphanous? Callipygian? Antidisestablishmentarianism? The hell?

Edited to add: even after adding those words, my blog is still elementary.

This is Halloween, This is Halloween 2007

2007-11-01T21:25:00.001-06:00

Pirateboy was Spiderman this year - supercute and kept pausing as he walked up the sidewalks to strike 'superhero action poses.' I will totally post a picture of it later! He is the best Spiderman EVER!

Ninjababy was a unicorn - picked the costume out herself and was very excited to trick or treat like a big girl!

Here is a distillation of the evening:

Pirateboy stomps up to the door and knocks: TRICK OR TREAT! (This is shouted at top volume)

Ninjababy scurrying after her brother: TREAT! -- Oh-kaaay?

I mean, what the hell? Why would she want a trick? Candy all the way, baby! Don't give them any options!

Ninjababy is awesome.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2007-10-31T13:53:00.000-06:00

Calling All Canadian Bloggers:

2007-10-07T10:54:00.000-06:00

Alright, I have blogger friends that are extremely talented and should enter this writing contest since there is a blogger category:

http://www.cbc.ca/canadawrites/index.html

You can do it! They accept entries until October 12th!

Belly Dancing

2007-10-02T19:49:00.000-06:00

Yeah, you read that right. I had my first ever dance class tonight.

And I have to wear leggings! Leggings! Articles of clothing that should stay in the 80s forever. Leggings are not kind. It has been two years since I gave birth, but I still have a little bit of baby belly. Possibly it would help if I did any kind of exercise...hence the dance class. Anyway, I am a little self-conscious about it. The leggings are pure evil.

Also, you know that woman? That friend of your mom's that's like, in her fifties, and really overweight, and tells slightly off-color jokes? Yeah. She's in my dance class and she dances better than I do. Oh, the humanity!

At least I didn't suck as bad at the end of class as I did at the start of it. So, onward to next week!

*shakes the hips, does a little twirl, bangs her knee, and falls over*

Wishing I was a Stay-at-Home Mom...

2007-10-01T19:07:00.000-06:00

So, obviously, I need to get back to work soon. Had today off to look after PirateBoy who has more than his fair share of ear infections, the poor kid. He'll be back in school tomorrow, but for today, he had another hospital trip and more penicillin. I've been doing the work at home dichotomy today since I really couldn't afford to take a day off work this week.

It's nice, actually. Maybe I should work a little harder at getting my writing done so that I could just write while the kids are at school and do laundry and cook nifty things on the stove in between computer sessions...um, because that's likely to pay the bills. *sigh* And don't get me wrong, I love being a librarian. Just with a chicken in the oven and me typing from home today, it's making me a little wistful.

Must go - Ninjababy is doing some kind of dance in the kitchen where she is pointing at the stove and shouting "hot!" I think it's the "cook supper faster" dance...

(Oh - and I feel a little guilty, but I'm still kind of waiting for snow...and pumpkin pie too!)

It's Beginning to look a lot like...Thanksgiving

2007-09-27T12:17:00.003-06:00

I'm kind of waiting for snow. Is that wrong?

So Funny...

2007-09-23T21:07:00.000-06:00

Bahahahahahahahahaha....

Just read Austenland by Shannon Hale and then came across this on YouTube. Could NOT resist. I'm sure you can all see why.

Mabon

2007-09-22T11:25:00.000-06:00

It's Mabon tomorrow, the celebration of the autumn equinox. If I can shake this awful cold, I will take the kids to the park tomorrow to jump in the leaves. And then maybe have some hot cocoa. This seems to me, a good plan, a phrase which for some unknown reason is making me think of Winnie-the-Pooh.

I got to visit with Violette and her Mom yesterday which made me very happy! Thanks for stopping in Violette - it was great to see you!! Outside of the blogosphere, I haven't had a chance to visit with Violette since graduation. When you live in a new place and haven't really had a chance to make many friends, it is so nice to remember you have good friends in other places. And, thankfully, ones that blog and facebook or I would feel totally alone half the time. Well, you know, except for Thammuz and the kids, and my folks...who by the way, are wonderful people that have taken the kids for the day so that I can rest and get rid of aforementioned evil cold. I am planning to rest as soon as I've hung up the laundry - I promise I am not just sitting here blogging when I should be sleeping.

I haven't blogged for a week and the laundry is going to take a while, so I may as well pad this entry with random tidbits:

Ninjababy and Pirateboy celebrated "Talk Like a Pirate Day" at their sitters' house this week. Apparently, their sitter put the kids' names into a pirate name generator on the computer. I cannot remember Pirateboy's name - but I will look for it later. Ninjababy, however, got "Skylarking Esmerelda." It is the best name ever. I may steal it for something later. Maybe a book character...

I bought a woolen caplette earlier this week. It's basically a wooly headband that buttons in the back so that you can wear a toque when you have your hair in a ponytail. My Mom has already stolen it. She wants to figure out how it was made so she can knit herself one.

Pirateboy has an ear infection - a really nasty one. This poor kid gets ear infections every second month. It was so bad that they gave him codeine when Thammuz took him into the hospital. Now he's on meds - really awful stuff that is thick like porridge and slides nastily down your throat, coating it with the terrible taste. He is so brave. He grabs a glass of milk, waits for me to syringe it into his mouth, and then starts downing the milk as fast as he can. I can't believe he doesn't complain about it more. So brave! I would at least pull a face about it.

I am addicted to Ugly Betty. Thammuz brought me season one on DVD as a present when he came home from work one night. Much better than flowers! I've have been watching it compulsively every night since. Well, nearly...I've had to skip it since I got this cold cuz I've been off to bed early. Anyway, I am going crazy wondering and waiting for next season to start. Sadly, I have our annual general meeting at the library that night, so I will miss the premiere! Ergh! I am going to beg my Mom to tape it for me. I will even go buy a VHS tape...I am sure they still sell them. Also I like the new theme song:

Betty and Henry must get together. I am officially obsessed. Only they can't get together too soon, or the lack of tension might get boring.

What else is new? I'm hosting an erotic party next month. Frozen Eyes, my sister-in-law, has a new job selling lingerie and such, so I thought I would take on a party to show support. If anyone happens to be in the area, please consider yourself invited. It should be fun...if nothing else, then to watch me blush. For someone as open as I am, I have a knee-jerk prude reaction to a lot of this stuff, so it ought to be funny.

And, as of this morning, my baby has her own toddler bed. Mom and Dad phoned to tell me they had found one for $10 in mint condition at a garage sale this morning. Garage sales are the best. I even forgive them for waking me up to tell me. This is a particularly good thing since Ninjababy has managed on more than one occasion to get her leg stuck so badly in between the crib bars, that I have had to call for help to get her unstuck. Dad even took the crib apart at one point. It was not fun and I may have been slightly hysterical.

And I heard the washing machine ding, so it's off to bed for me!

Hmmm...

2007-09-15T10:12:00.000-06:00

How do I make my computer realize that I ALWAYS want to see the non-secure items. I don't care! It's usually just pictures or the things that make the page interesting to look at...it's not like clicking on it will set off a bomb or something. Why does it MATTER? Why must I always click okay like I am signing a death warrant or something. Grrr...arg.

I think I have computer rage.

Three Things

2007-09-09T20:08:00.000-06:00

1. My baby is two. I can't believe it! I have spent the weekend recovering from the Thammuz/Ninjababy double birthday extravaganza. For those that didn't know: Ninjababy was born on her Dad's birthday.

2. I have a cold - this is making the recuperation efforts that much more difficult. Especially when I have to leave the house every few hours because of the nine hundred things I keep forgetting to pick up at the store. Where is my memory? Please call if you find it.

3. I am addicted to etsy. It's hopeless. It's worse than crack or facebook: www.etsy.com. Consider yourself warned.

The Golden Compass

2007-08-24T20:20:00.000-06:00

Alright, I am not the world's biggest fan of His Dark Materials, as most of my readers will know if they have read my book club postings. I know Philip Pullman is supposed to be some kind of genius and that these books have been voted as the best fantasy in seventy years, but I found them pretty hard to get into.

That said, I absolutely love the world that Pullman created...it's gorgeous. His concepts, from souls that take animal form and reside outside the human body to armoured bears that roam the far north, are simply amazing. I also found his characters to be both realistic and likeable. (Oh, and the heroine's a girl...and there's more than one strong female character in the book...in fact, there's many!) The main difficulty I had with the books was that they were so dense, layers and layers of words, and I found some of the religious themes to be a bit overbearing for my taste. However, with the wordiness removed and many of the subtexts stripped bare, leaving a world that is visually stunning and an overriding theme that is heart-stopping...

I expect to LOVE this movie. I may be first in line for tickets, babysitting notwithstanding, just to see the armoured bear.

And thank you, Philip Pullman for creating Lyra's universe...who knows...the books may get better with re-reading. Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings did.

It's True...

2007-08-23T17:36:00.000-06:00

I'm a Facebook traitor. Have mostly been posting there since I can include pictures which I don't feel comfortable posting on the blog because it is open access. Today I am off sick from work. Currently awake because I had to go pick up the kids and feed them supper. Will be back to bed once Thammuz is home and able to help out.

It's been a mellow summer. Normally I am a pretty anxiety-prone person, but I actually feel content. I'm reaching more of my goals. I actually participated in a walkathon last weekend. My hubby decided to enter us last-minute - as in two weeks before the race. It was 5k and I had no time to train, but I decided to go and do it anyway. Two of our best friends did the walkathon with us. Our friend Darth, who actually exercises, placed 118th out of 245. My darling hubby placed 165th - he tried to keep up with Darth, but eventually gave in. Mr. SuperHappyAura (Orange) and I placed 236th and 237th respectively...not quite dead last. On the other hand, we didn't really try. Both of us know our health limitations and, without any training and being pretty out of shape, we weren't going to push it. So for us, it was more of a stroll-a-thon. The race, however, did convince us that it was fun enough to actually train for the next one. So, healthier futures await! I'll be taking bellydance lessons beginning in October to help whip my sorry behind back into shape. I'm also going to start walking more.

In other news, PirateBoy starts grade one next week. He's been practicing his reading and writing over the summer and he's showing some improvement, but more importantly, excitement with his work. His sister, Ninjababy, has passed her second set of swimming lessons and is getting really tall. Seriously...she's outgrowing her clothes so fast. I expected a lot of surprises when I had a baby, but tall is quite a shock considering.

I've spent most of the rest of my summer being obsessed with Harry Potter, participating in a life-encompassing medieval faire, plotting to dye my hair blue, and visiting Vegas.

So, that's my update. I'll try to live on the blog more instead of feeding Facebook as much...unless I can convince you all to join. It's just easier for me to have photos, e-mail, blog, and games all in one site. I promise not to ignore the blog anymore, though. Forgive?

Happy Canada Day!

2007-07-01T14:50:00.000-06:00

A memory from my childhood...watching the CBC in footie pajamas and singing along to the Log Driver. Swirling down and down white waters...

Sigh

2007-06-25T20:46:00.001-06:00

I guess I am a lot tamer than Violette with her fancy-pants PG rating. Ah well, at least my toddler can read my blog safely.

Who's up next? C'mon Frances, I know you're dying to get your rating...

Five Year-Olds are Awesome

2007-06-17T19:15:00.000-06:00

Pirateboy comes up with the best comments on life.

Tonight, we were at my folks' house for dinner and he asked his Dad to get him some cheese and ketchup for his bread. Something in his tone must have been a bit demanding, because my Mom gave him a look. Here's the rest of the conversation:

Pirateboy: "What? I am being SUPPORTIVE."
(My Mom chokes on suppressed laughter)
I manage to keep a straight face: "You're being supportive?"
Pirateboy: "Yeah...I'm SUPPORTING CHEESE and KETCHUP."

***

He also had some commentary on Pirates of the Caribbean II: specifically the part when Jack Sparrow is on the Cannibal Island.

He turns, just before the cannibals come out: "Check this out. Trust me, you do not want to go there for dinner."
Me: "No?"
Pirateboy: "No. Because you might BE dinner."

***

Or the best, Thammuz and I are driving home from dinner out with the kids in the backseat. As usual, we are chatting about our day.
Pirateboy: "Daddy, I think we might need to go to the doctor."
Thammus: "Oh? Why?"
Pirateboy: "Because I'm sick of hearing you guys talk!"

Yeah, it was kind of rude, but it's hard to discipline when you are laughing that hard.

***

It's not as funny in writing because I can't write his deadpan voice for all these comments, but he is freakin' hysterical.

Diego, Go For Help!

2007-05-25T12:55:00.000-06:00

Every night, about half an hour after she is put to bed, Ninjababy yells out for more milk. I trundle upstairs (or Thammuz does) and she points to her bottle and says "more." We go and get more, she says "night," and goes back to bed.

Last night, the scenario hit a snag. I guess we didn't hear her right away, so she started to get upset. Anyway, I finally go upstairs, get the bottle and bring it back full of more milk. Instead of saying, "night." She got a bit agitated and said, "D! D!" So, I look around and there's her Diego action figure, about a foot away from her crib on the floor.

Here's how I imagine what happened in Ninjababy world:

"Mom! Dad! I need more milk!"
(pause)
"More milk!"
(pause)
(wild scream)
"More! More!"
...
"Crap, they can't hear me. Diego, go for help!"
(lobs Diego out of the crib. Diego lays there, inert on the floor.)
"Diego, you are useless!!"
"Mom! Dad! Milk! Milk! And Diego is trapped too! Help!"

Ninjababy is so much fun.

Harder Than It Looks...

2007-05-23T19:32:00.000-06:00

When it comes to the movies, can you name five people whose movies that you would see without reservation? It's harder than it sounds. Five people in this industry that, no holds barred, you buy what they sell? Here's my picks:

Neil Gaiman: whether he's the screenwriter (Mirrormask), executive producer (Beowolf), or the movie's based on one of his books (Stardust) - if he's involved, I'm going to watch it.
Holly Black: She has only made one movie, the upcoming Spiderwick Chronicles, but I have high hopes. A very talented author, she is the film's screenwriter and producer.
Wendy Froud: mostly involved in special effects. She was behind many of the creatures in Labyrinth, the Dark Crystal, and she created Yoda. The woman rocks.
Tim Burton: what can I say? This guy is an amazing director. I'll watch pretty much anything he puts out.
Johnny Depp: the only actor on my list. It's rare to find an actor that you can unequivocally say that you will watch any movie that they appear in...but Johnny Depp is one of those rare actors. I'll even watch pure crap just to see what he does with the role.

So, who's on your list? Even if you don't have five, I'm interested to find out who makes your movies magic!

Anywhere But Here...

2007-05-21T10:35:00.000-06:00

Do you ever play that game? Right now, my anywhere but here is actually only a few feet away.

It's pouring rain today. Anyone who knows me at all well knows that I love it when it rains. The house is cool and fresh air is wafting through the open windows. You can hear it drumming into the roof and the ground outside.

If I were anywhere but here, I would be sitting outside right now on my front porch sipping chicken noodle soup from a mug with a blanket wrapped around me. Maybe I'd be idly reading a book now and then. But, with both kids sick, and surprisingly still rambunctious, I can't leave them on their own while I indulge myself.

But, maybe this afternoon I'll convince them to both nap. Then I can steal a few minutes to myself on the porch, watching rain drift from the sky, pooling into puddles on the street below.

Kids are Cool, Cows are Not

2007-05-17T12:18:00.000-06:00

So, our son, who I am currently dubbing Pirateboy, was in a good mood this morning despite being sick. Oh yeah, the whole house is sick at this point. Thammuz is getting over his illness from last week, Ninjababy is still down and out (and downright cranky), Pirateboy has a slight fever and a horrible racking cough that kept him up all night, and I am suffering through the annual lilac attack. Our entire street is lined with May Day trees...the stench is unbearable and I am downing allergy pills like candy to function. Blah. Actually, though, you couldn't smell the trees this morning as the smell of the glorious nearby cattle feedlots was overwhelming them. Gotta love it when the wind blows from that direction.

But Pirateboy still had his good mood. He leapt out of the house this morning with a bound and yelled, "Aaaahhh...smell that fresh air!" Then, the feedlot smell hit him: "Um, actually, it kind of smells like EWWW."

Awesome. The kid's brilliant. Brightened my whole day.

Ninjababy is Sick

2007-05-14T23:36:00.000-06:00

Took Ninjababy into the hospital tonight. She's had a slight temperature off and on for the past few days along with a bit of a cough. Today, that morphed into a higher fever, runny nose, chest cough, and vomiting. Poor thing. She was so exhausted, she would fall asleep between bouts of vomiting. The nurse actually brought us a garbage can, thinking somehow that I could convince an eighteen-month old to bend forward and use it. Right. I finally asked her if she could get me a petri dish or similar that I could actually hold under her mouth. Have trouble believing a nurse wouldn't have thought of that herself...I mean, a garbage can? Isn't that what a panicked elementary school teacher grabs?

Anyway...enough with the graphic details. Ninjababy appears to have a chest infection that has spread to her ears. We are to alternate motrin and tylenol and give her antibiotics every eight hours. Then she has to go back to see the doc again on Wednesday.

Feeling a bit stressed since this work week is not really designed to accomodate potential illness...Thammuz and I are both juggling right now to try and make it work. But, baby comes first...so we'll see what we can manage!

Love is Fickle

2007-05-08T21:41:00.000-06:00

Ninjababy has a new paramour. Hulk has been thrown over. When interviewed about his loss, Hulk simply said, "Hulk SAD. Hulk SMASH." The interviewer was then forced to flee.

And who is this dashing new man in Ninjababy's life? Well, let's just say that Hulk really had competition. He is young, Spanish, and pretty cute. His name? Diego. Or as Ninjababy refers to him, "D". Note: She gets that from her Dad. Thammuz feels the need to refer to people by their first initial.

An animal rescuer , "D" is also rumoured to be fabulously rich with his links to the impressive Dora the Explorer franchise.

Here he is:

Perhaps Ninjababy needs to start compiling a Freebie Five?

PS You can't go thirty seconds in our house without hearing "D!" It's true: ask anyone who's visited in the last week. Ninjababy is seriously obsessed.

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic...

2007-05-04T10:17:00.000-06:00

Spazzy came into the library yesterday, all dressed up for work. She was in a suit with her hair done up really nicely. Here's the thing: It was pouring down rain and she still looked great. Hair not frizzy, suit not wet. And she had no coat or umbrella to be seen!

Okay, so was it:

Rain let up for a brief moment. AKA: Clouds part for Spazzy
Spazzy parked really close to the building and is good at sprinting. AKA: Spazzy has super-speed
Spazzy has a force-shield and rain just bounces off of her

Seriously, I am in awe. Awe! I looked like a drowned rat yesterday. Spazzy, how do you do it?

Star Trek Gets All Monty Python

2007-05-02T19:37:00.000-06:00

This is primarily posted for LibraryChik and Violette, but I know there are other lurkers out there reading this that love both Star Trek and Monty Python...so, enjoy!

PS Even if you aren't a Trekkie, you should watch this. It's freakin' hilarious!

It's May Day Today...

2007-05-01T22:11:00.000-06:00

Happy Beltane!

Yes, Conferences are Work!

2007-05-01T20:58:00.000-06:00

Hi All,

Have not blogged all week except for post on Daemon because, well, it was quick and easy, and it is a funky cool book thing...so I had to do it.

Spent four days at Jasper conference. It was a ton of fun, I learned a lot, but it left me feeling pretty drained. I was good and went to bed fairly early like a good girl rather than partying, but still tired. If you do party, this is a good conference to go to, though. There was free booze everywhere: the opening banquet, the various library-hosted partays, and even the freaking bus ride. Seriously, they served beer and wine on the bus...and then kept coming back and asking if you wanted more. If I was a big drinker, this could have turned into a bender. I did take advantage of the free doritos, though. Who could turn down free doritos?

The one crazy thing...I ran into all these people that I know. This should not be surprising since there were quite a few of my colleagues and former classmates in attendance. However, there were also people who I knew from totally outside of library-land and was a bit shocked to find at conference:

Banna. If you don't know Banna, she is SoraJen's sister. If you don't know SoraJen, then I can't help you because I like to maintain secret identities on my blog. Suffice to day, I practically lived at their house when I was in high school. Apparently, Banna is now on a library board and got to scam a free Jasper trip. Way to go, Banna!
Girl I went to Kindergarten with...isn't that odd? Knew she was a librarian, though, so shouldn't have been too shocked.
Girl I went to undergrad school with...took Anthro together and now she works in a library.

Anyway, totally weird. Also had a ton of people introduce themselves to me because I was carrying a purse that said "Evil Needs Candy Too" with a Roman Dirge illustration. Apparently, it was memorable enough to catch people's attention.

Oh, and for future reference, Nicolas Basbanes is glorious. Glorious! To quote Lainey: love, love, love. Read his books: he rocks.

Will post pictures when I feel like digging the camera cable out of the desk. Right now it's too irritating to consider it.

Love to you all.

Is this my Daemon?

2007-04-30T22:10:00.000-06:00

The Golden Compass movie site is up and running! As a librarian who loves YA fiction, I have of course read through the series. It's not my favorite series, but it grows on you. I've liked it better with re-readings....and hey, it was good enough to re-read. One of the coolest things about the series is the concept of Daemons, an animal companion that is representative of your soul.

I have had my Daemon picked out for me by the site and now I have the opportunity to ask you all if you think my Daemon suits me. If not, help me get another!

Here's the link:

Thanks, SoraJen, for helping me find Inachus!

The perfect date involves...

2007-04-23T21:04:00.000-06:00

...the element of surprise.

I just read that and it's so true. The best dates are the ones where you aren't quite sure what's going to happen and you've got that wild heartbeat when you are hoping something will...

Thoughts?

Skaterpunk

2007-04-23T18:59:00.000-06:00

My baby is currently headbanging to Dora the Explorer music. Is that weird?

Also adding to the Skaterpunk vibe: her penchant for wearing toques with saucy attitude.

Shades of Grease...

2007-04-22T10:43:00.000-06:00

This is an oldie, but it's still a lot of fun.

Heathen Yak probably still shudders when she hears it. In no way did I overplay this guy when I was her roommate. :P (I have a strange affinity for 80s pop music). On the other hand, I had to suffer through several hours of BSB, so I guess we are even.

What the...?

2007-04-18T22:33:00.000-06:00

First off, why would anyone make a sequel to The Incredible Hulk? Did they see the first movie? Did they see the lack of money?

And second, why would Edward Norton agree to star in it? See reference: MSN Movies.

Seriously, why?

I can only imagine that they realized the first one was utter crap and decided to tear it down and do it properly...except that the article indicates that it will pick up where the old one left off. I am in awe.

At least Ninjababy will watch it. She has a huge crush on the Incredible Hulk. No, really. She actually does:

She kept blowing him kisses the entire time!

Frances' Game

2007-04-17T12:37:00.000-06:00

Frances posted this game on her blog and it was kind of fun, so I am stealing it.

"Go to IMDB and look up 10 of your favorite movies. Post three official IMDB 'Plot Keywords' for your 10 picks. Have your friends guess the movie titles."

Here are my picks:

1. Accountant. Chainsaw. Amnesia.
2. Severed Hand. Damsel in Distress. Airport.
3. Eclipse. Fugitive. Monk.
4. Birthday Party. Striptease. Best Friend.
5. Cat. Dynamite. Secret Door.
6. Aunt. Dogfight. Mask.
7. Train. Ex-Wife. Mormon.
8. Fish out of Water. Tree. Police.
9. Midget. Crushed to Death. Evil.
10. Bibliophilia. Secret. Sentimental.

Have Fun!

And Speaking of Getting Out of Kansas...

2007-04-15T15:26:00.000-06:00

I am in love with this house:

Learn more about it here:
http://www.chagford.co.uk/fowchag10.html

If I had 380,000 pounds, I would seriously consider uprooting and moving to England. The big selling point: the Goblin Market kitchen with hand-painted murals by artists Brian Froud, Charles Vess, Alan Lee, and Terri Windling. The house, in fact, used to belong to Terri Windling, a renowned faery artist and writer.

Gotta Get Out of Kansas...

2007-04-15T15:19:00.000-06:00

Monkey and I have spent a jammie day together watching Muppets' Wizard of Oz - which is actually pretty cute - and drawing pictures. Ninjababy has spent the day trying on hats and stomping around the house in yellow rubber boots. I've been sick all week (and still working), so it's kind of nice to have a homebody day just resting. Here's one of the music videos from our muppet-y movie fest to share with you all:

Signs You've Become a Housewife

2007-04-12T19:32:00.000-06:00

You look forward to grocery shopping as your me time
You get excited about the new Method line of household cleaners
You get really excited about BONUS AIRMILES!
You are actually interested in the Rachael Ray magazine at the checkout counter
You actually buy the Rachael Ray magazine at the checkout counter

At this point, you may just as well start baking chocolate chip cookies and humming the theme songs to 1950s TV shows under your breath. So, who's up for an I Love Lucy marathon?

Open the Door...

2007-04-08T11:05:00.000-06:00

Snarklings!

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

I was trolling through my usual websites this morning (each morning I read my favorite webcomics and an assortment of blogs), when I got a bit of a surprise. There, in my favorites, was a brand new blog! My darling husband had made a new addition. So, of course, I read it...and it's really cool:

Gothic Charm School

If you are a bit goth-y, or you like me and my husband, you will probably enjoy this. It's basically Miss Manners for Goths. I found the parenting advice to be very helpful. No, seriously. And maybe a little spot-on in terms of the comments about buying your children little fuzzy monsters to cuddle. If you haven't seen Monkey's favorite toy, George, you might not understand what I'm talking about:

Sleep...Need Sleep...

2007-04-02T18:08:00.000-06:00

I've been making an effort to try and post more often, but it's hard. Take, for instance, today:

I have been awake since 4am when Ninjababy began crying. She continued to cry fitfully on and off until it was time for me to go to work anyway. She may be sick. Her older brother is already sick - he has an ear infection and has had since last Friday. So, I went to work after trying unsuccessfully to prop my eyelids open with toothpicks: it does not work and it is painful. Did not get a break today. I am trying to hire and we are a bit crazy-busy at work right now. Did not get an actual lunch break that involved time to eat as I had to get Monkey from school and take him to the sitter, go to the bank, go to the accountant, and phone around to get things set up for babysitting later in the week. It is now 6:15pm. I have picked up the kids, fed them supper, and packed their bags for tomorrow. I still have snack time, baths, and laundry before I can relax tonight and I am stealing a few seconds to blog while they kids finish eating.

SO TIRED!!!!

Anyway, I am going to count on YouTube to save my sorry blogger behind once again. As a means of making this post somewhat interesting, I'll point you all to the trailer for STARDUST - based on the Neil Gaiman book by the same name. STARDUST is an amazing book, I love Neil Gaiman, and the movie looks fabulous. Everyone should go and see it unless they are tall and plan to sit in front of me at the theatre. Here's the trailer:

Rain!

2007-03-27T12:02:00.000-06:00

It's raining...
It's pouring...
The old man is snoring...
Jumped in bed...
Covered up his head...
And didn't get up 'til morning!

It's pouring down rain - totally expected after yesterday's chill. I want to curl up in a big blanket and read Ramona books. Maybe with some bread and butter and a big mug of hot chocolate. But, I have to go back to work in about 20 minutes, so I better not get started on that...I swear, I really wouldn't get up 'til morning!

It's Beautiful

2007-03-26T08:35:00.000-06:00

Today is the kind of day that I really wish I didn't work a desk job. I used to work outside and this is the kind of day I would look forward to...crisp and cold. Not winter cold, but spring cold. There's a low grey fog spread out over the landscape and the sound of birds fills the air. I want to go for a long walk and do some birdwatching, have a bowl of thick soup or stew for lunch, and then nestle down with a good book. Instead, I will be in front of this computer for the rest of the morning figuring out staff schedules. Bleah. Oh well, time to start the day. Maybe there's some hot chocolate in the staff room? Here's hoping!

Batgirl was a Librarian!

2007-03-24T22:23:00.000-06:00

I love Batgirl, but I'm not so crazy about the Michael Jackson music. In other news, I may have become addicted to YouTube...

For Frozen Eyes and Valric

2007-03-23T15:56:00.000-06:00

I hadn't mentioned it on my blog yet, but my sister-in-law got married! I don't post pictures on my blog, so I can't show you their beautiful wedding day...however, I have the next best thing. Valric and Frozen Eyes are big fans of Batman and Wonder Woman. I just happened to find a YouTube video of their fave romantic comic book pairing:

Plus, it's actually called: Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Batmobile. How can you resist? Congratulations, Valric (Batman) and Frozen Eyes (Wonder Woman). We all love you!

Our computer works - hurrah!!

2007-03-23T12:57:00.000-06:00

I'm off sick today. To be honest, I've been sick for the last three days and I've been dragging my sorry behind into work anyway. Between employee reviews and board meetings, there really wasn't a good day to skip out. Yesterday, I worked a 10.5 hour day and apparently that was enough to crater me. I just had a testy stomach before. I woke up today with a racking chest cough and dizzy spells too. After a particularly good couging fit this morning, I ended up sprawled on the bathroom floor. Thammuz just looked down at me, sighed, and said, "don't even think about going into work today." Yes, honey, I was really considering working after that. Well, okay, I was a little, but it probably wasn't a good idea.

So after waking up for the second time, I am now playing with the new computer between coughing fits. NEW COMPUTER! Okay, it's still the old computer, but it's so much better now. We took it in for upgrades earlier this week and it's so pretty now. We got Windows XP to replace the very sad Windows 98 that I have been running forever. We also got a bucket full of RAM to go with it. And things work now! I can watch youtube properly! I can see things that require flash and java! I can play games! The power!!!! Best of all, I can finally download itunes. My rocking brother got us an ipod for our wedding and I have been waiting to try it out. I am very very excited. You have no idea.

In fact, all this excitement is wearing me out. I think I need to go back to bed and rest some more. I'll be back later. There will probably be lots more blogging now that my computer no longer makes me sad.

I Love This Song

2007-03-23T12:47:00.000-06:00

Okay, so the video is a little on the lame side. Turn off your monitor and just listen to the music. Preferably after a long day of work with a significant other and candlelight. I'm just saying...

PS I know, I know...John Mayer. I like Avril Lavigne too. So sue me.

Theatrics

2007-03-17T21:46:00.000-06:00

Thammuz and I had a date night tonight. We went out to the movies and I finally got to see "Music and Lyrics." Going out to a movie is a rare occurrence for the two of us - at least if we want to see anything together. Date nights are pretty rare since we have difficulty getting a sitter. My folks are already pinch-hitting for us tons with our work schedules, so it seems pretty selfish to ask for date-night sitting too. Luckily, it's been a pretty quiet month, so we didn't feel too bad about asking for a favour tonight. Plus, Monkey is at his Mom's, so they only had to watch the baby for us.

The weird thing about going to the movies here is the deja-vu I get everytime I set foot in the theatre. It's a bit strange to walk into the place you worked when you were seventeen...that's the fun part about going back to live in the place you grew up. I remember serving the popcorn. I know what the projection room looks like and I've walked behind the screen. I can point out the exact spot on the theatre wall where a certain someone who shall remain "Nameless" hucked an M&M at me so hard that there is still a dent in the wall. I can remember the police stopping us one night when a group of us were scaling the outside wall, climbing brick over brick. Not sure they believed that we were removing a hornet's nest. Luckily, the theatre manager was one of the climbing party. I can remember being chased for six blocks by a certain usher wielding a broom when I teased him one too many times. I've even seen the baptismal font they still have in the basement from when the theatre used to be a church. That place is insane with memories.

It's mostly strange for me because even though I am now married with two kids, I'm pretty sure I'm still that same seventeen year old. It's just rare that I get a slap-in-the-face reminder of it. Sometimes, when the grown-up responsibilities get too crazy, it's nice to know that there's a piece of me that's still seventeen and ready to go to the movies.

Incoming...Flying Monkeys

2007-03-12T12:07:00.000-06:00

It is insanely windy today. If you are wearing red shoes, I recommend watching out for falling houses. You never know when some psycho farm girl is going to land on you wailing about Kansas...

Creative in Theory

2007-03-11T18:15:00.000-06:00

I am addicted to craft and hobby type books. It's very sad. I now own three books on learning to knit and crochet with all these kitschy cool patterns. I have owned them for the past six months. I still have no idea how to knit or crochet, though I have made one game attempt at it. I like to blame this on my lack of time, but I still seem to have plenty of time to play scrabble each night with my husband. So, I'm afraid that laziness is probably the actual culprit.

That said, I'm going to try another tactic. My other great craft-y addiction is jewellery making. I have made a few bead necklaces and bracelets that have been well-loved, but I really want to learn how to do it properly. Unfortunately, the book route seems a waste of time for me. I spend most of my time staring at the pictures and daydreaming instead of actually working. So, I'm signing up for some weekend workshops at ACAD. If you live in Cal, expect me to be calling soon begging around for a place to stay. Bob and co. should expect the first call...you know, since they live two blocks from ACAD and all...hint hint.

Here's hoping this all works out! My first two planned courses are glass beadmaking and wire jewellery. Hurrah!

What's Your Perfect Date?

2007-02-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

I can't say I'm a huge fan of Valentine's Day - it's one of those letdown holidays when you get older. I liked it when I was in grade school and you could count on cheezy paper valentines from your best friends and a whole schwack of cinnamon hearts and jujube candies. I find, once you get older, it's much better to just enjoy date nights than try to set up something for some preprogrammed YOU MUST BE ROMANTIC night.

That said, in the spirit of grade school Valentine's Day fun, I thought I'd run a poll: How would you describe your perfect date?

Here's mine:

Sleep In (this automatically means the kids are not home)
Relaxing Day - maybe some fun shopping or a spa appointment
Dinner Out
Bowling or Rollerskating
Movie

It's a lot to cram into one day, but it would be a blast. This is why I need to live in the big city again. We're not going out for Valentine's Day this year - it's just not going to work out. We're going to try for a date the weekend after, though. I must see Music and Lyrics - bad 80s pop music = my perfect movie. Seriously. I can watch The Wedding Singer an alarming number of times.

So, your turn. Share your dates!

I'm 30!

2007-01-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

Yep, yesterday was my 30th birthday. I've heard that some people make a big deal out of this and freak right out...but it really feels no different than 29. So, there was no major breakdown over here.

And my darling hubby got me bright apple green snowshoes!!! Woohoo! He knows me so well...the oddest things make me very happy.

Mean People Suck

2007-01-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

I had a very stressful day at work today. I had to telephone out to get some information and the person on the other end of the line had, to put it nicely, a very sharp tongue. Instead of providing information, the person chose to criticize and belittle me for not having information in the first place. It was so very frustrating. I eventually got what I needed, but not before I was made to feel like a child. Thankfully, the very next person that I had to telephone for further information was extremely helpful and offered extra advice since she knew I was new to my position and had not done year-end before. Unfortunately, my attitude had already been destroyed for the day.

Honestly, people, just be nice to those around you and cut people some slack. Niceness does pay off. Case in point: the most helpful person to me today is getting some flowers tomorrow...just for making my crappy day the tiniest bit less sucky.

Happy Everything!

2006-12-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Whatever you celebrate, happy holidays!

I Want to Be My Daughter

2006-12-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

Ninja Baby and I, as posted earlier, are spending the day together in a flu-inspired haze. I've been lazing around, trying to sleep around the ringing telephone, ringing doorbell (I had no idea people came by our house at 2pm), and everything else going on.

My daughter, however, is blissfully unaware of any of this noise and is sound asleep. So far, she has managed to grab six hours of sleep today.

This is not the only reason I want to be the Ninja Baby, though. She is invariably good humoured and charming. Take her anywhere and she will smile at people and show off her sparkly shoes. She is adventurous - she'll get into everything. She'll try anything once - seriously - she will eat any food you offer her. She is totally and completely happy with herself. She is healthy. She is loving and offers kisses and hugs to everyone in the family. She is creative and fun and a bit of a little diva. She is totally and utterly self confident.

I think my new year's resolution will be to act more like my toddler. It seems like a lot of fun. :)

From the Ashes...

Where am I?

Happy Holidays!

Deep Freeze

Finally Feeling Better...

Sick of Being Sick

Annoyed or annoying?

Top 10: Why are They Famous?

I'm Still Here...

This MUST Be Shared with the World!

Mother's Day

Oh Good...

Resolutions

Randomness

Happy Samhain!

It's Election Day

And the week just keeps on going...

333

Brrr....

Why is this?

Cake

Chicken Soup with Rice

I Need New Sneakers

Man, I hope it rains.

I am not working today!

When life gives you lemons...

Bahahahahahahahahahaha

Reno 911

VACATION!!!

Courtesy of Librarychik

When life gives you lemons...

Oh, Good, It's almost Rodeo...

If You're Bored

What the?

Haiku

ILS is Live

Ouch Ouch Ouch (aka Jog and Blog)

Fight or Flight?

Seriously...

Rachael Ray is Trying to Kill Us

Babies Should NOT Eat Jalapenos

Sidelined

Fresh Start

Baby's Sick

YA Novels becoming Films

Breathing Room

Waffles

Happy Solstice!

Baby Got Book...

Elementary, My Dear Watson...

This is Halloween, This is Halloween 2007

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Calling All Canadian Bloggers:

Belly Dancing

Wishing I was a Stay-at-Home Mom...

It's Beginning to look a lot like...Thanksgiving

So Funny...

Mabon

Hmmm...

Three Things

The Golden Compass

It's True...

Happy Canada Day!

*Sigh*

Five Year-Olds are Awesome

Diego, Go For Help!

Harder Than It Looks...

Anywhere But Here...

Kids are Cool, Cows are Not

Ninjababy is Sick

Love is Fickle

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic...

Star Trek Gets All Monty Python

It's May Day Today...

Yes, Conferences are Work!

Is this my Daemon?

The perfect date involves...

Skaterpunk

Shades of Grease...

What the...?

Sigh