Foodie

Last week, or maybe it was 2 weeks. Yep, I am pretty sure it was 2 weeks ago. Maybe even 3? Who knows? I can't even remember what today is these days. I sent Mazie to school w/ her girl scout uniform on on Tuesday thinking it was Wed. I just can't keep my days straight these days w/ so much running around. WHen did things get so complicated? ANyway, last week (or whenever) we went out to dinner with some friends. I mean real dinner - not fast food which I eat way too much of these days with all my running around, esp. at work. I have gained far too many lbs. since returning to the U.S. We went to Sierra Bonita and I really liked it which is saying something because everyone says I am so critical or ahem, picky. I got the idea that I would start a food blog. It's an idea. I am not sure how active it would be. I mean this week I ate at La Salsita on 47th ave and McDowell along side some gang bangers straight from LA with their tat's and shirts with monikers that mean murder. That was an experience. I also ate at Boston Market, had coffee at Burger King and Blue Fin. Does anyone really care that the coffee at Burger was AWFUL? So, maybe some day I'll go back to my blog but at this time I am too overwhelmed. I am not so sure what is so complicated. I think one is that from day to day with my job I don't know where I am supposed to be. I am at 4 high schools, my office, training, etc. I have to be an extremely organized and planned person for this job. Add to it that I have 2 kids with school and activities and I just feel like my head is spinning. WHo had this on what day? What permission slip needs to be signed? What fees need to be paid? (That's an entirely different blog but not a day goes by that my kids school doesn't inundate me with information on fundraising opportunities or ask me for money) Who needs to bring a lunch? WHo needs to get this done? What birthday card does Mazie need to mail for her girl scout troop member so she can get a petal? Blah, blah, blah. Are you sensing my anxiety? I would like a boring old regular routine. Is that too much to ask for? Last night we went to the Suns game. I should be excited to go right? WRONG! I was just overwhelmed once again. I mean I had to find something to wear. I don't normally go to sporting games so I don't have many outfits for this. Plus, my jeans don't fit anymore so I couldn't wear jeans. I'd buy new ones if I had the time. I spent my shopping time last weekend buying for my daughter which is much less depressing than having to go up a size and look in the mirror and actually spend money on that. The Suns game was fun in the end but in the beginning it felt like a chore. I just wanted to lay on the couch (you aren't the only one MOlly) and watch tv. I wanted quiet. I wanted to not have to remember 20 things to tell my husband before I forget or get interrupted by my kids. I feel so rushed lately. No down time. I am sure if I were to read through this blog I'd find another similar blog I have written. I might even find several blogs just like this one. I know it will pass.
And because this is on my mind I want to share with you that if I ever decide I want to move out of the country please gently remind me what a bad idea that is. Not that I regret my time in Canada. In fact, while I am happy to be back for many reasons, part of me is really grieving for Canada. Drew has spent countless hours trying to figure out how to pay off our Canadian Mastercard when they won't take U.S. money. Now we can't get our car registration due to the fact that we don't have sticker on our Canadian Hyundai that says the car meets US Highway Safety and EPA standards. SIgh. Luckily I have a husband who devotes 24 hours of the day to this stuff.

A Loop Party

At school when the kids are caught being good they get loops. Then they put the loops in a jar and when it is full, the class gets a party. However, the catch is that the party must not cost money. Mazie's class decided they wanted to wear their swim gear to school for their party. It was vetoed by the principal. Mazie came home and said that girls aren't allowed to wear bikinis at school but instead they are going to bring in their favorite stuffed animals and a pillow and read. She said "apparently some people think that its fun to read." Bwahahahaha.

Sorry I've been away for so long. I've been rather busy with not much to say. I am home sick with a cold or the flu or some virus that sucks the energy from me and leaves me with a sore back so I'm trying to catch up. We had my nephew for a week which was interesting adding a 3 year old to the mix. Lots more work that's for sure. We went to the pumpkin patch - that's an entirely new blog about how it wasn't a patch at all and how I miss ONtario soooooooo much, esp. in the fall. I've just got to keep my eye on the winter horizon. We also went to the greek festival. It was really just way too hot for an October event. Have I mentioned how much I miss ONtario? I listen to CBC radio and I heard its a high of 6 in Edmonton today. Sigh. Mazie has drama one night a week and girl scouts are starting so that takes up some time. Leo is beginning Odysey of the Mind. More to come on that I'm sure.

I'm still located in Surprise for work. HOping this will change soon but I was told I would be moved in the beginning of October and I haven't heard a peep so who knows when this will happen? I don't want to say much or I might get moved to Kingman or something like that. So, my lips are sealed for now.

As for Drew, he continues to plug away little by little on his dissertation. Today he took the light rail for the first time and went to ASU to renew some books. He was sick before me so he's been down a few days.

We are currently watching the new documentary "Babies" about babies from Korea, US, Namibia, and MOngolia. Very interesting to say the least to watch with a 6 and 8 year old. We're also watching Nightmare Before Christmas. We've got Netflix so we usually have 2 movies at a time plus we can download movies instantly on the WII as well.

That's about it for now.

Punky Brewster

Drew and I have signed up for Netflix since returning to the U.S. We had Blockbuster before we left which was very similar. There is nothing like that in Canada, although I hear they are getting it soon. Figures. ANyway, for about $13 per month we can get 2 dvds at a time and keep them as long as we want. When we want another we just plop it in the mail and in 1 day we get another one. We have a list of movies in the order in which we want them. We can also get as many downloadable movies as we want. So, if at any moment we decide we'd like to watch a movie, we just scroll through the list and instantly it pops up on our WII. That means Drew can watch all those movies by himself that I never let him get at the video store.

So the other day when we were scrolling though what was available, I saw Punky Brewster. I loved that show! So, I recently got season 1 on DVD for Mazie and Leo. I figured it was much more age appropriate for Mazie and perhaps she would suddenly start to mimic Punky rather than Hannah. It's a hope. THey LOVE it. Mazie just giggles and giggles and its such a cute show. THe only thing I am having a hard time with is the fact that it has a social worker in it. Punky is a foster child if you've never seen the show. I wonder if this was the catalyst for my wanting to become a Social Worker when I grew up. My dad was right, you'll never make any money. But then again, you'll never make any money as a VR Counselor either. However, I have chosen this path yet again. I did it becuase I believe I'll be much happier. I start on Tuesday. I'm going to miss my lazy mornings of coffee with my husband and doing laundry whenever I want and going to get iced teas for 50 cents at AJs. HOwever, real life had to set in some time. Plus, Drew needs to get writing. So, back to work it is.

We're Home

Anyone who reads this probably knows all this already but thought I should do a quick update. We are now in Phoenix. Kids started school and seem to be adjusting pretty well. I can't keep up with the number of flyers and promotions and informaiton that gets thrown at me on a daily basis from their backpacks. It's ridiculous. THen add homework and I am ready to home school. Seriously. Me on the other hand have been busy doing nothing much. I do laundry, make the bed, do the dishes, go to lunch, hang out at the book store, shop, oh and I swim a lot with my kids so they'll become stars on Baywatch some day. Today I gave them lifeguarding lessons. I am spending more quality time than I ever have since my honeymoon with my husband. It's nice but time for him to start writing his dissertation. In between all that I am job hunting. I've had some interviews and more on that later. Drew is playing basketball which he enjoys and I am reading lots of books. It's hot. Very hot. I've been trying out some new recipes from a cookbook the church gave me when we left. Oh, and we've found a new church and we're tryign to get acclimated to that as well as everything else. We've been experiencing some culture shock really. I can't wait to get a regular schedule in my life. However, once that happens I'll probably get used to my life of luxury. It's nice ot go to Dunkin Donuts and read the paper.

And They're Off....

Drew and his dad left this morning on schedule with a truck full of goods. Most all of it fit. I can't complain. What didn't fit Paige and Jason can hopefully sell at their garage sale this weekend. It took over 12 hours to get the truck loaded with what felt like the hottest day of the year. I don't know if I'll be able to walk today. Our place is mostly empty except for the fridge which I'll clean out today before my job interview. The cats are pretty freaked out down there all alone. Can't wait to finally land in Phoenix tomorrow. Floating in a pool sounds nice right about now. They are right when they say that death of a loved one and moving are the top most stressful things. Remind me of that next time I think it would be exciting to move to another country.

The Day Before The Last

I'm sitting at work trying to kill sometime before I go out to dinner. I'm meeting with all the Alumni from my first job in Canada. Believe it or not, there are about 9 of us and we've all moved on to bigger and better and kept in touch. I think its some sort of Stockholm syndrome thing going on. But hey, it's nice that they want to say farewell. We are also celebrating that the last survivor at NRCS has finally quit and one of the former members has moved on to OMOD. Unfortunately I had to say welcome and hello in the same week I am having to say goodbye.

They threw me a great party here complete with a huge Canadian flag signed by all in the office as well as a photo of all us along with a frame for my new office whereever that might be. I also got a great Canadian sweatshirt and they bought Canada garb for the wee ones as well - and Drew. I really couldn't work with a nicer group of people who I am going to miss dearly. It makes all the difference in the world. They have been so supportive through all of this. And even though it is sad to say good bye, I still feel right about this. It is scary not having health insurance or a job to pay the bills but I am trusting that it will all work out and I keep getting told that my family and friends are all there to help out as needed. I truly am blessed. I also truly am exhausted. I've been super busy at work trying to tie up all the loose ends on my 50 client caseload and then when I get home I pack, pack, pack. I never seem to feel like any progress is being made but Drew tells me that I always feel this way every time we move and I think all our stuff has always made it in the truck. Since I've been married I believe I've moved a total of 10 times. I wonder how more times I have to look forward to this. Drew and I are quite pros by this point. It still sucks though.
I'm hoping to get rid of lots and lots of stuff at our garage sale on Saturday and Drew will be off to Phoenix mid week next week. I will follow in the plane with the kids and cats just in time to register them before their first day and buy all the needed school supplies that American schools don't seem to supply for their students. This is a new experience for us and I am sure there will be many more for my kids as they enter into the US/AZ school system. They are excited for the move but bored to death these days as we ignore them for more important things like packing. They have no today to play with so tv is warping their brains. When they aren't watching tv they take out their stress on each other through fun teasing and bullying games that drive their parents up the wall. Gosh I can't wait to be settled.
I hope it all goes smoothly and I hope I can find a job where I can be happy. I look forward to seeing all my old friends and especially swimming!

IKEA

When we arrived in Canada we went to Ikea and my babies ages 2 and 4 were too small to play. Today we went as a treat after the ENT and they were told this was their last day to play in the balls - they are too big. We've come full circle and I guess it's time to go now.

THe ENT was a complete waste of a day off. Luckily I get to spend it with the kids doing some fun stuff. We spent 5 minutes there for her to say they don't take out tonsils unless she's had 5 infections in a year. Mazie has had only 3. This is great news but couldn't you have told me this over the phone or perhaps tell the pediatrician so he won't refer until we get to #5? Her ears are good and her tonsils are good. We're in perfect health! Now we'll go to the Ontario Science Centre to hang out. We got comp tickets because we left this guy a message last week asking about the activities and he was out ill. Just becuase we missed it, he's giving us free tickets for the entire family!

Will I or Won't I?

Thinking to myself - will I still blog when I live in Phoenix? Will I ever have the energy to blog again?

Spam Spam the Peanut Man

So by now you have probably received not one but two emails from us with links to Viagra. I cringe to even say it on my post because now the evil little computer fairies will pick up on it and I will get ads for little pills on my FB page. Luckily when it shows you an ad on the side it gives you the opportunity to comment on it. For example, when an ad to get rid of belly flab comes on I tell it that it doesn't apply. I mean, why on earth would it ever get that idea?! Or the ads about frizzy hair. How does it know? I comment that the ad is offensive. So, when the little pill ad pops up, I'll know why and I'll comment that it doesn't apply because for real in this case - it doesn't. We have done 2 virus scans and we aren't sure why or how this little email spam thing occured but we went and changed all our info so hopefully it doesn't happen again. Whatever you do, don't open it. I'd hate to share germs.

Drew and I got back from a home buying seminar for newcomers. It was depressing. We are neither newcomers nor will we ever be homebuyers. Problem solved. We determined we might actually be able to buy a home here when Leo turns 18. What the heck is the point of that? In any case, sitting in the library listening to the Turkish real estate agent tell me about amortization and term rate and credit rating next to my husband without kids was actually sort of date like. Is that not the saddest thing you've heard all day? It's true. Even more true is that I have the world's biggest mosquito bite on my leg. Trust me on this - the Benadryl sticks do NOT work.

That's all for now. I've got to go decompress by reading or knitting or watching tv or maybe I'll drink that Benadryl stick.

Happy Independence Day

As I write this post, I am supposed to be in church. At least I had planned to go today since Drew is preaching. I try to go at least once a month during the summer months when there is no Sunday school. However, we were out until about midnight last night so I let the kids sleep in. It's 10 am and Mazie is still not awake yet! We went to the annual 4th of July party at Melanie's house. As usual we ate tons of great food and sang the night away. Lots of wonderful people were there, including Paige and Jason and Keaton and the weather was warm and breezy so we sat outside. The kids played water fights and all got along nicely. It was a terrific way to spend the day and celebrate.

It's actually been a long weekend of parties beginning with Canada Day on Thursday. We started out going to Downsview park where they had free rides and face painting, etc. but the entire city was there and the lines were about 100 people deep so we quickly headed out of there and went to the water park where there were only about 5 other little kids. The kids had a good time on the playground, playing in the water, and playing baseball with daddy and Uncle Jason. I enjoyed getting a little sunshine. Afterwards we had some of Jason's to die for ribs and then headed over to the Richmond Hill park where we watched fireworks. We didn't get home until about midnight this time either.

We had no plans on Friday but at the last minute I thought it would be fun to go to Milton to a farm and pick berries. They had some goats and rabbits that the kids enjoyed feeding and then Mazie got to go on a very short horse ride. We picked raspberries, strawberries and blueberries and drank fresh strawberry lemonade and ate strawberry icecream. Yum! It was a great day in the sunshine as well. Leo was very excited to go berry picking and we had to ration his berry eating on the way home. Later that night we babysat while Paige went out for her birthday. It was the first time for mom and dad to leave the little Rugrat and I felt honored because I remember the first time we left our own precious baby. Of course, he cried and spit up the entire time which meant we had a little difficulty getting our own kids down for bed at a decent hour and they were up a little late on this night as well. Thank goodness its summer. Leo actually snuck up at one point after having gone to bed. He was nervous to be downstairs all alone so I let him sit with me and watch The Wizard of Oz.

Hopefully everyone will get to bed at a decent hour tonight because the party is over and its back to reality. At least for me anyway. I go back to work and the kids begin their summer adventure camp. I believe tomorrow is library day.

Haagen Daaz

So someone at work today trying to be funny says "If you were born in Canada you are a Canadian and if you were born in America you are an American. What if you were born in the Virgin Islands? What are you then" I answered, "American." Am I right? I think I'm right. It's the US Virgin Islands is it not? I think I totally threw them for a loop with my response though. I suppose you have to be an expat to fully appreciate that though.

In spite of having an incredibly large caseload and I really do appreciate the people I work with. Today, not sure what the occassion was but the people who find our temp workers for us brought in ice-cream. Not just any ice-cream. When we got there we saw boxes upon boxes of ice cream bars such as nestle crunch bars and haagen daazs bars and any kind you could imagine. There were drumsticks and I don't know what else and it was all free and I was smiling. Plus, it was my last day of work before the long holiday weekend.

Tomorrow we are having a bbq with the upstairs neighbors - ribs, corn on the cob, baked beans, and not sure what for dessert yet. The store was a mad house though. They aren't open for Canada Day tomorrow so everyone was there tonight. We'll do fireworks in the night. We haven't decided where we'll go for that yet. I think we all have lots of other things on our minds lately. We have a party on Saturday for July 4th celebration at Melanies house which I am very much looking foward to. THis will be our 3rd year to do this and its always loads of fun. Maybe on the way we'll stop at the Harbourfront to see the tall ships that are coming in. I don't think we've ever done that. Looking foward to reading, reading, and reading lots this weekend. I wonder if Timmy's is open tomorrow? I hope so! What great fun to walk there w/ Drew in the am?

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I'm posting this to share with you so that you too can enjoy the best pizza ever - oh and also so next time I want to make it again, I'll remember how. I was trying to imitate the pulled pork pizza from Boston Pizza but didn't have pork so I used chicken which I have tons of because Jason and Paige let us tag along with them to Costco and now we have lots.

I bought the dough in the bag at the store this time which made a lot of difference. Ordinarily I use the Pillsbury stuff which really is not so good. I had it in the cart but when I found the cold dough at the end of the bread Aisle I put the tubed Pillsbury stuff back right there with the cold dough. Gasp! Drew would have made me put it back where it belonged but he wasn't there so boy was I naughty!

For the sauce I used some old jarred spaghetti sauce I had in the fridge. I think its Prego. Just ordinary Prego, nothing fancy like Basil or Garlic flavored or anything like that. Next time I might try Emeril's recipe for Pulled Pork which uses a home made bbq sauce.

I boiled the chicken because I find that boiling it for 20 min. makes it shred very nicely. Then I added some bbq sauce from a bottle.

So, dough, sauce, red onions, tomatoes, banana peppers, mozzarella (not on 1/3 of it for Leo's sake) and then chicken. Bake at 425 for 20 min and voila!

For dessert we had homemade chocolate chip cookies (actually we ate those first and Leo had 4 of them so he didn't want to finish his pizza). I also made some popsicles from a recipe I got off my favorite site www.ourbestbites.com. It was blended strawberries and watermelon and I bought some new plastic popsicle makers and filled em up. Unfortunately when we opened the freezer they came flying out and Ithink the new plastic popsicle containers broke and slushy watermelon went all over the floor. I think some can be saved though. I'll let you know how they taste.

We have tons of dishes to do - or should I say that Drew has tons of dishes to do. Just think how many months earlier his dissertation might get done if we had a dishwasher.

4 Years Ago

YOu may have seen my Facebook post about how 4 years ago this week we moved to Canada. It's had me doing a lot of reminiscing this week about what those firsts were like. The first time we went to Tim Horton's (we didn't even know it was a coffee shop and I hate it. Now I am addicted), the first time we signed up Leo for kindergarten, the first time we took the subway, etc. And then lots and lots of beurocratic stuff like finding a doctor, getting health insurance, getting a bank account, buying a car, etc. It was a lot of work. Makes me wonder if I ever want to have to start over again like that. Also makes me realize how much we've adapted to life here and started putting down roots. We've got a very close church community and we know our neighbors and the other parents and kids at the school, we've experienced and gotten to know some of the teachers, etc. I am also very happy with my job. I like the people I work with and I like what I do. It's especially nice to be able to work from home. I walked the kids to school today and that made me so happy. I don't want to miss any of their childhood as they are growing so fast. The only thing I would change is that I'd like to have a home. Of course I'd like to be able to own a home but even renting a bigger place would be nice. OUr place is just too small for us now. HOwever, I love having our family just upstairs and I can't imagine not having that even if Keaton does cry a lot.

The kids are still in school until the end of the month and eagerly awaiting Adventure Camp so they can play with dad. Leo said so on his way to school today. I think this is wonderful even if Drew isn't quite as excited as they are. Lots of exciting things are happening for them at the end of the year so they are pretty happy these days.

THis weekend Drew and I will have our 11th wedding anniversary. If I think a lot has changed in 4 years, it's mind boggling what we've done in just 11! Makes me tired to just think about it all. We don't really have any plans yet to celebrate our anniversary or Father's Day but I'm sure it will be fun just as well.

June Bugs

I haven't written in ages but after long days at work typing away my fingers are just too tired to do much more. Work has been incredibly busy, especially after my week off and I am still trying to catch up. The last 2 weeks have been really stressful and I am hoping next week brings a little more calm. Plus, I've either been fighting a cold or dealing with allergies because I am very run down. Or perhaps it has to do with subject above. ANyway you look at it, I am ready for beddy by 9 only after I've had an hour nap on Drew's lap while we all watched an episode of Star Trek.

Kids are good. Mazie's having a playdate with a little boy in her class this afternoon - which reminds me.... I need to remember to pick her up. She's had yet another illness for which she is on antibiotics - which reminds me.... she didn't get this afternoon's dose. See above re: playdate. Ugh!

Leo seems to be accident prone at school and has cuts and scrapes all over for which he does not tolerate well at all. I think he currently has the use of one arm and hobbles about with one leg. THis is all okay because at least he can play his DS. I just printed out a chart for him to limit/monitor his DS usage as he has become far more obsessed that either Drew or I are comfortable with. This is a good opportunity to teach him a valuable lesson on self control which hopefully in the future will pay off.

I'm sure by now, you the reader is aware that Drew passed his comps with all A's. Woo hoo! He's taking some time to prepare for a Clergy conference in Ottawa next week and then will begin thinking about Vacation Bible School which he will be directing this summer as well as the Maxwell Adventure Club that the kids are eagerly awaiting. This will begin when school gets out at the end of the month.

We are all eagerly looking forward to Wing Ding tomorrow. It's a town wide garage sale and I'll be sure to report my findings. I did this last year as well. Hopefully it won't thunderstorm as is predicted.

And one more piece of good news - we got a new A/C! A brand spanking new one. Feels great. The dreaded berries are coming in on the tree in the backyard and the little pool that I blew up has deflated leaving a flood in the yard. That's all from Lake Wobegon.

Sleepover

Last night Drew was away at a conference and earlier in the week I had promised the kids a sleepover. So we all got our sleeping bags and at 6:30 laid down to watch a movie. I went with Daddy Daycare. You would be amazed at this age at how hard it is to get a boy and a girl to agree on a movie. Horses and dogs or superheros? My hip was killing me by the end and I craved for my soft bed. In between the movie I got a call from Drew about how he got his parents car towed. Remember last month when he got the $100 fire hydrant ticket? After daddy daycare we watched Sky Runner about aliens and then Rocky and Bull Winkle and after that I couldn't take it any more and went to my own bed at 10:30. Hey, 4 hours on the hard linoleum is pretty good! They stayed up to watch Superman. I said they could knowing they would be asleep as soon as I left. Drew finally did get home. Amazingly Mazie woke up and wasn't stuffy. What do you think is in her room to make her sick? Carpet? Mold? I wonder.

We spent the rest of the day being lazy. Drew ended up staying home instead of back to the conference. It was a heck of a rain storm and he didn't want to drive downtown. I was glad for that as we cleaned a bit of the house and I made breakfast for everyone. I finished another book and it was awesome - RUn by Ann Patchett thanks to Aunt DOnnas donation.

I'm feeling a bit at peace today because I think our big decision is over at least for now. I don't have to sit and ponder every second what my future will look like. Instead, I can settle in for another year here in Toronto. WHo knows what tomorrow will bring but for today that's ok. THen again, it is May. Ask me how I feel in November. I'm just looking forward to visiting California soon. I can't wait although I wonder if I'll feel sad coming back here or happy. We'll just have to see.

I'm on my way to Mandarin right now. We're going to celebrate MOther's Day and it will be our last big meal with Grandma and Grandpa before they leave next week. I plan to really pig out. Know what I am craving the most? Green beans. LOL

Cinco De Mayo - They don't know what that is in Canada. Hehe

THis morning while sitting on the pot (come on - everyone does it) I noticed that there was an earring on the bathroom floor. NOt just any earring either. It was precisely the same earring I spent over 30 minutes last night fighting w/ Mazie to put in her ear. Obviously daddy was too rough when he dried her hair after getting her out of the bath and it fell out. Now it had been out all night and I was devastated. No time to panic - gotta wake her up at 6:30 am and see if I can put that darn thing back in. NOw, on a good day, she doesn't let me touch her ears so I knew that was going to be tricky. I tried and tried until Leo yelled at me to stop talking and get out (he obviously wasn't ready to get up yet). NO go. She was so cute. She asked if I could wait until she fell back asleep. I couldn't - I had to go to work and the fact that my daughter's earring fell out is not a good excuse to cancel an appt. especially when the interpreter was already lined up. I then did the next best thing which was ask Drew to ask Paige if she would take her to Claire's and see if they would do it w/ the gun again. I thought if it wasn't fully closed it might go in easier. Fortunately Paige is a miracle worker and was able to push that thing back in. Oh, and it helps that she isn't the mom so little miss doesn't throw a fit. Plus, I heard Uncle Jason held her hand. Ahhhh. I didn't know about all this when I got to work however. I just though she had one closed ear and I was so upset. Not becuase it was $50 although that thought crossed my mind. I was mad becuase of all the time and energy I spent cleaning and fighting with her to keep them clean these last few months. Have I mentioned how grateful I am to AUnt Paige?!

I am not sure if I discussed our allergy issue. Perhaps I did. Mazie is allergic to cats. We have 2 long haired ones in our tiny basement. We were advised to get an air filter. I thought the ionic air purifiers were a great deal at $150 at Costco so we bought them. Turns out they were emitted this awful odor which I later learned was ozone. I also learned that ozone is really bad for persons with asthma. Mazie was coughing like mad and her eyes were red and watery each morning and she was miserable. Away w/ the ionic breeze. Luckly Costco took it back. Three cheers for Costco! We called up the allergist to ask for some help. She actually spoke to us! #3 cheers for Dr. Rhoda! If you call our ped and ask a quesiton you have to pay $25. It isn't covered by OHIP. She suggested perhaps Mazie is allergic to dust mites. DUH! She is. We knew that when she was 2! So, she suggested we get a new mattress pad and pillow case and dry all her stuffed animals in the dryer ot get rid of all the dust mite poop. I went to walmart and just changed her bedding. I took out all the stuffed animals (I am very surprised by how many she has and think we should get rid of most of them although its going to be tough. She's sort of a hoarder). I think though if given the choice - the cats or the stuffed animals she'll choose the Mickey MOuses and Care Bears. THen I looked at my own stuffed animals and I almost cried. I could never part w/ them. What if they are making her sick. What if I am now at this point a total germafobe? I'm freaked out about everything and I just wish we could figure out what is making Mazie so sick. I'll let you know how it goes.

Ugh!

My work caseload is beyond manageable and I work my butt off from morning to night. I come home and do the same (minus the fact that my MIL is cooking the best meals so I don't have to and my hubby cleans the cat box). Ok, maybe I am exxagerating but I sure am tired. Tonight's commute was 1 hour and 15 minutes in total traffic hell!

Nothing really to report about so that's why I've been MIA. That and my life is in complete limbo right now and it's stressing me out to the max. I am trying very hard to have faith and trust that it will all work out but its not an easy thing for me to do.

Say some prayers if you have some handy.

Little Pig

Mazie had the big show last night. SHe was adorable all dressed in pink for her part as the little pig.
Afterwards we gave her a dozen pink roses and went out for Ice Cream. We were so proud of her!

For Easter we got Leo a new bike as he had really outgrown his old one. He unfortunately saw it Saturday night so ended up giving Mazie her Nintendo DS that night as well. Surprise spoiled but still very much excitement abounded.

Nancy and Leo were able to make it for Easter. Leo attended Good Friday services with Drew and Nancy attended Saturday night services with me. Drew was of course busy all week and exhausted by the end when he got home Sat. night at 3:30 am only to wake up and hunt for Easter eggs at 7:30 am. I think he has recovered though. He is now busy getting ready for his comps which take place in a month.

The kids are enjoying having Grandma and Grandpa here to play with and Drew and I are enjoying a little extra quiet time while we all await the birth of Keaton which I have predicted will happen on the 17th. We all have made our predictions and put them on the calendar. Nobody is competetive around here that's for sure!

God Laughs at plans

This was not at all the weekend I had envisioned or hoped for. I was excited for a nice time of fun and relaxation as I drove home Friday afternoon from work. I got home only to find my little Mazie with what I thought was a bad cold. We decided to go out for dinner (not advised when fasting - you spend a great deal of money on food that really isn't worth spending so much money on. If I go out to eat I want to fully enjoy my meal - not eat rice and potatoes and veggies). During the meal Mazie was looking bad and wanted to lay down so I left early and we went home. I was up much of the night with her. Saturday she said her throat hurt and when I looked I was astounded at the size of her tonsils and worried about how she would possible breathe. I tried to go to 2 walk in clinics but they were both closed already so I had to wait until Sunday morning to get her to the doc for what I knew would be strep throat. In case you don't remember - she had it in Dec. and Jan. I was up all night with her. SHe was crying and miserable iwth a high fever and coughing non stop. I slept (or didn't sleep) on the living room floor and watched teletoon retro all night. I finally got her to the doc this morning but she really didn't like her medicine. I tried to give it to her 4 times and each time she would vomit on me. Got some new medicine - thank God insurance covered another antibiotic on the same day! Note to self - Mazie does not do well with cherry flavoured medicine even if you put it in grape koolaid and don't tell her. She finally got a dose and it was a miracle how quickly it started to work! She seems better already. I almost took her to the ER for a 2 hour non stop cough which I thought was an asthma attack. Luckily Drew got some sleep last night so his brain wasn't altogheter fried like mine and he thought of using the vaporizer. Duh mom! ANyway, I did nothing fun this weekend and it wasn't relaxing at all and the house is a mess. I guess there's always next weekend which happens to be Easter. NO hubby for a week at least. I hope he doesn't get sick!

March Break

I thought I might provide a little update into our lives the past few days as there have been some exciting new developments.

On Monday Mazie once again complained of her tummy hurting her and we've talking about taking her to the doctor for months now but hesitated because we've been there before for this issue and never really got any answers. I felt enough was enough and we were all home so we called the doc and got an afternoon appt. He sent us downstairs for an x-ray of her tummy and we waited a really long time and finally got it. Not without also getting a parking ticket for parking too close the a fire hydrant. Another lady in the waiting room also got a ticket for the same thing. Don't get me started on that though becuase I was fuming about it. As if we have money to throw around.

Later that night I made dinner and as we were sitting eating I noticed Mazie's neck was very red. Upon further inspection we found hives all over her body! Big ones and it was spreading to her face as her eyes were beginning to swell and I thought for sure this was going to be my chance to pull out that epi pen. We were mystified as we were aware of her grass allergies but she was fully buttoned up in a coat outside playing in the little grass there was after the snow had melted and didn't think that would be the cause. After 4 doses of benadryl she was out and the hives subsided but I was restless all night worried for her. I checked the ingredients on the bag of chips and my hunch is that she is allergic to safflower oil. Safflowers are related to dandilions and I know she is allergic to those so I figure that's it. We have an appt. with the allergist on Monday to find out. I am not at all looking forward to dandilion season. It was hell last year and I fear it may have gotten worse.

The next day the doc called and wants to try a laxative regimen for Mazie to see if we can get rid of her tummy aches. That has been fun. I'll spare you the details. DId you know that if it says do not crush or chew and you do it really doesn't make a difference?

The kids have been home having fun with dad on their week off- going to the park, playing video games, making forts, etc. Mazie went to daycare yesterday - we paid for the spot and she wanted to go - and Leo got some one on one time w/ dad. Friday I have a vacation day and we hope to do something fun. Not sure what yet.

How could I forget? Last night was St. Paddy's and we had corned beef. I bought 2 of them - one for yesterday and anotehr for the future. They were $13 a piece and barely feeds the 4 of us. It was delicious - Drew did the prep work of boiling it with the carrots and I baked it later with a delicious glaze and made the potatoes and cabbage. THis was the first time I tried cabbage and I found it to be pretty good. I was a bit down last night and in need of some TLC and guess what Drew did? You'll never believe this and if you dont' know him you won't be impressed but he made me brownies! That's amazing for him and it cheered me right up!

Lenten Greek Cooking

Trying out some new recipes for lent. Tonight is stuffed tomatoes and peppers along with greek green beans (they were a bit shy for the camera though).

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

THe other day I was watching CHef at Home with Mazie. We love to watch cooking shows while we cuddle on the couch. Unfortunately, I was in my coma blanket and fell asleep so I only got part of the show/recipe. I really liked what I saw though and I figured I could improvise fair enough. One whole chicken (for some reason in the Kosher Aisle you can get a cut up chicken in a bag but not in the regular meat section) surely makes a lot of food. I wasn't able to make the bisquit part because I think I remember he used milk so I thought I'd try puff pastry. I've never used puff pastry before and I wasn't really sure exactly how to assemble so I tried a few methods. Below are the pics for you. This is no cooking blog though to be sure. I'll never measure up to Our Best Bites which continues to be my fav. THe food was delicious (don't ask Leo though - he said it was disgusting which is his typical response these days). We had enough for 6 of us for dinner and then I had left overs for lunch today and the 3 of us ate it again tonight. Leo had eggs.

Happy March

I am so excited to say that we survived February. For those of you who don't live in the Great White North, you may not think that this is an amazing feat but believe me, it is. When November rolled around I was so scared about the coming winter. It means staying indoors for long periods of time. Our basement is small and dark and I wasn't looking forward to it. Luckily the winter wasn't too bad in terms of snow but it is still very gray and gloomy most of the time and of course, cold. By February everyone has the blues and we are all very crabby and sick of eachother. ON Sunday morning Drew said he smelled a skunk when he went out to scrape off the ice on the windshield before church. You know what that means?! SPRING! And then on my way to work this morning I saw a little squirrel run across the road. Another sure sign. I am so happy today. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is coming and we survived. I hope I don't have to try to go another winter though. Each one seems to get harder and harder. I've begun to take more Vitamin D as I have been extremely sluggish and I stopped walking because it is just too darn cold and my snow boots were giving me a blister anyway. I might start up again soon. Maybe when it gets above freezing.

Happy March everyone!

The Greatest Invention EVER

Seriously folks....this stuff is amazing. I've been trying for the last 7 years to perfect pancakes without milk. I've tried ever recipe imaginable. Usually I make pancakes for Mazie and I and then I might make a different batch for Leo without milk. THey are never too good - always very heavy. He usually asks for an egg instead. In fact, once he ate my pancakes and literally gagged. SO, when I was walking down the aisle at Highland Farms (A huge grocery store here that is known for being very fresh and a tad upscale) and saw this stuff I had to check it out. It's in a can like whip cream and you spray on your pancakes. The best part? They are milk free! For $5.99 I thought it was a bit pricey and I am not really into processed food too much but I had to try it. They were really good and so easy to make. It made me very happy.

But wait - It's not over. Today I went to Longo's. It's also a grocery store and definately upscale. THey have a new one up the road and I had 2 hours to kill while Mazie was at a birthday party so I mosied around. I heard this man tell his wife to get another basket of strawberries. I usually pass them up because they cost about $4.00 a basket and aren't ever any good. But, I had time to kill and so I passed by and did what I always do - look closely to see where they come from. Usually its Watsonville but no, these babies were from Oxnard. I am not kidding you that I had tears in my eyes. I was both elated to finally find some strawberries from Oxnard and possessive of my berries at the same time. I wanted to take them all. I wanted to shout to everyone that they don't know what they are missing. I was so homesick. I was so surprised by my reaction all over a strawberry. It's been years since I've had Oxnard berries and they just are above and beyond any other in the world. Strawberries in fact used to be my favorite food - with ice cream, with brown sugar and sour cream, with whip cream, with white sugar, alone. However, they moved out of even my list of favorite foods simply because they are never any good when in Toronto. During my way at the check out I was telling the Checker about how the strawberries are from my home town and she didn't seem to care much at all. In honour, I went and bought Cynthias chinese food just so I could have a fantastic take out meal and top it off with berries on bisquits and whip cream. I'm going now to make the bisquits.

Oh LIttle Man of Snow

I was pumping gas today with my bare hands and it was freezing and windy and snow was pelting my ears and I was already irritated because I sat in traffic for an hour and I already tried to get gas at one gas station and it wouldn't take my debit card (LOrd knows its probably now been compromised) and now I was at another one and it was $101.2 per litre which it hasn't been over $1 in a long time so I was mad. OH, and I had no gloves on because last week when I wore gloves I got gas on them and I had to wash them and it was a royal pain. My point is that I was thinking about how if I were in Phoenix and pumping gas I would be scorching hot. In fact, I could even think of myself on - crap, its been so long I can't even remember the name of the street - but anyway it's called QT and its west of Central and south of Camelback - and I was thinking how nice it would be if I were so hot. Is that insane or what?! I am truthfully sad we haven't had any big snow storms this year esp. if it happens to be my last winter here. We are expecting some snow tonight but so far its not impressive. I am staying home tomorrow but was planning on doing that regardless.

Mazie and Leo are doing great. Leo says today was his best day of school ever. They went bowling this morning and in the afternoon they watched Mary Poppins and I made chicken nuggets and smily face fries for dinner. He was happy and so he and Mazie played together so nicely all evening. SHe was trying to get him to be in a play but he was playing along trying to have her pick out characters from his Pokemon cards but really I think he was getting her to play Pokeman and when she finally figured it out she was pretty sad. It was heartbreaking actually because she put togehter all the costumes and had this entire storyline written about a world iwthout violence. It was so peace loving but I think she said in the end they ended up hurting eachother anyway. SHe's a realist what can I say? You should ask her about the afterlife if you get a chance. She's got a wonderful take on eternal life.

Mazie is LOVING daycare and Drew is getting a lot done. He is scheduling his comps some time in May. We can't wait for our vacation in May and I really hope his comps are all done by the time we leave so we can really rest and relax and have a good time without worrying. I am not sure I can wait 2 1/2 more months for a vacation though. Luckily, in just 1 1/2 months Paige will have her baby and that will be so much fun.

I've got more to say but I've got to watch Figure Skating. Good Night.

hot Dogs

Hot dogs are yummy
they're hot and delicious
They're just too good to resist.
I wish I had 1 ton of this dish.
I coud eat them everywhere school to home
yum, yum, yum
and you should like them too.
Oh hot dog the best of them all
Oh hot dog you give me luck and this is the end of my hot dog poem.

- Leo Maxwell age 7

Can't keep Up

I don't want all my posts to be whining and complaining because really who wants that?! HOwever, I feel like I can't keep up some days. With both kids having stomach flu this weekend and Drew and I both not up to par I was glad to be on the mend for a new week and we finally just finished the last dose of antibiotic for Mazie's ear infection. Between cleaning her new ear piercings, taking her medicine, making sure she washes her hands and face and brushes her teeth and hair I just feel exhausted. Then after I got home from an out of town day trip for work Leo proceeded to tell me his throat hurt. Seems as if it is very swollen. What next?! At least none of this is nothing serious. I could use some time to just relax on the couch. Luckily Lost is on tonight. I hope it redeems itself. WOuld love some simpler times of sitting out on the front porch and sipping lemonade as the kids play hopscotch on the driveway.

The Actual Day

As you may know, Mazie has had strep twice this year and most recently an ear infection. That came after her upper respiratory something or other she had which ended up with her on asthma medication due to her severe cough. She came down with the stomach flu on Thursday night after eating dumplings. THat was fun. She puked all night and still doesn't have her appetite back yet. Leo said his tummy hurt this morning but I wasn't sure if he just didn't want to go to church. Nope. He was clearly sick all through SUnday school but luckily waited to get home before puking. We took a bowl with us and as a soon as he stepped foot in the door he blew. I don't feel too hot myself but I still went ahead with little smokies (which really aren't little smokies and aren't as good as the real thing at all) and appetizers for the Dayton race which is really boring since they have been fixing the track for the last hour. I had a great snooze though. I am glad to have off tomorrow. I need a break. we planned on grilling out and playing games iwth the upstairs neighbors. We'll have to see if any of us are still up for it.
I don't ever expect anything for Valentines Day and I don't give anything either (although I did make a card for the family in Sunday school this morning with the pretty doilies) but I am sort of wishing I had some chocolate right now.

Happy Valentine's Day!

5 Days Before Valentine's Day

It's been a while since my last update so I thought since I have a moment I would take some time to provide a new update. Things are crazy busy around here and I don't often get a moment but I'm letting the dishes and laundry and dirty bathroom to sit a while longer since I've got a massive head cold. Yesterday I went to see a client and there was no close parking so I must have parked about 1/2 km away and it was about -20 windchill and I had no hat or gloves so I ran to the car. I wheezed the whole way home and had visions of passing out and crashing and wondered if I should pull over and write a note for the EMS crew to let them know I was having some sort of asthma thing. Then I thought that was a bit dramatic given that I don't even have asthma. I think thought that this is why during family Star Trek night I was invaded with a serious bout of snot and it is only getting worse.

WOrk is seriously busy. Is there no happy medium in between any more these days?! I have finally received security clearance after only 5 months and can now start my job.

Drew is very productive these days. I think we made a really fantastic decision to put Mazie in daycare. SHe is happy and loveable again and so is Drew. SHe absolutely loves daycare and he is getting so much reading done and enjoying having a routine again.

We are looking forward to the olympics starting this week - if you aren't aware they are in Canada and that means TIm Horton's has special Canadian donuts and national pride abounds.

We are also looking forward to the Daytona 500 which happens to be on Valentine's Day this year. We will celebrate with little smokies in the crockpot. THose are a very hard to find item here in Canada so we are very excited about this special occassion.

Leo recently attended 2 birthday parties and Mazie has 3 coming up. Leo was wondering why there are so many people born in the winter and I was thinking the same thing. YOu'd think people would procreate in the winter more beign that its cold and there is nothign else to do but then again, maybe people are just plain depressed. Although I am finding it difficult to live with this cold weather much longer - I am not complaining. We have had plenty of sunny days and hardly any snow at all this year. In fact, I can only remember 1 real storm and we went sledding. Other than that, nothing but cold air. I don't mind since I got brakes for the car for Christmas rather than what I asked for - a remote car starter. I am glad not to have to scrap off ice at 7 am. Oh, remember how proud I was of myself for installing the windshield wiper all by myself in the frigid wind? Did I share that story? I can't remember. ANyway, I installed it and it was a big friggin production and it didn't really work afterwards and I couldn't figure out for the life of me why the windshield was not getting cleaned all the way. Drew got an oil change this weekend and they fixed it - I had the damn thing on backwards! It took them about 20 minutes to figure out how to get it off and put it on right. It works now. Before you go laughing and making fun of me though - Drew went to daycare to pick up Mazie. SHe wasn't there because its a school day. We all do dumb things.

Moral Decline

THursday night was Family Literacy Night at the kids school. Neither one of us really wanted to go but it seemed like the right thing to do even though I could cuddle up and read w/ my kids in the warmth of my couch with a blanket and not traipse throught the dead of winter to do it under the flourescent lights at 7:00 at night. The kids were looking forward to going so we went. I had to drag Drew. I knew it was going to be lame though and it was. First station was introducing us to the Smart Board. Apparently they were having technical difficulties and it wasn't working the way it should. Does it ever? Drew pointed out they did the same thing when he was a kid with felt boards.

The next station was cuddle up and read. We used it to get some water and go to the washroom.

The last station was karaoke. The instructor pointed out that reading isn't just for books but can be for fun too. ? My child (can you guess which one - hint the youngest out of grades K-5) held the microphone and sang the loudest. Now, I let my kids listen to popular tunes on the radio. That's cool. They sing a long to them mostly just the chorus and guess at the rest and have no idea what its really about. Have them read the lyrics and thats another thing entirely. All this comprehension stuff may actually help them to understand those words when read aloud. We were appalled at the chosen songs. SOng #1 Fire Burning. Here is a sample of the lyrics:
My pocket started tickling the way she drop it low that thang..
that body is a masterpiece, the order is one in every hundred years, but aint no doubt I'm taking it home...
she got that fire in the dance that'll make them fellas run around, no exit from the dance floor, some of them boys wan' more.

YOu get the idea. By this time our jaws were on the floor. THe proctor for the station was none other than the very teacher Leo had last year - the Greek Orthodox one at that!

The next song was I Gotta Feeling and goes somehting like this:
I know that we'll have a ball
If we get down and go out and just lose it all
I feel stressed out, I wanna let it go
Let's go way out spaced out and losing all control

Fill up my cup, mozoltov
Look at her dancing, just take it off
Let's paint the town, we'll shut it down
Let's burn the roof, and then we'll do it again

NO other parents seemed at the least bit shocked except our neighbor when Drew mentioned it said he didn't like it. Drew told him it was due to the decline of the church and he didn't agree at all. It was a night to remember I'll tell you.

Then Leo had his first sleepover last night. I didn't let him stay as I wasn't too comfortable just yet. We were told they would be watching Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and it sounded like fun. We decided we would call around 9 to see where they were in the movie and go pick him up after the movie was over. Well, we didn't need to bc the mom gave a play by play of the night by posting updates on her FB - updates about all the liquor she was consuming and the injuries that were occuring. We thought and hoped she was just being cute for her FB friends but when she posted that they had voted (7 year old boys) and The Love Guru won - we were out the door early to pick him up. Here's the description of this rated PG13 movie:
" Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, language, some comic violence and drug references." "Born in America, but raised in Havemahkeeta in India, with a population of 76, Maurice had always to better Deepak Chopra, and be sexually active, ever since he was 12. His Guru, Tugginmypudha, while approving of Deepak, cautions Maurice and has a chastity belt put around his waist. Years later, Maurice has established himself as Guru Pitka in America, but would like to appear in the Oprah Show and be better than Deepak Chopra. When Jane Bullard from the the Toronto Maple Leafs hires him to counsel their star hockey player, Darren Roanoke, to win back his wife, Prudence, from Kings' star player, Jacques Grande, and also stand up to his dominating mother, Lilian, he agrees to do so - with hilarious results. "

What the hell? DO people just have no moral ground anymore whatsoever? I've personally never seen the movie but was told by another adult that it was very gross out humour and I oculd tell by the description, highly inappropriate. We rarely let Leo watch rated PG movies. We picked him up and he did mention to us that they said bad words in the movie. I'm glad I hadn't agreed to let him stay the entire night. Another friend who did called us shortly after becuase she was seeing the updates and was very nervous. Oh did I mention that there is a video of my child that I did not allow on FB? Granted, it isn't just my child but its on there. DId anyone ask me if that was ok?!

It was a late night and the kids were indeed tired when we got them up early to make a 9 am dentist appt. downtown. Can you believe it costs $1000 for 4 cleanings? Is it really worth it to clean your teeth these days? We have insurance but it doesn't cover it all and it just makes me sick. Really? Why on earth must it cost that much?!

The weekend events have made me tired already. I took a nap and it was heavenly. Now I'm going to do nothing and try not to ponder what has happened to my world.

The Post of All Posts

Nah, just kidding. But Nancy might appreciate this because it will certainly get rid of the before and after pics that are causing her to have nightmares. Now, becuase of this very post, she can rest easy.

I spent 3 hours at the hair salon today. To me, that's just way too much time as a hair salon. I read lots of really trashy magazines all about gossip about people I could care less about but I was forced to. I mean, I didn't have a book (which means I had absolutely nothign to read on the hour bus ride home from work the other day) so what else was I to do? I did in fact write my grocery list but still, 3 hours? I am officially now a red head. It's cool and I love it. SOrry, no pic to follow though. I couldn't believe one of the hair dressers who was in my view from my mirror. She sat looking at herself for way more time than I thought one ought to sit looking at herself in the mirror. THen she was playing with her cell phone and I would see her every so often sneak a peek at herself again. I wonder what she was thinking? Was it, "Oh how beautiful I look. I am so in love with myself, the greatest love of all?" No telling but I bet that was close. Of course, not all hair dressers are bad - just in case I've offended anyone. But, then again, this is my blog so I can say what I want. My hair dresser - Julie (whose mother happens to be Ukrainian Orthodox) offered to give me her Indigo book club card which would have saved me a butt load. I should have taken her up on it. After the 3 hours at the salon and the hour at the ice rink I decided we would take a family trip tot he book store. Leo needed some more Captain Underpants books - he's read the 4 he has like 10 times - and you know I needed a book and Drew had a gift card. I forgot that if I buy Leo books that Mazie would want some too. THe darn girl child can read now you know? SO, we all got books, except Drew who was so nice to use his gift card and it was still $35. Should of taken Julie's card after all. DId you know paper in Canada is so expensive? Maybe it's the ink though. Not really sure why but books here cost a lot. YOu probably knew that. I mean, I am sure you've bought a card and seen the price for U.S. and price for Canada and always thought to yourself, "thank god I don't live in Canada." Well, for those of us that do live in Canada, we always hope that they are just kidding when they post that price. Like, there should be some sort of discount or something. But there isn't.

So, we all have our books to read now and dinner is on its way and we're happy. I even ordered my Swiss Chalet with utensils which means I won't have to conquer the dishes until tomorrow. Good thing. I saved the groceries for tomorrow as well. Tomorrow is gonna suck if you ask me. Did I mention we leave for church at around 7:30 and get home around 4? Yeah, we're so devoted.

My Boyfriend Smells Like Soggy Weiners

Can you tell my 6 year old Mazie is in drama> Try it. Next time someone asks you what your boyfriend smells like, reply with a straight face "my boyfriend smells like soggy weiners." Can you do it? My little Mazie can. This dinner conversation is going downhill real fast. It's one that really can take off with a 7 year old boy. Needless to say, Mazie is enjoying drama and I think doing well. Next week she gets her script.

Before During After

We're at it again

Mazie started mentioning her throat hurt and of course her tummy hurts. Her tummy seems to hurt on a daily basis so I'm not sure where to go with that other than I am afriad she might have inherited her dad's genes. But when I looked at her throat today her tonsils were ginormous. I decided to keep her home from school and poor Drew was so sad because he was really looking foward to an entire day of reading for his comps. Seems they always get pushed aside as something always comes up. I went in for half a day and then took Mazie to the clinic (ped never called despite our messages). She does in fact have strep throat again. She's dancing all over the house though so really its hard to know what's up with her. LUckily I'm her mom and I can sense when somethings off. Remember the first half of her life? I had 12 sick days per year and so did Drew and between the 2 of us we used them all! So I didn't feel too badly taking off 1/2 day. We're going to skip the ear piercing tonight though. I'm beginning to feel under the weather (shared ice cream with her at Boston Pizza on Wednesday night). Poor Leo is feeling neglected. I am not cooking dinner and made him eat Ramen and Hot Dogs! Gasp. I guess I don't get mother of the year this time around either. Even worse I didn't give anything to Mazie. She isn't hungry but you know what? She weiged in at 48 lbs at the doctor so she'll survive a missed meal. If she weighs 4 lbs less on our scale at home does that mean I really weigh 4 lbs more? That's pretty unfair if it does.

I Need A New Guitar

Drew tells me that our little Ms. Mazie is turning into a teenager before our very eyes. Apparently she had a girlfriend call her yesterday and they "chatted" for about 25 minutes. Her friend called her to let her know she could come to her party and she also read her a book (actually only a few chapters since Mazie suggested that would be better than the entire book) and Mazie played the piano for her. Sounds like Drew freaked out a bit not knowing if he should allow his 5 year old (for a few more days at least) to chat on the phone. Plus, he needed to use the phone. I told him not to worry - the days of girls chatting on the phone are most likely over. When she's a teen (and hopefully not any sooner) she'll be texting.

This morning Drew suggested to her that they take guitar lessons togehter. She was once again, singing in front of her microphone stand only this time there was no wig. She said she would like to do that but she'll need a new guitar since the one she has doesn't really sound like the songs on the radio when she plays. She'll get it eventually.
(Don't mind the incredibly cluttered apartment. We live in a basement about 600 sq. feet and have 2 kids. I try and No, I don't like it but I just try to take it one day at a time and pray for a better future)

Today was a lazy day. We got some dishes done and put away our Christmas boxes in the attic and maybe a load or 2 of laundry but not much else got done. I did manage to go the grocery store but it was about -20 out again so we didn't go out any more. I was thinking it might be fun to go to the local ski hill or perhaps ice skate or maybe even go to the indoor pool and swim like Mazie's been asking but it was just too darn cold. I did ask Leo to go to the mall with me to get Mazie's birthday present (oh and body butter for me) but he wanted nothing to do with me and shopping. He never does. I don't push it because an awful time will jsut be had by all if I do. Instead I tried to take a nap but it never happened. Seems kids need me every 6 minutes for something. I was dog tired and it was my own fault. I told Mazie that she could sleep upstairs with Kuma on Friday. She loves Kuma so much and I love her so much that I went along with the hairbrained idea. She slept great and so did the dog. Me? Not so much. Note to self: wear protective gear when sleeping with a wiggly boney 5 year old and bring your own blankets.