The Secret Life of Maxwell House

Foodie

2010-11-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

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....

2010-08-04T04:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-07-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-04T06:57:00.001-07:00

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

2010-06-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-04T12:50:00.001-07:00

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

2010-05-08T14:53:00.001-07:00

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

2010-05-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-18T05:58:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-10T13:55:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-08T16:02:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-01T06:20:00.001-08:00

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

2010-02-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-25T17:31:00.001-08:00

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

2010-02-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-16T17:23:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-09T15:12:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-30T12:41:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-23T14:18:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-18T16:00:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-16T09:56:00.001-08:00

We're at it again

2010-01-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-09T15:09:00.000-08:00

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.

Where is the camera?

2009-12-30T17:28:00.000-08:00

It's all a perfect metaphor of our adjustment to life in Canada.

You may recall that the winter of 2006, our first winter as still thoroughly Arizona's in shock and awe, we went out as a family determined to make it in Canada. And that meant buying over $100 worth of ice skates and taking to Nathan Phillips Square outdoor rink for some fun. We all tried to grin and bare it but it wasn't much fun. It was freezing and our feet hurt and most of all, my back hurt from holding up a 2 year old and a 4 year old. Wasn't that nice?

Next year we were convinced by some locals that what we really needed to do was go to the Harbourfront. So, we packed on all our clothes, tied up our skates and headed down on the subway to the harbourfront. It was fun but mostly becuase we hung out with our friends and ate good food and Drew drank beer inside.

2008 we had moved up to THornhill and they had a local ice rink not too far and again, we (by we I mean me) thought it might be fun to go check it out. Plus, its what the locals do. In Arizona you swim - in Canada you skate. What if the kids gets invited to a skating party? God forbid they don't know how. What will we do? So, even though the wind was whipping our faces and the snow was coming down in full force, we were determined. Keep in mind that this is now our 3rd pair of skates. We use them once per year and then the next year they have outgrown their skates and need a new pair. Luckily Mazie is always a year behind Leo so she can wear his so really I only need to get 1 pair for Leo. Drew and I don't grow that quickly and I have a very comfy pair. As soon as we got out on the ice, bam! Mazie fell on her face and the screw to her glasses went into her eyebrow. She still has a very beautiful scar to prove it. It's a screw shaped scar. Luckily her face was so frozen anyway that she never felt a thing. We vowed never again were we going to go ice skating. It hurts your feet and your ankles, the kids can't stand up, it breaks my back and its so much work to just go around once or twice and head home.

Come 2009 and do you think we learn?! NO! You bet we don't. I'm not sure why but again I decided over Christmas break that it would be a fun family event to go skating. But you guessed it - Leo needs new skates. We go to a few stores - too expensive for new ones that only get worn once. So, we are not able to go. But, the next day I pass by Play it Again Sports and I happen upon a size 12 and pay $21 (such a deal really) and buy Leo a pair of skates. Mazie will wear his old hockey pair from last year. Tonight we went to the park and would you believe it?! The kids are about 10 times better than last year. They both went around about 10 times and fully without my assistance. Leo is most excellent at falling and what dramatic falls he can make. Now, if we can only convince him to get up quicker so nobody skates over his beautiful rosy red cheeks. Some day the girls are going to love those cheeks. Drew didn't bring his skates but he was there to cheer us on. We all had smiles on our faces and it was so Canadian that I held onto both kids' hands and sang the national anthem. Mostly I was happy that there is hope - they may indeed one day learn to swim as well.

Next time I'm going to have Drew bring the video camera and I'll post some video of our fun skating adventure.

Got Out of My Bed!

2009-12-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

THe kids went to bed late last night - 12 am to be exact. Church was 9-11. Leo slept through it all but in typical fashion - not Mazie. I figured they would sleep in a bit this morning. As usual, mom and dad were awake before them. Leo came in around 8 ish and wanted to crawl into bed with us. We tried to get him to wake his sister but he didn't want to. He said she would be too cranky if he woke her. He's probably right. However, she followed very shortly after wards and they ran upstairs to wake Auntie and Uncle. We opened stockings and Santa's gift and then had breakfast while Auntie and Uncle went to church. We eagerly awaited their return so we could open the rest of our gifts. We didn't finish until after 1:00. It was great because it wasn't over in a flash! It's almost 4 and we all just remembered we need to eat to stay alive so we had a quick thrown together lunch while we wait for dinner to arrive.

Merry Christmas everyone! Pictures to follow later. For now, I'm having a nap.

He knows if you've been good or bad

2009-12-24T05:34:00.000-08:00

8:16 am
"Stop!" "No, you stop." "Move!" "I was here first." "Get out of my way!"
and on and on and on

8:21
"Mazie! You better be good for goodness sake." "It's Christmas eve and Santa Claus is coming tonight you better be good."

8:23
"Come, sit here. Do you want to sit next to me?" "Sure, here's some of my blanket."

I wish this would work for every day of the year. However, it's 8:36 am and I am wondering how long they can sustain this level of energy. It's going to be a very long day. I'm thinking perhaps workign from home was not a good idea. Church is 9-11 tonight. It's going to be a looooog day.

Not that we ever had any hopes....

2009-12-21T06:54:00.000-08:00

but what little we did have are all now shattered. We will never be able to buy a home in Toronto. See newspaper article from The Star below.

New home buyers may face down-payment hike
December 21, 2009

TORONTO–CTV says Ottawa is considering raising the minimum down payment for home buyers as well as reducing the amortization period in order to stop some consumers from taking on too much debt.

In an interview with CTV Question Period, to be aired next week, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says the measures will be taken if there's evidence of excessive demand in the housing market.

Flaherty says that the new measures would target consumers "who are taking on obligations that they will not be able to handle in the future when the interest rates do rise."

He says the likely measures the government will take is to increase the size of the down payment from five per cent "to a higher figure" and to reduce the amortization period "from a maximum of 35 years to something less."

Those measures would increase the monthly payments, making it more difficult for some people to take on a mortgage and purchase a home, without having to increase the interest rate.

Last week, the central bank warned that when interest rates rise to normal levels, up to 10 per cent of households could face difficulties in meeting monthly payment requirements.

Pageant Woes

2009-12-14T08:06:00.000-08:00

We had the annual Christmas pageant yesterday and it was fabulous as always. The kids are so cute. Mazie was again an angel and Leo was a shepherd. I had the best photos of each of them but unfortunately erased them off the camera only to find that they didn't properly upload onto the computer. I guess it was only a matter of time that that happened. I am pretty bummed though as I was looking forward to sharing them with all of you. We got home pretty late after a very long day (lunch at Father Peter's with the seminarians and a 7:30 carols and hymns concert for Uncle Jason at his church. My kids were angels and after being gone all day and going to be late we decided to let Leo stay home and chill out and laze around the house. Unfortunately right now Drew is mediating a pretty big fight with his sister in their room right now.

Drew took the car in this morning and we just learned that we have to have some major work done on the brakes - again as they broke. That's pretty bad news right before the holidays. I suppose its bad news anytime really. We'll get over it.

We got a Tree

2009-12-05T09:36:00.001-08:00

Same place as last year only no snow this time. Weather was beautiful. Only about 2 degrees but no wind. Had a great time and got a beautiful big tree we'll put up maybe tomorrow. Today is hockey. Mazie couldn't do the walking so we sat by the fire and ate marshmallows which I don't mind one bit.

100.9

2009-12-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

Mazie had an unexplained nap y'day which is a sign of doom. SUre enough, she woke w/ a sore throat so I decided to work from home in case Drew would need a car to take her to the doc. Since we've been meaning to take her anyway for an unrelated matter re: leaky pee we took this opportunity to take her in. Turns out she has strep throat and some sort of UTI. At least we hope that's what it is. Dr. gave her antibiotics but ordered another urine culture to see what's going on. Poor litte baby is so sick today with fever. I gave her pedialyte popsicles that I bought at Walgreens when they were babies and brought here just in case they didn't have that stuff here. They don't and I never had to use them until now.

Hopefully she's better by Saturday because we have our first ever live hockey game we're going to. Ontario March of Dimes has a special day devoted to it since it's Disability Awareness Day. I've heard its pretty fun even if it is the minor leagues. And in the morning our plan is to go cut down our CHristmas tree. I don't think it will be as fun this year since we don't have snow. That is the only time you will hear me complain about not having snow and its only because we won't be able to drag our tree in it to get it to the car. It will be just as cold though as it's expected to be 1 degree.

Drew is at parent teacher conferences right now. We had both planned to go but someone had to stay home w/ Mazie. Leo's pretty happy w/ his report card which is good. I think it's impossible at this school to get an A though which is frustrating. It will be interesting to hear how it went.

Preparing for the Holidays

2009-11-29T13:34:00.000-08:00

So the kids have begun to count down the days until Christmas and we pulled out our decorations yesterday. I had a complete fit (this was a total inside fit - the kind where your husband knows something is wrong and asks but you say nothing sort of fit.) I was upset because decorating just really sucks when you live in a 2 x 4. It gets all cluttered and there isn't anywhere to put anything and we hardly have any decorations anyway. But then I sucked it up because at least we have a warm home with lots of love. I really shouldn't complain about such things. I've just had this dream about some day having a fireplace and above it I could display my Christmas village and put up garland and have a big giant tree in my living room. As it is now, a tree doesn't fit and we have to borrow land from the upstairs neighbors. See why I didn't tell my husband about the internal fit I was having? We did our decorating and Drew and Jason put up the lights and then we got ready for the Thanksgiving party at Melanies house. We had such a great time. It was packed full of all of Melanies friends so they all happened to be nurses in the chemo unit. I should have been a nurse. I feel so at home with all of them and really had a teriffic time. The food was amazing and abundant. I didn't gorge myself though. The kids had the entire basement to play and there was games and a train table and a ping pong table and a craft table and lots of kids to have fun with. Drew sang tons while Claire played the piano. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Friday night I made some Pillsbury snowman Christmas cookies for a snack while the kids and I vegged on the couch watching Skyrunner (about a boy who gets visited by a UFO and aliens try to get him and he hits puberty because of it) It was great fun. I also bought a package of Pillsbury Gingerbread dough and I have a cut out and bought some frosting. The kids were reminiscing this morning about making Christmas cookies with Grandma Maxwell last year. Lots was different about last year. For one, we already had snow. Tomorrow is the last day of Novemeber and I think it's been something like 50 years or so without snow in November. I just would like to have a white Christmas though. Who wouldn't?
In Sunday school we're getting ready for our pageant which is on the 14th. next week is rehearsal. The kids will also have a concert at school that we are all looking forward to. We'll do some traditional things like make gingerbread houses out of milk cartons with graham crackers. I suppose we'll have to find time to do a family picture too. I doubt the Christmas letter will get out in time. In fact, I'm sure of it but when does it ever?
I've got to go now and fish out my little girl who is having fun in the tub in her swim suit with about 20 Barbies. I'm sure she's grown a fin or two by this time.

A Canadian Parade

2009-11-21T11:21:00.001-08:00

You don't see this at the Fiesta Bowl parade that's for sure!

For the past 3 years we've gone to the Toronto Santa Claus parade. However, it falls on a Sunday so it's sort of hard with Drew being a Deacon and all to get away on a Sunday. So when Jason told us he was going to be singing on a float in the Oakville parade we jumped at the chance. The parade was at 9 am which meant leaving a bit after 7 since its about an hour away. Drew went early though and set up chairs. The weather was pretty warm so it was fantastic! Afterwards we took a walk on the Lakeshore and played at the park and then ate lunch at Lick's. It's a burger/ice cream shop and made me miss In N Out.

You also don't see this much at a Santa Claus parade either.

The Fall Dance

2009-11-10T16:40:00.001-08:00

The fall dance at church was last weekend. It was a chance to get a new LBD (Little black dress which I did not own), my hair done, and some bling jewels. I'm not sure why all our pics happen to be in someone else's home in front of their fireplace. The wedding photo of my sister and brother in law is a nice touch though don't you think? Mazie did not go to the dance but she wanted to pose with us in her beautiful gown. I am glad she likes this gown. My mom made me this blanket when I was about her age and it is my "blankie."

For those who asked...

2009-11-04T16:22:00.001-08:00

Drew was at the clinic with Jason because he hurt his foot while playing soccer. He is at this moment at the physical therapists. Anyway,

I thought I'd share some photos of our Halloween. It was cold and windy and the kids didn't spend too much time trick or treating. I don't think I should buy costumes if they only go to the end of the street and back. then again, if Leo had a bladder bigger than a walnut he wouldn't have had to turn home. They had more fun watching the boys do the haunted house. I think the boys had the most fun though.

There isn't much else to update about. The kids school was on the news. Apparently 11% of students and teachers were out so they put it on the news. Must be a slow day or maybe they are just sensationalizing the H1N1 outbreak. We're good so far. Due to the 6 hour wait it takes to get a shot we've decided to forego it at the moment. We might just not do it at all.

I've moved bedtime to 8 which was a good move with it being daylight savings and all. Plus, the kids get so irritable at that time and I can't take it any longer. They need more sleep and so do I. The other night Mazie woke at 1:30 and so I spent some time in her bed. I tried to secretly sneak back to mine but she caught me and ended up in my bed. She kept talking so we moved to the living room. She got the couch and I was on the floor. How that happened I'm not sure. I thought tv would distract her. By 6 I suggested we turn it off and get some sleep. At 6:30 Drew woke me up. I barely got through the day at work. Mazie seemed to do just fine at school which leads me to believe she must have been sleep walking the entire time. No wonder she made no sense. Then last night I woke many times to pee. Needless to say, I'm exhausted.

Work is going great except for the fact that the FBI rejected my prints. I had to get them redone and I'm sure I'll have to wait another 6 weeks or so before I get cleared. What can you do? Drew is busy with work. Seems to be a full time job though. The fall dance is this weekend. I bought a new dress (It was a $40 steal!) and some new bling which is so out of character for me but Paige talked me into it. I can't wait. I'll be sure to post some pics. Drew will have to wear his same old outfit - clerical collar. I wonder which color shirt he'll wear? Poor Drew. He really likes to dress up and now he never can.

I lost about 6 lbs on my diet but who ever wants to hear about that. I have to admit though that as it gets colder, it's getting harder for me to do the walking thing. Don't anyone dare suggest I join a gym. Not gonna happen folks. It's also getting harder to go at work as my schedule begins to fill up but I'm going to keep trying.

Trouble in Paradise

2009-10-27T14:06:00.001-07:00

Tonight's dinner will consist of the lunch I packed for Leo that he never ate. Why you wonder? Well, some girls were teasing him calling his sister a weirdo and he lost his temper and punched her in the nose! Woo-hoo. Uh, oops, I mean "shame on him." He told us that he made her nose bleed and she had to go home. However, we don't really knwo the real story yet. No note was sent home and we received no phone call so I am not sure how severe this actuallywas. He said he apologized to her and we'll have him write her a letter. For now though, he's eating his lunch since he says he was too upset to eat. He then confided that this is one of the girls who follows him around all the time calling him cutie. I told him that if he is bothered by this he needs to tell the teacher. I can see how this would get old and one could get frustrated. I suppose this is only the beginning of his troubles with girls.

In other news, Drew got got his visitor's record finally. It clearly states on it however that he is forbidden from both working and going to school. He was at his wits end and traveling a roller coaster of emotions today. He called them to state the obvious - he wants this record so he can work as a clergy while also going to school. They assured him it was fine. There is nothing in writing though. In the end though, he has a SIN (SSN) and can now finally get paid.

We've decided we might get the H1N1 vaccine after all. A healthy 13 year old boy collapsed and died on Sunday and they have confirmed it was from the H1N1. We've been against it all along but I guess the media hype is getting to us. It is sort of like wearing a seatbelt. I always do because I worry if I get in an accident they'll say I deserved it if I wasn't wearing my seat belt. Will people say this if I die from H1N1 and it was preventable? And what about my kids? I could never live with myself. Anyone have any other input? I haven't heard one single medical professional say anything bad about it. I've never gotten a flu shot in my life so this is big.

I've gotta run to finish the sloppy joes. There wasn't enough old salami sandwich for the entire family.

What to do with Mazie Mazie Moo?

2009-10-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took her to the grocery store - actually we were there to get her glasses fixed - and she pulls out the cell phone that her Aunt Paige let her have. She proceeds to walk through the store and have a conversation. It all sounded so real too. The phone doesn't work. I was disturbed but chuckling at the same time. I can only imagine what people thought of me letting my 5 year old have a cell phone.

Today Drew tells me while they were at the clinic with Jason she was browsing through a magazine and came across a picture of a woman golfer in a pink shirt and says, "hm, I wonder if she is suffering from breast cancer." Drew explains that the pink is to show you support research to find a cure and she turns the page and there is a pink car and she says, "I wonder if the person who drives that car is suffering from breast cancer."

Tonight in the bath tub she was making me a guava smoothie. I am not sure how she knows about guava but even more puzzling was the way she was making it just as if it were a martini! Where has she seen someone make a martini?!

Frozen Solid!

2009-10-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

Can I just share how mad I am right now? I just had a brownie (yeah, it's not on my diet so what?!) and I wanted a glass of milk really really bad. Well, it's frozen solid. (I had a few cuss words in there that I took out for the sake of my mother.) I am so mad! Why can't we just have a fridge that works right where half the food on the back of the shelf doesn't freeze and ruin all the time?! Is that too much to ask. Oh , and apparently a landlord that shows up whenever he pleases and then tracks dog poop all through the house?

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-10-21T04:12:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Drew had to go downtown so he dropped me off at work and I took the bus and subway home and he picked me up at the subway station with the kids. We decided to take them to see the new movie Where the Wild Things Are since it was 2 Toonie Tuesday. We didn't have time for dinner at home so we picked something up at the mall and met some friends of ours from school. It was a great movie but the best part of all was hearing leo yelling from behind me with his friends during the dirt clod fight, "cool...that's so awesome!" Mazie cried her eyes out. She was practically sobbing and it was the cutest thing ever. When we got home Paige and Jason were worried about us since it was bedtime and we hadn't yet come home from picking me up at the subway station. We obviously don't stay out too much on a weeknight. LOL

Drew got a call yesterday from immigration Canada apologizing for the oversight regarding the visitor's record and it looks like this thing is going to work itself out afterall! We'll see though.

I haven't updated as things have been pretty busy around here. Not much exciting busy but busy nonetheless (I just love that word). so busy in fact that I never play bejeweled or farmville much anymore. Usually its Leo on the computer playing bejeweled.

Its 7:17 am so I've got to wake the kids for school and get ready to head to work. I'll try to post more later.

RIP Paula Lutz

2009-10-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

8 years ago when I found out I was pregnant with Leo I found a chat room with women who were all expecting August 2002. We shared our excitement and talked for 9 months about our pregnancy. We shared sleepless nights and our frustrations with breast feeding, first teeth, first steps, first boo boos, potty training, temper tantrums, sippy cups, first day of preschool, first day of kindergarten, and most recently first day of grade 2. We've been together and debated things from when to turn the car seat, when to potty train, to co sleep or not to co sleep, to cloth diaper or not, to work at home or to go to daycare. We've broadened our talk to things beyond our children and we've been through several divorces, deaths of our parents, several children seriously ill or with debilitating diseases and we've been friends through it all. there have been some tough drag down fights too - mostly political or religious. We come from all over the US and Canada and South Africa and Australia. I've met 5 of them in real life and my kids have played with their kids. Today we lost our first member to breast cancer. She was the same age as I am. I can't imagine Leo losing his mother and it breaks my heart that Bradley and Brittney have lost theirs. Please say a special prayer for Paula's family. She was gone so quickly and had a horrible fight these past few months. Let this be a reminder to be faithful with your yearly mammogram and monthly breast exams.

Deep Breaths

2009-10-09T14:50:00.001-07:00

I just got home in time to say good bye to Drew. He runs a Friday night teen thing at church. I'm trying to be supportive but its more than ideal on a friday night to have him running off when all I'd like to do is sit down on the couch and watch some tv with the family. Teens should be at the mall on Friday night anyway. Did I just say that? I guess I have to take it back.

It's raining and it took me an hour and 20 minutes to get home tonight. I actually sat on the road in the left hand turn lane trying to turn left for 30 minutes! I was screaming in my car because I was totally stuck and couldn't go any other way. I don't normally go this way but there was something happening at the Islamic cultural centre and cars were everywhere so I was trying to avoid that mess.

In addition to the commute, the rain also ruined my daily walk. Since my birthday at the beginning of the month I decided I needed to go on a diet. I've never done this before in my life but my winter clothes weren't fitting me and I knew it was time. I've been walking every lunch hour for 30 minutes since I began my new job last month. I've enjoyed this bit of it and I also started doing some strength exercises 2 x/week. I don't like this part but it doesn't take too long thankfully. The part I absolutely hate is the cutting back on food part. I feel like I'm starving at all times and that just really sucks! All I think about is eating which is the main reason I've never gone on a diet. Seems to make things worse. Let's not say diet - I'm trying a change in lifestyle. For life? Really, for life I can't eat fun things? This really sucks. Add to it that I LOVE to cook. It's really one of my only passions. And guess what? Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! It's really on Monday but Paige and Jason are leaving so we're doing it tomorrow while they are still in town. I'll try not to pig out. I still have to go to the grocery store and buy all the stuff. What a day tomorrow is going to be.

Mazie failed her eye exam at school today. That's not good considering she did the exam with her glasses on. I suppose we can expect to have to get new ones when she goes in a few weeks to the eye doctor. Fun stuff! Deep breaths.

Decorating Time

2009-10-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

So, the apple goody is in the oven and the boys just got down from the wet roof putting up the Halloween lights. Pumpkin pie and cool whip are ready. The new neighbors came over to say hello and the old neighbors and over and the kids are running around wild. It's a great day.

We went to church this morning and stayed for the luncheon. On the way home Leo said that they talked about going to a quiet place in your home to talk to God. Leo asked me where a quiet place would be. Unfortunately that doesn't exist except maybe in our bathroom. maybe. So he proclaimed that he wants his own room. This isn't the first time he's said that. His sister is a slob and I feel badly for him. We got to talking about how we would have our rooms would be decorated and Mazie said she would have a bed like mine (she meant "made" but I doubt that will happen). Then I suggested that if we got a bigger home someday with our own rooms maybe we could have a special room or space for our prayer bench. Mazie suggested the prayer room would be pink and white striped and Leo exclaimed that this would totally clash with the prayer bench and prayer rooms must be brown. So there you have it.

Apple Picking

2009-10-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

It's a tradition that every fall we go apple picking. Last year it was a bit too crowded so we decided to try a new spot this year and it was just perfect. Drew said we should go even if it was raining because it always rains here so if we let that stop us, we'll never go. Plus, next weekend is Thanksgiving and after that we're afraid it would have been too cold. So, even Paige with her cold decided to go and it turned out to be a lovely day with only a light jacket needed. The spot was so cute and not crowded at all or too commercialized. We had a tractor ride, roasted weenies and corn on the cob (Paige even tried a weenie). We got a picture of it and we just knew pregnancy might turn her onto to hot dogs much like I started to eat hot wings when I was pregnant with Leo. We got a bunch of apples and I plan to make apple goody tomorrow night after our church family luncheon.

After apple picking we had to head over to the church to finish building the ping pong table that Drew had the church buy for the teens. He started building it last night so it was supposed to be a quick trip. 2 1/2 hours later we were in the car headed to dinner at 8:00. It was my birthday dinner since last night Drew had to work. We ate at 9 but it was well worth the wait because Cynthias OK Chicken and sweet and sour prawns are to die for. Not to mention the veggie fried noodles and the satay chicken. Yum! We all pigged out and now the kids are conked out in bed and I have a quiet moment to check in with you and share some pictures from our day.

Quick Update

2009-09-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

It's been hectic around here. Drew worked 3 nights this week and it really makes a huge difference when he is gone at night. In laws are here which has been great fun. Too bad I have to work. They'll be leaving on Monday so we'll have all weekend to spend together. We plan on going to Buffalo to shop. I was hoping to squeeze in a leaves tour as well but we had a warm spell this week so they haven't changed yet. I bet by Thanksgiving (canadian one) they'll be perfect and we can take a scenic drive. We can't seem to convince them to stay that long.

Kids have the day off tomorrow so I am looking forward to not having to make lunches. I truly detest making lunches. It would be much easier if there was something Leo could eat or would eat. I'm trying to fatten him up a bit so I've increased his oreo dosage to 3. Mazie was pissed. Such is life around here. Both kids are doing well though.

I'm still settling in to the new work routine and learning the ropes. I've learned that there are over 100 different routes I can take to and from work and they all take me an hour. I also leared there are about 10 gas stations on the way and they are all on the other side of the street. getting up really early does cut down on traffic but it also increases my caffeine intake. Which is worse- caffeine and all the cream and sugar I add to my coffee or high blood pressure from the traffic? Plus, I am NOT a morning person. Turns out I need some high security clearance which involves fingerprints from the FBI being that I am American and all so its holding things up considerably. I am trying to be patient and not form any opinions based on the fact that I am still bored to death and even worse, don't have access to personal email or facebook. Gasp! I'm not sure how I'm going to keep up my farmville or this blog. It's 9:28 and the kids are in bed so I have just a few more minutes and I'm going to use them up on the most awesome book I'm ready that I never have time for anymore either. The weather has been so nice that I've replaced my lunch hour booktime for walking which I know is much better for me but not as fun. Oh well, it will start snowing soon enough and those will stop.

I am sure I'm boring you to death and half my readership is right here so they don't need an update.

Good night

This one you gotta watch

2009-09-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

This is video from our vacation at Walt Disney World.

Second Day at work

2009-09-10T17:17:00.000-07:00

It's been 2 days of the new job and I am so very happy! It's all good so far but I'm extremely exhausted! Learning new stuff is very tiring. Plus, I got up really early so I could beat the traffic and get home early too. It was a nice drive and even better getting home at 4:15.

Time for beddie bye. First I've got to get the kids to bed and must remember to call Mazie by the name she has requested - Alice.

The Best Day Ever

2009-09-08T07:58:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was quite possibly the most perfect day. The weather was a typical southern California perfect 80 degree and sunny day. Drew and Leo and I took a bike ride in the morning to a little pond not too far away. It's secluded in a little neighborhood and just so Monet-ish. Mazie didn't want to come becuase she was mourning that we decided not to go to the airshow. I had rented Disney's Earth and I knew if we went to the airshow we wouldn't get to see it. I did want to go to the airshow but it is always so crowded and I wasn't exactly up for that. After our bike ride, we went to McDonald's for our last day of summer together. The whole family watched Earth and then when I was falling asleep we took a break to have a nap. Ahhhh. I had no worries over my head about returning to work the next day. Then we played Trivial Pursuit outside with Paige and Jason until the bees attacked us and we were forced to go inside. Drew and I kicked butt but the game isn't over. We had to stop to eat dinner which consisted on pork chops with stuffing and gravy. Yum! Afterwards it was baths for the kids and we finished Earth and put them to bed. They gave us no problems despite being eager for school the next day. We then headed upstairs to watch Adventureland. I gave it a C but it wasn't too bad. I can't complain at all.

Drew and I dropped the kids off at school this morning without a hitch and then headed over to Panera for coffee on the patio until again the bees attacked us and we had to go inside. We were able to go shop a few minutes at Winners (no luck). We spent the rest of the afternoon taking a walk to the mall and having lunch and just mosying around killing time until 3. Oh, and I enjoyed having the house clean for longer than 30 seconds.

Hey mom, what's for dinner?

2009-09-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

Mazie wants to make her own dinner. She says she's going to have mac and cheese with a piece of cheese on her plate. I told her that wasn't very balanced. Leo then said that his dinner will be for sure balanced. He plans on having fruit loops. That's both fruit and grains.

The President Speaks

2009-09-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a news day, huh? Parents getting up in arms that our democratically elected pres wants to speak to the children. What is up? I miss home a lot but I definately don't miss this crap. I am also glad that I am not around to debate the healthcare issue which has become such a hot topic. I've heard my fair share of idiotic comments though on the debates on Facebook. I try to hold my tongue (or my fingers in this case) but sometimes I just can't. LOL

In more important news though, we found out which teachers our kids will have next year. I can't believe they wouldn't tell us until the day before school starts! Even better is that they will no longer post the class list due to "privacy laws." Now you have to go into the school and they will tell you who your teacher is. You have no idea which kids are in your class. How unfun is that?! Leo was up last night with anxiety about the new school year (the next 4 days are going to be fun!) and I was hoping that once he knew all his old buddies were going to be in his class, he would feel better. No such luck. I've heard that in another district they assign kids a number and you look them up that way. What is this world coming to? We'll all know who is in our class on Tuesday when school starts anyway. I bet next year they'll have little confessionals that you go into and they'll secretly whisper the name of your teacher in your ear. Ridiculous.

But I suppose there are more pressing battles that need to be fought in this world.
Oh, and by the way, today is my last day! I'm going out to Mucho Burrito to celebrate.

Wasaga Beach

2009-08-30T07:19:00.001-07:00

Wasaga Beach in 2006 (Our First Father's Day in Ontario)

Wasaga beach 2009

We've been wanting to go to the beach all summer but it seems either it's raining or we are busy and we haven't had a single day free. So, yesterday even though it was raining, I decided at the last minute to just go. After all, there wouldn't be a crowd today and school starts soon, fall is approaching and we wouldn't have once gone to the beach this summer. So, we got dressed (in our pants and sweatshirts) and headed out. Paige and Jason followed along in their own car. The drive is about an hour and a half north of us. It didn't rain and actually the sun was out for most of the time although it was cloudy and windy. We had been there once before but the kids didn't remember. Mazie had her clothes off in the parking lot before we even got down to the beach. She went right into the water. I wished I had brought my suit. The water is shallow so you can go out a long way and Mazie was going out much further than I was comfortable with. The water was very warm though and I managed to get my feet wet. Mazie is through and through a california girl! She loves the beach as much as I do.
Everyone else mostly spent their time in the bar looking out at the water eating nachos and drinking beer (well, not Paige or Leo).
Oh, I almost forgot! On the way we stopped at a great little family farm and picked up some fresh corn and peach pie and played with the chickens, goats, and bunnies.
On the way home we decided to take the long way so we could soak up the green and beautiful scenery and dream about one living in the country in a cute little farm house. It was a fantastic day and just what we needed!

Fall is in the Air

2009-08-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

Last night I was grilling bbq chicken and I looked up to find that some leaves in the tree next door were turning red. I knew I could sense fall in the air and then when we went to the park to play some ball, I was a bit chilly. SO, in an effort to hang on to the last bit of summer I figured I should get what might be my last iced coffee of the year. I stopped at McD this morning. I haven't had a lot of opportunity for iced coffees this summer because it's been pretty rainy and cold. I only get iced coffees when its sunny and warm. I almost had to turn on the heat in the car as I sipped my coffee iced. I don't like change. Why is it a major seasonal change happens at the same time that school resumes? Having the kids return to school and our schedules turned upside down is enough change for me. Add to it that Drew will be increasing his hours at church and I've had enough. Oh wait, there's the whole new job change as well. Don't get me wrong, this is a major victory for me. For those of you who are aware, this has been a long time coming. I am happy about it but at the same time, it's another major change. Plus, I tend to worry. What if this and what if that? I've heard that chronic worrying cuts your life by 16 years. Yet another thing to worry about. I resigned on Monday and will start my new job on Sept. 9th. I've been able to work it out so that I am off for the kids first day of school! I am so happy about that. I can walk them to school and see them off and meet their teacher and then I can pick them up and hear all about it. Yeah! If you want more details about the new job, feel free to send me a message and I'll gladly spill the details.

We've got a lot to do to get ready for school - Leo needs a haircut and we have to get him a backpack and some proper fitting clothing. We'll need to get refills on epipens. We find out their new teachers next week. I remember how exciting it was to walk down and see my name on the board and find out my teacher and who was going to be in my class. It's no less exciting now that I'm a mom.

Twister

2009-08-21T05:43:00.000-07:00

I doubt it made the national (or even international) news but we had some tornadoes last night. We've had warnings in the past but nothing quite like this one. When we heard that one went over Vaughan Mills mall which isn't too far from our house we decided to check it out. We went outside and heard our neighbors say they had their kids in the basement. All over the news it was telling everyone to take cover so we kindly let Paige come downstairs and we even let her bring the dog along with her wedding photos and dissertation. We hung out in the basement for an hour or so watching the news. THere were many tornadoes in the area and there was a lot of damage in surrounding communities with roofs torn off and buildings destroyed but nothing in our area. The kids were so very excited, scared, nervous, etc. All we got was rain though. There was an 11 year old boy killed in another city but details are not so clear. IN any case, it was an exciting evening and the pizza delivery man who had to come in the middle of the tornado watch in the torrential downpour was not happy at all! At least Paige gave him a $10 tip. I don't know what the other man was doing coming to pick up a broken tv in our garage for $50 was thinking. When he asked Drew to help him carry it to his car all I could think of was how lightening was going to strike him dead right there in the driveway. I am pretty sure that carrying large electronic equipment in a lightening storm is not a good idea. Paige ended up doing it though since it took too long for Drew to get his shoes on. She was not struck luckily.

Happy Birthday Leo

2009-08-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Leo turned 7 on Tuesday! I woke up to what I believed a mystery illness and stayed home from work to rest and thus was able to spend the entire day with Leo. It started out with me making him a fried egg because this of course is his favorite thing. We hung out all day just waiting for evening to come so we could celebrate. His last game was also tuesday. His coach didn't show up which pretty much sums up the season. Luckily he has 2 excellent assistant coaches who are dedicated and positive, me being one of them. :) The ref didn't show either. I figure its probably becuase I sent a nasty email about the poor officiating and they were trying to say "you don't like the ref? How do you like it now?!" Luckily Uncle Jason stepped up to the plate or should i say goal post? He was an awesome ref and at one point Leo got kicked in the chest with the ball and was crying and Jason wanted so desperately to stop the game to see if he was ok but he had to carry on the play. It was pretty darn cute. Leo was of course ok. He's very dramatic you may know. He wanted soooooooooo badly to score a goal that the asst. coach (the other one - not mom) told him to stay up front (we call it cherry picking) and then he told all the other kids that it was his birthday and they should kick it to Leo. He kept shouting "to Leo, to Leo!" Unfortunately the whistle was blown before he had a chance to score but it was a lot of fun! Leo improved a great deal over the season. We won't go back to this league next year but hopefully I can find something better because he really does like soccer. His banquet is on Sunday morning which unfortunately means Drew won't be able to attend since he'll be working. We'll get his soccer pics then as well as a trophy (3rd place).

After the game we went to McDonalds with Paige and Jason and ate dinner, had cupcakes, and opened presents.

The next day when I got home from work there was a note on a shoe box that said "thanks mom for making my birthday so great." Inside was a book he made for me with poems about how much he loves me and funny jokes and pictures. He is such a sweet considerate and thoughtful boy!

Leo's party will be on Saturday afternoon. He'll have a few friends over for some video games, a pinata, and most likely a pick up game of bball will ensue. He's very much looking forward to it.

We are also looking forward to the arrival of Drew's friend Eric. I think it's been about 7 years since we've seen him last. I remember he held Leo when he was a few days old and I don't think we've seen him since. He now lives in Spain. It will be nice to spend a few days with him here in Toronto plus because we have a guest its a good excuse to go to Mandarin!

Looks like we might have a Saturday's open in September and I think we'll use one of them to go to Kohl's across the border and get the kids some school clothes. WHo knows? Maybe I'll need some new things as well. Not looking forward to having to get new snow suits and snow boots. It's not too far off. Ugh! But for now it's gorgeous out and before the awful winter comes the glorious fall which I do really like. I can't wait to go apple picking again and this year we're going to drive up north for a leave changing tour.

We're Back!

2009-08-14T05:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we've been back since Sunday and I still haven't blogged about my trip. THere's just so much to say that the thought of writing it all down is exhausting. I still haven't recovered from all the fun. Maybe I shouldn't have stayed up so late watching "I Love You Man." I also watched that Jamie Oliver reality show about his new restaurant "Fifteen." I love Jamie and I just love the show. Before that I took the kids to watch a neighbor friend play Tball and they played at the park. It was finally a nice night out. Summer has come to Toronto - at least for a few days. Leo had his championship soccer game. They played awesome but unfortunately lost - again. HOwever it was a good fight. His last game is next Tuesday and they'll be playing for 3rd place (there's only 4 teams. LOL) I'll be bringing cupcakes since it's his birthday that day. We've planned a party for the following Saturday but unfortunately most of his friends are out of town for the last of summer and only one boy can come. Having a summer bday sucks!

Anyway, on to our trip....
It was just perfect! NO late flights or travel issues except on the way back we flew through some pretty bad weather and had a lot of turbulence. THe kids just thought they were on another roller coaster. I don't think the flight attendant was happy that Drew and I let them sit together in front of us. They were angels on the entire trip though. They were very patient and didn't beg or whine or fight. We arrived on Sunday and we went to Magic Kingdom on MOnday, Animal Kingdom on Tuesday, Epcot on Wednesday, and Hollywood Studios on Thursday. Since we had a 6 day pass I asked the kids which park they wanted to hit on Friday before we went back to Magic Kingdom one last time on Saturday and all they wanted to do was swim all day which was more than fine for me. We stayed up late watching fireworks each night and my feet and every muscle in my body was killing me from all the walking. We were all exhausted but it was a good exhausted. It was incredibly hot and humid there and we were either wet from sweat or from rain. We had a thunderstorm every day and just went with the flow. It felt good to get a bit cooled off anyway. We were able to have dinner with the princesses one night and that was a real treat for Mazie (and I secretly think Leo really enjoyed it as well esp. since Cinderella called him Prince Charming.) Mazie got a Jazmine costume so she could show off her belly. FOrtunately I bought it a few sizes too big so she could wear it for years to come and it doesn't show her belly yet. She figured that out pretty quickly. However, her size 4 Cinderella dress that we bought her for Christmas when she was 2 is now finally getting too small and I don't want that to happen to Jazmine for a long time. We rode tons of rides and saw tons of awesome shows and swam almost everyday. We got lots of sun and I enjoyed the relaxation and spending time with the kids and grandparents. The condo was exquisite! It was hard to come home to my dark basement apt. after spending time in such a large place with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms that was bright and sunny and had a tv in each room. LOL But we're back and I've survived another week of work. Only 3 more to go before school starts. I'm starting to panic. Once school starts its always rush rush and so much to do each day. I am sure Drew thinks differently. I know he's enjoyed the summer with the kids but I also know he wants to get some work done for his doctorate. He's read a bit in the evening this week which is positive. We're still waiting for immigration so that hopefully he can get authorization to work here in Canada and get paid for it. He's been working for months but we just need that paper so we can see a paycheque. THat would be nice!

So that's the update. I'll post some pics for those of you folks who aren't on FB when I get home.

Tooth Fairy Strikes Again

2009-07-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

I've suggested that perhaps the tooth fairy might want to hang out at our house a bit more as she has had to come twice this week. My memory is weak but I don't believe Leo's teeth fell out as early as Mazie's have. SHe lost another one yesterday. Of course, Leo leaves his in hanging by a thread adn Mazie does her darndest to pull them out. Her tooth fell out at dinner last night and she put it under her pillow. I completely forgot until i went into the change bucket this morning to get some money for coffee. It was 7:40 and I was hoping she was still asleep. I think I managed to pull it off. In case you are wondering, when Leo asked me earlier in the week if I was the tooth fairy I asked him if I looked like a fairy and started flying around the room. I then asked him if he remembered the last time he went into my wallet and saw that it was empty. I doubt he believes me. Seems as if Mazie knew all along where we were going on vacation.
They found their next clue yesterday "PLace." THey were eager to tell them and so Drew googled with them to figure out we are going to Walt Disney World. We've got it all on video thanks to the webcam. THey both sat on Drew's lap to do their research. It's very cute. Of course, as we suspected, Leo didn't initially want to go. He said it is too far. LOL Mazie was running around the house all night saying "We're going to walt disney world." She's extremely excited and can't wait, especially for the pools at the hotel. I knew she would like that. She did admit that she knew all along however. She told me she knew since she saw the pamplet I had on WDW a few weeks ago. She said she didn't want to tell daddy she knew becuase she thought he would be mad. LOL Nothing gets by this girl.

Argh! Ahoy Matey's

2009-07-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a letter was found for Leo and Mazie in our mailbox from "3 Lazy Pirates." They said that they overheard Drew and I talking about our vacation in the park and because we were so careless, wanted to give Leo and Mazie some clues. The kids unscrambled the first word...."The" According to Leo, possibilities included "The California or The New York."

Today another note was left in Mazie's bike basket and they have now unscrambled the word "happiest."

The children are busy trying to figure out who these pirates are and what these clues are all about. Mom is busy trying to keep a straight face all the while dodging the question "are you the tooth fairy?" It's tough work being a parent.

Shoes, Shoes and more shoes

2009-07-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

So by now everyone (everyone except for my kids) knows that we are going to Walt Disney World next week. We plan to hit a park a day for 6 days! That's A LOT of walking so I figure we better get some good shoes. Knowing Mazie she would want to wear her pink flip flops but that just won't cut it. Oh, and for those of you who are wondering when we are telling our kids - we plan to spill the beans this week in a scavenger hunt activity sans beer bottles with messages in them - during Adventure Club. As I was saying.... I don't want to go to Payless (or paylahs as Leo calls it)or Walmart for this purchase. I want GOOD shoes. I went to The Shoe Company which has an entire floor of girls shoes. Unfortunatley there are 2 rows of toddler shoes from infant size to size 10 and girls shoes from size 13 and up. What about the size 11's and 12's?! Plus, I don't want velcro. Velcro is the worst invention ever. Since that is all that is keeping those shoes in place, what happens after the velcro runs out? You can't wear the shoes. My kids put their shoes on several times per day and that means the velcro is bound to run out before my kids outgrow the shoe. Thus, I only want tie shoes. They hardly make tie shoes at all for boys. I suppose its not in their nature to tie shoes but come on! Plus, Mazie has her criteria as well. They must have sparklys. After all, she's "never had sparkly shoes before." Ugh! We shopped around a bit. I did find one store but the average price for kids shoes was $75. Forget it. So, while Drew is at the ROM looking at Dead Sea Squirrels, we are going shoe shopping. Wish us luck!

Inventions

2009-07-20T16:25:00.001-07:00

It always seems that the best conversations happen at dinner. Too bad I don't eat dinner with my laptop. Therefore I need to invent something that would allow direct access from my dinner table to the computer for your reading pleasure. My kids are happily gobbling up their hamburgers (they were too dry for my husband's tastes). (Side note - he has just informed me that he did not say they were too dry. He really didn't but I know he prefers them medium rare. I just don't have that talent) Leo just had his first cheeseburger and we all toasted to it. Of course it was veggie cheese but still, he likes it. Mazie has asked for dessert - skittles with whip cream on it. That would be a no.

This weekend was the Greek Fest and we spent Friday night, Sunday night, and Drew and the kids spent today there as well. They picked me up from work which was a realy treat to be able to drive home in traffic with them instead of all alone. During our drive Mazie kept asking if we could listen the Bat Girl song. She's been asking for this for days now and finally I wanted to get to the bottom of it. What exactly is the Bat Girl song? She insisted Drew had it on his IPOD. Leo insisted there is no song for Bat Girl - it's Batman and she's just a helper and younger than Batman. We finally figured out (actually it was me because I speak 5 year old) that she was asking for Hollerback girl by Gwen Stefani. Drew says no- it has too many bad words in it. Leo says he knows all the bad words including the "O" one which is Oh My God! Mazie wonders outloud if you learn more and more bad words as you get older. She doesn't know any. My sweet sweet girl.

Lost Tooth

2009-07-16T18:01:00.001-07:00

Once a Year

2009-07-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

First of all I want to start by stating that I finally took some pics of Leo at soccer and posted them. It only took me a few months. I forgot to mention that Mazie lost her tooth on the way to church on Sunday. It's been 4 days now and I still haven't taken a pic. I think the minute Leo lost his I took a pic. It really does suck to be a second born doesn't it? I'm going to commit to doing that tomorrow. I would do it now that I'm thinking of it but she's in bed and i don't want to wake her.

Leo had his yearly allergy test today. Usually they just prick it but this doctor uses an actual needle and really pulls at the skin. No wonder Leo didn't want to go. Plus, he cried. I can't even watch so I don't blame him. He showed a bigger allergy to milk than he ever has before. I didn't cry though for the first time. I was expecting it given the accident we had a few months ago. So, he's still wearing his medic alert bracelet and we are still carrying epi pens. Leo doesn't seem to care and i'm looking on the bright side that at least he is ineligible for the armed forces. We took him to McDonald's and we also took advantage of the warm summer day and went to 7-11 for Slurpees. What a party!

2009-07-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

On Strike

2009-07-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago the City of Toronto workers went on strike. This has happened in the past as well. It is a horrible time to go on strike given the heat factor and the smelly trash factor as well as the fact that its summer when most likely people would want to come visit Toronto. As a result of this strike there is nobody picking up garbage. That means that there have been makeshift dumps in the middle of city parks and lots and lots of trash. You may recall our first summer here and we blogged aobut how clean the city was? We even posted a pic of the guy who drives in his little vehicle sucking up trash? Well, that doesn't happen anymore so there is lots and lots of litter. Luckily we live in Vaughan and aren't affected.

Other things affected are the amount of graffitti in the city. Nobody is cleaning up graffiti. The parks aren't getting mowed either. Only essential ambulance services are being provided. The biggest issue I think is that all the city run daycares are closed. Most people who attend these are doing so through city subsidies. Well, they have no childcare now and can't afford to get other child care. People are losing their jobs over this. There are no community centres open. No pools. What are kids doing for summer camps? Not to mention the amount of money they are now losing because of a lack of these services.

It's all run by greed I tell ya. That was the downfall of the Gosselins too but don't get me started on that!

That's all. Just a little informative post about the affects of the strike. You're welcome.

Amazing

2009-07-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

Several years ago my mom bought the kids a calculator. It was one of those types for kids but actually did work. Mostly they have used it to play spies with. They have gathered many household items for their spy missions which is one of their favourite things to do.

Leo is very good at math and is often doing calculations in his head. So imagine yesterday when he pressed 12 + 12 on the toy and it responded with 24! He freaked out and came running to Drew amazed at how it knows the answer. He said, "Dad, Dad watch this. It KNOWS it." Then he kept doing other calculations over and over to see if it knew that and it did. AMAZING!

Dead Sea Squirrels

2009-07-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

Drew has been talking lately about how he wants to go with Father Peter to see the Dead Sea Scrolls which are now being displayed at the Royal ONtario Museum downtown. So yesterday Mazie was asking Drew when he goes, what she will do. SHe kept asking him when he was going to see the dead squirrels. We had no idea what she was talking about. Finally we figured it out and told her it was scrolls- dead sea scrolls. Scrolls are paper.
Mazie- Paper? Dead paper?
Drew - No, dead sea.
Mazie - THe sea is dead? Does that mean all the fish and everything are dead? Why would you want to see that?!

It was hilarious. I just wish they would never grow up.

2009-07-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

Now that Actor Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films has come forward to admit he had H1N1, AKA Swine Flu, I thought I might write to inform you that most likely Mazie did indeed have this flu as well. It was finally confirmed by the lab that my friend who watched Mazie before her illness did indeed have H1N1. We are not at all surprised and hope that if this flu returns in the fall, Mazie will have immunity.

In other news, we've been enjoying our summer by doing things you do in the summer such as catching the ice cream truck to enjoy a popsicle while it melts down your arm, playing at the park, going to the water park, walking to get TCBY, and grilling out on the BBQ. Oh, and Friday night we gathered our blankets and chairs and watching a movie under the stars at the park. Hopefully it will be a bit warmer this weekend. We are also doing things that you don't like to do over the summer such as putting on bug spray, sunscreen, sweeping mulberries that fall all over the steps, mowing the lawn and washing the kids feet after a day in flip flops. Oh, and I can't forget the fact that the kids are staying up much later than school days but the good thing is that they are sleeping in much later. They slept until 10 am on Sunday!

I think we'll be enjoying another late afternoon thunderstorm today which is always nice, unless I have to drive home in it. I'm already looking forward to next weekend. I think I should refrain from renting any movies though. I got 2 of them and didn't have time to watch either one. Well, I tried watching "The year my parents went on vacation" but I was falling asleep. Drew commented that the movie was aptly named as it seemed a year long. I ended up going to bed instead. I'll be returning that and "Australia" without watching either one. It was an impulsive movie rent anyway. Mazie was at drama class Saturday morning and so I was walking around killing time and went into Blockbuster and thought I'd get some movies. Dumb idea. I also got some soy "paremesan cheese" stuff for Leo to put on his spaghetti, tofutti "sour cream" for him to put on his baked potatoe this week, and some soy yogurt which didn't get eaten. I made him try it though and so it got on the spoon. The same spoon he was using for his cereal. I later caught him eating his cereal with his hands because he didn't want the gross yogurt spoon contaminating his Cinnamon Life.

To answer your questions from previous comments, we are going to Walt Disney WOrld. We haven't told the kids because they'll absolutely bug us every second of the day about it if we do. We are considering telling them perhaps a few days before we go. We don't want them to die of excitement. They won't go on Thundermountian because it will be way too scary for them based on our experience from previous rides. Space Mountain, which happens to be my favorite ride, is closed for repairs.

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!

2009-07-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

No Leo did not score a goal last night but they did win their first game finally. I am afraid it will be a while before Leo scores his first goal. He mostly enjoys watching the game and really gets into it. We have to remind him that he is actually "playing" in the game. We went to McDonalds afterwards to celebrate.

Today is Canada day. It's our 4th. I can only remember what we did last year which was when Nancy and Leo and great grandma were here visiting. We have many options this year but it's supposed to rain so I'm not sure if we'll be doing any of them. I wish fireworks didn't start after 10. I have work in the morning.

I'm getting very excited about our trip which is now a month away. We haven't told the kids yet but it's getting harder and harder to keep it a secret. I just measured them though and found out they are tall enough for both Splash mountain and Thundermountain. Not that they'll do either one.

Happy Canada Day!

So Much To Say

2009-06-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of school for the kids. Leo survived grade 1 and in fact is having a little difficult with the idea that school is over for the summer. He already misses his teacher. Next year he will either be in a 1/2 split or a 2/3. We'll have to see what they decide. He got his report card and it has improved in most everything. He got all A's and B's. I was a bit perplexed that his music grade went down from a B to a B-. Not sure how a kid in the most prominent choir in the GTA could not get an A in choir. Mazie doesn't get grades; they just write a bunch of gobbly gook and give suggestions for things to work on over the summer. There is a possiblity that she may get Leo's teacher next year and be in a SK/1 split. That would be interesting.

In any case, summer is upon us. I came home to daddy and the kids doing crafts at the table. He is inspired to start an adventure club with them and make the summer fun. We spent $75 on ink today so that they could print the pictures from their adventures over the summer. I suppose that is still cheaper than camp, eh? We also picked up some playdoh and markers for something to do. I caved and let them each pick out a Playmobil toy. It seems that this always revives their old playmobil set and they can have hours of fun with it.

So after going out to get some dinner, a few t-shirts for Leo who has finally outgrown his size 4 shirts, some sandals for Leo, and toys mentioned above, I was saddened to hear about Micheal Jackson's death. I am completely surprised by how emotional I felt. I suppose it's more becuase it was a big piece of my childhood. I remember watching Thriller on MTV about a million times and rockin out to all the tunes. They are playing them non stop on the radio which is so cool! I feel like I should just drive around all night and listen in the car with the windows down. It sure would be cooler that way.

We aren't using the A/C although we desperately need it. It doesn't seem to cool down the upstairs at all and it freezes us out here in basement so much that we keep asking them to turn it down. They are in hell up there. Paige came down to our bathroom this mornign to do her makeup since she couldn't stop sweating up there. We just decided to save some money and aggravation and turn it off.

I have worked up quite the sweat though becuase upon our arrival at home I looked down to see a split open mouse with guts pouring out and a detached tail. Luckily Drew took care of the body and I was only left with the tail which I could handle. I did however have to mop the kitchen floor. It needed it anyway but not exactly what I wanted to be doing at 9:30 at night.

We're looking forward to the weekend. We've got Ribfest which is always awesome. the south brings forth all its glory up here to the North that knows nothing about southern cookin and it's fabulous. Drew is going to be on a radio show on Saturday morning. He asked me to come along since its a spot about our conversion to Orthodoxy. Nothing panics me more than the thought of sitting next to my incredibly well spoken husband and discussing religion - the topic of his dissertation. So, I passed. I had visions of Bobby Brady. We're hoping to get a swim in at the local pool and who knows what else. Unfortunately Canada Day falls on Wednesday, July 1. i don't have off on Thursday and fireworks don't start until well after 10:00. That will be interesting.

Good night for now. Rest in peace Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, the king of pop. I can remember playing Charlie's Angels every Sunday night at Borchard park as a kid while my mom played softball. We'd go climb a few plum trees and eat them and get juice all over our hands and arms and then go fight the bad guys. Ah, the good ol' days.

Thievery

2009-06-22T07:09:00.001-07:00

Mazie's been talking a lot lately about jail and crime and police and anything related. SO it was no surprise when after seeing UP in 3D she had questions about the main character who hit someone and made the man bleed and then had to go see the judge. She wanted to know what exactly goes down in a courtroom. I was hoping my answers were preparing her for a future career in law so I taught her the terms guilty and innocent. She asked if she could just say "I did it." I wondered if she had something to hide at that point. SHe insisted she doesn't. I then wondered if she thought I was going to jail for some reason. So, it was only appropo when on Sunday morning I found out that yet again, someone had stolen our ATM info and is now $500 richer. THis isn't the first time this has happened. No, my card wasn't stolen but I was notified on Friday that they shut down my card due to suspected fraud. Not sure how it all works. I just know that I went to Mr. Souvlaki for lunch and couldn't use my card until I visited the ATM to change my PIN. So when I checked my account online on Sunday and saw that $500 was taken out of the ATM she was intrigued. Leo just kept saying he wanted to find them and punch their faces. I am hoping we can get it all straightened out at the bank today. I just don't understand why this happens so much more in Canada than the U.S. Never once did this happen to me in the U.S. I lived there for 33 years. It's happened twice here and once to a friend of mine here as well. Drew's theory, and he might be right, is that they just simply don't prosecute as much here. I just hope I get my money back. I even had a supposedly new smart chip that was designed to prevent this thing. Going back to UP, please remind me the next time I want to see a 3D movie that it just isn't a good idea. While I think it is really cool, and I'll definately be tempted to see Toy Story 3 in 3D, it strains my eyes like there is no tomorrow. I had to keep closing them and then taking off the glasses and watching the show in blurry.
On to other news, I found a cooking blog that is just fantastic. It's called Our Best Bites. I've made several things off it that are just wonderful. I wish I had the artistic ability to make a cooking blog that could support my lifestyle. THese 2 mom's have done it. I made their Jambalaya last night and it was awesome. I also highly suggest the Thai beef skewers. Yum!
Our first day of summer yesterday was fantastic! COuldn't have asked for more perfect weather and it's predicted to be in the high 20's this week. I drove by the big snow mound that they make each winter along the Allen. It was considerable smaller today. I wanted to show it to Drew because he doesn't believe me that it is snow. It really truly looks like a big pile of dirt. I also thought about Christmas and how I used to long for a white Christmas. 3 winters here though and I think if we had a warm California like Christmas I would be just fine this year.
The kids get out of school this week and I am frightened. THey have been such a handful lately. Leo always used to be a handful. It was expected. However, just recently I was thinking to myself how he is so much easier now that he is older. What was I thinking?! I completely asked for it by doing that. He has a reputation to uphold and now he is back with a vengeance, mostly trying to make life for his little sister miserable. Don't get me wrong, they are best of buds. It's sort of a love/hate relationship if you know what I mean? Drives me nuts. Come Sunday night, I need a vacation from them. I don't know Drew is going to do this with the kids 24/7 for the next 2 months stuck at home w/o a car. Deep breaths.

Isn't It Ironic

2009-06-15T06:19:00.001-07:00

http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/article/650782

Happy Anniversary

2009-06-15T05:51:00.000-07:00

Congrats go out to Aunt Donna and Uncle Mike, Dennis and Teri, and Paul and Molly for your wedding anniversary. Seems like June is the month to get married! Please let me know if you did anything special. Perhaps I can live vicariously through you. We have no plans this week and P and J will be out of town so no chance of a babysitter either. It's ok by me though.
Many of you commented on the dehumidifier. First, I have to let you know that it was a few spots of mold beginning to grow. I cleaned right away as soon as I noticed it. THat was just in case you pictured our bathroom ceiling looking like a cave or something. It's pearly white now. We do have a dehumidifier/A/C but we let the upstairs neighbors use it. It gets really hot upstairs so if they use the portable A/C instead or turning on the central A/C it saves a ton on energy and our bills. Plus, it's still very cool in our basement and we'd get frozen out if they turned on the A/C now.
We ended up doing pretty much nothing all weekend. We were just too lazy to do anything on Saturday and ended up staying home and playing games. I suppose this is better than going out and spening a lot of money. We did take a walk around the block with the dog. Mazie couldn't make it, started having a coughing fit, and Drew had to carry her home. She gets very tired out easily and coughing all night doesn't help. We've decided to keep her home from school again tomorrow and hopefully she can return on Thursday. THere is only 1 week of school remaining.
Another few items mentioned in the comments was Zyrtec which is not available here. I've checked. P and J are going to the US this weekend. I think I'll have them pick some up as well as graham crackers. We're trying to cut down on PopTarts due to the sugar content. The other thing was a pawn shop. You know, I've never seen one here? They must have them though. I'm going to check this out. Not that I want anything from one - I'm more likely to find something useful at Value Village or Once Upon a Child these days. I'm just curious to know if they exist up here.
Happy MOnday everyone. Is this going to be the week that I find a job where I don't dread waking up and going to each and every morning? I usually start out Mondays feeling pretty hopeful and I must admit that for the last few Friday's I've driven home in the traffic with tears streaming down my face for another week has gone by and nothing. It is frustration beyond belief. But for now, I've got my coffee and my morning glory and my pants are slightly loose this morning - the sun is shining.

Saturday

2009-06-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

I am hoping our bad luck has changed. Drew was able to get our computer fixed and it was only about $150. which is a lot better than having to buy a brand new computer. Fortunately, nothing was lost. Mazie seems to be getting better although she still has a horrible cough. She felt so good last night that she was running around playing spys with Leo. I knew something was wrong when Leo came running in and grabbed Mazie's water cup and left. I could tell on his face and went to see what was up. Mazie was sitting on the ground trying to breathe with tears streaming down her face. She was having a horrible coughing fit. I screamed for Drew and ran downstairs to get her nebulizer which we haven't used in a long time. Luckily there was some albuterol in there. It was expired but it did the trick this time. We had planned to go to the beach but we didn't tell the upstairs neighbors that this meant getting up early so we could beat the crowds. it didn't happen which is ok since it is suddenly cloudy again. Welcome to Toronto folks. After sitting around wondeirng what to do, hiking, picnic, UP in 3D for $55, Hamilton WingFest, etc. Drew left to go to the grocery store. We set on hiking and then I remembered the sick girl and decided that probably wasn't the best idea. I think we might try the wing fest in Hamilton.
So, today turns out to be a somewhat lazy day although I did manage to wash off all the mold on the ceiling in case that is what is causing Mazie to be so sick. Most likely it's H1N1 though. Before you say gross - mold.... you were aware that we live in a basement right? Well, get over it.

Tomorrow is Leo's soccer pictures. Let's hope it doesn't rain. Thunderstorms are predicted. But I think our bad luck is over for now.

Next Friday is my 10 year wedding anniversary. 10 years ago I thought to myself, "in 10 years I hope to get a beautiful ring for my anniversary." I figured for sure in 10 years we would have enough money for that. I change my mind and now I hope that for my 25 year anniversary I can get a beautiful ring.

I need ideas for father's day. Since the kids were born I've done gifts with either their picture or handprint or both. Mostly it's been pictures in special frames, etc. Last year I did a garden stone with their handprints on it. I don't know what to do this year. I'm out of creative ideas so if you have any, please let me know.

String of Bad Luck

2009-06-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

As if the side view mirror falling off, the WII remote breaking the tv, or the blowing up of the computer weren't bad enough, Mazie is now sick. We got a call from a friend yesterday stating she was very sick and they had tested her for H1N1. She's a nurse so I figure that's the reason she was able to get tested. SHe also happens to be the person Mazie has spent several days with recently. Right after her call to see how everyone was doing, sure enough, Mazie had a fever. So the nurse friend tells us to take her directly to the ER if she gets a high fever and cough. Hang up - Mazie starts to cough. Deep cough. She woke up fine today so it seemed we were in the clear. No need to go to the dr. Drew just called to say she is coughing up a storm and perhaps we should take her to the doc. I call the doc and he's not taking any more patients today and if we want to come tomorrow we have to play beat the clock and call in much like you do a radio show and try to be the first caller. It really doesn't matter because the receptionist told us they won't swab there anyway - they are only swabbing at the ER. ON the news they say they are treating all patients with flu like symptoms as if they have H1N1 and sending them home to rest and drink water. So for now, we won't bother with seeking medical attention and stick to the motrin and try not to panic.

Luckily Drew was able to contact a neighbor and ask her to pick up Leo. I just recently had a talk with him about not going anywhere with strangers. She's not a stranger but still - she doesn't usually pick him up. Drew did call the school to let them know to release him to the neighbor so hopefully they will pass that message on to him. Drew didn't really want to drag Mazie to school with him to infect all the other kiddos. I hope my poor baby feels better soon. She had to miss primary play day today which she was so much looking forward to. She'll have to miss class tomorrow too and she only has 6 more days left until summer.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to sit at work and wonder how she's doing all the while i want to be home giving her gatorade and cuddling with her on the couch?! This is one crazy society we live in. Don't even get me started. I don't want to go there. Sure she is with her daddy and well taken care of but it's a mommy's instinct to want to make it better. Yet, here I sit playing bejeweled trying to beat my high score of 39,000.

Just another manic Monday

2009-06-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

How many blogs out there do you think start with this each Monday? I bet about a million. HOwever, it clearly explains my day so far and it's only 9:15 am. I woke up panicked that the alarm didn't go off. Surely it can't be this light out at 6:40 I thought. Good to know that it is and I didn't sleep until 8. I got all dressed and then turned on the weather channel only to find the high today is going to be 14 and rain! Must change only I had nothing to wear. Story of my life. There was an accident on the 401 but luckily it was cleared by the time I hit the road however there was still a lot of backup. I was late to work and I'm trying to cut back on the amount of coffee I inject so I sat there on the 401 with nothing to sip. Tragedy! I knew I should've stopped at the McDonald's for an iced coffee! I couldn't find a parking space at work. What else is new? I am more late. Then about 5 minutes later I got a call from Drew saying his computer won't turn on. He opened it up and discovered where that burning smell came from yesterday. Well great. Gotta love MOndays.

I'm Moving to Cookstown

2009-06-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

As you all know the Maxwell family loves to garage sale and so does the Raetz family. Jason is away this weekend so we decided to hold off on our beach trip until next weekend so he can join us. Paige suggested we go to Cookstown because she heard they have a thing called Wing Ding once a year and basically the entire town does a garage sale. It's about 40 minutes north of us so we mosied on over this morning. It was the best! If I had a fun job, my life would have been 100% complete (oh and a size 6 bikini body wouldn't hurt). The town is pretty typical small town quaintish with an ice cream shop, a bakery, a little coffee shop and lots of antique stores. However, there were litterally hundreds of yards sale and interspersed were a few craft booths as well. It was a dream come true. But the best part was the houses. They were so old fashioned with porches and wild flower gardens. I fell in love and I'm headed off to www.mls.ca to check out home prices. Perhaps they have a basement apt. we could rent next year. Leo got a toy soldier from a collectibles store and the owner gave Mazie a free Christmas ornament. They had a Christmas store but I refused to go in. I was after all, garage sale shopping on this day. I bet it was cute though. I'll have to remember to go back soon. Leo also got a Hot Wheels and branched out and got a motorcycle this time instead of a race car. Mazie got a book and get this - a Barbie boat! It was only $4.00! I got a bunch of homemade rhubarb and a recipe for rhubarb cake all for $1.50. I've got the cake in the oven right now. I'll let you all know how it tastes later. We had some hotdogs and pizza and icecream. I got seriously sun burned on my scalp. I'm really afraid of how that's going to turn out. We forgot our hats and sunscreen and really shouldn't have done that because it was the most beautiful day of the year so far. The kids fell asleep on the way home and now are conked out on the couch watching Rugrats go to Paris. It was a beautiful day and now I've got some home searching to do. You should google it.

Soccer Day II

2009-06-03T06:22:00.000-07:00

So I am not sure which is worse, sitting with the parents or coaching the kids. I made the mistake of telling the coach when he called that I had played soccer since I was 4 and that I had the experience of coachign for 8 year old girls and also a high school team in the past. I said I was willing to help out on occassion. Well, that occassion came y'day when he asked if I would help with the substitutions and talking to the kids on the sidelines about their role. Unfortunately Drew wasn't there so I had Mazie literally hanging on my shirt tails. These kids were a nightmare. They had potty mouths like you wouldn't believe and were incredibly disrespectful. I raised my voice on several occassions and they just would not respond. At one point a bunch of them decided they had to go potty. I suggested they go over to the outhouse that was available but about 5 or 6 of them went behind the tree about 10 feet away. They just dropped trou and pulled it out and went. THey literally had a pissing contest and just about pee'd all over my stuff that was sitting next to the tree. ONe kid came back and complained that another kid (MItchell) had peed all over his shirt. Indeed, the entire shirt was wet in the back. I was appalled. It's not surprising though considering who their parents are. The brat level of the kid directely correlated with the irritation level of the parent. NO scientific study needed there. It took me several hours after getting home to get my blood pressure down. I was boiling. Poor Leo said, "see mom I told you there were bad." I felt like pulling him out right then and there. I don't want that sort of influence on my child. I was kissing him all night and so proud of how well behaved he is. This is going to be an interesting summer at the soccer field.

Light

2009-05-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

It's 8:45 and it's still light out. It makes it very hard to put the kids to bed when its still light. I'm exhausted and it's been a long day. I'm off to clean out the car though so Drew can take it and a few of the council members tomorrow to St. Catherines for the Clergy/Lay conference. It's going to be a long few days without him.

I remember when we lived downtown and we would put the kids to bed at night after washing them up. They would get so dirty down at the playground. Then they would lay in bed and listen to the kids still outside playing. We no longer have that issue. it's very quiet when they go to bed but it's still light out. I love the long summer days though so I can't complain. However, it was only 11 degrees today and it was cold. My friend told me it snowed today at her trailer up north. Huh.

Grande Finale

2009-05-31T10:50:00.000-07:00

Places everyone!

Mazie had her rhythmic gymnastics end of the year show today. She began last summer and took classes all through the Fall, Winter, and Spring and was really excited about the show. Unfortunately they chose to do it on a Sunday morning so Drew wasn't able to make it. However, Aunt Paige was able to be there and I know it meant the world to Mazie. Paige and Jason got home late last night. I am not sure what runs through Drew's head in the middle of the night. We heard the dog going crazy and Drew suggested I go up there and say hello to them. I was like, "Um, I don't really want to say hello at 1 am." He says, "well you should at least go up and make sure it's them!" It was them and I didn't need to check.

So we had the show and the entire time Leo just complained how he was hungry. I swear that's all this kid thinks about. I tried to get some good shots but I was so far away. However, I had lots more showings at home so I managed to get a few more. LOL

I even got a shot of our kitty Emily watching from above.

Oops I did it again....

2009-05-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

I forgot to bring my camera to Leo's first game. The look on his face when he put on his uniform was priceless. In my defense, I get home at 5:30 after an hour on the 401 and have 45 minutes to get the family fed and out the door to soccer. Fortunately, Drew had dinner ready and we ate some yummy spaghetti but we were still rushed. Leo is number 2 and looks stunning in his uniform. They lost 4-6 but had a great come back in the 2nd half. Leo played a lot and was extremely excited just to be in the game. He was high fiveing his teammates and had a huge smile on his face the entire time - well, except the time the kid on the other team took a ball to the face. He was genuinely concerned then.

I on the other hand am going to have to figure out a way to be more tolerant or I'm not going to have any fun. I asked God to help me with this but I did not see any fast moving miracles. There was a guy who was telling his son to not be an idiot, a guy yelling at the coach to put in the subs and the rest had random comments that really showed they had no idea how to play the game. One guy came and set his chairs directly in front of us. Nice huh? He also happened to be right on the sideline. I mean actually on it. Duh! There's more but I'll spare you the details. So, I'm not sure how to get through this season while having an enjoyable time myself. If you have any ideas please share. Oh, I may actually have to stay home anyway given Mazie's severe watery eyes the entire time. We need to find a good medication for her stat. The Claritin isn't doing squat. She did mention she wants to play soccer. It's too late for summer but maybe I can find a fall league. I'm all over that.

Carrasauga

2009-05-24T17:11:00.001-07:00

I am suffering from jet lag from my travels over the weekend so this post will be short but I did manage to post a few pics.

Mazie with her lay at the Greek pavilion. She made her hat earlier in the day at the Serbian pavilion. She was on the floor any chance it was clear of performers.

Mazie at Ukraine. Mom and Mazie dancing at Germany. We're trying to waltz. Leo says he knows how to waltz, after all Troy taught Gabriella in HSM 3.

Mazie sitting with the girls before their performance at Hawaii. She could have sat there for hours.

My belly dancer.

Last year versus this year

The family in Hawaii. This was my top 3rd choice due to the wonderful dancers. I did get a $3.50 pina colada so Mazie could have the umbrella after all.

Live from the field

2009-05-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Last night when I got home from work the kids were both asleep in preparation for the late night at Carrasauga. We began the night at the Greece pavilion with the kids coloring Greek flags and writing their names in Greek. Then we headed to Cyprus where they fed us tons of food including some fried cheese which was the best cheese I've ever tasted. Mazie watched and fell in love with the belly dancer and I am afraid to say we are going to be having our 5 year old mimicking this belly dancer for a long time to come. What can I say? There is nothing I could have done honestly. Because they gave us tons of food and the kids had already had their souvlaki, they weren't hungry. Drew was fasting so who had to eat all that pork? You guessed it. Drew called it taking one for the team. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so I have no pics of Mazie belly dancing. We also went to the Phillipines, India, and Egypt. It was late and Leo complained of his brain hurting so we didn't do much dancing. We did buy Leo a light up sword however. We came home with a plate full of fried lady fingers. Sorry, I can't remember the Greek name but they have walnuts in the middle and are dripping w/ honey. Daktila? Not really sure.
We tried to sleep upstairs to keep Kuma company and hopefully get a better night sleep but at midnight the kids weren't doing so well in the same bed and the giggles weren't stopping so we had to go back downstairs. We thought the late night might encourage sleeping in but Leo is one for sticking to a schedule and demanded breakfast early this morning. You guessed it - a fried egg which I told him I would only make for him on the weekends. Then we shlept (Is that right?0ut for garage sale hunting. It is sunny and warm and they were out in full force. We discovered that on this side of the tracks people are stingy (a childs bike with a hole in the seat for $80! and books at .25 each). On the other side books are only .10 each. So, here is a list of our find:

3 Mickey Mouse glasses from 2000. We had 1 we bought in NYC at Burger King. It was our favorite glass so we decided to get them all and now we have the complete set.
A Barbie bus ($3.00) We passed on the Barbie suitcase filled with tons of small accoutrements
2 Gap sweatshirts for Leo
snow pants for Leo for next winter
2 sets of new golf balls - why I have no idea
Books for the kids (Judy Blume for when Mazie learns to read)
Squirters (not guns but you fill em with a bucket and they squirt)
Some Superheros and little hand held video game thingy's
Batman lunch box with thermos
We did pass on the tv trays that Drew had growing up and he said were great for forts as well as some retro chairs that were really sweet.

Now we're getting ready to head back to Serbia, Hawaii, Mexico and Greece. We hope to hit Germany and Canada tomorrow. Unfortunately the face painting has left Mazie with a severe rash on her face. I'm hoping the Benadryl doesn't put a cramp in our style. I brought it in case Leo ate something and had a reaction but it turns out these days its Mazie we worry about. There's a ban on pesticides in our city and the dandelions are in full force and she seems to be severly allergic to them. We weren't able to go to the park across from the street sale we found which had a rock wall. Too bad.

Phenom

2009-05-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

Soccer on Tuesday night was phenomenal! Leo left saying he wanted to go back the next night and said it was fantastic. He was running around the field and you could tell he was very happy and confident and even met lots of kids on his team. Drew says this confidence happened to spill over onto the playground the next day and to top it off, he was actually pretty good at it. He is once again the littlest guy out there but had some skills. Mazie had a good time playing with another little girl and going to the playground. I enjoyed sitting on the sidelines and watching even if I had to have a blanket wrapped around me due to the wind. Unfortunately I forgot my camera but I'll bring it next week when he's all dressed in his sky blue uniform.

We are now having a warm spell. It's supposed to be 30 degrees today. Luckily the basement stays very cool and has a natural AC. Drew was even able to have a pizza picnic with Mazie outside yesterday. They weren't able to go to Lowe's to get the stuff to start building my garden to Mazie's car sickness. I am not sure if I'll even get to plant a garden this year. We never seem to have the time. This weekend is Carrasauga which is a festival of cultures in MIssissauga. Our church runs the Greek Pavilion which won first place last year. We'll be spending a great deal of time there this year due to Deacon Drew's new position. This is fine - they have the best food and dancing. Mazie was disappointed to learn that there will be no Scottland this year. She's enjoyed the Scottish dancing of her heritage for the past 2 years. There will however be Germany which Drew will be happy about because we all know how much he loves to speak German. Oh, and drink beer. I suppose they might have some of that as well. Look for lots of pictures next week.

The Start of Something New

2009-05-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight is Leo's first night of soccer. Remember way back in December when I had to front $250 for this soccer registration which begins in May? Well, it's here! I was told he has an excellent coach who is a "real soccer player." That's a fantastic start. The free cletes we got back in December still fit him so that's another plus. We picked up some shin guards and Leo tried them on and didn't have any major objections. We'll see how it goes when he actually wears them tonight. The shin guards were the entire reason Mazie opted out of this whole soccer business. LOL Practice is from 6:30 -7 and then games are from 7-8. I was a little disappointed to learn that it's 5 on 5 instead of an actual real game but I suppose it will be just fine. It's very close which is so nice after having to drive an hour to choir all year. I am looking forward to bringing our beach chairs and sitting on this side lines and watching although the coach knows that I used to play and that I've coached before so I might be called upon to help out. However, the coach doesn't know that I am way out of shape and not the same soccer goddess that I used to be. LOL Leo is excited which is the best and has only expressed the slightest apprehension about being shy around new kids. I hope he knows some kids. Maybe next year Mazie will want to join too.

2009-05-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

Paige and Jason have left for Phoenix for 2 weeks leaving the children to care for Kuma. Mazie commented that for the next 2 weeks Kuma is all hers! She has been spending lots of time with the dog and caring for her. I am not so sure the dog is too happy about this. Remember that cartoon that featured Myra the little girl that terrorized all the animals? Yep. I wish I had batteries for my camera because I would take a picture of their living room. Good thing they aren't expected any time soon. I'm trying to explain to her that there is a reason that the food and water dish go in the kitchen but she isn't having it. She's trying to make some sort of pet spa for the dog, including lots of various candles surrounding the dog bed, pillows and blankets. I keep removing them explaining why it isn't such a good idea but she so desperately wants to have this clubhouse for the dog. Sigh!

Saturday was the first Saturday in forever that I think we had absolutely nothing to do. It sounds good in theory and Leo was thrilled that he could stay home all day and watch tv and play but that quickly wears off and the children begin to tease each other for entertainment and enjoy driving their parents crazy. I made breakfast in the morning - who knew Leo would become addicted to egg sandwiches? He told me yesterday "you are just like grandma." I guess I have managed to perfect the egg sandwich! We headed to the grocey store and I screwed up royally when I promised leo a hotwheel. See, they cost about $1.50 which is no biggie. However, there is nothing equivalent for girls and Mazie wanted a barbie. i remembered that I saw some in the past for about $5. Unfortunately it wasn't at this store. She threw a fit when we couldnt' find one that was reasonably priced. This was all my fault so luckily I saved the day when I found $4 flip flops that were sparkly pink. she needed flip flops anyway so we all won. Mazie didn't eat the corned beef dinner that I made which I don't understand at all. She was starving before bed since I made the dinner early. I took off the afternoon and didn't make lunch. Normally the rule is nothing before bed if you don't eat your dinner. Well, I felt really bad for her so I made her sign a contract and gave her cereal before bed with a promise she will eat her dinner tonight. I hope she likes teriyaki chicken on the grill! I've never made it but can you really go wrong with teriyaki chicken? Back to the corned beef - this was the first time I've made it on the stove in a pot. Afterwards I baked it with a glaze tha twas to die for! This was a keeper and I'll definately be doing this again for St. Paddy's day.

Drew is at church all day today working and since there is no Sunday school (tomorrow is a holiday - Victoria Day) we opted to stay home. We went to the park to ride bikes. Mazie has finally learned to ride a 2 wheeler - albeit a bit shaky. I had a blast watching her run after her brother while acting like a cat and thinking she could actually chase him on his bike. All the while pulling up her pants becuase they are 2 sizes too big but she thinks she fashionable. She looked like the biggest goof but what can you do? Then Leo busted his balls when he tried to slide down the pole. He was in a lot of pain and we headed home. After putting Mazie in time out because she screamed at me when I insisted her socks were wet (remenber the clubhouse for the dog upstairs and the water dish?), we walked to the mall for some McDonald's. I was afraid Mazie wouldnt' make it because she was obviously tired. However we had a good time. On the way we were discussing retirement and Leo said it is so lucky that grandma and grandpa are retired so they can do fun things all day like watch tv. Sigh. Then he said I should become a grandma so I could do that too. I informed him that would involve that he have a baby and under his breath he said something like, "darn it, I'm not havin' a baby." Too funny. When we got home we did an hour of quiet time. I am quite impressed with myself. Leo read books for an hour in his room and I had a nap. Thankfully Mazie is still sleeping.

Tomorrow we have friends coming over for a bbq. Hopefully the weather will be much warmer than today. The wind is freezing!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2009-05-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

My parents left today after having been with us for the last week and a half so rather than recap our entire visit together, I thought I would post the things the kids shared at dinner tonight. I asked them what their favorite part of having Grandma and Grandpa visit and this is what they said:

Going to the Nascar speedpark

Going to Mandarin for dinner

Going to Ottawa and having time to look at the flowers together

Them watching us while mom and dad went out with their friends in Ottawa

Grandpa making me paper airplanes

Not having to go to school in the morning with Leo since Grandma could watch me

Grandma doing dishes, mopping the floor, doing laundry and changing Leo's sheets (Leo says she is the Queen of nice)

Grandpa fixing everything like the hole in our wall and our fence and cleaning out the garage with daddy.

The Mouse that Got Away at Midnight

2009-04-27T05:47:00.000-07:00

Last week the cats caught another mouse, or should I say they found a toy and alerted us to the fact that there was a mouse in the house? We managed to get it and kill it and then the trap under the stove caught another one. If you are grossed out already I suggested that you stop reading now. Saturday night we were blissfully enjoying our slumber when suddenly awakened by a frantic scurry which could only mean another mouse. I suggested to Drew that he get up to check it out to confirm the diagnosis. It was indeed a mouse and he found it in the jaws of one of the cats in the living room. Great job kitty! Only problem is that as soon as kitty saw Drew, she dropped the mouse and it wasn't dead and scurried away. The chase was on. I got up to get on the gloves and Drew armed himself with our weapon of choice in these cases - a broom. THe trick is to put the broom on top of the mouse while I put a plastic baggie over the mouse and tie it up so Drew can take it outside and whack it against the wall to make sure it dies. Hey, I warned you to stop reading didn't I? Well, as soon as it got under the broom it learned to fly. Who knew mice could fly? This sucker was flying through the air and made Drew jump. It was a sight to see him in his panties, I tell ya. I hightailed it to the couch. SO, we continued to chase the mouse under the couch, pulled out the couch, under the tv, behind the bookcase, pulled out the bookcase and behind the prayer bench - me, Drew, Pink PInk, and Emily all trying fercoiusly to get this little squeeking mouse. And squeek it did. So much so that I had to call upstairs for reinforcements. THey never did answer despite the 2 messages I left. It's good to know you can count on NOBODY in an emergency! Finally around midnight - about 45 minutes after our chase began, our little friend made it into Leo's rain boot. Shhhh, don't tell Leo.

On a side note, if you wonder why on earth we are trying to catch the mouse, it's because if we leave it up to the cats, they just get it and make it bleed and believe me, it's not fun to clean up. Oh, and please don't share any of this with my parents because they are coming here next week. Good thing they won't be sleeping on an air mattress on the floor. They'll be upstairs where the mice don't seem to go.

With the mouse in boot and us tired from the chase, I had a brilliant idea. I thought it was brilliant at least. I would just throw the boot outside and let the mouse go for the night so I could get some slumber. SO, I tossed out the boot quick as I could so the little mouse didn't try to fly away suddenly, and out it went. Unfortunately, my idea was't so brilliant because out went the cat after the mouse - in the rain, up the stairs. Now we were chasing the cat. I finally did get her inside and considered it a loss. I'm sure the mouse will be back.

I laid in my bed trying to sleep afterwards with visions of mice in my head. I was so grossed out that I was unable to sleep. The injustice in all of it! What on earth did I do to deserve this?! What will people think?! Why can't anyone help us out here?!

Chewing Gum

2009-04-25T19:13:00.001-07:00

Today Leo had choir rehearsal and locked himself in the bathroom because he didn't want to go. He has not really embraced choir the way we hoped but he did stick it out for the year as we asked. He has decided not to audition for next year. He instead wants to be in the scouts or take cooking classes. In any case, he has one more Wednesday night rehearsal and then 2 mroe concerts and he's done. We decided to take him to McDonalds today after rehearsal and since it was a beautiful day we took the subway and ended up walking a few blocks to McDonalds. This is the conversation that took place:
"Mom, what are all these black dots on teh sidewalk?"
"Which ones?"
"These ones here and all over the place."
"Oh, that's gum."
"Ew, why would someone chew black gum?"

Threes

2009-04-24T16:34:00.001-07:00

I'm either Orthodox or crazy because today at the store I bought 3 avocados, 3 tomatoes, 3 potatoes, and 2 bananas and I got all freaked out that maybe I should have gotten one more banana.

Earth Day

2009-04-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

Pretty much I like Earth Day is all a bunch of politically correct who- ha. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a bad day or there shouldn't be a day we think about our earth but I think most companies use it to get on people's good side. Obviously my son's school is one of them. He knew about Earth Day as he kept asking me how many days until Earth Day and counting down so he must have heard something about it at school. When I asked him if they did anything special he was thoroughly disappointed. He figured they would have gone out and picked up trash or something. He then proceeded to tell Drew that when he grows up he wants to be a garbage man so that he can help the earth. Thatta boy! What a vocational goal! He asked Drew if they could start picking up trash in the park on the way to school. Drew is less than thrilled about this prospect.

Easter

2009-04-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

I think we may have made it through our first Holy Week although its not over yet. Drew was at church from 7-12 on Thursday and Friday night. He got home Friday night only to have to wake again at 5 am and leave. He didn't return until 4 pm. I haven't really seen him since Tuesday night and he's only working p/t! Since it was just the kids and I today we slept in for one. Then they headed out to go garage saling with aunt Paige while I had a chance to clean the house. Then I just sat on the couch and listened to the silence. This is actually one of my favorite things to do. LOL I love it when my house is clean and its quiet. Weird huh? After they got home Leo went to a friends house to play for a few hours and Mazie and I headed out in search of ribbons and candles for church tonight. We love Michael's! We played some basketball outside on the new hoop that Jason installed and we all had a nap in preparation for tonight. I'm feeling worn out already but there's more. After dinner we dyed Easter eggs for the first time. I can't believe I didn't get a picture! I did video tape it though but I'm not sure if you can show videos on here. I'm new at this. I had forgotten just how beautiful Easter eggs are! I had so much fun. I learned a few things too. I learned that the kits are useless. After dying 24 eggs in various colors the kids were tired of dying eggs and not interested in painting, glittering, stickering, stenciling, or whatever else comes in those lame kits. Good thing they weren't interested anyway since most of it didn't work. Since it was still early and Drew had left to go back to church again, I figured I would brave it and try to do Ressurection cookies. if you haven't done it before, google it. It's pretty fun. At least it was some structured time for the kids. Too bad they were too tired by this point. They've had their baths, it's 9:30 and I'm waiting to leave at 11:00 or so to go to church. I hope nobody's hair catches on fire and I hope it doesn't rain since we are walking around outside tonight. I am glad to be Diaconysa Kathy however because I get reserved seating in the front. How cool is that?!
Now to be sure to fill the baskets and hide the eggs. I hope this can get done soon without the kids seeing since I don't anticipate being home until 1 or 2 am. Do you think the kids will sleep in tomorrow? I hope so.