463!

That is how many new Christmas photos I have just posted to Flickr....Check out Christmas, Storrie Style!

I promise a real post very soon...can you believe it is almost New Year's Eve?!?!?!?

Wishing everyone all the best in 2008...may all your dreams, wishes and needs become realizations. May the new year be the best year ever for you and your loved ones.

Where is Baby Jesus?

Christmas, is a wonderful time of year! I have so many wonderful memories of childhood Christmases past. So many great and wonderful stories, to share and to remember and to pass on to generation to generation!

I would like to share a few of my fondest childhood Christmas stories with you this Christmas eve.

Growing up Christmas meant driving from Guelph Ontario to Windsor Ontario to spend Christmas with my extended family. Each year right after school got out, we would load up the car and make the 3 hour drive.

Every year just as the car started to roll down the driveway, my mom would suddenly shout, "OH, I think I left the iron on!" My dad would stop the car and my mom would jump out and run inside. I always thought she was actually unplugging the iron...instead, she was running around the house throwing hidden presents under the tree, stuffing stockings, gobbling down the cookies, and slugging back the beer we left out for Santa! in the moments it would take to unplug an iron, my mom would make it look like Santa arrived and delivered all our gifts. Thanks to her efforts, I believed in Santa a few years longer than most!

We would spend our time visiting relatives, eating, visiting and eating!

After Christmas eve mass we would go to my Meme and Pepe's house for a traditional meal of tourtiere, pickles, and plates and plates of goodies. My Meme was a wonderful baker and if I close my eyes right now, I can actually taste her famous rum ball or butter tart.

Then, every year, without fail, just as we were getting our PJ's on at my Grama and Papa's house, the phone would ring. You could here our squeals for miles! My brother and I, along with any of our cousins also visiting would race to the phone. Me, being the eldest grandchild was the first to get to talk. With huge eyes and a grin from ear to ear, I would slowly raise the phone to my ear and softly inquire, "S-a-n-t-a?" You see, every year, Santa would call us at Grama's house. He would inform us that he just arrived in Guelph and would be leaving all our gifts, and if we were asleep when he flew over Windsor, he would leave one gift for each of us under the tree. Just thinking of those calls makes my heart swell and a rush of warmth tickle my being. But it also makes me sad - you see, no matter how long we kept Santa on the phone, my father never got to talk to him. My dad was always out walking the dog or getting milk at the corner store. Thanks to that annual call, I believed in Santa a few years longer than most!

Every year, we would take great care to set up our nativity scene. Setting up our creche was such a wonderful family time. With great care we would place Mary and Joseph, and all the angels and animals in their proper places. When we were done, my father would lovingly place the Baby Jesus back in his box and place the closed box on the fireplace mantle. You see, Baby Jesus could not be placed into the creche until Christmas morning. That was the rule.

Unfortunately, not everyone else has that rule in their household. And during our annual Christmas visits, my father would help enforce that rule by taking out the Baby Jesus and hiding Him. Oh, how my Grama would get upset to discover Baby Jesus missing! And my father would use creative hiding spots and would never announce that he took Baby Jesus - he would just quietly place Baby Jesus in a safe spot till Christmas day. Thanks to his actions, my Grama, some time Christmas morning would yell out, "Where is Baby Jesus???? Gary!!!!!! Where the F*ck is Baby Jesus?????" My father would calmly walk over to the ice box, or into the pantry, or front hall closet, or open the top dresser drawer and retrieve the missing Baby Jesus and place Him in His proper place within the nativity scene. So, if your Baby Jesus ever goes missing - give my Dad a shout, he may know where He is hiding!

Oh, what memories!

I must now run - and help create some wonderful Christmas memories for my three children. And you should do the same!

Merry Christmas and I wish all of you and your families a wonderful 2008!

Wordless Wednesday

DJ placing the angel on our tree.

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I am having blog withdrawal! I have not updated in a week due to our Christmas travel. I am really missing posting and especially missing reading posts by all my blogging friends. I promise to spend some time tomorrow going through and getting caught up on all your great blogs and getting mine back in order! This is what a cross Canada trip will do if you are not careful! See you on the fringe really soon - with lots of stories of the Trilogy and our Christmas adventures!

Eat my dust!

I am no Betty Crocker.

My role model in the kitchen growing up was my mom. She was a great cook - but not a baker. In our house, Christmas baking was green and red jello. No lie.

So, when the kids became toddlers I decided to take the bull by the horn...or, well, the cake pan by the spatula. I have been improving and now we have baking Thursdays. Usually the boys and I make cookies or muffins. It is great fun and they now do most of the work in terms of pouring and stirring. This is great since it teaches them new skills and allows me a scape goat if our project is a flop!

December is the universal baking month. Many of my friends actually start earlier than December and turn out dozens and dozens of cookies.

I have no time for that! I have birthday parties galore to prepare for and even Betty Crocker knows cakes are more challenging then cookies - heck, cakes are about 100 times larger, of course they are more difficult and puny little cookies!

So, now that my December baking is completed, I wanted to brag a bit and show off my baking and culinary skills!

1) Birthday Meal like no other!
We kept with our annual tradition and made our now famous meatloaf cakes for the boys' birthday party! Here are the two finished meatloaf cakes...yep, they are meatloaf, iced in mashed potato!!! I use food colouring on a bit of the mashed potato to decorate the cakes. When you cut into the cakes they look like real cake since each layer is iced with mashed potatoes!

2) Birthday cakes for real!
This year the cakes turned out great, if I do say so myself! DJ had requested orange icing and chocolate cake and Anderson wanted a chocolate cake and blue icing. I think I nailed both! No cake pan molds were used...all my own work...as if you could not tell!

3) Christmas Open House Cake

This evening we are having a bunch of friends over for a Christmas gathering. I attempted to be cute and artsy with my baking. I used a ring cake pan to make a Christmas wreath...I hope people can figure that out!!!

Oh...and we also made chocolate cookies this morning...Betty Crocker - eat my dust!

Wordless Wednesday

The Storrie Trilogy

December2007

There are way too many Davids

I met my husband in July of 2000. I knew immediately that we would marry, have children and live happily ever after - but that is another fun story for another time.

After only knowing David for three months, I travelled across the country to meet his parents and extended family. We had not yet even mentioned marriage - but I think we both knew this was the direction we were heading.

We had spent a lovely, yet long, afternoon and evening visiting David's grandparents. David and his Grandpa had spent the majority of the time upstairs tinkering with the computer. I, the new girlfriend of the eldest grandson, was caught on memory lane. David's grandmother took out photo after photo pointing to each figure and explaining the event, doing a character sketch of each person and reminiscing on people, events and happenings. Do not get me wrong, I did enjoy myself. I learned so much about my then future-husband. But every photo had a David in it. Yes - EVERY PHOTO. You see, my husband is David, his father is David and his father is David - who knows how far this naming tradition goes back! By the end of the evening my head was swimming! David. David. David. I could not keep all the stories (or Storries - hee hee!) straight.

We said our goodbyes and headed out. I was sitting quietly on the passenger side as David drove along the coastal highway taking in the surreal scenery. What a beautiful site. The stars were so bright, flickering along the ocean water. Simply breath taking.

David turns to me and asks, "Whatcha thinking?"

I do not comment on the absolute beauty surrounding us - the stars, ocean or mountains. Nope. I do not comment on the wonderful time I had been having on this trip. Nope. Instead, I blurt out," There are way too many Davids in your family!"

With a very sad voice, David replies, "Oh". And then he is very silent.

We drive a few kilometres in silence. Then I ask David, "Whatcha thinking?"

David is quiet for an extra moment. Then seeing a highway look out, he pulls over. I look at the magnificent view, then turn to look over at David. He has a sad look on his face. He takes my hands, leans towards me and innocently asks," Does that mean we cannot name our first son David. I would really like that."

And at that moment, only one David really mattered. My David - the love of my life.

I threw my arms around him and replied very softly," Yes, my love, if you wish to name our first son David, we can. I love you more than anything."

That was over 7 years ago. Today, "my little David" turns four years old. Where has the time gone? Happy Birthday David Joseph!

Dear DJ
Today you turn four. I cannot believe it! You had a very shaky start to life and we almost lost you. You are indeed a medical miracle. But you are more than that. You are a smart, witty, and outgoing little boy. You make my heart sing! You are funny, careful and very deliberate in your thoughts and actions. I am so proud of you. You are kind, loving and a perfectionist. You have kept us on our toes and have caused us many sleepless nights - but it has all been worth it. I pray that I can teach, support and love you enough to empower you to be the man you are meant to be in this world. I am certain you are destined for great things.

You are named after many Davids and I hope that you grow and nurture all the best qualities of these great and wonderful people. May you always be as caring, loving and as emotionally strong as your amazing father. May you always be as outgoing and charismatic as your grandpa. May you be as hardworking and quick thinking as your great-grandpa. May you be the best person you can be and may you always be happy.

I love you Kook-a-boo!

David Joseph Gary

Could-of, Should-of, Would-of...

Could-of...
...taken two seconds to get a stool or step ladder
...seriously injured, lamed or even permanently incapacitated myself

...endangered one of my children

Should-of...

...been more safety conscience

...not been so damn lazy

...thought of being a good role model for my kids

Would-of...

...killed myself if the chair was a few inches to the right (note the stairway)

...died if I had injured one of my kiddies

...been pinned there for hours if my two boys (3 years +1 day old and 3 years+361 days old) had not used team work and freed their bruised, battered, and dumb-ass mom

On Friday I was cleaning up from the huge double birthday party we had on Saturday for my boys. (yep, 6 days later still cleaning!) In order to remove some party posters from the wall I climbed up onto a chair. I removed the poster and when I returned from pinning it up in the boys' room, the boys had commandeered my chair and were helping by taking down balloons. Instead of going to get another chair - or even a proper stool - or even instructing the boys to get off the chair - I grabbed our "bad boy's chair". This is a dinning room chair with a booster seat. BAD MOMMY! In the heart beat I was badly injured.

Upon yanking the poster down the chair tipped backward throwing me back against the fireplace brick wall. The back of the metal chair actually pinned me up against the wall - 4 inches above the ground. Every movement I made caused the chair dig further into my stomach. The pain was excruciating. With tears streaming down my face I had to instruct my little boys on how to free me. It took over 5 minutes!

I have been left with a bruise that is four-inches wide and runs from one hip bone to the other. My entire tummy is varying shades of red, black and blue. Walking, twisting, lifting and sitting are all very painful.

All because I was too lazy to get a proper stepping stool.

This is a warning to everyone out there. Accidents can happen at anytime. In a blink of an eye.

I could have been seriously injured. I could have become incapacitated while home with three young children.

I am so ashamed.

Take care. Be smart. Think safety.

Look at the monitor and wave!

We had fallen into a routine. Monday morning was our walk day, Tuesday afternoon play group, Wednesday morning infant massage, Thursday morning cina-babies and Friday lunch with daddy after our Mommy-and-Me fit class. We did one big outing a day - and did lots fun things in between.

We would snuggle, read books, watch trashy day-time TV. We would dance around the front room. Splash in the bath. We would share our deepest thoughts, hopes, dreams. We would each stare at each other with wonder.

Oh, we had our battles and our struggles. But life was good. DJ was home from the hospital, fully recovered from the life-saving surgery he had at 10 days old. I was his mom and I was loving every moment of this new journey.

But the edges started to fray. Late afternoons, I had no energy. I became weepy and overly emotional. I became anxious. I wondered if I was a good mom. Did I have what it takes to be a good mom? Deep down, I knew it, but slowly I became a ball of emotions. I felt so helpless. Why did all these conflicting emotions seem to fester now? We had already been through hell - if I was going to have post partum depression, why did it wait till DJ was six months old? The long, hard, at times unbearable time in the NICU of the children's hospital was over. DJ was healthy. All was good. All was great. But, I was tired. So tired. I knew caring for an infant was tiring, but could it really be this tiring?

We read pages and pages on the internet. POST PARTUM DEPRESSION. It all fit...but at the same time, it did not fit. I seemed to have many of the symptoms, but at the same time, the diagnosis did not seem clear. We needed expert advice. A doctor's appointment was made - earliest appointment available, the following Thursday - eight days away.

A cloak of tiredness seemed to be wrapping around me. Smothering me. My emotions were high, unpredictable. But through it all, I offered wonderful care to my 6 month old babe. I loved being a mom.

My most wonderful husband could see the toll this was having on me. He offered to take Thursday and Friday off to be with me and DJ. We spent five days cocooned up in our house. My only job was to sleep, rest, pump and do light-mothering duties. David took care the rest.

Monday came quickly. David was a bit leery about going back to work. I assured him I was feeling so much better - much rested. It felt very June Cleaver-y: me holding the baby kissing Daddy as he headed to work. I felt refreshed. Reborn. Wonderful. Wonderful that is until my tummy turned.

David called home at noon to see how we were doing. I told him I was not as tired and everything was great, except that now I thought I was coming down with the stomach flu! I had gotten sick twice already.

David came home to an energized wife and a very happy baby. Life was good. Perhaps we were wrong to think PPD. Perhaps a little rest was all I needed.

Tuesday morning came alive to the hungry cries of the babe. I rolled out of bed, and as I passed the washroom door my stomach turned. Within seconds I was flung over the toilet bowl. David came into the washroom. Very lovingly, he pulled back my hair while balancing our little guy on his hip. In a calm voice he asked said, " Dear, I do not think you have post partum depression, or the flu...I think WE are pregnant!"

A solid blue line confirmed his speculation.

So, when the doctor entered the examination room with oodles of PPD pamphlets and resources we all shared a laugh. An ultrasound appointment was made.

As I laid on the table, with my husband holding our infant son, I wondered if I was ready for a second baby. The ultrasound technician asked when my last period had occurred. I laughed and replied, "Two Februaries ago!". We all had a chuckle. She then said," Well, moms usually have a feeling, how far along do you think you are?" Hmmmmm. Well, since I got morning sickness six weeks into my first pregnancy. "Maybe 6 weeks?" The technician begins her examination. She chuckles and says, " Nope, you are not 6 weeks along". I look over at her and cautiously ask, " 8 weeks?" And she turns the monitor so I can see and says, " No dear, look at the monitor and wave at your baby, you are 13 weeks and about 6 days!"

There in front of me was not a lima bean, but a real baby! OH MY GOD!

We left that appointment excited and nervous. As we got into the elevator a nice grey-haired woman commented that our son was very cute. I looked at this perfect stranger, waved the ultrasound photo at her and declared," And before he is one years old, he will be a big brother!"

Anderson, that is how we found out that we were expecting you. It seems like just yesterday! But, here we are, December 6, 2007...you are 3 years old today! WOW! Time has just flown by! On this day, and every day, I want you to know how much you are loved. You are an amazing little guy. So full of life. You are very energetic, happy, fearless, and wonderful. You are such a little boy - loving your cars, trucks and trains. You adore your big brother, your little sister and Bob The Builder and your Pepe. You are smart, funny, athletic and so cute: your big brown eyes could melt any one's heart! You are also very stubborn, a bit of a dare devil and very strong-willed. You are also very caring, empathetic and quick to offer hugs and kisses. There are days when you have me laughing and there are days when your behaviour is trying and frustrating for me as your Mommy. But, my little Ander Pander-Bear, the world is a much better place because you are in it. May all your dreams and hopes come true. And may I, as your mother, friend, supporter, cheerleader, and confidant, help prepare you to be all that you can be.

Anderson Garant

Wet and Icky Bums!

OK...I have been dealing with wet bums for 1454 days. Yep, changing wet and icky bums for almost exactly 4 years.

For the most part, it has not been too bad for me...if you do not count the terrible morning sickness I got every time I changed DJ's bum while pregnant with Anderson. Or, when I started fretting that with Madigan's arrival I would have three in diapers - thank goodness DJ got back on the saddle, errrr, toilet seat!

I thought the next big wet bum milestone would be Anderson finally committing to using the potty 100% of the time. Nope! That is coming, but we are not quite there yet...so you would think I would be dealing with 2 wet bums icky bums - Anderson and baby Madigan. Nope! I am dealing with three now!

Recently DJ has switched from sitting to pee to standing. And last night I came to the cold, wet, icky realization that in our house, the potty-trained males out number potty-trained girls and it will always be that way.

How did I come to this realization? When I went to sit down on the toilet and fell in!

I admit it, I have been spoiled. My husband was trained well for putting down the toilet seat. He had to be, coming from a house of 4 females and only 2 males. So, now, as soon as I thought I was done toilet-training DJ, am once again toilet-seat-lowering-training him.

When, oh when will wet and icky bums be a thing of the past?????!!!!!!

Super Duper!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wordless Wednesday

Great Grandma Phylis Hambly (nee Anderson)

meeting her grandson Anderson for the first time.

(July 2005)

Close only counts...

As my father always says: "Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades."

Unfortunately, it does not count in NaBloPoMo. And with that, I tip my hat to those people who are on track to complete a post a day for the month of November. Kudos to you all!

Kudos must also be extended to those who could not complete the task. Hopefully, you, like me, tried your best.

I am not usually one to lay blame on others...but I will this time! It is difficult to accept defeat when it was out of your control. Damn cable Internet access. Damn little flashing (or in our case, non-flashing) little do-thingy box. Damn cable company. DAMN IT!

I really wanted to post a post a day. I am always one to step up to a challenge...but alas, the technology I have been embarrassing and using to complete this challenge came back to nip me in the butt....or, well, in the modem, to be more accurate!

Anyone care for a game of horse shoes??????

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!

Ottawa is blanketed with snow! it has been snowing for three days now and my boys are loving it!

The first morning they woke up to find snow was so heart-warming! You could see the excitement in their eyes and hear it in their shrieks!

DJ was actually a bit confused. We had told him that his birthday would be when it snowed and that we would be leaving to visit Grandma and Grandpa when it snowed - and best of all, Santa came when it snowed!

Well, with wide eyes he looked at me and shouted, "Is today my birthday? Is tomorrow Christmas and when do we take the plane to Grandma and Grandpa's house?"

What an exciting and busy time for us! In the next few weeks, we have 3 birthdays, 1 Christening, a trip across country, 3 Christmas celebrations in 3 different cities, and tons of great memories to create. But for now, we will just relax and enjoy this winter wonderland!

Counting my blessings!

Today, many of my new American friends are celebrating Thanksgiving.

Here is what I am truly thankful for...

...and for all the new wonderful people I have met blogging.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Houston, we had a problem!

OK- we are all set... Mr. Rogers Cable Guy came and replaced our modem, cable line and switchy do-hicky thingy. We now have Internet access again. WHEW, thank the techno-gods!

I was going through withdrawal...and it was only 27 hours!

When I called for a repair man they indicated that the earliest day-time appointment would be Friday morning. Is my NOOOOOoooooooooo still echoing through the rafters?!?!?!?!

I sobbed into the phone, " but I have already missed one NaBloPoMo post since I had no Internet connection...I need service now!" GASP, GASP, PANT, WAIL! I think I may have scared the young chap on the other end of the phone!

So, they squeezed me in this evening. We are back in business.

I promise a fun, uplifting, witty, intelligent post tomorrow...ummmmm...well, I cannot really promise that...but I do promise to get back on track to post every day for the rest of the month.

In the meantime - here are two posts that I am kinda proud of and hope you enjoy:
Lies, Cars and Graduation
That Mommy Moment

YIPPEEEE - Internet connection is back...and I will be too! Tomorrow - I need some sleep!

This should be fun!

Well, it is official, we have a house of sickies. Everyone has a vicious cold.

DJ had a rough night last night. Poor guy. With his medical condition, it is always so unnerving. Anderson is basically suffering from a runny nose, so he is in the early stages. So, we kept both boys home from preschool and DJ did not go to kindergarten this afternoon. David is at the end of the run of the cold, but I am just starting. And we are not too sure if Madigan has the cold, since she is a cranky, snotty, red-cheeked teething monster. What a wonderful family we are, sharing like this...

At bed time, we were already planning for the possibility of DJ missing school again. I was entertaining a very low key day of TV, warm drinks and cuddly comforters. When I noticed a message on the telephone.

Yep - tomorrow is our annual photo shoot. Loblaws was calling to remind us and to also ask that we come in early...they must have read that we have a 9 mth old, an almost 3 year old and an almost 4 year old set for 8 poses...pity the poor minimum wage part time grocery store clerk taking photos tomorrow!

So, now, between blowing my nose, rubbing my throbbing temple, I am picking out outfits for each child to wear. Sounds easy - but I need to hit the right mix as the boys are getting their birthday shots done, not just the Christmas shot. Oh, and did I mention that hubby has a dentist appointment at the same time we are getting the photos?

Yep, this should be fun...getting 3 cranky, sick kids to cooperate for portraits. FUN WOW!

Bravo! Bravo! Encore! Encore!

What a wonderful performance. Earlier today DJ and I went the National Arts Centre and attended a Kinderconcert. WOW - it blew me away!

We saw the "opera" entitled, Annabelle Canto starring Christina Tannous and Dominic Boulianne. It was so great. I could never do a review justice, so, here, in DJ's words is what happened:

"I went to eat lunch with my girlfriend Emily. We had lots of good food. But I had yukky chocolate moosey and Emily had yummy chocolate cake. When we went to the music store and played with the stuff. It was fun. I wore a bow tie and my nice pants. Emily wore a blue dress. I like Emily the best. She is my girlfriend and we play together. We got to see singers there was a girl and a boy and the girl lost her voice. She could not sing and the piano man was very funny. He made a machine to help her. But she lost her voice. But they found it in a x-ray because she had a frog in her throat. She had an operation and now she can sing. It was fun and I liked the singing and I liked the girl's blue hair. My favorite part was lots of parts like when she ironed her hair and then when she drank the potion and when she called the Lost and Found Department and when he had pins and needles in his hands and when she touched my chin and when they got the frog out. I was happy they got the frog out of her throat. Can I go watch WonderPets now, Mommy?"

It was amazing to see this performance. I highly trained and extremely opera singer preforming for 100 children - who were all captivated (as were the adults!) I highly recommend this concert series and hope to attend another soon. If you are in the Ottawa area, check out the program! Support the Arts! Click HERE for more information.

Storrie Saturday

Here are a few cute Storrie Situations that occurred this week:


While I was feeding Madigan, Anderson came running into the room shouting, "I need a new shirt, I need a new shirt. My shirt has hole. I need a new shirt!". Sure enough his shirt had a big hole. I was suspicious of the hole, given its nice symmetrical lines. Then Ander shouted, "And I need new sock, sock has hole Mommy. And I need new hairs Mommy!". Puzzled, I look and sure enough he has a hole in his sock...and a lock of hair is missing. Ander then confirms my deductions by adding, "Mommy shirt not paper, no cut with scissors. Sock not paper. Hairs not paper. Only cut paper. Right Mommy?"
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We are in the throws of planning birthday parties for Anderson (turning 3) and DJ (turning 4). When putting the invitation list together for DJ, the first go-around had no male friends. When I asked him about it he replied," Well Mommy, I think I should only have girls at the party. I have lots of girlfriends and they are nice girls and girls do not make much messes, so you will be happy!".
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Chugging elle (see post from Thursday)
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This evening is the Santa Clause Parade. While putting the boys to bed last night we used it as a bribe to stay in bed and get a good sleep. DJ looked up at me with excitement oozing from his body, and said, " Santa is coming in a parade tomorrow? Is it one more sleep till Christmas, Mommy?"
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Have a great weekend everyone! We sure will be busy. I am scrapbooking all day (yippeeee) and then the whole family is going to see the evening Santa Clause parade. Then Grandpa arrives from BC for a short stop over on his way to a conference in Toronto. it is sure to be a fun and busy weekend for the Storrie family!

Lies, Cars and Graduation

Thank you everyone for your support and comments related to yesterday's post.

Sadly, I have a confession. I lied in the previous post. I stated that I never cursed in high school. That is not true. I apologize.

I am a bit dumb-founded that I forgot the graduation incident. To this day I chalk up my come-back line to being a classic, one of the best I have ever delivered.

Let's go back 20 years ago to the bowels of a old catholic high school cafeteria. Names have been changed to protect the identity of those involved.

I never really dated through high school. Perhaps I was too busy playing sports, doing extra-curricular activities, or perhaps it was due to the fact that my father taught in my high school. I remember one day getting the nerve up to ask Italian Soccer Player Extra-Ordinaire out. His response was, " You are really nice and all, but heck, I want to pass Geography". Or perhaps my lack of dates grew from my slight naivety and prudence. In grade 10 I was very good friends with a fellow jock. We sat on the bus together every day chatting, laughing and hanging out. Then one day, on the way home from school a discussion around a recent religion class ended our friendship. Hockey Player Extra-Ordinaire basically laughed about how Mrs. Merotta condemned premarital sex. This best-bud of mine straight out asked why I did not find the discussion hilarious and stupid. I innocently replied, "Well, she has a point, premarital sex is not right and it is against our religion, I plan to wait till I get married, like you should". That was the last time we sat together on the bus.

OK. I digress. Back to the graduation swearing incident.

All through high school I was good friends with Nice-Guy-Next-Door. We studied together. Hung out. Had lots of fun. Many of my fondest high school memories are just hanging out with Nice-Guy-Next-Door. As graduation approached we discussed grad-dates. We decided that it only made sense to go together. We were all set for lots of fun. We would double date with another couple.

In honour of the occasion, my parents promised me use of the vintage Mustang convertible that my mom owned. I remember telling Nice-Guy-Next-Door the arrangements. We are pretty excited.

Then, just two days before graduation and the big party, Nice-Guy-Next-Door announces that his buddy's father got them a awesome Porsche to ride in to the dinner. And, perhaps the girls could come in the convertible and the guys could come in the Porsche. I guess his philosophy was that we were all friends and that the big party was not really a date.

Well. I was furious. I had been really looking forward to going to the hall together. I guess I was hoping that in my fancy dress and make-up he would see me differently. Not as just a friend, maybe more than just a friend.

All I remember was taking a big step to be very close to Nice-Guy-Next-Door. I glanced at his buddy, and then looked him straight in the eyes and loudly proclaimed, " Well, Nice-Guy-Next-Door, all I can say is 'You can't f*ck a f*cking Porsche'"....turned, walked away, head high, until I heard the principle's voice calling me by my surname!

So, there you have it. Yes, I did swear in high school. But boy, was the look on his face priceless!

Bad Mother Award

OK - I win the Bad Mother Award for having a potty mouth and passing it onto my son DJ.

I did not swear in high school - at all. I did start to swear a bit in university, but it did not become a habit till I worked at a f*cking cabling company. I was the only female in a company of 45, and I was the only employee that did not actually string cable. The guys all worked very hard and they all had potty mouths! At first it offended me, but soon I fell into the habit.

I went from saying the occasional crap, to sh*t, to God-D*mning things, to using a gambit of 4-letter words, to finally, my prized expression: F*CKING HELL!

As I matured and found other career opportunities I cleaned up my act for the most part. Unfortunately, occasionally, in a highly charged situation, my prized expression still slips out.

That was OK, in most cases, but now, at home, with a 9 month old, an almost 3 year old and an almost 4 year old (PRIZED EXPRESSION, where has the time gone?) this expression is not acceptable.

I know that, PRIZED EXPRESSION, do I know that.

But a few weeks ago, my prized expression slipped out. Anderson had been throwing temper tantrums and carrying on like a fool, and due to the comotion, DJ missed the bus to afternoon kindergarten. I was upset, tired, frustrated, and I yelled out my prized expression. During our unscheduled bus chase and ultimate drive to the school yard, DJ repeated my prized expression a few times. I was so humiliated. I calmly explained to him that Mommy was wrong to use that expression and that no one should use that expression. I then made a mental note, and swore (how ironic is that action!) to never use my prized expression again.

Well, today, weeks since my prized expression was introduced into my son's ever-growing vocabulary, it reappeared.

I took all three kids to the local pool for a public swim. We had a blast! As I was buckling up the last car seat, Anderson yells out,"Ferber, Ferber is at the pool!" (side bar - Ferber is Anderson's security blanket, his well-loved, sleep-toy)

DJ, without missing a beat, and with the proper tone and anguish that any sailor or cable laying guy would be proud of, yells out," PRIZED EXPRESSION*, Anderson, you know you are not allowed to take Ferber out of the van. PRIZED EXPRESSION, Mommy, what can we do to solve this serious problem, PRIZED EXPRESSION, PRIZED EXPRESSION , PRIZED EXPRESSION???"

My almost four year old now has a nastiest and nasty potty mouths around.

PRIZED EXPRESSION, I'm ashamed of myself!

* DJ's pronunciation of my prized expression is actually "Chugging elle"

Wordless Wednesday

DJ and his friend Paul feeding the Chick-a-Dees

November 2007

Ultrasound results - or lack thereof

I have re-written this post about 100 times. I cannot seem to get my thoughts in order - mainly because I am currently an emotional mess.

Madigan's appointment went well in terms of her cooperating and the technician getting some good images. WHEW!

But, based on the questions asked by the technician and doctor and the demeanor and tone in the examination room, I fear the results will not be as we hoped. No real results were shared, and we should not jump to conclusions. But I cannot help but hear the phrase, "it is not a single hormonal cyst, your daughter has multiple fibroids and follicles on her one remaining ovary" bellowing between my ears.

I guess we just sit back and wait. Based on our understanding, what this probably will mean is simply continued follow-up ultrasounds and no action until the fibroids cause issues. Which is actually good news ...

...but part of me is so fearful that Madigan's remaining ovary will be damaged or have to be removed. I thought it was so surreal to be discussing my 2 months old reproductive organs and learning that even with one ovary she would have a normal "womanly cycle" and a normal chance of conceiving children. Now it seems the stakes have been raised. The same icky cells that high-jacked Madigan's left ovary have infiltrated the right ovary. Now it is a matter of waiting and seeing.

I think part of the difficulty I am having coping with this is the fact that I adore being a mother. I had terrible pregnancies (all-day, all night morning sickness, siatica, heartburn, you name it!). But at the same time I was so amazed that I had a baby inside of me! It was a wonderful wonder to me. When I had my children I became complete. If my daughter has my same mothering desire, I pray those fibroids do not rob her of experiencing the wonder of conceiving, caring and bearing a child.

OK, I am about to delete this for the millionth time and start over. I do not have the words to describe how I am feeling. I wish I did. Then I could remind myself that nothing is for sure. If she does loose that ovary, then there are other options on how to become a mother and furthermore, who knows what types of medical breakthroughs may come in her lifetime.

I also want to find the right words to rant about how awful I feel for "making" her this way. Sadly, there are times that I feel guilt for the health issues and surgeries my son DJ and my daughter Madigan have had to go through. The guilt seems to snowball and I fear my genes will also live on through to my grandchildren.

I am forcing myself to not delete this entry and just post it already! Be done with it, move on and go back to being the optimistic, happy, energetic, happy mom that I am in everyday life.

As I said in the start of this post: Madigan's appointment went well in terms of her cooperating and the technician getting some good images. WHEW! Now we sit and wait for the results.

Thank you everyone for your support and words of encouragement.

Emotion Overload

Well, it is 6:43 in the morning and the household is full with emotion.

Mommy and Daddy are HAPPY
- For the first time in over 7 months, Madigan slept through the night! She went to bed at 9PM and woke up at 6:25 in the morning.

Mommy is SLEEPY
- See above and add that Mommy's "booby-clock" woke her up every couple of hours.

Daddy is TIRED
- Poor Daddy worked till VERY LATE on Friday and then had to work all day Sunday. He did not get much of a weekend.

Mommy is EXCITED
- The boys spent the weekend with Nana and Pepe and they made a tree fort. Mommy misses the boys and cannot wait to hear all their tales of adventure.

Madigan is STUFFED
- It is early for Mags, but she has had a breakfast of champions - cereal, apple sauce and even some smashed up chicken with risotto and veggies.

Daddy is CONFIDENT and Mommy is ANXIOUS
- Later this morning Madigan goes to the Children's hospital for her follow-up appointment. Daddy is confident that the cyst found on her right ovary during her operation to remove her dermoid tumour is not a cause for concern. He is confident that it was simply an hormonal cyst and another surgery will not be needed.
- Mommy on the other hand is a bit anxious. She shares a wafer of Daddy's level confidence since Madigan is showing no signs of discomfort. But at the same time, she is anxious and is not really looking forward to long morning of tests and then the wait for results.

Madigan is OBLIVIOUS
- Madigan does not realize what is in store for her today. She has no idea that the reason she is getting all her favorite foods is that in 6 minutes, she cannot eat again until after the tests...which will probably not be completed till afternoon. Madigan is oblivious to the fact that so many people are praying for her.

Please send us your prayers and as many positive vibes you can muster.

Click here to read more about Madigan's story.

Lest we forget

Today at 11:00 AM many of us will pause for a moment to remember our veterans, to remember the battles won and lost, to remember the bravery and sacrifices men, women and entire families make to secure freedom. And many of us will shed a tear - I know I will.

I believe war is pointless, we are a rational, loving people and war is a terrible thing. But, I also support our troops serving today and yesterday. I admire their courage and pray for them and their families. I may not agree with the involvement of Canadian troops in far off battles such as Afghanistan - but I believe in freedom and I believe in human rights. But more so, I believe in God and I pray that conflicts around the world be resolved in a peaceful manner. I pray that innocent lives are protected and that those serving our country, any country, return home to their loved ones alive.

Last night we went out for dinner. We parked on Bank Street, just south of the Queensway. There is a little sewing supply store, we happened to park in front of this establishment. There in their window hung two signs. One indicating the regular store hours: Monday to Friday 10AM to 6PM, Saturday 9AM to 6PM and Sunday 12PM to 5PM. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

But paired with the message of the second sign, I was very turned off and a bit appalled. I was very saddened, sickened, and angry. I was dumbfounded by the message of the second sign, taking into consideration that this establishment only opens at noon on Sundays. You see, the second sign read as follows, " In accordance to City By-laws we will not open until 12:30 on Sunday, November 11".

Because of city by-laws... not out of respect for our veterans. This establishment is opening one half hour later than normal not to be respectful, or patriarchal, but because the law says so.

Perhaps the person who typed out that sign did not mean any disrespect, perhaps they were just stating the facts. But I read that sign and felt the tone was condescending, cockiness and it made me think perhaps this store owner was a bit ticked off he would loose one half hour of business time on a weekend. Well, many families and soldiers have lost much more than that.

These are the facts that matter:

*In the First World War, 625,825 Canadians served in that war with 61,082 of those being killed and 154,361 Canadians being wounded.

*In the Second World War, 1,086,343 Canadians served in that war with 42,042 of those being killed and 54,414 Canadians being wounded.

*In the Korean War, 27,751 Canadians served in that war with 516 of those being killed and 1,072 Canadians being wounded.

* During Canadian Peacekeeping missions from 1950 to 2007 more than 100,000 Canadians have served and 100 have been killed. Seventy-one Canadian military personnel have been killed since 2002 in the war-torn country of Afghanistan.

The fact is, Canada has and continues to make huge sacrifices and a few moments of tribute to the men and women of our military is not too much to ask.

I am not sure why the wording of the sign in the at window of that store angered me so much. Perhaps it is because my Papa was a POW in the Second World War. He was a wonderful man, but I know that so much of his heart and soul died during his time at war and the months that he was held captive. I miss him. And my heart goes to every family who has lost a family member and to those separated by war and peacekeeping missions. Perhaps I was angered since with modern media we see the horrible images of war, and to me, opening a store a bit later on Remembrance Day is no big deal - but marking and paying tribute on Rememberance Day, is a big deal - the real deal.

I remember and will always remember, I will never forget - thank you to all who have sacrificed so I can live free.

Storrie Saturday

Well, the Trilogy was in top form this week. All three of them had some real zingers and some remarkable actions through the week.

The boys and Mommy are playing cars in the front room. Every time Mommy's car crashes into another car she grabs the owner and tickles and wrestles them. Squeals all around until DJ stands up and says, "Ser-eeeee-us-ly Mommy, you should grow up and stop acting so much like a kid;you're a Mommy!"
++++++++
Mommy braved the public swimming pool with all three kids. Anderson, our little daring fish was having a blast swimming, jumping and sliding into the water. After about a million jumps off the side of the pool he got a bit braver. Mommy was holding mags and helping DJ when we heard the familiar shout, "AMAZING ANDERSON" and with that Ander DOVE over top of us and landed head first into the water. He surfaced and yelled, "AGAIN!". The young lifeguard came over and answered, "Not again, that is dangerous". Anderson replies, "Dangerous, but fun!" (what are we in for as Ander gets older, I am a bit nervous!!!)
++++++++
Madigan was cruising the couch and found a puzzle piece from the Alphabet Book Puzzle. She reached over and started playing with it. Without realizing it, she let go of the couch with both hands and started to mouth the piece. She balanced for a good 15 seconds! Then got a shocked look on her face and fell down to her bum! Then, she looked at the puzzle piece she had found - the D - and then started to sing her new sound, "de de de de de de de de".
++++++++
At dinner time DJ politely asked for another glass of milk. Mommy and Daddy praised him for being polite, but neither jumped up to get the milk. DJ then, very innocently said, "Could I PLEEZE have it TODAY?" Mommy and Daddy fell over laughing - DJ had no idea how perfectly his choice of words and tone came across! (what are we in for as DJ gets older, I am a bit nervous!!!)
++++++++
Poor Ander was having a rough morning filled with tears, temper tantrums and fits. DJ was trying to play nicely and was finding Anderson's behaviour very disrupting. DJ jumped to his feet, put one hand on his hip and pointed to the door and sternly said, " Mr. Anderson, leave your baggage at the door and come have some fun!"
++++++++

My dog

I fondly remember my good old school days. I was never a stellar student, but I worked hard and completed all assignments on time. In my household due dates were written in stone. My father was a high school teacher and the importance of getting an education was not lost in our household.

Never once did I even contemplate using the old excuse, "the dog ate me homework", until now.

All day I have been attempting to log onto the internet. Access has been off and on all day - mostly off when I have tried to connect to write my post.

I have felt like I did in the wee hours of the night/morning trying to complete a school project. That rush of adrenalin keeping you in line. That sugar high from the oodles of gummie bears and worms. The final sigh of completing the assignment the best you could (under the circumstances) and then curling up in bed hoping to drift off to sleep, panicked on what grade your effort may warrant in the end.

So, here I am at 11:46 PM eastern time brain storming and trying to type quickly while also attempting to piece together a half decent post. I am haing no luck...I need an excuse.

So, while I desperately try to come up with a great last minute entry for my NaBloPoMo daily assignment, I will nonchalantly glance behind my desk to a tangle mess of cords and cables to verify that no dog ate my internet cable...you never know!

My first Award!

Well, my parents would be proud!

I was just given a "Thinking Blogger Award" by Kelly at Don Mills Diva. Me. An award. A THINKING award. WOW! It is not a soccer trophy, or a volleyball medal, or a nearest-to-the-hole golf prize. It has nothing to do with rugby, swimming or any other sport that had dominated my life since, well, since forever! A THINKING AWARD! That is like almost academic-like! Way cool! I did good!

On a serious note - thank you Kelly. I am honoured that you included me in the list - know that I would include you in my list of nominations for sure!

I write my blog mainly for me and my own sanity, but, at the same time I love that other people read my posts and perhaps can relate in some way. To think that my little musings got someone thinking makes me feel like a job well done. I love to blog as a release, as an outlet - but I am also very attracted to the world of blogging as an arena to share, learn, empathize and grow. I have "met" some wonderful blogging friends and have, read stories that have made me laugh, cry, wonder and think. I am addicted to this new form of therapy!

This award is also a meme and it works like this:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to five blogs that make you think.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

3. Proudly display the “Thinking Blogger Award” with a link to the post that you wrote

So, I would like to pass this award onto a few other special bloggers who are surely more deserving than I to receive a "Thinking Blogger Award":

Slouchy Mom over at Slouching Past 40 - Her posts are true, exquisitely written and I cannot wait each morning to see her most recent post. Kelly has already tagged Slouching Mom so I just second that nomination!

Andrea at No More Decorators uses wit, sarcasm and honesty when writing about her life as a independent songwriter and signer, while moonlighting during the day in a government cubical. Her blog makes me think about the crap I eat each and every day, about how independent artists are stretched financially and their commitment to their media propels them when funds are tight, and how every day life can be comical and fulfilling when filled with people and things (a banjo, for example) that we love.

Mrs. Incredible at That's Life v2.0 also deserves this award. I have been reading her blog for awhile now and it helped me finally decide to grab an address of my own and start blogging. I LOVE that for the NoBloPoMo challenge she is running through each letter of the alphabet. her entries for A through G have been great - I cannot wait for X,Y and Z!

Another blog I have been reading since before I started "The Fringe" is Plain Jane Mom. Erika is hilarious and fun to read. I can SOOOOOOOOO relate to her posts. She rocks!

The final blog I would like to nominate is a very special blog. Every post at Life with Hannah and Lily makes me stop and cherish my three wee ones. Rachd is simply a very strong, wonderful woman whose world was totally turned up-side-down earlier this summer when her precious daughter was called to be an angel. her blog is filled with love, devotion and each day her readers/friends see her struggle to come to terms with her situation.

Oh boy! I could have nominted so many great bloggers! My list of daily reads is growing every day! I am really enjoying this social network of bloggers. We all come from different backgrounds, situations and even moral stands, but we all share a single passion to share, explore and perhaps, once in awhile, we all want to make people stop and think.

Wordless Wednesday

Anderson Puddle Jumping

9 Months Fly By

Today my precious little girl turns 9 months old. How the time has flown! Do not get me wrong, there were some days, evenings, nights and weeks that seemed to last an eternity...but all in all, the time has flown by.

It seems like just yesterday (June 27, 2006) that we discovered we would be expecting our third child in three years.

It seems like just yesterday I calmly informed my hubby that my water broke (February 6, 2007 - 6:46am).

It seems like just yesterday I help my princess for the first time (February 6, 2007 - 3:12am).

It seems like just yesterday that Madigan completed our family and allowed my heart to expand to it's intended capacity.

At the same time:

It seems like ages ago that hubby and I fretted and worried about the viability of this pregnancy and pondered all the delivery risks that seemed to quadruple this time around.

It seems like ages ago that I became unsettled over the demeanor of the ultrasound technician.

It seems like forever ago that we were told our little, unborn baby girl had a sizable tumor in her belly.

It seems like many moons ago my hubby and I were clutching hands, seated in the office of the head of the neo-natal care unit discussing the upcoming c-section and how our little unborn baby girl would be cared for after her delivery.

It seems like a life time ago that I hugged, kissed and then handed over my 2-month old baby girl to the surgeons.

It seems like forever ago that we waited and waited for word of the successful removal of the non-cancerous, dermoid cyst that hijacked and killed my little girl's left ovary and fallopian tube.
It seems like our little Girlie Girl has been with us forever...life without our Mags seems like a lifetime ago.

The nine months have flown by. With the boys, I felt very free since I had decided to not return to work outside the home. I was not on the maternity leave countdown. I empathized with my friends as they each returned to work - but I really did not understand their return-to-work anxiety. I do now! I am on that count down.

Here in Canada, we are so fortunate to have a 12 month maternity option, but...

The first three months of maternity leave was a blur. Nursing, adjusting, nursing, adapting, nursing and bonding take all your time. I blinked and three LONG months had passed. I was surprised - and a relieved to have made it!

The next three months were so much fun - lots of milestones for baby. It is a wonderful time of bonding and becoming a family. At six months I thought, "Wow, I have been on mat leave for 6 months". I was astonished that it has passed so quickly, but then I realized my 12 months of leave are now half over. YEEEK!

And now, at 9 months I am more than half-way done my maternity leave. Saying I am 3/4 done seems strange...it seems more apropos to say that I am now almost done. Only 3 months remain. I feel nervous and anxious. This time I do have a (GREAT) job to go back to, and best of all, my hours allow me to be home during the day and childcare is not required. It is a perfect arrangement...but I still lament over what little time I have left! Well, I better start living each day to the fullest, I only have 92 days left!



Dear Madigan Victoria,

Oh, how I love you. Your smile, your silly frown, your giggle and your meticulous crawl. I love your bald head, your perfect toes and your Budda-belly. You, along with your older brothers, and your wonderful father complete me. May you always know that I love you, care for you and will support you the best way I know how, through your entire life. If the last nine months are any indication, you have the strength, determination, and tenacity to conquer anything life may send your way. Take your time growing up. Savour every moment of your childhood and let yourself live, laugh and love as much as you can - today and everyday.

Soccer Pitch, spelled with a B

I am a die-hard soccer fan. I am not a hooligan - but I love the game. A pet peeve of mine occurs when someone calls the area in which you play soccer a soccer field. It is a pitch! I also hate when people call the foot apparel for soccer cleats...they are boots! Get it right! Now, I do call it soccer and not football - but hey, I was born and raised in Canada - a great football game already exists.

OK - this blog entry is not going in the direction I thought or wanted it to go! Let's get back on track.

For today's post I wanted to rant a bit and do a soccer bitch session, and I want to talk about a Soccer Bitch that was on the soccer pitch during my last game.

For my indoor team I am playing goalie. I am enjoying it and get a fairly good work out since the league is fairly competitive. Well, during our game on Saturday I had an alteration with a player form the other team that just makes me shake my head and wonder!

I am manning between the posts and during active play she crowds me and pushes me a bit. Fair game. I got control of the ball and went to play it out to my teammate and she obstructed me and there was a bit of contact between us. She has the audacity to shriek," Careful, I have an extremely sprained ankle!". Yep....apparently, she can rough me up, but she is too injured to take what she dishes out. And to top this off, during every placed kick she crowded the net - meaning she stood ear me trying to obstruct me and cause me, the goalie, grief. Hey, all fair when done within the rules...but if you are going to dish it, you better be able to take it.

Is it wrong that after she shrieked about her ankle I took notice to see which ankle she was favouring? Is it wrong that I made no effort to get out of her way? Is it wrong that I deliberately played rough around her and her injured ankle?

Heck no...if you are going to play injured then you better be prepared to take it!

OK - soccer bitch over...

Game on!

PS - I am so happy that I am 5/5 for the blog a day! I hope friends, family and fellow bloggers will add comments and such...I live for that!

The Longest Hour of the Day

I stand in front of the stove, placing the finishing touches on the dinner that will soon be devoured by my hungry and cranky crew.

I glance at the digital clock on the stove face.

6:14

I smile and as I spoon out 3 kiddie portions I think, " WOW, 6:15 already, what a long day! Dinner, bath, then bed, for the munchkins and TV for me.. YIPPEE, Amazing Race & Desperate Housewives"

My body aches, my head pounds. IT HAS BEEN A LONG DAY!

Whoever said that with the fall Day Lights Savings switch you get an extra hour of sleep must not have had kids! Our day started like it does every day at 5:55AM --- no wait --- with the time change, that is 4:55AM. NO WONDER I AM TIRED!

I glance back at the digital clock on the stove face.

6:17

I smile and as I spoon out 2 adult portions I think, " I can make it, I can make it...only 103 minutes...I can make it!"

Hubby walks into the kitchen holding a teething, cranky 8 month old, and as he calls to the boys to come for dinner, gives me a peck on the cheek while reaching past me and adjusts the stove clock to read 5:18.

DAMN DAY LIGHT SAVINGS TIME!

Super Savings Saturday

Well, this morning I partook in the ritual known in our house as super savings. The Multiple Birth Families Association of Ottawa hosted their annual fall super sale. It is a great opportunity to shop for everything you may need for your children. Having 3 young ones, I live for this sale that happens twice a year.

What great deals I found! I am the queen of $1.00 items! I got some very nice pants for both boys, long sleeve shirts and sweat tops and fleece tops for both boys and even a couple of pairs of wind pants...for both boys. All for a dollar each, and all in great condition! I splurged a little and spent a couple of bucks on two nice sweaters and two pairs of dress pants for the boys and $10 on a Columbia jacket and $8 on a rain outfit...for the boys.... I spent $72.12 on DJ and Anderson's winter wardrobe. They are all set for size 3X to 6!

Notice a trend????? I did not buy a single piece of clothing for my little girlie girl. What is up with that? Poor little thing! But to tell you the truth, I was a bit overwhelmed by the huge selection of girls clothes.

You see, very rarely do you find good quality boys clothes at a great price - so, when I find size 4, 5, or 6 items, I grab them! Boys seem to be so much rougher on their clothes. And I truly think people, in general, enjoy buying girlie little clothes, so, there is a huge quantity available for resale. I also found that the price of resale girl items much higher in comparison to boy items. For example - I found boy jeans - $2.00 and then saw girl jeans, in the smae condition for $9.00 ---- CRAZY!

So, while I love that I have the opportunity to dress a little baby in pink for a change, I certainly did not capitalize on the sale possibilities this time around. But perhaps I am simply rationing Madigan's clothing allowance funds since i have heard those teenage years can be expensive!

The sale was not a total loss for Madigan, I did buy her a cute little doll for $1.00!

Got Milk? Get to bed!

Well, I am sitting here typing this wishing to God I liked coffee...I am dead tired and a bit frazzled. We had a very, very long night with Anderson.

Anderson has this thing for milk - he loves it - wants it - demands it constantly. If we let him, he would drink 4 litres of the white stuff a day. But here is the real kicker - it is not even the real stuff that he drinks - it is fake milk, wanna-be milk!

Anderson has always liked milk, starting right with booby milk. He took to breast feeding like a seasoned pro. He weaned himself, so, there were no real issues. Then he got hooked on homo milk, then we switched him to 2%, then 1% - he loves it all.

But then I started noticing how much he was drinking and that there was a direct correlation between his white-liquid consumption and his eczema flair ups and consequently his bad sleeping and that lead to behaviour issues during the waking hours.

I did a bit of homework and decided that perhaps milk was a cause for concern in his diet. So we tried soy milk. Yeek - huge eczema flair up! (did you know that 90% of those who have lactose issues with milk also react to soy milk?). We finally tried rice milk. VOILA!

Have you ever drank rice milk ---- YUK! No better way to describe this watery-on-tasting stuff. But, tell Anderson it is milk, and he is all over it!

I am at wits end. Last night Anderson was up from 2:30 AM to 5:00 AM screaming for milk. We tried giving him a bit...then a bellow of, "I NEEEEEEED MOOORRE MMMMILK" would shake the foundation of our house. So, we put our foot down and said no...well the fit lasted almost 2 hours.

We even went to extremes and put him in the bad boys chair... and when that did not work, allowed him to get his coat on to go buy milk on his own in the dark. (I am now wondering if Ander knows of a corner dealer of shady milk...should I be worried?) Note, he did not leave the garage, but we hoped the scary night would convince him to go back to bed.

What to do? Do we let him carry on like this and we risk the entire household waking up? How do we curb this milk demand? How do we keep the sanity? How do we get some sleep? Do we cave and keep the rice milk/water flowing?

Suggestions? Anyone? Anyone?

The ironic thing about it all is that through all the chaos and shouting Madigan slept...she slept from 12:14AM to 5:43AM - a new record.

Maybe I will brew a cup of coffee - hold the milk, black please!

NaBloPoMo - EIEIO!

Well, November is National Blog Posting Month, or NaBloPoMo. And I have decided that for me to become a hard-core blogger, I need to embrace, celebrate and commit!

So, I will be taking the NaBloPoMo challenge and posting an entry every day in November... Surely, I will have enough Storrie Stories to share...

Some fellow bloggers choose a topic, or theme. I am not that organized...so, feel free to help my creative process and send me possible topics.

I cannot wait to visit all my favorite blogs and support all my new blog-friends in their quest to post every day this month.

Wordless Wednesday

Let them eat cake!

Late one evening while breastfeeding I saw a cooking show on late night TV that really caught my attention. The gourmet chef made a very special birthdays cake. Looking down at my suckling six week old, I just knew I had to try to make this cake!

I waited 46 weeks for DJ and Anderson's birthdays to come and I copied the cake that chef made...I knew it would be the hit of the party. And it was..... it brought new meaning to two key phrases: "Eat your veggies" and the famous, "Let them eat cake!".

Here is the finished product. YUMMY!



Here is the recipe:

(You can use your own family meatloaf recipe or my veggie-stuffed favorite)

1 pound ground hamburger
1 package firm tofu (or more hamburger)
1/4 cup chopped up red and green peppers
1/4 cup chopped up broccoli
1 chopped up onion
1 clove of garlic crushed
1 diced zucchini
2 shredded carrots
2 eggs
1 cup crushed up crackers
1/4 cup diced cheddar cheese
1/4 cup ketchup

Mix all ingredients into a big bowl.

Divide mixture into two sprayed cake pans and cook till meatloaf is done. Let cool.

Make up a HUGE amount of mashed potatoes - or as they are called in our house: SMASHED POTATOES. You will need enough to use as icing for your cake and decorate.

I put some in a baggie with a bit of food colouring and used that to pipe on decorations. The gourmet chef went to extremes cutting carrots and radishes into flowers.

Assemble your meatloaf layers as your would any cake...icing the outside and between the layers. Even cut, it looks like a real cake!

Decorate and serve....and eat your veggies and your cake at the same time!!!!

Who said kids will not eat veggies? These cakes were devoured!

(PS - now on meatloaf night, I make little cupcake meatloaf and use smashed potato icing! Another hit!)

People still talk about the Meatloaf cakes...2 years later!

This is my entry in today's blog blast, which is sponsored by Harper Collins, the publisher of Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious, and hosted by the Parent Bloggers Network, where you'll find lots of other entries to read. Or, why not write your own entry? One lucky winner will receive a $250 Williams Sonoma gift card. Thanks to Slouching Mom for the link.

Stay in School Speech

Is it ever too early to start giving the "Stay in School" speech? I do not think so...especially after walking DJ to the bus stop yesterday.

Here is the conversation I had with my son, the Junior-Kindergarten Attendee:

DJ: WOW mom, I like all the leaves. They are pretty colours. Why do they change colours in the Fall?

ME: Well, the tree knows that winter is coming and some leaves do not like the cold, so when the summer sun is not helping them stay green, they start to change colour and then they fall to the ground.

DJ: Oh. Cool. So, leaves fall so we know it is fall. What is that man doing?

ME: He is fixing his ditch drainage pipe. Maybe some dirt got into it and he needs to clear it out.

DJ: Oh. Cool. Look at the plane in the sky mom. How does it stay up there?

ME: The pilot knows how strong the engine needs to be and the right angle for the wings and the plane stays up with aerodynamics - or something like that.

DJ: Oh. Cool. Boy mom you are really smart.

ME: Thanks DJ. You will get very smart too the longer you go to school. It is important to keep in school and learn all kinds of cool stuff.

DJ: Mom, I think kindergarten is enough for me. If I ever need to know anything, I can just ask my smart mommy.

hmmmmmmm....do I have him fooled or what!

Wordless Wednesday

My First Meme - 7 Random Facts About Me

Way back on October 15 my friend Andrea tagged me for a meme. I was pretty frigg'n thrilled, as it is the first time this has happened...but alas, life got in the way (French mid-term, sewing Halloween costumes, etc.) and I took a short hiatus from posting...but I am back and here is the meme.

7 Random Facts About Me

1) I asked my husband out on our first date. After a rainy, cold soccer match I went up to him and said, "If you want to get to know me off the soccer pitch, I'd be game for that!" Immediately after our first date my good friend S-L and I drove to Perth for a soccer tournament, during the drive I informed S-L that I think I will marry David...and I was right.

2) I LOVE licorice and when I open a new bag, I have a quirky way of eating it. You MUST eat one of each colour before just grabbing some, or before repeating a colour. It is a rule...even my husband now follows it!

3) Up to grade 11, I wanted to be a nun. Yep, believe it or not, that is a fact!

4) In 1999 I took an adventure trip to Africa - I had hoped it would be the proverbial "life changing experience".... AND IT WAS - BIG TIME!

5) I love INTERACTIVE FOOD. Anything I can pick at and get messy eating...ribs, chicken wings, shelled sunflower seeds, crab...the more interactive the better!

6) In grade 12 I basically delivered a baby! I was working at a convenience store and a pregnant lady came in and her water broke and she went into labour - I had to call 911 and close down the store...the baby was born in the store. I was thrilled to hear the proud parents named the little girl "Caitlyn Laura"... and happy the name was not "Caitlyn Qwiki Mini Mart".

7) I absolutely ADORE my husband. He is amazing and the fact is, I am super lucky to have him in my life. And on the same note, I ADORE my 3 wonderful kids. I would do anything for David, DJ, Anderson and Madigan - they are my life, my loves and my dreams come true.

Ok....now I get to tag people....here goes!

I would like to learn 7 random facts about the following really cool blogging friends I have recently "met":

Kelly at Donmillsdiva
Slouching mom at Slouching past 40
Danigirl at Postcards from the Mothership
Mrs. Schmitty at It's A Schmitty Life
Liz at Mom 101

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Mom

Need I add more? I do not think so. This Mom has nailed it!

My Excuses

It has been brought to my attention that I have not posted an entry since last Saturday...here are my excuses:

French Test
Soccer Tournament
First Indoor Soccer Match
Volunteer Day at Preschool
Warm, Sunny Fall afternoons
Kaleidoscope of Fall colours outside my window
Free Swim Sessions
French Presentation
French Presentation
French Presentation
Halloween Costume Planning
Material Shopping for Halloween Costumes
New Baby Coming Gift Planning for 3 Friends
Hot Games of Candy Land and Colour Jumping
A New Swing Set in our Side Yard
Laundry
Apple Picking
Play Group
New TV Shows ---- Must sees include: Pushing Daisys, Grey's Anatomy,
Private Practice, Bionic Woman,
Dirty Sexy Money
Breast Feeding 2-6 Times in the Night
Preparing for the Nepean Giant Garage Sale
Scrapbooking
Gardening
Long Walks
Cribbage Battles
Snuggling

Hope to have more time next week - I miss my daily fix!