Taking a few days off

Welcome to flu and cold season!! My official welcome came a couple of days ago. With me trying to fight the illness for the last couple of days, waking up really stuffed up and with a sore throat, I woke up extremely early to three kids in my bedroom. Turns out that the Mya has been attacked by the flu bug. There we are, 4:30 in the morning dealing with a sick girl. Blah. It's now 11am and she's finally slowed down enough to sleep. Ahh, relief.

What I don't get is why you get the flu shot, but end up getting sick with the flu anways! She's the only one in our house that had the flu shot this year. So wy is she the only one in this house that got the flu? Kinda pointless don't ya think?

How Chloe Got Her Name...

So when I was pregnant with Chloe, Cam & I were trying to pick out names. Our way of doing this was going through a book of names and writing down the ones we liked. Well as he was going through my list he had said "Well I like Isabelle better than Shlo". I just kinda sat there for a minute thinking Shlo?? Where did he get that name from? So I asked him, and he pointed to Chloe. How he got Shlo out of Chloe I have no idea since Ch never makes a shh sound!! Everyone found it hilarious, but Laura was the one who made it stick as a nickname.

Then in the past six months she started going by other names as well. One day her name was Jade (a Bratz name, but also her middle name), and the next day her name was Jasmine. Then as we started talking to Laura more on the computer Chloe decided that she didn't like being called Shlo. Of course Laura said that was too bad. By the time her birthday came around Chloe came to a conclusion that she should be called Shlo Jasmine. So that is now her name (besides Chloe of course!) that she wants to be called. She laughs when Laura calls her Shlo because then she thinks that her Auntie forgot her name!

For her birthday this year I decided to make her cake. I ended up making two so there would be enough for both families, and also one was chocolate and the other was white. I had decorated one and Laura did the other one for me. One was for Chloe and the other was for Shlo Jasmine.

So there is the story of Chloe's many names.

What Is It With Some People???

Seriously!! I just went for a walk to take my daughters to the babysitters (I'm supposed to be cleaning this afternoon. But in my defense I'm eating my lunch right now and venting!!). On my way home there were some people out walking their dog which was fine, of course that's not where I had the problem. The problem was when they stopped and let their dog crap on the road in front of someone's house!! I'm sorry but there's a field right across the street!! And to make matters worse, they just walked away without cleaning it up!! Couldn't even put it off to the side where people wouldn't step in it! Grrrr....

So I'm walking past them now, not saying anything, and the woman just looks and me and keeps on walking. It was a grown woman and a boy that looked like he should've been in school!! When they were just a little bit behind me I heard her say "I guess we should get a bag." Uhh, yeah!! Don't tell me that thought JUST crossed your mind! That did it for me and I just started walking faster and hurried home to vent on here. I just hope they actually go back and clean it up, but wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.

Simplicity

So today Chloe got me back to thinking about the simple things and thoughts that we may be missing in our lives. Sometimes I feel that we are all too busy and always wanting the big things in life. How often do we want something simple? What sparked this train of thought was when Chloe was watching one of her tv shows. Suddenly she said "Mom I wish I could be in a bubble". The characters on tv were blowing bubbles and one of them ended up getting stuck inside one of them. Well she thought that was just the coolest thing ever! Screw the toys she had seen on tv, now she just wants to be inside a bubble!!

For me I always find myself wanting more. I need a new pair of pants, I need a spa day, a night out, etc... SO now I sit here and think about the simple things that I often want as well. A nice hot bath with candles lit, a quiet night with my husband watching a movie or playing a game, a day when my hubby is in one of his goofy/ticklish moods and will actually let down his guard and just laugh, to be able to go out fishing and just enjoy the beauty around me. I would be so happy to be able to do these things more often rather than get caught up with the busyness of life. Instead I find myself sitting at home and wanting a night out, go out for supper AND a movie, do some travelling, etc... I just want to try to add a couple simple things to my weekly routine. If I could do that then it would be nice.

I Hope You Know...

Sitting here thinking of you,
And everything that we've been through.
Being blessed with our love,
Like a gift from above.
We have our problem slike all people do,
But it always comes down to me and you.
You give me confidence that I can do anything,
You have no idea the joy that you bring.
You give meaning to my life,
I was so proud to become your wife.
You took my daughter in as your own,
As if she were a seed that you yourself had sewn.
You love her like she were "ours"
You'll spend time with her for hours.
You have no idea how much it really means to me,
For her to be as happy as can be.
These are the things that make me love you so,
And I hope one day you will truely know....

My Darling Daughter

Due to the preschool being full in our town, I have been trying to teach my four year old daughter, Chloe, some basics that she'll need for preschool. She has started to learn how to write her name (which is going much better than I thought!), holding a pencil properly, coloring, crafts and cutting properly with scissors. So on Friday I bought her a brand new pair of scissors just for her.

She was so proud of new brand new scissors and was willing to cut anything I asked. But then we decided to take a break until after supper. It was as I was getting ready to go get it (we splurged on lasagna) that I noticed something was a little bit different about her. This is where my hairdressing instincts kicked in. Right away I noticed her hair, and how she had cut it on both sides!! I was so mad!! This isn't the first time she cut her hair (the first time her hair was dirty, and we just about had it grown out!!), so this made it a little worse. Needless to say that after only having her scissors for half a day, they were quickly taken away.

After I had calmed down a bit more, I talked to Cam about it and we decided that she had to get her hair cut short. She had given herself a mullet that I just couldn't stand to look at. Here are some visuals for you!







So then came the time to tell her what would happen. She was furious!! She was freaking out so hard that I couldn't even get close to her hair!! She had both hands gripped to her hair in the back that if I pulled on her arms she would've ripped out some hair! Finally I took her aside and talked to her about it. She was scared that I was going to cut her hair as short as Mya's...



So I explained that it wouldn't be that short and showed her how much would be taken off,etc... She was actually excited once she understood. So this is the end result...







I have no idea how she can pull off any style (except mullets!!) but she does! It makes me jealous! But she loves her hair now. She's very happy about it and so am I. I'm also happy to see that some of her curl is coming back. This is definitely a time that I am glad to be a hairdresser!!

Bring On The Snow!!

So today is a very blah day for me. Fall is really making itself at home. Today I went to go do my MIL's hair and while there it really started to rain. But Ever so slowly little flakes of snow started making their way to the ground. Eventually it was a nice mix of the stuff, along with sleet. I love winter, but I don't like how wet it makes everything when this weather first comes around. I love nice light snow falls and light rain showers, just not together.

Today was also the start of an afterschool program in our town. It's such a good thing. Kids from ages 6-12 can go there from 3:30pm-6:00pm Tuesdays and Thursdays and get help with their homework, make crafts, play some games or sports, etc... They provide a healthy snack for all who go to help them get through until supper time. And the best thing about this is that it's FREE!!! There are so many kids in this town that go home to an empty house that aren't even of age to do that. I just really hope that these parents take advantage of this program. But of course there had to be a problem right? So I had promised that I would take Madison and her friend Madison (it gets very confusing!! They're both Madison H's as well!!) to this thing. Well I didn't know that it would be raining/snowing today!!! I also didn't know that I wouldn't have a vehicle available so I could drive them either!! So here I am, walking the two blocks to the youth center, with four little girls with broken umbrellas, jumping over puddles in the rain!! It must've looked pretty funny. We had a good walk and I am very thankful that we don't live too far from there!!

Hope everyone is enjoying the weather and the cold season!! I'm tryign to avoid the colds, but have a feeling that it'll catch up to me. Ugh.

And did I mention that my glasses broke again today?? Yeah, the arm came right off!! Great! Good thing I got a fresh supply of contacts five days ago!! lol

Is it really just us???

So this is a much needed vent post. I bet Laura is already laughing because she knows what it's about!!

So we were at the in-laws for our Thanksgiving meal today. I had got there about three hours before everyone else so the kids could play and so I could help out a bit with supper like I usually do. Now don't get me wrong here. I like doing this. By the time supper came around, people were late (which was fine), people are busy doing their own thing, kids are cranky (or getting hurt which I'll post about tomorrow) and I am starting to get tired. Finally supper gets underway. By this time I am getting pretty hungry. Just hurry up and let me eat already!!! But the meal was worth waiting for. Turkey and the works!! Yum. But it's what happened after supper that's got me all worked up. This happens every time!! Everyone is so happy to come over for a meal, but no one ever is willing to help out!! Why is this?? Seriously!! Is it that hard to help clear the table an dput a few things away???? There are 10 adults!! But it always seems to be the same people helping out. There's Mom-in-law, myself and Laura mainly that get off our butts to help out so we can enjoy some dessert. Cam will help out and so will Brad, but no one else seems to think that they should even lift a finger to help out. By this time I'm getting a little grouchy because it happens all of the time. So we finally get most of the things cleared and of course it's up to us to get the desserts ready. But heaven forbid that they actually have to get off their butts and serve themselves!! I noticed that not as many seconds happened because of this. Then of course I'm sitting down and enjoying it and my tea when our niece comes in and says that Mya is gettin a little smelly, so I tell Cam to go change her. Well this became a little fight (hehe) and he ended up going to change her. Well, I couldn't believe the reactions!! My M-I-L said "Well why don't you go help him?" I said no, he could do it himself (seriously, how often do I get help changing her??? not often at all!! And this was my time to sit down for a bit!) Then his eldest brother had to pipe in over other comments. Now, I have enough trouble with this guy and his snide remarks most of the time, but today he just pissed me off at the wrong time. I can't remember EXACTLY what he said, but it was something along these lines "Well there isn't a reason why you can't go help him" (said in that voice that just ticks me off). That was the last straw. Here I am already pissed off because there's more stuff to be done and no one was moving and I wasn't about to be the first to jump at it. THen he makes this comment and until then I was trying to bite my tongue. Suddenly my mouth flew open and I couldn't stop the words that were coming out of my mouth. I think it was something along the lines of "Well there isn't a reason why you can just sit here and not help with anything!!" I couldn't believe that actually came out of my mouth. I was in shock!! I was glad that it finally came out (it's been brewing in there for YEARS!!!) and wasn't quite sure whether or not I would get a bunvh of nasty glares or not. But I was even more shocked by the response!! All of a sudden I hear a "Thank You!!" and look over to see Laura trying not to laugh and giving me a wink. I really didn't care if I would have gotten everyone pissed off of me or not, it just needed to be said. Damn I felt good after that!! It ws amazing that after I got up and started cleaning up again that there were a couple new hands helping out in the kitchen!! All I know is that's one of the first times that I've ever been able to shut him up and get a little help in return.

But I'm not going to get too excited for when our next function comes around. I would like to say that I'm just going to sit on my butt and let someone else do the work, but that would be a lie. Nothing would ever get done that way, unless M-I-L did it all herself. Sigh.

So tell me, does this seriously only happen to us?? Is there any hope for the future?? Whatever may come, I feel very proud of myself and feel much better after venting.

More About Me....#2

So I just took this little 41 (quick) question quiz that tells me some things about myself. It was actually pretty acurate! If you'd like to see my results or try it for yourself it's just on the right side of my blog under the same heading. Enjoy!!

My Halloween Costume??

So, I got this from Paige's site. So I thought I'd give it a try. But I think at this point in my life this costume would only make an appearance in the bedroom!!

Your Halloween Costume Should Be

A Sexy Bunny

What Should You Be For Halloween?

Fear

I was already so afraid
That this silly thing should come
It has entered my home
No warning or opinion about it.
I fear that I will lose my husband to it.
It's already taking control
What is there for me to do??
I could handle it occasionally,
But seriously!! This is rediculous!!!!
This is supposed to be our time!!
Damn free fishing network!!!
I will never forgive you for taking over my husband!!

Thankfulness

The Thankful meme...thank you Laura!!

it's very simple: The purpose is to list 6-8 things that you are thankful for then tag 5 others to list what they’re thankful for.

So here it goes in no certain order!

1. Family. I have to be thankful for my family. I was blessed with a very loving husband, wonderful kids (90% of the time!) and a caring family (both mine and in-laws). I love being around family, there is no greater feeling. Without them I would be comepletely lost.

2. Games. Whether it's bord games, card games or some kind of system I love them all for the entertainment they bring me and my family!! They're such a wonderful way to get together, to get to know ech other better or just quality time together.

3. Freedom. For this I am truly thankful. The freedom to write, sing, laugh. The freedom of being at home with my girls and not having to worry about working. The freedom to be me.

4. My hair. I love, love, love my hair!! I love how I can change it to how I'm feeling. How just changing your hair cna make you look like a totally different person. I love how you can change your color, cut or style and not worry about if you're stuck with that look forever. I love how forgiving hair is! Screw it up, hey wear a hat!! It'll grow back!!

5. Partylite. I am grateful for them to give me the opportunity to work for them. I love that I work on my schedule. That I can offer people wonderful products for next to nothing!! I love that I can get awesome smelling candles for cheap! I am thankful to be able to stay home with my girls and still earn an income working only a couple of hours a week or however often I choose to work.

6. Books. I am thankful for all books. They help you bond with your children, learn new things, visit different worlds, etc.. It's amazing how reading a good book can ease my stress and just relax me. I am very thankful to all that write!!

7. Phones. I would be lost without my phone. It allows me to be able to talk to my family and friends without having to be with them all of the time. To be able to get a phone call to know how people are doing, if Cam's going to be late, whatever the reason. Just to have that line of communication is a life saver.

The "Amazing Race" weekend

So this past Saturday Cam & I participated in a fundraiser in our town for minor ball. It was the "Amazing Race" followed by supper and a dance. The race ended up being a lot of fun and I'm very glad that we decided to do it!! There were a series of events that we had to do. We ended up driving all around our great rural areas and did some things we would never do otherwise. We were in teams of four and it depended on the activity if only one or more people were involved. Here are some of our events..

Our first event was peddling these Dino Cars around a 400m track. The boys were dead tired by the time they finished, but we ended up passing the team in front of us because of them!!


Another event involved Cam throwing this stick to knock off a pumpkin sitting on a fence. It took a couple tries, with two of us retrieving his sticks (one guy got hit in the eye on a bounce!! He looked rough come the dance!!) and trying to throw the
back to him without nailing on-lookers!!





We also had to choose one person to participate in this event. They then had to choose between a creamy delight or crammed in a can. Karen had to do this one due to everyone having to equally participate. Turns out the can one was eating TWO cans of sardines!! She couldn't do creamy delight due to a chocolate allergy (you had to eat a whole chocolate pie!!).



Then you had to pick two people who had to decide between up,up up or dig for something small. They chose up up up, otherwise they'd have to dig in a gravel pile for some colored rocks. This was their challenge....





Then a puzzle that ended up spelling eye of the needle...



Then came other events like sewing a pillow together, filling a wheel barrow fromt he river with two cups then filling a barrel to a certain point. I think it was harder running back up the hill from the river than doing the actual task!! lol Then there was one about road signs.

The very last task was hitting baseballs from a batting machine. Cam gladly took on this task and made his 3 hits in only 4 pitches!!! So much pride in my hubby!!



We had so much fun doing the race that it made up for the supper and dance. In the end we placed 7th out of 16 teams. Every team was so close that placings came down to seconds. We were only 4 minutes off of first place!! Gives us more determination for next year!! You can count on us doing it again!!