Oh pity me

As if no microwave were not bad enough. I now have NO AIR CONDITIONING in the van. We don't have air conditioning at home so sometimes when it's really hot I load up the kids into the van and drive off to the mall but now, getting in the van is almost unbearable. My dear husband has gone off to canadian tire to see if he can get stuff to fix it.

And there are people starving in the world. Our environment is being poisoned by toxic gasses from our over dependance on fosil fuels. Refugees are forced to flee their homes in fear, they live in tents and stand in line for water if they are lucky.

Ok, I am regaining perspective. I have it so good.

Say it with me "We have it so good."

What do you do to maintain awareness of those truly in need?
Do you read or watch the news?
If some international crisis catches your attention do you research to find out what you can do to help?
Do you regularly support charitable organizations?
How much do you know about the organizations you support?

I really wish I could do something tangible with my children to make them aware of what life is like for those less fortunate than us. We help with Christmas baskets for the needy. We always donate our old clothes, toys and things to a place that gives them to those in need. We give to our church and we gave money and school supplies to help to build a school in Malawi. It still does not seem like enough.

Green Thumb

To those of you who complain that any plant you touch dies. Please come to my house...

... I have some weeds you can touch.

I love gardening but, the weeds are taking over my lawn. I never used those evil pesticides/herbicides when they were legal. Now that they've been banned I wish I had used them. I think the only solution is to dig up my whole lawn and start over.

Oh how I've been negelecting you dear internet

I'm treating you like I treat my real life friends. I'm ignoring you and not answering the phone.

In my defense let me just say we still have no microwave. Can you forgive me now?

It was a busy weekend. My husband had his first rugby game of the season, my son had his first communion and I took the kids to Finnigan's (local flea/antique market) for the firsat time this year. The weather was lovely and we had a very nice weekend although it was quite busy.

My oldest came back from her Manitoba exchange trip on Sunday. She had a good time. She got bit by a tick so now I'm worried about lime disease. She didn't call us much while she was away. I'm sure she missed us terribly, NOT. I'll have to develop her pictures to see what she did while she was away. The other kids missed her. Especially the baby who is quite attached to my oldest. My 7yo daughter missed her older sister when she was asked to help with the baby.

Went to my bodyshaping class today. It was tough because it's not air conditioned so it was HOT. I must have sweat away a couple of pounds. You know the ones I put on when we had people over after my son's first communion.


And what's with the full length embroydered and beaded wedding dresses and viels for first communion? Is it just me that thinks it's a bit much? I mean I want them to have a nice dress too but, they're not getting married.

I'm off to do some more planting and enjoy the nice weather.

Email to my husband

I never knew how much you meant to me.
Many times every day, I turn to you
You help me and make everything so much easier.
Sometimes all I need to do is glance at you,
and you would tell me what I need to know.

But, now all that is over...

I miss you...



... microwave.

How am I going to warm up the soup for dinner??

This is the email I sent to my husband the day after my microwave died.

Of course that is the reason I've been absent from blogging. I have to warm up bottles and defrost chicken the old fashioned way. It's extremely time consuming. (joking)

So, to catch up I'll write what I've been up to. Oh, who am I kidding, I never do anything exciting I've been busy with laundry and dishes and when it wasn't raining I was trying to plant some flowers. Wild and crazy I know.

So, now I'm off to catch up on everyone else's much more interesting goings on.

Tagged?

So I was tagged and then I lost my head along with my username and password so, I'm really behind. Big behind, no head don't I look attractive today! Kinda like Beatlejuice remember him?

ACCENT: Canadians don't have accents Aye?
BIBLE BOOK THAT I LIKE: Any one with pictures
CHORE I DON'T CARE FOR: Dishes, laundry, dishes, laundry, dishes...
DOG OR CAT: Dog, unfortunably I'b alergic atchoo
ESSENTIAL ELECTRONICS: my PC. I'm not a gadget person
FAVORITE COLOGNE: White Musk - Body shop & Lilly of the Valley - Crabtree & Evelyn GOLD OR SILVER: Silver
HANDBAG I CARRY MOST OFTEN: never carry one. drives my hubby crazy I think I'll buy him one!
INSOMNIA: Zzzzzz only when babies sleep in my bed
JOB TITLE: Which job?
KIDS: 15yo girl, 8yo boy, 7yo girl, 2yo boy, 1yo girl
LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: Me, my hubby and 5 kids in a 5 bedroom fixerupper in the burbs.
MOST ADMIRABLE TRAIT: Perseverance?
NAUGHTIEST CHILDHOOD BEHAVIOR: lying
OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAYS: Hate staying in the hospital. I beg to leave asap after delivering my babies but, they make you stay 24 hours. Had my apendix out when I was 4 months pregnant - 5 days in hospital. Had a kidney infection during same pregnancy 2 days in hospital.
PHOBIAS: I hate crowded places. Especially when I have my kids with me.
QUOTE: “It is no small thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us.” Charles Dickens
RELIGION: Not raised with any religion but, my husband is Catholic and I wish I could be too.
SIBLINGS: 1 older sis, 1 younger half-sister.
TIME I WAKE UP: sometime before 7:00AM
UNUSUAL TALENT OR SKILL: I know all kinds of useless trivia.
VEGETABLE I REFUSE TO EAT: Love vegetables except salty mushy canned peas and beans.
WORST HABIT: Eating when I'm bored.X-RAYS: Too many to count
YUMMY STUFF I COOK: Tortellini, Chicken pot pie, cookies, brownies, pecan buns, etc. etc better stop or I'll start eating!
ZOO ANIMAL I LIKE MOST: penguins!

Jeep Mom, Tyra, Shel---TAG, you're IT!

Mindless

Just after I wrote the post about how absent minded I have been lately, I set up a blog for another project I work on and I lost my username and password to this one. I used their forgot username form, entering in the two possible email addreesses I could have used and I didn't get an email even though blogger said they sent one. So I wracked my brain trying to figure out what my username could possibly be. It only took a couple of days for me to get the (many by then) emails from blogger. So, I am back. And obviously still completely empty upstairs.

Too Young To Be Senile

I was slammed with work yesterday. I went to my sister's award shindig on Monday so yesterday work was hounding me. My work can be very tedious. It is like a puzzle with really tiny pieces and you really need to focus to figure it out. I have really been having a hard time thinking lately so trying to wade through 1000 words to find the one little problem that has the whole thing broken is next to impossible right now. I don't know if I can keep it up.

I am worried though that if I stop working completely my brain is going to turn to mush. NOT saying that moms who don't work have mush for brains! It's me. Lately I have started to stutter which I never did before. It's like the words are all floating in my head and I can't get them out. I have a hard time focusing. Last night my husband wanted to discuss The Chrysalids a book we both just read because my 15yo had to read it for school. I drew a complete blank. I remembered the book but I could not put one cohesive thought together. My head was empty. I just stared at him and said he'd have to ask me some other time.

I think I shoud see a doctor but, I am quite sure they will say it's stress. I'm not feeling all that stressed though. There have been many other times when I was REALLY stressed and I didn't have these problems. I'm to young to go senile!

Congratulations Big Sis

My big (well actually she's much smaller than me) sister just won an award for women pursuing careers in non-traditional trades. She is taking a course in cabinetmakers. Today I attended the swank awards show. Just like the Oscars only... well... not much like the Oscars but, they did have fancy trophies. She also won $2000. Woo Hooo! Way to go big sis!

After the Awards there was cocktails and nibbles and my sister introduced me to some people from her school. I am introduced as my-sister-who-has-FIVE-kids. So of course there are the usual comments and questions; You're brave, how old are they (15,8,7,2,1), etc. Then, I mentioned that I wish they had had this contest 12 years ago when I was one of two girls in my computer programming course. One of the women said "Do you work?" (what woman with 5 kids doesn't?) I said "Yes, I work from home" She said "Oh good" with a sound of relief in her voice. Yes, heaver forbid I waste my education and chose to be "just" a stay at home mom.

The mommy wars are still on. Very sad.

Kudos to my sis though!

Life on the Frontier

American Idol may be the most popular reality TV show right now but, I've found one I'm addicted to. It's Ranch House on PBS. It is an reenactment of what life was like or a Texas Ranch in 1867.

I would love to participate in an experience like this. I am sure it is very difficult to go from all the modern day conveniences to life before electricity but, it would be worth the discomfort.

Anybody seen the show? Would you do something like that. Wouldn't it be an amazing experience for kids.

Kids say the darndest things

"When I die, I'm going to ask to be able to fly like a bird for a few days. Just for a few days though because by then I'd start to get hungry and I'm not going to eat worms. Maybe if I could find I doughnut I'd eat a doughnut. Birds can eat doughnuts can't they?"

Kids say the funniest things.

This is even funnier though because it was not one of my kids that said it...

It was my husband! Who is of course, just a big kid. That's one of the reasons I love him.

*******************************************

My bodyshaping class started again yesterday (I am so sore today) I am also proud to report that we biked to church on Sunday and we went for a rollerrblade along the Lachine canal on Sunday night. Also, last night instead of driving over to the post office to mail our taxes (at the very last minute!) my Dh and I biked. I am really trying to get in the habit of doing some physical activity everyday.

Now I'm off to clean the cherry tomatoes that are All.Over.My.Kichen. The baby just found out how much fun they are to stomp on. Then she found out how she will get an early nap-time.