Update & A Quiz

I hate being sick!!!

Sorry to start this post off with a whine, but I just couldn't help it. We can't remember a time when we were all down with colds at the same time. This past week has been brutal and now we're heading into week 2.

I'm going to have to take Jordan to the doctor tomorrow because she seems to be getting worse. It's been a week and she went downhill on Friday. I could go to the walk-in clinic but I don't think they're very good doctors there, and they have no personal investment in the patients they see.

Yesterday I attended the Women's Day Apart conference hosted my my church. I've never been to one of these before, so I was really looking forward to it. I had a hard time shaking that ever present "Mother's Guilt" about leaving Ian home with three sick children alone, but as he reminded me, I have to nurture my spiritual health as well.

One of the workshops I signed up for was "Building A 5 Star Family" which was very good. Lots of great ideas on how to create lasting, loving memories for my children. The second workshop was "Hope In The Midst Of Pain" which was hosted by a woman who lost her 2 yr old son in a tornado in Alberta about 8 years ago. She and her husband host a carnival every year in memory of their son, and the children and I went to check it out last year. After a break for lunch, we all gathered to hear a guest speaker the event co-ordinator heard speak at the last BCOQ conference. A great day for sure.

While I was out, Ian and the children baked and decorated a huge cookie for me...



Awww! Isn't that so sweet? I love those guys!

Here is a quiz from Julie over at Contentment Corner. I love this blog - she is such an inspirational woman and a wonderful writer.

1. What is something Mom always says to you?
Sam: I love you
Julie: I love you

2. What makes Mom happy?
Sam: Watching Dr Phil
Julie: Her kids

3. What makes Mom sad?
Sam: If she gets too stressed out
Julie: When one of her kids gets hurt

4. How does Mom make you laugh?
Sam: When she makes her 'serious face'
Julie: By saying funny stuff

5. What was Mom like as a kid?
Sam: Every day ran home from bullies (sadly...this is so true)
Julie: I think she wanted to have fun

6. How old is your Mom?
Sam: 38 (he tells everyone this unfortunately!)
Julie: 38 (she does too!)

7. How tall is your Mom?
Sam: About 5'4" (wrong)
Julie: 6' (wrong)

8. What is your Mom's favorite thing to do?
Sam: Spending quality time with the family
Julie: Sleep! (guilty as charged)

9. What does Mom do when you're not around?
Sam: Chores and takes care of baby and watches tv in spare time
Julie: Takes care of Jordan or talks to Dad

10. If your Mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Sam: Acting - She would make everyone laugh on a comedy show
Julie: Singing

11. What is Mom really good at?
Sam: Making everyone laugh and keeping the family together
Julie: Being loving

12. What is Mom not very good at?
Sam: Discipline
Julie: Boxing on the Wii

13. What does Mom do for her job?
Sam: She takes care of our baby
Julie: Takes care of me, Jordan and Sam

14. What is Mom’s favorite food?
Sam: Pasta
Julie: Chinese

15. What makes you proud of your Mom?
Sam: She keeps the family together
Julie: When she shows love to other people

16. If your Mom was a cartoon character, who would she be?
Sam: Wilma Flintstone
Julie: Agent K in The Replacements

17. What do you and Mom do together?
Sam:We make each other laugh
Julie: Girls Club and we have "girl time"

18. How are you and Mom the same?
Sam: We are both awesome and we're both funny
Julie: We both have blue eyes and we're both kind to people

19. How are you and Mom different?
Sam: I'm a gamer and she's not
Julie: I lose my temper more than mom (I'm not so sure this is true!)

20. How do you know Mom loves you?
Sam: She provides shelter for me and feeds me well
Julie: By being kind to me

21. Where is your Mom's favorite place to go?
Sam: The living room
Julie: To her bible study

That's all for today :-)

Pictures

I finally uploaded a couple of pictures I had on my camera to share with you.

This is the biggest potato I have ever seen. Imagine my surprise when I opened the bag and pulled this huge one out. They were all pretty much steroid infused potatoes in that bag.



Yes, dinner was on hold so I could locate the camera and take a picture of it. Hmm...is that dedication or just plain sad?

I had posted here about winning a contest over at Bring The Rain. The prize was a custom made doll from Baby Be Blessed and she finally arrived on Family Day.

Presenting....Lucy!



I got to choose everything: hair colour, skin tone, clothes and best of all...the bible verse on Lucy's tummy...



I love this verse and it's so fitting for our Julie. We are always telling her she is a bright light that shines. She has been sleeping with her every night. I am amazed at the detail that was put into this doll.

Re-reading this verse I just have to say, I love the name Matthew. If I were to have another son that's what I would want to name him. It rolls off the tongue so nicely and all the Matthews I have known in my life so far (which are probably only about five) have been such nice people. Well, except for the one who is serving a life sentence in jail. I guess he wasn't so nice. Hmm...make that four nice Matthews I have known.

BUT I digress...

We are all sick in some form or another in this house. Sam and Jules haven't been to school at all this week and its highly likely that they won't be there tomorrow either. Jordan's cold has been lingering the longest and while I'm not one of those moms that rush to the doctor for every single thing, if it keeps up much longer I will definitely take her in. She's been tugging on her ears in the last couple of days, so my first thought was an ear infection, but it seems to indicate she is tired because she falls over asleep right after. Last night she slept through the night and I was so grateful for the full night's sleep she had.

Ian put her in his jacuzzi tub last night and we got these pictures.

Poor little thing...doesn't she look sick??



And he taught her to splash! So much for quickie baths in the kitchen sink!



These last couple of days have been exciting ones, and I have something I want to share, but I need to wait a little longer. Hopefully I will be able to share it with you soon!

Looking Up

I have been feeling better emotionally these last couple of days and for that I'm grateful. Lots of spiritual attack going on here in the last week. I'll tell you more about that when I get more time.

The children have all been knocked out with colds the last couple of days with Jordan being affected the worst. Poor little girl. She can't sleep and won't eat, doesn't want to be held but doesn't want to play either. She doesn't know what she wants. Jules and Sam missed school yesterday and today. Ian and I both have it, so the germs are a-flyin' at my place.

Hard to believe Jordan will be a year old next month. What a beautiful year this has been with her. She was so worth the wait. And Julie will be 8... sigh. I love having children and they are so wonderful, but its almost unfair how quickly they grow up.

My big thrill of the day is the deal I got on toilet paper: 30 rolls of Cottonelle for $5.44. I bought three packages so I have 90 rolls of tp. Who'd be without?

That's it for now. Jordan needs a cuddle...

Checking In

Not much to say these days. Feeling really down and anxious.

Nothing new to report.

End of the Weekend

I enjoyed this past weekend and was sad to have it end.

We all played Mario Kart on our Wii on Saturday afternoon and as I predicted, I sucked. I don't think there is anyone on the planet that sucks more at that game than I do. My friends Karin and Karen want me to play with them. I think I'll save myself the embarrassment...sorry ladies!

I made dinner for Ian and me once the children were in bed and we had a picnic on the living room floor and watched Fireproof. EXCELLENT movie. Ugh I cannot tell you how awesome this movie is. Our church was showing it the same night, but we stayed home.

Sunday we got up to go to the early service at church and the sermon was based on the movie, so that was really nice. I'm glad they didn't show this fantastic marriage tool - and it really is! - and then just leave everyone hanging. In the afternoon the children and I visited with my mother and sister while Ian was at a magic show.

After dinner I went to see Friday the 13th with Cindy & Jen and few others. It was crazy packed there and of course I screamed like a little girl at everything. It's very true to the old-style versions, but it wasn't a remake or a continuation. It was just a Jason Movie. Afterwards Cindy, Jen and I met up for coffee.

By now I think you know that "coffee" is a code word for "frosty".

Monday was Family Day. This is the second year we've had this statutory holiday and it causes such distress for so many industries, because they don't get to take part in it. It was an election promise - "vote for us and we'll give you an extra long weekend in February". Ian and I thought it was so familiar to high school..."vote for me and I'll put grape juice in all the water fountains!!"

Ian let me sleep in until (triple gasp!!!) 1pm. I NEVER sleep that late. Sleeping in at our house is 9am. I felt so lazy but I loved it. We headed over to my mother's for dinner to celebrate Family Day. I baked a cake and put fresh strawberries on top, and also baked her some Skor Squares which she absolutely loves. Dinner was lovely with lots of laughter and crazy stories. I hated to leave, but the children had school today.

I dropped them off at school this morning then went to visit my mom again to help her with a few things, but she was sleeping when I arrived, so I just read the paper at the kitchen table until she woke up. She isn't sleeping well and she is still in pain. My heart aches because I can't help her. It's really a horrible feeling watching a parent suffer. I hate feeling so helpless.

I watched The Bachelor last night and was shocked that he sent Jillian home. SHOCKED! I hope he picks Melissa in the end. Things are heating up...

No news on the employment front. Trying to stay positive but it's hard.

That's all my thrilling news for today.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Interesting Day

Today started off pretty uneventfully. I dropped the children off at the properly flowing kiss-n-ride on time and enjoyed the volunteer's polite show of surprise at the contents of my messy van.

Next stop was Walmart. I wanted to pick up a few things for the children for Valentine's Day and figured that it wouldn't be too busy at 9am.

WRONG.

The aisle with all the Valentines stuff was packed. Honestly...talk about leaving their shopping to the last minute. They were like animals.

Oh..wait a minute...I left my shopping to the last minute. Oops. My bad.

Once I found the things I wanted, Jordan and I headed over to the card section. There were five of us ladies standing there, checking them out, when I heard someone sniffling. I didn't pay too much attention until I heard her start to cry. One by one, we all looked at her. She said that today wasn't the best day to be looking at these cards. Then she announced, "I have PMS."

We all responded with "Aww... yeah....I'm sorry to hear that..." All which made her cry harder. I patted her arm while another lady rubbed her back. Then... the switch. "He's lucky to be getting a card at all considering I have PMS!!" She barked. One lady agreed heartily with a "Mmmhmm...you know you got that right, honey!" With that, PMS lady left us.

Jordan and I then headed to A&P to do our grocery shopping. To my surprise, boneless chicken breasts were on sale. I was choosing the ones that I wanted when out comes Meat Guy. He says "I see you're checking out my chicken". I reply with "I see you have it on sale". Yes.. I really am that witty. He suggested that I buy a family pack to save money. Then he just stood in front of my cart smiling at me.

Awkward...

Cindy picked me up at 12:30 and we headed to Costco and then to get our hair done. We were coming off the highway when we saw a man standing at the very corner by the lights, holding a sign. I felt my heart sink and asked Cindy what the sign said. The light turned green and as we drove through the intersection we read it.

Hungry
Need money for food
God Bless you

I started to cry. Cindy turned her car around and we headed back. She gave me her $5 US and all the change from her wallet and ashtray. I emptied my change purse and she pulled over. I walked over to him and when he turned to me he looked right into my eyes. They were so sad. I put the money in his hand and said that I wished it was more. The next thing I knew, we were hugging each other. I told him, "God loves you. He hasn't forgotten you."

My heart hurts for this man. The thought of him standing there, all afternoon in the cold, while car after car passed him by, just broke my heart. His cardboard sign made me think of the cardboard testimonies my church did. I am praying that one day his sign will be flipped over and will reveal God's goodness and faithfulness in this man's life.

I tried a new hair stylist today and she.was.wonderful! 2 1/2 hours of bliss I tell you. Not only did she colour my hair beautifully, she also gave me a heavenly scalp massage. I could have sat there all day! Thanks for the hookup, Cindy!

I got home in time to sit with Ian and the kids for a short while before we all headed out. We dropped Sam off at the movie theatre for a birthday party, then we dropped Ian off at the church for Youth Group. The girls and I headed to the mall to walk around for a bit. While we were in line at New York Fries I saw a woman I used to work with, way back in the day. So, I said hello. We weren't talking long before Big Mouth (which is always me in this type of story) asked about a particular guy we had both worked with at that time, named Mike. I said that we had quite the crush on each other and had dated on and off for a year and he took me to my prom. Then she said "Yes, we're married now."

Ugh.

I won't even go into the rest of the conversation. Suffice it to say, it was uncomfortable. I guess it wasn't uncomfortable enough because when we parted I actually said "Well, tell Mike I said hello!"

I bought Chinese food for my dinner and got an extra fortune cookie for Jules. We laughed when we read them, because they were both so fitting. Hers said 'You have a sense of the dramatic and a tendency towards display'. Mine said 'Be patient, good things come to those who wait'.

While we were out and about, Julie said she was thinking of my father and asked if we could go to the cemetery so she could pray for him. I said she could pray for him anywhere, but she said she wanted to go where he is resting so she can pray there. She feels sad that I don't have a daddy. I'll try to take her there sometime in the next couple of days.

When we returned to the movie theatre to pick up Sam, a woman came up to me and said it was really late to be taking a young child and a baby to a movie, will the baby be able to sit quietly during it? Honestly! Once she realized that we were only doing a pickup, she began to tell me her life story. I guess I have one of those faces. I was grateful to see Sam coming out of the party to save me!

A rather odd day, that's for sure! I'm exhausted!

Feelin' Blah

I'm feeling a bit blah and lazy so I'll just post my random thoughts as they come to me.

I almost walked to the church yesterday Karin! But it was raining. Ha.

My friend Susan is in the hospital. She went for day surgery to have her gall bladder removed but there was a complication so she'll be there for a few days. I'm hoping to be able to visit with her, but the visiting hours are from 2-8pm and that's a tough time for me. Still, I want to see her so I'll find a way.

Sam is stressing out big time about his grades. He is an A/B student, but he wants to get all A+. He's afraid he won't get into a good university.

!!!

Bless his heart. He's also back to stressing out about his teacher and how she yells at the class all the time, and he's afraid she's going to yell at him next. He is also having a hard time hearing his schoolmates saying "Oh my god". (Ugh...just typing that makes me sick) He says he tells them not to say it but they still do. Then he said something that really surprised me: he said his teacher says it all the time.

Wow.

We send our children to a Catholic school because we want them to have a Christian education. We expect the teachers to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner while in the classroom or when in the presence of any student. What they choose to say in their private lives is entirely up to them. "Oh my god" (again, sick feeling) is completely unacceptable in my book. We're trying to teach our children to be "in the world, but not of it", and that's a hard thing to understand and remember as an adult. But for a kid? With peer pressure and the like? Ian is going to help Sam write a note to his teacher, gently reminding her of the Ten Commandments, the third in particular.

Pastor Sam...paging Pastor Sam...

Today I had a visitor. Motivation! She arrived first thing this morning and assisted me in getting a few things done. If I listen carefully I can hear my washer crying for mercy.

Girl's Club was awesome tonight. We had a Scavenger Hunt and then we made Valentine's Day cards. Usually I don't do the craft if we have one, but once *K* pulled out her honkin' big case of scrapbooking scissors I was right in there. I love edged scissors and I use mine all the time, for everything. I made a card for Ian. :-) We had a really great turnout tonight and everyone was in such a great mood. As usual, I felt sad at the end of our time together. Jen is fitting in quite nicely so I hope everything comes together so she can join us as our third leader.

Tomorrow Cindy and I are going to Costo and then getting our hair done. I can't wait! My hair is a mess and it needs a trim badly. Every time I make an appointment I wonder if this is the time I should change my hair colour. Sam wants me to go red again. I did love my hair when it was red. But I think I'll stay blonde awhile longer. I can say really dumb things and people just accept it ;-) I'm actually going to be cheating on my other stylist and trying a new one. I'm even going to their other location so I don't get busted.

Oooh...I feel dirty...

I was unhappy with my last two cuts, and after hearing the devastating news that my original stylist may not be returning, I need to find someone who can cut and style my hair properly.

According to Spoilerfix.com, 90210 won't be on again until March 31st! Darn it. Just when it was getting good.

LOST was a snooze last night. The peeps on the island moving through time...blah blah blah...Sun wanting to kill Ben...blah blah blah... Still, at least it's going to be on weekly.

There is no one on Dancing With The Stars that I am interested in rooting for. Boo.

Tomorrow night Ian is leading the Jr High Youth Group and Sam is at a birthday party. I think I will take the girls out for dinner or a walk around the mall. Julie loves shopping. She didn't get this "shopping gene" from me. I think I've made myself pretty clear how I feel about shopping.

I just heard the dryer buzz, so I'd better fold that load and head up to bed. Hope this "blah" feeling passes soon. It kind of sucks.

Spring Teaser

What a beautiful day today was! So Spring-like! I feel ready to wait out the rest of what Winter has to throw at us. Spring is coming!

We made it to Barrie on Sunday evening to see our friends get baptized and I am so glad we went. I was good to see them again and their testimonies were lovely. I cried of course! God has worked in their lives and I was so thankful to be able to see them take this beautiful step.

After the baptisms the pastor had us break into small groups to pray for a young boy who has liver cancer. The prayers of my children for this unknown boy made my heart ache with pride and love for them. I am so grateful for how strong their prayer life has become. They see people in need and ask if we can pray for them. They see their blessings and thank God for them. These are exciting days!

I've been thinking a lot about the sermon our Pastor gave this past Sunday. He spoke on relationships and the importance of working through conflict. I agree this is a must, and hard as this is, I keep trying to do this in my own life, but sometimes it just doesn't work out the way I hope it will. How can you work through a problem if the other person refuses to acknowledge that there is one, or that they contribute to it? Or if they write you off completely? What then? Is it enough to make the effort to mend a fence even if it isn't successful? How hard do we try before we just let it go?

Questions, questions...

This morning I visited with my mother. Since Ian's been off work I haven't been spending as much time with her as I used to and we are missing each other. How I wish things we different so we could live together so I could take care of her. She is so tired.

I went for a walk with Jordan this afternoon since it was such a beautiful day. She loved the fresh air and was so happy to be riding along in her stroller so we walked around the block twice. Don't be too impressed though...it's a small block ;-) I would have kept walking but Freaky Flyer Delivery Dude was walking just behind us and he was kinda creepy so we went inside. Tomorrow is supposed to be warm again so I might walk over to the church in the morning.

Ha. Who am I kidding. I am so not walking to the church tomorrow morning.

I'm really looking forward to Coffee Hour tomorrow. I haven't seen Jen in two weeks! She tells me that the baby has gotten bigger and I can't wait for my hugs and cuddles. I love that even though our lives are busy and blessed with our little ones, we always meet up on Wednesday mornings.

On Saturday Julie loudly announced - in the middle of Walmart no less - that she needs a bra.

!!!

She'll be 8 next month!

I'm not looking forward to the bra stage. And I get to do it twice!

Tonight I headed over to Jen's house to hang out with her and Cindy. Such funny girls they are. We watched The Biggest Loser and laughed about how we'd do on that show. We'd probably laugh so much we'd get kicked off. We'd be losers alright, but not the kind we'd want to be!

I am so grateful for the friendships I have. Quality friends that are giving and loving. We are there when we need each other. Friends that will work through conflicts with maturity and love. Friends that make me laugh until I cry. Friends that pray for me when I can't find the words to pray myself.

High drama at the bank today.... it was closed off with police tape and there were three police cruisers and a SWAT van parked outside.

That's it for me. My mind is tired and my thoughts are all over the place. I'm turning in...

Sunday Stuff

I canNOT believe this beautiful weather that we've been having this weekend. Sun AND warmer temperatures! Yesterday I just stood on my porch and breathed the fresh air. What a gift.

I couldn't stand there breathing for long because we were off to get Julie to her soccer game.

Here's Jordan, ready to cheer her big sister on!



Julie loves being the goalie. I stress out because I am always worried she'll take a ball to the face or something.



Going for the block....



And here is Sam, lovingly cheering Julie on.



I bought Jordan a bathing suit and it's so cute! I can't wait to see her in it.



I love this shirt on Jordan. In case you can't read it, it says "If You Think I'm Cute You Should See My Mom". You got that right.



My kids have discovered these...



Now I have to share them!!

We are heading up to Barrie momentarily, to see our friends be baptized. I am so excited for them! If I get any pics I'll post them later or tomorrow.

Happy Sunday!

Tagged :-)

I was tagged by Devin over at Count Your Blessings so here goes!

A movie I watched: An absolutely phenomenal movie and I suggest that every married couple watch it - together.

A moment I will always remember: When Sam and Julie met Jordan for the first time.

A new skill I acquired: I learned how to play.





A lesson I learned: Well, maybe not a new lesson, but one that I finally understood...

A new place I visited this year: Does the new hospital count? I was a little too busy for a vacation last year!

A book I read:

An inspiring verse or quote: "Go boldly in the direction of your dreams, live the life you imagined." (Thoreau)


Here are the rules:
1. Fill in your memories of 2008.
2. Link my blog to yours.
3. Tag others and comment on their blog so they know they've been tagged.

I'm tagging Jen, Amanda, Margaret and Melissa!

Moo

I found this job ad in the local paper and I think I'll apply for it...

DAIRY farm requires part-time milkers. approx 3 hrs daily (3:30pm-6:30pm) 7 days on, 7 days off. $42 per milking. Willing to train

Moo.

My doctor's office called this afternoon to tell me that all my lab results came back normal. So why am I tired all the time...?

Yawn.

Nutritionist

I'm SO glad that I went to the Nutritionist's seminar last night. I almost didn't go because I was tired and it was cold out. I didn't know what to expect but I went with an open mind.

Oh.My.Gosh!

I can't believe all that I learned! It was absolutely an amazing time. The speaker is a Christian and she was so knowledgeable. So many things that I thought were ok or the right way to eat were so very wrong. She drew a diagram of how and where the food travels once ingested, and how certain foods can clog your insides. When I told her than I've been doing Atkins for the last month, she said I needed to stop it - now. Then she explained what it was doing to my innards.

Great. My previous doctor approved it.

Did you know that doctors are not required to take a nutrition course at any time during their training? Well they aren't.

Sigh. I've moved my weight loss ticker to the bottom of my page for now. Not because I'm giving up - I'm definitely not. It's just going to happen slower now and I really don't want it staring me in the face every time I read my blog.

Yes. I read my own blog. Is that really vain of me?

I also learned how much water a person is supposed to drink each day. It's not eight 8 oz glasses. Oh no. You take your weight, divide it by 2, then divide that by 8. So, say you weighed 160 lbs. You would divide that by 2 to get 80, divide that by 8 and get 10. So you would need to drink ten 8 oz glasses of water a day.

Fascinating, isn't it?

So I whipped out Henry my trusty cell phone, and opened the calculator to figure out how many glasses of water I would have to drink in a day. Let's just say I might as well hang around the faucet all day. My water bill should spike for next month.

!!!

I hope I don't do that secondary drowning thing from drinking all that water.

Did you know that you lose a certain percentage of water from your body just by talking? Yikes...I talk a lot. I better get drinking.

Oh I have lots of interesting tidbits floating around my brain. This woman is speaking at our Women's Day Apart conference at the church at the end of the month, so I'm going to sign up for her workshop.

In other news, my doctor hasn't called with any alarming results from my blood work yesterday. Of course he did say he wouldn't really know until Thursday. I don't like waiting...

This morning was Coffee Hour and it was one of the best times ever. We're starting a new study on prayer. We cried watching the video and then cried again while hearing one another's prayer requests. I really like those women.

I must share with you all that my 300 thread count sheets were divine last night. I felt like I was sleeping in a five star hotel.

The other day a friend of mine sent me a message through Facebook in response to something I posted on my page. It was a list of 25 random things about me that someone tagged me on. One of the things I wrote was that I was afraid that I would leave this earth without ever having made an impact on someone. My friend told me that Ian and I were a factor in her coming to God and she and her husband were being baptized this coming Sunday.

!!!

I know! Very exciting! Ian and I are going to go to see them and hear their testimonies as long as the weather is ok. They live just over an hour north of us so I'm hoping it won't be too bad.

I'm glad I managed to stay awake for LOST tonight. It was SO worth it. That Ben... he is as naughty as ever...and Jin! Oh! Well, I won't say anymore about that in case you haven't seen it yet. I'm not Jen after all. ;-)

Devin, I know you tagged me and I'll respond tomorrow. Too pooped tonight!

Well my sheets are calling my name.... Over and out!

Doctor Doctor

I would like to begin this post with a big fat THANK YOU to JenM for telling me that Jason sent Stephanie home last night on The Bachelor BEFORE I got a chance to see it.

Thanks Jen! (rolling eyes) You are very lucky I love you so much!

I went to see Dr L today to get my referral to my regular urologist and to get a couple of things checked out. I have a pain in my left side and it hurt more after I was poking at it for awhile in the shower this morning. He was very unconcerned about it and assured me a couple of times that one doesn't usually get a hernia in that area.

Good news!

Then I mentioned how tired I am all.the.time and I asked if maybe he could order a blood test because I thought my iron levels might be low. He agreed and said it could be a thyroid issue which is common after pregnancy. I also mentioned a couple of other issues and he suggested we test for pregnancy as well.

Ok, let me just interrupt this spellbinding recap of my appointment to tell you that I am 100% certain I am not pregnant. Ok? Ok!

I also said I thought I could be entering menopause or have lupus. He actually put his head down on his desk and laughed, then said he would request that on the referral as well, and that the technicians will be wondering what the heck he's thinking about - testing for pregnancy AND menopause in the same woman.

He was very unimpressed with my 13 lb weight loss in less than 2 weeks. He said that whatever I was doing, I need to ease off a bit, because that's too much weight too fast.

!!!

I said that obviously he'd never been fat in his life because there is no such thing as "too fast" in my world. He said no, but he did lose a lot of weight in a short period of time due to his recent serious illness, and it takes a toll on the body.

Awkward....

I had enough time to drop by the lab on my way out and there was hardly anyone in there so I decided to get my blood drawn before heading to the school to pick up the children. I got my favourite lab tech which was nice.

Wow. That makes it sound like I'm there a lot. I guess I must be to have a favourite.

I hate getting blood taken. I feel nauseated and like I'm going to faint, and that's before they insert the needle. I always have the same questions: are you new? have you done this before? do you dig for veins? are you upset about anything? you won't take too much right? are those clean gloves? And so on. But today, with my trusty favourite, all was good.

I even got to the school early. :-)

I'm very excited to go to bed tonight, in my brand new, 300 thread count sheets. I don't really know what difference the number means, but man do these sheets feel nice!

I have other things to tell you but I need to get dinner started. I'm going out this evening to hear a nutritionist speak at our church. I'll fill you in on some things later.

Beautiful Sunshine

I just got home a short while ago from picking up the children from school, and I have to say the weather is absolutely glorious today. It felt so good to step outside and not be hit with bone chilling temperatures, and to have the sun shining so brightly. What a blessing that was for us today.

Apparently all the famous groundhogs of the world saw their shadows today. Another 6 weeks of winter. It always makes me laugh when people get cross about that. Hello people... it's the first week of February.. of course there's more winter to come!! One year there was a blizzard on my wedding anniversary and that was April 20th! Lots and lots of winter still to come.

Boo.

I survived my shopping experience on Saturday. I didn't find a purse I liked enough to buy, but the hunt continues. Maybe I'll just hang on to the one I have until the spring and splurge then.

Sam needed new jeans so we headed to Zellers. I hate Zellers because they're always trying to rip the customer off, and Saturday was no different. They had a table of t-shirts and sleeve shirts with a huge sign that said $2.97 each. A shirt for less than $3? Who'd be without?? We picked up two short sleeved shirts and one long sleeved for Sam, and two short sleeved for Jules. When we got to the checkout, our bill was over $70! For a pair of jeans, a hoodie and five shirts at $2.97? I think not! We checked the bill and they charged us $6 and $7 for three of the shirts! We spoke with a woman who worked in that department and it turns out that only the top shelf was on sale, not the bottom one. Why would they be on the same table then? UGH! That really annoyed me, so off to the Customer Service desk we went. I'm not that desperate for cash, but it was the principle of the thing. The girl there credited the difference and we were off.

I'm watching you Zellers....oh yeah...I'm watching you...

Our next stop was Toys R Us. I get that this is one of the happiest places on earth for kids, but like I said in my previous post, I would rather rip out my own eyes than go there. I wanted to look through the baby section but it was full of overly hormonal pregnant women, blocking the aisles. Sweet.

I would just like to remind you all that I was a perfectly sweet and even tempered pregnant woman when I was expecting Jordan. And I very, very, VERY rarely complained. I cannot say this about my other two pregnancies though!

The children found what they wanted to spend their gift cards on and we headed to the checkout to stand behind about 15 people, all waiting for the sole cashier that was open.

!!!

I felt all confused for a moment...was I at Toys R Us or at Walmart??

Once we left there we stopped at McDonald's to get lunch before heading off to Julie's soccer game. I think there was a shortage of hamburger patties or something because there were seven cars parked off to the side, waiting for their orders. It was chaos!

Julie's game went well and she played well as usual. The parents kill me though. They bark orders and instructions at their kids like nobody's business. One mother made her daughter cry a couple of weeks ago. Nice.

We stopped in at Chapters after the game and spent some time browsing the different sections. I bought the latest Mary Higgins Clark book with a gift card from Christmas.

I have so many books on the go right now, I don't know how I am keeping the stories straight! I love reading. You can go anywhere in the world just by opening up a book.

Sunday I went to the Under Your Roof seminar that the Associate Pastor and his wife do every few months. The topic was Family Devotions and they gave us a lot of really great ideas of how to incorporate them into our daily lives. Once we were home, we had a picnic lunch on our living room floor and did our first devotion together. The children really enjoyed it and have been really working hard to remember the memory verse.

After lunch the children headed outside to play in the snow and I opened the blinds, stretched out in my recliner and napped in the sunlight. It was heavenly.

I talked to Mom in the evening and her pain levels have been more manageable these last couple of days. I am so grateful to God for that. I hate seeing her suffer. I know He does too.

Sam had a test today on the provinces and their capitals. This is the second time his teacher is testing them on this. Weird. I've gone through my entire life thinking that Calgary was the capital of Alberta and it's not. It's actually Edmonton!

Since when??

And when did the Northwest Territories break down??

I wish I paid more attention at school because I seem to remember very little and now my children wonder how I managed to make it through school at all. So many times I wondered how a particular lesson would ever matter in my lifetime. Then I had kids. Now I know.

I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow to get a referral to my urologist's office. I've been going to him every other year for a cystoscopy for the last 10 years, but since I skipped last year I now have to get a referral. Frustrating. Oh well, I'll mention my constant fatigue to him while I'm there. He'll tell me that it's because I have a baby but that's not it, I know it.

"My urologist's office". Doesn't that make me sound old? 10 years ago an ultrasound showed a cyst in my bladder that turned out to be cancer. Everyone I spoke with said they had never seen bladder cancer in someone as young as me. One day I'll tell you about it. A great God Story for sure.

I'm hoping for an early night tonight even though I napped earlier this afternoon. It will mean I'll miss The Bachelor and I bet this is the night Deanna returns, trying to get Jason back. Ha. I hope he sends her home. That show is like a car wreck, you just can't look away.

That's it. Over and out.

Stuff

Julie tells me that she had the best day ever on Tuesday, because that was when she fell in love. It's with the dude that punched her in the face last year and left big bruises all along her cheekbone and eye. Nice. I shouldn't worry because on Thursday she told me she has TWO boyfriends now. I tried to explain to her that a) she is still too young for boyfriends and b) one at a time is appropriate. She said that with two there is more love. I think she has the makings of a polygamist. She was thrilled to report that the two of them spent most of Friday fighting over her.

Apparently things are going to warm up again this weekend....in preparation for another storm to hit us next week. We're running out of room to put the snow once we shovelled.

Jen has convinced me to try tanning. Now that I've decided to do it, I can't wait to go.

My "lifestyle change" took quite a beating this past week. I basically fell off the wagon on Saturday (...and Sunday....and if I'm being honest...Monday too) so this week has been all about losing the pounds I put on in those three days. BRUTAL! Nothing like working hard to lose weight you already lost. Anyway, I lost them again and one new pound so... GAME ON!

We're heading off to the mall in an hour because I need a new purse. I still have some birthday money and gift cards and I'm ready to shop. I buy a purse once every 10 years and today is the day for a new one. Purse shopping is high on my frustration scale, as is shoe shopping and bathing suit shopping....

We're also going to Toys R Us. I would rather rip out my own eyes than go there on any given day, but to make the trip sweeter, we're doing it on a SATURDAY!

I must remember to pack my Tylenol in the purse that will soon cease to be.

Julie is freaking me out quite a bit. She's puttering all over the house, cleaning up wherever she goes. I love it.

I'm off to open Mom's Diner. One wants eggs, one wants chocolate chip pancakes and the other one is getting toast.

Hope you have a good day. :-)

Whine

Today I wanted to throw myself down on the floor and roll around in the mother of all temper tantrums because I hate winter.

I want Spring....NOW!

So I changed my background to something summery in hopes it would lighten my crankasaurus mood.

Its not really working.

Grrr....

Picture Day

Today I visited with my mom for most of the day while Ian met with a headhunter. Sounds like things went very well for him there, so that is very encouraging.

This evening I headed over to Jen's to meet up with her and Cindy to help pack up the last of her apartment because Saturday is her moving day. I can't say we did much of anything...ok, Jen packed while Cindy and I camped out on her couch, talking. We did help her move her mattress and box spring out to the street for garbage day tomorrow. We were like frick and frack and frack2 trying to get those things outside and laughed so hard. But we did it!

I forgot to include these pics with my post from yesterday, so here they are.

This was Ian's cake. While I would love to tell you that I decorated this myself, I cannot lie. I bought it from Costco and it was very good.



Sam was so proud to carry it in...



Ok, here are the pictures I promised to take for you today. Please excuse the poor quality. Apparently taking pictures outside a school is somewhat creepy, so I had to do them on the down-low. That's how much you mean to me, my friends.

Here is the dancing crossing guard. She was actually waving her little stop sign to the beat of whatever goes on in her head. She's actually quite cute because she bundles up so much she can barely walk.



This is a "parking infractor". I don't know if "infractor" is even a word, but it counts as far as I am concerned. I counted 15 cars waiting behind this dude while he went wherever he went. So annoying. This isn't the guy I complain about normally, but he broke the cardinal rule of the kiss-n-ride... do not leave your vehicle!! Therefore he makes it to my blog.



Once upon a time I posted about wanting to volunteer to be the kiss-n-ride police. Look at the snazzy outfit I would be able to wear. And I'd carry a walkie talkie to report those who dared to break my rules.



I felt sorry for this bus driver even though he held me up for about 10 minutes. I think he was new. We had to all back up because he over shot the corner, had to back up, then over shot again. And I think he hit that grocery cart as well.



Jordan was in a very smily mood today so I got these quick shots of her...



I don't know what she is trying to accomplish here. My guess is that she is trying to eat her way to freedom. Good luck, Sweetie.



Would you just look at that face??



Apparently the weatherman is calling for 10-15 cm of snow to begin falling overnight. The kids have a PA day tomorrow - right smack dab in the middle of the week for the love of pete - so I may not even go out at all, even though that would mean missing Coffee Hour.

Decisions, decisions.

No Title Due To A Severe Lack Of Creativity

I finally have a few moments to update my blog with the intensely exciting events of my life!

Saturday night was awesome! We gathered with 20 or so of our closest friends to celebrate Ian's 40th birthday. It was such a fun night with great friends, great food, lots of laughter and easy conversation. I would not have been able to put this party together without the help of Mom, Cindy and Jen. They helped me plan and keep on track with things. I can't thank them enough. I was so anxious in the days leading up the party because I wanted everything to be perfect for Ian. I don't think it could have turned out any better. It truly was a great party.

Yes, Cindy....you should be a party planner! ;-)

I learned something on Saturday afternoon. Apparently it's some sort of a faux pas to bring your children into the beer store. I didn't realize this, being that I don't really drink. (Remember...one drink I'm anyone's friend...2 or more and I'm everyone's friend?)I got a lot of dirty looks from the people in there. Oh well. One does what one must.

Sunday morning I headed off to church while Ian recuperated at home with our over-tired children. It was so strange to not have any little ones with me. The worship was so moving and our most excellent pastor talked about depression. Wow. There's a topic close to home. He did a really great job and even opened up the floor to people with questions or if they simply wanted to share. Lots of tears all around. I chose not to share my own story however.

This weather is killing me. I feel so blah, and I need all the blinds open just to get enough light into the house. Its only January...spring is so far away. I look outside in the morning and I just want to crawl back into bed.

Whine, whine, whine....grumble, grumble, grumble....

Bears have it made... they get to sleep all winter. If reincarnation was real - which for the record I don't think it is - then I would want to come back as a bear and sleep all winter. Or better yet...as a cat, then I could sleep all day. Ugh... I am tired all.the.time.

Ian held down the fort last night so I could head up to bed early last night. Early as in 6:40pm! (blush) I listed to my beloved iPod then read for awhile. Very relaxing.

This morning I drove the children to school, then Jordan and I picked up muffins and coffee for mom and dropped by for a visit. It was so good to sit and talk to her. Usually I am there every day, but I've been slacking a little bit in that area and I've been missing her. Her back continues to cause her pain, but as usual, she never complains.

I haven't updated my weight loss ticker in a few days because I haven't been doing so well these last few days. I knew I would "cheat" on Saturday because of the party, but Sunday...well...you see...it really wasn't my fault...that left-over birthday cake just would not stop calling my name.... And today, well, today I just wasn't hungry at all. I finally scrambled some eggs a couple of hours ago but they aren't sitting well.

Tomorrow is another day and I will get back on track. I promised myself. No beating myself up for the last couple of days - just get back on track. I feel so good when I'm not eating sugar and carbs.

Tomorrow morning Ian has an interview with a placement agency. They said they were very impressed by his resume. Please say a prayer for him!

The woman I co-lead Girls Club with is having some sort of issue with her knee and is currently on crutches, and quite possibly may not make it to this Thursday night's meeting, which means I'm in charge. I've been very content to follow her lead all along but now I'll have to step up. I can do it, it's just out of my comfort zone and I am feeling very nervous about it.

Tomorrow I'm going to bring my camera and take a picture of that dude that parks in the kiss-n-ride and I'm going to post it on here and expose him. Maybe I will also take a picture of the dancing crossing guard as well. Yes.. I think tomorrow should be Picture Day.

Yep, that's how tomorrow is going to roll.

Poor Kate

I have a cold and I feel so lousy.

All together now... Poor Katie...

I am too tired to write much today, so I thought I'd share some recent pictures with you.

A visual image of my 10 lb loss. I'm pretty proud.



Jordan is pulling up on everything now which makes naptime difficult. If she doesn't feel like sleeping she just stands up and calls to us. Doesn't she look so pleased with herself?



Santa brought Jordan this music table and she just adores it. It's very noisy.



I just love her little face!



Ian bought this shirt for her and it makes me laugh.



Last night Cindy and I went over to Jen's apartment to help her pack because she's moving at the end of the month. This plaque was hanging on her wall and I just loved it.



That's it for today. I've been in bed all day but managed to make it to Girls Club tonight and now I'm exhausted.

I Did It!!

I reached my first goal of 10 lbs!!!

I am so proud of myself!

Next stop....20!

Bit Of This, Bit Of That

Even though I was dreading turning 38, I really enjoyed my birthday. I didn't do much of anything which was pretty sweet. Gotta love a day like that. Ian picked up dinner and an ice cream cake for dessert. I was worried about breaking from my "lifestyle change" (eventually I'm going to call it a diet, you know I am) and having too much dessert, so Ian bought a cupcake sized cheesecake just for me. Awesome. It was the best cheesecake I can remember ever eating. During dinner Cindy and Jen dropped by with balloons and gifts for me. I was so touched that they would do that. I love those ladies so much.

Please direct your eyes to my weight loss ticker above...9 lbs gone, my friends. One more to go until I reach my first goal. We were trying to explain to Sam what 10 lbs feels like, so Ian had him hold our 10 lb bag of potatoes. Then he was pretty impressed! I held it too, and while I know I've lost that weight, it didn't feel entirely real until I held that bag.

20 lbs...here I come.

The children have been very interested in the blanket that I am crocheting for my mother. Ian bought them their own crochet hooks and wool so they can do it too. It's so cute to see them concentrating so hard on their projects. Sam is working on a blanket and Julie is making a scarf. It's nice to see them doing something other than watching tv or playing video games, and I love having that special time together.

Poor Jordan had a rough night last night. She has this really bad cough that almost sounds like croup but isn't. Ian was up with her quite a bit during the night. She was better today but had a runny nose and I was forever wiping it. Glory, I can't stand to see a child with a runny nose!

I watched the inauguration today and while I get that it was a historical event, all I could think of was all the money that has been spent on this while the global economy is in such danger. Such excess! While I was not originally an Obama supporter being the die-hard conservative that I am, I do get a good feeling from him, and he seems ready to take charge of that country after the mess Bush has left it in. I appreciated the references to God and that he quoted from the Bible. Too bad he stands for things I just can't swallow.

Meanwhile, we Canadians breathlessly await (dread) what our own mess of a government will come up with at the end of this month.

Today I got a lovely surprise in the mail from Amanda. She sent me a beautiful necklace for my birthday. I love it. Thank you again, my dear friend.

I went to Costco with Cindy tonight and we spent an odd amount of time looking at all the things we would like to eat if we weren't on a diet. (There..I said it...DIEt...)

Tomorrow is Coffee Hour and I am seriously considering strapping on my new pedometer and walking to the church. I am strangely interested (obsessed?) in knowing how many steps it would take to get there. Of course it is below freezing so my curiosity may very well go unfulfilled.

Tomorrow night Cindy and I are going to Jen's to help her pack up her apartment. I don't know how much work we're going to get done...we tend to talk. A lot... I love Jen enough that I will voluntarily miss the season premiere of LOST.

Thank goodness for PVR.

Happy Birthday To Me!

That's right...today is my birthday! My 38th in fact.

Ugh... that hurts. Some days I feel like I'm still in my 20's.

Or is it that I act like I'm still in my 20's...??

No matter. Today is all about ME and I am loving it.

Ian got up with the children this morning and they brought me breakfast in bed. I lounged around reading and finally came downstairs just after noon.

Love a lazy day like this!

I wonder what this year will bring??

End Of The Weekend...

Its Sunday and I managed to keep all the kids alive and the house intact for Ian's return home this afternoon from his retreat.

Friday night was a late one... Sam was the winner, staying up until just after midnight. We all - including Jordan - slept in until 8:30! We puttered around until it was time to start getting Julie ready for soccer. She didn't want to play yesterday because her Daddy wasn't there to watch her, which set off another flood of tears because she missed him so much. So.. we decided to meet up with Cindy to see "Hotel For Dogs" at the theatre. The children loved it and Jordan slept through most of it.

Afterwards we headed over to my mom's for my pre-birthday dinner. I was a little worried about what was going to be served because I am on the Atkins plan, and I can only have 20 grams of carbs a day and am considerably restricted in what I can eat.

I shouldn't have worried because my most excellent mother had it all in hand. My sister cooked a ham with veggies and potatoes, and Mom made a salad. For dessert she made jello and stuck candles in it...

Way to go Mom! I didn't have to go off-plan at all! I was so appreciative that she took that into consideration for me.

Last night we stayed up watching Shrek 3 until just before midnight then crashed. We all woke up around 9:20. Sweet.

I was very excited to step on the scale this morning and to see another loss. I can't believe that 8 lbs are gone...hopefully forever. Very exciting. The only "cheat" I had this week was a breath mint... not bad Kate.

Before anyone floods my comment section or email with caution about the Atkins method of weight loss, please know that I have done this before with success, and it is perfectly healthy if done properly. Everyone seems to know someone with a bad story to tell about this method. It is the only one that works for me and so I will stick with it for as long as I can. I highly recommend it.

Poor Jordan is sick again. She started getting warm while we were at my mom's and it progressed very quickly. Mom tried to give her Tempra twice but both times she immediately threw it up. Her whole little body was so hot and her face so flushed. She slept fitfully during the night and at one point her breathing got very laboured and I was starting to get nervous. We have an AngelCare monitor hooked up under her mattress and that gives me great comfort. If she were to stop breathing for any reason for longer than 20 seconds an alarm would sound. I put on jeans and a t-shirt just in case I needed to take her somewhere,that's how worried I was...However, she is now sitting in her highchair eating Cheerios. She can't breathe through her nose at all and looks so funny, breathing like a neanderthal. However, as always, she is quick to smile.

I am working on something for my mother. I'm crocheting her a blanket, and every time I work on it I pray for her. She loves to sit in her chair in her room to read or watch tv, and I can envision her sitting with this prayer blanket over her lap, knowing she is loved. This will be a challenge for me because I have a history of unfinished craft projects. It's a great time for me to spend talking to the Lord, quietly and undisturbed.

Well the princess is calling, so I'll wrap this up for now.

Drive-by Update

I can't believe that this week has passed so quickly. I'm tired (as usual) so I'll just post in bullet form.

~ I went to see The Unborn with Nadine, Jen, Cindy and Stacey on Tuesday night and it was pretty lame. I did scream, and every time I screamed, Nadine would jump. Good times.

~ Coffee Hour was excellent. Jen brought her baby and he's BEAUTIFUL! I held him twice. It was the first time I have ever held another person's baby and didn't feel that longing for another. Jordan has completed our family. I was able to just enjoy it and that felt so good.

~ I tried taking a picture of the dude that parks in the kiss-n-ride but he saw me and started running towards me, so I drove off. Yep, I'm tough that way.

~ Thursday I went mattress shopping with Mom. We were in and out in 15 minutes and her new mattress will arrive at her house tomorrow. Sweet.

~ Girl's Club was awesome. We're teaching the girls the Fruit of the Spirit, and after a very lively devotion, we headed down to the church kitchen for the girls to make fruit kabobs. In order to get started they each had to tell us one fruit of the spirit. Lots of hugs from my girls...and one from *M* that I've mentioned before. She is really opening up to me.

~ It is absolutely freezing here at -20. Apparently its +7 in Edmonton. There is something very wrong when Edmonton is warmer than Toronto.

~ Ian is away at Avalanche this weekend. It's a retreat for the JR High kids held up in Muskoka, and 600+ kids from various churches go. I think it's -48 there. MUCH too cold for my taste. The kids and I drove him to the church and stayed until their bus arrived. Julie had such a hard time saying goodbye and had a few tears. We picked up McD's (a Caesar salad with grilled chicken for moi) on our way home and we're camping out in the livingroom watching movies until we fall asleep.

10:00 pm...Jordan is out...I am ready to drop...Sam and Julie don't look even remotely tired... going to be a long night!

Encouragement

I received this in an email from our friend Gerry who is currently serving the Lord alongside his wife Barb in Bunia, DRC Congo.

In AFRICA friends!

With all that is going on there right now, his thoughts were of us today.

OUT OF THE SHADOWS by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Acts 11:19--26

Some of you who read these words today could use a little extra hope, especially if you find yourself in a waiting mode. You were once engaged in the action, doing top-priority work on the front lines. No longer. All that has changed. Now, for some reason, you're on the shelf. It's tough to stay encouraged perched on a shelf. Your mind starts playing tricks on you.

Though you are well-educated, experienced, and fairly gifted in your particular field, you are now waiting. You're wondering, and maybe you're getting worried, that this waiting period might be permanent. Admittedly, your response may not be all that great. You can't see any light at the end of the tunnel. It just doesn't seem fair. After all, you've trained hard, you've jumped through hoops, and you've even made the necessary sacrifices. Discouragement crouches at the door, ready to pounce on any thought or hope, so you sit wondering why God has chosen to pass you by.

I want to offer you some encouragement, but I need to start with a realistic comment: it may be a long time before God moves you into a place of significant impact. He may choose not to reveal His plan for weeks, maybe months. Are you ready for this? It could be years. I have found that one of God's favorite methods of preparing us for something great is to send us into the shadows to wait.

But that doesn't mean you're doomed to terminal darkness. Take heart from the words of British author James Stalker who wrote, "Waiting is a common instrument of providential discipline for those to whom exceptional work has been appointed." Pause and let that sink in. Read the statement again, slower this time.

Waiting is one of God's preferred methods of preparing special people for significant projects. The Bible makes that principle plain from cover to cover.

As Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD."

Thanks Gerry...

Yay

Look at my ticker moving already.

Dr. Atkins... I love you.

Crabby

Day two of my "Lifestyle Change" and I'm crabby already.

Who am I kidding... I was crabby yesterday.

I had to toss out my beloved blow dryer because it started burning and set off the smoke detectors. Good thing I had a spare in my bathroom and it has more power.

More power! Arrrrr!

I usually go through a blow dryer a year, but this little guy held on for a few years. I also go through vacuums at a rate of one a year. I've been married for almost 13 years and we're on vacuum #14. Actually, #14 died and Ian was able to fix #13.

How is it that I go through so many? Well friends, that's a story for another day.

Today I woke up to more snow. It was an Early Release Day for the children so I seriously thought about not even making them go. But they did, and our usual 5 minute trip to school was 20. So frustrating.

Just as I was letting them out, Sam asks if I had his backpack. I said no and he started to get upset. This is the second time this has happened, but he absolutely hates when I nag (read: remind) him to make sure he has it before we leave the house. I told him that I guess this morning was going to suck because he was going to have to go without his snack and his books. I thought this would be a great opportunity to teach him a lesson in responsibility.

Ian felt differently. Apparently in his backpack was an assignment he worked on all last evening so it would be completed in time for today.

Sigh.

Back to the house I go to get the backpack. Ian met me at the door and handed it to me, along with Julie's books.

!!!

Back to school I go with their things to drop them off. When I was leaving, I saw a woman walking her dogs in her pjs. IN HER PJS.

There is a phenomenon I will never understand - public pj wearers.

I visited with my mom, picked up the kids, then took Sam for a haircut. I was thinking a nice #4 around the sides and back... he talked me into keeping his shaggy look. I got the whole "But Moooommmmm! It's how everyone wears their hair!" speech. I was concerned that he was just going with the flow like everyone else, but he said he really liked the shaggy look and wanted to keep it.

Wow. Between fetching forgotten assignments and letting him have his own way with his hair, I am either the biggest pushover on the planet or the best mom ever.

Ha. We all know the answer to that.

THE BEST MOM EVER!

(read: pushover)

He has been fussing with it for the last 20 minutes and is now satisfied that he looks the way he wants to.

Tonight I am going to see The Unborn with Nadine, Cindy and Jen. I hope it isn't another lame horror movie because I'm looking for a high-popout factor. I'll let you know if and how many times I scream.

Before I sign off for today, I thought I would brag about my excellent children that are arguing about who gets to set the table for dinner tonight.

Ha! Who GETS TO! I wonder how long this will last?

Here I Go

I'm starting my Lifestyle Change today. Note I didn't use that dirty four letter word diet.

I am hoping that by putting this on my blog that I will hold to it, since I would hate for my thousands and thousands of readers to be disappointed in me.

I've decided to track this in 10 lb increments so I don't get overwhelmed.

Ugh. I feel crusty already.

I can do this...I can do this...

Thankful

I haven't been in the blogging frame of mind these last few days but I had a few moments tonight to post a few things.

First of all, thank you so much for your comments, emails, phone calls and facebook messages offering encouragement about Ian's layoff. I cannot tell you how much every single one means to me. I am overwhelmed by you.

Pray on, my friends. I need you. I truly believe that prayer is powerful and our Heavenly Father hears each one.

Girls Club resumed this past Thursday and it was so good to see the girls again. I was met with squeals and hugs and I loved all of it. We had a few new faces join us as well. I have been praying for one girl in particular for a couple of months now. *M* is very closed off and her story is one of a few that hurts my heart. I've been praying for a sign that she is ready to let me in because I want to be able to tell her things that she needs to hear: that she is special, she matters, she is loved and has a purpose.

While I was being hugged to bits by the girls, I saw her come around the corner and look at me. I thought "here goes!" and I just opened my arms and she flew into them. I hugged her so tight and whispered in her ear that I had missed her so much. She pulled back and said "Really? YOU missed ME?" and I hugged her again and said "Absolutely!"

I do love how He answers my prayers!

Julie played soccer on Saturday as usual and all was well until the last few minutes of the game when she got hit in her stomach with the ball and just went down. Poor thing. Ian headed down to get her and she was crying. When they walked her across the field everyone started clapping for her. Bless her heart. She had a red spot on her tummy but ended up just fine.

I've been working on Sam the last couple of weeks, building him up to get his hair cut. Good grief this kid has a lot of hair! He wants to grow it long like some kind of Jonas Brother and I'm not having it. Hopefully I can get him in somewhere tomorrow to get it cut.

Jordan is sprouting another tooth which should arrive any time now. She pulls herself up on everything and loves to just stand there. Well, until today that is. Now she's "cruising". She'll inch along the couch to the coffee table and move over to that.

Brilliant that she is, I bet she's walking in no time.

I sorted through all of her outgrown clothes this weekend to pass on to someone who can use them. Certain outfits are so hard to part with, so I kept a couple of things, just as I did with the other children. I'm enjoying her so much, and I'm so glad she is with us but...

Isn't there always a "but"?

Here goes....

But.... I wish this part of my life wasn't over. She will be our last and while I knew that from the get-go, I am still sad. I'm too old, I have three already, they're expensive, etc....

Blah blah blah. Enough about that.

Thank you again for your prayers and support. You are wonderful.

Trust

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Ian was laid off today.

I was at Coffee Hour when the Associate Pastor came up behind me and whispered in my ear that Ian had called the church office asking me to call him on my cell. I did so right away and he told me what had happened. I knew a layoff could be a possibility but still, it came as a shock.

I returned to the group but couldn't focus on the video, so I stepped out to call my mom to let her know what happened. Moms always make things better, don't they? When I came back, the group was taking prayer requests and I told them that Ian had been laid off, then started to cry. One by one they came to me, hugged me, then they all laid their hands on me and prayed for us.

What beautiful sisters I have. Thank you, Father.

I talked to Him all the way home, and asked Him to help me to be strong and encouraging for Ian, and to not give in to the despair that I can already feel is swirling around my feet. He gently reminded me that He has already written this story, He knows what is going to happen next and He has us squarely in His hands.

Oh how I love you, Lord.

I'm going to update my resume and send it out to some contacts that I've kept to see what is out there in my field. Of course, Ian will be searching too. Maybe we could make it a race to see who finds a job first. I do enjoy the occasional challenge.

That's it for now.

Another Busy Weekend

Apparently I've been neglecting my blog again, so here I am with an update.

Friday was Ian's 40th birthday and apparently he is not at all bothered by the fact that he is now almost a senior citizen. I feel absolutely youthful next to my old timer.

Cindy came to watch the children for us in the evening so we could go to see Quantum of Solace. I had absolutely no idea what it was about and I didn't really care. I liked it anyway. The children loved that Cindy was coming to stay with them and as usual she spoiled them with treats that she brought for them.

Saturday I visited with my mother and aunt, then the children stayed with them while Ian and I went out for dinner together at Montanas. I had the Baked Chicken Penne and it was so good. I'm still thinking about it two days later! After we brought the children home and put them to bed we played a game called "Battle of the Sexes" and while I had a sweet lead, he pulled a wild card and sent me back to the start and ended up winning the whole thing. Lame.

Sunday we went to church, then went to Square One so the children could use the Build A Bear gift cards they received for Christmas. Our stroller was in my mother's garage so my plan was to just carry Jordan around. Ian's plan was to rent one of those ridiculous looking and filthy racing car strollers.

GROSS! I had to wipe everything down with my wet wipes before she was overrun with cooties. Then I refused to even push it because it was so silly. Jordan, however, loved it. Traitor.

It was a zoo at BAB with two birthday parties going on at once. Complete chaos. The children each made new bears and still had enough money left over for an outfit for each. I love watching those bears "come to life".

In the evening I went to see Seven Pounds with Cindy. I figured out pretty quick what was going on (after all, it was hardly a Bond flick!) but the story was still lovely and I cried at the end.

I know. Big shock. Kate cried....again.

Afterwards we headed over to the Irish bar that Jen works at and I had my first beer in almost two years. I craved a cold beer all throughout my pregnancy and so I indulged last night. Actually, I had two of them. I have absolutely zero tolerance for alcohol because it hits me pretty quick. If I have one drink, I am anyone's friend. Two or more and I'm everyone's friend. After my two pints (that sounds like so much more than two beers) I was feeling pretty relaxed. Jen turned up the ABBA tunes (love them) and turned on the disco ball just for me. She did stop short of letting me sing along on stage with the mic.

Party pooper. Sigh. Every party has one I guess.

This morning the children returned to school and Ian went back to work. I spent the day at my mother's as usual. My aunt returns to Michigan tomorrow and we won't see her again until June.

Jordan was crawling everywhere, getting into everything. I don't know if Sam and Julie were this busy or if I'm just too old to be doing this. She pulled herself up to stand on her own in her playpen and we were all clapping for her. She just beamed.

You know what I'm about to say, so say it with me: She's brilliant.

I hope Coffee Hour resumes this Wednesday. I miss my ladies and I haven't seen Jen in a month! I can't wait to see her precious little baby. I wanted to go over sooner but I had a cold and then I was tied up with Christmas and New Years. I've seen pictures though and he is gorgeous.

Hello 2009

A brand new year, full of fresh possibilities and opportunities.

And what better way to start of a new year than with a win?

Today I found out that I am one of three winners of the Baby Be Blessed contest over at Bring The Rain! I have won a customized doll and I can choose the hair colour, material, etc, and the BEST part is that I can choose a personal scripture that is printed on the dolls tummy. I'm going to give it to Julie.

Now I need to find the perfect scripture verse for it. Suggestions?

How exciting.

But even MORE exciting.... JORDAN CRAWLED YESTERDAY!!! Oh yes, friends, she is mobile and nothing is holding her back! She even crawled right over to me to be picked up. Poor little lamb has carpet burn on her knees to show her efforts.

Yesterday was a busy day but in a good way. Julie had her friend "L" over for a playdate. I am a self-proclaimed socialphobe but I stepped out of my comfort zone and invited her mom "N" to say for coffee and I am so glad I did. Conversation came so easily, although as it turns out, we were both a little nervous about that beforehand! We never ran out of things to talk about and the girls got along famously. They met each other in Girls Club. Ian and I will definitely get together with "N" and her "other half" soon.

In the afternoon, Sam had his friend "T" over to play. "T" is such a nice kid, so polite and sweet. They ate like horses, although I suppose that's what boys do.

I loved the comings and goings of these kids. I loved the sound of their laughter all throughout my home. Is there any better sound in the world than that of children laughing? They we happy, and therefore, so was I.

In the evening, my mom, aunt and nephew came over for a visit and we toasted the new year together before they left. Ian, the kids and I stayed up until midnight and watched the ball drop at Times Square. I cried as I always do on New Year's Eve.

I am only making one resolution this year - to let go. I have blogged before about how I don't love fully, and I don't live fully. I am afraid of being hurt or disappointed. I worry about what people think of me, or how I must look to others. I obsess about being perfect for other people and letting them down. I carry so much guilt and regret and shame. I'm going to let go of all of those things and just let myself go and find out who I really am... Who the Father created me to be. I'm going to surround myself with people I love and respect and who love and respect me. People who love the Lord as I do, so we can grow in Him together.

Blessings to you for this new year,
Kate