Being Invited to Weddings......

This year we have the HONOUR of attending 5 WEDDINGS!!! Sadly one is a destination wedding, Mexico and we will not be going....there is no way, we don't have a babysitter or the time to take a mini holiday(especially if we are still planning to go to PEI!) Plus.....I am not too sure about Mexico any more. I know it can be a fabulous destination spot....but recent troubles with Canadians being injured or killed....I'd rather stay home! We'll send a card with a heart felt apology and wishing them a lifetime of happiness! So, its down to FOUR WEDDINGS!! Last year there were no invites...and I was kinda sad! But now...realizing how much goes into attending a wedding....it would be nice if friends married once a year....get together and set up a date...lets spread it out. I wonder why too.....whats the push behind all these weddings??? Is it the thought of 2012!!?? The end of the world?? People are rushing about, getting married....so the ladies can say that they are not ol' maids and the gents are getting married cause.......I'm not sure, I haven't thought of anything...perhaps its cause the ladies are pushing them to marry NOW! LOL!!

With these Weddings coming up...I posted a question on FB....can I get away with wearing the same dress to all the Weddings!? MOST said to have a NEW dress for each Wedding!! Honestly...I don't have many DRESSIE dresses...lots of summer dresses for casual hot summer days.  For lounging about on the back deck, admiring my gardens...while Hubby pours me a glass of Chardonnay! With all the responses....I decided that I HAD to buy a few dresses. My first Wedding is this Saturday, its my Fathers. With this wedding I was more focused on getting my kids clothes and shoes organized...ugh...it can be difficult. I saw nothing in stores and turned to online shopping...which worked out GREAT!!

But for the shoes...OMG... I took all three kids to Payless Shoes...I had no idea of their shoe sizes!! Usually I stock up in the Fall and have clear sailing til Spring, then I await the BOGO Sale! No sales yet!! I found out their shoe size and started to find them appropriate shoes....then it was Alex's turn! Alex who is two did not want his size KNOWN.....he screamed and cried...this was the first time that a child of mine did this(in the public..lol)....after figuring it out....he then screamed cause he wanted CARS shoes.....in a frenzy and desperate plea to quieten him....I grabbed the wrong shoes(water shoes) and didn't realize that till we got out of the store. I ended up leaving his shoes in the van and returning the next night to exchange them!

Next it was my turn....seeing nothing in the stores and my availability to get out(with Hubby's hours)...I went online....don't you just LOVE ONLINE shopping?? I picked out three dresses. Finally they arrived yesterday. I was going to try them on and get Katie to take my picture...later I was going to post them on FB...and get my FRIENDS opinions...which to keep, etc etc!! After trying them on, I realized that I have various issues with myself....and I shouldn't..but I do! I even commented that I have a fat tummy...now I said this under my breathe, but Katie heard me....I realized that I shouldn't have said that. I want her to have great confidence in herself...especially where I lack. She asked "let me see your tummy"......when I took off one of the dresses she glanced at me and replied, "No...you are not fat!" Man...I love this child!!!

All these tummy issues of mine made me think of the film, SHIRLEY VALENTINE...have your seen it?? There is one scene where Shirley is in Greece and is sailing with a Greek Restaurant owner....they skinny dip...afterwards he kisses her stomach and stretch marks...and she looks surprised and shocked...he comments that, and now I am paraphrasing...that you shouldn't be ashamed of these marks, they are part of who you are, you gave life. I  LIKE that!! And I have to remember that!! I had three kids...all 10 pounds and bigger!!! I do TRY to do sits up...regularly...but sometimes its NICER to sit and watch some favourite shows or curl up and read. I could practice holding my stomach in and talking at the same time...it could be a new talent of mine? But there is always spanx...right...just not sure if it works or should I wear layers of control top pantyhose...LOL!! That could be another blog!!

So the votes were in...I am keeping the two dresses that were MOST liked...which is funny, cause they were the cheapest and the MOST expensive is being returned....which is FINE by me and most likely FINE by Hubby!!  Thankfully for the next weddings, I can leave the kids behind!! At least I have made a dent...and NOW have two dresses and I will try to accept my flaws...cause after all...they are a part of who I am.....and most likely as one noted...after a few glasses of wine... I wont care about ANYTHING!!!

TWO winning DRESSES!! Pictures taken by  my 4yr old...Katie!!!

Catch Up of Sorts...........

I cant believe that it has almost been three weeks since my last Blog. The first week of not blogging was March Break....enough said!!! Every night...Katie would ask, "do I go to school tomorrow, is March Break over?" I would tell her "no...March break is a week, the school is closed!" And she would roll over and sob on her pillow...she wanted desperately to go to school. Josh on the other hand, didn't want school ever again!! But it was during that week I got sick...some kind of nasty congestion and slight temperature and just feeling blaa!!  When Alex went down for a nap, I let the other two watch movies/play games and I napped. That's how icky I was. It was also during this time that we had LOVELY mild temperatures!! I was sooo glad for Spring weather but hated that I was too ill to enjoy it all.

The second week was back to school....(YIPPIE)....but I was still too tired and felt out of breathe from walking to school...finally I went to the Doctors. Now if it was my kids...BOOM...there would be no question, I would make the trek to the Family Doctor, but its an hour drive(one way) and I just put it off...thinking, it will go away...whatever this is! Right!? Then I tried to go to a walk in clinic....there are only 4 CLINICS in my town! Various hours and long lines....and the one place the Doctor wasn't showing up till later  in the day...and  that's if  he could!!! I finally called my Family Doctor and they squeezed me in!! I got there and had to wear a mask...NICE...didn't I feel GOOD and not plagued by something! Turns out, Bronchi infection. Even now, after a week from visiting the Doctor...I still have the nagging cough...but now I am taking over the counter meds(to bring up the gunk...so to speak...and its working...but some is still there)!!  But I am getting better!

Also with this WARM WEATHER we had.....I tried to be out in it as much as I could and do as much as  I could...cleaning up the garden, bringing out the lights, little fences...trying to get ready for Spring!!  It was exciting to see the SNOW melt and disappear as if it never existed.  Tulips and Spring flowers started to peak through. Some perennials started to wake up and buds started to open on trees. I threw snow boots out(they there worn and cracked). Windows were open, kids wore shorts and jackets were not needed by the end of the school day.  All the while in the back of my head was the nagging thought...its ONLY MARCH and YOU LIVE IN CANADA and SLIGHTLY up NORTH!!! And true to thought.....yesterday was CHILLY and the WINTER COATS came back out(after I cleaned them and tucked them away for another winter). So its chilly again...but not to the point where that white stuff will make a reprise. And cause of the mild temps...allergies have stormed in, like an unwanted guest at a party. So not only an infection...but add allergies and things are AWESOME! LOL!

So....as some have wondered what happened to me....that's basically it!! There was a lack of energy to do anything and then when things got slightly better...the WEATHER surprised us all...and I want nothing more than to hide all aspects of ol' man  Winter and get ready to WELCOME SPRING!!  So I am back....still looking at Kijiji, baking and cooking...helping the kids with homework...getting to ready for my Father's wedding(which is this Saturday...and still no clothes that I have ordered on line have arrived...even though they should have yesterday...but I am not worried yet...I'll wait till Friday night...yes, I procrastinate) and then its Easter...and a few birthdays in between. And there are still thoughts/dreams of PEI this Summer!!

So I am back and ready to BLOG about Motherhood and Everything Else!!

The Dentist!!!

I have heard various ages when to take YOUR children to the dentist. I've also heard that visits don't need to be every 6 months, once yearly is fine.....so with various information going about I didn't know exactly when to go. AND my Husband has a fear of teeth...don't ask me why...but if anything happens with the kids, concerning their MOUTH and TEETH...he is WHITE!! So...I am in charge of the mouths in this family! I have always made my kids brush their teeth....and they would show me after...and I would reply "ohhh so WHITE!!" There was never any issues with their teeth! It also took awhile to get an appointment settled...my Hubby works long hours....and we don't have a second car...so I had to go around his schedule to get an appointment and make sure he was going to be off. Monday night it was!!

The kids were nervous. I was nervous for Katie...she is the shyest of them all...and hates NOISES...like the little cleaner that scrubs your teeth pearly white! But as soon as we got inside...they were excited...there was a TV and a video game set up in another corner. Josh went and played Super Mario and Katie sat beside him, watching. After filling out tons of paperwork(ugh)....the receptionist started the BIG TV....Toy Story 3 came on the screen. Katie yelped in JOY!! First up was Katie....and she was cool!! She got to wear sunglasses as the hygienist cleaned her teeth....also in front of Katie was another BIG SCREEN TV....and the movie Rio started!! She was in her own world and didn't care about anything else...scrapers, cleaners, sucking tubes...nothing!!! 

Josh was next....and he too was in his own world. He even told the lady "I like this...I haven't seen Rio yet!" The only problem with Josh's teeth....he needs to BRUSH more! As the hygienist showed him..."you have Sugar Bugs...see...you have to make sure to brush them off!!" Katie's teeth were fine. But both kids have NO CAVITIES.  They also got Goodie Bags afterwards.....tooth brush, tooth paste, kids floss, a toy from the toy chest and an hour glass(the idea behind that is that they have to keep brushing...till all the sand is empty! I just had to remind them that the WATER doesn't run that LONG!!) Katie asked, after she was finished..." I like this place, I'm not scared...can we come back tomorrow?"

NOW as a child.....I didn't have any of these luxuries.....there were OLD magazines and kids books in the waiting room....and awful music playing from a corner in the office. I never had movies while sitting in the chair to amuse me. I would be lying there, while she scraped my teeth and would ask me questions...questions that had long answers not just "huh huh...nuh nuh..." cause we couldn't answer her with her hands in our mouths...but somehow they understood what we said. I kinda wish that I was child again...a child to have these luxuries in the dentist's office!

Dishes...

I know that we are all trying to save money here and there...more so when the BILLS come in...I am scared to see the FUTURE.  How much will it cost for HYDRO and GAS in twenty years? And with these SMART METERS(are they really smart??) we have adjusted our schedules to get the CHEAPEST rate available. For one...I try not to use the DISHWASHER! Which is funny, cause as a kid we didn't have a dishwasher...my Mom's dishwasher was my brother and myself...I was the washer and he was the dryer. I always wanted a washer...I envied friends that had one...they were lucky...so lucky and they didn't know it! Flash forward a few years(yes just a few years) and I am washing dishes by hand...saving $$$$. I don't dry...most of the times I let them AIR DRY!! (Gotta save $$).

We only use the dishwasher on the weekends(cheap rate) when I have cooked a BIG meal and just cant face the dishes. But it also is during this time...while hands are in HOT, soapy water, I do my thinking..my BIG thinking...what I want to do? What I want for my FAMILY? Many great plans are made at the sink while starring out the window. Its also an escapement...cause honestly...how many actually hang around you while washing dishes...they are afraid that they will get suckered into drying! Its just me, the dishes, my IDEAS and the radio in the background. Its quite nice actually...shhhh, don't tell Matt!! And if a child does come in, they usually chat with me....it can be of no great importance, its just a chat...but we are spending that time together, one on one. And usually I find something out about their day that they hadn't mentioned before.

Last night, while washing the dishes after dinner...I paused to look after Alex. When I came back to the kitchen, Katie(who is 4) was drying her hands...she seemed proud. I asked her what's up? She told me that she washed her own plate..."I love washing dishes, its fun!" I too was proud in her, and patted her on the head and congratulated her on helping me out. I then mentioned that I should give her an allowance for helping me around the house. I asked her how much money should she be paid, she replied "10!" "Hmmm...is that DOLLARS or CENTS?" She  thought about it....and replied "CENTS!" Now....should I get her to sign a contract for 15 years, that she is to be paid no more than 10 CENTS a WEEK!? Hmmm........

GOOD BYE February!!! Its been nice.......

End of February......GOOD BYE February!! I am hoping for a sunny March. March is full of new growth..right, its suppose to be Spring in March...I know I live in Canada! But a girl can dream!! As I type this, I can hear my neighbour....he has the snow blower out...thats right, we got a little dumping!  I guess that saying will apply to March, in like a LION and out like a LAMB! Please!!! February has been a mixed month. With three children and some hours being cutback for my Husband...I was getting nervous.  I was glancing through the General Help Section of the papers and checking things out online. There is very little out there...one has to get creative! Thankfully Monday he got the call that he has been waiting for....he has a new position...more hours and more responsibility...fingers crossed things go along swimmingly. The only downside is that he gets up at 1:30AM...but he is home for dinner!!!PLUS we will be saving on power...if we all go to bed early, everything will be off!! Then again...cause I am going to bed early too.....I am reading more...which means I will need NEW books!! Matt commented that our bookshelves are full(suggesting that I havent read them)...poor fellow...I have read mostly all of them....still a few more Binchy's to go!!

This past weekend too, sickness came back to our little home. Josh started the weekend by throwing up and Alex ended the weekend by throwing up....another reason to kiss Winter GOODBYE!! Lately too...I have been feeling housebound....miserable weather,sickness or feeling too poor to do anything...so I start  to go through the pages of Kijiji.....clicking on items to "watch"....some I want for myself...others I ponder over...I could fix 'that' up and resell it!! Right now though I have a list and recently bought a side table.....I am in the middle of refinishing it.....I am thinking that I WANT it...it would be great in the bedroom, put it on my side, some books on top....NOW all I need is a comfy chair...bright light...it can be my little corner where I can read and escape the critters in my home!

I suppose we are all feeling that ITCH...to leave OLD MAN WINTER behind and WELCOME SPRING. I know the kids are...Josh got upset with the latest dumping of snow. Katie tells me that she likes all seasons but is ready for Spring....and Alex, well the other day he was crouching over and saying goodbye to the snow. I can see it too in the parents that walk their kids to school...we have this look...we look at each other as we pass one another and nod...we know...we all know.  So here is HOPING and WISHING for a GREAT MARCH!! The month of SPRING and turning our CLOCKS FORWARD!!!