Just For You Mom!

I find myself in front of the laptop in honour of my Mom. She has been hounding me for months to post something on the blog. With Mother's Day coming this weekend, I cannot deny her this simple pleasure. (and it's not because I'm too cheap to get her a gift!)

I suggested a trip to Windsor this coming weekend to surprise Richard's Mom. The girls have not seen Grammy and Papa since Christmas and Grammy is not well enough to travel to Waterloo. Well, it's a good thing that I thought of it when I did! Who would have thought that a three day, two night trip would take an entire week to plan......

Once the decision was made, I decided that with the girls growing, and Elizabeth not fully potty trained, that stuffing all of our clothes into two dufflebags would not suffice....especially since Richard is a notorious "Over Packer". Off I went to Walmart to get each of the girls their very own suitcase complete with wheels and a handle. They had to be different but not so different as to cause discord. That was easy enough...Disney Princesses for Alex, Winnie the Pooh for Elizabeth. That was on Sunday.......looking back, I probably should have left that until later in the week.

Have you ever given your child something and then told them that they have to wait a week before they can use it? Elizabeth has sent hers down the stairs at least five times, which is the same number of times that Alex has tried to pack hers. Unfortunately, Alex is also an over packer. The last three days have been spent trying to decide which clothes to pack. At one point I was informed that she had to bring all of her clothes, but not her dresser, because "Grammy and Papa have dressers at their house."

So far, this ordeal is not helping the migraine that I have had since March.....I actually think that I have developed a tic as well.

Next, we had to make a list of evrything that we needed to bring. My head was ready to explode after trying to explain the difference between "need" and "want". "No, you do not need to bring your music player." "But Mommy!(said through tears) I do need music to go to sleep!" "No, you like to have music to go to sleep. The music player stays."

I got to finish the list myself.

I made my list, I checked it twice, we have it all covered.....snacks, juice, water, pop, sunscreen, bug spray, dog food (did I mention that we're taking the dog?), dog treats, sleeping bags for the girls, pillows, and the portable DVD player and an assortment of movies.

The last item mentioned is the most important. It will save the sanity of the two adults in the van. Three hours on the road without Scooby Doo and Spy kids would seem like twelve. On the half an hour trip to Guelph, they ask "Are we there yet?" before we hit the first stop sign.

Wish us luck on our trip!

Happy Mother's Day!

The Camera Finally Got here!

We finally got that darn digital camera! It was held up at Customs until Dec. 26! But it's here now and Alex enjoys it. I was very surprised to discover that Elizabeth absolutely loves it. So much so that we got her one for her upcoming birthday.....in a different colour to avoid any fights. The kid has a pretty good eye for picture taking. She has taken some awesome pictures for a three year old. Elizabeth took the pictures of Alex and Mini. Alex took the picture at the park and Aunt Kerri's "smelly pot".
I'll post some more once I figure out this formatting thing on this site. That's it for now.

Tis The Season

Does anyone remember the simpler times? When most kids were happy not to get a lump of coal in there stocking? (No coal these days....it's not environmentally friendly) Times when any present, that wasn't socks or underwear, was a delight for the wee ones.........

Now, does anyone remember a little Christmas movie from the mid 90's called "Jingle All The Way"? Ninety some odd minutes of Arnold Schwartzenegger running all over the place trying to find a TurboMan action doll for his son. He left it to the last minute.......that's what was so funny. One wouldn't think that they could actually learn something from one of Arnie's movies. Silly me, if you didn't learn anything from that one, please learn from me.

Fast forward to December 16, 2006. Nine shopping days left, plenty of time for the average shopper. Just call me Arnie. Some of you may recall that I have been telling you for several weeks that we are getting Alex a Fisher Price Digital Camera for Christmas. I did have every intention of getting one before today, honest.....I've been a little busy. I actually stopped into the Walmart in Guelph earlier in the week because they had them advertised in the flyer.

This was my first trip to the new Walmart. I was feeling rotten, tired, cranky and a few other things all at once. I braced myself for a crowded and loud experience. To my surprise, I got a close parking spot, a clean shopping cart and lots of room to maneuver said cart. There were very few shoppers out...bonus. I thought that I'd just whip in, grab the camera, and get out. I was certain that there would be a huge display, after all, they were in the flyer that was clutched in my hand. Off I went to the toy department.........Apparently all of the shoppers that were in the store, were in the toy department.......and the easy to maneuver aisles seemed just that much too narrow for my new clean cart. Up and down, aisle after aisle, no display. They must keep them in the electronics department! Nope, not there. In fact, I didn't see any cameras at all, let alone the coveted Fisher Price. When I went looking for an employee, I was lucky enough to find two at the same time! Unfortunately, they were engaged in what must have been an extremely important conversation about whatever it is that teenagers converse about. I gathered that by the nasty looks that both of them gave me when, after two minutes of waiting to be acknowledged, I cleared my throat to interrupt. Once they got over the shock of my brazenness, one told me that they didn't have any, they didn't come in. I must have replied in a less than impressed tone (can't imagine why) because the other offered some less than convincing story that they might have them in the photo centre at the front. Before I could grunt an almost convincing "thank you", they were back to their conversation.
I didn't even need to step into the photo centre to see that there were none there. I looked at my nice new clean cart, its' emptiness mocking me......it took all of my might not to kick it. I left empty handed....except for the chips and chocolate that I bought to comfort me on my long drive home to Waterloo.
I put off the quest until today, I still had nine days, surely some store would have it. I checked Walmart, no luck. Canadian Tire, no such thing there. Zellers, Shopper's Drugmart, Sears...no, no and no. Ah ha! I'll go see my friend Geoffrey the Giraffe at Toys R Us, he'll have some there, that's why it's called Toys R Us. What a zoo! Hundreds of people pushing and shoving and grabbing. When I finally found someone to help me, I explained what I was looking for and it was all he could do to keep from laughing in my face. "We don't have any......and you won't see them for a while." "That's what you think Pal!" I thought to myself.....You see, unlike Arnie, I have an eBay account!
I dutifully completed some more shopping and quickly rushed home to my beloved laptop. Elizabeth was playing Reader Rabbit.....I headed downstairs to the office, Alex was on the internet! I managed to bribe Alex to get off the computer and logged onto eBay. I desperately searched for someone in Canada who was offering up the much sought after Fisher Price Digital Camera.....there wasn't a single one. Now nine days may seem like a lot of time when you are shopping in the country you live in, especially if you drive, but nine days, with only five or six of those days for delivery, is not a lot in the world of eBay.
I did manage to find a nice lady in Indiana who had one (in pink) who, if I paid before 4:00 today, would ship it UPS today. She got a quote of $45.00 U.S. for overnight shipping to Canada. After emailing eachother back and forth about six times......do you have Paypal?...yes, how quickly can you ship to Canada?......I went on the eBay sight, selected the "Buy it now" option, went to the secure checkout, added $45 for shipping and paid the lady by 3:36!
I'll I can say is......In Your Face Arnie!!!!!! That's how to get your kid what they want for Christmas! I just hope it gets here in time!

I married the Devil

I was sitting down to dinner with the girls last night (Friday), Richard was at a work function in Toronto, when Alex told me about a conversation she had with Daddy. "Mom, Daddy said that when you paint the livingroom on Saturday, that Elizabeth and I can paint pictures here in the kitchen!"
"Saturday?........Tomorrow?"
"Yes! Daddy said you're painting on Saturday."
This was news to me. We hadn't really discussed painting for certain....and it hadn't been mentioned in weeks. I told Alex that I didn't think that we would be painting, but she and Elizabeth could still paint pictures.
When Richard got home a little after nine, I asked him if he was planning on painting.
"Well, I was thinking about it."
I gave him the look.......
"What? You don't think it's a good idea?"
Knowing that the house was a mess and the garage was still full of boxes I replied, "I think that there are other things we could be doing."
"Okay, we don't have to paint.".......Subject closed.......not!
My husband is an evil, evil man who preys on the knowledge that, once an idea has been planted, I can become a little obsessive.
I was up at seven a.m. on the internet looking at paint colours. He got up, poured himself a cup of coffee, sat on the couch and read the morning paper as I sat glued to the computer screen.....
"What do you think of this colour for the livingroom?" "How about this one for the familyroom, because we can't not paint the familyroom if we're painting the livingroom and diningroom..."

By nine a.m. I was on my way to Home Depot for painting supplies and then to Sherwin Williams for paint. By 10:30 we had all of the furniture moved and I was taping baseboards. While I was out buying my goods, I left Richard with instructions to take down the fugly curtains and patch the holes so I could start as soon as possible.

Once I was ready to start, I sent Richard and the girls out for lunch so they wouldn't be in the way. I'm sure he was laughing all the way to McDonald's! Here I was painting and sweating and cursing while her was having a party with Ronald Freakin' McDonald!

I did tell him that it was not nice to take advantage of one's mental disorders! A casual conversation with a five year old led to a weekend of hard labour.

The part of his plan that was pure genius, the part that was purely evil, was his knowing that I absolutely hate the way he paints! I can't stand it. He knows that......he was counting on that! So, when he has his little retreat for work here on Friday, he can take all the credit for playing on my obsessive behavior. But then again, he always has been an idea man.
So, as I sit here typing, my shoulders aching, I will sleep well knowing that I have one perfectly painted coat of "leather bound" on my walls.
The only thing that kept the second coat from going on was the lack of light. I can assure you, I will be up at seven tomorrow to get that second coat on!
Next week......the familyroom.

Damn that Richard Vollans!

Sunny Saturday Morning

It's a sunny but cold Saturday morning here in Waterloo. Richard is at work for the day welcomes hundreds, perhaps thousands, of potential students to the University of Waterloo's Science Program. Both girls are up and very active despite having rotten colds. I was hoping that being sick would slow them down a little as it has me......Wishful thinking.
Alex and Elizabeth had fun trick or treating this week. Alex was a fairy princess and Elizabeth was Scooby Doo. (Someday she will get out of the hand me downs) I will post pictures as soon as I find the media reader for my flash card.
Mom is having a grand old time in Bonnie Scotland! I am so glad that her health has improved. She really was meant to travel. Although we all miss her, we are happy that she is having a good time.
There is nothing new going on here, Richard and I are both working many hours. He is taking some well deserved vacation time next week......so he can get work done at home! It is hard to believe that we have been in Waterloo for five months now! It is even harder to believe that we still have a garage full of boxes. We did manage to find the time last weekend to get some shelves built under the stairs (Richard's handy work) and get all of the Christmas decorations into the house.
We are now in the midst of organizing our annual Holiday Open House. Hence, the need for Richard to take vacation days! We will get the invitations out shortly. The open house is my favorite event of the year, and I look forward to catching up with so many people.
Well, that is all for my Saturday morning rambling, will post again soon.

I thought I was too old for this blogging thing

I am I too old to have a blog? I'll use my kids as an excuse....this will keep everyone up to date on what's happening with the girls, the dog and life in general. This is my first entry, I'll do my best to keep things up to date with news and photos.
The girls have yet to decide what they want to be for Holloween......but what the heck, they still have three days to do that. I will post pictures of the two little devils. That is all for now....I think that I did fairly well for my first venture into the wonderful world of blogging.