I always look forward to summer vacation......lazy days, sleeping in, no place to rush off to with the kiddos.....and then, a month in ( like, right about now)....I feel like my nerves are frazzled and the kiddos are running all over the frayed ends.
Not like we haven't been busy, because, we sure have been. Trips back and forth to the Grandparents' place .......activities there with friends.....come home, trips to the lake, bike rides, housework.......but, no set schedule.
I have dreams of being an organized person...they sit alongside my fantasies of having a home ready for company any time, kids who listen & do as they are told with a smile, a dog that doesn't turn into a frenzied barking gremlin when the doorbell rings, and that my laundry is all washed, folded and put away.
No matter what though.....I am still loving the fact that I DON'T HAVE TO MAKE LUNCHES FOR SCHOOL! I swear, if I was a better organized person and could home school.....the no lunches thing would be a real perk!
How do you keep the ends tied tight in the summer?
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Divorce....what an Ugly Thing
No marriage/relationship is perfect. Generally, if there is a separation or divorce, both parties had their part in getting to that point. ( Yes, there are always exceptions, I realize that, but, bear with me).
We're a military family, and it seems like more of us get divorced than anyone I know....most likely because that's the world I live in.
It generally seems to go one of 2 ways:
1.The woman ruins the guy financially.
2.The guy withholds support money from the wife and kiddos.
Big generalizations, I know, but I don't want to single out anyone I know personally.
If a person claims to want to move on, end the relationship, start a new chapter in his/her life, then why the hell do they drag things out? Both sides should be mature about the thing. ( Yeah right, I hear you all say).
If the marriage is something a person can't live in, then, by all means, GET OUT! Why prolong the misery with petty legal wrangling? Be responsible for your own s*it, and quit nickle and diming each other to death.
Do you have kids? Pay fair support for them. Get a 2nd job if you have to.Why would you want your kiddo to go without?
Got debt? Do what's fair and right, pay what you can, don't stick your Ex with something that will cripple them for life while you get nothing to deal with.
Hate each other? Fair enough. You probably wouldn't be divorcing if you were madly in love.
I just hate to see people destroy each other, and, maybe as someone not getting divorced, I should keep my mouth shut. That being said.....
.....watching the implosion ( or explosion) of a marriage is horrible to see, whether it's friends or family. People I have spent time with, as my friends, or with our families...to then see you rip each other to shreds....if I feel this bad for you, I can only imagine how it must feel for you. Off the top of my head, I know 3 couples in the midst of icky divorces right now. I'd like to lock them all in a room for a big group time-out until they all behave like the adults they claim to be.
We're a military family, and it seems like more of us get divorced than anyone I know....most likely because that's the world I live in.
It generally seems to go one of 2 ways:
1.The woman ruins the guy financially.
2.The guy withholds support money from the wife and kiddos.
Big generalizations, I know, but I don't want to single out anyone I know personally.
If a person claims to want to move on, end the relationship, start a new chapter in his/her life, then why the hell do they drag things out? Both sides should be mature about the thing. ( Yeah right, I hear you all say).
If the marriage is something a person can't live in, then, by all means, GET OUT! Why prolong the misery with petty legal wrangling? Be responsible for your own s*it, and quit nickle and diming each other to death.
Do you have kids? Pay fair support for them. Get a 2nd job if you have to.Why would you want your kiddo to go without?
Got debt? Do what's fair and right, pay what you can, don't stick your Ex with something that will cripple them for life while you get nothing to deal with.
Hate each other? Fair enough. You probably wouldn't be divorcing if you were madly in love.
I just hate to see people destroy each other, and, maybe as someone not getting divorced, I should keep my mouth shut. That being said.....
.....watching the implosion ( or explosion) of a marriage is horrible to see, whether it's friends or family. People I have spent time with, as my friends, or with our families...to then see you rip each other to shreds....if I feel this bad for you, I can only imagine how it must feel for you. Off the top of my head, I know 3 couples in the midst of icky divorces right now. I'd like to lock them all in a room for a big group time-out until they all behave like the adults they claim to be.
"Nothing Tastes as good as Thin Feels"......Really?
I hear this and see this a lot, and it drives me NUTS! I don't find it encouraging in any way.....n fact, I find it insulting. ( Sorry to anyone I know that likes this saying, just my opinion).
I haven't been "thin" for years.....I honestly do not remember a time when I wasn't struggling with my size. No matter what size I was in the past, I always felt bigger than the folks in my social circle. So, for me, that ( for lack of a better word) mantra is ridiculous.
For me, eating has often been about IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION. I get to enjoy the taste of whatever it is I am eating RIGHT NOW. I don't have to wait a year for that slurpee to taste delicious, or for those hot, crispy fries to fill my belly. Chocolate NEVER tells me to wait until later......
How does thin feel? Will "thin" ever be something I can relate to?
Honestly, "thin" isn't my main goal.
?????? Say What ??????
That's right. To me, thin evokes an image of a small, delicate things....easily snapped, broken under pressure. Ever seen one of those wooden coffee stir sticks at Starbuck's? That, my friends, is THIN, and I can break it without thought.
This whole "Nothing tastes as god as thin feels" thing is closely related to the "Food as Fuel" school of thought. Yes, it's true, food does FUEL our bodies....but, if it were merely that, we'd all be living on nutrient wafers and food pellets, washed down with flat, boiled water.
Can we all say YUCK?!?!?
What we need....well, what I needed, was to CHANGE my ideas about what is GOOD when it comes to food. My tastebuds needed an EDUCATION.
White bread used to taste like heaven.....now it tastes like cardboard, without the fibre.
~~~One cookie is a delicious treat , 5 is an upset stomach.
~~~ Freggies are delicious, not just good for me.
~~~Perfect eating is whatever makes me feel the best on the inside, and look fantastic on the outside.
~~~My "diet" is forever, so I need to be able to live with it.
~~~Food is fuel....and pleasure.....but too much of either makes it all a CHORE!
I'm going to be:
**** svelte ( love the sound of that word)
**** Strong
**** Centered
I've been using the"17 Day Diet" . It's normal food, and has totally shifted my perspective on food. I feel better, and, I am seeing results!
( As are some other family members who are looking FANFRICKINTASTIC!)
I haven't been "thin" for years.....I honestly do not remember a time when I wasn't struggling with my size. No matter what size I was in the past, I always felt bigger than the folks in my social circle. So, for me, that ( for lack of a better word) mantra is ridiculous.
For me, eating has often been about IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION. I get to enjoy the taste of whatever it is I am eating RIGHT NOW. I don't have to wait a year for that slurpee to taste delicious, or for those hot, crispy fries to fill my belly. Chocolate NEVER tells me to wait until later......
How does thin feel? Will "thin" ever be something I can relate to?
Honestly, "thin" isn't my main goal.
?????? Say What ??????
That's right. To me, thin evokes an image of a small, delicate things....easily snapped, broken under pressure. Ever seen one of those wooden coffee stir sticks at Starbuck's? That, my friends, is THIN, and I can break it without thought.
This whole "Nothing tastes as god as thin feels" thing is closely related to the "Food as Fuel" school of thought. Yes, it's true, food does FUEL our bodies....but, if it were merely that, we'd all be living on nutrient wafers and food pellets, washed down with flat, boiled water.
Can we all say YUCK?!?!?
What we need....well, what I needed, was to CHANGE my ideas about what is GOOD when it comes to food. My tastebuds needed an EDUCATION.
White bread used to taste like heaven.....now it tastes like cardboard, without the fibre.
~~~One cookie is a delicious treat , 5 is an upset stomach.
~~~ Freggies are delicious, not just good for me.
~~~Perfect eating is whatever makes me feel the best on the inside, and look fantastic on the outside.
~~~My "diet" is forever, so I need to be able to live with it.
~~~Food is fuel....and pleasure.....but too much of either makes it all a CHORE!
I'm going to be:
**** svelte ( love the sound of that word)
**** Strong
**** Centered
I've been using the"17 Day Diet" . It's normal food, and has totally shifted my perspective on food. I feel better, and, I am seeing results!
( As are some other family members who are looking FANFRICKINTASTIC!)
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
So Mad.....I could Spit....Really.....and I Hate Spitting
Smartphones......I'll admit it, I am shamefully addicted to mine. I know, I'm not alone in this, but the shame remains.
It's all good when the phone is working, but, if something goes wrong with it ( I'll get to that shortly) it becomes a very stressful time. Let's not forget the major commercial campaigns, pushing the "newest","better","improved", making you feel as if you can't live without any of them....... what's that tag line from "that"ad?
"If you don't have an Iphone.....you don't have an Iphone."
Yes, it seems I am a sucker for marketing......I want to be a cool kid too....but, that's not the main problem here.
My problem is that I have committed Cellucide.....perhaps just Celluslaughter, as there was no intent on my part. I am a Serial Cellular Killer ( let's say I'm an SCK).
This is the second phone I have 'taken care of" since I signed my life away to Bell Mobility almost 2 years ago. The first one, I dropped a few times. I was being a responsible Cell owner, I had it in a hard case for its protection. One day, I dropped it on gravel, getting into the car, and it must have fallen at an odd angle....it was a sad day.
This led to my purchase of a new-to-me
Blackberry Curve. It was a happy day when I received it, and was able to activate it all by my lonesome online. No muss, no fuss, I was up an running in the Cellusphere again.
***( I also had one of my first phones fall out of my pocket about 5 years ago while out walking with my kids...and a car ran over it.) ***
Now, it's June, nearly a year of Blackberry bliss. Has it been perfect? No. My phone had its quirks.... like shutting down if I played more than 3 songs in a row...and killing batteries for no good reason at all( I think it had a thing for the charger...tab-A-slot-B.....you know what I mean.) It didn't deserve to die in a hot cup of coffee....yes folks, that right......I DROPPED IT IN MY COFFEE CUP. How, you might be asking.... I picked it up to text my ever-loving husband, and it slipped right out of my hand. I
***I'd like to note here that I am always extra vigilant with my phone around toilets, for fear of it falling in...no one warned me about the dangers of texting around a steamy mug of coffee.***
After much advice from well meaning friends, and Googling away on the interwebs, hoping to find a magic solution to save my Blackberry.....no dice readers. It's dead.
I have over a year left on my contract, and 4 months until I am eligible for a handset upgrade. For a few hundred bucks, I could pay out my contract, and upgrade to a new phone....or I could just pay out the contract....or buy yet another new-to-me phone ( who knows when that one might arrive.... thanks Canada Post strike). All scenarios involve a 2 hour trip to the nearest Bell store. :(
It drives me nuts that Cellular Carriers in Canada are such a PITA.......the phones are more expensive here than nearly anywhere else, our service packages are so sad compared to other countries.....you want a phone? Just sign on the dotted line for 3 years...oh, but don't count on the handset lasting the length of the contract.
Yes, I realize that no one held a gun to my head.
Yes, I know I lived most of my life without a cell phone.
Yes, I realize no one could have predicted I'd be klutzy enough to drop my phone in my coffee.
................the fact remains........I feel a little lost without my phone.
Any cell providers want to sponsor a slightly crazy Canadian mother/army wife? I'll use your phone, and blog all about it and how it makes my life better.....and I promise, I'll only use it if I'm drinking coffee from a cup with a lid.
It's all good when the phone is working, but, if something goes wrong with it ( I'll get to that shortly) it becomes a very stressful time. Let's not forget the major commercial campaigns, pushing the "newest","better","improved", making you feel as if you can't live without any of them....... what's that tag line from "that"ad?
"If you don't have an Iphone.....you don't have an Iphone."
Yes, it seems I am a sucker for marketing......I want to be a cool kid too....but, that's not the main problem here.
My problem is that I have committed Cellucide.....perhaps just Celluslaughter, as there was no intent on my part. I am a Serial Cellular Killer ( let's say I'm an SCK).
This is the second phone I have 'taken care of" since I signed my life away to Bell Mobility almost 2 years ago. The first one, I dropped a few times. I was being a responsible Cell owner, I had it in a hard case for its protection. One day, I dropped it on gravel, getting into the car, and it must have fallen at an odd angle....it was a sad day.
This led to my purchase of a new-to-me
Blackberry Curve. It was a happy day when I received it, and was able to activate it all by my lonesome online. No muss, no fuss, I was up an running in the Cellusphere again.
***( I also had one of my first phones fall out of my pocket about 5 years ago while out walking with my kids...and a car ran over it.) ***
Now, it's June, nearly a year of Blackberry bliss. Has it been perfect? No. My phone had its quirks.... like shutting down if I played more than 3 songs in a row...and killing batteries for no good reason at all( I think it had a thing for the charger...tab-A-slot-B.....you know what I mean.) It didn't deserve to die in a hot cup of coffee....yes folks, that right......I DROPPED IT IN MY COFFEE CUP. How, you might be asking.... I picked it up to text my ever-loving husband, and it slipped right out of my hand. I
***I'd like to note here that I am always extra vigilant with my phone around toilets, for fear of it falling in...no one warned me about the dangers of texting around a steamy mug of coffee.***
After much advice from well meaning friends, and Googling away on the interwebs, hoping to find a magic solution to save my Blackberry.....no dice readers. It's dead.
I have over a year left on my contract, and 4 months until I am eligible for a handset upgrade. For a few hundred bucks, I could pay out my contract, and upgrade to a new phone....or I could just pay out the contract....or buy yet another new-to-me phone ( who knows when that one might arrive.... thanks Canada Post strike). All scenarios involve a 2 hour trip to the nearest Bell store. :(
It drives me nuts that Cellular Carriers in Canada are such a PITA.......the phones are more expensive here than nearly anywhere else, our service packages are so sad compared to other countries.....you want a phone? Just sign on the dotted line for 3 years...oh, but don't count on the handset lasting the length of the contract.
Yes, I realize that no one held a gun to my head.
Yes, I know I lived most of my life without a cell phone.
Yes, I realize no one could have predicted I'd be klutzy enough to drop my phone in my coffee.
................the fact remains........I feel a little lost without my phone.
Any cell providers want to sponsor a slightly crazy Canadian mother/army wife? I'll use your phone, and blog all about it and how it makes my life better.....and I promise, I'll only use it if I'm drinking coffee from a cup with a lid.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Little Spring on the Prairies.....
It looks like the beginning of Spring here in AB.....the kids are wearing mitts in the morning, and coming home in wet gum boots at the end of the day....things are mushy, brown or grey...and there is snow the forecast for the next few days. Yuck. I know, it's like this every year.....but nearly 15 years in the province, and I still don't like it.
Move to another province you say? No dice folks, I'm married to an army man....
See this picture? I used to live there....well, not THERE, but, on that island. That's what I wish for, to live somewhere like this again. I suppose the prairies have their own beauty, but there is just something about being close to the ocean. Maybe in my next life?
Easter Break for the kids is finally in sight ( we don't do Spring Break here, not exactly sure why). We are ALL so ready for this break. the kids have Spring Fever, and I need a week off of making lunches....oh, how I hate to make lunches.
Nanny and Poppa are coming to visit that week too, all the way from Cape Breton. They will be shocked by just how big my Meemies have gotten in a year's time....the hubs and I will be taking advantage of their visit, and heading into the city for an overnight stay....Thanks Nanny and Poppa.
I suppose I should get back to my Domestic Duties....I've worked out, had a coffee, no more excuses left.
Move to another province you say? No dice folks, I'm married to an army man....
Easter Break for the kids is finally in sight ( we don't do Spring Break here, not exactly sure why). We are ALL so ready for this break. the kids have Spring Fever, and I need a week off of making lunches....oh, how I hate to make lunches.
Nanny and Poppa are coming to visit that week too, all the way from Cape Breton. They will be shocked by just how big my Meemies have gotten in a year's time....the hubs and I will be taking advantage of their visit, and heading into the city for an overnight stay....Thanks Nanny and Poppa.
I suppose I should get back to my Domestic Duties....I've worked out, had a coffee, no more excuses left.
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Funk vs The Junk in my .....Gut?
I've been feeling a little funky.....I've been talking about making a comeback.....yadda yadda yadda.....but the funk has not shrunk....neither has my waistline.
Bob's been glaring at me from the front of his dvd cases, which I have left on my TV stand, in plain sight....it has not spurred me to action as I had hoped it would.
This morning, I put on my workout clothes when I rolled out of bed. I HAD to get my body moving today. Got the kids ready and out the door, got Hubs out the door, fed the dog....and I wanted nothing more than to go back to bed.....like, my eyes were droopy, I was cold, and the duvet was calling sweetly to me.
I did not listen. I didn't do a killer workout either... my workout was good for the ol' bod, but even better for the soul.
I played "Just Dance 2"....and yes, I say played. Why? Because I did all the silly songs that I would be too embarrassed to do without an infusion of alcohol were I doing them in front of others.
"Wake me Up! Before you go-go"
"Holiday"
"Tik Tok"
"Rasputin"
........and other assorted tunes.
My heart rate was up, I broke a sweat, but more importantly....I was grinning like a fool by the end of it.
Not sure if Bob would have approved of my choice.....oh well. I'm doing this for me.
Bob's been glaring at me from the front of his dvd cases, which I have left on my TV stand, in plain sight....it has not spurred me to action as I had hoped it would.
This morning, I put on my workout clothes when I rolled out of bed. I HAD to get my body moving today. Got the kids ready and out the door, got Hubs out the door, fed the dog....and I wanted nothing more than to go back to bed.....like, my eyes were droopy, I was cold, and the duvet was calling sweetly to me.
I did not listen. I didn't do a killer workout either... my workout was good for the ol' bod, but even better for the soul.
I played "Just Dance 2"....and yes, I say played. Why? Because I did all the silly songs that I would be too embarrassed to do without an infusion of alcohol were I doing them in front of others.
"Wake me Up! Before you go-go"
"Holiday"
"Tik Tok"
"Rasputin"
........and other assorted tunes.
My heart rate was up, I broke a sweat, but more importantly....I was grinning like a fool by the end of it.
Not sure if Bob would have approved of my choice.....oh well. I'm doing this for me.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Shhhhh...yup, it sounds like nothing.....
Wednesday morning, and I hardly know what to do with myself. The kids are at school, Hubs is at work, Dexter is exhausted from our morning walk and is napping it off in the chair.....and I have nowhere to be today. After the last few weeks of craziness....well,it feels wrong. ( But if this is wrong, I don't wanna be right.....)
The kids are glad I left my job. They all said they were fine, but, they're still young enough to want me around I guess....not that they want to BE with me exactly, but rather, they like my presence in the house. My darling little Screaming Meemies, getting bigger, but not grown just yet.
Oldest may have enjoyed the money he was getting for the child minding, but, he is equally relieved to have been....umm.....relieved of his duties. Son #2 stops by and hugs me, Son #3 has a zillion stories to tell me, and Littlest tells me I look nice....all is right in their world now I guess. ;)
Now I need to make myself a schedule and get back to taking care of this family, this house and me....but, for just this moment....I'm going to sit here, sip my coffee and listen to the clock tick
*
*
*
....and log onto Facebook. :o)
The kids are glad I left my job. They all said they were fine, but, they're still young enough to want me around I guess....not that they want to BE with me exactly, but rather, they like my presence in the house. My darling little Screaming Meemies, getting bigger, but not grown just yet.
Oldest may have enjoyed the money he was getting for the child minding, but, he is equally relieved to have been....umm.....relieved of his duties. Son #2 stops by and hugs me, Son #3 has a zillion stories to tell me, and Littlest tells me I look nice....all is right in their world now I guess. ;)
Now I need to make myself a schedule and get back to taking care of this family, this house and me....but, for just this moment....I'm going to sit here, sip my coffee and listen to the clock tick
*
*
*
....and log onto Facebook. :o)
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