the things one overhears...

in the elevator...

Today i overheard 2 kind of late 40ish women talking about shoes. One says to the other "Oh I can't wear sandals, my feet get too cold." The other says " I love my sandals and couldn't wait to wear them" The first women then says..."gee I would LOVE TO GET A PAIR OF JELLY SHOES!!"
OMG- do they even make those anymore??? Last time I saw a pair was in grade 6...that was ummm about 25 years ago!'
Needless to say these 2 weren't the most fashionable ladies around :)

Since my return...

to work we have had some pretty crappy dinners....let me think- it's been one week and I have already served my family- grilled cheese, frozen fish and fries, a very simple chicken and rice dish (5 minute prep- 30 minutes bake)... no fine dining here anymore!!

$.05 a bag...

I think the new policy of all stores, not just grocery stores, charging 5 cents a bag is great...but recently- like in the past 2 days- I have been asked by 2 employees of the same video store, if I need a bag, I reply "no thank you" and when I go to pick up my videos, they have been bagged...WTF?!?! Why bother asking me if I want a bag, if you are going to give me one when I answer no???
Is it that people just don't listen, don't care or forget?? I found it really annoying both times!

Where does the time go

It has been a whole year since I stopped working outside the home. I left work the end of May 2008 to go on my second (and likely last) maternity leave. The time has just slipped by without my even noticing. I look at the calander and I can't believe I am back to work in 2.5 weeks! It is going to break my heart to leave my little darling in the care of someone else while I go to the office every day. I know it will be good for her and in the long run good for me but it just means that another chapter of my life is coming to an end. Instead of newborns and itsy bitsy cuddles we will be dealing with other things, fist steps, maybe potty training (the boy is very resistant) and moving to big school/daycare...why can't we just freeze time for a little while and defrost it when we are ready???

tease me baby tease me...

our internet/computer has been on the fritz for a while now. We have had to take it to the "doctor" quite a few times over the last few months...this last time they told us that it would more expensive to fix than to buy a new one. We opted to buy a new one. It was ordered ages ago (or at least it feels like ages) but hasn't arrived yet. Our current computer will give me a few minutes here or there where i can actually log in to my email and read some. Unfortunatly it won't allow me to open any emails received in Hotmail but I can read gmail- so i can log in, see that I have 26 new messages but can't read or delete any of them...argh the teasing this system is doing is just killing me! The computer also has a habit of turning off by itself while i'm mid project...or just finally sitting down to defrag after a long day of mommying...

anyway better not take any chances...happy day everyone!

craving craziness

I never really believed in the legitimacy of cravings. In the past I never had real, severe cravings where I absolutely had to have something or else all hell would break loose. During pregnancy I didn't have cravings, before my period I don't remember ever having them (of course I only had my visitor 3 times in 4 years since getting pregnant, nursing then getting pregnant again-so my memory might be a little skewed!) Well now I have a completely different view on the whole craving issue! Yesterday I wanted chocolate, I NEEDED chocolate, I could not get through the evening without having some rich yummy chocolate to snack on. There was no rhyme or reason to it- I just knew I had to have it. Luckily I had a small stash in the cupboard! Today- after 19 beautiful months period free my dear old friend has decided to reappear for a visit! SOOO weird as I just had no idea she was coming around, she just showed up unannounced. I guess my cravings were justified after all- and so are all the ugly pimples I broke out with like an oily teenager! I just thought they were stress induced- guess I was wrong about that too!

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. A day when people are supposed to recognize their commitment to the earth. A day when people should make a conscience effort to be kinder to the environment.
We as citizens of the earth need to realize that we are just borrowing this planet for a short time. We cannot assume anymore that someone else is going to pick up after us, clean up our mess or fix what we have broken.
It is unfortunate that so many people only recognize the need to be green on Earth Day. They don't translate their green-ness to every day living!

I have definitely become more aware of my need to be green over the last few years. It started with the use of reusable bags at the grocery store. I no longer take a bag when shopping. I carry my own reusable bags most of the time. Now I try to bring my own bags to any store, not just the grocery store! I have actually noticed that some stores now have incentive programs if you use their reusables! Water bottles are another huge environmental issue. I try to never drink water from a plastic bottle. I stopped buying the cases of water too. I feel lucky to live in a city where the tap water is perfectly clean for drinking. It is treated with fluoride and can only do me good to drink! Of course the fact that %80 of plastic water bottles don't get recycled is another incentive not to use them. AND I am saving lots of money by just reusing my aluminum SIG bottle!
I also try to clean with vinegar instead of harsh chemicals. Unfortunately this one is a little harder for me as I don't find that vinegar actually cleans as well as Windex or Clorox. I just need to find the right vinegar/baking soda combination to suite my needs.
There are so many other ways to help out the environment. Some of them take a little more effort than others but I just wish everyone would do their little part to make a more significant difference.

Say hurray to Earth Day and hopefully every day will become "be kind to the earth day"

"I want my body back"

When I had my first baby I met a lot of women who claimed they stopped breastfeeding early because they "wanted their bodies back". I really wasn't sure what that meant and I was too embarrased to ask them. My intentions were to breastfeed as long as my son wanted and I did just that. We went until he was 15 months old and I honestly don't remember ever feeling like my body wasn't my own.
Just recently I have also encountered some women who claim they want their bodies back and are trying to wean. Their babies are only between 3 and 6 months of age. Again I don't know what women mean when they make these claims. Do they feel chained to their babies so much so that they think they cannot have any sort of life outside of mommyhood? Do they think that once the nursing stops they are magically going to return to their pre-pregnancy size? Is feeding a baby breastmilk, from the breast, so enprisoning that one feels trapped by it? I just don't get it!!

April Fools Day...

any suggestions on how to get hubster this evening?? My plan to make his sandwich green this morning didn't pan out :) (no time or food coloring!!)

house sale blues...

Our house has been on the market now for about 120 days...that is a LONGGGG time in the world of real estate. We have had so many showings and so many people trudging through our house looking...and I am SICK OF IT!! Every time the real estate group calls to let me know someone is coming it is a stampede to get the house in "showable" condition...not an easy feat with two small children around! The housing market seems to be at a standstill and so many people in our area have decided that they want to leave too...which means now that our next door neighbors have put their house up for sale too we have fierce competition...bastards!!!

I have learned a few things or two since this all started though! 1)I realized that more than 1/2 the toys we have here never get used! There are bins and bins of toys that haven't been in use for months now and seem to not be missed at all! 2) I have learned that it isn't so hard to keep the house in reasonabley clean state so that it usually takes me about an hour to clean the house from top to bottom(well that isnt deep cleaning but I am hoping potential buyers aren't looking under the bed for dust bunnies or in hidden corners for piles of junk!!) 3) I no longer leave dishes in the sink for days on end!! (i'm sure some former roomies of mine wish i'd learned how to do this years ago!!!) 4) I have learned that aside from a couple of major things I actually love my house and would stay here if only those 2 major things could be easily fixed-they can't -well one could the other impossible!! 5) i have realized that the "big" house I thought i wanted/needed isn't really what I want or need and all I yearn for is a garage and a driveway! the bigger we go the more cleaning we need to do-YUCK!

a decision..

I decided a while back that I was going to get a personalized blanket for SIL and the new baby...now to decide on which one...





I have seen these in person and really like them BUT I came across this website recently and also really like them...any thoughts???

more baby news...

My SIL and her hubby just had another baby girl. She was born at 1 pm this afternoon and weighted in at 5lb 5oz. Name to be announced...

Dr Seuss...

We recently took the book Gerald McBoing Boing out of the library for our son to read. We thought that since this was a Dr Seuss book it would be a funny, cute rhyming story. Unfortunately we were quite disappointed with this book...
based on a 1950's cartoon short the story is about a young boy who doesn't talk words but makes noises instead. Perhaps in it's day it was cute or funny but this story remind me and hubby about a number of dysfunctionalities in society. Perhaps Gerald has turrets syndrome or a different disability...and his parents were embarrassed by him to the point that he wanted to run away..until he used his sound affects to make them rich...
please watch the video and let me know if we were over reacting to this story or if we are truly justified in not allowing the boy to read this book anymore!
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNsyQDmEopw

march menu

I have been finding that if I don't meal plan for the week my grocery shopping is just totally ineffective. I end up with $150 worth of bits and pieces with nothing to use for actual meals...
now that I am trying to really lose the baby weight and get back into shape (not the same shape but some shape I hope!!) I have decided that creating a weekly menu and shopping for it might make life easier...
This week I have the stuff to make
chili
sweet and sour meat balls
shake and bake chicken
turkey meatloaf
chicken stir fry

I also add a green salad to every meal as well as rice or steamed vegetables- depending on what the main course is (i don't add veg's if i make chili as it's got loads of them already in it, same with stir fry)

Now if i could only be as organized with making lunches for the week as well...i usually end up just making hubby a turkey or chicken sandwich with a fruit and granola bar thrown in...he eats whatever I make and would just get caf food if i didn't pack him a lunch...better work on my organizational skills for my return to work in a few months time!!

March resolutions...

i never bothered with New Year's resolutions but have decided that since March has arrived and i am nowhere closer to my fitness or weight goals i will try to get on track. I have been eating anything and everything for a few weeks now just due to poor laziness and absolute lack of will power. I cannot stand how i feel- inside and out! My tummy is achy, my bones are creaking and I swear i feel a good 10 years older than i should!
Weight watchers is a really healthy, realistic option SOOO once again i am going to give it a go. Please wish me luck!! We have a wedding to attend on May 17th and i would really like to fit into one particular dress and not have to buy a new one that fits!!

service supreemo!

I have been noticing for the longest time that customer service has gone curbside on so many levels. So many retailers and establishments just don't provide the kind of service one would expect,given the nature of business. Today I had the opportunity to be proven wrong.
I recently purchased a new single stroller in "Perfect Pink" for my baby girl. I LOVE this stroller in every way, except that i encountered a tiny problem with it very soon after I got it. After hemming and hawing and unsure about what to do i finally emailed Jolly Jumper, the maker of my stroller. They replied back within the hour! The person i corresponded with told me i could come in to the factory and have the stroller fixed within 20 minutes. I did just that.
I entered the office baby in hand and the receptionist called someone to the front who actually went out to my car and brought the stroller in for me. He took a look and asked to have a seat. The receptionist then offered me coffee and a seat for the baby, which i accepted. I waited a very short time (felt like much less than the estimated 20 minutes) and the stroller was back in my hands all fixed and ready to go! The repair guy then lugged in out to the car for me and put in my trunk again! I was so impressed I actually emailed the company to thank them for such awesome service!
On a side note- it was way cool to be in the Jolly Jumper offices. I would have LOVED to be able to look around and admire some of the sample products they had on display but i got the feeling had i done that it would have been a bit much!

on the road again...

to healthier nails.
Lately my nails have been horrid. They are all cracking and breaking really low. They get caught on everything and bend backwards causing me serious discomfort and pain. I have been told it is probably due to a calcium definciency but I drink tonnes of milk and eat lots of yogurt so I'm not sure about that assessment. Anyway I have been trying to get them back to some state of normalcy (well not to break when i look at them at least-not even to LOOK good...just not hurt) so i pulled out my old nail care box (and i do mean OLD...i found polish in there i bought in Korea in 1996!!) I found a bottle of Witchcraft nail repair and applied it last night, crossed my fingers it might workd and went to bed...this morning my nails feel a million times better!! They are not pulling on things and are not as cracked as they were last night!! One coat of this stuff and i feel so much better...now they don't look great as this stuff isn't shiny and feels kind of coarse but if it works to repair the damage i'll live with it until i can get out to have a mani!!
Thanks Witchcraft!! You make a product that really works magic!!

Yet another Mazel Tov...

Fancy and her husband had another beautiful baby girl this morning. Baby Girl joined the world bright and early this morning :)
I can't wait to meet her :)

Mazel Tov

My brother and his wife just had their first baby. Baby Boy arrived just after 4 am and I am very excited to meet my little nephew!!!

busy yet bored

i try to keep busy. Having a baby to care for all day keeps me really busy but for some reason the past few weeks i have felt this terrible boredom itch. I take the baby to music class once a week, we go to yoga and have playdates with friends but i still find myself alone with my own thoughts more than i would like. Those times when she is napping and i should be cleaning or cooking or doing laundry, updating my scrapbook etc...i am just bored, lazy or a little depressed...could it be the lack of sunshine?? Could it be that i am too tired to do things but not tired enough to sleep during the day?