Yay! Finally something FUN in the mail!

Not too long ago I won Mommy Daisy's Thomas the Tank Engine contest.

The DVD arrived today!!!

The kids were obviously VERY excited

And wanted it played RIGHT AWAY

This is only a preview before Thomas even makes an appearance and they are already drawn in! Chris hasn't taken his eyes off of it yet and Michael is alternating between an open-mouthed lost look on his face while he watches and playing with his new firetruck from Melissa.

SO MUCH FUN!! Thank you Mommy Daisy!

rough

Aaaahhhh! Michael's 2nd birthday party is tomorrow and I have a huge to-do list for it. I think I could manage getting it all done in time except that I am so unbelievably tired today. I dont know what is wrong with me but even knowing that the party is like 22 hours away isnt helping me get myself going.

Ive had about a bajillion ideas for blog posts but never feel like writing. I was actually falling asleep the other night trying to get through everyone else's posts.

Im having a bit of trouble with the lady that lives in the basement apartment here and I know Ive got a bit of a fight ahead of me to fix it but I just dont want to deal with it.

like everyone else right now Im stressed about money and worried that I am spending too much. I know all too well what can happen and how quickly when you cant make your bills so Im afraid.

NaNoWriMo starts in a week and Im worried Ill have too much other crap going on to actually be able to do it even though Ive been planning for months.

Sorry about the crappy, depressing post today guys. Im sure Ill be back tomorrow after the party with lots of pictures.

excuse me while I rant a little

Well P is at it again. Last month I sent The Ex a message on facebook asking what he planned to get the kids for xmas so there wasn't any overlap. I included in the message what the kids wanted and what I thought was a reasonable split of the items. I obviously would spend more because they spend xmas morning with me so I am responsible for Santa. Anyway, instead of responding, he blocked me. So we never discussed it again.

P just sent me a message dripping with attitude about what they have decided to get the kids. For Rayden they got him an ipod which is what I asked them to get him but they got him the cheapest one possible. Because I didn't hear from them last month about this, I already planned to get him one and a much nicer one than what they picked out. So I told her this because now that I have my budget all figured out and I know what he wants, it was all going to work out perfectly. I have no clue what else I could get him for the same price that he wants just as much and it is really pointless for him to have two of the same thing. But she refuses to change her plans.

So now I can either still get him the much nicer one that I had planned and have him have two or just leave it and let them give him the crappier one. It is great that they would give him something that he really wants because he is usually treated as less than the other kids (because he isn't biologically The Ex's). But they spent three times on Chris as they did on Rayden and acted like I was stupid to suggest an alternative gift that was slightly more expensive.

I just took a break from writing this because she kept sending more texts and now this has turned into a full on fight. She likes to point out that The Ex and I are not a family and will never be. Im just like "Duh! I gave that shit up long ago." She is so insecure about their relationship that it really gets in the way of us parenting our kids. The worst part is that if they had replied last month everything could have been avoided and we wouldn't have had to talk today. She said that she contacted me as a courtesy to let me know what they got but um, isnt that what I tried to do last month? And how the hell is it a courtesy if you aren't willing to work with me to make it the best for the kids as possible? Man exs are hard enough, throw in their jealous girlfriends and there's no winning.

Ive tried to handle this situation the best I can. Michael and I pray every night before bed and every night we thank God for P. She is important in my kids' lives. She will be their step mother in a couple years! I even invited her to Michael's bday party next weekend at our house but she is so resistant. Hopefully one day she will get over this and be a positive addition to this parenting thing.

Alright, I'll play along

So it looks like Ive been tagged by Kristi. This is my first time being tagged so I hope I get it right. First the rules:



1. Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Share 6 unimportant things/habits/quirks about yourself.

4. Tag 6 random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.

5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.



Ok now this will be the hard part. How do I come up with 6 random things about myself? This seems hard!



1. I count everything I do. If Im walking, I count my steps; if Im rocking the baby in my rocking chair, I count the rocks; if there is nothing else to count, I count the time.

2. I love music and I prefer to always have music playing, but I rarely put any on. Its probably from living in an apartment building with a neighbor who liked to complain, but I just never think to even turn on a radio. Unless Im in the car. The kids and I rock out to all sorts of music while we drive. We also have random family dancing whenever we do think to turn on some music.

3. I hate nail polish. I think it looks horrible on fingers and I cant imagine going through anything more pointless. Toe nail polish isn't as bad, but only with sandals.

4. Ive never really been single before. Ive been seeing someone almost constantly since I was a teenager. There were a few months in between some boyfriends but never was it very long. I feel awkward about my singleness now but I know that it is for the best. I think that Ive been afraid of being alone so Ive just never really let it happen. I kissed a lot of frogs that way.

5. Ive always been positive that I would have a daughter some day. With every baby Ive thought "this one will be my girl." Somehow four boys later, I cant let go of this daughter that Ill never have. I know that I don't want any more kids, but how can I possibly never have a daughter? It just doesn't seem right.

6. I don't like coffee. Ill drink a mocha but I just cant stomach the taste of coffee. It isn't because its too bitter either, I mean I drink my tea black. While Im at it, I cant stand the taste of wine or beer either. Im so not into adult drinks.



So that was crazy difficult. I think Ive been writing for about 35 minutes now? Guh! Alright, time to pass this one on...





Linda



Kristin

Grace

Amanda

Whimsy

Beth

Guh, Im so frustrated! Ive put Josiah to sleep two times tonight already and he is in his room fussing again because my overly active older children CAN NOT GET IT THROUGH THEIR HEADS that they need to be reasonably quiet when he is sleeping. He woke up this time because Rayden decided it was a good idea to run around excitedly because I told him he could wear his favorite shirt to school tomorrow. Like some excitement is ok but seriously you don't have to make the house shake!

I look forward to the point when all the kids are in their beds and I can finally sit down for a few minutes and not feel guilty about it. Tonight though I don't know if that is going to happen. And, AND my favorite show is coming on in a half hour. They made me miss the first half of it last week so hopefully tonight will go a little smoother but probably not.

As for the freaking election yesterday, the conservatives got in again and with a pretty high minority. Like has the whole country been hiding under a freaking rock the last few years? Harper has ruined us! Just because he lowered the GST two cents and gave a few groups some extra cash (like parents of kids under 6 get $100/month for child care expenses)does not make him worthy of leading our country for a second term. He will ruin health care and destroy any positive feelings that other countries have towards us. The guy is a slimy douche really. In my own riding, my chosen liberal won out but it didn't really matter because I went back and forth over NDP and liberal for the last month and in the end conservative wasn't even close. My province is the only one that did not give a single seat to those smug conservatives! Um so ya, to sum up I don't like Harper or the conservative party! Hehe

Today has been one month since I moved into my new place. I planned to have pictures to show you all by now but my mom still has my memory card thingy for my camera and without it I can only save like 5 pictures at a time. Tomorrow is her birthday and I will be going to her place so I should get it back then. If I have time Ill take some shots of my messy little house and post em all for you to see. We do have a busy day tomorrow with errands all day and my Momma's birthday so I don't know if Ill actually get online to do so or not.

On Friday Rayden has the day off of school so we are going to a local farm to visit some animals (they have an emu that scares the crap out of me! I wont go in the barn if it is in there so I guess we *might* see some animals), pick out some pumpkins for the party and to carve ourselves, and buy some local, fresh veggies. It will be a fun outing! I obviously don't get a chance to do much with all the kids but where this is outside with lots of room to run and fences to keep them in, I think I can manage. I plan to use the wrap for Josiah, the umbrella stroller for Michael (then Rayden can push it if need be as opposed to my big, bulky one), and both Rayden and Chris walking with our wagon for the pumpkins. Sound a bit crazy? That's cause it is! Ive been thinking about this for two weeks trying to figure out how to make it work. See also: trick-or-treating on Halloween.

So now that Ive been writing this for about an hour and the kids are all asleep, my show is on and Im going to go watch it. Oh wait nope, there's Josiah crying again...

voting, turkey, rewards and parties

Today is election day in Canada. I've already been to my poling station and I hope that all of you fellow Canadians go out to vote today too. Im quite worried about how this one is going to turn out but I think we still have a chance. Harper and his conservatives have dropped considerably so we may just have a chance to get Dion in today, but it is a slim one. Oh my, it will be a late night tonight as we wait for all those votes to be counted from across the country. I live on the east coast and it wont be until midnight or later that the polls close on the west coast so ya, long night.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving in Canada (check out Kristi's blog for a mini history lesson on why we celebrate) so we headed to my brother's place for a feast of yummy turkey. There were 17 people in all including my parents, bothers and their families. I was exhausted by the end of it all but it was a fun time. The kids are getting old enough to understand what the day was about so we spent some time Saturday making thank you cards for each member of our family. Everybody loved them and Rayden was really proud to give them out.

Also yesterday Melissa and I were shopping online, um like we always do and I found a dress that I really liked for cheap. So I ordered it and hopefully it will be here soon and I can put up some pictures of my new 50lbs lighter self! It is definitely too dressy for pretty much anything that Ill be going to but Im hoping to get out at some point to wear it. This just gives me an excuse to plan a night out now!

Speaking of nights out, Im planning a girls night for next month and I just cant wait for it. Im not sure if I mentioned it on here yet but basically I got a call from a representative of some skin product place who said I had won a party. Obviously it is just a way for me to get her some business but since she is bringing champagne and food and providing some sort of activity, I thought 'what the hell!' So now Im trying to decide what I would rather do because there are a few ways that night could go. 1) I could have everyone over while Chicky does her presentation and then we put on some girly movies with lots of munchies and yummy beverages 2) Same as 1 except no movies, more alcohol and downtown afterwards 3)both and encourage those who want to go DT to do so while those who want to stay back and hang out are welcome. I also know a few people who are representatives for some similar catalog type companies and I was thinking maybe to have a few more presentations, you know while everyone is together. Ah, any suggestions?

Michael's birthday party is also in 11 days and Im still stuck on what the heck to do with the kids. Most of them will be 1.5-3 years old so its not like we can do much, but Id like to do some sort of activity. The problem is that the party is Halloween themed and any activities that I can think of are for older kids. The party is only an hour long and Ill have food and pumpkins to decorate with Mr Potato Head pieces so maybe that is enough? Ideas are very welcome!

So that's my post about everything! Im going to challenge myself to a day without internet either tomorrow or Thursday so if you don't see me around, that's why. Happy Tuesday!

As much as I dont want to admit it, I AM NOT the center of the world. Hmm, who knew?

A few weeks ago I was grocery shopping with all four kids (madness, I assure you). They were being particularly difficult that day because Chris decided to join Rayden in his quest to be as naughty as possible. I controlled them as best as I could while zipping through the store in record time. But then came the checkout line which is probably the hardest part because I cant distract them with movement or trick them into helping me pick out something. Between putting all the bags back into my cart, trying to keep the older two from completely destroying the store, holding Michael down in his seat (cause those darn harnesses do nothing!) and trying to hush the baby, I noticed an older gentleman watching us from the line behind me. Obviously I didn't have a chance to think much of it and so we just went on with what we were doing.



Eventually I had all the kids buckled into their car seats and the groceries in the trunk and I headed off to put the cart into those holder thingies. I got there at the same time as the man from the checkout line and so I just smiled and put my cart in. As I started to walk away though he commented on how difficult my life must be with all those boys but that he had a wife at home with dementia and would trade with me any day. He completely caught me off guard and I had no idea what to say. I just mumbled something as we both walked back to our cars and then sat there in mine thinking about what he had said. Yes my kids are difficult and I often wish my life was easier but rarely do I consider the difficulties that others are facing. I assumed that man was judging me for not being able to control all of my kids but inside he was dealing with his own difficulties.



Sigh* I had another couple paragraphs written here but then somehow they got deleted and that stupid automatic save thingy decided to save the post right at that moment. Even if I knew how to undo I couldn't now because the darn thing saved only after it got messed up. I really don't feel like typing all of it out again, mostly because Im feeling very jumbled and my thoughts aren't coming out well. Anywho, if you have a similar story please share.