Life in the 3-K world

Well here we are and fall is knocking at our door...well she knocked, I tried to not let her in but she prevailed and is here anyways. Or is it? Is it really considered 'fall' if the leaves haven't changed colour yet and my flowers haven't died? hmmm that's a ponderment in itself for those who have nothing better to do with their time.

Anyways, much to my dismay, September is here, school has once again started and life is gearing up for our fall and winter activities. Will I have ANY free time? Hmmm so far I think not. I am very thankful that we plan on doing some ferocious vacationing this winter. Especially because our summer was frightfully crappy weather wise. There were not very many hot days and one could have lived without central air condition if they had to. *Note to Big Daddy: I said COULD have, not that you SHOULD have*

Joseph is in grade 3 this year and Trent started Kindergarten. I remember back to when Joseph started Kindergarten I was sooo worried he wasn't ready and was terrified of all hell breaking loose. But he flourished well beyond my wildest imagination and is now in grade 3. GRADE 3 PEOPLE!!! AKK!! I remember grade 3. I think that was the first time I got sent to the Principals office. I had pants-ed someone. Ohy, grade 3. Joseph is wickedly humerous still and wildly smart. Last year I will admit in grade 2 he didn't get much academic stimulation so I am very much looking forward to him having to face some challenges and work himself this year.

Trent is in Kindergarten *sob* I thought he was beyond ready, I was ready and I thought he was ready. Well his actions this week are screaming that he was not quite as ready as I thought he was. I remember when Joseph started kindergarten, after about a week I one day dropped him off, went back out to my van and bawled my face off to the point of near hyperventalation. I could not believe how bull by the horns he was being. I think I cried because I wanted him to want me more (and lets face it Trent never slept at that point so some sleep deprevation was added to that mix). I really did I was sad that he was all "See yah Mom" without looking back. Well here we are a few years later and I thought Trent was beyond ready I was prepared. I am about to loose my mind and go back to my van and once again cry to the near point of hyperventalation not because I want him to want me more. I need him to need me less. He doesn't want to go to Kindergarten and that makes me sad. I know once he gets there and gets doing fun things with the kids he's ok. But I want him to want to go. I hope over the next few weeks his zest for it will pick up. I know he'll be fine and I'll be fine but these 6 adjustment weeks are always so much. You think ahhh they aren't going to get me this time and then wham like one of the boxing gloves on WIPEOUT'S sucker punch wall, it gets ya and down you go.

And then there is miss Addie and well at the fine ripe age of two she thinks she is a preschooler. She marches her little self into that school says goodbye to Joseph walks Trent to his classroom and the down the hall to the preschool room she goes. It's a good thing I have been involved in the preschool so long our family is like furniture in there or the teacher would question what the heck was going on. Addie know's no different. For the last two years of her life that is where she wound up every school morning. Can you blame the girl. I can attest though if I walked out the door and left her at the preschool she'd be fine and involve herself in whatever they were all doing. Hmm, too bad they didn't take two year olds.

That sums up life in our home these days. Between the kids, me working evenings and weekends, Big Daddy working weekdays there isn't much room left for much else. I have to look at a picture of Big Daddy once in awhile to remind myself what he looks like. We don't see one another too often, usually in passing...but it's what we do and it works... for now. When it quits working i'll worry.

Six Random Things....

I have been tagged by my blog-a-rific friend Melissa. Thus I have post six random things about me. Errrr, do you all REALLY want to know these things LOL. I'll try to keep it clean.

Here are the rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

1. I recently got a tattoo, I still really like it. However, I dread the day (hopefully it never comes) where I dislike it.

2. Our family is complete...done...nada more babies for us (anyone wanna buy a crib?)

3. I STILL don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Hmmm, what consitutes as 'grown up'

4. I am not afraid to tackle any home improvement project on my own. It's amazing what you can google.

5. Some guy once gave my family and I the classic two thumbs up sign (we were in our street rod, everyone always stared at the car). However, the poor old guy was missing one thumb.

I dont know who blogs and reads here I dont have 6 but I will tag:

Anita, Shana & Shar-lee

End of an Era

Why is it that sometimes something that feels so right can leave a ulcer burning pit in the bottom of your stomach?

Big Daddy and I have come to the conclusion that it is time for me to stay at home and raise our family. Thus, I have recently quit my job. It is such a reminder that at the end of the day it is a job and that it doesn't define you. Like Carrie Bradshaw said on an episode of Sex in the City "It's not who I am, it's what I do."

Over the past nine years I have been employed at the same place. Nine years isn't a huge amount of time, I do realize that. However, it was significant enough. Especially for me since it was a portion of my life where I did a lot of growing up. I have had this job longer than I have been married. During my time there I got married and had three children. My life changed drastically over those nine years.

As much as it was the right decision and I need to this for my family. It was sad to let go. It seemed that those three days a week that I worked reminded me that I was human, an adult and at the craziest of times in my life as a mother when everyone else would go for coffee and I would stay back at my desk to work, or blog, it was silence. It was escape from my "real" job at home.

I will be honest. I didn't necessarily love the job itself, but I liked the people. For the most part. I mean can't we all agree there is that "one" everywhere you go right? But some of these women have Mothered me at work and made me laugh and have even seen me at some of my weakest moments and cared enough to send me home to soothe my soul those days I needed it most.

Coming to the decision was easy. Quitting was hard, writing that message to my boss was even harder. I have come a long way and strived for many things and being a quitter generally isn't on my agenda. When I quit something I feel failure...because in a large percentage of times in life quitting is a form of failure. But in this case quitting wasn't failing. It is taking a step up.

Of all the advice I have gotten across the board when trying to make this life changing decision the few words that kept coming across time and again were "you won't regret it!"
Believe me, a few days in already and I don't. Not one bit. There is no greater accomplishment in life than watching your children grow up. As cliche as it sounds, it is fact. They grow up too fast. I don't want to miss it. Also, being the realist I am the fact of the matter is, I simply can't justify working to pay someone for the job *I* want to be doing. That would be like paying someone to eat my piece of cake...no way!! I want the cake!

It's life and it is what it is and it's a huge leap of faith. But as stressed out I am and as much as I sometimes wonder "what if" I KNOW, in the depths of my heart that a job will always be there when and if I need one. For now, I'll take my kids.
I know.... I won't regret it.

I swore I wouldn't!!!

You are all never going to believe what I have done. I swore through and through that I would never do it! NEVER!!! I feel deep down in my gut that I have sold my soul to the devil. Well, the food devil's if you will.

Me, the accomplished dinner-screwer-upper has done the utterly unthinkable. To boot, I was good at it, it was grand and Big Daddy loves me even more for doing it. So much so, he has asked me to do it again sometime. I don't know if I ever want to do it again, it was a lot of work and I wound up all sweaty, smelly and I feel really.... well.... OLD!

Isn't it that only old people cook turkeys??? Yes, I know your shocked to your very core that *I* cooked a turkey. I will give you a moment to recover since I am sure you are forclempt. To be honest when I tell people they really don't believe me. That is why I took pictures. My family has even eaten said turkey and thus far have lived to tell about it.

Isn't it pretty! Well, not really but I didn't have time to put a bow or anything on it.



I made gravy too! Wanna see?


And my family about to eat it all


Don't look too closely or you will notice the following things:

A) I don't own a roaster that will hold a turkey. So instead I used the bottom part of my broiling pan. It worked since my "lid" was to be tinfoil anyways according to my "recipe".

B) Joseph looks impressed huh! Don't worry it's usual for him. If it isn't Kraft Dinner or Peanut Butter sandwiches that is generally the look I get at all meals. I am used to it now, I let it slide off my back.

C) I do not own a gravy boat. My gravy is served in a Tupperware measuring cup thingy that has a handle. It did the trick.

All in all it was an experience. I am glad that for my first time I shared with no one but my immediate family. That way if I screwed up big time the McDonald's order wouldn't have been too expensive. I however, wouldn't be too afraid to try again for others....some day and hopefully not soon.

100 things

100 things about me?! sheesh do you really want to know all this stuff?

1. When asked "hair colour" I never know what to put. Would "various" constitute as a definitive answer?

2. I wish I had the time to blog more and was a better writer.

3. I don't really have a favorite colour, movie, song, actor.

4. However, 4 is my favorite number.

5. I never thought i'd have children.

6. I am a much better mother than I thought i'd ever be.

7. I often wish my kids weren't so loud.

8. I feel like my Dad when I turn down the TV on them.

9. I wish I knew what I wanted to do with my life.

1o. I wish I had studied harder in school and gone to university. But it was easier to be less than average all the time. That way no one ever expected more.

11. I think i'd make a good doctor or midwife.

12. I would love to watch a baby be born (besides my own).

13. I hate being in the house for too long, yet I am not an outdoorsy person.

14. I no longer have contact with my oldest childhood friend. I hate that.

15. I hate laundry. Yet I cloth diapered Trent.

16. Three kids is way more work than I could have ever imagined.

17. I never thought i'd have a girl, but I am so glad I do.

18. I think my kids are wonderful, perfect, well behaved and adorable. But yet I try really hard to not be one of those oblivious mothers who really does think their johnny can do no wrong.

19. A few weeks ago I was the substitute teacher for preschool. I loved it. It was one of the best day's i've ever had.

20. I love that I know most of the teachers and families at our school. I feel safe and secure leaving my children their.

21. Big Daddy and I volunteer more than our "fair share" of time in our community.

22. Big Daddy and I have been together for 11 years. Married for 7 (soon to be 8)

23. We have been through some really rough spots in our relationship/marraige. So much that I am suprised we survived.

24. Our relationship is better than ever because we persevered. I truly believe that. We are definately reaping what we've sown.

25. I wish I knew then what I know now about weddings. It is about the marraige, not the wedding.

26. Big Daddy purpously threw out my phone number the first time I gave it to him.

27. I am right handed but do many things with my left hand.

28. I often wonder if I come across as annoying or a know it all?

29. I love having a clean house, but hate cleaning up.

30. I wish I could do more to lessen my footprint on the earth.

31. I love making my kids laugh.

32. I have never been on a tropical vacation.

33. I have plans to go to New York in May. I am sooo stoked!

34. When I was young (3 or 4) I caught my toe in the spokes of my tricycle and just about ripped it off.

35. None of my children will ever ride a bike without shoes on.

36. I had a muscle removed from my mouth as well as braces to repair the large gap I had between my two front teeth.

37. I love that I have nice teeth.

38. I swear too much.

39. I have never ski-doo'ed but I love riding a sea-doo.

40. For many years of my life we had a large stick on picture of a larger than life cow on our garage.

41. I have gotten drunk with my Gramma.

42. But for the life of me I can never beat her at scrabble.

43. I got roses from my Mother in Law the day before my wedding because she knew I would be stressed out. It wasthe nicest gestures I could have recieved on that day.

44. I got a dozen long stemmed "jessica" roses from Big Daddy the morning of my wedding.

45. My grandfather used to send us the strangest things in the mail. Once he sent our family a fully cooked turkey on the bus. It was on a plate with stuffing wrapped in tinfoil.

46. I once got hit by a car and never told anyone because I thought i'd get into trouble.

47. I am really good at my job, even thought I think it is a bit mundane and boring.

48. I get aggrivated at cashiers who are really slow, have messy tills (bills all askew), and don't know how to properly count change back to a customer.

49. I hate seafood and refuse to go fishing.

50. I have begun to appreciate cooking for my family and actually enjoy it a little.

51. I enjoy organizing things.

52. I like beer.

53. I have never travelled off the continent.

54. I recently applied for my very first passport ever.

55. Big Daddy and I are very seperate financially. We will never ever be one of those "one bank account" families.

56. I can't play any instrument.

57. I have never done my own income tax.

58. My sister and I have many inside jokes. She would laugh if I called her Lorne and told her it was five o'clock in the morning.

59. I love the tv show "friends" I miss it a lot. I own all 10 seasons on DVD.

60. I am a tv addict.

61. When it comes to junk food I have no self control.

62. I wish I had a thicker skin.

63. I also wish people respected me more, but I dont think my personality demands it.

64. I was born with brown eyes, so was my mother and my daughter.

65. I have naturally curly hair.

66. I went to business college because I didn't know what else to do.

67. I once flipped some lady the bird while driving and she called the cops on me.

68. I was 26 when that happened. The cops were rude to me and made me cry. Big Daddy finally asked them to leave.

69. I am not a puker, I have puked once in the last 20 years.

70. I love looking at photographs.

71. When I was a kid I hated pizza.

72. Isn't it odd that I met and married a pizza guy. (now turned accountant of course)

73. I feel really sad that I couldn't take Big Daddy out and whoop it up when he got his degree last May.

74. I have never ever asked for a raise at any job.

75. I have never been fired from a job. However I have been laid off twice.

76. I hated the colour pink, until I had a baby girl.

77. I dont live in the same province as any of my extended family.

78. I never thought i'd breastfeed a child for this long. But I wouldn't trade in the experience for a million dollars.

79. I am absolutely terrified that one of my children will become a drug addict.

80. I can't leave the house without mascara on. If I realize i have I will stop at the store and buy some.

81. I love diet coke. I have a hard time going a whole day without one.

82. I have skinny dipped, with a life preserver on. Didn't want to drown!

83. Trent almost drown in our bathtub, in my care. It was a sickening moment that makes me ill to think about.

84. I have a tatoo which i'd like to cover up one day.

85. I am a gemini

86. I hate tea, but enjoy coffee.

87. I absolutely hate singing the song "happy birthday". I think it's lame.

88. I keep flushable cleaning wipes in my bathroom so that if someone pops over I can clean while I am in there and they wont know.

89. I always fear my house stinks like baby poo.

90. We have a bird, Millie. I hate birds. I have never touched the bird and am terrified when she is out of her cage.

91. I would love to have a puppy, but dont want the hassle or the expense.

92. I walked down the aisle at my wedding to a pianist playing Canon in D. To this day I still love the way it sounds.

93. I am lazy.

94. I wish I had the balls to get a small diamond nose ring. I will give birth, but I dont have the gnards to pierce my nose.

95. Big Daddy calls me princess.

96. He now also calls Addie princess.

97. I hate action movies, I refuse to watch them. They are terribly unrealistic.

98. When I was 17 I got fake ID made so I could get into bars.

99. I love to read magazines.

100. Our family gave up ice cream for lent and both Big Daddy and I have had mishaps. We aren't telling Joseph. He would be devestated.