Back Home for a Rest!

We had an awesome wknd!! Fri night, the drive to NB was great. Little fog, little showers, but nothing to complain about. And the company was wonderful! ;) We arrived at Jason's just as E was going to bed. MIL called for her to say goodnight. She asked if I was coming home tonight and I explained we were having a sleepover for 2 nights. She didn't seem bothered and continued at great length to tell me about the pink popcycle she got for eating all her supper. L did really well too, waking up both nights at midnight and sleeping in each morning. Nana did a great job but was tired at the end of it all. L ended up falling asleep early last night so we were sure she'd wake at midnight. At 4 a.m., she woke for a feed...even then I think she could've slept through. When I went in, her eyes were closed and she was sucking her thumb. I was too anxious to see her so it worked out anyway.

Today has been a complete lay low day. I'm still in my pjs!! We made some plans for Canada Day. We're going to the picnic on the Commons and having a BBQ at home at supper. Mom & Dad are still up and Mom's b-day is on Thurs (our travel day to CB). So, we'll have strawberry shortcake (Mom's dessert pic) to celebrate tomorrow and Wed we're going to the Tattoo. Then Thurs we're off to Ingonish for the reunion. Only problem is DH is working this week. He didn't get laid off yet...which is good and bad. It'll cost us double the gas if we go down Thurs and he comes Fri. Plus, if we wait till Fri, we'll miss 1/2 the events like the Lobster boil...and we don't want to miss that. And we have our Chalet booked so that's tricky too. DH is putting in for OT tomorrow (which would compensate for the extra gas). If he doesn't get it, I think he's going to ask for Thurs & Fri off.

So, I'll try to get in to blog before I go but as of Thurs, you won't hear from me till July 14th. I'll be in Ingonish Thurs-Sun then my folks Sun-Sun. Oh...forgot to tell you, I finally got my call for the Ultrasound (gallbladder) for August 1st. Thank goodness! I'll be glad to get it checked out. Oh...and more exciting news!! My boss called and told us who's going where with the company. I'm going with Newcap and will be getting to write the promos for KOOL FM!! I'm very excited. I did them before I went on Mat leave with E and am just getting them back now. That's all for now. Hope you have a good day/week!!
~B

Road Trip!

So excited about going to NB. L woke up for a midnight feed the last 2 nights so I could use a good night's sleep (or 2). So yesterday was very productive. I finally finished scrapping 2006...yes, that's not a typo...I meant 2006. Unfortunately I lost most of 2007's pictures when our computer crashed. I have some cards and a few photos so I can still do a few pages. But since we're in 2008, I'm not too worried about it. I'm looking forward to the day when I'm working on the previous month's pics rather than the previous year's.

So we're going to hit the road early if DH can get off work around noon. I still haven't packed...guess I better get on that. I decided not to go to Curves today since I'm too tired/lazy. I'll try to catch a nap before we leave...we'll see how that goes.

Well, I guess that's all for now. Hope you have a great wknd!!
~B

This week FLEW by!

My goodness I can't believe it's Thursday already!! Sorry I've been so absent. Busy...you know, damn life getting in the way of blogging. :) We're all good. DH's still working, for now. Really, we're expecting the layoff. It's just a matter of when. We're kind of hoping this Friday since we're on vacation next week. :) L's doing better, getting over her virus/cold and hungry as a bear! She woke at midnight last night (unusual for her) and cried after she drained her 6oz bottle. Crazy!! She drank a 6oz bottle at 6 and just now at 9, plus had cereal this a.m. My girlie's getting big! E's doing alright. Little cranky to be going to daycare today while Granny & Poppy are here. I'd leave her home but I have to pay for the day regardless. Plus, she'll be away for the next 2 weeks, also which I have to pay for. She's got a bit of a cough and runny nose...same virus/cold L has I guess. Goodness knows what she pics up at daycare.

Not much new with me. Just appts and stuff. Tues we got the van's AC fixed, MIL & I got our hair cut. Wed I got groceries. Today I'm going to a CM workshop from 11-4. Tomorrow DH & I are going to NB to my cousin's wedding. MIL is going to watch the girls. I was just thinking of how wonderful it's going to be to pack for just me!!! So we'll be home Sun (if DH's working Mon) or Mon (if DH gets laid off). Granny & Poppy will be with us till next Thurs then we're all going to CB. DH (if laid off), MIL, girls & I are going to Ingonish for a family reunion (Thurs-Sun). The on the following Sun, G&P are meeting us in Englishtown and the girls & I are going back to Sydney with them (if DH's laid off, he'll come to Sydney with us and MIL will go back to Hali with her sister). So, some stuff up in the air.

While G&P are here, we're going to the Tattoo...and likely we'll take in the Canada Day picnic on the Commons. Other than that, I'll likely take dad on a Value Village/Sally Ann run. He collects old records (45s, some albums). So, I won't be on much the next week and then you won't hear from me till July 14th. Till then, enjoy this wonderful weather!!
~B

Sick little chic

My baby girl is sick. I thought it was just teething...but after reading my baby book, it's likely not that. She's been digging at her ears, feverish, tired, irritable. What a sin...poor dolly. I noticed too that E's been coughing today. Seems they never get over it. I'm going to try to get both girls looked at today. I figure it's better to have them both seen although likely E is fine...no other symptoms than the cough.

My wknd was great! BTW, DH didn't get laid off yet. We figure it's a matter of time...whatever, we'll see. Anyway, wknd was great! My party went over well. I didn't think many would show because of a few possible cancellations, but we did get lots anyway. Doug & Sara, Shay & Mark, Megan, Troy & Carrie (DH's coworkers) and DH & I. We had TONS of food...thanks for bringing. I even got 2 nice gifts which were not expected...thanks guys! :) We winded down around 1...asleep by 2. I was so tired yesterday even though I slept in, napped and guess who's tired again today. L's slept through the night (and all last week) but stupid me stayed up to watch Sleepless in Seatle. UGH!!!

Well, I better run and try to get those appts booked. I also want to print out some pics of the gals and research that food addiction book. Hope you have a good day, despite the weather.

TTFN!
~B

What a difference!

Woke up to a rotten old yucky morning...damp, foggy, rainy...yuck! And now look at it. The sun's beaming and there's barely a cloud in the sky. I hope somehow tomorrow will turn out just as nice for my par-tah! Got everything but the cake...making a trip to Costco tonight. Anyway, can't chat long. Wknd? Tonight-prep for part, tomorrow-party harty, Sunday-recovery, Monday-back to the grind.

I'll know by 2 if Jeff is getting laid off. I'll keep you posted.
Have a great wknd!!
~B

Set back

All it takes is one night to set you back. We had a great day with the girls yesterday. Thought it would be nice for DH & I to go to a movie. Don't Mess with the Zohan...really funny with serious undertones. Anyway, called MIL before coming home. E threw up twice. I was really worried about her. Came home and she was still up. Got her in bed by 9:30-10. She woke around midnight and complained her "bum was sore" which usually means she is constipated. Tried her on the toilet without any luck. Finally got her back to bed near 1. L woke during the night but I let her go since she was back to sleep within minutes. At 5 a.m. both girls were up. L wet through her diaper, had to change her. E was happy and full of energy...mama was not and grumpy about it. It was a rough morning trying to get the two settled but by 8 I was alright.

Took E to the heart doctor today. Her murmur was normal...just the sound of blood flow. I figured as much and didn't worry about it. Brought E to daycare for PJ day. She fell asleep on the way (up late, up early). She didn't want me to go but I rushed out as usual. You know the old saying...wrip off the bandaid. I'm sure she was over it in 2 mins. MIL is just putting L down now so I'm going to take advange and get some rest. Skipped Curves today but may get there before the day is out...we'll see. OH, and was browsing Chapters for Food Addiction books and did find some. There's one I'm going to explore further and possibly order. Hope it helps.

Well, hope you're having a more energetic day than I am. :)
TTFN!
~B

F.A.

I haven't searched but I'm pretty darn sure there's info online for F.A...food-aholics, food addicts, what have you. The more I battle with my weight, the more I realize I need a 12 step program. Not sure if there's something out there for me like that but there should be. I've heard of overeaters anonamous (sp?). I find "overeaters" not completely accurate. I agree, that's what I do, but it's really an addiction to food that's the problem. And I feel it's the worst addiction to have. I'm sure you've heard people compare it to drugs and alcohol. Both of those you can give up, but everyone has to eat to live. Truly, there's even more to it.

My addiction to food came from childhood. When you don't know how to cope, you turn to what's available. For a 8 year old, food was what I knew. I came from a big pants family. I used to eat at home and then at the neighbours house. And I'd sneak food too. As an adult, I've dealt with the issues that lead me to start eating, but I don't know what other way to cope. I'm the classic "emotional" eater. I eat (as Dr. Phil says) to medicate, celebrate...out of boredom. Throw tempting sugar laden desserts on top (which I believe are addictive) and you've got one big mess.

I am a smart person. I realize it's all math. Eat more calories than you need + no exercise = weight gain/unhealthy lifestyle. I also realize the need to get all your ducks in a row. Eat right + exercise + drink water = a healthy lifestyle = weight loss/maintenance. But along with those pluses (for me personally) I need to factor in a few more things. I need a healthy way to deal with stress, boredom, temptations, social gatherings, etc. I've heard exercise is a great substitute but it's hard when you're home with 2 kids. I do get out, even more now. Still, I need something more solid I can do with kids around. For boredom, there's lots I could do but my motivation is lacking. I think social gatherings and temptation are all about self control. Not sure what all the answers are but I'm sure analysing lots.

All this is part of the continual work on myself. Slowly with baby steps, I'm working on it. Trying to be more accepting of myself. Trying to get those ducks together...even if they're not in a line all the time. Trying not to be so hard on myself...but still be accountable. Learning to forgive myself when I mess up so I can move on and not dwell on it. Like I said, it's a battle...actually, it's more like a war. Every day, every meal, every bite is a battle. Some days I win. Some days the food wins. Guess the idea is not to give up.

Well, I'm gonna to have a hot soak in the hopes the McFlurry melts away down the drain. I had good intentions...2 chicken wraps with GRILLED chicken and shared E's small fries. Oh, and an iced coffee (which is nice btw). Guess the food and I had a draw. :)
~B
~B

Thank goodness for paper!

I'm getting worse at remembering things over the years. I write everything down. Appts on the calendar. Errands on the notepad. I have a booklet to write down all L's activities...5:30 - 6oz bottle and change...9 - BM (small, soft). I know...it's aweful but I can't retain any info at all! I should have figured it was coming. My mother makes lists all the time!

Anyway, pretty good going today. L did alright in the end with her needles. She wailed and sobbed hard...I couldn't help but burst out laughing! What kind of mother am I???? I just found it so funny cause she was so dramatic. Wow...a 6 month old Drama Queen...and a 3 year old Drama Queen. Gotta love girls! So, got her home, gave her some cereal and a bottle, tylenol before bed and she slept till 6!!!!!! How awesome! She's been great all day so she's well on the mend.

Brought E to daycare this a.m...though she'd rather stay home and watch TV...bugger. Then I went to Curves and got my workout in. Came home, cleaned up and MIL, L & I went shopping. Bought 2 tops and a pair of jeans...all on sale. I got 2 tops yesterday (one for each girl) for Canada day...so cute! One of my tops today is red to kinda sorta match them. Just got to get dad a red top and we'll all be matchy-poo-poo!

Back to the scheduling. I have so many things coming up I can barely keep it straight. Granny & Poppy are coming up next Wed (I think). G&P, DH & I are going to NB for my cousin's wedding. G&P are back in Hali Sun night...DH & I are staying with Jason an extra night, home Mon day. Thurs the 3rd (G's b-day), G&P are going home to Sydney while MIL, DH, the girls & I are going to Ingonish for the family reunion. Then Sun the 6th, the girls and I are meeting G&P in Englishtown and going to Sydney with them for a week...DH & MIL are going back to Hali. Now some of this depends on DH if he'll be working or not. Word is he'll get laid off on Friday...we'll see.

Besides all that I have to make hair, dentist and van appts before we go...ugh! Life catches up with you. Well, love to chat more but I can hear L wailing! TTFN!
~B

6 Months already!!

My little girl is going in for her 6 month needles today. I find I'm ol' hat at it now. I remember with E, we were laughing on the outside, dying on the inside. Now I'm ammune to it. You'll get over it kid. And hopefully she'll be alright today.

Feeling very lazy and tired today...no idea why. MIL got up with the girls 2 night in a row so I have no excuse. I'm headed for a nap right now...thank goodness for Mat leave with company. :) Father's Day was very nice and low key yesterday. Made b-fast for dad...crepes, muffins, bacon, the whole shabang. Then Daddy, the girls and I went to the boardwalk for a stroll and play on the ship (by MMA). Afterwards we packed up and went to Applebees for lunch. Home for naps and then Daddy's fav for supper, ribs. It was just a really nice family day. Looking forward to much more (the good side of a layoff). DH expects to get his layoff notice this Friday. We'll see. I refuse to worry and figure it will all work out in the end.

Well, gotta run and catch that nap. Hope everyone had a great daddy's day!
~B

Glory Halleluia!

So excited to see the wknd arrive! And happy for naptime (so this will be short). Nothing new in my world. Got up early with DH to drop him to work...we had to take MIL's car to the shop then drop him off. The place does have a shuttle service but he used it yesterday (when our van was in) and they got him to work late...not good after the bad review. Anyway, dropped him off and went to Curves and saw all my morning gals. I brought pics of the kids to they got to see them...they thought both were beautiful. I must brag, I do make beautiful babies. ;) So, back home to a fresh pot of coffee...God love MIL!! We bathed both girls (which caused E to have a temper tantrum...long story). Then when they were dressed we went on the swings in the backyard. L loves the swing, as does E.

Nothing planned for tonight. Tomorrow night I'm going to Megan's for a girl's night. And Sunday of course we'll do something special for dad. DH put in for OT both Sat & Sun (since layoffs are coming, likely next Friday) so we're not sure what we're doing yet till he finds out if he's working or not. Hope you all have a great wknd, enjoy the sunshine, and give your Daddies lots of lovin'!
~B

ME day!

Can't post long. Supper's on the go and I have a crisp in the oven...yum!

Anyway, the night/day started off kind of shitty. L was up at midnight and 4. I had to put her back to bed at 4:30. I don't want her to think the day starts that early. E was up at 6 and L & I were shortly after that. We did b-fast and once L was back to bed I took E to daycare. She didn't want to go cause she knew Nana was home. I took her screaming and crying. She wet her pants. Ugh! It was aweful. Then she was very clingy at drop off. I stayed about 10 mins and she still wailed when I went out the door. Went to Curves to see the gals but missed them by the time I got there. Got home and MIL had just got L down...guess E woke her up and she stayed up for a bit.

Soooooo...after lunch MIL sent me for a mani/pedi and Nu Look (just up the road). Really very nice! They have 1 estetian (sp?) and she's from Sydney...go figure. She did a great job and the price was right. Got my brows done too...very nice. So, I get home after that and asked MIL if she minded me napping...no, she said and I went down for 2 glorious hours!! I so could get used to this! :) Anyway, gotta run before everything burns. TTFN!
~B

Dreary day

Why does 4:30 have to come so early??? I hate to complain since L slept all night but it's still an early wake up call. It doesn't help that it's so damp and yucky out. I could have a nap but want to save it up for the afternoon. Maybe I'll throw on my duds and go to Curves. BTW, if I hadn't mentioned, MIL is off work for the next 3 weeks after her surgery...which went well. She took off her cast today and the stitches look good. She's not supposed to do any heavy lifting. She still manages to pick up the baby, change and feed her. I'm perfectly willing to do it all but she wants to so I let her, limitedly. Yesterday I went out and left her with L for about an hour. I'd rather keep the visits short so she doesn't have to do much. And I prep the bottles, etc., so there's no handy work to do. We even co-oped on supper last night. She got the fish in the pan and spiced it up. I peeled and cut up the potatoes. It's nice having the help. And even nicer having a mid day nap without worrying about getting up. :)

So, not much else is new. I chatted a bit to Mari about job prospects yesterday on her blog. I'm not sure where I got this notion...whether it was from mom, or through a teacher at school. But it runs through my mind often..."if you're going to do something for the next 40 or 50 years, you may as well do something you love!" So, find something your passionate about and follow your dreams. Even if you think it's too costly to invest in schooling, it would be worth it in the end to have a career you're fulfilled with. Still, keep in mind job availability...you may have to relocate to find work, and pay scale...you gotta make a living at it. If your dream was to be a writer, you might want to get a day job and work on your novel at night. I'm trying to push DH in that direction. He's floated from job to job, thinking he's happy, but inevitably he winds up leaving or switching to "the next best thing."

Same goes for his current job. I know what he loves about it is the $$. Hey, so do I. But he hates the work. Plus, the threat of lay-offs, which are no doubt coming, eats away at him. We had a long talk on the road back from CB about his career. He thought about spending $7K on a rigging course. I'm all for getting an education but I questioned whether this is REALLY what he wanted to be trained in. I suggested he pursue his passion...which is video games. Yeah, sounds like a long shot but hear me out. We talked about what he liked about games. He's very interested in developing ideas for games, or looking at current games with ideas to make them better. I think there's a career in there. We looked online at the Centre for Arts & Technology. They have a 3D Game Animation course. It's 2 years...a long time to sacrifice with a family. We don't even know the cost yet. Regardless, I think it's worth a shot to look into it. Our friend Jason in NB works for the government recruiting businesses to set up shop in NB. He said there's a video game company that may be coming there. If it's that close to us, surely business could trickle to Halifax in the future.

Right now our game plan is to work the "waiting room" ("View From the Top" movie reference). Stay put till E's in school and we've paid down our debts, then we can look at investing in DH's dream. I'm tired of seeing him look for that happiness in his work and being dissatisfied. It's never too late to fulfill your dreams. It's better too take the chance than live a life of regret. Hey, I chased my dreams and it worked out for me. Sure, there's always office politics but you'll get that anywhere. And when you're happy with what you're doing, it doesn't matter. See why I'm itching to get back??

BTW, if you haven't heard, one of our stations flipped to the FM dial and switched format. Check out the new CJCH at 101.3 FM, The Bounce. I like it so far. Great tunes...direct competition with Z103. We'll see if it's the real deal when the announcers are on air.

Gotta run! TTFN!
~B

Bedtime story

Well, not quite. :) Just thought I'd pop in tonight to tell you about my trip home. We had a great time...not a ton of rest cause both kids were sick. :( DH took the day off today, that's why I'm getting on here so late.

Our drive down (and back) were great. We just had a 20 minute crying session (down) before we got to Mom & Dad's. L was tired of being stuck in the van. E was crying cause L was crying. Loud, loud, loud. Sat p.m. we went to the Main Event (Glace Bay) to watch Tempted (brother Mike's band). I drank too much and tripped over Mike's bass case. Cut up my back...pour little angel tattoo looks like she had her wing clipped. :) I still have a scab but it's not sore.

Sun we did church in the a.m. I stayed home with the girls while Mom & Dad went out to separate functions in the evening. It was nice to just chill. Mon E & I went out with Andrea & M.J. to bowling, shopping and lunch. Returned home for naps and went to the playground in the p.m. where I saw Kelly Turner (from high school) and her little boy Joshua. Went to DQ on the way home...mmm. Tues I went in town with Dad to buy groceries. I got baking stuff to make Grampy Jack's b-day present (more later). That night, Mom & Dad were out again...social butterflies. Wed I took Dad to Glace Bay to see the eye specialist. His eyes are great and he's doing really well with his diabetes and heart. Wed p.m., Mom volunteered at the hospital and Dad was out too. My brother Lloydie & SIL Ella came to visit the girls. Thurs Mom was out most of the morning and afternoon. It was my b-day so E & I made chocolate cupcakes. (Oh...I went to Walmart to get paints for E and bought a flair cupcake stand for $8!!) Since Mom was out all day, we had donairs for supper. Andrea & the boys came by for cupcakes too. Fri was the big day for E & I. We made 2 loaves for Grampy Jack's b-day present...he's turning 90 this month and we had an open house on Sat. The idea for my gift was that E & I were making his favourites...one of which was Nanny Hussey's (his wife) lemon loaf...and that we were keeping her memory alive by passing her recipe on to the next generation. We took pictures of us baking and I scrapped/framed a page of the experience. He really liked it!

So, Sat was the big party. It went very well...hot though. The kids ran laps around the fire trucks (parked in the bays). Grampy was nervous about the party but did have a good time. Afterwards, a bunch of the family went to Steel City to watch Tempted's matinee. My dad, his sister Brenda, hubby Richard and 2 girls; uncle Kelson; Andrea (and the other band wives), DH & I and DH's cousin Gemma and fiance. We had a really great time...but the party didn't stop there. Dad is doing the music for cousin Allison's wedding. They wanted to talk to him about it and it turned into a party at Mom and Dad's. E was up till 10!!!! What a fun day! Sun a.m. we went to church in the a.m. and left shortly after. The drive home was very quite. L slept most of the way. E even napped for a bit. It was a fun time but I'm glad to be home. Today we had a really nice family day. (MIL is off for a few weeks, carpel tunnel surgery.) We went to the Dingle with a picnic lunch. I though there was sure to be a breeze down by the water...WRONG! We stayed about an hour for fear of sun stroke. We had naps and took it easy the rest of the day. And now...it's time for the bedtime story. Once upon a time, there was a tired mama who stayed up entirely too late to blab about her vacation. And then she went to bed. GOOD NIGHT!
~B