Holy frustration!

I can't help being so frustrated preparing for an outing. Oh yeah, btw, DH has training on Sat so our trip to CB is delayed...that set me off bigtime. I busted my ass yesterday packing for 3 out of 4 of us only to find out it was all for nothing! Now today we're getting ready to go to the beach and whose doing the packing again??? Me, of course. I do realize DH works hard, I do acknowledge he helps...but I hate that my memory is the one we rely on. I'm the one who remembers everything we need to pack. If it were up to DH, he'd pack a pb sandwich each and towels. Anyway, I'm just blowing off steam. I'm sure everyone appreciates what I do...I just don't hear it enough. The minor details...that's what'll kill ya.

Anyway, DH is trying to remind me this is supposed to be a fun trip...so I guess it better be. Happy face is on. Now time to get my coffee and get the heck outta here. Later!
~B

Why won't they nap when you want them too????

I'm so tired. Got home late and was up early. Had L out all a.m. and fell asleep on the way home (just before lunch). She got an hour in but now I can't get her down for another nap...and I so need one. I'm trying to pack on top of everything for our near 2 wk trip to CB. It sucks cause I do the packing for the girls and myself...sometimes DH too. Plus I have extra stuff to take down. And all I want to do is have a nap. AGH!

Had a really nice long visit with Shay last night...including an awesome dinner and even better dessert. It was so great to catch up. We're usually together every second wknd but this summer, it was more like once a month. Now that the summer is calming down and we'll soon be settling into fall...and me back to work...we'll have more of a routine. Anyway, I'd like to elaborate but L is in there kicking and yelling for me to get her. So much for that. TTFN!
~B

Sleepy-time challenged

Feeling tired, lazy, cranky...the whole lot of it. I couldn't get to sleep last night...finally fell asleep after 11 I think. Then L woke up around 4:30 for a feeding. While I was up I had to change my clothes...that TOM...UGH!!! And I had to change twice after this morning. Not fun. Anyway, I'm WELL protected now so I should get through the day without another incident. Back to 4:30...after I changed, I went back to bed but couldn't sleep again. It was near 5 before I fell asleep. I missed DH going to work...must have been out of it.

Then I woke around 6:45 with a terrible nightmare. It seems really silly thinking about it now but it was so vivid. In the dream, Shay came to a work party with me, got totally blitzed and was making a fool of herself. I tried to stop her and she was trying to hit me with something...a cane/stick/2x4...can't remember. Then I took her credit card from her and ran away. hehehe Weird. I talked to Shay before bed last night so that explains why she was the subject of the dream. The rest of it...goodness knows. We were talking about trouble with finances. With DH being off work for a month, we got ourselves in debt just to pay the bills. Now that he's back to work, we'll get back on track.

Anyway, not much on the go today. Had the girls out on the swings this a.m. Then E helped me hang my new sheets out on the line. I bought a new comforter, shams, sheets yesterday. So exciting!!! I wanted a new set to get an idea of what colour to paint our bedroom. The colours are blue, brown and tan. We're doing tan for the walls...the left over blue from the bathroom for the en suite. I'll make brown curtains I think. The plan is to do it during the 3 weeks when the girls are in daycare but I'm still home. Anyhoo, E's getting impatient for my attention. We made biscuits after L went down for her nap and now E wants one. :) Hope y'all have a great day in the sunshine.

~B

Early morning blogging

This is so strange being up this early to do this. But it's better than not blogging at all. L wakes up at 6 for a feed...and I'm sure if you kept her up, she'd stay up for a while. Otherwise, she goes back down for about an hour or so. And E doesn't get up till around 7...especially if she was up late the night before...which she was. DH started a new job yesterday painting the NS Power towers in Dartmouth....those red & white ones next to the MacKay bridge. He called me yesterday from the top...he didn't sound scared. They did get a little scare on the way down when their cords got tangled up on some lights. The lights are busted but they did get down safely. Anyway, I let E stay up till he got home. It was really nice because the girls got used to him being there and taking him for granted. Last night, he was the favourite...read E her bedtime story and tucked her in without me there. So cute!

So, we were pretty productive yesterday. We made E's money jars (saving, spending, charity). She really liked doing that. We did laundry, cleaned Dad's bbq, played playdoh, played with L, went out on the swings, and watched Toopy. I was so pleased cause the TV stayed off till after her nap. She watched Toopy around 4 while I got ready to go to Curves...but I didn't get there. Got a migrane, felt nauseas, but still managed to go to the grocery store for yogourt and $$, and met a girl from Kijiji to buy baby clothes for L. Once I got home and ate, I was fine. Speaking of which, I better get something...my tummy isn't happy right now.

Today I'm taking E to daycare and picking her up early to go in town for an ENT follow up. Possibly may have to pick up DH....if it rains they can't work. And if not I'll pick him up tonight at 7:30. Somewhere in there I'm meeting an old friend for coffee. And that's my day...hope yours is a great one.

~B

Soaking up the summer fun!!

We had another wonderful wknd!! Friday, DH had to take MIL's car in to get fixed. He came home in the afternoon...just enough time for E & I to slip out for a dip. LOVE having the lake just 5 mins away. We went into Bayers Lake for an errand...and she was such a good helper earlier in the day, we got ice cream. Then to the lake for about an hour. DH had supper bbqed for us when we got home. Great, great evening.

Sat day, I took E out to the library. She had fun playing while I picked out some book, etc. As a treat...and with a promise to behave/help at the grocery store, I took her to McD's for lunch. Picked up a few things at Sobeys...$100 later. Headed home with just enough time to unload, get E in for a nap, and get ready for choir practice. Jason & Ray stopped by for a few mins too. Choir was good although it was just 2 of us. Oh, and Father Darek blessed the van. :) Headed home after, picked up DH and headed to my summer staff party at the Shore Club in Hubbards. SO NICE to see everyone and a bunch of new faces too. Had such a great time...and the band was fantastic...DA ROCK. Bunch of Newfs. Really great.

Yesterday morning DH & I took E to Clam Harbour for the sand castle contest. Really glad we didn't take L since we didn't realize how big an event it was...busing people, etc. We were there from 11-2:30 and had a blast. Only trouble is we were completely flaked out for the rest of the day. DH & I went to bed at 9. Oh, and I forgot to mention the greatest part of all...Sat DH got a call to work. He's gone already. 4 days on, 4 days off...12 hour shifts...and great pay. Great reason for me to go to church on Sat. :)

Well, my agenda today is fairly free. Probably work on chore charts with E and her allowance banks (charity, spending, saving). Should be fun! I'll get them outside in the back yard too for a swing/slide. That's about all I can do today without a vehicle. Well hope y'all are doing well and enjoying the rest of the summer.
TTFN!
~B

Old Friends...New Friends

So...I think I may have mentioned that an old friend was trying to reconnect with me. I turned her down flatly with anger because of something that happened years ago. After some defensive statements...and a bit of time away from it, she appologized. Her validating my feelings meant a lot. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized it wasn't fair to disregard her. We've been emailing back and forth and are planning a coffee date sometime soon. I'm not sure if we'll be bestest buddies but another friend never hurt anyone.

In other news, Megan and I got together yesterday for a Costco run. I've got the membership so she was glad to tag along. We were distracted with our lists while shopping so we didn't chat much...only to stand outside the store talking for 15 minutes, I'm sure. It's nice having her so close so we can get together often. I know the summer's been so busy, I'm not getting to see my regulars much. ;) Anyway, Miss E's awake and I promised to take her to the beach. Have a good one and enjoy the shun-shine! :)
~B

Delinquent blogger

I know, I know...it's been a while. Life's gotten away on me. Anyway, I'm here now...maybe for the short term as L's going to wake very, very soon.

So, gallblatter needs to come out. Not sure when but knew it was coming. In the meantime I'm going to get myself as healthy as possible. I'm reading more of my Food addiction book and it's helping a lot. I'm learning to be less hard on myself and take it one day/one bite at a time. Today I started the Curves Smart program...it's new, not at every gym, but I like it. It's a micro chip that records your personal info and tracks your workout. It even self adjusts to help you reach your goals. And you can find out your results after every workout. I laughed my ass off to see my computer generated body on screen. Her hair is shoulder length, brown and her boobs are much perkier than mine. :)

Not much else new...enjoying the beach, trying to get caught up around the house. Decided to make a chore chart today to make the work load more evenly distributed. Even have a few tasks for E to earn an allowance. BTW, anyone doing allowance with small kids? What's the going rate these days? I thought about doing $1/yr old. E would get $3. When the girls get older, I'll have to put a limit on it...I don't want to give them too much...or drain my acct.

Well, gotta run, L's awake. Hope the summer's going well. SHAY: hope you're still alive. Haven't heard from you in ages...and I haven't called either. We're 2 good ones. :) Sat night I'm busy and next wknd I'm in CB for 10 days or so. We'll have to get together soon.

TTFN!
~B

Why do rainy days always make you tired???

I know, I could have a whole section on my blog about being tired. That's the life of a stay at home mom. I'm just so glad to be going back to work. Don't get me wrong...LOVE the girls...but I could do with a rest, and a different kind of work. Last 2 nights L's woken up in the middle of the night...well, once at midnight and once at 4 a.m. Last night was 4...gave her a bottle and back to bed till E came in around 7ish. Ideally it sounds like a good amount of sleep...but it's really just 2 naps in the nighttime. Your body doesn't do well with that.

Today was errand running day...Curves, Costco and Superstore. My house is happily full of food again, and I got to work out which makes me happy too. BTW, I started that food addiction book and I quite like it. I am doing better with my eating...or rather with my not eating. Last 3 nights I haven't eaten before bed. Last night was exceptionally hard but I try not to go back in the kitchen after supper, unless it's to refill my water glass. Tonight I'm going out with a girlfriend for a girls night out. We're going to her aunt's cottage for munchies, drinks and bon fire (if the weather holds up). I think I'll eat a salad before I go to fill up. That way I won't be filling up on junk. I'm bringing pita chips and dip...a half decent snack.

Nothing planned for the wknd. I have to see a gal about a project I'm working on, which she's helping me with...the kids book that may actually get off the ground. Well, together anyway...who knows about publishing. I do have contacts...just not sure if it will be good enough, or appealing enough. Well, I suppose I should shove off. The gals have been down for a 1/2 hour and I should catch a nap before either wakes up. (We'll see about that.) Hope your wknd isn't too soggy! TTFN!
~B

The exciting world of Lily

My goodness...you forget so much of your first child's growth. Since having L, I keep trying to remember when E did things in her stages of growth. Thank goodness for the baby book cause it all seems a blur to me. I remember E cried a lot. I'm sure she was as pleasant as L after a while but all I remember specificially is the crying.

Believe me when I say, I love my children equally, for different reasons. I just tend to gush more about L cause she is so new. I have L to myself 2 days a week while E's in daycare so I try to save it up for those days. :) E is such a little character and the more I see her become her own person, the more I realize how much she's like me. And why wouldn't she?? I'm numero uno in her life. I'm her main care giver. And no matter what any child says, they always want to be like their parents.

When I was going to be a mom, I wanted to do things just like my own mother did. After a while I realized I'm not like her...I'd like to say I'm not as strong as she is. I lose my temper with E and sometimes yell at her. I never wanted to be a mom like that. But I'm not my mom, I'm me. And although I'm not always the mom I want to be, I'm only human. I'm trying, just like the other moms out there. I'm sure my own mother didn't have all the answers. By the time she had me, she knew more, but I was #3. My poor brother got to be the ginny pig for us. Guess that's what it's like with everyone's first. You try to do it right, by the book, and well, ginny pig syndrome. At the end of the day, all you can do is your best, right?

L is similar to E in a lot of ways. She's funny, fun to be around, full of joy and life. It's just that E's trying to be independant and gets frustrated when she can't get everything "perfect." (Where did she get that notion???? Guess who?) L's at an innocent stage where everything is exciting and she's curious about it. You can do the same silly face over and over and still get a laugh. :) I love that innocense. In time, she'll be bossy too, just like her old mama...or less caring about the little things like her dad. Either way, it's an exciting journey seeing your babies become little people.

~B

Daddy daycare

DH's playing babysitter today for Shay & Mark. I got him to take E along for the ride...part because the 3 kiddies would entertain themselves, part because it's one less kiddie for me. :) L & I will have a fun girlie day at home. She's getting so big...got her 4th tooth yesterday. That makes 3 on top and just the 1 on the bottom. So naturally she's been irritable but nothing too much to handle. Went shopping last night and finally got her a bumper pad. This one is not like the regular...it's by Jolly Jumper and it's mesh to help prevent sids. We had to get it because her little legs were getting wedged...not stuck, wedged...in the crib rungs. We tried rolling up towels but she pulls them apart. Then we weaved the towels and that kinda worked. I think the pad is the best way to go.

So, not sure if I told you we got the bathroom done...on the 11th hour no less. It looks much better than it did but ideally, we'd like to tear the whole house down and start from scratch. It looks beachy in there...sandy, navy and sky blue colours. And the tiling came out better than I expected. Onto the next project. :) Not sure what we're doing next. I think we'll try to get MIL's closet done. She wants a rod installed rather than the "organizer" that's in there. After that, I may tackle the kitchen...or maybe the living room (that'll be simplier). I just want fresh paint and trim...maybe new curtains. But the kitchen will be a big job. I want to paint the cabnits and put frosting on the glass doors, new wall colour and trim. And the wall colour would extend down the length of the hall.

Anyway, I hear L kicking in her crib so I better go. Oh, BTW, the gallblatter test showed several stones. Of course the tech didn't give me any indication of next steps...although I didn't get sent into emergency surgery so that's a good sign. Well, have a great day.

~B

It's raining on my parade...

...well, my sleepover. No biggy. Maybe we'll just do a bbq/evening thingy. That's fine with me. Just wanted to see everyone anyway. Feel bad for the poor people at the Eagles concert. Hope they're not getting rained on.

So here's where we are with the bathroom. We did 2 coats of primer last night and I thought we could've used a 3rd. The walls were purple...deep purply, eggplanty...crazy people who owned this house. Anyway, we went with 2 and put a coat of wall colour up. Wow...what a difference. The coverage is very good so we didn't need the 3rd coat of primer after all. I haven't seen it in the daylight so we'll see how it is this a.m. (We had to take down the light figure to paint. Picture: 2 of us painting by lamp light at midnigh...really funny.)

I'm a bit concerned that we won't get everything done in time. I have the food bit to do today...although I may skip making muffins since the sleepover probably won't happen. And even if I make them last minute, it would only take a minute. It's just that we have to put on the 2nd coat, paint the trim, put the sink/light/accessories back, put the trim up, fix the curtain rod and put the curtain up, plus the house isn't cleaned. AGH!!! Well, I guess we'll do what we can and leave the rest...or go crazy trying to get it all done. Probably the latter is what will happen. :)

Well, I can't sleep any longer so I'm going to get up and get that 2nd coat on. Have a good wet wknd!!!
~B

The Gallblatter test...finally

So today I'm going for my ultrasound for my gallblatter. Fortunately I haven't had an attack since that night we went to Mic Mac Tavern with Shay & Mark...damn Calamari sauce. Too spicy. Funny though cause I've had some spicy stuff and some fried stuff, and Lord knows I like to get my drink on, but I've had no trouble since then. Anyway, still good to get it checked out. My appts. around 10:40 so I'll keep you posted.

The bathroom reno continues. DH had to put a 2nd coat of putty on last night. Although there is a definite difference in the wall thickness, he's smoothed it over nicely. At the end of the day, at least it's put up correctly. He also got the window framed but has to adjust the curtain rod. I made the curtains last night out of a shower curtain. Just cut them in half and cut to length and stitched them on the machine. They look awesome! I'm so excited cause I can see it all coming together. Also, I got 2 loads of laundry done and 2 more to go. Plus I want to clean the house. Our hope is to sand and prime tonight. Then tomorrow we'll just have to paint, reinstall the sink and accessories. I wanted it done today but it couldn't be helped.

Tomorrow I'll be in cooking/baking mode. Muffins, trifle, salads, and wife savers breakfast. Not sure how many will turn out but we'll have fun no matter. Anyway, hope you all have a fun long wknd planned. Whatever you do, stay safe!
~B