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Saturday, October 31, 2009

Trick or Treat


BOO! Tis Halloween. One of the most fun days of the year. This year I had three of my stinkers for the occasion. (Last year the two oldest boys spent Halloween with X). I dressed Wee One as the cutest little spider you have ever seen. Fuzzy was a beaver, fully equipped with big beaverish tail and bucked teeth. I thought Little Bear, who is now 6.5 would want to be Spider Man or a Transformer or something like that but no, he choose to be a giant banana. OK son as you wish. I tried really hard to get Papa Bear to dress up as a cow and I would be a milk maid (appropriate since Papa Bear is a milkman) but no go. Little by little I am "helping" Papa Bear to be a little less serious but that was just too big a step this year. I did however talk him into putting on his coveralls and boots to match me in my overalls, rubber boots, plaid shirt, pigtails and straw hat to be a farmer and his wife. (I will work on the cow thing for next year).

I grew up in town where we trick or treated by going door to door collecting candy from each house in our neighbourhood so that at the end of the night we were as tired as our treat bags were full...VERY. We live in the country now and country people trick or treat differently. Country folk DRIVE door to door and though they don't get much exercise or go to half as many houses they still end up with as much booty. In the country you know all the people who's door you knock on. They are expecting you and instead of dropping a couple of chocolate bars in your bag and sending you on your way they drop a meal in your bag.

In town you were lucky to get a couple of cans of pop and a few full size chocolate bars mixed in with your millions of tiny chocolate bars and miniature bags of chips. In the country you get cartons of milk, juice boxes, cookies, bags made up with fruit snacks and crackers and other more healthy goodies.

We went to nine houses in total. Most in the country and a few in town. We still managed to come home with three well stocked bags of goodies. Papa Bear and I being such good parents, took care of a good portion of the chocolate goodies after the boys went to bed as to preserve their dental health or course.

All in all I think country trick or treating was the best bet this year. It was really cold out so it was kind of nice to only be out from the van to the house and back again. I think all three boys had fun even though I'm pretty sure Wee One didn't have a clue what was going on or why we made him wear such funny clothes. I'm looking forward to next year already.

Edited to add (and I don't know how I forgot this part), that I'm pretty sure Papa Bear had a good time too especially since one of our neighbours who just happens to be pretty frigging hot for her age, answered the door soaking wet in only a towel fresh out of the shower. I guess you could say that was Papa Bears "treat". Happy Halloween Papa Bear and Happy Halloween to you too!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

So I've decided to jump on the Wordless Wednesday bandwagon. At least that way even if I don't blog for a couple of days you will at least get a new picture to look at on Wednesdays. Looking at the clock I better move it to make it Wordless Wednesday instead of Thursday.

Here's what I did today:


OK, so maybe not totally "wordless" Wednesday because truthfully I just have too many words to just shut up :)

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Park It


Parking. I am not a perfect parker by any means but what the heck are other people doing?

First off, those yellow lines painted all over the asphalt are not there just as decoration. You are actually supposed to park your vehicle in between them. Not on them or across them but in between them. All vehicles fit between them so don't even use the excuse of driving a larger vehicle that doesn't fit because it does indeed fit you are just a twit.

I just love those people who park diagonally across two spots (also known as the Dual Space Dingaling) so no one can park near them and accidentally put a door ding in precious door panel or scratch your paint - you're driving a 1982 AMC Concord with the bumper half hanging off and baby crap brown interior. A door ding is the least of your worries. (Just a note, I never parked that way when I drove that exact vehicle).These people are especially annoying during the Christmas rush when it is already difficult to find a spot without this dingalings using up two spots. (I used to be married to one of these such dingalings).

Another person I "adore" is the person that parks far too close on one side (also known as the Line Rider). It's cool I will just unload myself and my three kids through the six inch crevice you have left me between our vehicles. I rather enjoyed buffing the side of your car with my right butt cheek. I hope in return you enjoyed the small sized hand/tongue prints also on the side of your car you moron.

The ones that park too far forward in a space (the Depth Perceptionally Impaired) are fun too. I have two options with this one. I can either skip parking across from you and opt for the space ten miles further from the store entrance (oh how I love trying to keep all of my children wrangled while we walk for ten extra minutes from the far beyond) or I can park across from you and leave the butt end of my magic pumpkin (orange Grand Caravan) sticking out in the aisle and risk parking a van and coming back to a compact. Thank you for leaving me choices.

It's not just parking lot parkers that are idiots. Parkade parkers have left me hanging (literally) on the side of the parkade cement wall (thanks for the little bump from behind, that was nice of you) and street side parallel parkers have left me holding up traffic while they inch in, and then back out, and in again, and out, and in again to a space that they clearly don't fit in or they just haven't a clue how to parallel park to begin with and should therefor carry on to a parking lot.

If you can't park in one single paring space, between the lines, leaving space for your neighbour to enter and exit their vehicle, perhaps you should just walk and save others the headache of having to deal with the results of your inadequate parking skills.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Home Party Overload :S


I like home parties. You know the little parties that tend to be mostly a girl thing where we get together at somebody's house, a product consultant gives a little presentation or demonstration of their products and the rest of us are supposed to buy stuff so the hostess can earn free stuff or discounts all the while socializing, eating fattening goodies and drinking wine. I like these parties but lately it has been home party overload.

In less than three months I have been to a Fantasia party (adult umm..toys), a Passions party (more adult toys - the Crazy Mamas really are a bit crazy), two Stampin Up (card making stamps), a Latasia party (jewelery) and my favorite a She She party (purses and accessories). That is a bit much I think.

I really enjoy the social part of these shindigs. I like the conversation and food and just getting together (usually with the Crazy Mamas plus a few). It's the part where I'm expected to make a purchase that is the trouble. Especially if you aren't a fan of the product or with that many parties close together, run out of "extra" cash.

The Fantasia and Passions parties are a fun time but really there is only so much I can purchase before Papa Bear will start to worry he isn't doing his job (no worries ;)). Stampin Up products are great and fun to use. Chesty McBreasty and I have big plans to make all our own Christmas cards this year but we should probably get started on that before...well..Christmas! The Latasia party wasn't really my thing. In my opinion it was overpriced costume jewelery. If I'm going to spend much money on jewelery it's going to be on quality pieces. She She parties could get me into trouble. Who doesn't need another purse? or wallet? or scarf? Super cute bags for reasonable prices.

I have one more She She party to go to next month and then I am taking a hiatus from home parties. So if you were going to send me an invite for any such parties save your time...I'm not going! I don't need anymore lotions (etc.), stamps, jewelery or purses...OK maybe another purse.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Cleaning out the Bear Cave


Little Bear and Fuzzy are gone on a trip to Montreal with X for five days and will be returning tomorrow. For about two weeks prior to their departure I have been trying to get Little Bear to clean up the disaster formerly known as his bedroom. I have always helped him in the past but ended up doing most of the cleaning myself and decided that at age six (and a half as he so proudly proclaims) it was time for him to do the majority himself. After all I'm not the one that gets to play in there and make forts and build "inventions". Little Bear has proved to be far more stubborn than I ever thought possible and has been holding his ground on NOT cleaning the room.

He has not had TV privileges since the two week dispute started, not that he really cares because he doesn't really watch all that much TV. He has started a bit and then gotten sidetracked with a drawing project or such which has prevented him from making much progress. Throughout the two weeks I have threatened that if he didn't clean up the room before he went to Montreal with his father I was going to clean the room while he was gone and there wouldn't be nearly as much stuff in there to make a mess when I was done. I told him that I was going to get rid of a lot of stuff since he claims that things don't have a place. I am a person who likes to stick to their word and so that was my intention.

This giant task was on my Saturday Itinerary but was....ummm....held up (by my procrastination and lack of motivation) so with the boys returning tomorrow I had no choice but to tackle the job tonight after dinner. What a task it was. I'm pretty sure the kid was saving every bit of paper he has ever wrote a single letter or digit on. Every school paper, greeting card, instruction sheet, clothing tag, anything that had a picture or writing on it was scattered around the room. He had everything from baby toys to leftover hardware to a collection of old hardballs and a box of tissue paper and batteries. You name it, it was in that mess.

Two hours later and I had found the source of that strange smell, two pairs of "missing" underwear, the "misplaced" portable DVD player (that is my early morning salvation when Little Bear takes it into Fuzzy's room and they watch a DVD at seven o'clock in the morning instead of jumping on my bed) and about a dozen socks (some clean, some dirty, hardly any of them matching). Two garbage bags of trash and a large rubbermaid tub of "sell it or donate it" stuff. Three dustpan loads of dirt and tiny junk and a pile of "too small" clothes. Two hours later and I am done!

From here on out I do not want to hear that things don't have a place because if it didn't have a place it found a place in one of those garbage bags. There are now a series of plastic containers to be labeled. One for dinky cars, one for small tractors, one for his collection of Lightning McQueen cars, two for trains and one of small plastic animals. There is a container for crayons and markers and a SMALL box of school paper that he might want to hang on to for a while. There are no dirty clothes on the floor and the spring horse whose head fell off is now fully repaired.

The tote of "sell it or donate it" stuff will be up to Little Bear. He can sell it and use the money as he likes (to save or spend on something like a new video game-that doesn't take up much room) or he can donate it to the kids that don't have much or both. Usually he picks a few to sell and a donates the rest. Either way it is leaving my house.

I'm now anticipating Little Bear's reaction tomorrow. It will either be one of horror for all the things that are now gone or glee for not having to clean up the room himself and having a nice clean room. Horror or glee, the Bear cave has been conquered and I am a much happier mama though he may be a sad bear.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Saturday Itinerary


Today was supposed to be a day of great accomplishments. Well at least on the housework front anyway. Today's itinerary was supposed to consist of tackling the mountain of laundry (that actually looks more like an exploded volcano), cleaning out the boys' dressers (which contain almost as many summer and "too small" clothes as they do wearable clothes), washing the kitchen floor (oh how I wish I just had an inside dog that would lick messes up and give the illusion of clean) and conquer the disaster that I'm sure when we moved into Papa Bear's house was Little Bear's bedroom but is now unrecognizable.

Sounds like a pretty good plan huh? Laundry is always a task for days off. It seems I never see the bottom of the hamper. The boys' dressers are overflowing but not with anything they can actually wear so that needs to be addressed. The kitchen floor has been in dire need of a scrubbing for sometime but with three little monkeys constantly swarming through that particular room it makes it next to impossible. Little Bear's room is something that is well overdue and is something I really have to have completed before he and Fuzzy return from their trip to Montreal with X on Tuesday night.

With all these items on the list to be completed as well as a page long grocery list you would think I would have been up bright and early this morning and headed right to work. That plan was shot to crap when Wee One slept until almost 9:30 this morning - something that NEVER happens and I didn't want to waste by jumping up out of my nice cozy bed to clean.

It is now 1:45 in the afternoon and so far today I have managed to have a shower (but not do my hair), get dressed (but yet to put on deodorant), and eat lunch (bacon, which I vowed I wasn't going to eat nearly as much of). I have also played several games of Bejeweled on Facebook (the damn makers of that application have revamped the game and therefore made it that much more appealing-and time wasting than it already was). The only other thing I have done today so far is stumble across a Facebook application called NetworkedBlogs on Facebook where I found several interesting blogs that I then wasted more time reading and commenting on.

At the rate I'm going I will be lucky to do one complete load of laundry, SWEEP the kitchen floor and push the mess that is spilling out of Little Bear's room back inside so I can close the door and forget about it for today.

Maybe tomorrow I will find the motivation I am lacking today....but I doubt it.