Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Upset Stomachs....

There is something going on in Vancouver...or at least, something going on with the restaurants near where I work!! Yesterday and today, I got an upset stomach from what I ate. And it's not clearing quickly. I must have had 4 other co-workers this week who went out for lunch around the work area only to not show up to work due to upset stomachs or many, many trips to the washroom.

Perhaps it's just so warm and people aren't taking care of how they store or handle the food. Oh, I beg you to please do so....

My iron stomach is no more....

Weddings

Well, it's been a while since I've gone to a wedding...unlike the 27 I had in a 3 year span. I'm really looking forward to this one as it's my first Muslim wedding. Doubt I'll be seeing this type of awesomeness at the wedding! (Thanks Miss A. for the link!)

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Kids

There were times that I thought maybe my kids were a bit too close. But as the years go by, I'm glad that I had them 2 years apart. They are actually very, very close. And I hope that their relationship will continue to grow in the future years.

Last night was a real glimpse of how close they were. Saturdays are turning into marathon reading night...or at least has been for my oldest kid. On weekdays, both of the girls get to read in bed for a little bit before turning out the lights to go to bed. I don't let them read too long as the next day is a school day.
I know my eldst love readings! And I want to continue to nurture that love of reading. So, on Saturdays, I've been allowing her to read until she falls asleep. And usually, it's only about a half hour later than when she would normally fall asleep so I don't feel guilty at all.

Because my youngest has also found the love of reading, my husband and I thought it would be fun for her to start her marathon Saturday reading. She was so excited!

But after about 10 minutes, I heard her starting to cry. Then she came down the stairs. I thought she was scared because she heard a noise. Nope. That wasn't it. Maybe she didn't like her books. Nope, that's not it either.

"Hey kiddo, why are you crying, are you ok?"

"I'm lonely."

"You're lonely? But you have people in the house that love you. You should be having fun reading right now?"

"But I'm lonely." Crocodile tears continue....

And my husband made a good point. As a kid, she's never had a life without her older sister. She's done everything with her. And soon as I suggested that she have a "sleep over" in her sister's room, all was good. They giggled, they played, they read. Within minutes, they were asleep side by side, peaceful, content. Bonds like that are amazing...how lucky that they have each other.

Quotes

Every once in a while, my union sends out a newsletter or a reminder for us to go through their preferred insurance company for insurance. So, to support my union, I thought I would put in for a home insurance quote...just to see if there was a difference. If the difference was good in terms of cost, then perhaps I'd switch.

Hmmm...to support or not support. I think this time I'll say no. Customer service wasn't great and it seemed quite a bit higher for the same insurance that I have! So, why would I switch?

I guess I found it odd that our union also had a preferred insurance company. Ummmm...please don't tell me my funds are going towards that.

Anyways, it's always worth shopping around to make sure that you get the insurance you want and within a price range that you're willing to pay.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Cruise

Ahhh...cruises. Considering the travelling I've done, I've never been on a cruise. However, all those that I know that have been on them have had a fantastic time! Now with a family, it's something to look into.

My ideal cruise vacation would be somewhere warm. Any of the Caribbean cruises would be fantastic! I'm all about blue water, tropical air and just something very different from home.

But I think with kids, it just becomes a different kind of trip. Having on board care for kids is fantastic. I could drop off the kids, they'd have a great time and I could actually enjoy some of the ammenities on my own or with my hubby. Yeah. Can't see taking the kids to the casino. But maybe even just excersing. Gotta work off that food somehow! Or maybe, just laying on the deck reading a book. OMG. That would be awesome!!

One of my friends went on a Carnival ship, she tried a different activity every day (except she exercised everyday) and yet she was not able to explore the whole ship. There was that much to do. How cool is that?!

Oh, just having everything taken care of is just such a wonderful thought. My meals are there, my entertainment is taken care of, child care if needed, excursion if I want...and little towel animals. Really, what more do I need for an awesome vacation?!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Tears and Messages

Most of the time, when my kids cry, I can deal with it. But sometimes, it really is painful to see. Or as my youngest would say, "you're breaking my heart!"

Last night, I opened my bedroom door at about 9:30 to go the computer room. I just about had a heart attack as my eldest daughter was standing outside the door. I guess I didn't hear her knock.

But when I looked at her closer, I noticed that she had those big, puppy dog eyes...and there were tears just brimming...ready to flow. Oh, I was just so heartbroken to see her so sad and not understanding why.

I asked her what was wrong and why she was crying. I told her that her being sad made momma very sad. She said that she missed me and she wanted me to message her in the morning. Ok, I get the fact that she missed me...but message her? Of course I had to find out what the hell she was talking about.

"Honey, you want me to message you?"

"Yes momma."

"Like e-mail or Instant Messenger?"

"Instant Messenger please."

Talk about a different generation.

I did end up writing a couple of small messages to her for her to see in the morning. But what was fun was that she wrote back.

And so, I guess a new tradition starts with this 1 kid. Hopefully that will just prevent big puppy dog eyes and tears in the near future.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Bonus Points

Ahhh...my husband so gets bonus points tonight. With a meeting that went on too long, I was really worried that I wouldn't get to my one kid's daycare. They close at 6. I was still in Vancouver at 5...and in the middle of rush hour, I wasn't so sure I'd make it in time. And if I didn't, I get charged a buck a minute after closing time (yikes!) and I'm worried my kid will think I forgot about her. Highly unlikely, but she doesn't know that.

So, I called my husband at work. No worries, he could go pick her up. He called me on the way there and if I wanted McDonald's. Unhealthy as it gets. But I was hungry, I didn't want to make dinner as it would be much too late before we ate and I was tired.

A meal I shouldn't have eaten, but I loved every minute of it. And not having had to cook dinner tonight was an absolute blessing! Thanks T!

Meetings

The big wigs came out today to my office for a meeting with the leadership team which I'm a part of. I have to tell you, this kind of stuff drives me nuts. It wreaks havoc on my day and creates a lot of work for a lot of nothing. Perhaps they get value out of it, but I sure as hell don't. And I even got to stay an additional 2 hours at the office today to sit at this meeting.

I'm sure they mean well. I'm sure they want to know us. But honestly, let me do my own work in my little cubicle. Leave me alone and I assure you whatever it is that you need will get done when it's supposed to.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Postcrossing

Recently, I joined this website called Postcrossing. Basically, you send postcards out to random people who have also joined the site. And in good time, other random people will send you a postcard from their country. I liked the concept because I really liked the idea of penpals...however, I just don't have the time to really keep up with that activity. All except for 1 good pen pal at this time. I thought that postcrossing would be a good alternative...send things around the world, eventually learn about others but there was no need to return mail to that same person. It's also a cheap hobbyt that I can afford!!

I've received about 7 postcards at this time. I've received cards from different countries and from some cities I've never even heard of. How awesome! I've been fortunate enough to receive postcards that actually say more than hi. Many folks tell me about their life, what their doing, interesting facts about their country. Some have been so amazing as to make their own cards to send.

The neat part about the website itself is that I can find out a little about the people that are on there. LOL! There was one person I wrote to that was actually a 6 month old child. I had to re-read the person's info to make sure I had it right. But the "kid" had said that his mom is helping him read the postcards. How cool...the mom is just reading and telling the kid about people around the world.

It's also been neat because I can show my girls pictures of other countries and help them learn about the world too. If anything, it's just a small reminder to me that there really are some great people out there. If you're interested, it's www.postcrossing.com...and if you're really adventuresome, there's also a bookswap version of this: www.bookcrossing.com

Anyways, I have to share this commercial with you. Leave it to the Japanese to come up with a great marketing concept. But it has to do with mailing stuff. Call me sappy, but I cried my little eyes out when the grandfather sends a package to his grand daughter. Man, if these kit kat mailing packages ever come here, you know I'll be sending it to my postcrossing friends.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Sales People

We recently had a retired co-worker come back to the office to visit. How lovely! I always like seeing retired folks enjoying their after work life. They always look 10 years younger, travelling or doing all the things that they love so much. Fantastic. They've worked for that life...glad they're getting to enjoy it.

So, as I caught up with this retired co-worker, I asked him what he was up to. Still writing his poems? Still gardening? Oh yes, he was doing a lot of things he loved. But he also mentioned that he was helping his son right now with selling health products. Whoa. Alarm bells were ringing in my head!!!

He mentioned that he felt so good and healthy on the inside due to the products, his hair was now growing back. He asked if my husband was losing his hair and if he wanted to take a look at the products he uses. Hmmm...no, not really. He then asked me if I needed fat burner supplements. Hmmm...didn't know if I should have been offended or happy that he was offering to help. Then, he asked if I had friends that were losing their hair so he could go talk to them and try to provide them with great products. Ummm...so you didn't really want to talk to me or your co-workers and you just want to sell them stuff.

Ok, I'm not dissing the products. But I didn't like the sales tactic. You come to the office to peddle your stuff during people's work time? I don't know, that doesn't seem right. Apparently he asked employees on all 3 floors if they were losing their hair because he wanted to offer people products to help them with that. I think that's a bit agressive.

So, he came into the office again the next day to drop off products. I just waved and walked by. I'm happy for the guy, but if I want any of that stuff, I'll call you.

Purse

Google is insane sometimes. (I have yet to like Bing) I put in a search word for PH level...but I guess I might have just typed in PH. I got phenphedrine reviews. Huh. Good on them for getting ranked so high. But I digress on my story for today.

I was talking to a co-worker who is also a mom about this purse I've been obsessing about. I had actually stopped obsessing already about it but we started to talk about purses. Of course I had to show her the website for this purse. It was awesome. Someone who shared my passion for this damn thing and drooled. She was ready to slap down that credit card, no questions asked. She was already talking about getting the free delivery to her box in the states. My concern was the duty. Dang. In 2 seconds flat, she said that she would take her whole family down. Because they're down for a couple of hours and there are 4 of them, they can all claim $50. Should cover the cost of both purses.

I get mocked at the office all the time over products I like, so it was REALLY nice to find a mom that drools over the same products. Oooo...closer than I think.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Commercials

I was always one of those folks that went to the World's Greatest Commercial events (and I've gone way more than once). I love advertising...when it's good.

I thought this one was a cute one and thought I would share!

Re-inspired

Well, I took the kids out for a bike ride tonight. Strapped on their helmets, elbow and knee pads and let them ride their little hearts content. I told my older daughter that it was time to take off her training wheels as she needs to learn how to ride on 2 wheels. She was excited but freaked at the same time. I just held her bike and ran with her and then would let go for a short period of time. She had brief moments of actually riding. AWESOME. I know if I kept her training wheels on, she would continue to use them until she was 19...or until some kid mocked her.

My husband came out at some point and helped with the girls too. He also brought out my bike, did what he had to do to get the air into the tires, adjusted the seat...and then he took it for a ride. By the time he came back, I asked for my bike back and went for a ride myself around the block. I was so re-inspired to ride my bike once again. Oh, I had forgotten how great it was to ride on a beautiful night such as this. There was a nice breeze, quiet in the neighbourhood, and just the feeling of moving quickly. Though the one thing that I remembered quickly was the seat...even with my big butt, it's not enough cushioning. But that's just a small inconvenience for a wonderful experience. Can't wait to go again!

Reviews

I was recently trying to find a review on this purse I've been eyeing. I typed into google with the key word review. Duh. Maybe I should have been more specific. But if you just write in review, you'll get a review on everything possible. There are diet pill reviews, electronic reviews, book reviews...you get the idea. I was surprised to see that Niagara Fall reviews was the first thing that came up. Huh. Didn't think that would be the first thing.

I also find it amazing that so many people have the time to review so many things. Gosh. Pay me a full time wage to review something. Believe me, I won't hide my feelings on what I think of a product. I'll endorse it like silly (hello, tofu shirataki noodles!) or I'll just give a terrible review because I think the product is crap.

Anyways, I found a gazillion sites on what I was looking for. Confused, yeah, slightly. But I guess there a billion people out there that aren't shy to share their opinions either.

Clothing

I think I only choose certain sports because I don't have to embarrass myself in certain clothing. The only sports that I am willing to embarrass myself in clothing are surfing, scuba diving and wind surfing. Don't get me started on the time I got stuck in a wet suit....

Anyways, one of my scrapbooks fell open the other day. It happened to be my trip to Australia. It was a great trip! One of the highlights was doing a farm stay. It was in a part of Australia that has red sand...basically the only place in the world. The termite hills were as tall as me. The bugs were insanely huge. But half of the charm of staying out there was that everyday, we could just go take horses out for a run or tour. However, I was always one of those folks that never really wore the right stuff. I would go out in shorts or jeans...never in breeches. That would make me look like a real sausage due to my girth...but some other folks looked amazing in them.

Anyways, if I were to ride out here, I think they'd ask me to wear a pair...I'm sorry, I'm just not able to. I'm afraid that I might have the same incident as my wet suit. That just isn't pretty.

So, just a random thought tonight as I attempt to clean up the house...well, maybe it's procrastination....

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Canada Day

Oh Canada...our home and naked land.

Hee hee. Yes, you read that right. My youngest kid was having a difficult time with the first line of the song. She keeps saying naked when it should be native. And apparently, she just thinks this song is the best. We sing this in the car...all the time going home. I eventually had to tell her I needed a break from the song. I'm Canadian, but I don't need to sing it 10 times a day.

This year, we had a mellow day. My eldest daughter's daycare was actually open! So I already paid for the day without thinking about it...thought she might as well go. She ended up going to the Waterslides. Well, the other kid should have some fun too! So she had a chance to go to the beach with me early in the morning. It was really great...found tons of parking, about 5 people on the beach, she found some shells, rode her little trike, waded in water. You get the idea. A fun filled morning at the beach. She then got her favourite lunch, played in the sprinkler, went and got a slurpee with dad...and then just played with us. Fun day for her.

My husband got to sleep in, play video games and chilled. I chilled too in between some chores. My favourite moment was being out on the deck where it was shady, sitting down and putting up my feet while reading a book. Oh, with the breeze and relative quiet while reading was just awesome today.

So, a pretty laid back day. Did I miss celebrating Canada's birthday? Yeah, a bit. But I already think Canada rocks everyday.

Book

I've recently picked up a book that I had put down a couple of months ago. It's called The Realm of Hungry Ghosts. I'm not sure it would be a book that I would have picked up just off the shelf...but I was invited to his book party and I was quite intrigued by him, what he had to say, and his demeanor. He battled his own addiction (buying) and he really saw himself no different from those in the downtown eastside. Basically, he was a human being that was addicted.


This doctor's book discusses his work in the Vancouver downtown Eastside, what he sees, his thoughts, how he helps, and his opinions on current assistance from the government. It's a pretty tough book to get through and maybe that's why I put it down. Though drug rehab is an answer for some, it's not a solid answer for all those in the Downtown Eastside. I found his opinions on safe injection sites and decriminalization of drugs refreshing and interesting. Are they the right answers? I'm not sure. But if anything, the book talks about his patients, what they're going through, their thoughts, their histories that makes the book extra compelling.

I hope that I am never going to be a parent that has to deal with kids that meddle into drugs. That's why I think it's never too young to get drug information and discuss the information with your kids. It's my job to protect them...this is just one of many ways.

Electronic Newsletters

I sign up for electronic newsletters...all the time. I eventually unsubscribe. But I sign up because there's an opportunity to win a contest, to get information that seems interesting...or to get good deals. Unfortunately, it can suck looking at the information sometimes.

It's not actually bad, but more like what I can't get. Believe me when I say that I can spend money well and quickly. But I also know how slowly the money comes in. I hate not being able to grab good deals though. Lately, there have been a lot of travel deals for things like Orlando vacations or California flights. Umm...would love to go but can't right now. Or deals for this awesome purse I've been eyeing. Ouch...$200 US and that doesn't include the duty fees yet? Oooo...or how about some new gadget? Not right now... can't justify it. I'm doing the slow and steady saving right now because I just have to. You just never know when something might happen where you will need your money to cover it.


So, I probably should unsubscribe to more stuff so I don't see any of the deals. It's like torture to a woman to see a sale and be able to access it!

Unemployment

We all hear the numbers of those that are unemployed. I see it everyday outside my office. Yes, I agree that there will always be those that are unemployed. But it's been a while since I've seen so many faces outside my office each morning.

Though it's difficult to be unemployed,(believe me I've been there and didn't like it one bit) I also saw this as an opportunity to make some good career choices. I wanted to know what I was good at and what I really wanted to do. If I were to go back to school, what would I go back as? But if I did, I'd want to make sure it was the right choice as I didn't want to spend a ton of time and money only to find that I hated it.

That's why I always tell those that are unemployed to use the opportunity to do some career counselling. For Canadians, your tax dollars pays for a service like this, so why not use the service? Find out if you should go into a health care career, or something artsy...maybe you'll find out a type of job that you didn't know you'd be good at and liked! That's always nice. And really, the potential to find a job that you'll like is a pretty awesome idea.

But take the time to do the research about yourself and your future career. I hate seeing familiar faces back in the unemployment line.