Saturday, February 26, 2011

Marriage Proposal

I have been to many, many weddings. I would say about 50 or so. Between the ages of 27-30, I went to 27 marriages. OMG. Those years were very money draining. LOL!

But with every engagement or wedding, I always get to hear how the couple met. Many are similar stories. Some are different. But regardless of the story, it's something special for that couple.

So, while checking out one of my favourite websites, I saw a link that captured my attention. Something about a marraige proposal...but it had to do with the Vancouver airport. I thought this was really sweet and thought I'd share!

Badges

My kids are in swimming lessons. Today was the last day for this round of lessons. One kid passed and the other did not. Doesn't matter to me. I'm just happy that they're comfortable in the water...that is my main objective. As long as they're not scared, learn some basic strokes, then they can take care of themselves in the water. We're not there yet in terms of them being able to take care of themselves in the water, but they're getting close.

And it's really nice to see how they've come along in swimming. Especially the eldest. When she was young, she wasn't entirely comfortable in the water and it was so obvious. I thought for sure she'd never learn how to swim. And now, she really enjoys her time in the water. My second kid has always been a fish and continues to be. I'm suprised she doesn't have gills.

But since a new set of lessons is continuing, I don't know if my "dream lifeguard" will be there anymore. Really, he was a Marky Mark look alike and hey, Marky Mark is HOT. Because my one kid had him as a teacher, I felt like I could look in her direction, see him and not be seen as being inappropriate. Hey, I'm just watching my kid swim!

Well, let's hope that my eye candy shows up again for lessons.

Cigars

I don't smoke. But I must admit that I don't mind the smell of cigars. It's so much sweeter of a smell and doesn't seem as acrid. But I always wonder how expensive they are...and of course, some of them turns out to be very expensive. So it's nice to have options where you can get avo cigars cheap. That is, if you smoke cigars.

But since I don't smoke, I don't have to worry about the costs of cigars. They can go high as they want.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Sleep Deprivation

For all of those that have crammed the night before an exam...you know feel terrible the next day. But somehow you get through your exam. Or when you're really sick and you can't sleep. One night of sleep deprivation and you're ready to hurt someone else.

So, amply that feeling of sleep deprivation for days, months if not years when you're a parent. Some parents tell other parents that "my kid sleeps for 12 hours a day...at least." And I know some kids like that. But as long as you're a parent, you'll be deprived of that wonderful sleep at some point in your life...for lengthy periods of time.

I never understood how people functioned with kids and sleep deprivation...and now I know. I'm experienced! From an infant crying through the night, to sick kids, to hungry children in the middle of the night or just plain bad dreams, those kids are are going to wake you up. I think my worst night was when I only had about 1 hour of sleep in a 24 hour period. And my worst time of sleep was when I had my 2nd kid. For 3 years, she never slept through the night.

No one truly understand that level of sleep deprivation unless you're a parent. No one can understand just how little sleep you need to just make it through the day. I didn't say function well, I just mean literally, get through the day.

If you're ever at a loss of what to give as a gift to other parents with young children...believe me, take their kids somewhere so they can have some peace and quiet...and a nap on the side. You'll be the bestest friend ever.

Glee Wannabees

I love the show Glee. The singing is great, the banter is awesome, the storylines are hilarious. But people can try to be Glee singers or good choir/glee folks, but sorry, not so easy.

In the example I'm going to show, it's basically one of the worst choirs I've heard. They're senior citizens, probably half deaf, and not professionals. I have no problems with senior choirs...I think it's good for folks, gives them an activity, etc. But dang, these guys are bad. And the video is pretty painful. So why am I posting it? Because the ending makes up for all the pain. "Enjoy."

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Families

We all have a family...what that family looks like will differ from family to family. Either way, the bonds are strong. Yes, we all come from families that can be deemed as odd, but nevertheless, families provide love and support to each other. Yes, yes, there are some whacked out families out there that have destroyed their kids. But that's the point of my post today.

But seeing others and how they feel about family can be suprising. My youngest was watching Hawaii Five-O with me last night. I cover her eyes during the not so nice parts, but for whatever reason, she loves that show. So that's a bit of special time for us.

But when we got to the end of the show, she started to cry. Not a fake cry, but a full on cry. So I asked her what was going on. She saw two brothers having to say goodbye to each other. And she understood in this scenario that they would never be able to see each other again.

"Momma, they're family. They have to say goodbye to each other. Why can't they be together?"

"The one brother did something bad. Does this situation make you sad?"

"Yes, because it's family. They should never have to leave each other. They love one another."

Well, I wasn't quite expecting that reaction, especially from a show like Hawaii Five-O. But it was really heart warming to me that she understands the value of family and how sad it is when they are apart, especially since she's young.

Now, as sad as she thought the show was, really, the guy that had to leave was a douchebag. He ripped people of their life savings. But, lessons on why ripping people off is bad and being indicted will come another day.

Natural Solutions

I'm all for natural solutions to health problems. I don't feel as bad using those methods if I know it's natural. But there are times that you just need medical science to intervene because it works so much quicker! i.e. I would never use a homeopathic method to deal with something that needs antibiotics.

But for other things, natural remedies are just fine. Some friends think that acne treaments that work include tea oil. I think that's more for blackheads I think. I personally like lemon juice on the skull and hair to minimize or prevent dandruff. It's a heck of a lot cheaper and I love the smell!! Though it confused the hell out of my husband when he saw the lemon juice container by the shower. And cleaning with vinegar isn't bad either. Though the smell is overwhelming at times.

But sometimes, I just need something quick and the natural solution just won't do.

Muscle Building

I know some folks that like to do weights are part of their daily exercise regime. But they do the extreme weight lifting. I do the pansy ones. It's really just keeping up with some type of exercise for me.

For those that do extreme weight lifting, they are defined and look good. Then you see pictures of those that have gone beyond the extreme and almost look gross. I don't know if they take muscle building supplements. I'm sure these supplements help in some form, but I would hate to think that people are going nuts over them. It can't be a good thing. But maybe I just don't know enough about the products to really make a comment about them.

Until then, I will keep with my pansy weights and hope for some definition down the road.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Tatoos

I have a friend that just got a wicked tatoo. It has to do with trees, roots and family. She spent a lot of time thinking about the tatoo, spoke with a couple of artists and did rush into this decision. I saw pictures of it on her body and it looks great...on her. This is a design that makes sense on her and would look totally weird on me.

I've thought about having one but I know I would never be happy looking at one design for the rest of my lifetime. I'd probably spend a fortune to remove tattoos.

So I will admire other people's work of art on them.

Supplements

My parents recently asked me to go to Costco to buy some supplements for them. But they wanted me to buy the mega pack which is something like 500 pills and they wanted 10 of these packs. Ummmm...5,000 pills? That seems like a bit on the excessive side. Then the told me it was some health supplement but they're buying a bottle for some of the families they knew in China. For whatever reason, this glucosamine sulfate was not sold in China...or at least, not in the parts where these people were in. It would help them with their joints, inflammation, arthritis.

Now if they had me asked to go some hgh supplement or that amount of other drugs, I'd have to really think about it. Buying 5,000 of the other pills is already going to make me look like a freak and suspicious. Buying other pills that are not just supplements would make me look like I was dealing.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

My Blog

Let's be honest...my readership is low and that's fine. I'm not out here writing a blog because I feel the need for thousands to follow me. My blog really isn't the most interesting thing out there and really, my life isn't amazing or glamourous. But I write because it allows for some of my friends who don't see me very often to know what the heck I'm up to. And really, I know how many people know about this blog and read it on a regular basis. The numbers are small.

So let me make a couple of things clear. This is my blog and I get to write what I want. It's a public domain so anybody can read it. But if my blog offends you or if you think I'm chatting about you and you don't like it, then don't read it. It's probably pure punishment to you anyways...so save yourself the pain. I may discuss people on my blog, but I'm not here to trash someone or a number of people. Believe me, if I'm going to trash someone on here, I'll do it, I'll make it clear on who it is and I'll do a good job of it. But I'm not going to because what is the point? If you truly think I'm chatting about you, then you're probably wrong.


If you're going to comment, be gutsy enough to at least initial your comment. I know that I do on other people's blogs. And really, if I needed to, I could track down who you are...but like I said, my readership is low...anonymous or not, it's clear to me who writes what in terms of comments.

My anonymous commentator said I probably have too much drama in my own life to bother with someone else's. I really found that interesting. I asked around today because I thought I was missing something. Even my husband asked me because he was worried...what drama are you going through? I said I'm not sure...but apparently I have drama. So despite whatever drama folks think I'm going through, I'm there for my friends.


When I refer to my best friend from years ago, it's my friend from Grade 9 that I was friends with until recently. I was there for all her highs and lows. But again, it was her behaviours that made the relationship toxic. I'm not saying I was a saint in the relationship...but my tolerance for BS behaviours had been reached. I was sad to let go of that relationship, but I learned a lot from that friendship..but I really knew it was time to move on. Before I made that decision, I gave it a ton of thought. It probably took me a good year and a half to finally do it. I don't make these decisions lightly.

And moving on and letting go was the best thing I could have done with that relationship. For many, this is not easy but it's something they need to do. When people harbour all these feelings, or the movie in their head doesn't work out the way they were envisioning, or they just can't let go and replay everything in their head over and over again, it's truly harmful to their physical health, their spirit and their overall well being. It's not worth it but know that letting go is a personal choice. Once you let go, you'll see how happy you can be and the hurt will no longer be there. Seriously. No one else can do this for you.

So a somewhat random and all over the place entry tonight. But some of you will know exactly what I'm yapping about tonight. Thank you to all my friends that have been by my side throughout the years. To those that are no longer in my life, I really do wish you happiness and a life full of meaning. But unless you choose that for yourself, my wishes will mean nothing.

With that all out of my system, I'm heading to bed. Tomorrow is a new day with new adventures.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Reunion

Yesterday, I got a chance to meet up with some friends that I worked with during the Olympics. These were the people that I saw everyday for 5 weeks straight. We shared so much of our own personal lives within that short period of time.

I found it amazing that we were all so different in terms of age, hobbies, life, etc. Yet, we all found a way to work with each other's style. It took a little jigging, but we figured it out.

Yesterday was our post 1 year Olypic anniversary and we picked up where we left off. So many changes in people's life in one year. Some good, some bad, some crazy. Catching up was so great.

And of course, we chatted about all the memories that we all had about the Olympics...and there were many. So much nostalgia.

I'm hoping that this will be an annual thing. 'Til next year my friends!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Games Day

This Saturday was a Games Day. But it wasn't the usual games day...it was solely pc games. I play pc games, but not hardcore games like the boys. I can't keep up with them. But one of the guys brought their wife and she's cool. I really enjoy her company. And she's just one of those really laid back folks. I can chat about antying with her, or I can just sit there and watch crap tv with her...whatever we do, it's cool. There's no drama with her.

One of the things we chatted about this week was about friends and BS. Basically, when friends and BS mingle, it's disaster and I nor my friend have any patience for it. Of course, she's way more than a saint than I am and way more patient than I could ever be.

But she was currently going through some similar issues with a best friend that I went through a couple of years ago. It was refreshing to hear that she's basically come to the same conclusions and she is making some choices to move on. It's not that I was encouraging her...she came to the conclusion herself.

It's sad when best friends end. But how much BS is one supposed to take...especially from a best friend? It should be minimal, if at all.

And I as grow older, I get choosier about my friends and who I have in my life. My time is limited. I want to spend time with those that I enjoy and surround myself with those that support me.

And if I'm the one on the end that gets dumped, I get it. I am not the friend that the other person needs. I'm ok with that. But seriously...BS with friends is totally uncool and not needed.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Song

For whatever reason, I've been hearing Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much" on the radio a lot. Don't know...maybe it's considered a moldy oldy song these days and they're playing it over and over. Or maybe the DJs are on strike and they're just replaying the same loop of songs.

Anyway, I'd like to write a little letter to Shania tonight.

Dear Shania,

I really enjoyed your song "That Don't Impress Me Much!" Love the tune, the beat, and it's just a snazzy song.

But then I really listened to the words tonight and I'm not quite sure why you're not impressed by some of these guys? Sure, I agree with you, the guy with the comb in his pocket would be unimpressive. The guy with the car? Well, depending on the car, I might be somewhat impressed.

But you're not impressed with Brad Pitt? I've really taken a liking to him. He's good looking and I've seen enough of his movies that I know he can act. And he's stinking rich to make my dreams come true. He can still have Angelina...I'm ok on the sidelines.

And you're not impressed by the rocket scientist either? Really? I mean, he's a fricken aerospace engineer and probably works for NASA. I love NASA! And I'm totally impressed with that guy. He's got a bloody PHD for God's sakes! He's no dummy! I'd be totally interested in talking about fluid dynamics, aeroelasticity and avionics with him.

So I think you need to revisit this song. Just saying.

xoxo!

Sincerely,

Your loyal fan.

Laughing

Each night before I leave work for home, I make up a "to do" list for the very next day. This list usually includes carryover items I didn't get to because they're lower on the priority list or can wait. By doing the list, the next morning, soon as I walk in, I basically have the plan for the day.

But sometimes you can plan a day, but it's never the day you planned. And that's just how it goes, especially in the work that I do. But it was a bit on the stressful side today as it had to do with a lot of legal stuff and not something you can handle lightly. So I had some small moments of "AHHHHH!" But to counteract that, I seeked out some work buddies and chatted.

But it wasn't like having a deep moment or complaining about the work...it was just to seek out buddies to just have some giggles with. And boy, did I laugh. Yeah, I probably guffawed there for a while. It totally destressed me and then it was back to work. Couple of minutes and then I could deal again.

And that's just how I deal with stress in my life. Doesn't matter how "bad" it gets, I may cry...but in the end, I'm always laughing. Best destressor EVER!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Chores

There are just some chores that I'd rather do by myself because I know how I want it done and can do it quickly. Case and point, grocery shopping.

Since I'm the one that cooks the meals and packs the kids lunches, I make a list and then go buy the items. I know where most of the food items are. And as crazy as it sounds, an hour away from the family. No, it's not exciting nor is it glamourous...and yes, it's still a chore. The kids are actually really good with the shopping, but sometimes I just want to go by myself and listen to 80s pop while I shop.

But some other familes shop differently. They like to go as a whole family. Or the husband shops with the wife. Good on them if they enjoy that. But 80% of the time, I see couples bickering about the items or how much they're going to buy, or if it's a really good deal, etc. Yeah, no thanks.

I remember one time, I was shopping with my husband and I told him to go and get me some tomato sauce to make spaghetti sauce because we were already lined up to go and pay. What I meant to say was, could you get me a jar of spaghetti sauce. So, he ended up getting the tomato sauce as I had asked him to. I didn't say a word and just paid for the wrong item. But if I had just gone by myself, I would have grabbed the right one.

I'm not saying I don't like shopping with the guy. But if I get a little quiet, can get the items I need, and listen to some good cheesy music, then really, it's a triple win don't you think?

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Plastic

I have temperomandibular disease. Doesn't that sound terrible?! Basically, I grind my teeth...my back ones are pretty flat. But all that grinding actually has many other symptoms. This includes sore shoulders, bad sleep, snoring, could affect my period and so many other things I didn't even think about!

So I finally decided that I would correct it with a special mouth guard. When I got it and tried it on, I didn't think much about it. I wasn't sure how this would actually help me. But in the end, this little hunk of plastic with a piece of wire in it will realign my whole jaw where it should be and also minimize many of the symptoms I'm experiencing.

Well, I've had 2 nights with this thing and I can definitely feel my jaw realigning. And if anything, last night, I had one of the deepest sleeps I have had in a while. YEAH!

Suddenly, I'm much more excited about this little piece of plastic in my mouth!

Shopping

I love shopping at Chapters...especially in person. There are so many books to look at! And of course, there is the gift section. But what makes Chapters EXTRA special? When I get to go shopping and there is a SALE on!

This weekend, I made a trip to my local Chapters to pick up a number of gifts. In total, 8 different gifts. I had some idea of what I wanted to give each person. But I wandered and browsed. I think an hour and a half went by and I finally made it to the cash register.

Oh, I was so happy. Gifts for 8 different people and less than $100!!! Nothing cheesy as I really thought about each person and put myself in their shoes. Would I hate it? Nope.

Giddy, giddy.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Brought to you by the letter C

For whatever reason, all the shows that I watched yesterday had a certain theme. The theme was confidence in women. Hooray! It was such a nice change from some of the shows that I watch where it's always the women who do something wrong and it takes a whole show, if not the whole series to correct this mistake.

For example, in Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Within 5 minutes of the first episode of this series, this woman captain takes off in a new ship, she and her crew get lost in space and it takes some ridiculous amount of seasons for her to find her way home.

But on yesterday's shows, some were real life women who made choices in their lives that totally boosted their confidence. This boost made them into a better woman! For example, there was a guest on Oprah who basically cried on the show, and then said that she continues to be with this man because she doesn't think she can find someone else who will love her and this is the best she can get. Depressing. And I was so mad because this woman was worth more than that. Fast forward 10 years later, she dumped that loser of a man, felt confident to start up a business and start a new life. YEAH!

Then of course, there was Charlie's Angels with Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz. Sure, it was a crazy movie. But these were loveable characters and I was totally drawn to their odd ways because they were confident in their skills and confident in just being themselves.

From artists, to creators, to business women, etc. But seriously, every show had some confident woman on there. LOVED IT! Love girl power!