Not That You Asked...but...

FRIDAY FOURS - THE POP CULTURE EDITION

2009-04-17T15:36:00.002-04:00

My 4 Favourite Songs at the moment:
1) You Found Me - The Fray
2) Rain Delays - Crash Parallel
3) The Climb - Miley Cyrus
4) Hoedown Throwdown - Miley Cyrus (yes, I realize I'm not twelve but I can't help it, I like it!)
I doubt if I'll download it onto my iPod but I LOVED Adam Lambert's version of Mad World last week on Idol.

My 4 Favourite Shows that I can't miss:
1) Bones - always #1
2) Fringe
3) Grey's Anatomy
4) Toss up between Gary Unmarried, The Unit, 24 and Prison Break (last 6 episodes start tonight!)

4 Shows I'll be getting caught up on in the summer when the newest season comes out on DVD:
1) Weeds - Tim and I watched the first 3 seasons in a very short amount of time last summer. Once we started, we were hooked! It's so well written, funny and the characters are fantastic!
2) Gossip Girl
3) Nip/Tuck
4) Have never watched it but may try Living with Ed (Ed Begley's reality show about living green)

4 Shows I miss the most since they finished airing:
1) West Wing
2) Third Watch
3) Sex and the City
4) Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

The Best/Most Memorable 4 Series Finales (in my humble opinion):
1) Newhart - this wasn't a show I watched regularly but the finale was the funniest, most original, most memorable EVER! Did you see it?
2) Cheers - quiet but effective, sad to see it end
3) Seinfeld - for me, the most anticipated and turned out to be the most disappointing
4) Sopranos - another highly anticipated one, definitely the most unique

Last 4 Movies I saw at the theatre (and just happened to really enjoy them all, yes, even Hannah Montana):

4 Movies coming out I'm most looking forward to:

1) May 8

2) June 12

3) July 1

4) July 24

The 4 Movies I'm most looking forward to seeing with my kids:
1) Earth
2) Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
3) Up
4) Land of the Lost

My 4 Favourite Movie Actors
1) Robert Downey Jr.
2) Mark Wahlberg
3) Will Smith
4) John Cusack
I have to add one more, I really enjoy almost anything with Hugh Grant.

Last 4 Books I've read:

Yes, I realize I'm missing 2,3 and 4 but this book has taken me so long it feels like I've read 4! It was Oprah's Book Club selection last year and I don't usually jump on the bandwagon when she suggests a book but this one sounded intriguing. She recommended not reading the book jacket because she felt it gave too much away so I didn't. I've only got about 50 pages left so I'll let you know what I think of it when I'm all done. The ending is supposed to be shocking so I've kept plugging through. Honestly up to this point I wouldn't recommend it, even though the writing is amazing, so descriptive like nothing I've ever read, it's just too much. You could skim over page after page and really not miss any of the story. I.will.finish.it!

A Lot Can Change In A Year!

2009-04-08T20:47:00.006-04:00

I know there's really no excuse for not blogging for almost an entire year (my gosh where does the time go!) but as you can see I've had this whole Benjamin Button thing going on. I just had this taken recently, my birthday is next month and I'm going to be 45!

THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF BEING 8

2008-05-22T23:20:00.009-04:00

Emily has recently experienced some of what life has to offer as far as highs and lows...well, as high and low as they can get when you're only 8. To her though, the low was devastating.
This past winter she didn't play indoor soccer but she did do a developmental skills program. When it finished, tryouts for the rep soccer team started. This was the first opportunity to play on a rep team, girls turning 9 are the youngest team. She decided she wanted to try out, that she was going to work really hard and she knew that not everyone would make it. Almost 50 girls tried out for 28 spots (two teams of 14). In total, they spent about 7 hours trying out. The last practice was a Wednesday night and they said they would phone by 10 p.m. the following night to let everyone know whether or not they had made it. I was hoping they would phone after she was asleep, in case she didn't make it, I didn't want her to be upset right before bed. Of course though the phone rang at 8 o'clock and one of the assistant coaches (not even the coach which I wasn't terribly impressed about) was sorry to let me know that unfortunately, they didn't have a spot for Emily this year. She was so upset when I told her, it broke my heart. Then to make matters worse one of her friends called her right away hoping she had made the team because they had. Em had such a hard time talking to her without crying and at the end of the conversation she told her friend "good job". I was so proud of her.

Thankfully though after the low point came quite the opposite. One day at work I got a phone call "on behalf of ...... School, we're calling about your daughter". Ok, they really need to find a better way to start their conversations when it's nothing bad because I think my heart did a couple flips in the few seconds it took for her to continue and tell me that she was very pleased to let me know that Emily had won the grand prize in the Jump Rope for Heart draw.
Well, this was the grand prize.....
The reason they called to tell me was so that I could go and pick it up, instead of her having to carry it home on the bus.
The best part of this whole story, and it could only happen to me, was that I had purchased a Wii before Christmas. I got a good deal on it and an extra game was also included but I decided to save it for their birthdays since they're three days apart. So there it was, sitting in my closet, with only a few more weeks to go. When I started laughing and told the lady the story she said that was no problem, that I could return it and get a store credit for the amount they paid for it. So I brought the one out of the closet, passed it off as the one she had won, took the new one back and used the credit to buy some accessories and games for their birthdays! Perfect!

This is not the first time Emily has been lucky enough to win something. Actually, she has probably won more in her eight years than most people win in a lifetime (me included!). This year at school alone, in addition to the Wii she won the main draw at their Scholastic book fair which was $40 to buy books and she also won a Webkinz in another fundraising draw.

When Em was 2 my mother-in-law was selling tickets for a draw their church was having. She bought some and put all her grandkid's names on them. That year Emily won the grand prize....

yes, this beautiful quilt AND she also won third prize which was $100!
The next year, same draw, mother-in-law puts grandkid's names on the tickets again and (I'm not making this up!) Emily wins the grand prize again...ANOTHER quilt!!

That fall when Emily was 3, Tim's Lion's Club was selling hockey pools for the NHL season that year. It consisted of 16 boxes with 4 players in each box. You wanted to pick whoever would get the highest amount of points in the regular season. Just for a joke, I sat down with Em and got her to point at one name in each box and submitted the form in her name even. You see where this is going don't you? Well, she got 39th place out of about 2000 pools and received a cheque for $50! I think it cost $5 to enter.

So, yes, sometimes she's definitely a lucky little girl!

WEEKEND MAYHEM

2008-05-21T21:11:00.003-04:00

The weekend before the Mother's Day weekend (yes, behind as usual!) had to be THE busiest weekend we've had in ages...well, Emily and I. Ok, mostly her...I just did a lot of prepping and driving.

Friday night we had a little of this...dance recital dress rehearsal...

Followed by driving her to a friend's birthday party for a little of this...

Saturday morning began with 2 hours of this...cheerleading practice...

Followed by the dance recital...show #1...

Followed that evening by the dance recital...show #2...

Followed by...oooohh...this one was for me...

If you enjoy this type of movie then this is one you do NOT want to miss! Robert Downey Jr. was amazing, this role was perfect for him and the entire movie was entertaining right from the minute it started until the very end! I LOVED it!

Sunday morning started at 6:30 (now wishing late movie hadn't been so late!), driving 45 minutes to participate in this...the Cheer Alliance National Championships...

In the photo above Emily is in the group on the left. She's the "base" (as she calls it) on the right.

This was only Emily's second competition since she started cheerleading and my first time getting to watch her (my weekend away ended up conflicting with the first one after they changed the original date). This was so much fun to watch and what a huge competition! There were over 150 different teams from Canada and the U.S. and in Emily's division there were 11 teams competing. Her team did a great job and she had a blast so she wasn't terribly disappointed when she found out they had placed 11th. She knew they had, as she put it..."messed up their ending and hadn't done their somersaults together". She was hoping that since there was so many of them that maybe the judges hadn't noticed! Too cute!

Then we headed back home, changed from this...

back into this for one more dance show...

...and then it was early to bed for everyone that night! We were exhausted! Listen to me, like I really did anything!
I was so proud of Emily, she had so much fun going from one event to the other and she did a great job dancing and cheering.

Please excuse some of my pictures. That's part of the reason this post took so long. I kept trying to fix and tweak, obviously without much luck and finally I just gave up. I really need some Photoshop lessons and I really shouldn't have used my new camera. That really wasn't the best time to experiment!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARIANNE!!

2008-05-12T18:04:00.000-04:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

2008-05-11T00:12:00.004-04:00

I can not stop laughing at this...

(Shamelessly borrowed from Mrs. G.!)

A LOVE LETTER

2008-05-05T22:14:00.004-04:00

Dear Self,

As "we" are definitely a Gemini, debating, conversations with ourself, even arguments are definitely a common occurrence but this is where I draw the line and feel that it's time to go over some of our previously established guidelines.

1) The only alarm that should be going off at 5:30 in the morning is some sort of alarm warning of impending doom, NOT one designed to wake us from a peaceful slumber. We are not now, never have been nor ever will be a morning person in any way, shape or form. Yes, a beautiful sunrise and birds chirping are things of wonder but couldn't they occur after 8 a.m.?

2) Said alarm should never EVER be heard on a Monday.

3) Body parts should never be expected to bend or hold in extremely uncomfortable positions for varying lengths of time before noon on any given day.

4) Partaking in a fitness class that's described as Intermediate to Advanced level AND being taught by an extremely perky, obvious morning person is just cruel.

5) Don't take it personally when said fitness instructor says "work those hams!" She's referring to the hamstrings, not that thing resembling 2 small hams you call an ass!

6) We don't like to sweat first thing in the morning...EVER...not for ANY form of exercise (if you get my meaning!).

Love,
Me.

Dear Me,

Until said time when we actually *are* 5 months pregnant again or become 5 foot 11, we will be endeavouring to become the weight of a woman whose BMI falls within the safe zone of someone who's 5 foot 9 and NOT pregnant!

Love,
Self

SO MUCH TO DO, SO LITTLE TIME...WHEN YOU'RE 5!

2008-04-23T23:04:00.004-04:00

Conversation with Jesse this morning...

Me: Jesse, do you want to get your book and read it to me once before you go?

Jesse: (very seriously) Mama, I do *not* have enough time. I have to...(now starts pointing to each finger as he says) take out one bag of garbage, one bag of papers, two recycle bins, brush my hair, brush my teeth and you have to put cream and a band-aid on my cut...aaahhh (heavy sigh!)

He sounded exhausted just talking about it..too funny! I didn't realize we were such slave drivers!

I have never seen anyone love garbage day as much as this kid.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!

2008-04-22T22:15:00.002-04:00

One of our local newspaper columnists wrote a column for Earth Day, highlighting and recommending several eco-minded documentary DVD's. He described some as dire warnings, some as helpful "how-to" lessons in sustainable living and ecological repair, and others as personal portraits on eco-warriors who range from the eccentric to the silly.

Here is his list of recommended titles:

THE 11th HOUR: With Leonardo DiCaprio as producer-narrator, this doc debuted at Cannes 2007, where some idiot journalists took the debate off-topic by grilling DiCaprio on the eco-cost of coming to Cannes (footnote: he flew commercial, not by private jet as many stars do). Co-directors Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners pack the doc heavily with info, mostly negative warnings, much of it presented with dazzling (if depressing) visuals. But there are glimmers of hope in the doc. And the excellent DVD looks even more on the bright side. It contains a series of interviews that are helpful "Eureka!" moments.

SHARKWATER: Canadian director-diver-cinematographer Rob Stewart made this doc as a wondrous display of his passion for sharks. He made the film look stunningly beautiful. Then he "lucked" into a series of dangerous situations that allowed him, with eco-activist Paul Watson, to highlight the political intrigue surrounding the wanton destruction of 90% of the world's sharks. The making-of featurette on the DVD shows what they were up against -- and it was scary.

GARBAGE WARRIOR: Filmmaker Oliver Hodge examines the absurd life and times of radical architect Michael Reynolds, who has spent 30 years in the New Mexico desert developing "Earth Ship" houses that are off the grid, made of recycled materials and sustainable. Turns out Reynolds is not crazy, even if he looks and acts weird. And it turns out we could learn a lot from him.

EDEN AT THE END OF THE WORLD: Made by National Geographic and narrated by Jeremy Irons, this conventional but gorgeous doc explores Patagonia, one of the world's most pristine yet threatened wilderness areas. While the narration is overwritten, the images are stunning, and so is the conservation message.

HUMAN FOOTPRINT: Another National Geographic special. Folksy is good but this one is too American-centric. Yet it does bring an important issue into perspective. Using real-life materials, such as thousands of pints of milk lined up down the street, the filmmakers put in visual terms exactly how much an American couple consumes in a lifetime. That means they measure the waste and source materials, demonstrating what it takes to maintain a lifestyle.

SIX DEGREES COULD CHANGE THE WORLD: As another National Geographic special, this one is narrated by Alec Baldwin. Using what appears to be sound science and not political manipulation, it breaks down, step-by-step, degree-by-degree, the changes that may happen with global-climate change. This is a major contribution to the debate.

PLANET IN PERIL: A CNN WORLDWIDE INVESTIGATION: CNN puts three of their stars -- newsman Anderson Cooper, medical expert Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet naturalist Jeff Corwin -- to work on this two-part special doc. Some of it, such as the raid on a Thai market where endangered species are illegally sold, is overly concerned with dramatizing procedures, not the problem. But, overall, with filming in 13 countries and in-depth interviews with experts who ground the information in practical science, the DVD has real value.

LIVING WITH ED: SEASON 1: Ed Begley, Jr. allowed cameras into his house to chronicle his eco-obsessions and record his wife Rachelle's skepticism. It is funny, fun stuff -- and there are life lessons here for true environmentalists looking to take action in everyday life.

TUESDAY TIDBITS - THE COP-OUT EDITION!

2008-04-15T21:32:00.000-04:00

Helloooo bloggy friends!! Yes, I'm still here! Excuses? Of course, I always have one or two.
See that little MELLOW mood thing over on my sidebar? Well I probably should have changed it to say something more along the lines of Agitated or Irritated or honestly...Bitchy!! I don't know if it's the weather or what but I seem to be experiencing something resembling the February blahs...in April! A couple weeks ago I was PMS-ing so badly that I almost...stopped blogging, took myself off Facebook AND tried to sell my Memorial Cup tickets! Thankfully I made it through the week with no major changes and all was good again.
At the moment though my blogging breaks may be a little longer. I hope you'll all bear with me and keep on visiting! I think part of the problem is I enjoy reading blogs and I spend quite a bit of time enjoying all your "goodies and tidbits" and then run out of steam for my own. (By the way, I had trouble commenting tonight on a few of your blogs, they just wouldn't take so please know I'm reading and loving but at the moment..silently!)
Very soon (hopefully tomorrow) I'll now have to do one of those giant posts about absolutely everything to get all caught up!

It will include:

Movie night with the girls
Movie outing with my kids
American Idol - I still can NOT believe Michael Johns went last week...I was SHOCKED!! I was totally dreading tonight's show with Mariah Carey songs but it really wasn't that bad.
2 memes I've been tagged to do
The luck of my daughter

Well, see, I should just start typing when I really don't even feel like it because this actually made me feel better in some strange sort of cathartic way. I hope this didn't come off sounding all heavy and depressing because it's really nothing serious...just a little "out of sorts".

Have a great evening everyone and looking on the bright side...tomorrow is Hump Day!! Before we know it, the weekend will be here!

MAMMOGRAM MONDAY UPDATE

2008-03-31T22:23:00.006-04:00

I wish more women read my blog because this is the one time it could actually be useful and help someone. If anyone is reading this and has been putting off getting a mammogram simply because they were scared and thought it would be painful I can tell you that after having one today...it was a breeze!

In the past week I've had a physical, a needle (10 year tetanus) and this mammogram and I can tell you of the three..the mammogram was the easiest. Ok, I realize most people would probably say the needle was the easiest but I pretty much hyperventilate when I even think about having a needle and blood tests are the worst. (Damn, I still have to go have that done too I just remembered. They've left it up to me to go and have bloodwork done so that will be a couple weeks guaranteed!) For heaven's sakes I had my kids by natural childbirth simply because the thought of a needle in my spine gave me shivers and made me want to vomit! Yes, looking back, probably not the wisest choice with child #2 who shot out at a whopping 9 pounds 5 ounces. Oops, sorry, flashbacks...and as usual I digress!

Maybe my positive experience today was simply because the technician was so good, I don't know since I have nothing to compare it to. She was so nice and so concerned about making sure I wasn't uncomfortable or in pain. As she was squooshing me sideways and telling me to hold my breath she said "just think of it as if you're at the spa". I asked her what kind of spa *she* went to!

For those of you who have never had one they take 4 pictures in total and you're in and out in less than 10 minutes. Of the 4 only one was even the slightest bit uncomfortable and even that wasn't a big deal. I can't believe how worried I was about the whole thing.

So ladies, there you have it...my girls and I made it through with flying colours, they're not stretched or flattened! They're still fabulously perky and...(I've always wanted to use this line from Seinfeld)...they're real and they're spectacular!!!

P.S. Thanks so much for the good luck comments on my last post!

A SUNDAY SMATTERING

2008-03-30T21:13:00.010-04:00

1) Yes, smattering really is a word. I did a dictionary check (believe it or not in a real book..I didn't even Google it!) and it means "a small scattered number or amount". That's me and my blog all right...scattered!

2) Friday night after I took the kids skating I went and met up with Holly for a late movie...really late! Whatever happened to movies starting at 7 and 9? This one was 10:30 and that's only when the previews started. Wow, I'm sounding old!
We saw Stop Loss with Ryan Phillipe. It's a haunting and I can only assume very realistic portrayal of soldiers and the horrible effects war has on them. Then they come home, still reeling from their tour of duty, thinking they have done their time and are finished, and they find out they're going to be sent back on a Stop Loss order.
Ryan Phillippe is amazing as the lead in the movie, as are all the supporting cast. I was pleasantly surprised to find out my personal favourite..Timothy Olyphant..was also in this, unfortunately it's a very small part.
I read a review today that said the ending was disappointing but I don't think there is any way this movie could have ended that wouldn't have seemed disappointing. Overall though, I really enjoyed this movie.
They show some statistics at the end before the credits roll...over 80,000 soldiers have been stop-lossed. As a mother, I can't even imagine watching your child leave for war once, let alone twice or more.

3) I logged on to Facebook yesterday and there was a notification from one of the Applications, Mesmo TV, (what else!) about a news story they had sent. I've had those before and always just deleted them without reading them first but for some reason I opened this one. I know not many of my readers are Prison Break fans so this won't interest most of you in the least but for those of you that watch it...THIS IS HUGE!!! The title said it all!! It was a huge spoiler for Season 4 and that's all I'm going to say because I always get myself in trouble for spilling the beans. If you want to know you'll have to Google it for yourselves. All I'm going to say is...I CAN'T WAIT!!! (tee hee!)

4) Well, tomorrow is Mammogram Monday for me and the girls..my very. little. girls! Our very first one. To sum up how I feel about it I'll just give you Jesse's favourite quote from Barry B. Benson in the Bee Movie...
"Scared out of my shorts?" "Check!"

TURN OUT FOR EARTH HOUR!

2008-03-29T20:06:00.001-04:00

In honour of EARTH HOUR, I have turned out the lights on my blog! (Ok, I confess, I totally stole that idea from Google!)

It's 8:06 and Earth Hour has begun. I'm sitting here in the dark all by myself with only the glow from my computer screen and a few candles to light things up. Tim had to go in to work to shut down power for this hour, Emily's at a neighbour's house and Jesse decided he might as well go to bed since it was too dark to play!
Actually he's always asleep by 8 p.m. and he was really tired so Earth Hour kind of lost it's appeal for him.
Apparently he and Emily misunderstood me last night though when I was explaining it to them because Tim said while I was in the shower this morning and when he went downstairs, they had all the lights out and the TV off. They thought it was 8 to 9 THIS MORNING!!

Just before 8 tonight I told Jesse we needed to get ready so we turned off the hockey game and he helped me gather up some candles to light. He put his pyjamas on and then we brushed his teeth by candlelight. I told him that a long time ago this was how people lived all the time...candles for light, no TV, no radio. He looks at me and says "I'm glad I wasn't alive in the olden days". Then of course he has to add..."were you??"

If you're not familiar with Earth Hour, here's a little blurb I took from their website...

On March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m., join millions of people around the world in making a statement about climate change by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund.
Earth Hour was created by WWF in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and in one year has grown from an event in one city to a global movement. In 2008, millions of people, businesses, governments and civic organizations in nearly 200 cities around the globe will turn out for Earth Hour. More than 100 cities across North America will participate, including the US flagships–Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco and Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

You can also click here to check out the Earth Hour Blog which talks about the different events going on worldwide.

Well, it's almost 9:00 p.m. I did it!! I know, not a big deal...just doing my part, albeit a small one!

So how did you celebrate Earth Hour? Hopefully by doing something a lot more fun than sitting in the dark and blogging!

EASTER WEEKEND (better late than never!)

2008-03-28T17:11:00.005-04:00

The kids had a great Easter weekend! Saturday morning Jesse had a birthday party to go to and after that we went to my parents for the rest of the day. My brother and my niece, A.J., were also there.

They loved...dipping...

and colouring (and concentrating!)....

and hunting...

and visiting Great Grandma and showing off their new Snake Webkinz...

Sunday morning at our house they found the goodies the Easter Bunny had left them and later they hunted for more little treasures.

That afternoon we went and saw Horton Hears A Who!
So in true Seussical form....

I should try and write a quick review
to honour Dr. Seuss,
but it would be a simpler task
if Horton were a moose!
Cause nothing rhymes with elephant
but I'll give it one last try
and let you know just what we thought
about the Who's and why.
It really is a well done flick
for ages young and old,
with quite the little message
in the story being told.
About a land of people,
the speck on which they roam,
and an elephant named Horton
trying to find them a new home.
And the moral of the story
remember one and all,
is that a person's a person
no matter how small!

Well, definitely not my best work but it's all I could come up with! Seriously though, it really is a good movie and I think all the reviews I read that said adults wouldn't really care for it...were wrong!

TUESDAY TIDBITS

2008-03-25T23:38:00.002-04:00

1) Last week both Holly and Alissa did a meme about movie quotes. Let's just say my movie guru status does NOT include quotes...no memory whatsoever! I tried to pretend that I just wasn't going to participate because I was so late commenting that it would look like I was cheating if I got them all right. HA...I think I only knew 2 on each of their lists! How humiliating!

There are only a few quotes that have ever stuck with me...

"There's no crying in baseball!" (A League of Their Own - Tom Hanks to one of the players)

"I'll have what she's having" (When Harry Met Sally - Lady in Diner after Meg Ryan's fake orgasm scene)
Piece of useless trivia (this stuff I remember!)...the lady in the diner was played by Rob Reiner's mom.

"I'm going to be 40"
"When?"
"Somedaaaayyyy!"
A conversation between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally. She was upset about getting older. I remember this scene vividly because I was nowhere near 40 when I first saw this movie and I was thinking how far away that was! Well, here I am and 40 has come and gone...guess who's crying now!!

2) Did anyone see the comments that Heather Mills had the audacity to make after her divorce settlement was announced last week? If anyone was on her side and thinks she was entitled to a lot more then my opinion won't be very popular but to me she has just continually come across as a complete gold digger!
She was awarded approximately 48 million (she wanted over 200 million!) and for their daughter she'll receive $70,000 a year PLUS nanny and school fees! Then she spouted off to the media about what a disgrace the amount for their daughter was...something about her daughter travelling in B class while Paul continues to travel in A class! OMG...maybe she could spend some of her millions on *their* daughter! Unbelievable!

3) Is everyone still glued to Idol? I thought tonight's performances were quite good. I have no idea who's going to win anymore.
Personally, my top 5 picks, in no particular order are...
Carly Smithson
David Cook
David Archuleta
Michael Johns
Jason Castro (He has the most beautiful eyes ever but *please* do something with that hair!)
I am so glad Amanda finally got voted off last week. I really liked her in auditions but I think they wasted a spot by putting her in the Top 24. She only had one way of singing and it seemed to get worse with each passing week...loud and screaming!
Any guesses for tomorrow night's results? I'm going to say Chikezie will go.

4) Peter Walsh from Clean Sweep has a new book out called "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Big?" I recommended it to Bridget since she's on a journey this month to Voluntary Simplicity. I've been following her daily posts with great interest and they're very inspiring...you should check it out!
Anyway, I recommended it without fully reading it but I thought it looked interesting and figured it would be full of great advice. I happened to be at Chapters the other day (oh, yeah, on Procrastination Friday!), picked it up and started to read a few pages. Then I saw it...the part that said..."you should give up television for 30 days"! I immediately stopped reading and put the book back. :-)

5) This is a question for my fellow bloggers or actually, commenters of blogs. I quite often want to put comments back to people who have commented on my posts but I don't usually because I figure noone is going to go back and re-read comments. Except that...I do...but I am obsessed...lol! I love reading people's comments on other blogs and quite often I will go back and re-read if I notice new ones have been added. Some people have the capability to email back regarding comments which is very cool but I can't do that with Blogger. So if you wouldn't mind giving me your opinion I'd love to hear it...oh, except maybe leave out the part about agreeing with me that I'm a tad obsessed!

Well there you have it, 5 little tidbits for a very snowy Tuesday in March! How's the weather in your corner of the world?

FRIDAY-FREE-FOR-ALL - The Procrastination Edition

2008-03-21T23:12:00.000-04:00

I started this post on Friday...it's now Sunday!

Yes, I'm a procrastinator. If I can put something off until later, I definitely will, especially if there's something else I'd rather be doing. My blog, for example, has lately become a main source of procrastination for me. I'm not sure why. I just seem to be having a hard time getting started so I can very easily talk myself into putting it off and then become distracted by reading all my other favourite blogs.

Today (as in Friday) is a perfect example of procrastination at its finest.

My in-laws didn't want to have a big family get together for Easter this weekend since they're getting ready to go away. I suggested to Tim that he at least take the kids to visit them before they go and that would also give me a chance to get some stuff done.
He and the kids left around lunch time and I had my to-do list all ready!

pay bills
go through my 2000+ pictures from last year and get them ready for printing
go through the piles of papers stacked neatly around my office and file/organize/dispose of them
go to the gym

Instead...look what I managed to accomplish...

vacuumed/cleaned out the van
sorted through large box of "junk" in the garage
cleaned out my purse
tidied up the kid's rooms
watched Oprah
watched tape of Celebrity Apprentice during commercials of Oprah
looked up songs for a friend's CD I'm putting together
checked out Facebook
read blogs
cleaned out our bathroom vanity
went to Chapters

Wow...look at me go! I'm exhausted just thinking about it. The stuff on the first list...still waiting but *definitely* a priority now (especially the gym and the bill paying..eek!).

This is also a lovely example of the "P" word...

One of the walls in our bedroom...nice frames don't you think? Are pictures of loved ones really necessary? There are already so many in other areas of the house.

Ok, I'm only showing you this one if you promise not to laugh...

notice the year...I never used it...at all.

Well, this certainly did not end up being the Friday-Free-For-All that I had planned. I guess I'll have to start a whole new post...tomorrow.

TUESDAY TIDBITS

2008-03-18T23:37:00.003-04:00

You know it's time to post something when:
a) your title is the same as your last post and they're a week apart
b) your lack of blogging is being talked about in the comments of someone else's blog (you know who you are! lol!)

1) Last Thursday morning one of our neighbours called and offered us four tickets to High School Musical - The Ice Tour. They couldn't use them since they were going to see Bon Jovi that night. We were more than happy to take them off their hands! It was definitely a rushed night though. We picked up the kids from daycare right after work and away we went! The show was very good...it was all the music from both movies.

2) If that wasn't enough excitement for one week, Emily and I went and saw the Hannah Montana 3-D movie on Sunday. It finally came to our fair city but only for one week.I'm not sure why since it's still doing very well.
We both really enjoyed it...the 3-D aspect of it was very cool! I had never seen a 3-D movie before, it really was amazing. At one point one of the band members threw a guitar pick at the camera...I DUCKED! Emily thought that was hilarious! There were a couple other things that made me jump too. How embarrassing!!

3) Eliot Spitzer...what can I say that hasn't already been said...and what is wrong with this picture???
I think Jay Leno said it best...
"Do you ever notice politics is the only profession when a guy gets caught with a hooker, the wife has to stand by his side. You know, if this guy was a plumber and he got caught with a prostitute, he'd have his wife's SUV tire tracks over his head."

4) Am I the only person watching Eli Stone?? I'm just going to assume I am and tell you that it's definitely one worth watching! It started a few weeks ago and I've been hooked ever since that first episode when yes...George Michael...appeared.Eli Stone, played by Johnny Lee Miller, is one of those high profile "scummy" lawyers that always tries to win for the big companies, no matter what the cost. He then starts having hallucinations, ie. George Michael singing in his living room, and later finds out he has an inoperable brain aneurysm. I know, it doesn't sound funny, but the show really is! It's original and quirky but not so "Pushing Daisies quirky"! His hallucinations then start to mean something each week, relating to his next case and he's now becoming the lawyer that wants to do the right thing.
The characters in this show are fantastic and it's worth watching just to see the conversations between Eli and his acupuncturist and also his secretary (played by Loretta Devine...the Chief's wife on Grey's and also crazy Marla from Boston Public).
Trust me...give it a try...you won't be disappointed! (ok, but please let me know if you are..lol!)

TUESDAY TIDBITS - THE TV EDITION

2008-03-11T23:40:00.004-04:00

After much searching, I was able to come up with this list of return dates for all your favourite shows.

BIG BANG THEORY - Monday, March 17
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER - Monday, March 17
TWO AND A HALF MEN - Monday, March 17

CSI: MIAMI - Monday, March 24

HELL'S KITCHEN - Tuesday, April 1

CRIMINAL MINDS - Wednesday, April 2
CSI: NY - Wednesday, April 2

CSI - Thursday, April 3

NUMBERS - Friday, April 4
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA - Friday, April 4

NCIS - Tuesday, April 8

ER - Thursday, April 10
THE OFFICE - Thursday, April 10
30 ROCK - Thursday, April 10
BOSTON LEGAL - Thursday, April 10

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - Sunday, April 13

BONES - Monday, April 14

BROTHERS AND SISTERS - Sunday, April 20

GOSSIP GIRL - Monday, April 21

GREY'S ANATOMY - Thursday, April 24
UGLY BETTY - Thursday, April 24

HOUSE - MOVING to Mondays as of April 21, new episodes begin April 28

FALL 2008

PRISON BREAK - Monday, Sept. 17 to be exact!
HEROES
PRIVATE PRACTICE
PUSHING DAISIES
DIRTY SEXY MONEY
LIFE
CHUCK

JANUARY 2009

24

STATUS UNKNOWN

WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB
CASHMERE MAFIA
BIG SHOTS
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

CANCELLED

BIONIC WOMAN
JOURNEYMAN
CARPOOLERS
CAVEMEN
LAS VEGAS - I heard last week that it was cancelled and they weren't even going to conclude the cliffhanger episode they last showed. Then I heard that it wasn't cancelled, they were still deciding. NOW I read tonight that it is definitely cancelled but the fans are trying to get it back. So basically, I don't really know anything for sure! lol!!

THE INSIDE SCOOP

LOST - will show 2 more episodes on March 13 and 20 then take a break, resume April 24 for five episodes with the Finale on May 22. The original 16 episodes have been condensed into 13.

24 - FOX is talking about doing a 2 hour prequel for the next season to be shown this fall.

SHARK - no return date as of yet.

THIS IS SNOW FUN!

2008-03-09T23:44:00.008-04:00

**edited to add pictures**

If you've been blog hopping tonight you'll find that most Ontario residents have their own versions of this weekends "snow dump"! The amount of snow that fell in a short amount of time was unbelievable!
I LOVE winter and snow as long as a few simple rules are followed...
- it doesn't keep me from where I need to go
- I don't have to shovel
- it falls on a weekday so the appropriate snow day is recognized (I work at one of those places that has a tendency to close)

This little barrage did not follow ANY of the rules! The weekend went something like this...

My husband's weekend:
Leaves around 4 a.m. Saturday morning to go up north to our friends cottage. Jeff (from my infamous phone call post last summer), his family and another family were already up there for March Break and he needed somebody to drive his truck, trailer and hot tub up to the cottage so they could hook it up next week. (Yes, I know, rough life..lol!)
Remainder of his weekend...some deck work, some snowmobiling, some drinking, some poker playing.
In his defence we were all invited but the kids had too much going on so I told him to go ahead and the kids and I would stay home. Why "in his defence"?? Read on...

My weekend:
9:30 Saturday morning I call Cheerleading place to see if Emily's practice is cancelled. I'm told it's not so we load up and head out (storm is nasty already at this time). We get there at 10 to find a sign on the door that says the 10 a.m. practice is CANCELLED!!

Go back home and start shovelling to try and keep ahead of the snow.

11:30 we head out to Jesse's skating lesson. First though we have to go and get a birthday gift for a party Emily's supposed to go to that night.

1:30 we go back home. By this time most roads are a mess and the 401 is basically one semi-clear lane and 2 completely snow covered ones. (Note to Mr. Transport Driver that almost barrelled over us...if I could have gotten your company name I would definitely be calling it tomorrow!)
I shovel...again.

6:00 I shovel some more...two small paths down my driveway, just enough to get out. Emily's birthday party is supposed to be from 7 to 10 (yes, very late!). By this time the snow on our court is up to the bottom of the vehicle and no plows have come by so I know if I get out of the two tracks someone else made I'm done!

6:30 I put two shovels in the van and we head out. Just as I get out onto our road I see a van further down, sitting right in the middle of the road, facing me, not going anywhere. I'm hoping he's going to move before I get there because if I stop I'll never get going again. He doesn't so I wait, still doesn't move, finally I get out to see what's going on. It turns out it's an airways transit van dropping off some of my neighbours. Driver thinks he's funny, me..not so much, finally he moves. Luckily I'm not stuck and we make it out onto what is more of a main road. It's just as bad and the next road I need has a huge hill. I get almost to the top and start spinning. I have to back all the way down the hill and try to go another way. I figure if I can make it out to the main boulevard the birthday party is just off that road and I'll be fine. My other route turns out to be worse. Emily tells me not to worry about it. She says "Mama, you can't help it, it's not your fault, if we can't get there it's ok." I was so proud of her but I.FELT.HORRIBLE! I couldn't believe I was in the city and could not get my kid to one simple little birthday party! When we went home and called, the other kids had managed to get there but the parents got stuck there!
We made popcorn, watched a movie and I still felt awful! She was fine.

Today, Emily's soccer practice was cancelled so we played outside and I started shovelling again! Thankfully my neighbour saw me and brought his snow blower over and finished it for me.

So, yes, I'm a little bitter about Tim's weekend compared to mine. I know, I told him to go. Don't worry, I'm not looking for sympathy...just doing a little venting! Isn't that why I blog?? :-)

The view out my front door Sunday morning

The snowbank along the side of the driveway

The snowbank the plows have created in the circle in the middle of our court

ISN'T LIFE GRAND!!

2008-03-03T23:33:00.008-05:00

I'm sure there's something funny in here somewhere...unless you're me!

Husband is out for the evening
Son goes to bed
Son can't stop coughing
Son gets up to use washroom
Mother decides to give him puffers for his cough
Mother getting them ready when son proceeds to vomit all over himself, bathroom floor, receptacle known as mother's hands and eventually toilet
Mother sympathizes while cleaning up with paper towels
Mother throws paper towel into toilet
Son, feeling remarkably well and amazingly perceptive asks "are you only supposed to put toilet paper in there?"
Mother, feeling reprimanded by 5 year old, says "yes, I should put that in the garbage but just this once I'm going to put it in the toilet and flush it."
Mother doesn't want to admit she's just too lazy to walk downstairs to the garbage in the garage
Mother proceeds to put one more in toilet and then flush criminal waste into oblivion
Mother horrified as "evidence" disappears but water and "remnants" do not and toilet begins to fill up
Mother holds breath, cursing under it, watching, watching...
Mother breathes again as water stops rising
Son sees "remnants" and says "eeeeewwww...gross!"
Mother reminds son that this is why we do NOT put paper towels in the toilet (oh, there's the funny "hypocritical" part!)
Mother closes lid and leaves for husband to fix when he gets home
Mother pretty sure husband won't find the humour in that part :-)

And how was your evening??

DEFINITELY, MAYBE IS GREAT...POSITIVELY, REALLY, FOR SURE!

2008-02-28T22:24:00.002-05:00

Tuesday I had the pleasure of a movie night with my fellow bloggers Holly, Kelly, and Bridget. It was so nice to finally meet you Kelly! It was also nice to have someone share the pain of inhaling too much salt & vinegar topping all at once...lol!!

As you can tell, we went to see Definitely, Maybe. This was a great "girl's night out" movie! We all really enjoyed it. The story twists and turns in ways you don't expect and it made us laugh and cry. Thankfully a lot more laughing than crying!

The main characters are all very well played..Abigail Breslin is adorable, Ryan Reynolds is confused and conflicted but definitely charming (lol!) and Isla Fisher (Sacha Cohen's significant other) is endearing.

I really liked the ending..not completely predictable! A really good chick flick!

HAPPY 80TH OSCAR!!

2008-02-24T23:39:00.006-05:00

Well, the weekend is over but the Oscars are NOT! It's almost midnight and they are still. going. on....

I LOVE the Oscars and I was really looking forward to them this year but good grief...must they take FOREVER?

DIABLO CODY just WON for Original Screenplay for Juno!!! That is so exciting...I don't think anyone expected her to win. I have no idea why she fascinates me...I just love her story.

Wow, they're really speeding things up now. The Coen's just won Directing for No Country for Old Men. They hustled off the stage and Denzel practically came running out to announce Best Picture...No Country for Old Men.

Look at that, I was wrong. They are actually going to finish by midnight!

Jon Stewart was ok as host. The opening monologue definitely wasn't as long or "splashy" as previous years but he had some decent lines. I liked his description of Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men...something about his Dorothy Hamill bob haircut! Have you seen him in that movie? The hair is freaky!

I guess I can pack it in for tonight! Big weekend wrap-up post coming tomorrow. I actually managed to get away for two full days and had a great time!

How was your weekend?

THAT'S BETTER!

2008-02-21T00:05:00.004-05:00

Now THIS is more along the lines of what I had in mind when I changed colours! It just took some more tweaking...it's amazing what you can figure out when you actually read a few simple instructions.
Please excuse the header though! It's late and I can't try to fix it any longer. I have no idea what's wrong with the right side. Well, c'mon now, you can't expect it to be perfect all at once! Ok, I can and it's driving me nuts but I'm just going to be all TYPE B and not worry about it for now (easier said than done!).
There's always tomorrow....
Rome wasn't built in a day
Michael Jackson didn't become white all in a day
Britney Spears didn't discover Hanes all in a day
Paris Hilton didn't become an actress...ever....

MONDAY MISH-MASH!

2008-02-18T23:14:00.003-05:00

1) Last week my friend Janet and I went to see Rascal Flatts. I didn't really know what to expect. I love their music but for some reason I didn't think the show would be all that exciting. Was I ever wrong...it was fantastic!!! They had the main stage at one end of the Air Canada Centre but then right in front of us (we were in the 6th row but near the opposite end) there was also a small circular stage. Up above was a walkway that they would lower down to connect the two stages. The show was so high energy, they all took turns doing something solo and they are all very talented. They talked a lot during the show, to each other and the crowd, not so much that it was annoying, but enough that you felt like you were at a small club with a very down to earth group of guys, the boys next door! They're very funny and really connected with the crowd. The women screamed and the men cheered, being all cool, in that beer-drinking, my-team-just-scored kind of way!
And I must say, lead Rascal is quite..hmmm...engaging...with that big ole' teddy bear cuddliness, great voice and smile that could charm the...well, you know!

There were also a lot of these in the audience....

OK, NO...NOT Tim McGraw specifically but an awful lot of handsome cowboys that certainly resembled him. The kind I like to refer to as "a tall drink of water"! You know they're tall when I have to look up to them!

Overheard at the ACC....

JANET...Wow, that would be a great picture...they're so close
JUDY...Stop it already..I asked you three times if I should bother bringing my camera!

JANET...Let's call Sheri
JUDY...WHAT SHERI? I CAN'T HEAR YOU, IT'S TOO LOUD HERE! OH, SORRY FOR YELLING!

After seeing two girls wearing t-shirts that had RASCAL on the one, FLATTS on the other...
JUDY...Oh, why didn't we do that...I'm RASCAL, you're FLATTS
dead silence, Janet (o thee of bigger bosom) looks at me...
JUDY...OH FINE, I'm FLATTS, you're RASCAL!

JUDY...Dammit Janet, see, I knew we should have opted for the tube top and mini skirt look! (I can't even type that without laughing!)

JUDY...For heaven's sake Janet, put that pot away!!

JUDY...No Janet, you can't go backstage and let them have their way with you!

ok, I may be exaggerating on those last two!

Along with Rascal Flatts, we also got to see the adorably perky Kellie Pickler! She opened for them and was on stage for a total of about 45 minutes. In that time I think she talked for 30 minutes and sang for 15...about 4 songs total. Seriously, when she sang she was very good but man, did she natter on! Ketchup chips were the big topic, how she can't get them back home, she just loves them. Of course people in the crowd started giving her their bags of them, which she had no trouble taking..every last one!
She also talked about her family and what each song meant to her. She really is cute as a button and has certainly come a long way since American Idol.

2) Last weekend, amongst the cheerleading, skating, birthday party, and soccer practice I somehow managed to see two movies...

The first was Fool's Gold with the always shirtless Matthew McConaughey. I don't like to give bad reviews about a movie if I can help it because I really don't want anyone to actually listen to me. What?? I can hear you! Let me explain...if I really like a movie then by all means please listen to me and RUN to the theatre to see it. If I don't like a particular movie and you were really looking forward to it, then I don't want to sway your opinion because everybody's tastes are different. That being said...this movie sucked!! HA, just kidding! It was ok, but definitely not as good as I thought it would be. There wasn't as much action as I expected and a lot of lame acting and stunts. I didn't hate it but I definitely enjoyed 27 Dresses and Juno a lot more!

I even enjoyed this one more but be prepared..it is more than a little disturbing. Diane Lane and Colin Hanks (Tom's son) are FBI cyber crimes agents searching for a serial killer that shows his victim's deaths on the internet and the more people that log on, the faster the person dies..by some horribly torturous method. I think what makes it all the more disturbing is the sad realization that in today's society, people would log on and watch. I'd like to think I'm wrong but I doubt it...what do you think?

3) I went to the gym the other night (finally!) and they have these "motivational" posters hanging up.
My favourite...
"Those who cannot find time to exercise must find time for illness." OUCH!!
Then on top of that a so-called "friend" was kind enough to point out that going to the gym once a month doesn't really do a whole lot. Ummm..thanks!

4) Have you seen the commercials for a new show called AMNESIA? Dennis Miller is the host and I'm not completely sure of the whole premise but the one part I saw was hilarious! The contestant was a man and they brought out 5 women wearing wedding dresses. Dennis told him that one of them was the dress his wife wore at their wedding. Up to that point the guy had been laughing and joking around. As soon as Dennis said that his face went completely blank...he had no idea!!!

5) I am loving American Idol so far this season! I don't usually watch the whole thing. I'll watch some of the auditions and then some of the shows when it starts getting down to the last few contestants. I have never liked how mean Simon always was. I really found it uncomfortable to watch. This season though, is it just me, but Simon seemed like a whole new Simon! He was funny and kind, still mean but not to such a degrading level, and really quite sweet at times.
I loved his speech to the curly haired Kyle when they were cutting to the final 24. He even told Paula to stop torturing the contestants and just give them the results.

My other opinions...

The biker nurse shouldn't be in the final 24. I don't think she can do enough of a range of songs to last very long.

I love 16 year old David and Carly the Irish girl. David is adorable and he can certainly sing and Carly is fantastic.

6) THE WRITER'S STRIKE IS OVER!!!!

SO NOW WHAT?? Here are pieces of an article I borrowed from msn.com...

— Many hit series (such as ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy," as well as CBS' "CSI" trio) will be back this spring for what's left of the current season, with anywhere from four to seven new episodes. But don't bet on weaker, "on-the-bubble" shows (NBC's "Bionic Woman" and CBS' "Moonlight," for example) returning until fall, if then.

— And be prepared to muster a little more patience. A minimum of four weeks will be needed for producers to get the first post-strike episode of comedies (such as CBS' "Two and a Half Men" and NBC's "My Name Is Earl") started from scratch and back on the air; a drama will require six to eight weeks from concept to broadcast.

If a series had a script near completion when the strike was called in November, it's got a head start resuming production now.
For example, CBS' "Criminal Minds" had one script in progress and a network-approved outline for another, said co-executive producer Chris Mundy, who cited something else that gives his show an advantage: "We didn't have to break down our sets. We're luckier than most."

Meanwhile, a complicated serial drama with vast technical demands — notably the NBC hit "Heroes" — may not be deemed worth returning this season at all. The cost of ramping up for such a production may not justify that expense when only a handful of episodes are being ordered.

Other shows, including ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" and NBC's "Chuck," also aren't expected until fall.
And Fox's "24" is unlikely to be back until early 2009.

Adding to this vexing calculus, each network will have to integrate its returning series into a prime-time schedule that, during the strike, has adapted to the absence of those shows with substitute fare.

But a potential game-changer could be in the cards: One or more networks might elect to extend the season beyond May, which, of course, would call for even more new episodes. The chances of that happening aren't great. Viewership traditionally dips during summer months, and networks don't like running their best stuff when viewers aren't watching. But the post-strike landscape may not bow to tradition any more than the season has thus far.

Next season, too, is already being shaped by the strike. Don't expect the usual crush of freshman shows right after Labor Day. And that looming void could have an impact on what we see (or don't see) this spring. In some cases, a network will opt to bank a series' remaining episodes to help fill the autumn programming gap.

FOR LOST FANS....
Damon Lindelof is eager for some answers. An executive producer of ABC's mystery serial "Lost," he should learn this week what his show's future holds as it closes out its fourth season.
"Lost" has been back on the air just two weeks. But the strike meant a planned 16-episode shooting schedule was halted after just eight episodes were shot.
"But we very much want to come back and do as many episodes as possible," said Lindelof, who then listed a few issues that first need to be settled.
"How many episodes can best serve our story? And what are the production realities?" He noted that the shooting facility in Hawaii, 2,500 miles from his Los Angeles office, had been shuttered since Thanksgiving. The crew has dispersed, the huge cast has scattered.
The first new post-strike episode of "Lost" could possibly be ready for broadcast the week after episode eight appears, he said. There likely would be three or four more after that.
Could there be even more?
"I'd be surprised if the network wanted to air episodes deep into the summer," he said. But if all the pieces fell into place, "Lost" fans would be blessed: "I don't see why we couldn't deliver all eight remaining episodes."

Well, I certainly do apologize for the longest post in history! Are you even still here?? Did I lose you??

NOT MY JOB

2008-02-06T22:01:00.000-05:00

Borrowed from this blog.

TUESDAY TIDBITS

2008-02-05T23:50:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry if the new colours are a little too much for you. They're a little too much for me too but it was getting very late and I just couldn't tweak anymore. You're shocked there's no purple aren't you? Actually these colours are kind of growing on me. I think things will get changed up again shortly though since Holly's twisting my arm over to Wordpress. I'm easily ~~led astray~~ convinced so I'm sure she'll win me over!

I've had trouble posting lately, no creative juices. When the new year began I actually considered joining the Blog365 group and posting everyday. Well that lasted for 24 days and then I cracked under the pressure! A couple weeks ago when I told a friend that I didn't think I could keep doing daily posts they actually asked me, "well how long does it take?" I should mention they do NOT blog! All the bloggers are going...aaahhhh, that explains it!" Or are you? Is it just me that takes forever to compose and type and tweak posts? As I'm sure you can tell, I'm not a writer by trade, any trade! I'm more of a talker, so everything becomes very wordy, too wordy. The good thing about a blog though is I can still write like I talk but I have the chance to think before I write, if you know what I mean...a much better filtration process, keeps me out of trouble!!

I realized a couple of things recently, along the lines of Oprah's "things I know for sure"...

I'm NOT looking forward to old age...at all. Not that I don't want to live to a ripe old age, I just hope that I still have friends that will stop me from wearing bright pink circles of blush right in the middle of my cheeks and the ever popular skirt with...grey work socks pulled up to the knee! Please people, be there for me, won't you??

I'm NOT so old that I should already be choosing...

INSTEAD OF

Some days laundry is just laundry, other days it's a revelation...time to go shopping ladies!!

HEY GUYS, I'M HERE TO HELP!

2008-02-02T23:45:00.000-05:00

Here is a handy guide on how you can explain some basic things about the game of football to your girlfriend, wife, or lover, in terms she can relate to.

These were written by a guy, for the guys. Ladies, don't blame me, I didn't write them, I only chuckled at them!

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS.
They are like that award-winning Hollywood actress who is getting a little older, but somehow still looks great in a bikini. You know that she secretly cheated and had some “work done” early on, but you still respect how she looks. And even though you are jealous of her, you love watching her movies.

NEW YORK GIANTS.
They are like your girlfriend you secretly make fun of, who is kind of chunky and still wears mom jeans, yet ended up with a really good looking guy. And you and your friends just can’t figure out how she did it.

ILLEGAL CONTACT.
You know how when you are on the dance floor and it’s okay for a guy to put his hands on your hips and grind a little too close, but when you leave the floor for the drink he owes you, he has to keep his hand off? Well, the first five yards are the “dancing”, and after five yards is the “drink”.

PASS INTERFERENCE.
It’s just like at the shoe store. If you see a pair of Jimmy Choo’s first, and are about to pick them up, another woman isn’t allowed to push you out of the way and grab them.

FIRST DOWNS.
Imagine you go on a diet and lose 10 lbs. You still think you’re fat and decide to lose another 10, towards your ultimate goal of getting into the jeans you wore in high school. But your jealous friends keep trying to keep you from reaching that goal, by taking you to dinner and making you order dessert.

CONGRATULATORY HEAD BUTTING.
You know when your girlfriend tells you she just got a designer dress on sale so low she practically stole it and you hug each other and jump up and down while you both scream in a high-pitched voice so loud that it actually hurts your head? Guys can’t reach that note so we bash each other’s head to equal that pain.

PLAY ACTION PASS.
You think the play is one thing but it turns out to be another. It’s like last night when I asked you what was for dinner and you turned it into a fight about how I hate your mother.

THE RED CHALLENGE FLAG.
It’s like when one of your friends wears an outfit that she thought looked good when she put it on in the morning, but now that you see her in the light of day, you realize that those shoes do not go with that dress. At all. The red flag is like taking her to a mirror so she can have another look.

ROUGHING THE KICKER.
You know how you have forbidden me to ever touch your sorority sister since you found out that I once hooked up with her? The kicker is that sorority sister.

ZONE DEFENSE VS. MAN TO MAN DEFENSE.
When I go shopping, I know exactly what I want to get, grab it and go. That’s like man to man. When you shop, you cover an entire floor of Macy’s picking up anything and everything that catches your eye. That’s zone defense.

ILLEGAL BLOCK IN THE BACK.
Remember last night when I wanted to try something “different” and you wanted no part if it?

Like I said, I did NOT write these! Kinda funny though!
Giving credit where credit is due...the real author is a man by the name of Paul Lirette.

FRIDAY-FREE-FOR-ALL

2008-02-01T23:18:00.000-05:00

1) Today was a snow day for our entire family! Yippee!!! No work, all play! I can't believe how much snow we got today...someone with a camera and a penchant for taking pictures probably could have provided a visual example or two with this post. Know anyone like that?

2) Celebrity Apprentice was FANTASTIC last night! The whole scheme of sending Vincent to spy on the women was hilarious...first he's spying, then he's helping them and he confesses to Marilu, then Piers rats on him, the women turn on him and he tells Trump he's a man without a country. Trump tells him to bring it to the boardroom and he can have his say there.
The whole boardroom scenario was priceless, watching Piers become more and more uncomfortable and sweat practically pouring down his face! In the end Vinny (for those of you who don't know, was a main character in the Sopranos) resigns, noone gets fired, Trump accepts his resignation and then THE. BEST. ENDING. EVER...as they're walking out of the boardroom Journey's Don't Stop Believing starts to play, there are a couple shady looking characters on the street as Vinny leaves, he opens the cab door, looks up at the building....and the screen goes black!! The hilarity of this whole thing will be totally lost on anyone that didn't watch the Sopranos finale. I'll bet you still liked it though!

3) Ok, Lost executives...what the hell were you thinking?? Other than a couple shows the first season, I've never watched Lost regularly. This week our local paper had a blurb from their TV guru saying that this may be the time to start watching if you never have before.
He said that Wednesday night they were showing last season's two hour finale but with the added bonus of captioning, explaining the characters and what was going on....basically like a Pop Up Video version (I use to love those!!). Then Thursday they were showing a one hour recap of the past three seasons and then they would show the season premiere.
Would it not have made more sense to show the one hour three season recap BEFORE the two hour season finale of last season??? I started to watch that two hour "pop up video" thing...well, that was just INSANE...try watching an episode of a show you've never seen with people talking and action going on AND at the same time you're supposed to be reading the bottom of the screen which is explaining who people are, popping up little pictures of other people and scrolling SO fast it was even hard to read! LOL!!
I finally gave up, taped everything (yes, on a vcr..I know, how archaic!) and I'll watch it in the other order and see if that helps. So...real Lost fans, was it good for you??

4) My friend Susan and I are rather tall compared to our husbands. When I posted the bridesmaids and wedding pictures last week she commented and asked me if I wore heels. Actually I did wear shoes with a small heel but this was the solution we came up with for pictures...

5) Last Friday night Emily's school choir was invited to sing the national anthem at the Rangers game. They really do sing the night of the game but they actually pre-tape the anthem and basically just sing along with the tape that they've made. I jokingly said something about them being the Milli Vanilli of school choirs and she of course, being 8, said..."huh?"
Oh, and again with that whole good photographer thing...these pictures are from two years ago when they sang. I didn't get one decent shot this time. Same camera, same seats almost..no idea what went wrong! These will have to do!

6) Last weekend I went and saw Juno. I wanted to see what all the hype was about and if it was as good as they said. (Who are "they" by the way?) It did NOT disappoint! It was VERY, VERY good!! Funny, witty dialogue, touching, heartwarming, great music, and the characters were fantastic. I can see why it's nominated for so many awards, especially Diablo Cody, who's first time this was writing a screenplay. She's gone from writing a blog about her experiences as a stripper to being nominated for an Oscar! Amazing!

LOST IN LAS VEGAS WITH MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS

2008-01-24T22:30:00.000-05:00

I bet you all thought I'd be having withdrawal by now, didn't you? Oh my goodness..what will she do...writer's strike...no new shows!! Well, I'll have you know I'm just fine! In fact, I don't mind at all. Every day is like a new surprise.
Prison Break is in full swing, Medium is back, Celebrity Apprentice is quite good and Survivor Fans vs. Favourites starts in a couple weeks. I actually have an advantage since I watch so many different shows, I'm bound to see at least one new episode of something almost every night. I feel sorry for the people that only have one or two favourites. Chances are, those shows are only showing new episodes sporadically or are finished now altogether.
Last night Criminal Minds was new as well as Cashmere Mafia, tonight it was Apprentice and Big Shots...a veritable plethera of opportunities for mindless viewing!
In the next couple weeks Lost and the New Adventures of Old Christine return and new shows like Eli Stone and Lipstick Jungle are starting.
So there you have it, I'll be fine, I'll be fine, I'll be fine...I'll. Be. Fine!!!

REST IN PEACE

2008-01-23T22:42:00.000-05:00

To say that I was shocked yesterday when I heard about Heath Ledger would be a huge understatement. I still can't believe it. There are certain young celebrities that you would have expected to hear something like this about. He was not one of them.

It has saddened me in a way I don't even really understand. It's not like I knew him personally. Is that what the media has done to us? Made us all feel like we really do know these people, that we have some right to know everything about them and their loved ones, and actually make judgments about the way they live their lives? The rumour mill and the speculations started almost immediately, within an hour of the time of his death, we were hearing about it on the news. I'm as much to blame as the media. I listen to them, I believe them (with much skepticism though), and I want to know more. When will it end?
Heath Ledger was young and talented and I feel so very sorry for his family, especially his daughter.

Two of the movies he starred in are favourites of mine...
Casanova and A Knight's Tale. I really enjoyed these two movies, give them a try sometime if you've never seen them. As you're watching them, lose yourself in the characters and stories he's created and then remember him for what he really was...a father, son, and friend...just like the rest of us.

HUMILIATION...THY NAME IS JUDY!!

2008-01-22T22:47:00.002-05:00

THE GOOD....

Tonight I had the pleasure of going to see 27 DRESSES with my fellow bloggers Holly and Bridget. The movie was VERY good, we had a lot of laughs, and somehow I think I've been talked into drinking & karaoke for our next adventure in the near future! That definitely has something to do with the hilarious bar scene in the movie where too many shots and Bennie and the Jets were the highlight. Did you know the lyrics are electric boobs, not boots?
Katherine Heigl is perfect for this role. She really should concentrate on movies. I'm not crazy about her character on Grey's but love her in the movies. Don't miss her in Knocked Up...oh, I forgot, everyone's seen that except Holly! LOL!!
James Marsden is, well, hot and he has great...cheekbones! I think this is my favourite role of his so far, which is saying a lot considering how good he was in Enchanted and Hairspray.
Edward Burns, what can I say, I had such a crush on him after seeing his movie THE BROTHERS MCMULLEN many years ago. I'd definitely recommend that movie if you've never seen it. He wrote, directed and starred in it. He kind of came out of nowhere with it and became the new Hollywood "one to watch". Now, not so much, he's not quite so, well, hot and that nasally (is that a word?) voice of his drives me crazy.
Thanks for a great time ladies and Bridget, it was a pleasure to finally meet you!

THE BAD...

Those sneaky little policemen...just sitting around in their dark cars with no lights on, in deserted parking lots, just waiting for some poor unsuspecting soccer mom like myself to go by, driving just a teensy weensy bit over that too-low-in-my-opinion speed limit. Yes, go ahead and chuckle, my unblemished (well, at least 5 years now!) driving record has now been tarnished to the tune of some amount that I honestly didn't even look at yet. Oh, but at least he was thoughtful enough to take back the second ticket he wrote for my very out of date insurance cards when I managed to come up with the most recent out of date one. (insert curse words here!)

THE UGLY....

Speaking of chuckling, here you go...

1987 and the year of the Marx brothers eyebrows!

1990 and the hair gets bigger! In case you weren't sure, that's me in the back on the right.

1996 and lord, what the hell did I do to my hair! In case you weren't sure I'm the one in the white dress. Don't you love my ladies dresses...check out the satin Wonder Woman cuffs!

Ok, this was going way beyond the call of duty for my blog. Please stop laughing now!!!

STAY TUNED!

2008-01-21T22:56:00.000-05:00

Not much to say today but you won't want to miss tomorrow's post. Actually, it will probably be late tomorrow night so check in Wednesday morning. I'll have a movie review AND pictures to go along with it.
Now I'm off to pay some bills and hopefully get to bed before midnight.

NO PRESSURE HERE!

2008-01-20T23:35:00.000-05:00

After choosing RELEASE as one of my words for 2008 and talking about release from the pressure to get things done and do it all, I sure took my own advice this weekend.
I did not feel like doing anything, other than the already regularly scheduled activities of course. That was fine though, I don't mind that sort of thing. I love taking the kids to their activities and watching them do things they really enjoy. It's all the other things I know I should be doing that I just had absolutely no desire to worry about. The house needed cleaning, there were mounds of laundry, I need to shop for an outfit for a wedding next month that I don't want to go to, Jesse needs a new bed (toddler one is too small), I have thousands of photos that need to be printed and organized, and the kids need presents for two birthday parties next weekend. Other than tackling some of the laundry (which my husband helped with after I sorted it), I really didn't do anything else on my list.
Yesterday, after taking Emily to cheerleading, we spent the rest of the afternoon with her friend and her mom, going for lunch, going to Chapters, sitting at Starbucks. It was so nice.
Today I slacked off in my jammies until almost lunch time, then went shopping at Costco and later Jesse and I went skating while Tim took Emily to soccer practice. I was going to go to the gym but I even talked myself out of that. Yes, that I should have done but I don't care, I'm not going to beat myself up for not going!
All in all, a great lazy weekend!

WHAT'S THE WORD?

2008-01-19T22:56:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago I posted about the "Resolution Revolution" and choosing a word for the year. I've finally chosen mine for 2008...2 words actually.

The first is SAVOUR.
I will savour...my family, my friends, the moment, the here and now, enjoying what I have now and being grateful.

The second is RELEASE.
I will release...myself from guilt, from pressure.
Guilt that I'm not doing enough, pressure from trying to do it all and being perfect at everything.

That's the Coles Notes version of my explanations but if you're a mom, wife, friend, sister, daughter, career woman, I'm pretty sure you'll understand.

FRIDAY-FREE-FOR-ALL

2008-01-18T23:19:00.000-05:00

1) Celebrity Apprentice will just not be the same anymore without Gene! Losing him should definitely level the playing field though. I have no idea who will win now.

2) Have you been watching Cashmere Mafia? It's from the same producer as Sex and the City and it is FABULOUS! Very similar to S & the C, 4 women, 2 are married, 2 single, language not quite as colourful since it's prime time TV.
February 7 another show premieres...Lipstick Jungle with Brooke Shields. It's from Candace Bushnell, the woman who wrote the book S & the C was based on. It looks like it's going to be very good too.

3) Did you ever have a song that just drives you crazy? You know the one, the radio plays it over and over, didn't really like it right from the beginning...mine is Paralyzer by Finger Eleven...aagghhhh!

4) My latest downloads..songs I really like and don't care if the radio plays over and over...

Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen (not much of a Bruce fan but can't stop playing this song..LOVE it!)
For The Nights I Can't Remember - Hedley (now I kind of wished we hadn't missed them before Bon Jovi)
Everytime We Touch - Cascada (GREAT dance tune, definitely for movin' and groovin'!)
No Heaven - Champion
I Don't Wanna Be In Love - Good Charlotte
Ready, Set, Don't Go - Billy Ray Cyrus & Miley Cyrus (this is such a nice song. Miley really can sing and Billy Ray's not so bad either!)
Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers (if you saw October Road last week, you'll understand completely!)

5) Tonight on the way home from the daycare, Emily was telling me about a movie that her and her friends were working on. She was talking a mile a minute and she's explaining one part where her classmates Adrianna and Riley were going to be the mom and dad and she says "but they're not going to kiss or anything like that because kissing at our age would be kind of gross!"

6) From the "what are they thinking" files...
I just heard that they're going to make a Magnum P.I. movie and Tom Selleck will NOT be playing Magnum!! Why, because he's too old? If Harrison Ford can do it, so can Tom! Have they not seen him on Las Vegas...he looks great! They are instead going with...Matthew McConaughey...the man who thinks "au naturel" is the way to go. No deodorant...eeewwww!

7) Dallas Cowboys fans weren't happy with Tony Romo dating Jessica Simpson. They blamed her for his poor performance. They're calling her the YOKO ROMO of football! Too funny!

8) Quote of the week...

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shovelling the sidewalk before it stops snowing.
Phyllis Diller

ALMOST A DARWIN AWARD NOMINEE!

2008-01-17T23:45:00.000-05:00

No, not me! The three teenagers I almost ran over tonight!

For those that aren't familiar with the Darwin Awards, this is the Wikepedia description:
A Darwin Award is a tongue-in-cheek honour named after evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin. The Awards have been given for people who "do a service to Humanity by removing themselves from the Gene pool". It is for people who kill themselves accidentally by attempting to do stupid feats.

Ok, my encounter wasn't quite that serious but dammit, it could have been. I was on my way home after the kid's swimming lessons tonight and the one particular road I take coming into our neighbourhood consists of a steep hill and a sharp curve at the bottom. It's also lined with trees on both sides, quite dark and tonight it was wet as well.
I'm just at the bottom starting to go around the curve and I realize that 2 guys SITTING on skateboards have just gone past me on the other side of the road. They came down the hill and around the curve towards me...all dressed in dark colours, barely visible. Oh, but don't worry about them, they'll be fine...they were wearing helmets! While I'm still trying to process what I had just seen, I'm going around the curve and I realize that a third one has just about lost control on the curve coming down the hill and has almost careened into the side of my van!! Trust me, the helmets would NOT have helped!

After you read this next part you can call me a tattletale if you want but I was just trying to do everyone a favour...

I went for a walk shortly after we got home and I happened to see a police cruiser parked down the street so I stopped and told him what had happened. Actually I told him *after* he got over the shock of me scaring the heck out of him! He was sitting in his KITT car working on his computer (that pop culture reference will be lost to anyone under 25!) and I was standing there waiting, not wanting to knock on the window because I thought for sure that would scare him. All of a sudden he turned and saw me standing there and practically jumped out of his skin! He rolls down the window and says "geez you scared me...somebody call the cops!" HA HA HA...funny...and cute...but how helpful would he be in an emergency if little ol' me could scare him! Hmmm....I hope it wasn't the way I looked that scared him! No comment from you readers thank you very much!
Anyway, he said he would check on them and went on his merry little way. I'm not sorry I squealed on them, seriously, they could have killed themselves.

FAVOURITE QUOTES OF 2007

2008-01-16T22:22:00.000-05:00

"I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some, uh, people out there in our nation don't have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and, I believe that they should, uh, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, or, uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future, for our children."
- Caitlin Upton, Miss South Carolina Teen USA

"Where did you two meet, an AMBER Alert?"
- Jack, to Liz , about Liz's much younger date, on 30 Rock

"No. there is an elephant in the way."
- Anonymous, in response to the above physics exam question

"DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE ISLAND IS?"
-Lost writer/producer Carlton Cuse's picket sign

Actual Spirit Airlines Ad
"Not at all ... The most obscene thing we've noticed is what other carriers have charged to fly the Caribbean before Spirit's $9 fares."
- Juan Arbelaez, director of communications for Spirit Airline's Latin American market, when asked whether it was aware that their MILF ("Many Islands, Low Fares") marketing campaign had other implications

THIS ONE'S FOR ALL THE HANDYMEN!

2008-01-15T22:55:00.000-05:00

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!

2008-01-14T16:51:00.000-05:00

Only 3 hours to the return of Prison Break and my favourite Pretend Celebrity Boyfriend! I'll be anxiously awaiting his arrival, welcoming him into my ~~bosom~~ living room for one whole hour! Can't wait!

Oh, and check this out...
I knew there was a reason I liked him so much!

Which Prison Break Character Are You?

WEEKEND UPDATE

2008-01-13T23:19:00.000-05:00

Well, after my Friday night of fun skating with Jesse, the rest of the weekend was much more uneventful...busy, but more of the usual...running here, there and everywhere...without falling down I might add!

Saturday morning I took Emily to cheerleading practice. It was her first day with a competitive team. Last fall, her and two friends wanted to try it and it was just an eight week recreational group. Of course, all three of them loved it and wanted to continue so we're going to try it and see how it goes. At this age, they don't travel far but you still have to be very committed, which is fine. As they progress though, there's a lot more time involved (summer included), of course more money, a lot of fundraising and quite a bit of travelling.

The rest of Saturday consisted of lunch with her one friend and her mom, birthday present shopping for another of Emily's friends whose party was that afternoon (invitation came Tuesday!), and skating lessons for Jesse. That night Tim and I watched Transformers. It's actually a very good movie...non-stop action and a little eye candy in the form of Josh Duhamel!

Today was spent cleaning the house, cleaning out my scrapbooking store (that's what my girlfriends call my over-abundant stash of supplies!), playing Yahtzee, helping Jesse build a home for his Webkinz, and taking Emily to soccer practice.
Tonight was spent watching NEW episodes of shows..how refreshing!
The Amazing Race was really good tonight...I'm so glad Nate and nasty Jennifer are gone! Awww...poor Jenn got eliminated on her birthday...karma's a bitch baby!! I'd be happy to see any of those final 3 teams win. Actually Ronald and Christine would make me the happiest since I have them in our pool at work but I'd really like to see the grandfather/grandson team win.
Brothers and Sisters was great...as always! I love it when the whole family gets together for dinner, you know there's going to be trouble.
Did you see the Golden Globes or what was supposed to pass for them? That's probably my favourite awards show, movies and TV stars all in one. You can always count on Jack Nicholson to be front and centre having a good time and the speeches are usually quite entertaining! Tonight I only turned it on a couple times during commercials of something else. It seemed to be really boring! Did anybody watch the whole thing, did they even talk to any of the winners?

Anyway, how was your weekend? Do anything exciting?

GO WILD!!!

2008-01-12T23:07:00.000-05:00

I found this site on someone's blog (sorry for not giving credit, I can't remember which one). The kids and I had a hoot turning ourselves into wild creatures! Click HERE to have some fun!

This would be me...a BI-FLY-TIGER with bison horns, monarch butterfly wings and a tiger's tail.

Emily is a REIN-POL-IGER-BUTTERFLY...reindeer antlers, polar bear ears, Siberian tiger legs, and Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly wings.

Jesse is a REIN-IGER-AT-LION...reindeer antlers, Siberian tiger legs, bat wings, and and African lion tail.

JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU DON'T HAVE A THING TO BLOG ABOUT...

2008-01-11T23:25:00.000-05:00

You get home from work.
You have something to eat.
You take your son and go to the local arena.
You put your skates on.
You skate together for awhile.
You let your tired son sit on the bench while you go it alone a couple times.
You think your new skates are finally getting broken in.
You think you can skate like you could when you were 20.
You get cocky and speed up.
You come out of the turn like Earnhardt.
You see punk teenager flailing around trying to keep from falling.
You see your life flash before your eyes.
You feel like everything is moving in slow motion.
You see it coming.
You can't stop it.
WHAM!
You're down.
You think your hand and tailbone are broken.
You tell other teenager you're fine but too old for this shit and then have visions of placing your toe pick on said teenager as you realize he asked you...
"Are you ok MA'AM??"
(You really should be grateful there are still polite teenagers out there)
You slink away and resume skating pace set by your 5 year old.
You take skates off.
You go home.

WELCOME...AND PLEASE, SHOW ME WHAT YA' GOT!

2008-01-10T23:36:00.000-05:00

....SORT OF!!!
Chris over at Rude Cactus has declared today to be DELURKER DAY!
I'm barely making it in under the wire...the day is almost at a close and I'm just now getting around to acknowledging it! I'd hate to miss out on all this fun and I'd certainly hate to miss an opportunity to meet anyone who might be lurking and may just want to say "hi"!
For anyone new to blogs and the lingo, a "lurker" is someone who reads a blog but doesn't comment. So just for this one day, as you're passing through, if you wouldn't mind just leaving a quick "hello" I would be ever so grateful. I love getting comments and I would love to know who's reading and if you happen to have a blog I'll be over to visit and say "hi" as well.

Happy Delurker Day to everyone!

A RESOLUTION REVOLUTION

2008-01-09T22:41:00.000-05:00

Some of you may know that I'm not a big fan of New Year's Resolutions...you make them, you break them. Well, I do anyway! Not a great way to start a new year.
The other day as I was going from blog to blog to blog I came across one that had this fabulous idea. If you CLICK HERE you can read what Christine Kane has adopted as her ritual for each new year. Basically, she chooses one word that resonates with her and describes what she wants to accomplish or BE for that upcoming year...DO - HAVE - BE.
She suggests choosing just one word...it gives you greater focus but if more than one stand out, try to narrow it down to no more than three or possibly one for the first half of the year and one for the second half.

Here's a list of words that may help you choose...

Abundance, Accept, Accomplish, Action, Adapt, Adventure, Appreciate, Artist, Aspire, Attention, Attitude, Aware
Balance, Be, Become, Believe, Breathe
Celebrate, Challenge, Change, Cherish, Choose, Commit, Compassion, Complete, Confidence, Connect, Consistency, Content, Control, Courage, Creativity
Dare, Decide, Determination, Direction, Discipline, Discover, Do, Dreams, Dwell
Effortlessness, Embrace, Encourage, Endure, Energy, Enjoy, Enough, Enrich, Enthusiasm, Escape, Evolve, Execution, Explore, Exuberant
Fabulous, Faith, Finish, Flexible, Flourish, Focus, Forgive, Freedom, Friendship, Fulfill, Fun
Give, Go, Grace, Gratitude, Green, Grow, Growth
Health, Home, Honesty, Honor, Hope,
Invest
Journey, Joy
Kindness
Listen, Live, Love
Manage, Me, Motivate, Move
No, Now, Nurture
One, Open, Opportunity, Optimism
Patience, Pause, Peace, Perseverance, Persistence, Perspective, Presence, Prioritize
Reach, Reflect, Reinvention, Rejuvenation, Relax, Release, Remember, Resilience, Resolution, Resolve, Respect, Revive
Savour, Simplify, Smile, Spirit, Spontaneous, Stability, Strive, Strong, Succeed
Teach, Tolerance, Tranquility, Triumph, True, Trust, Try

I'm still trying to pinpoint that one word. I'll definitely do a post when I come up with it.

In the meantime I'd love to know if you decide to choose a word and if so which one and why.

WHAT IS GOING ON??

2008-01-08T21:50:00.000-05:00

Last time I checked, I was pretty sure I was living in Canada, you know C-A-NA-DA...Great White North! It's January for heaven's sake...and it is POURING RAIN out. I just got back in from walking the dog and I'm soaked...not just damp...drenched! It rained most of the day and at lunchtime I thought we were going to get a thunderstorm. This is crazy!
It was 13 degrees here at 6 o'clock tonight. That's celsius for all my American friends...fahrenheit, I'm not sure but let's just say much, much warmer than it ever should be for a January day here. Last week we were freezing..that would be in the area of a whole lot of minus something (ten, fifteen) celsius.

Why walk the dog in the rain you ask? Because I'm making every effort to do some sort of physical activity every day, ok, at least a lot more days than I was, which recently was basically zero! It's NOT a resolution, it's just me doing something that needs to be done. I turn 44 this May so my goal is 44 AND FIT by then...wish me luck, I'll need it.
So far I'm doing ok, not breaking any speed barriers or cardio records, just a little walking and skating so far. Friday night and Sunday afternoon this past weekend Jesse and I went skating and I'm planning on at least one day a weekend becoming a regular outing. Normally Emily would come but Friday she was at a friend's and Sunday she had soccer.
Oh, and it's time to dust off the gym membership again. Now that Christmas is over and the kid's winter activities schedules are set, I'm sure I can find a couple hours a week to get myself back there.
There you have it, I've put it out there for all ~~my 5 readers~~ the world to read! No turning back now...success will be mine!

OH MY!!

2008-01-07T22:57:00.000-05:00

I should have included this on the post with the virtual age and life expectancy test!!

A PICTURE REALLY IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS!

2008-01-06T20:15:00.001-05:00

As many moms will tell you, trying to get that perfect shot of your kids for the annual Christmas card can be, shall we say...~~excruciating~~ difficult.

Click HERE to read one mom's experience. Just start reading at the top and work your way down, don't scroll to the end right away...you'll understand after you've read it. This is The. Best. Card. EVER! Enjoy!

A TEST EVERYONE CAN PASS!

2008-01-05T23:41:00.000-05:00

I found this cool test on Jenn's blog. Click HERE to take it and find out what your virtual age and life expectancy is.

Mine is:

Real Age - 43
Virtual Age - 28
Life Expectancy - 83.2

I know exactly what areas of my life I need to change to improve my age...but that's a whole other post!

If you don't mind sharing the results, please leave a comment and let me know what yours are!

MANY, MANY MOVIES!

2008-01-04T23:41:00.000-05:00

I love the holidays! This year I was off work for a week and a half and it was fabulous. Amidst all the festivities and celebrations I managed to fit in quite a bit of movie watching...one of my favourite pastimes...which you're probably all tired of hearing about!
Anyway, from my own little "critics corner"....

Holly and I finally managed to get together for a movie...actually dinner, shopping and then the movie. We saw P.S. I Love You which stars Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler...aaaaahhhh...oops, sorry, pausing to sigh over dreamy actor with adorable accent.
If you're looking for a chick flick, I would highly recommend this movie. So heartwarming and sad all at the same time. I'm not going to say what it's about because people get upset with me for spilling the beans, which, by the way, I really don't understand, because I don't usually say anything other than what the trailer shows. Shouldn't everyone know that much, especially if they're going to see it, don't you choose movies based on their story?? Sorry, just a small rant in the middle of my review! Anyway, I would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars, unlike my local newspaper critic that gave it 1!
I also have to mention Harry Connick Jr. You have to see this movie if for no other reason than to see him play a very unusual character...he's really very good in this, strange but good.

Another friend and I went to see the highly-anticipated, well, by me anyway, long overdue...National Treasure Book of Secrets. All I will say is that if you liked the first one you will LOVE this one! I liked it better than the first but I know someone else that saw it and said they still liked the first better, so there you go, to each his own. It's just a great adventure movie! Definitely 5 out of 5 from me, same local newspaper guy again gives this one 1 out of 5!

Of course the kids and I had to see a couple movies. First Emily, Jesse, my niece Bailee and I saw Alvin and The Chipmunks. Very cute and very predictable but I really wouldn't have expected anything else from it. The kids loved it and that's all that matters. I would give it 2.5 out of 5, the kids would probably give it 4!

My brother and his crew and Emily and I went to see The Water Horse. This movie was surprisingly very good but it is NOT meant for young children. It's rated PG for good reason. It's not all "oh, look at the cute little water creature!" like the commercials show. I don't want to discourage anyone from going, it really is a very good movie, and you know your kids and what they can handle. I would probably give this movie 3 or 3.5 out of 5...I know, wishy washy, can't decide!

The rest of my movies were all rentals. First I saw Waitress with Kerri Russell. I had heard from a few people how much they liked this movie and they were right. Kerri Russell is great in it and Andy Griffith has a small but definitely scene-stealing part and the scenes between the two of them are some of my favourites.
Then I watched The Contract with Morgan Freeman and John Cusack. I picked it simply because of who was in it. I'd never heard of it before, obviously went straight to DVD which is never a good sign. I can see why, it was ok, but definitely average. I expect more, especially from those guys, they're two of my favourites.
This was the last one I saw a couple nights ago...The Kingdom. I had wanted to see it when it was in the theatres but never got around to it and then I didn't know what to expect since it didn't do very well when it was out. It was FANTASTIC! It centres around an FBI team that goes to Saudi Arabia to try to discover who was responsible for bombing inside an American compound. It really makes you feel like you might actually be getting some sense of what they're going through over there in the war and this is only a small piece of it. It was very powerful...especially the ending. Definitely 5 out of 5!

There you have it, my very long winded movie reviews for the last month. Don't worry, there's not much coming out in the near future (except 27 Dresses!) so I won't be bombarding you all at once.

If you've seen any of these I'd love to know what you think...agree or disagree?

YOU'RE FIRED!!!

2008-01-03T22:25:00.001-05:00

Well, did you watch? The premiere of Celebrity Apprentice just finished and it definitely looks promising. Omarosa is still manipulative, arrogant and basically...a bitch! If you've never watched The Apprentice before, Omarosa is from the first season and really made quite a name for herself, not in a good way though.
Oops....I better put SPOILER ALERT here before I get in trouble for divulging too much information.

STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHO GOT FIRED!!!!!

I was glad to see the men's team win, they deserved to. They worked hard and used their celebrity to their full advantage. And what can you say about Gene Simmons...the man really is a rock star, without even trying! He is definitely going to add a lot of spice to this show. I would be very surprised if he wasn't in the final two. He's just too cool behind those glasses...sssssmokin'! Not sure what he's got going on with that hair though...he and Trump...same barber??
I think Stephen Baldwin will add some comic relief to the men's team. Off topic for a minute, did anyone besides me watch Celebrity Mole? The first season had Stephen Baldwin, Corbin Bernsen, Kathy Griffin and Ahmad Rashad was the host. There were 7 contestants all together but Stephen and Corbin were hilarious together!
Anyway, it should be an interesting season. As much as I dislike Omarosa, I think I'd like her to stick around awhile..not win, just stay long enough to irritate everyone. She really got under Pier's skin tonight! I enjoy him, very outspoken.
I'm not sure about the women's team. They seem sort of lackluster. Aaaaww...and the poor male viewers..the playboy bunny is gone!
If you watched, what did you think...yay or nay??

iPOD MEME

2008-01-02T23:31:00.000-05:00

I had seen this meme quite a while ago on several blogs but at the time I either didn't have my iPod yet or didn't have enough songs loaded on it to bother. A couple days ago Alissa, who is now the proud owner of an iPod, put it on her blog so I thought I would follow suit. If you haven't done it before, why not give it a whirl. The answers can be quite funny. I SWEAR I followed the instructions, I did NOT skip songs!! When you see some of the ones that turned up on mine, you may not believe it...they're priceless, but this really is the order they came up!! Pinky promise (or whatever that is!)!!

Here are the instructions:
1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question.
4. NO CHEATING.

1) What does next year have in store for you?

SOMETHING MORE by Sugarland

2) What does your love life look like next year?

BEHIND BLUE EYES by Limp Bizkit

3) What do you say when life gets hard?

DAYS GO BY by Dirty Vegas

4) Song that reminds you of good times?

BEFORE HE CHEATS by Carrie Underwood

5) What do you think when you get up in the morning?

I'M ON MY WAY by The Proclaimers

6) What song will you dance to at your wedding?

WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG by The Killers

7) Song that reminds you of your first kiss?

WEAK IN THE KNEES by Serena Ryder

8) Your favourite saying?

YOU'LL BE IN MY HEART by Phil Collins

9) Favourite place?

FAST CARS AND FREEDOM by Rascal Flatts

10) Most Missed Memory?

CHASING CARS by Snow Patrol

11) What song describes your best friend?

A REAL FINE PLACE TO START by Sara Evans

12) What song describes your ex?

NOBODY'S PERFECT by Hannah Montana

13) Where would you go on a first date?

LIFE IS A HIGHWAY by Rascal Flatts

14) Drug of choice?

I LOVE YOU ALWAYS FOREVER by Donna Lewis

15) What song describes yourself?

DRIVE TO YOU by Jewel

16) What is the thing you like doing most?

YOU RAISE ME UP by Josh Groban

17) Where will you be in 10 years?

HOME by Daughtry

18) Your love life right now?

ROCKSTAR by Nickelback

19) What is your state of mind like at the moment?

I WANNA TALK ABOUT ME by Toby Keith

20) How will you die?

RIVER by Sarah McLachlan

Ok, that last one kind of creeps me out!
..and #10..what the hell...did I used to be a cop or a German Shepherd!
#12 and 19...totally cracked me up!!!

Let me know if you play along, I'd love to read your list!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-01-01T23:08:00.001-05:00

I was going to do the meme that Susan did on her blog (the first sentence of the first post of each month from 2007) but as I looked through my posts I realized they almost all referred to some sort of excuse or apology for not blogging recently! It was kind of funny, kind of sad in a way. Well, no more of those...apologies, I mean..lol!! What you see is what you get! But here I am starting out the new year right...first day, first post. Hmmm...how long will it last? I give it a day or two! I'm not making any promises or any of those ridiculous resolutions, I'm just going to do my best! Oh my gosh, I'm such a mother..."just try and do your very best, if you've done you're best, you can be proud of yourself". Gee, I'm not sure that applies to a 43 year old who's "best" is held back by sheer exhaustion or just plain laziness sometimes! But I have managed to do this blogging thing for over a year now so I'm not about to quit but daily posts, sometimes even weekly posts, may be a bit much to ask but here we go....welcome to 2008! I hope the coming year brings you all the joy, peace and happiness you want and deserve. HAPPY NEW YEAR and thanks so much for reading!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2007-12-25T01:07:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to wish all my fellow bloggers and blog readers a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Whether you're enjoying this type of Christmas....

or this one...

I hope your Christmas is everything you hoped it would be!

MY POOR BLOG!!

2007-12-19T23:34:00.000-05:00

When I finished my last post for the month of November, I thought I would try really hard to continue posting every day, even if it was just something quick. Well, what the hell happened?? I'll tell you what happened, December started moving, my countdown tree kept blinking, my kids kept doing...what kids do, I kept doing...what I do...AND then to top it off I have to get ready for Christmas! Well, something had to give...besides the Bank of Judy...to every retail establishment within 50 miles! I guess my poor blog had to suffer. Actually this past week everything has. Not only have I not posted on my own blog, I haven't been reading all my favourites or commenting and my poor Scrabble games on Facebook...well, it's all I can do to keep up with...all 10 of them (slight exaggeration!). I KNOW...the injustice of it all! Yes, poor me! HA...yea, me and all the rest of you moms out there!
This time of year just seems to get busier every year and slip away even faster. Actually, I don't mind all the frenzy of the holiday season but I really do hate how quickly it goes by and is all over for another year.
This past Saturday my girlfriend and I took our daughters to see Hannah Montana. (Yes, post to follow!) Not the most convenient time of year considering everything else there is to do and it certainly didn't help when Sunday, everything was pretty much at a stand still from the snow storm. That really threw a wrench in my plans!
Then Monday night the kids finished this session of swimming lessons, Tuesday morning was Jesse's Christmas concert at school, Tuesday night was Emily's, tonight Emily had piano....and on and on. In the midst of this I'm helping them get their teacher gifts ready...for school and daycare. I bought these cardboard flower shaped boxes at my favourite scrapping store when they had their big sale so now I've got the kids painting and decorating them (yes, post to follow!) as well as making cards for everyone. I didn't even make my own cards this year..and I STILL only got them mailed out this morning! Then to top it off, my co-workers decided we should all bring in treats tomorrow. No, I didn't buy something pre-made! Sheepishly she confesses...I got my husband to make chocolate cupcakes for me! Of course, I'll ~~pass them off as my own~~ give him all the credit!
Today I also went through all the kids gifts...good grief...there seemed to be bags in every closet of the house! After hauling everything out, I realized I have too much stuff for Jesse and not enough for Emily! I have no idea how I managed that!
Anyway, this is my little mid-December full-of-excuses post...also full of exclamation points I see! That's because I'M EXCITED, EXHAUSTED and RUNNING ON ADRENALIN...ALL AT THE SAME TIME...which makes me talk faster, type faster (and too much by the looks of this!) and not slow down until every gift is unwrapped and every shortbread cookie and chocolate cupcake is eaten!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANDY!! LOVE YOU!!!

2007-12-15T23:31:00.000-05:00

I CAN'T WAIT!!

2007-12-12T22:54:00.000-05:00

Thursday, January 3 is the premiere of CELEBRITY APPRENTICE!! I think this is going to be "must-see" tv. I watched the first few seasons of the Apprentice and really enjoyed them but after that they really started to lose their appeal. But this is one I'm not going to miss...well, I'll give it a shot anyway! The end result of this one is not a job with Trump, it's to raise money for their favourite charities.
Check out the list of candidates...Omarosa, Gene Simmons...I can't wait until they get into it!

TRACE ADKINS is a country music star with seven studio albums. He has had twenty-three singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, with two of those singles -- "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing" and "Ladies Love Country Boys" – hitting No. 1.

CAROL ALT is a successful model/actress with over 700 covers and 65 films. She currently has her own natural cosmetics line and is an advocate for the health benefits of eating raw.

STEPHEN BALDWIN is an actor best known for his role in the 1995 film "The Usual Suspects". A born-again Christian, he travels the country as a speaker and is a best-selling religious author.

NADIA COMANECI burst into the limelight as the star of the 1976 Montreal Olympics, is the most celebrated gymnast of our time. The diminutive Romanian eventually produced a lifetime Olympic medal haul of five golds, three silvers and one bronze and she has left behind a competitive record which will be virtually impossible to match. In 2005, FOX.com considered her one of the "Greatest Athletes in 150 years of Sports History". Comaneci will be the new face of L'Oreal cosmetics

TIFFANY FALLON was named Playboy's Playmate of the Year for 2005. She is married to Joe Don Rooney from the chart-topping country band, Rascal Flatts. Fallon was also Miss Georgia USA 2001 and holds a sports marketing degree from Florida State University as well as being the host of IFL Battleground.

JENNIE FINCH won a gold medal as a member of the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Softball team. She was the first woman to host "This Week In Baseball" for FOX Sports. Finch markets the Jennie Finch Windmill, an invention of her father's to improve softball pitching technique.

NELY GALÁN Latina media dynamo dubbed the "Tropical Tycoon" by The New York Times Magazine, is the former President of the powerhouse Telemundo network. Her company Galán Entertainment has produced over 600 episodes in Spanish and English including the hit reality series THE SWAN. Galán is developing "The New You," a daytime series set to launch on NBC in 2008 that touts health, wellness and beauty for women, and is already attracting legions of fans through its website www.thenewyoutv.com, and its branded segments on "The Today Show."

MARILU HENNER is a 5 time Golden Globe nominated actress who memorably starred in "Taxi" and "Evening Shade" as well as countless films and Broadway shows. Marilu's passion for health led to a second career as a public speaker and New York Times best-selling author of 7 books on diet, health and lifestyle. Her new book, Wear Your Life Well (HarperCollins), will be released in April 2008. As an online pioneer Marilu launched www.marilu.com 10 years ago, creating a huge cyber-community that offers classes, blogs, expert advice, and support for her members.

LENNOX LEWIS is a former heavyweight-boxing champion – a three-time champion, a distinction shared with Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield.

OMAROSA was the breakout star of the premiere season of "The Apprentice." She previously served as Deputy Associate Director of Presidential Personnel at the White House for then President Bill Clinton.

PIERS MORGAN is currently a judge on NBC's talent show hit "America 's Got Talent." He created First News, a newspaper for kids, and is a former British tabloid editor. He has written bestselling books such as "The Insider" and "Don't You Know Who I Am?"

TITO ORTIZ is an Ultimate Fighting Champion – holds the record for light heavyweight fighting from 2000-2003. He has his own clothing line, and is developing a new XBOX game.

VINCENT PASTORE was an actor in the Emmy winning series, "The Sopranos". He was the voice of Luca in "Shark Tale" and hosts "The Wise Guy Show" on Sirius Satellite Radio's Raw Dog Comedy channel. Pastore has been passionately involved in the music industry, starting his career running nightclubs and music venues. He is soon to star on Broadway in " Chicago".

GENE SIMMONS is best known for his persona in the band KISS, as well as his many other flourishing businesses such as his fashion label and KISS merchandise. He was an elementary school teacher, considered being a rabbi, and produced Van Halen's demo that got them signed to Warner Brothers Records in 1977. He is currently taping his reality show "Gene Simmons Family Jewels."

WEEKEND...WHAT WEEKEND?

2007-12-11T22:47:00.000-05:00

Figured I better finish posting about last weekend or the next one will be here before I finish. I can't believe how quickly time is going by. That damn little blinking Christmas tree on my sidebar doesn't help either!

Anyway, back to my busy little weekend. Saturday my kids went to my Mom's for a sleepover so they could help her decorate her house and her Christmas tree. Once I got them all ready to go, my sister-in-law Cindy and I headed to Toronto for the day. We were originally just going to the Leafs game but I decided we should make a day of it and I would drag her to a couple of my favourite warehouse sales for some Christmas shopping.

First stop was Samko. I LOVE this place! I go at least once every holiday season (they're only open from September to December) and usually end up getting most of the stocking stuffers I need as well as quite a few of the gifts for all the kids I need to buy for. I wasn't sure if I would find much for my kids this year because they're starting to ask for more specific gifts. Samko has a lot of variety but a lot of the time it might be the toys that were popular a year ago. For example, they had items for Barbie, the 12 Dancing Princesses which was last year's big Barbie set. This year there was also a lot of Dora and Sponge Bob stuff.
I managed to get my niece's gifts and most of the stocking stuffers my mom wanted me to get for her for all the kids. The best for me though this year was the selection of books! I love buying my kids books, I know I go overboard. We have so many books in our house already but they love them so as far as I'm concerned they're worth every penny. This year's selection was much bigger than last year's. They had all sorts of chapter books that they don't normally have and they were only ONE DOLLAR EACH! I got Emily a bunch of Lizzie McGuire Mystery books. They also had Raven, Madison Finn, Secrets of Droon and many more. A lot of Christmas books I'd never seen as well as a lot of workbooks for various ages. I'd highly recommend this place for anyone with young children.

Next stop was the Umbra sale that I had so much fun at last year. It's a two day only sale and last year I went late in the afternoon on the Sunday. This year going Saturday afternoon was NOT such a good idea! I had told Cindy how great this was going to be. Was I ever wrong! It was completely picked over, practically empty. I didn't buy anything and she only bought one frame for $5. I couldn't believe it. The cashier said some people started lining up the night before. I don't know if people realize though, they replenish everything for Sunday morning again. Maybe that's why I had such good luck that afternoon last year. Oh well, live and learn for next year I guess.

Last stop, the Leafs game. I was very excited..the Leafs were playing my Bruins. Actually I didn't put much stock in my team winning but they managed to pull out a 2-1 win! Cindy sat there in her lovely pink and white Leafs shirt while I cheered for the Bruins all by myself...and I do mean by myself. I was definitely in the minority in our little section. I didn't care...especially since we were winning!

Besides the Bruins winning, another highlight was the fact we only spent $4 on parking...total...at both the Umbra sale and the hockey game! It should have been $11 at Umbra but this guy leaving sold us his ticket for $4 which we then decided to take our chances and use at the ACC parking lot as well which was charging $25. We looked in other people's vehicles and the tickets were almost identical and ours was good until midnight so we tried it. Luck was on our side...no parking ticket when we came out!

Oh, I almost forgot. On the way home we stopped at a Toys R Us that was open until midnight. I think I'm done shopping now...I MUST be done! (I'm not quite done yet..lol!)

Sunday morning since the kids weren't home and my husband went and played hockey first thing, I SLEPT UNTIL 11:00 AM! That was so...necessary! I was wiped!
The rest of the day was spent running around...picking up kids, taking Emily to soccer practice and Christmas shopping. My house is a disaster! Very little got done around here this weekend. Thank goodness the trees and decorations were put up the weekend before!

...and how was your weekend?

HE'S NO PHIL BUT....

2007-12-10T23:00:00.000-05:00

He is DEFINITELY HOT!!! Jon Bon Jovi...that's who!
Marianne, Marlene, her friend Rosemary and I went to see Bon Jovi Friday night. What a great concert! We had a blast!
First we went to dinner at our regular pre-event spot...the Hot House in downtown Toronto. I would highly recommend it...great food, decent prices, kid friendly and THE best french fries EVER!
Hedley opened for Bon Jovi but because of traffic and enjoying a ~~alcohol filled~~ leisurely dinner, we ended up missing them and getting there just as Jon came out. We were all ok with that, none of us really cared if we saw Hedley or not.
Bon Jovi started playing at 8:15 and didn't stop until 10:30. It was solid hits, one after the other. The screaming ~~sex-crazed cougars~~ crowd was unbelievable. When we left our ears weren't ringing but we had "tunnel head"...you felt hollow like you were talking in a tunnel. For the rest of the night we all over compensated by talking too loud I'm sure.
We had great seats for this concert. We were in the 17th row on the floor, dead centre...amazing!
I don't have one of my fabulous iMovies put together yet but here are a few pictures...

IN A PINCH

2007-12-06T22:43:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to shamelessly plug a new business venture that my friends Sheri and Judy have started. If you're a scrapbooker with very little time on your hands, you may want to check it out.
Their business is called In A Pinch Designs and centres around kits that you can purchase and complete in a very short amount of time or even...in a pinch! How creative!
They've set up a website and a blog which you can check out here and here. As well as kits they're also going to offer online classes.
Good luck ladies...I'm sure it will be a huge success!!

MOVIE MEME

2007-12-05T21:49:00.000-05:00

I found this meme on Alissa's blog...all about movies...my kind of meme!

Go to the AFI Top 100 list and select:

1) Your favorite five movies that are on the list.

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Star Wars
Sound of Music
E.T.
Wizard of Oz
American Graffiti
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
M*A*S*H
Tootsie
My Fair Lady
Yes, I realize that's 10 but I'm copping out on #2 so this hopefully makes up for it.

2) Five movies on the list you didn’t like at all.

There aren't many movies I really don't like and I really can't pick 5, even 1, so I'm skipping this one. Perhaps it has something to do with my really bad memory...did I see Dances with Wolves...not sure but I'm thinking I didn't like that one. I'm going to have to start going down the list and watching them again.

3) Five movies on the list you haven’t seen but want to.

Some Like It Hot
The French Connection
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Apartment
Bringing Up Baby

4) Five movies on the list you haven’t seen and have no interest in seeing.

Yankee Doodle Dandy
All Quiet on the Western Front
Duck Soup (Marx Brothers)
Frankenstein
Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin)

5) Your favorite five movies that aren’t on the list.

Ok, I'm improvising a bit on this one too. I can't think of all my favourites at the moment (I'll do a separate post sometime) so since the Top 100 list was compiled in 1998 I did a bit of googling and chose 5 movies from 1998 or earlier.
Usual Suspects
Shawshank Redemption
Seven (definitely on my favourites list!)
When Harry Met Sally (also on my favourites)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

6) Improvising again...bonus question..nothing to do with the AFI list! Your favourite five Christmas/holiday movies.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Miracle on 34th Street
Bells of St. Marys
White Christmas
Scrooged (Bill Murray)

There you have it....consider yourself tagged if you’re interested.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A WICKED MOOD WHEN....

2007-12-04T21:32:00.000-05:00

...you're in the kitchen getting dinner ready (yes, I was cooking!), your kids are in the family room nearby watching a Franklin the Turtle Christmas episode, you hear them say Franklin's grandpa has broken his leg and you immediately think....do they shoot turtles when they break a leg???

Enough said!

MY TOP 20

2007-12-02T22:44:00.000-05:00

One of my favourite things about Christmas is the music. I usually start playing it in November for myself and the kids and carry on with it well in to the new year. I decided to do a Top 20 list that includes some old favourites as well as current ones.
They are in no particular order but the first 7 are the ones that definitely get played over and over right now.

1) Let It Be Christmas - Alan Jackson
2) The First Noel - Josh Groban and Faith Hill
3) River - Sarah McLachlan
4) Song For A Winter's Night - Sarah McLachlan (This one really isn't about Christmas but it's included on her holiday album so I'm adding it to my list. I absolutely LOVE this song, any time of year.)
5) Do They Know It's Christmas - Barenaked Ladies
6) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings - Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLachlan
7) Joy To The World - Jewel
8) Snoopy's Christmas - Royal Guardsmen
9) The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) - The Chipmunks (Doesn't this song automatically make you start swaying back and forth when you hear it? lol!!)
10) Do You Hear What I Hear - Whitney Houston
11) Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord - Boney M
12) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Instrumental) - Kenny G
13) Christmas/Sarajevo 12/24 (Instrumental) - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
14) The Little Drummer Boy - Bob Seger
15) Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2
16) Winter Wonderland - Eurythmics
17) I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - John Mellencamp
18) Merry Christmas Baby - Bruce Springsteen (this one's for you and you know who you are..lol!)
19) Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby & David Bowie
20) Christmas Day - Dido

Oh, and for Marianne, I'm giving honorable mention to O Holy Night by Josh Groban. :-)

Please let me know what your favourites are. I'm sure I've probably missed some classics.

YIPPEE!!!

2007-11-30T10:16:00.000-05:00

TO ME!!!!

I can't believe I did it! 30 posts in 30 days...NaBloPoMo is complete! Don't be surprised if I take a few days off but I'll definitely be back.

Have a great weekend and thanks for visiting!

TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL - PART 2

2007-11-29T23:53:00.000-05:00

The second movie that Marianne and I saw was called CLEANER...not THE Cleaner, just Cleaner. It starred Samuel Jackson, Ed Harris, Eva Mendes and was directed by Renny Harlin. Remember Renny Harlin? Used to be married to Geena Davis and when they were filming The Long Kiss Goodnight in the Muskokas, the Windemere House resort burnt down supposedly because of lights used for filming.
Anyway, I digress, as usual. I was really looking forward to this movie. Great cast, interesting plot, thriller. The movie centred around Samuel Jackson who played a crime scene cleaner. Yes, the companies that go in after they're done investigating a crime scene and have to clean up all the evidence...eeewwww! Unwittingly he ends up cleaning up after a crime scene that was never reported. See, sounds good doesn't it?? Well, if you ever get a chance to watch it, please let me know what you think because this movie will never find itself on my top 10 all-time movies list...not even top 100! It was just very slow and not much of a thriller.
It was nice to see Samuel Jackson at the premiere though. I was really hoping to see Ed Harris but he didn't show up.
I don't think this movie made it to any theatres and I haven't heard of it coming out on DVD yet either so maybe we're part of an exclusive group that will be the only people to ever see it! Oh well, we had a great time in spite of the movie. I must say though, I felt like a real hypocrite giving Samuel a standing ovation after it was finished...BRAVO...GREAT MOVIE...NOT!
Samuel Jackson and Renny Harlin (and Marianne in between them in the reflection of the mirror!)

TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL

2007-11-28T21:50:00.002-05:00

Yes, another "timely" post! Ok, so the Film Festival was in September...better late than never is my policy.
This year Marianne and I went to the Festival and saw two movies. The first was the Jane Austen Book Club. This is a great "chick flick". I'd have to say it was probably one of my favourite movies this year. I assume it will be out on video soon since it's been gone from the theatres for quite some time. I believe they only did a limited release to certain theatres and it never did come to our area.
The movie is about a group of people who start a book club and decide to read Jane Austen books. As they're reading the books, their lives begin to parallel those of the characters.
I was concerned about seeing the movie since I had not read any of Austen's books but it really didn't matter. I think if you have read them you will love it even more though.
We had a great time and once again I got my fill of celebrity sightings!

The adorable Jimmy Smits...who, when we were standing outside in line, would NOT under any circumstances roll down the window of his limo and give us just a little wave!

Maria Bello...who usually has blonde hair. I almost didn't recognize her.

Maggie Grace...who all you Lost fans should apparently recognize.

Kathy Baker (Picket Fences), Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy and Private Practice), Hugh Dancy and Jimmy Smits.

Part 2, Movie 2...To Be Continued...

MY FAVOURITE THINGS

2007-11-27T23:24:00.000-05:00

Actually they are Oprah's favourite things but from her list of 20 favourites I've chosen 8 things that would definitely be on my wish list this year....

Samsung Progressive HD Camcorder...very compact

Melamime Bowls, Measuring Cups and Spoons from Williams-Sonoma...for when I'm not being a LAZY COOK!

Discovery Channel's Planet Earth DVD Set...actually bought it for myself already (Costco...$59.99)!

HDTV Refrigerator with Weather & Info. Centre...because I'm definitely not a LAZY EATER!

Scrabble Premier Edition from Hasbro...I love Scrabble!

United Artists 90th Anniversary Prestige Collection...worth over $800...90 DVD's...a movie lover's dream gift!

Shaklee Get Clean Starter Kit...environmentally friendly!

Josh Groban's Noel CD...a fabulous Christmas CD...just downloaded it and LOVE it!

So there it is...just in case any of you were wondering what to get me for Christmas this year! :-)

What's on your wish list...and have you been naughty or nice??

MY NIGHT WITH GENESIS!

2007-11-26T23:37:00.000-05:00

I'm finally getting around to...yes, the amazing Genesis concert or as I like to call it...Phil and the boys! Sorry true blue Genesis fans, I don't mean to upset anyone but to me Genesis is Phil...and yes, he CAN dance!

Anyway, back in September, yes, long, long ago, my dear friends Marianne, Marlene and I went to see Genesis at the new BMO soccer field in Toronto...outdoors on a Friday night in September! As we were driving into Toronto to have dinner first, it started to sprinkle, then rain...not exactly the weather we were hoping for. Marlene (the prepared for anything one) of course had bought us all rain ponchos just for this special occasion! But wait, the story takes a delightful turn...by the time we finished dinner, the rain had stopped and it was a beautiful night...absolutely perfect!
The concert was amazing! Phil sang, he played drums, he talked, he was funny....aaahh, I could go on all night. The only bad part was having to endure the ridicule from my dear friend Marlene who insisted on mocking Phil's wardrobe changes, which consisted of him, wearing black pants, shirt and jacket, taking off the jacket and putting it back on. It was slightly amusing..well, to us anyway, and I'm sure only us!

I should have posted this ages ago because now I'm forgetting some of the details. I may have to edit after Marianne reads this and comments. I do remember that she really enjoyed the two big instrumental numbers they did whereas I just wanted them to keep playing hit after hit.

Anyway, here is my very first iMovie! I'm quite proud of it so please be kind! It was very easy to put together on my mac but I had a heck of a time getting it to upload and when I did the quality was terrible. After much tweaking and trying this is the final product, a little better anyway. Please excuse my intensely high level of glee in the middle of it...not a drop of alcohol in my system...but it may have had something to do with the Doobie Brothers that sat in front of us! Oh, who am I kidding, I'm always goofy!

TAKING A BREAK!

2007-11-25T23:21:00.000-05:00

Well, it had to happen! I've been posting now for 24 days straight so today, I am giving myself permission to basically slack off! It's late and I'm tired, as always, and I just don't have the time or energy to put anything substantial together.
It's not that I don't have anything to say, you should know better than that..lol! So for today, this is all you get. Hope you'll come back and check in tomorrow! I'd miss you if you didn't!

IT'S ENCHANTING!

2007-11-24T23:33:00.000-05:00

Emily and I went to see Enchanted today. Ever since I saw the trailer for this movie I've been so looking forward to seeing it. It did not disappoint at all! Right from the beginning where the princess is banished to a place where there is no happily ever after (turns out to be New York City) to the end where she is saved by "love's true kiss", it's just a delightful spin on a modern day fairy tale.
Amy Adams that plays the princess is wonderful in this movie and absolutely cute as a button! And ladies, if you enjoy watching Patrick Dempsey as McDreamy every week, I can almost guarantee you will enjoy him in this movie where he plays a cynical divorce lawyer and single father that hasn't quite found his one true love.
Em and I both really enjoyed this movie. I'd definitely recommend it...very entertaining!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and check on the mice and see how they're coming along with my gown for the Christmas Ball! Oh, damn, I keep forgetting...it's only a dream...I'm not REALLY a princess!!

MY VISUAL DNA

2007-11-23T23:55:00.000-05:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

What's your Visual DNA??

LOOK WHO CAME TO VISIT ME TODAY....

2007-11-22T22:57:00.000-05:00

WHY YOU SHOULD STICK TO THE TRAILS

2007-11-21T23:11:00.000-05:00

In honour of all the snow we're supposed to be getting tonight...

(turn down volume if children around..small curse word near end)

I know how the poor guy feels. I have also had a slight altercation with a tree while driving a snowmobile. Ok, before you ridicule, I didn't drive straight into the tree. I was going around a curve, it was icy, it got away...oh, and it wasn't MY snowmobile...it was my future mother-in-laws! Yes, I know, just perfect...shortly after, I went out and bought my own, which is still in one piece thank you very much!

I'M RANTING...NO TIME FOR COOKING!

2007-11-20T23:54:00.000-05:00

Well, it's almost midnight and...
I . have . to . post
I . have . to . post
I . have . to . post...

There was a really cool website I wanted to talk about. It's not working at the moment.
There was something from another website I wanted to show you. It's not working either.

I'm too tired to put together anything else that would even seem slightly insightful so I'm just going to ramble on for a couple moments.
Actually, maybe I'll rant instead. I was having a conversation today with a friend about cooking and how I can but don't really like to and they called me a....LAZY COOK...humph!!! So just to prove them wrong I'm posting one of our regulars that everyone (including the kids!) seems to enjoy...

Beef & Mozzarella Bake

1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. basil
1 can Tomato with Basil & Oregano Soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella
4 cups cooked macaroni

Brown beef, add basil. Drain fat. Stir in soup, water, and 1 cup mozza. Add macaroni. Put in casserole dish. Put 1/2 cup mozza. on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

See, I'm not a lazy cook, ok, I didn't really cook it today but I could have! That didn't really make my case did it? Well, I put it on Bridget's blog when she was looking for meal ideas. That took some effort...lazy...what-evah!!!

MY LITTLE CANADIAN IDOL

2007-11-19T23:34:00.000-05:00

...Gospel version.

Please excuse the big sniffle in the middle..he had a cold when he decided to put on this little performance.

...and I could not convince him that the word is proclaim...not progay!

A MAGICAL MOVIE!

2007-11-18T23:22:00.000-05:00

I took the kids to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium yesterday. It was simply, well...wonder-ful! It's full of magic and whimsy and just plain fun. Oh, there's that sad part in the middle of the movie but don't let that discourage you. It's integral to the story and overall, the movie is fun and heartwarming. It reminds us that as adults, we shouldn't lose that childlike wonder we all used to have.
We all really enjoyed it and the kids also thought it was very cool that we were the first ones in the theatre.

I hope everyone has a great week ahead of them and remember to make a little magic of your own!!

WELCOME TO CHAPTERS...

2007-11-17T19:19:00.000-05:00

...and thanks for letting us gouge you right in your pocketbook!!

Have you been to Chapters lately? They have a big sign as soon as you walk in that explains why their prices aren't the same as the U.S. prices...old stock, publisher's set the prices....blah, blah, blah. What a crock!!
I try not to shop there unless I absolutely have to as it is. The prices on books are ridiculous! I try to get as many books as I can from either Scholastic or Costco. I can't believe how much cheaper they always are.
I decided to do some price comparisons last week. Emily wanted a book called High School Musical All Access.
At Chapters they had a sticker price of $23 on it which covered up the Canadian price of $24 I believe and I can't remember what the US price was but it was lower than $23...$19 I think. Oooh...how big of them to lower the price by a dollar!
That same book in the Scholastic order we just got was priced at $20. Ready for this? The Costco price was....$13!!!!!
Another kids book I looked at was $20 at Chapters and $12 at Costco!
Unfortunately a lot of the books on Emily's Christmas list are only available at Chapters so unfortunately I'm going to have to break down and pay their inflated prices. I'm going to wait until the last minute though and hope that by then the prices have come down even more. Merry Christmas to me!

LET IT SNOW...

2007-11-16T23:45:00.000-05:00

Today is another quick post...another web site for you to check out. Be warned though, this one is very addictive!
I can also guarantee your kids will love it. Mine remembered it from last year and have already been asking to go on it again.
It doesn't take long to get the hang of it but once you do, you will want to keep making more, and try to make them more elaborate.
On the home page when you put your cursor over the falling ones you will see ones other people make. Some of them are absolutely amazing.
I'm not going to tell you what it is that you're making, you have to check it out for yourself. Just CLICK HERE.

No, really, try it...don't be a flake!!

COOL SITE

2007-11-15T23:14:00.000-05:00

Not much to say today so I'm just going to make this a quick one and tell you about this cool site I found.
It's called "FreeRice" and if you CLICK HERE you can do your part to help feed the hungry and at the same time, improve your vocabulary.

I took this right off their site...

FreeRice is a sister site of the world poverty site, Poverty.com.

FreeRice has two goals:

1) Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
2) Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

This is made possible by the sponsors who advertise on this site.
Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your vocabulary can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself.
Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person is eating rice that you helped provide.

So if you have a moment, please check it out and maybe learn a new word or two...perhaps become more COGNIZANT (which means AWARE). :-)

A MEME UPDATE

2007-11-14T23:23:00.001-05:00

I apparently need to update my meme from yesterday since it appears I missed a question. An accident you ask? Nope, I left it out on purpose. I just couldn't come up with anything profound, witty or otherwise.

The question went something like this...
If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things, what would you say?

I don't think my attempt today will be much better, especially since it's close to midnight and my "giddy hour" but here goes...

1) Pay attention in Home Economics. You might actually have to cook for people other than yourself and it may require more than peanut butter as the main ingredient.

2) Don't overlook the short boys, someday you may not care.

3) Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.

4) Save yourself for marriage. HA HA HA...that's a good one, who the hell wants to buy a car without test driving it first!!

Oh, and I'd like to make sure I don't go on a trip with any of you ladies since NONE of you (well, I didn't either) put underwear on your list of clothing to take on a weekend getaway! EEEWWW...what is wrong with you people! :-)

READY, SET, MEME!

2007-11-13T21:05:00.001-05:00

This meme started on Alissa's blog and I thought I'd give it a whirl. This may come as a surprise to many of you who may have emailed me something similar at one point or another and never, ever got a response. Yes, you can usually count on me to be the "least likely to respond". This one was quite a bit different than most I've seen and it's amazing what I'll do for NaBloPoMo!

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments.. what is it?

1) Produce: Raspberries
2) Bakery: Cheese Buns
3) Meat: Chicken
4) Frozen Foods: Mixed Vegetables
5) Dry Goods: Wagon Wheels :-)

Let’s say we’re heading out for a weekend getaway. You’re only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what’s in your bag?

1) Jeans
2) Purple sweater
3) Big long sleepy shirt

If I was to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?

1) Really?
2) Emily, please don't tease your brother.
3) Jesse, please keep your hands to yourself.
4) Did you flush AND wash your hands?
5) Did you use soap?

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn’t get to do, you probably wouldn’t be in the best mood?

1) Kid(s) time
2) Blog time
3) Boob Tube time

You just scored a whole afternoon to yourself. We’re talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?

1) Organizing/editing photos
2) Blogging/Facebooking/Googling/Emailing
3) Catching up on taped shows/movies
4) Cleaning/decluttering
5) Going to the gym (HA..that's a good one!)

We’re going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it’ll have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?

1) Monkeys
2) Elephants
3) Giraffes

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on t.v. of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?

1) Prison Break
2) Bones
3) Brothers & Sisters
4) Grey's Anatomy

You’re hungry for ice cream. I’ll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?

1) Chocolate
2) Vanilla
3) Chocolate

Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what’s in there?

1) Cell Phone
2) Kleenex for kids noses
3) Ticket from kids movie
4) Pen/paper for kids to draw on
5) Card for kids dentist appointment
Did I mention I have kids??

You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let’s pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?

1) Paparazzi
2) Race Car Driver
3) Phil Mikelson's caddy
4) Nanny for Brangelina

Ok dear readers...your turn.

BLOG TO BLOG TO BLOG

2007-11-12T23:11:00.001-05:00

I'm supposed to be doing a post about 5 blogs that I read. Instead of that I'm just going to list one.
I plan on eventually updating my sidebar and putting every blog I've ever read on it...friends, friends of friends, celebrities, people who are celebrities because of their blog and complete strangers. Trust me, I have checked out a lot of blogs...if you have one, I can guarantee I've looked at it at one time or another. Quite often, I check out every blog that people list...sometimes only for a second or two, sometimes longer, and sometimes on a regular basis. I literally go from blog to blog to blog, sometimes from sidebar lists but a lot of times from comments people get. Yes, I even read others comments! There have been many times where I've completely forgotten where I started, I've jumped around to so many blogs!
There are many that I enjoy but only a few I comment on. I feel strange sometimes about commenting. I don't know why because I think everyone that has a blog is like me and enjoys getting comments but sometimes I feel like I'm intruding. Does that make sense?

Anyway, the one blog I want to tell you about belongs to Rude Cactus. He blogs consistently every Monday to Friday and many times his posts have made me laugh right out loud. I wish I could write half as good as him and as often! Trust me folks, when this NaBloPoMo is finished, you may never hear from me again! Anyway, check it out, I think you'll enjoy it. Don't be afraid, he's really not rude!

THE MOM SONG

2007-11-11T18:12:00.000-05:00

This is FABULOUS....sooo funny! Not just for moms either.

LIFE IS FUNNY SOMETIMES!

2007-11-11T15:38:00.000-05:00

I was able to sleep soundly until 5:45 a.m. at which time I was awoken by......our dog!

SLEEP IS HIGHLY OVERRATED

2007-11-10T23:49:00.000-05:00

Well, will tonight be the night I get a full night's, uninterrupted sleep? Maybe. The kids went to bed very late so just maybe, they'll sleep right through. One can only hope.
Jesse usually sleeps right through but then he likes to get up around 6 a.m. To me, waking up at 6 when I don't need to until 7 during the week and whenever on the weekend is like being interrupted at 1 a.m. or 4 a.m. With Emily those 2 times can be a regular occurrence.
Emily was never keen on sleeping all night. Actually she finally started sleeping through when she was almost 3...right around the same time Jesse was born. New baby..back to square one! For the next year and a half, again not much sleep. Then it was time for me to go back to work and at the same time we moved to where we live now, that was 4 years ago.
Since we have lived here Jesse has done pretty well, usually sleeps all night but like I said, lately gets up very early. Sometimes I have to convince him that 5 a.m. is just too early to be up and playing and coax him into going back to bed.
My poor little Emily has been a different story. Sometimes she'll go through a spurt where she sleeps the whole night for quite a few nights in a row. Then there are the nights where she's up 2 or 3 times, has to go to the washroom or usually has had a bad dream.
Here's where the believe it or not part comes in...
My mom goes to this woman who does Reiki Therapy and is a "bodytalker". Near the beginning of this year at one of mom's appointments she asked mom if she had a seven year old granddaughter. She then asked if this granddaughter was having trouble sleeping. Mom told her that she was. She then told mom that back in the 1800's in a previous life, when Emily was 7 she was abused. No, I'm not making this up! She also told her that when Emily is saying that she's had a bad dream or is scared, it's because she really does "see" people! Talk about making the hair on the back of my neck stand up! She also said it may all get better when she turns 8. Well, she's 8 now and lately it has been better but there are still nights where it will be around 4 a.m. when she comes running into our room. And I do mean running! I don't know how but I will wake up as she's running in. It makes my heart beat faster every time!
I hope this post doesn't sound whiny because I'm really not complaining. It's just a fact of my life, and I guess I'm used to it. The one good thing though is that I usually have no trouble getting back to sleep after all my little visitors.
Could someone explain to me though who wrote the rule that children must ALWAYS wake up their mothers first! I remember when I was little I would never even think of waking my dad, I always went to my mom. Funny, nothing's changed in all these years.
On that note, I will now bid you all good night and wish you a fabulous night's sleep!

FRIDAY FREE-FOR-ALL

2007-11-09T22:00:00.000-05:00

This won't be a long one today, not much rolling around in my little noggin'.

1) I have to tell you about this deal I found last night that made me absolutely giddy. You know how you buy packs of tissue paper at the dollar store and you get maybe 20 sheets for $1. Maybe you don't but that's all I use since I don't wrap anything anymore (except at Christmas), it all goes in bags. Anyway, Emily and I were at Costco last night and they had...are you ready for this...400 sheets of tissue paper for $5.60!! Wow!!! That will last for at least 60 birthday parties!
Ok, Emily didn't quite understand my absolute amazement at this deal either.

Oh, and they also had 2 $25 Laura Secord gift cards for $40!! I LOVE Costco...where else can you shop and get gift cards for less than their face value!

2) Up until now I haven't been a huge fan of Facebook. I was just lurking around, checking to see who's on but not really doing the whole friends thing. But being the rather inquisitive person I am, I decided that wasn't working since I couldn't actually see anyone's profiles or what they were up to or what was going on. I finally joined, started "collecting" friends and trying to figure out what I was supposed to do with all those requests I was getting, you know, the applications...are you mentally stable, which animal do you resemble when you're eating, which celebrity wears underwear just like you (Britney Spears was mine!...kidding!...making this all up!). Well, as of now, I am officially addicted! I found Scrabble today and Mastermind and I rated movies I've watched and I can send Christmas gifts...and on and on! So if you're on Facebook and we're not friends and you'd like to be, please find me and please play Scrabble with me...ok?

3) Recent Jesse-isms...

He and his friend Madison found a cricket on the sidewalk. She was going to pick it up and move it and he told her she shouldn't touch it, she should just leave it alone or "the cricket won't crick anymore".

He was playing with all his construction toys one morning, wearing his Bob the Builder hat, and I asked him to come and brush his teeth, to which he replied "Mama, workers don't have to brush!"

The other morning when we got up and everything was white from frost he said "look, there's frosting on the roofses!"

Well, I'm patting myself on the back...9 days straight posting! I really didn't think I'd make it this far. Now only 21 more to go! Wish me luck...and please comment, just say "hi" even, anything at all. I love hearing from you and it keeps me motivated.

MY ADDICTION

2007-11-08T22:09:00.000-05:00

74%

...AND WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF YOU??

THIS INSTEAD OF THAT

2007-11-07T21:37:00.001-05:00

fall instead of spring
Star Wars instead of Star Trek
snowmobile instead of motorcycle
Michael Schofield instead of Jack Bauer (didn't you see that one coming?)
driver instead of passenger
Amazing Race instead of Survivor
mashed instead of baked
Letterman instead of Leno
hide 'n seek instead of tag
hockey instead of baseball
Spiderman instead of Superman
hotel instead of tent
late night instead of early morning
Chippendales instead of Chip 'n Dale
dog instead of cat
Colgate instead of Crest
skating instead of swimming
Partridge family instead of Osmond family
aisle seats instead of centre of row
top instead of bottom (movie theatre seats people, c'mon now!)
Scrabble instead of Monopoly
tennis instead of squash
Diet Coke instead of Diet Pepsi
laughing instead of crying
basketball instead of volleyball
Beatles instead of Rolling Stones
hamburgers instead of hot dogs
Mr. Dress Up instead of Mr. Rogers
snow instead of rain
ocean view instead of mountain view

DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION

2007-11-06T21:23:00.001-05:00

Have you noticed how many distractions there are for drivers these days? It's awfully hard to concentrate on that silly little road when there's so many other interesting things to grab our attention...cellphones, bumper stickers, personalized plates and billboards just to name a few. Oh, and of course there's those pesky pedestrians and cyclists...the latter which tends to think they have been crowned king of the roads at some point.

I've always loved driving through Toronto and checking out all the billboards, the sights, the lights...not so much fun for my co-travellers if I'm actually the driver and not just their rubber-neckin' passenger, I'm sure! Some of those billboards show entire commercials..not easy to watch at 100 clicks!

Have you seen Grater Toronto's newest "off-road" sight...

Yes, it's an enormous block of cheese, 36.5 metres long by 6 metres high. The grater faces the Gardiner and there is a pile of "cheese", freshly grated. The gratings are foam, painted yellow.
The sign is for the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Over the next couple of months the block will get smaller and the gratings pile larger as more "cheese" is grated. Very clever but very distracting I would think!

One of my other favourite distractions is personalized licence plates. I love the creativity of some drivers! Then there are the ones that only make sense to the driver...those make me crazy if I can't figure out what they mean!

I had personalized plates on 3 of my vehicles...and then I bought a van and that was the end of those...2XELR8...not so cool on a mini-van!

A friend of mine who's single just bought a sports car and I tried to convince them that these would make great vanity plates...

O 2 BE ME

RU NVS

CARGASM

C ME 4 A D8

RU A GR8 D8

The one that I would love to get now but it's probably taken would be for my fellow drivers who enjoy "parking" themselves in the passing lane....RVO 3VOM. You'll have to hold your computer up to the mirror to read it! I love that one..it's perfect!

Oh, and this one...C U LATR...

X MARKS THE SPOT

2007-11-05T23:06:00.000-05:00

One day recently Emily thought it would be fun to send Jesse and his friend Madison on a treasure hunt. She drew a map with an X marking the spot where they would find the buried treasure.
The map directed them to the circle out in the middle of our street.

After burying the treasure she showed them the map and explained it to them.

They conferred...

and they searched and they dug and....

finally...jackpot...the treasure!! Packs of stickers...they were thrilled!

HALLOWEEN WAS SPOOKTACULAR!!

2007-11-04T20:59:00.000-05:00

The kids had a great time with all the Halloween festivities this year. Last weekend, we did some early trick-or-treating at my Mom and Dad's and my Grandma's. Then on Wednesday they had school parties, a party at their daycare and then Tim's Mom visited and helped with pumpkin carving. After she left, as soon as the kids saw the first sign of trick-or-treaters, we had to get started!
Tim and I both wanted to go with them so I took the candy I was going to hand out and gave it to kids along the way. Our neighbourhood was crazy...kids everywhere, hundreds of them! We ended up meeting up with some of our neighbours and walking around with them. Jesse and I called it a night around 8 but Emily and Tim and the neighbours stayed out until almost 9 o'clock. I can not believe the amount of candy they accumulated! If I eat any more little Aero's or Kit Kat's I'm going to explode!

DON'T BEE SILLY!

2007-11-03T23:07:00.000-04:00

My sister-in-law Cindy and I took the kids to see the Bee Movie today. As I may have pointed out once or twice, I was really looking forward to this movie. I'm a huge Jerry Seinfeld fan. I never used to miss the TV show "about nothing" and I love his stand up act. He can put the funniest spin on the simplest, most mundane things. I don't know what it is, his expression or just the way he says them but he totally cracks me up!
The movie is very entertaining, very Seinfeld. Honestly, the adults laughed way louder than any of the kids..well, a few of us anyway! The kids did enjoy it but a lot of the humour was over their heads. Overall though, it must have been ok because even Jesse sat mesmerized through the whole thing. My humble opinion...A-.

I will now leave you with some of my favourite Seinfeld observations...

Now they show you how detergents take out bloodstains. I think if you've got a T-shirt with a bloodstain all over it, maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem.
 
Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end. 

If a parsley farmer is sued, do they garnish his wages?

Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

When sign makers go on strike, is anything written on their signs?

When you open a bag of cotton balls, is the top one meant to be thrown away?

According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two! Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.

Any day you had gym class was a weird school day. It started off normal. You had English, Social Studies, Geometry, then suddenly you’re in Lord of the Flies for 40 minutes. You’re hanging from a rope, you have hardly any clothes on, teachers are yelling at you, kids are throwing dodge balls at you and snapping towels - you're trying to survive. And then it's Science, Language, and History. Now that is a weird day.

I was the best man at the wedding. If I'm the best man, why is she marrying him?
 
What is a date really, but a job interview that lasts all night. The only difference is that in not many job interviews is there a chance you’ll wind up naked.  

Men want the same thing from their underwear that they want from women: a little bit of support, and a little bit of freedom.  

Dogs are the leaders of the planet. If you see two life forms, one of them's making a poop, the other one's carrying it for him, who would you assume is in charge.

 A two-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don't have a top for it.

I have a friend who’s collecting unemployment insurance. This guy has never worked so hard in his life as he has to keep this thing going. He’s down there every week, waiting on the lines and getting interviewed and making up all these lies about looking for jobs. If they had any idea of the effort and energy that he is expending to avoid work, I’m sure they’d give him a raise.

 You know what I never get with the limo? The tinted windows. Is that so people don't see you? Yeah, what a better way not to have people notice you than taking a thirty foot Cadillac with a TV antenna and a uniformed driver. How discreet. Nobody cares who's in the limo. You see a limo go by, you know it's either some rich jerk or fifty prom kids with $1.75 each.  

Men don't care what's on TV. They only care what else is on TV.

Somebody just gave me a shower radio. Thanks a lot. Do you really want music in the shower? I guess there's no better place to dance than a slick surface next to a glass door.

Buh-da-bum...thank you...we're here all week! Actually for the next 27 days straight...NaBloPoMo...3 down! 

FRIDAY FREE-FOR-ALL - THE TV EDITION

2007-11-02T22:34:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's taken me so long to post my views and opinions on the new fall season...listen to me, as if anyone really cares! (If you're already getting that "glassy-eyed get me out of here look", I won't be offended if you move on to someone else's blog!)
Actually I'm kind of glad I waited until now. Some of my reviews would have been different a few weeks ago.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS for example. The beginning of the season was great, as always. The last couple weeks though have seen what I would call a steady decline. Ok, it's still a great show but man, depressing! This week was the worst...between Sarah losing her kids, Justin with the drugs (where the hell is he getting them??) and the final straw...Tommy! I was completely spent after that episode! I can't believe they're making Tommy out to be just like his father. You can bet one of the November sweeps episodes will be Holly telling Nora and Nora dealing with Tommy. What do you think, will she be more hurt than furious?

GREY'S is another one...the other way around though. After the first episode I didn't have much faith in this season but I think it has gotten better each week...a lot more like the first season.

PRIVATE PRACTICE...it's ok but I thought it was stronger at the beginning. I'm quickly losing interest.

Some of my old favourites that I would say the same as I would have last year include...

BONES. I would have to say this is my favourite show. Great episodes, consistent week after week, such witty, smart writing and great characters.

PRISON BREAK. Well, the boys are in another predicament this season. This show is fantastic! I remember when I heard there was going to be a season 2 about them being on the run and thinking it will never work, it can't possibly be as good as the first season. Was I ever wrong! Season 1 will always stand out but season 2 was also really good. After the season 2 cliff hanger we knew it would continue this year and again wondered how far they could possibly take it. Well, so far this season is amazing! SPOILER ALERT coming....Three weeks ago Lincoln found a box. We had to wait until the next week to find out that in the box....was Sarah's HEAD!! OMG!! This show doesn't mess around!
Prison Break fans will want to click here to check out this interview that took place after "the box" incident. It's with Wentworth, Dominic Purcell (Linc) and Amaury Nolasco (Sucre).
I'm really not a vindictive person and c'mon people, it's only TV, so don't be too concerned when I say this but...I can NOT wait to see Lincoln blow the head off that chick that's calling the shots! Anyone that watches this show knows EXACTLY what I mean! LOL!!

MEN IN TREES...delightful as always!

SHARK...picked up last year's episodes over the summer and really enjoyed them. This season has been excellent so far.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES...I think there's definitely an improvement so far over the last couple of seasons. Love Susan's new neighbours and the nasty woman that moved back to the neighbourhood...how many secrets does that woman and her husband have??

NCIS/THE UNIT...Tuesdays are Army/Navy night in our house! If you like these types of shows I would highly recommend them, especially The Unit.

Oh, and what about the vast array of new shows you ask. As your self-proclaimed entertainment guru I tried to watch as many as I could at least once to give you my valued opinion...yeah, I know, HA! Anyway, here goes...

A few weeks ago I would have said my favourite new show was definitely DIRTY, SEXY MONEY but then in the middle of October they started a new show by the author James Patterson called THE WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB. I love it! Angie Harmon is the main character and she's very good but it's a whole ensemble cast that makes this show great.
Have you watched Dirty, Sexy Money? A friend of mine said she really didn't think it had a point to it but I don't know, I really enjoy it. It gets a little further into each character's story every week and they're raising more questions each week about various things. It's just funny and has some very quirky characters in it.

Speaking of quirky, have you seen PUSHING DAISIES? Probably one of the most unusual shows I've ever seen. I'm not watching it on a regular basis. I've seen it a few times and liking it less each time.

Oh, yes, BIG SHOTS...hopefully noone remembers that I went out on a limb this summer before it ever started and predicted it would be the "hot" new fall show. I think I was wrong..I know..shocking!! It's ok, not great and probably won't be around for another season.

LIFE...not bad, can take it or leave it.

BIONIC WOMAN...this is the one new show I haven't seen but a couple friends of mine watch it and enjoy it, they say that it has potential. Anyone else watching it??

I can't believe I'm going to admit this but I have this new show I'm watching, I call it my guilty pleasure, it's ridiculous and I can't stop watching the damn thing! It's called GOSSIP GIRL. It's about rich, spoiled New York teenagers and I love it! Please, someone out there tell me you're watching this show!!

As for comedies..have you seen THE BIG BANG THEORY? HILARIOUS! Well, I think so anyway but it might not be everyone's "cup of tea".
I only gave BACK TO YOU (Kelsey Grammar's new show) one shot and was disappointed with it, haven't watched it since. Is anyone watching it...is it any good??

There were a few new shows I had no desire to see...in particular Kid Nation, Cavemen, Cane and Viva Laughlin.
I thought Kid Nation was the "rock bottom" of reality shows but I know a couple people who watch it with their kids and enjoy it.
Cavemen...need I say more? If anyone's watching it, I'd love to know what you think of it.
As far as Cane, I like Jimmy Smits but the commercials certainly didn't make this show look very appealing. The one person I know that watches it said it's not bad, not great though either.
Viva Laughlin didn't make it past episode 2!

Well, that's my fall roundup! Please let me know what you think, what you're watching and whether you agree or disagree with me.

Day 2 of NABLOPOMO....complete!

NATIONAL BLOG POSTING MONTH

2007-11-01T21:35:00.000-04:00

Did you know that November is National Blog Posting Month?? My friend Susan found this website where you can sign up and at the end of the month if you have posted everyday you are eligible to win a prize. Susan actually signed up, I did not...way too much pressure...LOL!! I'm just going to try to keep up!
So there you have it, Day 1 of my 30 day blogging marathon. I'm going to pull out all the stops...old stuff, new stuff, nothing off limits...hmmm...this could be fun!
C'mon fellow bloggers...give it a try. I love reading all your "stuff"!

CANCER SUCKS!

2007-10-18T23:49:00.000-04:00

I hate cancer, everything about it, even the word itself. If you've never been touched by it, either yourself or someone you know, then you are extremely lucky.
My cousin Sandy has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. Yes, THAT Sandy...quirky, lovable Sandy! She is scheduled for surgery tomorrow and I was hoping that all my wonderful readers might have a spare moment for a small prayer or for the non-religious maybe just a positive thought. I'd truly appreciate it, and I'm sure she would as well.
Sandy being who she is though, has started a blog and let me tell you there's no self-pity or wallowing. It's true Sandy style. She started it to keep family and friends informed without having to explain things over and over but it's certainly not just about cancer. It's about this, that and the other thing...all with her amazing sense of humour! Wait until you see what she's called it. If you'd like to have a look, click here.
She's even been trying to use this diagnosis to her advantage...calling herself "cancergirl" and guilting her family into doing things for her...as they should anyway, being the princess that she is...lol!! Love you San!!!

A MOVIE AND A MADMAN

2007-10-17T22:17:00.000-04:00

My friend Paula and I went to see Michael Clayton last weekend. I have to say I really do enjoy George Clooney, no matter what...even in this very...slow...movie. I can almost guarantee it will win awards, well, George should anyway. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad movie, not at all, but I would have been quite happy to just rent it sometime in the future.
Maybe the fact I didn't enjoy it all that much had something to do with the very friendly but distracting gentleman I ended up sitting beside. I don't have a problem with people going to movies by themselves but could they not then try to become best friends with their seat neighbours! One of the trailers we saw was for a movie coming out called The Bucket List. It's with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman and how they want to get things done from their "before I kick the bucket list". Well, my neighbour, between loud guffaws, informed me that he had crossed many things off his list, including skydiving, seeing the Great Wall, the pyramids...and on and on. "Wow", "really" I said, "fascinating" I lied...at the same time giving Paula the "next time I get the aisle seat and you can sit by the chatty man" look!
Wait, it gets better! They show the "turn off cell phones" message, he pulls his Blueberry out, and I THOUGHT he turned it off. But I think he just turned it to vibrate because part way into the movie it starts buzzing...not just once...he fiddles with it but 10 minutes later, same thing. Oh, and he commentates through the movie as well. The buzzing then becomes more like a ring, more fiddling and THEN I hear a voice calling him through the damn thing. FINALLY after about what seemed like a half hour, he got up and left...thank you kind sir (ok, "madman" in my title might have been a little strong)!

We also saw trailers for two chick flicks coming out later this year that look soooo good!
One is called 27 Dresses with Katherine Heigl. She's been a bridesmaid 27 times and now has to do it again but this time it's for her sister who's marrying a man that Katherine's character is secretly in love with.
The other is called P.S. I Love You. It's with Hillary Swank and I'm not going to tell you what it's about. I'm just going to say it looks amazing and I know I'm going to cry when I watch it!

Has anyone seen anything really good lately?

THE LAST OF THE LONG WEEKENDS!

2007-10-11T22:14:00.000-04:00

Well, another long weekend has come and gone...Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone!

Friday night Marianne, Marlene and I went out for our annual "giving thanks for our friendship" dinner. As always we had a great time. We even went somewhere new...which for "blah eater me" is a real feat! We went to Moxie's in Mississauga. It was fabulous...the food, the atmosphere..really nice. Even the washroom was amazing! Marianne came back and said we HAD to go see it. We did...and took pictures! We heard the men's washroom had TV's above each "spot" but I can't say for sure...we got caught trying to peek in...oops!

Saturday afternoon my brother and I took his daughter and Jesse to the Rockton Fair (Emily had a birthday party). A few rides, a few games, some cotton candy and they had a great time! The weather even cooperated after that crazy storm we had in the morning.

Saturday night I took Emily to see The Game Plan. We both LOVED this movie! Emily even said it's one of her favourites. Has anyone else seen it...what did you think?

Sunday we had Thanksgiving at my mom's where I ate waaaaay too much....turkey, mashies, gravy...yummy!!!

Monday my girlfriend Kathy and her kids went with us to the Oktoberfest parade. It really is a great parade but this year it seemed exceptionally long. Even the kids were getting bored...they actually asked to leave! We certainly couldn't have asked for a nicer day though. I don't remember the last time it was so warm you could wear shorts and t-shirts on October 8!

That's it now..no more long weekends in 2007! Here comes Christmas...yippee!!!

FRIDAY FREE-FOR-ALL

2007-09-28T22:52:00.000-04:00

1) First I have to give a huge THANK YOU to Holly for my new banner!!
And I'm sure she would like to thank me for the snacks I brought last Friday...even after she mocked me..."what are you, 12??" I believe were her exact words. Who mocks Wagon Wheels...that's just unheard of! They are my current addiction or "snack crack" as I like to call them. Have you had one lately? Either they have really shrunk from when I was a kid or my head has become ginormous! Anyway, I don't think she'll make fun of my choice of snack again since she seemed to enjoy the one I gave her...LOL!!!

2) For those of you who did not enjoy the mood music my blog played, you'll be happy to hear...nothing...I've taken it off.

3) I found a new product at Costco that I love! It's an all natural liquid laundry detergent called ECOS. It's detergent and fabric softener all in one..clothes smell fresh and clean...ahhhhhh.

4) One of our local radio stations is playing a new list of 107 songs every Saturday. For example, one week was the top 107 songs of the 80's (my favourite decade of music), another was the top 107 songs from movies but my favourite list was the top 107 One Hit Wonders. Check it out here. I was so sure "Video Killed The Radio Star" would be Number One but it was number 4. My other favourite "Ballroom Blitz" didn't even make the list!
A friend and I were debating over what would be in the top 10. I said Video and they said Da Da Da would be...alas, twas' not to be...thank you, I enjoy being right...it was number 34!
What's your favourite "One Hit Wonder"?

5) Emily was recently working on a list of chores for herself and Jesse. The list was pretty even...he'd feed the dog in the morning, she'd do it at night, they'd both make their beds, one would set the table, one would clear it..that sort of thing. Then as I'm reading it, I get to the end of the list and she's written just one more little chore on Jesse's list...SCOOP DOG'S POOP! I cracked up...I'm not sure if he knows about that one or not!

6) Last weekend I saw 3:10 To Yuma. If you enjoy westerns you will LOVE this movie! I was so pleasantly surprised...I don't mind westerns but for some reason I really had no desire to see this one. I'm not a huge Russell Crowe fan so that was part of it. I should say I WASN'T a Russell Crowe fan...until now! He was fantastic in this movie! It's less a western and more just a movie about a journey two very different men end up taking together because of circumstances in their life. LOVED it I'm telling you!!!

7) If I wasn't a believer in the whole "everything happens in three's" before, I am now! (This is my self-pity part of the post...I think I'm entitled every now and again!) Tuesday my day was going along pretty good other than the fact I was extremely tired. My husband had been away since Sunday and I just don't sleep very well when it's just the kids and I. I stay up really late and wake up a few times. Anyway, everything's fine and then right at the end of my work day, the last half hour in fact, three things occurred. First I get a work email that I won't go into detail about (I don't want to get dooced!) but let's just say it was from my boss and totally sent me in a tailspin, then I get a family phone call that also did not make my "happy" list of the day and then to top it off I go to the daycare to pick up the kids and they tell me something that Jesse has done that does not have a place on my "Wow, I'm doing a great job raising my kids" wall plaque! Three things, one half hour...thankfully the rest of the week went much better.

8) My latest itunes downloads:
My absolute favourite at the moment...Matchbox Twenty...How Far We've Come
Jewel...Drive To You
Howie Day...Collide
Cobie Caillat...Bubbly
Kelly Clarkson/Reba McEntire....Because of You

9) Quote Of The Week...
That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet...Emily Dickinson

Have a great weekend everyone!

AND NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING!

2007-09-24T22:45:00.000-04:00

Twas' like the night before Christmas in my little world
Where the children are nestled, and on my couch I am curled
The stockings aren’t hung but they’re clean and away
And if St. Nick wants to drop in, he’s welcome to stay

But please heed this warning and listen with care
It’s season premiere week, only talk if you dare
It’s finally here, shows are all on their way
Some old friends and new ones, how many will stay

And oh by the way Mr. Network hot shot
Stop changing the schedule, just pick a time slot
Don’t start on a Sunday and then move it around
Just leave it alone, where it can always be found

But oops, I digress, from my lines filled with glee
This week is heaven on earth, for a junkie like me
From Wentworth who’s Michael, and Eric who steams
To Rob Morrow and Lowe, oh, I could just scream

There’s just too many men and so little time
I must go and watch and be done with my rhyme
Good night fellow viewers, I’m glad you stopped by
I hope you enjoyed it, I really did try.

HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY!!

2007-09-21T17:07:00.000-04:00

My Uncle Don and Aunt Irene recently celebrated their 50th anniversary! About 40 family members and friends gathered at a restaurant in Brampton to celebrate the fun, fabulous couple that they are! Uncle Don is my mom's older and only sibling and unfortunately, a Montreal Canadiens fan, but what can you do...every family has something to endure...lol!!
Seriously, they are such a great couple and so much fun. Our families don't get many opportunities to spend time together so this was a very special occasion!

On the left is my aunt with her four fabulous children, Steve, Kim, Karen and in front is my "blogger-wanna-be" cousin Sandy! I love these guys, they are a riot and I make sure I tell each one they're my favourite (but of course, you REALLY are Sandy, don't tell the others!).

The picture on the right is the next generation of cousins. From the left is Jesse, Steve's daughter Samantha, Emily, Kim's son Tom (her daughter Lindsey had just left), and Sandy's three sons, Scott, Jeff and Kevin.

Sandy and her husband Andrew were also celebrating a milestone anniversary...their 25th! The picture on the left is them opening cards that Emily and Jesse made for them and laughing uncontrollably (ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a little!) at the "25th Anniversary Survival Kit" I put together...cause you know they need my help. I don't know how they've made it this far without me...lol!! Their "kit" included things like...mouthwash, ear plugs, handcuffs, hand sanitizer and name tags that said "If found please return to" and had the other's name and address on it. Sandy thought the name tags would definitely come in handy when she gets old and forgetful. I think she wore it the next day! Seriously though, they are two of the nicest people, and I want to wish them another 25 years of happiness together!

I want to make sure I mention the video that Karen and her husband Jeff put together. It included pictures and videos and was all set to music. It was absolutely amazing! I can only imagine how long it must have taken to put it all together.
The evening was a huge success! We had such a good time and it was so nice to see everyone again. Love you guys!!!

PLEASE LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES!!

2007-09-18T21:29:00.000-04:00

Let me start by saying I really didn't need blog material. I'm very far behind in posting many things...all nice, summery, and event-filled. This was not planned or welcome!

Let me also start by pointing out a few things...
1) I NEVER carry cash. I'm a debit, credit kind of girl.
2) I NEVER leave my purse in my van overnight.
3) I NEVER leave my van unlocked all night.

Can you see where this is going? You're a very smart bunch, I'll bet you can.

Last night after work I planned on taking Jesse shopping for pants but I had had a migraine on and off all day and by the time I got home I didn't feel well and decided to lay down for a bit before we went. Before I knew it, it was after 7 so we didn't go. I did manage to watch Prison Break later (which was VERY good by the way!) but then went to bed.
This morning I'm scrambling to get to work on time (as usual) and I can't find my sunglasses. Looked in the van, in my purse, in the house, back in the van...you get the picture. Then I'm in the van, having given up on finding them for now, and I look up at my visor and the little envelope with my Alan Jackson tickets is gone! Then I look in my wallet which is in my purse down between the seats and some cash (which I normally never have) is gone, then I notice also missing is my Mastercard, Amex...and my CAA (what's up with that?)!

So yes, I went to bed, forgot to bring my purse in and forgot to lock the van and some F#@*ING LITTLE PUKES stole my stuff!!
What are the odds that the ONE night I forget to lock it, this happens! They have a lot of nerve too because our motion sensor lights would have lit up the entire front of the house and the driveway. Not to mention that they (and I guess I should thank them for this) must have stood there with the interior lights on as well while they PICKED THROUGH MY WALLET and only took those few things! Unbelievable!
At first I was so upset but it was my own fault and it could have been so much worse. Yes, I'm out a decent pair of sunglasses but they're replaceable and my tickets will be replaced, I can pick them up that night and whatever poor saps buy mine will not get past the door! The whole cash thing bothers me, I just can't believe it. When I say I never have cash, I'm not kidding, usually less than five dollars but this one time...Saturday my two girlfriends paid me back for the baby shower gifts I had bought for a friend of ours and Sunday my other girlfriend paid me for the two High School Musical tickets I sold her...all cash and all in my wallet! Just this one time, I'm glad I'm a bit of a "spendthrift", I had spent a chunk of it at the show and on dinner after.

The upside to all this...they missed a twenty dollar bill that was tucked in between some receipts, I'm not spending countless hours replacing every piece of ID I was carrying (including the kids and my health cards), I had cheques I hadn't cashed that would have been a nightmare to replace and I also had two prepaid Black's digital print cards that they didn't take. I know, I'm out the cash and sunglasses but I'm doing my best to find the "glass half full" in all this.

Lessons learned everyone?? Shall we review?? Don't leave your purse in an unlocked vehicle, don't carry so much crap in your wallet and purse, especially if it's important, and take a photocopy of all your ID and keep it somewhere safe!! I always had good intentions of doing that but never got around to it.
One of my co-workers was shocked..."you're all stocked up and ready for the end of the world but don't"....yes, thank you, I GET IT!!
It's a good thing I didn't write this post this morning when I was going to...would have been a much stronger adult only version! That's the great thing about having a blog, the venting really helps. I feel much better now, broke, but better.