A Day in the Life ...

My kind of playdate

2009-11-10T22:19:00.003-05:00

The kids were off school yesterday, and I took a vacation day to spend time with them My daughter passed on the opportunity- she opted to spend the day with her best friend. But my boy, he wanted some quality time with his Mom.

We went for a sushi lunch, and then caught the matinee showing of "This is It".

If you haven't seen it yet, even if you're not an MJ fan... you should see it. This was just his rehearsal. His concert tour would have been out of this world.

My favourite part? Watching my son's eyes fixated on the screen, with excitement and awe as Michael Jackson danced, sang and slid across the huge stage in front of us. His most favourite MJ song now? "Smooth Criminal", because MJ played a mean gangster.

We've now got moonwalking practice as a regular after school activity in the hallway. Now if I could only perfect the move where my boy slides and balances on his toes. Who am I kidding - I can't even try!

Mad Single Dad

2009-11-09T09:49:00.018-05:00

I caught the season finale of Mad Men last night.

(are these people unbelievably beautiful or what?)

I've been so out of it over the last few weeks, that I actually missed the previous two episodes ... one during which Don was caught and had to reveal all of his past life to his wife, Betty and then dumped his mistress. The part of the storyline I've been waiting for, for two seasons. Can you believe it? Grrrrr....

So Don, Betts is finally handing you divorce papers. Your affairs will no longer be extra-marital. I wonder how fun it will be to make the rounds now that you'll actually be a single Mad Man?

A single dad, Mad Man. Hmmmm.

How about you fast forward 40 years and try something a little different...a particular Asian cougar comes to mind...

(Just kidding mind you. My slightly dough-ier husband, after giving his toast about his beautiful wife and kids being the reason that his 40s have been the best years of his life ... well, he's definitely fitting the bill. I've got my own smooth Don Draper operator in-the-house).

How am I going to handle waiting until summer 2010 for Season 4? Ackkkk!!!

Party

2009-11-08T14:38:00.006-05:00

We went to a friend's 40th birthday celebration last night.

It was a great night out. A wonderful dinner, with cocktails, wine, three course meal, and then more drinks - Grey Goose and cranberry anyone? And then the dinner tables cleared and there was dancing.

Dancing? I hadn't gone dancing in forever...at least not with my husband. (There was the matter of that small July partyfest in Chicago.)

The music was pretty bad (an incessant Pitbull beat that underscored every song) but it didn't matter. It was a party.

But I was a bit wrecked this morning. Just a bit.

Oh to be turning 40 again.

Two Career Family

2009-11-07T08:49:00.006-05:00

This is my first Saturday post in a long while, and it will be brief (well, for me, anyway). There is so much swirling around my head about work, but the one thing I told myself when I started full time again, would be that I would post about work minimally if at all. I'm an all consuming type of gal, and the last thing I need is for that part of my life, which already occupies more than half of my time, to seep into my blog hobby. But it threatens not only to seep, but to flood.

I need to be smart and resist my urge to "blurt" everything out in one post, though. I have that tendency, to tell every stranger my whole life story (gee - have you noticed?). Now it's starting to happen at work; well, not my whole life story, but sometimes, in the interest of trying to bond with new co-workers, I know I've been suffering a bit from verbal diarrhea, and my inside-the-head voice is screaming," Okay, TMI, shut up, now...".

The one thing that is abundantly clear to me after 7 weeks on the job is that it is no longer just a job. As I suspected, I have thrown myself into it wholeheartedly and it is what it is. I take work home with me in my bag; I bring my laptop home; I compose memos - at home; I ponder my departmental resources and how to deal with HR issues - at home; I think about long term strategy - at home. It's all in my head, even if I don't lug the paperwork.

It's a career again.

We are a two career family.

In the almost five years I was at home with the kids, doing a bit of consulting, I did contemplate and was completely open to the possibilities of re-locating with the man if the right opportunity ever came along for him. Out of the country - even WAYYYYY out of the country. Something that took the oh-so-conservative me years to even imagine doing. The fact that I didn't have job ties was incredibly freeing that way.

Guess what? An opportunity has sort of come along. Murphy just loves us.

Because now that I have a career again, it's no longer so easy to make that leap. And to give credit to the hubs, it's a huge consideration for him now too. He wants to make sure that I give my job, my career, a chance to build up again. I feel guilty about that too - especially as it's all so new to me and I'm not sure that I love the whole career thing just yet.

Another opportunity will come. But DAMN why didn't this happen a year ago? I would have quite happily enjoyed the sunny U.S. or taken the kids on weekend train rides through the European countryside. You know, while their Dad slaved away at work. At his career.

Friday Footwear Fragments

2009-11-06T07:41:00.008-05:00

Well, hello Day 6 - NaBloPoMo-ing along here.

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444.

Hubby got up at 5:00 AM this morning for a flight - so what's a girl to do - go back to bed?

No, she must take pictures of her shoes. And then post them. A nutcase, for sure.

As promised, an overview of the latest additions to the foot wardrobe...

Sexy librarian/habberdashery:

Gray's the new black
Too taupe to handle (I know, corny, but it's early)
Pretty bowed
Remember these shooties from last year? I'm still wearing them even though the combination of not 100% knee and bunion is killing me. But they are killer, aren't they?

My Dorothy shoes... taking it home...

*****

The school sent my boy home on Wednesday, his first day back, for a cough. I was in a meeting, and the boy was "quarantined" in the office until the hubs picked him up. We were pretty ticked, though. Granted, the boy had been off sick for a couple days previous, but he'd been home, had a full course of treatment, and had no fever. He's got allergies and refuses to take medicine, and this is what happens. Grrrr!!!

We sent him back the next day, with a note outlining that very fact. Funny, he'd been in class all day but they kicked him out at 2 PM. What was the difference between 2 and 3:30 PM. I understand that it was protocol, but annoying nonetheless. And my boy felt like a pariah.

****

Is there anyone else out there as old as I am who remembers the original "V" miniseries? I LOVED it, watched it religiously, as mad as I am about Mad Men today. So I was naturally excited but a bit skeptical about the ability of the new series to capture my mad passion.

Not anymore. Whoa, have you seen the first episode? Sexy aliens (and Scott Wolf,

but who's looking?). I am officially hooked, and conflicted, as it's on at the same time as So you think you can dance AND my Bodyjam class.

****

Oh my crap, I've got to post over the weekend too. Forgot about that! Catch you then.

We interrupt this blog post ...

2009-11-05T20:44:00.001-05:00

for some must-bloggable moments.

I know I had promised a post related to Michael Jackson, but that will wait a bit. I just had to capture these rambling Thursday thoughts as they come to me. I can't hold them until Friday. Hmmm, maybe it's time for a Friday footwear post. Anyhoo...

The man had taken Tuesday off to be with the kids while they recover from the flu. Of course, just as I expected, he got absolutely nothing done. I suppose they've been used to me being around, so when I was working from home on Monday, I actually got some work done. But with their Dad, it was different. They were all over him.

So this morning, as we were running around getting ourselves and the kids ready, and the man says to me: "Hey, I'm looking for that really nice checked shirt that you got for me, the one with the French cuffs, have you seen it?"

And I replied, "Yeah, it's on the floor in that pile next to your side of the bed".

"No it's not, I looked."

I promptly went over and pulled the shirt from on top of the pile next to his side of the bed and handed it to him. Man search. Grrrrr. Let's call that superior wife moment #1.

Next, we went down to the kitchen. I was so exhausted on Tuesday night that I didn't have the energy to put the coffee maker and timer on. So this next morning, I put enough coffee in for a cup each, and turned the maker on, while I went to get the kids' schoolbags and lunches ready. Then I hear from the kitchen: "How much coffee did you make there, look at it!" and I ran back into the kitchen to see the pot almost completely full.

What?!

I swore I only put enough water in for a couple of cups; so I pontificated...:

"Hmm, that's weird. I'm positive that I only scooped a few spoonfuls and poured enough for two cups. I wonder if I poured some last night and forgot... or maybe I did set it for more... geez, that's really bizarre, but, hey, do you think that maybe YOU might have poured the water and forgot to make some yesterday ... well, probably not, you would have had to have been pretty darn out of it "...

... while the husband was shaking his head, no, it wasn't him. No it wasn't him. But he remained mostly conspicuously quiet.

And then as I went to pour the coffee, or rather, brown water out, he conceded with a hearty laugh, "Yeah, it WAS me!". Superior wife moment #2.

*****

The hubs is a huge fan of Howard Stern, and Howard had the comic, Dane Cook, on his show. The hubs thought he was pretty hilarious, and when he googled him he found a picture of Dane Cook's girlfriend and thought she was pretty hot.

So I countered, 'Well, Dane Cook is a pretty good looking guy himself. Interesting how that is, though. I find with funny guys, I have to think twice about them being good looking; somehow the humour makes me think of them less as sex symbols, I guess. Don't you think?"

Hubs: "Yeah, I have that problem. I mean, most of the time I'm just too darn funny, yup, yeah, that's a big issue for me."

And I countered by laughing hysterically. Maybe laughing a bit too hard.

Love and marriage.

This is it

2009-11-04T19:45:00.001-05:00

This, this is a movie that I would love to see...

But chances are, as any parents of young children, I won't be able to see it until it comes out on DVD.

I think I could get the boy to come see it with me, no problem. He's actually become a huge MJ fan since he's heard some of the songs. The boy even scrounged through my closet and suggested that the class jack-o-lantern be carved in the likeness of MJ. Yes, I have a hat like MJ's - I never said I wasn't a packrat. But the girl, I don't think she'd sit through the whole movie.

As consolation, I brought home the commemorative CD that was released with the movie. When you listen to the music in the compilation, it really hits home how brilliant he was, an amazing entertainer and showman who was about to unveil an unforgettable show. The more the shame of his tragic death.

So for now at least I have my morning commute to work, as I drive through the suburban streets to the commercial parks, the music energizes me and gives me strength for the upcoming day ... the strength to be startin' somethin'. Ooooh!

(And tomorrow, my friends, my story around Billie Jean and life lessons.)

Helpless

2009-11-03T21:47:00.005-05:00

It's the worst thing, seeing your babies so sick.

You know your girl is burning up when she asks you to feel her toes because she bets you could cook on them. And indeed they felt like little hot coals. Her temp was registering at 102 with the ear thermometer.

It's amazing, this pattern. She's following the exact same symptoms as her brother, just 24 hours apart. He hit a whopping 105 for a while (but he is prone to exaggerating and comes by that quite honestly). But I should have figured she would hit a low again today, after she seemed almost 100% better this morning. It seems though, that the night time is the worst. Needless to say, I haven't been getting very much sleep myself.

At least the boy is on the mend. He ate sticky rice, soup and about 3/4 of a pizza for lunch today. He had a lot of catching up to do, which was a really good thing.

My kids are generally in good health. I cannot imagine having to deal with a chronically ill child, what a mass of nerves and bundle of worry I would be. Just a few days of this and I'm a wreck; the man has to remind me sometimes not to sound so alarmed when I see another symptom that I hadn't previously googled.

And a lot of good I am to them. I'm starting to feel a bit queasy myself sometimes, but I don't know if it's just psychological, whether it's that time of the month, or whether it's just my gall bladder acting up. I know, I know, I've got to get that taken care of.

But first, we've got to take care of the kids.

Send me good vibes to help us kick this virus in the ass, will ya?

Everyday, everyday I write ...

2009-11-02T22:20:00.003-05:00

the blog.

I know, I'm nuts.

But I can't ignore a challenge.

NaBloPoMo 2009. I met some great blog pals back in 2007 - some that I still follow to this day, a full TWO years later.

Wanna come along for the ride?

Guess what flu in with November?

2009-11-01T19:43:00.004-05:00

Yeah. Great.

Poor boy, he woke up on Saturday morning - Halloween morning - with a sore stomach, thinking it was hunger pains.

I made him breakfast, then took the girl to dance class, leaving the boy with his Dad.

A 101 deg. fever and a trip to the bathroom to "throw the ball" (our code word for throwing something else), nixed the evening festivities with his friends. "This sucks. It's the worst day ever!".

The girlie went out with her Dad last night. Trick or treating as Cinderella, and I must admit she looked like quite the princess.

And then this morning, the princess had a sore tummy. And a fever of 100. "Mommy, I just want the sick to go away."

After spending most of the day with both kiddies, feeling helpless, I went to get groceries.

And the girlie threw the ball. Twice.

Nice of me to leave the fun stuff to their Dad, eh?

So thanks, November. Things better get better.

Heeeeeeeeeere's Johnny...

2009-10-30T22:21:00.008-04:00

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444.

So yeah, I did it. (Ignore the fact that the moustache is slightly lopsided - I was lucky to keep it on! And guess what hubs said when he saw the photo? He said my teeth REALLY look fake! What is it with him and the fake teeth?)

But so did others.

I actually won third prize:

Meet "Frankie" (as in Frankenstein - girlie named the little creep).

He yells "Trick or Treat" and giggles when you walk by him.

Creepy indeed.

*****

What do you think about the H1N1 vaccination? With all the news and conflicting reports of its efficacy over the last few weeks it's been so confusing. We've pretty much decided that we'll all get our shots. But then I've always been quite pro-vaccination. For us the benefits outweigh the risks, and we've always even opted to vaccinate the kids for things that weren't yet covered by the government.

That being said, the lineups for the H1N1 have been outrageous, lasting up to 8 hours or more for some clinics in our area. But I do wish that they wouldn't zoom in so close on the needle during the news coverage- it looks pretty darn long! Hopefully it won't be so thick. Shiver.

*****
I cannot believe it will be November in a couple of days. The original NaBloPoMo month. It seems ages ago that I actually blogged EVERY.SINGLE.DAY for a full month. How does one possibly do that? Life was really quite, quite different two years ago.

*****
Here's wishing you a lot of treats and not so many tricks this weekend...

On the eve before the eve before Hallows eve

2009-10-29T21:52:00.005-04:00

... a grown woman contemplates donning a moustache,beard and bloody tattoo and strapping a plastic sword to her hip as part of her ensemble to wear to work the next day.

Her new place of work, where she just started a mere six weeks ago.

All in the name of company fun and frivolity.

She's got meetings with the VP's too.

Will she do it?

Things that make you go "hmmmm..."

Friday Fragments - Just stuff

2009-10-23T21:01:00.019-04:00

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444. And freewriting Sara at Ordinary & Awesome:

I had to down about 4 cups of coffee this morning just to stay lucid. Something about having had only 4 hours sleep the night before may have had something to do with it. At about 3:45AM I awoke to some soft chanting:

"mommymommymommymommy..."

At first I thought I was having a dream. But as I opened my eyes, I could tell that the murmurings were coming from down the hall, from the girlie's room. I stumbled out of bed, and made my way toward the sound, not knowing what to expect when I got there. In my semi-conscious state, I was half afraid that I'd see some weird junior Linda Blair action happening, given the bizarre chanting in such hushed tones. Without my glasses on (so truly, major stumbling), I walked into her room to find her sitting on her bed, underneath the IKEA mosquito net, arms wrapped around her stuffed animal ... "mommymommymommy".

When she saw me, I asked her what the problem was. Seems that she had twisted her covers around so much she couldn't straighten them up and get herself covered properly. I promptly got her tucked back in andvoila, she was asleep in about two minutes. There's got to be a way to program her out of having US come to HER all the time.

I was amazed that I was awoken by her soft whispers. I guess that mothers have this internal radar that senses when our kids need us. It's got to be exclusively maternal. The husband slept right through it.

Me? Not so much. Damn I wish I could sleep with ear plugs too. I could also hear my boy's sniffling and snorting because he'd forgotten to take his allergy meds before going to bed.

Nothing like being wide awake at 4 AM trying hard to pass out instead of thinking about the pressing work issues of the next morning and being paranoid that I'd be late for a meeting that I had called. I'm a loser that way.

*****

I was sitting in traffic in my conservative suit, in my beige and similarly exciting minivan catching up on the gossip on the radio, and then slightly bopping my head to my latest fave song that seems to hit the waves whenever I get to a particular part of my commute:

(a total aside, is this young man BUILT or what? Grrrrowl :)

Anyway, back to the story. I noticed some bopping head action going on in the burgundy minivan next to me. A conservatively dressed man about my age, rockin' the shaven head look as best he could, carseat in the back, was doing a little dance to some raucous beat of his own. I had to smile. And as he felt my gaze, I quickly averted my eyes back toward the road.

And continued my smile. Yeah, us suburban parents, we're just too cool for rules.

*****

Tomorrow I head out to the gym to BODYJAM 50 - yes, I can rock it again.

I'm just mindful of my spins and turns, and my hips and booty can't quite shake to the same level as pre-disastrous-tumble-down-the-ski-hill-to-a-wrecked-knee Karen could. But I'm still shaking it and loving it.

*****

I'm enjoying a bottle of too sweet Riesling with my husband tonight, as I type this.

The wine is a bit too sweet, but having him home after he was away another long week - well that couldn't be sweeter. And that's the truth.

Wordless Wednesday -Welcome to the Jungle

2009-10-21T07:29:00.007-04:00

(Some light, fun reads. Sigh.)

For more Wordless check it out here.

The Birf-day Girl*

2009-10-14T07:30:00.003-04:00

Apparently if you wash your hands until you've completely sung the "Happy Birthday" song, not rushing through it, but singing at the proper pace, you will have scrubbed just long enough to get rid of all the bad stuff and reduce your chances of catching H1N1 or the seasonal flu.

I've never had a big thing for this particular day. Case in point:

Year one: Pretty serious

Things got better at 3:

Back to serious at 8

So wash your hands for me a few times today, will ya?

I guarantee it will put a smile on my face.

(*that's how my girlie pronounces it still, and I LOVE it.
Dinner and a movie, "Couples Retreat" are on for tonight. I'm so ready for a good laugh!)

For more Wordless check it out here; and of course, since this is more than Wordful, visit Seven Clown Circus.

Friday Fragments - What, second day in a row?

2009-10-09T18:37:00.009-04:00

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444. And freewriting Sara at Ordinary & Awesome:

Well look at this, the actual opportunity to blog again in 24 hours!

Too bad I had computer problems and couldn't publish until too late. Oh well, carry on...

Compliment of the Day:

I'd just got home from the dentist, and gave my husband a smile from ear-to-ear, saying,'How do they look?"

The hubs: "Wow, they look so white, they're so big they look FAKE!"

Nice. Nothing sweeter than having your husband tell you that you look like you're wearing dentures.

****

Irony of the day:

After surviving a visit at the dentist for not one, two but all three of us, the hygenist who cleaned the kids teeth pulled me aside to tell me this:

"I am not one to BS, and I've seen many, many kids in this dental setting and I've got to say, your kids are the beyond the best behaved kids I have ever seen. I think it's a testament to the parents, and I had to tell you that."

See me beaming?

See me five minutes later as I'm struggling with all their dental paraphernalia, my purse, the girlie's stuffed penguin, and my cellphone at the New York Fries counter after hearing them whine about hunger and thirst. See my kids screaming at each other while we wait for the order, as the boy pulls on the girlie's balloon from the dental office, and then the girl shrieking as the string was pulled so hard that the balloon came off and the remaining string was cutting off her circulation at the wrist.

See me looking desperately for something to loosen the offending wire trap on the girlie's arm. See a kind stranger next to me in line who pulls out his keys, gently holds the girlie's wrist and releases her from the pain.

Best behaved kids ever. Hah!

See me seething.

*****

I've been having issues with my work computer almost since I started the job. Turns out everyone who occupied my office previously also had problems. They checked all the cables and hard wiring before I joined and weren't expecting any issues again. I was starting to think my office was haunted. I was also having trouble connecting remotely from home. Couldn't access while there; couldn't access while away. Complex, anyone?

Turns out the newest cable they provided me was missing one of those plastic tabs that holds it in place. So everytime I moved my feet or shifted, I would pop out of the network. There's nothing like being kicked out of the network more than 20 times a day to frustrate you beyond belief.

And I finally got my wireless issue cleared up. Turns out we had the wrong passcode- it was case sensitive, but whoever gave us the password wrote the code in the wrong case. Nice, eh?

Router access = remote access = work from home possible.

And that is a very good thing.

*****

Quote of the day:

In response to her big brother quoting her some rules of the household:

"Hey, I don't need a THIRD parent!

******

Wishing all my Canadian friends a very happy Thanksgiving long weekend with your loved ones.

Missing You

2009-10-08T08:38:00.006-04:00

This is tough, no doubt about it.

I do NOT know how you bloggers out there who work out of the home manage to keep up with the blogging like you do. No disrespect to the SAHM and WAHM sisters, because I've done that too. But this is so difficult to do, and despite the fact that I'm exhausted half the time to even put a coherent thought together (I called my son's lunch bag this morning the brown thing, the red thing, and it's uh BLUE!) there is still this unmet need to keep up with this blog.

This blog, this space, has been SO much of my life in the past 4 plus years. It's become a part of me. And I'm missing it. And even more so, missing you.

So that's what I've got today. I'm trying to get out and visit you when I can, I love it when you continue to visit me and comment, and encourage me as I deal with this major transition in my life (what a year it's been). I appreciate and love all of you blog pals.

And here, for my pleasure probably more than yours, a video of a remake of John Waite's huge 80's hit, given a country twist in a lovely duet with Alison Krause. He's looking older, but still, not too shabby.

(My heart still belongs to the original, the one where I imagined myself to be the cute Asian girl in the video and I initially fell in love with skinny, pale white guys. I'm lucky I found one (sans swinging one earring, mind you) and married him. )

Friday Fragments: Ch...ch...changes

2009-10-02T17:23:00.017-04:00

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444.
And freewriting Sara at Ordinary & Awesome:

*****
Has it been a week already? It has just flown by, and as I sit here blogging (while the kids watch cartoons and we wait for the dinner which is coming home with the man), I can't help but think about what I was doing last year around this time. Life was so, so different. My blog post on October 1, 2008 was about work, though, ironically enough, I mentioned work clothes and heels as a novelty, something which has now become standard issue daily uniform. I also wrote about pole dancing, and certain types of footwear, both of which I never got around to.

I did make some significant additions to my shoe collection (much to the chagrin of the man)...but then again, I never said that some additional income wouldn't go toward shoes. Fashion Friday footwear edition is in the works.

So, my fragments for this week? Where do we begin...

How about finding out on day 8 on the job that there are going to be changes, big ones. Without going into detail, suffice it to say that even though I'm still in my "know nothing" mode, I do know this. I am stressed and I haven't even started REALLY working yet.

Sigh*.

Well, I gotta go with the flow. And it's not the first time this has happened to me, organizational change. If anything, that was what I sold myself with, my ability to handle change, even citing the fact that I still managed to keep on track and keep the work and department workflow on target...but not even 2 weeks into the job? I guess I sold myself a bit too well. I must stop doing that.

At any rate, I'm hopeful that all will still be good.

*****

This was the week that we started the extracurricular activities. Last night was tough, as the girlie had swimming lessons at 6:15 , and it was curriculum night at school. With me getting off at 5:30, I was really stressed about it all working out. I gave the responsibility of the school meeting to the man, so I asked that he get home at 6, feed the boy at home while I brought the girlie to her lessons, that I'd come home by 7 and he could take off to the school. I got home at 7 as I'd planned so that he wouldn't be late to school, and found out that the man had fallen asleep, the boy was on the computer and hadn't had anything to eat yet (although the noodles were being made on stove).

Hubs has just been exhausted, still recovering from weeks of continuous travel - he told me he even almost fell asleep at a red light on the way home - but I still felt the compulsion to be inwardly bitchy and totally pissed off. I guess the adjustment to "my" new life is having major ripple effects on the rest of the family, and to be honest, this was the first time that I wondered whether HE could handle this change. Is HE going to be able to deal with them (the kids, the activities, the meals) when I travel for work?

Sigh*.

*****

His saving grace - he's bringing home dinner tonight so I don't have to cook. Hence, I am blogging. He will be bringing wine home as well. Yippee.

*****

The boy developed some major coughing and sneezing last night. I know he's had allergies, but it seemed like a full-blown cold developed as soon as I asked him to get off the computer and do his reading homework. So I sent him to bed right away, hoping that it wouldn't get worse because the optics would not be good to be off of work so soon on Day 10.

He woke up still sniffly this morning, but in pretty good spirits, no fever in sight, and went off to school just fine. However, he called me at 2:10 PM to tell me he wasn't feeling well and needed to be picked up from school. Guess what time I get off on Fridays so I can do my errands for the week? 2 PM. There went the errands.

We got home, he got into bed with his DS and felt miraculously better within half an hour. Gahhhhh!!!!!

But you know what? Instead of running around with my head cut off getting groceries, jumping from store to store picking up this, that and the other thing, I spent a couple of hours with the kids, playing with my daughter with her Pixel-toy, popping popcorn and drinking hot chocolate while watching Judge Judy with my boy (wha?? ... I know, totally inappropriate, I can't stand Judge Judy and never watch it, but it was on while we were flipping, so I guess between that and watching actors playing tonsil-hockey on my fave soap which I haven't watched in about 20 years, Judy was the lesser of two evils)...I'm rambling again...

But long story short?

I had a great couple hours with my kids.

So I'm a little glad that the boy called "sick". But I told him to keep these calls strategically timed to after 2 PM on Fridays from now on. We all needed this little break after a couple of crazy weeks.

*****

Oh, I just saw Clive Owen interviewed on the Hour

...and I'm now salivating.

*****

Here's some Bowie for your weekend. Have a good one.

*I come from a very long line of "sighers", having mastered the art of the incredibly melodramatic and overdrawn sigh in reality as well as in written word.

Friday Fragments - One week down

2009-09-25T07:10:00.007-04:00

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444.

And freewriting Sara at Ordinary & Awesome:

*****

I fear, my friends, that for the next little while most of my posts will be more fragment than anything else. I'll be honest.

I am tired. And I haven't even done any real work at work yet.

My week has really been a mess of fragments.

The stress of worrying about the kids adjusting ... the different driving routes to try to optimize the morning time with the kids and shave minutes from my commute at the same time ...the meeting of new people, new faces all smiling for now, friendly faces all for sure, even my new department, who don't yet know what to make of me ... the energy of keeping a brave face and trying to impress my boss ... the guilt that eats at me while I let the kids munch on little snacks as I rush with the dinner prep ... the bitchiness that my husband has had to endure while I adjust to my new fatigue and launch my Superior Wifeness at him. He's probably happy that he's travelling again today (oh yes, we're quite the exhausted couple these days).

But all is good. I shared with my group that I almost passed out at an Iggy Pop concert, that I snowmobiled in Iceland and that I don't drink alcohol. Most of them figured out the alcohol was the lie. Party on, people.

*****

I bought the newest book, The Family Dinner Fix, from Sandi Richards' Cooking for the Rushed series - I don't know if you've heard of her, but I used to watch her TV show sometimes as she helped families deal with meal planning to cope with busy week schedules. She's actually great on TV, and she's got loads of experience (I think she's got something like eight kids). I love how she gets everyone involved in the meal planning and actual cooking. However, I've never used any of her recipes.

I'm returning the book though. I guess I'm just anal, but I can't keep a book that has recipes in it that tell you to prepare your meat, pop it in the oven and leave the oven on ALL DAY to cook until you get home. A slow cooker is one thing, but to leave the oven ON, unattended while the house is empty, for even a few minutes? That freaks me out enough. But for 9 hours? Sorry, I can't go with that, even if it is on low heat. The oven still on. I don't know why that turns me off so much. Maybe I'm just misinterpreting it, but I don't think so. It's got potential safety hazard written all over it.

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The man was awake extra early this morning to catch a flight, and because the kids are off school today, EVERYONE was out of bed before 7 AM. Normally you wouldn't catch them out of bed until 7:30 AM because they are getting into bed at freakin' 10 PM the night before!!! I've got to adjust this schedule for obvious reasons. Last night the girl asked why they had to go to bed early (and it was already 9:30 PM) because they were going to friends today - I was too tired to get into explanations. I just said, "Because Mommy wants some time with the TV." And they bought it, because they know that Mommy gets "zero" TV time because of them. I guess I'm talking their language.

So I'm awake and blogging, but I'm tired already.

*****

I'm taking my Mom out for dinner tonight with the kids, to Swiss Chalet. Mom could eat at Swiss Chalet everyday (well, I suppose most seniors can and do!). The kids love it too. I thought we should see her before she goes on her second trip to China this year.

It's really a bit bizarre (in a good way) that she's appears to be blossoming into her own person again since Dad's been gone. When I went shopping with her last week, she was so hip in her cool pink T with the leopard print, sequins and fringes accompanying her jeans, and a beautiful scarf draped across her shoulders. In actual fact, a lot of the fashions we were looking at were similar to what she was wearing. Did I tell you that Mom turned 72 this year? I guess after over 40 years of putting my Dad and us and everyone else ahead of her own needs, it's about time. And I'm so very glad. Now she's thinking about day trading...wow. She did also buy me a half a dozen frozen dinners that were on sale, you know, for my lunch at work. After all, I'm still her baby :).

*****

I've been thinking about Dad quite a bit lately. He was in management for 30 years. I miss his quiet confidence, his sage advice, his words of praise, his wise encouragement. But at least I do still have those fragments of our conversations, at every turn of my career, to look back on.

And they do echo softly in the back of my mind. In a very good way.

Have a great weekend.

Lessons learned after Day 3 on the job

2009-09-23T22:36:00.002-04:00

Pantyhose and velcro on the 4 year old's shoes do not get along;

Neither do bunions and stilettos (when did the bunions happen, I do not know);

When running out of things to discuss with people you first meet, poop and diaper changing can still come to the rescue;

Having a supportive partner who takes the day off to play Mr. Mom on your first day back to work makes all the difference in the world; especially when one of the kids gets an upset stomach at school;

Don't think you're out of the woods just because she's been in daycare for over a week: "I don't want to go to daycare" wimpers from her as she boarded the bus; and tears from me on the drive to the office - not the first and not the last.

I'm running my first meeting tomorrow. Any good icebreakers?

(gorgeous photo from stock exchange)

For more Wordless check it out here; and of course, since this is more than Wordful, visit Seven Clown Circus.

Fashion Friday Fragments

2009-09-18T00:14:00.011-04:00

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444.

And freewriting Sara at Ordinary & Awesome:

*****

This week has just flown by. It's scary how fast things go when you've got a deadline. Or you see the doors closing on one phase of your life, while new ones open into the next.

The kids were in daycare all this week and they were absolute troopers. To be honest, I think it's better for them there, interacting with friends and playing outside. If they were at home, it would be so hard to pull them away from the TV or computer.

What did I do with all my "free" time?

I finally bought a new vacuum hose and accessory set for our busted hose that we've had taped together the last two years. I did get to the gym, and I went shopping. For work clothes.

The last time I went shopping for suits was over 10 years ago. And a lot happens after 10 years and 2 kids. I went through my closet of existing work clothes, most that I haven't worn in almost 5 years and, uh, had to get rid of quite a few pairs of pants.

But I was lucky, I think I did well. And either the sizes have gotten bigger or all those efforts to get pregnant and sitting on my butt working in an office all those years ago had me two sizes bigger than I should have been.

Enough with the preamble, here are a few of the outfits I picked up. (Please ignore the greasy and tired face, I couldn't get to this until I had a free moment, once the kids were in bed and I should have been...)

This is how I usually look at 9 AM...

This is how I'll have to start to look come Monday morning...

Mexx

Mexx again...

Banana Republic

BCBG Max AzriaMax Studio
Yes, a cape! (from a new brand I found called Enjoy!)
Still Enjoying...
*****

Today, on my last full day as a stay-at-home mom, I'm going to go to my final BodyJam day class, meet my Mom for lunch and shopping, and get a mani-pedi that was my Mother's Day gift from the man.

And speaking of the man, he'll be home again after being away for the week. I can't wait.

Happy Friday and weekend!

Office Space

2009-09-16T08:08:00.009-04:00

When I walk into my office next Monday morning, this will be the mixed media masterpiece that will be the first to go up:

The clouds, the hearts, the crown, the popcorn and the tiny rabbit (that she knows doesn't really look like a rabbit but they're hard to draw so this is as close as she can get right now). A little piece of G which she drew specifically for my new space.

The beautiful colours of her world, that will help me transition into my new one.

For more Wordless check it out here; and of course, since this is more than Wordful, visit Seven Clown Circus.

Friday Fragments - Back to Life, Back to Reality

2009-09-11T07:28:00.003-04:00

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444.

And a newer blog friend had a similar brilliant idea: Friday Freewrite at Ordinary and Awesome. Go!

First week of school, and it went off without a hitch...well, almost. Bear with me while I de-frag...

Last week, we went up north for Labour Day weekend, and the man had decided to spare me the burden of loading up his bike and that of the boy, into my minivan. He was going up first and we would join him a couple of days later. So he left me his car to drive around for a couple of days, and I didn't bother touching the van until it was time to drive up.

Mistake.

It seems that the bike had hit the interior light of the minivan. Yes, the bike hit it, not the man who was loading the bike. Amazing the power of inanimate objects when the stars align.

But I didn't get overly pissed off right away, as I was in a good frame of mind, and after all, he had loaded the van so that I wouldn't have to. Or more correctly, so that he wouldn't have to hear about it when I dropped it on my toe, which I would have done. Or do something ridiculous like hit the interior light and drain the battery. We still had the man's car, so I loaded that up and hit the road with the kids in tow. And we had an amazing holiday weekend.

We didn't get back until Labour Day, and it wasn't until the evening that we got the battery charged by CAA (I love CAA). Of course the tank was on empty (I was going to fill up before I headed north), so we couldn't drive it around much. So what happened the next morning was only natural.

You guessed it. Tuesday morning, the first day of school, and the minivan wouldn't start.

But hey, we still had the man's car. So off we went, got the kids into their classes (yay, kids are happy with their placements, all is good.) CAA to the rescue again, and charged the van. I had to take the car for about a one hour drive. But there was still a chance that the battery was shot. All day Tuesday, the van sputtered, but ran. And then again on Wednesday, it sputtered better, but ran better.

Thursday morning I got cocky. I offered to drive the kids to school, and didn't try the van until after the bus came and went.

Mistake.

Damn battery was dead!

It was 8:45 AM. The bell rings at 8:50 AM.

Oh my God! I grabbed the kids' backpacks, yelled at the boy for taking so long to get ready, and we ran all the way to school. RAN.

Me in my flip flop sandals, almost planting my face on the sidewalk twice... the girl yelling, "This is great exercise Mommy, maybe I'll be skinny like my brother."... the boy saying, "Hope you're enjoying your workout Mom!"

We got there in 10 minutes. Don't ask me how, I think we had wings on our heels. But they weren't late.

I called CAA again. And bought a new battery.

Of course, the man is away on business all week. How'd you guess?

*****

Well, summer is pretty much over, but guess what? I actually did get some summertime reading in! I read a book called Mortal Friends, a sizzler that takes place in Washington DC, and it was pretty good. You can read my review here. And yes, I did manage to read a couple more, so I'll post about them there soon as well.

*****

Speaking about books, have you heard about , The Superior Wife Syndrome? I read a review in the Globe and Mail and it looks like an interesting read. Mainly because I think I have a superiority complex and can be a nag hag from time to time. Although apparently I'm not oh so bad. Not all of the time, anyway.

*****

So while the man is away, I try to take advantage and watch chickflicks. I've got Two Lovers (apparently Joaquin Phoenix' best work before he became the newest member of ZZ Top) , Nights in Rodanthe and Last Chance Harvey. I'll be lucky if I get through two, but I'll let you know what I think.

****
And a quickie: don't tell the husband this, but I got all sexy while he was away. I actually cleaned the oven! Hah!

*****
Do you remember Soul II Soul? Great song, perfect for the weekend..

Rush to nowhere

2009-09-09T07:45:00.007-04:00

Resort living in the Great White North. Sun, sand, water, drinks, summer just got started.

Wish we were still there.

Sigh.

For more Wordless check it out here; and of course, since this is more than Wordful, visit Seven Clown Circus.

(First day of school went off without a hitch...if you don't count the car battery that needed a boost - twice!)

Friday Fragments

2009-09-04T07:21:00.011-04:00

Welcome to another edition of Friday Fragments - please visit my friend, the lovely lady Mrs.4444.

*****

This has been a crazy busy week. The last full week before school starts next Tuesday. Days spent visiting friends, a week that was sprinkled with many a reflective moment, for obvious reasons. A week that was crazy but with nothing to show for it...what did I do all week? In fact, what have I done in the past 5 years! Sheesh!

I've really got to get organized.

*****

Any "So You Think You Can Dance" fans out there? The Canadian version is now in full swing and wouldn't you know it, there's a local girl in the top 16! Turns out she shares the same orthodontist as my boy - that's where we first found out that she was in the the dance show. And she is GOOD! Melanie M - not quite the doctor her parents wanted her to be (at least not yet) ... but she's on fire on the dancefloor.

So, is it just me, or are the choreographers obsessed with the "I'm a crazy stalker girlfriend who cannot let go of the man who continues to diss me" storyline as the backdrop for their dances? This is a continuing theme, which to be honest, is starting to get on my nerves. It certainly makes for drama (girls flinging themselves at the guy, clawing at them, pleading with them...) and it's art, I suppose.

I think Katy and Twitch did it best...

But can we move on now?

*****

As I scour the latest fashion magazines to figure out what I should invest in for my new work wardrobe, how shocked (and so NOT prepared to go there) was I to find that the 80's are again in full force. Those sharp angled shoulders, bright neon colours, harem pants ... uh, no thank you.

Back to work shopping is on my list of things to do, and I'm in the market for a couple of good suits. Should make great Fashion Friday fodder. What was that again?

*****

Speaking of "Back to", how much back to school shopping have I done for the kids? Let's see .... a big fat ZERO! I'm hoping that their backpacks haven't had any holes drilled into them by the bacteria that lies within, attracted by juicebox drippings and cookie crumbs circa June 2009.

*****

I took the kids to see "Bedtime Stories" again, but this time in the open air at our nearby soccer field. It was the last of a series that ran in our community for the first time this summer.

We met up with good friends, set up our lawn chairs, got out the popcorn, and enjoyed the film under the bright moonlight. It was fun to see the kids chattering way, little G giggling with her BFF, while stuffing her face full of popcorn. The boy intensely playing with his DS, but at least interactively with his friend (and BFF's big brother), cracking up at the game and at the movie every so often.

As the evening cooled down, and the girlie started to get tired, she climbed up on my lap for a snuggle. At first I was hit by a tinge of sadness. After all, I'm not anything if not melancholy.

This would be the last carefree summer with the kids. No more hanging out, at friends' pools, popping over for impromptu coffees with other moms in the neighbourhood, shuffling the kids off to the library for programs or just to catch a few moments with the magazines and books. At least not during the day. Oh I know, your heart bleeds. But it has been a very special time for our family.

Nothing lasts forever.

Then I realized that it's not entirely true.

The sadness faded away and was replaced by the loving cuddle of a little girl who was nestling her tired sweet face into the warmth of her mother's embrace. Her mother embracing the Now.

This, this is what I cherish, this love that I have for my kids, my husband, my family. And this love, it ain't ever going away.

*****

That's a wrap. Have a great weekend!