life candy

yay! today is my birthday. wheeeeeee!

2009-11-05T08:05:00.014-06:00

As of 8:05am, I turned 40!

And yes, I'm very excited about the whole deal! I love adding another candle to the cake, I love getting older, because, as Harmzie-girl said, it "beats the alternative". So true, my friend, so true.

So, to celebrate, I have stolen a post idea from my buddy Maria, and asked my younger self -- in this case, 20-year-old me* -- to interview the new 40-year-old me.

Have I fulfilled my youthful expectations? Or have I gone completely off track and become a bitter, old crone? Let's find out...

20yo Me: So, wow, 40. How does it feel to be 40?

40yo Me: You're wondering if I feel old, aren't you? Ah, youngling, I feel younger than I thought I would. Of course, I think I'd feel even younger if I were 118-ish lbs again.
But I've been through a lot, so considering the mileage, I think I'm doing pretty well.

20: Yeah, I must admit you still do look somewhat like me... except with a few more wrinkles, a few greys, about 30 extra pounds --

40: Oh, shut up, you're a frickin' stick. Next question.

20: Wow, when did I get bitchy? Sheesh, kidding. Ha! So, I guess my thinking that life ends at 30 is wrong, eh?

40: Oh, honey, it's just the beginning. I got married, bought a house, had a son, then had a daughter, and started my writing gig all in my 30s. Lots of starts. Life totally gets better after 30. :)

20: That's pretty cool! Married, eh? So, who do I end up with? Who is this Roomie?

40: Can't tell you, but it's definitely NOT the guy you're with right now. That's all I will say. And that he is an engineer. Okay, enough. I've said too much. Oh, and that he has gorgeous blue-green eyes. DAMMIT, shut up!

20: O-kay... (Interviewer mildly fears that she will turn somewhat crazy over the next 2 decades)... So, am I a good engineer?

40: Yes, but you quit.

20: OMG, why?!!! Why would I do that?

40: I just couldn't stand doing that shit another day. I had a string of bosses who micro-managed, equipment that was so archaic you might as well be using punch cards or sending smoke signals or waving frickin' flags or banging rocks together!
And every time I got creative, I "wasn't doing my job". Bastards.
On the bright side, I was able to pay off my years of student loans, plan my wedding, and go on 2 honeymoons thanks to those jobs. So, whatever.

20: Whoa, bitter, are we? Okay, so, if you're not an engineer anymore, what else is there for you?

40: One word: BLOGGING -- just write and write and write. Do it early. Do it lots. Mrs. K in Grade 11 was on crack when she said you should stick to math and science.

20: Name 5 things I've claimed I'd never do or never think I could do that you, in fact, have done in the last 20 years.

40: Hmmm...
(1) - give birth naturally and without painkillers
(2) - open a hula & tahitian dance school
(3) - "take a break" from the parentals -- you'll find the peace you've been searching for after their drama is out of your life
(4) - move to a different country to live with a boyfriend
(5) - mile-high club -- yes, I said "mile-high club", Catholic-school prude-girl.

20: Okay, if you say so. Yikes. One regret?

40: Not breaking up sooner from the guy you're with right now. Don't worry -- he's not the boyfriend you fly to Hawai'i to live with. Nor is he Mr. Mile-High. You marry Mr. Mile-High. Good grief, when will I just shut up about him?!!!

20: WHAT?! You lived in Hawai'i?! What the hell are you doing back here?!

40: Because Canada is AWESOME! And don't ever forget that.

20: Anything else you want to share?

40: Yeah, first of all, proposing naked TOTALLY worked. Secondly, stay in Hawai'i 'til the end of July. What else... oh, yeah, and before you get pregnant, have your husband take pictures of you naked. Having a reminder that you once had a body like that would be nice. You'll appreciate it when you're my age. :)

------------------------
* - Since I couldn't find a good picture of me at 20, I've once again chosen to ~~inflict~~ entertain you with this bitchin' pic of me at 18. I know -- hot, eh? Yeah, whatever. Enjoy. :)

but no, we don't let her watch it.

2009-11-02T22:41:00.003-06:00

Halloween 2009: Robot Chicken and Wolverine...

last year, in a galaxy not so far away...

2009-10-29T09:08:00.003-05:00

My camera's been hijacked by a cute little boy who's been making his own films. (Sorry, I've been sworn to secrecy. For now.) So, you're stuck with other cool stuff by me, while you patiently wait for Ask Nenette - Part 2!

1: I've written another post for Canada Moms! Please head over there, find out how I won't be losing weight anytime soon, and leave me some love!

2: Many of you have asked what my kids will be wearing for Halloween this year. I'm again sworn to secrecy, so I present to you the photo of the kids from last year: Queen Amidala and her son Luke Skywalker...

May the Force be with you...

because I am a girl

2009-10-26T13:35:00.005-05:00

It's all about girl-power, people!

And when you're a girl growing up in Canada, you KNOW you have the power to achieve greatness and affect change in your homes and in your communities. I knew that as a budding then practicing female engineer, and I still know that today as a mom of a brilliant girl of my own.

But how about the girls in the poorest regions of our planet? Surely, they have the ability to do great things if given the opportunity.

This is where Plan Canada, and their 2009 series Because I am a Girl, comes in.
Plan Canada is filming a documentary across Canada, capturing the experiences of teens, tweens, young girls and their inspirations in an effort to raise awareness of and fight gender inequality all over the world. These experiences will be captured and replayed as a documentary to be released in Spring 2010.

I ask my fellow Winnipeggers to participate. The next public filming will be:

Tuesday, October 27th: Portage Place Shopping Centre, 3:00 – 5:30 pm

(Please note that you will need a consent form.)

Can't make it to the filming? Here are other ways to support...

1: Become a Because I am a Girl Fan on Facebook.
2: Become a Plan Canada Fan on Facebook.
3: Follow Plan Canada on Twitter.
4: Check out and subscribe to Plan Canada's videos on YouTube and Because I am a Girl pictures on Flickr.
5: Have a blog or a website? Put up a badge like the lovely one up at the top of this post.
6: Track the Because I am a Girl Caravan on Google Maps.
7: Donate.

Please take part in any way you can. And if you do make it to the filming, tell them Life Candy sent you! :)

random bits 04

2009-10-23T08:21:00.010-05:00

Okay, I'm sorry, this isn't my Ask Nenette - Part 2 vlog. No, don't worry, my kids aren't sick. It's the camera. It's actually at the opposite end of the city. Roomie and Lam went to a party last weekend and forgot the camera there, along with Lam's "Hawaii" hat.

So, seeing as we won't be getting it until this afternoon, you're getting this...

I had the most lovely experience of getting a box of cookies from an awesome girlfriend -- pictures of "the big opening" (yup, Rougie, it still sound perverted) to come.
I've been drinking more coffee lately thanks to the stupid VIA sticks from Starbucks. As annoying as the commercials are, they don't lie. I really can't tell the difference between this stuff and the brewed stuff. And now, I'm hooked. DAMMIT!Oh, and because I can't drink coffee black, I've been having more dairy too. Stupid dairy.
Because the camera's in North Kildonan, I've resorted to using our older digital camera. Which sucks because I don't know how to download the pictures from this thing anymore.*

I have to wait for Roomie to do it for me. I'm once again reminded of how dependent I am on him to download my pictures, repair major appliances, maintain our network of computers (don't let the fact that I'm an enginerd fool you -- I haven't even tried to figure out how Roomie's wired this place), reach high cupboards, and so many more things above and beyond the hot monkey lovin'.
So, yeah, Roomie is not allowed to leave me for Jessica Alba.
I've been waking up to this kind of morning -- thanks to high pressure systems bringing sunny, yet FRACKIN' COLD days...
My Freebie List has changed a teensy bit. Check it out on my sidebar.
I've written yet still have to upload my latest Canada Moms Blog post. Stay tuned.
Mittens' relationship with her boyfriend Buddy has turned somewhat "love/hate". He loves -- She hates. He's always skulking around in our yard looking for her. If she isn't outside hissing at him, she's inside coldly gazing at him from across the glass.

To demonstrate his love, he's even climbed on our garage roof to do this:

Her response? Desperate mowing and clawing to get outside.
To hiss at him. Weirdo.

* - Which was my fault, because last summer, when I was doing some template redesign, I did some testing on IE (I prefer to use FF), and managed to download the digital equivalent of VD onto my desktop computer. Which prompted us to go from Windows XP to Ubuntu, which also rendered the program to download pictures unusable. Yes, I rawk.

ask nenette: video #1

2009-10-17T08:07:00.008-05:00

I know, I know, it's late! But hey, here it is! Finally!

I asked you to ask me anything -- and now I'm answering.
I woke up super-early to film it to avoid any interruption or disturbance from my little ones. So, please excuse my messy hair and gramma sweater. (It's so comfy!) I brushed my teeth, so I actually wished we had smell-o-vision. (Yes, I was minty fresh!)
And I put on some lipstick. Just for you, folks. It's all for you.

If you're having trouble seeing it here, you can watch it on YouTube.
And it may sound like I have a lisp. I don't. Just telling you now. Oh, and -- holy cow!!! -- my teeth look white!
Anyway, enjoy! :)

so thankful...

2009-10-11T23:11:00.006-05:00

... for my beautiful, clever children, and their squishy hugs and slobbery kisses.

... that, despite the fact that my son has a cold, it's just a cold -- nothing worse.

... for awesome hand-me-downs that turn into Dancy-Dance dresses for my daughter.

... for my handsome, funny, and loving scientist-guy husband, who still thinks I'm hot enough to keep perving me at every opportunity.

... for non-fat caramel macchiatos from Starbucks, double-doubles from Tim's, mocha-on-chocolate cupcakes from the Cupcakery, and prawn & papaya salad from Wasabi Sabi.

... for the working dishwasher, washing machine, and garage door opener all of which were broken this time last year (and had been broken for over a year!)

... for the furnace that we turned on sooner than normal because -- OMG!!! -- it went straight from Summer to frickin' cold Winter totally by-passing Fall, you know, like on Monty Python & the Holy Grail right after they ate Brave Sir Robin's minstrels. (Check out the still green leaves on the trees!!!)

... for my RL friends and my online friends, who all make me feel smart, cute, spunky , hot, and not just a former axolotl tank -- but who's apparently still a super sci-fi nerd.

... for the family glazed ham recipe that saves me from ~~ruining~~ making turkey for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.

... for Dracula 2000, Timeline, Beowulf & Grendel, The Phantom of the Opera, and 300 -- the movies of my pretend boyfriend Gerard Butler that I've seen. Yes, I should see more of his movies. No, I'm not a very good pretend girlfriend.

... for the hula -- kahiko, which I love to watch, and 'auana, which I love to teach.

... for blogging, so I can subject all of my awesome Life Candy friends to my ~~incessant brain farts~~ fun stories and ideas.

... for online shopping, so I don't have to go to the malls and deal with crowds, because apparently, according to Roomie, I don't like people.

... for modern technology that allows my two nerd-boys to hang out at Starbucks and have some father/son bonding.

... for NewsRadio, 'Allo 'Allo, Friends, and WKRP in Cincinnati on VHS & DVD, for the times my son and I get sick and need something better to watch other than typical annoying daytime tv.

... for bacon.

... for SO MUCH MORE!!!

Happy Thanksgiving from me to you!
xoxo

Blogoversary Day 4: This Year's Faves

2009-10-08T08:04:00.004-05:00

"Hey, where's the Q+A?!" you might be asking. Sorry, folks, my son is sick, so you'll have to wait until after this long weekend -- Gotta love Canadian Thanksgiving! So, meanwhile I present to you my list of LC faves of year 2...

I had a hard time deciding on my Top 10 favourite Life Candy posts. Really, they're all jems. Of course, right? So, I had to bump it up to 15.

Of the 171 posts I wrote over the past year, these 15 make me smile a whole lot more. Don't ask why. I can't really say. Anyway, here they are in the order they were published...

1: A Special Announcement

2: She's a Genius -- She clearly takes after Me.

3: Gettin' Busy in the Livingroom.

4: how does he come up with these things?

5: when lessons in table manners go curiously out of control

6: potluck, pals, and pillow fights

7: teaparties at my house are *always* this fun...

8: my f*ck it list - because life's too short to do everything.

9: the 2nd annual freebie list - who's on your list in 2009?

10: PSAs: Because you won't like me when I'm stabby

11: a barbeque with loved ones through the haze of pina colada

12: it's been 9 years? already?! wow!

13: mini's review from the land of lemonade...

14: 20 things I want you to know.

15: Q & A : the photographic interview

Do you have a favourite Life Candy post?

Blogoversary Day 3: That's What You Said.

2009-10-07T08:11:00.001-05:00

Due to Mommyhood stepping in and throwing me a schedule-slashing neck punch, I didn't get a chance to do the Question/Answer vlog post I promised for today. (Thank you so much for your questions!) I'll be working on it today/tomorrow.
Instead, you will now get the post I had scheduled for Day 4, which of course is awesome too! Thanks for your patience...

You guys are funny! Here are some of my reader's comments from this past year that made me, you know, *LOL*... (in no particular order)...

"Why are poptarts on this list? it should be deleted and replaced it with 'greasy kitchen dust-bunnies' I mean I'm not (totally) against their existence (I've had them when I was a teenager & more easily influenced by the pull of 'buy this & you'll be as cool as they are'), but they shouldn't be on a list of *desserts*. Even jello isn't haute couture, but it is a dessert."
- Harmzie from The Sweet 100

"Thumbs up to all your sci-fi lovin. :-D But metal roofing? Really? That's just odd. *lol*
Also, you forgot to put boobs on your list. :-P Unless 'metal roofing' is another way of saying boobs."
- Snowbear from the list of things that I think are totally the tits

"!!! Bloody hell! Now I have another raving loony friend with a blog to follow!?! Don't you people ever stop talking?
:-)"
- Albert Bannatyne from Chop, Chop, Chop...

"That's exactly the time I hit saturation point, as well. We snacked on salad last night. By choice. As a snack. Salad.
It cannot get stranger than this."
- Wyliekat from so, self-indulgence *does* have its limits.

"I wear my tiara at least three times a week. Isn't that normal?"
- Country Girl/Rougie from we're all about the decadence.

"She's lying. The photo is blurry because it was a pillow fight. That's how they go.
Seriously, before I went out, I asked Max: "How do I look? Do I look good enough to hit with a pillow?" he said: "yes, you're pillow-worthy" (bad Seinfeld reference there, if you caught it)"
- Harmzie from potlucks, pals, and pillow fights.

"you can have mr.ferguson, I'll take the small gangster bondage guy."
- zandra from I luuuuuuuu Craig Ferguson -- and so do you...

"I licked my sister under your bed because that's how I roll.
Dang. How is it that everyone else came up with cute and funny, and I ended up with pervy and unsettling?"
- Wyliekat from not a meme for the weekend. really, it's not. sorta.

"... your ass IS hot. Get over it. It's all I can do to not touch it. Sometimes I fail. (Not that there's anything wrong with that) (Unless you think so) (But you seem to giggle) (school girl)"
- Harmzie from unfinished projects including my un-hot ass

"When you said to ask you anything, my mind went immediately into the gutter. It did not pass go, it did not collect $200.00."
- Paul Johns from random quickies 03

Thanks for the giggles, guys! Here's to even more giggles in Year 3. :)
xo

Blogoversary Day 2: A Look Back

2009-10-06T13:42:00.006-05:00

Okay, it's your last chance to *Ask Nenette Anything*! I'll be working on the answers tomorrow, so be sure to get your questions to me by tonight. Email or comment.

So, holy crap, it's been another year! I can't believe it. And a lot has happened over the last 365 days (it isn't a leap year, is it? no? okay, good). Since it's my blogoversary, I hope you'll forgive me for a wee bit o' bragging... okay, a lot of bragging. I've linked out some lovin' as a thanks to those who helped make my year such a special one.

Since last October, I...

wrote 171 new posts...
added 119 new subscribers...
burned through 3 different taglines...
got this blog to grow up and start earning its keep...

have 45 NetworkedBlogs Followers, 34 Google Friend Followers (last year, I only had one -- hi, Carlene!), and 17 Facebook Fan Page Fans. And I appreciate every single one of these folks...
loaded my blogroll (Check out "The Dailies" in my sidebar) with some new and fabulous blogs...
inspired, encouraged, and harassed some of my favourite RL people to start their own blogs. Hey, look, it's one of them in this picture with me!...
had the honour of being asked to write for a wonderful new blog and now find myself in league with some of the funniest, savviest, brilliant-est, and hottest (of course!) moms -- and dads! -- in Ye Old Blogosphere...
had this post of mine and this post of mine picked up for syndication...
made some new and awesome bloggy sisters and brother, who -- along with old friends -- continually inspire me and make my time online such fun and not the total waste of time I used to think it was...
found out firsthand that some of my twitter friends were actual people! WTF?! Yeah, I know! They're real! I actually poked them with my own finger -- and not at all in the creepy way I know you're all thinking right now. Perverts...

Okay, enough tooting my own horn. If you've read this far, thanks for listening me brag like a proud mama. It's been a good year, and a great deal of that I owe to you. Thanks for coming to read me every time I give birth to a new post, for participating through your comments and emails, and for thumbing up, retweeting, or just letting friends know about Life Candy.

You all rock! xo

Welcome to Life Candy's 2nd Blogoversary Extravaganza!!!

2009-10-05T08:11:00.003-05:00

Look at this picture of my little girl on her 2nd birthday -- I know, SO ADORABLE!!!

This week...

Life Candy turns 2!!!

Does my blog look anywhere as cute as Mini? Pfft, of course not, but we're still SO excited!

Yay! I'm going to party all week, and I'm taking you with me!

We'll be looking back over our 2nd year at the awesome new (and old) friends, the "OMG!" events, my favourite posts, the comments that made this blogging thing all worth it, and so much more!

So, be sure to tune in everyday this week, and join in the fun and festivities!

We're going to have a blast!!! xo

sabotage.

2009-10-03T19:42:00.005-05:00

Just a reminder that next week's Life Candy 2nd Blogoversary Extravaganza Week will feature an *Everything You Wanted To Know About Nenette* post. So, if you want to know something about me or want to know my thoughts on something, be sure to leave your questions in the comments here, or email me. Deadline October 6.

Okay, I turn 40 in just over a month, which means I have 4 weeks to meet all of my "Before I Turn 40" goals, which include run a marathon, learn Spanish, take singing lessons, have a portrait of myself painted... and...

... oh, yeah, wear a bikini at the beach.

Bahahaha! Wait, let me finish laughing before I go on... Ahem. Alright, I'm fine now.

Okay, that's NOT going to happen anytime soon. And not for the lack of trying, because I've tried, and tried, and tried!

I've fallen off the wagon so many times my ass is covered in gravel, horse-poop, and road kill. And do you have any idea how hard it is to wash that crap off?! It stays stuck on you, as a constant reminder of how much you look like Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi, when he was too much of a fat bastard to walk on his own, and had to have his minions shuttle him everywhere. Yeah, like that!

I've gained about 20 lbs. since 2006, Halloween 2006 to be exact. Damn you, Kit Kat and Coffee Crisp "Minis", and your ability to deceive me with your tiny size and claims of "oh, I'm only 80 calories -- you can have as many of me as you want and stay teeny tiny :D"!

And that was just the beginning. Since then, there've been...

Starbucks' Mocha Frappucinos/Tim Horton's Iced Capps

When summer finally decided to come to town in September, this was the only thing that cooled me off. My usual favourite -- Iced Tall Light-Iced Green Tea Lemonade -- just didn't cut it.

This was sweet, tasty, and cool. And something I'm going to have to kill off drastically. Cold turkey. Gradual is not going to cut it.

FYI I actually prefer Iced Capps... made with CREAM! Take that, remaining cholesterol-free arteries!

The Cupcakery Cupcakes

I'm addicted. This last time I ended up with a dozen minis, a half-dozen regular, and a dozen day-old minis that we got for 25% and tasted JUST AS AWESOME!!!
But in all seriousness, I should just stick to the dozen fresh minis.
DAMMIT. Okay, a half dozen minis. And at least one of them has to be mocha.

Chocolate/Vanilla Swirl Soft Ice Cream

Ignore the cute little girl eyes at the bottom of the picture. I know, she's distracting. And she couldn't eat all of her ice cream. So I finished it for her.

We had this almost every day during our camping trip. They had a concession stand in a fort near the beach and campsites, so it was an easy walk over from our tent.
And now, I'm frickin' addicted.

Eating As Much As My Husband

I am not a 6' tall man who runs 5km twice a week. So, why do I constantly eat like one?
At our house, we have the "adult" portion size, and we have the "kids" portion size. Apparently, the "adult" size is enough to feed a tree.

If I want to be a slim 5'4" tall woman who practices yoga 2-3 times a week, I need to eat like a... well, YKWIM.

Treat Day

Frickin' day of enabling every single vice I have. It's the "eat whatever crap you want as long as you've eaten healthy the rest of the week" day. I usually end up ignoring the fact that I've eaten a few bad things the past week and eat whatever sugar I can get my hands on. Like this Skor bar, which I didn't really eat before until I had a Skor Blizzard at Dairy Queen.

Ya, it's like I'm a frickin' humming bird.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Remember this? Rougie said this was food porn. And yes. Yes, she's right. It's making me want, people.
Frankly, I want to just take the sandwich in this picture and slather it all over myself. And I'm only a little bit kidding.

As soon as I finish this post, I'll be making myself one of these.

And that's happening... now.

Yes, folks, I got some work to do...

random quickies 03

2009-09-29T17:11:00.011-05:00

Yes, it's another random post. It's a quick one. Okay? Ready? Set? Go!!!

1: Ask Me *ANYTHING*

In one week -- on October 7 to be exact -- this little blog o' mine will be celebrating its 2nd anniversary!!! I know! TWO YEARS!!! What the hell?!
Like last year, I'll be celebrating the entire week -- from now on to be known as The Blogoversary Week Extravaganza -- so I'm trying to come up with 5 festive posts.
For one of them, I'm ~~dragging my poor unsuspecting readers into~~ including my online friends in a type of "audience participation" thingy. Your task is simple:

Ask me ANY question about me that you've been wanting to know.

Seriously. ANYTHING. Feel free to ask more than one. You can leave it here in the comments or email me. If you want to make sure your question(s) hasn't already been answered, check my 100 things post. I will answer you during The Blogoversary Week Extravaganza.

I must confess that I stole this idea from the sweet and sassy Mr.Zig -- I might even answer it via vlog like he did! Oooooh... Aaaaah...

So, yeah, deadline is October 6.

2: Syndicated Mom

Remember that Canada Moms Blog post of mine I told you about? Yeah, well, it got picked up for syndication!!! Yay! This one is my 2nd post to be picked up out of the 11 posts I've written for the blog, so I'm totally chuffed. Like, totally. So, yeah, if you see it somewhere other than the Canada Moms Blog site, please let me know.
Not bad for a recovering enginerd. I'm so happy about this because this may be a sign that I could possibly not completely suck at writing. Huzzah!

3: Facebook Fan Page for Life Candy

Life Candy on Facebook

So, I did it. I made a Fan Page on Facebook for this blog. So, even if you follow me on the Networked Blogs thing, please also come to the Fan Page and become a fan!
Frankly, I wasn't sure what the point of this page was. I was just told that it's a good idea to have one, so I got one (Wow, that sounds so "sheep" of me, eh?). But now I realized that this is another way to connect with my blog readers who aren't necessarily my FB friends.
Oh, yeah, to think that my readership has extended to more than just folks I know on FB, like aunts and gorgeous godsisters! ;)

4: Wish Chip

A wish chip for the first person to tell me what a wish chip is.
But not this one. I already ate this one. It was overflowing with wishy goodness.

Q & A : the photographic interview

2009-09-27T16:00:00.003-05:00

For the month of September, sh1ft.org is doing a photographic interview project, and I'm participating. So, here's your chance to get to know me a little more via the pictures I take -- without all the troublesome words to get in the way.
Okay, maybe a few words. I'll try to keep it to a minimum.

1. What is the first thing you see in the morning?

(I feel my way around in the dark before I get here.)

2. The biggest thing to happen to you recently/soon?

(The best camping trip. Brought to light my need to simplify and re-arrange my priorities.)

3. Your best mirror shot

(My son chose this picture over 3 others.)

4. The person that you see the most in a week

5. Your favourite shoes

6. Your favourite meal

(The Flower Roll at Sushi-Ya. With green tea, of course.)

7. The colour of your eyes

(Dark chocolate, baby!)

8. Your favourite place to be on a Friday night

(Anywhere these three folks happen to be...)

randomness today 02

2009-09-24T13:35:00.012-05:00

I have a lot to share today -- little things, tweety things, not enough to be complete blog posts things. Some o' my fave bloggers do random lists, and I did one WAY back, so I think I'll do another one again... you know, to be one of the cool kids.

1: A Note to Pre-Baby Me
I wrote a new Canada Moms Blog post! It's one of my favourites, so please head over there, check it out, and leave a comment!

2: Germ Infested
We've all been sick in this house. We've missed school/work since Friday. On Tuesday, Roomie went to work only to be told by his coworkers that he "looked like shit" and sent back home. Roomie and Lam were well enough to go back to school/work today, but Mini, always the last in the family to get hit by any bug, had a fever yesterday...

... last night, then again this morning...

... but started feeling better in time for Mr.Maker complete with tiara...

To be safe, I'm keep her home for another day. With luck, the fever will stay away, and she'll be fine for her dance class on Saturday. Me? Just go to Twitter (no account required), do a search on #ImSickAndCranky, and you'll know EXACTLY how I've been feeling.

3: Meeting with Tweeties
There I was on a beautiful patio, on a night that felt more like July than September with people I'd met on the internet. WTF?
Yes, all true. I got there late, and I was already feeling pretty sick. But I'd committed myself, so I popped a Contac-C and headed over to the patio at Inn at The Forks, where I met up with Princess, Kyla, WpgPeanut, Ally, Nichole, and FriendlyMB. It was short, sweet, and seriously surreal. Can't wait to see the pictures!

4: A New Fave Blog: peopleofwalmart.com
Do these folks own mirrors? Do they look in said mirrors and think "Oh, I look GOOOOD!"? Are their Canadian counterparts just as frightening? OMG, do I look like that?! Since I don't shop at Walmart, I may have dodged that bullet...

5: I May Have To Watch Glee
Okay, so Glee really is awesome. I may have to start watching it like my twitterpal Janice suggested!

6: Grilled Cheese
I've been jonesing for grilled cheese sandwiches for DAYS, and I'm talking the REAL *buttered-on-all-sides, 2-3 cheese slices, and fried in a cast iron pan* kind of grilled cheese sandwich. I, of course, tweeted it (please pardon the profanity -- I usually don't swear), and managed to tempt my friend Rougie into having one for lunch! So, I had one today, and it looked like this...

Okay, folks, that is all... for today. :)

let's assume I have time to watch tv.

2009-09-23T07:19:00.005-05:00

I do this every Fall. I mentally plan out all the awesome shows I want to watch... then I don't watch them. Mainly because I don't have time, I don't remember when they're actually on, and yes, because I'm a true winner, I don't remember which ones they are.

Seriously, I completely forgot that I wanted to watch Big Bang Theory until -- lo and behold! -- it's summer and the season was over. Crap.

So, now I'm listing them. Even the ones I don't want to watch so that I can say "hey, I didn't want to watch this" and turn the channel.

Before we had kids, Roomie and I would make tv-watching schedules like the one Adam made, so today, I'll do that again. Okay, let's begin... (all times CDT)

Shows I will try not to miss:
Sunday
7pm - Smallville (Space) Ch. 39

Monday
7pm - How I Met Your Mother (Citytv) Ch. 8
8:30 - The Big Bang Theory (CBS) Ch. 4

Tuesday
7pm - V (ABC) Ch. 7
8pm - Torchwood (Space) Ch. 39
9pm - Fringe (Space) Ch. 39

Wednesday
9pm - Supernatural (Space) Ch. 39

Thursday
8:30 - Community (Citytv) Ch. 8
9pm - Eureka (Space) Ch. 39

Friday
7pm - Defying Gravity (Space) Ch. 39
8pm - Stargate Universe (Space) Ch. 39

Saturday
none

Shows I LOVE that are on everyday or at weird times that are BURNED INTO MY BRAIN:
Stargate Atlantis
Futurama
Friends
Wizards of Waverly Place (don't mock till you watch it yourself - they're funny!)
Sunny with a Chance (see WoWP)
CSI: NY
Sanctuary
Various HGTV shows

Shows that tempt me but not enough to include them in my schedule, but may still watch if I have the time:
Castle - Sorry, Nathan... maybe if I had time.
Glee
Cougar Town
30 Rock
Vampire Diaries
Family Guy
Mythbusters
GlobeTrekkers/Pilot Guides

Shows that I just can't or won't get into for fear of it sucking me in and spitting out only a shell of the human I once was:
Dancing with the Stars, Gossip Girl, 90210, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, Survivor, Amazing Race, American Dad, American/Canadian Idol, Ugly Betty, Medium, Numb3rs, Desperate Housewives, Project Runway, Canada's Next Top Model, Biggest Loser... and those are the ones I can remember...

How about you?...

my tiny dancer.

2009-09-21T09:40:00.010-05:00

My daughter loves to dance.

She'll dance ANYWHERE (See? Here she is, dancing at the Assiniboine Park Conservatory), and I knew that if I didn't enroll her in some dance class asap, she'd take up something else like knife-throwing, change her name to ThrowDella, refuse to give me grandchildren, and be in therapy for years blaming me for forcing her into a life of child-less knife-throwing all because I didn't get her into dance class at the age of 5.*

Luckily, I remembered Harmzie telling me years ago about Royal Dance at the Forks, where she sent Norah and Pepper for their classes. Okay, I mostly remember her telling me that she'd drop them off for class then have an hour of fun hanging out at The Forks, which is truly an awesome place to hang.
And then I thought, "Hey, I want to do that!" For Mini. Of course.

And as if the Universe was saying "this is it!", I learned that one of my old high school buddies, Tanis, is the Office Manager there! Yay! So, I called up Tanis and registered Mini in the Jazz/Tap/Ballet class.

Getting Mini's dance outfit was easier than I thought it'd be. The leotard, tights, tutu, and slippers were available at Zellers. And the tap shoes I borrowed from the Clothing Library of Harmzie (thank you, my dear!).

The hard part was actually getting Mini out of the outfit after she tried it on! I don't blame her. She looks adorable! She chose the black tutu. Makes quite the style statement, don't you think?

Luckily, it was only 2 weeks from then until her first class on September 12. I can't tell you how many times I heard "Momma, can I put on my dance clothes? PLEASE?!!!"

She's now been to two classes, and of course, SHE LOVES IT!!!

I too have enjoyed hanging at The Forks. We've decided that I will bring Mini there and hang out alone. Why? Well, look at this picture during Mini's first class...

Yeah, "So Bored" was the theme of that morning. Especially for the boy. Apparently, his sister's class didn't end soon enough.

It's okay. No big. I'll hang out, have my Vietnamese coffee, do some reading, and shop. It's my duty and a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Because, you know, my daughter wants to take dance class. ;)

* Or worse -- maybe she'll take up pole-dancing, in which case I would take up knife-throwing and be her official bodyguard.

baby, o-o-oh baby, my sweet baby, you're the one...

2009-09-19T14:38:00.003-05:00

We'll miss you, Mr. Swayze.

time machine freebie 5 - who's on your list in 2009?

2009-09-14T19:05:00.006-05:00

"You know who's really hot? Sean Connery in Darby O'Gill and the Little People," said my girlfriend Sly, with a twinkle in her eye. All the girls at the table sighed and replied with a chorus of "oh, yeah".

All the girls, except me, of course. Why? Because I'm an enginerd who always gets stuck on the technicalities. That's why. Oh, Sir Connery was quite splendiferous in his yumminess in that film, but it was made in 1959!

You see, we were working on our freebie lists, and I was adamant that we couldn't bloody well go back in time to tap the very young and luscious Mr. Bond. See? I'm such a rules girl.

Besides, I really had a tough time getting past the "OMG, he could be my grandfather!" feeling. Shudder.

Ah, but what if we could jump into a time machine and have a quick romp with one (or 5) of yesteryear's hottie-hot hotties? Who would you do?

I'd build a time machine for... (in no particular order)

1: Cary Grant circa 1938

He reminds me of George Clooney. Hot and funny. Really hot and really funny. And there's nothing hotter than a funny guy. (Carrot Top doesn't count -- remember, I said funny. Sorry, CT.)
Oh, and there's also something about him that reminds me of John Barrowman of Torchwood. So sexy.

2: Sean Connery circa whenever this picture was taken

Good gravy, do I have a thing for Scotsmen or what? Seriously. "Tall, dark, and handsome" is how I'd describe him, especially in this picture. I'd throw in "smouldering" too. And heavens, he's funny -- and you know me and tall, handsome, funny men! I'm really close to dismissing all the other dudes on this list for Sir Connery. Seriously. Yum.

3: Harrison Ford circa Han Solo any year

A hot man of action who is also a swoon-worthy romantic lead. Kinda reminds me of Joe Flanigan, who is also on my current freebie list.
It really was a toss-up between Han and Indiana. They're both so yum. Maybe I can use the time machine to grab one, then take him to a time where he's filming the other role. That way, I can have both!
Oh, I'm so greedy.

4: James Dean circa 1955

Reminds me of James Franco, who is also super cute. Would've loved to have seen him in more stuff. Actually, I've never seen any of his movies. Do I really have to in order to appreciate his yumminess more? Really?

5: Charlton Heston circa 1958

Holy cow, I may have a thing for Moses. I had a tough time finding a picture of him that I like, which actually makes sense because he's at his hottest when he's in action. And when I can hear that voice.

Oh, hey. Look at that. I did get past the "OMG, he could be my grandfather!" thing. Heh.

Okay, now you -- who'd you build a time machine for?

This was a Tweet Up at Naru post.

the cat and the string... as told by the cat.

2009-09-12T06:38:00.009-05:00

The day started out pretty much the same as usual. I woke up just as I heard my people come out of The Magical Room I'm Not Allowed to Go Into. (I think they call it The Bedroom.)

We went downstairs, and I found my place between my Mommy and her brother -- my Uncle Lam -- as they watched tv from the couch.
See? Just like this picture, except here, they're eating popcorn and I'm using my powers of cat telepathy to get someone to give me a treat. No, it didn't work.

Meanwhile, Gramma started puttering around in that room where my food dish is, and Grampa (Gramma calls him "Roomie, or "Honey", or "Arg, That Man!") sat in front of that magic window that shows him words and pictures, like a tv but he carries it around and clicks on it.

Eventually, I decided to use the litter box. It was a little more difficult than usual. Afterward, something still felt... stuck. To my bum. I rubbed my bum on the nearest thing (a step stool) and tried to take care of it as best as I could, but I couldn't shake that "stuck" feeling. Meh, I thought, walked out of the room, and went along my merry way for a while.

Next thing you know, Gramma's laughing, and Grampa's chasing after me with a pair of scissors.

You see... The pink string I ate the other day? Yeah, it was hanging out of my bum.

Grampa cut some of the sting off so all that was left was what you see in this picture.

Suddenly, he and Gramma were talking really fast about poop being dragged around the house. And Grampa was waving his fist and ranting about washing the carpets to his satisfaction just like "the vomit pot during Katimavik". I don't know what that meant. Maybe Gramma will tell you.*

Then, to add insult to injury, they made me go outside -- to parade my pink-stringed bum to the world! And they wouldn't let me back into the house until I pooped the rest of the string out!

OMG, it was SO HUMILIATING!!!

I really didn't want anyone to see me, especially my ever-so-dreamy boyfriend Buddy -- I'll tell you about him some other time -- so I spent most of the day up in the neighbour's tree.

As I laid there on my favourite branch, I thought about the squirrels I usually chase, the huge frickin' birds that fly overhead and freak me out, my boyfriend Buddy, and well, pooping my humiliating string out so I could face the world again.

Oh, and I watched my Mommy and Uncle Lam as they splashed around in their inflatable pool. I avoided them. They always tried to splash me with water when I came too close.

Yeah, it was a pretty hot day. I was glad Gramma put my water dish out for me on the deck so I could come down from my Branch of Shame and have a drink once in a while.

Luckily, the string was short, got quickly pooped out, and I was once again allowed inside my house.

The step stool I rubbed my bum on was put outside, and Gramma freaked out when she found out that Mommy washed it off in her inflatable pool. So, Grampa had to clean the pool out too.

That Grampa. He's always so grumpy.

* - Roomie joined Katimavik in his late teens. During one of his rotations, one of his group members threw up in one of the cooking pots. (No, it was not Roomie.) Even though the pot was well-scrubbed afterward, each group member felt the need to wash it again to their own personal satisfaction before feeling comfortable enough to use it for cooking. Roomie estimates the pot must've been washed 20 times.

for my leg is hollow, and I have eaten pie.

2009-09-10T07:46:00.009-05:00

The title is my take on Star Trek's "For the World is Hollow, and I have Touched the Sky" episode. Likey?

The husband ended up late for work yesterday as he and I were talking (yes, talking -- there were too many kids around for us to do other, more fun things that would make him late for work) about how uncreative the newer Treks' episode titles are and thought I'd add a bit o' sparkle to my titles.

So, I had pie on Thursday. Okay, technically, it wasn't pie. It was cake. Pavlova to be exact. Or is Pavlova a torte? Am I over-thinking this?

Anyway, the kids and I picked Roomie up from work on Thursday at 12 noon after he taught his last class of the day. He changed into the shorts and t-shirt I brought along, and off we went to late-lunch at The Star Restaurant at the Assiniboine Park Conservatory.

We sat in the atrium-y section and ate coconut-crusted shrimp (me), a bison burger (Roomie), chicken fingers (Lam), and a grilled cheese sandwich (Mini).

And because I'm on a mission to find the best pavlova in The 'Peg, I partook. Verdict? The peaches and blueberries were nice, but the cream was too sweet for my liking. My "Best Pavlova EVER" crown still rests on the Baked Expectations version.

Roomie and the girl shared this chocolate/vanilla cake. Unfortunately, it was really rich, Roomie was already full, and the girl doesn't really like chocolate -- again, is this my daughter?! -- so we ended up bring it home.

Well, much to Roomie's horror, it got eaten. By me. I swear, it was an accident!!! But frankly, I think it's really his fault. We all know that you DO NOT leave a chocolate cake alone and unguarded in the fridge with a woman in the house. It's never going to be safe, people!!!

I ended up owing him chocolate cake -- which was my excuse to go to Baked Expectations for a slice of Pavlova for me. Of course.

between the bananas.

2009-09-09T15:00:00.004-05:00

Banana TREES, that is -- Taken at Assiniboine Park Conservatory in Winnipeg.

when labour day is meme day.

2009-09-07T09:19:00.006-05:00

Happy Labour Day!

A special shout-out to all the moms-to-be in birthing rooms all over North America!

In honour of my desire to do absolutely NO labour today, I give you a meme! I found this at Maria's blog. You may recognize this meme in its original incarnation as "ONE WORD". Well, Maria's gone and changed it into two words, which I prefer. Clever! Okay, here goes:

1. Where is your cell phone? KITCHEN COUNTER
2. Your hair? UNRULY WAVES
3. Your mother? DRAMA QUEEN
4. Your father? UNPREDICTABLY MOODY
5. Your favorite food? SALMON SASHIMI
6. Your dream last night? DON'T REMEMBER
7. Your favorite drink? ICED TEA
8. Your dream/goal? INDEPENDENTLY WEALTHY
9. What room are you in? FAMILY ROOM
10. Your hobby? READING STUFF
11. Your fear? BIG BUGS
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? CURVY SLIM
13. Where were you last night? HOME RELAXING
14. Something that you aren’t? CURVY SLIM
15. Muffins? PREFER CUPCAKES
16. Wish list item? "GREEN" HOME
17. Where did you grow up? THE 'PEG
18. Last thing you did? MADE TEA
19. What are you wearing? FINE SWEAT
20. Your TV? TURNED OFF
21. Your pets? MENTAL CAT
22. Friends? THE BEST
23. Your life? SO FUN
24. Your mood? HAPPILY CONTENT
25. Missing someone? NOT REALLY
26. Vehicle? TOYOTA TERCEL
27. Something you’re not wearing? JEWELED CROWN
28. Your favorite store? THE GAP
29. Your favorite color? BRICK RED
30. When was the last time you laughed? THIS MORNING
31. Last time you cried? DURING PMS
32. Your best friend? MY HUSBAND
33. One place that I go to over and over? THE BATHROOM
34. One person who emails me regularly? MY SON
35. Favorite place to eat? WASABI BISTRO

Now, I'm supposed to name 5 people to do this too, and because I'm feeling bossy today, I will actually name people. But only 3 people -- because I'm not that bossy.
Do it here in the comments, do it on your blogs, do it on Facebook -- I'm good with whatever. Okay, the lucky 3 are:

Cyndi of The Bento Blog
Zandra of Just Saying
Winnipeg Princess of The Princess Diaries

I'm breaking up with you, SIGG -- it's not me, it's you.

2009-09-06T09:39:00.011-05:00

Yes, folks, the love affair is over. I've decided to break up with my SIGG.

On August 24 just as I got back from camping, I received the news -- via an email from my favourite organic food store EatIt.ca -- that SIGG bottles made before August 2008 contained "traces of" Bisphenol-A (BPA) in their liners. Testing revealed that BPA didn't leach out of the liner, but if I wasn't comfortable with that, I could email SIGG for instructions on how to send in my old bottles in exchange for one of their new EcoCare-lined ones.

See the image above from treehugger.com? Yeah, if you have the one on the right, you can send it in for the one on the left.

Now, instead of getting the word out right away, I sat on this information for a while because, well, I was busy, but mainly because something didn't quite feel right.

1: Why are they just telling us now?
- They certainly knew back in August 2008, when they decided to go non-BPA. In fact, according to Michael Hill (AP), they've known since June 2006. Instead of getting the word out then, SIGG officials allowed countless healthy-conscious men and women, parents who care about their children's health and hydration, buy their products for another 3+ years thinking they and their loved ones were safe and BPA-free.

2: But tests show the liners don't leach BPA...
- It doesn't matter that the liners don't leach BPA -- we weren't told they had any in the first place. In my email from EatIt.ca, owner Sabrina Longobardi said "Based on the information available up until now, there was never any evidence to show that SIGG bottles liners were created with BPA." It was clear that she was disappointed.
Many products out there have never hidden the fact that they contain BPA, and this allows us to make informed decisions. SIGG never gave us that choice. I feel duped.

3: Why do WE have to pay to ship our BPA SIGG bottles?
- When our Canon digital camera broke (even after warranty), Canon shipped, fixed, and returned our camera. Canon didn't charge us a penny. When Lam's Nintendo DS broke (the hinge cracked, affecting the top screen display), they shipped, fixed, and returned it, and Nintendo paid for everything.
But with SIGG, we have to pay for our own shipping? After shelling out $25+ for a product that was NOT what we thought it was in the first place?

4: Why does it feel like they're purposely making it hard for us to return them?
- Okay, so they want us to email them for instructions, and they want us to pay for shipping. Oh, but hurry, we have to do it all by October 31, 2009. I don't think I've encountered this kind of difficulty during toy recalls. (BTW, SIGG apparently isn't calling this a recall.)
Now, I hear that the folks in the US can just bring their bottles to their nearest Whole Foods, but this information is not on their website. Simran Sethi, who feels more than a little duped because she's been on Opera singing the praises of SIGG, found this out when she recently interviewed SIGG CEO Steve Wasik. Did I have to know the CEO to find out?

Sorry, SIGG, how can I trust you? You aren't the bottle you said you were. Good heavens, it was like finding out that the hottie I met on LavaLife faked it all and is really a ringer for George Costanza. Which never happened, yo.

Anyway, if you still want to go SIGG, just email them to start your exchange process.

As for me, I think I'm done.

with her tail cut short and her ears cut long, oh, where, oh, where can she be?

2009-09-03T09:51:00.004-05:00

I would've called this post "I can't come to the blog right now..." but I can't for two reasons:

1: that cool title was already used by my buddy Haley-O here and here.

2: my voice mail outgoing message doesn't actually start that way, because my husband can't stand to wait the two seconds it takes to say "I can't come to the phone right now" when he calls home and gets the machine. Seriously, he used to get all weird and ranty. So, I had to change it.
Now, it just says "Hi, you've reached ###-####. Please leave a message." Short and sweet. Like me.

Yeah, I've been out and about -- so, if you've been trying to call me lately, you've been hearing the above... a lot. So, what the hell have I been up to in the week and a half after coming home from camping? Check it...

I wrote my latest Canada Moms Blog post about the phenomenal 30th birthday surprise party Roomie threw for me.
I went to The Cupcakery for the first time, and had THE BEST cupcakes ever. My faves? Mocha on Chocolate, Peanut Butter on Chocolate, and Vanilla on Chocolate. DAMMIT -- I need to get more today.
I rediscovered how cute my city is. See? Ain't it cute? And out of frame, just to the left of the Rooster store is the G-Martini Bar where Harmzie, Myrtle, Sly, Casey, Roomie, our many friends, and I would stagger from every Martini Friday way back when we were crazy (drinking-aged) kids.
I redid my About Page.
We ate mini-donuts at The Forks, while barefoot with cinnamon sugar caked on our chins.
We watched an awesome busker dude make us a lightsaber and a cat out of balloons. He also made a flower, a mermaid, and even Johnny Depp! I wish I'd taken a picture of it. It was unreal!
We went to the mall for popcorn.
We watched Daddy and Lam get haircuts.
We fed ducks.

(Sadly, we got no pictures of ducks. They were too frickin' fast to catch on film. They were just crazy little brown blurs. No, just kidding. Our Canadian ducks are neither bionic nor mutant. We just forgot to bring the camera.)

I know, you wish you were here too. I don't blame you -- it's been awesome.