A very merry Christmas after all

This year was the best Christmas in recent memory! The days leading up to it I was not very festive at all, I was tired and burnt out but once Christmas eve arrived I was starting to feel the Christmas spirit. We went over our $100.00 dollar budget but not by much. Not having credit cards to use really kept things in check! Christmas eve we were feeling pretty bad at the pitiful lack of presents! The kids received just one thing from us and one thing from Santa plus a few stocking stuffers they also got 4 more presents from the rest of the family once they arrived. I never would have guessed there reaction.... It was pure joy!!!!! They really got to play with what they received, they loved everything and really appreciated it all! It didn't take all morning to open the gifts, so we got to enjoy a nice Christmas breakfast and it just set the tone for the rest of the day! There stocking stuffers weren't even really good things, just some pencils and erasers and notebook from the dollar store but that is the kind of stuff they like so the kids were happy with it. Any doubts I had about keeping Christmas simple are now completely gone, and we will do it again next year even if the economy is better.

The dinner was a great success too! We had planned to have it for 4:00 and it was ready and on the table by 3:45. Now 15 minutes early may not sound like a big deal but I am terribly disorganized so if I plan dinner for 4:00 it is usually ready about 5:30. I also managed to keep my house at a reasonable temperature so nobody roasted, which is another big deal at my house. I like it hot and everybody else is ready to pass out from heat exhaustion, but everybody is to polite to tell me and I don't notice how hot it is. Everyone stayed till almost midnight and the day really just flew by!

Boxing day we hit the mall, just to have a nose and see what deals were out there. I was organized enough to by my wrapping paper and bows for next year,and I managed to put them in my paper tub so I will actually be able to find them next year! Then we all came back to the house and had what else turkey buns! My Mum and Sister stayed and we watched Mama Mia which was great, but then I do love Collin Firth! We also watched the Sex and the City movie, I have never seen Sex and the City and was not prepared for what was in it! Somebody please remind me to pre-screen movies before watching them with my Mum!

On the 27 a parcel arrived from my Sister in Victoria, that was a thrill for the kids because they were not expecting anything else! Sophia got a learn to knit kit, which is great because I want to learn how to knit too and now we can learn together! James got a matching money puzzle, that was also great because he loves puzzles and desperately needs to learn about money and its value! They also got a box of crackers or so I thought....Stupid I know I should have known that it wasn't crackers but I was excited to try these crackers because they were all natural and organic. It wasn't until I went to put them away in the cupboard that I saw the top was taped shut, so the next morning the kids got to open there "crackers" to find webkins. Well you would have thought that there was a $1000.00 bill inside with all the screams and shouts. It was really cute! I guess they like webkins or something,they don't have any and I didn't even know what they were. I guess I am out of touch(I had also never heard of loo loo lemon and wondered why all these stupid people were lined up to get into a store for yoga pants. Sophia set me strait on what all the fuss was about)

Anyway that was my Christmas it was great!!!!!!!! I am taking it as a sign that 2009
is going to be a great year, I am looking forward to it and hoping that turning 30 in 3 weeks is going to be the start of great things. Hope you all had just as good of a Christmas I will write again in the new year.

Busy and tired

So it is only 1 week till Christmas! I am so not ready, I am not even in the Christmas spirit. I am working up till the 24Th and haven't had much time to get ready. My tree is up, my house is decorated, I have baked cookies and still no Christmas spirit. Maybe once the kids are done school I will feel more festive? We only had Jim's Christmas party this year and it really sucked! Friends of ours are having one, but not until Saturday. Last year we were excited because Jim's Dad came for Christmas, this year there is no extra people. The weather doesn't help, it is so cold that we are just staying in. Normally we go downtown and see the park or tour for Christmas lights, but the roads are awful and its just to damn cold! I am also tired and just plain burnt out. I am sick of the kids that I watch or should I say there parents!Most of them are students who are now done school, I don't think they should bring there kids if they are just at home especially from 7:30am-5:00pm! Anyway I will stop now I am kinda grumpy. Hopefully tomorrow I will be happy and full of Christmas cheer!

Birthday

Today is Jim's birthday, It is hard to believe that he is 34 already! where does time go? The very first time we met he was 22 and I was 18 ,we were just kids really! We have grown into adulthood together and it has been great! Jim was exactly what I needed, he keeps me in line(in a good way) he doesn't put up with crap from anyone, yet he has a heart of gold and would give you the shirt off his back. He has a very dry sarcastic sense of humor that most times I find amusing. He is a great Dad! Very hands on, he never squirmed away from a messy nappy or a bath time or whatever needed to be done(except in the middle of the night lol ) He works ridiculously hard to support our family and never shy's away from the honey do list. With that said I hope he has a great day, and I don't poison him with my supper tonight!


I love this one of Jim! It was taken in Germany while he was on exercise.

This one is of Jim in Bosnia. I always said Accent Uniform and big gun no wonder I fell in love!

It was so funny Jim in his Mickey ears! He fought with me about the holiday in Florida, he had no interest in seeing Disney World. Guess who had the best time and was the biggest kid!

I love Jim he is My Sun My Moon and My stars. In fact I have the tattoo to prove it! Before I go I want to share a song because it is sooo Jim!

Not Guilty

I read the most wonderful book yesterday. Its called Not Guilty My guide to working hard, raising kids and laughing through the chaos. by Debbie Travis. She is the one on t.v. that does all the painting and decorating. This book was just her story's of her childhood and raising her 2 boys. I laughed, I cried and I could totally relate! I sat down to read it and just couldn't put it down, I read the whole book in one sitting. To give you a idea of her humor the back cover reads.

I'm not a child psychologist, a top pediatrician or a marriage counselor. Even worse, I do not have the answers to being a perfect parent...

What I am is a survivor. A working Mum. Somehow I have found the tools to juggle it all, through tears tantrums (mine not the kids). So if you have ever wanted to kill a cute little 3 year old, imagined (with delight) your husband disappearing into thin air or dreamed of running over the Grade 5 math teacher, then grab a bottle of wine and this book, run a bath and lock the door. It may save your life.

Storybook Fairytales don't exist

I don't know if there is something in the water, but a bunch of different couples I know are all wanting to split up. Throw everything away all the years of marriage, for what.... a pipe dream, a fairytale, a romantic version of how life is supposed to be. Guess what it DOESN'T exist!!!!!!!

Now don't think I am all cold hearted and cynical for thinking this, its true. In Cinderella you don't hear what happens after they are married. In a good romantic movie it usually ends when the couple get married. Nobody tells you what its like to be married its not fairytale romance and wine and flowers and candles. Its hard work ,stress , and a lot more hard work! but that doesn't mean its not worth it, you just have to change your perspective. There is lots of romance but its just not in the obvious places!

I never get flowers from Jim EVER. In fact its a running joke that he doesn't give me flowers. However he has coffee ready for me every morning, because when I wake up I need coffee now and don't want to wait for it to perk. I have never had to shovel the sidewalks in the wintertime, Jim indulges my whims(sometimes) and encourages my dreams. There is not lots of wine and candy and flowers in our lives, and there is lots of nights of barley being able to stay up past 7:30. You have to appreciate the Small everyday things that your partner does for you and stop looking for the big romance and then maybe all these people who want to split up would be happy.

99 Things

Here's a meme that's been making the rounds. Thought I'd let you read mine.... The items that pertain to me have been bolded and italicized: (PS, if you decide to do this meme, please let me know in the comment section!!)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4.Visited Hawaii
5.Watched a meteor Shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (does coffee count?)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (Not a linear motion business)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Tag

Michelle over at Paper Propaganda passed this along to me

The rules are that you are to answer the following questions in one word and then pass it on to other blogger's...

Where is your cell phone? Purse
Where is your significant other? Work
Your hair color? Red
Your mother? Teacher
Your father? Artist
Your favorite thing? Home
Your dream last night? None
Your dream/goal? Successful
The room you’re in? Dining room
Your hobby? Photography
Your fear? flying
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Successful
Where were you last night? Home
What you’re not? tall
One of your wish-list items? lenses
Where you grew up? Lethbridge
Last thing you did? Facebook
What are you wearing? pj's
Your TV? off
Your pet? Dog
Your computer? Laptop
Your mood? Content
Missing someone? Yes
Your car? Parked
Something you’re not wearing? Skirt
Favorite store? Walmart
Your summer? Hot
Love someone? Yes
Your favorite color? Green
When is the last time you laughed? recently
Last time you cried? Election

I'm going to tag

Allison
Melinda

$100.00 Christmas

We have decided that this Christmas our budget for presents is $100.00. Not per person but as a total budget. Earlier I mentioned that I cut up all my credit cards, so our budget was already smaller, then I thought about the 3 r's. Well guess what I have tubs and tubs of material, a sewing machine that needs to get used, elastic,ribbon bobbles etc.... I am sure I can make my presents this year with stuff I already have! Same with Jim, he has a trailer full of tools, a shed full of scrap wood and enough paint to restock home depot.(o.k. the paint is mine, but I will let him use it.) There is no need for us to go spend hundreds of dollars on presents that the kids won't appreciate anyway. Last year we went stupid on buying the kids presents, we spent thousands. Guess what there favorite present was, a scarf that my Mum knitted and matching gloves!

Great Weekend

We went to Medicine Hat this weekend, They had there Christmas craft fair on. It was a really good show! There were tons of vendors and the selection was great! I found it very interesting that Med Hat is only 1 1/2 hours away, but the type of goods sold was completely different than at the Lethbridge craft show. I was good and didn't but to much, but I did get a pretty wire bird cage and some Lefsa(Norwegian potato flat bread).

My favorite vendor by far was Bad Girl Productions. Michelle makes the nicest cards! They are all handmade and so cute! She charges such a reasonable price too! To go buy a card that has all the bobbles and ribbon you are looking at at least $6.00 for one from a card store, why do that when you can have a gorgeous hand made one for half that! She also makes paper bag albums, notebooks, recipe holders and takes the most awesome photo's Everyone needs to check out Bad Girl Productions you can find her group on facebook.

So now I am trying to get my homework done for my photography class tonight, I know nothing like leaving it to the last minute! My Dad gave me some more filters for my camera last night so I have been playing around with those. I am trying to get some silhouettes, but its hard with no sun and all the spotlights are buried in Jim's trailer. Oh well I will try my best with what I have, wish me luck for tonight, hopefully nobody Else's photos are very good either!

Six secrets

O.k. I am copying this from Michelle.
Six secrets about myself

1.I would rather be at home doing nothing with Jim, than out having "fun" with friends, because he is my best friend.

2.I feel like I am not as good at the things I do as people think I am.

3.I have no idea how to read text abbreviations.

4.I hate that I hear my Mum's words coming out of my mouth, and now I agree with them. Makes all that fighting when I was a teenager seem like a waste of effort.

5.I love to cook but am terrible at it, if we have people over Jim does most of the cooking.

6.I am scarred of flying.

Remembrance Day

This day is very important to me, I don't like to call it a holiday because that seems festive,and Remembrance Day is a solemn day to me.

I really do stop and remember, I think about the men that went off to war in WW1 and WW2 also about there family's. Can you imagine not seeing your spouse for 5 plus years, having very little contact except for the odd letter. I think about all the children in England that were evacuated, my Nan's sister and brother were evacuated to the country. I don't know how the parent's did that, putting faith in a stranger to raise your children.

I am amazed at how something that happened so long ago still affects the people that lived through it. My Canadian Nan hates the airshow that happens here every year, I thought it was because she was to picky about the noise. I found out that it was because the noise reminded her of the war and the RAF training camp in Fort McLeod. She had 3 brothers off fighting and lived in fear for there lives. Every year that airshow takes her right back to being a little girl and how she felt during that time.

My English Nan had a brother who was in a German POW camp for 2 years. Yet she remembers the war with colorful stories. She used to sit on the garden shed roof and watch the dog fights in the air, or the time a bomb fell so close it collapsed the ceiling of the house onto my Dad's crib. Or having sing along while spending the night in a shelter. I think maybe because they were in the east end of London and felt the worst of the battle of Brittan, they all rallied together and made the best of it.

Its not just the wars of years ago that I stop to think about, I think of all my friends that are in or have been to Iraq or Afghanistan. I think of my friends whose husbands are there right now. I don't care what people think of the current wars. I believe that the men and woman that go deserve our full support and respect. You can support the troops without supporting the war. I feel selfish that I am so relived that Jim got out when he did. When we were first married I worried about being apart for 6 weeks, that seems so trivial now, at least I knew he would come home.

Anyway I'm babbling on just please remember tomorrow to show the respect the our veterans deserve and have a minute of silence at 11:00 and think about all we have to be grateful of because of them.

Election

I am so happy with the results of last night!!!!! Happy doesn't even begin to explain how I feel really. Excited, overwhelmed, contented, peaceful and very emotional.

This is the first time in 8 years that I don't have a feeling of dread, a fear that the American government is going to blow up the world with there wars and hatred and ignorance.

I am thinking about Martin Luther King and his I have a dream speech.(I know they are running it on every channel, but I was thinking about it while listening to Obama's speech last night.) I am thinking about all those civil rights leaders who fought hard for equality, and ordinary people like Rosa Parks who just wanted to sit down because her feet hurt. I am sure they are smiling down from Heaven on this day.

I am not excited because Obama is black and he won, I am excited that people saw a great man and he won regardless of his skin colour. He was judged on the content of his character not the colour of his skin.

I am so full of hope and optimism for our future. The world seems a much brighter place today, a world were anything is possible.

Halloween

My sympathy's to all those parents who are suffering the post Halloween sugar buzz from there children!

We took the kids out last night Trick or Treating and it was such a pain. All we got from them was my feet hurt, I 'm tired, this bag is to heavy. I heard that same complaint from other children we passed too. When I was a kid I had to be dragged back in, It was my parents that complained that it was time to go home. What has changed? I think that maybe kids get so much all the time that things like Halloween are not as special as they used to be. Even the candy has changed, It used to be that we got suckers and rockets and toffee squares. Mini chocolate bars or a bag of chips were the best to get but you didn't get that many,now that's all the kids get. Its like mixed nuts, you always pick out the good stuff but if you have a whole jar of just the good nuts they just don't taste as good.

Anyway I don't know what to do about this, I do know that Christmas this year is going to be different! I am going to focus on family things not presents. We are going to do lots of baking and make our own decorations and go sledding.(if there's snow) We have focused to much on "things" and not enough on love and family. Its not that we don't care about the kids its just the opposite, I think we tried to hard to give them the "things" that we didn't have as kids, but in doing so left out the things we did have growing up. I must say that my kids are not bad kids, they don't talk back , there not rude or bratty. Its just that they don't appreciate things.
Hopefully its not to late to change how they think, and next year when we go out Trick or Treating they will be grateful for what they get and won't complain so much.

Cutting up credit cards, and learning to reduse, reuse and recycle

So I cut up all my credit cards today! Ouch yes it hurt. I realized though that I will never get ahead using them as a crutch. I could buy a luxury car with them and that's not good. I think that we didn't have money for so long that when things started going good instead of being sensible I thought spend spend spend. So I am learning to budget(again) I haven't spent a single cent this whole week. I am cooking using the food that I have instead of buying more. I am walking instead of driving. Doing this has reinforced that being environmentally friendly is good on the wallet too. Sophia has been learning about the environment in school and has brought her knowledge home. She is always telling us what can be recycled and pulling stuff out of the garbage that can be recycled or composted. We are lucky really how many parents have kids that yell at them for leaving lights on or water running! All of this will save us money so that I won't be one of those statistics of people who over spend, and hopefully set a good financial example to my kids because they are setting a good environmental example.

Productive Weekend (almost)

I got lots of things done this weekend, unfortunitley most of it was not on my TO DO list. Jim did get some work done on the bathroom, and I think about 3 loads of laundrey made it thru, My bedroom is clean now. Somehow my room had become the dumping ground for everything in the house that didn't have a home. Unfortunitly all that stuff that didn't have a home is now piled up in my hallway.
I am completley nourotic when it comes to cleaning, its all or nothing. I can't just tidy up it has to be perfect and all done properley or I won't do it at all. This drives Jim insain, because most of the time it dosn't get done. So I didn't just tidy my bedroom, I ripped it apart moved all the furniture so I could vacume under everything. Sorted thru all my clothes and rearanged the closset, vacumed and dustted all the drawers. polished my shoes, washed the windows. Yes I know I am insain and need help.
I had a full English breakfast Sunday morning. We found a shop that has English bacon and English baked beans and English sausges and Black pudding. We were so looking forward to this breakfast. Jim got it all cooked up, we sat down to eat all excited and then took one bite and relized. English bacon is blande English baked beans are extra starchy and well black pudding has to be made just right so that its not gross. So now we will go back to enjoying Canadian things and try to remember that not everything is as good as we remember.

30 hours a day

So I am going into this weekend with a million things to do(O.K. maybe not a million but alot) I have a home inspection coming up for the day home so everything has to be cleaned. Sophia's bathroom is still gutted and NEEDS to be finished. There is 20 pieces of baseboard that has to be painted and installed. Then there is about 10loads of laundry to do. The tricky part is to keep the kids away from what you have just done, because they are little tornados that just seem to destroy everything in there path. I need 30 hours in a day and way stronger coffie to keep up. I am trying to lose weight and need to exersise more but finding the time just is not easy! My Grandma tells me she used to get up at 4:00 am every morning to do all the cleaning before the kids got up. Screw that I am NOT cleaning toilets at 4:00 in the morning! I need my 6 hours of sleep that I get I can't run on any less.