So Random It Hurts.

School is well underway and things are going pretty well for both my kids.  The Princess brought home her first term marks and it's clear that she takes after the smarter one of her parents.  When we get figured out which one of us that is, I will let you know.  I'm very proud of her work ethic thus far -- this is absolutely one of the ways in which she doesn't favour her mother.  I was rather a slacker at school.  A good kid who managed good grades; but I procrastinated way too much and often was docked marks on assignments for being late.  *sigh*  So glad that I am totally not like that anymore.    This first month or so of high school has brought a few challenges our way as parents -- as baffled as I was by some of the conduct of kids and families in elementary school... high school makes elementary school seem like a sheltered commune in comparison.  All in all, I am glad that The Princess seems to be making some good decisions thus far; even if some of them had to be strong-armed.  ;)

The Kid is quite enjoying his teacher and classmates and all the enrichment stuff that we didn't always get to include in our daily homeschool grind.  Almost daily I am thankful that we took time to homeschool him; it has really made such a difference in so many ways.  To be honest... I quite miss having my boy around and learning things with him.  We had so many amazing conversations about some fun and deep and interesting topics; read such great literature together, shared some wonderful times... and I miss that a whole lot.  My inner geek LOVED homeschool, LOVED diving into novels and most of all LOVED seeing that look on his face when he "got" something.  An idea, a skill, a thought that resonated deeply... I loved being a part of that.  I sometimes wonder if homeschool is yet something that we'll do again in the future, but for now, it seems very timely for The Kid to be where he is.  He's working through some pretty heavy stuff -- and school actually is creating a great environment to grow and be pushed to move ahead.  I'll maybe post more about this another time.

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My piercing is doing well and I actually really, really love it.  It was a strange thing to first see it on my face.  Even though I wanted it -- and had for some time -- my eyes first saw it as something Foreign/Other and I had a couple days where I wasn't sure if I had done the right thing.  It also took a couple days to not be grossed out by the whole queasy reality of some steel having been driven through your flesh, because I am just such a girl about that kind of thing.  The hardware currently in it is rather large and utilitarian.  It was sized to accommodate swelling -- which I am glad for, as it actually did swell to a degree that the extra post length was needed for a few days -- but now that most of the swelling has subsided, I'm really looking forward to when I can switch things out for something smaller and feminine and sparkly.  

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As much as I admit to missing my homeschool adventures with The Kid, I must also admit to enjoying having a bit more time for my own stuff.  I have finally been able to head back to the gym on a daily basis and, let me tell you, it's not a moment too soon.  Skating has been my only form of exercise for the past couple years; and I just don't get to do it often enough.  I am way plusher than I want to be.  I am also 36 years old and totally realizing that this body doesn't work as efficiently as it did when I was younger.  And seeing as how I like to eat super-yummy food and ALSO seeing as how I don't want to one day be featured on a TLC special involving a forklift to haul my butt outta my house... daily gym time is gonna have to be a way of life.  Having time means I can schedule my clients and housework and errands freely throughout the day and not worry about whether the Kid is staying on track with his work.  And I sheepishly admit to liking the privacy and quiet at times.  Especially when I can fill the quiet with blaring loud music and dance like a freakshow while I do my housework and chores.  

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The countdown is on until I head off to Vegas with Mr. F.  We are joining my sis-in-law and her hubby and another couple of friends for a few days of "Post-Black-Friday" shopping and fun.  And shopping.  And cirque.  And shopping.  (did I mention shopping already?)... and, if I can get over my trepidation, maybe a 5 storey zip line down and across Freemont street.  Let's just hope that won't be another one of my "Flutterby almost passes-out" stories for the blog.  :)

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Derby will not release me.  lol  And truthfully, maybe I'm not entirely ready to let go.  I've been asked to fill a roster spot with a northern SK team for a game mid-November and couldn't help myself... I said yes. I get to play with my derby wife (who was also invited) and that will be a treat.  She was out all season with a torn MCL and we didn't get to play a game together except for the last one of the season.  I've been working hard at strengthening my back and was working at changing up my contact style at the end of this past season.  A lot more hip checks and booty blocking and less shoulder checks... it has actually helped a lot; although I am sad to say that I am far less formidable.  Whether that's just a result of still needing to get used to and master a different style of play, or whether that's just how it will be... at least I get to play a game I love.  My ego will have to take a back-seat.  ;)

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Rocket got some new winter boots... I am actually not dreading driving this winter.  I find as I get older, I hate winter more and more.  I remember when waking up to the first snowfall was a thing of wonder and excitement.  Now I just humbug and crawl deeper under the covers. I have a plan for this winter, though.  Winter tires were just one part of it.  The rest involves a car warmer, proper winter outerwear and a large stash of those hot pocket thingeys that I can stick everywhere under my clothes.  Oh, and lots of coffee and hot chocolate.  And extra gym time to make up for the gallons of hot chocolate.  I feel good about this.  This will work. 

THERNGS ERBERT ME THERT ERE WERD. ERND THERT E MAHBE DERN'T KNERW.

I drift. I apparently lack the ability to judge interpersonal space and if I am walking beside you, I will drift over and end up jostling you. Probably repeatedly. This is either perceived as annoying or endearing.

I always wished to have freckles across my nose. I think they are the cutest thing ever.

I don't like my hands. I realize that they are perfectly serviceable and fine hands. Reasonably feminine and whatever. But I spent a whole childhood hiding them and hating the itchy, patchy eczema rash that covered them, the open splits in my skin and damaged nail beds. I am thankful that I am mostly not bothered by that condition any longer, but the stigma lingers in my brain and I find myself yet hiding them.

I can't cross my eyes. I can't raise just one eyebrow.

I have a 9th handspan for playing keyboard. Apparently this is pretty decent for having average sized hands.

I can tie a knot in a cherry stem using only my tongue. Attractive? Yes. The look of concentration on my face that it takes to do this? Not so attractive. :D

Hard liquor makes me feel warm and fizzy. Wine goes straight to my head and not always in a pleasant way. Red wine can sometimes give me headaches. I have a strange fondness for the horrific, burning, herbal taste of a Jagermeister shot. I have never finished a beer -- no matter how good it tastes when I start out, halfway through I can't handle the aftertaste and set it aside.

I really am not one to drink alcohol often or much. I have never been "smashed". Buzzed, yes. But never wasted.

I am a binge-reader. If I start a book, I must finish it. As soon as possible. I will easily neglect life and responsibility in order to do so.

I once attempted to learn the man-made language Esperanto. Don't ask why. I have no idea. I also attempted to learn Hebrew. My brain almost exploded. I'm sticking with English.

Laugh tracks make me go postal. I can't watch Family Channel without inwardly dying just a little bit.

I am very squeamish. It is what's keeping me from getting the piercings that I want. Maybe that's a good thing.

While I am all for green energy, Wind Turbines freak me out. I get just a little bit nervy when i drive by them.

I have a weakness for catchy, yet extremely inappropriate songs. Can't stop dancing to this one.

*eep!*

Once again I have been a bad, bad blogger. :(

But I've been busy. Shortly after the Kid's birthday, I took the Princess and her two besties on a road trip to Edmonton, AB. We met up with my bestie (teehee... one of the main reasons I love this particular road trip!) and chaperoned this load of great kids at a youth event for the weekend.

Outside of the crazy 10,000 glowstick intro, awesome bone-shaking music, fun times and once again a terrific time to reconnect with some important things in life... I added one more truly Incredible, Never-To-Be-Forgotten experience into the mix.

I got old.

Like, Seized up my back after an evening of shaking and headbanging. That kind of old. Like, holy crap, I actually can't even get myself outta bed Old.

I would spare myself all the embarrassing details, but that wouldn't be any fun. Here is what you all have to look forward to one day when you are old enough to have this happen to you. Take notes. I never thought it would happen to me. It did. It just may one day happen to you.

- You will not be able to physically manipulate your body to leverage anything out of the bed in the morning. Your child will have to slowly push you off the edge in such a way that you can get your feet underneath yourself before you fully collapse on the floor and are thereby totally effed.

- You will not even be able to hobble. You will APPROXIMATE a hobble as you make your way to the washroom to get ready.

- You will stare at the toilet and sincerely WISH you could empty your bladder. But that is clearly not in the cards right at that moment.

- You may then look at the shower longingly, but soon realize that that, also, will not be happening as it involves lifting a foot off of the floor.

- You will shuffly/hobble/lurch back to bed and make a couple attempts to lay down.

- Your child will look at you funny and ask what's wrong.

- You will look at your child funny and sneer "NOTHING. I'm fine."

- At this point, you will hopefully have a savior arrive as I did, with Extra Strength Muscle Relaxants.

- You will down two and then question whether that was wise to do so on an empty stomach.

- *drool* zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

- You will ponder the meaning of life and why it is that you hear angels singing. Your pillow looks like a cloud. Is this heaven?

- You are stoned.

- Finally, with the full effect of narcotics and an extra large coffee, you will be able to move. And you will fully enjoy all the weird effects of being high on said pharmeceuticals.

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For the record, I am still hurtin. This has been a year-long saga for me since I injured my back last summer. I'm kinda at a loss at what to do, but it's pretty much making certain parts of life rather miserable. I just make some headway and then something happens to wreck it up again. And it gets a little worse on the Wrecked Up side of things each time and seems to take longer to get feeling good again, too. I've done chiro and massage... any suggestions for this old-timer?

I have decided (as in an actual, REAL decision) that this is my last season of derby. I have cried many tears over this, but it's time. For many reasons. But I can't deny that this sport is a big part of the whole injury/healing/injury/healing cycle I'm in. That and behaving like a fool at rock concerts.

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The Princess' musical was really great and we are now moving into "grad" season. Which means, next year is high school for my little girl. Double EEP. I think that this year of parenting has been one of the most surreal and stressful ones. I've come to the conclusion that I must've really thought that she would never grow-up... cause this is all taking me by storm. But, we're getting through it the best way we know how, and are blessed thus far with a really terrific teenager.

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The Kid is now armed to the teeth after his birthday. He scored a compound bow and a slick Airsoft handgun for his birthday. The archery bug must run in the family -- both his paternal grandparents are highly ranked archers. And, it looks like Mr F might be also picking up a bow and setting off on this little adventure with the Kid. Good times.

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In a quick change-up, it has been decided that the Kid will be heading back to public school in the fall. He's actually rather excited for it, but I'm sure also a little nervous. His last experiences there weren't necessarily the greatest. However, he has grown and matured a lot in this past year and a half and I think he senses that he's up to the challenge. And he's definitely looking forward to having schoolmates and some different activities in his life.

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I've been giving some thought to heading back to school, myself. But, I need to think on it some more before I go spouting off ideas and dreams. :)

Like, So Totally, Like, Random!

A while back I posted about the introduction of an exceptionally cute ball of fur to our home. Cute Ball of Fur has found another home. Rather, we found another home for CBOF. At the risk of sounding like a whiny brat, I really hate it when a dream -- no matter how small -- doesn't work out the way you hoped. In my mind I had expected that The Terd would be thrilled to have a new buddy; that the CBOF would engage her and be relational and that everything would work out just fine. As it turned out, The Terd and CBOF did not see eye to eye, despite our best efforts to help them get along. Fur flew when we didn't keep them separated. In the end, all is well that ends well. The CBOF has been placed in a super awesome home and the only thing hurting is my pride over a failed adoption attempt and my bank account. But, it was worth it to rescue the CBOF from a probable life of breed bitch in a decrepit barn and see her placed in loving home where she is, by all accounts, being ridiculously spoiled. Bittersweet.

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There are lots of things I am known for. Being organized is generally not one of the. Yes, I often find myself juggling many different roles, tasks and responsibilities. But make no mistake -- the juggling you see here is not of the practiced, professional entertainer variety. Nope. This juggling is clearly and decidedly of the panicked, flailing variety. Possibly entertaining... if you like that train crash kind of thing.

So, no one is more surprised than I am that I've drawn up a household chores schedule for myself and the kids and ACTUALLY HAVE STUCK TO IT... FOR ALMOST A WEEK. I know, right? Pretty incredible. Some might say that a week isn't all that long, that I shouldn't celebrate too hard over such a small accomplishment. To them I say a hearty PSHAW. The fact that I have seen carpet in my children's room for one full week, that dishes have been done and that bathrooms have been kept clean and laundry cycled, floors vacuumed, furniture dusted... THIS, my friends, is something to celebrate.

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Last night I had one of those dreams that stick with you into the next day. I can't even so much remember the details as I can recall this urgent, almost panicky feeling that I needed to get to a friend. It's so strange how dreams can affect you and shadow your waking hours.

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I'm pretty certain that we've decided to keep homeschooling the Kid next year. Certain enough that new curriculum was opened... Geek Mode Engage!! As each novel came out of the box, I couldn't help but be incredibly excited for everything the Kid will be learning this year. This particular year's focus will be right up his alley. Everything is so adventurous and action-filled in terms of history and novel-study, etc. I think it's going to be a good year. :)

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The Kid started an Archery class and he is totally loving it. I am a bit excited to see this interest take shape for him. There are plenty of opportunities for competition and travel in the Province and, even better, his Papa is an accomplished archer and I think he's hoping to enjoy his Papa's company in some of these adventures.

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The Princess' school musical is in just a few weeks and I'm so very proud of her. She not only nailed a competitive audition to score the lead female role, but has been so incredibly studious and diligent with her responsibilities for the role. Her songs and lines were memorized within the first few weeks and she is putting a lot of effort into her preparation. This role means a lot to her, and I am so happy to see her take it very seriously and live up to the privilege. She is much more responsible and mature than I ever was at that age. (THANKFULLY!)

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I am thoroughly LOVING THE CRAP outta my derby team this year. My league is filled with terrific women. It's the truth. But it seems like my house team has just the most fantastic, positive and good-hearted bunch of them all. Each practice is so much fun and everyone creates a really uplifting and encouraging atmosphere. I've not experienced anything like it from the time I started derby, even, and I feel really lucky to be on this team. Win or lose, I am learning so much, just because there's no fear of "failing" or looking bad in front of people. Love it.

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I started cleaning out my garage today. I don't know if it's the way the wind gets funneled into our bay, but the floor always ends up laying thick with dust that blows in. Not to mention the detritus from a winter of sticking things in this corner and that and now needing to sort and haul away some junk. One of the bins that was placed in there this winter was a bin of beach toys from my parent's cabin. As I picked it up and moved it, I saw in the bottom a layer of sand from the beach. It was so heart-rendingly familiar and, well, lonely looking. Just sitting there in the bottom of the bin, displaced from it's regular home. The goodbye sort of hit home again and there in the middle of my messy, dusty garage, I shed a few tears for a summertime home that has been lost.

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On a positive note. Our summer is filling up with wonderful activities and times with family. I really am looking forward to the next few months. Especially if I can manage to stay organized as I have been (Did I happen to mention it's been for almost a FULL WEEK, now???!! Huzzah!!)

Back In The Saddle Again

Been home for a bit, now... finally starting to get settled into normal.

Not that blogging at 1:13am is my usual "Normal". Apparently, when one introduces a very vocal puppy into one's home, "Normal" is anything but Normal. Especially at 1am when said puppy is lonely and likes to howl at the moon.

Who's freakin idea was it to get a puppy, anyhow? *grumble grumble*

Oh yeah. Mine. *sigh*

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Vacation was pretty great. I managed to almost blow up my eardrum on the flight there and actually was kinda feeling miserable for a lot of the trip thereafter. Which kinda sucked. Alot. Mr. F. was relegated to the role of ride supervisor, while I cheered from the sidelines. I did manage a few hair-raising rides with the kids, but not nearly enough. Truth be told, I'm kinda bummed about the whole thing. However. We did have fun. The weather was amazing and we found a nice mix of fun, sightseeing and relaxing.

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I think I've pretty much made my decision that this is my last season of derby. I missed travel team try-outs while we were vacationing, and I have to say that I don't really feel a big need to push for a make-up date -- I think I'm just going to play house teams this season. Two of my friends broke their ankles last week and I'd be lying if I said this isn't bothering me, too. I don't know. Maybe I'll feel differently in a bit of time. But right now I'm looking at old Airstream trailers and wondering how many road trips I can fit into next summer. :D

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Well, puppy is finally silent. Gonna get some zzzzzzz's.

Got Random? Heck yes.

Holy nice winter, Batman! I simply can't tell you how much I am actually ENJOYING winter this year. Moderate snowfall and incredible, warm temperatures (-10 degrees C or warmer) have kept a smile on my face for most of this winter. I don't know if it's just a weird slice of Winter Anomaly, or if there's actually a reason for it... but I welcome it with open arms. Come to mama, baby Winter... I will make you feel right at home here while I, oh yes... BBQ steak on my deck. In a hoody. That's right. Cause that's how we roll around here.

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We also Zumba around here. Or approximate the general movements that are called "Zumba". Cause, frankly, we're not good, yet! The Princess and I scored the Zumba Fitness Wii game and have been shakin our booties whenever we have a chance! Who knew that flailing oneself around while trying to imitate great latin dance moves would be so much fun? I didn't. Score One for Zumba.

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Over the holiday season we took the kids snowboarding. They took home some great experiences and memories, one injured wrist and maybe even a skill or two. What we didn't count on bringing home was one case of head lice from the rental helmets. To make matters worse, it was my Princess with her luxurious long tresses who was the new home to these pests.

No word of a lie... this has been HOURS of work for me. Cleaning, washing, treating and combing. Oh my gosh, the COMBING. We have never had lice in this family before and I was super paranoid about it. It's been over two weeks and I still am checking her regularly. JUST IN CASE! *eye twitch* Thankfully nothing spread to any of us... cause I swear I probably would've gone all GI Jane if even one little louse decided to move onto my head.

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I am giving some thought to checking out our province's Homeschool Conference this year. I'm definitely in the homeschool game for at least another year and need to add some Canadian content to next grade's North American focus (cause, while I love all my American friends and all, I do need to teach the Kid a few things about his own country). With any luck I can check out some retailers and get that all sewn up. And, it sure doesn't hurt that my lovely sis-in-law and I can use it for an excuse to get together for some girl-time!

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My laptop may very well be hashed. I'm bringing it to a friend for one last Hail Mary try at bringing it back... but I just have this sad feeling when I look at it. It's like it's just a shell. *sad tears* It's soul has departed, I just know it. LOL I don't know for sure what did it, but I think it has a lot to do with the Princess' habit of leaving it running while it's laying on top of her bed/quilts. I think it's been cooked. And I'm just a little bit steamed.

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I'm taking a few tentative steps towards the edge of the Derby Retirement Cliff. I really think that this may be my last season. At least, I'm trying that sentence out in my head. Sometimes it sounds better than others.

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This house is now on it's way to being a Gluten Free Zone. I've suspected for a while that the Kid has some troubles with gluten... so I guess we'll see just how much it helps him to get rid of the stuff. I can't believe just how big a change it all is. And how expensive gluten-free products are. I'm definitely gonna have to find some extra time to be all Martha Stewart up in here if gluten-free is gonna be a permanent change for us, cause I refuse to spend that kind of money on teeny-tiny loaves of bread, etc.

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On a more serious note, there's been a lot of changes in my little world this past year. I've been amazed at how life goes on even when your heart is breaking. And how life, well, it's still good -- even when there is pain or grief. I've seen people I love come out of some tough, hard places. I want to think that the worst is over. I pray it is. I hope that 2012 is a really, really good year. God knows we all could use one of those. And as it all unfolds, I'm thankful for BBQ steak and Zumba and fun times and all those things that make up Life in between the heartachey bits.

Life Is Good.

Just a few things I'm thankful for:

After a short dip into Arctic winter temps (-30C), I am happily enjoying the weather this week. Snow is even melting and the sun has been shining -- always a nice pick-me-up!

450 photo prints. I sorted through about one half of the photos uploaded on my desktop -- close to 2000 in all, and got about 450 photos to look through. Call me old-fashioned but there's something extra awesome about actual photo albums. I've loved the trip down memory lane looking at pics of my kiddos and family times. And, BONUS! I even got some collage frames set up and hung on the walls. Makes me smile whenever I see them!

Good times with family. Spent a lovely weekend with my in-laws last weekend, and today am expecting my parents to show up for a visit.

Homeschooling. It has been a pretty unexpected blessing just how much I enjoy my time with The Kid. Obviously, it's not without it's ups and downs, but I really do love teaching him, love the things we are learning (I swear I'm even getting smarter!) and love all the great memories I'm making with him. At times I wish the Princess would jump on board, but all is good for the time being with her at school.

Great kids. Did I mention how terrific these guys are?

A clean basement. Oh yes. It took a lot of effort, but everything is sorted and cleaned. I rearranged pretty much every bit of space down there and I can't believe the difference it makes. I almost like heading down to the "dungeon", now.

Custom Build Skate orders. Which are flying in faster than I know what to do with them. And makes just one more reason why I'm extra happy about the Dungeon being cleaned up. Gonna be spending a lot of time down there this week.

Good coffee. Which I am going to make right meow. Have a great weekend, everyone!

The ABC's of Me

A. Age: 35 (for at least a few more days...)
B. Best Friend: I'm lucky to have lots of close friends and family members and a BFF in one of my oldest friends, JW.
C. Chore That You Hate: Weeding anything. Lawn, garden, flower beds, whatever. Hate it.
D. Dogs: My little "scrat", Goldie.
E. Essential Start To Your Day: Shower. Kid Hugs.
F. Favorite Color: Shades of green make me happy.
G. Gold or Silver: Silver.
H. Height: 5'6"I. Instruments You Play: Piano/keyboard. And a brief messing around behind a drum kit for a few months.
J. Job Title: Homeschool Mum, Business Owner.
K. Kids: Two of the best!!
L. Live: The Frozen North.
M. Mother's Name: "Mum" or "Mama"
N. Nicknames: "Punky" when I was a girl.
O. Overnight Hospital Stays: Tonsils, babies, kids' surgeries.
P. Pet Peeve: Friends who disappear from your life without explanation.
Q. Quote From A Movie: "Well I guess it all started the first time I went through the second grade. I caught my reflection in a spoon while I was eating my cereal, and I remember thinking "wow, you're ridiculously good looking, maybe you could do that for a career."R. Right or Left Handed: RightS. Siblings: Younger brother T. Time You Wake Up: 7ish. Sometimes later. Never earlier if I can help it. :P
U. Ultimate Vacation: Seeing any part of this wonderful world. Greece and Italy are high on my list!
V. Vegetable You Hate: Kale. W. What Makes You Run Late: I am... errr... *ahem* NEVER late. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! X. X-Rays You've Had: Head, Neck, Knee (multiple)
Y. Yummy Food You Make: I do up some good pasta with artichokes, mushrooms and chicken in white wine cream sauce. Oh, and a rip-off of Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie which KILLS IT!!! Sooooooo good!
Z. Zoo Animal: Meerkats and penguins.

So Random.

Always a good way to jump back on the blogging train... random fun stuff!

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I can't believe I watched this. Twice. Hey, 3 million viewers can't be wrong, right? Oh, yes they can be. I thank my lil bro for ruining my corneas and any chance that I can ever look at process cheese the same way again.

Warning: This is not for the squeamish. Once seen, you can not erase this from your brain.


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Derby boot camp. One broken tooth. Three torn MCLs. Broken wrist. Thankfully NONE of them were mine. Although I did get a blister on my foot at the 80s Prom Night Dance. :)

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Summer. My kids have been counting down the last days of school. But let me also fill you in on something... I started counting down WAY before they did. My lunch lady gig is coming to an end and I couldn't be happier. Actually, I will be really sad to say goodbye to the kids in my classroom, but I won't be sad at all to no longer have to interrupt the tasks in my day to get to the lunchroom in time. I am looking forward to an awesome summer break with my own kids!

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Mechanic's Hands. Anyone have a remedy for calluses? I'm loving building skates and doing all this rad stuff that I am so excited about. But my fingers are now callused from handling bolt threads and tightening nuts, etc. Me no likey. I'm thinking of getting some of those blue nitrile gloves???? Or should I just embrace the tool jockey inside of me?

Flatline.

It's about time I lowered the standards in this joint and pulled together a disjointed, entirely random post. Lower the curve and all... What? It's already a straight line around here? Huh, how about that?!

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Once again, I was on the road this weekend bringing derby goodness to a neighboring league. Busy, busy, busy and lots of fun as well. I have to say that I'm not really used to being away from my kiddos this much -- I'm glad that things will settle down shortly, cause it's hard on this Mommy's heart to wipe the tears away from her little guy's eyes the night before she leaves. The logical side of me is all, "He's pulling out the stops, now..." but the softy part of me pretty much was reduced to quivering goo. Which The Kid sensed like a shark within a mile of blood and only made him amp up his assault (sorry, I calls em like I sees em) to record levels of PatheticHeartwrenchingSadness. *sigh*

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I have been a faithful, workout machine for... ummm... err... two weeks, now. I know, right? This was not a good trend for me. Not the new working out trend -- the sitting on my butt trend that preceeded it. Gosh, that trend felt so GOOD at first. Telling myself it was "off-season" and I could eat cookies. (mmmmm....cookies.) But it kinda ended up kicking me in the teeth and making me hate myself for getting a lil bit plushy. Luckily, it's all good and changeable, so change I will.

I've got one of my girlfriends who is on mat. leave coming over in the mornings and we're working out together in my basement. Let me tell you, I am loving these Insanity workouts. Besides being a terrific workout plan that is whipping me back into shape, the trainer is totally jacked and says the most awesome things. Like, when at the end of the workout everyone is dying and crumpling to the floor in a pukey heap (including him) he says, THIS SH*# IS BANANAS, YO. Best. Workout. Line. Ever.

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Last night I finally had the chance to observe the Kid at his Hapkido class and I loved every bit of it. He really has taken to this class and the instructor working with him was totally awesome with him. I've never seen the Kid work so hard and be so FOCUSED at something before. He really, really wants this and I have to say, he is pretty awesome at it, thus far. The dojo Master even noticed and commented a week or so ago that he has never seen a kid that age be so persistent and committed to perfecting the work as the Kid has been. You know, I've said and believed all along that every one of those intense qualities the Kid has also has a positive spin. It was really, really, REALLY nice to actually see it, though. And I'm so happy for my boy to have finally found that thing that he ROCKS at!! Gosh, I'm tearing up just typing this and thinking of him doing his thing. :)

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In related dojo news... I believe I further confirmed the fact that I have the impulse control of a small child when, arriving at the dojo early and finding it entirely deserted, I was rendered brainless upon seeing the array of Muay Thai kick bags hanging from the ceiling. I promptly set up for a killer roundkick. Which promptly almost broke my foot in half. It didn't help that mid-kick I remembered that Muay Thai bags are much more solid than a heavy bag and are supposed to be hit with your SHIN and not the topside of your foot/ankle as you do when doing blocker drills or heavy bag work. Nice work, Poseur. Luckily my foot is OK, if just a bit on the sore side today. I pulled back enough in that split second to not break anything... just not soon enough to not look really, really stupid when I had to take a couple hopping steps and blink back tears after cracking my foot against that bag. Good thing the gym was empty.

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And yes... I still have the martial arts bug. I wanted to train with the Kid's class. And, when his class ended and the next group of Muay Thai fighters came in... yeesh... I wanted a piece of that action SOOOOOO BAD!!! Nevermind the fact that I like my face in one piece. Nevermind that cauliflower ears don't look so hot on girls. I wanted to be working drills and kicking and hitting stuff again. And you KNOW that I most definitely wanted in on that BOXING SHORT action.




Sweet!

Ta-Da!

Just some little bits of news from around here.

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The Princess just spent the weekend at a Junior Youth event. Two nights at a camp for kids Grades 6 - 8. She had the best time, EVAH. Which makes me happy. I was a bit nervous for her all weekend as she went into this not knowing a single person there. Which makes me proud. So, tonight I am enjoying this unique combination of Happy/Proud Mommy Feeling and trying to ignore that tiny bit of Scary knocking on the door. Cause, yeah. Grade Eight boys? Apparently are thinking the Princess is a sweetie.

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My Pops took second place at a working cow horse competition this weekend. I really wanted to make it out to see him -- maybe next time. Congrats, Dad!

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I've come to the conclusion that garage sales are not worth the effort. (something which I may have said to myself after the last time I did one.) Honestly... I did remember my resolution and everything was set to go to charity straightaway when my kiddos decided to Persuade their Mom otherwise. Dumb. Hours of work later and I still have a garage full of STUFF to send to charity anyhow.

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The purging of Stuff was necessary, though. Time to get on with finishing out our basement. Wait. First... finish the yard. Then the basement. 50 metric craploads of rock get delivered tomorrow and I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Cause yeah... yard will be done. But that's a LOT of rock and a lot of landscape cloth and I'm really not looking forward to any of it.

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I've actually been feeling kinda in a funk lately. Like no matter how hard I try I can't quite catch that groove. Too much to do and I'm not doing the kind of job I'd like to do on it. I need to get back to the gym cause derby's not quite cutting it, exercise-wise. Found a job that fits with the kid's schedule and then find out that I didn't quite budget myself enough and I have to find something else in addition. (which is not a big deal -- the school thing isn't a lot of hours, for sure... it's just that it's gonna be One More Thing, you know?)

One of my derby sisters told me that she sees that I do things the hard way -- make more work for myself in the end. I was a bit offended at first, to be honest. But I kinda wonder if she wasn't right?

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Went to visit one of my girlfriends in the hospital today. She's bipolar and a med change got out of hand. I love her family's sense of humor about the whole thing. Her husband wore this shirt -- in the psych ward -- that said "I'm on A Day Pass". Love it. She said this is the first time that she's had friends that have come out to visit her when she's ended up in the psych ward -- derby luv!! Why is there such a stigma about mental illness? I know I felt it when I was struggling with depression and it made it really hard to be honest about what I was dealing with.

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*Spongebob singsong voice*

"SKATE PARK!!! lalalalalalalalala!"

Yep. Went to the Skate Park today and made good on my promise to myself. Four-stair has been OWNED. And the two foot ramp as well.

Another hour of tricking out my mind to let me do stuff that really should be easy. For instance, jumping UP no more than eight inches onto a "box". I know I can jump that easily and do so regularly during some of our practices. The only difference is that I'm only clearing AIR and landing. Put eight inches of cement and steel coping in that "air's" place and it starts messing with my head. So I attempt it, but don't commit to it. Which means I end up hooking my toe stop/wheel/etc. and biting it hard. Sick.

I'm sure there's a life lesson in there, somewhere. There always is.

I will say that it felt flippin AWESOME to land the four-stair. It felt pretty amazing to do something that, well, most people wouldn't even try to do, to be honest. I think it was more about conquering fear than doing something skillful -- realizing that your only limits are in your mind. Well, sort of, anyhow. I suppose that there are some very real and painful limits found in the elements of concrete/steel and all... I came up against those a few times, for sure.

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Mr. F and I might be taking a bit of a trip out to the coast, soon. Should know by the end of this week... which will leave me about a week to nail down flights and itinerary. Nothing like waiting til the last minute. :)

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And that's about all I have to write for the moment. There is a Hammy saga to be told -- but I need a bit of time to process before I let that one go.

Hope you all have a great week!

Stranger and Stranger.

Does it mean anything important when you realize something kinda weird and strange about yourself?

Cause lately I've noticed that I have this strange compulsion to do stuff while I'm brushing my teeth at night.

I think I've always been like that -- most would probably just call it multi-tasking. I straighten the bathroom, attempt to slip my headband over my head for when I wash my face later, or maybe start the shower or stop to pick at a blemish (and really, I know... Ewwwww...) or do any one of many things which are not, by definition, furthering the cause of cleaning my teeth.

On the positive side, it means that I often end up brushing my teeth for large amounts of time which would probably make my dentist smile and send me a nice, smiley note saying "Keep Up The Good Work, Flutterby". That's good, right?

On the other hand, well... I'm brushing my teeth for a long time. Nuff said.

Any of this would just be a cute little annotation to the list of Things That Make Me Speshhhal, except that I'm finding it a bit worrisome. Cause I've tried to stop it. You know, stop doing the Other Stuff and just Be One With The Brush. Focus. Stay on Task.

And I can't.

Isn't that just a bit effed up?

I sorta thought so.

The One Where I'm Going Slightly Crazy With Busyness.

Yeah. I've been busy. Super, super busy and I've about had it with the busyness.

And as much as I'm sure you're all dying to hear all the mundane, ridiculous things that have been filling my days, (what? I thought you guys liked hearing that stuff!!) I'm going to skip that part lest my head blow up and splatter it's brain-ish contents all over the wall behind me.

I'm going to talk about really important stuff instead.

Derby.

Ha hahaha. Got you all there... Don't think I didn't hear that collective sigh. Don't think I didn't see you roll your eyes and make little swirly Crazy-Lady Gestures beside your head with your non-derby loving fingers.

But seriously? I do have derby stories.

*chirp chirp* *silence*

Really, readers? That's all you can give me? Crickets chirping and silence in response to the temptation of DERBY stories??? Really?

I expected more.

*sigh*

OK, the truth is, I really don't have anything to write about. But I'm feeling bad for neglecting this little blog. I'll try really, really hard to find something to write about.

Promise.

I still can't believe you didn't want to hear the derby stories.

:)

It's hard to believe that summer holidays are halfway done. I had all these plans for how vacation was going to go; things to do... it was going to be the perfect balance of work and play. I was going to get up at the crack of dawn and do my daily stuff before the kiddos got up... They were going to work with me in the yard... I was going to tackle some big projects...

Right.

The truth of the matter is that some projects have been tackled, but there a couple still staring me in the face. And the whole idea of children working with me seems to be nothing more than a pipe dream. The crack of dawn bit? Forgot to take into account the fact that the kiddos are keeping pretty late bedtimes during the holidays and thus Mr. F. and I end up staying up much later, just to enjoy some peace and quiet in the house. And after only falling asleep at 2am; the crack of dawn is not seeing my face anytime soon.

Which basically means that SOMEONE has to take charge, here... and that person should likely be of an adult/parent persuasion.

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Our derby scrimmage was a huge success on all accounts. We pretty much played to a capacity crowd and put on a pretty great show. The score was tied at halftime and the intensity was high! My team won, which was kinda cool. First time I got to skate the victory lap and be congratulated by the other team. I played a pretty good game, in my opinion, and learned a ton from the great girls I was playing with. Three minor penalties, but no majors -- and I didn't really even get slammed by any good hits. Which either means I'm getting good at this, or that I'm not in the action enough. Anyway, it was nice to wake up the next morning only feeling moderately sore. I've got a few bruises to show for my time and effort but nothing huge or picture worthy!

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The next few weeks are going to be busy. A fun week at the lake followed by a not-so-fun week of morning til night renovations on our rental property. A quick trip to play derby in Calgary at the Tattoo Festival and then I'm back to the rental property to finish off the final touches and do an open house. This place REALLY needs to sell. Gah!! After that I've got about a week to get the kiddos ready for school and finish off some of the projects here at home. Namely this ginormous closet organizer that I've got to assemble. It's messing with my head, all sitting there in it's poorly labeled boxes with no instructions. Taunting me with visions of sure failure and dismal assembly scenarios. I will have to find a way to conquer my fear. :)

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The Kid has taken up a new routine of reading each night before bed. I really think it's cause of the Princess' example. She absolutely loves to read and we regularly spend some special time before bed with her reading out loud to me. Well, it seems that the Kid wants to get in on some of that action, too, and I couldn't be happier.

Grade One was kind of a tough year for him; he's a classic little boy who struggled to stay put and stay quiet; the idea of buckling down and actually WORKING at something that didn't come easily was pretty foreign to him. And reading was something that didn't come easily. It's not that he didn't GET IT... he'd just rather not WORK at it. But, somehow... almost miraculously, he has now decided to nail this. And he's tackling it in a pretty big way, reading books at a grade four or five level -- which isn't something I expected at all. He struggles through them and is truly working hard to decipher and decode these words, to make sense of the punctuation and dialogue and I could not be prouder.

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All in all it's been a pretty good summer thus far. I look out my window and see actual, green, growing grass. Our fence is almost done and Mr. F. will be doing the rocked portion of the yard sometime next week while I'm working on renovating the rental. The kids are tanned and enjoying a leisurely summer at home, playing with friends and doing Summertime Kid Stuff (which was something we weren't sure would pan out when I was working full time) and we've got a week of lake time ahead; visiting with beloved family members and enjoying some relaxing sun, sand and water. Hopefully the next four weeks goes as well as the first four.

Stuff.

Today was the Princess' 11th birthday. I had considered doing an all-Princess post today in honor of it, but my Parental Fairness Alert reminded me that I was unable to do the same for the Kid's birthday as we were out of town for it. Thusly... I probably shouldn't do for one what I didn't do for the other.

Oi, the guilt...


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I will say, however, how blessed I am to have both my kiddos be such amazing lil treasures. Daily they surprise and bless me with their humor and uniqueness and perspective on life and the world.


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Friday I decided that the Kid needed a haircut badly. He is famous for seemingly sprouting hair overnight, so that his hair looks passable -- even good -- until the morning he wakes up and it looks like a shaggy blond hedgehog has possessed his skull. Bolstered by the advice of a good friend and mother ("it's so easy..."), I decided to take matters into my own hands. The Kid was game, if only a little wary... and the clippers made their first slip through the hair by his left ear.

I don't know if he moved, or if I just plain old did it wrong but I could immediately tell it wasn't turning out so well. A tentative second attempt confirmed that I should probably just Put Down The Clippers and let the professionals finish things up.

I should mention at this point that the Kid has pretty much the full side quarter of his lil head buzzed, and this after he straight out told me he did not want a buzz-cut.

Good work, Mom.

Seriously? The hardest thing was holding back the giggles as I looked at his mangled hairline and trusting face while trying to make up some excuse (so as not to worry him -- the Kid is a teeny bit shy and prideful about his boyish appearance...) as to why Mommy was not going to finish and we were going to go see Bobbi-Jo The Hairstylist the next day.

Turns out Bobbi-Jo The Hairstylist had the weekend off and I had to phone over six salons before finding an opening somewhere. Thankfully, all was salvaged and the Kid is looking his usual dashing self. However, I was treated to a full day and a half of looking at that partial buzz-line and I can't tell you how entertaining that was.


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Line Of The Day Award goes to the polite hairstylist who looked him over and inquired, "So... *pause. blink* ...What look were we going for here?" Bwaaha haa haaa ha!!!


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My derby name has finally been approved, which thrills me to no end. No really... every time I think of it? Little chills. Sweet, little derby chills. It's probably the closest I'll ever get to having my name up in lights. I mean, the sensible part of my brain totally realizes that it's not even my Real Name and there are no lights involved at all, really, and it's actually not close to that at all if one really thinks about it. But, there's the other part of me that is truly excited and actually honored to see my derby name published amongst some of the greats... the all-stars... the NAMES, you know? So, go check it out, here, if you like. I'm about halfway down the list, swimming along with the deluge of other "Kitty"-type names.


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Tomorrow morning I'm off to my parents' cabin for a few days and then to visit my in-laws at their cabin for the weekend. I know... lucky, lucky girl. :)


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"Houston, we have grass."

Yep. Turf was delivered and conquered and is now being watered obsessively. And it looks soooooooo nice. After two years of looking at dirt and mud in the yard... and two DOG years of looking at it being tracked into my house; grass is looking much like Heaven should.

Forget the streets of gold. Bring me Fescue.


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You know when there's just something about a song? Yeah. For some reason this one is makin me rock, lately. Horns up, Journey. Really. Really? Journey. Huh.

Song starts about 2 mins in.

"Who's Your Ack-Tore?" and Answers To Other Questions You Never Thought To Ask.

OK, I am left with no choice but to bust out the Totally and Utterly Random Post up in here. Hang on for the ride.

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I did the math for the weekend coming up. 12 girls + 5 hours on the road + 8 hours of derby drills and spills + 2 hours of scrimmage + "X" hours of cabaret/pillowfights/general mayhem + 2 hours of fun skating at an old school roller rink the next day + 5 hours back home = Class 1 Road Trip. :) Can't wait! I'll take some pics of the carnage, I'm sure.

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Things are crazy icy around Fluttercity today. I witnessed so many close calls on the road today and can't believe that people aren't more careful (So says the girl who ran through a red light at 10pm on Friday night...oops.) The funniest thing is seeing the really little kids trying to walk on it. Cause they all have that invincible feeling that you get when your hand is safely holding onto a parent and they just let their legs FLY. Crazy cute.

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I had a super great weekend... went for what was supposed to be a birthday supper for a derby girlfriend and we ended up getting hooked up with free passes to a concert by This little Canadian group, which was super fun and all kinds of loud. The next night found me getting my karaoke on at another birthday party, which is always good therapy for the inner rockstar. I love birthdays!

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You can all mark your calendars today as the Day That Flutterby Starts Her Rise to Hollywood Stardom. Or something like that. Fluttercity actually has a burgeoning Film and TV industry and today I was asked to send pics to a casting agent for a TV show. It's just one episode and technically is an "extra" bit part, I believe... but I still think it's cool, if only to experience a day or two on set and make some mad money. Mostly, it's just a chance to meet some of the "playas" and maybe get some connections for some other work down the road.

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The Kid has lost two more teeth, one of which he pulled out himself. Which seriously about made me fall over in shock, cause just a month or two ago I had to be all TrickyToothPullingMom with him and fake him out just to get at the two teeth that had been languishin in Wiggly World for weeks beforehand. My boy is growing up. And, curiously, he has subsequently decided that he should eat salad now. Salad. It doesn't get more random than that, people.

Three Things

Back to my usual "Break the Blogging Dry Spell formula"...

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE ME:
01 | unexplained noises at night
02 | the idea of flying over the ocean
03 | certain deep-sea creatures -- the kinds that look like aliens

THREE PEOPLE WHO MAKE ME LAUGH:
01 | Mr. F.
02 | my brother
03 | if you are my friend... you make me laugh.

THREE THINGS I LOVE:
01 | trying and learning new stuff
02 | fishnets
03 | jeans that are friendly to my rear

THREE THINGS I HATE:
01 | blemishes
02 | waiting in line
03 | commercials

THREE THINGS I DON'T UNDERSTAND:
01 | stock market
02 | commodity prices
03 | engine stuff

THREE THINGS ON MY DESK:
01 | Heely's shoe tool
02 | web cam
03 | black nail polish

THREE THINGS I'M DOING RIGHT NOW:
01 | typing
02 | blinking
03 | breathing

THREE THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE:
01 | Live in another country/culture
02 | Hike Machu Picchu
03 | See my grandbabies

THREE THINGS I CAN DO:
01 | spinning back kick
02 | "Amen" drum break
03 | top rock and six step... sortof

THREE WAYS TO DESCRIBE MY PERSONALITY:
01 | sassy
02 | quirky
03 | impulsive

THREE THINGS I CAN'T DO:
01 | "big" math in my head
02 | remember stuff without writing it down
03 | hack a computer

THREE THINGS I THINK YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO:
01 | opera -- loud and in a dark room (Pourquoi me reveiller -- Werther; very intense)
02 | the sound of a baby nursing at it's mother's breast
03 | a child's squeals and laughter during a tickle/chase game

THREE THINGS I DON'T THINK YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO EVER:
01 | Paris Hilton singing
02 | Evening news -- too depressing before bed
03 | Parliament channel

THREE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE FOODS:
01 | curry -- Indian or South African
02 | caramel apple cheesecake
03 | fresh strawberries

THREE THINGS I'D LIKE TO LEARN:
01 | to keep my mouth shut at the right time
02 | sewing or knitting
03 | another language

THREE BEVERAGES I DRINK REGULARLY:
01 | ice water
02 | Diet Pepsi (w/ bar lime, please?)
03 | fruit juice or coffee

THREE SHOWS I WATCHED WHEN I WAS A KID:
01 | The Flintstones
02 | Gilligan's Island
03 | The Incredible Hulk

A Little Bit of This...

My kids are home from school, yet again. The Kid managed an impressive fever last night after his first day back at school which won him a morning off. And the Princess, who had been at school the day before, ended up coming home midday being really pretty sick. So, morning off for her, too.

I don't even want to say it lest I jinx it, but... the fact that I've managed not to get either Mr. F's chest cold or the grommets' ear/nose/throat thing-ey is nothing less than a miracle. I think it's maybe cause I've been taking Grapefruit Seed Extract, which is an antibiotic. I really have no other explanation cause this is really one for the record books. You won't see me complain, though.

Warning: TMI... Really, really a lot of TMI... Beware.
Unless... the GSE (as a Vitamin K inhibitor) could be also responsible for the freaking CRIME SCENE my body tried to replicate yesterday, almost sending me to Emerg. cause Holy Cow The Bleeding, people. Un. Freaking. Real. The healthline nurse very gravely warned me to head straight to the ER and I, well, didn't do so. But really, have you seen a FlutterCity ER lately? I took some iron and prayed, instead. Not that I was irresponsible about it, but just more "Wait and See". I felt fine, actually, and by midnight things had mostly gone back to normal so... I'll say nothing more except that I NEVER want to do that again.

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The Princess is really hitting her stride at school, lately. She's been bringing home some terrific marks and really being conscientious about doing a good job on her projects and studying and what not. Unfortunately, this has not in any way, shape or form influenced the condition of her room. Three weeks ago, she joined a band class at school and came home with great news; she's been chosen to be the drummer of this little rock band. Passed auditions and everything. (I knew all those hours of playing RockBand with her would pay off!) It was really so wonderful to see her confidence in herself; to have a skill that only we knew she had be validated in front of her peers. Or something like that, I'm not really explaining it well, I know.

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I'm irked at the scheduling I've been getting at my new job. My supposed "Weekday/Day shift" has turned into me being the exclusive "WeekEND day shift" girl and I'm not pleased. I have talked to my manager and now he's doing some sort of shady quick-step around why the hours have changed. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, I just know that I'm not pleased with the present situation and hate the feeling of being lied to. I absolutely DESPISE the idea of leaving a job so quickly -- it's not what I want on my resume, I am not a quitter... but I may have no choice if things can't become a bit more flexible.

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The Kid's front two teeth came out some time ago and I swear this is the cutest look for him. He looks just like the sweetest little vampire, ever. I swear, it's adorable.

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I've really been wanting a dog, lately. Which is all kinds of silliness considering just how busy we are and how dreadful our last experience was. But, hey... some dreams don't die, I guess. Maybe someday I'll have my house on a little piece of land somewhere where my big, smooshy eared doggy can have the best life ever and I can smoosh his smooshy ears and kiss his kissy face whenever I want and life will be grand. Right? Right.

I'm Pretty Sure This Is All Meaningless.

I'd like to think that all the fabulousness cannot be contained in just one post... but face it. It can be. Here goes.

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I have one more warehouse shift and it happens to be working inventory until almost midnight. My mad counting skills have been claimed by the HABA and OTC (Health and Beauty Aids, Over The Counter) centres, which means that I officially have the WORST warehouse inventory area. I will be crossing my eyes over hundreds of vitamin bottles and tiny boxes. For eight hours. But, I get free candy and drinks (errrr... pop, to be more specific. No coconut rum for me.) which makes up for it a little bit. :) Did I mention that I also get to count condoms? Yay.

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School is kicking into gear for the Princess and I can't tell you how many permission forms I've signed and cheques written for extra-curricular stuff lately. The school has partnered with an Arts program and is offering ROCK 100; putting together two bands of grades 5,6 &7 students and they will be actually creating, marketing and branding a band. Also, they're learning to actually play a few songs and there will be a concert at the end of April. Enrollment was really limited and somehow the Princess snagged a spot. And while I'm all for parental pride and what not, I'm really not all that sure why they chose her as she doesn't play an instrument AT ALL. She does have a lovely little singing voice, but is too shy to actually ever sing in front of people. Anyway, I know she'll love it and hopefully it will spark a bit of a desire to take some lessons with an instrument or something. God knows I've tried to convince the girl... some things are beyond my powers.

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The Kid has two VERY loose front teeth. So loose that every day I look at him, they are pointing different directions. Which is kinda trippy in a gross MyKidFreaksMeOut sort of way. I've been trying to convince him to let me Take A Look, which is parent-speak for Rip Those Suckers Out Of There. (at least, that's been my experience growing up.) but he manages to effectively deny me the opportunity. And honestly, it doesn't take much. I'm woefully unprepared to Rip things out of mouths. The Princess has taken care of all of her own loose teeth; a fact she is quite proud of and I'm most grateful for. The Kid's two bottom teeth came out at my hand, but it was quite the accident as I was just showing him how to wiggle his teeth properly (he tends to be a light touch and just wibble them a bit which we all know will not get one Anywhere where loose teeth are concerned) and they popped out to our mutual surprise.

However, I am finished with being creeped out by the creepy, crooked teeth in the Kid's mouth and am ready to take things a bit more seriously. Any hints, tips or tricks would be greatly appreciately. So long as they don't involve doors and string.

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I am longing for some grilling weather. I'm tired of stews, ragouts and casseroles and other oven-ish stuff. Usually March is my official Break Out the BBQ month, but I'm hoping that we've put in all our time with the super cold weather and maybe temps will break earlier this year. I could handle grilling in February. And, maybe... if the weatherman actually hits the forecast right (0 degrees, baby!), the BBQ might make an appearance this weekend. Man, that would be nice.

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Fresh Meat night with the local Roller Derby club is coming up soon and I'm a little bit obsessed. Six more sleeps, y'all. I've been told to start thinking of a Derby name and number, as, if I make the team I'll have to register one. Derby names are all registered in a national database and must be unique. They must also be a bit nasty and spanky and fun. I've got a few in mind already, but if anyone wants to contribute something -- please feel free to drop me a comment or an email. I'm hitting a free skate today to work on some basic stuff. Ice skating is a bit different than quad skating, of course, but the physics is the same. I already know the Sticky Skate skills and stopping and what not, but I am rusty for sure. Time to brush up. I'll be hurting tomorrow I'm certain.

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We recently ordered some furniture to replace some well-worn (AND HOW!!) pieces upstairs in our family room. I'm so excited to finally move those stinky couches out of there, but I'm a little bit nervous about the new cream-coloured cushions surviving life in the FlutterZone. Maybe it was a poor choice, but there wasn't really anything else that Mr. F. and I could agree on. Perhaps I should hire a couch nanny, whose only job is to sit in the room and shoo away any children with food or drink. Practical? No. But it just may be the thing needed. And, as a bonus, these fragile little cushions may just up the class factor around here and put an end to all the Homer-Simpson-shirtless lounging Mr. F. is prone to do. Imagine that, a lowly cushion may just do the thing that 13 years of wifely Suggestions could not do. I am humbled beyond belief.

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So, now, the weekend. Well, inventory and the weekend. Some skating, some visiting with family and maybe some grilling and then, on to my new job. Have a good weekend y'all.

Brrrrrrrrr...ing it On!

I promised myself I wouldn't yak on about the cold again on my blog. So, instead I will tell you all the many and varied ways I employed to keep myself warm today.

1) Went to the gym. This was by far the best thing for staying warm. I started SimpleFit level four (20 mins; 26 pull-ups(modified), 52 push-ups, 78 olympic squats (20#)... I'm so going to be hurtin' tomorrow) and then wrapped my slick, sweaty self into my parka and drove home with the steam puffing from the top of my damp head. Didn't even feel the chill.

2) Clunky, Fuzzy Winter Boots and Ski Gloves. Now, if someone would invent a way to plug these into something that would make them roasty, toasty warm... a thought which inspired my next attempt at keeping warm.

3) Hair Dryer. Yes, it was chilly in the store today and the hair dryer that we use to dry paint samples found it's way under my shirt a few times today and maybe even down my pants (At which Mr. F. could only ask "What in the world are you doing?" and I could only reply "Warming up dinner, baby"... heh heh). But we won't talk about that one. Lucky hair dryer, huh? :D

4) Jumping jacks. Reference #1. Thought this might help. It didn't really do much.

5) Extra clothes. Self explanatory. I also felt a little embarrassed by the lecherous stare of the hair dryer after our little rendezvous and felt I should cover up.

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I have to go out tonight to get groceries and I cannot tell you how much I'm dreading it. But, unless I want to pack dry crusts and moldy cheese for my kid's lunch (How Hansel and Gretel of me, hey?) I really need to go out shopping.

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Last night I totally re-did the Princess' room. Her room used to have a loft bed, but this summer she got a regular twin-sized bed. (which is apparently, soooooo much more grown up, Mom, like, REALLY.) It was set up in the same place as the loft bed, which was no biggie in the summer time, but come winter time... it's quite obvious that the heat register is blocked by it's placement. And a chilly Princess is a grumpy Princess.

So, last night I rearranged her furniture, which also meant vacuuming and wiping baseboards and sorting through her toys and papers and -- holy cow, the girl has STUFF. I swapped out her big computer desk for a smaller one and threw out at least a gigawatt of junk. I found some missing socks and CDs and was very thankful that I don't allow her to eat in her room as I certainly would have found regrettable rotten stuff, as well. I also slipped a fleecy blanket under her flannel sheet for warmth and added a down throw to her bed.

The Princess usually doesn't like change, not one bit. But, I think she was pretty pleased to see the new configuration of her room. And, now that things are a bit more streamlined, it should make it easier for her to maintain. Cause I was reminded that I need to expect much more from her in this area and we've had a talk to that effect. HandiPoints chore charts have been explained and Mom is in drill sergeant mode. I'm trying to find the right mix of Benevolent and Scary. Will let you all know how that works out.


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Mr. F. and I have volunteered to be a part of the Ronald McDonald House. There will be a home opening in Fluttercity in the near future and I am so excited to help out.


About nine years ago, the Princess needed a couple surgeries that involved us travelling to another province's Children's Hospital for a week each time. The Ronald McDonald House was a huge blessing to our family then, providing a home away from home where it was easy to function as usual; cooking, accomodating a toddler, hanging out, etc. We met some incredible and unforgettable families and children there and we always vowed we'd find a way to give back.


We spoke with the Executive Director last week and are simply waiting to hear what needs to be done. :)


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This week, I'm signing the grommets up for ski lessons at our local "mountain". I've decided that, what with selling all our worldly goods and moving to warmer climates being a bit too far out of reach, we will have to find ways to enjoy this season we call The Freaking Freezing Cold Part of the Year (traditionally known in many cultures as Winter). I have vague memories of actually Liking this season growing up and it largely had to do with being able to go downhill skiing. The prairie town I grew up in had a ski hill close by... nothing at all like the mountains, mind you... but I daresay it was the envy of the province when it comes to skiing as it's the most "mountain-like" (and if that just isn't the saddest commentary of prairie living, I don't know what is.) So, along with a bit of territorial pride in this ski hill came the snobbish derision of all other provincial ski hills (and surprisingly, there are a few). Needless to say, it actually bothers me a bit that my kids will be learning to ski on *nose in the air* THAT excuse of a ski hill.


But, learn they will. I'm actually really looking forward to skiing and boarding again. (although my snowboarding efforts were sub-par and injury-ridden... maybe I'll rethink the snowboarding!) Hopefully the ski hill isn't too much of a disappointment. I know that there's a pretty active Alpine club here, which is great. There's a trip to Kimberly, BC in the works for the New Year and if the grommets catch on fast, we might just join in the fun.


Vive la SNOW~!