Calling All Spies!

I have to say, I am seriously excited about the new Cars 2 coming out. I adored the first one, the cast was fabulous, the writing was great. I am really hoping this one hits the same funny spots as the first. Then there is the video game that always precedes the movies.

Now that my daughter is 5, and has discovered the joys of console games, I find myself more and more excited about games related to movies. Cars 2: The Video Game is no exception. Having gameplay option, whether you want to race through the streets or blast bad guys with some seriously fun missiles, there is something for everyone in this!

I am looking very forward to playing this with my daughter, and by myself after she goes to bed!



disclaimer: I am a Bzz Agent, and have been provided with a means to experience the product.

A New Norm

I could start this off by lamenting about how long it has been since I have updated here, how busy I have been, and woe is me'ing about where to begin writing. Instead of making all these excuses, I will just start writing.

Back in the summer, shortly after taking up running, and training towards my goal, Jamie and I had "the talk"and decided that it was time to increase our family in one of two ways, either a puppy or a baby. Since I had been dropping not so subtle hints that I really wanted to have another baby sooner then later, and I'm more a cat person then a dog person, it was fairly obvious as to which option I chose.

By October, we were pregnant, excited and had our first appointment set up and ready, the next day, a Saturday, the cramps started. We tried keeping things as normal for Anna as possible, picking out our pumpkins from a local church, like we do every year, taking pictures, and with me trying not to be too scared about how sharp the cramps were. I was only 6 weeks along, and remembered having fairly strong cramps with Anna, with implantation, but didn't remember them feeling quite like this. After the pumpkin patch, home we went, I lay down for a nap that afternoon, and lost the baby/fetus/embryo take your pick 4 hours later. I went through my grief, wondering where I went wrong, and Monday went in for an ultrasound to make sure everything was gone. My normal Dr was out, and today I can see why things happened as they did, my Dr's replacement saw me, and we clicked instantly. She was warm, caring, vibrant, funny, empathetic, and understanding. She reassured me that miscarriages are normal, and even common, and helped me understand that it was nothing that I had done; Not my running, or anything else.

A month later, we started to try again, and my Mom's birthday present that year, Dec 7, was a positive pregnancy pee stick picture. Try saying that 5 times fast. She was overjoyed, and a couple weeks later she could congratulate us in person, as the 3 of us went up to BC for the Christmas holidays.

We spent part of the trip with Mom,then the other half up visiting Dad. Anna got to have her very first snowy adventure, and Jamie, his first white Christmas, despite the fact the snow had all but melted by Christmas day. It was a fabulous trip, with lots of family, and food, though a distinct lack of alcohol consumption on my part.

With hormones in full pregnancy glory, and the brain cells starting to deteriorate with the onslaught of " mommy brain" we decided to get a puppy in February. We didn't get just any puppy either, we got a puppy who would grow to be roughly the same size as Anna within a month, and double her weight within 6 months. We got a puppy who would be a companion, a buddy, a walking motivation, (until the heat index hit the 105 mark anyways), and Anna's future best friend.

Bear, or Fluffy Bear if your name is Anna, is currently 10 months and 70 lbs or Rottweiler crossed with Black Lab crossed with who knows what else. He routinely chews on cords if they are left dangling, has made 3 holes in our carpet to date, eaten 5 loaves of bread, 3 different nights thawing meat, 2 bags of hot dog buns and a plate of cookies. We won't mention the chunks taken out of the coffee table, or the upper teeth marks on the ledge of his favorite window he sits at to watch the yard and any feathered or furry intruders.

He is a wonderful friend to Anna, and has the utmost patience for all the crap Anna puts him through. She lays on him, grabs his neck, and pretty much any other abuse a 4yr old could think of doing. He dotes on her, goes down her slide with him, plays tag in the back yard with him, and loves to be wherever she is. We couldn't have asked for a better dog for her, as much as he drives me insane.

So here we were, with a 3 month old puppy, and me 3 months pregnant, and not having the slightest clue what I was in for in the coming days, weeks and months.

Running for the goal

So I took up running. I always enjoyed walking, but felt like could do more. After watching my step dad, Mom and sister running, and hearing all about Bob , my step dad, finishing the Boston Marathon, my mom telling me how great she felt with running, and my sister being super fit.. I was finally inspired to try it after I returned home from visiting there this past summer.

I started off already working out lightly, and watching what I ate, so decided to just jump right in. I did research on the internet, on how to learn to run, and learned all about interval training.. basically mixing running with walking. My ultimate goal is to be able to run during the Relay For Life this coming summer.

I found a program that I liked, that got me running sooner, and would be easy to remember when to switch up running and walking.. then I loaded Anna up in the stroller and out I went. That first week, was walk for a minute, then run for a minute, 7 times, for a total of 14 minutes. By the ime I hit the 5th or 6th time, I was wondering why I was doing this. I did it 3 times that week, and by the third run, it was a bit easier, so I moved to the second week when it came around, walk 1 minute, run 2 minutes five times.

I am working on Week 10, walk one run 10, and this is my 11th week doing it. I have felt my body strengthen, my lungs be capable of carrying me through my runs. From smoking 11 years, quitting for 3 and now running maybe they will forgive me for all the abuse I gave them. Today was my first day of running for 10 minutes straight, but I wanted to try something a bit different, and go for two sets of 20 minutes, and I was able to do it! I am a whole lot sweatier then normal, but the feeling of accomplishment, combined with the super endorphins, is incredible!

I never thought I would be a runner, it is a lot of work and a lot of alone time. I worry when I become pregnant next time that I will take the easy way out and just not go, because I need to rest, or just don't feel like it, but hopefully, if I can continue running as long as I can, that it will be so ingrained, that I won't have any other way to do it but go.

Bits and pieces

It's been quite a long time since I have updated this, especially with how things are going. I was in BC for 5 weeks, have taken up running, and Anna has already started school again.

So first off, the trip back home. i went up, with the intention of staying through the last weeks of one of my favorite Aunts, to see her again before she passed from liver cancer. She had been progressively getting worse, and had slipped into a coma in the couple days prior to my leaving. I got the call that she passed away an hour before I was due to get up to go to the airport for our trip, about 2am. It was a long day, holding in my grief, running on next to no sleep, while taking a 3 yr old through 3 layovers/plane changes and a 12 hour travelling day by myself. We did great up until waiting in Vancouver, where we both melted down, had a cry, then a donut.

It was a long trip, with a lot of emotions going on, but we had a wonderful visit with all of our family, getting time to go to Prince George top see Dad and Laura, as well as staying in Vernon and seeing all of the family in the area there. The funeral was beautiful and emotional, she would have approved.

I also started running after I got back last month, and am currently working on my 6th week of it. I am following an interval running program that is designed to get me ready for a 5k, not that I have any idea where ne could be around here or when, but it wil l get me ready for one. I love it though, I love the feeling of my runners on the pavement, listening to my my music, feeling the sweat pouring off me. I can breathe easier each week, as I push myself, and my emotional health has increased tenfold. I feel wonderful afterwards, happy, optimistic, and that life will be okay, despite how hard things have been.

Anna was coming with me during my runs, making it all the more hard while I pushed her in her stroller, but now that pre schoolhas started, and shes in 3 days a week, I can drop her off and go to the track down the road before coming back home. It's very convenient.

She is enjoying school already, today is her second day, and we are now "upstairs' in the big kids class. The kids this year are encouraged to invite their friends to birthday parties and playdates outside of class. I am nervous about this, worrying about what if noone invites her to anything, what iud someone does invite her, whats the etiquette, do I reciprocate? A million things to worry about, to think about, to deal with another day.

Still loving eggs

My little egg lover

My eggstra special eggstrordinairy egg loving kid.

Some more of the room

Here is some more of the room

New bedroom

Anna's new bedroom, courtesy of Oma and Auntie Katie!

Happy Halloween!

I'm a day late but Happy Halloween! Anna had a blast, dressing up as a bumblebee. She insisted on practicing over the last 2 weeks, since we got her costume. After the 3rd practice run trick or treating Daddy, I finally hid the costume and the candy bucket to put it out of her mind.

Anyways yesterday. Poor munchkin was blind yesterday, having broke her glasses Thursday at her Mom's Day Out. We had her replacements ordered in, and over-nighted but they wouldn't be ready till Friday afternoon. So we had to wait patiently for 4pm to get here. Jamie had a chili cook off at work, and had forgotten a couple things. So i decided to dress up Anna, and we brought her around the different buildings at his work, stopping in to see all the women in the various departments who haven't seen her since she was about 3 months old. Quite the change! She managed to cop about a third of her bucket full by the time we left there and headed back home. She ate about half of it in the car on the ride home before I smarted up and took it into the front seat where I managed to keep some will power and not help her finish off the last half.

Finally her glasses were ready, and she couldl see again! Everyone at the optical center loved her costume, and thought she was just the cutest thing ever. We are so lucky to have such great ladies helping us there. They actually gave us the replacement frames at no cost, and they really take amazing care of us there. Definately worth the money to go through them for her glasses needs.

7:00pm finally rolls around, and we get Anna bundled up. The temp has dropped this year, so she got stuck wearing thick pants and a sweatshirt under her costume. Yes 14 degrees c is cold thank you very much! Anna did so good, walking up holding my hand, and in barely a whispered breath saying Trick or Treat, holding her bucket out, then a tiny bit more audible Thank you. As we turned to walk to the end of the driveway, she woudl see Daddy, and yell to him to let him know she was coming. Then she showed him her bucket, and proudly proclaim "I got lots of candy!!" Every. Single. House. But she was the cutest thing ever.. seriously.... no bias....

She had a fantastic time though, despite the neighbourhood being especially quiet. We only saw 2 other small groups of 3-4 kids, and maybe hit tops 8 houses in teh neighbourhood. It did qwork out well since it was pretty chilly once the sun went down. Anna was allowed to have one lollipop, by far her most favorite candy this year. She sat sucking it while curled up on the floor with a blanket watching Dora, for about an hour before bed. It was left on the floor, sticking to my carpet, in all it's red sticky glory, once we called for bedtime and teeth brushing.

She did so well, had such wonderful manners, and was in awe with all the lights, pumpkins and other kids costumes. It was such a treat watching her last night, be such a sweet girl, such a big girl.

It's fall and pumpkins!

Fall has arrived, in full force. It went from temps in the 80's, down to the 60's in the space of a week. It's been great. I love fall clothes, and Halloween just doesn't feel like Halloween without that nip in the air. Of course, I have memories of my own childhood, going trick or treating with a snowsuit on under my costume. this year, Ann will maybe.. just maybe, wear a light shirt under hers.

We went to the good ol pumpkin patch on Saturday, letting Anna pick out an Anna sized pumpkin, since we already had our big one, and paying 15 bucks for a pumpkin is kinda silly.. SHe had a fantastic time, walking through all the pumpkins and the mums and the gourds.
We went out to the rayle Ramble afterwards, to see Jim and Karan. On our arrival, getting out of the car, Jamie turned to me and said, " Do you hear that?" I replied yes, some guy was singing. It was Jim!! I had no idea he had that incredible and strong of a voice.

The Rable, was just a small outdoor bazaar type thing. It had homeade baking goodies, vrious knicknacks and a couple concessions. There was a kids train going through out, but Anna was playing shy, and didn't want to go on. She did wave every time it went by though!

We've had a few challenging nights lately. She hasn't been sleeping well at all. Shadows are starting to scare her , and we are at our wits end on what to do. She has a nightlight, 4 friends that sleep with her, a special butterfly that keeps the bad dreams away. I'm hoping she will just get over it, and back on a decent sleep schedule, argh. It's hard though.

We are through our terrible 2 pahse for the most part. She gets snotty and defiant when she's very tired, or really worked up, but for the most part she is back to being her sweet fun loving self again.. thank god. I wasn't sure how much more of it I could take! Hopefully Jamie will get some pictures off his camera for me, but here are a few for now!

Happy 5th Anniversary

I'm a little late posting on this, but it's been quite crazy the fast few days between being sick, and bad news, however the 18th was our 5th anniversary.

I woke up, remembering waking up at 6:45am, and thinking "This is it. Today I am marrying the most perfect man in the world." The day rushed by, between make-up and hair appointments, trying to find time to eat, and a limo ride with my Dad. Finally, we stood, and the look on his face, as he saw me walking toward him will live forever etched in my memory. The ceremony performed by my new father in law, pictures in Polson Park, then my fabulous reception. There were some sad moments, with some family drama, and some regrets, but it was an amazing day. A long day, but an amazing day.

Now here we are 5 years later, 5000 miles away from there, our house, cars, daughter. He isn't a perfect man,as I am sure he has learned I am not a perfect woman, but he is perfect for me. We have our up, we have our downs. The better, the worse, richer and poorer, but our love is a constant, keeping us entwined. To my darling husband, I love you, and thank you for you.

Happy Birthday, here's some puff.

Happy Birthday to me! Yes, I admit it, I'm getting older. As a treat for myself, I decided to get a haircut. Anna was at her MDO, so I had a spare 4 hours. One of the salon/day spas was having a special, " Cut for the Cause" day, you could go in and donate 10 bucks to breast cancer research and get your hair cut. Can't beat that!

Now a little bit of background, for the past 10 months, I have had short hair. In all the times I have gotten it cut, I have never ever had a cut I loved. Once it grows out, I like it, but the first week or so just pretty much sucks.

So , Cut For A Cause, well established day spa/ salon, me and my hair. I sit in the chair, admiring how beautiful the salon is, the energy, how much I love the sights, the smells and miss it. The stylist comes over, drapes the cape. I explain what I want, and she begins to wet it down. I listen to the stylist and lady across from me chatting a bit, and hear the client say " So you guys are students?'

.......


.........


Students, who in fact, upon some conversations with my own stylist, are about 50% finished their course, who this is the first time for them cutting real hair, instead of a mannequin, who are cutting my hair, my short hair.

Sigh. So I decided hey, it can't be any worse then the cuts that I have already had. She's a student, she needs the practice, it'll grow out. I only winced a little bit when she caught my ear with the scissors, looked slightly interested as she took the razor out and thinned out my hair. we chatted about things she will be doing once she graduates, and my fears of looking old.

An hour later, I left, happy that I was able to donate for such a great cause. However, I now had.. puffy southern middle age woman hair. The top of my hair sits approximately 4 inches off my head, and the upper back is about 3.4 inches high. It's great. Simply f'ing wonderful.

A wise woman once told me, the difference between a good and bad haircut, is 2 weeks. One week to go!

Fall has arrived!

Today is rainy, wet, dark and cold. For me, those things together make it a great fall day. For those of you not in the South, things down here are different, especially seasons. For example, Spring is marked.. not by flowers, but by yellow snow.. pollen. When it rains, rivers of yellow travel through the streets. You can't keep up with it, ( believe me I've tried) and do not under any circumstances keep any windows open!!!

Laura Not to mention any names, but it's just impossible to enjoy that lovely Spring breeze down here at that time.


Back to Fall, glorious fall. It's finally cooling off, getting below 80 ( high 20's) to a very nice comfortable outside enjoyable temperature. The leaves are finally starting to change, yes.. just now starting. Halloween is around the corner. I have my fall wreath on my door up. YesI have a fall wreath, it was a gift. Anna and I have been some great fall crafts as well, making wreaths out of handprints, and fall garlands to hang around the house.
We are eagerly waiting on Halloween now. Anna has decided this year, we will keep the insect theme going ( last year was a ladybug) and this year she has chosen a bumblebee to be her costume, and Mommy's too. Right. So much for just pulling out the witch hat.

We are also dong remarkably well with staying out of the Halloween candy. Last year by this time, we had made our way through about 4 bags so far. That's not sharing with Anna. Man, we suck, and I wondered where the extra 5 inches on my ass came from.

Gifts from a father

We are finally getting over our colds, and able to go pretty much clear and free of any of those medicines that make a cold somewhat bearable. However along with getting better, things dry up.. like snot.. in noses. I picked Anna up from school on Thursday, got her strapped in her car seat, where she proudly exclaimed, " Mommy I pickin' my nose!". I totally blame her father.

Tears and ponies

So after getting over my last cold, I managed about 3 days healthy, trying to get cleaning caught up and got sick again. Seriously, this preschool thing sucks for germs. Time to get out the lysol!

Anna is going through a phase right now, of complete independence and defiance. In short, she's driving me insane. She has her moments of unbelievable adorableness, and then in a flash, she turns into this little 3 foot ball of tears and snot and angst. I feel like I'm describing myself at 15. We're so screwed in ten years.

The Anna isms this week include " I mean it Mommy" when telling me she wants something.
Upon throwing a ball just out of reach, " Maybe I can get it!" then leaping up and snatching up the ball and holding it high in the air, exclaiming "I got it!!"

She also loves playing on our computers, whether it's on her Learning Game, or just clicking away on the keyboard while using the mouse in her right hand. It's pretty darn cute when she puts on my headset while she's at it.

One of our favorite activities though, is just spending time together, and painting our nails. She loves to have her toenails and fingernails painted to look "beautiful". She also loves getting into my makeup, and plying with various hair clips. She is most definatly a girly girl.

She is on a Curious George kick right now, loving anything to do with him. it's one of the very few movies that can hold her attention for more then 15 minutes. She's also loving Elmo, Dora and Backyardigans, and a new recent discovery, my Little Pony. Boy does that bring back memories. I have to be honest, when she decided that she liked MLP, I had flashbacks from my own childhood, and wanted to try and find other shows that I watched as a child. After about 2 hours, I realized that the quality, somehow impossibly was less then stellar, and not what I remembered from my own childhood. But boy oh boy, I sure enjoyed the She-Ra episodes I found on youtube.

Carpets and cat hair, don't let me breathe on you

So on Sunday, I got this bug up my ass to FINALLY use the carpet cleaner that we had borrowed from Jamie's folks a month ago. Jamie was out paintballing, and I decided it had to be done NOW. I moved all of the furniture into the dining room and then started picking up all of the toys that had been shoved under all of that furniture. 30 minutes later, Jamie walked in, he had no idea what he was in for. His eyes got big, then he went and put all his gear away, changed and came to where I was still picking up toys and all the other crap that was left on the floor. I promptly started crying, and he and Anna helped me finish up picking up everything, then he got out the vacuum cleaner, THEN he started the claning. OH MY GOD,it was disgusting. I am so very ashamed of the color of the water. 5 hours later, he finished. Yes, 5 hours. He is wonderful, I so totally am lucky and grateful for him. The next morning, I woke up sore, like deep in your bones sore, with a sore throat and a fever. So on that note, it may be a couple days before I update again, because I am probably out in the living room, watching Dora and being made "pretty" with Anna's crayons, while inhaling cat hair that Pooka insists on having me swallow as she tries to get oh so close whenever I am in that room.

Spoiled!

So we went away for a few days, to join Jamie's folks, up in their time share condo in a little town called Helen. Helen is a little village patterned like one form the Alps, very German-ey and picturesque, nestled at the bottom of one of the mountains of North georgia. It was beautiful. Our rooms looked out on the Chattahoochee River ( any else just get "Way down yonder on the Chattahoochee" By Alan Jackson start going through their head? I've had it going non stop whenever I think of it. It was gorgeous. Anna got completely spoiled rotten by her Nana and Pops, and Mommy and Daddy got a little break, and also some great time visitng time as we all took turns with Anna.

We travelled about 20 minutes away, into Cleveland, GA, to go visit the birthplace of the Cabbage Patch Dolls, Babyland! It was so neat, seeing ow they have changed in 30 years. You walk through a self guided tour of the facility, coming out into a main room that has the Crystal Tree, where the baby cabbages are born! See the tale here.

Unfortunately, after going through the very first rooms, Anna had a throw up fest, all over Mommy. With a breakfast of bagels, bacon, candies, corn chips, Tylenol ( from a Mommy who was told that Anna's head hurt), covering Mommy and Anna, we ushed into the bathroom, where we spent the next 30 minutes with Nana half naked ( strippers in the ladies bathroom!) trying to get the puke off of our clothes. By the time our shirts were cleaned off, rinsed and not dripping anymore, Anna was giggly and excited to be helping Nana push the blower button. Mommy was just grateful to have a shirt on again, and such an amazing strong stomached Mom in law. We left the bathroom, somewhat dishevelled, just in time to watch a new baby Cabbage Patch be "born". I was dying to go through the whole process for Anna, but she started turning green again, so outside we went, into a great Cabbage Patch themed garden while we waited for everyone to make their purchases. Anna was fine after this though, and ate a great dinner and had an excellent sleep that night.

Time's a tickin

I was looking through old updates that I did of Anna to send to our far off friends and families, and then started looking through all the itty bitty squishy yummy baby pictures and I'm in full ticking mode for number 2. We of course, have talked about this numerous times over the past year and a half, and have come to the conclusion that right now, just isn't a good time for us. Jamie has a huge project that will take up his evenings and weekends for the next ten months, and there's no way in hell that I will be pregnant while he's only home to sleep. Even the chubby cheeks and coos aren't enough to combat dealing with a 3 yr old while pregnant alone.

So I sit here, and get all gooey looking at sweet cuddly baby pictures, conveniently forgetting not wearing my rings for 6 months bother before and after giving birth, the c section pains, sleepless nights, again before and after. In something like a dream, there's a vague recollection of hating being pregnant, hating gaining weight, going to the bathroom every 10 minutes. But the miracle of feeling movement for the first time, (it wasn't gas I swear), holding her, in my drug induced head, through the pain of the surgery, seeing my perfect baby girl, and over the last 3 years, watching her grow into this amazing little girl.

Stars and Polka Dots

I saw this today and had to share it.

American customer: “Your flag is just so pretty. I love maple leaves. Does it come in blue?”

Me: “Um, no, sorry, only red.”

American customer: “That’s a shame. My kitchen is blue, and it would look so pretty on the wall. You should make them in other colours.”

Me: “…”

Canadian customer behind her: “That’s a good point. I’ve always thought the stars-and-stripes would look great in earth tones.”

American customer: “Our flag is ALWAYS red, white and blue! Honestly, Canadians are so stupid sometimes.”

http://notalwaysright.com/personally-i-prefer-stars-and-polkadots/1180

Mommy Guilt

I have recently, as well as not so recently, been afflicted with Mommy guilt. What is this you ask? For those of you living under a rock, Mommy guilt, the affliction that strikes most if not all of us. From the most devout, to the funnest, the stay at home mom, the working mom, the homeschooling mom, the preschool Mom. Why do we second guess, and judge ourselves? Has society made us question ourselves so much, that we cannot even feed our child without the fear of being judged. No matter what we decide, there is always that level of wondering if we are doing the right thing as a parent.

When do we stand up and say this is my child, I am doing a damn good job with him/her. Parenting styles may be different, and that's okay. Why is it okay then, that we allow ourselves to be stepped over, and shamed for our decisions, instead of applauded and respected.

As our children grow, we get into the comparisons, thank you Parenting magazines and milestone quizzes. ( Is your 9 month old talking, reading and doing multiplication tables while standing on a ball yet? No? You may want to see your pediatrician for a referral to a specialist.)
I should mention here, that I am perfectly fine with however Bug is going to turn out. I personally am NOT a genius, nor am I even close to being one. Therefore, if Bug does end up taking after me, instead of her child genius Daddy, it's okay. I will not be disappointed, because honestly, how annoying would it be having 2 people in the house who can talk me around in circles? My wish for Anna, is to learn empathy, compassion, assertiveness and confidence in herself. If she is an A student, that's okay, and if she is a C student, that is okay, as long as she tries her hardest. Am I setting her up for failure? I don't think so.