TMI

I'm just warning those of you who are unaware of, or squeamish at, the talk of female "plumbing issues" to turn away now. That said:

WOOHOO! Aunt Flo arrived with a vengeance this morning and I have to say that I've never been more happy to see her bloated, red face. Except for that time in the summer of 1987 but I digress.

See, since Scott had his "procedure", I've been on the pill. No problem. But in late December I took my last one. Instead of renewing my prescription, we threw caution to the wind and err... went commando before the doctor-suggested 3 month post-procedure "commando" window.
Now don't get me wrong. I'd not be broken-hearted if we got pregnant. If it was going to make me miserable, I'd have tried harder to ummm... take care of things. You deal with what life hands you, right? But the idea of being all done with diapers and sleepless nights was verrrrry compelling. And the idea of being blissfully alone with Scott in as little as 13 years? Siiiiiiigh.

A psychic once told me that I would have 4 kids. A boy, a girl and a boy close together then a big space and another boy. YIKES. I was so sure all month that this was the big space. I mean she was right about the sex and cluster of the bunch I already have, right? And if 7 years isn't a big space, I don't know what is. Again I say YIKES.

Anyway, all's right with the world now that Aunt Flo is present and accounted for. Even though she brought her annoying companion Uncle Flatulence. Scott errr.... removed a "sample" last night and it's now winging its way to the lab via Canada Post (this conjures up a lot of thoughts about what people are capable of sending through the mail) so I'm sure all will be well from now on. Which saves you, my loyal readers, from ever again having to put up with a TMI post like this one. For now, anyway.

kxx

Dum dee doo...

I can't think of anything to type. Laaa deeee dahhhh...

Looks like a stream of consciousness day. So what do we have?

-My left foot is warm but my right foot is freezing...
-There was a rape on Passions and I'm getting a kick out of hearing them say the word "semen" over and over on daytime tv...
-Audrey's reading a Scholastic Book order form and trying to decide what to buy...
-Elliott's on the computer downstairs...
-Henry's not home from school yet...
-I feel vaguely hungry...
-Now Audrey wants the computer. It's a good thing too because I was just about to launch into a long drawn-out rant about.... okay, no I wasn't. I'm done now.

kxx

When cheerful people attack

Okay so I show up at work this morning with my usual spring in my step and a smile on my lips. I go in the front door and see my manager at the cash. She'd been away most of last week so I just assumed she was on holiday. First mistake.

Me: Hi C! How are you? You look all happy and wonderful after your holiday. Did you have a good time? Was it fun?

C: Err... ummm... uh..

Me (blundering along blindly and happily): Well, whatever you did it suited you. Well, I'm going downstairs, now. See you later!

Well didn't I find out a few hours later that C had gone out west because her friend had committed suicide and she was helping make arrangements and dealing with the woman's 16 year old son. Fuck.

I went to her as soon as I could and apologised as well as offered my condolences. She understood, of course as I couldn't have known but it didn't help me feel any better. No wonder perpetually happy people make others nervous. What must she have thought? I really need to stop being completely oblivious to other's moods.

kxx

Suuupermum to the rescue!!!!!!!!!!!

So this morning I was told by Audrey that it was Treat Day. For those of you without little kids, Treat Day is a school fund raising event where one class provides enough treats for the rest of the school and the treats are then sold to the other classes.

The treats needed to be wrapped individually and I needed 18 items. Oh, MAN. So, still in my sleepwear (tank top and granny panties), Supermum flies into action. At the speed of light I turn on the oven, mix up the cookie dough, prepare the pans and pop them in the oven. Then, like a flash, I Saran Wrap them together in 18 packets of 2, pop them in a ziplock and throw them to Audrey. Whew. Record time.

That on top of the fact that Audrey and Elliott had to dress as their favourite literary characters (Zack from Butt Wars? Rachel from Ruby the Red Fairy? Who? I'm just glad the characters wore street clothes) and Henry had pyjama day. Honestly, I'm amazing. I did all that extra stuff and no one was late for anything. AND I even read a chapter of my novel before I got out of bed.

SHAZAAM!

kxx

It's Robbie Burns' Day

It's time to take down your Christmas lights. You know I'm talking to you Number 144. Look, your lights were gorgeous on December 1st, all pretty and purpley-pink. They were still nice on January 1st. But on 25th January, a full month past our blessed Saviour's birth, mind you, I'm fed up with seeing them. I'm thinking of starting a petition. You don't even have to take the strands down, just unplug them. We're neighbours. Be a pal.

So, it's Robbie Burns Day today. A day where Scots and people of Scottish descent partake in their fine drink and cuisine. MmmmMM. Nothing says lovin' like a haggis in the oven. And the skirl of the pipes? Hair-raising. And don't get me started on scotch. Actually I love the Scots. Scott's part Scot. Two of my oldest friends Karen and Marianne were born in East Kilbride. Their accents were to die for when we first met but now they sound just like me, poor girls.

So, Slainte Mhath my Scottish buddies! Have a great day. Keep warm and give someone a hug, too. It's also National Hugging Day.

kxx

Dreamcatchers and whatnot (mostly whatnot)

I was driving down the highway today and noticed that someone had a dreamcatcher hanging from their rear-view mirror. You know dreamcatchers... that Native ornament used to strain your dreams catching the bad ones in the net. How odd to have one in your car. It occurred to me that maybe the driver would like to not crash while dozing his way down the 417. That sure would be a nightmare.

Then I thought about the braille writing on the drive-through ATM buttons. I thought that was weird at first. I mean blind drivers? What next? Fat-free french fries? Sign me up. Anyway, then I realized that there probably is a button factory somewhere that makes all ATM buttons and making numbers only ones and separating them just for the drive-through would be a major pain so they just used what they have providing juicy and irresistible fodder for comedians and bloggers alike.

So that's what I was thinking about on my way home from work. What about you?

kxx

My oddities

I got this blog a few weeks ago (Thanks KC) and I thought it may be fun to try and find 6 things you don't already know about me. Especially since I tell you guys every little thing about myself from when my cycle is to what's for dinner. Actually the fun would be mostly for me and not you. But anyway, here I go...

1. I almost always have my toenails painted. I find that they look like Little Orphan Annie's eyes if they aren't. In the spirit of honesty, right now they aren't but they are seriously bugging me every time I see them.

2. I love reading books but hate library books. The idea that tons of people have touched my novel skeeves me out. And I hate passing on or giving away my books. Even those I don't particularly like. I think I still have every book I've ever read.

3. I hate quiet. A radio or tv has to be on even if I'm not paying attention.

4. I won't shower more than once a day. Even if I do something particularly sweaty of grimy. There are so many post-shower cremes and potions that I hate to do it more than I need to.

5. Everyone knows I'm a hugger. But what you don't know is that while I'm hugging you, I'm smelling you and your clothes. I love the smell of Bounce or any strong fabric softener. If I like the way you smell, I'll say so. If I don't you won't hear a peep.

6. I sleep on my stomach with the duvet completely covering my head. Except for a little tiny hole only big enough for my nose and mouth.

Loving you,

kxx

10 things I hate about this house

We've been living at Number 29 for over 8 years. I love the location of this house and I've often said that if we win a ton of money in the lottery (you can't win if you don't play), I'd stay here and just fix it up. That said, there are things about it that drive me nuts. Besides the fact that it doesn't clean, dust and vacuum itself, that is. In no particular order:

1) The windows and doors suck. Literally. The windows suck the warm air right out of the house and my front door has a crack in it so wide that I can see daylight out of it.

2) Our front window has no curtain. Never has had. We're high enough off the ground so that people walking by can only see our heads but the neighbours across the street also have a high first floor. If we can see them, then it stands to reason that they can see us. Scurrying around the room doubled over covering our naughty bits when we forget.

3) Our bathrooms. The one on the first floor has horribly awful, hard-to-hide/match-with-towels fixtures. Powder blue. And the counter is yellow. Uck. The second bathroom is even worse, if possible. It's fitted head to toe in teeny tiny tiles that must have been a pain-in-the-ass to install. There's a grubby (despite my cleaning efforts) stand-up shower and watch out... you'll concuss yourself on the sink while wiping your privates. Consider that your warning so you can't sue my ass.

4) Our garage. It's too small to fit both household junk and the car. So the car sleeps outside and the junk knowing it's alone and unwatched by the car has had sexytime and has multiplied to not only one but two metal sheds in the backyard. Attractive.

5) My kitchen. I love to cook but it's frustrating to use an oven that's temperature gauge is only a suggestion and the fridge is so loud I can't hear the tv.

6) My laundry room. The washer and dryer are so old that they are one step up from a washboard and the great outdoors.

7) My hardwood floors could use refinishing. They look like dry skin. And the sound when you pull the dining-room chairs across the floor? Brrrr...

8) Bedroom storage. I have 60+ pairs of shoes and my tiny cupboard barely fits them and all my clothes. In fact, even the cat can't fit inside it. I'd do anything for a walk-in.

9) Our landscaping job. Which at best is to keep the lawn clipped and at worst is to buy plants in the spring only to have them turn to dust by the fall. I have a literal and figurative black thumb.

10) The fact that the boys share a room. When the boys were little it was cute for them to share. They didn't care much and Scott got his precious modelling room/office. Eight years later, I'd love all the kids to have their own space. Elliott hasn't complained but he will. And so will Scott when he has to give up his sanctuary. We'll have to move him out to the garage, poor guy.

Anyway, those are the things I'd most love to change about the house. That said, I love the neighbours and neighbourhood and would hate to have to move away. Not that that's in the cards anytime soon. Just felt like venting and where better than here? Thanks for listening.

kxx

I got nothing.

How embarrassing. Sometimes I write my blog the night before and cut and paste in the morning. Sometimes I write it in the morning before work. Other times I write it when I get home. Today I had to wait until I got home because I couldn't think of anything cool to share either last night or this morning. And apparently this afternoon too, because I got nothing. So here are 2 limericks I found online. They made me giggle so I thought they'd do the same for you.

For the math geek:
'Tis a favourite project of mine,
A new value of pi to assign.
I would fix it at 3,
For it's simpler, you see,
Than 3 point 1 4 1 5 9

For everyone else:
There was a young girl from Rabat,
who had triplets, Nat, Pat and Tat;
It was fun in the breeding,
But hell in the feeding,
When she found she had no tit for Tat.

Hee.

Have a great weekend everyone. See you Monday

kxx

Happy Anniversary to meeeee...

So as of today, I've been a blogger for exactly one year. A year ago I was a jobless (except for 2 hours on Sunday morning) stay-at-home-mum. Now I'm a part time job-ful work-outside-the-home-mum. Sadly, though, ignoring my family's baked goods and laundry related needs.

I'm trying to think of how much I've grown over the past year. Not too damned much, frankly. I think growing is for kids and intellectuals. I'm neither. But I do like to start sentences with conjunctions. And I don't care. Hey! I've learned that I'm a grammatical rebel.

What else? We all got a year older, I got a year fatter and I learned I can commit to something. Like this blog every weekday (except for my NaBloPoMo lark). I learned I should have probably been more discreet too. You know, give fake names and places but I find it too hard to keep that stuff up. I'm a terrible liar. The truth is just so much more easy. And those of you who've been reading this know I'm a lazy, lazy girl.

So I want to thank all of my subscribed readers: jenn, Michelle, Chris(topher), Shannon, ann, Claire, Erin, KC, MA, Lee-Ann, Lisa Lee Diva, Mike, Derek, Alia and Cherise. And of course, those of you who surf on in from time to time. Yes, that means you, Kathy. You guys have made me blog when I really didn't want to. When I was sick, on holiday, PMSing, even on Christmas morning. The thought of you hunched over your computers waiting impatiently for MySpace to send you the email that I've posted another blog makes me really spurs me on. Yes, I know I have a very active fantasy life. No offense to you who I know in person, but I'm most impressed by those of you who just know me through this blog. I find it so cool that you read what I have to say and find it so amusing that you come back for more. I can't for the life of me figure out what you find so interesting about a self-involved middle aged Canadian suburban mum. But keep on reading, anyway. It strokes my massive, hungry beast-like ego.

So will you all stick with me a little while longer? I'm not sure how many more blogs I have in me so it may just be a few more months. In all likelihood, I should have stopped months ago. Thank goodness I find myself so interesting. And my family too. This year will mark my 40th birthday, Scott's 45th, countless more sentence fragments and tons more amusing and bizarre family stories. Like the one this morning where Elliott's tooth fell out while eating breakfast, showed it to me then proceeded to eat the food that was still stuck to it. Gaaah! I still have the heebie-jeebies from that one.

Thanks for everything you guys. I'll try to make however long we have together as fun and painless as I can. You inspire me.

kxx

10,000 steps

So I hear that to be healthy you need to take 10,000 steps a day. That roughly translates to about 5 miles of walking. I thought I'd see how far I'd get in a day. Just out of curiosity. You know, empirical data research. So I dug up the pedometer I bought for running, strapped it on then watched the magic. I had no idea how far I'd get since 10,000 steps seems like such a lofty goal but I had no idea I'd be so low. I checked right now, I find myself at 2777. How pathetic is that?

I knew it'd be low since I spend my whole work day on my rapidly spreading butt but that's barely a fraction of what I'm "supposed" to get. How am I supposed to ramp it up? I think that dropping the pedometer on the bathroom floor while going pee at work helped but that's not always going to be as satisfying as it was today. I also have to say that I got most of my steps before I even left the house for the day. They're not kidding when they call it "running after your kids". Getting the kids ready for school was the most exercise I got all day. I'm not done, though, I still have 6+ hours before I go to bed but there's no way I'll get up to the magic 10,000.

It's an interesting study, though. Tomorrow I'm going to the gym before work so that should do me quite well. I'll let you all know how many steps I get to. Also tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Karenworld. I'd love more than anything to tell you I have something special planned. Some special guest or cool event but as of right now it'll be just another run-of-the-mill blog about whatever the hell I want. And isn't that why you love me?

kxx

"Elliott,

You are a very smart boy. Do you know how capable you are? Keep working as hard as you are. You are an excellent influence on others. Thank you.
Mme. Kondric"

Do you believe this? This is a note Elliott got last week from his teacher on a spelling test he did where he got 12/10. The 2 bonus marks were for knowing about Clarence Birdseye's freezing process. I know.

Where did he get his smarts from? Definitely his dad. I have no illusions about that one. He's one of those cool all-around kids who is smart, cute, athletic and well-liked by his teachers and friends. If I was in grade 5, I'd have the biggest crush on him. Okay, I'm his mum and I have a therapy inducing crush anyway. Now if only he'd bathe more often and stop wearing that grungy Gap sweatshirt...

Still, I'm lucky to have a neat kid like this.

kxx

Blech.

Well, the snow finally came with a vengeance this morning. I swear, people seem to forget that this is Canada. We have winter. We get snow. I know it came late, but it's the same snow as last year. Winter driving isn't rocket science. If there's snow on the ground, drive slower than usual and don't cut people off. D'uh. You wouldn't believe the yahoos and morons that I had to deal with on the drive in to work.

It took me 45 minutes to make a 15 minute drive. There's nothing I hate more (besides scraping off my car) than watching someone blast by me in the breakdown lane then cause a backup by trying to squash in 3 cars ahead of me. Grrrr!

I know I'm a safe driver. If I'm going to get into an accident (and I haven't yet, knock on wood), it'll be because someone hit me. Watching fools drive around Ottawa today without snow tires was incredible. They were fishtailing all over the road. What the hell's wrong with people?

Anyway, when I got back home there was too much snow in the driveway to pull in. So I pull to the side, go in and drop off my purse. I put on my snowpants and grab a shovel out of the garage. Yes, we have a snowblower but truth be told, I'm afraid of the thing so I never learned how to use it. And Scott's not due home for another couple of hours. And our driveway is huge. Good times.

So I start. I put my head down and shovel as long and as hard as I can. When I looked up I had shoveled a path about as wide as the shovel itself and only about 10 feet long. Not even a fraction of the driveway was done. Oh my hell, it was time to call in the cavalry. I saw my neighbour Willie across the street stowblowing his drive with style and panache. I leaned on my shovel and watched and waited. Oh, and tried to look tired and a little sad. Pathetic, really. Who says a theatrical background doesn't help you in real life? He looked up and caught my eye. I waved friendly-like, smiled big and pretended to continue shovelling. Then I heard the engine cut (yes!). He yelled across the street:

"You want me to do yours?"
"No!" I lie, "Scott'll be home soon, anyway. "Thanks, Willie."
"You sure?", he persists like I knew he would.
"Well... okay", I fake reluctance. "Thanks so much!".

That bit of enthusiasm was absolutely true. Woohoo! I watched as he spent 10 minutes doing what would probably have taken me until tomorrow to do. Hey, at least I watched from outside. I could have gone inside and watched him from my picture window. So the moral is, it always pays to be kind to your neighbours. And don't get me wrong, I'm kind right back. Don't they get homemade cookies a few times a year?

kxx

I know I'm supposed to like Fridays

but I don't. The weekend is so jam packed with activities and chores that I don't have time to sit and enjoy the fact that I'm not working. Which is actually not entirely true since I work at the Y on Sundays. Sigh.

So tomorrow, the only day that God sends that I'm not working, I have to take Henry to the dentist, get Audrey to ballet class, do the grocery shopping, get the laundry done, tidy the house and cook our dinner. There aren't enough hours in the day. And I don't even want to talk about Sunday where Elliott's hockey and my job have a massive conflict and there's a 67's hockey game thrown in for good measure. I guess my Bollywood Freetime movie is out for yet another week.

Double sigh. Bring on Monday. I'll need the rest.

kxx

"You are the perfect wife for me"

This is what Scott said to me last night. It's a compliment that warmed me right down to my cockles. Just what are cockles, anyway? BRB... I'm going to google it... here we go. Sweet.

Anyway, it was such a lovely thing to say. I mean we often say "I love you" or something like it ("You big dummy" springs to mind) but he has never in all our years together said something that made me feel so special. Especially when the dialogue that preceded it was a long, gross and truly bizarre ramble on my part about torn "poop-shoots" and weird bowel movements (seriously and don't ask). Where did it come from? I mean the compliment, not the poop.

Needless to say I think he's awesome. And the perfect husband for me. I'm super lucky.

kxx

Wednesday larf

Got this sent to me by my good friend Josée. I don't usually repost these but it made me giggle like a little girl. And I could totally picture this happening in my house.

"Of Course They're Scissors...

Quote from the mom:
"This is my kindergartner's artistic rendering of a pair of scissors. I wonder what his teacher thought. And I am so dang proud of myself. I allowed myself just a small smirk when I saw it. I waited until he was out of the room before I started to cry from laughing so hard.""

kxx

Well, that was just plain gross

Yesterday I took 3 photos of myself in a bathing suit. OMG, I'm gagging here. I've been planning on dieting but seeing those photos has grossed me out so much I may never eat again. I took the photos to motivate me to lose the extra 10-15 pounds I've been lugging around but they make me want to lose 50. I'm a big fat pig.

My plan was to post them here. After seeing them I won't even take them off the camera let alone put them on the computer hard drive. For obvious reasons I think I need to stay away from all types of cookies. Besides, do I really want to alienate (nauseate?) my faithful readers that way? Do I want to reward you for your loyalty to Karenworld by showing the emperor without her clothes and in an ill fitting bikini? I think not. You can't unsee something you've already seen, especially if it's nasty.

So I was off to the gym at 5am this morning to rectify the problem. I need to get my cardio up and get rid of some of this excess flab. I don't want to go down any sizes, I just want to fit comfortably into my regular size instead of sickly bubbling out over my size 10s. I want to feel and look like the perfect 10 that's hiding under all this jiggly flesh.

And those 3 little (big?) photos will go a long way into shaming me into doing it. Effective, yet oh so depressing.

kxx

Aaah, yes!

Everything's back to normal. The kids are getting ready for school, Scott's at work and I'm all dressed and ready to go. Love it. I think I'm the only one in the world who loves getting back to work after a holiday. I'm just a big fan of routines and schedules.

Montréal was fun. I always love to go. We had a great visit with my dad and even got to go shopping. Unfortunately nothing for your's truly but lots for the kids and for me just being at the mall is like a tonic.

We visited daddy's old neighbour Eusebio and his family too. They're Portuguese and gave us a gallon (!) of homemade wine. We had dinner before we got there but they just kept feeding us more and more food. The gluttony was truly on a biblical scale. I actually gained .5 a pound over the weekend.

I'll post a couple of photos tomorrow. Have yourselves a fabu day and if this is your first day back at work this year, don't work too hard. You don't want to strain anything...

kxx

Got lots to do today so can't stay long...

Going to my dad's as soon as Scott comes home from work. Which means I have to get everything together on my own. Yippee. And of course if we forget anything it's all my fault. No pressure.

So I've got to collect everyone's clothes, toys and toiletries for 2 nights and 3 days in the beautiful Montréal. Don't forget the puffers, Audrey's hair stuff and toothbrushes. Hopefully we can make a stop at Les Promenades St. Bruno and do a little shopping. Mummy will need her kind of special therapy. I'm already looking forward to Monday morning when everything goes back to normal. Now where did I put the stupid chapstick? Sigh.

kxx

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory

I have nothing today that pertains to that title but it popped into my head yesterday and it made me giggle so I thought I'd share with the class.

So when do you brush your teeth? I brush the minute I wake up just before I hop into the shower. When I'm done with my shower it helps me feel super fresh and clean. I recently slept over at a friend's house and she wondered why I wasn't eating breakfast right away. See that's a by-product of brushing early. The minty toothpaste flavour makes me put off eating for about 30 minutes. And there's no way I'd eat without brushing first. Yuck. So one way or another, I'll wait for a while before breakfast.

I know there was a fascinating reason why I brought that up but it escapes me. What the hell? 2007 is definitely not a good bloggy year so far. Up to now I've pretty much wished you a happy new year, filled out an internet form and mistakenly thought I had agoraphobia. Not my best work. I know they all can't be Pulitzer Prize nominees but this is ridiculous. I think I need some perspective. My one year blogiversary's coming up soon and I've got to shine. Not unlike my lovely teeth. Oh my God. I need to drop this.

kxx

Am I agoraphobic?

I haven't left the house in 2007. Isn't that strange? I haven't set foot outside since I came home from my NYE party. I have actually opened the front door, clutching my crusty hoodie around my neck chatting to my favourite neighbour but I haven't once left the building. I wonder how long this can go on? I have no plans for today. In fact, I have no plans until Friday night when we all pile into the car and drive to Montréal to visit my dad. Can I hold out until then? Watch this space to find out...

Okay, call me a liar. I just realized that I went to the gym yesterday morning. I can easily be forgiven for forgetting because the alarm clock rang at 5am so I could arrive there by 5:30. I was home by 6:30 and it wasn't even light out yet. I promptly came home and crawled right back into bed. I suppose the whole thing seemed like a dream.

Well there goes a cute little blog idea out the window. Sigh. And I thought I was being soooo clever. Whatever. Ooh! Spongebob is on tv. Gotta go...

kxx

Another one of those survey thingies

1.What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before? Went camping. In Delaware. That's an 11 hour drive, people. In a minivan. With 3 kids.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Didn't make any last year, not making any this year. Too easy to disappoint myself.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope

4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thank goodness.

5. What countries did you visit? The US

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? A family trip to Disney

7. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? November 6th. My first day at my new job.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Definitely getting the abovementioned job.

9. What was your biggest failure? I don't have one. I guess I aimed low.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No

11. Where did most of your money go? Pharmacy, food and Christmas presents

12. Compared to this time last year, are you: Happier or sadder? Thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer? Definitely happier, fatter and poorer

13. What was your favourite film or book of this year? Film: Borat Book: Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. Light, junky, fun, girl stuff

14. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 39 and I baked myself a cake. Also the cat puked in my hallway and I went to the dentist. Perfect.

15. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Suburban mum chic. I just invented that. Like it?

16. What political issue stirred you the most? I shy away from politics.

17. Name one new person you met this year. My friend Chris and his family. We met online and I'm now proud to call him a real friend. Also Candice from work. She's so different from me but we're still so much alike.

18. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006. That sleeping in a tent just isn't for me. Seriously, I learned that family and good friends will put up with a lot of my nonsense and God bless them for that.

kxx

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone was well behaved last night and is suitably recovered by now. As for us, we spent NYE with friends at a house party. Julie and Doug hired a chef to cook and serve for their 12 guests and we really had a lovely, "grown-up" time. They even hired a sitter for all our kids (15 of them... yikes) so we could still come. Gone are the New Years' Eves past of going to a friend's cottage by the lake, drinking until we're stumbling drunk and passing out where we fell. Nope, the family was home and in bed by 1am. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Like I said, we're grown-ups now. Sigh.

So the traditional behaviour of the new year is to look back on the past year and make resolutions for the coming one. I don't feel like doing that here. If you want to look back at my year, check out my old blogs. As for my resolution, I'm making the same one I've made every year. I don't make 'em. Why set yourself up for failure? No, this way my year is fresh, new, surprising and disappointment-free. So, maybe I would like to be fitter and run that 10K in May without walking and maybe I'd like to start eating healthier and get my ample butt to the gym but let's not make them resolutions, 'k? Way too much pressure.

A haiku for the coming year:

2007
Karenworld goes on and on
No end in sight... help!

kxx