So very sleepy but totally worth it

I went to bed at 8:30 last night thinking that I'd be completely fine on 5 1/2 hours sleep like usual but my traitorous body gave up the ghost at about 11am. I crashed like a car on a slippery road. I'm still "bazodee" (it's West Indian patois for stupidly disoriented) and trying to shake the cobwebs. Thank goodness sexy royals don't get married every day.

He actually said something like (shall we do this?) before planting this on her. I believe my exact Facebook update was "Squeeeeee!!" but I may have fudged on the number of e's. I love the little girl on the left.

In my "Ummm... No" fashion collection:

Andrew's daughters. Um, no. And the Avatar/Tick/latex superhero costume department... SHAZAM!:

 Um, no.

I'll leave you with my favourite clip of the wedding. Enjoy and have a terrific weekend!



*** Stealing a nap in the middle of the day = AWESOME! ***


kxx

Why oh why?

Why am I so excited about this wedding? I actually thought about it earlier today and got a flutter in my chest as if it was me!

I've been preparing for a week. I've made scones and jam tarts for sustenance, bought special tea (and even the dreaded coffee since I'm up at 2am for all the special coverage). I've been avoiding the television specials so I can see everything fresh tomorrow morning. I figure they'd rehash everything to pad the coverage on the day and I wanted it all to be fresh to keep me from dozing off during the vows. In fact, in case that does happen, I've set the vcr (you know what I mean). I'm ready.

I'm on pins to see every single thing. I wonder what her dress will look like, I wonder if she'll flub her vows like her mother-in-law did, I wonder about the kiss on the balcony... I can't wait. I'm even excited about going to bed at 8pm tonight like a toddler. I feel like Christmas comes at 2am tomorrow.

*** Need I even go there? Weddings = AWESOME! ***


kxx

Wordless Wednesday - Easter cinnamon rolls

You make these with a brown sugar/butter sauce on the bottom. During the rising and baking the rolls swell and crowd each other in the pan so when you turn it over on the serving plate you have the most gooey, humongous roll reveal ever.


*** Driving a rental car = AWESOME! It kinda puts a positive spin on crushing the bumper of our regular car and having it in the shop for 2 weeks. ***

kxx

Will wonders never cease?

After months and months of arguing, threats, tears and slammed doors, something we said snuck into Elliott's waxy ears and laid some juicy eggs in his previously thought to be pea-sized brain. Here's what happened this morning:

Elliott: Do we have any duo-tangs?
Me: Yes, in the top drawer. (trying and failing to resist asking why he needs one) Why?
Elliott: It's for my assignment.
Me (heart sinking): What assignment?
Elliott: I had a project on muscle powered tools and I finished it. It needs to be in a folder.
Me: So it's done? When did you do it? When was it due? (note the still skeptical "was" assuming the due date has passed as usual.)
Elliott: All finished. I woke up every morning over the holiday and did a bit of it. It's not due until Friday but Mr. M said that if we hand it in early he can check it and give it back to fix if there's anything wrong with it.
Me (in complete shock, flipping through the pages filled with well laid out photos and text): So it's all done? How did you know what to do?
Elliott: Mr. M wrote all the stuff on the board and I just copied it. Thanks for the duo-tang.
Me (completely stunned): No problem...

I'm still flabbergasted by all this. Is it possible that we've completely brow-beaten the lazy slacker teen out of him? I don't care what switch flipped in his head. It may not last but I still couldn't stop hugging him all morning.

*** Besides the above (totally, amazingly, magically, fantastically awesome), remember birthday parties when we were kids that took place in the basement at McDonalds? Where you got a tour of the kitchen before getting herded into a windowless basement euphemistically called "McDonaldland" and decorated with crappy, unlicensed images of Grimace and Hamburglar? And the cold small fries, cheeseburger and warm orange drink you happily devoured? Remember those parties? "RobbleRobble" = AWESOME! ***


kxx

Hello Easter Monday!

Well we had a lovely holiday. Nothing recharges the batteries than 4 days off. Unless it's a week off. Or better yet, a month. Or even a... well you get the idea.

Friday everything was shut down so we just relaxed together. There was a Doctor Who marathon on Space Channel so I was in hog heaven all day. It was one of those perfect days where you don't get out of your pyjamas and you like it, dammit. I couldn't even be arsed to run that day. It's about the third time since I started this running lark in August 2010.

Saturday had all the stores open again so I showered up and headed out. I had a bee in my bonnet about white Converse so I bought myself a pair of those (bringing my All-Stars count to 7) then went to a specialised bra store and bought a bikini top (yes, you read that right... I think I've lost my mind). After the thrill of all that I came down with a trip to the grocery store. It had to be done. I hadn't done any Easter shopping yet.

Sunday, another "down tools" day. The kids were happy with their modest baskets of candy and t-shirts (whew!) and we sat around watching Doctor Who another day. I wore my new bikini top under my pyjamas to try and guilt myself into not eating like a pig. As I mentioned in my desperately sarcastic Facebook post, "...it worked! I only ate 2 huge cinnamon rolls, an Oh Henry bar, a handful of jelly beans, and several bites of a chocolate bunny. And of course, Easter dinner. It's all about being motivated to eat right." Yeah. So that idea was a bust. I wonder if that bathing suit will ever see life on the outside of my pjs. We'll see...

Today I thought I'd try jogging outside. I ran 5K then sat on a chair in the sun listening to my iPod. I showered and changed into my loungiest clothes and enjoyed the day. Scott and I even managed to get out for a kid-free coffee together. It was so relaxing I never wanted it to end. But tomorrow it's back to the grind for me and the kids. Scott's sabbatical starts officially tomorrow.

Hope you had a terrific weekend!

*** When you prepare to drive all over town looking for something specific and you remember you can call around before you leave to see if they have it (and you find it in the second store you try) = AWESOME! ***

kxx

Flashback (as well as Good) Friday!

Henry has a science project due next week. He has to make a brochure and a model of the human ear. I have to admit that I like when the kids have projects like this because Scott and I inevitably learn something new ourselves. Of course Scott gets right into it and practically builds the models himself. He's always on tenterhooks after it's been handed in waiting for his the children's mark.

Anyway, here's what I learned a couple of years ago when Audrey did a project on Dalmatians.

Happy Good Friday! I wish you loads of sweets and relaxation.

*** Sitting on the couch in my jammies watching a Doctor Who marathon on Space Channel = AWESOME!***


kxx

So This Is It.

This is Scott's last day at work. He's taking a leave of absence but the fact remains that he'll be home for the next few months. In the house. With me.

Now I don't want to say that he's going to cramp my style but there's this, and this, and who can ever forget this?

He's a lovely man. I love him to distraction, he cracks me up daily, he's smart, cool, loving, a great dad, an amazing provider and a little nuts. Just the way I like 'em. He's also going to be home. In the house. With me. For months.

Let's just say that my blogs for the next little while may be quite a bit more... colourful. He provides me with a lot of fodder. A lot.

*** Walking a brisk 3K through your neighbourhood at 6:15am with your 11 year old "baby"  = AWESOME! ***


kxx

Wordless Wednesday - "Inception Cat"

This isn't my photo but I think I may make it my wallpaper. If you don't understand the Inception reference, go see the movie for goodness sake. It's fantastic. Let me just say that basically it has to do with dreams within dreams within dreams. Thus the title of the photograph. Although it can also be called "Cute Within Adorable Wrapped in Squealing, Girly Preciousness". But it's a little unwieldy.

**** Noticing flower buds on the African Violet plant that you never take care of = Awesome ****


kxx

Easter Math

I hate that I'm agonizing about Easter yet again. Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I was raised as a very religious Roman Catholic.We dutifully gave up something precious during Lent and at Easter we went to church after school all week to mourn then rejoice over His rising. We grew up knowing this time of year was super important. Even more than Christmas. As such, we got no presents, no chocolate, no jellybeans, no eggs. Just lots and lots of church and prayers.

I pulled away from the church (but not from my spirituality) as soon as I moved out and when I had kids I wanted to give them the Easter fun I didn't have. I've had to make up lots of new traditions for my little heathen family and Easter was no different. One year we hid eggs around the house but little Elliott woke up early and ate everything he found. The tradition that year was going to the gas station for Kinder Surprises and a big fat time-out for the boy.

Since then we've hidden a personalized basket with written clues for each kid to follow to the designated hiding spot. Now that the kids are older I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. They don't believe in the Easter Bunny anymore so am I still supposed to hide chocolates? They're a little too old for the bubble stuff, skipping ropes and sidewalk chalk that I used to give. Frankly I'm not willing to buy anything more expensive. This isn't Christmas, after all. Am I really expected to buy them iPods and bikes? Is Easter really an occasion to spend that kind of money? You guys have to help me out with this. I'm unfamiliar with what I'm supposed to do.

I can't believe I'm going to admit this but maybe my parents had something. They never had to shell out for toys just 4 months after Christmas.

This equation probably summed up their rationale:
Son of God + (Torture x Murder) + Miraculous Resurrection = Rabbit That Shits Chocolate Eggs x Baby Chicks + Extravagant Presents (?!)
 No wonder we never got Easter gifts. It just doesn't add up.

***

Finally learning the mystical, magical secret behind making the perfect, flaky pie crust = Awesome!


kxx

So here's the deal...

I tried to swear off these questions, I really did but the royal wedding one came up and I just couldn't resist. Bear with me, tomorrow I'll tell you all about the origins of our family's cheery call of "Happy Great Day!" as we leave the house in the morning. But until then:


Questions:

1.  Caesar Salad or Garden Salad?
Caesar all the way. Especially when the dressing is made properly with egg and anchovies, bacon, real parm and croutons. Throw in chicken and I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

2.  Will you be watching the Royal Wedding on April 29th?
Even though the coverage starts at 2am local time, I started planning this weeks ago. I'll have tons of tea, scones and clotted cream to keep me going. I watched Will's parents get married, I wailed through every minute of his mother's funeral and I'm so watching this live. And for those of you who say I can watch it any time and why do I have to wake up at such an ungodly hour in this day and age, I say to you: where's the fun in seeing it hours later?  Where are the bragging rights? Enjoy your sleep.

3.  Last thing you spent lots of money on?
Well, Scott made arrangements for me to go to London this summer but technically I didn't spend the money myself. Um... what does lots really mean? I spent more than I should have on groceries this weekend... do only frivolous things count? This is hard.

4.  Window seat or aisle seat?
I have got to be able to look out the window. There's nothing like watching the ocean and clouds go by. Of course if I'm in a business class pod, the window could be blacked out for all I care. All that's missing for a spa experience is a hot stone massage. Have you seen these things? Once you go pod, you're closer to God. I have to thank my good friend Al for the surprise upgrade that day a few years ago. I also hate him for giving me a taste and never being able to afford to travel that way again.

5.  Do you know your blood type?
O+. I used to give blood quite often but I had been turned away a lot lately for being borderline aenemic. It was becoming a pain in the ass to go all the way down there for nothing so I stopped.

kxx


Okay, I don't want to wait until tomorrow for the "happy great day" thing. It's too short for its own blog anyway. All it is is a mishearing by one of us (I forget who now) of "Have A Great Day". It's nice to hear as you run out the front door. Happy Great Day = Awesome!

Strange week this week

It went by quickly and that's good but I found myself obsessed with that stupid Friday song by Rebecca Black. I woke up singing it, I went to bed singing it and irritatingly, I even spent $.99 and actually downloaded it from iTunes. I kid you not. I'm now the proud owner of this terrible "song".

One day I actually spent hours on YouTube watching everything I could with her in it. She's as sweet and clueless as every 13 year old girl I've ever met. She seems genuinely confused as to what the hell happened to her. She's not particularly talented or precocious and I think she'll just fade away in time but for right now I hope she enjoys the ride and makes some good investments with the cash windfall she must be making.

So in attempt to shake this song's squid-like tentacles from its grasp on my brain, I give you the Friday song. And for fun, my favourite parody (and there are lots, trust me... I spent the better part of the week familiarizing myself with them).





kxx (there are links, Facebookers. Get thee to blogger...)

*** Friday (the day not the song) = Awesome!***

Another funny conversation

Audrey and I were talking the other day about work. I was telling her that it would be my dream to have a fun job. Something that I'd be delighted to go to in the morning and sad to leave in the evening. I thought I'd put the question to her.

Me: So what kind of job do you think would be really fun to do?
Audrey (after a beat): Umm... trampoline tester?

How lovely! How many times have I told the children they could be anything they wanted to be in life? What kind of hypocrite would I be if I didn't look more into this trampoline angle? I mean the job would have its ups and downs... I know, I know that was truly lame but I couldn't resist.

kxx

*** Getting an unsolicited cup of tea from a good friend in the middle of a hectic morning = Awesome! (thanks Lisa!)***

Wordless Wednesday - Smooth Move

I think that move was my highest single Words With Friends score ever. I know the word from my dragonboat experience and not from a misspelling of anything else. Or anything. Yeah.

kxx  (notice we've moved on from the "wordless" aspect of the Wednesday posts... )

*** I notice clocks in rooms when I watch tv. I love it when I watch a show and notice a clock set at an appropriate time for the characters' activity. It's even better when later on in the show the clock has advanced accordingly. Coronation Street is the best show for this. Awesome! *** 

Six word sum-up of the day so far

Not good, not bad, just "meh".

*** Getting a phone call from Scott saying that my ticket to London is booked for the end of August. I'm going to be a Godmother for the second time. AWESOME! ***

On diets and back fat

Well, not really a diet but I'm just watching what I eat. Again. Now that the weather is getting warmer (I ran outside again today), I'm looking forward to paddling, and paddling means the dreaded bathing suit. I've been very good about running throughout the winter but some body streamlining needs to be done.

I'm going back to the diet that gives me the best results. I tend to zone out when I eat so first off, I promised myself I'd pay more attention to that. There's nothing more disturbing than being halfway through a bowl of Frosted Flakes and wondering when you actually got up and poured it. The best part of my "diet" is that I eat whatever I want within reason.

When I want a treat I have it but I use the "suggested serving size" printed on the container. For instance, yesterday was movie night and we had chips. The "sss" is 12 nachos so I counted those out and even used the 2 tablespoons of the cheesy salsa that is the serving size for that. The information is on everything with a label (bread, peanut butter, crackers, cheese...) and you sometimes need a scale but it's super easy to do on a longterm basis. I lost 30 pounds doing this a few years ago so I know it works. For now I don't want to lose any weight. I just need to lose some back fat and tone up a bit. With the running, paddling and "diet" I should be in satisfactory bathing suit shape in a couple of months.

Now if only I could find the perfect bathing suit... I'm going to admit to you that in the above triathlon photo I'm wearing the sports bra and running shorts that has become my usual bathing attire for the past few years. Why can't I find an actual 2 piece bathing suit that holds the girls to a point where I can actually be active? I guess I need to learn how to sew.

kxx

*** Oops, I forgot to add my awesome of the day (thanks Lisa!)... You know what's awesome? Making up after a stupid, inane argument. Such a great feeling of Awesome. ***

Flashback Friday!

The Maury word of the day was "destroyed". Here's the blog that came up when I searched on it. It's a public service announcement on the merits of wearing a bicycle helmet when you ride.

It's pretty timely when here in Ottawa the weather couldn't be better for taking your bike out for its first spin of the year. The paths are finally clear of snow and the weather will be clear and sunny. Just be sure to take it easy. After a long winter of not riding, you'll get sore in your... umm... "bicycle seat area" if you are at it too long. Just a friendly heads-up.

*** Awesome of the day: Getting the "Q", "Z" or "J" in the first half of  Words With Friends. Awesome! ***

kxx

As usual, I'm a day late and a dollar short

Looks like I'm late to the "awesome" party.

I just discovered 1000 Awesome Things. It's a blog and two books about finding the awesome in life. What I love about this idea is that besides the big, giant concepts of awesome things like the Industrial Revolution and the wheel, simple, tiny things are included like picking up a nacho with the perfect cheese/topping ratio or "peeling the sticky glue off the back of your new credit card". Awesome.

Life is so full of negativity that this is an awesome idea. I'm going to (when I remember) post something that strikes me as awesome that happened to me in the last 24 hours at the bottom of every post. Starting today...

*** My alarm went off at 6am as usual. I hit it and rolled over thinking "5 more minutes" and dozed off. Incredibly I really did wake up again in 5 minutes. Not sleeping in and being late = AWESOME! ***


kxx

Wordless Wednesday - My favourite dish in life.

Poutine. Just that photo makes me drool.

Scott and I went to a movie premiere last night.

The movie was called Hanna and it starred Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett. It opens Friday. I had never heard of it or even seen a trailer before seeing the film yesterday. I loved this movie. It was a cool premise, was really well acted and was super tense. But I wonder if my enjoyment had something to do with the fact that I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next. I felt almost giddy all the way through.

When was the last time you saw a movie and knew nothing going in? After seeing even one trailer you know the plot, all the funny bits and sometimes even the plot twist. There is no surprise... none of that what's-going-to-happen-next feeling. That's what I had all through this movie. Plus it had a European vibe so I didn't even know if the main characters were going to live or die all through it. It's an amazing feeling.

People in the line up with us were all speculating as well. Someone said it was a sci-fi thriller. Another said it was a high-tech adventure. I don't want to spoil it completely for you in case you check it out for yourself, but neither was right.

I think it would serve the movie industry quite well to just give us the name of the film and the stars. Let us an inkling as to who the movie is geared toward so you don't end up seeing a costume drama when you wanted a Seth Rogan dope fantasy and leave it at that. It would really bring back the excitement, the childlike wonder feeling that we used to get at the movies. We pay so much for these things. You'd think we'd be getting a little more bang for our buck.

kxx

PS: I was going to post the trailer here but I thought it would defeat the purpose of this entire post. To give its makers credit, it doesn't give away a huge amount but it does give you more info than I had going in. So you get this trailer instead...



**Okay Facebookers, there's a YouTube clip attached here. You know what to do to see it...**

Yesterday I was chained to to kitchen.

I loved every minute of it. I really do enjoy cooking (okay baking) and spending time in my tiny kitchen. In fact it was a gorgeous day and I didn't mind spending every minute of it indoors.

In the future we may renovate and while I have no problem moving the coffee maker over to the other side of the kitchen, I don't need an island, I don't need pot lights and I don't need granite counter tops (although they would be kinda nice). I just need a full pantry and working appliances.

So anyway, yesterday I made banana cupcakes to get rid of the nasty black bananas on top of the microwave and I took my 72nd stab at pie crust making an apple pie. Dinner was steak, corn on the cob and veggies with homemade dip. Every mixing bowl and measuring spoon was in the sink. By dinnertime I was washing dishes by hand just to get enough forks for us to eat with.

Just a comment on the aforementioned pie crust... for something with practically no ingredients, for some reason I've never had any luck with it. And I consider myself to be a baker. My pie crusts always have the consistency of pancakes if I'm lucky or biscotti if I'm not. I know to keep everything cold and to not overwork the dough but it never worked until this time. I finally cracked it. So it was a good day all around.

So how was your weekend?

kxx

April Fool...

I hate April Fool's Day. I always preferred "poisson d'avril" which is what we did in Quebec. For that all we did was stick paper shaped fish on people's backs. No trauma, no pressure to think of elaborate tricks.

It's because I'm really lame about the "pranks" I pull. Once I switched the kids around in their beds. After giggling about it all night hoping for a hilariously confused morning, I woke up to everyone in their own beds. They'd woken up overnight and just gone back to their own rooms. Fail.

Once I plugged up the faucet planning to spray someone. When the bathroom tap was turned, Henry was already shirtless and I was the one who had to mop up the mess anyway. Good times.

Even when I played to my strengths and baked a cake that looked like a pile of spaghetti and meatballs, the kids wouldn't eat it because they didn't like the sauce (strawberry) on top. Ingrates.

Today I may try green eggs and ham but more likely we'll just have a regular dinner and forget the whole damn thing.

The video today is French guys, sorry. I couldn't resist... it's hilarious. Hey, that could be my prank to those of you who are anglophones! April Fools, you guys!

kxx