It is so wonderful to be wished a Merry Christmas by your children. They say it with enthusiasm. They both love Christmas. We decorated our Christmas tree tonight. They both were so excited. I would tell them to be careful with an ornament that was breakable. Then anytime they saw any shiny ornament, they would say, "You have to be careful." Jillian kelt saying Merry Christmas. I would hand out ornaments to the kids to hang and Idania would be taking pictures and video.
It was a really nice moment. I hope the rest of Christmas is as wonderful.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Apple Zombie
...or Apple vampire?
Anyway, long story short, the whole family is hooked on the iPad, including the kids. Let's just say that I think that the crayons are obsolete now....but...the funniest part was Susan. She would draw a line with her finger (lets say in blue), then she would look at her index finger in amazement to see where the blue ink came from. She did it a few times, and it was hilarious every time. I'll be sorry when she takes it for granted though. It's too cute.
Speaking of vampires, we went trick-or-treating last week and the kids were really good! We went to 3 streets and we only stopped because I was tired of carrying Susan up the stairs of all the houses. Jillian had her routine all set; ring bell, say "trick or treat", then "merci". We are in a bilingual neighbourhood after all! I hope the neighbours appreciated it.
I was saddened to learn that Popeye cigarettes are now Popeye's candy sticks-they even removed the red tip! I don't think that they influenced me much though...I still think cigarettes are gross. But the candy version...yummers!
The unpacking is almost done- we have a living room now! We've all settled in pretty well to the new place, including the girls. It still feels weird having neighbours again after spending so much time in the country. The guy down the street has his Christmas decorations out already! I think I'll settle for an indoor tree myself.
Anyway, long story short, the whole family is hooked on the iPad, including the kids. Let's just say that I think that the crayons are obsolete now....but...the funniest part was Susan. She would draw a line with her finger (lets say in blue), then she would look at her index finger in amazement to see where the blue ink came from. She did it a few times, and it was hilarious every time. I'll be sorry when she takes it for granted though. It's too cute.
Speaking of vampires, we went trick-or-treating last week and the kids were really good! We went to 3 streets and we only stopped because I was tired of carrying Susan up the stairs of all the houses. Jillian had her routine all set; ring bell, say "trick or treat", then "merci". We are in a bilingual neighbourhood after all! I hope the neighbours appreciated it.
I was saddened to learn that Popeye cigarettes are now Popeye's candy sticks-they even removed the red tip! I don't think that they influenced me much though...I still think cigarettes are gross. But the candy version...yummers!
The unpacking is almost done- we have a living room now! We've all settled in pretty well to the new place, including the girls. It still feels weird having neighbours again after spending so much time in the country. The guy down the street has his Christmas decorations out already! I think I'll settle for an indoor tree myself.
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Last time at the old house
Just a little bit of cleaning up in the basement. It was so odd seeing the house so empty. And a big change from when we moved in, because it was d.i.r.t.y. and the people we bought it from still had some of their....stuff...in the house.
Anyway, I am proud that we left the house in better shape than when we received it.
I took in the view one more time from 'our' property, and enjoyed the sunset and the quiet. I said Hello to Bobby the Dog next door, and went to the post office to talk to the lady there. I was there without Michael and the kids, so it was pretty peaceful.
Oh, and I found that damn cricket! It was making noises 2 months ago-it snuck in somehow-and it was in a bit of a sorry state when I found it. It was crawling around it's friend, who had died earlier. I happened to have a box on me...cricket pancake. Mean? Possibly. But it's out of its misery now.
In other news, the kids are great at mimicking me now. The other day I called Michael. Similar to a yodel... "Michael!" And both kids decide to copy me, same tone and everything!
Anyway, I am proud that we left the house in better shape than when we received it.
I took in the view one more time from 'our' property, and enjoyed the sunset and the quiet. I said Hello to Bobby the Dog next door, and went to the post office to talk to the lady there. I was there without Michael and the kids, so it was pretty peaceful.
Oh, and I found that damn cricket! It was making noises 2 months ago-it snuck in somehow-and it was in a bit of a sorry state when I found it. It was crawling around it's friend, who had died earlier. I happened to have a box on me...cricket pancake. Mean? Possibly. But it's out of its misery now.
In other news, the kids are great at mimicking me now. The other day I called Michael. Similar to a yodel... "Michael!" And both kids decide to copy me, same tone and everything!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
What do I call this?
The mountain?
The carnage?
The Before picture?
Well, as you can tell, we've sold our house and moved. One of the things that is recommended before you sell a house is to de-clutter so your house seems bigger, more airy, etc. So we did(or so we thought!), and threw what was left over in our garage. How handy was that? A large chunk of our house was already pre-packed!
Then it all got moved into our living room. Hem. The good(sad?) thing is that the pile was *bigger* when we moved in!
What's in this pile? Well, that massive box on the left is empty...I call it a recyclable, but recycling day isn't for another 10 days. The rest? I'd like to call it a little bit of high school, some university, and my twenties- ha ha!
Hm, off the top of my head, I'd say books, DVD's, CD's, and my iPod circa 2004 is hiding in there-it still works and I still use it, even though my co-worker laughed at me when I proudly announced that it had a *colour* screen! :)
Halloween costumes, photo albums, paper...I have an odd fascination with paper. Paperwork, notebooks, receipts, cards, and the odd paperclip. Oh, and random things we brought back from Taiwan!
Anyway, now that I've publicly shamed myself, Michael and I will be picking away at this pile until we get our living room back! But the good thing is, it's in our face, rather than hidden in the basement, so we have to deal with it now, instead of scrambling next summer before we move again.
Anyone want to make any bets as to when the last box will be dealt with? Is one month too optimistic? Is two months more realistic?
Advice? A large yard with a match? (I kid! I kid!)
Wish us luck!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
End of summer already?
Hm, the summer has passed in a flash of French. I can laugh at the version of myself that showed up March 1st, declaring that she would be finished before the end of August!
Today was a bit of an emotional day; we said goodbye to Jillian's speech therapist. She's been with us for the last 2 years, and I give her a lot of credit for the progress that Jillian has made. We have made arrangements with a new speech therapist, and I hope that the next year will go well.
Next, we got haircuts for the girls, and I'm pretty happy with the results-I admire anyone that cuts hair for squirmy kids!
After that, we wandered over to the sports store, where there were bicycles on sale. The girls tried a couple of them out, and immediately liked the 2-wheeler with training wheels. Michael was in another part of the store, and when I saw him coming, I got Jillian to start riding towards him-and she had a huge smile of pride and accomplishment on her face. How can you resist?
The funniest thing about today, was that their bicycle helmets cost more than their bikes! Safety first, eh?
Next stop was to buy a digital conversion box for our TV. I swear that we are the last of the rabbit-ear people! So we hooked it up, and we are the proud owners of ...ONLY 2 STATIONS? Well, the deadline for digital conversion doesn't happen until next week, so we'll just check it again next week. I figured that it will pay for itself in 2 months, and truthfully, if we do get cable/satellite, I *know* that I will spend too time watching HGTV!
Also, our house has been officially sold for a while now. We found another house to rent this year; it's close to Michael's work, and I can Walk.To.The.Bus.Stop! A 5-minute walk beats 1/2 hour drive to the bus stop any day of the week!
There's probably a few other things that I have forgotten to mention, but I'm tired and cranky.
Happy weekend!
Today was a bit of an emotional day; we said goodbye to Jillian's speech therapist. She's been with us for the last 2 years, and I give her a lot of credit for the progress that Jillian has made. We have made arrangements with a new speech therapist, and I hope that the next year will go well.
Next, we got haircuts for the girls, and I'm pretty happy with the results-I admire anyone that cuts hair for squirmy kids!
After that, we wandered over to the sports store, where there were bicycles on sale. The girls tried a couple of them out, and immediately liked the 2-wheeler with training wheels. Michael was in another part of the store, and when I saw him coming, I got Jillian to start riding towards him-and she had a huge smile of pride and accomplishment on her face. How can you resist?
The funniest thing about today, was that their bicycle helmets cost more than their bikes! Safety first, eh?
Next stop was to buy a digital conversion box for our TV. I swear that we are the last of the rabbit-ear people! So we hooked it up, and we are the proud owners of ...ONLY 2 STATIONS? Well, the deadline for digital conversion doesn't happen until next week, so we'll just check it again next week. I figured that it will pay for itself in 2 months, and truthfully, if we do get cable/satellite, I *know* that I will spend too time watching HGTV!
Also, our house has been officially sold for a while now. We found another house to rent this year; it's close to Michael's work, and I can Walk.To.The.Bus.Stop! A 5-minute walk beats 1/2 hour drive to the bus stop any day of the week!
There's probably a few other things that I have forgotten to mention, but I'm tired and cranky.
Happy weekend!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
5 months and counting...
Of French! Well, 5 months and 11 days. I still can't believe that I'm learning something new everyday. It seems to be mostly made up of exceptions to the rule. It really shows the mathematician in me when I am constantly asking my teacher, "So this is the rule all of the time, right?" with a hopeful look on my face. Then he smiles and says not 100%. I think I am starting to accept it though.
I can see that I've come a long way, but OMG, am I smart enough yet? Nope.
Will I get there? You betcha!
I got a fortune cookie last week that was awesome: "La patience triomphera." (Patience will triumph.) I have actually kept it in my wallet as a reminder.
I can see that I've come a long way, but OMG, am I smart enough yet? Nope.
Will I get there? You betcha!
I got a fortune cookie last week that was awesome: "La patience triomphera." (Patience will triumph.) I have actually kept it in my wallet as a reminder.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
3 months and 16 days later...
....and I'm still learning French.
Don't get me wrong, my co-workers (I guess they're still classmates at this stage!), and my teachers have been awesome, and I'm still learning something new every day. Just call me impatient, I thought I would have been super-star awesome by now. But I have reached the level where people don't automatically switch over to English when they hear me talking. (have I said that in a previous post? I have no idea.) I shouldn't be so hard on myself, since I still have a lot of time. Patience, Iago, Patience!
In other news...less than 2 months to go before I see NKOTBSB! I've started practicing my moves, but keep on falling down the stairs when I practice "Step by Step"...hahaha!
We are seeing the end of the tunnel when it comes to diapers!!! The kids are almost dry during the night. Awesome times.
Gymnastics are almost done for them too. They do a warm-up where they run in circles, then we do stretches together. For the last month, it is like pulling teeth to get the girls to do the movements at the same time as the coach. Today, we were in the living room, and we held hands and made a circle. Then the girls started to the stretches and movements that they've been shown all year...buggers! Why don't they do that in class? Jillian will do it if she feels like it, and Susan likes to run away...
Michael's school year is almost over, and he's looking forward to dusting off his golf clubs.
Alright, at the rate I'm going, I will be making my next post in July, so Happy Canada Day! I have yet to determine if I will get to Parliament Hill with the family when Prince William and Princess Catherine show up. (and yes, Buckingham Palace did approve calling her Princess Catherine, so yes, I am a nerd, and yes, a Royal Watcher too!). lol.
Don't get me wrong, my co-workers (I guess they're still classmates at this stage!), and my teachers have been awesome, and I'm still learning something new every day. Just call me impatient, I thought I would have been super-star awesome by now. But I have reached the level where people don't automatically switch over to English when they hear me talking. (have I said that in a previous post? I have no idea.) I shouldn't be so hard on myself, since I still have a lot of time. Patience, Iago, Patience!
In other news...less than 2 months to go before I see NKOTBSB! I've started practicing my moves, but keep on falling down the stairs when I practice "Step by Step"...hahaha!
We are seeing the end of the tunnel when it comes to diapers!!! The kids are almost dry during the night. Awesome times.
Gymnastics are almost done for them too. They do a warm-up where they run in circles, then we do stretches together. For the last month, it is like pulling teeth to get the girls to do the movements at the same time as the coach. Today, we were in the living room, and we held hands and made a circle. Then the girls started to the stretches and movements that they've been shown all year...buggers! Why don't they do that in class? Jillian will do it if she feels like it, and Susan likes to run away...
Michael's school year is almost over, and he's looking forward to dusting off his golf clubs.
Alright, at the rate I'm going, I will be making my next post in July, so Happy Canada Day! I have yet to determine if I will get to Parliament Hill with the family when Prince William and Princess Catherine show up. (and yes, Buckingham Palace did approve calling her Princess Catherine, so yes, I am a nerd, and yes, a Royal Watcher too!). lol.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Weekend
Apart from the rain, the kids have perked up considerably since that dash to Ottawa to see the doctor. It's almost like their bodies decided, "Ok, mom went through enough trouble to get us to a doctor, so we're going to get better now!". Although there is some coughing still, the moderate fevers are gone, and they have discovered the fascinating arena of body art. Whether it be with markers or ink (any ballpoint will do!), they enjoyed themselves. Let's just hope it all gets off in the bath!
I believe that in April we 'graduated' Susan to her toddler bed-Thomas the Tank Engine. She loved it; she sleeps in. a. train!!! Since then, she has decided that she is done with diapers at night. It took me a week of picking up dry diapers off the floor the next morning to finally get the hint. She's not doing too badly; I would guess a 67% success rate? This also means that I now do the kids' laundry about 2-3 times a week. Thank goodness for Costco and the large sizes of laundry detergent that they sell!
Let me describe Susan's room. Her toddler bed, a double bed, 2 dressers and a nightstand. Did I mention that her bedroom is the biggest and Michael and I have the smallest? Long story...
Another side effect of the toddler bed is her increased mobility. No problem, we have a baby gate in case she decides to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night and 'borrow' the car. The issue at hand is the double bed in her room. It does come in handy a lot, but the last week or so, she's crawled in there about 3 times and went to sleep. I don't have a problem as long as she's sleeping, it's just her 33% fail rate at keeping the bed dry! Easy solution though; a plastic sheet underneath to protect the bed. But it seems like a waste because although she takes up 1/2 of her toddler bed, she takes up 10% of a double bed? I am not looking forward to laundry day in the foreseeable future!
I believe that in April we 'graduated' Susan to her toddler bed-Thomas the Tank Engine. She loved it; she sleeps in. a. train!!! Since then, she has decided that she is done with diapers at night. It took me a week of picking up dry diapers off the floor the next morning to finally get the hint. She's not doing too badly; I would guess a 67% success rate? This also means that I now do the kids' laundry about 2-3 times a week. Thank goodness for Costco and the large sizes of laundry detergent that they sell!
Let me describe Susan's room. Her toddler bed, a double bed, 2 dressers and a nightstand. Did I mention that her bedroom is the biggest and Michael and I have the smallest? Long story...
Another side effect of the toddler bed is her increased mobility. No problem, we have a baby gate in case she decides to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night and 'borrow' the car. The issue at hand is the double bed in her room. It does come in handy a lot, but the last week or so, she's crawled in there about 3 times and went to sleep. I don't have a problem as long as she's sleeping, it's just her 33% fail rate at keeping the bed dry! Easy solution though; a plastic sheet underneath to protect the bed. But it seems like a waste because although she takes up 1/2 of her toddler bed, she takes up 10% of a double bed? I am not looking forward to laundry day in the foreseeable future!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Spring sickness?
It's times like these that I wish that we lived closer to the city!
We've been sick on and off in the house for the last couple of weeks, and it seems to be making the rounds again. Susan had a cough, and then Jillian got it, and in between, Michael was hit pretty hard as well. I just got over 2 weeks of motion sickness as well. That does not sit well when I commute over 2.5 hours a day!
Tonight I picked up the kids at the sitter's around 5:40, and the sitter told me that Jillian was not herself at all today. By the time we got home at 6:10, she was heaving like she was going to puke. In retrospect, it was probably my driving skills that attributed to the heaves! Luckily, our family doctor has an after-hours clinic, so once I made the call, I realized that the appointment left me exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes to get there. Did I mention I live 80km away?
So, back in the car, and luckily for all of us, there is very little in the way of winding roads, so there was no gagging noises from Jillian. We made it with 10 minutes to spare for our 7:25pm appointment. Did I mention that the girls usually go to bed at 7pm? And that the doctor was running a little behind?
The doctor was very nice and very fast. Turns out they have a virus of some sort, so we just have to let it run its course. 5 minutes and $90 later (yes, the doctor was quick!), we were out of there and back in the car around 7:50. Home around 8:50, kids in bed at 9:25.
Have I told you how much I love bananas and how they can make a great meal for kids who are under the weather? Add juice, and presto! Dinner in the car! I managed to finagle 1/2 a banana (due to the frantic run-around before we left the house), and 2 cups of water. Dinner for me! (hm, that doesn't seem right...)
So I figure I have travelled about 300km today in about 4.5 hours. But, to look on the bright side, the kids will be fine in a few days, and I will laugh at this post one day. One day...
Have I also mentioned that I wanted to study French after the kiddies were in bed at 7pm? Oy! Or, "zut alors!"
Well, I'd better sign off before my cold/virus/allergies?/whatever gets worse. At least the sun came out today!
We've been sick on and off in the house for the last couple of weeks, and it seems to be making the rounds again. Susan had a cough, and then Jillian got it, and in between, Michael was hit pretty hard as well. I just got over 2 weeks of motion sickness as well. That does not sit well when I commute over 2.5 hours a day!
Tonight I picked up the kids at the sitter's around 5:40, and the sitter told me that Jillian was not herself at all today. By the time we got home at 6:10, she was heaving like she was going to puke. In retrospect, it was probably my driving skills that attributed to the heaves! Luckily, our family doctor has an after-hours clinic, so once I made the call, I realized that the appointment left me exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes to get there. Did I mention I live 80km away?
So, back in the car, and luckily for all of us, there is very little in the way of winding roads, so there was no gagging noises from Jillian. We made it with 10 minutes to spare for our 7:25pm appointment. Did I mention that the girls usually go to bed at 7pm? And that the doctor was running a little behind?
The doctor was very nice and very fast. Turns out they have a virus of some sort, so we just have to let it run its course. 5 minutes and $90 later (yes, the doctor was quick!), we were out of there and back in the car around 7:50. Home around 8:50, kids in bed at 9:25.
Have I told you how much I love bananas and how they can make a great meal for kids who are under the weather? Add juice, and presto! Dinner in the car! I managed to finagle 1/2 a banana (due to the frantic run-around before we left the house), and 2 cups of water. Dinner for me! (hm, that doesn't seem right...)
So I figure I have travelled about 300km today in about 4.5 hours. But, to look on the bright side, the kids will be fine in a few days, and I will laugh at this post one day. One day...
Have I also mentioned that I wanted to study French after the kiddies were in bed at 7pm? Oy! Or, "zut alors!"
Well, I'd better sign off before my cold/virus/allergies?/whatever gets worse. At least the sun came out today!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter weekend
Phew! A busy weekend!
Low-lights: Shrieking and screaming-now I know why I am slowly going deaf!
-7am is apparently my new sleep-in time, :P
-realizing that Susan goes through toilet paper like hotcakes
Highlights: -great weather
-good times with family
-watching Jillian and Susan hold hands as they were walking across the backyard
-Susan saying "Mommy pretty!",
-watching the girls open my birthday present with the same abandon as when Cinderella's evil stepsisters tore apart her ball gown
-birthday apple pie and birthday ice cream
-getting a bunch summer clothes for the kids for $60 total, as opposed to $140 regular price before taxes! (they don't need to wear shorts, right? :) )
-watching pre- Royal wedding shows!
Low-lights: Shrieking and screaming-now I know why I am slowly going deaf!
-7am is apparently my new sleep-in time, :P
-realizing that Susan goes through toilet paper like hotcakes
Highlights: -great weather
-good times with family
-watching Jillian and Susan hold hands as they were walking across the backyard
-Susan saying "Mommy pretty!",
-watching the girls open my birthday present with the same abandon as when Cinderella's evil stepsisters tore apart her ball gown
-birthday apple pie and birthday ice cream
-getting a bunch summer clothes for the kids for $60 total, as opposed to $140 regular price before taxes! (they don't need to wear shorts, right? :) )
-watching pre- Royal wedding shows!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Here Kitty Kitty...
A friend of ours has 4 newborn kittens at our house and I wanted the girls to "meet" them-they are still at the eyes closed/stumbling around phase. We were able to borrow them for a couple of hours and I was quite excited!
Jillian reacted to them the way she did when Michael showed her the pumpkin guts from her third halloween-like they were icky! She did manage to pet them, but was not keen on holding them at all.
Susan reminded me of the Abominable Snowman from Looney Tunes..you know.."I'm going to hug you and squeeze you and call you George!"
Anyway, she was so excited to pick them up and pet them and hug them and kiss them...hee hee hee...Michael and I were kept busy trying to make sure she didn't squish one! She liked them on her lap at first, but that quickly changed when she learned that they have teeny tiny claws that don't necessarily hurt, but you can *feel* it.
I've got to say, this definitely makes up for being stuck in traffic for 2 hours this morning, and being stuck behind a scooter going 20km under the speed limit for the last 15km of my way home!
Jillian reacted to them the way she did when Michael showed her the pumpkin guts from her third halloween-like they were icky! She did manage to pet them, but was not keen on holding them at all.
Susan reminded me of the Abominable Snowman from Looney Tunes..you know.."I'm going to hug you and squeeze you and call you George!"
Anyway, she was so excited to pick them up and pet them and hug them and kiss them...hee hee hee...Michael and I were kept busy trying to make sure she didn't squish one! She liked them on her lap at first, but that quickly changed when she learned that they have teeny tiny claws that don't necessarily hurt, but you can *feel* it.
I've got to say, this definitely makes up for being stuck in traffic for 2 hours this morning, and being stuck behind a scooter going 20km under the speed limit for the last 15km of my way home!
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Bye Bye Crib
It was time to move Susan out of the crib. She was showing no signs of wanting to climb out (with the subsequent fall and crying that ensues), but the little voice in my head has been pestering me for a while. If I'm not mistaken, it's the same little voice that tells me that I want chocolate chip cookies at 9pm.
This weekend was also the end of their first gymnastics session; Jillian has made huge strides and loves following the same activities as the other kids; no fear on her end! Susan loves going there to play but I think she gets a kick out of running in a big circle, or simply running away so I have to chase her! They got ribbons for completing the course and they were quite proud to carry them around!
This weekend was also the end of their first gymnastics session; Jillian has made huge strides and loves following the same activities as the other kids; no fear on her end! Susan loves going there to play but I think she gets a kick out of running in a big circle, or simply running away so I have to chase her! They got ribbons for completing the course and they were quite proud to carry them around!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Ma Classe de Français
Wow. I thought I was a big shot with learning French. My accent is decent (in my own not-so-humble opinion), so I'll tear through the grammar and be fluent in no time!
Woah Nellie!
The more I'm learning, the more I find I need to learn. I would write a list of what I have learned, but it would take all night, and I need my sleep so my poor noggin can function in the morning! I have also attempted to stop blabbing and actually *think* about how to say things properly.
-By the way, Archie comics are just as funny in French as they are in English.
-When I read Selection (French Reader's Digest), I am as good at figuring out the meaning to obscure words as I am in English (which is to say, not very well...)
-Bescherelle is now online!!! It's a little green book that tells you how to conjugate every single French verb. I was so excited, I hit the like button on my Facebook account!
-And, I can type with French accents without having to think about it-woo! ´`ˆ¨and ç, watch out! I'm not afraid to use you!
Woah Nellie!
The more I'm learning, the more I find I need to learn. I would write a list of what I have learned, but it would take all night, and I need my sleep so my poor noggin can function in the morning! I have also attempted to stop blabbing and actually *think* about how to say things properly.
-By the way, Archie comics are just as funny in French as they are in English.
-When I read Selection (French Reader's Digest), I am as good at figuring out the meaning to obscure words as I am in English (which is to say, not very well...)
-Bescherelle is now online!!! It's a little green book that tells you how to conjugate every single French verb. I was so excited, I hit the like button on my Facebook account!
-And, I can type with French accents without having to think about it-woo! ´`ˆ¨and ç, watch out! I'm not afraid to use you!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Wiggle dance
We were getting the kids ready for their bath, and Susan would have none of it. Today when I reached for her, she ran back a few steps, turned around completely in a circle, then repeated this several times. I started cracking up when I saw her because:
-it's a perfect move because I can't get a good grip on her when I am trying to take her sweater off, and
-she looks like a little wind-up toy that runs straight, turns around, then heads off in a different random direction.
Then I decided to show off the "Daddy will pick you up and Mommy will take off your socks because she can" move.
Yeah, Susan wasn't too crazy about *that* stunt! :)
-it's a perfect move because I can't get a good grip on her when I am trying to take her sweater off, and
-she looks like a little wind-up toy that runs straight, turns around, then heads off in a different random direction.
Then I decided to show off the "Daddy will pick you up and Mommy will take off your socks because she can" move.
Yeah, Susan wasn't too crazy about *that* stunt! :)
Learning French is like Playing Super Mario Brothers
No really, it is!
For the younguns out there, I used to play Super Mario Brothers. A lot. On the ORIGINAL Nintendo Entertainment System.
Anyway, for those who remember, you would stomp on some crazy mushrooms, smash some turtles, and pick up some gold coins along the way. Remember getting to the end of one of the Worlds, and having to encounter the Big Mean Badguy (Koopa king or whatever you call them?). The first time you'd get whooped BAD. The second time, WORSE! But you just kept going back for more because, dammit, you've got a princess to save! Then FINALLY! You'd squeak by a victory! Then onto the next world...and the next bad guy...
Anyway, this sums up my French learning so far. I had a blast going over the pronunciation and alphabet (hooray! I'm a superstar!), then onto Present Tense, then Passe Compose. I stumbled a bit on Imparfait, but got the hang of it (mostly, but it's getting easier every day). Even Plus-que-Parfait made sense when I thought about it (I went to the store before I filled up the car with gas-gotcha!)
But alas, I have met my Koopa King, aka Bowser:
(photo courtesy of arcadeartlibrary.com )
Its name is Pronoms Relatifs and the score is now:
Pronoms Relatifs: 2
Idania: ZERO!
After my first beating, I made sure I got plenty of rest, a nice big mug of coffee, and I was ready to BEAT this bad boy today. Alas, it was not to be. I have made more headway this time, and like Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone With the Wind" says,
"Tomorrow is Another Day!" (without the hoop skirts, mind you!)
For the younguns out there, I used to play Super Mario Brothers. A lot. On the ORIGINAL Nintendo Entertainment System.
Anyway, for those who remember, you would stomp on some crazy mushrooms, smash some turtles, and pick up some gold coins along the way. Remember getting to the end of one of the Worlds, and having to encounter the Big Mean Badguy (Koopa king or whatever you call them?). The first time you'd get whooped BAD. The second time, WORSE! But you just kept going back for more because, dammit, you've got a princess to save! Then FINALLY! You'd squeak by a victory! Then onto the next world...and the next bad guy...
Anyway, this sums up my French learning so far. I had a blast going over the pronunciation and alphabet (hooray! I'm a superstar!), then onto Present Tense, then Passe Compose. I stumbled a bit on Imparfait, but got the hang of it (mostly, but it's getting easier every day). Even Plus-que-Parfait made sense when I thought about it (I went to the store before I filled up the car with gas-gotcha!)
But alas, I have met my Koopa King, aka Bowser:
(photo courtesy of arcadeartlibrary.com )
Its name is Pronoms Relatifs and the score is now:
Pronoms Relatifs: 2
Idania: ZERO!
After my first beating, I made sure I got plenty of rest, a nice big mug of coffee, and I was ready to BEAT this bad boy today. Alas, it was not to be. I have made more headway this time, and like Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone With the Wind" says,
"Tomorrow is Another Day!" (without the hoop skirts, mind you!)
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Project 333
No, nothing top secret! I was lurking around some minimalist blogs and came across this one at Project 333
The Basics
When: January 1 – March 31, 2011 (It’s never too late to start so join in anytime!)
What: 33 items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes.
What not: these items are not counted as part of the 33 items – wedding ring or another sentimental piece of jewelry that you never take off, underwear, sleep wear, in-home lounge wear, and workout clothing (you can only wear your workout clothing to workout)
How: Choose your 33 items, box up the remainder of your fashion statement, seal it with tape and put it out of sight.
What else: consider that you are creating a wardrobe that you can live, work and play in for three months. Remember that this is not a project in suffering. If your clothes don’t fit or are in poor condition, replace them.
So today, I went through my closet, packed away what I still want to keep (but haven't worn in ages), got rid of the stuff that I simply won't wear anymore, and it is looking really streamlined already! I haven't counted the exact number of clothes that are left, but I felt better for going through my closet.
I guess this was easier than I thought because:
-I'm no fashionista!
-I had gone through my closet previously last fall before we put the house up for sale, so it wasn't overwhelming.
-I like the idea of not pawing through my closet frantically looking for something to wear.
-I had just finished going through the girls' clothes last week, figuring out what doesn't fit anymore, so I was already in the right frame of mind for this mini-project.
Anyway, my Senators hockey jerseys (how come I have 2?) are still there, along with a couple of business suits are on one side of my closet, (so I am cheating already-gasp!), but seeing as I won't be in any high-powered meetings or attending any Senators playoff games, there's a zero chance of me wearing them during the next 3 months.
During this clean-out, I have an extra shelf as a result. Michael was eyeing it (and did attempt to occupy the newly-freed territory), but I managed to block him-for now!
One of the final things I have to do is get rid of the comfiest, rattiest sweater I have, and replace it with something that was made this century-no joke!
The Basics
When: January 1 – March 31, 2011 (It’s never too late to start so join in anytime!)
What: 33 items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes.
What not: these items are not counted as part of the 33 items – wedding ring or another sentimental piece of jewelry that you never take off, underwear, sleep wear, in-home lounge wear, and workout clothing (you can only wear your workout clothing to workout)
How: Choose your 33 items, box up the remainder of your fashion statement, seal it with tape and put it out of sight.
What else: consider that you are creating a wardrobe that you can live, work and play in for three months. Remember that this is not a project in suffering. If your clothes don’t fit or are in poor condition, replace them.
So today, I went through my closet, packed away what I still want to keep (but haven't worn in ages), got rid of the stuff that I simply won't wear anymore, and it is looking really streamlined already! I haven't counted the exact number of clothes that are left, but I felt better for going through my closet.
I guess this was easier than I thought because:
-I'm no fashionista!
-I had gone through my closet previously last fall before we put the house up for sale, so it wasn't overwhelming.
-I like the idea of not pawing through my closet frantically looking for something to wear.
-I had just finished going through the girls' clothes last week, figuring out what doesn't fit anymore, so I was already in the right frame of mind for this mini-project.
Anyway, my Senators hockey jerseys (how come I have 2?) are still there, along with a couple of business suits are on one side of my closet, (so I am cheating already-gasp!), but seeing as I won't be in any high-powered meetings or attending any Senators playoff games, there's a zero chance of me wearing them during the next 3 months.
During this clean-out, I have an extra shelf as a result. Michael was eyeing it (and did attempt to occupy the newly-freed territory), but I managed to block him-for now!
One of the final things I have to do is get rid of the comfiest, rattiest sweater I have, and replace it with something that was made this century-no joke!
Saturday, March 05, 2011
It's a Mad Mad Mad World
I feel like life is so hectic these days...once you throw in 2 working parents and kids, its an insane mix.
One of the things we do on Saturdays is take the girls to gymnastics. Both kids really love it, and I get to join Susan in the mornings. She find everything hilarious, whether it's climbing up a ladder, hanging on the rings, or when I throw her in the foam pit! Right now her favourite thing to do is forward rolls. She literally launches herself forward, and she can nail it pretty well most of the time.
Jillian has a good helper in her class to get her to follow the directions. I love the way that she can sit down and pay attention to the teacher the same way as the other kids do, not to mention that she's got a good sense of balance, and no hesitation whatsoever. I love it.
I am also seeing how kids are a reflection of ourselves...literally! I was talking to Susan the other day, and she started pointing her index finger at me, made a serious/frowning face, and said "Stay, stay....okay". Only then did I realize that when I changed her diaper on the change table, and turned my back to pick up her pjs, I had that look on my face-yikes!
On a completely unrelated note, I would love to see Kate marry Prince William live, but I doubt that would go over well at my new job! And I honestly doubt that I could get away with watching the entire wedding afterwards completely uninterrupted! Dammit, I'm not ashamed to admit...I AM a Royal Watcher!
One of the things we do on Saturdays is take the girls to gymnastics. Both kids really love it, and I get to join Susan in the mornings. She find everything hilarious, whether it's climbing up a ladder, hanging on the rings, or when I throw her in the foam pit! Right now her favourite thing to do is forward rolls. She literally launches herself forward, and she can nail it pretty well most of the time.
Jillian has a good helper in her class to get her to follow the directions. I love the way that she can sit down and pay attention to the teacher the same way as the other kids do, not to mention that she's got a good sense of balance, and no hesitation whatsoever. I love it.
I am also seeing how kids are a reflection of ourselves...literally! I was talking to Susan the other day, and she started pointing her index finger at me, made a serious/frowning face, and said "Stay, stay....okay". Only then did I realize that when I changed her diaper on the change table, and turned my back to pick up her pjs, I had that look on my face-yikes!
On a completely unrelated note, I would love to see Kate marry Prince William live, but I doubt that would go over well at my new job! And I honestly doubt that I could get away with watching the entire wedding afterwards completely uninterrupted! Dammit, I'm not ashamed to admit...I AM a Royal Watcher!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Yabba Dabba Doo!
I've been sitting on this one for a long time...
I think timelines are easier in this case:
September 2009 - Applied to be an Foreign Service Officer (Immigration) with Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Fall 2009 - Tests had to be given out...I had written them before and used my old scores, which were still valid.
Winter 2010 - Asked to come in for an interview
Spring 2010 - Did the interview
Summer 2010 - Got in the pool for the job! I was doing cartwheels, but I had to wait for my security clearance before I could get started. Also, nothing was signed yet, so I only wanted to announce it when I had officially signed on.
September 2010 - Wait
October 2010 - Wait
November 2010 - Wait
December 2010 - Wait (see how boring my blog would have been?)
January 2011 - Wait
February 2011 - Wa...hang on! When would you like to start?
And March 1st is my start date!!! Coincidentally, it's also Jillian's birthday!
So I will start learning French until I am pretty darn good, then I start training to be a Foreign Service Officer! Once they determine that I am a pretty darn good Foreign Service Officer, then Michael, myself and the kids will be heading overseas on a new adventure!
Tee hee hee! We are so excited!!!
This is a quick link to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. It basically talks about the hiring process.
Here is another link for Frequently Asked Questions. They explain it much better than I can.
Woo!
I think timelines are easier in this case:
September 2009 - Applied to be an Foreign Service Officer (Immigration) with Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Fall 2009 - Tests had to be given out...I had written them before and used my old scores, which were still valid.
Winter 2010 - Asked to come in for an interview
Spring 2010 - Did the interview
Summer 2010 - Got in the pool for the job! I was doing cartwheels, but I had to wait for my security clearance before I could get started. Also, nothing was signed yet, so I only wanted to announce it when I had officially signed on.
September 2010 - Wait
October 2010 - Wait
November 2010 - Wait
December 2010 - Wait (see how boring my blog would have been?)
January 2011 - Wait
February 2011 - Wa...hang on! When would you like to start?
And March 1st is my start date!!! Coincidentally, it's also Jillian's birthday!
So I will start learning French until I am pretty darn good, then I start training to be a Foreign Service Officer! Once they determine that I am a pretty darn good Foreign Service Officer, then Michael, myself and the kids will be heading overseas on a new adventure!
Tee hee hee! We are so excited!!!
This is a quick link to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. It basically talks about the hiring process.
Here is another link for Frequently Asked Questions. They explain it much better than I can.
Woo!
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Exercising my brain...
Oh, the things I will get up to instead of doing the dishes! I think I'm supposed to tag people to get them to write them down also, but I'm not that mean.
What was I doing ten years ago?
In February 2001, I believe I was still at Carleton U, taking economics. I was also working for Canada Trust, which was in the middle of merging with TD Bank. I distinctly remember the summer of 2001 being hellish as we finally merged the banks in reality, and not just theory. I was still counting the time I was with Michael in months and not years...funny, now that I think about it, it was almost at the 11 month mark, and this year will be 11 years for us!
What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:
1. Read the blog-o-sphere
2. Laundry
3. Dishes
4. Watch the first Sex and the City movie (don't get me started on SATC 2-they lowered the bar there, in my opinion)
5. Nap, um, I mean ponder the meaning of life, the universe, and everything
Five Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Sweet
2. Salty
3. Cheesy
4. Meaty
5. Spicy
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Pay off parents' mortgages, and help my siblings buy a house
2. Buy a big piece of land and build my and Michael's dream home (who am I kidding! My dream home, and I'll throw in a man-cave for Michael)
3. Travel (TONS!)
4. Give to charities, especially ones that help families with Autism
5. Buy a totally frivolous Hermes bag, just because I could
Places I have lived:
1. Several towns, Trinidad
2. Nepean, ON (Craig Henry, Barrhaven, Barrhaven, Bells Corners)
3. Kanata, ON (2 locations)
4. South Keys, ON
5. NeiHu, Taiwan
6. Ottawa, ON
7. Windsor, ON
8. Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette, QC (2 locations)
(hm, that's averaging a place every 2 years since I moved to Canada...holy moly-my record is living in 1 place for 5 years)
Jobs I have had:
1. Delivering papers for the Pennysaver
2. Server at Beavertails (cool working on the canal during Winterlude)
3. Cashier at White Rose (a now-defunct Arts and Crafts/Gardening store)
4. Cashier at Farm Boy (grocery store)
5. Teller, Admin, and Sales at TD Canada Trust (bank)
6. Admin at MortgageBrokersOttawa (I learned that closing a house in June is the most insane month of the year)
7. Working in the Accounting, Banking, and Compensation Sector at Public Works (Fed job-Fun group to work with!)
8. Currently, Internal Auditor for Treasury Board Secretariat (Fed job-Great team to work with!)
What was I doing ten years ago?
In February 2001, I believe I was still at Carleton U, taking economics. I was also working for Canada Trust, which was in the middle of merging with TD Bank. I distinctly remember the summer of 2001 being hellish as we finally merged the banks in reality, and not just theory. I was still counting the time I was with Michael in months and not years...funny, now that I think about it, it was almost at the 11 month mark, and this year will be 11 years for us!
What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:
1. Read the blog-o-sphere
2. Laundry
3. Dishes
4. Watch the first Sex and the City movie (don't get me started on SATC 2-they lowered the bar there, in my opinion)
5. Nap, um, I mean ponder the meaning of life, the universe, and everything
Five Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Sweet
2. Salty
3. Cheesy
4. Meaty
5. Spicy
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Pay off parents' mortgages, and help my siblings buy a house
2. Buy a big piece of land and build my and Michael's dream home (who am I kidding! My dream home, and I'll throw in a man-cave for Michael)
3. Travel (TONS!)
4. Give to charities, especially ones that help families with Autism
5. Buy a totally frivolous Hermes bag, just because I could
Places I have lived:
1. Several towns, Trinidad
2. Nepean, ON (Craig Henry, Barrhaven, Barrhaven, Bells Corners)
3. Kanata, ON (2 locations)
4. South Keys, ON
5. NeiHu, Taiwan
6. Ottawa, ON
7. Windsor, ON
8. Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette, QC (2 locations)
(hm, that's averaging a place every 2 years since I moved to Canada...holy moly-my record is living in 1 place for 5 years)
Jobs I have had:
1. Delivering papers for the Pennysaver
2. Server at Beavertails (cool working on the canal during Winterlude)
3. Cashier at White Rose (a now-defunct Arts and Crafts/Gardening store)
4. Cashier at Farm Boy (grocery store)
5. Teller, Admin, and Sales at TD Canada Trust (bank)
6. Admin at MortgageBrokersOttawa (I learned that closing a house in June is the most insane month of the year)
7. Working in the Accounting, Banking, and Compensation Sector at Public Works (Fed job-Fun group to work with!)
8. Currently, Internal Auditor for Treasury Board Secretariat (Fed job-Great team to work with!)
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
I love to trick my kids
Yesterday, Susan saw Michael making some chocolate chip cookies, and was pointing, shouting, then crying, "COOOOO-KEEE!"
We said no, distracted her with a Dora doll (oh, how I love you Dora!), and baked the cookies. As soon as they cooled off, I took them off the sheet and put them in the other room. Susan remembered about 10 minutes later, and wanted me to pick her up so she could see the cookies. As soon as she saw that they weren't there, I said, "Oh no! No more cookies!" She was understandably confused, but then wandered off to play quietly.
heh heh heh....I will be sad when her attention span is longer than 10 seconds and I can't fool her anymore.
We said no, distracted her with a Dora doll (oh, how I love you Dora!), and baked the cookies. As soon as they cooled off, I took them off the sheet and put them in the other room. Susan remembered about 10 minutes later, and wanted me to pick her up so she could see the cookies. As soon as she saw that they weren't there, I said, "Oh no! No more cookies!" She was understandably confused, but then wandered off to play quietly.
heh heh heh....I will be sad when her attention span is longer than 10 seconds and I can't fool her anymore.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig Jig
The flight to and from New York were pretty uneventful, which is a good thing these days with airline travel! There were body scanners at all 4 security checkpoints, but were not used when we were there. I did get a full body pat-down, which wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it still would have been nice for her to buy me a drink first! tee hee hee...
Enough about that; New York was terrific! We landed before they closed down the airports, and the next day, we could see the havoc that 20 inches of snow creates. We were close to a subway line, so we were able to get out a couple of days later into the city. I guess what I love so much about the city is the energy you can feel when you're walking down the streets. At one point, Michael and I were carrying the girls on our shoulders for at least 15 blocks!(ok, so 10 of them were short blocks, but still!) Michael asked if I was tired, and I said, "Only when I stop!". I kept wanting to see what was around the corner. Times Square was insane, and we went on Dec 29th, not on New Year's Eve, when it's packed with 1 million revelers!
We took the girls to the Children's Museum of Manhattan, which isn't huge, but the right size for little kids. We stopped by Rockefeller Center, ToysRUs at Times Square, wandered all about Madison Square Garden (which includes the maze underneath that is Penn Station), saw the Empire State building from there, but no time to go up, but we did admire the view-I would have taken a picture, but there was a child on my shoulders! I found that with 2 kids under four (and no stroller), you can only really do 2 things properly in the city per day.
Even the subway rides were fun. At one stop, 4 guys get on with drums, and for 2 stops, they drummed out a song that had all of us bopping our heads up and down.
The kids had a great time with their grandfather; he wanted them up all the time, and I think that he was more disappointed than they were when it was their bedtime! It was great having them get to know him better; since they're not too chatty on the phone yet, face to face is the best way to go for them(or when I stop being lazy and get Skype up and running!).
Today is my last day of vacation before I go back to work, and it looks like Santa's workshop exploded in here! And I know that the girls are happy that Santa got them PlayDoh(in 20 different colours, no less!), I'm starting to think that the old man has it in for me!
Enough about that; New York was terrific! We landed before they closed down the airports, and the next day, we could see the havoc that 20 inches of snow creates. We were close to a subway line, so we were able to get out a couple of days later into the city. I guess what I love so much about the city is the energy you can feel when you're walking down the streets. At one point, Michael and I were carrying the girls on our shoulders for at least 15 blocks!(ok, so 10 of them were short blocks, but still!) Michael asked if I was tired, and I said, "Only when I stop!". I kept wanting to see what was around the corner. Times Square was insane, and we went on Dec 29th, not on New Year's Eve, when it's packed with 1 million revelers!
We took the girls to the Children's Museum of Manhattan, which isn't huge, but the right size for little kids. We stopped by Rockefeller Center, ToysRUs at Times Square, wandered all about Madison Square Garden (which includes the maze underneath that is Penn Station), saw the Empire State building from there, but no time to go up, but we did admire the view-I would have taken a picture, but there was a child on my shoulders! I found that with 2 kids under four (and no stroller), you can only really do 2 things properly in the city per day.
Even the subway rides were fun. At one stop, 4 guys get on with drums, and for 2 stops, they drummed out a song that had all of us bopping our heads up and down.
The kids had a great time with their grandfather; he wanted them up all the time, and I think that he was more disappointed than they were when it was their bedtime! It was great having them get to know him better; since they're not too chatty on the phone yet, face to face is the best way to go for them(or when I stop being lazy and get Skype up and running!).
Today is my last day of vacation before I go back to work, and it looks like Santa's workshop exploded in here! And I know that the girls are happy that Santa got them PlayDoh(in 20 different colours, no less!), I'm starting to think that the old man has it in for me!
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Rocking New Year with Dick Clark
Ah, what an apt time to re-start my blog. It's been too, too long, but I feel ready to start again. There's been a lot going on with my girls and Michael, and I am very optimistic about 2011. When we started 2010, it was not too long after Jillian's Autism diagnosis, and we were navigating the system, trying to find help for her, like regular speech therapy, a nutritionist to figure out which foods were helping her, and what was hurting her.
The hardest thing was to find a daycare that would accept her, and then get a bilingual helper to come in to help her in her day-to-day activities. Thank goodness for being in Quebec, though, otherwise had we been in Ontario, we would have had to wait 2.5 years.
But I digress...
What do I want this year? Well, I've already got 2 healthy girls that are doing well, and a handsome hubby (awww). And I want a body like Heidi Klum, but apart from tearing her head off and putting mine on, there's no way I'm going to be 6 feet tall! ;)
More soon-promise!
The hardest thing was to find a daycare that would accept her, and then get a bilingual helper to come in to help her in her day-to-day activities. Thank goodness for being in Quebec, though, otherwise had we been in Ontario, we would have had to wait 2.5 years.
But I digress...
What do I want this year? Well, I've already got 2 healthy girls that are doing well, and a handsome hubby (awww). And I want a body like Heidi Klum, but apart from tearing her head off and putting mine on, there's no way I'm going to be 6 feet tall! ;)
More soon-promise!
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