Miss Movember 2010

I had nose surgery on Monday and everyone says my bandages look like a mustache.

I am definitely feeling better today. Monday was pretty rough, throwing up everytime I moved. The pain surprisingly isn't bad at all, nothing T3's can't handle. The one thing that sucks is everytime I eat or dring something blood shoots out of my nose. But the worst part is that I can't pick up Karter for two weeks. He is NOT impressed with this. I feel really bad for him but we are adjusting. I will be happy when these two weeks are over!!

Smoking Update

One month smoke free!! Super pumped about this. I stopped taking my pills almost two weeks ago. The cravings have definitely increased - but I remain focused. Along with the increased cravings comes the increased bitchyness/temper!! So I have been trying to resolve this issue especially after a little incident with my cat. It was a Sunday morning and I had made Karter a nice breakfast. I placed it on the table and turned to get Karter in his chair. As I turned around the cat was high tailing it for Karters food. In a state of temperment I picked up the cat and with a couple shakes and a stern voice yelled "Ryder (shake) get (shake) off (shake) the (shake) table (double shake). I then looked over at Karter - his eyes are huge and his mouth is slightly open from the shock and he quietly whispers "Down", which is usually what we tell the cat when she is on the table. I took the cat and placed her in the bathroom, came back to the table and explained "Karter - mommy's behaviour is unacceptable and she deserves a time out".



I guess I was a bit concerned bc Karter is so impressionable and that behaviour is really not right. I am pleased that Karter has not copied my behavior and he just yells "DOWN" at the cat and does not try shaking her.

P.S. No cats were injured.

Power Day

About 4 years ago Saskatoon experienced a Snow Day when the city was hit by a crazy snowstorm and we were all sent home from work. I loved this as I was living with Deena at the time and we stayed in our PJ's all day.

Well, yesterday I got to experience my first Power Day. At about 10am the power went out at work. By 11:30 it was still not on and SaskPower said that we would not be getting our power back till late Thursday or Friday. Our department was upset bc we had to release our Q3 financial statements today and there were last minute changes that needed to be made, but with no server we were screwed. I was pretty happy bc I had not seen my husband in three weeks and he was finally home. So we all got packed up to leave ... and voila ... the power was back on. My heart sank ... BUT ... we still got to go home bc when the server is shut down for that long ... it takes like 4 hours to get everything going again.

I LOVE Power Days.

Oh ... and we released our FS on time today.

Great Day to be a Non-Smoker

As I look outside my office window at the wind gusting the snow everywhere and people all bundled up fighting the cold - it makes me so thankful that I have not smoked in 8 days and I no longer have to be one of those people freezing their butts off while having a cigarrette.

I am also thankful at how easy the quitting smoking process has been. I started on Champix a couple weeks ago. It was amazing how after a couple days I did not like the taste of smoking and would only want a couple drags. The quitting smoking was easy - the side effects from the pills not so much. The best way I can describe it is morning sickness for about 5 hours after taking a pill - 2 doses per day. I talked to the pharmacist about it and he said I could cut the pills in half and take half doses. Did not help. So I am now taking one pill right before I go to bed and pray I fall asleep before it kicks in. Regardless of the side effects - it is worth it. I think I will just take the pills for another couple weeks and be done with this whole process.

Holy Batman!!

I put Karter to bed tonight - tucked him in and gave him a good night kiss - ordinary night. So I thought. I come down the stairs and a bird flies in front of me, does a couple laps and lands on the blinds. First reaction - holy crap there is a bird in my house. But no, it was not a bird - it was a BAT!! OMG - there is a frickn' bat in my HOUSE!! Of course Mark is gone - what do I do?? I frantically call Marks mom - of course Marks dad is at the lake. Thankfully Marks Uncle came over and used a fishing net and cardboard to capture it. Lessoned learned - never leaving the back door open again.

Hayden Tavia

So excited to share the news that Mark's brother and sister-in-law had a beautiful baby girl this morning!! Hayden weighed in at 8 pounds 3 ounces. They battled snow driving from Glaslyn to North Battleford and could barely see the lines on the road. They arrived at the hospital around 2:30 am and she was born at approximately 4:30am. ONLY three pushes!! Baby and mom are doing great.

It is cool to think that not only is Mark an Uncle yet again, but that I am an Auntie!! I can't wait to meet her!!

Weekend in the Sink

Karter's new obsession is the sink, any sink, he wants to play in it. He loves it so much he will hang out there for an hour. He needs no toys while hanging out. Who would have guessed out of all the toys we buy him he would rather just hang out in the sink.

And he is funny, if he goes off venturing in the house and is quiet, you know he is up to no good. Well today he decided to take all the tissues out of the tissue box. And of course, his partner in crime Ryder was right by his side. When you catch them they almost try to blame it on each other, I walk in and Karter drops the tissues and Ryder ducks behind Karter.

MMMM ... Chocolate

Karter is the happiest when he is just wearing his diaper. The only problem is when I feed him he gets food all over himself. So, today after lunch I noticed his diaper was full of food and just took it off when I was cleaning up the kitchen. Before I had time to put another diaper on I had to pee really bad. No big deal, I was gone for maybe 15 seconds. So I walked back into the kitchen and my thought process went as follows:

Karter has a chocolate bar. Where did he get that from? I want some chocolate.

Then, I realized what it really was. Yes, my son was holding his poop in his hand and was about to take a bite of it!!! Lol. And to top it off he also peed on the floor. I definitely have learned my lesson!!

New Routine

I have almost been back to work for two weeks already. Crazy!!

We have been adjusting to our new routine nicely and am surprised how smoothly the transition has unfolded. I must admit I am not a fan of the commute. I am up at 6am to get ready, wake Karter up at 6:35 and we are out the door by 7:10. And ... I just make it to work on time. The drive home is trickier, and I have been trying out different routes. The first day back to work we did not get home till 5:50, I am done work at 4:30!! Today has been the best time yet and we got home at 5:15. I can't wait till we move!

It is nice to be back to adult conversation and challenging myself at work. I am also looking forward to my first pay cheque.

I think about Karter often during the day and miss him alot. I am pleased how at ease I am knowing he is happy there. I love how many hugs and kisses I get during the evening. Totally makes my day.

By far, the best part of my day is picking up my little man and seeing the huge smile on his face.

Snow Day

Today I awoke to the sound of tires spinning and shovelling in our complex. I could not believe all the vehicles that were stuck, I could go from window to window and see stranded cars. As the day progressed, I enjoyed watching my neighbors come out of their houses to help everyone out. I even helped my neighbor when Karter was sleeping. In return, he helped me shovel out my empty parking stall that was buried in snow. I really felt a sense of community today as everyone was helping each other. Then the bobcats came out and all the commotion subsided.

Until ... I looked out the window and noticed the bobcat was piling all snow on my recently shovelled parking stall. I was livid. By this point my stall had snow packed higher than my vehicle. I went out and told the bobcat man that he was putting all the snow in my stall. Which I do not understand bc it was the only shovelled stall in the complex. He said that he was just putting it where he could and did not know when it would be removed. So ... I will be phoning the condo board tomorrow. It just ticks me off that we pay these guys in our condo fees to remove it and that I also paid for my parking stall. Also, if Mark was home one of us would have no where to park.

So ... for now I will watch the neighbor kids use my parking stall as a tobogganing hill. On the flip side, maybe tomorrow Karter and I will go tobogganing. Lol.

I have included two pictures. The top one is of everyone helping each other out. Notice in the bottom left corner my shovelled parking stall. And now the tobogganing hill.

It's a Girl

Mark and I are pleased to announce the newest addition to our family. We have decided to sponsor a child through Plan Canada. Her name is Rubiela and I think she is beautiful. She is two years old and lives in Yalaguina, Madriz. Some interesting facts about her family/community: Her father is a street hawker (travels around selling items) and her mother is a housewife. They live in an adobe (brick) house with a metal roof. Their family obtains water from an open community well ONE km away from their home!! Most wells are not hygenic. They share toilet facilities with their neighbors and relatives and the nearest health facility is two hours away.

Mark has always wanted to sponsor a child. I like the fact that we can help a child live a life where her basic needs can be met, including food, water, health care, and an education. I also like the impact this could have on Karter, growing up and exchanging letters with her. I think this is a good life lesson. I was a bit skeptical at first, wondering how much of our donation will really reach her. But, being the accountant that I am, I reviewed their audited financial statements and annual report. Approximately 80% of our contributions go to the children. Oh, and it is a tax write off. Lol. I am such a dorky accountant.

In deciding what child to sponsor, I chose a community where it was needed most. In Madriz, child sexual exploitation among girls is very common and there is a high degree of poverty and malnutrition.

On a person note, I really wanted to sponsor a girl. Just because if Mark and I are not blessed with a girl of our own, we still have Rubiela. I am very excited to start writing her letters and sending her pictures. I want to send pics of our family, the snow, maybe Mark will slip in a picture of the Roughriders. Lol.