He did WHAT??!!!

For my birthday, I received a Flip video camera.
Probably not a safe thing.
Please be sure to turn the sound up...

Finished For Friday - Scarfing 'em out!

I received e-mails weekly from Lion Brand, a yarn company, that have some crochet patterns. Most of the patterns are over my head. One day, a few weeks ago, I spied this scarf pattern my aunt is modeling.

I liked it so much, I made another.

This time, I used the correct needle size.

I think I actually like the larger needle results.

What do you think?

Finished for Friday is a weekly event on my dear bloggy friend's site over at LitandLaundry. Please be sure to check out her amazing cornocopia this week.

Insanity Plea

For 3-7 days per month, I go insane. Literally, I live in a parallel universe. My judgement is off. Don't expect me to be rational. This morning, I told J to not let me talk on the phone or send e-mails for the next 5 days. He said that explains the craziness I said to Mini Me last night. I then told J to not let me parent or speak to my children for the next 5-7 days.

We will be spending the next 5 days driving and with family. God help them.

I Am 40 Today

I am 40 years old now.
For the first time in my life, I actually do feel different.

When my mom was my age, she was a working wife with 4 kids and had moved to a new house in a new country. Her oldest son was in grade 8 and told her he didn't believe in God.

When my mother-in-law as my age, she had 3 kids, and her oldest, my husband J, was 20 years old - just 1 year from meeting me. She bought 3 Kirby vacuums that year because they gave her such a great deal.

When both of my husband's grandmothers were my age, they had just become grandmothers - to J.

Am I where I thought I would be at 40? No. But then I didn't know you could be best friends with your spouse and have children that I feel destined to parent.

What Happened to 'My 2 Front Teeth?'

There is an old song that says, "All I want for Christmas are my 2 front teeth." My 3-yr old is a bit more complex...

Last week, Mini Me asked J for a MacBook. He said, "But you're only 3!" Mini Me said she 'NEEDS' a laptop. A little bit later, a commercial came on. Mini Me said to J, "Daddy, you need to do that." "Do what, Baby?" Mini Me said "www.freelaptop.com. You need to do that to get my laptop."

This week, Mini Me told Grandpa FlyGuy, "For Christmas, I want a kitchen." Dramatic pause. " Grandpa, I just kidding. I already have a kitchen! I want a TV and stars for my bedroom." Motor Mouth has a TV in his bedroom so she wants one in hers, too. When we went to Branson, the room we slept in had a really cool light you could turn on at night and the constellations would appear.

I Had An Inappropriate Relationship

I have to come clean and admit that I had an inappropriate relationship. This love affair started before J and I married. It wasn't a big deal then. More of a novelty. I had never experienced anything like that in Canada. Having something you've never had before kind of thing. After the kids were born, it got more intense. It went from weekly, sometimes late night clandestine meetings to whenever I could find the time. Quite often, it was during lunch and right after work. To be honest, I didn't think twice about it. J had his own inappropriate relationship.

It wasn't until we moved to Chicago that I realized how deeply ingrained it was. How big a part of my life it had become. In hindsight, I see it clearly. Right now, I miss it. I want it again.

As I am a working mom again, I am trying to figure out how I managed to cope with work, volunteer work a house and a family. It was Wal-Mart Supercenters that made it possible. There were 3 Supercenters within a 3 mile radius. There was one 1 mile from work. I could pop over during the day, get my oil changed, get photos printed, pick up a few grocery items, maybe get my nails done at lunch. Heck, I could get lunch there. And gas, too. I could run out before work and grab a fruit tray for work or run out before church on Sunday to grab a pair of nylons if I suddenly found myself without a single pair.

So maybe my relationship with Walmart Supercenters was not appropriate. But I do miss them. They made motherhood doable.

Friday Five

Five Question Friday is sponsored by Mama M!

I found this at Confessions From a Working Mom.

This week's questions are...1. What is your favorite "eat" on Thanksgiving?
Brown gravy. I lived in Tulsa which is mid-west but a lot like the south, because they eat white gravy. I'm Canadian. I love my brown gravy. And dark meat turkey.


2. What is the name your best girl friend and the best trait about her or how you met? (Or heck, both!!)
Normie. Actually, it's Norma Ann. Not Norma. Not Ann. Norma Ann. 2 words. 
We met in grade 8 over an art table. Normie is wonderfully creative and a great artist. I am not. We called her NAM back then. It's NAMK now. NAMK is a really sweet mom. When we were in high school, Normie had the most freedom to do whatever she wanted. I was amazed at how she never took advantage of that freedom.

3. What would you say is one of your "weirdest" quirks?
I'm not a quirky person. I have no quirks. Weird or normal.

4. What is your favorite genre of music? (Hip hop? Classical? Rock? etc.)
Adult Contemporary. Oh my God. I can't believe I just admitted that to the world.

5. Are you a Night Owl...or an Early Bird?
I'm sporadic. If I get a shower, I can be efficient in the morning. If I get going, I can do amazing work in the evening and into the late night.

Knowing Me, Knowing You - Nov '09

It's that time again... time for that monthly interview project started by The Fairy Blogmother - Knowing Me, Knowing You.

1. What's your strategy for gift giving this Christmas?
My what? Last year, I was a stay@home mom and made amigurami (crochet animals) for our nieces and nephews. This year, I'll pick up a few gift items when I'm in Tulsa and leave them there for the kids. We no longer do a gift item for an adult on J's side. Just the kids. I'm never in Canada for the holidays, so we don't exchange gifts with my family. We told our kids they get 3 presents each from us because Jesus got 3 presents. J and I have stopped exchanging gifts because if we need/want something, we buy it. It's about the kids.

2. How do you feel about the holiday newsletter?
We used to do holiday newsletters. And, we became known for our holiday cards that J designed and we had printed. But we moved. I guess I could do a holiday newsletter again, but people should really just read my blog.

3. What's your favourite board game?
Hmmm....Checkers. I used to play with my grandparents. It makes me happy to think of the many, many times I played with them. I used to like mancala but I figured out the strategy to win, and kept beating J. He refuses to play it with me anymore.

4. What's your favourite cold weather comfort dish?
My mother-in-law's roast. She makes brown gravy for me. I love her. I think she loves me too!

5. What is your favourite new show this season?
House. Last year at this time, I had not seen an episode. Now, I believe I've seen almost every show of every season.

This Is What Daddy's Do, Right??

Today is Veteran's Day. My husband was home with Mini Me, as she had the day off from school. Now, tell me, this is what ALL daddy's do when they are home with their little girls, right?

 

Thank God for daddy's that have mastered the up-do!

Mommy of the Year

I'm always doing things to disqualify myself from Mommy of the Year awards. Not on purpose really, I'm just that bad of a mother. Oh come on, you must remember the time I put a bandaid on Mini Me's vajayjay because she said it was hurting. She said the pain went away, so it must have worked.

And lest we forget the times when she was a baby and I put medical tape over her pacifier so I could drive 8 minutes to church or get some sleep without her screaming and crying because her pacifier fell out. She loved the pacifier but couldn't hold it in her mouth. Oh, wait, I don't think I shared that with the blogosphere yet. Well, it's out there now.

This morning, Mini Me threw up several times, requiring 3 changes of clothing before 9 am. Finally, I just put her in her raincoat. It is vinyl and washable. I figured all I had to do was wipe. It worked. The pic is Mini Me laying on an old towel on the sofa, with her raincoat on.

Yeah, I know. I'm not going to win any mommy awards on this one either.

As Promised...

I promised I would give you a link when my husband posts more of his greatness. And he has. He comes up with such simply yet amazing ideas. This is why people ask him to consult with them and fly him across the country to talk about what he does. Innovative yet cost effective. Click here.

Confession Time

On my Facebook wall, I wrote: "I like Kid Rock. There. I've said it. There's freedom in the truth." Considering I posted it relatively late on a Friday evening, I got quite a few comments. LOL!!

It's true. There is something about lanky Kid Rock bouncing on a stage that I just love. So, without further adieu, I'm going to share with you my favorite Kid Rock performance:

Bawitdaba! on VH1 Storytellers

Obstacles Welcome

Obstacles Welcome by Ralph de la Vega is my new favorite book. I've read a LOT of leadership books so I was a bit 'enh' on reading yet another. I really wanted to be a part of the Thomas Nelson: Book Review Bloggers program. The book I wanted was not available, so I ordered what seemed like an interesting read. Ralph de la Vega had me at the first sentence: 'Only the boy can go."

de la Vega takes us from his traumatic separation from his parents in Cuba at age 10 through some of the most well-known mergers and tragedies in America. Along the way, leadership lessons applicable to Fortune 500 CEOs and stay@home moms are clearly and simply taught by a man who makes you want to be a better person and cheers you on to surpass your dreams.


At the end of each chapter, Ralph de la Vega provides Takeaway Points to reinforce the most important concepts. They are each perfect sound bites you can post on your mirror as a daily reminder to turn adversity into advantage in business and in life.


What I like about Obstacles Welcome is the simplicity and humanity of it. It's not just a leadership book. It's a life planning guide written by your favorite uncle who has your best interest at heart.


I was going to give some deserving reader my complimentary review copy in a blog giveaway but I'm keeping this book. Go buy your own. And while you are at it, buy a copy for EVERYONE on your Christmas list. I want to give a copy to every CEO I know, to every teenager, every college student, private school administrator and stay@home mom I have ever met. This book is THAT good.

This is a must-have book. You must go purchase.


Here is a SMALL sampling of Obstacles Welcome soundbites:
- It's never too late to become the driver of your own journey & begin to turn adversity into advantage.

- Today's world is flat, and by that, I mean that competition comes from all corners.

- Unlearning is part of getting better. World changing too fast to do anything else. Knowledge/situations change. So must we.

- Embracing obstacles sounds so simple...So why do we spend so much time and effort trying to avoid difficulties?

- When disaster hits, put your own people first. That's the surest way to...get your business back up and running fastest.

@jasonwidney

I'm so proud of the work my husband does. Please go check out his site to see what he did for the Cultivate conference last week. Then plan to check back in a few days to see what he did at church on Sunday. I can't be modest when it comes to J. His mad skills make being his loudest cheerleader easy.

Halloween Costumes 2009

Captain Hook & Alice in Wonderland

Costumes - $100

Candy - $12

Time Spent Trick or Treating - 5 minutes

Because it was kinda cold, J convinced the kids to let us just take them to his boss' house to Trick or Treat then we went and bought a few bags of candy for them at the store.