So, this past week, the kids were sick. First Joshua, with a fever, and complaining of a sore throat. His fever lasted about 36 hours. Just when his broke, Dustin came down with a fever, and wouldn't eat much, cried a lot, wouldn't nurse. Poor guy. His fever lasted about 24 hours, but he was still grumpy for another day.
Well, then it was my turn. Let me tell you, those kids are little troupers, if they had anything like what I'm going through. The fever, aches, headache, dizziness, and sore throat were quite the little 'sickness'! Everything has gone except my sore throat. Since Joshua and Dustin seem to have returned to normal, but mine is just getting worse, I decided to go see my doctor today.
Well, it's *just* a virus. An appetite-sucking, canker-inducing virus!! Now, I never NEVER get canker sores. I thought I was just getting little red bumps in the back of my throat. Then I started getting them in the sides of my cheeks. I have about 7 or 8 that I can actually see, but I can feel more irritation farther down the back of my throat. I can hardly swallow, eating is incredibly painful, and drinking something cool and soothing provides but a moment's relief.
I know I'm complaining. But I never get cankers. The ones in the sides of my cheeks, I could probably tolerate, but seriously, these ones in the back of my throat are just HORRID! It burns...
Anyway, yeah. Probably the second biggest annoyance (second to the irritation) is that this virus wiped the kids and I out for several days...meaning that I lost several days' worth of packing time. So, now I'm in crunch mode again. Good grief. *sigh*
I must head to bed. I'm exhausted. Busy day tomorrow. Good night!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Quick update
....it's hot. 32 yesterday, 32 today (both days, 36 with humidex)...and 34 tomorrow. i have a heat headache.
....dustin does not like the heat. poor guy does not do well with it. grumpy, grumpy, grumpy.
....joshua is loving running around half-naked. he couldn't quite understand why he and daddy and dustin could run around without shirts on, but mommy had to wear hers.
....packing, packing, packing...i'm currently working on the stuff in storage - purging, repacking, etc. "storage" is the crawl space. my back is killing me, but at least it's cool down there. :)
....we have a new phone number for the acreage. if ya want it, ya gotta ask, 'cuz i'm not posting it here!!
....our house had conditions removed on it on wednesday night - so it's officially, completely, and totally sold!! yay!
....dustin is waking up - gotta give him his milkies. the kid loves his milkies. sadly, i have to quit nursing...some meds i'm taking are messing with the nursing in a very big way. i'm sad. but i know that i have to...i just don't want to....
....i lost my first online scrabble game to sharon. :( i don't lose well when it comes to scrabble. i'm fixin' to whup her good next time, but it's not looking too promising right now. what are you supposed to do when you have 4 e's on your rack?
....we went to the lake with all our 'groupies' last weekend. here's a long exerpt from the e-mail i sent to some friends:
....dustin does not like the heat. poor guy does not do well with it. grumpy, grumpy, grumpy.
....joshua is loving running around half-naked. he couldn't quite understand why he and daddy and dustin could run around without shirts on, but mommy had to wear hers.
....packing, packing, packing...i'm currently working on the stuff in storage - purging, repacking, etc. "storage" is the crawl space. my back is killing me, but at least it's cool down there. :)
....we have a new phone number for the acreage. if ya want it, ya gotta ask, 'cuz i'm not posting it here!!
....our house had conditions removed on it on wednesday night - so it's officially, completely, and totally sold!! yay!
....dustin is waking up - gotta give him his milkies. the kid loves his milkies. sadly, i have to quit nursing...some meds i'm taking are messing with the nursing in a very big way. i'm sad. but i know that i have to...i just don't want to....
....i lost my first online scrabble game to sharon. :( i don't lose well when it comes to scrabble. i'm fixin' to whup her good next time, but it's not looking too promising right now. what are you supposed to do when you have 4 e's on your rack?
....we went to the lake with all our 'groupies' last weekend. here's a long exerpt from the e-mail i sent to some friends:
Arrived at "camp" in Mulhurst around 6:00 p.m. on Friday night. Burgers for dinner. Wonderful campfire at night. We'd set up the tent for Graeme and I, and had the kids sleep in a teeny 6 x 10 trailer. The kids finally fell asleep around 9:00 or so, and we had our bonfire after that. My allergies were going NUTS even before
the fire began. Having a bit of trouble breathing - again, even before the fire was started. We ended the campfire around 11:30 or midnight.
Fast forward to Saturday around 1:45 a.m. Woke to thunder and lightning. Suddenly, a downpour. After a few minutes, Graeme went to check on the kids. Yup, they were up. As Graeme is out of the tent, I feel a wonderfully refreshing drip, drip, drip on my head. Blast!! The tent was leaking. So, we ALL are suddenly
piled into this teeny tiny 6 x 10 trailer - Graeme and Josh on the double bed, me on the 2' wide single (praying desperately that the 'bunk' above me, suspended merely by non-permanent poles, wouldn't collapse under the weight of the suitcase and other such items). Dustin's playpen is now on the floor between the single and double-beds, barely fits there. Dustin now knows that Mommy's face is less than two feet away, even in the pitch-darkness. He continually sings and calls, jumps up, falls down, jumps up, falls down, jumps up, bellyflops down. Repeat for at least 2 hours. The rest of us are getting a little cranky. Children finally fall asleep again.
(It should bear mentioning that there was no room in the house for us, which is why we were outside.) Graeme also falls asleep. Just for variety in the night, Melissa starts in on an asthma attack (I can't even remember the last time I had a full-blown asthma attack). Finds her inhaler, takes two deep puffs, and waits for the medication to kick in. The medication kicks in, but also causes Melissa's heart to race and body to kind of get shaky. Melissa finally falls asleep around 5 a.m.,
just in time to grab a quick hour or so of sleep before Dustin wakes to nurse. Melissa is CRABBY!!!!! Graeme takes the kids out ('cuz by now Joshua is awake as well - or maybe he slept a little longer - I'm not sure). Melissa then sleeps till 12:30. Asthma attack combined with no sleep make for one very tired, groggy, confused, crabby, and therefore dangerous woman. Graeme was a smart man to let me sleep.
Melissa gets up in time for pre-lunch breakfast.
Graeme had lovingly saved me a plate.
Melissa goes back to bed for nap around 2:30. Woke around 4:45, feeling like a new woman. Just in time to help get dinner ready. :) Yes, we ate a lot.
The rest of the weekend was actually quite uneventful!! The kids slept great - last night we did SOOOO much better! No storm, which helped. Graeme tented with Joshua. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that we had to de-flood the tent on Saturday morning. Everything was SOAKED. Pools of water. I guess the tent has exceeded its lifespan for dealing with rain, even with the use of a fly and other such accessories. Anyway, Joshua went to sleep on his own in the tent, and Graeme followed around midnight. I slept with Dustin in the trailer. It was a much more successful night. I even got away without a nap today. :)
Don & Shari bought this huge Banzai racing waterslide thingy - yeah. Scared the life out of Joshua and Dustin. But Don and most of the adults loved it, and most of us took a few turns down it. The water was a little frigid, though. I was the only one
who didn't go down - this was Saturday when I was still not feeling human. The last thing I needed was ice-cold water to trigger another asthma attack.
We also did some sprinkler stuff, some hang-out stuff, played some croquet and some cards, a bit of frisbee...but mostly we ate. And ate. I can't believe how much we ate. But it was relaxing for the most part, and it was nice to be away even with the "kink" in the plans in the middle of the night the first night.
So, there you have it. The recent past, recapped. :)
Good day. My baby needs me. :)
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Canada Day Festivities
Happy Canada Day! These are some pictures from the big day. 
Joshua got to go on a pirate ship float for the parade - his Auntie Carly's dad built it and they put it into parades. And Sid/Carly/Jordan asked if Joshua would like to be on it! So he was - he was quite into yelling "Ahoy Matey!" at people. And his Daddy was yelling "Arrrrrgh!" at loads of people - many of which were his customers! It was fun. Joshua got to have a pirate sword and a hook, and Graeme had a hat and a sword. It was a good time!
We also went to the pancake breakfast, and the church service that was held at noon at the park. It was - umm - interesting. Let's just say that it's OK that it didn't work out for me to sing in the service after all.
I'm a little crispy-fried from the sunshine, but I feel OK. I'm still sluggish and foggy and not sleeping well, though, which is NOT good. But overall it was a very good day, lots of fun, and the boys enjoyed themselves immensely!
Good night!
Joshua got to go on a pirate ship float for the parade - his Auntie Carly's dad built it and they put it into parades. And Sid/Carly/Jordan asked if Joshua would like to be on it! So he was - he was quite into yelling "Ahoy Matey!" at people. And his Daddy was yelling "Arrrrrgh!" at loads of people - many of which were his customers! It was fun. Joshua got to have a pirate sword and a hook, and Graeme had a hat and a sword. It was a good time!
We also went to the pancake breakfast, and the church service that was held at noon at the park. It was - umm - interesting. Let's just say that it's OK that it didn't work out for me to sing in the service after all.
I'm a little crispy-fried from the sunshine, but I feel OK. I'm still sluggish and foggy and not sleeping well, though, which is NOT good. But overall it was a very good day, lots of fun, and the boys enjoyed themselves immensely!
Good night!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
....Tired....
Another round of bloodwork. Another cup to pee into. I took the boys with me this morning to the lab, and they were quite the little entertainers. Joshua was quite enthralled that I got a needle and didn't cry!
So, I think I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I'd been asked to sing for the Canada Day service - well, that has now fallen through. The organizers didn't tell Dan (our worship guy) how many singers they needed from our church, so when he told them that he had a soprano (that would be me) and an alto (Melanie), they told him that they no longer needed another soprano. He was disappointed, as am I. I was looking forward to it. But you know what....God knows anyway. God can see what will happen this Sunday, and for some reason, I'm not supposed to be up there. It's all good. I can spend the morning at the pancake breakfast with my family, then. I'm OK with that. I love family time. I love my boys. They make this mama proud.
I must run - time for lunch (almost) for Joshua. Dustin is napping. I am desperately trying to round up some energy for the rest of the day. *sigh* I hope this ends soon.
So, I think I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I'd been asked to sing for the Canada Day service - well, that has now fallen through. The organizers didn't tell Dan (our worship guy) how many singers they needed from our church, so when he told them that he had a soprano (that would be me) and an alto (Melanie), they told him that they no longer needed another soprano. He was disappointed, as am I. I was looking forward to it. But you know what....God knows anyway. God can see what will happen this Sunday, and for some reason, I'm not supposed to be up there. It's all good. I can spend the morning at the pancake breakfast with my family, then. I'm OK with that. I love family time. I love my boys. They make this mama proud.
I must run - time for lunch (almost) for Joshua. Dustin is napping. I am desperately trying to round up some energy for the rest of the day. *sigh* I hope this ends soon.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Labels
I did something to my blog last night and this morning - I went through all my posts and added labels to them. Then I added the labels to the sidebar. SOOOO, if you're looking for something specific (contemplation, for example), you can scroll down and you'll find a list of all the labels on the right hand side of the screen. Click on 'contemplation', and up should come a whole list of blog entries where I've thought about something! :)
Of course, this info is for the non-techy amongst you... and completely elementary for the rest of you...
Thanks for bearing with me!
I'm kinda sick today again - almost flu-ish - I don't know what's going on. Graeme actually came home for about an hour so I could get some rest. Thankfully the boys have been pretty good. A little nap helped, and after Graeme left, I gave the boys haircuts and baths. I still have to clean up from that. So far, there are no showings today, so the cleanup might just have to wait till Graeme comes home in a couple of hours. At any rate, I'm going to lay down again now. The boys should sleep till around 3:30 or 4:00, and then maybe the world will look a tad less green!
Of course, this info is for the non-techy amongst you... and completely elementary for the rest of you...
Thanks for bearing with me!
I'm kinda sick today again - almost flu-ish - I don't know what's going on. Graeme actually came home for about an hour so I could get some rest. Thankfully the boys have been pretty good. A little nap helped, and after Graeme left, I gave the boys haircuts and baths. I still have to clean up from that. So far, there are no showings today, so the cleanup might just have to wait till Graeme comes home in a couple of hours. At any rate, I'm going to lay down again now. The boys should sleep till around 3:30 or 4:00, and then maybe the world will look a tad less green!
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Time for an update
Much has happened recently, but I've just not been in a blogging mood. Not even much in a facebooking mood, either. What's wrong with me? Actually, I think I've just been so busy and pre-occupied with the house sale, constantly cleaning and shining things up after the kids have gone through *just in case* someone comes to look when I least expect it, and catching up on laundry and other things after our Victoria Vacation.
Our family - day of the wedding:
I finally have two sisters!!
Anyway, uploading pix to Facebook is SO much faster than doing it here. This is not to say that I won't still post a few pictures on here, but for BIG projects, I'll just give a link so you can go see the album at your leisure. You also get to see way more pictures for the time it takes me, if you just go to the link! As promised, here are some pix from Jordan & Carly's wedding. There are lots of people you probably won't know, but there are tons of cute pix of my own darlings, too! So, as before, click on the link, click on the first picture (it will bring up a larger version), and then click "next" at the top of the picture to view the next in order! Easy as pie!!
Jordan & Carly Wedding Rehearsal
Jordan & Carly - Wedding DAY!!
My Cool Dudes:
Joshua got to go to a Teddy Bear Picnic three days after we got back from Victoria. There was face-painting, all sorts of crafts, a big inflatable jumpy thing -and tons of other things! It was such fun - and I didn't bring my camera as I had a thousand other things to take care of that day. But I did take a pic of his face after we got home, and he's holding his sweet little "Blue" -that's his favorite "teddy" that he brought with him for the picnic.
Josh, his paw prints, and his bear-ears (doesn't he look MEAN??)
I've also included a picture from Joshua's birthday party. Unfortunately, I was so busy making pizza that night (Joshua wanted pizza for his birthday, and I LOVED making it for him!) that I relied on others to take pictures of the special event for me. However, I've not received copies of the pictures from anyone yet!! So, here's a picture of Joshua's cake, and I'll proceed to hound everyone who took pics that night to burn me a CD of J's birthday party pix!
J's birthday cake:
So, other than that, it's business as usual. Constantly cleaning house. There were about 3 or 4 showings today, and a couple of really promising ones. And two showings booked for tomorrow. I pray that this home sells by the end of the week, so I can get on with my life - the kids are getting frustated with me always cleaning!! I love a clean house, BUT cleaning to to this calibre every time I want to leave the house gets to be a bit much. Once a day is fine, but three times a day is just OCD under normal circumstances. :)
I packed 8 or 9 boxes of books tonight - books are easy and it makes it look like I've accomplished something. :) I'll get Graeme to bring them downstairs before he leaves for church in the morning.
Speaking of church - I've been asked to sing on the worship team for our community-wide church service that we're having on Canada Day! Eek! How humbling, and what an honor! Three big churches here (the Alliance Church, a couple thousand people; our church, about 500 people; and another Alliance church, about another 1000 people) are collaborating to put on a celebration service in the middle of the 'hamlet' for Canada Day - at noon. There are a few musicians from each church being asked to participate (which I didn't know till the other night), and I can't believe that I've been asked! Maybe it's just because no-one else was available...heh heh...Keep me humble, Lord!
Our family - day of the wedding:
I finally have two sisters!!
Anyway, uploading pix to Facebook is SO much faster than doing it here. This is not to say that I won't still post a few pictures on here, but for BIG projects, I'll just give a link so you can go see the album at your leisure. You also get to see way more pictures for the time it takes me, if you just go to the link! As promised, here are some pix from Jordan & Carly's wedding. There are lots of people you probably won't know, but there are tons of cute pix of my own darlings, too! So, as before, click on the link, click on the first picture (it will bring up a larger version), and then click "next" at the top of the picture to view the next in order! Easy as pie!!
Jordan & Carly Wedding Rehearsal
Jordan & Carly - Wedding DAY!!
My Cool Dudes:
Joshua got to go to a Teddy Bear Picnic three days after we got back from Victoria. There was face-painting, all sorts of crafts, a big inflatable jumpy thing -and tons of other things! It was such fun - and I didn't bring my camera as I had a thousand other things to take care of that day. But I did take a pic of his face after we got home, and he's holding his sweet little "Blue" -that's his favorite "teddy" that he brought with him for the picnic.
Josh, his paw prints, and his bear-ears (doesn't he look MEAN??)
I've also included a picture from Joshua's birthday party. Unfortunately, I was so busy making pizza that night (Joshua wanted pizza for his birthday, and I LOVED making it for him!) that I relied on others to take pictures of the special event for me. However, I've not received copies of the pictures from anyone yet!! So, here's a picture of Joshua's cake, and I'll proceed to hound everyone who took pics that night to burn me a CD of J's birthday party pix!
J's birthday cake:
So, other than that, it's business as usual. Constantly cleaning house. There were about 3 or 4 showings today, and a couple of really promising ones. And two showings booked for tomorrow. I pray that this home sells by the end of the week, so I can get on with my life - the kids are getting frustated with me always cleaning!! I love a clean house, BUT cleaning to to this calibre every time I want to leave the house gets to be a bit much. Once a day is fine, but three times a day is just OCD under normal circumstances. :)
I packed 8 or 9 boxes of books tonight - books are easy and it makes it look like I've accomplished something. :) I'll get Graeme to bring them downstairs before he leaves for church in the morning.
Speaking of church - I've been asked to sing on the worship team for our community-wide church service that we're having on Canada Day! Eek! How humbling, and what an honor! Three big churches here (the Alliance Church, a couple thousand people; our church, about 500 people; and another Alliance church, about another 1000 people) are collaborating to put on a celebration service in the middle of the 'hamlet' for Canada Day - at noon. There are a few musicians from each church being asked to participate (which I didn't know till the other night), and I can't believe that I've been asked! Maybe it's just because no-one else was available...heh heh...Keep me humble, Lord!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Not much news...
...I know it's been a while since I've blogged. I'm in a lull. I think all bloggers go through them sometime.
Next time, I'll post links to my Facebook photo album so that you can see pictures from Jordan's wedding. I got lots of great ones of the bride & groom, as well as oodles of cute kid pictures!!
Quick update - still waiting for our house to sell...it's hard keeping it clean on a moment's notice *just in case* there's a showing booked...
That's all, folks...come back soon...hopefully the lull will be over in a day or so!
Oh, hey - Joshua turns the big 3 tomorrow!! Party-time!!
G'night!
Next time, I'll post links to my Facebook photo album so that you can see pictures from Jordan's wedding. I got lots of great ones of the bride & groom, as well as oodles of cute kid pictures!!
Quick update - still waiting for our house to sell...it's hard keeping it clean on a moment's notice *just in case* there's a showing booked...
That's all, folks...come back soon...hopefully the lull will be over in a day or so!
Oh, hey - Joshua turns the big 3 tomorrow!! Party-time!!
G'night!
Monday, June 11, 2007
Amendment to last night's post...
I realized that I didn't say WHY we're opening a new chapter in our lives...and why the cleaners were coming (which they aren't after all - they were given a wrong number and have been harrassing some poor man somewhere in Sherwood Park)...
We're moving!! Yes, again. We bought an acreage two days before we left for Victoria!! We'll still be close to Sherwood Park, but we'll finally have our dream of acreage living. We'll take possession on August 1st. More on that later!
Anyway, our realtor will list our house this week, and has offered to pay Molly Maids to come in and clean for me since I'm stressed about the "quickness" of the whole process. So, the cleaning ladies will now come on Tuesday morning to get our house picture-ready and listing-ready and showing-ready!! If all goes according to plan, the house will go on the market on Thursday morning, realtor open house on Friday morning, and public open house on Saturday morning. Best case scenario is that we end up with multiple (competing) offers on our place, upping the price, and the place will be sold on Saturday! That way I won't have to keep the place spotless on a moments' notice...
Okay, I really must run now. I'll post some pictures from Jordan & Carly's wedding soon...just not right now.
Whew!
We're moving!! Yes, again. We bought an acreage two days before we left for Victoria!! We'll still be close to Sherwood Park, but we'll finally have our dream of acreage living. We'll take possession on August 1st. More on that later!
Anyway, our realtor will list our house this week, and has offered to pay Molly Maids to come in and clean for me since I'm stressed about the "quickness" of the whole process. So, the cleaning ladies will now come on Tuesday morning to get our house picture-ready and listing-ready and showing-ready!! If all goes according to plan, the house will go on the market on Thursday morning, realtor open house on Friday morning, and public open house on Saturday morning. Best case scenario is that we end up with multiple (competing) offers on our place, upping the price, and the place will be sold on Saturday! That way I won't have to keep the place spotless on a moments' notice...
Okay, I really must run now. I'll post some pictures from Jordan & Carly's wedding soon...just not right now.
Whew!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Home from Victoria!!
WE'RE HOME!!
What a day it was. Dustin and plane rides do not get along. Joshua and napless afternoons do not get along. Graeme and the flu and the last day of holidays do not get along, as it leaves Mama to do all the packing, kid-watching, luggage-lifting, kid-and-luggage-carrying, diaper-changing, entertaining, and cleaning in the hours preceding our departure from Victoria, the ferry ride to Vancouver, the flight home, and the drive home.
I'm glad to be home. I was glad for the holiday, but returning home opens a brand new chapter for us. I just found out the cleaners are coming TOMORROW - ACK! - instead of Tuesday like we expected. Which means I have a boatload of tidying and unpacking to do before morning. And it's off and running tomorrow - J's thing in the a.m., although I might skip depending on how he does tonight (he's super-grumpy and spent a long time tired-crying before bed), etc. And Graeme doesn't think he has someone to cover him tomorrow if he's still sick. He threw up all over the airport this afternoon....eww. I'm glad I wasn't around - he had taken off in search of an emergency bathroom, but didn't make it. I'd have thrown up, too, if I'd been there to watch the whole thing go down.My allergies sprung up within about 20 minutes of touching down this evening....hmmm.....I didn't even make it into the van before starting to itch, and my first run of sneezes hit before I pulled into our driveway.
HOWEVER, all in all we had a really good trip. It rained a bit, but that's OK. We went out and enjoyed the days anyway. We went to the Butchart Gardens, the children's petting zoo, Joshua went to the bug museum (Graeme got some NEAT pictures!)...and we did some walking and sight-seeing, and some swimming in our pool at the hotel. And I made really good use of the gym. :) Oh, and we did lots of sleeping!! It was really good. Some minor troubles with the boys throughout the week, but not anything unlike what we'd see here at home.
I've posted some pictures of our trip on my facebook account. Click below to see the two sets of pictures. There are just WAY too many to upload to my blog!! You can also see quick descriptions with each of the pictures I've put on facebook. For those of you unfamiliar with facebook: If you want to see the descriptions and the full sized versions of the pix, make sure you click on the first picture in each set, then you can scroll down to see the description. You can then click on "next" at the top of each picture to see the next one.
Victoria pictures, Set 1
Victoria pictures, Set 2
Well, that's all the new news for now....must run!!
What a day it was. Dustin and plane rides do not get along. Joshua and napless afternoons do not get along. Graeme and the flu and the last day of holidays do not get along, as it leaves Mama to do all the packing, kid-watching, luggage-lifting, kid-and-luggage-carrying, diaper-changing, entertaining, and cleaning in the hours preceding our departure from Victoria, the ferry ride to Vancouver, the flight home, and the drive home.
I'm glad to be home. I was glad for the holiday, but returning home opens a brand new chapter for us. I just found out the cleaners are coming TOMORROW - ACK! - instead of Tuesday like we expected. Which means I have a boatload of tidying and unpacking to do before morning. And it's off and running tomorrow - J's thing in the a.m., although I might skip depending on how he does tonight (he's super-grumpy and spent a long time tired-crying before bed), etc. And Graeme doesn't think he has someone to cover him tomorrow if he's still sick. He threw up all over the airport this afternoon....eww. I'm glad I wasn't around - he had taken off in search of an emergency bathroom, but didn't make it. I'd have thrown up, too, if I'd been there to watch the whole thing go down.My allergies sprung up within about 20 minutes of touching down this evening....hmmm.....I didn't even make it into the van before starting to itch, and my first run of sneezes hit before I pulled into our driveway.
HOWEVER, all in all we had a really good trip. It rained a bit, but that's OK. We went out and enjoyed the days anyway. We went to the Butchart Gardens, the children's petting zoo, Joshua went to the bug museum (Graeme got some NEAT pictures!)...and we did some walking and sight-seeing, and some swimming in our pool at the hotel. And I made really good use of the gym. :) Oh, and we did lots of sleeping!! It was really good. Some minor troubles with the boys throughout the week, but not anything unlike what we'd see here at home.
I've posted some pictures of our trip on my facebook account. Click below to see the two sets of pictures. There are just WAY too many to upload to my blog!! You can also see quick descriptions with each of the pictures I've put on facebook. For those of you unfamiliar with facebook: If you want to see the descriptions and the full sized versions of the pix, make sure you click on the first picture in each set, then you can scroll down to see the description. You can then click on "next" at the top of each picture to see the next one.
Victoria pictures, Set 1
Victoria pictures, Set 2
Well, that's all the new news for now....must run!!
Monday, May 28, 2007
The end of my proverbial rope...
I have good days, and I have bad days.
What's not good is when the bad days turn into bad weeks...
Yes, my status on facebook says "Melissa is stressed. Long story." I think my status has said that for a few days. I haven't bothered changing it because I haven't had to. :(
Yes, I'm done. I have days/weeks like this where I just wonder, "Where are you, Lord?" I have no peace, I have no rest, I have no joy...in their place are tension and feelings of overwhelm. And cravings. I've been doing so well, but off the wagon I go! *sigh*
I'm exhausted - more mentally than physically. I love my family, but these last few days have been so inconsistent in routines and such that the boys are a disaster...I'm a disaster. All I want is a few moments to be still with God, instead of trying to run around to the next time-sensitive task. It's like all the inflexible things needed to happen all at the same time, and it's wreaking havoc on our home. I hate it. I just want to be still. Just for a few simple moments.
It's not that the things I've been needing to do are stressful in and of themselves - there have been 3 bridal showers for Carly (my almost sister-in-law), a garden to plant (which I had so much fun doing!), lots of prep to do for the boys who will be ring-bearers in the wedding, a big birthday party to go to for some close friends, etc. And Graeme has his pharmacy fiscal year-end coming up this week. I enjoy doing the tasks, but with either Graeme or me constantly coming and going, the boys have no idea which end is up anymore. And they're acting out more (especially Joshua), which makes me resent the busy-ness that's befallen us.
I just want to be still.
"Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10. Oh God, I need stillness right now!!
What's not good is when the bad days turn into bad weeks...
Yes, my status on facebook says "Melissa is stressed. Long story." I think my status has said that for a few days. I haven't bothered changing it because I haven't had to. :(
Yes, I'm done. I have days/weeks like this where I just wonder, "Where are you, Lord?" I have no peace, I have no rest, I have no joy...in their place are tension and feelings of overwhelm. And cravings. I've been doing so well, but off the wagon I go! *sigh*
I'm exhausted - more mentally than physically. I love my family, but these last few days have been so inconsistent in routines and such that the boys are a disaster...I'm a disaster. All I want is a few moments to be still with God, instead of trying to run around to the next time-sensitive task. It's like all the inflexible things needed to happen all at the same time, and it's wreaking havoc on our home. I hate it. I just want to be still. Just for a few simple moments.
It's not that the things I've been needing to do are stressful in and of themselves - there have been 3 bridal showers for Carly (my almost sister-in-law), a garden to plant (which I had so much fun doing!), lots of prep to do for the boys who will be ring-bearers in the wedding, a big birthday party to go to for some close friends, etc. And Graeme has his pharmacy fiscal year-end coming up this week. I enjoy doing the tasks, but with either Graeme or me constantly coming and going, the boys have no idea which end is up anymore. And they're acting out more (especially Joshua), which makes me resent the busy-ness that's befallen us.
I just want to be still.
"Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10. Oh God, I need stillness right now!!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Dresses, rowing, and baby parties
Update: I found an outfit! It's not a dress, but a skirt and a co-ordinating shirt. I got it at Cleo in the mall in Sherwood Park on Monday. Now I just have to find some shoes to go with it...does that mean I did this all backwards, Paige? Eek....
Update: I've officially cut a whole 7 minutes and 46 seconds off of my 10K rowing time in 15 days. Wow... Even I'm amazed. I tell you, though, I think I've met my match in my newest time...I only shaved off 8 seconds yesterday. No, I don't do a 10K every day - I don't have time for that - but maybe every 2nd or 3rd day I do a 10K. And otherwise, I do some 2K or 5K rows. Maybe someday I'll be able (and have the time) to do a marathon row, which is over 41K. Maybe that could be my goal a year from now? I can't imagine how sore my butt would be...
Anyway, I went gardening after my row yesterday - helped Sharon weed and such, and today we (as in I, she's pregnant :) will rototill and move all the compost from the bin into the garden. Then we (yes, both of us) will do some planting. The point is that after my long row yesterday and then the cultivating and gardening, I'm kinda SORE today!!!
Yesterday we had a Moms & Little Ones party at Karen's house. It was so much fun! Sadly, Dustin needed a nap the second we got there (it was sorta planned that way - he got up at 7:30 and I knew he'd be ready for a sleep by 9:30 - perfect!), and so he spent the entire 2 hours of the official party napping! But then he got up and we hung around for a little while. My absolute favorite picture of the day yesterday is the one of Karen snuggling Joshua. He'd gotten in trouble from me for throwing rocks at Charis (and Charis got in trouble for throwing rocks, too)...once I was done with him, he said he would like a hug from Karen. Karen is the angel that transformed my Joshua from a shy, clingy 18-month old into a joyful and more outgoing boy within a matter of weeks. She made him feel safe and loved, and also gave me the courage to leave him even if he was mad at me for doing so!
I must run - I have some facebooking to catch up on - it's very addictive so I try to only go on once a day. I really need to curb my computer time!
Enjoy your day - be blessed!
Update: I've officially cut a whole 7 minutes and 46 seconds off of my 10K rowing time in 15 days. Wow... Even I'm amazed. I tell you, though, I think I've met my match in my newest time...I only shaved off 8 seconds yesterday. No, I don't do a 10K every day - I don't have time for that - but maybe every 2nd or 3rd day I do a 10K. And otherwise, I do some 2K or 5K rows. Maybe someday I'll be able (and have the time) to do a marathon row, which is over 41K. Maybe that could be my goal a year from now? I can't imagine how sore my butt would be...
Anyway, I went gardening after my row yesterday - helped Sharon weed and such, and today we (as in I, she's pregnant :) will rototill and move all the compost from the bin into the garden. Then we (yes, both of us) will do some planting. The point is that after my long row yesterday and then the cultivating and gardening, I'm kinda SORE today!!!
Yesterday we had a Moms & Little Ones party at Karen's house. It was so much fun! Sadly, Dustin needed a nap the second we got there (it was sorta planned that way - he got up at 7:30 and I knew he'd be ready for a sleep by 9:30 - perfect!), and so he spent the entire 2 hours of the official party napping! But then he got up and we hung around for a little while. My absolute favorite picture of the day yesterday is the one of Karen snuggling Joshua. He'd gotten in trouble from me for throwing rocks at Charis (and Charis got in trouble for throwing rocks, too)...once I was done with him, he said he would like a hug from Karen. Karen is the angel that transformed my Joshua from a shy, clingy 18-month old into a joyful and more outgoing boy within a matter of weeks. She made him feel safe and loved, and also gave me the courage to leave him even if he was mad at me for doing so!
I must run - I have some facebooking to catch up on - it's very addictive so I try to only go on once a day. I really need to curb my computer time!
Enjoy your day - be blessed!
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Dress shopping for Jordan & Carly's wedding...
*sigh*
'Nuff said?
I was literally at the mall for 2 1/2 freakishly long hours yesterday...I must've walked miles and miles...
If it's my size, it's strapless. Or spaghetti straps. Sorry, but no thanks.
Or if it's my size, it might be too short. Sorry - I've been told my my physiotherapist that I have "strong" calves...LOL! Yeah, I know I have big legs, thank you very much.
Anything that I really liked...too small. Even if only by one size. And I don't think I'll be able to lose a size in the next two weeks.
Where's my root canal sans anesthetic?
*sob...bawl...pulling hair out*
It was so easy for Jordan's other brothers' weddings - for Graeme's, well, I wore WHITE (hee hee), and for Curtis & Darcy's, I was a bridesmaid. Decisions made! This is a little different...I still need to be beautiful, but nothing I own fits anymore!!! :(
Time for dinner!
'Nuff said?
I was literally at the mall for 2 1/2 freakishly long hours yesterday...I must've walked miles and miles...
If it's my size, it's strapless. Or spaghetti straps. Sorry, but no thanks.
Or if it's my size, it might be too short. Sorry - I've been told my my physiotherapist that I have "strong" calves...LOL! Yeah, I know I have big legs, thank you very much.
Anything that I really liked...too small. Even if only by one size. And I don't think I'll be able to lose a size in the next two weeks.
Where's my root canal sans anesthetic?
*sob...bawl...pulling hair out*
It was so easy for Jordan's other brothers' weddings - for Graeme's, well, I wore WHITE (hee hee), and for Curtis & Darcy's, I was a bridesmaid. Decisions made! This is a little different...I still need to be beautiful, but nothing I own fits anymore!!! :(
Time for dinner!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
New Camera! (and other stuff)
Here are some pictures we took with our new Canon S3IS Camera. We still liked our old camera, but wanted more zoom and faster capabilities...and, the big bonus is that we got it for FREE! Yup, a $450 camera, and a case, for basically nothing - I had to invest about $30 extra into 2 gigs of extra memory - the 16 megabyte card just wasn't going to cut it.
Of course, my favorite subjects are my boys...but I thought I'd throw in a shot of some grapes I took, too. Other than that, the one of Dustin with his finger on his mouth is an example of how he blows kisses. Quite a character!
Other than our new camera, life is...well...going. Have you ever noticed that some days you just keep thinking, and thinking, and thinking....? Well, I had a day like that the other day. My dear friend Karen bore the brunt of a lengthy e-mail that I sent at midnight while I was waiting for laundry to dry. She got the e-mail first thing in the morning, and came and visited me that afternoon. It was nice to have a visitor! At any rate, all is well - my thoughts and ponderings just sometimes get the best of me. *sigh*
The workouts are going quite well. This morning I did a *long* workout - rowed 2K for a warm-up, then spent about 15 minutes on weights, followed by a 10K row. I chose a different tactic for my "long" row today, and it paid off - I finished a full minute and a half ahead of my previous best time, and I didn't even feel like I was pushing as hard as my last 10K!
So, today I played with the 12x optical zoom... different lighting settings, etc... I haven't even read the manual yet, and I'm thrilled! We just picked it up last night.
Of course, my favorite subjects are my boys...but I thought I'd throw in a shot of some grapes I took, too. Other than that, the one of Dustin with his finger on his mouth is an example of how he blows kisses. Quite a character!
Other than our new camera, life is...well...going. Have you ever noticed that some days you just keep thinking, and thinking, and thinking....? Well, I had a day like that the other day. My dear friend Karen bore the brunt of a lengthy e-mail that I sent at midnight while I was waiting for laundry to dry. She got the e-mail first thing in the morning, and came and visited me that afternoon. It was nice to have a visitor! At any rate, all is well - my thoughts and ponderings just sometimes get the best of me. *sigh*
The workouts are going quite well. This morning I did a *long* workout - rowed 2K for a warm-up, then spent about 15 minutes on weights, followed by a 10K row. I chose a different tactic for my "long" row today, and it paid off - I finished a full minute and a half ahead of my previous best time, and I didn't even feel like I was pushing as hard as my last 10K!
My one complaint is that by now, I thought I'd be seeing a difference - it's been 2 weeks or so, and I've been working out almost every day - at least half an hour a day, plus walks with the kids, etc, and absolutely nothing has changed as far as the scale goes. *grr* I know that the scale shouldn't be the measuring stick, they say your clothes should be (and how they fit, etc.), but not even my clothes are noticing a difference! Oh well, at least I know I'm getting into better cardiovascular shape! And....the stress release is good. Excellent. Great. I feel good. There's just too much of me. :)
I must run - I need to cut Graeme's hair, and do a bit of clean-up before bed tonight. Tomorrow is a busy day... the boys have their annual checkups with their pediatrician tomorrow! Sleep well, my sweets!! <--that refers to my boys, not my readers!!
Nighty-night!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Lasagna, anyone?
When I make lasagna, I don't do just one pan. Graeme likes my lasagna, and so whenever a friend has a baby (or needs a meal for other reasons), I make a pan of lasagna for them. I figure, if I'm making a mess anyway, I might as well make an even bigger mess and get a whole schwack of it done! 
So, one pan went to Sandra and her family tonight, and the rest goes in the freezer. I have plans for a couple of the other pans, but then the rest will be easy to pull out for guests or just for an easy dinner for ourselves!
Good thing we like lasagna!
So, one pan went to Sandra and her family tonight, and the rest goes in the freezer. I have plans for a couple of the other pans, but then the rest will be easy to pull out for guests or just for an easy dinner for ourselves!
Good thing we like lasagna!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Crash!
Well, the last several nights have gone well. Good workouts. Resolve not to eat after a certain time at night. Tonight, different story.
Today I felt that I shouldn't work out - I wanted to, but my body was telling me that if I did, I'd likely put myself further back than where I started from a couple weeks ago. I'm not used to a consistency of such good workouts, and I can sense my body would not do so well if I worked out again tonight. So, I skipped a night. Not bad, I think I've done 3 days on, one day off, 3 days on, then tonight off.
Well, my resolution not to eat after 8 p.m. fell miserably tonight, too. Now I feel icky.
The connection? Work out, and I won't be tempted to snack after dinner.
Not that there's anything wrong with snacking after dinner - no sir-ee! But, for me, I need to totally curb pre-bedtime calories. That's just another 'minor' change in my lifestyle that will hopefully help me to be more fit overall. This is not to say that I can never indulge past 8 p.m. - just under normal circumstances (i.e. at home when there's no special occasion like a birthday), I really shouldn't.
*sigh* It was actually a tough day. Joshua has been tough after his naps these last couple of days. Very defiant, and very destructive towards Dustin. Yesterday he deliberately slammed Dustin's hand in the dishwasher not once, but twice, before I could get there. (J opened the dishwasher and Dustin stuck his hand in, and WHAM!) Today, he ran over Dustin with his car. Knew exactly what he was doing. It makes me sad that Joshua would be so mean towards his little buddy.
Tomorrow, Graeme has the day off. Maybe I can actually get some things done around here. I've been putting off cleaning up some of the hot spots in the house. What I really would like is an entire day sans children so I could get it all done. Even at that, one day might not do it. But it would help!
I must get to bed. 7:00 will come all too early!
'Nighty-night...ZZZZZzzzzzz......
Today I felt that I shouldn't work out - I wanted to, but my body was telling me that if I did, I'd likely put myself further back than where I started from a couple weeks ago. I'm not used to a consistency of such good workouts, and I can sense my body would not do so well if I worked out again tonight. So, I skipped a night. Not bad, I think I've done 3 days on, one day off, 3 days on, then tonight off.
Well, my resolution not to eat after 8 p.m. fell miserably tonight, too. Now I feel icky.
The connection? Work out, and I won't be tempted to snack after dinner.
Not that there's anything wrong with snacking after dinner - no sir-ee! But, for me, I need to totally curb pre-bedtime calories. That's just another 'minor' change in my lifestyle that will hopefully help me to be more fit overall. This is not to say that I can never indulge past 8 p.m. - just under normal circumstances (i.e. at home when there's no special occasion like a birthday), I really shouldn't.
*sigh* It was actually a tough day. Joshua has been tough after his naps these last couple of days. Very defiant, and very destructive towards Dustin. Yesterday he deliberately slammed Dustin's hand in the dishwasher not once, but twice, before I could get there. (J opened the dishwasher and Dustin stuck his hand in, and WHAM!) Today, he ran over Dustin with his car. Knew exactly what he was doing. It makes me sad that Joshua would be so mean towards his little buddy.
Tomorrow, Graeme has the day off. Maybe I can actually get some things done around here. I've been putting off cleaning up some of the hot spots in the house. What I really would like is an entire day sans children so I could get it all done. Even at that, one day might not do it. But it would help!
I must get to bed. 7:00 will come all too early!
'Nighty-night...ZZZZZzzzzzz......
Monday, May 7, 2007
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Whew - I just finished a 10K row (plus a 5-minute warmup and post-workout stretching). I feel GOOD!
I started the day with a migraine. You might wonder if I was crazy, going for a row after a day like today! Well, I didn't work out yesterday, but really wanted to today.
Yup, so I woke with a migraine. Haven't had a full-blown migraine since Daysland. Nursed Dustin, then laid him back in his crib, hoping he'd go back to sleep long enough so I could grab a shower and pray that my headache went away.
Just as I was laying Dustin back in his crib (it was 'late', 7:00 a.m. - he was ready to start his day, but I wasn't), Joshua woke up. I figured he'd be good to play in his room for a few minutes. And that Dustin wasn't likely to sleep again, but he could at least play in his crib. So I got my shower, and still felt worse afterwards. It was so bad I thought I was going to puke.
My doctor suspected (from a previous appointment) that I might be tending towards these silly things again, so he gave me a 'sample' of a fast-acting migraine pill called Amerge. I was glad to have it on hand. After calling my friendly neighborhood pharmacist *hee hee, that'd be Graeme* to ask about potential interactions and such, I was told I should just take the thing. I'm glad I did. I had a busy morning ahead which included other people besides my kids depending on me to make the day 'work'. Within an hour the edge had been taken down and I could at least function.
By around 1 p.m. I was feeling mostly better, but just exhausted. I was so thankful that both boys had long naps - I was able to get a 2-hour nap myself (forget about the housework today!) and woke up feeling like a new person, pretty much. Thank you, Amerge, Advil, and Tylenol! :) (Actually, it's more like, "Thank you, God!")
So yeah, it was a busy, intense day, and I was really looking forward to some exercise. I felt like I paced myself well, and I felt really strong even up to 6000m. Faded around 7,000, though, but mentally pushed through it and finished well. Unfortunately, blisters have now appeared on my hands - I've lost my tough farm-girl hands! :(
Time to finish unwinding and head to bed - busy day again tomorrow!
I started the day with a migraine. You might wonder if I was crazy, going for a row after a day like today! Well, I didn't work out yesterday, but really wanted to today.
Yup, so I woke with a migraine. Haven't had a full-blown migraine since Daysland. Nursed Dustin, then laid him back in his crib, hoping he'd go back to sleep long enough so I could grab a shower and pray that my headache went away.
Just as I was laying Dustin back in his crib (it was 'late', 7:00 a.m. - he was ready to start his day, but I wasn't), Joshua woke up. I figured he'd be good to play in his room for a few minutes. And that Dustin wasn't likely to sleep again, but he could at least play in his crib. So I got my shower, and still felt worse afterwards. It was so bad I thought I was going to puke.
My doctor suspected (from a previous appointment) that I might be tending towards these silly things again, so he gave me a 'sample' of a fast-acting migraine pill called Amerge. I was glad to have it on hand. After calling my friendly neighborhood pharmacist *hee hee, that'd be Graeme* to ask about potential interactions and such, I was told I should just take the thing. I'm glad I did. I had a busy morning ahead which included other people besides my kids depending on me to make the day 'work'. Within an hour the edge had been taken down and I could at least function.
By around 1 p.m. I was feeling mostly better, but just exhausted. I was so thankful that both boys had long naps - I was able to get a 2-hour nap myself (forget about the housework today!) and woke up feeling like a new person, pretty much. Thank you, Amerge, Advil, and Tylenol! :) (Actually, it's more like, "Thank you, God!")
So yeah, it was a busy, intense day, and I was really looking forward to some exercise. I felt like I paced myself well, and I felt really strong even up to 6000m. Faded around 7,000, though, but mentally pushed through it and finished well. Unfortunately, blisters have now appeared on my hands - I've lost my tough farm-girl hands! :(
Time to finish unwinding and head to bed - busy day again tomorrow!
Saturday, May 5, 2007
I won an award!
I received the "Thinking Blogger" award from my friend Paige. Now I get to pass it on to 5 more people who've somehow inspired me with their blogs.Problem is, I don't know too many bloggers. Not personally, anyway. And, two of the bloggers I do know have already received the Thinking Blogger Award. Regardless, I'm going to present the "Thinking Blogger Award to:
Paige - re-receives this award for her commitment to prolife work and her defense of the precious little ones who cant' defend themselves. She has a heart for God that continually presses into Him even when the darkness falls. With 5 young children (she homeschools, too), she is my Mom-Hero.
Jen - has already won this award too, but I'm giving it to her again. She was in my youth group when we lived in Daysland. She has since "all growed up" and gotten married. It's been fun following her journey.
Sharon - is a fellow stamping addict and awesome friend. She just started her blog. She is about to have an exciting year! She challenges me in loads of areas - many of which neither of us would blog about - some things are meant to stay just between friends!
Stacy - a fellow stamper as well. She has some great ideas and techniques on her blog, if you're a crafty one!
That's about it - I know that's not 5 people, but really...seriously...c'mon! I could 'award' loads of other bloggers whom I've never met, but I don't really want to do that...
Congratulations!
Finishing well
I did another "row" tonight. Yesterday I did my first 5000m row, and tonight I decided to pace myself against yesterday's row to see if I can improve it. Well, I cut almost 2 whole minutes off yesterday's time! 1:53, to be exact. It felt good! So good, in fact, that I then hopped over to push some weights, then did about 5 more minutes of cardio to loosen up again before stretching.
It would be nice if I could have an hour to work out every day...but that's not likely to happen. So I'll take what I can get when I have a few minutes, and on the days where I can do an extended workout, I'll enjoy that, too!
As for finishing well, exercising is not the only place I should finish well in. Yes, it's a good sense of accomplishment to exceed previous efforts. Definitely. But what about exceeding previous 'efforts' in my spiritual walk? I mean, with two little kids, it's hard to spend extended time daily in God's Word and in prayer. I know that God's calling on my life is to raise these two precious wee ones, and so He will understand if I can't take an hour every day to read the Bible. But, I've learned that changing diapers is an act of worship - it's selflessness. Cleaning up dishes is service to God, too. Even *shudder* dusting or cleaning the bathrooms. The key is my attitude. Am I bitter about the call that God has on my life? Oops. Better straighten that out if I'm going to be used even further of Him!
I hope that one day, when I stand before Him, He will tell me that I finished well!!
It would be nice if I could have an hour to work out every day...but that's not likely to happen. So I'll take what I can get when I have a few minutes, and on the days where I can do an extended workout, I'll enjoy that, too!
As for finishing well, exercising is not the only place I should finish well in. Yes, it's a good sense of accomplishment to exceed previous efforts. Definitely. But what about exceeding previous 'efforts' in my spiritual walk? I mean, with two little kids, it's hard to spend extended time daily in God's Word and in prayer. I know that God's calling on my life is to raise these two precious wee ones, and so He will understand if I can't take an hour every day to read the Bible. But, I've learned that changing diapers is an act of worship - it's selflessness. Cleaning up dishes is service to God, too. Even *shudder* dusting or cleaning the bathrooms. The key is my attitude. Am I bitter about the call that God has on my life? Oops. Better straighten that out if I'm going to be used even further of Him!
I hope that one day, when I stand before Him, He will tell me that I finished well!!
Friday, May 4, 2007
Melancholy & Euphoria
What a day! Yikes!
Dustin was up no less than 6 times last night. He was on some meds for the infection he had. He had a fever for over 48 hours, and then I discovered some lumps behind his ears and on the nape of his neck. The doctor prescribed Biaxin (antibiotic) after finding that Dustin's lungs were really congested and messy. Well, after 3 doses, who breaks into this wonderful rash? Yup, my Dustin. Got him to the doctor just before lunchtime today - it was almost certain that the meds caused his rash. So, now Dustin is off the meds. Dustin is still a little gunky in his chest, and the lumps are still there behind his ears, but the doctor thinks now that maybe it was viral after all. I think the meds messed with his sleep, too...really, six times?? CRAZY!
So my day started a little, umm, exhausted. Joshua, poor kid - woke up calling for his Daddy. He was a *little* upset that his Daddy wasn't there to get him up. "I want Daddy! I don't want you!" He wasn't yelling, just stating the facts. Poor guy is just too young yet to understand that it's going to be another whole entire day before Daddy is home again. So anyway, I crawled into bed with Joshua, I was so exhausted, and read books to him. Then I dozed off while he hopped out of bed and played in his room. It was the most solid 'sleep' I'd gotten all night.
I did get a nap this afternoon, though. A whole hour!!
I took the kids out after their afternoon naps - we went for a drive, then went to the mall to pick up a couple things. Then, WHAM, while at the mall, I was hit with some kind of awful cramps that were all too reminiscent of my stint with endometriosis prior to having Joshua. Thankfully I was on my way to Gramma & Grampa's house with the kids right after that - I got my hot little hands on some Tylenol, and life looked much better after half an hour. Whew! All I can say is that if I end up with the same level of endometriosis pain again as before, I don't think I'll be able to handle it. I'll be keeping my ob/gyn's phone number in my speed dial!
So, YAY, I've been working out! Hey Paige - we got a rowing machine! I'd always toyed with the idea after enjoying it at the gym several years ago, and then you said you'd gotten one. That's why I was picking your brain about it. :) We got a Concept 2, too - and I love it. I made about 2 dozen phone calls and checked out several other units, but kept coming back to this one. LOVE it!! Graeme is hoping to get into it, too - we've only had it for about 3 days, and I've kind of been hogging it (and he's also gone). It's the first piece of 'quality' cardio equipment we've ever invested in. We have a bike that we paid about $100 for about 9 or 10 years ago. And we bought a Wal-Mart elliptical about 3 or 4 years ago. 'Nuff said. Graeme's happy that the rowing machine is working out nicely. The manual says to only do 5 minutes for the first couple times out...yeah, right!! Too much fun to stop! I've done three 2000m sessions, and one 5000m session, in 3 days. I can sure *feel* the workouts, but it feels great! I hope to be a new person in a month's time. What's your favorite feature about your machine, Paige?
I'm also training for what my summer camp is calling a duathlon, a fundraising athletic event on June 16th. It's going to be about a 20km bike, followed by a 5km run. I've got a lot of work to do to be ready, but I've committed, and I want to make it work! I love having goals to work towards, rather than just "get on the bike and go for however long I want to". Ya know? I also know that the rowing will provide some good cross-training in preparation for the event. Graeme is also going to do the duathlon, but he's going to bike the entire way. "Graeme" and "run" don't belong in the same sentence, unless, of course the word "Schwann's" is also included. Daysland story, I'll tell it sometime, if I haven't already. Remind me, though!
I miss Graeme. I miss him not just for the help he gives me with the kids, either...I miss having him around! Nothing's the same! Only 24 more hours...he should be home around this time tomorrow night.
Time to get into some comfy clothes and get some work done. I've got some laundry to fold, a kitchen to finish cleaning up, some music to memorize, and maybe some organizing to do in the crawl space, if I last that long. One thing is for sure - no more rowing tonight. I already did my 'big' session today, and I'm definitely feeling it. Like I said, though - it feels good!
G'night!
Dustin was up no less than 6 times last night. He was on some meds for the infection he had. He had a fever for over 48 hours, and then I discovered some lumps behind his ears and on the nape of his neck. The doctor prescribed Biaxin (antibiotic) after finding that Dustin's lungs were really congested and messy. Well, after 3 doses, who breaks into this wonderful rash? Yup, my Dustin. Got him to the doctor just before lunchtime today - it was almost certain that the meds caused his rash. So, now Dustin is off the meds. Dustin is still a little gunky in his chest, and the lumps are still there behind his ears, but the doctor thinks now that maybe it was viral after all. I think the meds messed with his sleep, too...really, six times?? CRAZY!
So my day started a little, umm, exhausted. Joshua, poor kid - woke up calling for his Daddy. He was a *little* upset that his Daddy wasn't there to get him up. "I want Daddy! I don't want you!" He wasn't yelling, just stating the facts. Poor guy is just too young yet to understand that it's going to be another whole entire day before Daddy is home again. So anyway, I crawled into bed with Joshua, I was so exhausted, and read books to him. Then I dozed off while he hopped out of bed and played in his room. It was the most solid 'sleep' I'd gotten all night.
I did get a nap this afternoon, though. A whole hour!!
I took the kids out after their afternoon naps - we went for a drive, then went to the mall to pick up a couple things. Then, WHAM, while at the mall, I was hit with some kind of awful cramps that were all too reminiscent of my stint with endometriosis prior to having Joshua. Thankfully I was on my way to Gramma & Grampa's house with the kids right after that - I got my hot little hands on some Tylenol, and life looked much better after half an hour. Whew! All I can say is that if I end up with the same level of endometriosis pain again as before, I don't think I'll be able to handle it. I'll be keeping my ob/gyn's phone number in my speed dial!
So, YAY, I've been working out! Hey Paige - we got a rowing machine! I'd always toyed with the idea after enjoying it at the gym several years ago, and then you said you'd gotten one. That's why I was picking your brain about it. :) We got a Concept 2, too - and I love it. I made about 2 dozen phone calls and checked out several other units, but kept coming back to this one. LOVE it!! Graeme is hoping to get into it, too - we've only had it for about 3 days, and I've kind of been hogging it (and he's also gone). It's the first piece of 'quality' cardio equipment we've ever invested in. We have a bike that we paid about $100 for about 9 or 10 years ago. And we bought a Wal-Mart elliptical about 3 or 4 years ago. 'Nuff said. Graeme's happy that the rowing machine is working out nicely. The manual says to only do 5 minutes for the first couple times out...yeah, right!! Too much fun to stop! I've done three 2000m sessions, and one 5000m session, in 3 days. I can sure *feel* the workouts, but it feels great! I hope to be a new person in a month's time. What's your favorite feature about your machine, Paige?
I'm also training for what my summer camp is calling a duathlon, a fundraising athletic event on June 16th. It's going to be about a 20km bike, followed by a 5km run. I've got a lot of work to do to be ready, but I've committed, and I want to make it work! I love having goals to work towards, rather than just "get on the bike and go for however long I want to". Ya know? I also know that the rowing will provide some good cross-training in preparation for the event. Graeme is also going to do the duathlon, but he's going to bike the entire way. "Graeme" and "run" don't belong in the same sentence, unless, of course the word "Schwann's" is also included. Daysland story, I'll tell it sometime, if I haven't already. Remind me, though!
I miss Graeme. I miss him not just for the help he gives me with the kids, either...I miss having him around! Nothing's the same! Only 24 more hours...he should be home around this time tomorrow night.
Time to get into some comfy clothes and get some work done. I've got some laundry to fold, a kitchen to finish cleaning up, some music to memorize, and maybe some organizing to do in the crawl space, if I last that long. One thing is for sure - no more rowing tonight. I already did my 'big' session today, and I'm definitely feeling it. Like I said, though - it feels good!
G'night!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Lonely weekend...
Graeme is out of town for a pharmacist conference in Banff. Lucky duck...gets to go to the mountains... can't say I'm looking forward to being alone for two nights (maybe three) with the kids. I'm a suck when it comes to being alone in a big old scary house at night, especially with two vulnerable tiny children. Paige, I don't know how you do it with five littles when Neil's out of town! You're my hero!
I know that my God is mighty to protect, but still, my human nature gets the best of me sometimes.
The 'weekend alone' got off to a bang this morning. Dustin was up a lot last night (on account of being sick, or maybe on account of medication side effects), and was up at 5:00 this morning, and was completely uninterested in going back to sleep. He was up till 7:15 or so. I had to take J to gymnastics this morning, and then get some groceries before Graeme left at noon. There's nothing like starting off a weekend like this on a completely deprivation in the sleep department. *sigh*.
Ironic...I'm listening to a song we have to learn for ensemble tonight. As I typed that last sentence, the line that played was "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me / Grace can pull down strongholds of the enemy / I will stand and fight until the victory / for He's greater"
Okay, Lord, I get it now...
I know that my God is mighty to protect, but still, my human nature gets the best of me sometimes.
The 'weekend alone' got off to a bang this morning. Dustin was up a lot last night (on account of being sick, or maybe on account of medication side effects), and was up at 5:00 this morning, and was completely uninterested in going back to sleep. He was up till 7:15 or so. I had to take J to gymnastics this morning, and then get some groceries before Graeme left at noon. There's nothing like starting off a weekend like this on a completely deprivation in the sleep department. *sigh*.
Ironic...I'm listening to a song we have to learn for ensemble tonight. As I typed that last sentence, the line that played was "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me / Grace can pull down strongholds of the enemy / I will stand and fight until the victory / for He's greater"
Okay, Lord, I get it now...
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