Friday, March 28, 2008

Hhhmmmm...not liking it...

As you can see, I played around with the colours on my blog. Stud has been going to design something better for me for the past year or so...but you know. His "honey-do" list is about a mile long, so who knows when he can do it.

So please be patient until I get it looking nicer.

Thanks!

This is the first weekend in months that we don't have hockey, so we may actually get some things accomplished around the house. Stud and I are about to leave for a date.

What are we doing for our date, you ask??

Well, I am truly excited because we get to scratch off some of our list. We are going to Home Depot to price some household things that we need to acquire very shortly.

Stud wanted to go to a movie or something, but I feel like now is our chance to get some of this stuff taken care of, right??

Right. Maybe we can squeeze in a movie as well.

Have a great weekend everyone! I hope ours is productive. This place is getting to be a sty and needs a lot of elbow grease and co-operation to get looking organised and homey again:)

Monday, March 24, 2008

*whew*

Well, it is official. Hockey season is finally over here in our household!

Jock and Princess have both had their year-end parties and received their trophies, certificates, badges, medals, etc. The year-end bash was this past weekend and there are no more games or practises! YAHOO!

So now we settle in for signing up for summer camps and classes such as power skating, 3 on 3 and whatever else the kids want to work on. Stud's team will continue to play and I am sure go through the summer months. He tends to play all year long to have fun and stay fit.


Princess had a really fun first year and cried at her last game this past Tuesday! She wants her Dad to coach her team again next year, but Jock also wants him to since this is the first year Stud did not coach Jock's team. Should be an interesting season this coming fall...

Easter is over. Which is so weird to me. It should not even be for at least another ten days as far as I am concerned. Stud had a hard time juggling his coaching/playing with his rehearsals for the Easter Production at church. He misses a lot of hockey, which says a lot since he loves it so much!

He was Jesus again this year and did an awesome job, as usual! Right after the last performance yesterday afternoon, he shaved that nonsense off his face! That was a relief for him AND me:)










Princess was in the production for the first time this year and LOVED IT! First time she was in a production at church, SHE was baby Jesus at two months of age in our Christmas production in 2000. Then she was a Shepard when she was three and Clown chickened out when he was going to be in the Christmas play. She always asks to take acting classes and I can't find a place I like well enough or that is close enough. I need to check into it more. None of the kids had speaking parts or anything. You can see her in this photo, up on the big screen. The children ran to Jesus and did ring-around-the-Rosy around him. SO CUTE!








Here he is on the cross. This camera did not do well with the lighting. Doesn't help that I don't know what I am doing with it! ARG!!!












Here is Stud...I mean JESUS...coming out of the tomb. It always choked me up in years past and gave me goosebumps when it is someone else. Since Stud does it now, it is different. Makes a difference when you are married to Jesus, ya know?? LOL







Princess and Jock by the tomb after the performance was over and Princess was out of her costume and into her Easter Finery. I let Jock wear whatever he wanted for the first year and this is what he chose, which was fine by me!





Clown and Cryptic had to stay at home. Clown has had some odd stomach thing going on for over a month now. Been to the Doc three times and they still don't know what is wrong. I will post about it soon.


When Princess and Stud got up before everyone and left for church early, Princess saw that the Easter Bunny had hidden goodies in her closet! One of the things she got was this skipping rope. She calls it a "jump rope" but when I grew up in Canada, we always called them "skipping ropes". My kids make fun of me:( *sniff*




The handles have candy in them, are shaped like butterflies and it plays music! Dode life get any better!?!?

Here is my sick little man, finding his treats from the EB.








I love how he still adores Stuffed animals. He and Princess need more like they need a kick in the head. But for some reason the EB brought them each THREE NEW ONES!?!? A big bunny, a small bunny and a stuffed chicky that chirps. They sit by the hour together playing games with all their stuffed friends and I want it to last as long as possible. Look at his face...he LOVES this cuddly guy!







Uh oh...it appears there is some screaming going on and people are fighting. *sigh* I knew this lasted too long.

Have a great week everyone and I hope you all had a lovely easter!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Hair Help

Ok peeps, I need some help. I am attempting to grow my hair long. I want a cute style in the meantime, something easy. I can't seem to have that. My hair is a huge, out of control fluff ball. When I was a kid, it was neat and tidy. *****

Ok, that didn't work! LOL What you see is a picture of my Dad when he was 21. Handsome, eh?? Ok...ummmm...I have no pics of me as a little kid, but I took this from a site one of my brothers made. So if you see the little scrolly thing on the left, just click on the one that says "Four kids" and that is me with my brothers. That is the photo I am referring to! LOL

Then this next one when I was ten, is the one titled "Later that Day". See how calm it was?? I wish my hair was like it is in "Six of Us". WOW! Talk about easy maintenance! LOL


I asked for help here although I guess that was mainly about colour. It seems to me, that my hair was a tad more calm then?? I am telling myself that the more length it has, the heavier it is, which assists with the frizz factor. I never used to have this problem, as the photos of me as a toddler and a tween prove, right??

SO WHAT HAPPENED!??! Was it the hormones from the pregnancies??

As I said, when Cryptic was a baby, it was SO NICE. I just had nice long curls going down my back. Calm and tidy, nothing fluffing out. I have some video of me with him that I can see if I can get Stud to put on here. I can't find photos, but I have some video.

When I started growing my bangs out, it was still not too crazy, right??

I am not sure what to do. I want it longer until I can lose at least 15 lbs. I always think my face seems more fat and it hides my chins if it is long. Yet I CANNOT STAND it and pull it back most often anyway. So I guess it doesn't really matter. I can't do anything cute with it. Can't put cute headbands or clips in it. That is HYSTERICAL! I know, for a laugh sometime, I should post photos of me with various doo-dads and pretty things in there. MAN! Talk about DUMB looking!

Can't wear hats or anything, cause it just mushes it all down and a huge afro pops out the bottom! People actually approach me on a regular basis and say things like, "Have you thought of using conditioner??" or "Have you tried *insert name of product here* on your hair??" I love the conditioner one! I am always tempted to slap my leg and shout, "CONDITIONER! MAN! Why didn't I ever think of that!??! Thank you SO MUCH!"

Conditioner! If I didn't use conditioner, there is now way I would be able to get my fingers through the dang rat's nest to do anything at all with it! Like rinse!

I want the TOTAL truth on which looks better. I had Jock take some photos of me getting things done in the kitchen today. Ignore the mess and the zits on my face. My thyroid is still throwing me for a loop!

I had it like I often wear it, just back out of the way. It is a LARGE fluffball on the back of my head and I think it looks silly, but it is nice to have it away from my face. He took from a few different angles. We never did get it really from the back, which might be a good idea. Ah well, he is gone now and I need to leave soon to meet him and Stud at the End of Season hockey party. He should get his trophy tonight!


Up ~











Then he took some of it down.




















You can see how nuts it is! Imagine if I did not use countless hair products!?!? I have balms, lotions, creams, straighteners, etc that I put it in every time I wash it. If I blow dry it, it dries it out and fluffs out even more, so I have not attempted that in YEARS. No way I can brush it. I use a pick and pick it out after it is washed and then don't attempt anything else unlil I wash it again. The more it is handled, the more it fluffs up. My hair dresser works with me ALL THE TIME to try and calm it down and we always try new improved products. When she is done with it, it is a tad calmer. I think it is because I sit under one of those dryer things for a while. I don't have one of those. She confirms what I always knew; NEVER use a blow dryer on it!

Any theories on what on earth happened to the calm hair??

Thanks for any help or advice. I just love it pulled away from my face cause it feels better, but have had people tell me that I don't look nice that way:( Kind of hurts my feelings, but I do want to know. So if I leave it down, people laugh at me and make comments about how funny looking it is! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!?!?!?

Ok thanks! Have a great weekend!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Any ideas??

Ok, I wonder if any of my readers may want to hazard a guess as to why the following phenomenon happens.

Any time I am in public with any of my family, Stud included, they stop walking when I stop walking. We can be just walking along and I stop to look at something and EVERYONE stops. They just stand there. I can stop to scratch my toe, adjust bags or things I am carrying to be more comfortable. Anything. They all instantly stop and just stand there like they are helpless! They actually appear to be in a tad bit of a panic over the fact that I stop!?!?!?

The other day when we were out at the Mall, I bought myself a drink from Starbucks. The Starbucks is just outside the Mall entrance that we were about to enter. As we were walking along toward the doors, I was trying to put my change back in my wallet, then put it in my purse, as I was attempting to hold my hot drink and not spill it. We got to the doors, and I stopped and stepped to the side, waiting for Stud or one of the bigger kids to open the door, so that we could all walk through and I could still be getting all these things adjusted. Everyone else just halted. And stood there. Looking at the closed doors and staring at ME, struggling with full hands and totally unable to open said door!?!?!?

As I was talking toward the door, I KNEW it would happen. I experience it SO MANY times and each time I just hope and pray that they can GRAB A CLUE and do something of their own volition. I willed it not to happen this time. Didn't work! Yet if I ever state the obvious, because no one else appears to be aware of it, I get groans and sighs and rolling eyes (oooo cool, that rhymes!) and everyone acts like they KNOW. So when I don't say anything, giving them the chance to PROVE that they "know", they in fact DO NOT know. ANYTHING. LOL

They are all perfectly smart people. Brilliant brains in those noggins. Yet they can't just look and see someone with their hands full and OPEN THE BLOODY DOOR!?!? I ALWAYS open doors for strangers, as well as Stud and the kids. I help people with things if they drop them, etc. So it is not like my kids never see anything like that occur. And what is Stud's excuse!??! Honestly, he is as bad as the kids. Sometimes I almost cry about it. I get SO frustrated. No one listens to me or takes my advice, yet when we are in public all five of them act like they are lost without me and I am in total control and let's just follow along like robots and not think for ourselves?!?!?!

So yeah. I hate that. It truly grinds on my nerves. I mean, can they not just use their powers of observation and note that my hands are full, maybe I can't open the door???? And even if I could, it is possible to just open it anyway?? And the stopping walking inside the stores. Really! It is SO WEIRD!?!? They all cluster around me and can't seem to just look around on their own. Even Stud. SERIOUSLY!


*sigh*

I mean the younger two kids I can understand a little bit. I have always taught the kids to stay close and be where I can see them, and all that jazz. So I can KIND OF get that.

So I wondered if anyone has any idea what my freaky family's problem is!?!?

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Iditarod and randomness

We have had an exciting week. Clown and Princess are following the Iditarod Race in their Monday morning "Adventures Around the Globe" class.

They were each assigned a Musher and we get to check many times a day to see where they are. If you go here you can follow along too. It is pretty fun!

Clown's Musher is Mitch Seavey. He is 47 and has done this race 14 times! He has won at least once, maybe more. Can't remember right now. One night before we went to bed, he was in 24th place. He had been much further ahead than that, so Clown was a little concerned. I told him not to worry, he knows what he is doing. I had a feeling he would have passed quite a few other teams by morning. When we went to bed, I said to Clown that the Internet said that Mitch was going really fast. I said I bet he was going to go strong all night and would be way ahead in the morning.

We got up the next morning to check and Mitch was in 1st place! Clown was SO EXCITED! We both commented how we knew he would surpass some people, but we had no idea it would be THAT good! We talked about how tired he and the dogs must be and how much strategy and training is involved. It has been really fun to keep up with all this, read some books about it and discuss it with the kids. We read articles on the site and look at photos from the trail.

We are anxious to get to class on Monday morning and see how some of the other kids' mushers have done. If anyone's musher scratches, they just choose another one. The week after next, a Musher is coming with a dog and all the equipment to show all of us! Clown and Princess can hardly stand it! In class this coming Monday, the kids are going to sew booties for the dogs:)

Mitch has fallen far back to 24th and 25th again a few times, but as things stand now, he is in 3rd. I guess from what I have read, his dogs are not doing very well, so he is taking it easy and not pushing them.

Princess has a woman assigned to her named Heather Siirtola. This is only her 2nd Iditarod, so when she was really lagging, Clown tried to encourage Princess and reminded her that Mitch has more experience and not to feel bad. Although you can tell he is pleased with Mitch being so far ahead and he will sometimes make some comments to Princess to try and upset her. Overall, he is nice about it. You know how big brothers can be!

Princess asks to see where Heather is every morning and at night before she goes to bed, she wants to know where she is and wonders if the dogs and her are doing a mandatory lay over or if they are out on the trail. She is pretty worried about them being out in the dark and the cold, but I have assured her it is quite warm there this year. Some years there are horrible blizzards and it is really cold, but it is actually quite balmy this year, from what I hear.

So that is mostly what is going on here. We all went to the Mall today to hang around and see if there was anything to get. I had a gift card for Libby Lu and wanted to let Princess spend that. Then I thought the boys could each choose something as well.

We NEVER go to the Mall together. So it was fun. We are traumatized from doing it when the kids were younger, I think. Not that they are bad kids, they are great. It is just kind of chaotic with them all excited and pointing and talking at once. Now that they are older it is a little more pleasant.

Princess ended up in the "Pooch Parlor" at the store and choose a little dog and some little things that go along with him. You know, normal things for a stuffed dog. T-Shirt, bag to carry him in, collar etc. The things they come up with now! He is really cute and she named him "Wrinkles". She was also excited to spend some allowance she had saved up. She bought a used video game for her DS Lite that Santa brought her this past Christmas. Of course it is a dog game:)

Stud is buying Clown and Cryptic a game that they both want really bad. It comes out tomorrow, so they have to wait. While we were in the store, we discovered that they are doing some kind of tournament where people can come tonight and play the game and win prizes. So that is where Stud and Cryptic are now. You have to be 13 to play, so Clown was a little bit sad about that. OH! Stud just called and said that Cryptic made it through the first round. I guess 24 people played, then the ones that lose will be out. Then those 12 play, then they keep on that way. I hope Cryptic makes it pretty far, he would be so excited! I hope he wins something too:) One of the prizes is $5,000 CASH! There is a Plasma TV, a Wii, and some other fun things. Stud is not clear if winners are entered in a drawing or what the deal is.

So before we all came back here so that Stud and Cryptic could go back for this tournament, we wandered into the Apple computer Store and Stud offered to buy me thislittle shuffle. We got the red one. HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?

I LOVE that colour:) I am a purple/blue lover usually and I adore the lilac and turquoise hues. But something about this red just really struck me. So he has it charging now, after putting some of my beloved Celtic music on it for me:) I am SO EXCITED! How sweet is he?? I had no idea *I* was going to get a treat today:) teehee


Jock didn't get anything new, but is going to help pay for a new hockey stick soon. I think he is sad that he didn't get anything today, but he DID pay $50 for a new video game the other day that he is playing right as I type this. He had saved his allowance for quite a while, so it is not like he is deprived:) I know he likely thinks he is:) The stick he wants is $180! So Stud will pay for some of that. He told Jock that if he made a certain # of points in hockey this season that he would buy him a new stick. Poor Jock is ONE SHORT of the agreed upon #, so if he wants the stick, he will have to pay for some. Stud won't buy him one that expensive anyway! LOL Even though Jock will try and convince him to.


Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend!

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Crazy Eights

Crazy Eights...Jinny tagged me!
8 Things I'm Passionate About:

God (sometimes. I need to get better about that. Seem to have been in a funk since my baby brother died:( I also want to find a different church)
Stud(although, I need to pay him more attention too. Tending to take him for granted again lately)
Cryptic
Jock
Clown
Princess
Reading
Looking for land to live on

8 Things I Want To Do Before I Die:

Go to Ireland
Find some land to live on and raise my kids in the fresh air with lots of room to run, just like I was allowed when I was a kid. I feel like it is almost too late, they are getting so much older:(
Go to the Bahamas and Mexico.
Go on a Cruise
Have grandchildren and spend as much time bonding with them as possible
Make peace with some family who are upset at me for some reason that I STILL do not understand:(
Visit the Holy Land
Go to as many orphanages as possible and take the children good food, books, warm blankets and lots of love.




8 Things I Say Often:

I love you!
Who left this here??
Why are there dirty socks all over the house and whose are they??
Can you PLEASE just put this away??
STOP IT!
Good job!
Stud, can you please get off the couch, quit watching hockey, and help me??
Yes, you can! Just keep on trying, you can do anything you put your mind to.



8 Books I've Read Recently:

Currently I am on book four of "The Belgariad" by David Eddings
Currently reading "Reviving Ophelia" by Mary Pipher
Almost done "Greywalker" by Kat Richardson. I put it aside to read the others and now Cryptic is annoyed, because he wants me to finish so that we can discuss it.
"365 ways to Raise Confident Kids".
"Hunger Free Forever"
"23 Minutes in Hel.l" by Bill Wiese
"The Living, Breathing Human Body Book" (reading it with the kids in our Science)
A few I can't recall the names of that I just got for free at a Home School class.




8 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over:

The Rising of the Sun
Siuil a Ruin (I can't make the little marks go where they need to!)
Gaudete
Ceann Dubh Dilis
Fionnghuala
Dulaman
The Flower of Maherally
Lately I rediscovered "The Wild Colonial Boy". I love it because my Dad used to sing it to us kids when we were very young and I thought his voice was the most amazing singing voice that ever existed. I still do:) I wish I could hear HIM sing it again, but the one I found on tape will have to do for now. Dad, if you read this, PLEASE sing it on a tape so I can always have it, ok??




8 Things That Attract Me to my Best Friends:

They "get" me. I am very sarcastic and people can either deal with it or they can't. If they can't, then we tend not to "click".
Empathy. I can't deal well with people who have no empathy.
Compassion. Same thing, I guess.
Morals. If they drink and swear, are dishonest, don't care for their kids properly, we won't get along.
I can't think of the word for it. But I tend to be attracted to people who need a listening ear and need someone to be there for them emotionally. I am good at that:)
Sense of humour. I enjoy funny people who are not boring! LOL
Cleanliness. I tend to avoid people with poor hygiene:)
Similar values. If I don't have much in common with a person, then we don't "click".




8 People I Think Should Do Crazy Eights: Well, since I have about eight readers, I will list them:)

Tim
Vince
Jude
Dooney
Chas
boufmom9
Claire
Tess

And anyone else who wants to do it. Go for it!