Name That Tune

Thought I would check in for a minute. Haven't blogged in quite some time. I ran into town today to get groceries and finish up some Christmas shopping. I bought a few things for Jason (can't tell!) and finished Margaret's shopping for the kids. I dare say I'm done my Christmas shopping. All that's left is Dad and I think we are still all going in on his present, so that's just a matter of donating my amount of the money. No shopping really required. So just Dad and the "Christmas groceries" which I can't buy right now anyway. Cool! I think this is the earliest I've ever been done. Credit can be a wonderful thing....or not. :)

While perusing the kids toys at Zellers, I came across the game "Name That Tune" - 80's edition. It's a DVD game that apparently plays classic video clips. It's regular price was $39.97 but it was on clearance for only $12.97. So even though I hadn't allotted for it, I snatched it up anyway. Games always come in handy over the holidays. I think it's safe to say it will be played at least once over Christmas. The question is....can any of us beat Kellie?? She seems to be the expert of that era. Hmm...I am definitely up to the challenge. Game on!

My house is all decorated inside and out. We actually put up our tree on Sunday. I've slowly been decorating it, little by little. All that is left now is the ornaments. We would have been done already but Jason is working nights this week and we're waiting for us all to do it together. I looped boughs from the ceiling this year. It involved drilling holes in the gyp rock, much to Mom's dismay. Apparently this is something you just don't do. It's only three holes, in our center beam. We shoved those plastic anchor things into the holes and then screwed in screws. After Christmas I'm simply going to remove the screws and touch up with paint. Then next year, the holes will already be there, ready for screws. I'm hoping that you won't even notice them. I just can't live in a world where we can't hang the things we want, wherever we want them. I mean what's the point?

Right now I'm listening to Brook Benton sing "This time of year", it's an old Christmas song. I should totally hunt up some more Brook Benton songs. I never heard of him, other than this song. His voice sounds a bit like Nat King Cole? Or someone else? Maybe his voice sounds like Brook Benton and I have heard him before and didn't realize? Anyway it's a good voice singing a good song.

Is anyone else been watching Pushing Daisies? I really enjoy that show. It's so....charming. Whimsical even. It reminds me of something but I can't remember what. LOL. I sense a pattern coming on.

They Should Make Pills For This

So much I would like to say but don't really want to take the time. I've been up. I've been down. (isn't that lyrics to a song?) I was doing amazingly well all Summer, all things considered and then I guess I slipped. Down into that dark hole that always seems so hard to get out of. After some analyzing I have come to the conclusion that a huge part of it was due to lack of sleep. Something that I rarely take into consideration. Getting up in the night here is just part of our regular routine now (checking girls' sugars), I never think of how it might affect us. Jason and I would always alternate nights, but now that he is working, we alternate weeks. The week he works nights, he checks them as soon as he gets home, while I check them when he is on days. And I guess getting up in the night 6-7 days in a row can sometimes have it's affect on a person. Go figure.

Anyway I'm back now. I'm consciously trying to focus on the plus side of Abby starting school. Really what is the negative? All it means is that she growing up....which is what we want anyway, right? I can now even find myself looking forward to having some free time home alone. How lucky am I? This is sooo not a problem....just ask any working Mom! I will also be available to work at the school more. Last year I had to turn down many a day cause I had no one who could look after Abby. We are going to really need the money...can't even think of how we are going to do Christmas this year. Hmmm...just might have to pull a Tonya Harding and make some work for myself. Gotta find me a big stick.

If I Had A Million Dollars...ALC Contest

Following Carol's lead....here is my pic.

https://eclubrewards.alc.ca/default.aspx?p=r&r=c_mil_eafreturn&cid=fee37d22-95ae-4c30-8b7b-a681df568f4e

Stainy Weather

This weather is getting ridiculous. Seriously. It is getting harder and harder not to complain about it ALL the time....and I like rain usually. But come on! Since Summer vacation officially started I don't think we've had one full day of sun. I'm wearing my knitted slippers and cardigan sweaters and it's not even Fall yet, it's barely mid July. I think I can even blame it for forming my recent tea drinking habit. I guess if one had to choose a Summer to have such sucky weather, it should be the one with no vacation plans. There's nothing like forking over money, waiting for months and then having it rain your entire trip. The only excursions we have planned are camping ones, that does not involve investing too much money.

We DO have plans though. Plans that involve bulldozing, topsoil, grass seed, cement tiles, building flower beds, etc... And this rain just isn't helping. Especially to someone who has no patience for waiting, such as myself. For days I waited to stain the porch. The label on the can reads "Do not use if rain is expected in the next 24 hours".

Gee.

Nice.

At this rate I could have been waiting for months.

Nope.

Couldn't do it.

I threw caution to the wind and stained anyway.



And it rained.


Damn.

No harm, no foul. The front steps just need a second coat now. :)

I've continued to stain now for days, weeks even. Any spare moment that I have when the sky does not look like it is about to fall, I've spent staining. I enjoy it. It's therapeutic somehow. It brings me joy. I've stained the railing of the porch white (2 coats), the kids play house white (2 coats), the back step railing white(2 coats) and the porch floor, steps and outer face a wood stain. I've also painted the kids playhouse door, and my rocking chair and table on the porch, a happy shade of yellow. Plus I put one coat of stain on an Adirondack chair.

I've been accused of being a little obsessed.

I still want to stain the floor and stairs of the back step, put one more coat of white on the kids playhouse and stain the floor of it's tiny porch, plus stain both of my Adirondack chairs. I'm also toying with the idea of staining my basement stairs the same as the porch floor.

They are supposed to come today(or yesterday) to bulldoze and bring topsoil. Then the real fun will begin. Kents is delivering my cement tiles for my walk and hemlock ties for my flowerbed tomorrow. That reminds me.....those wooden ties will require stain too. :)


Number of days cloud free - 0
Number of times I said the word "stain" - 12
Feeling I get while working outside - Priceless

Night Shift

One of the only benefits to Jason working nights this week is that I will not have to get up at 3am to check the girls' sugars. I've had to get up Sunday thru Saturday. I getting a wee bit played out. Last night I didn't get up until well after 4am, and then it seems so hard to get back to sleep again. The joys of diabetes.

Another plus to the night shift is that it gives Jason a four day weekend. Woo-hoo! He'll sleep in Friday until 11am or so and then he's not required to work until Tuesday morning. We were thinking of going camping but are torn, considering all the Canada day festivities. We could leave at dinner time on Friday, and come home early Sunday morning, so that we wouldn't miss the parade and annual party at my Aunt's house. But this would mean we would miss the fireworks on Saturday night. Hmmm. We're supposed to gather at Kel's house for the Rock n' Roll fireworks the next week. So maybe the kids wouldn't mind. I guess it will all depend on the weather.

We're planning on being in the parade this year, with all of us in Jason's old car. I figure we might as well, considering we found ourselves in the parade last year. LOL(see archives). Samuel is not at all interested in participating. He would much rather be catching candy then throwing it. Go figure.

The whole family spent the day in town yesterday. Had a detour with Jules at the hospital. Nothing serious, she's fine. I bought Dad his late Father's Day gift, and got myself an Adirondack chair. It's wooden, unstained and lovely! I plan to stain it yellow, so it will stand out on my porch. I still need to finish staining the porch itself but the rain won't let up. I hope to have the white part all done by Canada day.

We ran into a couple we know in Walmart. They pulled us aside to ask us questions about our new house; if we liked it, etc... They also said they had heard how beautiful our house was inside. Wow! It was so bizarre to be on the other end of that conversation. Don't know if I'll ever get used to it.

Super Freak

Got some great news last night. My brother is engaged! Yes I know that they've only been together for five months, but I think this is such a good thing! She is very nice and really seems to care for Lee and he for her. It's great that I don't have to worry about him being alone anymore. I think this is really a 'til death' relationship. They're definitely in it for the long haul. Jules was very excited when I told her, visions of dresses dancing in her head. lol. But she'll have to wait a year or maybe two for the blessed event, since there is no date set as of yet.




In other news, Jason and I drove down to Moncton last Friday evening to retrieve "Do-your-best-Bear", better known to us as "the little bugger". lol. He had been left behind at the motel and was deeply missed by all. Seriously. It was quite dramatic when we realized he was missing. Did wonders for my "Mother guilt". I had phoned the motel Sunday night and was told that he was nowhere to be found. A cousin who went to Moncton on Monday, dropped in and checked for us. Still no bear. So what was a parent to do? Samuel decided if he couldn't have the original he would settle for a duplicate, so onto to the Internet we went, searching for "the little bugger". Turns out that he is a collector's item. Seriously. The only place I could find him where they would ship to Canada was on eBay. So, there we were bidding on a care bear on eBay like those freaks who collect such things, just to have them sit on a shelf or in a glass case. (No offense if you happen to be one).





Late Monday night, the phone rings. It is the motel. They found the bear! Oh joy! Thank you God! I can't wait to tell Samuel in the morning! .........Then it hits me. The auction! As anyone who has ever bid on eBay knows, any bid you make is considered a legally binding contract. You are not allowed to retract it. And since we were so anxious to comfort Samuel, our maximum bid was pretty hefty, ......well, hefty for a teddy bear anyway. So of course we won the auction. (Crap!) I mean, not even the freaks would outbid us! So who is the freak now? lol.



And so it is that right now, somewhere in Utah, another "little bugger" is planning a trip.

Oh well, now we have a spare. :)

Walking On Sunshine

Saturday morning we packed up the family and headed for Moncton. This was the weekend of the walk. We arrived around noon and checked into our motel room. We stayed in the same place as we did when we were down buying the van. It's perfect for us because it has a full kitchen, that way we can bring some of our own food to supplement cost. It also has two double beds and a fold out couch, which we needed since my mother was staying with us. The biggest selling feature of course is the heated indoor pool. The kids couldn't wait to go swimming. All of this for $95 plus tax! Hard to beat that!

We had a quick lunch with the rest of our group(their room wasn't ready) and then we took the kids shopping. Abby was very excited because we were also celebrating her birthday. The stores were mostly crowded, almost annoyingly so. It was hard to keep track of the kids. They were always running off with Mom, Kel or Sher. In the dollar store, I searched for something that all of us could wear to unite our team at the walk. I really would have like to have ball caps, but since it was the dollar store, this was hard to find. We opted instead for pink visors. Pink, of course, because we were representing such girly girls. lol. Maybe we should have done crowns?

After shopping, we ran into DQ and bought Abby her ice cream cake that we promised her. Then it was time for her "party". Everyone gathered in our motel room where we ate take-out, ice cream cake and watched Abby open her presents. She really enjoyed herself. I'm glad that she got to have a special birthday. Samuel is now asking if he can have his next birthday party in Moncton. Ummmm, no! lol. Then it was time to go into the pool. Jason had bought the kids these long plastic water shooters.....not a good idea. I might "accidentally" leave those home next time. It was great to be in the water again. First swim of the season! Later in the evening, we did our usual trek to Value Village. We always seem to go there whenever we are in the city. It might sound sad, but this is how I get clothes. This trip I snatched three pairs of jeans, one pair of shorts and a tee. Not too shabby.

The next morning the sky was blue and the sun was shining. We all ate breakfast together in the motel's little diner. Not feeling like eating the usual fare, I choose the Belgian waffle with strawberries and cream. Heaven! I couldn't finish all of it, it was so big. Then it was time to pack up, check out and don our visors!

JDRF's Walk for the Cure was located in Riverfront Park in downtown Moncton. In other words it's in behind Main Street, along the Petticodiac River. In regards to the walk, I must start by saying that it was one of the most organized events I've ever been to. Awesome! Since we were early, we snagged a picnic table and managed to keep it throughout the entire time. I led my team over to where we submit our pledges. When they saw how much we raised, they gave us a round of applause. Very nice. They also gave me a walk t-shirt, a nice bag and an ipod shuffle! Very nice indeed! My teammates also got a t-shirt, but no ipod. :( An ipod was the incentive prize for any walker who personally earned more than $1000, and since our yardsale profits were on my pledgesheet.....I got the ipod. Oh well, there's always next year girls. lol.

Scattered around the park were activities for kids. There was a jumping castle, some sort of blow-up tunnel castle, an arts and crafts table and the most amazing face painting.

There was also a very efficient BBQ area(no lines!), a snack stand, and coolers everywhere filled with ice cold water, juice and pop. Everything was free! Maybe the best part was the band Cat Sass - freaking awesome! I mean every single song was good. Their music really helped pump everyone up. A hockey player(#26) from the Moncton Wildcats and it's furry mascot were also there getting their pics taken with kids and signing t-shirts.

He signed my shirt, which would probably be more cool if I knew who he was. lol. Abby was not at all impressed with the mascot. She's not that into large fuzzy strangers trying to hug her. Go figure.

At 1:45pm, the band announced that it was picture time and could all the kids with diabetes please come up to the front of the stage to get their picture taken together. My girls were pretty well in the center, with fellow diabetic kids on either side. Just as the kids were finally all situated and smiling for pics, the band starts playing You and Me by Lifehouse. "What day is it.....". They were not 3 notes in and I was crying. I will never be able to hear it again without crying and seeing this image in my head.

Just after this pic was shot, two babies were seated on the right hand side. They were no more than 7-8 months old. It made me cry even harder to know that they too had this disease.

A few sleeve wipes later (I forgot kleenex) and after a very interesting trip with the kids to the port-a-potty, it was time to start the actual walk. We all lined up at the Start sign. Much to my Mom's chagrin, a bagpipe player started to play. And then we were off! The walk did not seem to take too long, 35-45 mins I would say. To Samuel, it was an eternity. lol. Jason carried Abby a lot of the time. Halfway through they had a stand set up with water bottles, where we took a rest so we could check the girls sugars. Then it was time for the home stretch.

This whole experience has helped me in ways I couldn't even imagine. I would recommend it to anyone who has gone through the same situation. I can not begin to describe my emotions as my family neared the finish line. Jason, the kids and I all held hands and stepped across. It was like that finish line represented so much more than just a 5k walk. It was that together, as a family, we had been to hell and back and yet we were not beaten. In fact we were stronger than ever. A moment I will never forget.

Ready for the Walk?

I've been active online much more than usual this week. Blogging, twittering, facebooking, etc... Don't get too used to it, though. As anyone who follows me knows I go through phases. Periods of time where I will blog everyday, or like today - twice a day, followed by weeks of nothing. lol.

I just received an email from the JDRF fundraising coordinator in Moncton. She sent out an email to all team captains to go over some last minute information and instructions. I read the instructions regarding submitting pledges, etc.. and then began reading the schedule of Sunday's events.

12pm – 1:45 pm - Registration (all pledges should be remitted by 1:45 pm)
12pm – 1:45 pm – Live Entertainment by musical band “Cat Sass”, BBQ, refreshments and activities for kids of all ages
1:30 pm – group picture of all children with Juvenile Diabetes (this picture will be used for a Thank You poster after the walk

I started to cry. Just the image of a group of young children gathered together, all smiles, all suffering with Diabetes would have been enough to make me cry back in the day. But now my two beautiful daughters faces will be there too. Too much.

She ended the email with the usual "if you have any questions, please contact me" etc... But then in large letters she wrote:

On Sunday, June 3rd, we WILL WALK TO CURE DIABETES!

And again the waterworks! I'm starting to become anxious about the walk now. If I can't read an email without bawling, how am I going to hold it together on Sunday? I've always known it was going to be an emotional, moving experience. I've just been avoiding thinking about it, I guess. Instead I've focused on the yard sale, Abby's birthday, etc.. But now the walk is upon us and there's no avoiding it any longer. It's one thing to get misty eyed and quite another to convulse uncontrollably. I don't want the kids to have to witness that. lol. Sunglasses are most definitely on the top of my list of things to pack, followed by a box of kleenex.

Not sure if I will be posting again before we leave. Today I'll be busy cutting cake, playing Mario, etc.... and tomorrow I work. Then comes the craze of making sure everything I want to take is clean and laundered, packing, double checking my list(OMG! Must make a list!) and helping the kids pack their bags. So, yeah I might not be back. But I'll be sure to take lots of pics which I will post and/or flickr. That is if I can stop crying long enough. ;)

The Big Number 5

Tomorrow is Abby's 5th birthday. Hard to believe. I hate to type such an over-used line but.., time really does fly by. It's not that it seems like only yesterday that she was a baby, it's more that it seems like only yesterday she was 3. And now today is her last day of being 4. This just reminded me of a childhood memory. I am about to turn 10. We're down in the basement playing or doing something or other when Sherry turns to me and in an "impending doom" kind of voice says "Today is your last day of being 9. Tomorrow - double digits! You'll never be a single digit again!". It worked. Looking back it is so ridiculous to get depressed about turning 10! But yet I did. Kinda gives you a sad look into my psyche, doesn't it? It's like even at such a young age, I knew how fleeting life was. Or how being a kid is such an important time. Therapy anyone? lol. It's not Sherry's fault. When it comes to guilt or anything sentimental, I'm a very easy target. Who else could mourn being a single digit? lol.

......But I digress.

We've decided not to have a stereotypical birthday party for Abby on Thursday. She's not much for large groups of kids anyway. On Jules and Samuel's birthday, she hid the entire time in my bedroom. "Too many kids" she'd say. Instead we're going to celebrate her big number 5 in Moncton. We're going there this weekend for the JDRF walk. That way we can go swimming in the pool, get her an ice cream cake from DQ, and do who knows what else. Tomorrow I'm still going to make pancakes for breakfast(tradition on birthdays), bake her a cake and give her one present. But I've asked everyone else to save their presents to give to her on Saturday.

When Jules and Samuel turned 5, their last birthday before starting school, I had a big party at the bowling alley. I always swore that I would do something just as big for Abby's fifth. Unfortunately, the money just isn't there this time. Times have changed. It may sound bad, but by going to Moncton for her birthday(something we were going to do anyway) whatever we end up doing, I can tell her it is to celebrate her. Which let's face it, is not that far off. Sure it's not really just to celebrate her birthday, but the fact of the matter is, the reason we are going to Moncton is for her and her sister Jules. To raise funds and awareness for diabetic research and to expose them to more people their age who suffer from this disease. So, on Saturday, if she happens to go in the pool with her cousins - Happy Birthday! If we happen to go to the movies or to a mall - Happy Birthday! If we happen to eat out at a restaurant - Happy Birthday! What's the harm if it helps to make her feel that her birthday is special?

Because it is.

Happy Birthday Baby! Hope you have a great day!

No Man Is A Failure Who Has Friends

The above line is from one of my favorite movies, It's A Wonderful Life. Right now I am feeling a lot like George Bailey.....again. Late last Summer, in the midst of our chaos, the community blew me away with their support. And now they have done it again.

The Anglican Church Hall in Blackville is now filled to the brim with donations, not only from family members and friends, but from complete strangers as well. It is unbelievable! Our story was published in two local papers that came out this morning. Upon reading them, an older lady from our community, whom I've never met, called to offer us her winter coat. Another gentlemen called from Newcastle to offer donations. Several older ladies surprised me with baked goods to sell in the sell. One even said she made me something special that was just for us to eat at lunch tomorrow...not to sell. She had dropped off a few items for the sale and gave me a huge hug before leaving and promising to return tomorrow. I can't stop to think about it or I will start to cry.

I had a moment as I was locking up the hall to come home tonight. I was proud of myself. No, proud doesn't seem like the right word to use. It's hard to describe. It's like seeing my children's picture in the paper along with the story describing everything we went through. It's like I can feel several emotions at the same time. I'm sad, yet happy, yet nauseous, yet proud, yet inspired, yet.... Like I said, very hard to describe. lol I intend to take the camera tomorrow so I can post pics of just how much stuff is actually there. Some people snuck their way in tonight, while we were still setting up. Mostly family members. lol. But now I've already raised over $70 and the sale hasn't even started yet! Amazing!

Now I have to try and wind down enough to get some sleep. The whole family has to get up early tomorrow. Busy, busy, busy.....but oddly, it feels good.

The Walk For The Cure

As anyone who actually reads my blog must already know, my family is participating in the Walk For The Cure For Juvenile Diabetes. It's on June 3rd in Moncton, to help raise money for JDRF or Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Now we are in the business of asking people to pledge money or sponsor us in the walk. To help raise funds I've decided we're going to have a yard sale. I had already been putting a few things away in the corner of the basement, toying with the idea of having a yard sale. I've never done one before. Last year they had a day where they encouraged everyone along the road to have a sale on the same day. I thought I might join in this year. But now that we are doing the walk, I figured this might be a good way to raise a little money for the cause. I've set the date as Saturday, May 19th - rain or shine. Is 9am too late to start? I know that yard sales usually start at 8am, but I'm scared that we would never be ready in time, especially since the kids are participating. Thoughts anyone?

The kids are going to have a lemonade stand at the same time. I guess my cousin actually has a genuine lemonade stand, that she said my kids could borrow. I didn't even know they made such things. It has a chalk board to write their prices on and everything. They'll love it! Thanks Janice! The lemonade is not going to be real lemonade but Crystal Light Lemonade, since that is the kind my girls have to drink. I thought it might help remind people what the money was going to. They also might be selling Rice Krispie Treats or some other baked good. Anything to help add to the pot. lol.

So now I have to go through my house again and see if there is anything else I am willing to sell. A great opportunity to let go of more "stuff". I got rid of a lot during the move, but a little more couldn't hurt. Mom said she has some things over there and Kellie too. I even got a call from a lady from Renous who heard of the sale and wanted to donate her things. It sounded like she might have quite a bit. Kids clothes, etc... She said she was going to tell her whole family about it and see if any of them had things to donate as well. Wow! I feel a cross between total excitement and total panic. lol. Like I said, I've never had a yard sale before and I'm scared of not being prepared. What does one need? Tables, small bills, change, little stickers for pricing, grocery bags to put their purchases in, .... anything else? Anyone who has experience in this, ...if you see that I'm forgetting something obvious, or have an opinion on the time to start, please, PLEASE let me know.

Oh Happy Day!

Something wonderful has happened. I've been meaning to blog about it but I've been too busy and quite frankly, too happy to take the time to write a post about it.

Jason got a job!

Today was his first day working in the Doaktown mill.

Woo-hoo!

He had responded to their want ad a month or so ago. Since then he has gone for testing, an interview and a pre-employment medical. And then Thursday, the very day that our medical benefits ran out, they called to ask him to start on Monday morning. Thank you God!

So in three months we should have medical benefits again. Plus they don't usually run their mill on the weekends, so that means Jason should have every weekend off! I think they usually work a week of days and a week of nights. Monday-Friday and Sunday night-Thursday night. But I think their night shift actually ends at something like 3am, so it's not even a full night. So in the summer when we want to go camping, we could still go if Jason was working nights. In fact it might even be better, because we could leave so much earlier on Friday. I think they even close for holidays, I'm not sure. If they did, they would be amazing! I definitely know they close down for Christmas. That was always a concern at Weyerhaeuser, the whole working Christmas thing. Jason had to do that one year and it really sucked.

This whole Monday to Friday mentality is new to us. He always worked 4 on/4off. We were lucky enough that he didn't have to work nights, just the odd time covering for someone. It was nice having him off some days during the week, for doctors appointments, etc... But it was also sucky that sometimes when everyone else was off (ie/ long weekends, holidays, etc.) that he had to go to work. I'm excited that now our whole family will be on the same schedule, since the kids are in school and when I work it's at the school. Weekends will mean so much more to us now.

Right now his job is on a "call-in" basis. But they told him that everyone else who is on call-in is working full time hours. So I pray that he can work full-time too. He is keeping his EI claim open just in case. That way if he only gets two days work one week, he may be able to get EI to cover the other three days.

I hope he is having a good first day. I know it is silly, but I miss him. He's been home since the middle of February, so we got used to having him here with us everyday.

Shuffle up and deal

No school today. Cancelled. We're supposedly going to get some snow but so far.......notta. Preschool was cancelled too. Abby was going today because tomorrow is Good Friday. So now we are all home together for five days. Pretty cool. This should give us some time to catch up on some much needed sleep. Things always seem better after a good night's rest.

Tuesday, Jason, Abby and I went to town. Jason's income tax cheque finally came, so we could finally pay Mom back the money we had borrowed to buy the van. Plus we also paid off the table and chairs. So now they're officially ours. One down.......

Tuesday night was our PSSC meeting. After that we ran into the Irving to get a coffee and rented a movie. The Holiday is absolutely wonderful. I loved, loved it! I love Nancy Myer movies! I laughed. I cried. I loved it! Did I mention that I loved it? Definitely one to own. Can't say it enough.

Tomorrow night is poker night here. Nothing says Good Friday like playing poker. Not sure yet who is all coming. Nothing big. Pretty much just family. But hey, if you're interested.......drop in.

The Mother Of All Blog Posts

So much has happened in the last while, I don't quite know where to start. Maybe I'll do the whole chronological thing. That seems to be the easiest way. Ok. Here go.

Friday, March 16th - I worked at the school from 8:30am - 3:00pm. I was covering for Linda. Actually had to serve for the first time. Which means that I was the one you remember in the cafeteria who would ask you what you wanted, put the food on the plate, and hand it to you. I was a little nervous, especially with high school kids and the teachers. It was just hard to judge at first, how much to give everyone. I was scared of running out of things. But over all, I actually didn't mind it at all. I think I might even like it once I got used to doing it all the time.

When I got home from work, Jason told me about a van that was for sale in Moncton. He had been talking to the guy on the phone a couple of times and was convinced that this could be the van for us. So being the spontaneous people that we are, we booked a room at the Beacon Light, packed our bags and headed to Moncton with the kids. There was a winter storm warning so we thought it best to stay the night then to try to drive back home again.


The van is a 1998 Pontiac Montana. It's in great shape. We took it for a test drive and told the man that we did indeed want to buy it. Yippee! We finally found our van.





The room we got at the Beacon Light was amazing. It was $95/night. It was in the new building that has the pool in it. It had a bedroom with two double beds in it and it's own television. Then there was a kitchen/living room that had a large flat screen television, table and chairs, a sofa bed, a new regular sized fridge and stove and microwave, 4-slice toaster and coffee maker. Plus the cupboards were filled with dishes, silverware, pots and pans, dish towels, etc... It reminded me of a cottage. They just simply requested that you wash your dishes before leaving. I thought it was a pretty amazing motel room for only $95/night. The kids did too.

Saturday, March 18th - We woke up Saturday morning to messy roads and freezing rain. Decided that since we were spending less on a van than we thought, that hey! might as well stay another night in Monkey town. Only problem was that the room we were staying in was already booked. So we had to switch to a smaller room, but no big. Took the kids to the mall and let them pick out one toy at Toys R Us. I got myself a new purse and a pair of jeans at Value Village. Ate supper at Heinz restaurant. Very good food.

Sunday, March 19th - Checked out of motel and headed for home. It was sunny, very nice for driving. Looked like Spring, especially close to Moncton where they have absolutely NO SNOW! (pigs!) When we were driving past a house in Chelmsford, I remembered how it had almost burned down once. (here's where you won't believe me) It had extensive damage inside. I remember them having trouble getting the smell out. So then, my mind started drifting and thinking of other houses I knew that had caught fire. Marilyn and Norman's house did. Lyle's. Bliss and Marilyn's almost did. I remember Valerie and Leslie's almost did during the great forest fire. Of course, these thoughts were only going on in my head. I almost mentioned it out loud to Jason, but didn't. Then we arrive home.


We're backing into my driveway, when my cell phone rings. It's Mom. Jason says something like, "Geez, they didn't wait long to call", considering we are literally just getting home. I answer and then Mom says. "Did anybody get a hold of you?". My stomach turns. This never seems to be a good way to start a conversation. Then she says "I don't know how you're going to tell Jason...". Again. Not good. Jason actually hears Mom say this line and assumes his father has died. I see a look on his face that sadly I know I will see again someday. "Margaret and Gerdie's house burnt down this morning." Oh my God! Jason looks at me asking what happened to his Dad. The kids start asking questions. I put on a sing song voice and tell the kids they are going over to visit with Grammy. We drop the kids off. I tell Jason. He is shocked but relieved that everyone is ok.


We drive up there to see how his parents are doing. They are, of course, in shock. It took no time at all for their home to go from this...............to this.

We get them to spend the night at our house. We give them our bed, put Samuel in with the girls and Jason and I take Samuel's bed. Jason makes jokes about sleeping with Star Wars characters...again. His parents are doing ok. They have literally lost everything, but are ok. No body gets any sleep.

Monday, March 19th - We get up earlier than normal. The kids are excited to have Nanny and Grandad here for a sleepover. I had told them about the house yesterday afternoon. They took the news ok as soon as they found out that everyone was alright. Samuel seems to be the one who takes it the hardest. He always does. He's the sentimental one. Like me. We get Jules and Samuel off to school. Then the rest of us head for town and then Moncton, again. The insurance company had cut them a cheque so they could go and buy some clothes and the essentials. We also needed to pick up our van and get the registration changed over, etc.. We part ways in the afternoon and drive our new van home. Very nice, but too tired to care right now.

I get home just in time to change my clothes and go to our annual PSSC dinner in town. Sherry picks me up. Jason is on the committee this year too, but for obvious reasons, does not attend. It is held at the Kins Centre around the square. I have not been there since my wedding reception. Food is actually good this year. So much better than last year. Best salad ever! While I was gone, Jason had taken the kids up to see the rubble. I was kinda upset that he did this at first, especially since I wasn't there with them. But Jules and Abby seem to be ok. They are sad for them but excited too for them to get a new home. Samuel of course, cries a lot. We decide to let them take the day off from school tomorrow. Margaret and Gerdie have now moved into an apartment in the basement of his brother's house. This is where they will stay until they move back home. Jason goes and helps them move their new things into their new place of residence.

Tuesday, March 20th - We get to sleep in a little since the kids are taking the day off. We catch up on some much needed laundry and then take the kids up to see where they are staying. It's small but very nice. Margaret says it is all she would ever need.

Wednesday, March 21st - Kids return to school, much to their dismay. We travel to town to pay some bills and check out some used mini-homes that are for sale. We look at three. The first one is quite seedy, second one needs work, but the third one is awesome! Perhaps a little pricey, but awesome just the same.

Thursday, March 22nd - Today is the Teddy Bear's Picnic at school. This is where all the kids who are going to start kindergarten in the Fall, go and are pretty much tested to see where they stand academically. Kinda nerve wracking for me, but Abby thoroughly enjoyed herself. She got to go on the bus for the first time. Jason hung out in the gym where Abby was, just for diabetic reasons. I went upstairs with the other parents to listen to some speakers. The first one was the district health nurse. She, of course, talked about healthy eating habits for our children. Then came up the subject of diabetes. How type 2 can now be found in children as young as 9 years old. She went on and on. How when you have diabetes, amputation is your future. Amputation! How ours will be the first generation to have the parents outlive their children. I felt myself sinking lower and lower in my chair. I could feel the pity from the other parents who knew that my child had diabetes. Sure they have type 1. It was not poor lifestyle choices that gave them diabetes, but still.....they have it just the same. After this lovely experience, I was cheered up by the fact that Abby had such a good time. A little birdie whispered in my ear that she did a great job. No problems at all. Way to go Abby! It was time for her to eat, so we took her up to the cafeteria to see Grammy. The three of us grabbed a table. I got a few glances from students who were probably seeing me for the first time without my apron on. Abby was excited to see Grace. Since September she has been saying that she didn't want to go to the big school, just Clora's preschool. But while she was sitting in the cafeteria, she asked if she could start going there every day.

That night, I sat down to watch my favorite show Grey's Anatomy". And sure enough, one storyline was about diabetes. A workaholic man had neglected to come in about his foot and ended up having to get it amputated. Seriously. Son of a bitch! Needless to say, watching this and hearing the health nurse's voice in my head, I started to literally have a panic attack on the couch. And I do mean literally. Jason said that I couldn't worry about when the kids are grown. That it was too far in the future. I shot back that sorry, worrying about it was something that I definitely could do. Sometimes it's the only thing.

Friday, March 23rd - Back to work at the school. This time just my regular 8:30am-1:30pm shift. Still recovering from last night's anxiety. But good news! Doaktown mill is hiring. Upon seeing this in the paper, Jason immediately emailed them his resume. Here's hoping he gets hired on. Fingers crossed. Toes too. Ended up having a pretty relaxing evening. Jason down in the basement playing PlayStation with the kids. Me sitting at counter doing cross stitching and listening to Billie Holiday. All is well in my world again.

Saturday, March 24th - Totally caught up on housework. Long time coming. Margaret and Gerdie brought KFC for supper. They were in town looking at another mini-home. This one looks promising. After supper, Jason, kids and I hop in the van to go to town for a drive. It is our first experience having a CD player in our car.(I know!) Awesome! I burned a CD with all the songs that the kids love to listen to. Here is the song list.

*Note: Not really kids music at all. :)

1. Life is a Highway - Rascal Flatts
2. Real Gone - Sheryl Crowe
3. Route 66 - John Mayer
4. Life Could be a Dream - The Chords
5. The Sweetest Escape - Gwen Stefani
6. Wind it Up - Gwen Stefani
7. Sexyback - Justin Timberlake
8. Hung-Up - Madonna
9. Sorry - Madonna
10. Who Says You Can't Go Home - Bon Jovi
11. Jackson - Reese Witherspoon & Joaquin's Phoenix
12. Butterfly - Crazytown
13. 100 years - Five for Fighting
14. I'm Alive - Celine Dion
15. Part of Your World - Little Mermaid Soundtrack
16. Look Through My Eyes - Phil Collins
17. Follow Her Around - Jimmy Rankin
18. You're Beautiful - James Blunt
19. Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani
20. I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles

Jason's parents had given us some money to buy the kids something for Easter. I chose to buy them new sneakers because they could really use a pair. So they each got to pick a pair out. Plus they each had saved some change and got to spend it at the Dollarstore. God Bless the Dollarstore!

Sunday, March 25th - Jules woke us up for first time to tell us she was feeling "low". Checked Abby and she was low too. Couldn't have had enough carbs at bedtime lunch. Today was Christina's son Patrick's birthday. She was having a little get-together. Took kids. They had a great time. Talked to Trish. Hadn't seen her in awhile. Things are going very well between her and her boyfriend. Do I hear wedding bells? Just kidding Trish. :) Samuel finished reading his school book. At the end the dog died. Very sad. Lovely.

Monday, March 26th - Kids off to school again. I took the van and went to town to get some groceries. Damn I love that van! Pretty freaking awesome! I also did the whole Easter thing. This year it seems to be a bit more challenging finding things that the Easter Bunny can leave in plastic eggs hidden around the house. Felt like I didn't get the kids enough. I feel like this every year. Here, the Easter Bunny always does them up a basket filled with things from the Dollarstore. And he hides eggs. That's it. I mean he's not freaking Santa Claus! Must ignore stories of what he brings other children.

And that brings us to today. Jason is gone off to wash the van and dump off a massive load of recycling. It was seriously getting out of hand in the basement. Wow! I don't think I have written such a long blog post - ever! It took me two drafts to do it, .........but there it is.

In Like A Lamb

Yesterday we went to town for a drive in search of a van. This year we did unbelievably well in the income tax department. One of the unfortunate perks, I guess, to having two children with diabetes, is that you can claim ALOT on your taxes. Anyways, we are now in the market to buy a new minivan. Well, not brand new, but relatively new. I'm aiming for a 2000. Or maybe even a 2001! How cool would that be? So far no luck in the local area, so we are broadening our scopes. Jason has a few leads he's checking into. One that looks really promising is in Nova Scotia. So you never know, there might be a road trip in our future!

I work today for Stacy from 11-3pm. I'm really hoping that somehow I can get on full time as soon as next year. It's the perfect job for me right now. There are so many pros. I'm in the building in case someone has a question about treating the girls, the kids and I love seeing each other at lunch time, I'm in close contact with their teachers, no need for babysitters, weekends off, storm days off, summers off, etc.... The only con is that I don't earn much money. But right now, the list of pros totally outweigh the cons. Plus minimum wage is going up again. One can only hope they keep upping it.

It's Winter Carnival week at school. It's so bizarre to observe, now that I'm older. Monday was time warp day for high school. Some were dressed like the 50's/60's, some like the 70's.... and then there were those that were dressed like the 80's. What was so funny, was that it was hard to tell who was participating and who wasn't because so much of that stuff is back. I mean you walk into Stitches now and it's just full of bright yellows and greens, those long shirts and my God! - I almost died when I seen the big bulky bracelets in every color! Time Warp, indeed. They had a dancing competition during lunch in the cafeteria. So sad. One class danced to Thriller by Micheal Jackson. I had to suppress the urge to go up there and show them how it's done. Hmm... that would have left an impression to a bunch of teenagers - the cafeteria lady doing the moon walk.