The times...they are a-changing

I can't get a song out of my head. "Gather 'round people wherever you roam..." Yep there it is again...Bob Dylan's voice. I wonder if it means something?

My JDRF contact in Moncton, has asked me to organize a Community Walk in the Miramichi. I said yes! Who knew that little old wall flower me, with no voice, would ever agree to something like this? Not I! Since agreeing, I have had moments where I am half proud of myself...excited even. Other times a wave of panic washes over me. I think 'what the hell am I doing' and want to tell her I change my mind. Hopefully the bad moments will become fewer, as we start meeting and things start coming together. Hopefully.

This evening the whole family is going into town to buy the last supplies we need before Max's arrival tomorrow. I see it like I am pregnant and tomorrow is the due date. Only this time no C-section is needed - thank God! And of course, the baby looks less like Jason and more like Chewbacca. We are also going to pick up a few things for back to school, mostly clothing. I told Abby that bit of news and she preceded to dance around the room. It's a sin she hates to shop so much.

My Life In Pictures

I can't seem to take the time to write about the things we are doing, so instead I thought I would share a few photos.

We're getting a puppy! He was only ten days old when this picture was taken. Look how tiny he is! We'll be bringing him home around the 10th or 11th of August.

We participated in the Canada Day Parade again this year. Our little way of thanking everyone for their support. Unfortunately, we lost the sign on my side halfway through. :(

After 3 years of missing her, I finally got to return my island! PEI, that is. I wish I could convey into words how that place makes me feel. Not just the cottages or Avonlea, but the island itself. As soon as we were off the bridge, my eyes started to fill with tears...I could not believe I got to come back. I didn't want to leave. The kids, being older this time, enjoyed it immensely. Especially Abby, who could not remember ever being there. I took 106 pictures...wish I could post them all.

The Anne of Green Gables Country Fair was happening at Avonlea the weekend we were there. This guy would walk around playing his mandolin and singing...

At Avonlea, you can dress up in the old time clothes and get your picture taken for free. You just have to use your own camera. We all did it....but Samuel stole the show! I tried to get him to smile but he was in character. He said he was tired of waiting for the train that would not come. Too cute!

Jason took this pic of me and the kids in the Avonlea gardens. Beautiful! I took a good 20 pictures of the plants and flowers alone!

This past weekend we got to return to Alma, which is just outside the Fundy National Park.

The kids loved walking on the beach in their aqua shoes. Jules collected sea shells in her bucket. (*Notice Abby's "Marilyn" pose* LOL)

This is where we would sit and watch the tide go in and out. It is just yards away from out Motel room door. Very relaxing to listen to the waves and feel the breeze off the water.

One of the many beautiful views....this one was taken when the tide was out.

While we were there, we celebrated Jason's 34th birthday. Happy Birthday Honey!

Pumped

Today is the day. Kids are packed, pumps are packed.....I'm almost packed. This is really happening! Had a moment last night in bed when I realized the date. Today is February 13th. Tomorrow will be one year since Jason was done at Weyerhauser. That was a big change for us. And now, almost one year to the day, here we are embarking on yet another big change. February seems to be a big month for us. :)

Oh well, gotta go finish getting ready. Kids are very excited. The girls are behaving as if they are going away on some sort of vacation.....with their pink pullmans and carrying their purses. Too funny. Samuel is "pumped" to be staying at Grammy's house and that he gets to play with Paulina and Anna all day long, since school was cancelled yet again. What is up with this winter anyway?

Fingers crossed.

And away we go......

Walk On

I have embraced the fact that all my kids are in school. In fact I'm past embracing and am now down right enjoying it. Every morning, after sending the kids off on the bus, I take a moment to drink my coffee and then I go out for a walk. These walks have really helped me. I'm not walking as part of some exercise regimen to lose weight, but simply because it makes me feel good. I plug my iPod in, listen to whatever song happens to come on and I'm off. I come back feeling pumped and ready for the rest of the day.

It is so strange because at first I was walking just because I had made a promise to myself that I would. I made myself go. I would pray for rainy windy days that would make it easier to say no, let myself off the hook and stay home. But it's become a habit now. I find myself looking forward to it, enjoying it. On the days that I don't go for some reason, like when I have to go to town or the kids are home sick, I really miss my walk. It's just a little bit of time spent alone with myself. Yes, I am home alone all day, but here in the house, there is always something that needs to be done, something you feel like you should be doing. But out on the road, for that brief period of time, it's just me and the music.

I think I'm hooked.

And....begin.

The first day of school has come and gone. Abby was so excited she barely slept the night before and hardly ate anything for breakfast that morning. Jason had taken the last half of his night shift off so he could wake up and see her off. There was of course the mad rush to make sure everyone was fed, dressed and packed. I had to pack so many things to take with us that I didn't know how we were going to carry it all. Six boxes of Kleenex, two sharps containers, glucagon, two red bags for carrying snacks to gym, etc..., newly filled insulin pen, pen needles, three pairs of inside shoes, four cases of juice boxes, four 3-packs of cracker snacks, and let's not forget the digital and video cameras. God bless Sobey's reusable shopping bags!

Finally when everyone was all ready and the pictures were taken, Jason headed outside to start up the old 68' Dodge. This was of course, the vehicle that Jason wanted us to drive up to the school in. We filled it with all the bags we had to carry, and left it idling at the mouth of the driveway. Being so busy, I never had time to cry or get too sentimental over the moment. Then the bus came. As I watched her walk across the road and climb those steps, it was like time stood still for a moment. Or the very least, went in slow motion. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. She sat down and smiled at me through the window, her tiny hand waving furiously.....and then she was gone.

I stood still for just a second, feeling the moment, and then the mad rush continued. We had to beat the bus up to the school, grab all of the bags and be standing curbside, camera ready for when she stepped off the bus for the first time. The parking lot was full of parents doing the very same thing, so we were forced to park on the side of the road. Narrowly escaping falling into the deep ditch, I managed to somehow grab the heaviest bag there and walked as fast as I could to the front steps. Phew! Mission accomplished. Abby, Jules and Samuel all departed the bus and our whole family walked into the school. Surreal.

Abby never once seemed scared or sad. After unpacking our load and talking with both teachers, reviewing the girls schedules, etc., it was finally time to leave. By this time, our car was the only one left, sitting there all alone by the side of the road. How bizarre it was to walk across the parking lot, get into the car and drive off without taking Abby with us. Jason and I both turned to look into the back seat, almost surprised not to see her sitting there smiling at us. The past two years had been filled with special times spent with her while her siblings were at school. And now for the first time in 7 & 1/2 years, there was only Jason and myself. No kids at all. Bizarre indeed.

Just as we had done last year, we headed up to Nine Pine for breakfast....our new tradition. The place is filled every year with parents celebrating the first day of school. This year we were joined by Sherry and Gary, who with Anna in preschool, also found themselves childless for the day. During breakfast, Mom called the cell just to let me know that Abby was doing fine. After returning home, I tried to busy myself with things that I enjoyed doing, so as not to sit and watch the clock. I decorated the porch for Fall, which was my first time, considering we did not move in last year til the end of October.

At 1:50pm, the phone rang. It was the school saying that Abby was 24.6! Got Mom to give her 1.5 units before sending her onto the bus. And so it begins......

The trio arrived home safe, sound and still looking forward to school tomorrow, which I guess is all you can ask for. I'm sure before you know it, I will be too.

Fall In

Summer vacation is officially over. Tomorrow will be filled with baths, braids(girls' choice for first day of school) and butterflies...in my stomach, that is. This Summer was everything I wanted it to be. Calm. That was all I ordered, all I wished for. Calmness. And God delivered. So why then, do I feel so sad? Like I never got my fill? I guess everyone feels like that. Summer is smart.....it always leaves you wanting more. No one ever gets sick of Summer.

Right now Jason is gone up to Blackville to pick up a movie for him and I to watch, once the kids go to bed. He and I plan to enjoy a glass of wine, some snacks and frankly each other, one last time before we are thrust into the world of homework, bedtimes and everything else that comes with school, for another year. Then the countdown will begin for Thanksgiving,...Remembrance Day....and before you know it, we'll all know how many weeks there are until Christmas(16, if you're interested).

I must admit that I am feeling the urge to become more organized. I dare say I am looking forward to it. One of the perks of having all your children in school, is that you can tackle a job like housecleaning a room or organizing the basement, and not have to stop to referee a fight, check the girls sugars, or listen to them constantly asking you when lunch is going to be ready. If you wanted to, you could even (gasp!) skip lunch altogether. I'm not sure how long this nesting period will last. A week? A month? Who knows?

What I do know for sure is that Fall is coming whether we like it or not. So I'm choosing to like it. To focus on all the things that I enjoy about this season. The crisp air, colorful foliage, decorating the porch, etc... And you know I am dying to dig out my sweaters! I am such a sweater girl.

Anyway, time to get the kids ready for bed. Jason has returned with Premonition starring Sandra Bullock and that guy from Nip Tuck, whose name escapes me.

Five Days Left

Still trying to maintain composure over Abby starting school. She is sooo excited, constantly asking me what day is it. We are pretty much ready for school to begin. Bags are backed, names written on everything, hair cut, even the clothes thing has been taken care of. I usually go insane doing the clothes switch-a-roo. This is where having a basement really comes in handy. Took me no time. I knew where everything was and just picked out some Fall things. No sense in digging out all the heavy sweaters and coats, etc.. when they won't be wearing them yet. When we lived in the trailer and I stored everything over at Mom's, I had to spend an entire day looking through clothes. I would come home with tons of bags of clothes that included everything for Fall and Winter. Never wanted to have to spend another day doing it so I would always bring over everything. Would drive myself crazy every season. Thank God that's over.

Tonight all three of my kids are having a sleepover at Mom's house. It is the girls first time sleeping away since their diagnosis. Even though they will literally just be across the street, I find myself feeling a bit nervous. Yes my Mom is fully trained and has babysat for me often, it's the nighttime thing that worries me. We still check their sugars in the night at around 3am, and although Mom has assured me that she will do the same, those little irrational worries creep in. Like will she get up? Will she sleep through her alarm? Will she even set an alarm? Should I just set an alarm and call her to be sure? Crazy, crazy, crazy. Guess just another "first" that I have to go through. I really want the girls to have an enjoyable sleepover. Especially Jules, since she has complained that Samuel has gotten to sleep over at a friends house and she hasn't. One of those times where you so don't want diabetes to make her life different than his, but can't help it.

Taking full advantage of the situation, Jason and I plan to go to the movies tonight. I have had free air miles tickets for almost six months. We have just never managed to go, usually due to babysitting issues. But tonight the babysitting is taken care of. Jason is working days this week so we can go and catch an early show and still be back in time for him to get enough sleep. Think we are going to see The Bourne Ultimatum. Tonight is it's last night playing. If it is anything like the previous two, it should be good.

Was thinking of taking the kids up to the school today to show Abby her classroom. The teachers are not working tomorrow so today is my last chance to do it before school actually starts. But I still have a lot of things I want to do before taking kids over to Mom's. Hmmmm..... Told the kids earlier in the week that I would do it, so I guess I will just have to fit it in.

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.

Schools Out For Summer....Well Almost

Today is the last day that Abby and I will be waiting and watching for the kids to come home from school and get off the bus. Yes there is still school tomorrow, but Abby has a full day of preschool while Jules and Samuel only have a half day. So this is it. Next year it will be just me waiting for the three of them to come home. Very weird and somewhat sad. I'd like to think that I'm not as neurotic as I was when Jules and Samuel started kindergarten....but only Summer will tell. It's hard not to get sad when you know how fast they are growing up.

I am really looking forward to Summer this year, perhaps more than I ever have. Which is strange, considering this is the first year in a long time that Jason has no vacation and we have no plans to travel anywhere. No PEI. No Fundy. We'll be very lucky if we go camping in Moncton. Even luckier to go camping more than twice. Money is beyond tight right now. But still the excitement contentment for Summer is there.

As anyone who has not been living under a rock already knows, we had a hard Summer last year. Very hard. And it had nothing to do with the fact that we weren't going anywhere on vacation. This year the expectations are not as high as previous years. While other Summers were filled with planning trips and scheduled fun family time, this year the only expectation or hope can be described in one word. Calm.

This year I will drink in every minute of this Summer and be grateful for the calmness. The lack of excitement. We had enough excitement last year, thank you.

3 Years!

I just realized that I've been blogging for three years now. Man how time goes by fast. It's crazy how so much of ones life is out there in cyberspace for the world to see. To think I used to consider myself shy! lol.

I took the kids to the doctor yesterday. Our doctor is such a sweetheart. He knew our medical benefits had run out so he gave us medicine samples from his closet. I didn't need A single prescription! We are so blessed to have him as our family doctor. He truly seems to care about his patients. The kids stayed home from school again today, which makes them have an extra, extra long weekend. They should be fine by Monday.....I hope.

In a walk update, I received a package from our support group in Moncton. Apparently there is going to be activities for the kids, a BBQ and live entertainment. June 3rd is fast approaching! The hall is officially booked for our yard sale. The date is set - May 19th. I've pretty much gone through everything of mine - clothes, toys, videos, CD's, etc.... Perfect opportunity to get rid of those Shania Twain CD's left over from when Jason was going through his country phase. Thank God that's over! lol. Now I just wait for the arrival of other people's things. I'm not going to bother pricing right now. I think I will wait til I am setting it up at the hall. Thinking that might be easier. Then I can separate into categories......shoes $1, etc..

I received an email yesterday, from a man wishing to interview me regarding the sale. I guess the word is really spreading. I sent a reply but so far no phone call. I still have to contact the paper and the radio station and make posters. I'm trying not to feel panicked and overwhelmed, but am failing miserably.

The church hall is having their rummage sale tomorrow. Always enjoyable. Last year I did amazing and scored tons of Christmas lights and boughs that really came in handy decorating the porch. Now I'm on the hunt for Summer decorations. And Lord knows I am not above buying used clothing for myself. Definitely need to find time to check it out.

And now I'm off to play more catch-up. Laundry, laundry, laundry.....it never goes away.

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.