Falling Behind

I don't know what my problem is ... I seem to get everything organized and then I suppose I coast and within a half-day the house is cluttered again. I can barely keep up with the laundry and the dishes, never mind checking my emails, reading, responding to my pen pal letters, indulging in a crochet or knitting project, or even watching television! I keep meaning to get to the gym also but all I've achieved is gaining ten pounds while finding other things to do instead of going (like bathing the children, washing dishes or doing laundry!).

I am very thankful that we have a cleaning lady who started two weeks ago and will come every two weeks - with five children in the home (my two and the home daycare kids) I need all the help I can get! And isn't it a business expense as well as a marriage saver?! It also motivates me to clean house before she comes. I know I know it sounds crazy but I merely tidy up (not pre-dust before she comes!).

Organizing My Home

I finally got to clear the hallway and organize things into their proper homes. The pile of items to sell is not huge as I thought it might be and it didn't take nearly as long as I had considered the job before I started. The label maker I purchased to label totes was really fun too! I even got to take inventory of our deep freezer, clean it out, and thoroughly vacuum and tidy up the cold room. My husband thanked me (and then the "but" ... his tools are apparently a mess ... at least I put them all in one place and tried to put like with like!). I still have the furnace room to do - it's mainly sorted but, typical for hubby, he things it's organized and not that bad - ha! Hope there aren't any tools in there ;)

I also had a deal with myself that if some clothes I was trying to sell on Kijiji didn't go prior to the Diabetes Foundation calling for donations (they come to the house and pick them up) then it would go to them. I have a green garbage bag, another large bag, and a good sized box all packed up and ready for them to take away tomorrow. Yippee! I feel FREE!!

Travis and the Fan

Travis is developing quite the personality. At eight months old he is becoming determined and focused. At dinner last night he insisted on rubbing his eyes with the sole of his foot (sock on, of course). The other night he was going to sleep in his playpen. When I put him in to lay down he started to scream and scream and scream (this is unlike him). I picked him up and he stopped. This went on three or four times before I realised he wanted to look at the ceiling fan and couldn't see it when in the bed. I pulled the playpen underneath the fan so he had a full view and wouldn't you know it the little guy, pleased as punch that he got what he wanted, rolled over and instantly fell asleep. Is this a sign of things to come?!

Smart Cookies: Women and Money Network Group

Oprah has a smart cookie money investment program where she encourages women to meet and become more knowledgeable about personal finances and investment or other financial options.

I am in a local group and have learned a great deal from the guest speakers who have presented to us. I am now organizing the book club to be held every other month and I must admit, I am extremely excited to be facilitating these sessions. I just hope the turn-out makes it worth my while. As attendance isn't always a guarantee, it is my hope to also start an online book club or forum to open up the discussion.

Anybody have any experience with book club groups in person or online that you can share dos and don'ts, likes and dislikes with me?

List & Template Addiction

In organizing my home and the many projects I involve myself in and with, I've taken to making lists - or, more recently, using the web and Microsoft templates from their website to help me. In doing so, I have so many lists that I am feeling disorganized. Perhaps I'll print them and make a master list of my lists for reference!

The Pink Notebook

Before bed is the quiet time of day where my mind unleashes all sorts of brilliant musings I've suppressed or unconsciously developed throughout the day. Some of the compositions seem down right brilliant at the moment but I completely forget them when I sit to write the article the next day at the computer. It is for this reason I purchased a notebook to write my blogs with pen and paper before bed or whenever else the thoughts strike me. This way I'll have (hopefully) more interesting blog articles to post!

How do others organize their article process? Please leave a comment and share as I love to hear what else works too.

Saturday Night

I wrote this on Saturday night ... It's 9:30PM and I'm in bed writing this topic with pen and paper as I wait for the Infant Advil to kick in and offer some relief to Travis's cold and low-grade fever. He's tossing and turning in his playpen and I'm savouring the sounds of him in our room for probably the last night, as we hope to move him to his new room tomorrow in his crib. In doing this we will be moving Ava into a new room also. I've been hyping it up to her and I pray it's the best decision all-around. Travis has settled so I'm off to get some rest too.

Psychologist Head Game?

Today I completed some 300 or so questions my psychologist asked me to answer for our next session. I think it is supposed to give her an idea about my personality but I have no idea how it could as there were several obscure and repeated questions. Perhaps there was a trick to some as I noticed the repeat ones were about concentration. Now that I'm thinking that there may have been a trick, does this make me paranoid?! I should stop considering it as these thoughts are likely making me more in need of a session with the good doctor ... maybe that's part of her conspiracy! I'll just wait to pay her to tell me I'm a nut at the next session.

Getting Married Before God

Scott and I have been married since August 28, 2004. We had a civil ceremony in a garden at a golf & country club in Thornhill partly because I wanted the ceremony in the summer and also because Scott has been married before and we were waiting on the Diocese to complete their annulment process. It did come in time but it was too close to book a church ceremony.

Fast forward four years later and here we are, still married but not having been entered to the Roman Catholic sacrament of marriage. As we are preparing for the baptism of our second child, Travis, the priest approached us and the timing works so we are going to have our vows done in the house of God versus the garden of God that we did the first time. Our family and friends will be there too ... I wonder if I get to wear my wedding dress again and would it fit after two kids?!

Painting & Not Listening

Today, after having worked out three quotes from professional painters, I finally booked our job to be done the last weekend of September. Yes!

(this picture seems to be how we are communicating these days - most frustrating for everyone!)

Now that I've had five seconds of excitement, dear husband put his 2,000,000 cents in and scolded me for not informing him of the quotes or that I was even calling to book. Sigh.



Hello! Yes I did, last night, and he gave me the go ahead otherwise why would I have booked the painters?

(this picture says "They had a sale on electric green" - this is what I could see hubby doing to me! LOL)

Whatever (pshaw!) - I'm going to choose the colours and send the samples and deposit in and I'll listen to hubby's nattering on while I tune him out and look at my beautiful walls. I wonder how he's going to react when I tell him I want input on every single plant he purchases for the garden (he's an avid gardener and I've given him carte blanche for the yard - why can't he do that for me inside the house?!). I think I'm going to insist on my input all next summer.



I think all this questioning and second guessing my is greatly reducing the confidence I hold in my "new" role as chief home executive. How about a thank you for getting the quotes and creating our vision board for all the rooms?! Never mind the budgeting and working with an extra kid for crying out loud to pay for it! Now hubby is also talking about wanting chair rails and wainscotting because, apparently, we have oodles of money for this new make-work project. If he had that much time, why not just paint the walls himself? Sigh.

(in this cartoon the couple couldn't agree on wallpaper so they alternated his and her choices - this is genius!)

Thanks for letting me vent ..... I'll let you know if our house projects ever get done and how/if we survive it! Am I the only one with these issues?

"Billy Elliot" - Movie Review

This movie was very fun also. A little hard to understand the accents but it was about a young boy who would prefer to take ballet lessons than boxing lessons - much to the chagrin of his on-strike-miner father and older brother. When they realise that he does have talent the family bands together and he eventually auditions to be accepted into the Royal Ballet School.

Two of my favourite parts are when Billy walks over to his friends house and he answers the door wearing a dress. Billy's expression is priceless but more-so is the way he just accepts his friend as he is.

My second favourite part is when Billy and Mrs. Wilkinson dance to "I Love to Boogie" in preparation for the audition at the Royal Ballet School. It's fun choreography and the music is very catchy.

"Flicka" - Movie Review

My son Travis (7 months old) and I just finished watching Flicka. It was a really sweet story of a girl who is passionate about horses. Her family has a quarter horse ranch. One day she finds a wild mustang on the land and brings it home. It's a nice family movie about horses and Travis loved the horses too!

Painting The House

We are in the midst of getting quotes to paint the house. It's open concept and so very gray-based taupe. I've had three painters in and I hope we get one that will fall in our budget as that is the make it or break it on the project.

My current taupe existence is as follows:

90210

I am always leery of "update" shows but this one wasn't half bad - especially considering I am not in high school any more. Yes, I can relate to the parents more than the kids but there was fairly equal billing between the two generations and their story lines. I'm a fan - if I can stay up until 9PM to catch it!

(left; Beverly Hills 90210 - from my high school days; right; 90210 - from my parent days!)

The Recycling Guy

The kids love to look at trucks and machines. The recycling truck was in front today so they all ran to the window to look at it. It stayed in front of the house for about 10 minutes ... the kids eventually got bored and left the window but I went over, wondering what was going on (was my recycling THAT disorganized?!). Then I sat and watched the recycling guy fiddle with this head bandanna and sunglasses, making sure they were just right, and then he was admiring himself in various mirrors on the truck for another five minutes. His gloves were also put on "just right". Maybe I should be a recycling employee.