7mm, Comfort Fit 10K

Last month I lost my wedding band. It has always been a little big on me and me being me I just never went and made it right for my finger. So for nine winters every time my hands got cold I would make fists to keep it on and it worked up till this winter. I was Christmas shopping, gloves on and gloves off, carrying bags, etc. And I went to the post office and took my gloves off and it was gone.

Served me right. Totally.

So I went to get a new one but my finger is size 5 and they didn't have any at the mall I was working at. So my MIL lent me her mothers wedding band that she got when she was 17 in 1939 and it fit but I couldnt live with myself if I lost it, and I am a, well, a loser. Of things.

So today I went to a jewelry store that was going out of business and got the wedding band I always wanted anyway, thick and solid and snuggly size 5. And I'm lovin it.



It's kinda neat that I got this now, because this month, nay, this week, marks the fact that Jay and I have been together for exactly half our lives. We met in our eighteenth year (1988) and eighteen years later is now. EIGHTEEN YEARS. Shaz-AM!

And it has been eighteen years of ups and downs and crazys and calms and a million other things. And as 'we' get older, well, I would have to say, it has become a sort of 'comfort fit'.
And it's good.
A.

So Glad I Got My Girl

Guess who is going to be a FLOWER GIRL at her mom's cousin's wedding this fall?

Tuesday bits

I love how it is 530 and I have to get the kids out the door in fifteen minutes for montys swimming lesson and sam (and jays, who has to meet us at rec centre because too late to come home first) Open Gym night and bring MIL to grocery store first. And I choose THIS time to blog. Because really, when is it NOT fifteen minutes till SOMETHING? Might as well sit down and start typing. Even though I have no idea where m's swimming trunks are and jay just called to tell me to bring him shorts and running shoes because well, you know I just have NOTHING BETTER TO DO, lets add one more thing to the fifteen minutes which is now thirteen minutes.

I have a small paper due tomorrow night on some rebellion in Upper Canada in 1837. I KNOW. What?
And I kinda wanted to go and check out an open mike comedy night tonight at a place downtown.
12 minutes.

What else? Sam and Jay went to Bon Jovi last night in Toronto and sam had a BLAST. Talked and talked and is still talking about it. MOMMY! IT WAS AWESOME! THE AUDIENCE WAS SINGING SO LOUD! AND DADDY BOUGHT ME A BRACELET! AND TWO GRADE SEVEN GUYS AT SCHOOL SAW MY HAVE A NICE DAY NECKLACE AND ASKED ME IF I WENT TO THE CONCERT!!

Okay now I really have to go. Monty and Luca are in the bathroom having a little toothpaste/soap/sink party. And I am leafing in eleven minutes.

BYE!!

Shot Through The Heart

WHAT A GREAT CONCERT.

We had a blast. Concert was a great mix of old and new tunes. I had no idea I still remembered all the words to 'Living on a Prayer' until they played it and I was standing up singing it at the top of my lungs with 20,000 other people. FUN.

Really great show with awesome lighting and just loud enough that you could still turn to the person beside you and hear them say, "HOW AWESOME, eh?"

Bon Jovi must have an elixir of youth. I swear everytime he smiled the whole crowd went "WHOOOO HOOOO!"



HBSC Arena is a great venue. Clean and well laid out. We took a trolley from the hotel to the arena. I didn't bring my camera though! I was too ascairt to have it confiscated! I totally shouldn't have been. There must have been six million flashes going off all over the place during the concert.

I gotta say, the average age of the fans at the 'cert is kind of, older. Like, I would be medium rare old at 35 and the thousands of ladies screaming for Jon and Ritchie would be like, medium well old. Like about 45. With some great examples of 80's hair and fashions. Then there were younger people. But we all came together in our appreciation of solid rock n roll, baby. We were ONE, with our fists in the air singing, "Blaze of Glory". And "YOUR LOVE IS LIKE, BAAAD MEDICINE! BAD MEDICINE IS WHAT AH NEED!"

Don't judge it. You totally would have been there, too.
Jon played on a bunch of 'satellite' stages, little stages set up in the crowd. It was a riot to see ladies taking close up pictures of his butt with their cell phones when he turned around.



Heh.

Jay kept saying how much Sam would like the concert. So wehn we got home we thought we would check ebay and see if there were any tickets being sold for any of the sold out conerts in Toronto this week. And there was! And we got a pair for HALF the price they would have cost us had we bought them direct! So he is taking Sam tonight. Sam is PUMPED.

Whew.
My comedy gig went well. It was a pretty good sized crowd for a coffee house. I did a bit of new stuff and mostly old stuff. I didn't tape it, though. Didn't get the camera charged up in time.
Man, I gotta go. Gotta get sam off to school and I am babysitting all day today.

Rock on!
A.

BBJ..............

Before Bon Jovi, I must....

Pack a suitcase for Sam, include clothing and toothbrush and jammas and drawing supplies and a movie or two and his Terry Fox book AND his violin and music and music stand and ventolin and aerochamber. He is going to Grandpas.

Pack a suitcase for Monty, include clothes, etc with Ninja Turtles toothbrush and toothpaste and his power ranger toys and his power ranger sleeping bag. He is going to Sandy's.

Pack a suitcase for Lucy, include baby things like diapers and wipes and bum cream and sippy cup and a couple changes of clothes and her 'night night' (blanket) and pack up her playpen and some bedding. She is going to Traceys.

Pack my own suitcase for my big overnight in Buffalo. Include Bon Jovi shirt and other neccessities. Include notebook so I can write out a comedy set for tomorrow night and hopefully practice it in car to and fro Buffalo.

Arrangements for pickups have already been made. Must write itinerary for Oma (MIL) who will be home while kids get picked up at 4 pm, 430 pm and 5pm respectively.

Get to bank to deposit cheques and get some American money. Call baby sitter to come tomorro night at 630 so Jay can accompany me to comedy gig. Drop monty off at school at 12:45. I am watching Gabriel this morning and Eleni will be dropped off in about fifteen minutes. Feed the four children their lunch. Get Lucy down for nap. Get out of bad ratty track pants and weird chenille sweater that I put on this morning. Print out tickets to concert.

Clean out car somewhat as we are driving everyone to Buffalo.

Eat something besides tea.

Tidy up living room that has systematically been destroyed by two two year olds this morning.

And that is about it. All this should be done in less than three hours because we plan to leave at 2pm. Hardy har har har har har har har ho ho haa ha hee hee.

Who cares? I am going to see BON JOVI. And it will be betta than fine.

A.

Some Things...

Started "A Million Little Pieces" yesterday. Totally on page 101. I tried to read it while cleaning the bathroom because I didn't want to put it down. I don't care about all the controversy surrounding it. I am, so to speak, hooked.

Gotta do a comedy gig on Saturday. Ten minute set. MUST decide what I am going to say. (Too bad it is after Christmas, eh.)

FRIDAY NIGHT. Jay and I are going to Buffalo, NY (It is only about fifty minute drive) to see

In concert! Wooo Hooo! We be Livin on a Prayer! We be Wanted Dead or Alive! Can't WAIT.

The course I wanted to take, "Cults in North America" is full. Rats. So I am taking "Women in US and Canada in the 20th Century" or something like that. It is available on Wed nights. That's all I know.

Tonight is swimming lessons for Monty and Open Gym night for Jay and Sam. Jay mentioned that I should do the gym night with him and Sam. Uh, no thanks. Basketball and indoor soccer and Nerf Floor Hockey? I so don't have the skillz OR the inclination OR the BRA for it. I will stick to my little Pilates DVD. After I finish this book, of course.

Ciao!
A.

Happy Birthday Gigi

Do you know my sister Jen?


(1970. jen, 2 years 4 months, and amy, 6 days old)

If you know someone who makes you laugh within thirty seconds of a phone call, you do.
If you have someone in your life who listens to you carry on about any number of things with infinite patience, you do.
If you know a great, loving, excellent mom, you know my sister Jen in a way.
And if you have an older sister, close in age, who you would admire for every cool detail, from wit to great hair to the knick knacks on her dresser, you know her.
And you know Jen if you have someone who makes you feel better about things just by thinking about her.


(1975. amy, jennifer, siobbhan and charlie)

Today is her birthday. She is 38. But to me, she will always be 7 and telling me the ways of the world in the back of the station wagon. 10 and sitting against the back of her bedroom door with me. 11 and getting us all to pose on the front lawn while she pretended to take pictures with her Brownie camera. 14 and beautiful in her grade eight grad dress and Princess Di haircut. 18 and sad but so brave. 24 and in love with Terry. 27 and welcoming me home with her big smile. 30 and dancing with Kathleen. 33 and living in The Annex in Toronto and confident and showing me all she had discovered. Almost 35 and becoming Abby's mom. 37 and becoming Renee's mom too.....

Happy Happy Birthday to my sister, Jen. If you know someone like her, you are almost as lucky as me.



A.

Lil Sprout

Thank you Gramma for making Luca this awersome little sweater and hat.



Kinda makes spring seem closer.

A.

Flotsam and Jetsam

An eyelash scarf looks like this:



And I am sort of keeping my new years ideas!
I cleaned today. AND I did a 20 minute Pilates workout. AND I bought my MIL a year pass to our local rec centre, along with one for our whole family. How great, that for $130 bucks, we can swim everyday for a year if we were so inclined. Plus they have open gym nights (Jay and Sam went tonight and played basketball and soccer.) And other neat things. For 130 bucks a year!!

The pilates hurt me. I did it and I was all, 'this ain't no big thing, it's almost TOO easy.' Then within an hour I felt such fatigue in my muskels! Whoo hoo!

Before I get too annoying I will stop and say that I also had um, four big chocolate chip cookies as a little mid afternoon snack. So I kind of had to do the pilates.

I am reading "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency". And it is totally great.
I saw "Memoirs of a Geisha" on friday night. And I really quite enjoyed it.

I made peanut chicken stir fry for dinner tonight. And it was yum. The kids loved it, with the rice stick noodles.

I am having another of my Girls Night Out parties in Feb. Stocking up on goodies. Fun.

I am registering for a course that starts tomorrow night. Not sure which one it will be yet! Nothin like the last minute, Aim!

I am outta here. Must sit. And watch something on TV. Now.

A.

Resolute

So not making resolutions this year. Or even goals. I just have some loose ideas, if you will, for things to maybe improve on and maybe just leave alone.

Can I be any more afraid of failure?

Idea One.
Physical Movement Increase. I am not a sportsy mom. I don't jump up and say, "Let's all go swimming/skating/walking/to the park!" much. I do like half zip fleeces and nice running shoes. And I could totally do a day of pictures in the park, posing out with the kids, looking athletic and prettily flushed. But as a rule, I am not real active. I find my life is all about having to get off my arse when I don't want to anyway.
But I think I need to give a little bit more to up the physical ante. For ma famille. And it will hurt. So that is one idea.

Idea Two.
(Don't you love how I am doing this on Jan 6 when everyone else did it Dec 31 or Jan 1?)
General Tidiness Increase.
I struggle with keeping up with the house on a daily (nay, minute-ly) basis. I know lots of you will say, 'oh my house is a mess too, whatareyagonnado.' But truth be told. I have friends who say this too, and their houses are across the board always tidier than mine on any given day. You guys know who you are. And yer killin me.
So I need to figure out how to maintain better. Because I am a little tired of this resolution/idea.

Idea Three.
Greater Good Input.
This one I am not so afeared of. I resolve to help more people. However they need it. To not be such a bitch when my MIL takes too long at the grocery store and I have to wait in the car. To lend a hand when I can, and even when I think I can't. To give more. To say, "Yes. No Problem. How can I help you with that? What can I do? Where do you need me to be? How are you?"

And that's about it. I also want to grow out my nails and pay my bills on time and be more patient with my kids and bring a little more romance to my marriage and eat more vegetables and have less back pain and finish my BA and do more stand up comedy and be generally more stylish in the everyday and crochet an eyelash scarf and stop squeezing my pimples and put laundry away faster and go to my parents house more often and spend less money and a million other things. But, you know.

Happy January 6! It's Epiphany!

A.

Recappage

So Christmas Eve was a hub of activity, from work at the mall to home getting kids cleaned up and presents wrapped and then driving out to my parents place. Which was real nice. Sam played piano and violin almost the whole time.



And all the little grandkids ran around like fancy little pinballs. Cute.

And then home again to pop them in their beds and then Jay and I power-wrapped till midnight.

They slept till 730 Christmas morn! It was hilarious listening from my warm cosy bed to Sam and Monty running around and shouting with glee about stockings and things under the tree that weren't there the night before.

The biggest hit were the cups I got for Monty and Luca, one Pooh, one Chicken Little. They carried them everywhere.



Note the close up detail of Lucy's first nightgown, made with love by her grandma who should really check into sewing rehab soon. Thanks, mom.

She also made pajamas for Eggbert and Sammy.



These kids did not get out of their pajamas for whole Christmas day.



It was lovely. Jay made an enormous, pajama bursting brunch and we all said grace and tucked in. And for the rest of the day we nibbled on leftover bacon and sausage and Turtles chocolates.

Boxing day we had a nice turkey dinner at my SIL's. Yum.

Fast forward, please, to New Years Eve. Because it was a non eventful, relaxing and quiet week between. Jay had a cold so we didn't get out much. He was off all week and did a real nice job keeping my kitchen tidy. I miss him loading and unloading the dishwasher.

NYE we went out! Whoo hoo! Packed up three little suitcases and carted the kids off to my parents for the night! And went out to dinner with fourteen other people to a gorgeous restaurant!



Oh, you wanted to know what I wore? No problem.



See how good a person can clean up when there is only that person to get ready?
Everyone came back to our place afterward, to ring in the new year. It was great.
And now I must go!
Promise I won't wait a whole nother year before blogging again.
A.

Howaya

I'm still around, just lazy to blog.
Holidays came and went.
Promise that tomorrow I'll put on the dog.
And post, and yammer, and vent.