Good Apple

Red Writing Hood...

2010-09-05T21:17:00.002-06:00

I'm here to tell you that I'm moving...

You can find my new blog at www.RedWritingHood.ca

The Suicide of Reason in Canada

2008-01-20T14:33:00.001-07:00

My latest post is up at Pajamas Media.

Pajamas Media

2007-09-30T10:10:00.000-06:00

I'm excited!

Guess who is a Canadian Correspondant for Pajamas Media?

Me!

Woot!

Call me crazy ...

2007-09-25T07:11:00.000-06:00

Or not... but I'm pretty sure Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is simply going to go home and claim that 9/11 didn't actually happen. Because he has not been allowed to see Ground Zero. Do I think he should be allowed?

No, not really. But I question my own reasons. The terrorists were neither Iranian nor Shi'ite. They were Sunnis from Saudi. So am I saying anyone from "over there" should not be allowed at Ground Zero? I don't really know.

Some interesting takes from the blogosphere:

Matt Sanchez: “I’m never surprised by what my school Columbia University will do or say, not even when they’ll invite men like Ahmadinejad to speak but will refuse people like Ann Coulter or members of the United States military.”

Minding the Campus: Who’s too extreme for Columbia? A quotes game.

Columbia University Spoof Site

(Hat tips, as always, to Pajamas Media)

30 Hours in 30 Days

2007-08-30T17:04:00.000-06:00

I took part in a teleconference yesterday that was quite simple... just a guy talking about his new time management strategy. Still, I was quite impressed. He wasn't just talking about his plan, he was soliciting feedback.

I think I'm going to try it (Starting Sept 1).

Basically you set out 30 hours worth of tasks to complete in 30 days.

What I like about it is that it doesn't interfere with my daily listmaking. And even better, you don't need to replace the tasks, you just complete that list.

Because if I try really hard... I can create a neverending list of tasks to complete....

Third Wave Feminism

2007-08-30T10:19:00.000-06:00

Dej is starting a great discussion over at Mama Needs A Book Contract about "post-feminism".

Personally, I don't like the term "post-feminism" because I don't want to say I'm past feminism. But at the same time, I now realize that I identify with Feminism. But I'm what you call a Third Wave Feminist.

Basically, the third wave has challenged the belief that there was one way that women thought. One "universal female identity" or that any one person can define feminism for anyone else. And I think that's sort of what the post-feminists believe.

But there's a very small difference (in my opinion). The Post-Feminists want to move past Feminism, where the Third Wave wants to redefine the term. I like that. I like redefining and repurposing the term for myself.

Grrr.

2007-05-07T11:11:00.000-06:00

My Writing Mother blog is currently "locked" by silly Blogger because they think it's a "spam blog"... Geez, I don't even know what that is!

Just tryin' to provide some information free of charge on the blogging superhighway people!!

I'm angry.

2007-04-21T13:55:00.000-06:00

Do you know what really makes me mad?

(Lots of things?)

When family members screw their family over. I have an uncle who is the most irresponsible person. I may have blogged about him in the past.

My aunt and grandmother have things in a storage facility that he is responsbile for. Some things have intense personal value... such as the moss bag that my aunt had for her son. They are aboriginal and this is about as personal as that one baby blanket that your child was never without for the first year of his life. You cannot replace it.

Well my uncle gets his mail at my mother's house and I signed for a registered letter for him there. It was the storage facility. He hadn't paid the bill.

I called my aunt and told her, she flipped out and called her brother. Why didn't I call him? Because he's a very angry person and would simply tell me to pi$$ off.

She has been giving him money for this storage as she lives about ten hours away. Obviously he's been drinking away the money.

Today in the paper was a notice that the contents of the storage would be sold. I tried to call my aunt again but there was no answer. I called my mother, figuring she might care that her mother's furnature and her sister's personal items were going to be sold.

My mother was irritated that I was interfering. She didn't want to get involved in "his business".

She phoned him. He said "it's taken care of".

She called me back to tell me that.

So I called the storage people.

Money is still outstanding. It's been owed for over two months, so it hasn't been "taken care of". Is it right to lie to your family? I am mad that he is lying to everyone, that he's so irresponsible and that I know if I phone him he will get self-righteous and mad back at me when HE is the one in the wrong.

Personal DNA

2007-04-07T13:40:00.000-06:00

You are an Inventor

· Your imagination, self-reliance, openness to new things, and appreciation for utility combine to make you an INVENTOR.

· You have the confidence to make your visions into reality, and you are willing to consider many alternatives to get that done.

· The full spectrum of possibilities in the world intrigues you—you're not limited by pre-conceived notions of how things should be.

· Problem-solving is a specialty of yours, owing to your persistence, curiosity, and understanding of how things work.

· Your vision allows you to identify what's missing from a given situation, and your creativity allows you to fill in the gaps.

· Your awareness of how things function gives you the ability to come up with new uses for common objects.

· It is more interesting for you to pursue excitement than it is to get caught up in a routine.

· Although understanding details is not difficult for you, you specialize in seeing the bigger picture and don't get caught up in specifics.

· You tend to more proactive than reactive—you don't just wait for things to come to you.

· You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.

· You prefer to have time to plan for things, feeling better with a schedule than with keeping plans up in the air until the last minute.

· Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.

If you want to be different:

· Try applying your creativity to more artistic arenas, and letting your imagination take less practical forms.

How you relate to others

You are Encouraging

· Your outgoing nature, understanding of others, and directness make you ENCOURAGING.

· You want others to do well for themselves, and you generally believe in their abilities.

· You often know what's good for people because of your caring nature and your worldview.

· When you care about someone, you don't keep it to yourself: you are good at letting people know that you're thinking of them.

· Because you trust people, you take violations of that trust very seriously.

· You thrive in social situations, and even though you know who you like and who you don't like, you can interact well with many different types of people.

· You have a healthy respect for people who have earned what they have, and you strive to be similar to successful others.

· You are a loyal friend and a good listener.

· You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.

· You prefer to have time to plan for things, feeling better with a schedule than with keeping plans up in the air until the last minute.

· Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.

If you want to be different:

· Sometimes, in the course of being encouraging, you can be a bit judgmental—this can make it more difficult for others to follow your advice.

· While you are an expert at getting the most out of the world and taking advantage of many experiences, you might gain some insight by taking the time to be alone, reflect on things, or just observe the goings-on in the world.

New way to Google yourself

2007-04-06T18:11:00.000-06:00

No... not oogle yourself. Google.

Do this. Google your first name and the word 'needs'. Put in in quotations. As in "heather needs"...

See what you get. I got:

Heather needs men... NOW!
Heather needs new boobs.
Heather needs to start wearing a brassiere.
Heather Needs Two Therapists.
Heather Needs Some Body...Guards.
Heather needs a childhood.
Heather needs Gatorade.
Heather needs a family who will commit to her one hundred percent.

That is a little bit scary, I have to say! I'm obviously a shallow, small chested, crazy nymph who needs energy and has little familial support!

Just when I zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

2007-03-31T10:36:00.000-06:00

Ok. The baby lured me into a false sense of security. Damn her and her sleeping through the night for a week. Now it's back to waking up at 1, 3 and 5. Or at least two of those times. But she's bright eyed and bushy haired at 6:00 am now.

I, however, am not.

I'm the night owl who has just got to bed at midnight.

Dude!

2007-03-25T21:52:00.000-06:00

I think she's been in my head.

Or at the very least, in my bedroom at midnight.

You know what bothers me?

2007-03-25T09:36:00.000-06:00

No?

Well I'll tell you.

People who insult you and then say "well, I didn't mean to insult you."

People who make sweeping generalizations and then wonder why you're mad because they were only talking "in general".

Contest for Writing Mothers

2007-03-19T12:24:00.000-06:00

Help me PAY OFF MY DEBT!

2007-03-10T09:12:00.001-07:00

We're down to the homestretch of debt.

It has been a long year and a half of having DH sitting around the house waiting for his Permanent Resident's card to arrive so he could work!

We had plenty of offers for him to "work under the table", but we chose to do everything the right way. We didn't want to get caught cheating and have him be kicked out. But still... almost a year and a half of waiting...

Plus, we foolishly had a kid in the middle of it all, so I'm on maternity leave. Severe reduction in pay!

But, we're almost debt-free.

Check out my Sales for Writers! There are some excellent deals to be had. No reserves!

The Pattern

2007-03-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

Recently at a family event, my cousin and I sat next to each other with our children and watched the chaos before us.

We noticed who was talking to who, which person was snapping at which relative. Who was laughing. Who was grimacing. Who was bored. It struck us that there was a prevailing feeling of being constantly on defense.

"I think the women in our family are all on defense. All the time." I said.

"What do you mean by that?" she quipped.

It is impossible to say anything in our family without someone hearing "this is about me. Alll about me. What is this person REALLY saying about ME???"

For example. I said something slightly critical to my mother about an uncle. Her response? "Well he's my brother, of course I still have to love him."

Um. Yeah, that wasn't a comment about YOU and what YOU should be doing. I was commenting on HIM and HIS actions.

Cousin and I have vowed to never be defensive in our relationship. It's hard. I'm on child two and she's on child one. When I was on child one, she was, obviously, childless. So our opinions were quite different on some topics. When we each had one child, our opinions gravitated closer. Now that I'm onto child number two, I feel my opinion changing again.

But I refuse to be at loggerheads with her over anything. I refuse to be defensive.

Dairy freeeeeee

2007-02-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

I am not Dairy-free by choice. I would never have chosen this. I love me some dairy. Cheese, milk chocolate, big glass of milk...

But, I have to say, it is not as hard as I thought it would be. I think it's been four days now and my daughter's eczema is almost totally gone! Who knew that the milk she was getting through the breastmilk was causing it! We had battled it for a couple of months, putting on the corticosteroid cream and it wasn't getting much better.

But the day I stopped with the milk, I stopped with the cream... and it still went away!

I'd best lose some weight as a side benefit though!

I know, I know

2007-02-16T23:20:00.000-07:00

..but... but...

I have excuses, many of them.

Nothing has really been going on. Until this week when I had both kids tested for allergies. My son is allergic to dust, not horses as we'd thought. And my daughter is allergic to MILK and coconut.

I am still breastfeeding her so to ensure she gets none of the milk protein, I'm gong milk-free. Do you know how hard this will be?

I looked at the list of what I couldn't eat, and realized that it looks very much like MY GROCERY LIST. This is a problem.

I'm trying to look at it like it's a new food adventure. And I do think I'll lose some weight, what with all the walking around the house trying to find something to eat!

Good thing I went shopping

2007-02-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

Picking my son up at Kindergarten today, we casually chatted with an older boy in the stairwell. He had a super-cool toy, which I'm at a loss to describe since it involved numbers and moving blocks around and I knew from the second I saw it that I would not be able to do it.

Moving on.

My son asked, "How do the numbers stay on? Are there magnets in there?"

"No," said stairwell boy, "they are just in there and you'd have to break it to get them out."

"But we wouldn't want to do that, would we?" I asked.

"But," interjected my son, "if you have a man at your house, he can fix it!"

Men. Good for something!

Seriously people.

2007-01-31T15:42:00.000-07:00

There are over 5000 homes in my city that are worth over $1 Million.

Homes currently average $361,000 and condos average $252,000. Prices are expected to increase by 10%. Rentals are going for $1 per square foot.

This city is booming and I feel as though I'm left behind. We have chosen a lifestyle for our family that includes me staying at home and working (writing) as much as I can from home. My husband is just training for a new job.

Right now, if were had to move, we'd be stuck in the poorest part of town. That area where you can't even walk outside at night. That is not what I want for my family.

I think this summer will be decision time. Sometime between now and next September we'll have to move. The question is where.

Colour Quiz - Fascinating!

2007-01-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

I found this quiz totally fascinating... you should try it!

Heather took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test!

"Needs a peaceful environment. Wants release from s..."

Click here to read the rest of the results.

The cylce ends here.

2006-12-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

There's an unwritten feud in my family (until now, she wrote). An electric undercurrent that connects the women in this family. There's Cousin, whose arrival to young parents and the move in with the grandparents firmly upset her Aunt's position as 'the baby'.

There's me, the black sheep who takes after her late Grandfather. There's my mother and her mother, I don't fully understand that dynamic. There's plenty of drama between the aunts and the sisters. It's never really bothered me. I figured I was just different. I knew that Grandma favored my cousin, after all, she'd helped raise her and they lived next door to each other for almost 20 years.

I was always envious because I missed the small town that I knew only from summer vacations. I was moved around from town to town or house to house between divorced parents. My cousin was ensconsced in a sweet and loving life, with a huge house and plenty of room to rome. I lived in a trailer park. Or had to endure the parental fights. But I got over it, pretty much, I didn't think it was really my fault that Gramma preferred her.

But now it's different. Now it's my kids. I have two, a boy who is five and a girl who is 4 months. My cousin has a boy who is 1 year old. Grandma went into the hospital on Christmas night. We visited her the next day.

She talked about her kids and how good they are to her and then mentioned my cousin. "She's so good to me. And that boy of hers, he just has my heart."

There was a silence in the room as I sat there with my daughter on my lap and my son sitting on the hospital bed playing quietly (a Christmas miracle).

It was like the closing of a book, a deep thud and a puff of dust. I resigned myself. I know now that nothing I can do will ever afford me a place of honour in her eyes. I'm always the other grand-daughter. My kids will always be the other great-grand-children.

My aunt (the displaced baby) still carries the burden now that she has a son as well, referring to my cousin's son as 'the golden child'. And it's true. I shall continue to bring my children to her, continue to hope that they find favour and vow that this cycle ends with my children.

Sorry!

2006-12-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

Very sorry, I seem to be suffering from lack o' bloggin'.

We've had a busy month (uh, I mis-typed and said busty month... very odd). M. is finally settling down at Kindergarten. Could this be becuase I have been going to kindergarten early many days a week and just hanging out with him? I think so.

I am giving kudos to myself becuase I knew deep down he'd have a little bit of a hard time at Kindergarten. Hence my desire to plan E. 'just right' so that I'd be home with her on Maternity Leave while he was starting school.

I can't help but feel that I've done something to create such a 'willful' child, but 'they' say that children's temperaments are set from birth. But still... surely I've fostered this spirit. I'm currently reading "Raising Your Spirited Child" and have been working on thinking about his actions in a positive light.

In stead of 'willful' I'm trying 'certain of desires'... instead of 'stubborn' I'm trying 'sure of self'... yeah, it kind of sounds like bull pucky to me too... BUT, I have found that when he is behaving in a contrary manner that I can look at his behaviour and notice that if he were an adult, this would be GOOD behaviour.

I mean, don't I want a child that sticks to his guns under peer pressure? Don't I want a goal-oriented child even if I have to put up with a little 'goal=extra dessert' time for a while?

Thankfully, I have a wonderful Kindergarten teacher and we've devised a reward system for him. She puts stickers in his communication book each day to let me know how he has been. Each sticker translates to a certain amount of TV and video game time. (15 minutes) The maximum he can get is 6 stickers.

Also, we've pin-pointed that his problems usually occur after 11 am, so I've been heading to the school a little early (he gets out at 11:40) and sitting in the classroom, usually just observing. I will be volunteering in the classroom, but for now it's a little difficult with a 4 month old. The teacher said I can just bring her along, but she naps at 9:30 just about every morning... and if I drag her out of the house I'll just end up with a different cranky child at school.

But we're working on it!

Yesterday I realized how far M. has come in other areas. I remember stressing a year ago because the child seemed terrified of the pool. I started sticking him in classes (because he doesn't really like it when I try to teach him, I'm too forceful....) and last night for the first time in the bathtub he stuck his whole face in the water and had me count to five while he held his breath.

This is a big step for him! I'm so happy! Sure, some of you may be saying 'small things...' but he doesn't do anything without it being his idea and his is very cautious with new things, it really has taken a year for him to be able to do this.

That trait, of being cautious of new experiences, is apparently a trademark of The Spirited Child. In the book they have a test for you to take to see how spirited your child is. M. scored fairly high.

Then there's another test to see how spirited a parent you are.

Surprise, surprise... I scored much higher than my son.

Spirited child, spirited parent. Yikes!

As my family would say: Tree. Apple.

Resource: Legal Guide for Bloggers

2006-11-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

A great little resource for those of us who occasionally stray into the political topics:

Whether you're a newly minted blogger or a relative old-timer, you've been seeing more and more stories pop up every day about bloggers getting in trouble for what they post.

Like all journalists and publishers, bloggers sometimes publish information that other people don't want published. You might, for example, publish something that someone considers defamatory, republish an AP news story that's under copyright, or write a lengthy piece detailing the alleged crimes of a candidate for public office.

The difference between you and the reporter at your local newspaper is that in many cases, you may not have the benefit of training or resources to help you determine whether what you're doing is legal. And on top of that, sometimes knowing the law doesn't help - in many cases it was written for traditional journalists, and the courts haven't yet decided how it applies to bloggers.

What is wrong with people??

2006-11-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

So a woman was kicked off of a Delta Airlines flight because she was breastfeeding her 22 month old daughter and would not cover her with a germy airline blanket.

She was in the next to last row and next to the window. Her husband was right beside her. The stewardess asked her to cover up (they had not taken off yet but had been delayed for three hours) and she said that she had a legal right to breastfeed. The stewardess said she was "offended" and next thing you know, she's kicked off the plane.

As someone who has been on 8 flights in the last three months with a baby and as someone who has breastfed on each and every flight, I think I am qualified to speak on this topic.

Here are some links.

Now, let me address some comments I've heard about this particular story.

1) She shouldn't be breastfeeding a 22 month old.

The world average age for a breastfeeding child is over 2 years, closer to three years. It's only in North America that we have a hang up about breastfeeding and yet don't blink when our 16 year olds dress like slutty mcslutterson.

1a) There's no nutritional value in breastmilk after the first few months.

Breastmilk constantly changes its make-up. This leads many scientists to believe that we were meant to breastfeed longer because our children have different needs.

Ice cream, Big Macs and Doritos don't have much nutritional value either. Sometimes we just eat them for comfort. Just like that baby was doing.

2) She offends me.

Don't you know how to look away? The guy picking his nose two seats over offends me too. I just don't look at him.

The overweight person eating ice cream, Big Macs and Doritos offends me. Maybe next time I'll go up to them and say "your eating offends me... can't you eat something else?" Wouldn't that be fun?

2a) Can't she feed her baby something else?

Have you attempted to take liquids on a plane recently? Even if she wanted to take an empty sippy cup (assuming her daughter drinks from one, not all kids do), the stewardesses will not fill your cup with anything prior to take-off. Ever been in a flight with a child screaming becuase his ears were popping? Guess what helps... drinking and breastfeeding.

3) She should have just covered up.

Oh-ho-ho-ho... me thinks you have never tried to nurse a big baby... a toddler... as someone on one of my groups said "it's like trying to wrap a kitten in a paper bag". Some kids will have none of the blanket. And as a mom I think I'll pass on the rent-a-germ blankets.

It is obvious to me that she chose the most discreet place in the plane that she could find. I know this because I've booked 8 flights in three months and I always ask for the furthest back and next to a window so I can turn my body slightly and nurse my daughter.

3a) Don't I have the right to not be offended?

No, actually, you don't. Check it out... read the constitution. There is no law that says it's illegal for you to be offended. Please refer to #2.

Conversely, this mother does have the legal right to breastfeed wherever she chooses. (In the U.S. it is called the "Right to Breastfeed Act" (H.R. 1848) and was signed into law in 1999)

The law doesn't say the "right to breastfeed under a blanket or in the nearest bathroom".

Suck it up Princess

2006-11-09T23:21:00.000-07:00

I cannot take Belinda Stronach. Give it a rest already and quit making me feel embarassed to be a strong woman. You want equality? Then you get the same insults that the men throw at each other.

For those who haven't an idea of what I'm talking about, let me enlighten you:

Belinda was a Conservative MP who was dating Conservative Peter McKay
During a crucial vote she chose to 'cross the floor' and become a Liberal.
Recently she's had an affair with Tie Domi, whose marriage ended. (This was her second affair with a married man... and a hockey player)
Recently McKay allegedly referred to Stronach as a dog.
Now, she can't take a joke from Ralph Klein.

At a 'roast' of Ralph Klein he said, "I don't think Belinda has a Conservative bone in her body. Well... maybe one... speaking of Peter McKay ..."

Belinda is one of those women on a power kick. She thinks that because she is Important that she's not held to the same standards as the rest of us.

Belinda, you crossed the floor in the House of Commons and turned your back on your constituents. That makes you a House Wrecker.

You had an affair with a married man. That makes you a Home Wrecker.

Please suck it up. You can't run with the big dogs if you're gonna pee like a puppy in the morning.

Mama Ain't Happy

2006-11-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not happy.

Call it a NaNoWriMo induced depression or the winter blues or even the baby blues but I'm just not happy.

I have an expensive hobby. Let's not bother with WHAT it is... but just know that spending $300 a month would be the minimum on the said hobby. Nevermind the time factor... at least three times a week for three hours at a time.

I haven't done it in several years. Financially I haven't made the sacrifice.

But I want to do it. I want so badly to be back up in the saddle. More importantly, I want to have goals. I want to have things to work towards.

Right now it seems that all I do is write. I write and write and write and then when I'm done. Oooh I allow myself to write some more! Yay! Yippee!

There is no carrot dangling anywhere on any stick.

Hobby - $300

But it replaces: mental health days, spa days, gym memberships, vacations...

How do you decide when it's ok to spend money on your hobby? When is a hobby more than a hobby?

Late Love Thursday

2006-11-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

YAY! Mir is getting hitched!

Congratulations to one of the most bestest bloggers out there. And the most prolific, I might add...

Way too early for Winter!!

2006-10-29T22:59:00.000-07:00

Look at what I woke up to this morning. Lurvely.

Genuine Pout

2006-10-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is an actual pout. Not even a fake one.

Make Love Not War!

2006-10-27T21:28:00.000-06:00

How can these things happen?

2006-10-22T21:18:00.000-06:00

I'm watching my usual bawlfest: Extreme Makeover Home Edition. This week it's the "Arena Family" where the team "grants a new lease on life to the grieving parents of a gallant little boy whose life and death touched the hearts of everyone in their community."

I watch the opening scenes where they start talking about this little boy who died from a brain tumor and I can hardly contain myself. My husband is standing right beside me, rocking our daughter and I don't want him to see me cry. But my eyes are bursting and my throat is completely choked up and I can hardly see.

How can a little six year old boy die in front of his parent's eyes. How can this happen? I allow myself for just a moment to put myself in that mother's shoes and my heart breaks to think of my little five year old boy in that situation. How could I survive? How could I possible continue to breathe after my child died?

The human existance is so frail and so breakable.

2006-10-17T22:16:00.000-06:00

DUDE! We forgot that we had some photos on Major Man's camera from our road trip in Summer 2005. We drove from Chicago, IL to Calgary, AB. We drove through Rolleau, SK... the home of Corner Gas!

I love me some Corner Gas! Of course, you have to a) be Canadian and b) actually have lived in Saskatchewan to really, really get this show down to the very marrow of it's being.

Pure Sin

2006-10-10T21:57:00.000-06:00

These things are pure sin. Pure, total, sin. But Oh. My. Gosh. Why don't they just write Big Freaking Orgasmically Good Chocolate that will go directly to my hips and belly and I won't care because Oh. My. Gosh.

Don't buy them. I swear. You will become addicted.

I feel so dirty.

2006-10-09T20:49:00.000-06:00

I had a virus on my computer. A virus. Me!

Thankfully an online buddy somehow logged on to my computer from his remote location (at a horse show, in his living quarters trailer... I kid you not!) and fixed it all!

He specializes in remote IT ... um... stuff. So if you happen to be in Canada and have a business that needs IT help... and no budget for an actual IT department.. he's your guy.

You asked... I answer.

2006-10-01T15:53:00.000-06:00

My buddy Muttering in Manitoba asked a few weeks ago, "why did you marry your first husband?"

I admit, I didn't want to answer it, I didn't want to devote any time thinking about it. I didn't want to type it out. But whenever I'd think about blogging it was like I'd left something undone. Something unanswered. And since I had actually discussed this with Major Man before we got married, I figured I could spill it out here in The Internets.

I met my first husband in high school and I did not particularly like him at that time. He was a skater punk. I was a horse girl.

When I re-met him four years later, he was a bull rider. I was still a horse girl. There were no skater punk tendancies that I could see.

I knew he smoked pot once in a while, but hey, so did my dad... no big deal. I certainly didn't and wouldn't. He liked to be taken care of, I liked to take care of him.

Somewhere along the way I figured I loved him because I felt as though I needed him. remember that song "I Need You"? That's what I thought love was. When you can't possibly live without someone, when you feel drawn to them becuase they need you and you need whatever it is you are getting from them.

We said we loved each other all the time.

I'll skip all the parts about the stress that a baby can cause and what happens when people are unable to deal with that stress in a healthy manner.

I married my first husband because I was 23 and I had no idea that to really love someone you have to love yourself without them first. You have to know who you are and what you can and cannot do. You need to know what your 'dealbreakers' are, to borrow a Dr. Phil term. You need to know that there is a huge difference between needing someone and loving them.

None of that applied to me.

Now it does. Unfortunately for my first marriage, it was not strong enough to survive the learning of these lessons. The love was simply not there.

I believe I learned the lessons. I believe that there were two factors - my divorce and the birth of my son - that caused me to finally know who I was, what I stood for and what I believed in.

Both involved immense pain.

I'm thankful for both.

Like my blog design... then check out Blue Bird Blogs

2006-09-19T11:27:00.000-06:00

The wonderful designer who created the beauty that is GoodApple is having a contest for a blog re-design. Click here!

She is very easy to work with and I swear she's an intuitive because it only took her one try to get a great design on this blog and my other blog.

Go! Enter!

One down... many more to go

2006-09-10T11:55:00.000-06:00

Today is my first wedding anniversary with Major Man.

Dear Love Of My Life,

I would have married you 10 years ago, when we first met. You were worth waiting for. I remember when you said "I've never won anything" and I said "but honey... you won ME!" You said, "I didn't win you... I just stopped running."

If I ask a question, I had better be prepared for full disclosure. I have never, ever thought that you might be lying to me. Not even when you say you like my butt.

When we met again in 2003 you still had the presents for me that you bought me in 1996 and didn't have the chance to give me. And they were too big on me. That rocks.

For a guy who only just became a parent, you continue to teach me about parenting, even when you tell me a story about your childhood and I'm reminded what NOT to do.

Even my family loves you. A relative was having some issues with her spouse and she wanted to call YOU of all people. She knew you'd give her a straight story.

Marriage was very scary for you. You were very brave.

I knew you'd be all squishy and in love with your daughter. And you are. You may not always show it, but you are. No one laughs when a baby farts and poops unless they love that baby.

You stop chewing your nails when you know it bothers me. Or when you get the evil-death-glare-of-doom.

You know how to do laundry. You may not put mine away, but whenever there's a pile of clean clothes jumbled on the bed... I know that none of your clothes will be in that pile.

You read body language very well whether it's my smile or my evil-death-glare-of-doom.

You know how to wrestle with little boys and burp babies.

Wasting a good nap to blog

2006-09-09T12:16:00.000-06:00

I have writing deadlines to meet and yet I'm going to waste my daughter's nap to blog. What else would you expect from an old procrastinating pro?

I was watching Elizabethtown today. Well, I was sort of watching it while sort of packing and sort of reading the newspaper and cursing the fact that I have to move in with a family member and wondering WHY bother live in a booming freaking city when my husband isn't legally allowed to work and why not just move to the states tomorrow.. but I digress...

One line popped out at me.

"Sadness is easier because it's a surrender."

The rest of the movie was kind of lame, but that line made sense. It's true. I've spent a couple of days being sad about the state of things. I spent two days being in a serious funk... not the best state of mind to be in when you are the mom of a brand new baby.

Sadness is a surrender, it's a loss of hope and a feeling that all you can possibly do effectively is crawl under the covers and maybe die. But when you crawl under there, you don't actually die, you sleep and even that makes you feel like you failed a little. Geez, I couldn't even die of sadness. I don't like the thought of surrender. I do not surrender. I move up and on. I push through. I do it the hard way on purpose. So why was I letting this get me down?

The short answer is: I'm not.

I'll take a page from my favourite dead guy ever:

“Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense”
~Sir Winston Churchill~

I will do what I need to do, we'll get through what we must.

Gettin' my fix

2006-09-07T10:56:00.000-06:00

I got my House fix the other night. It was pretty good. Although House was FAR too happy in this one. I like my House all grumpy and evil in a hard-on-outside-soft-on-inside kind of way.

Only 12 days left until the Grey's Anatomy season opener. I CANNOT WAIT.

In preparation, I'm thinking about buying myself some new clothes:

Because you just can't say "seriously." enough in this world.

Even my five-year-old son is saying it.

Although I think I'll take mine in blue or something ... red clashes with my hair.

Seriously.

And for those of us strongly in George's corner (death to McDreamy!!) we can show our support with a cute little t.

And of course there has to be room for the McDreamy lovers, like G.G. whose other half thinks we are losers, just because we happen to call each other at the end of every show.

Spammed again by the National (write for) Free Press

2006-09-06T14:24:00.000-06:00

I refrained from posting the entire email from the publisher who responded when I asked to be removed from his email list for the fourth time. Mainly because I hesitate to give idiots too much air time. It only encourages them. But click the title and read about our discussion.

Truthiness

2006-09-05T20:22:00.000-06:00

H/T to The Editor's Desk:

Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central is getting kudos for coining two TV buzzwords this year. A group called Global Language Monitor points to these Colbert creations as among the biggies for 2006:
"Truthiness," meaning "truth unencumbered by the facts."
"Wikiality," meaning "reality as determined by majority vote."

K-Day

2006-09-05T20:03:00.000-06:00

The first day of kindergarten was not as emotional as all the hype would lead you to believe. I wasn't weeping at the door, I wasn't mourning his growing up.

No, it was more like leaping for joy and thanking God that the K-day is finally here. M. has been totally bored out of his skull being at home with his boring mother. He's a child that needs interaction, needs more guidance, needs other children.

I remember when I was pregnant with him. I thought I'd be all about the homeschooling. By the time he turned three I was over that fantasy in a big way. This kid is too much for me. He's the book that "Parenting Your Strong Willed Child" was written for. He's a complete extrovert and he's outgoing and he's ALL ME.

Or so Major Man likes to remind me. It is the truth. He is so much like me that we would probably strangle each other if we tried the homeschooling thing. I've had to really reassess my parenting in the last few months. M. has been testing some limits and I find myself being drawn in to arguments with him. I let my emotions get the better of me and sometimes I find myself in an argument with a five year old. You can't argue with a five year old... the teeny-tiny underdeveloped logical part of my brain knows that.

Ah, I remember when I used to watch Supernanny and Nanny911 with such smugness. This weekend Major Man suggested that we actually CALL one of the nannies and I knew my reign as Super Smug Mother had come to an end.

Taking it all on

2006-09-04T22:11:00.000-06:00

I blogged over at The Writing Mother about a recent experience in which I stressed myself out about a certain task I'd taken on... and how it turned out to be not as big a deal.

I have a habit of taking on one too many things at once. While watching a show tonight, nursing my daughter and making notes on a book I have to read... (see what I mean?) I heard a line that summed it up perfectly.

"I don't think about taking on too much, I just know there are other things for me to do so I just do them."

I'm not sure where I decided to be an overachiever. I am not a big fan of overachievers. I'd like to aspire to being ok with being lazy, but I can't. If I have spare time, I wonder what I should be doing with it. If I can't come up with something then I plan something to take on...

This has been the case recently. I stressed out majorly when I realized that in a three week period I had to take four plane rides (two with both kids and two with just one) be in two different cities across the country, research and write several articles, get some info into some publishers about my book... all the while balancing this thing called Being the Mother of Two Children.

Then we got the news about the rent increase and decided to move.

I seriously thought my head was going to pop right off. But I've managed to tackle the one task that was causing me the most stress. I also politely withdrew myself from another committment I had with very little stress.

Now I feel better, I feel like I have breathing room.

And that old demon creeps up... what else can I cram into my life? What else can I take on? I found myself searching online for a local Toastmaster's club to join... and at the same time I was looking for a bible study to maybe start... hello? McFly? Just get through September with the move and the articles and the travel... and THEN re-assess.

Ever just have one of those days?

2006-08-29T14:09:00.000-06:00

:::SIGH:::

2006-08-27T18:36:00.000-06:00

Some days you're a windshield. Some days you're a bug.

The city I live in is experiencing a huge boom. Housing prices are huge. There's a "lack of affordable housing" as we hear over and over and over on the news.

I thought we were safe. I thought we had a fixed term lease agreement.

I thought wrong.

We have a periodic lease agreement which basically means the landlord can raise rates as much as he wants whenever he wants (with 90 days notice of course).

So he did.

Between having a husband not legally entitled to work in Canada and me being on maternity leave... this leaves us with about $300 left over after paying rent each month.

So we have decisions to make. We were going to move in with my mother, but after a discussion I just had with her husband, I'm not liking that idea at all. Not even a little bit.

We have until December 1 to decide what we are doing, I thought for a while that moving in with my mother would solve some problems, but it doesn't. It opens the door for all new ones.

2006-08-25T18:50:00.000-06:00

"There are many ways to measure success; not the least of which is the way your child describes you when talking to a friend."

I wish I knew who said that.

MeMe...

2006-08-23T22:09:00.000-06:00

Shelley had a great MeMe up the other day.

TECH-OLOGY:

Number of contacts in your cell phone? 788 (it's a BlackBerry)

Number of contacts in your email address book? 788 (see, it matches the BlackBerry)

What is the wallpaper on your computer? A picture of my son and daughter.

What is your screensaver on your computer? A very boring Windows XP logo

Are there naked pictures saved on your computer? No

How many landline phones do you have in your home? Three

How many televisions are in your home? Three

What kitchen appliance do you use the least? Toaster Oven

What is the format of the radio station you listen to most? Country

BI-OLOGY:

What do you consider to be your best physical attribute? Hair

Are you right handed or left handed? Right Handed

Have you had anything removed from your body? No... I did deliver two babies though. Oh, I had a lump in my leg removed a couple of years ago.

Would you like to? Maybe a couple of pounds... but I'm on the 'breastfeeding diet' so that's not very difficult!

Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? Hearing.

When was the last time you had a cavity? Five years ago

What is the heaviest item you lift regularly? My son.

MISC-OLOGY:

If it were possible, would you like to know the day you're going to die? No

If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? Grace

How do you express your artistic side? I write and I draw really bad pastel drawings.

What color do you think you look best in? Blue

How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison? Less than a week.

Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? No. Ok, maybe a bug or two...

If we weren't bound by society's conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at? Ack, NO!!

How often do you go to church? Not enough. I'm church shopping...

Have you ever saved someone's life? Not directly, but I was a first responder once.

Has someone ever saved yours? No.

DARE-OLOGY:
For this last section, if you would do it for less or more money, indicate how much.

Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? Yes.

Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? Yes.

Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? No.

Would you never blog again for $50,000? Yes.

Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? No.

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? No.

Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? No.

Would you shave your head and get your entire body waxed for $5,000? No.

Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? Yes.

The Story of Emily Grace (Warning: May contain Too Much Information)

2006-08-21T19:23:00.000-06:00

I've posted the birth story of Emily Grace over at The Writing Mother.

What? And there were no riots??

2006-08-14T20:03:00.000-06:00

According to FoxNews, "An exhibition of more than 200 cartoons about the Holocaust opened Monday as Iran's response to last year's Muslim outrage over a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper."

And there were no riots? No beheadings? No calls for killing of infidels?

Shocking!

Peacekeeping IS fighting

2006-08-13T20:41:00.000-06:00

I love to hear the rhetoric from the left leaners ... why are we fighting in Afghanistan. We're supposed to be Peacekeepers, standing solidly between the combatants...

Oh, I dunno... maybe it's hard to stand solidly between the combatants when they AMBUSH YOU.

Click that link to take you to video footage (from an American, Scott Kesterson) of Canadian soldiers from Alpha Company, 2nd Platoon, "Red Devils" from Edmonton, AB being ambushed as they assessed battle damage in Sangin, Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan on July 15th.

Sometimes peacekeeping becomes peacemaking.

Lester Pearson, in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, spoke of the vital role of peacekeepers during the Suez crisis. He said:

“We made at least a beginning then. If, on that foundation, we do not build something more permanent and stronger, we will once again have ignored realities, rejected opportunities, and betrayed our trust. Will we never learn?”

ARGH

2006-08-13T14:21:00.000-06:00

I can't seem to post photos on either of my blogs. It's rather annoying... anyone else having a similar problem?

Throw the pig.. uh.. I mean book at 'em

2006-08-08T09:36:00.000-06:00

And another story in which the book must be firmly thrown.

A man from Maine thought it would be funny to roll a pig's head into a Mosque. After talking to some old buddy who happened to be a police officer, he thought he'd maybe only get charged with 'littering' or 'improperly disposing of animal parts'. What he got was 'desecrating a house of worship'.

Excuse my French, but no shit, Sherlock.

This man must be the stupidest redneck on the planet.

"Matthews' attorney, James Howaniec, sought to show that his client did not know that the victims were Muslims. The mosque was located in a storefront that had no markings indicating that it's used as a place of worship; furthermore, Matthews did not know pork products are offensive to Muslims, the lawyer said."

Yeah, right... the guy just wanted to leave a gross and rotting piece of meat in some random doorway. And just because he has something against the other white meat, he chooses a pig.

People. We are civilized. We do not need to be desecrating the worship houses of other religions. If you want to disagree with someone, please use your words. Even my five year old understands that.

Who will be the first to scream racial profiling?

2006-08-08T09:22:00.000-06:00

According to a Fox News story, 11 Egyptian foreign exchange students have gone 'missing' when they failed to show up for classes at Montana State University.

"The men, who range in age from 18 to 22, were scheduled to attend a month-long program in U.S. history and culture, plus English language instruction, at Montana State University along with six other students. The group flew from Cairo and arrived in the U.S. on July 29. All entered the U.S. legally, but officials said the no-shows violated the terms of their visas and that the government would likely send them home once they turn up."

The politically correct crowd is quick to point out that the FBI states the men are not suspected of any illicit activity.

However:

"The government tightened the student visa process after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks when it learned that four of the hijackers had entered the country on foreign student visas."

If they are not involved in any "illicit activity" then they should simply be deported. It's that easy. ANYONE who violates the terms of their Visa in a foreign country should be deported.

Currently, Major Man is here in Canada and we're applying for his Permanent Residence status. He lives under certain restrictions and we abide by them strictly. Do you think it's been easy for us to have him basically unemployed for a YEAR while we wait for the paperwork to be processed? Not in this booming city it's not. Not when gas prices are $1.15 per litre. Not when I'm on Maternity leave.

But we follow the rules. So if these gentlemen simply cannot follow the rules then they need to be found and sent home PDQ.

Japan sucks.

2006-08-07T10:57:00.000-06:00

As a writer you'd think I was ALL ABOUT freedom of expression. And to an extent, I am.

For example, I don't think that Lolita should be banned from libraries.

But, I think that THIS CRAP should be a punishable offence. It is beyond nauseating. The basic premise is this: a sexy dance contest for children aged 2 - 12. How in the WORLD can this be on television? I've been to Japan and I'm well aware that they have a bizarre fascination with game shows. I've seen spanking and random waxings... all involving consenting adults. But these are children. Some of them are the age of my SON.

(Hat Tip to ye olde ex-boyfriend, Carl.)

10 Things to Help with Unpleasant Debates

2006-08-05T18:04:00.000-06:00

Ignore rumors. Get the facts first-hand from the sources. Don't seize them by the throat too tightly. Keep the shaking brisk but light.
Treat others as you expect to be treated. If I said something that stupid, I'd expect you to knock me through a wall.
When debate doesn't work, agree to disagree and walk away. It takes some time to think up five hundred synonyms for Pinhead.
Ignore people who trash you for your opinion. Remember where they live.
Respect is not a given. You have to earn it constantly. Especially seeing as they're not making a dime in this business.

Read the rest over at The Paperback Writer!

Oh pretty, pretty, pretty!

2006-08-05T17:14:00.000-06:00

Do you like? Do ya? Do ya?

As you can see, Good Apple has been made all PRETTY!

I LOVE the new design. Thank you to Susie at Bluebird Blogs for her wonderful work!

I thought that the 300th post would be a FAB time to roll out the new wardrobe... I hope you like it!

Like they are shutting off the taps...

2006-07-31T23:00:00.000-06:00

I think I'm due in three days.

I am drinking milk like they are shutting off the taps tomorrow. Or like we're running out of cows...

Consequently, I'm also peeing like it is going out of style. I mean FIVE times a night people!

I've also had periodic contractions, nothing painful, but definitely a step up from braxton hicks contractions.

Will keep you posted lovely internets. For now I'm going to bed!

Post 298

2006-07-29T22:57:00.000-06:00

Wow, this is post two hundred and ninety eight. I have to come up with something to do with post three hundred.

And there is no way in hellll that I'm going to do a "300 things about me post" because I'm just not that witty.

Touring the blog-o-sphere today, I discovered that *gasp* there are some nasty people out there! I'm astounded in a very naive and blinkity-blink way that people put SO MUCH effort into being nasty.

Now take Dooce for example. I happen to enjoy her blog quite a bit. She's in your face, she's honest and she's quite raw. But it's pretty refreshing in this bloggy world where you are never sure if someone's life is as perfect as they claim. But the other day I discovered Discussing Dooce. Which should really be called something like Dissing Dooce because that's all this person does. There's no 'discussing' at all, since she deletes any comment post that points out the obvious fact that she appears to be a nasty cow. I linked to her... go ahead, take a gander and try and post a comment like "you have too much time on your hands"... it'll get deleted. The only comments are allowed are ones such as "omg, you are TOTALLY right, that Dooce chick is a nasty cow"... and why is DD so mad? Apparently if you email Heather (Dooce) ... SHE DOESN'T RESPOND. Like, OMG.

I've seen a lot of nasty blogger wars... dude, the Infertility bloggers and the Pregnancy bloggers can toss around some nastiness, let me tell ya. And oh my goodness the political blogs ... well that's to be expected.

I have started to either mellow or grow or SOMETHING... but I can't seem to get caught up in the drama any more.

Just drivin' around

2006-07-28T11:03:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we drove to the three hospitals in our city that I might deliver the baby in. Because Major Man is relatively new to the city, he doesn't have that inate knowledge of the roads as I do. I've been here for almost 20 years. Because we are with midwives, when the time comes to push this baby out, the midwife will phone to the different hospitals to see who has the most availablity. Unfortunately the one closest to us is the busiest, so we will likely have a 20 minute drive at least to get to the other two.

As we were driving, we passed some youths at the side of the road waving flags and brandishing a sign... because I wasn't driving, I was able to gawk at them (I'm ususally the driver). They had a "Honk to end the war in Lebanon" sign and a U.N. flag, and a Lebanese flag.

One glared at me... we didn't honk, and we have both a Canadian and an American flag on our truck.

Major Man chuckled, "I didn't hear any honks."

"No," I replied, "not only is this city full of Americans, but they are standing at the entrance to the largest Jewish community in this city to boot."

Their faces were covered. As if they didn't know which community was directly behind them. By the time we drove back, they were gone. Peaceful protests never last long.

It was just... one of those days...

2006-07-21T22:49:00.000-06:00

I'm sure I've mentioned, but up here in 'Canadia' (as Major Man fondly calls it... and by fondly I mean very sarcastically) we don't all have air conditioning. Usually there's a few days in a few weeks in a few months that we can use it. So it's not found everywhere... in fact, the only person I know who has it is my mother and that's because my grandmother lived with her for a while and old people and heat don't mix.

So it's been hot here... somewhere in the 30s... which translates to about 90 ... or so Yahoo Weather tells me..

This means I'm slightly cranky because I have three weeks of pregnancy left... and my son is cranky because his mother just does NOT want to go out in the heat... not that marinating in the mugginess of my house is that much better, but I have writing deadlines... this leads to some serious butting of heads.

Actually, most of the day was ok... it just got a little touchy around 3pm when the heat had reached maximum irritation level, I was sweating in places I prefer not to discuss and my son was sweaty-headed and wanted only to eat popsicles.

We had three threats of time outs, one that needed to be enforced. Four quite impressive meltdowns and one early bed time. It took him over two hours to fall asleep, all the while he happily played in bed in the coolness of his bedroom. The bedrooms are all in the basement, thank goodness - if I had to put up with this heat at night I'd go crazy.

Please let tomorrow stay just a little bit cooler... please let the weatherman be wrong about that 90+ high... I may have to go live in the mall for the day.

Their your pipes and you should know what goes on there...

2006-07-20T21:15:00.000-06:00

Oh my... listen... if you have reproductive organs, you should know EXACTLY what they do.

You'd think that someone on CNN would be kinda smart (stop laughing)...

Cohen: "These are four-day old embryos. We’re talking about very tiny, tiny embryos."
Costello: "And they’re not fertilized either, right?"
Cohen: "Well no, an embryo is fertilized."
Costello: "Just to make it clear–"
Cohen: "Its sperm and egg have met each other–"
Costello: "So, it is?"
Cohen: "–and they, they’ve grown for about four days. So, they’ve formed a very, very small embryo."
Costello: "Ok, so I feel silly now."

If you have parts - know what they do. Please.

Evacuation

2006-07-20T17:16:00.000-06:00

CBC has some photos up of the evacuation process taking place in Lebanon. The news is full of reports of 25,000 Canadians, 25,000 Americans, 20,000 French, 20,000 Iraqi... I guess I must be dumb, but I don't understand why there are so many foreign nationals there...

Also....

The Canadian military is sending about 70 personnel to Cyprus to help evacuate stranded Canadians from Lebanon and has put two Halifax-based navy ships on standby to leave on 48 hours' notice.

... good.

Repetitious

2006-07-20T08:38:00.000-06:00

Have you ever known someone who just kept making the same mistakes over and over again? Someone whose head you want to shake and tell them to smarten up?

I'm sure I was that person at one point, and because of that I think I see it it others. In fact, I once had my palm read and the lady laughed at me and said that I will likely have a long life because we are all here until we learn our lessons and it looks like it takes me several tries to learn my lessons. I'm much wiser now - if I do say so myself - than I was ten years ago... but then again, aren't we all?

Actually, I think there are many who aren't. There are several people who Just Don't Get It. A popular avenue to repeat mistakes in is relationships. You know, the girl or guy who just seems to want a good partner, but makes their choices so poorly that you can identify a trainwreck months before it happens.

For example, let me introduce you to Cassa... I think I've read her blog for a year and a half. I almost can't look away because she reminds me of the me that made bad decisions. The me that wanted to meet someone wonderful but couldn't get past my own issues to really get to know a guy. About every other blog post I want to hug her and shake the crap out of her at the same time.

I have another friend who is in an abusive relationship and just had a baby with her boyfriend, thinking that would solve it. It doesn't matter what I've said, she gets suckered back in because he keeps promising to 'change'. But her self esteem is so low that she won't ever leave I'm afraid.

There are plenty of trainwrecks out there. I hope that I'm not one of them ever again, lol... I've started to try and steer clear of them because reading about their problems again and again... always with the same angst-filled confusion is getting too repetitious for me.

I overthink life's problems... so that's what I was doing at 3 AM...

2006-07-18T10:15:00.000-06:00

You Are Kermit

Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know.
You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems.
Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green.
Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies!

The Muppet Personality Test

Only Socialists have ideas this dumb

2006-07-13T10:50:00.000-06:00

This one's for Major Man, who would agree with the title of the piece completely.

Still reeling from Canada's mad cow disease, the last thing Manitoba cattle producers need is another tax to pay. But in his infinite wisdom, Premier Gary Doer has done just that -- announcing earlier this year a $2 tax on every head of cattle sold by producers...

A cow tax? What purpose does this serve? They have taken a floundering industry in Manitoba, created a governmental branch (complete with staff and salaries) and now they are going to tax the producers to pay for it?

WTF?

All Camo, all the time...

2006-07-13T10:27:00.000-06:00

We headed out to the Calgary Stampede for the day and found M's most favourite place to be... on the army vehicles. Which he calls "the army vehicles". His most favourite one was the tank, but that line up was a little too long for one certain pregnant mom having random Braxton Hicks contractions. And besides, Major Man assured me that it was a 1980's German Tank so it was crap. Good to know our Canadian troops are driving crap. We don't have the Gajillions that the Americans do... personally I've heard from Canadian soldiers that this makes them better soldiers because they don't rely on the technology.

Anyways... my son loves him some army stuff. He also liked the CF-18 jet they had there, but was unable to sit in it, so it was deemed not as cool.

I sent some photos to a friend of mine, a New Hampshire democrat. I sent these photos as well as one of my belly. I didn't notice but I was wearing my favourite camo top from Garage. He asked if it was common for us Canadians to be wearing so much camoflage.

There was a funny little contest going on between the Air Force guys and the Army guys... they were handing out these little rubber bracelets with their logo on them, making sure that if they saw a kid with the 'other guy's' bracelet then they'd load him up with theirs... not that M minded, he's all about getting stuff ... as you can see he's got a poppy tattoo on his arm.

Do Americans not know what the Poppy is about? I didn't ever consider the poppy a solely Canadian institution. I suppose it is... Major Man knows what it's about now, but The Other American formerly known as The Rude American seemed confused.

The democrat thinks I may be brainwashing my child. I countered that if he had kids they'd be Hillary-lovers so what's the dif? He had to agree.

Four weeks to go...

2006-07-10T11:10:00.000-06:00

I think I may be the bawlingest bawl baby of the pregnant world. I can just cry at anything these days.

My son has decided today that he wants to be a pilot. Air Force to be specific. So we spent some time this morning at the US Air Force site watching video footage of some very cool planes. Then he decided he should watch Top Gun.

Ok, I'm all good so far.

Until we get to that ejection scene where Goose dies. Yeah, I've watched this movie how many times since it came out? Many. Let's just say that.

I STILL cried. I had to leave the room so my son wouldn't see me crying.

Four weeks to go...

What a difference five years can make...

2006-07-09T08:31:00.000-06:00

Exactly five years ago I was attending childbirth classes with my exhusband. Well, he wasn't an ex yet... in fact we were still practically newlyweds. I was completely enthralled with this baby I was soon to bear. Slightly less enthralled with the husband. I can remember very little about the day and a half of classes other than he did not want to be there and was making it known in every passive aggressive way he knew. I remember crying at lunch because we were fighting.

But, we had The Most Amazing Childbirth Educator - Kathy. She was so wonderful. Enthusiastic, funny, charismatic and so very knowledgeable. The words she said came back so many times during my labour that I credit her for having the most empowering birth experience ever. Of course she'd just credit me back for doing "the most womanly" thing in the world.

Because of her, I am pursuing my childbirth educator's certificate. Because of her, my life changed.

As I mentioned, on Friday - exactly five years to the weekend - there I sat, waiting outside the childbirth classes with my new and wonderful husband. (And one of my best friends, who is due just two days before me but will probably give birth a couple weeks before ...)

And who should walk in but... The Most Amazing Childbirth Educator!

She remembered my name, as we'd seen each other a couple of times since then. And although she's not allowed to give me her phone number, she told me where I could get it.

Sitting through the classes, I could not help but consider the changes that have happened in the past five years. It was impossible not to compare the classes - not the information, but my reaction to it. So confirming and empowering. Giving birth is what my body was designed to do, but that doesn't make it easy. It's a marathon. It's the most difficult thing that any woman can do. And I can do it.

I sat next to Major Man and wondered at how my life had changed. I have very rarely compared my first husband with my current husband - it's not healthy in any way, shape or form. But again, it was impossible.

He was amazing. He listened, he considered, he took the information in. He actually READ the handouts that were for him. He listened to me. He practiced the massage techniques. He made sure *I* listened and practiced and took it seriously. I think much of it was outside of his comfort zone, but I think he took it seriously. I was so very proud. This birth will be difficult on him. He's a very capable man. Not being able to 'fix' or take away my pain may be difficult for him. He may become frustrated and I may have to help him through this.

But if I can give birth, I can truly do anything.

Check out The Writing Mother

2006-07-07T11:55:00.000-06:00

I posted on my 'other' blog about maintaining integrity when writing. Check it out.

Please?

The Belly & the Dragonfly

2006-07-05T21:25:00.000-06:00

Got my belly henna'd by a wonderful lady at www.dragon-fly-designs.ca. And my son got a little dragonfly to match my little dragonfly... he was not very happy that his was 'different' than mine, but once I explained that his was a boy dragonfly and mine was a girl dragonfly he was much happier. The henna should last 1 - 3 weeks... and yes, I'm flashing people in the grocery store. What else would you expect?

Too many! Too many!

2006-07-03T12:01:00.000-06:00

I'd love to go outside, but there are so many FREAKING mosquitoes that we are swarmed by them if we even think of venturing off of the house-to-truck path. I was outside for much of yesterday (and the day before, actually) and my arms are so covered in bites that a blind person could likely read a novel along just my right forearm.

Many months waiting for summer... and now all I seem to do is stare balefully out the window at the day.

FYI ... pictures of the henna'd belly coming soon!

Growing Up

2006-07-01T09:20:00.000-06:00

Do you ever get the feeling like you are finally a grown up? This morning I have been grumping around the house, stomping and frowning and huffing... for no real reason other than I'm in A Bad Mood. No one else is even up.

I'm tired.

I'm pregnant.

I'm worried about a decision I'm making.

And all the while I'm surfing the web and answering emails and I'm realizing suddenly that I'm quite grumpy while answering these emails. I've written not one, not two, but THREE emails that I've trashed after I wrote them.

Suddenly I wonder, does this mean that I'm a grown up now? Because I know when to shut my mouth?

Pausing here for a small rant

2006-06-30T22:53:00.000-06:00

Dear Person Who Shall Not Be Named:

I understand that in the past I have leaned on you a little bit for help. I was a single mom and needed some relief every once in a while. I have been back on my feet for a couple of years now and I thank you for your support... I cannot forget your support because you lord it over my head every chance you get.

Yes, you have helped out a lot with M. This does not mean that you get to be substitute-mom. It does not mean that you get to pick and choose how you spend time with my son.

If you want to see him... you need to ask me. It's not a matter of popping in and out when it is convenient for you and then acting as though you are doing me a big honkin' huge favour when you 'take him for a couple of hours'.

Newsflash! I like hanging out with my kid. More than ever. He is smart and funny and very sweet. And I am not keeping him from you in any way shape or form, but I'm tired of bending to YOUR rules every time you want to see him. We have plans, we make plans for the day and for the weekend. If you can't be bothered to check a day in advance then it's your loss when you don't see him.

I'm sorry, but no. You are cut off.

2006-06-28T14:41:00.000-06:00

I seem to be getting all hot and bothered by the re-trial of Andrea Yates. Some may call me judgmental and wrong, but as far as I am concerned, the only thing this woman needs is a bullet to the head.

I'm not used to really hating people. I don't think that there are wide swaths of humanity that need to be extinguished... but I do think that a woman who systematically drowns all five of her children needs to be sent to her maker and He can sort her out.

A seven-year-old boy struggled so hard as his mother drowned him that his small
fists remained stiff and raised over his head hours later, the medical examiner
testified Wednesday.

What kind of human does that? Yes, I know, there will be many (again) who says that she is mentally ill. I could not care less. If someone is mentally ill and not a danger to society, then fine. But this woman, whether mentally ill or not, should not be allowed to continue breathing the air.

Where the Hell is Matt

2006-06-28T09:04:00.000-06:00

If my son grows up to do what Matt is doing, I will be proud.

http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/

Why did the video make me teary-eyed?

Randomness

2006-06-26T21:32:00.000-06:00

Has your cable guy ever fallen asleep on your couch?

What gets my goat..

2006-06-20T11:39:00.000-06:00

Ok, I know the story. I've been a stay at home mom before.

I thought it would take more than two days before the Jehovahs Witnesses smelled my mom-at-home-ness and came calling.

Nope. 10 am and they're a' knockin'.

I girded myself for a little confrontation. But when I opened the door, what did I see?

An adorable five year old girl. She was VERY cute, holding a bible with big Minnie Mouse sunglasses on. She stood right at the knee of the adult and grinned a big, sweet grin up at me. What could I do? I'm not going to go all anti-Jehovah on the guy when he's got a sweet little girl with him.. and he KNOWS that.. the bastard.

There was also an older girl, maybe 9 or 10 years old. She'd probably been doing this since she was five. Playing the part of the cute little human shield.

It really, really irritated me. I can't say what I REALLY want to say to this man without looking like a big ass in front of these two kids.

Underhanded I tell ya.

Of course I come from a long line of anti-JWs.. my grandfather once broke the foot of a JW who had the absolute nerve to stick his foot in the door while my grandfather tried to close it.

Dear Neighbour Two Doors Down

2006-06-19T09:31:00.000-06:00

What is up with the new drum set?

I don't want to crush your creative spirit and all... but you suck ass.

A to Z

2006-06-17T23:10:00.000-06:00

A to Z
A- AVAILABLE?: For work, yes. For love, nope.

B- BEST SPORT?: Reining (www.nrha.com)

C- CRUSH?:

D- DOGS NAMES?: Christy... Sam... Jake ...

E- EASIEST PERSON(s) TO TALK TO?: My husband

G- GUMMY BEARS OR GUMMY WORMS?: Worms

H- HOMETOWN?: Bradwell, Saskatchewan (we moved a lot.. that was my favourite)

I- INSTRUMENT?: I used to play the Alto Sax and the Baritone Trumpet

J- JUICE?: Orange with Perrier

K- KIND OF MUSIC?: Country, unless I'm in the mood for a little Eminiem or Black Eyed Peas

L- LONGEST CAR RIDE?: Calgary, AB to Chicago, IL... or, that summer I toured with the Drum & Bugle Corps and we hit 14 states and 4 provinces traveling in a Greyhound bus full of other hormonal teenagers

M- MILK FLAVOR?: 1% Chocolate

N- NUMBER OF SIBLINGS?: one

O- ONE WISH: Happiness for my children

P- PHOBIA/FEARS?: Death of my children

Q- FAVORITE QUOTE?: "There are many ways to measure success; not the least of which is the way your child describes you when talking to a friend." Unknown

R- REASON TO SMILE?: Making my son smile

S- SONG YOU LAST HEARD?: Alouette, Jaunte Alouette, as sung by my son.

T- TIME YOU WOKE UP TODAY?: 6:30 am... habit.

U- UNKNOWN FACTS ABOUT ME?: Two tattoos.

V- VEGETABLE YOU DONT LIKE?: Olives

W- WORST HABIT?: Procrastination

X - X-rays? Many.

Y- YUMMY FOOD?: Right now? Oranges.

Z- ZODIAC/ASTROLOGY SIGN?: Cancer

Soccer Star

2006-06-17T08:38:00.000-06:00

He likes stickers...

I am NOT winning at Gardening

2006-06-17T08:35:00.000-06:00

It's been very wet for just under a week... so there has been no weeding happening in my garden... but hey, at least everything is growing!

I Love My Husband and other Misc. Facts About My Life

2006-06-17T07:50:00.000-06:00

Those of you who are married, don't you ever have days where you thing "Gosh I love my husband!!" I do. Days when he agrees that my crappy relationship with my mother is not 100% my fault... days when I come home and he's made cookies, and not just any cookies but the ones that I like rather than his favourite ones. Or days like yesterday when he came to my work get together (because it was my last day and now I'm on Maternity Leave, YAY!) and all I could think is "Dude, you are so hot and you smell really good too!!"

I don't post about Major Man very often because he's a private guy, he doesn't like people thinking they KNOW him... but I think I can get away with saying that I loved him from the very first day I met him... even if it took 10 years to land him and a couple of times I thought I might as well forget about him... I knew he was The One.

I will tell the story again for those who haven't heard.

In 1996 I was young and working in Austria, training horses. He was older and in the US Army and stationed in Germany. We met on Memorial Day Weekend in Italy.

If I've ever chastised myself for being a total loser, the introduction redeems me. Being a loser can work, too. I was in the water of the Adriatic Sea, thinking about how much this totally rocked, being in Italy with nothing to do for three days and here I was with my hair pinned up on my head and sweet new sunglasses and I thought I was looking HOT, baby! I heard voices several yards away... not just speaking English, but American.

Let me pause to say, I fight for the underdog and when you're in Europe and it's a freeforall on bashing Americans, I became very pro-American.

I turn and holy hubba hubba... hot army guys.

My Hot Army Guy radar was turned up from a young age, let me tell you. Corny? Oh yes. Steroetypical? Yeppers. But helloooo... short hair cuts, no facial hair, strong and muscular?

So I walk over, through the water, which of course is the best way to meet a guy... when the water is covering your ample hips.... and say "Hey! Hi! My name is Heather! I'm from Canada!" Yeah. Dumbest opening lines ever, but whatever...

There were three of them, we chat, find out what hotel they are staying in and mention that my girlfriend and I need to find a hotel room. Huh.. their hotel happens to have room. Well ok then!

Major Man (who was Captain Man then..) and I hit it off right away. Inseparable for our three days together.

I'd never met anyone like him. Not only was he chivalrous and funny, he was attentive to me... ME. He would walk me home from dinner (ok, we had drunk far too much and by 'walking me home' I mean he held me up so we could actually walk to the hotel) and walk on the beach together, he spent more time with me than he did with the guys I think.

Anyways. The time came for us to head back to our respective countries and of COURSE we were going to see each other again...

We didn't. Not for over 8 years.

Life intervened and I returned to Canada and he went back to the states... we lost touch. But, thank you to the US Army who keeps all it's officer's postings as public record and the power of Google. I ~~stalked~~ tracked him down.

We met again in 2004. After dating long distance for a year, we married in 2005.

It took him a while to come around to my way of thinking. Let's just say that.

Planning

2006-06-14T13:32:00.000-06:00

I can't help but start planning for my 'time off'. It will only be about six weeks from when I stop working outside the home to when the baby arrives, and there are several deadlines before then. In fact, a good chunk of deadlines are happening between RIGHT THIS MINUTE and next week. I fully admit that I've been putting some things off because it's getting very difficult to write in the evenings when my eyes are heavy and my belly is aching.

But next Monday I shall wake up bright and squirrley and all ready to begin my new life as Work At Home Mom.

I know a little bit about myself ... enough to know that I need structure in my day. So I have to come up with a plan to get everything done. In the morning I will enjoy my coffee and watch some news, check emails and spend some time on the email lists I love.

And, ok, that's as far as the planning has gotten. That's it.

Somewhere along the line I need to plan my writing day, when to do interviews...when to edit... which deadlines to give the attention to... when to work on the book...

But for now I think I'm just going to think about how wonderful my mornings are going to be, knowing that I don't need to rush my son into his clothes and remind him to eat his breakfast with every second breath.

I won't need to check email, put on earings, comb my wet hair, get my son breakfast and type all at the same time...

I'll be able to have coffee in the nice ceramic cup rather than the leaky' go-mug'.

I will be able to check the mail when it arrives.

I will be able to know which phone number to give out because I will have only ONE office.

I will be able to stop working when my son needs me and cuddle on the couch to talk about whatever our hearts desire...

I will be able to take reading breaks. Imagine that! The ability to finish a book!

I may even get out for a walk so my son can learn to ride his bike.

I can't wait.

The Belly Shot

2006-06-13T22:55:00.000-06:00

Six to Eight Weeks to go (and believe me, I'm counting!)

30 Things

2006-06-11T21:16:00.000-06:00

1. What time did you get up this morning?
7:30am

2. Diamonds or pearls?
Pearls.

3. What was the last film you saw at the movie house?
Ice Age: Meltdown (I took my son to it)

4. What is your favorite TV show?
Grey's Anatomy

5. What did you have for breakfast?
Orange Juice, some sweet pastry thing, a bacon, egg & cheese bun, large milk and a double chocolate donut (shut up. I'm pregnant.)

6. What is your middle name?
Leigh

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
Anything I didn't make or Thai, but I never know what anything is...

8. What foods do you dislike?
Food I have to make when I think that my husband has made dinner already

9. What kind of car do you drive?
2003 Dodge Ram (Lariat) Quad Cab

10. Favorite Sandwich?
Tuna

11. What characteristic do you despise?
Insincerety

12. Favorite item of clothing?
Currently ... my stretchy white maternity tank top

13. If you could go anywhere in the world for a holiday where would you go?
Italy

14. What color is your bathroom?
White

15. Favorite brand of clothing?
Currently - Thyme. Normally - Cruel Girl

16. Where would you like to retire?
The Midwest... maybe near a lake

17. Favorite time of the day?
4:00pm, when I'm done work

18. What was your most memorable birthday?
My 18th, when no one showed up for my birthday at Ranchmans except my mother

19. Where were you born?
Flin Flon, Manitoba

20. Favorite sport to watch?
Reining of course (www.nrha.com)

21. What are you wearing right now?
Maternity pajama bottoms and a sleeveless polo shirt

22. What star sign are you?
Cancer

23. What fabric detergent do you use?
Whatever is on sale

24. Pepsi or Coke?
Diet Coke

25. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Depends. Usually I'm more of a night owl, but being a mother means I'm whatever, whenever. And because I'm pregnant and not sleeping I go to bed far earlier than I used to. I've been getting up an hour earlier to get some writing done though, since I'm not sleeping anyways...

26. What is your shoe size?
6.5

27. Do you have any pets?
None at the moment

28. Any new exciting news you'd like to share with your readers?
I have a literary agent

29. What did you want to be when you were little?
A horse trainer

30. What are you meant to be doing today?
I did what I was meant to do today. Right now I should be writing but I'm too tired and sore and a wee bit cranky.

Kindergarten approacheth...

2006-05-29T22:40:00.000-06:00

Tonight we had the first parents meeting for kindergarten. Of course I was not going to cry, my son has been in day care for two and a half years. Of course I wasn't going to get emotional. Of course I was strong.

Of course I started to get totally teary eyed the moment I ment the teacher. She's just everything you want a kindergarten teacher to be, she's friendly, outgoing, warm, obviously patient, caring.

And she likes structure. My son is a structure child. He thrives when structured. His favorite question is "and then what is going to happen?" My little planner.

Kindergarten is monday to friday from 8:30 - 11:50... that's not even three hours! But it seems that there is so much packed into each morning. I have to get a snack together every. single. day. for M.

I may have gotten myself roped into heading up the fundraising committee of the Parent Advisory Council.

What I'm reading...

2006-05-28T20:21:00.000-06:00

You may or may not know that I'm a total book junkie. I have had to implement a book limit on myself for fear of divorce. The book count in this house is nearing 800. I kid you not.

One book I started and could not bear to finish recently was The Mommy Wars. You can read my review here. In a nutshell, it was a book for rich, liberal and highly educated moms. I'm not rich, I'm not a liberal and while I may fancy myself to be smart, I am not 'highly educated'. I couldn't take another page... off to the second hand store with that one.

I've picked up a couple of books that I'm in the midst of:

The Martha Rules by Martha Stewart
I am actually quite enjoying it. I'm just not a big fan of hearing Martha's voice in my head. But I'll keep reading.

The Cure for Death by Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz
This is my bath and bed book right now... I am half way through and I am really enjoying it. At first I didn't realize that it was written by and took place in Canada... I'm not a fan of Canadian authors. I find them ... too Canadian... I just can't explain it. But this one is a nice surprise. Good, round characters with depth.

15 DAYS!

2006-05-26T14:16:00.000-06:00

Fifteen working days left...

THREE WEEKS....

I almost can't contain myself!

Writer Beware!

2006-05-25T15:49:00.000-06:00

If you are a writer, check out my post at The Writing Mother.

What to do when...

2006-05-22T10:25:00.000-06:00

... an Agent requests your non-fiction book proposal.

Thank God that it's on holiday Monday so you have all day to contemplate this.
Realize that your kitchen and dining room... not to mention your living room need to be cleaned.
Immediately turn on the TV and vow to watch Regis and Kelly every single day of your upcoming Maternity Leave
Refuse to open the Word doc containing the proposal until your office is clean.
Freak out *just a little*.
Blog.
Read all your favourite bloggers.
Look at the agent's web site 30 or 40 times.
Make more coffee.
Look out into the backyard and wonder if this might be the perfect time to go weed and put some more soil down.

So. Very. Tired.

2006-05-18T14:04:00.000-06:00

I am not sure what is wrong, but I'm so tired that my eyes are almost crossing. It is laborious just to breathe at the moment. This whole 'work thing' is really getting in the way of my sleeping.

Something tells me the soccer, swimming, working, writing, studying, course-taking and pregnancy are all catching up on me. I just crave sweet, undisturbed sleep....

Dear Sideline Soccer Coaches...

2006-05-16T08:40:00.000-06:00

To the Grampa of the Tall Girl:

Your grand-daughter does not want to play soccer. I feel like a big Nazi making her learn to kick the ball properly. I've tried to make it fun, I've tried encouraging her, I've tried every thing I can think of... she begs to come off the field so she can play 'faeries' or 'let's be birds' on the sidelines. I will continue to try and encourage her because that's why I'm here. You are not helping by barking at her from the bench and telling her to stop goofing around. This is U6, goofing around is fun.

To the Grandma of the Short Girl:

It was 30 degrees celsius out last night at 7 pm. That's very warm, especially for little kids running around and playing soccer. Your grand-daughter is a doll and very energetic. When I tell her to drink water, it is so she doesn't get dehydrated and pass out. I have no evil plot to make her have to pee so that you have to walk the 100 yards to the bathroom. You are not helping when you come over and tell her to stop drinking water. You're also not helping when you completely ignore me while I try to explain the precious fluid balance in the human body. Go back and sit on the bench. And yes... as soon as you got 20 feet away I told both the kids on the sidelines that they should drink some more water.

I love the soccer.

Posting on my OTHER blog...

2006-05-15T10:11:00.000-06:00

I started a blog about Writing and Mothering some time ago, and have been very lax about posting. But I have a post up there now.... just incase that sort of thing floats your boat.

Sparks your Doobie.
Rings your Bell.
Honks your Horn.
Rattles your Cage.
Yanks your Chain.

Remember...

2006-05-14T21:06:00.000-06:00

... when I said I hated her? I have totally changed my mind. I love her. I think she rocks. She is my new favourite character.

(It's Grey's Anatomy... keep up.)

Happy Mother's Day!

2006-05-14T20:40:00.000-06:00

For Mother's Day, I decided to take my almost-five-year-old to a horse show. I am not really one who necessarily needs to be 'pampered' on Mother's Day... I'd just like to do something that makes me happy, and going to a horse show makes me happy. So I drove us an hour south to the show (perfect timing, my son had a nap for the drive) and found many people I hadn't seen in over a year.

And within 20 minutes of arriving, my son was having a lovely asthma attack. I should have known better, our whole family has been been fighting one big nasty Cold (yes, capital C) for about two weeks.

What does that mean? It means that he's predisposed to having an asthma attack when an allergen irritates already inflammed bronchial-something-or-others. (Quick, polling closes soon! Get your votes in for me for Mother of the Yearrrrr!)

In my mind I was thinking about the 20 months or so that it's been since he had an asthma attack. So long, in fact, that all the medication we had for him has expired. His allergens are horses (if he touches them and then his face) and dust and shavings/sawdust (if he inhales them). We used to live on a nice little farm-type place, but had to move in fall 2004 because of these allergies.

But... but... but... we'd been around horses since then and I thought he was adjusting.

Nope.

(Mother of the Yearrrrr, I tell ya!)

Luckily, there happened to be a doctor right there at the show (what can I say, showing horses is for the rich) and she listened to his chest and wrote us out the two perscriptions we needed, plus an aerochamber to administer the puffers properly. She just grabbed a piece of paper and wrote all the info on it... then the challenge became to find a pharmacy that was open on Mother's Day Sunday. Turns out I had to drive about a half hour north to find the closest 24/7 pharmacy (By the way, the Hemi drives very smooth on the highway at about 160km/h) with a child that was dozing off... something that might have been ok had I not been concerned about his oxygen level.

By the time we got there, he was only slightly wheezing (boy - allergen = less wheezing) and I was back to driving the speed limit.

So, we're all good on the puffers again and my son is totally fine.

Happy Mother's Day!

Definition: Ineffective Protestations

2006-05-13T18:27:00.000-06:00

A security officer removes a Greenpeace protester carrying a banner at the EU-Latin America summit in Vienna.

Honey... they weren't looking at your sign.

Ten Random Goals

2006-05-13T14:41:00.000-06:00

Take a web design course at the local college.
Incorporate new company. (total cheater... I'm doing that today)
Land a column on something OTHER than my niche subject.
Send non-fiction book proposal out to five more agents and five more publishers.
Finish fiction manuscript. (I've been putting this one off because there's no direct pay off for the work. Read: I'm lazy.)
Take a cover shot.
Design and publish my new company web site.
Keep family at $0 debt while on maternity leave.
Hit target weight by the end of the year.
Reorganize office & books

(editid to coreckt speling miztake)

Things that make me happy

2006-05-12T08:28:00.000-06:00

During the course of a day, I have to admit that I focus a little bit too much on things that make me unhappy. Yesterday I made a concerted effort to focus on the things that made me happy instead. What a difference.

My husband who can laugh, even when I've just given him the dreaded sinus disease that's been plaguing our household, and who stayed home yesterday with my sick son and still got work done.
Coffee still in the pot when I get in to work (as opposed to finding it empty)
Kicks from my baby (not necessarily related to #1, but maybe)
Winning Contests!!
My son telling me he loves me
Brand new Tupperware (I have a new bin! For my potatoes! And a cookie tin!)
Brand New Books!
Southern Butter Pecan creamer for my coffee
27 days of work left before maternity leave!
50 weeks of maternity leave (YAY Canada!)
The fact that getting a divorce improved my relationship with my ex-MIL
Finding a name for my new company and having the domain still be available
My Grammar course at the local university (learning to love misplaced modifiers!)
New sunglasses
Tanning! Because it's almost Summer! (more specifically, Pryzma tanning beds that are safer and allow you to tan better in a shorter time. And before everyone goes all "but, but" on me. I'm a red head. If I don't develop a base tan, I burn. Burns cause cancer, not tans)
Having written. Every once in a while I like writing, but I love having written.
Debating. (followed by Debating and winning! and followed by Debating and learning!)
Good Blogs From Writers I Admire ...
Having. All. The. Laundry. In. The. House. Done. Did you hear me? DONE.
Editorial meetings that land me more $$.

Getting Ready for Summer

2006-05-10T20:18:00.000-06:00

As I'm done work on June 21st (first day of summer!) I have started planning Things To Do with M. before the baby arrives in August. So far we have:

Calaway Park (must buy cheapo passes before May 23rd)

Zoo (need to renew in August)

Heritage Park (need to renew now...)

Major Man's buddy... oh, what shall I nickname this buddy... let's call him: The Other American.... so The Other American is coming here in July. Just in time for the Calgary Stampede. For The American Duo (as they shall be called), the Stampede = drinking and partying and a chance for The Other American to 'hook up' with some hot Canadian chick.

Little does he know that all the 'hot Canadian chicks' I know are all moms. And married. But have no fear... The Stampede is full of 'cowgirls'... aka, girls who roll out the jeans and the belly shirts and the rolled up cowboy hats to play cowgirl for nine days. With all the alcohol, there will be some 'chick' in this American-friendly town who will dig the midwest accent and fall all over The Other American. (I don't believe he'll care if she's a 'good apple' or not...)

I did remind him, though, that the highest birth rate in Calgary is exactly nine months after the Stampede, so he'd best be careful.

It is. Really. Proven fact.