$$$$$

So today I filled up my car with gas.... Today is payday so my Husband and I make a point to rush out and fill up as soon as we can before our money ends up elsewhere (ya know.... Like.... Bills)....

As I stood there filling up my car I played hand games with Zoë through her window.....

And then....

It stopped....

At....

$43.00!

Imagine! $43.00!!!

THAT'S IT!!!

Yes, it's true... I'm excited for a $43.00 bill. I mean in all honestly I still think that that price is sickening.... But for the past while we'd been filling our car and van and they were only about $1 off of each other.... Ringing in at $70-$80 a week.

So $43.00 seemed like a mini blessing!

*LOL*

I was so excited that I smiled the whole way home and couldn't wait to tell my gas filling up price to my Husband when I saw him next!

And the really funny part... We both agreed that it's still a gross price to pay but we're happy that it was only $43.00!

Ha, Ha, Ha....

We may need help!

11 Step Program - Part 1

Thinking of Having Kids? Do this 11 step program first!

Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home .
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breast feeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)
Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.


Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
Time allowed for this - all morning.


Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don 't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don 't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.


Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

. . . and that is only the beginning!!!!!

This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say 'it's all worth it!' Share it with your friends, both those who do and don 't have kids. I guarantee they'll get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you'll need when you become a parent!

Shingles Vs. Wind - Part 3

Well... It's 11:00am.... My Builder still hasn't called me (even after our phone message and e-mail of actual video footage of our shingles in the wind...)...

For some reason I thought they would be jumping on this 'issue' ASAP.


Huh.

Please... DON'T sue!

We'd like to apologize for any harm that may have come to you this day.



We're sure all you wanted to do was take your tiny breed dog for a quick walk down the block for them to get some exercise and pee..... When out of nowhere a sheet of shingle squished your beloved animal to near death (*fingers crossed* that it's on the better half of 'near'!)....



We're sure all you were doing was running to your car to grab some extra change for the pizza guy (for who would drive in 90+km/hr wind??!) when you were smacked right across the head with a flying chunk of shingle....



We're sure that your house, siding, windows, door, railings, cars, animals and whatnot were minding their own dang business when some form of of roofing material ended up hitting, rubbing, wreaking something of yours.



And for the above, we'd like to send you our sincere apologies.



Please feel free to give our Builder a call..... And let them know of your frustrations as ours may not be enough for them to understand...



So far we have a scratched up, huge side window from shingles scratching down it.... A wreaked roof.... Missing shingles (that kindly scattered our neighborhood).... And frustrations that go beyond words.



Thank you for your time.... And we truly do hope that everything recovers, buffs out, etc. well!



Sincerely,
Your Roofing-Shingle-Attacking-Neighbors.

Quilt Giveaway!

Are you in need of a quilt?

How about an awesome Hallowe'en themed one?

The you should head on over to Pots & Pins to enter!

She's doing a Blog-a-versary Quilt Giveaway!

It's beautiful and fun... Let me know if you entered... To, ya know, see who my competition is!! ;)

*LOL*

:P

Isn't it lovely??!! I hope she doesn't mind that I stole this photo (sorry!)...

Shingles Vs. Wind - Part 2

Tyler collected a few of the shingles that took flight off of our house.... Made it 5 houses down (and quite possibly more, this was all he could find in a calm break):

I have had to move Emma into Zoë's room as the major part of the 'wave' banging from the shingles is right over Emma's bedroom. Sweet huh??! You can hear the 'wave' (as I like to call it) throughout the whole house... And our neighbors can hear it in their house as well (lucky us for the next few days).....


I predict a few days of no sleep (as the girls aren't used to sharing a room)... And a lot of trouble on Monday dealing with the Builder.


The funny thing? A few days ago in the mail we received our survey on how our experience has been with our builder. We have to rate them... And it's a huge deal! *LOL*


Yup.


OH! AND it snowed. Yippee!

UPDATE 6:30pm: So I went for a quick stroll around our neighborhood... Found two more sheets of our shingles. Lovely color, just wish they would stay stuck to our dang home!

Grrr....

Who feels like the loser of the hood??!! I do, I DO!

Shingles Vs. Wind

So it's a bit windy out here in Leduc....

You probably shouldn't see the "wave" happening with you shingles...

These shingles stuck close to home... Our front yard.

And these ones ended up on our neighbors yard...

Other random crap that is blowing around...

So far we have:

->Retrieved our garabage can from our neighbors deck

->Retrieved a bog of can we had on our neck from our neighbors yard

->Flipped our (very heavy) BBQ back upright

->Retrieved some random persons drian spout part of their eves thingy (from the side of yoru house) from our deck bars. Not sure who it belongs to yet.

-> Had our neighbors on our other side retrieve their grabage can after it stopped itself by hitting into our car.

-> Had shingles (I'm guessing) go down the side of our huge side window above our stairs and scrath the heck out of it (imagine what is happening to my siding!)

-> Had two neighbors at two different times come to let us know that our shingles are in their yard... One is many houses away!

I'll update the list as things happen!

Quiz Time!

1. Where is your cell phone? In front of me.... In front of my computer.

2. Where is your significant other? At work. He gets off at 12:30am though! (It's currently 12:21am)

3. Your hair color? As of now? Orangy-red. It's awesome, I'm so in love with it!

4. Your mother? where is she? or who is she? Humm... I'll say she's having a night in with her man! Watching movies, drinking wine... Yadda, Yadda, Yadda. She's my inspiration.

5. Your father? Well he's sitting right next to my Mom drinking wine and watching a movie!

6. Your favorite thing? Honestly... Just one? I love my shower time (kid free zone!).... But i love to sneek a peek at my little ones while they're asleep.

7. Your dream last night? Huh. No clue. But apparently I asked Tyler to get me a drink (totally awake I guess) and was planning on watching TV with ... Don't remember a thing about it!

8. Your dream/goal? To be more productive.

9. The room you're in? Uhh.... What would you call this? Our computer space/office nook at the top of our stairs....

10. Your hobby? BAH! Do I have one? Weddings? Crafts? SHOPPING! *LOL*

11. Your fear? Drowning.

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? I like my friend Kristi's over at "...Yours, Mine, and Ours..." answer: "more kids, more accomplished, more love". Not sure about the kids part though.

13. Where were you last night? Well I took the kids to Canadian Tire for a Shinto Stool that is at 65% off!!! I've been searching forever for one! After waiting for an hour and a half they informed me that they do not have the advertised color. Ugh. We then came home and hung out here all night! I also watched my Grey's Anatomy and E.R.!

14. What you're not? Perfect.

15. One of your wish-list items? New glasses (including lenses!).

16. Where you grew up? Really? I 've grown up? What fun is that?!?!

17. The last thing you ate? Rockets. I know, it's sad... *L*

18. What are you wearing? Jeans, T-shirt and a sweater borrowed from Sarah (thanks!)

19. Your TV? Is HUGE! The neighbors down the street can watch it! No, really!

20. Your pet? Two cats, Olive and Shadow, I wouldn't give them up for anything.

21. Your computer? IS my life, besides my Husband and kids of course!

22. Your mood? Worn out. Always worn out.

23. Missing someone? Sure.

24. Your car? Which one? I haven't seen my van in weeks (the Hubby has been using it)... The car is nice with it's cruise control and such though.... Hummm....

25. Something you're not wearing? Socks. That's nothing new though.

26. Favorite store? Here in Leduc or in Edmonton? Wal-Mart.... Urban Planet.... Uhh... Haven't shopped in awhile... Huh.

27. Your summer? Was extremely busy!

28. Love someone? Oh yes!

29. Your favorite color? I like blues. And bright, bold colors.

30. When is the last time you laughed? Sometime tonight.... My girls make me laugh often!

31. Last time you cried? A few days ago.

Flashback Fridays Part 1

So here I am checking out Rhonda's page, Because Mom Said So, when I've noticed that she's done something really neat....

Her post today was titled 'Friday Flashback' (which, I guess, she got the idea from her friend Dana at Tutu Monkey)....

I.LOVE.IT.

I have hundreds... No make that thousands of photos kicking around that I plan to one day scrapbook (insert laughter here).... So this seems like a wonderful way to get a kick start into that... Blogger style!

As we all know, I do LOVE to share any photos that I have of my family!

So I too am jumping on the bandwagon and introducing 'Friday Flashback' (or as I put it Flashback Friday's).... Will you jump on too?

Flashback Friday

This was taken in the Spring of 2007. Zoë, Emma and myself had gone to a Mom's group in the morning on the other side of the city... Afterwards we thought we would stop by and visit the Great-Grandparents! Well let me tell you... My girls were outside digging in the dirt, checking out the new deck and wanting to help clean-up the BBQ!

Zoë got a bit dirtier then Emma, of course. And nothing has really changed since! *L*

I love how Zoë looks in this photo.... It's still true to today!

Can You?

Whistle that is...

Emma has been trying (so very, very hard) to whistle for the past week... When all of a sudden, today, she whistled!

And it wasn't one of those "once and only once" times.... She has continued to whistle all night!

GEEE!!

Oh how far she shall go in life now that she can, whistle! *LOL*

I love it when...

My youngest will put herself to sleep just because she's tired!

Imagine THAT!

Now if only she could train her older sister to do the same... I'd have it made! *L*

*Speechless!* Part Two

So I have slowly been getting photos form the three photographers - Chelsey, Nikole and Ami - at my last shoot... And I'm in love with every image that comes in!

I thought I'd share a few more photos with you!

Photo by Ami:

Photos by Nikole:

(My last *Speechless!* blog had some of Chelsey's photos!)

W.O.W.

I'm strolling through Used Edmonton today (a wonderful sight just like craigslist) when I came across this ad:

"The Wristband That Will Speak For Your Child When They Are Unable To Speak For Themselves



Our Medical Wristbands are great for children with medical conditions like allergies, asthma, epilepsy and diabetes. Unlike medical bracelets that have only enough room for approximately 30 characters, there is enough space on our card inserts to list your child's medical condition, any medications they are taking, two emergency contacts, and other information specific to them. This information is accessible immediately when an emergency arises.



The outside of our Medical Wristband features the internationally recognized Medical Emblem and the phrase “Vital I.D. Inside” so that if an emergency arises, medical personnel will know to look there for important information.



Our Vital I.D. Wristbands feature our adorable Lovable Labels Bear and are great for when you are on vacation, at the park or simply out shopping. The contact information is on the inside where it can't be viewed until it is needed. A great tool (especially when you have younger children who can't speak for themselves) if you and your child ever get separated.



Both Wristbands come in 6 fun colors and are waterproof and safe to wear while playing sports. These wristbands are an affordable (and fun!!) alternative to costly medical bracelets. The best thing is that kids WANT to wear them. Perfect for day-to-day wear, going away to camp, and while on outings or vacation.



Get yours today at:



http://www.sheryl.lovablelabels.ca/



** SHIPPING IS FREE IN CANADA!! **"



What an amazing thing! I might just grab some for my own children (although no major known allergies have come up -just lactose free-) for times when they're on a medicine schedule.... as well as some for my dayhome (more of a reminder for me if the kids have allergies or need medicine at a certain time while in my care)! AND I live in Canada! Score! *L*



Let me know what you think!

*Speechless!*

It's not very often that I look at a photo of myself and am.... Speechless.

Believe me, this is odd.

But today the nearly impossible happened.... I saw a photo from my recent photo shoot that I did on October 11th. I had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time with three amazingly talented photographers, Chelsey (Rice Photography), Nikole (Nikole Bordato Photography) and Ami (Photography by Ami).

This particular photo was posed by Nikole and taken by Chelsey.... And it stole my breath... Not just took it away but stole it! When I got to Chelsey's web page I took a quick glance at the photo and then caught myself staring at this beautiful women. I loved her hair color... And how her hand was placed... The softness to the edgy look... And then I realized, it's me!

I'm not here to brag about how I look.... Quite honestly I usually feel like crap.... Trying my best to make myself feel somewhat out of the "SAHM" category by putting on some eyeshadow and blush (only if I have enough time to though!)... And if I'm really lucky, or a bit selfish, I'll do something with my hair....

But it sure made me feel amazing to look at a beautiful photo and realize "That's Me!"...

I strongly suggest every one to go out with a friend and take photos of each other with no major plans except to take photos. It's so wonderful to see the creativity that comes out of random photos that friends (professional photographers or not!) take of each other.

And maybe, just maybe, you'll see that 'someone you used to know' inside a photo of yourself!

(It was chilly, hence the goosebumps!)

FACEBOOK HATES BLOGGER!

Hear, Hear.... Facebook has something against blogger and I REALLY need to know what it is!



Today I was informed by my good friend and neighbor that she tried to link to my blog from my Facebook page only to be informed:



"The following website has been identified as malicious:
http://zoggieworld.blogspot.com/
The link you have clicked has been identified by Facebook as a malicious web site. For the safety and privacy of your Facebook account, we strongly suggest you avoid visiting this address."



HA!



From Merriam-Webster:

Main Entry: ma·li·cious
Pronunciation: \mə-ˈli-shəs\
Function: adjective
Date: 13th century
: given to, marked by, or arising from malice
— ma·li·cious·ly adverb
— ma·li·cious·ness noun



Okay.... So... Well..... Huh.



Check out your Facebook page link and all of your friends... Let me know how it's going for you. All of my friends and my own links keep coming up with the warning.....



So I've started posting this on my friends walls that also have their links from Blogger on Facebook:



Facebook hates Blogger and is making any ones blogs with them as:



"The following website has been identified as malicious"



Check it! If you go to your page or a friends and try to get to their blog it won't allow you to!



Pass this along, it's really, REALLY annoying! *L*



Feel free to use the above on your friends pages!



Grrrr....

I would love....

...Love, love, LOVE for my Husband to walk through our door right now.

...For all my dishes in my dishwasher to be put away in a neat order and the next pile to be in the dishwasher being washed....

...For Emma to stop ignoring me.... She better be very thankful this weekend! ;)

...To be heading down to Cardston for Thanksgiving with the in-laws (I'm lucky, I actually really enjoy my time with my in-laws!)

...To be out of debt (Ughhhhhhhh!)...

...To have a Husband who doesn't work shifts....

...To have a completely organized house....

...To have a money tree in my home (imagine that!)....

...To have all my dental work done....

...To be able to buy the glasses that I need (not want but need!) right now... *sigh*

145...

This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is my 145 post... Not THAT exciting I suppose.....

But since I totally missed doing a giveaway for my 100th post (Huh, wonder how that happened....) I'm thinking of doing it for when I reach my 150th or 200th.... Any ideas??! *L*

I have no clue what to give away... I'm not really crafty.... But I will see what I can whip up. Maybe that will decide if it's my 150th or 200th post that I do the giveaway on....

Either way, a giveaway is very, VERY close....

Be excited!

*L*

Walk for...... Garbage Cans!

Oh yes, you too could participate in this lovely action!

What do you do? WALK! To find your much needed Garbage Can.......
Why? Well if you know the rules of suburbs (not saying that there are many.... Max of 3 bags and 1 blue bag....) everyone who is anyone places their most loved garbage can on the curb for the much anticipated Garbage Day (ours in Tuesdays!)....
"Most Favorite??!"... Yes! Would you really want to set out that one garbage can you have in the back of your garage with one wheel missing, lid gone..... Barely able to stand on its own without garbage in it??? HOW DARE YOU! Your garbage can represents you! Or at least the one on the curb does.... This is the Suburbs of course!
You mentioned walking? Right... So the 'walk' part comes in on those windy, windy days.... When you wake up in the morning and think "I should see if they came to get our garbage'" (Because really, who leaves their garbage can on the curb ALL day??!) only to realize that your can is rolling around in the middle of the street (GASP!)!!!
Now what??! You quickly throw on any clothes that are nearby (nothing too outrageous as the neighbors may talk!) and rush outside....... Gather your composure and calmly walk over to your garbage can (which is rolling back and forth now) and pick it up. Just like you do this every other day.....
And then? And then you realize, to your horror, that the Lid. Is. Missing. Ugggggghhhhh!
Okay, so now....? Walk your garbage can, lidless, to your Veranda and place it there (hidden behind your pillar so no neighbors can see it) while quickly scanning for your stupid lid.
Uh Huh.... Then, since you couldn't find it with your non-super human eyes, pretend that your scanning the neighbor hood for hooligans (oh yes!).... And see your lid... ALL the way at the beginning of the neighborhood! ACK!
Soooo....? Once again, calmly walk down the sidewalk as if you're off to get the mail......... And grab the lid. Stupid lid. Stupid wind. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Ummm... Walk back to your house, try to be as calm as possible (as smoke is bellowing for your ears), slam the lid onto the garbage can (try to be quiet though or else you may grab the attention of ALL the trades men building in your area!), screw it to the left to make it 'Lock' (why, WHY can't the garbage collectors do this themselves??!! Bah!) and walk away.
How often? It is only required to do the "Walk for Garbage Cans" once a week..... For 52.177457 weeks.
Cost? Nothing except many blows to your self-image, self-confidence and stupid Garbage Can. And don't forget to your status in the neighborhood (would they really knock you down below the house with the yard that looks like a trailer park??!)
Are there ANY hidden things...? You may have the wonderful opportunity to participate more then once a week.... Like when the wind blows your garbage can off of your side step and nearly misses where you have your car parked (oh yes!)....
Anything else? Not really... Don't forget that we have many, many other "Walk for...... " things as well.
Such as? Walk for...... BBQ Covers, Shoes (they do blow off your Verandas and Decks from time to time!), Chairs, Lawn furniture, Children's Toys, Bike Helmets.... The list goes on!

We hope that you decide to join your Suburb Neighbors in this lovely Walk for...... Garbage Cans! Not that you would ever tell your neighbors about joining....

And remember, don't you dare try to help out your neighbor..... That would make you look like you have gone soft....beating heart and all!

New Venture!

Well I believe I've 98% decided that I will be opening 'Zoggie Dayhome' sometime int he near future....

I'm currently working on my webpage (is there a reason that most dayhome use freeweb? I'm not liking it.... Humm....)....

If you have any suggestions, ideas, know how's on dayhomes, etc.... PLEASE feel free to pass them along to me. You can send them on here or by e-mail... I think it's on here (and if not, ask me for it!)....

Thanks!

My Promise to Jessica!

Okay so I'm going to make this long story quite short as I got caught up reading 'Eclipse' and totally lost track of time.

To Jess: None of my shows were on tonight (weird??!) so I picked up my book instead... Hence where I lost track of time... Honestly! Tyler came home about 11pm and I still hadn't put the kids to bed! *LOL* Although they had their PJ's on, Teeth brushed and such... But those are things they do themselves! *L*

Story:
I was offered this wonderful opportunity to open a dayhome for these two great children... There's a TON of great reasons to do so (money, friends for the girls, etc.) but there's also a ton of Con's to go along (schedule's of their preschool and when I have to drop Emma off at school, driving, winter weather coming -scraping windows!, diapers -we're TOTALLY potty trained here!, shift working Husband ...).

I had the interview today (ummm.... It's 1:56AM, so I guess yesterday) with the mother and her two children (we made the appointment at our house with enough time for Emma to be able to still get to school on time)... It was great! And I honestly think she'd really like to have me look after her children (even though she's still interviewing other dayhomes that are totally prepared for this... I'm not, and I'm quite upfront about that!).... But I have to be prepared to pick her oldest up from Preschool three times a week at 11:30am and then have Emma at her school by 12pm. Doable but not that great when I have to consider hauling a 9 month old, Zoe and Emma to the van (scraping windows and -40!), rushing to get her oldest and then dropping Emma off right after. And it's not even a loop.... I'd have to backtrack and then take a whole different road just to get to Emma's school.

Now, granted, Leduc is much, much smaller then Edmonton. So to get across town is a whole 15 minutes taking your time! But do I want to be that responsible for other people's children in my car at that distance?

I'm talking to lawyers to make up my contracts! *L*

Anyways... All of the dayhome Mom's from Emma's class say not to do it. It would be different if they were going to Emma's school or the one attached to it.... I'm already going to be there so no extra cost in gas or stress on my part....

We'll see. The extra $1400 a month would be nice though.....

On another note: So I opened a dayhome! *LOL* It's called "Zoggies Dayhome".... I thought it was neat. I haven't gone public with it.... Still figuring out contracts (so many!), prices, rules, etc. And I still need to get our basement done to a point that parents might not run away screaming "Boxes shall kill my child!!!"....

*LOL*

Okay so it's not that bad... But there are a ton of boxes in the back half of my basement... Where no child will go even if they weren't there. My office space and the laundry room... I mean really!
I'll keep you posted on Zoggies Dayhome!

So that's the quick updated version of my last few days (since Bridal Expo.... Which I also need to blog about... How on earth did I get SO behind??!!)

Promise Kept! :D