It's getting all crazy up in here,

The kids are fighting. I think it's about to get ugly.

Tierney just played the "I'm not your best friend anymore" card.

*hides under desk*

Things I learned growing up (and I think I turned out okay)

My children's stepsister told me her teacher said 'everyone is everyone's best friend'. If that was my kids teacher, I would want to throtttle her. Why set a child up for disappointment like that? I'm not saying to tell your kids that everyone is out to get them, but I think feeding them idealism like that is just setting them up for disaster.

Things I think children need to know (i'm kind of reiterating from a particularly disastrous thread that shall remain nameless):

-Everyone is worthy of your respect, until they do something to lose it.
-Everyone has the potential to be your friend.
-Not everyone is going to be your friend.
-Don't waste time on people who don't want to be your friend. Concentrate on treating well those who do.
-If you can walk away with your head high, then walk away.
-If you can't walk away, because someone is continuing to push you, then push back, with just enough force that they back off (I say this both figuratively and literally)
-Never throw the first punch.
-If you do, then you deserve whatever ass-kicking you receive.
-Know when to apologize
-Don't hold grudges. If someone wrongs you, let it go. Forgiveness takes less energy than hatred and vengeance.
-Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting. Just because you forgive someone wronging you, doesn't mean you have to give them the chance to do it again.

I think we as people don't give children enough credit for being able to handle simple truths. Although I don't believe in throwing children to the wolves, I do think that sheltering them incessantly from some of life's harsh realities only serves to do more harm than good in the long run.

Lovely.

So yesterday I had a lovely morning getting my children ready to go to my mom's so I could head down to Toronto for Sammi's bridal shower at Wendy's place. After a lovely drive down where I didn't even get lost and I only got honked at once, I got there. I had some lovely food and a lovely time with the girls while we had conversations about boys and toys and all manner of things. A lovely time, and I'm very glad I went, it was quite fun.

So I had a lovely drive home, only taking a half hour to get from the Danforth area, across the Don Valley Parkway to the 401, and then to the 400. I got to my sisters to pick the girls up and discovered she was having a lovely dinner party type thing with friends and lots of food (hot dogs and crabs legs!), so I had a lovely time socializing while my children played out side with the other children were there.

I drag myself away, get the girls all packed up to go home for the rest of what has been an absolutely lovely day, and My FUCKING CAR IS DEAD.

Frank, my bro-in-law type guy, and his friend check the car out. Shawn (Franks friend), his ever so cute 3-year-old son comes in and informs me again that 'you car is dead. Uncle fwank twied it and it's dead. It not workin.' My worst fears confirmed by a preschooler. It was upsetting and cute at the same time.

My mechanic just called. The starter, as was suspected. 350 bucks with parts labour and taxes. should be ready in about an hour and a half. Gignac's auto service kicks ass for being quick.

The "I've been told I need to blog more" blog

 So I've been lax in my blogging lately, as I have been told, So here's a bit of an update.

-I'm now 47 days smoke free. Not a cigarette, not even a drag. No cigars, cigarillos, nothing in the 'wacky tabaccky vein'. I even made it through heavy assignment time without a smoke. Go me.

-The weight watcher thing is going decently well, I'm down 11 pounds. only 60ish to go lol. But it's a good start, and now I have a nifty ribbon to hang on my fridge.

-My month's plans are insane. NUTS. They include three trips to Toronto in the next month alone.

-This weekend I have the kids, we have a birthday party for my friend April's kid today, then I'm down to the T-dot for Sammi's bridal shower.

I have but two exams left before I am done for the summer, and before I officially have my bachelor of arts in Sociology. I have decided that I do ultimately want to pursue a masters degree though, so I'm going back next year part time to take Survey Research and Qualitative Methods, then I can take the fourth year, then apply for a Masters the year after. The kids will both be in school full time by then.

I'm looking for a summer job, as the monies will be getting tight soon. No luck yet.

Beyond this, there is not much else going on. Well, there is, kind of, but I don't really want to get into it lest I jinx myself. Sammi, you know what I am talking about. But it's been a good week, let's just put it this way. I'm just not comfortable talking about it on a public domain at this point, out of respect for.... er... the situation.

Oh cruelest of cruel ironies...

So I decided to walk to pick Tierney up from school today, as it was such a beautiful day, to save some gas money.

What happens?

The sky opens up in a torrential downpour while I am waiting for the bell to ring, and I end up paying six bucks for a friggin cab home.

Mischevious, vengeful spirits.

Something is out to get me today. Something intangible is teasing me, playing with my attention span, and trying to get me into trouble.

Put simply, in the two hours that I have been out shopping I have

-run a red light
-Nearly backed into a friend of the neighbors and their children
-Knocked over a stack of books at a bookstore
-knocked over a rack of jackets at a used clothing store, and a few smaller items off a shelf
-Nearly hit a Civic in a busy intersection
-upon entering my apartment, slammed my elbow off the frigde door.

WTF. Something is wrong with me today, my concentration is off. Stress.

My hips lie all the time.. I wish they would stop.

I took my first belly dancing lesson tonight. It was a lot of fun, but a wake up to how unco-ordinated I am capable of being. I'm surprised I can chew gum and walk at the same time.

Imma buy me one a them jangly skirts from the crazy indian store in Barrie. Oh yeah.

The best advice you will EVER GET.

1. Don't grocery shop while Hungry
2. Don't go without a list
3. Definitely, do not EVER combine these two mistakes...



I don't know what Hoisin Sauce is, but I have some now.

This is me today.

I am done school in approximately one month, and freaking out. I have no job lined up thus far. Good news is, Masters programs apparently only have classes maybe two days a week, which means my options open up a bit... I could do Toronto TWO days a week... not 4 or 5 though. In that case I could even do North Bay, or Peterborough, as Trent and Nipissing have Masters Programs too.

In the meantime, I still have to find a job for the Summer. Need to find those ads I had, maybe I can do that at school today.

Had a date last night, but got stood up. Am I pissed? Yeah, a tad. I'll get over it though.

I have been smoke free for two weeks now, and been sticking to the weightwatcher thing (for the most part, I've been writing down, and haven't gone TOO far over... well with the extra 35 points per week range...). Have my second weigh-in tonight, so we'll see how that goes.

Coming into another stress-filled stretch, with major assigments coming in, gotta keep on my "Two hours of homework a night" deal.

Might be going to Wonderland in late April, looking forward to that, I haven't been there since my fifteenth birthday. Nicky took me (cause she's the best sister EVAH *muahs* ) and I remember we only went on like two rides (Top Gun and Clockwerks) and then sat and made fun of people the rest of the day.

Took the girls shopping on monday, got them rain boots, their shoes and tights for ballet (yeah, they're both gonna be taking ballet in May) new spring coats and two outfits each. Once Upon a Child is a great store... I got all that for about 100 bucks. I got the coolest shirt for Reagan (Sammi, Chris and Mari will enjoy this) It's a Sailor Moon shirt, that's in Japanese and has all nine sailors on it, not just the Americanized ones. It's pretty cute.

So yeah, that's me and mine.

This has not been my day.

Woke up this morning, unable to see out the window because of all the snow coming down.

Checked the local radio station, all buses are running.

Snow dies down by the time I have to take tierney and one of the neighbor girls to school. As we pull away from the school, the snow starts up again. By the tiime we start up Yonge street, it is a TOTAL WHITE OUT. I bump the sidewalk numerous times because I can't tell where it ends and the road begins, and I really don't want to end up halfway into the next lane, when I can't see the cars that may be coming up from behind. Not to mention, driving a white car, chances are they can't really see me either.

Get to the mall, find a payphone (having left my cell at home) and call PGH to tell them I'm not coming to my ultrasound today. Find another quarter, call tony and tell him he doesn't have to watch Reagan. As I hang up the phone, the snow is starting to die down. By 10:30 when my appointment would have been, it is BRIGHT and FRIGGIN SUNNY.

So I search for a birthday present and card for my sister (end up getting her a G.C. to get acrylic nails and airbrushing... she'll like that) and go grocery shopping.

Now as of late, I have been attempting to watch my weight (it's day 8 on the plan, been pretty good so far, I also quit smoking again 6 days ago) and I am also trying to learn how to cook. Not 'throw-things-in-the-oven' cook, but really cook. But since I had no concrete plans for dinners this week, I have not made a shopping list. I start off just kind of winging it, but then I decide it's stupid to just go without a list, I'm gonna buy all sorts of stuff I don't need right away. So I ended up putting about half the stuff back and just stripping down to essentials for the next couple days, fruits etc, and stuff that I had gotten that was non-perishable and on sale. I'll probably do a big ass grocery shop this weekend, and stock up on spices and various specialty items I don't already have.

So there's about an hour wasted, but I'm happy because I only spent 40 bucks on groceries. This is where I realize Reagan doesn't have her mittens. Fortunately, she knows where they are. At the other end of the mall, behind a bench in the vestibule in front of Zellers. When we find her mittens, I discover that my gloves are gone. The best freaking gloves I have ever owned. Customer service doesnt' have them, and it's the coldest day of the year. Blah.

Drive home with freezing fingers. Run into the laundrymat for change (because ours doesn't have a change machine) to discover its out of order. SO i Have no laundry money.

Fortunately, when I got home, there was a message from zellers, they have my gloves, so when I go to get tierney, I can get changge from the bank and pick up my gloves.

What a day so far. blah. Oh and I'm sore as fuck from shovelling the ice rink my parents back yard. There was ice on TOP of the ice.