Tornado Warning...

One thing I'll say for Petawawa, it has some pretty interesting storms. Last night we had some wicked thunderstorms while I was out at the Regimental Gathering. We were at the Yacht Club down on the Ottawa River, and there were times the lightning was actually green. And of course, we got completely soaked running to the car. The weather today was much the same as yesterday, hot and muggy (not that I'm complaining, though, Mom). The perfect conditions for more thunder storms. So, we had another Severe Thunderstorm Warning tonight, only this time there was also a tornado warning. Before the rain started pouring down, I went outside to put the umbrella down so it wouldn't knock the table over. While I was doing that, the kids decided that they would enjoy the show. When I cam back in, all three of them were bellied up to the dining room window. They had three chairs lined up under it, and even had snacks and drinks. You'd think they were at the movies or something. By this point in time, the sky was completely black, and the wind was whipping the trees across the street. I had the devils own time convincing them to go to the basement until it was over. They weren't happy about it, as they would not be able to see the funnel cloud. Well, duh! I'm thinking that seeing a funnel cloud that close is not such a good idea, but hey, that's just me. Luckily, there was no funnel cloud, just a lot of wind, rain, thunder and lightning. The kids were must disappointed when it was over, "Is that it?" Obviously it was anti climatic for them, like a disappointing fireworks display. It's going to be hot and muggy again tomorrow, so I'm sure they'll get to see it all over again tomorrow night. Better luck next time.


"Any proverbs about weather are doubly true during a storm."~~Ed Northstrum

Regimental Gathering..

Tonight there was a Gathering for all of the Officers/Senior NCOs from Dan's unit. They had contacted me several times during the planning of it, to make sure I could go, which I thought was really nice. They even had really nice invitations printed for all of the spouses whose husbands were deployed, and had them hand delivered. I went with my friends Charlotte and Ingrid. We figured we'd be Nobby No Mates together. I was quite keen to go, and have a night out with other adults. It's funny though, Ingrid and I were there for about five minutes, and realized we actually felt worse. There is nothing lonelier than going to a mixed function at the Unit without your spouse. It's just not the same, especially when your spouse is Dan, and he is normally the life of the party. I'm sure had he been there, it would have been a much louder and more boisterous affair. Everyone was really sweet, asking me how I was and how Dan was. And than the CO made a speech. All I can say is, he's an interesting little man, but never mind. He had lots of good things to say about Dan and the Battery, which was very nice. And he has decided now he likes the Dragon nickname given to the Battery, two weeks ago he hated it. I've got to say though, the highlight of my night was my discovery of Woody's Grapefruit. Who knew such a thing existed or that I would like it so much. But as Charlotte pointed out, it's really not that surprising as it is a British drink, and I do tend to be a bit of an Anglophile. That was the first drink I've had since Dan left (except for the shot of Bailey's I had when Connor brought home his last report card), and after two Woody's I was a bit mellow. I almost didn't have the second one, but was glad I did when I got home and discovered we'd lost another soldier today, this time in the helicopter crash. I will be so glad when September comes and this is all over.

“I've got everything I need except a man. And I'm not one of those women who thinks a man is the answer to everything, but I'm tired of being alone.”~~Unknown

Advancement Night...

It was a big night for the Bobbitt girls. Tonight was Advancement Night for Guides. Katherine is finished her two years as a Spark, and Elizabeth is finished her two years as a Brownie. Katty is quite keen to move up to Brownies next year. The same can not be said of her sister. Elizabeth has absolutely no interest in becoming a Guide next year. Or as she told me, "I am done with this Girl Guides business." Well, alright then. So you can imagine how happy she was when I informed her she would be taking part in the advancement. That went over like the proverbial lead balloon. I figured if we all had to be there for Katty's ceremony anyway, Libby might as well throw on her Brownie uniform and take part, in case she changes her mind. Not likely, I know. Of course, I was about as keen to go as Elizabeth. I had a rotten day, it was one of those days were I didn't get anything done that I wanted to, but was constantly running all day. The poor kids had barely finished eating their supper and I was dragging them out the door for the advancement. Given the size of the Guide District, I thought this would be a three hour affair, but surprisingly, we were gone less than an hour. Katherine was very proud of herself, she was one of only four Sparks moving up to Brownies. And Elizabeth did advance to Guides, and the smile on her face was genuine. Apparently, it wasn't as bad as she'd imagined it would be. She told me after wards she was glad she'd come, "You didn't tell me they were giving us flowers, or that there would be cake." Who knew? As we got home she informed me that even though she'd had fun, she was still not going to Guides next year, she is not going to change her mind. That's her final decision. Until September, anyway.

"I promise to do my best. To be true to myself, my God, and Canada; I will help other people and keep the Brownie Law."~~Brownie Promise

Pretty in Pink...

So much for my thinking the kids would sleep in this morning after their late night last night. The little buggers were up and at it before 7:30 am. It was a rainy miserable day here in Petawawa, a perfect day to finish up Libby's room. I went and rented some video games to occupy the monsters, and than Arlene and I tackled the last coat of paint. Have I mentioned how much I love her? Seriously, I'd be lost without her (not to mention 30 pounds heavier as I wouldn't be walking as much). When Arlene attacks a project, she does not do it half assed, as I myself tend to do. We have decided we balance each other out. At any rate, if it were up to me, Libby's room would be half finished for another 3 months. Luckily, it didn't come to that, and there is one very happy little girl in the Bobbitt household. She told me her bedroom was like a "dream come true, because she'd been waiting her entire life for a pink bedroom." At 9 she's had a very, very long wait, I'm surprised senility did not set in while she was waiting. Of course now, Arlene's already thinking about what we should do with the downstairs bathroom. It is a disaster, and needs a lot of work, but I've no doubt Arlene will have that all figured out by the end of the week. Have I mentioned I love this woman? Oh, and big relief, Katherine has decided that nice as Libby's room is, she really doesn't want hers painted. As if that was likely to happen anyway.

I so can not be posted unless Arlene is posted with me. And poor Stu, I think he's wishing they had a girl so they could have a pretty pink room.

"Dear friend, I owe a debt to you today,

A debt my hand nor heart can e'er repay;

A debt not paid in gold, were gold in store,

Can but be paid in love by loving more..."~~Colfax Burgoyne Harman

At World's End...

Connor was very happy today as it was finally time for the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie to come out. I had promised him I would take him this weekend if he had a good week and school. It was obviously great incentive, as he did very well all week, all check marks from his teacher. Luckily for me, it was playing at the Base Theatre, which was very surprising as they never get movies the first weekend they are out. So off I went with the 3 kids, and a spare (Connor's friend Ryan). Have I mentioned I love the Base Theatre? Admission is $5 for kids, $7 for adults. The entire outing cost $40 for all 5 of us. Sweet!! Of course, I should have known it would be packed on a Saturday night on opening weekend. There was a huge lineup, but we only had to wait a few minutes. We did manage to find 5 seats together (in the fifth row). The kids loved it, even Katty. She wasn't scared at all, which was good. And she only went to the bathroom twice. Of course, the movie didn't start until 7:30, and it was almost 3 hours long. No surprise, Katty curled up in her chair and fell asleep by 9:50. No worries though, Connor will fill her in on what she missed tomorrow. As predicted by my friend Ann Marie, the first words out of Connor's mouth as we left the theatre, "I hope they make a Pirate's of the Caribbean 4." Oh, and in case you're wondering, he told me it's better than Spiderman. Of course, now they are anxious to go see Shrek 3. It's coming to the Base Theatre the weekend before we go on vacation. It's perfect timing, it will be a great distraction for them. And even better, that one is free for all of the deployed families. You've got to like that.

"Did no one come to save me just because they missed me?"~~Jack Sparrow

Another Sad Day...

I'm sure you've all heard by now that we have lost another soldier from Petawawa. It's been another sad day here at the base. Another young life tragically lost. I heard the news first thing this morning, right after I'd read that we had launched another offensive against the Taliban. This might explain why I haven't heard from my husband all week. In fact, the last e-mail I got from him, he was writing orders, so I figured something was going to happen soon. Have I mentioned lately I can't wait until September, because I really can't wait until September. I will be very glad when this is all over with. I knew it was going to be a long month until vacation, and we are certainly not off to a great start. Thank God for Arlene (and Stuie too, he's always there to reassure me so I won't worry excessively), she was with me all day today. We finally painted Libby's room, good timing as I really needed the distraction this week. We got the primer all on, and are ready to start painting the pink tomorrow. you can tell Arlene only has boys, she is very anxious to get at that pink paint. It's even more exciting as we have two different shades, one for the top, and one for the bottom. We finished painting just before the kids got home. it was very hot and muggy again today, so they were out playing with the water balloons and sprinkler after school. And shock of shocks, they still haven't got me with a water balloon. They've only just come in 20 minutes ago, and they are all beat. Let's hope they will sleep in tomorrow. I'm not holding my breath on that one though.

In case you're wondering, this is what Libby's room looked like when we bought the house. Not sure what kind of grass they were smoking when they painted it these putrid colours, but never mind.

"The deep pain that is felt at the death of every friendly soul arises from the feeling that there is in every individual something which is inexpressible, peculiar to him alone, and is, therefore, absolutely and irretrievably lost."~~Arthur Schopenhauer

Never Mind...

I have decided I need a vacation. Actually, I decided this months ago, but this last few days has just reinforced it. I am tired. The kids are tired. Dan is tired. We are all tired. We only have one month to go until vacation, but it seems like it will never get here. Never mind, it's just been one of those days. I was supposed to start painting Libby's room today, but well, it just didn't happen. I did get the paint shook up again (it's only been sitting around for two months), which entailed a trip to Pembroke. I then had to rush back for a doctor appointment. Apparently I'm slightly anemic. Maybe that's why I'm so tired. Do you suppose they make iron fortified chocolate? I also have a slight heart murmur, which I've had before when I was pregnant the last time (nothing to worry about, by the way.) It's a good thing my blood pressure was very low at the beginning of my appointment, because after being picked and prodded at by two nurse practitioners and a doctor, I'm sure it was elevated. What was supposed to be a 20 minute appointment turned into an hour and a half, and by the time I got out of there, it was almost time for the kids to come home. Just long enough to run to the grocery store, and make it home on time for the bus. The kids had a blast after school. It was 35 degrees here with the humidex, so I gave them a container of water balloons to play with. Why I thought this was a good idea is beyond me. I spent the afternoon tying the bloody things, and getting soaked in the process. Not from them throwing them at me, just from the water squirting out as I tied them. I wonder how long it will be before one of them tries to get me. Not long, probably. It's supposed to be hot again tomorrow so they will have them out again. I'm sure Connor has already thought of it, but wasn't quite brave enough to try it. Speaking of Connor, he got his science test back today, 75%. Not bad considering he studied for all of 15 minutes. Imagine how well he would do if he'd actually put more effort into it. Never mind.

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book."~~Irish Proverb

Victoria Day...

I probably shouldn't say this as it has been cold and rainy at home, but it was a beautiful day here today. It's a good thing too, as it was Gramma's last day, and she needed to get all of my laundry done. I have been positively spoiled, I haven't touched the washing machine in five whole days. I think I might have forgotten how to turn it on. I've even managed to get most of it put away, only one basket left, which is positively unheard of here. With Gramma's help, I also finally managed to get Libby's room sanded, and it's all ready to start painting on Thursday. And I got to go for a walk four days in a row, which was very nice as the kids were off today, and Connor had a book report to write, and a test to study for. Don't ask. The kids loved having her around, although I think they were getting tired of her telling them to shut the door so the mosquitoes wouldn't get in. And yes, the buggers are still leaving the door open. And can you believe we got through an entire visit without one argument, though I did get the look when I called her Hazel while I was talking to Nana on the phone. She's all packed and ready to go. I think she is anxious to get home. Not sure if she is more anxious to see Dad or the cats, but my money is on the cats. We're heading off to Ottawa first thing tomorrow, so I can have time to shop at the real mall before I drop her off at the airport after lunch. I love the real mall. I think I might even take mom to the jewellery store to meet the anti military girl I had the run in with a few weeks ago. Now, that could be very interesting.

"Just about the time a woman thinks her work is done, she becomes a grandmother."~~Edward H. Dreschnack

Apple Pie and Muffins...

Oh my, the kids were very excited today as it was Gramma's big baking day. Those poor kids, never having any home baked treats. What an outrage. In fact, it's their favourite part of visiting Gramma, or having her come here. They talk about it for days beforehand, and plan what she's going to make for them. Poor Gramma, she was trying to bake several batches of muffins and make pies, all with the assistance of a little helper. This, of course, made the whole process take longer, and she literally spent all day in the kitchen. She didn't seem to mind too much, though. I think she was quite chuffed Libby was so interested. And of course, all three kids have been eating muffins none stop all day. Each one of them has already asked to have muffins in their lunch when they go back to school on Tuesday. I'd say they were a hit. Not as big of a hit as the apple pie though, Connor's already got dibs on that for breakfast. They are all ready planning the baking session for when we go home in the summer (cheeky little beggars as I still haven't told them we are going). Apparently there is a strawberry rhubarb pie in the works. It's Daddy's favourite after all. I did point out Daddy won't be there to eat it. Their response, "That's okay, we'll eat it for him." As long as they stay away from my blueberry grunt, I am so not sharing that.

"If God had intended us to follow recipes, he wouldn't have given us grandmothers."~~Linda Henley

Laundry...Done!

Well, for the first time ever, or at least since Mom came to visit last year, there is not one scrap of dirty laundry in the house. It's all done, washed, line dried, folded, and waiting for me to put away. How sweet is that? And on top of that, the carpets and family room furniture has been cleaned. Not much of a vacation/break for mom, but I'm not complaining. Someone said today, I should have her stay for the rest of the time Dan's gone. Yeah, no! I love my mother dearly, but any longer than 7 days and we are at each other's throats. No, it's much better if we visit in small doses. And besides, I know my daddy is lonely. In fact, I'm sure he just can't wait for her to get home. Believe it or not, we've been together for over 24 hours and have not had one argument. Shocking, that. Not to worry though, we still have 3 full days of her visit left. I believe baking is on the agenda for tomorrow. The kids are hankering for their apple pies and muffins. You'd think I never bake anything for the rotters, I mean darlings. Speaking of which, Connor had an awesome week at school, all check marks, though he did forget his stuff for his book report and science test, so we had to run to the school when he got home. He got his math test back, and he did awesome, we were all pleased. Little bugger told me the test was really easy, "You know mom, tests are a lot easier when you study for them. I'm going to study from now on." You don't say. How crazy is that. Will see when it comes time to study for his science test if he follows through on that or not. Somehow I have my doubts.

"It's not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it."~~From the television show The Golden Girls

Do You Know The Muffin Man?

Mom came for a visit today, the kids and I were most excited! Of course, we were excited for very different reasons. They were excited over the prospect of homemade muffins and fresh apple pie. I was excited because, not only did it mean an excuse to go to Ottawa and shop, I also won't have to do laundry all weekend. Squee! I kid you not, the woman was not even in the house an hour, and she had folded 2 baskets of laundry, matched the odd socks, and washed the dishes. I love this woman!

Arlene went into the city with me, so Stuie (I love him) took the kids to the bus so we could leave early. And he picked them up after school to give us time to stop at the Super Store. You know how I love the Super Store! What a man. We went to a different mall today, and I got another awesome pair of shoes. On sale even! So on the way home, we stopped in Renfrew for a coffee. Who knew a simple cup of coffee would be so entertaining? We should have known, it is the Ottawa Valley, after all. And well, valley folk are valley folk, doesn't matter what valley they come from, it seems. As we were going in, a man in his mid 40s, I'd say, came up to the table by the door. He had a box of a half dozen muffins. As we were going in, he picked up one of the muffins, and it had a pad of butter on the top. He then proceeded to eat the muffin. However, instead of eating it as one normally would, he spun the muffin around, and ate the sides off as fast as he could. It was similar to how one would eat a cob of corn, but not really. I couldn't look at Mom or Arlene or I would have lost it. Mom figured he looked kind of like a rabid beaver. It was the funniest thing. All I could think was, "Get it in you buddy." I'm still not sure what the butter was for, as he never actually ate that part of the muffin. Arlene was wondering if he ate them all like that. At any rate, we got a good laugh out of it. Who's funnier than people?

“A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?”~~Albert Einstein

Student Of The Month...

It was a big day for Libby today. She was named Student of the Month for April/May in her class, for her excellent writing and math skills. She was so proud of herself, and so she should be, she works very hard in school. Of course, this is also the child who is excited about her upcoming grade 3 Ontario Provincial testing. They get to use special pencils you know. And it's multiple choice, that means you get to choose the answer from different choices. You don't say. You'd think they didn't have tests, "back then" when I went to school. If only it her brother was as enthusiastic. Do you think it might rub off on him? Not likely, I know. He wrote his math test today, hopefully he passed. And he has another one next week, which means I'll be subjected to another painful study session.

So, I finally took Katty to the doctor today. That cough just won't go away and is driving us both crazy. I'm glad I took her in, poor little thing has pneumonia, or as she say "pamonia". No wonder she was feeling so wretched. She finally has an excuse for her rotten behaviour. Not sure what her excuse is for the rest of the time, but knowing her, she'll come up with something.

"No student ever attains very eminent success by simply doing what is required of him: it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required, that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction."~~Charles Kendall Adams

One Less Thing...

It's Monday again, which means another week is over. One more down! 15 weeks over! And even better, we are almost at the halfway point of the tour. Have I mentioned I can't wait until it is all over? Because I really can't. For some reason, the last few weeks have seemed to drag by. Of course, that's always the way. The closer it gets to our vacation, the slower the time seems to go. Only five and a half more weeks, but I'm sure they will feel like 20. Speaking of our vacation, our passports arrived this evening. I know, how strange that they were delivered tonight, but apparently they were behind at the Post Office today, something about new locks. At any rate, the mail lady delivered our passports to the door at 6:30 pm ( I wonder how much she gets paid after 5 pm, but I probably don't want to know). I knew right away what they were. The poor woman probably thought we were stalking her. I'd already checked the mail twice, and Katty checked it after school, and there was nothing. And of course, as soon as Libby saw the mail truck, she went and impatiently waited until she was finished sorting the mail. How disappointing for her when there was nothing exciting in the mail. "Bills are so not exciting, mommy." Tell me about it. Imagine how excited we all were when the mail truck drove down our street, turned around, and pulled into our driveway. All of the neighbourhood kids came running. I'm thinking they mistook the mail truck for an ice cream truck. I knew right away what she had, four Express Post envelopes. I was so happy I could have hugged her. It only took eleven weeks to get them. We sent our passports in via our Member of Parliament office and they were fantastic. They checked our applications to make sure there were no mistakes, and they even tracked them for us. I called a couple of weeks ago to check on the status of our applications. The MP's office called me on May 4 and said they'd gotten an e-mail from the passport office and we would have our passports in 10-15 days (it was actually only 9). They were so reassuring and helpful, not what one usually experiences with government bureaucracy. But in this case, the government actually did something for their constituents. They certainly earned my vote. Actually, our MP is Conservative, so she had it anyway. So tonight, we have one less thing to worry about. We've got our passports and our plane tickets, we're already to go. Is it June yet? Hurry up already.

"Vacation used to be a luxury, but in today's world it has become a necessity."~~Author Unknown

Mother's Day....

Happy Mother's Day Mom and Nana, and all the moms out there. Hope you all had wonderful days. I received a lovely basket of flowers from my hubby yesterday. It was very sweet and totally unnecessary as I'd already received a Mother's Day bouquet in the middle of January. Poor Dan had prearranged all of the flower deliveries, but for some reason, the elderly lady at the flower sop thought it would be a good idea to send out the Mother's Day ones in January. January, May, easy to get the two confused, they are so similar, not. No matter, I scored an extra bouquet of flowers, and Dan scored some bonus points for sending me more yesterday. So today, my day started out early (7:30 am, and they let me sleep in) with breakfast in bed, puffed wheat and lemonade, a very bizarre taste combination, and one I do not recommend. My gourmet breakfast was followed by some lovely homemade gifts, a candle holder, and a flower bucket, as well as some home made bath salts. Both containers of bath salts are very interesting colours, and have a most unusual scent. I'm actually afraid of what might happen to my skin if I use them. I'm thinking they should have come with one of those warnings, test in an inconspicuous area prior to using. The kids all assured me they were going to be great all day, and Katty said she was not going to have one tantrum. That lasted all of five minutes, and by bedtime she was back to her regular non pleasant self, and told me she didn't care if it was Mother's Day or not, she was no longer going to be nice Katty. I can't say that I even noticed her being nice Katty in the first place, but never mind. The highlight of the day was Dan's call. it definitely was the best present as we haven't talked to him for two weeks. Poor bugger has been busier than a one armed paper hanger. The kids were all very happy they got to talk to daddy, though there were several sets of tears tonight as the girls were really missing him. Me too!!!

The other highlight of my day was the coffee delivery from Stu. And his wonderful wife attacked our mess of a flower bed, while we were drinking the coffee, I might add. I did try to help out, but Arlene did do most of the work. She is a woman on a mission. When she decides we are going to do something, we do it. Or rather, she does it. A lot of the neighbors that went by were asking if I could send her to them when she was done. No way can they have her, she's mine. Once the garden is done, I'm sure she'll find some other project for us to work on. In fact, she's already said something about the garage. Watch out Zaca, life as you know it is over.

"Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn, Hundreds of bees in the purple clover, Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn, But only one mother the wide world over."~~George Cooper

I'm Annoyed...

I'm cranky. Okay, I'm always cranky, but today, I'm really cranky. It's been one of those days. Katherine is still coughing, so we were up all night. The kids all had a fit about going to swimming lessons this morning, and then I got to spend my afternoon driving them to their various activities. The girls had a Girl Guides year end party and barbecue this afternoon, but of course it was freezing and their was no bathroom, so we came home early from that. I thought at least I wouldn't have to cook them supper, but no, they didn't like the food so I still had to cook when we got home. At least Connor was happy, he was at his friend's birthday party. But what made me the most cranky was someone stealing my Support Our Troops magnets off of my van. Yesterday after the Red Friday rally, we discovered someone had gone up and down our street and stole all of the magnets off of every car on the street. Even the house of the OPP officer, I'm thinking he did not have his police car in the driveway that night, or maybe he did, and they just didn't care. I am so not amused. I've no doubt it was the gaggle of kids who were hanging out at the park Friday night. It's a good thing I didn't catch them, or they would have got a blast. Wankers. Really, why would they do that? Because they were bored and thought it was really funny, I suppose. I'll show them funny! All that's left of my magnets is the dirt that was underneath them. Great, now I don't have my magnets, and I need to wash the van. Buggers.

"Teenagers complain there's nothing to do, then stay out all night doing it."~~Bob Phillips

Red Friday Rally...

Well, it isn't very often I can say something exciting happened in Petawawa, but today something exciting really did happen in Petawawa. How shocking is that?? Today the Town of Petawawa held a Red Friday Rally and March of Military Appreciation. Now this in and of itself was a pretty big thing. However, the fact that Prime Minister Harper came made it extremely exciting! The kids had the day off school today, so we walked down to the Legion (everything big in Petawawa happens at the Legion, strangely enough) shortly before nine. Luckily, even though there were already a ton of people there, we managed to get a great spot right next to the stage. While we waited for the rally to start, the kids decided to check out the Cenotaph, which was right beside where we were standing. As Connor read the memorial out loud to his sisters, they were noticed by a camera crew, who took lots of footage of them. I asked them if he said anything, but apparently he just asked Katty to keep waving her flag. I haven't managed to track the video down yet, but I'm working on it. The rally was supposed to start at 9:30 sharp but didn't start until about 10/15 minutes later. Of course, everyone and their dog had to give a speech: the Mayor of Petawawa, the Brigade Commander, the CDS General Hillier, our MPP, our MP and the Defense Minister. The Prime Minister was the last to speak, and they definitely saved the best for last. I've always thought he was an excellent speaker, but today I was truly awestruck. To listen to him speak in person is an amazing experience. He's extremely articulate (no proof is a proof is a proof that proves something in this speech), and very passionate. He is truly dedicated to our forces, and providing them with the best tools necessary to do the job he's asked them to do. There were times I actually had to wipe away tears, especially when he thanked the families for their sacrifice on behalf of Canada. The whole event was extremely moving, but was made even more poignant by the presence of the families of the fallen soldiers. In fact, the daughter of one of those fallen soldiers was standing right beside us, and she was quite eager to see the Prime Minister and shake his hand. To me, that said it all. I somehow doubt she would be as eager to meet Jack Layton or Stephane Dion. After the speeches were over, the Prime Minister moved through the crowd signing autographs, but I didn't get one. He was only a couple of feet away from me though. For some reason, the kids weren't nearly as excited about this as I was. After it was over, I asked them if they thought it was neat seeing the Prime Minister of our country. Connor's response, "Yeah, it was cool, but his body guards were way cool, did you see the things in their ears? And do you think they were carrying guns?" Somethings telling me they probably were, yes.

Here's an article about the Prime Minster's speech. CTV also has a video of the speech, if you haven't heard it, defintely worth watching.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070511/PM_heroics_070511/20070511?hub=Canada

“I know that it hasn’t been easy. This community has had more losses to mourn than any other base in this country,”

"We can’t let anyone get away with tarnishing the reputation of the Canadian Forces as the most professional, dedicated, disciplined and effective soldiers on this planet,"

“You also know that our work has not ended. That we cannot just put down our weapons and hope for peace, that we can’t set arbitrary deadlines and wish for the best.” ~~Prime Minister Harper

Heat Wave...

Holy heck it was hot in Petawawa today. Well over 28 degrees Celsius. It felt like July. It was great! Once I got the kids out the door that is. Before they left, it was madness trying to find all of their hats, put sunscreen on them, give them all their medicine. You know, a normal weekday morning. I actually spent the afternoon ripping apart the flower bed, with Arlene's help, of course. Maybe we could have picked a little cooler day. Surprisingly, not one of the kids asked for the sprinkler or to go swimming. What's up with that?? I had been bracing myself for it all day! All they wanted was Popsicles. I was okay with that, much less trouble for me. I was totally not in the mood for that in and out of their bathing suits foolishness. I really should have uncovered the air conditioner this afternoon, its over 26 degrees in the house. Hopefully, it will cool down some over night. Although, I'm much too paranoid to leave the windows open at night. And I do hate sleeping with the window open in my room at this time of year, because it just makes my allergies worse. I can barely see as it is. I suppose I could go outside now and uncover it, but it's dark out there, and I'm frightened. Actually, I'm just too lazy. And besides, I might miss some of House, and that would not be good. Hmm, come to think of it, it has gotten a lot warmer in here since House came on.

"Weather forecast for tonight: dark."~~George Carlin

Elizabeth and the Doctor...

Elizabeth had a routine doctor's appointment this morning. There was no fear of me being bored while we waited for him as she was quite chatty. So chatty, she was a bit manic and jumped topics like frogs on lily pads. We had quite an in depth conversation about the two vents in the floor, which is evidently a fascinating subject. We then discussed the size of the exam room, as it was once an old PMQ and she figured it was the same as her old room in Petawawa. She insists she remembers it well, which I find interesting as we moved to Gagetown when she was 18 months old. She then noticed the fish poster on the ceiling above the exam table. "Look at the pretty fish, mom. And isn't it sad how some kids have cancer and have to spend their birthday in the hospital?" As I was saying, "Yes that is tragic." she noticed an anti smoking poster on the wall. "Nana should quit smoking. Nana told me it's like me quitting candy but I don't think so much, candy doesn't give you cancer." Out of the mouths of babes. Next came a discussion on the "artharitis" poster. "Arlene and Nanny Doris both have the artharitis, their hands must hurt a lot." The next poster that caught her eye was the Tell Someone poster for cervical cancer. Of course, then we had to discuss what that was all about. She's decided her and Katty really should get the HPV vaccine. Luckily, Dr Rowan came in then, as my head was starting to ache. This was her first time seeing our new doctor, and let me tell you, he was quite smitten with her. Of course, the fact that she told him all about Ireland might have something to do with that (he's originally from Ireland). The two of them had quite a discussion about the National Botanic Centre in Dublin, and I'm afraid there is no way to avoid going to see those giant lily pads now. Oh, and they also discussed how expensive things were in Ireland. She informed him she really wasn't worried about that anyway, as she would not be spending her own money because mommy and daddy would be paying for everything. Big of us, don't you think? Once they were done chatting, he had a look at her knee and her warts are finally almost gone. He then checked her out to see what was causing her hoarse voice, and, not surprising, diagnosed her with upper respiratory allergies. She is now on two different puffers for the summer, and will probably have to go on Singulair as well. So it was off to the drug store again, after a stop at Timmies. For some reason, I needed an extra large coffee this morning. Thank goodness we have a drug plan, it's shaping up to be an expensive week. If only PharmaPlus gave Air Miles for prescriptions.

"A child can ask questions that a wise man cannot answer."~~Author Unknown

The Taxi Driver...

I spent the better part of the day driving the kids around to their many varied activities. It just seems wrong (on so many levels) that they have a more active social life then I do. Katty had a play morning at Kid Zone with Sparks this morning. While she was there, I took Connor and Libby to Walmart for a bit, then to Burger King for lunch. Very exciting, as they currently have Spiderman toys. We passed some time there, before going back to get Katty. We then had to go to the mall to meet Connor's friend Ryan and his mom and dad, as they were taking the boys to see, you guessed it, the new Spiderman movie. Let me tell you, they have talked about this movie non stop all week. They are borderline obsessed, no, they really are obsessed, to the point Connor even had me dig out his Spiderman sheets Gramma bought him a few years ago. I'm waiting for him to ask for a new set to go with the new movie. Of course, you know that we had to look at anything and everything Spiderman while we were at Walmart. It's a good thing Elizabeth is so easy going, she barely got to look at anything girly at all. We finally dropped Connor off and came home, 4 hours later. Connor loved the movie (no surprise there). He's on his way to bed now, and he's still talking about it. I'm thinking Nana and Poppa had similar conversations with Daddy about Star Wars. Mother of God, my ears are ringing. He was even talking to me about it while he was in the shower and I was in the kitchen. And just when I thought he had finally run out of things to tell me (as I now know the entire plot), he has decided to mix things up, and now he's talking about the new Pirate's of the Caribbean movie that comes out in a few weeks. Of course, the big debate is about which one is going to be better, that or Spiderman. And what do I think? Honestly, I hadn't given it much thought. And Shrek 3 is coming out soon. Oh, God help me, it's going to be a long month.

"A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after." ~Peter De Vries

Doing Nothing...

Have you ever spent an entire day doing absolutely nothing? Evidently, it's not that hard to do, because I did it today. Although, this morning, I did take the kids to swimming lessons, and I got a cup of coffee. That's something, right? But this afternoon, well, this afternoon I did nothing. Not for a lack of anything to do, by the way. There was plenty to do. You know, the usual, laundry, housework, signs, cough cleaning the garage cough, the blog (yes the blog, and I know I've been a bit tardy) I actually tried to do a lot of these things. Okay, some of these things, except for cleaning the garage. I did not attempt to clean the garage. That's Zaca's job. Zaca makes the mess, Zaca cleans it up. And I haven't finished the blog on time either. I'm a bit behind, I know. I just seem to have the attention span of a flea. Actually, come to think of it, my aunt and uncle called me flea when I was growing up. At the time, I thought it was because I was pesky, but maybe they were on to something. But seriously, my concentration has been terrible since Dan left. I'm really starting to think it's from the stress and being a bit overwhelmed. I mean, it really can't be my lack of motivation that is causing all of these disruptions. Right, I knew you'd agree. And you know, I am feeling wretched, it could be the allergies, or the allergy medication even. I know, maybe it's a combination of all of these factors. Which means, I really can't be expected to get much done until allergy season is over mid to late June, when it is time for us to leave for vacation. And I don't get back until mid July, and by then it will be ragweed season. Looks like I'm off the hook until September. Sweet!


"Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing”~~Lao Tzu

Allergies...

Note to self: do not buy house in an area surrounded by hardwood trees again. Allergies suck, there are no ifs, ands or buts about it. Of course, if I'd had my shots, I probably would not be suffering as much as I am right now. But I didn't and so here I am, feeling wretchedly miserable. Whats even worse is Connor is feeling equally miserable. Poor little bugger, I feel so bad for him. He spent 2 hours trying to get sand out of his eyes because they were itchy and sore. The worst part was, he couldn't figure out where the sand came from. When he finally told me, I had to break the news to him it's his allergies doing it. This is the first year his eyes have really bothered him, they are all blood shot and puffy. Elizabeth actually thought we'd both been crying. We must look pretty scary. Well, scarier then usual, that is. The kids and I had a long discussion tonight about the things we're allergic too (thanks for that, by the way, Mom. Oh and you'll be happy to know Gramma, I told them to blame you for the allergy legacy). As I listed the trees I was allergic to, Elizabeth stopped me. "Wait a minute mommy, you're allergic to maple trees? You're Canadian, its wrong for you to be allergic to maple trees. No Canadian should be allergic to maple trees." She's right, it is wrong, on so many levels. Speaking of Elizabeth, I'm reasonably sure she is suffering from allergies too. Her voice has been very hoarse for 3 days, she sounds as if she smoked an entire pack of smokes today. Luckily, she has a doctor appointment Monday morning anyway, so we'll verify that. Thank goodness we have a drug plan, I already spent $200 today on prescriptions for Connor and I. And if that wasn't all bad enough, the kids gleefully reminded me today that I am not allergic to dogs, just cats. How fortuitous for them!

"What linguistic genius set up the sneeze and wheeze to rhyme so very perfectly with the word for allergies?"~~Charlie N. Abbers

A Diva In Training...

As the sun was finally out today, Katherine decided that she absolutely HAD to wear her new skirt ensemble. She calls this one her "Ireland outfit." She also insisted I HAD to take pictures (she was totally working the camera, as scary as that is) for Daddy so he would know just how cute she is. You know alright, don't you Daddy?? And cute she is, and a good thing too. She was also quite insistent we put her hair up on her head, with bits of it coming out. As she was going out the door, she was positively bouncing with excitement. Apparently, the other girls were going to think her skirt was to "die" for, and would be quite jealous. She giggled quite a bit at this announcement. Oh my, nothing evil about her, not a bit. She asked me several times before she left if I thought she was beautiful in her outfit. Of course, I told her I thought she was beautiful no matter what she was wearing. She rolled her eyes at this, "I KNOW that mommy, but I'm even more beautifuler in this outfit!" God help us!

"I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. That's deep enough. What do you want - an adorable pancreas?"~~Jean Kerr, The Snake Has All the Lines

May Day...

The first day of another month, and I bet you can't guess who called me bright and early this morning? John thought he'd trick me by using his cell phone to call so I wouldn't recognize the number. I'm still stunned he even knew how to turn it on! Now, he says he won, I say it was a draw. We both said pinch and a punch at the exact same time, but whatever, I will be the bigger person and let him claim the victory. After all, he doesn't get them very often. And if he doesn't win now and again, he will get discouraged. We can't let that happen.

Elizabeth is watching from the stairs, impatiently waiting for me to move so she can play her webkinz game. Ask how impressed I am by that one. All 3 of them are clamouring for time on the computer to play. They are addicted. Of course, we have a computer in Connor's room they could use, but it's slower. Oh, the humanity. Of course, up until the unfortunate demise of Pine Cone, the excuse was it was too stinky because his nest was beside the monitor. At least they don't have that excuse anymore. And that, my friends was the extent of our excitement for the day. Not exactly what you would call scintillating. I did however, come across a CD with some old photos of the kids. My favourite is the one where Katty put herself in the corner. If only she'd do that now.

Two more articles about the Battery!

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=694b2b10-badf-4dc3-8d59-88df2e068e8c

http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/208996

"If a tie is like kissing your sister, losing is like kissing your grandmother with her teeth out."~~ George Brett, 1986