A Meme of Five

I haven't been tagged in a meme in years! But Elaine tagged me and since we just met in person for the first time last weekend, well, I gotta do it.  Elaine lives in Louisiana but came up to Edmonton to visit a cousin. I happened to be in Edmonton for work since that is about 800 km from where I live.  Amazing how that worked out.

 

(Picture stolen (borrowed?) from her blog. The cute dimpled guy is her son, G.)

List of Fives Meme

Five Things I Have a Passion For

1. Food.  All kinds of it, all the time.  Hence why I workout like a crazy woman. I have to say that I eat far less dessert than I once did though - dairy intolerance takes the joy out of that. I struggle with the balance between eating reasonably clean for health and tying to look like I could be in Oxygen magazine.  One is realistic and the other is not for me. And let's be real, I don't have the will power for the Oxygen magazine ideal.

2. Exercise. Pilates, Yoga, running, weight training.  Any and all.  I love to push myself. I also enjoy helping others in my part time gig as a personal trainer.

3. Photography, though I don't indulge this passion nearly as much as I should lately.

 4. Jay and my kiddos.  They amaze me and give me so much joy every single day and I wouldn't have it any other way.

5. My family and friends. My parents and bro and family rule, my in-laws are pure awesomeness and I have the most supportive and caring friends a girl could ask for.  Time with them is priceless.

Five Things I Would Like to do Before I Die
 

1. Do something crazy and completely unexpected.  Like move to Bora Bora. Not by myself though, with my family.  Just had to clarify in case Jay thought I was crazy.
 

2. See my boys grow up to be amazing men.
 

3. Grow old with Jay by my side.  Maybe in Bora Bora.
 

4. Move out of our bungalow starter home into a bigger one with a garage. And an office for me that isn't in the basement doubling as a store all the crap that we have no other spot to store.

5. Master the art of public speaking. I have come a long way in two and half years.  My job requires me to lead training sessions of groups of 30-40 people. And I do it.  And no one falls asleep or cringes at my awkwardness more than a couple times through the day.  This is huge. I still hate it with the fire of a thousand burning suns and dread it up until the moment I start.  But maybe that part will never go away.  Either way, I am pretty proud that I have overcome part of the phobia.

 

Five Things I Say A Lot

1. DUDE!

2. Crap.

3. Shit.

4. I love you.

5. Like.  As in, I, like, oh ma gawd, totally sucked at that.

Related: I am working on my potty mouth.

Five Books and/or Magazines I Have Read Lately

 

1. Beautiful Creatures Series - second time I loved it so much

2. Life of Pi
3. Our Canada Magazine

4.  um?
5.  random books from the library that I never remember the name of

Five Favorite Movies (maybe you’ve seen them Five times...)
 

1. Home Alone - the first two

2. A League of Their Own

3. Despicable Me
 

4. Cocktail - I still want to see a waterfall like the one in the movie.  Maybe when we go to Jamaica in February next year?
 

5. Cars - I love Owen Wilson and particularly as Lightening McQueen. Oh and Mater, he just plain cracks me up.

Five Places I Would Love to Travel

1. Atlantic Canada - I have been as a kid a couple times but not with Jay and the boys.  We will do this someday.  Soon. 

2. New Zealand and Australia  

3. Jamaica - hopefully Feb 2014

4. Italy - see food above.  And wine.  Mmmmmm

5. Europe though the jet lag scares me. I get it from going to Vancouver!  I am a sleep princess.

It's Not You, It's Me

It's been six years to the month since I started this here blog. Just a minute as I process that because where did the time go, exactly?

My boys were aged 5 and 2 years old respectively. Back then, I was doing some contract work from home very part time and spending my days doing preschool drop off, Kindermusik and gymnastics.

Much of that was discussed here in great detail. I love to read the posts about the kids because the stories you think you will remember, you so do not remember. We pick up the books I had made of the posts and we laugh, and laugh and laugh. Those were the days to use an overused because it's so true cliche.

I do not love to read the myopic posts (over share much?). I physically cringe because the stark raving need for attention is quite embarrassing. Though the self-depreciating humour does still crack me up from time to time.

Life has changed dramatically in those 6 years. The boys are school age and independent. They are off learning and building relationships with their peers at school. This does not make me sad in the least because....it is exactly how it is supposed to be.

Not surprisingly enough,I have also changed. I now have a job that is extremely rewarding and challenging that keeps me busy during school hours (let's hear for part time). It is fulfilling in a way that I actually never believed could be possible from a job. Of course, it is not all roses, I deal with people after all, but 90% of the time I really do enjoy what I do. Six years ago, I would have laughed at you if you told me I would one day have a job I loved.

Three years ago, I couldn't have fathomed not posting on here less than once a week. I craved the interaction. And to be quite honest, my ego quite liked the 20 plus comments I used to average on a post in the height of my blogging career (ha! I couldn't even type that without audibly snorting).

Lately I have been wondering why I no longer have the urge to spew drivel on here. I think this had a very integral part in my growth as a person. I have learned so much from expressing myself here and from reading so many different perspectives on the blogs of people who I consider friends.

For whatever reason, I just don't seem to be motivated any longer. I don't feel any guilt or pressure, this is my place and I have always felt it is for me to do with what I will.

It's not that I am quitting or shutting this down or even considering that. Mostly I am putting my thoughts down just like I always have.

I don't really know where this blog will go, if anywhere. I know that there are still friends who blog that I will continue to read because I would miss them otherwise. I also know that the stories that I wrote about the kids will be priceless to me always. I am also keenly aware that there is a point where it becomes a breach of my children's privacy to write about their lives here. We have reached that point for both boys for certain.

So here I am, enjoying life and continuing on the path that I believe I am supposed to be on. Stay tuned.

I Miss This

I started blogging way back in March 2006 (wow, 5 years ago, time flies). For the next several years, I was an avid blogger, posting on this, that and everthing in between.

I loved it.
I developed a love of writing, of expressing myself. This, considering in my previous life I had despised any form of expressing my thoughts in any form of coherant manner, was no small acheivement.

2010 saw dramatic decreases in my post numbers. My heart just was not in it in anymore. I don't know why.

And now that I am working far more, my desire to blog has waned even further. It took me a week to post our vacation post, for goodness sake.

The other day, Kamden needed to bring a story about when he was a baby to school. The first place we looked to find one was in the blog book from 2006.

We laughed. We cried (from laughing so hard). And we lauged some more. (My writing was pretty laughable)

It reminded me of why I do this. Those memories are priceless and not a one of them did I remember until we read the post out loud.

I am reminded not only of the memories I am preserving but of the community I have missed while I have been absent from this world.

I miss y'all.

Obviously now that I am working, my time to read blogs is much more limited. At the end of the day, after working on a computer all day, I am not that keen on logging onto Google Reader.

While I was on vacation, I did have the time and I realized how much I missed reading my favourite blogs.

So what does this mean?

I hope it means that I will make the time to do something I love.

It's not a promise but it's darn close.

Arbitrary Thursday

I feel like writing a blog post but have no concrete subjects so arbitrary bits of random it is.

Jay bought me flowers a week or so ago to congratulate me on a new work contract that I was offered and accepted. It means that I will have more contract work over and above the work I have been doing over the last five years. It couldn't have come at a better time, really and truly.

I love when things just work out like that.

The pictures in my blog header are from 3 years ago. Or so. I haven't the foggiest on how to go about changing them. I should try and figure that out. Maybe.

I might just about be ready to change my blog layout. Maybe. But I haven't the foggiest how so that would require hiring a professional. I might get around to in sometime in 2012.

On Friday, I purchased three pork tenderloins from that big grocery store we have in Canada that carries a lot of products packaged in yellow. Saturday morning, in anticipation of hosting a dinner for Anna and Jen and families, I began cutting up the meat to marinate for souvlaki.

The first package, when opened stunk like rotting meat and the meat was the texture of what I envision Jabba the Hut feeling like. Slimy disgustingness.

The second did not. I cut that up and when I got to the end of it, guess what? Jabba the Hut consistency again. And now it is in the marinade with the peppers and onions.

Package three was as rank as the first.

I put all of it in a bag and marched it back to the Yellow Store. I was polite. I didn't even threaten to take the meat to the health department.

In return, the lady tried to take away my free gift card earned when I spent over $250 since the return of the meat (no exchange thankyouverymuch) would put my total below $250.

I am not even kidding.

I politely noted that under normal circumstances, I would completely agree. However, given that the meat was ROTTING, I would think that an exception could be made. I should have added "for the love of Pete", it was fitting, no?

She had the gall to note that for all she knew, I could have left the meat out overnight. Wow. I was stunned for a second or two, regained my composure and said that I had not, in fact, left the meat out overnight (insert yelling comment in my head - "because I am not a complete MORON!") and that it was doubtful, in my opinion, that the stench coming from the bag could have occurred overnight.

Again, not even kidding.

She begrudgingly let me keep my gift card. Wasn't she just the sweetest thing?

Guess where I will refrain from buying my meat from here on out?

It's my blog and I'll post what I want to

Well I sure was encouraged by how many comments there were on my last post. I am always encouraged by how many comments other bloggers get when they talk about the lack of comments. I post about it and I get crickets. Duly noted.

Anywho, as you can tell, I am not bitter. At all. Nope. To see 46 plus visitors on Friday alone and get 8 comments. Why would I be? The 8 that commented are my favourites. So there.

Mature no?

Moving on.

After more days of rain than we could possibly count, the sun came out. We had almost fogotten what it looked like so I took a picture. You know, for future reference.

We headed over to the school to play.

I am not sure you could park a bike here for the jungle of dandilions. At least they aren't in my lawn. Yet. The school isn't that far away, no doubt the seeds travel on the winds that blow endlessly *curses under breath*.

I love it when he actually let's me take a photo. And if it turns out too, gravy.

This one co-operated once. But that was his limit. Twerp. I guess he's cute though, so maybe I'll still keep him. For now.

At least Daddy was willing.

The only use of a basketball net, in my opinion. What? I don't enjoy team sports.

Kamden was not willing to pose with his brother so I asked Jay to. You know when Kamden was ready to pose? When the rest of us had started making our way home.

We made our way back. He posed but he didn't say he would smile.

Can't win them all.

Commenting, Take One

When I first started reading blogs, I never commented. Then I realized how important it is to just say, hey, I am here reading and enjoying what you wrote. I try really hard to comment on every post I read but have to be honest, I have been slacking off lately.

I read a post yesterday morning that reminded me why I comment and why it's so wonderful to receive comments. Please go and read what my friend, Angella so eloquently wrote about why you should take the time to comment.

I do not have ads on my site and cannot for see ever having them so for me, it isn't at all about getting clicks to generate ad revenue. However, there is a direct correlation between the number of comments I have been receiving and the severely declining number of post that I do.

Just sayin'.

Now go out and give the bloggers you love some well deserved love! I promise to as well.

GO!

10 Honest Things

I've been tagged twice to do this post listing 1o honest things about me. As I wrote it, it was more 10 honest opinions or actually the top ten things I felt like ranting about. Here is some more insight into the recesses of my mind. It's a scary place folks, tread lightly.

1. This is all about being honest so here it is, controversial as it may be. I have very strong opinions on homeschooling. I know, I know, I know nothing about it. But here is what I do know: there would have to be a VERY good reason for me to even consider ever homeschooling my boys. First of all, I am no teacher, thinking I could ever be would be ludicrous. I also think that our kids learn and grow so much more if we let them be exposed to other people and other ways of thinking. Our job as parents, in my humbly bias opinion, is to teach them to be independent confident adults who can make solid decisions on their own in the real world. In order to build the necessary skills to achieve that, they need to start small, like with other kids their own age. I have watched my boys already grow and flourish in the public school system and I wouldn't have it any other way.

One of the only reasons that would have me ever consider it is if either of my boys wasn't doing well in the atmosphere that is regular school for whatever reason and after trying several different potential solutions, nothing worked. If there were no other options (private school, Montessori and oh how the whole idea of Montessori makes me itchy) then and only then would I consider taking their schooling into my own hands.

That said, if you home school, I am sure you have a very good reason. These are my reasons and they do not at all reflect on your decisions. xoxoxo

2. I could NEVER give up meat. I love all meat. I am almost very nearly a meatatarian. Protein, how I love you. I like beans too but couldn't use them as my sole source of protein. Have I mentioned Frank's Hot Sauce? Oh how I love thee. Chicken wings slathered in this sauce are very nearly Earl's quality. I was once committed to cutting back our meat intake for environmental reasons, however, when I really think about it, I honestly question if that would solve our problems. If the entire world subsisted on legumes for protein, would the space required to grow that large a quantity really be less than it takes to produce the livestock? Maybe this is just denial because I love me some meat.

3. Germaphobia is an epidemic. Spare me. I just don't have the energy. Here's tip, knowledge is power; obsessing is annoying. We can't live in a bubble. Our immune systems need a bit of boosting and exposing ourselves to everyday dirt is just fine and dandy.

4. UGGS are ugly. The only time I find them reasonably acceptable is when they are worn to the gym in the middle of winter with yoga pants. And on sweet little girls.

I know, I know the comfort, blah, blah, blah. I just really dislike them, comfort or no comfort. I will eat my shorts the day I buy a pair. My theory is that the designer is somewhere in some random country living quite comfortably and laughing at the fact that he started such a ridiculous trend for all us gullible consumers. He's an ass.

5. Skinny jeans. Really? Who designed those hideous buggers? Same ass as above, me thinks. A man is my only conclusion. His signature is all over them. Again, if I ever own a pair, my shorts will be on the menu for dinner. I will even take pictures, I promise.

6. I do not like broccoli. I know I am supposed to like it because it contains no less than 12,000 vitamins and nutrients that will cure cancer and rabies but I just don't like it. I eat it because of the aforementioned vities but like it? Never. I particularly don't like the tops. The florets, whatever the do hickey they are called. The texture makes me gag. I typically only eat the stems, which I am guessing only contain 1/8 of the vitamins and minerals. Murphy is a bitch like that.

7. I honestly loathe when people come to our door pedaling some product, service or religion. Don't call us, we'll call you. M'kay? Thanks. I honestly won't answer my door if I can ensure they don't know I am home. And I NEVER answer the phone if it is a 1-800, 1-866 or any other unknown area code. Same thing applies. And I love the weekly message that I won a trip. Uh huh. Sure I did, and how much do I owe for that "free" trip. Thanks but no thanks.

8. I might be an email addict. If I am not sending and receiving messages and getting blog comments into my inbox, I kind of lose my will to live. That might be a bit dramatic but I really really like it. It's pathetic, I know but I don't have too many vices other than coffee. Mmm, coffee. (I am also easily distracted).

9. I am just not that into blogging anymore. You may have noticed but I suspect you are more likely just a little bit relieved about one less post to read in your reader. I haven't contributed to Canada Moms Blog since early February. And yesterday it was announced that the hosting group, Silicon Valley Moms Group is closing up shop. 5 months ago this would have devastated me, now, I am kind of like, huh, that's too bad now, isn't it? And I have been quiet around here too. I would blame summer and all the sun and sand but it's been raining for 35 days and nights. Our ark is almost complete.

10. Lastly, on a more serious note, I once almost burned my parents' house down. I wasn't a kid either, well not a young one anyway, more of a young, absent minded adult. I left the kettle on the counter top stove and went to work. For hours. Luckily all it did was char the back board of the cupboard. I don't think that I really 'got' the magnitude of how freaking lucky I was until much, much later. My parents still live in that very house and only recently replaced the counter tops. The black spot was there for years reminding me of my awesomeness.

Hopefully you learned something new about me, or wait, better yet, hopefully you actually read this through to the end. If you just looked at the pictures, I am okay with that too.

Again, With the Random

So I have no post material. No ideas. Even less motivation. But here I am trying to post. I lost my mojo. I am blaming the lack of comments. It can't possibly be my fault. How could it?

I used to regularly get around 20 comments per post. TWENTY. Now, if I get ten I am rocking it. I wonder why no one likes me anymore but this shouldn't be a pity party, who wants to read that?

The lack of dinging in my email has me here, rambling about nothing. Frankly I am boring myself by this point. Enough about that except I must first give a big shout out to my peeps (how lame do I sound trying to be all cool? Yes, pretty lame.) who regularly or irregularly comment. I greatly appreciate it. M'wah, giant air kiss and hug!

On to bigger and more annoying things. Like the fact that my thyroid has decided to start underpeforming. All kinds of awesome. It's still normal but it's dropped and because my body already annihilated my ovaries, it's pretty safe to assume it's now targeting my thyroid. I don't really need my ovaries but my thyroid is kind of nice, you know?

Don't worry, I got over my funk about that pretty quick. In the grand scheme of things, it's no big deal but it's still a bit hard to hear that your own body is kind of letting you down. At least, it is for me.

Speaking of my ovaries (really, were we? no wonder I don't post anymore) I came to realize that I really am at peace with my life. I feel fulfilled by my career, my fitness commitment and most importantly by my family. My boys are so much fun and don't "need" me like they once did. Once you come out the other side you can find yourself again and you didn't even realize you were missing. My identity has become mine again. It's not just Jack and Kamden's mom but it's Kami, who is many things, one of which is Jack and Kamden's mom. That might sound a bit selfish but I'll be honest, I don't honestly believe solely being a mother can be completely fulfilling to anyone. It's like all things, it requires a balance. I feel like right now, all the balls are in the air and I've got things under control. Dear Murphy, ignore me, there is nothing you need to see here. Move along. Thanks.

Stay tuned. Maybe I'll get my mojo back for blogging or at least keep posting random photos with words that say nothing. How can you resist?

Anonymous Comments of the Dumbest Kind

Lately, I have been back and forth between allowing anonymous comments or not. I like to allow them because I have friends and family that comment via this method.

Here is one of the reasons why I had to shut them off:

"good morning fellas. I'm honestly into shoes and I have been searching for that exact model. The prices as regards the sneakers are approximately 210 pounds on every site. But completely I set this location selling them as a remedy for half price. I absolutely love these (url removed). I will definetly buy these. what can you tell me about these?"

NO. I cannot tell you about some stupid shoes that you have already decided to buy. And for the love of Pete, I am a girl, not a fella. Trust me. And I don't want to be mean but English is not your first language. Sorry it was the composition of pretty much the entire comment that gave it away.

And just to keep me fuming, here is a good one:

"Do You interesting of Viagra 100mg dosage? You can find below...(url removed)"

We may be the house of khlopchyk (boys) but none of them have any need for this crap for at least another 30 years, if ever. And also, guessing English is not your first language. Yup, it was the composition again, kind of gives you away.

Or this one, it's a repeat offender:

"Nice post and this post helped me alot in my college assignement. Say thank you you seeking your information."

Boy do I feel good, I mean here I am contributing to post secondary education and all. I should be getting paid for this. A post about how I printed off my blog into books must be integral to many college assignments....at the University of Ridiculous anyway. And by the way alot is not a word. It's two, a and lot. That's $25 more, this advice is invaluable.

I have received many of these in the last couple of months. And here's the dumbest part, even dumber than than the bad English, they are all on old posts. Um, if you want someone to see your ridiculous link to some probably illegal store selling Viagra, putting it on an old post of mine is not your best line of defence. I might have a big ego but even I know that I don't have a huge audience on current posts, never mind posts from three months ago.

Who does this crap? I am assuming it's some techno geek in Malaysia or someplace who created some computer program that posts these comments and he thinks he's the cat's ass, only better because he doesn't need spell check. But why on God's green earth? I kind of get why they post comments with links...they are trying to drive traffic to their site. I am going to go out on a limb and say my site hasn't be a big contributor. But some of them don't even have a link. And some are addressed to Alice. I have been called a lot of things but Alice? C'mon people, play nice.

Just think what these people could accomplish if they channel their abilities to more useful projects. I have many suggestions, like world peace, and reducing human impact on the environment, just to name a couple. Maybe when their spam program comes by in a couple of months and attempts to post a dumb comment, it will read this and pass on the message.

What can I say, I am an eternal optimist.

Until these yahoos give it up with their hokey spam programs, I am leaving anonymous comments off, sorry y'all.

My Blog in Print

Ever since I started blogging I have wondered how I could preserve what I write here long term. Let's face it, the Internet is likely to gone the way of eight tracks by the time our kids are grown. I knew I couldn't just save them in electronic form, computers and the software they run are obsolete faster than I can inhale a small chocolate bar (oh what I would give for a chocolate bar followed by a Carmel latte chaser right now - the elimination diet is not going well can you tell?).

I did a post about this about this very issue back in June. Some suggested Shutterfly where you can make a fancy photo book including your blog posts. I started that and realized it would take me hundreds of hours to make it worth anything and frankly, for the amount they may get read, it just wasn't worth my time. Also, the lack of patience I possess would have had me rocking in the fetal position suckling a bottle of vodka like a newborn partway through my posts from 2006, also the year I began this here blog.

Then someone pointed me to Blog 2 Print. I remember who but if it was you I am laying a great big wet smack on your cheek right now. That ought keep anyone from fessing up, no?

This service, well let's just say it's the next best thing since sliced bread. It pulls it all together FOR YOU. All you do is give your URL and specify the dates for the posts to pull and it spits this out to you, mailed right to your door.



Now, I can't lie, it wasn't that easy. I decided that I wanted to separate posts about the boys from posts about me. To remove the posts I didn't want pulled into the book I just went through and unpublished all the posts I didn't want - don't worry, they are not gone, merely saved as draft to be re posted at a later date. I made a book for each year except for 2007 which I split into two books because there were too many photos. The first one came in the mail the other day and it's pretty neat to have a book to flip through.

It allows me ample opportunity to reminisce over my little baby boys. They were aged five and two in 2006 and ever so wee compared to now. And then I cringe over the hideous "writing" and the overuse of smiley faces and exclamation points. They grow physically, emotionally and intellectually, my writing has grown (I think). We'll call it even.

I am very happy with this book and the 2007 and 2008 ones are being shipped shortly. I will then begin the process of republishing posts about me and unpublishing those about the boys so I can have my very own narcissistic book titled "1 2 3 All About Me". It will be handy when I am old and have no memory. I can read about this crazy woman who overused exclamation points with two adorable boys and had hormonal issues. I can't hardly wait.

And last but not least, Blog 2 Print is doing a fall promotion. If use the code fall4b2p to purchase a book before November 9, 2009 you will receive 20% off. They told me to share it with my friends and my friends, they are you!

And the blog almost imploded

Some of you saw. Some of you asked what is going on. Has Kami gone off the rocker, once and for all? Jay asked if I knew I was causing a fuss when he saw I had 15 comments to my Facebook status that read:

"I am almost 99% certain I will be taking a blogging break and a twitter break and a FB break. And it might not be temporary."

I also Twittered the very same, because, you know, I had to cover all social media bases. Wait a minute, I missed My Space. CRAP. Oh yeah, I don't have a My Space. Whew.


And you thought I wasn't dramatic. Showed you didn't I?

What caused me to have this feeling of leaving cyberspace behind? I honestly don't know but I think it might have had to do with my reaction to a friend's news that she was expecting a baby. I may have patted her belly (yes, yes, I did and I am still as mortified as I was 1.2 second after I did it) and blurted out in surprise (because I am an idiot) that I thought she had a little belly the last time I saw her and that I was so hoping that she was. I won't go into details but this is something that I have prayed would happen for her and her husband for a year now. To say they deserve this baby is an understatement.

GAH. It still makes me feel sick inside. On what planet is that a good way to react?

You might be wondering why something I said out loud to a real life friend would make me want to turn my back on this on-line world. I know I am.

I haven't entirely figured it out but I think it might have something to do with the fact that I do things like this more frequently than I care to mention and spending time here rather than in the real world is not helping that fact.

I am going out on a limb here.

But at least I gave my friend something to talk about. I mean I would be ranting about this weird friend who not only patted my belly, MY BELLY, like it's now public property because it's growing a baby and then told me I had a belly two months ago. Come to think of it, that would make a funny blog post wouldn't it?

See? The fact that I am thinking about it terms of blog post means that I am not ready to give up this blog. I need an outlet to express some of the stuff (fluff?) that swirls aimlessly around in the void that is my mind. If not here, where else? Facebook and Twitter updates don't provide the space and do you really want me to call you all and leave a voice message? Equally undesirable are mass emails, I am certain. Do I have your email? Be afraid. Be very afraid.

I have been spewing on here for three and half years and honestly this is the first time I have considered shutting it down. And really, when I think about it, shutting it down would be like cutting off an arm.

This is part of me.

Sometimes maybe it's too much, sometimes maybe it's just the right amount.

But whatever it is, it's me.

Now if I could just learn myself how to shut my mouth and keep my hands to myself all would be right in the world.

(And help me out, do I apologize for being such an idiot to my friend, or put my head in the sand and hope she's already forgotten?)

Why I should go to NYC

So I mentioned how I might want to go to BlogHer last week, but how I am all kinds of scared it would be recurrent of high school. Because I am woman, hear me roar, I also have the distinct right to change my mind, right?

After hearing that this lovely lady, whom I just recently met in real life, is going to BlogHer 2010 in New York City, I am very strongly rethinking my fear. But I read this and this, two very different takes on the whole to go or not to go and what to do while your are there topic and I get even more confused.

Luckily, I have the privilege of knowing Angella in real life and Elaine, Tracey and Karen MEG on line. How do I decide such a momentous decision (you know besides begging Jay that we really need to take a trip to NYC next year, say around August 5, 6 and 7th, 2010)?

Well I interview these lovely ladies of course!

Here is what they had to say to my amateurish questions (FYI interviewing skills are not taught to accountants, generally speaking):

1. This was your first BlogHer, what made you decide to go?

Tracey: I have been blogging for almost 3 years and have been watching the connections made by everyone who attended previously. I was SO jealous that it burned me up! I managed to save enough money from ads on my site and articles for magazines to pay for 80% of my trip. It was my first time doing anything by myself, FOR myself. I felt it was my time.
Hmm, while I am ecstatic for Tracey, I am not sure I can get away with the never taking me time excuse, because, um, well, I pretty much get my fair share of me time me thinks. I am super lucky, that I know.

Karen MEG: I went because I wanted to meet my blog friends, that's for sure. And last year I attended as a head on the Immoral Matriarch's popsicle stick, so I felt obligated to bring the rest of my body this year. But seriously, BlogHer is something completely different than I've ever experienced. It was a challenge for me and something I wanted to "conquer"; I'm one who finds it almost terrifying to talk to people sometimes, and have rarely ever approached anyone I don't know, to talk, chat, whatever. It was a stretch for me to do something totally on my own for a change too; no husband, no kids, no colleagues and entirely UNrelated to work- out of my element. Granted I had met a couple of the bloggers before in Toronto, but it was still intimidating, I mean we're talking 1500 bloggers en masse!

Karen, you and I are a lot alike me thinks and I think it’s high time I conquered this too, what you say, you, me and a few martini’s?

2. Were you all kinds of nervous? Was it anything at all like you expected?

Elaine: I actually was not that nervous. I think it was really cool that the first night OhMommy recognized me first (it was probably mostly the belly, but still...) and I sort of regard her as a bloggy "celebrity" but I immediately felt comfortable talking to her, just like I have in comments and emails via her blog and mine. Since that happened within hours of my arrival I was more laid back about it all after that.

Hmm, mental note, maybe grow a belly before next year so someone (anyone!) will recognize you? Scratch that, my glasses will do it. I hope.

Karen MEG: Well, it was a little as expected, in terms of being completely overwhelming when I first arrived. And I also expected it would be a bit like high school, or even a reunion, because you're always looking around for a familiar face, hoping that you'd recognize someone from their tiny avatar. There were tribes, groups of people milling around together with familiarity, much like you would see the "popular" kids, you know? Because for many it was a reunion. I found the sheer size of it, though, was what made it difficult. As you're only there for a couple of days, you're hoping to find/meet as many of your blog friends as possible, and I found it a little tough as you're feeling very thinly spread. And I hope to heck I didn't act rudely because of it, as it was so easy to get pulled in various directions as you'd see familiar faces go by who you didn't want to miss. There were some that I saw only at the beginning and then at the end, so although I got a hug, there might have been very little conversation and interaction, which was a drag. I did surprise myself, however, at my ability to shout across the room, across a sea of strangers to yell at a face I recognized, and fling myself with open arms into the comfort of those I'd only seen on my laptop screen. I'm a nut, I know. But you gotta do what you gotta do :).

See this is what I imagine and it terrifies me, I am not the type to yell across a room (no one would hear me) but maybe I could run across the room?

3. I am considering going to NYC next year, why should I go?

Tracey: There are a million reasons to go. The main ones, for most of us, is to hug that person you have talked to online. We all want to hear the cadence of the voice that is behind the written words we've enjoyed. The sense of camaraderie was definitely something I hadn't experienced in a long time. I mean, everyone there (except the sponsor/promo dudes) was a writer. We all love to write and read and comment and connect. We all understood the draw that a good blog can have.

Angella : It's NEW YORK. Aside from that, I know that you have a lot of blog friends who you are close to that you would love to meet. Plus, considering that you and I didn't get our work meet up in Vancouver this year, we may have to rely on BlogHer for the chance to say, "hi." :)

Reason enough for me.

The one and only reason I would go would be to meet some of the wonderful women I have connected with online. Because many of them live far far away from the quasi Arctic (have I mentioned they are also very smart?) the opportunity will not arise unless I buck up and head to this here event everyone has been talking about.

Will I go? I still don't know. Obviously it would be expensive to get from here (flip flapping Arctic) to NYC so it's a decision Jay and I must make together and if I told you now, what would I blog about in the future?

I'm nice like that.

But here's the deal, if I go, you go, capiche?*

(certain exepmptions can be made, approved only by me - moohoohahahaha)

We remembered

Today, I met Jen of Hey Mrs. Wilson fame for the second time. She is lovely and very much like me while also being very opposite of me. A friendship made in heaven? I do hope so.

Here is the picture that we forgot to take the first time. We were going for the windblown model look, thank goodness the weather cooperated because here, when can you say THAT?

I have two (two!) other posts in the works but as they are still in the works, I am pretending I am Dooce and only posting a picture minus the witty commentary she is famous for.

Don't hold my uncoolness against Jen though.

Wits and Whats*

This week we had a Star Wars party for Kamden. I have to give a shout out to Amy at Muddy Boots for the idea to make light sabres out of pool noodles. It was gold.

As you can see they were a hit. Also? The roof of our deck is made of green plastic (yes, it's as ugly as it sounds). Here is where using manual settings, for me, who is an camera idiot, is not a good idea. I am making a mental note.

Kamiken Skywalker is becoming one with the force.

I highly recommend these for b-day parties. The kids played with them for a long time. This means there was no need for pin the arm back on Darth Vader or musical gunships, not that there is anything wrong with these (I'm lazy).

I will give credit to Amy for the light sabre idea, however, I will not saddle her with any responsibility for this debacle:

Yeah, so not my best work. AT ALL. (see my better work) But Kamden liked it so really what else matters?

In other news, I had the pleasure of lunching, in real life, with Jen the other day. Jen has joined a relay team we have put together for a September marathon. To put it simply, she is lovely. I do hope to get the chance to to visit with her again and maybe next time I won't grill her with 1,001 questions! Sorry Jen, I do that a) when I am nervous and b) when I am genuinely interested. I do realize that I also come across as crazy. Unfortunately it's only after the fact that this realization comes to me. I am slow like that.

And are you wondering how the first few days of summer vacation are going? I have a post up at Canada Moms Blog that will tell you exactly how flip flapping craptapulous it's been thus far. Send vodka.

Lastly, if you can guess what the cake is supposed to be, you get my undying love. Seriously. M'Wah!

*don't ask. I. have. no. idea.

Help! what do I do?

I just sat down to do something that I have put off for a long, long, long time. I was going to print out all the posts about each of my sons to put into a binder as a keepsake.

As I scrolled, and scrolled and scrolled some more, I realized, holy cow it will kill a forest.

Here's where you come in. What do you do about saving your posts as keepsakes? Are you keeping something tangible for your kids?

And while we are at it, what about your digital photos? Do you print them off regularly?

I used to but then the sheer volume was getting ridiculous to store so I stopped about 2 years ago. The thought of going back and sorting through them is about as appealing as sticking a fork in my eye repeatedly. But will I be able to access them in say, 20 years with the rate that technology is changing?

Any and all thoughts on either of these topics is welcome and encouraged!

500th in 500 or 52, whatever

So here it is, the big 500th post. I started this thing way back in March 2006, over three years ago. I am amazed at where it's gone. It's been great. It's been weird. Not everyone gets it. But it is what it is. Me, spewing my thoughts and opinions here on this little corner of the internet. To all of you who read this, whether you comment or not, I loves ya!

To commerate this grand(ish) occasion, I am going to write about words. In 500 words or less. (Yeah, so I couldn't come up with any spectacular way to celebrate, no need to rub it in)

Words. They can lift us up till our hearts soar. They can sucker punch us right in the gut and cause no end of hurt. The power they hold is astounding. It’s frightening really. With a few letters, you can either make someone’s day or you can make someone’s day complete crapola.

**********************************************************************************

Um, yeah. That was 52 words.

Turns out I wasn't inspired.

Sue me! Or pat me on the back 'cause this is a short post and you can read it 5.2 seconds. I am nice like that.

Happy 500th post to me!

The Perks of Motherhood

I was tagged by Angella last week to participate in a meme that was started by HerBadMother (aka Catherine).

Here’s the deal:

Her Bad Mother’s post is the departure lounge, "I'm going to link to a couple of other mom bloggers here in Canada, and to a couple of mom bloggers from other countries around the world, and they’ll write their posts, sharing 5 things that they love (or maybe what they don’t so much love - this playground doesn’t force conformity) about being a mom, and then they’ll tag a few more bloggers from their own country and from other countries, and so on. And you’re more than welcome to join: just write a post of your own (5 things that you love about being a mom) and find someone to link to and tag - someone from your own country, if you like, but definitely someone from another country (Google is a good resource if you don’t know any; Google any country name and ‘mom’ in their blog search function) (be sure to let them know that you’ve tagged them!) - and link back here and leave a comment and we’ll add you to the ‘itinerary,’ which David will compile and post and update as the tour proceeds.”

I think you all know that I love being a mom, that’s nothing new. But as the kids change and grow, I think the specific things I love change too. So here we go, hopefully I can be original, there have been many, many posts about this done already. Without further ado, here is what makes my heart smile on a daily basis.

1. I adore making my kids laugh. You know, really laugh, those deep belly giggles, the ones where they get the hiccups after. I LOVE that (not the hiccups, the belly laughs). The part hasn’t changed yet, from the day they could first laugh to now, belly laughs make my heart sing.

2. I have loved watching them achieve each new milestone in their lives, the first step, the first word, the first ride on their bike without training wheels. Each one is momentous, each one makes my heart swell with pride at what they can and will achieve in their lives.

3. The bond that has developed between my boys has been by far, one of the most enjoyable aspects to watch as they grow up. They play for hours upon hours without killing each other, which I personally, think is a miracle straight from the big man upstairs himself. Even more importantly, they seem to actually enjoy playing together. Sometimes I pinch myself just to make sure I am not dreaming. This week, for example, Jack is off school for Easter break add that to the fact that crusty old man winter seems to have finally packed his smelly bags and headed elsewhere, I have barely seen them. The sandbox is open and their imaginations are soaring. Together. It just plain and simply warms my heart.

4. Their unquenchable thirst for knowledge is so much fun. Jack especially, has a need to know more about just about anything and I, as a self proclaimed know it all, like to share my vast knowledge of all topics. Thankfully we also frequent the local library and supplement with actual facts. Their memories and what they can comprehend amazes me daily and makes me look forward to the future men they will become.

5. But the most important reason I love being a mommy, is that life is so much fuller, has so much more meaning because I am a mom. My boys, they are my reason for being. While I understand why some people choose not to have kids, for me, that was never a choice. I live to be a mother. Now if I could just live up to my expectations on being a good mother... but that’s another post altogether.

And by permission I am tagging the following:

Stacie, BeachMama and Cheryl, Kami and Amy and if you want to play, please do!

Back in '99

In honour of SuperMommy’sWedding Carnival. I am inviting you to our wedding! I saw you roll your eyes, don't make me come over there.

Almost 10 years ago, a girl named Kami and a boy named Jay finally, after almost 5 years of dating, got hitched. On the way to the church I was peaceful. Ready to take this big leap into married life. Jenelle (left) and Michelle (right) are just waiting for the drinks and dancing to begin. Can you blame them? So far the day has consisted of getting up way too early and getting hair and make up done. When is the fun going to start already?

Well what about the fun we had last night? Remember that? You know, my 25th birthday/rehearsal party? My soon to be dear husband didn't want my momentous birthday to be forgotten. And the best way to make sure of that was, of course, to hire a singing cowboy. Yes, that's right folks, I said, a singing cowboy. Because a cowboy on his own is not all that memorable, most likely better looking, but not nearly as memorable.

See my almost dear hubby trying to ensure he doesn't steal the limelight from me? He's great like that. How did I get him back? Well I tried to stab him in the cheek with my fork at dinner, how else?

Actually, he might have got me too. We were ready to be married, we had the bickering down pat from day one. Score one for us.

After we said I do, we walked up the isle. I don't think I was forced to kick my hoop out of the way that time, going down the isle, well that was another story. Nothing a quick hoof didn't fix. It was that or fall flat on my face. I never said I was graceful.

Don't I look elated? Um Jay, could you not start asking where the beer is already, we haven't even made it out of the church yet. Sheesh.

On second thought, you better get one each to your parents, stat! They are mortified by what has just occurred. He married THAT? What has he done?

Oh boy, they are dropping like flies. My parents don't look any too impressed either. Beers all around! That should solve that issue. Stat.

The flower girls (maid of honour, center, Cathy) seem to have this drinking thing down pat. They are smiling on the outside, on the inside? Bored to tears. How many photo shoots do they have planned? Hand me another cooler, stat!

And of course to top off the night, there was the traditional throwing of the bouquet - it was completely destroyed, apparently there were some desparate single women in the crowd. No pictures to protect the innocent. Or guilty. Whatever.

Last but not least, the the throwing of the garter. Maybe this is a Canadian thing but the groom is not allowed to use his hands to remove the garter.

I am pretty sure he licked my leg. My consolation, mouthful of nylons.

Wedded bliss, what a way to get started.

(if you want to read some likely less sarcastic posts about me and mine, see our story, 8th anniversary and 9th anniversary)