In My Head

I am a nag.

I'm a nag.

I nag because I love you.

My nags have a purpose, even if you can't see them.

I tell you to clean your room, so you learn to look after your things.

I remind you to use your manners, so you learn to get along with others.

I admonish you for forgetting to tell me where you are, so you learn to be responsible, and to keep me from worrying.

I nag you to wear clean clothes, so you learn to represent yourself to the world in the best way possible.

Often, my nags come from my own experiences, my own lessons learned, and I am trying to protect you from mistakes I've already made, and mistakes I've seen others make...wear your helmet, don't drink and drive, tie your shoes, save your money...

You roll your eyes, you huff and puff, and you look at me like I'm imposing on your life. That's ok. Regardless, I know you're learning. You're growing, and becoming responsible, mature, productive citizens. This is my goal. I'm seeing it unfold before my eyes, every day. I see you choose to walk home from the party, I see you put that extra change in your piggy bank, I love that text message that tells me you're going to be 15 minutes late.

So thank you. Thank you for putting up with my nagging. Thank you for learning from them, despite the eye rolling. Thank you for making me proud.

Feed your Wolf

  

 Recently, I received an e-mail, with a story about two wolves. I loved the message of the story, and decided I should share it here. I imagine this story has been shared on many a blog out there in the vast entity known as "the blogospere". Feel free to share it with those you love. And remember to Feed Your Wolf...

TWO WOLVES 

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. 

"One is Evil -  It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

"The other is Good -  It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

 

Bliss

 
BLISS- • when the volume on all my feel-good receptors is turned up and the volume on all my feel-bad receptors is turned low.

• the warm, safe feeling of being loved that I find in the centre of a hug from him.

• that big exhale of breath as my ass hits the seat in my car at 5:02pm on Friday afternoon.

• the first mouthful of the perfect cup of coffee.

• 3.5" -heeled black leather pumps with a pointy toe.

• heated blankets right after childbirth.

• knowing they're all home, safe in their beds.

How do you define bliss?

Hooray!

 

Hey there!

Did you miss me?

I missed you!

I can’t believe how fast time has been flying by lately! It’s nearing the end of February, and I am thrilled to report that my S.A.D. has not shown it’s ugly face to me this year. Usually February is the worst month for me. But since we’ve had such a mild, sun-filled winter so far, I’ve been able to keep my vitamin D levels up enough to stave off the February Blahs. For this, I am rejoicing! I’m sure my hubby is rejoicing as well. By this time of year, I am usually quite moody, weepy and sullen, and taking it all out on him. God love him for putting up with me!

 

So for today, despite the clouds and misty rain, I am celebrating my lack of S.A.D. symptoms!

 

Yay!

So enjoy your Tuesday. I will spend my day looking forward to tonight, when I will visit Vicky’s for an evening of Pampered Chef, girlfriends and giggles J

 

Cheers to you all!

 

I’ll be back here soon.

 

xoxo

F Words

I had a weekend full of F Words;

Friends

Food

Family

Fun

I had an fantastic dinner on Friday night with 3 fabulous friends :) We shared stories, we shared laughs, we had fun :)

I asked my daughters to choose my outfit on Saturday and the three of us had fun getting me dressed and sharing girly moments while the boys were out :)

For dinner, our fabulous friends came over with their kids...we cooked, we ate, we drank...formidable!

Today, as I reflect on my weekend I smile. I spent my weekend with some of my favourite people, sharing food, sharing laughs, sharing fun.

To everyone whose path I crossed over the last few days, thank you, I had an F Word filled weekend and I wouldn't change a thing:) That's all for now, I'll be back here soon xoxo

I'm in Love...

Valentine's Day is coming.

In the next week, stores are going to be packed with people looking for the perfect gift for that special someone.

It's not my gig. The gifts, the cards, it's all just not what it's about for me.

Save your money.

SHOW me you love me.

I get shown every day. EVERY DAY.

By those who love me.

It's in the kisses I get from the kids as they leave for school and I leave for work. It's in the coffee that's ready for me when I get out of the shower. It's in the meals that are ready when I get home from work. It's in the clean clothes I wear every day. It's in the hands that hold mine as we walk through the mall. It's in the pride in their faces as they show me their work. It's in the sappy e-mails in my Inbox. It's in the invitations to dinner. It's in the text message, letting me know they will be late. It's in their secrets they share with me. It's in their hugs. It's in their giggles.

I'm surrounded daily by pieces of love.

I'm in love with all of the people who do all of these things and more for me.

Thank you for loving me. You all set the bar so high. I hope I am loving you all back just as hard as you are loving me. :)

I was saddened, then appreciative :)

 

I was away this past weekend in Rochester , NY with my two daughters at a cheerleading competition. My girls have both been doing competitive cheerleading for 5 years now. The oldest, Mary, is on the Senior All-Girl Team, and my youngest, Helen is on the Youth Team.

It was a successful weekend for the girls, with one team placing 2nd and one team placing 3rd, in their divisions. :)

While we were there, we witnessed the sadness of downtown Rochester. We went for a walk on Friday evening after dinner, on a hunt for a store that sold junk food. Any store, a grocery store, a drug store, a dollar store...nothing. The downtown of Rochester is sadly very empty. It has the potential to be a lovely spot for businesses, with the river running through the centre. I could imagine all kinds of pubs and cafes with sunny patios filled with visitors, enjoying a beverage in the hot, hot sun.

There are no businesses like that in downtown Rochester. Yes, our hotel was gorgeous, but other than that, nothing! The woman in the hotel gift shop says they are trying to rebuild the downtown area, but it's taking a long time to raise the funds. She says it used to be lovely down there, but the socio-economic circumstances of the people who live downtown has caused the businesses to move to the outer edges of the city. I was saddened by this.

We had to resort to buying the girls' junk food in the hotel gift shop...very little choice for very high prices :(

Had we wanted to find an actual store, we were told we would have to get in our car and drive for 10-15 minutes to find one!

As saddened as I was, it made me appreciate what I have right here in "the dirty Shwa". Like any larger city, yes, we have our seedier sections of town, but by and large, Oshawa really IS a nice place to live. I will admit, as a kid growing up in Ajax, we had a snotty view of those from Oshawa ("noses in the air.."ew! you live THERE?!?!") I want to take that back now. I'm sorry I let the reputation of Oshawa decide for me about those who lived here back then.

I LOVE living in Oshawa now. I love how everything I need is closeby. I love all of the Recreation Facilities we have. I love the parks and Lakefront. I love the mall and shopping areas. I love the variety of restaurants. I love my kids' schools, and I love my neighbourhood.

Most of all, I love all of my Oshawa friends. :)

That's all from me for now. I'll be back here soon.

xoxo

Shreddies

Tonight I spent a few hours cleaning my paper files and shredding. Man did I shred! All junk mail with names and addresses on it! It's like hardcopy spam! HONESTLY! I don't ask for credit card applications in my mailbox any more than I ask for invitations to enlarge my member in my e-mail box!! At least if you put the e-mails in the SPAM Folder, most e-mail providers will block those senders; I'd like to block the junk I fill my recycle bin and shredder with! Wouldn't you? Just my thoughts... Be back here soon. xoxo

For Ailsa

 Today I think about my sister, Ailsa. I love her with everything that I have. She is one of the strongest women I know. She has lived through so many set-backs she could write not just a novel, but a series of them. I admire her gumption, her stick-to-it-iveness, and her optimism. I want nothing but great things for her, and wish I could swipe away all of her troubles. When good things happen to her, or for her, I am jubilant. When bad things happen to her, I want to fix them. In good times and in bad, I want to be there for her. To share in those moments with her, to laugh with her, cry with her, celebrate with her and mourn with her. I am blessed to have grown up behind her, to have learned from her, to be loved by her.

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of.  You know whatever you do, they'll still be there.  ~Amy Li

Today, I honour my sister, please honour yours. WIthout Ailsa, my life would not be full enough. I love you Ailsa, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Thanks for listening. I'll be back here soon.

 

xoxo
 

Rude Boy! ACK!

Well, it's official. I must be old. The other day I was driving home from work, listening to the radio, and they played a new song called Rude Boy by Rihanna. As the song played, my jaw started dropping lower and lower. I was gobsmacked. They are actually playing this song on the radio?!?!? Now, before you jump to conclusions, please note: I AM NOT A PRUDE! In fact, I am far from it. I'm probably one of the most in-your-face, blunt, forthcoming, sexually aware people you will meet. So why was I gobsmacked? Because I know my 10 yr old daughter loves music. I know she loves to sing along with all of the songs she hears on the radio, and I know she'll know what the lyrics to this song will mean. Here are the lyrics (copy & pasted from http://www.elyrics.net/read/r/rihanna-lyrics/rude-boy-lyrics.html )

Rude Boy lyrics

Come here, rude boy boy
Can you get it up?
Come here, rude boy boy
Is you big enough?
Take it, take it
Baby, baby
Take it, take it
Love me, love me

Come here, rude boy boy
Can you get it up?
Come here, rude boy boy
Is you big enough?
Take it, take it
Baby, baby
Take it, take it
Love me, love me

Tonight I'm a let you be the captain
Tonight I'm a let you do your thing, yeah
Tonight I'm a let you be a rider
Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up babe

Tonight I'm a let it be fire
Tonight I'm a let you take me higher
Tonight baby, we can get it on
Yeah, we can get it on yeah

Do you like it boy?
I wa-wa-want
What you wa-wa-want
Give it to me, baby
Like boom boom boom
What I wa-wa-want
Is what you wa-wa-want
Na na ah

Come here, rude boy boy
Can you get it up?
Come here, rude boy boy
Is you big enough?
Take it, take it
Baby, baby
Take it, take it
Love me, love me

Come here, rude boy boy
Can you get it up?
Come here, rude boy boy
Is you big enough?
Take it, take it
Baby, baby
Take it, take it
Love me, love me

Tonight I'm a give it to you harder
Tonight I'm a turn your body out
Relax, let me do it how I wanna
If you got it, I need it and I'm a put it down

Buckle up, I'm a give it to you stronger
Hands up, we can go a little longer
Tonight I'm a get a little crazy
Get a little crazy, baby

Do you like it boy?
I wa-wa-want
What you wa-wa-want
Give it to me, baby
Like boom boom boom
What I wa-wa-want
Is what you wa-wa-want
Na na ah

Come here, rude boy boy
Can you get it up?
Come here, rude boy boy
Is you big enough?
Take it, take it
Baby, baby
Take it, take it
Love me, love me

Come here, rude boy boy
Can you get it up?
Come here, rude boy boy
Is you big enough?
Take it, take it
Baby, baby
Take it, take it
Love me, love me

I like the way you touch me there
I like the way you pull my hair
Baby, if I don't feel it
I ain’t faking, no no

I like when you tell me kiss it here
I like when you tell me move it there
So giddy up
Time to get it up
You say you a rude boy
Show me what you got now
Come here right now

Take it, take it
Baby, baby
Take it, take it
Love me, love me

Come here, rude boy boy
Can you get it up?
Come here, rude boy boy
Is you big enough?
Take it, take it
Baby, baby
Take it, take it
Love me, love me

Come here, rude boy boy
Can you get it up?
Come here, rude boy boy
Is you big enough?
Take it, take it
Baby, baby
Take it, take it
Love me, love me
Love me, love me
Love me, love me
Love me, love me

Take it, take it
Baby, baby
Take it, take it
Love me, love me
Love me, love me
Love me, love me
Love me, love me

Take it, take it
Baby, baby
Take it, take it
Love me, love me

Do you see why my jaw dropped now? I don't want my 10 yr old daughter singing this! What do I do? Do I ban her from the radio? Do I block Muchmusic from my tv? No, of course I won't. What I WILL do is sit down and talk to her. Listen to the song with her. Find out if she understands what this song is saying. And explain to her why I think it's inappropriate. Will that be enough? I hope so.

Thanks for listening.

I'll be back here soon.

xoxo