10 on Tuesday

1. I'm pretty sure that the commenting problem has been fixed on Blogger now.  So that means you should be able to leave me all your fabulous comments, Kelly.

2. I'm so glad that it didn't rain today!  Yay for sunshine!  Too bad I was cooped up inside, but still yay!

3. I had the day off yesterday so I took Paxton out to Cardston to see Grammie and Pa ... and their new house.  Very nice : )

4. Paxton weighed himself at Grammie's house yesterday and he weighs 28 lbs.  He was so funny with the scale.  I'm pretty sure he just liked seeing the numbers change but every time they stopped moving he'd point and laugh and look to make sure I was watching.

5. I also weighed myself while we were at Grammie's house ... and I have lost 10 lbs since Easter!  Yay!

6. I'm going to see "Bridesmaids" on Friday.  I really hope it's as funny as it looks in the previews.

7. Also going to Moxies on Friday ... mmmmm ... white chocolate brownie. *drool*

8. I can hardly believe that tomorrow is the first day of June!  It seems like this year is just flying by.

9. I'm pretty sure Paxton said "Bye" today when I picked him up from day care.  So awesome!

10. I'm trying to let Paxton feed himself more.  It's taking a toll on me though since this is what we end up with pretty much every time:

He's also taken to flinging his food when he's done eating.  Althought the dogs are huge fans, this is not going over well with his parents.

Practice makes perfect, right?  Hopefully Paxton will be able to perfect the eating with a spoon with all this practice!

It Takes a Real Boy

to wear pink!

I forgot to take a new set of "emergency" clothes to day care for Paxton since his old ones were too small.  So of course today he had a blow-out diaper.  Thankfully, Vicki had some extras that Paxton was able to wear.  Jay sent me this picture

titled "Pink is not for Boys."  Can't wait to be able to show this and all the other embarassing photos of Paxton to his girlfriends when he gets older.  Muahahahaha!

10 on Tuesday

1. I'm kind of afraid to ever let Paxton go in our backyard again because I'm not sure what might be lurking in the jungle of grass out there.  I would really love to tame that jungle with my lawn mower, but first I need this rain to quit long enough for my yard to dry up!

2. We had Original Joe's for supper and it was delicious.  Mmmmm dill dip and fries.  But now I sort of feel like exploding.

3. I'm feeling super stagnant lately.  I just feel like my life isn't moving.  The weather is really not helping with this feeling.

4. I'm loving how Paxton sings and talks all the time lately.  Still not much English, but he's definitely expressing himself.

5. I have this coming up Monday off because it's American May Long.  I don't know what I'm going to do, though.  I'm pretty sure that Paxton's going to day care so that I can have some "me" time, but I just can't seem to figure out what I'm going to do with that time.

6. Jay went golfing in Cardston yesterday since it was Canadian May Long, and my parents babysat Paxton for him.  I'm slightly perturbed that Jay got to see their new house before me.  But I hear it's awesome!

7. I'm now on week 6 of running on my eliptical in the morning.  I'm still not seeing the results, but my pants are starting to fit better.

8. We went camping at the gun range with Jay's Mom and step-dad on Saturday.  It was Paxton's first overnight camping trip and I'm so glad that some friends of theirs had an empty trailer for us to use!  It really made things a lot easier/more comfortable.

9. The battle to move Paxton from bottles to sippy cups is not going well.  I think it's mostly because bottles seem to be so much easier for everyone involved.  However, I am determined to have Paxton off bottles before he turns 2 ... so just over 6 months to get 'er done. 

10. Kelly and Cliff get back from Mexico late tonight.  It seems like they've been gone f-o-r-e-v-e-r but it's only been a week!

Rainbow Bridge

Today I am sad.  My Aunt Carol and Uncle Stew said good-bye to their Boxer baby, Chief, this morning.  Although Chief was not my own dog, I did spend a lot of time with him during my high school years as I would dog-sit for them when they went on vacation.  I've been thinking a lot about the memories I have of those times: the day I got out of the shower and realized that Chief had stolen my bra (not sure what he was planning to use it for ...); the night he fell asleep with his head on my thigh and my whole leg fell asleep because his head was so heavy that I didn't move at all; Chief running to the door all "bark, bark, growl, growl" and then retreating to hide on the stairs with only his head peaking around the corner when someone answered; and oh so many more.  Like all the Boxers I know, Chief was just a big goof ball.  He might have been a little crotchety in his old age, but hey, we're all entitled to a little crotchetiness in our old age.

I don't know yet what it's like to have to say good-bye to a furry family member.  I didn't have pets growing up and our furry kids haven't reached that point yet.  I'm sure I'll just be a mess though since I was a mess when Maggie had her life-saving surgery a few years back.

I was talking to a co-worker about the situation today and he suggested that I Google "Rainbow Bridge."  So I did.  It's just awesome.  I don't know who wrote it, but I hope that it's true.  So, Aunt Carol, here's the answer to your question about dogs going to Heaven:

Rainbow Bridge

- Author Unknown

Just this side of Heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.

There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance.  His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers.  Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.  The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together ...

I know I complain about my dogs, but they're like kids.  They might drive me crazy but at the end of the day I love them!

In Case of a Zombie Apocalypse

They're coming!!!  You can check out what you need to do to prepare for such an event on the CDC's website.  Fortunately for myself, I have been preparing for such an event for years by watching many zombie themed films.  I know that there are 2 basic types of Zombies: 1. those that just sort of shuffle around and moan a lot (such as those found in "Shaun of the Dead") and 2. those that are indeed dead and trying to comsume their neighbors for dinner, but who can still run with gazelle-like agility (such as those found in the 2004 version of "Dawn of the Dead"). 

I'm fairly certain that if the apocalypse involves zombies from category #1 I would be able to survive quite easily.  You see, these zombies use a sort of "swarming" technique.  The solution?  Stay away from them.  It wouldn't be difficult to stay ahead of such a hoarde since they're slow moving and slow witted.  In fact, in one scene of "Shaun of the Dead" the survivors just shuffle around and moan and are able to trick the zombies into thinking that they themselves are zombies.

Surviving an attack involving zombies from category #2 would be trickier.  These zombies are not only faster than their counterparts in category #1, but they are also smarter and more agile.  Category #2 zombies use their superior intellect to ambush living people as well as to deduce how to get into buildings where survivors have holed up.  And they are relentless.  Because they're dead they don't really have much else to occupy their time. 

So, the best solution I've been able to come up with is to get yourself to a wide-open space where you can't be cornered/surrounded easily.  This should be relatively easy for myself since, as I've mentioned before, we live in Southern Alberta.  There's nothing but wide-open space here.  Better yet, I've just decided that my new plan is to head for Saskatchewan.  That way we'll be able to see any zombies coming for days before they reach us (to any Saskatchewan-ites who may be reading this, just kidding).  Also, make sure you have plenty of guns and ammunition for those guns.  Make sure you aim for the head because severing the spinal column and/or causing massive trauma to the brain are the only ways to actually "kill" a zombie.  And as we learned in "Zombieland" don't be afraid to use the "double-tap" if you doubt that your first shot did the job.
 
If you are lucky enough to survive the zombie apocalypse and choose to band together with other survivors to attempt to restart civiliation, just remember that constant vigilence is the key.  As I mentioned before, the zombies are relentless and will attempt to breach your stronghold.  And, as we saw in "Land of the Dead" they could eventually start to remember their past lives and get smart enough to launch a coordinated assault.
 
Now that you are more prepared, continue on with your daily activities, but I should also let you know:  

10 on Tuesday

1. I am loving the sunshine that we've been having lately.  But it seems that Mother Nature is not done being a biotch this year.  What's up with the cold wind we've been having for the last 4 days?  Wind isn't my favorite thing, but I'm used to it.  Could we just have a warm one if there must be wind?

2. With the price of everything on the rise, we're eating more casseroles lately.  I love tuna casserole.  It's kind of weird because my Mom never made it when I was growing up (most likely because my Dad doesn't like it).  I discovered this recipe when I was on Maternity Leave last year and I was trying to find meal ideas that would ease some of the pressure on my wallet.  I don't do the bread crumb topping but instead top it with cheese (because really cheese makes everything better).  Jay's not a huge fan so I don't make it too often.  I also change the soup up sometimes and use cream of broccoli or cream of broccoli and cheese instead of the mushroom.  I've also been known to swap the peas for green beens or corn or whatever I have on hand.  And the noodles.  The last time I made it I used rotini instead of egg noodles.  So really I guess I just do whatever I want : )

3.  Speaking of recipes I've found online, if you like pork chops, this marinade is so delicious.  I'm sure it would be delicious on chicken also, but I've only tried it on pork chops.  There's also this meatloaf (sorry Mom!).  I use about 1 cup of bread crumbs from the store instead of attempting to crumble my own bread slices.  And this super easy quiche.  If you're looking for something a little different, I also have a great sweet chile recipe that I found on allrecipes.com.  I remember it took forever to find it for some reason so you'll just have to tell me if you want it.

4.  I'm now in week 5 of running on my eliptical.  I usually don't run on Saturday and Sunday and try to walk/jog the dogs those days instead to give my legs a bit of a break.  The weight seems to be coming off at an agonizingly slow pace but I'm trying to persevere.  I've noticed that some of my clothes are starting to fit better and I can even wear some of my La Senza bras that I haven't been able to wear since before I got pregnant with Paxton.  I'm sure everyone is very happy about this because they're a bit padded so it kind of solves the serious case of nipple-itus I've also had since I got pregnant with Paxton.

5. I took the day off work today and was treated to this a couple of hours ago:

 Apparently it's tiring work to eat hamburger casserole.

6. Tomorrow is Kelly and Cliff's 10 year wedding anniversary.  I can't believe it's already been 10 years!

I'm only slightly jealous that they're taking off to Mexico to celebrate : )

7. I'm so loving that Paxton is starting to only take 1 nap a day because he usually naps for at least an hour and a half to 2 hours!

8. Speaking of Paxton, he was following me around this morning "helping" me dust.  We have 2 Swiffer dusters (and we'll most likely have 3 the next time I buy refills.  Why doesn't Costco sell just the refills without the handle?) so I gave Paxton one.  He followed me around the house and tried to dust everything I did.  Maybe he thought I wasn't doing a good enough job?

9. This busy boy of mine is now tall enough that he can reach the second level of our kitchen shelf and we've had to move the stuff up out of reach!

10. We're going to attempt overnight camping with Paxton this weekend.  Some friends of Jay's Mom and step-dad have a trailer they're not using and said we can use it.  That's pretty awesome.  At least we don't have to try to fit the 3 of us in our 2 man tent!  Now we just need the weather forecast to smarten up!

Shopping Cart Etiquette

I was trying to get to sleep last night around 10:45, but it was difficult to turn my brain off.  You might wonder why.  Well, as always, I am going to give you an extra special glimpse into the inner workings of this thinker of mine.  I'd just finished watching the "Survivor: Redemption Island" finale and witnessed the victory one of my favorite players of all time, Boston Rob.  This season wasn't great, I'll admit.  It's one redeeming feature was the awesome strategic/mind-control game that Rob played, but he definitely deserved to win since no one else bothered to play any sort of game at all ... unless you count "do whatever Rob decides" as a strategy.

But I digress.  As I was mulling over the awesomeness of the fact that the person I was cheering for actually won, a completely unrelated and random thought invaded my revelry.  You may have deduced from the title of this post what this thought was about.  It was one of my biggest pet peeves of all time: people who don't understand shopping cart etiquette (in fact, if this pet peeve had been on an episode of Survivor, it probably would have been on "Survivor: All Stars" or a villain on "Survivor: Heroes vs Villains").

That's right, shopping carts. Not so much the etiquette inside the store, although I could probably come up with some issues there too.  I'm talking about after the shopping has occurred and the groceries have been deposited safely in the vehicle.  One of the things in this world that drives me absolutely up the wall (we're talking like Spiderman-esque up the wall) is when people don't return their carts to the designated cart holding pens.  The danger of this situation is made astronomically worse because I live in Southern Alberta where we consider a 30-40 km/hr wind to be "not that bad," but having days where the gusts reach upwards of 100 km/hr (anything over 100 km/hr is considered to be "hurricane force" according to Environment Canada by the way) is not unheard of.  Such are the perfect conditions for a phenomenon I like to call "shopping cart sailing."  I have actually witnessed an empty, human-less shopping cart racing across the parking lot of a store (which will remain nameless) toward some helpless parked vehicle.  Come on people, no one likes dents/scratches in their vehicles.  In fact, this is exactly how the signal light was broken on my Jeep!

So, I've decided to share some of my wisdom/common sense/courtesy tips with the world in the hopes that we can band together and make parking lots a safer place for all our vehicles.  It's really quite simple and generally takes only about 30 seconds to return your cart to the "cart holding facility."  Also, if you are lucky enough the witness the phenomenon of said facility being empty, count your blessings, but don't stop there.  Push your cart ALL THE WAY to the end of your side of the area.  If you are shopping somewhere that doesn't have a middle divider, just eyeball it.  But please, for the sake of my sanity, do not leave your cart at the entrance.  Please do not confuse the cart area with a cave that contains some sort of dragon/troll/evil wizard who is just waiting to prey upon unsuspecting shoppers.  I promise you this is not the case and you will be able to exit safely.  If you are not the first person to return your cart, please stack your cart neatly with the one(s) that were there before yours.  I know, it's amazing what they're doing with carts these days. The carts will actually transform their shape to accommodate the storage of more carts behind them!  Just like magic.  This will prevent what I like to call the "space wasting" effect which I'm pretty sure is cause by people who are just too busy (or lazy) to push their cart the proper distance.  And then the next person brings their cart but can't be bothered to insert their cart into the previous person's cart and push them both the proper distance.  No, instead the situation is compounded because this second person just haphazardly shoves their cart in the direction of the cart area and we end up with only about 5 carts inside the cart area while about 50 spill out into the driving lane (these 50 carts will actually be stacked together properly, however, because no one wants to be responsible for blocking the driving lane *sigh*).

Also, if you must use the "smart cart" as I have dubbed them (you know, the one that's half the size of a regular cart, like a "smart car" is half the size of a regular car) because you don't have much to buy or because you think it's cute, or some other reason that I can't fathom with my Mom-brain … please use your brain when it comes to cart storage.  I have seen what people put in these carts.  There is no way a person could fit enough groceries or heavy-enough groceries in one to necessitate pushing this cart out to their vehicle and then returning it to the cart storage area.  Because this cart is so much smaller than it's regular-sized relatives it causes all sorts of shenanigans.  In fact, this half cart is often the cause of the aforementioned "space wasting" effect.  This cart is not meant to mingle with the regular-sized carts (yes, I am advocating cart segregation here) and so it cannot be stored properly with the others.  If you must use one of these carts to accomplish your shopping please, please park it in the entrance before you exit the store and carry your 1-3 bags out to your vehicle under your own steam.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go forth into the world and spread this information to others ... especially those you might know who think it's "no big deal" to not properly store their shopping cart after using it.  Let them know the severity of their actions and have them consider that it might one day be them with a "mysterious" dent/scratch in their vehicle from a rogue shopping cart that has gone sailing.  And this message will not self-destruct.

Thanks for listening.

10 on Tuesday

1. I am so happy that the weather is finally decent this week!

2. Our neighbour's daughter is about 9 and has been dying to see Paxton for about a week now.  She finally dropped by this evening when he was awake (he's been napping the other 10 times she's come over) and Paxton was so excited to see her that he ran in circles in the back yard the entire 1/2 hour she was here.

3. Just watched "The Back-up Plan."  It was definitely not as funny as I'd hoped and set me back in my quest to get Jay to watch chick flicks with me about 5 years or so.

4. We picked up my Mother's Day present today ... "Lego Pirates of the Caribbean."  I'm pretty excited about having another silly video game to play : )  Now I just need to find time to play it : (

5. Looking forward to having the day off tomorrow because our day home is randomly closed.  I haven't figured out what we're going to do yet, but I'm guessing it will involve a lot of being out in the sun!

6. Paxton has started "shushing" but he hasn't figured out that he's supposed to put his finger over his lips and puts it up beside his nose while he says "Sssssss."  I guess I should be grateful it's not going up his nose. *sigh*

7. Jay's birthday is on the 20th.  I have no idea what to get him because he's ridiculously impatient and bought himself the video game I was going to get him.

8. We had Pita Pit tonight and it was delicious.  I wish I could figure out how to open a pita without getting giant holes in it.  That totally would make me very happy.

9. Today was "International Monty Python Status Day" and I almost completely forgot.  I didn't come up with a very good quote for my Facebook status (Some call me ... Tim) but at least I participated : )

10. I am definitely a dog person.  The neighbours new kitten totally clawed me while I was holding her.  None of my puppies ever did that to me (not that they didn't scratch me, but their claws never got stuck under my skin).

Mommy Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the amazing Moms out there!  I can't believe it's already Mother's Day again.  It doesn't seem like last year's happened all that long ago.  I thought today would be a good day to update you with my favorite Mom quotes from the last month.

Love this first one.  Enjoy!

"Rejecting things because they are old-fashioned would rule out the sun and the moon - and a mother's love." - Author Unknown

"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." - Honore De Balzac

"God could not be everywhere, so He created mothers." - Proverb

"Mothers are like fine collectibles - as the years go by they increase with value." - Author Unknown

"Children and mothers never truly part, Bound in the beating of each other's heart." - Charlotte Gray

"A man loves his sweetheart the most, His wife the best, But his mother the longest." - Irish Proverb

"Isn't there one child you really love the best?' a mother was asked.  And she replied, 'Yes.  The one who is sick, until he gets well; the one who's away, until he gets home." - Author Unknown

"The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world." - William Ross Wallace

"Let a nation have good mothers, and she will have good sons." - Napoleon Bonaparte

"Children are what the mothers are.  No father's fondest care can fashion so the infant heart." - W.S. Landor

"I never understood the obstacles my mother faced, until I became one.  I love my mother's memory now more than ever." - Author Unknown

"Mothers are the most unselfish, the most responsible people in the world." - Bernard M. Baruch

"It was when I had my first child that I understood how much my mother loved me." - Author Unknown

Paxton and I on the slide 

Grandma Daryl riding Paxton's trike 

Grandma Roseanne riding Paxton's truck 

Grammy and Paxton clapping

Blech

Blech is really the only word to describe what Paxton is going through right now.  He's teething (have I mentioned that lately?) and getting 4 molars and 4 regular teeth all at the same time.  I think the teeth are in time-out right now because the molars don't appear to have come out any further and the regular teeth have not quite erupted this week.  I am so over teething.  Gah!  Why can't kids get teeth at a point in life when they can understand why it hurts and be able to tell you that it hurts so that's actually why they're whiney!  I am so over my grumpy boys (even though I know Paxton's not really that bad, but super grumpy compared to his usual self).  Yes you read that right, I said "boys."  You see, Jay is not the most patient person in the world, so he's even less of a fan of whiney Paxton than I am.  So he gets grumpy when Paxton gets grumpy, and then I get to deal with both of them.  I even offered to let Jay go to McDonalds for supper tonight just to get him out of the house!

But I'm totally getting of topic.  Along with the teething crap, Paxton has now entered an extra special chapter of childhood.  I remember going through this myself (which means I have a long road ahead of me) and I'm fairly certain my nephews have been through it.  Which phase is this you might ask?  Well, let me enlighten you.  Paxton has somehow managed to get mucous to build up somewhere between his mouth and his lungs without actually getting a cold.  This wouldn't normally be a problem, but Paxton has now decided, a la Forrest Gump, that running will be his new form of transportation.  So, he runs, and runs, and runs, and runs some more.  Then he stops.  And then the coughing starts.  And he coughs, and coughs, and coughs, and coughs some more.  He coughs until he gags and then he will usually throw up.  Sometimes only a bit but oftentimes a lot.  Either way, it is gross.  And I hate it.  But I don't know what to do about it.  I can't really stop him from running and he's too young to understand how to spit the phlegm (isn't that a weird word?) out, so the above ensues.  Blech.

Any suggestions?

10 on Tuesday

So, I'm totally being a thief of things off other people's blogs lately.  My cousin, Whitney, stole this from her sister-in-law, Rhonda, who I know because she's taken our last 2 rounds of family pictures for us (you can see her fabulous photos here).  Basically it's just a bunch of random thoughts on Tuesday.  I suppose you could do it any day of the week, but since I didn't come up with it, I'm not going to change it.  So here's my first list:

1. I am so sick of Mother Nature's teaser weather.  Please just give us a solid week of decent temperatures, minimal wind (since I know asking for no wind in Southern Alberta is not going to happen) and no precipitation!  (Although if we must have precipitation, I will definitely take rain over snow.)

2. Paxton has been sleeping for an hour and a half now.  I know that I should go wake him up so that he'll go back to sleep in a couple of hours for the night ... but I just don't want to because I know he'll be whiney!

3. Speaking of Paxton and sleeping.  He's been waking up in the night lately and doesn't want to go back to sleep by himself.  I think it's due to his teething, but I just have no patience for him between the hours of midnight and 5 am.

4. I don't know why all of Paxton's remaining teeth seem to be coming in at the same time during this round of teething.  He's been working on 4 molars (2 up and 2 down) and 2 regular teeth on the bottom for the last few weeks.  I just noticed this morning that he seems to be getting 2 more regular teeth on the top.  Normally he doesn't get really whiney or have many symptoms while he's teething, but he normally only gets 1 or 2 teeth at a time.  Gah!

5. This is my 3rd week of getting up at 5 am to run on my eliptical.  The running part seems to be getting easier, but the getting up is not.  It also isn't helping that I have Paxton's teething/not sleeping to add into the mix.  I also stand by the fact that I probably would be more willing to exercise if it was as easy to lose weight as it is to put it on!

6. I am so excited to go see "Water for Elephants!"  I just finished reading the book for the 2nd time, and I'm hoping that the movie doesn't disappoint.  My cousin, Paige, went to it and said it was great.  Hoping to go sometime this week : )

7. I totally have a renovation bug right now.  I want to change so much about our house.  Now I just need to find someone to bankroll it for me ...  I'll probably just settle for re-painting our bedroom this summer (hopefully).  *sigh*

8. I really want to get our pictures hung up on our picture wall this year.  I got all the pictures framed last year and just never got around to hanging them up.  I'll definitely have to update a bunch of the pictures if we do get around to putting them up.

9. I am totally vain and love that women usually love my engagement/wedding rings.  For some reason it seems that a lot of people have been looking at them and commenting on them lately.  Must be twitterpated or something I guess.

10. Started reading "Prince Caspian" from the Chronicles of Narnia yesterday because we watched the movie on Sunday.  I remember now why it took me so long to read the series!  I find the way it's written very difficult to get in to.