Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Eat, Pray, Love

Read SOME of the book and watched SOME of the movie and can honestly say I was BORED! A successful woman married a little boy and when it ended she had to travel SOME MORE to find herself? Really? Park your Whine at the door lady...we're all stocked up here! LOL! Don't get me wrong...I do think getting outside your BOX is a really wonderful thing to do. I tell everybody I meet...push your boundaries...feel the rush of adrenaline on a Roller Coaster...go white water rafting....bungee jump...go spelunking! It all wakes you up! You can feel the hairs on your neck rise and your heart pounding and your fears retreating.....though I do still have the willies with spiders despite holding a tarantula..lol...and heights are still scary sometimes despite zip lining TWICE! But was never more afraid than being in a dark cave..helmet with light...with my 5 year old ahead of me...and we came upon an area of rock climbing....using your finger tips and toes to cross with NO WIRES to save you...and he slipped! Momma grabbed that hand with lightening speed and he dangled by one arm and me holding onto an inch of rock by the tips of fingers and toes. A moment when you can panic and fall apart or use every part of yourself to think rationally and be a leader to your child. Pulled him up and helped him turn back...finger by finger. My sister in law and I were shaking in our runners at this point..lol...and the drop was maybe 10 feet....but HOLY SHIT! My little man falling that far into a rocky dark creek? I don't think so!

I don't get these self help gurus where the people that write books have the luxury to spend an entire year to "discover" themselves....I have kids and a husband and a job and an extended family....so I will take a year off when I'm older ...or NOT! I'm living NOW! No time out required! I take the time occasionally to be uncomfortable and test my nerves....it's fantastic! And yoga has been more challenging than zip lining...I have to be quiet and breathe and not think....???? LOL! Getting better but still a part of me wants to fight that silence. Yet it's the silence that I need.

But I digress! Can never buy into the whiner mentality...poor me...my life is so hard! BARF! How about taking charge and doing something about it? How about just living your life with authenticity? Pretending or having to convince yourself that life is good is kind of like being a wolf in sheep's clothing...you will be found out eventually...why bother? And if you have to take a year of your life to figure out why you are such a phony then I suggest you come on over here and clean a toilet or do the laundry or dance with the boys...you will save a lot of time and go away being dam glad you don't have to parent these 4 boys everyday...or wish you did...either way..it's FREE!

XXOO For my Dearest Anti-Whine Mom friends. :):)

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Memories..that haunt you and remind you..that you are ALIVE!

A powerful symbol of grief...the Lion of Lucerne...one which when I first gazed upon...wept on the spot! And didn't truly understand until 6 months ago...when my Mom died. You have the ability to empathize without the experience...something I learned 22+ years ago. And now having had that experience can tell you honestly to just go with it...breathe the grief and cry...listen to your heart..cheesy as that sounds...

I had the opportunity to spend the last 4 days with my boys and hubby on the Island...Vancouver Island for those in other parts of the world. It's a treasure of experience....the sights, smells..touch and listening to the birds and sea lions and waves...a true gem! And in my mind I spoke to my Mom...I talked to her like she was there the whole time...She would have LOVED it!

We spent every summer camping on the ocean in Sechelt when I was a child..counting jelly fish, climbing eucalyptus trees, dodging skunks...swimming in the ocean at sunset. With skunk soaked tents..lol...and raccoons throwing rocks at my Dad for daring to gather water in the creek...lol....and Dad getting eaten alive by the mosquitoes..lol...needless to say he was not a fan of camping..lol..Cooking on an open fire..and to this day can make a mean stew over flame and pancakes and eggs......sigh.....

The thing about grief is that it HITS you! You have no control...it just happens out of no where and you are a weeping mess in a heart beat...even when having a good time.

I ramble...as I have so much to say about this topic but am not ready to go there yet....Just want to say that the present reminds you of the past and when that happens just breathe it in ....Mom and I had a great talk this past week...even though she was not here..I could still hear her voice and feel her LOVE!


Big Mamma LOVE to you all..and will talk about grief at a deeper level when the time presents itself. XXOO

Monday, March 14, 2011

Civil Disobedience..and getting your child to do it for you!


Just a quick note. Joe got to go to City Hall today for a field trip. So all weekend he asked me "What would you ask the Mayor?" Bit my tongue over and over and over again and finally this morning I lose it I SNAP! Ask HIM why my property taxes are so HIGH! Ask him why he is bringing a BIG BOX store..WALMART..to our lovely little town to destroy it.

HMMMM...Joe goes....he likes to think about these things you know..lol...So he says OKAY! Okay then! So off he goes and he does ask these questions and the mayor's response to why we pay so much in property taxes? Because we are bringing in a WALMART! LMFAO! Of course this all confusing for Joe...Mom hates Walmart but she pays higher taxes to bring the store here? He didn't get to the next question but he will! Training them young! Autistic or not they will all know the devil of corporate America and the folly of consumerism. And the mayor actually used Walmart as an excuse to raise taxes? WHAT? That dirty dirt bag for clouding our kids minds with HIS agenda...GRRRRR!!!!!

So we are ?/? without retail therapy...will have to go back and look at my last numbers..which I recall really were not good. Have not bought anything new though! Oh crap...I did buy a few squishy lizards for the boys...got to keep clear of the loonie store!

Big Momma Civil Disobedience LOVE to you all! XO

Monday, March 7, 2011

How to get a toy out of the toilet!


I'm writing this very important piece of advice as it may come in handy for many..lol...With four boys the toilet has become entertainment on a number of occasions...last count was 12! YES! 12 times the toilet had to be removed and the offending toy REMOVED! The first was of course Ben...at age 2 1/2. Glad Ron was still in town as I had no idea what to do. We plunged till we were sweating bullets and the darn toilet didn't budge..lol...Out came the bucket and removal of the truly OFFENSIVE water....ewwww........but don't forget to turn OFF the water to the toilet FIRST! You will be bailing for a looooonggg time. ;)

So then you have to remove the bolts to the tank and remove the tank.....that is if it is in two parts...some toilets are all in one! And don't forget to EMPTY the tank....that gets really messy really fast if you forget...lol.. Then you have to untighten the bolts to the floor...which have been peed on so many times they have fused with the screw.....having MAN hands is truly helpful at this point. If you have arthritis forget about it! Call a plumber! Then you lift the very heavy toilet off the floor and turn it upside down. The smell is DISGUSTING! The seal in the floor looks like a slimy elephant sized spent condom..lol...I'm NOT kidding. The fumes wafting in the air.....maybe grab a mask or a towel to cover your face.....it can be overwhelming.

So now you have the toilet bowl upside down and hope with all hope that you can SEE the offending toy....or maybe it's a toothbrush. If you see NOTHING under the bowl you are SCREWED! That sucker is in the loop and won't be going anywhere. Well...we did have success with taking it outside and using the hose with a power head...out came the hot wheels. On one occasion we couldn't get the sucker to move.....we tried EVERYTHING! Ron got so dam mad he smashed the toilet open and what did he find? A WEEBLE! They wobble but they don't go through a toilet...LMAO! Needless to say the rest of the weebles were donated that day...lol.....

So toilet is free of toy but now you have to replace the seal...the used elephant condom....ewww....The new ones in the box are so shiny and clean. You just take out the old and put in the new. $5 and you have the knowledge that the toilet won't leak into your tile. Rubber gloves are handy throughout but particularly at the seal removal point..lol...And don't forget to bleach the hell out of the tile before you put the toilet back on....seals are good but not perfect...lol

On one occasion Ron was in Mexico and I called Mr. Rooter. The most gorgeous young man came to fix my toilet.....yeah! Then he gave me the bill...$200!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? So guess who did it the last 2 times? Wasn't so bad except I forgot to bail the tank the first time and almost broke my back trying to lift it...lol...

So I hope this helps.....weebles are BAD! Hot wheels come out with forced water and toothbrushes end up at the bottom. Small dinosaurs can have looong necks....transformers suck too. Grandpas and brothers will come to your rescue for cookies. Husbands are great unless they are out of town. Kids are challenging and totally worth it...lol....And choose their toys WISELY! LOL! Toilets are entertainment....and not just for the cheerios you use to teach your boys how to aim....why did I listen to THAT advice? Making flushing a game will back fire! LOL!

I can laugh about it now....

Big Momma LOVE to you all! XO


Thursday, March 3, 2011

Confessions of a Frustrated Shopper

The above picture pretty much sums up how I'm feeling about our quest. Was floating along pretty good...mind you I was a slave to the house with sick kids then a slave to my computer with tax season starting in January. Then WHAM! Ron's Birthday...and I had to get the cheesy decorations...and he wanted an Ipad...so got him one of those too. Then Ben broke the pockets on the used hoodie and out of complete frustration I stormed into Jeans Warehouse and got him TWO new hoodies...on clearance thanks to the intervention of my friend Lisa. You see....I HATE shopping! I really really do.
I used to know what I needed and run in the store, grab the size, pay and run out. I like Reitmans because I know what size I am and what looks good on me...run in, grab, pay, run out. It was a GREAT system. No fuss, no looking for hours on end at clothes or shoes. I would just get it DONE!
I think it all started when I had kids. I remember being pregnant with Ben and spending hours in the stores finding the perfect crib, layette, clothes, stroller etc. With Joe I enjoyed clothes shopping too...and at that point he had so many hand me downs from Ben it was a treat to get a new hoodie. Fast forward 2 more boys and I just want to puke when they need stuff...lol..I guess I am all shopped out! LOL! Reached my shopping quotient for life and that's all folks...lol...BUT! I made the commitment to NOT buy retail and am sticking with it. I may have more hoodie meltdowns and end up in Jeans Warehouse again..lol....These hoodies were made in China and much better quality than Urban Planet so I'm hoping they last a while.
I also broke down and bought Ty the cutest piggy bank at Save On...he gave me THAT face....the little wee lip out and big brown eyes pleading...a moment of weakness. He was being such a good boy though..lol...I know..I know...slap on the wrist! I will not give in...I will not give in....lol...

So we are 56/62 with out retail therapy. YIKES! My record is getting pretty abysmal..lol...I do promise to do better. Joe has a Bday party this weekend and I am NOT giving out goodie bags!

Big Momma anti-shopping Mom love to you All! XO