Old friends...

You know, old friends have been proving to be some of the most wonderful contacts I've had in a long time!

I have many wonderful people around me every day. And I know that! And I love them! And I'm thankful for them! But sometimes I feel like people can get a little sick of me, too!!!!


Then along comes an old friend, from WAY back!!! And what does she do? She listens, she laughs, she jokes, she confides, she supports, etc., etc., etc.!!!!! Yes, Michelle, I mean you! It's been a wonderful thing to be able to re-connect with you after so many years!

I've had many people tell me that they think "facebook" is really just trash and a waste of time. But let me tell you, folks, that this is not always the case!!!!! I have re-connected with some very special people! And what a great way to keep in touch and up to date on life outside of your own 4 walls!

Through facebook, I've met up with Michelle. Michelle and I went to school in grade 1 & 2 together! Yep, that's it! But you know, when we found each other on f/b, it was like we were never separated! Hard to believe, I know! But true, nonetheless! We talk almost every day (yes, I'm online that much!!! lol)!!! We've shared some really interesting conversations and have confided deep feelings to each other, too!

Now there's only one problem..... getting together in person!!! So, now that I've found my dear old friend, we're in the planning stage for a face-to-face meeting! And I can't wait!

p.s. ... I'd just like to say that because I have referred to Michelle, and others, as "old" friends... WE'RE NOT OLD!!!!!!!! ;-) LOL!

And so it goes...

The last post was fairly negative, wasn't it?

Well... some days life just feels like it's ganging up on you, doesn't it? That was one of those days, believe me!

But it's fantastic how life turns around without any warning. When we only look at the negative, things inevitably get worse. But when we choose to find the good in things and concentrate on the love that is surrounding us, things can only seem brighter.

We don't always live that way, though, do we? I mean, sometimes things just get ugly. You wake up in the morning and things start going so wrong that you wish you could just go back to your bed and curl up under the covers, and just stay there all day! I know all about it! After all, it's a common occurance around my house to wake up to fighting children, and kids not doing as they're told!

Or what about the days where life seems to be going along wonderfully and then someone snaps or pulls a really dumb stunt on you and all of a sudden, just like that, things start rolling downhill again!

So, I guess we really need to look at how to react to all of these "crummy" things, in order to stay as far away from the bad days as possible, right? How do we do this, though? Because some days it just feels like there's nothing that could possible go right or get any better!

Well, I've learned over the years that the first and best and most effective way to deal with it is to... PRAY ABOUT IT! I mean really, our best defense, offense and everything in between, should really start with our most powerful tool - prayer! After all, God IS on our side! So when it all starts to go crazy, just stop and pray!!!! I have found, from experience, that when we use prayer as our last resort, that's just what it feels like - a last resort because everything is so awful! But when we turn it around and use it as our first, and most powerful weapon, it'll help fight off that bad stuff, or at least help us to deal with it in a more Christian-like manner!

No, life won't be all roses and sweetness, just because we pray! Don't ever let anyone tell you that! But it is SO much more bearable when we keep Christ right beside us and stay in constant communication with Him! After all, He IS our best friend, who only wants the best for us!

So, tonight, while I sit here watching my kids argue and misbehave and avoid homework and chores, etc., etc., etc., I am telling myself that before I "flip out" and freak on them for driving me crazy, I must stop and ask for God's help so I can be patient and kind and show love instead of the pure frustration that I am currently feeling!!!!!!!

Through God, ALL things are possible - even me being patient!

Argh!

Sometimes life is just stupid.

I don't really know that there's a lot more than that to say right now.

Sometimes life is just STUPID!

Listening... or not!

So, what's the deal with kids' ears?

And yes, I'm sure my parents asked themselves these same questions!

I am constantly trying to figure out why my kids don't listen to me. I ask them to do something and it goes in one ear and out the other.

Case in point. As I sit here typing, Justin is laying on the floor "playing" with our cat. I asked him 3 times to find something quiet to do until bed time. The 4th time I had to hollar. He says, "sorry." Umm, ya, I doubt that. THEN... as he's "playing" with the cat, I watch him letting the cat bite him. Now you might think, "let him! He'll learn how much it hurts!" Ahh, if only this were true. He constantly lets the cat bite him. He knows that by continually allowing this behaviour, the cat also likes to bite and attack the little boys, too. How does he know this? Oh, probably because I tell him EVERY day! So, it takes me another 3 tries tonight to get him to stop. Great listening skills.

Then there's the bathroom routine. In my house, you're expected to flush after you go. Then you are required (no choice) to put both the seat and the lid down. Then you are ABSOLUTELY required to wash your hands WITH soap & water. Hmmmm... I'd say I probably ask if all this has been done about 20 times a day (which isn't hard with 4 kids in the house!). But, what I can't figure out is why this needs to be enforced still, especially to my 9 and 10 year olds! I mean, seriously, they've been told MANY times about the germs they're harbouring when they go to the bathroom and DON'T wash their hands! And after being told so many times a day, for so many years, do you not think that they'd start to understand the importance of it all???? More great listening skills.

But you know, then I look in the mirror. And ya, this is hard. First of all, 'cause I don't like my reflection, but also because I really see that my children do learn a lot from me and my actions, don't they?!

What are some of the rules around here? How about, "only 1 hour on the computer, per child, per day." Hmmm... wonder how much time Mommy spends on it!?! Or how about, "too much junk food isn't good for you." Again, hmmm... wonder if Mommy's got any chocolate stashed anywhere for those "need it" kinda moments?!

Then there are the times when I just don't feel like listening to anyone. The other morning I was tired of the kids' and their constant bickering and fighting, so I got up and left the house. Yep, I got out of my chair, and walked out of the house, without even a pair of shoes on. When Rob asked me where the children were and what they were doing, I answered with a very honest, "in the house, and I don't know what they're doing!" He asked me if we should check on them and I said, "NO!" I just did not want to listen to it. So it gets me thinking about how much I do that when I'm actually IN the house???

How many times has Evan asked me for a drink and I've answered him with, "in a minute," over and over again?! Or what about when Noah really wants to read his book about snakes and I just keep doing what I'm doing without answering? Of course, that COULD be because I really don't enjoy reading and learning about snakes AT ALL!!!

But how much don't we listen when we're talked to? They are following quite innocently in our footsteps, I suppose. Not that this is enough of an excuse to let them off the hook all the time, but it sure makes me think that I need to re-evaluate my listening skills, too!

Some good listening skills must be in existence, though, right? Wait for it... wait for it... I'm thinking... ;-)

Kitty...

A couple of months ago, a little black kitty showed up in Rob's workshop and fell in love with Rob's workbench. It decided that Rob's briefcase was one of the most comfortable things to sleep in (yes, I said "in"!). Rob & the boys (workers) decided since he was so black and he was taking up residence in the shop, his name should be "Oil". I didn't like that, but they continued to call him that, and Rob convinced Evan & Noah that this was a good name for him, too! Since nobody could really agree on a name that everyone liked, I just called him "Kitty". He was to be an outdoor-only kind of cat - I already have a dog & cat who live in the house and I'm allergic to both, so it's not a good idea to add in another cat! Of course, Rob kept giving me the guilt trip about how the poor thing would be too cold outside all by himself in the winter time, so he'd have to come inside! I kept saying, "I'll see what happens when winter arrives!"

A few weeks after Kitty arrived, I told Rob I didn't like how skinny he was, and that I didn't want a sick kitty around, especially with kids around. So, I took him to the vet. The vet said he probably had worms, so she gave him a pill to take care of that and then gave him his shots so he was all up to date. She also figured he was about a year old, so still just a kitten, really.

After our visit to the vet, he seemed to perk up a bit. He had a great appetite! We couldn't keep enough food in his dish! And he was a great hunter. He caught and ate mice and even a morning dove! (Absolutely gross, if you ask me!!!!)

Kitty seemed to be tired a lot, though. He'd lay around most of the time. But when you'd "visit" him, he was so friendly. He purred a lot, and he'd rub against your leg and let you pet him and he always tried to come into the house for a visit, too! Poor thing! Mean old me! I never let him in!!! LOL!

On Saturday, Kitty seemed to look a little more tired out than normal. We even saw him throw up a little bit. We just thought maybe he was warm, because Saturday was a pretty hot day. Then Sunday, Justin came running to me to go look at the cat. Poor thing had NO energy and his eyes were all runny and watery. I went inside and started to call the vets. I called ours first, and then proceeded to call every other vet in our area. None of them had emergency capabilities, and I would have had to take him to Brantford, for goodness sake. Well, we had company coming over, so none of that was an option. We prayed he would just make it through the night and then we'd take him to the vet first thing in the morning.

Monday morning came. Kitty was no where to be found. We searched and searched and searched. We'd leave it for a while and go back to the search. But no luck. Until around 1:30 in the afternoon, when Justin came yelling, "Kitty's back! Kitty's back!" So, I had him get the cat into the cat carrier as quick as possible (because he looked 100% worse than he did on Sunday). I took the kids to my mother's and then took the cat to the vet. They took a blood sample and tested it for a couple of really bad diseases, in hopes that if he didn't have one of them, that they could keep him overnight and pump the fluids and antibiotics into him and he'd start getting better.

The vet sent me home and told me she'd call me by 5pm. When she called, she told us the bad news. Kitty had feline leukemia. There was no hope for the wee thing, so he had to be put to sleep. It's crazy how we only had Kitty for a few months and he'd already won all of our hearts.

Noah just melted in my arms when I told him. I haven't heard him cry like that in a long time. It was such a sincere, painful cry. The poor wee soul. (Ya, I sound like my Nan when I say that!) Then there was Justin, who tried to be a tough guy and hold it all in. Till I told him he didn't have to be strong in front of me. Then he fell apart. He loves animals. Especially cats. He dotes on the cats all the time. He really took to "Oil" right from the start. Then there's Courtney, who's such a girl - she's just like her mother! She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed some more! Evan didn't get it. When I asked him if he understood why the other kids were so upset, he told me some 3 year old version of what he understood the rest of them to be saying. He asked me when Oil was going to come home from the doctor. When I explained it to him, that Oil was never going to come home, he had the most lost and despaired look on his face. He didn't cry, but his eyes were watery and his face was so sad.

Rob went to the vet office to pick up Kitty and bring him home to bury him. Then he wrote the name(s) on a cross that we'd had for our other cat that died a while back, and stuck it at the grave. Rob loves animals, too. It was harder on him than I think he wanted to let on, too! But he was strong for all of us. When Noah realized that the cat was in the hole, he broke down again, sobbing uncontrollably and clinging to me so tightly. Watching Noah like that brought a tear to Rob's eye.

So, we are now back to having 2 creatures in the family. Caspurr, our pure white house cat, and Pauley, our loving & great dog! We've had Caspurr just over a year. We've had Pauley about 8 years. I don't know what we'll do when she goes... if we were this upset over a cat we had for a couple of months, imagine a dog we've had for this many years!

Pets are pretty special.

Food...

Don't you just love to eat? I do. I think I love it a little too much, to be honest!!! But when you find something yummy, it's just so hard to walk away!!!!!

So, what's your favourite food???

Are you an emotional eater, or are you fairly in control of your sweet tooth?!!

Is there a certain food that you feel should be banned from consumption (you know, like lima beans or some sort of other horrible thing?!?!?! LOL)?????

My favourite food list is way too long. I love chocolate. But if you put chocolate and peanut butter together, I love it even more! And if you put both of those into an ice cream, I'm just absolutely in Heaven!!!!! But I love chips, too. Miss Vicky's Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar - YUMMY!!!! And how about Chinese food?? I just LOVE Chinese food! I'm also a lover of shrimp, lobster, crab and have even tried a little bit of sushi (although, the sushi I can take or leave).

I'm a total emotional eater. When I'm upset, bring on the chocolate. When I'm bored, bring on the chips. It's definitely something I need to work on!

So... what do you love/hate??? Please share!!!

New Light...

You know, it's funny how things work sometimes! Just when I've had questions, a wise and wonderful uncle comes along and just happens to explain a lot to me, and shed new light on the subject!!! Thanks!!!! I always knew you were pretty special!