Emma vs. the fruit flies

I am at war. And I am losing terribly.

I have had fruit flies before, I usually see them for a couple of weeks in the summer. Get rid of the bananas on the counter and they seem to get bored and go away. I have never had them in the winter before but apparently this is a favourite time for them.

They seem to be breeding in the drains of my kitchen sink and the sinks in two of three bathrooms. Only the kids bathroom has managed to avoid the plague. I find that somewhat strange since the kids bathroom was absolutely disgusting until I cleaned it yesterday and you'd think the fruit flies would have had plenty of things to have lived off of.

Short of removing the pipes, I have tried everything... baking soda and vinegar, vinegar and dishwashing liquid, bleach, raid, draino.... nothing is working. Everytime the taps are tuned on, without fail, a few flies will come flying up through the drain. It completey freaks me out, because I hate bugs every sort. I have told the kids not to leave food out and to always wipe up behind them and to please, please not leave any wet cloths around, because god knows they really love wet cloths. My pleas are falling on deaf ears apparently, because there are constantly crumbs on the counter, unrinsed bowls and plates and half finished glasses of coke.

And so the fruit flies remain. How many do I kill in one day? 20? Maybe more? This cold snap is helping to kill them as well, because everytime they land on a window they seem to freeze. My window sills are getting washed everyday and normally they only get done 4 times a year.

So if anyone has any hints that actually work I would be eternally grateful.

What's happening here

It seems like it's been ages since I actually did a proper post, I've been very lacklustre about everything. With still not being able to download pics onto the computer I haven't really wanted to post about the two girls. It's just not the same without pictures. Because truly, they are freaking adorable. However, if I don't post about them soon this is hardly going to be a blog about my children, which is what it's supposed to be.

So here goes:

Saoirse. Saoirse turned 2 on November 11th and had a Curious George themed party. She was loving all the presents but hardly said a word the entire time. People don's beleive me when I say how much she actually does talk, because the bloody child won't talk around others. When everyone left she did all the running around and talking she didn't do during the party. She's doing great, she was in the 50th percentile for both height and weight at her 2 year check up. The asthma they thought she had will not yet be diagnosed as asthma. We have to see how she does over the winter. Of course, she was healthy at the follow up check up but got the hacking cough again the following Monday and has had it for over 2 weeks now. She will NOT give up the dummy. She will NOT sleep in her own bed. She still loves her dad more than anyone, but Liam is now a very close second. She loves Curious George, any princess movie, Cars and Toy Story. She wears a boys Buzz Lightyear shirt with her princess jeans and Curious George socks. Sigh. A fashionista she is not. She does have a thing for shoes though, which thrills my mum, who loves shoes also. I bought her a pair of hoochie mama boots to wear with capris and skirts and she is too cute in them. She still has no interest in doing the alphabet or colours with me but sometimes I hear her saying letters to herself. She does her numbers no problem, so I don't know why she won't do the others. She's a slightly difficult child when she wants to be.

Sophie. It's hard to believe she is almost 4 months old. She's huge compared to what Saoirse was at the same age, and has been in her 6-12 month outfits since just before 3 months. Her 4 month shots are next week, so I'll see where she is at on the percentile chart. She is very vocal and talks non stop. She started laughing a few weeks ago and today Liam got a full belly laugh out of her which was so lovely to hear. He was not so thrilled when she grabbed his hair though and wouldn't let go. A sign he needs to cut it I think. She can also pull herself up into a sitting position. She is freaking strong! She stands for ages just holding my fingers and in the last few days has tried taking steps. I think she'll be an early walker, which makes me sort of sad. She absolutely will not be alone with her dad. I can't even put away laundry without her crying. I can't leave my house without her screaming the entire time she is gone. She has given William a bit of a complex. She is pretty much exclusively breastfed, just the occassional bottle of formula if I do actually go out.

Taylor. Still driving me mad. Her report card came home last Friday and was pretty terrible. Some A's, plenty of B's, some C's and a whole lot of "does not apply effort." She has been telling me she completes her work in class, but is obviously lying as she did not complete 2 of 3 major language arts projects. I'm meeting her teacher tomorrow. I have a few questions, one being what are they doing with the funding they are receiving for her because it is certainly not being used on her. Last year I was told that once you are coded it follows you through the rest of your school days. So then should the funding. I am not saying she deserves to be in a gifted program, far from it. I do think she needs some help though, even with organization skills. Believe me, she isn't going to learn them with me. I am going to enrol her in a couple of courses in the spring, one on how to study and one on organization. She'll suffer come Grade 7 and already her marks will keep her out of the IB program. Exciting stuff for her yesterday, on their way back from a field trip to City Hall they were hit by a car. No one was hurt, but they spent 2 hours sitting on a bus in -31 weather. I was at the school because I was supposed to meet with her teacher that day. If I hadn't of been I never would have heard about it because the school did NOT notify me. I think they only called the parents of kids who normally take the bus. She didn't mind the accident at all as she got to find out the age of her teacher when the police were on the bus. The things that are important when you are 11.

Liam. Liam's Liam. He's addicted to some computer game and I have had to ban him as he will not bother reading or anything. He is in dire need of a hair cut, it is past his shoulders. He is refusing so I may have to take the drastic step of cutting it in his sleep, doing such a bad job he is forced to go to the hairdresser. The problem with this plan is that I don't think he really looks in the mirror very carefully so mightn't notice uneven hair over his head and will then walk around like that for weeks.

The fall TV schedule. What the hell happened to Justice, the Nine and Six Degrees?? I watch way to much TV. Sundays and Thursdays are the worst (I have to record on those nights too) and I wish they would spread some of the love to Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Everything else. This Thursday it will be 4 weeks since the big fight. No idea what's going on. Am afraid to approach the subject and ruin the odd sort of peacefulness that prevails. I did say "...as much as I love you..." the other day and then said "Oops! I forgot." He didn't say anything though. Saoirse no longer gives kisses at night and I did say under my breath "Just like her dad." He said what and I said nothing, just talking to myself.

So odd.

A Christmas Meme

I know I just did a meme! Stop your grumbling! I got this one in an email the other day and because it's a Christmas one I had to do it. And what an easy post, all I had to do was cut and paste.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate..... Hot chocolate, preferably white from Second Cup with whipping cream. Egg Nog? Yuck.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? He wraps them of course. I've never figured out what the point is in coming down the stairs to see exactly what you got. Santa also puts the presents all around the tree, not just in the front.
3. Coloured lights on tree/house or white.... Coloured.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, I've never seen it here.
5. When do you put your decorations out? I start November 1st. My tree usually goes up the last weekend in November but hasn't this year, because I wanted to wait for the new sofa. The sofa's not arriving until Dec 12 but I can no longer wait for the tree. It's going up on Saturday.
6. What is your favourite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I love stuffing.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Sledding with my brother and cousins, my dad and my uncle. Playing games on Christmas night. We still do both. There's no cousins now though.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Huh? What's that about Santa?
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? The kids do. Every year they get pjs. Sometimes they will get something else as well, always with a Christmas theme...a book or a movie. When I was a child we would sometimes have a visit from Santa on Christmas Eve and would get something small. I recall a Garfield address book. Santa was often slightly drunk on Christmas Eve and spoke with a thick Ballymena accent.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? With a mixture of the kids school made ornaments, Hallmark ones, and every year the kids get an ornament that represents something they have liked this year. Taylor's getting a Spongebob one (same as last year), Saoirse's getting Cookie Monster ( I bought it before she fell in love with Curious George and Cinderella.) Sophie will get a first Christmas ornament and I'm not sure about Liam yet.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? There's too much of it right now and I am NOT liking it. I want it for Christmas day because we go sledding.
12. Can you ice skate? Have you ever fallen on the ice? Sorta. Yes, with skates on and without.
13. Do you remember your favourite gift? Well, I'm a bit excited about the DVD boxsets I am getting this year (Facts of Life and How I Met Your Mother) but if I had to go into the past it would be an Eddie Bauer coat from the year they were really popular. Because I always searched for presents I pretty much knew everything I was getting. I desperately wanted this coat and my mum did the whole "I'm already finished shopping...it's too expensive" routine. So when I opened that I was truly surprised for the first time in years. She pulled it off again the next year when she bought me a vacuum. Seriously, a vaccum. I was only 18! She also got me an electric cheese grater that year, which I still have and is the handiest thing ever.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with my family.
15. What is your favourite Holiday Dessert? My mum's rumballs.
16. What is your favourite holiday tradition? Watching Christmas movies.
17. What tops your tree? An angel, dressed in blue and silver.
18. Which do you prefer... giving or Receiving? Giving, which you would never have guessed based upon the 2 page Christmas list I used to give my mother every year. I used to eagerly anticipate the Sears Wish Book. Now I look forward to it so I can see what I can get the kids.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Silent Night and Little Drummer Boy for traditional. Mary's Boy Child and Silver Bells for non traditional. There's not a bad Christmas song out I don't think.
20. Candy Canes? Love them. Who doesn't appreciate a good stick of pure sugar?

A second alphabet meme

Yes, it's true. My love for these knows no bounds. Thanks, Boliath!

A - Available/Single? I'll say no. though Himself may have other ideas. I'm becoming very blase about the whole thing.

B - Best Friend? More a few close friends. I probably tell Shelley the most and am closest to her.

C- Cake or Pie? It depends. I would choose Boston Cream Pie over Black Forest cake but a regular birthday cake over lemon meringue pie.

D - Drink Of Choice? Tea.

E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? God, probably the TV as pathetic as that is.

F - Favorite Color? Green or blue.

G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? Bears. I can't eat the worms or any insect-like ones. I would totally fail the eating live bugs challenge on Survivor.

H - Hometown? Birmingham, England.

I - Indulgence? Purchasing Stampin' Up supplies.

J - January Or February? January is too depressing because Christmas is over. Even though Febrauary is the coldest month of the year here it does contain Liam's birthday and is one month closer to spring.

K - Kids & Their Names? 4- Taylor, Liam, Saoirse and Sophie.

L - Life Is Incomplete Without? My kids, even the chancers.

M - Marriage Date? To the ex- January 29. 1994. Don't forsee one happening with William.

N- Number Of Siblings? 1. My brother Thom, who's coming home for my birthday before he goes off to England for Christmas and Paris for New Years, the lucky bastard.

O - Oranges Or Apples? Mandarin oranges.

P - Phobias/Fears? Spiders, coming down from heights.

Q - Favorite Quote? I can't be arsed to make sure I'm quoting exactly but the jist is 'One day he'll do great things for Ireland' and it would be Michael Collins' father talking about his son. I have it correctly somewhere in this blog, but it's 1am and the baby is only half asleep so it ain't happening today.

R - Reason to Smile? The aforementioned baby lying in my arms. Plus the other 3.

S - Season? Autumn.

T - Tag Three People? Unlike myself, most people hate these so I won't tag anyone but I hope, as I always do because I love to know all sorts of useless shite like whether you prefer cake or pie, that a few people do this.

U - Unknown Fact About Me? What would you like to know? I'll tell all. I have no boundaries, odd for someone so shy. Hmmm... i'm supposed to wear glasses, but haven't in almost a year.

V - Vegetable you don't like? Most of them...peas, corn, brussel sprouts, cauliflower. Terrible mother story- when I was 5 I absolutely loved mashed potatoes. I came home from kindergarten one day and my mum had made me a plate of mashed potatoes for lunch and when I was almost finished she said 'You just ate cauliflower.' Of course, I could eat no more. For the last 25+ years, that (probably) small plate of mashed potatoes has become a giant, heaping plate of cauliflower in my mind. I mentioned this to my mum recently and she laughed and said it was mashed potatoes mixed with a bit of cauliflower. She did it because I hadn't touched a vegetable other than potatoes or raw carrots in 2 years, not since we had left England.

W - Worst Habit? Spending money. But I love it. Today I bought a TV bench and 2 endtables, along with assorted another things.

X - X-rays You've Had? Elbow. Possibly chest too.

Y - Your Favorite Food? Souvlaki. For now anyway.

Z - Zodiac Sign? Saggitarius.

Alberta, I worry about you

You can look at this first ballot in the election for a new leader of the Conservative party in one of three ways.

1) Holy fuck! There are a lot of rednecks in this province to actually allow the exremely right wing, way too socially conservative man to come in second in this race, with less than 4000 votes between him and front runner Jim Dinning.

2) Hmmm...Morton becoming premier could in the next election force small c Conservatives to vote Liberal along with all those left leaving voters who think "Finally, we have a chance!" and all the NDPers (of which there aren't many in this province) who realize the NDP will never have seats outside the city of Edmonton.

3) The reality is probably that the majority of the candidates who did not place in the top 3 will give their support to third place Ed Stelmach and he may very well beat both Morton and Dinning.

Sigh. There's no pleasing some of us. But I will take pleasure in the fact that that smug bastard Mark Norris came in sixth of eight. If I could remember who told me the story about him coming on to a massage therapist I would post it here. Damn my bad memory.

Damn you Costco for making me spend so much money

I have been to Costco twice in the last two days. I really love Costco. But I kind of hate it too. It is impossible to leave Costco without spending less than $100. Well, I did see some lady leaving today with just chicken breasts, but she was obviously crazy and does not understand the fact that if you have to pay for a membership to shop in a store it is a requirement of said membership that you leave the store with a cart load of stuff you probably don't really need.

Yesterday I went to buy a lot of things and this I did to the tune of $448.34. I needed meat which is always pricey. I bought one of Liam's two big Christmas gifts. I bought Saoirse 2 Disney storybooks (suddenly the child is in love with the princesses. How does this happen?) and Sophie a board book box set. Both for Christmas. I found beautiful frames for the girls' portraits. I bought more food.
It was a good shopping trip.

I didn't really need to go today but my friend Andi did and since I have the card I had to go. So I thought I'd pick up a few things, one of them being another set of frames for Taylor and Liam's school pictures. After all, why should Saoirse and Sophie have beautiful frames and Taylor and Liam get stuck with the cheapo Walmart ones? I walked out of there with my bank account down an extra $277. Thank God I get paid again tomorrow. Oooohhh and best of all, I bought myself a gift from my Christmas list. The Facts of Life Seasons 1 and 2 was only $20, a full $10 cheaper than HMV. I don't know how I missed it yesterday, it was right behind the DVD for the Flying Nun which I looked directly at. Now I just have to decide if I should open it now, or have the kids give it to me for either my birthday or Christmas.

Tomorrow I am off to Walmart for Liam's other big gift (a TV and DVD player), an Oilers shirt for Taylor and some odds and ends for the house, to the Dollar Store for my Disney Christmas gift bags and to Ticketmaster to pick up the tickets to the Oilers/Carolina game for William and Liam.

Do you sense that I may have a small problem with spending? I'd like to say it's just a Christmas thing, but it's not.

November 20, 1986

I'm copying off of Boliath today, and it's not even because I don't have anything to write about. I actually do. The cheesy love song CD exchange I am involved in for one, I could even write about the fight I had with William last night but I don't think I should bother!

So Boliath asks where were you on November 20, 1986?

I was 12, and that probably doesn't make for the most interesting post. It was a Thursday, so I was in school. Grade 8. Thursday's were early days, always a great thing in my books. I'm sure I had the basics...Language Arts, Social, Science, French and Math. I dreaded Math. Mrs. Penn was well past retirement age and acted like it. Her hair was dyed black and was in a very 1950s style. She wore a ton of black eyeliner and jangly bracelets. To this day, I hate jangly bracelets. Blame it on Mrs. Penn.

I had a huge crush on a ninth grader called Colin, but the furthest it ever went was a few notes and the odd phone call. He was short and Italian and I looooved him. In the way that only 12 year olds can, of course. I just did an internet search (very stalkerish isn't it?) on him and am a tad surprised to see he plays ball hockey. Wouldn't have thunk it.

The only thing I specifically remember about my eighth grade education is doing a radio play in L.A. and writing a report on whether I was pro or anti death penalty. (I was one of 2 that were for it. Today I am pretty much against it.) It's odd that I can recall conversations with people, almost word for word, but I can't remember what books we had to read or what we studied in Social. I remember a guy called Dwayne who used to blow his nose on what he called a snot rag. I am sure I used to look at him with all the 12 year old disdain I could muster. I remember going to the store at lunch for fries and gravy if we had the money and if not we would go to the bakery for a 35 cent cinnamon bun. I remember the girls I hung around with, only one of whom I have kept in contact with.

It's funny what some of the kids I went to school with grew up to become...one is a millionaire because he started an online dating service, one is rumoured to be a pimp (and you just knew he would be, his name was Marlon after all) and 2 are/ were strippers (one male, one female.) It's amazing how many jobs can be related to sex. Hmmm...though I suppose pimping is not really a job. I suppose the majority of those students went on to become mums and dads with average jobs and everyday lives. Except for the one that made it to the NHL.

Sometimes I miss those junior high days. Though I'd never actually go back. God forbid.

How did I miss this one?

Surely by now you all know of my love of questionnaires and quizzes and anything meme-related. I don't know how I missed this one over at Eric's blog. All I can say is I have been a bad blog reader.

Are you:

A cuddler? For about 5 minutes and then I like my own space. I sleep as close to the edge of the bed as possible and that's even when things are good.
A morning person? No. But once I'm up I'm usually okay. If getting myself and two babies dressed by 1pm is considered okay.
Are you a perfectionist? Not at all.
An only child? No. I have a brother, Thom.
Catholic: Why yes I am. Is this an issue?
In your pajamas? No, jeans.
Currently suffering from a broken heart? Sorta kinda.
Okay styling other people's hair? No, in fact of the three daughters I have, one does not have enough hair yet, one unfixes what ever I do and the oldest flat out refuses my very kind offers of any sort of style at all.
Left handed? Yes. I live in a mostly left handed house. William, Taylor and I are all southpaws. Saoirse seems to be leaning to the left (just like she had better politically in 16 years.) My mother and my great grandfather are also left handed. Well, he was. He's been dead for many a year.
Addicted to MySpace? Fuck no. I'm well over 15.
Shy around the opposite gender? Always have been. Get over it already, she says to herself.
Loud? When I'm mad.

Do you:

Bite your nails? Yes. A bad habit passed on to two of my daughters.
Get paranoid at times? Not usually.
Currently regret something that you have said/done? No.
Curse frequently when you get mad? Yes, but not like William, for whom fuck is a verb, noun and adjective.
Enjoy country music? It's quite alright. I do love the Dixie Chicks, but that might be more for their politics than their music, which isn't really all that country sounding these days.
Enjoy jazz music? It's alright. But it's not like I'd run out and buy a CD.
Enjoy smoothies? Yes. But not enough to pay $4 for one.
Enjoy talking on the phone? Oh, I love it.
Have a lot to learn? It appears to be so.
Have a pet? No. 4 kids are more than enough.
Have a tendency to fall for the "wrong" person? It appears as though this is true.
Have all your grandparents died? No, my mum's dad is alive and well in Weston super Mare.
Have at least one sibling? Just the aforementioned brother.
Have been told that you are smart? Yes. And that I didn't live up to my full potential, blah, blah, blah.
Have had a broken bone? Just a chipped elbow.
Have Caller I.D. on your phone? One one of them, but not the other. So if I am upstairs I don't know who is calling and it sometimes stresses me out.

Have you:

Changed a diaper? Daily.
Changed a lot over the past year? Yes. I am no longer pregnant. I am losing weight.
Had friends who have never seen your natural hair color? My hair is it's natural colour. It just keeps getting darker and darker and I fully expect to wake up one morning with brown hair.
Had surgery? 2 c-sections and a D&C.
Killed anyone? A kitten. By accident.
Had your haircut within the last week? It was ages ago.

Last person who:

Slept in the bed beside you? Sophie. We had a wee nap this morning.
Saw you cry? William.
Went to the movies with you? It was just after Sophie was born. I think it was all of us except for Liam. We saw Cars and it was Saoirse's first movie in a theatre. She lasted until the last 10 minutes.
You went to the mall with? Saoirse and Sophie.
You went to dinner with? Shelley? I can't remember.
You talked to on the phone? Shelley.
Said 'I love you' to you and meant it? Holy fuck. Normally it would be William, but it's day 13 of the cold shoulder. Taylor or Liam. Saoirse won't say it, the little bugger.
Broke your heart? That would be Himself of course.
Made you laugh? Saoirse.

Would you rather?

Pierce your nose or tongue? Neither.
Be serious or be funny? Funny. Which I'm not I know.
Drink whole or skim milk? Whole if I was forced. Skim looks like white water.
Die in a fire or drown? Two of my worst death fears. I can't choose, just the thought freaks me out.
Spend time with your parents or enemies? My parents in a room together would quickly become my enemies.

About you!

What time is it? 12.34 am
Name? Emma
Nickname(s)? None in years.
Where were you born? Sutton Coldfield, England. How many thousands of times can I answer that question.
What is your birthdate? December 16. Hey, a month today.
What do you want? Happy, content and well adjusted children. Considering the circumstances, its not going too badly.
Where do you want to live? I always say Ireland but I suppose if it came right down to it I'd stay in Canada. I'd love to live in Newfoundland or Nova Scotia.
How many kids do you want? Just the ones I have, thanks.

How Canadian are you?

I borrowed this, without permission, from Mark. Of course, I'm not 100% Canadian. I don't even have a Canadian passport. Nor do I have a Canadian citizenship card. I lost it and won't pay $75 for a new one, cheap bitch that I am. And I'm a little surprised that I got 100%. I'm pretty sure this quiz is from Ontario, where apparently they have hydro bills and restaurants called Pizza Pizza. In my neck of the woods we have a power bill, which contains both electricity and water and I've never heard of Pizza Pizza, though I took a guess and assumed that's where you'd buy a pizza.

You are 100% Canuck!

You rock, you are an almighty Canadian through and through. You have proven your worthiness and have won the elite prize of living in a country as awesome as Canada. Yes I know other countries think they are better, but we let them have that cuz we know better than they do, eh?

How Canadian Are You?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Oh, and I wouldn't be caught dead saying "eh."

If it's not one thing, it's another

The phone is now working and the massive headache I had developed due to wondering who I was not talking to that I could be talking to is now gone. As soon as we were back on line I was on the phone, spent a lovely hour catching up with all the people I hadn't spoke to in the last 28 hours. Twas a lot apparently, my call answer was full, so thank fuck that at least that feature worked.

And it wasn't hard to fix, I went over to the office to use the phone to book them to come in and the fella says there's a wee reboot pinhole on the side of the black box, use a paperclip on that and it should come back online and lo and behold it did. Tell me why this very simple answer was not listed on the website. It would have saved me much misery and guaranteed me good seats at the hockey game.

Speaking of hockey games, Taylor's class and one of the grade 4 classes won tickets to see the Oilers vs. St. Louis Blues for every student reading a certain amount of minutes every night. William is going as one of the parent volunteers. He's never been to a hockey game before so should enjoy it. I don't know why, but apparently hockey's not very big in Australia. People who live in hot climates just have no appreciation for men slamming each other into boards.

Speaking of William, we are on day 12 of "It's Over." So I guess it is. The only reason I know this is because there are no I love you's or kisses goodnight or whatever. Other than that we are reasonably pleasant with each other, still share a bed, everything appears to be normal. No one even knows this happened, just you people in blogland. I don't think he's leaving though, and we talk about upcoming events like nothing is amiss. Strange. We even just bought a new couch. Well, I picked it out, he's paying for it. I'm very excited about it's arrival which is not until December freaking 12th.

I've gone totally off topic as per usual. As is Emma's law when one thing is fixed another must break. This time it is the dock for the camera and I cannot download pictures. Which is a shame because I was going to do Sophie's 3 month post and Saoirse's 2 year one. And I know you are all dying to see pictures of my girls. Don't even try and deny it. I also took pictures of the cards I made for my friend Shelley's school auction. I don't think they will sell for much but anything is better than nothing. I used "Wishing You" from the Stampin' Up holiday catalogue for any of you who are into that sort of thing. I made the bottom card on the right hand side if you happen to click on the link, just in different colours.

Anywho, I also cannot find the cord thingermajinger to just hook the camera up to the computer. Such is my life.

In other news, I have started the countdown to my birthday. Even though I have reached an age that once seemed disgustingly old (I completely believed in the saying "Never trust anyone over 30." Some days, I still believe it) I still get excited about the big day. Even though it's no longer big. Or exciting. No one throws you a birthday party when you are turning 33. Yes, 33! It feels OLD. Or maybe that's just me. This year I plan on not mentioning my birthday to anyone in my house to see if they (read William) remember. I tried it last year, but it didn't work. I talk too much. But since I'm unlikely to throw hints about what I want at someone who doesn't seem to like me all that much I may be able to do it this year. Unless my desire for the first two seasons of The Facts of Life on DVD wins out, of course.

It wouldn't be so bad if I could find my cell phone

If the word fuck offends you, do not read further. But I am so fucking frustrated I have to use it repeatedly.

I can live without a lot of things but I cannot live without my phone.

I have been phoneless for almost 24 hours. I feel completely and utterly lost. I knew I depended on my phone but I didn't realize to what extent.

And damn my fucking cable company! When we moved in August we went over to a digital phone line. This is the second time my line has literally died on me. The first was only a few hours and I survived quite nicely, I was only slightly annoyed. Today, I am ready to lose it. I lost 8th row Oiler/Hurricane tickets because I had no phone. Now Liam is stuck with way up high seats. But at least he's going, he'll be thrilled.

Here's the thing that really gets me. I went on to the website and it says "For digital phone support please call this number." Seriously, if I had a fucking phone I would not need to call for support. I also had the option of doing it online and they asked for a number to contact me at. Once again, seriously!

Of course, this wouldn't be an issue if I could find my fucking cell phone.

8 more things you probably don't want to know about me

I'm stealing off of sillyhily because there is just so much shite going on right now I don't even want to think about it. I have done so many of these questions and things about me that there probably isn't much left to say. But I'll give it a shot.

1. I have a wood phobia. Not all sorts of wood, I'm quite fine with coffee tables and whatnot. It's the small little things...popsicle sticks, steak knives, pencils. They freak me out. When I have a popsicle I have to keep the wrapper around the stick and when the popsicle reaches the wood part I make sure my mouth gets no where near that stick. To bug me, my kids suck on the stick. AAACCCCKKKKK!!! It makes me grind my teeth. I'm grinding them right now. Yikes, on to other subjects.

2. I once touched on my love of Little House on the Prairie, both the books and the show. But for awhile, in my early 20s, I experienced a slight obsession. I ordered about $500 worth of books on Laura Ingalls Wilder and planned a trip to De Smet, South Dakota. Because Taylor was young and wouldn't remember it, I decided to wait until she was older and as obsessed as her mother. This never happened and it breaks my heart. However, I have Saoirse and Sophie to work on. Taylor's first Christmas gift...she was still nearly 3 months away from being born...was the Little House series. I was going to give her mine but they have been read so many times they don't look too pretty.

3. My IQ at 12 was 133, 6 points lower than Taylor's. On those online tests (which are probably a bunch of crap) it is now 121. I am apparently getting stupider as I age.

4. I love Christmas. Love, love, love it. I have Christmas shows taped from 1986 that I still watch. My brother once went to tape over an episode of Facts of Life and got punched in the stomach for it. (I in no way advocate sibling violence, but this was a serious matter.) There is a brief moment during Blair singing "I'll Be Home for Christmas" that is interrupted by the roadrunner and that coyote. I generally start watching Christmas movies in the summer. Usually by the time I start complaining about the heat.

Hmmmmm...that appears to be it for now. Thinking of 4 more things requires more brain power than I have at the moment, plus I need to shower and get the babies bathed as Saoirse has a doctor's appointment in regatrds to her newly diagnosed asthma.

Aw Faith, at least you gave me a laugh

I watched the Faith Hill clip on youtube about a dozen times and each time it made me laugh. Not because of the screamed "WHAT??" but because she threw her arms up as if she was posing for a picture and then she realized. Holy fuck, she lost to an American Idol. Down go the arms, out comes the dismayed cry, off she goes.

I can not be the only former child out there who used to practice my grammy/oscar/emmy speech but I certainly didn't practice my gracious loser smile. She was expected to win, and it would be pretty devastating to lose I am sure. But seriously...why the fuck would you lie about it when the entire internet friendly world can see exactly what you did. Admit it, aplogize and move on. Tomorrow someone else will do something stupid and we will move on.

And people of California...what the hell were you thinking? The man's an eejit. And a Republican. And not even the good sort of republican.

4 Things...again

I've done this one before but because it was so long ago and because answers have the potential to change and because dunner tagged me and especially because I wouldn't want to be the one blogger who lets him down I will do it again.

a) Four jobs I have had in my life.
hospital porter
nursing attendant
retail sales- Zellers (terrible), Coles, Smithbooks, Chapters, Disney store
mother; by far the best, even if the pay is shite. (Though I am sure you will note I never actually have had a well paying job, which is the very reason I am going back to school.)

b)Four movies I would watch over and over again.
Some Mother's Son
Stand By Me
It's a Wonderful Life*
Miracle on 34th Street (both verions)*
* It's November and I am in the Christmas spirit. Today I played Christmas CDs.

c)Four places I have lived
Sutton Coldfield, England
Birmingham, England (the two are really one in the same)
Edmonton, Alberta

d)Four shows I love to watch
Grey's Anatomy
How I Met Your Mother
Cold Case
Ugly Betty

I could go on... Desperate Housewives, Amazing Race, The Nine, Survivor, CSI, Gilmore Girls, Justice, ER. Yeah, I watch waaaaay too much T.V.

e)Four places I have visited
Ireland
Amsterdam
Tenerife
California

f)Four websites I visit daily
For Better or For Worse
BBC
Splitcoast Stampers
Urban Scrapbook
g)Four places I would like to be right now
Belfast
Dublin
Derry
Weston super Mare

h) Four bloggers I would like to respond
Boliath (and since she has to post every day this month there is really no excuse!)
ummm...I think almost every blogger I read has done this in the past.

"It's Over" *updated

Those very words were said to me last night. It is not the first time I have heard them, but I suspect this may actually be the last time.

And I'm not really sure how I feel about it. Disappointment mixed with relief, maybe. Disappointment because I really love him, because we have 2 daughters together, because I just can't make him happy. Relief because I'm tired of walking on eggshells, relief because the moment has happened.

And what was it yesterday that set him off? I'm not entirely sure. He can't live like this he says. The livingroom had toys on the floor, the vacuum wasn't put away, the boots in the entry way were rather all over the place. I think the kicker was that dinner was not yet on the table. It was in the midst of being made, the potatoes were on to boil, but I had not yet defrosted the pork chops. It was quarter after 5. Dinner is a big deal to William, he likes it early, whereas I have always been used to eating around 6.

It doesn't matter that the baby needed fed and I am currently the only one who has the ability to participate in that particular activity. It doesn't matter that Liam was doing his homework and needs constant help with the reading and writing. And don't even dare point out that he has been sitting in Tom's garage for the past 2 hours when he could be home sitting with one or both girls so that dinner is made and laundry put away. How dare I tell him where he ought to be.

He told me that he was going to call about going back to Australia, he's done. "What about the girls?" I say. "What about them," he asks. "They'll forget about me."

Not too long ago I did a 100 things about William post, in which I wrote that he was a great father. This was not a lie. He really is. I feel sometimes though like there are 2 Williams. One is a great father who loves all four completely. The other is a timebomb waiting to go off. This William refuses to listen when angry, it is alright for him to say what he wants with a fuck thrown in every third word or so, but you can not say a word back. What bothers me is that I am not the only one who knows this William, Taylor knows him well and even my mother has had an experience with him.

I promised myself I would never involve my children in an unhappy relationship again and I have gone and done it. I don't know what he will say when he gets home, sometimes things go on as though they never happened. I can't do it this time, I am falling apart. I want to be with him, but not without counselling.

Sorry you all had to read this, I just needed to write it down, get things out there, it will probably be deleted in the next wee bit.


* Just wanted to say thanks everyone for the v. kind comments. I don't think that what happened can be blamed entirely on stress, the threat of his leaving was used often before either Saoirse or Sophie arrived. Anyway, things are still somewhat tense. There has been no further mention of going back to Australia but we are being civil with one another. Sort of like roommates who don't really like each other but have no other alternatives. Certainly not an ideal situation.