Holy Smokes...where does the time go? I know, I know....all parents say that but really. It's astonishing. I find myself in moments of panic when I think about how my boys will soon be all grown up and not want to hang out with their mommy anymore (wah)! So unfair! I try to remind myself of that reality when they are doing something that makes me want to thrust myself off a bus travelling at a very high speed.
Anyway, yesterday was Little Man's 3rd birthday. I guess he's not a baby anymore. Or even really a toddler. He's a little boy.
To celebrate we had a little family party on Saturday complete with "Monster Truck" theme. He was thrilled. On Sunday we set off for a night at Great Wolf Lodge. Yes, again. Yes, I recall our last trip to Niagara Falls was a disaster. But we don't learn from our past so we went again.
Overall, we had a good time. The boys had a ton of fun and Buddy was now over the oh-so-critical 42" mark so he could go on some "big" slides. He was thrilled. Little Man....not so much. We will hold off on another trip there until he also hits the 42" milestone.
Of course, none of our excursions happen without some drama.
Drama #1: Dinner Debacle
We decided to purchase the "all inclusive" meal package. This meant we had buffet dinner, breakfast and then lunch at one of their fast food-ish outlets. Perfect. Well our first meal was dinner and got the boys all hooked up with food. Buddy was as good as gold but Little Man wanted no part of it. Took about 1.25 bites and announced he was "done". Followed by sliding under the table an endless number of times. All the while, Super Husband and I are trying to alternately eat and grab more food for Buddy who apparently hadn't eaten in a month or so you might think with all the food he put away. We finally bribed Little Man with dessert and I ran off to fetch a pudding cup. Came back and after taking one bite, Little Man coughed and then barfed. All.Over.the.Plate. Amazing, really. He got the ENTIRE contents of his stomach (mostly juice) neatly deposited on his plate. Also amazing was the fact nobody seemed to notice. Super Husband promptly jumped up and announced he was taking Little Man up to the room. Leaving me and Buddy with the pukey plate. What the hell was I to do? Act casual, of course! I managed to disguise it with a mound of napkins and all the other crap on our table. When the waitress appeared I told her to be very careful as we had an "accident". She was none the wiser. We made a hasty exit.
Drama #2: Sucky Sleep
Poor Little Man recovered from dinner but then had a cough that would not quit. We finally got them into bed and it was clear neither would sleep due to being in the same bed and coughing. So we split them up. We all layed in bed for the next 1.5 hours listening to Little Man cough. Thankfully, it eventually stopped and we all dozed.
I woke up a couple of hours later only to find that Buddy had wedged his head under my pillow. In a moment of panic I put my hand on his back to ensure he was breathing. I could not feel a thing. No movement. I could feel true panic set in. I loudly whispered: Buddy? Buddy? BUDDY! Nothing. Now I'm in a full meltdown state. I reach over and grab him with both hands and start to shake him. Not in a gentle way. He casually rolled over and continued to sleep while I nearly burst into tears thanking my lucky stars he was just soundly sleeping. Let me tell you - I was terrified. I honestly feared the worst. Now I am reminded as to why I never co-slept. I love my clildren but I HATE sharing a sleep space with them. We all (with the exception of Buddy) woke up tired and grumpy.
Overall, we had a good time and as always I was happy to return home and put them in their own beds for the night :)
December 12, 2012
November 27, 2012
Well Hello, Santa!
Sunday marked my office's annual Children's Christmas Party. They do a great job and a good time is always had by all. Of course the kids just wanted to have fun but I had my Mommy Agenda and insisted that fun could happen AFTER the Santa picture.
I envisioned a lovely picture of my two beautiful boys sitting on Santa's knee, gazing into his eyes and telling him exactly what they were hoping he will bring them on Christmas Eve.
Instead, I had two terrified little boys who refused to come within a 4 foot radius of the man.
Not to be deterred, Santa proclaimed that both Super Husband and I should sit on his knee. Not being one to pass up an opportunity to schmooze with the big man, I obliged. Surprisingly...so did Super Husband.
So it came to be that the family descended upon the poor man. Notice that Super Husband and I look thrilled while the boys do not. In fact, Buddy is so distraught he cannot bring himself to even face the camera. Little Man is holding himself together by a thread with the promise of a chocolate treat to follow the picture.
Oh well, there's always next year!
I envisioned a lovely picture of my two beautiful boys sitting on Santa's knee, gazing into his eyes and telling him exactly what they were hoping he will bring them on Christmas Eve.
Instead, I had two terrified little boys who refused to come within a 4 foot radius of the man.
Not to be deterred, Santa proclaimed that both Super Husband and I should sit on his knee. Not being one to pass up an opportunity to schmooze with the big man, I obliged. Surprisingly...so did Super Husband.
So it came to be that the family descended upon the poor man. Notice that Super Husband and I look thrilled while the boys do not. In fact, Buddy is so distraught he cannot bring himself to even face the camera. Little Man is holding himself together by a thread with the promise of a chocolate treat to follow the picture.
Oh well, there's always next year!
November 22, 2012
Oh Poo!
While I was tidying up the other night...don't ask which night as I can not seem to distinguish one from another...but that's another story. Anyway, while tidying, Super Husband and the boys went to the basement (perhaps to check on the dead man - see previous post if that makes no sense) and were playing. All of a sudden all I hear is:
Super Husband: Oh My God! Little Man! Why do you have poo in your hand?
Little Man: I don't know
Super Husband: Where did it come from?
Little Man: I don't know
Super Husband: (really worked up and almost panicked) Poo is dirty! No! No! No picking up poo! Did you pull this out of the litter box? (doesn't wait for a response) No!
I suppose this isn't funny to the average person but sadly, to me, it was.
In an attempt to feign ignorance over this situation (I really wanted to avoid getting involved in anything poo related) I decided to vaccuum upstairs. Super Husband recently purchased a new shop vac so I decided to try it out since sparks flew out of the wall when I last attempted to use the regular one.
So, I turned it on and started my task. About one minute later I started to smell something. Something undesireable. Poo? How could that be? I then realized the Shop Vac blows air out the back (can be used as a blower....very handy I am sure). The air is HOT because the motor is hot. The hotter it became the nastier the stank.
Apparently someone tested the shop vac out on the litter box.
Yes, it had poo in it.
Seriously.
That's what I get for attepting to avoid it.
All in a day of parenting two young boys. Never let your guard down!
Super Husband: Oh My God! Little Man! Why do you have poo in your hand?
Little Man: I don't know
Super Husband: Where did it come from?
Little Man: I don't know
Super Husband: (really worked up and almost panicked) Poo is dirty! No! No! No picking up poo! Did you pull this out of the litter box? (doesn't wait for a response) No!
I suppose this isn't funny to the average person but sadly, to me, it was.
In an attempt to feign ignorance over this situation (I really wanted to avoid getting involved in anything poo related) I decided to vaccuum upstairs. Super Husband recently purchased a new shop vac so I decided to try it out since sparks flew out of the wall when I last attempted to use the regular one.
So, I turned it on and started my task. About one minute later I started to smell something. Something undesireable. Poo? How could that be? I then realized the Shop Vac blows air out the back (can be used as a blower....very handy I am sure). The air is HOT because the motor is hot. The hotter it became the nastier the stank.
Apparently someone tested the shop vac out on the litter box.
Yes, it had poo in it.
Seriously.
That's what I get for attepting to avoid it.
All in a day of parenting two young boys. Never let your guard down!
November 21, 2012
Yikes!
Um...ooops.
What else can I say?
I keep telling myself to get my ass in gear and update this blog but life has been INSANE. I know, no excuse, right?
So, I will say sorry for being an asshole blogger. I promise to keep on top of it more. Let's get over it and move on.
What's been keeping me busy?
Buddy started school in September which has resulting in a really very brutal transition period that we are FINALLY starting to get over. You know, I really thought it would be easy. Well, maybe not easy peasy but not *too* hard. I mean, he already went to daycare full time and was used to the long days. Apparently I forgot to factor in the fact that he no longer naps. Holy Mother of #*%@! I did not see this one coming. Apparently no naps = a very, VERY moody child. So we have been working on how to best handle this. Not fun but let's just say "interesting".
Little Man is doing well at his new (local) daycare (yay)! Of course....he gets to nap every day still. Now I am dreading September 2013 when I will have TWO boy beasties coming home every day tired and famished!
Work is out of control busy. We are launching a huge roll-out for the new year so we are in crunch time now. In October we had rolled out new functionality org-wide and that was a "fly-in" project. Hoping that one gives me some brownie points come bonus time :)
On the side, I've been busy getting myself into Christmas preparedness mode. We are hosting Christmas AND New Year's this year so I am trying to be super organized but let's face it....I will be scrambling December 24th on some level.
So after the hiatus and somewhat boring update I will share a recent story from our never-ending stock of material (this is the benefit of having a 2 and 4 year old....never a shortage of entertaining stories)!
A few weeks ago Super Husband decided we should have a family dinner out. At our local East Side Mario's. Perfect. It was a Friday evening and none of us were interested in cooking so this made sense. So off we go. When we got there we had to wait a few minutes for a table. Little Man was restless so I picked him up and was showing him some pictures on the wall. One was of John Lennon.
Little Man: Who is that?
Me: His name is John Lennon
Little Man: But who is he?
Me: He was a famous singer
Little Man: But where is he?
Me: (distracted, tired and hungry) Well he isn't alive today
Little Man: Why?
Me: (increasingly distracted, tired and hungry) Ummm...a bad man hurt him.
Little Man: He's DEAD????
Me: Ummmm...well....yes, he is. (oops)
Little Man: What is his name again?
Me: John Lennon
Little Man: The Lemon Man?
Me: No - John Len-non, not Lemon
Little Man: Oh
.....so the night went on and Little Man would not let the story of "The Lemon Man" go. He kept wanting to revisit the picture. Again, desperate...I told him that we could see "The Lemon Man" at home because we happen to have a framed picture of The Beatles in our basement. He was thrilled and insists on pulling it out and examining it over and over.
Fast forward to last week.
Super Husband took Little Man to Costco shopping. As he was checking out, Super Husband was having a hard time getting his debit card to work and was very flustered. All the while Little Man was talking and endlessly commentating to the cashier. After a minute or two Little Manstarted talking about "The Lemon Man". Super Husband, distracted, wasn't responding. After several attempts to get a response Little Man says (very loudly):
"Daddy.....You know who I'm talking about. The DEAD man in our basement".
Well after that, Super Husband said everyone stopped and stared at him. You know, because he's harbouring a dead body in our basement and all.
Let's just say he made a quick exit.
I am so annoyed I missed out on that gem!
What else can I say?
I keep telling myself to get my ass in gear and update this blog but life has been INSANE. I know, no excuse, right?
So, I will say sorry for being an asshole blogger. I promise to keep on top of it more. Let's get over it and move on.
What's been keeping me busy?
- Life
- Crazy insane demanding career
- Crazy insane demanding children
- Need for sleep
Buddy started school in September which has resulting in a really very brutal transition period that we are FINALLY starting to get over. You know, I really thought it would be easy. Well, maybe not easy peasy but not *too* hard. I mean, he already went to daycare full time and was used to the long days. Apparently I forgot to factor in the fact that he no longer naps. Holy Mother of #*%@! I did not see this one coming. Apparently no naps = a very, VERY moody child. So we have been working on how to best handle this. Not fun but let's just say "interesting".
Little Man is doing well at his new (local) daycare (yay)! Of course....he gets to nap every day still. Now I am dreading September 2013 when I will have TWO boy beasties coming home every day tired and famished!
Work is out of control busy. We are launching a huge roll-out for the new year so we are in crunch time now. In October we had rolled out new functionality org-wide and that was a "fly-in" project. Hoping that one gives me some brownie points come bonus time :)
On the side, I've been busy getting myself into Christmas preparedness mode. We are hosting Christmas AND New Year's this year so I am trying to be super organized but let's face it....I will be scrambling December 24th on some level.
So after the hiatus and somewhat boring update I will share a recent story from our never-ending stock of material (this is the benefit of having a 2 and 4 year old....never a shortage of entertaining stories)!
A few weeks ago Super Husband decided we should have a family dinner out. At our local East Side Mario's. Perfect. It was a Friday evening and none of us were interested in cooking so this made sense. So off we go. When we got there we had to wait a few minutes for a table. Little Man was restless so I picked him up and was showing him some pictures on the wall. One was of John Lennon.
Little Man: Who is that?
Me: His name is John Lennon
Little Man: But who is he?
Me: He was a famous singer
Little Man: But where is he?
Me: (distracted, tired and hungry) Well he isn't alive today
Little Man: Why?
Me: (increasingly distracted, tired and hungry) Ummm...a bad man hurt him.
Little Man: He's DEAD????
Me: Ummmm...well....yes, he is. (oops)
Little Man: What is his name again?
Me: John Lennon
Little Man: The Lemon Man?
Me: No - John Len-non, not Lemon
Little Man: Oh
.....so the night went on and Little Man would not let the story of "The Lemon Man" go. He kept wanting to revisit the picture. Again, desperate...I told him that we could see "The Lemon Man" at home because we happen to have a framed picture of The Beatles in our basement. He was thrilled and insists on pulling it out and examining it over and over.
Fast forward to last week.
Super Husband took Little Man to Costco shopping. As he was checking out, Super Husband was having a hard time getting his debit card to work and was very flustered. All the while Little Man was talking and endlessly commentating to the cashier. After a minute or two Little Manstarted talking about "The Lemon Man". Super Husband, distracted, wasn't responding. After several attempts to get a response Little Man says (very loudly):
"Daddy.....You know who I'm talking about. The DEAD man in our basement".
Well after that, Super Husband said everyone stopped and stared at him. You know, because he's harbouring a dead body in our basement and all.
Let's just say he made a quick exit.
I am so annoyed I missed out on that gem!
August 28, 2012
The {Not So} Great Vacation - Parts 2 & 3
Okay, yes, I know this is like WAAAAYYYY overdue. We did, after all, go on vacation a month ago. I guess I just needed some more time for the emotional scars to heal.
For those of you who need to get us to speed with Part 1 of our vacation....click here.
The second leg of our journey was heading to Great Wolf Lodge for one night. With your stay here you get 2 days of access to the indoor water park for each night of stay. We figured 2 days of chasing the kids around and having to wear a bathing suit in public was just about enough so we opted for a one night stay. I have to say, we HIGHLY recommend this place. It is a bit on the pricey side but if you troll for deals and stay mid week, it makes it a lot more reasonable. The rooms all have mini fridges and microwaves too so you can bring some food in with you which helps cut costs.
We splurged a bit and got the room with a "den" for the kids. This meant that the room had a separate little area with bunk beds and a TV for the boys. This worked well because it meant that Super Husband and I could actually watch TV after the kids went to bed without waking them. Big bonus.
So, we got there for about 2pm the day of check in and after getting all checked in and sorted out we headed to the water park for an afternoon of fun. Unfortunately Buddy JUST missed the 42" height requirement to go on some of the bigger slides so we were confined to the Chipmunk Cove area in terms of slides but that was still okay. The kids loved it and had an absolute blast. Super Husband and I had lots of fun people watching. The good news is that Great Wolf Lodge is a family attraction so most of the women there have bodies like mine....full of stretch marks, cellulite and lumps. It really does help take the sting out of bearing a bathing suit in public. Really.
After a few hours of play we decided to get some dinner. We left the hotel and went to an Italian restaurant. This is where things went downhill. The kids were tired. And grumpy. We were tired. And grumpy. We arrived at the restaurant and they naturally seat us Right.In.The.Middle. Like a circus act. Which is exactly what we were. Little Man promtly uses his fork as a missile narrowly missing the people beside us. Buddy starts pitching a fit. We are not discreet. Super Husband is irritated and starts snapping at me and I decide we need to relocate to the corner. Our server was noticeably pissed at the request which in turn pissed me off. I mean, fuck, lady...we are trying to be polite and not ruin everone else's dinner experience here! Screw off and move us! So we move (much to the dismay of the people in the neighboring table) and try to proceed. Little Man is now ramping up and trying to make an escape. Buddy is mad because he wants to sit next to Super Daddy. I remedy the situation by ordering a half litre of wine. Not nearly enough.
In the end, Super Daddy had to take Buddy out and "talk" to him. Little Man finally calmed down when the food arrived and as per usual we scarfed down our meal in 2.8 minutes so we could get the hell out of there. So relaxing.
Back at the hotel, we decided to go to the lobby for story time and then a dance party. Wow. Buddy is a dance fanatic. He LOVES to dance. So he was in his glory. I don't know where he gets it from, but this kid can do moves that verge on the edge of break dancing. Which he decided to pull out in the middle of this party. No joke, there was a circle of people around him. As an aside, I have enrolled him in hip hop dance classes starting in September.
The remainder of the evening was non eventful and everyone slept like the dead.
The next day we got up, got ready and back to the water park for another few hours of fun. All was well until it was time to head out. when Buddy had an epic meltdown. Again. After dividing and conquering in the change room, we made a hasty exit and got everyone packed in the car in order to start the final phase of our vacation: Two more nights at the Marriott in Niagara Falls. This was truly the crown jewel of crappy vacations. Our kids were Beasts. Nightmares. Out of Control. I'm being nice.
I really cannot even begin to describe how miserable the whole experience was. It was meltdown after meltdown...adults not excepted.
Here's the condensed version:
* We checked in and went up with Buddy kicking and screaming
* Got settled and decided to go out for dinner and a walk. Another big meltdown and had to settle for fast food.
* Came back and attempted to get the boys to bed. They had no part of it. All the while I am being texted, emailed and harassed by work. In the end we had to turn off all the lights and TV to get the kids to sleep. I spent the next hour locked in the bathroom on my computer trying to deal with a work related catastrophe that apparently nobody else could take care of.
* The next morning we decided to go to the butterfly conservatory. Little Man ran away, managed to exit the conservatory and ended up in a staff only room. Buddy threw another monumental tantrum and we ended up leaving within a half hour of arriving.
* We drove to Niagara on the Lake and stopped at a bakery for lunch. Brought said lunch to a picnic bench where Litlle Man threw a fit and threw his entire meal on the ground. Face down.. Super Husband lost his marbles and dragged Little Man back to the car. Buddy and I followed.
* More tantrums and meltdowns when we returned to the room. We came close to packing up and driving back home at this point but since the room was paid for we stuck it out.
* Waited until 10pm in our room for the fireworks to start as we had a view of the falls. As soon as the first one went off, Little Man became petrified and cried on my lap. We didn't get them to sleep until 11pm.
* Got up and ready to leave (oh glorious day). More tantrums. Had fit waiting for elevator and others waiting stared with eyebrows raised. Not helpful, assholes!
This sums it up nicely:
While driving by the falls upon arrival, Super Husband announces, "Look! See the water falls? Look how big they are"! Buddy casually turns to look then turns in the opposite direction and exclaims, "Wow! Look Daddy.....a sprinkler"! Yes....it would appear that the in-ground sprinkler system in the park across the street was far more impressive than Niagara Falls.
Somewhere in amongst all the drama of this vacation we did have fun, however, I don't think we will attempt a trip like this again for some time. The kids are young and frankly just hanging out with us in a local park is thrilling for them. Lesson Learned.
For those of you who need to get us to speed with Part 1 of our vacation....click here.
The second leg of our journey was heading to Great Wolf Lodge for one night. With your stay here you get 2 days of access to the indoor water park for each night of stay. We figured 2 days of chasing the kids around and having to wear a bathing suit in public was just about enough so we opted for a one night stay. I have to say, we HIGHLY recommend this place. It is a bit on the pricey side but if you troll for deals and stay mid week, it makes it a lot more reasonable. The rooms all have mini fridges and microwaves too so you can bring some food in with you which helps cut costs.
We splurged a bit and got the room with a "den" for the kids. This meant that the room had a separate little area with bunk beds and a TV for the boys. This worked well because it meant that Super Husband and I could actually watch TV after the kids went to bed without waking them. Big bonus.
So, we got there for about 2pm the day of check in and after getting all checked in and sorted out we headed to the water park for an afternoon of fun. Unfortunately Buddy JUST missed the 42" height requirement to go on some of the bigger slides so we were confined to the Chipmunk Cove area in terms of slides but that was still okay. The kids loved it and had an absolute blast. Super Husband and I had lots of fun people watching. The good news is that Great Wolf Lodge is a family attraction so most of the women there have bodies like mine....full of stretch marks, cellulite and lumps. It really does help take the sting out of bearing a bathing suit in public. Really.
After a few hours of play we decided to get some dinner. We left the hotel and went to an Italian restaurant. This is where things went downhill. The kids were tired. And grumpy. We were tired. And grumpy. We arrived at the restaurant and they naturally seat us Right.In.The.Middle. Like a circus act. Which is exactly what we were. Little Man promtly uses his fork as a missile narrowly missing the people beside us. Buddy starts pitching a fit. We are not discreet. Super Husband is irritated and starts snapping at me and I decide we need to relocate to the corner. Our server was noticeably pissed at the request which in turn pissed me off. I mean, fuck, lady...we are trying to be polite and not ruin everone else's dinner experience here! Screw off and move us! So we move (much to the dismay of the people in the neighboring table) and try to proceed. Little Man is now ramping up and trying to make an escape. Buddy is mad because he wants to sit next to Super Daddy. I remedy the situation by ordering a half litre of wine. Not nearly enough.
In the end, Super Daddy had to take Buddy out and "talk" to him. Little Man finally calmed down when the food arrived and as per usual we scarfed down our meal in 2.8 minutes so we could get the hell out of there. So relaxing.
Back at the hotel, we decided to go to the lobby for story time and then a dance party. Wow. Buddy is a dance fanatic. He LOVES to dance. So he was in his glory. I don't know where he gets it from, but this kid can do moves that verge on the edge of break dancing. Which he decided to pull out in the middle of this party. No joke, there was a circle of people around him. As an aside, I have enrolled him in hip hop dance classes starting in September.
The remainder of the evening was non eventful and everyone slept like the dead.
The next day we got up, got ready and back to the water park for another few hours of fun. All was well until it was time to head out. when Buddy had an epic meltdown. Again. After dividing and conquering in the change room, we made a hasty exit and got everyone packed in the car in order to start the final phase of our vacation: Two more nights at the Marriott in Niagara Falls. This was truly the crown jewel of crappy vacations. Our kids were Beasts. Nightmares. Out of Control. I'm being nice.
I really cannot even begin to describe how miserable the whole experience was. It was meltdown after meltdown...adults not excepted.
Here's the condensed version:
* We checked in and went up with Buddy kicking and screaming
* Got settled and decided to go out for dinner and a walk. Another big meltdown and had to settle for fast food.
* Came back and attempted to get the boys to bed. They had no part of it. All the while I am being texted, emailed and harassed by work. In the end we had to turn off all the lights and TV to get the kids to sleep. I spent the next hour locked in the bathroom on my computer trying to deal with a work related catastrophe that apparently nobody else could take care of.
* The next morning we decided to go to the butterfly conservatory. Little Man ran away, managed to exit the conservatory and ended up in a staff only room. Buddy threw another monumental tantrum and we ended up leaving within a half hour of arriving.
* We drove to Niagara on the Lake and stopped at a bakery for lunch. Brought said lunch to a picnic bench where Litlle Man threw a fit and threw his entire meal on the ground. Face down.. Super Husband lost his marbles and dragged Little Man back to the car. Buddy and I followed.
* More tantrums and meltdowns when we returned to the room. We came close to packing up and driving back home at this point but since the room was paid for we stuck it out.
* Waited until 10pm in our room for the fireworks to start as we had a view of the falls. As soon as the first one went off, Little Man became petrified and cried on my lap. We didn't get them to sleep until 11pm.
* Got up and ready to leave (oh glorious day). More tantrums. Had fit waiting for elevator and others waiting stared with eyebrows raised. Not helpful, assholes!
This sums it up nicely:
While driving by the falls upon arrival, Super Husband announces, "Look! See the water falls? Look how big they are"! Buddy casually turns to look then turns in the opposite direction and exclaims, "Wow! Look Daddy.....a sprinkler"! Yes....it would appear that the in-ground sprinkler system in the park across the street was far more impressive than Niagara Falls.
Somewhere in amongst all the drama of this vacation we did have fun, however, I don't think we will attempt a trip like this again for some time. The kids are young and frankly just hanging out with us in a local park is thrilling for them. Lesson Learned.
August 23, 2012
Are We There Yet?
Man, this week is a killer. How can this only be Thursday?
Super Husband is away on another business trip. I've said it before and I'll say it again. It's really hard to be "on" all.the.time. Work is INSANE right now. Naturally this week is the week that just about everyone decides to take off and I am left to hold the fort. My direct report is out of office, the formal PM out of office, Business Lead for both my major projects out of office....not to mention my husband. In the end it means I get left facilitating lots of meetings and the crowning glory: a formal presentation to the President and Senior leadership team. At 4pm Friday. Enough said???
Aside from that, I have been dealing with the aftermath of a flood in our new house. Yes, you read that right. The house is 40+ years old and never had any issues. Until we move in. With all the rain we had a couple of weeks ago the basement flooded. Carpet soaked and laminate bubbling out. Let's not forget our bedroom is down there. Oh, the joy. So now we are left juggling contractors and quotations so it can be fixed. Good news is the cause will be fixed next week.
Lastly, being a class-A IDIOT....I decided that I needed a new project. So, for Buddy's birthday party I am making all the kids personalized capes. Guess where I will be at 10pm tonight? Yup....at the sewing machine feverishly sewing superhero capes for 10 kidlets. They will look cute but I didn't realize how much work this was going to be. I have two weeks to get them all finished. Thank goodness I started early!
So these are all contributing factors to my infrequent updates. I apologize but the tipping point has been reached.
Since Super Husband left (last weekend):
While attending a birthday party, I went upstairs to check on the kids only to find them playing what they called "The Humpty Dumpty Game". Apparently this game entails all children to stand in a circle, recite Humpty Dumpty and at the end pull both pants and underwear off. And shake your goods for all to see. Now I know.
I have learned to check contents of garbage. Apparently Super Husband threw out an exacto knife in the basement bathroom garbage. I had no idea. Little Man discovered it, took it out, mastered the safety feature that prevents the blade from being out without someone holding it securely and tested it out on his head. I found out when Buddy raced upstairs to announce Little Man has "bleed" on his head. Wonderful. Try explaining that one to daycare.
Only three more sleeps until Super Husband returns.
I think I can, I think I can.....
Super Husband is away on another business trip. I've said it before and I'll say it again. It's really hard to be "on" all.the.time. Work is INSANE right now. Naturally this week is the week that just about everyone decides to take off and I am left to hold the fort. My direct report is out of office, the formal PM out of office, Business Lead for both my major projects out of office....not to mention my husband. In the end it means I get left facilitating lots of meetings and the crowning glory: a formal presentation to the President and Senior leadership team. At 4pm Friday. Enough said???
Aside from that, I have been dealing with the aftermath of a flood in our new house. Yes, you read that right. The house is 40+ years old and never had any issues. Until we move in. With all the rain we had a couple of weeks ago the basement flooded. Carpet soaked and laminate bubbling out. Let's not forget our bedroom is down there. Oh, the joy. So now we are left juggling contractors and quotations so it can be fixed. Good news is the cause will be fixed next week.
Lastly, being a class-A IDIOT....I decided that I needed a new project. So, for Buddy's birthday party I am making all the kids personalized capes. Guess where I will be at 10pm tonight? Yup....at the sewing machine feverishly sewing superhero capes for 10 kidlets. They will look cute but I didn't realize how much work this was going to be. I have two weeks to get them all finished. Thank goodness I started early!
So these are all contributing factors to my infrequent updates. I apologize but the tipping point has been reached.
Since Super Husband left (last weekend):
While attending a birthday party, I went upstairs to check on the kids only to find them playing what they called "The Humpty Dumpty Game". Apparently this game entails all children to stand in a circle, recite Humpty Dumpty and at the end pull both pants and underwear off. And shake your goods for all to see. Now I know.
I have learned to check contents of garbage. Apparently Super Husband threw out an exacto knife in the basement bathroom garbage. I had no idea. Little Man discovered it, took it out, mastered the safety feature that prevents the blade from being out without someone holding it securely and tested it out on his head. I found out when Buddy raced upstairs to announce Little Man has "bleed" on his head. Wonderful. Try explaining that one to daycare.
Only three more sleeps until Super Husband returns.
I think I can, I think I can.....
August 8, 2012
I like Buddy's Version Best
Yes, I know I still owe Parts 2 & 3 of our lovely vacation experience. I haven't forgotten. I'm just busy. And tired.
Anyway, all in good time.
For now you will have to wait and settle for what I thought was the most hilarious event that took place this past weekend.
Buddy loves music and dancing. He breaks out lyrics to songs I didn't even know he has ever heard on a frequent and recurring basis. A couple of weeks ago he started randomly singing "La Bamba" to himself, for example.
Well on Saturday the Maroon 5 song Moves Like Jagger came on and he went crazy pulling out all kinds of dance moves and attempting to sing along. I couldn't really tell what the chorus words were that he was singing so I asked him to sing them to me.
He gives me an odd look then belts out:
"I've got to move my jacket"
"I've got to move my jacket"
"I've got to mo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-ove my jacket"
Super Husband and I nearly died laughing.
It's moments like this that I want to bottle up forever.
And unbottle on his wedding day.
Anyway, all in good time.
For now you will have to wait and settle for what I thought was the most hilarious event that took place this past weekend.
Buddy loves music and dancing. He breaks out lyrics to songs I didn't even know he has ever heard on a frequent and recurring basis. A couple of weeks ago he started randomly singing "La Bamba" to himself, for example.
Well on Saturday the Maroon 5 song Moves Like Jagger came on and he went crazy pulling out all kinds of dance moves and attempting to sing along. I couldn't really tell what the chorus words were that he was singing so I asked him to sing them to me.
He gives me an odd look then belts out:
"I've got to move my jacket"
"I've got to move my jacket"
"I've got to mo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-ove my jacket"
Super Husband and I nearly died laughing.
It's moments like this that I want to bottle up forever.
And unbottle on his wedding day.
August 3, 2012
Home For A Rest
For any of you old retro-lovers out there you probably have many fond memories of partying the night away slurring chanting the words to Spirit of the West's "Home for A Rest". Or is it just me? Anyway....the underlying message from that song is that vacation is killing these people (presumably from an over abundance of alcohol) and they need to get back home to recover. This is EXACTLY how I feel after our vacation. Only there was ZERO partying happening......
How is this possible?
Take a jam-packed agenda and add a 2 and 3 year old to it for a week. At the end of it I assure you....only the strongest will survive. Trust me, it's easier to withstand a brutal hangover while riding a tilt-a-whirl than brave what Super Husband and I did. We made it out alive but believe me, it was a touch and go situation.
OurNational Lampoon's Family Vacation
The first leg of our vacation was camping. Super Husband and I were avid campers pre-children. So many fond memories of relaxing by the beach, snuggling by the camp fire and enjoying a cold brew. Ha! Long gone are those days, my friend! We arrived at Algonquin Park on Sunday afternoon after an eventful ride over and multiple potty breaks. We get to our site and start to unload. The kids, having been pent up in the car for hours on end, are about to go ballistic. They get out and start running around. Super Husband and I are still reeling from the news that there is a TOTAL FIRE BAN under effect. What the fuck? Who goes camping and doesn't get to have a camp fire? US, apparently! It's actually so dry that the entire site is a cloud of dust which immediately envelops all of us and clings to us because we are sweating like pigs. Awesome.
On to tent building. Super Husband pulls the gear out and realizes not one but TWO poles are broken. This is despite the fact he had set the tent up in our yard without incident only days before. Awesome.
I don't know how, but Super Husband gets the damn thing erected and then moves on to inflating the air mattresses. With the lovely car adapter power device he purchased only hours before. Plugs it in. Nothing. What the fuck? Oh, right.....it's only 210 volts and the air mattress requires 220 volts. Awesome.
After an emergency trip to the store, we get the silly things inflated and the kids snacked up and eat dinner. Now what? Dusk is approaching, Super Husband and I are exhausted.....and we can't light a damn fire. The bugs are surrounding us....so we moved on to our favourite time of the day. Bedtime.
Of course, it's still not dark out, the guys are totally hopped up on candy and frankly do not want to sleep. After 1.5 hours of struggling the kids are finally asleep. So are we.
I wake up at about 2am and feel like I've been beaten with a stick. My back is wrenched. What the hell is going on? Oh right....the air mattress that me and Buddy are sleeping on is completely deflated. Awesome.
We get up the next morning and excitedly get ready for our day. We've reserved two bikes and a trailer to use on the old railway bike trail. This is going to be freaking great! We get all ready, set out, get all set up and the kids loaded and start on our way. After 6 minutes the total meltdown started in the trailer.
"He's touching me"
"Make him stop"
"Don't look at me"
"I want to walk"
"Where's MY bike"?
We were forced to stop. At which point the kids ejected themselves from the trailer.
Meanwhile, other families rode by with their content smiling children happy as clams. Assholes! What do these parents do? Do they sedate the children beforehand? What are we doing wrong here?
After 20 minutes of argument we finally convince them to get back in the trailer and continue. All is good. For three minutes. Then the fighting starts again.
We stop and break out lunch. Buddy announces, "I have to poo". Of course. How convenient.
By this time it's like 400 degrees and we are sweaty, dirty and fed up. we decide to take Buddy to the washroom, eat and then head back. Super Husband announces he thinks he's going to pass out. What? Pulling a trailer with 80 pounds of kids and gear can't be that hard, can it? Awesome.
So back we go. We get back to the bike shop. We had paid for a 24-hour rental. Two hours had elapsed. I ask the kid if we can change our rental to the 4 hour version as we are done. He gets the supervisor who takes one look at us and asks, "It was that good, huh"? Yes....it was. Awesome.
The rest of the trip camping was a blur. Lots of meltdowns from both kids and parents. Little Man had an EPIC meltdown at bedtime and was disturbing everyone in the park so I strapped him in his car seat to scream it out (don't worry...I was in the car with him). He freaked out so bad that he burst a blood vessel in his eye. No, I am not kidding. Awesome.
In the end we got up the following morning and hauled ass out of there. Super Husband advised me it would be "a loooong time" before we camp again.
I will elaborate on our next vacation adventure in another instalment. Right now....I've got to work.
How is this possible?
Take a jam-packed agenda and add a 2 and 3 year old to it for a week. At the end of it I assure you....only the strongest will survive. Trust me, it's easier to withstand a brutal hangover while riding a tilt-a-whirl than brave what Super Husband and I did. We made it out alive but believe me, it was a touch and go situation.
Our
The first leg of our vacation was camping. Super Husband and I were avid campers pre-children. So many fond memories of relaxing by the beach, snuggling by the camp fire and enjoying a cold brew. Ha! Long gone are those days, my friend! We arrived at Algonquin Park on Sunday afternoon after an eventful ride over and multiple potty breaks. We get to our site and start to unload. The kids, having been pent up in the car for hours on end, are about to go ballistic. They get out and start running around. Super Husband and I are still reeling from the news that there is a TOTAL FIRE BAN under effect. What the fuck? Who goes camping and doesn't get to have a camp fire? US, apparently! It's actually so dry that the entire site is a cloud of dust which immediately envelops all of us and clings to us because we are sweating like pigs. Awesome.
On to tent building. Super Husband pulls the gear out and realizes not one but TWO poles are broken. This is despite the fact he had set the tent up in our yard without incident only days before. Awesome.
I don't know how, but Super Husband gets the damn thing erected and then moves on to inflating the air mattresses. With the lovely car adapter power device he purchased only hours before. Plugs it in. Nothing. What the fuck? Oh, right.....it's only 210 volts and the air mattress requires 220 volts. Awesome.
After an emergency trip to the store, we get the silly things inflated and the kids snacked up and eat dinner. Now what? Dusk is approaching, Super Husband and I are exhausted.....and we can't light a damn fire. The bugs are surrounding us....so we moved on to our favourite time of the day. Bedtime.
Of course, it's still not dark out, the guys are totally hopped up on candy and frankly do not want to sleep. After 1.5 hours of struggling the kids are finally asleep. So are we.
I wake up at about 2am and feel like I've been beaten with a stick. My back is wrenched. What the hell is going on? Oh right....the air mattress that me and Buddy are sleeping on is completely deflated. Awesome.
We get up the next morning and excitedly get ready for our day. We've reserved two bikes and a trailer to use on the old railway bike trail. This is going to be freaking great! We get all ready, set out, get all set up and the kids loaded and start on our way. After 6 minutes the total meltdown started in the trailer.
"He's touching me"
"Make him stop"
"Don't look at me"
"I want to walk"
"Where's MY bike"?
We were forced to stop. At which point the kids ejected themselves from the trailer.
Meanwhile, other families rode by with their content smiling children happy as clams. Assholes! What do these parents do? Do they sedate the children beforehand? What are we doing wrong here?
After 20 minutes of argument we finally convince them to get back in the trailer and continue. All is good. For three minutes. Then the fighting starts again.
We stop and break out lunch. Buddy announces, "I have to poo". Of course. How convenient.
By this time it's like 400 degrees and we are sweaty, dirty and fed up. we decide to take Buddy to the washroom, eat and then head back. Super Husband announces he thinks he's going to pass out. What? Pulling a trailer with 80 pounds of kids and gear can't be that hard, can it? Awesome.
So back we go. We get back to the bike shop. We had paid for a 24-hour rental. Two hours had elapsed. I ask the kid if we can change our rental to the 4 hour version as we are done. He gets the supervisor who takes one look at us and asks, "It was that good, huh"? Yes....it was. Awesome.
The rest of the trip camping was a blur. Lots of meltdowns from both kids and parents. Little Man had an EPIC meltdown at bedtime and was disturbing everyone in the park so I strapped him in his car seat to scream it out (don't worry...I was in the car with him). He freaked out so bad that he burst a blood vessel in his eye. No, I am not kidding. Awesome.
In the end we got up the following morning and hauled ass out of there. Super Husband advised me it would be "a loooong time" before we camp again.
I will elaborate on our next vacation adventure in another instalment. Right now....I've got to work.
July 12, 2012
Scratch That
Remember in my last post how I talked about how looking after my kids was getting to be so much easier and enjoyable than in the past? Remember how I was so proud of myself and feeling like I had this mommy thing all worked out?
Well that was before Tuesday.
Tuesday I took the day off to be with the guys and take them to Wonderland (solo....Super Husband is still away on business). My friends were astonished.
"You're what"?
"Taking BOTH kids by yourself"?
"Good Luck"! (dripping with sarcasm)
I am convinced that these asshole comments set me up for disaster.
I couldn't possibly capture the horrendousness of the day in a blog post but I will say this.
1. The workers will actually stop a ride to let your 2.5 hear old get out because he has Houdini-style flung his legs over the side of the airborne airplane and is screaming "Mommy"! Apparently other parents get annoyed when this happens. Especially when they are waiting in line.
2. The big red button on the control panel marked EMERGENCY STOP really does stop all the trains in their tracks! Amazing! Even more amazing is the fact they place said button to be accessible and low enough that a 2.5 year old can reach it while mommy is unloading other child from ride.
Yes! It's true! Little Man managed to shut the whole ride down without aid of a qualified worker.
We made a hasty exit after that one.
By the time we got home I was ready to implode.
Thankfully Super Husband is coming home tonight.
Tag - you're it! I've got a date with a bottle of chilled white.
Well that was before Tuesday.
Tuesday I took the day off to be with the guys and take them to Wonderland (solo....Super Husband is still away on business). My friends were astonished.
"You're what"?
"Taking BOTH kids by yourself"?
"Good Luck"! (dripping with sarcasm)
I am convinced that these asshole comments set me up for disaster.
I couldn't possibly capture the horrendousness of the day in a blog post but I will say this.
1. The workers will actually stop a ride to let your 2.5 hear old get out because he has Houdini-style flung his legs over the side of the airborne airplane and is screaming "Mommy"! Apparently other parents get annoyed when this happens. Especially when they are waiting in line.
2. The big red button on the control panel marked EMERGENCY STOP really does stop all the trains in their tracks! Amazing! Even more amazing is the fact they place said button to be accessible and low enough that a 2.5 year old can reach it while mommy is unloading other child from ride.
Yes! It's true! Little Man managed to shut the whole ride down without aid of a qualified worker.
We made a hasty exit after that one.
By the time we got home I was ready to implode.
Thankfully Super Husband is coming home tonight.
Tag - you're it! I've got a date with a bottle of chilled white.
July 9, 2012
I Did It!!!
I survived the weekend as a single mom. With sanity FULLY INTACT! Trust me....that is an accomplishment!
Every time Super Husband leaves on business I get the dreaded sinking feeling in my stomach. OMG....how will I cope? Heck - I used to get that feeling when he left to go to work for the DAY! Fast forward to the present time and I have to say that juggling a 3.75 year old and 2.5 year old is SO, SO much more manageable than when they were younger. We actually had fun! Yes, there were moments that mommy wanted to crawl back in bed or mix a margarita and put earplugs in but overall it was a good weekend. And to boot a PRODUCTIVE one. SCORE!
One od my super close friends had a baby less than 2 weeks ago and I have been feverishly working on a quilt to give as a baby gift. I finally completed it Saturday morning while allowing the kids to watch a bit too much TV (oops).
I am super pleased with the end result. This is my second quilt and the first time I've attempted to do free motion quilting. Meaning I used a darning needle and made squiggly lines all over the quilt instead of the straight ones I did on #1 (surprisingly, the straight ones are harder....at least in my humble opinion).
Sorry for the crappy pictures. Super Husband took the camera with him on his trip so I am left with my phone camera. I suppose I could have used my iPad...but I only thought of that now. Oh well. It looked great after I washed and dried it and it was all soft, warm and crinkly!
I'm thinking of starting another one as I have lots of scraps left over from this one.
After finally completing the quilt project I pacaged the kidlets up and off to a party at a gymnastics place. They had a blast! From there we went for dinner at a friends house (and gave the quilt)!
Sunday we got up and I decided to be brave and take both of them out shopping. Now, I generally avoid doing this unless Super Husband is with me as backup because there is inevitably a meltdown and nothing gets accomplished. But damn it, I needed to cross stuff off my growing "to-do" list so off we went. First stop - Crappy Tire. To return a sleeping bag that we had bought for Buddy. We got it home, unrolled it, and realized it was not very high quality so we of course spent more money on a better one. Sigh. Returned that and then set off to find a puddle jumper for Little Man (Buddy already has one and LOVES it). Bingo! Found one - the last one that was not pink or purple. And on sale! Score! Hightailed it out of there for my favourite store. Costco. Oh, how I adore Costco. Managed to get some new storage bins and snack items before making a hasty exit before meltdowns ensued. Thebribery lollypops can only do so much.
After lunch we gathered our stuff up and set off for Lionel's Petting Farm. The kids love this place, it's close to home and not only is it FREE but you get to feed the animals your stale bread and wilty lettuce so you don't feel like shit about pitching it in the garbage! Total win on all counts! On our way both beasties fell asleep (yes) so I decided to keep driving and enjoy the silence. As I continued North, I was surprised to suddenly see a mass of cars pulled over and parked. I mean, we were in the middle of nowhere...what the heck was going on? So I asked someone walking by and he told me it was an open house for steam trains...little ones. Wow! My boys are totally gaga for trains! SWEET! So I parked that car then and there and woke up my boys to go see trains.
What a surprise! It was swarming but we got right in line and after a lengthy wait rode on a mini steam engine! It was so, so cool!
Afterwards, we continued on to the Petting Farm and then home for dinner. A great day, overall! I guess it really is true that it gets easier when they get a bit older. Hip Hip Hooray!
Every time Super Husband leaves on business I get the dreaded sinking feeling in my stomach. OMG....how will I cope? Heck - I used to get that feeling when he left to go to work for the DAY! Fast forward to the present time and I have to say that juggling a 3.75 year old and 2.5 year old is SO, SO much more manageable than when they were younger. We actually had fun! Yes, there were moments that mommy wanted to crawl back in bed or mix a margarita and put earplugs in but overall it was a good weekend. And to boot a PRODUCTIVE one. SCORE!
One od my super close friends had a baby less than 2 weeks ago and I have been feverishly working on a quilt to give as a baby gift. I finally completed it Saturday morning while allowing the kids to watch a bit too much TV (oops).
I am super pleased with the end result. This is my second quilt and the first time I've attempted to do free motion quilting. Meaning I used a darning needle and made squiggly lines all over the quilt instead of the straight ones I did on #1 (surprisingly, the straight ones are harder....at least in my humble opinion).
Sorry for the crappy pictures. Super Husband took the camera with him on his trip so I am left with my phone camera. I suppose I could have used my iPad...but I only thought of that now. Oh well. It looked great after I washed and dried it and it was all soft, warm and crinkly!
I'm thinking of starting another one as I have lots of scraps left over from this one.
After finally completing the quilt project I pacaged the kidlets up and off to a party at a gymnastics place. They had a blast! From there we went for dinner at a friends house (and gave the quilt)!
Sunday we got up and I decided to be brave and take both of them out shopping. Now, I generally avoid doing this unless Super Husband is with me as backup because there is inevitably a meltdown and nothing gets accomplished. But damn it, I needed to cross stuff off my growing "to-do" list so off we went. First stop - Crappy Tire. To return a sleeping bag that we had bought for Buddy. We got it home, unrolled it, and realized it was not very high quality so we of course spent more money on a better one. Sigh. Returned that and then set off to find a puddle jumper for Little Man (Buddy already has one and LOVES it). Bingo! Found one - the last one that was not pink or purple. And on sale! Score! Hightailed it out of there for my favourite store. Costco. Oh, how I adore Costco. Managed to get some new storage bins and snack items before making a hasty exit before meltdowns ensued. The
After lunch we gathered our stuff up and set off for Lionel's Petting Farm. The kids love this place, it's close to home and not only is it FREE but you get to feed the animals your stale bread and wilty lettuce so you don't feel like shit about pitching it in the garbage! Total win on all counts! On our way both beasties fell asleep (yes) so I decided to keep driving and enjoy the silence. As I continued North, I was surprised to suddenly see a mass of cars pulled over and parked. I mean, we were in the middle of nowhere...what the heck was going on? So I asked someone walking by and he told me it was an open house for steam trains...little ones. Wow! My boys are totally gaga for trains! SWEET! So I parked that car then and there and woke up my boys to go see trains.
What a surprise! It was swarming but we got right in line and after a lengthy wait rode on a mini steam engine! It was so, so cool!
Afterwards, we continued on to the Petting Farm and then home for dinner. A great day, overall! I guess it really is true that it gets easier when they get a bit older. Hip Hip Hooray!
July 4, 2012
Single Parenting
....Is HARD! My hats of to the moms and dads that do this each and every day. You deserve a tall cold one. But only one because having too many results in bad parenting, I'm sure. Yet another reason why having two full time parents is easier. You can rotate being the responsible one.
We already know parenting is the toughest job there is and I honestly cannot fathom doing it alone full time.
Super Husband has left for the next week and a half on a work trip to a remote location in Northern Quebec so I am holding the fort and keeping the kidlets entertained. To be honest, I don't mind during the week. Between work and daycare and the regular routine that is life doing it alone is manageable. What I do struggle with is the weekends I am alone. Because weekends = lots of hours without anywhere we need to be. And that's a SCARY thing with young kids. Or maybe it's just MY kids??? You see, after getting up and eating breakfast my kids need to have a plan. There needs to be a very well planned agenda or the day goes down the shitter reallly fast. So I need to be strategic this week and pre plan our escapades for the weekend or I will be dealing with two little tazmanians before lunch Saturday - YIKES!
The good news is that this summer is SO much easier than last summer....or the summer before. As the guys get easier it is so much more doable with sanity intact. And let's not forget we don't have the house stress we had last summer. Trust me....I was not a happy lady when Super Husband left for 2 weeks (yes, it was longer last year) and I had to deal with an 18 month old and 2.75 year old while the apartment was 96 degrees. Yes....96 degrees! Thank.God.For.Central.Air.
Anyway, I now need to gigure out an agenda for the weekend. We have Wonderland Passes, Zoo Passes and Science Ctr passes but I am not feeling inspired. We do have a birthday party to attend Saturday afternoon so that will help! Also, the new big backyard is a lifesaver. Lots of room forme the kids to run through the sprinkler!
We already know parenting is the toughest job there is and I honestly cannot fathom doing it alone full time.
Super Husband has left for the next week and a half on a work trip to a remote location in Northern Quebec so I am holding the fort and keeping the kidlets entertained. To be honest, I don't mind during the week. Between work and daycare and the regular routine that is life doing it alone is manageable. What I do struggle with is the weekends I am alone. Because weekends = lots of hours without anywhere we need to be. And that's a SCARY thing with young kids. Or maybe it's just MY kids??? You see, after getting up and eating breakfast my kids need to have a plan. There needs to be a very well planned agenda or the day goes down the shitter reallly fast. So I need to be strategic this week and pre plan our escapades for the weekend or I will be dealing with two little tazmanians before lunch Saturday - YIKES!
The good news is that this summer is SO much easier than last summer....or the summer before. As the guys get easier it is so much more doable with sanity intact. And let's not forget we don't have the house stress we had last summer. Trust me....I was not a happy lady when Super Husband left for 2 weeks (yes, it was longer last year) and I had to deal with an 18 month old and 2.75 year old while the apartment was 96 degrees. Yes....96 degrees! Thank.God.For.Central.Air.
Anyway, I now need to gigure out an agenda for the weekend. We have Wonderland Passes, Zoo Passes and Science Ctr passes but I am not feeling inspired. We do have a birthday party to attend Saturday afternoon so that will help! Also, the new big backyard is a lifesaver. Lots of room for
June 26, 2012
Warm and Fuzzy
There are certain things in life that make you feel good from the inside out.
Kittens and puppies are a good example of this. So are sleeping babies. So lovely!
A close third = Revenge.
Not nasty malicious revenge....but the cool kind. The kind of revenge you might get in an unexpected and unplanned way.
Let me elaborate.
We all know the drama of The Trolls. Paired with that is the drama of Mr. Landlord. Well, it's no secret that Super Husband and I are not happy with Mr. Landlord and his recent actions (or lack thereof) and we warned him that we would not hide our experiences from others.
Perhaps this is why he is working with his real estate agent to go behind our back to show the apartment.
Two weeks ago the real estate agent called and left a message at the apartment to ask when would be a good time to show the place to prospective tenants. I replied with an email as we were in the midst of moving, indicating that as long as we were contacted in advance it was okay and to please communicate via email.
Last week I went into the apartment to pick up a few things and lo and behold there's a message. From the agent. Indicating that she had to do a last minute showing. She did not contact me via email as requested and did not give proper advance notice. I was not a happy camper. I replied with an email and copied Mr. landlord indicating she had best be contacting me in advance and by email from here on in.
Fast forward to today.
Super Husband decided that he would go to the apartment today to finish cleaning before we hand over the keys on Thursday. So there his is, cleaning away when suddenly the door swings open and guess who is there? You guessed it - Miss. Real Estate! Complete with a family to view the place!
Now I'm sure you can just imagine how impressed Super Husband was at this point. NO call, NO warning. Just a mid day viewing while it is assumed we are at work.
So....being a good citizen...Super Husband did what he needed to do. He exlained to the family (a couple and young daughter) that there is a less than desireable housemate residing in the basement. Including smoking, late night partying and, of course, drug busts.
I think it's fair to say that the unit has not yet been rented.
Super Husband is my hero.
And I'm sure the family will thank him for the pain and suffering that has been avoided as a result.
Kittens and puppies are a good example of this. So are sleeping babies. So lovely!
A close third = Revenge.
Not nasty malicious revenge....but the cool kind. The kind of revenge you might get in an unexpected and unplanned way.
Let me elaborate.
We all know the drama of The Trolls. Paired with that is the drama of Mr. Landlord. Well, it's no secret that Super Husband and I are not happy with Mr. Landlord and his recent actions (or lack thereof) and we warned him that we would not hide our experiences from others.
Perhaps this is why he is working with his real estate agent to go behind our back to show the apartment.
Two weeks ago the real estate agent called and left a message at the apartment to ask when would be a good time to show the place to prospective tenants. I replied with an email as we were in the midst of moving, indicating that as long as we were contacted in advance it was okay and to please communicate via email.
Last week I went into the apartment to pick up a few things and lo and behold there's a message. From the agent. Indicating that she had to do a last minute showing. She did not contact me via email as requested and did not give proper advance notice. I was not a happy camper. I replied with an email and copied Mr. landlord indicating she had best be contacting me in advance and by email from here on in.
Fast forward to today.
Super Husband decided that he would go to the apartment today to finish cleaning before we hand over the keys on Thursday. So there his is, cleaning away when suddenly the door swings open and guess who is there? You guessed it - Miss. Real Estate! Complete with a family to view the place!
Now I'm sure you can just imagine how impressed Super Husband was at this point. NO call, NO warning. Just a mid day viewing while it is assumed we are at work.
So....being a good citizen...Super Husband did what he needed to do. He exlained to the family (a couple and young daughter) that there is a less than desireable housemate residing in the basement. Including smoking, late night partying and, of course, drug busts.
I think it's fair to say that the unit has not yet been rented.
Super Husband is my hero.
And I'm sure the family will thank him for the pain and suffering that has been avoided as a result.
June 20, 2012
Dragging
Well here I am on the other side of the great move of 2012....and boy am I tired.
Exhausted.
Drained.
Wiped.
Done.
In case you were wondering...moving SUCKS. Moving with two young children SUCKS IMMENSELY. In all honesty they did great. They are total troopers. Maybe it's just that Super Husband and I are extra worn out and grumpy but I don't wanna unpack anything else. I am tired of finding a new and inventive place for all the crap we don't use/need/require. My "Donate" pile is becomming more of a mountain which then makes me anxious because in fact it is just another pile of stuff to move again...YIKES! Make it stop!
The reality is that the new house is great and as soon as we finish settling in, finally get cable, internet and phone hooked up and start falling into a new working routine it will be awesome. Until then....we are a bit on the grumpy side.
Oh....and we will all breathe a sigh of relief when we officially hand in the keys from the old place. Unfortunately it still needs to be cleaned and some straggling items moved out first. GAH!
In the meantime I am quite thrilled that we decided to move last weekend. This week is scorching and without air conditioning it would have been a real beast of a week in the old place. Hooray for climate control!
Exhausted.
Drained.
Wiped.
Done.
In case you were wondering...moving SUCKS. Moving with two young children SUCKS IMMENSELY. In all honesty they did great. They are total troopers. Maybe it's just that Super Husband and I are extra worn out and grumpy but I don't wanna unpack anything else. I am tired of finding a new and inventive place for all the crap we don't use/need/require. My "Donate" pile is becomming more of a mountain which then makes me anxious because in fact it is just another pile of stuff to move again...YIKES! Make it stop!
The reality is that the new house is great and as soon as we finish settling in, finally get cable, internet and phone hooked up and start falling into a new working routine it will be awesome. Until then....we are a bit on the grumpy side.
Oh....and we will all breathe a sigh of relief when we officially hand in the keys from the old place. Unfortunately it still needs to be cleaned and some straggling items moved out first. GAH!
In the meantime I am quite thrilled that we decided to move last weekend. This week is scorching and without air conditioning it would have been a real beast of a week in the old place. Hooray for climate control!
June 15, 2012
It's Moving Weekend
Yes, it's that time again. Time to uproot our family and replant then in another place to live. Of course, we are all very excited about this particular move but nonetheless....it's draining, stressful and we are dealing with the fallout from the kidlets.
Last night Little Man decided to pee on the floor.
He NEVER does stuff like that. I know he did it to get extra attention and because he's a bit out of sorts but that didn't make us any less frustrated. In my head I was like...Really? REALLY? I guess I just didn't look like I had enough to do or something. *SIGH* Oh, and what did Little Man also decide to do last night while I was distracted taping a box? Put 5 Yes, 5) marbles in his mouth and walk around that way. I didn't see him put them in his mouth but did see him walk by looking like he was a chipmunk. I stopped in my tracks.
Me: Little Man....what is in your mouth?
Little Man: (stares at me)
Me: (cupping hand under chin) Spit it out
Little Man: (spits marbles into my hand)
I will not repeat any comments that I may or may not have made at that point.
So tonight we need to finish packing the small, useless crap that is hiding in every cupboard, closet and drawer (I'm convinced this stuff breeds) and tomorrow we pack up the U-Haul and ride off into the sunset. Well, not really because we plan to drive off long before sunset time in June but you know what I mean.
We will, sadly, need to come back again to clean, etc. But as of tomorrow we will be sleeping at the new house.
We will all shed a tear or two.
Yes, I'm joking.
Last night Little Man decided to pee on the floor.
He NEVER does stuff like that. I know he did it to get extra attention and because he's a bit out of sorts but that didn't make us any less frustrated. In my head I was like...Really? REALLY? I guess I just didn't look like I had enough to do or something. *SIGH* Oh, and what did Little Man also decide to do last night while I was distracted taping a box? Put 5 Yes, 5) marbles in his mouth and walk around that way. I didn't see him put them in his mouth but did see him walk by looking like he was a chipmunk. I stopped in my tracks.
Me: Little Man....what is in your mouth?
Little Man: (stares at me)
Me: (cupping hand under chin) Spit it out
Little Man: (spits marbles into my hand)
I will not repeat any comments that I may or may not have made at that point.
So tonight we need to finish packing the small, useless crap that is hiding in every cupboard, closet and drawer (I'm convinced this stuff breeds) and tomorrow we pack up the U-Haul and ride off into the sunset. Well, not really because we plan to drive off long before sunset time in June but you know what I mean.
We will, sadly, need to come back again to clean, etc. But as of tomorrow we will be sleeping at the new house.
We will all shed a tear or two.
Yes, I'm joking.
June 12, 2012
Just an Update
Well I am very happy to report that operation storage move went very well last Saturday! I was ready to have some challenges with the movers (see previous post) but in the end they were amazing and efficient! PHEW!
Now we just need to move the rest of our stuff in this weekend and we can officially say bye to the crappy, Troll-infested, hot-as-hell apartment.
I've rented a truck for this Saturday and we are recruiting a friend to help us move some of the heavy stuff so I *think* we are all set!
We are very excited to close this chapter and start a new one. Wish us luck...and that the two little monsters are cooperative so that we can actually get the move accomplished :)
Now we just need to move the rest of our stuff in this weekend and we can officially say bye to the crappy, Troll-infested, hot-as-hell apartment.
I've rented a truck for this Saturday and we are recruiting a friend to help us move some of the heavy stuff so I *think* we are all set!
We are very excited to close this chapter and start a new one. Wish us luck...and that the two little monsters are cooperative so that we can actually get the move accomplished :)
June 8, 2012
Make it Happen
About six weeks ago, I made an appointment for a professional mover to come over to our friends' house to assess all the stuff we have stored in their basement and give us a quote to move it to our new place. The mover was recommended by the friend who is actually storing our stuff so we pretty much knew we would just accept the quote because we wanted our friends to be comfortable with the movers traipsing through their place.
Anyway, so we get over there before the mover and start visiting and enjoy a couple of glasses of wine. Probably should have waited until AFTER the quote but hey, shit happens.
So this guy comes over and we take him down to assess our mountain of stuff. Now, I should clarify that the mountain was created by the movers (also professional) that moved it there. It doesn't look pretty, but it works and is contained. Well Mr. Mover is unimpressed, apparently, because he frowns and starts muttering about too many "loose" items. Huh? The only loose items visible are some pictures (wrapped in newsprint individually) and some foam floor pads that we kept loose in case we needed to use for cushioning.
He then proceeds to tell me it's a "two truck" job.
Well that's funny....because it only took one truck to move it there and since the move we've taken some stuff out so there's less than when it was moved initially. When I blurted that info out he looked at me like I might be lying. Thankfully my friend confirmed it was indeed one truck. He then went on about how he cannot guarantee it will fit (blah, blah, blah). I shut him down by advising we would be bringing our trailer for overflow.
Sigh.
Nothing is easy.
So tomorrow is the big day. We need to get ourselves packed up and over to Whitby for 8:30am. My fingers crossed that nothing gets broken and that it all fits. Not that I'll gloat or anything.
I am thrilled that we will finally have all our stuff back in one place....though I know it will once again highlight our need for a massive purge.
At the end of the day....I just want it DONE!
Anyway, so we get over there before the mover and start visiting and enjoy a couple of glasses of wine. Probably should have waited until AFTER the quote but hey, shit happens.
So this guy comes over and we take him down to assess our mountain of stuff. Now, I should clarify that the mountain was created by the movers (also professional) that moved it there. It doesn't look pretty, but it works and is contained. Well Mr. Mover is unimpressed, apparently, because he frowns and starts muttering about too many "loose" items. Huh? The only loose items visible are some pictures (wrapped in newsprint individually) and some foam floor pads that we kept loose in case we needed to use for cushioning.
He then proceeds to tell me it's a "two truck" job.
Well that's funny....because it only took one truck to move it there and since the move we've taken some stuff out so there's less than when it was moved initially. When I blurted that info out he looked at me like I might be lying. Thankfully my friend confirmed it was indeed one truck. He then went on about how he cannot guarantee it will fit (blah, blah, blah). I shut him down by advising we would be bringing our trailer for overflow.
Sigh.
Nothing is easy.
So tomorrow is the big day. We need to get ourselves packed up and over to Whitby for 8:30am. My fingers crossed that nothing gets broken and that it all fits. Not that I'll gloat or anything.
I am thrilled that we will finally have all our stuff back in one place....though I know it will once again highlight our need for a massive purge.
At the end of the day....I just want it DONE!
June 4, 2012
You Have GOT to be Kidding
Before I start on my rant, I should highlight the positives from this past weekend. We managed to cart three full trailer loads of stuff to the new house plus transport our beast of a treadmill from our friends house to the basement of the new house. That situation was touch and go, let me tell you. There was a time it was suggested that it wouldn't fit down the stairs....that just wasn't going to fly. I NEEDED my treadmill in the basement. I have to rekindle my love affair! So, alas, we managed to get that thing down the stairs. It took two grown men plus myself heaving with all our might.
Anyway, we are still thrilled with our decision to move and are very happy with the new house. Thank goodness for that.
In other updates, Mr. Landlord popped by last night to pick up his rent cheque. I asked him point blank what was going on with the Troll situation. His reply?
Wait for it....
Here it comes.....
"Well, since you are leaving I told him he could stay".
What the fuck?
Like seriously. This loser never pays his rent on time, refuses to pay us for his share of utilities, smokes in the house, has drug busts and police showing up with guns drawn.....and you feel it makes sense to let him stay?????
I LOST it. I know it really doesn't matter and it really accomplishes nothing in the grand scheme of things but I really felt the need to air the dirty laundry. In all honesty I cannot even recall all of what was said because I was hopping mad but I spoke my mind. I told him that I was disgusted and that he treated us unfairly by constantly telling us what we wanted to hear (that he was "getting rid" of The Trolls) when in fact he really didn't care. He argued that wasn't the fact and that he was undergoing true legal action conveniently enough the day before I emailed our notice. Ummmm....ya, right. Of course that was the timing after all these months. Do I look like an idiot? I guess I must.
Super Husband got so pissed off that he actually un paused the soccer game he had been watching and turned his back on Mr. Landlord. I nearly broke out laughing at that point. At the end, Super Husband turned and added to the conversation, "Well, you know, as long as you find new chain smoking, drug dealing partiers for tenants everything should work out just fine". I love my husband. He's super awesome.
In the end, Mr. Landlord was clearly distraught over the exchange, looked me in the eye and said, "Please don't be mad". I looked him square back and replied, "Oh, I'm angry all right. Nothing is going to change that. I have nothing left to say".
And that was it.
Does his decision really matter? No. Does it impact us moving forward? No. So that's all that matters in the end. What Super Husband and I are upset about is that this louse gets to continue loafing through life getting everything handing to him on a silver platter. He always comes up smelling like roses. And I HATE that people like that get away with it while good, honest, hardworking people like us get screwed.
I guess I'll step off my soapbox now.
It's a new day.
Anyway, we are still thrilled with our decision to move and are very happy with the new house. Thank goodness for that.
In other updates, Mr. Landlord popped by last night to pick up his rent cheque. I asked him point blank what was going on with the Troll situation. His reply?
Wait for it....
Here it comes.....
"Well, since you are leaving I told him he could stay".
What the fuck?
Like seriously. This loser never pays his rent on time, refuses to pay us for his share of utilities, smokes in the house, has drug busts and police showing up with guns drawn.....and you feel it makes sense to let him stay?????
I LOST it. I know it really doesn't matter and it really accomplishes nothing in the grand scheme of things but I really felt the need to air the dirty laundry. In all honesty I cannot even recall all of what was said because I was hopping mad but I spoke my mind. I told him that I was disgusted and that he treated us unfairly by constantly telling us what we wanted to hear (that he was "getting rid" of The Trolls) when in fact he really didn't care. He argued that wasn't the fact and that he was undergoing true legal action conveniently enough the day before I emailed our notice. Ummmm....ya, right. Of course that was the timing after all these months. Do I look like an idiot? I guess I must.
Super Husband got so pissed off that he actually un paused the soccer game he had been watching and turned his back on Mr. Landlord. I nearly broke out laughing at that point. At the end, Super Husband turned and added to the conversation, "Well, you know, as long as you find new chain smoking, drug dealing partiers for tenants everything should work out just fine". I love my husband. He's super awesome.
In the end, Mr. Landlord was clearly distraught over the exchange, looked me in the eye and said, "Please don't be mad". I looked him square back and replied, "Oh, I'm angry all right. Nothing is going to change that. I have nothing left to say".
And that was it.
Does his decision really matter? No. Does it impact us moving forward? No. So that's all that matters in the end. What Super Husband and I are upset about is that this louse gets to continue loafing through life getting everything handing to him on a silver platter. He always comes up smelling like roses. And I HATE that people like that get away with it while good, honest, hardworking people like us get screwed.
I guess I'll step off my soapbox now.
It's a new day.
June 1, 2012
I'm Just a Spaz!
Two posts in one day?!?! I've regained my blogger mojo!
So what has prompted my second post today?
#1
I called and spoke to Mr. Landlord. All is well. He will come by for the rent cheque Sunday and is fine with my proposal to deduct gas money from the total. Hooray for that.
#2
I'm such a dolt that I've completely forgotten to give any updates on my Weight Watcher challenge. As of right now, I have lost 11 pounds! And I feel really great! I've even purchased a few new items of clothing and started wearing things that had been lurking in the back of my closet, untouched for waaaaay too long! I'm very happy at this weight but it would be super awesome if I dropped another 4 or 5 pounds. Possibly after the move and when I have rekindled my love affair with my treadmill?
We will see :)
At any rate, despite the crappy weather outside (torrential rain, apparently) I am feeling really positive and ready to tackle the world.
BRING IT!
So what has prompted my second post today?
#1
I called and spoke to Mr. Landlord. All is well. He will come by for the rent cheque Sunday and is fine with my proposal to deduct gas money from the total. Hooray for that.
#2
I'm such a dolt that I've completely forgotten to give any updates on my Weight Watcher challenge. As of right now, I have lost 11 pounds! And I feel really great! I've even purchased a few new items of clothing and started wearing things that had been lurking in the back of my closet, untouched for waaaaay too long! I'm very happy at this weight but it would be super awesome if I dropped another 4 or 5 pounds. Possibly after the move and when I have rekindled my love affair with my treadmill?
We will see :)
At any rate, despite the crappy weather outside (torrential rain, apparently) I am feeling really positive and ready to tackle the world.
BRING IT!
How Worried Should I be.....
...That I STILL have not heard ANYTHING from Mr. Landlord? It's been a full month since I sent off our notice. At first I worried he didn't "get" the email. But he did because he told the man next door we are leaving.
I followed up earlier this week with another email explaining we need to connect because we haven't provided rent for this month. When we signed the lease we provided 12 cheques for the year and they ended in May. Granted, he already has our "security deposit" which is equal to a month of rent, but we are not supposed to see that money until we move out and he confirms we haven't trashed the joint (ha)!
I'm totally confused.
1. Why is he not all over the rent thing?
2. Why hasn't he been interested in showing the house to new potential tenants?
I'm convinced more is going on here than meets the eye.
I think I will call him later and see if he picks up.....
Anyway, on a lighter note we picked up the keys last night to the new house! In addition, we attended a kindergarten orientation at Buddy's new school. We are very happy with the school, the staff, the new house and we are so happy that everything has come together this way.
This weekend will be a busy one. We plan to do 3-4 trailer loads of stuff from old to new house. Luckily the new house was professionally cleaned so we don't have to lift a finger in that regard and just focus on moving :)
Happy Friday!!!
ETA: On a sidenote - it is clear that both Super Husband and I are really paranoid about The Trolls. This was highlighted this morning when Super Husband left for work and then 2 minutes later reappeared at the door. When I asked what was wrong he requested I come out to the car and tell him if I thought it "smelled like smoke". He was convinced that The Trolls broke into the car and left their stank behind. He then proceeded to obsess that his seat wasn't in the correct position and had been tampered with. In the end, I confirmed I smelled no smoke. Only coffee thanks to the Big Gulp sized mug of it he had crammed into the console. Satisfied, he went on his way.
I followed up earlier this week with another email explaining we need to connect because we haven't provided rent for this month. When we signed the lease we provided 12 cheques for the year and they ended in May. Granted, he already has our "security deposit" which is equal to a month of rent, but we are not supposed to see that money until we move out and he confirms we haven't trashed the joint (ha)!
I'm totally confused.
1. Why is he not all over the rent thing?
2. Why hasn't he been interested in showing the house to new potential tenants?
I'm convinced more is going on here than meets the eye.
I think I will call him later and see if he picks up.....
Anyway, on a lighter note we picked up the keys last night to the new house! In addition, we attended a kindergarten orientation at Buddy's new school. We are very happy with the school, the staff, the new house and we are so happy that everything has come together this way.
This weekend will be a busy one. We plan to do 3-4 trailer loads of stuff from old to new house. Luckily the new house was professionally cleaned so we don't have to lift a finger in that regard and just focus on moving :)
Happy Friday!!!
ETA: On a sidenote - it is clear that both Super Husband and I are really paranoid about The Trolls. This was highlighted this morning when Super Husband left for work and then 2 minutes later reappeared at the door. When I asked what was wrong he requested I come out to the car and tell him if I thought it "smelled like smoke". He was convinced that The Trolls broke into the car and left their stank behind. He then proceeded to obsess that his seat wasn't in the correct position and had been tampered with. In the end, I confirmed I smelled no smoke. Only coffee thanks to the Big Gulp sized mug of it he had crammed into the console. Satisfied, he went on his way.
May 25, 2012
I'm Still Here!
My oh my....I've been a naughty and negligent blogger, haven't I?
It hasn't been intentional. Things have been in a pretty constant state of fast forward recently and I haven't been able to stop and take a breath.
So...what's been going on?
Well, as I posted last we have secured a new living space (hooray)! and we are trying to get prepared for that transition. Most of you might think that we have been busy packing. Sadly, no. Packing has not happened. At all. Not one item. Instead, it's all the logistical and behind the scenes stuff we have been focusing on. Booking a mover to get the stuff out of our friend's basement, address changes, disconnects and reconnects.....and of course the juggling of child care. At this point we are still investigating options for Little Man but we are registering Buddy in his new school next week and my fingers are crossed REALLY tightly that he gets a spot in both the before and after school program that is run in his school. Getting in there would be super awesome. There would be no transportation off the school site and it even offers coverage on PA Days, summer, winter break, March Break.....for a really good price. I should find out by next week on that front.
Work is mental busy. I cannot even start on that topic or I might spiral into a 40,000 page synopsis of all that is going on and nobody needs that.
Last week I spent the week in LA at a conference. It was a ton of fun and a nice break from all that is my regular life. I was very happy to return home as I missed my boys terribly, but being away makes you appreciate them even more, right? :)
Not much to report Troll-wise. They are (obviously) still living in the basement. No surprise there. We got another Gas bill (that The Trolls owe 40% of). Super Husband cornered Mr. Troll last weekend and told him he needs to pay up and followed up with, "paying one bill in five months isn't too much to ask, is it"? The Troll's reply? "Talk to your landlord". WTF does that mean? Whatever. I have decided that I'm taking all the money that we are owed and deducting it from our final month of rent. Interestingly, I gave notice 3.5 weeks ago and have heard NOTHING from the landlord since. No response, no viewings....nothing. I know he got the message because he told the neighbor next door we were leaving, but the whole thing is a bit bizarre.
Anyway....that's the quick and dirty.
One more week and we will have the keys to the new pad!!!
It hasn't been intentional. Things have been in a pretty constant state of fast forward recently and I haven't been able to stop and take a breath.
So...what's been going on?
Well, as I posted last we have secured a new living space (hooray)! and we are trying to get prepared for that transition. Most of you might think that we have been busy packing. Sadly, no. Packing has not happened. At all. Not one item. Instead, it's all the logistical and behind the scenes stuff we have been focusing on. Booking a mover to get the stuff out of our friend's basement, address changes, disconnects and reconnects.....and of course the juggling of child care. At this point we are still investigating options for Little Man but we are registering Buddy in his new school next week and my fingers are crossed REALLY tightly that he gets a spot in both the before and after school program that is run in his school. Getting in there would be super awesome. There would be no transportation off the school site and it even offers coverage on PA Days, summer, winter break, March Break.....for a really good price. I should find out by next week on that front.
Work is mental busy. I cannot even start on that topic or I might spiral into a 40,000 page synopsis of all that is going on and nobody needs that.
Last week I spent the week in LA at a conference. It was a ton of fun and a nice break from all that is my regular life. I was very happy to return home as I missed my boys terribly, but being away makes you appreciate them even more, right? :)
Not much to report Troll-wise. They are (obviously) still living in the basement. No surprise there. We got another Gas bill (that The Trolls owe 40% of). Super Husband cornered Mr. Troll last weekend and told him he needs to pay up and followed up with, "paying one bill in five months isn't too much to ask, is it"? The Troll's reply? "Talk to your landlord". WTF does that mean? Whatever. I have decided that I'm taking all the money that we are owed and deducting it from our final month of rent. Interestingly, I gave notice 3.5 weeks ago and have heard NOTHING from the landlord since. No response, no viewings....nothing. I know he got the message because he told the neighbor next door we were leaving, but the whole thing is a bit bizarre.
Anyway....that's the quick and dirty.
One more week and we will have the keys to the new pad!!!
May 7, 2012
Crazy Busy
Life with a young family and two working parents is always crazy. That's a normal fact of life at this lifestage. This is also the reason why moving is so, so, stressful. Moving is, by nature, always stressful and overwhelming so why do we always like to take it one step further by doing it with young kids???? WHY???
To recap our moves since becomming parents:
#1: Move from House #1 to House #2. Buddy was 10 months old and I was 4.5 months pregnant with Little Man. We thought it would be a frugal idea to do it ourselves. By the end of the day I wanted to kill myself. Really.
#2: Move from House #2 to Toronto Rental (our current nightmare). This was easier in the sense we hired movers but was also horrendous. We doubled our fun bu having two moves. The first move took half our house to our friends' house to store in their basement and the second moved the balance to our current place.
#3....Impending. Now we get to move again. This is the 3rd move in as many years. And again....we get to do 2 moves in one. BUT at the end of it we will have all our stuff with us again (yippee)!!!
AND
No Trolls!
AND
Live in a great neighborhood!
AND
Save Money!
Oh, and for the record....
The Trolls were originally asked to leave on December 20th. That was 4.5 months ago. They haven't been "able" to secure a suitable place as of yet, apparently.
It took Super Husband and I less than a week to:
a) Decide to move
b) Make appointment to view a place
c) View twice
d) Submit rental application
e) Obtain Equifax credit reports
f) Sign Lease
g) Obtain legal copies of lease
LESS THAN A WEEK!!!!!
WTF is wrong with those people???
So now we are on to the really fun stuff. Booking movers, packing, calling insurance, utilities, blah...blah...blah....
That's the stuff I despise. I am really looking forward to picking up the keys and starting to get set up there. Here's what I am over-the-top-kid-in-a-candy-store excited about:
* Dishwasher
* Central Air
* Full size washer and dryer
* Two full bathrooms
* Room for everything we own
* The ability to play music, run around, have fun
* The ability to hang outside (huge yard)!
* No more green bins being attacked by raccoons (we have a garage)
And let's not overlook the obvious....NO TROLLS! No Drug Busts! Yahoo!
So, all things considered....the benefit is more than worth the effort in this case :)
To recap our moves since becomming parents:
#1: Move from House #1 to House #2. Buddy was 10 months old and I was 4.5 months pregnant with Little Man. We thought it would be a frugal idea to do it ourselves. By the end of the day I wanted to kill myself. Really.
#2: Move from House #2 to Toronto Rental (our current nightmare). This was easier in the sense we hired movers but was also horrendous. We doubled our fun bu having two moves. The first move took half our house to our friends' house to store in their basement and the second moved the balance to our current place.
#3....Impending. Now we get to move again. This is the 3rd move in as many years. And again....we get to do 2 moves in one. BUT at the end of it we will have all our stuff with us again (yippee)!!!
AND
No Trolls!
AND
Live in a great neighborhood!
AND
Save Money!
Oh, and for the record....
The Trolls were originally asked to leave on December 20th. That was 4.5 months ago. They haven't been "able" to secure a suitable place as of yet, apparently.
It took Super Husband and I less than a week to:
a) Decide to move
b) Make appointment to view a place
c) View twice
d) Submit rental application
e) Obtain Equifax credit reports
f) Sign Lease
g) Obtain legal copies of lease
LESS THAN A WEEK!!!!!
WTF is wrong with those people???
So now we are on to the really fun stuff. Booking movers, packing, calling insurance, utilities, blah...blah...blah....
That's the stuff I despise. I am really looking forward to picking up the keys and starting to get set up there. Here's what I am over-the-top-kid-in-a-candy-store excited about:
* Dishwasher
* Central Air
* Full size washer and dryer
* Two full bathrooms
* Room for everything we own
* The ability to play music, run around, have fun
* The ability to hang outside (huge yard)!
* No more green bins being attacked by raccoons (we have a garage)
And let's not overlook the obvious....NO TROLLS! No Drug Busts! Yahoo!
So, all things considered....the benefit is more than worth the effort in this case :)
May 2, 2012
Buh-Bye Trolls
So we are finally able to say good bye to the chapter that has been the lst year of hell living with the Trolls.
What, you ask? Have they moved out? Did the unthinkable finally happen?
Nope.
We fold.
Super Husband and I have made the best decision we could for our family and we are moving. Awaaaaay from the Beastly Basement Dwellers.
The decision came after much (much) careful thought and number crunching. We have half our worldly possessions stored in a friend's basement. We want to remain friends long term, and as such, need to get it out of their basement. Initially we thought we would rent a storage unit but after calling umpteen facilities and visiting one "deal" only to find it under construction and located beside a very sketchy flea market....we started exploring other avenues. Why pay $300/month extra for storage in some seedy place when we can rent a house that actually FITS our crap?
So we investigated our options and found a bungalow for rent in markham. Markham is an area we like and Super Husband works there so it makes sense. The bungalow is located in a nice, mature community and has a lovely big back yard. It's an older house but the main floor was completely redone less than 2 years ago. We viewed it on Sunday and went back Monday for a second viewing. We told the agent, "we'll take it"! Only to be informed there were multiple applicants *sigh*
Luckily, after submitting employment letters, etc the agent spoke with the owner and they decided to take us on!
HOORAY!
So, effective June 1st, we get the house. We have a month of overlap so hopefully we can take our time and not be too stressed.
Now, I must say that moving to Markham is a bit bittersweet. I can no longer wal to work/daycare (boo) but we will be able to save even more money. Even if we finance another (2nd) vehicle! I didn't want to do that, but it makes sense for the situation.
Best news of all....the school is right around the corner, has full day kindergarten and has very good ratings!
We are very much looking forward to having our space, privacy and ability to not worry about The Troll situation on a daily basis.
What, you ask? Have they moved out? Did the unthinkable finally happen?
Nope.
We fold.
Super Husband and I have made the best decision we could for our family and we are moving. Awaaaaay from the Beastly Basement Dwellers.
The decision came after much (much) careful thought and number crunching. We have half our worldly possessions stored in a friend's basement. We want to remain friends long term, and as such, need to get it out of their basement. Initially we thought we would rent a storage unit but after calling umpteen facilities and visiting one "deal" only to find it under construction and located beside a very sketchy flea market....we started exploring other avenues. Why pay $300/month extra for storage in some seedy place when we can rent a house that actually FITS our crap?
So we investigated our options and found a bungalow for rent in markham. Markham is an area we like and Super Husband works there so it makes sense. The bungalow is located in a nice, mature community and has a lovely big back yard. It's an older house but the main floor was completely redone less than 2 years ago. We viewed it on Sunday and went back Monday for a second viewing. We told the agent, "we'll take it"! Only to be informed there were multiple applicants *sigh*
Luckily, after submitting employment letters, etc the agent spoke with the owner and they decided to take us on!
HOORAY!
So, effective June 1st, we get the house. We have a month of overlap so hopefully we can take our time and not be too stressed.
Now, I must say that moving to Markham is a bit bittersweet. I can no longer wal to work/daycare (boo) but we will be able to save even more money. Even if we finance another (2nd) vehicle! I didn't want to do that, but it makes sense for the situation.
Best news of all....the school is right around the corner, has full day kindergarten and has very good ratings!
We are very much looking forward to having our space, privacy and ability to not worry about The Troll situation on a daily basis.
April 25, 2012
Eavesdropping
Nope, I am not too proud to admit that I eavesdrop on The Trolls. Super Husband does, too. It's really become an evening ritual after the kids are in bed and we have relative quiet on our side.
Typically, at about 10pm Mr. Troll gets on the phone and has a series of conversations. Sometimes we can hear everything clearly and others not so much. Last night, he was quite agitated and therefore very easy to listen in on.
The (one-sided) conversation progressed something like this:
"I've got to get out of this effing place"
"Ya...those idiots upstairs have the furnace blasting day and night and expect me to pay the gas bill"
"The landlord told me I owe $200 in water and all I ever do is wash a frying pan or two and take a five minute shower"
"I have a bacterial infection on my tongue and have lost a patch of my taste buds" (ummm....WTF)?
So....from this conversation I cannot tell if he's secured a place for May or not. I'm guessing not. Clearly I have to do some more listening in to see if I can get some better dirt.
Typically, at about 10pm Mr. Troll gets on the phone and has a series of conversations. Sometimes we can hear everything clearly and others not so much. Last night, he was quite agitated and therefore very easy to listen in on.
The (one-sided) conversation progressed something like this:
"I've got to get out of this effing place"
"Ya...those idiots upstairs have the furnace blasting day and night and expect me to pay the gas bill"
"The landlord told me I owe $200 in water and all I ever do is wash a frying pan or two and take a five minute shower"
"I have a bacterial infection on my tongue and have lost a patch of my taste buds" (ummm....WTF)?
So....from this conversation I cannot tell if he's secured a place for May or not. I'm guessing not. Clearly I have to do some more listening in to see if I can get some better dirt.
April 24, 2012
Mishmash
I have a few updates, all on differing topics and I simply cannot be bothered to do separate neat and tidy posts....so instead I will give what I refer to as the "mishmash" update.
Firstly, I am happy to report as of my last weigh-in, that I am now down 7.5 pounds. Hooray for progress!
Next up is an update on our financial situation. After much (and I mean MUCH) debate....we decided to allocate almost all of my bonus to debt. Yes, this is a good thing but just a teensy bit depressing all at the same time. Part of me dies just a little knowing that the money is gone....and therefore cannot be allocated to getting a new and improved place to call home. More on that next. Anyway, we have now paid off our car and put a couple thousand on the Line of Credit. We are so damn responsible these days!
Now, we all know all work and no play makes people nutters and do crazy things like attack random people. I don't want that to be me. And I'm heading in that direction. So as a preemptive measure we have decided to book a little family fun for the summer. We decided to take a week off and spend a couple of nights camping in Algonquin Park at Mew Lake and then head over to Niagara Falls to spend one night at Great Wolf Lodge and then another two nights at The Mariott (which is much more budget-friendly). We are so, so looking forward to some family time away from our apartment!
Speaking of apartments....this brings me to everyone's favourite topic: The Trolls.
Overall....not much to report. Mr. Landlord called this morning to advise me he is now officially "Pissed Off". Wow. Took long enough. I hit that stage about 7 months ago. Either I am far too easily aggrivated or Mr. Landlord is far too easy going. Maybe a bit of both. In any case, it's about time he got pissed! He called and spoke to The Trolls this morning and apparently even yelled! Now that he is paying for their utilities he has some serious motivation to extract them from the premises. To date Mr. landlord has:
1. Given them a free month's rent (March) to help them come up with a deposit at a new place ($1,100)
2. Covered their water bill ($186)
3. Is now giving us the outstanding amount owed to us by The Trolls for Gas ($300)
Now, I know Mr. Landlord is doing all this to help grease the pathway to them leaving but part of me has to wonder: Why the fuck would they leave when they have such a sweet deal going here????? Like seriously. They have everyone else covering their asses. I am terrified they will never go.
Anyhow. Mr. Landlord indicated they are seeing another place tonight at 6pm (ya, right). He is supposed to call with an update right after. I am banking my money on the fact it will not pan out.
And we are really getting close to the end of the month.
If this is a bust we are essentially stuck dealing with them for ANOTHER month.
Shoot me now.
Firstly, I am happy to report as of my last weigh-in, that I am now down 7.5 pounds. Hooray for progress!
Next up is an update on our financial situation. After much (and I mean MUCH) debate....we decided to allocate almost all of my bonus to debt. Yes, this is a good thing but just a teensy bit depressing all at the same time. Part of me dies just a little knowing that the money is gone....and therefore cannot be allocated to getting a new and improved place to call home. More on that next. Anyway, we have now paid off our car and put a couple thousand on the Line of Credit. We are so damn responsible these days!
Now, we all know all work and no play makes people nutters and do crazy things like attack random people. I don't want that to be me. And I'm heading in that direction. So as a preemptive measure we have decided to book a little family fun for the summer. We decided to take a week off and spend a couple of nights camping in Algonquin Park at Mew Lake and then head over to Niagara Falls to spend one night at Great Wolf Lodge and then another two nights at The Mariott (which is much more budget-friendly). We are so, so looking forward to some family time away from our apartment!
Speaking of apartments....this brings me to everyone's favourite topic: The Trolls.
Overall....not much to report. Mr. Landlord called this morning to advise me he is now officially "Pissed Off". Wow. Took long enough. I hit that stage about 7 months ago. Either I am far too easily aggrivated or Mr. Landlord is far too easy going. Maybe a bit of both. In any case, it's about time he got pissed! He called and spoke to The Trolls this morning and apparently even yelled! Now that he is paying for their utilities he has some serious motivation to extract them from the premises. To date Mr. landlord has:
1. Given them a free month's rent (March) to help them come up with a deposit at a new place ($1,100)
2. Covered their water bill ($186)
3. Is now giving us the outstanding amount owed to us by The Trolls for Gas ($300)
Now, I know Mr. Landlord is doing all this to help grease the pathway to them leaving but part of me has to wonder: Why the fuck would they leave when they have such a sweet deal going here????? Like seriously. They have everyone else covering their asses. I am terrified they will never go.
Anyhow. Mr. Landlord indicated they are seeing another place tonight at 6pm (ya, right). He is supposed to call with an update right after. I am banking my money on the fact it will not pan out.
And we are really getting close to the end of the month.
If this is a bust we are essentially stuck dealing with them for ANOTHER month.
Shoot me now.
April 16, 2012
Still Here
I realized it's been a couple of weeks since I've last been in here and even longer since I've updated on the Troll situation.
Mostly, I'm afraid, because there's no (good) updates to give. Boooo!
Mr. Landlord called me about a week and a half ago to give the latest update. He tried to call The Trolls but they were screening his calls. So, being crafty, he decided to drive to the area and call from someone else's phone. Bingo. Troll answered on the first try. So Mr. Landlord asked if he could "stop by" and Troll responded with "I'm heading out in 20 minutes" thinking that it would take Mr. Landlord longer than that. Surprise! He was just around the corner :)
So he paid them a visit and managed to collect some rent money from them. He also demanded some payment for the gas bills that are in OUR name that we have paid in full every month and have not received reimbursement for (they owe 40% of the bill each month). They haven't paid in MONTHS and now owe us > $300 in back payments. Sigh. The Troll coughed up $100 and claimed that the rest would be paid Easter weekend. Well guess what? That was 1.5 weeks ago and still NO MONEY has come our way. I sent a not so happy email to Mr. Landlord this morning indicating that I want him to take over the Gas Bills and I'm tired of footing the bill for the squatters. We will see how that goes over.....
On the positive side Mr. Landlord reported back that when he showed up at The Trolls they had a pile of boxes there and looked ready to pack up. That's an exciting development in the saga. He also promised (ya, right) to be out by the end of April.
I'll believe it when I see it.
Mostly, I'm afraid, because there's no (good) updates to give. Boooo!
Mr. Landlord called me about a week and a half ago to give the latest update. He tried to call The Trolls but they were screening his calls. So, being crafty, he decided to drive to the area and call from someone else's phone. Bingo. Troll answered on the first try. So Mr. Landlord asked if he could "stop by" and Troll responded with "I'm heading out in 20 minutes" thinking that it would take Mr. Landlord longer than that. Surprise! He was just around the corner :)
So he paid them a visit and managed to collect some rent money from them. He also demanded some payment for the gas bills that are in OUR name that we have paid in full every month and have not received reimbursement for (they owe 40% of the bill each month). They haven't paid in MONTHS and now owe us > $300 in back payments. Sigh. The Troll coughed up $100 and claimed that the rest would be paid Easter weekend. Well guess what? That was 1.5 weeks ago and still NO MONEY has come our way. I sent a not so happy email to Mr. Landlord this morning indicating that I want him to take over the Gas Bills and I'm tired of footing the bill for the squatters. We will see how that goes over.....
On the positive side Mr. Landlord reported back that when he showed up at The Trolls they had a pile of boxes there and looked ready to pack up. That's an exciting development in the saga. He also promised (ya, right) to be out by the end of April.
I'll believe it when I see it.
April 4, 2012
Holy Crap
I don't often associate the word crap with yummy food but for this, I will make an exception.
A work friend recommended a cereal that is Canadian made called Holy Crap. It's hard to come by but went to my favourite natural food store - Ambrosia and found it there. Now this stuff does not come cheap but you only eat a small portion - 2 tablespoons per serving. I've been eating it with 1/3rd of a cup unsweetened soy milk. You mix them up and let sit for 5 or so minutes before eating and it's surprisingly filling.
Best of all it's so healthy! And, as the same suggests, has lots of fiber!
So far I have been unable to get Super Husband to try it but that's okay....I get the whole bag to myself now.
A work friend recommended a cereal that is Canadian made called Holy Crap. It's hard to come by but went to my favourite natural food store - Ambrosia and found it there. Now this stuff does not come cheap but you only eat a small portion - 2 tablespoons per serving. I've been eating it with 1/3rd of a cup unsweetened soy milk. You mix them up and let sit for 5 or so minutes before eating and it's surprisingly filling.
Best of all it's so healthy! And, as the same suggests, has lots of fiber!
So far I have been unable to get Super Husband to try it but that's okay....I get the whole bag to myself now.
April 2, 2012
Poll Results AND Weigh in #2
Well first off it's no big announcement that I have here.
The Trolls are still firmly planted in their lair downstairs. Assholes!
Mr. Landlord just called me to let me know that he checked in with them (remember...they are no longer paying rent so he is pretty invested in Operation Trollectomy). Apparently they are looking "very hard" for anew place. But why? Again, they are curreently living RENT FREE. I can see this dragging on for MONTHS.
Anyway, he's promised to keep me posted.
In other news, I had Weigh-In #2 on Sunday. Down 1.5 pounds making it a total of 4.
Not bad because although I was really good all week, Saturday I had a bit of a relapse what with the bottle of wine and slab of chocolate mousse cake and all.
I'm feeling good - my clothes are starting to feel better again so that's reward enough to keep me going right now.
The Trolls are still firmly planted in their lair downstairs. Assholes!
Mr. Landlord just called me to let me know that he checked in with them (remember...they are no longer paying rent so he is pretty invested in Operation Trollectomy). Apparently they are looking "very hard" for anew place. But why? Again, they are curreently living RENT FREE. I can see this dragging on for MONTHS.
Anyway, he's promised to keep me posted.
In other news, I had Weigh-In #2 on Sunday. Down 1.5 pounds making it a total of 4.
Not bad because although I was really good all week, Saturday I had a bit of a relapse what with the bottle of wine and slab of chocolate mousse cake and all.
I'm feeling good - my clothes are starting to feel better again so that's reward enough to keep me going right now.
March 28, 2012
Troll Poll
Well the end of March is fast approaching and with it is supposed to bring the departure of the Trolls....
So the question is:
Will they actually move out for April 1st?
Not sure yet but I'm really hoping they get the ____ out of the house.
Oh, and I would really appreciate the $250 owed to us in utilities.
So the question is:
Will they actually move out for April 1st?
Not sure yet but I'm really hoping they get the ____ out of the house.
Oh, and I would really appreciate the $250 owed to us in utilities.
March 27, 2012
Weigh In #1
I did my very first weigh in on Sunday (after being on Weight Watchers for only 4 full days) and....
Lost 2.5 pounds.
Not bad! Still have some work to do but it's a start! I'll take it!
Actually, at first I thought it was pretty crappy considering the sacrifices I've had to make but then I ran to the fridge and pulled out a pound of butter. I imagined that pound of butter plus two more plastered to my ass and then I felt MUCH better about the whole situation.
Lost 2.5 pounds.
Not bad! Still have some work to do but it's a start! I'll take it!
Actually, at first I thought it was pretty crappy considering the sacrifices I've had to make but then I ran to the fridge and pulled out a pound of butter. I imagined that pound of butter plus two more plastered to my ass and then I felt MUCH better about the whole situation.
March 22, 2012
Regaining Control
I have been really bad at taking care of myself in recent months (years)? Before becoming a mommy I used to run on a regular basis, prepare lots of healthy meals, pack my lunch and take care of myself. Now? Not so much. My excuse has been that I'm too busy to do any of this. And it's true. But at the end f the day that is a crutch of an excuse to enable me to continue to stuff my trap with garbage convenience foods. Add to the fact that we have been stressed with the Troll situation, etc, etc....and....well....I've gained about 10 pounds since moving into the apartment.
Add that to the 10 I've gained since getting married (and having two children) and there's a whopping 20 pounds I'm carrying around making me feel like shit. Who needs that?
So after lamenting over my fat ass for weeks on end I'm going to finally do something.
Yesterday I signed up for Weight Watchers Online. I had heard good things about the program and frankly I don't have time or money to devote to anything beyond an online tool so I went for it.
So. For the record:
I am a stunted 5'2" in height
I weighed in yesterday at 140 pounds. Not cool.
My Goal is to get back down to 120 pounds but realistically I will be more than happy to get to 125 pounds.
I've been a good girl and have tracked all my foods and points. It's hard for me, I will admit. I'm an absent-minded eater. My downfall has been a few cookies here, a handfull of chips there. Boy, does that add up fast!
Overall, I am impressed by the online tools they provide. It's easy to use and apparently if i stay in my point range I will lose weight. So I will check in weekly with my updated stats. Weigh-in days are Sunday.
Man, I could murder a chocolate chip cookie right now. Actually....I could polish off an entire bag. Give me strength.....
Add that to the 10 I've gained since getting married (and having two children) and there's a whopping 20 pounds I'm carrying around making me feel like shit. Who needs that?
So after lamenting over my fat ass for weeks on end I'm going to finally do something.
Yesterday I signed up for Weight Watchers Online. I had heard good things about the program and frankly I don't have time or money to devote to anything beyond an online tool so I went for it.
So. For the record:
I am a stunted 5'2" in height
I weighed in yesterday at 140 pounds. Not cool.
My Goal is to get back down to 120 pounds but realistically I will be more than happy to get to 125 pounds.
I've been a good girl and have tracked all my foods and points. It's hard for me, I will admit. I'm an absent-minded eater. My downfall has been a few cookies here, a handfull of chips there. Boy, does that add up fast!
Overall, I am impressed by the online tools they provide. It's easy to use and apparently if i stay in my point range I will lose weight. So I will check in weekly with my updated stats. Weigh-in days are Sunday.
Man, I could murder a chocolate chip cookie right now. Actually....I could polish off an entire bag. Give me strength.....
March 13, 2012
Tah Da!
I did the nearly imposiible! I actually FINISHED a project that has nothing to do with a) Work or b) The Kidlets.
Remember waaaaaay back in October (yes, like 5 months ago) I started a machine quilting class? No? well you can revisit the post here.
Anyway.....at long last I'm DONE. Aaaaaannnnnd.....I'm pretty happy with the result.
Without further ado, here it is:
Remember waaaaaay back in October (yes, like 5 months ago) I started a machine quilting class? No? well you can revisit the post here.
Anyway.....at long last I'm DONE. Aaaaaannnnnd.....I'm pretty happy with the result.
Without further ado, here it is:
March 12, 2012
Progress?
I'm cautiously optimistic today. I know I will not be holding my breath but I think that we are finally moving in the right direction on the Toll Front.
Mr. Landlord called to ask if he could stop in for a visit last week. Admittedly, I was a little worried at first. I thought: Oh Damn....he's going to evict US now because he's so damn tired of my phone calls. Now I know that doesn't make logical sense but I am a woman and a mom and I worry about things that I shouldn't whatever.
So he came over Friday evening. Here's the skinny.
The Trolls have refused to sign the "N-11" form declaring that they will be voluntarily out of the house on a specified date. Now there's a shocker.
Mr. Landlord have asked them to be out by the end of their lease (April). As incentive he's giving them March (this month) to them rent-free....to use as a deposit for a new place.
After chatting for awhile I figured it was perfect timing to ask for a couple of things :)
1) Central Air
2) A dishwasher
Neither of which I can survive without for much longer. We nearly died last summer during the heat wave. It was BRUTAL. I actually slept for a whole week with ICE PACKS. I'm not joking. As for the dishwasher? I'm sick of washing dishes. All.The.Time. I'm not a princess....I just don't have time to waste on crap like that.
To my surprise - he actually AGREED!
So he's investigating options now and will get back to us.
Super Husband thinks I'm a crazy lady for asking but my opinion is that it's better to ask and get a no than not ask and wonder if you could have gotten a yes.
Really hoping Dirt Bag Trolls move out for April.........
Mr. Landlord called to ask if he could stop in for a visit last week. Admittedly, I was a little worried at first. I thought: Oh Damn....he's going to evict US now because he's so damn tired of my phone calls. Now I know that doesn't make logical sense but I am a woman and a mom and I worry about things that I shouldn't whatever.
So he came over Friday evening. Here's the skinny.
The Trolls have refused to sign the "N-11" form declaring that they will be voluntarily out of the house on a specified date. Now there's a shocker.
Mr. Landlord have asked them to be out by the end of their lease (April). As incentive he's giving them March (this month) to them rent-free....to use as a deposit for a new place.
After chatting for awhile I figured it was perfect timing to ask for a couple of things :)
1) Central Air
2) A dishwasher
Neither of which I can survive without for much longer. We nearly died last summer during the heat wave. It was BRUTAL. I actually slept for a whole week with ICE PACKS. I'm not joking. As for the dishwasher? I'm sick of washing dishes. All.The.Time. I'm not a princess....I just don't have time to waste on crap like that.
To my surprise - he actually AGREED!
So he's investigating options now and will get back to us.
Super Husband thinks I'm a crazy lady for asking but my opinion is that it's better to ask and get a no than not ask and wonder if you could have gotten a yes.
Really hoping Dirt Bag Trolls move out for April.........
March 7, 2012
We Did It!
Today marks the day that Super Husband and I can officially declare ourselves.....
Credit Card Debt Free!
Since selling our house last summer we have:
Paid $17,000 of credit card debt off
Closed my last student loan (OSAP)
Paid $2,000 off our Line of Credit
Paid $5,000 off our term loan
Next up: Paying off the car next month
I'm so proud of us. We still have a lot of debt to tackle (LOC and loan) but this makes a HUUUUGE difference to us.
We are finally at a point where our assets outweigh our liabilities
Credit Card Debt Free!
Since selling our house last summer we have:
Paid $17,000 of credit card debt off
Closed my last student loan (OSAP)
Paid $2,000 off our Line of Credit
Paid $5,000 off our term loan
Next up: Paying off the car next month
I'm so proud of us. We still have a lot of debt to tackle (LOC and loan) but this makes a HUUUUGE difference to us.
We are finally at a point where our assets outweigh our liabilities
On the crappy side.....the Trolls are STILL happily residing in the basement. AND to add insult to injury they've added ANOTHER Troll! I think it's Mr. Trolls' MOTHER (yikes). She's been for more than a week now. At first I was optimistic that she arrived to help them leave but alas....they are still squatting downstairs and now there's three of them.
Well you can't win them all, right?
February 16, 2012
Back to the Main Point
Although my crazy life seems to revolve around the drama of the Trolls in the basement, I'm happy to report that once in awhile something good happens and I'm reminded of the reasons why we are making the sacrifices we are.
The whole point of selling our cushy home was to save money and better our future. To date it's been hard to see the advancements that we've made as most of our day to day cash flow is eaten up by large, pre-existing debt and our living expenses. Having two little guys in a high end daycare is financially devastating. We can get cheaper daycare but frankly it's not up for debate. The boys LOVE the daycare they are in and they are learning tons. They are well socialized, happy and Buddy is even staring to write letters. Not bad for a not yet 3.5 year old! They bring home beautiful pieces of art and eat healthy, organic food. So, shelling out $2,400 per month (to have them in 4 days per week) SUCKS but it is for their benefit and I have no regrets.
We have been trying to keep our eye on the prize so to speak and have been looking forward to the spring when we know finances will start to shift and become much better for us. Firstly, I have been expecting a decent tax return this year. I knew we would be getting money back as we can write off a portion of our daycare expenses and I can also claim our move and related expenses since it brought me more than 40 kms closer to my office. Last night I sat down and braved a date with ufile. After several hours of plugging in and validating numbers I was thrilled to see what is owed to us: $13,700. I would have been happy with $5,000!
In addition, it's bonus time for my work. I have been long awaiting this bonus since I started in October 2010 and missed the cutoff for eligibility last year. I don't yet know what the payout will be, however, I received my review rating and our department scorecard ratings and both are above target. This means that I should be paid between 12.5-25% of my annual salary. I would expect somewhere around 15-18% which is a pretty decent chunk of change, even after the tax man takes his share.
With these two lump sums we plan to pay off more debt. We will pay off our car and free up $427 per month of cash flow. I hope to also pay my credit card off which frees another few hundred a month at minimum.
Super Husband and I have also been discussing the possibility of taking a family road trip to Florida/Disney this summer. Super exciting to think we have the means to be able to justify FUN now :)
In addition, we will probably buy the boys bikes for the summer and get a season's pass to Canada's Wonderland.
So while we still have a long journey of saving ahead, we are FINALLY getting some traction in our master plan.
Now....if only we could get rid of the Trolls we would be hitting a real high!
The whole point of selling our cushy home was to save money and better our future. To date it's been hard to see the advancements that we've made as most of our day to day cash flow is eaten up by large, pre-existing debt and our living expenses. Having two little guys in a high end daycare is financially devastating. We can get cheaper daycare but frankly it's not up for debate. The boys LOVE the daycare they are in and they are learning tons. They are well socialized, happy and Buddy is even staring to write letters. Not bad for a not yet 3.5 year old! They bring home beautiful pieces of art and eat healthy, organic food. So, shelling out $2,400 per month (to have them in 4 days per week) SUCKS but it is for their benefit and I have no regrets.
We have been trying to keep our eye on the prize so to speak and have been looking forward to the spring when we know finances will start to shift and become much better for us. Firstly, I have been expecting a decent tax return this year. I knew we would be getting money back as we can write off a portion of our daycare expenses and I can also claim our move and related expenses since it brought me more than 40 kms closer to my office. Last night I sat down and braved a date with ufile. After several hours of plugging in and validating numbers I was thrilled to see what is owed to us: $13,700. I would have been happy with $5,000!
In addition, it's bonus time for my work. I have been long awaiting this bonus since I started in October 2010 and missed the cutoff for eligibility last year. I don't yet know what the payout will be, however, I received my review rating and our department scorecard ratings and both are above target. This means that I should be paid between 12.5-25% of my annual salary. I would expect somewhere around 15-18% which is a pretty decent chunk of change, even after the tax man takes his share.
With these two lump sums we plan to pay off more debt. We will pay off our car and free up $427 per month of cash flow. I hope to also pay my credit card off which frees another few hundred a month at minimum.
Super Husband and I have also been discussing the possibility of taking a family road trip to Florida/Disney this summer. Super exciting to think we have the means to be able to justify FUN now :)
In addition, we will probably buy the boys bikes for the summer and get a season's pass to Canada's Wonderland.
So while we still have a long journey of saving ahead, we are FINALLY getting some traction in our master plan.
Now....if only we could get rid of the Trolls we would be hitting a real high!
February 10, 2012
Go!
Landlord called me this afternoon to provide an update on The Trolls.
After meeting with his lawyer, Landlord has decided that he will ask Mr. Troll to sign an "N11" form which is a form stating that he agrees to evacuate the premises by a certain date.
If he doesn't cooperate, he will start a formal "eviction".
I really, REALLY hope the jerk ships out. Super Husband and I have spent countless hours on the internet searching for alternative housing options and everything is a compromize. At the end of the day moving will cost us a lot of time and money which we do not have right now. We will if we have to but at this point we are hoping that The Trolls will leave and that Landlord has learned a valuable lesson: SCREEN YOUR TENANTS!
After meeting with his lawyer, Landlord has decided that he will ask Mr. Troll to sign an "N11" form which is a form stating that he agrees to evacuate the premises by a certain date.
If he doesn't cooperate, he will start a formal "eviction".
I really, REALLY hope the jerk ships out. Super Husband and I have spent countless hours on the internet searching for alternative housing options and everything is a compromize. At the end of the day moving will cost us a lot of time and money which we do not have right now. We will if we have to but at this point we are hoping that The Trolls will leave and that Landlord has learned a valuable lesson: SCREEN YOUR TENANTS!
February 8, 2012
If My Life Were A TV Show, It Would be Ratings Week
Well I cannot complain about life being dull.
Last week was interesting what with the police activity at 3am and all. But that was SO last week.
So, after a long and crazy day at the office, I was excited to get home, hang with the kids and then settle in with Super Husband to watch Dexter. Super Husband came to the office to pick us up and we all loaded into the car for the big 2 minute commute. As we approached the house we could see a ton of cars parked all around it. Including IN our driveway and in front of the driveway.
WTF?
Super Husband circled the house and did an other drive by so we could survey the situation. We live on a corner on a pretty decent sized lot of land and there were cars parked bumper to bumper along both the side and front. I would guess there were eleven vehicles total. Since they were EXCLUSIVELY around our house, we knew there was something going on.
So Super Husband parked on the street and we started unloading to see what might be going on when a scruffy looking man appeared and got into the car blocking the driveway. So me being me, I approached him.
Me: Excuse me.
Scruffy Man: Yes?
Me: Can I ask what you are doing here?
Scruffy Man: [stares blankly at me]
Me: We LIVE here. This is our driveway that you are blocking.
Scruffy Man: Oh. We are doing an investigation.
Me: An investigation of what? The people who reside in the basement here?
Scruffy Man: Yes. We are the police. ALL of us.
Me: What are you investigating?
Scruffy Man: I cannot say.
Me: Is it drug related?
Scruffy Man: Yes. We have a warrant.
Me: Oh My God. Is this safe for our family?
Scruffy Man: We did find a number of weapons, but it's okay.
Me [???] Are they dealing?
Scruffy Man: We are looking for his stash. Any idea where it might be?
*sigh*
Seriously?
This really doesn't happen to normal people, I'm sure of it.
So why the fuck does it keep happening to us?
Let me reiterate.
We sold our beautiful, safe, family home to move to the city to get a BETTER quality of life for our family.
As a result we are shacking up with loser drug dealers. Who have WEAPONS in the house.
If I don't get the "Worst Mom of the Year" award now, it will be a miracle. I honestly expect people to jump out of the bushes at any moment to announce "You've been PUNKED"!
So last night Super Husband and I made the call yet again to our landlord to fill him in on the situation. I had to repeat the story 4 times. He couldn't grasp what I was saying as I was hysterically rambling on about the "drug bust" going on downstairs.
So I'm not sure what exactly happened other the police were there for another hour or so carting boxes in and out and then they left. The Trolls are still there so I'm guessing no arrests were made and no stash uncovered. I know they trashed the apartment in their search as I heard the daughter crying about her destroyed bed. Like that's the biggest problem they have.
Super Husband and I are at a loss. We have nowhere to go. This is a nightmare.
Last week was interesting what with the police activity at 3am and all. But that was SO last week.
So, after a long and crazy day at the office, I was excited to get home, hang with the kids and then settle in with Super Husband to watch Dexter. Super Husband came to the office to pick us up and we all loaded into the car for the big 2 minute commute. As we approached the house we could see a ton of cars parked all around it. Including IN our driveway and in front of the driveway.
WTF?
Super Husband circled the house and did an other drive by so we could survey the situation. We live on a corner on a pretty decent sized lot of land and there were cars parked bumper to bumper along both the side and front. I would guess there were eleven vehicles total. Since they were EXCLUSIVELY around our house, we knew there was something going on.
So Super Husband parked on the street and we started unloading to see what might be going on when a scruffy looking man appeared and got into the car blocking the driveway. So me being me, I approached him.
Me: Excuse me.
Scruffy Man: Yes?
Me: Can I ask what you are doing here?
Scruffy Man: [stares blankly at me]
Me: We LIVE here. This is our driveway that you are blocking.
Scruffy Man: Oh. We are doing an investigation.
Me: An investigation of what? The people who reside in the basement here?
Scruffy Man: Yes. We are the police. ALL of us.
Me: What are you investigating?
Scruffy Man: I cannot say.
Me: Is it drug related?
Scruffy Man: Yes. We have a warrant.
Me: Oh My God. Is this safe for our family?
Scruffy Man: We did find a number of weapons, but it's okay.
Me [???] Are they dealing?
Scruffy Man: We are looking for his stash. Any idea where it might be?
*sigh*
Seriously?
This really doesn't happen to normal people, I'm sure of it.
So why the fuck does it keep happening to us?
Let me reiterate.
We sold our beautiful, safe, family home to move to the city to get a BETTER quality of life for our family.
As a result we are shacking up with loser drug dealers. Who have WEAPONS in the house.
If I don't get the "Worst Mom of the Year" award now, it will be a miracle. I honestly expect people to jump out of the bushes at any moment to announce "You've been PUNKED"!
So last night Super Husband and I made the call yet again to our landlord to fill him in on the situation. I had to repeat the story 4 times. He couldn't grasp what I was saying as I was hysterically rambling on about the "drug bust" going on downstairs.
So I'm not sure what exactly happened other the police were there for another hour or so carting boxes in and out and then they left. The Trolls are still there so I'm guessing no arrests were made and no stash uncovered. I know they trashed the apartment in their search as I heard the daughter crying about her destroyed bed. Like that's the biggest problem they have.
Super Husband and I are at a loss. We have nowhere to go. This is a nightmare.
February 1, 2012
More Troll Adventures
Before falling asleep last night, I was laying in bed and it occured to me that I haven't posted an update in awhile. My last thoughts before falling asleep were that I would need to think of something to say that wouldn't be too boring.
Well wouldn't you know it. Be careful what you wish for....I was awaken at 2:45am to frantic pounding on the door. Not OUR door, but rather the door to The Trolls' apartment downstairs which is at the back of the house along with our bedroom and Little Man's Bedroom. So I woke up and listened to the thumping for a bit and figured it must be Mr. Troll coming home from his night shift and found himself locked out. Seems like a logical explanation. Except it.didn't.stop. After listining to the incessant pounding for 20 minutes or so it suddenly got even more frantic. As in no longer knocking but full on kicking. It was at this point that Super Husband was finally roused. He jumped up and started to investigate. Exhausted, I put my ear plugs back in (yes, I loooooove my ear plugs) and settled in to try to go back to sleep.
Within 10 minutes of my feeble sleep attempt, Super Husband was in my face trying to tell me something. After ripping out my ear plugs I realized what he was saying: The police are here.
What the fuck?
So now I'm shaking with I don't know what. Fear? Anger? Combination of both?
We peer out the window to see our house is surrounded. Two cop cars at the side of the house (where the Troll's live) and one blocking our driveway at the front. Cops were everywhere. Super Husband told me that he was watching before they arrived and it looked like it was the Troll Daughter's hoodlum boyfriend that we often see skulking around. He was pounding on the door and then walking through the back yard, through the gate and then pounding on the Troll Daughter's window. Stalk Much?
So now there's like 5 cops milling around with flashlights peering in our windows and going up and down our driveway seeming like they were looking for something. I wanted to go out and demand an explanation but frankly don't want to be involved so we stayed inside.
The cops were STILL there questioning and investigating when we fell back asleep at 4:30am.
We are now thinking there's drug involvement but have no way of knowing.
So all this happens and of course these idiots were told to move out by our landlord before Christmas which they have shown no inclination of doing. We are done with this. I know.....I've said this before but seriously....now we're REALLY done.
I'm calling our Landlord this morning to fill him in on the adventures and telling him he needs to let us out of the lease and refund February's Rent. We are outties.
So, so tired.
Well wouldn't you know it. Be careful what you wish for....I was awaken at 2:45am to frantic pounding on the door. Not OUR door, but rather the door to The Trolls' apartment downstairs which is at the back of the house along with our bedroom and Little Man's Bedroom. So I woke up and listened to the thumping for a bit and figured it must be Mr. Troll coming home from his night shift and found himself locked out. Seems like a logical explanation. Except it.didn't.stop. After listining to the incessant pounding for 20 minutes or so it suddenly got even more frantic. As in no longer knocking but full on kicking. It was at this point that Super Husband was finally roused. He jumped up and started to investigate. Exhausted, I put my ear plugs back in (yes, I loooooove my ear plugs) and settled in to try to go back to sleep.
Within 10 minutes of my feeble sleep attempt, Super Husband was in my face trying to tell me something. After ripping out my ear plugs I realized what he was saying: The police are here.
What the fuck?
So now I'm shaking with I don't know what. Fear? Anger? Combination of both?
We peer out the window to see our house is surrounded. Two cop cars at the side of the house (where the Troll's live) and one blocking our driveway at the front. Cops were everywhere. Super Husband told me that he was watching before they arrived and it looked like it was the Troll Daughter's hoodlum boyfriend that we often see skulking around. He was pounding on the door and then walking through the back yard, through the gate and then pounding on the Troll Daughter's window. Stalk Much?
So now there's like 5 cops milling around with flashlights peering in our windows and going up and down our driveway seeming like they were looking for something. I wanted to go out and demand an explanation but frankly don't want to be involved so we stayed inside.
The cops were STILL there questioning and investigating when we fell back asleep at 4:30am.
We are now thinking there's drug involvement but have no way of knowing.
So all this happens and of course these idiots were told to move out by our landlord before Christmas which they have shown no inclination of doing. We are done with this. I know.....I've said this before but seriously....now we're REALLY done.
I'm calling our Landlord this morning to fill him in on the adventures and telling him he needs to let us out of the lease and refund February's Rent. We are outties.
So, so tired.
January 20, 2012
3 Day Potty Training: 3 Weeks Later
Well our 3 day potty training marathon began just over three weeks ago and I thought I would post an update.
I think that once again I have blacked out a good portion of the event form my mind. I have diagnosed myself as suffering from 3 Day Potty Training Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (3DPTPTSD). I am so, so thankful that I never have to endure this again.
Now, on to the goodness and rainbows!
Admittedly, I was really, REALLY skeptical about the success of this method on Little Man. Thankfully we had already been through this with Buddy and thankfully it was a resounding success. If we didn't have that experience to reflect upon I think we may just have thrown in the towel and claim "it didn't work". So glad we persevered!
It really did take more than the three days with Little Man. I think he was gaining good awareness of the sensation of needing to pee and exhibit control by day two or three. We could see that. Poo, on the other hand? Not so much. Time and time again he pooped in his underwear. Now, he did know he was going as he would usually launch into stealth mode and try to slink away/hide but he really didn't give a crap (no pun intended) that he did it in his underwear.
After six days of following the 3 day potty training method I was pretty much hanging onto sanity by a thread. Gouging my eyes out with a plastic spoon was sounding more appealing than cleaning more underwear or reminding Little Man to tell me if he needs to go pee.
Day seven posed a new challenge: DAYCARE. Yikes. Now, I had given advance education to his teachers and the Director that we would need their support and they agreed. So we showed up with lots of underwear, clothes and the magic motivator: Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. Just before lunch I emailed to find out how Little Man was making out. Not good. He was dry and clean but he refused to even enter the bathroom with anyone. The mere mention of the potty resulting in screaming and crying.
Huh. This is new.
I told them to try tempting with the Beans.
No dice.
So I left a meeting to run down and take him to the bathroom. Guess what? He peed!
Later in the day I came down again. Guess what? He peed!
Then he pooped in his underwear. Whatever.
The next day was much better: He was actually peeing for his teachers! Without drama! Still pooped in his underwear but hey....it was progress :)
Then, out of the blue, it "clicked".
Towards the end of last week he started coming home in the same clothes and underwear we sent him in. Every day. His teachers are thrilled with his progress (I think he's the only toddler in his room that is fully trained). He is now a pooping superstar!!!
We are so proud!
He is still waking up wet (but not soaking wet...more like he woke up having an accident in the morning wet) about half the time. I suspect this will regulate itself in the next few weeks.
We put in A LOT of time and effort into this but now we are so happy to say we are diaper free. Forever!
The 3 day Method is HARD. Harder than Hard. But if you stick it out it is well worth the effort.
Good luck for any of you embarking on this journey.
I think that once again I have blacked out a good portion of the event form my mind. I have diagnosed myself as suffering from 3 Day Potty Training Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (3DPTPTSD). I am so, so thankful that I never have to endure this again.
Now, on to the goodness and rainbows!
Admittedly, I was really, REALLY skeptical about the success of this method on Little Man. Thankfully we had already been through this with Buddy and thankfully it was a resounding success. If we didn't have that experience to reflect upon I think we may just have thrown in the towel and claim "it didn't work". So glad we persevered!
It really did take more than the three days with Little Man. I think he was gaining good awareness of the sensation of needing to pee and exhibit control by day two or three. We could see that. Poo, on the other hand? Not so much. Time and time again he pooped in his underwear. Now, he did know he was going as he would usually launch into stealth mode and try to slink away/hide but he really didn't give a crap (no pun intended) that he did it in his underwear.
After six days of following the 3 day potty training method I was pretty much hanging onto sanity by a thread. Gouging my eyes out with a plastic spoon was sounding more appealing than cleaning more underwear or reminding Little Man to tell me if he needs to go pee.
Day seven posed a new challenge: DAYCARE. Yikes. Now, I had given advance education to his teachers and the Director that we would need their support and they agreed. So we showed up with lots of underwear, clothes and the magic motivator: Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. Just before lunch I emailed to find out how Little Man was making out. Not good. He was dry and clean but he refused to even enter the bathroom with anyone. The mere mention of the potty resulting in screaming and crying.
Huh. This is new.
I told them to try tempting with the Beans.
No dice.
So I left a meeting to run down and take him to the bathroom. Guess what? He peed!
Later in the day I came down again. Guess what? He peed!
Then he pooped in his underwear. Whatever.
The next day was much better: He was actually peeing for his teachers! Without drama! Still pooped in his underwear but hey....it was progress :)
Then, out of the blue, it "clicked".
Towards the end of last week he started coming home in the same clothes and underwear we sent him in. Every day. His teachers are thrilled with his progress (I think he's the only toddler in his room that is fully trained). He is now a pooping superstar!!!
We are so proud!
He is still waking up wet (but not soaking wet...more like he woke up having an accident in the morning wet) about half the time. I suspect this will regulate itself in the next few weeks.
We put in A LOT of time and effort into this but now we are so happy to say we are diaper free. Forever!
The 3 day Method is HARD. Harder than Hard. But if you stick it out it is well worth the effort.
Good luck for any of you embarking on this journey.
January 4, 2012
Resolution
Have you ever been struck with a feeling of panic?
That you never know when life will be forever changed and you haven't had time to enjoy, learn or do even half the things on your Bucket List?
This is me this week.
Ever since yesterday morning I have been having these overwhelming waves of emotions: guilt, panic, stress, saddness, regret. And I'm not even PMS-ing!
I live my life in a pretty constant state of fast forward. I'm a planner by nature and my instincts always tell me to get myself organized for what could happen next. Tomorrow always trumps today. This might be pre-planning gifts or events, mapping out endless to-do lists, careful planning of vacation days.....you name it. Sounds good, right? I must be organized and on top of everything, right? Wrong. I'm always worried about what is on the horizon. I spend far too much of my life looking at what's to come. I am failing to appreciate and enjoy what is already here: Today.
What would happen if I died today? Would I be happy knowing that I had spent my lunch taking care of buying birthday cards for the end of month birthday parties we are scheduled to attend? Would work appreciate the thought I am putting into configuring data in the system? Probably not.
When I get home with the boys every night I rush into the kitchen in a panic to get dinner going, switch laundry over and think about what is on the agenda for tomorrow. What I should be doing is taking a few minutes to sit and play with my boys. Give them my undivided attention. The day will come in the not so distant future where they will want to spend every waking moment with anyone other than mommy. And the thought of this missed opportunity breaks my heart.
It may be January 4th but it is not too late for a New Year's Resolution.
I will make a concentrated effort to live in the moment. To stop taking tomorrow for granted. To be a better mom to my boys and a better wife to my Super Husband.
That you never know when life will be forever changed and you haven't had time to enjoy, learn or do even half the things on your Bucket List?
This is me this week.
Ever since yesterday morning I have been having these overwhelming waves of emotions: guilt, panic, stress, saddness, regret. And I'm not even PMS-ing!
I live my life in a pretty constant state of fast forward. I'm a planner by nature and my instincts always tell me to get myself organized for what could happen next. Tomorrow always trumps today. This might be pre-planning gifts or events, mapping out endless to-do lists, careful planning of vacation days.....you name it. Sounds good, right? I must be organized and on top of everything, right? Wrong. I'm always worried about what is on the horizon. I spend far too much of my life looking at what's to come. I am failing to appreciate and enjoy what is already here: Today.
What would happen if I died today? Would I be happy knowing that I had spent my lunch taking care of buying birthday cards for the end of month birthday parties we are scheduled to attend? Would work appreciate the thought I am putting into configuring data in the system? Probably not.
When I get home with the boys every night I rush into the kitchen in a panic to get dinner going, switch laundry over and think about what is on the agenda for tomorrow. What I should be doing is taking a few minutes to sit and play with my boys. Give them my undivided attention. The day will come in the not so distant future where they will want to spend every waking moment with anyone other than mommy. And the thought of this missed opportunity breaks my heart.
It may be January 4th but it is not too late for a New Year's Resolution.
I will make a concentrated effort to live in the moment. To stop taking tomorrow for granted. To be a better mom to my boys and a better wife to my Super Husband.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)