... I never updated after I got back from my trip.
Well, I'm back, safe and sound. It was a long trip back, and we were pretty tired, but everything's back to normal now. If anyone's interested in seeing any pictures, they're here: http://www.thefinn.net/gallery There's about 350 pictures...unfortunately our camera corrupted 170 pictures and they can't be opened. They were good pictures, too. If you look in the Vatican album, the last 5 pictures or so, that just looks like the top of a building...they're actually pictures of the Pope. He's in the open window, with the red flag underneath it. Yes, that's right... I was blessed by the Pope and didn't burst into flames or get struck by lightening... I must be doing something right. :) Unfortunately, as you can see, my camera doesn't have a zoom.
So life's been pretty normal since we got back. James brought back some European cold bugs and has managed to get the baby sick. So Quint has a really runny nose today...it's so bad that I can't keep up with it, so he's constantly covered in snot, or smearing it all over his face and hands... and the couch, and my clothes... There's nothing like getting a kiss from a kid with a runny nose. :) Poor guy woke up crying last night cuz he coudln't breath out of his nose.... I think his throat may have been sore too...oh, and he has molars coming in. So I gave him some motrin and he went back to sleep.
Anyway, yeah...like I said, not very interesting.
About Me
So, we didn't get up in time to meet the tour group of the Vatican..it started at 930 and we didn't get up until 915. No problem though.... we got there around 1030 and walked past the HUGE line.... I mean, it must have been at least a km long....a couple of thousand people in it. This line was just for the museum, with the Sistine chappel and such. So we walked past it, relieved that the line for St. Peter's Basillica wasn't even close to that, and walked around the church.
Compared to the elegance of Notre Dame, St. Peter's has a grandur that's unmatched.... it was almost to the point of being guady. There were so many huge and intricate marble statues, and mosaics in gold tile, and paintings, and of course the famous Dome designed by Michelangelo.... it was immense. In Notre Dame, you could feel the intense emotional history the church had.... hundreds of years of devoted followers, worshiping and preying, joy, sorrow...it was all wrapped up in the church. St. Peter's, however, was sterile, conservative, awe inspiring, but there was no real emotion attached to it...except in the one little corner they had marked off for private prayer. It was an amazing site to see, regardless.
After touring the treasury at St. Peter's we had intended on going to the museum only to see that it closed at 130, with the last visiters being let in at 1240... it was 1230 when we left the treasury. So, we decided to go see Trevi Fountain instead. We hopped on the subway, and walked to the fountain....really big, quite an impressive sculpture.... and we threw our coins in, to ensure our return to Rome, and had our picture taken.
By now it was about 230 ish.... what to do with the rest of the day? We decided to take the subway back in the direction of our hotel and look at Circus Maximus.... now, a really big oval field that used to be a stadium that fit 300,000 people. From there we headed next door to Palentine Hill, where the city of Rome, according to legend, was founded by the twin brothers Romulus and Remis (you know the story....abandoned in a river as infants by their evil father, they washed ashore only to be raised by a she-wolf who had lost her pups).
Anyway, Palentine hill is now a site of massive excavations containing palaces of various Emperors, as well as the temple of Cyble and remins of a 9th centure BC Iron Age village. So we got there at 328, only to discover the last visitors were let in at 330, so we quickly got our tickets and wandered around the ruins for an hour. After that we had late lunch from a pizza vendor and head back to our hotel.
Thoughts provoked by this trip....
Everwhere we've gone we've been whitness to beggers in many different forms.... claiming to be refugees who don't speak the language, old women shuffling or kneeling on the floor holding a cup, and the most heart breaking, women holding babies. I don't mind giving charity, when it isnt asked for.... but Im uncomfortable with beggers, mostly because 9 times out of 10, its just a scam. I pointed this out to my husband, how the women with babies hurt my heart, being the mother I am.... he said that they're probably gypsies...infact all the beggars we've seen probably have been gypsies....its an interesting thought.
That's enough for now. Tomorrow we'll be seeing the vatican museum, then heading to the airport to try to pass time until our flight leaves early Monday morning. So this'll be the last time I post anything in my blog. I'll write again once I'm home.
Thanks for reading!
Compared to the elegance of Notre Dame, St. Peter's has a grandur that's unmatched.... it was almost to the point of being guady. There were so many huge and intricate marble statues, and mosaics in gold tile, and paintings, and of course the famous Dome designed by Michelangelo.... it was immense. In Notre Dame, you could feel the intense emotional history the church had.... hundreds of years of devoted followers, worshiping and preying, joy, sorrow...it was all wrapped up in the church. St. Peter's, however, was sterile, conservative, awe inspiring, but there was no real emotion attached to it...except in the one little corner they had marked off for private prayer. It was an amazing site to see, regardless.
After touring the treasury at St. Peter's we had intended on going to the museum only to see that it closed at 130, with the last visiters being let in at 1240... it was 1230 when we left the treasury. So, we decided to go see Trevi Fountain instead. We hopped on the subway, and walked to the fountain....really big, quite an impressive sculpture.... and we threw our coins in, to ensure our return to Rome, and had our picture taken.
By now it was about 230 ish.... what to do with the rest of the day? We decided to take the subway back in the direction of our hotel and look at Circus Maximus.... now, a really big oval field that used to be a stadium that fit 300,000 people. From there we headed next door to Palentine Hill, where the city of Rome, according to legend, was founded by the twin brothers Romulus and Remis (you know the story....abandoned in a river as infants by their evil father, they washed ashore only to be raised by a she-wolf who had lost her pups).
Anyway, Palentine hill is now a site of massive excavations containing palaces of various Emperors, as well as the temple of Cyble and remins of a 9th centure BC Iron Age village. So we got there at 328, only to discover the last visitors were let in at 330, so we quickly got our tickets and wandered around the ruins for an hour. After that we had late lunch from a pizza vendor and head back to our hotel.
Thoughts provoked by this trip....
Everwhere we've gone we've been whitness to beggers in many different forms.... claiming to be refugees who don't speak the language, old women shuffling or kneeling on the floor holding a cup, and the most heart breaking, women holding babies. I don't mind giving charity, when it isnt asked for.... but Im uncomfortable with beggers, mostly because 9 times out of 10, its just a scam. I pointed this out to my husband, how the women with babies hurt my heart, being the mother I am.... he said that they're probably gypsies...infact all the beggars we've seen probably have been gypsies....its an interesting thought.
That's enough for now. Tomorrow we'll be seeing the vatican museum, then heading to the airport to try to pass time until our flight leaves early Monday morning. So this'll be the last time I post anything in my blog. I'll write again once I'm home.
Thanks for reading!
Well, now that I have some time to sit down (and free internet usage in the hotel room), I can expand a little more on the trip.
Venice was very interesting. We arrived on my birthday (the 8th), which also happened to be the last day of Carivale so there were tons of people in elaborate costumes and masks, and tourists in funny hats, masks and with their faces painted. I took the first opportunity to have my face painted, and later on in the night, after a nap rubbed it off on my pillow, I bought myself a mask to wear. I couldnt convice James to do anything like that, though.... I even threatened to throw him in the canal and he still wouldnt.
St. Marks square was....well, squarey. hehe. It had hoards of people in it because of Carnival, and even more pidgeons. I bought some corn to feed them, despite James's objections that they ruin the art, so you shouldnt feed them. I have a classic picture of my arms covered with at least 10 birds. One even landed on my head, but theres no picture of that....James said it was disaster waiting to happen so he shooed it away..
The basillica was impressive...very elaborate mosaics but it paled in comparison to Notre Dame. We didnt bother going into the Doge's Palace. Walking around Venice was quite time consuming... we got lost a couple of times, and we walked for a really long time. The buildings are so close together there that you never feel the sun, it only touches the tops of the buildings.
So after Venice, we took a train to Rome. We missed the train we intended on taking, because James forgot his passport in the hotel room and he had to run back and get it. We only got in 1 hour later than we intended though. Our first view of Rome after leaving the train station was of the Collesium. Its really and impressive site. What I found most interesting, however, is that the reason its missing so much is because parts of it were plundered and used to build St. Pauls Cathedral. We learned about that on the tour we took today.
Last night, however, we had an amazing, although really expensive, meal. The waiter, Ricardo, was really friendly. He gave me a poster, with a drawing of the Collesium, and bought James and I a free glass of a dessert wine. He also gave me big hugs when he learned it was my birthday 2 days ago.
Today we took tours (as I mentioned) of the Collesium and the Forum, the ancient center of Rome. We hope to take a tour of the Vatican tomorrow, if we can get there in time... it starts at 930am.
I wish I had pictures to share right now, but for some reason we cant download them off of the camera. Thats starting to become a problem because we only have enough room on the card for about 100 more pictures. Weve already taken around 420 pictures! I imagine tomorrow well take at least 100 pictures at the Cathedral alone.
That's it for now,
Chao!
Venice was very interesting. We arrived on my birthday (the 8th), which also happened to be the last day of Carivale so there were tons of people in elaborate costumes and masks, and tourists in funny hats, masks and with their faces painted. I took the first opportunity to have my face painted, and later on in the night, after a nap rubbed it off on my pillow, I bought myself a mask to wear. I couldnt convice James to do anything like that, though.... I even threatened to throw him in the canal and he still wouldnt.
St. Marks square was....well, squarey. hehe. It had hoards of people in it because of Carnival, and even more pidgeons. I bought some corn to feed them, despite James's objections that they ruin the art, so you shouldnt feed them. I have a classic picture of my arms covered with at least 10 birds. One even landed on my head, but theres no picture of that....James said it was disaster waiting to happen so he shooed it away..
The basillica was impressive...very elaborate mosaics but it paled in comparison to Notre Dame. We didnt bother going into the Doge's Palace. Walking around Venice was quite time consuming... we got lost a couple of times, and we walked for a really long time. The buildings are so close together there that you never feel the sun, it only touches the tops of the buildings.
So after Venice, we took a train to Rome. We missed the train we intended on taking, because James forgot his passport in the hotel room and he had to run back and get it. We only got in 1 hour later than we intended though. Our first view of Rome after leaving the train station was of the Collesium. Its really and impressive site. What I found most interesting, however, is that the reason its missing so much is because parts of it were plundered and used to build St. Pauls Cathedral. We learned about that on the tour we took today.
Last night, however, we had an amazing, although really expensive, meal. The waiter, Ricardo, was really friendly. He gave me a poster, with a drawing of the Collesium, and bought James and I a free glass of a dessert wine. He also gave me big hugs when he learned it was my birthday 2 days ago.
Today we took tours (as I mentioned) of the Collesium and the Forum, the ancient center of Rome. We hope to take a tour of the Vatican tomorrow, if we can get there in time... it starts at 930am.
I wish I had pictures to share right now, but for some reason we cant download them off of the camera. Thats starting to become a problem because we only have enough room on the card for about 100 more pictures. Weve already taken around 420 pictures! I imagine tomorrow well take at least 100 pictures at the Cathedral alone.
That's it for now,
Chao!
Well, this is the first chance Ive had to get into an internet cafe....the last few days have been go go go, to try to get everything done on time. Oh, and Im currently in Venice using an Italian keyboard so if anything looks weird, thats why....its also why Im not using any apostrophies.... I cant find it.
So, anyway.... the trip got off to a bit of a rockey start. The plane leaving Calgary was 2 hours late, so we missed our connection to Amsterdam in Frankfurt. We had to wait 4 hours in Frankfurt for the next plane, so we didnt get into Amsterdam in time to do much.... we walked throught the redlight district, and then walked through the city a bit on our way to the train the next day, and took some pictures of the amazing architecture.
And then we were on to Paris. It truely was a wonderful place to visit.... I cant believe that it was never on my list of places to go. We tried to go to the Catacombs but they were closed (doh!). Notre Dame was...awe inspiring. It actually brought tears to my eyes. I lit a candle (for 2 euros) infront of this amazing Christ on the Cross) the whole church was just.... wow, thats all I can say. We took close to 100 pictures there...only to find that our camera was being screwy and it wont read half of the pictures we took. Hopefully we can get them with the computer.
After Notre Dame we went to the Eifel Tower. On the way there we had some really good crepes filled with ham and cheese from a street vendor, and then desert, a crepe with Nutella in it. The Eifel Tower is HUGE. Pictures just dont do any justice to its scale. It was dark by the time we got there and it was all lit up. We took the elevator up to the top and took some pictures, and called home.
The next day (yesterday) we spent about 4 hours walking around the Louvre. Amazing art! Just amazing! And then we went to the Arc de Triumph, and took the elevator up to the top and walked the 289 stairs back down. By that time our feet were so sore we were both limping.
We spent last night on our train to Venice, 12 hours so my feet dont hurt too bad, but my muscles are pretty sore.
Unfortunately I dont have time to write any more or post any pictures, cuz we only have enough change for 1/2 hour on the computer.
So I hope everyone at home and on MW is doing well, and Ill write again when I have the time.
Arrivederci!!
So, anyway.... the trip got off to a bit of a rockey start. The plane leaving Calgary was 2 hours late, so we missed our connection to Amsterdam in Frankfurt. We had to wait 4 hours in Frankfurt for the next plane, so we didnt get into Amsterdam in time to do much.... we walked throught the redlight district, and then walked through the city a bit on our way to the train the next day, and took some pictures of the amazing architecture.
And then we were on to Paris. It truely was a wonderful place to visit.... I cant believe that it was never on my list of places to go. We tried to go to the Catacombs but they were closed (doh!). Notre Dame was...awe inspiring. It actually brought tears to my eyes. I lit a candle (for 2 euros) infront of this amazing Christ on the Cross) the whole church was just.... wow, thats all I can say. We took close to 100 pictures there...only to find that our camera was being screwy and it wont read half of the pictures we took. Hopefully we can get them with the computer.
After Notre Dame we went to the Eifel Tower. On the way there we had some really good crepes filled with ham and cheese from a street vendor, and then desert, a crepe with Nutella in it. The Eifel Tower is HUGE. Pictures just dont do any justice to its scale. It was dark by the time we got there and it was all lit up. We took the elevator up to the top and took some pictures, and called home.
The next day (yesterday) we spent about 4 hours walking around the Louvre. Amazing art! Just amazing! And then we went to the Arc de Triumph, and took the elevator up to the top and walked the 289 stairs back down. By that time our feet were so sore we were both limping.
We spent last night on our train to Venice, 12 hours so my feet dont hurt too bad, but my muscles are pretty sore.
Unfortunately I dont have time to write any more or post any pictures, cuz we only have enough change for 1/2 hour on the computer.
So I hope everyone at home and on MW is doing well, and Ill write again when I have the time.
Arrivederci!!
Woo! How time flies! I hadn't realized how much time had gone by since my last post... I guess life just hasn't been interesting enough to post about.
To answer the question in my comments, no, no one here got the flu. I guess those flu shots really work. :)
Okay, so I'm just gonna skip over the last few months, cuz I don't really remember what's happened in all that time....
We've really just been planning for our vacation, which we leave for tomorrow night. Well, we're going to my parent's place tonight, cuz they're babysitting the baby, then tomorrow we get on the plane.
I know! 10 whole days with out my sweet heart!
He terrified me today. I came upstairs and closed the doors to all the rooms, but his bedroom, so he could play, then went to make his lunch. It got really quiet, and I was finished his lunch so I called him, heard nothing. Then I went to look for him and couldn't find him anywhere. I look under his bed, in closets, behind the couch. It was like he just up and disappeared. By this time I'm yelling for him, on the verge of panic and tears...images of strangers coming into my house and taking him flash through my mind... I check to make sure the front door is still locked, it is. Then I open the bathroom door and there he was. Playing with a bath toy. Happy. Somehow he managed to open the bathroom door, and close it behind him. I picked him up and held him tight and tried not to cry.... my heart was beating so fast.... meanwhile he's wiggling like he's saying, "moooommm....put me down....." It was such a horrible feeling.
I'm gonna miss him alot when we're gone.
So, what about your vacation, you ask? Well, we're taking 10 days to take a train through Europe, spending a few days at Amsterdam, Paris, Venice and Rome. I'm looking forward to Rome the most...the history there is just staggering. Our hotel is right behind the Coliseum...it'll be sooo cool.
Our plane leaves tomorrow night, and it'll take 9 hours to get there....landing in Frankfurt and changing planes before going on to Amsterdam.
So, keep reading my blog for updates... I hope to update for each city, and include some pictures as well.
Those of you reading from MW, a big "Hi" to you. :)
To answer the question in my comments, no, no one here got the flu. I guess those flu shots really work. :)
Okay, so I'm just gonna skip over the last few months, cuz I don't really remember what's happened in all that time....
We've really just been planning for our vacation, which we leave for tomorrow night. Well, we're going to my parent's place tonight, cuz they're babysitting the baby, then tomorrow we get on the plane.
I know! 10 whole days with out my sweet heart!
He terrified me today. I came upstairs and closed the doors to all the rooms, but his bedroom, so he could play, then went to make his lunch. It got really quiet, and I was finished his lunch so I called him, heard nothing. Then I went to look for him and couldn't find him anywhere. I look under his bed, in closets, behind the couch. It was like he just up and disappeared. By this time I'm yelling for him, on the verge of panic and tears...images of strangers coming into my house and taking him flash through my mind... I check to make sure the front door is still locked, it is. Then I open the bathroom door and there he was. Playing with a bath toy. Happy. Somehow he managed to open the bathroom door, and close it behind him. I picked him up and held him tight and tried not to cry.... my heart was beating so fast.... meanwhile he's wiggling like he's saying, "moooommm....put me down....." It was such a horrible feeling.
I'm gonna miss him alot when we're gone.
So, what about your vacation, you ask? Well, we're taking 10 days to take a train through Europe, spending a few days at Amsterdam, Paris, Venice and Rome. I'm looking forward to Rome the most...the history there is just staggering. Our hotel is right behind the Coliseum...it'll be sooo cool.
Our plane leaves tomorrow night, and it'll take 9 hours to get there....landing in Frankfurt and changing planes before going on to Amsterdam.
So, keep reading my blog for updates... I hope to update for each city, and include some pictures as well.
Those of you reading from MW, a big "Hi" to you. :)
The holiday season is over, and now we can all sit back and relax. The past week was more or less what I expected it to be, although it did start out with a resounding bang -- literally. While we were stopped at a light, just leaving Fort Saskatchewan, someone rear-ended us. It was completely unexpected, at least for me, but James said that he knew the guy was going to hit us eventually, cuz he was being an idiot. So, our bumper is bent, but that's it. Not too bad, but we'll need a new bumper before we sell the truck, whenever that happens. My neck also hurt for a couple days after that, but just like I'd strained a muscle, so nothing serious.
Beyond that, we arrived in Olds in good form, and ready to start the holidays. My parent's Christmas tree was huge and beautifully decorated. The mound of presents under it was rediculous, and that was before we added our three garbage bags full of gifts to it.
So the big question is, what did I get? The best presents would have to be from my husband... he got me some diamond and ruby earings, and sapphire and diamond ring. It was such a great gift simply because I knew it pained him to spend so much money on something that he considers to be useless. I was really touched because of it. :) And I so totally didn't expect it. Otherwise, I got movies (Finding Nemo and Ocean's 11), music (Queen of the Damned Soundtrack), books, (Gregory Maguires "Confessions of an Ugly Step Sister" and "Mirror Mirror". I got tons of clothes and new shoes, and a goosedown duvet for my king sized bed, from Santa. Oh, and the game Balderdash ....that's all I can remember getting at the moment, but there was more, I'm pretty sure.
All in all it was a really good holiday. My mom ended up with the flu, so now I have to hold my breath for a week and pray that no one here gets it.
Beyond that, we arrived in Olds in good form, and ready to start the holidays. My parent's Christmas tree was huge and beautifully decorated. The mound of presents under it was rediculous, and that was before we added our three garbage bags full of gifts to it.
So the big question is, what did I get? The best presents would have to be from my husband... he got me some diamond and ruby earings, and sapphire and diamond ring. It was such a great gift simply because I knew it pained him to spend so much money on something that he considers to be useless. I was really touched because of it. :) And I so totally didn't expect it. Otherwise, I got movies (Finding Nemo and Ocean's 11), music (Queen of the Damned Soundtrack), books, (Gregory Maguires "Confessions of an Ugly Step Sister" and "Mirror Mirror". I got tons of clothes and new shoes, and a goosedown duvet for my king sized bed, from Santa. Oh, and the game Balderdash ....that's all I can remember getting at the moment, but there was more, I'm pretty sure.
All in all it was a really good holiday. My mom ended up with the flu, so now I have to hold my breath for a week and pray that no one here gets it.
So, Christmas shopping is done. I went out to West Edmonton Mall a couple weeks ago with my mom and sister to do my Christmas shopping. I managed to get a couple things for my husband, and for my dad, but because I was shopping with my mom and sister, I couldn't get anything for them. I had rented a car that weekend, because our insurance on our SUV had expired. So, that Tuesday I tried to finish my shopping...didn't have much luck. I only managed to finally get the last two presents this Saturday. So we have lots of presents under our tree, and the house is decorated and lights are up. I'm all full of Christmas cheer.
However, on the way to the mall on Saturday, the heater in our truck blew up... or something. It had been acting up since we bought it. At first it was just this trickling sound, that we though should get fixed some day. Then a couple of weeks ago the heater started screaming.... so we thought that really should get fixed. Then, last weekend, we're just getting into Fort Saskatchewan when smoke starts coming out of the defrost vent...by the time my husband pulled over it was pouring out of the vent and we had to open the windows to air it out. And it smelled horrible. So, now we have to get it fixed.... although, apparently it seems to be working again.
And this morning I was given a heart attack. My husband drives to the city every day for work. It takes him about 1 hour to get there. He left late this morning, (cuz he can't get up before dawn, for some reason) so I knew he wouldn't be at work until about 9:30.
Well, at 9:15, just as I was about to give the baby breakfast, the phone rings. Knowing that James shouldn't be at work yet, I worry slightly that something's happened and he's calling me to call a tow truck for him or something (it wasn't a completely rational thought). So I answer the phone and a male voice asks if he's speaking with Mrs. Atkinson. I tell him yes, and he says he's so and so calling from the Edmonton Police Department......(my heart starts pounding, imagining my husband in a horrible accident, cuz it is snowing and the roads are icy)......and he's soliciting for a charity to help police widows.
And no, I didn't give the charity any money, because he said that only half the money raised would go to charity...the other half was to pay for the charity drive, and to pay solicitors like himself.
That's it until after Chrismas. :)
However, on the way to the mall on Saturday, the heater in our truck blew up... or something. It had been acting up since we bought it. At first it was just this trickling sound, that we though should get fixed some day. Then a couple of weeks ago the heater started screaming.... so we thought that really should get fixed. Then, last weekend, we're just getting into Fort Saskatchewan when smoke starts coming out of the defrost vent...by the time my husband pulled over it was pouring out of the vent and we had to open the windows to air it out. And it smelled horrible. So, now we have to get it fixed.... although, apparently it seems to be working again.
And this morning I was given a heart attack. My husband drives to the city every day for work. It takes him about 1 hour to get there. He left late this morning, (cuz he can't get up before dawn, for some reason) so I knew he wouldn't be at work until about 9:30.
Well, at 9:15, just as I was about to give the baby breakfast, the phone rings. Knowing that James shouldn't be at work yet, I worry slightly that something's happened and he's calling me to call a tow truck for him or something (it wasn't a completely rational thought). So I answer the phone and a male voice asks if he's speaking with Mrs. Atkinson. I tell him yes, and he says he's so and so calling from the Edmonton Police Department......(my heart starts pounding, imagining my husband in a horrible accident, cuz it is snowing and the roads are icy)......and he's soliciting for a charity to help police widows.
And no, I didn't give the charity any money, because he said that only half the money raised would go to charity...the other half was to pay for the charity drive, and to pay solicitors like himself.
That's it until after Chrismas. :)
So, my husband tells me that one of the keys to having people read your blog is posting in it every day. So...I'm going to try to do that. I don't promise anything, though.
This weekend was really tiring. After a week of looking after the baby all day, (and that can be exhausting...how many times can you say "no" without losing your mind?) I really look forward to two days where I don't have to do it alone. It's enough just knowing someone else is there and I can be alone if I want to. Well, once a month James has to work a Saturday, so I get screwed out of one day. This weekend, however, he also went out and played games all day Sunday. So I didn't get a weekend off this week. The only upside was I went shopping with my mom and sister and then had dinner and drinks on Saturday. James took the baby after he got off of work and I go to hang out and forget about being a mom for a little while. That was nice of him, I admit.
So I tried to get my Christmas shopping done on Saturday. I'll be taking back at least one present, I couldn't shop for my mom or sister, because they were right there, and I lost a present I got for my son. So basically it was almost a waste of time. Except Quint got to see Santa, so that was fun...waiting in line for 20 minutes holding a 22lbs wriggly weight in my arms....He didn't know what to think of Santa....he just stared at him. So, like I said, then we went out for dinner and drinks. Well, they drank. I had a white russian that might as well have been milk, it was so weak, but that was it, cuz I was driving. They were staying in the hotel across the street so they could drink all they wanted.
And today....today I'm doing nothing. It's -20C or some such idiotic cold temperature and it's preventing me from even walking the 10 feet to the garage to get the othe baby gate, so I can lock the baby out of the computer room so I can be on he computer while he plays. I tried just letting him play in here and now it's a complete and utter disaster. That happens to any room he goes into, really, so I shouldn't have been surprised by the mess.
Oh, the excitement.
This weekend was really tiring. After a week of looking after the baby all day, (and that can be exhausting...how many times can you say "no" without losing your mind?) I really look forward to two days where I don't have to do it alone. It's enough just knowing someone else is there and I can be alone if I want to. Well, once a month James has to work a Saturday, so I get screwed out of one day. This weekend, however, he also went out and played games all day Sunday. So I didn't get a weekend off this week. The only upside was I went shopping with my mom and sister and then had dinner and drinks on Saturday. James took the baby after he got off of work and I go to hang out and forget about being a mom for a little while. That was nice of him, I admit.
So I tried to get my Christmas shopping done on Saturday. I'll be taking back at least one present, I couldn't shop for my mom or sister, because they were right there, and I lost a present I got for my son. So basically it was almost a waste of time. Except Quint got to see Santa, so that was fun...waiting in line for 20 minutes holding a 22lbs wriggly weight in my arms....He didn't know what to think of Santa....he just stared at him. So, like I said, then we went out for dinner and drinks. Well, they drank. I had a white russian that might as well have been milk, it was so weak, but that was it, cuz I was driving. They were staying in the hotel across the street so they could drink all they wanted.
And today....today I'm doing nothing. It's -20C or some such idiotic cold temperature and it's preventing me from even walking the 10 feet to the garage to get the othe baby gate, so I can lock the baby out of the computer room so I can be on he computer while he plays. I tried just letting him play in here and now it's a complete and utter disaster. That happens to any room he goes into, really, so I shouldn't have been surprised by the mess.
Oh, the excitement.
So, I've been with my husband for 7 years and in all that time he has been a really picky eater. He refused to eat anything that doesn't look good or that he doesn't think will taste good, and there is a very long list of foods that he just doesn't like. Unfortunately I'm the exact opposite...there are only 2 foods that I refuse to eat. One of my most favorite foods just happens to be chilli....and one of the foods that he pronounced as gross, without ever trying it. So I have gone the last 7 years without ever making my own chilli, until Friday.
While we were in BC visiting my inlaws, my husband's dad, on hearing that he didn't like chilli, but had never tried it, got him to taste the chilli that he had made. My husband said it was "okay" and that he'd eat it if he had to. However, he opted for soup instead of chilli for lunch that day. So on Friday, I asked him if it was okay if I made chilli, seeing as how he tried it at his dads. He said it was okay if I did, but "it better not suck". Oh, great, I think.... I just hate it when he doesn't like the food I cook...it's like it's a comment on my abilities and ends up as a blow to my ego.
So we sit down to dinner and begin to eat, when he asks me, "if I tell you something, will you promise I won't hear about it for the rest of my life?" I tell him that he's not allowed to tell me anything that's going to hurt my feelings....fully expecting him to say that he didn't like the food. But he promised that he wouldn't hurt my feelings, so I said that I promised not to bug him about it.
So he says....
"This is really good!"
"Ha! Ha!" I exclaimed, "I told you so!"
It was a triumph, I'm telling you. It felt like I'd won a battle that had been raging for years. Victory was mine!
Now the only thing I have left for him to try is chicken pot pie and my spaghetti sauce.
While we were in BC visiting my inlaws, my husband's dad, on hearing that he didn't like chilli, but had never tried it, got him to taste the chilli that he had made. My husband said it was "okay" and that he'd eat it if he had to. However, he opted for soup instead of chilli for lunch that day. So on Friday, I asked him if it was okay if I made chilli, seeing as how he tried it at his dads. He said it was okay if I did, but "it better not suck". Oh, great, I think.... I just hate it when he doesn't like the food I cook...it's like it's a comment on my abilities and ends up as a blow to my ego.
So we sit down to dinner and begin to eat, when he asks me, "if I tell you something, will you promise I won't hear about it for the rest of my life?" I tell him that he's not allowed to tell me anything that's going to hurt my feelings....fully expecting him to say that he didn't like the food. But he promised that he wouldn't hurt my feelings, so I said that I promised not to bug him about it.
So he says....
"This is really good!"
"Ha! Ha!" I exclaimed, "I told you so!"
It was a triumph, I'm telling you. It felt like I'd won a battle that had been raging for years. Victory was mine!
Now the only thing I have left for him to try is chicken pot pie and my spaghetti sauce.
Okay, so this is my second attempt at a blog. The first one I tried, at xanga.com, I didn't really like because I had to create my own site and I know absolutely nothing about that. This one looks nice without my having to work at it, which is a good thing.
So there isn't really a whole lot for me to talk about in this first post....
Life is going pretty good at the moment. We've found a babysitter for my son, finally. She's a careworker at mom's and tots. And mom's and tots is going great...it's really good to have something to get me out of the house. I'm really going to miss it during the month that it's not going on, I'm sure Quintin will, too. I really hope we get a car soon so I can drive to it when it starts up again in January.
We just came back from a weekend in BC visiting the in-laws. Quintin's Aunt hadn't met him yet, so I'm really glad we got to go. Quint had a great time playing with his cousin, Cassidy. She's 4 years older than him and he loved her. I've never heard him laugh as he did when she played with him. It made me very sure that I want to have another kid...just so Quintin has that special friend, that no one but a sibling can be.
As for me.... my IBS (if, indeed, that's what it is...I'm still too chicken to go to a doctor about it), has been annoying lately...there hasn't been pain though, so I can deal with it, which is one of the reasons I haven't seen a doctor. My PPD has been quite manageable lately. This weekend, being about to relax and sleep in, really helped a lot. I've been really happy lately and I actually feel in control.
There's nothing to blame for being lazy though...I've gotta clean my house before the weekend and finish laundry...it'd probably be a good idea to get dressed today and maybe have a shower as well. Maybe I should write myself a to-do list every day and make sure it gets done... not sure if it would work though.
So yeah, that's it for now. My "not much to say" seemed to have turned into a novel....
So there isn't really a whole lot for me to talk about in this first post....
Life is going pretty good at the moment. We've found a babysitter for my son, finally. She's a careworker at mom's and tots. And mom's and tots is going great...it's really good to have something to get me out of the house. I'm really going to miss it during the month that it's not going on, I'm sure Quintin will, too. I really hope we get a car soon so I can drive to it when it starts up again in January.
We just came back from a weekend in BC visiting the in-laws. Quintin's Aunt hadn't met him yet, so I'm really glad we got to go. Quint had a great time playing with his cousin, Cassidy. She's 4 years older than him and he loved her. I've never heard him laugh as he did when she played with him. It made me very sure that I want to have another kid...just so Quintin has that special friend, that no one but a sibling can be.
As for me.... my IBS (if, indeed, that's what it is...I'm still too chicken to go to a doctor about it), has been annoying lately...there hasn't been pain though, so I can deal with it, which is one of the reasons I haven't seen a doctor. My PPD has been quite manageable lately. This weekend, being about to relax and sleep in, really helped a lot. I've been really happy lately and I actually feel in control.
There's nothing to blame for being lazy though...I've gotta clean my house before the weekend and finish laundry...it'd probably be a good idea to get dressed today and maybe have a shower as well. Maybe I should write myself a to-do list every day and make sure it gets done... not sure if it would work though.
So yeah, that's it for now. My "not much to say" seemed to have turned into a novel....
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