Dear Followers and other people who accidentally get to my blog - my vertigo is acting up really badly and being on the computer is painful, so no blogging until I get this under control.

Sunday's list - a little late

Today was capoeira day so that was the main event. Not much else went down so I am going to do my neglected Sunday List today.

Household Items I Want Because They Would Make My Life Easier:

1) Chest Freezer - any would do. Buying in bulk would be more efficient and I could do bulk cooking. I used to do a week's worth of cooking on Sunday's but I don't have the fridge/freezer space here.
2) Haan Floor Cleaner - I have white floors and white tiles and I can never get them clean enough for my taste.
3) Bissel Little Green - 4 kids, 4 pets - no other explanation needed.
4) Wine Cooler - at least 20 bottle capacity. Okay, my life wouldn't be easier, but P-Daddy would be hugely excited and I would get to drink more wine.
5) Furniture for each of the kids' rooms. I would particularly love bookshelves and toy chest. Right now their mattresses are on the floor and the only bureau to survive the moving van crash is in S's room with everyone's stuff in it.
6) Furniture for the rest of the house. Sure the kids would hate not having the big open room to run around in, but dining room/living room furniture would be nice.
7) one of those converter boxes that lets you watch movies from your computer/Netflix Direct on the television. We could probably get rid of cable then.
8) a much bigger Crock Pot. I have mine running almost every day making meals, yogurt, cottage cheese, paneer, etc.
9) individual school desks for the kids - they just think doing school at desks would be cool. But, I think a dining room table would be more practical.
10) a new dishwasher - how DO my dishes end up dirtier than when they went in. It is a mystery.

Editing - I totally forgot my ultimate wish - a fully equipped Kitchen-Aid mixer with lots of attachments. Ah, the dream.....in blue or yellow.

Weekend in Review

We had a busy weekend...hence the late post, and the short write-up.

P-Daddy went to work on Friday, so the kids and I spent a quiet-ish day going about our business. Saturday was our Big Event Day - AC, RR and SRC held a playdate for some of the co-workers from P-Daddy's work. I headed out early in the morning to get fruit, cheese, and eggs as our contribution to the yummies. We headed over and spent the afternoon and evening have fun and food. The kids crashed hard when we got home, but we will have all their new friends over (and many other people) when we host a "Welcome Babies" party on June 13th for the 4 babies who recently or are about to be born to people at the SFBR (including L).

Sunday we headed to Costco for a small stock up. Of course, the stupid van dies in the parking lot, leaving us all stranded in the heat and humidity. We trekked to the Wal-Mart (which was thankfully close) to buy a new battery, then trekked back. Unfortunately, the bolt that holds the battery in was so rusted we couldn't move it, and had no idea what we were going to do. Luckily, and nice man and his wife stopped with a fully stocked tool cabinet in the back of their truck and took the bolt out for us. Van runs like a charm now. P-Daddy and Spencer went out for their special day (early dinner at McD's) and we rented House Bunny - it was perfect for the end of a busy, sometimes trying, weekend.

Monday P-Daddy headed to work and we headed to the South east side of town to pick up Aloe plants from a fellow AP mom. S was so excited because one of them was a "baby" that he has named Plantie and once it is transplanted into a pot, will take up residence in his room. Seeing as we spent so much time in the parking lot of Costco on Sunday, I wasn't able to go grocery shopping so that is what I did.

Oh, the excitement.

The Siren Call of Redbox

The day dawned, and that's about all I'm going to say about that. Okay, okay...we skipped exercising. P-Daddy is still under the weather and after we came downstairs around 6am we decided to forgo working out until he feels better or Saturday, whichever comes first. So, we laid down on the couches and the 3 of us slept in for a few more hours (P-Daddy, L and I). P-Daddy decided to stay home and the kids were really good about pretending he wasn't here so he could get work done. As a treat I decided to go out and get Subway. Unfortunately so did every labourer in my area so I spent a long time standing in line with all the gardeners, construction workers, electricians, plumbers and roofing guys in my area. Finally got the three sandwiches and decided to check out the offerings in the Redbox - our nearest subway is in a gas station so that is why there is a Redbox there.

P-Daddy has been wanting to see Notorious, and they had it in so I grabbed it as a surprise. When I got home the kids (and P-Daddy who kept surreptiously turning around to look at it while ostensibly typing on the computer) were engrossed in a Jericho marathon. Spent the afternoon chilling and getting alot of housework done. Maybe P-Daddy should work from home more often because eventhough he doesn't get as much accomplished, I do.

The milk had finished fermenting so I went about making cottage cheese. I tried a new method - the Crock Pot - and it worked even better than my double boiler norm. L hasn't been feeling well, so I spent alot of time nursing her and cuddling. She also got some good naps in (which is harder than you think with three older siblings) and I think she will soon feel better. She just has a bit of a stuffy nose, but it makes breathing difficult because even with all that mucus she still breathes through her nose.

After dinner watched the movie, took a bath but C joined me so it wasn't long or relaxing. Kids went to sleep (so did P-Daddy) and I watched a little telly with L, then called it a night after reading another chapter in my book.

Wet Wednesday

I don't have much to post for gardening. The garden has loved the rain we are getting and we have loads of things sprouting up. The back yard is a giant mud puddle so the floors and carpets are a disgusting shade of brown. Phil came home to work again today and he is not feeling good (nothing to do with pigs, I assure you), and the kids seem to be under the weather too (not sick, just blah). Cleaned, looked up Latin curricula online (yup, I will teach them Latin) - it is somewhat hard to find secular Latin curricula. Most are religion-based and use ecclesiastical spelling/pronunciation. I found some that can be used for young kids, and some for older. I think I will use the Minimus program for when they are little and then either flow into the Cambridge Press program and/or Lively Latinn. Go ahead, say it "Classical Geek". Yes, and damn proud of it.

Made dinner, went for a walk (we skipped the exercise this am), L was having trouble breathing because of her stuffy nose so I took care of that. Let the kids watch a movie called Hoodwinked , but C fell asleep 10mins into it. S and X liked it and then went to sleep after some milk and cuddle time. Now I am off to watch Grace is Gone in bed with P-Daddy.

Stranded at Wich Wich

Monday was pretty much a bust of a day. I had a killer headache so we pretty much sat around and pissed the day away. I also felt like a horrible, unobservant mother because I think I have finally figured out why X gets all emotional and uncontrollable, loses his coordination, gets confused and has problems with his speech sometimes - hypoglycemia. I was watching Mystery Diagnosis last night and a toddler had it and I just kept checking off symptoms as they listed them. The kicker and why I feel like such an idiot - I have really bad hypoglycemia!!!! I spent large portions of my late teenage and 20s years (my parents never believed me when I was a child/young teen and said I was faking it) at the endocrinologist being weighed, poked, having blood sucked out, fasting, etc. However, my symptoms are different than his - I get shaky, dizzy, my vision and hearing tunnel and then I black out. Fun shit!!! So, on Monday night right before bed, X had a massive tantrum and P-Daddy brings him up to his room where he continues to freak. P asks for an apple and some cheese to test the hypoglycemia theory. It was incredible. P said that as soon as the food hit his stomach, his body relaxed, his temper cooled down, his eyes cleared up and his speech became intelligible again. I have been pretty bad lately about my diet lately, but I am going to put both of us on a specific hypoglycemic diet and see if that helps. The difference in him is night-and-day with even just the little we have done. Going to make shopping harder but hey, he's my baby.

On to Tuesday. The boys sleep in late which is frustrating because we need to leave the house by 9:30am to get to Capoeira class on time. They finally rouse at 8:45am and I super ninja mom feed, wash, dress and load all of us into the car in record time. X loves his class, and S was pretty understanding about the class being just for X. I got to spend some time talking with other moms about homeschooling (especially teaching Latin - I took 2 years of it in high school) and knitting.
Here is a video of his class - he is the one in the tye dye shirt doing the freestyle dancing.



As we were leaving, AC called and asked if we wanted to head over there for a playdate, eventhough we were looking after SRC that night (so AC and RR could do their labour/delivery hospital tour). I offered to get sandwiches from a shop I have been wanting to try. Got the sammies, got back in the car, and ..... nothing but the ominous click, click, click of a starter that won't turn over. Called P-Daddy (thank god we got cell phones) and he was going to head home anyway as his computer at work died so he borrowed booster cables from RR (they work together) and came to our rescue. We headed to ACs and he headed home. The kids ran wild, we came home for a bit, the SRC came over and all chaos broke out. It was hilarious!!!! They left at about 9pm and we headed to bed after getting the troops calmed down.

Here is a video of what our evening was like. Please excuse the end where I accidentally turn the camera straight up my nose - the dog knocked me.

Songs that Break My Heart

I've decided as a fun little thing to do, every Sunday I will (try) to come up with a List. This inaugural list is of songs that break my heart. Doesn't necessarily mean they are sad or about love and loss, there is just something about them that makes me melancholy, verklempt, nostalgic. So, in no order....

1) Mad World - Michael Andrews. This is from Donnie Darko, not the original Tears For Fears version which I find just too bouncy...the juxtaposition of the lyrics and the beat throw me off. In this version you can hear the pain behind the lyrics, the disenfranchisement, the sense of nothingness.

2) Hurt - Johnny Cash. Shit, this is almost painful to listen to. Knowing the story of Cash's life makes Trent Reznor's words just beautiful and agonizing. Don't try to watch the video if you are depressed. And, as much as I adore Trent Reznor (and I do) his version doesn't make the hair all over my body stand up.

3) Baby Mine - Yes, this is from Dumbo, but it has always made me cry. Damn Disney and his mother issues!!!

4) Slipping Through my Fingers - ABBA. I'm not sure this would have made any sense to me before I had kids, and especially daughters, but now the words and sentiments behind it make me weep at the thought that some day my babies aren't going to need me.

5) Fire and Rain - James Taylor. It makes me hurt for my husband and in-laws.

6) Red Guitar - David Sylvian. This is one of those "moment in time" songs. Every morning my brother and I would load into his car to make the drive from the South Shore to Downtown Montreal to go to our private schools. We always got stuck in traffic on the Champlain Bridge. To me this song is my 17 year old brother in the driver's seat, window rolled down, hair blowing in the breeze coming off the St. Lawrence River. Despite everything he has accomplished and done since those long-ago days, this is the image that pops into my head when I am asked to describe him. Shit, now I'm crying.

7) The Theme song from Star Trek the Next Generation - don't ask, I don't understand it either, but whenever I watched this show the opening always left me a little misty. I think it is something tonal in the actual piece of music.

8) Killing Me Softly - Roberta Flack. How can you not understand this one? Obviously she was feeling some very heavy emotions.

9) I Don't Want to Talk About It - Rod Stewart. Yup, I have a soft spot for Mr. Stewart who saw me through my biggest break up.

10) I Can't Make You Love Me - Bonnie Raitt. I am in love with the rough, smokey quality in Bonnie Raitt's voice, but I love the way it smooths out here. Also, she tapped into the way I felt about someone in University. Thank god for Maturity and Mr. Right (a.k.a P-Daddy).

11) I Will Follow You into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie. I always imagine P-Daddy and I as really old people when I hear this song, and it makes me sad to think about one of us leaving the other one behind. Love isn't painful, but full of joy. The thought of losing love is what hurts. Bloody Hell, I'm misting up again...I'm blaming it on the onions I was just chopping this time. I never cry in real life - I seem to reserve it for commercials and music.

12) How Soon is Now? - The Smiths. Oh come on! I was a teenager in Montreal in the 80s and 90s. You knew I was going to have this song on. It is a plea that shot straight to my soul...I didn't feel loveable, but I still wanted to be loved. Oh yeah, did I mention I had issues.

13) Ordinary World - Duran Duran. This is just a beautiful song about the loss of popularity and youth and how to relearn how to live. Reminds me of my youth and reminds me that I too am getting older.

14) The Mission - Ennio Morricone. The tonal quality of this piece is so moving, and gets me every time.

15) Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton. I can't understand how anyone survives the death of a child, especially in such a horrible accident. I would spend the rest of my life wondering what my child was thinking as he was falling, if he thought about me at the end, if he felt much pain, and worst of all, if he knew what was about to happen. Even before I actually was a parent this song just killed me.

16) Landslide - Fleetwood Mac. This is another one about getting older and remembering youth. Jesus Christ, I'm really not that old, maybe I am just nostalgic.

17) Superstar - The Carpenters. Okay, so this one is really personal. This song makes me sad for the loss of such a brilliant talent, and it makes me sad for the years I spent destroying my body in the same way - at least I didn't die. The song itself is sad because it is about loving someone who has lied to you and left you. Luckily I have never experienced it, and never wanted to be a groupie so I can't personally relate to the song. (the song is about a fan who has had an affair with a superstar and still believed that they will be coming back for them).

18) O Mia Babbino Caro - Puccini. Otherwise known as the song in every Merchant Ivory film...makes me long for places I have never been in times that will never be again. I am so going to add Room With a View to the Netflix queue. The lyrics are about a girl expressing to her father how much she loves a boy and the lengths she will would go to to be with him.

19) Grace of God Go I - Flogging Molly. It's just sad but true - our lives are destined and shaped by chance; pick one path and you change the course of your travels through life and you lose everything that you would have had if you had picked the other path. One path could contain joy and love while the other pain and sorrow. It is just chance, grace, kizmet which path you choose.

20) One More For my Baby - Frank Sinatra. I have always loved this song and the story it tells about the "end of a brief episode" and how you can tell that it was much more to him. However, now it has much more meaning to me as it was the song playing on the Ipod when Lorelei was born.

21) Stairway to Heaven - Led Zepplin. "There's a lady who's sure that everything that glitters is gold". Took me a long time to realize that money doesn't buy or assure happiness and I regret all the years I literally spent trying to buy joy and love.

22) Paint it Black - Eric Burdon. I like his cover of the Stones song. It is another moment in time thing - Jen Abe and I and Tour of Duty a Vietnam show from the 80s. This song is forever associated with war for me. Besides which, I love Eric Burdon and think he is very under appreciated. I couldn't find a link to his studio recording of the song which is waaaaaaayyyyyy better.

23) Fade Into You - Mazzy Star. Let's all pause for our 90s emo moment and our desire to totally be consumed and consume someone.

24) In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel. Do I even have to tell you what moment I associate this with? Lloyd Dobler!!! As a young girl all I wanted was the grand gesture of a guy standing outside my window blasting this tune at me. Then as I got older I lost the desire for grand gestures - they don't keep you warm at night, rub your aching feet nor act as your anchor when you are adrift in a sea of pain and doubt. Lloyd was a brilliant dream, but I prefer a real man. Still, Lloyd has a special place in my heart and always will.

25) This Woman's Work - Kate Bush. Equally beautiful is the Maxwell version, but I am a big Kate Bush fan so my heart stays true to her.