Procrastination pays off!

We're getting the carpet replaced in the playroom. We went to Home Depot in November and got some samples and a ballpark quote. We took the samples home and picked which one we liked that night. Then we sat on it for, well, a month and a half. I went into the store a couple weeks ago and started the process. The next day Woody called and came out to measure the room. We got a call the day after with the price of $1400 and were told to start the process we just needed to pay. Jean-Paul said I had to go to the store to do that. A few days went by, then a week. Then we got a call from the Home Depot wondering if we were still going to go ahead with the carpet. Jean-Paul told them yes and he was told there was a 20% off sale starting in a couple days. Again, all we had to do was pay for the carpet to keep the process going. A few more days go by and Home Depot calls again. This time I answer. I said I was just trying to find the time to get into the store and asked if I could pay over the phone. She said, "Of course." I got the adjusted quote and we're saving about $400 for sitting on our butts for so long! Yay! The carpet is being ordered and we'll get a call when it comes in to book a day for installation. ..... I'm not looking forward to getting the playroom ready for the installation!

Ooooo. Sorry!

I had my follow-up visit today with the dental surgeon. It's been almost a week since the surgery (last Tuesday) and it was time to check on things. I was sitting in the office waiting for Dr Casciato to see me. He walks in the room, takes one look at me, winces and says, "Oooo. Sorry." Nice. Apparently I'm looking just as awesome as I think I am! My cheeks are a beautiful chartreuse (halfway between green and yellow - for those of you who don't watch Blue's Clues). He went on to explain some of the details of the surgery. About why I have some nerve damage that "should" go away in a few days, weeks, months.... About why he chose to leave a millimetre and a half chunk of tooth in me instead of cutting said nerve. About how the bone "usually" will just grow around said chunk of tooth and not cause any problems. About how the "not 18 anymore" body doesn't heal quite as quickly....

I get to take a few more days off work. Not sure exactly how that's going to work out yet as far as pay or what my days will be labeled as.... I have a note stating I should be able to return to work on Thursday. I got a refill on my Tylenol 3 - YAY! I took a couple of those this morning and crashed for a couple hours. I could probably stand to take a couple more right now, but I want to wait until Jean-Paul is home - and until 24 is over. I must be lucid for Jack Bauer and Colm Feore. (Yes, I realize one is fictional and one is real, but I like Jack Bauer better than Keifer Sutherland and I like Colm Feore better than Henry Taylor).

Anyway, back to mindless facebooking and surfing and tv watching. I know. I should be reading..... Or painting..... Or doing anything else....

Actually, what I SHOULD do is get on the Wii and find out if I've lost any weight. I better have! I've been living on very little since I can't chew yet! I am sooo looking forward to something other than scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, yogurt or pudding!!

It's not easy....

.... bein' green.

Yup. I'm turning into a bullfrog. Swollen, green cheeks. Pretty sexy :)

Who needs a mirror......

.... when you've got kids to show how you look and sound?!Alexandria, Zachary and I were at the dinner table. Alex was done and got down from the table. Zachary pointed at her chair and said in a stern 21-month-old voice, "No! Sit down! On your bum! Right now!! Sit! On your bum!" He hears this quite a bit from us because he likes to stand on chairs, the couch, etc.

What else could I do but smile? It was very cute. He was ok with everything when I explained, "It's ok Zachary. Alexandria is all done. Thank you for your concern, though." :)

That was a pretty frickin' cool sedative!

I got my wisdom teeth out today. I was supposed to get 3 of the 4 of them out as per the consultation in the fall. I had called a few weeks ago and said that I thought the fourth one had shifted a bit. They said to come as normal to the appointment and they'd take an x-ray then and compare and see if it had indeed moved. It had indeed moved. I said, "Good. I thought it might have been all in my head." Now, you can't set a dental surgeon up like that and not expect a response, so he said, "Of course it's in your head. It's not in your hand!" :)

Anyway, I ended up getting all four out - which was better, I think. That way I don't have to go back in however long it takes the other to act up and have it extracted, too. I told the dentist when I had the consult that if he only took out 3, he wasn't getting me back in that chair at another time for the fourth!

The coolest part, though? I had an IV sedative (in the arm, not the hand, which I was thankful for!). I started to get drowsy and closed my eyes. You know how when you're falling asleep sometimes you open your eyes briefly a bit a few seconds later? That's what it felt as if I was doing. I swear only 20 or 30 seconds had gone by. I opened my eyes a bit and the nurse said, "All done". I couldn't believe it. That was pretty neat? (Can you tell I've never been put under before?) :)

I'm feeling fine so far. Taking it VERY easy. Keeping on top of the pain pills. Only eating (or drinking for today, anyway) the specified foods Following all directions to the letter. I HATE the ice pack! I hope this is a sign things will go smoothly. We'll see tomorrow - since the first day is typically not the worst of it.....

Where's Monkey?

Alexandria, Zachary and Mommy went to visit Grace, Olivia and their Mommy, Shannon a few days ago. Shannon had mentioned they would likely be downstairs when we got there. I pulled into the driveway and got Alex out first, took her to the door and went in. We could hear everyone playing downstairs, so I instructed her to take off her boots and coat and head down there. Then I went back out to get Zach. I brought him in and he must have expected Alex to be standing there when we got inside. I set him down, he looked around and said, "Where's Monkey?" He looked at me, looked around again and repeated, "Where's Monkey?" I explained she was already downstairs with Grace and Olivia and we were going there, too when we got our stuff off. That satisfied him :) That was the first time he's ever referred to Alexandria as "Monkey". Too cute!!

The Pukersons - Episode VI: Return of the Yovanoffs

Seems like we're all getting back to normal - at least our version of normal. I think everyone's systems seem to be back to regular operation and our energy levels are returning. We were all in bed by 8:45 last night, so I'm sure that helped!

The Pukersons - Episode V: The "flubug" strikes back

A short time ago, in a bedroom not too far away.....

I had been leading the rebel alliance against the "bug", but alas, tonight, the dark side has won. Maybe the universe thought I was being too cocky. "I feel fine." "It must have missed me." "I've been washing my hands like crazy." Around 12:30am I awoke to a rumbly sensation in my tumbly area. I've been tossing and turning since then and threw up a couple times.

So, tomorrow should be fun. Me one day 1 of the big sick, 2 kids who are going stir crazy and need to get out of the house (they're feeling better), and of course, Jean-Paul is gone by around 7:30am to go work in Hamilton. And this no sleep thing should really help. (Jean-Paul hasn't slept much either because Zach is having a really hard time sleeping tonight. Lack of burning energy all week, I think.)

Good thing no one is coming over this weekend as originally planned. I thought we could lift the quarantine, but no..... Not yet.

The Pukersons - Episode IV: A New Hope

So, tonight was going ok. Jean-Paul was down on the futon snuggled like a bug. Zach was (mostly) sleeping through. Alex was in bed after getting a bit of food into her. We were all tucked into bed by 9pm.

Then, around 12:15, "cough, cough" from Monkey's room. I got up, got the garbage from the bathroom, sped into her room, just in time to miss her throwing up again.... everywhere. Bath time again! Poor baby! :(

Jean-Paul heard the commotion and came up to help change the sheets and such. He was a bit dizzy still and he said his pulse was racing like he'd just finished a marathon. Ooo, and I guess he was hallucinating a bit in the basement. Fun times. Fun times. (Note the time on these entries. I'm still awake since the latest Alex incident. I'm starting to feel tired again.)

And there may be more to this story..... I'm starting to feel "off".... Here's to "a new hope" that I won't get sick too.... There. Happy with the Star Wars tie in now?

The Pukersons - Episode III: Revenge of the Sick aka Daddy joins the club

This afternoon I worked in Hamilton and I get a call near the end of the day. "When are you coming home? I just got sick, too....." I wasn't able to leave until about 5pm. Then with the weather combined with a stop to the grocery store to get some ginger ale and Lysol disinfecting wipes, I didn't get home until just after 7pm. At least Alex and Zoo hadn't gotten sick again since I left. (Oh, did I mention I got puked on by Miss Monkey? At least it was just before I had my shower to get ready to leave.....)

I tried to put Zoo to bed, but he wouldn't have it. So, Daddy had to stay with him for a bit while he fell asleep. Then, Jean-Paul headed to bed BEFORE 8pm! Anyone who knows Jean-Paul knows that's about 5-6 hours ahead of his normal bedtime.

The Pukersons - Episode II: Attack of the Germs aka She listens TOO well (sometimes)

Now we come to Tuesday night. (Zachary went to bed at 5:45.... for the night.... and stayed that way until after 7:15!). The night seemed to go fairly well. Zach slept through. Alex coughed a couple times, but we didn't think much of it.... until the morning..... She had thrown up during the night and it was not quite everywhere, but pretty close. She had to go right in the tub. When Daddy asked her about it, she said she threw up in the middle of the night, but she wasn't allowed to get out of bed unless she had to pee. (A rule we finally made after repeated exits from the bed for various reasons). I'm glad she was respecting the "rule", but I feel like a mean Mommy! Now she knows there are exceptions to the rule.

Just after we had gotten Alex bathed and cleaned up, Zachary - who we thought was all better - threw up again! It had been over 24 hours since the last episode. Not good. Jean-Paul was now going to have to look after two sick kids. I spent the morning "working" from home (see pictures) before going to a meeting in Hamilton in the afternoon. I did get a little bit accomplished before the group cuddle. It's funny how even the "Daddy-centric" Zoo wants his Mommy when he's not feeling well. OK, still not all the time, but much more than usual.By the time I left, Jean-Paul was starting to not feel well.....

The Pukersons - Episode I: The Phantom Menace aka Zachary was almost "that kid"

Zachary and Alexandria had their first swimming lessons on Monday night. Registration for some other programs was at the same time, so I had to be somewhere else for the first bit. We asked "Buddy" Joe if he could help out, and he agreed. So Monday night, Jean-Paul packed up the kids, picked up Joe a couple blocks away and went to the pool. Zachary was first, so Alex and Joe watched and waited until Daddy and Zachary were done. Zach had a blast in the pool. Then it was Alex's turn. While Alex was in the pool (BY HERSELF for the first time - yes, another shred of proof she's growing up....), Daddy, Joe and Zach were watching from the "gallery" - which is just on the other side of a door into the pool. That was when Zachary's body decided it would be a good time to projectile vomit - all over himself, Daddy, the backpack and the floor. Luckily, not on Joe! Yay! It was a huge mess. Mommy shows up just after all this has transpired. Daddy and Zach got somewhat cleaned up and all the boys headed home while Alex and Mommy finished up.

On the bright side, Zoodle did not puke IN the pool. He would have been "that kid" who "fouled" the pool. They would have had to shut it down - on the first night of swimming lessons, when everyone had packed up their kids in the cold and brought them to the pool all excited to start their lessons for the new year. "Hey, there's that kid. He's the one that threw up in the pool." We would have been "that family". "Hey, that's the family that got the pool shut down last week 'cuz the little one threw up."

After returning home, Zoo threw up again while sitting on his Cars chair (which we have since discovered has a broken zipper and the cover is impossible to remove). He gets changed again and is really tired by this point, so goes to bed. A half hour later... "cough, cough, blah" again. Then again 15 minutes later, then 15 minutes later, then 15 minutes later, then... you get the point. Around 11:30 the increments started getting longer again and by about 1:30am or so Zoodle fell asleep for the night - until 7:20. Actually pretty good for him. Then came to our bed and slept a bit more. He was very tired the whole day. Luckily Mommy could take Alex to the bus and Daddy and Zoo lounged and slept the day away. He didn't eat much, but didn't get sick again either, so we thought he was getting better....

Feeling a little mushy today - This made me smile and get all misty

A group of professionals asked a group of 4 to 8-year-olds, 'What does 'love' mean?' The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca - age 8

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' Chrissie - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mummy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mummy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.' Emily - age 8

** I LOVE this one ** 'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.' Bobby - age 7

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.' Nikka - age 6

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.' Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.' Cindy - age 8

'My mummy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.' Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mummy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' Elaine - age 5

'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.' Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.' Mary Ann - age 4
'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.' Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (What an image!) Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.' Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.' Jessica - age 8

The Magnetic Chalkboard

Here are some pictures of Alexandria and me starting the first coat of magnetic primer. She was sooo excited to be painting the wall :)