Screamin' Mama

Addicted?

2010-05-02T17:04:00.001-07:00

I've been living the life of a deprived addict for the past week. Sneaking out of the house for a quick fix...searching for a connection...feeling agitated and grumpy from withdrawl...what's wrong with me!!

Well...it's my internet connection...it was off-line for almost an entire week. The first couple of days were brutal. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I called my provider every chance I had to get an update. I literally didn't know what to do with myself. I was lost.

I would leave the house after dinner and sit at the local Starbucks for a quick fix...or sit outside the library where there's free wifi. I felt guilty for leaving my family but I NEEDED to check my email and Facebook. I HAD to play my Facebook games of Scrabble. I couldn't let my friends down...could I?

Well...I actually found that by the end of the week I wasn't all consumed about my computer and in fact got quite alot of work done around the house. The house...inside and out...is starting to look neat and clean.

Is it sad? I'm not sure about everyone else but I realized how much my life revolved around my computer and the internet. I don't know if I will be able to change my habits...especially now that I've got it back online...but perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to cut out one or two hours of internet and spend some quality time with the family.

Child's eye view...the horror!!

2010-03-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

So I was downloading the pictures from my son's birthday party the other day and to my horror I found some pics that my daughter took while I was baking cupcakes. Now is this what she sees when she comes up behind me?!!! I know that the camera usually adds 10 pounds but IS THIS REALLY WHAT SHE SEES?!! If so then I am truly going to hit the gym.

Although...it might just be camera angle...or the flash makes my butt glow bigger...AND definitely, for sure, she's standing too close...

Normally I wear black so I'm going to hope that my behind doesn't really look like I'm wearing a Depends undergarment...

Tears for Haiti

2010-02-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

My church had a fundraising project this month collecting soaps, toothbrushes, towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. to make relief kits to send to Haiti. I sent out a request to friends and family and collected two boxes of items. It wasn't much considering the enourmous need but it was something in addition to monetary donations. To finish off the fundraiser the Director of Church Relations from World Vision came to speak about his experience there during the earthquake. He had been there leading a group of volunteers when he was caught in the earthquake.

His talk moved me to tears as he recounted the first moments and then the chaos afterwards. Luckily their entire group was safe and the hotel that they stayed at became a makeshift hospital (armed with only shredded bedsheets and bottles of iodine) and morgue. I can't even imagine the horrors that he saw or heard.

One thing that I thought was quite haunting was the wails from the entire city of Port Au Prince after the earthquake. The crying from pain, sorrow, fear, desperation...

If you are interested here is his story "Wailing filled the air." I'm sure it will move you just as it has moved me. His story has left me feeling...I don't know...restless...uneasy...wanting to do more....I will have to do some research to see where I can help the most.

For those interested in making donations here are a few links. I love the new version of "We are the world" and it inspires me to do more. I believe every download of the song and video goes toward Haiti.

We are the World

Red Cross

Me so bad!!!

2010-02-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!! Happy Valentine's Day!! Happy Chinese New Year!!

I have to apologize...I am so guilt ridden. I can't believe I haven't posted since Christmas Eve. My only excuse would be laziness and lack of motivation. It surprises even me since the new year usually means a fresh start.

I have been busy trying to purge and clean out my mess. I am certainly not someone you would call a hoarder but I have to admit that I just threw out 26 single socks with sizing ranging from baby to about three years old. My daughter is six so can you imagine how long they've been hanging around my laundry baskets? It was quite liberating actually and now I'm in the purge mode. I'm collecting and passing on outgrown clothes...tidying up all the clutter filled corners...and clearing up my kitchen/bathroom/tabletops...

It's so hard to say goodbye to all my "stuff"...even though I know these things have no use or my children have outgrown them. My excuse for saving all that stuff was that one day my kids might have use for them or I could save them for my future grandchildren. Toys don't go bad, do they?

Merry Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-24T17:36:00.000-08:00

Well...after a long twenty-four hour drive we finally made it to Florida. We are spending a lovely two weeks with my sister's family for Christmas. Nice to get away from the cold and snow...even if it's only for two weeks. I just wanted to wish all my loyal followers a very Merry Christmas!! Wishing everyone all the best for the holidays and hoping that the new year will bring you much joy and happiness. Health and wealth to us all!!

Winner of the FabulousSavings.ca Give-Away!!!

2009-12-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

Drumroll please.....

Thanks to Pamela from FabulousSavings.ca for choosing a winner! I would love to congratulate Cari of Can I get the Recipe? for being my first ever Give-Away winner!!! Hohoho Merry Christmas!! Please send me your full name and address so we can send out your prize. And you never know...it might even come before Christmas! Wouldn't that be fantastic?!

FABULOUS Give-a-way!!!

2009-12-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

I am soooOOooo excited!! I am hosting my first ever give-away!! Whoohooo!

I'm so happy to be able to offer something to my loyal followers. FabulousSavings.ca is a fantastic free online coupon and discount site for Canadians and they will be presenting a $50 Walmart Giftcard to one of my Canadian readers. (My apologies to my international followers.)

Here are the rules:

1. It is open to Canadian residents only.

2. You must visit their site (http://www.fabuloussavings.ca) and answer the following by leaving a comment on my blog:

"Name a FabulousSavings.ca exclusive coupon merchant featured on the homepage & list the discount offered."

3. Become a follower of Screamin' Mama. Please let me know once you follow me.

4. Earn another entry by becoming a follower of my other blog Fork in Food. Please let me know once you've become a follower.

5. Maximum two entries per person. (1. Comment and follow Screamin' Mama 2. Follow Fork in Food)

This contest will be open for two weeks. Give-away closes by 12pm Tuesday, December 21, 2009. Good luck and happy holidays!!!

All time low!!

2009-12-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

I've been crazy busy the last two weeks. My daughter was sick all last week and I had to plan a huge birthday party for my son and daughter this past weekend. Of course all the hard work paid off and the party was a hit. Just look at my cute cupcakes. Check out Fork in Food for my instructions on how to make them.

However, there is a price to pay for success. It's called laundry. Last night when I went up for my shower I realized that I couldn't find any clean underwear! I was too exhausted to run down to the basement (plus it's also where the boogey man lives so I refuse to go down there after dark) so I rummaged through my drawers and what did I find? A swimsuit bottom. Well it looks like underwear and feels like underwear, doesn't it? So I slipped them on after my shower and no one was the wiser.

In fact, I kinda liked wearing them and since I was still too lazy to go down to the basement in the morning, I wore them all day today. It was sorta like wearing a girdle all day. It really did keep my tummy all sucked in...and there were sexy black. Ok...I know...I know...I'm reaching now...so please don't tell anyone...it really was my all time low...

By the way, if you are reading this tonight...stay tuned because tomorrow I am offering a FABULOUS Give-away!!

Christmas Wreath - 10 minute craft

2009-11-20T17:27:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I'm already making Christmas crafts. I have to confess the only reason why I'm putting up my Christmas decorations today was because I felt guilty about leaving my Halloween decorations up until yesterday.

As I was digging out all my holiday decorations I came across some things I bought from Michael's and the dollar store. Materials that I was going to use last year but never got the chance to make.

This wreath literally took ten minutes to make and looks great. I just took a grapevine wreath, sprigs of silver holiday sprays and some blue ornaments. I didn't even need glue!

Just cut up the sprigs into smaller portions and insert into the wreath...securing them in between the tight twines of the wreath. Spread out evenly.

After I just hooked the ornaments on with their original hooks and pinched the end to secure them. Voila!! A pretty, sparkly wreath to put on your door.

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-31T15:46:00.000-07:00

I have to admit Halloween is so much fun. I'm sitting here waiting for the first kids to arrive. My kids left about fifteen minutes ago and now I have some peace and quiet.

It was quite chaotic trying to get them out the door. Where are the hats? Are you warm enough? They think they can just run out in a sweatshirt when it's only 6F outside. Go to the washroom! Bag big enough? Where are your friends?

I have to admit I've been laughing more than usual lately. The boys have been perfecting their nerdy behaviour and they have done a pretty funny job at getting it right.

It's has been pretty exhausting though...

I spent three hours Thursday night making cupcakes for the kids' class parties. It's fun decorating but by the end I didn't have any enthusiasm left...I just wanted to finish the job and go to sleep. I won't even show you what the last ones looked like...

Handcrafted T-shirt Tote

2009-10-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the Martha Stewart site tonight and came upon instructions on how to make a t-shirt tote. It looked to be super easy so I immediately searched for a t-shirt. Funny but I had a t-shirt exactly like the one on her site. Here is the finished product. It took me literally two minutes to make and looks fabulous.
The only confusing thing about her instructions was how to place the bowl so I've taken a picture of step 2.

I love reusable bags and this is such a great idea. A great way to recycle old t-shirts or ones that no longer fit. Happy sewing!!

Goodbye Victor?!!

2009-10-08T16:25:00.001-07:00

I am still in shock...

My friend just sent me a link to CNN...

Victor Newman is no more...

Can you believe that?!!! I've been watching The Young and the Restless since I was twelve...that's almost 28 years!! The Young and the Restless revolves around Victor Newman...his manipulating ways...his love affair with Nikki...and feud with the Abbotts. Mind you I'm not sure which category he falls into...he's certainly not young and is he really restless?

I will most likely continue watching Y&R more out of habit but it will definitely not be the same without the old guy. I don't even like his character but getting rid of Victor would be like getting rid of Katherine Chancellor. It's just unthinkable!

Boo to Sony Executives!!

Here's the link for those interested in what happened to Eric Braeden.

The Sandwich Generation

2009-10-07T16:58:00.001-07:00

I've been so busy lately. Hubby is away this entire week so I've been playing single mom. Keeping up with the kids' schedules and my dad's medical tests has left me this week a wee bit tired. It's funny but I had been looking forward to this school year. My baby is finally in grade one...in school the entire day...but instead of having all this free time I have been busy taking my dad for tests and doctor's appointment and I just found out my mom needs cataract surgery. I'm thankful that I am able to be there for them and not have to worry about the dragging the kids along but it's still stressful. My parents are not considered old by modern standards but things come up as they age.

My sister actually referred to us as the sandwich generation...sandwiched by young kids and aging parents. Now we are the ones worrying about everyone else...safety of our children and the health of our parents. Lately I've had quite a few sleepless nights worrying about my dad. Funny how tables have turned since I'm sure he spent many a night staying up worrying about me. I pray that the tests will show that things aren't as serious as they intially seemed to be. I'm hoping my sandwich will be filled with some healthy sweetness and a lot of meat. Enjoyable and memorable.

What's that stench?!!

2009-09-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

For the past three days I've been driven from my home by this terrible stench. It started after lunch on Monday and I thought it was the canned Wedding soup I made the kids. I scrubbed the kitchen and threw out all the garbage but I would still catch a whiff once in awhile. The next day it got a bit worse. I searched around looking for stagnant water in my planters. What the heck could it be?!! It killed me that I couldn't figure it out. Finally as I sniffed around on my hands and knees like a hound dog I narrowed it down to my fridge and freezer area. However it wasn't coming from inside...it was outside. Strange. We didn't have mice in the house but I couldn't rule it out. I made my husband pull out the fridge and freezer but we didn't find anything.

This morning the smell literally drove me screaming from the house. Imagine the worse case of bad breath...rotting meat...dead animal...it literally made me light headed and nauseous. I couldn't even function! I ran to Sears to look for a manual since I misplaced mine but all they could recommend was to call a Sears repairman at $100 minimum. As I always say, poor people have to be resourceful so I ran to the closest book store to try to figure out what the heck could be happening to my fridge. No luck there! Not one book! However the saleslady there recommended an appliance parts store so I ran over there hoping to get some free advice. They were so nice and explained that there was nothing that could give my fridge bad breath.

I forced my hubby to pull everything out again and we finally figured out that it was the stagnant water coming from the drip pan. Can you believe that there is no way you can take that thing out to clean!! Two hours later, a cut finger and my body so sore from contorting myself to get to that darn thing. We did our best...I'm hoping that will be the end of it...but will keep my fingers crossed just in case. I really don't want to call the repairman!

Other people's pleasure....

2009-09-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

My challenge for the next twelve months is to live a simplier life. I've been really good at walking to school, cooking and eating at home and not buying unneccessary things for our family. Instead I've put my energy into spending my friends' money. It's my new joy.

I haven't stopped walking around the malls or surfing for deals online. Instead I'm shopping for others. I encourage my friends to buy the things that I can't have. If I can't have it then at least I can watch from afar.

I've was pleasantly shocked today when I got my Visa bill and it was way below what we normally spend. I think almost $500 less!! Woohoo!! I'm patting myself on the back but I know it's been only two weeks since I started this challenge. I haven't really been tempted...although after our camping trip last week I've been wanting a camping trailer so bad!

Camping isn't that bad...

2009-09-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went camping with five other families. It was a gorgeous weekend and we all had such a great time that we re-booked our camp trip for next year. It's a nice time to bond with our good friends and family. The kids had a fabulous time burning their marshmallows in the fire. I, myself, cringed every time they ate what I called "cancer on a stick" but they gobbled them down like they were the best thing ever.

Seasoned campers might cringe when they see how we camped but for us camping is a chance for the kids to be out in the fresh air and sleep in the tent. My husband complained every time an electrical appliance had to be squeezed into the van...but isn't that the beauty of car camping at a site that offers electricity and water? In went the coffee maker...butane stovetop...electric griddle...rice cooker. I didn't hear him complain whenever we poured him a cup of coffee or as he devoured the Thai curry chicken or slow cooked beef. Check out the food on my blog Fork in Food.

There were a few things I should have brought...

I didn't bring my pillow so I had to rest my head on my duffle bag which felt like a block of wood under my head.
I really should have brought along earplugs too because the sounds of nature kept me up most of the night. Crickets, frogs and the wind drove me nuts!
And a couple pairs of adult diapers because there was no way I was going to walk 5 minutes to the bathroom at 3am! I was forced to stumble to the back of my tent to weewee as tree branches...or I hope they were tree branches...brushed my butt as I did my business.

WoohooOOoooo! School is back tomorrow!!

2009-09-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

Well...we had a wonderful weekend before school starts again tomorrow. The men went camping with the boys and the women hung out with the girls. I have to admit it was nice to hang around the girlfriends for a few days. The best part is that with so many willing and able hands there didn't seem to be so much work to do around the house. Dinner was fabulous and since everyone pitched in it seemed effortless. It didn't even seem like work.

Now I am back at home looking at all the camp and weekend gear sitting in the foyer and thinking about all the back to school stuff that I haven't even prepared. It's making me a bit nervous but I think I will be able to survive the first week of school.

My daughter will be going to grade one this year which means I will have almost 6 hours to myself every week day from now on. I'm excited! There are so many possibilities. I've convinced my husband that it's still too early to go back to work but I have a new commitment for the next twelve months.

I am going to live a SIMPLE life.

I will not be buying anything that I do not need. I have way too much of everything.
I will be de-cluttering our lives of junk.
I will be cooking more at home...healthier meals and it will help save $$$.
I will walk the kids to school more often. We need to be more physically active.

This is my goal for just one year. I hope it will change the way we live our lives for the better. Keeping my fingers crossed that I can be strong.

Labor Day?!!!

2009-09-03T19:43:00.001-07:00

Labor Day Weekend is approaching...fast and furious...and labor is what I did today!! My goodness! I'm sure this is one of the most stressful days of the year. I think it was even more stressful than packing for the 24 hour drive to Florida.

I don't know what my hubby was thinking when he agreed to a Father/Son camp trip with the men. In fact I was actually shocked when I heard that he said he would take ALL three kids camping. I was a bit apprehensive to say the least. We've convinced my daughter not to go and join the women for the weekend instead.

So he agreed to go camping with the men....but I bet you any money it was the women that packed all the clothes...bought all the groceries...and checked off everything on that darn list! I bet I'll be the one loading the van tomorrow morning too!! Darn him!! I dragged the kids with me the entire day running last minute errands. PMS must be looming it's angry head because I was NOT a happy camper having a brood of kids whining and fighting behind me as I grabbed food for THEIR weekend. Absolutely no appreciation!!!

Then I noticed the lawn needed cutting...well...I was in no mood to hear whining from my hubby too so I mowed it too! Fuming the entire time but that's my fault for not mowing it yesterday.

Boy I can't wait for this weekend to start because once I get to my sister's place...I'm not doing anything!! Just going to hang with my girlfriends!!

(Sorry for the rant but I had to vent a bit before I finish up all the packing and head to bed.I know everyone reading this will understand where I am coming from.)

Back to School Denial

2009-09-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

I've got a major case of back-to-school denial. Don't get me wrong...I can't wait for the kids to get back to school. Looking forward to it actually but for some odd reason I've been procrastinating. I'm just not in the mood to buy any school supplies...don't even want to look at new clothes or shoes for the school year...haven't even put the kids back on a reasonable bedtime routine.

This summer was strange. Weather was cold. Kids were quiet. Busy with visitors. Summer seemed too short. I'm a bit sad that it's over. Can't really believe it since I'm usually the first one to be jumping for joy at just the mention of the first day of school. Something must be wrong with me...

Week with the girls...ahhhhhhh....

2009-08-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

My sisters and I have been trading kids over the summer. I sent my oldest to Florida for six weeks (hallelujah!!) and then my middle son went to Orillia for a week of camp with my other sister's kids(double hallelujah!!). I have been able to breath a little easier over the summer but it's still been quite busy with out of town friends.

This week I have my sister's daughter over and my middle son went home with her. Can I just tell you what a difference it is to have two little girls at home as opposed to any other combination of children such as one girl/one boy or two boys.

I can honestly say I haven't heard a peep out of them all day. They play together all day without an argument or fist fight! Not completely shocking because my sisters and I played relatively well together when we were young. I wouldn't mind keeping my niece for another week but I don't think my sister would agree since that would mean she would be stuck with the boys. She has already got dibs for the girls for next year. I'm going to catch up on housework and sleep this week and treat the girls to some special activities...to be determined...

It just so happens that my husband has a business trip for two days this week but will I be doing the usual complaining? Nope.

Long Live Chubby!!!

2009-07-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I just read some fantastic news today!

A Japanese study declared that "People who are a little overweight at age 40 live six to seven years longer than very thin people, whose average life expectancy was shorter by some five years than that of obese people, the study found".

Hehe...I'm forty...I'm chubby AND now I can be proud of it!! I should print this out and frame it in my kitchen.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they aren't actually comparing chubby people to those that are sickly and ill such as those suffering from anorexia or terminal illnesses 'cause you don't need a study to tell me that I'm going to live longer than them.

Well...gotta go...I'm skipping over to Costco now and scarf down a hotdog and fries...and feel good knowing that I'm going to outlive those skinny, minny skeletal models and super stars. ;0)

By the way, here is the link just in case you don't believe me.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/090619/health/health_japan_lifestyle_weight

Middle Child = Trouble

2009-07-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

So...I thought that by getting rid of my oldest son for the summer would bring me some peace. Two kids MUST be easier than three, right? Wrong! Not when you are talking about my kids.

It's been a week and a half since I shipped him off and I can't believe that I've been busier than ever. I have discovered that all the trouble lies on my second son. He's the middle child so he plays, or should I say fights with my oldest son AND my youngest daughter. I haven't had a quiet day yet!

He loves to annoy and bother my daughter who cries and whines at the slightest thing. The other day I was literally at the end of my stick and I threatened them saying if they continued with the drama that "this stick would be their bums' best friend". As soon as that spewed out of my mouth I almost burst out laughing so I turned abruptly and left the room before they noticed the huge grin on my face. It worked for about two hours before they started the theatrics again. I'm running out tomorrow for some earplugs!!

Summer Screamin'

2009-07-08T13:40:00.001-07:00

Ok...so the kids have been off school for about a week and a half. God help me!! If I thought I could seriously stop screamin' when I turned forty then I was seriously wrong. If anything I think I am worse! Stuck with each other for about 16 hours a day is going to result in me having a mental breakdown....in fact...a nice padded room with the sound of silence sounds pretty inviting right about now.

Honestly I don't remember fighting or annoying my sisters all day when I was a child. Why do mine feel like they need to torment each other for fun and in turn drive me absolutely mad.

My oldest son will be leaving for Florida for six weeks to "help" his auntie with her three little ones. I'm sure he will have a great time and hopefully there will be some peace while he is gone. I'm hoping that by the time he comes home, he and his sibling will have realized that they actually love and miss having each other around. Miraculously even become best friends.

Um...please don't burst my bubble...I'm going to continue with this fantasy until he actually returns...

End of the "Ten Pound Challenge"

2009-07-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

Can you guess I didn't reach my "Ten Pound Challenge"? If you follow Fork in Food you'll know that all I've been doing this month is eat and eat and eat!! Hey you only turn forty once, right? So I milked it for all I had...and more...

The "I'm turning forty" excuse was fabulous!! All I had to do was say that and I could do no wrong! I got to go away for two weekends alone without kids and hubby and that has never happened before. I also got to go out with my friends all month without any complaints. I even bought myself things that I would never have bought but all in the name of FORTY!!

Forty is FABULOUS so far!! Can't wait to see if the next eleven months is as much fun. I have to say that so far this has been the best birthday EVER!!

(By the way, I still managed to lose four pounds even with all that eating. )

They ALL know me so well...

2009-06-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

I'm still in celebration mode...there's still one more birthday celebration to go...another group of friends are taking me to Grove City, PA to go outlet shopping. It's about 5 hours away and I'm so excited to have another weekend away without hubby and kids. It's such a nice break and when I come back I feel so refreshed...actually...not really...more likely I will be exhausted from all the shopping and eating.

I was actually surprised that I received gifts from friends and family this year since we have done away with gift giving and just opt to eat our money away instead. I guess since it's such a momentous occasion they wanted to mark it with items that I might use as I stubble over that hill.

There seems to be a theme among the gifts.

Food is the first one. In addition to buying me dinners and lunches at my favourite restaurants I have also gotten a Martha Stewart Cupcakes book. I guess sweet tooth and weakness for pretty cupcakes is quite obvious.

AND I guess because of my love for eating they are also hinting that I am in need for excercise! I received a gift certificate to Lululemon, a very pricey chain catering to yoga wear. I'm a practical person so instead of clothing that might wear out or outgrow (hopefully not) I bought myself a pretty gym bag(I hope)...or more likely a travel bag. Love the pink!

I also got a Fitness Ball kit. Hopefully this will motivate me to excercise more.

I'm not doing so well with my "Ten Pound Challenge". Happy that I haven't gained weight but sad that I haven't lost any. Now that pool season has started I hope that all the swimming and physical work in the garden will help shed some much needed pounds.