KAMI'S KHLOPCHYK

Pretty in Pink

2012-01-29T16:27:00.009-06:00

We have been talking about redoing our bathrooms for years and we finally bit the bullet hiring a contractor to do the work.

Here is the half bath before:

Nothing terrible but if you notice on the top right of the vanity, there is a gaping hole. The face plate broke off years ago.

And we had ripped up the flooring (peel and stick squares - never use these, FYI) about two years ago because the toilet leaked.

You kind of get used to the ugly backing of the lino that was probably laid in 1984, you know?

But it sure does make me appreciate the loveliness that is now my little slice of girlyville.

I went pink with the theme. It's my bathroom primarily, so the boys in the house didn't get a say (not that they care one way or the other anyway).

I picked the paint colour then found the antique looking frames at Winners, then found the cute little bejeweled vase and fake hydrangea another day at Winners all under $10 each.

I love me some Winner's Homesense.

And the storage I have has tripled. I have three drawers which are so much more functional that the under the cabinet thing. Little things like this, put a spring in my step (sad, I know).

And the medicine chest? I found a much more practical use for it since the three types of medicine I keep all fit in the over the toilet cupboard.

Yes, I enjoy purchasing accessories. Yes, I work at home in Lulu, what's your point?

The main bath is nearing completion too but I am having no luck finding a shower curtain to inspire the decor. The boys, again, couldn't care less about the colour scheme. Life with three boys, it has many perks. For the parents, who might actually care, pictures to come when it all comes together.

If you can't find me, I might be sitting in my little slice of pink, enjoying the view of new baseboards and fresh paint.

To Push or Not To Push

2012-01-26T16:30:00.001-06:00

My Jack.

I love my Jack.

He is smart, with an almost photographic memory. He has a quick wit and a keen eye for detail.

He is also stubborn. His own worst critic. Set in his ways (he's 10, I know you think this is not possible however, anyone who knows Jack completely understands what I am talking about).

He is, in so many ways, like me, (except for that memory thing, that comes straight from his grandaddy).

He challenges me daily. I go from feeling like I know him and how to be the best mother to him, to feeling like I am failing him and not giving him what he needs.

He is a good kid. I know this.

His first reaction to being presented with the opportunity to try something new, is no, absolutely not.

I don't get this on any level. I understand this is how he is made, that he can't really change it about himself. However, I cannot relate. Me, who this year, at age 37, has waterskiied, speed skated and snowboarded - all for the first time in my life.

The thing is, when we force him to try new things (except food, a whole other post, trust me) he likes whatever it might be nine times out of ten.

So do we push him every time?

(I literally don't have the energy)

Or do we let him choose?

I don't have the answer. Nor do I expect that anyone else does. I will keep flying by the seat of my pants on a wing and a prayer and hope the therapy bills (his and mine) don't rob us of our retirement savings.

PS. before you judge me for putting this out there on the Internet, I just want to clarify that I have conversations with him all the time about this very issue. None of this is anything I wouldn't say to him. But if you must judge, go for it, turnabout is fair play.

Growing Up J & K

2012-01-14T21:31:00.006-06:00

A few years ago, longer ago that it seems (I am positive!) we repainted the boys' rooms. They each picked decals to stick up to decorate (we really go all Martha Stewart up in our house), Jack chose Cars and Kamden chose Toy Story.

At the time, they were what both were right into. Today, that has changed. Today, Jack started peeling them off. The topic came up a couple of days ago and I told them that if they wanted to remove them, they could. I know that growing up means changing tastes. Heck, I am no longer growing up (well the jury is actually still out on this one, I am predicting a hung jury - bets are still open, get in while the getting is good) and my tastes change.

They seemed surprised,which I found a bit funny. Go me, being all hip and proactive! (I am about 1 for 850 on that front so don't be jealous)

It's weird. Part of me thinks I should be all sad and nostalgic for those two little boys who once so loved the characters from those movies. But a much bigger part of me knows that this is a moment to rejoice in.

They are growing up.

And to be honest my reaction is, wow, this is cool. The next stage in this journey from boy to man. The journey that I get a front row seat on. It can be rough up here in the front (I have the war wounds to prove it - or are those from my clumsiness?) but hey, it comes with the territory.

And quite frankly, I would not have it any other way. This is exactly how it's supposed to be.

I am not, however, looking forward to when Star Wars the Clone Wars and Phinneas and Ferb are replaced by Selina Gomez(or whoever is hip or groovy or what are they even calling it now...groovy, how old am I?) or (this is hard to even type) (gasp!)
Lady Gaga.

Okay, maybe I am. Because if the Star Wars the Clone Wars stays, my house may become something akin to The Big Bang Theory.

Now that might be something to worry about.

A Rant and The Bright Side

2012-01-05T09:26:00.009-06:00

In no particular order, things that miff me:

- spam phone calls, that when answered either by me or the answering machine result in loud beeping. Are you kidding me? What possible purpose does this kind of thing serve? Someone, somewhere needs to find a life. These are annoying during the day (3 times in 20min yesterday thankyouverymuch) but at 2am? Someone is going to pay. I registered on the National Do Not Call List but am skeptical yahoos who create this kind of crap refer to that list.

- Sledding etiquette, learn it, know it, live it. WALK UP THE SIDES OF THE HILL. Seriously. If you walk up the middle of the sliding area I will run you down. Okay, okay, Jay wouldn't let me, something about setting a good example for the kids...whatever. Also of note, if you are there with your 12 year old son and his friend, please deal with them when they lay down in the middle of the sliding area and there are 20 people at the top waiting for them to get up. I felt like a complete ass when I had to go ask them to please (said in my head - for love of Pete, get the HELL out of the way) move as they were holding everyone else up. They had found a toonie and where trying to dig it up, completely oblivious.

- Extra Christmas pounds. Enough said.

- that I no longer write like this

However, often for every con there is a pro:

- okay I actually don't have a pro for the spam phone calls. I lied. Sue me.

- Sledding was ridiculously fun. And we are currently experiencing non-winter like conditions. We are all scratching our heads and bracing for it because it's obvious Old Man Winter is seriously messing with us.

-LuluLemon Studio Pants and LuluLemon Quick Step Pants. I have two pairs of the Quick Step pants (on sale right now - looks like they are discontinuing them....boo) and one pair of Studio pants. I live in these pants (bonus to working at home, holla!)

- Converse to the extra Christmas pounds, some serious endorphin inducing workouts. Also walking is a bit on the difficult side today. No worries, boot camp tonight will loosen things right up.

And lastly, these two are a pro, if ever there was one.

The Photos of Christmas Past and Present

2011-12-20T09:13:00.018-06:00

Every year one of my favourite bloggers , does a recap of her family photos since her first child was born. Every year, I think, I should do that. This year, I finally got my act together.

2006 was a tough year though, I spent a good hour searching for that photo alone. The Christmas card said "All the best for 2007". Naturally I assumed the picture was for Christmas 2007. Don't ask.

So without further ado, here are the last 9 or so Christmases because I got nothing, nada, zilch for 2001, the first year we were a family. Also, you will have to bear with my snide comments because, well, I am me, I can't rightly help it.

And yes, my scanner is of the "I am so tight I squeek when I walk" genre. It's not your eyes.

2002 - My hair. Definitely in the "What the HELL were you thinking category". And my fashion sense. Or rather complete and utter lack of it. A t-shirt? So glad I dressed up for family pictures.

2003 - Jack, would it kill you to smile? Some things, they just don't change.
But the cute is still killing me. The chub. The mini-professor glasses.

2004 - we grew by one cheeky little man who was at the time, often referred to as "my LITTLE baby guy". You have to imagine this said in the most high pitched annoying voice in the history of voices used to talk to babies. That's how I do it over here. Breaking glass and all.

2005 - the first of the singing snowmen that started the collection. Apparently I didn't like to be in photographs. I mean, can you blame me after 2002's fiasco?

2006 - Before I found the family shot from 2006, I was going to use this one and because they are so damn cute, it's actually hurting my eyes, I am leaving it in. Completely unrelated: oh the patch, how we don't miss you.

Then I found it. The were bells ringing when I did, I promise you. The elusive 2006 Christmas card photo. Why I have a digital copy, I have no idea. Credit goes to Snaptshots Photography. This photo I actually love and we redid them a year later. I have a family shot, a shot of the boys and a shot of Jay and I hanging in tall skinny frames over our living room couch. I love them still.

2006 also marks the year I got with the whole "family" picture thing. You know, sending out a photo with the Christmas that included all four of us rather than just the boys.

I have continued that tradition since and I am so glad because, well, it's just nice to have them, you know?

2007 - no snide comment for this one, I still love it. Fall is such a great backdrop.

2008 - the photo I sent out with cards this year eludes me too but I found this shot and re-edited it because, folks, bad doesn't even begin to describe the lighting the original had. Early times in manual settings, me thinks. Good to know I have learned a thing or two since then. And also purchased decent editing software (Lightroom and Elements, I kind of like you).

2009 - this is still my favourite (of the ones I have taken). I just love it.

2010 - The sun? It does not go behind the camera. When you look this up in a photography manual (is there even such a thing? If so, I need it. Clearly) this photo is the exhibit demonstrating why.

2011 - And that brings us to this year. I love the boys. I don't so much love that Jay and I are scrunching down. But whatevs, it's us, in all our glory (ha!).

I also took this one on the weekend when they were dressed up for Jack's piano recital. It documents two important facts. First, they each only own one nice shirt. Trust me, it's like throwing money into a slot machine to buy more. And two, the poor boys have inherited my unfortunate teeth. All that money we are saving on nice clothes? Going straight into our very own "braces fund".

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Winter Fun

2011-12-12T15:49:00.006-06:00

YUM!

2011-11-30T11:07:00.005-06:00

I have a new favourite book. Looney Spoons Collection! It's a cookbook and is the updated versions of many recipes from some of the earlier books - The original Looney Spoons (no longer available) and Eat, Drink and Be Merry. There are also many, many new recipes.

The books are written by sisters and they are hams. The book is filled with humourous anecdotes and tips about healthy eating. The recipes are low fat and reasonably healthy but the most important part is that it is delicious!

So far I have made the guacamole. Holy guacamole it was good. The difference from what I usually make was a bit of cumin. It was the missing link.

I made Bolognese sauce too. Which is fancy for meat sauce, you know, with spaghetti. It has ground beef and Italian sausage and balsamic vinegar (which was the little something something always missing from my meat sauce). We had it with spaghetti squash rather than pasta and... I never took a picture...too busy hoovering it off my plate.

And tonight, I made the pizza crust I always make from the Looney Spoons book and then added the toppings from the new book for Mexican pizza. And made a plain one for the boys, because, you know, they still haven't delved into the things we like.

This one wasn't as good as I planned however, I know just how to fix it. A little refried bean combination for the sauce me thinks...and some of the guacamole to go with it.

Anyway, a good gift idea for anyone you know who might like to cook (there are actually people out there who do! I am one of them!) and likes to eat healthier. It was $19.99 at Costco.

This Post Has No Point. Nada.

2011-11-28T11:25:00.007-06:00

Last night I was hopping mad. Opinions,I got 'em. However, in this case, I will keep to myself. See I was offended already. If I speak my mind further, I will likely in turn offend...so for once, I'll keep my trap shut and go about my business.

This post is completely random and essentially has no point. But I went to a card making party and had loads of fun laughing at myself. And the friend I went with. See the two of us, we were card making virgins. And um. Yeah. We might have been annoying to the professional card makers there. But we were not overly concerned about that since we were too busy mocking ourselves.

But the cards? I have hung them up on my kitchen bulletin board because damn if I am going to give them away. You know what people do with cards don't you. The best is recycle them. The worst is...I can't even say it out loud.

I take no credit for the beauty, that was all Jackie, who hosted the party. I merely played copy cat. With detailed instructions and demos on how to do every single thing. It was required, I assure you.

Aren't they pretty?

No really, they are aren't they?

Okay that was the last one I will post.

Then there is this. See Kamden has some serious bed head yesterday morning so I asked if I could take a picture.

I did and then I uploaded it.

And laughed out loud. What is this, a mug shot? Oh my heavens that kid cracks me up!

And then there was baking. 7 of 10 items on the list done! Over the weekend. And we decorated our gingerbread house.

This is Kamden's side.

And Jack's.

And today the snowmen came out of hibernation and exploded all over the house. And it is before Dec 1st. I have a strict no Christmas before Dec 1st rule. There is a very good reason for the rule. This being so I don't start twitching from the clutter around Dec 21st and take the lot of it down before Christmas even arrives.

Around Dec 21st, be handy with a straight jacket to control me, would ya?

And now, I am going to bed. Christmas in November is exhausting.

Someone, Who is Awesome,

2011-11-18T16:00:00.001-06:00

...lent me her flash. The good kind. The kind that is external and not nuclear. Well if you use the right settings and point it the right way anyway. I kind of owe her. See you at Christmas Jen, I will come bearing your flash and goodies!

I have been having fun practicing. It is so nice to be able to take pictures indoors using manual settings without it looking like a solar flare blew up at the very moment I snapped the photo. Can you say shiny happy foreheads?

I signed up for this online photo workshop beginning Dec 1st and am looking forward to learning and playing.

It's Christmas Carol season in piano and he is developing my love of playing them on the piano. He is also 99% better at than me. I like to sing along and sometimes I even sing in the right key.

He does not necessarily love that I sing along.

That's okay, I chalk that up to annoying my kids is part of my job as a mom. It's an important one and I take it very seriously. Much to the annoyance of my kids. Moohohahahahah!

This is Rider. He even sat still when I took his picture. The first time. The next few times, he did not. Glad I got lucky.

One Sunday afternoon we had a pie making bee with friends. Apple pie to be exact. You see, we got boxes of apples from a school fundraiser. The apples were HUGE. And good. And perfect for pie.

I think the grand total was 8 or 9 pies. We have two in the freezer just waiting for unexpected company. Who's coming?

Fall Hobby

2011-11-06T20:50:00.010-06:00

This fall, I have had the privilege of taking some snaps of some of my friends and their families. It's been fun.

It's also been humbling.

I have learned a lot. Like that the sun goes behind your subjects so they can open their eyes wider than little slits.

Yeah that.

I love this photo because the family is gorgeous. I don't love that I put them in the wrong spot. If I could rotate us all about 180 degrees, it would have been so much better.

The next one involved belly laughs. Not at me thankfully. At least not when I could hear. They were nice like that.

I love this one. I think it captures a mother's love for her child. And this boy, he is freaking adorable. And worships the ground Kamden walks on.

I brought Jay and boys along to this shoot because this little guy is 18 months old. How many 18 month olds do you know that stay still longer than 5.3 milliseconds never mind look at a camera?

He did fabulously and we got some great family shots too.

And this one, which is a favourite. I mean, could he be any cuter?

Didn't think so.

All Kamden had to do was jump up and down and we got those toddler belly laughs that would even make the Grinch smile.

So fun.

Then there are these four beautiful kids. Their mom offered them up for me to practice on. And I owe them. It was ridiculously cold that day. And windy. They were troopers.

And the oldest beauty is 10. That's right 10. Almost 11 but still. When did she turn into this stunning beauty? Her dad is currently polishing up his shotgun, I am sure.

And this little man, some of you will recognize. Yes, that is who you think it is. He is also a chubby baby boy. I got me my baby fix this weekend. Chubby baby boy thighs bring back so many memories. I snugged him just like I used to snug my boys.

My boys, meanwhile, mocked my baby talk.

Whatever, this little man thought I was funny.

Kamden was again enamoured. He likes babies. He was mildly disappointed he could not elicit belly laughs from this little boy. His ego was a bit bruised but I think he'll survive.

And this lady, you may recognize as belonging to the above mentioned chubby adorable baby boy. I made her smile. Forced her to.

I think it was worth the idle threats, no?

That was my fall practicing and now that winter has arrived overnight (1 foot of snow, as we slept, completely oblivious), I will likely not have anymore opportunities to practice until next year. I was fun. Thank you to you all for allowing me the privilege.

New(s)

2011-10-31T20:25:00.010-06:00

I have been taking pictures galore so here is an update, in the form of many pictures.

About a month ago, our new dressers finally arrived. This marks the first time I have ever owned new dressers (as I kid I had an antique, which I love, and is now Kamden's). I don't count the "new" Jysk (aka crap) dressers we bought about 5 years ago. a) Because they are now broken and useless and b) do I really need another reason?

Instead of those dinky night stands with like, what two teeny drawers, we opted for full chests. Our bed is like 15 feet tall so I think it works. And I need the storage, trust me. (Jay off handedly suggested I buy fewer clothes. Pshaw)

My side of the bed is slightly girly. The flower box was made by Kamden for Mother's Day last year and the rest I have accumulated over the last couple years.

This bad boy has 10 drawers. Yes, 10. And the bottom four are HUGE. And sadly, I filled them all. And I go back and forth on updating the photos here. The majority are from our trip to the Bahamas way back in 2008. But the boys are so stinking cute so I just haven't brought myself to update them.

Jay's side. More manly. Well at least the wood figures carved by his Grandad anyway.

This past week, I zipped to Vancouver (and I have the bags under my eyes to prove it) for a work course. I stayed out at UBC with a friend, who fed me amazing food every night. Must tries if you are in the Vancouver area - The Flying Beaver (Mahi Mahi with coconut curry sauce - yum is an understatement), Chronic Taco (oh my word. you must try the Mahi Mahi (see a theme?) taco), it will change your life, and The Banana Leaf (the appie sampler was amazing. I even ate the calamari and if you know me, you know that is WAY out of my comfort zone).

Wow, that was a tangent. I wrote all that just to tell you about the leaf Jack is holding. Cathy and I were out for a run when I found this huge maple leaf. I hid it under a sign so we could come back and find it later. She found this quite hilarious since the campus was covered in leaves. But they were not all this big is my story and I am sticking to it.

I mean, it is huge, right? Also of note is the fact that it made it home in my suitcase in one piece.

And of course the pumpkins. My favourite part of Halloween, hands down. Used to be the chocolate but now two or three and I have a headache. Getting healthy and fit is awesome but I do miss the ability to consume copious amounts of chocolate.

And that is a wrap for now (ie bedtime for Kami).

Kami, out.

Melancholy

2011-10-18T17:35:00.004-06:00

Be yourself. Be who you are.

What if who you are needs work?

Is it possible to be who you are and still be better?

(in case you were wondering, my head hurts)

Lessons. Learned the hard way. Forgotten. Re-learned, though never fully and completely. An endless cycle of futility.

So easy to fall into old habits.

I am an adult, yet not quite grown up. I am never quite as mature as I hope to be.

Buttons. Easily pushed. Never quite rise above.

When I was a kid, I thought adults had all the answers. Now I know the truth. All we have are more questions.

Insecurities. Striving for more but it’s hard and I want to quit. Others do it better. Maybe I have peaked.

I don’t always feel this way, thank goodness.

But today is one of those days, this week, one of those weeks. This too shall pass and if I learn something and become a better person, all the better.

Favourites

2011-10-14T21:48:00.005-06:00

Fall has been beautiful here and we took advantage of the warm weather and beautiful colours a couple weeks back to do the annual Christmas photo.

Don't mind this one.

And this one. He is growing up, my first born.

And this one too. Also growing up.

But clearly this is the one to go with for the Christmas card. Am I right?

By the way, Jack is the only sane one in this family. Clearly.

Domesticity

2011-09-19T21:52:00.008-06:00

I go in spurts. I am 3 parts lazy, one part get at it and get things done. Most weeks, I work the weekdays as the paying job and that leaves me with just enough energy to exercise and keep the house from imploding (barely and that is with a lot of Jay's help).

But for some reason (maybe it was the lack of a long training run) this weekend, I had mojo and then some.

Saturday afternoon had all three of my boys busy. Jack was gone to a birthday party sleepover (awakeover?) and Jay and Kamden went to the football game.

Jack was pretty funny when he asked all worried like, "But Mom, what are you going to do?"

Not to worry son, an afternoon to myself? Sign me up.

I had me some farm fresh raspberries delivered to me by my Auntie Sharen that were frozen and waiting for some jam making.

Kamden and I love us some raspberry jam and it just plain tastes better when I make it from fresh raspberries myself. I make freezer jam because it's even easier.

The jars look so pretty all lined up in a row. I was even inspired to pick up the camera, wonders never cease. We won't talk about how long it has been, m'kay?

I also had me a box of fresh tomatoes from my parent's garden. It was a small box perfect for a batch of pizza sauce. So I got me to the sink and washed the jars and set them to simmering whilst I prepared the sauce.

I don't even peel the tomatoes, it all goes in (see that is the 3 parts lazy again). I don't worry about keeping the skin because these are organic - my parents plant them and water them and that would be it.

I just toss the completed sauce into the food processor and behold smooth sauce with no chunks of unidentified objects for Picky McPickerson #1 and #2.

And this took me all afternoon. I work slow but diligently. And I earned this glass of wine, in my opinion. It went very nicely with the Greek feta chicken and lemon roast potatoes that I whipped up for supper.

There is something so innately satisfying about cooking and canning. It brings out my inner farm girl - some kind of recessive genes for sure!

Look at me, all grown up like and all.

The Second Half

2011-09-13T10:49:00.007-06:00

Hi Y'all!

Or Mom anyway.

*blows dust off blog*

Ahem.

This is hard. I don't even know how to start so here goes...

Here is me and my good friend, Cheryl. She came to my fair city for the first time. I have had the opportunity to visit her a few times now so it was fun to have her come here this time.

We did our usual spa and shopping on Saturday which was, and always is, so much fun. I swear my fashion sense goes up a notch every time we shop.

But this time we also added a new activity, one that we have been talking about doing for a very long time.

We ran together.

A half marathon to be exact.

Cheryl is a veteran half marathoner so we agreed we would run at my pace, you know so I could remain conscious. My goal was to beat my first half time from 2.5 years ago of 2:22:29.

Here we are at 3km (all photos courtesy of Cheryl's husband, Tim) and I was on pace and feeling great. Cheryl was discussing our full marathon training while I ran beside her. I think she may have been having some reaction to the Regina water, poor girl.

She told me not to talk, just listen right about this point too. Something about my protesting violently taking up too much energy for the remaining 18k.

What was I to do? She is the veteran.

Things were going great. At 7k we passed Jay waiting to pick up his leg of the relay. I was feeling great!

At 14k, I was starting to slow. The day dawned sunny and they were calling for 30 degree heat. At this point the temp started to climb and I started to slow considerably.

I knew it would happen, and was prepared. I had hoped I could push myself harder during a race than I had during my training runs. I could not.

Jay passed us at about 16.5k then waited for us to go by at his finish point (17.5k into the race). I made a sad face as I went by. I was hurting and I was very happy to see him.

Our plan was for him to leave from there to go pick meet my mom to pick up the boys - a 1.5 hour drive. He didn't. He called mom and said he would be a bit.

He met us at the finish.

When I saw him I yelled, "I love that man more than words can say!"

He came to run into the finish with us. He knew I was hurting and it means so much.

And Cheryl was fabulous. She didn't judge or push, she just ran beside me. Good friends. I got 'em and I know it.

I came in at 2:22:09. Yes, that's right. A whopping 20 seconds faster than my first half. Part of me is happy. I did it in the heat. It was hard but I did it anyway. The other part of me is saying why didn't you just push a little bit harder?

I was reminded by another good friend that given that I felt sick for the rest of the day and the day after that I should stop being ridiculous. I told you I have good friends.

(As an aside, the very next day Fall arrived. Murphy is a complete asshole.)

That friend is on the left - Terry-Lyn. She ran the half too. She was originally going to run with Cheryl and me but the girl is a hare and we decided she should run her own race, not held back by me.

She finished in 2:00:04. This was her first half marathon EVER. That time is killer and I am very proud of her (also green with envy but she knows that and we joke about it).

It was a great weekend and as always, I was sad when Cheryl had to leave. Until the next time, my friend. I look forward to it.

As for the race, I am very happy I did it. I wasn't sure I would attempt another one. I don't regret it. Even though I didn't quite meet my goal. What I did do though is run two more half marathons than I ever thought I would and that is something. Something rather huge.

I do have another goal though.

This time, I am not going to quit distance running altogether. I worked hard and sweated buckets of salt (I have the white stains on my hat to prove it) to get to the point of finishing a 21.1k race.

So this time, with no talk about whether or not I will do another half, I vow I will keep up my distances.

Because that sweat has to be worth at least that.

Summer Recap

2011-08-19T10:13:00.009-06:00

Summer. Blink and it's over, just like everything else in life. We fit in some serious fun, as usual.

First stop, Radission, SK, the scene of much of Jay's childhood. Above you will see him showing his boys the living quarters of the hotel his family owned. We were on our way to a wedding and happened by so we stopped and naturally I shot 50 or so photos. See Flickr for more.

While at the wedding, the hotel had a fabulous water slide. I let you be the judge on whether it was a good time or not.

This is serious business, this water sliding stuff.

Candy buffet, at wedding, sign Kamden up. Also of note, the fact that he tossed and turned for 3 hours in the middle of the night unable to sleep. Sugar high, much?

Did I mention that I am also training for a half marathon mid-September? Did I also mention that I have been nursing my usual IT band injury?

Given that I have posted a grand total of twice since June, I guess not eh? What can I say, weekly 2 hour runs take a good chunk out of a person's free time.

A few weeks ago, I wasn't so sure my leg was going to cooperate but now, after my daily regime of stretching, icing, foam rolling and glute exercises coupled with weekly massages, I can now say for sure that I am going to make it to the race. Making it through the race, well, that remains to be seen.

We fit in a couple trips to the lake too, one with Jay's family where I tried water skiing for the second time. This time, I was successful. What a rush that was! Then we headed up to Jan and the cabin my parents co-own for some fishing and tubing.

Kamden caught three fish one night and was all about trying again the next morning. He was pretty cool under pressure, very fun to watch him reel them in.

Naturally, I taught him everything he knows, including the ability to exaggerate just the right amount when re-telling the story of the big catch.

And my boat driving skills have improved a great deal, as you can see in the above noted picture. At one time, I launched my niece right out of there.

Her response?

Do it again Aunty Kami!

So much fun and so many memories, it's been a perfect summer.

Chopped

2011-07-29T19:02:00.009-06:00

A few posts ago (about 2 given my recent notable lack of posting) I noted the next time I went for my regular colour, the hair was due for a change. Well, I followed through on my word. And lucky me, Jay is still speaking to me.

He will not, however, say he likes it. On principle alone, I am sure.

I like it. And the change is just what I needed.

But before the big reveal, because who is shameless enough to have already posted pictures on FB, let's go back and remember the different phases of Kami's hair.

There are some gems in this one.

Oh and this one too(safely falling into the what the hell was I thinking category).

And we CANNOT leave out the blunders of my youth (we all need a laugh or three!).

Perhaps someday this latest look will make it into a post to add to the list above, but for now, I am pretty happy with the change.

And the rear view, you know because I am not shameless enough, I have to!

I would like to thank my long time stylist, Kristy and my trainer of over three years, Ashley - you got my back ladies. Literally.

Seven

2011-06-28T21:40:00.004-06:00

Today, Kamden Jaymes turned seven. SEVEN.

He into all things sport, particularly soccer. He would play it all day long every day if only he had someone to play it with.

He is still goofy and falls off his chair at the supper table at least once a week. He also knocks his own teeth out. With his knee of course.

But he still needs his Momma to sing him a song at bedtime. Although lately he has been requesting I go out of my 3 song repertoire and make up a song instead. And then he giggles his little heart out. He is laughing with me, right?

Time is flying but this boy is growing up just as he should, full spunk and vinegar!

The Dad

2011-06-19T21:36:00.002-06:00

The only testament required as to how much these two boys love their Daddy is the smiles on their faces.

Jay, when I met you I knew.

You would be a wonderful husband and you are.

But I also knew, that you would be an amazing father.

You have, by far, exceeded my expections.

(Also you are making me look bad, maybe knock it down a knotch or two so my short comings as a mother aren't as obvious?)

The Big One Oh

2011-06-08T21:50:00.007-06:00

Dear Jack,

Ten years ago today, you came into this world and made us parents.

And now look at you.

You are growing up, my handsome son. I see it every day. It makes me happy to my core and scares the tar out of me in equal parts.

Have I ever told you that I am winging this mom gig?

I am.

Sometimes I do right by you. Other times I beat myself up because I know I didn't handle a situation with you the way you needed.

I shower you with I love you's and hugs and hope that makes up for it, in some small way.

I also hope that the day you are too old to feel comfortable with that stays away just a little bit longer.

Today, you came running out of school at lunch with so much excitement that it made my heart skip a little. It is the simple things that make you happy. Daddy and I took you out for lunch, just the three of us, and you chatted excitedly about your morning at school. I couldn't help but smile and think about how much you have changed.

You are growing up, my son.

It is exactly as it should be.

Happy 10th Birthday buddy!

Love Mommy

New Do

2011-06-03T13:00:00.006-06:00

Yesterday was a day. You know what I am talking about, stress, check, wanting something different (check), ready to throw in the towel (hell to the yes check).

Bad day to have a hair appointment, no?

I have been humming and hawing about a change for months now but when push comes to shove, I have not gone the change route.

Yesterday was no different, I stuck with the same colour and when she started cutting, we discussed going shorter.

FYI, my stylist is also Jay's stylist. She has been our stylist for years (lots of years). She knows Jay. Jay likes my hair long.

You see the issue right?

We decided that we would do it next time, you know to prepare Jay. So instead she trimmed off an extra inch.

I am liking it. That extra inch gave is some gusto. My hair is curly, yes, but also loses it's oommph really easily. It needs to be washed to get back it's mojo and since doing that more than once a day is in the "it will happen when hell freezes over" category, well, this is really something to make my day.

Related: there is a bottle of my Dad's best white wine chilling for later.

These yahoos were home for lunch when I set up the old tripod to take the pictures. They were a big help, can you tell?

This was seconds before I herded them out the door and back to school already for the love of all that is holy and good in the world.

Ah, much better.

So, you know you want to know Jay's response when I broke the news that I was cutting much more of my hair off next time.

It went something like this:

Me: So Kristy and I decided we are chopping it next time.
Jay: *crickets accompanied by dumbfounded look of pure confusion*
Me: I need a change! I have had my hair in this style for years. YEARS!
Jay: If you need a change, why don't you get implants?
Me: That will happen when monkeys fly out of my butt.

Okay so I modified that conversation slightly for the sake of humour but he really did say implants. I think that goes to show you the lengths (snort!) he will go to keep my hair long.

He is just lucky I didn't come home with pink buzz.

I Worry

2011-05-30T21:35:00.001-06:00

As my oldest son gets older, my worries have changed. I have no answers, only questions.

I thought as the kids got older, the worries would be easier (yes, I was delusional) but they certainly aren't. I can no longer control his behaviour (still delusional if I thinking I could ever control it). I can only give advice, even when unsolicited, and hope he makes the right decisions.

This learning curve is steep, I tell ya. And somehow I don't see it leveling off anytime soon.

Vodka anyone?

It's Been 12 Long Years....

2011-05-09T21:50:00.006-06:00

and I love you just the same.

Okay, so the song says 5 longs year but we surpassed that years ago.

Yesterday, May 8th, Jay and I celebrated our 12 wedding anniversary. It was also Mother's Day (as I am sure you know) and May 7th (Saturday) was my birthday.
Do you feel a little bit sorry for poor Jay trying to handle all those occasions in one weekend?

I do.

But if you know Jay, you also know that he handles this like a pro.

Saturday morning, my 37th birthday, I ran a 10 km race with my friend, Terry-Lyn. When it comes to running, she is the hare and I am the turtle. But she happily (I think) ran at my pace, encouraging me, cheering me on, even yelling a bit to get me mad to run faster. You see, I had a goal. I started the race hoping to finish in under 60 min. Well actually I started out wanting to run it in under 55...turns out if I would have thought about it a bit, that just isn't possible for me, yet.

Thanks to her I finished in 58:37. And I literally almost lost my lunch steps from the finish line. Gross eh? But what the proves is that I ran as fast as was physically possible for me. I recovered in about 30 seconds and was very happy I met my goal.

Next up, Jay informed me I had an appointment at noon. I had no clue what it was and I loved not knowing. I had my suspicions but he pretty much fouled every guess with a rational explanation. Dude does his surprises up right.

Turns out it was an Indian head massage (which as I found out has very little to do with your head) followed by a hot stone massage. Oh my word. Let me just tell you that every ounce of pain I felt during the run was more than made up for by the massages. I was as relaxed as a puddle of goo when I was done.

I was then picked up by three handsome boys and whisked off for a hot coffee and bagel followed by mini-golf and a steak supper out. At home I was treated to homemade cards.

And gifts. Which Kamden felt he should model.

It was, as birthdays go, pretty damn fantastic.

And then, just because that wasn't enough, he also got me a make-up 101 lesson to share with a friend.

I am not sure I deserve all this. I don't really need to say this, it is quite obvious but I'll say it anyway because he deserves the credit. As husbands go, I hit the jack pot.

Jay, you are unbelievable. Simply the best. Sharing my life with you is well, beyond fantastic. Thank you for all you did to make me feel special and loved this weekend and every single day of the year. I love you more than I could ever express in words!

Score!

2011-05-04T22:25:00.005-06:00

It is soccer season! And Kamden's uniform is made for him, not me.

He was pretty pumped for his first game this past Monday.

He was not as impressed with my need to liberally photograph him in his new uniform (that doesn't make him look like a third world orphan donning a donated women's uniform!).

But I couldn't help myself. I mean look at him!

And then for icing on the cake, he scored the first goal in the first game of the season! Kind of makes up for his sad little face at the end of the indoor season when he didn't score any goals.

Soccer Mom is going to make a resurgence! Be afraid, be very afraid!

So....

2011-04-29T22:57:00.008-06:00

Here I am two weeks later, trying with all my might to eke a blog post out.

See that above? That is my day planner. No it isn't as full as some people's, I am sure. But it's busy for me.

I am not going to compete with anyone to see who is busier. Oh how I hate that. Your busy does not outrank my busy. My busy is my busy. (or something...)

I have always believed that we make choices and "the busy" is just another choice we make.

I made a committment. So I have to be busy. But, I don't necessarily have to like it.

My biggest issue is that I don't seem to have the energy to do the things I love to do anymore. My camera is dusty. This blog is dusty for goodness sake. Don't ask about the coffee tables.

Sure, if I never sat down to relax for five minutes, I would have the time. But without the relaxing there is nothing left for the creative energy to do the things I love. Without the creative energy, there is no creativity. With the relaxing there is no time. See my problem? Vicious circle.

Sure I could cut back on sleep but what purpose would that serve? None, I assure you. Life is too short to go through it sleep deprived.

The problem is, how can life be fulfiling without the things we love?

So.

This is where I am. Trying to figure it all out.

For myself.