Meet Lily.  Lily is enjoying day 2.5 of being part of our family.  Yes…we adopted ANOTHER dog already.

We meant no disrespect to Callie.  We miss her terribly.   She was such an amazing part of our family for far too short of a time.  We all feel so blessed to have met her and so angry that her life was cut so short in such a surprising manner.

Needless to say, despite three kids, three cats and a gecko, the house felt empty.    We all felt it.  So we casually started looking online at the various pet rescue organizations and the BCSPCA lists, and talking about what sort of dog we would like to have.  We even drove out to Delta last weekend to check out a pair of bonded dogs as we feared no one would adopt them.  Then we saw some puppies available at the Maple Ridge SPCA.   The pups appeared to be of similar mix as Callie, so we felt it was important to head out and see them.  For the kids, this was love at first sight.

She is only two months old and was with her 2 sisters and brother on the side of the road near Hope.  They were all quiet and curious about Tara when we came into see them all at the shelter.   She is starting to show her ‘true’ personality now.  As I type she is chasing Tara around the house and grabbing her princess dress. Tara loves this.  She is a loving little thing who likes nothing more than being cuddled.   She was quiet all the way home from Maple Ridge and has slept through the night.

We are ‘potty training’ her and she is quickly figuring out how to tell us and to go outside.  The accidents have been few and little.

I think we are pretty lucky.

Our house feels full again…and full of joy.

I know that older dogs needs homes too and you can’t always go for the cute.   We felt that with the children and cats…having a puppy grow into our family was the best bet.  However…..there are loads of lovely older dogs out there waiting for you.    If you have the time and the love, go look at the various rescue groups and the shelters.   The “hassle” is so worth it.

I have mentioned the upcoming 20th Annual Wellness show that starts February 17th at the Vancouver Convention Centre over on WetCoastWomen.  For an idea of just how huge and varied the show is, click here.   I am most keen on the Living Well and Women and Wellness Tracks.

As a wife and mother I tend to put myself last on the ladder of well being…..physically and mentally.  It took me a month to get antibiotics for a MONTH long cough.  I am not a martyr…..it is just that I tend to be more focused on those I love and can forget the ‘self love’ and how important that is too.

I am looking forward to the workshops and chatting with the many exhibitors….I hope to be inspired and find solutions that will lead me to feeling more satisfied with life and moving forward in a more positive manner.  If you can’t find that at a wellness show, where can you?  Our much loved entrepreneurial and personal coach, Heather White is speaking on the Friday on this very topic.

So, I hope to see you there.  What can I do to show you how cool this event is?  I have a  gift basket!!

This is a beautiful ‘Pacific Spirit Wellness Package.’  Inside it contains beautiful hand poured candles, a gift certificate for ‘Spiritual Calligraphy’ and a gift certificate for a 6 week meditation program. A perfect package for you to start on your own road to wellness and better living.

To win, simply leave me a comment below sharing what you do for some self time.   This is a BC only giveaway. Prize draw will take place on the 15th. Just before the show.

I have to admit that I tend to stick with the creams I know and don’t venture into unknown territory all that much. However, I am also a HUGE supporter of all things Canadian and am happy to try and talk about Canadian products. George’s Creams are one of those.

The first thing that I love about these creams…I have tried their Special Dry Skin Cream, and their Special Moisturizing Lotion…is that they are basically scent free and are absorbed with very little oily feeling left on your skin.

George’s Cream Inc. is a private Alberta based Canadian manufacturer and marketer of two specialty skin care products, and is owned by co-founders George Doherty and Skip Gibson. The company’s signature brand, George’s Special Dry Skin Cream, is named after its creator, George Doherty, a pharmacist and entrepreneur. George’s products do not contain urea, lanolin or parabens, and they are hypoallergenic and fragrance free.  They are both available at grocery, mass merchandise and drug stores nationwide including Shoppers Drug Mart & Loblaws.

The Special Moisturizing Lotion is a lighter version of their Dry Skin formula.  It is gentle enough for your face and to use everyday. George’s Special Dry Skin Cream is great for problem areas…for me that is my feet in the summer, and is great to use after you have had a shower.

They have kindly offered a giveaway to my readers….

Valued at $35, this package is a great way to sample and see what George’s products work for you!  To enter, leave a comment about what season bothers your skin the most.    I will draw a winner on February 11th (Saturday).  For more information and special deals on George’s products, go and LIKE their Facebook page too!

(Canadian Readers Only – Sorry!)

photo credit: Ambro

This is me right now, but with yoga pants and an Old Navy cardigan.  I have NO energy.   I have been sick with coughs and colds since BEFORE Christmas and I feel WORSE now than I did then.   Tara has been hacking away too.  I did get her on antibiotics and I think they are helping her, but now she can’t stop sneezing and so today is SNOT day.

I have never been so giddy about FINALLY getting to see my doctor tomorrow.   The list of complaints is long.

What isn’t helping is that it seems that my uterus also hates me.  Hates me a lot.

photo credit: cbenjasuwan

I have had TWO periods this month.  TWO.    Yes there are a lot of large cap letters in this post……but really….COME ON! TWO PERIODS IN ONE MONTH.  So far, being 42.5 really really sucks.  How nice to have to admit that I am probably in what they call peri-menopause.

2012 really has not started off well.  Between losing Callie and being generally frustrated….feeling totally run down is not helping things at all.   I have real work to do today. Real work.   But between wanting to rip my uterus out myself, lay on my face and in between wiping noses and being horrified by the destruction Tara is creating behind me as I “work,” not much is being accomplished.

There is nothing to eat in the house…..I need to grocery shop.   I will have to walk to pick the kids up from school and then THEY will bitch about there being nothing to eat.   I am going to have to arm wrestle the hubs to see who takes Caity to Brownies tonight and groceries shops.

42.  Overweight, overtired, and fed up.   What a power combo that is.  This is what prospective clients can expect.  WOW.

We love Phineas and Ferb.  It is one of those cartoons that is clever enough for adults, yet safe and entertaining for kids.  The dry humor and crazy song lyrics make for laugh out loud episodes for young and old. Needless to say, we were VERY curious to hear more about a touring LIVE show.     They arrive in Vancouver on January  27th, for five shows. However, WE got to see the show down in Everett, Washington so we could tell you all about it.

We got the VIP treatment and were very fortunate to meet some of the cast from the show including Phineas and Perry themselves.  The cast were charming and chatted away with the kids and we really enjoyed hearing about what it was like doing such a fun show.  They seemed to be really into it.   Our family was already basking in our epic knowledge about the show and WINNING the trivia contest.

After that we headed down to the arena to see the show itself.

I really had know idea what to expect when you turn a cartoon into a LIVE show….will it be cheesy, will it have the same vibe as the cartoon?  Well, it does.  The writing feels as slick as the TV show.   Of course, a live Phineas and Ferb show is nothing without all the amazing music.    The show includes some of our favorites like ‘Busted’, ‘Backyard Beach,’ Gitchee Gitchee Goo,’ and our favorite ‘Squirrels in My Pants.’

The dancing is slick and contemporary.   The cast of characters are helped along by a great troupe of dancers which help them come up with a wacky mash up (from their mash-up machines) of songs and dances when they realize they are performing in front of a live audience.

If you don’t know the show, it was created by by Emmy Award-winning Dan Povenmire (“Family Guy”) and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh (“The Simpsons” and “Rocko’s Modern Life”), this stand-out comedy series follows Phineas Flynn and his stepbrother, Ferb Fletcher, as they set out to optimize every day of their 104-day summer vacation, dreaming the impossible dream — and then doing it, including building a rollercoaster or a beach in their own backyard.  Unbeknownst to them, their pet platypus Perry has a double life as suave secret Agent P, deftly battling the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz to save the world.  Meanwhile, older sister Candace is aghast at her brothers’ antics and makes it her life’s work to tattle on them to Mom and Dad, though somehow she can never seem to catch them red-handed.

The show is a lot of fun.  Tara loved dancing to the songs and Caity and Adam had a good chuckle.   It really does suit all ages. There is lots of audience interaction which pulls the kids in and makes it for a fast paced and fun event.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

Tara is now two and a half.   Time to shop for a big girl bed. We are looking at bunk beds to help with the tight confines of the room she shares with her big sister. But (I suppose) this time the crib won’t be disassembled and stored away until “next time.”  There won’t be a next time, and that is a bit wistful.  A little bit sad.

The crib has been great.  A real solid piece of furniture that has done us well through three babies.   That despite us breaking all the ‘safety’ rules when it comes to buying a crib.   We found this one at a YARD SALE!    Whilst shopping at the kids flea market at the Kitsilano Community Centre, stocking up for the soon to arrive Adam, we popped by a yard sale over on Arbutus and King Edward.   It was a moving sale….the family was returning to Hong Kong after only a few months.  The crib stood in the corner of their garage and looked shiny and new.   It had hardly been touched by their tiny baby.

So despite us not knowing the brand, provenance or retail value of the crib, we bought it.   We still don’t know who made it.  The crib is a blank slate….a mystery.  A mystery that has proved to obviously be one of the better brands of cribs due to the sturdiness of the make, the ease of assembly, and despite having one of those dreaded drop sides.  The side takes a SUPERMAN to get it to actually slide down.

I still remember the fun I had getting all the bedding ready and decorating around the crib for Adam.  We didn’t have a nursery and had the crib set up in a corner of our bedroom at our old apartment.   I found wall decals and a toy net for his stuffies, and his bedding was a mix of new, old and found.     It sat there all ready….waiting for him to arrive.  A symbol of what was to come….a hint of the future after the giant preggo belly.

My mom has three little photo albums that chronicle the first year’s of each child.   It also chronicles the growth of a woman who was totally naive about motherhood, and maternity fashions….why did I keep wearing coveralls!???   I like to think that with each kid I gained at least a little wisdom about parenting, mothering and fashion.

The crib has seen three houses and three babies.  I think it is time for it and myself to say we are done with that part of our lives.    Time to embrace our future, and be ready to handle yet another toddler turning into a strong willed creature, happily following in the footsteps of her siblings.

After her shocking last breathes in my arms in the back of the car last Thursday, I am not really ready to write about her or what happened.  It is still unreal and simply put..the house is empty without her.

Instead..here are a few posts from the blog that have been about her and her part in our family.

http://www.crunchycarpets.com/2008/05/dogs-cats-and-cranky-sahms/

http://www.crunchycarpets.com/2008/06/morning-dog-shot/

http://www.crunchycarpets.com/2008/08/the-tale-of-the-dog-who-hates-camping/

http://www.crunchycarpets.com/2008/10/fall-is-bustin-out-all-over/

I miss her…..

This is for all you parenting “experts” out there.

I was WONDERING when I would get a call.  I had been quite bemused in the fall, when Caitlyn told me that her her BFF and her MORTAL ENEMY were being ‘counselled’ on whey they were having trouble getting along.   I thought it was a bit odd that the girls were doing this without parental consent or discussion, but thought ‘okay,  if she is comfortable with it, we shall see.’

The kids told me that their school has a strict policy about everyone getting along and does these sessions with many kids.  I thought that was very optimistic and unrealistic.  Some kids just don’t get along.

I think this is the case with Caitlyn and HER MORTAL ENEMY (HME).   They used to be friends when they were all together in Kindergarten and Grade one.   HME had had Caity over for playdates and she had attended birthday parties here.   I had noticed that she was a tad sassy and headstrong, but accounted for this being due to her being cared for by an ancient non English speaking relative and some other one’s who were not her mom or dad.

Everything fell apart in the fall when Caity’s BFF and HME were put in a different class from her.   She begged me to have her moved, but being that her BFF is a tad flaky I thought that Caity would do okay without the distraction in class.   I was wrong on that part, for so many reasons.   Poor Caity has been saddled with a split class filled with boys with issues.  Issues that take up much of the teachers time and I really think any education has gone totally out of the window this year.  Caity has not enjoyed Grade two and it was probably partly my fault for not going to bat for her.

In regards to her BFF, I figured they would be fine as they see each other on weekends, talk on the phone, etc.  I also thought lunch and recess would be time enough for them.  But not so.  From what I have gathered the HME was quite happy to see Caity and her BFF split apart and has fought to keep them apart…using the usual evil girl exclusionary tactics.   Caity is a tough chick though and has been handling it all quite well for the most part.

But not so well that the playground supervisors and then the teachers noticed how more and more wars were being fought with these three in the centre of them and Caity’s brother not far away as he is wont to defend his sister.   Enter counselor without parents permission. Counselor has apparently been trying to talk to all three girls about ‘getting along.’  This has not been successful as each discussion seems to dissolve into a who said what and who is meanest.

Caitlyn says she has tried to speak to HME but nothing much has changed and now ….FINALLY a call from said counselor……things are getting worse.  NOW the counselor wants to try one on one sessions and also wanted to hear the parents point of view.  Funnily enough I have not heard one word about any of this from the BFF’s mom.   This alone I find interesting, especially when overhearing phone conversations between the two girls where BFF is accusing Adam of being a bully and the reason for not wanting to come over.

Adam and Caity said they are both upset by this as he feels he has done nothing except show is dislike for her and just said he wanted her to stay out of his room. Fair enough.

Caitlyn is very upset by all of this and feels very defensive too.  She feels the blame is being pushed on her.   While I do know that her strong willed personality can clash with others, I genuinely believe that she is trying to be mature and fair to all involved and is bearing the brunt of the issue because of that.

I will be very interested to see what the counselor gets from the other parents and kids and I will know have to talk to C’s BFF’s mom to see what she thinks about it all.

I try to teach my kids to sort things out for themselves, and I think they have given the old college try in this matter.  But the ripples of this three’s dispute is effecting more kids and Caity now feels she has no one to play with at school.  This makes me very sad.

I feel quite guilty too as with Adam I was all over the school on all sorts of issues….very helicoptery.   I felt he needed me to defend him at every turn.    He seems to be handling things fine now by himself, but I hated either the weird report comments or his slumped shoulders after school and was constantly demanding this or that from the teachers.

I haven’t done that with Caity as  I always felt she was stronger and better able at handling issues about friends and school work.  And she is tough…but I think now she feels that people don’t have her back and that isn’t true.

I need to make it up to Caity and also need to help sort all of this out.

Why are girls SO mean.  As the counselor said……boys ‘issues’ tend to be more overt and obvious….where the subtle cruelty of girls can be missed by supervisors and teachers.

Grade two just seems so young for all of this to be happening.   I think the school is as bewildered by it too.

I would love any ideas from the experts out there.    I hate seeing the winter session starting on such a negative note already for her.

We are about to head out for a year end open house and I am halfway through wrangling kids into looking somewhat respectable.  We have survived the holiday season despite wretched coughs and managed to have fun in a low key savage family sort of way.  Heck we even had GROWN UPS over to visit us this year!

And so the year is drawing to a close.  Wow. That was fast.

2011 was a bit of a bizarre year in retrospect.    From extreme high’s to freaking out low’s.   From amazing invites to cruise on the Disney Wonder to freaking out about Patrick’s ticker.  I attended many networking events including Blissdom Canada.  I was inspired and rejuvenated.

No. I really was.

2011 has been the year for deep thinking for me.   I have been working hard at trying to put things in perspective life wise.   Kashia at Fresh Perspectives Family was a big help in this process.  I have been thinking about why I act the away I do, which actions are good and which actions are holding me back.    I have then been trying to NOT do or think in those ways that cause negative reactions around me.  This has all been very interesting for me.  I hope it has been good for the family.

Blogging has been good to me this year.  Nothing can top Disney, but test driving Ford vehicles was fun as was being able to check out all the gear from Crayola and Hallmark.   The kids are still reeling from the Hexbugs haul.

2011 might be the year I found my groove. Life and blogging wise.

I launched SAHMedia and while that morphs and changes to the needs of people out there, I am quite happy and confident in my abilities to produce quality work for people.  I can do it.  I am doing it.

I absolutely loved working with and working with the ladies of the Women in Biz Network.  I hope we can continue and grow that relationship.  Our first Vancouver event was a great success and lots of fun thanks to Heather White and Rebecca Bollwitt.

I think 2012 will be a year of continuing growth and change for myself and the Sauriol family.  I hope it is all positive…..our family needs nudges of encouragement to keep us focused.   I also think we deserve good things but instead of moaning…my goal is to make those good things happen.

We shall see.

The other day, my mom showed me a lovely cocktail dress that she really coveted from Laura.  She sighed and said ‘if only I had a place to wear such a nice dress.’

I felt her pain.  She is retired and so there are no more office Christmas events to get all gussied up for.  Family offers little too.  Our family doesn’t merge with the extended relatives anymore over the holidays, so Christmas these years is at my home and well….ok with three kids, subdued is not the write word, but you get what I mean.

I suddenly had a GREAT idea.  What if we really pushed the boat out this year?  What if we all bought lovely Christmas outfits and went OUT for Christmas dinner.  Yeah!!! We could book at one of the gorgeous hotels for their dinner packages.  Have a lovely formal family dinner.  It would be lovely.   I imagined Caitlyn and Tara in beautiful velvet frocks, Adam wearing a little suit and Husband looking his formal best.   How fun this would be for our little family I thought.   Not to mention getting out of cooking and dishes for Christmas!  For one year we could at least FAKE a Martha Stewart Christmas.  For one year we could ignore our dog and cat stained house and embrace the glitter and magic of Christmas like it is on television.

The Dream

Then I remembered.  I remembered that very morning. A treat for us…breakfast at McDonalds with Tara.  We couldn’t even rise up to the civility of fast food as Tara’s McMuffin ended up mostly on the floor.   My children are savages.   Eating out with them is like asking Chimpanzees to tea.  It can be HORRIFYING. We spend more time apologizing to waiters and surrounding customers who have had the misfortune of watching Tara eat while the others bicker.  Caitlyn loves to dress up but at the same time, with her wild hair, attracts dirt from every direction, and subsequently lives with permanent dirt smudges across her pretty face.   On some days I wait for Child Services to show up asking why I neglect my kids.   As I type, Tara –the two year old – has four shirts pulled on as dresses and tops….no pants though.

photo credit for Depression Family:  Walker Evans / Library of Congress

We are not a formal family….mom and I have always dreamed ‘above our station,’ as the old British saying goes, but who are we kidding.  Christmas now means ignoring the dirt and chaos and focusing on the wine and sparkly lights. This year, despite hideous coughs that have afflicted our family over the holidays, we had a really nice time.  It was laid back..the kids were happy….they seemed to embrace the magic and enjoy every moment.  I totally impressed my self by squeezing EVERYONE around our table for dinner.  No velvet frocks…but much laughter and good food.

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!