House Selling?

A question came up and I realized that I never elaborated on what happened with the house, I'm not sure I said anything at all actually....sorry. My florida trip was so long I didn't even think to add that in.

Soooo, it fell through. Sucks. It was sold conditionally, and one of the conditions was a building inspection. On the Thursday we were gone, they came in with some inspector and did their thing. Then I hear back, and their requests were ridicilous and we let the deal fall through.

What is a building inspection for?? It's meant to find hidden problems with the house that buyers never saw or wouldn't know to look for. It's not meant to get upgrades with or add things into a house....

Here is what their requests were:
1. Replace all the closet doors.....ummm the doors weren't there in the first place. You knew that when you put in the offer, one would have expected that that was considered when you agreed to a price $10,000 lower than the asking price...
(I hate closet doors by the way, so I deliberately took them all off and stage the closet as part of the room with a open curtain type look...this was done years ago, people see that as they pass through).

2. Have a weatherproofing guy come in and check out the cracks in the foundation dig down 6 feet or whatever and repair cracks. There is no leaks...let me make that clear, NO LEAKS. The basement walls are dry, there is no leaks. These are cracks that have been there since well before we even moved in 6 years ago, someone had a problem at one point, and had them fixed. YES, they were fixed...there is a standard patch on it. All houses have cracks in their foundation, it's how big and how deep they are....ummmm, these don't leak, their not big, they are not a problem, but you want us to spend all that money to have someone come in and tell us it's okay? Um, NOT. Now if you upped your price back to asking price, I would consider it.

3. Electrical box is not big enough for "their" needs, they want us to put in a bigger one, though the house currently doesn't need it. Yeah whatever, that's not a house defect is it? They wanted someone to come in an asess the electrical panel and make sure it's in good working order...(that is because building inspectors do not guarentee electrical things so they want US to pay for their inspections now), NOT. It is in good working order, we do not have any problems nor ever had. And upgrade it, yeah right honey, why should I spend my money on upgrading for your needs? It's safe, it's in good condition, there is no hidden repair, so it's part of the package YOU offered.

Next you'll come to me and ask me to upgrade all the appliances to meet your needs too eh...NOT!

There was one more really dumb thing too, but it doesn't matter. Our real estate agent was pissed, as were we. They completely abused the condition of a building inspection and I knew I should have adjusted how that condition was worded.

It was worded basically that they were satisfied by the building inspection report....meaning a loose doorknob may not be satisifactory and they could walk over that.

I should have had it changed to something like: if any one definancy cost more than $1,000, sellers have the choice to lower the price, or repair it, and/or buyers have the option to walk sort of thing. That way they can't ask for upgrades (needs to be a definancy), and it has a dollar amount that they can't nic pick.

Basically they were looking for an excuse to get out, and well, we had no choice but to let them out because the condition was so loosely written. Though (sneer) I did take over a week to sign the mutual release form so they could put offers on other houses too.

Idiots! So the house is still on the damn market, we've had about 50 showings and it sucks. Some days it's 3 per day, other times it's one a day, I don't even know what it's like to relax in my own house anymore. It really sucks.

As to those buyers, the evil side of me hopes they buy a house that has a hidden problem they don't see and they get a HUGE FLOOD! But that wouldn't be very nice of me to really want that now would it.

The Magical World of Disney

I'm finally getting to the last piece of our vacation....Disney World. Sorry it's taken me so long, it's been a crazy week, with lots of showings on the house, work, and being sick and trying desperately to get better...I think it's gone to my sinuses now.

Anyway, Disney World. We did not see all of Disney, so this post is really about Magic Kingdom and that particular park in Disney only as that was the only one we went to. Before I begin into the technicality of Magic Kingdom, I wanted to give you some insight into my thought process.

You know how you have a dream (well we all do), a big dream that you never quite do anything about to make happen, but it's there nonetheless. Then finally you say "we're going to do it" and begin to immerse yourself into the planning and organizing of making that dream come true. You spend so much time planning, preparing, working very hard to get to that point and your so busy doing it that you forget what it's all about till you slow down. THAT was Disney World for me.

We didn't get out of the hotel till after 11am which meant we didn't get to Disney World till almost 3pm. I wanted to get out earlier but it just wasn't in the cards I guess. By the time we took the Monorail and got into Magic Kingdom itself it was like 3:45pm. Oh, well, park closes at 10pm we'll have to cram as much as we can into the 6 hours we had available. When we entered the park, people all around were lined up around the street and when I asked what was going on they said a parade was coming by. Good timing we had so we grabbed a piece of curb, parked our butts and waited for the 4pm start of the parade. And it started....and almost as soon as it started I started to cry. Yup, you got that right, I started to cry.

Remember how I said that your so busy trying to meet a dream that it isn't until you slow down that you can see if for what it is? Well that was me. Finally slowing down while enjoying this parade realizing "I did it". My dream for my kids to go to Disney World has come true. All my children are with me and here we are! All that planning, stress and frustration that brought us here, was worth it, a DREAM COME TRUE. And THAT is what Disney world is all about, Dreams, Wishes, coming true, wishing upon stars and magic...every parade, every show, every song they sing is along those lines, and it all hit me then and there, Dreams CAN come true, sometimes it takes a lot of work and effort, sometimes you have to make those dreams happen, they don't just fall out of the sky, but they CAN come true. The parade was AMAZING! Below I'm hiding my face cause I'm crying...yes, I am a dork.

Now Disney world is all about kids, it's the only amusement park I know that is really geared towards kids ages 2-10ish. We got Bailey a wheelchair, though he could probably have walked *most* of the day, he would have been tired and we would have been exhausted chasing after him, redirecting him and getting him to behave, as well the more tired he is the worse his balance is so it was worth the $10 to rent a wheelchair for him. Also Bailey is NOT good in line ups. Terrible. He blows his raspberries (which many who don't know him think it's spitting and essentially it is but for him it's sensory stimulation), he knocks into people, and if it's a long line up he starts pulling on peoples clothes, purses, and flailing his arms and such. So we got a pass to fasttrack lineups and go up exits...we always do for these sort of things and it's nice in the sense that we don't have to wait in big long lineups and can experience most of the park in a shorter amount of time with the least amount of stress.

So after the parade we went around and did the ride thing, which are geared for little kids, saw a show at the castle, did more rides saw the evening parade and watched the fireworks which they do every night to music at the castle. It was an amazing day.

One thing Taylor really wanted to do since she learned we were going there was to Hug a Princess. I didn't know if I could make this a reality but I was prepared to try, if I had to jump on one walking by and hold her down, my daughter was going to hug a princess.

Well I guess that is not a rare request because they have an entire indoor area where kids go to meet the princesses and give hugs and such and even get autographs! I was not prepared for autographs and when I realized after seeing another kid they did that, I said quietly to Ian how dissappointed I was I hadn't thought ahead and had a book or pen and paper. In an instant one of the princess attendants came over and said they were going to get us an autograph book, to wait for them. I think because of Bailey's disability we got this special treatment but whatever the reason it was sooo nice and touching. When they came with the book, and gave it to us, I then realized that they were giving us a book you normally buy for free...just because. I was overwhelmed by their kindness. The other thing that surprised me was that Princess Belle knew sign language...how cool that she was signing to Bailey....the day just kept getting better and better.

Disney World is a world of magic. You'll never see a cleaner park, you'll never meet more friendly staff, you'll never see a more child oriented place in the world. (I think). When parades pass by even the security guards are dancing, it's a place where the kids are in awe and the adults feel like kids again.

My husband said that he never felt more like a parent than in Disney World. Why? I asked him. And he said because it's really a place for kids, a place where you feel like a parent relishing in the joy the place brings to your kids. There are no rides just for adults, to be adults, everything is about the kids. He is right. It's a place where you feel such immense, I don't even know how to say it, satisfaction? Joy for your kids? I'm not sure how to explain it.

Now I've been to Magic Kingdom before and thought it sucked...I was 14 at the time. It does suck for that age, but for a parent, or a young child, it's a place like no other and something I am so lucky that I was able to enjoy and take my kids to. Anthony was older (almost 14 now), but he was such a champ and made the best of it for the little kids. I have no idea what he and his friend C did as they went off for the day on their own, but was happy to go back to their meeting place and find they didn't get kicked out, and were not real grumpy about being there.

I do plan to take Taylor back in a couple of years, I can totally see why people fly all the way to Florida just to hang out at a Disney World resort and do the parks the whole trip. I want her to be a little older when I take her back and then we're going to do a whole princess weekend...get princess makeovers, have lunch and storytime with princesses, etc. etc. Because of the other kids and time restraints, those opportunities were missed, which is totally okay, but in a couple of years we will go back, just us girls.

I'm not sure how to end this blog so I'll leave it with video below. The song is "When you wish upon a star" and there were vocals though my battery was about to die so I only captured the end, the entire show was almost 15mins long!!

Disney World truely was the best part of the trip to Florida, even my husband agrees. (Though the ocean is a close second)

Florida Family Vacation Part 2

**Read Part 1 if you want for full effect


Okay so now we're at Wednesday. Wait before I go there did I mention on Tuesday night after our Key West trip I got to experience a real outdoor laundry mat! How cool is that!! The entire place had only 1 wall, and a picnic shelter roof! Some of you are probably laughing at me but you would never see that here, yeah people shivering their arcses off doing laundry in our winters...ugh. It was really neat, made a crappy job kind of interesting...even though it was pouring rain.


Wednesday all day it was still raining. This was the day we were to spend at the beach, the ocean, the beautiful sun and waves...and it was so rainy. Even when I checked all the other beaches, including Miami it was all rain. So we loaded kids up in the car and off we went to check out some of the Miami museums. With the Miami Go Card we could get into quite a few things for free. By the time we got to Miami the sun was shining (in Miami)....errrr.....but we brought no bathing suits and made these plans so we were sticking with it. We first went to the Science Museum which was cute and then the Children's museum, oh my, the big kids well, you can imagine what they thought but the little kids, especially Taylor, was in her glory!! She loved the doctors center, where she could dress up and be a real doctor and the shopping area where they had these oversized food items you go and fill up your shopping cart with. She was in love there...and I just loved watching her just play and be the sweet angel she is. Bailey he loved the firetrucks and the huge ship where he was captain...it was really cool to see his excitement over it all too. The older boys, they went off on their own and I'm just happy they didnt' get kicked out...lol. Afterwards we headed to Coral Castle, but my bad planning had us there 20 mins after it was closed. It was pouring rain again and so we just found something to eat and headed back.





Thurday we were all up early, this was one of my favorite days. We went on a bus tour to the Everglades. The bus ride was short, and we were there in no time....and what a great time we all had!!!! We rode the airboat and saw lots of live wild crocidiles and other animals not as interesting as the crocs but nice nevertheless. Then we saw a live croc show, the man was very good at his job and very very funny. I highly recommend a trip to the Everglades National Park for both kids and adults! Walked around the Croc place for a bit, bought some souveniers and then headed back on the bus to Miami. Once we got back we went to the Miami Marketplace, looked around for a bit, finally found the croc shoes I was looking for...pink ones at that, and then (I packed and planned this time) headed to Miami Beach to spend the rest of the afternoon. It was a wonderful day, the entire day, and everyone this time really enjoyed each part of it.








Thursday night we began packing and Friday morning we finished the packing and headed out for home, with a stop to Disney World. I'm going to leave Disney World to another post...because it really deserves a post of it's own....it's a real magical place and well I don't want to rush through a minute of it by summing it up here. So bear with me it might be a couple more days before you get the Disney Post.


After Disney it was about 11:30pm Friday night, I was starting to get a cold and wanted to head back home before it got worse. So off we went, the van was packed, the kids were tired and ready for sleep, so hubby and I drove all night and all day Saturday taking our shifts all the way home. We were going to stop for dinner in Buffalo before we crossed the boarder, but after an hour of driving around not finding a place, and then ending up in major getto land where buildings were falling down, half burnt, I was NOT getting out of the van, let alone drag 4 kids, no way. So over the boarder we went, took 2 hours to get through the boarder this time, going there is wasn't busy at all, and then in Niagara at midnight we finally stopped at a restaurant and ate. Now you may think Midnight was a crazy time, but really, our schedules were so messed up from sleeping and eating when we could that it was like mid day for the kids. In fact when we rolled into the door to home sweet home at 2:30am, my 5 year old daughter was ready and begging to play!!! Yeah, sure, that was not happening...some of us had not got much sleep cause we were ummmm driving...but it's amazing how adaptable kids really can be...at least short term anyway.


So that was the trip, it was amazing and wonderful and worth every effort and stress and penny. I have no regrets, each day was unique and busy and eventful and I was re-energized from all that Vitamin D, at least for a little while. I can definately tackle the rest of this winter with renewed faith that summer is just around the corner. Afterall we do get 2 to 3 good months of summer, and I CAN"T WAIT!


Thanks for reading and all the well wishes for a safe and happy trip, we did and it was awesome a true Dream come true!

Florida Family Vacation Part 1

I often start my blog posts with "where to begin" and that's because there is just so much to say and well, gotta keep it short because I am often too long winded, I'll most likely be long winded anyway, but just know I tried. I'll do it in two parts so I don't take up too much of anyone's time all at once.

The drive there and back was perfect! I mean perfect. We loaded two 13 year old boys (my son brought his friend), an 11 year old and 5 year old all crammed in a rented mini-van that was not huge to say the least and off we went. The drive there was about 26 hours?? and Ian and I did 4 hour shifts all night and all day. We all did really well and the kids didn't fight once! We had maps for them to track our journey so we didn't hear the dreadful "Are we there yet?" questions, and tons of food...can't fight with food in your mouth and the fuller you are, the more you want to sleep. At least that does it for me, so hubby and I ate light most of the way while we stuffed the kids with junk. Junk keeps kids happy too. Portable DVD players (3 of them) and handheld Video game consoles never came in more handy. Once we got to Florida the drive wasn't over...since I booked our hotel close to Miami, we still had an 8 hour drive....man Florida is a big state! Those last 4 hours were really hard, we were just itching to get there already!

At one point I had hubby pull over just so I could get out of the van and stand on the side of the Interstate and raise my arms in the sky and just breathe in the beautiful summer air....yes, it was summer air, from where I live, it was summer, no matter what you Floridians think. Driving from -10 when we left to almost 30 (or 80 something Americans call it) is a BIG deal!

So enough about driving. We get there, unload the van real quick, throw the stuff in the hotel and back into the car. You might have thought I was crazy to do that, but I just HAD to get the ocean. It was only about 8 at night by this time, but I had to breathe the salty air of the ocean even if we couldn't swim in it.

The next morning, Sunday was a right off. I was really dissappointed by the wasted day. First we had to get groceries since we were doing in on the cheap and eating in the hotel suite most of the time, and then the ridicioulous seach for those stupid shoes called "Crocs"...one would think easy to find in Florida, apparently NOT! And to top it all of, just when things are almost done, I get a call from my Real Estate Guy back home saying I got an offer on the house. So we got back to the hotel I sent hubby and the kids to the pool while I dealt with the offer stuff over my laptop and the hotel's fax machine. The day was over by the time it was all done.

Monday was much the same though we did get to the ocean. Though it took us almost an hour to find parking, we spent a couple of hours at the local beach a few blocks from the hotel. It was a nice time, but way too short for my liking. The kids loved the ocean, looking for seashells, playing in the waves, this was their first time ever experiencing it, and they weren't too fond of the salty waters...can't say that's a selling feature for ocean swimming either. That was pretty much Monday...

Oh, but I did take the advice of the Photography Sites I was stalking before I went and made sure to do "photo shoot" day, and we did that Monday. Here are some great shots I got.

Tuesday was our big tour to Key West. We got up before the bugs let alone birds or sun, I think it was something like 4:30am, to be out the door by 5am, to be at the bus in Miami by 6:10am, and we did it. Hop on the bus for the 4 hour drive into Key West, through all the Keys and viola, they drop us off.....but where? Well, we were in Key West, but well...there was nothing to do. When you plan things from Canada all you got to go on is internet information, selling ads, reviews, and the phone. I used all these tools when planning out the vacation and tours and everything said that it would be a fun time for all. NOT! There literally was nothing to do. Where we got dropped off (not far from Mile 0) there was a teeny tiny 10foot beach, that the kids did not want to swim in cause it was filled with washed up sticks and didn't look pleasent. So we walked, but what's to see? Well culture, archetect (I know I spelt that wrong), people, pina coladas while walking down the street (which I did have 2 of them), um....funny looking cars....tell that to the kids. They didn't care for any of it and so the trip was pretty much a bust. Now if it was only an hour away, it would have been fine, but a 4 hour bus ride there and then 4 hours back only to spend 4 hours doing well...nothing....it was a bust. Oh well, live you learn and I've learned quite a bit....at least better questions to ask the people on the phone when calling from Canada.

One thing I did learn about our Key West trip was how to become a "back alley pumper"...I wasn't pumping on the bus with all the people surrounding me, nor in the washroom during the very short break where the women all ran to use the bathroom, instead I would hide behind restaurants, or in back alleyies whipping out the boobies to pump and dump just to keep my supply up. I did master that....and later on in the day, bathrooms too! I'll save you the pictures of that!

I'll end Part 1 with a pic of Key West...it really was a beautiful place, I LOVED the culture and it's very laid back, the streets always celebrating, I'd go back again, only without the kiddies. Poor things, and yet there were all so good about it, I've got awesome kids!

Can't post about Florida today...

Hey everyone, I'm still working on my Florida trip post but I thought before I go into my joys of the trip, I wanted to dedicate this post to various people and their heartache and let them know that my prayers and thoughts are with them.

While I was away, so much had happened, and I'm just getting caught up now and trying to wrap my head around all the sadness that has come over the last little while.

I'm so sorry for those who have lost their babies, either through failed transfers or chemical pregnancies, or full out miscarriages. How devestating that must be and your pain follows me daily as I continue to pray for your healing, and eventual dreams coming true. It seems so unfair, but then again, what the hell is fair in this world? I'm angry, frustrated and sad for all of you who have felt this sort of heartache and for those who are going through it now.

Nicki, J and their Surrogate K
Mr and Mrs Duck and their Surrogate their Surrogate K,
and anyone else I might have missed as I try to catch up here.
I'm just so sorry.

I'm sorry for McMamma and what she is dealing with with her sick little guy. Reading all that he's been through with his little heart is so sad and brings me back to my own days of fear and anguish when I sat in the NICU with my own newborn. I hope they get a handle on it quickly and that the surgery will not have to be done, and I am truly inspired by your strong faith in God and that He will see you all through this. Prayers be with you.

I'm sorry for Nat who is back in the hospital AGAIN, fighting this nasty disease that seems relentless. I'm frustrated for her because I know how much she deserves to be out shopping for her new baby, or at the very least, home flipping through nursery designs and dolling out orders to hubby and the contractors...or whoever will be decorating the nursery. I'm sorry your back in the hospital, I know you say that your use to it, but from my end I feel frustrated for you and angry that you even have to go through it. My prayers and wishes for these 21 days to go quickly and that be the end of this infection and any other for a very long time.

There is just so much that I am thankful for, so much your struggles have made me realize I should be thankful for, and how easy it is to take for granted. Each day is humbling, each day is a blessing, and each day simple strangers in a blog world continue to inspire me. You and your stories and your throughts and struggles, and one day I expect to hear blogs about your sucesses, are inspiring, to see your strength, to see your love, to see your committment and drive. Thank you for sharing, even when it's hard, even when you don't want to say the words.

I'm praying for all of you and your loved ones to get through these trying times.

Sorry

Didn't mean to scare anyone....

Hello from as you can see we made it to florida!
The drive went really well considering it was so long i was so proud, but the kids were awesome, not one fight!

My typing is terrible on the laptop....sorry so this will be brief....i just suck and am 1 finger typing...errrr.

Weather here is beautiful though i haven't been able to enjoy much today (first full day too) ...in fact today was a complete write off i was not happy.
I have been spending all my time doing home shit and i left to get away from it all!

NOW that it's done i can say that I don't mind.....it was worth it.....we sold the house!!!! It's conditional of course on building inspection and their financing but hopefully that will be done before i get back and we can start looking for a house!

For now i'm hoping to actually enjoy this vacation and take in the experience.Anyway just thought i'd check in and share the "almost big" news, it'll be big when the conditions are met...then I'll be celebrating.

Hope everyone is doing well in blog world...thinking of ya and will try to check in if i get a chance after our trip to key west.

Last Blog

Before I go that is. Did you think you would get rid of me permanently??

Seriously, we head out tommorrow morning for a very long drive, but hopefully well worth it. I'm a bit nervous, we have never travelled this long with or without the kids, but most especially with the kids. I hope I've done enough planning and preparing that they make this drive okay...not much more I can do now except well...go!

I'm very excited, too excited. I keep checking the internet for the weather. I will be bringing my laptop and hopefully will be able to check in at least once to give an update and see how you are all, but honestly, I don't want to spend a whole lot of time on the computer, laptops are not good on the beach...lol. Also I'm not sure what kind of internet we'll get so, before I go some of you are in the middle of some big changes.

For those of you who are hoping for a BFP this coming week...I'm totally praying for you, even from miles away from home.

Those of you who are expecting...don't go any have any drama, let the pregnancy remain quiet and uneventful (unless it's happy events like ultrasounds and baby kicks), okay?

Those of you close to delivering...hold off until I get back! But if you can't, I wish you a safe delivery and happy ending.

And for those of you who follow along with my life's drama but are none of the above, I wish you a great week next week and look forward to catching up when I get back.

Tootles
A

I got an AWARD...

Okay, so I've been nominated for an award....not sure what it's all about but I'll give it a try....

I'm not good a chain mail (which it sort of is) and don't really know enough people so I'm going to skip the nominating others thing....sorry, I guess that makes me the party pooper.

10 Honest things about me:

1. I am perfect.

No...... just kidding....... I'll be serious

1. I love to spend my day in my pajamas, not get dressed, throw my hair back. If I can make it to the time I wake up to the time I go to bed in the same jammies, I've had a good day.

2. I do not wash my hair everyday, sometimes if I can push it I will go 3 days.

3. I like to read a book when I'm committed in the bathroom. Okay maybe that one might be too much information....

4. I don't like shaving my legs in the winter and I rarely wear makeup unless pictures are involved or we're going out.

5. I'm a pretty happy person on a normal basis. I tend to look on the brighter side of things, and am more optimistic than others I know. I don't really get stressed out easily...though life can get overwhelming at times. Compounding things tend to stress me out rather than individual ones.

6. I'm pretty open, I don't have many secrets. Sometimes that can push people away, other times it's appreciated, depends on the person really.

7. Surrogacy has changed my life, my outlook on things, my view of others, my goals and visions, my everything. It has had a major impact on who I am now and what I strive for in the future. This includes surrogacy for me as well as supporting others through their own journies.

8. My kids are my world. I wish I could make them understand just how much I love them but they will never know. I would die without my babies and I know how truely lucky I am to have them.

9. My husband is my best friend and my biggest frustration all packaged into one.

10. I think I want another baby..............

Not Me Monday

Not me, not me, not me....

Welcome to:

The day where I share with all of you just how "perfect" I've been this past week and all the things I can say "Not Me" about...hahaha

1. I have been planning a trip to the sunshine coast for next week. My eldest son had his report card day on Friday and I asked him "should I open it now or after the trip". I DID NOT give him that option because I didn't want to ruin MY trip being angry at him. (He chose the later by the way). I wouldn't do that because consequences should come right away and not be delayed because of a trip, but I am SOOOO looking forward to the trip and just want as much peace with a teenager as I can get.

2. I DID NOT get mad at my husband because his "cub leader schedule" is always top priority despite the fact there are many other things on the agenda in a week, some need higher priority. I would NOT get mad at him because I am understanding all the time of how important Boy Cubs is to him.

3. I DO NOT secretly resent the fact that I okayed him being a leader for another year and a row. I am not quietly hating Cubs because of how it constantly takes away from what I need.

4. I DID NOT start teaching my 5 year old how to play Chess, afterall it's a game that is way too advanced for her and just because "I" like it doesn't mean she will get it. It's never too late to start though right?

5. I DID NOT stay up till 3am reading a great Photo Lesson website that S sent me learning how to take great photos. 3 am is way too late for me to be up

6. I was NOT like a zombie the next day because of it...I am always chipper and happy.

7. I DO NOT get mad at my cat who likes to sit on my keyboard everytime I type....I am a good pet owner and I understand he just wants attention.

8. My little cat likes to hop and "chase and pounce" my feet in the middle of the night playfully. It's really quite cute, but for crying out loud it's the middle of the night! I did not shoot my leg up in the air so he would fall off the bed "accidently" because of his pouncing. I wouldn't do that, see above...I am a good pet owner.

9. I DO NOT enjoy reality TV. Afterall my life is much more interesting than someone elses life. Why is it that watching others lives and their struggles is so addicting?

10. Lastly, I have NOT fantasized about disappearing for a weekend all by myself. I love being a mom and wife, cook, maid, accountant, teacher, and all the other roles, however I missed the scrapbooking weekend retreat this year and am frustrated by the constant work and lack of "me" time.

11. I DID NOT go over to my neighbors open house, just to check out the competition. My house is for sale and I DID NOT comtemplate telling the other people who were at the open house to take a walk up the street to check mine out because it shows so much nice for less $$s.

That's me, my perfect self. Next Monday I won't be on because I'll be in Florida, but the following week I should have lots of wondering perfect experiences to share with you about my trip.

What "DIDN'T YOU DO" THIS WEEK?

My Crazy Life (well just this past week and a half)

So much has been going on I don't even know where to start!



House:

The house is still on the market, we did get an offer, but it came in $30,000 lower than asking price. Like seriously, $30 grand, um don't even waste our time. We of course entertained it, afterall they might have just been trying to see where our bottom line was, and also said that if they didn't hit a certain point than don't bother coming back to us. They never came back. We had another open house this past Sunday and noone showed. Things are really starting to slow down...sigh, what will be will be. But we do have some showings, about 2 a week, so there is still small hope left. The market is just so bad...........



Hubby:

Not much new with him, just his crazy ol self. He's a bit stressed about this trip for a couple of reasons. His preference for a trip in a tent in the backyard, he's not a good travelor and gets very anxious...it actually affects his bodily functions. But he's handling it well I think, leaving me up to most of the details, which is the way I like it...wink wink.



But his job is not in good standing right now either and I think that adds to his stress levels too. We may have to go on the workshare program where he doesn't work Fridays and the gov. pays 55% of his wage loss for 26 weeks. We will survive if it's only 26 weeks but if this economy lasts a long time it will hurt us. Of course we find this out AFTER we booked the trip and cannot get a refund on hotel or car, since most of it has been booked on AirMiles Collector Points...they don't give those back if you cancel. So we're going, besides we need this and can worry about everything else when we get back...it will all still be there anyway.



Ian's pretty stressed about it, but I'm not. I trust in God and that He will take care of us. We may go through some challenges and have to make sacrifices to survive this dreadful economic crisis but in the end we will be stronger and better for it, and no matter what, we will have each other and WILL survive. I try not to stress about financial matters, because really, their just financial matters, not what really matters most, besides my hubby does enough of that for the 2 of us.



Kids:

T my DD is just a doll. She's really getting an attitude and I say that in the nicest way possible. It's actually pretty cute coming from a 5 year old, you know the DIVA in her. But I will be curbing that because it's not so cute when she's 10 or 14 for that matter.



My middle guy B is doing great also, just trucking along as per usual. He's been doing some ice skating through school which is pretty amazing considering he doesn't walk all that great. The school hummed and hawed about it, but I made sure that they tried and he's been okay thus far. He's really looking forward to the trip to the ocean.



A, my oldest son is well, turning into a typical teenager, very typical. I beg him to hang out with me, pry questions about his day from him, with the usual response of "good" or "fine", and always am trying to find ways to engage him...not so easy, but not impossible ALL of the time. Sometimes I can actually get him to respond...lol. I know it's a phase, but it's tough as a mom to see your baby pull away and being a first time mom to a teenager, I'm goofing up a lot as I go. Where's the book on raising a teenager??? LOL. We did however have a big milestone, and that was to visit his new highschool he'll be going to next year, and getting him registered. If we move he won't be going there, but we needed to have him registered just in case. That was pretty exciting, and a little scary too...highschools are just not the same as when I grew up.



Not much new with me. I'm pumping milk to donate to a baby here in my area. I know I know, I'm crazy, I know. First I allow myself to dry up, but I had all this milk in my freezer that I just couldn't throw out. I was going to give it to my former IM but then her 8month old baby stopped taking the bottle altogether. So I went onto MilkShare (a milk donation site much like craigslist where you find donors and recipients) and there was a mom with a 4 month old baby only 40 mins from me. We started talking and well, since I still had small amounts of milk I offered to reinstate my supply so I could donate long term, as well as gave her the 116oz I had. So for the last week I have been on much the same protocols as what people do to induce lactation through the Dr Newman site are on, and been pumping like crazy. I did think it would be easier since I was still kind of lactating but it's not, it's been a struggle and I've managed to get up to 4oz per day so far. Seems to be going up about an oz a day.

Funny but right after I found someone, my former IM called and asked if I had donated it already, that she'd gotton baby to take the bottle afterall and wanted it....shucks...



Why you might ask...I know it's crazy and wasn't even my idea. I said to my hubby one night that I wished I knew about MilkShare prior and that I wouldn't have stopped pumping to begin with. He then said to me "well why don't you now?" and that's how the idea came to me to do so. I think I'm doing it for a couple of reasons, 1. It's good for me, prevents cancer and good for weight loss and getting back into shape and 2. It's something to do, something I can do to continue to give back in some little way but that does not involved jumping into another pregnancy...and trust me those urges are there. I want to wait, I'm waiting for a very good reason, for a few good reasons, and then I will decide. But from now until summer at least, I'll be pumping and donating. It makes me feel good about myself. If your looking for donor milk I would advise checking out their site.



Hmmm, what else....I got my first cycle, so my fertility and body is pretty much back to normal. Right on time, like clockwork, which is good considering all the drugs I've taken over the past 3 years with cycling for egg donation or surrogacy. I'm glad I got it now and not on our vacation. Should be all done for when I hit the beach!



That's about it, our life in a nutshell, well at least for the past week or so. Thanks to those who continue to follow along, I also love reading your blogs too.

Have I mentioned yet??

That we are taking off and getting out of this Gosh forbidden winter?? Yup you heard right I've had enough and we are heading south for 7 beautiful days. We leave on Friday the 12th? and Don't come back till the following Saturday. So where are we going?? you might be asking, well there is a story behind it and you know me, I love to tell a good story, hehehehe.

For years I have wanted to take the kids South, Florida, South Carolina, Mexico, whereever there is ocean and lots of HOT weather.

I have travelled quite a bit in my lifetime, I've lived in BC and Alberta, we drove acrossed from the West Coast of Canada to here in Ontario so I"ve seen every province west of me. 7 years ago we went to New York with the kids, way south, down by Ganaquoie (I know I spelt that one very wrong), cause everyone around here has done the Buffalo route one too many times (so that doesn't count)...4 years ago we too a trip to Quebec, and Ottawa, and so this year I was tried of doing the same ol Canada vacation and wanted to head where it's warm year round.

I've been getting so cranky with this weather, -22 currently, it really sucks and can affect your mood especially my mood. So I thought what a better way to cheer me up than hit the ocean in sunny land somewhere in the USA. I know I've have to come back to crummy weather but the trip would give me the "umph" I needed to get through the next 2 months or so, till we start to warm up.

We have been wanting to do this for awhile, I finally stopped procrastinating and making excuses not to and booked a trip to South Carolina!!! Horray!!!! I was so excited, got a really nice hotel, all the kids are going, we're driving down and since I dont' want to ruin my own cars, we rented one to take, planned out the internary, and was all ready to go.....then I started watching the weather down there......sigh. 13 degrees, ugh, a lousy 13, some places dipping down to -1. I'm not spending a ton of money to go visit another winter place.........errrrrrr!!!!!!!

So last minute, like literally last week I decided; what can it hurt to travel 8 more hours south? It was a 16 hour drive to South Carolina, now it will be a 23 hour drive (of course it would take longer since we're stopping now and then), but it will be warmer, MUCH WARMER! Miami here we come!!! Now I've done the Florida thing twice, as well as Bahamas once, so really I didn't WANT to go there AGAIN, I wanted to see something new, but the kids are coming and we have to be careful with money, with 4 kids (my son is bringing a friend) and 2 adults, it gets pretty expensive. This will be the first time the kids have ever seen Palm trees so it will be well worth the 3rd trip to the Sunshine Coast, and you know what...if there is sunshine and ocean, and maybe even warm enough to swim in the ocean, than at this point I don't care where I go.

So last week and this past weekend, I have been changing all the travel plans to Miami Florida, book all the hotels and re-route the maps, plan an iternary, cause I'm a planner, especially with things like this and that's why I've been so crazy busy, researching, investigating, planning and preparing for our trip we leave for in less than 2 weeks!

I"m so excited I can barely sleep! I have been reading and trying to keep up with the blogs though, if I missed yours, it's been noted already and your next on my list.

Just wanted to also shout out to Mr. and Mrs. Duck who are now expecting a duckling or two!!! CONGRATS

Question for my blogger friends:
I have been doing some research on the Miami Go Cards, anyone know if they are worth the money? Seem like a pretty good deal but want to make sure it's not a scam or there isn't some inside information or things I should know/watch out for. You know the fine print innocent people always miss?