And So It Begins

We saw temperatures in the triple digits today and will continue to be see them the rest of the weekend!

Go Ahead..Make My Day

I helped save the life of a child yesterday..or at least that was what the telemarketer on the other end of the line said when I made my donation to the Make-A-Wish foundation. She wasn't as impressed when I told her it wasn't the first time I saved a child's life today.

I sat back with a little chuckle. Little did that sweet lady know that I let my kid live today. That's the same as saving it..right? Seeing as it's my story, we'll just go with that. :) So...anyways..Critter drove me up one wall, down the other, and waaaaaaaay around the bend. I do believe I was in tears a couple of times.
I wouldn't say that it was totally and completely his fault, but maybe 98%. I'm tired. I'm bored and I haven't had any time away from this kid in well over a year. I'm ready for a bit of a break I think, but that's only a small part of yesterday's issue. Yesterday, my kid was a button pushing freak! He was pushing one button after another and trying to assert his self as the alpha dog. It made for a very looooong and tiresome day..a day that ended with me sitting out on the porch with an ice cold malted beverage.

All I can say is Thank You God for getting Big Daddy home when you did and thank you Smirnoff for a lovely evening. Amen.

Television Update

..it's all good!

I was able to return our defective t.v. with NO hassle what-so-ever...AND I saved Big Daddy 10% off the cost!

Go ahead. You can say it! I'm gooooood!

Will The Real Critter Please Stand Up..

Yesterday I made a trip to the dentist's office..not for me, but for the little Critter. He was amazing..for a 2 and 1/2 year old. It was his first trip to see the dentist and after a shaky start, he finished up his exam like a champ! I was so proud. No yelling! No screaming, kicking, hitting or fighting! I was so blown away that he wasn't putting on a show that I almost had to wonder if it was in fact my child!

It went so well that our dentist was able to put his finger in O's mouth and I was able to brush his teeth - for a few seconds at least - with the cool dentist spiny tooth brusher thingy. O cooperated long enough that one of the staff was even to get some semblance of an x-ray.

The best part of that first trip to the dentist? The Critter is excited to go back again. I wonder if it's because of the cool toy car he got while there or the sweet receptionist that took a real shining to him?

Manic Monday

Last night our television went on the fritz and by fritz I mean all power to it is gone. Big Daddy and I are dumbfounded. There is no logical explanation for it. The t.v. hadn't been on for more than an hour and a half when it shut off. All of the other equipment is still functioning so we know it has something to do solely with the television. It happened early enough in the even that we were able to make some calls to the manufacturer, but nothing has been resolved at this point. A call to the store where we purchased said t.v. has only left us in a frenzy.

I'm supposed to be looking for the receipt of purchase instead of writing to you, kiddies, but the thing is..I have no idea where it is. Big Daddy and I basically turned the house upside down looking for it last night. I did manage to find all of the other receipts I've saved, even ones I had forgotten I had saved. No television receipt though.
We'll be out a thousand dollars if I can't find that annoying little piece of paper. I've seen it a thousand times since we bought the t.v. a couple of months ago and I'm pretty sure I put it away for safe keeping, but where..I have no idea. And if I don't find that receipt..we won't be able to take it back. I have a few more calls to make, one to the credit card company and one again to the manufacturer. I'm hoping and praying I'll be able to find a way out of this one without losing money.

Wish me luck!

Run For The Roses

I was saddened yesterday watching the Kentucky Derby when the little filly, Eight Belles went down after placing second in the race. She was an impressive horse standing 17 hands high (big for a filly) and had a great record, including winning her last 4 starts. Usually Big Daddy make little wagers on such events, but didn't this time because after I picked her to win..so did B.D. I guess he found her as equally impressive.

I love horses and they just so happen to be my favourite animal. It was heartbreaking to watch her go down. I've seen a horse in agony before and it just broke my heart. Eight Belles ran a great race, the longest one of her short life, and I've been disheartened to read some of the comments posted in various forums and such. Many comments were regarding her treatment..specifically Belles' euthanization and how cruel and inhumane it is.
Personally, I feel that in cases where an animal is in extreme pain, hurt beyond repair, euthanizing it is acceptable. No animal should suffer and sometimes there are injuries that are so severe that the animal could never recover despite the best efforts. Yesterday at the Derby was one of those times.

It was a royal run for a royal lady. The following is a song by Dan Folgerberg..another favourite of mine from my youth. I thought it would be an appropriate tribute to Eight Belles.

Born in the valley and raised in the trees
Of Western Kentucky on wobbly knees
With mama beside you to help you along
You'll soon be a-growing up strong

All the long, lazy mornings in pastures of green
The sun on your withers, the wind in your mane
Could never prepare you for what lies ahead
The run for the roses so red

(Chorus)
And it's run for the roses as fast as you can
Your fate is delivered, your moment's at hand
It's the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance
And it's high time you joined in the dance
It's high time you joined in the dance

From sire to sire, it's born in the blood
The fire of a mare and the strength of a stud
It's breeding and it's training and it's something unknown
That drives you and carries you home
(Chorus)

Another Week Gone By

I can't believe that another week has passed since my last post. Time seems to be racing by here lately. My days feel very full, but whether they really are or not is somewhat debatable.

We're nearing the end of the school year here and you can certainly tell. Event calenders are filling up quickly with all sorts of fairs, festivals and things to do. The weather, for the most part, has been lovely and we've certainly taken advantage of it all. Last weekend we spent some time wandering around the local farmers market, puttering around the garden and playing outside (often until the sun goes down). It's rare to find us indoors when the weather is so nice. Obviously it means that I won't be writing to all of you wonderful people but someone has to make that sacrifice.

This past Monday (and the majority of the week really) however, I had something else keeping me from the computer. It was called THE FLU!! I can't remember the last time I'd been sick and throwing up like that..unless you count the 3 months of morning, afternoon, and evening sickness I had with Critter of course. Every 20-30 minutes..like clockwork, I was rushing off to the bathroom with puke bowl in hand to wretch my guts out. Thankfully, this stopped sometime early Tuesday morning but I was so sore, ill feeling and tired that Big Daddy (who had gotten sick as well late Monday night) and I took turns sleeping so that someone would always be up with O who had managed to stay healthy.

We're still dealing with some lingering effects of it all. We aren't eating much. Our stomachs our sore. My body still aches from all of the vomiting I did and we are running to the bathroom all of the time. But Big Daddy finished up the week by working part of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Despite my slower recovery, O and I have managed to do some house chores and went on a play date with Sig, DD and Gab. Our family even managed to complete a large outdoor project this past week that I'll share with you later. I need to take some pictures..that's something else I haven't been doing much of lately either.

This is where I'm going to leave you for now kiddies. It is another gorgeous day and I need to be getting back to the day at hand. Write you soon!