Sunday, November 15, 2009
The aprons are back!!!
The Kitchen Madonna is back in business!!! For those who don't know her, she makes the prettiest aprons ever, and I highly recommend them! Check it out!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Leave the Pig alone!!!
I don't want to hear about swine flu anymore. I'm tired of paranoid parents (and member of society in general) who go on and on about it. Now, if it was deadlier, I would understand, and I would probably be one of them.... Get over it, please!
Now that my rant is over, we have been sick on and off most of the time since spring, and that includes countless colds and at least 2 flus. Not stomach flus, nasty fever/aches real flu (influenza). I had not had one of those in almost 10 years, and now we get a few this year. My point? Well, with all that sickness, we've probably had the uncle piggy flu (can't help but blame it on him!) already, so we wont bother with the needles. I don't usually get flu vaccines, and I wont make an ecception this year. I'm not crazy about the idea that it was mass produced without being as well tested as the other flu shots, but it's still not the reason we will skip it.
Now, I have a paranoid one in my house, who refused to let my son go to a Beaver sleepover out of fear of the flu, and I must admit I am really ticked off by it. It was very unnecessary. He is also the one who nearly panicked when our ds had a slight fever, and it took me forever to make him understand how a little fever is great to kill the bugs that make you sick and what is bad is high fever, especially very high, or lasting for a long time, or not reacting to medicine... *sigh*
On the bright side... for the first time in my life, I had a cold that lasted less than 2 weeks: I felt like death for 24 hours, then it was over. That's what our immune system is for! :D
Now that my rant is over, we have been sick on and off most of the time since spring, and that includes countless colds and at least 2 flus. Not stomach flus, nasty fever/aches real flu (influenza). I had not had one of those in almost 10 years, and now we get a few this year. My point? Well, with all that sickness, we've probably had the uncle piggy flu (can't help but blame it on him!) already, so we wont bother with the needles. I don't usually get flu vaccines, and I wont make an ecception this year. I'm not crazy about the idea that it was mass produced without being as well tested as the other flu shots, but it's still not the reason we will skip it.
Now, I have a paranoid one in my house, who refused to let my son go to a Beaver sleepover out of fear of the flu, and I must admit I am really ticked off by it. It was very unnecessary. He is also the one who nearly panicked when our ds had a slight fever, and it took me forever to make him understand how a little fever is great to kill the bugs that make you sick and what is bad is high fever, especially very high, or lasting for a long time, or not reacting to medicine... *sigh*
On the bright side... for the first time in my life, I had a cold that lasted less than 2 weeks: I felt like death for 24 hours, then it was over. That's what our immune system is for! :D
Mental Health
I'm used to think of mental health as something for adults, or at least teenagers, but it looks like our 5yo will need to get some help. I won't go in the details here, but it is getting pretty bad, and hearing things such as "I want to kill myself and die" is really, really hard to take.
I am now very, very tired from being the only person caring for the kids (the husband is very unhelpful in that matter), and that's just one more thing to make my life more difficult. I just wish the boy was not so overly sensitive/anxious/... name it!
I am now very, very tired from being the only person caring for the kids (the husband is very unhelpful in that matter), and that's just one more thing to make my life more difficult. I just wish the boy was not so overly sensitive/anxious/... name it!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Lest we forget
"They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them...Lest we forget!"
We went to a ceremony close to home, and as usual, I was bawling all the time, crying for those who perished, for their loved one, as well as I was crying of joy for all those who made it home. I know, I'm an emotional mess, but I hate how lives are sometimes taken for meaningless reasons. Don't get me wrong, I don't say that wars are meaningless, just that men should never make it to the point where they believe they have to fight one another, therefore, these deaths could have been avoided. Not only those of soldiers, but also all the civilians, and even the 'enemy' whoever it is at the moment.
My man looked great, with his bright, shiny boots, Luca was proud of his first official Beavers outing, while the girls behaved wonderfully. I was surrounded by familiar faces, some crying for family and friends lost, some there for sympathy. I love them all. It was really nice.
We went to a ceremony close to home, and as usual, I was bawling all the time, crying for those who perished, for their loved one, as well as I was crying of joy for all those who made it home. I know, I'm an emotional mess, but I hate how lives are sometimes taken for meaningless reasons. Don't get me wrong, I don't say that wars are meaningless, just that men should never make it to the point where they believe they have to fight one another, therefore, these deaths could have been avoided. Not only those of soldiers, but also all the civilians, and even the 'enemy' whoever it is at the moment.
My man looked great, with his bright, shiny boots, Luca was proud of his first official Beavers outing, while the girls behaved wonderfully. I was surrounded by familiar faces, some crying for family and friends lost, some there for sympathy. I love them all. It was really nice.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The allergist and others...
Amelia will finally have her appointment with an allergist, next month. I can't wait to hear that she is not deathly allergic to bees! That will be the relief I need to go through countless summers filled with Benadryl!
We are still waiting to see a speech therapist. She has highs and lows, but now we can communicate sufficiently to know that she is a very curious little girl, who is eager to learn, but she has that major hurdle to overcome first. She is not so blonde and not so dumb ;)
There is one thing I had never really mentionned before... since Luca was on prednisone for two years, it really stained the teeth that were being formed at the time, especially the molars... and his adult teeth. I heard him cry a few times because his adult teeth are awefully yellow, as dark as those of a chain smoker who drinks coffee, red wine and blueberries. They are dark and yellow. He doesn't like that, obviously. How can you explain to a child that it is a small price to pay for all the good that nasty medicine did? It saved his vision, probably his brain, and since it kept the parts of his birthmark in his nose and throat from growing, it probably even saved his life. I wish I could make him understand...
We are still waiting to see a speech therapist. She has highs and lows, but now we can communicate sufficiently to know that she is a very curious little girl, who is eager to learn, but she has that major hurdle to overcome first. She is not so blonde and not so dumb ;)
There is one thing I had never really mentionned before... since Luca was on prednisone for two years, it really stained the teeth that were being formed at the time, especially the molars... and his adult teeth. I heard him cry a few times because his adult teeth are awefully yellow, as dark as those of a chain smoker who drinks coffee, red wine and blueberries. They are dark and yellow. He doesn't like that, obviously. How can you explain to a child that it is a small price to pay for all the good that nasty medicine did? It saved his vision, probably his brain, and since it kept the parts of his birthmark in his nose and throat from growing, it probably even saved his life. I wish I could make him understand...
Two interesting books!
I am now in love with Orson Scott Card. I finished "Pastwatch", and I am now convinced I will read more of his work, because it falls right in my tastes. Loved it. Imagine, in the future, people who invent a machine that allows you to see the past... imagine they discovered they could interact with the past. Should they right the wrongs of the past? Love it!
The other book isn't great, it's a teen novel, "The possibilities of sainthood". It's a 15 yo italian-american girl who wants to become a saint, just as she is lusting over boys... reminds you of someone? ;) Well, if you are italian or know italians, this story will really crack you up!
The other book isn't great, it's a teen novel, "The possibilities of sainthood". It's a 15 yo italian-american girl who wants to become a saint, just as she is lusting over boys... reminds you of someone? ;) Well, if you are italian or know italians, this story will really crack you up!
20 years ago
20 years ago, I learnt about communism. It was the Berlin wall that brought that subject in our home, and it is not until much later that I truly realized the impact of the Cold War. It broke my heart then, and it still does today, when I think that some humans only have limited rights, or worse, suffer through war.
I wish I could say we will learn from it, but realistically, mankind wont. Men can only see the present and look greedily at the future, so there is little hope. How can we educate the whole planet as to being kind to each other? Is tolerance really that difficult?
I wish I could say we will learn from it, but realistically, mankind wont. Men can only see the present and look greedily at the future, so there is little hope. How can we educate the whole planet as to being kind to each other? Is tolerance really that difficult?
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Flu
Long story short, we had the flu in September, Amelia's cough didn't completely go away, she is not eating, complains of headache and has a fever. I guess we're going to have to go to the ER after all. That sucks, I wanted to go to bed early!
Sending kids to school
My oldest drives me nuts these days, to the point I am considering sending him to school for my own sanity! The good thing is that he'd rather not go to school, so now I have to get him to go back to his normal well behaving self. I wont go in details, but at this point, he may very well end up in his bedroom most of most days, and with a red bum at that. Just Tuesday, he crushed his baby sister, put a "bad" movie on that I had just told him he was not allowed to watch at the moment, AND he almost got himself (and Amelia, who was holding his hand!) hit by a car because he was not paying attention and was too obsessed with the puddle he saw on the street.
Now, sending him to school would NOT resolve these issues, and I am fully aware of it. The only thing that really kept him home is that the English schools have nothing for advanced students, and the French school was too far away and he was still taking naps. Well, he can survive without naps, now, so it makes French school very tempting.
It's so hard, I want to homeschool, I know it's probably the best option (yes, even socialization would go down if he went to school! lol), but I am exhausted, he misbehaves, and I just want it to get better. I guess it's those 6 weeks of being sick that's draining me. I'm almost back to normal, but let me tell you, that bloody flu was brutal and left me coughing my lungs (and Amelia's!) out all that time!
I need some quiet time for myself. I need Luca to behave and listen better. I need not to give up. I refuse to give up at the first problem! The prospect of starting school myself in January is filling me with dread, but I have to keep in mind that it will all come together. THEN, if it's still a struggle, I can always send him in school.
Keep focused, girl!
Now, sending him to school would NOT resolve these issues, and I am fully aware of it. The only thing that really kept him home is that the English schools have nothing for advanced students, and the French school was too far away and he was still taking naps. Well, he can survive without naps, now, so it makes French school very tempting.
It's so hard, I want to homeschool, I know it's probably the best option (yes, even socialization would go down if he went to school! lol), but I am exhausted, he misbehaves, and I just want it to get better. I guess it's those 6 weeks of being sick that's draining me. I'm almost back to normal, but let me tell you, that bloody flu was brutal and left me coughing my lungs (and Amelia's!) out all that time!
I need some quiet time for myself. I need Luca to behave and listen better. I need not to give up. I refuse to give up at the first problem! The prospect of starting school myself in January is filling me with dread, but I have to keep in mind that it will all come together. THEN, if it's still a struggle, I can always send him in school.
Keep focused, girl!
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
More surprises from Amelia...
She is really full of surprises!
At Halloween, she told me she would take a plane ride up high in the sky to go get her balloon. When I told her it was not quite possible, she said she would make her butterfly wings fly to go get it. Then Luca explained her that her balloon was long gone, she had lost it in June at Prettyflower's place, you see.... and I had NO IDEA she had even realized she had lost it, even back then, even less that she remembered it!!!
Yesterday, she even said a "big word". "I promise" is not that hard, but for a little one who didn't say much last month, it is quite remarkable. She now tries to copy the speach of her big brother!!!
She also learns to use a keyboard and a mouse on the computer, tries to learn to write MIA, looks intently at the keyboard to find the letters and numbers she wants... it's a far cry from what she was before she started talking, like a whole new part of her emerging from the darkness! It's fascinating to watch!
At Halloween, she told me she would take a plane ride up high in the sky to go get her balloon. When I told her it was not quite possible, she said she would make her butterfly wings fly to go get it. Then Luca explained her that her balloon was long gone, she had lost it in June at Prettyflower's place, you see.... and I had NO IDEA she had even realized she had lost it, even back then, even less that she remembered it!!!
Yesterday, she even said a "big word". "I promise" is not that hard, but for a little one who didn't say much last month, it is quite remarkable. She now tries to copy the speach of her big brother!!!
She also learns to use a keyboard and a mouse on the computer, tries to learn to write MIA, looks intently at the keyboard to find the letters and numbers she wants... it's a far cry from what she was before she started talking, like a whole new part of her emerging from the darkness! It's fascinating to watch!
My summer and fall in books
As you may have realized, I wrote little about books recently, and it's simply because I ended up reading lots of BAD, BORING books. The few exceptions were the math book "Our Days are Numbered", which was obsessing, and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. I am totally addicted to those books, and so are my kids, who listen to them on audiobooks. I am certainly going to ask my husband to give me all of the books in hardcover, because they will be read over and over again. Way better than Harry Potter.
I have just finished a book typical of the garbage I have read for most of the time since spring: "Multiple Blessings" by Jon and Kate Gosselin... the guys of "Jon and Kate plus 8". Well, guess what? Reading that book makes me marvel at how they ended up divorcing, instead of becoming a statistic of husbands murdering their wives. She is the most even unbearable person, even in a book where she probably tried to make herself less bad than she is... It's painful to read.
I started "Eat, Pray, Love", which I thought I would love... Italy and India, food and spirituality, something I really enjoy,right? WRONG! The author is mediocre enough to screw up on food, brainless enough to make me want to burn the book, but it belongs to the library, so I will simply return it. I HAAAAATE it!!!
I hope you guys had more luck than I, and please let me know whenever you read something that catch your attention, I am always on the lookout for new books!
I have just finished a book typical of the garbage I have read for most of the time since spring: "Multiple Blessings" by Jon and Kate Gosselin... the guys of "Jon and Kate plus 8". Well, guess what? Reading that book makes me marvel at how they ended up divorcing, instead of becoming a statistic of husbands murdering their wives. She is the most even unbearable person, even in a book where she probably tried to make herself less bad than she is... It's painful to read.
I started "Eat, Pray, Love", which I thought I would love... Italy and India, food and spirituality, something I really enjoy,right? WRONG! The author is mediocre enough to screw up on food, brainless enough to make me want to burn the book, but it belongs to the library, so I will simply return it. I HAAAAATE it!!!
I hope you guys had more luck than I, and please let me know whenever you read something that catch your attention, I am always on the lookout for new books!
The Acadians
I am watching a wonderful documentary about the deportation of the Acadians, and highly recommend to watch it: "Expulsion: the Story of Acadia".
Friday, October 30, 2009
My dad was right, again.
He told me Amelia would surprise me and he was so right!
Two weeks ago, Amelia started speaking in clear sentences, clear enough that on the phone, some people thought it was Luca speaking. Yesterday, she made up a story about a dragon who pretended he was going to eat her house, but it ended up eating all her apples instead. Today, she told me about mice who wanted to bite her in her bedroom, and when I got there, she told me "I got you"!!!!
I also had an other surprise, this time from Luca. It looks like we are going to start grade 2 much earlier than thought. The only things he does at an early grade 1 level is handwriting and spelling, the rest is pretty much all grade 2.
The past two weeks have been hectic and we are just starting our routine again. It's so much fun!!! :S
Two weeks ago, Amelia started speaking in clear sentences, clear enough that on the phone, some people thought it was Luca speaking. Yesterday, she made up a story about a dragon who pretended he was going to eat her house, but it ended up eating all her apples instead. Today, she told me about mice who wanted to bite her in her bedroom, and when I got there, she told me "I got you"!!!!
I also had an other surprise, this time from Luca. It looks like we are going to start grade 2 much earlier than thought. The only things he does at an early grade 1 level is handwriting and spelling, the rest is pretty much all grade 2.
The past two weeks have been hectic and we are just starting our routine again. It's so much fun!!! :S
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