1. Do you like blue cheese? That’s some nasty cheese
2. Have you ever smoked? Yes but it’s been almost 10 years since I quit.
3. Do you own a gun? Good lord no.
4. What flavour of Kool Aid was your favourite? watermelon or red but not the cherry kind.. I also liked the blue kind. I like stuff that tastes like blue.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Yes, I don’t know why. I’m worried they’re going to think I’m a hypochondriac, when in fact… I’m the opposite. I’d have to be unconscious to be dragged to a hospital–or in labour.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? They’re great in the summer.
7. Favourite Christmas movie? Christmas Vacation
8.Favourite thing to drink in the morning? Tea or Water
9. Can you do push ups? Yes I can
10. What’s your favourite piece of jewellery? My engagement and wedding ring. I lose everything else.
11. Favourite hobby? Playing the Sims lol
12. Do you have A.D.D.? No
13. What’s one trait you hate about yourself? I procrastinate like it’s no ones business
14. Middle name? Rebecca Aimee
15 Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: I feel great after my workout, I wonder if I’ll be able to sleep tonight, why is it so damn cold out
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink: water, tea and wine
17. Current worry? Going back to work and leaving my son even if it is with my IL’s
18. Current hate right now? Baby bear on Sesame street
19. Favourite place to be? out for dinner with my hubby
20. How did you bring in the New Year? at home with my hubby and son
21. Where would you like to go? Kelowna *sigh*
22. Do you own slippers? No.
23. What shirt are you wearing? That’s a dirty question lol Tshirt and jeans
24. What is your favourite piece of clothing? A bra I paid too much for
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No, too slippery
26. Can you whistle? Yes
27. Favourite color? Blue
28. Would you be a pirate? No, but only cause they’re dirty and smell bad
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don’t sing in the shower, if I do it’s something from Sesame street… Elmo’s song, or something like that.
30. Favourite Girl’s Name: Not telling
31. Favourite boy’s name: Dominic
32. What’s in your pocket right now? nothing.
33. Last thing that made you laugh? Lily’s comments on the pictures from our last party
34. What vehicle do you drive? Dodge Charger
35. Worst injury you’ve ever had? A hockey stick to the knee, I couldn’t walk for a while. Oh and many stitches from giving birth lol
36. Do you love where you live? No it is a means to an end… I want a bigger house.
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 3 but only one is hooked up
38. Who is your loudest friend? I don’t know, I’m pretty loud lol I’d have to say Sharlene… but only when she sings
39. Do you have any pets? Yes, my other two kids (Mia and Keely)
40. Does someone have a crush on you? No… why would they lol
41. Your favourite book(s) : I like most things by Sandra Brown, and Nora Roberts is growing on me.
42. Do you collect anything? I used to collect key chains from places my husband would travel but i ended up having twenty key chains all from different places… and lost them lol
43. Favourite Sports Team? Team Canada
44. What song do you want played at your funeral? The scientist, by Coldplay

Tagging some ladies I’d like to learn more about:

Lisa from www.healthiestlife4me.com

Aly from www.lipzip.blogspot.com

Daniela from www.junctionmama.blogspot.com

Connie from www.youngandrelentless.com

Joelene from www.cakedecoratingmama.blogspot.com

() Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
() Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
() Blazing Saddles
() Airplane
Total: 5

() The Princess Bride
(x) Anchorman
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
() Labyrinth
(x) Saw –scared the crap out of me, I always check the closet before bed
() Saw II
(x) White Noise-also scared the crap out of me
(x) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x)The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 14

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie 2
(x) Scary Movie 3 (or whichever of these movies is always on Comedy Central)
(x) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
(x) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 24

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
() Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
(x) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
() Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 31

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
(x) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
Total so far: 40

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
() Joe Dirt
() KING KONG
Total so far: 48

(x) A Cinderella Story
() The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
(x) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
(x) Final Destination 2
(x) Final Destination 3
() Halloween
(x) The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber
Total so far: 56

() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
() Ghost Ship
() From Hell
(x) Hellboy
() Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
(x) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 62

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
() Child’s Play
() Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
() Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street
() Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
(x) Coach Carter
() The Grudge
() The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
(x) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 69

(x) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean’s Eleven
(x) Ocean’s Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremacy
() Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
() Predator I
() Predator II
() The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(x) Curious George
Total so far: 79

(x) Independence Day
() Cujo
(x) A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
() Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
(x) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 88

() Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She’s All That
(x) Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
() Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
() Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 98

(x) X-Men
() X-2
() X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High
(x) Jeepers Creepers
(x) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday (the original, not Lindsey Lohan)
() Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
(x) Cruel Intentions 2
(x) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 113

(x) Swimfan
() Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
(x) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
() Krippendorf’s Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far:119

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
() Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 124

() Baseketball
() Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
() Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
() Three
Total so Far: 126

() The Jacket
() Kung Fu Hustle
() Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
() Monty Python and the Holy Grail
() Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard
Total so far: 128

() High Tension
() Club Dread
(x) Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
() Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
() 28 days later
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total so far: 131

() Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
(x) Kingdom of Heaven
(x) the Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
Total so far: 134

() Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
() Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
() Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
() Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
() Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
() Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far:  134—-that’s right I’ve never seen any Starwars Movies LOL

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
() Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
(x) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal
Total: 140

So how about you?

I feel sometimes that I’m being taken for granted, sometimes stepped on and often invisible. No one sees how much time Stay at Home Mom’s spend interacting with our children, how many diapers we change, and how much work goes into the handmade food I give him.  Very few people know how many times we play peek-a-boo, watch Elmo on sesame street, or how many times I help him stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down–Let alone be: pooed on, peed on, thrown up on, scratched, pinched, kicked and punched.  Some times my selfishness gets the best of me and I find myself longing for my old life just for a moment. But when I look down and see this smile, I know that it is worth it:

THE INVISIBLE MOTHER

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of
response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room
while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.
Inside I’m thinking, ‘Can’t you see I’m on
the phone?’ Obviously not; no one can see if I’m on
the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even
standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me
at all.

I’m invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a
pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie
this? Can you open this? Some days I’m not a pair of
hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to
ask, ‘What time is it?’ I’m a satellite guide to
answer, ‘What number is the Disney Channel?’ I’m
a car to order, ‘Right around 5:30, please.’

I was certain that these were the hands that once held
books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that
graduated summa cum laude – but now they had disappeared
into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She’s
going, she’s going, she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating
the return of a friend from England .. Janice had just
gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and
on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there,
looking around at the others all put together so well. It
was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was
feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a
beautifully wrapped package, and said, ‘I brought you
this.’ It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe .

I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me
until I read her inscription: ‘To Charlotte , with
admiration for the greatness of what you are building when
no one sees.’

In the days ahead I would read – no, devour – the book. And
I would discover what would become for me, four
life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
no one can say who built the great cathedrals
We have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives
for a work they would never see finished. They made great
sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their
building was fueled by their faith that the
eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came
to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw
a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He
was puzzled and asked the man, ‘Why are you spending so
much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered
by the roof? No one will ever see it.’ And the workman
replied, ‘Because God sees.’

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into
place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me,
‘I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make
every day, even when no one around you does. No act of
kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no
cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and
smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you
can’t see right now what it will become.’

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction But it
is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for
the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote
to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective
when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people
who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to
work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no
cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there
are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my child to
tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for
Thanksgiving, ‘My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and
bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for
three hours and presses all the linens for the table.’
That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to
myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if
there is anything more to say to his friend, to add,
‘You’re gonna love it there.’

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be
seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very
possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we
have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the
world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

Warning: this forward has some mature subject matter and language.

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, ‘What is Politics?’
Dad says, ‘Well son, let me try to explain it this way:

I am the head of the family, so call me The Prime Minister.

Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Government.

We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People.

The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class.

And your baby brother, we will call him the Future.

Now think about that and see if it makes sense.’
So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said.
Later that night,! he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him.
He finds that the baby has severely soiled his nappy.
So the little boy goes to his parent’s room and finds his mother asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny’s room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny.
He gives up and goes back to bed.

The next morning, the little boy say’s to his father, ‘Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now. ‘
The father says, ‘Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about.’
The little boy replies, ‘The prime Minister is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep shit.

Now I had forgotten about this email until someone recently posted it on BBC (Thanks LIZ) but I’m sure all you parents and non parents will get a chuckle out of this, enjoy!

Thinking of Having Kids? Do this 11 step program first!

The Bottom Line

Well, I definitely love number 3 and am in the process of number 8, OH the joys! But seemingly it’s all worth it, it’s a wonder that we create these little people to “torment’” us