I've become good friends with a group of moms whose children go to preschool with my three little ones. We first met in a Friday morning class where we joined our children and as the course progressed we gradually withdrew from the room so that the children would get comfortable attending a class on their own one day. When the Friday morning class ended just before xmas last year, we all decided to sign up for the on your own preschool class on wednesday afternoons. While our kids were in the class, the 6 of us would sit in the lounge and talk. We discussed kid related things, like potty training and birthday parties, how to teach your kids the abc's, among other things. We discussed our husbands, our pasts....we just talked. Each one of us looked forward to those wednesday afternoons where we could just sit in that back room while our children were having a great time and just chat and have a good time with each other. That wednesday afternoon course ended 3 weeks ago and a new session just started up yesterday. All the moms signed back up for the class again, and while we all will say that our children love the course, we will also readily admit that we signed them all up again for those afternoon chats. In the two weeks that were off between sessions, we got together at our houses for playdates during those two hours. Yesterday at 1pm we were there all eager to drop our kids off, say hello to each other and catch up on what had gone on in each other's lives in the week since we last seen each other. Once the class started and we were all in the back, we noticed and commented that one of our group wasn't there, but just assumed that her little girl must be sick, or since her mom was having surgery the week before maybe she was taking care of her. We started talking, our kids food issues and what they will and will not eat being a big topic. It was probably about an hour or more into the class when that day will forever put prospective in my life. One of the moms in our group had come in a bit later, and since we were all talking and having a good time, not wanting to bring down the mood at the time she just joined naturally into the conversations. It was only after we had all been talking for that hour, when she shared with us where our missing mom was.

Our missing mom would not be coming back to our afternoon chats, she hopefully will be able to get her money back for the course. Over the weekend, while she was out for half an hour with her 4 yr old beautiful daughter at wal-mart, her husband changed their lives forever. In the short time that his family was gone, he cut his wrists and his neck and left himself to die. Our mom, our friend, came home and found him, we aren't sure if her daughter saw her daddy in that state. He was still alive, and is currently in a coma but it doesn't look like he will pull thru. My friend is hysterical, she is trying to spend her time at the hospital with her husband, praying that he lives, wondering why he would do this, and trying to spend time with her four year old daughter who doesn't understand any of this, who is quite attached to her mommy and adores her daddy. She has so many decisions that lie ahead of her, faced with an uncertain future. She has already said that she wants to put her house up for sale, and i don't blame her, i wouldn't want to live there after that either. If her husband does not survive, how will she explain what happened to her daughter (how will she expalin it is he survives). Her daughter will be starting kindergarten in the fall, and dealing with this huge loss and more then likely the loss of her mother as a stay at home parent because she'll have to go back to work since insurance won't pay out when someone commits suicide. My heart is breaking for all that she must be feeling right now. My heart is breaking for that little girl. I am angry at her husband for doing such an incredibly selfish thing even though i know he must not have been in his right mind to have done it. All of us moms want to do something for her, but we honestly have no clue what to do. One mom suggested sending flowers, but that seems so insufficient. Another knowing how much she loves all things spa related suggested sending a basket of lotions and the like, but that doesn't seem right at all.

The group of us have all discussed our husbands and sex lives with each other. Some have joked that they've been married long enough and could do without their husbands now, and if they had to do it over again would never get married, and most certaintly would never marry again if they were ever to divorce. Our mom, our friend who is going thru this right now, her husband works construction and had been home since just before xmas. She's always joked that he's driving her nuts being home this much and this long and she can't wait for him to go, i don't think this is what she had in mind.

Please keep my friend and her beautiful daughter in your thoughts. I can not even imagine how i would survive if i were in her shoes right now.

My Material Girl....

Daynah has been taking dance for two years now. Like in everything else she does, she is very focused. She knows the names of all the dance steps and practices until she has them all mastered. Last year in her first year of dance, during the recital, she was the only girl in her group that knew the whole routine and didn't seem to be intimidated about performing on stage. She's been working hard this year in her dance clas learning new steps, learning a new dance routine. This
past weekend was her dance recital. The song her group danced to was Madonna's "Material Girl". This year she was a leader in her class. .In her routine she was at the front of one of the lines (which NEVER happens since she is the tallest and is always put at the back because of it), and it was her job to start dancing first and keep count so that the girls behind her knew when to join in. She did an amazing job and she looked absolutely beautiful up on the stage...my eyes swelled with tears i was so proud of her. Next year she has been asked to take the Major Jazz class instead of the Minor. Way to go baby!!

Even more you never thought you wanted to know about me, this time thanks to Mary

1.) If you could choose, how many kids would you and Peter have? **funny you should ask this, we were half joking about adding to our brood this afternoon. We were out at lunch and there was a table near us that had triplets...and i kept watching them thinking how cool it would be to have three babies at the same time. Peter would probably have a coronary if we were to have triplets lol...i know i want at least one more...if we get more then that in the pregnancy i'd gladly welcome it.

2.) Would you rather be a SAHM or head back to school/work outside the home? **I love being a SAHM mom. In four years all the kids will be in school full-time, until then i don't think i would consider not being a SAHM. Even then, its important to me to be able to pick my kids up after school everyday. I would love to go back to school one day, i'm just not sure for what anymore.

3.) Favorite "weird" food since you only like plain things.... **Filipino food such as Lumpia and Pancit

4.) Sex, better now, or pre-kids? **better now

5.) Biggest insecurity? **tie between my body and being incredibly shy

Because i'm an interview slut...these questions are brought to you by my good friend MamaTulip. If you aren't reading her blog already...START!!

1. If you hadn't met Peter, and hadn't moved to The Land of Ice and Snow, what do you think you would be doing now? **I would have finished my degree and started teaching Kindergarten. I probably would be married to someone in the Navy, and we'd be moving around every few years as he gets transfered from duty station to duty staion. Have the same truckload of kids i do now lol

2. Name one commonly mispronounced word that drives you batty. **ask

3. If you could be one person for a day, who would you want to be and why? **I'd become George W. Bush so i could end this travisty of a war in Iraq and bring our soliders home.

4. If you had to pick another country to live in, excluding Canada and the US, which one would you pick? **OMG this is a tough one....the first few to jump to mind would be Spain, Italy or France, even England would be nice. I would love to just be able to live anywhere in Europe and just hop from country to country.

5. Do you like sushi? **With my food issues, you've got to be KIDDING me LOL.

There's something about Mary

1. Do you wear scrubs to work, and if so what kind do you wear?? Do you wear solids or some kinda fun print??

2. What is your biggest vice?

3. Any more children in the future or is the family complete?

4. What's the weirdest thing you've ever x-rayed??

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would you want to live and why?

Picking Alien's Brain

1. Now that you have become a WAHM, would you ever go back to working outside of the home?? (besides if you absolutley had to in order to pay the bills)

2. How old were you when you had your first beer?? Have you always liked the same brand?

3. Do you think your family is complete or would you like to have more children?? If your answer is more, when do you think you'd try again?

4. What's the most redneck thing you have ever done?? What's the most redneck thing you've ever witnessed??

5. Which fast food or junk food would you not be able to live without?

Interview Me - Part Deux this time brought to your from my friend Allison at Planet Alien

1. Name your very favorite characteristic of each of your children (physical and/or non-physical... your choice). **Daynah (formerly known as OD), i love her skill at dance...she is sooo happy when she's dancing and mastering a new move. Melyssa (Twin A) i love her teeny tiny little nose and her sense of humor, she is always making me laugh. Juleigha (twin b), I love her caring spirit, how sweet and kind she is...she has such a loving soul. Lucas (my little guy), i love his blue eyes...they are sooo amazing, and i love what a curious little adventurous guy he is.

2. If you could move back home and out of Canada, would you? Why? **i think about this question A LOT when i think about the future. I would love to move back home to Annapolis because it is home to me...i love going downtown and walking along the waterfront, hanging out at the Naval Academy...having my folks nearby so they can be a more active part of the kids lives, being close to my friends again. Knowing my children will learn their ABC's the right way and spell things correctly lol. Not having such horrible snowy and cold winters. But i know that unless we were to win the lottery, come into a bunch of money or Peter was handed an awesome job, we'll never end up there. One of the biggest positives for me to staying in Canada is that i never have to worry about an expensive bill if i have to take my kids to the ER or they get admitted into the hospital. That kind of piece of mind is amazing....

3. What's one thing you do in private when no one else is around? (I'm thinking something like pick your nose or bite your toenails. No need to get all perverted or anything on us. LOL!) **me get perverted, NEVER lol....picking my nose

4. What's your favorite time of the day and why? **7:30 pm because the three little kiddos are in bed, and hubby is putting Daynah into bed....so i get to put my feet up, chill out on the couch and just veg

5. If you hit the lottery today (a BIG jackpot), what's the first extravagant thing you would buy? **a mazada 5, i HATE our minivan....doing up the carseat in the back kills me.

Still time to ask to be interviewed...put INTERVIEW ME! in my comments if you'd like to join in on the fun

The totally adorable and funny Tink came up with five questions to interview little ol' me with...and boy did they make me think!!


1. Besides being a Mom, what would you say is your greatest life accomplishment? **probably a tie between putting myself thru school without financial aide or help from my parents, and moving up here to the great white north away from my family and friends and everything i knew and loved.

2. What physical feature do you try hardest to enhance? **LOL i'm a SAHM i don't really spend much time trying to enhance much of anything on myself...if i were to play up a feature it would be my eyes, i like my eyes but hate that they are hidden behind my glasses

3. Which is better, Pudding or Jello? **depends, do you mean for general eating, when you're sick, for wrestling in, as a sexual aide, or best with alcohol?? pudding, jello, pudding, pudding, jello

4. What's the most rebellious thing you've ever done? **the first one that jumps to mind is when i was 19 and i went out with my friend, my brother and his best friend and instead of going to the movies like we'd told my parents, we'd gone out and gotten a hotel room so we could drink in. I wouldn't call it rebellion so to speak, but my mom probably considers all my tattoos rebellion...especially since i keep getting more even though she's told me to stop LOL.

5. If you could be a guy for one day, what would you do in that day? **I would totally pee standing up and outside and if there was snow on the ground i'd write my name in it. I'd probably jerk off at least once so i could see what the big deal was lol. I think i'd also shave off all my hair and see what its like to be bald. Scratch my ass and balls in public without worry, have a belching contest with some friends. Go to bed early so i can return to my normal self lol

Want to play? Leave a comment saying, "Interview me." I'll respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better. If I already know you well, expect the questions to be a little more intimate! Then you will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
Be afriad ;)

Marriage Meme

1. Where/How did you meet? we met online in an IRC chatroom titled #17-25 back in November of 1996. We met in person for the first time after chatting daily, emails, phonecalls etc February 1997.

2. How long have you known each other?: over 10 yrs now

3. How long after you met did you start dating?: i think by christmas of 96' we would have been considered dating, of course our dating was unconvential since we lived in different countries

4. How long did you date before you were engaged?: we were engaged 7 months after we first talked online

5. How long was your engagement?: 1 yr and 14 days

6. How long have you been married?: it will be 9 yrs this july

7. What is your anniversary?: july 24th

8. How many people came to your wedding reception: about 50

9. What kind of cake did you serve?: white chocolate mousse cake i believe.

10. Where was your wedding?: outside down by a little creek

11. What did you serve for your meal?: beef tenderloin i think, with potatos and veggies....my maid of honor and i had chicken lol

12. How many people were in your bridal party?: 2, my bestfriend and hubby's brother

13. Are you still friends with them all?: Absolutely

14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony?: i don't think so

15. Most special moment of your wedding day?: walking down the aisle with my father, being pronounced husband and wife and walking back up the aisle with hubby...i was overjoyed by that point and crying on the walk back up

16. Any funny moments?: during the ceremony not really, but at the reception at one table we had hubby's parents and 3 sets of close family friends, one of which was a reverend. That table was the loudest and most raucous...the preacher spent the evening telling dirty jokes.

17. Any big disasters?: depends on the definiton of big diasters. The photographer didn't take any pictures of me and my dad other then one where he is walking me down the aisle, looking back at the pictures and seeing that breaks my heart. Also we did pictures with the wedding cake before the ceremony and that was the last time i saw it whole....next time i saw it, it was already sliced and being served...i never got to cut my own wedding cake :(

18. Where did you go on your honeymoon?: we didn't have one, we got married on a friday evening and hubby had school on the monday. We went to Ottawa for the weekend a bit later, but i wouldn't call that a honeymoon

19. How long were you gone? n/a

20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change? made sure i got a picture with my dad, got to cut my cake, had better transportation to and from rather then being driven in my FIL's van by BIL.

21. What side of the bed do you sleep on?: standing at the foot of the bed and looking at it, the left

22. What size is your bed?: King, i love my space.

23. Greatest strength as a couple?: we are good friends and have respect for each other. We balance each other out well.

24. Greatest challenge as a couple?: we are both extremely stubborn and like to have our own way

25. Who literally pays the bills?: hubby.

26. What is your song? we don't have one

27. What did you dance your first dance to?: there was no music at our reception

28. Describe your wedding dress: white with an empire waist, beading all along the bodice. Had a little bow on each of the sleeves and a big bow at the back, fairly long train

29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding?: white roses, pink roses

30. Are your wedding bands engraved? What do they say? yes, they say "love always and forever"

Feel free to tag yourself like I did.

I'm going to need to start building that tower soon it seems. Today in the car while driving over to a freind's house for a playdate, Twin A tells me that a little boy in their preschool class is their boyfriend. Twin B says he's her boyfriend too. Twin A says they "share him". I've known they were pretty close to this little boy for sometime, the girls talk about him a lot, say goodbye to him daily, mention when he isn't there. And according to the little boy's mom, my girls are all the kid talks about. Back to the conversation in the car, Twin A then informs me that her, her sister and this boy kiss each other and hold hands. And if that wasn't enough to give me a mild coronary, Twin A continues on and says that she "likes kissing him", Twin B was shaking her head in eager agreement. I asked the girls where they kiss him, and they both replied the cheek. I always knew i was going to lock them away in towers when they approached their dating years, i just thought i had a bit more time to go....they aren't even quite four yet!! Construction will begin immediately...