What's Going On

Thirteen Notable Stories in the News 1. Drive She Said - Reasonable Gas Prices! 2. Bathroom talk on CNN 3. Extended bathroom break for Pilot 4. Too hairy to be called Laurence, parents seek the public's help to name their newborn son. 5. Break it to me gently. There is nothing like a quick e-mail to end employment. 6. Another perk! Being Prime Minister will land you an acting gig on a Television comedy. 7. Must not forget to drink fruit and vegetable juice. 8. It is great to be a bartender at Applebee's. 9. Astrologers still accept Pluto in their charts. 10. New romantic pop duo both suffer with laryngitis. 11. Being stuck for two weeks in a Tasmanian mine listening to the Foo Fighters on MP3 players will get you a date with Dave himself! 12. Magic 8 Ball winners of tonight's MTV VMA's. 13. North American's love pop culture but are lacking substance. Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Hey Ladies!

I have claimed that it is the sushi that keeps me in the city. Now I must add to that the wonderful women who make up the Toronto Posse of Bloggers. I can't get enough of the bonding, the laughter and the brilliance of each of them individually. Together, the fun level exceeds all boundaries.

It has much to do with the fact that we have great respect for each other from reading the insightful words found upon our new friend's blogs. It was a love-in like no other. The support we show each other online is intensified as we hang on each other's spoken words. I think I might have been playing a drinking game and took a sip every time a compliment was dished out because that is the only way to explain the hangover that followed.

I couldn't wait to meet Scarbie Doll who confided that she thought I would have blue hair. (Sorry to disappoint you sister!) She is a likely candidate to be a partner in crime. I'm not sure what that means being that I only cross the street at the appropriately designated areas, however I think she could convince me that it wouldn't be so bad to get arrested. I was equally thrilled to meet Motherbumper, Tania, Lisa and AC. We were blog pushers to the newly recruited Mamalooper. I had been counting down the days to hang with the rest of the gorgeous women including Her Bad Mother, Bub and Pie, Metro Mama, Pumpkinpie and Sunshine Scribe. To get the opportunity to sit at the same table as any one of these ladies leaves you longing for more. Luckily I have their blogs to visit until the next time we get together.

I learned a valuable lesson not to believe my husband when he says that he recharged the batteries for my camera. Still I managed to capture a few pictures to share.

There are other women close by that I wholehearted can’t wait to meet, not to mention the far away bloggers that I hope to share conversation with one day. In person.

Oh, Look Out You Rock n Rollers

Maybe you're a little like me. You see something new and you think I've got to get that! So when you see a chance to make Blogger better, you say it's about time. With a blink of a click, you have Blogger in Beta.

Don't do it! Not yet! The bugs haven't been worked out. Now I will suffer through them because I'm an eager beaver. For example, today I went to comment on a site that only accepts comments from fellow bloggers. Guess what? I can no longer comment on those sites. This is bad. Very bad. I'm an outcast blogger.

Things look a little different. For a while it was insisting that I have my full name in my profile. (Ah gee why not my home phone number and bra size too?) I can no longer have my real first name and a display name.

I now get to sign in using my Gmail account. This also means that all your comments now end up in one thread within my e-mail account and I cannot see what your e-mail address is even if you've made that available.

It promises to be better, offering organizational tools and customized layouts. For now I just want the kinks worked out. You might find me off in a corner madly spraying Raid! I hope this is not what forces me to jump off this boat. Sink or swim baby. Sink or swim!

Eye Candy

Thanks to Denise for the banner! Thirteen Hot Celebrity Dads and Their Children with a half a dozen links to pictures of them in this role. 1. Johnny Depp - Lily-Rose (7) and Jack (4) 2. Ewan McGregor - Clara (10), Esther (4) and also adopted a four year old girl from Mongolia this past April. 3. Jude Law - Finlay (15), Rafferty (9), Iris (5) and Rudy (3) 4. Gavin Rossdale - Daisy (17) and Kingston (3 months) 5. Brad Pitt - Maddox (5), Zahara (19 months) and Shiloh (3 months) 6. Heath Ledger - Matilda (10 months) 7. Ben Affleck - Violet (8 months) 8. Hugh Jackman - Oscar (6) and Ava (1) 9. Matthew Fox - Daughter Kyle (8) and Byron (5) 10. Clive Owen - Hannah (9) and Eve (6) 11. Colin Farrell - James (2) 12. Noah Wyle - Owen (3) and Auden (10 months) 13. Ryan Phillippe - Ava (6) and Deacon (2) I have some glaring omissions: Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson and Kevin Federline. Of course there are so many delicious Daddies to choose from: Dave Grohl, Chris Martin, Jamie Oliver, David Beckham. The list goes on... Is it their stunning looks, fame, large bank accounts or the picture of them spending time with their beautiful children that is so appealing? Now you can order up a little cherub! Everyone can vote here: Who would you like to see have children? 1) George Clooney 2) John Cusack 3) Orlando Bloom 4) Jake Gyllenhaal 5) Matthew McConaughey View Results Make your own poll Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Coo Chi Ching

Just an hour and half away from the downtown hustle and bustle sits a tranquil retreat. It has a run down, tiny shack in need of more than a little TLC but it is a glorious spot in the world. It belongs to the in-laws. They have long ago stopped making the trek so the next generation is sharing in this slice of heaven.

It has been countless moons ago that we stopped hosting drunken debauchery weekends mainly due to the fact that our friends no longer relish in daring each other to strip down and run around the cottage. We reserve naked time to toddlers. However being the only ones with children, we always try to find out if Colin's siblings will be inviting their uninhibited friends for some rowdiness.

Since Strawberry's arrival we have reserved our handful of visits to daytrips. A little blog inspiration from Chelle and we decided the time was right to attempt surviving a night in a tent. I was wary but the girls were so excited it turned out to be more fun than I could have imagined. Fresh air goes a long way in magically turning children into sleeping beauties. The weather on the other hand should have been warmer. The nippiness of fall is in the air. It inspires late afternoon, sweater wearing walks but wait! I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer. I have new, end of season discount bathing suits to put to good use.

We watched a rousing rendition of West Side Story acted out by the ducks and the seagulls. We were rooting for the ducks. Buttercup tried to sip my Coronas while Strawberry zoomed around entertaining herself with sticks, frogs and bubbles. We took the girls for a boat ride that lulled them both to sleep as we slowly put putted around the lake.

It would have been nice to be spotting a few new freckles but instead I only have ankle mosquito bites. If you would like a visual recap, check out these photos.

Hot Hot Hotties

It feels like the hottest of men have emerged from some secret land. Of course when I was single they were hidden away from the light of day. They were afraid of being eaten by dinosaurs because that is the last time I was single. Now married (but certainly not dead), I find hotties popping up everywhere; at the grocery store; coffee shop; walking past me on the street...

Their jeans fit just right, their hair is bed head tousled and they are oozing appeal like melted butter dripping off hot corn. I silently beg them not to return my look with their intense eyes or I might just erupt. Are they all male underwear models? I ask of them, “Could you take off those 501's? I think I recognize you.”

In Canada everyone hibernates in the winter. They are tucked away with their big screen televisions watching Hockey Night in Canada, only to emerge from May to October with the exception of a few beer runs. Now they are out in full force and surprisingly I seem to have caught them without a tag along supermodel giving me the evil eye to back down my stolen glance.

I suck in my muffin top, lower my long lashes and my thumb naturally seeks out my ring finger. Yup, wedding band is still there. No vow is broken. It's only a tall cool drink. A refreshing reminder that I have blood rushing through my body.

I don't feel guilt. I am allowed to entertain thoughts of appreciation for the beauty of the opposite sex when I come across a fine specimen. According to the Kinsey Institute, the average man thinks about sex approximately every two minutes. If sleeping hours are included that is a whopping 720 times a day. They don't need a woman of extraordinary beauty to spark their train of thought. I have heard male friends comment on the trashiest of women being good for a few minutes of fun. It only takes a revealing outfit or boobs a plenty for them to know that they are still breathing.

Today it was the officer directing traffic that made me feel like a schoolgirl. It's not typical for me to get all flustered upon spotting a man in uniform. That's not what gets my motor running. It may have been the way the morning sun beat down on him with his super cool shades. He held such power, blocking the opposing metal machines, beckoning with his hands the come hither signal. I'm not allowed to look away. I made that right hand turn with a smile. And a sigh.

Two for one

Sunshine Scribe tagged me for a book meme. Now this is where I must confess that I read for pure pleasure. I have an addiction to books. I buy more than I could possibly read. Husband has put limitations on other addictions. He imposed a ban on both of us from buying magazines. We both slip up from time to time. He has made it publicly known that no one is to feed my addiction to candles. So far he hasn't noticed the ludicrous amount I spend on books. Once he reads this I will have to revert to tit for tat tactics. Thank goodness he's a collector too.

I need to make more time for reading novels but I'm afraid that it will cut into my blog reading. Heaven forbid! Plus I admit that I read slowly devouring every word. I know that I should read to gain knowledge and insight but I love to escape. It's the fish in me. I associate myself to what is happening with the character therefore I don't like putting a book down if I'm at a point where the protagonist is feeling troubled or depressed. It will literally reflect on my mood.

Reading has always been one of my favourite activities. My family still teases me that during my youth they would often beg me to go outside and play but I was too busy reading and writing. Plus I am far too pale anyway.

Eventually I will make my way through more classic literature but I will continue to sneak in all my guilty pleasures. Life is too short not to have fun whenever you can.

1. One book that changed your life: As a child I lived by the words in Wally Piper's The Little Engine That Could.

2. One book that you've read more than once: I pretty much had The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton memorized.

3. One book you would want on a desert island: An empty journal. I would have to write in order to keep my sanity.

"...Once again the waves of the ocean were a wake up call from Mother Nature to do my business. And damn what are those birds so cheerful about? This ain't no Blue Lagoon. I wish I had picked a novel with words when I did that meme so that I had a little entertainment until my prince rides up on the white cruise line to rescue me. He better bring gigantic bowls of ice cream. Oh wait, I remember hating when those people on Survivor spent useless hours daydreaming about food. Time to go hunt for another coconut..."

4. One book that made you laugh: Watermelon by Irish Chick Lit author Marian Keyes. She never disappoints with her dark humour and well developed characters.

5. One book that made you cry: The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve but any book that Oprah recommends usually pulls at your heart strings.

6. One book that you wish had been written: I wish that I had my ancestor's journals.

7. One book that you wish had never been written: The only book that comes to mind is the one that people blame many wars on. The Bible. Still I would never give that answer for it offers hope and morals. I couldn't imagine how the world would be without this book.

8. The book that you are currently reading: The inaugural winner of the Orange Award for New Writers 26a by Diana Evans.

9. One book that you have been meaning to read: Next up is A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby thanks to one of my favourite ladies.

**************************************

Since music is more my thing I saw that Metro Mama has created a meme and so I jumped right on the bandwagon.

Step 1) Pick a band or singer
Step 2) Answer the questions using only song titles
Step 3) Post

Artist: Nirvana
Are you male or female?: About a Girl
Describe yourself: In Bloom
How do some people feel about you?: Heart Shaped Box
How do you feel about yourself?: I Hate Myself and I Want To Die (only joking - sorry I couldn't resist) All Apologies (more like) Love Buzz
Describe what you want to be: Come As You Are
Describe your current mood: Verse Chorus Verse
Describe your friends: Very Ape
Share a few words of wisdom: Milk It

The one song title that I wanted to include just for the interesting search engine hits was Moist Vagina but I wasn't sure which answer it should be.

Wanna play? Books or songs? Just let me know in the comments and I will add your link here!

Where the Dinosaurs and the Dollies Play

Our nine day retreat has come to an end. As always the girls were a big hit with the family. I, on the other hand, am the chopped liver chauffeur. Such is life as a mom.

Upon our arrival in a small Saskatchewan city, I hit the dollar store to stock up on some new interesting toys. I purchased a twelve pack of blocks and later discovered shmoo in our midst. I felt like a member of the secret club of Her Bad Mother! Bring your shmoo block to gain entrance to the VIP room.

The xylophone broke in matter of 3.5 seconds, which is probably a good thing. The big score was the dollar dinosaurs. We teamed them up with a viewing of Go Diego Go! The Great Dinosaur Rescue and we got Buttercup roaring!

On a cool afternoon we took the girls to play at McDonald's. I naturally always buy the car toys so we got two new Hummers to add to the toy collection, however upon leaving Strawberry spotted the Polly Pockets. With a cry of "Puh-leeze, I need a dolly" came the beginning of a new collection of little toys. Strawberry has never played with dolls so I was surprised by her request but Grandma hopped right into line to purchase the desired miniature plastic item.

One doll and two girls is not a good combination. With another shopping trip, we quickly added three more dolls to the mix. The McDonald version is much safer for a baby to play with then the actual Polly Pockets with their removable jelly clothes. It was a true delight to see the Polly team playing along side with Stegosaurus and his buddies.

Other highlights of our time away were many trips for fruit filled Tim Bits; eating four meals of the best perogies in the world; the dry lightening storms that helped disturb any possible sleep; Buttercup's three new molars that also kept sleep away; too many desserts including my new favourite pineapple gelato; as well as the exciting hour and half spent in the wave pool. I even successfully went bathing suit shopping and managed to find two half priced, decent coverage suits that I would wear out in public.

Just before we were to fly home Britain's police foiled an alleged plot to blow up planes in mid-flight and security level was switched to high. When we originally left Toronto, I felt somewhat uneasy about the fact that I had purchased my own tickets online, secured my own boarding tickets and got on the plane without showing my ID to one person. From that extreme to the opposite, insane, treat everyone as a major threat is absurd. My carry on luggage was swabbed, probed and examined fully twice by the same individuals. Even my lip gloss was considered to be a threat. Luckily I had taken a quick moment to repack the forbidden suntan lotion and leave in hair conditioner. It is really sad that security is not better trained in knowing to keep alert at all times. I do appreciate that they are doing their job but it shouldn't take a scare to fly them off the deep end. It is discouraging to see regular, everyday travelers treated like criminals.

To add to this already gloomy state, Air Canada should really be posting signs around the airport that say "No Services" just like the small towns that you drive by that don't even have a gas station. We couldn't even purchase a sandwich. The flight attendant had perfected her art of snarling and treating all passengers with equal disdain. The over three hour flight no longer features a bad movie or headphones for listening to special radio programming. Flying - the new Highway Robbery of the Skies. How's that for a slogan?

Maybe I'm a little sour because both my girls decided to spend the entire flight bouncing around even after dosing them up to the maximum children's Tylenol limit. Traveling solo with two under three is not something that people do for jollies. However we made it safe to home sweet home where my bloglines are crying out for me.

I have finally mastered Flickr and you can see more photos of our vacation by clicking on my sidebar.

Home on the range

If you hadn't guessed we flew away from the humidity and are now basking in the dry heat of the Prairies. I have not had any time on a computer so these five minutes will have to provide my fix. I get the shakes just thinking about all the places I need to visit. That or I may have had too many cups of coffee and it's the caffeine kicking in.

The girls have been lapping up all the family ooh's and aah's. Everyone swears that they have never seen a child bum scooch from room to room.

We'll be back later in the week! See you soon...