But I’m ready.

Today I pick up my timing chip & number from Homie G.

It’s your last chance to donate, to help kids with autism, brain injuries, cerebral palsy, cleft lip/palates, muscular dystrophy, speech & language disabilities, and spina bifida.

From the Thames Valley Children’s Centre Website:

Our Mission:

We will provide rehabilitation services which support participation in all areas of life for children, youth and young adults with physical, communication or developmental needs, and their families, living primarily in Southwestern Ontario by:

* focusing on the strengths of individuals and their
families at home, school, workplace and community
* pursuing research, education and advocacy
* partnering in a local and regional system of services

Our Vision:

* Our Clients at Their Best.

Our Values:

* We believe people know themselves and their situations best
* We believe people want the best for themselves and others
* We believe people are unique and deserving of respect
* We believe people function best in a supportive environment
* We believe people working in partnership can reach goals that cannot be reached alone

Now that’s some work I can be proud to run for.

GO TEAM CRAZY STALLIONS!

I’m so pumped!

Wish us luck, readers!

Once attacked, it can rob you of bandwidth, insert spam links into your code without you even knowing, and prevent you from upgrading. I should know, I’m fixing blogs to the tune of 8-10 hours EACH. That gets pricey @ $85/hour.

It’s not fun for you or your web developer - so if you do not have Wordpress 2.5.1., you really should upgrade today. Or I can do it for you to the tune of $30. Just email me through my contact page to get started.

If you’d like to attempt it yourself, here’s a link to Swank’s Blog to help you get started. Be careful to read all instructions first and back up everything before beginning.

Um.

“I don’t know what you mean Thomas. What does it look like?”

“It’s from Dylan heart doctor’s office.”

I thought for a moment. Ohhh! Lightbulb! “You mean the sucker the nurse gave you?”

“YEAH! Where is it???”

“It’s in your backpack in the side pocket,” I answered.

After I unwrapped it, he held the round lollipop up in the air and screamed, “YAY! IT’S A BALL SUCKER!”

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Yesterday.

I think.

So we hit Blockbuster and Thomas picked out two very sophisticated movies complete with Mickey Mouse and a certain porous yellow fella.

When we got home, my date stood on a chair to help me spread nacho chips on a cookie sheet and steal sweet onions as I chopped them and laid them out over grated cheese and diced tomatoes. He watched as I whipped up guacamole and it was he who dutifully carried two ramekins of sour cream down to the coffee table in the family room — one at a time.

When the baked nachos were ready, we settled down to eat and watch Patrick, Squidward, Sandy and Spongebob, both of us laughing out loud at age appropriate jokes, (Have you ever watched this show? Holy barnacles it’s killer funny in spots.).

While my date really enjoyed his dinner, we both stole sideways glances at each other, smiling. It was clear that we were both enjoying the evening. My date was allowed to stay up an hour past his bedtime, and when he did go to bed, he got to sleep in his big brother’s bed, though he wanted to sleep upside down with his feet at the pillow side of the bed.

He hugged me so hard at bedtime, he knocked me over from the sitting position I was in on the bed and giggled his head off.

And even though I had to brush my little date’s teeth and help him put his jammies on, it was the best date I’ve ever had with a younger man.

He had fun too. This morning he came to the side of my bed and said, “Mom? Mom?”

“Yes Thomas,” I answered groggily.

“I loveded the last day,” he claimed (his way of saying last night).

“Me too buddy,” I said, “Do you want to climb in and snuggle?”

He crawled into the softness of my bed, pulled the duvet over himself, and put one little arm over my shoulder as he nestled in.

“Awwww I love you buddy,” I told him.

He put his hand on my cheek, and said, “You’re the bestest Mom ever.”

And right then, I really felt like I was.

I’ve talked about dating your husband before…but dating your kids? Heartwarming.

When’s the last time you had one-on-one time with one of your kids? What did you do?

What? I got nothing. Sorry. Geeeez.

Love
Your Mommy Blog Mob Leader
xoxo

I LOVED parts of tonight’s run.  Though it was cold in the beginning and my left ankle and shins were bugging me so I found it hard to settle into my run.  Once we hit near the halfway mark, we were in an interesting part of town.  I love the old houses in that area, and then we ran through this tunnel and I felt so alive.  It’s really an indescribable feeling.  I was listening to upbeat hip hop as I ran through that tunnel full of graffiti and it made me run faster for a bit - I felt so tough!  (I know, corny…but hey - whatever works)

As soon as I turned the corner out of the tunnel, the sun was there.  It sat, sinking into the tree line, which was filled with colour and life.  It was absolutely warm and beautiful.

That little red mark is about where I reluctantly turned my back on the sun and headed back.  I hope to do that course again.

The only thing I want now is this, (in pink!) because 8K without water kind of sucked somewhat.

Last week, Sarah sent me an Amazon gift certificate and I got an armband for my ipod and a Biggest Loser cookbook!  Thanks Sarah!

Oh and on the weekend, Daren took me out to see his friend’s band play and when I got dressed in my jeans, they were looser.  So I grabbed a belt (duh) and when I did it up, I could get it 2 more holes further without sucking anything in.  So yeah, running?  Is working.  I can’t wait to see my next measurements with G.

More goals?

- Size 6 by my brother’s wedding (Aug 31 - I’m a bridesmaid!);

- A half marathon by October (in Niagara Falls, maybe with Nat!)

What are your body goals?

I hate the guys
who criticize
and minimize
the other guys
who’s enterprise
has made them rise
above the guys
who criticize.

~ Unknown (my Grade 8 principal said it in an assembly and it stuck with me - if you know the author, please comment or email me and I’ll put it in!)

~ Christina said most what I’d like to say, (a hell of a lot nicer than I could have.)

I’ve had a nagging post in my head for the last week or so, as I watched blogger after blogger announce the birth of books, get recognized for their various crafts in various forms of media, work to support each other and create wonderful things together.

Not once was I jealous. Hell I barely have time to wipe my ass, never mind pen a book or jet across the border to be on television.

No, instead I was proud. Proud that fellow bloggers like me were doing something worthy of public consumption and recognition. Proud that friends, clients and acquaintances were working on things that are passionate to them.

But I’m not so naive that I’m blind to the hate-filled bullshit I’m seeing scattered in comments of said announcements and quite frankly, I’m disgusted. What’s happening is nothing short of a bias against what exactly? A group of parents that are being lumped together with high-school words of “popular” “vapid” and “fake”?

It’s no better than bullying and I won’t stay quiet about it.

Besides, wouldn’t that time and energy be better spent working on your own goals?

If you can’t be supportive about months and years of consistency and hard work by your peers, whether you like them or not, then don’t say anything at all. Look around and see what YOU can accomplish.

Edit: In support of my community, I’d really love it if you went and read this beautiful post by Belinda, once you’re finished commenting here (if you’re gonna. no pressure. really.).

Then I Image Googled “spider bite” like I told you this morning. Yeah, like I said, don’t do that.

What I learned is that the little critters that come hang out in our house in spring, are called Black-footed spiders or Cheiracanthium mildei if you wanna git all fancy-like.

My spidey-senses tingling, I decided I would call the hospital to see if they were better equipped to deal with a spider bite than Urgent Care and they said they were.

To most people, a bite from one of these guys is pretty harmless, and the nurse even gave me a dismissive “we usually do nothing and tell parents to use Benedryl for a couple of days.” (Don’t you hate when medical staff do that? It’s not like I came in because I felt like partying in the ER. I love nurses and that kind of crap isn’t limited to them - doctors can be pompous condescending sacs too.)

While waiting for the doctor, I was subjected to the loudest ghetto mom in London. I don’t know where this chick hailed from but she made eye contact and fell in love with this face or the fact I had ears. She proceeded to tell me (and the entire hospital) her 8 year old son had strep and that’s why they were there, her boyfriend was on the adult side with the same and oh my god she is gonna get sick and her son has already had double pneumonia 12 times in his short life and RSV too and he is ADD and ADHD and even when he was sick the doctors thought he was fine because he was bouncing around like a rabbit on crack (yes, she actually said that in front of her kid, and mine) and that he got them all sick: her, her sister, her sister’s boyfriend, and her boyfriend, and so her mother had to take her son away and bring him back to “put him on the boob” and leave again so he wouldn’t get sick all over again and isn’t that terrible?

All the while, I was trying not to shoot myself in my ever-bobbing head. I swear to Zaboomafoo, I don’t know where my patience comes from some days. She was called before I had time to stab her in the throat with MY FOOT.

The doctor at Children’s Hospital tonight had just been to a conference where they taught him that many spider bites end up in staph infections that are resistant to antibiotics. (Don’t Google that either - I did earlier and actually knew what he was talking about because I’m so SMRT and stuff.)

Anyway, Thomas is on a high dose of an antibiotic 4x a day for 7 days. I hope it doesn’t hurt his tummy ~ he already has a bad cold and enough is enough already for toddler’s sake.

It’s funny I took him in to the hospital because normally I would have waited a bit to see if it was an infection. Something about this one was different. It reminds me of when Dylan was a baby and my instincts kicked in and he ended up having Kawasaki’s*.

You gotta trust those parental instincts, they have kept my children safe for nearly 14 years total.

Word to your mother bone.

*Not this kind of Kawasaki. Only Jenny has that affliction.