Pictures stolen from Tricia's blog, check 'em out

Hematoma!

Wow who knew magnets could provide a 5 year old with hours of fun on a white board easel! Anastasia had a nasty fall and has fat lips, cut lips, and a yuchy bloody mess on her top gums, spent day in ER yester, discharged from suture room with popsicles and advise only, keeps bleeding, off to the doctor. Poor baby is very unhappy and doesn't like to eat, only nurse, why did i not think of poopsicles, frozen bananas good too, update to follow

Are you Crafty?

Sleep need sleep

Well I peed on a stick and it says we are not pregnant but my body and heart say and feel differently. I was however very surprised how it affected me. It was disappointing. Daddy was relieved. We were both getting used to the fact that #3 was coming a little sooner than expected. I am still late though, we'll see. We looked at a cute little house on Durham Street, a bit small but very cosy. Why am I so tired?
More later
betty

I'LL GIVE YOU THREE GUESSES

AND THREE CLUES:
Everytime I sit down in the car I immediately fall asleep or want to.
Nausea galore.
Now we really need to move.
It's too soon to say anything to anyone but I couldn't contain my excitement so I thought I would publish it for the whole world to see.
Congratulations Josip and Daniela! You two are doing a good job growing that precious little baby girl-Jilian.

Another day another dollar

Brutal and busy in emergency and all over the hospital the majority of the time. Why don't they lock the front doors? Possibly it has something to do with the hypocratic oath or compassion or healing or politics or money or obligation. Yes, we are trying to uphold some integrity and provide the best care even if you have no fixed address. Some people think their patients are the only ones who need immediate attention. There are a few who seem to be unaware of the seriousness of the emergency, trauma, intensive care, surgical and other acute care patients. I am glad to be gone from there tonight. I almost lost my

patience.

My boss remained calm and asserted herself while appropriately expressing her disatisfaction as well as the frustration experienced by those affected by various injustices however minor they may seem. All without seeming like a bee with an itch too. Thank goodness I have such personable co-workers who have a sense of humor and stand up for each other while still providing quality care and caring about the patients as much as one can when desensitized by the frequent exposure to complex situations. They look out for each other as well as forgiving and fixing and spotting minor errors that if left unchecked could cause difficulties later on. They order pizza on rainy days like today. It is good to be accepted despite imperfections and to be celebrated for ones strengths. Everybody wants everything stat!It is difficult to prioritize without adequate information. Imagine the patient is sick. How vague is that? Don't we fill our facility to the brim with ill people needing attention? Remember the children's game where you sit in a circle and one person starts by whispering some strange statement into their neighbor's ear and then as it is passed from ear to ear the metamorphisis occurs. By the time the statement has arrive back at the origin it has been change beyond belief. It no longer makes much sense even if it was pure nonsense to begin with. That is what some conversations I had this afternoon and evening came close to being like. We have been feeling the effects of 'Welfare Wednesday' combined with bad road conditions due to dark and rain and the craziness of the outside world. It feels good to get home safely. It would be good to be a cat on days like this, a domestic cat of course, who ahs a cosy home. Must sleep now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

HappyThanksgiving! Now we can start thinking about Halloween and possible costumes. Hmmmm...Marvin wants to be a RescueGhost.

Byebye Dad

I just found one really good picture of Dad with Iris. So i had to include it.

Lolo's leaving to go to the Phillipines! We'll miss him but this time he's only going for 3-4 months. He has to return in January so the doctors can check out his liver with a CTscan to be sure the cancer hasn't returned and that his liver is regenerating itself. Tuesday he departs with one suitcase and one big box full of stuff for Yhong, Darius and Yasmin. He's returning to Lagawe, Ifugao. Surely it will be warm and sunny. I will really miss him. He is very kind, gentle, sleepy and really balance out my mil. She gets lonely without him around. They'll be all kissy huggy again when he returns like usual if she doesn't decide to jump on a plane and meet him there in a few months. I think she'll remain in Canada until his return this time. I'm sure it will be strange to go to the Phillipines without stopping at Aunty Norma's place in Manila. Everybody used to visit her upon arrival to the Phillipines. She was very devoted to education and had a wonderful sense of humor. She snored really loud too. It's been a year since her brutal murder. We miss her. Love and prayers for Lolo Julio and Aunty Norma. Doesn't Fayth look cute in that picture with Genny? The ones below that are of Dad at Anastasia's birthday celebration out back.

Patience, gotta get me some...more of it

Congratulations Hien & Ha on your baby boy born this morning weighing 8lbs 2oz. Babies babies everywhere!

"Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best--better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than his. Either way we are questioning the reality of God's omniscience."

—Neal A. Maxwell (Ensign, October 1980, p. 28.

Back to Ikea again

Brutal, we had to go back to Ikea tonight because the two shelves we purchased last night require 32 screws each. For one shelf 9 were provided. How irritating. Oh well we had a nice dinner there, relaxing too. And all for $15. Marvin had macaroni. I had quiche and salad. Daddy had meatballs and veggies. Ana had veggies too but most of them ended up on the floor surrounding the highchair. Marvin got them to give him a free refill of mac n'cheese plus fries just by batting his long eyelashes and flashing them a charming grin. Plus just keep him from asking for what he wants. I dare you. The closet is now neatly organized. That's two down and two to go. Closets that is. When i get around to it i'll post b4and after shots. Get ready world the Manghi's are gettin'it together.

It's all about Food and Thursday

I am not sure why but I've been looking forward to Thursday all week. Anastasia and Marvin and Lola and Lolo and Uncle mark have the 'coldS' I'm still fighting it off. Good. Why do filipinos add 'S's in the strangest places. Tonight we were at Ikea, enjoying the SmallLand services of course and picking up some galvanized steel shelves for the laundry closet. We are getting so organized thanks to Marnie and Savvy Space Solutions. Check out her website http://www.savvyspacesolutions.com/ My husband was giggling in the as is section at a buggy with wood/laminate scraps labelled $15-cart of woodS. He says it with an accent and points out the guy who obviously marked it. He's bugged him for discounts enough times. Calling it, 'using the brown card' Strange since he won't even mark off the 'visible minority' box on any kind of forms or applications. I am so grateful to be exposed to his culture especially the food. My nieces Jessica and Aimee really like it too which was a total surprise. If you don't already know Filipinos and Filipinas are very friendly and giving. They love parties and food. Lots of food! Good food. A lot of honkies don't like the food but I am not one of them. I like the chocolate meat (dinuguan), the kilawayne(kinda like sushi but with smelts), the danackdugan(snouts and ears,my new favorite, especially when cooked by Jhun), the bittermelon salad, champuraddo, caldaretta(especially with goat), calamansi, adobo, arroz caldo, and the scary fishes with eyeballs included, granted kari-kari (peanut butter and oxtail stew)and pinakbet(a name considered for our first child) isn't my favorite but I eat it anyway. I am probably making some spelling errors on the names of these dishes, but i gotta let you know what you're missing if you haven't tried Phillipine cuisine. There's more than rice, lumpia and pansit you know. I was lucky to be exposed to this varied cuisine at a young age however and blessed with a mother who taught me to try everything and enjoy a wide variety of foods. Plus my mother-in-law aka Lola is a fabulous cook! Do you like Pho-the Vietnamese soup? Our friends Hien and Ha just opened a new bubble tea and pho shop on 25th and Oak. You gotta check it out. You'll love the sign. It's near their salon and it's called Gizmo. It's yummy. If you are saying, 'What the Pho?' then you gotta try the Vietnamese food out there. I'm not a foodie but I do like Asian foods. My son's favorite besides mcdonalds is sushi. My daughter really likes cucumbers. I think Patrick's favorite must be pasta because we're always cooking and eating it. He's a great cook and that is lucky for our whole family. Thank-you Carolina for teaching me to make the Caldo from Columbia. We had it tonight again. It's a yummy soup with chicken, cilantro, plantains, squash and corn on the cob inside it. Also congratualations on your new baby boy-Edwin. You have 3 kids now. Unbelieveable!

Jilian are you ready to come out now?

Jilian are you ready to come out now?



Don't ya think they'll make great parents. Uninterupted sleep may be a thing of the past. I can confirm it, parenting is by far the most challenging, tricky, exhausting, rewarding job in the universe according to my limited experience. Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be a Mommy. I didn't know how much I would sacrifice, love and constant improving on my part it would actually take. Even though it's not all sunshine and roses I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's not all poopy diapers and teething either. Lucky for me there are plenty of others willing to share what did and did not work for them. That really helps. Plus my mom and granny and their limited memories. My grandmother still swears her boys were all trained on the chamber pot by the time they were six months old. Mother in law offers plenty of advice and help too. My mom said I never slept. When I look at my son I know he's a minibetty but more subdued. I can only imagine how hyper I was. Actually I can remember until the ritalin and sugar free diet put a damper on things. It gave me such bad nightmares. Pregnant woman and newborns are everywhere,is it time for another one? We'll see. Pat says with a big goofy smile, "We might have a bun in the oven." Imagine baking and not knowing exactly when to take it out of the oven. Guesswork. Nope there's no buns rising at this time. I'd be feelin' it or puking it up or falling asleep at the wheel, my body reacts pretty quick and really knows asap when something's up or inside. I swear I was physically built to bear children. I didn't know I was so fertile. That other husband must of been shooting blanks like his dad always implied. I can't believe I didn't get pregnant until I was 30. Probably a good thing.

Planet Woman

Wow, I worked out finally with the help of a friend. It felt so good to take care of myself. It's so easy to put that aside until it's more convenient. There are a thousand excuses aren't there? I'll be sore tomorrow.
Check it out at http://www.planetwoman.ca/

There's a hole in my bucket

Wow I really figured something out this week. I went to a meeting a few weeks ago on prevention of depression and all about the illness. The speaker talked about filling our lamps but I'm not a lamp. I'm a bucket. I keep trying to fill up my bucket so I can keep sharing it and have enough for myself too. Everytime (it seems far and few between)I have alone time, a nap, a date with my husband, a walk with a friend, a good read, time for meaningful prayers, time to create, bake, stretch, pick flowers, fruit, actually shop alone for anything, paint my feet, put on make up, bead, stamp, blog etc I do feel recharged but it doesn't last. I keep trying to nurture my soul, lift my spirit but am unable to keep my bucket full. It seems to be leaking in spots. Some days it has large gaping holes. Maybe if I repair the patches I can keep the bucket sustained enough to properly carry the water, keep it clean and quench my thirst. Wow, discovering this has really helped me. Now I just need to know what is causing the cracks where the water leaks out. I was so excited I tried sharing this with my husband but i am not sure he really got it. He suggested getting a new bucket. This is huge for me. If I can determine what is depleting me maybe I can cope better. I know I need to lower my expectations of myself. This week I will work on not criticizing myself. I thought about it. Nobody feels good after being criticized, nobody benefits. I wouldn't do it to others I love. I would focus on the positive and tell them not to worry about it. I will do this for myself. I judge myself too harshly. I am doing a good job, there is a lot going on. Now to find out what is causing those big bad holes. Thanks for listening, this helps. Maybe one day I will brush my teeth slowly and carefully or get a haircut or just sit in the sun with no time to be anywhere for anyone, unscheduled, undiluted, unrestricted hopefully before i come UNdone.

Mice, work, cake,dreams, kindergarten

You gotta try this, my co-worker Dawn made a chocolate cake with plain dessert tofu instead of eggs and oil, plus a little extra water or milk. It was so delicous and with a cake mix to boot. Rich, moist and a little less guilt inducing. I usually stay away from those but here it goes. Kindergarten has arrived, and with it so much excitement. Gradual entry killing me. Marvin has a delightful teacher. They'll do yoga and tennis in Gym class, without the brutally geeky gymsuits. 2 1/2 hours isn't long though. Finally some well deserved time off from work, even though I haven't really been back long. I can water plants, nurture my soul, do kindergarten, catch up on laundry (just the putting it away part), get the science projects out of the fridge, scrub mildew and create some art. My ambitions are too wild, while I probably won't make soap, do any canning, volunteer, print vast amount of labels with wild abandon, alphabetize, golf, paint, sew, build a 3-D mural or play video games until 4am, I might get to mop the floors, stamp, sing, play, or ride my bike if I'm lucky. Being away from the florescent lights, the phone, battling label printers, burning cds, checking information, verifying patient details carefully, someone yelling, "Breathe and hold it, that's right and exhale" repeatedly, the hum of computers, the smell of the hospital and the commute will do me good. Except that it is definitely easier to be at work, but not as much fun. Last week I told my son the story of the country mouse and the city mouse with apprpriate variations. We were at a cousins' on Sumas Mountain. There was freshly baked buns, sunshine, wild fruits growing everywhere, kittens, trampoline, dirt bikes, go karts, lawn chairs, a creek and people not seen in eons to shoot the breeze with. My son and I pondered which mouse catagory we fall into. Any ideas? This week we'll do the modern version of Never cry Wolf.

Yes that is my husbands butt! (below)

I only had eyes for the children when they had this bath at the Super8 in Auburn. We went to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the White River Amphitheatre and they did not start at 3pm like we thought but we all had a good time, dancing and watching. Marvin really likes them now! Hmmm. Glad he can share something with his dad.

ByeByeSummer

We had a fun summer but it went by awfully quickly despite our efforts to keep it slow and simple. I can't wait to see the bare branches and my husband in his long underwear.

Change to walking club time!

Weekly Walking Club Note New Time
Bring yourself! Bring your children! Bring their bikes even. Bring your dogs! Everyone Welcome!
Queen's Park in New Westminster *weather permitting*
10:30-10:45 Tuesdays we meet in front of the Arena across from the Baseball Stadium, just near the Rose Garden
Parking is free and abundant even shaded spots available.
Inside are telephones, washrooms, change tables, vending machines, historic displays etc...
We follow the Millennium Trail back to the Arena & continue walking to the Playground/Picnic Area. Our 2.5km walk takes about 30-40 minutes depending on the speed/size of the group.
We hope this new time when it isn't so hot will bring out more people too.
This park offers a petting farm, spray park, huckleberries, off leash area, concessions, an art gallery and more!
We hope you can join us!
For more information just call
Betty-Ann Manghi 6045239839 or Brooke Jenkins 6042992940
Queen's Park is located between McBride Blvd. and First Street
from Royal Avenue to Sixth Avenue
If you need to see a map go to http://www.nwpr.bc.ca/parks%20web%20page/pdf%20programs/park%20maps/QueensPark.pdf or check my archives SundayMay7thWeeklyWalkingClub post.

Anastasia is One today!

Well, between painting our apartment, returning to work, train camp, clutter control, my health and the heat, plus having 2 small children to keep me busy I haven't really been near the computer in roughly a month. July has been rough but rewarding too. Returning to work has been really overwhelming but i am doing it. I usually get home exhausted by midnight. After being semialert at work it is really easy to get to sleep even if I am full of adrenaline from a busy or stressful shift. I am still trying hard to focus and be more detail oriented at work. It is a struggle when i am tired, distracted, and depressed. I think I am back into a bit of a funk, not really triggered by one singular thing. Perhaps the fact that my husband has forbidden the children to attend church with me, or because I am overextending myself. It could be the long hours each day holds or the fact that my motherinlaw is MAD at me AGAIN. Breastfeeding, hormones, the return of menstration doesn't help either. I just finished my temple preparation classes but will be unable to proceed with the next step due to lack of permission from my husband. Somehow,some day I will get there. Our Bishop came by this week on Wednesday night but I was not home. My husband refused to let him in but was willing to talk/argue with him outside. It didn't last long. All these challenges have made me feel very defeated. For the past 3 weeks I have been really feeling blah, just going through the motions but unable to take care of anyone but myself, not including the bare minimum of feeding and cleaning our children, no small task. My doctor is pushing more meds but after attending a womens's retreat in Squamish last weekend, hanging out at the pool with some moms,talking with a counsellor, stamping, dreaming, praying, pleading for help from the Lord and hiring an organizer I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. I have also accepted a calling in primary and will be teaching CTR8. That should be fun. Saving graces in my life lately have been my mother again and my neice Jessica. They are so good to me and mine. Jessica comes everyday at 2:30pm to watch the children so I can get to the hospital for my shift. It is good to have her around even if I don't get to hang out with her much. I think the fact that Pat hired her to come here is the reason my motherinlaw is angry. She arrives promptly and keeps the kids fed, entertained, loved, and the like until 6pm when Pat gets home to make their dinner and put them to bed. I have had no energy to start or prepare dinner in the morning, clean the house much, run errands, brush my hair, kiss my husband, iron, organize, communicate or connect like I would like to. Going to church alone seems to have been the straw that broke the camel's back or my spirit. At least I arrive near the beginning with myself well groomed and don't feel spent at the end. I am able to listen to everything too. My husband is getting burnt out from picking up the slack. I have to stop working so much. It seem to be the one thing I CAN change. On the plus side I have managed to provide myself and my children some nutriticious meals and made it to a fitness class or the gym at least once a week. My new goals are to accept what I cannot change, keep praying, reading, exercising and to make some time for me to take care of myself, to nuture my soul, and to go on some dates with my husband again. So far so good. I booked a pedicure and got my legs waxed and on Saturday we spent 3 hours organizing the bedroom. Tonight we went out alone for dinner. Today is Anastasia's first birthday. We planned for cupcakes and lemonade in the garden out back. Hope the neighbors don't make a stink. It should be nice and I finally got a memory card so pictures will be posted. Thank you to all of you have have been so kind and concerned. Life is an interesting journey. It is hard to see the benefits of our challenges until they're done, isn't it. Temple bound and tired. Good night.

Back to Work, Not sure how it happened but it did

Holy Macaroni! I went back to work. I am not sure why but for some reason I totally blocked the fact that I was supposed to return to work full time on July 4th. I was so sick over the weekend with the weirdest symptoms. Badbadbad headache and sore throat, fevers plus vomitting for good measure, not a lot of vomitting, then again there wasn't a lot of eating going on either, except Tuesday I was feeling a bit better so I ate a whole watermelon, should replace some electrolytes.I could barely lift my head and now almost a week later my husband has some of it accompanied by red eye, nasal drip and a dry, persistant cough. Anyway I suddenly get a call on Tuesday afternoon enquiring why I am not at work, being refreshed with my trainer. Goodness it NEVER occured to me that yes I had promised weeks ago that I would indeed be there. I spoke with my doctors about it and was advised to put it off or do a gradual return. I just never implemented it. How insane is that? In my mind it was all set up. Anyway I was carrying around that doctor's note for quite some time but now have seemed to have misplaced it. What a scatterbrain. I shouldn't be allowed out. Weekend passes only. Needless to say I had to make quick childcare arrangements and get my butt over to the hospital on Wednesday afternoon. Not a lot has changed in EmergXray in the last 16 months. My bosses forgave me, thank goodness. The staff has changed. There are a lot of new faces! I like my new boss Maureen and we have worked harmoniously in the past. She is very real. She has demention and is very understanding. I have seen her reach out to others and not be afraid to do the same when she needs to. There are tons of students and fattening snacks about. The work is relatively the same. Three days back and I feel like I've never left. I do miss my family though. The hours are late and seem long even when it's busy. I actually had to fill my tank this week. It cost me sixty dollars and I drive a sedan. Fortunately was able to find free parking two out of three days. I still can't believe I am back there. The baby seems irritable with me and just wants boob all the time. Poor daddy is the bedtime general and the cook and the washer and exhausted too. It is hard to get to sleep right away when I get home. Luckily I can get home by midnight. Good-bye life, hello work.

My Preschool Graduate...

I don't think he knew whether to laugh or cry at breakfast the day of his graduation from Somewhere to Grow. He will miss his school, his teachers and his classmates except the one who bit him. Marvin seemed to have a sudden burst of energy as he ended up jumping off the stage instead of continuing to the stairwell. Then he proceeded to rip up his hat as he sat below with his cohorts and he made a lot of dog noises. Boys will be boys. I hope he grows up to be a man. He is officially signed up for kindergarten now too, assuming we don't move in the meantime. The school is right near our house and it is nice and small. He explored the library while I was filling out the appropriate forms. He immediately introduced himself to the librarian and told her pretty much his life story. He is really missing his preschool buddies but is still looking forward to kindergarten. Marvin was wondering if he will get weekends and holidays off from school in the coming year. I can't really remember entering school but I do remember being in kindergarten and learning words and letters and even some classmates. It will be exciting to gather the school supplies! Wasn't it always? Happy Canada Day! We enjoyed a BIG church picnic. My favorite part was the game where the adults had balloons tied to their ankles and then had to pop each others until only one person had a balloon left. It was fun to watch the kids take cups of water to their Dad's who had empty water bottles behind their backs. Luckily Marvin declined on the candy, no more cavities for this little boy, a good time had by all. Yummy kimuchi.

Crayons melt in the dryer!

Why can't my little boy keep frogs and snakes in his pockets? I guess because we live in the city. He does like to keep toy ones in his pockets. A crayon from my mom's birthday lobster dinner on Thursday at the Keg was still in Marvin's pocket. It ruined everything in that load of laundry. My dryer is BLUE! I already tried scrubbing the dryer and got extremely frustrated. It's not really coming off. He will get a turn trying too. I hope someone out there has a solution for me. Anastasia is into everything, crawling faster and faster each day. The cat food and garbage are no longer safe. Luckily outlet protectors are on sale at Ikea. It's 49 cents for a dozen! Gotta count my blessings here. Today we cleaned and organized Marvin's room. Lucky for me Daddy got it going. I just didn't know where to start. We chose toys to donate or give to little sister. One time the Chinese ward left their nursery cupboard unlocked. Marvin discovered this and we found they are really lacking in the toy department. Tomorrow will be their lucky day! Marvin really enjoyed the BC Lions game on Friday night with his dad. Sounds like they got a little wild. His dad bought him a really long orange horn, not exactly a horn. It's more like a keyless trumpet. It doesn't make noise on its own but he was thrilled that he was allowed to blow it as much as he liked. It reminds me of the Ricola commercial's horn.

What do you need more of in your life?

Some of the things women need more of in their lives. This week I have committed to setting goals to get more of TWO things on this list. At times we all need more of the following, contributing factors vary. Remember we have to take GOOD care of ourselves to take care of the others in our charge and continue to spread our positive energies. Take a few moments to determine what it is that YOU need more of. I am thinking of ways to get practical help achieving my goals through socialization, arts, spiritual experiences, brainstorming, and some encouragement as well. I am drilling into my head: Ask for help when you need it!I'll try two more next week. How many weeks will this go on? As women and especially as mothers we sometimes give and give and give. What is left to nuture our souls? How many times do you leave yourself last. Once in a while we need to take stock and increase our inventories. Go to it!

Praise
Appreciation
Love
Fun
Simplification
Freedom
Knowledge
Confidence
Recognition
Self-love
Self-esteem
Education
Affection
encouragement
Self-control
Flexibility
Organization
Time
Sleep
Sex
Good Food
Comfort
Relaxation
Increased Concentration
Cuddling
Relaxation
Fitness and Health
Safety
Trust
Money
Variety
Success
Imagination
Exercise
Work
Music
Laughter
Romance
Music
Purpose
Approval
Friendship
Play
Beauty
Gentleness
Kindness
Patience
Compassion
Understanding
Benevolence
Service
Creative Juices
Silence
Respect
Happiness
Faith
Mercy
Forgiveness
Insight
Commitment
Honesty
Joy
Control

Happy to be a Mommy...

What an exciting Mother's Day.I am so grateful for all the encouragement and love I get from my mother and my mother-in-law.They are so good to me.I find them both strong, inspiring women, tirelessly trying to help their children.I only hope I can live up to their reputations as mothers.We don't always agree.We don't always like each other.We aren't always kind to each other.But we always try to love each other.Their love for my children and theirs is AMAZING.They aren't June Cleavers.They don't bake cookies.They just try their best everyday at all they do. I'm not sure why I can't keep my house immaculate, provide balanced, nutritious, delicious meals, bake continuously, exercise on a regular basis, iron, have my hair and make up and nails done, dinner on the table promptly on the table at six o'clock, be unconditionally patient and compassionate with my children, sew all our clothes and make everything from scratch, spend appropriate amounts of time teaching at the table and playing on the floor, wear a dress, get us all to bed on time every night, have more realistic expectations of myself, but I am working on it.I am not sure wear we get all these ideas of a perfect mother or why our standards are so high.Perhaps from the media or our dreams of what it would be like to be a mother.I have learned that parenting is the most challenging thing I have ever done.After be coming a Mama I have learned multi-tasking is the only way to go.My mom says if you can't do one thing perfectly, just do everything as good as you can.That must be where I learned to do too much, or try to. The good thing is some days it is easy to forget the piles of clean laundry to wash or put away leave the dirt on the floor a little longer than I want to.Neglect the dishes, go through the drive thru, grab a pizza, give myself a break for not getting up before my children to read, to pray, to clean, to cook.Some days I can put it all on the back burner to go to the park or play on the floor with trains,or hit Granville Island,kids in tow.Those are the days they will remember.I don't remember if my mom kept the house tidy and clean.I don't remember if the ironing was done or the car was washed. I remember she once baked a whole mess of heart shaped cookies for me to take to school. I remember her unshaved, prickly legs in bed.I remember the banana seat bicycle she got me and encouraged me to ride.I can still hear her saying, "I never had any training wheels so you don't need any either."I remember the wading pool on the porch, the chess set she made for me, the swing set she cemented in the yard, the roller skating on the seawall at Stanley Park, the friends she let me have over, the bunk beds, the fish tank I never cleaned, the garden, the sandwiches, the cat she got me when we moved, her being a girl guide leader, our baptism, getting my ears pierced at swingin' Surrey Place mall, rootbeer floats, green milk, Shakee's Pizza, food storage, going to the hairdresser,her working so hard to provide for our tiny family.The list goes on.She wasn't perfect but she was my mom.I hope I am making good memories with my children too.Mom I appreciate everything you sacrificed to make me into the woman I am.I am so grateful for your faith, your perseverence, your patience and your support.Thank-you to all the mothers I know because you all are good examples to me.I am lucky to know so many mommies who inspire me to try harder and who listen to me when I just need to connect to a grown up woman.I am lucky to have a husband who sees my value and helps me to stay positive even when I am insanely sleep deprived and unreasonable.I am also very lucky to get the breaks I do when I just can't give of myself for one more minute.Life is good,even though it's hard.We learn so much from our challenges.

WeeklyWalkingClub

Weekly Walking Club
Bring yourself!
Bring your children!
Bring your dogs!
Everyone Welcome!
Queen's Park in New Westminster
Let's meet on Tuesdays at 12:30pm
*weather permitting*
12:30-12:45 meet in front of Arena, between First Street
and McBride Blvd, across from the tennis courts and stadium
Parking is free and abundant.
Inside are telephones, washrooms, vending machines, etc...
We'll follow the Millennium Trail back to the Arena and continue
walking through the Rose Garden to the Playground and Picnic Area.
Also the park offers a petting farm, spray park, concessions,
an art gallery and more.
We hope you can join us!
For more information just call
Betty-Ann Manghi 6045239839 or Brooke Jenkins 6042992940
Queen's Park is located between McBride Blvd. and First Street
from Royal Avenue to Sixth Avenue

MiSs AimEe MauSsiOn

You can check out my niece Aimee's new website if you have a penchant for horses or black guys or just want to slag linsey lohan. It was fun to be THIRTEEN was it not?! Life was good. It was 1983. There wasn't too much responsibility. Just had to do a few dishes, babysit a little (I can't believe those people trusted ME with their children), hang out with friends, drive your mother absolutely crazy, ride bikes, think about and be terrified of boys, learn about make up, get interested in movies, and books. I had lots of fun as a beehive in the young women's programme and loved going to the temple. I always made time to write in my journal. I think I even had a fiction one. I learned how to set goals and really achieve them. I started to wear nylons to church and was kind of embarassed about it. The bra thing and ovulation happen way before that I think. I remember really fun times with Seminary, Sloppy Joes and baking cinnamon buns at the church but we 4got the cinnamon. I could never keep my room clean. That was the last thing I wanted to spend time doing. I liked cutting up magazines and sewing and reading Sweet Valley High books. I too liked horses but didn't have too much opportunity to be around them. When I did it was the best even if your butt or legs hurt from all that riding and using those muscles that were so rarely exercised. We had an Atari game. I liked Space Invaders. I started watching All My Children and still haven't stopped. That's not true I am an off and on viewer. Hard to find the time. I liked Little House on the Praire and Stoned Wheat Thins. The only thing my mom could get me to make in the kitchen was Orange Juice from Frozen Concentrate and I had to use the blender! You know the one you take out of the can and add three cups of water, Minute Maid, takes a genius to make. I still didn't know there was anything to listen to besides country music and Elvis. Everyone in my class laughed at me because I didn't know the song 'Jack and Diane' by John Cougar Mellancamp. There were sock hops and intermural sports at school. I liked the floor hockey at lunch time. I worked as a patrol person at the intersections before and after school plus at lunch time. We got to wear a hard hat and a bright orange vest and carry a B I G flag that said S T O P ! Cool, huh. I had dark rimmed glasses and short hair. My mom was very patient with me. I was pretty annoying at that age. www.lovey-dovey101.piczo.com for more about Aimee and you can enjoy this photo of her with my chubby little baby in her diaper only. Guess who just changed her diaper. You got it-Aimeegirl.

Happy Easter

Easter is good. I like Easter. To me Spring is really here once it's Easter. I like Spring! I signifies so much to me. Rebirth. Growth. Who doesn't like to get closer to summer. I don't even mind all the rain that comes to us in April because I know what it's doing. It's growing things. Daddy planted some tomatoes on the balcony yesterday. Little tomatoe plants, smell so good. The little boy did an egg hunt this morning with his cousins Jessica and Aimee. He is on cloud 9. He has a basket full of chocolate and candy and plastic eggs. Life is good! when you're 4. Baby is happy too. So far the best thing about this Easter weekend has been having the whole family, all 4 of us, all together for 5 days in a row, with no pressing obligations. Manghi family celebration happens Sunday after Fayth's baptism. Will post pics. Included a picture of a little cousin-Sydney Martin Apelocruz in Mexico last month. So cute. Don't you agree?