Pictures Galore!

Remember this post? I promised to share pics soon...well is 3 weeks later soon enough for you? lol. Really though, I've been such a bloggy slacker lately and I hate it. My biggest problem is that I just don't have time to blog...when I started my blog it was deader than a doornail (what does that saying even mean anyway?) at work and I needed something to pass the time...now work is busy and so is my home life...but I'll still be keeping this blog around because I love to write...so never fear people!!! Cause I know you'd all miss me terribly if I stopped bloggin...and even if you wouldn't miss me...pretend you would, deal??? K!

I'd like to introduce you all to one of my BFF's - this is "P".



And this my friends is a whole lot of water...did you hear about the flooding going on here in Manitoba and just South of the Canadian/US border too.


And here is the border...we sat and looked at the back of this jeep for 2.5 hours lol (crawling along very very slowly). Who knew that on Canadian long weekends ever single Manitoban headed on down to Grand Forks?



This is the hotel we stayed at...it was gorgeous from the outside...not so nice on the inside...but it was an experience.


The story behind this shirt is...P bought it because she loved it...but you see it was in packaging and although she grabbed an extra large...it was obviously a child's shirt...because it fits like an extra small...so I inherited it and love it love it!! (in case it's too small to read it says "it's good to be the queen").


My other BFF "E"

Me taking a pic of "P" while she took a pic of me lol.

Chillin'

That's all the "girlie road trip" pics I have for now..."E" has yet to send me hers...but I'll start harrassing her for them soon.

This past weekend was the boyfriend's 35th birthday....Saturday night I had friends over for a bonfire and we had a blast...unfortunately the only pics I actually took that night were pre-party...but here they are anyway.

The boy and his friend from down the street

The boy again...where did my baby go...his shaggy hair and baseball cap definitely say "big boy"

The fire...it got much bigger than this before the end of the night...but then ppl started making me all paranoid about how illegal it was and I let it die down.

That same day we attended Family Fun Day at the boy's daycare...here are a few pics of that:

Hole in one!

The boy wiggling his glasses up his nose...he insists on wearing them like an old granny on the tip of his nose...I think because he likes to look over them instead of through them...even though he says he can definitely see better through them (I think it's time for an eye exam to make sure!)...anyway, I'm constantly telling him to push his glasses up properly and he just wiggles them up his nose lol....not 10 seconds later I catch him wiggling them back down...kids!!!

The boyfriend...looking ever so amused lol.

And well I just (accidentally) deleted the one shot I had of me that day...and I'm too lazy to go back and post it....it's a good one...I may change my header to switch it in so you'll see it anyway lol.

Catching up is hard to do...

First, I was given this award by the lovely Melissa over at Outnumbered 3 to 1. Definitely check her out...she's got some great Father's Day giveaways going on rirght now! Don't miss out.






I can accept this award with the following conditions:



I must list 7 personality traits about myself and I must pass this award onto 7 other blogs that deserve such fine recognition for the personalities that they share with the blogging world.

1. I am outgoing and fairly laidback.


2. I am very empathetic (or is it sympathetic? lol)...if you are hurting and are close to me...I hurt for/with you.


3. I can be very blunt and sometimes have to remind myself to bite my tongue if I'm talking to someone that might not know that I "tell it like it is".


4. I am a worrywart...the worst for me is money...if something extra comes up (ie. birthdays or car repairs) even if I budget and know I'll have enough money to get me through until next payday (because yes we live pay cheque to pay cheque, don't you?) I can't help but worry about it.


5. I live for the moment...although I don't like to think about bad things happening to me or any of my loved ones...I always give in at bedtime when the boy wants an extra hug (even though I have to get my butt back up off the couch to go give it to him lol)...just in case.


6. I am an open book (though judging by my FB quiz "How well do you know Mel" and the answers most of my friends got...perhaps I'm not the open book I thought I was lol. But honestly any question you have about me or my life I'll answer...just don't judge me or I'll never tell you anything again.


7. I am not a crier...even when something really bad happens I go into "take care of everyone else" mode and keep myself together, stay calm, etc....most ppl have never seen me cry ever because I hate that...the boyfriend has on ocassion but I do try and hide out in the bathroom if I feel the need to let it all out.



Wow that was much harder to do than I thought it would be lol. I pass this award on to:



1. Staci at Playing House - she's funny and witty and totally cracks me up on a daily basis...plus she's got 2 of the most adorable kids I have ever seen...oh and her hubby is such a great sport too...he lets her share things to the blog world that I know the boyfriend wouldn't let me! lol.



2. Carole at Youngest of 3 Sisters - she has a great blog. Always has nice and kind things to say and wears her heart on her sleeve!



3. Jen at Harried Mom of Four - why? Because she has 4 kids and is still sane...lol. No really, she has a great personality, and knows how to have fun!


4. Tina at Life in the Lapadula House - She participates (and hosts some) in alot of great memes...her kids are cuties and must be around the same age as the boy so I love to read about them.



5. Liz at Sugarplum Creations - I love reading her blog...even though it makes me a little jealous of all the girlie girl stuff that she gets to do lol...living in a house where I am clearly outnumbered (even our new cats are boys!) gets tiring from time to time.



6. Amber at AEFilkins - Her and I have somewhat similar life stories...she also hosts Extreme Makeover: Me Edition and I can't thank her enough for that!



7. That Girl at Sunshine and Rainbows - what can I say about this girl...Love her to death and have known her for many years...never met IRL (yet) but I hope to some day.



So check out all of those blogs...you won't be disappointed...in fact all of the blogs in my blogroll are awesome for one reason or another so check them all out!

Second, I was tagged by Staci at Playing house with this fun little meme.

Here are the rules:


List Six Unimportant Things That Make You HappyMention and link to the person who tagged youTag six of your favorite bloggers to play along, and comment on their blog to let them know they've been tagged.


Six Unimportant Things That Make Me Happy


1. Not having to get home from work and rush out the door again...I love evenings spent relaxing with the family.


2. chocolate. lol



3. Listening to the boy's stories -sometimes they go on and on and on...but there will come a time when he doesn't want to talk to me about anything so I treasure the time he spends telling me things now.


4. Fire - I love a campfire and now that we have the firepit in our backyard we have lots and lots of fires...and we even have a wood burning indoor fireplace too! lol.


5. Fresh paint - we so badly need to paint our bedroom...I can't wait to choose a colour and get started!


6. No line up at the coffee shop!


So I'm supposed to tag 6 blogs, but I tag you all - or any of you that want to do this...in fact I tag you all on the next meme too! Let me know if you posted them and I'll be sure to come and check out your answers.



And last but not least - Tina at Life in the Lapadula House tagged me with this fun meme.


1. Last beverage → beer

2. Last phone call → The boyfriend's brother

3. Last text message → believe it or not, I *never* text...well very rarely anyway.

4. Last song you listened to → Cat Stevens - Father and Son

5. Last time you cried → a very long time ago



SIX HAVE YOU EVER:

1. Dated someone twice? → yep

2. Been cheated on? → yes (unforunately)

3. Kissed someone? → Of course.

4. Lost someone special? → yes

5. Been depressed? → every hear and there...usually coinciding with PMS.

6. Been drunk and threw up? → Who hasn't been drunk or thrown up lol.


LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLORS:

1. blue
2. purple
3. green
4. Black

HAVE YOU:

1. Made new friends → yes.
2. Fallen out of love → eventually but never while in a relationship
3. Laughed until you cried → Of course
4. Met someone who changed you → yes
5. Found out who your true friends were → yes
6. Found out someone was talking about you → Yeah...but it's usually good things lol
7. Kissed anyone on your Facebook friend's list → yes
8. How many people on your Facebook friends list do you know in real life → honestly...maybe half
9. How many kids do you want to have → at this point in time I'm unsure
10. Do you have any pets → 2 cats
11. Do you want to change your name → nah, I've had it for 28 years, why change it now?
13. What time did you wake up today →5:45am but really 6:15 or so after pressing snooze a few times.
14. What were you doing at midnight last night → sleeping
15. Name something you CANNOT wait for → Summer and camping
16. Last time you saw your father → wow...in June 2006
17. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life → nothing, really....maybe having more money would be nice.
18. What are you listening to right now → the boy watching tv
19. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom → probably
23. What's getting on your nerves right now? →nothing at the moment
24. Most visited webpage → Blogger and Facebook

1. What's your name? → Melissa

2. Nicknames → Mel, Mellie, Mom, Mama, chick

3. Relationship Status → live in boyfriend

4. Zodiac sign → Cancer

5. Male or female or transgendered → Female.

6. Primary School → The one I remember? Glen Elm

7. Middle School → W.H. Day

8. High school → Bradford District

10. Hair color → brown

11. Long or short → longish

16. Height → 5ft 7

17. Do you have a crush on someone? → Just the boyfriend!

18: What do you like about yourself? → my personality

19. Piercings → just ears

20. Tattoos → nope

21. Righty or lefty → Righty.

FIRSTS :

22. First surgery → does wisdom teeth count?

23. First piercing → My ears

24. First best friends → Anne

26. First sport you joined → Basketball

27. First pet → A dog named candy

28. First vacation → Disneyworld

29. First concert → Salt and Pepa lol

30. First crush → Steve Hope

RIGHT NOW:

49. Eating → nothing

50. Drinking → beer

52. I'm about to → get up and make some dinner

53. Listening to → the tv

55. Waiting for → the boyfriend to get up from his nap

YOUR FUTURE :

58. Want kids? I'm starting to debate whether more will be in my future...

59. Want to get married? sure...someday

60. Careers in mind? mines good for now

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX? -

68. Lips or eyes → eyes

69. Hugs or kisses → kisses

70. Shorter or taller → Taller.

71. Older or Younger → older

72. Romantic or spontaneous → romantic

73. Nice stomach or nice arms → arms

74. Sensitive or loud → sensitive

75. Hook-up or relationship → relationship

77. Trouble maker or hesitant → hesitant

HAVE YOU EVER :

78. Kissed a stranger → yes

79. Drank hard liquor → Many times.

80. Lost glasses/contacts → no

81. Sex on first date → I plead the 5th...

82. Broken someone's heart → so I'm told

83. Had your own heart broken → yes...*sigh*

85. Been arrested → yep

86. Turned someone down → yes

87. Cried when someone died → of course

88. Liked a friend that is a girl? → like romantically? Ummm no thanks

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

89. Yourself → sure do

90. Miracles → yep

91. Love at first sight → not particularly

92. Heaven → yes

93. Santa Clause → Absolutely.

95. Kiss on the first date? → sure why not?

96. Angels → yep

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:

97. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → I'm with the ppl I want to be with.

98. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? → I think i did...but just one time...and I think i was 15 lol

99. Posting this as 100 Truths? → sure why not!!!!!

Random Ramblings...

Because I'm bored at work...I have work to do but have no motivation today!

I walked around for (possibly) half the day today with black pen on my face...ppl can you just tell me next time??? That way I'll avoid the embarrassment and the wonderment (is that a word?) of how long it was actually there! Thankyouverymuch.

I need a slave...it appears I may have found one in the boyfriend...I mean no he's not great when it comes to chores...but if I'm thirsty or hungry and ask him to get me something he jumps up to do it...not so bad, right??? WRONG! I noticed yesterday that I do this at least 3x a day and I have 2 legs myself...why am I so lazy? Case in point, I got up from watching The Bachelorette last night to tuck the boy in (of course I waited until a commercial) went back to watching my show and just as my butt hit the couch I asked the boyfriend to please go grab me a drink from the fridge...but the funniest part is he does it each and every time...if I were him I'd tell me to get it myself, especially those times when I was obviously up just doing something!

Although I like to think I'm a very social person...In reality I'm very anti-social. You see the boyfriend's birthday is this coming Sunday and I'm planning an impromtu yard party. We'll have a fire in our fire pit and some drinks...along with roasted marshmallows, smores, hot dogs, chips...you know munchie food. I've invited approximately 10 ppl...and well...I'm nervous as heck to entertain *that* many people...assuming they all come...I'm kind of hoping that some of them already have plans. Give me my two BFFs and a bottle of wine and I'm good to go...but an actual party...well we will see how much fun I actually end up having. lol.

The boy informed me last night that he wants to be a kid forever...this comes from me explaining to him that now that he's a big 8 year old it's time he start being a little more independent...he can in fact get his own milk from the fridge and it will not be the end of the world if he spills a little (he thinks the world around him will come crashing down if he ever makes a mistake...yes even something as little as spilt milk) as long as he cleans it up. I baby my boy and always have...I imagine that's part of the reason why the boyfriend and I constantly fought in the beginning...I treated my 6 year old like a 2 year old...and now that he's 8 things really haven't changed too much...but he's my only one...I want him to stay little forever...just like he wants to stay little forever...anyone know how to make that reality??? lol.

Last but not least...I had to explain to a 47 year old woman (same age as my own mother I might add...so a little awkward) what a "lady's garden in bloom" (btw, never heard it described like that before), "landing strip" and "bare naked" meant. Yep uh huh...you know what I'm talking about...don't you?

Well folks that's all I have for now! I hope you are all having a great day.

*Edited to add: So I just realized that I am the boy's slave and the boyfriend is my slave...lmao.

Hmmm...

So what do you blog about when you are drawing a blank???

I could blog about the relaxing weekend we had...but you all might find it kind of boring since all we did was stay home to clean...took a trip to the grocery store, went out for lunch, and went to Walmart...

I could blog about the seemingly never ending drama that ensues everytime I have contact with the sperm donor...you'd all probably find that very interesting...but I just don't have the energy to blog about it...right now anyway...look for a "Dear Sperm Donor...I hate you because" post coming soon!

I could blog about work...but it's boring for me lately...for the rest of you...would totally have you catching zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's.

I could blog about the fact that I finally convinced the boy to go and get a haircut over the weekend...BUT when you see the before and after pictures (did I remember to take a before...well it doesn't matter)...you'll see that he asked the barber to take so little off that you can't even tell he went for a 'trim'...a $13 trim I might add...

The weather is gorgeous and I'm in a great mood...I just lack inspiration today...perhaps tomorrow will be different!

Writers Workshop - My Anthem and Expecting too much

Every week the lovely Mamakat hosts this cool Writers Workshop...head on over to hear blog to learn how to play along.

This week I'm cheating a little and writing on 2 of her prompts.

1.) What is your life's anthem? You know...that song that is ALWAYS in your head. The one you'd go to sing first if someone told you to sing a song right NOW. What is it and what does it mean to you?

Well, back in my single days my friends gave me the anthem "Promiscuous Girl" by Nelly Furtado...I wasn't offended in the slightest...but it was hardly true...I may have changed guys like I changed my underwear...BUT I was not necessarily sleeping with every single one of them....GEESH!!! lol.

But today I live by the anthem "If Tomorrow Never Comes" By Garth Brooks...sounds morbid a little...this I know...but I need to remind myself that it's the little things that matter in day to day life and it's very important to let the ones close to you know how much they mean to you each and every single day. I try to live each day to the fullest and have fun in everything I do.

4.) Describe in what ways you expect too much from your significant other. Do they deserve an apology?

I expect so much from the boyfriend...and quite honestly he is doing so much better lately...but I often question if I do expect too much. Is it too much to ask that he take a little initiative? When it comes to housework he needs to be told what needs to be done and when...for me it's easy I look around and see the mess and know it needs to be cleaned...so I clean it. I realize now he came from a household where his mother did *everything* for him and his brother...and she still does too much for them IMO. Whereas I grew up in a single parent family and alot of the responsibility was left on my shoulders...so I learnt early on that if I didn't take initiative we wouldn't be fed or have clean clothes to wear. We are just different...doesn't make either one of us wrong.

Also, when it comes to the boy...I expected a lot in the beginning...that is very hard for me to admit...but it's true. I expected (or maybe hoped is a better word) that he'd be able to walk into our family and become a father to the boy...not just any father though the kind of father that I always wanted...a fun one that never yelled or got frustrated...and oh how unreasonable that was...even I get frustrated with the boy and raise my voice at him or overreact from time to time. But I honestly believe now that we've found a balance.

Does the boyfriend deserve an apology...maybe...but I think alot of 'me expecting too much from him' was more a communication block than anything else...I didn't know how to tell him that he wasn't meeting my expectations without becoming a raving lunatic and he then would react in the same lunatic fashion...since we've (completely) opened up the communication we are getting along a whole lot better, we are all alot happier and our house is a whole lot cleaner lol.

Friend Makin' Monday - Tuesday Edition

This is my first week participating...and I'm doing it all wrong...even on the wrong day lol.

But I've been meaning to jump on this bandwagon that Kasey started and figured this was a great question to start with:

How did you and your significant other meet? and if you don't have a significant other at the moment then what would be your dream way to meet him?

The boyfriend and I have been together now for just over two years. We met (in person) for the first time on May 12, 2007.

How did we meet??? Online! At plentyoffish.com to be exact! And let me tell you, I was dead set against online dating...I thought it was stupid and not for me...but over time one of my very good friends talked me into creating a profile. To this day I have her to thank for the boyfriend and I meeting...but I also have her to thank for a whole lot of 'duds' I met before him lol.

So D finally convinced me to create a profile in August, 2006. I chatted with guys online but wasn't ready to meet anyone in person...until about November of the same year...when I met my first online dating 'dud'. Seriously, all these guys seemed to go online to find sluts and hoes...and they were not finding that with me. But I gave it a few more go arounds...all ending with 'duds'.

Two of my closest friends even went so far as creating a profile for me and attempting to screen the men before I met them...that didn't work out so well...I ended up dating a guy they chose for a mere 2 weeks and after that mere 2 weeks he had plans to move in with me and become a family...me, the boy, his boy and him...ummm no thanks...I don't move *that* quickly!

In February 2007 the boyfriend chatted me up (instant message on POF)...I immediately told him he wasn't my type...he had a full beard and I just was not attracted to guys with facial hair...a little goatee, maybe...or even a little bit of fuzz...but I just did not like the picture I saw in his profile...so we only chatted briefly...call me shallow...but if I know instantly that I will not be physically attracted to you then I blow you off...

Fast forward to May 2007...it was a busy time for me and I had all but given up on the whole online dating system...when I was browsing one Friday night and came across the boyfriend's profile...only he looked nothing like his previous picture (now clean shaven)...in fact, so much so that I didn't recognize him as the guy I had chatted with previously. When I chatted him up and he then pointed that out I felt like a fool!!!!

Anyway, we chatted online and on the phone for a week...I wasn't really sure that he was ever going to ask to meet in person...so I did. The day after the boy's birthday (a Saturday) we had tons to do...I had plans to meet friends in the early afternoon for patio drinks while the boy stayed and played with another friend's son...then it was off to the family BBQ we had planned for the boy's birthday...but that night I decided would be a great night to meet in person...I figured after the boy was in bed I'd invite (who I now refer to as) the boyfriend over. I know what you are thinking...and I wouldn't recommend it because it's not a very safe way to meet people...but at the time I felt like I knew him...and in the end it all worked out for the best. Would I do it again that way? Absolutely not!! There are far too many sickos out there. And the guys I had met previously I made sure to meet in a public place and I always let my bff where I was going to be and who I was meeting...but with the boyfriend all of that went out the window.

So he came over that night...we talked until the wee hours of the morning...even watching the sunrise through my living room window...he just did not want to leave me lol.

A week later he met the boy and the rest is history.

We've had a rough go of it the past two years...blending is not an easy task...I was a single mom for the entire first 6 years of the boy's life and I still struggle with 'sharing' the responsibilities, discipline, etc. with the boyfriend...but I know we are in it for the long haul and really really love each other.

So there you have it folks!

Bzzzzzzzzzzz

Have you heard aboout BzzAgent?

I hadn't before I entered the blogging world...but let me tell you, I received my first campaign about 2 weeks ago (yes I am very behind in blogging about it...but I'm behind in all aspects of my life these days...deal with it! lol) and I can't wait until the next one.

You can click here to learn more about BzzAgent...but the summary of how it works is...they send you free samples of products to try and then you Bzz about them...or in other words tell people about them. They come with coupons that you can give out to your friends and family and really I just think it's a fantastic way to try new things. I know if it wasn't for this campaign the boy and I likely would have never tried the Nesquick Less Sugar Drinking Boxes. Now the boy is hooked and they've been added to our regular grocery shopping list.

I'm not a big milk drinker...and for that reason I hardly ever offer it to the boy...I know I'm horrible, because I know he likes it...but unless he asks me for it he usually gets juice or water. Chalk it up to mommy brain...I really have to make a very conscious effort to ensure he is drinking a good amount of milk...but now that I know he likes the Nesquick boxes, I've replaced the fruit juice I usually send with him for lunch with the milk.

They sent us a sample of each kind to try...so that's a total of 9 drinking boxes - 3 in each flavour, consisting of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. Can you guess which one the boy loves most??? Definitely the chocolate...but I know he really did enjoy each kind.

The fact that these particular drinking boxes have less sugar really is an added bonus. We've been trying to cut out as much sugar as we can in our house (not so much for the boy...but in general) so I was impressed that they had less sugar and still tasted great.

All in all I was very impressed and thoroughly enjoyed this campaign!