What does Summer mean to you?

Summer has officially arrived! We had hot temperatures and sunshine all weekend long.

In my house Summer means every little boy on the block in our front yard...the sprinkler going and when my little boy hits the hay without any time for a shower (because he's stayed outside too long with his friends and is grumpy when I *make* him come in)...he has THE dirtiest feet I have ever seen in my life!!!! The boyfriend was so amazed by how dirty the boy's feet were that he just had to photograph them sticking out from his comforter...BUT because I forgot to put the pic on my computer you all won't get to see it just yet lol.

My all time favourite thing to do in the Summer...CAMPING!!! We have our first camping trip of the year planned for next weekend and I am sooooooooo excited...so this week will be spent preparing for it. I have yet to pull out our camping gear and assess what we have or may need to pick up before we head out. I'm a procrastinator...if you didn't already know that! Oh and we are tent campers all the way...non of this trailer with the portable dvd player and a sink and a real fridge too...nope not us...we still use coolers and no electronics come with us (with the exception of a radio)...though I haven't reminded the boy yet that his DS will have to stay home...last year he begged to be allowed to bring his Gameboy Advance...and I didn't cave hopefully I can stay strong again this year. Camping is a time to be away from all stuff and enjoy the great outdoors.

So what's your favourite thing about Summer?

Through My Eyes Friday

Tina at life in the lapadula house hosts this weekly meme...hop on over to her blog to find out how to play along!


This is what you see when you look through my eyes at the boy and his friend acting a little bit crazy...could have been all the smores I let them eat before I started taping lol.

Extreme Makeover - Me Edition - Update

Those of you that have been here awhile probably know what this post is all about...but for those of you that are new here you can hop on over to Amber's blog and find out what it's all about.

So I haven't posted an update in 2 weeks now because:

a) I haven't been working out;

b) I also haven't been watching what I'm eating; and

c) Well without doing those 2 things I feel like crap...

But I'm here again and going to get back on the train! I think what made me fall off was the bronchitis I suffered with for well over 3 weeks...and then immediately following that I hurt my back...I'm still not sure what the cause of the back pain was but it came and went for 2 weeks...initially I thought it was the shoes I wore to workout (the one time I actually worked out when I was starting to feel better)...but then it went away and came back with a vengence. I'm almost certain (since the boyfriend has the same pain) that it had alot to do with the coughing that comes along with bronchitis.

I have still been walking when weather permits but tonight I'm getting back on that elliptical and I will most definitely make sure I workout at least 3x this week.

So Amber is asking today:

What's your favorite thing to drink while you're losing weight? We all know how important it is to get that water intake up, especially with summer almost here. What's your favorite way to spice it up?

I have to agree with Amber...Crystal Light is da bomb!!! I love it...and I also really like the Nestea singles that you can pour into water bottles....you just shake and voila...yummy water instead of boring old plain water!!!

My all time favorite flavour in both is Raspberry! Which reminds me...I better pick some up.

Soooo, how are you doing???

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!