Monday 27 May 2013

Butterfly Kisses

I am sure that many of you know this song.  It was very popular a few years ago by some country singer (sorry, I'm not a follower).  And I am also sure that at least one of you knows (Coco, are you paying attention?) how much I hate that song.  I despise it and must change the channel if I hear it on the radio or tv.  Now, what you don't know is WHY I hate that song.  Every time I hear it, I cry uncontrollably.  It makes me think of my little doll when she was younger and how I miss those days.  Possibly becuz I wish I knew then what I know now and how I would have done things very differently.  I was a working mom from the time she was 4 months old til she was 8, when we moved up here.  During that time I also was going to night school at least 1 night a week, often 2, so there were many nights that I missed out saying goodnight.  There was also missed opportunities for us to spend real girl time together.  Not to say it didn't happen.  My mom reaped the benefit of that, spending many Saturdays with Coco, riding the subway, shopping and going out for lunches.  They were a great team.  When I was studying and PJ was working a Saturday, Coco and Mom would take off for the day.  To this day, I really am not sure where all they went!  LOL  Anyway, I have said all that to say that no mom does it perfectly and even Martha Stewart made mistakes, I am sure.  It doesn't really matter if there are nannies and private schools and wealth, or just day to day working parents, everyone can be a star and I believe that every mother has certain regrets about things she would have changed.  An older mom once said that she thought she did a good job bringing up her numerous kids "cuz none of them are in jail"!  Wow, there's a standard!  When the bar is set that low, everyone is a winner.  
So, moms, and would-be moms, don't spend any time fretting over what you shoulda or coulda done.  Kids are very resilient; they learn what they live and if you do your best to raise them with love and encouragement and guidance and morals, then you've done all you can.  I wish I could say that I did that every day but I didn't.  I made lots of mistakes that can never be taken back, unfortunately.  But my kids still turned out okay, remarkably, some might even say extraordinary.  And I love them more than anything else.
But please don't play that song.
Love from Lulu xxxxxxx

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Please hold...............

I am not happy.  I was just re-routed to another Bell service rep only to be cut off.  The first rep took about 35 min to answer then he sent me to another rep which after waiting for about 10 min, clicked off and I got the busy signal. !?@!??!*&?!!  BTW, have you heard their insipid "hold" muzak?  UGH!
PJ and I are at a cross roads.  We both have cell phones; his is a work based, mine is a personal, so we are really having some tough discussions about whether or not to retain our house phone.  My cell provides all the same services that the house phone does at a lesser cost and even if he loses his phone (if and when he retires), we can still do a family plan and he will have a personal one attached to my bill.
Here is the dilemma: We have our Internet service and our TV service bundled with the phone service, so does that mean that our bundling  discount will be invalidated?  And if so, should we consider something else?  Or if they reduced our phone service charges to something ridiculously cheap, should we still retain the house phone?  OH, it is all just too much for me to think about.
The funny thing is that we never had so many things to consider over the past few years as we seem to have this year!  Will PJ retire?  Or will they make it too desirable for him to go?  Also, our 40th anniversary will be happening on the 3rd of November this year, but he will also be celebrating his 65th bday on the 3rd of December.  What to do?  A combined celebration somewhere in the middle?  Or a tropical beach getaway?  Or maybe just a quiet family do?  We are also considering a new vehicle - my divine heap is 10 years old now and worth not much more than the paper that the ownership is written on; his is a newer truck that can still fetch a decent trade-in value, so do we trade up?  Or just keep it?  Like I said, it is just all too much for me right now.  I just want to enjoy my summer!  Lounging in the pool, planting my garden, hosting BBQ parties, going on our annual shopping excursion to Penn!  
The weather is finally becoming summer-like and we have been out on the deck a couple of nights.  We have also been enjoying the "boys of summer", my fabulous Blue Jays.  One of the most endearing memories I have is the sound of a baseball game on the radio on a hot summer afternoon while my parents were bbqing in the backyard.  It is like the onslaught of 60's Beach Boys music that would be filtering out of every car window beginning in July (pre factory-installed air conditioning as a standard option).  Ahhh, the good old days.  I also cannot pass a rose bush without smelling it to re-live the scent of my mom's gorgeous red rose climbers that surrounded their front door.  I think as Canadians, we survived the winter just to be able to experience the wonders of the new summer each year.  Those long, lazy summer vacations from school, when we thought that 2 months was more like 2 years; the oh-so-horrendous summer camps that meant being separated from your best friend (or summer love interest) for 2 whole weeks; the relatives that came for the week (or 2) that wanted to visit every tourist trap in Toronto; the week that we got to go to the cottage (a rental - different place every year) and spend the day in the lake and the night swatting mosquitos!   I wish we could have really drunk in those days and absorbed every smell and taste but they were fleeting and gone too quickly and there was always "next" summer.  

Love from Lulu, xxxxxxxx

Monday 20 May 2013

My Recent Absence

I got a scolding from Coco the other day about not posting to my blog and that she has been periodically checking and not seeing any new items, so I thought it best to explain a few things.  I also thought it was kind of cute that she was following my posts.  Anyway, I have not been in the greatest of moods lately because although I had initially great success at my weight loss project, it has now stalled out and I am, frankly, a little ticked off about the whole thing.  I have been very conscious of my food choices over the last 3 months and have been eating the "good" foods in abundance.  Yes, we have had an occasional chinese food buffet and 1 or 2 pizzas, but overall, I am eating primarily whole foods, veg and chicken and fish.  I am currently, officially, 1 lb. less than when starting, which means that I actually re-gained 7 of the first 8 lbs. lost.  Great!#@!!@##!
Now, let's move on to more fun stuff!  We had our Annual May 24 Weekend Start the Summer bonfire on Saturday.  It was so nice to be able to sit outside and enjoy the evening.  Many of T's and Coco's friends came over, which was wonderful.  I also was finally privileged  to meet Coco's new boy, Big Daddy.  He is wonderfully attentive to her and has a quietly sweet way.  He also has the most shocking blue eyes that immediately draw your attention.  I just have to get him to shave off that beard so I can see the dimples next!  LOL
I had a little catch up with Barbie, who has been having some personal problems.  Sadly, she has had to deal with some really hard decisions of late and hopefully, things will turn around very soon.  I wish nothing but the best to her and her gorgeous family.  I also was surprised to find out that one of T's close friends and his gf had moved.  Those two are doing great and have a great future ahead of them.  Another of T's friends, who calls himself "Moves" (a reference I think, to his dancing skills LOL) serenaded us with his super guitar skills with a guitar provided by his band mate, the "other" T, the one almost as cute as my T.  We did have a bit of an emergency when Muffin's friend, Star, tripped and sat on a wine glass.  Incredibly, it sliced right through her skirt and created a profusely bleeding gash on her left butt cheek.  Coco and Muffin made the decision to send her to emerg for stitches but who could drive her as we had all had more than a few drinks?  Thankfully, another friend had not had anything to drink as yet and so whisked Star off for 25+ stitches and staples.  :(  Poor thing, we heard she was pretty sore yesterday.  
PJ was away this weekend with his golf buddy down to Ohio.  I was so glad to see him go since he has not been golfing for a couple of years due to a shoulder injury.  They had been talking about going for a few years and PJ just could not do it last year, so I am hoping they are enjoying themselves.  He is due back today.  Now, I just have to figure out how to explain the bloodstains on the step!

Love to all, Lulu xxxxx