Something Inspiring

The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow

I recently read this amazing book. It wasn't very long but was an excellent read. I actually started reading it before bed one night and continued on through the next morning until I was done. It was very inspiring. Randy Pausch is a *now retired*Professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the US. He agreed to give a lecture only days before his terminal cancer diagnosis. He decided he still needed to do it, even with his limited time left. What impressed me the most is him saying "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." because this wonderfully positive attitude is so apparent as you read. I started reading it again the other day, and finally spent the 76 minutes in front of the computer watching the lecture on YouTube last night. It was absolutely amazing. This man is an inspiration not withstanding his illness. He has achieved a level of happiness and peace that many don't know how to experience. I believe that love, support, and firmness from parents helps children achieve success in life. I am always very delighted to read/hear about positive parent/child relationships. I know the lecture is long, however, if you have time it is really worth checking out. I suggest you read the book as well. He goes into more detail about his desire to leave some lessons for his 3 young children who he will not be able to know. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Went and got myself into trouble

I did the unthinkable...

I left the car window open at work while there's landscaping going on (if you are unaware, we just got a new one) !!!

Dammit! There was a layer of dust over the seats (well, mostly the driver's side). I will give any male readers a moment to collectively groan at my offence. I made the new car very dusty and dirty. In my defence, it was a lovely warm day and I wanted to let some fresh air in the car...*I just neglected to notice that half the grass was being torn up on the same side of the lot my car was parked on.*

Ummm, ok, so that was my brainless act for the day. On a high note, the car is very, very clean now, and I didn't have to dirty my little princess hands. It was a quiet ride home.

Beverages I have consumed today

I woke up with the sniffles. By about 11:00 this morning, I had a full fledged cold. Luckily, I have no mama duties tonight because am going to lay down on the couch for the rest of my awake time very shortly. My friend and coworker Di was sweet enough to bring me some cold medicine and Neo-Citran when she came back from lunch. So, today I drank:

a large coffee
2 huge mugs of raspberry/lemon tea
2 glasses of water
a double dose of Neo-Citran (yeah, at work...I waited until 4:00)
another large coffee (the boyfriend brought it for me)
2 8oz glasses of water
2 8oz glasses of orange juice (no pulp cause I don't really like it)
and currently...more oj and a Neo-Citran (double fistin' it)

It is now 8:00pm. I bought some Puffs with Vicks. I like it! Anyhow, I am going to pretend to die now. Colds suck.

Silly Car Conversations with Children, and My Sojourn to the DMV

I had to go switch the plate registration for the new car on Thursday night. I had been waiting until the last possible moment because the DMV office has recently gotten a new computer system. Actually, I went a week ago last Friday but I walked in to find small pockets of standing room only. I looked for another 20 seconds or so, then went to get a case of beer and come home. Thurday was it. No more chances. It was nearly as crowded almost a week later. A lady glanced my way to catch my desperate, trapped look as I came in. she smiled at me and said "If you need a "B", here's one". Ahhh..."B" is plate renewal and transfer! I said "I do need a B, that's great! Thanks a lot". "Merry Christmas" she replied. They were at B250. Mine was B283...time to run my spring jackets to the drycleaner and still keep my ticket. Excellent! It took almost 2 hours and there were children running and people milling the whole time. The DMV is open Thursday and Friday nights, and only until 7:00. They lock the doors but continue to serve the customers in the building. Well, it's done now. Whew!

Friday afternoons are busy. The boyfriends gets off work 1/2 hour earlier than me, drives accross town to pick up both my boys, then me, then opposite to home to get Tyler. We do this every 2 weeks, so we usually just order pizza on the way home so we can eat supper at a decent time. Once they picked me up yesterday, there was a buzz of silly conversations with some really great stuff mixed in.

Seth: "I weigh 103 pounds!"

Sidney: "I weigh...Sethy, how much do I weigh?"

"43 pounds, Sid. Guess what? If there were 2 Sidneys I would still weigh more than you." says Seth.

"2 Sidneys? Sweet! What if the other Sidney stood on my shoulders? Then we would be bigger than you."

Interjection from mama: "Bubba, you would certainly be taller, but Seth would still weigh more."

"Oh, but what if there were 99 Sidneys?"

The boyfriend, me and Seth in sync: "oh no, one's perfect" *or some form of this sentence* Also, each time Sidney was not part of the conversations, he was singing "Ty, Ty, Tyler...going to get Tyler!" Over and over again.


Seth pipes up as we were approaching Ty's place and says:

"Mom, this might sound funny but I am kinda glad you and dad aren't together anymore because if you were there would be no Jones (their baby brother) and Monica (stepmom) and no Tyler. Well, there would be a Tyler but we wouldn't know him. Oh, and we wouldn't know (the boyfriend) B either."

How impressive is that? Does it seem odd for me to be so proud of this? I just think it's an incredibly positive attitude for him. Sidney doesn't remember us ever being together, but it was hard for Seth for a while. I am so proud he has turned the situation into such a happy one. I really believe this will help him later in life.

I had more to say, but I started this on Saturday and couldn't post until Sunday. I worked Saturday, which only happens a few times a year. I worked until 2:45, got a ride right to the gym to get Sid out of the pool for gymnastics class. After class, we all met to go home and eat. Seth then has to be back to the gym at 5:30 for boxing. Saturdays are busy too it seems, even without throwing a few hours of work in the mix. It's quieting down now and the boys will all be going by tomorrow. I enjoy my "every second Monday" as you know. More to post later.

Heaving a Huge Sigh of Relief

Seth's lump is benign. This means that there is no cancer. Isn't that awesome? I never really suspected it was something that serious to begin with, only wondered if it would need to be removed because of the spot it's located in. Turns out they are going to leave it alone and see my boy again in another 6 months to be sure it hasn't changed or anything.

Ahhhhh...that feels better.

On a very sad note though, Midge called this morning to ask if I would mind if we changed our relay team name. I said, sure, what's up? Turns out a very good friend of hers (who has already been diagnosed with breast cancer) has got a very aggressive lung cancer as well. This is a lovely, vivacious 26 year old woman we are talking about here! We are doing the relay for her this year. They all call her "Bean", or "Beaner", so we are now "Team Beaner". We are going to get shirts made with her picture on them and she is going to relay with us. My heart goes out to her. I simply cannot imagine the feelings she must be experiencing right now. I am always shocked when I hear news like this. Always.

peanut butter really does look good on walls

This weekend we are painting Sidney's room. He is going to be so excited that his room is the same color as peanut butter. It looks awesome and I will post a picture once everything is put back together.

As I was taping off the trim this morning I was listening to my Live CD from the mid 90's. Lightning Crashes is pretty recognisable. I love this band. I saw them in concert a couple of years ago.

taken while standing on his bed. it's not a very large room, but don't feel bad for him. he has an entire playroom to scatter toys in.

from the doorway...see? peanut butter. Sid said tonight that it's a lucky thing it isn't real peanut butter cause it would take too long to dry!

Desperately Random Thoughts

So, you may have noticed that I haven't been writing much lately. I still don't entirely feel like it, but I really do want to. It's like there have been so many thoughts floating around in my head I just didn't want to write it and sound negative, you know? Talking while in the middle of it all was just too much for me. I haven't really been calling my girls as much either. Just need to relax and regroup a little I guess. Now I am going to spill.

~Seth's MRI~

I called my doctor's office on Monday but didn't get a call back. I called again on Tuesday and my doctor answered. I asked about the results and she said she hadn't received them yet and that I should call the ortho surgeon's office. She also said that if he felt from the beginning that it could be something very serious, he would have called her. I called the surgeon's office and spoke with a kind lady named Tanya. Well, Tanya told me that she would check into it and call me back. She wrote down my work number and I continued on with my day. She called me back a couple of hours later to say that the doctor had not had a chance to look at the test results yet. She said that she would leave them on his desk and that I should expect a call for an appointment to review the results. I am really trying to be patient...really I am.

Patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue, PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE!

Did I say that out loud? Sorry about that. Anyhow, I talked to my doctor again yesterday just to say thanks for encouraging me to call his office and to let her know that he hadn't seen the report yet. She asked me what the doctor had said when he saw the lump to begin with. (Seth went to that appointment with his dad so my information was second hand. We work hard to pass important information as soon as possible.) I told he that he didn't think it was anything serious but that he would like to have the test done to be certain. *yes, let's be very certain about this puhlees * She said that she believes that if he thought it was serious he would have called her by now. I trust my doctor, I like my doctor and so I wait. So, when should I start harrassing the ortho's office?

~Children~

Seth has been very well behaved lately I must say. He is such a clever, serious boy. He is doing well in school and has decided not to argue with me as much about doing homework. He gets all in a snit sometimes and we have been working on that. He is rather bossy and mean to his little brother though, so he gets "spoken to" *aka yelled at* quite often. Again with the patience. I will say it once, then again. If by the third time the behavior isn't rectified there is some serious trouble brewing. I usually take something away for a period of time. It varies for each child. For Seth it is usually no WWE, no computer, no video games...depending on the offence of course. For everyday getting along and doing what he's told he is awesome. We leave the house at 7 every morning and he is always ready. Of course, he and I have had this routine for almost 8 years now.

Sidney is such a little drama queen! *ahem...king I mean* He is 4 now and starting big boy school this fall. He is just the funniest little guy, although he has recently become very sensitive about it. The boyfriend summed it up by saying that if he is trying to be funny he wants you to laugh but if he just says something and he wasn't trying he gets upset just cause he doesn't understand why we think it's so funny. Ah the joys of 4 year olds. He was the devil here a couple of weeks ago. The entire week consisted of ridiculous battles of will with anything that needed to be done. Baths, meals, getting dressed...you name it, he freaked about it. Good times, good times. Last week was a bit better. It's a constant struggle, but a the normal phase for his age. Testing boundries and all of that. He gets punished too...a seat in the corner with a little taste of hotsauce seems to do the trick for a while anyway.

Tyler has only just come into our lives. He met his father (the boyfriend of course) for the first time since the age of 2 just last August. He comes on all of the weekends when my boys are here and many of the ones they are not as well. He will be spending all of the weeks with the boys here this summer. He is a quiet boy. He luh-huh-huvs video games. I find this rather challenging because before Tyler, my boys really didn't care one way or the other but now it's all the rage. God, they love that boy! It's very nice to watch really. Ty is used to being the only child though so there are many other challenges that I could talk about, but I would rather not. *goes back to the being negative thing* We are working on manners and whining (or rather encouraging him not to) at the moment. *god help me*

~Relationships~

The boyfriend and I are doing well. We spend a lot of time together, just hanging out and talking. We get along well in general and agree on many family based topics. We got a membership to the local sports centre so we take the boys swimming at the pool on Saturdays and enjoy working out together when we are NOT being complete lameasses and not going. A positive in my life to be sure.

I have recently been speaking with my brother the genius. He suffers from depression and sometimes wants to be left alone. I have had a wealth of emotion surrounding this situation and am so very grateful that he has gotten in touch with me. I simply can't put it into words. The last time we spoke was last August, so I was just pleased to have him contact me on mother's day. It warms my heart to the core.

~the princess her own self~

I am starting to feel much better now that it is getting warmer and the sun is shining. I am still working on the job search thing, although I am grateful to have a job that pays the bills and keeps us going. Again, I could say more but I would rather keep a positive attitude. I am looking forward to the summer as it brings my birthday and the boyfriend's as well. We are taking the boys to visit my parents. We will stay with them for a couple of days and then he and I are going to my girl's wedding in a nearby town. It will be the first time I have been to Newfoundland, so it's pretty exciting.

Incidentally, I get seriously pissed off when I try to post and it gets all squished together. I am all done for now. I will talk to you tomorrow.

kisses,

the princess

Seth and Tyler's Room

This took much longer than we expected, so we have to do Sidney's next weekend. He was slightly put out that his room wasn't "new" as well. Almost there. They need pictures and stuff on the walls. This is fun!

I Absolutely Love Lauren Hill~~Saturday's song choice

She is fabulous! I heard her first singing Killing Me Softly and sought out more because I loved her voice so much. I think teaming up with Bob Marley was an incredible combination.

Turn Your Lights Down Low and Can't Take My Eyes off of You

These songs are both love songs and done in such a way that they each touched me very deeply. Of course, they are both old songs. Sometimes you don't need to mess with a good thing you just have re-record it.

The Princess needs a new pair of sneakers for this

It's almost Relay time again! June 13th is the big night. I will be hanging with 9 other women on my relay team and we will start walking at 7:00pm and continue on through the night until 7:00am the next morning. Last year was my first time. My girl Midge has a younger brother who is a cancer survivor so her family participates every year. She had a spot on her team so she asked me to join them. The track is lined with luminaries, each candlelit bag with a name and often a personal message. Everybody's got a story...no question. What an amazing and very emotional time. In the picture below, 6 of these women have lost a parent to cancer. Each has lost and/or has a survivor in their family. I only knew 3 of the team members last year. It was moving to listen to the stories of these women. During the relay your team must have at least one member walking at all times. We took little breaks, but walked a whole lot. Midge and I actually did morning yoga as well. So much fun. I am really looking forward to it.

So my family and friends, I am asking for some help. I have a very small group of peeps here where I live and I find fundraising extremely difficult. I know that some of my friends out here are not even Canadian, however, research benefits all of us. Wanna sponsor me? Huh, huh? Well...at least flip over to my page and have a look at why I relay.

My relay team...pausing by the speakers to bust-a-move and the photo op of course!

Team Ghetto Fabulous~~Princess C

Checking Out the Lump

Seth is scheduled for an MRI tomorrow afternoon to have a better look at the lump on his foot. We discussed the test a bit. He is completely calm and unperturbed. He said "I've been on lots of water slides Mom. It'll be like being in the tunnel."

It makes me feel better that he is so relaxed about it. I am probably a little more anxious about the procedure than the results. I am not going to worry about something that hasn't even happened yet. I was concerned about more time lost at work, but it's just so important that I am with my son tomorrow. I can't imagine being anywhere else at the moment. I will let you know how it goes.

The Sun Is Shining And It's Saturday Again

I'm feeling rather bubbly today as we prepare to paint the boys' bedrooms. Their new bunk beds arrived this week (thank goodness for safer, more comfortable sleeps). We are working hard to have them done for Monday.