Don't Yell Unless The House Is On Fire: 2008

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Life with a Dog

So, in June we got a new dog, well a used dog from a no-kill shelter. He had a rocky start but he is doing well now. He has had some training in the past, but it was all in French as he was from Quebec. I know enough French to communicate with a dog, "assit toi" (sit) and "couche toi" (lie down). He is learning English commands now.

The other night I was walking the dog and someone started to speach French to me. I babbled like an idiot. "Oh, the dog speaks French not me. I mean, he understands it, but I don't anymore." Walking the dog has been a real challenge. He wants to hunt squirrel and birds on the walk. A first this meant a 55 lb dog charging after his quarry. A real challenge to the upper arm strength. We have made good progress in that now he will just whimper and tug. I have also lost a few pounds as we do his morning walk at a brisk pace.

The rocky start was in part due to him knocking down my 2 year old. In the dogs defense, my son stood on his tail and hugged him. But it did result in 1 stitch for my son on his face. We almost got rid of the dog, but I think that our non-violent but assertive reaction convinced him that he is at the bottom of the pack. He has been fine since then and we have been more careful. I am embarrassed that it happened. I should have been more careful about establishing the pack hierarchy at the beginning. Of course, it is over now but it has been hard to let go of it.

I am off to bed now. Sleep well everyone.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Positive Thinking

I had an AHA moment today.

Today I was standing in the shower having some negative thoughts about something that I did in the past that embarrassed me and suddenly I understood something new. I have been reading "A New Earth" and it talks about the pain body and how it likes to feed on negative experiences. I realized that those embarrassing actions were done by my pain body looking to create the negativity that it feeds on. "I" did not do those things. I, of course, am responsible for my actions. The "why" I did those things is because my ego needed to act that way. I can let go of those things because it is futile to remember the past and the "why" is answered.

I am working on accepting the present moment, but I am still identifying with my thoughts and feelings. It is hard to let go and live in the present. At least, right now it is.

Any suggestions?

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Weird Things Meme

I have been tagged by A Daily Dose of Zen to do a meme on six weird things about me. So here it is.

1. I don't really like chocolate. It is okay, but I get sick of it fast. I prefer dark chocolate to milk.

2. I think that sugar has a strong aftertaste and I don't like sweet desserts.

3. I can fall asleep mid-sentence, something which annoys my husband a lot. Especially since I start to make less sense as I drift off.

4. When under stress, I will talk in my sleep. One time I woke up my husband with "2X plus 2". I am such a nerd at heart.

5. Despite my lack of interest in sugary desserts, I could live on cookies, especially crunchy ones. And in keeping with my perve.rsity I often loose a pound or two if I go on a cookie binge. (You may curse me now, I understand.)

6. I have dog karma. Stray dogs will come to me and I have rescued many, including a wild dog.

If you are reading this, comment and then consider yourself tagged.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Cleaning Day and no coffee needed

Like so many others out there today I was vacuuming away and then I screamed. I mean, I knew that there were signs that we had a mouse. I put up the ultrasonic mouse repulsers. I also laid a few traps. I moved the bird seed to the garage. I didn't think about it again. But today I was vacuuming the laundry room and I thought, "I really should empty that garbage." I moved the can and then I screamed. There he was, quite dead, in a trap. In my defense it was not really a scream of fear, it was more of surprise. I am confident in my ability to defeat a mouse in a fair fight, and the dead kind are not much of a challenge. But please feel free to snicker. My husband did when I called to tell him about it. He offered to remove it from the house when he gets home tonight, but no that mouse (and trap) were leaving my home as soon as I caught my breath. I took deep cleansing breaths, got a large plastic bag and very carefully put it into the bag without touching it. I hope that my house it now rodent free. I did put down a new trap at the same spot.

I think that it was definitely true that I was not "friends with the present moment" at that moment. Hopefully there was no permanent scarring, for me if not for the mouse.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Spectacular White Dove Release

This might strike you as tacky. Skip this one if you have lost your mother recently.

I was driving past a local cemetery and they had a sign:

Celebrate Mother's Day
Sunday May 11th at 2 pm
Spectacular White Dove Release
Light Refreshments

I was, well, gob smacked would be the right word. I could not imagine attending this event. Am I alone here or is this odd? What are the appropriate "light refreshments" for a celebrations of this type?

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Blogging Options

I love Google Reader. It makes it so much easier to keep up on blogs. If you use Google Reader or another reader you will know that bloggers have the option of showing the full post or just a trailer which requires a reader to click through to reader the whole post.

I have discovered that I am not reading some bloggers as much because I cannot be bothered clicking through. After all I then have a new tab opening that I will have to close later. I must be the laziest person on the planet. Am I alone on this one?

Update on 101 things.

I have to say that this is a really interesting process. I am enjoying it for the most part. I think that some of my items are difficult to quantify. I am happy with how it is going.

I removed items "1. Create this list" and "2. Do monthly updates" from the list accidentally.

Car
	03. Clean the inside of my car (3/30)	In Progress
	04. Drive 5 km/h slower to reduce emissions. Started this. Sorry for those of you who are behind me. I have also started Hypermiling as suggested by DoctorMama	In Progress
Charity
	07. Write to my foster child in SA	In Progress
	06. Write to my foster child in Africa	In Progress
	05. Do work for a charity	In Progress
Family / Personal
	14. Have my mother over once a month (3/34)	In Progress
	12. Have a family outing once a month (3/34) We are doing better than that so far.	In Progress
	13. Have more contact with my oldest sister. I have been working on this one.	In Progress
	18. Update my medical alert bracelet	Completed on 05/04/2008
	15. Make birthday dr appointments for boys	Completed on 03/27/2008
	19. Wear makeup everyday for 2 weeks. I have been doing well on this and wear makeup more often.	Completed on 05/04/2008
	08. Ask directly for what I want	In Progress
	09. Believe	In Progress
	10. Decide what to do with my frozen embryos	In Progress
	17. Say “Please” more	In Progress
	11. Get closure on evil Uncle K	In Progress
	16. Plan fun things to do in the summer	In Progress
Food / House
	36. Clean out 3 kitchen cupboards - 1 so far	In Progress
	40. Follow cleaning schedule I have been doing well on this one. It is nice having a cleaner house.	In Progress
	32. Bake once a week (6x so far)	In Progress
	45. Learn how to bake the hearty bread that I like to eat. I have tried several recipes. I am still working on it.	In Progress
	58. Stop using plastic grocery bags. I have a good collection of bags, and I am about 85% successful in remembering them.	In Progress
	42. Get pda connected to new laptop. I have spent untold hours on this one and it is still failing.	In Progress
	39. Finish configuring new laptop . Done!	Completed on 03/27/2008
	41. Get dataloc for my laptop	Completed on 03/27/2008
	37. Do a clothing purge. A lot of clothes are done. Yes!	Completed on 05/04/2008
	57. Replace weatherstripping on front and side door	In Progress
	52. Replace downstairs bathroom fan	In Progress
	51. Rearrange laundry room	In Progress
	47. Patch holes in family room wall. Started. Need to be sanded	In Progress
	54. Replace Master bathroom fan	In Progress
	59. Touch up paint in hallway	In Progress
	44. Go back on cash only for a month	In Progress
	43. Get rid of old VCR tapes	In Progress
	35. Clean kitchen before bed 5x a week Hmm	In Progress
	53. Replace downstairs toilet	In Progress
	55. Replace Master toilet	In Progress
	56. Replace toilets	In Progress
	46. Paint deck	In Progress
	49. Purge furnace room	In Progress
	34. Eat more organic foods	In Progress
	33. Create my own cookbook of things we like to eat.	In Progress
	50. Put up whiteboard	In Progress
	48. Purge desk	In Progress
	38. Do more gardening	In Progress
General
	02. Do a monthly list evaluation (2/34)	In Progress
	01. Make this list ?	Completed on 03/25/2008
Health and Fitness
	27. Go to bed before 11 at least 4x a week. I am definitely better on this one.	In Progress
	21. Do months breast exam (0/34)	In Progress
	28. ?	In Progress
	20. Buy a new weight scale I have decided against this. The one that we have is consistent	Completed on 03/27/2008
	29. Reorganize my weekly schedule	Completed on 05/04/2008
	23. Drink more water I am trying!	In Progress
	22. Do more yoga (2x week)	In Progress
	30. Try pilates	In Progress
	26. Go a week without sugar	In Progress
	24. Get a massage once a month (2/34) YES!	In Progress
	25. Get my eyebrows done 3x (1/3)	In Progress
	31. Work on posture (stretch for 5 min every day) Not doing great on this one.	In Progress
Kids
	63. Read book on parenting boys	In Progress
	65. Sign up kids for swimming	In Progress
	64. Read book on praising boys	In Progress
	62. Potty train LB	In Progress
	60. Become a foster parent	In Progress
	61. Open bank accounts for boys	In Progress
	66. Start teaching my youngest french	In Progress
Leisure
	67. Blog once a week (average) Hmm, I am falling behind.	In Progress
	76. Get a dog. This will be happening in May or June. Yeah!	In Progress
	69. Create scrapbook for BB. I am working on this one too.	In Progress
	68. Buy a new winter coat (one my size). Done	Completed on 03/27/2008
	80. Go to the Opera	In Progress
	93. Visit Portland on vacation	In Progress
	74. Fix kids journal db	In Progress
	81. Have an outdoor family vacation	In Progress
	78. Get my Irish passport	In Progress
	75. Fly both of my new kites	In Progress
	70. Date my husband once a month	In Progress
	77. Get a singing prayer bowl (in C/ root chakra)	In Progress
	85. Pick up french again	In Progress
	95. Write an email to a friend once a week	In Progress
	87. Read a nonfiction book every month	In Progress
	71. Donate excess yarn	In Progress
	94. Work on family tree	In Progress
	89. Register the birth of my sons in Ireland	In Progress
	91. Start knitting again	In Progress
	82. Learn 2 new Harold Arlen songs	In Progress
	88. Read Reggio Emilia book	In Progress
	92. Take a pottery class	In Progress
	83. Mediate 3 times a week	In Progress
	79. Go to 5 hockey games	In Progress
	90. Start having something to do while watching tv	In Progress
	72. Finish kids journal	In Progress
	86. Post 10 books on BookMooch	In Progress
	73. Finish scrapbook for LB	In Progress
	84. Piano lessons	In Progress
Work
	96. Do certification exam 1 (If I am ever going back to work then I need to keep up.) Taken and Passed!	Completed on 03/25/2008
	98. Do certification exam 3	In Progress
	99. Do certification exam 4	In Progress
	97. Do certification exam 2	In Progress
	101. Write Java exam	In Progress
	100. Learn Java	In Progress

Monday, April 21, 2008

Monday and everyone is sick

Well, I am behind on my blogging. I have been reading others blogs, but not commenting much. My DH is at work even though he is sick because he has visitors. LB and BB and both sick and one of my sisters is very sick. She is at home doing IV antibiotics. I have been visiting her and doing things for her. It has added to the busyness of life. I, myself, am not sick, because Mothers do not get sick. It is a known medical fact.

I have been working on my 101 things in 1001 days and I have made progress. I will be updating it soon. I have made good progress. I have been focusing on negative thoughts and feelings and it has been going well. It is amazing how much we focus on the negative. We meaning me. How much venting is healthy? Why are so many interactions with other complaints? Hmm, is that a complaint? Oh sh-t, that was definitely a complaint. I guess I am still a work in progress.

I am letting my oldest watch TV since he is sick. I have such mixed feelings about the TV. I like the fact that he is not looking to me to entertain him, but I wish he didn't like it so much. I hear LB waking up. Go to run.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Update on me

Hi,

I have not been around as much lately. I have been reading "A New Earth" by Tolle. It has been consuming me and I have been doing the Oprah book club as well and watching it on ITunes. It has really struck a cord with me and makes a lot of sense on a gut level. A very short summary goes like this.

We are not our thoughts. We are the awareness of our thoughts. Our ego tries to run the show and keeps a constant stream of crap going through our heads. The stuff is all about our past or our future. We do not experience the "Now". By living in the present moment, which is actually all that there really is, you can experience peace. You have to feel your vital aliveness and that of everything around you in order to stay present. Pay attention to your breathing and feel yourself in the moment. When you have the negative emotions you have to accept them and not react against them. Every moment must be faced with either enthusiasm, enjoyment or at least acceptance. Resisting the present moment just feeds the ego. This is not to say that you have to stay where you are, but you need to accept what "is" before you can look to change.

I have been trying this and it is life changing. I hope that it helps you too.

Birthday Idea

Hi,

I heard about a great birthday idea to replace the or.gy of gift giving that usually happens. There is this website Echoage that has a great idea. You get people to give to the website and instead of lots of gifts, your kid gets a check for half the amount and the other half goes to the charity of your hoice. It teaches kids the joy of giving and they might actual buy something that they really want with the money. The only problem that I see is that you have to get email addresses from people to invite them to the party. It is the way I am going for my next kid's birthday.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Valentine's Day

I had a nice Valentine's day and I was happy to celebrate 19 years with my beloved. I hope that yours was good too.

This post is about my total lack of understanding about the celebration of this holiday for small children. My 2 yr old is in school 3 mornings a week. I got an email about Valentine's day and was sent a list of the names of the kids in his class. I thought, "You cannot be serious, they are 2?" But I was wrong, yes, my 2 year old got many a Valentine, with gift of pencils and small pads of paper, oh and candy. I don't want to seem ungrateful, but WTF! Personally I see it as a waste of paper and time. Since my son cannot have milk, most of the candy was not available for him. He was not that interested in the pencils. I admit that he did do some art in one of the pads. Am I scrooge or do others think 2 is too young for this? This is just a make work project for the parents. Now I did send a treat of carrot muffins for the class to share, but individual gifts? No thanks. I will wait until my son is old enough to get the idea and participate in the gift giving.

Monday, February 11, 2008

101 Things Update for Month 1

I have made quite a bit of progress. Yeah me!

General

01 Make this list √

02 Do a monthly list evaluation (1/34)

Car

03 Clean the inside of my car (1/30)

04 Drive 5 km/h slower to reduce emissions. Started this. Sorry for those of you who are behind me.

Charity

05 Do work for a charity

06 Write to my foster child in Africa

07 Write to my foster child in SA

Family / Personal

08 Ask directly for what I want

09 Believe, think, talk and act positively I have tried this.

10 Decide what to do with my frozen embryos

11 Get closure on evil Uncle K

12 Have a family outing once a month (1/34)

13 Have more contact with my oldest sister

14 Have my mother over once a month

15 Make birthday dr appointments for boys

16 Plan fun things to do in the summer

17 Say “Please” more

18 Update my medical alert bracelet

19 Wear makeup everyday for 2 weeks

Health and Fitness

20 Buy a new weight scale I have decided against this. The one that we have is consistent, even if it is 5 lbs off.

21 Do months breast exam

22 Do more yoga (2x week)

23 Drink more water I am trying!

24 Get a massage once a month (2/34) YES!

25 Get my eyebrows done 3x (1/3)

26 Go a week without sugar

27 Go to bed before 11 at least 4x a week

28 Monthly massage Duplicate here. Changing this to ?

29 Reorganize my weekly schedule

30 Try pilates

31 Work on posture (stretch for 5 min every day) Not doing great on this one.

Food / House

32 Bake once a week (4x so far)

33 Create my own cookbook of things we like to eat.

34 Eat more organic foods

35 Clean kitchen before bed 5x a week Hmm, well, I am close on this one.

36 Clean out 3 kitchen cupboards

37 Do a clothing purge I tried on every blouse that I own and got rid of quite a few. Pants are next.

38 Do more gardening

39 Finish configuring new laptop . Done!

40 Follow cleaning schedule

41 Get dataloc for my laptop

42 Get pda connected to new laptop

43 Get rid of old VCR tapes

44 Go back on cash only for a month

45 Learn how to bake the hearty bread that I like to eat

46 Paint deck

47 Patch holes in family room wall. Started. Need to be sanded, primed and painted.

48 Purge desk

49 Purge furnace room

50 Put up whiteboard

51 Rearrange laundry room

52 Replace downstairs bathroom fan

53 Replace downstairs toilet

54 Replace Master bathroom fan

55 Replace Master toilet

56 Replace toilets

57 Replace weatherstripping on front and side door

58 Stop using plastic grocery bags

59 Touch up paint in hallway

Kids

60 Become a foster parent

61 Open bank accounts for boys

62 Potty train LB

63 Read book on parenting boys

64 Read book on praising boys

65 Sign up kids for swimming

66 Start teaching my youngest french

Leisure

67 Blog once a week (average) I am on track for this one.

68 Buy a new winter coat (one my size). Done

69 Create scrapbook for BB

70 Date my husband once a month

71 Donate excess yarn

72 Finish kids journal

73 Finish scrapbook for LB

74 Fix kids journal db

75 Fly both of my new kites

76 Get a dog

77 Get a singing prayer bowl (in C/ root chakra)

78 Get my Irish passport

79 Go to 5 hockey games

80 Go to the Opera

81 Have an outdoor family vacation

82 Learn 2 new Harold Arlen songs

83 Mediate 3 times a week

84 Piano lessons

85 Pick up french again

86 Post 10 books on BookMooch

87 Read a nonfiction book every month

88 Read Reggio Emilia book

89 Register the birth of my sons in Ireland

90 Start having something to do while watching tv

91 Start knitting again

92 Take a pottery class

93 Visit Portland on vacation

94 Work on family tree

95 Write an email to a friend once a week

Work

96 Do certification exam 1 (If I am ever going back to work then I need to keep up.) Taken and Passed!

97 Do certification exam 2

98 Do certification exam 3

99 Do certification exam 4

100 Learn Java

101 Write Java exam

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Racism and Elections

I have to admit that I have found all of this talk about Ob.ama and is America ready for an African American fascinating. Although I am Canadian, I lived in America for 10 years. For the most part, I loved living there. Americans must be the most friendly people on earth. I found America's obsession with race interesting. (I had to be told that Mexicans were not white.) Canada usually takes a polite, "How interesting" attitude towards culture and race. While Canada is not free of racism, we are open to expressions of different cultures. We often even pay for them, with our taxes no less. America strives more for an obedience to the purity of the perfect American culture. Deviations are frowned on. My DH told me one of his coworkers was ashamed when his parents spoke German in public. I don't mean to say that all Americans are so closed to deviations from the perceived norm. So all this "Is America ready?" questioning by the pundits seems a tad bizarre. What is America ready for? Would electing Ob.ama mean that Americans are accepting all races as equal?

Of course, I cannot claim to be free from all racial stereotypes. I have to admit that I have chuckled over jokes about Asian drivers, oh and H.ondas too. I do live in an area of town where 30% of the population is Asian, many first generation. I moved here knowing that and I can't say that I regret the lack of whiteness. Many stores around here have multi-lingual signs and Asian foods are available in the grocery stores. I like the food and the people. It is a good place to raise a family.

Update on the list coming soon.

Note: After thinking about this, I want to say that I was not trying to suggest all Americans are race obsessed. I think it is more just that racism is so strange. Of course, Canada has not had a Black Prime Minister. We have had a woman, Kim Campbell, but she lasted a very short time. Maybe, I didn't have a point.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Lentil Soup

I was inspired to post this because Infertile Fantasies posted her own Lentil Soup. I love Lentil Soup and eat it almost every day. This is my variation of a Scottish Lentil Soup. I thought that I should send it to everyone. It is easy, nutritious, and delicious. This makes about 10 cups of soup.

1 Liter or Quart of Organic Chicken Broth (This allows you to skip the boiling of bones, careful that it has no more than 750 mg of sodium or the soup might be too salty)
2 Medium Carrots
1 Leek
1 Bayleaf
Pepper to taste
1 cup / 250 mg of red lentils (cook faster than green)

Add broth to large pot, add lentils and bring to boil. Add bayleaf and pepper. Grind or chop carrots (depending on how thick you like your soup). Wash and Chop Leek. Remove foam from soup. Add carrots and leeks. If you are not a fan of leeks, which taste like very mild onions only better, you can substitute an onion. But you will need to sauté onions until translucent before adding to soup. Stir occasionally. Allow to simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours or until carrots and lentils are tender.

Once simmering is done, I have been known to add leftover chicken/veggies from the fridge. I have also added curry spices too. This makes for a hearty soup. I hope that you enjoy this as much a I do.

Monday, January 07, 2008

101 things in 1001 days

I was reading A daily dose of Zen Sarcasm and I came across this great post about trying (and perhaps failing) to make changes. I comes from Day Zero. Here is the explanation, which I stole.

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

So here is my list. I reserve the right to change it. I will let you know what I have done or learned each month. I know that some of them will be hard to measure, but I will try.

General

1		Make this list √
2		Do a monthly list evaluation (0/34)

Car

3		Clean the inside of my car (1/30)
4		Drive 5 km/h slower to reduce emissions