The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Can you hear me singing?

I can be honest here, my singing is easier on the ears then my dance moves are on the eyes!

Yes, tomorrow all my (not-so-little) kidlets go back to school. Grade 7 for Gingo, Grade 8 for Pudge, Grade 11 for Lou and Grade 12 for George. George should have graduated last year, but unfortunately her social life got in the way of school and so her studies fell by the wayside. She's in a new school this year so we hopefully won't have the same trouble. She'll also be under the watchful eye of her sister Lou. For grades 9-12(a) she went to a performing arts school and not her home high school. I wish she had graduated from the program, but she had been told her education had to come before performing, and if she couldn't do both I would pull her out of the program so she could (and would) concentrate on school. Lou and George have actually started getting along in the last few months, which I am so thankful for. It's nice to know they have eachother to confide in and look out for one another.

It's also a new school for Gingo, going to junior high. Being only one year younger then Pudge, they've spent most of their time together. I think they're looking forward to being at the same school together again. They do have their fights, but they are close and when one is not home or upset the other is lost. They too, confide in one another and look out for eachother.

So the lunches are made. The backpacks are packed. The first-day outfits have been selected. The kids are ready and mostly excited about the new school year.

And I'm dancing and singing, "it's the most wonderful time ....."

Meltdown Timeline - Part 1

July 4th -
Pudge: Mom, my phone's not working; the screen is black.
Mom: What?! It's only 3 months old. Fine, we'll take it in to be looked at.

July 5th -
Pudge: Are we taking it in today?
Me: ignored request.

July 6th -
Pudge: Are we taking it in today?
Me: ignored request.

July 7th -
Pudge: MOMMMM! Please can we take it today!
Mom: Yes. Go tell your dad.

Wireless Store Associate: Hi, can I help you?
Peach: My daughter's phone is not working. It's new; it won't turn on.
Wireless Store Associate: It's $50 to do the estimate. If the damage is covered by warranty you get the $50 back. If not, we'll apply the $50 fee against the cost of repair. It takes a week to ten days for the estimate. Here's a loaner phone in the meantime.
Hands Peach a dirty, used phone with fewer features then the one that's being sent in. Pudge is NOT happy. Peach tries to pay the fee with his debit card.
Wireless Store Associate: Oh, we don't take debit.
Peach: What? You have a machine right there.
Wireless Store Associate: Yeah, but that's for sales only. For repairs we only take cash.
Peach: Fine. I'll be right back.
goes to bank machine; withdraws $60.00 in twenty dollar bills. Goes back to store and hands Wireless Store Associate the $60.00
Wireless Store Associate: Oh, I'm sorry sir. We don't have change?
Peach: What? You only take cash payments for repairs, but you don't have change.
Wireless Store Associate: laughs.
Peach pays $60 for the $50 estimate and leaves the store.

Later at home -
Peach relays conversation with me.
Me: WHAAAT?! Fifty bucks for the estimate?! The phone only cost $25.
Peach: See, this is why I don't like doing these kinds of things. Next time, you go.

Week one passes. Pudge does not like her loaner phone. No camera feature. No music feature. I tell her to be happy she has one at all, and she goes away sulking.

Week two passes.

Gingo: Mom, my phone's not working. The screen is black.
Pudge: That's the same thing that happened to my phone!
Me: Well, I'm not sending yours in until I find out what's wrong with Pudge's. I'm not paying $50 ... no, make the $60 for an estimate on a $25 phone.
Peach flashes me a not-so-loving look. I smile.

Week three arrives. Pudge is warned if she bugs me about her phone one more time ....

Pudge: Mom, PLEEEAAASSSEEEE. It's been three weeks and I still don't have my phone. They said it would take one to two weeks. Can you call them? Please, I'll do anything.
Me: Yes, I'll call tomorrow. I didn't call.

Week four passes. Pudge constantly nags me about her phone. Gingo nags about not having any phone at all and tells Pudge she should be happy because at least she still has one to use.

Week five passes. Nagging now reaches new and bothersome level of harassment. Gingo and Pudge are continuously arguing over which one of them is worse off ... the one with the phone she doesn't like or the one with no cell at all. I wonder how did I ever survive my teenage years back in our day of no cell phones ....

Pudge: MOM! Please call about my phone.
Me: OMG. Fine! I'll call now.
Pudge: Thank you Mommy. I love you.
Gets repair ticket receipt out and grabs for the phone. Dials number only to get recording "the number you've reached is not in service."
Me: Well, perhaps this is why we haven't heard from the store; we'll stop by there tomorrow and see what's going on.

August 17th -
Peach and I take a trip to the store. They are still open.
Wireless Store Associate: Hello, can I help you?
Me: Yes, I brought a phone in for repair and it was sent out for an estimate. That was 6 weeks ago tomorrow and we haven't heard from anyone yet.
W.S.A: Wow. Let me check the back.
Me: waiting not so patiently.
W.S.A: Ummm. It's not back yet.
Me: Why not?
W.S.A: I don't know. I can't call anyone until tomorrow because it's after 5pm.
Me: Well, I've waiting this long, what's one more day. Can you please make sure you call tomorrow on my husband's cell?
W.S.A: No problem.
Me: Oh, and by the way ... I tried to phone the store but the number that's printed on your receipt is out service.
W.S.A. studies the repair ticket closely with a confused look as she tells us the phone is working just fine. Suddenly, she laughs and tells us: Look, that's why - the phone number on here is a typo!

I'm soooooo not impressed. I go home and call R*g**s.

Me: Hello, I'd like to make a complaint please about one of your stores...

Lessons My Children Taught Me

Ok, now this thing was supposed to be easy! Yet even when I do manage to find the time to sit and blog, I find I'm constantly interrupted with phone calls, teenage drama, emotional meltdowns or arguments over clothes, make up, flat irons, the computer etc, etc, etc, etc.

I've registered my team Donna's Dragonflies for the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life. This is my 3rd year participating in honour of my best friend Donna. We are coming up the first anniversary of Donna's death from metastatic breast cancer. I miss her everyday! I can still hear her familiar 'hi, it's me' just as clearly as I can hear my girls laughing down the hall. Many times I feel completely lost without her friendship. My goal for the relay is to personally raise $500 in her name.

Dieting is very sloooooooooooooow. I'm stalled at 245. I haven't yet learned to not use food as comfort. When I feel overwhelmed (which is more often then not these days), eating is the only thing I feel I have control over. As a teenager I used to starve myself to show others I had control, and now as an adult I do the opposite and binge to feel like I'm in control. What the hell am I trying to prove, and to whom? Can someone please explain to me why when I'm pissed off at work do I feel I have to go home and eat 3 plates of dinner just to 'show her?' More importantly, can someone tell me how to stop? Hopefully things will start to settle down at work soon, as there are only 15 days until Dr. Z leaves the practice. I heard a line in a movie recently which pretty much sums up my job .... "I'm in a job with little pay and no respect - but one which I happen to love."

I strive to lead my children by example but do find myself more often then I'd like in one of those do as I say, not as I do situations. This week was one of those such situations. I have tried to raise my kids to always look for the good in people and situations and not just focus on the negative. They will always come across people in their lifetime who they aren't going to like or get along with, but try to find at least one good quality in each person. Especially when they have had a bad day, I try to get them to name at least one good or positive thing that happened. The other day, after a usual stressful day at work, I came home to the girls arguing and proceeded to rant about how crappy my day at work had been and how I really wasn't in the mood for more stress at home. In the middle of it all, Gingo stopped me and asked me if there was anything good about my day. Pudge joined her and I soon found myself smiling at my 2 youngest children who had just made me eat my own words.

Thank you Pudge and Gingo. Not only did you teach me a lesson, but you more importantly proved that even though I often feel like I'm banging my head against a wall when it comes to parenting, I am actually getting through. I love you guys!