The Most Frustrating Store

Today I took the kids to Canadian Tire to get out of the house. I don't know why I keep going back there. I don't think I've been in a more poorly run store in quite awhile. Let me go back a few months.........

We decided we'd like some storage shelves for in the storage room, & saw an ad in the Canadian Tire flier that they had all their shelving on sale for 50% off. PChad ran in the store to pick up a few & left me in the truck w/ the kids since Chancery was sleeping & we figured it'd be pretty fast since we knew exactly which ones we wanted & that was the only thing he was going in for. After about 20 minutes I was starting to wonder what had happened to PChad. Chancery woke up & was hungry (of course), so I took her out of her seat & started nursing her. Asher was being remarkably good, just playing w/ his cars & listening to the radio.

I was nursing Chancery & kinda lost track of time. Suddenly I realized PChad had been in the store for nearly an hour.... to pick up shelves. I decided to try calling his cell phone, but realized I had left mine at home, so I stayed in the truck & continued to wonder what on earth could be keeping him?

AN HOUR & A HALF after he went in, he emerged, but w/o shelves! Apparently, the shelves were not on the floor, so he asked an employee for a rain-check. The employee looked it up on the computer & it said there were 3 left, so they figured they must be in the warehouse & left to check. Twenty minutes later, another employee asked if someone was helping PChad & PChad submitted the same request, resulting in a second employee running off to search the warehouse. Finally PChad was able to stop a third employee for repeating these steps & calmly demanded a rain-check. Thus, PChad was able to leave the store (since I told him he had to get a rain-check if he wasn't able to get the shelves).

Jump to 2 weeks later.......... We get a call from Canadian Tire that our shelves are in, so I head off w/ the kidlets to pick up our shelves. We go in the store, to the shelving department & discover there are no shelves on the shelf. So I went to the counter & asked an employee about them. They look in the computer & it says there are none in stock, they haven't received the shipment yet. (So WHY did I get a call?)

Randomly I was in the store a few days later & discovered the shelves had come in, all on my own, so I picked them up, plus a few more b/c I didn't want to have to go through all that again.

So today I went to Canadian Tire to look for some storage totes for Asher's blocks & other toys. I got to the aisle where all the containers are to discover that there were almost no lids for any of the containers. I thought that maybe I just couldn't see where they had stored them b/c some were behind the containers & the ones I wanted were on a higher shelf. So I snagged an employee & asked them about the lids. he said he didn't know, but he'd get someone from housewares to help me. The lady came & asked what I needed. I told her I wanted to buy some containers, but I couldn't find any lids. Her response? "Yeah, we can't find any lids either." Excuse me, WHAT???

She said that since they were reorganizing everything after Christmas that things were a little bit here & there, but the container aisle wasn't affected by the Christmas stuff (whatever). She kindly scanned in the container I wanted & went to look in the warehouse to see if she could find some lids (Yes, I was quite worried, but not afraid to walk away either). She came back after about 15 minutes to tell me that she couldn't find any.

Seriously, there was a full aisle of storage totes & maybe 10 lids TOTAL in the whole aisle. What........? Where..........? I just don't understand how that store can function, but I am only giving them one more chance, I'm getting pretty fed up w/ them, it's borderline ridiculous.

Sunday Pics, week 19

Asher - 2.5 Years

Chancery 4.5 Months

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Asher: "Mum, don't you think people are BORED of these photo shoots yet?"


Chancery: "Yeah, I'm bored of them already!"


Asher: "We've got to think of something new....."


Chancery: "I have an idea of how to spice them up!"

Chancery: "I shall DANCE for you!"

Asher: "I can't bear to look at this, it's awful!"

Chancery: "Who said I'm a bad dancer?"

Asher: "That would be me!"
Chancery: "I can't believe my own BROTHER would say such a thing!"

I'm Losing What's Left Of My Mind!

My cute little girl has a problem. She goes to sleep, then she wakes up & cries, & cries, & CRIES, & SCREAMS, & kicks, & generally doesn't want to go back to sleep. She's great at night (well, compared to how Asher was). She'll go to sleep quite easily & sleep for 12-13 hours w/ about 3-4 wakings during the night. The problem is naptime.

Quite often she wakes after 1/2 an hour or 45 minutes. If I don't get to her right away she gets all worked upp & if I don't get her up, but try to get her to go back to sleep she gets VERY upset. The problem is that she isn't rested enough. I think if I actually let her, she'd take a bunch of 1/2 hour naps rather than 2 good naps.

So, I'm getting annoyed, & frustrated, & well, I've had about enough. When we finally did something about Asher's sleep issues, we turned to Dr Weisbluth after trying just about every other sleep book's method that was on the market. My very first blog post was about the results of Dr Weissbluth's tecniques. I'm a little hesitant about trying the same thing w/ Chancery b/c she does go to sleep quite well sometimes & I don't want to mess that up, but on the other hand, this might be a good way to get her trained to do it ALL the time.

Now w/ Asher I can see that using that method was a great thing to do b/c even now, at 2.5 years old, he knows that protesting doesn't get him anywhere, not only at bedtime, but other times too. If we say no to him & he starts crying & fussing, we just ask him, "does that help?" He says, "No," stops crying & finds something else to do instead.

So I'm off to try & figure out the best way of breaking her in, to better sleep habits & a happier family!

White Christmas

This will be one of the first white Christmases I've had in a long time. We weren't so sure it was going to be, since the weather has been pretty nice & all the snow we had gotten had melted. Monday the storm hit. I was getting the kids ready to go to the grocery store Monday morning & PChad asked if I had looked outside. I told him that I knew it had snowed, that's why we were putting on our snow boots. He said, "But have you LOOKED outside?" So I dutifully went to look outside....................


And do you know what he said? He said I couldn't go out! I was sure I'd be able to make it, I have 4 wheel drive after all!


Wishing you a MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Sherilyn ~Dominee Huisvrouw

Little "Unimportant" Prayers

A friend of mine posted about praying for "trivial matters" like parking spots & it made me think about the kind of prayers I offer up.

My most prayed prayer goes something like this: "Lord, please let them go to sleep!" Usually prayed in the middle of the night, or at naptime when the kids are not cooperating w/ the planned course of the day. I think sometimes God puts those little "bumps" in our daily lives to turn our attention back to Him.

Sure my prayers might start like that, but it usually takes longer to get the kids to sleep & rather than just repeating it over & over I branch out to other things: This friend who just told me about her financial difficulties, that friend going through a divorce, friends of our trying to get pregnant....

So I'm thankful for the petty problems God puts in my path, not that I appreciate the problem itself, but I appreciate the effect it has on my prayer life. Sometimes I need that nudge to get me praying.

Sunday Pics, Week 18

Asher - 2.5 years
Chancery - 4 Months
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Asher, I can't see your face, you'll have to put Thanet down.

Chancery: "Did you know it's only 4 days 'til Christmas?"

Asher: "Ooo, I wonder what we'll do for Christmas?
Maybe we'll go have pancakes!"

Chancery: "No, I think McDonald's will be closed, Silly!"

Chancery: "EVERYTHING is closed on Christmas!
.....Except church, I bet we're going to church!"

Asher: "Does that mean I have to go in the nursery AGAIN?"


No, that means you GET to go in the nursery again!
Now let's see that dazzling smile!

Everything's Coming Up Minty

I recently ran out of both Peppermint & Creme de Menthe flavourings for making lattes. I've been using other syrups that I have, but the other day I really wanted a minty latte, so I looked in the cupboard & found a bottle of "Mint Extract."

When making a latte, you use about an ounce of flavoured syrup. I knew that the peppermint extract would probably be a bit stronger, so I mostly filled the shot glass w/ Irish Cream flavoured syrup & added a small amount of mint extract...... (Had I read this I would have known better).

Well, I added too much. PChad came in the room a little while later & asked what smelled minty. I told him it was my latte & asked if he wanted a sip, he replied, "No way!" I definitely got my kick of peppermint, but everything else I ate that day also tasted minty. I'd like to let you know that minty cornbread is a little disconcerting!

Banking Issues

The other day I was at the Dollar Store & I tried to use my ATM card b/c they don't take credit. I tried my PIN 3 times, to no avail. I know what my PIN should be, but thought maybe I had punched it in at the bank incorrectly when I changed it.

A few days ago I had to go to the bank to deposit PChad's check & I asked them to check my ATM card too so I could use it again. She swiped it & asked me to put my PIN in. A code came up that she didn't recognize, so she dug out her code book, looked it up & explained what that particular code meant:

"Your PIN number didn't work."

Honestly, I didn't need a computer to tell me that!

Money Well Spent?

I ran across this video whilst surfing the web. I found it to be quite the interesting expariment, but the more I thought about it, the more I started to wonder just how much an endevour like this would cost. Then I thought, rather than performing such a "pure" test, wouldn't it have been a better use of their money to donate to something like this, or this, or that, or even this??

Naptime

Today I noticed we are getting a bit low on squares, so I asked Asher if he wanted me to make squares during his nap, or if he wanted to help me make them later.

He thought about it for awhile, then said, "Help you make squares during my NAP!"

After I explained that wasn't going to work, he opted for helping me later & it's a good thing b/c Chancery decided that when Asher went down for a nap, that the 1/2 hour she had been sleeping was a good enough nap. I just got her down again, but I'll be suprised if ASher doesn't wake up in the next 15 minutes or so.

I know, I know, in a few short years they'll be growing up & I'll wish for these days back again.... Yeah, but maybe not days like today!

Two Socks

Not long ago I realized that most the socks I owned were wearing thin so I decided it was time for new socks. I usually just buy white sport socks, but have discovered that when I remove my shoes, it doesn't look very nice when I'm sporting a nice outfit to be wearing Adidas socks. So I thought that maybe it was time to purchase some nicer socks.

I make no bones about it, I am cheap, so when I'm looking for new socks, I don't want to be paying nearly $2 a pair. I went to Winners, where I can always count on getting a fairly good deal. I found some Roots socks, which I was really excited about & also picked up a small pack of brown socks b/c I thought brown socks are a good way to go when I'm wearing my khaki trousers to church.

Well, those Roots socks might look nice, but they don't do much to keep my feet warm. PChad got awfully tired of me turning the thermostat up just b/c my new socks were so thin, so I started wearing 2 pair. Now, I might have paid less than $2 a pair for those socks, but when you ALWAYS have to wear 2 pair, that basically doubles the cost of your socks, eh, b/c you have 1/2 the number of socks available to wear, maybe they weren't such a great deal.

Last Sunday I decided to break out the brown socks. Well, they were too long. I put them on & the heel part was 1/2 way up my calf. I don't understand how they can sell them as women's size 5-9 socks, when they would clearly fit a men's size 5-9 much better. I can't tell you how many pairs of socks PChad has aquired b/c of improper fit! Unfortunately he only wears black or white socks, so those brown ones are off to Value Village!

Making Amends

Lately I've been playing quite a bit of Christmas music from the New Kids On the Block "Merry Merry Christmas" CD, which is NOT PChad's favourite band ("if you can call them that" -PChad).

The other day I caught him singing along to "Have a Funky, Funky Christmas" (wow, look at those dance moves!). I teased him a bit & he replied, "That's why I don't like having crappy music inthe house, it gets stuck in my head & the next thing I know, I'm SINGING crappy songs!"

So, to make amends, this song's for you!

Christmas Traditions

Kim's having a favourites party over on her blog, so here's my favourite Christmas traditions......

As we were growing up we were not allowed to have sugar cereals. It was always either Cheerios, or Rice Crispies for breakfast. One year my parents got us each a box of sugar cereal for Christmas. We liked it so much that they kept up the tradition & we got one every year after that.

I also really liked the way we did our stockings. Every year we'd have 4-5 presents in our stockings & then starting on the 20th (or 21st) we'd open one gift each night. As we got older the gifts were usually the same, but we always looked forward to a Starbucks Gift Card, a Cinnabon Gift Certificate, Beef Jerky, & an ornament.

What's In A Name?

Why the "Dominee Huisvrouw"?

My husband is a pastor in the Christian Reformed Church. This church was started by Dutch immigrants & there are still many Dutch people in the churches today.

"Dominee" in Dutch means clergyman, pastor, or minister.

"Huisvrouw" when translated from Dutch means: housewife, homemaker, married woman who manages her home full time.

I am, by definition, the Dominee's Huisvrouw!

Sunday Pics: week 17

Sorry these are a bit late, it's been busy around here the last few days.....

Asher - 2 years
Chancery - 4 months
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Asher: "This little piggy went to market..."


Asher: "Look, here's the piggy right here!"


Chancery: "Could you please leave me alone?"

Asher: "Hmmm, I wonder what's for lunch today..."
Chancery: "I bet it's milk!"

Asher: "Maybe for you, but I usually get Eggos on Sundays, with syrup & butter.....!"
Chancery: "That is SO unfair!"


Asher: "Yeah, all you get is milk! Ha, ha!"

Chancery: "Do you not remember what happened last week?"
Asher: "Yes I do... I think I'll go now."

Asher: "Here's my smile for you, Mum!"

BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes 2008

BooMama's hosting her annual Christmas Tour of Homes. Head on over to her place to see more & add your own!

This year is the second time in the last 10 years that we have put up our tree. Normally we have gone to either PChad's parents or mine for Christmas, so we haven't bothered. IN fact the first 2 years I still wanted to decorate a bit, so we set up our ladder, strung lights on it & put the angel on top. Let me tell you, you can put ALOT of presents under a ladder!

This lighted garland is on the banister upstairs. I also have a strand of "berry" lights intertwined. I really like how they look at night w/ all the lights off (I tried to take pictures of that, but they came out blurry, so you'll just have to use your imagination).



I decorated the light fixture over the kitchen table. Asher doesn't try to play w/ the ball TOO much! I had 2, & Asher tried to play catch w/ the other one. I was going to give the balls away b/c they are rather large & I didn't really know what to do w/ them, but since I only had one & it matched my stars, I hung it here.


On the bannister near the front door I have a strand of lighted star garland & also the stockings. However my stockings refuse to hang straight, so I will be looking for better stockings in the after Christmas sales this year!



Here are a few of my favourite wall decorations. Since we haven't gotten around to hanging any art/pictures yet, I got to put them up where ever I wanted this year!



When we lived in Alberta there was a store that sold mostly handmade wood decorations made by people in the local care center. After Christmas they had wonderful sales where I was able to get most of these.




*Hooked on Homes is having a home tour as well!

When I Grow Up

Yesterday Asher & I were reading a book called "Bert Wonders Why." It's part of a set of books of the alphabet. I read the title of it to him & was corrected, apparently b/c this is the "W" book, the title is "Bert Wonders W." Of course, that makes sense. If it's the "W" book, why would they say "Bert Wonders Y"?

We got to a page where Bert ponders what he wants to be when he grows up & I asked Asher if he wanted to be a fireman, policeman, trucker, preacher, mailman, or a teacher. He said he didn't want to be any of those things, so I asked what he wanted to be when he gets bigger. He pointed to the dog on the page & said, "I want to be THAT doggie!"

How do you explain to a 2.5 year old that he can be whatever he wants when he grows up, but not a dog?

Baby Jesus

The other day I was walking through the living room when Asher stopped me.

He said, "You can't go over there, the baby is sleeping."

So I asked him, "What's the baby's name?"

Asher: "The baby's name is Jesus..... I'm going to give her her plug."

Of course I had to correct that notion, "Baby Jesus is a boy."

He was quite indignant & replied, "No, babies are girls!"

Oh dear, it was time to teach him about genders. So I told him that Chancery is a girl & will grow up to be a lady like Mummy. And Asher is a boy & will grow up to be a man like Daddy.

Asher added, "AND Daddy is a pastor, just like all the other pastors."

So now I'm not sure he understands that not all boys grow up to be pastors, but Chancery woke up from her nap, so I didn't get to sort that all out. Oh well, there are worse things he could believe.

My Blog Has Personality!

PChad sent me the link for typealyzer. It's a site that analyses your blog to determine what parts of your brain are working when you are blogging. I found the results to be quite interesting, but it wasn't a shock to learn that I am a performer. So go on, click the link, discover what your blog is & leave a comment so I can check out how accurate your results are!

ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

Domesticated!

For awhile, the only way that we've been able to survive grocery shopping has been to put Chancery in the Snuggli. This has worked quite well, but now that the weather has turned colder it's proving to be a bit of a nuisance. Fortunately since I seem to have more stuff stocked in the house now, my shopping list has been getting shorter, resulting in shorter shopping trips, so I've been keeping Chancery iin her carseat & she hasn't protested too much.

Asher really likes itt when Chancery is in her Snuggli & often requests that I put her in it. The other day he came w/ a new request. He wanted to carry his "buddies" in the Snuggli, so I made his blanket into a sling. He picked up his tools & set off to work.





Yesterday I got the vacuum out & he begged me to let him have a turn. He's going to make some woman very happy when he gets older... much older.... like 40.

A Balanced Marriage

The other night I lovingly slaved away over the stove making dinner for my beloved family. It was ok, as far as my meals go (not too many are stellar, I'm still learning how to cook). PChad & I were finished, & Asher was figuring out what he could do w/ his food BESIDES eat it.

PChad asked Asher if he'd like dessert (as a motivational tool to get him to eat his dinner), turned to me & said, "I'd like a little bit of ice cream."

I looked right back at him & said, "So would I."

We stared lovingly at one another for a few secoonds before I added, "I cooked dinner."

He replied indignantly, "What is this, a transaction marriage? You do something nice & I demand a favour?"

"Wait, that's not the way I meant it..... I'll get the ice cream."

Would You Like Some Pie?

The other night I had to bring Chancery up to bed at the end of our dinnertime, so Asher & PChad had dessert w/o me. I had bought some Pecan Pie b/c it was in the 50% off bin at the grocery store, and b/c I LOVE pecan pie, you can bet that I was going to make sure I got some later that evening.

When I finally made it back downstairs, Asher & PChad were finished & had started playing, so I found the container on the counter, opened it up, & this is what greeted me:

Honestly, who on EARTH cuts pie like this? He might not be perfect, but he keeps me laughing!

It's Sunday!

Asher -2.5 years

Chancery -3.5 months

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Asher: "I'll just take this off for you now, Chancery."

Asher, leave Chancery's plug in, it makes her happy.

Asher: She can't possibly think I'm up to something if I show her a nice grin!

Chancery: "Uh, Mum, he took my plug!"
Asher: "She didn't need it, so I threw it over THERE!"

Asher: Hmmm, what can I do next?

Chancery: "Stop right there!
I know karate, & I'm not afraid to use it, Mister!"

Chancery: "What?? I WARNED him!"

Chancery: "Ha ha! The couch is mine at last!"