Yesterday when I went to the Doctor I thought I'd kill 2 birds w/ one stone & get my bloodwork done that my other doctor had ordered last week. I kept seeing the lab order on my counter & just hadn't found a convenient time to go, which isn't like me at all. If you know me in the "real" world, you'll know that I actually LIKE to go to the doctor. I think when I was a freshman in college I was either at the hospital or the doctor every week. (I had physio for my ankle for 2 months, plus I was a BIT accident-prone).
ANYWAY, I went & they told me that the test that was ordered was a 1 hour Glucose Tolerance Test & I'd have to sit there for the whole hour. I knew what kind of test had been ordered, but in the doctor's office where I used to work, we never had made the patients wait, so I had figured I could drink the stuff & go home, then come back w/o Asher in tow, since I knew that sitting in the lab w/ Asher was not going to be a pleasant experience. So I told the lady I'd come back later instead.
Today Chad came home a little early so I could get the test done since I was supposed to get it done as soon as possible & it had already been a week & then some. So off I went w/ my book for an hour of sitting. I have to tell you, it was a rather enjoyable way to spend an hour. I could sit & read w/o any interruptions of any kind. The only issue I had was the chairs in the waiting room weren't very padded & neither is my bum, so sitting there for that long led to a bit of a sore tush, but I suppose most people don't have to sit there that long.... unless they come on a Monday morning, those were always busy.....
They gave me the delicious orange drink & said they'd call me back for the bloodwork in an hour. My baby was enjoying the sugar-rush. It was wriggling & squirming all over the place! When the time was almost up I sure felt tired though!
When I got home it was lunch time & now I have the issue of what to eat since I feel quite sugary & I need something to balance that out....... Any suggestions?
Friday, 30 May 2008
Thursday, 29 May 2008
A Visit to the Doctor
Last night my eye was itchy. Chad had the same thing when we were in Grand Rapids a few weeks ago & it went away after about 1/2 a day, so I thought nothing of it & went to bed. This morning I awoke to only one operational eye. My other eye was gunked closed & puffy. And MAN did it ITCH! Chad suggested I put some water in my hand & open my eye into that to clean it out. That just made my eye burn, so I called the Dr & went in. I have Pink Eye folks! No idea where I got it from, but I think the hardest part of the whole thing is trying not to spread it to Asher.
In other news, we went to visit our friend in Sarnia yesterday, like we do most Wednesdays. We had a great time shopping the charity shops & also went to the animal farm. Asher enjoyed the goats, sheep, & crowing rooster that he called, "noisy rooster!" We also fed the geese & Asher was bitten by one, but it was a Canada Goose, so it only gave him a gentle nip as it was going for the bread. Canadians are so polite! I think it even apologized afterwards! Maybe I got pink eye from the animal farm, but I don't remember seeing any goats w/ puffy eyes......
In other news, we went to visit our friend in Sarnia yesterday, like we do most Wednesdays. We had a great time shopping the charity shops & also went to the animal farm. Asher enjoyed the goats, sheep, & crowing rooster that he called, "noisy rooster!" We also fed the geese & Asher was bitten by one, but it was a Canada Goose, so it only gave him a gentle nip as it was going for the bread. Canadians are so polite! I think it even apologized afterwards! Maybe I got pink eye from the animal farm, but I don't remember seeing any goats w/ puffy eyes......
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Cravings
As I type this little blog, dear reader, a sad thing has happened. I am baking brownies. The smell is wafting around the apartment & tantalizing my taste buds. I had to go into the kitchen to get something & noticed that the brownies only had 15 minutes to go. I started to think of how good fresh home-made brownies are. I figured I could wait 15 minutes for one, but then I remembered that I would also have to wait for them to cool down a bit & I decided I couldn't wait that long. Soooooo, I ate a Suzy-Q. Not so bad, you say? Well, the brownies have just come out of the oven & I am starting to rethink that I could probably wait until they cool down a bit & have one of those as well. No wonder my stomach is getting so big!
Saturday, 24 May 2008
Oh, He Loves Canada!
Lately Asher has been waking up around 6am, which is about an hour before we want him to get up. Normally I go in his room & tell him he needs to go back to sleep until his night-light comes on (we have it on a timer). But the past 2 days when I have gone in there to do so he has informed me that he is a "Stinky Pete." So I have had the fun task of changing his pants at 6 in the morning & then getting him to go back to bed for an hour.
Last night I told Chad that if Asher woke up early today it was his job to go get him back to sleep since normally Chad sleeps through this whole ordeal. So this morning at 20 after 6 I hear Asher start to talk. I usually wait a little bit, hoping that he'll just go back to sleep on his own. He didn't have much to say this morning, normally it's indistinguishable chatter, but I distinctly heard him say, in a rather loud voice, "In Canada, YAY!" That brought a smile to my face.
That was the last I heard him until 7 when his light came on. We were awakened again by a little voice saying, "Come out? Night-light on! Come out?" So I sent Chad in & sure enough, he was informed that Asher was a "stinky Pete." He must have known daddy likes to sleep in & it was his turn today!
Last night I told Chad that if Asher woke up early today it was his job to go get him back to sleep since normally Chad sleeps through this whole ordeal. So this morning at 20 after 6 I hear Asher start to talk. I usually wait a little bit, hoping that he'll just go back to sleep on his own. He didn't have much to say this morning, normally it's indistinguishable chatter, but I distinctly heard him say, in a rather loud voice, "In Canada, YAY!" That brought a smile to my face.
That was the last I heard him until 7 when his light came on. We were awakened again by a little voice saying, "Come out? Night-light on! Come out?" So I sent Chad in & sure enough, he was informed that Asher was a "stinky Pete." He must have known daddy likes to sleep in & it was his turn today!
Friday, 23 May 2008
A Sign of Things to Come?
I've heard many times that parents generally are more lenient w/ second children than they are w/ their first. I know some who are diligent about filling in the baby book for baby #1, begin a baby book for #2, & don't even bother buying one for subsequent children b/c they know it's not eve going to be started, let alone completed. I am really hoping that baby #2 & beyond at least get baby books in our family, but if things continue to go as they have thus far, I'm not so sure it'll happen.
When I was pregnant w/ Asher I was diligent about buttering my belly w/ cocoa butter in order to avoid the dreaded stretch marks. I put on a thick coat every night w/o fail & for the most part it worked, until he "dropped" & I got a few stretch marks in the last few weeks. Generally I faired pretty well.
Maybe it's due to being tired at the end of the day, or the fact that I'm getting older & I know that I will probably almost never wear stomach baring clothing again, but I have been very negligent on the belly buttering front. I am really hoping this isn't a sign of things to come, like neglecting to feed my child, or change their pants......
When I was pregnant w/ Asher I was diligent about buttering my belly w/ cocoa butter in order to avoid the dreaded stretch marks. I put on a thick coat every night w/o fail & for the most part it worked, until he "dropped" & I got a few stretch marks in the last few weeks. Generally I faired pretty well.
Maybe it's due to being tired at the end of the day, or the fact that I'm getting older & I know that I will probably almost never wear stomach baring clothing again, but I have been very negligent on the belly buttering front. I am really hoping this isn't a sign of things to come, like neglecting to feed my child, or change their pants......
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
One Sick Kid
On Friday night we had a lovely meal at Arnie's. We picked this restaurant namely for it's delicious desserts. It also has really good sandwiches, but who doesn't plan a meal based around dessert every now & then? Asher ate really well. He had a whole grilled cheese sandwich plus lots of fries. Then came time for the cakes & ice cream. Asher didn't want to be left out, so he partook of the desserts as well. All was fine until we walked into the hotel door & he promptly expunged his dessert & dinner.
Saturday we went off to Chad's Graduation. We stopped by the babysitter's to drop Asher off only to be told that her house had been infected w/ strep throat. So Asher got to see his daddy graduate from Seminary afterall. Chad had said numerous times that he wanted Asher to be there at Grad & I had jokingly told him that would be fine as long as Chad looked after him then. I realized once we pulled into the parking lot that I haddn't really dressed Asher for an appearance at graduation, but no one commented on his dressed down outfit.
After grad we went to Russ' for a light lunch before the party. Asher didn't want his hot dog. He just wanted fruit, so we were trying to get him to eat a few bites of hot dog to no avail. Then off to the party we went. Asher was quite tired & slept for awhile in Grandpa Vos' truck & then just wanted to cuddle w/ Chad or I. Grandma & Grandpa took him back to the hotel for a nap while Chad & I stayed to chat w/ our friends we hadn't seen in the last year.
We all met for dinner at the Grand Rapids Brewing Co. We didn't even get the bread delivered to the table before the trouble started. Chad was talking to his brother-in-law at the opposite end of the table w/ Asher when Asher delivered his hot dog. So off I went to the hotel w/ Asher for a clean-up & early bedtime. We got back to the hotel to discover that we didn't have keys to get in, so back to the Brewing Co. In the parking lot Asher puked some more just so I could learn just how hard it is to clean a car seat.
I finally got him home, washed, & in bed & was just starting on the car seat, & boy was I starting in on the car seat! It is impossible to take the cover off our car seat. You can get it mostly off, but the last few places that it's attached are impossible to remove. I was getting quite frustrated. Who designs car seats, that children sit & puke in, that can't be washed properly? We ended up wiping it w/ a hot cloth & spraying it liberally w/ Febreeze.
So after 2 days of feeling quite hot ( we didn't have a thermometer along). we finally got home & discovered Asher had a fever of 103.9. Chad took him to the Dr last night b/c he maintained a high fever all day as well, & Asher has his first case of Strep Throat!
Saturday we went off to Chad's Graduation. We stopped by the babysitter's to drop Asher off only to be told that her house had been infected w/ strep throat. So Asher got to see his daddy graduate from Seminary afterall. Chad had said numerous times that he wanted Asher to be there at Grad & I had jokingly told him that would be fine as long as Chad looked after him then. I realized once we pulled into the parking lot that I haddn't really dressed Asher for an appearance at graduation, but no one commented on his dressed down outfit.
After grad we went to Russ' for a light lunch before the party. Asher didn't want his hot dog. He just wanted fruit, so we were trying to get him to eat a few bites of hot dog to no avail. Then off to the party we went. Asher was quite tired & slept for awhile in Grandpa Vos' truck & then just wanted to cuddle w/ Chad or I. Grandma & Grandpa took him back to the hotel for a nap while Chad & I stayed to chat w/ our friends we hadn't seen in the last year.
We all met for dinner at the Grand Rapids Brewing Co. We didn't even get the bread delivered to the table before the trouble started. Chad was talking to his brother-in-law at the opposite end of the table w/ Asher when Asher delivered his hot dog. So off I went to the hotel w/ Asher for a clean-up & early bedtime. We got back to the hotel to discover that we didn't have keys to get in, so back to the Brewing Co. In the parking lot Asher puked some more just so I could learn just how hard it is to clean a car seat.
I finally got him home, washed, & in bed & was just starting on the car seat, & boy was I starting in on the car seat! It is impossible to take the cover off our car seat. You can get it mostly off, but the last few places that it's attached are impossible to remove. I was getting quite frustrated. Who designs car seats, that children sit & puke in, that can't be washed properly? We ended up wiping it w/ a hot cloth & spraying it liberally w/ Febreeze.
So after 2 days of feeling quite hot ( we didn't have a thermometer along). we finally got home & discovered Asher had a fever of 103.9. Chad took him to the Dr last night b/c he maintained a high fever all day as well, & Asher has his first case of Strep Throat!
Thursday, 15 May 2008
Grad Weekend is Here!
We arrived in Grand Rapids yesterday afternoon & checked into our hotel/apartment to find a nice cleaned floor. So freshly cleaned in fact that I was treated to soaking wet socks moments after removing my shoes. I believe the carpet must have been cleaned w/in an hour of our arrival. I called the office & they said the room was supposed to be ready at 3 (it was then 4pm) & it should only take a few hours to dry. So we went out for dinner w/ our friends Ben & Melody, & Jacob & Kami, & our 5 kids. We had a great time catching up w/ them all again. We haven't seen Jacob & Kami in a year since they were doing their internship out in California & we were in Ontario.
After dinner we all went to the mall so the kids could play on the "Breakfast Food" play area. They had a great time sliding down the bacon, climbing the banana & jumping on the eggs. Don't ask me why they chose that theme, but it seems to work for the kids! Chad & I did a little shopping as well since it doesn't happen too often that we get to the mall together.
We got back to the hotel about 8:30 & the carpets were still wet, so we opened the windows again in the hopes of drying it out a bit faster. By this morning things were pretty much dry again, there were a few wet spots, but the majority was dry. At least we can't complain that the apartment is dirty b/c it really is very clean.
We took it easy this morning since starting this afternoon we have meetings, graduation, parties, church & family busyness to deal with. The only thing on my agenda today was getting to Costco to buy more diapers for Asher since we were getting low just before we left Ontario.
My parents get in this afternoon & Asher is really looking forward to seeing them again. Chad's parents & their entourage come in tonight so we have to go down to the train to get them as well. I think we're going to have alot of fun all being together again.
Saturday Chad finally graduates from Seminary & this is the first time that he'll be graduating w/o immediate plans to go to school. He's actually going to get his first real job & we are all so proud of him! :) Hopefully in a few months we'll have a church lined up & we can move to a house & plan to live in it for more than a year or 2! I am really looking forward to being settled for awhile, although that means I'll have to change my household cleaning routine of only dusting when we move!
We are really looking forward to catching up w/ all the friends we haven't seen in the last year (or haven't seen often) but it's also going to be difficult to say goodbye to them again so soon since many of them we probably won't see for years. Hopefully we'll be able to stay in touch. It's difficult as a pastor to have friends that really understand what it's like, so I think it's very important to hang on to the ones we've made in the last 4 years since these are probably the ones who will understand the best.
After dinner we all went to the mall so the kids could play on the "Breakfast Food" play area. They had a great time sliding down the bacon, climbing the banana & jumping on the eggs. Don't ask me why they chose that theme, but it seems to work for the kids! Chad & I did a little shopping as well since it doesn't happen too often that we get to the mall together.
We got back to the hotel about 8:30 & the carpets were still wet, so we opened the windows again in the hopes of drying it out a bit faster. By this morning things were pretty much dry again, there were a few wet spots, but the majority was dry. At least we can't complain that the apartment is dirty b/c it really is very clean.
We took it easy this morning since starting this afternoon we have meetings, graduation, parties, church & family busyness to deal with. The only thing on my agenda today was getting to Costco to buy more diapers for Asher since we were getting low just before we left Ontario.
My parents get in this afternoon & Asher is really looking forward to seeing them again. Chad's parents & their entourage come in tonight so we have to go down to the train to get them as well. I think we're going to have alot of fun all being together again.
Saturday Chad finally graduates from Seminary & this is the first time that he'll be graduating w/o immediate plans to go to school. He's actually going to get his first real job & we are all so proud of him! :) Hopefully in a few months we'll have a church lined up & we can move to a house & plan to live in it for more than a year or 2! I am really looking forward to being settled for awhile, although that means I'll have to change my household cleaning routine of only dusting when we move!
We are really looking forward to catching up w/ all the friends we haven't seen in the last year (or haven't seen often) but it's also going to be difficult to say goodbye to them again so soon since many of them we probably won't see for years. Hopefully we'll be able to stay in touch. It's difficult as a pastor to have friends that really understand what it's like, so I think it's very important to hang on to the ones we've made in the last 4 years since these are probably the ones who will understand the best.
Monday, 12 May 2008
I Might Be Scarring My Child, But It's For His Own Good!
While we were on our holidays, Asher got a SpongeBob Happy Meal toy. Now, I'm not a big fan of SpongeBob, mainly b/c he is aimed at small children, and his humour is more adult than kiddish. So, I'm not a fan. However, we were limited on the number of toys we had for Asher, so I decided that since this new toy wasn't a choking hazard, have could have it.
I may not have told him the truth though, when I told him the strange yellow creature's name. I actually told him it was a piece of cheese. I had many chuckles over hearing him sing from the backseat, "Oh where, oh where piece of cheese go? Oh where, oh where a be?" Chad told me I shouldn't rename famously known items such as SpongeBob, but by then it was too late.
Well, on Saturday when I took Asher for our traditional breakfast at McDonald's, who was on the TV? SpongeBob! It took most of the meal before Asher noticed, and when he did, I really got the chuckels. He called out in a loud voice, "Piece of cheese on TV!"
So, dear reader, do you think he'll be scarred for life, much like the children who find out past the age of 10 that Santa doesn't exist?
I may not have told him the truth though, when I told him the strange yellow creature's name. I actually told him it was a piece of cheese. I had many chuckles over hearing him sing from the backseat, "Oh where, oh where piece of cheese go? Oh where, oh where a be?" Chad told me I shouldn't rename famously known items such as SpongeBob, but by then it was too late.
Well, on Saturday when I took Asher for our traditional breakfast at McDonald's, who was on the TV? SpongeBob! It took most of the meal before Asher noticed, and when he did, I really got the chuckels. He called out in a loud voice, "Piece of cheese on TV!"
So, dear reader, do you think he'll be scarred for life, much like the children who find out past the age of 10 that Santa doesn't exist?
Scroll for Pictures
I finally got the pictures from our trip loaded into the blogs they pertain to. Scroll through to see them!
Saturday, 10 May 2008
Friday, 9 May 2008
Being a Single Mum
For the past 2 days I have been a single mum. We got back from England on Wednesday afternoon, & on Thursday morning bright & early, Chad left to go on a men's retreat for church. He'll be back tomorrow night, & I'll be quite glad to get him back.
Asher's been really great I must say, but I do miss having Chad around. It's nice to have someone ask if you're coming to bed, if you'd like a bowl of ice cream, or how your day has been. I have been dealing with a bit of jet-lag still, more on Asher's part than mine. He's been waking up around 4:30am, but relatively easy to get back to sleep. He got up this morning at 7:30 which was really nice since I didn't have to have the alarm set at all either.
We've just been hanging out at home the past 2 days. I kinda figured that since he hasn't had much time to play w/ toys the last few weeks & we've been on the go pretty steady for the past month it was a nice break for us both, but I think we're going to go out tomorrow. Part of the reason for my hibernation the past few days has also been the weather. The thermometer says it's warmish, but as soon as I get outside, the wind freezes me to the core. Perhaps at our next house I'll invest in a weather station so I'll know both the temp & the wind chill.
Today I worked on getting our pictures from our trip uploaded to the internet, & I did something a little crafty. This may surprise those of you who know me b/c I am neither creative, nor patient for this type of thing, but I made a scrapbook online. I liked the fact that I will have a nice photo book complete with captions saying where the pictures are taken & what they are of, & yet I didn't have to cut, trim, paste, glue, or tape any pictures & I really didn't have to be all that crafty. I will have 56 pages of trip photos sent to my door for under $20. I think that's a great deal.
Asher's been really great I must say, but I do miss having Chad around. It's nice to have someone ask if you're coming to bed, if you'd like a bowl of ice cream, or how your day has been. I have been dealing with a bit of jet-lag still, more on Asher's part than mine. He's been waking up around 4:30am, but relatively easy to get back to sleep. He got up this morning at 7:30 which was really nice since I didn't have to have the alarm set at all either.
We've just been hanging out at home the past 2 days. I kinda figured that since he hasn't had much time to play w/ toys the last few weeks & we've been on the go pretty steady for the past month it was a nice break for us both, but I think we're going to go out tomorrow. Part of the reason for my hibernation the past few days has also been the weather. The thermometer says it's warmish, but as soon as I get outside, the wind freezes me to the core. Perhaps at our next house I'll invest in a weather station so I'll know both the temp & the wind chill.
Today I worked on getting our pictures from our trip uploaded to the internet, & I did something a little crafty. This may surprise those of you who know me b/c I am neither creative, nor patient for this type of thing, but I made a scrapbook online. I liked the fact that I will have a nice photo book complete with captions saying where the pictures are taken & what they are of, & yet I didn't have to cut, trim, paste, glue, or tape any pictures & I really didn't have to be all that crafty. I will have 56 pages of trip photos sent to my door for under $20. I think that's a great deal.
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig!
This morning Asher woke up at 3:30, 4:00, & at 4:30 he decided he'd had enough sleep. We couldn't blame it on the room not being dark b/c it was pitch black. It was really nice, we slept really well, until Asher decided he was done!
So, we got up early, I had Chad make us some coffee from the coffee maker so thoughtfully provided in our room & then we went to Denny's again for breakfast. Asher was quite excited to have pancakes for breakfast, but even more excited that they came with cherries on top. I think we'll have to start ordering him things with fruit on them. Last night he was more excited about the grapes that came with his dinner than the Mac & Cheese. Although this morning when I asked him what he was going to have for breakfast, instead of his usual answer of, "Pancakes!" I got "Mac & Cheese!" I had to explain that he couldn't have Mac & Cheese for breakfast & he was ok with that too.
We started on our way home & stopped off at a western store as I was looking for a new pair of Roper Performance shoes since I really liked mine, but couldn't find a place that sold them. I struck out once again, except that the sales lady remembered she had been sent a sample from Roper, but didn't want to order them, so she had the one pair. They were a size 8 & I am a8.5, but she gave me a really good deal on them, so I got them anyway. I was looking for a brown suede pair like the ones I have, but these are tooled brown leather & I really like them, they are a little less frumpy than the other pair.
After our little foray off the freeway, we got started again, only to stop at the next exit b/c Chad saw some stores that looked interesting. We spend time, but no money, then off again. We made it to London, ON, I decided since it was lunchtime to stop off at the mall. We began to window shop a bit & CHAD FOUND A COAT! I was very excited for him & he is quite happy with his purchase. I suppose it can still go on the record that he got it on our holiday, even though it is w/in an hour of home.
Once we got home Asher was very excited to get to play w/ all his toys again while we unpacked the car. However, he was quite upset 15 minutes later when I told him it was time for a nap b/c he wanted to play instead. He said, "want to play w/ firetruck.'" To which I told him it was time for bed. "Want to play w/ police car." Time for bed. "Want to play w/ school bus." I so it went while I changed his pants. He had such a good nap though that I had to wake him up 2 hours later so he'd go to sleep again at the end of the day.
Chad's off on a men's retreat tomorrow morning, so we'll see how Asher & I cope w/o him for a few days. Our fridge seems to be on the blink as well. Everything in our freezer was melted when we got home & the fridge seems to be a bit warmer than it should be, so I'll have to figure something out.
So, we got up early, I had Chad make us some coffee from the coffee maker so thoughtfully provided in our room & then we went to Denny's again for breakfast. Asher was quite excited to have pancakes for breakfast, but even more excited that they came with cherries on top. I think we'll have to start ordering him things with fruit on them. Last night he was more excited about the grapes that came with his dinner than the Mac & Cheese. Although this morning when I asked him what he was going to have for breakfast, instead of his usual answer of, "Pancakes!" I got "Mac & Cheese!" I had to explain that he couldn't have Mac & Cheese for breakfast & he was ok with that too.
We started on our way home & stopped off at a western store as I was looking for a new pair of Roper Performance shoes since I really liked mine, but couldn't find a place that sold them. I struck out once again, except that the sales lady remembered she had been sent a sample from Roper, but didn't want to order them, so she had the one pair. They were a size 8 & I am a8.5, but she gave me a really good deal on them, so I got them anyway. I was looking for a brown suede pair like the ones I have, but these are tooled brown leather & I really like them, they are a little less frumpy than the other pair.
After our little foray off the freeway, we got started again, only to stop at the next exit b/c Chad saw some stores that looked interesting. We spend time, but no money, then off again. We made it to London, ON, I decided since it was lunchtime to stop off at the mall. We began to window shop a bit & CHAD FOUND A COAT! I was very excited for him & he is quite happy with his purchase. I suppose it can still go on the record that he got it on our holiday, even though it is w/in an hour of home.
Once we got home Asher was very excited to get to play w/ all his toys again while we unpacked the car. However, he was quite upset 15 minutes later when I told him it was time for a nap b/c he wanted to play instead. He said, "want to play w/ firetruck.'" To which I told him it was time for bed. "Want to play w/ police car." Time for bed. "Want to play w/ school bus." I so it went while I changed his pants. He had such a good nap though that I had to wake him up 2 hours later so he'd go to sleep again at the end of the day.
Chad's off on a men's retreat tomorrow morning, so we'll see how Asher & I cope w/o him for a few days. Our fridge seems to be on the blink as well. Everything in our freezer was melted when we got home & the fridge seems to be a bit warmer than it should be, so I'll have to figure something out.
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
Back in Canada
Have you ever felt like you've been in transit all day? We left G&M's at 8am to go to Gatwick. We got there at about 10, & our flight was scheduled for 11:45. By the time we were checked in it was time to go through security.
I usually leave Asher's drink in the diaper bag simply b/c it's easier. There's enough other stuff that we have to do that I don't mind them having to check it after wards as it gives us a chance to get all our shoes on, the laptop put away, Asher in the stroller, & all our bags situated again. Well, the lady had to do a swipe of the bag w/ her little kleenex thing & then check the cloth in the scanner. When she did so, the scanner beeped & printed out a little report so she had to call over her supervisor who then had to question us & she had to re-swipe the bag. The second time it didn't go off, however I had noticed while she was waiting to check the bag that her cloth thing was already quite dirty, so I think it was from someone else's stuff, but it didn't really matter anyway.
I did find it quite humorous however that the supervisor's first question was “who does this bag belong to?” Well, truthfully Chad & I answered that it was Asher's, so the man said to Asher, “well young man, you have some questions to answer here,” before he actually began to question Chad.
Once we were through security we began to look for a place to get some food, but the only places in the area were travel items, clothing, Harrod's, cosmetics & alcohol, so we decided to head toward our gate figuring we'd find something out there. Costa Coffee was the only thing to be found, so we settled for a few muffins & smoothies.
They began boarding our plane about 10 minutes after we had finished eating, so we really didn't have much time to let Asher run around before we got on the flight, but it couldn't be helped. Once we were on board we discovered we were in row 4, just one row behind first class. I wasn't sure it was a great place to be sitting, but it worked out ok. Our luggage had to all be put up top, which was kind of annoying, but the people behind us didn't have anything under the seats, so we could shove our shoes under the seats & it also gave Asher more room to muck about.
It took about 10 minutes for Asher to fall asleep & he slept for over 2 hours. It gave Chad time to sleep & I had a chance to watch "The Bucket List." I was quite glad that I didn't have to pay for it since I didn't find it to be that great of a movie. Out of a 7+ hour flight that was the only bit that Asher slept for, but he was pretty well behaved, so we didn't mind too much.
When we got to Toronto, we called the hotel that we had parked at, so they could send a shuttle to get us. Once we were at the hotel they told me they said we had no reservation, so I showed her my confirmation paper, & she asked if it had been confirmed when we had arrived. I said yes, & she then told me that nothing had been booked, but she booked us in, so it was ok. She was in a bit of a snarky mood I had noticed. The man behind me asked her something & she directed him to the lifts. He turned & didn't see them, so he asked her where they were. Her response was, “the brown things right behind you.”
We got settled in our room & then went to find a place to eat even though it was only 4pm local time, it was 9pm London time. We didn't find much at first, it seemed we were in a bit of an industrial area, but then we saw a billboard for Denny's, so we went there for dinner. When we pulled up to the restaurant I enthusiastically told Asher we were going to Denny's b/c there was a McDonald's right across the parking lot. Asher fell for it! He noticed the McDonald's, but wasn't overly upset that we weren't eating there.
After dinner we went back to the hotel for the promised swimming! I had been looking forward to that since I booked the hotel. Asher wasn't quite sure about the big pool, he got as far as the 2nd step & wasn't sure he wanted to go any further. Perhaps having a Rubbermaid container for a bathtub is giving him a fear of big water. But once we started having him jump into the water to Chad he was ok.
Next on the agenda was a bath for me, since it is a luxury I seldom get these days. We got into the room to discover that the plug on the tub was broken! Arrrgh! I called the front desk & they said they'd send maintenance. I was pleasantly surprised to hear them knock a mere 10 minutes later. Chad figured they knew I was trying to have a bath right then, so they sent him quickly. I had a very enjoyable soak in the tub. It's now 7pm & I'm off to bed!
Monday, 5 May 2008
Our Last Day in England
We took it a bit easy today. It was a bank holiday, so b/w the less frequent buses, & most places being closed, it was a bit forced upon us to take it easy, which was probably good since we'll be on the aeroplane most of the day tomorrow. This morning began at 6:30am. Asher initially woke up at 5:45, so we decided that it wasn't so bad to get up then. He's going to be so off schedule that it doesn't really matter anyway.
We had breakfast and then went off to the park, but there had been a very heavy dew last night, so everything was really wet. We had decided to go to Chingford today in a last ditch effort to find a coat for Chad. We got there around 9:30 & almost every shop was closed, so we stopped at Cafe Nero to kill some time & have a latte. I ordered an iced latte & the next thing I knew she was blending it. It wasn't overly icy though, so it was a bit like a melted milkshake. Not too pleasant. Another reason to not go to Nero.
Then off to shop we went, however the shops were still closed, so we made our way up the street & found nothing open, & caught the bus back to Highams Park. Then we went back to the park, since other children's bottoms had dried off the playground. Chad was quite interested in getting an English breakfast before we leave, & had seen some signs at pubs for all day breakfast, so we took the car & returned to Chingford.
We stopped at a pub advertising all day breakfast & went in only to be greeted by a waitress telling us that they didn't open 'til noon, & it was 11:45. We contemplated the "All Dayness" of their breakfast if they didn't open 'til noon, then decided we'd go elsewhere b/c Chad doesn't like to be the first patrons in a restaurant after it opens as sometimes the kitchen isn't in full swing yet at that time.
So we returned to "The Royal Forest" pub that we had eaten at with Theres. I had a carbon-copy of the mal I had the other night & enjoyed it thoroughly. Especially the Sticky Toffee Pudding, this time I had it topped w/ Custard & it was DIVINE! I figured since it is so difficult to make & impossible to get at restaurants in Canada that I'd better take advantage of being able to eat it as often as possible.
Asher had a double burger & was doing quite well with it except it was a bit large for his little mouth. Chad decided to break it for him.... thus began a small meltdown where Chad & then I was instructed to "fix it." We had to explain that it couldn't be fixed, the crying actually stopped quite suddenly b/c a boy at a nearby table started having a tantrum of his own & Asher doesn't like to compete at times like these, so he let the other boy do the crying from there on out. It may have helped that my dessert showed up shortly thereafter as well. He was a bit disappointed that there was no ice cream this time, but it couldn't be helped, Sticky Toffee Pudding is better w/ Custard!
We came back to G&M's for naps (yes we all enjoyed nap time) & then went out to the back garden to enjoy the grass & the sunshine for awhile. Chad wasn't feeling well & didn't want to leave the house so we ordered Pizza Hut (don't we splash out?) for dinner & Asher quite enjoyed that the man came & brought it to the door.
So we are in for a long day tomorrow. After an 8 hour flight plus airport travel & waiting & am already looking forward to our hotel's pool & my once-in-a-blue-moon chance to take a bath at the hotel. Signing off from England, Ta-Ta!
We had breakfast and then went off to the park, but there had been a very heavy dew last night, so everything was really wet. We had decided to go to Chingford today in a last ditch effort to find a coat for Chad. We got there around 9:30 & almost every shop was closed, so we stopped at Cafe Nero to kill some time & have a latte. I ordered an iced latte & the next thing I knew she was blending it. It wasn't overly icy though, so it was a bit like a melted milkshake. Not too pleasant. Another reason to not go to Nero.
Then off to shop we went, however the shops were still closed, so we made our way up the street & found nothing open, & caught the bus back to Highams Park. Then we went back to the park, since other children's bottoms had dried off the playground. Chad was quite interested in getting an English breakfast before we leave, & had seen some signs at pubs for all day breakfast, so we took the car & returned to Chingford.
We stopped at a pub advertising all day breakfast & went in only to be greeted by a waitress telling us that they didn't open 'til noon, & it was 11:45. We contemplated the "All Dayness" of their breakfast if they didn't open 'til noon, then decided we'd go elsewhere b/c Chad doesn't like to be the first patrons in a restaurant after it opens as sometimes the kitchen isn't in full swing yet at that time.
So we returned to "The Royal Forest" pub that we had eaten at with Theres. I had a carbon-copy of the mal I had the other night & enjoyed it thoroughly. Especially the Sticky Toffee Pudding, this time I had it topped w/ Custard & it was DIVINE! I figured since it is so difficult to make & impossible to get at restaurants in Canada that I'd better take advantage of being able to eat it as often as possible.
Asher had a double burger & was doing quite well with it except it was a bit large for his little mouth. Chad decided to break it for him.... thus began a small meltdown where Chad & then I was instructed to "fix it." We had to explain that it couldn't be fixed, the crying actually stopped quite suddenly b/c a boy at a nearby table started having a tantrum of his own & Asher doesn't like to compete at times like these, so he let the other boy do the crying from there on out. It may have helped that my dessert showed up shortly thereafter as well. He was a bit disappointed that there was no ice cream this time, but it couldn't be helped, Sticky Toffee Pudding is better w/ Custard!
We came back to G&M's for naps (yes we all enjoyed nap time) & then went out to the back garden to enjoy the grass & the sunshine for awhile. Chad wasn't feeling well & didn't want to leave the house so we ordered Pizza Hut (don't we splash out?) for dinner & Asher quite enjoyed that the man came & brought it to the door.
So we are in for a long day tomorrow. After an 8 hour flight plus airport travel & waiting & am already looking forward to our hotel's pool & my once-in-a-blue-moon chance to take a bath at the hotel. Signing off from England, Ta-Ta!
Sunday, 4 May 2008
"Going a Church aday...Yay!"
This is what Asher says every time we tell him that we're going to go to church. He loves going. I think perhaps it's more for the toys & the kids than anything else, but it's a good start. We decided to go to All Souls this morning since Chad never had a chance to go while we lived here. Church was at 9:30 or 11:30 & since it takes 1:30 to get from here to there we decided to go for the 11:30. We also knew they had a lunch at 1pm so we thought if we were interested in staying for htat it made more sense to go to the later service.
We got into London at 10, so we stopped for a coffee at Caffe Nero since Asher had fallen asleep on the Tube on the way in. We're not the biggest fans of Caffe Nero since when we lived here every time we went our coffee had been made with sour milk, but we figured that the weather wasn't overly hot, so it wouldn't be as much of an issue. We had a rather good latte & Asher continued to sleep for about 45 minutes. Then we continued on to All Souls. Chad spoke w/ one of the ministers about getting into ministry in England, but he didn't seem to know how to go about it, so he wasn't a whole lot of help. We enjoyed the service, the singing was really great too. Asher enjoyed being able to play with other kids for awhile, but when we went to get him from the creche he was standing in the window looking for us.
After the service we talked to a few people & went to check out the lunch, but since there was no highchair we decided to go elsewhere for lunch. We had passed a Garfunkel's on the way to church & I thought we should try it b/c it looked rather good. My meal was ok. I probably didn't choose the right thing to order, but my dessert was magnificent! I had a Treacle Sponge with Custard. Asher also enjoyed my dessert. He doesn't seem to understand that we aren't buying them for him, but I don't mind sharing... within reason!
Post dessert we took the bus down to where I used to work, just to look at the area again, & then we rode another bus to catch the Tube, to catch the Train to get home. Asher has really enjoyed all the different forms of transportation that we have been able to take here. Even though when we are on them he won't sit still. We got home quite late in the afternoon, so Asher didn't get an afternoon nap, but he was really quite good. We had a bit of an early dinner b/c Chad wanted to go to All Saints in Woodford Green.
All Saints is the church that we were in at about the same time of year five years ago when Chad felt God was calling him into the ministry. I told him he really ought to go there again so God could tell him what His plans are for us again. I'm now waiting for him to get home & let me know.
We got into London at 10, so we stopped for a coffee at Caffe Nero since Asher had fallen asleep on the Tube on the way in. We're not the biggest fans of Caffe Nero since when we lived here every time we went our coffee had been made with sour milk, but we figured that the weather wasn't overly hot, so it wouldn't be as much of an issue. We had a rather good latte & Asher continued to sleep for about 45 minutes. Then we continued on to All Souls. Chad spoke w/ one of the ministers about getting into ministry in England, but he didn't seem to know how to go about it, so he wasn't a whole lot of help. We enjoyed the service, the singing was really great too. Asher enjoyed being able to play with other kids for awhile, but when we went to get him from the creche he was standing in the window looking for us.
After the service we talked to a few people & went to check out the lunch, but since there was no highchair we decided to go elsewhere for lunch. We had passed a Garfunkel's on the way to church & I thought we should try it b/c it looked rather good. My meal was ok. I probably didn't choose the right thing to order, but my dessert was magnificent! I had a Treacle Sponge with Custard. Asher also enjoyed my dessert. He doesn't seem to understand that we aren't buying them for him, but I don't mind sharing... within reason!
Post dessert we took the bus down to where I used to work, just to look at the area again, & then we rode another bus to catch the Tube, to catch the Train to get home. Asher has really enjoyed all the different forms of transportation that we have been able to take here. Even though when we are on them he won't sit still. We got home quite late in the afternoon, so Asher didn't get an afternoon nap, but he was really quite good. We had a bit of an early dinner b/c Chad wanted to go to All Saints in Woodford Green.
All Saints is the church that we were in at about the same time of year five years ago when Chad felt God was calling him into the ministry. I told him he really ought to go there again so God could tell him what His plans are for us again. I'm now waiting for him to get home & let me know.
Saturday, 3 May 2008
A Day at the Market
Today we decided to walk through Walthamstow Market to see if Chad could find a suitable coat. Of course our first stop was Costa Coffee to fuel up for the morning of shopping, but we had to walk right by a park, so after we had purchased our drinks we let Asher go play on the playground for awhile. Apparently the most exciting part of the playground was trying to escape it, so that little play break didn't last very long.
We walked up & down the stalls only to discover that 95% of them were not men's clothing items, which was what we were primarily looking for. However I did find a nice "England" sweater for £3. I'm very excited about that purchase, but won't be able to wear it properly for about 3 more months. It's a good investment. We also found a cute baby book for the new little one & that was only £3 as well. So it was a pretty good day for me. Not so much for Chad as he still didn't find a coat like he wanted, but I think he's somewhat enjoying having something to look for, so it's not so bad.
After the market we came back home & tried to get Asher to sleep, but he'd fallen asleep at the market for awhile, so it wasn't meant to be. Chad took Asher out for a walk later & I had a bit of a kip. Then we went to Chingford to the King's Head Pub. We used to go there occasionally & quite enjoyed both the atmosphere & the food. We brought Theres along as well. She's living @ G&M's house & we had met her before we left England before.
However, once we got to the pub we were told that children under 14 are not allowed inside the pub. We were invited to eat outside, but when I asked about a highchair the man said, "no, we're not really a child friendly pub. I mean, we're friendly, just not to children..... I mean, ummmmm." At this point we knew it wasn't meant to be. Asher isn't really the sort to sit on a picnic table bench for an hour while we try to have a nice dinner.
Theres suggested "The Royal Forest" pub in Chingford at the Inn, so we decided to go there for dinner instead. The service was a bit slow, but the menu had really good variety, even the kids' menu had over 15 choices. We had a very enjoyable dinner & I had Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert that was delicious.
Tomorrow it's back into London for Church etc, so off to bed I go!
We walked up & down the stalls only to discover that 95% of them were not men's clothing items, which was what we were primarily looking for. However I did find a nice "England" sweater for £3. I'm very excited about that purchase, but won't be able to wear it properly for about 3 more months. It's a good investment. We also found a cute baby book for the new little one & that was only £3 as well. So it was a pretty good day for me. Not so much for Chad as he still didn't find a coat like he wanted, but I think he's somewhat enjoying having something to look for, so it's not so bad.
After the market we came back home & tried to get Asher to sleep, but he'd fallen asleep at the market for awhile, so it wasn't meant to be. Chad took Asher out for a walk later & I had a bit of a kip. Then we went to Chingford to the King's Head Pub. We used to go there occasionally & quite enjoyed both the atmosphere & the food. We brought Theres along as well. She's living @ G&M's house & we had met her before we left England before.
However, once we got to the pub we were told that children under 14 are not allowed inside the pub. We were invited to eat outside, but when I asked about a highchair the man said, "no, we're not really a child friendly pub. I mean, we're friendly, just not to children..... I mean, ummmmm." At this point we knew it wasn't meant to be. Asher isn't really the sort to sit on a picnic table bench for an hour while we try to have a nice dinner.
Theres suggested "The Royal Forest" pub in Chingford at the Inn, so we decided to go there for dinner instead. The service was a bit slow, but the menu had really good variety, even the kids' menu had over 15 choices. We had a very enjoyable dinner & I had Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert that was delicious.
Tomorrow it's back into London for Church etc, so off to bed I go!
Friday, 2 May 2008
Traditions are Grand
Today we went into London to do some shopping. Chad had some Christmas money that has been burning a hole in his pocket. He wasn't really sure of what he wanted (other than a haircut), so in & out of shops we went. We had the stroller, so it wasn't too much of an issue w/ Asher.
We started out by going to Starbucks b/c that's the way one is supposed to begin shopping on Oxford street, obviously. There is literally a Starbucks every block, it can't be a coincidence. Up & down the street we went. We decided to appease Asher for lunch & eat at McDonald's. He'd been such a good shopper & he didn't even complain when we passed the first McDonald's, he just watched it slowly go by.
After lunch we stopped at a green space for Asher to run around for awhile. It was a bit wet, but we thought it more important for Asher to get a chance to expend some energy than to keep his shoes clean, so off Chad & Asher went chasing pigeons. Shortly thereafter I heard a wail that was distinctly familiar. Apparently Asher had been running to investigate a statue & found the only puddle in the park, slipped, fell & cracked his head on the cement base of said statue. Amazingly he was more concerned about being wet & dirty than the fact that he had a giant goose-egg forming right b/w his eyes. We cleaned him up as best we could & moved on. I figured it was about time for a nap & kids tend to sleep better after they bonk their heads!
On to more shops. Chad still had not bought anything & it was going on 2pm. We had circled all the way back to where we had started & the rain began to fall. We decided that since Asher was now either sleeping peacefully or passed out in the stroller, we'd go into Starbucks & read for awhile until the showers passed. At about 3pm we decided to head for Piccadilly Circus & Leicester Square since there are a few more shops along there.
Chad suddenly remembered there was a jacket that he really liked in one of the shops we had gone to earlier that morning, so we went to try & find it. We had no luck, BUT he did finally make his first purchase.... a pair of sunglasses! We decided since we were so close to Chinatown at this point we really should have dinner at Wong Kei's since it was where we went almost every week with our friends Jeffy & Meigan. It was all we remembered it to be & Chad really enjoyed the garlic hot sauce.
After a scrumptious dinner it was time for the traditional dessert.... Ben & Jerry's ice cream! I was sad to discover they were not serving "One Sweet Whirled" as it is my absolute favourite, but I made do with a scoop of "Coffee, Coffee, Buzz, Buzz, Buzz!" & a scoop of "Baked Alaska." They were the perfect compliment to each other. And off we went to try to find Chad's jacket once more.
After nearly an hour we managed to find the correct shop, but in the course of the day they had sold the last of the jackets he liked. Needless to say, he was disappointed, but hopefully he'll find something else to take his mind off the "jacket-that-wasn't-meant-to-be-Chad's."
Now we're back at G&M's & I'm doing yet another load of laundry. I thought I'd make it until we got back to Canada, but I didn't really want to haul a bag of wet muddy clothes back with me. Sounds like the washing's done, so I'd better get everything all laid out on the radiators! Yay!
Thursday, 1 May 2008
Laundry in London
That's right folks, today I spent doing the exciting task of washing our clothes. Yes, apparently they do that in England too, although their methods are a bit different from ours. To start, you need to take the 2 loads you have & split them again into 3 or possibly 4 b/c the washing machines are front load & quite a bit smaller. Then you load the washer & wait about 1 hour for your load of washing to be finished.
When the washing is done, you take all your wet clothes out & sort out all your undergarments. Then place all your wet clothing items on the radiators in the house, taking care to place your unmentionables in your own room in a discreet place. Then you wait about..... well, it's been about 10 hours & only about 1/2 of the laundry is dry. Of course you can count on your jeans taking at least 24 hours to dry.
During all this time you must have discussions with your spouse who is feeling the heat of all the radiators being turned way up. If he turns them down, drying time is increased, if they stay turned up, sleep is fleeting as the room must be cool in order to get a good nights sleep in.
Once the laundry is dry, you must fold, grab, wrinkle it so that it softens a bit. It can get quite crispy, especially thicker items such as thermal shirts & jeans. Ahh, it makes me glad to have a nice large washer & dryer waiting for me at home, but it sure gave me something to do all day!
When the washing is done, you take all your wet clothes out & sort out all your undergarments. Then place all your wet clothing items on the radiators in the house, taking care to place your unmentionables in your own room in a discreet place. Then you wait about..... well, it's been about 10 hours & only about 1/2 of the laundry is dry. Of course you can count on your jeans taking at least 24 hours to dry.
During all this time you must have discussions with your spouse who is feeling the heat of all the radiators being turned way up. If he turns them down, drying time is increased, if they stay turned up, sleep is fleeting as the room must be cool in order to get a good nights sleep in.
Once the laundry is dry, you must fold, grab, wrinkle it so that it softens a bit. It can get quite crispy, especially thicker items such as thermal shirts & jeans. Ahh, it makes me glad to have a nice large washer & dryer waiting for me at home, but it sure gave me something to do all day!
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