All day Long I dream about...Whoodles!!

Wheaten Terrier............................................Standard Poodle

Yes, after some deliberation J and I have decided on a new dog. We're going with a breeder in a town about 45 minutes from here(http://www.doodletreasures.com/) that J got in touch with thru a newspaper ad. The breeder has been very wonderful and prompt in returning e-mail and sympathetic at our loss of Sammy Dog. The mixed breed we have settled on is a Whoodle which is a Wheaten Terrier Standard Poodle cross, it will be non-shedding and about half the adult weight of Sam although only a little shorter. J really wanted to go with a breed(but not pure) so that we would have a good idea what the adult dog's temperament would be like and a puppy because of our 7 year old cat. Since Sammy was his dog I feel strongly that the choice, in the end, should be his; So he will be the one to pick out the puppy and name it.

The breeder(hereafter called MJ) is planning on breeding her two Wheaten females sometime soon and will let us know when the breeding takes place and when/if the pregnancies take. She will also be sending us pictures of the Moms and Dad. We should be bringing our puppy home sometime in July. I won't get into cost here, I will be the one saving to pay for the pup as a Big make-up Birthday present for J since I am normally very bad about getting him anything for his birthday. If I hadn't stepped up and said I would save and pay for the pup we wouldn't have gotten one, J really wanted one but couldn't see himself paying that much.

So now everyone knows...we're expecting, a puppy that is!!

Cass :)

Will add pictures later-one of each parent breed and the acutal dogs when I get shots of them.

I Protest!!

I know it's been a while since I updated, it's pretty much been the same old same old here. We took M back to the doctor last weekend because there was a lump on her broken collar bone, turned out we weren't splinting her tight enough and the bone had come out of alignment and was overlapping. Yeah, M has an inhuman pain tolerance, I have no other explanation.

I can't think of anything else that is new; I didn't make it to the Y at all last week but have gone both Monday and Wednesday this week. I had to take a cab home Monday because I pulled a calf muscle about a half a block from the Y and couldn't walk home...it was better by yesterday though and is only a bit stiff today. I also went back to my aqua fit class yesterday and had a blast:)

In other news I found a lovely lady that is going to make waterproof pads for M & A's beds, the ones I have been using aren't holding up well to the washing and I've already had to throw one out, they are also a huge pain to put on the beds. I'm going to her house today to give her a deposit on them, I told M it was going to be a 'Bus Adventure' I'm sure we'll have a fun time!

On to the reason for the title of my post today: On the way home yesterday I was thinking about stuff and letting my mind wander. It may be just me and the fact I see very few people out walking when I am but I am sick of being afraid. If you read the paper and listen to what everyone is saying we should all be crippled with fear!

I am told all the time by our media that I should be afraid ... about the water, the food and the air I am consuming, about people snatching my kids and doing horrible things to them, about how I parent and what kind of mental scars I may be leaving, about someone attacking me when I am out alone, I'm surprised that I can leave the house some days.

I protest! I will not live in fear! Sometimes it sneaks in anyway, usually when I am out alone or with just little M. Oddly, I feel safer if I have a child with me ... I have no idea why. When I am out alone I am a mess, I watch everyone closely that comes near me even if I am on busy streets and then I am angry because I am afraid. I do my best not to show it, making eye contact and paying attention are my best weapons and I know it. It makes me very very angry though because I shouldn't have to be afraid.

Cass.

What a day!

Remember when I said M had fallen off the arm of the couch last weekend? Well this weekend she was still favouring her arm so I decided that when I went in to get my ears checked I would take her as well to make sure something more serious wasn't going on. As you can see in the X-Ray that was taken today there was something more, she broke her collarbone. You'd never know it except for when it got jarred though...she has been her same happy self all week...just not moving her shoulder much. We have a splint for her now and the Dr said that that will make her more comfortable while it heals but isn't totally necessary..which makes me feel a little better about not bringing her in sooner.

We did our family day as usual and J dropped M & I off at the clinic(at about noon) on his way to dropping K off at a birthday party. Then he swung back by the clinic to see if we were done. We were but I had the news that he needed to take us to the X-ray department at the hospital to get her X-rayed to confirm the break so the Dr could splint her (my other option was to go wait in Emerg for 6 hours, thanks but no thanks). We had to get the X-ray done and then go back to the clinic. While we were there the Dr had my ears flushed as they were all full of wax and I couldn't hear right, she also prescribed drops, but I'm sure you aren't that interested in my ears so let me continue about the day.

So off to the hospital we went ... as soon as I got out of the van and J was driving away I realized I had forgotten M's health card in the van. "Oh well, we'll just call Daddy and get the number if we need it." I said with a smile and away we went, it was about 1:30pm. At 2pm the receptionist called J and got him to give her the health card number, we were all done at about 2:30pm and ready to go back to the clinic. I called home ... and got the call answer that takes care of calls if someone is on the phone or the phone is off the hook. I couldn't figure out who J could be talking to! I called every 10 minutes but kept getting call answer until finally I wised up and called my good friend C and told her husband to get someone to come to my house to tell J that I was ready to be picked up.

J got there to get me at 4:25pm. I had waited about 2 and 1/2 hours because J had not hung up the phone correctly after my call to get the heath card number *sigh* M was good as gold the entire day and fell asleep both at the clinic while we waited to be seen (the first time) and at the hospital while we waited for Daddy.

K need to be picked up at 5pm but we swung by the clinic and got M's splint and were only about 10 minutes late picking her up. We decided to eat at the Burger King where K's friend had had her birthday dinner (after a movie) and at long last arrived back home at 6pm. I'm glad to be home but sad that my littlest had to be the first child of mine to break a bone and guilty that I didn't take her in sooner to be looked at.

A has re-taken his vow of silence this this afternoon and has done fantastic this time and is only an hour and a half away from being silent for 8 and a half hours!!! I have to say I'm sad I didn't get to enjoy his afternoon of silence!

I think that's it...family day, clinic, hospital, x-ray, clinic, Burger King, home :) Poor J must feel like a taxi driver!

Cass :)

Liking my new phones and a review of my newest cleaning toy!

Yup ... J picked them up on the way home from work ... like the good loser he is *grin* They are nice and I am happy :)

I also got my new handheld steam cleaner in the mail yesterday! I was surprised because we just ordered it a few days ago. I'll try to keep this shot (because M is asking for attention).


So here it is with the attachments it comes with. So far I've test cleaned a few things in my house and here are the results :) I got the cleaner for 28$ CDN shipped, which I thought was cheat enough that if I didn't like it I wouldn't feel bad about giving it away or something.

Caulking (silicone) around the tub: B
Crayon on walls: A+
Grime in crevices: A
Inexpensive stickers on wooden door: A
Baked on grease on oven window(inside): F - Magic Eraser(generic) took care of it great though.
Various substances stuck on my wooden table and chairs: A
Finger grease on microwave keypad: A

Currently(at only one day in my house) this is a fave tool, right up there with my microfiber mop, Magic Eraser(generic), a cotton cloth and water :)

That's it for me for now. I don't think my stove has ever looked cleaner since it came into my house and the fronts of the dishwasher and microwave are pretty dang clean as well! If nothing else it makes cleaning more fun if not a little easier :) The no chemicals is nice as well.

Cass :)

Silence : Hour 16.

Yes all day I have been silent. It has been a tiny bit frustrating at times but mostly it has been a huge amount of fun. Of course now J is saying that everyone took it easy on me, but as far as I can tell my Sunday went pretty much the same as any Sunday. Sure, it would have been way harder to do on a weekday but I think I have proven myself anyway. Being silent has actually been incredibly calming for me. I will have to do my best to remember this feeling. All day I have been very calm and happy. I think I may make a point of being silent for a few hours each week on Sundays maybe. It certainly helps me realize the weight of words in my life.

A asked me if I would be talking tomorrow and when I nodded he was happy. K said she was looking forward to hearing my voice again, Imagine that!! M also said "I wish you could talk, Mommy." She really didn't understand about the whole bet deal and Kirsten told her I was told by a doctor that I had to not talk for a day to rest my voice. I wanted to say goodnight to her so badly so I kissed her until she told me to leave her alone :)

I don't know if J missed hearing my voice today or not. I really didn't miss using it. I always used to say that if I had to choose which ability to lose; my sight, hearing, or speech I would always choose speech. I can show and write how I feel but to not be able to hear my children or see them grow would be horrid! Not to mention reading and music :)

We should all have a day or at least a few hours of silence, to really ponder how our words shape our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Hopefully I will be able to hold onto this lesson the next time I want to yell or complain:

** Silence is Golden **

Cass :)

Silence : Hour 8

The contest continues! I have been silent for over 8 hours and counting. Still no one has confidence that I will win. Although K did just say I might win ... so little faith.

M has been using her arm a little so I am confident she is not as hurt as she'd like us to think. J has gone off to the Y (he should pick up my headphones while he's out but I'll bet he won't).

It has been fun trying to communicate ideas without speaking, I was doing some typing earlier and wrote a couple of notes so far today but am mostly trying to get my points across with hand gestures and body language.

Wanna tell the people how I'm doing K?

"Okay."

Well? How am I doing?

"Okay..."

Can you elaborate?

"Okay...."

C'mon K give me something to work with here!!

"Okay!"

K!!!

*K chuckles* "You're doing fine."

Admit it, K, I'm going to win.

"Hmmm Maybe."

Huh! I will.

"Surrreee...." *K continues munching on chips* *then laughs at my typing*

So you have nothing more to say?

*shrugs* "Nope."

Fine.

*K giggles and then hits me softly*

There you have it folks...a conversation between my 11 year old daughter and myself. Riveting, huh? :)

Cass :)

Shhh! The day of silence begins!

My day of silence begins...I got up at 5am after some dreams where I broke my silence *sigh* I guess I kept reminding myself even in my sleep to be quiet! The only time I was tempted to say something is when J wondered aloud how M was, she fell last night and wouldn't let anyone move her arm, she claimed her shoulder hurt, she landed on her side so I wouldn't be surprised.

I'm not overly concerned because I tired to gently move her arm yesterday and she resisted very strongly so I don't think it's pain but fear of pain that is keeping her from moving her arm. She slept through the night and I've yet to hear from her so we'll see. I'll be hard pressed to keep my vow of silence if we have to take her to a clinic *sigh* ah well, it would be worth losing for her :)

1 1/2 hours in and so far so good :)

Cass :)

Wanna Bet?

What fun! A bet at my house!

Yup today during family day for some reason I remembered a couple of times when I was a teenager when I went a day without speaking just to see if anyone would notice (they did) I wrote notes and used body language but didn't speak. When I mentioned it to my family they all thought that was a pretty cool(K & A)/pretty silly(J) thing to do. A actually took the challenge right then and I told him that if he could go the remainder of the day (8 hours) without talking that Daddy would take him to Toys R Us tomorrow to pick out a toy.

Then things got interesting, J stated that there is no way I could do it now with a family to take care of and I said I could. So we have a bet: Tomorrow I will spend my day as usual housework, caring for my kids and so on but I will not speak, yell, sing or whisper. I will not use my vocal skills at all. If I can get through the entire day without a peep ... from the time I wake up until I fall asleep J will get the the (he thinks) insanely expensive headphones I want for my Shuffle:

Nifty huh? They cost about $40CDN and from what I've read are pretty nice, stay in your ear and are comfy. I have seen way more expensive in-ear headphones (you know they even have them in the $200 mark?) but these seem to be pretty nice and aren't too overpriced (as far as I'm concerned), they have a lifetime warranty and if you mess up and wreck them I've read in passing that they'll even give you half the purchase price back...or 50% off your next set or something like that. All from other consumers of course...I'll have to read the fine print when I get them :) Oh yes I will win (and even if I don't I'll buy these babies myself!).

We gave A a three strikes deal with his silence pact but sadly he failed after 3 hours of doing it. Pretty good for a kid that talks almost non-stop, I was very impressed!!

I won't have three strikes, if I mess up I'm out of luck.

I'll try to Blog my progress tomorrow but don't think I'll have too much trouble.

Cass :)

Happy New Year!

I have a lot of hopes and dreams for the new year, as does just about everyone else. I'm hoping and planning on both J and I losing more weight. Last year we lost 60 & 30 lbs respectively and I think we can do better this year if we work hard.

It's been a good year full of all sorts of stuff; goals met and failures as well. J and I are both older and wiser for the things we have done and experienced this year. Maybe me more so than him since I am younger and have more to learn.

I hope for a better year to come but the past year hasn't been horrible to us so another the same wouldn't be at all bad.

I hope that all of us take a little better care of ourselves and our families this year, think of those who are less fortunate and try to do a random good deed ever week or so. I delivered a piece of mail that got delivered to my house by mistake ... not a huge deal but it ended up being about 9 blocks from my house. I felt good that I had done something not expecting any thanks (and not waiting around for any either). I'm sure as winter progresses my neighbour and I will clear each others' sidewalks like we do every year, I sometimes even do her driveway if I'm feeling energetic.

If we all tired to be a little nicer, smile a little more often and do those small kind acts more often the world would be just that little bit better.

In the end isn't that what we all want?

This year: Let's all try to make the world a nicer,

kinder place to live.

Cass :)