Jo's New Year's Resolution

It's the last day of January and I have yet to share with you my New Year's resolution. With the recession I first thought I'd hold off buying any clothes for one whole year. To see what it would be really like to 'go without' in our hyper consumerism world. But than I started making exceptions and more exceptions. This wasn't going to work. Who was I kidding? I love fashion and clothes.

So I've decided that for 2009 I'd buy in moderation any shirt or jeans that are priced at less than $25.00. This week I found a pair of jeans of $25 at Winners. This doesn't include the money I'll need to spend on getting them hemmed. Am I already failing at this?

I've visited Value Village. Found a great coin purse for $2! Rickie's at the mall is closing for two months for renovations. Stopped in and saw they had a great sale. Buy one get the other item FREE! Fifteen dollars later I proudly walked out with two tank tops!

There are some of you out there who are pros at shopping at thrift stores. You have crafted the art of finding those hidden treasures. I'm an amateur at this. I have browsed at couple of thrift stores and felt inexperienced. And then when I visited Value Village, which is only a 10 minute drive from my place by the way, I stared observing the other shoppers. Trying to learn their techniques. Looking in the carts to see what they got. I was the new kid at the shopping ground.

Perhaps this will be the first resolution that I actually succeed at! The vintage, thrifty and crafty shopper is here for 2009!

Mr. Flu Was Here

Mr. Flu arrived in our home and stayed for ten (10!) long days. James, aka: Mr. Resilient was unfazed by his arrival. Parker on the other hand puked and we changed many diapers due to Mr. Flu invading his little body. Parker also got a mega diaper rash to prove it.

Mr. Flu was crazy about me. He would come and go leaving me confused. Am I sick or is it just in my head? Needless to say our weekend was blah! Daddy was sick maybe for 24 hours. I've known Daddy for over 12 years and he has yet to puke! What the heck is wrong with him? I puke once a year for sure. That to me is normal. This 'not puke for over a decade' is just weird.

We are now 90% good but never trust Mr. Flu. He can come back in your life when you least want him too.



*James is diabetic free! His going to the bathroom has diminished too. What gives? Another item to go under, "Sometimes you'll never know why."

No Chewing Gum

James had to have no foods or liquids prior to getting his blood test done. So I rushed this morning to be at the clinic before 8 am. We arrived with a line of people already waiting. We were No. 5 in line. We stood outside for 20 minutes. I bribed them with some gum to keep them quiet and calm. When the doors opened the receptionist noticed my James chewing gum. And that's when she told us to come back another day. I guess no food, no liquids also includes no gum! Duh! So next week we will try this again.

He goes a lot...

Today we visited Dr. Gossier. James has been having to go pee frequently. A couple a times an hour! This has been going on for some time now.

Before Christmas we dashed to the walk-in clinic to get this checked. This is where the receptionist told my kids to be quiet because she couldn't here on the phone. The mother bear in me had to bite her tongue! Who would you believe...the bias mother or the cranky receptionist?

The doctor prescribed James an anti-biotic for a bladder infection. Even though it didn't show on the urine test that it was an infection he thought to treat it as one: 'just in case'. Weird, I thought. But got the prescription anyway. And you guessed it, his trips to the bathroom didn't diminish.

When I told Dr. Gossier this she looked at me funny and then kindly said, "We do things differently here." This is why I keep her as our family doctor. It's not because her clinic is too far from our house (30 min drive) or that she is notoriously late (less than 30 minutes waiting is a good visit!).

So tomorrow James is going to get some blood test done. To have things checked out more thoroughly. And this is where I get nervous. The last time James had to get blood tests was when he had just arrived here. It was a gong show. The ladies had a very hard time finding a vein on him...hmmmm I wonder why? Anyway they kept probing and picking and soon James was having a melt down. The poor little thing.

The best part was when we were leaving an elderly lady came to me and said, "Do you think it's something to do where he came from, that he's crying?" Again the mommy bear in me had to bite her tongue.

I can only hope that tomorrow's blood taking event will be less dramatic than the first one.

Good bye to Our Nephew

We went back to Daddy's hometown in Fiske, Saskatchewan to say our good-byes to our nephew Matthew, who left us after a fierce battle with cancer. Sixteen years of life is too brief. If you meet Matthew's mom than you know where he got his gracefulness and his strong determination. She opens her heart in her website and receives many, many messages of condolence and support from around the world.
We've told the boys that Matthew is in heaven with Jesus. James asked, "Why?" I remember when my Uncle Marc passed away suddenly and I asked my mom the same question. She answered, "God picked him because he was so special. If you were in a flower garden, wouldn't you pick the best flower?" That took away my grief. I was only five at the time but it soothed me. I hope that time will soothe Matthew's parents' and siblings' hearts.

In Memory of Matthew

Our nephew, Matthew Epp
left our world last night:
01/02/09
after a hard and courageous battle with cancer.
I dedicate 2009 to you, Matthew.