not feeling great

I've been sick for a week now and it is really getting me down. It started with a fever/flu, moved to sinuses, then cough and now conjunctivitus (pinkeye). This last one is the worst as my eyes are itching, watery and very red. I went to the doctor today and got some drops so hopefully I will start to see improvement tomorrow. I'm worried that Lily is going to get sick too, she felt very hot this evening. It's hard to tell because it is so warm outside.

Heading to the island next week. It will be nice to have a different way to keep the girls busy. Aaron will be away again for my birthday but he bought me beautiful diamond earrings so he's forgiven - LOL.

Whew, where was I?

Ok, so I'm a sporatic blogger, sue me. Not that anyone reads this except me and the odd time Aaron, LOL.

Anyway, Arden and I have challenged ourselves to read 10 books each this summer. I am getting ready to start #6. She is a little stalled but is reading 3 books at the same time. I'm not sure she is going to be the reader that I was at her age but hopefully it will come.

So far I have read:

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyers
Wicked by Gregory McGuire
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik
Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
A Boy of Good Breeding by Miriam Toews

My next read is Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

I love summer!

Where has the time gone?

Wow! I haven't posted in a long time. It has been a great summer and now I am back at work full time. The first week back was very overwhelming and I shed more than a few tears. I just didn't feel prepared - especially because we couldn't even get in the building until 3 days before school started. It was crazy!

Anyway... I'm trying to win a free Cricut cartridge. They are giving one away free in celebration of their 100th cartridge "Winter Wonderland." I have to post a link to enter so...

Winter Wonderland

What's new in Poulinville

• Lily is turning one on Thursday. This seems so hard to believe. We waited 8 years for her and now the time is just flying by.

• Lily is cruising around the furniture and is a little speed demon. She is definitely a more active child than Arden ever was. I think she will be walking by September.

• Thanks to HL, Lily's nickname is Sunny - as in Sunny Baudelaire from Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. She bites everything. I can just picture her hanging from the edge of the table by her teeth like Sunny in the movie.

• I went all girly girl today - haircut, manicure and pedicure. My toes look awesome! I just went to the nail place in the Chilliwack mall. I will definitely go there again. I really liked that I wasn't forced to chit chat the entire time - it was nice.

• I start getting paid this week! Yipee! But that also means that work is looming. I'm excited and a bit nervous to go back to work. There have been lots of changes at HSS in the last 3 years and I'm not sure where I am going to fit in.

• Only a couple of days until our holidays. I am really looking forward to the family time. I've got the passports and the baseball tickets in my purse already - they are the two things we can't!!! forget.

• We paid to have Lily's birthday up on the scoreboard at the Mariners/Yankees game. Hopefully we don't miss it so I can get a picture.

• It's been a great summer. Relaxing but I feel like we have made good use of the time. We have done some touristy things and Arden has played with friends and done some things like camp and bible day camp.

• One of the students I took to Scotland back in 2006 was killed in a terrible vehicle crash a couple of weeks ago. His service was last Friday and it was very nice. I have great memories of that trip. The student who was killed was Alex Lowe. The other 3 students who went to Scotland were Greg Webber, Kirstie Campbell, and Grace Mofoot. Alex had a really promising future. I was especially touched thinking about him and his girlfriend Larissa. It is so sad that they never got to see where their young love might take them.

Thoughts on turning 41

• being 40 wasn't so bad - especially when polite people say I don't look 40

• what does 40 look like anyway?

• having a baby makes you feel younger - and apparently look younger to others

• I can hopefully retire in 16 years which means I have been a teacher longer than I have left to work!

• I still like getting presents even though I say it doesn't matter

• I keep thinking about my mom at this age - what was she like? what did she look like? - I was 17 and just graduating from high school when my mom was 41 but I remember her as she was the last few years she was alive not as she was then

• my dad never made it to 41 so I guess I'm lucky!

• I am sad that Aaron will be away again for my birthday/our 12th anniversary - I know he feels bad too.

• I think I am going to stop volunteering my age and just let people think what they want to think

Mickey body parts book

I made this really cool Mickey Mouse body parts book tonight. I saw it on the Two Peas in a Bucket web site. The lady who made it gave awesome instructions and it turned out really cool! The photos are from the lady who designed it but mine looks exactly the same.

JK Wedding Entrance Dance

OK, I'm totally in to posting stuff from YouTube right now. This makes me want to get married again - to Aaron of course - just so we could do this. He would love it - not that he likes attention or anything.

LOVE STORY (Taylor Swift) meets VIVA LA VIDA (Coldplay) - Piano Cello - by Jon Schmidt

This is such a good video. I could listen to it over and over. Very cool!

Disney album DONE!

I finally finished our 2007 trip to Disneyland scrapbook! Yipee!

Missing Arden

I am missing her soooooo much. I am sure she is having a blast at camp but I miss my baby..... I have been away from her many times before but this is the first time she is away from me. I totally didn't expect to miss her this much. I sent her a card today and an e-mail. 3 more sleeps till she is home again.!

On the upside - Aaron went birthday/anniversary shopping today. I have wanted a family ring since Lily was born but thought they were really ugly when I checked them out - pearl, topaz and 2 peridot don't really go together very well. I hinted that 4 diamonds might be nice. He went to Lee's Jewelers in Abbotsford today! I am such a diamond girl - lucky me to have a husband who likes to spoil me!

Camp Squeah tomorrow

Arden is off to Camp Squeah tomorrow for a week. She is very nervous. I bribed her a bit by saying I would give her $5 for our holiday if she didn't cry. Hopefully it works! I know she will have a good time, she is just nervous because she has never gone away for a week without us. She has been away from us for that long when we went to New York and PEI and I have been away from her when I went to Scotland and Ottawa. She has always been with family though so it is a bit scary for her. I hope she has so much fun that the time flies by. I also hope she will want to go again next year - that is the best way to know she had a good time.

summer cont.

It has been a bit slower this week.

• Arden has been doing awesome in swimming lessons! A former student is her instructor and she likes that. She is in with kids at a higher level and she is doing as well as them

• starting to gather stuff for Arden to go to camp Squeah. I hope she enjoys it as much as I want her to. We got her a headlamp today which she thinks is pretty cool

• Aaron is coming home tonight and then we are going to watch him tomorrow. I also want to go get the new stroller on the way

• I'm bummed that the adhesive refills I had my friend order for me were the wrong ones. I was sure I told her the right number of my large sticker maker - there's $30 down the drain! I will stop at Michael's tomorrow to get the right ones. oh, I better print off a coupon!

• I finished a really good book - The Book of Negroes - and am now reading The Flying Troutmans - I love summer reading!

• I am really looking forward to our family holiday. I hope I can also get some nice clothes for back to school.

Makin' the most of summer

So far it has been a busy summer. I am loving every minute of it. There is something so gratifying about making the most of your time. So far we have...

• visited Fort Langley - loved being able to touch and "play" with stuff. I also love the town itself - neat shops and good food.

• stayed over in Vancouver and saw the Jonas Brothers

• went to Granville Island on Canada Day

• visited with Mom and Dad Poulin

• visited with Nijhoffs as they head out on their 7 month adventure

• went to Casa del Rudance for a swimming and good company

• went to Hope Flight Fest and Arden got to go up in a small plane with some of the other cubs.

• I have also read quite a bit - loving The Book of Negroes right now

• we are also enjoying being able to go for bike rides now that Lily is big enough for her helmet - we went over to the Links tonight - had to walk back up the hill past Hazlewoods though - man, I'm out of shape (but Arden couldn't do it either)

• we are surviving without Aaron - but it is only day 2 - the sad part is we have to do it again at the beginning of August - I think I will NEED a nice piece of jewelry on our vacation to "make up" for all of the single parenting.

• tomorrow we are off to Crosgreys for a swim in the afternoon and next week Arden starts swimming lessons.

Jonas Brothers' concert

I took Arden to this concert and it was awesome! We met up with Brooklyn and Sonya from Houston and had a fun day of shopping and then the concert. It was a great show! I was very impressed. Jordan Sparks opened for them and she was great too - I love her Tatoo song and her new one Battlefield.

Facebook

I decided to go back on Facebook. I liked to be able to keep up with people without having to phone them. I am being a lot smarter this time. Maureen told me about the changes they made so that only friends can see your stuff. I am also not having students as friends - except for a select few former students.

Ok, I cut my finger today - on the dishwasher of all things - and I am having a terrible time typing.

Farewell...

Michael Jackson, Farrah Faucett and Ed McMahon.

Last day of school

Arden is done grade 3! Holy Cow! It is clichéd, but man does time fly! It seems like only yesterday she was a baby or that we were sending her off to pre-school then kindergarten. She seems so grown up. I think Lily has matured her a bit. I am so proud of her. She does well in school and is a good person - which is most important to us. One more year at Coquihalla and then she is off to Aaron's school - WOW!

Yearbook fears

OK, so I am going to be the Yearbook advisor next year and I am freaking out a bit. I am already being asked questions about deadlines, etc. and I know nothing. I'm glad Chris will be there as an advisor but it is such a huge responsibility. I am especially nervous about the students in the class - they need to be great kids with a good sense of responsibility - not just taking it because they think it will be easy. Because I don't know the kids this is especially difficult. There is a workshop in Vernon in September that I will attend but I wish/hope there is something before the school year starts so I don't feel so in the dark.

Will it ever be done?

Went to my friend Bev's the past 2 evenings - until midnight - trying to get our Disney album done! I have now completed (except for journaling) the Disney part of the trip and am now working through SeaWorld and Universal Studios. I don't seem to make time to work on it at home. I am much more productive when I have a dedicated day either at home with my friends or at one of their houses. I am using the Cricut a lot on this project and have found some cool things on some of the cartridges. Tonight I was playing with Life's a Beach and Graphically Speaking - there is some awesome stuff on those two!

New Neighbours

I'm soooooo excited. Our good friends H & SL just bought a lot right behind our house. It is awesome news! This means Arden's best friend will live on our street! I can hear it now, "bye mom, I'm going over to Emma's"