Quel jour mauvais

Well, it is Monday. For the past 4 months, however, Friday has been the dreaded day of the week in my life. It feels like this week is going to be bad throughout.

A friend of mine invited me on a road trip this coming long weekend, and she is traveling close to where an old friend of mine lives, one that I fell in love with as a teenager and never fell out of for over a decade. I haven't seen him in several years, but we have spoken and there is a bit of history there. I asked him if I could stay with him, and he was all for it. Unfortunately I have to find my own way for the last 90 minutes of the trip, and he won't pick me up. I am heartbroken, yet again, and he doesn't care. I am finished--I don't know how, but I'll have to figure it out somehow.

Aside from that, it has been one of those days where everything seems to get on my nerves. The kids were at each other's throats all morning, this is my first day off, the dog won't listen. Every little thing is stressing me out, and it's only 4:00.

On a good note, tomorrow we are going to the PNE. There is a huge amusement park, food stands, dog shows, monster trucks, and concerts. The reason we are going tomorrow is because Tom Cochrane is the artist playing. This will be my sixth time seeing him in concert, so I am happy about that!! The kids will have a great time as well, this will be their 3rd TC concert. Not to mention all the rides and games! It is an all day event for us, we really enjoy it.

For the rest of the day I will be focusing on the fun we will have tomorrow, and try to forget the negatives of today. Wish me luck.

Nouvelles d'Emploi

Today was my last day before my pretend lay-off. It was busy; I tried to organize as much as possible so I can catch up easily upon my return, and we had a potluck lunch. J chose not to participate in the lunch because it was her last day, but I suspect she never enjoyed participating in anything we did anyway. When her day was done, she left without a word, and took the keys with her instead of returning them to our boss. Some people wonder if she won't just show up again on Monday and act like nothing happened! L didn't show up, and his (soon to be ex-) wife said that Monday is in fact his last day. After speaking with the boss, I confirmed that today was to be my last day for sure.

I packed my things, including all my photos, and showed my coworkers. My good friend Nettie refused to believe that our boss would let me go--she was completely shocked and looked on the verge of tears. She later told my mom just how upset she was. Once we were outside the building and out of earshot, we told her that it is temporary. (I asked my boss again because I am so unsure right now, and he told me he would call me next week.)

It was difficult packing up my things, we all had a hard time with it, even though we know it's supposedly just for one or two weeks.

I am still very worried, but there isn't much I can do at this point but wait. I will be quite angry and upset if he doesn't hire me back because honesty would have allowed me to find another job more quickly.

There are rumours that L will be rehired, which floors me! If he goes back and I don't, my mother will consider quitting.

Everything is up in the air for the time being, and it is keeping me on edge. Wish me luck that it all works out!

Mon emploi

For the past 16 months I have been working in an office, as previously mentioned. My mother has worked there for over 3 years, and helped me get a job. I was hired part time, possibly temporary, as an office grunt; I cleaned up the filing cabinet and put away the piles and piles of invoices that had been sitting because no one else liked to file them away. Gradually I was given more responsibilities, more work, more money, and talk of my temp position ceased.

After I started, two other people were hired; L, who was married to someone in the office, and J, a middle-aged bipolar nightmare. Things were okay for a while, the ole "Honeymoon Phase." Our office had had a wonderful and friendly ambiance, but with L & J came tension. L liked to belittle my lovely coworker & friend, and also spent his day playing online instead of working and J liked to sit in her office and cry--she told someone that she has antidepressants, but takes them sporadically.

For a year we put up with these two Negative Nancys. It really brought us down for a while, until we reached a point where we decided that the core of our office would still enjoy our jobs, and ignore the digs and tears.

Last week, my boss told my mother some interesting information: L & J were both to be laid off as of the following Friday (tomorrow), and along with them I would also be laid off. My celebration came to a crashing halt! Thankfully, my boss also assured that my situation would be temporary; one to two weeks after the others leave he will re-hire me. He said this was to appease L & J, for reasons I cannot comprehend.

It has been six days since I found out, and with each passing day I question my boss's motives, and question his assurance that I will still have a job come September. Conveniently, he has gone away for a couple days, and I won't know until probably Monday, which will be my first day "Laid off."

Also, yesterday's horoscope read:

Someone might be working against your best interests, and this is all going on behind your back. Yikes. Therefore, if you have this vague feeling that something fishy is going on--it is.

Yay. I am confused and worried, and will update when I know more.

réuni

Time is a many splendored thing! Or is that love...or money? Anywho..I have been a member of message board Heaven (er Hell) for several years now, hopping from one Mommy's board to another. In my journeys I have met some wonderful people who live vastly different lives than I do, some in different countries even--and yet we all have one single common thread through it all: Children.

In the beginning of my parental posting I met a lovely lady named Poo Head. She and I were both night owls, and spent hours of goofy fun entertaining ourselves when all the smart mothers went to bed. We became fast friends despite the almost 5,000 kilometers between us.

Sadly, we grew apart and lost touch. It wasn't so much that we lost touch really, but simply misplaced it. Every day I thought about my Poo Head and her sweet babies, and missed her a great deal, but pride and fear of emotional pain kept me from reaching out.

Montana found a picture of a junior Poo Head a few days ago, and I remembered how wonderful it was to talk to his Momma the night I printed that picture, and it hurt so much I almost threw it out.

Last night, by some wonderful twist of fate, Poo Head reached out to me. I wasn't sure what to think of this; it had been over a year since our last contact took place. I decided to test the waters and found they were actually quite warm! Poo Head and I have been "chatting" ever since, and I could not be happier.

I sincerely hope our Internet friendship will continue forever. Friendships like ours are hard to find. Cheesy, but true, my friends.

Angelina la ballerine

Every once in a while I like to pull out old home movies, as I'm sure all parents do. I absolutely love to go back in time and see Montana's pudgy little cheeks and hear her mispronunciations. Also, seeing her playing with my little brother (who we shall call Tristan), her uncle who is only two years her senior, is quite amazing since they are now nearly eight and ten and fight over everything from grammar to cardboard. Some of my favorite phrases from this particular time period were:

"He doesn't have one beeving suit Mommy!" --Her response when I asked why Tristan didn't have a bathing suit on in the backyard pool.

"U for gaybrella!" --While reading an alphabet book.

Also, another funny from when Montana was almost three years old: She had an imaginary friend. But not just any imaginary friend; a 'lady' who liked to visit while Montana was on the toilet. Odd, yes, but my child has a very vivid imagination. One day while she was playing outside, I heard Montana yelling at someone in the backyard. We had a fully fenced area off our deck, so I was curious as to who she might be yelling at. When I went to inquire, my lovely little baby-kid told me her 'lady friend' was hitting someone, and she had to set her straight! "NO! You DON'T HIT!" I heard her say to this invisible attacker.

At the end of the tape, Montana was just over three years old, and had received a dress up kit for Christmas. She was wearing a tutu, slippers, a tiara, and a pound of plastic jewelry. She was saying "I'm a ballerina!" over and over, so Tristan, then five, said to her: "Angelina Ballerina?" from the TV show they watched. Here is the conversation that ensued:

Me: Are you Angelina Ballerina?

Montana: Yeah!

Me: She's a mouse though.

Montana: What?

Me: She's a mouse.

Montana: WHAT??!

Me: Angelina Ballerina is a mouse.

Montana: Me???!

Me: No, on TV.

Montana: What?

Me: Angelina Ballerina. She's a mouse.

Montana: (Turning to look at the television which is playing music videos and NOT Angelina Ballerina).......She's a mouse?

Me: (Addressing the video camera) My daughter is blond.

Yes, she definitely is blond. And adorable. And I would give my left pinky toe to travel back to that time and enjoy it all over again.

Chanson de la Semaine

I have fallen in love with this song. I listen to it 10 times a day. I'm slowly becoming a Taylor Swift fan--oh the horror!

I love the tune of this song, and I also really like the lyrics. The premise of the song hits close to home: A young girl in love with her friend, who is dating someone else.

Take a gander at the video: You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift

Classe de 2000

Nostalgia..it got me today. Montana and I were flipping through photo albums, and one of them held pictures from my graduating year of high school. She enjoyed hearing the stories about my grad party, and loved to point out that I was dwarfed by the people in my group. "Oh I knew that was you Mommy because you are the shortest!" Thanks dearest.

I was the shortest. And you know what? I was also one of the skinniest. Is that really me? I ask myself. I hardly recognize my face in those pictures. 1 pregnancy and 45 lbs later, I finally see that I wasn't the troll I thought I was in high school. Such a waste.

OH I had such fun Grad night! I woke up early that day, at least 8 AM--on a Saturday, no less! I had to get a start on the beautifying that takes place on such a special occasion. Hair styling, eyebrow threading, make up applying, and much more. Our limo arrived in the afternoon to pick us up and take us to a park for photo ops. It was such a beautiful day! After that we headed to the hall for our dinner & dance, which lasted until midnight. We then took a rented bus to our next destination: A cruise ship with several attractions. There was a dance floor, a casino, and food! The cruise lasted 4 hours, but we weren't done there! Back to the school we went for our pancake breakfast. By this time I had been awake for 24 hours, and was still going strong!

It was fun reliving that time of my life, but it was bittersweet. Next year will be my ten year reunion!

After so much remembering, I decided to listen to the most appropriate song: Graduation by Vitamin C. This song was released in 2000, the very year I finished high school. There is so much meaning in that song for me, because I can relate to it. I used to listen to that song over and over and dance with my baby brother--pretty soon HE will be in high school!

I am now on the other side of that song, and it makes me realize so many of the lyrics hold true. I DID keep thinking things would never change. I DID keep on thinking things would always be the same! Now I wonder: Will we be friends forever?


We talked all night about the rest of our lives
Where we're gonna be when we turn 25
I keep thinking times will never change
Keep on thinking things will always be the same
But when we leave this year we won't be coming back
No more hanging out cause we're on a different track
And if you got something that you need to say
You better say it right now cause you don't have another day
Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down
These memories are playing like a film without sound
And I keep thinking of that night in June
I didn't know much of love
But it came too soon
And there was me and you
And then we got real blue
Stay at home talking on the telephone
and we would get so excited and we'd get so scared
Laughing at ourselves thinking life's not fair
And this is how it feels

As we go on
We remember
All the times we
had together
And as our lives change
Come Whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever

So if we get the big jobs
And we make the big money
When we look back now
Will our jokes still be funny?
Will we still remember everything we learned in school?
Still be trying to break every single rule
Will little brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?
Can Heather find a job that won't interfere with her tan?
I keep, keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly
And this is how it feels

As we go on
We remember
All the times we
had together
And as our lives change
Come Whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever

Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there?
Can we make it somehow?
I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it's like we're women and men
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town?
I keep, keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly

Here is the video if you would like to watch, I could not find a decent link, but here ya go: GRADUATION

"Moi et ma chaussette!"

Montana had her second dental appointment today. Well, technically it was her third, because I took her when she was a toddler, but being the horrible mother that I am, she didn't go again until she turned seven. I was unsure of coverage, and I am the queen of procrastination. Or perhaps it is my Junior Alzheimer's acting up again. Whatever the case, this was her third time seeing a dentist.

My little toothless fairy did well, although she did pick a fight with the fluoride, and lost. The poor dear gagged so much the pretty hygienist took out the trays and gave her the suction straw. Little M was in tears from the ordeal!

Once the dentist came in--who, I might add, reminds me of a dark skinned Maxwell Sheffield--we had the long-dreaded thumb talk. Dr. Sheffield has decided that if Little M cannot quit on her own, she will need a metal plate to deter her from putting her thumb against her top palate. Okay, so it has caused a noticeable gap between Montana's top and bottom teeth. Yes, it is a habit best left in babyhood and yes, it will create a buck-toothed appearance if kept up much longer. I understand, but this is my baby we're talking about here. I have always been against forcing her to quit against her will. I wanted her to make the decision on her own.

So much to my surprise, and glee, Montana announced to me upon our departure from the office that she would like to try the sock trick. (This was something suggested by the dentist that he tried with his own daughter; she wore a sock over her hand at night, and within 3 weeks had ceased sucking her thumb completely.) School will be starting in 27 days, so what better time to try it out?

I am pleased to announce that my daughter, who has been sucking her thumb for 7 years and 5 1/2 months, wore a sock to bed for the first time! I had my doubts, but after checking on her a couple times, I was pleasantly surprised to see her fast asleep, sock on hand.

It is bittersweet, I have to admit. I am immensely proud of Little M for making this mature decision on her own, but I also realize this is the beginning of the end. She is no longer a baby, which I am reminded of every day, but at night when I peered in on her, she looked like a little mullet-headed toddler sleeping in her big girl bed. A year from now, I will be grateful that she was able to quit, and as a result she will have beautiful adult teeth.

This is just Night #1 however, and I do not want to get ahead of myself! Baby steps Mama Kee!

C'est moi

Now that I have popped my blog's virginity, how about I tell you a little about myself? I am a nice Canadian girl, hence the titles en francais-- I thought I would give my entries a little something different, or should I say a little "Je ne sais quoi?"

I am a true Canadian; I love hockey, I love beer, and I love to redecorate my igloo with each spring thaw. I was born and raised here in British Columbia, but I toured a bit in Alberta-something I highly un-recommend.

I am a single parent to a darling young lady, who we shall call Montana. She is soon entering the third grade, so I'm sure you won't be surprised to read that she is a big Hannah Montana fan, which is why I think her blogspot name is appropriate. Also, my name is Mama Kee, which now makes us M & M. Teehee!

Now that Little M has insisted on being a full time elementary student, I have ventured into the world of office mundaneness. For the past year and a half, I have filed, typed, data-entered, and photocopied myself silly. It is a great place to work, and I enjoy the people I work with--for the most part, but that's another blog.

I have a wonderful (immediate) family, with whom I am very close. I am surrounded by kids, which keeps me pleasantly insane, and is also the reason I am up at 2 AM typing up my first blogs.

Oh! And I can't forget, I also have a minidog. She is a Pomeranian, and keeps me on my toes. We shall call her Pom Pom. There has been many a time I have wanted to shake her about while I do a little cheer, so this name is also fitting.

Well, I think that's me in a nutshell, my outline if you will. I will now spend the next forever of my life elaborating on each topic.

Until next time, Internet, bonsoir!

Mon "blog" premier!

Okay, I am doing it: Writing my own blog. I feel I must tell you that I created this blog some time ago, but haven't had the nerve to put words on the page.

I have struggled with the pros and cons of having a public blog. I've spoken with friends, and done some research online. I have decided that I will proceed with caution, and make the rules as I go. I have much to think about before I open my blabberhole, such as Which audience do I want to attract? How much of my life am I willing to share with Mr. and Mrs. Internet Community? What will be the basis of my blog?

In doing my online reading, I found a good list of pros and cons written by a fellow blogger. This person seems to mirror my worries: Anyone can read what you write, and sometimes your words can come back to bite you in the booty.

But I also found something else, a quote: Bloggers are people with attitude. Indeed. Thank you for that Mr. McGovern. You have convinced me. I need a blog. I rather think this will be interesting.

So, back to my original concerns:

1. Which audience do I want to attract? I don't yet have an answer for this, but I'm hoping my blog will be appropriate for both friends and family to read.

2. How much am I willing to share? I am not willing to use real names in such a public forum. From this point on, I will be known only as Mama Kee, MK, or just Kee. If you would like to create new nicknames for me, please feel free, but I ask--do not use my real name or that of my child.

3. What will be the basis of my blog? I have so many things I would like to talk about. My life is definitely the main reason I want to have a journal, so I will discuss that on a semi daily basis. I would also like to write movie reviews, maybe song reviews, etc. Of course, I will also have rants about random things. So, there is no basis per se, but that may change in the future, as I grow comfortable in this environment.

S'amuser s'il vous plait!