Thursday, January 27, 2011

Aerosmith - Amazing

Its official

I am enrolled in school! At the age of almost 38 (wow, I sure don't feel that age) I am going back to school. I have enrolled with the University of Phoenix as a full time student. I am working towards my AA in Human Services and when I am done with that I plan on moving on to my BA in the same field. All of my classes are online, which freaks me out a little but I am hoping I will manage ok. So my 3 week orientation starts on Monday and my first day of class will be Feb 28th. Wish me luck! This is a very busy time of year for me anyhow, so hoping I can keep it all balanced.

Hahaha....Blake

Posted on my Facebook wall this morning from Blakes friends mom

"I just wanted to let u know katrine that ur son posted a "blake won't eat list" in my kitchen last night so that I could prepare more edible meals for him..lol"

lol Oh my....that boy cracks me up!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Conversations with Blake

I swear I could dedicate this entire blog to conversations with my youngest child...

Blake "Mom, can I get a tattoo when I am older?"
Me " Well sure, you can do what you want when you're eighteen"
Blake "Good because me and Keegan want to get a tattoo that has something to do with Josh"
Me " I think that would be nice"
Blake " Ya something to do with baseball"
Me " Ya that would be good"
Blake " I know, we will get a bag of hot fries, a Slurpee and a baseball tattooed on us!"
Me " lol"
Blake " No really and on the hot fries instead of Andy's hot fries we'll get Josh Johnson Hot fries!"
Me " Well good thing you cant get one until your eighteen, maybe by then you wont think hot fries and Slurpee's will make a cool tattoo!"
Blake " I will still think its cool"

lol Oh my child.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Anger

I find anger to be one of the most time wasting emotions there is. I used to be angry a lot, now I am rarely angry. Often now if I feel anger coming on I am able to talk myself out of it. I used to have this self talk in my head that would build my anger to the bursting point! Slowly over the years I learned to talk in a more positive way to myself. I literally have conversations in my mind lol I ask myself what good will getting angry in this situation do? And the answer is almost always nothing. It will do no good at all. The only think that will happen is I will feel like crap, the person I am angry with will feel like crap and nothing gets solved. Usually by the time I am angry, whataver it is that got me there is done. Anger can't undo it, but it can certainly make things worse. So most of the time now I handle things very calmly and rationally. My husband and kids are so used to my calm nature that if I ever do get angry you'd think the world ended! Can't really blame them though. Anyhow you should all try some positive self talk when you find yourself feeling angry about something.  =)

The official for Pink's Fuckin Perfect(its good)
http://www.vevo.com/watch/pink/fkin-perfect/USLV41000041

Pink - Fuckin' Perfect with lyrics

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Death

Yes...it's a depressing topic, I know. Most days I am doing pretty good, but some days the sadness of it all just overwhelms me. When my son shows me his newest Ipod song (Toby Keith's Crying for me) My heart just aches for what he's lost, for what he saw, for what he will never forget. It's really hard to be a mother and not be able to ease your childs hurt, or take it away like you could when they were babies and the only hurt they had was a scraped knee. I can never erase his memories of the day his best friend was killed, all I can do is notice the little signs and let him know I am here. I am so thankful everyday for all that I have.

Toby Keith Cryin' For Me



Blakes newest Ipod song...so sad =(

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

40hrs a week

Whew! My hours at work were cut from 40 a week to 27.5 starting Jan 1. Thing is my work load didn't follow suit...in fact its grown! So now I am exhausted trying to get all that needs done in the hours I am working.

Yawn...time for a nap yet? I want my hours back!!!

Coldplay - Trouble



Beautiful song

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

John Mayer - Heartbreak Warfare

Dinner conversations

Well, let me start by saying we are a pretty open family lol You now how they say people really should eat together? Well...really, you should! You might learn something...tonight I learned a few interesting facts.

My boys think its totally wrong for an older guy to be with a younger girl, but reverse that situation and its "SO COOL!" Throw in a teenager doing his best friends mom and "OMG that is SOOOO COOL!AWESOME!" Me...not so cool boys! Don't be getting any ideas.

About a month ago my oldest child was threatened by a "skinhead" Told he was going to get his throat slit. Did my child shut up and walk away? No, no...he didn't. In fact he kept mouthing off back to the other guy. His ex girlfriend kept screaming at him to just stop. Andy's reply "Kaila! You are not my mom!" Finally a friend drug his ass into his car and drove off. Geez.

We discussed Andy's very embarrassing and drunken one night stand with a not so nice girl in town....he will never live that one down.

Oh, how about a great memory of their father. They were getting gas one time and a drunken east Indian man walked up and started asking for money. Their dad started yelling racial slurs at him. Ya...nice father figure. This was many years ago.

Oh...there is more, so much more lol But that's all for now folks ;)

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Parenting Teenagers

I have to admit, parenting my teenagers has been easier than I ever imagined. One of the hardest things is how other people parent their teenagers! I don't consider myself old fashioned but there are some things that are just not ok in my books.

1. I will never think it's ok to offer a young teenager alcohol.

2. Young teenage boyfriends and girlfriends don;t get to stay the night together unsupervised.

Pretty simple to me, but over the years I have seen so many other parents just allowing this stuff. I know my teenagers might drink and they might have sex, but I am not going to be the one handing over the booze and a place to screw. If they want to do it they are gonna have to figure out how to do it on their own, and since I am constantly checking on them you can bet it's not going to be easy lol

Last night Blake called me and asked to stay at a friends. I said well as long as I can talk to his mom. "Why Mom!" lol the usual response. Because son, I want to know you are going to be where you say, doing what you say. Its a family I know and Blake is a good kid, so I am not too worried but still I want to talk to his mom. So a little while later, Blake texts me "Mom, Jamie is going to stay there too but we will sleep in different rooms. You can talk to Kelly. Ok mom??" Uhhh NO! lol Jamie is Blake's 15year old girlfriend. So no, the answer is no. A few minutes later he calls and says "Ok, Jamie isn't staying, can I stay? You can talk to Kelly" *sigh* Fine...so talk to Kelly (mom of the boy Blake wants to spend the night with) She assures me that they are staying at her place and that Jamie will not be there. So I let him stay. I talk to my kids ALL the time. They have a lot of freedom, because as of yet they aren't out doing things they shouldn't be doing. They know the minute I find out they are doing something they shouldn't be that freedom is gone. I also explain that I think they are way too young for alcohol and sex, and why. They know I drank young, and obviously I had sex young because I have a 21 year old son to prove it lol Anyhow, I can only do what I can do and hope I have given them the tools to say no. If they don;t say no I hope they will be smart about whatever they are doing.

But my thoughts on this whole situation last night were; Was this really OK by the 15 year old girls mom? and the mom of the other boy thought it was ok too? Ok so the kids are going to sleep in separate rooms...umm, I happen to know teenagers stay up all night and parents don't. Do you think those kids are gonna stay in separate rooms after you go to sleep? lol Not likely. Maybe I am old fashioned...

Anyone who knows Blake, knows he is a sweet and pretty innocent young man; I want to keep him that way as long as I can thanks.
*********************************************************************************
Must update after talking to Blake yesterday lol what really happened

Jamie asked Blake what his plans were for the night. Blake said he was going to stay at Jakes. Jamie said Oh I am going to stay at Jakes too!!! Blake told her that wouldn't be ok with his mom, she said well you won't know if you don't ask lol Blake said Uhh, yes I do lol But she convinced him to ask anyhow. Of course I said no, so I don't even know if the other parents ever knew of this little scheme.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Bruno Mars - Grenade [Official Music Video]


Today's song...love this one!

Just because it's Friday and I have nothing else I need to do

110. My last name: You know!

109. I was born in: Clearwater

108. I am really: glad I have the day off

107. My phone is:  awesome!

106. My eye color is: blue/green

105. My ring size is: I dunno

104. My height is: short

103. I am allergic to: dust, animal dander, pollen...who knows what else

102. I was born on:  the first day of spring

101. I am annoyed by: some people

100: What happened to question 189? huh?

99. My bed is: kingsized and cozy

98: One thing you don’t like about yourself: hmm...my shyness

97. Do you sleep on your BACK, STOMACH, SIDE? : side

96. How do you vent anger?: depends on what I am angry about

95. How did your day start off? letting my dog out at 4:30am

94. Do you get along with guys or girls better? I get along with almost anyone

93. How do you think you look right this moment? lol uhh...probably like crap, wearing an apron, hair in a pony tail lol

92. Last person you went to the movies with? Umm...maybe Angie? Its been sooo long I don't recall

91. My favorite Holiday is: Halloween

90. The last CD I bought was: I think Eminem

89. Do you have any siblings? 2 brothers, 2 sisters

88. What did you do yesterday? Worked

87. When in doubt?: trust your instincts

:::I Do /Do Not Believe In::::

86. Love at first sight? I believe

85. Luck? Kinda

84. Fate? Sorta

83. Aliens?: sure

82. Heaven?: don't know

81. Hell?: see above

80. Ghosts? I do

79. Horoscopes?: Somewhat

78. Soulmates?: hmm...I THINK i DO oops...caps lock lol

77. Karma?  Yes

:::Which is Better?:::
AND YES YOU HAVE TO PICK ONE

76. Drunk or High? Nope, not picking one because neither work for me.

75. On the phone or online : online or text messaging!

74. Red heads or blondes? don't care

73. Blondes or Brunettes? don't care

72. Hot or cold?: cold

71. Summer or Winter: Both

70. Chocolate or vanilla? vanilla

69. Night or Day?: both

68. Oranges or Apples?: both

67. Curly or Straight hair: wavy

::Here’s What I Think About:::

66. Abortion: not for me

65. Backstabbers: dumb

64. Parents: do their best

:::Last time I:::

63. hugged someone: this morning

62. Saw someone: a few hours ago

61: Cried in front of someone: last night

:::Random:::

60. Who is the ditziest person you know:  have no idea

59. Who makes you laugh: my kids

58. Last show you watched: I shouldn't be alive

57. What you don’t understand is:  a whole lot of stuff

56. The most unsatisfying answer? i dont know

55. Something I really miss when I leave home is: my home

54. The thing I’m looking forward to the most is: the rest of my life

53. Tomorrow: Going to mark the start of a new path in my life :)

52. Today: is good

51. Next Summer: Camping, gardening, Powell River

50. This Weekend: will be 4 days!

49. The person(s) who knows the most about me is: hmm...tough question, I keep a lot of things to myself.

48. The most difficult thing to do is: say goodbye

47. I haven’t gotten a speeding ticket: false

46. The first person I talked to today was: Marc

45. First time you had a crush: Umm...I was like 9 or 10 I think

44. The one person who I can’t hide things from: No one

43. Last time someone said something you were thinking: happens a lot

42. Right now I am talking to: no one

41. What is your dream job?: To have my own organic farm

40. First job: baby sitting. 

39. I have had these pets: everything...grew up on a farm.

38. I can still see: My dad's face

37. The worst sound in the world is: death

36. The person who makes me cry the most: No person in my life really makes me cry anymore

35. Best sound in the world?: my kids laughing

34. Who makes you happy? lots of people

33. Cats or dogs?: both

32. Myspace or Facebook: facebook

31. Mexican food or Chinese? depends on my mood

30. My favorite piece of clothing? pajamas

29. My favorite color(s) are: purple

28. Last time I cried: last night

27. My friends: ♥

26. My computer is: new

25. Last person I got mad at: co worker

24. Person you secretly crush on?: its a secret! geez ;)

23. Favorite place to eat : my house

22. Favorite song: There is no way I can pick one

21. The all-time best show is:  No clue

20. The all-time best feeling in the world is: love

19. Favorite scent: lots of stuff

18. What color is your hairbrush: purple and black

17. Favorite shoes: slippers

16. I lose all respect for people who: have no morals

15. favorite channel to watch: food network or hgtv

14. favorite food: seafood

13. favorite day of the week: hmmm...usually Friday

12. Best Feature(s) in the opposite sex: Their heart
11. The worst pain I was ever in was: when I watched my dad take his last breath

10. Best Memory: too many to type, I am blessed with truly amazing memories

9. Favorite TV show? Law and Order SVU

8. My favorite singer/band: Lots

7. Favorite Stuffed Animal? lol well I have quite the collection...can't pick just one!

6. Greatest Fear: Losing people I love

5. My weakness is: my emotions

4. When was your last concert? a few months ago I saw Patty Loveless here in my town.

3. Who broke your heart? Well my heart has been broken a few times...

2. One thing that makes you feel great is: my amazing children


1. One person that you wish you could see right now? : My dad

My toe always bleeds when I play soccer...

WTF? lol ya...my thoughts exactly.

The boys had soccer practice last night. They get home and Kyle comes in and shows me the blood on his socks. I said "what happened?" He says "Nothing, my toe always bleeds when I play soccer." off he goes to change lol He comes back in and I say "Let me look at that toe!" he says "Why mom, its nothing bad" Kalene (his gf) says "Well thats not normal!" I say "Exactly! Now let me see it." Off comes his sock and I can see the blood on his toe, make him put his foot on my lap. Huh...what do I see? Toenails so long they are cutting into his other toes when he wears his soccer cleats!!!!! Umm...hello, CUT YOUR TOENAILS lol OMG...what a boy.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Chantal Kreviazuk - Invincible



And another song =) Music feeds my soul...

Tula

Look at this beautiful old dog, she is the sweetest thing. My dad adopted Tula from the SPCA in Vernon BC when she was 1 year old. He had just bout a house on Silver Star Mountain, on 5 acres and decided he needed a guardian. Tula is a Maremma, which is an Italian guardian dog. True to her breed this old girl has done her job well. While living on the mountain she chased off bears, treed cougars, and just enjoyed living outdoors all year long. She rarely ever wanted inside, she loved the snow! I don't recall my dad ever being so attached to a dog as he was to Tula. As they both got older my dad sold his mountain house and moved into town. He bought a beautiful little house, with a small yard and a creek that ran through. Tula was very content to give up her 5 acres, she was getting to old to guard that much land. So she happily guarded her new little lot in town,she started slowing down, her hips started to bother her and she started sleeping inside at night. When my dad was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 something changed in Tula, she knew he needed her. She started behaving like a young dog again, her hips seemed better, she just seemed better...and every night after my dad went to bed Tula made her way down the hall and laid outside his bedroom door. She was his guardian after all, and he needed her. Sometime over the next two years my dad asked me if I would take Tula if something happened to him; I of course told him I would. So at the end of April 2010 Tula made the journey from Vernon BC to Aberdeen WA. She has brought us such comfort and joy in the time she has been here. We are all head over heals in love with her, and she is now our guardian. Just the other day there was a dog sitting in the street out front of our house. It looked like it may have been injured, so Kyle and Kalene went to investigate. They stayed inside our fence just to be safe, Tula heard the commotion ( my other dogs were outside barking at the dog in the street) so I let Tula out, she ran as quickly as her old legs would carry her and shoved her way between the kids and the fence to protect them from the dog outside the fence lol She is so sweet...so Tula now lives here with us, and spends most of her time inside laying on her bed. But if danger is near you can bet she will be there guarding her new family.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

My journey, your journey...

So I had a conversation with my mom this morning that made me think about this journey I call life and how it compares to others. In fact it inspired me to start a blog...for the millionth time lol

We are all on a journey and we all follow a slightly (or extremely!) different path. My path is no better than yours; nor is my path the right path for you to be on. Just as your path is not right for me. Our paths may cross from time to time, or they may even parallel each other, or maybe they will never cross at all. Just because our paths differ doesn't mean we cant be supportive of someone else's path. I know that sometimes we find ourselves on a path that feels so right and so wonderful we want to share it with everyone we meet! This path must be something everyone should follow because imagine how great the world would be if we all felt this great about our life journey! But wait...wouldn't life become awful boring if all walked the same path? How would we learn new things? How would we grow? I don't want to be on the same path as everyone else, but I sure do want to share some of the things I learn along the way.

So how do we share the wonderful things we find and still be mindful of others feelings? We have to try to remember that many people just are not receptive to new ideas, to new way's of thinking.Maybe they are just happy the way they are and don't see any reason to change. Or maybe they know they need to change but just don't know how. Or maybe they are on their own path to change and just want to go at their own pace. Wherever they are, you can share your success's, your ideas in a way that will hopefully open some eyes along the way.

Rather than tell people what you wish they would change about themselves, try telling them what you have changed about you. Explain what you've been doing on your current path, explain how it has changed you. Give them some information, and then let them do what they want with it. Many people will listen and take some of what you give them and apply it to their own lives. Show people by your own example; live your best life and show people what that does for you. Chances are some people will want to join you (if only just a little) on that path.

Remember the only person you can change is you.

Be true to you.
Live simply, Laugh often, Love deeply

Blogging

I have made several attempts at blogging in the past and they always end up the same way...forgotten! This time may be no different at all, no promises. We will just have to see what happens! This blog will be about my life journey, which means it may be completely off the wall and random. Each day will bring whatever I feel like writing about...or maybe nothing at all. Like I said, we will just have to see what happens! So thanks for reading and enjoy the ride =)