Some thoughts for a Tuesday evening

After having two very different conversations with two very different clients at work today it got me thinking. The first chat was about spoiled children. The second was about this client's daughter's birthday party and birthday gifts. It just got me thinking about children and money. I have a lot of things I would like to say and I hope they come out in a way that makes sense and that I don't offend anyone because I am not a parent and I can only speak from my experiences as being someone's child or observing other people with their children.

From my first conversation my client had said that her child was spoiled more with material things from one set of grandparents than the other. I have no doubt that both sets of grandparents love the child equally, but one set has more money available to spend on their grandchild. It reminded me of my experiences growing up. I hate to say this, but what I am about to say is true. My mom's parents were quite wealthy and lived in Calgary. Growing up we probably only saw them once or twice per year and usually in the summer they would buy my sister and I a whole whack of new school clothes (which my parents could not afford to buy us themselves). So after a number of years of this, it came to be expected and probably was not as appreciated as it should have been. My dad's mom, on the other hand, I probably saw at least every two or three months and I did not particularly enjoy going to visit there. I loved my grandma, but she didn't treat us to such neat things. She didn't have a lot of money, and lived in a small one bedroom duplex and when we visited her I had to sleep on the floor. I should also mention that my mom's parents have four grandchildren and my dad's mom had twenty eight grandchildren. I am ashamed to admit growing up that I don't think I valued my relationship with my paternal grandma as much as I did my maternal grandparents. And looking back on it, I think a lot of it had to do with money. Getting to go shopping, taken out for meals, etc which we normally didn't get to do.

My second conversation with a different client as about her daughter's birthday party. They are going to the Build-A-Bear Workshop and each child gets to spend $40 on a bear and clothing for the bear. That gets pretty pricey when you have 8 children attending your party! It got me to thinking about conversations I have heard (and had with Jay) about being able to afford kids. I don't know if anyone can really afford to have kids. I realize that there are people who are barely scraping by on their own, let alone adding a baby to the equation. However I think whether you think you an afford it or not people find a way to make it work. I suppose you have to. It seems to me that the people who can really afford kids, who have an overabundance of money, either love their money so much that they don't have kids or have kids and leave it up to others to raise them. I am not saying that people shouldn't work and have kids, but it seems often people who have very well paying jobs would rather be at their jobs than home raising their children. Whereas the people who want to be home raising their children have to be out working to be able to afford to have their children. I am not sure the point I am trying to make, just an observation. I don't know that there is a point where someone can say, "Yes I think that we can afford to have a child now." Or "I think I need to make $3/hr more than I am now to be able to afford to have a child."

I hope that someday if I have a child, or children of my own they will appreciate the value of money. I do not want to have a spoiled child, but I also would like to offer them the opportunity to pursue things that I wasn't given the chance to for financial reasons. Just my thoughts and ramblings on a Tuesday evening.

My pepper plant has a new pepper!

I can't believe she was ever that small!

Belly Dancing

I had my first class this evening. It was alright and I didn't feel too self conscious or weird being there. We learned three basic moves, the hip circle, the basic shimmy and a more advanced shimmy. I did pretty well with the first two but just couldn't seem to get down the advanced shimmy. I imagine there might be even more advanced shimmys than this one, so hopefully I will get it mastered.

I noticed very early on, doing my hip circles that I think my iliotibial bands are very tight. Each time I would move my hips back and forth or up and down I could feel my IT band popping over top of a bump on my femur (greater trochanter, for those who are familiar with anatomy). I am pretty sure that's what it was, so I think before my next class I should work on some stretching for my IT bands and I could feel my lower back tightening up with the movements. I think our teacher knows what she is doing, but I felt that our warmup time was fairly inadequate. I look forward to learning some new moves and getting more comfortable with what I have learned so far.

Maybe someday I'll be this good (minus the chandelier on my head)...

Ta Da!

They are officially done our landscaping! Here is our front yard with grass and our new thunderchild flowering crabapple tree. It doesn't look like much now but I hope it is full of beautiful pink blossoms next spring.


Shrubs in our back shrub bed. I like the gray shale and I look forward to seeing these plants grow up and hopefully bloom next spring/summer.


A close up shot of our gray shale. When they first brought it in yesterday it was really dusty and was the colour of the lightest pieces. Almost looked like that old school white rock that people used to have. I felt disappointed in our choice until they hosed it off and it looks much prettier now :)

Our front shrub/flower bed. I had to make sure I could get a lawn mower through here as there isn't enough room to get one past our air conditioner on the other side. The landscapers recommended using a couple of our leftover sidewalk blocks to make a path for the lawnmower to use.

They sure don't look like much now, but along this side of the fence we got them to plant four rose bushes and a double flowering plum. I am planning to do some reading up on caring for roses and other plants because I don't want them to go and die on me.

A close up of a goldflame spirea plant under our tree. I think it is very pretty this time of year.

Our tree, losing more and more leaves every day! I know this picture is dark but I thought the sky looked pretty. And you can see my shadow ;)

This will be a little rock/ornament/etc garden under our tree. They planted two goldflame spireas and two different varieties of juniper. I like the look of this space and it makes for less lawn to mow under and around the tree.

Waste of time

Last week at work we got a brochure in the mail advertising a lecture that was taking place today at the University. It was being put on by a doctor who has done research on massage therapy as well as written a couple of massage text books. The brochure said she would be presenting on evidence based research findings and it sounded quite promising. From what I have heard since I was in massage school there is very little concrete research proof of the effectiveness of massage in treating various conditions. There are plenty of people who would agree that massage is beneficial in the treatment of specific or general muscle pain. However people saying that does not mean that there is research data to support it.

The doctor who presented today started off by saying that it is very difficult to do massage research because there are SO many variables that are hard to control, such as therapist training, various techniques, treatment frequency, people's preconceived notions about massage, etc. So after saying all of that she proceeded to specifically speak about the effects of massage on edema, asthma, type 2 diabetes and neck pain. Basically said there is no conclusive evidence that massage is helpful in any of these conditions. I beg to differ..... However she did say that a lot of the studies performed were very inconsistent with poor sample sizes, as well as one of the neck pain studies, the people involved only had one massage. That doesn't seem like a very reliable research study to me.

When we first got this brochure at work I thought, hey this will be great. Maybe finally we will have some better credibility with the Worker's Compensation Board and SGI. I thought, maybe someone should call up the representatives from these organizations who keep telling us there is no conclusive proof that massage is effective and tell them to check out this seminar. Well I sincerely hope that none of them were there today. What a disappointment! I am not quite sure why this lecture took place at all.... Waste of time and effort if you ask me! :P

The Simpsons

Jay and I are big fans of The Simpsons. (No, really?!) Lately I have realized just how often we quote various Simpsons episodes throughout the day. It is quite often....in the last day or two we have started calling toast "ye olde toast". We often call Kiwi "Poochie the rockin' dog", another Simpsons reference. If one of us, or someone we know does something nerdy we just look at eachother and say "Neeeeeeeeeeerd! Hey buddy, did you get a load of the nerd?" When we refer to the garden hose and the nozzle at the end...it's "the noozle at the end of the hoose". I have caught myself making one of these obscure references around people other than Jay, and usually I just get a funny look. Occasionally I get a giggle from someone who catches the reference. Sometimes I think we are pathetic, but I am glad that it is something we have in common. We really do share a unique sense of humour. So what if we can quote most episodes from the first ten seasons of the Simpsons. And so what if I am pretty excited that season eleven of the Simpsons comes out on DVD on October 7th. And so what if we will probably buy it instead of leaving it as a Christmas present option for one of our family members. Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerd...

Coming along nicely

Here is the crushed rock along the side of our house. Much better than the 6 foot tall weeds that were there a week and a half ago!

Flower/shrub bed in the front yard. A little different than our original plan, but I like it better. They are also in the midst of digging trenches for in-ground sprinklers.

Our new planters. I am looking forward to planting lots of pretty flowers and stuff in them. The black edging along the fence will outline a shrub bed. The middle of the yard will be sod.

Our tree that was moved into our yard earlier this summer. It seems to have done well, and now looks like a lot of the trees are looking this time of year. I hope that it will survive the winter and come back next spring.

This is the expensive Chinese tile that I mentioned in my last post. One of their previous customers had it shipped to Canada at an expense of $30,000 just to ship it. They had it laid around their pool. These are a few of the remnants. This will be the transition between our patio and our lawn. Our arbor will go between the planters.

Another small rock garden thingy under our tree. I don't think we will plant anything in there, maybe just put a few special ornaments under there.

Kiwi likes the new planters too ;)

I was impressed that they were able to run the water line from the side of he house to the deck so Jason can access the sprinkler valves, as well as a water tap. Very cool!

So excited!

Our yard is starting to take shape and I love it! I will admit that the grass in our backyard is going to be pretty minimal, but since I am the lawn mower in this family, I am okay with that. We have been brainstorming ideas to put in our pretty new planters (I might try to plant some bulbs this fall!). Also trying to picture the plants we chose for our shrub bed along the fence and seeing if they will fit okay. I would REALLY like to have a double flowering plum, but they do get to be 5-6 feet high and wide. Not sure if it will fit where I wanted to put it.

I have very impressed with the guys we hired. Emerald Landscaping is the company. There have been four guys here pretty much from 9am-5pm for the last week. They are super laid back and have given us some extras for 'free'. I say 'free' because we are paying them a lot, however I imagine that some companies are very rigid that you only get what is in the contract. For example, we are having an arbor made for us by Steelmet Supply. Under the arbor they planned to lay down some paving stones to make for a nice transition between the patio and the grass. Instead of just using plain old paving stones, they are using remnants of VERY expensive stone tiles that one client had shipped over from China to go around their pool. We have also made some adjustments to the original plans and they have been quite flexible. I can't wait to see the finished product. I will (or Jay will) post some before and after pictures of it when it's all done.

Interesting

I heard the other day that the Conservative Party has laid out a plan to allow self employed parents to take maternity/parental leave. From what I read, you pay into it for a minimum of six months then can claim EI after your baby is born. Being self employed I do find this quite interesting. I realize though that there are always a lot of big promises made during election campaigns and usually 99.9% of them do not come to fruition. I have a feeling that after the federal election on October 14th that we will be in the exact same position we are now, with a Conservative minority government.

Matthew 7:9-11 says "You parents--if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."

I opened my Bible this evening for the first time in months. I have just not felt drawn to read. I should read, I really should. I know that the more you read and pray the easier it is, and the more God is able to impact your life and draw you nearer to where He wants you to be. When I opened my Bible this evening I didn't know where to turn. I felt like reading about Jesus after the sermon at church yesterday. I started in John and read about Jesus turning water into wine. Then I thought I would like to read the sermon on the mount, or at least part of it. When I got to Matthew 7 this passage really leaped out at me. In the last months I have had a few things in my life that have frustrated me. I have tried to deal with them on my own and have mostly been disappointed. I haven't seriously taken any of it to God to find some guidance. I think somewhere along the way I thought I could figure it out on my own. I didn't think God needed to be bothered with the small details (or sometimes not so small details) of my day to day life. But obviously, according to this passage, God wants to give me good gifts. He wants what is best for me. I know that does not mean he will always give me what I want, but he will begin to change my heart towards what His will is for my life.

Any ideas?

I have wanted a shirt like this for quite some time. I haven't personally seen any stores in Saskatoon that offer this type of shirt. I was in one in Calgary last winter, but it is now closed. I have done some searching online and found a number of online stores, but I am a little leary to buy from an unknown internet company. Does anyone out there know if there is anywhere in Saskatoon that sells Asian clothing? Or any reputable online stores? I checked Ebay and didn't find much there.

Just for giggles

Jay has been sorting through the files on his computer in preparation to get a new one soon. He came across this and emailed it to me. We didn't get a chance to do a beer can chicken this summer, but it sure is good done on the bbq that way!

The Epicure party was last night and I think it was a big success. I ended up having seven guests plus me and Melissa (the Epicure lady). I was again impressed with the products they have to offer. The tasting parties are so much fun! You get to smell a lot of good things and taste a lot of good things as well. My house still smells like mulling spices (if I could smell anything right now....). I was surprised the with the total sales of my party and thankful that people came and bought some good stuff!

I have been developing a cold for the last couple of days (hence my comment about not being able to smell anything). I honestly cannot remember the last time I had a bad cold. I have had a few minor ones in the last year or so but not one like this for a long time. I am thankful that I am a relatively healthy person with a good immune system. Considering I work with a lot of different people at work, there is a lot of potential to be exposed to things. I have had a fairly slow week at work, which has been okay considering I don't feel all that energetic. I have to say though that trying to massage someone with a runny nose is such a frustration! It seems that even if my nose feels fine and not runny, as soon as I start massaging it starts running. So I try to discreetly dab at my nose or sniffle quietly. I am sure it's not that great for my clients, but I can't always take a day off if I feel a little sniffly. I am hoping that this cold will start to clear up soon!

There is a pile of top soil in our front yard and a bobcat parked out front! Woohoo! We are going to get a yard before winter comes :)

Jeopardy

I enjoy watching Jeopardy, it is one of my favorite shows to watch. I have learned a lot of little trivia tidbits watching that show. This season they have switched from CTV to CBC which really doesn't bother me at all. I don't mind turning to a different channel than it's been for the better part of my whole life. I am frustrated, however, with the fact that they have decided to air it at 7:30pm now instead of 5:30pm. We would usually watch it during supper, or just after supper (I know we are old...sometimes we eat supper at 5pm....). Now I am never going to remember to watch it, or if I do watch it, it will interfere with other evening activities, or things I should be doing. I hope that CBC will get back to Wheel of Fortune at 5pm and Jeopardy at 5:30pm.

Epicure Party

My party is coming up this Wednesday at 7pm at my house. I sent out a number of email invites and a few telephone invites (to those without internet access), asking people to let me know if they could come and so far I have had ZERO responses. I am looking forward to sampling some dips, but it might be more fun with more than just me and Kiwi and Melissa (the Epicure lady). If anyone who reads this is interested in coming (and isn't a creepy stalker, haha) let me know and I can give you the address info. I have had a couple of people tell me they were likely coming but couldn't make any guarantees. So here's hoping at least 3 or 4 people show up. And if I did invite you and you have a friend or parent or sister who might like to come feel free to invite them. The more the merrier....

Ridiculous!

I called yesterday to make myself an appointment for an annual checkup. I remembered last year that it took me about five months to get in for a physical. At the beginning of this year I put a note in my day planner for the first week in September to call for an appointment around the beginning of February. I called yesterday....her first available appointment, March 5, 2009! How crazy is that?! I realize that if a person needed to get in sooner because of an emergency they could probably get you in sooner. I also asked to be put on a cancellation list so I could possibly get in sooner. :P

I went last night to sign up for belly dancing and a Thai cooking class! Woohoo! Can't wait to get started :)

A little frustrated

A couple of months ago I changed the radio station on our alarm clock. I was getting annoyed and sick of the morning show people on Rock 102, so we decided to give The Bull a chance. I had listened to them some and found that they played a lot of good old country from when I used to like country. It has been good for the most part, however the news casts leave something to be desired. This morning they reported on the 37 year old man who had been attacked and stabbed over night. However they chose to include the detail that the two thirteen year old kids were 'native'. Maybe they were, but typically they do not say those things on the news. Secondly they announced (much to my delight) that city council had decided to change the speed limit in high school zones back to 50km/hr. However, in listening to News Talk 650 a half hour later they informed us that city council had almost unanimously voted to keep high school speed zones at 30km/hr. I just don't quite understand how The Bull could report like that, but I guess I know from now on not to take what they say as truth. Not sure what options we have for waking up in the morning anymore......we need to start broadcasting Fuel 90.3 FM from Calgary!

When I had the dog out for a walk this evening I picked up a Sunday Sun from the newspaper stand. I also picked up a fall Leisure Guide. I just spent a few minutes going through it and there are LOT of community classes offered for very little money and I am thinking about enrolling in a couple. I have always secretly had a bit of an interest in taking belly dancing. There is a beginner class being offered at Sutherland School for people 18+ years old. I hope if I do sign up for it that I am not the oldest, most of out of shape person there. It is a beginner class....I think that belly dancing requires some flexibility however I also think that doing it should improve my flexibility. If anyone out there is interested in coming and making a fool with me...the registration is on Wednesday evening at Forest Grove School ;) I also saw a Thai cooking class at Sous Chef. It is a one time three hour class. I will have to keep my eyes open for the Winter Leisure Guide and maybe I will try some other classes. We don't have a Stonebridge community association yet, but I suppose until we do, I can mooch off of other communities.