Online Shopping: Works for Working Moms!

I may have mentioned that I am slightly busy, working every day out of the home, as well as inside the home with three children.

(If you haven't heard this already, let me tell you all about it!  How much time have you got?  Oh, wait - I don't have enough time, I'm too busy.)

When I saw Christmas lights shining a few weeks ago, I actually felt a hearty dislike for the person who had put them up.  That's not very festive, is it?

I realized the issue was that I was suddenly feeling pressure.  I wasn't sure how I was going to get it all done this year.

Then it came to me: online shopping!  I had never tried it before in large quantities, but when I looked at how much time I had available to shop (i.e. none) I decided it made sense.

Also, I have been that person in the megastore Moonlight Madness who is standing there thinking in disbelief, "I am in hell on earth!  I would rather shoot myself than go through this again!"  This being the interminable lines, the pushy crowds and frantic gift-grabbing.

Anyway, it was fabulous.  I took some lieu time off from work.  I sat at home with my feet up and my playbook on my lap, and I shopped. 

Free shipping, and it was all delivered within a week.

I used Indigo Kids in Canada, because I like their stuff; it's pretty sturdy and well-made; it's not dollar store cheap plastic.  And you can't beat the free shipping!

I've got almost all of my Christmas shopping done now, for my kids and for my nieces and nephews.

Take that, people with Christmas lights up already!  I mean,  Merry Christmas.  And may your shopping be festive!

Raid the Hammer 2012

Well, what can we say.  We raided, but we didn't exactly hammer.

We thought we'd try something different, and we did.

On the morning of the race, we thought we were arriving early, but it seemed like every other team was there already, planning their routes.  We didn't know you could do that.

I think the majority of people doing this race have tons of orienteering experience.  We had one 10K race with not one navigation course.  I can't even read road maps with everything written on it.  How could I have hoped to read these maps?





There were thirty checkpoints to find.  It took us 5 hours to find the first 24.  We did find them (eventually).

This race is billed as Ontario's toughest running race.

I loved the trails.  We were dropped off in Mt Nemo and we had to run into Waterdown.  I wished I could just keep running instead of looking for those pesky checkpoints.  (It is confirmed that I'm a runner, not a navigator!)

I admit it was fun to find the checkpoints.  We did get lost a few times, and that costs lots of time.  We spent lots of time just staring at the map, trying to figure out routes.  This is not my idea of fun.

We still HAD fun, though.

We saw some amazing trees along the way.  It was a beautiful, sunny day.

At one point, one of our team members had run off in one direction to look for a checkpoint.  When he didn't come back right away, my friend and I thought we should try to signal to him.  I had forgotten my whistle, and hers was attached to the back of her backpack.

I said, "Do you want me to blow your whistle?"  As soon as the words were out of my mouth we both collapsed in laughter.  We couldn't stop for quite some time.  I still laugh when I think of it.

Another time, we had just found a checkpoint and we were deciding which way to go next.  My friend said, "We just have to go over that cliff there."

I responded, "That's not a cliff, it's the fricking Escarpment!"  (It was, too.  We had to go around.)

Anyway, after five hours we had exceeded the time limit and we knew we would be disqualified anyway, so we called it a day.

We learned more things.  We burned lots of calories.  We saw some beautiful trails.  A good way to spend a Sunday. 

Of Monsters and Men in Toronto!

I love Of Monsters and Men.  I love them.  They make me happy.  I love their music.  I love how the two lead singers' voices are so unique and go together so well.

A group of us saw them at the Kool Haus in Toronto.  It was a cool bar; not too big; good atmosphere.

I saw an interview in which the band said they enjoy North American audiences because we show our pleasure with the music; we sing along, clap and cheer.  In Iceland, apparently, people are much more stoic.  I saw a video of a concert there once and everyone was just standing there with neutral faces.

We are much different here.  We were yelling and clapping and cheering and singing the songs as loudly as we could!  I think they appreciated it.  At one point the lead singer, Nanna, yelled, "You guys are CRA-ZY!  I love it!"

 

It's Not Even Monday!

This is the way my day is going today.

I have multiple, visible runs in my nylons.  Yet I'm not fixing it.  Why?  Because I can't find any other nylons.  I'm hoping it will be viewed as a new, post-Halloween fashion statement.

I ate Halloween candy for breakfast.

I put chicken in the crock pot this morning so it would be ready for dinner and I forgot to turn it on.

However.  It is Friday, and I can see the sun for the first time in nine days.

I'll take it.

(P.S. I just poured beef broth into my coffee instead of almond milk.  It's not as bad as you would think.)

Grapes of Wrath - Canadian folk rock band

I used to love the Grapes of Wrath.  I listened to their tape (that's right) over and over again.  I have now rediscovered my love for them.

I went to see them play at the Casbah in Hamilton.

They have so many great hits; even more than I remembered.

I bought their new CD, 'Singles'; it has all the old hits plus two new songs.

I've been listening to it over and over (just like in the late eighties)!

They got me through a lot of teenage angst.

Now they can get me through 41 angst.

Love you, Grapes!