54 Inches of Pure Love (a.k.a. Size Matters)
December 28, 2009 at 10:06 pm | Posted in Caityisms, Daddy-O, Family Ties, Miscellaneous Crap, Movies, Sisters, The Crap that Men Do, TV Season | Leave a commentTags: Christmas, HD PVR, High Definition, kidney transplant, Panasonic Viera
First of all, get your mind out of the gutter.
We took advantage of the Boxing Day Sales on Saturday and purchased a new TV. Not just any TV, but a Panasonic 54″ Plasma.
It’s big.
It’s pretty too, all 1080 lines of true high-definition love.
We purchased a HD Digital PVR which was on sale as well, however the clicking from the hard drive is driving me crazy! All-in we saved nearly $800 over the every day cost. The HD Channels come in so clearly. We need to get another HDMI cable to run from the DVD player to the TV so that we can watch movies in High Def too. The PS3 has a Blu-Ray player built-in, so once that’s hooked up, we’ll see what this TV really can do.
As the boys (Alex and my Brother) were hooking the TV on the wall mount, Caity came in the room and demanded to see Do-Do-Dora. She wasn’t too happy that it wasn’t on at that particular second.
I can just see it now, Dora’s huge head taking up the entire screen.
I can hardly wait.
At least Alex will be all set for his post surgery recovery. We are hopeful it will be scheduled soon. It’s like we have a freakin’ movie theatre in our Family Room.
Now please turn off your cell phones and pass the popcorn.
Night and Day
December 27, 2009 at 9:54 am | Posted in All Things Doodle, Caityisms, Family Ties, Miscellaneous Crap, Sisters | Leave a commentTags: Toddler, Toddler speak, Toddler Talk
For a couple of years now, Lexy has been getting up on her own. On the weekends especially, she would wake up, go to the bathroom and then come downstairs to watch TV on her own. She always waits until we get our collective butts out of bed, but she will come and get us if she really needs us. Normally she’s up by 7:00 and lets us sleep until about 8:00. Lexy is always (unless she’s playing in her room) quiet in the mornings. She’s my Day.
Caity on the other hand is the opposite. Since she was eight months old, she’d wake up babbling at the top of her lungs. She didn’t have many words then, mostly Momma and Dada but she was loud! She also doesn’t get out of her bed without me or Alex going into her room. Ever. In the five months or so that she’s been sleeping in her big girl bed, she not once has gotten out of her bed on her own. She’s my Night.
This morning, not different from any other weekend morning, Lexy woke up, went to the bathroom and crept downstairs to watch her shows. Caity, however, woke up and started yelling at her toys to “BE QUIET BECAUSE DADDY’S SLEEPING!!.”
Did I mention that her room is about ten feet away from mine? I chuckled.
Then she starts singing. “MISSER SUN, SUN, MISSER GOLDEN SUN! PLEASE COME OUT TODAY!”
It’s hard not to laugh out loud.
Then she erupts into a chorus of “Mary had a Little Lamb”, loudly and out of key, many words forgotten.
I figured I wasn’t getting any more sleep this morning so I got out of bed and went into her room, interrupting the singing.
“Caity, why are you so loud?” I asked her.
“To wake ev’rybody up Mommy!”
Of course. Silly Mommy, what was I thinking…
Badder Santa (a.k.a. An Awful Online Experience)
December 23, 2009 at 4:26 pm | Posted in Miscellaneous Crap | Leave a commentTags: Bad Customer Service, Toys R Us, TRU, zhu zhu pets
Avoid this site like the plague. www.toysrus.ca. I’m furious still and I’m sure my blood pressure is elevated, I can feel the blood vessels popping in my head as we speak.
I will never shop with TRU again. Here’s why:
I’ve written about the Zhu Zhu Pets that I’ve tried to order for my kids for Christmas in past posts. It’s pretty much been one disaster after another and I should have just let the fad pass us by, but noooo I had to have this year’s “tickle me Elmo” for my kids.
This is a tale about four mechanical hamsters: Pipsqueak, Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums and Chunk.
a) Pipsqueak was ordered through eBay and I received her in about four days after payment was made. Fantastic. Really happy here. She’s little and really cute.
b) Mr. Squiggles didn’t show for more than three weeks. The kind lady I was dealing with sent me a replacement hamster (Chunk – still in transit). Mr. Squiggles has finally arrived after being stuck in Customs and is very cute too.
c) Num Nums was ordered on Monday from Toys ‘R Us because I didn’t think that Mr. Squiggles would appear and I wanted to have one under the tree for Lexy too. I requested and paid for Next Day Shipping at a cost of $16.69 (which is more than the price of the hamster). This morning according to the tracking email, the package was “Successfully delivered to Oshawa”! Great! I don’t live there!
A tribute to stupidity
Click to enlarge
d) I saw a Purolator truck on my street at around 10:00 this morning (Canada Post ships via Purolator). He stopped a few doors down and then left. I even knocked on a few of my neighbour’s doors an hour ago to see if they got the shipment by mistake – no one fessed up.
e) I called TRU’s inept Customer Service department. As far as they are concerned, the package was delivered and if I wanted more information I should call Canada Post/Purolator myself to find out where the package was delivered. Um, excuse me? Why am I tracking my own package?? Isn’t it part of TRU’s job?? They said there was nothing more they could do … um… ok, I’m pretty sure there are other options, like replacing the item maybe??
TRU seems to think it will still be delivered. I paid for a.m. next day delivery and it’s currently 3:04 two days later and still no package. “The day’s not over” was the quippy reply from TRU. That was pretty much when I blew a gasket.
I called Canada Post (because TRU apparently doesn’t have to), and when I could finally get ahold of them (their line was constantly busy) they didn’t understand what was going on but at least they’re looking into it. They will call me back.
At the end of the conversation with the TRU Customer Service Rep, he said “thank you for shopping at Toys R Us”. I said that’s a mistake I will never make again. I also told them that I would be letting everyone know what a horrible shopping experience I had with them and if anyone were to ask for my recommendation on them, I would tell them to shop elsewhere.
I wrote to TRUs Customer Service and told them that they should refund my courier charge because the item wasn’t delivered when indicated and if the hamster doesn’t show up by the end of day today, they can either refund my money for the hamster or get me a new one, delivered to my house, at their cost.
f) Chunk is on his way, he’s cleared Canada Customs. I expect to get him next week some time.
My head hurts. I don’t expect any good to come of this and I am seriously done shopping at Toys ‘R Us. Their Customer Service department is lacking; their stores are all run by teenagers who either: don’t give a damn, or have no idea what you’re talking about to help you; and they’re way overpriced.
Bah Humbug Toys ‘R Us. I hope you straighten yourselves out before you mess up another little kids’ Christmas.
Testing Update
December 21, 2009 at 8:52 pm | Posted in All Things Doodle, Caityisms, CKD, Daddy-O, Family Ties, Kidney Disease, Sisters | Leave a commentTags: Christmas, CKD, Dialysis, IgA, kidney transplant, kids, nephrophy, PD, PD Catheter, toddlers
Alex had an Angiogram today. After the last test that he ‘cleared’, the Cardiologist called him back in to see him. It turned out that there was some abnormalities in his test result and he ordered an Angiogram. Luckily they said that one side of his heart is pristine, but the other has some plaque deposits. Apparently it’s nothing serious right now but could potentially be a problem when he ages. It doesn’t impede the transplant. Whew, but it’s more stress in the future.
He’s home now, sleeping and in pain. He had to go in for 7:00 this morning, which meant an early train ride into the city. I met him later after I dropped off the girls and went to ToysRUs. We hung around his hospital room for a couple of hours, bored, with nothing to do. He was bandaged up, having just removed the tourniquet when I got there. He had a compression bandage wrapped around his wrist and he has to take it easy with that arm for a couple of days. It’s a big deal when they cut into an artery and they don’t want anything to go wrong. He can take the bandage off tomorrow morning and replace it with a regular one.
He’s sleeping, snoring beside me. The girls are in bed, just. The Simpsons are on the TV and I’m updating my post. Christmas is in three days and I’m exhausted. I’m going to try to grab a good nap tomorrow as it’s the last day the girls are out of my hair until next Tuesday. I’ve been home nearly a week already and I haven’t had a break yet. I’m exhausted. I have 5 additional people coming for dinner on Thursday and the house is still a wreck from the windows replacement last week. We finally put the Christmas Tree up on Saturday and it looks pretty, but bare – we need some new ornaments. Caity broke the leg off of my beloved Rudolph ornament 
I hope he’ll fix with some glue.
Santa’s coming this year. I know it. I can feel it. Now I just need some sleep.
I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas
December 21, 2009 at 8:23 pm | Posted in All Things Doodle, Caityisms, Family Ties, Miscellaneous Crap, Sisters | 2 CommentsTags: Christmas, Chunk, kids, Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, Pipsqueak, Toys, zhu zhu pets
**Update**
Mr. Squiggles arrived today. I was half right – he was in the possession of Canada Customs, but because the lady who sold him to me included the shipping fee I paid her in the total “value” of the item, it got held up by Customs. I had to pay $11.43 in Customs Fees and Taxes. So here’s a hint for anyone buying anything overseas – make sure they don’t include the shipping as part of the value!
And he’s really cute by the way. Not sure how much my cats will enjoy them though 
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Ever since Telus started playing that commercial, I’ve had that song stuck in my head. It’s really cute, but for the one hundred thousandth time, it gets to be a little much. I wish we could really wish for things like that. Hippos are cute.
He's so cute!
I hope my kids will be happy this Christmas. Like I said in an earlier post, I ordered two Zhu Zhu Pets for my girls: Pipsqueak for Caity and Mr. Squiggles for Lexy. Since they weren’t available in any store in Canada, I had to order them off of eBay. Pipsqueak arrived within a few days, but Mr. Squiggles remains at large – presumably under some Customs Officer’s Christmas Tree. The pets were mailed just before the American Thanksgiving, so who knows if he’ll ever show up.
The wonderful lady I originally bought Mr. Squiggles from has been in constant contact and since he still hasn’t shown up three days before Christmas (we celebrate Christmas Eve), she has given me her last hamster, “Chunk” and said that if Mr. Squiggles does show up, I can keep them both. She’s a sweet lady.
Chunk is a white hamster, a bit larger but still cute.
This time, the seller put a trace on the package so we could try to find it if it goes missing too.
A replacement hamster
So. As a third backup, because Chunk won’t arrive until well after Christmas, I went on ToysRUs.ca this morning and at 8:39 I became the proud owner of “Num Nums” – a really cute grey hamster, which when you add in the cost of overnight shipping, costs almost as much as the ones on eBay.
Since the hamsters aren’t complete without their accessories and since ToysRUs.ca didn’t have a single one available online this morning at 8:39 a.m. EST, I had to go to the local TRU store to get some accessories.
They now have their hamster habitrail home, a ball that they can roll around in (just like a real hamster), and two beds with blankets. All from Santa. Isn’t he generous.
So hopefully tomorrow or Wednesday, Num Nums will arrive and Lexy will have her hamster.
Num Nums is my favourite
The other option is that I keep them until Caity’s birthday in February.
I can’t believe I got caught up in the craze. I’m pretty sure that come Christmas, I’ll know exactly why I did it and hopefully I won’t have too many regrets.
Somehow I think I have bought all four of the original set and all I wanted was two. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Dear Santa…
December 17, 2009 at 2:33 pm | Posted in All Things Doodle | Leave a commentTags: Christmas, kids
I emptied Lexy’s school envelope yesterday which contains all of her work for the past week or so. She told me that she wrote a letter to Santa and tried to recite it for me in the car one day. Yesterday it came home in the envelope. I laughed from its cuteness. This is written verbatim but I can’t duplicate the backwards ‘s’, and she really repeated herself in the letter, it’s not a typo.
“Dear Santa:
I am writing this letter to Say hi. and tell you what I’d like for christmas for christmas. I’d like some new clothes. Say hi to Rudolph for me.
Love Lexy”
I wish my scanner worked. It’s too cute. My camera’s currently broken too
I’ve never known a kid to ask for clothes before. Usually it’s some sort of toy. I hope she won’t be disappointed.
…and Fumes From the Caulking Danced in My Head
December 16, 2009 at 6:58 pm | Posted in Miscellaneous Crap | 1 CommentTags: Christmas
Wow. I’ve forgotten how much the smell from newly applied caulk gives me a headache. They started installing our windows today and oh-my-god is it warmer in here already. I’m seriously thinking about turning down the heat. Not sure if I’ve ever done that while living here before.
We ordered them in September, and it’s mid-December. That’s a long time to wait. They’re coming back tomorrow to install the Patio Door and Bay Window. Today they installed: Three windows in Lexy’s room, one in the Main Bathroom, one in the landing, one in the Dining Room, one in my Bedroom, one in Caity’s bedroom.
I have to get new window coverings everywhere because of the new trim, nothing fits.
It’s going to be a nice warm night. It’ll be cold outside.
I’m good. A little light-headed from the fumes, but good.
We’re off to Lexy’s Christmas Concert now. Have a good night
Dominoe-Effect Saves 13 Lives
December 14, 2009 at 4:56 pm | Posted in CKD, Daddy-O, Family Ties, Kidney Disease | 3 CommentsTags: Christmas, Christmas Miracle, CKD, Dialysis, IgA, Kidney Disease, kidney transplant, nephrophy, organ donation, PD, PD Catheter
OMG, have you heard about this Christmas Miracle?
An incredible 13-way kidney swap/donation was recently performed and managed to match some very difficult-to-match patients with their life saving organs.
A kidney exchange widens the pool of potential organs. That’s when patients find a friend or relative who isn’t compatible with them but will donate on their behalf, and the pairs are mixed and matched.
Read the article. It made me smile. Merry Christmas. Awesome.
Sign your donor card, please. Transplants save lives. Please support the Green Ribbon Campaign.
Christmas Shopping List
December 10, 2009 at 7:25 pm | Posted in CKD, Daddy-O, Family Ties, Kidney Disease, Miscellaneous Crap, The Crap that Men Do, Toeses and Noses | 3 CommentsTags: Christmas, CKD, Dialysis, IgA, nephrophy, PD, PD Catheter
I texted Alex today that nearly all my Christmas shopping was done, his included. He texted back that I should take it all back and buy stuff for the kids instead. Since he now reads my blog occasionally (Hi Bum!), I can’t tell you what I got him until after Christmas. I can, however, still make fun of him and plan to do so in the future at any opportunity.
But I digress. I told him I wasn’t bringing anything back. He said we still need to find something for his Mom and his Dad. His Sister Steph and I have figured out what to get his Mom, but it’s for his Dad that we don’t know what to get.
Afterall, what do you get someone who gives you their Kidney?
If he was a woman instead it might be easier: a necklace, or a watch. It’s harder when it’s a guy. How much is a Kidney worth? On the black market according to a Google search, they’re worth $85,000. We don’t have that much money. We’re also not trying to buy the organ, we simply want to say “Thank You”. I suggested that he take him to a Hockey Game or something like that after he’s well enough to go. We can’t get tickets yet because we don’t know when the operation will be. Is that enough? Should we do more?
Don’t get me wrong, we are very grateful, you have no idea how much we are. We’re not taking this lightly – it’s actually a very difficult decision. Marc is giving Alex a new lease on life, how do you repay something like that? We will try to do something appropriate, but it may never feel like enough. How much is too much or too little?
Does anyone have any ideas?
‘Tis the Season
December 8, 2009 at 10:33 pm | Posted in Miscellaneous Crap | 3 CommentsTags: Christmas, kids
Updated Update: The grand total was $1,200 and nine boxes of food for our local Food Bank! Outstanding!
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Update: We had an awesome campaign! Not only did we raise more than $300 for the cookbook but more copies are being requested from our remote offices! We had the Silent Auction today too (which I had to miss because of my windows) and we raised more than $640! That’s nearly $1,000 for the Food Bank!! To top off this fabulous season, we’ve also collected 8 boxes full of food and household items! I’m so proud of my group. This is just awesome! Thank you everyone who helped! We’re delivering the food and the money tomorrow morning.
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My online friend (and banner designer) Jen O. wrote a post today about “Giving on a Budget”. She asked what “we” (a.k.a. her readers) were doing if anything to cut down this season and if we were planning on donating to a food drive.
Well, as I was typing and typing, the computer hiccupped and I lost my reply – which is probably a good thing for several reasons: a) it would bore Jen’s readers, b) my fingers were getting cramped from typing and c) it was getting long anyway. So here’s pretty much what I had to say.
Some of the food we collected
My work (and by “my work” I mean “me”) is organizing a food drive for our local Food Bank. Each week is a themed week (i.e., canned food, boxed items, pasta, etc.) and if the employee makes a donation of a themed item, they receive a raffle ticket for some corporate swag (a 3-in-1 Jacket, a hat and a scarf – just in time for winter!). It’s been a great incentive so far (people have a real ‘what’s in it for me’ attitude sometimes). Most people are giving truly out of the goodness of their hearts but you can tell that some people are in it just for the incentive. So far we’ve collected more than 5 “paper boxes” (you know the kind that your office paper gets delivered in for your photocopiers?) and hope to get more.
I’ve also put together a cookbook. Yes, a real cookbook. Three years ago we started it, in a different format and printed hard copies. We raised $700 for a local children’s hospital and we were very proud of ourselves. This time in an effort to save trees, I decided to put it on a cd instead. There are two files, a .pdf and a .swf file which only works if you have a flash player on your computer. The flash version is neat, the pages ‘curl’ when you put your mouse near them and it ‘flips’ to a page based on a hyperlink etc. We’re selling the ’books’ for $5 each and all proceeds go directly to the Food Bank. This way they can buy the items they most need, and the rest go on the shelf. This book has been a lot of work, but worth it. I’ve designed, formatted, input, proof-read, edited, copied, labeled and assembled the book myself. It’s more than 150 pages in length.
We’re also having a Silent Auction with items donated from local restaurants, clothing stores, employees, the company (a genuine Roots Leather weekend bag worth over $350!), all kinds of items. I’m hoping to raise another few hundred dollars which also will go straight to the Food Bank.
Our Lobby Resplendent With Toys!
Last but not least, we’re (and again, by “we” I mean “me”) organizing a toy drive. We’ve been collecting money for those who don’t know what to get or don’t have time to shop and our “elves” (a.k.a. my evil minions) will do the shopping for them.
It’s been a pretty busy few weeks. The other thing I want to do but don’t know when I’ll have time to is to pack up the kids’ clothes that they’ve outgrown and donate them to the local women’s shelter. They always need diapers and children’s clothes of all sizes. Usually the women and children who stay there have nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
My branch office which is located up on the shores of Lake Huron, near our client is also organizing a food drive and the point of this one is to collect items for a proper Christmas dinner for their local Women’s Shelter.
And I haven’t even finished my Christmas Shopping yet. I can’t wait for my vacation at the end of next week! I’m off until January 11 and the girls will be in daycare for most of it! Woo Hoo Adult Naps!! My windows are expected to arrive next Wednesday and let me tell you, it’s frickin freezing in here right now so I can’t wait.
Me and My Gal
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