The MOTHER Of All Reviews!

Crrrreeeeeeekkkkk ....... 

Hello?

Helloooooo - ooooooooo - ooooooooo - ooooooooo - ooooooooo -


I realize I've been gone awhile.  Anyone still kickin' around in the Korner? 

OH!  Hi!  Yeah, I see you, curled up over there, trying to look inconspicuous, blending into the beanbag chair ... thanks for sticking around! 


Ahhhh.  I’ve missed my blog

I’ve missed my readers.

I really have no good excuse for not being here.


Nothing traumatic, or wonderful happened to keep me away from the Korner.



Just LIFE, getting in the way. 


Leaking basements.  Again.

  

I took this from across the room.

Yes, that's one little dry spot, over in the Korner.

Disappearing contractors.  Again.

 







  

Never hire a friend to do work for you.Period.

Getting robbed.  Having Adam's bike stolen.

Yeah. Been robbed before too.  

Thanksgiving, Halloween, Alec getting a serious concussion, the ex coming home from Australia for 5 months, then moving back, Christmas thrown in there, and of course, basketball every weekend for both boys from Oct - May! 

It never stops around here. 

I just don't seem to have time to tell you about it! 



Of course, I can't ignore the fact that I have been raising my boys for the past (almost) 2 yrs without the 'every second weekend' visit to their father's. 

Those always provided me with two days of unlimited blogging hours lol. 



And then there's work.

There was a time when I would gladly stay up until 2am finishing a blog post. 

Now, I spend too many 2am nights updating spreadsheets, to even think about starting a post. 


And to be honest ... once you've done something for so long, like blogging for five years, and you're away from it for as long as I've been (as long as I've EVER been away from my blog!), you start to wonder if you CAN go back. 


All these things and more, as I said, LIFE, have kept me away. 

For that, I'm sorry. 



But, today, that changes. 

And as of now ... THIS moment ... I AM back!  

With a vengeance!

........... where is that Elton John music coming from ..........  ??? 



I have promised myself that I will not come back with unfinished blog business. 

Meaning reviews.

Since ... that's really the only business I do on here, other than spouting my own opinions ;-)

I can't bring myself to blog about ONE NEW THING, until I take care of what's long, looooooooong overdue.


You might want to grab a coffee and get comfy, people, cause it's going to be ...






The MOTHER of All Reviews!

So, let's begin with a company who has been very good to me the past few years, P&G.

Last year, I received some AWESOME packages from the Febreze reps, and I've yet to tell you about these!

First, a new bottle of Febreze, Linen and Sky, for Fabrics, Carpets, and Air.

This particular rep was very thoughtful. 

God luv 'er!  She even taped the squirter shut for me!

Thank you!

It came at the perfect time. 

I had received some great couch covers from the Bestie, and had vacuumed out both couches before putting them on. 

Seeing as it would (hopefully) be awhile before they were uncovered, I also wanted to freshen them up. 

So, I washed them down with a handheld scrub brush, then just before they were dry, sprayed them with the new Febreze, Linen and Sky. 

It worked.  Smelled wonderful.  Clean!  Did NOT smell like Belle. 

Mission accomplished. 

For fabric and carpet, I would say SURE!, it's great! As long as you don't have breathing sensitivities to those products. 

For air ... if you don't have carpet, and have hardwood ... not so great. 

Sorry, P&G people, but it's the truth. 

When you spray this product in the air, as an air freshener, when it lands on the hardwood, it makes it slippery/wet for awhile. 

Same on ceramic. 

If you spray this in the air, in a bathroom with ceramic tile, it will surely bring about a 'MOM!' from the first person whose socks hit it running ... then sliding across the room.  

But thank you, I did appreciate the air freshener, 'it did exactly what I needed it to do, and smelled really good doing it!'  

Then, a few months later, this arrived ... another box of P&G products.

WOW!  Thank you nice Febreze Rep!!!  :-)

It's the Febreze jackpot, Baby!!!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

 

While I do appreciate the vanilla scented, Febreze Swiffer Sweeper, Wet Mopping Refills ... sadly, I don't own a wet mop :-(

I would love to own a wet mop, but alas, it hasn't been meant to be.

Yet.

The air fresheners

You already know what I think about the Fabrics, Carpets, and Air freshener.



























This other bottle, the Linen and Sky Air Effects, freshener, now THAT one is for AIR!






This is the one that stays in the bathroom.  It doesn't lay on the ceramic, making it slippery like the fabric freshener.


It definitely has a nice, clean scent, but I have to be honest, there are other scents that I prefer in the Air Effects™ collection.

My favourites?  The exotics! 

Hawaiian Aloha,  Brazilian Carnaval , and  Moroccan Bazaar.


Would LOVE to try Thai Dragon Fruit  sometime too!




They even included the 'down and dirty' of the cleaners in my box of treats!

 

I'm not too picky about my dish washing soap.  Most of the dishes go in the dishwasher anyway (yup, we're getting to THAT too!) so as long as it WORKS, I'm happy.

DAWN® works very well.

This particular scent is New Zealand Springs.

It was nice, but once again, maybe not the scent I'd choose for myself.

I've always been partial to an apple, or lemon scent if I really HAVE to do dishes.



The Mr Clean® / Febreze Disinfectant combo?  LOVE Mr Clean®!  I have tried other products, but always seem to come back to the Mr Clean®.

This particular scent?  Citrus and Light.  Don't like it!  At all.

For me, personally, it doesn't have enough of that 'clean' smell that makes me go, 'Oh Yeah! Floor is CLEAN!'.

Sorry, Mr Clean®/Febreze people, just not a fan of this one.

These, on the other hand, Febreze Meadows & Rain, Febreze Lavender Vanilla & Comfort (40 oz only) ... I do like.


And of course, the Exotic collection :-)




Now, the 'just smells nice, doesn't clean', items.

Which, of course, are my weakness!

I'm a fan of all the candles.

They burn for a LONG time, ALL of it burns, and I love pretty much any scent that isn't pine or peppermint.

This particular one was New Zealand Springs.  Nice.  Not overpowering.

I also have a few Noticibles™ kicking around, and I like them, but they're an extra expense on the grocery trip that I can't necessarily always justify, when a can of Air Effects, on sale, will do in a pinch.

Comes down to a want vs a need.  Would I like to have one in a few rooms, going at all times, yes.

Can I always afford to do so, no.

Lastly, there's the Set & Refresh in Hawaiian Aloha.  I had never tried this before.  I like it.  I don't find them overly strong.


In fact, I thought the one in the bathroom had stopped working, until the best friend told me, 'oh no, I can smell it.'

Because the P&G people ARE so good to me, I can say I use many of the products that you see here, on a regular basis.

I like them.

Keep in mind.  These won't be for everyone.  But if you like the Febreze brand, they're definitely worth giving a try. 


Thank you kind Febreze Reps! 

You've definitely kept me in great smelling cleaning products over these past few years.

Now, if I could just find the time to use them more OFTEN ... !!!! 




Next, there was the book review. For, Unto the Breach. By Sidney Gale.

Sort of.

I was asked if the boys would like to read his book.

YES!  Books over electronics are a GOOD thing!

However, I have to apologize to Sidney Gale.

As much as I WANTED my boys to read Unto the Breach, I can't say they both read it, in it's entirety.

They tried.

Believe me, I forced them to lol.

Mr Gale is targeting the pre-teen boy audience, and I thought the book would hold the interest of many, with it's action and suspense.

Unfortunately, not so for my boys.

It's not you, Mr Gale.  It's them.

I just can't get them to pick up a book, unless it's something like a basketball magazine, Guinness Book of World Records, Ripley's Believe it Or Not etc.


However, when it came time to do a book report for English class this year, one of the boys chose ... Unto the Breach.

YES!  He read it! 

And in his words ...  

"I really liked it once I got into it.  There was lots of suspense after they got out on the water, and the characters were great.  I don't want to tell you what happens though, cause I know you're going to read it too!" 


The book report was accompanied by a powerpoint and verbal presentation, and questions.

Final mark?  97% 


Thank you very much, Sidney Gale, for giving us the opportunity to enjoy your work.

I say 'us', because I know my younger one will read it eventually.

And, it's on MY reading list, too.


Unfortunately, there are others on that list also, and I'm a little OCD that way, in that I read my books in order of how I acquire them.

So it'll be awhile yet before you get MY review ;-) 


..... Oh shut up, people!  We all have our issues!!! 



So, not only did I receive cleaners for the house, I ALSO received cleaners for ME too!

Skin, lips, face and hair.  OH.  YEAH.  BABY!


I was asked if I'd be interested in trying some all natural products.

Now, I'm not a high maintenance girl when it comes to facial cleansers, masks and girlie pampering in general.

Soap.  Water. Cream.  That's it.

Other than the cream, that's about as all natural as it gets.


But ... I do LIKE the girlie pampering stuff, even if I don't have time to DO it, or money to buy it, so I said, SURE!

A few days later, I got .... 

Burts Bees™ ... I NOW LOVE THIS STUFF!!!

 

 

Well ... most of it.


I had never tried the Burts Bees™ products until this box of goodies arrived.

Now, I'll definitely be going back for a couple of things.

Like this beeswax lip balm!

This worked REALLY well.  I used it on Adam over the winter, when his lips were very chapped and starting to peel.

This arrived at JUST the right time!

He put some on before bed, and the NEXT DAY there was a noticeable difference.

This works!





The anti-blemish clarifying toner?  AWESOME!  LOVE THIS!

I've used it on my face.

Do I think it makes me look younger?  Unfortunately, No.

This is skin toner, people!  Not sacred liquid from the fountain of youth!

However, I did notice that it DOES make the skin feel clean, clear, AND smooth.

And it's one of those easy things you can apply before bed!

The hand cream?  Sorry Burts Bees™ people, perhaps I used too much at one time ... more than once ... but I just found this too waxy.

It seemed that no matter how hard I rubbed it in, I couldn't get the 'film' off my hands.

Having said that, I think people who suffer from very chapped hands in the winter time, would LOVE this product, because it would provide a nice coating.

The Deep Pore Scrub, I really can't give an honest review for, because I only tried it once.

Remember, I'm the soap and water girl.  That's more water, less soap.

I just don't like having 'stuff' on my face.

Or my hands for that matter (see comment above lol).

Even IF the end result is supposed to make it more healthy.

Thanks so much, Burts Bees™, for giving me the opportunity to try your product for the first time!

I'll definitely get more of the toner and lip balm.




Or ... ahem ... you know ... ahem ... they'd make great stocking stuffers ...ahem ... Mom ...



This same representative also gave me some Green Beaver!

... Stop that!

I know where some of you were allowing your minds to go.

... I said STOP THAT!



I was sent a bottle of certified organic, gluten free and vegan (among other things) shampoo and body wash ...

 ... from Canadian company, Green Beaver™.

The shampoo?  Loved the scent.  It was light and sort of fruity. Left my hair feeling soft.

And all natural is always good.














It took me awhile to get used to the fact that it doesn't lather up like most other shampoos, but it definitely left my hair feeling clean.

The down side?  I have long hair.  That's alot of shampoo and at $10+ a bottle ... sadly, not something I'd buy for myself very often.

Sorry, Green Beaver™ people, it's just not in the single mom's budget right now ;-)


The body wash?  I use sparingly because I LOVE IT!!!!!

Again, all natural, and with an awesome fruity/tangy scent!

I've seen these products in the 'all natural' section of the grocery stores, so if you'd like to give them a try, I KNOW you can find it there.



From hair ... to food ... (just as long as it's not IN the food ...)

Got an email one day from the Hidden Valley® people, wanting to know if I'd be willing to try (and distribute among friends) a variety of their The Original Ranch product.

Ranch is one of the very few salad dressings I like.

That, Italian and Caesar are the only things that make a salad bearable!

So of course, I said, SEND IT!


And she did.

A whole boxload of it!

Hidden Valley® The Original Ranch

18 bottles worth to be exact!

Original, Light and Fat-free

Because I always have products delivered to the office instead of my house, it was my co-workers who benefited from my blogging perks that day :-)

I sent out an email, letting them know they could have a bottle if they provided me with their feedback.

I also left a couple of bottles in the kitchen for ALL to use.

Heard that one of them ended up on someone's desk ... somehow ...


Anyway, between the co-workers, mom, the best friend and of course, myself and the kids, everyone who DID provide the feedback liked or loved it.

And no, not everyone provided feedback. 

You know who you are ... stop trying to hide behind the plant over there!


There was only one person who found it 'too tangy' for their liking.


Overall though, I received comments such as: 

"This dressing is wicked….and it’s fat free! Who knew that was possible!!!" 



For the boys and I, we tried a few things.

Cooked some chicken and peppers in the oven and poured the Hidden Valley® The Original Ranch dressing over it ...

Poured that mixture onto wraps, added cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream and voila ...

Hidden Valley Ranch chicken wraps! 

THEY.  WERE.  AWESOME!!!! 


And of course, it wouldn't be steak and salad without dressing to smother the salad in!

And finally ...

Yes, there IS an end in sight!



After all that good food dirtied up those plates, the natureclean® people wanted to clean my dishes!

I've tried many dishwasher detergents, and have found few ... within my price-range ... that I like and work well.

So since it was something I hadn't tried yet, and it was eco friendly, and the best price possible, I absolutely said, 'YES!  Please send it!'.


And she did.

A bag of their Automatic Dishwasher Pacs.

Of course, this meant I was going to have to take pictures of my dirty dishes ... again.

Just what you wanted to see, wasn't it?  ;-p

I made sure not to rinse anything.

Left them good and dirty ...

Dried barbeque sauce kind of dirty!

 

And ... they came out sparkling and spotless!

Everything except the egg ...

All in all, a good product.  It can definitely handle the tough stuff.

Just ... not this particular egg.


Three things I found interesting about these pacs:

• Unscented and hypoallergenic, you won't experience the irritating odours you can with other auto dish pacs.

• Not tested on animals and contain absolutely no animal ingredients.

• Did you know? The plastic seal on some dish pacs contain tallow (animal fat -yikes)! Ours is completely tallow free. In fact these pacs are completely VEGAN (they're Kosher too).

 Taken from the natureclean: Automatic Dishwasher Pacs website

Thank you, natureclean, for sending me your Automatic Dishwasher Pacs. 


If you're into non-toxins and would like to try these, they're also in the 'all natural' section of the grocery story.

Overall, I was happy with it.

Would I use it on a regular basis?  Sure, as long as it's within the budget.


Mental note ... make sure to rinse the egg off first. 



THAT'S IT! 

I'm caught up!

I'm done. Finished!


But only for now.  There will be no more ... breaks.

It feels too good to be back.


Oh ... and have no fear, my friends ...  This Bitch IS back! 


.......where is that Elton John music coming from .........?!???! 

K.

You May No Longer Be In Our Homes, But You’ll Always Be In Our Hearts

I stayed up until 3am on Saturday night, watching anniversary footage of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, on September 11, 2001.

As well as, of course, the Pentagon, and a desolate field in rural Pennsylvania.

Yesterday, since both boys were busy doing their 'own thing', most of my day was lost to the TV.

I was glued to ‘special’ after ‘special’ after ‘special’ on the events, flipping between The History Channel and TLC.

Ten years later, myself, along with much of the world can still vividly remember exactly where we were, what we were doing and how whatever plans had been made for that day, were forgotten in a heartbeat.


My ex had a friend visiting us from New York.

THAT morning, he drove him to the Halifax International airport for his flight home.

When Buddy got on that plane in Halifax, everything was right with the world ... he had NO idea what would be waiting for him at his destination.

We didn't end up hearing from him, or learning that he was actually OK, until after 9pm that night.

Over twelve hours after the initial attack.

We knew he hadn't been on one of the hi-jacked planes, but we had no idea what had happened to HIS plane after he left Halifax.

Or even WHERE it had landed.

And little did we know, in a few short hours, approx. 40 planes would be landing at OUR airport, and our citizens would be opening up our homes and hearts to approximately 7000 of those weary, shocked and scared travelers in need.


I was working from home that day.

Alec was at school in his first year of Primary, Adam only a year old.

We had our office in the basement. I was down there on the computer and had just logged into work when I got a personal message from someone in an online group I was a part of at the time (and still today!), called Youngwives.

I don't remember WHO sent the message. Sorry ladies, I wish I did!

But I do remember it was short, and to the point and the urgency in her tone sent me running to the TV, where I spent the rest of the day.


The first message I sent was to work.

It was a mass mailout to many of my co-workers, telling them what had just happened and to, 'get to a TV or radio right away', if they could.

A few people actually thought it was a prank.

Silly People. Should have known me better!


One of the first replies I got back was from my boss.

She wanted to know EVERYTHING I knew up to that point, because her sister was working in (or perhaps it was next to ... ) one of the towers (she was OK).

It seems so many people knew SOMEONE who was THERE.

I filled her in as best I could, then headed back to the TV.

For days, the world watched. And waited. And watched some more.


I remember Alec arriving home from school, and sending him outside so he wouldn’t see the images on the news.

I remember thinking at the time, as I’m sure MANY parents did, ‘WHAT kind of a world have I brought these children into?’

From that day forward, the world changed.

Things for his generation (or mine for that matter) would never be the same.


Despite the shock, horror and anger felt in the days following the attacks, I also felt VERY proud of my city.

Within hours, reports were coming in that all airlines were diverting flights to other destinations.

238 of those planes came to Canada and approximately 40 of them, the largest number of aircraft to be received, to my city of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

I’m not sure how many of you realize what a tough job this was, to get all those planes down safely, so I’ve included a couple of paragraphs from the NAV Canada website,

“Following the closure of Canadian airspace, the focus shifted to "clearing the skies". To land more than 200 planes in a few hours would be a complex and difficult task. The priority for the Tactical Centre was to determine airport runway capacity. Within a very short period of time, our control tower personnel, in consultation with airport authorities, determined how many planes each airport could handle.”

Information taken from NAV Canada website.

Also,

“The Area Control Centres at Gander, Moncton and Montreal and the International Flight Service Station at Gander managed the re-routing of the North Atlantic aircraft. The tower and flight service station staff at St. John's, Gander and Halifax managed the ground situation, which required turning runways into parking ramps."

Information taken from NAV Canada website.

As a result of the emergency re-routing work these people provided, EACH of the 238 planes landed WITHOUT INCIDENT!


Gander Newfoundland opened their doors to over 6000 people. Vancouver approx. 8500, as did other cities across the country, and my city, Halifax, opened their facilities, services, homes and hearts to over 7000 displaced passengers.

On that day, this is what the runway looked like at our airport.

This picture of the runway, at the Halifax International Airport, was taken on September 11, 2001, by Bob Garnhum, a pilot with CHC Helicopters, at that time.

Thank you VERY MUCH, Bob, for allowing me to use this picture!

Immediately, my (then) husband and I made the necessary phone call to get our names on the list, for people accepting passengers.

For me, it didn’t matter WHO these people were, or WHERE they were from, what language they spoke, what religion or beliefs they had, these were people in need, stranded, and we were going to be there to HELP in whatever way we could.

In the end, officials managed to get everyone a safe spot to wait out the aftermath, and we did not have displaced passengers stay with us personally.

For their actions during this time, I’m VERY proud of our Nova Scotians, (as well as the other Canadians), who let their true Maritimer colours shine through during that tragedy.

We really ARE the stereotypical, ‘Nice … polite … caring Canadians’, that everyone makes us out to be.

ESPECIALLY, when it counts!


My boys don’t remember that day.

They don’t remember the days and days of news coverage afterwards. As long as they had YTV, that was all the TV they were concerned with.


Alec is now 15 and Adam 11.

Over the weekend, with both boys, at times with both together, and at times with each individually, we watched different shows, or Youtube clips of that tragic day.

The day their world changed, and they didn’t even know it.


They know it now. And they also know, even though ‘Bin Laden’ is gone, there are threats every day that we must face.

Some are obvious … others … not so much.


What I wanted them to GET out of all the 9/11 coverage this weekend, is that YES, we may face unknown threats all the time, but it CAN’T run your life.

You can’t stop living, and you can't live your life in constant fear, because of what MIGHT happen … again.

All we can do, is take the time to treat each other just a LITTLE bit better, take more time to appreciate what we have, and if the need arises, make sure we offer those helping Canadian hands in ANY way we can.

Because really, what else CAN we do?


We will never forget.

One of the BEST pieces of footage I’ve seen from that day, I watched for the first time last night.

It was taken by a CBS employee (I believe) who stayed during the chaos.

If you want to get a first hand view of what it was like THAT DAY, during THOSE HOURS, at the base of the towers, then WATCH THIS!

It’s the closest thing you’ll come to experiencing being on the streets of New York, during one of their most difficult, terrifying moments.

I REALLY hope this guy received some type of ‘award’, or at least a BIG raise after getting this footage!


Thoughts and prayers to all those and their families who were, and are still, affected by the SENSELESS tragedy of September 11, 2001.

Feel free to share in the comments, your thoughts on that day.


And finally, to those displaced passengers who ended up on our runways, you may no longer be in our homes, but you’ll always be in our hearts.


K.

YUR PREEEETTY!!!

I don’t really enjoy Back To School.

I know many parents simply LIVE for this time of year. The time when kids head back to the classroom, and out from under their parents feet.

The time when parents no longer have to hear, ‘Mom, I’m BORED!’

Many parents simply can’t wait for that first day back to the ‘routine’.


Me? Not so much.

Unfortunately, for me, as well as all the other parents out there, going back to school means dollar signs. And lots of them.

And every year, I’m left grumbling to myself, and cranky in the aisles, because despite the fact the boys have two parents, there’s only ONE who pays for the ‘back to school’ supplies, clothes, shoes, haircuts and fees every year.

Me.


And every year, that fact makes me cranky.

This year was no exception.


The boys and I had already done one ‘Walmart Run’, where they chose binders, backpacks and a few articles of clothing.

The next day, I did a second run.

On this trip, unfortunately, we had to exchange some of the items one of the boys had taken home the day before, (thinking it would fit).


I’m standing in line at Customer Service, completely lost in my thoughts.

Thinking about how much this particular trip was going to cost. Thinking about how much the trip(s) before that had already depleted my wallet.

But what’s a parent to do? Your kids NEED supplies, clothes, shoes (two pair for each kid to be exact) and everything else that goes along with it.


I was SO wrapped up in my moment of unhappiness, that I didn’t even notice the little girl standing sort of between her father and I in the lineup.

OK, I NOTICED her, I just wasn’t paying much attention to her, simply because I was focused on my own misery.

I knew she was making noises, but I wasn’t listening to what they were.


Finally, a small voice broke through my cloud of gloominess.

What began as simply background noise, mixed in with the normal ‘Walmart chaos’, slowly started to penetrate my brain.

Something was pulling me out of my mental drowning in ‘school supply hell’.

Suddenly, I realized it was the little girl.

She had been trying to get my attention.

Despite the fact she kept repeating herself, louder … and louder … and LOUDER … I wasn’t answering her.

She was talking to ME and I had been completely ignoring her.


I looked down, and gave her my full attention, to see what she was trying to tell me.

She wasn’t shy at all.

She looked straight at me, with wide, beautiful eyes and said (for perhaps the 5th time), quite loudly, ‘YUR PREEEETTY!!!’


It took me aback.

I was so caught up in my own thoughts, my own moment of unhappiness, that her words took a second to sink in.

I got right down to her level.

We were eye to eye when I said ‘Thank you very much, Hun!’

Considering I had simply rolled out of bed, fed the kids, thrown on some jeans and a tank top, no makeup, and nothing done to the hair … I thought that was a HUGE compliment, and I told her so!


It wasn’t until later in the afternoon, while I was driving by myself, that it hit me …

That little girl was standing in that lineup for a reason.

Somebody, somewhere felt I really needed to get my head out of the place it was in.

I needed a smile.

And apparently, she was put in that particular lineup, at that particular time, to give me one.

And without even knowing it, to make me feel better.


I’m still pissed off that I am the only parent who contributes to my kids ‘back to school’ costs every year.

But sometimes, you just have to let those feelings go, and get out of your own way long enough to understand that even when things seem bad, there’s always SOMEONE who can still see the good.

Even if that someone is a little four year old girl, a complete stranger, just wanting to tell you, ‘YUR PREEEETTY!!!’

Thank you, Little One. You really did change my day!


Happy Back To School, Kiddos! I hope everyone has a GREAT year!


K.

You Are An Unfit Mother!

'You are an unfit mother!'

You. Are. An. UNFIT. Mother!

Those are VERY strong words.

They are the type of words that can change a world forever.

Many times, justifiably so.

Sometimes, not at all.


If someone accuses you of being an unfit mother, no matter WHO it is, no matter how good you believe your parenting skills are, it rocks you.

Regardless if you know the only reason these words were said, is because the person saying them is unhappy with themselves, and their own situation, it rocks you.

Despite the fact you KNOW, with every fiber of your being, that every major decision, every life move you make, is ultimately for your kids and their well being … IT ROCKS YOU!


The words ‘you are an unfit mother’, when acted upon, will open doors that can’t be easily closed.

Those words invite strangers, and yes, chaos & turmoil, into the lives of everyone involved.

Even if those damaging words aren’t true … if that door is officially opened … they have to be investigated.

Regardless of WHY they were said, or the true meaning behind them, YOU must be investigated.


For some mothers, this is simply a way of life.

Have children. Have them taken away.

And again, in some cases, rightfully so.

For some mothers, for whom this claim has no merit, something like this can be seen as an inconvenience.

For some mothers, an untrue accusation like this is simply devastating.


Because, despite the fact you may have done everything with the best of intentions, and provided for your kids as best you could with what you had ... for many years ... initially, it doesn't matter.

Somebody made the claim you are not fit to raise your children.

You are now a case.

To be investigated.


If the statement, ‘You are an unfit mother’, is a VALID claim, then by all means, you SHOULD be investigated, and potentially have your children removed from your home and care.

However, if the damaging statement is made simply out of inaccurate facts or assumptions, anger/hatred, or intentional harassment, it’s a whole different ballgame.

Yes, in the end, a mother with nothing to fear will throw her shoulders back, open her front door wide and invite the nice Children's Services lady inside for an afternoon of friendly interrogation and scrutiny.

But ... should that mother, and possibly her children, be forced to go through that type of intrusion and scrutinization, all because of a false claim?


Being a blogger as long as I have, I know how powerful our words are.

They can entertain, inform, and heal, but they can also hurt.

And the wrong words, said to the wrong (or right) people, can initiate devastation and destruction in the lives of innocent people.


‘You are an unfit mother’, is a VERY powerful sentence.

Stan Lee was right on the money, as it applies to SO MUCH in life, when he had Uncle Ben say, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.

Before you throw around words that could change someone’s life, powerful words such as, ‘You are an unfit mother’, you should think VERY long and hard about whether or not you are ready to accept responsibility for having set the ‘investigative wheels’ in motion.

ESPECIALLY if, in fact, the statement is NOT true.


Words ARE power.

They CAN'T be taken back.

Use them wisely, People.

Especially, when you’re potentially playing with people’s lives.


I don't want anyone to jump to the conclusion that this post was written specifically about my parenting skills in particular.

Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.

It could, in fact, be referring to more than one woman I know.

Point is, it was written to serve as a reminder, or perhaps an introduction for some, as to what can actually happen when inaccurate, hurtful words such as these are spewed in anger.

They CAN'T be taken back once they're out there and DO cause some form of chaos and pain.

Period.


K.

And In Other News ...

When I got the news the Ex was coming back to town, one of my first thoughts (aside from how good it was going to be for the boys) was, ‘I may actually get to blog on a ‘regular’ basis again!’

Yeah. So much for that idea.

I was hoping the weekend the boys spent with their dad, after he got back, the first weekend in NINE MONTHS I would be 'kid-free' both physically, and mentally, that I would spend my ‘free time’ here in the Korner, sharing our latest adventures.

Didn’t happen.

Instead, I spent that weekend in bed, as well as the whole following week, with a bad case of bronchitis.


I’m sure there’s an old saying about ‘best laid plans’ in there somewhere …



Although there hasn’t been alot of excitement in the Korner lately ... other than the standard chaos, there ARE a few things I've been meaning to share.



Back in April, Adam was hospitalized for two reasons.

One for the stomach pain he’s been experiencing for the past year +, and also because he started vomiting blood.

After running many tests, including an ultrasound and scope, they’ve determined he suffers from Chronic Functional Abdominal Pain.

Unfortunately, there is no cure or medical treatment for this illness, other than ‘coping mechanisms’.


That wasn’t good enough for me.

After doing some online research, I discovered that a powdered pro-biotic, that contains a specific type of ingredient called B Infantis, as well as Enteric Peppermint Oil Capsules have been successful in helping with the pain.

So I started him on them.

First the pro-biotic, then the capsules.

The capsules seem to work best.

He still gets stomach pains every now and then.

But now, it's every now and then. And not constant.

So that IS an improvement.


While he was in the hospital, his classmates and teacher made him an AWESOME card!

That was really cool of all of them to do so.

Thanks, Guys!!!!!


We still have to see an ENT specialist for the vomiting blood issue, because it’s actually coming from the back of his nasal passage and THEN going into his stomach.

But for now, it seems to have subsided.

Not stopped, but definitely decreased in frequency.

Except for the occasional ‘power nose bleed’ that he gets unexpectedly.

Those really suck.



And now, on to other things ...


I’m behind on my product reviews.

As much as I love receiving ‘free stuff’, I always feel guilty about having that product(s), until I get a review done.

However, I’ve discovered that turning 40 has completely sucked my ability to stay up until 2am blogging.

My brain wants to do it, my body screams NO!


Then again, so does putting your body through the torture of riding the waves at super high speed on a Super Brawler tube, and being thrown from said tube, air-born, screaming, butt-first into the lake.

Pic taken from here.

Yeah, that was me, during an office party at the beginning of the month.

Afterwards, my body decided to give me a big 'ol 'f*ck you and this acting like you're still 20 shit!' and between the back screaming and the neck aching, I could barely move.

Felt like crap for about three weeks after.

Which of course, kept me off the computer.


The body and I have since come to a truce.

No more high speed anything for me for awhile, and I can walk without looking like I was just trampled by a hundred women in 6" heels at a 75 % off Prada sale!


So, in my attempt to catch up, keep watching the Korner over the next few weeks, to see what I thought of the latest ...

Febreze

Facial

Green cleaning ...

... and food products I was sent.

As well as what the boys thought of a new book they received, Unto the Breach, with a personal little note, from Canadian author Sidney Gale.

Also, I received a message the other day, from a girl representing a group of 7 Canadians, trying to win a contest/trip to New Zealand.

They are attempting to compete in the Glacier Country Experience Competition, and I was asked for suggestions on how to get the word out about it, in order to help them win.

This is one way that came to mind ;-)

Check out their contest entry here! And vote for Ponnie and her team to make it to the event to 'win an all inclusive trip to the West Coast of New Zealand, worth over $50,000', to not only watch, but 'play a game of Rugby against the current Glacier Country champions on the number two field; the glacier itself.'



And in other news …

The Ex is back.

For how long is anybody’s guess, but for now, he’s back.

I don’t know the details, don’t really care to.

All I know is that things didn’t work out in Australia.


Apparently he had been thinking of going ‘out west’. But some of you may remember a letter I mentioned in my last post.

That letter Adam wrote was to his father.

Once his dad received it, 'out west' turned into 'back east'.

Home.


For the boys, I think this is a good thing.

As close as we are, I also realize boys need their dad.

And sometimes, despite our leaps and bounds in technology, Skype just doesn't compare to the sound and touch and presence of the real thing.


Hope everyone is having a GREAT summer so far!

Next week, the boys and I are hitting the trees again, at Treego!

Climbing 40+ft in the trees and ziplining!

This should be interesting with bronchitis ...

Dear body, please forgive me!

K.

You Got Balls, Baby! YOU GOT BALLS!

See this kid with me?

Yeah. Him.

I’m pretty proud of him, ya know.



No, he didn’t bring home a report card with all straight A’s (although a mother can dream … right?!?!)

No, he didn’t single handedly save a toddler behind the wheel of a runaway car (a la Agent Cody Banks).

And no, he hasn’t solved world hunger, while calculating the equations in his math homework.



What DID he do, you wonder?

He wrote a letter.

That’s it.

A letter.



However, it was a very SPECIAL letter.

It was written to someone who is very important to him.

Someone he had A LOT to say to.

It took him two months to decide what he wanted to say, and how he wanted to say it.

It had to be absolutely PERFECT.



He didn’t sugar coat it. He told it like it was.

He was honest.

Brutally honest, about his feelings.

He took a big chance writing that letter, because he was unsure of the reaction of the person who would be reading it.

But in the end, he didn’t change a word.

Regardless of the potential consequences, he clicked ... SEND.

And for that, I’m SUPER proud of him.



I had nothing to do with his letter. Didn’t contribute a single word.

He told me I was allowed to read it, but wasn’t allowed to ask him to change any of it.

Because they were HIS feelings.

Right or wrong … HIS.

And for that, I had to respect him.



On the drive to school later that morning, my boy and I were talking about his letter.

There was a part of me that STILL couldn’t believe he’d actually sent it.

The outcome of sending it could have gone many ways.

Luckily, for now, it has a happy ending. So for my boy(s), I’m happy.



At one point, I looked over at him and said, ‘Well, you definitely inherited your mother’s moxy!’

‘What’s that mean?’, he asked.

With a smile, I said ‘You got balls, Baby! YOU GOT BALLS!’

Gee … I wonder where he gets that trait from?!?!??!

K.

Pardon Me, But Could You Spare Some Air?

When I was in Junior High, I participated in a student exchange program with my class to Quebec city.

Although I lived in Northern New Brunswick, and wouldn’t be seeing anything ‘new’ in all the SNOW and COLD that Quebec had to offer, it was an absolutely AWESOME week, and one that I still fondly remember, 25yrs later.

Of course, that may be because I was one of the lucky ones, who got to stay in a freakin’ mansion! And had a whole wing to myself as a bedroom!

Unlike one of my classmates, who was made to sleep on a cot in the hallway, and had his toast thrown at him in the morning!


Five or six months later, in June, the students that we boarded with while in Quebec, came to spend a week with us, at OUR houses.

The whole point of the program/trip was to give each of us the opportunity to experience another part of the country.

Learn how similar yet different lives can be in another location, surrounded by a different culture.


These types of exchange programs are still happening today.

But not only as part of the classroom experience.


Did you know, there are children ‘out there’ who have never cooked over an open campfire?

Never rode a bike down a dirt lane.

Never had a game of baseball, on a REAL ball diamond.

Never swam in a lake.

Never laid on a blanket of grass, under a huge full moon, trying to figure out the constellations … and if that’s REALLY a bat flying overhead …


My kids are lucky. They get to enjoy these experiences EVERY day of the spring/summer months.

They get to do all these things that they just think are ‘natural’ and I’m sure simply take for granted.

Other kids don’t have these opportunities.

At all.


For many kids, the closest they’ll come to swimming in a lake, is running through the nearest open fire hydrant.

The closest they’ll come to playing on a ball field, is playing in the vacant lot next to their apartment complex.

And the only time some will ever lie in an open field, staring at the stars, and drinking in the fresh night air, is ... in their dreams.


The Fresh Air Fund is an organization hoping to change all that!

Established in 1877, the goal of this organization is to take kids from New York’s inner-cities, and match them up with HOST FAMILIES who are willing to have a child stay with them for 1-2 weeks, and experience all the things they may not have access to in their own environment.

It's only for up to two weeks, but it's an experience that can change their lives forever.

This summer, (yes, I know summer is already here, but really … we still have TWO MONTHS left of it!), The Fresh Air Fund is in need of 1200 Host Families.


Yes, that’s 1200 across the United States and Canada.

And they do this EVERY year!

“In 2010, The Fresh Air Fund's Volunteer Host Family program, called Friendly Town, gave close to 5,000 New York City boys and girls, ages six to 18, free summer experiences in the country and the suburbs. Volunteer host families shared their friendship and homes up to two weeks or more in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.

Thanks to host families who open up their homes for a few weeks each summer, children growing up in New York City’s toughest neighborhoods have experienced the joys of Fresh Air experiences.”

Taken from The Fresh Air Fund website.

Did you know … “The majority of Fresh Air children are from low-income communities. These are often families without the resources to send their children on summer vacations. Most inner-city youngsters grow up in towering apartment buildings without large, open, outdoor play spaces. Concrete playgrounds cannot replace the freedom of running barefoot through the grass or riding bikes down country lanes.”

Also taken from The Fresh Air Fund website.

Learn how two weeks can change a child's life forever.

Pardon me, but could you spare some air?

Cause I know of some kids who could REALLY use it!


The Fresh Air Fund

Check it out. And maybe change a kid’s life.

It’s THAT easy.


Click HERE to learn more about donating, or becoming a host or call (800) 367-0003!

K.