On This Day - In Memory Of CJ Twomey

On this day, my friend is burying her firstborn child.

He was only 20 yrs old.

Although my friend and I have never sat down together over a cup of coffee, or glass of wine; never spent an afternoon strolling through the mall picking out new shoes for each other; never sat on a park bench gossiping, while our kids played on the swings ... it doesn't, in any way, diminish the fact that I call her my friend, and that my heart is breaking for her and her family, today.

This Internet world we live in, has introduced us to many new evils in our generation; but it has also delivered the power to bring people together.

People who never would have 'met', had they not ended up following the cyber trails that sometimes force our paths to cross.

On this day, I wish I could be with my friend, and her family, as they try to get through what can only be the most difficult day of their lives.

I wish I could hold her hand, wipe her tears, hug her close and just make everything right again.

Unfortunately, some people just don't get it.

They don't get how someone who lives only in a computer, can be considered a 'friend'.

Don't get how you can feel their pain, share in their anguish, if you don't 'know' them. Have never seen or physically touched them.

Those people who think that way, those who just don't 'get' it are wrong.

Oh so very WRONG!


I have grown to know, and care for my friend through her words.

Through her descriptions of her family and their adventures, and love for each other, she brought me into her world and made me care about them too.

I worried about her dad's heart condition, I fretted over her husband's injured hand, I was nervous when her son was being deployed, and cheered when her other son got his braces off and feel proud that he's doing so well in his recent track meets.

I may not be close enough to be able to walk across the street to borrow a cup of sugar from her, but dammit, I DO care about her, and her family.


Just over a week ago, I read the news about the death of my friend's son.

At the time, I was in shock. It was completely unexpected. Simply incomprehensible.

And now, on this day, she buries her child.

And profound sadness replaces my shock.

No mother should have to do that.

Ever.


The first time my friend and I spoke over email, she said I made her cry.

I certainly didn't mean to. Way to go, Kim, ya dork!

We had started reading each other's blogs.

I decided to contact her, outside the blog, after she'd written a post about her two boys, and how close they were.

Reading her words made me long for my own boys to have a relationship like theirs.

Somehow, through her words, I didn't see the bickering, teasing, and just 'being jerks' to each other that I see so often in my own two boys.

Because of the closeness her boys shared, it reminded me of a song, which I decided to send to her.

What I didn't realize at the time, was that her son was in the air force, or that this song would hold as much meaning as it did.

Because it reminded me of her boys, I sent her the song 'Brothers' by Dean Brody.

Because it reminded her of her boys, it made her cry.


Some of you who have been visiting the Korner for awhile, may know my friend.

You may remember me encouraging you to participate in her Organ Donation Raffle.

Or you may have checked out her blog when I guest posted for her on a Morbid Monday.


Her name is Hallie, from the Wonderful World of Wieners.

She is a wonderful person.

A great mother, wife, daughter and friend to MANY.


And she is my friend.

And I wish with all my might I had the words to take away her sorrow, or the power to bring her son CJ back.

But I can't.

All I can do, is share in her pain, and offer her my sincerest words of condolence.

Which of course, seems like very little, in the big scheme of things.

On this day, I'm hoping my friend, Hallie, as well as John, Connor, and their entire family, know that I'm thinking of them.

And I hope she knows ... and more importantly, BELIEVES that CJ is watching over them, having traded his air force wings for his angel ones.

And that he's got those wings wrapped tightly around them.


On this day, please take a moment to remember a wonderful young man you didn't know.

If only for a moment.

Remember his mother, who is having to say goodbye to a huge piece of her heart, her being, her soul.

Her little boy.

Please take a moment to remember, what none of us mothers should ever have to even think about.


On this day, please remember this mother, and every other who has had to outlive her child.

Because, but for the grace of God, any one of us could be that mother.

That child.


RIP CJ Twomey.

You were loved by a wonderful woman, a great family.

On this day, and always.






(Not the original video, but given CJ's profession, I thought it appropriate)

Be sure to visit Hallie's Wonderful World of Wieners, to read the beautiful tribute written to CJ, by two of Hallie's close friends, Kimmy & Dayna.

 
UPDATE:  If you would like to see where the boys and I were honoured to scatter CJ's ashes, four years later, you can do so, here:  Scattering CJ and Remembering Rehtaeh at Peggy's Cove
 
K.

Today Was The Day. Results Are In.

As many of you know, I've been waiting for test results for Adam. To (hopefully) determine what's been causing his sore stomach issues.

Today was the day. Results are in.


I called home for messages after lunch. Figured I'd wait until then, and if I hadn't heard anything, I'd call the Dr's office myself.

Suddenly, there she was in my ear. The doctor.

She said she had the results, and would I please return her call so we could discuss them.

Damn.

If nothing had showed up, she simply would have said 'nothing showed up', and we would have figured out what to do from there.

But no, she said '... discuss the results.'

That meant there was something to discuss.


OK. That's OK. That means NOW he can be treated for something.


So I immediately called the office.

And had to leave a message.

The Phone Tag game was officially ON.

Just after 6pm, she called back.


One of the results came back positive for parasite.

Dientamoeba fragilis to be exact.

YES! Finally! A diagnosis!

Now we start the antibiotics and hope that's the cure for what ails him.

He will also have to follow up with the doc and be retested in two weeks.


Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy he has a parasite, and god only knows where he got it, but I'm DEFINITELY happy that we finally know what it is, and that he's finally going to be treated for SOMETHING!

We still have to keep the appointment with the specialist, in June, in case it turns out to be something more than the parasite.

But for now, I'd rather we have to deal with this 'intestinal invader', than something like IBS, or Chrones etc.

As long as I don't think too long or hard about what's actually going on inside his little stomach ... or how long it's been there ... or if it's done any type of damage.


When we see the doc in June, I still plan on asking about allergy testing.

If nothing else, than to rule out any possible foods that may have been adding to his stomach issues as well.


I'm now moving on with the expectation that these antibiotics are going to do the trick.

Fix 'im up right good.

On the off chance that they don't, I will be going in to that meeting with the doc and going through my list of what do we do now, and how, questions ;-)


But one step at a time.

For now, I'm going to get this freakin' slimeball OUT of my kid!


One of the scariest things about all this, is realizing how COMMON these suckers are. And as this great article states, 'your best defense is knowledge'.

And with knowledge, will hopefully come prevention.


Thanks for all your good thoughts, wishes and prayers everyone!

They were all VERY MUCH appreciated!

Sometimes it's just nice to not have to worry alone, and all the support reminded me that I really wasn't :-)


K.

I DIDN'T Fail Crap Management 101 After All! WOOHOO!

I owe you all an apology.

I haven't been here in awhile.

A long while.

I'm very sorry about that.

Much like everyone else, I've been going through 'stuff'.

Not an excuse, but it wasn't really stuff I wanted to talk about, but it was also the only thing (s) I've been able to think about lately.


One situation has been discussed through my various Facebook status messages, and I figured my friends over there, wouldn't want to read about it over here too lol.

The other thing that has been eating at me, causing far too many sleepless nights, I had promised myself I wouldn't bring into the Korner, until the time was right.

Everything done.

Then, that everything got blown to hell, and now, I'm still being consumed by something I had hoped to have shared with you all long ago.


I sat down tonight, with the intention of NOT leaving until I'd written a post.

Something light and lively.

But, only two things have been running through my brain the past couple weeks.

1. My kid.


2. Our future.

That's it. Nothing else.

I've got z-i-p.


So, after keeping quiet about everything over the past couple of weeks ... here we go ... get ready for ... the brain dump! (sorry Facebook Friends!)


Adam hasn't been feeling well. Not for awhile now.

I don't believe it's anything 'serious'. Nothing that can't treated.

But I still don't know exactly what's wrong with him.


He has complained of a 'sore stomach' for months, off and on.

Every now and then, other symptoms will appear, then go away.

Others, like a constant pain. 'Like someone's squeezing on my stomach', he says, are always there.


At first, I thought it was a bug.

Then, it went away ... then returned.


I thought it might be psychological.

I like to think I've kept things 'stable' for both of them, since their dad and I split.

Same house, same schools, same summer camp, same sports teams etc, etc, etc.

But let's be real, I'm sure there are issues he faces, that he might not share with me.

Or, something I may not see as an issue, really is for him.

And, I know it's common for kids to complain of sore stomachs when in fact it's something entirely different.


But it continued.

It continued past the 'flu smackdown' we all received just after the New Year.

And it continues still.


Then, when you add another physical symptom on top of that ...

(I promised myself that despite the title, I would try to limit the crappy part of this discussion ... so I'll leave it at that)

... the physical signs can't be dismissed.

I can't wait and see if they're simply going to go away on their own.


Last week, whatever has taken up home in his stomach decided it was time to give him a reminder that it was around.

And it was nasty. Very, VERY nasty.

So much so, that Tues morning, I took him down to the Children's ER.

The resident, poked his stomach, asked lots of questions, ruled out what it wasn't (appendix, food poisoning etc.), and then said his boss would be in to check him out.

The nurses came, took three vials of blood, and were about to send us on our way with our 'sample bottles', when I had to let them know Adam hadn't been actually seen by the doctor yet.

A-hem.

The doc and resident returned, and after another round of poking and questions, we were given a referral to a pediatric specialist, and sent home with our bag of 'sample bottles', but without a diagnosis, and nothing for treatment.

Simply a 'keep him hydrated with Pedialyte or G2, give him Tylenol for the pain, and bring him back if anything changes.'


On one hand, I can understand this.

They don't want to treat until they know what they're treating.

I get it.

What I have a hard time with, is seeing my kid in pain more often than he's not.


I watched him in his sleep one night.

Even then he grabbed his stomach, grimaced, and rolled over in the fetal position. I can only assume trying to get comfortable.

Or, when I was taking them to the park, and looked around into the back seat, to find him silently crying from stomach pain.

THOSE are the things I find harder to deal with.

Not the reasoning behind not wanting to give him anything; simply the result of it.


The next morning ... Problem #1

I take the bag of sample stuff out of my purse and realize there are no instructions. Only the bottles and Adam's hospital card.

When I took the bag from the nurse, I only glanced at it before sticking it in my purse, and didn't notice there weren't instructions.

Or a requisition form for that matter!


So, 7am I'm on the phone with the hospital asking HOW exactly they wanted these samples.

No. I'm not an idiot. I can put crap in a bottle.

HOWEVER, there were four bottles. One of these bottles already had liquid in it.

Was I supposed to do something special with this particular bottle?

Some sort of cocktail?

Shaken? Stirred? On ice? WHAT?!??


The instructions were to simply put a small sample in all four bottles.

The one with the liquid ... to the fill line.

Good enough. I could do that!

Or so I thought ...


The next night, after developing a new symptom throughout the day, we were back in the ER again.

The doctor who saw him had his blood work results, and although he couldn't say exactly what was going on, he could see that one of his white counts was high, which indicated an 'intestinal infection'.

But, it would be 72 hrs after the samples had been brought in, before they knew specifically what was causing his issues.

So again, we were sent home with a ''keep him hydrated with Pedialyte or G2, give him Tylenol for the pain, and bring him back if anything changes.

And call your doctor in a couple of days for the remaining test results.


Up pops ... Problem #2

A couple of days meant Good Friday.

My Dr's office was closed.

So we all waited patiently until Monday.

By this point, the ex and I had already made our armchair diagnosis.


We think it's a parasite.

A particular parasite. Giardia.

Which was one of the things he was being tested for.

It's common in Canada and the US, and you can get it from lakes, hot tubs, improperly cooked food, and water, among a few things.

Adam is at the lake daily much of the year. His friend down the street has a hot tub. We eat take out.

And water ... that could be anywhere, although he's not a huge H2O fan anyway.


On Monday, I called the Dr's office.

Closed.

Easter Monday.

AAARRRAAAGGGHHH!!!

Deep Breath!


On Tuesday, I called for the results, and brought Adam down to follow up with the doc as well.

She poked and asked more questions, then went over the test results, telling me what he didn't have.

'No bacteria, no fungus, no Celiac's or other intestinal disease.'

All great news.

But I still don't know what IS wrong with him.


HELLO! ... Problem #3 ... waving at you over here!

They have to do the parasite test again.

For some reason, they were unable to use the sample I brought in.

EXCUSE ME?!?!?!

Are you telling me I FAILED at Crap Management 101?!?!?

HUH?!?!?

She couldn't tell me WHY they were unable to use it. Only that they were unable to get what they needed from it.

'In the meantime, keep him off milk products for a week to rule out lactose intolerance.' (which had also crossed my mind weeks ago, as well as Celiac, Crohn's, Irritable bowel, Colitis, food poisoning, plain 'ol bug, etc.)

Deep breath.

OK.


Off we go to the ER to pick up more bottles.

This time, I get the instructions directly from the lab tech.

Remember that bottle with the fluid already in it?

Yeah. That one.

There was supposed to be TWO of them, and the samples were to be taken a day apart.

WELL NOW!

Would have been nice to know that the FIRST time!

HRUMPH!

I DIDN'T fail Crap Management 101, after all! WOOHOO!


So now, we wait.

Again.

Until next week.

Which is hard. Really hard.


I'm sending a sick kid to school, who I know is in pain and trying to ignore it.

I wonder if he's paying attention in class or is focused on NOT concentrating on his stomach.

I worry about the time I've had to take away from work to stay home with him, and how it's affected my productivity, and in turn, project deadlines.

I know I can't keep him home indefinitely, until the test results come back. I don't want him to miss so much school, that it would seriously affect his end of year report.

I worry about if it turns out to be a parasite, how long the damn thing has been feeding off my kid and what damage it's done to his insides.


But for now, all I can do is wait.

And treat him with the only tools I've been given ...

Hugs, kisses, and whispers of 'I'm sorry it hurts. I wish I could make it better, Hun.'

And if it's really bad ... a Tylenol for the pain.


This weekend, I plan on googling 'natural alternatives'.

Part of me thinks if I had simply walked into a 'natural/health foods' store weeks ago, he'd be fine by now.


Oh, and I DID tell the technician, when I dropped off this latest round of samples, that if there was anything wrong with THESE, then someone was coming to my house to get the next batch themselves!

And at that point, I will have definitely failed Crap Management 101!


K.

P.S. Don't worry, those 'Our Future' thoughts I mentioned earlier are still running through my brain, determined to get out.

But this post is far too long as it is, so I'll have to save that one for another time, in the near future ;-)

GO! Pick Up The Phone. Call Home.

Sometime between the age of 5-6, I was going to run away.

I don't remember all of the details, no idea what I was even SO angry about, that I felt the need to leave my family, nice warm house, food, bed, and TOYS!

But I DO remember it was after dinner, getting dark, and I was standing on the landing talking to my Dad about it.

He had just come through the back door, to find me on my way out.


I couldn't tell you a word of the conversation, but something my father said, made me open my overflowing, little blue suitcase to reveal all the treasures I had planned to start my new life with.

Teddys, trinkets, and books. A bunch of those 'Little Golden' books.

**SIDE NOTE - OK, so we've just determined the 'book hoarding tendencies' began at an early age**


I was ready to take on the world.

Hittin' the road, Jack!


I'm not sure if my mom remembers, but I'm positive she was standing in the kitchen at the time, while all this was taking place.

And I can only assume, the discussion that followed, was enough to convince me to stay, as the only other clear memory is of me, dragging that suitcase down the hall and back to my room.

That was the one and only time I ever 'seriously' thought about running away from home.

Oh yes, in my almost 6yr old mind, I WAS serious!


Growing up, I didn't NEED to leave, because I had two parents who loved me, and gave me a 'normal', loving childhood.

Don't get me wrong. My dad and I had our moments (moreso than mom and I).

Argued. Butt heads. Yelled. Cried.

Despite all that, I knew I had it good. Never any real reason to leave.

To choose a life on my own, on the streets, over the love and protection of my family.


I couldn't imagine running away today's world. Trying to live on the streets.

In a shelter.

Staying alive.

But, whatever the reason driving them to the streets, as long as there have been kids, there have been runaways.


I do understand some kids leave out of fear for their safety/life.

And rightfully so.

I also believe others choose to run, out of anger, hurt feelings and misunderstanding.

In the heat of the moment.

And what feels SO right at the time, turns out to be very, very wrong.

But how do you go back? After months ... years, of absolutely no contact?


Sometimes, you can't.

Period.

But other times ... if someone would just make the first move ...


This video is for all of you who fall into the latter category.

Those who decided what seemed SO right at the time, is now so very, VERY wrong.

Listen.

To the words, and your heart.

Oh ... sorry ... you didn't realize this was going to be another Educational Country Music Moment did you?

Hey! Whatever gets the message across, People!

And since this is a message I can get behind, if I have to use Country Music to spread it, then grab your spurs and give me a YEEHAW!


Now ... you, and YOU over there, hiding behind the plant ... GO! Pick up the phone.

Call home.

K.

You Asked, I Answered

Last Tuesday night, I was actually going to go to bed EARLY!

And by early, I mean 10:30pm. This NEVER happens! I'm never usually in bed before 1am.

Bed at 1, up at 6:45, such is Mama's life :-)


This particular night, my youngest boy was with his dad for the night (a RARE occurrence on a weeknight!) and the older one, had fallen asleep before 9pm. Another RARE occurrence.

By 10:30, having already enjoyed some quiet 'me' time, I was ready to call it a day.

Then ... I decided to check my email one last time before heading upstairs to bed.

BIG MISTAKE!!!!


I checked my personal mail, then opened the inbox for the blog.

And there it was.

An email from Heather at SITS, advising me I was going to be the 'Featured Blogger' over at SITS on Thursday.

Holy Crap!

'I can't go to bed now! I've got a post to write!'


You see, when you're the featured blogger, it's proper blogging etiquette to have a 'Welcome' post ready for your visitors.

I've been slacking on the blogging lately ... I had NOTHING!

I'd had an idea floating around in my head since I got the first email last summer, advising me I'd be a future 'Featured Blogger', so now it was time to get that idea on paper.

The result, at 1am, was Today Is MY Day Bro'!

And you know what? WHAT a day it was!!!

HOLY CRAP!


My Korner gets it's regular visitors, which I'm ALWAYS thankful for. It also gets a ridiculous number of hits from people wanting to read that James Bulger post.

But never, NEVER has the Korner seen the traffic that it did on Thursday. MY Day!

Did I mention Holy Crap yet?!?!??!

And not only were they reading, but many were liking it too!

Wow! {Insert Sally Field's gushing 'You Like Me' acceptance speech here}


One of the first comments I received that day, was 'Enjoy your day. This sh*t's about to get heavy! :).'

Oh yeah ... she was RIGHT! :-)

I have to take this opportunity to thank everyone who left a comment on the last post.

I've always tried to answer each individual comment I've received. However, in the case of THAT post, uh ... yeah ... it's gonna take me awhile lol

I appreciated each and every one. The encouragement and support I felt through your words was unreal!


Although I hope to get to everyone's blog in return, there were a few questions/comments that caught my attention, that I wanted to address right away.

Holy Cow - that was ONE post.When did you have the time to write that?? - See that whole intro above ;-)

When do you get the time to blog? That would be sometime after 10pm (if it happens) and the weekends the boys are with their dad. That's it. I'm not a daily blogger. Never have been. I post when I feel I have something 'shareworthy' and that's it. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less, but hopefully it's always worth it ;-)

Where is your Follow button? - Sorry everyone, I don't have one. It would drive me crazy watching that box, checking to see if new people were 'following' me and wondering why someone would decide to 'unfollow' me. Was it me? Was it them? Were they seeing another Korner?

Too much pressure.

I also personally think some look at those follow boxes as a competition of sorts, and that's not what this whole blogging thing is for me.

Having said that, I'm on Blogger, so those of you with accounts there can still follow me through your Dashboard, and those on Google, please feel free to add me to your readers.

Ok, so I'm dying to know - who was the hockey legend and how did you get a phone call?!? - That would be The One Where My Dad Hangs Up On Guy Lafleur.

Unfortunately it's wasn't Sidney Crosby doing the calling to MY phone (after his golden goal)! :-(

Ha! I loved that movie when I was 6 - OK, now THAT just made me feel old!

Goodness craziness DOES just fall into your lap, doesn't it? - Yes. Yes it does. Something about me just seems to attract it!

I grew up in Florida and saw plenty of hurricanes. But that might not be as cool as living with tornadoes. - That was the one and only freak tornado I've experienced. And it really wasn't that bad, nowhere near a disaster. So, I felt sort of bad thinking people might have expected more from it based on the title of the FB post.

I did however live through one hurricane also. Nova Scotia experience Hurricane Juan on Sept 29, 2003, which was devastating to parts of the province. If interested, you can see many, MANY pics of the damage HERE.

We could use your super secret sleuthing powers over at the Cellulite Investigation - Was that a job offer?!?!? Cause ya know, I DID always want to be Nancy Drew when I was little, and I STILL have all my hardcover collection of the series that I can refer back to if needed!

Oh. Damn. I just spotlighted that book hoarding tendency again didn't I? Damn.

dude. every once in a while, that song pops into my head too - dude, I am SO glad I'm not the only one who experiences The Danny Phenomena!

I have to say you are raising 2 fine young men there and have MUCH to be proud of - Thank you, thank you, thank you! As someone who feels she makes it most days flying by the seat of her pants, when it comes to this parenting thing, it's a nice thing to hear :-)


Another thing I wanted to mention, was the fact that there were comments on how I deal with many of our adventures with humour. You're right. I try to. Most times.

Then, there are the times I don't feel so humourous, and instead direct my frustrations into An Open Letter to Assholes Everywhere. Vol II is coming ... oh yes ... it's coming alright.


And finally, for those of you who liked the Magic Bullet post, be sure to head back over there to see the update on whether or not he got one Christmas morning!


There! You asked, I answered. Some of them anyway.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to stop by the other day, and especially to those who spent time getting lost in the various posts, and left comments.

It really WAS a pleasure having you all here, and reading your thoughts, and I hope you'll be back.

Cause as much fun as it's been catching up on all this old stuff, it's time to get on with the new.

And as most of you know, or are quickly learning, there's ALWAYS something NEW going on in the Korner! ;-)


K.

P.S. I apologize to all those who still have Danny DeVito singing in their heads!

Today Is MY Day Bro'!

One of my favourite (comedy) movies is TWINS.

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito.

Pic taken from HERE

There is one scene in the movie, where the guys are getting ready for their dates.

Arnold has never been on a date before, and Danny is making him nervous, by singing to him 'Tonight is YOUR night Bro. Tonight is YOUR night Bro ... Tonight is YOUR night Bro.'

That particular snippet of song has rolled around in my brain for over 20 years!

At the strangest moments, it will pop into my head.

Other times, as I'm preparing to head out for a night of fun, there he is - Danny Devito singing in my head.

And, today?

He's singing again, because ...


Today is MY day Bro'!


Why?

Because today, I'm the Featured Blogger over at The Secret Is In The Sauce, or SITS!

WooHoo! Yay me!


So, WELCOME!

Welcome all you SITStas, and everyone else who has dropped by the Korner today.

For you non-bloggers, SITS is a blog which offers support to bloggers through networking and by encouraging comments.

Lots and lots of comments!

Sure, we all like hearing friends, family and co-workers say they read and enjoy our 'stuff'. But it's also nice to get those comments from people we don't know, too.

SITS dedicates a day to a specific blogger, and all other bloggers within the social media group head on over to their site, check them out, and say Hi.

It's a nice concept.

Makes the blogger feel like Queen for a Day lol.

Not to mention providing wonderful exposure for the blogger, and opening the doors to potential friendships.


It is customary for the Featured Blogger, to introduce themselves.

So, for those of you who don't already know me - Hi, I'm Kim. This is my Korner.

I've been a single parent for the past (almost) six years, of two boys who will be 14 and 10 in a few weeks.

I'm a full time mom.

I'm also a full time employee. I work for a company (in various roles) on a project that is building our new military helicopters.

You won't find me discussing work around here.

I'm sure most wouldn't find it very interesting, and considering it's classified military stuff, I'd have to kill you all afterwards. (that was a joke people!)

And being a working single parent of two active kids ... I just don't have the time to hunt down each and every one of you. (I repeat ... that was a joke people!)

Kids. Pets. Work. And everything in between.

The busy just N-E-V-E-R stops!

If you'd like to know more about us, take a look at Who's Hiding In The Korner?



The BEST way to 'get to know me' is to catch up on some of our adventures. All the curve balls life throws at us, and how we handle them.

I thought I'd put together, what I think, are some of the 'best of' posts from the Korner.

Some deal with parenting issues, some with celebrity pics, and some are just for FUN!


Any parent knows that having kids means dealing with 'stuff' almost daily.

The good stuff, the bad stuff, and the stuff that just leaves you going W-T-F???


It really wouldn't matter to me WHAT my kid's sexual preference was. However, in the case of both my boys ... they like girls and It's All About The Babes & Boobs!


Who knew when I sent my kid off to school for the day, that I'd be getting a call before noon to pick him up for having a ... Shot Of Vodka Before Homeroom, Anyone?


So I Open The Door, And There's The Police ... Yeah, pretty self explanatory!


Mick & Mimi have brainwashed my kid! You Want A WHAT For Christmas?


This blogging thing has occasionally offered a perk or two, in the form of Product Reviews. The people over at Healthy Edudynamics thought I might be interested in reviewing a Parenting Handbook for the 'tough' questions kids ask. Ahhhh Puberty. It's Going To Be An Interesting Ride. Blink. Blink Blink. Is It Over Yet?


Have you had the DRUGS conversation with your kid yet? I did ... Call It My Pre-Intervention.


So what do you do/say, when your kid thinks he's the next WWE Superstar? Now What The Heck Can I Say To THAT?


I Lost My Kid. Then I Found Him Again. Yeah. 'Nuff said.


They're not just learning the three R's at school anymore ya know! Reading, Riting (yes, I know, misspelled, but keeping with the R theme), Rithmatic, and ... Masturbation! YIKES! MOM! Wanna Know What I Learned Today?



I'm a mom 24/7. Every day. Except for those couple of weekends a month the boys are with their dad.

On those weekends, after dealing with all the parenting, work, life issues, it's time for Mama to relax and/or have some FUN!!!


My BF and I try to go out every few months for a Girls Karaoke Night Out! Oh, but not just ANY karaoke ... COUNTRY karaoke!!! No, we're not the next Faith and Shania, but you know what ... We Have Fans? WHO KNEW?!?!?!


This one's for Eddie Murphy fans. VINTAGE Eddie Murphy fans. This is not of the Daddy Daycare variety. I enjoyed a lazy Sunday morning one day, remembering why I was always Delirious for Eddie!


Do we have any Country music fans in the house? I Spent Thanksgiving With Carrie Underwood! and went Back To School With Brad Paisley!


OK, sure, everyone knows Brad and Carrie, but what about Johnny Reid?!?! So ... WHO is Johnny Reid?


Then there was the night my BF and I unintentionally showed up at a POF gathering. Yeah. Plenty of Fish? More Like Lots Of Seaweed!


A couple of years ago, the boys started watching Wrestling. Yes, Wrestling. If big, sweaty muscles in tights or speedos are your thing, then check out how WWE Rocked Halifax! Or anything under the category Wrestling ... Yes ... Wrestling LOL


Anyone believe in ghosts? Or up for A Little Paranormal Activity Perhaps?


The story about the hockey legend? That would be The One Where My Dad Hangs Up On Guy Lafleur



And then, there are the serious issues ...


Have you had your boobs squeezed lately? Happy Birthday! Please Place Boob Here ......


Since the whole tornado episode was highlighted in the title, I'd better throw in that post too! From the Beach to Tornado in a day ... Summer Vacation Adventures Part II


The Fascination With James Bulger, And His Killers - A follow up to the James Bulger post I wrote just over a year ago. The original has generated the most hits and comments in the Korner.

Both of these pages have seen spikes in the past week, since one of the murderers has been returned to prison for a release violation.


When the ex and I first separated, he moved to a four unit building. A killer lived among them. This Ain't Mr. Roger's Neighbourhood Baby!


And finally, fans of the show Hoarders may enjoy the story behind My Dirty Little Secret


That's it!

Well, not really, but if you want more, you'll have to start digging through the archives or categories.

Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

And if you're a new visitor, I hope you found something today that will bring you back to the Korner, and join us for another adventure.


BIG THANKS to SITS for highlighting me today as the Featured Blogger!

Cause ya know what that means ... Sing it, Danny!


Today is MY day Bro'!


See ya SITStas!

K.

A Choose Your Own Adventure Book Called LIFE

Remember those books you used to read when you were a kid, where you could change the ending depending on which 'path' you took in the story.

One seemingly small decision could completely change the course of events for the Hero/Heroine.


Have you ever noticed how life is like one of these books?

Each decision you make affects another link in the chain of events.

A Choose Your Own Adventure book book called, LIFE.



Every day, I stop at Wilsons Gas Stop.

They knock $0.02 off your gas if you pay with cash or Debit. I like that!

Not *my* Wilsons, but one like it. Pic taken from HERE

Some days, it's unfortunately more out of habit than need, but nonetheless, either in the morning on the way to work, or afterwards on the way home, I stop.

My particular Wilsons is on the corner of the main intersection of the community.

You have a Sobeys, Tims, Subway, liquor store and bank machines in the same area.

BUSY spot!!! Always.

It also has a McDonalds attached to it, so that brings in extra cars as well, especially on a Friday or Saturday.


My usual routine on a Friday is to stop in on the way home, after picking up Adam, anytime after 5:30pm.

I'll get gas for the weekend, a lottery ticket, cigarettes, and something at McD's if that's on the menu for traditional Friday night takeout.


This past Friday night was different.


The boys were with their father and I had worked late.

It was closer to 6pm when I reached one of the two exits that would take me home.

At that point, I had a decision to make.

Go to Wilsons now, or later. One exit would take me now, the other later.


Alec had a basketball game at 7pm at the Community Centre.

The centre was down the street from the gas station, so if I didn't make it now, there would always be time later.

It was raining, windy, miserable. Had been all day.

What did I want to do after working all day ... head straight to the warm house, or out into the cold rain to pump gas.

I needed the gas regardless. Now or later.

Being the procrastinator I can sometimes be, and big wimp in the rain I can always be ... I chose later.


I went home, worked around the house a bit, packed the boys bag for the weekend, then headed down to the game.

Afterwards, I went straight to Wilsons.


Or, that was the intention at least.

Until I got close enough to see it was in complete darkness, with emergency pylons blocking the entrances.

Was the power out?

I quickly looked across the street. Nope, everyone else had lights.

And then, through the sheets of rain, I saw it.


Remember I said it was windy?

Well, the wind was SO strong, that part of the roof/shelter over the gas pumps was no longer OVER the pumps, but on the ground.

OMIGOD!

The roof fell off!

There aren't many moments I wish I had the camera feature on my cell phone, but this was definitely one of those times!


It was dark, and almost impossible to see through the sheets of rain, but there it was, parts of the pump shelter all over the ground.

WOW!

I certainly hope nobody was filling up their car at the time!

Or simply driving past the pumps to get to the McD's.

There would have been damage for sure!

No wonder the place was closed!


Obviously I wasn't getting the gas, so I drove straight by and went to the Tims instead.

Which was stop #2 on the to-do list anyway ;-)

I also called the ex, who was still at the CC and suggested he take a drive by on the way home, since I knew the boys would appreciate the 'wow' factor of the scene.

He said he knew about it already, as it had happened shortly after 6pm.

He had heard, thankfully and AMAZINGLY, nobody had been hurt or cars damaged.

Despite being peak time on a Friday night ... nobody had been in the path of the falling roof.


On the way home, it hit me.


Had I made a different choice, and gotten the gas before going home, I would have been there during that time frame.

Whether or not it would have been that EXACT time, who knows.

Who knows why NOBODY was in it's path at that EXACT time.

What seemingly innocent decision they made, which ensured they were elsewhere at that precise moment.

Just like I did.

How many times over the course of your life have you said 'WOW! 1 or 5 or 10 minutes earlier/later and I would have ....'

On a 'normal' Friday night, I wouldn't have been there at that time. Having worked late put me off schedule, and could have put me there, but for my being a procrastinator and big wimp in cold rain.


I ... and everybody else who would, could or should have been there ... wasn't.


For whatever reason.


Because of whatever decision that was made, that sent us down that particular path in the story.

In that book we didn't even know we were reading.


That Choose Your Own Adventure book called, LIFE.

K.