things i learned this weekend

1.This past weekend the kids were home for 5 days straight. It's the most days they've been home consecutively since we got the new puppy.

Whom I love. Whom I love. Whom I love.

That's me talking myself into feeling the love for this pup whom I swear is deaf.

Anyway, it was long, hard and tiring. More than anything I just want this puppy trained so I can move forward. I was so done with babies. I know there is a light somewhere, a silver lining of sorts, but it's been dimmed by my dismay at puppy whining and the occasional bark.

The children are more in love than ever so it's all worth it.

2. I have 4 siblings and I have decided that two of them are the biggest nay sayers I know personally. Everything I do gets criticized and corrected. I love them but heaven help me.....CORK it already.

Like I'm going to give the puppy back AFTER I already bought her.

Honestly, keep it to yourself.

3. The man has a truck. I like to tell him the truck is dying a slow death. For whatever reason the man takes personal offence to this. Like I'm insulting this 14 year old truck and all the amazing things it's done for him. This truck even ran the man over once and didn't kill him.

Now that's an amazing truck.

The man has been spending an awful lot of time fixing this dying truck lately which leads me to two conclusions. One, it's dying a quicker death than it was before. And two, the man is so insanely handy it frightens me.

Is there anything he can't do?

4. Yesterday I took the family to Old Navy for a big Family Day event. I was terrified because first, I steer away from events that are loud and full of excited children. And second, clothes shopping gives me the shakes.

This weekend I learned that I can do hard things.

I am totally kidding. It wasn't bad at all. I even bought clothes that fit. The only bad thing came when I told Amelia I wasn't standing in an hour long line up for an amazing balloon animal that would probably look like the Princess Ariel.

That guy had some mad skills.

This made her cry. A wailing of devastation that could only be comforted with the promise of popcorn. I know I made the right decision bribing her when we got to Kernels and found a 20 dollar bill lying on the floor.

Popcorn for everyone!

5. 6 people in one house all weekend makes for tons of dirty dishes and a crap load of laundry that seems to be on a mission destroy me.

Where did all this laundry come from?

6. The weather is to die for. I don't know what's going on with the universe where we can wear a sweater out most days and not see a mitten or toque anywhere in this arctic winter city. I know this weather isn't good for farmers but it is so terribly soothing to my soul that I hate to wish for anything else.

This winter has been delicious.

7. While we were at the Old Navy event and then my sisters house for dinner I had to think of what to do with the puppy. She couldn't be locked in her kennel that entire time. So I put her kennel in the back bedroom, open. I laid out newspaper EVERYWHERE. I made a potty for her. We left her her lunch. I took everything out she might be able to damage and closed the door. I was fully expecting a mess when I returned and a mess I found. She had torn all the paper to smithereens. She hadn't used her potty but peed on the one spot of floor that had no paper. I found two poopy footprints but, as hard as I tried, there was no poop anywhere.

I'll let you imagine the rest.

8. It is deafeningly quiet in here right now. Shhhhh, don't move a muscle. For the next 7 hours.

Ahhhhhhhh.......................