30+year-old people are hot. it's true.

I am very blush-y, and you can totally see it through my "olive/tan" complexion.

Like, on Thursday, when I found out, just minutes before my surgery, that my gynecologist was going to have a young male student doctor get close enough to ask my lady bits out for coffee observe the procedure. When it comes to my privates, I can still be very shy.

Like when my daughter announces that Mommy's "boobs are big... like the Earth!!!" to everyone at Starbucks. I'm very easily embarrassed.

Like when I get compliments from really cool people I like. I'm so incredibly flattered!

Which happened this week when I was chosen as the Featured Blogger at Studio 30+!!!

OMG, lovely-loversons, you've got to head over to Studio 30+ and read all the lovely words they said about me and Life Candy. And all you 30+s can totally join while you're there!

For those of you who've just found me via that lovely site made for people no one should trust (Remember? "Don't trust anyone over 30"? Jack Weinberg? No? Okay, nevermind.), WELCOME!!!

I gotta say, I'm so glad to have found Studio 30+. I've always envied the 20-something bloggers for their group. I would sneakily join them, but my double-whammy of undeniable wisdom and embittered crotchetiness would likely give me away.
And I'm a member of several mommy blogger groups, but I originally started blogging as a way to help the non-mommy parts of my persona come out. And because I'm a cheap drunk, blogging gave me much more predictable, and less embarrassing, results than my favourite gin and tonic. Ahem.

Anyway, I wanted a place for me.

Studio 30+ is like Friends' Central Perk, where you can hang out, chill on the couch, and enjoy your gigantic coffee cups. Sans kids/mortgage/housework. If you're a 30-something or more blogger and want to find more of your kind, seriously go and join.

Thank you so much, Jules & Jerrod, for creating a place just for us. And thanks for the honour of being this week's Featured Blogger!

"okay, I've had it" #1: frontyard garden.

Note: I'm still in recovery-mode from Thursday's extravaganza, so no, I didn't do any of this gardening over the weekend. Please don't worry. I am, in fact, resting. Thanks! :)

If you've been reading me for a while, you'll know I've been all hot-n-heavy about my frontyard garden. The moment I was able to, I worked my pretty little bum off to turn the green wasteland that was this...


... into this...


Pretty, eh?! And for a while I was so proud of its organic eco-friendliness, lush beauty, and ability to cut in half the amount of time my husband looks like this...


Oh, yeah, so sexy.

But it hasn't been all sunshine and roses. (No, I didn't actually grow roses.)

OMG, the weeding, the mosquitoes, the dying plants, the invasive ones, the anthills!

When I came back from our week-long camping trip, there was an elm forest in my front yard garden! (Thanks for not chopping down your old sick elm tree, Ned Flanders!) The leaves of one of the hostas had been eaten up by some kind of crazy hosta-eating bug, and the Scotch moss had morphed into an anthill!

THESE GARDENS ARE NOT LOW-MAINTENANCE, PEOPLE!!!

So, after 4 years of this, I decided to simplify and create a more minimalist garden...

1: Pare down the number of plant varieties. But all still perennials, of course. I've got it down to raspberries, peonies, irises, ferns, lilies, chives, purple coneflower, bergenia, sedum, hosta, primula, and chinese lanterns.
And I'll be paring down more in the future. Maybe give away the sedum and primula next. Baby steps.

2: Bring in the eco-grass. This isn't your same old Kentucky Bluegrass. I want to stay environmentally-friendly with grasses native to Canada. That means fescue, baby. And as you know, my lovely readers, I'm all about the au naturel lawn, so watering, fertilizing and mowing aren't things I want to devote my time to (see picture of my lawnmower man above). I just want a place to have picnics with my little girl in the sunshine.
I bought this...
... and after moving my plants to the perimeter, I threw the seeds in the soil in the middle of this...


The grass is growing as I type. Really! It's actually pretty cute out there. :)

Looking forward to only doing some work in my garden in the future.

1 minute of truth about the 30 days of truth.

Last week, I said I was going to do my own 30 Days of Truth.

I've decided that I won't be doing it after all. Not yet. I'm not ready.

I need to be stronger. Just a bit.

30 days of truth. I ankle-swear.

I found this on Adam's blog. I will do it too, from time to time, not every day.
Starting on Monday -- when my system is clear of "happy juice" and my womanly nethers are less hurty.

Day 01 → Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02 → Something you love about yourself.
Day 03 → Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)
Day 14 → A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15 → Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16 → Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18 → Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19 → What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20 → Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21 → (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22 → Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23 → Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24 → Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25 → The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26 → Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27 → What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28 → What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29 → Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30 → A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself.

a crowded white room. all full of love.

I was in a white room today. But I wasn't alone. I had my doctor, my anesthetist, the attending nurse, and an observing student doctor.
And you. In spirit.
Thanks for not passing out at the sight of my blood. And not looking at my privates.

But most of all...

Thank you all for your loving support heartfelt through your emails, your tweets, your facebook messages, and your comments.

Despite the fact that it was a relatively minor procedure, the unknown always makes me nervous, I hate big needles, and my 2 previous day-surgery experiences weren't exactly pleasant. And you all made me feel so cared for and loved.

That white room went from being a sterile, cold room to being a pretty, cozy, warm room.

Like this one. Because of you.

{via thedesignfile.net}

I'm a nervous 12-year-old.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is the BIG DAY. The day I go in for day-surgery. On my lady parts.

I had my pre-op assessment today, where I learned that I'm really 5'3" (yeah, I lost an inch), that my scale here at home is off by 5 pounds, and that -- good news! -- they won't be putting me under completely. Instead, I'm getting a local anesthetic and will be heavily sedated.

I'll probably be all weird and delusional (more than I am on a daily basis. slightly.) and may still fall asleep, but I shouldn't have to worry that the painkiller will stop working while they're yankin' on my innards or that I'll wake up to find that they've sewn a penis on me by accident.
Oh yeah, it could happen.

Anyway, general anesthetic or no, I'm still worried. And when I worry, I do the regular out-of-my-control things, like losing hair, breaking out, insomnia. Blah, blah, blah. (Thanks, Ke$sha, for ruining that for me.)

But I also do other things like...

... make huge batches of my fave comfort food -- garlic fried rice -- and eat it all. No matter how carby it is. Before Roomie gets any. Shhh, don't tell him.

... get totally stabby. Compared to this, PMS is a blissful day at a spa with my other pretend boyfriend (yes, I have several) Bill Campbell feeding me grapes while I get a hot stone massage.


Ahem, anyway, so darling Roomie's been hiding sharp objects from me. At least I suspect he has been. Because I can't find the scissors. Both of them. The cleaver too.

... watch countless episodes of iCarly. I have an 8-hour VHS tape with about 18 episodes on it that I have on constant play all day long. Truly. Watch this 55 second clip -- it's seriously funny chizz... (go here to see it online)



"Get outer my space! Oh, yeah!" Ah, too funny...

Anyway, I'm going to get some rest now for tomorrow I will go and not get a penis sewn onto me.

See y'all post-op!

a birthday toast. complete with a suckish RAZR phone pic.

Last Saturday was my friend Harmzie's birthday. She said she had plans to go golfing with her darling Max all afternoon. Yeah, "golfing".

We knew Harmzie would be all tired from all the golf sex golf, so it came as no surprise when she said she couldn't come to that night's Sushi with Larry.

In her honour, I had an LOL*. A real one. With booze. I got drunk. For Harmzie-girl.

Happy Birthday, girlfriend! This one's for you...

* - Lime, Orange, Lichee juice... and other yummy stuff.

demise of the heinous lamp.

Despite what the title says, this isn't a story of me destroying a perfectly good working hand-me-down lamp. I'm all about the reuse, Internets.

Instead, please think of this like Darth Vader killing Anakin Skywalker. The lamp, seduced by the better-looking side of the Force, ceased to be Heinous Lamp... and *became* Pretty Lamp.

I've always loved the shape of this lamp, but the orange faux-marbling made it look like someone threw poo at it.


Time for the spray paint.

Min's a pretty crafty girl, so she threw on her paint smock and decided to help out. Lam was official photog.


This project took less than an hour to do from beginning to sitting-on-the-end-table-lookin'-purty. And considering it was my first ever foray into the world of spray paint, I think our reborn lamp looks quite lovely and significantly less poo-ish.

I'm good at.

{shamelessly stolen from Adam}

Shamelessly stealing blogging ideas from super clever people.

Transcribing music -- which came in handy when doing cover songs with my band.

Forgetting to recharge my cellphone.

Frying rice - here's how I do it.

Remembering obscure lines from movies.

Hula dancing! Whoo-chow!

Giving too much information. Don't believe me? Read the rest of my blog, babe.

Driving a stick shift... with nary a bounce!

Multitasking.

Worrying like a mad lady.

Making banana muffins (which I no longer eat, but the kids LOVE).

Painting walls.

Putting the Fear of God in my children with just one look.

Empathizing.

Spider Solitare.

Making things grow in the garden... includes weeds and ant hills.

French-braiding my own hair... yet I suck at french-braiding others'.

Making new friends.

Planning stuff -- just need to work on follow-thru.

Making lists.

And you?

day 15 of 90: the temple and the monthly visit

Lost: 2 pounds

Thing is, I know I could've lost more. But I didn't because of one thing: Aunt Flo. Yes, folks, this one, once again, is about my menstrual cycle. I know, you've missed these kinds of posts. It's the reason why you tune in. Of course.

But really, it's hard to exercise, when you're in so much pain that all you can do is curl up in the fetal position on the couch and moan.

It's hard to shake the weight, when your body wants to retain every ounce of water it gets its grubby little hands on.

It's hard to stay primal, when your carb-craving brain is screaming "Eat that rye toast or I'll stab you in the face!"

For 7 bloody days. Literally. I know, ew. Sorry.

So, yeah, 2 pounds was all I could drop. And even that was hard won.

But I'm hoping that'll all change. In exactly one week.

On the 23rd, I'll be having day-surgery to remove the polyps which are allegedly the cause of my monthly woes. General anesthetic. D&C. No overnight stay. But perhaps some morphine. Or Tylenol 3.
Mmm... painkillers...

Anyway, not sure where my FatBet will be as a result, but I plan to do a cleanse shortly after the surgery to get the bad anesthetic stuff and drugs out of my system.

Maybe my bodyfat will get the hint and follow along. Wish me luck!

toast of much evilness

let's assume I have time to watch tv: fall 2010.

Do Lois and Clark finally become the dynamic duo they're destined to be? Is Will going to find a way to win back Kali's trust? Will the rag-tag Destiny crew be able to kick the Lucian Alliance in the ass? Will the Doctor, Amy, and Rory discover why the Tardis exploded? And who is River Song really?!

I'm hurtin' to find out, dear lovelies!

Well, my long summer wait is finally over, and soon, my questions will be answered! All my favourite shows are back! Except for the ones canceled, of course. I'm still mad about Stargate Atlantis and Defying Gravity. And oh, yeah, except for Doctor Who, which will air a bit later because the Brits do things in their own unique and very sexy way in their own unique and very sexy time.

Ahem.

Very much like last year, I have once again drawn up my tv-viewing schedule. It's rather ambitious for a busy lady, so on the crazy days, granny here is kickin' it old school and settin' her VCR. Yeah, I don't have one o' dem newfangled PVR thingamaboobers.

Also, I wrote the list of shows I don't plan to watch. Many of them are quite popular, so please don't hate me if I don't like Dancing with the Stars. Even if Maks makes me giggle like a school girl.

Okay, without further ado, my Fall 2010 TV viewing schedule... Let me know if you see a theme. :)

Shows I will try not to miss:
Sunday
6pm - Chuck (Space) Ch. 39 - Starts September 26

Monday
none

Tuesday
8pm - Glee (Global) Ch. 12
8pm - Eureka (Space) Ch. 39 - Starts October 5.

Wednesday
8pm - Supernatural (Space) Ch. 39 - Starts September 29.

Thursday
8pm - Fringe (Fox) Ch. 49

Friday
7pm - Smallville (Space) Ch. 39 - Starts September 24
8pm - Sanctuary (Space) Ch. 39 - Starts October 15
9pm - Stargate Universe (Space) ch. 39 - Starts October 1

Saturday
none

Shows I LOVE that are on everyday or at weird times that I will NEVER miss even if I should:
Doctor Who (Space) Ch. 39
iCarly (YTV) Ch. 22
Stargate Atlantis (Space) Ch. 39
Futurama (Teletoon) Ch. 43
Wizards of Waverly Place (Family) Ch. 34
Sunny with a Chance (Family) Ch. 34
Good Luck, Charlie (Family) Ch. 34
Various HGTV shows Ch. 24
Torchwood (Space) Ch. 39

Shows that tempt me but not enough to include them in my schedule, but may still watch if I have the time:
Hawaii Five-0
Nikita
Community
True Blood

Shows others recommend that I just can't or won't get into for fear that it will suck me in and spit out only a shell of the human I once was:
Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Gossip Girl, 90210, The Hills, Grey's Anatomy, Survivor, Amazing Race, Vampire Diaries, American/Canadian Idol, Desperate Housewives...

How about you?...

{Image via scifiscoop.com}

you know what I did this summer. at least you will when you read this.

After a rockin' 3-month summer break, Roomie returned to work last Monday to have the pleasure of listening to the sound of his own voice and get paid for it teach a new crop of future engineering techs the fine art of physics, electronics, and mathematics.

That was when summer officially ended for us. Even though the kids didn't start school until a week later. Truly. When your son asks for "more apple juice please" and you can't say "your Dad's in the kitchen and can get it for you, sweetie" because he isn't in the kitchen but in a room across town jumping onto tables to demonstrate potential and kinetic energy so you yourself have to get up from under your blanket, put down your laptop, and move your green tea to get said juice for your thirsty boy, it hits you like a sledgehammer that the carefree times are really over. Sad.

But I shouldn't complain. We had a great summer! We accomplished a lot, saw a lot, ate a lot... like...

Celebrating birthdays

Camping

Learn how to ride a bike without the training wheels!!! Woo-hoo!!!

Meeting up with out-of-town family and friends...

Giving a little girl a pedicure...

Painting the kitchen/familyroom

Play games on Daddy's C64

Visiting the Manitoba Museum...

Going to the zoo...

Gardening...

Visiting Lower Fort Garry, where Roomie showed us his beaver...

Yeah... a good summer... :)

them on the first day of grade 1 & grade 3.

As I told my peeps on Facebook, I'm now a 40-year-old mom of 2 kids in GRADE SCHOOL!!! I now have no children in preschool. Those days are gone. Forever...

You see, no matter how much I tell them to "Just stop it!", my kids defy me and continue to grow anyway. They grow. And change. Change way too fricking fast!

And make us parents crazed, wondering where our babies went, until we realize that we should just enjoy the changes.

And hang on for the wild ride.

And take snapshots along the way -- as long as we can pry our fingers off the dashboard or the oh-sh*t handles long enough to hold the camera.

So, here are my Mini and Lam, frozen in time, snapshots at Grade 1 and Grade 3...

1 - What is your favourite tv show?
mini: icarly
lam: doctor who

2 - What is your favourite colour?
mini: pink
lam: dark blue

3 - What is your favourite game?
mini: not-it tag
lam: pokemon heart gold

4 - Who is your best friend(s)?
mini: abbey, jailyn & cathy
lam: chris, aidan & will

5 - What is your favourite treat food?
mini: lollipops
lam: chips

6 - What is your favourite good food?
mini: pizza
lam: chicken

7 - What is your favourite website?
mini: webkinz.com
lam: youtube.com

8 - What's your favourite treat drink?
mini: orange crush
lam: coke with root beer

9 - What's your favourite good drink?
mini: red iced tea (iced raspberry passion tea lemonade from Starbucks)
lam: milk

10 - What is the name of your favourite book?
mini: iCarly's iHatch Chicks
lam: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

11 - What's your favourite thing to do with family?
mini: family game night
lam: go to the mall

12 - What's your favourite thing to do alone?
mini: play with Baba
lam: play computer/video-games

13 - What's your favourite dessert?
mini: popsicle
lam: pepsi/coke/rootbeer float

And no, Mommy didn't cry after dropping the kids off at school. Almost. :')

a relaxing labour day weekend.

Hope you're having a great one!

And that you're doing a lot of this...

16 in 90. because mama needs new threads.

Yesterday, I declared that -- between September 1 and November 30 -- I, Nenette, will lose 16 pounds. At least. Maybe more. Because I want to be able to kick Jillian's ass for a change.

Oh, no, sweeties, this isn't just an empty declaration, or a repeat of the old ways. I actually put money on it. I made a FatBet!

My primal sistah AndreAnna dared us, her girlfriends, to reach our get-hot-n-healthy goals in 90 days.
Oh, yeah. She was all "Come on, Bitches!!! Get with this thing! YOU. CAN. DO. IT!!!" Then she threatened to come to our houses and rip our heads off if we didn't join! I know! I was all scared and stuff! So, I joined because, dang, Iowa and Manitoba? Practically neighbours, people! Okay, not really, but I'm not risking a head ripping!

Seriously though, AndreAnna serendipitously gave me the plan I really need right now. Evil sweet-n-carby treats invade my home and set up camp this time of year, so I can use any support/asskicking I can get!

.: Goal!
My goal is to lose 16 pounds by Day 90, which is about 5 pounds per month. I can do that reasonably without looking like Skeletor in the end.

.: Accept the challenge.
Okay, this was probably the toughest part for me. Because it means -- gasp! -- a commitment! But I did it, and joined a great bunch of chikas.

.: Put my money where my mouth is.
Every participant puts $50US into the pot, and everyone who hits goal by Day 90 shares the pot. Now this part was surprisingly easy. Until I got to the exchange rate. Because, yo, I'm in Canada, and 50US is like 5 bajillion dollars Canadian!!!
Then, I figured, when I reach goal, the exchange will work in my favour! Besides, I'm going to earn it. Whoo-chow!!!

.: Report periodically.
We use FatBet and Flickr to update the rest of the group of our progress.

.: Reap the Rewards.
Or at least avoid pain. Pain is a great motivator. In this case, it's the pain of being out $50US and being forced to wear an "awful holiday sweater out to dinner or a party - something public". Which will be even harder because I don't even own one! Gah!

Anyway, I'm jazzed to see my transformation. And yeah, I'll be taking you along for the ride. Wish me luck!