AmmA is SixtySix

Stopping to smell the roses...

June 2009

Wow, I have been a bad blogger. I didn't realize it's been so long. My poor neglected blog. In March I returned to work from my maternity leave and am currently struggling to find some balance. I don't usually work full time but for the last few months it has been necessary. It would help if someone would buy our apartment. It's a two bedroom suite on the quiet side of the building with one bathroom, fireplace, great neighbors, a dishwasher and insuite laundry. We're still waiting...

Avalina's 1st Birthday

Birthday Suit

Look what I got for my birthday....

...from Patrick.

One Week to my Birthday!

15 March 1970
The moon's phase on the day you were
born was in its first quarter.

Your date of conception was on or about 22 June 1969 which was a Sunday.
You were born on a Sunday
under the astrological sign Pisces.
Your Life path number is 8.
Your fortune cookie reads:
Decide what you want and go for it.
Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path number 6.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 1 & 5.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 3, 7 & 9.
The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2440660.5.
The golden number for 1970 is 14.
The epact number for 1970 is 22.
The year 1970 was not a leap year.
Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/6/1970 and ending 1/26/1971.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Dog.
Your Native American Zodiac sign is Wolf; your plant is Plantain.
You were born in the Egyptian month of Pachons, the first month of the season of Shomu (Harvest).
Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 7 AdarII 5730.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 8 AdarII 5730.
The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.17.16.10.16 which is
12 baktun 17 katun 16 tun 10 uinal 16 kin
The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Sunday, 7 Muharram 1390 (1390-1-7).
The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 29 March 1970.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 26 April 1970.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 11 February 1970.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 17 May 1970.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 24 May 1970.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Thursday, 1 October 1970.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Tuesday, 21 April 1970.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 10 February 1970.
As of 3/9/2009 12:31:11 AM EDT
You are 38 years old.
You are 468 months old.
You are 2,034 weeks old.
You are 14,239 days old.
You are 341,736 hours old.
You are 20,504,191 minutes old.
You are 1,230,251,471 seconds old.
Top songs of 1970
Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel
I'll Be There by Jackson Five
Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head by B.J. Thomas
Close to You by Carpenters
My Sweet Lord by George Harrison
I Think I Love You by Partridge Family
Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Diana Ross
American Woman by Guess Who
War by Edwin Starr
Let It Be by Beatles
Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 5.57299412915851 years old. (You're still chasing cats!)
Your lucky day is Thursday.
Your lucky number is 3 & 7.
Your ruling planet(s) is Jupiter & Neptune.
Your lucky dates are 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th.
Your opposition sign is Virgo.
Your opposition number(s) is 5.
Today is not one of your lucky days!
There are 6 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 39 candles.
Those 39 candles produce 39 BTUs,
or 9,828 calories of heat (that's only 9.8280 food Calories!) .
You can boil 4.46 US ounces of water with that many candles.
In 1970 there were approximately 3.7 million births in the US.
In 1970 the US population was approximately 203,302,031 people, 57.4 persons per square mile.
In 1970 in the US there were approximately 2,158,802 marriages (10.6%) and 708,000 divorces (3.5%)
In 1970 in the US there were approximately 1,921,000 deaths (9.5 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.
In 1970 the population of Australia was approximately 12,663,469.
In 1970 there were approximately 257,516 births in Australia.
In 1970 in Australia there were approximately 116,066 marriages and 12,198 divorces.
In 1970 in Australia there were approximately 113,048 deaths.
Your birthstone is Aquamarine
The Mystical properties of Aquamarine
Aquamarine is often used to experience love and mercy. It is said to help ease depression and grief.
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)
Jade, Rock Crystal, Bloodstone
Your birth tree is
Lime Tree, the Doubt
Accepts what life dishes out in a composed way, hates fighting, stress and labour, tends to laziness and idleness, soft and relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous, loyal.
There are 291 days till Christmas 2009!
There are 304 days till Orthodox Christmas!
Copyright © 2006 Paul R. Sadowski (http://www.paulsadowski.com)

funny

I laughed when i saw this.

Shingles

Unbelievable! I am about to return to work. I have shingles now. I am very itchy and it is pretty painful but I am hoping it will clear up soon. In the meantime Pat and I have been going to Duffin's donuts!

10 months!

3 COUSINS

Wow this picture is of (left to right) Chupee aka Yasmin (4 years old) and Fayth (3 years old) and one of my daughters Anastasia (also 3 years old) but the strange thing is they look like their dads in the photo. Seriously. We just need an Iris child in the photo and it would be complete. The looks on their faces are so telling. I think they are cute little cousins. Thanks for the photo Yvonne.

Phil, Mark, Pat

Let it snow..

Let it snow!
Let it snow! somewhere else please
I am excited and full of optimism at what 2009 has in store for us!

99

Happy Birthday Gran! Here are some photos from a visit to my grandmother who turned ninety nine a few weeks ago! She still knows how to laugh and certainly seemed to enjoy the company.

Ballet dance to the music

Everybody wins!
That's what the girls say when they race back to the bar in their ballet class with Miss Alana at the local community center. I had no idea there would be a little show for us at the end of the sessions. Lola, Amma, Uncle Mark, Lalaine and even Daddy was able to come and see. The girls looked so cute! My little girl consented to having her hair braided and wore one of my little friend Chanel's outfit that is too small for her now. She absolutely loved the class and it was a big one too. She enjoyed getting a little love note ready for her teacher. The other little girls were generally decked out and I think some girls just love pink and fluff and delicate things and some don't care if they're dressed up fancy or not. Mine is the former but hasn't quite figured it all out yet. She insists on wearing a skirt or dress almost everyday but doesn't like tights and isn't too big on having her hair brushed and put nicely. I certainly remember having my long hair brushed as a little girl and it was not a nice experience sitting for what seemed like forever in the bathroom on the top of the toilet to get my hair combed and put into braids or pony tails. My middle daughter calls them dog tails because she thinks her fine straight hair looks like puppy dog ears with one in an elastic on each side. Anyway she really enjoyed her first experience of dance and perhaps she will continue. We all enjoyed their twinkle twinkle little star dance. It did not occur to me at first that they would be using music in their classes. I guess I just remembered all the following, instructing, practicing and stretching and forgot about the performing and the just dance part. Although my lessons and participation is fondly remembered I suppose etched in my brain is the do it like this part and the anxious instructors trying desperately to help us perform properly. I do however remember the beautiful and varied costumes. I was once the head penguin but just because I was the tallest of the group not the most skilled. I was possible eleven and had not done the type of ballet where you perform in large amounts with costumes and schedules and practices. Also the ballet I had done was not for a few years and was mainly lessons only with an exciting performance for our parents at the end.

It's been a while...

I have been helping out the janitor and rereading Secret Life of Bees. We had a fabulous book club meeting with tea, fine china, Rosaleen's fritters, Black Madonna Honey, pretty yellow cupcakes with bees on them and last but not least peanuts and Coke in a bottle. My husband turned 40 years old and his body hurts. I voted and was partially informed. I remembered veterans and ate yummy Filipino foods and listened to good music at just near Remembrance Day celebrating birthdays. The baby is crawling and clapping up a storm with her two little bottom teeth at 8 months old. Asia is learning to verbally assault her brother which is better than fists and feets. She is still getting a handle on her emotions but now that the vocabulary is expanding she is more able to express herself. The boy has a little loose tooth at the front top sticking out to the side because he banged it on his Lord Kelvin cousin's head. It looks so funny with his larger ones up front. He is practicing with a little enthusiasm for the open house next weekend at the Arenex. We are all looking forward to Christmas and I have made some cards but of course not as many as I would like. I have been lucky enough to do some other little craft projects with photos and such. I just love the paper part of Christmas. Christmas wrapping paper, Christmas cards, Christmas letters, Christmas with coupons, Christmas lists, Christmas tags, little boxes, you name it. Part of the family saw the musical Suessical at the Waterfront theater today
In a few weeks my grandmother will be turning 99! Any suggestions?
Also this weekend we will attend the Festival of Nativities where the gym at our church will be transformed into a wonderful display of trees and nativity scenes. There will also be delightful music in the evenings.

Come enjoy the spirit of Christmas with breathtaking nativity displays from around the world. This event is open daily from 10am to 9pm starting November 27th to the 29th. Live musical performances every night from 7:30pm-8:30pm. Admission free for all ages.

Location: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 5280 Kincaid Street, Burnaby BC. Phone: 604-515-1800 email: festivalofnativities@gmail.com
www.festivalofnativities.com

Lucky

I had HappyGoLucky the cat since the mid to late nineties. I got him from the SPCA in Vancouver. He used to be a good rat catcher, thankfully I live where he wasn't catching any rats. Like most cats he liked to crawl under cars, get underfoot, and go in and out and in and out. He has a loud meow and sharp teeth but rarely scratches. Recently he hasn't been feeling well so today at the veterinary he was euthanized. I really really miss him already but I am glad he isn't suffering anymore.

PumpkinPatch

Pumpkin Patch
This year we finally got to the pumpkin patch and what a lovely day it was weather wise. We all wore boots but lucky for us it wasn't even muddy! There was sing a long ing on the hayride and corn growing, animals, entertainment and lots of fresh air. Anastasia missed her nap so she wasn't very happy and fell asleep in daddy's arms. We got ourselves some pumpkins and they fed us apples too!

Lalaine

We love her!

1st

First Tooth!
It has been a long time coming!
Avalina finally has her first tooth!
Yipee!
She is almost 6 months old now!
Our family is so blessed!

Ist Tooth!

{Swamped

I just haven't had time to sit down at the computer lately but here's a quick run down of my life lately.
Avalina is almost 6 months and has started grabbing very quickly at the table especially so we gave her some brown rice mush a few days ago.
Maybe I am totally crazy but i find it so exciting even though i was determined to be moved out this little apartment with cream carpeting before I allowed her to eat. So much for that plan, I didn't account for her own ideas. A high chair and baby food and carpet will be challenging as if the whole introduction to food thing isn't time consuming and messy enough!

My mom Abby's leg is still broken but it seems to be healing up nicely. She is still in plenty of pain depending on her daytime activities. She is trying to retire but loves to keep herself busy so that gets in the way of total relaxation. I love and admire her very much.

Anastasia now 3 years old is still being her sweet self one minute and a tornado of anger the next depending on how full her tummy is and how rested her body is as well. Just like her daddy except he doesn't turn into a tornado. Pat is always happier when he is well rested and well fed. The rest part being scarce lately for both of us. Back to Anastasia...She started Ballet for the first time on Friday and the class was large but all the little girls looked so cute! I am enjoying this chance to relive the preschool years through the eyes of a girl this time and forgot what it was like.

Marvin has just started grade 2 and has a wonderful new teacher and plenty of grade 3 classmates in his classroom. He really missed his best friends from the last few years when everybody fit into one class so he is a bit bummed about that. He seems to think he is missing out on everything fun by going to school. He will be participating in gymnastics again and also trampoline. He is still loving to read and just can't keep his nose out of the books. We aren't complaining.

Pat is working so hard and is very tired! He is longing to spend more time feeling rested and pain free and listening to music instead of putting out fires.

I am happy to be walking quite a bit more, getting more fresh air as well as exercise and eating more healthy foods. We are thrilled to have Patrick's cousin Lalaine with us since labour day. She came from HK and loves our children. She is a particular about the foods she eats but willing to be adventurous with so many other things. She has been a Godsend to me as far as helping with the children, husband, organizing, meals, house keeping and my mom. This gives me more time not being stressed and enables me to find what I need quickly. It is difficult to be overwhelmed when you have an extra pair of hands. She has a sweet spirit and is full of faith. She has brought more laughter into our home.
I am working hard to be more punctual! A wise man once said, "If you can't be on time, then be early."
I started doing some yoga again and am still Stampin'Up! a storm when I have time.
Lucky's health is declining slowly.
Our children are growing and we will grow old! It's so exciting.

coming soon...

Holiday Mini 2008 valid October 1st - January 18th

Avalina! She's 4 months!

Three's company...

We are so out numbered by children now and tired but it's all {almost} good. These children are beautiful, healthy and intelligent teachers and very precious to us but they didn't come with instruction manuals so we are winging it. I had absolutely no idea how much of an adventure it is to have this size family. There are so many things I love about being an only child but now as a mother to more than one I get a chance to experience a family life where there is more love, more fighting, more fun, more frustration, and more laughs between mom and dad than ever. All my wildest dreams have come true because we have to buy 8 litres of milk when we shop! If I knew myself and I was myself as someone else I would think I was crazy and then go take a nap. Remember Mr. Roper saying, "Two girls, (with super wide eyes) You live with two girls?!",] as he smiles a big wide smile. Some days Pat walks around saying "Two girls, you have two girls!" eagerly attempting his often done Mr. Roper imitation. Remember everyone assumed Jack must be tired from trying to keep up with two women. Ok now this is sounding perverted but he doesn't mean it that way at all and it doesn't come off that way.

Sixty Five !

My mom turned 65! We had Root Beer Floats at Queen's Park with Dogs and Friends and balloons. She loved it! What a great day! We are SO glad we kept it simple! Thank-you Carol for taking these photos with my camera!

Memory

I remember as a child I liked to think I had a very good memory, like a trap. I was convinced I could remember everything. Well since I have started having children it seems my memory power has drastically decreased. I think maybe my brain became so filled up there wasn't room for much else and that I had a lot of clutter in there that got in the way to let in the new information. I wasn't sure how to clean it. I tried some yoga and stretching and meditation and prayer but I am not sure how helpful that was. I am still trying those things anyway. I don't mean to brag and say my head is full of so much knowledge that there isn't room for more. On the contrary I would love to fill it with only wise things and leave all the junk out of it but with the world the way it is and the exposure to so many types of things these days we do not always control what we see and what we hear. Perhaps I can work on what is significant and meaningful and sweep out the rest. It is funny to me how a memory can swirl around to the front and I suddenly remember some person or place or time I thought escaped me before having little recollection of previously remembering it. That may not make too much sense to the rest of you. I am really terrible at remembering things and my husband always teases me about it. I forget dates, appointments, names, where I put things, to lock the doors and have disappointed myself remembering things just a bit too late too often. A giant calendar of the whole month we made for the refrigerator is helping me as is a date book. We seem to have so many appointments and there are more than just ourselves to worry about these days that frequently I can't keep it all straight. Sometimes I show up on the wrong day at the wrong time for things but most often I am late because I just cannot get a grasp on the concept of time and I am spreading myself so thin. I came across a passage in a book I am reading that I found interesting. The book is called After Dark by Haruki Murakami and was given to me by my husband for an fourth wedding anniversary.
from page 205...
"...All of a sudden out of nowhere I can bring back things I haven't thought about for years. It's pretty interesting. Memory is so crazy! It's like we've got these drawers crammed with tons of useless stuff. Meanwhile, all the really important things we just keep forgetting, one after the other."

quote

"Sometimes the bitter things in life render the sweetest tastes."
- Tracy Winger

I promised me...

...but it's all about her right now!

Summer Fun

She's growing so fast!

Avalina is almost 4 months old now!

Wow time flies when you are having fun! My daughter Avalina is smiling and cooing and so responsive to our voices now. She's also swiping and grabbing and biting. I think she is an early teether! There is drool galore and all the other signs too. How exciting! Anastasia will be turning three years old shortly and is becoming more and more of a high maintenance gal. She loves the playground and trying to push her brother's buttons. I think this two bedroom apartment is getting way too small for our growing family! Those children really need an outside to play in and their own rooms. Every time I get busy with baby they are fighting like cats and dogs. Marvin's hair is getting really long because he refuses to get a haircut and I choose my battles. It looks kind of cute actually and I am sure it drives certain mothers crazy . He signed up for the summer reading program and started helping his dad at work on Fridays. It's a great experience for him. My mom turned 65 and wants to retire. Pat's dad just turned 69 and moved in with Uncle Rudy.

Scrapbookers Garage Sale

Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou

25 LIVE CONCERT

I just came home from a phenomenal concert at GM place! George Michael was amazing and so was the stage! I just loved it and had a great time with my friend Dunja! Even though we were both exhausted from running our homes and raising our children today we had a great time dancing, singing, and yelling. O.K. maybe I was doing the most yelling but that should not surprise you.

Still no photos of me...

I have been trying to get others to take photos of me so I will have some but I have not been too successful. Those children are just so cute so I keep taking photos of them. We celebrated my mom's 65th birthday on the weekend at Queen's Park with Root Beer Floats. That part was so easy! We just got a huge bucket of ice cream at Costco along with cups, straws and the A&W Rootbeer. We had some of her friends, neighbors, clients come by with their dogs close to the off lease area. It wasn't huge but it was really nice and my mom definitely had a good time. I didn't realize how many dogs that I knew so well but didn't really know their 'people' if that makes sense. Most of the dogs had hung out with each other at her house. We brought a tablecloth, balloons, an ice cream scoop a few signs and were so glad we kept it simple! I can't believe she's 65! I hope she really retires! That way I will get to spend more time with her.

Where's me?

Wow it's hard to find photos with me in them. Here's some photos of Marvin playing baseball, Anastasia at the playground, my niece Jessica with Avalina just before I backed into the van at church, and all the children when they met for the first time almost three months ago. I guess I need to give someone else the camera for a change. Last night I attended a class at the church given by Doreen Kennedy. She is a super neat lady, good speaker, interesting and a retired English Literature teacher. Her class was on writing fascinating personal stories. She gave us a variety of exercises and it was really fun. I am not sure I could write a fascinating story of my experience but it got me to thinking and reminded me that I may not be the only one reading my journal especially when I am dead. I have not been keeping my journal up to date recently. It is so much easier and faster to do this and I can include photos for myself and others to see along with the text. However it is not as private so I am less likely to share all my feelings and inner most thoughts. I don't want to say that my father in law is causing trouble or how my mother and I are getting on each others nerves sometimes. I am hesitant to share details of Anastasia and Marvin fighting although not as bad as Cain and Abel or Laman and Lemuel. I don't want the whole world to know I just can't keep up with my laundry. I have no problem washing it just folding and putting it away. As if the whole world really cares or pays attention to me anyway. Right now the baby is asleep in the stroller and Marvin is at baseball while Anastasia is at Lola's playing with her cousins Fayth and Yasmin. Patrick is working with Josip so I feel like I am all alone for just a few minutes. I really miss being alone and spending time with myself. Being an only child I do enjoy doing things with just me and not having anyone else around. I don't ever feel lonely just alone. Right now the only times I get are usually in the car or at the grocery store just before midnight. I guess I had my chance to be in my room reading or listen to music or napping as long as i liked with no interuptions or company. I guess I won't be doing anymore trips to Vancouver Island or even the library with just me and my own thoughts. I guess I don't really mind that if i want to be alone it has to be in the bathroom with the door locked. One day when my husband is dead I will be alone again because in my mind I am planning to outlive him even though he is healthier than me I think. I always imagine myself living longer than him, not in a morbid way but just because. I see my grandmother who is 97 now and see how she spends so much of her time content, staring out the window, listening to the radio, wishing she could do more but feeling too tired and old. I know she is pleased when she receives a phone call or a visit. I know she feels useful and isn't tired or bored much. I had better think about getting over there to keep her company, turn her world upside down with noise and children, wear her out, see how she is doing and if we can do anything for her. One day she won't be there anymore and then I will miss her even when she's cranky.

Mather's Cousins Lunch

Today was the potluck picnic at Eda's house on 'the mountain' Sumas to be exact. Unfortunately the weather wasn't ideal so it wasn't as large as usual and it seemed weird to be in the house. Anastasia fell asleep in the car just before we arrived so she slept for most of it. Marvin was in his glory exercising his corpus callosum and running outside with his cousins, climbing on gravel piles and chopped up trees, picking up chains, jumping on the trampoline, digging up leeks, and eating way too many cookies and then freezies. Marvin just loves hanging out with Eda's sons and their sons. Avalina was passed around and introduced. Too bad my mom couldn't make it this year, there wasn't anyone for me to ask people's names if I couldn't remember and my memory isn't too good. It was such a delight to see so many relatives I had not seen for so long, most of them I had not seen since last June. The food was plentiful, varied and great as usual. We brought the Sex in the Pan and it was gobbled down pretty quickly. By the time we arrived everyone was ready for desert! I really missed being outside and wandering and exploring her yard but I got to do a lot more visiting with people being inside this time. Usually it's very sunny and hot. We hung around until dinner time because we wanted to see Steven and he was on his way home from Scotland arriving with coffee in hand and jet lagged around dinnertime. Eda told us how she used to milk the cows two times a day. They had 18 of them and it was her job to milk 7 with her father doing the remaining 11. She said cows are smelly especially when you have your face right next to them and after a while your arms get sore. They didn't have a refrigerator in those days either. They grew a lot of their own food and nobody had any money at that time. After we noticed that mostly everyone had left or was leaving, we got back in the car for the long drive home, filled up the gas tank at the super deal of $1.29 per litre, and got those children of ours into the bath, pajamas and bed as soon as we could. It was like a mini family reunion and so much fun. Those Mathers are a pretty nice bunch!

hit from behind again

Oh no! My husband was rear ended again for the second time in just over a year on his return commute. Fortunately his car wasn't damaged much but his body is another story. He'll be back to the doctors, massages, physiotherapy, chiropractor and we are getting out the ice pack and heating pad more than before. He has no choice but to work through and with the pain.

if it isn't one thing it's another isn't it?

Well we are having a rough time of it lately. I somehow hurt my back and can barely move! The pain is excrutiating. I visited Dr. Deni Cortese, my Italian Chiropractor this morning and that helped some. He advised me to ice it 5 times a day. Wish me luck with that. Anastasia and Avalina and myself have ubersore throats and fevers developing into a cough and congestion AGAIN!
She's only 8 weeks old for goodness sakes. Marvin is on a strict improved handwashing program inflicted upon him by his father. Here's a photograph of my beautiful sister in law Yhong who came here from the Phillipines in December. Her hair is blowing in the wind at the baseball field. Also dad came home yesterday and he is looking well. He didn't go home but he's planning to roam the streets of New Westminster with his Ipod and broccoli until the weather turns cool again when he will again cross the Pacific.