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Friday, December 31, 2010

2010 comes to an end!

I  felt like I should do an end of the year post. a short summary of my year maybe? Maybe, that is too personal?
Health wise  2010 was not a great year for me. I have been having some health issues, (ongoing for a couple years)and had a couple of surgeries in September. I don't feel much better after the surgeries. They didn't really solve the problems we were hoping to solve. But, I see the doctor again in a couple of weeks, and I hope 2011 will be a healthier year!
I haven't really made any New Year's resolutions, as I general tend to fail at those!
Last year I did set a few reading related goals after being encouraged to do so by a few of the ladies in one of my online book groups.
I was aiming to read 50 books in 2010, which may not seem like a lot to some people, but with my family life, it seemed like a reasonable goal for me.  I surpassed that goal, and read 80 books!!
 I used to read the same few authors all the time, and generally books belonging to the mystery and suspense genre, so I also challenged myself to read at least 10 new authors. I am happy to say I also surpassed that goal by reading 51 " new to me" authors!   By reading 51 new authors, I also branched out into other genres!  ( It also means I have more authors to stick to....lol!)
I would like to share with you  my top ten reads of 2010.  ( The first 2 on the list are the top 2, the rest are in no particular order)
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Hidden Wives by  Claire Avery
The Insider  by Reese Hirsch
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen  (I never would have read this before. But after A LOT of recommendations by members of my  online book groups, and finally a dare, I read it, and LOVED it)
The Storm Front trilogy by Sharon Sala ( Blown Away, Torn Apart, Swept Aside)
Still Missing  by Chevy Stevens
Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
Mister X by John Lutz ( I had no idea it was book 5 in a series. It read so well as a stand alone. So many twists and turns, and keeps you guessing "whodunit". I now MUST find the first 4 in the series!)
Interestingly enough, every book that made this list was written by an author I had never read until 2010!
I have set some reading goals for 2011 as well, but I won't be sharing them right now, as I want to hit publish post before midnight!!  I also  have a few personal goals that I would like to achieve, but I am not calling them resolutions, because I feel that if I call them resolutions I am destined to fail, as that is generally how it works for me...lol!
Finally,



Myspace New_Year Graphics - More New_Year Images



Thursday, December 30, 2010

Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge !!

Once again I will be participating in the Mystery and Suspense reading challenge hosted by  Book Chick City!  
Here are the basics :

  • Timeline: 01 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2011
  • To read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2011 (12 is the minimum but you can read more if you wish!)
  • You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go, so I will be adding them as I read them!

Want more info? Want to sign up?  Click here!   or click on the Mystery and Suspense Challenge button in my left sidebar.

I Want More Book Challenge 2011


This challenge is being hosted by Marce at Tea Time with Marce

Have you read a book and at the end said you must read another by this author but haven't? Then this Challenge is for you, what are you waiting for. :-) There are so many amazing authors but sometimes we get caught up in reading all the new, that we forget about the authors that have already impressed, excited us, gave us what all readers want, a great read, that wow moment, so this Challenge is to show all the authors that have pleased us already how thankful we are by reading more of their literary works.
Details:
* Challenge Dates: January 1, 2011 - December 31, 2011
* All Genres are Welcome
* This challenge does NOT include series, only stand alone
* All forms of books will count - eBooks, Audiobooks, etc
* You do not have to list the chosen books ahead of time and your choices can crossover into other challenges you have joined.
* Monthly Giveaways - More details to follow soon
Levels of Participation
Waited too long: 2 - 4 books
Give me more: 5 - 8 books
Never too much: 9 - 12 books
***you can increase your participation level at any time but, you cannot decrease once signed up.
Sign up here!!

I will be participating at the Waited Too Long level!   

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

OMG MUMMMMY JUSTIN BIEBER SAID HE LIKES MY JEANS!!!!!

As you may know from my about me section, I live in southern Ontario. More accurately, Waterloo Region. We are fairly close to Stratford, Ontario, where Justin Bieber was born and raised. I would guess less than a half hour drive. Apparently, our shopping centre is one of the best in the region.
This afternoon my 12 year old daughter was really excited and  told me that she heard Justin Bieber would be shopping at our mall today, and asked if she could go. I didn't think he would actually be there, but I allowed her to go, just in case he was. I didn't want to take the opportunity to meet him away from her. Of course, I thought the odds of her actually seeing him at the mall were really really slim.
Well, she did in fact get to meet him. She thought she saw one of his friends whom she recognized  from a youtube video or something, in West 49, and there were people standing in front of the store facing out, like security!  She got excited, as did a bunch of other girls that heard my daughter yell " OH MY GOD!!!JUSTIN BIEBER IS IN WEST 49!!" All of the sudden the guys that were standing there tell her she can't go in there, and block the entrances with little posts with ropes ( you know, like at the bank, or movie theater).  My daughter stood there, right at the front as they put those up in front of her.
A few minutes later Justin came up to where the crowd of girls was forming and told my daughter that he liked her jeans. She didn't really respond, as she was starstruck I guess. So then he said, " hey, I like your jeans!", and she thinks she said thank you....lol!  Anyway, then he took her hand and asked her if she wanted him to sign it to which of course she replied yes!!

It's a little blurry, but my camera is broken, so in order to get the picture onto the computer she took a picture of it with the webcam!
Needless to say, excited and happy are understatements for her mood when she got home!  And I am glad I let her go, and am not one of the moms that said no because it would be a waste of time blah blah blah! I know a few 12 year old girls that are quite upset with their mom today! It took awhile for my daughter to find a friend to go with, as moms were saying no because it was a waste of time (like staying home on the computer wasn't...lol), and he wouldn't be there.  today, Rich and I  are cool parents!!



Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Celebrate the Author 2011

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Becky over at  Becky's Book Reviews has hosted this challenge in the past. She has decided not to host this one in 2011, and has passed it on to me!!  (Thanks Becky!)
Here are the details
For this challenge participants “celebrate” author birthdays.  The challenge is designed to ‘celebrate’ the special bond–the connection–that occurs between the author AND the reader as well as the connection between readers. It is very easy to “bond” with other readers over certain works, certain authors, etc 
Challenge runs from January 1 st 2011 until December 31st 2011
Choose one author for each month of the year. 
Read at least one book a month. 12 authors. 12 birthdays. If you like, you can read MORE than that. Read the books in any order you wish.  As long as you've got one book representing an author birthday from each month of the year by the end, then you're good.
You can choose picture books, poetry books, early readers, chapter books, fiction for middle grades, fiction for teens, adult reads, nonfiction, whatever you want. If it is a book, it counts!
 To find out author birthdays, visit these helpful sites: 

Author birthdays by date (pdf),author birthdays by name (pdf)kidsreads.comteenreads.comauthor birthday directory, etc. or conduct google searches of your own. (Hint: typing the authors name, a “+” and the word ‘birthday’, tends to work if you assume that wikipedia gets such things right.)


No lists are necessary. You can make a list if you like. But you don't  have to  make a list and stick to it.
Sign up by leaving a comment (include your link if you wish)!

If you'd like other participants to keep track of your progress, then I'd suggest having one post on your blog where you keep an as-you-go list. (If you don't have a blog, then don't worry about it! You're still welcome to join in on the fun.) 

Monday, December 13, 2010

One gift out of the way!!! (Almost!)

So, I think I have decided that I will be doing my Christmas shopping from the comfort of my home!

csnstores.com does have just about everything!  While browsing their luggage department, I found the perfect gift for my sister.  A briefcase!!




I really think this will make a great gift for her. She just went back to school this year, and could use this to carry her laptop, as well as anything else she would normally carry in her handbag!   
This particular item is less than $25 (US), offers free shipping, and guaranteed to arrive before December 24th!   
Of course, I will pay a small fee for shipping, and international fees since I am in Canada, but it is well worth it to me! For just about $40 my sister will get this great gift, delivered right to her door in time for Christmas,  and I don't have to leave my house!!
I haven't placed my order yet! I would love it if you would check out the selection, and come back and leave a suggestion in the comments area!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Christmas Shopping???

It is nearly the middle of December, and I have not yet started my Christmas shopping!!!  I dread the thought of heading out to the malls. I am totally kicking myself right now for not having started (and finishing) my shopping yet. I am not the kind of person that loves to go out shopping, which is one of the reasons  I have put it off. The problem with that is now I will have to brave the crowds.
Christmas shopping  is usually a stressful event for me. I don't really have all that many people to buy for, but I do have a few hard to buy for people on my list! I tend to have a hard time figuring out what to buy for my sister, my brother in law, and my mother.  I go out hoping that I will see something that I know would make a great gift for them, and before I have figured out what to buy them, I have a cart full of things I just HAVE to get my kids, and I am back where I started!
I am thinking maybe it doesn't have to be so stressful. Maybe a lot of  my shopping can be done from the comfort of my home this year!  I don't usually do much shopping online, but this year, I think I might!

Unless, maybe one of you wants to do it for me.....

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Thriller and Suspense Challenge 2010




Timeline: 01 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2010
Rules: To read TWELVE (12) thrillers in 2010



I signed up for this challenge earlier this year, before I started my blog. Since I did not have a blog, I did not do a post! I have been keeping track of  all of the challenges that I signed up for in a discussion thread on goodreads.com .   I was surprised at how many books I have read this year that fit into this challenge. ( here is a great list of all sub genres included for this challenge.) I have exceed the requirements for this challenge!! YAY me!



Here are the books I have read that fit into this challenge from January 1st 2010
  1. Dead Irish  by John Lescroart
  2. The Vig by John Lescroart
  3. The Return by Sharon Sala
  4. Numbers by Rachel Ward
  5. Never Tell by Karen Young
  6. The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano
  7. 7th Heaven by James Patterson
  8. 8th Confession  by James Patterson
  9. 9th Judgment by James Patterson
  10. The Postcard Killers by James Patterson
  11. You've Been Warned by James Patterson
  12. Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown
  13. Smash Cut by Sandra Brown
  14. Tough Customer by Sandra Brown
  15. The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard
  16. I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
  17. The Insider by Reece Hirsch
  18. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
  19. Mister X by John Lutz
  20. Blown Away by Sharon Sala
  21. Torn Apart by Sharon Sala
  22. Swept Aside by Sharon Sala
  23. Bloodlines by Dinah McCall (penname for Sharon Sala)
  24. Bundle of Trouble by Diana Orgain
  25. Motherhood is Murder by Diana Orgain
  26. Sizzle by Julie Garwood
  27. Drop Dead Gorgeous by Linda Howard
  28. The Calling  by Inger Ash Wolfe
  29. Ricochet by Sandra Brown
and I am not sure if I should count this one or not......Safe Haven  by Nicholas Sparks.  I have seen other readers refer to it as a cozy mystery. To me it was a Nicholas Sparks type of romance with elements of suspense thrown in......so maybe I will  count it!    Yeah....I am going to count it so I end with an even 30!!!


Thursday, November 18, 2010

Preemie Awareness Month

I was reading through a couple of blogs tonight and I realized that November is Prematurity Awareness Month. I had no idea. I thought I should have known, since my son was a preemie!
My son was born at just over 34 weeks gestation. It was a complicated pregnancy.  I lost his twin at approximately 18 weeks. I nearly lost my son as well. Thankfully, I did not. ( you can read more here) Looking at him today, you would never guess he was only 5 lbs. He is now 25 months and approximately 38 lbs. He wears a size 3x or 4, and has size 11 feet!! 
After searching online, I realized that November is Prematurity Awareness Month, with Wed. Nov. 17th being Preemie Awareness Day, in the US.  I am not American, but after reading some posts by other moms, (through the tears in my eyes), I wanted to devote a post to help raise awareness.
I read a post written by Cee over at Smookie Style , in which she included a poem that she read in a post written by Melissa at Home Grown Families.  
I would like to share this poem.

Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen?

Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation.
As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.

"Beth Armstrong, son. Patron Saint, Matthew. Marjorie Forrest, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia. Carrie Rutledge, twins. Patron Saint ... give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."

Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a preemie."

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter?

That would be cruel." "But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it.

I watched her today.

She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother.

You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own.

She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."

"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."

God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect.

She has just the right amount of selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive.

Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect.

She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied.

She will never take for granted a spoken word.

She will never consider a step ordinary.

When her child says 'mama' for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it.

I will permit her to see clearly the things I see – ignorance, cruelty, prejudice – and allow her to rise above them.

She will never be alone.

I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."

"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air.

God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."
-excerpt by Erma Bombeck


(I know, I know! Purple text doesn't match this blog! I chose to type that in purple since that is the colour of the ribbon that is used to raise awareness)

Did you know......... 
1 in 8 babies is born prematurely.
Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death worldwide. 
Even babies born just a few weeks too soon can face serious health challenges and are at risk of lifelong disabilities.


For more information you can check out  The March of Dimes  website.  (note it is not the Canadian site, which can be found here)


Sunday, November 7, 2010

I' m back!

I'm back!  Did you even notice I was gone?? Anyone?
So as you may or may not have noticed, I haven't posted in over a week. Things have been a bit hectic around here.
Last weekend was Halloween, so I was busy with the kids!  I had to rush around to find a costume for my son at the last minute. Ok, it wasn't the last minute, it was the day before! You see, I was making his costume this year. That didn't go so well!! So, I had to go buy a costume the night before.  Luckily, I found one that was a size bigger so that I could fit his snowsuit underneath! He went as " The Hunchback of Notre Dame". I must say, he was the cutest hunchback I had ever seen!  He enjoyed himself. I on the other hand froze!!
Last week was a rough week for me.  I was not feeling well. I had a bit of a cold, and I have been having some pain from surgery (still!!).  The first week of November is always a rough week for me. I won't go into too much detail, but I will say that it is the anniversary  of  the day I lost my first child, Alexis Erynn at 21 weeks gestation . The first week of November (2008) I was supposed to be induced to have my twins, if they hadn't arrived yet.  That never happened.. I lost my son's  twin.  So, I generally have a crappy few days every year at that time.
I spent last week trying to keep myself busy.  I  went for short walks, (still recuperating from surgery, so my long walks have been postponed), visited the library a few times, went to visit a couple of friends, did some reading, and of course some crying. In addition to this, and the other every day stuff, my son has been  quite " moody" . Sometimes, I wonder if Rich or my daughter have been sneaking him Halloween treats.  He has been extra energetic, and requiring less sleep!

Anyway, I am back! I have some catching up to do. I have a few things I want to post about, but just haven't had the time to post yet! I haven't even had the time to type them up so that I can schedule them!


Thursday, October 28, 2010

I won!

A couple of months ago, I won a contest for a gift code for csnstores.com. They have over 200 stores! How exciting!! I was thrilled.
It took me a LONG time to figure out what to use it for. There are just so many options! I could apply it towards the purchase of a new dining room table.  My dining area is pretty small. I saw this one, which I really like.

It would be perfect for us! I could fold the leaves down when it is not in use, so it doesn't take up too much space.

Or I could get myself a couple of these cute bookshelves

Or I could get something for one of the kids? The possibilities are (almost) endless!
I will let you know what I decided in a future post!!
In the meantime, check out the selection, and come back and leave a suggestion in the comment section! What would you choose?


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Still Alice



Synopsis from goodreads.com


Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At fifty years old, she's a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When She becomes increasingly disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life - and her relationship with her family and world - forever.
What did I think?
This is the story of 50 year old neuroscience professor, Alice Howland, that is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's Disease.
The book  is written from Alice's perspective which I think makes a world of difference. 
We follow Alice from her earliest symptoms to her diagnosis, and through the disease's progression. We see the changes in her behaviour, as well as the changes in her relationships with loved ones from her point of view.  
I absolutely loved Alice.  Isn't it ironic that she is a neuroscientist?
Reading this book truly was an amazing journey for me. As someone that has worked with Alzheimer's patients,  I found it VERY realistic. Alice's symptoms and behaviours reminded me of many of the men and women I worked with. 
As a busy mom of two, it is not often that I can read over 300 pages in less than 24 hours. In this case, I DID! I could not put it down!
If you know and love someone with Alzheimer's disease this is a MUST READ!



Friday, October 15, 2010

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day




 October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance   Day.(US) Many Canadian provinces also observe this day of   remembrance. Currently, though many people in Ontario observe it, it has not been officially declared as a day of remembrance. Many people are trying to make it happen.

On September 28th 2006, the United States House of Representatives declared October 15th a national day of remembrance.  It was the result of efforts by a group of miscarriage awareness activists. It was lead by Robyn Bear, who suffered six miscarriages in a span of two years.

On her website, Bear suggests that grieving parents light a candle at 7 pm (in their time zone) to create a wave of light around the world in memory of babies lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS etc. 

Please join me in lighting a candle at 7pm.  I will be remembering all those babies that were lost, including 3 of my own. I will light a candle for each of my angel babies that I lost on Nov. 4th 1993, Oct. 21st 2006, May 2008 - the twin of my 2 yr old son.




Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Tuesday PR Friendly Blog Hop - Meet new Review Bloggers

Living Out Loud




Welcome to the New Blog Hop hosted by Living Out Loud !
Add PR Friendly Giveaway and Review Blogs.

Brugo Mugs asked Living Out loud to pass along an opportunity
to review Brugo Mugs and possibly host an international giveaway for them.

If Chosen, you will get a Brugo Mug!



Interested bloggers:
1. Join this hop
2. blog about the hop, include the button
3. send email to livingoutloud3@gmail.com
subject line : SEND BRUGO CONTACT INFO
4. Living Out Lout will reply with Brugo contact info

Note~ Your blog will also be shown for one year on Living Out Loud's PR Friendly Page!

Let's Hop!

If you are interested go on over to Living Out Loud Blog to enter.


Top Ten Tuesday





Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish.  They  love to share their  lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!  So, every week, a topic is posted. Bloggers create their Top Ten List based on the topic.   This week's topic :  Top Ten Books I'll NEVER read

Ok let me just say that I have attempted a few of these, so they definitely earned their spot on this list! All of them are books that were recommended to me.  I just didn't like them.  I know there are many readers out there that would disagree with me, which is fine. This is my just my opinion.  

1. Lethal Marriage : The Unspeakable Crimes of Paul Bernardo and Karla Holmolka (or anything else on the subject).  I tried to read it, but had to put it down, and my roommate took it away because I screamed all night, having nightmares, for days, after reading only a few pages. This one hits way too close to home.  I grew up close to where Kristen French was abducted from. One of my best friends had known her as a child.  My stepfather's cousin lived across the street from Paul Bernardo, and Karla Homolka.  His cousin's daughter used to walk/watch their dog for them if they were out. She had been in that house alone, while Kristen was hidden in the basement. To this day she still feels guilty that she had no idea, she was there. If she had, there would have been many opportunities to help her escape. She has not forgiven herself for it, and will never be the same because of it.

2.  Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyers (or anything else written by her!)  I tried to read Twilight, but it just didn't do it for me. I wanted to like it, but I didn't. I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. In my opinion, it was horrible! ( Remember, this is just my opinion, please don't yell at me...lol)

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte  - I just don't like historical fiction.

4. Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling   - just not my thing. I am not into magic, or fantasy type stuff

5. Lord of The Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien - just not my thing.

6.  Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold  - I really, really, really wanted to love this one. I didn't. The first time, (yes there was more than one!), I tried to read it, I just couldn't get into it.  I have tried about 4 times now. It just doesn't capture my interest like I had hoped it would. 

7.  Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - I just didn't like the writing style.

8. We Need to Talk about Kevin  by Lionel Shriver - I didn't like the way this was written. I think I just couldn't get into it because of the format. I didn't like that it was written as letters to her dead husband. I don't even read Rich's mail, because it isn't addressed to me, so I had a hard time reading letters written from someone to her dead husband. If it was written in a different format, I am pretty sure I would have loved it.

9. The Gift by Cecilia Ahern (or anything else by her) - I just don't like her writing. I know she is pretty young, and maybe that has something to do with it. Maybe I will try her books again in the future.  Maybe she needs to mature a bit as a writer?

10.   Jackie Collins - I attempted one of her books once. I was at the cottage and had finished my books. I was desperate for another. Rich's aunts read a lot. One of them suggested that I go upstairs and browse through the books that are up there, and I was free to borrow anything I wanted! I was so excited!! I grabbed a couple of books, cuddled up in a chair, and started to read a book, got to about page 5 and realized that wasn't the book for me. I tried another, and another, and another, before I decided to just reread one of the books I had brought with me! Turns out Rich's aunts read SMUT! Jackie Collins is one of their favourite authors.

I am pretty sure some of you have read something from my list.  Do you love something on my list?  Are there books that you would never read?  I would love to know how you feel about my list.  Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Mini challenge Winners!

First, I would like to thank everyone that participated. I wish I could send every one of you a prize, but unfortunately, I can't. I had random.org choose the two winners for me.

The first number it chose was 1.

 Erin from http://erinreads.wordpress.com/  wrote "Smissthonging: moving about in a blurry, confusing manner; often associated with exhaustion

Example: She had read for so long that the words began smissthonging around on the page."

(From the title "Something Missing" by Matthew Dicks)in comment #1.

The second number it chose was 6.

fakesteph from http://booksfornerds.blogspot.com/ put this in a blog post

Here I go...

moonorfy

Which means...

tired to the point of incoherency.


The book she used was One For the Money by Janet Evanovich.

Congrats. I will be contacting you for your mailing addresses shortly. If you happen to see this first, just email me your address!

Dewey's 24 hour Read-a-thon Mini Challenge!!

YAY!! You made it!! 
Welcome, to the last mini challenge of the readathon!! So glad you are here!  You have made it to the end of the readathon! Way to go! Congratulations! You ROCK!!  I know you must be getting tired, so I won't ramble on!

I will get right to the mini-challenge, as soon as I am done telling you that there will be a minimum of 2 prizes.  The prizes will be a small package of bookmarks. Not sure how many it will contain, but there will be at least 5 in each prize package.  Two of them (per package) will be signed by one of my favourite authors, Sandra Brown!  The winners will be chosen by random.org.  Once, I receive the winners' names, I will confirm that the entry is valid.  Please leave the name of the country in which you reside in your comment as well, as this is open to international entrants!


And now for the mini-challenge.  I want you to "Make It Up" !!!

Take the letters of the title of a book that you read during  the readathon.  Using at least HALF of them, rearrange the letters to create a  word that DOESN’T exist. Make up a definition for your new word.  Be creative and have fun!

Post the title and author of the book, along with your word and its definition, in the comments section of this post.  If you have a blog, create a post for the challenge, and leave a link!  
Don't forget to include your email address in your comment so that I can contact you for your mailing address if you are one of the winners!


Have fun, and good luck!


Friday, October 8, 2010

Time Flies!

Why is it that when I am waiting for something, it seems like time goes so slowly?? But, then at other times it seems like time flies? 
For the past couple of days, I have been thinking that time has been going way too quickly for my liking!
Two years (and a few days) ago, I was almost 35 weeks pregnant. I was testing my urine every morning, pricking my finger six times a day, and eating on a schedule. I had gestational diabetes. I was struggling to walk. Not because I had gained weight, and had a big round belly. I was barely showing! I waddled, and struggled to do so. It hurt so much!  I had symphysis pubis diastasis.   It was a pretty rough pregnancy. Although I loved knowing that I had a healthy baby growing inside me, I just wanted the pregnancy to be over. Of course, I didn't want it to be over until at least a few more weeks, but I wished time would pass more quickly! 
At about 6:00 Pm October 5th, I started to experience some pain. It didn't feel like labour pains. At least not how I remembered them to feel. Yet, it hurt too much to be gas. I had no idea what was wrong with me. I called the doctor. I was told that it was likely gas, constipation, or Braxton-Hicks contractions. He suggested I lay down and relax.  I was in so much pain, how was I supposed to relax? 
It was a beautiful evening so, I called a friend/neighbour and asked her to come over and have a coffee with me (decaf, of course). I figured we could sit outside, and chat, and take my mind off of it for awhile. I hoped that it would pass, (the pain! not gas!) if I wasn't focusing on it. It seemed to be working, as the pain didn't feel so bad anymore. But all of a sudden, I had a strong urge to pee. I asked my friend to help me up, as the symphysis pubis diastasis made it difficult to get up.  I told her I really needed to pee! She helped me up, and then I felt it, and burst into tears. I thought I peed my pants. I was so embarrassed. It wasn't until I got into the bathroom that I realized I had not peed my pants. It was way worse. My legs were covered in blood.
Rick was just getting home, and as he pulled into the driveway Karyn told him that I had just gone in to use the bathroom, and would be right out. Then she heard my daughter (10 yrs old at the time) scream! At that point, Karyn came in and asked what was wrong. My daughter told her that there was blood everywhere. Karyn grabbed a couple of towels and told me to wipe myself off, and ran outside and laid towels down on the seat of the car. My daughter was in hysterics and so was I! My daughter picked up the phone, and called another friend of mine (her friend's mom) and told her that something was wrong with mommy and the baby, and asked if  she could please come and sleep at her house because mommy has to go to the hospital. Within a matter of minutes, I had clean pants on, the seat of the car had been covered with towels, and arrangements had been made for my daughter, and I was on my way to the hospital. I was so scared. I thought I was losing my son. I couldn't bear the thought of losing him too. I had already lost his twin. 
I got to the hospital and was taken up to obstetrics for monitoring. I was not in labour. I wasn't really given an explanation, other than sometimes this happens. I would be monitored overnight, and so would my son. Turned out I stayed a few nights. 
On Wednesday October 8th, I had another ultrasound. I was taken back up to my room. A nurse came in to tell me that Dr. J said I am fine, so is the baby, and I am going home. I was shocked. What do you mean I am going home? I am 35 weeks pregnant and hemorrhaging! At that point I was told that Dr. J felt that I had been there long enough, they needed my bed for someone that was actually having a baby that day! 
 At this point, not only was I scared, but furious!  I FREAKED OUT! I started yelling at the nurse that if I needed to leave, then Dr. J better come to my room and explain why, as well as escort me out, and that he should probably bring security with him, as I wasn't going easily!  At this point a doctor that I had never even heard of before walked into my room and asked if there was a problem. Darn right there was! So, I told her how I felt. She introduced herself as the newest OB/GYN in the area, and asked if she could check me out. She asked me if I would feel more comfortable going home if I had an ultrasound right then to prove that the baby was okay. I told her I just had one done, and no that didn't help much. So, she said she was going to go get the report, talk to Dr. J and come right back. 
When she came back, I was crying. I explained to her that I was afraid that my baby was going to die. She told me that no one would die on her shift that day, and her shift started in less than an hour! She then informed me that I needed to call Rich and tell him that I was not going home (as Dr. J had called him behind my back to tell him to come and pick me up!), and that he needed to get there ASAP, and that there would be a nurse waiting for him at the front doors. I did as I was told, and then asked what was going on. She told me I was going to have my son. She was going to do a c section. I argued that I did not want a c section. She reminded me that no one was dying on her shift, and that my son needed out NOW.  The reason I had started bleeding was that my placenta was starting to detach from the wall of my uterus. The ultrasound I had revealed that the placenta was now nearly completely detached, and in the process of detaching, it caused a small tear in  my uterus. The placenta was leaking, and would not be useful much longer. I started to panic. She told me that if I let her do a c section NOW, we would both be okay, but that she could not guarantee that we would, if I did not sign for a c section. I started to feel real woozy. (I thought it was the stress. It wasn't. Well, maybe a little, but mainly it was the loss of blood.) Dr. J walked in and said that she was not doing a c section. It was against hospital policy to do a c section before 38 weeks, and that if she really thought I needed one that I would have to be transported to McMaster Children's Hospital (35 minutes away). She looked him in the face and said " She doesn't have 35 minutes, and neither does the baby, now get out of my way." He replied " You could lose your job!" She responded with " If I don't do this now, we could lose her, and her baby. And if that happens, you WILL lose your license!"  
 Anyway, I had a c section. My son was born within minutes of Dr. B figuring out what was going on.  When Dr. B pulled him out, he cried. So did she. She said, " Welcome to the world little man. Thanks for hanging on for us." She looked at me and said " I promised you I wouldn't let either one of you die on my shift. But, honestly, I was afraid, I may not be able to keep that promise, it came so close." 
My son was born at 2:27 PM. Although he was 5 weeks early, he was healthy, and able to breathe on his own. He only had to spend 8 days in the NICU, which was quite a bit less than the doctors expected!!  Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for my son. I am so thankful that Dr. B happened to be walking by when I freaked out. I am also thankful that she decided to go against policy and do my  c section, even though technically she wasn't even working yet.  Dr. B saved our lives that day! 
As for Dr. J,  feel free to assume that the J stands for JACKASS!


Hard to believe it has been 2 years. I still remember it like it was yesterday. Happy Birthday little guy!