Mad skillz

This year's Talent Show.... Maeve, her usual shy self took to the stage!




Oh how I love this confident, wonderful, amazing child! Besides my woohooing the whole school LOVED her act!

Where have we been?

As per, Casa Mussellam is being throw curve balls left right and centre! The most recent was the fantastic Ark sized flooding Mother's Day weekend. My work/Madigan's kindercare was flooded. It was flooded with not just rainwater. Yuck. Everything that was touched by this liquid has been packed up to be taken away and sanitized or tossed. We are operating out of school care/kindercare out of #1 Kingsway, our Community Centre where I used to head up the Infant room. Preschool has been cancelled temporarily, I do not know when we will be back in our building. Life is tough, life is challenging but man does time fly when you operate in crisis mode! Michael is settling in at his job. Of course he is working ridiculous hours, we only ever switch up the jobs right at crunch time! I'm beginning to think we are gluttons for punishment! Before this terrible flood occurred, I had booked a week off for a little RnR! Talk about cosmic timing! I took the girls over to my Moms and got to visit with all the cousins, catch a movie, drink some beers and really had a great time with some pretty great people I get to call family! I swear there were more children but I only caught one picture of this adorable happy little guy we call Conrad, or "Coo-ad" as his equally adorable sister calls him!

Over the last little while I had noticed that Maeve was squinting and not able to read signs that I think she should have soo off to the eye Dr and little Miss Maeve is now even more adorable! She picked these frames out herself! She says, "Everything is much sharper now, not as blurry." Glad we figured this out now before it affected her with headaches or not being able to read what was written on the board at school.


Madigan continues to be the most adorable, animal loving girl. She reads really well, can do anything she puts her mind to and has a wicked sense of humour! She is just like her Mother!



Thanks to these lovelies, I had a very wonderful manicure/pedicure while Daddy took them to the pool! What a great weekend!

Mother's Day

I am truly blessed. Thank you Michael, thank you my wonderful, beautiful and very very kind children. I absolutely adore you.

Bonjour

Bonjour mes amies, comment ca va? Nous sommes tres bien. Le semaine, Michel se rend à Montréal! Quell bon adventure!

Holy crap, if we are going to move to Montreal, my french needs alot of work! I sat here for ages trying to conjugate "To be" en francais,

nouse sommes
vous etes
il sont
elle sont
then something something something!

First things first...staying at the Hilton Garden Inn



Second... eat Montreal smoked Meat sandwich!




Something tells me Michael will come home with a stomach ache! Wait til he gets at the poutine!

xo
v

April 1

These may not be in chronological order but here is how April fools 2011 played out at our place!

Breaking News.....

Beep....beep....beep... this important broadcast has been brought to you by the letter T....






Tears have all dried, crying has stopped... our baby girl is missing one very tiny first tooth!

Look who it is!

Hello faithful followers!

We are all alive and in good health! Saddened greatly by the events unfolding in Japan but very very thankful we and our loved ones are safe and sound.

We are still looking for work, Michael is busy doing test shots for a few companies. Life with half cash flow is frightening but a little belt tightening hasn't ever hurt anyone really has it? !

I'm very sure that life is about to take a few new twists and turns, just wanted to let you all know that we are here, all doing well and ready to deal with the hand life gives us!

Post much?

Hello Peeps!

We are all happy and healthy over here at Casa Mussellam! Maeve is doing really well in grade 2 and Madigan is busy blowing our minds in kindergarten! Last year Maeve had some struggles with math, this year her teacher is making math fun! No more math induced tears!

Madigan is a reading little bookworm. Michael and I honestly anticipated a much tougher time with home reading than with Maeve. Turns out it "Looks" like she isn't listening to a word we are saying but some of it is sticking! There are a few other children in her kindergarten class that are reading too but everyone is still on the same level of books.

Working at MPCCA is really really rewarding. My boss is great! The hours can't be beat AND I get the summers/school holidays off! How excite is that? We are already planning our summer camping at Miracle beach... hopefully little Miss M and her new sister Little Miss Q can join us!

My brother and his wife are just putting the finishing touches on their beautiful new home which is conveniently located on my mom & Robin's property! I predict a summer full of cousin fun!

I guess I'm really really REALLY looking forward to this summer! Can you blame me?

Christmas Eve

Ho ho Ho and Merry Christmas to you all!




Clan Mussellam wishes you and yours the very best!

Mussellams are alive and well. Blogging has fallen far far by the wayside! Sorry!


Bamboo getting 'put' in the Christmas spirit. Doesn't look like he likes it but he does! Madigan and Bamboo have a 'unique' relationship! She torments him and he keeps going back for more and eats it up with a spoon. Meh.. they are on their own those two!



On our very first snow of they year, little ms beautiful inspecting an icicle!




The whole fam damily in all our glory. Not sure why Michael looks surprised, he is the one who set the timer on the cam.. go figure! For those of you that know me well, yes I am trying to cover up my double chins with my shoulder.. shut up I saw it on America's next top model! the girls look great though!

Bamboozer

Bamboo, our 3 year old black cat he:

enjoys scratching (our furniture)

enjoys eating a very expensive non filler non wheat cat food

enjoys using a litterbox but not cleaning one

LOVES Madigan.. that kid packs the poor cat everywhere and has the facial scratches to prove it! He tries to warn her politely but she earns every last scratch!

loves cuddling with Maeve.. Maeve has yet to receive a scratch.. I call it the reap what you sow effect!

LOVES attacking Michael's feet while we are playing Guitar Hero.. I found it totally hilarious until he did it to me.. not as funny I assure you!

Loves wrestling with Michael.. we now own part shares in Polysporin!


Michael also seems to enjoy having another man around the house (Bamboo) sometimes I see them cuddling (crying) together when all the estrogen is a little to much for them...

Disneyland!

Ok friends! It has been AGES since we went to Disney and fortunately (NOT) Michael and I seem to have some extra time on our hands. Stupid Disney... anyhoo, We redirected one of Michael's last Disney paycheques right back to the corporation Sept 29-Oct 2. Here are some pictures!


After much arguing on where we should watch the show, here we are watching the fireworks show in the Disneypark. Almost the best seats in the house!

AFter more than 15minutes of hostile negotiations, I finally managed to get Maeve on the very "scary" its a small world ride. After going once, realizing what a non scary ride it was, we continued to ride it in excess of 2XDay! The song is just now slowly coming out of my head!

We says, "Teacups". Maeve says, "Boring". Just kidding, Maeve loves this ride but it was SOooOOOo hot! Michael and I got mad props from the Teacup operator because we spun that MoFo like no body's biznazz

Mr Gorgeous and his two little gorgey creatures! Michael has lost alot of weight and he looks great! Another very sunny (HOT) day at Disneyland. Did I mention the temperature was 113 degrees... thats 44 people..we start moaning at 30degrees!

Whole family getting ready to go in the park. It is before 9am and already smoking hot. Thank god I only packed summer clothes!

Well its been wiggly,



its been growing straight out a la Nanny McPhee



Now...


it's.......





GONE!! Way to go Maevey Baby! You lost your front tooth for back to school, just as you scheduled it!

Where have we been?

Hi faithful readers! Where have we been you ask? We have been busy as usual! Maeve is in Summer Daycamp, Madigan is at 3 Corners Child Care, I'm still working and Michael is working a banana's schedule! Because we were soooo busy, we took a week holiday and have been everywhere...man!

First we went camping at Lac Le Jeune, about a half hour north of Merritt BC. We had a really nice campground the stars were AMAZING! It never really gets dark enough in the city to really appreciate how gorgeous the night sky is. In the middle of our first night camping Maeve had to get up in the middle of the night to go pee! Flashlights in hand we made our way to the toilets when Maeve looked up and said, "WOW look at all the stars"! Michael heard her in the tent and chuckled. Our city kids sure don't get to see it enough!



Michael took the girls on a hike around the lake, I read a really great book "Water for Elephants". google it i'm too lazy. We got to eat our favourite camping treat, junk cereal. We had some good meals, some fffffreeezing nights unfortunately for everyone, camping 5 days wasn't for me so i bribed them into leaving early! We took the girls to see despicable me... ps awesome movie! You might be wondering why we didn't go swimming... that is because the lakefront was teeming with Canadian Geese and their disgusting poop all over the place. No offense to Canadian Geese lovers but my god the beach was gross. There was no WAY I was going in that water so I packed up the fam and drove into Merritt to swim in their public pool! Don't judge me, it was 30+ degrees!


When we got back from camping we had a couple hang out at home kinda days then Michael's work took us to playland! The girls had a BLAST! They rode on all the rides they were tall enough for, we met up with Mel, Carter and Monkey. Had a nice BBQ llunch a couple of cold drinks and then packed it in for the day. The next day found us on the BC Ferries headed to my Mom's for the Birthday BBQ Bonanza! Poor Saige wasn't feeling well but we couldn't come all the way over and not visit her! When we got there Linds had just taken her to the dr. Poor fevery little thing. We got to see Bro and LInds' temp home while their new home is being built.. right beside my Mom's... next summer is going to be AWESOME! Had a good visit, got to see Jac Rob and have a visit with them, Mike Danica and Winter came over later and we got to see all her cool new tricks, jumping and all sorts of cuteness.. Danica looks great and all pregnanty and stuff! Jason and Barb came over and we got to have a visit with them too. Unfortunately Big Robin scared the crap out of us, went to the hospital sunday am around 2 thinking he was having a heart attack. Thank goodness, it was just his gall bladder. Emergency surgery a few hours later and he was back at work within 2 days. Crazy week right? Well we still aren't even at Sunday! Soooo sunday we leave my Mom's, take the ferry back to the island to celebrate with my beautiful family 12... yes bitches 12 years of marriage! July 25, 1998 was the hottest day ever but that isn't why I remember it so well. I married Michael and we started out on the path that would bring us this family that we have been lucky enough to make!

Maeve had her Talent Show at school. It was a surprise for me to hear what song she was to sing. I wont wreck the surprise for you but you'll never believe this unless you see if for yourself so here is my beautiful, shy, quiet but so fricking confident daughter Maeve! Listen closely for the end where my child BELTS it out!



Thats my girl! She comes from a long line of strong women! Hear us roar! Speaking of roaring, this saturday was my Mom's birthday but we aren't making a big deal about it as she is slowly approaching 50 or so! We'll be celebrating her bday and all the July birthdays with a big bbq at her place when we actually have a summer!



Michael took the girls to Auntie Sara's water wonderland for father's day with Papa George!





I have the best life! Even when it is tough and I feel I'm overworked and underpaid, I have the love and support of such a fantastic family! Michael, I complain about you alot but you really are the best thing that has ever happened to me!



xo
v

Wednesday

As usual a whirlwind flurry of activity at chez Mussellam! I'm busy, Michael is busy and the girls are too! Maeve joined an after school art club that she seems to love! Madigan is waiting for a kids hip hop class to join and I'm working my tail off! Well. last checked it is still here but you know what I mean!

This week was Maeve's school's Spring Fling. A really great fund raising event and planned months in advance. I say this because I knew it was coming, I should have done it sooner but I was up until 11:30 making this:



cake mix (yes mix) 1.99
canned frosting 1.99
fonant/fondant roller/fondant cutter
food colouring gel/star cookie cutter 66.00
hours of last minute cake making/
throwing together..........................priceless!

Who cares how much the crap cost when your daughter goes to school with a home made cake, proud as punch!

Bad picture but trust me, many a man hour went into it!

MOnday...er... tuesday!

Hi gang,

I guess we are blogging again! Today has been THE WORST! What a crappy day! Thank goodness the girls are so well behaved because I have had a tough tough day at work and Michael will be staying late at his. :( Yesterday we took the kids fishing at Cultus Lake. Uncle Kenny and Kara met us there too! We had a pretty fun afternoon, had an early dinner and then made it home!

Here are the girls, not necessarily from this weekend but hey, beggars can't be choosers!



****
Here we have Maeve and Madigan involved in some sort of 'slave' labour! Imagine having to unpack and stack 30+ toilet paper rolls... oh the humanity!



**** we also may or maynot have permission to place Melanie Snagg's picture on our blog.. hehe maybe she doesn't read this!

Sports Day

A well deserved long weekend is finally here! We had planned on going camping but at the last minute, decided against it! Good call because it is now pouring rain!



Here is our lovely Miss Madigan enjoying our lush tropical balcony forest!


Maeve had sports day on friday! I snuck out from work to grab a few shots and cheer my girl "Stephanie" on! Maeve's teachers were, "Captain Underpants and The Masked Shamed Canuck Fan" boys will be boys!

Team "Super Duper Kids"

It is sports day at Maeve's school tomorrow. Having been to the costume store and viewing all the girls halloween costumes (read totally slutty), we have opted for a more age appropriate costume! Maeve will be going as 'Stephanie' from lazytown

You'll note that the real Stephanie wears a wig but Maeve's Mommy is cheap and handy with a pair of scissors so, voila:






Two blogs in two days! Beat that bitches!

xoxo
v

Just Beachy!

Hello!

Its been so long since I've blogged and I'm so sorry! It sounds like I say it all the time but we are so busy! Work is cuhrazee, the kids are fantastic and since the weather is bananas we have almost always been at the beach! So far we've hit Second Beach repeatedly, Centennial Beach, Jericho Beach and most recently Porteau Cove which is, you guessed it, a beach!

We are so lucky to live in such a fantastic City! I'm constantly amazed at all the things we get to choose to do! I also can't believe we are coming up on the end of the school year! Where has the time gone??????

We've slowed down today because of the rain, this is why I've gotten a chance to blog! Hopefully I'll manage to steal a few minutes to blog more often.. ok Mom??

xo xo love to you all!