Stupid Mice

I swear that the mice in my backyard are taunting me. Well, I will get them and I will kill them!!! I truly hate mice. It's funny, because I put out bread and bird seed for the birds and I love it when the squirrels come to visit, but I hate mice and want them dead. What is the difference you ask? Mice want to come into my house and contaminate it! They want to run around and make me scream, they want to poop all over the place and make me afraid to go in my basement. Birds and squirrels? They don't want in my house. They want to run or fly around my backyard and be cute. They don't want to torment me.

Those stupid mice come up on my deck and shit right in front of my door! They taunt me. My husband saw one in the backyard yesterday so we set out the traps, again. This happens every few months. You think you've killed them all but then they come right back. I guess it doesn't help that we live right beside fish creek, which is a huge provincial park. The benefits outweigh the bad, but those mice haunt my dreams. They haven't made it into the house, knock on wood, but I can't even think about that.

One time last year I thought I'd be efficient and bring the garbage bag in the house and just dump all the household garbage there instead of taking it outside. I forgot to check the bag for creatures and there was a mouse in the bag. It hopped out of the bag, I screamed bloody murder and my husband laughed at me. Let's just say that I have a very distinctive "mouse" scream. It took a bit of doing and more screaming, but my husband caught the stupid thing and got it outside.....where we put out traps and killed it.

I have six traps set outside, I checked them and I caught one mouse, incidentally, that mouse must have fought because I found the trap with it in it about 3 feet away from where it was originally. That or the trap flipped it that far. Either way, the mouse is dead and I am happy for it. I am still going to get more traps and kill any stupid mouse that dares to enter my yard!

In case you are wondering, I just use those cheap traps that kill the mice quite inhumanely, but quickly. They cost $1 for 2 traps at Walmart and I just throw the trap out with the mouse. It is money well spent.

Deal Find

I know this is a bit off topic with my "everything about Europe", but I felt I had to write about this.

I have been using Deal Find for quite a few months, if you don't know what it is, it's like Groupon, but I find I use Deal Find more than Groupon. Not that I don't like Groupon, I love it, but Deal Find seems to have the things I want right now. I have bought massages, eye glasses, mani/pedi's, you know, girly stuff.

I saw something that I thought I could use on Deal Find back in May so I bought it. It was a landscaping company that was going to aerate my lawn for only $29! Wicked deal. Or so I thought. I know that these deals can be very popular, so I bought my deal and sent the company an email and waited patiently for them to call to arrange a time. So I waited, and waited and waited...until August! Then I emailed again, and then I called. Low and behold, my email gets returned to me and my call gets answered by "this number is not currently available". That's where I drew the line, I am not going to wait forever.

I emailed Deal Find - because almost no one works by phone anymore. Within a minute, literally, they had sent an automated reply saying that they had received my email and would contact me shortly. That afternoon I had another email from them asking what the problem was. The very next day I got another email with a list of requirements in order for me to get my money back. I filled out the list and emailed it. THAT afternoon, I had the money back in my account plus 10%. That is how serious Deal Find is about making sure their deals are good and well used.

Obviously I am happy with the way this has turned out. I didn't get my lawn aerated, but at this point in the summer, who cares. I'll deal with my lawn next year. At least it grows so slowly I barely have to mow it.

As far as I'm concerned, Deal Find has outdone my expectations and I will have no problem buying from the again. Like I said, I've bought lots of things and never had a problem with anything else. I highly recommend Deal Find and encourage you to use it if you are so inclined. That's all for today - I've got to get outside and enjoy that weather!

Things I've learned from Europe

Over the course of the last 6 years and 6 trips to various places in Europe, I have learned more things than I ever thought possible.

I've learned how to slow down and relax. I used to do all those little things that "should" be done, and do them right now. Now I know they can wait. A nice day is a great excuse not to clean the house. So is painting with the kids, going to the beach, taking a bike ride and just about anything enjoyable. The house will still be there and it'll be just as dirty. But it sure can wait.

I've learned an amazing appreciation for architecture, and I can find beauty in the strangest places. I found a set of rusty stairs downtown Calgary and they made the nicest picture. Anything wrought iron, almost anything that is half destroyed. A house that was abandoned and had a tree growing through it. I've learned to just take a look around me and enjoy what I see and where I am.

I've learned that walking and riding a bike to do errands is so much more enjoyable. I came home from Europe this year with a desperate need for a bike basket. I finally found one last week and I have used it every day since. We've ridden our bikes to play soccer at the park, we took them to the store and got slurpees, and yesterday, we even took the bikes to Payless and bought shoes. That bike basket is the best purchase I have made in ages!

I've learned that ice cream is not my greatest vice - Gelato is! Same with Hungarian food. I love food, I love dessert. I may be a big girl because of it, but at least I stay away from drugs and I'm not an alcoholic. Besides, one day my weight might save me, you never know. So I'll stick with my Gelato and Hungarian food and keep off the drugs!

I've gone from a girl who hides in the shade in shorts to a woman who can bare most of it in the blazing hot sun, and love every second of. I never thought I was the type of girl to wear a bikini, and now I own and wear several of them. I've even gone topless at many beaches in Europe. They don't care, so I figured, why should I? I am never the heaviest girl on the beach, and certainly not the heaviest in a bikini. I wish Canadians could let go of some of their inhibitions and judgements and just be happy with who they are, and what they look like.

Those are just the things I can remember right now. I was watching a movie with my daughter last night and I heard a line in a movie that I wanted to boo at. The mother in the movie told her daughter that Europe is not magic and it cannot change you. Well I say she is wrong. Six years ago I was a very different person. The changes haven't all been because of Europe, but a lot of them are. And the things I learn over there carry on into my life at home. Europe is magic, and it does change you. It changes the way you look at things and way you look at yourself, but only if you let it. I'm glad I let it change me, I've never been happier than I am right now.

I love Germany

I have a lot to say about my trip to Europe, so I thought I would divide them into their own sections. I start with Germany because that is where we land and leave from on our trips.

One of the best things about Germany is the morning there, when you first get up, go out on the patio or stick your head out the window and enjoy the crisp morning. It's quiet and you just close your eyes, inhale the brisk smell of the cool air and vegetation. I have never woken up in Germany to a day that doesn't start like that.

I have to admit, I also love the food. The potato salad is to die for, all the other salads, the schnitzel is awesome, especially when they top it with mushrooms and/or mushroom sauce. They also have gelato, which is my weakness. And they aren't cheap on the scoops either.

I love the architecture, they way they put the name of the building on the building, the history, the churches. The houses are adorable and everywhere you look, the buildings are just so neat and well maintained. The places we go in Germany always have their properties so well taken care of. It doesn't hurt that they have amazing foliage everywhere and that it grows up along the buildings. I just love that look.

The first morning after we get to Germany, we are always so jet lagged that we wake up at 5am and go for a walk before breakfast. We always have a place that comes with breakfast, so we hang around long enough to eat before we travel. German breakfasts are fabulous! So the walk we take in the wee hours of the morning are amazing. Barely anyone is up, the air is cool and crisp, and we walk around the village that we've chosen to stay in. It's the first chance that we get to appreciate being there and do we ever appreciate it. I actually cried this year I was so happy to be there.

The Germans also do amazing things with water. We stay just outside Munich in Erding and they have the most amazing water park there that we just found last year. It's half inside, half outside. There is an elevator to the 4th level so that you don't have to climb all the stairs to get to the top slides with your float device. It's hilarious. You fit as many people in the elevator as you can with all these rafts and you laugh the whole way up. We go to the top and slide down the "lazy river" on the rafts and it is 6 stories high. So fun. They also have a slide that has an up ramp with jets of water that push you up. It is amazing. This year we got a free drink and snack as they were compensating for the renovations, we also got to try a frothy yogurt drink and fruit. It was a great day.

I'd love to spend more time in Germany, we did 4 days there this year, but its never enough. The German people have also been very welcoming to us and a lot of them speak a lot of English which is nice for us. We can get by without it, but it always helps when we don't have to. I love the villages, the countryside and even the airport in Munich is fun. I should know, we have spent a lot of time there over the years!

Everywhere we stay there is a huge ability to walk to everywhere you want to go. I love that. They have stores close to wherever you are, the people all walk to everything or they ride their bikes. We came back one year and I insisted that I got a bike when we got home. I've used that bike a lot since I got it. The ability to walk to what you need is such a pleasure. I wish we had that here in Calgary. It would make errands so much more enjoyable and probably quicker. It would be amazing to get up in the morning and go get fresh bread or pastries for breakfast.

A friend commented yesterday that I was super grouchy before we left and she couldn't wait to see me after I got back and had gotten my Europe fix.

I have to admit, this was the worst trip we've had. It would have been fine for the most part but my husband's Grandmother died while we were there and we didn't get to her see one last time, we missed her by just 3 hours. It put such a damper on the trip. You can't help but feel bad after something like that. She was ill and it was expected, but to lose a precious person like that still hurts. You then feel bad about doing anything fun, and we had to do errands and visit more family while we were there.

I still think back on this trip fondly and while I was certain I didn't want to go back next year, I am already recanting that and thinking of ways to make it better next time!

My Kids

My kids just told me that I am supposed to blog about them today, so I guess that's what I will do.

After my little episode with the bacterial infection, I made a comment to the doctor that I am a pro at internal exams. I know, gross. But it's true. After having issues with cervical pre cancer for years, I have had many. The doctor scoffed at this and said that I must have something else that I was good at. She took this comment as me being upset about not being good at anything, which was not what I was implying at all, but whatever. I then told her that I was an amazing Mom, and if you talk to my kids, you know this is true.

I am not saying that my kids are perfect by any means, nor am I a perfect mother, but I am damn good. Last night my daughter woke up at 3am with the worst headache she has ever had. I gave her a crushed up tylenol, because she doesn't like to swallow them whole and a bit of Fanta. What else goes well with tylenol, really. I laid with her while her Dad rubbed her head. He had to get back to bed and she asked me to sleep with her, so I did. Both my daughter and my husband commented that it was so sweet of me to sleep with her. I just did what she asked, and really, I'd do anything for her, and my son. I didn't think it was that big of a deal, but I guess it's little things like that, that make me a great Mom.

I did punish the kids yesterday for acting like boneheads in Canadian Tire - the punishment was that they had to go to Pier One with me. I'm so mean. I also made my son go on a very long bike ride yesterday. He didn't want to so I told him, "guess what, tough shit, you're going". He had a great time, like I knew he would. See, I'm not all good!

My kids are so much fun, they are sweet and kind, they are smart and funny. I love those kids with all of my heart and I treasure every second that I get to spend with them. That's why I love summer, they are all mine all the time. I do get a bit put out when too many other people want to spend time with us, because I don't like to share them. When they go back to school I am ok with it, and I do look forward to the free time to myself, but when I get them back, I am happy.

One thing I don't understand is people who criticize their kids to other people. Why would you tell someone that your kid is awful and that you don't really like them? If you have an issue, by all means, discuss it with your friends, but don't ever tell other people that your kids are awful. What if they heard that? Or those people who bad mouth their kids IN FRONT of their kids. Yeah, that's going to make your kids feel loved. I am the first one to call my sister and say that my kids are driving me insane, but I would never tell anyone that it was because they are awful kids.

My kids are awesome because they know they are loved. They feel safe and secure because they have rules, and that makes them feel loved. They know that I would do anything to keep them safe and happy. They are not perfect, but they are mine and I adore them. That being said, I am going to go back to spending time with them, because that makes ME feel loved.

Well at least it's not e coli!

So that "tummy" issue I had, it was a bit more that I thought it was. Turns out I contracted a very common bacterial infection over in Europe. The good news is I now feel much better and I think it's all out of my system. We can't really tell where I got it as it is so common, it's found a lot of places. Could have been chicken, could have been sea water, who knows.

I've been through the antibiotics, I got my appetite back on Tuesday, the only thing left over is a bit of fatigue. That I can live with. I get to go to the doctor for follow up tomorrow, but I think I am fine. I have never been so sick in my adult life though, it was horrible. I'm actually glad they found something, because it just lingered and nothing I did made me feel better.

Now I get to go out with the kids, have some fun, do some visiting and basically get on with life!

Barcelona- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Please remember that this is a post of my opinions only. Just because I write things, doesn't make them fact. That is my disclaimer.

The GOOD

The beaches, we were at one that was topless. There is nothing better than letting the girls go free. The people there even think that walking around the beach topless is ok, so I got to swim topless! The cool factor of just being in Barcelona, CHEAP groceries. We are talking .18 Euro for a bottle of water, not much more for other bottled drinks. The Gelato - soooo good. The metro - anywhere you want to go in the city, the metro will take you , and you only have to wait 4 minutes for the next train. Great system, and air conditioned too! The FC Barcelona stadium. It was really cool the get to see where the FC play, it took us about 3 times longer to go through it than we had planned, it was that cool. My husband is now even more obsessed with soccer, but I saw that one coming. And the number one good thing, the heat! It was hot and humid, I got a wicked tan, and I just love being hot(as my daughter would say, both ways!)

The BAD

Barcelona is super noisy, during the day, in the middle of the night. Garbage trucks, people waking up at midnight and taking their noise outside! Scooters, cars, cars honking. The Food, I cannot tell you how much the food sucks here. It's all Tapas, and you think ooohh appetizers, yay! But no. The calamari is good, the potatoes, but who do you have to kill in this city to get a salad that is not made entirely out of meat? Everywhere you go in this city, it's all the same food. And don't even get me started on the paella's, blech. We did find one good place, so we ate there 3 times. The waiter kept saying hello to me any time we walked by he knew us so well! I may be a bit biased on the food because I got food poisoning, but really, I need my veggies!

The UGLY

I am a bit hesitant to even say this due to backlash from the architectural community, but let's face it, who from there is going to see this? So I say......The ugliest thing I have even seen is "La Sagrada Familia", the famous church in Barcelona. It is so ugly, it looks like 5 different people had 5 different ideas, they couldn't compromise so they decided to do everything together, then a dog came along, ate their ideas, then threw them up...and that's what they built. It is so all over the place. As a church, I don't even think it counts. There is nothing holy about this place, unless you count the "holy crap is that ugly". I have seen a lot of churches in my day - I love them, I go inside any church I can, and this is not a church. It is an abomination.

So that's my recap on Barcelona. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't as much history there as I would have thought. I did enjoy myself, but thankfully there are a million other places that I haven't been, so I can say that I have been there and call that one done.