Who doesn't LOVE a good pep talk? (Especially when it's from a 9 year old!)

"Only the good die young, my dear!"

You betchya. 

We love you Nana.  May you find peace with Grandad in heaven.

XOXO

Not Quite Ready to "SPICE UP" our LIFE!

Side note:  Yesterday I told Phil about the different ways that women believe they can naturally induce labour. 

While serving up beef tacos for dinner.....

Lindsay:  (looking curiously at the meat)  Hun, did you put in any spicy seasoning?

Phil:  Yes but I just didn't put in a lot because I don't want the baby to come tonight.

Lindsay:  Huh?

Phil:  You told me spicy foods can make the baby come early.  So I went easy on it.

Lindsay:  HUNNIE!!!!!!!  I think those are MYTHS!!!!!!! 

Thoughts after tonight's viewing....

1)  Movies with bad guys are way easier to watch than movies with natural disasters.  I mean....where do you place the blame in a situation like this?  Having somewhere to direct your anger is much nicer.


2)  We aren't going to Thailand for Christmas.  EVER.  Or at least until the story fades our memories.


3)  DONATE TO THE RED CROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

38 WEEKS!!!!!!!

Here I am at 6:15 a.m. - not the HAPPIEST CAMPER to say the least.  On the way into school my marking bin (and its contents!) became victim to the wind and, consequently, rush hour traffic.  Luckily, papers are far more resilient when it comes to being hit by a car and Phillip made a superhero move to recover all that was important.  PHEWFFF!!!!  (Thanks LOVIE!)

Our doctor's appointment this afternoon went GREAT.  We only waited for about 20 minutes (HOORAY!) and it seems the trick is to look "super pregnant" in order to be accelerated through the line-up.  I may just host my own "tight and bright" party at the next appointment.  That should catch their attention!  HA!

Apparently Baby P isn't quite ready yet.  This little bun is still a cookin' and I'm happy to keep her inside for just a bit longer!  She now weighs about 6.3 pounds, although somehow I managed to lose one kilo.  I think it was the cold bug that did it to me! 

Two more weeks until her due date!  I wonder which day she will decide to join us!!!!

Talk about a day-maker!

There's nothing like blowing your nose with "Wrestlemania" tissue at the nail salon.  It makes you feel like a REAL FIGHTER when it comes to sore throats and stuffy noses!

(Insert grunting/showing off my muscles pose HERE).

HEY YOU IN THERE!

Let's make a deal........

You tell me what the plan is and I'll get us some sleep.  Okay?

P.S.  Your Daddy is out playing basketball and we are sitting at home resembling one ;)

P.P.S.  11 months until this wonderful thing called "CHRISTMAS"!  You're gonna LOVE IT! 

RANDOM & ON MY MIND.

1)  It costs us 2.9 KD (about $10) to fill up our new vehicle with "SUPER" fuel.  You should be jealous ;)

2)  Our maid told me that she had ZERO pain during the delivery of all three of her children.  Now - most people would say this must be a LIE, but if you knew how sweet and wonderful she was, you'd for sure believe in this story, as well as karma. 

3)  Today I received a pink and sparkly rubber duck in my mailbox.  There wasn't a "from" tag attached to the gift, so WHOEVER YOU ARE - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!  It sure did make me SMILE :)

4)  We have a few TOP baby names selected and we are excited to see which name fits our daughter best.  You'll be happy to know that "Katniss" did NOT make the list.

5)  Whenever I use the toaster, my toast pops OUT of the toaster and onto the shelving unit.  Whenever Phil uses the toaster, his toast stays INSIDE the toaster and waits for pick-up.  I must be a happier, more approachable face in the morning :)  That would be the only explanation, ya?

6)  Speaking of in's and out's....I heard this joke on Ellen:  Why does a penguin wash his clothes in Tide?  Because it's too cold out "tide"!!!! Haha.

P.S.  I didn't make it til 3 p.m. today.  Phil drove me home from school at 11ish.  I did, however, get as much work done as possible while I was there!

I sound like this guy today.

And I'm taking the impersonation to school with me!  Still not 100%, but lesson plans, weekly schedules, parent emails, and marking are anxiously awaiting my arrival (so my warped brain that can't relax tells me).  I suck at staying home.  Truly.  My saving grace is that there won't be any kiddo's there today and I won't have to act like "Mary Poppins 2.0" as my sister Dana might refer to it ;)

I just need to make it until 3 p.m.  I can do it.  I think.

As for my hubby.....he's sick now too!  Even with our commitment to sleep in separate beds, he has fallen ill to this nasty bug.  RATS!  You know what men are like when they are sick........(haha)..

Thinking of y'all and hoping you're staying HEALTHY and WARM at home!!!!
XOXO

small VICTORIES!

PEOPLE - I just woke up from a THREE HOUR nap!!!!!!!!!!!! (Insert lots of jumping up and down, cheering and smiling HERE.)

You see - I've never been one who can sleep during the day.  And as of late, I'm not even one that can sleep during the night.  Hence, this THREE HOUR nap is particularly monumental!!!

I'm off work again today (boo) but hopeful I can make it to the PD Day tomorrow.  Oh - and Thursday is a holiday.  I can DEFINITELY make it to THAT ;)

Meanwhile, I'm sure environmentalists around the world would have a hay-day if they knew how many boxes of Kleenex I've been through in the past 48 hours.  I can't even make it up to them by recycling the box itself......

I'll leave you with a BIG PROMISE to recycle like nobody's biz-nazzz all summer long ;) 

SICK DAY!

My very first one of the year.  I HATE taking time off but this nasty rhinovirus has me begging for rest and recuperation!  Let's hope my "honey/lemon/hot water/soup" ritual works like magic and has me back in the classroom tomorrow!!!

P.S.  On an optimistic note, laying in bed has given me time to watch Ashley and J.P.'s Wedding Special, as well as download some new apps for my iPhone!  Soon I will be a real "Photoshop Express" pro!

Baby P Update!

Phil and I just got home from the hospital.  We felt like we were back home in Canada - waiting for over 3 hours to see the doctor.  If it weren't for the "you look different" glares, I might have even gone off to find a Timmy's!!!

Anyways, somehow Baby P's due date was LOST IN TRANSLATION because it hasn't been the 16th of February for months.  Apparently, it has been the 10th of February since we made the clinic switch.  Not sure how this little piece of information was wrongly relayed, but it's exciting to know that our little one is expected to join us 6 days earlier than we thought!!!

We return to the doctor next Monday when she will do a full exam to decide if we can wait a couple more weeks or if I should be induced due to the diabetes.  CRAZY.  The possibility of her arriving next week is..........CRAZY.  Right?!!!!  Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!  Alas, maybe she'll be so snug and content and the doctor will allow her to stay inside for a wee bit more :) 

37 weeks today!!! 

We can't wait to meet you, little one!
XOXO

WE OWN A VEHICLE!

Over the holidays......

Phil:  (asking a serious question) Okay, Linds.  We need to have a serious talk.  What are we looking for in a car?

Lindsay:  (giving a serious answer) Cup-holders.

Phil:  Cup-holders?!!

Lindsay:  YES!  For tea!

Well, it turns out we got more than just cup-holders!  On Wednesday night, Phil picked up our first BIG purchase as "The Parkinson's" - a brand new "mineral silver" KIA Sportage!!!!!!!!!

It Only Took Me FOREVER.

LOVE this case.  The message is a GOOD ONE.  And so is the organization - "Whatever It Takes"!

I've had my brand-spanking-new iPhone since Christmas but postponed the set-up and crossover from Blackberry until yesterday (weird, ya?).  It's just that I was too concerned about decorating the nursery, reading up on labour, looking at baby names, preparing a new unit at school, and trying my darnedest to SLEEP that I didn't have the desire or motivation to learn about something different and oh-my-gosh expensive.  I also had strange visions of going into labour with a new device in hand and not knowing how to contact home to share the great news.  Am I being an irrational pregnant lady?  Probably.

Anyways, with Emily's recent admiration of the iPhone 5 I decided that the time had come.  With her by my side, we took my sweet mobile to the mall to get it ready to go.  My heart was racing for most of the process (told ya I was being irrational), as they snipped my SIM card, pushed different buttons, registered a new plan, pressed on a protective screen, and snapped on a protective case.  My heart continued to race as I received phone calls from random numbers (my contacts didn't survive the transfer), attempted to download WhatsApp to stay connected, and rushed to activate both FaceTime and Vonage in case the baby decided to come in a matter of moments.  (Irrationality at it's best?).

Thankfully, IT support was on standby all evening (ah-hem, EMILY!) and I went to bed with a whole phonebook of contacts, some favourite iTunes albums, a collection of favourite iPhoto's and the apps I deemed as necessities.  My Dad also served as a great resource and we figured out how to make FaceTime ring on both my mobile and iPad at the same time!  HOORAY!

Now I am doing the "fun" stuff - searching for cool apps and practicing my touch-typing (not so excellent as of present).  I can see how people LOVE the iPhone so much - even though my heart isn't 100% settled on it quite yet :)  Perhaps a few more days will be all it takes to get familiar (and fall head over heels) with this crazy-popular mobile of choice. 

Wish me luck as I navigate 2013.  New phone.  New baby.  New car.

I think I'm EXTRA-OFFICIALLY an ADULT.

RISE & SHINE!!!!!

This is always so easy on sleep-in days and always so difficult on must-get-up ones.

For example, today we have a shortened day due to parent-teacher conferences.  This means that the alarm was set for 7:15 a.m., rather than the usual 5 a.m.

Alas, who's WIDE AWAKE in the 5 o'clock's this morning?!

ME!!!!!!!!!!!!

The good news is that the house is cozy and quiet.  I am making a warm cup of tea.  And I have a couple of hours to relax before round two with the parents and round TOO-MANY with the pregnancy panty hose :)

GOOD POINT!

While getting ready for bed....

Lindsay:  Have a good sleep love!  (teasing)  I will be sure to wake you up every hour when I go to the bathroom!

Phil:  You already do that!  

Lindsay:  Not true!  Haven't you noticed that some nights I go the bathroom and you sleep right through it?

Phil:  How would I notice that if I'm sleeping?! 

This led to a very excellent bedtime giggle :)

ENJOYING.

The blog's been rather quiet the last couple of weeks.  I know.  It's just that I am busy..................................ENJOYING.  It sounds weird.  The holidays are over and we're back to work and tutoring and coaching and whatnot.  This week we have parent-teacher conferences Wednesday night and Thursday all day.  I'm not sleeping great, rather tired and a wee bit achy all over.  But STILL, I find myself sitting here and typing away with a smile.

Yesterday we had our 36 week appointment with the doctor.  All is going well with Baby P.  She is healthy and growing - weighing 6 pounds now!  I can't wait to meet her, but at the same time I am savouring these final few weeks of pregnancy.

I've really enjoyed being pregnant.  The whole idea of growing a little person inside of me (part ME, part PHIL) is simply amazing.  Even SCIENCE, my academic BFF, has left room for me to feel like something MAGICAL has been happening.  Watching my belly grow and feeling our daughter move - it's been INCREDIBLE.  UNBELIEVABLE.  I'm not even sure I believe that science has a role in this at all.  It seems too FANTASY-LIKE for any practical involvement ;)  Clearly, pixie dust and many-a-wands are the more likely sources to thank!

I am also savouring the final few weeks of "PHIL & LINDSAY".  Soon enough, we will be "PHIL & LINDSAY & BABY P", which is also FABULOUS but also new with a side of scary.  Becoming parents is a BIG DEAL!  I suppose you learn as you go and I am just thankful that the person I get to do it with is a great man.  Phillip is another "pixie dust and wand" creation - he must be.  I don't know what I would do without him by my side.  (PHILLIP - I LOVE YOU!)    

So that's the WHAT'S UP on this side of the globe.  Right now I am enjoying afternoons of Good Morning America.  Having a tea.  Taking long showers.  Cuddling with my hubby.  And dreaming about the day that our daughter decides to join us!  

It's so close.  9 months???  Pfffft.  IMPOSSIBLE!

I told ya it was MAGIC.

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!!!!!

"All the flavour of Baileys without the alcohol!"

So we sit now and enjoy a decaf coffee with a splash of home....

HAPPY SATURDAY!!!!!!!

THREE P'S in a POD!

In VERY EXCITING NEWS, yesterday Emily came over to play "official photographer" in our 36 week photo shoot.  We'd been wanting to do this belly bump session for quite some time now, but the winter holidays and other commitments led to some scheduling conflicts.   We were also convinced that our pictures had to be done outside and our current living situation doesn't really promote public displays of affection!  With the fear of Baby P announcing her arrival far too early, Emily suggested an indoor location instead - OUR APARTMENT.  Although skeptical at first, the photos turned out BEAUTIFUL and our darling photog made magic happen within four small walls.

Here are some pictures from our special picture-taking event!  A big thank you to our dear GEMILY for capturing such sweetness in every click.  We will adore these moments for years to come. XOXO

Sleepless Dreams?

I'm pretty sure they are impossible.  With sleep comes dreams.......right?  So although I believe I haven't slept a WINK all week long, I must have gotten some shut-eye to accompany the following bizarre dreams......

*  Floating a bicycle to the top of a cliff where a famous rock and roll legend lived.  The house was a mansion and servants were everywhere.  From there, we were directed onward to the Great Wall of China!

*  Organizing a bank robbery with one of my current students.  I seemed to enjoy the entire planning process - not having a single fear of "getting into trouble".  This would be the COMPLETE opposite of who this goody-two-shoes actually is.  

*  Getting attacked by a seal.  A seal who was chasing me around and whacking me with his tail.  Why was he so angry with me?  WHO KNOWS?!  I had played fetch with him for 3 hours already!  What more could he ask of someone who is terrified of sea creatures?

There have been at least a dozen more dreams with the same WAY-OUT-THERE storyline but I can't seem to remember them at this moment.  Regardless, last night I slept straight from 8:30 p.m. until 2 a.m.!!!!  I am throwing a celebratory tea party when Phil wakes up!  THIS IS BIG NEWS!!!!!

HOORAY for the weekend :)  It is much easier to recover from bouts of breathlessness when you're on the couch than when you're at the front of the classroom!!!  Sitting in our warm and cozy living room is pretty good, too.  For REALS - it's starting to get LEGIT COLD here ;)

New Year, New Hallway Bulletin Board!

For the last two days, I have kept myself busy with this arts & crafts project!  Our new unit is human body systems (circulatory, respiratory, nervous, and digestive) and I had a vision for this display long before the winter holiday.  Don't you think my kiddo's make the CUTEST organs?!  All 84 of my students signed their name on the yellow stars as they pledged to become more organized in semester two.

Cheers to biology, ORGANIZATION, resolutions, A's & C's, WONDERFUL KIDS and LEARNING!!!!!!

WELCOME BACK TO GRADE 6!!!!

"Over the holidays I saw two pitbulls in my garden!!!!"

"I like butter.  Don't judge me.  I just LOVE IT!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Wait, I mean.....HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!"

Their innocence just gets me.

Teaching is the BEST!!!!

Hungry and Tired - 100% of the Time!

THIS is 35 WEEKS!!!!! (Said in an "American Idol / Ryan Seacrest" manner).

Back to school we go!!!!

My January Calendar.

I just took a look at the "iCal" on my Macbook. 

Maybe I have four things on it. 

And maybe those 4 things include the start date of The Biggest Loser, The Bachelor and American Idol, along with the release date of Justin Bieber's acoustic album. 

Are you smiling?  Because I am!

Can you believe it?!

The light bulbs in our apartment building have a tendency to blow out or - on the very odd occasion - shatter to pieces.  Because of this, we decided to remove the light bulbs above Baby P's crib completely - just in case.

Well, a few hours after we did this, Phil was going into the kitchen.  He turned on the lights and BAM!  One of the light bulbs exploded and glass fell to the ground.

WEIRD, RIGHT?!  This would be the second time that this has happened in THREE YEARS!  And it happened on the very day we took safety precautions in the nursery.  

So - guess what we are doing today?

Investing our money in some (ah-hem THIRTY!) quality halogen light bulbs - one for each light in the house.  Rumour is they can survive the power surges that seem to happen daily.......

Whatever it takes to keep our wee babe SAFE! :)

Baby P's Night Light.

It's as though it came straight from a fairy tale. 

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR (DECAF) TEA.

*  Driving in Kuwait.  Remember I told you that it was my turn to "practice" driving last Friday morning?  Well - I did.  For over two hours.  And during this time, I only encountered TWO drivers reversing on the highway - in our lane.  ONLY TWO.  Not bad, right?!

*  On Christmas Day I had a spontaneous freak-out (these have become common) about Baby P's name.  We really thought we had secured the perfect one.  But then something came over me and we're on the hunt once again.  Either way, y'all will be kept out of the loop until she's born!  SOMETHING must be left to a surprise :)  

*  Saturday afternoon I went for lunch at a colleague's house.  Phil was supposed to join me as well, but he got stuck waiting around the house for a delivery.  Steve subbed in for him and the two of us enjoyed a delicious Iranian feast!  The family who hosted us is of the Baha'i faith and it was really sweet of them to read a beautiful prayer about pregnancy after our meal.  I also met another new mama at the event who has an eight month old son.  Phil and I hope to have dinner her and her husband at the end of this month!   

*  Back to deliveries.  They are the worst.  I won't re-hash the frustrations that we faced, but LET ME TELL YOU - I couldn't be happier that not a SINGLE thing more must be delivered to this flat. 

*  On Sunday we went for our 34 week appointment.  Everything is going as planned and Baby P decided NOT to play camera shy!  We got to see her sweet little face without an elbow, hand, or finger in the way.  She weighs 4.6 pounds right now, which the doctor says is "a few days small" but nothing to be worried about it.  We return to the doctor in two weeks!  Woweee - time is FLYING!

*  We've watched THREE movies in the last few days - Big Miracle, The Trouble with the Curve, and 10 Years!  GO US!  Perhaps we will get to a few more before the holidays are over.....

*  Car shopping has been an on-going activity for us this break.  Phil has gone out with different people to look at renting and buying both new and used cars.  After many back and forth's, we've decided to purchase a NEW CAR!!!  It will be our first "big" purchase together (ever!) which makes it extra exciting!!!  We should be cruising around in our new vehicle by next Tuesday or Wednesday.  I will save any more details until I can get a good picture! :)

*  The nesting continues at the Parkinson residence.  The guest room and nursery are ALMOST finished and we have rearranged the living room to be more cozy and functional.  I love it.  With each job we get done, the better I feel.  My hubby has been working non-stop to make sure we are 100% ready for Baby P's arrival.  He's the GREATEST!  

*  Emily and Shannon are back early from their trip!!!  This means EXTRA, UNEXPECTED quality time before school starts up again.  HOORAY!

*  I have had many people ask me how I am feeling lately.  I have to admit - the last few days (or week...) has been a bit tougher than before.  The lack of sleep continues and the throbbing back/ribcage-area pain is picking up like something fierce!  This morning I was up at 4 a.m. - first because I was achy.  Then because my nose decided to bleed.  And then because my stomach was growling!  Phil woke up to rub my back (told ya he was the greatest!), but I left the room eventually so that he could actually get some quality rest.  I hope he can sleep for as long as possible today!!!

Now I shall leave you with something hilarious.  To thank Phil for all of his sweetness, I decided to be a little sweet myself and bake both chocolate chip muffins and banana loaf.  I even doubled the recipe so I could freeze some treats for busy times ahead (thanks for the tips, pregnancy books!).  Well, let's just say that pregnancy brain/over-tiredness kicked in and instead of getting 24 delicious chocolate chip muffins, I ended up with 24 HOCKEY PUCKS.  I forgot to add the baking powder.  BAH!  This led to an embarrassing sob session in my cute, pastel-coloured, cupcake apron.  I have since re-grouped and have my fingers crossed for a banana loaf that we can actually EAT.  AY AY AY!

Three more days of vacation until school resumes!  We have a long to-do list for today but one of them is washing all of Baby P's tiny clothes.  I can't wait to see Phil's genuine excitement while he sorts, washes, and hangs them all to dry!!!  It will be PRICELESS.