Colton had left his towel at The Daisy Club, and so we went to pick it up before breakfast. They said goodbye to one of the three girls that watched them. They were all so gorgeous. This picture didn’t do her justice.
I think the weather was still crappy, so I think we all went up after breakfast to hang out in the Lobby.
In the Gift Shop, they had this screen that displayed pictures that the Resort Photographer took. My brothers went to the Gift Shop daily to buy cigarettes 
so they noticed that there were alot of pictures of Myk & Colt that the photographer took when they were at The Daisy Club. There were alot of cute ones. But one 8×10 cost $21.00 USD! One of my Aunts wanted to buy 2 for me, but I didn’t want her to, because of the price. She insisted.
Yes, one of the babysitters said that Colton would do that for hours on end by himself.
Her chin is kind of red because that was finger paint. They were working with it that day.
I made sure my Aunt didn’t waste her money and got frames for them:
So yeah, it was still raining. Stayed in the lobby.
Colton saw some kids playing video games, and decided he would just plop himself beside him. The kid was a bit uncomfortable at first, but he was really great afterwards. He was even letting Colton play at times. There were also some indoor activities going on since it was still raining outside.
So Myrna and them had a “privileged” room that had a hot tub, so we thought to let the kids get in some kind of water for a bit. But you know how hot tubs are. After it gets too hot, the kids complain. Haha.
The rain eased for a bit, so we decided to let the kids go in the pool. But Colton was just being a terror. Not listening. And he kept running around the pool at full throttle. So finally I had enough, and barked at my kids that we were going back to the room so that they could take a nap.
Look at this picture of the amazing flower I noticed!
Anyway, for dinner, most of the family wanted to eat at this teppanaki restaurant. So we all met up there for dinner.
It’s mostly for the show. It was weird to see a bunch of Mexican waiters working a Japanese teppanaki restaurant. The food was OK. The meat overcooked. The veggies were way too salty. All the guys were still starving at the end.
The weather was still crappy. It was dark anyway. So we went to hang out in the lobby.
Those two BFF’s are just too stinkin’ cute!
The kids found the foozball table and went nuclear. Especially Colton.
The “younger” adults enjoyed poker. The Lobby entertainment that night was karaoke. They were singing “my Way” by Frank Sinatra.
It was two of our crew’s birthdays the next day, so the kids went up to sing “Happy Birthday” for them.
Yes, I know my posts are time-jumping. But it’s been crazy, and I’m still catching up with the Mexico pictures.
So last Sunday we went to Disney On Ice. My brother got the tickets from work. This one was really great. First they had “Cars”, and then “The Little Mermaid”. Then “The Lion King”. The biggest show was “Tinkerbell”. It was a sea of rugrats and so overwhelming! And everything was so expensive. But you knew that was going to happen. They have to spinny toys that light up, and they were $20.00 a piece (and no, I didn’t get any for them). But we got them snowcones. They were put in these plastic decorative containers. Myk’s was cute, and it was this Tinkerbell cup with an open lid. Colton’s was just a squeeze water bottle with the Cars logo. Plus 2 spoons, and it all came to $28.00!!! We bought a commemorative booklet of the show, with this plastic hat, and that was $20.00. Then they wanted a popcorn, and the big box was $10.00. Christ.
Sitting behind us was this family. There was a wife, a little girl, and her redneck husband. Then another wife, with her husband and kid. But Redneck Hubby was so frickin’ annoying. He was braying, and being so loud. And you know the seats at The Pacific Colisuem!!! They’re jam-packed tight. I hate those guys. The ones who have to talk really loud so everyone can hear them, and know how cool they are. There was a whole thing going on about how he needs to go out and have a smoke right away, as the show was going to start. He repeated this many times. His wife was saying he shouldn’t, as he might not be able to get back in. And at one point he was like “Keep your mouth shut. Keep your mouth shut.” Yeeeeeah, nice way to talk to your wife in front of your daughter! Such a loser. This went on for a while, and I seriously felt like turning around and yelling: “Will you just fucking go out for a smoke now!!?!?” And yes, he finally went out for his much pined-for smoke. The show was literally packed. But for some reason, the row in front of us didn’t show up (8 seats). So after intermission, I decided to move to those seats. And go figure….then Redneck Hubby decides to shut up. Argh!
Oh, and I only have pictures of the first few minutes of “Tinkerbell” since I didn’t prepare, and my camera battery died on me again.
They’re blurry as heck too.
Then I started taking pictures with my camera phone. Just as blurry.
That’s the Daisy Club main area. Today was the day of my cousin’s wedding. The weather didn’t look like it was going to cooperate to allow for a beach wedding. 
Oh, I forgot to mention that Colt got homesick a bit. The first night in Mexico, he kept asking when we were going back to our “real home”. For 3 straight nights, he kept asking me this question. Isn’t that cute? And one time he said how he missed his own bed, and all his toys.
Anyway, we were up and getting ready to head to breakfast. All of a sudden the sun burst out. We ran into my cousin Myrna and her two daughters. They had their swimsuits on, ready to head to the beach. They had come in on Thursday, and the weather was horrible since. So when they saw this burst of sun, they wanted to take advantage of it. And yes, I have alot of pictures of beautiful chinese people, and they’re all my aunts, uncles and many cousins.
The water was incredibly salty. But so warm.
Salty water in my eyes! Salt water in my eyes!
There was alot of seaweed. He was so hilarious running down the beach screaming: “Hey guys! I’ve got seaweed!!!”
This is my aunt. My mom’s older sister, with her youngest grandaughter. Doesn’t my aunt look amazing? Their whole family genetics is unreal. Did you know my mom is 60? She looks like she’s in her 40’s. I don’t know how old my aunt is, but maybe around 65? Does NOT look it, eh? Seriously, she’s got better arms than me. No wiggle jiggle. No jowls. They defy the law of gravity.
Anyway, Myrna and I put our kids to The Daisy Club for the day. The ceremony was supposed to be at 4. I can’t remember now. They were hoping for it to be kid-less, so we were OK with that. It also gave more time for us cousins to spend time together and catch up.
So the cousins all hung out by the Pool Bar (a bar IN the pool). Drank. A bunch of the NY contingent did rounds of tequila, but I kept away from it. I learned from Day 2. But wow…those NY people can drink! It was freezing because at times it was raining while we were in the pool. We figured we were wet anyway. Finally at one point, the whole lot of us went swimming at the beach. The water was super-warm! Then we all had a seaweed fight.
But at one point we went to the coffee bar before we had to change for the Ceremony.
So the ceremony started. The weather in Mexico is so weird. It was always warm, but I think Hurricane Ida was on show, so at times, there would be sun. But then at times there was total downpour. So when the ceremony was happening, it was downpouring. So it had to be moved inside to the lobby.
Okay, it was just a coincidence that my brother and I both wore purple. We looked liked dorks. Brothers and sisters shouldn’t match.
And my cousin brought one of her girls, as she loves weddings. Cute, eh?
So after the ceremony was the Cocktail Hour (or Two). I wished I could have gone, as there was a band (mariachi?) and cigar rollers, etc. But we picked our kids up from The Daisy Club. And I knew my kids needed to have a good nap if they were going to last through the night. Ah, the responsibilities of motherhood. 
So when they woke up, I got them ready for the Reception.
Anthony ended up changing shirts, and he totally matched Mykaela. Just cracked me up as none of us knew what we were all wearing.
Took some pictures before we got to the Reception.
I love that pic of my cousin Lin with Myk & Zoey.
My cousin brought a DVD player with “Planet Earth” and the kids were enthralled with it.
The two chubby-cheeksters. So cute. They really look so similar here.
I love Colt’s Zoolander pose here.
I absolutely LOVE these two pictures of the girls. They are like total BFF’s. Riley is a year older than Mykaela. Her mom Myrna is my cousin, and she is also a year older than me. So it’s like Myrna & Me Redux.
For some reason, they had to kick everyone out of the Reception room by midnight, so everyone agreed to continue the party in the Lobby. Al had twisted his leg during the earlier “seaweed fight”, so he wanted to rest up. He and Anthony agreed to watch the kids in my room, so that I could do a late night social with my cousins. So that was so great!
We didn’t go crazy. We just sat on the couches, drank and chatted.
Our family rocks the Zoolander posing. 
It just meant alot to catch up with my extended family. Awesomeness.
Okay, if you recall, in late October I wrote Ford Canada a letter of complaint.
I pretty much didn’t expect to hear from anyone soon. Got used to it. But on November 13, I got a call from an Anna, at Ford Canada. She was calling from the area code 905, so that’s in Southern Ontario. She called and told me that they received my letter to Al McCormick, the VP of Customer Service . I nervously laughed because my letter was kind of sarcastic with a comical lean. I thought it was quite hilarious myself. Anyway, she told me that she was phoning to let me know that she was reviewing the case. She was quite chatty too, but very nice. She promised to call me in 3 business days.
So she did call me on that day, and apologized as she wasn’t finished reviewing the case since she had to leave work early the previous day. But promised to call me the next day. And she did. I was quite impressed actually. She said that she was in communication with the Service Manager at Coastal Ford. Remember in late August, he had said he was going to submit a request to Head Office to try to get me some money back? And I heard nothing for almost 2 months? Thus the reason for my hilarious letter? Anyway, Anna said that he processed this request with the wrong code. Okay, I will tell you that my first reaction to hearing this was: “Ooooooh, of course. Such an honest mistake of entering the wrong coooooooooo-de.” Please hear the sarcastic intonations in my voice. But that she gave him the confirmation to process the order again with the right code. So yes, she said that I would get some money back. But only about half.
She stressed that she was able to process this to happen quickly because everything was in order. When I sent the letter, I also sent pictures of that “twizzler” rod. I also sent a copy of the invoice I paid. And she had online records of me bringing in my vehicle every 5000 km. I’ve taken after my dad, and I am anal about these things in regards to complaints. Even when I talk to someone on the phone, I’ll write the date & time I talk to them, and the name. Because alot of the time you don’t get anything resolved with one call. So if I have to phone again and get someone else, I can always throw in: ”Well, I talked to Robbie on Nov 10, and he said this…” I mean, Gawd knows Robbie is probably in Bangladesh or something, and no one has any idea who’s who, but it always seem to throw those Customer Service Reps off. And no slag to CSR’s as I’ve been one a few times.
So yes, legally I didn’t really have a claim on any money. I know that. My extended warranty that covered transmission & motor problems had already ended. So I never would have won in court. But I thought it was ridiculous that something would happen with the transmission at 3 years old. And this whole drama snowballed because of the Sales Department and their empty promises, and stringing me along. And Anna agreed that the first people you would think of reaching out to were the Sales Department, as you had built this comradeship (fake as it is) during the car-buying process. I asked her if the Coastal Ford Sales people were going to get a talkin’ to. But she said that Ford Canada doesn’t really do that. Dealerships are kind of like their own separate entity. That complaint matters get down the grapevine, but the only person who may notice it is the PR person (or whatever they call that role), and then it’s his decision whether or not to have that complaint/issue addressed.
She said that it would take about 3-4 weeks for me to get my cheque. First Ford Canada has to transfer the money to Coastal Ford’s account. And then Coastal Ford would issue me a cheque. So I was quite satisfied with that. Money is always so freaking tight at Christmas, and so it would ease things.
Then on November 23, I get an email from the Service Manager. He said he got the money from Ford Canada, and whether I wanted the cheque mailed to me. He said that he needed to get 2 signatures on the cheques, so hopefully he could mail it out the next day. I received the cheque on November 27. So that was great that I only had to wait a little over a week. I’m sure it’s all thanks to Anna.
So I had originally paid $3525.00 for the repairs. Yes, painful figure!!! So painful I could cry now just in the memory. Anyway, I received a cheque for $1848.00.
His hair just cracks me up. I had to take him to the dentist this morning, and the receptionist was just raving about his hair. It naturally does that. The fauxhawk. I have no hair product in it. He’s got two cowlicks . So the hair in the back gets pushed up between those two cowlicks. I have no idea why the rest of the hair sticks up though. But it does.
As you may know, I live in what I call, a “postage stamp” suite. My original intention was to stay there for a year, and then find a place closer to my kid’s school. However, my landlords are nice. I like the area. And mostly, the price is right. I’m waiting for the lease on my SUV to expire in April, and downgrade to a car. And maybe that would leave me some leeway to pay a bit more rent for when I go “house” searching next. And the thought of packing, and moving, and then unpacking isn’t very enticing. Plus if I move, it probably would be the best bet to move after the Olympics are over.
Anyway, because I’ve always looked as my place a “temporary”, then I never really bothered with making it look like “home”. The kids’ bedroom looks cute with their bunkbed, and the other half is a toy area. My bedroom is a disaster area as I also use it to store all the other crap I have no place to store (like luggage, boxes of stationary or bathroom supplies, toilet paper, Scott towels, a seat massager, etc…you get what I mean). In the living area, which also is seguéd into the kitchen, there is definately a lack of space. My kitchen is old-school…the cabinets are that gross brown wood with a white laminate. The best I can hope for is that it looks clean. I have an old coffee table and sofa that I got from my grandma’s place before my dad & aunts sold the house (she had passed away). The only new thing in there is the TV, given to me by my brothers. I can’t fit anything else in the living area. Literally nothing. But there’s alot of crap you have to deal with. Like crafts stuff of my daughter’s. Papers. Binders. The lack of space is so bad that I also store stuff on top of the fridge. And I had bought some knick-knack type stuff from Mexico, and I had no place to showcase it. Plus I did 2 scrapbooks of the trip for the kids.
So one day I decided to check the IKEA website. I browsed through the shelving unit seections. And I found one that was only $19.99. The shelves are like this aluminum mesh, so it’s not the most sturdiest, but for the price, I didn’t care.
And then while I was rearranging everything, I decided to also clean the walls while I was at it. OMG. And the stupid horizontal blinds. OMFG. But you see…I love it! It’s kind of empty right now on the shelves as I’m still figuring things out. And I want to buy some new frames and put some pictures on the shelf. Also, my mom bought this crystal paperweight thing for Myk, and we never had a place to display it. So we can now. I’ve got to put a personal touch into our place as it’s not as “temporary” as I thought it would be.
A coworker makes her own bread. She gave me a piece of it, and it was so good. It’s a thin-sliced German bread. It looks really thick and condensed. Like this:
It’s an easy enough recipe, but as you may know, I am not a baker. You have to bake this bread at 300 degrees for 3 hours! Supposedly it won’t burn. But with my luck, it probably will. But I want to try. It really tasted good. I have a feeling that my kids will even eat it. I have a hard time getting them to eat any bread except white bread.
And yes, I have more Mexico pics, but it’s taking me forever to get around posting all the pictures.
Can you spot the 2 lizards? They’re kind of camouflaged against the rocks.
At the buffet. Colton was such a nerd. Myk would have free range to get her own food. However, Colton still needed supervision. His breakfast routine would consist of getting a plate. I would encourage him to get all these different items at once, but he refused, and only wanted me to get him a green apple. So here I am walking back to my table with an apple on a big-ass plate. And yes, he insisted on a plate. One time I didn’t grab him one, and he was like: “Hey, where’s my plate?!?!” And after he was done his apple, or it somehow ended up on the floor, he would then proceed to a yogurt (or two). He’s a light breakfast eater, so that would be pretty much it. Sometimes he’d want me to put together a sandwich. Mykaela, however, went to town on breakfast. To this day, I don’t know how she was able to eat that much breakfast without puking it up later on.
Day 4 was an incredibly lax day. We were expecting a whole slew of our family members in that day, but they were all coming at different times. From what I remember, I think the kids were at The Daisy Club for a bit. Oh yeah, they were. Because I hung out with my brothers and parents in the Lobby. They had some activities going on. Then the weather cleared and I think we were on the beach. But then my brothers bought massages at the Spa there for everyone. So we did that late in the afternoon.
Family started arriving. It was so cute seeing how my cousin’s two girls were so excited to see us, and vice-versa. There they are attacking Uncle Art for a picture with him. He just got engaged to my cousin, Lin. So excited for them.
See what I mean when I say I have an Abercrombie & Fitch Chinese family? They’re all so gorgeous.
The kids made these skulls out of sugar at The Daisy Club. Wow, eh? And no, I didn’t bring them home.
So Day 5 was “Excursion Day”. My cousin getting married had organized two excursions, and you could choose one of them. One was supposedly to be this submarine-type boat with a see-through bottom, and you’d get to go snorkelling. The other was to hike the Tulum ruins. I chose the former as I could just have imagined my kids whining: “Moooom, I’m tiiired.” Plus they both love the water and boats.
However, the day was just a day of full-on rain and downpours. 
So it’s pouring, and our group file into the bus. My brothers and I were the only ones in the big family to do this excursion. The rest of the fam-damily went to do Tulum, but they all raced to get rain ponchos. I think it was a 1 hour bus ride for them. Ours was a 15 minute bus ride.
Miraculously, right when we got to the marina, the skies cleared! But only momentarily.
Mykaela was completely fascinated with their coconut trees, and really wanted a picture beside one.
The boat we were on wasn’t those submarine ones with the see-through floor, but it was still pretty amazing.
Everyone got snorkels and fins. Mine were the only kids that went. Most of the others were all friends of my cousins from NY. And they were all impressed with how good my kids were on the boat. Yeah, they don’t get seasick.
So the weather was a bit rocky. It downpoured, it stopped, it rained, it stopped, etc. They were going to stop 2 separate times at different coral reefs for us to snorkel.
I tried to take the kids in the water, but the waves were incredibly choppy, and they got scared. Hey, at least they tried. It was still cool for them to have the experience of being in the boat. My brothers were so excited to go snorkelling. I stayed on the boat to watch my kids. But my uncle & aunt watched them a bit as I went in the water. The water is soooooooooo salty, and the waves just hit you full-on. But since I was coming off trying to convince my kids to go in the water, I didn’t have my snorkel and fins with me. But it was still awesome swimming in the wide open waters.
Anyway, in the late afternoon the wedding party had a rehearsal, and then we were to have a special post-rehearsal dinner at the Villa Marina. However, that was kind of an outdoor restaurant. And it was still raining hard, so it got moved inside.
The groom’s friends and family entered wearing these masks. Colt was fascinated with them, of course.
After the dinner, everyone kind of dispersed their own ways. I heard music upstairs in the Lobby, but my brothers said it was super-crowded so they were all going to the Sports Bar. I still wanted to check it out, so I went with the kids. They had the Mexican Ballet troupe performing dances. They were so quick with their costume changes too. We lucked out as there were 3 seats in the front row that were empty.
A very popular Mexican dance is the ‘Old Man Dance’.
It’s been raining straight for 2 weeks or so. I think it was like this last year too. I can’t remember. The kids are in rain boots alot now. I think I’m dealing with it really OK right now because I had just had this amazing trip to Mexico, and I’m still on a bit of a high from it. Oh, and I do have more pictures from my trip, but I haven’t had the time to write and load them. They will come.
My budget is tight-tight, and therefore whenever it comes a time when the kids needs new shoes or clothes, it kind of throws me in a tailspin on where I will find this extra money. However, I can tell you that I am really lucky, as my parents and brothers always end up buying them clothes. My mom noticed that Myk was wearing her winter jacket from last year (which she also bought), and it was snug. It still fits. But it was getting snug. So when we went to do laundry at their house on Saturday, she brought out a new jacket from MEXX that she got Myk. However, it just fit. So after dim-sum, we went to MEXX to exchange it for another one. My parents are so amazing. They actually bought Colton a new winter jacket from GAP for his birthday too.
So we’re in MEXX and they had this absolutely hilarious winter toque.
It reminded me of Fat Albert’s friend that always wears that pink toque.
Then we went to GAP, and saw these hats:
Seriously, what are we…in Russia? These furry hats are so NOT condusive for the weather in Vancouver. Colton is really looking like Zoolander when he poses for pictures.
So I woke up without a hangover because I popped 4 Advils the night before. I think back and realize it’s not my proudest moment. Especially when my kids’ dad is an alcoholic. But I left their dad before he became a full-out alkie. When I was with him, he was good at hiding it. So my kids have never been subjected to it. Well, till they saw me. But I wasn’t crazy-drunk. I was more ouch-my-head-hurts drunk.
So my brothers really really wanted the family as a whole to go on an excursion. I knew they really wanted to try the Coba excursion that included a zip line. However, it wasn’t an excursion that was kid-appropriate. So I insisted that I am totally OK with staying at the resort. I mean, seriously…I’m in heaven, right? Hugo (Air Transat guy) suggested Xel-Ha, which is like this water-themed wonderland. But I think most of the activites were extremely water-based, which meant that my parents wouldn’t participate as much. My mom is not the most comfortable with water/swimming. I don’t think my dad is too. However, you know my brothers. They are so generous. So they decided that the whole family was going to check out Xcaret. My bros were really excited about swimming in the underground caves. It would take about an hour or so to go from one end to the other. Hugo said that it would cost more if we paid for a package that included a shuttle bus, so he said that if you’re comfortable driving, then it’s cheaper to rent a car from the hotel, drive there yourself, and then pay for the admittance only. So that’s what my bros decided to do. Plus I wanted to do some market-type shopping, and Hugo suggested going on 5th Avenue in Playa Del Carmen.
Yes people, it downpoured that whole day! Argh! Of course it would when we have an excursion happening! Grrr!
So Allen picks up the rental van, and we drive out of the resort. We hit this 3-way, and Anthony tells him to go straight. And as we drive, the road gets worse with massive pot holes. When we came in on the shuttle bus, I remember we were on a Hwy, till we hit this landmark called Zoo Crococun. Then we turned onto that street, and then left into the resorts. So I knew it wasn’t the right way. As we were driving, we hit all these run-down houses with groups of Mexican men lolling about. You saw this every 4th house or so. I don’t know what was going on. They looked like construction workers or something. You never want to be a backseat driver, but I was like: “Uh, yeah, I don’t think this is the way. I think you should’ve turned right at the 3-way instead.” My bro kept driving. Finally he turned around. Saw this girl walking down the street and asked her how to go downtown (we wanted to shop in Playa Del Carmen first). So she tells us that we should head back the other way, turn left, drive this way, turn right, hit this, turn left, hit this, turn right and then you’ll be downtown. So Allen turns the car around again and continues driving down the pothole infested road. I swear it curved here and there, and forked here & there. We kept quiet. Finally he turns around and says that he doubts it’s the way, and that if he continues going this way, he’ll never remember how to get back. Ahhhhh grasshopper. So we teased him about how he tried to make this a memorable trip by taking us down to El Barrio.
So we hit the 3-way and he goes the other way. And soon enough we see the Zoo Crococun and the Hwy!!!!
It was easy as it’s just one straight Hwy to head to all those excursion destinations. But there are no lights (which makes it freaky when you’re driving in the pitch dark). And they also have these weird cat-eye type things (that stick up high from the ground) sporadically, like these mini speed bumps. We were wondering why the cars & buses ahead of us would all of a sudden put on their flashers. But it was to indicate that they were coming upon one of these things, and you had to pretty much come to a complete stop to go over them, so as not to damage your tires.
As we got to into Playa Del Carmen, there were stoplights. We found the turn-off to head to 5th Avenue to shop. But it was still pouring down cats & dogs. Sucked really. I mean, it’s still super-warm, so Anthony was wearing his tank. And we’re all in our flip-flops. Luckily I brought the kids’ and mine’s hoodies, so at least we had coverage for a bit. Of course my kids had to pee really bad by then, so we ran for cover in a coffee shop and used theirs.
5th Avenue is a long shopping street that runs a block parallel up from the water where all the cruise ships dock. It’s a busy street lined with all kinds of shops, art and crafts galleries, cafes, restaurants and bars. Very touristy. Kind of like our Gastown.
The only sucky thing was the constant rain. It got to the point where we were negotiating umbrellas! I mean, some were asking for $15.00!!! We negotiated a bunch for $4.00/each. I mean, I would have really loved to be able to peruse and check things out. But you’d drip a puddle in the store as you went in. My problem was my kids. They were already in a mode where they didn’t listen to anyone…I’ll call it “vacation deaf mode”. So I couldn’t really go into stores and check things out. It was mostly touristy stuff though. I really only wanted to find little things that Myk could bring back for her teachers & friends. Soon enough you got good at converting pesos, which is roughly 10 pesos to the dollar.
Gosh, they’re such posers.
The rain was still really coming down hard.
There were also these jewlry shops. Some had some serious poker-faced police guards outside holding onto a machine gun. I really wanted to take a picture of this, but I was scared I’d stir some shit up that didn’t need to be stirred up. I was warned about the Mexican police.
Num…Starbucks. I didn’t get any as I was too busy keeping an eye out for my kids. We should of ate at one of those restaurants all along the street. But we were going to Xcaret afterwards, and the excursion my brothers bought included a buffet meal. So we thought we’d wait. My aunts had gone to one, and told my mom that 9 of them ate, and most each had a drink, and the bill only came to about $50.00 USD.
It finally got to a point where Colton was just being too much. Fighting over umbrellas, and living life on his terms. So we came upon a McDonald’s, and I took the kids there to eat. Escape from the rain a bit. My parents & brothers continued checking the strip. By this time I think the kids were just too wet & uncomfortable. But Colt was still kind of ticking me off with running all over the restaurant. I mean, usually he never does stuff like that at home….but it was like he was possessed on this vacation! As if I gave him a speech before the vacation and said: “Now Colton, just so you know…a vacation is a time when you don’t have to listen to your mother or any adults. It’s a free-for-all where you can do anything you wish to your heart’s extent!” 
So I didn’t buy anything. But the trip wasn’t a whole waste. My brothers got this wooden Mexican mask to hang on their wall. They were also vibing for this statue they saw at the resort gift shop that they were asking $200.00 USD for. But they found it here and negotiated it down to $70.00 USD. My mom bought something too, I think. As you know, I was too busy on nag-patrol to deaf kids.
So we were done, and we headed to XCaret. It was pretty easy to find.
I think there were 4 different buffets we could go to, but in order for it to be “free”, we had to eat before 5:00pm. Al was wanting us all to swim in the underground caves. But like I said, my mom and dad aren’t that thrilled with swimming. Plus then my mom read that if you have diabetes, then you really should be careful (my dad). My brothers were saying that the swim takes about an hour or so, so maybe they should get it out of their way so that leaves enough time to eat.
There was this map, and they told my mom that the swim would start at this point, and end at another point of the park. And to meet us there in an hour. I noticed that my mom didn’t look too thrilled about that. I think she was imagining the whole family hanging out together, and I don’t really think she got it that there was a long swimming process involved. So I suggested that I could forego the swimming, as well as Colton (since he was being such a nut), and could go with mom & dad.
You had to go in here to get your lockers, and get changed. Supposedly some truck takes your clothes up to the End Point after you’re done your swim.
You can barely see Colton up there as his hoodie was the same colour as the stairs.
Lucky for us it stopped raining once we got to Xcaret. And yes, it was definately hot & muggy. Why were we in our hoodies still? Because we were scared that the mosquitos would eat us alive!!! When we first got to the resort, I think the mosquitos smelled new blood and attacked our skin like crazy. It was only after 2-3 days that it seemed like the mosquitos didn’t find me tasty anymore. We used so much bug spray. In fact, to this day, Myk still has mosquito bites that haven’t gone down! Anyway, my mom & I were scared that the mookies would have a hey-ho on us at Xcaret since it was mostly all forest and plant life everywhere.
This is one of the areas you pass by when you swim in the underground caves.
Checking out the quail eggs hatching.
Oh, and my mom & dad & I got lost with that ridiculous map they had. They numbered areas, but the numbers popped all over the place, and wasn’t even in any numerical order. But we finally got to the End Point to meet the swimmers that did the underground swim. I think by that time it was 3:00pm, and we waited, and we waited. I figured Myk would slow them down. And we waited. I think it was almost 4:00pm when I told my parents to go eat at the buffet. The meal was only free till 5:00pm. There was nary a sign of the twins or my daughter. So my parents go, but I guess they ran into Allen. I guess the twins & Myk had got dressed for the swim. They all got lifejackets. But Myk freaked out, and couldn’t do it. She tried holding onto Anthony, but she was making him sink. So they all ended up not being able to do it, as they couldn’t leave Myk alone. But it sucked because that truck took their clothes all up to the End Point. So they couldn’t get them back till the rest of the group finished their swim and got their clothes up there. So they finally get their clothes, and then Allen went to try to find us, but then he got lost too. He finally ran into my parents, so they came up to get me, and we zooped it to the buffet. Of course it was disappointing for the twins. They were so looking forward to it, but when you’re scared, you’re scared. They weren’t mad at Myk. They were just frustrated that they missed seeing so much of the park because they had to wait so long to get their clothes back.
The buffet was really good. We went to the one closest to the End Point. They had alot of traditional Mexican food too, so that was really cool. I didn’t take pictures much at the restaurants or of the food this trip. I should’ve here. It was like this huge open patio, and we were surrounded by the forest outside.
Went to the gift shop to get some stuff. I had chosen some stuff out with Myk, and was lining up to pay when all of a sudden here comes my brother following some Mexican girl in traditional garb holding a basket of stuff he chose. And she butt in front of everyone, and my brother got to pay before everyone else!!! Anyway, then Myk wanted to check something else, so I went out of the line. But I guess these girls work on some commission (or some other bonus). They walk around with these big baskets, and put your chosen items in it, and just follow you till you’re done shopping. Then when you’re done, they just buttinski to the register for you. OMG…it was hilarious. So Myk finally made her choice, and some girl with a basket comes up to me, and my brother pushed me to use her, even though we only had 2 dinky items. And she butt in line of 2 people for me!
They had this 2 hour ”Xcaret México Espectacular” show that runs from 6:00-8:00pm. Hugo said that the Mexicans are really proud of this show as it showcases different eras, from the Aztecs to present time. And I noticed even early on that there were alot of locals at Xcaret. You would think that there would be mostly tourists, but it wasn’t the case. I think the theatre was 85% locals. Originally we were thinking of skipping this show as it would be kind of late, but since my bros didn’t get to swim, we thought we’d make the most of the trip to this park.
It was getting really dark, but as we walked to the theatre, there were so many friggin’ cool things to see.
Everyone came into this building and was taking photos of this thing, so I thought it must’ve been some important religious thing to the Mexicans and joined along. Hugo later told me it’s a preserved tree from the very olden days.
Lighting candles for the dead, I think.
So this was the really cool part. As you’re walking closer to the theatre, there are all these actors/actresses dressed in Aztec garb. They are all a part of the show.
This shot is so funny. I had yelped to Colton to do his warrior pose. And the actor obliges, and Colt gives me UFC. Seriously, their costumes were just amazing!
So the show starts. It’s pitch black, and they gave everyone candles to hold (for the beginning).
So yes, the show was so incredibly awesome! I only have a few pictures as the beginning of the show was so pitch dark most of the time. And then my camera battery died, so I only really have pics of the first 15 minutes of the show.
Colton slept through the whole 2 hours. He did alot of walking that day. But the rest of us were just transfixed the whole show. There was storyline, and there was amazing dancing and costumes too.
So it was super-dark when we left the park. Got back on the highway easily, but there were no lights whatsoever. You couldn’t even see what was on the billboards by the side. And to make it worse, it was a downpour of rain, and even with the windshield wipers, it was hard to see. The Hwy was also flooded in parts. You could tell Al was a bit nervous. All of a sudden the light turns red. My mom tells Al, and I guess he didn’t realize it, and so he guns through the red. The next thing you know…woo-ooh-woo-ooh!!! Seriously, can you imagine how all our hearts stopped?!?!? You hear all these horror stories of Mexican cops, and here we are, in a situation where we really are pulled over by a Mexican cop!!!
So this young cop sidles up to the driver’s side, and he speaks Spanish to us. We speak rudimentary and slow English to him. He does this nervous laugh, and points to his pad and goes: “Ticket.” So Al apologizes and says he didn’t mean to, and all that jazz. Mr. Cop is shaking his head that he doesn’t understand what we are saying. So yeah, here’s Al pretending he has completely no clue what Mr. Cop is saying. And I’m pretty sure Mr. Cop understood some English, but pretending he completely didn’t either. So he takes Al’s drivers’ license, and wouldn’t give it back (which really freaks us out). And he’s still yabbering away in Spanish. I’m poking my head forward as I took 3 months of Spanish in college and I’m hoping to catch a bit of what he’s saying. Doh-ness. Seriously, I was like: “No comprendé” alot. But after your 10th “No comprendé” to Mr. Cop, even you’re trying to hide that you’re really starting to get annoyed. So we ask if he’s going to give us a ticket, and he smiles. Fucker. So he communicates that we have to go to “policía estatión” to pay the ticket. That we got from him. I saw it on the drive up, so I think I kind of knew where it was. But Allen didn’t, so he tells the cop he doesn’t know where it is, and if we could follow him there. The fucker smiles again and shakes his head ‘no’. So we ask if he could give us the ticket, and we would go pay it. And he smiles again. You could tell Al was getting a bit pissed off now. So he asks once again for the ticket, and his drivers’ license. But Mr. Cop communicates that Al can’t have his drivers’ license back. I mean, we were ready to throw our hands up in the air. We didn’t know what this fucker wanted. I mean, we could’ve offered him a bribe right then and there, but the twins were worried that if we did that, then he’d pull us in for bribing him! So I swear this stupidity went on forever, and we finally asked him how much a ticket is. And he goes: “600 pesos“!!! 
I have coinage pesos, and so my brothers and mom finally gather up 600 pesos (luckily they had it), and give it to him. He smiles, and he gives Al’s driver’s license back to him. Ah, the relief. And then he points to the money and asks Al, “Tip?” So Al is scared he’s going to get in trouble, so he’s like, “For ticket.” Mr. Cop says once again: “Tip?” Al: “For ticket“. Mr. Cop: “Oh no no.” And he hands us the money back. Oh for fucking crap almighty’s sake! What is his problem!??! I think by this time Al is exasperated, and goes: ”No really, what do you want us to do?” I mean, geez, could he not accept the bribe without us coming right out and saying: “Mr. Mexican Cop, we are now illegally offering you a bribe, which we hope you can accept on good faith. Nothing will make us happier.” I swear we all just stared at each other for the next minute. Finally Mr. Cop looks into the van, at the kids and my parents. Then he tells Al that he did an “infracción” and that it’s really bad, and basically that he will let us go and not do it again. Seriously….seriously…was he playing with us?!?! Whatever, we just about shit our pants there, but we were finally on our way. Allen pulls back on the Hwy, and we all scream at him to drive slow! There is a police car sitting at every light, just waiting for some tourist to run a red. And on our drive home, we saw 3 other cars get pulled over. Yes, it was quite the scene.
So then Allen starts going on about how he has to fill the tank up. I tell him to not bother. That the rental company will usually just charge you the market value for the gas if you didn’t fill the tank back up. But noooo…they wanted to fill the tank. So they stop into a Pemex station. One Mexican fella starts filling the tank, and another sidles up to Al’s window and chit chats with us. Asking where we’re from, where we’re staying. And yes, we were tagged-teamed! The other guy tells us it’s 200 pesos. However, the dude clears the amount on the pump so that we can’t verify it. So Al disputes it, and demands a receipt. Which throws the other guy in a tailspin. So after a bit, he finally returns with a receipt that says it’s 200+ pesos, but Al is looking at the time, and it’s not the same time. So then we’re all at a standstill, and the gas boy takes out his cel like he’s going to call the cops, and goes to the front to take note of our license plate. My mom was freaking out by now, and yells at my brothers that she’s really scared and to just pay them. So my brothers finally do it.
You know…we were on such a high from watching that amazing show, and then we cap it off by almost shitting our pants.
Anyway, so then we finally make it back to the resort. The buffet closed at 10:00pm, and it was past that time. So we decided to clean up, and head to the Sports Bar to gets some drinks and food. Christ, I needed a stiff drink after that episode!
Some of our NY family had come in the same day, and so we ran into some cousins there. It was awesome.
I found this Nacho Libre mask/cape on 5th Avenue. It was too cute to resist. Colton just loved it and refused to take it off. The Sports Bar had this Michael Jordan statue, but had his jersey number as “32″ instead of “23″. Of course I was cheesy and put Colt in his Michael Jordan jersey and made him stand by it.
The adults were all catching up and drinking. So the kids had a free-for-all at the pool table. At one point I realized Colton was on the dance floor, strobe lights going on, and he’s holding the pool cue like some staff, and doing all these martial arts maneuvers to the music. I totally got a hoot out of it, till he really started doing it for real, and smacking the pool cue tip on the ground (and yes, he’s watched some really martial arts movies where people used staffs). So I had to stop it. It was midnight by this time, so I shuttled them out to go back to the room, for bed.
It was an extremely jam-packed day full of many excitements.
In front of the Scores Sports Bar.
The Mexican restaurant that I never got to try.
So we all headed to the buffet for breakfast. OMG…my kids were just having a hey-ho being able to choose their own food. I couldn’t believe the amount of food Myk put in to her little tummy during the whole trip. The buffet was hands-down her favourite restaurant of the whole trip.
Then at 9:00am, we had to head to the lobby to meet our the representative (Hugo) from Air Transat, who would fill us in all all the questions we had, and the places in Mexico to visit, etc. He suggested some great excursions, but they were all pretty expensive. For example, there was one place where you could swim with the dolphins, but it cost $150.00 USD per person. He also suggested some markets to shop at. He was really good. We found out that all the staff at the resorts only make $8.00 USD a day! So they do appreciate tips. But that you don’t have to go overboard. That $1.00 or $2.00 would be appreciated after a meal, or something like that. Geez, considering they only make $8.00 a day! Poor things. I had put my tip for the maid on a counter above the mini fridge, but turns out you tip the maid under the pillow. That a separate person fills the fridge. We just got a standard room, so they only filled the fridge each day to include 3 bottles of water, 2 beers, 2 Cokes, 1 Sprite, and 1 Fanta. The person restocked my fridge and didn’t take my money off the counter, so I just assumed we don’t have to tip him. Hugo provided alot of useful tidbits. Like that the water they serve in the restaurants in glasses are filtered.
I don’t know what was going on with my kids. It must’ve been the excitement just palpitating out of their pores! They just weren’t listening to anything I was saying. By the time 11:00 came around, I was just so frustrated. My brother, Allen, suggested I drop them off at the Daisy Club to give myself a break. It’s a child minding service that is included in the all-inclusive.
There were 4 different pools at the resort, but the Daisy Club had the shallowest pool. There was a little cabana area where they also did arts & crafts. Lots of pool toys. Usually there was one girl minding the kids.
Anyway, I have no idea where my brothers and parents where after I dropped the kids off. So…I went tanning.
I ended up running into my brothers and they said they wanted to kayak. But the resort had this (I don’t know what to call it as it’s not like wind surfing where you stand up)…wind sailing? The bottom part is like this mini catamaran, and could fit 4 people. Anyway, we took lessons from this guy, and then we went sailing on it for a while. That was total fun. I was wishing my kids could experience it, but there was no way they could hang out. We would have been constantly digging them out of the water.
Afterwards we went to a pool where was a bar right in the water. Did a shot of tequila. I got a mojito (num!!!). Then we went to the beach to suntan.
A waitress walked along the beach to take drink orders and bring it to you. So I got another mojito. I tipped her $2.00 and she was so happy. I swear to God the next mojito she brought me had 3 shots of rum!!!
My parents ended up finding us on the beach, and found chairs to join us.
Then my brothers decided to go kayaking…
See the two red kayaks?
Anyway, by this time, it was downhill for me. I laughed and fell off my beach chair. My brothers ended up picking my kids up from The Daisy Club for me. Yes, people, I was drunk. In front of my parents, too, and I didn’t care.
My brothers took some pictures while I must’ve been passed out drunk. They took one of me with sand all over my face, but of course I deleted it! Probably after I fell off my beach chair for about the 2nd time. Seriously, I have no memory of even walking back to the room with my kids. Bad, eh? I just remember getting into the room with the kids, and us all having a late afternoon nap. My mom had booked the Italian restaurant, and we were all supposed to go. The twins knocked on my door to pick us up, and I had gotten Myk dressed up for it. Colton was still sleeping, so I told them that I was in no shape to eat right now.
So yeah, then Myk gets back. Supposedly the food wasn’t that great. So the kids and I are tired. I apoogized to the kiddies for drinking too much, and not feeling good in the process. Myk was so cute and rubbed my back and told me she’d take care of me. But then it was almost 9:00pm, and I felt famished. Like I had to eat food to feel better. So I got the kids dressed, called my brothers, and asked if they wanted to join us at the buffet. Myk was stoked as she was still hungry. I guess she barely ate at the Italian restaurant.
And yeah, that was my Day 2.
So we woke up super-early. From what I remember, we had a 5:00am flight, and I think we were at the airport around 3:00am.
The kids were so excited to push the luggage carts. This was their very first real vacation, and first time on an airplane. I was so stoked for them, as I remember how excited I used to be when I used to go on planes as a little one.
The Haida Gwai statue at the airport still always amazes me.
Colton was so excited to see the planes outside. Just had to show me.
So we’re finally on the plane. The airline (Air Transat) gave all the kids this special bag that was age appropriate. It had headphones, diary, pen, sticker book, and even some electronic toy. The plane was pretty full as it also contained passengers heading to Cuba. The kids were pretty good. Although Colton kept kicking the chair in front of him, and I kept getting dagger-eyes from the lady. I was on “Don’t Kick Your Chair!” duty the whole flight, except when he did lie down for a nap for about an hour or so. The flight was about 5 hours, I think (the wind was with us, so it cut the flight down by an hour). Myk only went to the washroom once. Colton a few times. I kind of put him in pull-ups just in case. And I actually could fit in the bathroom with him.
So we get to the Mexican airport and it was just crazy! While we were on the plane, they told us it was super-duper important to fill out these 2 papers. That if you don’t fill all areas properly, they won’t let you in. There was one for each person to indicate that you are there for tourist purposes. We’re all lined up for customs, and some Mexican airport people are telling everyone that we missed filling out the bottom part. So here’s everyone rummaging for pens and frantically filling it out.
My Mexican friend had already warned me that when you leave customs at the Mexican airport, that you will be accosted by all these “vultures” trying to sell you tour packages, or to help you with your luggage. Luckily my dad booked a package that included a shuttle bus to the resort. And even in the process of locating the bus, we encountered these Mexicans who started grabbing our luggage together and said that they were with our tour company!!! It was crazy! We had to grab them back and tell them we can carry our own luggage. Colton was just itching to pull our own luggage, so he actually grabbed it out of one of the Mexican’s hands. My little guy’s got some brute strength in that wee body of his!
So we’re on the shuttle bus heading to the resort. It was funny. There were some rowdies in the front of the bus egging the Mexican bus operator to make a stop for some beer. I think the rowdies were heading to the drink-till-you-puke resorts in Cancun. And the bus dude says that if everyone on the bus is OK with it, then he will. So the bus makes a pit stop at a 7-11 where the guy brings back two cases of Coronas. He made a mint too at $3.00 USD per can!
We get to the lobby to check in. The whole purpose of our trip was to attend one of my cousin’s wedding. So we were at an H10 hotel, and the resort was called Ocean Coral & Turquesa in Puerto Morelos. We stayed in the Turquesa side. While waiting to check in, we walk out to this amazing site…
It’s like this fantasy world.
We got our rooms. My parents and brothers were like 17211 and 17217. I got 19204, which was on the other side. Anthony wanted to move us to a room closer to them, but they didn’t have anything. I didn’t care though. It would have been more of a pain-in-the-butt to be on a waitlist for a room, and then have to repack and move rooms.
The rooms were gorgeous. It was a bit damp smelling, but it was the same with every other room. You can’t help it with the weather down there.
I can’t tell you how stinkin’ excited my kiddies were.
We decided to check out the beach before dinner. It was so warm still.
At the resort, they had their buffet restaurant called Casa Del Mar. You can dress however you want. However, they also had a Mexican, Japanese, Italian and Seafood restaurant where you had to be a bit more dressy, and you also had to make reservations. The first restaurant we went to was called Villa Marina (seafood), and it was so weird to not have to pay for your food. Or even your drinks. I only had 2 drinks.
Colt’s watching cartoons, and Myk is writing in her journal. That was her only homework assignment from school. That lasted about 2 days. The excitement just escalated within her as the days passed, and she had no interest to be writing. I let it go. She could update her journal when we got home.
Pooped from a long and exciting day.
Yes, I am back. I know I have alot of pictures to post from my trip to Mexico. It was just absolutely, amazing, fantastic, love love love loved it! I’ve had friends who talked about all-inclusive resorts, and I’ve never really paid much attention. Probably because I didn’t think I’d ever go on one anyway. But it was just beautiful, even with the rain (which I’ll get into in another post).
It’s been crazy since I’ve been back. It wasn’t that hard getting the kids back on schedule, since Mexico was only 2 hours head of us. I went back to work last Thursday. I was in Mexico when this big building move happened. I went from being in an office space of 4 people, to a big office space of 30+ people. My coworkers unpacked all my stuff, so that was awesome. I’m social, so I love interacting with more people. It’s just that there’s less privacy, of course. So it’s been an adjustment.
Yesterday I took Myk for a haircut. She has always talked about getting her hair cut short. Plus in Mexico, her two girl cousins have short hair. So she was all stoked to get her hair cut. I took her to this Japanese hair salon. They’re amazing with layering. I picked a hair style in a mag that looked oh-so-cute. However, this was where I made a mistake. Her cousins’ short hair is long at the front, but short at the back. The one I got Myk is short at the front, but long at the back. So when you look at her straight on, you really sense the shock of the shortness of the hair.
Coming from the hairdresser, she claimed she loved it. It was later when she got home when I caught her crying. OMG…I felt so bad. I told her she could tell me the honest truth, and that I won’t be mad. And that if she doesn’t like it, it will grow. And that we’ll never cut it short again. So there my poor baby is, trying to hold back her tears, and gulping that she really does like it, but that she’s scared that her friends from OOSC will make fun of her. Now, there are girls at her OOSC with short hair like her’s, but I can completely understand how it can be tramatizing for someone who’s always had long hair to go from that…to this!
I feel so bad. I should of been careful not to have chosen such a drastic cut. This morning I curled her hair, so that it flips in a cute way. Otherwise, even I will admit, that without the curl…it’s very boyish. And then to make it more even more feminine, I put a hairband on her. I didn’t want her to get teased that she looks like a boy. That would devastate my poor, sensitive daughter. I’m just on pins and needles wondering how her day went. How her friends reacted to her hair. I had told her that if they were her real friends, then they would not tease her. But kids are cruel. I’ve been there. I’ve done it. I just pray she had a good experience. She was so nervous.
OMG…Myk will remember this moment forever. The day her mother traumatized her with a hair cut! I, myself, have my traumatizing hair moment with my mom. I think I was in grade 3 or 4. My mom was cutting my bangs. She kept saying it wasn’t straight, and would cut more. This went on till my bangs were half way up my forehead. Bowl cut extraordinare! Right before school picture day too! I cried like you wouldn’t believe, and from that day on, my mom never cut my hair herself again. I was treated to the hair salon with her.
I’m going to go to the store and pick up a bunch of cute hairbands. I feel sooooooooooooo bad.
So she survived. I picked her up from OSCC and she was having a blast playing baton with a good friend of her’s. She got alot of compliments from her daycare workers and teachers, so she felt better about her new cut. Sometimes she puts the headband on in a way that you can’t see her bangs, and everyone’s been complimenting her on how her eyes pop out now.
I still felt guilty. I bought them McDonald’s for dinner. And yes, I bought her a slew of headbands. They had them for 5/$10.00 at Ardene’s.
I’m pretty much set. I just have to pack. I’ve kind of tossed the kids’ clothes into one suitcase already. I’m going to have to figure some space issues out. Myk has a Dora suitcase (from many moons ago), and I wasn’t planning on bringing it. I have 2 mid-sized suitcases, and I’m hoping to squish everything in those.
I’ve got to go out at lunch today to Forever 21. I want to pick up some cheapo sunglasses. I’ve got these prescription COACH ones, and I don’t really want to take them along. I can be pretty clumsy sometimes, and have broken many sunglasses in my time. I’m very careful with my COACH ones (which I used the $250.00 from my benefits plan to help purchase). But I know that when I’m in a ‘vacation environment’, I may misplace them too.
I know the kids are getting so stinkin’ excited about it too. It’ll be their first time on a plane as well.
Remember that I’m charge of the birthday cake for this guy at our work this Friday? It’s my turn on the ‘Birthday’ responsibility list. He is also retiring the same day so I got some donations from all the coworkers, and yesterday I picked him up a bottle of dark rum. Now, I’m not much of a rum drinker so I just did some researching on the net. I came upon a list of ones that won some awards, and I wanted to get this Khu Kri.
Personally, I just thought the bottle was just too cool, and a keepsake. However, I don’t think many liquor stores carry it. I was told that they don’t keep a huge selection of dark rums. But I didn’t pursue it as I don’t think we could have afforded it anyway. I got a total of $50.00 donated towards his gift, so I ended up getting some Cruzan rum that came out to exactly $50.00.
I have no clue if it’s good or not. It has a cork in it. One of my coworkers drinks dark rum, and said she would go for that one. And I’ll have to pick up a cake tonight too.
So last night there was a PAC (Parent Advisory Council) meeting at the school. I like to go to this first one as the Principal always give a talk about what they plan for the whole school year. Oddly enough, only some parents from Kindergarten to Grade 2 were there. They also arranged babysitting services, so that’s the only reason I can go too.
The kids were so excited to be able to go to the school, especially Colton. He fits right in there. All the grade 2’s know he’s Myk’s little brother, and always take care of him. Linda is actually watching 2 of the boys (Michael and Roy) that are currently in kindergarten at that school, so Colt is almost already a part of the school community there. I was also able to meet Michael & Roy’s moms too. So that’s always nice.
Anyway, most of the members on the current PAC have kids in the late intermediate grades, so they want to introduce some new blood into the PAC. I always kind of thought about it, but dismissed it since I do not have the time. I’m a single parent, and I work full-time. I can’t go in at lunch time or school hours like most of those moms that are currently on the PAC. They really needed a Treasurer this year, and believe me, there wasn’t any interest. You have to be able to collect money, write cheques, and make deposits to the bank. It takes up, as I call it, alot of “dinky time”. “Dinky time” that I don’t have, especially when I’m the sole person trying to balance my schedule, as well as my two kids. It would be different if I had a partner who could watch the kids while I was out running errands.
Anyway, one of the moms (Cecilia) in Myk’s class is a “Member At Large”. Meaning that she attends the PAC meetings when she can. You’re not really in a designated role. I volunteered…..
I know!!!! What the heck did I get myself into, eh??!?!? But lately now that I don’t get to pick up Myk from school, I feel so removed from everything. All us moms and dads were always so close. Mind you, Cecilia mentioned that now that the kids are in grade 2, that the parents rarely get to chat much the way we used to when the kids were in kindergarten or grade 1. That’s because we picked them from the outside door with those early classes. Now their grade 2 class is upstairs, and the kids rush out of the class when the bell rings like there’s some $1.00 sale at Walmart.
Anyway, I read somewhere too that when the parent is in a PAC, then the kids tend to excel more in school. Which does make sense, because then you’re in the loop of school-happenings. And plus the Principal and teachers are more aware of you, and will therefore pay more attention to the student who’s mom/dad is part of the PAC. And you know me. Any opportunity that provides more for my kids, and especially in education, I will try to do my part.
Supposedly right now the current PAC meets during a Wednesday (once a month) at recess time. I told them I can’t do that. So I think that they want people on the PAC so bad, that they will figure something out. One of the other volunteer moms also can’t make it during school hours.
And THEN….Roy’s mom asked the Principal what the school was planning to combat the H1N1.
The Principal kind of did this sarcastic chuckle, and said that they already combatted it since everyone in the school pretty much got it. Well, obviously Roy never got it.
So yes, remember when Myk was sick right after Thanksgiving and I had to stay home from work with her? THAT was when all the kids at her school were getting sick. They’re a small school of maybe 150 (??) students. And he said that at one point 36 kids were sick, which means about 25%!!! And you have to report it to the Health Department if 10% of your school population is sick. Little did I know that the Health Board was at our school. And there were confirmed cases of certain students that had the H1N1!!! I was a little ticked when I heard this. I mean, I would have appreciated the school informing us. So that when my child is sick, I know definately or not whether she does have the swine flu! Then I would have been so much more careful. But then I guess the school didn’t want to panic the parents. There’s enough panic out there as it is right now. Anyway, the Principal says there’s only 2 kids away sick now, so I guess the H1N1 passed through out school already. He said it just happened that ours was the first school in our city that was hit with the H1N1. And that he’s sure that it’ll move through the other schools within out city soon, and we’ll hear about it then since our school is small, and there are other huge population schools still to be affected.
And I was hemming & hawing about whether or not to give my kids the H1N1 shot. Now I know I don’t need it since Myk had it already, and therefore has the antibodies in her. Colton only had it for 2 days, so he had a mild case. Myk had it for 6 days.
Colton just cracks me up so much sometimes. He always has the best expressions. Such a little actor. That’s his sister feeding him some chex mix thing.
As you can see, I took him for a haircut at his Italian Barber. My mom is always telling me to just buy a shaver, save some money, and do it myself.
Let us go back in time, when I tried to shave his head myself, right before his 2nd birthday. And it grew out a bit already, so you can imagine the massacre I did on it. Luckily he was too young to be vain then.
I mean, it’s more complicated than it looks. His barber shaves his sides. But I always like the top of Colt’s hair longer (like a fauxhawk), so there is also alot of cutting (with scissors) involved. Plus Colton enjoys his “barber experience” way too much for me to take it away from him.
It was a real cold & windy day, and I decided at the last minute to take the kids out for pho at a Vietnamese restaurant. Well, they usually go for the lemongrass chicken on rice. I took some more pics of his hair…
There was some oriental barbershop next to the restaurant, and the lady owner of the restaurant was exclaiming about what a great job they did on Colton. I was like: “No…he didn’t go next door. He goes to an Italian barber.” Chinese hair is usually a coarser texture, and oriental barbers usually just do a straight shave. They wouldn’t know how to cut my son’s hair the way I want it.
So my kids are getting excited about Mexico around the corner. Myk has been drawing pictures of what she imagines it will be like. I guess she has some friends who have been to Mexico, and they have told her all about it.
I am glad that those kids have stressed the important aspect of the “Free Wine & Beer” stand. Holy crikies! You see it? On the top left hand corner.
Anyway, I’ve got so much crap going on this weekend that I don’t know if I’m coming or going! Myk’s got 2 Halloween parties to go to. Spelling test. We’ve got to go to a PAC meeting in the evening. I’m in charge ofa birthday cake on Friday for a coworker, and he’s also leaving so I have to go hunt for a going-away gift. Just crazy! And then there’s trick or treating, and whether it’s going to rain. I don’t want the kids to go and get sick right before we have to leave! Coming? Going?
My kids’ bedtimes are around 8:30-9:00pm. But prior to that, they tend to want to play together in their room. I’m so lucky that they get along so well. Now, they argue and fight like most siblings. But there’s no doubt that they adore each other.
The latest thing they enjoy is taking all my blankets and making a fort within their bunk bed.
So Friday after work I go and pick up Colton first. Linda helped them do a craft and he wore this the whole rest of the day. Too funny.
He needs a hair cut bad. He’s got 2 cowlicks, and when he was a baby, we nicknamed him “Pineapple” for a reason. Well, when his hair gets too long, he’s “Pineapple” once again. I was just holding off a hair cut till it got closer to Mexico. I wouldn’t mind trying to grow his hair longer, as I think he would still look pretty cool. But he’s got so much hair that it becomes a “process” to dry his hair after a shower/bath.
So then I picked up Myk so we could get her tooth filled. I have chipped my own front teeth before, and I never needed freezing. So I erronenously told my daughter that. Turns out because the tooth was chipped so bad, then the dentist wanted to do some freezing in case a nerve was hit. Yeah, she wasn’t too impressed and I felt so bad for misinforming her.
So yay! The tooth is fixed. Filled. As the dentist says, it’s a filling. So he has no doubt that she will be chipping the tooth many times before she gets a cap on it around her late teens. And to just come in and get it filled again.
I’m lucky I have such a great dental plan at work. Or else I probably would have to borrow money from my parents. Myk was telling me that many kids at her OOSC told her how they knew someone who broke their front tooth too. And that one said that the boy still hasn’t fixed his tooth. I mean, not everyone has a dental plan at work, and I can understand how that could be put on the backburner if they’re not hurting.
The weekend was pretty standard. The countdown to Mexico is on now, and everyone is pretty stoked about it. My brother brought me another mid-sized luggage. I have 2 now. I don’t think I need more than 2 mid-sized ones. But last night I was just putting the kids’ clothes in one, and it was already getting full! What the..! Good lord…
We were at the mall. Some bookstore was having a promo and handing out coupons, with this Rat mascot. It was weird because my kids went up to them. Then the rat did this “camera clicking” motion to me. I guess he wanted me to take a picture of him with the kids. And I just kind of stood there perplexed as to why HE was telling ME to take a picture. Shouldn’t I be the one to WANT to? Anyway, I took a pic for the rat’s sake. Or is he a mouse?
And I called Joel (ex’s) mom on the weekend. I am completely oblivious to what is going on with the ex now that I don’t have access to his email, and it’s great. And to be honest, I have no interest in following up with the drama that is always in his family’s lives. I hadn’t called my ex-MIL for 6 weeks. She sounded good. let me know how she was doing, and what Joel’s brother in Salmon Arm is doing. A sad piece of news is that her sister just got diagnosed with cervical cancer. Supposedly she hasn’t seen a doctor since the 80’s, as she never felt the need to. But she was peeing blood lately, so she finally went to a doctor. Ironically, her daughter is a very well-known and respected doctor in BC. But that’s also good in that I’m certain her daughter will make sure she gathers the best people out there to treat her mom. I will be praying for her. I only think that Joel is a piece a shit. His immediate family is always full of addiction drama. But his mom’s family has always been nice to me. Good people. Anyway, I didn’t relay any piece of news to the ex-MIL except telling her what the kids are going to be for Halloween, and what happened to Myk’s tooth. She knows nothing about Mexico. I don’t send them pictures of the kids anymore. I don’t trust that they won’t forward it to Joel. Who deserves no consideration as far as I’m concerned. But anyway, not going to talk about him anymore.Thinking of him makes me annoyed.
Oh! I finalized my will and everything got signed! It cost me $186.00, and it is so worth it to me. I just feel better about everything. That my kids will be taken care of in case anything happens to me (knock on wood).
Oh! And then I get a call at noon (while at work). I had put my phone on vibrate since I was in a 2-hour session this morning. So I finally clued in that I had a call…and I see it’s from her school. And my first thought was “OMG…what NOW!?!?” So I’m panicking that something happened to Myk again! But…turned out it was just the secretary phoning to remind us of the first PAC meeting of the year. She only calls parents once a year, and it’s for this. So yeah…talk about another scare this afternoon! Geesh!
