Oh yes that was the monarchy so that they could live the high life off the peasants and not have to lift a finger themselves!  Now most countries have evolved from Monarchies to elected Governments and they obivously felt the need (and greed in some cases!) to continue witht this tax thing! 

Can you tell I’m TRYING to get taxes done?  And to top that off, I am waiting for my 2004 taxes to be completed by the appropriate department and that is apparent ly going to take another 2 months!  TWO FREAKIN MONTHS!  For some one to sit in front of a computer, look at what the system has on file, look at the paper work in front of them and say, “Yep this person has declared all income and has not missed any.” TWO MORE FREAKIN MONTHS!  And they have had it from the end of Novemeber and it has been sitting open in the queue since the beginning of December ….. grrrr

This is why I am NOT a tax accountant!

Okay now I’m done!  There was another 3cm on the ground this morning when I got up ….. So figuring that it took me 45 minutes to drive to work yesterday, I got ready and left early this morning. 

Smart thinking. 

Yeahhhhh ~ NO!

Today it took an hour!  So not impressed…..

Okay I was commenting to me Hairdressing Cousin on the weekend that I wasn’t too sure which I wanted, more snow or no snow.  No snow usually means rain and I DO NOT want rain.  I happily left the rain in Ireland, so no rain please.  I am liking this wind blows in and snow evaporates business, but still when the snow is fresh, everything looks so …. clean.

It snowed last night.  I think I’ll take the rain for a few days to clear the snow and wash away the grit.  It took me 45 minutes to drive what normally takes me 10 to 15 minutes.  How impressed do you think I was about THAT!  So yeah, this snow business?  Well I am ready for it to be over now.  Then I also don’t have to look like a dork going into the office wearing my pink snow boots with a business suit ….

Okay so these are from Christmas …. deal.

Usually I would write something witty about staying young forever, but well this year … this year I feel my age for a change.  How does 37 feel?  Today, old.  Creaky.  Tired.  But it is Friday and I have no doubt I will feel better tomorrow when I don’t HAVE to get out of bed, get dressed and head to work all before 8:30am.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME!

starting with the Monsters “Horse Play Sunday” 30 November 2008….

“were you ever in Quebec? Riding on a donkey!”

the Santa Key was delivered while we were out!yes it was really that cold and we were out in that!  The picture was taken on 13 December 2008

So today is a holiday in some provinces in Canada called Family Day.  Alberta started it in the late 90′s and well it is nearly just what is needed at this time of year.  We chose to take the monsters to a place called Shakers which is a glorified arcade that does have a play place (the size of which we couldhave gone to McDonalds for!), laser tag, a climbing wall and during the summer months, go-carts, Mini golf and some type of water thingy.  It was okay, we have been to better, but there was no climbing wall at any of the ones we have been to yet and as it is the middle of winter and the temps feel colder than they did in Novemeber.  We’ll have to go back in the summer to try out the mini golf (not sure how that will go over with Wee Blonde Child or Healthy Weighty Wee Man who both can have the attention span of a pea for such things!) and the go-carts.

In the mean time, Oldest Large Child and The Husband both had a go at the climbing wall.  OLC did a great job getting to a couple hand hold short of the top!  She said afterwards that her hands were starting to hurt, but she definately wanted to have another go! 

At the end of it all, it was a good weekend and we can’t wait for the better weather to come so we can do more together in our vast country.

not that I got any this year, but then the flowers end up dieing and I feed the chocs to the kids and well the hearts should be all year long not just one day …

so as you might know from some of my previous posts, I at times have issues posting pictures and at times that holds  up other posts and well then I gave up trying to post pics so now that I have a chance to post them I will post pictures from the past couple months…. (I was going to sayin particular order, but who I kidding!)

 on top of the world at the Banff Gondolamaking toast on the fire pit!My bab-bee boy!  (**sniff** **sniff**)“Hey! That’s for me!”“Mighty Machines!”

The school council at Oldest Large Child’s school hosted a Carnival d’Hiver (Winter Carnival) at the Lake in order to introduce culture from all parts of Canada to the school and also to coinicide with the Carnival in Quebec which the children learn about in school and the fact that OLC’s school is a French Immersion school no doubt helps. 

There was a “caban du sucre” that allowed my brood to try Maple Sugar on a stick for the first time, which me monsters found to be enjoyably sticky!  There was such an amount of people there and in the semi-darkness (it was 6:30 in the evening!), and everyone bundled up against the cold, it was hard to see who was there that we/I knew from the school.  Mostly The Husband and I just stood there looking at each other while trying to keep and eye out for OLC skating amoungst the crowd and minding that Healthy Weighty Wee Man and Wee Blonde Child did not cause an accident of ice skaters.  HWWM and WBC ended up going over to the play park, which lasted about 5 minutes until WBC announced that the toilet was needed.   And of course the evening wouldn’t be complete without the requisite free watery hot chocolate, which was so hot you had to carefully hold the cup so as not to burn your fingers while waiting for it to be cool enough to drink ~ Tim Hortons would’ve been proud! 

Pictures will follow once I am able to get them off the camera….