And...

what makes me so mad is that Kim and Tyrone act like we owe them because Tyler makes lots of money. For one thing Tyler works for hard for his money, 10 hour days for 11 days straight if not more. Not to mention that he is away from home that whole time. Plus he had to work his way up to where he is by going to school and working to get his apprenticeship hours in. During this time we had NO help from his parents. Meanwhile Tyrone was living rent free at his mom's house while he skipped his schooling (he was attending Devry) to play poker &/or drink. Tyrone has every excuse in the book why he isn't farther ahead in life and why none of it is his fault but I disagree 100%.

My uncle got Tyrone a job last January after he met him at Christmas and found out that Tyrone was jobless and had a baby on the way. It was bushwork so tough, away from home but good money and that's what you get when you have no education. After a few weeks Tyrone quit by not showing up when he was suppose to. His excuse was that he didn't know what was going on or that he didn't have a ride to get there (which is garbage cuz he talked to my aunt a few days before). Plus who ever heard of a company getting you to your job...you get to your job or the pre-arranged group busing. So anyway there was a lot of whinning from Kim and Tyrone about how they didn't like him being away from home cuz she was a few months pregnant. Yet at this point Tyler had been doing it for about two years. So we have made the sacrifices that have put us in the position we are in now.

Tyler's parents basically give him no credit whatsoever for what he has accomplished: married, home owner, journeymen, no knocking women up after one month...all before the age of 24. And with no help from them...here is a comparision.

Tyrone: was bought his first vehicle...wrote it off in an accident and lost his license for DUI.

Tyler: bought his first vehicle FROM his dad for way more than it was worth as he then had to sink $2500 in it to get it road worthy.

Tyrone: lived rent free at his mom's for several years

Tyler: paid rent from the moment he turned 18, was the only one in his household with a job when i met him (step mom retired, dad unemployed).

Tyrone: gets cash donations from his parents all the time

Tyler: lent his mom money when she lost her job

Tyrone: got plenty of hand me down furniture

Tyler: bought his dad's shi-tay couch set and tables from him when he moved out

Tyrone: dad offered to pay for his wedding as he knocked up his girlfriend of a month

Tyler: offered to pay for our liquor but then took all the money from the toonie bar

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Um, yeah...

So Tyler and I were thinking of doing "no birthday gifts" for this year for like parents, siblings, etc. The one person we'd likely buy for still is Kira who would be one this year. Other than her everyone else is old enough to buy themselves things. So we told Tyrone and Kim about it and that weren't too enthusiastic - probably cuz they go to the dollar store for us and buy us junk and we buy from their list. I'm pretty tired of going to lots of effort and spending my hard earned dollars on other people when they don't return the favor (in effort at least). Plus Tyler's work is sporadic so it's nice for us to save sometimes. Her was Kim's email response last night:

This is going to sound greedy, but, I like the idea of you guys not buying b-day gifts and was thinking of doing it myself, however, my birthday usually goes by un-noticed most of the time and being that last year was the first year I spent my birthday with Tye's family, I want to see what happens this year. Then I think we'll re-visit that idea.

What the f*ck does that mean? Please comment.

Lily Allen

If you every want to expand your music tastes try checking out Lily Allen. She's a British rocker with some fun lyrics...I'm possibly attracted to her music simply for the hilarious accept LOL

www.lilyallenmusic.com

Swimming

I went swimming this morning which was the first time in two weeks. I don't understand why I am so motivated some times and so not motivated others. I am going to a counselor tomorrow so hopefully she will have some insight &/or a prescription that can help LOL I am also asking her advice on how to deal with my inlaws.

My Weekend

So remember how Tyler's parents spent the night Friday so they could go shopping? Well first they wanted to go out for breakfast. I told them I had a nail appointment at 9am so they could wait for me or go without me...so they went without me cuz they couldn't wait that long. Tyler went along. After my appointment I called to see where they were, at totem shopping. So I told Tyler I'd meet him at home. An hour later I called him again and said "Didn't know it took an hour to drive 3 blocks?" So he got home at 11:00am. So basically we had about 24 hours together as he had to leave on the bus the next day (Sunday) at 12:30pm.

Tyler's mom called Sunday morning to ask us when we are getting together again. We just spent the weekend with them on Easter, plus Mary came to my spa party last weekend so I saw her again too. We just can't seem to get away from these people. Tyler actually responded to his mom "I don't know. I just saw you. I want to spend some time with my wife." Which was nice to hear.

Tyler's job in Fort Mac is hopefully ending on May 3rd so he'll be home for a while then. I want him to look for some work locally at that point, he wants to build our fence. I like when he's home but I hate when he's home and not working because:

a) I am still at work.

b) We then have little money coming in, but money still going out.

c) He gets lazy & unmotivated (as anyone who's off work would).

d) He gets really needy as he's home alone all day,.

e) Tyler's dad seems to think that Tyler's time off equals free labor for Tyler to help renovate Willie's house.

On a positive note I am my Great Aunt Sara called yesterday to tell me she's planning on coming down for my Home & Gift party and a few days of visiting, fun!

AAARGH!

So I invited Tyler's dad & stepmom for dinner tomorrow night (Friday) because they have been pestering us endless to come over dinner (read every time Tyler is home) so I offered for Friday because then it doesn't give them the opportunity to come for the whole day like Saturday would. Tonight I get a phone call from Tyler's dad asking if it would be okay if they could spend the night. I asked why...he said because they wanted to go shopping in the morning. They live all of a 30 minute drive away. I also want to point out that they refused to spend the night on Christmas Eve because they "like to sleep in their own beds".

It's probably only annoying cuz it's them.

Sam: Ugliest Dog in the World

Pictured Left:This dog freaks me right out so I had to share it all with you.

Sam is a Chinese Crested Hairless but the breed isn't normally this freaky (shown at bottom right). He is a real dog and has won the "ugliest dog" title several times. He actually died shy of his 15th birthday on June 28, 2005.

Susie Lockheed (pictured above with Sam), his owner, loved him fiercely despite his appearance. A direct quote that sends shivers down my spine from her "I have snuggled Sam under my blankets on my bed for six years." For more information you can check out Susie's blog at http://samugliestdog.typepad.com/.

And...

I do know the difference and right way to use:

too & to

But i think i frequently use the wrong ones due to my brain working faster than my fingers...

Outlaw Inlaws

This stems from my entries on weddings and in-laws...I began to write about my friend Shelley's wedding and her in-laws but it is way to complicated and detailed for one blog...here's a start of it.

-Shelley’s parents were happy to help out financially with the wedding as the couple was just starting out. Scott’s parents would help out to a degree however there were strings attached: they wanted receipts for purchases, would only pay for certain items, insisted on inviting 75 of their personal guests (at a cost of $20/plate) and wanted pretty much everything done their way. Also, they offered to pay for the liquor and told Scott & Shelley that the couple could keep the money from the toonie bar but at the end of the night the parents pocketed the money.

Budget Breakdown
Shelley’s Parents: $20,000
The Couple: $7,000
Scott’s Parents: $1,000*
*Did not include cost of alcohol or toonie profits as these are unknown.

Now I am not saying that parents HAVE to pay for their kids’ weddings or that they are required to pay as much as the other set HOWEVER I think if you don’t pay you don’t get a say.

-Shelley had 4 bridesmaids in her wedding plus a maid of honor, one of which was Scott’s sister. However Shelley did not ask both of Scott’s sister’s to be in the party, nor did she ask his niece and nephew to be in the wedding party (I think 10 bridesmaids & groomsmen are enough don’t you). Well this was the end of the world for Scott’s family. The sister not directly included, Michelle, called/emailed her parents to complain who then threw a big fit about it. Um, hello isn’t it the couples choice who they pick? Shelley and Scott asked the kids to do the guest book table so it’s not as if she didn’t give them something.

Sounds good. You can add that Michelle said that being guest book attendants weren't good enough for her kids, and if they weren't the ring bearer and flower girl, that they weren't coming to the wedding.

-At the wedding, during the “Welcome to the Family” speech, Scott’s dad talked for about 45 minutes (my best guess). It was 90% about himself (the dad) and how he had such a challenging life and how he’d like to thank his MLA…blah blah blah. And then 10% Scott - there was one story about the night Scott was born (the night it was revealed who shot J.R.) and one story about Scott borrowing his dad’s vehicle and getting an eyebrow ring (I’m still not sure of the relevance of that last story). There was exactly zero about welcoming Shelley to the family (I don’t think they even said her name) and there was zero about thanking Shelley’s family for putting on the wedding. This is especially heinous when you consider that shortly before Shelley’s parents went up and said a lovely (and concise) thanks to his family (not deserved) and a beautiful welcome to Scott.

-Remember how Scott’s parents paid for the liquor? An announcement was made that every table got a bottle of wine and we were to go up and get it. A guy at our table went and misinterpreted the announcement as one bottle of red and one bottle of white. Apparently we were suppose to choose as Scott’s mom came to our table (a table of strangers to her) and told us we were allowed one and to choose which one we wanted. She then proceeded to take the bottle to the table RIGHT beside us, sit on a male’s lap (no it wasn’t her husband, it was a half drunk guy in his 20s) and pass the bottle around the table where each person drank directly from the bottle. Oh and yeah they already had their one bottle of wine. Classy & nice, eh?

Message from Kyla

Everyone should take some time and comment on Crystal’s blogs! It’s fun to voice your opinion and it probably makes Crystal feel good! So, leave comments :-)

Persia

My cat is so vain she checks herself out in the mirror. I am not even kidding.

My gorgeous cupcakes

What do you think?

So I am going to write about something that I think will be controversial. It's why I think my sister in law should stop breastfeeding.

1. Kim doesn't have any decency to hide her boob when she's feeding. She'll just whip up her shirt and pull out her boob from her regular bra (not a breastfeeding bra) and go to town regardless of the company. I don't care what any of you all say about it being "natural" we all know that boobs are a sexual object and I don't think that my husband, me, my mother in law, father in law, step mother in law, or mother in law's boyfriend need to see Kim's tits. Especially when we are trying to play a game or eating. Could she at least grab a blanket?

2. Kim can't even produce enough on her own so she needs to take pills. Meanwhile she goes on and one about how the pills are expensive (and they're poor) so she should breastfeed all the time. She says that Kira needs all of these vitamins & nutrients that only she can provide. Hmm, I don't know about that...lots of babies don't die by eating formula or baby food instead of breastmilk.

3. Kim will drink all night and then go breastfeed. Is that how baby gets all of these secret nutrients moran?

4. Kira will be really whiney, crying and have to feed ALL the time then will nap...but when Kim goes shopping and we have to feed her pablem or baby food she is a super happy baby. And is very alert.

5. It strucks me that Kim uses the breastfeeding as something only she can provide for Kira so that she can monopolize her time and feel important. Kim was going to give Kira some baby food so I offered to hold Kira in the meantime so she'd have two free hands and Kim puts on a big show about "oh no Kira will scream her bloody head off if she goes to anyone else"...not two minutes later Mary got up to help and Kira went to her no problem.

6. Kira grabs at Kim's boobs all the time and tries to lift up her shirt. If she can do that isn't it a little creepy at that point?

7. Kira has a lot of interest in food (she nearly ripped Mary's arm off going for a cracker Mary was eating), eats well (when she has baby food etc) and can drink from a sippy cup. [See in the picture she is trying to eat chocolates right the wrapper]

8. She is eight months old...a recent statistic says that 90% of mothers have weaned their babies by 4 months old.

And on a slightly different note I just want to complain about something else Kim does: frequently when Kim hands Kira over to another person Kira throws a temper tantrum. But when Kim walks away it gets worse for a second but then she's fine. However Kim will walk back in the room and it'll start over again. It even happens when Kim gives Kira to Tyrone (the father). I feel like Kim has trained her to be spoiled for her mom and it makes Kim feel special so she likes it and doesn't try to make it stop. Down the road though, in August when Kim goes back to work it is just going to be painful for the sitter.

Also, I've asked Kim if they are going to have another soon (cuz Kim is 35 and not getting any younger) and at one point in the day she'll comment on her age and say yeah they are trying right now. Then the next moment she'll say, oh no I'd like to work for a couple years before we have another and we can't afford it right now. Um, those are completely opposite statements...do you have multiple personalities?

Pop Quiz RE my weekend

Questions:
1) Who annoyed me by repeatedly not using coasters all weekend?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
2) Who annoyed me by leaving half finished drinks all over the house?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
3) Who annoyed me by giving me a book called “Reframe you Blame: Taking Personal Accountability”?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
4) Who pleasantly surprised me by staying an extra day?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
d. Tyler
5) Who made it sound like it was such a big deal to leave by 1pm on Sunday?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
6) Who’s request to have two bedrooms was shot down by my passive aggressive way of leaving one room uber messy?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
7) Who had a birthday this weekend?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
8) Who made it sound like she was in a shitty relationship but made zero mention of ending it?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above
9) Who was incredibly cute and starred in tons of my pictures?
a. Kira
b. Dominic
c. Charlie
d. All of the above
10) Who kept annoying me all weekend just by existing?
a. Kim &/or Tyrone
b. Mary &/or Robert
c. All of the above

Answers:
1c (And there was no shortage of them lying in front of their faces), 2a(Kim), 3a(Kim), 4d (like anyone else would be a pleasant surprise), 5a, 6a, 7b(Mary), 8b(Mary), 9d(I love my pets just as much as I love my niece), 10a(Kim).

Swimming Update

In case you all were interested in my progress I have swam 16/26 days...that is about 60% of the time.

Question/Poll

To all the mother's out there who read my blog:
How did you know when it was time to stop breastfeeding?

Song List Dedictated to Shelley's In-laws

So I still haven't gotten around to writing a blog about Shelley's In-laws but I am working on a song list to dedicate to them. So far I have the following (feel free to offer more suggestions):

We Didn't Start the Fire - Billy Joel
Crazy Bitch - Buck Cherry
What Goes Around - Justin Timberlake
Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai
You're So Vain - Carly Simon
Devil in a Blue Dress [or was it more like gold?] - Mitch Ryder & the Detroits
Asshole - Denis Leary
Fuck the Bullshit - 311
Shut Up - Black Eyed Peas
Hate it or Love it - 50 Cent
Crazy - Aerosmith
Try Honesty - Billy Talent
No More I Love Yous - Annie Lennox
It's All Been Done - Barenaked Ladies
Move Along - All American Rejects
We Are Family - Sister Sledge
Come Together - Beatles

Creepy

So at this very minute my mother-in-law is having a bath with my 8 month old neice and my sis-in-law is taking pictures...is that not creepy?