MY RAINBOW

Well . . .life is in full swing at the Simchuk residence. Mike and I were amazed when we realized that we just celebrated our 4 month anniversary. This was a bit shocking as we couldn't believe that our wedding day was ONLY 4 MONTHS AGO! Is this true? It feels like 4 years ago! Wait . . . not in a bad way . . . in the "we feel very comfortable" way. We have very quickly adjusted to life with 7 of us, and 2 cats and 1 bunny . . . and the future prospect of a dog -yes, we are NUTS!

Seriously . . . i am not sure what one expects when you put two families into a blender . . . I think you can get a bit ucky mess . . . or . . . you get a family of people with all personalities, different backgrounds, different disciplines, different strengths and weaknesses . . . and they make up a beautiful, colorful "RAINBOW!" The dictionary indicates the rainbow as "a brightly multicolored arrangement". Doesnt that sound to beautiful!! For a black and white person like myself, this is sometimes stretching and yet most times a very wonderful experience! I have loved becoming a wife again, I love being a step-mom (and a mom of course), and I love that we have been adjusting well. It is not without struggle and perhaps we are still "honeymooning" a bit . . . but "color" is definately GOOD . . . and rainbows are certainly one of God's most beautiful creations!

what we've hopefully learned . . .

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative the same night.
2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."
3. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
5. You should not confuse your career with your life.
6. Nobody cares if you can‘t dance well. Just get up and dance.
7. Never lick a steak knife.
8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.
9. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.
10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she‘s pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.
11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday.
12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.
13. A person, who is nice to you, but rude to a waiter, is not a nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)
14. Your friends love you anyway.
15. Thought for the day: Men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes; and it‘s up to the women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.

a little giggle

It takes 46 muscles to frown but only 4 to flip 'em the bird.

Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, where the heck is the ceiling.

What do you mean, my birth certificate expired?

The average woman would rather have beauty than brains, because the average man can see better than he can think.

Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They're about to announce the lottery numbers. - Homer Simpson

Advise please!

Well . . . we made it through our first week of "back to school" - yippee!! The kids all got off to their 3 different schools, Levi managed to find his way on the ETS, Colton and I made it to his school with out being late, and the girls got off on time without any issue - pretty good start to a crazy year ahead. Our driving schedule will be very hectic for the next year with football, dance, piano, bible study, cadets, swimming lessons, soccer, tutor and the like. Mike and I will really have to committ to finding time alone to spend together and also time with the kids . . .making use of driving time with them can be fun too.


Any suggestions/tips/advise, things that work for you to stay sane . . . from all my organized friends would be great. How do you manage all the driving, house cleaning, LAUNDRY, working, family time, etc . . . I need all the help i can get!!

"laugh til it heals"

Do you every just laugh so hard that you have tears pouring out of your eyes, you cant breathe, your laugh gets quieter and quieter and the pressure building up in your head is making your temple viens pop out? Today I had one of those laughs . . . it was at the expense of a good friend mind you . . . but it was FABULOUS . . . it hurt, i couldnt breathe and i laughed so hard i started to cry . . . i LOVE when that happens . . . thanks HODGE for the cheap therapy!

I'M BACK!!!

well . . . it officially 3 months late but i am officially back . . . i have many many things i could blog about but i think i will just give a recap on the last couple months, so here goes:

April 30: last day of work for a few months
May 1: right-hand Carpal Tunnel Release
June 12: left-hand Carpal Tunnel Release
June 28: Audra-lee came to Edmonton :-)
June 30: moved out of condo and into our place
July 7: GOT MARRIED! (and got some!!!)
July 9: Lulu the bunny died (funeral same day)
July 12: Audra-lee went home :-(
July 14 - 21: went on Honeymoon to Puerto Vallarta
Aug 3-5: Camping
Aug 7: went back to work
Aug 11-25: cleaning part time at the church (DONE NOW)

*during these months mike and i also rennovated our place, we still have alot to do but we are breaking for the rest of the summer . . . we have been enjoying our time with the kids, not so anxious to get into the new schedule with the 5 kids BUT i am sure we will fall into step quickly.

It is fun to be married again, it is great to be having sex again, it is interesting getting to know everyone better, it is weird waking up with someone, it is strange to be in this house sometimes, it is great to come home and have supper made (HAHAHAHA-ya right), it is a whole lot of laundry to do for SEVEN people, it is frustrating to have lost 3 nose rings in the last month, it is exciting to think about our disney trip planned for christmas, it is scary to be a step-mom (monster), it is fabulous to have someone love you, it is wonderful to get regular cuddles and smooches, and it was good to get this whole blog thing started again!!

Love you all . . .

LULL . . .

since finding Facebook I have been in blogging lull . . . i will post something VERY soon as I do have a lot happening, so . . .

Y'ALL COME BACK NOW, YA HEAR!

mmmmmm . . . yogurt

i was enjoying my evening snack . . . a bowl of fat free vanilla cherry yogurt from dairyland. it really was delicious and it made me think of how much i really love yogurt. i love the kind that you have to stir with all the fruit stuff at the bottom, i like the creamy ones, i like that there are so many fat free selections, i like the little cups and the big tubs - there is so much to love about yogurt. you can also mix a big flavoured one with a plain one and get more of the good culture that comes in the plain - your kids wont know the difference.

there are so many good flavours out there so i thought i should share my top 3 . . . let me know yours . . .

1. Key Lime (the kids favorite too)

2. Cherry Vanilla (lucie introduced me to this delight)

3. Raspberry (fruit on the bottom)

YUMMY!

DISNEYLAND here we come!

Today we started our garage sale - it has been a zoo - people really like junk - who knew?? the weather has been perfect, nice people coming by and lots of fun. We have gotten rid of well over half and the first day is not yet finished so we are excited . . . albiet its probably the cheapest garage sale people have been to - we just want the junk gone!

The proceeds are going towards our trip to Disneyland in January so all the kids have been working hard to make this weekend happen - we think their hard work will have paid off - a job well done everyone!

Edmonton Weather - ARGHHHHHH!

well, today is the 19th of April and YES, these pictures were taken TODAY! HELLOOOOO, its SPRING PEOPLE, hasn't this gone on long enough . . . .

2 better than 1

. . . I have heard that one of the most stressful times in a relationship can be during renovating. Well, Mike and I are renavating the house right now - together!

We are gutting the kitchen (we have hired out for the major kitchen part), putting in new cupboards, countertops, fixtures, fawcetts. We are putting laminate throughout the upperlevel, new flooring in the bathroom and laundry room. New vanity, fixures, fawcetts in the bathroom. We are painting the kitchen, dining area, master bedroom and bathroom. We are also purging our 2 homes in preparation for a garage sale in 2 weeks - I cant believe how much s*** we have (pardon me but that's exactly what it is). Today we did alot of painting and cleaned out Mike's shed (o h m y l a n d s - what a nightmare!). But it looks FABULOUS now!

Mike starts coaching soccer here right away (Madi and Sydney's team again), I am having my first surgery in 2 weeks, I am still trying to plan some kind of a wedding celebration, football starts soon, colton is in badminton for a month or so longer, and I am going to have FIVE children soon!!!!!! We are very busy but surprisingly sane.

In regards to the most stressful times comment at the beginning . . . yes, it has been stressful, but overall, we have done really well. Mike and I work very well together and the kids have been great! We are looking forward to making the house "our place"or as I would like to say "vanessa-ize" it a bit, it has desperately needed a womans touch.

So . . . we have ALOT to accomplish in a very short time but we get to do it with together, TWO is totally better than ONE!

Engagement Pics

THANKS BRETT FOR TAKING SUCH GREAT PHOTOS - WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!

Expressive Therapy

You know how there are alternative therapies like where you scream and yell on the top of your lungs to release whatever it is that is bottles up inside you? . . . I think it is classified under the umbrella of "expressive alternative therapies".

I am thinking that there may be some benefit to this "expressive therapy", cause today I would like to be VERY EXPRESSIVE . . . I am not sure how those around me would react, and I think my children would definately need some kind of therapy afterwards, but . . . it really does sound very comforting at some level . . .

. . . unfortunately in my world, there may be someone called in to perform an exorsism . . . .

Life is Good and GOD is GREAT!

Well, since my last depressing blog something pretty amazing happened . . . let me share . . .

This past Sunday AM at my church, The Park Church, I led worship for the morning service. I have led one song here or there, or co-led with our music intern, but I actually led the entire worship package for the morning on MY OWN. I Rehearsed with the band and frontline on Saturday, rehearsed with the band, frontline and choir early Sunday morning and the I, yes ME, led our congregation in worship! Can you imagine! It was a beautiful moment for me. It was very stressful and scary, and yet I felt amazingly confident. (My voice is strong and more rested these days and feels good after struggling with vocal chord damage for many years). God even spoke to me a word while I was getting reading in the morning to share with the choir and the congregation - soooo flippin' cool!

I came to The Park 4 years ago completely messed up, broken, feeling like I would never even sing on a platform with a worship team again - that I wouldn't ever be in worship ministry again . . . divorced and done for. Well, the last few years have been a painful . . . and wonderful journey. Sunday was truly a GOD THING for me . . . it totally wasn't about me at all, but God telling me that HIS PLAN for me is GOOD, I am not done for, He has covered me with His grace, He redeems even the lousiest situations and wanted me to know that HE TOTALLY believes in me! I feel today that if I never led in worship again, in that context, it would be OK - I just feel . . . content . . . wow, Life IS Good and God IS Great!!

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Col. 3:16-17)

sigh

some days are harder than others

(. . . I needed to say that outloud)

Megs, Meyme, Meggy

Or you may know her as Meghan! I thought I should do a little blog on my soon-to-be oldest step-daughter. In case you did not know already, Meghan has Autism. Her autism is considered high-functioning as she is very verbal, (did i mention VERY verbal!) Part of being autistic is the inability to be oh lets say "tactful or politically correct" - that part of her brain just thinks very differently. Alot of the time it comes across as rude or abrupt, but, alot of the time the things she says are just darn funny cause - there is no holding back or "impulse control". For example, she told me the other day "Well, when the Preacher asks you and my dad at the wedding if there is anyone who objects to this marriage, I will say I DO!!!" I laughed so hard! CHANGE would be another thing that is hard for a child with autism, the thought of change, the look of change . . . even small things that may change, is hard . . . so, Mike and I (or probalby more I) are needing to be sensitive to her during these next few months of MAJOR change and transition. You can pray for her and for ME as I am one of the "changes" that she will be adjusting to.

What makes Meghan Tick? SCIENCE, MOVIES, TV, FAST FOOD, her PETS, COMPUTER and her Oma's MASHED POTATOES and GRAVY. She has an identic memory which means basically what she watches on TV, Movies, reads in books, finds on the computer . . . STICKS . . . literally word for word, sound for sound, intenation for intenation. So yes, you could sit and listen to her reenact a Veggie Tale movie, word for word, sing every lyric to every song with exact pitch, tone, and wording and do all the voices, or, you could listen to the scientific explanation of DNA or the mating habits of spiders. If I need to interupt her during a "show" then I literally just say "PAUSE MEGHAN" and then once i have done what i needed to do, I can say, "carry on" and she will unpause her memory and keep going . . . without missing a beat - it truly is fascinating!

What are her struggles? Well, she has difficulty with food, which, becomes her parents struggles, trying to ensure she has proper nutrition. Her social ability to fit in . . . that will always be a struggle for her and part of the daily process in working with her. She is VERY tiny which i dont think has to do with autism but nutrition and genetics. She is almost 13, attending a fully integrated Grade 5 class with an aid, but looks the same ages as Sydney and Madison -age 9. She is impulsive . . . like when she tied her sheets together and climbed out the window cause she saw it on a TV show once! or decides to just go somewhere (the flight risk part) without the family knowing (getting better as she gets older, was more serious when she was younger). She can get "stuck" easily or fixated on something and it is hard to get her out of it or to redirect her if necessary - there can be serious struggles during these times - like if she though in her own mind she was getting KFC for supper, and then didnt - YIKES - WWIII! She is definately DRAMA, which totally fits the rest of the dramatic family (have you ever spent time with me - hello)!!

My kids do really well with her and I have been so proud of them . . . she loves Levi and he loves her back. I am learning and growing in my relationship with her - I am a BLACK and WHITE kinda woman . . . I like things done a certain way, you should look, dress, act, and behave a certain way (ok, my way) . . . well, Meghan has thrown some GREY into my world and some pretty VIBRANT COLOR too! Her innocence, her sweetness, her fiestyness and attitude are all what make her MEGHAN!

I LOVE YOU MEGGIE!!

health wisdom

This came from my friend's blog - thought is was darn funny - sorry for being a copy-cat Maria!

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION . . .

Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you!!

VANITY starts with the same 3 letters as VANESSA!

I was feeling completely vain today and so i thought i should repost a blog that MIKE had posted about me some time back . . . the title is . . . 50 rEasOns Why i LoVe vanEsSa!! you will likely not enjoy it as much as I did but hey . . . it was darn sweet!!

1. Beautiful Eyes 2. Smart 3. Impressive Administrator 4. Creative 5. powerful voice 6. Nice backside 7. Great bottom 8. classy dresser 9. good friend 10. fun to be with 11. discerning 12. love the smile 13. sweet lips 14. good to my kids 15. a great mom 16. good cook 17. organized 18. funny 19. loves God 20. passionate 21. good wrestler 22. outdoors person 23. likes to camp 24. great nails 25. impressive computer skills 26. straightforward 27. pet lover 28. giver 29. prays hard 30. disciplined 31. quick on her feet 32. formidable opponent 33. strong 34. gentle 35. great back rub 36. eye for detail 37. Flinstone feet 38. amazing calves 39. great swimmer 40. just competatitive enough 41. affectionate 42. thoughtful 43. great kisser 44. a real partner 45. hard worker 46. babylicious 47. soulful singer 48. patient 49. adventerous 50. Encouraging

ok, you can all puke now!!

more life reflections . . .

My second favorite
household chore is
ironing . . .
My first one being . . .
hitting my head on
the top bunk bed
until I faint.
-Erma Bombeck-

life reflections . . .

IKEA . . . not a good IDEA!

I LOVE IKEA and Mike and I were so excited to head off their last week to work on planning our new Ikea kitchen! Well, that turned out to be nothing but a GONG SHOW . . . the computer kept shutting down . . . it wouldnt accept our measurements and when we asked for help the lady LITERALLY said she wouldnt help us. We go down to tell a manager about our frustrations with the system and staff . . . and his response was not much better, he said "well if we helped everyone who was here to "dream" about a kitchen we wouldn't get anything else done". Mike was steamed, I was just like "whatever"!! Albiet, neither one of us was feeling very computer savy on that thing, but we just needed a little direction and help, come on people . . . so now, Mike is still steamed and I am just sad. Bye Bye Ikea Kitchen . . . but, HELLO very very helpful lady from Home Depot that we met with on Friday . . . thank you Katrine, you have rekindled our hope for our reno's and our faith in the home reno retail business!!

PS. the SMILING faces in this Ikea ad are NOT the people that served us!!!

The Plans Have Changed

This whole wedding thing has proven to be quite stressful - even with only 50-60 people I have found that you still have to do all the same stuff - the church, the ceremony, the music, the program, the reception, the food, the $$$$$$, - even a small cheap wedding is NOT CHEAP!!

So, Mike and I have made a decision . . . we are going to have a VERY small wedding (25 people including the 7 of us!!) - basically our immediate family. We would love so much for more of you to share in our day as we love you very much, however, with renovating our place, and me having carpal tunnel surgery on May 1 (right wrist) and June 5(left wrist) which puts me out of commission for about 8 weeks total, the kids and I moving, etc, etc, etc - it all seems to be overwhelming AND, I REALLY want NEW FLOORING :-) Gotta have priorities!

We will have a small ceremony and more of a dinner party style at my parents house. It actually feels really good and like the right thing for us . . . and DOESNT mean that we dont TOTALLY love all of you . . . we will be on holidays for a couple weeks following the wedding and would love for you to come over for games and food - well, give us a day or two of ALONE TIME please!!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE, Vaness

Valentine's 2007

| View Show | Create Your Own

chicken and salad . . .

. . . chicken and salad, chicken and salad, is there more to life than chicken and salad . . . oh diet . . . why do you hate me so!!!

13 Pounds gone Baby!

Ok, with so much to lose 13 is but a drop in the bucket - BUT, it is 13lbs - yippee and 1/2 way to my 25lbs wedding goal!!! I think I might be able to do this dumb diet thing afterall!

And if you are trying to read those numbers on the scale - GOOD LUCK and it's not even me anyways!! (hehe)

The Realities

So, all this engagement stuff is really exciting and fun as so it should be . . . yet, there is a very real side to all of this too. We are blending 2 very different families and we will have 5 children all within 3 years of each other - how many teenagers :-) !!!!!! I have asked myself many many times if this is really ok or if i am living in a fantasy or something - and there is this voice (not a soft voice - more of a screaming voice) that tells me that 5 children is no fantasy and that being down this road once already and it didnt work out is really not fantasy!!

So, I guess that means that I have spent alot of time praying and alot of time talking and alot of time reading and the conclusion that I came up with was . . . I would rather do this journey with Mike and his family, than without them.

I have decided to share my prayer list with you so that you can pray for me (us) if we come to your mind . . .

a) the kids and their transitions
b) me in learning to understand Mike's children better and vice versa
c) our marriage counselling classes (we have already done our inventory test for 2nd marriage with children - very interesting)
d) the stresses of planning a wedding, planning a garage sale, rennovating our duplex, moving me out of my place, bringing 2 households into one and just all the rest that come with everyday life
e) that I will be open to listen, to learn, and to learn from my past mistakes . . . there is alot at stake here
f) and to win the lottery :-) of course i will share!

Love you all, thanks for allowing me to download.

Vaness

The Ring

i discoverd that taking pics of a ring is not easy nor do they do it justice, but for those of you who cant see the real thing yet - here it is. it is a citrine stone, set in tiny engravings/diamonds all around and on the band - it is very vintage yet modern. i competely didnt want a ring, especially since the size i would want would make people think i am a j-lo wanna be, so, i decided for a second marriage a neclace or something would be very special. however, once we saw this stone and setting we both loved it and it is really me - I LOVE IT!!

It's Official!!

Well . . . YES, I am engaged! Mike (and all the kids) proposed to me on Friday night. It was very sweet and fun and everyone seems excited - including me!! My ring is a big CITRINE stone and quite vintage looking, I love it! The date is 07-07-07 - at 7pm and there will be 7 of us blending together - fun stuff! I'll keep you posted as the details come together.

PS. I am down 10lbs - yeah!

THE DIET: DAY 2

HELP!

I hate this so much and can't even believe I am going to write on the blog about this MOST PERSONAL and EMBARRASSING subject, but HERE GOES . . .

OK, I need to lose like 90lbs HOWEVER, that seems like too overwhelming amount for my lame brain to comprehend. So, I am going to lose 25lbs before July. I know it shouldn't be a huge deal, but for a pathetic emotional eater like me, it feels overwhelming . . . that's where all my friends come in.

Please, if you have any suggestions, tips, advice, prayers or recipes to share with me, it would be much appreciated.

THERE, I've said it, now I'm accountable, I expect all of you to be hounding me, pushing me and supporting me!

I MUST I MUST, I MUST DECREASE MY BUST (and butt, and gut)!!

Being Flexible

Last Sunday, Mike and I and the kids all went skating at Hawrelak Park. The ice was so aweful, really soft and extremely bumpy. I fell on my big old butt 2x in about 5min and one would think that with all this padding it wouldnt hurt - well, WRONG!! and both mine and Mike's feet hurt so bad in the skates that we couldnt stand it.

The day was actaully quite stressful (mostly me being stressed) and a gong show!! However, the kids are troopers and had an fun time.

Sometimes I have this idea of how things should look, what kind of a day I expect it to be and when that doesnt go right - I stress - there are lots of things I need to learn, and not being able to control everything would be a challenge for me, so, here's to relaxing, chillin, going with the flow and being flexible!! A good resolution for me in 2007!

Call from an Old Friend

I got an unexpected call from on old friend tonight - it had been about 3.5 years since we last talked and our connection during the 6 years I lived in Brampton were infrequent. I have thought about her litterally hundreds of times over the years and have so many good memories with her. She was the maid of honor at my wedding, we have been through some crap together, and we have had ALOT of fun and laughs together.

So, hopefully you are reading this tonight TANIA (aka Tumbleweed) as you hold down the fort at the hotel . . . it was GREAT connecting with you, let's not let so much time go by this time . . . much love,


Vaness

2007

You know, one would think that with the year 2007 having a #7 in it that it would be the most fantastic year - you know, God's # and all . . . however, only 6 days into 2007 and all i can say is ARGHH . . . SHEEEESHHH . . . SIGHHH . . . and even a few # $ @ ! % @ # !!!!!

. . . sorry, just been one of those weeks.