So much has happened, really.

I turned, er, an age that is, literally and figuratively, an f-word. Got my drunk on with very close friends though none of us got actually drunk. And we went home by 11. No need to call Children's Aid on us moms. I did, however, introduce the group to whiskey sours and some guy tried to pick us up.

He started on me because I was wearing the tiara and leopard print elbow gloves, I assume. He asked me to marry him and I replied, "Sorry, but that would really piss off my husband." Jules added with a guffaw, "Stay away from the cougar! She's the mother of three, you know." That scared the guy off enough to hit on my friend and gym instructor I shall call Tall Blonde.

Now, Tall Blonde is rather beautiful in a classic good looks kind of way. Perhaps that gave her the obvious experience in handling the guy with aplomb. She kept her distance but was really nice, later explaining that she was trying to get the guy to buy us a round. Then he made a comment about how Jules, Tall Blonde and I could probably kick his ass, which may be an astute observation considering we're gym rats. Tall Blonde then decided to ditch him and unleashed a barrage of intimidating questions. It was lots of fun! I didn't feel bad for the guy. He was pretty drunk to start. I mean, the guy stumbled to our table. And he really was just a baby. He was drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade, for goodness sake.

And I got a nephew on my birthday too (which I hadn't mentioned in that earlier post). When Baby Sister told Middle Sister and I that she was pregnant and when the due date was, I gave her a hug and said, "So, I guess I'll be sharing a birthday." Everyone, my parents, the husbands, poo-pooed the notion. "Your birthday is nine days later. There's no way." "You'll see," I replied.

Husband thinks I should play the lottery.

The kids are finished school and, mean mumma that I am, I am making them do a page or two of "homework" every day in order to earn screen privileges. On the flip side, I got a season's pass at the local outdoor pool which is just around the corner from our house. They all did well on their report cards. Middle Child was especially pleased because he finally got an A in gym, making him a true straight A student. Okay, he didn't get an A in music, but it is a well-known fact that the music teacher doesn't give A marks to anyone (which pisses Daughter off supremely. "I knew what mezzoforte meant in Grade 2 because of my violin lessons. I'm in two choirs and even I don't get an A.")

We just got back from touring the Maritimes as well. We've seen Western Canada many times, but not Eastern. Actually, Husband only has to get to Newfoundland, NWT and Nunavut and he's seen it all. We had a great hotel in Halifax, right downtown, spacious and everything. We did tons of walking which wasn't the easiest thing for Baby Boy to do, so he was carried a lot. I think we did really well to fill the days, though we did hit every candy store we passed.

My parents came too and had a great time. My father immigrated through Pier 21. He wasn't in the door 90 seconds when he began to cry. You see, Dad was paying our admission fee ("It's my honour and privilege") when the woman asked, as every Pier 21 employee and volunteer asks, "Do you have any history here?"

"As a matter of fact, this was my port of entry. I immigrated through here."

"Welcome back, then!" The woman reached down and pulled out two gold stickers that read "Pier 21 Alumni" and handed them to Dad. "You could wear one today and keep one as a souvenier."

And that got the waterworks flowing the first time. He cried a few times after that. Mum told me the next day how much he enjoyed the museum; how much it moved him. "I think he cried so much because he was thinking of his mum and his sisters and how much he misses them now that they've died." I kinda disagreed. "That's probably only part of it. He mentioned many, many times that he had recently retired and how he owes so much of his happy life to Canada." Dad is fiercely patriotic. He had also mentioned to one Pier 21 guide that his sons-in-law are a descendant of the United Empire Loyalists, the son of recent immigrants and a status Indian. That kind of shit turns my dad's crank.

And all my video that I took is, I think, wrecked. I think there's something wrong with the DV cassette, dammit. Photos are fine, though.

Oh, and I made the local CBC News on the first day we arrived. They showed the boys and I sitting on rocks and pointing things out in Dartmouth Harbour. Apparently, there's going to be some development there. We weren't interviewed or anything.

Daughter said the Pier 21 day was her favourite. Middle Child enjoyed the scenic countryside drives, the seafood and going to a Ministry of Fisheries biological institute where he got to see (and touch) mutant fish. Baby Boy's favourite day was the beach in PEI and the hotel pool.

And I bought myself a totally rad Six Million Dollar Man t-shirt to which Husband simply sighed and muttered, "When are your middle-aged boobs going to wear floral prints?"

I may be older, but I'm not sagging yet.