Just a bunch of random thoughts about being a mom to two little boys, finding time for myself that doesn't include drooling on the couch at the end of the day, and my constant inner struggle with "consistent" parenting. Because if there's one thing I know I'm good at, it's being Consistently Inconsistent...or as I like to say: Spontaneous!
I've only been blogging since April of this year so I still consider myself a newbie blogger. There are still lots of things I can't figure out how to do.
Like...
I can't for the life of me figure out how to put an Instagram button on my blog. It just doesn't work for me.
I REALLY want to be able to reply to comments in the comment section under a post...am thinking the only way to do that is to change to Wordpress???
And how come my image appears only sometimes when I comment on someone else's post.
Arrrrgh! Those three things drive me crazy.
If anyone out there can help me out with these things - give me some advice - I'm all ears and I'd like to thank you in advance!
Well, enough of that tangent. The whole point of this post is I'm linking up with Mommy2Cents and Chosen Chaos and sharing a post from my very first week of blogging. They're calling it "ghosts of blogging past"...great idea!
So here it is, Post No. 2 from April 2011:
P.S. IKEA, I Love You
I have a new-found love for IKEA. It's not for the furniture. It's not for the ball-pit/play area (although now that Big T is tall enough to go in, it ranks high on my list of reasons to love it.) It's not for the $1 chocolate bars or even the cute commercials with that funny Swedish guy...
It's the wine! THEY SELL WINE!! (whoops, did I yell that?)
You've obviously figured out that I'm a mom who doesn't get out much. (I know, sad) And when I do go out, I've usually got the boys in tow. Hubby and I don't have a lot of options for babysitters other than each other. (Insert violin music here)
So the other day my mommy friend and I took our big boys out for the afternoon to this idyllic mecca for weary mums. Our little ones got to stay with the daddies because after all, they're short.
After waiting about 30 mins to put the boys in "the pit" (a lovely sounding place to leave a loved one, I know) we thought, screw shopping...and we headed up (aka sprinted and giggled like giddy schoolgirls) to the cafeteria for some fries and wine...and because we're total health nuts at the moment so it was a way to get our exercise in.
And I've got to be honest...it was soooooo good!
Unfortunately our bliss was cut short when over the loud speaker I heard my name being summoned back downstairs. I had visions of being found out that my kid was in a pull-up - because that is apparently a no-no - but luckily it was just that the boys were bored and wanted out. Bored? I don't remember a ball-pit being an option when I was 4. I still think they should have a play area like this for adults but that's another post.
Here's a pic I took with my phone. Notice the $1 chocolate bars as well. I think I'll need to start taking my camera with me everywhere from now on because the phone pic just does not do this justice.
I would like to put Sir Toopy (I believe he was knighted by the Queen or some Queen-like character) up for nomination to run as Prime Minister of Canada...and President of the United States.
Ah, hell...I think Toopy should RULE THE WORLD!
Oh, and let's not forget Binoo. I would like to nominate her/him for 2nd in Command.
You all know who Toopy is, right?
If you don't, then you're either not a parent or you actually don't use the tv as a babysitter at times. Since I don't believe there are parents out there like that, then I'm going with you must not be a parent.
Anyhoo, I sincerely think that if Toopy ruled the world, it would be a much nicer place.
Here are 10 reasons I think he/she would be great as our leader:
1) Toopy is always happy.
2) He/She is very loyal and values people, places, animals & things...especially his/her best friend in the whole wide world, Binoo. He/She treats things with respect.
3) He/She never gives up.
4) He's/She's great at relating to foreigners, whether it be monsters under the bed, sea serpents in the bath, a fish in his/her boot...whateves. He/She sees the good in everyone.
5) He/She doesn't let little things get him/her down...always finding the bright side of life.
6) He/She plays nice with others and is never selfish.
7) He/She is very easy going
8) He'll/She'll turn your frown upside-down.
9) He/She sees the beauty in everything around him/her.
10) He/She stands for equality for all.
I think #10 is of the utmost importance.
Notice I've put "He/She" everywhere.
I have no idea what gender Toopy is - or Binoo for that matter - and I think this is one of the reasons I like the show so much.
In a world where a purple Teletubby becomes global news all because of carrying a bag and a huge controversy ensues regarding his/her sexuality (Really??) I love the fact that we can't really tell with Toopy. He/She wears a suit of armour and it's okay...a ballerina dress and it's okay. A princess one day, a policeman the next...and it's all okay.
And really, who cares?
Not me.
Not my boys.
So is there anyone out there who'd like to second Toopy's nomination to be the leader of the free world?
I've met a lot of nice people who write a lot of great blogs that inspire me daily.
So when I saw that Liz over at a belle, a bean & a Chicago dog was hosting MugSwap2011, which is sort of like a secret Santa for bloggers, I wanted in! And lucky for me and some other Canadians (or Americans living in Canada - ha! secret's out), she opened up the swap to us Canucks.
The idea is to make a mug with your logo on it, maybe a catchy phrase, and send it to the blogger that Liz matched you up with! How fun!
It's WAS a lot of fun. There was a little anxiety hoping my Mugee would like the mug I designed and also hoping the one coming my way didn't get lost in the mail. When it finally came and I opened it up, I was thrilled to see it was from Leighann over at Multitasking Mumma!
I love it!
She's definitely an inspiring blogger. Just look what her mug inspired me to do:
That's my somewhat feeble attempt at humour in looking like a "Multi-Tasking Mumma". See how I'm on the phone, baking a cake, drinking a coffee (in my new swanky mug) and blogging all at the same time? (Uh....yeah.)
I do sort of pride myself in being a good multi-tasker (and a big deal on my blog - haha!) so this mug couldn't have gone to a better home in my opinion. In fact, I think most of us moms are great multi-taskers...kind of have to be.
So Thank You, Thank You, Leighann!
My morning coffee never tasted so good...and my mid-morning coffee...and my afternoon coffee.
I guess you could say I was kind of a cat lady...but just a little.
Their names? Chloe (a black one) and Olivia (a tabby).
I think they really prepped me for life with kids.
No diapers, of course, but there was a lot of poop involved.
There was night waking too. Every morning at 4am, my sweet 'lil Chloe would sit by the front door and "sing" me awake. I'd go get her and bring her into my bed. It was the only thing that would shut her up. Hmmm, sort of the same as what's happening in our house right now, minus the sitting at the front door...oh, and the "singing".
So I say I was a cat lady...but I wasn't a CRAZY cat lady. It's not like I took them to sit on Santa's knee at the SPCA or anything. Okay, maybe I did...don't judge me.
It's not like I bought 'lil mini kitty antlers in the hopes of placing them atop of their furry 'lil heads to take a Christmas picture. Okay, maybe I did. But maybe they wouldn't wear them and so I didn't get the picture I wanted and maybe it was a big waste of money ...
... or maybe it wasn't ...
I now know that buying those antlers for my kitties was not a waste of my time or money or sanity because now, some 5 years later that action I took has a purpose.
Perhaps I bought them with some subconscious knowledge that one day the picture I managed to capture would be used for a higher purpose, like linking up with Taming Insanity and her "Antler Up" linky post where she's asked us to don a pair of antlers.
So without further ado, here is the picture that I did take of me and my cats with the antlers I bought for "them" ...
Please enjoy this most festive of holiday photos ...
You'll have to excuse the paisley couch cover. It was the '90s
Be sure to check out the other brave bloggers over at Taming Insanity who have donned some of the most impressive antlers I've ever seen. See what I'm saying? Brave, not crazy.
I think it's really important to have family traditions. I know a lot of people are using The Elf On The Shelf and I attempted that one last year, but after placing the elf high on a shelf in the kitchen and explaining it to Big T, he was so petrified to enter the kitchen (and I'm talking terrified beyond belief) that I knew that tradition was just not for us.
While out shopping I saw something that I thought would be perfect for us. Not sure of its official name, but I'm calling it "Santa's Key"... (just 'cuz I'm smart like that).
Since we live in a house without a chimney, Big T has asked on occasion how Santa was going to get in to leave presents on Christmas Eve. I think last year I told him he'd come through the door and he was satisfied, but that just sounded so blah...no magic whatsoever in that answer.
This year I told the boys that I went to a special shop and got a special "magic" key made especially for Santa and that on Christmas Eve we would leave it outside our door so he would be able to come in. Of course Little K instantly wanted to try it, but I stressed that it was magic and would only work for Santa...he completely understood. I love how they "believe".
So a new family tradition has begun. And it only cost $10.95.
I think it's pretty cool that when my boys grow up, they will have so many photos of themselves and the things that they did and that we did as a family. In this age of digital cameras and computers, they're going to almost have too many photos of themselves as children. But this is not a case of less is more! More is best!
This is an amazing time. Big T is in kindergarten and Little K in preschool and I get an hour and a half to myself 2 days a week they're learning and growing so much. Life is good. I'm not going to say it's not challenging most of the time at times, but I wouldn't have things any other way...well, it would be nice if they didn't throw their drink cups on the floor when they were done...maybe sleep more 9 hours a night, but other than that, it's all good.
Here's a couple of recent shots that really show off the personalities of my boys...
Big T is quite the fashionista...or is it fashionisto for boys? The point is I can no longer go shopping for clothes without him. If I do, it is almost a guarantee that he won't like whatever I bought. I've been burned too many times and I've finally learned my lesson. He's so particular about his clothes...can't believe it starts as early as 5-years-old!
I'm all for my kids having a say in what they wear because I have no choice afterall, they have to wear it and feel good in it.
These days, however, it's not so much what Big T wants to wear but HOW he wants to wear it. Take his jacket...apparently for a 5-year-old boy, it's cool to wear your jacket/coat like this:
"Mom, I like it this way"
Now, we're in Canada. It's almost December. It's cold. Not as cold as some parts of Canada, but it's cold. I think it was 2 degrees Celcius today. For my friends in the US, that's 34 degrees Farenheit. COLD! It no doubt looks weird that I'm wearing a warm coat (zipped up!), a scarf, possibly gloves and maybe even a hat, and my child looks like this! Hubby has attempted to tell Big T that this look isn't "cool", (no, it's freezing!) but Big T begs to differ. There's no changing his mind. Apparently he's not cold. And even when I have him zipped up on the way to school, the minute he comes in view of the place, he's unzipping it and pulling it off his shoulders.
We had a 'lil snuggly house guest for the past 3 days.
Meet Milo...
He is Holland Lop bunny and he is the furry 'lil resident of Big T's Kindergarten class.
We have been thinking of getting the boys a pet. We eventually want a dog but aren't quite ready so we've been thinking about guinea pigs. I think after having Milo around, our hearts are now pretty much set on a bunny.
The only thing is that Milo is an exceptional bunny, I'm thinking. He is completely house-trained/litter box trained. He is used to being handled since he was an itty-bitty baby bunny and so he is crazy good with the kids. He doesn't bite and honestly, his poop is not too offensive. Maybe it is when he eats it, but that's another story. And despite the fact that he fell in love with my right arm (wink wink) I could handle having him around. And honestly, my right arm is irresistible. Poor bunny didn't stand a chance. Oh, and Hubby's left elbow is pretty attractive too, 'eh Milo?
In fact, it was such a great experience that my only concern is that we won't find one as good as him...or be able to train a baby as well as he's been trained. We're definitely not rushing into anything and will take our time in finding the right bunny for us.
Awww, I'm going to miss this 'lil softie once I take him back to school tomorrow. And I have this no doubt annoying facet of my personality (yes, I will admit this) in that I'm of the opinion no one else can take as good care of him as we did. He surely won't have as much fun with anyone else.
Of course this isn't true, but I'm going with it anyways.
Up here in Canada, we've already celebrated Thanksgiving back in October, but in honour of our neighbours down south celebrating today, I've decided to give thanks once again. And really, I don't need an excuse. I have so much to be thankful for every day!
This is a public service announcement for Moms...so like a Mommy Service Announcement.
Oh, that's still not quite right.
This is a public service announcement for "Stay-At-Home" Moms.
Hmmmm, still not good.
This is a public service announcement for Stay-At-Home Moms with "NO willpower"...like, absolutely none.
Yah, that's good.
It's basically for moms like myself who, no matter how hard they try not to, succumb to the lures of "THE SNACK".
Something terrible happened today. In the grocery store aisle, I came across the most frightening of sights. It was an item so terrifying, yet so irresistible. I fooled myself into thinking that I was buying it for my oldest son, who could stand to put on a few pounds. "I'm buying this for him", I rationalized.
Well, as soon as I got this item home, I sensed I'd made a big mistake. I proceeded to open up the bag and have my son try it. No surprise...he liked them. And then he uttered the most dreaded words: "Do you want to try one, Mommy?" Arrrrrgh! Doesn't he know I have no resemblance of willpower at the moment? Not since putting my back out while helping Little K put on his shoes (hey, it happens) and having to put a stop to the 30-Day Shred, which I was doing so well on.
(Sigh) But I shouldn't blame my son. I'm always telling him to share, afterall. It was actually pretty thoughtful of him to offer me that heavenly horrible 'lil snack.
Luckily for me, I he finished off the bag this afternoon. It's the only way I can put the memory of this day behind me and move on with my life.
So before I let you in on what I'm talking about, please take my warning seriously! If you even slightly are having issues with willpower and snacking, do not - I repeat - DO NOT go searching for this item in your local grocery store.
Learn from me and my mistakes.
I'm probably going to need some sort of shock therapy to get over the memory of how this "snack" tasted...the way it was salty, yet sweet...how it was crunchy, yet also melted in my mouth....
Ok, enough! Here is what I'm going on about:
Now for the worst bit! Look at the back of the bag...(not for the faint hearted)
Need I say more?
Didn't think so.
(This has been a public service announcement for SAHMs with absolutely NO willpower whatsoever.)
Back To The Future, Out Of Africa & Rocky IV were all popular movies...
We Are The World was recorded...
The Cosby Show and Family Ties were two of the top shows on TV...
... AND ...
I wore these dresses!
The first, a long turquoise dress was handmade for me by my then sis-in-law and I wore it to our graduation diploma ceremonies.
The second, my actual grad dress, worn for a night of partying.
Up here in Canada we don't call it Prom. We call it Grad. White grad dresses were all the rage at the time so of course I didn't want one. I actually went in the complete opposite direction opting for a dark blue strapless number, but the alterations were screwed up so at the last minute I ended up with this 'lil Stevie Nicks number.
It ended up that there was another girl in the same dress...I thought it was funny - her not so much. Must have been because I looked so much better in it. (snicker, snicker)
I thought I was stylin'. I mean, look at those shoulder pads in both dresses. HOT! And check out my white, lace, fingerless gloves. Those would make Madonna sit up and take notice, dontcha think?
I still have it...the white dress, I mean. It currently resides in my Halloween costume box, just waiting for its opportunity to shine once again!
Wasn't it Sally Field who said at the Academy Awards one year during her acceptance speech something to the effect of: "You Like Me, You Really Like Me."
Today I'd like to adopt those infamous words of Ms. Field because there's at least one person out in the blogosphere who likes me and it's Caffe over at Caffeinated OC Mommy! Thanks, Caffe for awarding me this:
Of course with such a prestigious award comes some rules. And although I've been known at times to break the rules, I'm going to be a good girl and follow these.
So here are 7 things you don't know about me:
1) I love to gamble! Whenever I go into a casino and hear the "ding, ding, ding" of the slot machines, I get all giddy inside!
2) In high school I had a picture of Adam Ant on my bedroom wall and if you entered my room without knocking, you might have just caught me up on my dresser giving that poster a smooch or two.
3) I have three tattoos...not telling you where they are though!
4) I used to do theatre sports and was the only girl in an all guy theatre sports troupe.
5) When I owned cats, I actually took them to the SPCA Photos With Santa...(whaaat? The pics are cute!)
6) Way back in the early '90s a girlfriend and I took a vacation to Jamaica to a resort called "Hedonism"... (we had no idea...seriously!)
7) I've had various jobs so far in my adult life: bank teller, court reporter, display stylist, barista, cruise consultant, office manager, and most important of all: MOM!
I know, fascinating stuff! And now I'm going to award 15 Mommy Bloggers whose blogs I love!
I feel it only appropriate to start out this post with a picture of fireworks 'cuz fireworks kind of signify a celebration of some sort. And, man, I feel like celebrating!
I know, the suspense is killing you. What on earth could it be?
Have we bought a new home?
(No, better!)
Have we paid off all our debt?
(Nope, even better!)
Did we win the lottery?
(Nah, but I kind of feel like we have)
I'm not (gasp) having a 3rd child, am I?
(Hahahahahahaha!)
No....the news is...
OUR KIDS ARE OFFICIALLY POTTY TRAINED!!
This may not be a big deal to some people, but in this household, which has had so many ups and downs and buckets of soaking underwear around for far too long (I'm talking a good three years) this is BIG NEWS!
And lucky us, we've never needed to night train either! So you know what that means? NO PULL-UPS!
Wow, what can I buy with all the money we're going to be saving?
(haha...couldn't resist the Clint Eastwood reference.)
Ugh. I've heard myself utter these very words. I actually find myself wanting to say "I'm not your slave", but I refrain every day time I want to say this because then it would mean explaining to my boys what a slave is, etc, and going into the whole history, and whereas I think it's important they know about it, I'm not positive they need to be aware of it at 3 and 5 years old. I don't think they would comprehend. Or would they? Do they?
I think they're confusing me with a different type of mother. One like this perhaps?
When really, this is more my style:
These days though slave/maid/servant is pretty much how I feel as I hear my boys yell at me from their bedroom things like: "MOM, I WANT MILK" or "MOM, COME HERE" or "MOM, CAN YOU PICK UP MY TOY THAT'S TWO FEET AWAY FROM ME?" I'm really trying to put a stop to it, especially as I am the mom of two future "men" and have written before of my Big Plan to mold them into great husbands, thus making me the best woman/mother/mother-in-law in the world!! Muuuaaa-aaaa-aaaah! (That's my evil, maniacal laugh in case you were wondering)
I'm kind of sucking with sticking to my plan though, mostly because I'm inconsistent sometimes it's just easier to do things myself than listen to the whining that ensues when I ask for something to get done.
So I'm working on it...I'm giving them the words..."Mommy, may I please have..." It's working with Big T. Little K on the other hand replies with "No, I don't want to say that". This is going to take some time, but I'm determined.
I know one thing for sure...if I'm going to be a maid around here, this is the type Hubby would want me to be:
Remember the Griswold' s and their crazy vacations?
Aaahh, the family vacation.
I remember family vacations as a kid. Perhaps I just remember them from the pictures that my mom had, but regardless, I think back on them fondly. (I wonder if she does?) I recall my two brothers and I crammed into the back seat of our family car singing songs like "We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun"...okay, so I'm not exactly an 80s or 90s baby.
Where was I? Oh, yeah, crammed into the back seat of our family car. And I'm not talking about the mini-vans of today with fancy sliding doors that comfortably seat six. I can't quite remember the make of our family car back then, but it was just some type of sedan as I recall. Sometimes I sat up front in between my Mum and Dad, laying across them with my head on my Mum's lap, my feet in my Dad's, trying ever so hard not to vomit. (Yes, I suffered from car sickness as a kid.) Most times I think I was unsuccessful. I do recall the odd bickering between my parents; my mom yelling at my dad to pull over and my dad saying he had to find a good place to do so. By the time he found a place, it was too late and I had spewed all over. (I know, nice visual. You're welcome)
As an adult myself and having just returned from a mini family vacay, I'm wondering: is it worth it? I ask this having just been away for only ONE night! With Hubby not getting any holidays 'til next summer, we thought we'd just take a 'lil trip over to Vancouver Island. The boys could experience the ferry, the hotel was free due to air miles and we'd just have a 'lil change of scenery.
We had a good time...we really did. Of course with 'lil dudes in tow there's going to be quite a bit of some whining. I'm not sure why but it seems Big T has some anxiety upon leaving home and all his toys. There was a lot of back and forth of wanting to go home, loving the hotel, hating the hotel, wanting to stay an extra night, wanting to go home, wanting to go to the Miniature World Museum, hating the Miniature World Museum. You get the idea. Hubby and I had an agreement that we'd just keep it positive and ignore most of his whining.
All in all it was a good time as told in these pics:
