Mommy Inconsistent

Monday, April 1, 2013

My Dear Blog Letter

Dear Blog,

Well, it's been fun.

You were there for me at a time when I needed something. Something I could call my very own. And I admit it. I used you. You don't mind, do you? I used you to carve out a little "me" time in a day full of others yelling "ME! ME! ME!" With even my private bathroom time taken from me, you gave me a time in my day that no one could enter...well, at least until I hit "Publish".

That was then and this is now, however. As the blog entries get few and far between, I realize that it's time I moved on. I no longer feel I need you. To put it bluntly, Blog, I'm over you. I don't mean to sound harsh. I'm just telling it like it is.

I would like to thank you though for what you have brought to me over the almost 2 years I've been with you.

You connected me to other mommies out there. I read their words, their frustrations, snippets from their daily lives and I laughed and sometimes cried. It let me know for certain that I'm not alone in this crazy role I've found myself in. Don't get me wrong, I love it. But it is CRAAAZY! Crazy hard, but crazy good too.

I still plan on keeping in touch with some of the moms I met out there...I still want to read their stories, see their pictures. I'm nowhere near writing a Dear Instagram Letter.

I will still be "Mommy Inconsistent" for years to come and my boys will no doubt punish me for it frequently as they get older, but there's new opportunities just beyond the horizon for me. Hopefully it involves a vacation! (God, I could really use a vacation)...or maybe a writing class or two. I'd like that, Blog.

I know there will be more of the same as well, and that's okay. I will still partake in the kissing of boo boos, the endless stream of laundry (ugh) and the picking up of bunny poo...you know, the things I really excel at.

And who knows? Maybe I'll be back.

But don't wait up.

Anyways, I just want to say again, "Thanks".

And just to be clear, Blog - and since this is a Dear Blog Letter - I just want to assure you this:

It's not you.

It's me.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Christmas Card 2012

PHEW!

Now that was a blogging break. It wasn't exactly intentional and not sure if it was just a bloggy block or just that we have been so busy!! A bit of both, me thinks.

But what better way to feel inspired to do a post than participate in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop , in particular, a Christmas card share!

Since our boys were born we always make our own cards. I usually come up with an idea first, then I get Hubby, who is much faster on Photoshop than I am, to make it happen. There's always a lot of brainstorming along the way, which is the part I really like.

So here's our card for this year. After it was created and all cards were complete, the only thing I would have liked to add was our 'lil bunny Milo peaking around the corner of one of the gifts. Always hindsight. I still like it, though.

Here's hoping everyone out in bloggy land had a wonderful Christmas with lots of love, laughter (and Baileys!...or was that just me?)

I hope to be back blogging in the New Year, hopefully with a fresh new look to my blog!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Simply Merino = Simply FABULOUS!

Okay, here's a pop quiz.

1) What material is all natural (i.e., chemical free), is anti-microbial and flame-resistant?

2) What material is super soft against your skin and regulates body temperature?

3) What the heck is this:

Yes, it's a sheep. I think. No, no, it's a sheep.

But do you know what type of sheep? It's a merino sheep which hails from New Zealand. So that gives away the answer to questions 1 & 2. I'm talking about merino wool, baby.

Okay, pop quiz no. 2:

1) What item of clothing does your child or children practically live in and you probably would too if given half the chance?

2) ....

Oh, forget it. I'm just going to give you the answer. It's...

PJs!!!

Yep, Hugh Hefner isn't the only one who would prefer to reside in his pjs all day. I'm pretty fond of it myself, but my boys are even more so!

Shopping for pyjamas for my boys, however, has never been a lot of fun. First off, the selection in the stores leaves little to be desired, unless you're into advertising the latest Disney film out in theatres. And I'm always ~~a lot~~ a little worried about what chemical they've put on the pjs to then prompt them to put a "fire resistant" tag on them. Oh, and my boys usually sweat bullets in them...definitely NOT the most natural fibre in those types of pyjamas.

So along comes a Vancouver mum of 3, who was inspired at a preschool talk. The speaker spoke of merino wool and of its natural, organic qualities, of it being naturally fire resistant and it hit her. Not the actual wool, but the fact that her husband is from New Zealand and they have loads of the wooly stuff at home sent from his family as gifts. So she had an idea.

It was as simple as that.

And Simply Merino was born.

Now, I'm lucky enough to know this stay-at-home mum turned entrepreneur as our kids go to the same preschool. She is Jill Wood and she is my new hero. Raising three kids and juggling their schedules is challenging enough, to now be the owner of this great business? Like I said...hero.

Needless to say, my boys are now the proud owners of a pair of Jill's pjs. There's only one problem that I've come across that I have yet to tell Jill. (Well, I guess I'm about to.)

I can't get the boys out of them to wash them!

They absolutely love them! I'm hearing words like "cozy-wozy" and "comfy" and "snuggly" and they don't want to take them off! Let's just say those stay-at-home pyjama days are becoming a regular thing in this house!

They actually wore them for an entire weekend the first weekend they got them. They had skating lessons and so we just put their clothes on top and they went from pjs to thermal wear! After skating they became pjs again.

It's obvious I could go on and on about Simply Merino, but I encourage you to check them out for yourself. They ship to Canada, the US & Internationally.

You will not be disappointed! With Christmas on the way, a pair of Simply Merinos would be a wonderful gift for the kids in your life, giving you the peace of mind that they are snug in their beds with the safest possible (and most stylish) material against their precious skin.

Oh, I almost forgot...

Believe it or not, this photo was not staged. They actually fell asleep like this!

It makes them sleep better too! I'm not kidding. They seem to sleep through the night when wearing these pyjamas. I'm guessing it's the fact that their body temperature is regulated. They always woke up either too hot or too cold before we got them.

Oh, and a little birdie told me that some adult sizes might be in the works!

Merry Christmas to me!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

In the Blink of an Eye ...

On October 15th, 2008, you came into my world...

All of a sudden you were 1 ...

I turned my back for a minute and you were 2 ...

At the speed of sound, you reached 3 ...

And in the blink of an eye you are 4 !!

In the words of Simon & Garfunkel ...

"Slow Down, You Move Too Fast!"

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Love, Mum.

I'm linking up with Galit & Alison &
Tracy this month, capturing memories.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Instagram Addiction Alive & Well

Ahhhh, Instagram.

I've always described myself as NOT having an addictive personality.

And along came Instagram.

And I am an Instagrammin' fool.

Dictionary.com defines "addiction" as:

"the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma."

Other than the need to include Instagram as habit forming in this definition, I'd say this pretty much describes me.

Enslaved...Yep.

Habit-forming...Uh-huh.

Severe trauma...You said it sister - er, brother - er, whoever you are who wrote this definition.

I could almost give up my blog and just Instagram my life away.

It's. Just. So. Much. Fun!

It's that little bit of creativity in a day full of dishes, bunny poo and dealing with the wants and needs of others.

It's just for ME!

Oh, and it's great to connect with others. You can really get to know someone and what their life is like through their pictures. Pictures really can say 1,000 words...or at least 150.

And now they've gone and created Instacanvas.

Have you seen this?

"Instacanvas is a marketplace to buy, sell and discover Instagram art and photography from around the world."

Thanks to my Instagram pal, Christine, I now have a gallery over at Instacanvas and my "little" addiction has taken on a whole new direction.

With Instacanvas I can get all artsy-fartsy (in my own mind at least) and look at the world with a slightly more creative eye instead of the constant "Look both ways!" that I'm forever shouting at my children as we walk down the street.

It's kind of like living in the now and it helps me notice the little things. And really, it's the little things that make the world go 'round.

So check out my gallery over at instacanv.as/mommyinconsistent and create your own and I'll check you out!

In the meantime, here's some of my most recent pics...

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The Ladybug Saga

He cried real tears.

They fell upon his cheeks, one after another and he sobbed...that real kind of sobbing that just makes you cry along.

He sobbed at the loss of his new friend who he met and lost all in the same day.

I'm talking of my 'Lil K.

Yesterday he was with a friend walking to school and they came across a bunch of ladybugs. I wasn't there, but the story goes, if I remember correctly, that 'Lil K kept trying to get one to walk on him and finally one did. He was so excited and said things like, "He likes me!" and "Oooh, it tickles." You know, the things you say when a ladybug is waltzing up and down your arm.

I believe he walked all the way to preschool with his new friend on his arm. Two peas in a pod...until...

He put his new friend in his pocket.

He thought it would be good to take him home and put him in a box. (The ladybug is a "him", by the way)

But ladybugs don't belong in the pocket of your brand new skinny jeans...or any jeans for that matter.

It was the talk of the preschool..."The Ladybug Saga", I think the teacher called it.

When we got home he started to cry again.

I decided to take the above picture that my friend had sent me and frame it for him so he could always remember his little friend. I showed him pictures of my husband's grandmother who had passed away, and pictures of my pets who have died. I wanted to show him that we had pictures too; we've lost loved ones too. It's a part of life and it's nice to have pictures to remember.

He kept telling me that his friend had died.

"HE DIED IN MY POCKET!", he wailed.

"Well, how do you know he is dead?", I questioned. (Genius question, I know.)

"HE WASN'T MOVING!"

(Oh, right.)

I then asked him if "he" was still in his pocket.

"He" was.

So I told him I'd get the ladybug out of his pocket and we'd bury it in the yard, that that is what people did when some~~thing~~one dies.

I got a tissue, and as gently as possible got the bug out of his pocket. It was then I noticed something.

But of course it was in bad shape with a broken wing, at least one broken leg and probably numerous other injuries too small for my eyes to see.

As you can imagine, 'Lil K was beside himself with grief.

"I DON'T WANT HIM TO DIE!", he kept crying.

Since I'm of the mind that it's best to be honest with your children and just tell it like it is, I told him that he "might" not die, but he was in rough shape and that he probably would. I tried to soothe him by saying that the ladybug had a great life, you were a good friend to him....yada-yada-yada...the things you say at times like this.

I decided the best thing to do for 'Lil K and his ladybug friend was to put "him" in the palliative care unit of our patio. I got a plastic lid, some grass, a couple of leaves and some droplets of water (stop laughing at me!) and put him there to live out the last minutes of his life.

But "he" was a fighter. That's obvious due to the fact he survived in the pocket of an almost 4-yr-old's jeans. For hours. He kept teetering along in his make-shift hospital bed, but I'm afraid it was futile.

First thing this morning, 'Lil K wanted to check on our patient.

As expected, Ladybug, had died during the night.

We found a box, put him in, along with leaf, grass and a clover and with Big Bro T and spade in hand set off to find a nice spot to bury him.

It was a lovely service.

Since then I've had to remind 'Lil K several times that once we lay someone to rest, we don't then dig them up.

R.I.P. Mr. Ladybug.

Linking up with Greta

over at gfunkified