Happy 4 years babe

I'm going to get a little prosaic here, but wow - four years. Sometimes it feels like an eternity, and sometimes it feels like our wedding day was only a few weeks ago.

We've travelled together. Bought a house together. Had a child together. Created a home and a family. A little unit with inside jokes and eye-roll annoyances and our own little quirks and habits.

You drive me a little crazy when you bite your nails, when you leave your towel on the floor and with your obsession over football. I drive you a little crazy with my ability to clutter up any space with papers, my ability to nag about anything and when I watch ridiculous shows like "The Hills".

I fall in love with you a little more every day when I see you with Maddie. How patient and outgoing and loving you are with her. So removed from your "persona" that everyone is used to seeing.

I enjoy that we're still learning about each other. Still learning from each other, even after knowing each other for over 15 years.

So happy anniversary, boo. Love you and all that jazz...

xxoo.S

The ironic thing is that the Hubs doesn't read my blog. He doesn't like to "read" in general unless it's a fantasy football magazine. Whatever - just means that I can lambaste him on here as much as I want right? I really need to start taking advantage of this...

My new juicer

Isn't really new. It's actually a wedding gift that I decided to unearth from the basement.

In reality, it's actually quite a fabulous machine. And I hope that I actually use it more than just the once.

However - did you know that a BASKET OF PEACHES only makes approximately 2 glasses of peach juice?

2 glasses.

Not even big glasses.

So that's where my interest waned just a bit. Because dudes. That's a ALOT of work for 2 glasses of juice. (Did I mention that they're not even BIG glasses?)

However it does mean that Maddie now knows what pure peach juice tastes like. (Yes, I gave her some. Well actually Daddy gave her some. But seriously, what are we, torturers? To drink freshly squeezed juice in front of her like that?)

The verdict?

YUMMMMMMMMMMY!!!

The Monster is back.

xxoo.S

New theory

How to get your daughter to favour you again?

Write a blog post about it.

This weekend Miss M and I had seemed to find our groove again. She still wants Daddy a lot (oddly enough, whenever I'm telling her "no" to something - shocker, non?), but warmed back up to me so that I was feeling much less like an outsider.

Hi Parenting! Thanks for taking my self-esteem and kicking it into the neighbourhood of Teen-Angst Highschool Trauma. Good stuff...

Anyways - we had a fantabulous (yes, I just used that word) weekend. Sat morning we hit up Port Perry for a bit o' shopping and fun-playing at the water park, by the water. I also bought possibly the yummiest raspberries known to man from the farmer's market there. So good that I've eaten 2 full pints in less than 24 hours. Sat night was another bbq at a friends house, while the babies slept, the toddlers played and the adults chatted. I feel like every weekend is another post about me hosting/going to a bbq - we have become our parents...

Sunday afternoon was spent at "The Beach" in T.O.

Verdict: Maddie LOVES the beach, Hubby HATES the beach (well, the crowd of it all). Me? I like it - but give me the Sandbanks over the boardwalk any day of the week.

In other news - we won the Photo Friday Contest at Durham Region Baby! Big thanks to everyone that voted for us - and yay to new bags!!

Happy Monday peeps! Must go as am heading to Cambridge now for a big work preso ... in my $19 JOE dress. That's right. I'm fancy...

xxoo.S

Theoretically speaking

I was actually going to research, and link to sources, and quote and you know, try to write a post that sounded in some way investigated and unbiased.

Buuut, I don't really believe in trying to be something you're not.

So why don't you all just trust me on this one. LOTS OF EXPERTS say that it's normal for kids to go through stages where they favour one parent over the other.

Reasons include (and I'm totally paraphrasing the theories with my own annoyance - thanks for taking it all with a grain of salt...):

1. One parent is around more often (read "stay-at-home-mom-or-dad") and is therefore so available that they become boring and uninteresting compared to the other parent.
2. The child loves the one parent so much and feels so comfortable around him/her that they feel like they can be a complete asshole to said parent and nothing bad will really happen to their relationship.
3. Because of a new baby, jealousy could be playing a role (or the child is simply going to the parent that actually is available more often - pretty much the direct opposite of theory #1, above).
4. The child and the parent that is out of favour are speaking different "Love Languages" (dude, I can't MAKE this shit up).
5. One parent is busy doing things (like errands/chores and the like), while the other parent is not and plays with the child constantly, and therefore viewed as being more "fun" (I like to call this the "2 children in the house" theory).
6. It's just a stage. Your child will get over it. (This is the theory that invariably gets slapped on any situation where any of the above don't actually apply, or they do, but it's just so much easier to call it a "stage".)

However, since it's been a few months now that I've been spending time in the unfavoured parent camp, I figure I can offer a few theories of my own...

• The "Your child is a Libra, you are a Capricorn, your husband is an Aries" theory. This theory actually requires that a friend of mine explain it - because I don't remember why they are destined to get along so much better, or so much more easily. But they are. It's DESTINED.
• The "She's clearly a Daddy's Girl and you just need to have baby #2 and it will be a boy and then you'll have a child who likes you" theory. Um. This theory only works if I do, in fact, have a boy. And that boy doesn't actually want to play sports or do any of those other "male-bonding" things that boys like to do. Like fish. Or eat worms.
• The "Just wait until she wants to go shoe shopping and see who the favourite is then" theory. Will take a bit more time - but my money is definitely on this one...
• The "You're right, she doesn't really like you all that much" theory. Hmmmm - that's not really a theory, is it? Let's bottle that one back up in the little dark place it was hiding, shall we?
• The "Perhaps all you parents need to grow the F up and stop worrying about who your kid likes better" theory. This is actually the Hubby's theory. And he's usually wrong about stuff in general, soooo...
• The "If you'd just stop saying 'no' all the time, she might like you a bit more" theory. This one sounds promising. If I lived in a world where freezies were great dinner choices, throwing toys was acceptable, and so was slapping people.
• The "It really probably is just a stage, and she'll get over it soon" theory. The clear winner. It's a highly unique theory. Expect it to be the all the rage on parenting sites soon.

xxoo.S

Score one for modern medicine

Turns out it was strep after all. At least that's what I'm assuming as after only 2 days of antibiotics I'm already 215093480958345% better.

So I guess I won't be losing those 15 post-pregnancy-pounds that are sitting like a deflated tire around my midsection.

But it also means that I have energy to you know, breathe and stuff. I actually participated in Maddie's bedtime routine last night, for the first time all week.

It's all come just in time, as today is filled with meetings with VIP bossman, who is in town for his monthly visit. Let me tell you how fun it was preparing for today all week, whilst sick as a dog. Isn't timing awesome?

But once meetings are over, and now that my head isn't a gobbledygook of feverish induced random-non-related thoughts, I will post more interesting stuff. Like my theory of how spoiled kids become spoiled (because it's EASIER!). Or why toddlers choose to favour one parent over the other (Maddie HATES me). And my new philosophy on life (it's only two words - which are not "I'M AWESOME" but perhaps should be).

So tra-la for now peeps...

xxoo.S

The diet of the '90's

So the doctor thinks it's either strep or mono. Mono!!??

She asked me if I had ever had mono before and I was all proud to say that I had avoided it back in highschool when it swept through a bunch of my friends. And then I went - whoa - you think I have MONO?

Apparently, strep looks like mono, mono looks like strep. Until we get the test results back on the strep swab, we won't know for sure. In the meantime though, she gave me some antibiotics and said I could wait until I got the results, or just start taking them (as I'm not a sucker for punishment, I decided to fill the script asap).

Fun...

xxoo.S

Downfall of daycare

I've never been as sick, as often, as I have this past year. Since the start of daycare back in September of last year, I don't think our household has lasted longer than 4 weeks of without battling some kind of cold/flu/stomach sickness.

After Maddie's random strange sickness on Sunday, I am now the next to succumb apparently. It started yesterday, with aches and pains and general malaise. It has quickly escalated into full on sore throat, nausea and fever.

I'm at work today, but only for a few meetings and then heading to the doctor to see if we can nip this in the bud.

I realize that we either take the sickness now, or later, when Maddie starts school. But the procrastinator in me is thinking that later would have been so much better...

xxoo.S

Flutter

It was a quiet weekend, spending time as a family and of course Maddie fawning all over Daddy as if she couldn't quite believe he was home and that he was real, and OMG - HERE'S Daddy! I've been wondering where you went!

Since I was clearly a 3rd wheel, I spent most of Saturday afternoon at a girlfriend's house visiting with some friends and enjoying Brooklin Bakery carrot cake. I also may have been nursing a hangover from the bottle of bubbly Yellowtail that we opened at 11pm on Friday night. Seth was supposed to be home closer to 10ish, but of course his flight was delayed, and of course the 407 was closed... so we celebrated his return a little later than anticipated.

Sat night was a BBQ night regardless of the rain. Ribs + corn and mmmm-mmmmm down home goodness on the grill! We also learned that BFF's L & G have a baby that will sleep in the MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR. No need for playpens, no need for magical vibrating chairs or swings. Oh no, just give him a spot in a darkened living room and he'll just sleep there, thankyouverymuch.

Have I mentioned my jealousy over their Amazing Sleeping Baby?

Sunday was mega early as it was NOT my turn to sleep in. And Maddie was a grouch. And not feeling well herself. And a bit cuddly. And maybe a bit feverish? And whoa - that's vomit!

Blackberry vomit stains new pj's. Just putting that out there.

But after the vomitscapade, Maddie went to bed for a nap. 4 hours later she woke up. Right as rain. Happy as a clam. All sorts of metaphors and analogies of happiness.

Sidebar: how the heck do kids do that? Be totally fine and running around one minute. Then raging fever and vomiting the next minute. Then get some sleep and oopsy-daisy, we're fine again. WTF?

While Maddie was sleeping, I decided to check out the Brand! New! Kitchen Stuff Plus that opened just down the road. Oh KSP - how I have missed you. And now you're so expensively convenient...

I purchased many many frames for my photo endeavour (to suck a bit less at home décor). Now I just have to hang the frames. And print the photos. And yeah. I'll update you in a few more months on that one...

I also purchased the cutest little bit of fluff for Maddie's room. She's a girl. These are butterflies. I couldn't get more prosaic if I tried. But dammit. These are adorable and they were only $20 and whatevs...

xxoo.S

PS - Yes, the picture is fuzzy. I have a blackberry, not an iPhone. And so - well, I lose in the great race of picture quality. And we all know if I actually took the pic of her room with my camera that you'd NEVER see it... so here you go.

PPS - And also yes - the butterflies are flying up from her stinky diaper genie. That was for my own ironic amusement.

PPPS - For the record. Maddie thinks they are "pwetty pwetty budder-flab"s.

Highlights of my "Single Parent Week"

Edited to add:

While I was being facetious, none of my complaining about being a "single parent" this week was meant to make light of "real" single parents out there. Holy crap I can't even imagine. My mom raised me on her own for my first 2 years, and so I know (well, I've HEARD) just how hard it is. My week was nothing. I get it. But it's all relative, non? And what is hard for me could be a cakewalk for some of you. Just wanted to put that disclaimer out there. Carry on...

The higlights:

• We ate things that I don't usually buy b/c of the Hubs. Like vegetable lasagne. A lot of fish. Veggie/pesto/pasta. Um - that makes him sound like a big carnivore, doesn't it?
• We played outside every night and Maddie was super-awesome. We went for long bike-rides, she watched me cut the lawn, and never cried about coming back in. It's like she was on her best behaviour for me.
• I read a book until about 1am in bed. I sat in bed with my laptop reading blogs + catching up on emails until late one evening. I never get to sit in bed at night doing that stuff.
• My sleeping position quickly became the "starfish". Sleep was delicious with no snoring next to me.
  
• Speaking of sleep, Maddie slept in until 8:15 one morning. And it happened to be a morning when I hadn't set my alarm (with a toddler that wakes between 6:30 and 7am, who needs an alarm?)... so I got a great sleep in too.
• Overall, Maddie was totally awesome. I think she cut me some slack, which was much appreciated. And I only had to let her watch Elmo/Dora/Sesame about 5 trillion times.

And the lowlights?

• I yelled once - on the first day. She cried and I immediately apologized. I think that was the first time that I ever crouched down in front of her and apologized for being angry. She forgave me and gave me a big kiss. Then reminded me for the next hour "Mommy sorry!".
• I accidentally set off our house alarm 2 out of 5 mornings. I like to set the alarm when I'm alone in the house at night, it makes me feel safer. However I think I scared about 5 years off my cats' lives.
• Watching crappy summer tv alone is just no fun. There's no one there to listen to my outrageously witty remarks.

Overall - as lonely as it got - it was a bonding week for Miss M and I. And it also reminded me what it's like to miss the Hubs...

xxoo.S

Cake top

That's the word I've heard bantered around by other moms - in reference to our jelly bellies. That gorgeous, sexy, wonderful ROLL that hangs out all the way around those pre-preggo jeans that I refuse to throw away.

Young silly girls with their low-riders have muffin top. Us older ladies get cake top.

Dead sexy!

As Miss M is pushing 2 years old, it's time I thought about fixing this, non? I mean - I can't really blame it on the baby (or the breastfeeding) anymore, can I?

And before anyone wants to make the suggestion. No. I'm too cheap to buy new jeans. Too.Cheap.Full.Stop.

So before we decide to get me knocked up for #2, I figured it made sense to get back into shape. You know, so I can start the process all over again. I'm nothing if not productive...

I have promised myself to get some type of exercise equipment into my house before the end of August. Preferably an elliptical. Because have you seen my ass after a few weeks on the elliptical? Oh yeah baby...

And because I never do things in half measures, I'm also checking out a boot camp next Monday with a Babyville friend (see! exercise helps you lose weight AND make friends). I expect this boot camp will possibly destroy my enthusiasm and I will drag my ass home with my tail between my legs... but we can always hope that it will inspire some sort of inner-fitness-goddess.

xxoo.S

She speaks in sentences now

You can't see the forest for the trees.

Someone used to say that to me all the time (a teacher? can't remember, I'm only 33 and I have the memory of an 80 yr old)... because I'm a "detail-oriented person". It also means that I get easily caught up in the details of anything, and find it harder to see the "big picture".

That big picture these days is Maddie, becoming less and less a little baby and more and more a little kidlet.

I worry about whether she's had enough milk that particular day. Or if it's a bad thing that her poop is green (GREEN?!!). And whether a 3rd round of Elmo is really going to give her lasting brain-damage.

But it takes a visit from family, who haven't seen in her in over a month, to realize that um... she's speaking in full sentences now.

6 months ago I was worried she wasn't talking enough. That the words she used were great, but a bit repetitive (everything was "dat!"), and would the Average Joe actually understand her? You know - detailed stuff.

Now, she's not even 2 years old and she's practically giving dissertations on The Unbearable Lightness of Being. OR telling us, "Maddie go Mommy's car-car now." You know - po-tay-to, po-tah-to...

So yes, it was lovely to have it pointed out (by the always unbiased Grandparents) that our Miss M is a pure, unadulterated genius child.

But at the same time, disconcerting, because.... really? Am I that busy and distracted? How can I not notice that she has passed one of those great "developmental milestones" and is now speaking and conversing like a small little human being?

Is it a working mother thing? Bad mother thing? Normal mother thing?

Regardless, it motivated me to step back, and try to see that forest. Because, as she so eloquently put it this morning, "Maddie no baby Mommy! Maddie big girl."

Holy shit sugar pop. I guess you are.

xxoo.S

PS - I may be proud, but I don't have to like it. How can a 22 month old not be a baby anymore? Isn't the whole point that you're still COUNTING THEIR AGE IN MONTHS? Isn't that the litmus test of whether or not they are still, indeed, a baby? Dammit. I've become a cliché...

I should be sleeping right now

But I'm not, because I have the bed to myself and therefore am currently ensconced with my laptop reading through a week's worth of unread rss feeds.

I should be sleeping though, as I expect this week is going to threaten my sanity slightly. I'm playing single mom, while the hubs is in NJ for business. All week long. On a long weekend. No, I'm not bitter.

Trust me, I know it will be nice having some girly-girl time with Miss M tomorrow. I think a bike-ride, some pool time and a bit of shopping is on the agenda. We've spent the better part of the weekend outside already, with the in laws, playing in the yard and erecting a lovely shed. Damn, the excitement of suburbia...

My other goal for tomorrow is some photo organization and printing. Because, as I think I've said before, I'm absolute shite at keeping on top of my photo printing... and aside from the never ending guilt of my terrible prowess as a mother (and keeping a digital record of my kidlet's every accomplishment), I actually took a closer look at my house recently and thought, huh, perhaps I should, you know... decorate. We've lived here for 2 years and I have exactly 2 pictures on display. Maddie's hospital pic and our wedding pic. So I've made the resolution to suck a little less, and get some photos in some frames and thrown up on the walls.

In future posts about me sucking less as a homemaker... expect to see: wallpapering of a washroom, refinishing of cupboards, and installation of some wainscoting.

xxoo.S

This weekend in pics

Hubby builds a 6x6 shed in our 6.2x10 foot space beside our house.

Best use of space we could think of.

PS - this photo was taken at 8:30am on Sat morning - industrious bees, aren't they?

Maddie now says "CHEESE!" every time you point a camera at her.

She's quite the little ham.

After doing an accidental dunk in the pool, Maddie needed some Mommy cuddles.

Which is rare, whenever Grandma V is around...

Luckily the dunk didn't leave any lasting negative impression.

She was back in the pool after nap time.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for visiting over the long weekend, and givings us some time (and freedom!) to get things done around the house and go out for a much-needed date night.

xxoo.S

Not a good day

There are lots of things I could write about.

• My new bike and our new bike seat - which Maddie and I used for poking around Brooklin all weekend long.
• My veggie garden and Maddie's obsession with peas.
• The "life list" that I've been slowly working on over the past month, inspired by Maggie Mason and her incredible life list that she's slowly crossing off one by one.

But it's just one of those days. One of those crusty, grumpy, raw days that come every once in a while and make you want to crawl under the covers and ignore the world for a bit.

Since I can't crawl under the covers, I will bury myself in work instead.

xxoo.S

Gardening tips from a newbie

1. Buy your perennials early in the season, when no one is planting (except clueless newbies like me!). You’ll get a deal like 2 for 1, or only pay $1.99 for the lil guys, so if a few die, you don’t really care.
2. Sheep manure works. End of.
3. Don’t be stupid and don’t hire a company to “do” your lawn (seeding, fertilizing, all that jazz). If you do, you’re essentially paying $100/hr for a high school kid to push a seeder around your lawn for 10 minutes, with the precision of a bull in a china shop. So if you don’t cover up your gardens, you’re going to be pulling up little grass seedlings for the rest of the summer. THE.REST.OF.THE.SUMMER.
4. Veggie gardens are a lovely idea in context. A bit of a bitch to build. Fun to watch grow. And yummy to eat. And yes, you will plant too much. And things will rot. This is called the circle of gardening life.
5. If you’re cheap (hi!) but want to landscape with some bushes and stuff, buy now – in the dead heat of the summer when everything is on crazy sale. I picked up a hydrangea this past weekend for $17. $17!!! That’s like 50% off. And it’s f-ing beautiful.
6. Ants, while mean and bitey, don’t actually affect your garden growth. So you don’t have to spend lots and lots of time online and trying different things to kill them. Because none of those things will work and they don’t matter anyway.
7. Grubs on the other hand are disgusting when you’re planting in the spring, and turn into scary gross beetles and need to die NOW. But “killing season” for grubs is spring and fall only. Wait until then to spring the nematodes on them. Then hope the bastards die. Because if they don’t they’ll ruin your lovely lawn that you invested a shiteload of $$ in earlier in the season.
8. Vinegar works on dandelions but digging them up is better.
9. As well as the yellow bastards, the clover and all that other shit that is all over my front lawn can go to hell. I don’t have any other solution yet except spending ridiculous amounts of time digging it up by hand. Now that I have realized I don’t need to wage war on the ants, I am now spending my time researching weed killer...

xxoo.S

Bedtimes

I thought after Maddie turned 1, that I had managed to get through most of the stuff that moms worry about. You know, those "developmental milestones" that everyone gets hung up on. And the sleep thing (O.M.G. the sleep issues) - no more worrying about whether I was doing it right, or who had what theory and how old vs. how new was this theory and OMG am I damaging her beyond all possible repair??!?!?

But after about a year, it got better. Maybe because when you go back to work full time you can't possible worry about every little thing because thenyourheadwillexplode... and breathe.

So we* have been taking a more lax approach** to parenting. Not losing our mind about whether she got enough veggies, or playtime, or fresh air, or whether she had too much junk food or tv that day.

But every once in a while you do that, don't question yourself a whole lot. Then through random accidental conversation, find out that in fact, you're pretty off mark.

I'm talking about bedtime. Maddie goes to bed around 8-ish. Usually not before. Often closer to 8:30.

In a totally innocent convo with some other moms I met recently, we started chatting about bedtimes. And my ears started to perk up. "6pm." "7pm." "7:30 is the latest we'll go."

I was like, wha? Oh shit...

You take your eye off the ball for one second and this is what happens. Bamm.

And I look at it - Maddie's totally tired and getting grumpy around 7pm. It's us that can't get our shit together. Trying to get dinner and all that stuff done, plus some quality playtime before bed? We have been selfishly keeping her up later because we want to spend time with her.

So we're making the change. Last night she was in bed by 7:45. It felt a bit rushed, but I think we should be able to scale it back to 7:30. I don't know how much earlier we can really go though - as we don't usually finish dinner until about 7pm - and it takes 1/2 hour to do bath and bedtime routine.

We'll see...

xxoo.S

*Hahaha - I say "we" but don't "we" all know that I mean "I" of course. Because hubby is already such a relaxed parent that I often check for the heartbeat. Yup, still alive. Carry on.

**Most of my good friends are rolling their eyes and shaking their heads at this. Because they are the epitome of relaxed. And I know, in our group, we are known as the "uptight" parents. But really, we have relaxed. REALLLY WE HAVE!!!!

GNO - now with more coffee

In my quest to "make friends" that don't live 60km away from me (hi TO!), I went out to dinner last night with some local moms. It's always nerve-wracking meeting new people. Especially as I can be an awkward dork that makes awkward comments that are far too familar for people you've only met in the last 5 minutes (As in: "I would totally do Jeff on BB11, he's the hotness, wouldn't you?"). Or I drop an F-bomb within 10 minutes of our conversation (As in: "Sorry I'm so fucking late, guys").

I managed to avoid doing both yesterday (I think).

Although, yeah, I was late, because I'm a dumbass and thought it started at 8pm, not 7:30pm. It's awesome to show up to a dinner table halfway through. AWESOME, I tell you. Not awkward at all.

And yeah, I did talk about Jeff's hotness. But in a much more pg-rated way. He is sooooo dreamy...

It was fun. We chatted. Exchanged stories and jokes and harmless digs at the hubs. Exactly what you need from a girls night out. Yay me. Making friends all over the place...

Oh, and I drank 3 cups of coffee. And even though I had answered that no, coffee doesn't keep me up at night, it totally did and I slept like shit.

xxoo.S

Where art thou?

Dudes. I've been busy. Busy with work. Busy with home stuff. Busy with all sorts of other, not-so-fun, but nothing horrible (don't worry grandparents - we're fine), just, you know, STUFF.

The weekend that I was oh-so-looking forward to was pretty awesome. Jays game on Friday in the Toronto Star box was awesome (as were the multiple Stellas I enjoyed - thanks BFF for being DD!). Visiting with the fam was lots of fun (as always). I love watching my nieces interacting with Maddie. They don't quite "get" each other yet ... but as Maddie gets older they play together much more.

On Sunday, while their parents went to the game, I got to spend some time with my nieces on my own. 3 kids? Makes everything 3 times harder. And 3 times longer. We did a playdate with some ol' Babyville moms at the local water park.

Are there waterslides at the waterpark Auntie S? Can I go swimming in the pool Auntie S? Do they have one of those rides that you go down and splash in water Auntie S?

Ummmmm, no. No. And no. It's a park just like any other park and in one corner of it there are some fountains and stuff. So please, don't get too excited kids.

They had fun anyway. And I had fun catching up with the ladies. It's hard now that are kids are all mobile and toddling and adventurous in different directions. You want to sit and chat, but you also want to make sure you kidlet doesn't break their noggin off the climber. Right?

After the playdate and lunch, it was time for Maddie's nap and so we did MAKE OVERS!

Yes, I just shouted that. Because that's how it was said. All.Weekend.Long. Whenever I was asked if it was MAKEOVER time yet. When could we get home so we could do MAKEOVERS? And when would Maddie just shut up and go to sleep already so we could do MAKEOVERS!!

Note to self: When planning for a multiple-hour distraction for two young girls. Don't promise to do anything ahead of time. Just spring the idea on them at the time. Otherwise they may combust from all the excitement.

I can, one hundred percent, tell you, without a doubt, that the MAKEOVER went over well. I had picked up some funky nailpolish colours. Gave each of them a pedi, a mani (they were all freaked out by the feeling of the nail file, which I kind of chuckled at) and we did each other's makeup and hair. Oh we were feeling quite fabulous by the end.

Yes. They did my makeup.

xxoo.S

Shameless Plug

I know - totally shameless ... but if you really want to be a friend, dear reader, you'll go and vote for Maddie's pic on the latest Friday Photo Contest on one of my fave blogs, Durham Region Baby.

Seriously. Do it. Go. VOTE NOW! (I'll wait. Don't worry.)

In other news, we have guests all weekend. My step-brother and his brood are heading up tonight. They are doing a few touristy things over the weekend in the city, including hitting up a Jays game on Sunday, while I get to hang with my nieces. I have a playdate on Sunday morning at one of the local splash pad parks, so I figure they'll have fun doing that. And if not, I'll just buy them stuff. That usually works...

(I jest.)

(Not really.)

So yeah - it's shaping up to be a bit of quiet weekend. Last night I tilexed my shower in preparation. Because nothing says "Welcome!" to your guests than mildew-y tiles, right?

At some point this afternoon I need to buy some groceries. And beer. And wine and other assortments of alcholic drinks...

Yep. It's shaping up to be a goooooood weekend.

Hope you all have the same!

xxoo.S

Classy

Is it a generational thing, or are we all just super classy?

I'm not sure - but it seems like the F-word is a tad (LOT) more prevalent.

I remember as a kid, hearing my mom say the F-word meant she was really pissed or hurt or frustrated. Nowadays, I hear it at work, in a meeting. When I chat with my neighbours. Um - in my own house (A LOT).

In my youth, I dissected society's more blasé usage of the word with friends over cocktails. How it has become an adverb, an adjective. A way to express oneself.

And now, I'm like, whoa potty-mouth. Haven't you noticed there's a kid present?

So we've taken the following actions. I poke or raise my eyebrows or simply correct Hubby's language when he makes a slip. And when I make a slip, he.... does nothing.

It's not that he doesn't agree that we should not be swearing around Miss M, but it's gotten to the point that I honestly don't think he even notices how often he uses the word, so there's no trigger, no way to self-edit.

It's lame and it's tacky and it's a bit embarrassing to admit.

It hasn't sunk in yet. But you know she's just waiting for that perfect time to drop the F-bomb. Because she's a smart cookie that one. Her vocab is definitely over 50 words. Dudes, remember - she's starting to articulate her feelings!!

The day is coming when she will start to pepper her burgeoning sentences with this oh-so-expressive term.

That will be the day that I shrink back into my MomShell with humiliation and die.

xxoo.S

Do-do-do-do-do-da-Dora!

Maddie is super proud of this artwork. She frequently pulls it down off the fridge to walk around hugging it. Have I mentioned that she has learned how to pull a chair over to something and climb up on it? Fun.

xxoo.S

It ended on a low note

The weekend that is.

Friday night was good - I did some late night grocery shopping (ever shopped at 9pm? It's a wasteland so it takes about 5 minutes), we watched the season premier of Big Brother together. It was a lazy, relaxing way to start the weekend.

Saturday morning Maddie and I made our "healthy freezes" - I used a maple leaf shaped cookie cutter, and I have to say, it's totally our next year's treat for Canada Day. I must get a pic to post here. The rest of the day was household errands and chores - not fun, but necessary. Saturday night we hosted a bbq dinner of ribs and baked potatoes and corn (because we're simple like that) - our BBF's came over and Maddie fawned all over Baby C.

Sunday morning we went berry picking - it was a blast (see below for a pic, or see Flickr for more). Maddie had so much fun in the strawberry patch, and (apparently) had a tonne of fun visiting the animals and the playground while I did the raspberry picking. Sidebar: Pingle's in Courtice is possible the coolest family fun farm in the whole wide world.

Sunday afternoon was spent outside in the sun, doing a bit of yardwork and playing around.

All of a sudden, Maddie wants to go inside.

Um - that's not my kid. She NEVER wants to go inside. But, in fairness, she had been outside since 9am (aside from her nap of course), so we figured maybe she just needed a rest and some tv - h'okay.

Fast-forward about 15 minutes, when I joined her in the living room, took one look at her and asked her if she wanted a cuddle with Mommy. She looked at me with Zombie Glass Eyes, and nodded, slowly.

I picked her up - she was burning up. Like so hot to the touch I yelled out for Seth to bring the thermometer "NOW"ish.

First reading = 105 (yes I'm a Fahrenheit person - I'm metric everywhere else except height, weight and temperatures, oh - and cooking, um - let's face it, I'm as metric as an American...)

Second reading (because our super-fancy-expensive ear thermometer is so reliable like that) = 103.5

Third reading = 102.9 (oooh - I think - it's dropping, maybe just a freakish random fever, those happen, right?)

Fourth reading = 104.6 (er, yeah...)

She started to complain that she was cold, so we got her a blanket. Which apparently was made of barbed wire, because as soon as we got her cuddled in it, she wanted it "OFF OFF OFF".

I handed her to Seth so I could get a cold washcloth. As I did it, I watched her go a marvelous shade of green. Her eyes glassed over even more (if that was possible). And in slow motion, I watched her heave herself backwards and then forwards with a "urgh".

Regurgitate.

A few more heaves. We stripped her in the dining room, leaving a pile of clothes, with the tea towel I caught the 2nd wave with, her blanket and Seth's shirt.

Into the tub I cradled her - she was a miserable, clingy little mess. And then she threw up all over us again.

It's amazing how motherhood can strip you of all your "squeamishness" when you have sick child in your arms. I had us both dressed and cleaned up before I could blink. And since all that throwing up was such hard work, she was fast asleep.

It was only 5pm. All that happened in under 45 minutes. Amazing how a child can go from running around with a popsicle in her hand, yelling, "Maddie Happy! Maddie Happy! Maddie Mommy Happy! Maddie Daddy Happy!" (yes you can smile at that - it was possibly more adorable than it sounds - and ps, how F'ing cool is it that she understands how to express an emotion using her words?), from that to a clinging miserable vomit-y little mess that is looking at me with desperation that I make the bad feelings go away. Under 45 minutes. Weirdness.

So, as you can imagine - what was a fantastic, relaxing, family weekend turned into a nightmarish night with wakeups and fevers and worrying and etc.

She didn't go to daycare today and still has a fever of 102. But no more vomit. Woo-to-the-hoo.

xxoo.S

In search of the perfect berry.

Maddie eating possibly her 10324th strawberry that morning.

Healthy "Freeze"

A big huge thank you shout out to Vone (she of the inspired "How to do... Something" blog - where she gives you all these really cool ideas that you can make or do with your kids, or on your own - although be warned, she is far craftier than the average mortal, and therefore you may leave her site feeling more than a little inadequate...), for giving me the heads up on this site.

The site of my dreams. A site with some super-cool, and healthy, do-it-yourself "freeze" ideas.

I will be buying the biggest damn watermelon I can find this weekend and making these with Miss Maddie. I figure it might also be a fun "craft" she can help me with.

xxoo.S

PS - we may have uncovered the real reason for the recent Freeze obsession (not that she doesn't have pure true love for popsicles - but perhaps why she needs 5, yes FIVE! a night lately) Miss M apparently is going through another teething stage. Finally getting her eye teeth. For reals this time ... I can feel the top ones starting to poke through.

PPS - hi name is Sara and my daughter is the *worst* teether in the world. And possibly the slowest.

Jimjammers

A little late - but here's Maddie, showing her patriotic spirit...

xxoo.S

I want a dog

I've been a few places recently, where I got to see little kids interacting with big, happy, lovable dogs.

And dammit. I want one.

Way back when, in part of hubby's "sell strategy" to get me out of the city and up to the boondocks, he promised that I could get a dog once we finally had a yard.

He conveniently forgets this promise now. Citing our aging cats as the main reason he doesn't want another animal in the house ("mucking it up" as he says).

I'm now at the point that I don't care what the cats think (they, with the hair and the litter and the eating of the grass and puking it on our carpet and arghhhhhhhhhhhh!)... I want a lovable, cuddly, happy, friendly, playful dog. I work from home 3 days a week. I could walk it, love it and call it George.

Hmmmmm.... our weekend may have just turned into a quick trip to the nearest shelter.

I'll keep you updated...

xxoo.S

It's all in the planning

I haven't been away for the weekend in a very long time. Oh we've been away - as a family - more times that I can count. That's what having all our family still living back on Kingston will do to you.

But me. ME. I haven't been away. Like, on my own. Without supervision (heh, that's what I used to call my weekends sans Seth - weekends without adult supervision - they were usually fun - now they just stress me out because I martyr out and start calling myself a single parent... and..... breathe... TANGENT!)...

So the plans have been set. A group of six (I think?) are going away for Labour Day weekend. And dudes? I am so flipping excited. I'm like, more-than-I-should-be-excited about it. Three of us are moms and three of us are not. The three that are not, are probably all like, Dude. Get over it. We're going away for the weekend. We won't be gone for a month, we're not going to Cabo or [somewhere else fancy and fun], it's just a weekend a few hours north of here, and Seriously. Lighten up...

I think it's a spa vacation. At some resort in Collingwood. And... sounds fancy right? I'm calling them today to "get a good deal". Because that's what I do and I'm good at that and... we'll see... Just how expensive are spas anyways? I'm 33 (GASP) years old and I've never been "away" to a spa. So yes. I'm not fancy and I'm cheap and I've been depriving myself.

I always felt like spa weekends were for "adults" and then one day I woke up and here I am. Supposedly a legitimate adult (note: when you are in your 20's you are not an adult yet - you may think you are. But really? You are having the time of your life, so just shut it. And enjoy your ass. Because it's gonna get bigger real soon.). So now that I'm an adult - I can do a spa weekend right? I deserve a spa weekend. As a legitimate grown up, I will enjoy a spa weekend, right?

Can you drink at a spa?

xxoo.S

Enabler

I've posted about Maddie's obsession with juice. I've been critiqued and judged and supportingly advised on how to cut out her juice habit...

And then I introduced popsicles.

Popsicles (or freezies, or even plain ol' crushed ice for that matter) apparently KICK juice's ass.

Juice is all like, "Wha? Wha happened? I'm delicious, I'm nutricious. And I'm chockful of sugar!"

Popsicles are all like, "Dude, we see your sugar, we raise you a colour dye #6, and we're frozen and delicious, so suck it."

And because I'm the smartest laziest coolest mom in the world, I decided to combine her two loves. Because nothings better to get you off your habit than an enabler right?

I bought these rubbermaid popsicle do-it-yourself dohickeys a while ago and finally put them to good use this past weekend.

I made: Apple. Juice. Popsicles.

I thought Maddie's head was going to pop off with excitement after the first taste. Her eyes kind of bugged out and looked at me with appreciation that made me feel all special and gooey inside. And I was like, Dude. I know. It's like when I tried a margarita for the first time.

And now she wakes up in the morning asking for "freeze? freeze?"

Sigh.

And so.... I get it. We make our own monsters in life, right?

xxoo.S

Me all smiley for the camera.

Maddie's just like, "Leave me alone and let me enjoy my freeze."

The weekend, the battle of wills, and an evening sans bebe

We spent the weekend in Kingston - visiting the grandparents, including spending a day at my dad's cottage (which is actually a house, as it's winterized and is where he lives, but for some reason is still called the cottage, and anyways.....).

The day at the cottage wasn't as warm as we would have liked, but it didn't rain - so that was good. We spent the day outside - Maddie playing with all my old toys. That was a bit trippy, as I had barely remembered the toys - until of course I saw them again! Vintage Fisher Price is awesome - they just don't make toys so compact (choking hazard?) or with so many little pieces and bits (again, choking hazard?).

There was the classic A-Frame house with all sorts of little bits and pieces included.

And (this was the biggest hit with Maddie) there were Sesame Street Little People .... including her fave - ERNIE!

I was a bit nostagic seeing Mr. Hooper again - because, sad right? He's been dead for a while I think...

And then there was the pull horse - another big hit with Maddie.

She was pushing herself foward and backwards up and down the deck. And we adopted a bit of a vintage parenting attitude for the day - letting her just roam around instead of hovering over her to ensure she didn't push herself right off the deck (she didn't, and she had a blast - so lesson learned? Lighten up a bit and just let her play.)...

There were tonnes of other toys, puzzles and dolls that they had kept in storage as well. It was fun to pick through and go down memory lane a bit.

The only stickler to the visit to Kingston was Maddie's reluctance to take an afternoon nap. And by reluctance, I mean full-on army-trained resistance to the Nth degree. She sobbed and cried everytime I tried to put her down - regardless of how tired she was. I'm really hoping she's not trying to drop the afternoon nap, as um, she's not even 2 yet.

Since we had to work Mon-Tues of this week, but were coming back down to Kingston to spend a few more days with familly for the holiday and remainder of the week, we decided to leave Maddie down with her grandparents, while we enjoyed a few days sans child. We're working, so it's not too exciting, but we did hit up dinner and a movie last night. Movie = The Hangover, possibly the funniest movie I have seen, ever, in my lifetime. So do I recommend you go see it? Hell, yes.

Tonight we have plans to do a BBQ at a friend's house - hopefully anyways, as long as the rain holds off. It's funny how easily you can fall back into the pattern of free-wheeling, come-and-go-as-you-choose behaviour...

Life is a lot easier to manage without a little ankle-biter running around, but I keep getting a little pang of loneliness when I walk past her empty room. From all accounts though, she's having a blast at Grandma's, and I (hope) will be very happy to see us on Wednesday morning...

xxoo.S

PS - Canada Day pics will come tomorrow - she has the cutest damn dress you ever did see - let's just hope it doesn't rain...

Easily a Top 10 Memory

We decided to go the easy route for dinner last night and just popped by the local fish & chip shop to pick up some take out on our way home from daycare.

It usually takes about 10 mins or so for the order to be ready, so instead of waiting in the shop (that is teeny tiny and just echo-y enough that I think Maddie's loud discussions of "Dat!" and "Outside!" would have worn quite thin quite quickly) I thought it would be fun to enjoy an ice cream cone before dinner.

Maddie was down with it, because;

1. it got us outside,
2. it was fun to walk down the street, and
3. ice cream is a form of "freeze" which in her mind, is what life is all about these days (she's a popsicle/freezie/frozen anything monster).

So we walked down to the local ice cream shop, ordered a small vanilla cone, and headed to the park to enjoy it.

So we sat. Side by side on a bench in the park. Watching the traffic go by. Watching a band set up for the "Music in the Park" dealio that goes on every Thursday evening in the summer. Smiling at an elderly couple who were doing pretty much the same thing on the bench across from us.

It was incredibly peaceful. The weather was perfect. And the ice cream was really good.

Essentially one of those kodak moments you want to capture (but have forgotten your camera) - so you just soak it in and try to remember every detail.

It just doesn't get much better than this.

xxoo.S

Little weirdo

Okay - I think I remember reading it somewhere. Or someone mentioning it to me. So it's common knowledge, I'm not uncovering some kind of groundbreaking truth.

But can we stop for a minute and talk about how WEIRD toddlers are?

A little OCD, a little manic-depressive, a little egocentric with a dash of eccentric.

Toys get lined up. Dirt gets pointed out (ALL the time - I know, the house needs to be cleaned kid, please stop pointing out what is "dirty", thanks). Meltdowns happen at the drop of a hat - and the next minute she's smiling. Nothing is as interesting as a mirror - full length is best - because didn't you know, she's PWETTY!

And while I could understand the shoe obsession (still has it - often wants to just sit in her closet and try different shoes on - or my closet for that matter)...

But now we are experiencing a full-on OBSESSION with her toes. She is always touching them, picking at them. Wanting us to kiss them. And when we're putting cream on her at night (yes, we have this whole bath time/bed time routine that means she gets lotion top to bottom) she INSISTS we put cream on her toe. Specifically her big toe, on her right foot. And being the suckers that we are, we do it. We put it on in a dollop and that keeps her occupied enough for us to put the lotion on the rest of her, and diaper her up.

But seriously - weird, right? Really weird.

At least it's not boring...

xxoo.S

Borderline genius?

Don't you love when you learn something new and random about your kid because someone else showed you?

My girlfriend was over yesterday for lunch, and while pushing Maddie in her swing, started counting. That is, counting every other number, because Maddie would fill in the next one.

Lisa: "One."

Maddie: "Twoooooooo"

Lisa: "Three."

Maddie: "Fo"

And so on and so on. Lisa turned to me and asked, "When did she start counting to ten?".

Uhhhhhh. Today? Holy hell, I have no idea. And that, my friends, is a titch embarrassing and sad.

So today, at drop-off, I asked our daycare provider what was up with that - did she know that Maddie could count to ten?

"Oh yes," she chuckled, "We count the stairs all the time."

Right. So apparently the mother is the last to know. I'm sure that's not the last time this is going to happen to me. But still....dude. Counting? That's kinda huge.

xxoo.S

PPS - I know she's not a genius. I know she's not really counting. That it's more new words she has learned, and knows they go in a certain order. She's not picking up rocks and counting them, (although she understands the concept of "two" as anything in a pair is "two!", like two shoes Mommy!), she just gets that this is the order that you say these words in. But still. STILL. It's kinda crazy. Because a year ago? We were really impressed that she was up on her knees, rocking back and forth. And now she's balancing my checkbook...

Happy Father's Day

Seth played in a baseball tournament all weekend long, so it was a bit of a girls weekend for us. But that just meant, by the time he got home tonight, Daddy was the superstar superhero man-of-the-hour.

I love to watch her, as she's adoring him. The Maddie-Daddy relationship is like this tight little secret club I don't have the password to. And that's okay - because at the end of the day, sometimes a girl just needs her Daddy...

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads in our lives:

xxoo.S

Life, lately - in pics

Eating ice cream at the Brooklin Fair

Fishing for a prize at one of the games at the Fair

Maddie & Daddy at the Fair

Playing in her pool with Lilo & Isla

Maddie loves corn

Enjoying a popsicle on a warm summer day

Having fun with Grandma

And lastly - my garden!

Life, lately

• Work has been busy. 12 hour days busy. Not complaining as I ♥ my job, but yeah - makes for blogging and emailing and general other-life-having a little difficult.
• Last weekend my mom came up to visit - and we did a whole lot of nothing. Meaning we didn't run around shopping and errand-running as we usually do when she's around. Instead we stuck close to home (granted, we did a bit of garage-saleing, but otherwise, nada) - I gardened, Maddie played, and Mom supervised.
• Because of the above, my garden is now going gang-busters. Thanks Carly, I took your "assvice"... and my peppers and tomatoes love you for it. Although just by reading the little tag things that come with the plant-cell-packs (I know, genius right - who wouldn't thunk to actually read the directions?) I learned that beans and peas actually don't need a whole lot of room. Neither does leaf lettuce or onions.
• I've made a new resolution, to try and make a new recipe once a week. Last week I made Spaghetti Carbonara with Prosciutto. It was yummy, but a little rich for me - I'd go less eggs, lighter cream and add a bit of garlic. But otherwise, a success. And now that I've actually blogged about it, I need to figure out a recipe for this week, dammit...
• And for those of you that just read this blog for the Maddie info - here's the update: she's awesome. And chatty. And wanting to do things herself now, all the time. "Maddie do!" So she does. And life carries on - at a far.slower.pace.

xxoo.S

I had a baby, not a lobotomy

This would make a great t-shirt, non?

Having been back in the "working world" for over six months now.  I've had occassion to actually use this line about 3 times.  

As in, I said the words, "I had a baby, not a lobotomy" to a colleague/work associate/mentor.  

That's me.  Making friends everywhere I go...

In all seriousness, I've been meaning to actually blog about the annoying comments that one starts to get in the workplace from the moment of announcing pregnancy.  But that's a whole in-depth post that I've started numerous times and trashed without publishing, because I everytime I write it my blood pressure rises slightly and I think my snark comes off a little less flippant and more full-on-snarling-snarkity-snarkness.  Let's just say - I have a LOT to say on the subject of balancing a career and being a mom, and the reaction you get (daily!) in the workplace, and blah blah blah whingy-cakes.

xxoo.S

An open letter...

...to manufacturing companies, food distributors, um, just about any company out there.

Why the over-packaging?  Why the overuse of non-recyclable plastic?  

Our household made the transition to using cloth shopping bags 100% of the time after my trip to Ireland last year.  They had gone to charging for plastic bags at all major grocery stores several years back, and so everyone used reuseable bags for their shopping.  It had just become the norm.  It was fantastic to see, and made me realize that it's just a mindset, and not really all that inconvenient if you had no choice.  And then Canadian grocery stores got smart, and now it's turning into the norm here too.

But if we can move to this "extreme" level, why can't we set guidelines on food packaging?  Here's a perfect example - mushrooms.  You can buy loose into a brown paper bag (sometimes, depends on the store).  Or you can buy pre-packaged in a plastic container with plastic wrap (far more widely available than the loose, package-yourself option).  

I get the convenience factor.  I'm not saying pre-packaged produce is wrong.  But why can't they just use the cardboardy containers instead of non-recyclable plastic?  Still wrapped in plastic wrap, but just a different base.  One that is actually easily recyclable.

Same goes for berries - the biggest offender.  I can't buy fruit (and we eat A LOT of fruit - especially berries - in our house) without feeling guilty everytime.  Because as I buy them, I know the containers are going into my garbage bin, not the blue box.  

As I wrote this, the thought occured to me that perhaps it's not the issue with the plastic, but with the actual recycle program here in Whitby.  So I called them to see what the actual "rules" were - what numbers were allowed/disallowed.

The answer?  "We don't sort based on the number, it's based on demand of what will be purchased.  So we accept based on what it is.  For example, if it's a plastic shampoo bottle and has a twist off cap, that would be accepted.  It doesn't matter what number it is."

My response?  "So you're saying the people buying the plastic don't care if it's a 1 or a 2 or a 7, just that it was a bottle with a twist off cap?  Because that doesn't make any sense"

Her response?  "I can only tell you how it works m'am."

Just for sport, I thought I'd take a look at the City of Toronto's recycle program (because as I've complained about before - they also accept diapers in their compost bins, which Whitby doesn't - so perhaps they're just more advanced?)... well, turns out they don't accept the "clamshell" plastic containers either.

Soooooo... after that diversion, I'm back to my original question. Why use that type of plastic, that seems to be widely unaccepted?

With green + frugal being so "in" these days, I'd say you could capture a lot of market share as a company just by changing your packaging model.

Just some food for thought... (oooooh - punny!)

xxoo.S

Starting a new tradition?

Do you ever get that feeling?  When you are making plans and think, huh, I wonder if this will become a family tradition?

Or maybe I just think too much...

So this weekend is the annual Brooklin Spring Fair.  Last year at this time, Maddie and I flew to Ireland for a week with BFF.  And while that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and more than well-enjoyed, we were a little bittersweet about missing our first spring fair experience.

But this year we're doing it up in style.  Friends have been invited.  Plans have been made.  A bbq is in the cards.  Enjoying the midway and whatever the heck else we can do up there, then come back here and watch the kids run themselves around into unconsciousness, and then the adults get to have a little fun.  And by fun, I mean cocktails and a fire (or Rockband - you never know).

Woo to the hoo.

I've lots more to tell you guys about (like window painting tips and how to move a lawn spike for your clothesline) ... but I also have a shedload of work to finish up today - so hopefully I have energy to post over the weekend.  Until then... tra-la!

xxoo.S

This should come with instructions

We bought and installed a clotheline last Sunday.  It's one of those 4 sided, opens up like an umbrella, clothelines.  Quite unlike the long straight, on a pulley, clotheslines that I had at every house I ever lived in.

Let me tell you - the long straight ones?  Much easier to use.  MUCH.

However, because we live in a town where all the telephone lines and such are underground (and therefore no telephone poles to be found anywhere), there really isn't much to attach this pulley-style clotheline to.

And so we went with the umbrella style.  And bought a spike for the ground that eliminated the need of pouring concrete (yay!).  This also means we can take the clothesline out of our yard if we don't want it there (i.e. winter... um, this is the only reason I can think of... perhaps some people find it too unsightly so therefore remove it whenever they're not using it - that's just - wow, too time-consuming for me).

Because hubby still wasn't all that in love with the idea of a clothesline (even though it folded up and will save us all sorts of money and make our sheets smell sooooo nice!) - so we put it in the back corner of the yard behind the tree.  So really, it's there, but not "in your face there" like I would have had it by placing it right beside the patio.

Today was the first day I put clothes out.  And I realized a few things...

1) Putting your clothesline behind a tree - in the back corner of the yard, where grass barely grows because it's so shady?  Maybe not the best spot for it.  In the sense of sun and drying time...

2) Hanging sheets on a umbrella style?  Not the same as hanging on the long-straight-style clotheslines.  So it took a while, but I figured out you have to fold the sheet in half over the line - instead of just hanging it like I always did as a kid.

3) Are you supposed to hang on the inside lines first, and work your way out?  Makes sense I suppose - to allow you to hang more than one load to the line.  But sheets are too big for this - which means I have to time and organize what laundry I do first?  Oy...

Anyways - we'll see.  I don't know how quickly the sheets will dry where they are.  And if they'll be all non-wrinkled since they're not exactly billowing in the wind (because that was another big reason that I wanted a clothesline - I remember it negating the need to iron much of anything)... and I hate ironing sheets...

xxoo.S

Maddie bits

• Trucks are "crucks" and cars are "car-car".  Why the repeat?  No idea.  But apparently our daycare provider has seen this in multiple kids in the past, and that it's common.  I wasn't even interested in why she said "car-car" before, but now that I know unrelated kids that have never met have all done this?  Now I wonder why.  What developmentally makes them repeat it?  Little weirdos...
• Smarties (MARTY!) are like crack.  She hates all other treats and cake and chocolate of any sort.  But Smarties?  Hot damn...
• "Helping" is the new "make a mess".  Except she does it with such earnest and pleasure, you can't really get mad about it.  So she "helps" me put away laundry or sweep, and then I clean up after she goes to bed.
• She is newly obsessed (OBSESSED!!!!) with puppies.  And goggies.  Just canine creatures in general.  She lives with two cats, who she now really couldn't care less about.  But I always know if a dog is somewhere within her line of vision because she starts shouting "RUFF RUFF!  RUFF RUFF!".  The kid has eagle-eye vision when it comes to pointing out a dog.  This is only making my quest to get a puppy easier and easier...
• Manners are really coming along - we pretty much have her saying "thank you" after anything she says "please" for.  Which, cool, right?  That's better than most adults...
• Does it amaze anyone else with kids (maybe this is a little girl thing) how maternal they are?  Maddie takes care of her IgglePiggle like a little Mommy.  She feeds him in the highchair, wipes his face, takes him for stroller rides and puts him to bed before she goes up for her bath. I know she's playing by mimicking what she knows, but it's just funny.

xxoo.S

Random babysitters

Okay, here's the situation... We live in a town where we don't really know many people. Actually, in all honesty, aside from Couple BFF (who also moved up to the boondocks around the same time we did), my circle of friends consists of the women I met at Babyville last year.

I know most teenage babysitters are found via referrals from friends. You know, the elusive roster of casual sitters that you can rely on for weekend afternoons (or evenings!). Who took the "babysitting class" (do they even do this anymore??). Who's the niece of a neighbour's friend's sister, but can be totally trusted.

Yeah, I don't even really have access to these kids... So my next best bet, I've realized, is probably getting the list from the school, from which we oh-so-conveniently live across the road. It may not be a personal referral, but at least it feels a bit more trustworthy than that post on Kijiji, you know?

So here's my question. When I do get that list, and start calling. What's the Modus operandi? What do I say? Do? 

Is it normal to do an initial "interview" of sorts? A "getting to know one-another" session with Maddie present, see how it goes?  Then maybe do a short afternoon out, see how things go?

I'm quite aware of how paranoid and um, crazy, I sound... but I didn't do a whole lot of babysitting as a kid. And everyone I know already knew their babysitter, or uses family members... 

xxoo.S

PS - how 'bout that AWESOME weekend weather?  Pretty lame, huh?  Hi Canada.  This is Sara.  I'd like it to be summer now please.  You don't have to stay cold all the way through June to convince me that you are the great white monster that can unleash hell on earth in the form of arctic gale winds.  I believe you, really, I do...