A full night's sleep

Last night was a bad combination of two factors that affect my sleep... Miss M (of course) and the Hubs.

Miss M has a bit of cold, so she was up a couple of times throughout the night - stuffy nose, wanting milk, general cuddles, that sort of way. I'm dreading the process of getting her completely off bottles - which I know we have to start any day now and o.m.g. I'm not looking forward to it (please hold off the judgement, I know she shouldn't still be getting a bottle - and yeah, I KNOW...).

But then, once I actually go back to bed - what I have waiting for me is a snoring Hubs. Which I've complained posted about before.

I don't fall to sleep all that easily at the best of times. In fact, I remember being so frustrated and angry as a child on weekends when my parents would have friends over - because we lived in a bungalow, and noise travels - and clearly I wasn't one of those kids that could sleep just anywhere (hmmm - perhaps that's where Maddie gets it from)...

So what do I do when I can't sleep and I've got a roaring Mack truck next to me (who won't roll over, or when he does roll over, manage the feat of snoring on his side)... oh I go and make myself a cup of tea and google "snoring remedies".

Because that's smart right?

Well - if you get frustrated and want to just lay there awake, or you want to actually do something about it ... I guess it's less frustrating.

And I swear, if I wasn't so fuzzy headed, I may have just ordered the RIPSNORE right then and there.

Instead, I'm forcing him to start wearing the Breathe Right strips I bought him ages ago. If that doesn't work then we may go Ripsnore. And if that doesn't work... well, I may smash him in the face with a shovel and call the plastic surgeon.

Does that sound a little aggro? Sorry... must get some sleep.

xxoo.S

How do they do it?

You know who I mean. The supermoms. The moms that have perfectly manicured gardens, perfectly coiffed hair, a tight I-run-on-the-treadmill-for-an-hour-everyday ass and floors that sparkle.

Because I see them. We all like to think they don't exist - but they do. At least they do in my neighbourhood. I see them walking their toned little butts to school with their kids. I see them having a leisurely coffee at the local coffeehouse. I see them wandering around the local parks and streets, enjoying the last bit of summer sun.

Okay, so I don't actually see inside their houses - so perhaps I'm making more than a few assumptions based on outward appearances (judger! I'm a JUDGER!!!)... but seriously? How can you not assume their homes are as put together as they are?

I work from home and feel guilty every day, as I glance up from the laptop and see the piles of laundry, and dust, and toys, and papers, and random SHIT that is just Strewn.About.Everywhere.

And at the end of the day, after I drag my (yet-again-unshowered-ew-gross) self over to our Daycare Provider's house to pick up Miss Maddie, I feel even MORE guilty as I look at her floors and practically see my reflection in the gleaming shine.

NOTE: apparently this is because she has a steam mop - which is apparently the Best Invention Ever and makes your floors gleam and look lovely and yeah. Still. She has like a thousand kids there every day and steam mop or no steam mop, she's still a rockstar for having such clean floors.

That's the one thing I kinda hate about the whole work-from-home gig. The accompanying guilt that I am far less on top of the household drudgery than I probably would be if I worked at an office. Because you always think - oh, I'll just do that tomorrow at some point - but then you actually get caught up in work and you don't and oh holy crap, there's just too much to do and maybe if I ignore it, it will just go away. But it doesn't. Of course it doesn't.

So then my weekends are spent cleaning. And that's just lame, right? Because there are far more interesting and fun things to do on a weekend than clean up the same effing dirt and cat hair and cat vomit and kitty litter trails (and OMG cats are so dirty, why did I ever think they were a good idea?).

Whew. What am I rambling about anyways?

It's just been one of those weeks (months?) where everything seems to be piling up with work and at home and I think I'm just giving myself a bit of a pep-talk to get my ass in gear to get on top of it.

I will start this weekend. Perhaps I just need to Try Harder, non? (wink, smile, rolling my eyes)

xxoo.S

Happy Feet

I had gotten slightly sick of Maddie's obsession with the "Elmo in Grouchland" movie (3 times in one day? really? because I don't care if it's raining on Saturday - let's just go outside)... So I did what any good mother does, I picked up a different option on a recent trip to the local Superstore. Happy Feet. Looked cute. I'm a penguin fan. It was in the sale bin. What could I lose?

The first couple of times Maddie watched with wary disbelief that there could possibly be some other type of movie that our DVD player could play. And by watch, I mean she paid attention for the first 10 minutes and then tra-la-la'd along, bored because it was NOT Elmo.

And then something magical happened - she actually started liking it.

As in, asking for me to put it on. Watching for longer than a few minutes at a time. Following the story line (including the scary chase scene with a cracked-out looking sea lion that she loveloveloves - little weirdo).

I think it's the singing ... and the dancing. Really (other than the scary chase scene), that's all she cares about.

"More Baby Corn. Moremoremore Mommy!"

This is the demand I get when none of the characters are actually singing, dancing or swimming for their lives. And yes, I've tried to explain to her that the movie is still on, and she is, in actual fact, currently getting "more" of the Baby Corn as we speak (sidebar translation: Happy Feet=Baby Penguin=Baby Corn in Maddiespeak). That doesn't matter - and so we skim past the unnecessary dialogue (who needs to follow a storyline, right?) right to the dancing bits.

And she's taken to dancing along with the movie. And often randomly throughout the day. Proclaiming "Maddie Happy Feet!" while she stumbles around the house.

It is the cutest.thing.ever.

xxoo.S

Dear Maddie, your mother is a moron...

After all my braggart-ing about being super organized, I just found out all my invites that I mailed out yesterday are missing one key important piece of info.

The F'ing date.

I'm awesome. Or maybe not...

xxoo.S

PS - you know who is surprisingly awesome tho? Canada Post. Because I mailed those suckers at noon-ish yesterday. Less than 24 hr delivery. Go snail mail.

Good thing she doesn't read yet

I am in the midst of planning Maddie's birthday party. Just mailed out the invites. Have more to hand-deliver to my Babyville peeps at our GNO on Thurs.

It will be a Dora-themed party. Oh yes - we like our themed parties at the Vallier house.

So the invites are Dora - courtesy of Party Packagers. Who also have a plethora of Dora-themed party items - including a life size foil Dora shaped balloon. Isn't that awesome? I think it costs a bazillion dollars.

And the cake is already planned out. Like last year (goooooo Elmo!), I'm going to rent the cake tin from Bulk Barn and stain my hands for 2 weeks in decorating it.

So the cake, too, will be Dora.

Clearly, like any good project manager, I am all over the details of the party-planning. It is coming along without a hitch.

But I'm iffy on the present.

I am a big fan of birthdays. (I'm an only child - what do you want?) They are a big deal. Will always be a big deal in my house. Even when they're not a big deal and I don't really want to talk about how old I'm getting, and blahblahblah, there better be cake, dammit.

But Miss Maddie? She already has more toys than she knows what to do with. And really, truly needs no more clothing (remember, my trip to Target?).

So what to do for a present?

I've actually got a bit of an idea - since I brought these mini-markers back from my girls weekend trip, Maddie has really been loving the colouring again. So I think we're going to get her an easel. And maybe some fingerpaints or crafty fun stuff like that.

But as cool as I think this would be as a present (and let's be honest, how much have I been LOVING "helping" Maddie colour in her book - I used to want to work for Crayola, I was that much of a fan as a kid)... would a 2 year old like it? Or am I totally imposing my interests on her?

It's like the chicken and the egg. Do we, as mothers, just naturally do that? I loved crafting and colouring and all things glitter and gluestick throughout my childhood. Is that because my mom was crafty? And she imposed her interests on me? Or does that "calling to Crayola" just run in the family, and is Maddie's new interest in the (washable!) markers just an extension of this?

I think I may be over-thinking this. But any ideas are welcome!

xxoo.S

Why?

It is official. We have a toddler.

The dreaded arrival of the classic toddler question made it's ugly debut this weekend. On Friday night. While colouring with Daddy. In response to his gentle rebuke to not draw on her shirt with the marker.

"Why?" asks my innocent little cherub.

"Because it makes the laundry harder for Mommy." he responded. Sigh. Sad, but true.

"Oh." She was satisfied at one answer. Too good to be true. Perhaps it was just a fluke? Perhaps we had a few more blissful weeks free?

That hope was crushed first thing Saturday morning, as I greeted Miss Maddie in her crib, all touseled and still sleepy. "Ooooh Daddy at?"

"He's still sleeping Bugaloo." I responded.

"Why?"

Right. And so it begins...

xxoo.S

We laughed so hard we cried

My girls weekend getaway was all I thought it would be, and more. Of course, you're not going to get any of the gory details - we behaved ourselves, but it was so fraught with inside jokes and immature shenanigans, that I really wouldn't be all that interesting, or nearly as hilarious to you, as it was to us.

Suffice to say ... I haven't laughed that hard in a really, really long time. What is it about getting together with girlfriends you've known forever? You instantly revert to some childish version of yourself, and spend a LOT of time playing the "remember when..." game.

What I can share with you is this:

• Complimentary room upgrades rock. We enjoyed ourselves in the 3 bedroom condo-suite in the Mosaic very, very much.
• The Kalola Spa at Blue Mountain is fantastic - highly, highly recommended.
• Staying right in the heart of the "village" is also highly recommended - and while the patio lunch options are a bit pricey - they more than make up for it with all the people watching.
• I was homesick within minutes of being there, because it's far more a family resort than anything else, and my heart twanged everytime I saw a Maddie-aged-creature. SO going back for a family getaway sometime soon.
• Sitting around the table, eating cheesecake and drinking tea is the perfect way to end a crazy evening (oh Salvador - you make a mean margarita).
• Traffic coming back wasn't nearly as bad as I expected - but getting a $200+ speeding ticket was.

We have renewed our promise to annualize the GWG, every Labour Day, for years to come. I hope we stick to our promise, as I had more fun that I thought possible.

Thank you Liz, Stef, Sandra, Lisa and Melis - you are all brilliant girlfriends and I wish I saw you all more often! Or should I say... "Thank you for being a friend...."

xxoo.S

Maddie pics

The one and only time you'll ever see Maddie hold her bottle herself.

Tomato picker.

Funny faces.

Her first taste of Capri Pizza. She loved it. We can keep her.

Always a slow starter at waterparks, but she always loves them in the end.

Family pic @ Peterborough zoo.

Peterborough zoo

A bit of a drive - but a FREE zoo, with park + waterpark area attached, so we thought we'd check it out today.

It's not got a huge selection of animals (whaddya want, it's free). But enough to keep us amused for an hour or so. The barnyard animal area was interesting, as all the animals had their own "pen" but the gates were open internally, so they could hang out in each other's areas. Very friendly.

Except for the goat.

As we were about to walk away, we saw this brown, mean, angry little goat walk up the lazy pot-bellied pig (who's just minding his own, chilling in the sun), and HEADBUTT him in the stomach.

Quite laughable really. In a - ooh, that's gotta hurt - kinda way.

However, Maddie wasn't laughing...

She yelled, "Hey! Hey goat! That's not nice!"

I almost peed my pants, I was laughing so hard.

My Miss Maddie loves her animals and has a true sense of what is right and wrong in the world. And the goat has been called. Black and white. Right and wrong. You are wrong Mr. Goat.

And of course, because we laughed so hard at her little outburst, Maddie continued to repeat the "That's not nice, goat!" all day long.

Classic, non?

xxoo.S

Maddie stats

I meant to post this after her doctor's appointment ... and it's been sitting in draft for weeks - oops.

Maddie had her 18 month appt today. For immunization shots + check up. At first I was enjoying basking in all the compliments from the nurses and receptionists re: how incredibly well-behaved she was, and my, wasn't she a little grown up, and wow, she could really speak well!

And then I realized - oh - they think she's almost 6 months younger than she actually is.

So I tried to mumble out an excuse that she was actually 23 months old, not 18 months. We were just late for her shots because we don't live in the city anymore, but didn't want to change doctors just yet, and I'd been meaning to get her down for shots I promise, just time had slipped away and this is my first chance being on vacation and, and... and yeah - they were totally not listening anymore.

Chalk one up for Procrastinator Moms everywhere!

Anyways - it was not even close to as bad as I thought it would be. These shots were better. Or she handled them better because she was older? I don't know.

It's over - and that's all that matters.

And for the record - she's continuing to hold steady in the 25th percentile range: height 31.5 inches and weight 24 lbs.

My tiny little bugaloo...

xxoo.S

Maddie bits

This blog was supposed to be my excuse not to feel guilty that I wasn't updating a baby book on a regular basis (can't you hear the future conversation now? "Where's my baby book?" "Just read through the blog - IT'S ALL THERE").

But then I realized (with a little helpful nudging from a few peeps the last few days) that, um, I actually haven't written about Maddie all that much lately. So here's the latest in Maddie updates...

• Her vocabulary is incredible now. She's speaking in full sentences (as long as you don't really need articles or conjunctions to form "proper" sentences), like: "Maddie go-y park now Mommy!"
• Speaking of sentences - she is also still talking in the 3rd person. Which weirds out lots of people (like ones without kids) because, well, I guess it probably sounds weird if you're not used to it.
• Daycare continues to be awesome and Maddie loves going there. In fact has a special friend that now infiltrates our life daily. His name is Kyle and we hear about him daily. No, this does not count as her first boyfriend. That is not even funny.
• Maddie knows most of her colours now. After my obsession with her being "behind" other kids her age because of a weekend playdate I had that played on my insecurities... we worked on it and she is getting really good.
• Freezes are still her favourite food. As well as broccoli, peas (preferably raw), green beans and cherry tomatoes. So we've started making popsicles using our juicer (because I am Trying Harder) and we visit our garden nightly to go "picking". So I guess I didn't plant too many tomato plants after all...
• Life with Maddie is getting easier and harder all at once. She understands absolutely everything (including learning "concepts" - like Daddy will be home soon, Maddie happy, we'll go to the park later) so that makes life so much easier. But she also has SO MANY opinions. And is very strong-willed. And well, I don't have to explain the tantrums, right?
• Potty training is not "official" yet - but she pees about 50% of the time she asks to go on the potty which is pretty cool. So for now, we're just letting her guide us and seeing what happens.
• Along with obsession with the potty comes an obsession with "washing her hands". We got a little stool that I mistakenly showed her to put in front of the sink to stand on to wash her hands. Now if she sees that stool, she insists on washing her hands. 40 times. Maybe she'll be a surgeon...

It's day 4 of vacay and we're going to get her 18 month shots and a haircut. I expect only one of these will go well.

xxoo.S

Day 2 of vacay

I visited our neighbour to the south today for a bit of friendly cross-border shopping, as they have something lovely and fantastic and unique that Canada does not.

Target.

Have I mentioned how much I love that store? Oh, that's right. I have.

Again, I could go on and on and freakin' on about the incredible retail story that this store is. How it has aligned itself in a strategic manner that other big box/department stores are failing to do. How it's merchandised thru it's teeth. How incredibly fresh the styles are - all at ridiculously incredible prices. How the entire store embraces the brand vision and how the marketers at Target's Head Office must have orgasms every day thinking of how incredible the vision has been carried out. (That's right, orgasms. I said it.)

But I won't, because that stuff is boring and really what you want to hear about is all wonderfully pretty stuff I got, right?

For the record, I got about 90% of Maddie's fall/winter wardrobe in one-fell-swoop. I shopped with efficiency. Ruthless at times. And I payed between $3.50 and $12.00 for each piece of clothing. NOTHING MORE. Did I buy her bday dress? Oh yes, I did. Did I get her running shoes, Damn Effing Right I did - and they're Dora. Does she have the coolest Halloween daytime

daycare shirt you've ever seen? (Unless you have in fact, seen a

rhinestone skull wearing a bow in her hair, on a black tee with

orange striped sleeves - but I doubt you've seen anything that funkass cool). And did I buy her a bunch of adorable monkey-ridden Paul Frank pj's? Because those wouldn't be cute at all, right? Oh - and did I FINALLY find some retro-styles plastic barrettes (that I haven't been able to find ANYwhere - not even Dollarama, where the 80's live on)?

I think I had an orgasm, just now, thinking about it all over again.

Anyways - we had a good time. And then we ate lunch at TGIFriday's and I solved America's obesity problem: Stop eating at TGIFriday's.

Home sweet home tomo. Ktown has been a blast - and love to have the extended visit with family - but I'm ready for some downtime before my girls weekend getaway.

Oh - I'm going to have STORIES for you my bloggy peeps. Or maybe not. We'll see if it's rated PG for entertainment. In fact - let's not get your hopes up...

xxoo.S

PS - must give props to the Grandma's - we could not have furnished the fall wardrobe without your help. Thank you for being so spoiling and keeping me from the complete poor-house. I'm glad to hang out on the porch...

Erm... I was kinda kidding...

So - I didn't actually think that anyone would comment on my last post (hi FACEBOOK!) - unless you could count an *eye roll* as a comment. Can you? Because I am totally going to comment an *eye roll* on someone's blog sometime next week. That would be awesome.

Anyways - I wasn't really being serious. I mean, I kind of was. I had this convo with g-friends a few weeks ago and gave them my profound thoughts on my profound theory ... and it was a bit of laugh. As in, yeah. Try harder. Just do it. [insert platitude here]

I know we all try hard. And I really do believe that you probably try as hard as you possibly can right now. It was more tongue-in-cheek than anything...

I mean - I do berate myself on a regular basis about how much I should do more, try harder - all that nonsense. I am, in fact, very much a lazy bastard. And do plan on trying... um, harder. Soon. Very soon. In fact - as soon as this ep of BB11 is over. Then I'll do my ironing.

Insulting BB11. Now she's gone too far!!!

But yeah - because I'm not a writer (read: completely ignorant of all the grammatical rules against overusing ellipses and how in fact to structure a quote to signify a back-and-forth conversation). BECAUSE of that... I didn't necessarily capture the sardonicism with which I actually meant to post my New Philosophy On Life.

So. Yeah. Erm ... Glad if I inspired you - because Hurrah to Inspiration!

But if, instead, I came off as a postulating, arrogant twat?

Well, blame that on the writing...

xxoo.S

My new life philosophy

Yes, this post is going to be just as profound as it sounds... I have a new philosophy on life. It's like Pay It Forward - but only better (partly because it's one less word, and already I'm bringing more efficiency to your life - just in the NAME of my philosophy, one step-at-a-time peeps, one-step-at-a-time...).

Okay - here it is - you ready for it?

Try Harder.

That's it. It's pretty much the answer to everything I've found. Test it against anything that's nagging at you, bothering you, keeping you up at night.

Bothered by that extra weight you're carrying around?

Try Harder. Start exercising (you know, actually start, not just talk about starting). Don't eat so much fatty, deep-fried, fast food. Eat more salads and raw veggies. Do this - and you will lose weight - I promise. It's not gonna be easy - you will have to, you know, TRY. Maybe even Try Harder than you have before. And if you do that - you'll probably lose the weight.

Annoyed that there's not enough time in the day?

Try Harder. Get more done. Be more efficient. Turn off that episode of Toddlers & Tiaras - trust me - Just.Turn.It.Off. Now - do something. Do the dishes. Wash the floor. Balance your checkbook. Look - there you go. You're getting shit done. All it took was a little effort.

Constantly stressed by the end-of-work-day scramble - making dinner, enjoying the evening, getting the kids off to bed?

Try Harder. Prepare dinner the night before. Plan your recipes a week in advance and buy groceries only for those meals. Ask you partner for help in getting things organized. Buy a slow cooker. There's a lot of options here peeps. You just need to do some research, make some decisions and plan ahead. Yup - it's a lot of work. But hopefully it kinda becomes habit and all of a sudden your life has changed and you're less stressed and woops - is that another baby? Dammit...

Want to bring some romance back to the relationship?

This one's easy. All you have to do is Try (a little) Harder. Wear some of that lingerie you got for your wedding shower. And if that doesn't fit - go buy some. On a budget? Joe Fresh sells pretty bras - there you go, you have no excuse now. Light some candles. Throw on some romantic music (Sexy Back by JT? Why not.). Guys are pretty easy to please. You'll have to Try (a little) Harder. But not that much.

Bored with your life. Need some outside interests?

Try Harder. Join a book club. Start bird watching. Spy on your neighbours. Think about what you like and then etch out some time in the day to do it. Stop bitching and moaning about how your life is so boring and you don't have any time anymore to do any of the things you enjoy, and figure out how to make time for those things.

Some of you may be reading this thinking, but Sara..no..H, I'm trying as hard as I can. And I still can't get things done. I'm here to tell you, you're not. You can Try Harder. I promise it will make a difference.

And I know some of you are rolling your eyes (internally of course, don't want to be rude or anything...) thinking, "Oh SnH, do you expect us to be Superheroes? That's what you're telling me I need to do." Not true. You don't have to fix everything at once. But I dare you to try it out on one thing. Just one thing that you're complaining about in your head right now. See what happens...

There you go. Life altering blog posts. One-day-at-a-time.

xxoo.S

I haven't researched this yet

Maddie hit a milestone yesterday. She went pee in the potty at daycare.

In fact, it was during a diaper change, that she asked to go to the potty. Then waited until Annette left the bathroom. And then she went. Like it ain't no thang...

They called me yesterday to tell me. Which was cute and adorable. But sidebar? Whenever I see the daycare number on my phone my heart jumps into my throat a little bit. Good thing Annette is super awesome and starts every conversation with "Don't worry - everything is fine - I'm just calling to tell you..."

So Maddie told me that "Maddie pee-peed potty Mommy".

That just about broke my heart with adorableness.

So when I picked her up from daycare yesterday I had a chat with Annette about next steps. Should we start training like immediately? Let Maddie just hop on the potty when she feels like it?

Dammit - I was planning on doing this over Christmas vacation!

I have books to read. And websites to research. And training pants to buy. And...and...and...

If you haven't guessed. I'm a bit of a boyscout. And I like to be prepared. Especially when I'm hitting uncharted territory. Oh, and I'm not the most easy-going person in the world either. You mean you haven't noticed?

So yeah. Big Maddie milestone moment.

And I'm a little bit terrified.

xxoo.S

T-minus 4 days and counting...

I leave for vacay as of this Friday night at 7pm. It's not a big trip. It's not an exotic destination. But - it is a Full.Week.Off.

So excited, am I.

But also a bit flustered. Because (and doesn't it always happen this way), the sh*t has hit the fan at work and I need to get about a TRILLION things done before I will be able to go incognito for a week.

Or I will just have to bring my laptop with me.

Who's kidding who? My laptop is totally coming with me.

But hopefully just so I can update my blog with my fun mini-adventures with Maddie.

Hope you all had a great weekend. We did. Especially Miss M - who ate her weight in cherry tomatoes. But that's another story...

xxoo.S

Spoiled but easy

I was always the first one to roll my eyes (internally, of course) when at the mall, seeing a child start to kick off and watch as his/her parent would scramble to quiet them (eye rolling would be far less internal if the parent in question actually did nothing to shut their kid up).

Often that scramble involved capitulating to the demands of some type of toy, candy, whatever. And I would shake my head and just think, well, that's why they're screaming, genius. You giving them what they want is only teaching them to scream for what they want next time.

Oh, it is so easy to be pious and judgemental when you don't have a screaming, whiny kid of your own...

Fast forward a few years - and here I am. On the brink of the "terrible two's" and capitulating to Miss M's demands far more than I'd like to admit.

Although, here I am, admitting it to my own little self-help group of the blogosphere...

In actual fact, I'm the "bad cop" in our family. Seth - well, he gives her pretty much anything she wants the minute she starts to ask for it. Me? I'm only about 50/50.

Regardless - I fully blame us, not her, for the little demanding monster she is becoming. Instead of asking for a drink like a normal human being (which, at the age of 22 months, she is more than capable of doing), she SCREAMS and starts CRYING as she asks for it. We're like, dude? Relax. We'll get you effing juice.

Sidebar - I know I talked about us going cold turkey on the juice offering at home - and well, this is a post about spineless parenting, okay? I know I (we) need some work.

So yeah - the full one tantrum before she's even asked for something. Before we've even had a CHANCE to say no?

Lame. And unacceptable. And no way in hell am I living the next 18 years like this.

And I get that she's still young. That she's in a very egocentric stage, because that is where her brain is. I get it.

However I also think that we take the easy road much more often that perhaps we should. That we aren't teaching her that sometimes it's okay to be disappointed, and that people are going to say no, and that them's the rules.

Other bad habits (besides the evil juice habit) that I fully blame us for?

• Watching tv while eating dinner. Like a zombie. Oh I hate this so much.
• Screaming 99% of the time we go to leave the park. Like on the ground, full-on tantrum, screaming. Carrying her fireman-style out of the park while other parents try not to stare (but you know they totally are and being thankful that they are not you at that moment in time).
• Demanding tv shows that she wants to watch (a lot). So yes, the amount of tv we let her watch bothers me. And the fact that we've taught her (through the technology of PVR) that she can get Dora or Elmo or Loonette just by asking (read: demanding) it, is beyond irritating. Instant gratification and 2 years old are a bad combo to introduce.
• Refusing to drink milk. At all. Ever.

So yeah - the road to a spoiled kid is an easy one. Without much headaches. Makes life a lot more enjoyable than a screaming toddler.

But I recognize it's getting out of control and we need to take steps to reign it in a bit.

Poor Maddie - her life is about to change a bit...

xxoo.S

PS - this wasn't meant to be a post about how whiny my kid is. Or how shitty of a mother I am. I know I'm a good parent. And she's an awesome, sweet, lovely, little girl. It was more of an observation of what I know I can do better.

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