Something on Pintrest Worked!

Today I tried one of the kid's activities I found on Pintrest. It looked simple enough and I had all the ingredients, so I figured I'd give it a go. I'm always keeping my eye out for an activity that both the girls will equally enjoy. This particular one is called "Cloud Dough" and is super easy to make.

 

Source: jugglingwithkids.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

It's just 8 cups of flour to 1 cup of baby oil. Mix it up with your hands and ta-da! It keeps it's shape and isn't gooey or sticky at all. The smell of baby oil is nice too! The girls love the sandbox, so this is a great alternative on rainy days. Of course there's nothing stopping you from taking it outside. In fact it can get a bit messy so that's not a bad idea. I suggest a big tub if you have one, and lots of newspaper on the floor. That being said, it is very easy to sweep up, so clean up isn't the huge task you might think it would be.

Miss. A loved making shapes and burying things. She pretended she was a paleontologist, burying plastic onion rings and pretending they were apatosaurus bones. Each time she dug them up it was a new discovery!

Miss. K (Formerly known as Baby K who has now had a birthday), loved exploring the feel of the"sand". She filled little bowls, poked things with straws, and generally made a huge mess!

They both had lots of fun with it and enjoyed it in their own way. It also keeps well if you store it in a zip lock bag or sealed container. Yay for pintrest!

All Days Should End Like This

Some days are just good days, no two ways about it. Whatever doubts you had yesterday are banished to the back of your mind along with your increasingly long "to do" list. Everything is put on hold while you live in that perfect moment. It's often a very difficult thing to do. To just live in the moment and enjoy it for what it is. It's something more people should consciously try to do; it does wonderful things for your well -being. A friend and I sat in the shade sipping lemonade while our kids played in the pool. They squealed with laughter as they chased each other, pouring buckets of water over each other's head. It was a hot day, but really I don't think they noticed. They were having way too much fun.

Later, while I was cleaning up after dinner, Baby K came in to see what I was up to. I was playing music while I tidied and she danced with a big smile on her face. She loves to dance! Miss. A joined us, and before I knew it, we were all dancing in the kitchen. If anyone looked in, they would have seen us dancing like wolves, the wind, and occasionally Miss A broke out her "cool moves". It was so much fun! In a way, I'm kind of thankful for all those trying times because it makes moments like that so much more rewarding. I didn't realize during those many, many, hours of rocking a colicky baby, that I would be later spinning and dipping a feisty four year old. It would have seemed so very far away, but was totally worth the wait.

Spring!

The weather yesterday was absolutely gorgeous! We spent most of the day outside. In the morning Miss. A and I cleaned out the car. It was very dusty and had paper and wrappers all over it. I was always so embarrassed if someone else was in our car. We played out the front after that. Drawing with chalk on the driveway and making snow castles out of the snow that was quickly melting around us. After Baby K woke from her name and we had fueled up with lunch, we decided to it the road and walk to the park.

Anyone who knows Miss. A very well, or even slightly, knows she has a habit of bolting when we're out. Regardless of where we are or her own personal safety, she just takes off! This drives me insane. I'm always terrified something is going to happen to her because she never comes back when I call her. I have to run her down and drag her back. Of course she'll never get better if I don't take her out at all, so we still go, and I still have a mini heart attack most times. This time I thought of a devious plan. I gave her a baby in a toy stroller and told her we would walk our babies together. This way she couldn't just run, or at least not very fast, if she was pushing it. It actually worked really well! She pushed that stroller all the way to the park and back. She also really doesn't like leaving the park. I thought I could set her baby up with the blame too.

Me - "So we'll play at the park for a while, but eventually we'll have to go home. You 'll have to feed your  baby and she'll need a nap."

Miss. A- "No she won't. She's not a real baby." If she thought of adding "duh" she would have.

Me - "I know, but we're just pretending."

Miss. A -"I don't want to pretend."

Darn it! So close!

Once we got there they had lots of fun at the park. It was warm enough that they didn't need snow suits, so they were able to wear their splash pants. This was great for Baby K because she has such a hard time walking in one. She ran around and explored easily and seems very happy about it. I took her on the slide and she loved it; dragging me back to the stairs time and time again. Miss. A ran straight for the Big Kid slide. I didn't realize that a HUGE puddle had formed at the bottom. Woosh! Ten seconds at the park and already soaked to the bone!









We also spent quite a bit of time on the swings. Baby K giggled a lot and loved seeing her big sister next to her. Miss. A didn't disappoint and totally hammed it up for her. We were there for about two hours and could have stayed longer even. I knew that school was letting out and soon the park would be full of kids. If I had any chance of leaving without a fight I'd have to go before they showed up. Miss. A is a social animal. I'm horrified when I think of what her cell phone bill will be years from now.



Baby K was sadded by the news that it was time to leave. =(

We managed to leave the park without too much difficulty and only one time out! Success! However I got the suspicion that Miss. A was getting a bit tired on the walk home. It is a pretty far walk and I was surprised I had heard her complaining yet. I asked her if she was tired and if she would want me to take her baby for a little bit. "I'm ok, but I need a snack." So we pressed on. I kept looking back to see if she was keeping up. On one of the instances I saw her push her stroller into the middle of a driveway and make like she was going to leave it.

Me - "You can't abandon your child!" She didn't even ring the door bell! Poor plastic baby!

Miss. A -"I wasn't!" Then she dragged her feet back and retrieved her stroller.

Despite feeling obviously burdened by her new found parental responsibilities, Miss. A and Baby K had a blast enjoying the spring like weather. More than half of the snow is gone and we can't wait to get out again!

The Silver Lining



Today was just one of those days that seems to walk right over you. There's nothing to do but let out a huge sigh of relief at the end, and know that tomorrow, it's going to be so much better. However, just as you should never go to bed angry, you should also never end it on a negative note either. What is more up lifting than seeing your kids have fun spending time with each other. They had a great day. It was full of laughing and giggling. Though Mom and Dad's day could have been better, it certainly was not a waste if they enjoyed themselves. That being said, if tomorrow isn't awesome heads will roll!



The Science of Fun





A little while back we decided to take the family to The Museum of Science and Technology. We weren't sure if it would hold the children's interest, but thankfully the loved it! Growing up I always looked forward to visiting this museum in particular. It was the one where you could push buttons, look through a periscope, and of course, walk through the crazy kitchen. It also had a big rocket on the front lawn! For a kid, that was a major seller. So was exploring all the trains and imagining that, at night, they chugged around the museum all on their own. It was lots of fun and I was eager to share these experiences with my own kids.

There have been a lot of changes since I was a youngster, but all the favorites are still there. Miss. A loved looking at all the old trains. She was amazed at how much bigger they are in person. I told her they were old steam trains, for the most part, and one day if we were lucky we might get to ride in one. "Like Thomas?" I wonder how many times that question has been asked here? Probably more times a day than I can count.  We explored them inside and out. Even Baby K seemed interested in everything. Of course Mom and Dad compared it all to what we remembered when we were young. Yep, those trains are still huge! 

One of the things I noticed that had changed, and for the better, was that at each of the exhibits there were elements that would appeal to kids too. Of course every little scientist is going to enjoy tearing through the crazy kitchen, but some of the other exhibits may not hold their attention for too long. So I was really happy to see that children were being thought of when designing some of the other more "adult" aspects of the museum.  There were hands on elements to everything at the there. Lots of make believe from paddling a canoe to driving mining equipment and even dressing up and getting your photo taken with an antique camera.  All these things and many more in addition to the childhood favorites we remember.

Miss. A and I putting together a canoe puzzle. Be quick! If you're not fast enough it resets.





 No matter which route you took, you would find yourself it the children’s section about halfway through your trip. This was a great opportunity for the kids to get out and have some free play time. They can only be on their best behavior for so long before they get a little edgy. Here they could explore the crazy kitchen, play with blocks or dress up. Baby K loved playing with the puppets. There were also other fun exhibits that seemed geared toward allowing the little ones some hands on exploration. Playing music and watching the sounds waves on a screen above, riding on a snowmobile, and one thing I remember from my past was there with a slight modification. In my day we watched a ball baring slowly circle a hole, gaining speed, and then disappearing down it like down a drain. That's still there, only now you insert a coin and watch it disappear. Curses! Oh well, I hope they like rolling pennies because I bet that's all they get.

After we pried Miss. A away from the crazy kitchen, we continued on. We saw vintage cars, learned about the Earth and Moon, played with machines that made light bulbs glow and drove a big mining truck! There was a space ship to explore, mission control to man and holograms to amaze little eyes. We literally spent the whole day there and we STILL had more to look at, but alas it was close to dinner time and we had to leave. We'll just have to go back again. Oh, twist our rubber arms!

Sunny Days

Today I made two goals for myself and the girls. The first was to be more firm and no nonsense.  I'm the boss and what I say goes. There's been far too much whining, crying and disrespect going on in this house and I aimed to put my foot down.  The second was to get outside and enjoy the beautiful sunny day that was before us! As I had mentioned earlier, we have been sick pretty much since mid Decemeber. To say we had cabin fever would be an understaement. Today was a day where health and weather conisided and we were going to take full advantage of it!

The day started off as most lately have. Whining, begging, crying. "I want TV! I want Mario Kart", and a host of other unreasonable requests. Within the first hour Miss. A had about three time outs. During breakfast she moaned at what I imagined she thought was the most unfair treatment EVER! Really! Mothers can be so unreasonable at times! I told her she could eat or not eat, but she wasn't getting anything else until lunch. It was up to her. After a few minutes she stopped moaning and started eating. She looked up at me, "Mom can I tell you something?" I nodded. "I'm sorry I wasn't eating my food. And for crying. And for keeping everyone awake last night." She had been up and down more than a newborn demanding this and that. "It's hard being a little girl! I need more practice." I was pleasently shocked and amazed at this confession! "Thank you, that's very grown up of you. I'm proud of you for saying sorry." I suddenly had second thoughts about selling her to the circus.

After breakfast I told them that I was going to go upstairs and get dressed and ready for the day. Then we could all go out for a walk and maybe even the park. They were super excited about this because it meant the quartine was over! When I came down they had pulled out every bit of play food and made a tea party to surprise me with. After our "tea", we got dressed and went out for our walk. We looked at the little streams on the road from the melting snow and ice. Miss. A jumped in every one. We talked about how to cross the road safely and what the stop sign meant. Baby K talked and laughed to herself the whole time. When we got to the park we saw that there were lots of kids playing. The home daycares in the area all tend to congregate at this particular park. "Look at all the kids! Maybe I'll find the perfect friend here", Miss. A told me excitedly. Geez! Make me feel guilty for not taking her out much as I probably should.

We spent about two hours at the park. Miss. A played on the slides and the swings. Most of the other kids had left the park to go home for lunch, but we stayed and played a bit longer. Baby K loved watching it all. Her eyes were all lit up as she saw each new thing or person. Sadly she is not very good at walking in a snow suit. Quite often, for seemingly no reason, she would fall forward onto her face. It was like her head was some giant heavy bobble head or something! One moment she's fine, the next she's doing Downward Dog without the assistance of her hands. Ah well, I guess this is how we learn.

The best part, as far as Miss. A was concerned, was getting home just in time to have lunch with Daddy! They got to snuggle up on the couch together as lunch was being made. She's such a daddy's girl! It was a great day and hopefully tomorrow will be even better. I even managed to wash the floors today, so yay me!

Outdoor Learning

We're at the point in the winter where there's nothing really left to look forward to. Christmas is over and so is New Years. Unless you are planning a March break getaway (we certainly aren't!), there's only a slow, bleak march towards the spring to occupy your days. Those depressing grey days when the snow isn't white anymore; just a dirty lump of mush. Mush that will freeze solid causing you to twist your ankle. Oh glorious spring! Where for art thou? It's so easy to get caught up in the winter blues and forget that there is actual life outside! Though it may be grey, cold, and uninviting, there is actually a lot of opportunity outside. If you're a toddler and a preschooler anyways. They can often find the silver lining or bright side to anything when we "jaded" adults can not.

Today was centered around exploring everything about the winter and what was in our own backyard. Itwas a kind of "outdoor science" day. At least that's how I sold it to Miss. A anyways. After breakfast we bundled up and when out in the backyard. We noticed how the snow had a crust of ice. We tried to walk on the top without falling through. Both the girls are light so they could do this and thought it was really neat. Afterwards we slid down the toboggan hill that was slick with ice. Miss. A loved the fact she didn't need and sled and took full advantage of that freedom. She went down on her butt, her back, her tummy, over and over again. Afterwards we gathered snow into a bucket and went in for some hot chocolate.

When we were warm and filled with coco goodness we looked at the bucket of snow inside. I showed them a bowl of water and a bowl of ice cubes. We touched them making "observations" about what happened when we did. The water was wet. The ice and snow cold. In our hands they would melt. We asked lots of questions about what we saw. Why did the snow and ice melt? Why do they look like the bowl of water? I asked Miss. A what she thought would happen if we left the snow inside for a while. "It'll melt?" She asked. We decided to find out. She spooned some snow into a bowl which we left on the table while we enjoyed our grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. I put onions and tomato in mine. She said that was disgusting! Cheeky monkey!

After lunch Baby K went for a nap. We killed time watching a movie, and when she woke up we checked on our "experiment". After careful "observation" (he he) we discovered the now was now water! "Oh my goodness, it DID melt!" Miss. A exclaimed. I suggested we put the bowl outside in the cold to see what would happen and check it the next day. (Guess what? It turned into ICE!) In the meantime I brought out a bunch of items I found in the backyard. Pine cones, pine needles, leaves, rocks, seeds etc. Baby K loved feeling everything in the box; especially the rocks. Miss. A and I talked about what everything was and what it did. What do seeds do? Why are the leaves and pine needles different? What type of rock is this? Not only did we learn about what things were, what they felt like, and what they did, but also how they smelled. Until everything had warmed up inside, I hadn't noticed the nice pine scent. Now I have some homemade potpourri! Fancy!

Later while I was getting the house cleaned up, we are more than a bit rough on this poor house, Miss. A coloured in pictures of all the things we looked at that day. At the end of the day I asked her if she had a good time. She said yes and that she liked doing all her "experiments" and whether she could do more the next day. Yeah! And that's the story of the day we only watched ONE movie. Tomorrow is "baking and cooking" day.  Which is good, I needed a sous chef anyways.

What Goes Around Comes Around

When I look at my daughters I sometimes see myself looking back. Often I hear and see myself in what they say, what they do, and sometimes even just the way they stand. They are little sponges in every sense of the word. If you want incentive to show your best you at all times, that's it right there. However, as we all know, we don't put our best selves out on display all the time. I know I certainly don't, though I later regret it and wish I had. Yeah, that whole "going with the flow" thing doesn't work that well when you're going up hill. I guess if you sincerely try, and then try to do better, well, that must count for something.

Of course if you try to be this perfect, flawless, alabaster statue of Mother, who do these little sponges become? Some mythical creature that doesn't exist? If I pretended to be a unicorn, I doubt they would turn into unicorns. Unicorns have historically fared poorly in the real world. It is probably better that they see their mother as human, with all the flaws that come with that, and learn to overcome those flaws. Oh man! Did I just assign myself homework? Now I  have to overcome my flaws. This is why trains of thought can be so dangerous and need to be derailed at times.

Our kids are just growing up so fast, and I can't help but notice the person that they are, is become clearer everyday. It can be startling and endearing to hear them repeat things you say the way that you say them. This is especially true of Miss. A. When she's playing with her sister, as opposed to chasing her through the house, she can be so sweet. I'll hear her explaining things to her they way I explain things to Miss. A. "Oh no, sweetie boo, this isn't for babies. This is for big girls." I also have a habit of adding "-stein" to the end of things when I'm poking fun at her. The other day she told her dad to stop being such a "goofinstein"! Number one; that's adorable. Number two; I really need to stop talking like that. There are a hundred different examples that would be meaningless to you, but are just amazing to me.

My husband has noticed this too. The other day when they where playing around, for a split second, he said she reminded him of me. Just a particular look she had. That's not to say it's all me, he has had quite a bit of influence as well. Baby K is just so care free and relaxed. Scott tends to go with the flow and take one day at a time. Baby K has this same laid back attitude. Miss. A loves everything about her dad and takes after him in a lot of ways. She is really interested in technology and super quick at figuring it out. Much to my dismay, both she and her dad share a love of video games and an aptitude for them. He's trying to teach her the phrase "pone some noobs". I'm not sure I approve of this. However, she did in fact "pone some noobs" the other day. If they only new they had their butts handed to them by a three year old girl.

Really the only thing you can do is try to be a good person, do what you know and when you know better do better, and continue being awesome. Also, cut down on the swearing when your driving. It's just not classy.

Good Days

Today was a good day. I didn't win the lottery, magically lose 10lbs, or even cook something edible, but it was still good. The kids and I just hung out today enjoying our time together. My ideal plan of spending quality individual time with each, and then some group activities we could all do together, seems to be working out. Baby K and I danced and sung together, played with her tea set and read some books. Miss. A and I made a bird feeder which we hung in the back yard, made popcorn and watched a movie together, and did some puzzles. When we weren't doing things together, the girls did some colouring, watched Classical Baby (cartoon babies and animals dancing to classical music), or just chased each other around playing tag or hide and go seek. They didn't seem to mind playing on their own while I got chores done around the house. The house is starting to look more like a home and less like a college dorm. We ended the day with both the girls splashing in the bath tub. Like I said, nothing miraculous, just and really nice day where everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Even Scott received kudos at work today! Which is always nice when you start a new job. Now I have the house to myself so I'm going to try out that new Zumba game I got for my birthday. I hope I can get the blinds to go down. I don't want to frighten the neighbours with my tired old dance moves. I bet Betty White is a better dancer than I am.

Once Upon A Time...

Up until very recently, just this week in fact, my three year old has been a nightmare at bedtime! As soon as we mentioned it was time to get our pyjamas on she would take off running. You would literally have to corner her and scoop her up. Getting them on was next to impossible too. She would wiggle and squirm the whole time. When it came to brushing her teeth she was no better. She would flick her tooth brush spraying toothpaste all over the mirror, brush the sink and faucet, or just stare at her reflection and make funny faces. You had to keep her on task the whole time. It was a huge test of patience; and I'm a very impatient person. You knew she was just trying to stall and wind you up in the process. She is extremely good at winding me up. She knows all the buttons to push and when. While I'm waiting I wonder if there is a boarding school for preschoolers? Hopefully overseas? I doubt I'd be that lucky.

Once we're finally upstairs, oh wait, I forgot to mention, we do our teeth and dress downstairs. Why? She puts up such a loud fuss that I'm afraid she'll wake up her sister. She just turned sixteen months and spares me this ordeal every night and is a fantastic sleeper for the most part. She has not yet learned the entertainment value in torturing me. Once we finally get upstairs we pick out two books and have the smallest drink of water I can get away with giving her. I'd like to say we snuggle up together and read a sweet little book. A darling little picture of the joys of parenthood, but that would be a lie. Usually she's jumping on the bed, throwing her bear in the air or trying to have a conversation with her goldfish across the room. After repeated threats that I'll stop reading, she finally settles down enough that we can finish the books. (I skip a lot of pages on the way) I tuck her in, give her a kiss and a hug, tell her I love her, and head towards the door. "Mommy, can I tell you a question??"  Le sigh. "Um, can I play with the iPad?", "I'm hungry", "I'm not tired", "Can you sleep with me?" After trying to evade this barrage of questions I eventually just have to say good night and close the door before she has a chance to say anything else. After that it's about an hour of hauling her butt back to bed. Not fun. There goes my whole night, thanks a lot you pain darling little angel.

As I said, this week has been soooo much better! Why? I think it's because of a couple of things. I've been making an effort to spend a lot more one on one time with her during the day. Usually her sister is involved with everything we do, but there is naturally a certain amount of jealousy in the house right now. I think the personal time with just the two of us is really helping. I know she's much more manageable during the day now too. Secondly, we don't try to rush bedtime at all. We *may* have been slightly guilty of this in the past. After a long day my husband and I just want some us time. Of course, she just wants some Mommy and Daddy time alone, which she rarely gets. It's really not fair of us to rush her through it, so we don't do that now. One of the things I think is working really well is how we changed story time.

The bedtime book is still a staple, but we've added two new elements. I tell her a story about her and then she tells me a story. Nothing fancy. We're not writing the next Harry Potter or anything. Just anything that comes to mind. I usually ask her where she wants to go in the story and what she wants to do. Then just sort of wing it. Usually she wants to go to the park or the farm with all her friends from school, often Mommy, Daddy and her sister are there too. When I'm finished it's her turn. Her stories are so cute and really imaginative! They often start off with her sister and her going somewhere, meeting friends, playing, coming home for a snack, finding dragons (but friendly ones that like to give hugs) and of course eating ice cream. This whole story telling time is great! She's using her imagination, being empowered to create her own story, and she's having some quiet time with me. No jumping up and down, no bartering for this and that, just a nice unwinding end to the day. After she says The End, I tell her thanks for sharing that great story, give her a big hug and kiss and say good night. "I love you Mommy, good night." Then she stays in bed and doesn't get up once!

The End.

Deep Breath. Start Again

Today's start was such a tease. Miss. A woke at seven, and Baby K slept in until eight. Woot! I was allowed that most coveted of experiences the morning shower! Not having to wait until naptime or night is a rare but welcome treat. Before eight in the morning I was showered, dressed, looking and feeling human again. Today was going well! It was going to be awesome! Somewhere the universe was quietly laughing at me. It rapidly went down hill from there. I won't bore you with the details. It would take too long and eventually you would lose focus and start thinking about other things. Let's just say it ended at the park with two little girls competing to see who could throw the biggest tantrum.

Amongst the sand, tears and runny noses I started to feel a little sorry for myself. Some days seem to go so well and others are so hard. That's probably when I take to the internets in search of sympathy and solidarity. Otherwise I would probably stand in the middle of the living room and shout "YOU'RE ALL DRIVING ME CRAZY!!" Which I think we can all agree is not the most mature and motherly thing to do. Honest, yes. Probably the most honest, but not the best. Quite often the internets don't disappoint. Often a few people have been in the same boat and post words of encouragement. Sometimes, when maybe I've been complaining a tad too much, they thankfully post nothing at all. Any responses would have to be along the lines of "suck it up princess". Which, ultimately you have to do. Stay calm and carry on.

Though, in those stressful moments (days, weeks...), I feel somewhat overwhelmed, later I calm and put it all in perspective. I have a good family and support system. My kids, though trying like any others, are good kids. I might be having a bad day, but there are others out there facing hardships every day. Many are not as fortunate as me. I don't have to worry about food, doing it on my own, health problems, and so many other things that seem to define the lives of other people. It isn't always easy, but nothing worth doing is. I wish I would remember that and have it at the front of my consciousness always. If I did, maybe the "hard" days wouldn't really seem that hard and I could just enjoy what I have every moment. Tomorrow is another day.

Deep Breath. Start Again.

Wordless Wednesday: Time Flies!

I can't believe my sweet little Baby K was ever this small!

A Case of the Mondays

Today I took Baby K to her music class. She of course loved it, despite having to miss a nap to be there. She can't walk yet, but she sure loves to try! Gravity and balance are still foreign concepts to her. The class is geared towards toddlers who CAN walk at her age. So I have to hold her hands and walk in the circle with her. Often it starts as walking, but quickly moves to running. It so funny to see her little legs moving so fast! Of course she's in seventh heaven because walking and running is all she wants to do all day anyways. She has me trapped for a full half hour to indulge her.

Miss. A watched Alice In Wonderland with Dad while we were out. Then did some crafts and finally begged him to play Skyrim! She likes to sit on his lap while he plays and fight dragons and search castles. After lunch we all bundled up and went to the park. Miss. A found a little friend to play with and Baby K enjoyed playing on the swing, it was cold but everyone enjoyed themselves.

DH made a great dinner, as per usual. Now that the kiddies are I bed, we're enjoying a nice glade of wine and watching some TV. It was a good Monday. I'm not sure why people dislike Mondays so much.

And So Begins the Charade

It seems early, but the holiday season is now in full swing! The stores are decorated to the nines and Christmas music is being piped it with a gusto! I've even seen a house with it's Christmas lights on this evening. Of course I'm sure some would be quick to point out that we haven't actually taken ours down from last year. The big difference is we won't turn them on until December. There just comes a point where you've procrastinated so long you may as well just leave them up. I doubt anyone would really notice anyways. The garland in July, however, may be a different story altogether. Meh.

Our oldest is three, and has a general idea about Christmas and Santa, but I'm not so sure how real it has been to her in the past. After all, she was only two and a half last Christmas. During work "holiday parties", she was even terrified of Santa! We've talked him up a bit since then. She's old enough now that we can plant the seeds of Santa Blackmail in her little mind. Muhahaha! "You better eat all your dinner. Santa is always watching..." Most of all though, she's at the age where we can really start to get excited about the holiday as a whole.

Today we took the kiddies to their first Santa Claus parade! I don't think Miss. A had any idea what to expect. We went with a bunch of friends and their kids too. It was a really wonderful time out with everyone, if a bit on the chilly side. When the parade started, Miss. A was curious but cautious. It wasn't long before she really got into it. She waved at all the people and the floats. When marching bands came by she was excited about the music and the instruments. "Look Mom, music!" The costumes, the candy, the floats; she waved her flag excitedly and gave out high fives to those marching by. When Santa showed up she stared at him in child like awe! Which is quite fitting what with her being three. Baby K sat and watched everything with interest. She seemed pretty happy being entertained by the events passing in front of her. She must have been because it was LONG past her nap time and she didn't fuss once. She's such a sweetie!

I'm really looking forward to celebrating Christmas this year. It's so exciting to see a little person really experience it for the first time. Miss. A is super excited. I can't wait. I feel like a kid a Christmas!

Edgar and Other Imaginary Friends You Made Up

Like most parents, our bedtime routine with our three year old daughter involves a story. We have a VERY large selection of books to choose from and Miss. A has her favorites out of it. She loves Alice the Fairy by David Shannon, Alice in Wonderland, The Night Before Christmas (which we read a lot regardless of the season!), Cat In The Hat, and pretty much any other book that's L O N G. Reading is one part winding down at night and one part stall tactic.

More than anything else, however, Miss. A loves when we just make up a story. "Tell me a story? About me?" Her favorite story topics involve friends from preschool (re: her new boyfriend), a family friend's son, and her cousin. They inevitably end up all going to the park, the zoo, or on a picnic. Sometimes she wants to hear a story about Princess Alice and her sister Princess Kaylee. They often ride their horses out into the forest and discover all manner of mythical creature. Usually dragons, but not scary dragons, friendly ones.

Miss. A woke up in the middle of the night a few days ago. She does this sometimes and is very upset. What made matters worse was that the more she cried, the harder it was to breath. So this made her cry more. You get the idea. I needed to distract her and calm her down so that she could breath again, and hopefully, we could all get back to sleep. That's when Edgar was born. I told her a story about how Princess A and Baby K went to an apple orchard to collect apples for a pie. There they saw a bright pink bird in an apple tree with a funny call. It had long legs, curvy beak and long pink wings. They didn't know what it was, so they went quickly home to ask Mommy and Daddy, only to discover it had followed them! Mommy and Daddy looked the bird up in the Big Book of Birds and discovered it was a flamingo. He liked to eat tomatoes and must have mistaken the apples for them and gotten lost. ( At three in the morning I didn't know what flamingos ate and I didn't think Miss. A did either) Miss. A and Baby K fed Edgar tomatoes from their garden and he was so happy. Then a man from the zoo came and said thank you for taking care of Edgar and for feeding him. They were welcome to visit him at the zoo any time. The End.

Now Edgar is a permanent part of our waking hours. We talk about Edgar and how he's doing at the zoo. We colour pictures of him eating tomatoes. If we see a bird on TV or outside we wonder, did they know Edgar? Are they friends? It's funny how some things you desperately make up on the fly stick. Have you made something or someone up that's become a part of your children's own imagination and play?

What's Life Without A Little Music?

Blogher has provided writing prompts for those participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) for the month of November. Today's prompt is about music and whether listening to it influences how you write. My answer? No. No it doesn't. Only because I've just started writing. I haven't actually listened to music and tried to write at the same time. Maybe I'll do that later. However, it DID get me thinking about music in general.

Growing up one of the things I remember was that the house was always filled with music. Some people get up and turn on a pot of coffee first thing in the morning. My parents turned on the radio. No matter where we were, music was always playing. In the backyard, in the car, camping, it was as much a staple of our home as anything else could be. I have distinct memories of certain songs and what we were doing at the time. Opening Christmas presents while listening to Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney's Ebony and Ivory. My dad putting on Weird Al's Eat It in a futile and desperate attempt to get me to eat my dinner. His proclamation that Glenn Frey's The Heat is On was a great driving song while he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Mom entering my room in the morning , throwing open the curtains, and singing Judy Garland's Good Morning. The house being flooded Christmas morning with Loreena McKennitt's To Drive the Cold Winter Away, in a not so subtle signal that it was time to get up.The house seemed empty if there wasn't music on somehow.

At home I try to make music a part of the kids lives too. During dinner and bath time we listen to different music. Sometimes we listen to reggae, sometimes jazz. Both girls have attended a music class since they were wee tiny things. They absolutely love going. At home we have lots of instruments and sing songs every day. My fourteen month old, Baby K, dances as soon as she hears anything with a rhythm. In fact, when she was a newborn, singing calmed her faster than any other trick in the book. Miss. A even sings the songs she learns at preschool into a marker microphone when she gets home. Mind you, she gets very embarrassed if she catches you watching.

Actually, I suppose that music has affected my writing. It's given me lots of fond memories to draw on and is still a part of my life everyday. I wonder what memories my kids will have when they think back? Hopefully they'll continue to enjoy it and share it with their families too.

Go Take a Hike

Today was spent indulging two of my husband's favorite things: hiking and photography! Wow, it must be nice to have such interesting hobbies. I really must look into getting one myself. We were daring in that we left around lunch time and nap time for our youngest little adventurer. Not to fret, however, we are seasoned professionals! We loaded ourselves up with plenty of food and crossed our fingers that nap time wouldn't be a big issue. It wasn't, thankfully, and much fun was had by all. We trekked for about an hour and a half. (mental note: next time more ankle support!) Miss. A LOVED it! She has an amazing amount of energy! Baby K always loves getting outside and being a part of the action. She's just fascinated by everything. I, well, I probably needed the exercise.





My husband, Scott, is a wonderful photographer! He really enjoys it, and it shows in his work. The kids are some of his favorite subjects. Miss. A loves to be the center of attention, so she really gets into it. I'm sure Baby Kwill quickly follow! He also loves the great outdoors. Much of the time spent at the cottage is hunting for the perfect shot.


It was a lovely day out with the kiddies! We saw deer, squirrels, toads, butterflies, and lots of different birds. Ok, maybe the deer was the most exciting thing, but if you're three years old and under it's practically an African safari. Scott took many a photo, I even took a couple myself. If you get a chance you should check out his Flickr site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottdkp