It's Not Easy Being Green

In an ever evolving quest to be healthier, I've started experimenting with smoothies and juices. I've discovered a few things already. The first is that my blender isn't very good. We've had it for nearly ten years, so that's part of the problem. Somethings just get old and dull over time. Also, it wasn't really made to do smoothies in the first place. As a consequence, all my smoothies thus far require a small amount of mastication on the part of the drinker. That's OK though. When I think of all that went into making them, I'm impressed by the amount of fresh fruits and veggies I'm actually eating! There's a lot of goodness in that glass, even if it looks a bit dubious.

That's the second thing I've learned so far. Looks can be deceiving! That's an understatement when it comes to making and consuming "green smoothies" in particular. Who would think a drink made of banana, blue berries, peaches, cucumber, watermelon, and spinach would be any good? Actually many of the weird combinations I've tried have been very good! I'm looking forward to experimenting with new combinations and seeing how they play out. The other deceptive thing I've discovered is that you need a heck of a lot of oranges to make fresh orange juice! It tastes fantastic but is very labour intensive! Also, we need new orange peeling technology, asap.

I haven't been at it very long, but I plan on sharing anything I find that is interesting and/or tasty. Hopefully both.

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.

...Because It'll Be Even More Ridiculous When I'm Sixty

Do you know how hard it is to find a photo of red heads (or gingers if you must) with coloured streaks in their hair? Damn near impossible! Apparently red heads don't dye their hair. Sometimes I wish I was born a mousy brown so I could dye my hair different ways all the time. But no, I'm a red head and have impossible hair. It's hard to dye and style. I've tried and failed many times. When I was younger I made homemade dyes, which worked in all my friends' hair, but never in mine. I even tried bleaching it and it didn't change one iota. If I braided or put my hair in curlers over night, the waves and curls went flat my lunch. A few times I got a perm out of pure frustration. I looked like a poodle! Even then, the perm turned into frizzy hair within a couple of weeks. Just FYI, don't do something stupid like that a few weeks before your wedding. Trust me, it's a bad decision.

Usually when I get bored of the same old routine, I feel a need to do something to my hair. I don't know why that is exactly; probably because it's the easiest and most visible. Since I have so much trouble styling it, I often go and just get it all chopped off. My husband hates that! I don't know why husbands are always so possessive of their wife's hair. I guess he just doesn't want me to come home with a "mom" haircut. Which frankly, I don't either. Maybe that's why I went to the drugstore yesterday and bought a tube of purple hair dye. It's a total "anti-mom" hair style.

There were lots of different colours, but I chose purple. I have no idea what colour would look best because, as I said, red heads don't seem to dye their hair. I guess we are much too serious a people to be caught up in such silliness! It's really not that daring, it washes out in one wash. Ideally I'd like to find a few different colours that work and have a number of streaks going at the same time. I've tried the purple and I can kinda see it, but my hair is dark enough that the colour is fairly muted. Maybe subtle is a good thing, really.  Yeah, sure, I'm getting a bit old to be doing stuff like this, but I don't feel old. Isn't it better to be silly now than wait until you're a grandparent and embarrass your children with such silliness? Wait, that's not a bad idea! Maybe I'll have two mid-life crisis!

Pranks - Catching Santa In His Web Of Lies

The writing prompt for today is "pranks". What is the best prank you've ever pulled off? At first I thought I wouldn't be able to come up with anything. I don't pull pranks! That's ridonkulous! BUT, the more I thought about it, I came to realize that I've done more than my fair share in my youth. I would have just classified them as something else. So would my family, I'm sure. You say "prank", they say "cruising for a bruising". Potato, potato. OK, that actually doesn't make sense if you type it. Po Tato, Po Tate O. That's better.

So there has been a number of different pranks perpetrated by me in the past. When I was young I watched a dreadful movie with Fred Savage in it. He and some monsters would pull pranks and jokes on everyone. If Bill Murray regrets Garfield I'm sure Fred Savage regrets this one. As awful as it was I came up with some "A" list prank material. I personally liked the clothes peg on that pull-up shower thingy. (what the heck is that called?) Someone goes to turn the bathtub water on and BOOM! Sprayed in the head with the shower! I'm not sure why my dad automatically thought it was me. He does have a son, too.

Probably the one I remember most was the time I set a trap for Santa. I had serious doubts about this Santa character and was pretty sure he didn't exist. The year before I had found a gift in my parents closet and then later found the same gift under the tree. "From Santa". Uh huh. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, I'll sent a trap and catch you in the act" Do not underestimate the patience of a seven year old.  On Christmas Eve, once everyone had gone to bed I got to work. I strung skipping ropes across the upstairs hallway. I braced Christmas wrap tubing between my parents bedroom door frame. I topped it off by stringing packing tape, sticky side in, across their door as well. If anyone left that room during the night they would walk into a sticky mess. If only I had feathers!

Of course, if Santa did exist, no one would leave their room and risk ruining Christmas. If they did go out, well that would seal the truth that he didn't exist. They were leaving to sneaky sneak downstairs and put out the gifts! It was a perfect plan. Now I can only imagine the conundrum my parents faced when they eventually walked into that mess. If they came into my room to confront me they risked waking me up, proving my theory, and thereby ruining Christmas for everyone. OR, they could go on with their task and pretend it never happened. I couldn't possible get in trouble. I don't think they ever called me on that one; at least not when I was a kid anyways. I know they set the trap off, I was listening for it. I was totally OK with going along with the charade though, for the sake of my naive little brother.

I totally disproved all childhood holiday myths, sometimes painfully (re: Tooth Fairy), by the time I was in second or third grade. Except the Easter Bunny. I didn't bother with that one because it was obviously ludicrous.

All Kid's Shows Should Include Jon Hamm

There are a lot of things right with how wrong this story is. Or rather, this story is wrong in all the right ways. Or something like that. Now you're probably looking at the photo to your left (no your OTHER left) and thinking, "Why do you have a photo of Jon Hamm?" Well, let me tell you a story about how a grown woman's decent into SAHM-ness is now complete.

After lunch Miss A and I decided to watch a little PBS. We had already done a few crafts that day, so I didn't feel guilty thought she earned a little tv time. As long as it was educational, of course. As it turned out Martha Speaks was on, which is a cartoon that teaches new words and their meaning to preschoolers. The dog, Martha, eats some alphabet soup and can now speak. Hence the title. Sure why not? It's not like preschoolers are going to suddenly force Fido to eat can after can of alphabet soup, right? That's ridiculous; they'd never get the cans open.

So we're watching and I'm thinking, "Hey, the voice acting is pretty good! Actually, the writing is too. Weird." Kids shows are usually not known for their award winning writing and voice talents. Then I think to myself, "Hey, I recognize that voice! OMG, that's Jon Hamm!" Important to note, I actually say O.M.G. with a slight hint of valley girl. I'm not proud of this. So I watch the whole thing and it was awesome!




Seriously, is that not funny stuff? So that sad part of this is, and it's also the fantastic part, is I don't even watch Mad Men. I've never seen a single episode despite much goading from friends. I recognized his voice from Chris Hardwick's Nerdist podcast where Jon was a guest. He was super funny and geeky, and that's why I like him! So it's not "OMG you're Jon Hamm from Mad Men!" But, "OMG <insert valley voice> you're Jon Hamm from that podcast I heard once!" So yes, I got excited about a kid's show and started Googling the crap out of it. AND, I reaffirmed my geeky place in the world. Both of which were kinda wrong, but kinda right in all the best ways. Now if you'll excuse me I have another season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to watch.

Favorite Joke

I love jokes and it would be pretty hard to come up with just one favorite. Usually they involve funny voices, hand gestures and impersonations, so don't necessarily translate well written down. I remembered one from high school that I thought was pretty funny so I'll tell you that one.

A fighter pilot is flying over enemy lines when he is shot down and captured. He is badly injured and his captors are forced to amputate his leg.

He begs them, "Please! When you are flying over my home country during one of your raids, would you toss my leg out, so that a piece of me might rest at home?"

They agree to do this and when they next flew over his country they returned his leg. Later he had to have his other leg removed and he asked the same question of them. They agreed once again and returned his other leg to his home county. Yet again, the doctors discovered they had to amputate his arm! He asked them if they could do the same for his arm as his legs. This time they refused.

"Why not?" the pilot asked? "You have done this many times before!"

The commanding officer turned to him and replied, "We think you're trying to escape!"

And we all roll on the ground laughing! Well maybe not, but it could have been a lot worse!

NaBloPoMo - A Cure For Blog Neglect

 I had been kicking myself lately because I hadn't been regularly posting anything to my blog. There was always something else more pressing to do. Cleaning, watching TV, Pintrest, Facebook...er, well, maybe there really wasn't anything that pressing actually. I guess the problem was I just wasn't making time for it. Even when I had a good topic and partially written it in my head, at the end of the day I just let it drop. I'll do it tomorrow, or the next day, but those days came and went and I wrote nothing. Writing for me was like jam. Jam yesterday,  jam tomorrow, but never jam today. The only thing that got me writing was NaBloPoMo.

I thought that maybe I'd head over the BlogHer and check out the theme for July. I had never used the writing prompts before, but thought I might give it a try this time around. I was pleased to discover that the theme for this month was Kids. Great! I have kids, I even was one once. There should be a wealth of experiences to pull from. Most of the stories told around the family dinner table involve the poorly planned exploits and misadventures of parents, aunts, and uncles. I've heard these stories so many times that they practically write themselves!

The other benefit is that the writing prompts are posted ahead of time. I do have vacation time at some point this month. Ok, not so much a vacation but a change in location. With a view. I can write a head of time so that I don't miss a day or am forced to find a Wi-Fi connection in the woods. Ta Da! I really have no excuse this time. Well, except cleaning, TV, Pintrest, Facebook....

Yummy Treats That I Didn't Screw Up

The other day I was looking for something to do with Miss.A. It was a rainy, cold, I-don't-want-to-go-anywhere kind of day. I had been lurking around on the Internet, as I often do, and came across an amazing looking recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies. It happened to be a vegan recipe that used an egg replacer instead of eggs. Which was great because I only had one egg in the house. They looked super yummy and there wasn't a whole lot of calories in them. Which is good, because I'd probably end up eating twelve of them.  After a whole day of fiddling with it, I came to the conclusion I was using the wrong egg replacer (well I think I was), and gave up for the day. However I'm not defeated, I'll eat you at some point my pretties.

Instead I found a recipe that used most of the ingredients I already had out. At Cooks.comI found a recipe for Paula's Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies. I'm not a big fan of chocolate cookie but these turned out really well! I think it was the mint that really made them. Miss. A had no trouble helping me make them and it didn't take very long to do. We were enjoying cookies for dessert fresh out of the oven. The best way to eat them, and my Dad had the same idea, was with a big cold glass of milk. The mint and the cold milk together just made the whole experience. Baby K now knows how to say "cookie" with very little problem!
Here is the recipe from the site:

Paula's Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies

1 1/2 sticks of butter or 3/4 cups
1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspon peppermint
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/4 cups of unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
Cream butter, sugars, beat in eggs and spices. Add dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake 12 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees F on a greased cookie sheet

ream butter, sugars, beat in eggs and spices. Add dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake 12 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees on greased cookie sheet.



The next morning I found that we pretty much had NO food in the house. I had no idea what we were going to eat. No milk. No bread. No eggs. No fruit. We also had to eat quickly because we had places to be that day. I thought I would see if we could make muffins, maybe add some frozen berries in or something. I looked through a cook book...wait let me stop and explain. A "cook book" is a book that people used to look up recipes and how to cook them before the Internet. If you're still not sure what I'm talking about just Google it. Anywho, I found a recipe in The Joy of Cooking that I thought might work. "Basic Reduced-Fat Muffins" didn't use milk but yogurt instead. I just happened to have some non-fat strawberry yogurt left so I threw caution to the wind and gave it a try. The turned out really well! Two recipes in a row? What were the chances? And apparently each have only 4 grams of fat! Though I'm sure you were supposed to use plain yogurt, the strawberry added a nice subtle flavor to the muffins. It also had big chucks of berry throughout which baked in nicely. Usually when I add berries  the muffin around it doesn't cook evenly. This time no problems at all. It was a very quick and easy recipe. You could easily buy different flavors of yogurt to use depending on your taste. They were very moist as well and perfect for a quick bite for breakfast. I'll probably make them again. Here is the recipe from the Joy of Cooking I used:

Basic Reduced-Fat Muffins

Position rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the over to 400 degrees F. Grease or line a standard 12-muffin pan with paper cups.

Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:

2cups of flour

1/2 to 2/3 cup of sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda if using yogurt instead of milk

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg (optional. I didn't use it)

Whisk together in another bowl:

1 large egg

3 tablespoons vegetable oil or 3 1/2 tablespoons warm melted unsalted butter (I used butter)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup of non-fat milk or 1 cup of non-fat yogurt (Obviously I used yogurt)

Add flour mixture and mix together with a few light strokes just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix; the batter will be light but fairly stiff and will not be smooth. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with:

Cinnamon and sugar (optional. I didn't but I think it would be really good)

Bake until a toothpick inserted in 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, about 12 minutes. (or longer for variations with fruit.) Let cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on the rack. Serve as soon as possible, preferably within a few hours of baking.

20/20 Hindsight: Becoming a Mom

I recently attended a baby shower for a cousin of mine. It was beautiful and simple; just the way we dream motherhood should be. I'm sure no one seriously believes that it will be like that, but we still envision quiet nights gently rocking a cooing baby to sleep. It's easy to romanticize bringing a new bundle of joy home. In that new little person rests hope, love, and a future full of meaning and purpose. Whatever other choices you make in your life, you now have a guiding star to keep you on the right path and illuminate your way. Becoming a parent will influence everything you do, what choices you make, and what paths you take. Some will lead you places you never thought you'd go, others will bring you back to the start and see things through different eyes. When cards and pens were passed around asking for advice for the New Mom, it was hard to think of what to put. I'm sure there were a lot of  "Sleep when the baby sleeps" or "Remember to take care of yourself too". I'm sure I put something similar as well, yet somehow I don't feel I'm imparting the advice I wish I could have given myself. So this is my attempt to do so. If anyone invents time travel, please make sure I get this too.

It's Not What You Thought

Whatever mental and physical preparation you did, the reality is you're never really prepared to bring a new baby home. Yes you'll be excited, but maybe a little terrified too. You'll be tired, yet have no idea you could be that tired and still function. You'll be unsure of yourself, but never realize you know more than you think you do. You'll find your way out of the haze one day, look back, and realize you did the best you could. That's exactly what you should do, the best you can. No one is born with a prefect mothering instinct. This is your first time becoming a mom, and it's that little baby's first time in the world too. You're both finding your new roles in it. It will take time, there will be bumps along the way. When you know better you'll do better. Don't beat yourself up if you don't know what to do right away. After two daughters, I'm still trying to figure things out!

Do What Works For You and Your Baby

One of the common denominators all new mothers face the bombardment of "helpful" advice. It will come from everywhere! Be prepared for total strangers to become experts on your child. "Oh she's tired!" "You need to hold her this way." "You use that? We never did that with ours." The list goes on and on. Some of it can become very personal and is truly none of their business in the first place.  My advice? Take the high road. Dont' take it personally, a "I'll keep that in mind" or "I'm glad you found something that worked for you; this works for us" is much more empowering than going on the defensive. Other advice can come from friends and family that truly have your best interest at heart and want to help. Learning from another's experience can be helpful. Ultimately, there are as many different ways to raise a child as there are mothers out there. As long as you are doing what is in the best interest of you, your baby and your family as a whole, that's what's best for your baby.

Have a Sense of Humour

This is often a life preserver. I remember when I brought my second daughter home the utter chaos that ensued the first few weeks. A newborn crying in my arms because she was hungry. A toddler crying at my feet because she was hungry. And me, trying to spread peanut butter on a piece of bread that was slowly inching it's way to the edge of the counter. It was nuts! I imagined seeing this through a television screen in some sitcom. I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous a spectacle this was. If I didn't find some humour in what goes on day to day, I would totally lose my mind. Or perhaps I already have. My sister-in-law agreed with me, losing your mind can sometimes be an act of self defence.

Get Out of the House!

Once you feel up to it, I strongly recommend getting out of the house. Walling yourself up with the child, as darling as she is, is no good for either of you. I did that for the first six months and I did myself no favors. It is very isolating and lets face it, boring! Go to the park, take walks, join a mommy-and-me group, visit family and friends. Heck visit me. I was lucky the first time around. I was able to visit with my sister-in-law for the first year and it was always something we looked forward to. Later my daughter and I joined a number of classes run by the city. We both came out of our shell and are better for it. Plus my daughter and I were able to go out and have fun together.

Make Time for YOU

Yes it's kind of cliche at this point, but it's important. You need to have a life outside your child too. You are a mother, but many other things also. A friend, a daughter, a wife. You need to tend those gardens as well. Make going out with your friends, even just once a month, a regular thing. Take time to treat yourself to a date night every now and again. Find something that is just you and make time for it. A loved and cared for mommy makes for a good mother.

Forgive Yourself

Some days you'll shine, and others you won't. You'll never be perfect or have this-parenting-thing down. You'll make mistakes. You won't ask for help when you know you should. You'll listen to that little doubting voice at the back of your mind when you know you shouldn't. It's OK. Stand up straighter, brush yourself off, and continue on. We all falter; picking yourself back up again is what matters.

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!

Knock, Knock...

Recently Miss. A has decided she's a bit of a comedian. At mealtimes she likes to tell us knock knock jokes.

Miss. A - "Knock Knock"
Me - "Whose there?"
Miss. A - "Pizza!"
Me - "Pizza who?"
Miss. A -"We had pizza for lunch and then we went to the park and splashed in the puddles and then we...and we <indecipherable>...and came home and ate snacks and it was SO much fun!"

At this point you have to laugh and say she's silly or hilarious. If you don't she looks at you and says "You have to laugh now." If you don't you're "doing it all wrong." I know that sometimes there are tough rooms, but it's a poor performer that blames the audience when things aren't going well. So far I haven't had the heart to heckle her. From what I've heard, stand up is a tough gig, especially if you're only three.

When Did I Become The Nosey Neighbour??

Honestly, I'd really like to know. We moved into our neighbourhood about five years ago. It's your typical first home sort of area. Lots of town homes amongst some single family homes. The neighbourhood is host to many young families, a few empty nesters that have downsized, and the odd single person just getting their foot into the housing market. More recently, say in the last two years, a number of the homes around us have decided to rent rather than sell. To say there is a high turn over in home ownership in our neighbourhood is to put in mildly. We have been here longer than most at this point.

As a result of being one of the "old guard" at this point, I've increasingly become interested in the "goings on" of the people around us. When my husband comes home I have all sorts of new gossip and innuendo to tell him. Mostly it starts with me, and not necessarily what I've heard over the fence. It's as if I spend all my time peering out between the curtains taking notes. I don't mind you. We have blinds. But I'm only a stone's throw shy of being that person. Usually it's something innocuous like which homes have gone up for sale or what others were sold for. How you would have to be crazy to buy for that price and how it bode well for us when we decide to sell. Our house is so much better than theirs was.

I have my own nemeses too, though they have no idea we're mortal enemies. Our neighbour behind us never seems to work. He's always taking care of his lawn or doing some sort of house maintenance. He has two teenagers and a wife that I never see. Sometimes I hear him shouting at or complaining about his son. He also has a German Shepard that likes to bark at squirrels. We have a lot of squirrels. Then there's the lady across the road from him and beside our house. She runs a home daycare. She's an older lady who dresses like she's auditioning for Jersey Shore. She tans so much she's kind of a burn orange colour. When I'm out the back with the girlsI can hear her shouting at her daycare kids. "Get off the road Emma!" "Don't touch that!" "Come back over here!" "EMMA GET OFF THE ROAD!" Emma is apparently a bit of a handful and really likes to play on the road. I'm convinced at this point that Doesn't Have A Job Guy wants to have or IS having an affair with Shouty Daycare Lady. They are always chatting together. She even bought a German Shepard, which I'm sure must be an excuse for them to talk even more. I've waved at them from time to time, you know, to be neighbourly and all. They never wave first though, and always look at me oddly when I do. They must know I'm on to them.

Most recently are the Idling Cars. There are these cars that just idle outside the same house all the time. Never the same car either. Sometimes there are more than one at a time. After awhile they drive away. Once I saw a police car idling around the corner too. I'm convinced that one of these houses is a grow op. It's the only rational explanation. They don't even mow their lawn, so it's not like they care about the place. Any day now there's going to be a big drug bust one street over. You just wait and see.

Unfortunately this nosey speculative behavior is not isolated. I won't even get into the whole Little White Dog That Keeps Crapping On My Yard incident. Those neighbours are one of the few that have been here longer than us. I see a real feud brewing here involving lawn signs and a local pamphlet campaign about the importance of leashing and cleaning up after your dogs.

Please someone stop me before I start complaining about someone's mailbox colour.

Out With The Old, Ban on the New

I was invited to a cleaning party this weekend. No, it's not a party where we all clean someone's house; though I would like to host one of those if I could get anyone to attend. This was a house party where the hostess had someone come and talk about chemical free cleaning products. She gave a lengthy demonstration, answered many questions, and then later those interested were able to purchase what they were interested in. I've never been to a hostess party like that before. It was over three hours long. I came away with two conclusions. The first, my attention span lasts only about an hour and a half, and that's with really trying. The second, my house is disgusting!

This revelation wasn't brought on because of the demonstration that was presented. That's their job; to create a need and provide a solution for it. It was more from the discussion between those attending. It seems that everyone works very hard to have a spotless, bacteria free, smug free home. They gossiped about the difficulties getting this and that clean. How they toil for hours cleaning in between the grout lines on the kitchen floor. They compared notes about the hardships of soap scum and sticky finger prints on stainless steel appliances. There were things they diligently worked endlessly to keep clean that I've never even touched.

There was a time when I would get down on my hands and knees and clean with a scrub brush. I would scrub the floor clean. Those days have come and gone. Those attending the party, I suspect, are not the norm. That being said, I'm way on the other side of the spectrum. There are piles all over the house of random things. Things that need to be sorted. Things that have been sorted but just need a home. Things I plan to donate to charity, but just haven't found the time to drop them off. Things that need to be organized first before other things can be cleaned and put away. Most of the clutter and mess are various projects that have been started and interrupted. Eventually they are abandoned all together because something more pressing has demanded my attention. This home's biggest enemy is clutter! It's the clutter that prevents any really cleaning from happening. It also stresses me out in a huge way. I'm getting rid of it once and for all and it's not coming back.

If it hasn't moved in months we don't need it. Everything is going in garbage bags. Things that can be tossed out are being heaved out of the house asap. Those that can be donated will be. I'm going to throw all those bags, and there are a lot, in the back of the car and head for the nearest Sally Ann. The biggest thing is the community garage sale usually held in May. We are going to have SO MUCH to sell. It's going to be massive! I'm going to start organizing for it now. I look around now and think "hmmm, I wonder if this is how hoarding looks at the start." Not that we hoard anything, but I know I always think that we or someone else might need it. There's nothing wrong with anything we have, we just have too much, so I can't bring myself to just throw it out. A cluttered home makes for a cluttered mind, at least in my case. If I want any peace of mind at all, I have to empty this house asap! This is Spring Cleaning to the extreme. I wouldn't be surprised if that's already a TLC show.

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!



Choice and the Freedom to Fail

In a lot of ways "choice" is synonymous with "freedom".  I suppose if there is any truth to that statement, "choice" must also mean a host of different things to different people. We all come from unique backgrounds with equally unique histories. You may think you have more in common with your neighbor than someone half a world away; but that isn't necessarily the case. It's impossible to know another's experience fully, or to understand how they internalize the world within themselves. That's why "choice" and "freedom" mean so many different things to different people and cannot truly be defined in anything but a subjective manner. For those lucky enough, it might mean being able to choose which college or university they want to attend. For others it may be a choice between attending any schooling at all or working to support their family. For some "choice" is a luxury and for others it can be easily, and perhaps unknowingly, taken for granted.

If "choice" is "freedom" I can't imagine giving it up for someone else to decided for me.  Some choices may seem bigger and more frightening than myself; but to not have a say in them is even more frightening. Some of the biggest decisions, the most important, are also the most defining and life changing. Should I go to university? Which one? Should I get married? Should I have a family? All are potentially anxiety inducing and most certainly life changing. I'm fortunate enough that these choices are mine to make. As such, the ramifications of those choices are also mine. Choices and decisions can be difficult, sometimes the wrong ones are made, but it's how you own those mistakes that helps define you as a person. "Choice" is the freedom to succeed and fail. That's why it's such a precious gift and one we should all be thankful to have when we do.

My daughters are very young still, but this is something I want them to appreciate the importance of. It's also something that I, as their mother, must learn to appreciate in them as well. It's difficult to go from a place where you make all the choices for them, to allowing them the freedom to choose; and fail. They're becoming little individuals who must  be respected as such. They need me to step back and allow them to make their own choices so that they can learn from them. They'll fail many more times than they'll succeed at first; and it's so hard to not just swoop in and take over.  I can see in their eyes how proud they are when they get to choose something, even if it's something small. There is a sense of ownership in what they're doing. They truly thrive on being allowed to be not only independent, but seeing that their independence and choices are important and valued.  Learning the value and importance in their own choices will, hopefully, teach them to see the importance and value in the choices of others.

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.

Life Socks

Who doesn't love running around corners, sliding around like some sort of super ninja? We've all done it. If there was a square foot of linoleum, hard wood, or tile in your house you did it. If you didn't, you totally suppressed the urge to do so. I can only imagine what kind of baggage you've picked up since then. Suppressing one the of happiest of childhood activities. You probably have no sharp corners in your house and have organized everything alphabetically. If you have, can you come and do my cupboards? I'm not repressed enough to tackle something of that scale.

You can talk about our childhood memories in the context of "free range parenting" if you like. I'd rather not. I'd hate to take a fond memory and make it an "issue". Something to be debated on, picked apart, analyzed for the "what ifs". Some memories are meant to be that and only that. They deserve a certain amount of respect not to be superimposed on our lives now. Does it really matter what we as parents would have done? Or for that matter, what we do do? (Yes I said "do do", get over it you children!) I'm not saying that everything we did as children ran the risk of decapitation or abduction. Some memories are harmless and warm and fuzzy; like the socks. Unless of course you were holding scissors at the time, that was probably a bad idea and you're lucky you didn't loose an eye. Seriously, what was your mother doing?

I have lots of fond memories growing up. Some are harmless and others make me cringe as a parent. If my mother and father knew everything we got up to, they would probably faint. It doesn't mean I need to pick them apart or repeat them with my own kids. It's nice to have something that remains in the past and is remembered for what it is. A nice warm memory, just like fluffy socks. If it happens to make you want to jump around like a ninja, more power to you.

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.

I Would Have Should Have...

...written a post today, but I didn't. I swear I tried! I had two different things going but they both blow. So I'm moving on with my night and hoping inspiration finds me tomorrow.

Spot The Goldfish

I had mentioned before that a new feature of Miss. A's bedtime routine is that she shares a story of her own. These stories are so creative I can't help but share them with you. It really gives you a little window into the inner workings of a child's mind. The vast majority of her stories have to do with friends and family and usually are set at a park or a farm. Every now and again she tells one that comes completely out of left field. One of them was about a trip to buy a new goldfish.

Spot the Goldfish

Once upon a time there was a little girl with a goldfish named Goldmember (don't ask, I blame her father for naming said goldfish). Goldmember had another goldfish friend, but he jumped out of the aquarium and flew up to the ceiling and hid behind the light. "Oh no! Foo Bear, what are we going to do?" the little girl said. (Foo Bear is the little pink bear Miss. A sleeps with at night) The little girl put a finger to her chin and thought, "Hmmm. Maybe we could get a toy plane and fly up to the light?" She thought some more. "No, that plane is too small and it's just a toy." She thought some more. "Maybe be we could find a real toy plane!" (I imagine she's thinking of a little RC plane that actually flies) "But we don't have one." And the little girl frowns. "We'll have to go to the fish store to buy another goldfish for Goldmember."

So the little girl and Foo Bear got into the car and drove to the fish store. She drove all by herself because she's a big girl now. (apparently) They picked out a new goldfish that would be perfect and named him Spot. They went home, and the little girl put the new goldfish in the aquarium and Goldmember was so happy. "Thank you! Thank you!" said Goldmember, and he gave the little girl a big hug and kiss.

The End

This is pretty much exactly as she told it. I did add in things she was doing, such as tapping her chin while she thought, but basically that's exactly how it went down. Kids are funny little creatures!