Our dryer is broken. This sucks because we are moving in 2 weeks. It also sucks because I discovered this when I had one load in the dryer and another in the washing machine waiting to be dried.
So, after finally accepting that we would not be able to get our laundry done, I sucked it up, piled all of our clothes (including the damp/wet ones, which, by the way, weigh a ton) and drove my butt to a laundromat.
Now, let's be honest. I was not about to go to "Scrubby's" the Laundromat in Flemingdon Park. It's close, but I'd be at risk of being shot. So, I decided to hightail it over to the fancy pants laundromat in Davisville Village. It's clean, it uses cards (so you can use debit and not worry about quarters) and it's conveniently located across from Starbucks. Plus, after a busy day of packing up the condo, who was I to complain about spending a couple of hours chilling with a book and a non-fat-no-whip-iced-mocha? Not I.
The problem is, when you drink your mocha too quickly, and your laundry isn't done ... you need to use the washroom.
No biggie at the laundromat of laundromats. There is a bathroom. You use your card to get in - and there's a little occupied sign. You are practically peeing in luxury as far as laundromats go. I was good.
Now, I was well aware it was still a laundromat, so I brought my purse in with me - just in case.
Good thing.
Because I got locked in the bathroom. Yep. LOCKED IN!!!
I have to admit, I did kind of panic. First of all, it was hot in there. Second of all, I had left all of my underwear sitting on the counter. I mean, it was buried beneath towels, but I love my panties, and I had vision of some creepy guy pawing through my stuff.
So I knocked.
Then I shouted.
And then I realized that in my pocket was the laundry card. Maybe there was a phone number on it.
Nope. But there was a name. (laundry express).
So I called Mike.
No answer.
I called again. He picked up. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Laughing won out. I insisted Mike look up the number and call the lovely lady who had taught me how to use the washers there.
So he did. A couple of minutes later I heard the phone ring.
Another couple minutes and there was a knock on the door.
"are you okay?" came the voice of salvation.
"yes. But please let me out" I replied.
"Stand back, dear" she shouted. I had visions of her kicking down the door. Nope. She just used her card and some special key and opened the door.
Safe. At last.
I quickly grabbed the rest of my laundry and left.
Next time - if there is one - I will go to option B and use the bathroom at the Starbucks across the street.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Friday, November 17, 2006
Potty Time & Gum - Bad Mommy!
Edited at the Bottom!In case you want to know the outcome
Friday morning.
Our household is cranky. It's rainy and icky. And, really, all I want to do is have a quiet morning, get out the door on good time, and hurry up with the day.
Matty had other plans. He chose today to denounce the use of diapers in our house.
After his morning potty session (we're really good about getting him out of bed and plopping him on the potty), he was okay getting dressed except for the diaper part.
"No Mommy. No diaper."
Ummmmmm. What? This is a child who would be happiest if he could run around all day in a diaper and nothing else. And now, suddenly, he wants underwear.
Of course we had some. So, on when the Bob underpants. And Matty was so happy.
I figured that what I would do is just pack a ton of underwear (like all 5 pairs that he owns), a bunch of diapers, a bunch of clothes and send him to daycare.
I'm not really thinking okay, you guys have 2 weeks till we move - toilet trian. But, let's be honest ... It would be nice!!!
So, I wrote a long note to his (somewhat strong-willed) teacher about my reasoning and off we went. My assumption was that the easy going usual morning teacher would be in, and she would say, sure, whatever. And that would be that.
But, NO! His regular, strong-willed-say-what's-on-her-mind was in. And, she basically flipped out when I told he was in underwear.
"WHAT?!?!?!"
Yes, I calmly said. He has chosen to wear underwear today and we went with it. He's used the potty this morning. I've packed lots of extra stuff. We're good.
She wasn't too happy. I guess we hadn't talked about it. And I did kind of spring it on her. But, I also made it really clear that if she wanted to put his diaper on right then and there that was totally fine. My point was just that he asked for underwear and I was encouraging it.
I'm a big believer in the idea that kids hit milestones when they are ready. And, if it's time to give up diapers ... bring it on!
We left. She was snippy. It was a weird morning.
Oh, and before we left she noticed that Matthew was, shocker, chewing gum.
She pointed out that he is NOT allowed to chew gum, and that it is very dangerous and made him spit it out. Apparently gum is not allowed at daycare.
BAD MOMMY!
Honestly, on the weekend, when we were at Walmart, I let him put a quarter in the chiclets gum machine, and he was enamored by it. I taught him to chew gum not swallow it. And it was pretty darn cute to me. I didn't realize he had saved some of it in his car seat for a day like today.
Anyway, instead of just fessing up to the whole thing I said to the teacher. "I'm sorry. I didn't give it to him. He found it."
Oops. Mike just looked at me. I guess it sounded like he had taken it from the bottom of a desk or something.
Dammit!
It just kept getting worse and worse. So, not only was I the worst mommy in the world for the diaper thing. I let my kid chew found gum. And, then to top it all off I asked for a hug goodbye and he said "wait a minute" to which she said "that's not how you talk to mommy!"
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
It's no wonder motherhood stresses me out.
Pass me a drink. I need it this morning. This mothering this is tough.
It's a good thing that I didn't mention to her that last night he begged me to stop at Tim Hortons for a sprinkle donut and chocolate milk (which I did) and he then ate the entire donut, got home, sat and watched cars and ate cheese strings, and then we called it a night. No balanced dinner, no reading before bedtime. Just donuts, cheese and a movie.
I call that fun.
Some people would call that bad parenting.
I honestly just think we all need a vacation.
So I went to get Matthew at the end of the day. He was back in diapers. They actually did try to bring him to the potty several times, but he decided he wanted diapers. I came home with a bag full of wet clothes (including shoes).
I had a lengthy chat with Doug, the male teacher. He told me that he thinks Matt is waffling a bit. He said that all week his diaper has been dry all day - and that today it was wet at every change. So, I asked if he thought that was weird. He said that no, it means that he's making a point that he will toilet train in his own time. He said that the good news is that a child who can control like that is actually ready for Toilet Training. He said that most kids like this can literally train overnight when they are ready.
So, I'm sticking with not pushing this till we move (and after Christmas). I think. Or maybe we will tell him Santa won't come unless he uses the potty. I'M KIDDING! I'm only a kind of bad mommy. I'm not that mean!
Besides, we are currently using Santa in way too many other bribes. Like, we can't buy toys or Santa will be sad. You can't have a meltdown or Santa will be sad. And, blissfully, we have taken a break from Raffi to listen to "Santa Music." Anyway, that had nothing to do with potty training now did it???
Friday morning.
Our household is cranky. It's rainy and icky. And, really, all I want to do is have a quiet morning, get out the door on good time, and hurry up with the day.
Matty had other plans. He chose today to denounce the use of diapers in our house.
After his morning potty session (we're really good about getting him out of bed and plopping him on the potty), he was okay getting dressed except for the diaper part.
"No Mommy. No diaper."
Ummmmmm. What? This is a child who would be happiest if he could run around all day in a diaper and nothing else. And now, suddenly, he wants underwear.
Of course we had some. So, on when the Bob underpants. And Matty was so happy.
I figured that what I would do is just pack a ton of underwear (like all 5 pairs that he owns), a bunch of diapers, a bunch of clothes and send him to daycare.
I'm not really thinking okay, you guys have 2 weeks till we move - toilet trian. But, let's be honest ... It would be nice!!!
So, I wrote a long note to his (somewhat strong-willed) teacher about my reasoning and off we went. My assumption was that the easy going usual morning teacher would be in, and she would say, sure, whatever. And that would be that.
But, NO! His regular, strong-willed-say-what's-on-her-mind was in. And, she basically flipped out when I told he was in underwear.
"WHAT?!?!?!"
Yes, I calmly said. He has chosen to wear underwear today and we went with it. He's used the potty this morning. I've packed lots of extra stuff. We're good.
She wasn't too happy. I guess we hadn't talked about it. And I did kind of spring it on her. But, I also made it really clear that if she wanted to put his diaper on right then and there that was totally fine. My point was just that he asked for underwear and I was encouraging it.
I'm a big believer in the idea that kids hit milestones when they are ready. And, if it's time to give up diapers ... bring it on!
We left. She was snippy. It was a weird morning.
Oh, and before we left she noticed that Matthew was, shocker, chewing gum.
She pointed out that he is NOT allowed to chew gum, and that it is very dangerous and made him spit it out. Apparently gum is not allowed at daycare.
BAD MOMMY!
Honestly, on the weekend, when we were at Walmart, I let him put a quarter in the chiclets gum machine, and he was enamored by it. I taught him to chew gum not swallow it. And it was pretty darn cute to me. I didn't realize he had saved some of it in his car seat for a day like today.
Anyway, instead of just fessing up to the whole thing I said to the teacher. "I'm sorry. I didn't give it to him. He found it."
Oops. Mike just looked at me. I guess it sounded like he had taken it from the bottom of a desk or something.
Dammit!
It just kept getting worse and worse. So, not only was I the worst mommy in the world for the diaper thing. I let my kid chew found gum. And, then to top it all off I asked for a hug goodbye and he said "wait a minute" to which she said "that's not how you talk to mommy!"
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
It's no wonder motherhood stresses me out.
Pass me a drink. I need it this morning. This mothering this is tough.
It's a good thing that I didn't mention to her that last night he begged me to stop at Tim Hortons for a sprinkle donut and chocolate milk (which I did) and he then ate the entire donut, got home, sat and watched cars and ate cheese strings, and then we called it a night. No balanced dinner, no reading before bedtime. Just donuts, cheese and a movie.
I call that fun.
Some people would call that bad parenting.
I honestly just think we all need a vacation.
So I went to get Matthew at the end of the day. He was back in diapers. They actually did try to bring him to the potty several times, but he decided he wanted diapers. I came home with a bag full of wet clothes (including shoes).
I had a lengthy chat with Doug, the male teacher. He told me that he thinks Matt is waffling a bit. He said that all week his diaper has been dry all day - and that today it was wet at every change. So, I asked if he thought that was weird. He said that no, it means that he's making a point that he will toilet train in his own time. He said that the good news is that a child who can control like that is actually ready for Toilet Training. He said that most kids like this can literally train overnight when they are ready.
So, I'm sticking with not pushing this till we move (and after Christmas). I think. Or maybe we will tell him Santa won't come unless he uses the potty. I'M KIDDING! I'm only a kind of bad mommy. I'm not that mean!
Besides, we are currently using Santa in way too many other bribes. Like, we can't buy toys or Santa will be sad. You can't have a meltdown or Santa will be sad. And, blissfully, we have taken a break from Raffi to listen to "Santa Music." Anyway, that had nothing to do with potty training now did it???
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Hmmm
Matthew has a new daycare teacher.
Here's the thing - it's a he!
I know I shouldn't notice these things, and that it shouldn't matter. But for some strange reason I find it incredibly fascinating that Matthew has a male daycare teacher. Male daycare teachers are few and far between.
Truthfully, I really like the guy. No.... not like that. I'm married! Geez. But, I think he's really cool and funny. I was asking him today about his role at the daycare.
Is he now in the preschool room full time? Yes.
How does he enjoy it? It turns out that he's worked with fives for 5 years. In a sense it's a step down, but one he was excited about.
Okay then.
Who knew that going down an age group was a step down? Not me.
So he said they hired him to bring some consistency to the preschool room. I thought that was pretty interesting. Also interesting is how the kids all relate to him. Matt just does whatever the guy says. All the kids do.
I sware one of the little girls has a little crush. She was like "this is Josh" as she followed him around the classroom. It was pretty adorable.
Honestly, I kind of wondered how on earth he handles it. So I asked him how he deals with toddlers and women all day every day. His response? He has a glass of red wine when he gets home.
Hilarious!
It almost makes me wish we were staying there longer. Just to see how this guy works out. But who knows. He may be gone before we are.
Here's the thing - it's a he!
I know I shouldn't notice these things, and that it shouldn't matter. But for some strange reason I find it incredibly fascinating that Matthew has a male daycare teacher. Male daycare teachers are few and far between.
Truthfully, I really like the guy. No.... not like that. I'm married! Geez. But, I think he's really cool and funny. I was asking him today about his role at the daycare.
Is he now in the preschool room full time? Yes.
How does he enjoy it? It turns out that he's worked with fives for 5 years. In a sense it's a step down, but one he was excited about.
Okay then.
Who knew that going down an age group was a step down? Not me.
So he said they hired him to bring some consistency to the preschool room. I thought that was pretty interesting. Also interesting is how the kids all relate to him. Matt just does whatever the guy says. All the kids do.
I sware one of the little girls has a little crush. She was like "this is Josh" as she followed him around the classroom. It was pretty adorable.
Honestly, I kind of wondered how on earth he handles it. So I asked him how he deals with toddlers and women all day every day. His response? He has a glass of red wine when he gets home.
Hilarious!
It almost makes me wish we were staying there longer. Just to see how this guy works out. But who knows. He may be gone before we are.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Picture Day and Santa Songs
Today was picture day for Matthew.
I became a little paranoid that I'd miss Chrustmas pictures all together. I didn't book at my usual picture location (Superstore) and so Walmart it was today.
I was a little concerned because this morning started off well. Matt got up nice and early so I took him for an early morning grocery shopping trip at Food Basics. He was amazingly well behaved. And then we got home, watched tv, and then got him ready for the picture. He was dressed and groomed and looking adorable.
And then he had a complete meltdown.
We had no idea why. It was weird. It was like he was tired or something, but it was not normal meltdown time. But, with the clock ticking we decided to pop him in the car and go anyway. The rational was that we'd probably have to wait awhile when we got to Walmart, but we needed to keep our space in line.
10 minutes later we were in the car - and Matt was still hysterical. We tried Raffi, we tried 6 stations. Nothing worked. So out came the children's Christmas mix.
YIPPEE!!!
It turns out that Santa music - in particular a very hyped up version of Jingle Bells - is what does it. Thirty seconds into the song Matt was rocking out, I was singing at the top of my lungs and Mike was shielding his face from the people staring at us from the other cars. (His comment of "I'm embarrassed for you" was a little unnecessary since Matt and I were having a blast and he wsa being a party pooper.)
And, so we got to Walmart with a happy child.
Half an hour after our allotted time the photos started.
Being the cool parents that we are we let Matt choose the background. He was delighted by the background of Santa peering through a window. Cheesy, yes. But, it's Walmart photos, and quite honestly I thought it was pretty funny.
And, honestly, once they started shooting, Matt was hilarious. He was smiling, he was posing, he was laughing with the photographer. Mike turned to me at one point and said "why isn't he modelling?" I dont' know. Even the photographer agreed with us.
In the end we came out with AMAZING pictures. The one we settled on for the card is decidedly un-Christmassy, but it was so cute and funny we just went for it. Plus, we have our extremely Christmassy photo with Santa in it for the "package" we ordered so who cares.
There were a couple of downfalls to going to Walmart vs. a regular photo studio.
First of all, the people there are crazy. The lady who was getting her kids pictures done 2 spots ahead of us was freaking out at her kids (aged 8,5 & 2). At one point Matt and the other kids in the room were scared, and I had to promise Matt I would not scream at him like that. Honestly.
Then the people behind us in line were crazy.
The girl was playing with Matt and her mom kept screaming "don't let the little boy see your underwears."
First - there is no S on underwear.
Second - he's 2. And they were playing. GET OVER IT!!!
So that was a little weird.
The whole way home we listened to Jingle Bells again and again and again.
Man, I LOVE Christmas.
Also, on a totally separate topic. Matthew is into choosing different fruits and veggies to try. Does anyone know what to do with avocados or mangoes. Together or separately? I'm lost for ideas.
I became a little paranoid that I'd miss Chrustmas pictures all together. I didn't book at my usual picture location (Superstore) and so Walmart it was today.
I was a little concerned because this morning started off well. Matt got up nice and early so I took him for an early morning grocery shopping trip at Food Basics. He was amazingly well behaved. And then we got home, watched tv, and then got him ready for the picture. He was dressed and groomed and looking adorable.
And then he had a complete meltdown.
We had no idea why. It was weird. It was like he was tired or something, but it was not normal meltdown time. But, with the clock ticking we decided to pop him in the car and go anyway. The rational was that we'd probably have to wait awhile when we got to Walmart, but we needed to keep our space in line.
10 minutes later we were in the car - and Matt was still hysterical. We tried Raffi, we tried 6 stations. Nothing worked. So out came the children's Christmas mix.
YIPPEE!!!
It turns out that Santa music - in particular a very hyped up version of Jingle Bells - is what does it. Thirty seconds into the song Matt was rocking out, I was singing at the top of my lungs and Mike was shielding his face from the people staring at us from the other cars. (His comment of "I'm embarrassed for you" was a little unnecessary since Matt and I were having a blast and he wsa being a party pooper.)
And, so we got to Walmart with a happy child.
Half an hour after our allotted time the photos started.
Being the cool parents that we are we let Matt choose the background. He was delighted by the background of Santa peering through a window. Cheesy, yes. But, it's Walmart photos, and quite honestly I thought it was pretty funny.
And, honestly, once they started shooting, Matt was hilarious. He was smiling, he was posing, he was laughing with the photographer. Mike turned to me at one point and said "why isn't he modelling?" I dont' know. Even the photographer agreed with us.
In the end we came out with AMAZING pictures. The one we settled on for the card is decidedly un-Christmassy, but it was so cute and funny we just went for it. Plus, we have our extremely Christmassy photo with Santa in it for the "package" we ordered so who cares.
There were a couple of downfalls to going to Walmart vs. a regular photo studio.
First of all, the people there are crazy. The lady who was getting her kids pictures done 2 spots ahead of us was freaking out at her kids (aged 8,5 & 2). At one point Matt and the other kids in the room were scared, and I had to promise Matt I would not scream at him like that. Honestly.
Then the people behind us in line were crazy.
The girl was playing with Matt and her mom kept screaming "don't let the little boy see your underwears."
First - there is no S on underwear.
Second - he's 2. And they were playing. GET OVER IT!!!
So that was a little weird.
The whole way home we listened to Jingle Bells again and again and again.
Man, I LOVE Christmas.
Also, on a totally separate topic. Matthew is into choosing different fruits and veggies to try. Does anyone know what to do with avocados or mangoes. Together or separately? I'm lost for ideas.
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