You Can't Make This Day Up

There are some days where at the end of it you realize that maybe you should have just stayed home. Like today.
When Matt got up we decided to skip gymnastics. He has a cold, and I didn't really feel like chasing him around gymnastics when he's extra cranky. And, he didn't want to go.
I should have planned a quiet day in. You know, Matt is sick. I have a cold.
As if.
Since I'd be promising Matthew a trip to Toronto on the GO Train I decided to take him. He was excited. By about 10 we were ready to go. Mike had checked online and was sure there was a train leaving the closest station to us (I didn't think there was weekend service). When we got there it was locked up. And we had about 12 minutes to get to the GO station 11 minutes away.
The fact that Matthew kept saying "where's the GO station" and I kept saying "we'll never make it" did little for Mike's driving skills. And in our hurry he hit a car.
We missed the train.
No one was hurt. Thank goodness. In my rush I'd already taken my seatbelt off.
One fight, one bathroom break and one hour later we got to the train.

Mike dropped Matthew and I off while he went home to paint.
The first couple of hours went well. We took the subway. We took 2 streetcar rides. We went to the Disney Store and spent forever.
Then we had lunch. Lunch was great fun. Matt decided that he wanted to have ice cream for lunch. I did try to get him to eat something else, but considering it was our fun day and I really didn't care, I let him have a banana split and orange pop for lunch. The waiter thought I was crazy after I explained that no, we weren't splitting first the entree and then the ice cream, but that I was having a sandwich and my toddler was having a banana split.
To make it seem better I said "don't worry - the bananas are pretty healthy." He rolled his eyes. Seriously.
And, while we were waiting for our lunch we played cars. I got pretty into it.
































Once we were done lunch (for the record, my roast beef sandwich sucked, but the banana split was really good). We did a little more wandering around the Eaton Centre. I'd promised Matt that we'd go and look at the big fountain.
The strangest thing happened. While we were sitting there all of the power in the mall went out.

No one knew quite what to do. All the stores closed and everyone just sort of sat not quite sure what to do. I took a couple of pictures, and then thought that maybe we should get going.
The plan was to take the subway, but I was worried about getting caught underground, and since it's actually a quick walk from the Eaton Centre to Union (I would normally walk it anyway, but Matt loves the subway ride) we went outside. Matt was really disappointed that there was no subway ride until ...
We saw several fire trucks go roaring down the street. It turns out that the power had gone out because there as an underground fire. So, we skipped our scheduled train to watch the excitement of the fire. There was a lot of smoke and then at one point a huge lot of flames. I think we watched for about 20 minutes. Twenty long minutes since Matt was on my shoulders the whole time.

When we finally figured out our timing with Mike we made our way back to the train.
I was pretty happy to see the train pull in because I was tired, Matt was cranky and I really wanted to sit. Matthew had other ideas though.
First he asked me for candy. I opened not one but 3 different bags of orange pop soaked candy. Each time the candy flew through the air. And then when it landed on the floor Matt tried to pretend he was a dog and eat it off the floor.
And then, since my feet were up on the seat across from me Matt decided to walk across "Mommy's Bridge". The thing is he walked over the bridge and knocked the emergency strip. Ooops.
There's a big rule in our house that you don't touch emergency stuff, and Matt knew he was in trouble. But, the poor kid was so tired and freaked out that he looked at me and burst into tears. And, then the GO train people came running and he got hysterical. So, there we were stopped at the station, they are trying to determine the emergency, Matt is freaking out and I am trying my best not to giggle and/or cry (or both).
Once I convinced them it was a mistake, that the black eye had nothing to do with the emergency strip and that it wouldn't happen again we were on our way. Matt cuddled up with me and fell asleep, and the Japanese tourists who happened to be on the same car as us came over and took pictures. (Thank goodness I had my hair done!!!)
After that we made it home in one piece.

Six Degrees of Separation

It's no secret that I wasn't the biggest fan of my last hairstyle. Really, I didn't love my highlights. I liked the idea of being blonder. I just didn't like how they were done. They weren't even and I didn't totally like the colour. Or the experience.
So, since I'm going to see my beloved Bill in a couple of weeks, I decided that I would try to get these highlights fixed.
I was trying to think of a good place to go to.I finally picked one that I drove past all the time. It looked nice, it was an Aveda salon and most importantly they were able to put me in at the time that I wanted.
When I met the colourist I had a good feeling. She was friendly, cool (but not uber cool) and east going. And when I tried to explain what I didn't like about the highlights she knew exactly what I meant and said she could fix it up. Great!
I liked her immediately.
So, we got on to the topic of why I only wanted highlights not a cut. She was cool with just highlighting. And then she asked me who cuts my hair.
I told her.
She knew him. Seriously.
THEY WENT TO SCHOOL TOGETHER.
I almost fell off my chair. My colourist went to hairdressing school with my Bill. Wow! No wonder she was so good.
And, she idolizes him also. She watches him on Cityline. And, she said that he's always had that "thing" that I describe. Even in school people would watch him and want to see what he was doing. Apparently one time he told her that she looked good with bangs and she has always had some sort of fringe since. (He would have been about 25 when he made this comment).
She told me some funny stories about him. I told her some funny stories. It was a pretty cool conversation. And,I was totally relaxed. It was the type of hair experience you want. I trusted her completely.
The finished product is pretty cool. I have no more big gold streaks. Instead it looks like I've been in the sun. I'm thinking I should go get a spray tan just to complete the look. It's so springy.
I can't wait for Bill to see it.

Real Moms ... Can Laugh

Today I got tagged by the wonderful Haley. And, this is a great Meme. The point of it is that you are supposed to answer the question Real Moms ... then explain it and add a picture. I'll tag people at the end. So ...

Real Moms ... Can Laugh! They know that being ridiculous and silly and not taking yourself too seriously works.
You think I'm kidding? Clearly you have not heard my Harold the Helicopter impression, haven't watched my lame attempts at bellydancing or caught me playing with some of the cooler McDonald's Happy Meal toys.
I took the whole parenting thing very seriously for about 3 months. There was no laughing till I cried. I was totally serious and focussed on nursing and nutrition and all of that. And, then my friends got me to smile, and eventually laugh. I'll never forget Salina putting her teeny tiny newborn in the puppet theatre while the serious moms watched in horror (she was supporting his head). I'll never forget Ginny's wheel falling off her stroller on our walk home from the grocery store with 3 kids and tons of groceries. (It wasn't funny at the time)
As Matt has gotten older I've learned that really it's a million times easier to laugh over spilled milk or giggle at a silly temper tantrum. It's more fun to run around playing tag with the toddlers instead of standing on the sidelines with the cooler parents. I've learned that there's nothing quite like laughing hysterically with your toddler over a dumb joke. And I can't tell you you the enjoyment I get when Matt says something ridiculous and my husband and I laugh about it for days. (like yesterday he told us that for lunch he had macaroni, french fries and monkeys. Monkeys??? )
I'm quickly learning that sometimes when you can't change your situation and it seems a little dire - that you may as well put a positive spin on it because being mad won't fix a situation. We've all heard the saying "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry alone".
Life isn't easy. Parenting often sucks. Babies and toddlers take it out of you.
But, from me to you, here's permission to be silly.
Go ahead, do your best Dora impression (even if people stare), laugh at a silly joke, make up some gibberish just for fun and see what happens. You never know. You may just start laughing too.
Here are my tags:
The person who taught me about motherhood - My Mom
One of the coolest moms out there (whom I aspire to be like ) - Multitasking Mommy
Her Husband - because I KNOW he'll have a really good one - Sci Fi Dad
My friend who is amazing to watch in Action - Natalie
And of course - my husband - because he shares this craziness with me

ANTM - My LIttle Critic

For those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile, you will know one thing about me - of all the tv I watch, America's Next Top Model (ANTM) is one of my favourite shows.
I know it's dorky. I know some people think that Tyra is annoying (just kidding!) but really, there's something really enjoyable about the show to me. I love watching the Jays and how mean they are. I love the girls. I love the catfights. I love the pictures. I love guessing who will be kicked off.
It's the one show I don't miss during the week.
But I'm realizing that Matty likes the show also.
Last night was an odd evening. I went to the gym nice and early and then got home before Matt's bedtime. But, I hadn't had much dinner and I suggested to Matt that we eat popcorn and watch Mommy's show.
Usually he says no to watching Mommy's show. But the popcorn, the models, Tyra - it was too much for him to resist.
So, at 8pm we curled up on the couch and watched ANTM.
It was adorable. He was excited by the challenges and I had him pick his favourite model. He chose Miss Jay. (the one on the left) Miss Jay isn't even a model, but whatever. (FYI I like Mr. Jay on the right)

We laughed, we chatted, we ate popcorn. We critiqued. I loved it.
I'm hoping to raise him to understand the importance of a good reality show. Besides, watching ANTM beats Dora any day. Not to mention that the other shows I watch, like House, are a little too frightening for Matt.
Besides. I would be soooo proud if Matthew grew up to be a fashion expert.

Ouchie Ouchie Ouch!!!

Today when I picked up Matthew I was greeted with this looking back at me.
Ouch! This picture just doesn't show well enough how purple his eye really is.
It turns out that he ran into a table at daycare.
I know, I know. Boys will be boys. And Matty is most definitely a boy through and through. But, still ouch!
The thing I love about our daycare is that they are pretty relaxed about this stuff. I didn't get a frantic middle of the day phone call or anything. There was an accident report when Mike picked him up. They'd given him ice and TLC and watched him at naptime. We couldn't have done anything more.
Truthfully, I feel horribly guilty about it all, but I know this could have happened under my watch. Truthfully, I don't know how it hasn't!
So, perhaps the modelling career will be put off a couple of months. There are worse things, I know, than him having a black eye for his 3rd birthday.
As I type this Matt is doing sommersault off the couch and balancing on a table. Yes, boys will be boys. And mommies will forever feel guilty when they hurt themselves in the process.
It turns out that Matt is just fine. My nerves - a little frayed.

Apparently ... I'm conservative

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 60% Conservative, 40% Liberal

Social Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

Okay ... So I did this poll.
What????
I'm conservative. According to this I'm apparently completely conservative. Interesting. Check it out.
Just an FYI - I don't really agree with this. But, it's fascinating. I have to say, though. In Canadian politics I'm not so sure that this is totally accurate. Just a thought.

Eye Spy

Lately my eyes have been bugging me.
Don't worry. It's not a big deal. It's just that I've owned glasses since I was 10 years old. I used to wear them infrequently. In fact, my 5th grade teacher accused me of wearing them for fashion purposes only. (Me? never)
But, as I've grown up, I've been using them more. I don't really think this is an aging thing, since I am not too terribly concerned about aging right now. But, lately it's been really bothering me. I can't drive without glasses. I can't go shopping without glasses. I can't go anywhere without putting my glasses on.
It's getting restrictive because sometimes I don't want to always make sure I have my sunglasses (the prescription ones) at all times. I'd really like to have a pair for my car and for my purse and for a million other places. But, when they are prescription this is not feasible.
So ...
I'm looking into contacts. I know lots of people have them. And I know I'm a bit of a wimp for holding out this long. But really. I'm not sure about touching my eyeballs and all of that.
I've been assured that it's not that bad. That you get used to it.
So, my fingers are crossed that at my appointment today I'll be ready to go. And, then I'm going sunglasses shopping. Yay!!!

Top of the Mornin' To Ya!

St. Patrick's Day is kind of big deal in our family since my grandmother (who has passed away) loved this holiday. It was the day she always celebrated her Irish roots - she was a feisty red head who loved her Shamrocks (in fact, before she died she gave me her beloved shamrock ring).
So, Nana, Cheers!!!
The St. Paddy's celebrations continue to your great-grandchildren!!!

See how Irish my sister looks. Her un-Irish looking baby is compensating by wearing Shamrocks on her head.

Steve, my brother-in-law, combines his love of St. Paddy's Day with his love of Star Trek. Steve, you're sooooo cool.

Of course I got into the spirit as the Shamrock headband made the rounds. The only green thing I had was a tank top. Brrrrrr. Paige already thinks I'm crazy and she's not even 2. Oh dear (I love her expression here!)


Paige wanted to try the green beer. Yum yum.

Yummmm ... green beer.


Kyla and Matt were delighted to clink their own "green beer" (it was green juice) Wisely we provided them with plastic cups.















This picture is in honour of Multi-Tasking Mommy who always has pictures of her festive foods on her blog. I was inspired to make something green. So I came up with this jello pie. It was a little weird. But ... so is drinking green beer.

I know, I look like I had way too much green beer! (okay, it was maybe a little too much beer the night before - love the Irish pubs with friends). It's our group shot. Minus Mike who was taking pictures.
Finally, Miss Kyla, the princess. The words are spelled out in green shamrocks. Too cute!