And She's Off ...

I know a lot of us have dreams and plans and hopes growing up.
I can remember all the things I wanted to do - for a long time I wanted to be a veterinarian. Some of my friends wanted to be fire fighters or doctors or pilots or teachers. Some of us changed plans (cause, you know, I didn't go past grade 9 science - I'm not a vet), and some people had their plans changed for them.
But, one of my friends has always had a plan to be an actor.
I've known her about 6 years - we met fresh out of university. We were both pursuing careers. It always amazed me when this friend of mine would talk.
She is a good actor, but she doesn't fit the cookie-cutter stereotype of being size 0 and having long blonde hair.
She's unique.
And she's good.
And she hasn't given up. Ever. For years she's been going to auditions, and making a living, as an actor. She doesn't exactly have a star on Canada's Walk of Fame (yet), but she's slowly making a name for herself. I've turned on the tv a few times lately and said "hey! It's Stef!"
As she's plugged away she's gotten somewhere. And it's exciting.
And even more exciting ... on Sunday she leaves for LA, to meet an agent thanks to a recommendation from someone who lives in LA. You know, someone who recognized her talents and is helping her get somewhere.
I couldn't be prouder!!!!
So, next week, think of my friend and send her the best wishes possible. I know I will be (even though I have to admit that it would suck if she moved there. Well, okay, not exactly, if she moves there and has the money to fly me in to visit ... that would not suck!)
Go get 'em Stef!!!

When Cats Bathe

Tonight when Matty had a bath, Rosie Rose Petal decided to join him.




There were several unsure moments and then ...


In she went. I only got one picture before she hopped back out.
You'd think the cat would learn. This is not her first swimming experience. And, she ALWAYS gets splashed when she is anywhere near the vicinity of Matt's bath.

Ahhhh ... you've gotta love cats!!!
You'd never get a picture of Mojo in the bath - she steers clear of the water as much as possible.

And, in other pet related news, when we got home tonight one of neighbour's dogs was roaming around. He is the sweetest Jack Russel. He came running up to us when he saw us walking down the path, and then tried to follow the boys to the grocery store.
His owner (who is always right there) was nowhere to be seen.
And, then the dog ran on to the road. It's a busyish road, and some cars luckily swerved to avoid him. I decided to bring the dog home. I just told him to come and he walked right with me. It turned out that the screen on his door came loose and the dog hopped right through the screen. It was one of those moments where you just feel good about life.
Everything was fine. His owner was really sweet about it too.

What would YOU do?

On the weekend I went to a garage sale.
It was great.
My nieces are really into Polly Pocket, and a family was selling about 3 or 4 Polly Pocket sets for $10. I was totally excited. I scooped up the box and off we went.
They were a really nice family. They threw in extra toys for free. They even helped my son catch some bugs in a bug catcher we were buying. So this was Saturday.
On Sunday Matthew and I met my sister's family for coffee and breakfast at this little bakery we go to. We brought all the Polly Pockets in and set everything up on one of the tables. (It's a really big space, and the staff had no problem with this).
The coolest of all was a Polly Pocket "Snow Cool Hotel". This thing is really neat. It's got a hotel and a little store and a snow hill where the dolls ski down.

And it's got a working skating rink. That's right. The skating rink works. How? With Magnets.
And, the entire time we were all enthralled with this hotel we didn't think anything about the magnets. It was pretty cool making little tiny dolls skate. (Admittedly, I think my sister, brother-in-law and I were more into this than the kids).
And then today my sister called me.
You know the magnets that make the thing so cool. They are lethal. This playset has been recalled! Just to be clear - I don't blame the family who sold it. The woman teaches grade one and was super nice. I'm guessing she didn't know.
Neither did I!
The playset currently resides in my parents' basement. We often bring over toys for the kids to have there.
So, now my sister and I are debating. The truth is - the magnets are in the skates so we could just take them away. Or supervise. We really like the toy.
But, then, if we return it we'll get more money back which we could totally put towards something safer. Plus, we'll have essentially made money on a garage sale toy. I sort of feel bad about that. But, not really.
And then there's the bother. I don't really think that the kids will swallow the magnets. I think we're pretty safe. But, there's always the chance...
I don't know.
What would you do?
I have to admit, now that I've written this out I'm probably going to call my mom to tell her - and we'll return it.
But, thinking of all the little pieces .... It will take hours!!!

Not Quite As Planned

Last night our family went to a wedding reception.
It was the kind of cool, swanky wedding receptions that people have when they aren't 23 years old and trying to meet everyone's expectations, including their own, of the perfect wedding. There was no seating chart, no banquet hall, no dance, no huge announcements of the wedding party.
It was a stand up affair where everyone ate high end yummy appetizers and there was babysitting for kids.
And outside there was this french fry making station and they just kept handing out the world's yummiest fries.
It was pretty cool.
Except that Matt did not want to stay in the kids room, or with us or anywhere. He wanted to RUN. Mike was hot. I was feeling a little ill. And I wore stupid shoes that hurt. I should have worn running shoes to chase Matthew.
We didn't stay as long as we had planned.
We barely made it to dinner.
And when Matthew jumped in front of the long line of people to grab food with his hands (again, these were swanky uber-cool people he jumped in front of) I knew it was time to leave. It was that or lose my mind ... and temper.
My parents tried to help out. They offered to take Matt for a walk. But, the truth was I had totally worked myself up, I was kind of freaking because Matt was refusing to go to the bathroom.
So we left.
I'm okay with this.
I've learned in the past 3 years that when Matthew gets started and gets me started it's better to remove myself from a situation than to drag everyone down with me. When I feel myself close to tears I walk.
Truthfully it's partly because when I just.can't.control my child, no matter what I try, I revert back to this feeling of complete parental insecurity. I try. I try to be strict and I try to be nice and it doesn't work.
And then I realize that maybe, just maybe, it's not my parenting but the fact that it's a situation that Matt doesn't do well in. And that's okay. (I told our daycare teacher the other day about how much I hated gymnastics because Matt had a meltdown every week. She told me that was probably just him letting me know it's too much for him. good point).
So we left.
After an hour.
And then we went home. Of course the Gardiner (the highway that gets from the reception venue to our house) was closed. Mike opted for the Lakeshore. And then we drove down to the street right next to the lake. Both were extremely slow.
The truth was NONE of us minded.
It boggles my mind how we were all a little nuts at a beautiful reception with yummy food and good music, but put us in a van that isn't moving and we're having a great time, laughing, singing along with the music and basically chilling.
Until Matt announce "I need to pee on the potty. NOW"
CRAP!!!!
We were stuck in traffic. As we had been for an hour. Luckily I spied a Shoppers Drug Mart. They don't generally have public bathrooms, but I figured I could ask. So, I took Matt out of the van (Mike didn't have to pull over - we weren't going anywhere) and we ran to shoppers to beg for a bathroom.
We were in luck. The manager came and brought us to the bathroom. And, we made it just in time. And, thank goodness we did because Matt needed to do both #1 and #2. And that would have been messy.
And, I realized this was one of the first times that Matt told us he needed to use the bathroom as opposed to us dragging him. I think he's afraid of having an accident in the van.
Of course, Matt and I both realized we were hungry and thirsty, so after choosing drinks and snacks we went out and eventually we found Mike. He'd done some sort of bizarre turn and was fuming in the car thanks to the traffic.
We decided to try another route where we were also stuck in traffic. But, it was fine.
I took pictures. Matt ate about 5 rice krispie treats and eventually made it home. I realized Mike was about to snap, and we were all still a little hungry so we stopped at Mcdonald's for a 9:15 dinner.
All in all a nice evening.
Not what we planned. But, you know, sometimes the best things in life are the things that happen unexpectedly.

Austism Awareness

Ever since I've had my son, I've heard a lot more about autism. It's something that a lot of parents fear, but seems to be a lot more prevalent, or at least discussed a lot more in recent years. When I was growing up I didn't know anyone who was autistic. I'm not sure why. But, as my son is growing up autism has already touched his life.
One of Matthew's friends at his previous daycare was autistic. As I got to see this little girl on a daily basis and later met her mom, it actually put a face and a personality to something I had only ever read about. Her mom spoke not only of the challenges she faced but of her extreme love for her child.
Recently, my blogging friend, AndreAnna, wrote a post about her friend's child who has autism. It was beautifully written. So, today I'll spare you hearing about our toilet training joys and instead share a link with you.
Happy Friday.
http://www.diaryofadiaperingmadwoman.com/2007/09/1-in-150.html

Halloween

Guess what we realized today?
Halloween is coming up. As in, it's right around the corner. And I am not yet prepared!
This would not be a big deal for many people, but because Halloween is pretty much the only time I get out my sewing machine I need to plan ahead. And, I'm not the best sewer which means that I may end up re-stitching the costume a few times.
So I decided to ask Matt what he wants to be for Halloween.
The answer is he wants to be either Lightning McQueen or our New VAN!

Right.
Helpful.
I decided to look up Lightning McQueen costumes online. Guess what? They suck. And they are expensive to buy. I refuse to buy a crappy costume for $40 when I can get a cool light up Spiderman costume at Costco for $30.
And you see, this is why I will make it. The problem is, in the past Matt has been easy going. He was Eeyore one year and that costume was a relatively easy pattern.
But a vehicle?
I am clueless.
So, now we have to implement a plan of attack.
I'm thinking of trying to change his mind. For some reason he's really into pirates. So, I'm thinking that maybe I will try to convince him to go the pirate route and see if I could make that.
Or, maybe I'll search the internet and come up with something even neater.
All I know is that I LOVE halloween. I'm trying to come up with something for me!!! And, of course I'm taking the day off.
LOVE Halloween!!!!

Toilet Training in a Day?

Okay
Not quite.
But, this toilet training endeavour has gone better than I could ever have expected. I should back up and explain that Matt is 3 and a half, and about a year ago we decided to try potty training. And then 6 months ago we decided to try it. And we've had a potty for at least 2 years.
It's not like we're toilet training gurus.
But, this time it seems to really be working.
We started toilet training last Monday. We agreed with the daycare that we would all be on board and all support it. And then we got Matthew on board. I'm not sure how. I guess he was just ready to be a "big boy". His friends are in underwear so he wanted to try it out.
Truthfully, I think his body has been ready for a good year. He wakes up dry pretty much every day. And, he has been telling us for ages when he is peeing or pooping. He also just kept telling us that he "loves peeing in a diaper".
And, when your child is as stubborn as Matt it's hard to fight with that.
But, his stubborness is now working for us because he has decided that he is not going to have accidents.
For the last 3 days he has been accident free. He's telling us when he needs to go to the bathroom and willingly goes when we remind him. It's bizarre.
We decided to try bribery using licorice and stickers. He wants none of it. Really he just doesn't care. This morning I brought him licorice for peeing on the toilet and he said "I don't need it, Mommy. I'm a big boy now."
Tonight he convinced us he needs to wear underwear to bed.
Neither of us was really keen on the idea, but it seemed a little weird to say no to our child asking us to wear underwear.
I'm seeing an end to diapers. I really am!!!!!

A LOOOONG weekend

This weekend has been a little weird.
I took a couple of extra days off to clean and relax and I did neither. One day (Thursday) I spent running around and the next I hung out with Matthew. I was kind of planning to take Friday to myself, but when Matt realized that I was staying home he asked to hang out with me. And, so I said sure. He decided he wanted to chill and watch Treehouse, and even though I don't like to let him do that all day, I gave him.
And then yesterday (Saturday) we had big plans of going for a GO Train ride. The thing is, I was sick. It was weird. I got up, had breakfast, and then started to feel really crappy. So, I got Mike out of bed to hang out with Matt while I had a bath. I NEVER get the flu - seriously, I get plagued with colds and allergies, but I'm rarely sick. But, I was. I got out of the bath and decided to go back to bed. I slept till almost 2. I haven't done that in years. It was pretty random. It kind of freaked Mike out to the point that he went and got me chicken noodle soup from the grocery store. And then we all basically hung out, watching tv and just doing very little.
And, before long Mike admitted that he had a headache. And then Matt said he had a tummy ache.
By about 8, Matt had a huge fever and was just crying because he felt crappy.
Nothing could really calm him down - we even pulled out the magic cure-all in our house ... a Bottle of Chocolate Milk. He just looked at it and cried some more. This was not like Matt. We finally solved the problem by letting him sleep in our bed with the kitten. Both of the cats seemed to know he wasn't well because they were by his side all night. When we eventually moved him into his bed the cats followed.
But today everyone seems a little better. None of us feel like doing much. Mike's been offering van rides, but we can't seem to get it together enough to get dressed and go anywhere. It's very unlike us.
The funny thing is, this little break has done us all a world of good. We've hung out all together and relaxed. We've watched about 10 million episodes of Bob the Builder. And we've alternated between tvo kids and treehouse non-stop (based on the annoying level of the show).
But tonight we will all get dressed and go out to my parents' place for my dad's birthday. In my completely healthy state I bought salmon and marinated it with all sorts of herbs and lime, but I have to admit that I'm not exactly sure if I will eat it! So, it may be birthday cake for us and nothing else. But, I'm sure the evening will be fun and Matt will enjoy playing with his cousins.
It's funny how life is never how you plan it!

I'm Officially Old ...

I'm not even 30. I have only 1 child.
And today we picked up our new minivan!!!
I will spare you all of the details. But, the long and short of it is that our beloved Sunfire was not doing so well.
It was only 6 years old, but I bought that car almost immediately after getting my license. The poor car has been driven into parking garage poles, parking metres, garbage cans, drive thru signs, etc.
Oh, and my beloved husband (not me) has rear ended someone in it.
And, we kind of stopped doing regular oil changes. Routine maintenance kind of went by the wayside too. We wanted a newer car. A better car.
And then we test drove mini vans.
It was love at first test drive.
Matthew loves that there are 5 seats for him to choose from. And, if we ever decide to have quadruplets we're set!!!!
He also loves the roof racks. So does Mike. I don't quite get the roof rack appeal but who am I to argue?
I'm just a little scared about my driving ability. I had mastered the parallel park in the Sunfire thanks to using mirrors. In fact I can parallel park most cars. Vans ... we'll have to see. I was a little too worried to even go through the Starbucks drive-thru today. (despite the fact that I could show off my power windows. I know - I'm a dork!
And, as for Matt ... He's still quite content riding his "motorcycle" (usually he wears a helmet)

A Day Off ...

So what would you do on a day off?
If you were me you wouldn't take it easy. No. Not all All!
First of all, I woke up early - not my usual 5am, but about 6:30. Thank goodness because our alarm clock is broken.
And then the day went from there.

Once I'd drop the boys off at daycare (Matt) and work (Mike) I went to visit a new daycare. I'm really happy with our current daycare and I'm not about to switch him. But, this daycare is new, and I wanted to check it out. I've been debating what we will do when Matty is in junior kindergarten and I wanted to see some options. (this place has a full day school program). Anyway, it was really nice. I think if it had been open when we were looking at daycares it would be have been a tough choice between that and what we chose. It was that nice. And they have fair rates.

But, the visit was nice and quick so I called my sister to see what she was up to. She was having coffee with one of my nieces and her friend and daughter. So, I went to join them for a coffee. It was a nice surprise visit and there was a lots of excitement outside with fire trucks and ambulances outside.

And then , the highlight of my day, a visit to the dentist! It's been way too long since I got a cleaning and I finally booked one and actually went. It really has been 5 years since I have had my teeth cleaned. I really hate it. But this experience went just fine. I had a great hygeniest and after we chatted a bit she suggested that we split it into 2 sessions and skip the flouride treatment (since that's what I dread). So all in all it was fine. Apparently dental technology is vastly improved since they now have some water device that eliminates all the scraping. And, she didn't discover any cavities. Phew.

So ... of course the day continued when my mom met me and we went for lunch and then a couple of hours of shopping at Costco. Would you believe my mom had NEVER been to Costco? Seriously. We had a nice time. It was quiet there so we were able to shop quickly and enjoy it.

And, then I finally got home to have a break and then suddenly decided to make shepherd's pie. So, i went to the grocery store and then whipped it up before I picked up the boys. I actually fell asleep after dinner.

Really, tomorrow. I will take it much easier!

Work

I don't tend to post a lot about work.
It's not because I don't enjoy work. In fact, I really enjoy my job. I'm one of the few people who can say that she has a great boss, and all the "bosses" on up to our CEO are people that I enjoy. And, a lot of the people that I don't directly report to, but I work with or around, I mostly like them too.
I also like my job.
But here's the thing. My job was sort of kind of lacking in definition for awhile. I love having the kind of job where I never know what's coming next. I would HATE it if I could tell you what I will be doing every minute of every day.
But, I got a little frustrated by not having one specific project that was mine to sink my teeth into and have some control over.
So I brought this up - a few times.
And voila - I got more responsibility.
Are you prepared to laugh???? I got handed the job of webmaster for the new intranet site we're developing. Seriously.
I'm laughing because figuring out how to put a link in blogger took me months. If you're wondering why you are not on my side bar, it's likely because I find it difficult and usually screw up the code and have to get my husband to fix it.
So, when my boss told me my new responsibility I had one of those moments of sheer gratitude that someone had that much belief in me and yet sheer panic that this was something I could NOT do. I didn't have much time to think about it because I ended up going to meetings and being thrown into the deep end of things.
That was a month ago.
And ... I'm loving it.
I should explain that I don't do the technical stuff. I'm still slowly learning the difference between searching and browsing and what a portal is. I never understood the importance of a site map and now I do. And I'm figuring out programs that I have never used before.
And then today I had a conference call. And that conference call was one where I had to make decisions and judgement calls and set up timelines without my trusty boss (and, admittedly really good friend, but in this case that's an aside) sitting there agreeing with me.
And then there was a moment - the technical guy started talking about analytics, and discussing the role that google analytics could play. And in that moment I realized that I understood. And I was able to contribute.
And I even made some good points and suggestions.
And today I realized that sometimes I don't give myself enough credit. There are some things I'm good at and I pride myself on them. But, sometimes I limit myself and think I can't do something. And, it takes being thrown in to realize that fears can be pretty stupid.
Don't get me wrong. I don't think I'm going to quit my job and become a website designer. But, I do think that I'm going to embrace some of this technology and realize that I need to limit myself a little less.
And really, one of these days I'll update those links.

Seniors Night with Our Preschooler

We thought tonight was kids eat free night at our local buffet restaurant.
Suffering from all of us being starving, a meeting that we had to go to directly after work, and the knowledge that we had neither fresh dinner food nor clean dishes we decided to pack it in and go out for dinner.
About 2 minutes from the restaurant Matthew told us he would rather be at home or at McDonalds. But we persevered. We're all about kids eating free.
Too bad it was SENIORS night.
Let me paint you a picture.
We walk in. The place is packed with seniors there for a good deal. Seniors who believe that children should be seen and not heard.
We enter with a precocious three year old who decides to announce that he is wearing UNDERWEAR because he is a BIG BOY! He then proceeds to carry a booster seat throughout the restaurant to where we are seated.
And then when we release him to the buffet (with the instruction to stick with us and not push) he makes a very artistic beeline to to whipped cream display narrowly avoiding several people with canes.
Both Mike and I tried to chase after him not being able to so easily avoid the seniors and ended up shouting across the buffet section "WALKING FEET AND DON'T TOUCH" while praying that he did not shove his hand in the whipped cream.
This was all in the first five minutes.
The evening wasn't all that bad.
Once Matt calmed down and realized that he was scaring the elderly he relaxed. He started to listen to us and stayed in his seat. He had a lovely chat with the waiter. And the entire restaurant probably now knows that he is toilet training and wears big boy underwear now. He thankfully didn't have an accident.
And bonus! The waiter didn't end up charging him for his meal so I guess it was kids night after all!
And, oh yeah. Day 2. He's doing really well using the potty. He talks about it non-stop. He is proud of himself.
We're pretty proud too!!!

Toilet Training - Day 1

So by some miracle, Matthew has bought into this whole toilet=big boy idea.
I am getting excited.
Day one of the toilet training challenge went really well. It's like he decided to cooperate with us today. He got out of bed and went to the potty without an argument. And then he chose his underwear (it was a bob the builder day).
He not only tried to pee twice before we left, but when we got to the GO station he decided that he wanted to try out the train station bathroom. (actually, it was surprisingly clean).
He did really well all day.
He had a couple of accidents, but all in all he was into it. He went to the bathroom by choice, and was pretty excited to be wearing his Cars underwear at the end of the day.
So we decided that we are going to give him a pretty cool reward this weekend. If he stays consistent with his training (by that we mean he doesn't fight with us or his teachers when it's time to use the potty, and if he doesn't purposely have an accident) then on Saturday he gets to go on a GO Train ride.
To Matt GO train rides are one of the coolest treats in the world. We've decided that we'll hop on the train in the morning, maybe grab ice cream or lunch and then come back home in the afternoon. Because I have a monthly pass I can bring Mike on the train for FREE (on a weekend) so it's actually a really cheap and fun treat. The other great part of it is that the CNE is on in Toronto, so there will be lots of other kids on the train. I know it's a bit of a hassle usually, but Matty can be a little noisy or crazy and it won't really matter. I like that.
Besides ... I'm sure he will be THRILLED to use the potty on the train. When we took the train to Montreal I think the visit to the bathroom was the highlight.
I know this will be a long road to being potty trained, but I have to admit, I'm kind of looking forward to the end result.

Breastfeeding - Don't like it? Suck it.

For the last few weeks I have been following the stories (this is an excellent summary) about breastfeeding mothers and some of the challenges they have faced. From a local woman being asked to cover up at a YMCA pool deck to a Canadian being kicked off Facebook for showing a picture of her baby nursing to a woman in the States being asked to cover up at Appleby's and finally Bill Maher's opinion of it all - it seems that breastfeeding has been in the news a lot.

Personally breastfeeding was a funny stage for me. I found it very personal. Some of my friends would show me pictures of their babies at the breast and though I thought the pictures were lovely I never took those pictures myself. Of course I was comfortable taking my top off when I was home with just my baby or my husband and baby. But if anyone was there I was covered.

Still I was not hesitant to breastfeed in public. Give me a nursing blanket and I was good. I got to the point where I would nurse in malls and restaurants. I liked the freedom. Matt ate a lot. If I only breastfed in the privacy of my home, I would never have left. The child ate on the hour.

Bottom line - I think that the protection of breastfeeding mothers is extremely important. And, I can honestly say that I was never asked to leave a location or not attend any event due to having a nursing child.

So when all of this latest controversy came up I was sympathetic but I couldn't exactly relate.

That is until a couple days ago when I received an e-mail. Someone I know is getting married and wanted to know if I would still be breastfeeding at her wedding (when my future child is about 8 weeks old). I had an honest answer - I don't know. I'm not sure if I will nurse baby #2 or if I do for how long. But, I assured her, it's not like I would whip out a boob while she was walking down the aisle. I wasn't sure how else to respond. She's never seen me in the role of mother, so I guess she felt justified in asking me about my breastfeeding habits.

But apparently, my understanding was a little off - her response was that the infant is not welcome - so unless he or she can go without nursing (for close to 10 hours when you add in travel time and the length of the wedding) I have been asked to uninvite myself.

I am shocked. I am outraged. And quite honestly I am surprised at the utter tackiness of the request.

Sorry - if you are too shackled to your infant don't bother attending. Not welcome.

The bigger message to me - breastfeeding will ruin "my day" and you must be kidding if you think you would bring a newborn with you. So, do me a favour and wean - or bottle feed - or pump ... but don't bring that appendage that you may be sustaining with your breasts. That would be uncouth, and "other guests wouldn't understand".

The more I think about it the angrier I get. A wedding is a one-day event. Am I supposed to wean my child - and possibly affect this child's health (not to mention my budget and let's be honest my post-partum weight loss) so that I don't potentially ruin some bride's day? And does this person really think that I would ruin her day by doing something she deems inappropriate (breastfeeding) or letting my child scream?

Her response - that obviously this is any issue so she has to talk to her fiance about it. Why - to ask his opinion on whether or not i should wean my child???? To see if her words were offensive. So that he can give a verdict on whether or not someone you just effectively uninvited is now welcome?

Her issue, really is that she doesn't want any children there. As I said to her, there is a huge difference between a child that needs to be near its mother to survive and a family that isn't willing to shell out for a babysitter.

Truthfully, I understand that she doesn't want children there. And, perhaps my assuming that it was understood that a newborn who is exclusively nursing was inappropriate. But, to bring breastfeeding into it - and to ask me not to come if I am???? Disgusting. Inappropriate and downright tacky. And yes, I did reply. In a lengthy e-mail. And, as far as I know she is no longer talking to me. And, as much as I care, I kind of don't. Because there are some things I'm willing to stand up for - such as the right to breastfeed - and the fact that if you have a problem with it, or with me, say it nicely. Don't send me an e-mail implying that my thought of bringing an infant to a wedding is a joke.

Welcome to 2007, friends.

I get it - I truly understand she doesn't want my child there. And believe me I have already let her know that we will not be there. But as for me and my breasts - that is my business and no one else's.

Wish Us Luck

As discussed by Matt's daycare teacher and myself, tomorrow is Day 1 of potty training.
What? You think you have read that we were potty training before.
That's right. You have. But, I have potentially the world's MOST stubborn child. And he likes his pull ups and diapers.
He knows when he has to pee and poo. In fact he will tell me when he has to pee and poo. He just refuses to do it in the potty or toilet.
And this stubborn streak is getting worse.
When we say big boys wear diapers he says "well, I'm a baby."
And on and on.
I'm thinking the toilet training may kill me.
Mike and I are well aware that this will put a strain on our marriage. So, we're hoping we get this done pretty quickly. It's all hands on deck and the diapers are being hidden.
Bedtime only - though he doesn't need to wear a diaper at bedtime. He is always dry in the morning.
I have a feeling that these next few weeks will be a battle of the wills. Fun.
We went to Walmart and stocked up on toilet paper and underwear.
I'm thinking we probably should have stopped at the liquor store too.
The one thing they told us is that we need some sort of bribery treat. Guess what we chose? GUM! I know. I think that may make us somewhat bad parents. But, it's the only thing that works. Well, that or a bottle of chocolate milk, but I'm pretty sure that there's something wrong with rewarding our preschooler with a bottle for being a big boy.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today is rainy and yucky and none of us feel like doing much outside of the house.
So, I have decided to bake today.
When I say I've decided to bake - I mean BAKE.
I don't mean my usual habit of buying a muffin mix and adding an egg. Nope. I went out and bought ingredients, and I started whipping stuff up.
So far I've made banana bread (and Matty was an incredible banana masher). I've peach/blueberry crisp, and I've made chocolate chip cookies. It turns out that Matthew loves baking with me.
Between the mixing, the sampling and the rolling of cookies we have been in major production this morning.
Meanwhile, Mike has been finishing up our bedroom. He's done sanding and now he's painting the part of the room that I couldn't do because the dry wall goo had to set and dry.
It looks like by the end of the weekend we will have full stomachs and a re-done bedroom.
And, in the middle of all of it I plan to take a nice long nap and enjoy the peace and quiet that comes with a lazy Saturday.
Matthew has decided that he wants to chill and watch television today. Normally I try to get him out and active. But, today ...
I think it's the perfect day to eat popcorn and watch some favourite tv. Sometimes he snuggles up with me to watch a favourite show. Sometimes Rosie cuddles up with him to watch tv, and sometimes he's been pulling his toys out and just enjoying life.
Maybe this isn't the best parenting tactic. But, honestly, I think it's what we all need this weekend. There are always other weekends to get out and do stuff.
I had actually debated going to the CNE today, but I realized that the last thing in the world ANY of us feel like doing. So why try???
Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow I'll be spending the afternoon at a wedding shower, a very cool shower for a childhood friend that I rarely get to see - and I can't wait. And, though I probably shouldn't admit this, I'm also excited because she's the world's most amazing chef at a pretty well known restaurant, and her catering company is catering it ... yummy!
So here's to quiet summer days and a little relaxation.
And, if anyone wants some baking ... you know who to call!

Grrr ...

I try not to be bothered too much by people who are just annoying. However.
Do you know what really bugs me? People who are overly judgemental and don't know what they are speaking about.
I had a conversation with someone about kids the other day. It came up in conversation that when I had my child it was a difficult time. I don't talk much about it. Really, I'm not one of those people who wants to share their birth story.
But it wasn't pretty. I don't dwell, but it still angers me a little. What I will say is that having a tough birth (and I know I'm not alone) made for a tough start as a mom.
I had anticipated being that mom who has coffee with her friends while her adorable baby sleeps in the stroller next to her.
Ha.
The first time I had a post-baby coffee outside of my home was when Matt was 6 weeks and my mom took me out to Starbucks. He screamed so much that I insisted on going back to the car because so many people were staring.
My point is this: before Matthew I was the type of person who was up for just about anything. I rarely take a sick day. I was just a generally strong person.
This child has been kicking my butt since day one.
And, I'm a better person for it. I'm way more empathetic and kind. I'm grateful.
But, this person told me that no matter how hard the birth is, it's all in the attitude. If you decide you can get up and go out and conquer the world you can.
It's all in attitude.
Who cares that breastfeeding is hard - you're just a wimp.
Usually I let these things pass. But this really annoyed me. Today I am still annoyed. I feel much better having written this. But still.
Grrr....
Keep your opinions to yourself.

3k ... woo hoo!

Last night Matthew and I decided to go on a bike ride. Well, he went for a bike ride and I walked/jogged and stopped a lot according to his pace.
It was fun.
My sister mentioned that my nieces wanted to see Matt, and I've been trying to get back to working out consistently. So, I figured that we may as well walk to their house. I learned from running that their house was exactly 3km away from us, so it was a really nice running distance for me. (I know, for some people that's a warm up).
I figured that now that Matthew really likes riding his trike, or as he calls it his motorcycle, it would be a fun adventure.
It really was.
We took about half an hour - which is pretty good considering that we walked through every.single.bus shelter, looked at several different cars, and sang about 20 rounds of B-I-N-G-O and Old Macdonald.
I have to admit, by the time I got to my sister's house I was feeling pretty good about things. We had a fun walk, we sang, we hung out - and I was getting coffee when I got there.
Little does my sister know that we will likely do this over and over and over again. Luckily she has a van with a car seat that fits Matt perfectly, so we were able to throw his trike in the trunk and she drove us home.
It was pretty nice.
And, I'm really impressed that Matt was able to go 3 k. In all honesty, I think he would have happily ridden all the way back. That child does not tire.

Corn Muffins ...

I've been on a bit of an eating healthy quest.
I wouldn't call it obsessive, but I've been encouraging my family to eat healthier. We've had tons of fruit and vegetables lately and we're trying to make sure that our bread is whole wheat not white, etc.(10 trips to Ben & Jerry's in 7 days is the exception to this!!!)
So, when I was in the grocery store the other day I decided it was time to kick my new found Tim Horton's muffin addiction. For the last few weeks I'd been ordering a chocolate chip muffin when I got my decaf coffee.
So, I decided to buy the organic corn muffin mix.
Yum yum.
Okay, so I have to admit that I didn't really make them organic because you're supposed to add an organic egg and organic oil to the mix. (should have read that part). But whatever. My heart was in the right place.
Matthew helped me whip up the muffins, and I promised he could have one for breakfast.
So, today I got up nice and early and cut up strawberries for him. And then I got him a muffin.
I went back into the kitchen and I heard a blood curdling scream. I ran out thinking maybe one of the cats had hurt him or something.
There he was sobbing. Before I could even ask he shouted between sobs "Mommy! You gave me yucky food. whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhy?"
The poor child looked like he had been poisoned and was so disgusted by these muffins that he needed to immediately spit it out.
Oops.
I think I'll stick to cereal or maybe find a new package.
So much for going healthy!

Paint, Dog and More about Moi

We continued on our quest to update our house this weekend.
On Saturday we tackled our bedroom. By tackled I mean Mike cut chunks of our bedroom wall out in order to move electrical work. At one point we could see outside. It was a little unreal. The purpose of moving the electrical was to build a new closet for our bedroom.
While Mike built, I primed and painted about 3/4 of our room. It was FANTASTIC to get rid of the horrible pink walls. Or at least 3/4 of them.
The other quarter will be painted soon, once the dry wall mud (?) dries and Mike sands. We still haven't figured out if we're going to get a closet system (with all of the shelves, etc) or if we want just basic rods. Oh! The decisions. For now Mike's clothes are still all upstairs in the current bedroom closet (which will be closed off at a later date). And all mine are downstairs in my lovely closet. Baby steps.
I'm honestly the most excited about hanging my vermont artwork. I showed the photos to my parents who were really quite impressed with them.
And, what did Matthew do while we were doing our home renovations? He went on two different hikes with my parents. So, he had a good weekend too. That, and Treehouse did a great job of entertaining him.

Speaking of television ... we recently got DVR which is kind of like tivo. This means that we can tape all sorts of shows - and all the episodes of the show. Here's something most people don't know about me - I LOVE Dog the Bounty Hunter. (don't ask - though there are loads of closet Dog fans out there). And, since we've been recording every episode I've been watching it a lot. So much so that I've had dreams that I'm being hunted down by Dog and Beth. And I keep dreaming Leland is my best friend. I KNOW. Weird. I actually woke up pretty hysterical on Friday night because I was so scared by the dream. I must stop watching this show!

And, Finally ...


One of the best things about blogging, I think, is learning more about other people. It fascinates me to read their opinions and interests. So, when AndreAnna of Diapering Madwoman offered to ask me some questions - I was game. Here are her questions ...

1) You're a working mom like me. Do you find yourself defending this choice often or do people accept the path you've chosen?
I've found myself defending this less and less as Matthew gets older. When Matt was little and I first went back to work it was really hard on me - and so I think every time someone commented I was totally hurt and felt I had to defend myself. I also think that when you're around other moms who are also deciding what they will do everyone shares their opinion. It's a little daunting.
As I have become more comfortable with it I've realized that if someone has an issue with it that's their problem. I think no matter what choice you make (stay at home, work part time or work part-time ... not to mention your child care choice) if you are confident in it people will leave you alone.
Plus, I've also surrounded myself with other moms who understand my decision. That's not to say all my friends have chosen to go back to work, but thy have embraced the decision they have made and don't judge.
But, I am truly in awe of SAHMs!!!!

2) What is your favorite form of exercise?
Good question! I enjoyed running a lot - not in the sense that I'd become a marathon runner, but I got an amazing sense of achievement from it, and occasionally an adrenaline high. I've taken a break from it for some, shall we say, personal reasons, but will hopefully take it up next spring.
I LOVE yoga, and I think I'll start it again in the fall.
And, while I'm on the topic, I LOATHE pilates and suck at any classes that involve much rhythm. I can proudly say that I was so bad at step class that I actually have thrown teachers off. I love the idea of group exercise, but I think I frighten people.

3) What kid show do you hate and wish they would stop airing?
Big Comfy Couch - I cannot stand "Lunette and Molly, a clown and her dolly ..." I really, really can't. The whole show bugs me. And the bizarro stretching clock thing she does is frightening. Plus, her ten-second-tidy up involves throwing things under the couch which is a ridiculous thing to teach children. She needs some bins or something.
Do you even have this show in the States?
Otherwise, Max and Ruby. Do not get me started.
I have to admit, I love WonderPets and sometimes watch with Matt because it's cute.

4) Do you like being a Canadian? Anything the US offers that you think you miss out on? (Other than fluff?)
I love being Canadian. There are some great things that I really appreciate like good health care, and gay marriage.
However, I love Vermont. I'm not sure if that really answers your question, but we don't have a province here that is equal to Vermont. I think if I could I would move there. And, I know my family would come visit because they love it too. I actually have debated buying a timeshare at Trapp Family Lodge - I think it may be one thing I would regret not doing in the future. I love it that much.
And, fluff!!!
(actually, my husband says that we do have fluff here, it's just that I was raised by a health nut mom and a marshmallow hating dad, so as if they would have even thought to buy it!!!)
Oh, and of course CHEESECAKE FACTORY!!!!!

5) Are you a girly girl or more of a tom boy?
This is easy. I am a total girly girl. I love pink, I love makeup and jewelry and clothes and shopping. I really didn't like gym class. I hate things like camping and climbing trees and building stuff. I'm definitely a girly girl!

If you'd like to play, here are the rules, copied from AndreAnna's page.

Interview rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post containing your the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.