Matt's First Crush & a Shout Out to My Sis

Sometimes people tell you really cool things - that make you feel really special. Tonight over cake for my dad's birthday my sister told me that she goes online every night to read my blog.
Lately life has been overwhelming. And, knowing someone who loves you cares enough to tune into your life every day. Well, that's just cool. Period.
And, Beck, someday I'll teach you how to comment :)

Now on to Matt's first crush.

One of my closest friends lives down the hall from me. Yep. I'm lucky. I know. And, I've said a million times how if Ginny hadn't been here in Matt's first year, well ... I don't know. It would have sucked for sure. And, the reason I got to know Ginny is pretty much because her younger daughter, Lindsey, is 4 days older than Matt. Her older daughter, Mackenzie, will be 4 in October.

And Matt has a big crush on Mackenzie.

At first I thought he just said her name a lot because it was close to his. We call Matt Matty and they call Mackenzie Mackie. So, I just thought he was saying Mackie cause he liked it. Well, Mackie is now "Kenzie" in his world, and he is enamored.

At the tender age of 2 he is already knocking on her door and talking about her constantly. I have to say, it's the cutest thing. Like, on the bus on Friday he started to sing - at the top of his lungs. What was he singing "Kenzie. Kenzie. I LUV Kenzie." over and over and over.

And, every day we go to the garbage chute - which happens to be across the hall from their unit. He always tries to run over and open the door. I usually manage to stop him. And he always tells me "that's where Kenzie lives." Yep. I know! I really do.

How long will this last? I don't know. A little birdie has told me that Mackenzie does ask about Matt too. Too sweet. Sadly, Mac is going to jr. kindergarten this year. Will there be an older man in her future.

Hello! who cares. Matt is 2. He'll get over it. But, let's be serious here for a second. As in-laws go ... well, let's just say that he would have pretty cool ones!!!

The Park Mommies

I have discovered I have a love/hate relationship with other park mommies.

There are things I love. This includes the fact that they bring their children who happen to entertain my child. Since we go to the playground right outside the daycare, I know some of the parents and kids. This is nice. I like the camraderie. I like that the kids share their respective snacks (I am learning to bring candy or cereal not an apple which turns into the communal apple).

But then there are the things that I hate.

Like the bitchy moms - the ones that are too cool for their own good and who scoff at your child's outfit. Yes, I know that my son had on flourescent green girls' corderoy overalls in a size too small with a horrible blue and yellow striped hoody tank top on the other day. Do I look like someone who would dress her kid that way. NO! It's daycare clothes. He is toilet training. No comments needed.

I also hate the moms who bring 25 toys for their own child and then get mad when your toddler tries to play with them. Seriously, share toys or don't spread them out. That's stupid. And, cheap, and your kid needs to learn to share!!!

But despite the love/hate thing, I'm beginning to get into it just a little bit. The social thing is a pretty big deal. I like being friends with the other moms. I like that the cool, pink haired kind of renegade mom who is really up on her politics chooses me to chat with over the other moms who drool with envy at her coolness. I think it's because in addition to that "pshaw you wannabe popular moms out there" vibe that I send off (not) our kids get along.

I also have to admit that I am enjoying the gossip. I can't help it. I love gossip (I admit it I admit it) and mommy gossip can be infinitely more interesting than work gossip. I don't know why, but it is. I find it incredibly interesting and I feel that I further my son's social status by being in on the gossip. Sure he's only 2, but I do want him to get invited to the good birthday parties and have the fun friends. So really this is all for him.

So bring on the playgrounds ... I love them! (Thank god my child does too)

The Poo Post

I assume there comes a time in every mother's life when something happens that makes them physically sick.
I've been puked on, peed on, changed exploda-poo diapers. Yes they were gross, but I dealt with it.
But, now we have started that wonderful time in every toddler's life - TOILET TRAINING.
I have to admit, I'm not loving it. When our daycare administrator suggested that perhaps Matthew's fascination with the potty and his genitalia may be a sign that he is ready I told her that he may be ready, but I'm not.
And trust me. I'm not.
I watched my sister, queen of all moms, toilet train my niece. I saw the stress, the frustration and the grossness (and I got the phone calls - 'did you know that Kyla will only poop in the bath - is that weird?').
So, on the weekend we bought the pull ups, the underwear, everything, and we pulled out Matt's potty. Good times. He started peeing, and was pretty proud of himself. And every day I've been pulling the potty out, turning on treehouse and putting Matt on the potty as soon as he wakes up. This has gone quite well.
Till today - when he pooped!!!
Our potty (the Royal throne that plays music whenever the child pees/poos) started to sing, and Matt seemed done, so in I went to clean it up. But, Matt seemed over excited and was pointing. Perhaps it was a lot of pee.
Nope.
Our first ever poop in the potty!!!
I know this is a milestone. Fantastic. Way to go Matt.
But, it was unexpected, and quite honestly I gagged. I don't know why. I have no idea why this was so repulsive to me. But, it was gross.
Luckily Mike was home, and quickly disposed of it.
Oh the fun!

Our singing potty!

My Ever changing Toddler

Matthew has changed a lot lately.
I don't know what has happened, what we have done, or really the reason, but it seems like Matty has changed a lot lately.
The little being who I didn't quite comprehend has changed, and it seemed like this has happened overnight.
I always had a really hard time understanding my son. The love was automatic, but the comprehension not so much. Ever since he was tiny he was not a cuddler. He nursed around the clock, he liked to be held, but it was never about snuggling and cuddling and just being with me. I always found that frustrating because I love touch.
But lately this has changed. Matthew has started asking me for cuddles. I know the doubters out there will tell me that this is just his way of trying to extend his bedtime. Yes, sometimes it is. I agree. But he also just seems to want to be with us. Take for instance tv watching. It was always alone on his couch or a chair. But, now he wants to be with us, sitting on our laps, our arms wrapped around him holding him.
I don't understand this change. Part of me loves it. I feel reassured that he's growing into a child who thrives on touch and knows we are always here for him. Sometimes I wonder if it's something darker, if we aren't around him as much, if he feels he needs protection. I hope it's the former.
But, the other side of him that has developed is this change in attention span. Forgive me for being a bad parent but this is amazing.
On Sunday morning he watched Dora for 2 straight hours. I sat and read a book and he watched. Occassionally he would demand milk, toast, candy or an apple, but most of the time he was watching and singing and dancing and shouting "Swiper no swiping."
I finally understand the passionate love parents have for shows like Dora and Thomas.
Honestly, I feel like I had it rough when Matty was little and I got no sleep. There was no Baby Einstein that he actually was transfixed on - nothing. So here I am with a toddler who will watch Dora.
Thank God!!!
I'm so letting the tv be the babysitter. Just for the next few weekends :)

More pictures from the CNE

Matty asked me to take a picture of the tractor!


Some kids love the big animals - others hate them. Matt was fascinated and hugged them all.









I told Matthew he could go on one ride. All day he told me he wanted the Merry Go Round. He was so happy with his choice. He smiled the whole time







For some fun we went to the splash park at Ontario Place. It was pretty fun except that Matt wanted to run everywhere, so I had to chase him. Some aggressive 6 year olds thought it would be really fun to spray water at me every time I went past them. Geez. Okay - it was pretty funny - and I did dry off pretty quickly...




Ever since Matt was born we struggled with sleep issues. Surprisingly not one of the sleep books we read ever mentioned taking your toddler for a walk on the midway to help him drift off - maybe that's what they meant by "some sort of white noise." I don't think Ferber would approve!



The highlight of our day - both going and returning was the trip on the streetcar. Matt was such a big boy - walking up the steps on his own (while I lugged the stroller) and finding a seat. He was pretty excited and actually stayed in his seat.

At the end of the day I turned to him and said "so, did you have a good day?" He looked at me and said "it was perfect." My sentiments exactly!!

Duckie or Tuesday??

I've started to plan my son's halloween costume.
Okay - I know that sounds crazy, but Martha Stewart I am NOT. And, for some reason I always feel the need to sew Matt's halloween costume.
Seriously. I bought a sewing machine when he was just a couple of months old, and the sole purpose for this purchase was in order to make him a halloween costume. I've made little else since. I've attempted pj's for Matt and Kyla (this was before Paige) but other than that it's halloween costumes.
So ...
Yet again halloween is on the horizon and I thought that I should probably start thinking about what Matt will be - since it will take me forever to make a costume (my time line includes several on the brink of tears phone calls to my sister, handing over some of the sewing to a friend and then getting my mom to finish all the difficult parts). I estimate abut 6 weeks.
So, today I explained halloween to Matt and asked him what he would like to dress up as for halloween.
He said "A duckie - quack - or Tuesday."
So I said "Tuesday?"
And he said "Not friday - Tuesday."
So, I repeated to him "you want to dress up like Tuesday?"
Yep.
So I pulled up a website of halloween costumes. I thought maybe he would be inspired by some pictures - maybe a dragon or maybe a pirate. He was intrigued by the elephant (way above my skill level), but still wants to go with the Tuesday costume.
I have no idea what exactly that means. He clearly has something in his head. I don't know what it is. So I think we will go and look at some patterns - try to figure out if there is, in fact, a costume that meets his expections of Tuesday.
Or maybe I will go with the duck.
Quack.

More Government Fun!!!

So today I made my call to the government - CRA - to figure out what on earth the stupid letter was about.
I decided to call early, sip coffee while on hold, and not lose my cool when I had to talk to an agent. I actually was fairly successful in my calmness.
The conversation, though, was bizarre. First of all, I don't understand why on earth everyone at the CRA is Mr. Last Name or Ms. Last Name. Whatever. The phone call went better than I expected. After several failed attempts at logging into the system, and sitting on hold for only a couple of minutes I finally spoke to someone.
I pled my case - how on earth can I be expected to send you more information when you don't tell me what info you are looking for?
Well, silly me. Apparently all good Canadian citizens (along with all good EA's for that matter) are fully expected to have a well tuned sense of ESP and KNOW that they were simply waiting for something from our 2005 tax return in order to let us keep the money they mailed to me.
Duh.
I should have known that.
Now I do. Situation solved. So, that information will be sent this weekend. And, once they receive the missing information I can keep the full amount of money sent to me. They will, so I was promised by Mrs. Whatshername, clear my debt and I will receive the child tax universal whatever it's called benefit properly.
All in all, not a complete waste of time.
But, I did point out, after I was given all of this information, that had they simply sent a letter telling me what they needed I would have complied.
I also pointed out that it's not fair to send anyone a letter demanding money back - especially when said money was supposed to be applied to childcare. When she said "I don't understand" I explained that I couldn't ask the daycare to refund one day's fee because I would have to send it back to the government.
She suggested I ask.
Seriously.
And, she also suggested I send them the info ASAP so this wouldn't happen again.
Okay. I will.
Rant over.
On to better things. Like the weekend in a few short hours.

Let's go to the Ex!

Yesterday I took the day off and Matt played hooky from daycare and we went to the Ex!
It was soooo much fun. Really.
Part of the excitement was probably because it was a last minute decision. We filled up the stroller and went. And, in case you don't know, my whole parenting philosophy is basically throw caution to the wind and go for it.
So we did!

The highlight of the day for Matt - at least when we started out, was that he got to ride in the streetcar. He LOVES the streetcar.

I was really impressed - he was totally well behaved. I think I maybe shouldn't have told him ig he stuck his hand out the window it would get chopped off. But, it worked and his hands stayed in the streetcar.

Anyway .... so, now for the stories in pictures.

This is in the petting zoo. Matthew loved feeding all of the animals. I freaked out. I hated feeding them. And then there was this woman who Matt tried to feed. Oops. She was overweight (not throwing stones here!) and she honestly said to me "is he trying to feed me cause I look like a cow?" Ummm. No? What do you say? She didn't, but I guess she was self conscious. Seriously ... he's 2!

After the petting zoo I took Matt to see the horses. This picture is a pretend horse. It's an automatic ride and you can adjust the speed. Matty climbed on and loved it. The woman even turned the speed up because he was loving it so much! The funny part was when I said say "yee haw" he threw his hand up in the air, just like a cowboy. Calgary Stampede here we come!!!

There were lots more pictures, but blogger won't led me load them.

More tomorrow, I guess.

Let's go to the Ex!

Stupid Government

I don't usually complain about the government. I really don't. I vote. I volunteer. If I have a major opinion on something I do something about it. These days it may mean writing a letter. In unversity I went to a couple of protests.
And, I really hate it when people sit and watch the news and then whine, and never do anything about it.
But allow me this vent for one minute.
We've started getting this universal child care benefit.
I think it's stupid. I mean $100 per month sounds great, but ... it's not that much.
Mike and I aren't eligible for any subsidies, and we have been paying roughly $1350 per month for daycare.
We got our first $100 cheque at the same time that our daycare fees went up by $8 per day. Perfect, I thought, as I cashed the cheque and paid our fees. I was pretty impressed. I was also a little surprised because I got the exact same amount ($100) as my sister who is a Stay at home mom (well, she got it twice since she has 2 kids) and another friend who is a single mom with the father not paying child support.
But, great. A child is a child, and frankly I think we should all get the same amount of money.
And then on Friday I got a letter in the mail telling me that I now owe the government $66.47. Apparently they need more information before they can allow me to keep the whole cheque.
This is ridiculous.
First of all - I pay tax. Every 2 weeks when I get my paycheque close to half of it goes to taxes. In addition to that I've been paying $75 per month to the government for an outstanding amount I owed for a previous year. And, I file my taxes.
But, this stupid letter saying I owe this stupid amount says they need information that I didn't provide. Why would I have sent them more information? I got a cheque in the mail. They didn't ask for any info. I didn't apply for anything. I just got a cheque.
And now they want me to return 33% of the cheque they sent me (which I used to pay for child care) and also send more info. What this info could be eludes me. They did not specify in this letter demanding money. They just simply told me I hadn't sent it.
HELLO - YOU ARE THE GOVERNMENT - YOU HAVE ALL MY INFO.
Clearly, I'm still annoyed. I decided to cool off a couple of days before calling them.
And then today I check the mail.
I GOT ANOTHER $100 CHEQUE.
WTF.
Are they complete idiots? Yes. I do believe they are.

Tired

I'm tired.
I thought tonight I would get to go to bed early. We took Matthew out all day, and he slept for only a little while, in the car, while I went grocery shopping and Mike sat in the car with him.
Seriously.
Matt got up and started entertaining me at 6 am. We went to the Burlington kids' festival for the afternoon. We then spent the evening at my parents' house where he chased his cousin around and played with one of his favourite adults. He should be tired.
I am.
We kept him awake in the car because we knew that it is impossible to put him down after he's had an evening nap in the car.
And, then, I even allowed him to sleep in my bed. Why? Because I had the blissful idea that we would doze off together, snuggled up in the bed while Mike was out having a beer with some friends.
But, no.
No no no.
Nice thought though.
Instead, here we are. 10 pm has come and gone and Matt is still awake. We gave up on the idea of being in my bed and decided to snuggle on the couch and watch the teen choice awards. Poor child was traumatized by a) Jessica Simpson's horrendous eye make up b) Britney Spears in her bizarre pregnant and slutty state and c) Kevin Federline. And, at this point, if I have to turn on Treehouse, Barney, Wiggles or Veggie Tales I will literally lose it. And then it happens.
My child pees on me.
Yep - I'm tired, cranky, freaked out by Britney and I get peed on.
It was the weirdest feeling. He actually peed on my lap, so it was the strange sudden sensation that maybe I was suddenly experiencing incontence. I just had no idea. And then I realized, and Matt laughed and I laughed and then I showered.
Ick.
So, now my wide awake monkey and I are watching Nanny 911.
Why? Well, cause it's 10:15 and my toddler is wide awake. And, it's really reassuring to watch parents who have worse problems than me. Ahhh!

He's a Big Girl (I mean Boy)

Matty's favourite line lately is "I'm a big girl."
Okay, he's a boy. we know. He doens't quite get that, but whatever. The point is, he is ready to be a big kid, he's growing up.
On Friday our daycare administrator approached me. She told me that she think Matthew is ready for "toilet learning". I knew this day was coming. I know parents anticipate it for years, or at least months. But, I honestly admitted to her that I'm not ready. I'm not.
I have no interest in discussing potties, cleaning up accidents, etc. etc. But, he is ready. And so I will suck it up an start training him. All the signs are there. He wakes up with a dry diaper. He tells us when he needs a change and he is obsessed with the potty. The morning he told me he needed the potty, pulled off his diaper, sat down and peed.
Okay - it was impressive.
I'm beginning to think he may train himself.
According to the daycare admin, there has only ever been one boy go to the preschool class toilet trained. I think Matt is scheduled to move up in October. Is this a challenge???
My friend's daughter pretty much trained herself. Salina had been trying for weeks, and then one day her daughter refused to put on diapers, would only wear underwear, and wanted to use the potty. Okay, it was pretty funny because she decided to do this on a day when Salina, Ginny and I were going to a playgroup, and when this little girl makes up her mind, it's made up. But the point is when she was ready she was ready. As is Matt apparently.
And this morning he told me he wants Diego underwear (we only have Bob the Builder). Ummm .... okay. I shall buy those (does this come out of clothing budget or out of our grocery budget where the diapers come out of - see questions I am unprepared to answer).
But, there have been other signs of him growing up.
First of all, his speech has changed so much. He talks in complete sentences and thoughts. It's pretty amazing. For instance he says "Matty hurt his knee yesterday. I'm okay now" Wow.
I love this speech development. I have always talked to him constantly. (shocker) and finally he responds constantly. Sometimes it's almost a contest to see who can talk first.
He is also really quick witted. Like, yesterday he kept doing the same thing over and over. Frustrated, I turned to him and said "Matthew I already said no." And he said "Mommy, I already said yes".
What???
Kids - they're amazing.

Strength

This week has given me a lot to think about.
We're nearing the end of summer, and with the last few weeks on the horizon we've been making a concerted effort to be outside, to spend time with Matt (that does not involve spending money, buying stuff or any other commercial interests). It's meant a lot of picnics, a lot of time at playgrounds, and in the end a much happier child.
One of the changes we've made is that we leave early every morning to take Matthew to the payground in front of daycare. He loves running around. And, I'm not quite sure if it's because we are paying so much attention to him or because he's just having fun being a kid. But whatever it is we are seeing a happier child. And, what I've added to the end of his daily routine is that I let him play at the playground when I pick him up.
We don't always spend an hour. Sometimes we only spend 5 minutes. But the point is that we are doing it. I've begun to understand that postponing dinner by a few minutes to play with my child is worth it. And, I wish I'd done it earlier.
But I've had lots of stuff to think about this week too.
Follow me if you will - one of my favourite bloggers has been talking a lot about the physical aspect of children. It is beautifully written and I love to read what she says, and what people say in response (badladies.blogspot.com).
It's not fair for me to try to paraphrase her because her writing and her knowledge and just general wisdom is on a level WAY above mine. So go read it. But, the point I think she is making is that we should be comfortable celebrating our children however we can - including their physical selves. It's beautiful and eloquent and well thought out.
But, at the same time, in my e-mail this week I've been following a story of a girl I used to babysit. I have kept in touch with her mom through e-mail for years. This family is one of the most wholesome loving families I have ever met. They have raised their children well, and I have consciously or unconsciously taken some of her parenting techniques and applied them to my own life.
And, awhile ago she sent me an e-mail telling me about some issues her daughter is struggling with. At the moment she is hospitalized with a severe eating disorder and going through extensive counselling, etc. In the last year she's fought this eating disorder and depression. At the same time she finished her first year of university with phenomenal grades, and was planning to spend the summer in China.
What happened?
I don't think anyone really knows.
I have my own thoughts on depression. And I'm not for a second suggesting or implying that her parents have at all contributed to any of this.
But it all makes me wonder how all of this is all tied to together. Here we are as new, young moms trying to love our children as much as we can, do what's best for them and help them to succeed. We're admitting our failures and applauding our successes. And, our kids are pretty cool.
The other day my husband said that he sometimes thinks Matthew is a perfect kid - he has his faults, but he's just so pure and fresh and full of love.
And then something happens. What? And how do we protect them? How do we let them go out on their own and grow up while still keeping them close. I don't know. And how do we try to take care of them while letting them struggle with their own battles.
The mother I was talking about whose daugther is literally fighting for her life ... I think she would tell me that you love them and keep loving them and trust that all of these challenges make them stronger.
I really hope that's true.

A cute little picture

This is my son and my niece. Total summer fun!

Cuddles

One of the things that we have gone back and forth on is the topic of co-sleeping, or, in other words, letting Matty sleep in the bed with Mike and I.
Some of my friends who are parents are big on it. Their kids sleep in the bed every night. Other friends are adamently opposed, and never let their kids sleep in the bed. Ever.
Our feelings on this are kind of mixed. Matt slept with us for ages, but the day we quit breastfeeding we put him in his own crib and that was the end of him being in our bed. He was 19 months, and in our eyes it was time. He never complained. He seemed to like his own space and actually slept through the night and we were happy. And so we went from Sears to Ferber overnight. Or so it seemed.
But lately Matt has been crawling in bed with us.
It started pretty innocently. While on vacation he had his own bed, but he was scared and would climb into our nice big bed. Then when we got back he was out of routine and wanted us to climb into his bed to help him fall asleep. We pushed back because we didn't really want to have to sleep in his bed every night. And after a couple weeks he was over that.
But lately he's been coming into our bed. Like on the weekend at about 4 am he'll hop in and sleep for a couple hours. My thoughts on this - it's okay because otherwise we'd be up at 4am, so if it means more sleep that's fine.
Besides, I kind of like it. I love that he snuggles up with me and I get the hugs that are so lacking when he is running around being a typical 2 year old.
And then last night, it happened.
We had a late night. Mike and I were shooting our last challenge for the show and Eric (Matty's godfather) was babysitting. We got home around 9:30 and then had some birthday cake for Eric. And, then it was 10pm. And, Matty was wired. Mike was driving Eric home and I was exhausted. So, I told Matty he could cuddle with Mommy.
I know it's a slippery slope. But, I was tired, he was tired, and I didn't feel like getting up with him 15 times. In about 10 minutes we were both sound asleep. Mike got home and neither of us woke up. He dutifully picked Matthew up and brought him to bed, and he slept all night.
So will he be sleeping in our bed? I don't think so.
I like him being in his own bed. But, sometimes, just sometimes, I think I will let him in. Because last night's sleep was so great!

Hubba Hubba!

Matty often says things that are hilarious.
Sometimes on purpose, sometimes by mistake, sometimes he mispronounces something and it makes us laugh.
But by far the funniest of his sayings is "Hubba Hubba".
Lest you think my child is already eyeing women, I should explain. It's part of a song as in
"hubba hubba world so high - like a diamond in the sky"
Yep. The famous Twinkle Twinkle little star. The problem is that he doesn't get that far. He just loves singing over and over again
Hubba hubba world so high.
And it kills me, every time.
Yesterday we were at the playground and I was pushing Matt on the swing. He loves to sing and swing, and over and over he just kept singing the one line. The people playing tennis just kept looking at him. Eventually he moved on to his ABC's.
Lately Matty's been talking a ton. He's on to full sentences, and he is understanding concepts. Like, if you ask him how his dinner is "it's delicious".
Yesterday I asked how he was and he said "I'm wonderful".
Or, "the white moon in the blue sky is beautiful."
I don't know where this all comes from. But, I love the positivity, and the excitement.
Hubba hubba!

So Much Miscellaneous Stuff

It seems like so much has been going on lately that I've missed out on tons of stuff and also haven't really posted on tons of stuff.
Work has been pretty crazy lately. My closest colleague went on vacation and in those 2 weeks I really really missed her and realized just how much stuff she does behind the scenes. Another one of our colleagues, also and E.A. went on vacation for a month (seriously, a month!) and so we've been filling in for her, and between all of that, some crazy stuff going on in the office and, well, just general life I realized that I hadn't even seen people who work in the same building as me in, like, ages.
I sent an e-mail to someone who works a few floors above me - and he was like "are you even working here?" oops. Okay, but this was the same person who called me a Drama Queen - so whatever. He needed some isolation!!!
Anyway, here it goes.
So, first my brush with celebrity.
Guess who was filiming outside my office yesterday? Donnie Wahlberg. Yep. Cool. I know. Even if you weren't a big new kids fan chances are you liked Sixth Sense. Plus, who doesn't like celebrities.
I realized who it was when I was walking across the street with my shopping buddy. we had just stopped at timmies for a coffee (I had 2 - one for me, one for Beth). When I saw Donnie I promptly handed over my coffees to our new VP - and tried to get an autograph. I wasn't allowed, but whatever.
Note to self - before throwing cups of coffee at your new boss (well, arms length boss) make sure that he knows you well enough to respect that sometimes you just need to be silly. Luckily he has 3 kids, knows that this was a moment of craziness, and actually sent me a follow up e-mail laughing about the whole thing.
Whew.
And, speaking of celebrities, I watched Entertainment Tonight this week. No biggie, usually, except that I realized I was totally out of the celebrity gossip loop. Who knew Robin Williams was in rehab or that Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro had split up? I'm still back in the land of Pam Anderson getting married!!! What is happening? Have there been any Suri sightings? I need to watch more.
But, in other exciting me news ...
This morning I discovered that I have lost 25 pounds. Now, since I'm doing weight watchers and I am technically supposed to weigh myself once a week (not once every 3 hours) it won't count till Monday, but still! I'm pretty excited by that. Though I'm also really just hitting that point of not being so enthusiastic about counting points. Tomorrow I will start again. I have a ways to go still.

Simon Says ...

Last night we discovered that the geniuses in our lives (aka the daycare teachers) have taught Matty a very new and effective game.
SIMON SAYS!
Now we don't play it exactly as it is supposed to go. Matthew doesn't quite understand that if you say "Simon says touch your toes" that you touch your toes, but if you just say "Touch your toes" you don't do it cause Simon didn't say it. But, whatever.
Who cares?
We have found a new way to manipulate our child without the dreaded use of the word no which always sends him into a temper tantrum. (Note that we do say no frequently, but try to use other words when possible so No has a bigger impact).
Last night he hopped up on the coffee table, threw his hands out in front of him (a la 'jazz fingers' in the movie Bring it On, which by the way, I love) and shouted "Sirens".
Mike and I looked at each other perplexed and both said "Sirens??"
Then Matty says "Sirens - touch your head" and touched his head, delighted by his new game.
And then suddenly we got it. duh. Simon Says.
We looked at each other and wondered how much magic this new game would hold.
So we played along. We did things like:
"Simon says Dance" and he danced.
"Simon says Touch your nose" and he touched his nose.
And then Mike said "Simon says take your shoes off". Matthew jumped off the table and took off his shoes.
This worked for the entire bedtime routine.
It was amazing.
And, in 15 minutes he was in bed.

Pearl Jam or Amy Grant??

It turns out that Matty has an eclectic taste in music.
Truthfully, Mike and I have very differing tastes in music, so we both have tried to educate Matt in the music we like. I'm more of a top 40, sing along to the radio, easy listening kind of girl. Well, kind of. I'm all over the map. The very first mix cd I created included Britney, Ozzy, Pink, Spice Girls and Biff Naked.
Mike's tastes run from Pink Floyd to ABBA to Beethoven.
And, considering that we were both educated in classical music, you never know what taste Matt will develop.
Let's just say it's bizarre.
Here's the thing. Matthew has a tape player, and when I was cleaning up one day I discovered an Amy Grant tape (circa 1987). Since it was that or the Wiggles, and I thought I would scream if I heard the Wiggles one more time, I decided to put it on.
Well ...
Matthew cannot sleep without Amy Grant. I walk around all evening while Matt is drifting off singing a few of the Christian Rock classics. I think this is good. I like the message, and I really did love that tape when I was in grade 6. (I went to Christian school - Amy Grant was the coolest!) It could be worse.
The funny thing about this tape is that it is Amy Grant Unplugged. Yep. I know that's funny. I can see some people who are reading this rolling on the floor by now. But, anyway, all the people in the tape clap and cheer (the audience) and so Matt cheers right along with them.
It's really cute.
But, then this weekend Mike got the new Pink Floyd DVD. He was very excited about this and insisted that we watch it.
Wonderchild that Matthew is, he has decided that these "movies" are better than TV. He sits with Mike just watching the light show and asking about the singers. It is truly truly bizarre.
And now we are wondering what exactly he will listen to as he gets older.
Hmmmm ....
Does a child's musical taste develop at the age of 2? What will he rebel and listen to?
I don't know.

Long weekend fun!

This long weekend rocked!
I think we all were ready for a break - and we actually finally had one.
well, sort of.
We were taping for the show on Saturday. But, given that it was the Saturday of a long weekend that started a one-week hiatus for the production, everyone was really quick. There were no extra takes, we got our challenge quickly, and within a couple of hours we were done. In fact, we were done about an hour before Mike's parents were done babysitting, so we took a nap and enjoyed the bliss that comes from a child free condo on a Saturday afternoon.
And then yesterday we didn't do too much. Of course we worked on one of our challenges (it is a tough one), and then in the middle of the day Mike's friend Zac came for a visit. It was just an impromtu cup of coffee, but it was nice to catch up, to laugh and just have a nice visit. Honestly, it's really nice to have people just drop by unexpectedly. And, it was just such a visit.
And, then today we decided to take Matty to Sherwood Park.
We haven't been there since the days of being dog owners (our dog, Jack, now happily resides with my in-laws in Peterborough where he is happier, better behaved and has an acre of yard to run in).
Sherwood is a leash free dog park, but it also has a playground and a water park. Matt was totally in his element with all the kids and dogs and water. It was fantastic. We spent a couple of hours just being outside, having fun and relaxing. And, there were so many highlights.
It was pretty cool to watch Matt interacting with other kids. He is so social and happy and will talk to pretty much any kid. And, the other neat thing was watching him with the animals. Right now we are really not ready to have a dog. Our cat is fine, but having a dog was overwhelming for us. But, someday we will. And, I loved seeing how comfortable he was around the dogs. He knows to put his hand out and let the dogs come to him. He's learned not to pull the dogs' tails and all of that. So it was pretty cute just watching him being a kid, playing and having a full day of Mommy and Daddy before going to daycare tomorrow.
I LOVE LONG WEEKENDS!!!