Christmas

Well, the Christmas rush is finally over. I have noticed that with a child it seems to last a lot longer than it did before, there are so many people that you have to get together with, so many friends who also have kids. I think this year we have had about 5 'Christmases' so far and there are still a few more friends that I haven't seen yet. Even though I know T* is being spoiled, I don't really mind, she's our only child so I figure why not?
This month has been great. We had my family Christmas, all my Aunties and Uncles and cousins. I love getting together with my family, we always have such a good time. This Christmas was great too because we got to see one of my cousins who lives in British Columbia, because he lives there we don't get to see much of him so it was a really great surprise to have him here. It was a great time had by all. We all get along really well, we talk about all kinds of things together, I never feel out of place with any of my family, they are truly great! All of us (the adults) get something for all the little ones and they all go crazy over their gifts, ripping a tearing all the paper off. Then for the adults we do the best thing. Each couple buys 1 or 2 gifts that can be for a guy or a girl, wrap it up and then we put them all in a pile. We each pick a number (depending on how many presents there are) and whoever gets the number 1 goes first, that person chooses a gift and opens it, the next person can either steal that gift or choose a new one. The game goes on like that with everyone trying to get the presents that they want, it's a total blast! We put a $30 spending limit on the gift so you don't go all crazy with anything, I think its actually more fun trying to figure out what to get that way, you not only have to get something that's not really expensive but you also have to try and find something that anyone would like to get. Gift baskets are a good one, most people will be happy with one, you just have to come up with a theme, then go find it all, and home made gift baskets are much better than store bought ones. This year was actually pretty quite for the gift game, there wasn't a whole lot of stealing, oddly enough we were kind of disappointed that the game didn't last too long. We had a great time though, catching up and hanging out.
R*, T* and I had another Christmas with my brothers and their families, we tried to save money this year by doing secret Santa's, though we all knew who was buying something for who, it was still nice, it gave us all a chance to figure out what the other person really wanted, then we all just hung out and relaxed.
T* had her Christmas pageant at school the week before holidays started, it was so cute, her class (senior kindergarten) and the junior kindergarten class were all together singing Do a Deer and Rock Around the Christmas Tree. They were so cute to watch. T* always looks so shy when she is on stage for the pageant, she sat really still and didn't move very much, you could see her moving a bit but they were very soft movements, she was singing too, though it was probably pretty quiet. The last day of school had us going to a Christmas party at one of her friends houses, the kids had a blast and even got a visit from Santa. He was great, he read them The Night Before Christmas, got pictures with all of them, and he just did a great job with it. T* was hilarious, I had taken her to get her picture with Santa at the mall the week before so when it was her turn to sit on his lap at the party, she puts her hands on her hips, looks at him and says, 'I already got my picture with you!', but she still sat on his lap, let all of us moms take pictures but then Santa asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she got all indignant, looks at him and says 'I already told you that don't you remember??' Santa was great and recovered quickly, telling T* that he just wanted to make sure she hadn't changed her mind. He really was a great Santa, apparently he has been playing Santa for friends and neighbours for about 30 years. It was a great kids party, even all of the parents had a good time.
After the party T* and I had to run off to her dress rehearsal for ballet. It's so cute to watch all the little kids dancing in their little costumes. This is the first year T* has been in a Ballet school that does a huge production with all different age and grade levels. It was really cool seeing the older girls dance in their toe shoes. T* though it was really neat to see it, even asking me if she would ever get to dance in those kind of shoes. I told her she just has to stick with ballet and one day when she is older then she will have toe shoes. It pretty neat to think that even though she is only 5 she has been dancing for 2 and a half to 3 years. She loves it, any time you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up she says a ballerina princess, and has been saying that since she was 3.
Christmas eve T* put out her milk and cookie for Santa, she was so funny this year, soooo excited about doing that, last year it wasn't a big deal but this year she was so excited to leave it out for him. She had gotten this little Ziploc baggie from her teacher that had (reindeer food) in it from her teacher (it was oats and some silver glitter), she was to put it out Christmas eve so that the reindeer could find their way to our house, we had R* put it out by the windows so that we could see it sparkle. Then we checked the Santa Tracker to see where Santa was and T* played some of the games before going to bed. Christmas day saw us with R*'s parents, sister and her husband and son. T* was up bright and early, running into our room and yelling 'Mommy, Daddy come look what Santa got me!!' She is always so happy Christmas morning, it so cute to watch her face light up as she opens her gifts. I really love Christmas, I would be totally happy not getting anything but just watching other people open their presents with a smile.
Last year I started this thing with T* that I am happy to see has stuck with her. Before any holidays where presents are involved T* and I go through all her toys and get rid of the things she doesn't play with or the things she has more than one of, then we put them all together and give them to a second hand store. It's our way of helping others that might not be able to get many things. It makes me feel really great to know that my daughter is able to think of others at a time like this. She has actually started bringing it up on her own. Randomly throughout the year she will tell me 'Mommy, I think we should go through my toys and give them to kids who don't have much', it's great to see. I would like to find a place that actually just gives the toys to kids but I don't know if there is anywhere.
All in all this has been a great Christmas. I am actually writing this from the comfort of my couch on my new laptop! My Christmas present from R*, I love it!!
I hope you all had wonderful Christmases too!!

Commercial love

I don't know what it is about Whiskas commercials, for some reason they just make me laugh like crazy. I enjoyed the ones with the people pretending to be cats, my favorite out of those ones was the guy pretending to be a kitten. But my all time favorite commercial by whiskas now has to be the tee time one, it cracks me up every time I see it so I thought I would share it with everyone, just in case you haven't seen it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV4WjCM2S_c
Enjoy!

Lost in a good book

For the last month or so I have been rather busy, lots of places to go, things to get done, and that kind of thing. I have had all kinds of things that I have been trying to work on, projects that I want to do. For some reason though I have spent a lot of time with my nose in a book. I just can't seem to get enough these days, I keep finding new authors that I just love, different styles of writing, different subjects, though in some ways I guess they are all mysteries in one way or another. So I though that I would share some of my new favorite authors with everyone. Like I said they are pretty much all mysteries, and all very good.

Rhonda Pollero : Her F.A.T Mystery series is great, I have read all 4 of them and can't wait till she writes more. They are a lot of fun.
Victoria Laurie : Sooo much fun to read both series that she writes, I've read most though not all of hers. Everything that I have found at my local library has been devoured by me lol.
Madelyn Alt : The Bewitching Mysteries, very interesting reading. Totally worth a look. It's kind of neat reading about 6th sense and that sort of thing, they way you feel certain things for certain reasons.
Katie Fforde : I guess these aren't really mystery, they are actually romance and very good ones at that. They are a lot of fun to read because no one in them is the perfect person, every gets things wrong and acts like a knob at times but you still get your happy ending. I love them!
Victoria Holt : I'm surprised that I never stumbled onto her books before. They are a little odd, but still a good read. I guess she actually wrote under a number of different names but I haven't read any of the other ones yet.
Julie Kenner : Seriously, her Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series is hilarious! I love reading them. She throws all these day to day problems of a stay at home mom in with hunting and fighting demons, soooo funny. It still has the sad parts of parenthood and couple hood in it, and the edge of your seat parts, just great writing all around.
So those are some of my new favorites. I'm sure I will find more in the next while. Until I stop reading all together (never going to happen) I will always be on the look out for something new to read, or old favorites to go back to.

Pumpkins, Birthdays and Christmas, oh my

Okay I know, it's been a long time since I wrote in here. I'm not really sure how many people read this but I do apologize that I haven't writen for a while. It's been a really busy few months. So I will start where I left off and try to update everyone.
Halloween was great this year. About two weeks before T* and I went with a friend of her's from school to get pumpkins. It was a great time for all of us, nice to spend some time with friends (for both T* and I) and also to see people that I haven't seen in a while. We went to Snyders Family Farm on the Saturday ( it was either two weeks before Halloween or the weekend before, still can't totally remember) with some friends as I said. It's a great place to take the kids. They are only open for a short time every year, mainly for October, and only on the weekends, but it's totally worth it. I think we adults have just as much fun as the kids, or that has been my experience anyways. It doesn't cost a whole lot to get in and once you pay the entry fee you have use of everything inside, the only other things you have to pay for are the food you eat and the pumpkins you want. There's all kinds of things to do, a small petting zoo, a hay castle, a bouncy castle, "tractor" races, a haunted hay ride, mainly things for the kids but isn't that the point anyways? We were there for most of the afternoon (about 3 or 4 hours). The kids were able to do all the things that they wanted, and we all went on the haunted hay ride. It was the first time for T* and I and I must say that it was a lot of fun. Seeing the kids faces light up and how "scared" they were about what was going to jump out at us. The hay ride during the day is pretty tame, it's day light and they don't actually have anything that jumps out at you. The scariest part of the whole ride was when we entered the "witches forest", although this year there were no witches, only pirates. We went through the corn maze, I pretty sure we missed most of it but when you have 2 adults and 3 kids 5 and under you don't want to go through the whole thing, maybe next year. The second last thing we did was get the girls a pony ride, they loved it of course, what little girl doesn't? And then we went to pick out our pumpkins, again a lot of fun. They pumpkin patch is huge and you can pretty much find any size pumpkin. We got a few small ones, not really for carving, more for decorating. A great day had by all. The following weeked I went to another pumpkin patch with T*, my sister-in-law and my neice, to pick out carving pumpkins and then we had a family get together. On the Wednesday before Halloween T* and I did our pumpkins. I gave T* some markers and paint to decorate her's, and then I found these really neat stencils for pumpkin carving on the Better Homes and Gardens web-site. It was really cool and I was totally happy with the results as it was the first time I had ever tried to do something intricate with a pumpkin. T* had school on the Friday and was able to wear her Bee costume, after school was a Halloween party put on by one of the other mothers from T*'s class. That was a great time, the kids had a blast running around in their costumes playing games, we parents had a nice time chatting as well. During the day I had made some Jack-o-lantern cookies for all the kids. Halloween finally came on the Saturday and the 3 of us went out as a family with some close friends that we have gone with since T* was 2. T* was a ladybug for trick-or-treating this year, she had 2 costumes last year as well. It was so cold out that night that the kids run to each house and we were only out for about 45 min. A first for us, usually we are out for at least an hour and a half. Then we went back to our friends house for a drink to end the night. It was a busy Halloween but still a lot of fun.

There have been a few more birthdays between my last blog and this one though no where near as many as there were before. Most were just at friends houses but the one this past Saturday was a bowling party, fun to watch the kiddies bowling, they did pretty good too, I was impressed.

Now Christmas is almost here, it's starting to snow a bit every few days though none of it has stayed yet. I am almost finished all my Christmas shopping and look forward to the family party coming up this Sunday. I love Christmas time, the heat inside, watching the snow fall, drinking hot chocolate, spending time with family. My family likes to have fun at Christmas and so instead of doing secret Santa's for all the adults (we all buy gifts for the kids) we all get one non-gender specific gift, wrap it and put it in a pile. We only spend about $30 on the gift and you can either get one as a couple or get one from each of you. We don't put names on any of the gifts, so no one knows who gave what. Then each of us draws a number for however many presents there are and whoever has the number 1 picks a gift and opens it, the next person can either steal that gift or open a new one and so on, till all the gifts are open and everyone has one. It's always a lot of fun with everyone fighting over gifts, we have a blast with it every year. Home made gift baskets are pretty popular.

Some of the parents from T*'s class have found an indoor play ground that is free to use in the mornings, you can usually find a few of us there on Wednesday mornings. It's nice to have somewhere to take the kids where you don't really have to worry about them. It's especially nice this time of year when it's cold outside and you don't know what else to do with the kids. They all have a great time running off some energy and we wnjoy the time to chat and have a coffee.

I had my parent observations at the school last week, it was nice to have a chance to talk to T*'s teacher about how she is doing. It was great to hear that T* is doing well and the teacher enjoys having her in the class. T* is unbelievably well behaved at school, sometimes funny to see because she is so different from home.

I took T* to get her new Christmas out-fit ( she gets a new one every year) and then to get pictures with Santa (also something I do every year). She's not really crazy about getting the picture done and always looks more upset than happy, but I kind of like that better, it's funny to see the pictures. School photos also came back and they make me a little sad because she looks so much older than she did last year, my baby is growing up........

It's been a busy winter so far and I'm sure that it's just the begining. Christmas parties, Christmas, New Years, and of course more birthdays to go to. I'm looking forward to it though, I love having things to do.

Conversations with a 5 year old

Yesterday, as the end of a busy weekend, we went to a family get together, one of my Aunts was visiting from B.C so we all drove to my cousins for supper (had a wonderful time, was great seeing everyone again, looking forward to Christmas). On the way home we discovered that it isn't a very good idea to give a tired 5 year old ice cream just before you get in your vehicle for a 30 minute drive home.
Our ride went something like this:

5 minutes constant chatter from the back seat ie: the stars are blue the sky is blue the trees are blue daddy's hat is blue mommy's coat is blue everything is blue. the truck is pink the stars are pink daddy's face is pink daddy's hat is pink the trees are pink the world is pink the whole universe is pink, 5 before 2 4 before 2 6 before 2 7 3 5 ........... it really was non stop!
then T* 'what's a constellation?'
Me ' it's a picture in the stars'
T* 'Can YOU make one???'
Me ' no, it's not a picture that you make, it's a bunch of stars together that make a picture'
T* 'OOhhhhh'

7 minutes constant chatter from the back seat.
Then R* had to go to the bathroom, so with nothing around he pulled over to the side of the road (it was night, there was nothing around). This is the conversation T* and I had while he was out of the truck:
T* 'Mommy, what's daddy doing?'
Me ' He's going potty'
T* 'There's a bathroom here??' (remember all there is around us are trees)
Me 'No there's no bathroom, boys pee standing up'
T* 'ewwww I hope he doesn't do that at home!!'
Me (trying not to laugh) 'yes he does it at home too, but in the potty, remember mommy told you that boys have different parts than girls? So they can pee standing up'
T* 'ewwwww yucky!! yucky yucky eeewwww'

3 minutes constant chatter from the back seat
T* 'are we there yet????'
Me 'almost'

seriously have some of the funniest conversations with her, I have no idea where she comes up with some of it. All in all it was an entertaining ride home.....

busy busy days......with your friends the backyardigans.....

I know I'm not always the best at keeping up with my blog, I do try and I'd really like to write in it everyday, it hard to find things to write about sometimes and it's also hard to find the time to just sit and write. Ok I guess it's hard to get myself to sit and write, lol, it's not that I don't want to I'm just tired from other things. I will try and do better though, so to catch up....

The past few weeks have been pretty busy, T* started Senior Kindergarten as well as ballet, so we have that during the week. I also try and get to the library for new books to read, then because it is T*'s second year in school and she knows all the kids in her class (well most of them) from last year, the birthdays have begun! So far we have had one for the past 2 Saturdays, and another one this coming Saturday, and those are just the school birthdays! I also have to start thinking about friends who's kids have birthdays, and family birthdays as well. Then you add on that it's October you also have to think about Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas isn't that far away either. You would think they would try and space things out a bit better so that you didn't end up with it all packed into a few months.

T* has already decided what she wants to be for Halloween, and we have her costume, so that is one thing down. I'm starting on the Christmas lists, it's funny, I always say that I am going to start my Christmas shopping on boxing day and just get things whenever I see them so that I'm not rushing around, but it never happens that way.... maybe next year....... For birthday's there is only one more that we are invited to, so far anyways, the year is still young. Of course there will be pumpkin picking soon as well, then carving or colouring, roasting pumpkin seeds (mmmmm....pumpkin seeds....). Then I like to make play dates for the days T* isn't in school so that she has something to do (not everyday, I'm not that crazy). Of course there are the "special" days in school, just this past Friday was crazy hair and outfit day, sooo funny, T* had a blast with that, all kinds of colours, funky clips in her hair, it was great, then of course there was family pizza night at school so that parents could meet the new teacher, and in a few months there will be the Christmas Pageant. All in all the rest of this year looks like it's going to be really really busy. Is it just me or do you end up doing more the older your child gets??




This past Sunday was great though. A very good friend of mine (T* S*) called me last week to ask if T* still likes the Backyardigans. You see, my friend had 4 tickets to go see their live show and she needed to find someone to take them. Of course I said yes, I mean who would pass up tickets to take their daughter to go see her favorite show live??? So I called on my friend D* to see if she and her daughter wanted to go with us. It was great, the girls had a blast, their eyes were shining, mouths smiling, they kept telling us "they're real! not on a show but real!!' it was great. T* was singing along here and there, she knew what episode every song was from, it was too cute! T* is already talking about the next time we go see the Backyardigans, she also wants to see The Wiggles now. I would live to take her to more shows, the excitement on her face and the enjoyment she got form it were priceless! Because she's in ballet I'm actually thinking of taking T* to see The Nutcracker. I figure she is old enough to sit through it and because she loves dancing I'm sure she will enjoy seeing it performed, it might even move her to really and truly want to be a ballerina when she grows up, you never know!

So that has been my last few weeks, busy busy busy, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. We have a play date tomorrow and school Thursday......... oh well, as long as T* is happy!

The picture T* drew of Tasha.

My little ballerina

T* has been in various dance classes since around the age of 3. She has always really enjoyed it, she loves to dance! It's been really neat watching her come into her own with regards to her confidence in dancing and the way she has changed with listening to the teacher. When she first started dance she was all over the place, talking, not paying attention, not listening, sitting outside the room I would hear the teacher call T*'s name more than anything else almost, it was kind of funny in some ways, and horrifying in others (oh my god, my child does not know how to listen, and can't do as she's told!). Now though, she is completely different, she's become this perfect little girl, never talks when she's not suppose to, always does as she's asked, tries her best. It's great to see, school has helped in that department a lot, so have all the other programs that she has been in.
Today she started a new dance class, it's the same teacher she had last year but in a different studio. The class sizes are a little smaller and the teacher is great ( I think it helps that she has two little ones of her own). I'm looking forward to seeing how this 'term' goes. It will be a new experience this time as the teacher is really focused, she works with them to make sure that they understand everything and they are learning all the proper moves. T* has done ballet with her before but this time they actually have the mirrors and the bare to work with. It's really cute to see these little 4 and 5 year old's doing all these ballet moves. I am so happy that we are able to put T* in these kinds of things, especially when she really enjoys it, so far ballet and swimming are the only 2 things that she keeps going back to. It's grate to watch her grow in both of these things. Today was cute as well because we got all T*'s new ballet stuff, her leotard, her new ballet shoes, and her new skirt, we are just waiting on her tights and her new dance bag. As I said, this dance class is a little different. We need to have all the proper clothing this time, no going to the department store, luckily we got discounts by ordering through the teacher, that and the store she uses has pretty good prices anyways, it's also not that bad because T* can use everything but the shoes for a few years. I love watching her dance anyways so it's all totally worth it, the look on her face is priceless. I can't wait till the recital at the end of this term, it's going to be great!

Game day

I have been waiting for a while now for T* to be old enough for us to play board games. We had a few little kids games that we played a couple times but I wanted to get the better ones. Now that she is 5 I figured it was time. She can follow directions and count and such so it now makes it a lot easier. Today since she wasn't in school I thought we would make a trip to Walmart and see what we could find. I lucked out, we were able to get 3 new games to play, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Pop & Go (pretty much the same as Sorry but has Dora on it), and Candyland. I never actually had any of them as a kid but loved to play them at friends houses. The games went over great! Because it was raining out R* wasn't working so the 3 of us were able to sit down together and play all 3 games. It took around 1 and 1/2 hours, but it was a lot of fun. T* had a great time, she actually won 2 of the games, R* won the last 1, but it was a great time. I look forward to playing many more games and finding new ones that we can try out as T* gets older. There are so many different ones to try. I'd like to get Chutes and Ladders next( I even saw a 3D version!), then when she's a little older I'd like to get Pictureka, it looks like another fun one. It's nice now that T* is a little older and we can get into things more.

Does this mean I'm a nerd??

As I have said many times before, I love reading! It's one of my favorite pass times. For a while now I have been trying to read Stephenie Meyer's book "The Host". I've read the Twilight saga around 4 times already, and I know I will read them again, they are that good. I kept hearing about "The Host" from different people, everyone told me it was a really good book and if I enjoyed her other books than I should read it. Every time I went to the library I looked it up, and every time it was out, always with holds put on for when it came back in. A week and a half ago was no exception, I'm pretty sure there were actually 10 holds put on it. I knew that was way to long to wait, I was thinking of just buying it so that I could finally read it, but then I noticed that the large print was in. I figured 'why not? It can't be that big, right?' wrong! The thing was HUGE! It was like walking around with an dictionary! I got a number of weird looks from people when they saw it, it was that big of a book. It was very much worth it though, "The Host" is an amazing book! It was just awesome, I couldn't put it down at all, I finished the whole thing in 2 days. Stephenie Meyer is an amazing writer and I can't wait till she writes something else, I know I have found another favorite author!

Fair Day

I love the fall fair, other than the fact that I end up spending a lot of money. It makes for a great afternoon. This year we were able to go as a family with some friends and their two kids. I met D* about two years ago when we had our daughters enrolled in the same soccer program, we were the only two mothers that only missed one class each and since the girls got along with each other and we got along as well we started getting together for play dates, two years later and we all know each other and get together whenever we can.

Now that T* is getting bigger she is able to go on more of the rides. She has always gone on the kids rides but this year she was able to go on some of the "adult" rides, she was tall enough for the little roller coaster, the bumper cars (though I had to do the driving for that one), and even the tilt-a-whirl. It's really neat to see her growing up and coming into her own more, she has always been the type to try all kinds of different things and show no fear, and that hasn't changed yet. I love watching her face light up as she goes on a ride, it seems like the faster the ride the more fun she has. I'm looking forward to the day that we can take her to Canada's Wonderland again and she is able to go on all the rides, we did go once a few years ago, kiddie land was the best for her, she went on every ride possible (though waiting was something she didn't do to well). I love going to the fairs more though because they are a lot closer and not as much of a full day trip as Canada's Wonderland. I like checking out all the different stands they have and watching all the little kids run around. I love that they have games just for the kids, that way T* can play them on her own, it's more exciting when she wins a prize all by herself. Each time I have taken her to the Fall Fair we have found at least one 'carney' who is just really really nice. Two years ago the one 'carney' helped T* a gold fish, you should have seen her face, she was sooo excited. This year the 'carney' at the 'fishing pond' let T*, and my friends kids all play for the price of one and gave them all 2 toys each. It's so nice to find people like that, who seem to care more about the kids having fun than with how much money they can make. It's nice to know there are people out there who are still like that. After the fair we went back to D* and C*'s for a BBQ, all in all it was a great day, lots of fun. It's always great to be able to get kids together for a play date when you get along with their parents, it's like a giant play date for everyone!!

Another year has begun

This week my daughter started her second year of school. Senior Kindergarten already, it feels so strange to have a school aged child. I was able to get almost all of her school clothes for $230 at Zehrs, I love Joe Fresh clothing for kids, it's inexpensive and it lasts, it's also pretty cute stuff. I like all the clothing and so does T* and I don't have to spend a fortune on a years worth of stuff, even the shoes are pretty good.

Last year at school was great, it was a very small class (only 14 kids), the teacher was amazing, I honestly couldn't have picked a better teacher for T*'s first year of school. It's was a little strange to have 2 or 3 days a week all to myself with no child there asking for things to eat or something to do, for the first few months I honestly felt a little lost while she was gone. Eventually I got into the swing of things, I found I could get a lot more done without T* constantly wanting to eat or talk, and it was kind of nice to have the quiet. I did feel that all day at school was a bit long for a 4 year old but T* absolutely loved school, she made lots of friends and loved her teacher, it was really great watching her learn all the letters and numbers and start reading all on her own. It was really crazy to see how fast she was growing up. Now we are at the beginning of another year of school, again 2 or 3 days a week I am all by myself while she goes to school and learns. It feels like she is growing up without me in some ways. I am really happy to say that her teacher this year is just as nice as the one last year, we did meet her a few times before so it's not like she was a total stranger the first day of school. T*'s class is still nice and small (16 kids this year) and she is loving it already. Her biggest concerns before she started were "will the teacher be nice? and will her friends from last year be there?", again she did great on the first day. I do find that she is a bit cranky when she gets home but nothing some quiet time wont fix.

I think it's harder on the parents than it is on the kids, I know with T* she was totally fine with going to school all by herself last year, I actually had to remind her to give me a kiss and hug most mornings when I dropped her off. This year started out pretty much the same way, though she did ask if I could stay for a little while the first day, I didn't and she was totally fine with it, all her friends being there made that easy, today she just said goodbye and that was it. I always find it funny that so many parents look forward to the time when summer is over and their kids go back to school. That must come when they get older, I still miss her when she's not here. I do get a lot done, things that take forever when she is here take no time at all while she is in school, but I feel like I'm just killing time for the most part. I miss all her questions and the funny things she comes up with sometimes, I even kind of miss the noise. I did get to clean my car on Tuesday, it really needed to be done and isn't really something I can do with T*. I got to walk around the library slowly today without hearing "can we go now" every 2 minutes. It is nice to have the free time but I still miss her. I'm just happy that she totally loves school and has no problem being there. It's nice to know that while I kind of wander around wondering what to do she is totally content to be at school learning and playing with her friends. I just hope this love of school lasts all her life! Here's to a great year!!

Another year gone by

Just over two weeks ago my baby turned 5. I guess she's not really a baby anymore, as she likes to tell me all the time, but to me she will always be my baby. I still find it hard to believe that she is already 5. There are times when I look at her and wonder where the time has gone, I have been with her every day but sometimes it still feel like there are all kinds of things that I have missed over the years. It's scary how fast they grow, before you know it they start school, and I'm sure that it just goes by even faster with each passing year.

I have always tried to make her birthdays something that she will remember, something that she will enjoy. I want her birthdays to be special days, days she will always remember. T*'s 3 birthdays were huge affairs, tons of people, tons of food, tons of planning. There just seemed to be so much work involved. For the last 2 years I have tried to make them a little a smaller, so that there isn't quite so much money involved. Last year worked out really well, she a wanted a princess tea party, so we just invited a few girlfriends, it was nice a quite and easy. This year there was a little more involved. We have a lot of friends who have kids and it's hard to know who to invite and who not to. Then I always feel guilty when I don't invite everyone. It's just so hard. I try and make the birthdays about T* and not worry about the rest of it, I figure now that she is 5 it makes more sense to invite her friends and forgo ours. Still I always feel bad for not inviting everyone, (I would like to say sorry to all our friends that weren't invited this year, I really wish that I could invite everyone but it would just be too big) but really it's about T* and her friends. This year took me a while to figure out what to do for her birthday. I wanted it to be special, as always, and I wanted to do something with just T* and I and a friend for her. I finally came up with taking her to get a manicure and pedicure, I figured it would be something that she would totally enjoy (she is always asking me to paint her nails) and something that would make a special day. So on the date of her actual birthday, I invited a friend of mine and her daughter (a very good friend of T*'s) and we all went to get our nails done. I swear, it was the best idea I ever had, T* absolutely loved it! She must have thanked me at least 5 times that day for taking her to get her nails done, we had such a great time. It was great, they had her up in the massage chair with her feet getting soaked and everything, T* got to pick out the nail polish color, they put little flowers on her thumbs and big toes, it was awesome, they ladies were totally great about doing her nails. It made that day totally special that she got to do something new that she really liked. I think it's going to become a tradition every year now, it was really the best idea I ever came up with. I love finding things that mean so much and that T* will remember. I'd like to make it a tradition just so that through the years as she gets older there is something that we can always do together, and it will grow with her.

For the party itself, we invited family with children and a few friends of T*'s. There are just a few kids that she sees all the time so there weren't tons of kids, it was nice and easy, just a BBQ, though it was still a lot of work, lots of running around the week before and making sure that I had everything. It's funny, pretty much every year I plan to put out the kiddie pools and let the kids run around in them, I've never actually been able to do it though because each year I plan that the weather doesn't cooperate. I don't know what it is, it will be nice the whole week leading up to party day but the day of always seems to get cold or rain, unless the plan is just to stay inside, it's the oddest thing.

The birthday went really well though, the kids had a lot of fun and the parents enjoyed themselves as well (at least I think they did, everyone seemed to have a good time). There was enough food, enough for the kids to do, they all seemed to get along the whole party, so it went well. Now I have to figure out what to do next year lol.

ahhh the rain

This year there hasn't been much of a summer for us, though that sucks in a number of ways, I honestly can't really complain too much. Though I love to be outside in the sun, going to the beach and those kinds of things, I really love the rain. I love the smell, I love the way it makes everything look fresh. I love it when it's kind of warm and it rains, I love walking in the rain, I have even danced in the rain, though not for a long time. It's just really nice, I love to sit and watch it fall, I love listening to the sound of it falling on a roof, it's relaxing in so many ways, and when it's over there is the beauty of a rainbow, I love when it rains while it's still kind of sunny out because then there are tiny rainbows all over, little prisms of light to see everywhere. I've always liked the way you can see it coming across the sky, it's really cool when you actually get to a spot where you can see the line of where the rain is stopped, one side is raining and the other side is sunny, soo neat to see!

We put the FUN back in dysfunctional

Yesterday my oldest brother (I have two and they are both older) turned 35 (Happy birthday), so a bunch of us got together today to throw him a party. It was nice and relaxing, calm with a lot of laughs. It's strange to see us all getting older and having kids (each of us has a daughter funny enough), I mean we still fight like siblings whenever we are together, we all want to be right and no one wants to concede their point, we still make fun of each other and joke around, we can throw out insults just like we did as kids, but no matter what we are always there for each other. I can always count on them when I need someone and we do get along really well despite the fact that we push each others buttons whenever we can. We have kind of always been that way, we had a rather odd upbringing. Our parents started out as hippies, living in the bush in a tent (I've always like to say that I was born into civilization because I was born in a house with a real doctor), then moved on to an off the wall religion, I remember living in an old school bus around the time I was 1, we lived in a 500 sq ft house for a number of years, that was fun with 5 people. Like I said it was a bit of an odd upbringing. My parents religion taught that everyone has to make their own choices in life, but I think they kind of forgot that part as each of us decided to go out on our own and leave the religion. As a result of that none of us have much to do with our parents. We are at the point now though that we can look back and laugh at it all, we can see the funny side to growing up that way and bond over it. We also have all our aunts and uncles (our mom's side, we never really knew our dad's side) and together we all make up a funny and dysfunctional bunch. We try and get together a few times a year (kids birthdays, Christmas, etc...) and we make up a fun filled group. As odd ball as we might be there are always a lot of laughs when we get together, our aunts and uncles argue and tease each other just as much as my brothers and I do, we a crack jokes about everyone else, I honestly can't remember a family get together where we didn't laugh most of the time. It's always funny the first few times someone brings a new girl/boy friend to a family function, we get a few weird looks until they get used to how we interact with each other. We may not be perfect but we are family, we all love and support each other, we all get along. I guess that's what a family is all about when it really comes down to it, being there no matter what and enjoying the time we spend together! I love you all!

Mother and daughter time

I spend most of my time at home with my daughter, though I do work three nights a week. I only work at night so that she is always with family, the kid has never been with a babysitter that isn't family yet! I am proud of that, I always wanted to be at home as much as I could when I had kids. During the day we will sometimes read or talk or watch a show, but we tend to do our own thing a lot as well, so it's nice to just sit with her for awhile and do something that we both enjoy. Today we sat down together wrapped in a blanket (the a/c is cold) and watched Sleeping Beauty. It's actually the first time either of us has seen it. I'm not really sure why I never watched it as a kid, it just never happened. T* was a little scared of the bad witch (Maleficent) especially when she turns into the dragon, but we both enjoyed watching it. I really like Disney movies, my boyfriend thinks I am weird for this but I don't care, now I have an excuse to watch lol. There have been a few movies that I watch with T*, we like the Barbie ones, and Tinkerbell, I think I enjoy the Disney movies more than she does right now, she is only 4. It's fun though because it helps me remember the fun of being a kid, though T8 tends to talk through most of the movie lol. All in all it was a good afternoon.

The little things

With the way things are right now, you know, work is slow, money is tight, that kind of thing, I've noticed that I'm more stressed out a frustrated than normal, and I'm sure that I'm not the only one. Because of this I feel that we should all try a bit harder to pay attention to all the small things. Not all the little things that go wrong, I mean the good things. With so much going on around us and overwhelming us we tend to overlook so much.
Usually I'm a fairly easy person to please, I don't need a lot of stuff, but I find it hard to look past the stress now. I figure that writing about the small things that usually bring a smile to my face and having others see them will not only help me to feel a better, but maybe it will help someone else as well.
So here goes:
I love when my daughter only needs to be told to do something once. I love even more when she doesn't have to be told at all. I love how she will go get herself a snack and grab something for me (or her dad) as well, just because. I love it when she comes up to me out of the blue and gives me a hug or tells me she loves me. I love when she cuddles with me. I love when my daughter tells me stories.
I love when my boyfriend will clean the snow off my car in the winter, or start my car for me when it's cold. I love how he'll ask me to go with him to run errands just because. I love how even though he's not big on P.D.As he'll still hold my hand or give me a quick kiss in public sometimes. I love how we can talk about anything at all with each other. I love that we can totally push each others buttons, make each other angry, but still come back to each other no matter what.
I love how I am close to so many in my family. I love how supportive they are. I love how much fun my family has when we get together. I love how my sister-in-law and I can call each other just to rant.
I love how I have a few friends that are just like family!
None of these things are really major, and some people might not notice them, but I think maybe we should all take the time to see them. It's easy to let the stress of life drag us down, but there are so many things that we have to be thankful for. It doesn't have to take something big, just notice the everyday. The more time we take to notice the small things the easier it will be to find them! It will help you to appreciate the people that you have in your life, and you will realize that maybe you are really lucky after all.

Like an old friend

Before I get into my own writings, quote for today:
Reading is a door to your imagination. Open it, and discover all the places you can go - Antioch Publishing ( not sure if it is their quote or someone else's).
I know I have mentioned before that I love books and reading. I love the written word, finding a new favorite author and such. At the same time I love to be able to go back to a book that I have read before and get sucked into it all over again. It's like an old friend, you know that you are going to enjoy the time you spend with it and you know that it will always be there when you need it. For the most part I have to wait a few years before I can re-read a book otherwise I get a few pages in and end up a little bored with it because I know everything that will happen and I just can't get back into it. However, I have recently found 4 books that I have been able to read four times in the last 6 or 7 months. The first time I read them it took me 5 days to get through them, each time after that it's taken me 1 or 2 weeks to finish them. No matter how many times I start them I get sucked right back into the story and want to keep going, I don't even want to put them down, I just want to keep reading and reading. They are truly like friends to me, I enjoy them completely! What books you ask? The Twilight series. Laugh if you want to, but I can honestly say that never before have I even found one book that pulls me back in so quickly. It's not just the story, it's the way that Stephanie Meyers writes. I really hope that she continues to write books. I still have yet to read her other book, The Host, but I look forward to reading it and making a new friend. I have heard from others that The Host is just as good if not better than the Twilight saga. I can't wait to make my new friend!

Music for all occasions

I was sitting at my computer, the t.v on in the background tuned to CMT when they started showing Jim Cuddy Live at the Revival and I just had to post this.
There are some bands that you can only listen to in certain moods, you have to be either happy, sad, angry etc... they will have the odd song that fits into a different mood, but for the most part it's just one mood.
However there are some bands (or just singers) that can go through ever emotion on one album. To me one of the best bands for this has to be Blue Rodeo, or even just Jim Cuddy on his own. I just find that you can listen to that music no matter how you feel and it always fits! Some songs fit better with some moods, but you can still listen to every album no matter how you are feeling. Truly great music!
Pull me through

Just one of those days

Do you ever have those days where no matter what you do, no matter how much you get done, it feels like you are in this great big ocean, and you know you have to swim really hard to get where you need to be but all you seem able to do is tread water so you never actually get anywhere, you just stay in the same place fighting to keep your head above water? That's the kind of day I'm having. I don't really know why, they come along here and there, and it's hard to snap out of it. I just have so many things running around in my head and I have no idea what choices to make. I guess I feel a little bogged down with things.

I hope that by tomorrow I will be back to my usual self.

Soundtrack of my life

I was thinking the other day about soundtracks, how they set the mood for different scenes in a movie or show. It made me think about what songs would be on the soundtrack of my life and this is what I came up with:

For my daughter T*:
I hope you dance -Lee Ann Womack
In my daughter's eyes - Martina Mcbride
When I see you smile - Bad English
Isn't she lovely - Stevie Wonder
Daughters - John Mayer
Gracie - Ben Folds ( I know it's not her name but it's a really sweet song)

For my boyfriend R*:
Right here waiting - Stained
Landing in London - Three Doors Down
Please don't leave me - Pink
Far away - Nickelback
Here by me - Three Doors Down
Breathing - Lifehouse

For my parents:
Perfect - Simple Plan
Second chance - Shinedown

For work:
People are strange - The Doors

For close friends and family:
We are family - Sister Sledge
I'll be there for you - Rembrants
Stand by me - Ben E. King
Lean on me - Bill Withers
You got a friend - James Taylor
You got a friend in me - Randy Newman

The "filler" songs, the up tempo ones:
Hot - Avril Lavigne
Complicated - Avril Lavigne
Freak out - Avril Lavigne
My life would suck without you - Kelly Clarkson
Since U been gone - Kelly Clarkson
I do not hook-up - Kelly Clarkson
Miss Independent - Kelly Clarkson
Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams
Walking on sunshine - Katrina and the Waves
So what - Pink
Get the party started - Pink
I'm a believer - Smash Mouth
Buttercup - Foundations

For my really close just like sisters girlfriends:
This ones for the girls - Martina Mcbride
Girls just wanna have fun - Cyndi Lauper
Ain't no mountain high enough - Marvin Gaye

For those sad days:
Hallelujah - Lenard Cohen
Crazy Mary - Pearl Jam
Apologize - One Republic
Hate me - Blue October
Never Think - Rob Pattinson

I'm sure there are a lot more that I could think of and maybe as I do I will add them to my "Life Soundtrack". For now these are the songs that I came up with. It's actually kind of a neat exercise to try, thinking about all the songs that have some kind of meaning for you or just songs that make you feel a certain way. You should try it sometime

For the love of a good book

I wonder how much it would cost to rent Chapters? You know, you could buy a fold out couch so that during the day people could still sit on it, you'd get to wake up to the smell of Starbucks Coffee every morning, and then just spend the whole day reading. It would be like heaven! At least for me it would be. I have always been in love with books, for as long as I can remember. It's always so great when I discover a new author that I just love, I want to go out and buy all their books so that I can read them all at once. Books are just so great! They can be a comfortable old friend, they can take you all kinds of places, and they really don't cost all that much, I mean if you want you can just go to the library and borrow them for free! I think that is one of the first things that I do when I move to a new place is find the library and get a card. Then I take out about ten books and read them all in four days, well, most of the time it only takes me a few days to read them all. I just can't help it, if I get really into a book I just don't want to put it down, I need to know how it ends, I need to know what happens to everyone. I love the smell of books, just walking through a library or a book store is amazing to my senses, I love it. And books are a great gift! (or a gift card to a book store) I usually try and throw in a book for every kids birthday present, I figure it's good in a few ways, it's passing on a love of reading and it gives parents and children something else to do together!

Think of Chapters for a minute, you could totally live there, think about all the new authors that you would find, all the classics that you could re-read, all the places that you could 'travel', all the art you could learn about. Then they also have all the cards and note books and paper, pens, the coffee, the music, even some movies, they have computers...... seriously, heaven. I think they should make a movie about someone living in Chapters, I mean it worked for Walmart right?

I do love books, they are just amazing. I always wonder how there are so many people who can come up with so many ideas for different books that so many others just love. Of course I have my favorites, psycho thrillers are some of the best for me, Stephen King of course, he scares the crap out of me, though it's in a good way, Dean Koontz (to me his Odd Thomas series is the best by far), Kathy Reichs (Canada's answer to Patricia Cronwell), James Patterson, and numerous others who's names I just can't think of. Those aren't the only authors I read though, I love Shakespeare, Jane Austen, I even enjoy some your adult books. I like my romance novels as well, and Chicken Soup for the Soul. I find my tastes in books expanding as I get older, authors and books that I never would have looked at ten years ago have become favorites. Anne Rice, I think she's great, James Herriot is amazing I think his books are even better because they are based on his life. Though I do remember reading most of Michael Crichton's books as a teenager. I've just always found that books are something I can lose myself in, if I've had a bad day, if I'm upset, if I just need something to do for a bit. I would much rather lose myself in a book than watch TV. The only problem is that when I start reading I get nothing done!

This past Sunday my lovely boyfriend took our daughter and I to Chapters for books, which is actually really sweet seeing as he doesn't like reading at all! He even paid for our books for us. I was able to find 4 that I liked on the 4 for $10 table as well as one extra book for $3.99, god I love it when they have sales like that. Our daughter found 2 books that she wanted and we were set! I almost always buy T* at least one book when I get myself one, I just can't pass up the chance to pass on my love for reading! It's now Wednesday and I have one and a half books left to read lol, did I tell you I read fast.

Speaking of reading fast, I was able to find four books this year that I read in five days flat, and they aren't little short books either. Then for the first time EVER I picked them up and read them through and 2nd and 3rd time all within about a month and a half!! I have never been able to do that before, usually I have to wait a year or so before I can read a book again or I just can't get into it because I remember it all. These books though..... Even now I want to read them again! Of course I am talking about the much loved Twilight series by the wonderful writer Stephenie Meyer. I really don't care if you didn't like the movie or not or if you wouldn't read the books because everyone else is. I think they are amazing! Honestly, I read the first book in seven hours!! I just really like the way that she writes, I still have yet to read her other book The Host but I am looking forward to it. Yes I have seen the movie, I even own it, and will go and see the 2nd, 3rd and 4th ones as well, I enjoyed the first one, although as is usually the case, the book was better. I have also read all the Harry Potter books and seen all the movies so far, I even had my boyfriend watch the latest one with me even though he can't stand Harry Potter (see what a sweet guy I have??).

So yes some of the books I enjoy are very main stream but I enjoy them anyways, I always love finding new authors and talking about a new book that I found so feel free to let me know if there is anyone you think I should really read. 'Til then why not curl up with a good book? That's what I'm going to do :).

Opinionated

Friday night I read this article in a women's magazine and I still can't get it out of my head. Not because it was a great article, though it was written fairly well, it's more what the article was about. It was an opinion piece written by a mother of two, both girls, and she was talking about tattoos. A friend of hers had turned 50 and decided to commemorate it with a tattoo, along with Barbie who also got a tattoo for turning 50. Anyways, this woman was writing about how we are becoming a generation who follows extremes, I can't remember the exact wording that she used but that kind of sums it up. She mentioned girls getting their ears pierced at a young age, she feels that this should be a right of passage when a girl turns 13. I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I don't think you should shove your opinion down others throat. Okay, so maybe she wasn't that bad, it did seem like it though. The wording she used seemed to convey that her ideas are the right ones, that those of us who get tattoos as mothers are setting a really horrible example for our children, that having more than one earring in our ears is another strike against us, like if we have any of these things we can't be good mothers. Well you know what, I have two tattoos and I got both after my daughter was born, they mean a hell of a lot to me. My first ever tattoo is an angel on my lower back with my daughters name underneath it, because to me she is my guardian angel. I have five earrings in each ear, a belly ring and one in my tongue as well. According to this woman I must be a bad mother. I try my best though, I do what I can. I'm glad that my daughter sees my tattoo all the time because she knows that I got it for her, she knows that it's her name underneath the angel, she knows that I see her as my angel, and she sees the proof of that every day. I'm not saying that people should run out and get a tattoo, it's something that you really have to think about, you have to know that you are going to want it forever. But I don't believe that there is anything wrong with them, or piercings, or crazy hair colors. It's a personal choice, it's something that expresses yourself, what is wrong with that? It's like writing, it's an expression of self, and if it makes you happy then why not???
http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=tattooed+moms&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=6D1lSqeRFpT6MbeQ-ZwB&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4

Who writes this stuff??

I'm as much a fan of t.v and the movies as the next person. I enjoy relaxing with a good show or movie, usually I'm crocheting at the same time, but it is relaxing. My favorite has got to be the Psycho thrillers, CSI, NCSI, those types, though I also enjoy drama, comedy and other things. I also enjoy some of the reality programs, such as the ones on TLC or HGTV. The thing I don't understand is shows like the bachelor/bachelorette. I mean honestly, you put these people in a huge house together, tell them they are all going to date the same person and in the end whoever is with that one person is going to get $100,000,000 oh and of course throw in the fact that they will be on camera for the world to see. Then you actually expect these people to be themselves! Honestly! How can they think this will work?? I don't understand, no wonder there is only what, one couple that have actually gotten married and are still together. I don't see how anyone can expect any of these people to be natural, too many people are watching this (why I don't understand). They are being offered all these things to get married to someone that they really don't know. How can you honestly get to know someone enough to want to marry them when they are dating 24 other people at the same time?? I do not understand how that can be accomplished. You can't get to know someone like that! They are going to be on their best behavior the whole time because there are cameras rolling! Sure when you watch the show you see a bit more of what goes on in the house than the bachelor/bachelorette, but they don't see any of this until the choice is already made, then after they make the choice they have what three months when they still can't see the person because they have to wait till the show is aired. Then of course you have to take into consideration that they usually don't live anywhere near each other, so one has to move to make the "relationship" work, leaving behind friends and family for someone that they really don't know at all. Wow, it's a wonder more of these "couples" don't make it! I also don't understand how anyone can be ok with it, I mean, in the real world no one in their right mind would knowingly date someone who is dating 24 other people at the same time, can you say wrong? It just isn't possible to get to know someone in that kind of environment in that short of a time frame and feel like getting married in the end. Real life just doesn't work that way!! Before you say anything, I have watched the show, for part of one season before I just got sick of it.

Things they never told me about being a mom

Life really changes when you have children. There are somethings that others tell you but there is a lot that no one really talks about. Sometimes we are so afraid about what others will think of us that we never say how we are really feeling, it's great when you have someone that you can talk to about anything, unfortunately we don't always have that person around. I was watching The Oprah Winfrey Show the other day and they had a bunch of mothers on talking about the things they like and don't like about being a mom. They called it a judgement free zone, a place where you could talk about your worries and fears without the worry that people would look at you as if you were a bad mother. They talked about the things that they just really didn't like about being moms, dirty diapers, throw-up, super late nights, snot, those kinds of things. Then Oprah asked the mothers to come up with things that no one had ever told them about being a mom but wished they had known. It got me thinking about things that I found out only after I had my daughter, things I feel it would have been nice to know before hand but at the same time, I know I probably wouldn't have totally understood before baby. Here is my list
- There are times when you wish you were kid free again
- At times you feel like you have no identity of your own, you're just the mom
- By the time your child turns 3 you automatically have 2 kids, your child and their father
- You will never feel as if you have had enough sleep
- Sometimes you will get so frustrated you will need to walk out of the house for a while
- There are times you will wish you listened better in school because you have no idea how to answer your child's questions
- Some days you will forget that you had a life before you had kids (this is not always a bad thing)
- Most of the time you feel as if your child is better dressed and more put together than you are
- Your purse becomes soo much more, a first aid kit, a toy box, a colouring book (that wasn't a nice one)
- You no longer remember what normal band-aids look like, all the ones you use have characters on them
- You realize that you can actually love someone so much it hurts
- You find that the best part of your day is when your child comes up to you out of the blue and tells you they love you
- They teach you to really see things again, with wonder
- They make you appreciate quiet time :)
Not everything that I didn't know is a bad thing, that's what you realize when you have kids. Even the things that totally frustrate you still make you smile. Honestly, children are great teachers if you just listen to them.

Perfect mom

I love my daughter, more than anything in the world, but there are days when she really tries my patience. I try my best to remain calm, not to raise my voice and to allow her to have a certain amount of freedom. I always try and speak to her the same way I would talk to anyone else, to answer any of her questions in a way that she can understand, to always let her know the reason behind why I say no sometimes. Still there are times when I just can't help it, she'd pushed me right to my limit and I get angry and louder, I send her to her room and she ends up in tears. After a few minutes when I have calmed down I go and try and explain why I was upset, give her a hug and we move on. I'm constantly worrying that I'm doing it all wrong, that I should be able to stay calm, that I should be more understanding. I worry that I get upset too much, that I'm not spending enough time with her, that I'm not giving her all that things that she needs, that I'm not raising her properly. You watch t.v shows that show the parents in such a light, they seem to have it all figured out, everyone is happy, when something bad happens they all come together and everyone is fine (which is why I think I enjoyed Jon and Kate plus 8 so much, they seemed so normal). Then of course you watch your friends with their kids, or see other mothers at the school or park. It seems like there are so many that never raise their voices, they are always calm and relaxed, never stressed, it seems like they never have any problems to deal with in their families. It always makes me feel inadequate, I always look at them and think 'why can't I be more like that?' I look at them and it seems like they have this perfect relationship with their children, they never seem to get upset. It all looks so perfect. I end up being jealous of their calmness, their patience and feeling even worse about the times when I get upset with my daughter. I start to really worry that I'm doing it wrong.
I have one such friend, it seemed like whenever we were together she was always so put together and calm, it was like she had the patience of an angel, like nothing ever got to her at all. Then one day she looked at me and said "You're always so good with your daughter, always calm and put together". I was totally shocked!!! Here I had been thinking that she was this perfect mom and she felt the same way about me! We got to talking about it and realized that we both went through the same things, that we had the same worries and fears. We both lost our patience at times and wanted to rip our hair out, we both raised our voices at times, but we were also both trying our best. It was a major eye opener for me, and it made me feel soo much better about the kind of mother I am.
I realized that those 'perfect' moms that I saw out with their 'perfect' kids were probably just like me. I only saw them sometimes, and it was always out somewhere. I didn't spend hours with them anywhere, I didn't know what happened after they left, I didn't see the tantrums that their kids threw when they were told no. I realized that I can't judge the perfect mom based on a few hours over a few months, I had no idea what things were like the rest of the time.
So remember, the next time you're out and feeling that you're doing it all wrong and you're the worst parent out there. The next time you look at that other mom and think she's got it all together and her life and kids are perfect, she just might be looking at you and thinking the same thing!!
Now if you will excuse me I am going to go hug my daughter :)

Old Soul, Young Heart

I have pretty much always found that I get along better with people who are older than me. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I have 2 older brothers and I was always with them growing up or maybe I was just born what they call an 'old soul'. I have a few friends that are the same age as I am, they usually have kids like I do and can relate to the things that I am going through. I just seem to find that I have nothing in common with other 28 year olds. They tend to annoy me actually, as weird as they may sound. I have such a better time with women that are older than me, most of my close friends are at least 3 years older than me, a few of them are actually 10 years older, but I fell like I have more in common with them. Don't even get me started on girls younger than me! Don't get me wrong there are a few that I do get along with and can talk to and hang out with, just not very often. Has anyone else noticed that they just seem really young?? Their focus is just totally off from mine, they want to party and play and they go out all the time. I can't do that, I have a daughter, don't get me wrong I do get out sometimes, my boyfriend and I have a night out here and there or I will go out with friends. I work at night so I always say that working is my 'me time'. Still I can't seem to connect to the girls that are my age, unless they have kids. I went through my 'club phase' in six months when I was 21, since then, clubs just annoy me. I find myself critiquing the music, rolling my eyes at the other people there and just wanting to go home. I would much rather be sitting around a table with friends talking and having a few drinks while our kids run around together. I would rather sit at home and read a good book, or crochet/knit something! I used to get teased at one bar I worked at whenever I told people that I liked to crochet, they used to ask me if I was 80. Thankfully though, there are now more younger people out there crocheting and knitting so it's not such an 'old person' activity any more, and I enjoy it.

Then of course I have the other side of me. The side that still gets really silly and giddy when I am over tired, the side that gets excited when I find something that I really like. Last year my boyfriend got me a Nintendo DS just because, so many people look at me weird when I say I have one and then tell me "you know we got one for our child? They're 5/6/7", why does everyone think that the DS is only for kids???? I bought the Brain Age games first to expand my mind, lol, and I did play them a lot for the first while, it helped to explain to others why at my age I had one. Then I started to get more of the game games. I got the Mystery Case Files game, you know the one that Liv Tyler is playing in her DS commercial? Then for Christmas my boyfriend got me the Wall E game. My latest, Super Mario 64, my boyfriend bought it for my birthday and I love it! I have been playing it almost everyday for the last week and I get totally excited when I actually beat a level! I have actually been going on-line and finding the walk throughs so that I can figure out all the levels. I mean I do love the game but I have a 4 year old, I don't have time to sit there and figure it out all on my own! There are lots of other 'young' things that I like, playing on the swings, roller coasters, playing at the beach. Honestly though I think you need to have both sides. They balance each other out, keeps me from getting boring, or at least I like to think so.

So excuse me for now, I am going to go play my game, lol :)

I hate colds!

It's a nice 17 degrees Celsius outside like it has been for the past week, yes I will admit it has been raining on and off but I have not been running around in it. Why then do I have a cold?? So many people believe that colds only happen in winter. Oh no my friend, I get a cold almost every summer, lucky me! I actually decided to go on line this morning and try to figure out why we get a cold in the summer. I never really found out a whole lot. It's a virus (big surprise) you can catch it by being in contact with others that have it, wow, didn't know that one! Maybe I just found the wrong web site or something. It did give me a few good points, stress and allergies can bring on a cold, I had both of those this past week-end.
It all started on Saturday, my daughter was with her grandparents, so her dad and I went to a stag and doe. Sooo much fun, lots of laughs, a couple of drinks. I even had a couple jello shooters. Then while laying in bed that night I could feel my upper lip and eyes beginning to swell. When I woke up in the morning I looked like I had been punched in the mouth, and my eyes, well, lets just say my boyfriend said I looked Chinese (no offence to anyone, my eyes were just swollen that much). I have no idea why my face did that, the only thing I can think of is some great new allergy that I didn't have before. Yeah me! Then of course there was just normal everyday stress. So according to the research that I did this is why I have a cold. Still really doesn't tell me all that much. It also tells me that humidity can have an affect on cold season as well. I live in Ontario, can't really get away from the humidity. Maybe it's just that silly Rhino running around every where. Can someone please put him in a cage already??http://www.everydayhealth.com/cold-flu/understanding/index.aspx

Happy Birthday Canada!!

Well, this year I missed out on going to the Canada Day festivities, it's just one of those days today. So I thought that I would make a little list of things that I like about being Canadian:

-The West Coast - B.C is amazing http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/default.htm

-The East Coast - I have yet to go there but it looks beautiful!

-The Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights are amazing when you get to see them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy)

-The Rockies in B.C and Alberta

-Most people are totally laid back and down to earth

-Poutine - Fries, gravy and melted cheese mmmmm

-Mainly free health care

-Niagra Falls http://www.niagarafalls.ca/

I know not all of these things are only in Canada but they are things that make me happy to live here!

Oh how time flies

Is is just me or has anyone else noticed that the older you get the faster time goes by? I remember as a kid it seemed to take forever for anything to happen, to reach a certain age, it was always the longest day if you were waiting for something to happen. Now though, even if I am looking forward to something, time just seems to speed by.
After you have kids it gets even worse! It's like I blinked and she got to be five. Last Friday she finished her first year of school. It feels like it was just yesterday that her dad and I were explaining what junior kindergarten is, telling her about all the new friends she would make and all the things that she would learn. Now she is already finished! One year is all gone! I remember being so worried about her starting school. My daughter is one of those children who have never been with a babysitter, other than family, she was never in day care, or any pre-school. I was always the one to take her to any "classes" that we put her in. School was going to be a big step for both of us. Where we live they start at four years old and they go all day every other day, this was going to be a HUGE change. She was great though, I think the only reason I even got a hug good-bye on that first day was because I asked for one! She just took to school, loved being there, loved her firends, loved learning. She was always asking me when she got to go to school next. I can't beleive how much she changed either! It's like she went in my little baby and came out my little girl.
I do have to say that I have totally lucked out on most of my daughter's first big things. Her first birthday was massive! We rented a hall, it was catered, open bar, there were about seventy or so people there with about thirty kids all under the age of ten! Her first library "class" wa a small group, her first swimming lesson she was the only kid in the class, her first dance class she had a great teacher. Her first year of school? A class of thirteen, and the best teacher I could ever have chosen. The teacher was great, all the kids loved her, all the parents loved her. I think it helped a bit that she also had a son going into junior kindergarten, not at the same school, but still. She even got chocked up on the last day and had most of us parents choked as well, she will be missed next year. I really hope that she has as much fun at her new school as she had at this one.
Over all it was a great first year at school. I realized that my daughter can be away from me and survive, and so can I. She is growing up and learning so many new things, she has so many questions about everything and always has something to say. She found some of her voice at school, and learned that she will make a great leader. She loves people and always wants to help everyone. Really, she's a great kid. I realized that sometimes it takes looking through someone elses eyes to see just how amazing your kids are!
Now that summer is here though, I have no idea what to do with all her free time!! lol It will be fun though!

Pregnancy Brain

It's funny how you seem to totally lose your mind when you get pregnant. Things that used to be so easy suddenly become almost impossible. Working in a bar (as I did) became incredibly complex, I couldn't ermber what people ordered, I had a hard time hearing people right - I once had a customer come in and ask for a vodka and orange juice and what I heard was a bucket of oysters - making change was horrible even the simplest of math, what's the change for a $4.25 drink when the person gives you $5.00?? I mean these things used to be easy!!
It's like your mind just decides to go on vacation, like you really don't need it anymore. You can't remember anything, you go into a store for socks and come out with ten items, but forget the socks. Anytime you put something down and walk away you can't find it for a week. Walking in flip flops feels like you're on a tightrope. Then there are the hormones..... I will always remember the day I made myself some pasta for lunch, I was happy and hungry and just about to eat, then the plate tipped and my pasta ended up on the floor, I promptly began to cry. Even as I was crying I kept telling myself that there was no reason to cry I could make more- out loud of course because that's what happens when you are pregnant- but my pregnancy brain just wouldn't listen.
It's like your brain becomes a completly separate person, a totally new entity, you can tell it what to do and what you want till you're blue in the face but Pregnancy brain just doesn't care. Pregnancy brain only has three concerns, food, sleep, and baby, not necessarily in that order. You get up in the morning, Pregnancy brain is still tired, sometimes still asleep. You have breakfast, Pregnancy brain is still hungry. Then of course every conversation you have with anyone, relates somehow to the baby- friend 'I got a new car yesterday' Pregnancy brain "really? that's nice, the baby moved yesterday" friend gives you an odd look, Pregnancy brain just keeps smiling that odd fawaway smile.
It is a good excuse though, 'You forgot to get socks again!' "Sorry Pregnancy brain" grin, 'oh you want a screwdriver not a bucket of oysters, hehehe Pregnancy brain", and people are soo understanding about it. Though as ggod of an excuse as it is, there should probably be some kind of expiry date on it, I used that excuse at work the other day and the customer said 'oh that's alright, when are you do??' my reply? "I'm not she's four now". For some reason the customer gave me a really strange look.... I guess I'll just have to go back to my old stand-by, "sorry, blod moment" teehee.