Fluffy Feathers ~ by Mother Hen

Welcome to My Blog

2013-08-25T17:02:00.003-07:00

Just a few pictures of David and Brian, August 2013

Brian at the Park

David 3 months

Leap Frogs!

2012-04-16T20:18:00.001-07:00

Playing with colours again today we played with leap frogs! We looked at their colours and how they jumped around the room! Also a few lessons on sharing today and of course Buddy wanted to play with all of the frogs that Carebear had! LOL but they're learning so it's ok.

Buddy loved they way they felt in his mouth and happily sucked on some frog legs! LOL

Tasty frogs!

Carebear liked to make the frogs play patty cake!

The frog invasion!

We looked at patterns and tried different ones. We then lined them up and made them as long as she is tall!

We had a fun day with silly frogs!

Fun with Colours

2012-04-12T20:27:00.002-07:00

Today we played with colours! We made popsicles and then added food colouring and watched as the dye slowing swirled and changed the colour of the liquid!

Then we filled the sink with water and added food colouring to watch as it changed the waters colour. We'd then pull the plug and watch as the colours swirled down the drain.

We made blue water and then red water and had fun playing in the sink! Buddy was happily entertained as we watched our hands change colour and how the water looked in different objects!

So much fun today with colours!

Play at Home Mom

2012-04-11T20:17:00.002-07:00

I came across this amazing website suggested to me by a fellow Mom and fell in love!
I love all their ideas and concepts and have started to implement them in my day to day life!
I highly recommend their blog and Facebook page! So many wonderful ideas!

Play at Home Moms

The idea of shutting off the techology and clearing away the over stimulating toys and gagets and just letting our children use their imaginations and creativity, it sounds so wonderful to me.

When Carebear was a baby I had no experience and NO clue what to do with her to keep her entertained. The day she saw TV for the first time her eyes glued and I got 5 minutes of peace, from that point on the TV remained on at all times!

Fast forward to now, she recently discovered the joys of youtube.com and how you can watch ANY show at ANY time! At first this seemed like a great idea but as the weeks have passed and our internet usage has soared so has the attitude and the tantrums!
It's been awful the past few weeks and although I know this is "just the typical terrible twos" I can't help but to feel there is more to it.

The other day Carebear was napping and so Buddy and I were in my room. He sat on the floor happily playing with some empty water bottles and I started to fold some laundry. My instinct was to turn the TV on and let him watch Treehouse, but then when I looked at him and saw how he was playing contently on his own I realized he didn't NEED anything to distract him, he was already quite heavily immersed in his own activity!
It was then it really hit me that Carebear NEVER needed anything to stimulate her mind and keep her busy but her own imagination! I know it sounds like a simple concept but it just never occurred to me before.
I started to do some research and have found so much wonderful information and ideas!!

How the joy of being bored for children can spark their imaginations. I'm now spending less time online and more time planning different games, activities and adventures for my kids!

Play at Home Moms and the wonderful people at Simplicity Parenting are helping me change the whole way I parent and I am LOVING it!!

We've already created and had so many wonderful adventures so far!
I've seen a HUGE change in Carebear and in Buddy since I started and can't wait to see how things change and grow! Each day starts a new adventure for us!

I started to cut out TV and now youtube! It's been a bit hard on Carebear who was so reliant on it, but we've successfully made it over 48 hours with zero television or internet and I'm hoping not to cave in! We just keep coming up with new activities to keep our day in motion and when the weather is a bit nicer I don't plan on being inside much!

We started our adventure with planning our day together! Based on the ideas suggested on Play at Home Moms we made our own Daily Rhythm Chart (please check out their site for more info by clicking on the link)
I'm teaching the children Spanish so this was a great way for us all to learn the names of the activities of our day!
I made these magnets so we can move them around and pick the activity for our days. Carebear loves to help move then around and we talk about each one and what they mean. I think it helps us all know how we hope our day will flow. Things come up and change but we can just move our magnets around to accommodate the changes.

The magnets are laid out for morning, afernoon, evening and night.

There are loads of fun activities we can choose from and I'm printing more and more each day!

An example of our night time.

I can't wait to post all the fantastic photos that we've taken as we've learned and played together! It has been fun exploring colours, shapes, sounds, textures, smells, tastes and more!

We had our bath time the other day and turned off all the lights. I brought in some glow sticks and watched the water change colours as suggested on Play at Home Mom's Idea! The kids loved it!! We added different ones together to make new colours and made the whole room glow!

Then we put glow sticks inside of balloons and bounced them around in the dark! Carebear had so much fun she wanted to take the glow sticks to bed so she could make her bedroom glow! It was awesome!

Happy Playing to you All!

Out of Sight ~ Out of Mind

2012-03-06T17:28:00.000-08:00

In this day and age of technical wonder it's hard to imagine that we could ever lose touch with anyone, but it seems to happen more and more often to me.
As my life has become more busy and complicated it seems like an impossible feat to try to stay connected to all the people I wish I could, and as time has gone on, certain relationships have faded away. I find myself missing people all the time but not having the time to properly connect
Thank God for Facebook or else I know that I would probably become so distant with even family.

There are so many wonderful people I wish that I had more time to really connect with each and every one of them but it seems most days I don't even have enough hours to properly connect with the people in my every day life!

Every time I look at the phone and think of calling someone I glace at the clock and realize that it's now too late in the day to make the call. That's one of the perks of the internet, I can leave a message at 2 in the morning or whatever time I think of it, but these days most of my relationships seem to be held online and not that many in person or on the phone like they used to.

Then there are times when I try so hard to connect with someone through messages or phone calls but they are too busy themselves to make a connection back.

So with all this fancy technology it seems like I'm one step forward but two steps back when it come to truly connecting with those I care about!

Trying to teach a language you don't know

2012-03-05T20:06:00.000-08:00

Mr. Rooster's family is from Spain and he grew up speaking English, French, Spanish and Catalan (a form of Spanish and French). When I first met Mr. Rooster I loved listening to him speak any of those languages! I thought it was awesome listening to him flip from one to the other with ease! I didn't grow up with other languages at home and in school I took French from grade 6-9 and that was it! I didn't mind French but I didn't know much and found the courses boring.
I thought when I first met Mr. Rooster that I would try to learn at least Spanish since a large chunk of his family speak it and it is a pretty common language even in Canada. I soon found out that it's a lot harder to learn a new language when you're an adult and not constantly immersed in it. After a while Mr. Rooster slipped back into only speaking it with his family and I stopped pestering him to teach me.
When Carebear was born the desire to learn Spanish again flared up in me since we wanted our children to know at least Spanish (they'll learn French in school and will probably pick up a bit of Catalan from their Grandpa). I found trying to teach a baby Spanish just wasn't very exciting since it was just me talking and Carebear babbling in baby language, once again the desire passed.
Now that Carebear is older and absorbing things like a sponge I have found the desire to learn again, but this time something different has happened. We are teaching her by saying the word or phrase in English and then translating to Spanish (or vice versa) and through repetition. She and I speak it over and over each day, and it is really starting to stick! The thing is I'm actually starting to learn more as well and am really enjoying it! I'm constantly asking Mr. Rooster how to say new words or just looking them up on Google Translate!
Carebear is sucking all this new information in and is now speaking quite a bit, so much so sometimes I have to stop for a moment to figure out if she is speaking Spanish or just a babbling in kid speech. LOL
We go over and over the numbers, colours, and other common words and phrases and she is picking up so much of it! I'm sad that I waited so long but glad that we are doing it now because at least I know that Buddy will know no different, Spanish will just be a part of his every day!
This past week we have been speaking so much of it, constantly moving back and forth between Spanish and English that it's just become a part of our every day conversation. I even did it at work the other day not even noticing when I asked someone "¿Cómo estás? How are you?" Then today at playgroup I got a few strange looks as the other Mom's heard me speaking Spanish. My Spanish is broken and I definitely don't have the proper accent but I figure the more and more we do it, over time I'll learn and so will the kids!
I'm happy for them to be learning a new language and have gained a greater respect for anyone who can speak more than just one!
It sure isn't easy, especially as an adult, to learn a new language and I feel bad for Mr. Rooster who must be getting a bit sick of me asking over and over, "¿Cómo se dice.." which means "How do you say..." and then I'll ask him the word in English and get him to translate!

Up, up and away!!!

2012-03-02T11:28:00.001-08:00

Today Carebear ate Cheerios with milk for the fist time. I'm not sure why I haven't given this to her before, maybe in my mind she seemed a bit too young or wouldn't know how to eat a liquid off a spoon. Strange I know, but I just never gave it much thought. Recently breakfast time has gotten a bit boring around here and today to spice things up I thought I would give cereal with milk a try.
Well she loved it! She thought it was neat and gobbled it up :) so I guess I can now try other liquids on a spoon like soup!
She has grown up so much in the past little while (I know, kids have a tendency to do that LOL) but it just seems like it's leaps and bounds and not the smaller progressions like I'm used to.
She's speaking so much more now, and using harder, complex words and speaks Spanish more and more (she already knows more than I do LOL).
Buddy is getting around a lot these days and loves to talk up a storm! Lovely "Da, da, da's", "Ma, ma, ma's" and the ever so famous, "Blah, blah, blah!" I love it!
They just keep growing up faster than I'm ready for most days and all I hear is that it's just going to get faster and faster the older they get!
I'm holding on to every memory I can and savouring every minute we have together!

Mr. Rooster is the best Daddy in the world and will do anything to humour his little princess!

Miss Manners

2012-03-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

I was raised with manners. With 4 young girls all within 8 years of each other my Mother could take us anywhere and we would NEVER act up, we were the most well behaved kids you had ever seen. The reason for this was our Mother taught us manners, respect and discipline.
She not only taught us these important things but enforced them daily. This is not to suggest that we grew up with no fun but we were expected to use our manners at all times.
This meant more than the common "please" and "thank you" but also the ever forgotten "May I", and "Pardon me."
I always say, "Manners are free but they're priceless" and I try my best to live my life by this motto!
It doesn't take much to be polite but it seems to be something that most have forgotten. So much so that when I find a polite person they almost seem to stand out from everyone else.
It's not easy to be polite in our "Me First" society and that's why I strive even more to be as well mannered as I can. We're all human and we make mistakes but a bit of effort goes a long way.
I am doing what I can to teach my children more than just manners but the value of manners, in English and Spanish and it's starting to pay off!
I often hear Carebear using her manners when asking for something and saying thank you when receiving it, and also saying "por favor" and "gracias" for her Spanish. We've started to get her to ask to be excused from the table and always ask before taking something from her brother and has to give him something new to play with in return!
There are so many cute examples but I'll only write a few. Today when I sneezed I heard this cute little voice from the other room say, "Bless you Mama!". Then later she wasn't looking where she was going and walked into me, her response was, "Sorry Mama." as she toddled away.
It makes my heart melt to hear little kids using their manners.

No blog post today :(

2012-02-27T13:49:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling super sick :(
I hope this passes soon!!
I'll leave you all with a cute picture for today!

Car Daze

2012-02-26T12:43:00.000-08:00

These days are we're all in a Cars Daze!

Yes, Carebear has discovered Disney's Cars and now we are watching it over and over and over and over. And although I'm no strangers to watching Disney movies repetitively (thanks to my nieces and nephews) this is a whole new thing for me since it's my kids! LOL

Carebear has always loved things with wheels, be it cars, airplanes, trains or bikes! She's never been into dolls, Princesses or girly things, she loves to build, create and destroy!
So it just seems fitting that she'd love the movie Cars!
Buddy seems to like whatever Carebear likes these days since he has a fascination with her!

I'm not sure how long it will last but these days sure are Cars daze :)

Buddy in his sporty new car at his Grandma and Grandpa's!

He can't eat that!!!

2012-02-25T09:06:00.000-08:00

Being a first time Mom with no experience meant that poor Carebear had to suffer through all the crazy ideas of a first time Mom (please see Trial Child for more details).

I think back to some of the crazy things I thought HAD to be done or else Carebear could possibly DIE! I monitored what she ate, where she slept, how she slept, what she played with, what she wore, what she did! I was so paranoid and worried about every little detail, that when I look back on that time, I shake my head and wonder what I was thinking.

Being exhausted with a baby that didn't sleep much and not having the faintest idea what I was doing meant that Carebear often didn't do things till much later in life.

I find it truly amazing how different I treat Buddy compared to Carebear when she was his age. I didn't sleep the first few months after Carebear was born because I was so paranoid I'd sleep through her waking up and needing me.
Buddy on the other hand, I slept in the hospital the night he was born...no worries.

I was so gentle with Carebear, always afraid I'd break her, Buddy gets swung around like a sack of potatoes (a much loved sack just to be clear).

Yes the differences between the way I treat them is astounding. LOL

The biggest area that has changed is feeding! Carebear started infant cereals when she was 5.5 months old because I felt she needed a bit more than just milk. Once she started real solids though it was the 3 day waiting between each one to make sure there was no allergies. I washed and sanitized EVERYTHING all the time and had a special sponge to clean her stuff separate from our dishes. She wasn't allow anything with egg, real milk, strawberries, nuts, shell fish, or anything else that could possibly harm her!
I worried to the point that if we or anyone around her ate any of those things I'd ask them to wash their hands AND their faces (in case they kissed her).
I had nothing to base this on except what I had read and what I had read scared the crap out of me!
The talk about allergies was so big when I had Carebear that I was deathly afraid to feed her anything that I didn't prepare myself just in case there was cross contamination! I boiled and sterilized her bottles for well over a year! I only used name brand foods because they could mean better quality and would be safer!
It was a lot of stress and I was scared for her safety all the time!

Fast forward to Buddy! I learned a lot in those first 17 and a half months before Buddy was born! I learned to trust your Motherly instinct and that for every study that says you shouldn't there are an equal amount of studies that say you should!
For the most part you have to do what you feel is best and go with your gut!
I have been so much more relaxed with Buddy than I EVER was with Carebear! I sanitized his bottles for the first few months but then stopped, I clean them after each use but don't boil them any more.
He eats a non-name brand formula, he eats jarred baby food sometimes, he had eaten a few foods that aren't age appropriate without the 3 day wait and he smokes..kidding about that last one! LOL
I feed him whatever we're having for dinner just cut up in super tiny pieces and he loves it, that's something Carebear never got to experience till she was way older!
He's tried some foods that have other ingredients in them that are on the "no, no" list like egg! Eeck!
It's not that I don't care I just can see that those things don't bother him. He seems fine so far and I'll keep going with my gut and take his cues. He's not eating anything too complex but I'm not worried about the 3 day rule, and he eats whatever we're eating just a more plain version and it's not puréed!
I know, aren't I the worst Mommy in the world?
But it's funny how more relaxed we are with each child we have. I can understand now why my sisters complained about me all the time. Being the youngest of the 4 Glasgow Chicks by the time I was born my Mom must have been feeling the same way I do know, more relaxed and busy with other children that you don't put so many rules and regulations down! I know I got away with way more than my sisters ever did and I can see now why they didn't like me much! LOL
I can imagine when we have more children that I'll me so mellow and relaxed that I'll let our youngest get away with murder! LOL

It's amazing how different you are as you go along on this parenting journey!

Why I work where I work, and why I love it.

2012-02-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

Not many people seem to understand why I have chosen to work where I do and so today I will take a few minutes to explain why I work where I work and why I love it!

I work at a fast food restaurant, I started with the company back in December 1999. It started as "just a job" to get me money but I soon fell in love with it. There are so many aspects of the job that keep bringing me back over the years but the number one thing is that the people I work with are like my family.
I've worked for 4 different locations over the years and each one has brought me a lot of joy but there is one location that I have been with the majority of my working years and it is the people that keep bringing me back.
I started at this location when my family moved away to England and things were falling apart in my life. The people I worked with became more than just friends they became my new family. They held my hand when I cried and laughed with me during the good times. Some of my best friends today are people I have met at this store.
The people there know me for me and so I can truly be myself at work, which I love! I love making people laugh, and I love joking with everyone. The highlight of my day is making someone smile. I've known some of the people at this store for over 12 years and we've shared so much of our lives together. What a better way to spend your day then with the people you care about?

I also get to work with my sister and although I'm sure she may feel differently I love it! Life's so busy sometimes that it's hard to make plans to get together so being able to see her at work is great! We can chat and keep up with each others lives. I enjoy the time I get to work with her!

I actually like the food we serve. Not only does it taste good but the quality is good too, which these days from a fast food store is hard to find! It's easy to sell a product you respect and like! It's not hard to be honest with the customers when they ask you your opinion on a product, which is nice :) Plus a discount card is a nice perk :)

Being a Mother Hen of two very active little chicks means you spend a lot of time being very tired LOL Since I've been doing this job for so long I know it like the back of my hand and thus even when I'm half asleep because Buddy or Carebear have kept me up at night I can slide into work and hit auto pilot!

The unique thing about me is that I truly care. Some people just go to work because it's a job and they need the money but I am one of those weird people that genuinely cares about my work and the customers. Yes, it's only a fast food place but I take pride in how I work and where I work. I work my butt off to make sure that each customer receives the absolute best experience they can have!
I love to chat with each of the customers, asking them about their day, and love to joke around with them to make them smile. I always remind myself of what kind of customer service I would want to receive and give that experience to each customer. I find most really appreciate a kind voice, a chuckle and fast and efficient service! Even a grumpy person who is having a bad day seems to melt a bit when they get served by a genuinely happy, polite person!
I always say, "Manners are free but they're priceless!". A bit of good manners never go wrong when they are sincerely meant, and I always sincerely mean them!

My job isn't just a job, it's so much more than that for me. Each shift I get to work with good friends, talk to people, share in their experiences, laugh, joke and feel like I'm apart of something.
I've been told over the years that I should aim higher, that I should get a "real" job, but that's what most don't understand. I love my job. I can go, do my job, have fun, then come home and that's the end of it!
There's nothing else to think about, no paper work to do once I'm home. I can be with my family fully!
I work part time and Mr. Rooster watches the kids when I'm at work, so we don't pay for daycare thus saving us a ton of money. I get to spend all day every day with my kids and since absence makes the heart grow fonder, the time I do spend with Mr. Rooster is a lot better!
So to any of you who always wondered why I'd pick a job that was "beneath" me I hope this clears a few things up.

I only wish you could love your job as much as I loved mine :)

Peer Pressure Potty Training

2012-02-23T10:14:00.000-08:00

There are many aspects of parenting that I find challenging but the biggest one is the level of peer pressure that is on Mothers, from other Mothers!
It seems like each milestone has it's own level of peer pressure and a group of mothers standing behind it pushing!
The biggest one I've come across so far is potty training!
Ah yes, the big "PT"!
Ever since Carebear turned one I have felt the pressure starting to build. It started with her first potty being bought when she was 16 months old and has continued to build since then.
I've heard tales of children as young as one being fully potty trained and every time I get together with other Mom's the questions begin.
"Has Carebear started potty training?", "When is she going to use her potty?", "We've started potty training already, haven't you?".
I was told that potty training usually starts around 18 months so all my friends with kids around Carebear's age all started at that time. When Carebear turned 18 months I had a newborn at home and decided any extra energy should be going to him and not potty training, besides, she wasn't ready yet.
I felt so pressured to start potty training Carebear since all my friends were doing it.
Then when she turned two the question began to flow again, but we had just moved and it was Christmas, not exactly my ideal time to start such a challenging experiment.
Now this doesn't mean we weren't playing with the potty. Each day Carebear would sit on the potty and even have some success, we played on the potty and talked about it every day, but going full force (no diapers) wasn't on the charts yet, again, she wasn't really ready and neither was I.

The funny thing is that from all the Mothers that had "potty trained" their kids early, every one of those kids was back in diapers and they all admitted that their children maybe weren't quite as ready as they had thought.
The more and more I talk to Mothers of older kids, I'm finding that it's closer to 3 (if not after 3) that most kids are successfully potty trained and to me it makes sense. At 3 they can talk better and communicate their needs way better than a 2 year old can!

So were does this leave me on the "potty training" train? My theory is, as always, to follow your child's lead. When Carebear is ready to start potty training we will. We still sit on the potty a few times each day, she wears pull ups that help her feel when she's gone to the bathroom, and we talk about the potty all the time, but until she's really ready I'm not going to pressure her to do it. She will one day be out of diapers (it's not like she's still going to be wearing them when she's 20 LOL) so I'm not going to worry about it!
Besides, what's everyone's rush to get out of diapers! I've heard that it's so much easier, but really I don't see how it could possibly be easier until they get older!
Right now Carebear doesn't tell me all the time when she's got to go so I'd be constantly cleaning up mess after mess. Car rides would be awful because even if she went just before we left I know as soon as we get to the van and start driving she'd then have to go again! LOL
No, I think I'll wait till she is ready to use the potty and can communicate it to me!
Until then, we all need to peer pressure each other a bit less, and start to respect other Mom's decisions. We know what is best for our own child! We should be supporting one another not tearing each other down!

Now You're Tired?

2012-02-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

My darling son is not a good sleeper! He wakes often and recently has decided he'd like to start his day around 3am! Hooray! Except that Mommy doesn't like to go to bed before midnight :( LOL
Carebear wasn't a good sleeper for the first year either, but the biggest difference was that all I had to do that first year was watch her, so if I was half asleep it wasn't too big of a deal. With having a baby that doesn't sleep, a very active toddler and working part time, it makes for a very different day. There's not a lot of down time to just relax and take it easy if I didn't get much sleep!
Mr. Rooster is great and helps when he can but with me working in the evenings and him having to get up at 4am for work that usually means I'm up with the baby during the night.
My whole point to this rant this morning is that it's now 8:30am and after being awake for several hours Buddy is NOW tired. He's looking at me with groggy eyes and like he's almost ready to pass out and all I can think is, "Sure, NOW you're tired! Couldn't be tired at 3am? Noooooo!"
I've tried so many things to help him sleep but I think his natural rhythm is to be awake during the night. It used to be from 1am -6am and lately that's changed and it's now from 3am to 8am! I wish that was an improvement but before he'd just wake often between 1-6am and now it's he's WIDE awake between 3-8am :(
We've got a great bedtime routine and both kids have no problems going to sleep, it's just the staying asleep that seems to be the problem.
The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that he WILL grow out of it! He will eventually sleep better at night. I'm just grateful that Carebear is sleeping through the night or else I'd go nuts!

I'm baaaaaaack!

2012-02-20T19:59:00.000-08:00

So my blog has been down for a while now. We were all so sick and I was working a lot and thusly my priorities had to get shifted around and blogging got moved to the bottom!

But for all my blogging fans out there (I'm sure there's at least one) I'm back!!
I will try my hardest to blog as often as I can and will try to find topics that interest everyone! Ya, right! LOL

But still...

So, to get back on my blogging legs (so to speak) I will post some cute pictures of Buddy eating broccoli!!!!

Enjoy!

Yes, that is broccoli all over his face!

Not too sure at this point!

Nope, it's all good! :)

Out of Order

2012-02-14T18:07:00.001-08:00

Due to current events this blog will be down for the next week or two.
Thanks!
Mother Hen

Being Sick Is So Expensive!!

2012-02-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

The Hen House if on official LOCK DOWN!

This week we have all had sinus colds, Bronchitis, chest infections, and now a stomach bug! It has been a crazy, drool filled, puke filled, snot filled week I can tell you!
It has been so hard with EVERYONE sick at the same time, and one VERY expensive week as well!

It's been about 3 years since I have been as sick as I have this past week, and adding that to Mr. Rooster and the kids too it's been a very expensive week for medications, prescriptions and all the fun things that come along with illness!

I have spent a ton on all these illness preventatives and helpers and that's not even including the small fortune I've spent on juice, soup and other items to help us along this past week! I am shocked at how quickly cough syrups, throat lozenges, Gravol, Tylenol, antihistamines and other medications can add up, and sad at how quick we've gone through them :(

Sadly I've spent more time at the pharmacy then at work this week, and I think the Pharmacist knows me by name! LOL
I will be happy once all these germs are gone and out of my hen house and everyone is back to their normal selves and the normal amount of drool!

Being sick sucks!

2012-02-06T06:26:00.000-08:00

When the whole family is sick at the SAME TIME that sucks just a little bit more!

That's right, everyone of us is super sick! The kids started with runny noses that moved to their chests and then Mr. Rooster got it, and then me :( and now we all have it.
Poor Buddy had to go to the hospital last night and get a chest x-ray. He's in good spirits but it's so hard to see him not well.
I have a doctors appointment today to get myself looked at and we're all missing work.
No fun!
I must say though that Mr. Rooster is the most incredible husband and Father ever! Even though he has been super sick, he has still taken such good care of us all! I am very lucky to have him!
Being sick hasn't slowed the kids down though, they're still running around and playing, which, although it means more work when you're sick, it is also a good thing to see them happy even though they sound terrible!

I can't wait till all this sickness is out of the house!! Yuck!

Grow Up!

2012-02-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

Until I come up with a better nickname B-Man is now being called Buddy. I know it's not fancy but it's the name we seem to call him the most around here and it seems to flow better than B-Man :)

Anyway...so, Buddy is on the verge of really moving and life as we know it is about to change BIG TIME!!! I'm excited but scared at the same time!

He gets around pretty good right now with rolling and can turn in circles to get things he wants. He uses a mixture of both to get to everything and cause lots of trouble...I mean chaos...I mean fun!
He has discovered how to pop is bum in the air and get into a crawling position but then just rocks back and forth till the moves backwards! It's hilarious to watch but he's getting better and better each day and so it won't be long before he's on the move!

Carebear was crawling full force by the end of her 7 months and he isn't far behind! I'm excited because it opens up so much more of the world for him but scared too. It will mean I have to re-baby proof EVERYTHING! Our house is pretty baby proof now because of Carebear but as she gets older her interest in things that cause trouble seems to be lessening and she listens to basic commands. "Don't open that cupboard. Don't eat that." etc.

But when they're little and just starting to move they get into EVERYTHING!!! and I mean EVERYTHING!!!! From the smallest thing you can barely see, EVERYTHING under 2 feet is theirs!

I had a friend over the other day with her baby who is crawling and I was running around trying to keep up with baby proofing while they visited! Ugh!
I've got to re-baby proof the house and myself! Buddy isn't like Carebear at all! He's full of energy and raring to go! She was so laid back and calm. I think I'm really going to have my hands full with him! LOL

Enjoying his food!

Of course I forgot to put a bib on! LOL

Oh and have I mentioned Carebear has started the Terrible Two's with full force?? Yup, the 'tude is out and she isn't afraid to use it!!
I get a lot of this look now a days...

The grumpy "MINE" face! Aren't kids cute LOL

Thank God for Mr. Rooster, who is amazing and patient, we need as much as we can get! LOL

Although with this attitude comes amazing creativity! She loves to stack things and yesterday I looked over and she had made a "Truck Tower" as she called it! She stacked three trucks and made them drive. I thought it was clever! Then she made a "Truck Train"! I love their imaginations!!

Yes I swear kids GROW UP faster and faster each day!

Gossip and Rumours

2012-01-31T20:36:00.000-08:00

Another Rant By Mother Hen

Gossip

1. Rumour or talk of a personal, sensational or intimate nature.

2. A person who habitually spreads intimate or private rumours or facts.

3. Trivial, chatty talk or writing.

4. A close friend or companion

5. Chiefly British A godparent

Rumour

1. information, often a mixture of truth and untruth,
passed around verbally.
2. gossip or hearsay
3. Archaic din or clamour

4. Obsolete fame or reputation

Ah yes, everybody's favourite thing, gossip and rumours. You can try to convince yourself that you are not guilty of either of these but you are only lying to yourself. We are ALL guilty of gossip and rumours at some point in our lives and for most, some point of our everyday.
I try my hardest not to get tangled up in rumours or gossip, but just like everyone else I have a weakness for them. Who doesn't love to hear the latest news about so and so! Or what what's his name and what's her face are up to!

Yes, gossip and rumours seem fantastic, till they're about YOU! Then they're not so good. Then they're rude, childish, and mean.

In the past few months some rumours about me have come to my attention and I admit they made me quite sour. They hurt and made me angry, as they would anyone else.
But then something quite interesting happened this week to me that has changed the way I view gossip and rumours.

I stopped caring and actually started to laugh.

I started to try to find the humour in these rumours. It wasn't easy at first by any means. It was hard to look at what was being said about me, or what others thought but after a while I found them to be humourous. I realized that I was too tired and too busy to give these rumours as much energy as they were getting!
Rumours can be based on peoples emotions and opinions when they receive the information initially. Rumours can make someone feel important, like they are privileged to someones special information that no one else knows...until they start spreading it around.
But mainly rumours are simply miscommunication.

"Paul is wearing a blue sweater" says Sue.
Moments later on an unrelated note Sue says, "I hate the colour blue."
End result, "Did you hear that Sue hates Paul?"

Yes, whatever the nature, rumours and gossip are nothing more than " information, often a mixture of truth and untruth, passed around verbally".
My favourite rumours are the ones that are up front and to the point.

"I heard a rumour you were doing such and such".

These people aren't even fishing casually for information, they are bluntly coming out and asking for it!

You got to respect that.

Where these sort of questions used upset me and make me wonder how could people be talking about me behind my back? They now make me sigh and smile.

My old response would have been to either deny, admit, or try to change the subject. But now, regardless of the real answer I respond,

"The thing about rumours is that you have to ask yourself about the source."

You would not believe how many people this line has shut up. They'll stand back for a moment, think and then go, "Ohhhh!" ok." That's the end of the conversation.
I haven't given them an answer but have made them think. Rumours can sometimes be like a bad game of "Broken Telephone" where information sometimes can get mixed up or misinterpreted, plus some people have very over active imaginations and like to add details to a story when they retell it. Knowing your source can sometimes determine the validity.

I like hearing the rumours that are spread about me now, because they usually are so far from the truth that they make me laugh out loud. They are bits and pieces of the truth sewn together to create a new story and I find it interesting to see just how mixed up they can get. I also like to try to figure out the source if it's not easy to detect right away, that in itself can be a fun challenge.
I see rumours and gossip more like a game now than hurtful or upsetting. They make me laugh or smile and I don't take them to heart like I used to.

My old doctor, who took care of me from birth, always used to say, "Laughter is the best medicine." and you know what? He was right, because since I started to laugh these rumours off, I have felt a world of difference in myself!

I am trying my hardest now to avoid the "rumour train". If I hear people gossiping I'll try to leave the area, or not add my 2 cents. It's not easy, since sometimes the gossip is super juicy but at the end of the day, I feel so much better, about the situation and about myself.

There definitely was a time when rumours would upset me and I'm sure there will be moments here and there but for the most part I'm trying my hardest to laugh in the face of rumours and ignore those who spread them.

Bright Eyes

2012-01-30T21:17:00.000-08:00

I'm in the middle of writing a rant, but just don't have time to finish it tonight so instead I decided to share with you all some beautiful pictures of B-Man!

The other day I posted on Facebook that he's got such bright eyes and my Mom reminded me that my nickname used to be Bright Eyes when I was a baby! I thought it was so cute that my handsome son would have the same nickname as me :)

He really does have the biggest, brightest eyes :) so full of love and joy! He's always smiling!

Why I couldn't be Garbage Man

2012-01-27T20:14:00.000-08:00

Before I start blogging I just want to state that I know that the term Garbage Man is not politically correct. It should technically be Sanitation Worker or Sanitation Engineer so that it includes both men and women but for the sake of the story, Garbage Man is what I'm using. Also, in this story the people involved were men and they were picking up garbage. Thanks for your understanding.

This morning as I played with the kids we saw the garbage truck going by! Carebear got excited and started yelling, "Truck, truck, look Momma, truck!" (she loves trucks, trains, planes, cars and anything like that).

We watched and oow'd and awe'd as they Garbage Men collected our Green Bin and garbage. As they drove off down the street we continued to watch since Carebear and B-Man were both quite interested.

I watched as they stopped at a near by neighbours and both men had to get out of the truck. The neighbours had obviously either just moved or were going to be moving and had a TON of stuff on their curb outside their house.

Both men spent over 10 minutes continuously loading more and more stuff into the truck. My heart broke as I saw perfectly good furniture being loaded into the back of the garbage truck and then crushed.

It made me so angry and if Mr. Rooster had been home I honestly would have run down the street to save this beautiful green chair that they were about to toss!

It must be so disheartening to be a Garbage Man and seeing all the perfectly good stuff you have to toss in the back of the truck to get crunched and then dumped at the landfill. I know I could never be a Garbage Man, I would be fired so fast because I would leave all the good stuff on the curb, in hopes that someone would come by and pick it up or the owner of it would get a clue and donate it!

I have a confession. I am a garbage picker, well maybe the more politically correct way of saying that is, I am a garbage rescuer! When I first met Mr. Rooster I was so embarrassed if he ever came home with something he found on the side of the curb, but he always found the most amazing things though, all in awesome shape!

In fact our house is filled with our late night garbage treasure finds or things that were free! Some of my most prized pieces of furniture in the house are things we found in the garbage.

Old gramophone stand that we've made into our bar.

Beautiful dresser

Solid wood, heavy as heck table!

Solid wood cabinet! Weighs a ton!

This soon became second nature to me as well and I found myself always quickly glancing at the sides of the road on garbage night for "the good stuff". We have rescued stuff for family and friends (they'd see what we had found and ask for it). We have also sold quite a bit too and donated a lot! :)

On a day when I have no time to stop or the van is full and I have no room my heart aches when I drive past something that was in such good condition but that someone just didn't want any more. Sometimes I'll even drive by later in hopes that it's still there!

What is sad is that this doesn't have to be this way. I know many times I've put something on the curb before garbage night with a big FREE sign and within an hour it would be gone! Someone would drive by and pick it up!! Free is always a good price!

And there are companies that will come and pick up your lightly used furniture (some for a small fee and some for free).

Here are just a few that I've found, depending on your location:

justjunk.com

Canadian Diabetes Association

Furniture Bank

Heck if you live near me I'LL even come and pick it up for free! I hate seeing perfectly good things that could be reused going to the garbage heap!

In this world where everything is disposable I like to do my share and save what I can from the garbage heap!

I hope the next time you think about throwing out something that might still have some use, you'll consider donating it before tossing it!!!

You Don't Like Me

2012-01-26T12:46:00.000-08:00

So much crazy stuff has been happening right now in my life so I thought what better way to express it then in a poem.

Enjoy....

You Don't Like Me

A Poem By Mother Hen

I heard through the grapevine, that you don't like me any more,

and although I am sad to hear and it makes me a little sore,

I'm too tired and too busy to really give a crap,

it's not that I don't care, I just don't have time for that.

You don't like how I raise my kids, the books, TV or games they play.

Pacifiers, bottles, breast feeding, co-sleeping, it's up to me at the end of the day.

Who I'm friends with or not, or who writes on my Facebook wall,

What I did or didn't do, what you think or what you saw,

It's not really any of your business to critic, comment or mock.

It's me that will pay the consequences, so please don't sit there and talk.

I've made mistakes in the past and survived, I'll survive the ones I make now,

and although you think you have the right, I'm too tired and too busy to care any how.

Pretending to be my friend, was just a waste of time,

because a friend that talks behind my back is no friend of mine.

All the talking, stories and the games, I've really had enough.

I'm way too tired and too busy to care about that stuff.

I'm sorry if being mean is how I'm coming across,

but honestly if you don't like me, it really is your loss.

I have others that love me dearly, no matter what I do,
and in life all that matters, are the people that love you.

All grown up, eating together, fire, bright eyes and Little People

2012-01-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

All grown up!

I can't believe how big my little girl is!

They eat so well together!

Carebear's Fire painting!

Bright Eyes!

Carebear set out her Little People on the rug...just cuz!

Playing together

2012-01-22T07:40:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how long it will last but my two little chicks like to play together. Carebear has no problem handing a toy to B-Man for him to play with (as long as it's not a toy she wants to play with LOL).

She loves to show him how to crawl or how to look at a book. It's so cute to watch them interact with each other and it makes my heart swell with joy to watch them play so well together.
I know it may not last for ever but because they are so close in age together they seem to play well right now and I'm in love with each moment of it!
I never really had that growing up. There's a big gap in age between my siblings and I and they never really wanted to play with their little sister.
I hated that when I was younger and always wished we were closer to each other. I'm hopeful that my little chicks will be close to one another, for as long as it lasts!