MANGO CALLA LILY

the singing palaeontologist & the dancing surgeon

2012-01-26T10:20:00.000-05:00

Do you ever think about what your kids are going to be when they grow up? Me too.

Naturally, the girls will change their mind about what they want to 'be' several times over in their lifetime, but I think its fun to speculate which profession they might choose based on who they are now.

If I had to choose Lady M's career right now, my guess would be a singing palaeontologist. Not the dull kind, a la Ross on Friends, but a lively little lady, digging up dinosaur bones, sharing her discoveries with people around the world, and all the while singing a cute little song about what she is doing. She is completely fascinated by dinosaurs right now...she has five different dinos that she carries around with her, a great dinosaur craft book, and cannot get enough of the PBS show Dinosaur Train. Her vocabulary is growing tenfold each time she watches the show, and now likes to reference the Cretaceous period, dinosaur plates and horns, and carnivores in a regular conversation. The other day, she even saw a picture of a frog, and said "look mum, a frog! I mean, a palaeobatrachus", and the word rolled off her tongue. Sometimes I really wonder if she's only three...

Lady A on the other hand, is perhaps a little more difficult to predict a future career for at less than 9 months old, but my guess is that she'll do something with her hands. As I mentioned, in a previous post, she is constantly clawing at me, and keeping very busy with her hands, exploring everything she sees. Not uncommon for a baby, of course, but my thought for now is that perhaps she'll follow in her great-grandfather's footsteps and become a surgeon. However, Lady A also has quite the dancing gene and loves to 'boogie' on command...or any other time the feeling strikes. So, naturally, I think she'll add a little creative flair to the operating room, and find a way to dance through each procedure she completes.

Realistically, I have no idea what the girls will be when they hit adulthood. I just hope they'll happy with whatever they choose. If you ask Lady M what she's going to be when she grows up, she responds with "I'm going to be a grown up!". So for now I'll speculate, and just let them enjoying being little.

tiger claws & road trips

2012-01-19T21:35:00.001-05:00

My little Lady A is snuggly, sweet and happiest when she's curled up in my arms. However, though I love the snuggles, lately, my darling little girl has decided to slowly claw my skin off. Snuggled up, she takes her tiny little baby nails (aka. her claws), and digs them into my arm, chest, neck; wherever she can reach, really. She resists having her nails cut, but they seem to grow at super-speed, leading me to believe she may have some sort of super power.

Of course, if I say 'no' to her scratching me, as if to say: "don't do that tiny little tiger baby", she looks up at me with her beautiful, big brown eyes, and flashes her wide, tooth-free smile, as if to say "I love you too, mummy". So, she doesn't quite understand what 'no' means, and I continue to be clawed at.

I was thinking about this tonight, and realized that perhaps this is the universe's way of getting back at me. And, by 'universe', I think I mean that my older brother, Greg, has placed some sort of voodoo curse on me, and is having his curse carried out by my youngest daughter.

You see, as children, we spent many, many hours in the car driving back and forth to visit our family in Florida. My brother and I would argue and fight in the backseat like any normal siblings would, and as we got older, our shenanigans became less and less acceptable to our parents. So, we found more 'silent' ways of fighting, so as not to alert mum and dad to our spat. Clever, weren't we? Ok, I think we were just extremely bored, and perhaps tired of playing Game Boy.

On one particular trip, I discovered the power of my nails, and quietly scratched at Greg's arms until he had small cuts all over them. Sounds kind of vicious, right? Well, I don't really remember what he did to me, but I'm sure I had bruises on my arms, whatever it was!

So even now, nearly 20 years later, my darling brother has some small scars remaining on his arm, so you can see how I think he's somehow secretly trained my baby to get back at me, day after day, night after night...

Greg...I'm on to you. And maybe someday Lady A will put her little tiger claws away, stop fighting me when I want to trim her nails, and start scratching my brother instead of me!

fearing the flush

2012-01-01T11:42:00.000-05:00

I'm not a big fan of public washrooms; just the thought of all the germs lurking in there is enough to make anyone squirm. However, my sweet little Lady M has developed a fear of these restrooms not because of the germs, but because of the flush. Its been an ongoing saga for a few months now, and one that doesn't seem to be getting any better quite yet. Let me backtrack a little.

A few months ago, Cal had to go into work one day a little unexpectedly. I was getting ready to go to a wedding shower, so to help me out he took Lady M with him to work, while I got ready and looked after Lady A. Cal was working at a new hotel that day, and while there, Lady M had to use the washroom. But, in the new-age world of germ-avoidance, and touch-free everything, these new washrooms were equipped with automatic flushing toilets. Though she really had to go, the sudden, unexpected flush while she was trying to go to the washroom startled the heck out of her, and she jumped off. She returned to the washroom three times (she really had to go!), only to be faced with the same flushing fate with each visit. And thus, the fear of the public washroom began.

A few weeks later, we were heading up to northern Ontario to visit some family for Thanksgiving. On the way we stopped at a rest station to grab a bite to eat, and use the washroom. Lady M quickly noticed the automatic flush, and said she wouldn't go. As she slowly backed away from the toilet in the family washroom, she found herself standing immediately underneath an automatic hand dryer. Not just your average dryer, nope, an Xcelerator one. The extremely loud noise, coupled with the shock of being blown by the strong air, scared my poor little girl so much that she refused to go to the washroom (again), and actually held it all the way up north (a 6-hour journey, when all was said and done). We went to Canadian Tire and bought a new potty seat for her, and with a little coaxing, she finally gave in to using the washroom at the house for the rest of our stay.

Later that week, we were heading to the airport to pick my mum and dad up after a trip they had been on. Once again, my little sweetie had to use the restroom in public, but by this point she was so fearful of the toilet that she got into the family restroom and SCREAMED. I was certain that by the time we got out of the washroom, authorities would be waiting to see who was stealing children at the airport, naturally concerned by the blood-curdling screams coming from beyond the door. This time took another three visits to the washroom before she finally went, and thankfully nobody was waiting to pull me into a scary interrogation room when we came out.

Then yesterday we were out at a store, rather close to our house, but she suddenly told me she REALLY had to go. So, into the public washroom we went, only to be met with the now usual cries and screams, though I assured her this one didn't have an automatic flush. Another woman came into the stall next door, so I explained to Lady M that the toilet beside her would flush, and not to be afraid. I then heard the nice woman kindly say "I can come back and flush in a few minutes if you'd like, she's breaking my heart"! Though very kind, I said not to worry, and Lady M dealt with the flush next door without much concern.

Having not gone to the washroom, we exited the stall and ended up chatting with the nice lady 'next door'. She told me that when her son was little he refused to go in public too, so they actually carried a full potty for him everywhere they went until he was four years old! If he had to go, they'd head out to the car, pull out the potty and deal with it. I must say, it was nice to hear that someone else had struggled with this too. She also told me that her son is now 26, and they still make fun of him for having to take that potty everywhere!

So, the saga continues, without any resolution as of yet. Hopefully one day soon my little Lady M will settle into using a public washroom. But for now, we'll just carry a little travel potty seat with us, and try to get her used to going in public when necessary! Hopefully before long, she'll stop fearing the flush.

bells on pop-tails ring...

2012-01-01T11:09:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe the Christmas season has already come and gone. Even though with a three-year-old in the house, the celebration started earlier than ever (November), it still managed to flash by in a moment. Last year Lady M got quite in to Christmas, or so I thought. Because it was nothing like the excitement she felt this year as we counted down the days to the arrival of S. Claus. She talked about Christmas constantly, learned several carols verbatim, and told us every day of a new toy she hoped Santa would bring.

We had a friendly little 'elf on the shelf' visit our home this year, fondly named "Bubby" on the first morning he arrived. Lady M loved looking for him every morning when she awoke, and would pop by his daily location to chat with him here and there. On top of that, she received a special video message from Santa Claus' PNP, which she watched no fewer than ten times, quite proud that she was on Santa's 'nice list'. She also went to her first Santa Claus parade this year in our hometown, and got to see Lady A and I in the parade. Of course, she was most excited to see the big guy in his sleigh at the end of the parade!

This was the first year I couldn't really take Lady M Christmas shopping with me, as she's not the greatest at keeping a secret. For instance, we would pick something up for Cal and she would quickly say "Daddy, we got you a new coat!". So much for surprises! But, armed with this knowledge, I became well-acquainted with the glorious world of online shopping. Thanks to Toys R Us, Best Buy and Old Navy's respective online shopping systems, Christmas was easily completed, and delivered right to my door!

Lady A was blissfully oblivious to what was happening throughout the season, but she happily crawled around, climbed on her new presents, and tried to eat lots of colourful wrapping paper and bows. Just about right for a little one who is approaching the 8-month mark! Lady M gladly "helped" her sister open all of her presents, even going the extra mile, testing them all out for Lady A. If that's not sisterly love, I don't know what is!

But my favourite part of this Christmas, by far, was Lady M's love of Christmas carols. Between the ones we sang at home, the CD of kids carols we had in the car, and the songs she learned at preschool, her musical repertoire grew tenfold this year, and she has been singing non-stop for weeks.

Her favourite two songs were Rudolph and Jingle Bells, even if she thought the bells on 'pop-tails' were ringing! She then took her beautiful singing skills to the stage with all of her preschool friends when she took part in her first Christmas recital. A proud moment for any parent, naturally. She was adorable, decked out in her pretty party dress, belting out tunes alongside her adorable little classmates. What's not to love?

As the youngest in my family, I always heard people say that Christmas is better with kids. I didn't really understand it until I became a parent, and after spending four Christmases with Lady M, and one now with Lady A, I have no doubt that Christmas will be a little more fabulous and fun with each passing year.

So, the bells on pop-tails have stopped ringing for this year, but the memories will keep me happy for the next eleven months until we get set to do it all again.

Happy New Year!

uno, dos, flis, rauncho...

2011-11-27T20:43:00.000-05:00

My little girl is a linguist. Of course its been said that the younger a child is when they learn a language, the more easily they will pick it up and retain it, accent and all. Well, with two grandmothers, a father and a mother who know French, Lady M has heard pieces of the French language her entire life.

From my time living in Sweden, I still recall some of the language, so I will throw the odd word or sentence at her, with my oh-so-realistic Scandinavian accent. Its a stretch, but who knows, she may find herself living in Scandinavia someday with an uncanny ability to order a ham and cheese sandwich, or take the #54 bus to the university.

I have also studied some Spanish, so will bestow my vast vocabulary on her from time to time, but I can't take all the credit for her love of the Spanish language. Rather, she has recently developed a mild obsession with Diego (the animated animal rescuer), and her mastery of this delightful romance language is budding before our very eyes.

In fact, just a couple of days ago, she started counting something...in Spanish, rather than English. It caught me off guard a little bit, and while I had a moment of pride, I had an even longer moment of laughter For my little Lady M counted as follows... uno, dos, flis, rauncho, cinco, seis, siete, ocho...

Pretty close! But, for anyone who knows how to count it out, 'flis' should be 'tres', and 'rauncho' should be 'cuatro'. Let's be honest though, 'flis' and 'rauncho' were WAY funnier.

So, if she learns all of her Spanish from her pal Diego, we may have to work on pronunciation a little, but I'd say she's off to a great start. A little linguist in the making...

so long, old friend

2011-11-26T14:27:00.000-05:00

We knew the time was coming.

It had to arrive sooner or later.

We just weren't sure how it would all pan out.

Lady M and her beloved soother have officially parted ways.

So long, old friend!

Here's how it all happened: From a young age, Lady M has had a tight-knit relationship with her dear little soothers. She hadn't slept without one since she was about 6 months old, so I found myself considering various ways to get her out of the habit of having it, as I felt she was getting just a little bit old to rely on its comfort.

There are plenty of methods out there for helping kids say goodbye: passing the soothers along to a new sibling when they are born, leaving them for Santa's reindeer on Christmas Eve, or cutting it out cold turkey. No matter how you slice it, taking something precious away from your sweet little child is never easy. However, with her third birthday looming, I felt the time had come.

We decided not to take it away from her when Lady A was born; I had this terrible feeling that passing her soothers along to her sister would just breed some sort of resentment, and I just didn't want their sisterly relationship to begin in such a way. (I know, dramatic, right?!) I thought Christmas was a little too far away, and the thought of cutting it out cold turkey seemed a little harsh. (Secret's out, I'm a bit of a pushover!)

So, for a couple months leading up to her third birthday we began to prep her for the parting. "Three year olds don't need soothers" we told her, "you're going to be a big girl!" She would repeat the same thing back, surely not realizing that she was actually going to be rid of her sleepytime pal once and for all in a short time.

However, she had preschool the morning of her third birthday, and when I went to pick her up one of her teachers asked me, "is Lady M losing her soother today"? I answered "yes" (feeling a little sad for her before she had even tried sleeping without it), but I guess my little girl was prepared because she had told her teachers that she wouldn't have her soother anymore, because she was three.

We got home, had lunch, and it was time for her nap...the time had come. Deep breath. I put her to bed without her trusty companion with only a small fuss. (I was amazed). She fell asleep relatively easily, but woke up a short time later extremely grouchy and clearly still very tired. So, I decided we had made a big stride by her going to sleep without it, so I let her have it to finish her nap. (It was her birthday, after all!)

That night, same thing...only a mild fuss before she fell asleep without her soother. However, waking up about halfway through the night sobbing, we chose to give it to her for the remainder of the night. For the next day's nap and overnight sleep, we placed the soother beside her in bed after she was asleep so if she woke up at some point, she would find it, and comfort. I guess it worked, because she slept through without issue. (Yay Lady M!)

Then on day three....the breakthrough! No soother through her whole nap, and no soother all night! She asked for it before bed, often told us she 'didn't want to be a big girl', and for a couple of days, she would come crawl into our bed in the middle of the night, but that was ok. It was a pretty big transition after all. And just a few short days later, she was soother-free and sleeping through the night.

After all is said and done, Lady M may have some negative memories of her third birthday, but I suspect all the presents, balloons, cupcakes and the farm party will alleviate some of the pain we caused her when she reminisces about her third birthday in the future!

my healthy quest...and 30 things update

2011-11-15T10:22:00.000-05:00

My little Lady A hit the 6-month milestone two weeks ago. Hard to believe that six months have flown by in the blink of an eye, and that she's half way through her first year of life. It means we have a little more time between feedings and fewer naps, ergo, more awake time! With this somewhat 'found' time, I have a chance to focus a little more on me for the first time in a while.

With that said, I'm on a quest to get back to being healthy and fit...a place I haven't been in a few years, since having my munchkins. In between having Lady M & Lady A it was easy to set getting fit aside, knowing that I was planning to become pregnant again. But this time, my family is complete, so no easy excuses!!

My sister-in-law has recently graduated as a nutritionist, so with such great knowledge at my fingertips, I would be silly not to work with her, so I am! Thanks to her encouragement and ideas, I'm trying new recipes, making small changes to the items stocked in my kitchen, and drinking more water than I ever have before! The thing that's even better, is that these little lifestyle changes positively affect my entire family.

On the workout front, I continue on with my Zumba classes as often as possible. (To read about the moment I fell in love with this 'exercise in disguise', check out this old post). In fact, in just a few days I'm off to Instructor Training so I can not only attend these fantastic classes, I can teach them too!

I've also found a great Stroller Fitness class that I've been attending for a few weeks with Lady A; I'm working muscles I haven't worked in ages, and its awesome. I'm currently competing in a 'Biggest Loser' challenge with them, trying to win a big gift certificate so I can take even more classes over the winter and continue to challenge myself in new ways. And the best part? I can take my girls with me!

So between the nutrition, fitness classes and a little challenge on the side, I think they're all great steps. And its working to achieve one of the goals that I set out for myself earlier this year in my 30 things post.

Which brings me to a little update on that front. Its been 3 months since I first outlined my goals, so in an effort to stay on track, thought I'd provide a little update as to where things stand...

Become a creative entrepreneur as an exciting side project

Haven't made it too far on this one, but I will get there!

Complete Zumba Fitness instructor training

All set to go this Saturday, and I couldn't be more excited!!

Donate blood (hopefully on a regular occasion, but let's go for once to start)

Hmm, I'll take this one as a reminder...I need to go do this. One of my friends said she'd like to join me, so I think we should make a date!

Have an impeccably organized home

Slowly, but surely...this is an ongoing process

Learn Adobe Illustrator

This one is in the works! I think I may take a class in the New Year if I can find some time.

Reach my post-pregnancy goal weight

As mentioned, the nutrition plans, and fitness goals are all leading toward this one...

Read a minimum of four books for pleasure this year (yes, that's a lofty goal with two munchkins in the house and lots of school reading at any given time!!)

I have finished one so far, and am working on book number two. The first was Mini Shopaholic (yup, that's right, total chick lit!), and now I'm reading Smart Couples Finish Rich. Might as well work on my financial future while I'm at it, right?!

Share more stories on my blog so my girls will have a great memoir of their childhood

Trying to write more whenever I can. I think I need to figure out some form of measurement on this one though...I guess as long as I'm writing more than I did last year overall, then I'm achieving this goal.

Start teaching a regular Zumba class

I can do this once I'm a full-fledged instructor!

So there we have it...that's where I am with my annual goals; definitely some things to work on, but I'm making a few of the goals a reality already, so I feel like I'm on the right track. Feel free to hold me accountable to anything you read here!!

opinions

2011-10-31T22:38:00.000-04:00

I'm a very opinionated person. When I know what I want, I'm not one to change my mind, and I almost always go with my gut instinct when it comes to decision making. I've been like for as long as I can remember. I don't hang around in a store for long, trying to decide whether I want to buy something or not. I simply make the decision or leave. I only tried on about 5 or 6 wedding dresses because I knew what I wanted as soon as it was on. And when it comes to parenting, I'm no different.

While I appreciate that everyone has different parenting styles, I don't really care to know about them in great depth. I enjoy talking with my mum, sister-in-law, and girlfriends who are parents, but beyond that, I'm not interested in what everyone else has to say. That may sound harsh, but there are just so many opinions out there, that you have to draw the line somewhere! Cal and I just parent the way our instincts tell us to, and I'm proud of that.

When I was pregnant with Lady M, about to be a first-time mum, every other mother out there had an opinion and wanted to tell me how to parent, how to birth, how to do everything. Horror stories about deliveries abounded, and were certainly never asked for! People wanted to tell you what to buy and what not to buy, how to deal with sleep, eating, nursing, and anything else they could think of. And more than anything, people seemed to find it very important to tell you "oh, you're going to be so tired!".

Yes, though I hadn't had a child yet, I assumed being tired was part of the game. I think the piece of 'advice' that bothered me most was when people would say "get your sleep now!". Well, how the hell is that going to help me three weeks from now, after I deliver a child and have to start raising it?! So, since becoming a parent, and understanding the sleepless nights in a different way, I have made it a priority never to suggest that a parent-to-be 'get their sleep now'.

However, the one thing I found many parents telling me in my pre-child days was 'they'll grow up so fast'. Well, that just may be the one thing I have repeated.

In less than a week, Lady A will be 6 months old, and Lady M will be celebrating her 3rd birthday, and I really keep questioning 'where has the time gone?'. Three years have zipped by in the blink of an eye, and my little Lady M has gone from infant to toddler, and is somehow now a little girl, who has interesting conversations with me on a daily basis. She has strong opinions (not sure where she gets that!), and a never-ending interest in everything around her.

My little Lady A has gone from helpless infant, to a sweet little baby who reacts to everything, smiles every time she hears her big sister's name, has found her voice, and is on the verge of crawling. So, in fact, they do grow up so fast.

I promise I'll never hear myself telling a parent-to-be to get their sleep, or offering unsolicited details about child delivery that people simply don't need to know. I promise not to be one of those more experienced parents who try to tell the newbie horror stories to scare them before their wee one arrives, or how they should sleep train, feed or nurse their child. However, you may just hear me saying that it all goes by in a flash, because three years have never passed so quickly in my life, until now.

i went to iceland and took my rollerskates

2011-10-18T13:53:00.000-04:00

I've decided to start fueling Lady M's interest in traveling at an early age. I've been lucky to travel a fair bit, and I hope that one day my kids will want to travel to fabulous, far off places too. In fact, the list of countries I still want to visit is enormous, and I look forward to the day when we can travel as a family and explore the world together.

Until then, we'll learn about new places right here at home. We're always pulling a new book off her bookshelf and over the last couple of weeks we've been enjoying looking at a children's atlas that was given to me at one of my baby showers. The book is awesome; great, colourful pictures and simple descriptions of people, places and things, just whetting her appetite for learning about the world.

The first time we looked at it, I pointed out a few key countries for her reference -

Canada, where we live, of course;
Sweden, where I have lived;
England where my Dad was born;
India, where my grandparents were born;
Australia where Cal has traveled and
Costa Rica & Nicaragua where Cal and I honeymooned, just so we could really hop all across the map.

She likes to tell me that she's been to each of these places with Cal and I which I think is great. I'd love to know what sort of travel memories her busy little imagination has conjured up!

Then, for a little spin around North America, we also look at Victoria and Daytona Beach, places Lady M has visited. Of course her concept of how vast the world is is quite limited, but we have fun talking about each place and I enjoy listening to her (often imagined) recollection of her adventures.

Right now she likes to point to each of the key places listed, and then finds new, colourful countries to point at. The other day when we were looking at the atlas, she put her finger on a country and said "I've been there!". I said, "that's Iceland", to which she replied, "yeah, Iceland - I took my rollerskates there and went all over".

Why shouldn't she want to rollerskate across Iceland, or think she already has? I love the imagination children have and hope many of these things really happen for her down the road.

In fact, I hope one day we can roller skate in Iceland together.

night vision (or lack thereof)

2011-09-30T15:55:00.001-04:00

I'm blind as a bat. Without my glasses or contacts I really can't see a thing, but I can see shapes enough to make my way around the house enough at night, so when I have to get up (frequently with a four-month-old in the house) I just lead myself somewhat blindly. This had never been a problem, until last night.

Truth be told, I don't like to put my glasses on in the night for two main reasons:

It makes me wake up too much; having groggy vision lets me fall back to sleep more quickly when the time comes.
I don't like to know the time at night, and don't have to worry about it when I can't see the clock! I always want to pretend that I still have several hours more to sleep, not that the alarm is due to go off in 14 minutes.

However, last night I probably should have put my glasses on.

Why? Well, in the morning I handed Lady A to Cal so he could change her, telling him that her pyjamas seemed to be a little wet. I continued to get ready, and moments later he came to me saying "ummm, maybe this is why she is wet?" and showed me her diaper...that I had put on inside out in the middle of the night.

Not backwards, inside out. Absorbent material facing out. Brilliant.

Please feel free to send the Mother of the Year award to my home address. You'll find me here in the middle of the night, wearing my glasses.

are you my mummy?

2011-09-24T21:46:00.003-04:00

Over the summer we've had several weddings to attend, and each one has been so much fun in its own way. We started the wedding season in June with an event filled with friends from our university years. In July, Madelyn and I were in a wedding for very close friends of ours, and the guest list was filled with amazing friends from my high school era. September brought us my brother-in-laws wedding where we very much enjoyed spending time with Cal's family, and a great party. Then yesterday we had more nuptials where we celebrated the wedding of more great friends, and had a fantastic time with the group of friends Cal grew up with, and I have adopted as a close friends over the years.

Sadly, we are going to miss the final wedding of the year as one of my beautiful friends is getting married out of town and with the new munchkin its a little tougher to make the trip. Its been a busy year of weddings, but they have each been so much fun, and have provided a wonderful excuse to catch up with friends who we'd always like to see more often than life allows.

In yesterday's wedding, I was a bridesmaid, and the lovely Lady M took on her second flower girl gig of the season. It was a 2pm service, which is normally a time when she is visiting dreamland, but instead had a quick nap in the car on the way to the venue, and was carried in to the ceremony location over Cal's shoulder as she slowly woke up. By the time I arrived with the other bridesmaids, Lady M was awake and playing with the ring bearer, waiting for the magic to happen. As soon as she saw me, she came straight to me and we told each other how pretty we both looked, then she went to check out the beautiful wedding gown my friend was wearing.

Fast forward a little: we had all made our walk down the aisle, and Lady M had since gone off to find her Daddy in the crowd of guests. Then she walked back up to me at the front, looked up at me with a hint of confusion in her eye and said "are you my mummy? ... you don't look like my mummy!" Trying to contain my laughter, I quietly said, "because mummy doesn't wear a gown and all this makeup on a regular basis!", and she seemed content with my response and once again accepted me as her mum.

Content that I was, in fact, her mother, we made it through the rest of the ceremony, and she stood still for a few pictures and played in the surrounding gardens before the lack of nap kicked in, at which point Cal took the yawning little lady home while I happily continued on with my bridesmaid duties well into the night.

So, its been a great summer of weddings, and I'm actually a little sad to see it all draw to a close. What will I do with my weekends now without bachelorette parties, showers and weddings to attend?! I'm sure I'll find something; it just likely won't require a gorgeous gown and beautiful makeup, so hopefully my daughter will recognize me.

the big apple

2011-09-24T12:17:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, as summer was drawing to a close, we took a little family road trip. My dad's parents live in Ottawa, and we wanted to take the girls for a visit and introduce little Lady A to her great-grandparents. Its about a four or five hour trip, but with little ones along for the ride, we knew there would be an inevitable stop or two. And no trip along the 401 Eastbound route would be complete without a stop at one of Ontario's ~~finest~~, um, ~~lovliest~~, no, ~~most intriguing~~, ok, tastiest stops: The Big Apple.

Whenever we go to this place, literally a giant apple structure that you can peek inside, accompanied by a wonderful bakery with everything apple or fruity that you could want, and a rather lame petting zoo, I'm instantly taken back to a road trip I made many years ago when my cousins were visiting from Victoria, BC. Though a family of four kids, just the twin boys, 4 months my junior, came back from Ottawa with my parents and I for a visit, traveling in my dad's old black Eagle Vision (shiny and new at the time).

At the tender age of fifteen-ish, my darling cousins decided to make my ride less than cozy by throwing themselves as hard as they could in the direction of every turn. Car turns left, boys throw their entire body weight across the back of the car to the left. Car turns right...well, you get the picture. Did I mention that I was in between them though? That's right...a cousin sandwich with every turn of the 5 hour drive. Delightful.

It was one of those moments that made me thankful I only had ONE brother, but enjoyed the time with my two cousins anyway; more so once we were out of the car. My break from the squishing game came when we all stopped at The Big Apple and my cousins and I happily explored the attraction. So now every time I travel east, I think of that fateful journey with my darling cousins when the giant fruit becomes visible along the horizon of the 401.

So, back to this past summer and Lady M's first experience with the landmark in question. While the "petting zoo" (outfitted with two whole llamas who didn't look up from their hay lunch) left a little something to be desired, Lady M happily devoured her apple crumble and momentarily delighted in her foray inside the apple, until she said "Daddy, can we go now?"!

But, the visit must have made a small impression on her two-year-old self, because when I picked her up from her first day back to preschool her teacher said "Did you guys take a trip to New York this summer?" Confused, I said "no...", and of course she told me: "Madelyn has been telling us all about her trip to the Big Apple!"

So, I guess she enjoyed it! She should just be thankful that nobody was squishing her in the backseat for the rest of the journey to Ottawa and back.

break it down

2011-09-20T09:26:00.001-04:00

So it seems that every stage of toddlerhood is just a little funnier than the last. Currently, Lady M is in a stage where she likes to break down words for us, just like we do for her when she's trying to add yet another word to her vocabulary. She is a sponge right now, and I'm amazed by the things that come out of her mouth each day. She's blunt and eloquent all at the same time, and makes me laugh constantly.

On my birthday last week, she came running into my room and started my day by proclaiming: "MUMMY!! Its your birthday!! I got you a cup....". Interesting, because the day before she told me that she was getting me a ring, so I wasn't too sure what I would be opening. But, sure enough, as I unwrapped the birthday present that she and Cal had lovingly put together, I found an adorable mother/daughter 'cup' (read: giant mug) that she had chosen for me. Being a lover of a huge cup of tea, I was, and still am, thrilled.

Like I said, she is also breaking words down for us, and sentences too. We have to repeat after her, and then build our sentence by the end. Apparently she is a fan of phonics. However, she will also take a small word and give it extra syllables just for the purpose of being able to break the word down for us.

For instance, this morning while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, she decided to break down the word Tootles for me (a character on the show, for those who don't see it as often as I do). To get me to properly say the word she told me to say "too" (too), say "tuh" (tuh), say "ulls" (ulls). "Now put it together mummy!" Right, too-tuh-ulls. So, with a couple added syllables, I was able to say Tootles with no problem...what a great teacher I have!

I sometimes wonder what she's going to be like when she gets to Junior Kindergarten next year. Will she be as advanced as I think she will? Or am I just a typical mum who thinks her child is brilliant and is promptly applying for her Mensa membership card? Either way, I think she's progressing just perfectly, and that's all I can ask for.

On the newborn front, Lady A is four and a half months old and rolling all over the place. I'm fairly certain its only going to be a matter of time before she is crawling around the house on her tiny little 13-pound frame exploring everything she can. She is so full of smiles and cuddles, and I love every one.

Lady M is completely smitten with her, and speaks to her just like we do, calling her 'sweetie' and the like. She is an almost-three-year-old mother hen, and its so sweet to see their relationship. Of course Lady M is rewarded with smiles every time she chats with her little sister, so what more could she ask for? Well, I'm sure she'll be happy when she can start to enhance her sister's vocabulary along with Cal's and mine.

Well, I'm off to see what new words I will learn today thanks to my adorable toddler teacher.

the little apprentice

2011-08-26T22:38:00.001-04:00

Lady M is often stuck to her daddy like glue. She is his faithful little helper around the house, quick to grab a hammer or screwdriver when needed; the first to grab a new lightbulb or battery as necessary; and even happy to take a step or two up the ladder to be just a little closer to whatever her daddy is doing. Its really quite sweet, and I know Cal doesn't mind having his little helper at his knee all the time. She's at a fun stage where she simply wants to take part in everything we do, ask a million questions and then try to do things on her own.

Her new favourite past-time is going to the office with Cal - to her it is a world filled with people who are kind and welcoming to her, a space with endless road cases to explore, and more importantly, her very own desk to sit at while she creates her colouring masterpieces.

I think I find this especially sweet because I can distinctly remember visiting my dad's office as a child and feeling so special anytime I had the chance to go there. At the time, my dad had an old-fashioned sort of desk with a little pull-out secretary's table, where I happily drew pictures and coloured. I recall making myself right at home, pulling my chair up to the little surface and colouring my heart out, much like Lady M does now.

I also enjoyed floating from office to office visiting his secretary and various colleagues. In fact, I can distinctly remember popping into one woman's office one day and listening to Patio Lanterns by a singer she told me was named Kim Mitchell. I was extremely confused as to why "Kim" sounded like a man, thus learning the concept of unisex names. In any case, 25 or so years later, I can still recall the happiness I felt when I went to work with my dad, so I love seeing the excitement in Lady M's eyes when she receives the same opportunity.

In every sense of the word, Lady M has become Cal's little apprentice, wanting to learn about everything he does, and more importantly, take part. I'm sure as soon as her hands are big enough she'll be picking up the guitar just like him too.

30 things...

2011-08-16T14:43:00.000-04:00

In exactly one month I'll be thirty years old, much to the joy of all my friends well into their thirties who I have been teasing mercilessly for being so much older than me for years now (you know who you are!). Hitting this milestone birthday really doesn't bother me very much; in fact, having watched Sex & the City all through my 20's I'm supposed to know that the 30's are the best years, right? Well, works for me!! And I plan to feel the same way about my 40's, 50's, and every other decade I hit.

So I decided that as a little gift to myself, I would write down a list of 30 things that I'd like to achieve. As I work through the list, I'll have to decide whether its 30 things I want to do this year...or before I'm 40, or whether its more of a bucket list for the longer term, but we'll see!

I think everyone knows that a goal is more likely to be achieved if you write it down (Harvard Study anyone?), and I know its even better if you tell other people that you want to do it...so here we go. I will share with each one of you the thirty things I want to do, and you can hold me to it!

And onto the list...

Become a creative entrepreneur as an exciting side project (details to follow...)
Buy a boat or seadoo (or both!)
Complete the CN Tower stair climb
Complete my Master of Education degree
Complete Zumba Fitness instructor training
Donate blood (hopefully on a regular occasion, but let's go for once to start)
Explore more of Canada
Find and buy our dream home
Gain more teaching experience
Go on a European bike tour
Go parasailing
Go white water rafting
Grow my own vegetables and herbs (This is a real challenge for me; see my Green Thumb post.)
Have an impeccably organized home
Involve Lady M & Lady A in a fabulous and worthy volunteer opportunity
Learn Adobe Illustrator
Live abroad again
Plan a Muffy reunion somewhere tropical and fabulous
Reach my post-pregnancy goal weight
Read a minimum of four books for pleasure this year (yes, that's a lofty goal with two munchkins in the house and lots of school reading at any given time!!)
Share more stories on my blog so my girls will have a great memoir of their childhood
Start teaching a regular Zumba class
Take an art course (drawing, painting, sculpting...or something like that)
Take my family to Sweden, England and other areas of Europe
Take piano lessons again
Travel to Africa
Visit each country where my dad has lived, as well as India where his whole family was born
Visit every continent
Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity on a build
Write a children's story

So, there's the list. As it turns out, some are definitely longer term goals, some short term. I've noted the ones that I plan to complete by the end of this year in pink; nine in total. I'll be sure to keep you up to date as I finish each one, and feel free to help keep me accountable for anything on the list!

a taste of fall in the summer...

2011-08-09T14:47:00.000-04:00

Looking for something new to make? A little taste of fall flavours in the summer perhaps? My faithful baking assistant and I made a yummy recipe this past weekend, so I thought I would share it here. I had been thinking about making some oatmeal chocolate chip muffins and decided to go on a little recipe hunt. Thank goodness for the internet and the plethora of recipes you can come across at the touch of a couple buttons, because after a brief search, I found a recipe for pumpkin oat muffins with chocolate chips - fantastic!!

Lady M was quite excited to get into the kitchen to give me a hand, and promptly pulled her stool up to the sink so she could wash her hands when I asked if she wanted to bake with me. Moving over to the counter, we pulled out the bowls and some measuring cups. Helping scoop the ingredients is her favourite thing to do, and she was eager to place each ingredient into the bowl herself, and did a terrific job.

But, like any kid, her busy little fingers couldn't quite resist the bowl. I turned to grab one ingredient from the cupboard, and when I turned back around, I noticed her mouth curling, and her eyes looked slightly watery. I realized instantly what she had done...scooped her little finger in the bowl and popped some delicious baking powder in her mouth! Mmmmm. I was laughing, of course, and after the taste was out of her mouth, she was laughing too. She got it together to help finish the recipe, lined the muffin pan with her little bunny muffin wrappers and turned the light on in the oven so she could watch them rise. And even better, when we took them out of the oven, they were delicious!

So, if you're interested in a yummy new recipe to try, you can click here to get the recipe. They were a great, filling breakfast, but make a nice hearty snack too. I know we'll be making them again. Enjoy!!

Have a read...and make a difference!

2011-07-31T12:16:00.000-04:00

My friend Kirsten had a rotten experience on the train the other morning where a new immigrant mum from Ireland, and her three little girls, were made to feel like they didn't belong by some horrible, unkind man who should have chosen a different train car that morning.

Please have a look at the post Kirsten wrote entitled "Let's Do Something Really Wonderful", and if you feel so inclined, you can leave a message for this mum and let her know that's she's awesome, and didn't deserve to be treated the way she was. It only takes a moment!

It's appalling to me that people think its okay to treat a stranger so poorly. Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness, and that's just the point that Kirsten is trying to convey. Please take a couple minutes to read her post, and leave a comment.

Thanks!!

stay small, little one

2011-07-30T23:04:00.001-04:00

She's growing way too fast! At nearly three months, my sweet baby girl. Lady A, is already getting so big. She's smiling, giggling and tall enough to fit in 6 month old sleepers. How is this possible?

Ok, I know how the 6-month sleeper thing is possible, I married someone who is 6'5", and I'm not a shorty myself. But, does she really need to grow so quickly?

I already have one little lady who is wise beyond her 2 years and 9 months, and now a baby who is showing me once again how quickly time passes.

One of my girlfriends and I were chatting about this the other day, about how you want everything to go just a little faster with your first child - you're ready for the sleepless nights to end, you want your child to crawl, walk, and talk because each new milestone is so exciting. But not the second time around. In fact, I'm finding its quite the opposite; I want things to slow down. She's already trying to roll over, and before I know it she'll be strapping on her first pair of running shoes, and chasing after her big sister! I just want her to be my little snugglebug a while longer.

I do find I'm able to enjoy the baby stage in a much different way this time though, which is nice. Its likely because I know each stage doesn't last forever, and of course, part of it can be attributed to the fact that I'm more confident in my parenting skills this time so can relax a little more. But, since I can't make time stand still (although that would be a pretty awesome superpower), I'll just soak up each moment with both my girls, knowing that time passes all too quickly. Thank goodness each stage is so much fun in its own way.

roughin' it

2011-07-30T22:38:00.002-04:00

There comes a time in everyone's life where you just can't help it. You just won't make it in time. You just have to do it right now. There's no other choice.

Well, the other choice is having a very wet carseat.

The other night, after a nice dinner out, and perhaps a little too much fluid at the dinner table, Lady M could not hold it any longer on the drive home, so like any good parents we contemplated our options:

suggest she hold it until we got home, risking the wet carseat
find the nearest public restroom as quickly as possible
or, the inevitable...

That's right; we pulled over to the side of the road, and let our baby girl pee in the grass. I always thought her first moment of roughin' it would be on her first canoe trip, or while experiencing some fabulous outdoor adventure. But no, it was on the local expressway, a mere five minutes from our home, with cars zipping by. No cottage scenery or waterlilies dancing along the water here...just a patch of grass, my little lady, and me holding her up.

The best part of the whole experience was how fabulous Lady M thought the scenario was. Quickly going from grave concern, and a stern face as she tried desperately tried to hold it in the car, to realizing I was actually letting her squat in the grass to empty her bladder made her light up like a Christmas tree - she was thrilled! She started giggling, I started giggling, and Cal was laughing right along with us from the driver's seat. (Lady A was fast asleep in the back, blissfully ignorant to what was happening).

So, it was no canoe trip, but my little lady's first experience of roughin' it was memorable. In fact, the next day when we were heading somewhere in the car she told me she didn't have to go to the bathroom beforehand. Thankfully, I knew her plan...but there would be no expressway pit stops that day.

fuckle...

2011-06-22T09:41:00.002-04:00

It drives me crazy when people mispronounce words. I have a degree in English after all, so that gives me the right to make fun of others when they say words incorrectly, right? However, for some reason the delicious chocolate frozen treats enjoyed in the summertime have always been known to me as a 'fudgicle', as opposed to a 'fudgsicle'.

I suppose like many people who mispronounce words, I never really realized that I did. That was, until I said it one time several summers ago to my husband who teased me mercilessly. Why did I drop the 's'? I have no idea; but I liked the way it sounded, so I went with it. Even after realizing the correct way to say it, I chose not to. Truthfully, I was just being stubborn, wanting to do things my own way, as usual!!

So last night we bought a box of this timeless summer treat and I sent Lady M to ask her daddy if he wanted one. I fed her the line, and she headed over to him and said "do you want a fuckle?". Er, my mispronunciation has just come around to bite me in the butt. I was laughing like crazy, but I'm not sure that I should encourage the word 'fuckle' to be in my two-year-old daughter's vocabulary.

After my fits of giggles subsided, and I pulled myself off the floor where I had turned into a puddle of laughter, I tried again. Carefully pronouncing the unnecessary "s", I said "oh, he'd like a fudgSicle?", and she said "yes, a fud-sicle". Phewf.

I guess that means I'll have to call it a fudgsicle too...lesson learned.

the bug conundrum...

2011-06-13T14:08:00.001-04:00

I'm ok with bugs - for the most part. I can find a spider in my house, and have no problem sending it to its watery grave...although it always gives me a little chill when I have to do so. I spent several years of my life working at a summer camp, and bugs were just part of the deal (along with assorted rodents and wildlife). As long as they weren't too big and scary, I was ok with getting them out of the cabin as necessary. Especially when you've got a cabin full of young girls who are scared of them, somehow you just assume the parental role and remove the creepy crawler as needed.

But now, I really have assumed the parental role. Last week Lady M and I were getting the laundry from downstairs while Lady A was slumbering in dreamland. While downstairs, Lady M said she had to go to the washroom so we hustled upstairs to her potty. Once she was settled, I went back downstairs to grab the abandoned laundry basket. I was halfway upstairs when Lady M started screaming "Mummy! Mummy!" and burst into a fit of sobs. Assuming she was stuck in the toilet or had hurt herself somehow, I dropped the laundry basket on the landing and went to her rescue. She was standing outside the washroom, inconsolable and it took a minute before she finally calmed down enough to tell me what was wrong.

After asking 'what's wrong' several times, she finally pointed to the base of the stairs where a little spider was exploring a square inch of our main floor. It had completely freaked her out, and I'm really not sure why! Cal and I are ok with spiders, so she's never seen us react that way. Her Auntie Muff (who is incredibly afraid of spiders) lives on the other side of the country, so she hasn't seen her reaction, and I don't recall her seeing anything on tv or reading a book where someone was afraid of spiders. So, I'm not sure where the fear developed, but suddenly the creepy crawlers that intrigue her outdoors elicit an entirely different reaction indoors.

Today she found a moth type creature in her curtain before nap time and called for me to come up and remove it. She didn't burst into tears like last time, and I tried to make sure she didn't see my little shudder when I removed it from her room. I'm the parent after all, even if I hate it, I have to pretend its not so bad, right? Hopefully she'll get over this little fear in no time.

wedding season is open!

2011-06-13T13:41:00.001-04:00

Yesterday marked the first wedding of the year for Cal and I...and it was wonderful! I loved planning my wedding; every little detail was exactly what we wanted, and almost five years later I still look back at it and wouldn't change a thing. So, now I really enjoy attending other people's weddings to see what choices that have made in planning their own big day, and always enjoy seeing how the ceremony and reception complement the couple.

The wedding we attended yesterday was for a great friend from my university years, so not only was it fun to see this lovely couple tie the knot, it was a real treat to see several old friends from school who we don't get to see very often; the same people who witnessed the beginning of our own relationship when Cal and I started dating, and shared in our wedding day with us. Just having the opportunity to catch up with some friends we haven't seen in a while - those who flew in for the occasion, those who live around the corner, and those who we just don't get to see very often - made an already great day even better.

This particular wedding had the most adorable flower girls and ring bearers who were incredibly well-behaved, which made me really excited to see my little Lady M as a flower girl in a few short weeks. We've got her dress already, and she loves wearing her 'wedding shoes' around the house. She doesn't quite understand what she's going to be doing as the flower girl, but I think its going to be fun to watch! And my dear friend, the bride, says that even if she doesn't walk down the aisle, that's ok! We'll see how it all goes down soon...

It was also Lady A's first big event, and she seemed to be quite riveted as she slept through most of the night! She happily slumbered through the ceremony, until the reception started, and right through the appetizer. She woke up for the main course and dessert, had her own little meal and slipped back into dreamworld. She was a star guest!

So, with this wedding over, the couple happily married, starting their lives together, and feeling blissfully caught up with old friends, it's time to keep working on preparations for the next wedding - which will be filled with friends from high school - another group to catch up with and enjoy the company of!

Wedding season is officially open!

confession of a stay at home mum

2011-06-01T14:57:00.001-04:00

When I was off on maternity leave with Lady M, I succumbed to a lot of daytime television; the characters filled the space of 'adult chat' I was lacking at the time, and I couldn't help but enjoy them. However, as the months passed, and she started to pay attention to the television, I stopped watching a lot of things in front of her, as any good parent would. Of course, after going back to work I had to give up the glorious world of The Price is Right, Rachael Ray and The View. (However, I'll be honest - after watching the latter two for nearly a year, I couldn't stand any of the hosts any more, so wasn't too devestated to give them up!)

However, I'm now enjoying maternity leave, round two, which has opened up some new shows to me that I didn't know about having spent my days in an office and not near a television for quite some time. So what have I discovered? Well, when Lady M naps each afternoon, and I spend a significant amount of time feeding Lady A, I've started watching a show called The Talk. Its like The View, only lighter and less malicious! (Obama was elected days before Lady M was born, so the show was rather politically fueled when I watched it a few years ago). Now, I get right into The Talk every day, and must admit, I love it!

I've also been a fan of The Price is Right since I was a kid - my brother and I used to love to watch it at lunch. We'd watch it in the kitchen while eating lunch, would run up to brush our teeth after the showcase showdown bids were in, and would head back across the street to school as soon as the winner was revealed. I still find the same enjoyment in watching it from time to time when I'm home. And might I add, Drew Carey is a fantastic host!

Now onto the more significant confession...

What I'm about to tell you, I'm not proud of; please don't think differently of me...but I'll just say it: I'm addicted to shows about the Kardashian family. Yes, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kourtney & Kim Take New York, Khloe & Kourtney Take Miami, Khloe & Lamar - thanks to my newly aquired E! channel, I'm watching them all. Please forgive me, this is very embarrassing, but they are trash tv at their finest, and thanks to my PVR I've become well versed in the adventures of this ridiculous family.

I tried to keep my secret Kardashian indulgence from Cal, but thanks to the PVR listings, he quickly caught on to what I was watching, and thoroughly enjoys making fun of me for enjoying such smutty entertainment. What can I say?

I'm not alone, obviously - other people must be watching these shows! I couldn't tell you if any of my friends do though, as I'm not very open about how much I watch it. (I fear my darling Psychologist friend may offer me some free counseling sessions after reading this...)

But there - I've said it; its out there in the open. I'm a stay at home mum who enjoys smut. But, with two girls in the house now, it will be a limited viewing window, because surely these are not shows that will be on around them when the tv is on in their presence. And eventually I have to go back to working full time...

But, for now, I'll enjoy every minute of it!!

welcoming lady a

2011-05-17T16:13:00.002-04:00

Its been a busy time around here having welcomed our newest little munchkin just two weeks ago. Although my pregnancy was completely different from start to finish, and I was certain I would be welcoming a little man into the family, I was more than thrilled to discover that we had another little girl!

Lady A made a simple entrance into our lives; with about 6 good pushes, she came into the world, and my doctor almost missed her delivery! I'm pleased to say he made it on time though, because if he hadn't, Cal may have had some more responsibility in the delivery room than he bargained for!

The entire delivery was much simpler than sharing a hospital room with the loudest snoring new mom I could ever imagine later that night, but that's a story for another day...

Of course Lady M has been the wonderful big sister we always imagined she would be; she just wants to play with her sister's 'teeny little toes' and offer her love and hugs at every turn. She's even quick to share her favourite stuffed animals and toys, which is really nice to see. Of course its been an adjustment, as Lady M has had all of our attention for a long time, but I think we're all managing the change very well.

Its funny how quickly you realize that having one baby, no matter how challenging you thought it was, was really quite simple! Managing two is a whole other story. That being said, I'm sure parents who have more than two...or multiples...would say two is a breeze! Its all relative, that's for sure. I think back to how challenging I thought one baby was at the time, but now it all seems so easy. But, this time I don't have the stress of figuring out how to be a parent, and I find I felt like myself again very quickly.

Getting to be at home with my two girls is just wonderful, although Lady M keeps asking when Lady A will be able to play with her; its hard to understand that it will still take a while. But for now she seems happy when her little sister just wants to look at her, and wiggle her toes.

So, after the first two weeks, we're doing rather well. And now that I know I have my two girls, I look forward to everything that we can do together as they grow up, and look forward to seeing the relationship they have with one another and with Cal and I as they grow...

waiting for the stork...

2011-04-14T14:11:00.001-04:00

Right now, our life is just one big waiting game. Baby #2 is due next Saturday, but obviously could arrive any day now. I really have no idea when to expect him or her, seeing as I was quite overdue with Lady M. But, I know he or she will arrive when they're ready!

I have been reminded that I'm now under constant watch by everyone around me who is awaiting the news, since they won't receive the crampy and painful physical notice that I will when its time for this munchkin to arrive! I have to remember to respond quickly to all emails or phone calls, or the natural assumption becomes that I am in labour. No sign of labour yet - just hanging tight. Both Cal and I are pretty relaxed - probably the calmest out of everyone playing the waiting game, which I suppose is a good thing - but never fear, we'll tell you when the baby is here!

Lady M started preschool this past Monday and seems to be adapting quite well so far, likely due to the fact that she's been in a wonderfully structured and educational daycare since she was one. Its a bit of a change though because she is now the youngest in the class, whereas in daycare she was steadily climbing her way to the top! But, since she's going to be a big sister, and undoubtedly possesses my ability to be ever-so-slightly bossy, being the 'little one' may be a good thing for her!

I'm on week two of my maternity leave, which is lovely. In fact, its a bit of a treat that the baby hasn't made his or her appearance quite yet because its giving Lady M and I some Mummy & Me time, which I am soaking up every minute of. On non-preschool days, we're waking up to tea and crafts...what more could you ask for?! My colleagues threw me a baby shower before I finished work and gave me a beautiful diaper bag stuffed full of craft supplies which are now being put to good use. In so many ways, I think its important for Lady M and I to have this special time before our world turns upside down someday soon.

So, I will continue to wake up each morning, check the date in case it becomes the birthday of my new baby, and enjoy tea, crafts, fun and games with my beautiful munchkin until the time comes to meet the newest addition to our family and change our routine a little.