My Everyday Truths

Media and the Cops

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:30:00 +0000

This week, the life of an innocent bystander was unfortunately taken at the mercy of a stray bullet from a Montreal Police force service weapon.

A man (Hamel) was found ripping bags of garbage apart with a knife, in a busy area, in downtown Montreal. He had been engaged with threatening behaviour with a knife. Police interposed, shots were fired. The man in question fell, but also someone else, a 36 year old man, who just happened to be passing by at the wrong time.

And then the media circus began.
As you know, I'm married to a downtown-Montreal police officier. My brother, also is a cop for the RCMP, so yeah, I have an opinion.

Limoges' passing is unfortunate. It's unconceivable that he lost his life, at the hands of a policeman simply for passing by. However, prosecuting the police force for this occurrence serves no purpose. Never are they thanked for a job well done, but when one cop, out of 4000 Montreal policemen fires his service weapon, in a situation we'll never know the scope of-medias are the first to inflict the first casting stone their way.

Perhaps unecessary shots were fired-but there is still no confirmation whether this was the case, or if Limoges' hit was the result of a richochet bullet. Yet, judgement has already fallen on the police force.

And then, if it was ricochet, medias will still be first to point out that the officers in question should have used a different type of constraining method. Were they there? Of course not. Have they ever been faced with a situation, an individual that is unfamiliar, and perhaps unstable, and menacing? Of course not. The police officers in question however, know that the ideal positioning is 21 feet away from a man armed with a knife. They know that statistics show it takes 1.5 seconds for an armed, healthy and motivated individual to breach those 21 feet to plunge his knife in his victim. They know that 45% of all knife stabbings are fatal. The cops reasoned with Hamel, he was in a busy area. They didn't care about the garbage, they cared about disarming him, but mostly, they worried that he might attack someone, since he was certainly unstable.

Next, there will be the argument that Hamel, was just that, unstable, and shouldn't have been shot, since he wasn't in complete control of his acts, and wasn't completely ''there". Well, it's sad to say, but perhaps if this man is out on the streets, with a knife-then it's not the cops that aren't doing their job properly, but rather health centres, institutions, government funding and family-letting him about in this state. Food for thought?

Cops have to make quick decisions in a matter of seconds, and they don't have the time or luxury, unfortunately, to pass everyone in an interview-to establish whether or not they are stable. If security is at stake, they have to do, what they must. Again-we weren't there. Medias weren't there. Some drugs have for effect to make a man as strong as four grown man, that, and take away his rationality- if he was running towards you, with a knife…. Would you wait till he made it near you, to possibly have the opportunity to restrain him with other means, having no garanties he wouldn't stab you first, or would you shoot….?

Two men shot their weapon, not an entire police force. Perhaps it was uncessary, and if that's the case, those individuals will have to live with that fact. It's not the entire force that has to take "a bullet" for those shots. But then again, perhaps it was necessary, we don't know. We can't blame on one hand, and expect the cops to serve and protect on the other.

Let it be noted that in high-stress-level situations, it is impossible to dictate what should have been done, versus what has been done, unless one was there, in the moment.

Let it also be noted that attacking the force with criticism will only strip them of their capacity to assure security, where agents will feel insecure themselve to use necessary force, even when truly necessary, for fear of being reprimanded, by the force, by the medias, and by society.

But again, Limoges passing, is in all this, is absurd, and truly very unfortunate.

Repeats Suck!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:28:00 +0000

The Big Bang theory-repeat, Rules of Engagement-repeat, CSI, Grey's Anatomy-repeat, repeat... Thursday evening, it's summer, or almost summer, but not quite. Regular shows are off for the season, and this used to be my tv night....what the hell am I gonna do?

D has hockey early in the evening, but comes home just late enough for me to think it's "too late to watch a movie"... kids should be off the grid by 7h30 (XX= fingers crossed, both hands)... and I am alone, with nothing to do, and no telly to entertain me.

I feel blah, but don't want to accept the idea that I may be coming down with something-denial... yeah, that's what I'm going with. I don't feel blah enough to go to bed really early though. I'm uninspired to design tonight (it happens), really not motivated enough to put in a few extra hours at work (home office) (although, I could really use the cash: my St-Raphael brandy bottle level is dangerously coming down). Exercise? Elliptical? Please, no. Sounds like a perfect night to read... but it just won't happen...

I know what's going to happen. The kids will be in bed, the lights will be closed, I'll bring the level of my brandy bottle, even lower.... and I will be watching repeats, and I actually will enjoy them, a second time around, I'll even laugh.... but yeah, repeats suck.

A Post a Day Keeps the Therapist Away

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:57:00 +0000

Third day, third post-Is it possible? It can't be...oh but it is!

I thought I'd share my opinions on an article I read today on CaféMom. The article was about high schools, coming up with this plan, which was qualified as ''brilliant'' by the author of the article. The plan, was to call teenage students, to wake them up in the morning... really?.. and this is considered brilliant? Really.

The author went on about how teens have it rough (?!?), on the large amount of homework they have (!?!), on being ''chemically wired'' to being night-owls, yet not having any choice of going to bed late, considering the amount of homework they have...She also stated that schools expect them to be in, and I quote ''at the crack of dawn" and how for all these reasons, we couldn't blame them for wanting to sleep in come morning... and since schools are to blame, the least they could do, is help out...

Bull. That's it. That's all I've got to say. That's what I'm going with: Bull.

Okay, I do have a little more to say (really, are we surprised?). I did reply to the article, of course. I obviously stated that the author was entitled to her opinion, but clearly expressed that this is, in MY humble opionion, the.dumbest.idea......ever.

Teens don't have it rough, they have everything handed to them.

How is a wake-up call preparing these young-almost-adults, for real life... uhm gee, I wish my boss called me to wake me (oh wait, I've got kids for that). This practice, teaches teens anything, but responsibility.

I may have mentionned that perhaps, if kids are so hard to wake in the am, that perhaps, they are going to bed too late. I mentionned, that if they are going to bed late because of homework, perhaps they need to revamp their organisational/ study skills. I mentionned that behold-yes, even teens should have a reasonable curfew. I mentionned that if there's just not enought time after school to ''get it all done'', that perhaps, their schedules are over-filled (with band, and cheerleading, and soccer, and princess tiara-whatever) (side note, I'm not against extra-curricular activities, quite the opposite... I'm against kids having no un-organized time, where shedules are filled to the brim. I'm against ''everything else'' being more important than a child's well being, where it should be understood, that kids need rest, a decent bed time.... and that school should be a priority). If kids need to go to bed really late, it's not because of homework. It's not the school's fault. If this is the case in the author's kid's lives, and others in the same boat.... perhaps their parenting strategies should be re-assessed...just a thought

That is all.

Cheers.

Oy Vey... mustard allergies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:06:00 +0000

Noah has been allergic to mustard (!!!) since he was two. D and I were discussing going to the specialist to re-test him, since allergies come and go when kids, are kids.

Just received a call from our babysitter, who told us Noah had patches on his skin, since she fed him something with mayonnaise (president's choice), and when she verified the ingredients, of course, there was mustard.

Back in 2009, at the allergist's office, when we were told he was allergic to the dirty yellow substance, I remember asking how serious this allergy potentially could be, only to be answered "deadly".... and there went my hot-dog and ham sandwich buffet party meal dreams!

It's one thing to be allergic to something like nuts, It's practically indicated on food item packages, that contents may have been in contact with nuts, even on, say, cheese labels! But being allergic to mustard, quite simply sucks. (hmm, I can see how the nut allergy thing can also suck... if you want cheese and your label says may have been in contact with nuts....right). Did you know there's mustard in mayonnaise? (unless using Hellmann's... thank you Hellmann's). Buying sausages for supper?... Make sure to check the labels........ Mustard finds it's way in so many recipes, from the obvious burgers in kid's meals at Mcd's (and how many times have we had to go back to the counter to to point out that "this burger isn't plain" since we prefer to add the ketchup ourselves), (not that the kids eat Mc'd's too often (chuckle), of course), to mac and cheese recipes.

In any case, My poor babysitter, I can imagine her stress, knowing the seriousness of this allergy, having the epipen with her, wondering if she should be stabbing my son with it, and knowing that SHE had given him something dangerous for him to eat. At least, we know that 1) yes, he is still allergic, 2) In transformed forms (small quantity in mayo), the reaction is not so dramatic (but we won't be taking chances, knowing reactions can worsen with exposure), 3) My sitter handled it like a champ, she rocks!

Just Another Manic Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 May 2011 01:42:00 +0000

So, I went to bed past midnight last night, working on my latest blog themes, design for ALCHEMIST CREATIONS-DESIGN....I was then kept awake for over an hour thinking about things to add on blog templates, new themes, oh, and my pending work day, that would come oh-but-too-soon. I finally fell asleep a little past one am...remember dreaming of css coding (not cool), and then was awoken by the hubs who came to bed at around 2 am, since he had been working evening shifts. (As a side note, I really have no idea how he does it: go to bed so, so, so late (or early (!)), and yet, be up and at em, with the kids, every.single.day, bright and early, without taking a nap even if he has the day off (I would so nap!)... I guess he prefers Facebook Poker. Go figure.

This morning, I had forgotten that I had agreed to start work a little later, in order to finish, also, a little later. Which means, I was ''in the office', (and by that I mean at home in my jammies on the work PC) early.... and still technically had to finish at a later time (bumber), mais c'est la vie. I was dreading the day, and how tired I would be, but it ended up being quite productive, and I was focused (mainly), on my corporate work.... and not my preferred pending designs. Good for me!

So, I'm working on a boyish Superman design inspired by the hubs, and ALCHEMIST CREATIONS DESIGN's Blog header. Tonight however, I took the evening off, considering I've been doing my full time job during the day, mothering, AND putting in mad hours on my design work over the last few days once the kids are in lala land..... and I hadn't spent time with Dan *D*, aka ''the hubs'', who has been evening shift the last four days (er, evenings). All we did, is watch the season finale of Supernatural (I KNOW!!! Gosh Castiel! (thank you torrents!)(side, side note: I heart Misha Collins= yum, then again: Jensen Ackles, double yum). Now, D is s off to the man-land, aka ''the basement'', to watch Monday Night Raw (wrestling ) and I'm technically off to bed, but thought I'd recap the day and any pending thoughts, so that sleepy time, would be smooth sailing tonight, so that's it, I'm off!

Quick update

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 15:45:00 +0000

New posts coming shorthly! It's been a busy last couple of months! I'm back at work, the kids have changed daycares, the house still isn't cleaning itself... busy.

Yesterday was Logan's 1st Birthday! Time flies. I wrote up a ''Dear Logan'' blog, using a blog application on my Ipod, but when I came to publish it... poof, vanished! And so, my ''Dear Logan'' blog will be late, but it's not forgotten!

Looking forward to getting back in the groove of writing regularly!

I Must be Doing Something Wrong

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:16:00 +0000

It was while I was nursing my almost-nine-month old baby back to sleep, for like, the 4th time sometime last week, that it hit me: I Must be Doing Something Wrong!!!

Noah, my first son, didn't sleep for the first six months of his life. He was exclusively nursed and slept in the playpen in our room. (ERROR!) He wouldn't nap on his own either, so we made a habit of napping together,(ERROR!) which truth be told, I more than welcomed. After he turned 4 months (and had taken a total of only five bottles, (ERROR!) he wouldn't have any). Being alone to handle nights, (ERROR!) since he would only nurse, I guess we can say that I was ~~somewhat~~ sleep deprived. Noah would wake about ten times a night from the time he was four months old, and then when he turned six months, we moved him into the crib in his own room, (FINALLY DID SOMETHING RIGHT!) I he finally slept through the night.

Sleeping, or the lack thereof, was our major problem with Noah, but, as I said, as of six months of age, he would sleep 12 hours a night, to my great relief. My next issue with him, was the fact that he wouldn't take a bottle. We started him early on the sippy cup, he would drink a little water, but he would never want any milk or formula in it. I was stressed about returning to work, and him not wanting any sort of milk. I was worried sick that my baby would be so thirsty and that he'd be missing out on the good stuff milk was supposed to give him. Too much worry for nothing. Turns out, he became a champ sippy cup drinker, and he has to this day, never taken any milk, hates it, can't swallow it, makes him puke... but guess what, he is, extremely healthy !*knock on wood*.

Now, my dear, sweet Logan... He is was my calm baby who liked to sleep. He had been doing really well. He's never really slept through the night, but he could go five-six hours without waking (and apparently, that is sleeping through he night for babies, ack!) But, and of course, there had to be a ''but'', when he turned five months old, he had a pretty harsh cold where he hardly slept, and since then, he's never slept really well. He also started teething right about that time too (and now has five teeth, and a sixth on the way)! Over the course of the last two weeks, he's been waking up almost every hour, and I have stupidly been nursing him back to sleep, (ERROR!) since it's the easiest and quickest way I'm back in bed. Also, Logan will have nothing to do with food. Well, he is interested in eating, he is just incapable of swallowing (and he's another one who wants nothing to do with the bottle), so of course, these aspects play in allowing him to nurse, seeing that I worry he's not getting all he needs from solids. Aye. I realise that I'm pretty much shooting myself in the foot, creating a bad habit, but I'm just waaayyyy too tired to let him cry it out, not feeding him, and I'm quasi-alone to do so. And, talk about not learning, he is, still sleeping in the playpen in our room.(ERROR!).. it just seems that putting up the crib in his room, is a project that gets placed on the backburner... (hint hint Dan)..... And to add to this rant, this one, who isn't a great napper to start with, will have nothing to do with me napping with him! Good grief! Someone throw me a bone!... but a valium will do!

So, looking at all this, how both my kids really didn't sleep well, or at all (!!!), didn't take the bottle, both had some type of feeding problem, it makes me look at myself and question if it's me... and when I try to convince myself that it isn't me, I look at the state of my house, and how we somehow have turned into some sorts of slobs, I realise that it is me, and that I Must be Doing Something Wrong... perhaps even all of it. Oye.

My ''No Spending'' Experiment

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:28:00 +0000

I'm a nutcase job when it comes to making my budget, on paper. I think budgets are sexy, that' right... I said the ''s'' word. My budget is made for well over a year in advance, that way, I know, say, next February, that I'm not in the red financially, again, on paper that is. Doing this, as crazy as it sounds, makes me feel anything but, it reassures me. Yet, after careful review of my budgets over the course of the last few months, it would seem that we've always managed to overspend (read over-overspend)! I planned to rectify this and spend only what was necessary for the next month. Apparently, according to financial advisors, giving yourself a break from spending is a great method to get your budget back on track.

We budgetted for the essential necessities, from gas to groceries, to diapers. All other bills that had to be paid came out of our accounts automatically. To purchase our ''necessities,'' we lived on cash alone. This has been, to say the least, a valuable, eye-opening experience.

First, we have learned that although there are infinite luxuries to be purchased, only few people can afford to bathe in them, without acquiring debt. I keep hearing Dr.Phil's words in my head over and over again, ''you don't finance toys!'' By living on cash alone, on the projected budget we had established, we realised that money does run out.

Knowing that money runs out helps us not spend mindlessly. It's okay if we can't go to the movies this month or if we can't eat out. It will make us healthier and it will even make me a better cook, ''Rachael Ray, hear me roar!'' My house is one big mess of little projects that are begging for attention: from organising my office, to the kids' toys...We realised that when money runs out, our lives do not.

I've learned that when I am bored, I tend to want to go shopping and spend. I've learned that if I don't have a plan for dinner, or if I'm too tired, I tend to want to order something in. I had to take this new-found knowledge and find ways to curve these habbits. And so, we found ways to stay occupied. We planned our groceries and menus better. We found new ways to fill our time.

When you don't spend for things that you don't need, you realise how plentiful your life already is. You realise how little you actually need to be happy. You find joy in the little things, in rediscovering movies in your DVD collection that you loved, in dusting off old board games, in remembering card games from your past, in cooking wholesome meals, in getting on the floor to play with your ~~tornados~~, kids.

Going a month without spending is certainly an exercice I recommend, not only to ''weed out'' possible financial pitfalls, but also to learn, or to rediscover that life is more than what you can purchase. After this month, I think that our spending habbits will have been tweaked for the better. My budget is back on track, and I'm sure we're going to be well on our way to a healthy (healthier) financial future. Yay!

An Allowance Please?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:33:00 +0000

My son Noah, randomly wanted to buy a toy car. When I told him that mommy didn't have the money right now, he then said he wanted to ''buy'' money. This had my hamster start running in his wheel, in other words, it got me thinking about the importance of teaching my kids a few lessons concerning money early on. While discussing this with my husband, we decided it was time to give our kids an allowance. Problem: We quickly realised that we have two different view points when it comes to what conditions should be considered in giving the said allowance. We could decide to give a fixed amount weekly so that the kids learn how to manage a steady ''income'', or, we could give them ''compensation'' for the completion of chores or given tasks. Neither of us was convinced that our perspective was the correct one to have. What was the lesson we wanted to teach our millionaires-in-the making?

Money Management: Kids will learn about money skills if they have it. No money, so skills. The goal behind offering a weekly fixed amount, is to begin teaching your kids the basics of money management, like saving for a specific desired item, delaying immediate gratification, and knowing how much they can spend now. They can better budget just like you and me, knowing generally when and how much money is expected (without worry that they won't get the predicted amount if their beds aren't made). For these reasons, money should not be tied to chores. The lesson in giving an allowance is not about earning money, or that money isn't free, it's about money management.

But, Money isn't Free:

I get a paycheck to accomplish some work. I don't do the work, I don't get the money. Sure I'd prefer taking some days off watching soap operas, or going shopping, but I need the money (to go shopping), and so I have to be responsible and do the work that's expected of me. ''Do your chores, you'll get money; don't do them, no money!'' Thus, an allowance can be a great way to teach your kids about responsibility, the value of money, and that money isn't free.

What did we decide? We agreed that it was up to us to teach our kids how to manage their finances. Too many young adults find themselves way over their heads in debt. We also want to teach our kids about hard work and responsibility. Contribution to household chores is a responsibility that is to be expected regardless of an allowance, in proportion to the children's age and capacity. No one pays me to do the laundry (when I actually do it, Thanks honey!)... It is their home as well after all. We've decided to give the kids an allowance, no strings attached. We're also not going to encourage loans outside their allowances. The kids have their chores, and should they want a bonus, so to speak, they have to do something above and beyond, like clean the car for example.

My kids will know where money comes from, that it runs out, and that hard work pays! Problem solved!

Only Fools Don't Change Their Minds: Project 52

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:28:00 +0000

For an introduction to Project 52, click here.

So, I've changed my mind, again. Yes, again, I know! I thought I had it, my great project idea I was going to present for 52 weeks. I went from attempting to present a new scapbooking page every week, (and not presenting any of course, none, nada), to opting for simplicity. I had decided to write a specific weekly blog post on a subject that I know. I know about law and finance...yawn, Zzzzzzzzzzzz, snore, and that's where I lost you I think. Sure, the plan was to make these two subjects interesting, perhaps even fun...(?) but a week passed, and I've been uninspired...How could I pull this off for a year(!)? The subjects I chose are out of line with the general aura of my little blog. I don't want Project 52 to have a different tone than the rest. (Note to self: think longer before posting).

Last night, I was thinking (it happens), and came up with the idea of a weekly post on something new I learned that week. Doable? I'm sure I could commit to learning something new every week, so yes. Interesting? Unless I decided to take on new oven cleaning techniques as a subject, I don't see why not, so yes (I apologise to those who might have enjoyed this specific oven cleaning post). But the tone, It's all about the TONE! I try to keep my little corner of cyberspace light, I'd be afraid to have some posts not align themselves with (say it with me), the aura of My Everyday Truths... and so I crumbled up that idea and tossed it into the waste basket...but I missed!

I picked up my crumbled, and tossed idea, unfolded it neatly and played with it. Like the Ta-daa, Eureka, ''I'm a pc and Windows 7 was my idea'' moments in those Windows 7 commercials, it hit me: Weekly learnings for my kids. It's perfect. These can be true learnings, to opportunities of offering ridiculous laugh-out-loud insights to what should be obvious learnings... like ''Noah dear, no, we do not put out feet in the toillet''.....true story.

So, as we say: ''Third time's the charm,'' let's see how this will pan out. Join me to see what I'll be teaching my kids over the course of the next year...

Tata
(note to self, never teach them to say tata)

Aveeno Baby Soothing Bath Treatment Review (1)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 01:20:00 +0000

My little guy, Noah, has quite the problem, eczema-ish skin. Everything makes it react in some way. Too much dairy and he's covered in itchy, red plaques; dry, cold weather, and his skin is reptile like... Thank goodness for Aveeno.

Aveeno Baby Soothing Bath Treatment comes in a box with 5 packets. It is found in most pharmacies, or basically anywhere you'll find diapers. The box sells anywhere between 5.99$ and 8.99$.

Instructions on how to use the product are fool-proof. 1) Open packet, 2) disperse in bath. 3) Soak baby in bath for a few minutes.

The content, quite simply is natural colloidal oatmeal, which has been finely milled into a powder, and this powder, once dispersed in water, becomes a milky bath.

After using this product a few times, Noah's skin was visibly softer to the touch, the irritation had certainly diminished and the itchiness was gone. Gone! We use it every two or three days seeing that using it everyday would turn out to be quite detrimental to my wallet. The product is said to relieve dry, itchy, irritated skin, and so far, it has done everything it claims, and has brought much relief for my son.

The product also claims to''temporarily protect and help relieve minor irritaion and itching due to: rashes, eczema, poison ivy, oak, sumac and insect bites.'' I can't confirm or infirm these claims as I have not been in a situation to prevent my son's skin condition beforehand, and I'm not too inclined to say ''Hey sweetheart, why don't you go run in the ivy to see if this works to prevent a rash,'' but I can confirm that once the skin is affected, the product certainly helps. Perhaps using it longterm will prevent the breakouts before they occur, or atleast diminish their occurances? I hope so.

Two thumbs up from this momma for Aveeno Baby Soothing Bath Treatment!

This is Epic!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 02:46:00 +0000

Okay, so, there's nothing really epic... I may have exagerated a little to get you to read this post...but remember, these are MY everyday truths, and so it's all about MY version of things, and thus, I can't be held to a standard of complete accuracy. So there!

My 8 month old son won't eat. Logan is just so completely infatuated with my boobs, he's decided that he could live on nothing but love and mother's milk. Can you blame him though?

Actually, he does want to eat, he just has no clue whatsoever as how to swallow the darn food...I mean, it's not rocket science. He prefers to gag and choke...it's liquid cereal for crying out loud!

To be fair, I took him to the ped today. Apparently, he's doing great! He's big and strong ... No kidding, he's attached to my boob so often, he's practically become an accessory to my outfits (when I dress up).

So after explaining how to introduce solids and in what order ("uhm, excuse me doc, this ain't my first spawn") , the doctor tells me to put cereal in his bottle, yeah right, a bottle. Boob or bottle, that's a no brainer, of course my difficult eater whose had a boob in his mouth for the last 8 months will obviously accept the bottle, just like that (insert sarcasm here)... Problem solved.

Okay, I'm just bumbed a little cause it seems like I rarely have time to shower before the next time my boobs are called in to work. It seems like they're doing quite a bit of overtime, without pay. I was just hoping to slowly start weaning, but apparently, not eating makes my 20 pounder extra hungry. I just hope he's off the boob before he tells me "mama, I think we should see other people".

Wordless Wednesday (1)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:36:00 +0000

Toy Story Versus Disney Princesses

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 00:09:00 +0000

Today, while I was preparing my meal plan, grocery list, and clipping coupons for the week (cause I'm a mom, and that's what moms do. I think.), I dropped a Pullups coupon and Noah picked it up for me. Before handing it over, he looked at it carefully, only to decide he wanted the pink bag of diapers over the blue. Let me spell this out for you: Noah is a boy, they don't get any more boyish than him. The blue diaper bag is "Toy Story" themed. The pink bag is all about Disney princesses. Noah, my boy, wants a bag of princess diapers.

So what do I do? (no really, I don't know, what do I do?)

Had Noah been a girl asking for Toy Story diapers, I'd never have given the issue any thought, but the opposite warrants a rather obnoxious debate in this ol' head of mine.

I could say "yes," showing him at a tender age that there is no right or wrong choice when it comes to what society stereotypically thinks are gender based decisions...

I could just say "no," but then I'd be shaping his preferences based on what society dictates the norm is.

And this makes me wonder why the debate over what to do even exists. It comes down to what people think, or even perhaps to the fear of allowing my son like something we think should be reserved for little girls. Yet, I'm thinking that Noah is probably not off being seduced by the princesses (they're hot!), no really, kidding aside: If we as parents, and if society did not impose these ''blue is for little boys, and pink is for little girls'', or, ''Dora is for little girls and Diego is for little boys'' stereotypes, at such a young age, our children would be free to like what truly appeals to them, and not what we shape them to like. Our children might inturn be better equipped, at least, more practiced in the ''art'' of decision making, and affirming what they truly like/want, and I doubt that this would have a negative impact on their development...Just saying.

Fishing for popular opinion, I asked what to do about my son wanting ''girlie'' diapers. I've received a few replies from ''telling him there weren't any in the store'', or ''humour him,'' or that maybe he was at that phase where he wanted them to ''dress up''. This all goes to show how engrained gender stereotypes are, even amongst modern, open-minded, amazing women and moms. I received a refreshing comment from Monica, a friend who just gave birth to a gorgeous little boy, she put it quite accurately simply by saying '' He doesn't see it as girlie Kath!'' And so, I think she's right, and I will get him his princess diapers this one time, but I am secretly hoping that they still have ''Cars'' diapers'', and so, the princesses will be forgotten... Fingers (shamefully) crossed.

Jibberish can be Beautiful

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 02:23:00 +0000

So my blog has just survived a major makeover. It wasn't quite ''a day at the spa,'' but I, ~~we,~~ ok, it, came out tweaked and trimmed, and ready to rock and roll. (Almost like when you go for a therapeutic massage and come out sore: you know the treatment did you good, but owie-iii). As we say in French, ''il faut souffrir pour être belle'' (One's got to suffer to be beautiful) ((Silly notion, I know))...Alright, enough with the parenthesis.

Why the change? Meh, who needs a reason to go to the salon (or the spa(!))? And, me being completely out of the personal makeover loop (hence, I did not have a said massage, although I really, really, really need one), with caring for a toddler and a sleepless, nursing. baby, (and those said kids both being boys so I don't have little girls to play dress up with, or have hair to style and nails to paint), I figured, a blog makeover was the next best thing. Brilliant or pathetic? Wait, don't tell me.

It's been fun. Actually, I've discovered that I (heart), (not ready to say ''love'' yet, it's too fast for that kind of committment), web designing, graphic designing, HTML writing, what have you. This might have something to do with how writing a bunch of jibberish codes and signs, turn into something artistic, something real, something that has the potential of being awesome and beautiful! It's like composing music where more jibberish (notes, notations, squiggly signs) turn into sonatas, or how specific combinations of jurisprudence and law articles build a winning formula to sucessfully pleading a law case, or how mathematical formulas (more jibberish) can be the basis of a brilliant archetectural design... Okay, I think you get the point. Considering that creativity disciplines are part of the right cerebral cortex of the brain, and that mathematic skills come from the left hemisphere, I believe when both hemispheres meet (''hello there'') and are at play, magic is made. I've always loved order, but I'm an artist at heart, so when ''jibberish'' (think: signs, math, codes) creates, I'm a happy camper!

Oh yeah, right, my blog design. I like it (for now...). I like my new little chick avatar (noooo, not the blue na'vi from Avatar) that I made. Sure it's a young look. Maybe I'm just an ~~old~~ mature woman wanting something fresh to make her feel younger?... Maybe I'm just a kid. Maybe, just maybe, I'll keep this design long enough that my chick Avatar will be on the cover of my pending book deal...(cough). Maybe not. Meanwhile, cheers, and let me know what you think!

Kate

Project 52

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:34:00 +0000

As you'll recall from my ''Forgotten Scrapbooking'' post, I had originally planned to take on a 52 week scrapbooking project. I was going to create an original scrapbook page, once a week, and present it here, on my blog. That project didn't turn out too succesfull, actually, let's call it what it is, it's been a total failure. Eeek.

Although it seemed like a great project idea at the time, I didn't consider how tired and busy I'd be. I didn't account for the kids being sick, or myself. I didn't account for the lack of motivation, and most of all, I didn't account for the logistics involved in having the necessary material on hand, and ready; the pictures taken and printed and with all that, I had to come up with a brilliant and original scrapbook page and design, Every week.

I'm not starting this specific project over. However, I do like the idea of doing something every week, for 52 weeks). I thought long and hard (yeah, this is where you laugh) about what I could do different this time, for this project to work out, and I came up with one notion: Simplicity.

I'm going to write a weekly post for Project 52. I'm going to share some knowledge that can be useful to others. It's going to be a post about something I know. So, What do I know? I know about law, and I know about finance. Don't shudder yet. The goal is to bring some light, and simplicity, even, dare I say it? Interest; Interest, in two areas, that, let's face it, tend to bore people. When at a loss for words in either of these fields, I'll write on a subject featured in the current affairs of the week. I'll try to focus on areas that can be encountered in daily life, and on areas that can truly be useful.

There you have it. This is Project 52. I hope you'll join me and discover a bit of information that you may not have known... and perhaps, perhaps, even enjoy it!

Change is Good

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:15:00 +0000

Just a brief note to mention, as you've probably noticed, that my blog is going through a massive reconstruction phase. Changes should be complete soon.

Feel free to make any suggestions by sending a contact form, which you will find in the menu options by clicking ''Contact.''

I'm trying to make my blog as user friendly as possible, all the while being aesthetically pleasing.

Stay tuned for my new segment entitled ''Project 52''.

If you haven't become a fan of My Everyday Truths, please join me on facebook by clicking here, or come tweet with me: http://twitter.com/kathryngiroux.

See you soon!

Kate

Dear Noah,

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:37:00 +0000

My dearest Noah,

Today, you turned three. You've been my rascal for three wonderful years. Sometimes I wish I could freeze time and keep you exactly how you are right now. You've brought me more joy than you'll ever know. I've loved you more than any words could possibly describe.

You're my constant reminder to strive to be better in anything, and everything, for you. You make me want to be a model worthy of your admiration. I want to teach you everything you'll need to become a happy, little man.

It's been three years already, and yet only three years, but then again, I can't imagine a life without you. Even today, your smiles make me all buttery inside. You know exactly how to get to me.

We've have lots of firsts together. You're my first child, my first baby, my first son. I've been a mom for the first time with you. We'll have a lifetime of figuring things out together, for the first time...Thank you for choosing us as your parents, we're so blessed, so very blessed.

I love seeing the world through your eyes. You bring a fresh new perspective to everything. I love how you learn, how everything is special when it's new for you. You remind us to stay fascinated with simple things. You add some of your own quirky humour in everyday situations. We laugh so much because of you... You're just an incredibly funny, and witty little guy.

Too wise for your own good, so independant at times, you can have quite the attitude, and you're one who will have to be kept in line, so to speak. You can certainly drive us crazy, totally up the walls. You can make the better come out of us, but also the worse.... but although sometimes we might get angry, we love you so tremendously, all the time, no matter what. We're proud of you, and of the little guy you're becoming.

Sweet Noah, I know you want to stay our baby (since your brother has ''stolen'' that role from you), but you're a fantastic big brother, and I thank you for that. Logan is lucky to have you, to have you kiss and hug him like you do, to have you make him laugh and comfort him. We love the little names you've given Logan over the last 6 months, logidoo, Logi, so many more... you call him your baby. :-)

I don't want to forget anything about the last three years, if I could have documented all of life's little moments with you, I would have... fond memories.... but I know, we'll have many, many more.

Things to remember:

We bribe you to eat chicken nuggets with asparagus (?!)

You talk A LOT... all the time!

You love dancing, you love music.....

You make up little songs all the time

You love FLASH MCQUEEN.... and actually decided that you were him.

You climb on everything and are fearless, except when it comes to lying on your back in elevation.

You love water and swimming

You love snacking

You love red and blue... but kind of thought your sister's pink room was pretty cool

You're a big fan of routines and rituals

You adore your family (grandma and godfather, and grandpa, and matante chantal), etc)

You're daddy's little boy

My sweet Noah bear, I hope you know just how much I love you. Three years ago today, my heart ceased being my own, you've changed my life, twisted it in all the right ways. I love you, I love you, I love you.

Happy Birthday my love, I hope this new year is a great one!

Love, mom, mamou, maman d'amour XXX

Noah Getting Into Trouble

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 01:12:00 +0000

Just last night I wrote about how I know that Noah will probably have a knack at getting into trouble once in school. Well... It's begun!

My daycare provider was thrilled to inform me that today, during naptime, my dear Noah decided to get out of his play pen... Uhoh. But wait!

Noah joined his little friend, William, another rascal, and they decided to have a party in the bathroom.

I heard a huge thump in the monitor, and then over and over again, a noise ressembling the toillet shutter being smacked closed....

But it was too late, these two little kiddies had already emptied the water from the toillet bowl with little bowls. There was well over an inch of water on the floor in my babysitters`s bathroom! Noah was wet from head to toe! Let's hope the toillet was clean!

Oh Noah!

Third Birthday Milestone Mommy Anxiety

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:32:00 +0000

This week, I'm being faced with a dilema. I'm having to come to terms with a milestone: My little coconut is turning three next Monday and we're celebrating with immediate family this coming Saturday. Three! Yikes!

I've been a mom for three years. (!) My heart stopped being my own three years ago. Worrying daily has become a daily way of life. I look at my baby, and realise that he is no longer that, a baby (although since Logan has arrived, he still insists that he's our little baby).... He'll always be my first baby.... although he's becoming such a cute big boy!

Who has my little Noah bear become over the last three years? I remember looking at him when he was just a little bundle of a baby, and wondering who he'd be, how he'd be, what kind of character he'd have. Was I in for a surprise!

Noah is such a strong little boy, and yet, so, so, so very sensitive. He's definitely daddy's little boy. He grew attached to extended family members quite young, and has an AMAZING memory for everyone that he's been in contact with. At daycare all the little kids love him, and yet, he can be quite non-chalant with many. He's the alpha of sorts, kind of. He still talks about all his little friends, all the time. He's not a fan of hugs and kisses, unless he asks for them... (sigh). *or unless they're from dad * (double sigh)...

Noah, is my little rascal: always climbing, jumping, running; quite the little ball of energy. He's always been on the go, a bad napper in the earlier days, and a horrible sleeper at night for the first six months, I thought then that my days of sleeping 7 hours in a row were over. Little did I know that 6 months onwards, he'd be sleeping 11-12 hours a night (Thank goodness!)

Is Noah a good big brother? Yes! He adores Logan, and wants him to go away all at the same time. I say that he doesn't like hugs or kisses... but for Logan, that's a whole different story. (Mind you, that a kiss and a hug might be followed by a slap on the head).... He's definitely jealous, he definitely misses being the baby...but he also definitely loves his little brother. I see it everyday when he wants to share his toys (not always appropriate toys) with him. I see it when he shows off everything he has to Logan. I see it with the multitude of hugs and kisses, and I see it with how he incorporates Logan in all the cute and weird and funny little songs he invents. A-B-C-D-E-F-Logan, H-I-J-K-L-M-N Logan .... so cute.

Noah also adores his big sister, Alexina who is 9, but he's the boss. He jumps on her, and pulls her hair, and tells her what to do, and yells at her for her to come up the stairs for dinner.... and what's worse? She listens!

Down the road, a few years from now, who has he led me to believe he'll become (judging by how he is now)?...Noah will be the class clown, he's always trying to find ways to make us laugh, and does he ever succeed! He'll also be the jock. He loves hockey, loves to skate, loves the water, loves soccer, and has quite the mean throwing skills. He probably won't be much of an artist (he likes to draw now and then, but is kind of lazy, or bored in this area. He might have a penchant for the musical side of arts... we'll see (mom might encourage him a little here, if he wants, of course)! I think his grades will be fine since he appears to have inherited mommy's memory...and hopefully my brains for math and not Dan's... but I also think he'll get in trouble A LOT, and disturb some more. (and to the principle's office we'll go). My little guy can have quite the attitude, and so, I give thanks that he fell on parents who believe that discipline is love.

Three... just a week from now. God I love him!

Pictures to follow (no pics on this comp).

Absence

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:52:00 +0000

Just a brief note to explain the lack of any recent posts:

1) First, both kiddies were sick, in other words, the only spare time I had, I caught up on sleep, or tried to at least.
2) Our 2008 home pc screen died.
3) My sweet Noah spilled my coffee over our new summer of 2009 laptop...(ouch!)
4) Laptop is dead, R.I.P
5) ~~I don't blog from my Ipod~~, I can`t blog from my Ipod.

Now, kids are kind of healthy, (as healthy as can be with this hot again, cold again temperature we're having) Next, my brother has loan us his pc screen, problem number 2 solved. Third, My dad has relinguished his dinosaur of a laptop (it'll have to do for now). Four, well, can't do anything about that one. Sniff. And thus, I'll attempt to get back in the groove of blogging since I do miss it tremedously... However, I still haven't completely caught up on my lack of sleep, so be kind, be patient, don't judge! :-)

Cheers!

K

Get Organized With Google Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:10:00 +0000

Busy! Busy! Busy!

I'm an organisation nutcase. Really. I live to make lists! I can never wait until January each year, only to get started in a brand new agenda!

There's something about a brand new agenda: filling it with schedules, special dates, writing neatly in different colored pens assigned for different categories. Ahhhhhh... The bliss! I've even bought a brand new agenda, after "messing up'' my initial brand new agenda, with less than neat writing, or errors. In January, it has to be perfect (Although come October, I pretty much just scribbble whatever I need to in it).... (Don't be fooled however, everything is super organised on paper perhaps, in action, not so much...) These days... an agenda is never enough. Let me explain: Me, work, appointments, meetings, kid # 1, kid #2, kid #3, doctor's checkups for all said kids, vaccinations, dance lessons, art lessons, hubby's irregular schedule, pay days, things to do, custody for kid # 1... All these categories quite simply, do not fit in one agenda. This being said, I refuse to carry more than one agenda. ...

About a year ago, I discovered an online calendar, supported by Google. It's brilliant. It's easy and complete. Best of all? It's free!!! Google claims that all you need is a valid google account, but I use Hotmail, and I have access with that (?!?!). Instructions on how to sign up will be included at the end of this post. But first, let me introduce you to Google Calendar:

What's so great about it you ask? Well, for starters: Color! You can color-code every single aspect in your life. Notice on the left side of the calendar, a checklist with different colours? Those are the different subjects (calendars) available. What's also really great about the color schemes, is the possibility of either viewing all of the subjects (calendars), or only those you select by hiding the layers. For example. If I assigned blue to ''work'', turquoise to ''meetings'', and navy to ''work assignments'', if I needed to see only these work related fields, those would be the only three categories I would check in the boxes, and tada, a calendar, with only my work life would sit before me! Magic!

Something else I find fantastic is the view options. You can view the calendar, as a monthly page, a weekly, a 7 day week, a daily page, or as an agenda. With nothing but a click, you can change from one viewing option to the next. All view options maintain the color-coding schemes you'll have assigned.

Thirdly, I adore the fact that you can Import or export your calendar to and from other calendar platforms you may be using such as Microsoft Outlook or Apple ICal, and others. The importing or exporting does not change the integrity of the document.

Also worth a mention is the reminder system available. You can set-up reminders for appointments, at your convenience, say, 2 days in advance for example. These reminders can be emailed to you or even SMS-ed to you. My hubby, can't organize anything for the life of him (sorry D), and so I take care of everything. The emailed reminders is a great way to communicate any important things in our lives. I for one, have my daily agenda emailed to me everyday at 5h00 am... I have no reason to forget anything, unless the internet crashes, and when does that happen!?!?

What else? I love the fact that I can share this calendar with whomever I please. It can be a private calendar, or a public calendar, or one you share with specific people only. We have shared custody of A, and the custodial calendar can be hectic with a 9 year old who takes dance classes, drawing classes, skies, and has a pretty hectic social life. This has proven to be our preferred tool to communicate with A's mother, where A is at any given time in the year, and any important schedule changes. The color coding has made it so easy. I could also make A's mother an administrator where she could also make changes, but I refuse to relinquish any power... Mwuahahahahaha! And Noooo, A's mother does not have access to all of our schedules, only what concerns her since as an adminstrator, I choose which calendars in my master calendar, she has access to. Amazing!

5) Finally, last but not least, I have a love-love relationship with my ipod. I'm on mat leave, it's winter, I'm not driving, and I'm nursing, so I don't go out much (at all practically)... thus, my Ipod has brought me much joy, being my main method of communication (Facebook and Twitter) and entertainment. Sure, at home, I'm connected to the net at all times, and easily have access to my calendar, but what about when I do go out, where I'm no longer connected to the net (gasp!) ? Well, suffice to say that there's this application called Calengoo supported by Google of course, which lets you have access to your calendar at all times. You can view it, and change it, and everything will be synced to your online calendar, the next time you sign in to your account online. Brilliant!

Added perks:

-you can use a tasks list;

-when booking appointments, there's a map option, and if you click it, it takes you to a map of the location you have entered;

-you can move appointments by simply clicking and dragging, and you can easily change the appointments to different categories (calendars) by editing the appointment. Easy.

-There's a tour, a discussion group and a help centre with many, many answers...

Now looking at my daily agenda, it seems that it's right about nap time for me... and you, you should get organised with Google Calendar! (And no, I'm not being paid to say this)!

----------------------------------------------

Taken directly from Google help centre:

How to sign upPrint

If you have a Google Account, just visit the Google Calendar homepage, enter your Google Account email and password, and click Sign in. That's it!

If you don't yet have an account with us, just visit the Google Calendar homepage and click Create a new Google Account. Once you've completed the process, just sign in to Google Calendar using your new account.

(ps: I use Hotmail)...

The Best Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies... EVER!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:29:00 +0000

Today, I'm bored. Noah's at daycare, Hubby is working, and baby is sleeping. I could nap, I could clean the house, I could re-write my ''Get Organized!'' post that I managed to delete, but, I was craving cookies... and so I baked. I looked up various oatmeal cookies, and played around with a few of the recipes, adding a little bit of that here, and taking out a little bit of that there, only to discover that I had made the Bestest, chewiest Oatmeal-Cinnamon cookies a mouth could hope for.... and so I had to blog about it too.

1 cup butter or shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp vanilla essence

2-3 tbsp molasses (3!!!)

1 cup of flour
1-2 tsp cinnamon... I use one and a half.

1 pinch of salt (1 tsp)

1 tsp of baking soda

3 cups oatmeal (Not instant)!!!

optional: Chocolate chips, nuts, raisins... I didn't add anything, except for my last batch, where I sprinkled a few miniature chocolate chips to please the kiddos!... and most probably the hubby aswell!

Action:

Preheat oven to 350 F

Cream the butter or shortenning along with the sugar

Combine with eggs (well beated beforehand)

Add Vanilla essence

Add molasses ( I actually forgot the molasses until the very end, but still added to the batter, and the cookies still turned out delish!

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, the salt, the baking soda and the cinnamon. Sift together.

Combine to the egg-sugar mixture.

If adding any of the optional additions, do so now.

Add oats last and stir mixture together.

Spoon onto greased cookie sheet. (Confession: my cookie sheets were's so neat, and so I decided to add parchemin paper, and grease that... horrific idea. The cookies were pretty much glued to the paper... but oh so tasty and I know because I had to help myself to the bits and pieces I had to scrape off... of course!)

Bake for 10 minutes (either top rack or bottom rack). Remove from oven, place on cooling rack and let cool... and Enjoy! Get in my belly!

CONTACT ME

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:31:00 +0000

PR

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:55:00 +0000

To Come