Ponder

This is a post I have been thinking about for awhile now. I am a stay at home mom for now and I have found something that really bothers me. Why is it that your childless friends think that your time is not as valuable as theirs is?

Now I am not saying that all my friends do this to me all the time, but there have been quite a few instances in the last few months where we have made a date to get together and the friend has bailed at the last second or called after they were supposed to be there. I understand that they have busy lives and when they call up and ask what I am doing later in the afternoon I am usually going to respond, "Nothing." However, what I mean by "nothing" is probably not what they think it is. I am going to try to get Aidan down for a nap. I am after that, going for a walk somewhere with him so that he doesn't turn into Tantrum Boy.

If I am waiting for a friend to come over, and if then said boy gets up early I am trying to entertain him until that friend is supposed to show up. Sometimes the boy sleeps later and that also messes things up, but only if the friend actually makes it to my house on time. I would chalk it up to just the one friend, but it has happened to me with others too. I know they had good reasons for being much later than they anticipated, and I can understand that. What I don't understand is people not calling to let me know they are going to be late or that they are going to blow me off entirely.

How much, in the time of cell phones, and they all have them, does it take to let someone know you are going to be late? A minute? Two? Or if we have made plans earlier in the week, the day before whatever, just call me in the morning if you don't think you are going to make it. That would piss me off much less. I am adaptable. I can make other plans. It is the holding pattern that you get in if you have plans with someone and half an hour after they were supposed to be there, then they call, that pisses me off.

People, stay at home moms do have a life. I am glad to have you in mine, but please, for the love of god, call if you are going to be late. That is all I ask!

(Anyone agree on this? Or am I just being a bitch?)

And I Didn't Cry

Today Aidan got his first real haircut. Not just a trim. Not a hair here and there. A full blown haircut. I really liked his baby curls, soft hair, in his face, feathering around his ears. It made him look both angelic and mischevious at the same time.








The only problem with hair like this is the toddlers penchant for doing things himself. This means that when they are eating, everything, and I mean everything gets in their hair. This isn't the worst however, the worst is when your toddler has a cold.

Last week Aidan had a head cold. You know, one of those messy ones with lots of snot. Now, I know that some people take the time to style their hair with gel. Snot is not a good alternative. In fact it is damn hard to get out of hair. So hard in fact that you would think that I could actually sculpt a mohawk in Aidan's hair.

Now my baby boy has a really boyish haircut. No curls, no hair in his eyes. He looks so grown up. Sigh. 16 months and he looks like a small adult. Well, maybe not. I think I wouldn't feel so sad if it hadn't been my plan to get it cut. I knew that my husband needed his hair cut and I had to wash so much stuff out of Aidan's hair this last week or two that I knew in my head that he needed his hair cut too.

Now my husband has written for our family blog about the experience more eloquently than I can. So check out the post. I will just leave you with some pictures of my new boy.

Happy Anniversary

Anthony, you have made me so happy in the 6 years of our marriage and the 9 years previous that we have been together. There are not enough words to tell you how much I love you.

Happy Anniversary!

New Cousin

Aidan welcomes his new cousin Petranella Marie. She was born yesterday at 1 am eastern time. She weighed 8lbs 10 oz and is 21 inches long. We can't wait to get more details and pictures.

Congratulations Andreana and Sean!

Baby Crack

No, not that kind of crack. The kind that keeps them glued to one spot. The kind that lets you strap a mask on the poor child and get through a half hour of medication into a struggling infant. The kind that lets you take the child you are taking care of downstairs for a nap and knowing that you son will not have moved at all. You know that he is safe and not showing you how small he can make himself by going under the baby gate and into the always fun bathroom. (Or going down the stairs by himself in a tumbling scare your mother to death kind of way.)



Yes boys and girls I am talking about the Veggie Tales Sing Along Videos. They are better than any other tv show. Aidan has always liked them. In fact when he was very small I used to feel guilty about letting him watch tv at all. But I soon got over it when I realized that I could actually get something to eat or, god forbid, go to the bathroom.



Now that I am taking care of my friend's son, it is the most valuable piece of toddler equipment that I own. I am so glad that I discovered the effects of Veggie Tales.

What about you? What are your best forms of baby distraction?

Blogher Envy

This weekend there are hundreds of cool women bloggers advancing on San Jose, California. Sadly, I am not one of them. On both counts actually. I am not a cool woman, and so far not much of a blogger. I am trying however.

So, now I have a big case of Blogher envy.

When I first heard about the Blogher conference I thought that it sounded really cool, and well worth it for those women who were going. The conference topics sounded really interesting and more than that useful. But would a girl like me belong there? What could I add to the discussion?

You see I have not been blogging very long. Our family blog has only been in action since November and my own personal blog only about a week. I am not much of a writer yet, but I have found that having a blog is making my thoughts sometimes slow down enough to get them down on virtual paper. I even think that my writing is improving. Not enough yet to get much traffic, but enough that I might not be ashamed to let someone from the Blogher community look at it.

I have also recently come out of my shell a bit and start commenting on the blogs I have been lurking on for a while. I may come off as someone trying too hard, but I guess that is something you have to be willing to take. So, I am making the effort to do things. I write a post almost every day now. I comment in at least one place every day. I am starting to save for next year's Blogher.

Now I just have to pimp my blog around. Hopefully all it will take is a cute picture of my son. Children have to be good for something . . . don't they?

Perfect Post

Have you ever written the perfect post? You know one that is witty, intelligent and should resonate with people? Well I write those all the time, they just don't make it onto Blogger. I write my best posts while I am walking and thinking or just before I fall asleep.

Ah, now you understand why my blog is so boring and banal.

A great example is two nights ago. I was having a hard time falling asleep and I was listening to some podcast. It was either a Manic Mommies or a Mommycast or a Penn Radio. I know, I know, it is a weird mix. Anyway, I was thinking that one of the reasons that I find blogging hard is that my fingers can't keep up with my brain. By the time things come out of my fingers I read them and think, "That is not what I was thinking at all." Or in the alternative, "Damn, that was stupid." I then started thinking that maybe I should podcast instead. I know that my verbal skills are (at least most of the time) are much better than my written skills. I think that I even started to write the podcast in my head.

Ok, so why am I still blogging? Why did I even make the effort to get my own blog, instead of just writing for my family blog? I am really hoping to improve my writing and maybe even become as prolific as a few of my favourite bloggers. If you haven't already checked out A Mommy Story, Queen of Spain, Somewhere on the masthead do so now!

Well this certainly isn't the perfect post, but maybe I can be nominated for one of the Really Fucking Stupid Blog Awards. I am sure that the first category is probably right up my alley. :)

Have you ever?

I found this over at Maniacal Days site. You Bold what you have done. Underline what you plan to do. Maybe someone will actually read this.

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain (but only the hikable ones)
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said 'I love you' and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea (well, only next to the sea)
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper (just once or twice LOL)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse (lots of partials)
34. Ridden a roller coaster (but not real one)
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day (talk like a pirate day Sept. 19)
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states (Well, no, only a few but I have been to almost all the provinces and territories.)
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe (not yet)
47. Taken a road-trip (lots of them, the one to the Yukon and NWT was the longest I think.)
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving (See bungee jumping comment)
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretend to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke (but only at home, Karaoke Revolution rocks!)
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo (I don't have the courage)
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas (gotta see Penn and Teller)
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house (Damn I hope so)
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror (
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced (not till the stomach is much more toned))
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about (I am not sure)
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions (Well it was the day after our wedding)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145.Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

Anyone reading this feel free to use any portion of this. Do any of these inspire a post?

A Pool is a Wonderful Thing

As some of you may know there is not a lot of yard space in Vancouver. In fact most people do not have any yard and just have a balcony. This means that there are not a lot of pools in which to dunk you toddler in the blazing heat. Well, I guess that I spent the best five dollars of my life. (Except maybe the cat basket I bought for a buck, but that is another story.) I bought a blow up wading pool.

Now usually a blow up anything will take forever to inflate and leave you breathless. This one took only five minutes and that was while taking care of a 16 month old and a 12 month old. The boys have enjoyed the wading pool in my living room for a few days (dry of course) and I wasn't sure if it was going to be very good with water. Until today.


I put the wading pool on our tiny balcony, put less than an inch of water in it and Aidan crawled into it right away. I think that he has spent an hour and a half out of the last two in it. It is small enough that he can crawl over the sides and with the small amount of water he was very happy to splash and play without any worry. He was also cool.


Now, how do I get the water out?

Two Boys, A Cold and a Nap

This week I started to sit for Gen as she went back to work. Tristan has been very good and there haven't been too many tears. Both he and Aidan have been napping but just not at the same time. They have been playing together quite well with not too many fights. I even think that Tristan will stop stalking the cats soon. The only thing that I have been worried about for a long time is the naps.

Naps are my down time. The time I get to do the really decadent things in my life. You know those things that make you life much more comfortable. Yes, I am talking about getting something to eat, a decent cup of tea, and the most decadent of all . . . I get to go to the bathroom . . . BY MYSELF!!!!!! So you must be guessing that the last two days might have been a little, . . . well (sigh) tiring. Yes I must admit that I was incredibly tired last night. So tired that I told Anthony the choice for dinner was either he or I go and get Wendy's. (He didn't complain.)

Of course all this was made much more difficult because Aidan had to go and get himself a head cold. This meant that Monday night he was up every hour wanting to be breastfed to clear his nose. Last night we gave in and I also bought a warm humidifier and Dimetap infant drops for stuffy nose. And guess what, Aidan slept till 4:00 am. (Good thing Anthony and I went to bed at 9:00 pm.) It took us a while to get him back to sleep and I was all to happy to dose him again.

This morning when Tristan came he had decided to also get the cold and kept his parents up all last night as well. At least it made both the boys tired. I took them out to play in the playground and brought them back for lunch. Gen came and put Tristan down for his nap and when she left I fed Aidan to sleep.

So, now they are both in the same room and asleep at the same time. And what do I do? Do I get the time to do the decadent thing as mentioned above. No I blog. :) Excuse me while I go to the bathroom. Alone. (Woo Hoo!!!!!!)