A Post about Nothing.

Yup, this post is a bit like a Seinfeld episode - about nothing, yet everyone can relate (at least, I hope you can, otherwise, I'm really far gone!)

First, I'd like to apologize for the lack of posts - my excuses before were that I was so busy with all the school work, reading and researching that I didn't have time to blog; now it's all about...well...empty excuses.

It's not as if I have anything else to do.  You see, I've been avoiding my Shred workouts that I was oh-so-excited about less than 2 weeks ago.  Not a single one done since that first post.  Don't get me wrong, I think about doing it a lot, but just have zero motivation for it.

It's not as if the kids aren't inspiration enough for me.  You see, after being not-the-best provider for the last 2 1/2 months (letting them just play freely while I read/researched and occasionally giving up on that and getting down to build a tower or play with dolls) - now I'm in Super Provider Overdrive.  Yup, so far this week we have baked a cake, made a super-secret gift for moms/dads, made a funky gift bag to put the super-secret gift into, created a wall of snowflakes (that I got the pleasure of cutting to each child's direction -- and I have the blister to prove it), making another stick snowflake (sounds horrible, but is cute), decorating ginger bread houses, making the old time Elephant Popcorn (anyone remember that?) and ... uh.... oh yeah, I still have fudge and cookies on my list-o-things to do.  I have read stories until I've lost my voice (and unknowingly, gave my sweet little chosen child nightmares about wolves who eat children.  Thanks a lot Red Riding Hood!)

Also, I have booked in a last minute "Spa-Care" day (a daycare day full of spa treatments...facials, mani/pedis and pajamas.)  So, I have more boys than girls -- they'll enjoy it just as much as the girls!

No, instead I spend my evenings in front of my computer in a complete brain fog mindlessly clicking links that take me to some of the strangest things that I've ever seen...and they all involve vaginae (yes, that's the correct spelling, all this time I've been saying "vaginas" but apparently that's wrong.  Who knew?)  Sorry to those of you who are vagina-phobes....it's not my fault...I read a link, find it interesting click on it and can't look away.  It's not porn (don't worry about that) -- but it is odd and leaves you thinking, "What the hell is wrong with the world??"

Back to the Shred

So, I just finished writing about the big epiphany that I'd had. I'm starting with exercise.  I felt good when I was exercising...I felt better about myself, my body, my abilities...my confidence was better - I just felt good.  Then, for some reason I stopped.  I couldn't tell you why, but I did.  But, I need to get back to it.  I'm tired of seeing myself in my head as I think I am, only to look in the mirror and see a stranger staring back at me.  I'm tired of being tired, out of breath, and lazy.

So, today I did the first day of The Shred.  It was as tough as I rememered it.  And I certainly wasn't foolish enough to think that I could jump back into level 3 again, but I did think that I'd be able to make it through level one.  I was wrong.
I also forgot that I basically pee my pants when I have to do 50 000 jumping jacks.  No amount of kegals has been able to stop this....and how I could forget, I'll never know, but I did. 

Last time, I inspired a few of you to begin doing this with me.  So, if any of my lovely readers want's to join in again, I'm going to let you know what I did as well as what I didn't (cause I don't want you all thinking I'm an iron woman here or anything!)

In Level One, she starts you off with the warm up - which is relatively easy.  Did it all.
Then you have to do the jumping jacks/skip rope deal.  I did NOT make it through all of this. I have no endurance.
Push ups.  I have ZERO upper body strength.  I think I managed to do 6 of them.  Woot.
Lunges - I couldn't get through the second round of this.
Sit ups...I did.  I cried, but I did them.
Butt kicks/boxing -- I did this too and I imagine that I'm punchin Jillian with every strike.  I hope she doesn't mind.

Hmmm...it would seem that i've blocked the rest from my mind.  What i do know is that I literally cried.  Then made my wobbly way up 16 stairs to my shower.  But I'm not going to give up...I plan on doing 3 days of The Shred followed by one day of her Yoga Meltdown (and if you think Yoga is easy, you won't after you try this!)  After the month is through, I  may move up to her newest Shred video, have you heard of it?  My girlfriend gives it rave reviews - says she has found muscles that she didn't know she even had (and her calves are looking HAWT!)...I'm planning on buying it...and here's the link in case you want to check it out (just to the right there).

Hello, I'm the pile of dust under the fridge.

I had an epiphany this weekend...has that ever happened to you?  The stars align,  the angels sing and you suddenly realize the errors of your way and make that all encompassing decision to change your life's course.  Yeah...that happened to me this weekend.

I wrote my exam - but that wasn't what caused any change.  I talked with a great friend on the trip there and back (it's a 2 hour drive to the school) and we covered a lot of topics and came to a decision on a great name for a group to help motivate us to find our inner skinny person. Though this will eventually cause a change in us, it still wasn't the thing that I'm talking about.

No, the big change happened when I decided to clean under my fridge.  I hate doing this - it's disgusting and I know that if I did it more often, it wouldn't be so disgusting, but the facts are, I'm lazy and so once or twice a year is about as much as this job gets done.

So, I pulled out my fridge and find the usual nasties that are under there, some dust bunnies, a few lost cheerios, a magnet -- I swept them up, mopped really quickly and pushed the fridge back.  I looked at my freshly cleaned fridge (free of fingerprints for a precious few moments) set in against my newly cleaned kitchen cupboards...then I saw that pile of dust and dirt and filth combined with a few dust bunnies and stale cereal - and I thought to myself "why do you treat yourself like the underbelly of your fridge?" and I just started to sob.

Why do I do that?  Why do I put everyone else's needs before my own?  I ensure that my family is taken care of, as well as the needs of my friends, my daycare kids, my extended family, my school work...oh the list goes on and on...and all the while, I'm like the underbelly of my fridge collecting dust and debris and continuing to carry out my duties.

So, after crying over dust bunnies, I've decided that I need to get back to taking care of myself.  Why do I allow myself to go all day without eating only to stuff my face with crap?  Why don't I exercise any more?  Why don't I take the time to renew my spirit and soul?  Things are gonna be changing around here - they need to, because if they don't, I'm going to meltdown...and the truth is that I can't truly help anyone until I start helping myself.

what the heck are you guys thinking & more unhappy moms

I know I can come up with some weird stuff, but the things that people Google and manage to come to my blog are really interesting.  It makes me wonder what they were really searching for, or why Google's ability to find the relevant information brings them to my blog.

Here's a few of the best:

1. Green Eyed Jealousy monster creates doom
2. sick dentist
3. stop sending your kids to my house
4. random things I did
5. Life with a woman is unhappy except for a few moments of joy

I particularly like the last one!

I wonder what they think when they find me.

But by far, the most Googled phrases that bring readers to my blog have to do with Unhappy Moms.  I wrote about this before, and due to overwhelming response, felt that it needed a second and even a third post.  So, I'm writing this now in hopes that those of us who have gone or are going through those struggles that our babies/toddlers/children/teens/grown children give us, to give some hope to those who are in the midst of what can seem impossible to get through. I'll start here, and you, my dear readers, can add yours in the comments box or on the fanpage if you wish.

My kids make me:
...want to scream sometimes - like yesterday when my toddler dumped my hot chocolate all over my keyboard and homework.
...want to give up, like the time that he dumped the can of paint all over my floor.
...want to leave, like through the many, many struggles with the teen.
...want to lock myself in a castle far, far away when I can't even get a moment to myself and my husband sits there and magically can't hear anything that's going on (and is apparently invisible to my kids, because they never seem to need him for anything!)

Raising kids is hard...and the truth is, we learn as we go.  We are in the middle of growing and developing our own systems and organizations when BAM, this kid comes along and throws a wrench into all your plans...life changes forever, and sometimes it can be really, really daunting.  But there's hope and there's help.  Sometimes just knowing that other people are struggling too is enough to get me through the day.

Oh, and Sue, since I know you're going to comment on how I'm supposed to write fluffy happy stories about the cherub babies and happy mothers pushing their buggies down parkways untainted by cigarette butts and/or beggars....you can easily find it someplace else.  Being a mom rocks - and when your little bundle finally arrives, I think you're going to be an AWESOME mom, but I wouldn't be a friend if I didn't prepare you for less than rainbows and butterflies every day.

For Today...

My friend Magz, does these amazingly deep and thoughtful postings out of nothing.  They are titled "For Today" and they always have some touch of whimsical wisdom that I can never seem to achieve.  So -- I'm doing the "For Today" series, the Delusional Mom way.  Something to keep in mind though - it's Monday, it's been very much a Monday so far. My son woke up, came to snuggle with me, promptly said, "My tummy doesn't feel good." then proceeded to vomit all over me.  Twice. My chosen toddler gave me the play by play the whole time.  It was....nice....

Anyhow -- onto my list:

For today...

Outside my window .... freedom, fresh air, and cold wind.

I am thankful for...the laundry that I did this weekend, it came in useful after being puked on twice in the space of 3 hours.

I am also thankful for...perfume, which I hope is doing a decent job of covering the lingering stench of vomit that I won't be able to wash off until Husband comes home.

I am thinking....why me?

I am creating...a supper miracle out of nothing but noodles, mayonnaise and inspiration.  Pray for me.

I am celebrating....that the last vomit session was in the toilet and not on me.

From the kitchen....come the scents of lunches that have been abandoned in favor of watching my toddler yack.

I am wearing...the third shirt of the day...and a sweater that I'm convinced got puke on it, but I can't find any evidence of.  All other sweaters are dirty.  My trusty jeans haven't let me down (or been puked on yet) and a pair of slippers from a fabulous instructor.

I am reading....nothing I want to.  Working with Families, Family Ties That Bind & Administering for Quality.  Jealous yet?  What I'd like to be reading....ANYTHING ELSE.

I am hoping...that I am able to recall of the necessary information for my exam on Saturday.  First step - to figure out what class it's for...second step - study.

I am hearing...the squeak of my office chair and the snoring of a child with a stuffed up nose.

I am going....crazy.

Around the house and yard...everything's pretty much done - except for the laundry from today's puke fest.

One of my favourite things...my little guy's hugs.  My other two are "too big" for these things now.

Plans for the rest of the week...Survive.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Blogging

Awesome shirt you can buy!

Blogging is a special thing.  In my case, the blog started as a means for me to vent my frustrations as a mom, wife and childcare provider.  I was sick of looking on the net and finding all the fluff and roses and singing angels when it came to motherhood -- I wanted to express the truth which is decidedly less "Disneyfied" than a Google search would let you know.  I have learned a teeny tiny bit in the blogging world - not much, but enough to give a little advice.  I have learned that there are some very good parts of blogging, some nagging bad and some very, very ugly.


The Good
Writing a blog is both a way to express your creative self and a method of feeding some small narcissistic part of you that you didn't even know existed until you get that first comment.  That narcissistic self then gets greedy and wants more and more (this sounds like it should be in the bad, huh?) - your friends read it and make a comment or two - but then....whammo you're hit with your first I-have-no-idea-who-the-heck-you-are comment...you're scared, elated, nervous and proud all at the same time.  It's....odd.  Generally, these first few comments are from people who agree with what you are blogging and life goes on wonderfully...your followers and fan base grow ever so slightly.

The Bad
In your excitement, you tell your family about it.  This was my mistake.  You see, remember up there where I said that my blog was going to tell the non-Disney version of mommy-hood??  Yeah...I whine and complain write about a lot of things on here.  My mom, my husband, my kids...they all have special little posts about them.
Here's the problem though...I may say "Wow, my blog is really getting noticed, it's great!" and my mom (being oh-so-proud of the child prodigy that she gave birth to) goes and reads a post where I complain about something that she's done.  I feel guilty.  I mean, I love my mom...I care about her and her feelings and this hinders me from writing other negative posts about her.  I'm torn between complaining about something insignificant writing a great blog post and fluffing it up with Unicorn farts and Fairy dust so that I don't hurt her feelings (or those of anyone else that I may write about).
Negative comments also go in The Bad category.  When you get that first negative comment that says something like "you're wrong, you silly stupid head, motherhood is always pleasant and wonderful and this blog and your ideas are the work of Satan!" -- well, that kinda puts a downer on my day.

The Ugly
The Ugly category is basically the same thing as The Bad - but to a higher extreme.  These are the people who follow my blog that make nonsensical comments, have horrible spelling and/or grammar and otherwise tick me off.  Normally, I'd tell these people that they need to read a book of basic English grammar (or in some cases, Etiquette 101)...but then I worry -- am I going to be making fun of someone who has English as a Second Language or has special needs?  I don't want to do that (intentionally that is).
There are also followers of my blog that I'd kill  to use as fodder for the blog write about.  I'm not going to go into details (mostly because they'll then know who they are) but there are certain people in my life who, in one way or another, irritate me.  I'll be in the middle of a conversation with them and think "This would be an EPIC blog post." But then....if I post about it and say what I'm really thinking (rather than the nodding and smiling that I'm doing at the time) they'll know.  This, in and of itself, could cause major chaos in my extended family and friendship circles.  It's a daily struggle for me.  To write, or not to write is not the question; but more "to risk anarchy, hostility and contempt...that is the question"
Another bit of Ugly is the Nasty comments -- this goes beyond the negative ones that tell me what a poopy head I am to calling me horrible names and basically leaving me to feel like I am a useless slug in need of a giant salt shaker to make a long, painful end of my life.  Yeah.  Those are the Nasty comments.

In the end - I'm still going to blog - whether I have just one follower or thousands.  I find it very therapeutic to write (and you folks would not believe the number of blog posts that I have left unpublished...it's kinda terrifying actually).  Just letting you Nasty Commenters know that you won't stop me!

hethr

~Donation Plea~

Here's another shameless plea for donations...with a little extra info detailing what it's all about...

Thanks to everyone who has already made a donation!

My Shining Star

The school that my kids go to is quite diverse.  There are Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, and Buddhists....and I'm sure I've left some out.  There are different colored children running about, from the dark almost purple skinned Somalis to the milky white of the Caucasians.  It's beautiful to see them all intermingling and having fun.  I wouldn't want my children any other place.

With all the different faiths, the school has gone from having Christmas Concerts to having "Winter Celebration" (no, I'm not going to go into the political correctness of this) -- it's usually a concert in which every class has 2 (or more) songs to sing, one is a standard Christmas carol, and the other is some sort of religious/ethnic/cultural song from somewhere in the world (my two favorites from last year were "Mother Earth" a First Nations song, and I think the other was called "Lighted Lanterns" and it was a Chinese song...very, very cool).  Anyhow -- this year they are incorporating a bit of a play into the concert...it's called "America Celebrates" -- which is interesting in that it show cases the main holidays celebrated in America -- even though we're in Canada....but....well...whatever.

So -- my daughter got the lead role!  Woot woot!  She plays a bossy, know-it-all/leader of the pack...which is so ironically funny because that is a perfect description of her personality.   Anyhow, this character goes about organizing a food drive and teaching all her pals about the different celebrations (Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas and even Eid)...it's pretty neat practicing her lines with her.  Her character's comments look like this:

     EMILY:  (sarcasm) yeah, we already knew that. (ordering) So, Johny, you carry 
                   these bags while we go about collecting.

It's like the role was written for her.  I'm having a blast rehearsing with her and can't wait to see the play!

Oh...wait...the play is on the last day of my exams.  I'm going to miss her acting debut.  Who's gonna come video it for me so that I can watch it later??

daycarisms

We haven't had any Daycarisms in a while - these children are such a rich source of humor and delight, I need to keep better track of what they say! Anyhoo - onto the daycarisms that I've experienced lately.

Child: Did you brush your teeth today?
Me: Yes, why?
Child: Cause your breath is nasty. It smells like my mom's coffee cup.
Me: Uh....thanks for letting me know.

Me: Hey, Isaac, would you get out the Uncle Ben's for me?  I want to make supper.
Toddler: Yeah! Uncle Ben is coming for supper!!!

My toddler has been the most "interesting" lately.  He's certainly developing an attitude -- don't know where he'd get that from.  Apparently he doesn't like to be told what to do:
Me: Adam, can you come pick up the Lego?
Adam:  Shhhh!
Me:  Hey...I asked you to come pick this up...
Adam: *furrows his brows* Hush!!
Me: Excuse me?  Come over here and help to clean this up.
Adam: *exasperated sigh accompanied by an eye roll* Fine, whatever.

After giving away a couch set that we were using in my main daycare room to a loving and deserving family, the kids come in on the following Monday and I get this:
School-ager: Well...you gonna fill it up with toys?
Preschooler:  It's like a giant surprise of nothing!!
Toddler: Why mommy? Why it all gone, mommy Hedr?

But the best of the week was this:
Preschooler:  Hey, Heather...got anything stronger than this milk?

Things that I did while I was sick

So, if you haven't been following me on my fanpage, you're probably wondering where the heck I've been lately.  Well, I was sick.  Sick like you wouldn't believe.  Sick, then thinking I'm better, than sicker than before, then, if it was even possible, even more sick.  I think I had man-flu, peeps.  It was pretty bad.  I nearly started picking out coffins - but then remembered that as a Muslim, I don't get a coffin, just a muslin cloth...oh well...you get the point, I was in a bad place. While in this delirium of illness, I did some pretty remarkable things:

I continued working.   I shivered through my days and survived on hot tea and/or soup.

I didn't go grocery shopping at all so by the end of the week, I was offering my children onion slices and crackers for a snack.  The cupboards were pretty bare.

The reason that I didn't have snack-type foods was because during my fever induced dementia, I allowed my children to eat an entire box of Oreo cookies for supper.  Strangely enough, they never complained.

I embarrassed myself in the land of Facebook.  I have an issue with people who use homonyms incorrectly -- homonyms, for those who don't know, are words that sound the same but are spelled differently (to/too/two or your/you're etc).  I've been known to make this mistake myself a time or two, but I knew I was really ill when I kept making these mistakes over the last week.  The worst was a friend who posted on my wall asking if I'd accept a package of photos that FedEx would be delivering to my house since she's moved.  My reply was something like "Sure, if I can take a peak." -- what I meant to say was peek (as in look), not peak (as in a mountain top) or pique (as in interest).  When she called me on it and wrote a response to it using all three words (much as I would have done to someone else had I not been ill) it took me a good 1/2 hour to figure out what she was talking about.

But, the icing on the cake-of-craziness is this:  My instructor sent out a notice that we'd be having an audio class.  One of the other students in the class, a fellow keener like me, said that she couldn't make it and asked me (on the class discussion board) if I'd ask good questions in her absence....my reply was something like "absolutely...but why can't you make it? There are no excuses for missing it..." (which wasn't so bad...but then I went on.  You won't believe what I said for all the class/instructors to see...it was "You can take the keener out of the class, but you can't shut her up!"

Yeah.

I said that.

In my defense, it was really funny in my own head.  In my state of fevered hallucination, this was perhaps the most witty and hilarious statement of my life.  I remember writing it out, reading it over, giggling groggily to myself and hitting "post."

It wasn't until later that night that I had a nightmare about it.  Horrible dreams with my instructor wagging her finger at me and the other students shaking their heads in disappointment.  I woke up in a sweat (yeah, I was sick, but still, it wasn't cool).  I re-read that post and nearly died.  Oh, the shame!!

However, I think that I might just be on the mend.  I'm still rather hoarse and husky sounding, and my nose is still alternating between stuffed and dripping like a sieve.  But my brain no longer feels as though I'm in a perpetual fog.  Yay for tiny miracles.

I'm Alive!!!

Life is so ironic.  I wrote this yesterday, saved it to prepare my amazingly healthy supper of Mr. Noodles, and then dealt with my sick child all night long.  Now...I'm sick.  Sick, sick, sick.  Rather fitting considering the next sentence...

Yes, you may have thought that I'd gotten hit by a truck, or with some nasty flu bug or even something more drastic - like finding a life.  Sad fact is that I used up the majority of last week doing school work (which, Ironically, I'm ignoring now) to prepare for our Holiday that we just had (Eid-al-Adha - although I have an issue with Wikipedia calling it the Holiday of Killing -- how horrible!  The rest of the article is pretty good though).   It was a great few days spent with family and friends, and the first time in a long time that I've actually felt in a "holiday" type of spirit...even though I'm PMSing -- go figure!

But, all that holiday spirit put a major damper in my cleaning schedule.  I've gotten a couple hundred new followers, so I'll just review this quickly with you.  I have a general cleaning schedule (for vacuuming/bathrooms/etc) and I handle nasty chores like that by doing a little bit each day.  But laundry -- the very bane of my existence has it's own special routine.  Sometimes, kind hearted people come and try to help me out and it ends up badly...I shouldn't get so upset, but I do.  If I'm ever sick and you wanna help me out -- wash the floors, clean the toilet -- anything but mess with my laundry!

The Laundry Schedule

                                             Monday = blue clothes and the boys' bed sheets
                                             Tuesday = black/grey clothes + ironing if I have any
                                             Wednesday = white clothes and my bed sheets

                                             Thursday = yellow/green/brown clothing

                                             Friday = red/pink clothing and daughter's bed sheets

                                             Saturday = jeans

                                             Sunday = towels

I follow this schedule religiously.  It does a lot for me.  First - it breaks down the HUGE amount of laundry that 5 people can make (used to be 6 before stepson left).  Second - it keeps the colors of my clothing more true.  By washing my teal shirt with my blue clothing it stays a nice teal shade rather than getting dulled down by doing the traditional lights or darks.  Third - my kids as young as two or three can help, and personally, I think that teaching responsibility and helping others at a young age is a good thing.  Not everyone agrees with that, but you know - my house, my rules, right??

Anyhow -- I 've got enough laundry piled up in my bedroom right now to make a grown man weep.  It's a little terrifying.  I don't understand how we wear so many clothes!  Oh well -- such is life.

Also -- homework...got to get on that, I've been sitting here at my computer since nap time started (an hour ago) and still have not a bit of it started.  Things keep popping up.  Deliveries from my favourite online store, fabulous pictures put up on facebook...uh...the laundry bell buzzing telling me it's time to fold....You know -- the "important" stuff...

Dear Universe, What have I done? - with updates

Today was one of those days where you just feel like Karma is out to get you.  Ever have one of those?  I should have seen it coming, but didn't.

• First, toddler freaks out because he didn't get to pee in the toilet before his brother.  I don't understand it either, so don't ask.
• Then, middle child freaks out because I wouldn't let him take the Nintendo to school.
• Then, daughter freaks out because she can't do her hair or get the toothpaste out of the tube.
• Hubby complains about his sandwiches lately (apparently, the meat is "stringy")
• Chosen children think my snack is "gross" (cheese, crackers and dill pickles, what's the issue with that?)
• Chosen toddler and my toddler quickly resume their toddler take downs after 3 days apart.
• Chosen child doesn't eat lunch.
• Chosen toddler has a nightmare at nap time and spends the next hour whimpering and shaking on my lap (poor guy!)
• I spilled my tea all over my school work.  No ink to reprint.
• 2 of 3 children arrive home from school.  This is an issue, as there is one missing.  How did the other 2 not notice this fact?
• 4 children and I don our coats/hats/shoes/mitts and dash to the school as I am in a panic on the phone as to the whereabouts of my lost daughter.
• She's found, in the office, crying because she thinks she lost her brother and chosen sister.
• We walk back...with my hefting two 30+ pound  toddlers on each hip.
• Luckily, I remembered to set my alarm.  Unluckily, I forgot to lock the back door which my son opened in his bid to get into the house first.  I was still 1/2 block away.
• Alarm goes off.  Son hides in his room.
• My new neighbors must think I'm crazy as I set down the toddlers to run to my house which has a blaring alarm.
• My new neighbor is surely convinced that we are all crazy as my toddler runs by and says, "Hi! My butt hurts. I need a band-aid on it."
• My new neighbor is even more convinced of my poor state of mental health as my chosen toddler shouts, "Oooh! Pretty Back Boobies mommy Hedr!!"
• Finally in the house, the next issue happens when chosen toddler picks up his juice cup and promptly spills cold juice down the front of his body - shirt, pants and socks are soaked.
• The cold juice so startles him that he falls off of the chair.
• The fall shocked him, and he cries loudly.
• At this time, daycare mom shows up to pick up her daughter.
• Eventually, child, juice and table/floor are cleaned up.  But there are no spare clothes for him.  I have to find some that fit - and the only ones have my local hockey team on them.  Dad hates the local hockey team, but that's okay, because dad rarely comes at pick up time.
• Just got a message that dad is coming to pick up.

Can it be bed time yet??

UPDATE

• wrote a message on a friend's Facebook wall and everyone thought I essentially called her fat & ugly (okay, they were just joking, but still -- what was with that message?  THINK before posting, Hethr!!
• toddler woke up in the middle of the night with a night mare.
• I brought him into bed with me.
• He peed on me and my freshly cleaned sheets.

Another baby?

So, last night, for some unfathomable reason, I got the sudden urge to be pregnant.  The big, full tummy with that little baby squirming around inside...the anticipation...the overwhelming loveliness that I feel as a pregnant woman.  I'm not one of those "nasty" preggos (as my friend likes to call herself) - I thoroughly enjoy pregnancy in all of it's stages --- but I have to admit, I have relatively easy pregnancies and deliveries.  Rather than morning sickness, I get food aversions (eg, I cannot eat or smell eggs cooking, a gift from my daughter, or chew gum without gaging, a gift from my middle son, and have never really gotten back that love I once had for coffee...a gift from my littlest one).  I don't tend to get terribly bloated.  I don't get back pains or swollen feet or moodiness.   I am just a round, happy, ball of motherhood creating life.  I love it.

I also can't complain about my labours.  The longest of which was 2 1/2 hours....once the doc broke my water, that baby was outta there!  In fact, when I had my last, my doc was so concerned about my tendency to deliver quickly that I was admitted to the hospital a full week early and induced.  In 15 minutes, I went from 5cm dilation to delivery.  The doc missed it.  The on call doc almost missed it and ended up catching Adam with the bed pad rather than gloves because there was no time to don them.

My sweet little Terror the day after he was born.

I like the peaceful solitude of breast feeding, I love the nuzzling and snuggling.  I love, love, LOVE the smell of a new baby. I love the coos and smiles and stare of amazement.  I love watching how much they change from day to day.

Yup...I'm one of those.


All that aside though i don't know what put this urge into my brain.  Somehow, a little seed was planted and it started to grow.

Thankfully, it was thoroughly uprooted and stomped on for good measure this morning.

• Toddler wakes up and is in a freaking out, all out crying fit because...he wanted to pee in the toilet before his brother.  Yeah.
• Middle son has a freaking out, almost-7-year-old version of a toddler tantrum because ... I wouldn't let him take his game boy to school.
• Daughter has a fit because she can't do anything with her hair, and "I can't get the toothpaste out of the tube!!!" <-- can you tell she's almost a teen??
• I found out today that my old high school pal is carrying twins!  Yikes!  Twins!!  I used to always want twins, but I just don't know how mothers of multiples do it.  Kudo's to all of you.  You. Amaze. Me.

Nah -- I think I'll pass on the whole "let's have another baby" gig.  I'll just take care of everyone else's.

someone tried to break in to my house last night

They tried...my alarm went off.  They failed.  We never saw them, and actually, at 11 at night after being woken up, hubby and I had convinced ourselves that it was actually just a faulty sensor -- even when the guy came through on the two-way voice thing, hubby said "the window's not even open, I don't know why it went off"

It probably took me a good 3 hours to fall asleep after that, but sleep eventually came.  I waited until the kids left to school and then set about tinkering with the sensors.  Opening and closing doors and windows...testing them...arming and disarming the system -- seeing if there was a fault somewhere.

Then, the brilliant idea came to me to actually look OUTSIDE of my house at the window where the sensor tripped.  There, right before my eyes, I see the evidence of what seems to be someone who tried to break in.  There are little bitty rocks from the siding of my house scattered on my deck, my windows (which are OLD style, 1970 sliders) -- the outer pane was not on track....something that I'm ALWAYS sure of because of the God-awful noise that is produced from opening it like that!

That - combined with the fact that the alarm went off was enough to convince me....we stopped a burglar in his tracks.  Woot woot!!

This is going to now sound like an advertisement for my security company, and I guess, in a way it is.  For the longest time, I'd been asking hubby for an alarm.   We certainly don't live in a dangerous neighborhood, nor do we live in a posh place.  It's pretty average. Still -- there are more and more break ins, and a lot of them are in the garages which in our neighborhood is not attached.  Someone could do this in the day while I'm home and I wouldn't even know.  Our system covers our garage, house, windows, and fire.  There's even an option to allow it to control the temperature (turning your lights, furnace or A/C on or off at certain times).  I can access it all through my smart phone.  There is live, 2 way voice....it is fan-friggen-tastic.  My husband has been complaining for months about "the alarm we don't need" (yet, it was he who talked to the guy and signed the contract!) -- and I feel totally vindicated for this.

Thank GOD for APX.  Love the system, loved the sales-rep, love the on-going great service that we get from them.

a gift

Inspired by friendship and motivated by my grilled cheese debacle - my friend Anniryn of Andirun Designs made this pic for me.  I love it and cannot thank her enough -- I want to print it on a huge canvas and hang it on my kitchen wall...or maybe the entrance way -- to warn people as soon as they come in not to mess with me...

p.s. -- it is really freaky how much this looks like me!

The Great Grilled Cheese Smackdown.

I've been moody lately.  Something was bugging me.  I couldn't quite figure it out, but there was just that nagging feeling of impending doom around me.  It's been hanging around all weekend.

Well - today it finally started to show up.

First - let's go over my Halloween night.

• Hubby buys way too many chocolates.  I am in charge of sitting by the door passing them out.  I don't mind this at all, and I snuck a few M&M peanuts in while I waited.
• We had a whopping 20 kids.  If that.  What a let down.  I now have way too many chocolates sitting in my house screaming my name and begging me to eat them.  I want to lose some weight.  Boo on you, chocolate.
• Sir Pukes-A-Lot is still sick and hacking up a storm.
• I gave him some cough syrup before bed which he proceeded to puke back up.  I was not surprised.

At 2:32 in the morning the following happens:
*cough, cough, cough* ... *hack* .... *cough, cough, cough*
     Me: (tapping hubby on the shoulder) will you go give him some medicine?
     Hubby: No! You do it!
     Me: (now royally ticked) -- Isaac! Get up and take some medicine.

*me, acting like a baby and stomping about - then coming back to bed and flopping around in anger. Hubby has zero reaction, he's out cold*

At 9 in the morning - hubby remembers nothing...but I do.

Fast forward to this afternoon.  I'm making my famous lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches (cut into dino shapes) and tomato soup.  Yum.  Hubby asks for one.

     Me: Great - I cut this one wrong. (I'd forgotten to use my sandwich shape cutter)
     Hubby: It's burnt.
     Me: *gasp* it is not!!
     Hubby:  Yes, it's burnt.  Can you make me another one?
     Me:  Why yes...I'll get right on that, Love of my life.


what?  You don't believe that??  Okay, okay...here's the truth:

     Hubby:  Yes, it is so burnt.  Can you make me anther one?
     Me: *sporadic waving of spatula throughout*  No!  Are you nuts?  Do you think I can just make sandwiches to everyone's pleasure around here?  Do you know how long I'd be in the kitchen for?  Listen, in this house you get what you get and if you don't like it you eat it any way!
     Hubby:  *????*
     Me:  You heard me!  You're gonna eat your sandwich and like it!
     Hubby: *puts his plate on the counter and walks out*
     Me: Hey -- where are you going??  Big Baby!

Yeah.  Real mature, huh?

Now I have to eat crow pie, call him up, tell him I'm sorry for over reacting.  I hate that.

For the record - the sandwich was well toasted, not burned.

Agony

Friends, I'm in pain...a lot of pain. In fact, I would say that pain is not the word for what I feel.  This is like the pangs of labor, that moment of no return when you're about to give birth where you hear the nurse say "I'm sorry, there's no time for pain meds...now push, sweetie."

Yeah - I have that pain -- but in my face.  The whole right side of my face feels like it's gone into some sort of strange face-labor that I will never fully understand.  I feel like it should be swollen...as if I've let George Foreman take a few shots at me -- but no - to my recollection, I haven't been in any boxing matches lately.

Instead -- I'm suffering from my own teeth.  Oh, I brush (and floss) regularly.  I eat (fairly) healthy and I make sure to take care of myself - but my body has betrayed me.  These stupid wisdom teeth of mine (yes, I get the irony) are out to get me.  You see, normal people's teeth grow up and out of their jaws at normal angles.  My teeth, however have chosen to do their own thing and grow perpendicular to all the rest.  Don't remember what perpendicular is??  I'll put a picture -- courtesy of studiodentaire.com

Yup...that's pretty much what my wisdom teeth look like.  And yes...it's as painful as it looks too.  I didn't know I suffered from this issue until about 4 years ago.  The dentist gave me an x-ray and said "Wow! That's a mean pair of teeth!"  I was blissfully unaware.  We set up an operation date -- yes, you read that right -- these babies are so impacted that I can't simply go to the dentist and have them pulled, it requires that I be knocked out, under anesthetic, closer to death than I've ever been...I'm thrilled.  But...my husband and I prepared to pay out the big $$ to do it -- then...I found out that I was pregnant. That put off the surgery for 2 years -- the nearly full year of pregnancy, and the full year of weaning that followed.  Then...fear set in. I ignore my dentist's calls.  I haven't seen her since the baby was about 6 months old.  I'm a fraidy-cat!

But the cold, hard, painful reality is hitting me now.  I need to get these things taken care of.  But when? How?  I was told I need 4-5 days recovery.  How am I gonna pull that off when I have 2 major assignments due every week in school?  What about my kids?  What about my chosen children??  Please -- can't this wait until after I'm done this semester???

Am I the only chicken out there?

I'm going to MEXICO baby!!

You may or may not remember a while back me whining and complaining because a friend of mine got to go on this amazing Mexico Practicum Tour that my school arranges.  She ended up writing her own blog about the experience and now --- da da da DA -- I GET TO GO!!!

Thing is that I have to fundraise for it -- it's not that big of a deal, and I've already got a couple of things on the go, BUT -- I thought that I would put this little donate button here for anyone who would like to help these places out.

The trip includes visits to many different non-profit groups, including: Waldorf and Montessori programs, special needs settings, an orphanage, community agencies, and preschool and school aged programs.  Please consider donating!  Thanks everyone!

Puke and TV and Grumpies, oh my!

My kid is sick....again.  Can you guess which one?  It's probably no surprise -- Sir Pukes-A-Lot himself.

Yup. Puked at school in the morning, "forgot" to tell the teacher that he did, so sat the rest of the day in a dizzy, fevered haze until he came home.  I took one look at him and knew he wasn't right.  Why couldn't the teacher see that?

Anyhow--he's home today -- and watching TV.  We don't normally have the TV on during the day...I let the kids play, sometimes participate, sometimes sit back and watch...it's a play by ear thing (no pun intended).

But today, Mr. Sicky is watching TV...and a channel that's between the preschool themed things and the pre-teen stuff. It's a little disappointing.  And distracting.  And yes...annoying.  And for the record - Imagination Movers has cool, funky songs.  Just wish that I could enjoy looking at any of the characters on the show.  I know, I know, we're not supposed to discriminate and teach our kids about beauty and such...but man... I could use a little motivation to watch is all I'm sayin!

On to the grumps -- my toddler (no surprise again) has got a serious case of the grumps today.  Don't touch my ___, Don't talk to me, etc.  He even got mad because my little daycare girl was rocking her baby.  He sat there and screamed over and over, "Stop it, stop it, stop it!"

Yay.

2 more days until the weekend.  I think I can make it.

Common courtesy rant

So yesterday we were out shopping and wondering (and avoiding things we don't want to do here at home like yard work and laundry)...the kids had fun, I wore some heels (and yes, I regretted it) and in general it was a nice time.

Then...we decided to stop for something to eat.  We went into this place (I believe it was called Fat Burger, but can't recall) -- order our stuff and sit and wait for it to come.  The restaurant was set up very much like a 50's diner.  We were sitting in a booth.  The family in the booth directly behind mine had this sweet little boy about the same age as my Adam.

As we're waiting for our food -- sweet little boy starts hanging over the booth onto our side -- just kind of tottering there like a see-saw in mid balance.  Was it annoying?  Yes, but it wasn't a big deal.  I've most certainly seen and dealt with worse.

However - when mom gave the kid a cookie and he proceeded to eat his cookie next to my ear, smear his soggy cookie on the back of my head and drop bits of it onto my seat - I lost all "understandability" with this family.

Who lets their kid do that?  If no one was there, go for it (although it would still be nasty and rude, it wouldn't be nearly so much) -- why wouldn't you discipline your child?  I'm not asking her to pull him down and spank him, I was at the very least, expecting to hear then say "Johnny, my sweet little angel direct from heaven, would you please stop bothering the nasty woman over there?" to which I would have said "Oh, he's not bothering me that much" and we would chortle and smile, like nice Canadians and get on with our supper.

But no - neither mom nor dad said a word.  I waited for it -- I gave them many chances, in fact, I gave them more than enough chances to deal with the cherub, but they did nothing.

So I did.

I turned around - and said in a fairly stern voice simply said, "Sit down" -- and he did.  And parents said not a word -- as if neither I nor the child even existed, they just continued chatting amongst themselves.

Seriously?  What is with people lately?  I won't allow my child to do something like that!  I teach them to respect their elders, and everyone else...whether it's preventing them from hanging off the sides of the shopping cart so no one can pass, or simply holding open a door for someone, it's something that I feel is my duty to instill in my child.

Am I wrong?  Am I the only person in the world who has any common sense any more??

It's not as if my children are deprived -- I'll happily let them hang of the shopping cart, or run down the mall -- if it's not busy and no one else is around!!  Really -- they can have fun and be children, but I do expect them to also be decent human beings and that includes having respect for other people.

So no, I don't allow my kids to hang over booths in the restaurant.  I don't allow them to touch other people with their nasty, soggy, half-eaten food.  I don't allow them to disturb total strangers who are in the middle of (attempting to) eat a family meal...I must be the most evil woman on the planet!  But hear this -- if you choose to let your kids do these types of things without speaking up to put a stop to it -- I WILL.

What was I thinking??

Sometimes I just wonder what the hell I was thinking.  Like the time that I let my mother-in-law give then 5 month old Adam a sip of her coffee (he was interested -- she wanted to see his reaction to the bitterness)...the kid liked it.  He's two and has a Starbucks addiction.  What the hell was I thinking?

Or the time that I left the box of chocolates on the counter, where my toddler could see them.  15 missing chocolates later and I"m dealing with a kid on a sugar high.  What the hell was I thinking?

But this -- this time -- I really want to know what the hell I was thinking!  I've been doing this course since September 4th, it's been a steady pace of 1 unit every week.  So....why did I think that I had until next week to finish my assignment??  I'd love to know that.

Last night, I leisurely read through all of the assigned reading and lazily glanced at the assessment, ticking off the answers that I knew and making mental notes to look up the ones that I wasn't positive of.  I thought about getting out of my warm, cozy bed to creep down to the computer and start on the assignment for the unit - but quickly changed my mind.  I updated my facebook status: "only two questions left, then I'm FREE for the rest of the week!"

This should have been a sign.  But of course, I didn't see it.

I woke up this morning and took one of those showers where you just stand there and let the hot spray of water splatter off your back -- not washing anything, just standing and enjoying the peaceful, quiet solitude of my child-free moments.  I got out, made myself a hot cup of coffee and thought about things I want to buy, places I want to go, people I should get in touch with.  Then, I decided to go to my computer and get a head start on this assignment.

But -- when I got to my PC, what did I see??  A little announcement from Outlook -- saying "1 event notification" -- "Event notification??"  I pondered, "What event??"  I click on it to see what it was -- I often fill my calender with silly nonsensical things that will bring joy and delight to the daycare kids announcing things like "Today is international doughnut day, who want's a doughnut?" or "Guess who's birthday it is today - Grover monster!!" and we all dance and laugh and celebrate.

There was no celebrating this day -- my stomach dropped when I read the event

"ELCC 321 - Unit 5.  Due before midnight, October 19, 2010"

Folks -- I cannot tell you the next few thoughts that went through my head.  They'd make my mechanic brother-in-law and his "street" buddies blush.  I'm sure you can guess some of them -- and if you can't, take this into consideration...I had to get lunches made, children up and dressed and sent to school, watch the other daycare children, prevent the toddlers from killing or maiming one another, do the laundry and prepare supper -- AND do the quiz, conversation postings and assignment for unit 5.

Yeah.

Thank God that I had mentally planned my assignment as I read through the 4 chapters of reading.  Thank God I knew exactly where to look for my research and thank God I already had a very strong opinion for my conversation posting....I was able to get it all done -- ALL of it...and before noon.  Thank God for that, too.

I still don't know what on earth possessed me to think that I had an entire week left to do it all...I've now got 1 week to tackle Unit 6.  Wish me luck.

Wanna know what it's like raising sort of twins??

It seems that I complain that I lost my muse -- all the while she was hiding over at my friend's blog -- ask and you shall find!  You need to read the blog post that she wrote before you finish reading this....

Unlike Magz, I don't have real twins.  I have my "sort of twins"  My own toddler and his 4 month to the day junior playmate who's been in my dayhome since he was 6 months.  They have grown up together, loving, fighting, biting....they are more than friends, and sort of twins.

My sort of twins are at a time of exploring how they are both the same, or how they differ.

Adam will want a toy that O's playing with.  O will say: "no."  Adam will say "O's grumpy." to which O replies "no I not!" Then it begins: 
Adam: "Yes, you grumpy!" 
O: "No I not!" (growling)
Adam: "Yes, O, you grumpy!" growling back
This time, O is angry and is gonna let us all know.  He's so mad that he's shaking when he screams, "NO I NOT!!!"
And Adam, not wanting to be bested, screams back, "YES, YOU GRUMPY! I SAID YOU GRUMPY, YOU GRUMPY!!"

It will only be stopped by me physically removing one child from the other.  And then they will quickly realize that they have hurt the other's feelings.  Then it's:  

Adam: "I bring O his blanky, okay mommy?"
O will say: "Tank you, Adam."
We will sit, the three of us cuddling together, me drowning in blankets and ignoring the squirms and elbows that poke me in the ribs.  Then, O will say: "....Adam Grumpy right, mommy Hedr?"

And it starts all over again!

Oh Inspiration - where are you?

In case you all haven't noticed...I've been quiet lately.  I've lost my muse...I don't know where she went, but she has (I hope) temporarily vanished.

Oh - I'm not saying that there aren't things for me to write about.  My kids are, as usual, driving me crazy, my chosen children are not far behind...but there's nothing that jumps out and screams "blog about this!!" Which is what usually happens to me.

There's issues at school -- oh man, could I ever write about school -- but I'm not going to.  Not because they wouldn't make great posts.  They really would.  I have a lot of animosity and anger and resentment that's piling up because of one student.  I'd like to write if off as the misunderstandings that can happen via the emotionless internet -- and me just interpreting things differently than she's intending...but I don't think that's the case.  In fact, I think she is a bully hiding behind the relative anonymity of the screen.  However, that is as much as I will say on the topic because A) I have more integrity than that, and B) it's not going to help to make this molehill a mountain, and C) I'm not going to give this person any more attention than they deserve.

I've often brought into discussion the things that I'm learning at school -- but folks, this course is so god awful boring that I just want to tear my heart out.  It's horrible.  I cannot begin to express how dreadfully boring this class is.  Watching paint dry would be more exciting.  I. Hate. This. Course.

The weather's been gorgeous, so I can't complain about that.  I've got my house in relative order, so I can't complain about that.  I created a meal plan so that my family wouldn't be stuck eating cereal with no milk or pasta with ketchup because there is no sauce....I have to do this because the dreadfully boring class takes me hours and hours and hours of research with nothing to prove for it - not even an essay or a research paper.  Just a link (or two) sent to the instructor to prove that I do have google abilities.

Life is normal right now.  I did not realize this -- but normal is incredibly boring.  I think I thrive on the excitement that is chaos.  Sure, I complain about it...but I really enjoy it.  I need to find me some chaos.  Anyone know where I get some??

Kashmir Dreams

Check out my product review for Kasmir Dreams -- beautiful, ethical, and handmade!!

My son...the diva

So, I've been really worried about my middle guy.  He was withdrawn and not really paying attention in school; really, just not himself.

I went into the school to see if maybe he was getting picked on.  No body has noticed anything, but the teachers assured me that they'd be on alert.  I talked to my daughter, and even popped into his old kindergarten teacher to see if she had any insight.  Nothing.  Couldn't figure out what the deal was.

Then, I did the massive cleaning thing because of my freak out about the bed bugs.  I cleaned everything in my house -- including (obviously) his bed sheets.  Put the bed back together -- it has a reversible comforter, one side is navy, the other is a smokey blue.  I think it looks better navy side up.  Isaac walks in as I'm putting the sheets on the bed and says "please but the other side up, mom!"  and I said "sure, whatever"

His reply nearly knocked me off my feet.

"Oh thanks, mom!" he says "I was so worried you'd be sad that I didn't like the way you did it.  It keeps me awake at night because I can't fall asleep in an ugly bed, and then I'm so tired in the morning and can't concentrate at school."

What?!?  I'm worried that my kid's getting bullied or worse, and he's being all melodramatic about a blanket!!  Yikes!

At least he's out of his little slump.

Things I learned about me

So, I'm doing homework -- which means that my eyes are moving down the pages of this dreadful text but my mind is wandering...and a blog idea comes into my mind.  Why, you ask?  Because as I sit and research, I find myself doing the same things over and over again.  I don't think it's normal...in fact, I think it's more evidence of my OCD (by the way, I'm neither making fun of people with OCD nor am I making light of it.  I really think I may have a tendency towards this disorder, but there is no official diagnosis)

• When I sit at my desk, I always, and I mean always perch on one leg...usually the left...just folded under me.  I will stay in this position until there is no more feeling left in the leg.  I always complain of the pins and needles it causes.
• When I want to go to a new web-page, or even just click the back button...I feel the need to scroll to the top of the current page I'm on.  I don't know why.  This is the action that actually inspired this post.  I cannot stop this habit.  I feel wrong if I don't do it.
• I regularly ask hubby to make me a cup of tea to warm me up while I study (I study in my basement, usually at night, it gets chilly down here) - he does not know that I never drink this cup.  Sometimes I take a sip...maybe two but never more.  Don't know why I do this either...but somehow, it helps me.
• I complain about my homework a lot, but the truth is, I like the challenge I get from it.
• I am on facebook entirely too much for any sane person.  I even go onto facebook when I'm trying to do my homework, then get hopelessly distracted in it and loose a lot of time.  I've tied closing the window to it...but it never lasts for too long.

And, I 've finally come up with the inspiration that I needed for my assignment -- off to do homework.

what a week

So, this week has been interesting to say the least.  First I had my imagination get the better of me and convince me that I had bed bugs (plus side to this, my house has been cleaned from top to bottom --- there is not a dust bunny left here, let alone imaginary bed bugs!).

For those of you who don't follow me on facebook (and what's with that, huh?  Join us, we have fun there!) - you'll know that my kids have sent me to puke city and back.  My son came home from school, went straight to bed, and proceeded to barf all night.  Now -- if you've read the above paragraph, you'll note that I just finished cleaning my house (including all the linens) -- well, I had to do the boys' room all over again...because the little man got it too and they both managed to puke in the bed.  Nasty!

After the boys started feeling well enough to jump all over one another and snag granola bars from the pantry (they think I don't know that they do this...silly boys!) -- I got sick.  I got sick, sick, sick.  The kind of sick where you're hot and cold and sore and just want to curl up and die.  So...I suffered through that for a bit....only lasted the majority of the night, and I now feel right back to normal again.

This morning, I woke up, went to make coffee -- and realized that I was out of coffee!  If any of you heard that strange sound this morning, it was the tortuous screeching of my soul as it learned that we'd be functioning "sans caffeine" today.  Luckily - a daycare parent saw my status on facebook and brought me a nice fresh cup of Tims....mmmm....Tim Hortons.....yum.



Moose 1, Dino 0

 Then, I decided that since everyone is feeling better, we'd be going out to the Jurassic Forest that I've talked about before.  We get there (first ones!) and there's a crew set up with wheel barrows and electrical wires and other assorted tools.  They proceed to tell me that some of the dinos may not be working because a moose attacked them.  Yeah...you read that right.  A moose went on the rampage and attacked some of the dinos!  I would pay some good money to get some video of that incident.  There were only 2 dinos that weren't functioning, and 1 brontosaurus that had a tail being supported by a ladder type thing...the others were being worked on and the guys would turn them on for the kids as we passed.  The kids asked what they were doing, I told them they were cleaning up the dino poop so the forest wouldn't stink -- they thought that was great.  I'm not really sure what was going through the workers' minds as my daycare girl repeatedly said "Thanks for cleaning the stink!"

So -- that's my week in a nut shell -- how was yours?

I am losing my MIND!

Okay, there's the bed bug epidemic happening here in North America.  Stories about stores and theaters in New York being forced to close, stories from friends of friends....rumors at the school.

And then you itch.

I had a bump on my leg.  I scratched it -- and am convinced that I've got bed bugs.  I swear to God, I can feel them crawling on me at night. I cannot sleep.  I just feel their little buggy bodies crawling across my skin.

Sitting here now, in the middle of the day, I imagine them inside my clothes.  I itch, I scratch, I slowly go insane.

I want to call in a pest control expert.  Hubby refuses.  No one else in the house is going mental like me.  No one else thinks that they are here....yet I itch and I scratch.

I cannot get the thought out of my mind.  I am slowly losing my grip on reality!

Warning - Job Rant

I love my job, I really do.  I love the chosen children that come into my life every morning.  I love the extended "family" that I get every day...

BUT...

I really wish that parents would respect my rules.  I only have 3 daycare families right now - 2 of whom are fabulous and the other one just doesn't seem to get it.  I don't have many rules for parents...really...how hard are these to follow??

1.  Please don't bring outside food in -- it's brought anyhow.  I'm not talking the tail end of a piece of toast or whatever was eaten in the car on the way here -- I'm talking a full out bag full of snacky things.  I mean, I have more than enough food to feed these little munchkins all day long.  When you bring in food from home, guess what -- it causes Tiny Toddler War.  Your child may not be the toddler, no -- but the fruit loops that she brings are akin to dropping an atom bomb in my play room.  I work hard to ensure that the children get tasty, nutritious food.  Stop sending your kid here with CRAP.

2.  Please don't bring toys from home -- yes, your little doodle-shnuckums loves her teddy bears and barbies with 1000s of pieces.  I don't.  I also don't enjoy the search for said toys at the end of the day.  Nor do I enjoy the fighting over said toys during the day.  Nor do I like the "Look at my new toy, isn't it beautiful? DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH IT" that comes out of your princess' mouth.  Nope.  Don't like it.  Do you realize that I have an entire basement that is devoted solely to daycare?  Do you realize that I have teddy bears, dolls, barbies, kitchen areas, books, cars, blocks, puzzles, crayons, paper, glue....and thousands more things here that are more than enough for your kid to play with.  Please tell me why you need to bring another thing in here?  And don't get mad at me when I can't find the stupid toy and refuse to look for it at pick up time, because, you know what?  I told you not to bring the damn thing in the first place.

That is all.

A book I want to read...

I came across this the other day...looks to be quite interesting.  A book to answer the questions that many in America/Canada/UK have about Muslims..too bad I can't read anything enjoyable until Mid-December (stupid school!)  But, I thought that maybe some of my readers (Tina, Meaghan, Erin, etc) might enjoy it, so I'm putting the link here.
←  Americans, click here


                            Canadians, click here →

my mini me

I'm sure that you all have seen by now that I have a fairly dry sense of humor.  How I write is generally how I talk.  I may not always be on the ball in real life (meaning, I can't go back and edit) but I try to keep things interesting.  Apparently, my toddler has picked up on this.

We're in a difficult stage right now -- he's asserting his independence stronger than any other child that I've ever seen, and I'm slowly coming to the realization that I have lost my last bit of control.  It's not an easy combination.  For example, on the weekend, I wanted to go shopping.  I have all three kids with me because Hubby was at work...do you think I was able to get what I needed?   Nope -- First, Adam freaked out because we went down the escalator, but not back up -- you see, that's his favourite part of any mall.  If I were to ever lose my child, I would start the search for him at an escalator.  So, after having his little mini meltdown about the escalator, he realizes that he's not sitting in the stroller, he's buckled in.  This was offense number 2.  He screamed bloody murder.
Beet red and completely embarrassed, I unbuckle him and whisper sweet nothings in his ear to soothe him (that is, I bribed him)  "mommy will just look at this and then we'll go buy some gum, okay?  Or how about a doughnut?  No??  Okay, how about a new car?!?  Yes, mommy will buy you a new corvette if you'll just sit back and be good."  Yeah...I'm mom #1 right here.

The shopping trip ended before it even began.

Yesterday, I had him and my chosen child here.  They're nearly the same age.  They get along really well some days, and like oil and water on others.  Both children had suffered an extreme lack of sleep the night before, and thus, we were having an oil and water kinda day.  When chosen child went home, and I'd sufficiently fed and bathed my own, I announced it was bed time.  He fought and whined and pouted, but still carried that blankie of his down the hallway towards his room.  When it comes time to turn into his bedroom, he makes a dash for my bed.  Exhausted myself, I think "whatever, as long as he sleeps" -- I crawl into bed and try to get him to come along...nope, he turns around and starts heading back out to the living room to sit with daddy.  "Where are you going?" I call..."I dunno where I'm going," he replies, "but it's not to bed."

Seriously??  Where the hell did this kid learn this stuff??

The other day, I had asked the kids to clean up.  Adam's usually fairly competitive, so I can say something like "ooh, I see Sally has picked up three Lego's, but Adam only has one" and he'll go nuts and pick up the whole mess.  Not any more.  I tried that trick on Friday and he says "My name is not Adam.  I'm not picking up anything anymore!" and crossed his little arms and stuck up his chin!

Oh Lord, what am I in for??