today i attended a school assembly, at which our eldest received an end-of-year award on being a respectable and responsible young man, but which also included a graduation of students who i do not know, have never met, and besides attending the same school as my eldest, have absolutely no affiliation with. well, did i not have to choke back tears watching videos and hearing speeches about these wonderful young children. what business did i, a woman in her late thirties, in her luteal phase, have attending an assembly like this at this time? big mistake. HUGE. i had to excuse myself to wipe my eyes in the bathroom lest a parent ask “which is yours?” to which i would be forced to reply “none” (but at the same time, all of them).
parenting
an impromptu update
sup kids. i’m back. or i’m here… for right now. and what do i feel like rambling on about today you may be wondering, kind reader? heck, i may not even know myself. but i’m sitting here, addressing this website after it almost went down on me during my annual renewal – an auto-payment that … Read more
On Being Selfish and No Longer Tracking Outside Time
That’s it, we’re an indoor family now.
Just kidding. Sort of…
Chocolate Highs and No Naps: A Holiday Tale
Let’s talk Easter with a baby, toddler, and pre-schooler. Listen, I don’t want to re-enforce gender stereotypes – maybe my daughter will be the same way when she’s old enough to participate – but my sons could literally not find an Easter egg that’s in plain view right in front of them if their life depended on it. Don’t get me wrong, the egg hunt was cute. They had their litte baskets, emptied of their play dough, bubbles, and fossil excavation kit, and ready to search. Now maybe it’s because they’re 2 & 4, maybe it’s because it was 4 in the f*%$ing morning and they refused to go to bed at a decent hour the night before, or maybe… it’s cause they’re boys.
“IT’S RIGHT THERE BUDDY, right on the chair!” My son’s looking, but where exactly his eyes are falling I can’t be sure. But obviously not on the chair? How can he miss the Easter egg sitting right there? My bet is our daughter is going to CLEAN UP when she’s able to participate. We watch our eldest run his hands along the chair, inches away from the egg, and he still cannot see it. We just sit with our coffee and laugh, but truly, without help, this egg hunt would still be going on.
February Check-in
I drew the Nine of Thunder (or nine of swords in the traditional Raider-Waite-Smith tarot) from The Gentle Tarot for my card of the month for February. If we look at this card we see a person with a blanket of lighting bolts staring up at the full moon. Since February’s full moon is tonight, I thought I would reflect a bit in this card for me this month.
Another Fever & Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards
You may have known that Valentine’s cards for kids sell out in January. I did not. As they say in the internet world, I was today years old when I learned…
My son’s class newsletter for February came home with him and there was a note about the number of students in the class and how to address the Valentines cards. We thought we would just pick up some corny cards at Walmart but couldn’t find any anywhere. We checked Amazon and they all came with some sort of extra junk – something else for everyone to just take home to throw out. I feel like we’ve really taken everything so far with the gifts and the goody bags for every single thing, but that’s a rant for another time.
We have a bunch of craft supplies here so I decided it would be no big deal to make cards for the 15 kids in his class and the 13 in the other pre-primary class (his class got split midway through the year so many of his friends are in the other class too) and his 5 teachers. No biggie.
Baby Girl versus RSV
Well friends, today I bring to you the story of my first 911 call. The story of an ambulance, police car, and fire department all outside of our house within minutes. It is a dramatic story, and at first we thought it completely unnecessary, but soon we found ourselves (that’s little miss and I) checked into the hospital for a two night, three day stay. Baby girl vs RSV. (Can I blog more about being sick? I wish I had other things to write about!)
On Surviving Long Car Rides with Toddlers & Babies
It’s that awkward time between Christmas and New Years, where none of us really know what’s going on, we only know that we’ve been eating well and drinking good and soon some semblance of normalcy will have to return. I’m currently sitting in the middle seat of the middle row of our minivan, trying to keep all three kids somewhat entertained so we don’t have to listen to the screaming that inevitably comes with a long car drive with toddlers. We are returning from our Christmas in Cape Breton and it’s about a 5.5 hour drive if you did it straight, however takes us about 7 hours usually, give or take.
Late Night Writings: On Transitions
Baby Girl had her two month immunizations today. Saying it gets easier with each child sounds horrible, but I can remember how much I cried with my first when we did this. It was awful. He cried and I cried. I really feel like it’s almost better for them when I can hold it together. She was upset for a bit but I think I had enough of a reassuring voice and calm demeanour and she was okay after a minute. Or, the more likely scenario in which I receive no credit – she’s one tough cookie.
Top Ten Ways to Avoid Sleep
Can we talk about how hilarious doing a toddlers bedtime routine is? If it wasn’t for the fact that it’s the last thing at the end of the day when I’m exhausted and barely able to stay awake myself it would undoubtedly be my most favourite part of the day. Heck I’d entertain a lot more of his requests just to see how much stuff he can come up with! The tricks and excuses my four year old uses to try and stay up later are an endless rotation of hilarity. Water? Needs it now more than ever. Lotion? Hasn’t cared about it ever in his life but suddenly requires his body be lathered in it! And hmm, how is his tummy? Why, of course, he must poop! But wait, after a few long minutes, it turns out he doesn’t. Maybe he’s hungry, he didn’t eat any dinner after all. And by the way, where is that obscure stuffed animal he saw one time and didn’t like but now suddenly cares most about? He NEEEEDS it to sleep!!!
(two sleepy toddlers when they have finally run through every single stall method they can think of and eventually pass out)