Saturday 31 December 2011

Farewell 2011

Our party starts a lot earlier now that the boy counts down to the new year with us! But with thai food, some noise makers, balloons, fun hats, and champagne (with mocktails for the boy), who needs to wait until midnight to have fun?

Happy New Year (courtesy of his sparkly headband)

Thursday 29 December 2011

Walking in a winter wonderland

Winter has finally arrived in our neck of the woods.

Hubby taught the boy to yell 'Mush' as I pulled his sled

Wednesday 28 December 2011

Stars on Ice, sorta

The boy got skates for Christmas and is so excited to learn to skate (we start lessons in a few weeks) so he can be just like his Dad! Since hubby is off work this week, we decided that today would be a great day to head over to our local outdoor rink and let the boy get his first feel of being on the ice. Although since it was the coldest day of the year so far, I'm not sure what we were thinking. But the weather didn't deter the boy at all, he absolutely loved it, and is already talking about going back tomorrow and the day after. We spent nearly an hour outside with him either holding him up, or carrying him around as we skated, leaving us with stiff and sore backs! But it was a great day and a lot of fun for all of us. Hopefully when the boy is playing in the NHL he'll look back on this day with fondness

Future Canada WJHC player


Friday 23 December 2011

The night before the night before...

The boy is looking forward to Christmas with such excitement and glee, that it really helps to make the whole season. Seeing his joy as we looked at lights, or decorated the tree, or wrapped presents really helped to make me excited for it as well. It made me stop and enjoy the season, rather than just thinking of all the things I needed to get done.

It's a great feeling, rediscovering the joy in a season, and appreciating the little things. I'm glad he helped me shift my focus from worrying about what still has to happen to revelling in what is happening.

So no more worrying or stressing for me, I am officially in small child mode and am going to squeeze every last minute of fun out of Christmas. And if that means that there are some dirty dishes, or the laundry piles up, then that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. So enjoy your holidays, take the time to smell a Christmas Tree, throw a snowball, and put aside the chores while you appreciate it all.



Tuesday 20 December 2011

You won't like it.

Around our house we have a silly little joke between hubby & myself if we're eating something really good. One of us will turn to the other and say "this isn't very good, you won't like it. You should let me have it." We did this once around the boy and he was quite concerned that what we had wasn't good, and that we were going to give up our food and not have anything to eat.

We had to explain to him that we were just joking, and it really was good. It took some tries, and the first few times we said it to the boy he got quite upset. Suddenly though, something clicked in his head and he thinks it's hilarious. Of course this means that like anything else small children find hilarious, he repeats it at every chance he gets. In fact, today he even tried to 'convince' me I wouldn't like the shortbread we had just baked!

While it gets tiring hearing the same jokes over and over again, I love that he's developing a sense of humour, and is using it to make not just me laugh, but also to make himself laugh, sometimes for what feels like hours on end. I figure this is good prep for years of bad jokes to come. And quite frankly, any joke that doesn't involve bodily humour is o.k.  with me

Friday 16 December 2011

Christmas Market (A boys eye view)

After reading my friend Lindsay's post about her visit to the Toronto Christmas Market, I knew it sounded like something the boy would love. Since it ends this weekend, we headed out today along with my sister in law, niece, and nephew to check it out. If you haven't been, and you're in the area, you should try and get there before it ends. Especially if you're feeling a bit grinchy. The market really helps to infuse you with some holiday cheer.

It's held in the Distillery District in Toronto, which is a great place to begin with, and then add in booths selling food (poutine, schnitzels, pretzels, oh my!), Carol singers, an evergreen maze, a carousel, and Santa, and it is amazing! Not only did I love it, but the boy had a blast too.  Getting ready for bed tonight, I asked him what his favourite part of the day was, and his answer? Riding the carousel and taking pictures. Yup, that's right taking pictures! 

The boy took his camera today to document the outing. He uses my old (very old) Kodak digital camera and he loves it. We found an decent sized memory card for it, so he can take about 400 pictures on it before we have to clear the card off, which is a great help given that some days he snaps 10-20  pictures of me doing the same thing! He's getting a lot better at it, his thumb isn't in them nearly as much any more! It really is cool to see things from 3 1/2 feet off the ground, and so I offer up a few of the boy's shots of the Christmas Market.





The carousel, giant sculpture & Christmas Tree (and parking lot)

A wandering Christmas Angel

The Carol Singers (and post)

Wednesday 14 December 2011

It tastes green

We love Charlie & Lola around here in our house, both the books, and on occasion, the TV show too. There's one book called I'm Really Ever So Not Well, where poor Lola is sick. When she tries to drink pink milk (her favourite) it doesn't taste right to her, so she tells her brother Charlie that it tastes green.

I've been battling a head cold around here for the last few days (I think I'd like to thank the boy for sharing it with me) and it's totally messed up my sense of taste. I couldn't even eat a clementine this morning without it tasting horrible. So when the boy asked why I was just having plain toast at lunch, I told him it was because nothing tasted quite right to me, in fact it tasted green. This set off a fit of giggles and then everything for the rest of the day tasted green to the boy. As long as he's still eating it, I really don't care what colour he thinks it tastes! 

Monday 12 December 2011

Glad I've got a hugger.

On the weekend there was an inflammatory article by Christie Blatchford published in the National Post, basically decrying the loss of manliness, and the 'sissyfying' of our boys. She recoiled in horror when she saw young boys hugging when they greeted each other. She wants a return to a time when men were men. When problems were settled by beating up the bullies, instead of talking about them. When men, and boys, just didn't hug each other.

As a mother of a young boy, I'm glad the boy hugs me. I will take a hug from him, any time, anywhere. Part of his night time routine has become calling out "just one last big snuggle Mummy" once we've put him to bed. It's often after I've already headed downstairs! But aside from thinking that doing another flight of stairs is probably some good cardio, I enjoy the fact that wants to hug me. And it's not just at home, I get good hugs from him when we're out and about, shopping, playing, at the pool, wherever. I know there will come a time when he won't want any kind of hug from me in public, so I'll take what I can get now.

I also don't want to raise a child (male or female) who resorts to their fists to solve problems. I'm glad the boy likes to hug, and not hit. There are too many women and children who are abused. I would rather the boy hug his friends and be considered 'fey' by Blatchford, than get confused ideas of masculinity telling him it's o.k. to hit. I want him to know that it takes more courage to talk to someone who is hurting you than to just lash out and hit them.

I'm going to continue to hug the boy, and let him hug me, whenever and wherever he feels like. I'm going to treasure every moment of contact with him, and encourage  him to be free with his emotions, and never be scared to hug his friends and family. It takes a strong man to be comfortable in his own skin, and not worry about being judged by people like Christie Blatchford.

Tuesday 6 December 2011

A Christmas-y craft

It was a dreary day today, so to help pass the time, I decided the boy should do a craft. He wanted to make something for his Dad's office, so we thought something Christmas-y would be perfect.

He loves cutting and gluing, so I thought a simple Christmas tree that he could decorate would work really well. I drew a triangle on some green paper, and divided it so he could cut it into strips. Once he'd cut it out, we arranged them from biggest to smallest and then he glued them onto some paper.

His favourite part was 'decorating' the tree with some stickers we had. He decided they were the lights and so had to keep turning them on and off. He was very proud of himself, and before his Dad could even get in the front door tonight he was having the picture shown to him! And the best part was it kept him busy, occupied and (slightly) quiet for a good 20 minutes - bliss!

He loved adding the 'lights'

Thursday 1 December 2011

Advent Calendar

It's December the 1st, so that means it's time for the boy to start his advent calendar. He was so excited for it, and has been talking about it for a while. If I was crafty, I  would definitely be all over the one my friend Lindsay at Little House Blog has made for her adorable little guy. Since I have two left thumbs, that's out of the question, but luckily we have my Advent calendar from when I was little.

The nice thing with this calendar is that all you have to do is hang it up! My mum bought it years ago at a Church Bazaar (you have to love those for fantastic hand made crafts) and it's a lot of fun for little ones. All you have to do is snap an 'ornament' each day onto the tree! I love the fact that it was a family tradition for me growing up, and it's now going to be a tradition for the boy too. Hopefully he appreciates it as much as I did!

I caught him peeking!



Wednesday 30 November 2011

Snowflakes

We had our first real snowfall of the year here this morning, although even now, a few hours later it has started to melt away, and the boy loved it. We had to go outside in the snow so he could catch snowflakes to eat, try and throw snowballs and make footprints in the snow. So I thought this afternoon would be a good time to make some snowflakes of our own.

We used some coffee filters, folded them in half, half again, and half again till we had a little wedge and then cut shapes out of the sides. It's such a classic kids craft, I remember making them myself when I was little. The only thing I had to make sure was that he didn't cut right across the paper or we would have had some odd snowflakes!

He had a lot of fun doing it, and it's such an easy craft to do, since we always have coffee filters around! They make a nice winter decoration and the boy loves to show off his work, so for now we have hung ours up in the doorway so that we can see them all the time. It's a great way to help pass some time on a dreary afternoon, which is a good since there's at least four more months of winter to go! 

Our 'works' of art - it was too windy and they wouldn't stop blowing around!

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Copy Cat

We were out and about running errands today (in the pouring rain), and the boy insisted on bringing pup pup (a stuffed dog/blankie he's had since he was a baby) with us. So we tucked pup pup into his jacket, and zipped him up. This meant that pup pup was facing out at the world from the neck of the boy's coat.

Halfway into the store the boy stopped and said "I'm carrying pup pup just like Auntie M carries her boy!" I love that the idea of baby wearing is a normal thing for him, but it's also worrying, since he's only seen the little guy in the carrier a few times. It's also a good reminder of how much he remembers, and how careful I have to be of what I say and do around him. It means no more eye rolling, since I'm sure it won't be long before he's learnt that on his own and is practising it on me!

Friday 25 November 2011

Growth Spurt

Lately I feel like I've been buying a lot of new clothes for the boy, he seems to have not stopped growing (or eating) for a few months. It's all been a slow gradual growth though, there wasn't one huge spurt that was really noticeable. But tonight watching him have his bedtime snack, I really saw the change - check out the length of his pj pants!



Guess I need to add pyjamas to my next shopping list!

Sunday 20 November 2011

Yummy Granola

The boy and I did some baking today, and made one of our favourite recipes - granola. The recipe is so easy, and so versatile that it goes from being fairly healthy to being a sweet treat! I have to admit that the version we made today was closer to dessert than a health food, but it's still really tasty!

The nice thing with this recipe is that because it's so easy, the boy really gets to help and pitch in. I normally give him a choice of what we're going to put in it, and he picks the different ingredients from what we have. Then it's a simple matter of sticking a measuring cup in, getting a full scoop and dumping it in the bowl. In fact the only things that I need to do are melt the butter and use the can opener. Everything else he takes care of - within reason of course. His favourite part, other than licking the spoon at the end, is getting to pat the mixture into the pan with his hands.

I've put the recipe below, I find that I need to cook them for about 22 minutes to get them just right - not too crisp, but nice and chewy. Enjoy!




Ingredients
  • 3 cups Quick Cooking Oats
  • 14oz (414 ml) sweetened condensed milk (just under a can and a half)
  • 2 tbsp butter, melted
  • 3 1/2 cups of mixers (4 different items)
    • i.e dried cranberries, raisins, papaya, almonds, chocolate chips, mini M&M's, coconut etc. (whatever combo sounds good to you)
Directions
  1. Preheat over to 350
  2. Grease a 9 * 13 pan
  3. mix all ingredients together
  4. press flat into pan
  5. bake 20-25 minutes (when they are lightly browned on top you will have chewy, moist bars)
  6. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then cut.

My 'helper' patting the granola into the pan


Friday 18 November 2011

What an imagination!

The boy has a fantastic imagination. I don't know if it's just a phase as a pre-schooler, or if he will continue to make his own worlds when he gets older. I hope it stays with him, he is so happy when he's immersed in his own creations. Hubby and I encourage him as much as we can, playing along with most of the scenarios he comes up with. This week he's been even more creative than usual, so I thought I'd share some of them.
  • he's a road sweeper (not a driver, but the actual sweeper) 
  • we live on a submarine and he installs all the pipes to keep the water flowing 
  • he needs to build igloos for he & I to live in (out of pillows)
  • he broke his arm being a goalie in hockey when he fell after making a amazing save!
  • he has earrings (made from stickers) and has a tattoo machine to give me a tattoo   
  • he is a puppy dog and can only speak in barks
 So if you someone barking or pretending to shiver inside a collection of pillows, you'll know the boy has been imagining again!

Tuesday 15 November 2011

2 minutes peace, please!


The boy is currently going through a phase where he has to be with me all the time (unless hubby is around of course and then I'm only good if he is upset). He used to want to be with us, but was o.k for 5 minutes while I went down to move laundry into the dryer or get something out from the freezer, or even just to go pee. But now that's all gone. I can't even make it to the bathroom without hearing footsteps behind me.

I  know it's a stage and it will pass but I do like my peace and quiet. I've tried reassuring him that I'll be right back, telling him exactly what I'm doing, or where I'm going, but to no avail. So today I finally asked him why he needed to follow me everywhere and his answer was "but I just want to be with you Mummy." How do I argue with that? I just need to remember these days when he's a teenager and wants nothing to do with me.

Wednesday 9 November 2011

A doll for the boy

The boy was telling me about some of the fun new toys they had at his play group this week, and what he had played with. He was very excited about some new doll accessories that were there, including 'a seat for the baby to sit in and a swing for the baby to go in'. I asked if he had played with them, and he said, with such disdain and disgust, "no, the girls were playing with them". How dare those girls hog the babies when the boy wanted to play with them!

Maybe they need to watch the classic William's Doll from Free to Be You and Me! 

Monday 7 November 2011

Scrupulously fair


The boy and I were walking to the park today to go and play baseball, and thanks to daylight savings time, it was getting dark by 5. We could see the moon, so the boy was talking about taking a trip to the moon, and in case we didn't know how to get there we could bring Daddy's GPS with us.

This turned into a discussion of where he and Daddy would sit in the rocket on the way. This became a discussion of just how much he loves Daddy, and spending time with Daddy. Suddenly the boy stopped, looked up at me and said, 'but I really like spending time with you too Mummy.' Doesn't that just warm the cockles of your heart - he loves Daddy, but he likes me - story of my life!

Thursday 3 November 2011

Driving lessons

The boy is currently  fascinated with road signs and what they mean. We have to explain everything we see when we're out. He also wants to know about the rules of the road, and how cars work. Tonight at dinner, he stumped hubby and I with a question about how carburettors work and what they do. Thank goodness for Google is all I can say!

He's also turning into a bit of a back seat driver. The other day a small voice popped up from the back seat as we were on our way to get groceries - 'mummy, you're supposed to stop at a yellow light because a red light is coming next and you have to stop for red lights.'

I can't wait until he's old enough to drive so that I can start commenting on his abilities. But if he continues to have to an insistence on following the rules of the road like he does now, there might not be much to comment on! Although if the insurance system continues the way it is now, he'll still be paying through the nose to drive, safe driver and rule follower or not, so I might have to wait a little longer to polish up my back seat driving comments.

Monday 31 October 2011

Spooky Pumpkins

We got three pumpkins this year, according to the boy "a mummy pumpkin, a daddy pumpkin, and a boy pumpkin" The plan was that we would each decorate and carve our own pumpkin. The boy did his own, daddy got to do his, and then in the fine tradition of mums everywhere, mine got taken over by the boy and he decorated it as well. Doesn't seem to matter whether it's dinner, snacks, or pumpkins, mums always have to share!

They actually turned out great, and were 'spooky' enough for the boy, which was all he wanted!

The Mummy & Boy pumpkins!

Thursday 27 October 2011

Pride and Prejudice and zombies oh my!

I've mentioned before how much the boy and I both love to read, and with All Hallow's Read  that's happening now, I thought I would put together a list of some of my favourite authors. After all, I've  been reading horror/suspense books for ever, starting with R L Stein and Christopher Pike, and moving onto V C Andrews, Anne Rice, Neil Gaiman, and Charlaine Harris. And you can't forget the classics - Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelly, and of course Jane Austen. You haven't read her classic Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, or even Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters?

As I was trying to come up with my list of books that would be good for the boy, I came across the list that Jenny, The Bloggess had created, I knew I couldn't do any better. So go check her list out, then hit up your library, book store, or even rediscover a classic on your own bookshelf, and enjoy a scary good time!

Monday 24 October 2011

He's definitely my son

The boy and I went to the library yesterday, one of his favourite places to go (and mine), and got a few new books for both of us. He was so excited, since, like me he, loves to read and loves new books. He was so thrilled by one of his books that he had to start reading it immediately, which made walking back to the car a bit tricky!

Like mummy, like boy

Tuesday 18 October 2011

The Boy Cave

I've been suffering from a migraine the last few days, so the poor boy has had to try and play as quietly as possible. That's not an easy task for the boy at all, especially when he has all his tools out and is 'fixing' things. So in the effort to get a few minutes of quiet yesterday, I decided that I would build the boy a 'cave'.

We tidied the floor of his closet out, put in some old pillows, blankets, and found a touch light for him. He then took in a whole bunch of his books, some of his 'friends' (his doll Reese and one of his plush bunnies), a water bottle and a little snack. He promptly pulled the door mostly shut, said "I know where you are if I need you Mummy" and started reading his books. It was great, I managed to get nearly 15 minutes by myself, which was amazing. What's even more amazing is that he asked to go back in it this morning, and again this afternoon! It's fantastic, now I just wish I'd thought of it sooner!

Friday 14 October 2011

B-a-n-a-n-a-s

The boy loves to help in kitchen, so we try and do some baking at least once a week. Normally that means muffins or granola bars, something simple that he can help contribute to. This week I had a few over ripe bananas hanging around, and before I chucked them in the freezer (what, you don't have bunches of too ripe bananas in your freezer waiting for you to make smoothies or banana bread?) I decided that we would make some banana bread with them.

I love trying new recipes, and when I came across this one for chocolate chip banana bread, I was sold. It's from the blog notwithoutsalt.com and it's one of many (very yummy) recipes. The boy loved it because he could peel and squeeze the bananas out into a bowl and then mash to his hearts content. It was great because I could get everything else assembled while he took care of the bananas. He is great at mashing, anything that involves lots of smashing and mushing he seems to be a pro at. After the bananas are mashed up, it's just simple mixing by hand, which the boy is good at too, so really all he needs me for is the measuring!

The first time we baked this, I cut the recipe in half and just made one loaf, what a mistake! We had it devoured in no time at all - so from now on it, it's 2 loaves every time. The boy thinks that's great because he gets to mash up twice the amount of bananas,  plus he gets to eat the bread, which is absolutely delicious. And since it's got bananas in it, I've convinced myself it's healthy, which means that I can have an extra slice now!


Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (from notwithoutsalt.com)

6 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup canola oil (or coconut oil)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
4 cups flour
1 bag dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350
Mix in order.
Fill two greased loaf pans 3/4 full. Bake for about an hour (mine took 50 minutes)
You can also bake these as cupcakes. Fill the pan 3/4 full and bake about 20 minutes.
For both the cupcakes and the loaves you want a knife or a toothpick to come out clean

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Laundry fun!

Apparently running through damp sheets is lots of fun! And needs to get done over and over and over again. On a positive note, that means that my laundry line spins even without any wind!

Checking to see if they're dry or if he can keep going.






Friday 7 October 2011

Crafty Thanksgiving

I've mentioned before how I'm not all that crafty, in fact, my craft skills probably stopped at the age of 6! But the boy loves doing crafts, and at his age I can just about keep up.  In honour of Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend, I decided we would make a  turkey themed craft today, and so we made Happy Thanksgiving/I'm thankful cards. So easy and the boy loved it! Plus it meant we could talk about being thankful, which was a good reminder of how fortunate we are.

The boy is really into tracing his hands lately, in fact many of his crafts that come home from his playgroup have his hand traced on them somewhere! I decided that we'd make turkeys with his hand print (who doesn't remember doing that at some point in public school?) and then put them on cards for the grandparents. We traced his hand, cut it out, he coloured them, glued them onto the cards that he'd folded and then we wrote on the inside that we were thankful for his grandparents. 

Then of course he had to write his name (a long process that takes up most of the length of the paper), and decorate the inside. And voila, a cute home made craft that helped to keep him busy for a little bit, and I'm sure will be treasured by the recipients!



Turkey (Lurkey) Cards!





Tuesday 4 October 2011

My little story teller

Occasionally I'll write a blog post with the boy around, and then he asks me to read it to him. He likes hearing the stories about him and will ask for them repeated to him a number of times (which can be a bit tricky while I'm trying to do any kind of editing!) He also likes telling stories himself. Normally they're about things that he has done, or variations of things that have happened to him. But now he's really started to make stories up and it's amazing what he comes up with it.

He told me one the other day and said I could share it "where you tell the stories about me Mummy". So here it is, the story of the Daddy and the Kitty Cat. 

There was a Daddy and a kitty cat. They were playing catch with some string. When the kitty cat hit it, she hit it so hard it went up and up and over the fence. The next time she hit it, it went up and up and into a tree. The third time she hit it, it went up and up and hit some glass.


That's it, a real cliff hanger I know. I think he has more to say about the Daddy and the kitty cat, so I'm sure I'll have an ending for you soon. He's young, but I'm thinking future Giller Prize winner perhaps?  

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Apple Fun

It's now officially autumn around here, and that means raking leaves, crisp nights, and apples! We love apples around here and eat them most days, so apple picking is a great way for the boy to appreciate them even more. We went picking early in the season, but blew through those apples in a few short weeks. So when we went apple picking with some of our extended family this past weekend, we picked up a storm! Now what to do with them?

On another note, the boy started a cooking class yesterday, a group of 3 to 5 year olds meeting once a week to spend an hour and a half in a kitchen creating things. So far the boy loves it. He enjoys helping me out at home in the kitchen, and now he gets to do it without Mummy - what could be better? This week they made an apple pie, and it was delicious! It was great and so simple to do with kids, I've shared it below.

So now I have something to do with all the apples, and the boy can help me make it - what could be better? He's really excited about it, telling me "Mummy, I'm going to teach you how to do baking!" Better get peeling those apples.

Apple Pie A La Boy 

Sweet-Ish Apple Pie 

5-6 medium apples
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 c Butter (melted)
1 c Sugar 
1 c Flour
1 Egg
1/4 c Walnuts, chopped (optional)
Pinch of salt

Directions: 
  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Peel & slice apples into thin wedges and arrange them in a 10" pie plate 
  3. Sprinkle brown sugar & cinnamon evenly on top of apples
  4. In a medium bowl combine melted butter, sugar, flour, eggs, nuts, and salt. Mix until blended
  5. Pour mixture over apples, spreading batter to the edges
  6. Bake 45-55 minutes until crust is golden brown
  7. Remove and let cool
  8. Enjoy! 





Wednesday 21 September 2011

Monday 19 September 2011

I like this one much more better

The boy dresses himself, and most of the time does a pretty good job of it. He manages to pick things out that match, and other than wanting to wear long sleeves most of the year round,  he gets things that are appropriate for the weather. Since I buy all of his clothes, I know he's not going to come out with something wildly inappropriate, in fact he often will 'over-dress', being fond of collared shirts and khaki pants.

We were getting ready to go out to the library this morning, and he'd already gotten dressed and was with me in my bedroom as I was picking out my clothes. He looked at what I had decided on, went and opened my closet, picked out a different shirt, handed it to me and said, "Mummy, I like this one much more better, you should wear this one." I never thought I'd be subjected to 'What Not To Wear' in my own home! 

Perhaps this means he'll have a career in fashion, and all those shopping trips he's been forced to accompany me on have started to sink in. I'm not sure that the people at the library would have noticed a difference in the two shirts I was going to wear, but if it makes the boy happy why not. As long as he does a good job, I will continue to let myself be styled by a three year old - how many people can say that?

Friday 16 September 2011

Dizzy

I suffer from motion sickness, which means that for both my parents and hubby, I'm not a joy to sit with in planes, trains, or automobiles. Thankfully the boy doesn't seem to have this problem, for which I'm so grateful. It means that we can go on car trips and not worry about him feeling ill. Related to my motion sickness, I also get dizzy really easily, something else which doesn't seem to bother the boy. In fact he, like many other toddlers, seems to enjoy that 'spin-y' feeling. Today, I caught him running loops around a tree in our backyard just for fun!

Now, when we play chase, he has decided that he likes to run around in circles, and he gets upset if I don't follow him. He also really enjoys superman swings (when you hold onto his hands and run around in a tight circle and he gets to 'fly' as his legs lift off the ground). The poor kid only gets two or three spins before I have to stop. He's always been a problem solver and negotiator, so now he tries to convince me that I need unwind and go the other way so that I won't feel sick. But I'm onto him, I know he's just trying to get a few more spins out of me. I think that he's going to have to learn to live with the disappointment, because in the long run, that's a lot easier to deal with than having me throw up on him!


Tuesday 13 September 2011

I can see clearly now

I took the boy for his first eye exam today. He was so excited about going and getting to do all the different tests. There were no indications that he had any problems, but I needed to go for my exam, and so I figured that it was a good time to introduce it to the boy!

The boy had a blast, and really enjoyed getting to look at the different shapes, and figure our what numbers he could see. He loved being allowed to look at the pictures of my eyes, but he was disappointed that he didn't get to use all the machines that I had to use. Eventually he'll understand that getting a puff of air in his eye is not such a thrilling experience! Thankfully his eyes are just fine and we don't have anything to worry about. 

I love that he's so open to new experiences and trying everything, and now, of course, I'll be hearing about nothing but our visit to the eye doctor (Optometrist is a bit too tricky for him to get his mouth around) for the next week! Hopefully he'll still be so thrilled when we have to go back next year, although with his memory, he'll be telling the doctor what he did last time!

Thursday 8 September 2011

Chase!

I don't workout as much as I should. I used to swim twice a week, but lately I've been finding it hard to make the time for it. I'll do my planks as I watch TV at night, but that's really about it. Then I realized that I have the best workout at home - the boy! If I run around and play with him, instead of just sitting and watching him, I'll be set! His new favourite game outside is 'chase'. Basically it's tag, except since there's only the two of us, he calls it chase, as that's what we do, chase each other around. So if the next time you're at the park you see a slightly out of breath mummy being chased around by a small boy, you'll know I'm getting in my workout for the day!

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Farmer Boy

The boy has been lucky to have 2 vegetable gardens this year. One at our house, and one at his grandparents house (they live a few minutes away). This means that we've been treated to more cherry tomatoes than you can shake a stick at, cucumbers coming out the wazoo, beans, beefsteak tomatoes, onions, herbs, potatoes and peppers.  It's fantastic, because not only do we get fresh veggies but the boy has also gotten to see the whole cycle of things growing. He helped to plant everything in both gardens, and he's been 'responsible' for reminding us to check on everything and see if anything needs picking.

We don't have a large yard, it's a very typical suburban backyard, except for the fact that about 20 years ago a previous owner planted a giant tree in the middle of the yard. Which means that we have a shady yard. Great for playing in, not so great for vegetables. So we took part of our side yard that gets sun and used that for our veggies. It's only about 10 feet long and 2 or 3 feet deep. But it's big enough for a cucumber plant, 6 tomato plants, some onions, peppers and herbs. I would encourage anyone who's thinking of trying to grow something to give it a serious go next year. You don't need a lot of space to get started, and it doesn't cost a lot. In fact it's saved us money off  my grocery bill as I have veggies at home. The only downside? The constant reminders to go and check to see if anything needs picking, even if we just harvested things an hour ago!


Thursday 1 September 2011

Don't ask me, I'm just a girl.

All the controversy yesterday surrounding the horrible JC Penny Shirt (I'm too pretty to do homework), made me very glad that I have a boy. I did like the HuffPosts spin on other shirts that should be made - my favourite was "How Many Calories Does Reading Burn?" I feel for my sister-in-laws having to raise my nieces in this kind of culture.  All I have to worry about with the boy are some of the raised eyes that I get when the boy is out shopping with his friend Reece (a fantastic Bamboletta doll), or if he's putting on lip balm in public and calling it his lipstick.


I know that there are horrible things that our boys face and they have to live up to expectations of manliness that include judging tears and emotions as girly. They also certainly doesn't include my boy's love of wearing eye shadow, or his desire to call long shirts 'dresses' (his newest one is a white football jersey that he says is his wedding dress). But I feel that this version of what a boy (or man) should be is changing faster than the desire to force girls into the mould of pretty things who don't need think for themselves.  And I think that's a shame. I hope that by the time the boy is old enough to start having kids of his own, this will all be a moot point, and something we look back on as an aberration, and kids just get to be kids, no matter what. Which means that we all need to keep these conversations going, and keep reminding places like JC Penny that shirts like this are unacceptable, and we need to remind our sons and daughters of that too.

I'll leave the last thoughts to Malibu Stacy from one of my favourite Simpsons quotes.... 





Tuesday 30 August 2011

The natives are getting restless...

The jungle drums beat louder, you know that the natives are restless, something is wrong, there is trouble on the way.  It was a bit like that around here today!

The boy has his own drum set and he loves to bash around on it, he's actually getting quite good at some simple drum beats with the help of hubby. Normally he likes to play with an audience, and perhaps accompaniment on guitar or keyboard. But not this afternoon. 

Today we seemed to have exhausted everything we could do by mid afternoon. We'd baked cookies, done drawings, made crafts, played on our 'computer' and read lots of books. He didn't seem to want to do anything else. I was afraid a boredom meltdown was imminent. Then suddenly he announced he was going to play on his drums, and off he went to bang around on them for a bit. He came back up happy and ready to do other things. No more sign of a meltdown. Thank goodness for the drums - they were bringing good news today, and it's peace and quiet in the jungle now.

The boy on his drums - he resembles Animal when he plays!  


Wednesday 24 August 2011

When I grow up...

The boy and I have been going to a "Sports with Mum" class twice a week this summer. It's been a lot of fun, a bunch of 3 to 5 year olds running around playing a different sport each week. At an hour and half , it's a great way to burn off some of  his extra energy, (and it's good exercise for me too!) He's also got to try out different sports that we wouldn't necessarily play at home, like volleyball or flag football. It's run by our town, and it's been a great way for the boy to meet other kids and learn to play co-operatively, follow instructions, and listen (something he seems to forget these things at home sometimes). 

Each class the teachers ask the kids a different question about themselves while they take attendance. Cute little 'get to know you' questions like, what's your favourite thing to do in the summer, or what's your favourite flavour of ice cream. Yesterday's was "What do you want to be when you grow up?" One of the girls said she wanted to be a dolphin (!), someone else wanted to be an astronaut,  and when it was the boy's turn, he was torn between being a vet or a doctor. Looks like I'm going to have to increase my RESP contributions!

Monday 22 August 2011

Eye Rolling

The boy and I were playing with his blocks today. He was busy building drills and using them to 'cut' pieces of wood (other blocks), using them as screwdrivers, and making houses and garages with his tools. (He loves tools, real, or make believe). And of course, being the boy, he had to have sound effects for all the drills and banging that he was doing, and every drill he built had a different noise and a different action that went with it.

He passed a drill to me and said, "Here, Mummy, you use this one to drill holes in your block of wood". So I took the drill and piece of wood that he gave me, and made some (what I thought were good) drilling noises. Apparently not. The boy looked at me with pity, took the drill away from me, and said sadly, "No, Mummy, that's not how you do it, just give it to me." He then proceeded to do it himself, and I wasn't given another drill to play with, I guess I couldn't be trusted with them! I had hoped that it wouldn't be until the boy was about 6 or 7 that the eye rolling would start, but apparently my lack of drilling skills brought it out in him earlier. Obviously, I need more practice before next time.

(L-R) His battery pack, drill, and screwdriver.

Friday 19 August 2011

Are you watching?

The boy is at the stage where I have to be watching everything he does. Not because he's doing something dangerous (or not all the time), or because he's unsure or needs help (heaven forbid), but because that's what he wants. He loves to have an audience for his escapades.

"Mummy are you watching? Mummy, look, I'm going to do a somersault" or "Mummy are you watching? Mummy look, I'm colouring this in" or my favourite "Mummy are you watching? Mummy look I'm  being silly" I have to admit to sometimes telling him I'm watching, when really I'm not, like in the bank, or if I'm trying to make dinner. Most of the time though I try and watch him, since it's almost guaranteed amusement, amazement, or astonishment on my part. 

I love that he wants to share with me, and that he wants me involved in what he's doing. Goodness knows how long that will last, with his stubborn, independent streak. So for now, I am working at watching and making sure I really do look up and acknowledge him. The only time I don't want to hear "Mummy are you watching?" is when it's coming from the bathroom!

Tuesday 16 August 2011

All better?

Our dog finally about got her stitches out today (after she hurt her back a few weeks ago) and the boy is so  relieved. He's been very worried about her and how she is doing. I love that he is so empathetic and is concerned about things other than himself. It means he's really growing up and turning into a caring little boy. He's also been quite chatty about the cone she has had to wear since she came home. Now that her stitches are out, we could take the cone off, and that's all he's been talking about.

He keeps checking her back out to see where the incision was, and seems really intrigued by the fact that it looks all better. He asked me this afternoon, "Mummy, her back is all mended, so is she all better now?" It's a bit tricky to explain to him that she needs to keep resting for a few more weeks and isn't quite 100% better yet. As a child who is pretty much a perpetual motion machine, the idea of having to be still and quiet is something he just doesn't understand!

Poor dog with her blanket and  her cone of shame

Wednesday 10 August 2011

The boy's busy bag

My nephew is being baptised this weekend, and we are all looking forward to it - including the boy. I was getting a little worried about how hubby was going to keep him occupied for the service (I'm the godmother, so I'm not sure if I'll be with hubby & the boy). Normally at our home church, the boy is only service for 10-15 minutes or so and then he goes down to the nursery program. Plus, most of the people at our church know the boy and so are a bit more forgiving of his chattering than strangers might be.

I decided that we would bring the same type of quiet toys we bring when we go out to restaurants. The boy is fantastically well behaved when we go out for a meal (possibly because he loves to eat) and he definitely is not the type of kid that causes children under 6 to be banned from restaurants. Small problem though - normally his stuff goes in my purse, but I wanted to not bring my 'mummy' purse to the baptism, so what to do with all his junk?

My brilliant (if I do say so myself) solution? A cheap-o bag from the dollar store. The boy loves to carry purses, so I figured he'd be good with a bag that he could put over his shoulder and carry on his own, but  that is less obtrusive than his backpack. He was so excited at the thought of getting a purse of his own, and not having to use my old ones! We had to look at all the different styles and then he spent a good chunk of time debating which style he liked. He finally picked a fetching bag in green camo and couldn't wait to start using it! He's been carrying it around with him tonight and is so thrilled to take it to the church with him. Now I just have to make sure it matches the rest of his outfit for the baptism!

Monday 8 August 2011

He's not a doctor, but he plays one at home

This past week one of our dogs had to have unexpected back surgery and spent nearly a week in hospital. She's home now and doing much better, in fact the hard part is keeping her quiet, still, and calm for the 4 weeks of crate rest she's supposed to be having. 

The boy dealt with this in his usual way of questioning everything and needing to know the whys and hows of what was going on. Hubby explained to him that her back hurt and the doctors had to use a special sharp knife to cut open her back, scoop out the gunk that was bothering her, and then sew her back up. He accepted this quite easily, in fact he's fascinated by her stitches. He was staring at them today and when I asked him what he was doing he said "I'm just looking at her stitches, I find them quite interesting"

The down side to him understanding the idea of the operation means that both hubby and I have been subjected to back surgery a number of times over the last few days, and have had to lay still while the boy cuts us open and then sews us back together. And of course, being the boy with his fantastic imagination, he's using his tools and cutting us open with his drill and using his saw to clean out the gunk in our back! I think I need to teach him the phrase "Trust me, I'm a doctor." Hopefully that will fend off any malpractice suits that may arise while he's playing doctor!

Thursday 4 August 2011

Happiness is a box of new markers

Sometimes we forget about the simple things that make us happy. Think about it, the joys of cracking open a new book, a beautiful vase of flowers, squishing sand beneath your toes, the smell of fresh baked bread, a favourite song played on repeat. All of these make me happy, and none of them are overly expensive, hard to do or tough to find. But how often do we take the time to find these things and take a break to just be happy with simplicity?

The boy is much better at remembering that things don't need to be complex to make us happy. His newest happiness is a box of markers hubby brought home for him the other day. That combined with some big sheets of newsprint have kept him occupied, content, and happy for large chunks of time. And getting the boy to sit still to do anything is a major feat! He just wants to draw - pictures of me, letters, flowers, circles, it doesn't seem to matter what it is, as long as he is scribbling, swirling, and creating. His utter joy at having a new box of markers is lovely, and a great reminder to take pleasure in the simple things.

A young Picasso perhaps?

Tuesday 2 August 2011

What a memory

We're just getting back from a week away with my in-laws and extended family at a cottage up north. It was a great time and the boy really enjoyed himself. I mentioned in my last post that the memory the boy took away from last year's trip was being allowed to pee on a tree

Well when we got up to the cottage this year, one of the first things he did was tell us about peeing on the tree, and then took us outside to show us the exact tree from last year! If he can remember that, why on earth can't he remember half of the things I ask him to do!

Wednesday 20 July 2011

What I did on my summer vacation...

We're getting ready to go on a family vacation soon. It's a yearly event, my in-laws rent a cottage and then we all head up there for a week or so. It's perfect, sun, sand, water, and not that long of a drive - what more could you ask for? It's great too for the boy, because he gets to spend time with Nana & Poppy and all his aunts, uncles and cousins. It really is the stuff memories are made of.

The other day we were talking about the trip last year, and asking the boy what he remembered. He remembered catching a fish in a net (that one of his uncles had already caught), going swimming in the lake, the boat rides and the noise the boat motor made, all fun things. But his most fond memory and the one that got mentioned the most? Being allowed to pee on a tree since the cottage only has one bathroom and it was in use.

This memory has come up a number of different ways "Remember when Auntie so and so was in the bathroom and I had to pee on the tree?" "Remember I peed on a tree Mummy, wasn't that funny?" "We don't pee on trees at home though, only when we were at the cottage." And so on and so on. Hopefully this year's trip will have something more memorable than peeing on a tree!

Monday 18 July 2011

You can do it Mummy.

The boy is still at the stage where he thinks I can do anything, and I love it - most of the time. It's amazing that even after seeing me everyday, he still thinks so highly of me. However, today is one of those days where he thinks I can do the impossible. And while I'm good, I'm not that good!

He has some little cars he was playing with in our family room and one of them went under our couch. Needless to say the couch has just enough space to let a dinky car go under it, but not much else, including my arm. Thankfully it went under the couch that isn't against a wall, and so I was able to get out. Two minutes later however the car ended up under the couch that's against a wall. I can't see the car, can't get my arm under the couch to feel for the car, or get anything to reach the car, so it looks like the boy is out luck. 

Unfortunately, he doesn't see it this way. When I told him I thought he wouldn't be getting the car back any time soon because I couldn't get it, he looked amazed. "Of course you can Mummy. You can do it, you can get it out Mummy". I'm touched by the faith he has in me, but sadly, he's still not getting that car back today.

Friday 15 July 2011

Sick Boy

The boy was sick yesterday and some of it has spilled over into today. He had a bit of a fever and some aches and pains. Nothing too serious thankfully. But it does mean that he's not quite his usual self. He was up a few times in the night and wanted cuddles in his bed, which I was more than happy to give him. Especially since normally he only wants to snuggle for a few minutes, and then I get kicked out, as it's his bed, and I have my own to go and lay in.

Normally the boy is a 'Daddy's boy', if hubby is around that's who he wants to spend time with. It's understandable really, since the boy spends most of his time with me, and only gets to spend weekends and a few hours a day with hubby. But that all changes with the boy is sick. Then, all he wants is Mummy. I have to admit that I revel in this a little bit. As much as I hate seeing the boy sick (and it makes me so thankful that he is generally healthy), it means that for a change, all the boy wants is Mummy, and that's about all that feels good when the boy doesn't.


Tuesday 12 July 2011

Special Guests

The boy started a week of summer camp yesterday. It's a little half day program our town runs for  3-5 year olds. They have a different theme each day, and do a mix of crafts, baking, games, nature walks and more. So far he seems to be loving it - in fact yesterday when I picked him up at lunch he wanted to make sure he got to go back again today!

The counselors had put together a little newsletter for the parents letting them know the themes of each day and what some of the activities would be. Since the boy likes to be prepared, I was reading it to him yesterday afternoon so that  he could stay pumped about camp and have something to look forward to. He was really into it, and was telling hubby all about it at night.

Today is bug day, tomorrow is dino day, Thursday is beach day, and Friday is a 'Pajama Party'. As I read all the different crafts and games they would be doing, he was getting really excited. When I got to Friday, they have a "special guest" coming, and before I could even tell the boy that the guest was a magician, he looked at me and said in a very excited, breathy voice "Oh, I love guests!" I guess this means I need to have people over more often so that the boy can have more guests. Just hope they realize that they will have to be entertained by the boy!

Wednesday 6 July 2011

A better mummy

The boy attends a playgroup twice a week for a few hours each day. The group consists of kids ages 3 to 5, and they sing songs, do crafts, listen to stories and just generally have fun. Parents don't stay, and most of the time the boy is totally fine with that, sometimes, barely turning around to say good bye before he goes off to play.

All this changes if he's tired though. When I dropped him off today, he was tired and didn't want me to go, so I stayed for a few minutes. We did a craft together, played for a bit, and then I got him started on a painting. He was totally immersed in it, so I checked with him, he said he was good so I headed off.

When I picked him up after class, he was telling me all about what he'd done, his new friend Jason (a girl who's real name is Jasmine, but he insists that her name is Jason - poor girl) and what songs they sang. It was obvious he'd had a good time. Fast forward to dinner time tonight when the boy was telling hubby about his afternoon. He talked about a new boy in his class (who had a made up nonsense name - I think he invented the child) and the mummy of the new boy (she also had a made up name). He then told us that the mummy stayed for the whole time, so I jokingly asked him if that made her a better mummy than me. Of course he said 'yes'. Moral of the story, make believe mummies are always going to be better than the real thing!

Monday 4 July 2011

Being the boy's helper

This morning, after realizing that Hubby would not be staying home all day like he had the past three days (hurrah for long weekends!), the boy decided that he would just have to make the best of it and play with me - life's rough! But since I was a fairly willing participant, he decided that he could just about make do with only me.

Normally the boy likes to play with me for a bit, and then go and do his own thing, provided that I'm within chattering distance, so that he can keep up a steady flow of conversation about what he's doing and how he's doing it. "Mummy, look, see what it is I'm doing" is a frequent refrain in our house. Today, it was determined that since it was so nice outside, after I had hung up the laundry, we would continue to play outside.

I figured this meant watching him pushing his lawn mower around, or kicking a soccer ball back and forth. Apparently the boy had other ideas. He decided he was going to do some gardening, which involved digging in my garden (he has a spot where he is allowed to do this) and then having me pass him his tools as he 'planted' things. I felt like I was a nurse assisting in an operating room, but instead of "scalpel, suction, gauze" I got the demands of "trowel", "shovel", "fork." It was fun though, and it meant we got to spend the morning out in the beautiful sun. Somehow, I don't think he's going to be quite as enthused being my helper to clean the bathroom this afternoon!

Friday 1 July 2011

I like it best...

Since today was Canada Day, hubby was home all day with us, which is great. Not only does the boy get to spend more time with his Dad, but it also means that I get to go to the bathroom in peace! What more could I ask for?

While we we coming home from playing soccer in the park, the boy decided to hold both of our hands, mainly so he could swing, which is one of his favourite things to do, and he looked up at hubby and said, "I like it best when it's the three of us, you and me and Mummy." 

With that, how could hubby not want to quit work and stay at home with us all the time? Sadly, less than an hour later, the boy reminded hubby why he was happy to go to work occasionally, when the boy wouldn't stop singing a made up song with nonsense words. Guess the boy will have to settle for second best next week and just stay home with me!

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Independence at Ikea?

Today, the boy, myself, my SIL and her two little ones headed off to Ikea for a shopping trip. Since my SIL is on mat. leave (her newest addition is not yet 2 months old), we decided to make an outing of it during the week when the store would be less busy.

Ikea has this great supervised play area with a ball pit (babies love the ball pit), colouring tables, and more, that you can leave your little one for an hour while you get some shopping done without constant interruptions, or small nosey people checking out everything you're putting in your cart.  The boy & I talked about leaving him there, and he seemed game to go for it, and so, slightly nervous, I went over, signed in him, got my pager in case they needed me urgently, and watched him go. It's not the first time he's been left anywhere, he goes on his own to the nursery class at our church, and he attends a little play group once a week by himself, but this was the first time he'd been left with people and kids he didn't know, and he didn't bat an eyelash.

He took off straight to the ball pit, and immediately started playing with another little boy that was there. It was incredible for me to watch. My little boy all grown up and content to go off on his own and make friends and play. I managed to get all the things I needed at Ikea, and apparently, the boy found some independence there too. Now if only they carried something to stop me worrying about him!

Thursday 23 June 2011

Summer Fun with his Best Friends

In a brief moment of sunshine today the boy wanted to go outside and have an 'ice pop'. We make home-made smoothies and then freeze them as our healthy summer treat. Our current batch is strawberry/banana/mango with vanilla yoghurt - very tasty if I do say so myself!

When the boy eats the ice pops (blame this name on something that happened with his favourite characters - Charlie & Lola) he can be quite messy, so the rule is that they have to be eaten outside and he has to wear a bib. He's fine with these rules, and would eat an ice pop outside even in the pouring rain or the freezing cold if he could! I chalk this up more to his love of being outside than how good the ice pops are.

While he was eating his treat today, he insisted on sitting on our deck's step which put him at the perfect hight for our two dogs to insinuate themselves for some ice pop. The boy loves our dogs, and they love him back (especially at meal time when his seat is the perfect place to sit under), so he was more than happy to share with them by pouring the melted part of his pop onto the ground for them to lick up! They were happy to oblige by cleaning up after him, and that meant that there was less for him to accidentally drip on himself (which is what normally happens) and the dogs got a treat too, win-win!

BFF's!

Monday 20 June 2011

Feeding Bunny

The boy has a stuffed rabbit that he got when he was born, that he still loves. It's from the fabulous line of French toys called Kaloo (The amazing Mastermind Toys carries them - you can check out what they've got here) Being very inventive, this rabbit is called 'Bunny'.

Bunny comes with us around the house, and occasionally has to join us for meals. Normally it's just lunch or a snack that Bunny gets to eat with us, but tonight, Bunny joined us for dinner.  Hubby had to go out to a meeting, so it was just the boy and I for dinner. I decided that we would have a special treat and have grilled cheese sandwiches and veggies for our dinner. As I was serving it up, the boy announced that we needed to get Bunny, since "he really loves grilled cheese" 

So Bunny dutifully came and joined us, and of course he had to have a bib on too so that he wouldn't get dirty! Bunny apparently really does love grilled cheese, cucumbers and peppers, but he's not so fond of pickles. It's interesting because this means that Bunny has his own personality, because the boy loves all of these things. The boy even wanted to get Bunny his own dessert, since apparently Bunny didn't want to share with the boy - what a scam artist! Besides, everyone knows that Mummies get the extra dessert for all the hard work of putting small boys to bed!

Friday 17 June 2011

Ever wonder what sound a Yak makes?

I have to say I have never really given much thought to Yaks. In my mind they were always just furry cows - we don't see a lot of Yaks in the wild around here.Today, thanks to the boy, I doubled my knowledge of them.

Recently the boy has gotten into playing Go Fish - he really loves it, and is pretty good at it,  he actually beats me quite often. We have an animal Go Fish game, and to tweak it a bit, we added our own rule that when you make a match, you need to make the sound of the animal. Today the boy matched his Yaks, but didn't know what noise they made, so thanks to the trusty internet, we searched and found out - they grunt. The boy loved it so much that he continued to pretend to be a Yak for the rest of the morning, going around grunting all the time.

So if you're intrigued, here's the link to the clip we watched to help learn about the noise of a Yak. It's never a dull (or quiet) moment around here!

Monday 13 June 2011

Sound Effects

When he was little, the boy used sounds for things instead of words. Our vacuum cleaner was a 'wvooooee' (imagine it sounding like a vacuum), a drill was a 'brrrrrzzz' and so on. And it was deliberate, the sounds were all distinct and only used when referring to whatever he was talking about. It was quite cute and endearing.

Fast forward to now, when he talks non-stop, day in day out, and with a vocabulary that often surprises hubby and myself. He no longer needs the sounds to describe the items, now the sounds are an accompaniment as he's 'using' the items. If he's 'making' bread he does an almost spot-on impression of my bread maker, or if he's cutting the grass or using the weed whacker, it comes complete with lawn mower or weed whacking noises. But his most used toys at the moment are his tools. When he's doing fixing jobs around the house and using all his tools he (apparently) has a number of different drills, and they all make different noises. Often he'll classify them as 'this is my quiet drill, this is my loud drill, and this is my really loud drill'. And of course, guess which drill he uses most often - I think I should buy shares in advil!

Thursday 9 June 2011

My son the biker

The boy got a bike for his birthday, and loves to ride it. We mostly ride on our street (a very quiet court), but today he decided that he had to ride it to my parents house - about a kilometre away. He's doing really well with his pedalling, but I do have to keep reminding him every two minutes to focus on what he's doing, and not to be distracted by a lawn mower, or someone walking their dog on the other side of the street, or even just an interesting looking yard!

It's so cute to see him with his helmet on, little bits of hair escaping from the back, as he pushes off and goes. He looks so grown up and it's a little bit heartbreaking to realize that he's not my baby any more. I'm sure I'll feel the same way when he's asking to borrow the keys to my car!

Bye Mum, see you later!

Monday 6 June 2011

A play date with Nana (Bloggers Give Back)

"Why are you home Mummy?" That was what greeted me when I walked in the door after a busy day working at George Herman House for the Bloggers Give Back project (check out the site, and all my old posts here, here, here, and here). The reason? The boy had had a fantastic day with Nana, she'd brought him a picnic lunch, they'd played baseball, played in the park, had smoothie pops, and more. Basically he'd had an amazing day doing everything he wanted!

I had a fantastic day too. I met a lot of great ladies involved in the Bloggers Give Back project, and we really managed to turn the garden at George Herman House into something beautiful for the residents. We assembled all the furniture IKEA Canada had donated, got the beautiful Tonic Living Cushions, and some planters and flowers from the Home Depot Canada.  Now there are seating areas, an outdoor dining table, and places to relax. Just what everyone needs in a green space, especially in an urban setting.

Now I'm already looking forward to the fall, when Frank Ferragine AKA “Frankie Flowers” comes out to help us finish off the transformation at George Herman House. It will be another great day out for me, and another fun play date with Nana for the boy.  It'd just be nice if he at least pretended to miss me next time though!






The debris being cleaned up

The Ikea Falster Bench and Arholma chair with cushions from Tonic Living


A great place to hang out now and relax!

Saturday 4 June 2011

A Pillow House

I've mentioned before that the boy has a very active imagination  and he uses it constantly. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of who or what he is at any given moment. It's a lot of fun, and I really do love hearing what comes out of his mouth when he's creating his own worlds.

For the last 4 days I've had to step over a pile of pillows on the floor in my bedroom. For a change, it's not because I made a mess, or hubby hasn't put something away, it's because it's a house. The boy was playing in my room the other day while I was doing some tidying. The next thing I knew he'd dragged in a whole bunch of pillows from his room and proceeded to build a 'house' with them on my floor. When I tried to pull one out to start putting them away, I got told, "No Mummy, that's the door!" and so it stayed where it was. Later that night when hubby tried to do the same thing, he was told he was pulling on a window.

Thankfully our bedroom is big enough that we can leave them where they are for now and  just step around them. The boy has come in to check on his house a number of times, and has even re-adjusted it to make it more secure! Hopefully he'll move onto something else soon, and we can put the pillows away, so I can regain my floor!



A house (apparently)

Thursday 2 June 2011

Re-Runs

I was just showing hubby and the boy some videos of the boy and what he'd been up to the past few days (running through the sprinkler, riding his bike, playing his drums, and going on his scooter - not only is the boy busy, he's also spoilt!) The boy loves watching himself and in fact when you take a picture of him, one of the things he wants is to be able to see it right away - thank goodness for digital cameras!

After we'd watched the home movies, we asked the boy if he wanted to play outside for a bit to see if we could start to tire him out - he's had some ridiculously late nights recently - and of course, he agreed. So I grabbed the camera and we headed outside to see what he wanted to play with. He decided that it was time to go out on his scooter. Then the boy told me I had to film it, and that I had to ask him the same questions as we had asked him in the video we'd all just watched.

After he'd finished scooting, we came in and he announced that he now needed to play drums and sing K-K-Katie (another clip we'd just seen) So now I have two almost identical movies of the boy, doing identical things, saying almost exactly the same things, just a few days apart. I guess I should be grateful that he's wearing different clothes in each movie!

Monday 30 May 2011

Mummy Brain Strikes Again

While I was outside playing with the boy this morning I had a brilliant idea for a post. It was going to be a quick, short little post, nothing major, but funny. I'm sure it was about something that we were doing, or something the boy had said. But since we were playing soccer at the time, I didn't have an easy way to jot anything down. I said to myself, don't forget!



The boy is now having some quiet time, so I thought this would be a perfect moment to write up my little post. That way I don't have to worry about finding time tonight in between everything else that needs accomplishing in the evenings. I can sit out in the sun and enjoy the warm weather while I get the post out of my head and onto the computer - I love wireless internet!

However, the minute I sat down, Mummy Brain struck. I have no idea what I was going to write about, what I wanted to say, or even what it was in relation to! I'm sure at 2 in the morning, when I'm trying to sleep it will pop back into my head and I'll feel like an idiot for forgetting something so simple. But in the meantime, I'm stuck with Mummy Brain, and with no known cure, that blog post is going to be rattling around in my head for some time, I'm sure - ah, the joys of motherhood!

Thursday 26 May 2011

Gardening Boy

This year my parents decided to give the boy a small plot of garden in their yard so he could grow his own vegetables. He loves being outside, and digging around in our garden, which is a lot smaller and doesn't have huge amounts of space for veggies, so this is perfect for him.  He helps me plant and weed in our garden, and last fall, he 'helped' me plant all of bulbs. So having a second garden for him is great, plus it means more fresh veggies for us! 

We live within walking distance from my parents, so it means that he'll be able to check on his garden as he needs to. He's a bit impatient though, and quite often expects things to happen right away. He's still anxiously awaiting cherries on our cherry tree. It's covered in leaves and all the blossoms have dropped off, according to him this means there should be cherries for him to eat!

We popped over to my parents yesterday so he could plant his garden. In his patch, he is growing carrots, lettuce, radishes and potatoes. He put everything but the potatoes in, which my Mum had done a few days earlier. Today we had to pop over to their house during the day and see if anything had grown yet. Funnily enough, it hadn't! I explained that he only planted the seeds yesterday so there wouldn't be anything yet. He replied, "I know, but I thought the potatoes Grandma had planted would be growing by now.' Poor impatient boy, I think it will be a long summer checking on his plants almost daily!

Monday 23 May 2011

5 more minutes

The boy doesn't nap, but for the sake of mummy's sanity, he still goes into his room for some quiet time each day. Depending on how tired we are, - I mean how tired he is -, he's in his room anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. However this is not a solid amount of time, he generally pops in and out of his room every 15 minutes or so to check up on me, to go to the bathroom, to fill his water bottle up, and any other excuse he can think of.

He has a wall clock in his room, and while he can't tell time yet, he does know his numbers so you can ask him to stay in his room until the big hand gets to a certain number. Most of the time he's pretty good and waits until he is supposed to be coming out. Lately however he's been trying to push it and come out of his room earlier. If you ask him to stay until the big hand gets to the 12, he'll suddenly appear about 5 minutes early. The reason? "The big hand is between the 11 and the 12' 

I'm pleased that he's looking at his clock and mostly following the rules, and it's nice that he wants to come out and be with me. I know when he's a teenager it will be like pulling teeth to get him out of bed, and he'll be hitting the snooze button on his alarm, I'm sure. But for now, when he appears earlier that I was expecting him, it's me that says, 'Please, just 5 more minutes'.