Monster Mum

Fireman Boy

2012-02-24T08:00:00.001-08:00

On Family Day this past week, we went to an event at our local museum and as part of the day, there was a police car and fire truck there along with the officers and fire fighters to let kids see everything, and sit in the car and the truck. The boy could take or leave the police car, the only thing he liked about it was the computer in it. The fire truck though, oh boy, what a different story!

He's always been interested in fire trucks - we have a play tent one, and he quite often drives it around the basement. But the minute he saw all the tools that the fire fighters get to use, he was sold, and since then he's been a fire fighter almost every day. We had to bring his tent up to the main floor so he could have it out more often, and all of the 'tools' that the fire truck had on it have become part of his play. He now uses an axe to break down the doors, he has a special saw to help people out of cars, and an extension for his hose that makes bubbles to cover gas up.

It's amazing to me how much information he retains when he's interested in a topic. We must have spoken to the firemen for all of 2 or 3 minutes, and yet he took it all in, and now my house is constantly on fire so that he can put it out. He's also decided that I can be his helper, so I have to carry his 'equipment' around for him. Since it's raining/snowing/sleeting outside today, it's a great way to keep him busy and active inside. Although, for my part, maybe I need to encourage a hobby that would have us pretending to sit on a beach somewhere, rather than running around the house!

Hopefully it's not dinner that's burning!

A sign of Spring

2012-02-20T18:12:00.000-08:00

There's snow on the ground right now, but the boy & I brought a little spring into our house the other day. We were at the grocery store and they had a beautiful display of primulas. The colours were so bright and vibrant, perfect for a dull February day.

I really like having primulas around here, because they are pretty close to perfect flowers. Fantastic to have inside while it's still cold outside, then you can plant them outside when it gets a bit warmer, and you've got a splash of colour in your yard, along with beautiful green foliage, for years to come. Plus they're really easy to care for, they just like a bit of sun, and some water every few days.

The boy decided that having one primula in the house wasn't enough and he really needed one of his own. We made a deal that he could have his own, but that he needed to look after it by himself. He was thrilled. He's got it in his room and it's doing fairly well. We've had a few times where it's not been watered enough, but so far it's come back to life each time.

He's also looking forward to when it will finally be warm enough outside so that he can pick a spot in the garden to plant it. It's been a good way to help teach him responsibility of sorts, and for a very low price, and probably very few tears if he does kill it off!

His primula - still alive & flowering (for now)

Last Minute Valentine's Craft

2012-02-14T03:42:00.000-08:00

Hubby & I have never really celebrated Valentine's Day. Back in the day, I was always away on a business trip when Valentine's Day came around, so we figured it was easier to skip it altogether (we're romantic like that). Fast forward to now, and we still don't celebrate it for each other, but having the boy means having to remember it's coming up and doing something fun for him.

Planning ahead doesn't always happen though with little ones around, so here's the fun last-minute craft we made at our house.

All you need to do is get some paint and paint the outside of both of their hands (where the pinky finger is) have them make a fist and then stamp it onto some paper. We had to make the peak of the hear a little bit with a paint brush, but other than that, it's a heart made out of the boy's hand print - how cute?

Perfect heart shape

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Cupcakes

2012-02-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

The boy & I decided to make some cupcakes for Valentine's Day (any reason really to have cupcakes!). So we used a great white cake recipe that the boy has made in his cooking class, added some raspberries and proceeded to make heart shaped cupcakes.

All you need to do to make the heart shape is to drop a marble in the pan to push in the top of your cupcake liner. My helper (a.k.a the boy) loved doing this. He kept saying we were having marble cupcakes! The bigger the marble, the bigger the 'dent' in the heart

Marble cupcakes

The thing I forgot when making these is that you don't want to fill your liners too much. You can see from the picture above that they're about 2/3 full, and I probably should have put less in, as you end up losing a bit of the heart shape when they bake.

Fairly heart shaped

We iced them with the world's best buttercream icing (it truly is the best I have ever tasted) and topped them off with a raspberry. I say 'we' iced them, but really it was the boy, with me helping to hold the icing bag.

The boy's artistic icing

It doesn't matter how they look, because they taste fantastic! Hubby will be getting one in his lunch tomorrow and then they will be our special dessert after dinner for Valentine's Day. The secret ingredient really is love!

White Cake Recipe

2012-02-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

This is a great simple white cake recipe for baking with kids, as there's lots they can do to help. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 c sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 c flour
1 c milk
3/4 vegetable oil
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350
Line 2 9" round or square pans (or put liners in for about 24/30 cupcakes)
In large bowl beat sugar and eggs until slightly thickened (about a minute)
Add flour, milk, oil, baking powder, and vanilla and beat one more minute, until smooth and creamy. Don't over beat
Pour into prepared pans
Bake 30-40 minutes for cakes (about 20 minutes for cupcakes) until tops are golden brown and toothpick comes out clean
Loosen sides with knife and turn upside down. Let cool before icing

Heart Shaped Boy

2012-02-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

The boy & I were feeling crafty today, and with Valentine's Day approaching, I thought we could break out a cool (but simple) heart craft. I found this craft the other night while I was browsing Pinterest. (If you haven't used Pinterest, I suggest it with a warning, it is a fantastically addictive site).

The banner was so easy to make, the boy cut the strips out (that's my excuse for why some of them are a bit wonky), and we assembled it & stapled it together. Folding the paper into the heart shape was my job, and then the boy helped to hold them in place while I stapled it.

I didn't follow the directions exactly as pictured, but once you start making it, it's so simple, you'll come up with your own rhythm for what works best. With 3 sheets of construction paper, I managed to make 15 hearts, which seemed to be a good length for the banner. My only problem was that I couldn't find a small stapler around, so unfortunately I had to use a standard stapler, which was a bit big trying to fit inside the hearts.

The boy had a blast making it (and then running around wearing it afterwards) and now our house feels a little bit more Valentine-y!


The chain also doubles as a sash!

A little seasonal spirit over our fireplace.

If you want to find the original site that the craft came from, check it out here, just as a note, it's not in English, which is why I posted the other link up top.

The wonders of the Internet

2012-02-06T17:30:00.000-08:00

My Dad sent this link to the boy today, and we've had to watch it over and over and over again.

I love how funny he thinks it is, it's more of that child-like enthusiasm that I think we all need in our lives. So go watch the clip and be prepared for a little giggle. Although, be warned, if there's a small child around, be ready to watch it a lot!

I have to do my skating

2012-02-01T19:54:00.000-08:00

The boy got skates for Christmas and has been learning how to skate. He's been doing really well, and I'm so proud of how hard he's trying. The rule in our house is it doesn't matter if you succeed or not, but you always have to try. He's really taken that to heart, and now flies around the house 'skating'. Because of course he needs to practice his skating. (Even though he's indoors, and not wearing his skates, it's still practice according to him)

This means he slides up and down on the hardwood floors (wearing his socks of course for better distance) or runs on the carpet and calls out "Look Mummy, I'm skating!" This afternoon I asked if he wanted to do a craft or play a game, and got told "No Mummy, I just have to do my skating", and with that he was off and slipping through the house. The best part? The boy told me to sit on the couch and watch him,. What could be better? Letting him burn off some of his excess energy while I get to relax on the couch for 5 minutes, awesome!

Snow much fun

2012-01-29T19:55:00.000-08:00

Do you think the boy will love shovelling this much in 12 years time when the driveway needs doing? I sure hope so.

How much more fun could he be having?

A trip to Blog Podium (and more fun with Nana)

2012-01-28T19:03:00.000-08:00

On Friday I got to head down to check out Blog Podium at the Interior Design Show. Both were amazing, and it was nice to get out of the house and be among grown ups. The Interior Design Show had lots of fantastic exhibitors, and made me wish I had the resources to redo my house entirely!

The best part of the day though was the talk at Blog Podium. Lindsay from littlehouseblog and Jennifer from Rambling Renovators put together an amazing group of media personalities who are involved in the design industry to talk about a number of things. They touched on the role of bloggers in the media, how to attract media attention, and how to pitch an idea to a magazine or TV show. It was really interesting, and I'm already looking forward to the next talk in May. You can check out the twitter hash tag #blogpodium to see some of the things that came out of the conversation.

During all of this the boy got to hang out with Nana, which makes him very happy. He was so into hanging out with Nana that when she showed up in the morning, everything else got forgotten and he was off and showing her all his toys. This continued, so that when I got home the only people to care I was home were my dogs! We are so lucky to have grandparents that the boy adores, and who adore him, so that I can head out for occasional trips into the real world with other grown ups. Now to book Nana for the next Blog Podium event!

Best (imaginary) workout

2012-01-24T18:18:00.000-08:00

The boy decided today that he wanted to play baseball. But it's a little to cold and mucky to head to our local park to play for real. So we ended up playing virtual baseball. We don't have a fancy video game system, so we had to resort to using our imagination.

This means there was a lot of arm waving (for the batter) and pretend throwing (for the pitcher), but the best part was we got to decide ourselves where the balls went. Suddenly my athletic dreams had come true and I hit a home run! It was a lot of fun and silliness, and surprisingly a good workout since we were actually running 'bases' even if the rest of the game was make-believe. It really was a perfect energy burner for a dreary January day, and spring training is just around the corner!

My pretend angel

2012-01-21T16:57:00.000-08:00

He might not be good enough to be an angel during the day, but at least he can make one!

Even his snow angel looks like the halo might be a bit askew

Hide & Seek

2012-01-18T17:45:00.000-08:00

The boy is suddenly really into playing hide & seek. Half the fun for him is calling out silly places where the other person couldn't possibly be hiding. Although the boy's hiding spot today was a new high. I don't think I'll ever be able to top it....

'Where's Waldo' eat your heart out.

Do I look pretty?

2012-01-14T21:27:00.000-08:00

We were getting ready to go out yesterday and I wanted to put some lip balm on the boy since it was really cold out. He wasn't into it, but said he was willing to wear some lipstick. So I pulled out one of my moisturising lipsticks, (in a lovely shade of pink) and proceeded to put it on him. After it was done and he'd smushed his lips together, he looked at hubby and said "Do I look pretty now?" I quickly jumped in and told him that of course he looked pretty, but that he looked pretty even without the lipstick. "Ok Mummy, thank you" and that was it.

Yikes. I'm going to have to work on making sure he doesn't think that make up (or anything else external) will make him pretty, or handsome (as he grows up and probably won't want to be called pretty).

I'm sure that he's picked this notion up from me, and so I am going to have make a conscious effort to be happy with how I look, whether it's yoga pants and no make up, or dressed to the nines. This isn't something that's easy for me, since, like a lot of women, I have self-esteem issues. I always figured it was good I had a boy, and it would be harder to pass my issues on as he wouldn't feel obliged to live up to society's standards of beauty. I guess I was wrong.

For now, I'm not that worried, I don't think it's an engrained belief in him yet. It just means that I have to be more vigilant about what messages I'm sending, and making sure that the boy knows that he's pretty no matter what.

Silly Walks

2012-01-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

When the boy and I go out for a walk, we sometimes challenge each other to walk in different ways. It makes it a bit more fun, and if we're dawdling, or getting late, then I can encourage him to run. The downside of course is that I have to do it as well. The boy loves it though, because he's all about "getting exercise, because exercise is good for us".

As we were out today, I'm sure I was giving my neighbours a good laugh as we walked along. Some of the ways the boy made me walk were to run like cheetah, stomp like dino, hop like bunny, jump like kangaroo, march like soldier, and gallop like horse. My personal favourite was to tiptoe like ballerina, including having to hold our arms up above our head, because "Mummy, that's what ballerinas do". Although maybe we haven't reached the peak of silliness until we have to walk like an Egyptian.

Reorganization

2012-01-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

Since it was Epiphany on Friday, it meant that we could take down our Christmas tree & decor this weekend. I was glad of that, as I was starting to get tired of having my living room all topsy turvy. The nice thing when we moved the tree out was we got to see a big open space again and figure out what we really needed and where. I'm trying to de-clutter, so it was nice to not put things back, and to just have space.

It also meant that we could reorganize the boy's toys. He has some toys on our main floor, and then another collection in our basement. Once we shifted the tree out, and moved the furniture back, we could see what space we had for all of his things upstairs. Granddad made him a workbench for Christmas, so that had to take the place of honour, (since he loves his tools) but then all of his other bits and pieces had to get fit in too.

He loved getting all his toys settled. He kept moving them around, deciding where they worked best, what shelf things should go on, and where they fit. He spent a fair chunk of time shuttling things back and forth between locations to get things just right! I was really surprised at the attention to detail he put into everything, he was quite precise as to the usage and placement of everything, and making sure that it worked and that it was tidy. Perhaps we have a future designer, home stager, and builder on our hands.

The giant workbench that keeps him very busy!

Skating part 2

2012-01-05T18:59:00.000-08:00

I took the boy skating by myself today. I wasn't sure how much he'd be into it without hubby there. I am not nearly as competent skater as hubby, so I didn't know if the boy would get bored because I couldn't carry him like his Dad does, and my backwards skating leaves a lot to be desired.

It turns out that I didn't need to worry. The boy discovered that in nice weather, while wearing snow pants and a big jacket, it's a lot of fun to slip on the ice and fall down on purpose!

How we spent a large chunk of time on the ice (in between giggles)

I'm the winner!

2012-01-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

For Christmas the boy got a sound bingo game. Each player has a board with 8 sounds on it and there's a main unit that plays the different noises. It's quite cute and it's a quick play which is perfect for days when our attention span isn't so long.

The neat thing is that it tells you who the winner is, so there's no arguing or discussions about it. There's also no cheating! So far the boy just likes to play and he isn't overly fussed when he doesn't win. That's not to say he doesn't like winning best, but he is still happy when someone else wins. When the game is over the unit says 'yay! Blue player is the winner!' The boy thinks this is pretty funny and when he has won, he repeats it and says 'Yay, I'm the winner'.

I'm quite conscious of trying to make sure he's not a poor looser, especially since he's only child. Luckily both hubby and I have a decent competitive streak so it's hard for us to let him win every game we play. I think that it's good for him to know that you can't win at everything, and that it's o.k. to loose. For now he's still happy to cheer for the winner of each game, and hopefully that will continue, as he graduates from Bingo to more advanced games like Candyland.

Farewell 2011

2011-12-31T16:16:00.000-08:00

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)

Walking in a winter wonderland

2011-12-29T17:31:00.001-08:00

Winter has finally arrived in our neck of the woods.

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

Stars on Ice, sorta

2011-12-28T18:54:00.000-08:00

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

The night before the night before...

2011-12-23T17:45:00.000-08:00

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.

You won't like it.

2011-12-20T19:54:00.000-08:00

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

Christmas Market (A boys eye view)

2011-12-16T16:42:00.000-08:00

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)

It tastes green

2011-12-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

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!

Glad I've got a hugger.

2011-12-12T19:31:00.000-08:00

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.

A Christmas-y craft

2011-12-06T16:11:00.001-08:00

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'

Advent Calendar

2011-12-01T14:24:00.001-08:00

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!

Snowflakes

2011-11-30T13:30:00.001-08:00

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!

Copy Cat

2011-11-29T19:03:00.001-08:00

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!

Growth Spurt

2011-11-25T18:08:00.001-08:00

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!

Yummy Granola

2011-11-20T17:34:00.001-08:00

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

Preheat over to 350
Grease a 9 * 13 pan
mix all ingredients together
press flat into pan
bake 20-25 minutes (when they are lightly browned on top you will have chewy, moist bars)
Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then cut.

My 'helper' patting the granola into the pan

What an imagination!

2011-11-18T14:20:00.001-08:00

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!

2 minutes peace, please!

2011-11-15T16:46:00.001-08:00

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.

A doll for the boy

2011-11-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

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!

Scrupulously fair

2011-11-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

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!

Driving lessons

2011-11-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

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.

Spooky Pumpkins

2011-10-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

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!

Pride and Prejudice and zombies oh my!

2011-10-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

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!

He's definitely my son

2011-10-24T12:54:00.000-07:00

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

The Boy Cave

2011-10-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

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!

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

2011-10-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

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

Laundry fun!

2011-10-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

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.

Crafty Thanksgiving

2011-10-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

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!

My little story teller

2011-10-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

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?

Apple Fun

2011-09-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

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:

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

What's better than exploring after a rainstorm?

2011-09-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

Absolutely nothing!

Investigating the drains after today's rain

I like this one much more better

2011-09-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

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?

Dizzy

2011-09-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

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!

I can see clearly now

2011-09-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

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!

Chase!

2011-09-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

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!

Farmer Boy

2011-09-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

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!

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

2011-09-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

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....

The natives are getting restless...

2011-08-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

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!

When I grow up...

2011-08-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

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!

Eye Rolling

2011-08-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

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.

Are you watching?

2011-08-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

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!

All better?

2011-08-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

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

The boy's busy bag

2011-08-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

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!

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

2011-08-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

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!

Happiness is a box of new markers

2011-08-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

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?

What a memory

2011-08-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

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!

What I did on my summer vacation...

2011-07-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

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!

You can do it Mummy.

2011-07-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

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.

Sick Boy

2011-07-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

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.

Special Guests

2011-07-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

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!

A better mummy

2011-07-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

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!

Being the boy's helper

2011-07-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

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!

I like it best...

2011-07-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

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!

Independence at Ikea?

2011-06-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

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!

Summer Fun with his Best Friends

2011-06-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

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!

Feeding Bunny

2011-06-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

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!

Ever wonder what sound a Yak makes?

2011-06-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

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!

Sound Effects

2011-06-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

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!

My son the biker

2011-06-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

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!

A play date with Nana (Bloggers Give Back)

2011-06-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

"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!

A Pillow House

2011-06-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

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)

Re-Runs

2011-06-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

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!

Mummy Brain Strikes Again

2011-05-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

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!

Gardening Boy

2011-05-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

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!

5 more minutes

2011-05-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

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'.

Today I'll behave...

2011-05-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

The boy is getting older, and starting to really grasp that his actions have consequences, both good and bad. So some days are great when he knows what needs to be done, follows instructions, and listens. Some days, not so great. Yesterday the boy was misbehaving while we were trying to have his shower before bed. We'd had a long day and I was not in the mood for it. So he got two warnings and on the third, I simply told him no more shower, turned the water off and that was it.

This meant a lot of screaming and fussing (from the boy, not me). He really loves showers and baths - we have a detachable shower head so he loves holding onto it and making his own sprinkler in the tub. After a few minutes though, he finally calmed down, and off we went to bed and the rest of our night time routine.

Tonight, the boy was getting undressed and ready to go have his shower, and he stopped and looked at me and said "I'll behave today Mummy". And he did, and it was awesome!

My little helper

2011-05-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before how the boy likes to help, and most of the time it's great. Even if it means chores take a bit (or a lot) longer, it means I'm spending time with the boy (and that way if things aren't done perfectly I can always blame him!) and he's learning to help and be useful.

Today was no exception. With the warm weather we've had recently, I decided I could finally pack away our winter things (I know it's May, but I didn't want to put them away and then need to get them out again). Since it was raining today, I thought it would be the perfect time to get it done. The boy was taking a break from playing outside (he's like the post office, neither rain, nor snow, nor gloom of night...) and thought that he would be helpful.

However, his version of helpful was not so helpful today. He thought that while I was getting all the scarves and mitts and junk out, he would turn it into dress up time. This meant he had to try them all on. Then, as I was getting all of our summer stuff out (sun hats, sunglasses, gardening gloves etc.) those needed to get tried on. It meant that the job took twice (maybe three times) as long as it needed to. But eventually it got done, and it left me with a great photo opportunity (not only does he like to dress up, but the boy is also a bit of a ham). So all in all, it was a chunk of time well spent, I think...

Summer hat, sunglasses, sweater and gardening gloves - high fashion!

Do I really sound like that?

2011-05-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

Most of us aren't fond of the sound of our own voice. We hear ourselves on home videos or answering machines, and think that can't be me, I don't sound like that do I? Well I've recently had that same experience, except I haven't heard a recording of my voice, I've been hearing my words coming out of the boy's mouth.

We were emptying the dishwasher today and he started bringing things over to me and asking me to count them. But he was using the same phrases that I use when I'm encouraging him to count. "How many spoons can you see" and then when I counted them out and answered him, he'd look at me and say (in a very perky voice) "that's right, good job!" I guess it's cute that he wants to encourage me in the same way that I encourage him, but it's a bit disconcerting to hear my words coming back at me.

It's happened before, where I'll explain something to the boy, and he'll use the exact same words that I've used to tell someone else about it, and then use parts of that to talk about something else. But repeating my own phrases back at me, in the right situation is new. What this means is that I have to be even more careful what I say around him, I'm always afraid he'll hear snippets of what I say and take it out of context and repeat them in inappropriate places or to the wrong people. Now I have to be even more worried that he'll know exactly what I'm saying and repeat it anyway!

Colour & Fabric Choices (Bloggers Give Back)

2011-05-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

For everyone who's following along with the Bloggers Give Back project (check out the site here, and my old posts, here, here and here) I thought I'd give you a quick update. We'll be doing a garden clean up early in June, and getting some containers and planters installed, prior to Frankie Flowers working his magic on the whole garden in the fall.

At the same time we will be delivering the fantastic furniture Ikea donated along with the cushions from Tonic Living. This means the women at George Herman House will have some plants to look at, while sitting in some very comfortable chairs. Hopefully all while enjoying the nice weather that is on its way.

From their Summer Collection of outdoor furniture, Ikea donated 8 ARHLOMA armchairs with pads, 1 ARHOLMA table/stool , 2 LACKO tables ,1 FALSTER table and 2 FALSTER benches. Tonic Living has donated outdoor fabric and sewing skills for 4 throw cushions for the armchairs, and 2 long cushions for the FALSTER benches. But Tonic Living has so many great patterns, how do we decide? Head on over to the Bloggers Give Back Site and let us know what you like. Personally I'm a fan of Slick Mink with Sunnyside Robin or Flatiron Pacifica with Sunnyside Chocolate. I asked the boy and he likes Sunnyside Coral and Cool Stripe Coral. Actually, I also like his choices, maybe he's got decent taste after all!

L-R Flatiron & Sunnyside Chocolate, Slick Mink & Sunnyside Robin, Sunnyside Coral & Cool Stripe Coral

Today I'm....

2011-05-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

The boy has a very vivid imagination and many of his games are make believe games. His newest thing is pretending to be different people. Which means you have to call him by that persons' name. He tells you who he's being and then if you call him by his own name he'll correct you and say "no Mummy, I'm not me, I'm...."

It's interesting who he picks to pretend to be. Most of them seem to stem from what he's doing at the moment, so if we're playing hockey or soccer then he's the Goalie. If he's doing jobs around the house he's either Bob (the Builder) or our contractor. Sometimes he's Nana, or Granddad, or even Lola (from Charlie & Lola).

They all have different personalities, and do different things, so you'll never catch the goalie doing jobs around the house, he's only for sports, and Nana does jobs like helping the boy to re-shingle her roof. They also all have their own (make believe) equipment. The goalie has pads and gloves, Bob has special tools, and Lola plays different games and instruments with Lotta or Charlie.

He also sometimes expects you to be part of his make believe world, so occasionally I have to be Charlie, or Grandma, or even the boy, as he pretends to be someone else. It's a lot of fun, if not a bit confusing for me, as I try to keep it all straight. He's very good at reminding you who he's pretending to be, and also who you're supposed to be. It helps that when he's pretending, he refers to himself in the third person, so "Bob is just putting up a new fence now" or "the Goalie has stopped the ball"

I don't know how long this phase will last, or if he'll just start internalizing the characters. For now, it's great having that glimpse into how his mind works, and seeing just how big his imagination really is. Now if I could figure out a persona for him to be that naps and is quiet and calm, we'd be set!

These are the rules

2011-05-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

The boy likes rules - he doesn't always follow them, but he does like having them.Today on our drive home from church we noticed a jogger out on the road, and he was very concerned. He piped up from the back seat "That man shouldn't be on the road, you're supposed to be on the sidewalk." We agreed, yes that was the safest place to be, and no we didn't know why the man was on the road, but that he would be safest on the sidewalk, and that's why we have that rule. Most of the time, once he understands why we have a rule, he's o.k. to follow it, when he remembers of course.

He also likes to invent rules to his make-believe games. So we'll be playing something with a nonsensical name, and then he has to tell us what the rules are. The other day we were playing 'bang the monkey in the bucket' and there were very specific rules as to what order we could do things in, how you played, and what was allowed during the game. Those rules changed as they went on though! It's moments like this that I'm afraid I'm raising a Calvin, and I'll find him playing Calvinball as he gets older

Hubby and I get reminded of the rules if we break them "Mummy, we don't leave the tap on", "Daddy, we're not supposed to slam doors", "Mummy, we don't whine". They're all great rules for toddlers, but some days it's just easier for me to toss dirty clothes in the laundry rather than walk over and put it in nicely, but if I'm under the ever vigilant eye of the boy, I will get told that we don't throw our clothes. Some days I wish his memory wasn't as good so I could get away with stuff!

I asked him today what are some of the other rules and this is what we came up with:

Don't touch the TV
Don't touch the iPad when Daddy's using it
Don't go out the window
Don't break the glass
Don't go down the drain when you're having a bath
Don't leave the shower running
Don't go in Daddy's workshop without anyone in there

I'm not sure where the rules about the window, the glass, or the drain came from, but I guess it if prevents him from escaping from the house, breaking my windows, or getting a toe or a finger stuck in the drain, then they're not bad ones to remember.

It could always be worse

2011-04-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

My new mantra is "it could always be worse". It fits most things in every day life. Someone will always be worse off than you, someone's kid will (sadly) always be sicker, someone's house will be smaller (or non-existent),and the weather could always be colder, hotter, wetter or drier.

And of course, anything your kid has destroyed, ruined or spilled, it could always be worse. That's where this website comes in - www.shitmykidsruined.com. For me, it's the perfect reminder that most of the time I've got it pretty good. So yes, while the boy took a face dive in the mud today while we were playing the pouring rain and then wanted to hug me, he still hasn't smeared peanut butter himself. And, yes, the fact that he drew on the couch with a dry erase marker (by accident), was pretty annoying, but at least he didn't paint my bathroom with nail polish.In his efforts to be helpful and self sufficient he has poured milk on the counter, but he's always managed to stop before he's spilt all the milk. So every time I have a bad day with the boy, or he makes a giant mess, or I look at the dent he put in the wall with his head (he was fine, my wall not so much), I just need to repeat to myself "it could always be worse", over and over again.

Perpetual Motion Boy

2011-04-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

It seems like the boy never stops moving. He is constantly going, dashing from one task to another. I wish I could harness it, and bottle it, perhaps even run some of my appliances off of him - think of the energy savings!

The way our house is laid out, we have a door at either end of our kitchen, so quite often, the boy does laps of our main floor, running through the living room, dining room, and kitchen. It's actually quite funny, he has his own personal race track. He also rides his little 'bike' round the loop, often creating a story about where he's going and what he needs to do while he's riding. In one way it's really helpful, because it means that while I'm making dinner, he's tearing around the house, but I still see him every two seconds or so, and I'm only a few steps away in case I hear a 'thump'!

I managed to get this photo of the boy the other day as he blew past me!

And this was before any Easter treats!

If only I had that kind of energy all the time, luckily he's content to play by himself, and just have me as an audience. Thankfully, this means I don't have to chase him constantly although maybe I'd be in better shape if I did!

City Boy

2011-04-22T19:42:00.000-07:00

The boy and I took a road trip of sorts yesterday. We left suburbia and headed off to the 'big city'. We had to take hubby downtown and so while we were there, I thought we would do some sightseeing. We had been downtown earlier in the year and the boy had become obsessed with the streetcars that he saw, and the small signal lights that they got to use. And by obsessed I mean constantly talking about them, asking questions about them, and bringing them up in completely unrelated conversations.

We took public transit (the subway, a streetcar, and a bus) and went around the city. and the boy loved it! We live in the suburbs, so public transit is not something we use, we rely on our bikes, our feet, or our car to get around. So transit, coupled with visiting the big city was a huge treat for the boy. He loved watching everything go by from the window of the streetcar, and being underground for the subway was such a thrill.

Using public transit is something that to most of us, is not an exciting occurrence. For many of us, it's a daily chore, something to be endured, not enjoyed. I commuted to university for four years, and never once did I look forward to the commute, except as somewhere to sleep, on the way home after a long day. But for the boy, it was an amazing thing, something he hasn't stopped talking about since. He's even added it into his make-believe games, pretending to be the streetcar driver and the guard on the subway, making the bonging noise for the doors to close!

That's something that I often forget, things that seem mundane or ordinary to me, are probably novel and unique to the boy. I don't need to worry about boring him with outings and experiences, because they're fun and exciting for him. So next time we're planning something, I don't have to find something thrilling to do, anything mildly exciting seems to be enough, because as many times as I might have done something, it's still interesting for him. Maybe that's why he still finds housework so fun!

Whine Time

2011-04-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

The boy is a toddler, a very typical toddler, and so he's recently started one of my most hated toddler traits – whining. While I hate it, it doesn't grate on my nerves or drive me to distraction, it just annoys me to no end. The whiny repetition of phrases just doesn't get anywhere with me, and thankfully the boy basically knows this.

He understands that whining won't get him anything, and that if he asks in a whiny voice more than once or twice, I just ignore what he's saying. But that doesn't mean that when he's tired or crabby the whine doesn't appear. It also comes out when he's frustrated, so accompanying the whine, there's often the pathetic pouty toddler face to go with it.

I've noticed lately that the boy likes to make sure that everyone knows the rules. So he will stop when we are playing and say “now Mummy, the rules are” and then proceed to tell me something (quite often a bit bizarre and not related to what we're doing). He also gets upset if other people don't obey the rules. If his friends are doing something he's not allowed to, he gets quite worried and has to come and tell me that they're not following the rules. The downside is that when he catches us doing something he's not allowed to do, such as throwing clothes into the laundry hamper, we get told off by him!

Using this love of rules is what works now to stop excessive whining. If after a few tries he's still whining, I just whine back at him. He stops, looks at me and says “Mummy, we don't whine” and that's enough of a reminder for him that it usually stops him too. Who knows how long this will last and what I'll have to come up with next to stop the whine. Whatever we come up with though, I'd prefer it not involve being scolded by my son!

Lazy Morning

2011-04-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

How much more perfect could a rainy, lazy Saturday morning be? We all had our own section of the paper, and were quiet and content (for about 5 minutes). Perfection!

I know it's the Sports Section, but he has to start somewhere right?

Gardening Time (Bloggers Give Back)

2011-04-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

The boy and I were outside exploring our garden today (in the rain – he loves to be out in the rain. Who am I kidding, he just loves to be outside!) and looking for any new plants coming up. We had planted a bunch of bulbs in the fall, so it was fun to see them peeking through the ground starting to bloom.

The boy really loves to garden, he even has his own gardening gloves, wheel barrow, and trowel so that he can 'help' me in the yard. So when we planted our bulbs in the fall, I let him help me with it. He told me where he wanted them, I dug the holes, and he popped them in and put the dirt back in. It was a great afternoon and we both had lots of fun. What it does mean is that my bulbs are in some weird clumps and odd spots in my garden. But any sign of spring and flowers growing in my garden is a nice sight no matter where they are.

I love working in the garden with the boy, it's a lot of fun, especially on beautiful summer days – which I'm can't wait for – and it's great to do something productive and useful. Not only does the boy get to enjoy being outside, but I get to enjoy beautiful flowers, how can you beat that?

This led me to thinking about what the garden at George Herman House will look like and what would be nice for the Bloggers Give Back Project (if you're new to this, you can check out my old posts here and here, and go and see the Bloggers Give Back website where you can learn more about the project and how to get involved) But then I remembered the fantastic news – we don't have to worry about the garden anymore, we have a real pro on our side! Frank Ferragine (aka Frankie Flowers) and Beth Edney, a certified landscape designer are going to help us bring this garden to life!

Isn't that amazing? So not only have we got great sponsors with Ikea Canada donating all the outdoor furniture, Tonic Living donating outdoor fabrics and sewing services, and Mastermind Toys helping us purchase plants and other materials, but we now have Frankie Flowers helping us with the actual garden. That means that the residents at George Herman House will get something really special, and they both deserve and need it. Everyone should have somewhere they can go and relax, even if the flowers are in weird spots or not in colour co-ordinated groups. And since Frankie Flowers is on board now, we can count on the women at the house getting something even better than that!

Baking and the Boy

2011-04-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

The boy loves to help me in the kitchen. Whenever I get a recipe book out, he loves to get one of his own, and 'follow' along. He helps get out the measuring spoons and jugs, and any of the mixing spoons or spatulas that we might need. He has his own apron that he has to put on “in case I get any flour or dirt on me,” even if the recipe has no flour in it!

Then the fun begins. He likes to dump in the ingredients after I've measured them, and then of course, stirring them all up in the bowl is a big thing. Or watching them in the bowl of my electric mixer, or looking in the bread maker to see it all spin around. He also likes to help with the rolling pin, or putting dough in muffin cups, or using cookie cutters. So as long as it doesn't need to be perfect, then we're all good. He has a habit of using the cookie cutter randomly over the dough, sometimes on top of other ones he's already done, so we get some very weird shapes!

Odd shaped food still tastes as good, and baking and cooking helps teach great life skills. Not only will it help him to follow instructions, but measuring ingredients means he needs simple math skills and being able to make a meal as he gets older will come in very handy. The most important thing right now is that it helps teach patience, never an easy virtue in a toddler. So it's nice that he has to wait until the timer on the oven goes off. All I have to do is point to the stove to end the “Is it ready now mummy? How about now mummy? Now mummy? Mummy?” chorus that normally accompanies any amount of waiting in our house. It's not mean mummy that's holding him back, it's just not ready yet, and he can see that by watching the numbers count down.

It's fun to have help in the kitchen, and to see what he enjoys doing – breaking eggs is a favourite at the moment. He's not quite ready for Top Chef yet, unless a winning pizza is allowed to have all the sauce and veggies in one corner, (and no cheese, since the chef will have eaten it all prior to cooking!) I want him to continue to spend time with me in the kitchen, so that when he gets older, Kraft dinner will not be his only food source! Plus, it's a nice way for us to spend time together and chat, while doing something useful. The only real problem is that I have to share licking the beaters with him!

Helpful Boy

2011-04-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post tonight, I wanted to show you how 'helpful' the boy is. I've mentioned before how the boy likes to help around the house, and I how I like him to be useful and share in 'chores' (you can see my old post here). Today I got reminded of why I need to allow extra time when the boy wants to help. We were trying to get things done so we could get out of the house, when the boy decided he was hungry. So while he had something to eat, I figured I would empty the dishwasher. Of course, that is something that he loves to do, so he had to come and help. He'd finished eating, so I said o.k., figuring it might get it done a bit faster.

Well this was the result of the boy emptying the cutlery and putting it away....

Moral of the story, if you're in a rush, remember this and don't think a toddler will help you get anything done faster!

Outdoorsy Fun

2011-04-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather has gotten (slightly) nicer, the boy wants to be outside as much as possible. Not that he didn't want to be outside in a few feet of snow, but half the time once he'd remember about everything he needed to wear to stay warm, he was less enthused about the idea. Now that all he needs are some rubber boots, and a coat, he's out of the door before I can even get my shoes on.

Some days, it's hard for me to make the effort to go outside and play, especially when being outside means that I'm not getting things done inside. Those are the days we play in the backyard, so I can run back and forth between doing chores and playing with him. He's quite happy to go off and do his own thing, while I empty the dishwasher or mop the floor quickly.

The other nice thing about having a backyard is our access to nature and wildlife. I don't want him to be 'afraid' or unsure of nature. So we try and look for bugs, birds, and leaves when we go outside. Right now, there seems to be no problems on that front thankfully. He's quite excited to trap bugs and examine them (before letting them go of course), and he likes to sit and watch the birds at our bird feeder. And thanks to TMBG he can tell you all about conifer trees!

If we're not in the backyard or park investigating things, we're most likely out on the street either riding in his car or on my bike. Or we're on the driveway playing hockey. He loves street hockey – his Dad and 2 of his uncles are hockey players, so he's really into it! At the moment he pretends to be a goalie, so you have to shoot at him, but he also likes to whack the ball and send me running after it. This is apparently very funny.

With all the horror stories of how more and more kids (and adults) are obese today, and spend too much time plugged into computers, game systems and tv's, it's good for us to get out and get some fresh air and get moving. As an added bonus, it keeps the boy happy, so we go outside as much as we can. It helps to tire him out, and it's good exercise for both us. And we have fun when we're out there, well except for when I'm running up and down my street looking like a bit of an idiot chasing after a wiffle ball.

The Wrong Wray

2011-04-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

The boy has discovered the humour in spoonerisms and mispronunciations. I know that sometimes if I talk to fast the words come out in the wrong order, or I combine two sentences in my head but only one comes out. Yesterdays was, “No, it's the grey paint we need in the hallway, it's the white one” I was thinking, “ No, it's the grey paint we need in the hallway, that's the right one, we've already used the white one”. But of course, to a toddler, saying the grey paint is the white one is hilarious (apparently).

Not only do I mix up words, but of course, there are sometimes mispronunciations when I mix up letters, like we went the “wong wray” This means that not only does he run around repeating the 'funny' things I've said, he tries to create his own. Which is a funny task for anyone, but for a nearly three year old, it's even more fun. His favourite one at the moment is “the white one.” After he's said it, and then laughed, he has to reassure me that “I just said the wrong thing Mummy, I meant to say 'the right one'.” This is then followed by even more giggles. Which is the best part of the whole thing.

I love that he feels the need to explain to me that he knows what he wanted to say, he just got confused or mixed up. It means that he really is, most of the time, just playing, and doing it on purpose. Which is a great step on his way to learning the language, and developing a sense of humour., both of which are so important in life. Especially since his sense of humour needs some work at the moment – he likes to keep telling this joke, “knock knock, (who's there?) him”. Cue maniacal toddler laughter. Yeah, I don't get it either.

Playing around with language is a great thing, and when he gets older, I'm hoping he'll share my love of groan-inducing bad puns (much to hubby's dismay), and our family's slightly off-beat, slightly dry sense of humour. For now, I'll go with the 'accidental' word slip ups and weird knock knock jokes, and just enjoy the sound of his laughter.

Boy the Builder

2011-03-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

The boy loves to do 'jobs' around the house. For Christmas he got a tool box, and now, that gets lugged around the house all the time. It has everything he could possibly need, a hammer, screw drivers, a level, measuring tape, and more. He adores his tools and when he's wearing pants that have pockets, you can often find him with his hammer, pliers and a screw driver crammed into one pocket – just in case he needs them.

He likes to feel useful, and so he 'helps' by doing different jobs. The Bob the Builder song could be his theme song “Can we fix it? Yes we can!” In his own word he does 'banging or screwing, or whatever needs doing' (Yes, it causes me to giggle like I'm a 9 year old boy). So that means that occasionally I'll hear tapping on the walls or chairs as the boy does his thing. Occasionally he'll ask me what needs doing, but then, if it's not something that he wants to do, he disagrees with me, and says 'no it doesn't need doing, I did it already'. So then I have to invent something else for him to do.

I enjoy the fact that he wants to be handy. He already knows the difference between a Phillips, Roberston, and slotted screwdriver, and he can name most of the tools in hubby's workroom. He comes by his DIY skills naturally. Hubby is quite useful, I can wield a drill no problem, Monster Grandad puts up a mean set of shelves, and hubby's Grandfather was a lumberjack/carpenter.

It's nice to see him up and active and using his imagination as he does all the jobs around the house. Just the other day he 'installed' a new smoke detector for me. And this afternoon he 'helped' to patch and prime some holes before painting. These are all jobs that he really has helped with in real life, and has obviously remembered and is now part of his imaginative play.

Hopefully this love for being handy will continue as he grows older. I'd really enjoy having a contractor/tradesman in the family, given how hard they are to find, and how much the good ones seem to charge! That way I could have things repaired and updated when I needed it, rather than hoping to find someone. Provided of course, that he's grown out of the habit of contradicting me, and just fixes what I ask.

Say Cheese!

2011-03-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

Say Cheese! Although in our house, it's actually whisky (I swear I read somewhere that that gives you a more natural smile, honest!). The boy has his own camera (one of my very old digital cameras) and he really enjoys using it.

He's so proud of himself, and he really loves taking pictures. In fact, he often wants to bring the camera to family functions and outings so that he can take shots of everything. We need to wipe the memory card quite often, because he can't take just one picture at a time. I think he might have learnt that habit from me – in the nearly three years since he was born, I've probably taken at least 4000 pictures of him. That's the benefit of a digital camera, no more worries about not getting a good shot, the more you take, the better your odds are of having a good one.

It's funny to see what he takes photos of. As would be expected, there's an awful lot of pictures of his thumb, and I mean a lot. There's also a lot of extreme close ups of his face, and the inside of his nose, as he turns the camera on himself. Our poor dogs have also been the subject of his many photos, as he either tries to get in really close while they're sleeping, or he runs around after them for 'action shots'! The shots that I'm the least fond of are the ones he takes of me. Not that I really mind having my picture taken, it's just that from his height, most of the shots he manages to get are of my legs and bum! Definitely not my most flattering side!

We're just going through all the pictures he's taken so that we can print a selection to frame and put up in his room. That way he'll always have a fun reminder around him of his day to day life. And again, the beauty of digital cameras is we can sift through everything to find our favourite ones, rather than giving him a film camera and hoping for the best.

While he's no budding Annie Leibovitz, it is neat to see what captures his attention and what he thinks is important enough to document. Anything that nourishes his creativity and gives him an outlet for it can't be bad, and since they're digital, we only have to worry about finding storage space on our computers for them. And since he enjoys it so much, I guess that's worth my ass being immortalized!

Some of his handiwork

Sense of Fun

2011-03-23T19:16:00.001-07:00

We were hit with another bout of snow here today, even though it's supposed to be Spring (what's up with that Mother Nature huh?), so that meant trading the boy's rain boots for his winter boots again! Since he loves the outdoors, no matter what the weather, we have to go outside almost every day. Rain, shine, or snow.

With snow falling, going outside was a good way to kill two birds with one stone, I could shovel my driveway and he could 'help'. He has his own shovel and he likes to push the snow around. Normally I give him a little area to 'clear' on his own, while I get on with the rest of the driveway, and he's happy, and everything gets accomplished. Today, however, that was not the plan. Or not his plan anyway. While I was trying to shovel in neat, orderly horizontal lines, the prescribed method of snow removal on my street, the boy was having fun tearing up and down the driveway shovelling in great big vertical strips, missing parts, leaving snow where I had already cleared, but having a grand old time while doing it. This meant that nice clear snow had foot prints in it and parts I'd already cleared had snow on them again.

I started to get annoyed, and then realized that he was just having fun. It wasn't nasty or naughty, he was simply having fun, and enjoying doing just what he wanted, how he wanted. A very toddler attitude. What does it matter if I shovel in straight lines or have fun running up and down chasing the boy and clearing the snow at the same time? If the job gets done, that's the important thing, and it's way more fun to try and do things the toddler way!

Granted, there are days when things need to get done, and we can't stretch a 15 minute job to 30 or 35 minutes just to make it more 'fun' and less structured. But in general, where's the harm in having fun while we shovel snow, or clean the house, or make dinner.

I think we should all try and remember this, and take on this attitude to be more like a toddler. That doesn't mean when can have a fit when we don't get our way, or run around dressed in a mis-mash of clothes that we picked out for ourselves, or take an afternoon nap (who am I kidding, if you get the chance for a nap, take it!). But try and make everything you do fun and enjoyable, and that just might help make up for having to dig out from a spring snowstorm.