Wordless Wednesday (Sammy Spells Her First Word Edition)

Guilty Pleasures

• Puzzles. Does that make me lame? No need to answer that...I know the answer is yes.
  
• Wasting the precious time that both girls are sleeping during the day by reading a good book.
• Going to bed ridiculously early. (in my defense, our days start so disgustingly early that it's the only way to get enough sleep to function)
  
• Baked goods. Anything homemade and I can't turn it down.
• Uggs. The real deal. I've had knockoffs and this is one thing where I can honestly say the original is better.
• My phone. I'm attached to it. I chat with my family and friends throughout the day. On bad days, they lighten my mood. On good days, they share my joy.
  

What are yours?

Man Cold

The dreaded man cold has hit our home. But don't worry! The girls are on it.

First, when he says he needs to lay on the couch by himself to rest, we'll smother him and demand he read us books.Hmm...that's not working. Maybe I should punch him in the nose.

He claims his throat is awfully sore, I'll rub it better.

Not working. Hmm...let's try jumping on him.
I think he's really sick. I'll just read him a story.

Will we ever sleep again?

Good thing she's cute. She happily started the day at 330am.

Friday Night Leftovers

• I have fallen off my "treats only once a week" rule. Why does eating like crap have to make me feel like crap too?! Anyway, sugar cleanse starts today. No sugar for 21 days (the number of days it supposedly takes to form a new habit).

• I just had the best visit with Janice. My girls and her boys played so well together. I'm so disappointed that it's already over. Why do fun things have to go so fast?

• As you saw here, Sammy tried skiing for the first time. It took an hour for Shawn to convince her to put on her gear but once that was out of the way, she was hooked. She was even going up the tow rope by herself.

• I'm donating blood again tomorrow. Do you donate?

• For more leftovers, go here.
  

15 months!!

This past month, Presley:
- has about 85 words. The latest include Elmo, pillow, tea, knees, oval and giraffe.
- is trying really hard to jump but can't seem to get any air. It's very entertaining to watch!
- is getting up ridiculously early. I can't say the crack of dawn because that would be a welcomed change. It is what it is. Thankfully she's a fantastic napper and naps 3-4 hours every afternoon.
- has 3 out of 4 molars and the other one is on the way. 7 more teeth to go (excluding 2 year molars).
- is still a dream eater. She thoroughly enjoys food of all types. It's a real pleasure cooking and baking for her, knowing she will try it and usually enjoy it.

Her favorite things:
- dancing to the iPod or to Daddy playing the guitar.
- reading. She happily sits on her own (with Sammy) and looks through books. She will bring books to you to be read as well. This makes me so happy!!
- trying on clothes, socks, shoes and boots (rather, attempting to with minimal success!).
- colouring.
- playing tag.
- playing with stickers.

Things I never want to forget:
- how she will point her finger at you, try to be as serious as possible and tell you, "don't smile!!".
- how she randomly holds up her fist to do "pounds".
- if she notices anyone in the house giving a high five, she comes running to be part of the action.
- how some nights, she just needs a little snuggle to go to sleep. I don't mind!

Sisterly Love

There are so many things the girls do that melt my heart. They seem to truly love each other and I couldn't be happier. It's no secret that I want for them what I have with my own sister.

Here's a great example...

Samara and Presley are sitting on their little chairs at the fridge. Samara is teaching Presley the letters of the alphabet. She holds up a letter and gets Presley to guess what it is. It's so sweet that Sammy wants to teach her little sister. And then Sammy smacks Presley in the face with an O because Presley called it an A.

Yep. Gotta love that sisterly love!

Wordless Wednesday (Skiing Edition)

Picnic Fun

A few weeks ago, I decided to liven up our lunch by having it on the floor of the living room, picnic style. I never guessed how much they'd love an indoor picnic. It was such a hit and Samara talked about it for days afterwards. Now I try to do it at least once a week. It just proves that it's the small things that mean the most to our kids. What little things excite your kids?

I need a break!

This is what typically happens when someone in our house declares they need a break and would like a few minutes to themselves.

Daddy said he needs a break. I know but how could he mean from us? We're so cute!

You're right, let's get him!!

It's extra nice if someone takes pictures of the whole thing happening instead of occupying the kids.

100 Ways To Be Kind To Your Child

Taken from here.

Tell to your child:

1. I love you.
2. I love you no matter what.
3. I love you even when you are angry at me.
4. I love you even when I am angry with you.
5. I love you when you are far way. My love for you can reach you wherever you are.
6. If I could pick any 2 year old (3 year old, 4 year old…) in the whole wide world, I’d pick you.
7. I love you to the moon and then around the stars and back again.
8. Thank you.
9. I enjoyed playing with you today.
10. My favorite part of the day was when I was with you and we were _______.

Tell them:
11. The story of their birth or adoption.
12. About how you cuddled them when they were a baby.
13. The story of how you chose their name.
14. A story about yourself when you were their age.
15. A story about how their grandparents met.
16. What your favorite color is.
17. That sometimes you struggle too.
18. That when you’re holding hands and you give three squeezes, it’s a secret code that means, “I love you”.
19. What the plan is.
20. What you’re doing right now.

Play:
21. Freeze Tag
22. Uno
23. Crazy 8s
24. Gin Rummy
25. Memory
26. Go Fish
27. I Spy- especially when you’re tired of driving and feel snappish
28. Catch

Pretend:
29. To catch their kiss and put it on your cheek.
30. That their tickle tank is empty and you have to fill it.
31. That their high five is so powerful it nearly knocks you over.
32. That you are super ticklish.
33. That you are explorers in the amazing new world of your backyard.
34. That it’s party day! Decorate for no reason!

Try:
35. To get enough sleep.
36. To drink enough water.
37. To eat decent food.
38. Wearing earrings, or whatever makes you feel pretty.
39. Calling a friend the next time you feel like you are about to lose it with the kids.
40. Giving a gentle touch to show approval, rather than saying something.
41. Dancing in the kitchen.
42. To get your kids to bop to the music with you in the car.
43. Showing your kids that you can do a somersault or handstand or a cartwheel.
44. Keeping that sigh to yourself. Just jump in and help clean up cheerfully.
45. Using a kind voice, even if you have to fake it.

Read:
46. A book of silly poems.
47. A book and then act it out. (Like “I’m going on a Bear Hunt”)
48. Your favorite childhood book to them.
49. When the afternoon is starting to go astray.
50. Outside under a tree.
51. In the library kids corner.
52. The comic book they love that you’re not so hot on.
53. About age appropriate behavior so you can keep your expectations realistic.

Listen:
54. To your child in the car.
55. To that Lego description, and think how important it is to your child.
56. For that question that indicates your child really needs your input.
57. One second longer than you think you have patience for.
58. For the feelings behind your child’s words.

Ask:
59. Why do you think that happens?
60. What do you think would happen if______?
61. How shall we find out?
62. What are you thinking about?
63. What was your favorite part of the day?
64. What do you think this tastes like?

Show:
65. Your child how to do something instead of banning them from it.
66. How to whistle with a blade of grass.
67. How to shuffle cards- make a bridge if you can!
68. How to cut food.
69. How to fold laundry.
70. How to look up information when you don’t know the answer.
71. Affection to your spouse.
72. That taking care of yourself is important.

Take Time:
73. To watch construction sites.
74. To look at the birds.
75. To allow your child to help you dump ingredients in the bowl.
76. To walk places together.
77. To dig in the dirt together.
78. To do a task at your child’s pace.
79. To just sit with you child while they play.

Trust:
80. That your child is capable.
81. That you are the right parent for your child.
82. That you are enough.
83. That you can do what is right for your family.

Delight your child:
84. Clean your child’s room as a surprise.
85. Put chocolate chips in the pancakes.
86. Put a love note in their lunch.
87. Make their snack into a smile face shape.
88. Make sounds effects while you help them do something.
89. Sit on the floor with them to play.

Let Go:
90. Of the guilt.
91. Of how you thought it was going to be.
92. Of your need to be right.

Give:
93. A look with Kind Eyes to your child.
94. A smile when your child walks into the room.
95. A kind touch back when your child touches you.
96. The chance to connect before you correct so that your child can actually hear your words.
97. Your child a chance to work out their frustrations before helping them.
98. A bath when the day feels long.
99. A hug.
100. You get to choose the next one! What is your favorite way to be kind to your child?

{Printable Version of 100 Ways to be Kind to your Child}

Friday Night Leftovers

• Samara started skating solo this week. No pylon, no hand holding, no skating aid. She appears to be a natural. We'll have to put her in some official lessons next fall.

• Presley, on the other hand, seems to be completely uninterested in skating. She slept through the entire hour we were at the arena earlier this week and didn't wake up until we were taking off our skates!

• Shawn's taking Samara skiing for the first time this weekend. I'm curious to see how it goes.

• Looking forward to sleeping in this weekend. Oh. Wait. We have 2 kids that love to get up ridiculously early. One day they'll be teenagers though and sleep till noon, right?!

• Is there anything better than being so into a book that it's all you can think about all day?

• For more leftovers, go here.
  

Thankful on Thursday

Oh my, some days it is hard to make these lists. I think those are the days I really need to make them! After another horrendous night with a 5am wakeup call, I need to be reminded of all the good.

- a handsome husband that gets up with the Littlest One so that I can catch 30 more minutes of sleep.
- a handsome husband that makes breakfast for the Littles so I can go run hills on the treadmill...gotta love torturing myself!
- a yummy mango chicken curry supper last night that made enough for tonight too. No prep, no cooking, no dishes!
- Baby Advil. Helps those stinkin' molars!
- homemade Twix bars. No description needed.
- smart little girls that are always up for a snuggle.

What are you thankful for today?

Wordless Wednesday (Winter Walk Edition)

Valentine's Day Ramblings

Happy Hallmark Day! Happy Grower's Direct Day! I mean, Happy Valentine's Day!

If it's not totally obvious by now, I think Valentine's Day is a scam. I don't feel the need to participate in the "holiday". I'm perfectly happy letting my loved ones know I love them every day of the year and refuse to buy overpriced chocolates and flowers on a day designated by the commercial masses.

Am I a scrooge? Kind of, I suppose. I could just suck it up and Shawn and I could try to outdo each other by buying elaborate and thoughtful gifts and going out for dinner on the busiest day of the year with tons of strangers. But, we don't do that for any other occasion so it would be weird. I realize we're a minority. I'm not judging you if you celebrate it. I get how it's fun to have something to look forward to. Next year at this time, Sammy will be in preschool and I'm sure there will be a celebration in her class. Don't worry. I'm not going to ruin it for her...or Presley when it's her turn. I'll put on my game face, start cutting out hearts like there's no tomorrow and baking the best pink cupcakes ever!

What do you think...are you a heart day enthusiast? Do you think I'm being a heart day Grinch?

What's up?

What are 5 things you're going to do today?

1. Say goodbye to Nana and Grandpa after a nice visit.
2. Take the girls to the Family Centre.
3. Workout.
4. Vacuum.
5. Bake muffins or a loaf. Any suggestions?

Before The Sun...

Remember how I posted yesterday about the girls sleeping later in the morning? Remember how I said that by posting that, things would get bad? Hello, 4am. Hello, Presley. I do so hate when I'm right!

Oh well, we had homemade cinnamon buns and homemade lattes for breakfast. Not a bad way to start the day!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Friday Night Leftovers

• As soon as I reported that Sammy stopped napping, she resumed. I don't know why but I'm not going to question it. I'm just going to appreciate it...for however long it lasts!

• In other big news, Sammy started eating the crust on her bread. If you have a picky eater or have ever eaten lunch with us, you know how big this is.

• The girls have also started sleeping past 5am. We're seeing 6am. And sometimes even later. Oh, the joys!

• Of course, since I've reported these happy changes, they will all revert back (or worse).

• I ran outside for the first time in months. I've been using the treadmill instead. WOW. So much harder. My legs were sore for a good chunk of the week.
  

• Presley has 3 molars coming in at the same time. It's rough but the good news is that we'll be 3 teeth closer to a mouthful and being done.

• For more leftovers, head here.
  

Thankful on Thursday

• a visit from Nana and Grandpa today!
• these blueberry lime muffins
• naps
• my brother-in-law for giving me buddy passes so I can fly to Yellowknife to see my sister graduate from college!
• teething. Oh wait, I'm not so thankful for that!

What are you thankful for today?

Wordless Wednesday (February Through The Years Edition)

2009:2010:2011:
2012:

To TV or not to TV...

What's the TV situation like in your house? Do you have a TV in every room? Is it always on as your background noise? Or is the TV forbidden?

I have a slight aversion to it. I know there's nothing wrong with kids watching TV. I just can't help but feel guilty when it's on...like I should be doing something else instead. I'm definitely not saying people should feel guilty or bad about letting their kids watch TV. You do what works for your family. This is all about me.

When things got very busy and hectic around Christmas, I started relaxing with my TV rules. All of a sudden, movies were being watched what felt like left, right and center. We weren't...I mean, we don't even have cable so it takes a special effort to put something on but still. So, when 2011 became 2012, I imposed a 21 day ban on TV (following the belief that it takes 21 days to form a new habit). We ended up going longer than that and it was fine. At first, I found myself wanting to turn to it often...especially when Sammy stopped napping! But, we soon developed new routines and found better things to do. Now, on Friday afternoons, the girls (well, Sammy right now, Presley still naps long enough to miss it!) choose a video to watch. That's it, that's all. If Sammy asks to watch something earlier in the week, I tell her she can watch it on Friday. Maybe that's too strict. Maybe I should relax more. It's only TV. Not an early crack habit. But, I wouldn't be me if I didn't second guess every single thing I do!

I'm really curious how you feel about TV. Is it a necessary evil? It is even an evil at all?

January Books

I had 2 huge books this month in my stack...1000+ pages and they were daunting. I would consider an e-reader just for ease of holding such big books...you know it's a big book when your hands actually get sore while reading!

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett5 stars out of 5

The magnificent tale of a twelfth-century monk driven to do the seemingly impossible: build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.

I have seen this book on a lot of "top" lists and as such, was on my to-read list for ages. I wasn't that motivated to read it though because when I read the summary, it just didn't appeal to me. But, I was curious because the Goodreads rating is so high (one of the highest I've seen). I was completely riveted. There were parts that were so disturbing to read but it really intensified by feelings about the main characters. Fabulous book.

Somewhere Inside: One Sister's Captivity In North Korea And The Other's Fight To Bring Her Home by Lisa and Laura Ling4 stars out of 5

On March 17, 2009, Laura Ling and her colleague Euna Lee were working on a documentary about North Korean defectors who were fleeing the desperate conditions in their homeland. While filming on the Chinese-North Korean border, they were chased down by North Korean soldiers who violently apprehended them. Laura and Euna were charged with trespassing and "hostile acts," and imprisoned by Kim Jong Il's notoriously secretive Communist state. Kept totally apart, they endured months of interrogations and eventually a trial before North Korea's highest court. They were the first Americans ever to be sentenced to twelve years of hard labor in a prison camp in North Korea.

Quite good and very intriguing, especially after following the story in the news. I liked the 2 different perspectives (Laura in captivity and Lisa at home, trying to get her sister released).

Some Great Thing by Lawrence Hill

2.5 stars out of 5

Disillusioned and apathetic after four years of college, fledgling reporter Mahatma Grafton returns to his hometown to begin work at a local newspaper. When a peaceful demonstration escalates into a full-scale police cover-up, Mahatma discovers the principles that have always eluded him.

I was disappointed. The Book of Negroes is such a fantastic piece of work so I had high hopes. But, being that this was his first novel, I should have scaled back my expectations. The characters were intriguing enough but I was never motivated to read instead of other activities.

World Without End by Ken Follett4.5 stars out of 5

World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time, the men and women among an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroad of new ideas -- about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race: the Black Death.

An excellent sequel. It took me a bit to get all the characters down and as such found the first 1/3 of the book a bit hard to get into. Once I did though, I was hooked.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty3 stars out of 5

Alice is twenty-nine. She is whimsical, optimistic and adores sleep, chocolate, her ramshackle new house and her wonderful husband Nick. What's more, she's looking forward to the birth of the 'Sultana' - her first baby. But now Alice has slipped and hit her head in her step-aerobics class and everyone's telling her she's misplaced the last ten years of her life.

A quick read. Another amnesia book...definitely seems to be a popular book topic the last couple of years. I enjoyed it even though it was a tad predictable.

What are you reading right now?

2.75!!

Samara is 2.75 today (well, yesterday...oops!). So very nearly 3 that it makes my head spin. She isn't a baby. She isn't a toddler. She is a little person, all her own...her own opinions, ideas and imagination. It's truly a lovely thing.

Some highlights:

- has been potty trained for a year. However, for some reason she refuses to be night trained. I think I'm going to have to suck it up, stop buying pull-ups and do some heavy laundry for a few nights until things get figured out.

- is back to sleeping well (mostly). We had a rough patch where she was up multiple times a night (much like a newborn!) but now she goes down around 730 and is up 10-11 hours later. Naps happen about twice a week.

- knows all the letters of the alphabet. She knows a couple of words for each letter too. She knows her numbers and can count to 20. Shapes and colours are a breeze.

- adores painting, gluing and crafts in general.

- is really into puzzles. She just recently started being able to complete 24 piece ones on her own.

- is super active. She enjoys swimming, skating and going for walks. We catch her working out from time to time too. Just the other day she was doing tricep extensions and was counting her reps!

Favourite things lately:
- Berenstain Bears and Max and Ruby books.
- dressing to coordinate with whatever Presley is wearing. She must pick out her own outfits and likes to have a say in Presley's as well.
- baking muffins
- talking on the phone and on Skype.

Things I never want to forget:
- how she asks "what happened" a thousand times a day. It's her version of "why". As I write that, I wonder how I could ever forget it because she's been doing it for weeks now with no end in sight. But, I know it will end up being such a little blip on the radar.
- her enthusiastic and oh so funny dance moves. Especially the bum shakes.
- how every night when I tuck her into bed, she asks, "snuggle me, Mommy?".

Thankful on Thursday

• Packages in the mail containing lots and lots of chocolate.
• Girls that play so well together.
• Early morning workouts that start the day off right.
• City and Colour. Why have I not been listening to this band all along?
• My online mamas.
  

What are you thankful for today?

Wordless Wednesday (January Picture Recap)