Nine Ways My Son is Like a Golden Retriever

Tonight while at the beach for a family picnic, we came to the realization that Jack shares many traits with a Golden Retriever.

1. He is kind and gentle and pleasant with strangers and those familiar to him.

2. He is obedient and will sit and lay down on command.

3. He scrounges for table scraps after meals.

4. He has become very adept at fetching things such as frisbees and balls and retrieves them undamaged.

5. Mention the word park and he is at the door clamouring to get out.

6. Since he started walking, we have felt the urge to put him on a leash.

7. He waits at the back door and pushes his nose against the screen when he wants to go outside.

8. When he is naughty, it is hard to stay mad at him. One look at that cute face and all is forgiven.

9. He even kind of looks like a golden retriever.

Fridays are for Dance Parties

I love Fridays. It means the weekend is here and there is fun times ahead. Fridays are for ordering in, eating cake and dance parties. I am a hand dancer myself. Elaine from Seinfeld comes to mind when I dance and nobody needs to see that. My kids on the other hand have moves. So in honour of Fridays being for dance parties, I present a flashback of Schwartz Dance Parties:


Captain Canada and Sarah getting their groove, August 9, 2009

Jack shaking his baby booty.
Happy Friday.

Wordless Wednesday

The we like to dress up edition:

One of those days...

Today was one of those days when I thought, wow I thought I was going to be a better parent than this. My patience was tested to the limits with the whining, crying and rude talk. The frustration boiled like hot lava and counting to ten and deep breaths were the order of the day. I thought to myself, before I was a parent, I thought kids actually listened to their parents!

In my efforts to unwind from the day, I came across this blog post over at Playgroups are No Place for Children and it got me thinking about the ideal circumstances needed for me to be a better parent:

I am a better parent when whining is kept to a minimum. If it was completely eliminated, I would be ecstatic, but I like to keep my expectations low.

I am a better parent when I am loved and respected by my kids as opposed to being told I am too bossy.

I am a better parent when my kids are not hungry.

I am a better parent when my daughter is not peeing on me.

I am a better parent when my daughter is well rested.

I am a better parent when I buy two of the exact same of everything, one for each kid, so fighting is kept to a minimum.

I am a better parent when my kids choose to walk or ride in a stroller as opposed to both wanting to be carried at the same time.

I am a better parent when I am out getting a pedicure and my husband is home tending to the kidlets.

When I have had a difficult day, I turn to chocolate. I am off to fill my face with something called the cookie cupcake.

The B.P. Oil Spill has nothing on the B.C. Ferries Urine Spill

I am going to start out by saying, we had a lovely weekend visiting family on the island. The weather was beautiful, we had a few adventures and there was lots of good food, fun time with family and we even managed to get some sleep. In the past, weekends away meant not a lot of sleep for anybody in the family. My kids like to sleep at home in their beds and do not usually do well in different places.

We were heading home on the ferry today. We had gone out on the top deck to check out the scenery and so Captain Canada could get a few pictures. I tend not to venture out on the ferry decks as I have a fear of falling overboard. After some fresh air and a few pictures, we headed inside to check out the Kids' Zone. Jack happily played on the slide, not at all flustered by the amount of children around him. Sarah, always more of an observer in unfamiliar settings, was on my lap. We were taking in a little Treehouse Television. Sarah (wearing a pull up) said, "Oh sorry Mommy I peed. Can you change me?" I started to answer her, when I felt a warm liquid begin to ooze onto my pants. Then I felt this warm liquid soak through my pants, run down to the back of my legs and onto the seat. I was sitting there, soaking wet thinking what am I going to to do (all swear words edited out for the purpose of this post)? I gave Captain Canada the stare (translate: get over here right now, I need you). I whispered in hopes that the people around me do not hear, "She peed on me. She peed on me. I am soaked." He stifled a chuckle as I handed him the wipes and attempted to wipe the chair as best I could, while still sitting down. As I stood up, I assesed the damage. Two huge wet spots on the front and back of my pants, placed so perfectly as to appear as though I had wet myself. I used my giant, but lovely diaper bag to shield the front of my pants as Sarah and I made our way to the car. Clearly I was not doing a great job of covering the wet spots. We past two young men and one stage whispered to the other, "Wow, check out that chick's pants. That's a spill." I was mortified. Down on the vehicle level, Sarah and I both changed into dry clothes. Lucky, we were one of the last cars onto the ferry and could shield ourselves with the car door as we changed. And some people say motherhood is not glamorous!

A few photos taken on the top deck of the ferry, before the incident.

Five on Friday

1. Last weekend after hearing great things about Queen's Park, we headed out there to check it out. The playground is a good mix of older kids equipment and apparatus for small kids. The petting zoo has small animals that you can see up close and personal. Sarah was not too keen on the goat who came in for a close hello. But, by far the biggest hit with our kids, was the spray park.




Jack got a little more than he bargained for. The water knocked him over. But he got up and was ready for more.

Sarah needed a Mommy snuggle after a small fall.

2. One thing I noticed this summer, is you can always spot the mommas when I am out and about. They are the ones with the two red spots on the middle of their backs. It is a sun burn to the parts of their back that they cannot reach with their own two hands.

3. I really wanted a post that did not speak about potty training, but it is not going to happen. While still in underwear at home, Sarah is back to refusing to sit on any toilet. No matter how intense the pee pee dance is, she claims she does not have to go. It seems to be all about the power struggle.

4. If you are looking for a delicious cookie recipe, I have just the one for you. I was introduced to it by my girlfriends from my craft group. It is the Chocolate Chip Slab Cookie from the Best of Bridge. I like it because it has no eggs in it, so if someone wants to eat the cookie dough, you do not have to worry. The finished product melts in your mouth. Amazing! The secret is to cream the margarine/butter and the sugar for a full two minutes. I like to bake the dough in mini muffin tins for a small treat. But it can also be baked on a cookie sheet or a pizza pan.

5. Happy Anniversary to my sister Tina and her husband, Spencer. They have been married for six wonderful years and have produced two very cute kids. We look forward to watching our kids and your kids grow up and play together.

Happy Friday.

Wordless Wednesday

Even when we are not going anywhere, the wagon is a favourite place to play.

Perpetual Potty Training

You know you have been potty training for a long time, when you have to go out and buy a bigger size of underwear and you have hardly worn the wee ones that are now too small. I am sure you are thinking by now, she is still talking about potty training. I am sorry to say that I still am. I don't want to be. I want it to be over all ready. But my daughter has other ideas.

This weekend, we have started a new approach. When at home, there are no diapers and no pull ups, just underwear. We also went out and bought Princess underwear (of the licensed variety) in hopes that she will be motivated to keep them dry. They came in a cool, hot pink pencil case. She spends a great deal of time taking them in and out of the case and changing to different princesses, "Mommy should I wear Jasmine or Ariel?"

In keeping with my glass half full perspective, let's start with the positive:

1. She can hold it for hours. Two mornings in a row, she has woken up dry and held it for over two hours.

2. She now runs to the bathroom as she is peeing. So on a couple of occasions she has managed to get some into the toilet. This is a step up from finding a corner and just doing it and a further step up from full out refusal to go near the toilet.

Areas for further growth and development:

1. She is really good at holding everything and has not had a bowel movement since Friday.

2. She is still very hesitant to sit on the toilet when we ask her to. We would like her to be more open to sitting on the potty once she starts doing the pee pee dance. Her current action of choice, is full out refusal that she needs to go.

I think potty training is one of the most frustrating things I have had to deal with as a parent, so far. When I get really frustrated, I look at that cute face and her big smile and try to remember this too will be over soon.

Thanks to my friend Janice who took this adorable picture of my girl.

What is something you find frustrating as a parent?

Five on Friday

The all about our Friday edition:

1. This morning, I got to sleep in until 8:00 a.m. Both kids went to bed late and slept in. What a treat.

2. Sometimes taking a three year old out in public can be really embarrassing. Sarah and I went to pick up dinner tonight. At Safeway, she did not like the bar code sticker that was on the bag of potato fries we were buying and insisted it be removed. Then she did not want the sticker scanned because she needed to hold it. Finally as we were walking to the car, she started yelling, "hungry bum, hungry bum. Mommy, I can't walk because of hungry bum." This is code for her butt is trying to eat her pull up.

3. Fresh local blueberries and raspberries are the best.

4. My Visa card was compromised. That is three times in the last four months that we have had to cut up one or both of our cards and notify all of our pre-authorizations.

5. We headed to the park after supper today to enjoy the evening sunshine. The swings and water park are top choices at the park.

98% of the photos posted on my blog are taken by Captain Canada. He loves taking pictures and I love showing them off. Thanks Captain!

Summer Stay At Home Activities

Summer time is fun and busy. Each morning, I systematically pack the bags with sunscreen, towels, hats, snacks, water, extra clothes and the list goes on and on. Then there are some days when this momma gets tired, when the thought of packing up the bag of tricks does not sound inviting. It is on days like these, that we choose to stick around home. The sunshine beckons and we head outside in our pajamas.

Here are a few of our summer stay at home activities:

Bubbles-

Jack is obsessed with "bubb" as he calls them. Yesterday when I was making dinner, he was chasing me around the kitchen with ice cream bubbles in his hand. He was holding the bubbles container up to me and yelling. The scene in Wedding Crashers came to mind, where the little boy yells at the Vince Vaughn character, "Make me a bicycle clown!"

Exploring the Kangaroo Climber-

Who knew that a $5.00 deal at a garage sale could add up to hours and hours of fun.

Picnics-

Sometimes, when the wasps are particularly bad, we cut our outdoor picnic short and pull the picnic table into the living room to finish up with an inside picnic.

Using different modes of transportation such as tricycles and wagons-



Splashing around in our little pool-
Both kids enjoy filling the pull as much as, if not more, than going into the pool



Using the sand and water table-
The kids are currently enjoying rice in the activity table.
What are some of your current summer stay at home activities?

Wordless Wednesday

Armed with his new shades, Jack decides to venture out in his ride and check out the neighbourhood.

Testing My Half Full Glass and A Few Well Loved Books

This is what happen when you get all confident and spout off about glasses being half full and such. I think my daughter read my blog and decided to test the strength of my half full glass. She has been trying to empty my glass for the past two days. She is, as my dear friend said to me, a girl of extremes. She can be so excited, enthusiastic and a pleasure to be around. Other times, she is miserable, demanding and hard to be around. Well you can probably guess what she has been like to be around for the past two days....... very difficult. It is on days like these, that I question my parenting. But, I will leave the questioning for another day and focus on something that we love at our house, good books.

I love books. Sarah has inherited my love of books and I think judging by the number of times we have read our O Canada picture book to Jack, he is well on his way to a love of reading as well. Below is a list of books that have been read over and over again in our house.

All book covers taken from Amazon.ca.

Ten in the Bed- Jane Cabrera

Based on the popular counting song, this book uses stuffed animals, playing dress up, as the characters who keep rolling out of bed. The Little One who is the last one to fall out and is, according to Sarah, the lucky one gets to yell, "Settle down now, settle down now," to get everyone back into bed and finally to sleep.

Fancy Nancy- Splendiferous Christmas by Jane O'Connor.

I know I have talked about this book before. But it is a great book so I think it needs mentioning again. The fact that it is a Christmas book and we were reading it well past the Christmas season, should tell you that it was a big hit at our house. But the truth is Christmas is my favourite holiday and I love the descriptions of all the holiday traditions that Fancy Nancy and her family partake in as they prepare for Christmas.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow

Someday- Alison McGhee

This book was a favourite of Sarah's for several months. We read it before bed every night and some nights she insisted on hearing the story more than once. It is about a mother's love for her daughter. The hopes and dreams she has for her daughter are placed with water colour paintings of the mother and daughter spending time together as she grows and changes.

We Share Everything- By Robert Munsch

This is a new favourite. Sarah enjoys the humour of the story and enjoys watching the kids share their clothes.

What are some well loved books at your house? Please share, we are always looking to add to our collection.

Glass Half Full and Centennial Beach

I have been reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. While I am not necessarily a fan of all the studies and research that she lists to make her point, it is a good read. The book gives you food for thought and it systematically lays out how you can start your own happiness project. The whole project got me thinking about my own happiness.

I consider myself a pretty happy person. I feel like I have a charmed life. After finishing my education degree, all I really wanted to do was meet the right person and settle down and have kids. I got both of those things and the latter did not come easy. So I feel fortunate. We live exactly where we want to live and we have a nice place that suits all of our needs. Because of Captain Canada's schedule, we get to spend a lot of time together as a family. Recently I have come to realize, it is not only about all of these things that I have that contribute to my happiness, but also how I look at things I have and how I perceive events in my life. The way that I perceive things in my day to day life, can have a big effect on my overall happiness. So when I blog about the amazing evening we had a Centennial Beach, I may leave out the fact that Sarah had a screaming, yelling, stomping tantrum at the playground because I did not come immediately when she called. I may also neglect to mention that she whined and complained all the way to the car because she was too tired to walk. I try not to focus on these things because it may take away from the overall happiness that the outing made me feel. I like to think of it as a glass half full perspective.

I found this quote tonight and I am going to carry it with me:

"Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you've decided to look beyond the imperfections." -Unknown

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Speaking of Centennial Beach, we had a lovely time there on two different evenings this past week. On Thursday, I took the kids there on my own while Captain Canada was working. A friend of mine met us there with her two kids and everyone had a great time. There is a new playground there that the kids loved. By 4:00 in the afternoon, the playground was in the shade and so it was very pleasant and not too hot. We had a quick dinner under the shade of a tree and then headed down to the water to explore. The tide was in and the water was beautiful. The kids enjoyed using their buckets and shovels and running in and out of the water.

Everyone was happy so we stayed until 7:00 p.m. Sarah could not wait to come back to show Daddy. So on Friday night we made the return trip.

This is what made us happy at Centennial Beach:

1. Jack loved the water. He loved putting water in his bucket and dumping it on his head.

2. Sarah loved the swings. First she loved playing on the swings herself. Later she basked in the glory of being able to push her brother on the swings and she is now learning to give under ducks.

3. I took great pleasure in watching Sarah pick favorite rocks with her Daddy. It is something he did with his own Dad as a child and he passed the tradition on to her.

4. Adam loved watching Jack tackle the playground. He was all over the place. He climbed stairs, pulled himself up and over ledges and rode backwards down one of the big slides yelling, "wheeeee."

It was the perfect way to end the week and start the weekend.

What made you happy this weekend?

Five on Friday

The sizzling summer edition....

1. So we have been living it up in this summer weather. We have been on the go the whole week trying to enjoy every moment. Trips to the park, backyard pool dips, the beach and picnics (we all know I feel about picnics). We do not know how long this beautiful weather will last. So we are treating ever hot, sunny day like it could be our last. As a result, this is what my love seat has looked like for the past two days.
Oh and that is clean laundry that needs help finding its home.

2. We have been to the local water park no less than three times this week. On Monday, it was not even that nice and we ended up splashing around. I now know to never leave the house without an extra set of clothes for each kid and towels (thanks Mom for the towel idea).

3. While Jack naps, in the afternoons, it is full Sarah time. We do all of the things that she loves to do, but can be problematic when there is a little brother around who wants to do everything his sister does. There is plenty of craft time, story reading and baking. I look forward to this block of time because I can give Sarah my full attention.

Thanks to Janice for the butterfly garland craft.

4. This week I have attempted two recipes with egg replacer and I have been pleased with the results. I now have pancakes in the freezer that can be popped into the toaster for easy breakfasts and all the muffins I made are gone.

5. There may be some progress on the potty training front. She is now asking to use the toilet and is sitting on it for longer periods of time. Nothing is really happening yet, but the fact that she will sit on the potty, without screaming down the house, is progress.

Happy weekend!