Friday Night at the Mall or When Things Don't Go My Way

Last night we headed to the mall to run a few errands and have dinner.  Let's just say it was not my finest moment.

It started when Captain Canada needed to run to the the Mac store.  I took the kids to the rides.  You know the ones that cost a dollar and seem to last less than a minute?  Both kids were on the Tigger Boat.  The problem, there is only one steering wheel.  For the whole ride, both kids were screaming, crying and trying to tear the other kids' hands off the wheel.  I am trying to instill a taking turns policy and I am counting to 5 and saying switch, but both kids are screaming so loud they could not hear the counting.  The ride ends and there is more crying.  I decide to head to the food court and get them dinner while we wait for Captain Canada.  Jack would not get into the stroller (the double car stroller provided by the mall).  So now I am trying to maneuver the 300 pound stroller while carrying Jack.  I manage to get them dinner but he still won't get into the stroller.  So now I am carrying a screaming child, balancing dinner and pushing the gigantic mall stroller.  My arms are screaming and in my head I have a few choice words for Captain Canada who does not have his cell phone on him and now does not know where to meet us.

I get us all seated.  Both kids are eating and I am having a minute of peace and quiet while I suck back a large soda.  Sarah says, "Mommy, Mommy, pee pee."  Still no Captain Canada.  So I pack up dinner, throw Jack into the stroller, completely against his will and head to the washroom.  On the way people are checking out my screaming child and I am quite sure they are all relieved that it is me, not them.

We get out of the washroom and head back to finish our dinner.  Captain Canada finally locates us. When he gets to our table, both kids are eating like complete angels.  No one would believe it was the same kids who were trying to arm wrestle each other off the Tigger ride just a short time ago.

What I Learned from this Adventure:
1.  Husbands should always carry cell phones that are on and fully charged.
2.  Little girls should go pee before leaving the house.
3.  Moms need earplugs and whistles as back up.

Look at these two angels.

Weekend Round Up- Easter Goodness

Last week, my friend Amanda wrote a blog post titled, "What's Good."  It is excellent and worth a read.  It was a good reminder for me about one of the reasons that I blog, to remind myself of the good things.  Knee deep in whiny kids, tantrums and lack of sleep, to find something good. To write it down, record it and etch in my memory for later.   Well this weekend was full of good, like really full, like extra hot vanilla latte with lots of foam full.

There was good in the beautiful weather with opportunities to play outside.

We enjoyed the goodness of a community Easter Egg Hunt with family.

Emma rocking her new shades and hat.

After eating some yummy chocolate, there is goodness in a wide open grassy knoll to run, roll and pick dandelions.

There is good in keeping promises.  Sarah has been talking and talking about helping with gardening.  On Sunday in the rain, she was working right along side me and although it was already raining she needed to water the plants.

There was goodness in watching the kids discover hidden eggs during our indoor egg hunt.

After finding all of those eggs, large amounts of chocolate must be consumed.  Mmmm, that's good.

Watching my nephew Declan motor around our house was good.  He really enjoyed running around our roundabout and climbing on the craft table to look out the window.

Princess dance parties are good.  The princess especially likes it when she can boss the prince around and lead while dancing.

Family gatherings with snuggles are pure gold.

The little girls helping in the kitchen and watching the action of meal preparation was good.

Could these two be sisters or what?

Bunny cakes, celebrating birthdays and blowing out candles added to the Easter goodness.

Happy Birthday Auntie LB

What was good about your weekend?

Wordless Wednesday- Our Little Easter Bunny

Unfortunately, Jack would not play along.  The bunny ears did not grace his head all weekend.

Kids Say the Darnedest Things Take 2

Right before our eyes, Sarah is becoming a little girl.  One of the things I love about how she is growing and changing is the conversations we have.  She can be so insightful, but she can also be downright funny and cute.

Here are a few snippets from some recent conversations:

 "Here you go Daddy, have a delicious day."  After handing Captain Canada a plastic Easter egg filled with pennies and marshmallows.

"Oh there's Lotso,  he is sleeping because he is tired from being so mean." A comment made about the  villain Lotso from Toy Story 3.

"Mommy, just pretend you are having some privacy."  Whispered to me through a crack in the bathroom door.  Really I just wanted to do my thing in private, but she was opening and closing the door and Jack was pulling the stool over to the sink saying over and over again, "Wash hands Mommy, wash hands."

What cute things have your kids said lately?

The Pros and Cons of Living with a Two Year Old

"A woman who can cope with terrible twos can cope with anything" -Judith Clabes


We are knee deep in round two of the terrible twos.  While the first time round prepares you a little bit for what it is going to be like, nothing is ever exactly the same.  This stage is pretty dynamic and definitely has its ups and downs.  I strive to be a half glass full type of person, so I have compiled a list of the pros and cons of living with a two year old.

Pros:
1.  Jack is learning more and more words everyday and so it is getting easier to understand what he wants and needs.
2.  He is really fun to take places and loves climbing, running and jumping.
3.  Jack loves his sister to pieces and they play together nicely, most of the time.
4.  He loves to snuggle me and I get to snuggle him every night.

Cons:
1.  Getting him dressed and changing his diaper is nothing short of a wrestling event.  You may have heard of a little wrestling move called the scissor leg lock, I use that move on a regular basis.  It is the only way to get Jack dressed so that I can get to work on time.
2.  He has started choosing his own clothes in the mornings.  Sounds good in theory, but the reality is he often chooses the "puppy pants" and they are his pajamas.  He has also been known to want to wear the same shirt for three days and he is a messy eater.
3.  Jack has become a little dictator.  He likes things just so and when they are not just the way he likes them he has a tantrum.  When being pushed on the swings,  pusher must only give under ducks, must count to three and say "high in the sky" while giving said under duck.  This makes the pushing job stressful and unpleasant.  The fun at the park usually ends when I refuse to push him because he is getting mad that I am not doing it right and he screams and yells.
4.  He loves to be snuggled and does not like to sleep alone.  While I start every night in my own bed, my two year old comes a calling anywhere between 12:00 and 5:00.  I have not spent a complete night in my own bed in months.

He is lucky he is cute!

Tell me a story about you and a two year old.  I would love to hear it.

Wordless Wednesday- Love

Each week, Captain Canada completes a photo challenge generated from The Two Hosers Photo Show, a podcast that he co-hosts with Allan.  A couple of weeks ago the challenge was to take a photo(s) that conveyed love.  Here are the results:

Weekend Round Up- Something for Everyone

There was something for everyone this weekend.  We all got to do things that we like and that made it a special couple of days.

Sarah got to have girl time with mommy and Nana and was treated to her first pedicure at a nail bar.  Once her nails were done, Sarah talked everybody's ears off while she waited patiently for us to finish.  She especially liked the flower and "diamond" on each of her big toes.

Sarah is really into flowers this year.  She keeps asking when we can plant some flowers.  I am pretty sure any flowers we plant will not last long as she loves to pick flowers (even before they are ready) and give them away.  So this weekend, she picked dandelions beautiful flowers for everyone.

Jack got to watch "hockey guys shoot the puck in the net" while Sarah had her skating lesson.

His other favourite activity is playing at the park, any park.  So although it was chilly, he did not stop running, jumping, falling and sliding the whole time we were at the park.  He would not even stop to eat lunch.

Captain Canada and I had date nights this weekend and we loved every minute of them.  For us a date night is extra special when we don't have to put our kids to bed.  We had a free pass both nights this weekend and it was pure heaven.  Saturday night we headed to a local park so the Captain could try his new gorilla pod and get a few pictures.  It was cold, but the sun was bright and beautiful and made for a great picture.  We warmed up at a local coffee shop afterwards.

After a busy weekend, we all sat down to watch the hockey game on Sunday afternoon.  Unfortunately, the weekend festivities took their toll on some more than others and Jack missed most of the hockey game.

Wordless Wednesday-The Many Faces of Sarah

Sarah put on a small drama production the other day.  She did an excellent job of showing her range of emotions.  Based on these photos and some of her diva antics, we would not be surprised if there is some acting in her future.

Happy Wednesday!

Hello Spring

I hope I am not speaking too soon, when I give spring a warm welcome.  A hug and a "please stay awhile" is also in order for this season that seemed to take a long time to get here.  But, in the past week, it has started to feel more like spring in our neighbourhood.  We look forward to the longer days, the sun in our faces and warmer weather.

Like most kids, Jack and Sarah love to be outside.  They also seem happier outside and although I have not done a scientific study, there seems to be a lot less crying and whining outside.  For all of these reasons, we try to spend as much time as possible outdoors.  On days that I don't work, we often stay for a play at the park after Sarah is finished pre-school.  On days that I do work, we often get out of the car after daycare pick up and go straight to playing in the front or in our back yard.

Our kids' motto is food tastes better when eaten outside.

Hunter boots are so last season.  Sarah is all about her cousin E's Scooby Doo rubber boots.

Stories are also much more interesting when read outside in a Dora lounge chair.

 Inside or outside, Jack never grows tired of playing ball.

Here the kids are showing their love to the Kangaroo Climber that we scored at a garage sale last year for a mere $5.00.  Can you say bargoon?

This weekend, Sarah got an early birthday present from her Nana and Pa.  A brand new bicycle with streamers that glide in the wind all purple and white.  She is so proud of her bike and her ability to go really fast.  Her favourite game is to take off and yell for us to chase her.  She thinks that she is so fast that we will never be able to catch her.

Jack is rocking his new tricycle that he got for his birthday from Gram and Bubby.  He is not quite able to peddle on his own, so there is a lot of pushing involved.  One small victory for me is that according to Jack,  I don't push quite right and he only wants Daddy to do it. Jack is thrilled to finally have a tricycle to call his own.  Last year he tried every trick in the book, to get his hands on Sarah's tricycle.

Even though they both have bikes to ride, they still like a good wagon ride once in a while.

What is it that you and your kids love about spring?