I don't have to pee

Jack has been potty trained since February.  As luck would have it, I had almost nothing to do with this round of potty training (Thank you Captain Canada).  But even three months later, he doesn't want to stop what he is doing to pee.  But Captain Canada and I have become experts at reading the tell tale signs that it is time to make a run for a toilet.

1.  When asked if he has to pee, he replies, "No, I don't have to pee.  I don't want to."

2. He puts his Yo Gabba Gabba doll Toodee between his legs (his version of a plug?) and goes about his business.

3.  He chants, "I don't have to pee.  I am not even doing the pee pee dance."

4.  Sitting in his chair at meal times, he begins to resemble a jumping bean.

5. He starts rocking back in forth like a hockey player listening to the national anthem. But all Canadian teams have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs and there is nary a note of "Oh Canada" being sung at our house.

Any funny pee stories to share?

I Lost My Chicken

In the last little while I have lost a bit of my blogging mojo.  My writing felt uninspired.  I was feeling a little blue.  Nothing serious, just a small case of the glass being half empty.  Even my "one little word" for 2012, choose, was not helping.

This week, the kids came upon a guitar that we had lying around.  They took turns strumming and singing  and putting on a show.

Then Sarah composed a song called, "I lost my chicken."  The song is a minute and a half of silliness.  The kind that is pure gold to parents.  And for this mama, a little inspiration.  Toys come in all shapes and sizes. Inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes.

Lost chicken lesson number 1:  I need to get my a$$ out of the hammock, be inspired and focus on the things that I can control.

And in case you need some lost chicken for inspiration or silliness.

Dear Vancouver Canucks' Fans

 As many of us are disappointed by a Canuck playoff run that ended too early. I am here to remind you that there are still some good things about hockey.

Hockey brings us together.  Across age and cultures, we can come together to cheer for a team, rejoice over victory and drown our sorrows in defeat. It is a sport that teaches team work and character.  Hockey can bring kids together to have fun while getting exercise.  Hockey can transform the girlie girl who loves princesses and  Hello Kitty into a serious goaltender who stares down fast moving orange pucks and smiles afterwards.

The great thing about the agony of defeat, is there is always next year with a fresh start and new perspective.

"I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been." -Wayne Gretzky

Things that Are Good

In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.  -Brother David Steindl-Rast


About a year ago, my friend and fellow blogger Amanda wrote a post called What's Good.  Essentially the post was about choosing your attitude and finding the good in different situations.  Her post has stuck with me.  I write about it often, how I try to focus on the positive and good things no matter how small.  I am happier when I focus on what is good.

Here is what was good about our weekend.

Living a short drive from this park where we can throw rocks, breath in the ocean air and play to our hearts content.

Finding small treasures and sharing them with people we love.

Watching my boy climb and smile and climb some more.

Witnessing Sarah's confidence grow along with her ability to tackle new challenges at the park.

Snuggles.

So I ask you, what's good?

Keeping the Faith Photo Shoot

We are pretty avid Canuck fans at our house.  I am feeling some fan guilt right now.  I feel like they keep losing because I bought a $40 Canucks t-shirt this year after refusing to do so during the whole playoff run last year. So while some of us have lost faith, others are keeping the faith.  Captain Canada got the kids in their gear this morning to show the Canucks some love.

Eggs-cellent Easter

As a kid, I remember Easter as being a time to colour eggs, go to church, eat a big meal with family and friends and giant Easter egg hunts.   To this day, the smell of vinegar reminds me of colouring eggs. These memories are so fresh in my mind that it feels like yesterday.  Memories of different egg hunts and big family gatherings always bring a smile to my face. It is what I want for my kids.  Stories to tell their kids, memories that bring a smile, a laugh or a giggle.  So I really wanted to spend Easter where I grew up and share some of that with my kids. And we did it up right.  The kids had a wonderful time reliving family traditions and etching out stories that we can talk about and retell over and over again.

There is a running joke in my family that I was never that great at the Easter egg hunt (still not that good, if we are keeping track).  I think it has less to do with my athletic prowess and more to do with the fact that I start eating as soon as I find something edible.  I am no fool, I know chocolate doesn't last forever.  Let's just say that Sarah does not take after me in this regard.  She was focused and totally on her game for the Easter egg hunt.

Our adventures also included:

 Lady bugs. Sarah's discovery of a lady bug on her shirt was thrilling.  She is learning about insects at pre-school and so she was especially interested in taking a closer look at the lady bug who did not want to leave her side.

A beautiful spring sunset.

And of course, a family run in picture because that in itself is becoming a family tradition.

“Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.” 

-Mary Oliver

Wordless Wednesday: Airport Adventures

Our kids love going to the airport to watch the planes.  It is quite a lovely field trip.  On Sunday morning, we jumped on the Canada Line and made our way to the airport.

The kids scrambled to find a telescope just their size.

They love to make themselves tall by standing on the ledge and leaning into the window to get a closer look.

Jack chose a telescope that was too tall.  He stood on a chair to look through the telescope that was two sizes too big.  On this day, his use of the telescope stopped and his use of the chair became more about acting like Superman and less about seeing planes.

My sweet daughter loves bright colours and already has a sense of her own style.  I like how she knows her own mind and knows what she likes regardless of what I tell her about matching and things that go together.

Sometimes it is the simplest things that bring us the most joy.

Cousins and Cotton Candy

It has become a tradition to head to the annual fair at Lansdowne Mall.  This is our third year in a row, so it definitely qualifies as a family tradition.  We take in the sights, drop $10 (per child) at the fishing game so Sarah can buy win a Hello Kitty doll, ride as many rides as our coupons will allow and then stuff our faces with cotton candy before heading home.  This year it was a field trip with our cousins.  It is so sweet to see how much they love each other, how they truly enjoy spending time together.  The excitement is palpable when they first see each other.

Jack and I on the monkeys.  Jack adored this ride last year.  This year, he was the koala bear and I was the tree for our first round on the monkeys.  After that he settled in and even let us spin it a little.

The carousel was a little too fast for Jack's liking.  He wanted to sit this one out.

Round two of the monkeys.  Jack sitting on his own now.

Monster Trucks were a favourite.

Some adult ride fun.  I am turning into a bit of a weak link when it come to rides and sat this one out.

Waiting patiently for cotton candy.

Cotton Candy. Yum.  Sticky.  Sweet.  Delicious.

"Cousins are those childhood playmates who grow up to be forever friends."

                      -Anonymous