Graham Family

Friday Night Leftovers

2012-02-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

What a busy week! I worked 2 full days and 2 half days this week, so today is my first day at home. Sure makes the week fly by when its busy like that!

My boys LOVE Playmobil. They got some about a year and a half ago and have been building their collection since. They got a bunch for Christmas this past year and have played with it at least once a day since. This morning they were up early to play and have been at it all morning. Its so nice when they play together nicely and use their imaginations! Last I checked, they were staging a battle between knights and pirates!

I'm quite surprised that my last post, which was a bit controversial for me, didn't get more comments. I got 3 comments on here and only 2 on facebook. I anticipated more from that post. I have noticed a lot more traffic from all sorts of places though....

There is no school next week for kids here, so the boys and I are packing up and heading South to Lethbridge for a few days to spend time with my wonderful friend Tasha. We can't wait to see each other, eat junk, drink wine and visit! The boys are very excited to go see her girls as well.

The weather has been so amazing here. Last weekend when we were in Canmore, we saw pussy willows starting to bud! How crazy is that for the middle of February?!

Traditional Values

2012-02-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

I don't usually post about controversial topics. The main reason for this is that I believe that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and that what one person believes should not matter to another person unless it brings about hate or hurt. My beliefs are just that- mine. I don't usually share them publicly because I don't feel that I should have to defend my personal choices to others. They are mine and they are what work for me and I don't change them based on what others think. My beliefs contribute to who I am as a person.

However, I've decided to take a bit of a public stand on this issue because it truly does have me shaking my head in disgust. Directly, it doesn't affect me. I'm not American and I don't shop at JC Penny. But it definitely affects my view on our society.

I was reading the other day about the controversy involving Ellen and One Million Moms regarding JC Penny's decision to have Ellen as a spokesperson.

I'm not going to try to debate the merits of the (as I see it) bullying campaign put out by One Million Moms and the stance JC Penny takes when there are so many other good articles out there doing just that, such as this one, this one and this one. Yes, I know that all of those articles are opinion based and somewhat one sided. However, I have linked to them because I share the same opinion for the most part.

Basically, the root of it is that the "Christian" group One Million Moms was calling for JC Penny to drop Ellen as spokesperson because she was gay. I use "Christian" loosely there because I consider myself a Christian but do not align myself with the same values that that group does.

One Million Moms claims that "traditional families" make up the majority of JC Penny shoppers and that the chain will lose customers because they have hired a gay person.

One Million Moms stated:

"Funny that JC Penney thinks hiring an open homosexual spokesperson will help their business when most of their customers are traditional families. DeGeneres is not a true representation of the type of families that shop at their store. The majority of JC Penney shoppers will be offended and choose to no longer shop there."

I'm not really sure what, in this day and age, a "traditional family" consists of. Once upon a time, a traditional family was a mother and father and their children. It seems to me that this type of family is no longer the vast majority making up North American households and may in fact, actually be the minority.

So, tell me. What does traditional mean, anyway? What are "traditional values" and who is to say that one's sexual orientation dictates their values?

To me, Christian values include loving your neighbor, helping those that are in need, being kind and honest, not intentionally hurting others (physically and emotionally).....and more. I believe that a Christian should act as Jesus did. Did he openly condemn those that were different and cast off by society? No, in fact, he approached and showed compassion and love to lepers and prostitutes- some of the most hated and feared of society at that time.

Interestingly enough, in the following video clip in which Ellen addresses the controversy, she states the following:

"Here are the values I stand for. I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated and helping those in need. To me those are traditional values. That's what I stand for."

I find it interesting because those are the same values that I hold to be important and things that I want to pass along to my children. Does that make me a lesbian? No. No more than if Ellen was African American and my belief in what she says would make me black.

This is what I find ridiculous. What makes Ellen less of a person because of who she chooses to spend her life with? What about that makes her an unworthy candidate to sell clothing to American citizens?

One major problem I have right now with mainstream Christianity is the undercurrent of judgement passed upon those that don't "fit the mold". I find this to be against the model that Jesus laid out for us to follow and to be hugely hypocritical. How is "love thy neighbor" to be demonstrated and modelled for our children if we condemn those that are different from us? We are perpetually stuck in a cycle of hate where history repeats itself, just with a different scapegoat.

This particular case, involving a popular and very famous person is getting lots of exposure because she is famous and popular but there are many average people that go through the same struggle- the struggle to be accepted for who they are regardless of what society sees as "normal".

Its interesting to me that the current target of the demise of society is homosexuals. I wasn't around, but does the civil rights movement of the 60s come to mind at all? Then the targets were African Americans. In the 60s, it was taboo for "whites" and "blacks" to fraternize at all, let alone marry and create (gasp!) interracial children. Here we are now in a society and culture that doesn't even bat an eye at mixed race couples and their children. What would our grandparents and great grandparents say? (I hope you can sense the sarcasm here)

I have friends that are mixed race, and I have family members that are mixed race and never once have I thought anything of it. I know people of almost every race and religion imaginable. Never once have I thought they were less of a person because they believed or looked different than I.

After 9/11 the main target was Muslims. I'd like to think that nearly 11 years after the devastation of that day caused by a SMALL GROUP of Muslims, not the religion as a whole, people have come to realize that it is not fair to lump every person that aligns themselves with the Muslim faith as a terrorist.

The Eugenics movement of the early 20th century in which individuals with any sort of mental disability (most commonly Down Syndrome) were forcibly sterilized is now looked up on as barbaric and should a group now suggest re instituting this practice, they would never come out of the argument alive.

I'd like to think that this targeting and bullying of homosexuals is one day going to be something that our children or grandchildren look back on and shake their heads at in disbelief that we as a culture could be so closed minded. Just like we do when we think about sterilization of those with disabilities and the distinct separation between Caucasians and African Americans.

What would our world be without diversity?

I identify myself as a heterosexual Christian woman, but that being said, I don't promote or agree with any of the hate and negativity that some heterosexual Christian women's groups display.

I welcome your comments and opinions, however please refrain from inserting your beliefs on whether homosexuality is "right or wrong". This post is not a debate on homosexuality and is not a debate I care to get into. This post is about equality in people and not judging a person for one of the characteristics that make them up as a whole.

Skating

2012-02-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

Luca's class started skating this week and he was beyond excited to go, which meant that Levi was so excited to go and then devestated when he found out he couldn't skate with Luca and the kindergarten class (liability issues).

So I promised them that I would take them to public skating on Wednesday afternoon. I was a bit nervous since Luca had been on skates a grand total of twice before that and Levi had never skated. Being the afternoon, Chris was at work, so it was up to me to try to take two very beginner skaters on the ice. Thankfully they had the trainer bars out (after I had supported them a bit, the rink manager finally saw us and remembered to bring them out, that is).

It went way better than I could have predicted and we had so much fun! I think we're going to try to make it a regular thing. Once the schools are done doing their scheduled ice time, there is a Mom and Tots skate time from 10-12 am so I might try to take Levi then as well. Some fun one on one time for him and I.

Here the boys are ready to hit the ice. They are anxiously waiting for me to finish tying my skates.

Levi was so proud of himself!

Here's a few clips of them skating. I sound like a tool and I realize that when I say "watch out for your brother", there is someone skating by that is clearly not my child. I didn't mean him. LOL

I've been going with Luca's class to the rink and volunteering during skating. His class goes two more times next week and I plan to go then as well. Its fun to watch him learn how to do it and to see the other kids improve as well.

Here are Luca and Adelynn skating wtih their class on Wednesday.

So far behind....

2012-01-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

I am not doing so well with my goal to post regularly.

This past week has been pretty busy- I subbed 2 days this week, had MOPS, errands to run and had 2 wisdom teeth pulled.

The wisdom teeth extractions went well, they just "popped" out (the dentist's words- didn't feel like it to me!). I was feeling pretty good until late yesterday afternoon and last night when my left side began to swell, have lots of pain and just felt awful. This morning I woke up to a fever and nausea. I figured it was probably infected (mouths are cesspools for bacteria, so no surprise there), so I headed in to the Urgent Care centre. Usually we go to Didsbury but I (wrongly) thought that since I was arriving at opening time, I would get seen quickly and then could get my prescription and go home, rather than drive the 20 minutes to Didsbury, then drive past my house to Airdrie to get my prescription and then home again. After 3 hours of waiting, with no one getting called back, I decided to leave and go to Didsbury anyway. I told the nurse I was leaving and she strongly advised me to stay because she was worried that the infection would spread since I was basically swallowing it constantly. She secretly bumped me to the front of the line and I was in the back an on my way to the pharmacy 20 minutes later.

I've had 2 doses of antibiotics and am beginning to feel better. I'll pop in to the dentist tomorrow just to have her check and make sure it looks alright.

I'm getting my hair done tomorrow and am embracing a dramatic change. Its something I've been throwing around for a while now, and I've decided to do it. Its just hair, right? It'll grow back..... Stay tuned.....

A few weeks ago school was cancelled due to -40 temsp (with windchill) and we stayed home in our jammies and had a fun day.

True to one of my goals, I set out painting activities for the boys, despite the mess I knew it would make. We experimented with different tools to paint with and they had a blast. It was a great way to spend an hour of our long and cold day!

The boys are also into Angry Birds (they are way better at it than I am!). I had found these coloring sheets online and printed them off. They intently colored for a while too.

Levi is getting to be a very careful colorer!

(Blogger won't let me change the orientation for some reason. Sorry!)

I kept busy doing some baking- blueberry muffins and brownies.

This weekend Chris has been busy building me a pantry. Pictures to follow when it is complete!

Have a good week!

Worldless Wednesday: Things I love

2012-01-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

Nephew, my sons

My sisters and their families

My Mommy and Daddy

The greatest man alive

Our wonderful dog

My perfect little family

Some of the best friends a girl could ask for!

Perspective

2012-01-13T19:07:00.002-07:00

The woman on the right is an average sized woman. The woman on the left is a model.

Did you know that in the fashion industry, a size 6 is considered a plus size?!?

Friday Night Leftovers

2012-01-13T08:00:00.040-07:00

Chris got me a tablet for Christmas. I chose the Acer IconiaTab A500 and I love it. It is so convenient and also a great big time waster. Its one of the few tablets that had a full size USB port, which is something I wanted for my doula business so I can share files easily with clients if I need to. I've watched videos on it and have been impressed with the quality. I've played games on it (I now know what the fuss about Angry Birds was!), I've used it in the kitchen to try new recipes and almost best of all- I can browse pinterest all from the comfort of my bed! ;)

Without either of us knowing what we were getting for Christmas, we got each other the same thing. Chris has been wanting an iPad for ages so I knew I wanted to get him one. This is normally waaaaayyyy out of our budget, so I mentioned to family that if they wanted to contribute in the form of a gift card, I would be giving him the balance remaining so he could get himself the iPad he's been wanting. Normally, we don't spend much on each other for Christmas but this year, we splurged. Its not very often that we spend large amounts of money on ourselves, so it was a really nice and appreciated treat.

My job is so exciting. I love to be a part of welcoming new babies to the world. Sometimes the stories are so good and the circustances around the baby's entrance are so exciting. I had one of those births this week. Amidst a snowstorm that had the roads at a near standstill, a first time mama went from mild back pain to feeling the urge to push in less than 2 hours. Thankfully, an ambulance was not too far away and was able to transport her to the hospital in time to have the baby. I was sure that the baby would be born before I arrived at the hospital, but I got there, flustered from trying to get through traffic in rush hour and a snowstorm, in time to be there for the baby's grand entrance. A whirlwind few hours, for sure!

My thankfulness journal that I started on January 1st is going really well. I've already had to stop and make myself find the silver lining in some trying days. Its only been 2 weeks and I already feel my outlook on things being more positive. I didn't think of myself as a negative person before, but I am definitely stopping to think of the positive more. For example, earlier this week, Levi was really sick and fevered and whiny. All he wanted to do was to sit on my lap. At first, I was annoyed because I had things I wanted to get done and he was hot and uncomfortable making me hot and uncomfortable. But then, I stopped and looked for the positive. And that was that my little boy, who soon won't be so little, just wanted to sit and cuddle with his mommy. Who cares that the laundry and dishes didn't get done? Emails didn't get returned until later that day? I took a deep breath, didn't worry about my to-do list and just enjoyed snuggles with my littlest big boy.

Life, Unorganized

2012-01-12T08:00:00.017-07:00

I came across this calendar on (where else?) pinterest and had a look after a friend mentioned it to me. It seems so easy and reasonable to do. Afterall, its just 1 task a day to get my home organized.

I decided when I saw it that I would do each daily task and by the end of 2012, I would be a very organized person.

Normally, I am very organized, but when it comes to things like cupboards, closets, drawers, storage rooms, etc, I let those things get so out of control. Then it is too far gone that I'm overwhelmed.

This seemed like a gret way to tackle this problem..... so why haven't I started yet?? (its rhetorical, I don't need or have an answer).

I guess I'm going to have some catch up to do..... starting soon. Ish....

If you've heard of FlyLady, this is similar. I think the major difference is that FlyLady also teaches you to add certain routines to your day to keep your life organized such as shining your sink every night and little things like that.

How do you keep your house organized? Do you have junk drawers and overflowing closets hiding stuff that you don't know what to do with like I do?

Quiet Time Bins

2012-01-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

Well, its the 11th day of January and already I've failed one of my goals- to post at least once a week. Oops.

The boys have both been sick in the past week or so- with high fevers and coughs. Both boys had fevers that lasted 48-72 hours and yucky, chesty coughs. The fevers are gone thankfully but the cough remains. Other than that, they are both still active and being boys!

In my pinterest browsing, I came across a bunch of ideas for "quiet time bins" before Christmas and put it in the back of my mind as something to do. I had been putting a few things away since I saw the idea to create a few bins. Then I grabbed a few small Christmas gifts that they hadn't yet had a chance to play with (sticker books, puzzles) and put them aside as well.

Everywhere is having organization sales, so I was able to find some small Rubbermaid bins on sale. Once I had those, I could begin putting bins together in the hopes that they would keep the boys occupied for an hour each afternoon during quiet time so I didn't have to answer the same question every 5 minutes- "Mom, is quiet time over?". Having to stop what I am doing every 5 minutes to answer the same question makes "quiet time" kind of pointless.

So, I put the bins together and I let the boys each choose a bin to take to their room's each afternoon. So far, they have been a great hit! My plan is to vary the activities every few weeks to keep them from getting bored.

Some of the activities included are:

puzzles
sticker books
pipe cleaners
wooden beads (to sort or string on shoelaces or pipecleaners)
books
Pre-K math games
Bendaroos (waxy sticks that can be shaped into different letters or objects and reused)
Matching Game
A Ziplock baggie of buttons to sort and little cups to sort them into
Pom Poms, clothes pins and tongs with a bucket with various holes on top to put the pom poms into

I should have taken more photos of the actual activities.

So far, the boys are loving them and it is giving me an hour in the afternoons to return emails, do the dishes or just relax and read!

I've got many more ideas on my Quiet Time pinboard on pinterest that I want to add/ substitute in the bins. I'll try to post more ideas as I get them together.

Do you have any quiet, independent activity suggestions?

Crafty Christmas

2012-01-01T19:44:00.001-07:00

I'm behind on posting this but wanted to wait until all the gifts that I had made were in the hands of their recipients.

I didn't think I would have time to make much this year but then discovered that I actually got quite a bit of homemade gifts accomplished.

I made this adorable little snowman family diorama for my sister in law. Another pinterest find! (Check out the tutorial here if you are interested.) It was super easy and so cute! I'm going to make one for our family to display next Christmas. I also got her one of these personalized necklaces with her 4 kids' names and birthstones from an Airdrie girl. When I picked hers up, I was so pleased with it, I made sure Chris knew I wanted one for myself under the tree! (It worked!)

I was part of a baking exchange with some local ladies and my contribution was peanut brittle. Here are the packages ready to be distributed and below is the peanut brittle cooling and hardening.

This wreath wasn't a gift for anyone. Well, for me, I guess. I had seen it online a few years ago and wanted to make one, and then when I came across the tutorial on pinterest (of course!) I had to to it. I got the Christmas balls at Superstore on Black Friday for 50% off so the project cost just $10! It is made up of 100 mini balls (1") and 24 medium sized balls (2"). I could have used a few more actually. I ended up making the wreath a bit smaller than the clothes hanger because I ran out of ornaments.

This advent calendar was a MOPS project. Its a premade box with the smaller boxes. We added the scrapbook paper and embellishments. I filled the boxes with a Hershey's Kiss for each day.

I made 15 of these rice bags with aromatherapy scents (peppermint, cinnamon or citrus. And one disgusting lavender one for my sister's boyfriend. I hate lavender.) They were so easy! I use mine almost nightly. Heat it up, throw it down by my feet in bed.....ahhhhhh, bliss!
Super easy tutorial here if you are interested.

This denim quilt was my dad's gift. Their tv area is in the basement and a bit chilly. Plus, my dad always has a blanket when he watches tv. A friend gave me a bunch of pairs of old, used jeans and I gladly took them. This super sized twin quilt took about 6 pairs of adult jeans (and a few more for pockets). I did the reverse in a soft, cozt fleece with John Deere design. The blanket ended up being really heavy (all that denim!) but so cozy! I filled each of the pockets with some of my dad's favorite treats, pictures of the boys, chap stick, etc.

These little tins were used to hold gift certificates, a necklace and magnets (see below). I took plain tins and decorated them wtih scrapbook paper and embellishments. I love wrapping things creatively!

These magnets were given to both sets of parents. Made from stones and photos printed on computer paper with a magnet attached. Tutorial here. Another pinterest find.

As I try to do every year, I made a calendar for my parents.

Luca also wrote and illustrated a story completely from his own imagination which we had made into a photo book. I also interviewed both kids with some fun questions and included their answers in the book as well. That was a gift to Chris' parents.

And here is a photo of my wonderful family on Christmas Eve after a fantastic day of family, fun and laughs. It was a really great Christmas.

2012 Goals

2012-01-01T19:16:00.001-07:00

My friend Tasha inspired me to write my own set of goals for this year. I thought that writing them down and revisiting them mid year would motivate me and keep me accountable to myself.

So, here are a few things that I hope to accomplish this year (in no particular order):

Run 5K. I got close this past year but in 2012 I am going to do it. Along the same lines, I'm going to make an effort to walk more rather than hop in my truck. To make this measureable- I'm going to choose walking or another "healthier" option 3 times a week.

Donate blood. This was also inspired by Tasha. Both of us are 30 and up until last week had never donated blood out of fear- of the unknown maybe. Tasha did it on New Years Eve and said it was no problem. Donating blood is something that has always been at the back of my mind as something I should do, especially since in 2005 I was the recipient of 3L of donated blood when I had emergency surgery.

Blog more frequently. I know I've been sporadic and I hope to blog at least once a week, if not more this year. (Tom and Lisa- hold me to this! If I'm not blogging, email me and kick my butt in gear! For those that don't know, Tom and Lisa are my brother and sister in law that live in Ottawa and are probably my most frequent visitors to my blog. Its the source of much of their information on our family. :) )

Keep a Thankfulness Journal. I saw the idea on pinterest about 2 months or so ago and marked it as something I wanted to do. Then I was gifted this beautiful journal by a client and knew that I would reserve that book for this project. I started it today and my goal is to write in it daily and have 365 entries by this time next year. (Since its a leap year, I can miss 1 day over the whole year.) I think it will be a great activitiy, especially when I have days that I am frustrated or feeling down to force myself to sit and come up with at least 1 thing to be thankful for.

Allow my children to do more activities and projects that may create messes. I tend to disuade them from doing certain activities due to the mess it will surely create, but I'm going to try not to be so uptight.

Start saying no more. This past year, with my doula business picking up, I found that I was getting overwhelmed with the commitments that I had taken on. I'm always eager to volunteer for something and then end up regretting it when I stress over getting it done and trying to fit it into my other daily activities. I'm going to choose my commitments more carefully.

Do you have any goals for the year?

Ahhhhh, Christmas

2011-12-22T09:16:00.001-07:00

Wow, how is it already the 22nd of December? This month has flown by.

In just 2 more sleeps (when you are the parent of small kids, you measure everything by number of sleeps!) my family will arrive for our Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve. I'm so excited to be hosting this year. There will be 8 adults and 3 children and who knows how many dogs here on Saturday.

The groceries for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day brunch are bought, cookies are made (although most have mysteriously disappeared....) and most of the presents are wrapped.

I'm pretty much ready. And getting those excitement fueled butterflies. I'm so excited to see my kids enjoying and starting to understand the meaning behind our Christmas celebrations.

After we open the gifts that Santa has left on Christmas Day, we'll enjoy a leisurely brunch with my parents and then make our way to Ponoka where all of Chris' family will gather.

Everyone will be there this year- from Ottawa, Regina, Edmonton, Crossfield and Ponoka. We will all be together. Its going to be great!

I love Christmas.

What are your Christmas plans?

Christmas Questions

2011-12-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. I love wrapping!

2. Real tree or Artificial? We have both. I have a "fancy" tree in our formal living room that is artificial. Our family tree is real. I love the smell of a real tree even though the needles all over the house drive me nuts. Growing up we always had an artificial tree but my grandparents (on my dad's side) always had real so the smell reminds me of those wonderful Christmas memories at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually not until after my birthday on December 1. This year I did it a few days earlier because I knew we wouldn't have much weekend time this December.

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually a couple of days after Christmas. I try to make it til New Year's but find that the Christmas clutter drives me insane. I love how clean and uncluttered my house seems when the trees and decorations are put away.

5. Do you like eggnog? I like it in coffee or in chai but on its own I'm not a big fan. The boys love it though.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Hmmm....that's a tough one. Probably my discman from my grandparents one year. It was what I really wanted. That ages me....

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, It is beautiful and my parents bought me the pieces over a series of birthdays and Christmas'. It is a Willow Tree set. I don't have it up this year though. I usually put it on top of my piano but had a different idea for the piano this Christmas.
8. Hardest person to buy for? Chris or my dad

9. Easiest person to buy for? My boys

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Snail mail. I love receiving cards in the mail, so I definitely send them that way too. I love the personal tough of snail mail. I have a friend and her and I frequently mail things to each other. It always makes my day when I get something in the mail that isn't bills or junk mail!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I honestly don't remember...

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Love Actually or the classic Rudolph claymation

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Super early. Throughout the year if I see something that I know someone would love. The bulk of my shopping is done between September and November. I watch fliers and shop sales. I make lists of ideas for people and keep my eyes out for those items. Crowds drive me crazy and I hate how rude people can get in the hustle and bustle of Christmas crowds.

14. Ever recycled a Christmas present? Maybe... ;)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Chocolate covered cherries. Its a family tradition to have them around and they always remind me of my Grandpa.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? I have white on my "fancy" tree- it is red, white and silver themed. Our family tree has multi-colored lights and homemade ornaments or those with meaning.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Josh Groban's Little Drummer Boy
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18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? It varies. This year we will be home for Christmas morning and then travel to Ponoka later in the day. Last year we spend 4 days in Radium with my family.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Nope. Not even going to try.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star on the fancy tree and angel on our family tree

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We usually celebrate Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve so there are gifts that are opened Christmas Eve, but the majority of gifts are on Christmas Day.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? CROWDS!

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? I don't have a favorite. I love my red/ white/ silver tree and I love our family tree with ornaments that the kids have made.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? My family, safe, healthy and happy.

Kid Funnies

2011-12-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my kids make me laugh so hard. Levi is at an age where everything is very literal to him. Luca is starting to get creative and use his imagination a bit.

Here are some recent conversations at our house:

Levi called me to come to the bathroom to wipe his bum (he's 3, I still do this task for him). When I got there, the light was off.

Me: "Levi, did you poop in the dark?"

Levi: (said incredulously) "No, I pooped in the toilet!"

We were discussing going to the dentist with Luca (he had a chipped molar). Luca said his friend told him that it was scary. I assured him that our dentist, whose name is Dr. Alberta was very gentle. After thinking for a moment, Luca decided then that his friend must see a different dentist and wanted to know if his dentist was named Dr. Canada. LOL!

(side note: Luca went to the dentist yesterday and was a total rock star! The dentist was so gentle he doesn't even know he got a needle for freezing! He didn't even flinch. As a reward, the dentist handed him $5 after his tooth was fixed! She just laughed when I asked why she never pays me to come....)

Update on Ava

2011-12-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update that little Ava was released from the hospital yesterday and is home resting! The doctors were very happy with how her body responded to the medication and surgery.

Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts. Please continue to keep them in your hearts as she is not completely healed from the infection just yet.

Friday Night Leftovers

2011-12-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

I have been so behind in blogging lately but its in part due to the 3 babies that made their entrance in 10 days! It was a busy week and a half and each birth was very different, but each welcomed a beautiful, healthy baby girl! I had manily boys born this summer so it was nice to see some girls! So, apart from actually attending the births, I had photos to edit, birth notes to type up and home visits to do. There's lots of time put in to doing stuff after the baby is born as well. My job doesn't end when the baby is born.

I've also (as usual) taken on (perhaps too many) gifts that I am making. I love to make gifts for people that I have put lots of thought, time and effort into. I think they are so special. But without fail, at this time in December each year, I find myself rushing trying to finish everything. Last night I finished the 2 that I was most concerned about because part of the gift requires factoring in shipping time to arrive before Christmas. Now I have some smaller gifts to make, but they aren't too time consuming, I just need to sit down and do them. Then I get to wrap- one of my favorite parts!

We're having Christmas eve with my family here this year. We'll have dinner and gifts and if it is nice, maybe go tobogganing on the hill right behind our house. In Crossfield on Christmas eve, Santa is driven around by members of the fire department and he visits each house and gives the kids a candy cane. The boys think it is great! (Until they get older and begin to wonder why Santa's not out delivering toys!). My mom and dad are staying the night and will have Christmas morning with us and after brunch, we will head to Ponoka to spend a few days with Chris' family.

I am totally addicted to pinterest. I avoided it for quite a while after I had friends tell me about it but then one day decided to check it out. I haven't stopped since. There are so many fabulous ideas on there! I've made some recipes from there and for the most part they are winners. Its nice to get ideas from somewhere without having to sit and actually search them out. Especially if you don't know what you are looking for!

My 30th birthday was last week. On the weekend I celebrated with friends and my sisters. We went for manicures and pedicures, lunch then shopping. The plan was to go into Calgary to go to the dueling piano bar, but we were hit with a winter storm that made the roads a bit tricky. We opted not to chance the trip and to just stay at the mall instead. We shopped more and then had supper and drinks. It was a really nice day with some of my favorite people. My sisters also gave me a cool gift- actually, 30 gifts. They were all homemade (which as you know, I love) and many ideas from pinterest (haha). They also each wrote me a letter that had "30 things I love about my sister". I think that was my favorite part. Totally made me teary and I will treasure it. It was a very sweet idea and obviously took lots of time and thought. I have some pretty cool sisters.

We have an Elf on the Shelf and we are loving it. I know there are some people that think its a ridiculous idea, but our family thinks it is cute and fun. I'm excited about the new tradition that we have started. The idea is that Santa sends an elf to be his helper. Once you name your elf, he has magical powers (Luca named our elf Happy). Happy watches over our family all day and then when everyone is sleeping, he flies back to the North Pole and reports to Santa. Then he returns in a different spot each morning. Our boys love to seek him out- its a little treasure hunt each day. Some people make him get into all sorts of mischeif each day and I can see how that would get old (for the parents that have to set it up each night) but so far, the boys have been excited to just find out where he is each day. I will do some more exciting and a few mischevious things, but mostly he's just hanging out in various places of our house. Here he is on the first day he arrived, riding one of my decoration reindeer on top of the piano:

Lastly, if you pray, please keep my cousin's 2 year old daughter Ava in your prayers. I don't have a lot of detail, but this week she was admitted to the stollery Children's Hospital with an infection that went into her bloodstream and wasn't responding to antibiotics. She was placed in isolation and they were treating her for a "superbug". Last I heard, she was going to be having surgery (last night, I think) where they would try to drain the area that the infection started (I believe. I could be wrong on this). If you don't pray, please keep them in your thoughts and send positive thoughts their way. My cousin and his wife also have a 3 year old son and are expecting another baby in the Spring. So, please send prayers and thoughts for the entire family as this is obviously a very tough time for them all. For more information and updates, feel free to head over to my Aunt's (Ava's grandmother) blog where she is posting as she is able.

Operation Christmas Child

2011-12-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in a post a while ago that the boys and I were doing show boxes for Operation Christmas Child. We did them at the end of November, but I just haven't gotten around to posting about it.

We watched the Veggie Tales video, talked about kids that don't have lots of toys or clothes or snacks, etc (vocabulary they can understand- snacks are a big deal around here!). Then we went shopping. Luca "got it" and really put some thought into what a boy his age in another country might like to have. Levi had to be reminded often that we weren't shopping for him, that we were choosing things to send away on an airplane to another 3 year old boy. There were a few minor tantrums when he was reminded that what we were buying would not be his to play with when we got home.

The boys were very excited when it came time to pack the shoeboxes though. Luca really liked the challenge of trying to fit everything in the box- like a puzzle. Levi shoved everything in haphazardly and then was frustrated that the lid wouldn't close. LOL.

We included photos of the boys and of our family as well as a short note to the recipient of the box. The boys were excited that they could send a picture of themselves to children they had never met.

I sincerely hope that as Christmas Day gets closer and the boys will undoubtedly get more stuff than they need or could wish for, that we can keep thoughts and wishes for families that are not as fortunate as us.

I saw this on someone's facebook status this week and it really rang true for me:

"I was complaining the other day about how much my grocery order was..then I thought....at least I can afford to complain about it."

Here are a few pictures of they boys packing their shoeboxes.

A new decade

2011-11-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of my 20s. Tomorrow I will wake up and be 30. I'm actually not freaked out about being 30 like some people get. (Although when I was a kid, 30 was OLD!)

I was, however, thinking about my 20s. Looking back, it was a pretty amazing decade in my life: I got married, had 2 wonderful babies, started a career as a teacher, took a leap and started a new career as a doula, travelled to places I had only ever seen in photos, and have to date witnessed 22 babies (besides my own) come into this world.

30s- you've got some big shoes to fill. That's some pretty awesome stuff to follow.

Bring. It. On.

Wild and Wacky Weather

2011-11-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday gave us some strange and, at times, scary weather.

We woke up to a lovely 11 degrees above zero and some winds from the West. This isn't uncommon since we live in an area that often gets chinooks blown in from the mountains.

But by noon, there were shingles flying, our trampoline dancing in the wind and our windows rattling.

At about 1pm, the radio and tv were interrupted with an emergency broadcast due to the severe winds. Calgary's downtown core was shut down to all pedestrian and vehicle traffic because windows were being blown out of high rises and debris was flying everywhere. Wind speeds in the downtown were recorded at 149km/hr- Category 1 Hurricane Force winds!

Trees were uprooted in Crossfield, store fronts ripped off, siding torn away and many shingle-less houses were left to then deal with the hail and then snow that came through later in the evening.

As far as we have been able to tell, our house is ok, with minimal or no damage to our shingles and siding. It was a scary afternoon though. If it had been a summer month, you can bet I would have been hiding out in the basement!

In this picture you can see the shingles of one of our neighbours' house being ripped off. They suffered quite a bit of damage, with the yard and field behind us being dotted with shingles from their house.
The tall house at the top of the picture is ours- no damage is visible. :)

These houses are about a block down the street from us to the South.

When we arrived at school this morning, this was what we saw:

(notice that the photos from yesterday there was no snow- we got this snow overnight, before anyone had time to fix their roofs)

You can watch a news clip of some other damage around the Crossfield area here

Thankfully we didn't suffer any major damage and more importantly, we are all safe!

A Playground for A new School

2011-11-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

A dear friend is the principal of this school and they are trying to get money to build a playground on the property of this brand new school in Olds, Alberta. Please take a moment and vote for them to win the donation.

P.S. For doing so, you get a coupon for Buy One Get One Joey's famous fish and chips! ;)

Please vote and share this with your friends!

Voting closes November 30th.

Monday Musings

2011-11-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

I have been neglecting my blog lately. For my readers (in the single digits, anyway!), I apologize. Life has gotten busy.

Last week I subbed in Luca's class for 3 days while his teacher was away with her husband at a conference. I was there Monday- Wednesday. On Wednesday morning, Luca got up, came into my room and said "Is Mrs. Chicilo back yet or do you have to be my teacher again?" Feelings a little hurt, I told him I would be there for one more day. His response? "Oh, okay. But she'll be back tomorrow? I miss Mrs. Chicilo." At least I know he loves his teacher and is secure andcomfortable with her. I am supposed to be going in tomorrow to be a volunteer mom so I'm curious to see how it will be from the other side of the desk.

I got a call this morning at about 6 that one of my mamas is in early labour. So, I'm sitting sipping a caramel macchiato and waiting for the call that she is in active labour. She is also a doula, so she'll know best when to call. I'm a little nervous "doula-ing" for a doula, but she chose me, so she must be confident in my abilities to comfort and guide her through labour. She has chosen to have a birth with midwives at a birth centre. This will be my first experience at an out of hospital birth, so I'm excited and nervous about the unknown. (For those of you that are queasy about not being in the hospital, don't worry, it is literally only a few blocks from the Foothills and the hospital is aware that there is a birth going on and will be prepared to send an ambulance if needed. And midwives are highly trained medical professionals that ONLY do this, so their experience and expertise are similar to that of an OB).

I am FINISHED Christmas shopping for everyone except Chris. NO idea what to get him and he's no help. His reply? "Nothing." What do I do with that?? Anyway, I start shopping in September, watch for sales and buy a few things at a time. Some things I have ordered, some I have gone and picked up from the store. I write a list and make sure that I have ideas for everyone before I go with their gift in mind. I have 3 gifts that I am making- one is nearly done and the other two are a work in progress. I'm excited to start wrapping, which is almost my favorite part! I do love trying to come up with thoughtful, unique and meaningful gifts for people though. I try to stay away from gift cards because, while I really don't mind getting them, I feel like I've not put any thought into the gift I'm giving. I love to see people's reactions when the realize that I've thought about something just for them or listened and took note of something they've mentioned they want or need. Christmas is about giving and I really do love to give! (Gift giving is one of my love languages. If you haven't read the book, you should! I have the children's one on my bedside table but haven't read it yet.)

Speaking of giving, the boys and I are going to be putting together shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. I remember doing this many years as a kid and I loved shopping for the items that other kids might like to get. Last Thursday at MOPS, we had a few ladies speak about their experiences actually going with Samaritan's Purse and handing the boxes out to children in need in Costa Rica. The photos they shared and the stories they told just made my heart ache for those families that have nothing compared to us. I want my children to know now, at a young age, that they are beyond lucky to be so comfortable. To have food whenever they want it. To have a roof over their heads, a warm bed and a flushing toilet. To have more toys than any little boys need. I want them to put some thought into sending items to other children that would otherwise get nothing.

OCC has a Veggie Tales video geared for kids to explain the campaign and the need. I'll be showing it to my boys this week and then we'll be going to buy items for the boxes. I'll try to remember to take pictures of them with their items and boxes and post them!

Happy Monday!

Friday Night Leftovers

2011-10-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

I had my CT Scan on Monday. It wasn't a terrible procedure but it was time consuming. I had to arrive 90 minutes before my appointment time to go through a questionairre, then drink 32 oz of fluid with a contrast dye solution. It didn't taste terrible but it wasn't great either. It sort of tasted like "puddle water"- water that tasted "earthy" or like it had dirt in it. Then I had to have an IV so that dye could be injected into my veins during the scan. They warned me that the dye was warm and I might feel really hot when it was injected (I didn't) and that I would have the sensation of peeing myself because of the warmth. I totally got this feeling and it was terrible. I really did feel like I was peeing and had to check afterwards just to be sure that it was just the sensation of the dye! Other than that, the procedure was quick and uneventful. I layed in a donut looking machine and it whirred to life, took a few pictures and that was it.

My doctor called me on Tuesday with the results- everything looked just fine. They couldn't see anything that might be causing me the pelvic pain or bowel disfunction. We did, however talk aboot the possibility of there being adhesions on my bowel, which can cause pain and affect function. This does not show up on a CT scan. Basically, adhesions are bands of tissue that are formed after surgery, sort of like scar tissue. They are not as soft and flexible than "normal" tissue so can restrict movement of organs and can actually pull organs into the wrong position or cause them to twist a bit. So, depending on where the adhesions are, they can be causing my bowel to be a bit sluggish. Since I have had abdominal surgery AND have had a large amount of blood pooled in my abdomen (from an emergency surgery in 2005), it is likely that adhesions have formed. The unfortunate part about just guessing that this is the cause of my issues is that it can't be confirmed without a surgeon physically going in and checking, but this would lead to more adhesions from the new surgery. It sort of becomes a vicious circle- if they become very problematic, surgery can break them apart, but then new ones will probably form. So in the meantime, stool softeners have now become part of my daily diet in the hopes that it will make the job of my bowel a bit easier. A long way to say that I don't have any conclusive answers.

Halloween is only a few days away and Luca is beside himself with excitement. They have been doing Halloween activities at school this week so he is definitely in the Halloween mood. He can't wait for Monday when he gets to dress up in his costume (Captain America) for school.

Speaking of Halloween activities, I had volunteered to go into Luca's class to help with pumpkin carving yesterday. At 5:45am, I got a call that one of my mama's was in labour. So, Chris got delegated to go to kindergarten. I think he was scared. But, duty called so I had to throw him to the wolves. It turns out that he actually had a good time with the kids- he just had Luca and Adelynn in his group- they estimated the size and weight of their pumpkin and then carved it together. I think he actually quite enjoyed himself and Luca was pretty impressed that his dad got to be a helper that day.

Tomorrow is our annual town pumpkin hunt. They number pumpkins and hide them in the "forrest" behind our house. Each kid is assigned a number and has to search for their pumpkin. Once they have found it, we all head to the community hall and carve them. There are also other activities for the kids to do as well as a treat bag for each child. Its a fun, community wide family activity. And we'll have Donny with us to take part. The boys are so excited to have their cousin stay wtih us for the weekend and come to the pumpkin hunt.

The weather is definitely starting to feel like fall. Touques and mitts are required for walking to and from school as the wind is quite chilly. But, when we are able, which is most days, we are walking the 5 or 6 blocks to and from school. Before we know it, winter will be here and walking won't be so much fun- especially when its the mom that HATES the cold and snow!

The boys are registered for a gymnastics class starting November 15th for 8 weeks. We have a small gymnastics studio here in town and it is a good opportunity to get the boys involved in something while still supporting our town businesses.

Happy Halloween weekend! What are your kids dressing up as? Do you dress up?

Friday Night Leftovers

2011-10-21T09:46:00.000-06:00

I got a sweet surprise in the mail this week from my friend Tasha. Molasses candies! Everyone hated them growing up, except me. You know, those dark brown chewy candies that came in the orange wrapper with witches and stuff on them? Yummy! Except that I didn't ration them very well and the handful of candies that I got were gone far too quickly. I need to hunt some down!

I'm on call again now and am expecting 5 babies that are due between now and the end of November! Its going to be a busy month! But I'm thrilled to be so busy!

I saw my regular doctor about all my tummy issues last week. She is concerned and wanted me to go for an urgent CT Scan. She said she would like to have me in within the week. Imagine my surprise when I got a phone call saying my "urgent" scan was booked...for November 18th! I was mildly annoyed, to say the least. But then this morning, I got a call saying that they have had a cancellation for this Monday and I could have that spot. So, yay! I get my scan in just a few days rather than a few weeks! Hopefully this will provide some answers to the pain that I've been having. Let's just hope it doesn't involve surgery- I don't have time for surgery right now with all my babies coming!

We had a bit of snow mixed with rain yesterday evening. Ugh. Nothing that stuck around- it melted as soon as it hit the ground but it was a miserable reminder that winter is just around the corner. Today the sky is low and grey. It looks like snow is just hovering, ready to fall. Blah.

I'm an early Christmas shopper. I usually start in September. I am nearly finished shopping for the boys except for some stocking stuffers. I've got a few other gifts either in mind or started on if not ready to be wrapped for other people on my list. I love not having to rush around in December trying to navigate the crowds of grumpy people! I haven't got any ideas for my dear husband, though..... why are men so hard to buy for?

Part of the kindergarten program here is to do Home Reading. Each day Luca comes home with a beginner book that is mainly sight words and has a predictable pattern to them. He loves to read them and Levi has started reading them as well. He is so eager to be just like his big brother. We may have 2 boys learning to read at the same time!

Food for Thought

2011-10-20T08:13:00.001-06:00

It seems like lately my blog has been more on the "serious" side- sort of my outlet for getting my thoughts on parenting issues out. I guess its reflective of what has been going on in my head recently.

I read this wonderful post on my friend Tasha's blog this morning and I thought it was great food for thought to start my day.

All too often I find myself reacting too quickly out of anger or frustration. And its true- my mood and attitude reflects what happens in our house on any given day. If I'm crabby- my reactions will be more severe. If I'm feeling rested, calm and patient, my reactions will reflect that.

I've been trying to make an effort to take a few deep breaths or count to 10 before responding- to allow myself to calm down a bit before I respond to something in anger.

I also recently heard about the 10-10-10 rule (I think that is what it is). Ask yourself: Will this matter in 10 minutes? 10 months? 10 years? And react accordingly.

No one is perfect and especially no parent is perfect. There is no perfect way to do things. We all make mistakes and will regret the way that we've handled a situation.

I saw this the other day and thought it was a good reminder, and I think, appropriate for this (and Tasha's ) post.

Hanging on to Innocence

2011-10-18T10:32:00.001-06:00

I've had a few conversations lately about sheltering kids from things and I'm beginning to think that Chris and I are on the far end of the spectrum- keeping our kids very sheltered.

I don't remember Chris and I ever sitting down and outlining the things we thought would be ok to expose our kids to, but we're definitely on the same page and have the same ideas.

Luca is only 5 and Levi 3. To me, that's still so young. Their minds are very impressionable and their reasoning skills are not fully developed- meaning they can't always distinguish reality from fiction or situationally appropriate comments from those that are socially unacceptable. (I'm sure all of us parents have had the mortifying experience of our child asking all too loudly why someone is fat, or a different color or strange looking).

Chris and I have always been careful about our conversations in front of the kids. There are some things that children just don't need to hear- we don't want to color their views on someone or a situation just because they have heard one of us express our opinion. On a few occasions, when having a conversation with someone, I've been surprised at how uncensored they are when their children are listening. I just feel that some conversations are for adult ears only (and I mean just some topics in general). We never know what our kids are hearing and internalizing and thinking about.

And actually, I experienced the effects of this first hand one day last Spring. We live in a small town- everyone knows everyone. I substitute teach in the school here. I overheard one child talking to a friend (another child) about me, but it was obvious that what was said came from the parent- probably overheard while the parent was speaking to another adult. I just don't think that this is appropriate. I would be so upset if the situation had been reversed and my child repeated gossip that was overheard.

Chris and I are also pretty strict about what our kids watch. We're "those" parents that don't let our kids watch much. Just this past weekend, we allowed the boys to watch Spiderman (the live action one with Tobey Maguire). Luca loved it, Levi was interested on and off. I think that Luca is at the age where he can watch things like that and be able to seperate what is happening as fiction. Levi is still a bit young and his interest only holds during the exciting parts. He doesn't care much for the story.

Luca is desperate to watch Pirates of the Caribbean, especially after our trip to Disneyland. Chris and I go back and forth on whether we are ready for him to watch it. There are some scary parts and I worry that he will have nightmares. I also worry a bit about the content. I do know that even when we allow him to watch the first one, that the next 3 won't be on our list for a while. The content, scenes and language get a bit more mature with each film. Pirates is one that he will have to watch with us after Levi is in bed because I am fairly certain that it is not appropriate for Levi.

We have cable tv, but not in a central location. Our tv is not on for long periods of time. The boys have dvds that they are allowed to watch but they don't often get to watch tv programming except for when we turn it on for them for short periods of time. And because the option for cable tv isn't where we spend the majority of our time, its not a temptation to always have it on.

Luca loves to play on the computer. About 6 months ago, I introduced him to the computer after subbing in kindergarten. It was nearly the end of the school year and the students still needed so much guidance to log on and get to the program that I thought I would start showing Luca now so he was one less child to need to help once he got to school. Well, let me tell you- that kid is almost better at the computer than I am!

Computers (and technology as a whole) are a big part of life now and will just become more prominent as Luca grows. Using a computer will just be second nature to him. We do allow him to use the computer on a daily basis but Chris has set up our computer so Luca has his own profile that he logs on to and we have chosen the sites that he has access to. He has quick links to the appropriate sites that have Disney games or learning games. He's thrilled. He has about 5 different links that he can choose and that's more than enough for him.

I truly don't think that our children feel deprived by what we are limiting. My boys are only going to be little and innocent for such a short amount of time. I want to keep them that way while it is still possible. It won't be long before they are being influenced by many things beyond what Chris and I can control.

Every family has their own ways of doing things and their own thoughts on what is appropriate for their own children. I'm not criticizing or judging anyone else's decisions. You have to do what works best for your family. I'm just starting to feel that Chris and I are on the very protective side of the spectrum and am wondering where everyone else falls.

What are your thoughts on conversations/ tv/ movies/ computer content that your kids are exposed to? Are you conscious of it? Was it a decision that you consciously made? How do you decide what is appropriate?

I'm really curious to hear your thoughts on this.

A good reminder

2011-10-12T12:47:00.003-06:00

Ghastly Gluten?

2011-10-12T11:03:00.002-06:00

As I mentioned in this post, I've been having some digestive/ tummy issues and it was suggested that I try to go wheat free.

I managed to stick to it for a week but finding things that are wheat and gluten free is quite difficult, not to mention expensive. Supper times were ok- we just got our carbs from potatoes and rice rather than wheat based foods. But breakfasts, lunches and snacks were tough. I was getting so frustrated and feeling pretty bad for myself- I wanted toast, or cereal or a sandwich but I couldn't. I did make some gluten free bread using rice flour but in all honesty, I didn't care for the taste and the $7 for 1kg of flour was awfully steep.

I began to wonder how I would make this lifestyle change work. To change the whole family's diet to wheat/ gluten free would be drastic, hard and expensive. The boys love toast, cereal, sandwiches and pasta. Yes, I can buy these things that would fit into the diet change, but our grocery bill would increase exponentially for less variety of foods.

Then came the other issues I was having and it all became too much. I decided to go back to my "usual" diet while I was waiting for the bowel blockage to get under control. So, while I was on a couple times daily cocktail of medication to offer relief from the pain and blockage, I allowed myself to eat as I normally would. I realized that I didn't actually consume wheat products that often, but denying myself them just made me want it more and its all I thought about.

Sure, I like to have a bagel or bun or crackers, but not as frequently as it felt when I was feeling left out of the carbohydrate party.

I don't believe that I have a wheat or gluten allergy or intollerance. After doing some research and reading, I think that I (like many other North Americans and Europeans) simply consume too much.

I found this article that was written in plain terms and explained the effects of a diet high in gluten and wheat on our bodies, moods and energy levels.

Here are a few of the main points: (ok, actually I included most of the article because it is all good).

Even if you aren’t diagnosed with celiac’s disease, it’s a good idea to cut down on your gluten intake. I diet high in gluten causes weight gain, digestive issues, as well as many other disorders including nutrient deficiencies.

What is Gluten?

Gluten is a gooey protein found in the seeds or grains of wheat, barley, oats, rye, and other grains. It’s estimated that nearly 50 percent of the population is gluten sensitive, and close to 70 percent carries a gene that makes a person vulnerable to developing gluten sensitivity.

Those with gluten sensitivity issues complain of abdominal and bowel problems, fatigue, depression, muscle pain, joint aches, and many other unexplained symptoms. Those with more severe cases can suffer from Celiac’s disease, and gluten has also been linked behavioral and mental disorders.

Gliadin, a glycoprotein found in gluten, could attack the small intestine and cause some serious damage to the villi that absorb nutrients.

This causes an inability to take in vitamins and minerals, and often autoimmune disorders results from lack of nutrients. Celiac’s disease and other forms of gluten intolerance cause headaches, migraines, frequent illness, skin rashes, and bowel symptoms.

Why Shouldn’t We Eat Too Much Gluten?

For millions of years, humans dined on wild game, fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts and seeds. It wasn’t until the Neolithic period that we began cultivating wheat.

That might seem like eons ago, but it terms of evolution its only a blink of an eye. If you count for the amount of time that our food sources have been pumped with gluten-rich wheat, well it’s even less than a blink.

Our guts did not evolve as fast as our love for wheat-based products and they simply cannot digest and break down gluten into individual amino acids.

It’s estimated that 30 to 50 percent of the US population has a gluten sensitivity. However, if you aren’t diagnosed with gluten intolerance, this doesn’t mean you should grab the nearest box of crackers and chow down.

In the past 3 decades, the number of people with celiac’s disease has quadrupled and environmental toxins as well as our food supply only increase the risk of developing gluten intolerances.

Can Gluten Make Me Gain Weight?

Many people are “addicted” to processed carbohydrates. They flood their systems with high-gluten foods such as donuts, bagels, cookies, cakes, fruit juices, and other high sugar foods that leave them wanting more after their sugar crash.

Gluten results in the production of a substance known as “gluten exorphins”, which works in the body much like a narcotic. The effects of the gluten exorphin on your brain tell you to keep eating high-gluten products, which can contribute to appetite disturbances.

This unexplained craving for gluten-rich foods causes eating to spiral out of control. Many people continue catering to these cravings while treating underlying symptoms caused by gluten intolerances. But they never actually understand the reason for cravings and symptoms. In turn, they end of suffering for years.

The end result is often excessive weight gain along with a host of digestive issues.

Is Going Gluten-Free the Answer?

Switching to a gluten-free diet isn’t necessarily the cure. The market is flooded with “gluten-free” snacks and products that are no better for you than a plain box of cookies. If you aren’t diagnosed with gluten sensitivity, then it isn’t necessary to give up all forms of gluten in your diet.

The key to improving your health is to eat a diet rich in organic fruits and vegetables, and nourishing whole foods.

Gluten-Free Products

Your grocer shelves are flooded with gluten-free products, and some function as great alternatives to grain-based products. Just remember that it is still processed food.

Eating gluten-free waffles, cookies, and other packaged snack doesn’t make it any healthier. So choose wisely when it comes to reducing gluten in your diet. Gluten-free breads are a great alternative, but try to stay out of the snack isle.

If you are concerned about gluten sensitivity, consult with your doctor prior to changing your diet and lifestyle.

****The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only.

So, while I do at times display some of the symptoms, I don't believe that they are severe enough to warrant a diagnosis of a sensitivity or allergy. I believe that the solution is moderation.

That is generally my theory on food in general- everything in moderation. I already know this about myself- If I deny myself a specific food, its all I think about and crave. Chocolate, sweets, wheat. It doesn't matter. If I can't have it, I want it that much more.

As a whole, I think I do a fairly good job of feeding my family well. We try to eat balanced meals and choose fruits and veggies and healthy snacks for most of our snacks- with one "sugary" snack allowed per day (fruit snacks, etc). I don't deny myself the licorice or candies that I love, I try to eat just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth and then walk away.

Of course I binge on certain foods sometimes, at certain times of the day or month. We all do. I will be guilty of carb overloading in the future, just as I have in the past.

However, I feel that too many people jump on bandwagons without fully grasping the reasons for and side effects of that decision. I think that my week without wheat allowed my digestive system some time to "detox" from the excess gluten and now I can eat it in small quantities, making sure that I am aware of the amount I am consuming.

I'm not a doctor or even a medical professional. I am simply writing this from my own perspective as it relates to the day to day lives of my family and myself.

Going gluten free is not something that I am eager to do and will avoid unless it becomes necessary. I do believe that way too many foods that we consume have additives (including added gluten) that are only necessary to increase the shelf life of those foods- not for nutritional value and can actually be detrimental to our health in large quantities over time.
After a few weeks of feeling really rotten for various reasons (which all seem to be connected to my bowel), I'm feeling pretty good. And eating a diet that includes wheat.

Its all about choices and making decisions that work for you.

Thoughts?

Friday Night Leftovers

2011-10-07T12:23:00.000-06:00

My wonderful, dear friend Tasha and her lovely family are coming for the weekend. I get to watch their girls tonight while they go to the wedding of a friend and then tomorrow will be filled with visiting, laughing, playing and eating a turkey dinner. I've been looking forward to this weekend for weeks and am so excited it is here!

In honor of the Tompkins family visiting, I finally got around to cleaning my house! I just needed some motivation! I do love a clean house, I just don't like cleaning it!

Remember my bout with food poisining in Edmonton? Ya, well...... Tuesday afternoon I started getting pretty bad pains in the lower right area of my abdomen. By supper time it was pretty bad, so Chris took me to the hospital (the walk in clinic was only open for another hour and it wasn't likely we'd be seen and have to go to Didsbury to the hospital anyway). By the time we got there, I was in tears and when the doctor examined me and pressed on my stomach I wanted to punch him in the face. Right away the nurse started an IV and gave me morphine for the pain. (Side note: I really don't get how people can be addicted to that stuff and like how it makes them feel- I felt horrible! So sleepy and out of it and just blah.) They also did bloodwork right away. Then they sent me for an x-ray. My bloodwork showed that my white blood cell count was not elevated at all, which means I wasn't fighting an infection, so it probably wasn't my appendix like we all thought. The x-ray showed that I had a blockage in my bowel. Yep, that's right. Super embarrassing to go to the hospital thinking your appendix is raging when I'm really just full of crap. Literally. Anyhoo.... the doc figures that I didn't have food poisoning but that I was in so much pain and sick from the issues with my bowel. On one hand, good news that it wasn't food poisoning from Olive Garden (which I love), bad news that it made me so ill and then in so much pain a few days later. And before you ask- yes, I had been going to the bathroom, but clearly not enough. And no, I didn't/ don't feel all "backed up". Sorry if this was TMI, but hey, I already wrote about how deathly ill I was on the weekend, so thought a followup was due. ;)

Funniest thing ever. Enough said.

Luca brought this home from school yesterday. I texted his teacher and asked if she laughed when she had to write that for him. She replied that she nearly died and then told him that his mom and dad were going to laugh so much when they read that. And, yes, we did.

I love the smell of bleach. Things just don't feel clean to me unless they are "bleachy" clean. I tried using Norwex products but my bathrooms just didn't feel clean unless they were cleaned with a bleach product. I do love Norwex for other things, just not bathrooms. And floors. I like to add a bit of bleach when I mop my floors. Someone stopped by my house today and said "it smells like a swimming pool in here". I love that smell!

Speaking of cleaning bathrooms, why is it that boys can pee just about anywhere BUT the toilet bowl?? I'd have been happy if my boys never learned to pee standing up, but they did and now our bathrooms perpetually smell like pee. Unless they smell like bleach.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Harvest

2011-10-04T15:53:00.000-06:00

I love harvest time. The colors, the smells, the gold/ brown/ orange themed...everything. Its so beautiful. It does remind me that winter is just around the corner after an all too short summer, but I try to just enjoy the beauty of this short season in Alberta.

I love the colors of the leaves as they change from healthy green to vibrant reds and oranges. Levi said to me just this morning when he was looking out our window "Mom, the bushes started growing red leaves now!"

We live on the edge of our little town (for now, until it is developed) and this has been our view for the past few weeks:

The boys love to watch the swather, combine and baler out in the field, each taking its turn to do its job. I love the stripes of the crop drying and later the polka dots of bales waiting to be rounded up and hauled away.

I did my own little harvest a week ago. My humble little garden went from this:

To this:

My beets didn't fare so well- they were more bite size than anything but Chris and the boys still ate and enjoyed them (I'm not a fan). I got quite a few carrots and potatoes and an ample supply of onions. My tomatoes were slow to develop into anything other than small, hard green balls but I did get a few early and tasty ones (Chris and Luca tell me- I'm also not a fan of fresh tomatoes) and now have lost count at 25 that have ripened.

I think it is safe to say that this year's garden experiment was a success! Horray for raised beds and imported soil!

I know next year to plant less lettuce and spinach and more carrots and potatoes. I may try to find a spot for peas next year as well.

Do you garden? What do you like to grow?

Weekend at West Edmonton Mall

2011-10-03T17:17:00.000-06:00

Chris took Friday off and we headed to Edmonton after Luca was done school at noon. The boys were so excited to stay in a "skyscraper" and go to the waterpark at West Ed. We packed them a little lunch in their lunch boxes to eat on the drive up and after dropping Loki off at the kennel, we were off!

Levi managed to stay away until about Lacombe (almost an hour and a half). Luca watched a movie, made funny faces in a sticker book I bought for the trip and played with the little halloween toys I packed for the drive. He asked if we were almost there about a hundred times- he was obviously excited!

When we got to Edmonton, we headed straight North for NAIT to meet our beautiful sister in law Carrie. She is an instructor at NAIT and had some coupons for us to use at West Ed.

Chris was excited to return to his alma mater and check out the new Instrumentation wing that has been built since he graduated. (Wow, very nice! I joked that had it been that nice when he was there, perhaps he would have spent more time at the school! But, we WERE newlyweds and both students at that time, so neither of us wanted to spend more time than we had to at school!)

Luca in Auntie Carrie's office at NAIT

After exploring the new area of NAIT and going to Carrie's office, we headed to our hotel on the edge of downtown with an incredible view of the river valley. We checked in and headed to the 27th floor. The boys were thrilled! They were eager to go on the balcony but once out there, were a bit tentative and stayed away from the edge. For a while anyway! It didn't take long for "no fear Levi" to get as close to the edge as possible.

After exploring the hotel a bit, we headed out for some supper at Chris' and my favorite Edmonton restaurant- Tokyo Express. It is a bit strange that me, the no seafood eater, would love a sushi resturant but they have THE BEST teriyaki chicken and rice bowls there. Whenever we are in Edmonton, we stop there for a meal. Unfortunately, these restaurants are only in Edmonton, not Calgary and we rarely make it to Edmonton.

Anyway, Chris and I had chicken and rice bowls and we ordered a bento box of assorted things for the boys to share. They had veggies, tempura fried sweet potatoes, broccoli and shrimp, chicken dumplings, chicken and rice and a small bowl of fruit. They loved it! Luca gobbled up the tempura shrimp right away (seriously, that kid loves everything!) and the dumplings. He loved the sauces that came with it too. Levi was a bit more slow to try things, he mainly stuck to the chicken and rice.

This one is just funny. This is what happens when I ask little boys to pose for a picture.

A bit better but still goofy!

After supper we headed to West Ed to explore and show the boys where were were going to swim. They were fascinated with the size of the waterpark and all the slides! We walked towards the "pirate ship" (an exact replica of the Santa Maria) and were excited to see that they were allowing people on board to check it out! I have never seen the public be able to go on before, it must be a new attractions they have allowed. So, for $1 each, we went on the ship. They boys thought it was great and Chris and I were curious to get an up close look at the ship that we are so used to seeing from a distance.

My dad tells me that my grandpa got to go on the ship when the mall opened 30 years ago and the ship was unveiled. Neat.

We had been telling the boys about the dragon that breathes fire at the IMAX in West Ed so we headed there to check it out. As luck would have it, it was not operating due to maintenance. Oh well, I think they would have been scared anyway. It'll give us something else to do next time we get to Edmonton.

Since the mall wasn't busy and we weren't in any rish to get back to the hotel, we decided to take the boys to see Galaxyland. We decided to let them go on a few rides in case we didn't make it back on Saturday.

After a few rides, it was back to the hotel to get ready for bed. The boys were thrilled to get to sleep in what was dubbed the "transformer bed" - a sofa bed. Luca thought that a couch that turned into a bed was pretty awesome! We had some awfully excited boys who didn't go to sleep til well after 10:30 that night!

After a short night's sleep, we got ready to head back to the mall to swim. We arrived just as the mall opened at 10 and went in where we met up with my sister Sarah and her boyfriend Mike. We all got changed and hit the pool! The boys we into it right away and had a great time at the kids' park and the small pool. Luca loved the waves in the wave pool and he is getting so much braver in the water. This time last year he wouldn't go very deep and clung to one of us in any water. This time I had to remind him to stop and stay close to me. He also has no fear of putting his face and head under the water. Levi, however, was afraid of the waves and preferred to just splash around in the little pool.

Sarah and I took Luca on the tube ride, which he quickly stated that he was "not doing that again!". Levi on the other hand absolutely loved it and went on it numerous times in a row.

We spent about 3.5 hours at the water park before deciding to head out for some lunch.

We went to the Olive Garden and had a great lunch of soup, breadsticks and pasta. After lunch, we decided to go back to the mall and get the boys wrist bands for Galaxyland.

They went on more rides and were so excited to get to do more! On Friday night we had just bought enough tickets for them to each do 2 rides. The wristbands allowed them unlimited rides. They spent at least an hour in the play park and came out looking absolutely wiped! It had been a busy day!

Bumper Cars!

We headed back to the hotel with 2 very tired but happy boys. When we got into the car, Auntie Sarah and Uncle Mike (who isn't yet an "official" uncle but we hope will be soon!) gave the boys police hats which they proudly wore and made wonderful siren sound effects while we were driving!

Sunday was full of plans to ride the LRT - the boys remembered the "electric train" from last summer when we went to Edmonton for Tom and Lisa's wedding- and go visit Uncle Shawn and Auntie Carrie.

Unfortunately, these plans were ruined when I awoke at about midnight in the worst pain I have ever experienced. Soon after I started vomiting and didn't stop until about 7 am. We are assuming that I had food poisoning as it came on so quickly and was so violently ill, but I hate to think that the source was the Olive Garden!

(Side note: I've been having stomach/ digestive issues for quite some time and it was suggested that I lay off wheat so I had been eating a wheat free diet for a week and then had breadstciks and a large bowl of pasta so I'm also wondering if it was my body staging a revolt against the wheat? I see my Nathropathic doctor again in a few weeks and will be discussing this with her. I will be so sad if the answer is going to be to give up wheat permanently but I also don't want to risk going through that misery again either just to eat some bread and pasta!)

I have never had food poisoning and certainly don't want to relive that night ever again. By about 5:30am or so, I was crying that I would rather be in labour than the pain I was in. My stomach hurt so bad and the heaving was taking every ounce of energy I had. Every time I took a sip of water, up it came. It was absolutely horrendous. At around 6:30am, Chris went in search of Gravol in the hopes that I could keep it down and get some rest.

I did manage to keep some down and had a bit of a sleep while Chris took the boys to ride the LRT. When they got back, he packed up and we got ready to go. We all loaded into the truck and Chris made a quick stop at Wal Mart to get me a pail and a pillow and the boys something to eat since we were heading home right at lunch time. I took another Gravol and thankfully slept most of the way home, with just a few bouts of nausea on the way.

We got home and I headed straight to bed where I napped off and on all afteroon and evening. Finally around 6pm I was able to eat a few crackers and drink some tea. I went back to sleep and woke up this morning feeling better but like I had been run over by a truck. What an awful experience.

Even though our Sunday was cut a bit short, we still had a fantastic little get away in Edmonton. I hope it helped to make up for all the summer weekends that I was on call and we were unable to do much for travelling and get aways.

Friday Night Leftovers

2011-09-23T09:52:00.000-06:00

I have such respect for moms that work full time! I worked part time this week (and will be for the next week or 2) and I'm wiped! I'm only working from 9-11:30 Monday to Thursday mornings but its been so busy! My day starts at 6:45 when I get up, shower and get ready. Somewhere in there the boys get up and need to be fed and dressed. Then we fight to get out the door (why is it always a fight to put shoes and coats on?!?) where we drop Levi off at Dee's and I pick up Adelynn and Houston for school. We get to school and wait for the bell to ring at 8:40 so they can go in, then I rush out to the colony and make it just before 9. My morning working with the little boy is busy and goes by so quickly. Then at 11:30, I rush back to town to be at the school for 11:40 to pick the kids up. We drop off Adelynn and Houston and I pick up Levi and we head home for lunch (unless Dee has graciously already prepared lunch for the boys). Try as I might in the afternoons, I don't get much done. Then evenings seem to be busy with client meetings, library board meetings, etc. I was really looking forward to having today off to catch up on laundry and housework, but here I sit, on the computer! ;)

The weather has been pretty great but this weekend is going to be our "clean up" weekend. I'm going to harvest my little garden, put flower pots away, yard furniture away, etc. Chris is going to winterize the trailer and take it to Ponoka to be stored for the winter.

Next weekend we are going on a little family holiday to Edmonton. We're going to stay in a hotel downtown (the boys are excited to stay in a "skyscraper"- we live in a small town where the tallest building is 3 floors! LOL) I managed to book us into a room on the 27th floor, so that will be fun for them. We're also going to go to West Ed and the Waterpark. The boys love swimming and have recently begun to love waterslides, so this is the motherlode! Since we didn't get much camping or holidaying in this summer, this is going to be our little getaway. I've only got a few more weeks until I am on call again so we are definitely taking advantage of the free time!

Yesterday I thoroughly enjoyed a spontaneous, hour long phone call with a dear friend. We typically "talk" a few times a week via Blackberry Messenger and rarely talk on the phone. It was so nice to just chat, laugh and enjoy each other. I don't know why we don't have phone dates more often. I think we should. Makes the fact that she is 3 hours away seem not so far. I think we're going to try to Skype so the kids can see each other too! What would we do without technology?!

Being in school/ dayhome means passing bugs from kid to kid. Levi woke up this morning with a horrible cough and he is MISERABLE. I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later but it certainly doesn't make it any easier to deal with! Surprisingly, so far Luca doesn't even have a sign of the sniffles.

Tuesday's Thoughts

2011-09-20T18:42:00.001-06:00

Luca is loving school. He's always so excited to go, which is great! BUT, he comes home so tired and is a bear all afternoon! I know that if we can make it through the afternoon, bedtime will be smooth sailing because he is so tired. That's the silver lining right there.

I subbed in Luca's class today. He was really excited leading up to today knowing I was going to be the teacher but then at school he barely paid any attention to me. He paid attention when it counted, but didn't seem to give a hoot if I was there or not. Even though my feelings were a bit hurt, I guess that means he's confident enough that he doesn't need to hang off me.

There are currently 25 children in Luca's class and 25 in the other kindergarten class. HOPEFULLY the classes will be split soon to make a 3rd class. All the parents are anxiously waiting to see if this will happen (it is dependant on funding for another part time teacher). Let me tell you- after being the teacher in there today will all those kids and about 6 of whom are a handful, I think that if they don't split the classes Carla (Luca's teacher) will go insane by Thanksgiving!

Last Friday I got a random call from the school board. It was the lady in charge of the staffing for Teaching Assistants. They were in a bind and were wondering if I would be interested in working as an EA (Educational Assistant) on a temporary basis until a permanent EA could be found. The reason I was asked even though I am overqualified as a certified teacher, is that the job is on a Hutterite Colony and few people are willing to work out there. On my Sub form, I stated that I was happy to sub there and have in the past, so I was asked to take this support position for a little while. I'm working with an absolutely adorable little guy for two and a half hours a day, in the mornings. I'll be there for 2-3 weeks depending on how quickly a permanent aide can be found. So far I am absolutely loving it. I'll write a post about how awesome the members of the colony are later.

Last weekend we headed out to Wilderness Village near Rocky Mountain House for our last camping weekend of the season. Friends of ours have a site out there and it is fantastic. They invited us out and we had a great time visiting, playing and even venturing into the outdoor pool! The boys are already asking if we can go back in the summer. I'm sure that we will take advantage of their hospitality next year!

While we were out camping, Luca was tripped by Loki's leash and did a faceplant in the gravel resulting in some pretty awesome scrapes, scabs and bruises on his forehead. Of course, today would be "picture day" at school.....I'm fairly certain we will be getting retakes done on retake day!

This picture actually doesn't do it justice. The scabs are quite dark and there is more bruising than you can see in the picture. Ah, life with boys!

Last week I spoke at a prenatal class again with a fellow doula and friend of mine. We put quite a bit of effort into making our presentation very concise and covering a range of topics related to doula care, modern birthing choices and options for birth. I think it went very well. Last spring when we spoke at the same class (different participants), both Shannon and I benefited by getting clients from the class. I'm not expecting that to happen this time as there were only 4 couples there and 1 of the couples hired me months ago to be their doula! Oh well, I'm hoping we will be invited back to their next session. At the very least, I hope we gave those couples some very valuable information.

9/11

2011-09-11T11:57:00.001-06:00

Some events remain clear in our minds no matter how many years have passed.

I can remember the events of 10 years ago like it was just yesterday.

I was 19 years old, in college.

On the Tuesday morning, I was driving to school in my Ford Probe, heading for a 9am Religious Studies class. Just before I got out of my car, I heard on the radio that a plane had hit the World Trade Centre. I remember thinking "wow, that's insane". But, thinking it was one of those strange, freak things, I got out of my car and walked to class.

I got to class and sat in my usual spot. My classmates started trickling in, everyone asking if we had heard about the plane that crashed into a building. Soon it was 9:05, then 9:10, then 9:15.... we started wondering if our prof, Jack W. was coming to class. None of us knew at this point that a second plane had hit the second tower. This was before the time of Blackberries and iPhones, before news was at our fingertips 24/7.

After waiting the obligatory 20 minutes, we all started to trickle out. It would seem that our normally punctual Prof wasn't coming. Maybe he was sick and had forgotten to get someone to post a note on the door of the classroom. (At our next class, on the Thursday, we found out that he was glued to his tv, like the rest of us were later that day).

Since I didn't have another class until later that afternoon, I headed back to my car and went back to my apartment. I don't remember hearing anything on the radio on the short drive home but remember walking in the door of the apartment to find my roommate sitting on the sofa, glued to the tv.

She was supposed to be in class as well. When I asked what she was doing home, she just pointed at the tv. I came further into the apartment to better see the tv and saw what she was watching in horror. Footage of a second plane slamming into the second tower kept replaying on every station.

Neither of us went to class at all that day. We sat, transfixed in horror as we watched people jump from terrifying heights to their death, then sat, numb, when the towers collapsed.

While we couldn't quite grasp the enormity of how this one event would help to shape many aspects of the rest of our lives, we knew without a doubt that the world as we knew it had changed. Before I was 20, my ignorant, safe, naive little world was split wide open and I truly became aware of the terror and horrendous nature of some people.

There was fear, disbelief, shock, grief......

Images from that day are still sharp as photographs in my mind. Ten years later, I remember with an ache in my heart and sadness for all those that lost their lives, those that lost family members, and those that sacrificed their safety and time to search for survivors and later, bodies.

While I am not an American, I do mourn and remember this pivotal day in history.

To our neighbours to the South- we remember with you.

Friday Night Leftovers (on Saturday!)

2011-09-10T11:21:00.000-06:00

Wednesday was not only Luca's first day of school, but our 9th wedding anniversary. My mom was here to watch Levi in the morning and she stayed so Chris and I could go out for supper. We went to The Keg for steak and the Marble Slab for dessert. Yum! It was great to just get out together and enjoy conversation without being interrupted by kids. I reflected a lot on the last 9 years and what makes our marriage work, but that's a whole other post for another day!
Thursday was the first day back at MOPS for the year and the boys were so excited to go. Luca won't usually get to go because he will be in school but he got to attend this week and enjoyed seeing his friends.
This week has been HOT! The high 20s / close to 30 degrees every day! We're really enjoying this extended summer weather. Here's to hoping it holds up for another week as we are heading out for one more camping trip next weekend.
I've got the itch to travel. Somewhere. Anywhere. I just want to experience somewhere new. We were really hoping to get away for a few days while I am not on call for babies but we couldn't make it work with our parents schedules to watch the boys for a few days. Chris and I are going away in the Spring though to celebrate our 10th anniversary (a little early). Guess we'll probably have to wait until then to get away.

Kindergarten!

2011-09-09T18:25:00.000-06:00

Luca had his much anticipated first day of kindergarten on Wednesday morning. The school here does staggered entry for kindergarten, so on Wednesday only have of the class went until 10am (they normally will go til 11:30) and they did an orientation.

We started our day with Luca excited to wear his new school clothes. Before I let him get dressed though, he needed to eat. I was sure that if he ate after getting dressed he would spill and then a major meltdown would ensue. (sometimes us moms have foresight!)

My mom arrived just in time to have breakfast of fried eggs and toast. She was coming to stay with Levi while I took Luca to his first day. The boys were both so excited to see her so early in the morning and Luca was smiling from ear to ear when he told her that he was going to school that day.

We got dressed and began the short walk to school (about 6 blocks or so). About half way to school, we stopped at Adelynn's house to walk with them as well. Luca and Adelynn posed for some first day of school photos and then we were off, full of excitement.

We arrived at the school and headed down to the classroom to "meet" the teacher. Of course, we already know her, so Luca just said a quick hello and then went off exploring. After spending a few minutes exploring the classroom with our children, the parents then went next door to the library to have an informational meeting with the principal. It didn't faze Luca in the least when I told him I was going to be leaving to go to the meeting. He was thrilled to have found some toys, costumes and familiar faces.

I thought I was totally prepared for him to go to school and was excited for him, so I was a bit surprised at the teary eyes and lump in my throat that appeared when we were exploring the classroom. I AM excited for him, I think it was just the emotional aspect of my biggest baby growing up.

After the meeting, the parents snuck back into the classroom to see all the children sitting on the carpet listening to a story. When the story was done, Luca was eager to show me the poem with his handprint on it that he made as well as his "I survived the first day of kindergarten" badge he was proudly wearing!

He was disappointed to find out that not only were we leaving but that he wouldn't be returning the next day.

As part of the staggered entry process, their first few days are spaced out. Luca was in group 'A', so his group went on Wednesday morning, with group 'B' going Thursday morning. On Monday, group 'A' will go again but this time until 11:30, and group 'B' on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, the entire class (both groups) will go and that is their "official" first day. From then on, he will go Monday to Thursday, every morning and alternating Friday mornings.

I've already been asked to sub in Luca's class on September 20th. I will try it once and see how it goes. I don't want it to be weird for either Luca or myself and I don't want to interfere in any way with his kindergarten experience. So, we'll see how that goes....

For now, I'm wearing my "mom" hat and being equally excited and sad for this big milestone in our lives.

A Smattering of Stuff

2011-09-01T11:48:00.000-06:00

Ok, I know it has been over a month since I last posted but I've been super busy!

I changed the page on the calendar this morning and had to just stop for a moment. Wait, what? Its SEPTEMBER???

Summer flew by. For the most part we had great weather and enjoyed lots of time in the yard or at the splash park. We had a pretty good routine of getting up, having breakfast and heading out to the back yard. They boys would play on the trampoline or in the sand box while I sat on the deck with a book and coffee. Sometimes we had friends over to play, sometimes we just enjoyed the day quietly, just the 3 of us.

When we went to the splash park, we usually met friends there. We would pack a lunch, take a blanket or sun tent and the boys would spend hours going between the splash park and the playground while the mommies visited and kept eyes on all the children.

We managed to get out camping for an extended weekend this August. The boys and I went out on Wednesday (Chris took the trailer out Tuesday to Red Lodge near Bowden). Chris came out Wednesday after work for supper and helped get the kids to bed, then headed back home for the night and came out after work Thursday for the weekend. We had great weather and had a fun time camping. Next summer I plan to take one of the summer months off so that we can enjoy camping without trying to plan around babies. Babies can be so unpredictable sometimes... ;)

Sunny, lazy, fun days of summer.

Not every day was so lazy and laid back though. Between the first weekend in June and August 31, I attended 9 births and welcomed 10 babies to the world. Some were fast and went smoothly, others were long and had ups and downs of emotion and intervention. In each one, Mommy and Baby were perfect and healthy and I left each experience humbled and honored to be a part of such an incredible event in each of those family's lives.

I'm looking forward to a bit of a break for about 6 weeks (I'll still be meeting with clients and speaking at a prenatal class) and will be ready adn recharged for the 5 more births I have between the end of October and the beginning of December. I chose not to take any clients between now and the end of October so I could truly be present and enjoy this change in our lives. Next Wednesday, my big boy goes to his first day of kindergarten.

I have so many mixed feelings about what next week will bring. A milestone. In my mind, a HUGE milestone. It feels bigger than it did when he started preschool. Kindergarten is the first step of "real" school. He will be attending in the public school in Crossfield with the bigger kids. This will be his school for the next 6 years. Next Wednesday will be the first day of 13 years of school.

It seems like not long ago I was holding my first child in my arms for the very first time. Now I will be sending him off to school. He's 5. He's independent. He's strong willed at times. He's shy and cuddly. He's growing up. But he's still my baby.

On the other hand, I am ready for the routine that school brings. The early bed times, the schedule that we all can settle into. Spending mornings with Levi- just him and me.

Luca's teacher is a friend of mine, she lives down the street and we have spent some time with her and her family this summer. She is kind and warm and I know that Luca will be comfortable in her classroom. I also know that she is a wonderful, careful and thoughtful teacher. I know this because I have been her substitute teacher for 2 years now and have seen the inner workings of her classrooms. I have no anxiety whatsoever about the person that Luca will be spending every morning with. That makes me happy.

Luca is so excited to start school. We have a new backpack, lunch kit, indoor shoes and clothes all purchased and ready. School supplies have been ordered and delivered to the school (our school does a direct purchasing program- we just go online and choose the class our child is in, pay a very reasonable price and exactly what the teacher requested is then packaged and sent directly to the school and placed in the classroom labeled with the students' names.)

Levi and I start MOPS next Thursday. Levi calls MOPS "his school". He loves going and feels so grown up, like his brother. I'm looking forward to another year of getting to know some more moms, enjoying the guest speakers and activities MOPS provides and of course, the amazingly delicious snacks we get each week!

I'm planning to sub again this year when I can between births. Now that I'm getting busier wtih doula clients, it may become a bit more difficult to sub on a regular basis. We'll see what this year brings.

Next Wednesday, September 7th is not only Luca's first day of school, but is our 9th wedding anniversary. I don't know if I'm just feeling nostalgic because I'm reflecting on how quickly Luca has gone from an infant to a school aged child, but I'm also reminiscing about our wedding day. That too, feels like it happened only yesterday. I guess the years go by quickly when you are busy with a young family and genuinely enjoy the company of your spouse. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful partner in life. Here's to 9 years and many, many more. I love you babe!

Friday Night Leftovers

2011-07-29T09:11:00.001-06:00

While I can hardly believe that July is nearly over, part of me wants September to hurry up and get here. My boys are fighting more than they are getting along and I think part of it has to do with the lack of structure and regular activities such as school for Luca. We're trying to keep busy to keep fighting at a minimum, but I swear some mornings they come out of their rooms fists swinging.

Last weekend we went to Banff for the day, just the 4 of us. We love that we live a short drive from such beauty and try to take advantage as often as we can. We went on a beautiful hike at Lake Minnewanka, the boys loved throwing rocks into the water (what is it with kids and rocks?!), we had a great supper in Banff and of course, got treats from the Fudgery and Welch's candy store. On the news last night, I heard that there is now a 4 person minimum group for hiking and you must carry bear spray with you to hike Lake Minnewanka because a mother bear and her 2 cubs were spotted near the trail at the water's edge just this week. Kinda scary to think that were were there just a few days prior to those bears being spotted and we could have crossed paths. Yikes!

I'm halfway through my summer births. I've got 4 more to go before I take a little break from mid- September to mid- October and then I have 6 more before the end of November. I'm not taking any clients in December and am hoping that this trend continues in the new year! It is so exciting and rewarding to finally see my business picking up, but part of me is waiting for the disappointment that I experienced earlier in the year to strike again when it seemed I couldn't get clients. I am hoping to be busy enough throughout the winter and Spring that I can take one month off next summer to enjoy with my family without listening for the phone to ring. But for now, I'm just thankful for the business I do have and am loving each and every family that I get to know and work with!

Remember those white rocks that have been waiting and waiting to be dug out of my new garden? My wonderful, fantastic, gracious husband worked very hard to dig them all out last weekend and hauled them away. I'd say I helped, but that would be a bald faced lie. I actually sat in a chair with a book, a few feet away. Hee hee. Thanks, my love! But I am so thankful and am just waiting to get some soil now! I probably won't plant much until I can put fall bulbs in, but I may look for a few small perrenials to put in right away to give it some life.

For the most part, we have had a wonderful summer, weather wise. We haven't had the rain that has been plaguing Central Alberta and we haven't had the heat that has been scorching other areas of Canada. On average, the temperature has been in the mid-20s and we have enjoyed many mornings in the back yard with the sprinkler under the trampoline or visits to our wonderful splash park.

I am getting serious about losing some of this extra padding that I've been carrying around since Levi was born. I'm more conscious of my portion sizes and am seriously cutting back on junk food (if you know me, you know this is a BIG deal) and running every other evening. I got the "couch to 5k" app for my phone and have been using that and finding it to be a really easy program to follow and feel successful at. I'm looking forward to a change in my body and more confidence about how my clothes fit.

Gardening....a few weeks later

2011-07-21T16:30:00.000-06:00

Scroll down to the last post for comparison pictures. These ones were taken earlier this week.

Remember those cute little baby veggies that were just starting to look like something? Here's that garden now!
My Spinach bolted (went to seed) faster than I could eat it. It seemed like one day it was too small and the next, had shoots sprouting from the middle. Oh well, live and learn. I think I have time to grow another row or two, so I'll just pull the current stuff out and start again. After doing some research at the University of Google, I learned that Spinach doesn't particularly like hot weather and will bolt. Not bolt like running away, but going to seed is actually called "bolting" (I learned that too!).
My lettuce is scrumptious but I fear it will start going bad before I can use it all too. :( If you want lettuce, let me know!
My onions have also started to seed but are still tasty and have made it into a few dishes. In hindsight, I may have planted more than needed, so there are onions available for the picking, too!
My carrots are still pretty tiny. It'll be a while before we can enjoy them. The beets are almost ready and I think that I could probably get some potatoes but I haven't checked yet. I think I'll let them keep growing a bit. My tomato plants are nice and big but no sign of fruit yet. If they do produce any, it will be my first successful tomato crop!

Remember when I said I had a bunch of ambition and decided to make a new garden? It went well while I was digging up the grass, and it continued to get larger and larger, but then when the hard work came (digging out the white rocks), I stalled out. So, this is where it sits now. Waiting for the white rocks to be taken out. Then we can put in soil and mulch and I can plant. At this rate, I'll be planting fall bulbs and hoping they come up in the Spring.
The edges of the garden got further out in the front and came down the sides. I had begun only planning to bring it out in the front (you can see this in the last post), but my shovel just got away from me!

Arent't those pots great? I went to a local Greenhouse and they had them on clearance for 75% off! They are tin and quite large. I paid $26 for the 3 of them! I think even after the soil, mulch and plants are in there I might just leave them to add some height and dimension among the trees. We'll see....

In the last post, there wasn't much to be seen in my Welcome basket as the seeds were just sprouting, but here are my Nasturtiums, growing!

I had ordered some bedding plants from our community's playschool fundraiser and was very disappointed when I received them. They were tiny, pitiful looking things that I didn't expect to amount to much, but to my surprise and delight, these Lobelia have filled out beautifully!

Looking at the house. Not all my flowers are visible.
Coming up the sidewalk to the door. My pots are filling out nicely. :)

Gardening!

2011-06-27T13:26:00.005-06:00

Chris got my raised vegetable beds completed, soil brought in and I got the seeds planted by May 30th. I am quite impressed with my little garden's progress so far. I *think* my veggies are growing better than they have in the past, but that could be just me thinking that this grand idea of raised beds and premixed gardening soil is doing the trick!

Here are a few pics of my little garden:

Along the back are tomatoes, which I started inside in early May. Then I have lettuce, spinach, chives (from bulbs, not seeds so they are quite big already). In the second box I have carrots, beets and 3 rows of potatoes.

I've also been really happy with my flowers so far this year. Apart from some that didn't survive the ongoing rain we had and a few others that were protected from the rain but I forgot to water. Oops. How's that for irony?

Up the front walk. The Welcome basket and the small square pots on the steps have seed Nasturitums (sp?) growing but they are still pretty small. I also have a few smaller pots down along our driveway.

The beautiful trellis Chris built me. I'm still waiting for my Morning Glory to grow tall enough to climb. I'm hoping that they start soon!

Oh, and yes, in case you noticed, it IS being held on by bungee cords. This is the trellis that I mentioned in my last post that was blown over by the wind. So, I strapped it on like that *temporarily* until it could be screwed to the steps or house.

This flower bed was last summer's project. I've got lots of beautiful things coming up and am loving it! But, it's full, so.......

Here's this summer's project! Since we've moved in, we've hated the white rock. It looks dirty and I also think it makes the house look a little dated. We just haven't gotten around to digging it out yet though. You'd think it would be fairly easy, but no. Its not.

So, I have to finish digging up the grass, dig out all the white rocks, bring in some soil to build it up a bit, bring in some mulch and then plant more perrenials!

I get so excited when I see those first little green plants poke through the ground after a long, cold winter. I'll be excited next year to watch 2 gardens come to life!

Oh, and apart from rototilling the triangular garden last year, I did all the digging, etc myself and intend to to as much as possible myself on this new one too. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment and its a good workout too, judging by the sore arms I have today!

Friday Night Leftovers

2011-06-03T09:19:00.004-06:00

It is so windy here today and it is making me so mad! The beautiful 10ft high cedar trellis that my wonderful husband built me was knocked over and with it the new Morning Glory plants that I had nursed indoors from seeds and just planted. I had to go out in the wicked wind and right the trellis, bungee cord it to a post and replant my baby plants. Not a great start to the morning! Plus, the wind is blowing the petals off my tulips!

A bunch of gals from town got together and ordered coffee disks for our Tassimo coffee makers from the states. I had a Caramel Macchiato this morning and it was wonderful! Since I only ordered 1 package to try, I will have to savour them and not share! Haha!

A great way to start the morning in my favorite mug!

Chris went away on a "guys weekend" on May Long and for some bizarre reason, I decided that it would be a good time to potty train Levi. Levi turned 3 in April and I had been putting it off and putting it off because of my struggles with Luca (see here and here and here). On the Friday morning I put Levi in underwear and we started the routine of going to the potty regularly. He was doing great and by late morning was even initiating the need to go. At nap time, I decided to leave him in underwear and hope for the best. I told him it was quiet time and that he could only come out of his room to poop or pee. He came out twice to pee (I think mostly because of the novelty of being able to come out) and then came out and said he had to poop. Not really believing that he would actually do it (especially on the first day), I didn't follow him in. A few minutes later, he called me to come look and sure enough, on day 1 of potty training, he was initiating the need to go AND he pooped on the potty all on his own. To say I was ecstatic is an understatement! Since that day, we haven't looked back. He has had some accidents, which is to be expected, but I can confidently say that Levi was potty trained in a weekend. After the fight to get Luca to this point, I never thought I'd be able to say that!

Just after Easter we bought a new (to us) vehicle. We got a 2007 Yukon Denali and I am absolutely smitten with it. I had been wanting something with a bit more space and after riding in a friend's Yukon, I was in love. It took me about a month to convince Chris, but in the end, he was hooked too. We've had it for about a month now and it is still wonderful.

In just under a month, Luca will be done preschool and celebrating his 5th birthday. In just a few months my boy will be starting kindergarten! (Excuse me while I dab my eyes...)

A few months ago I was so discouraged about how slow doula business was. Well, I'm thrilled to say that I am now fully booked until mid-September! I'm on call from now until then and will have a short break (unless I get another client) in September and the beginning of October before another baby is due to arrive at the end of October. Even though it means a quiet summer around home, I'm so excited to be so busy helping families welcome their newest family members!

I haven't had good luck with a vegetable garden since we've lived here. We've decided that it is a combination of poor soil and drainage. This year, my dear husband built me raised beds and we brought in a garden mix soil from a local garden centre in hopes that this year we will have luck. I planted on Tuesday, so here's hoping that it will be successful! I'll keep you posted!

I've really grown to love gardening and choosing perrenials for my flower bed and annuals for my numerous pots and baskets. It gives me great joy to see bulbs, seeds and plants grow and multiply in my garden! I never would have guessed that this would be a new hobby of mine!

The boys are playing soccer this Spring and are doing well and enjoying it. Luca was into it from the start but it took Levi a few practices of crying and clinging to either Chris or me before he would get involved but now he likes to show off his moves!

Please don't look at the disaster that is my living room!

Books of Late

2011-06-02T15:51:00.009-06:00

I've gotten so behind in blogging! Oops! I'll try to catch up in the next few posts. Today's post is my monthly book list which I think I'm about 2 months behing on. Oh well.

I just commented on a friend's post about how I find that I am no longer immediately drawn to "fluffy, chick lit" types of books, but actively search out more "meatier" topics. I find that I am really enjoying being challenged in my beliefs, thoughts and am (gasp!) enjoying historical fiction!
My theory is that when I was a student and working, I wanted something for escape so would choose light reads, usually romantic comedyish books. Now that most of my days consist of laundry, housework (rarely!), playing outside, some subbing and occasional births to attend, I find I am longing for something that stimulates my brain a bit more and makes me think. No longer am I looking for something to just pass the time, but I'm looking for something to learn from.

Not that I never read "fluff" any more, but definitely less frequently. Anyway, on to my latest reads:

As I wrote my last book post, I was getting ready to read

The Midwife of Venice

by Roberta Rich

I absolutely loved this one. I loved the storyline and loved that it was historical in setting. It had a wonderful story, laced with mystery, suspense and drama. Highly recommended.

Sarah's Key

by Tatiana de Rosnay

This one was also great. I'd heard many good things about it and its been sitting on my bookshelf for months waiting to be read. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. It was haunting, heartbreaking and incredibly sad at the same time as being humerous, relateable (is that a word?) and a great story of one woman's quest for truth, both in the past and for her future.

The narration alternates between two females: Sarah, a young girl in Paris during WWII, who happens to be Jewish, captured and sent off to a concentration camp with her family and Julia, an American journalist living in Paris and writing for a magazine based there. Both characters are ones that are easy to relate to and easily fall in love with. Following their journeys brought me to tears in more than a few places and when I was done, I sat for a moment, just thinking and thankful of the life I am priveleged to have.

In case you haven't guessed by my review, I highly recommend this book. A definite must read.

From Sarah's Key, I moved on to something a little lighter.

Sleepwalking in Daylight

by Elizabeth Flock

In all honesty, this book was just mediocre. It was an easy read and tried to deal with some pretty juicy characters- a promiscuous, lost, drug using, adopted teenage daughter and her lonely and adulterous mother- but in truth, it didn't stand up to its potential. Not only did I feel that it just dusted the surface of what it could have delved into with these characters, but I thought the ending left too much open. While I was happy with the choice made at the end, it still left me with some unanswered questions and without a sense of closure.

The Red Tent

by Anita Diamant

I'd heard this book talked about, especially within the circles of birthing professionals, but hadn't really given it much thought. When I finally decided to search it out at our local library, I started reading it immediately and absolutely could not put it down.

At first, it is difficult to follow with many Biblical names being thrown into the mix, but after bookmarking the family tree provided at the beginning to use as reference, it got much easier to keep track of who was who.

Here is a short summary taken from Amazon.ca:

The red tent is the place where women gathered during their cycles of birthing, menses, and even illness. Like the conversations and mysteries held within this feminine tent, this sweeping piece of fiction offers an insider's look at the daily life of a biblical sorority of mothers and wives and their one and only daughter, Dinah. Told in the voice of Jacob's daughter Dinah (who only received a glimpse of recognition in the Book of Genesis), we are privy to the fascinating feminine characters who bled within the red tent. In a confiding and poetic voice, Dinah whispers stories of her four mothers, Rachel, Leah, Zilpah, and Bilhah--all wives to Jacob, and each one embodying unique feminine traits. As she reveals these sensual and emotionally charged stories we learn of birthing miracles, slaves, artisans, household gods, and sisterhood secrets. Eventually Dinah delves into her own saga of betrayals, grief, and a call to midwifery.

"Remembering women's earthy stories and passionate history is indeed the theme of this magnificent book. In fact, it's been said that The Red Tent is what the Bible might have been had it been written by God's daughters, instead of her sons." --Gail Hudson

There isn't much that I can say about it other than it was amazingly wonderful, and I have plans to re-read Genesis 27-50 and compare the story in the Bible, to this female version of the story.

Absolutely recommended.

I'm currently reading
Island of Lost Girls
by Jennifer McMahon

I've only just started but the beginning definitely drew me in. I think its going to be an interesting story.

Prizes!!!

2011-04-15T09:22:00.002-06:00

Want to enter for your chance to win some great prizes? Head on over to this blog to enter! I'm a new follower but what I've read so far I like! I'll definitely be a regular follower of her blog now!

Thankful Thursday

2011-04-14T16:30:00.002-06:00

I'm going to try to make this a regular thing because forcing myself to slow down and remember what I am thankful for is such a great exercise and really reminds me to change my perspective. Today, I am thankful for:

A best friend. A girlfriend that knows more about me than I do some days. Someone who has been an important part of my life for 12 years and has been there for the wonderful times and the trying times. When I am not available, she is a second mommy to my boys. We have a rare, beautiful friendship and I have to remember to not take it for granted.

A long, cold winter that has allowed me to be nearly fully booked with Doula clients from June - September! Nothing else to do all winter than make babies, right? ;)

While we have all been battling minor illnesses, I am thankful for our overall health. A family that I have known most of my life lost their 13 year old son last week to brain cancer. My heart aches for them and their pain. I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through and have walked through the last few years as he battled his illness.

A supportive, understanding, compassionate staff at our Elementary School. I was subbing in kindergarten yesterday and got a call that Luca had fallen and cut his head and was bleeding a lot. With no questions asked, they found coverage for me within seconds so I could rush out to take him for stitches. Thankfully, it was a small wound with lots of blood (heads bleed like crazy!) and he didn't require stitches, but knowing that I was able to leave without any questions or repercussions was such a relief. And when I walked into the school this morning, the first question asked was how Luca was doing. We are so lucky to have such a caring staff and I am excited for Luca to be a student there next year!

Even though the snow is not welcome and I've grumbled about it today too, I am thankful that it is only snow, not floods, earthquakes, fires, etc. We have a warm and safe home and if the biggest complaint is that driving is difficult and it is too heavy to shovel, we're doing pretty good.

What are you thankful for?

Brokenhearted Boy

2011-04-10T08:11:00.004-06:00

As a parent, you want to do everything you can to protect the feelings of your child and when those inevitable hurts occur, it tears you up because there is nothing you can do to stop the hurt from happening.

Children base their level of friendship on tangible things. They can't rationalize certain situations and know that friendship means more than being invited to things or sharing a snack together.

Being a teacher, I often hear the phrase "You're not invited to my birthday party" come out of the mouths of children trying to hurt the feelings of their friend. Birthday parties are huge for little kids and it is an outward demonstration of friendship.

Last week, my 4 year old son was absolutely devastated to discover that a boy that he thought was one of his favorite little friends was having a birthday party that included many other children from his preschool class and he was not invited. When he asked me if he was invited and I had to respond "I guess not, honey", he looked up at me with his eyes glistening wtih tears and said in a quiet voice "why not, Mommy?".

This broke my heart. My dear, sweet son thought that because of something he did, he was not invited to the party of his little friend. What was I to say to him to explain this?

We try to teach our children to share, play nicely and not leave anyone out, but then when it comes to birthday parties- the biggest event of months for some, and something that the birthday boy or girl are excited to talk about- we allow our children to be selective in who they invite and foster that feeling of superiority for the birthday child and the feeling of inadequacy in the ones that are not invited.

I understand the need to limit numbers for parties- logistically speaking or to fit into a "rule" of children allowed at a birthday party- but to willingly and knowingly do it at the expense of a young child that can't comprehend the reasoning is only teaching our children that it is ok to hurt the feelings of others as long as there is a "reason" to it.

We see this behaviour in adults as well. Those dinner parties that only a select few are invited to, the yearly parties centered around annual events, Christmas parties, etc. Adults are continuing the trend that they learned as children about party ettiquette and are using their party invitations as leverage in friendships and wielding them as superiority swords over their "friends".

With the birthdays of both my boys quickly approaching, I will look past the difficulties of having a larger group of children than I maybe would like, in order to allow my children to invite all the friends they desire so no one feels left out. I don't want my children to learn that it is alright to leave someone out and hurt their feelings at any time, especially for an event that is highly anticipated and publicized in the world of preschoolers.

In a time when teachers ask parents to send a Valentine's Day card or Halloween treat to every child in the class so that no one feels left out, why are we still allowing birthday parties to be elite events for only the select few "worthy" friends?

Now, don't get me wrong, many of the students in the preschool class have invited every child to their parties. I think that when one child doesn't do this, it makes it more obvious and pronounced. When my son asks "I was invited to so-and-so's party and I don't even play with her very often, but I play with so-and-so all the time and he didn't invite me. Why, Mommy?" What is a mother to say?

When I know the answer is that the mother of that child has a "birthday rule" and only invites a set number of children, how do I explain to him that he didn't make the cut this year?

Friendship is not based on numbers and how many children will fit comfortably around a table. I will not allow my children to think for a moment that it is ok to leave someone out because there is not room at our table. We can pull up another chair and make room to include that person. If we are going to instill in our children the importance of sharing, playing together nicely, being honest, etc, it needs to start with events that they can see and relate to.

I want my children to learn from example, and I am going to do my best to ensure that the example set by the boy he thought was a good friend is not the one that he follows. When it comes time to pass out invitations to his friends, I will ensure that no other child has to ask his or her mommy why they weren't invited to celebrate their friend's special day. No child should have to ask that question and no parent should have to try to explain away that hurt.

Thankful Thursday

2011-04-07T13:19:00.002-06:00

I'm totally stealing this idea from my dear friend Tasha! I read hers and thought that it was an exercise we should all participate in to remind us of how good we have it! So, on this Thursday, these are things I am thankful for, in no particular order:

My amazing, good looking, supportive husband. He does so much for us all the time. He is truly my partner in every sense, tackling the parenting and tasks at home as much as I do, plus he works full time to support us. He has been nothing but supportive while I work to make my doula business a success, even when this means that I am busy in the evenings at meetings, so we basically cross paths at the door and he is left to get the kids ready for bed. Even when it means that we won't get as much camping in this summer as we'd like (just like last summer) because it looks like I will be on-call for a good portion of the summer. How did I get so lucky to be blessed with a man like him?

Finally some sunshine and Spring weather!

The opportunity to do some promotion of my doula business. I am fortunate to be a part of the Airdrie Welcome Wagon baby shower, which will give me exposure to over 100 expecting or new moms. That event takes place on Monday, April 11. I was also very lucky to be able to speak at a prenatal session with a doula that I love and respect. We were honored to be asked to share the benefits of doula care with a group of 12 expectant moms. Out of that meeting, I have already arranged 2 potential client meetings- one for a mamma expecting twins! I was discouraged a few months ago at the slow pace of doula work, but things are beginning to pick up again and I am really excited to be able to do what I love again!

Time with family.

I am thankful that I have a handful of truly great, wonderful friends. These girls are ones that I know without a doubt I can count on to help out when needed or to be a listening ear and never keep tabs and expect anything in return (and they know they have the same with me). They are women that I admire, respect and love deeply. Some live very near and others I don't get to see as often as I'd like, but they are all equally dear to me and each have a very special place in my life. Really true friends are not always easy to find, but I have been blessed with a few of them and for that I am truly grateful.

What are you thankful for?

Smart phones can be Scary phones!

2011-04-04T15:02:00.003-06:00

I just read this article on my friend Canadian Mama's blog and watched the clip she provided and it scared me! Technology can be so wonderful but it can also be so dangerous. If you have ever taken and uploaded a photo from your phone, you're going to want to take a look at the clip.

My March Book List

2011-04-04T14:27:00.007-06:00

I didn't get as much read this month as I usually do for a few reasons:

-I worked a ton in March subbing. A few opportunities came up to be in the same classroom for 3-5 days at a time so I took those. I enjoyed the days that I was working, even though it was quite a bit more than I usually take on in a month.

-Chris and I are a wee bit addicted to Prison Break. We watch it on Netflix. It started with Chris watching the first season and me reading my book beside him. I quickly realized that I was doing much more watching than reading and finally decided to just watch with him. We are now about to start Season 4, so not only did I lose a lot of reading time to tv, I anticipate that the same will happen for the next few weeks as we watch the final season. I did manage to get through a couple books though.

Firstly, I finished the one I had started when I wrote my last post.

Testimony
by Anita Shreve

Truth be told, I didn't love this book. It started out strong and had my attention but as the book went on, my attention waned. Somewhat due to Prison Break distracting me, but also because I felt that it was dragging on a bit and I wasn't very satisfied with the ending. It wasn't terrible, but also not one for my favorties list.

Heaven is For Real
by Todd Burpo

I read a synopsis of this book one morning while at work and thought it sounded interesting. Later that afternoon, I stopped into our community library to have a look at our new renovations and was pleasantly surprised to see this book on our New Releases shelf. Even though I was still reading Testimony, I signed it out anyway. As soon as I was done reading Testimony, I started on this one and read it in 2 days (work interrupted my reading time! Haha).

Whether you believe in Heaven or not, or are or aren't a Christian, I thought that this book was fascinating. It is a true account written from the point of view of a father whose son nearly died and over the course of the next few years, reveals details of Heaven that he saw when he was on the brink of death. Things that this boy could not have known, he casually revealed to his parents, such as meeting his father's grandfather, whom he had never met, but picked out of a photograph that he had never seen before. Or telling his parents that he met the sister his mother miscarried before he was born.

The book was incredibly easy to read and is truly fascinating and is making news headlines all over the place. I definitely recommend this, regardless of your beliefs. Perhaps you will be challenged a bit reading this....

Check it out here.

Sing You Home
by Jodi Picoult

I am almost finished this one. I always look forward to her books being released. I've read a large majority of her books and always find them to be controversial, emotional and addictive. Jodi Picolt never fails to put controversial topics front and centre in her novels and her research and attention to the topics are obvious. I love that the story itself is easy to read and captivating and yet, her novels challenge my beliefs and make me ask questions. I love that about them.

I also love the way that she alternates different perspectives throughout the book. She writes from the point of view of each main character, which really allows the reader to see a clear picture of all sides of the issue and weaves compassion for each character's motives and beliefs. By the end of the book, my position on the topic at hand has probably bounced back and forth a number of times. I'm looking forward to finishing this one.

Have a look at it here.

The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich

This book is next in line after I finish Sing You Home. I'm looking forward to this one because I quite enjoy historical fiction, and also because the topic is something that I am drawn to. Watch for my opinion on this one next month!

Read the synopsis here.

What have you read this month?

I'm always looking for new books to add to my reading list, so any suggestions are great!

Which one?

2011-03-23T09:56:00.005-06:00

I saw this on facebook this morning and thought it would be a fun question to ask...

If you could have a nanny, a housekeeper or a personal chef which one would you pick and why?

I'm not sure which one I'd pick....its a tough question.

Right now, Luca has been sick for 4 days. I'm working all week and Chris works, so we have had a bit of a dilemma.

If I give up my sub days to stay home, I lose all the days I am booked for because they want the same teacher in for all the days for continuity. If I gave up all 5 days, I would lose more money than I usually make in a month. Plus, it reflects badly on my part to have to cancel sub days, especially when the teacher requested me specifically.

Chris took 2 days to stay home, but to take a third day, he needs a doctor's note. Things are still up in the air for tomorrow and Friday. Its been a stressful week, and Murphy's Law states that

Luca would become sick for days on end during the worst possible week.

So, for this week, I would choose a Nanny. Then there wouldn't be the stress of trying to juggle childcare. I would know that I could leave Luca and Levi at home with the nanny and not worry.

However, I definitely don't need a nanny full time. I like to be the mommy.

A housekeeper... Who wouldn't love to have someone else do the cleaning and laundry? That is what I most often fall behind on, so it would be great to have someone do that for me. But, I know I would be embarrassed about the mess, so I would tidy before the housekeeper came so she wouldn't judge me. Kinda defeats the point.

A Personal Chef....this would be my last choice because I actually don't mind doing the cooking. It would be nice to have some new meal ideas and have someone ensure that they are healthy, balanced meals. Since I do a monthly meal plan, I don't find making supper as stressful as I used to. It used to be that suddenly it was 4 in teh afternoon and I would stress about finding something to make for supper. Now I don't have that stress. I look at the calendar and know what to make. I also TRY to have some variation in the meals we eat and I do my best to ensure that we have balanced meals.

What would be your pick and why?

If I Had my Child To Raise Over Again

2011-03-20T13:00:00.003-06:00

After reading my last post, one of my Aunts sent me this poem. I love it and am going to print it out and hang it somewhere that I can see it every day to remind myself to worry less about the house and more about having fun with my kids.

Thanks Auntie Leigh!

If I Had my Child To Raise Over Again

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars,
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often,
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I'd model less about the love of power,
And more about the power of love.

--Diana Loomans

The Other Mothers

2011-03-18T16:25:00.002-06:00

Wow, two posts in one day, almost a new record for me!

I came across this on another blog that I read and it struck me as so true, and exactly what I needed right now as I sit here in my yoga pants, dirty hair pulled into a ponytail, and no sign of supper on the go and it it 4:30pm.

This article reminded me that I don't have to try to be supermom, that I can't do everything and that sometimes I need to just throw my hands up in the air and say "you know what? I didn't vacuum today or do the laundry or even make supper." We'll go out for supper and the floors will stay dirty for another day, but I spent the day with my kids. We colored, we sprayed the snow and we pretended to drive a firetruck in our basement. That's what being a mom is all about.

I sometimes let myself forget that and get lost in the idea that I have to have a perfectly clean house, fresh baking cooling on the counter and perfectly behaved children. I'm trying to give myself permission to just play with my boys and not worry about all the other stuff. They are only little for a short time and I don't want to look back and regret not painting with them or playing playdough (even though I can't stand the mess it makes!).

Read the great article The Other Mothers by Allyson Reynolds and come back and tell me this:

What do you find you compare yourself to other mothers about? What do you do to remind yourself that you don't have to be Supermom?

Friday Night Leftovers

2011-03-18T12:34:00.002-06:00

Last weekend Dee and I went to Camrose for a Stella and Dot party that Dee was doing (she's a S&D stylist) for her old roommate. We decided a while ago that it would be fun to have a "roomie reunion"- her and her roomie and me and mine. Both of our roommates still live in Camrose, so it was easy to arrange. Dee and Trina lived directly across the hall from Laura and I in our first year at Augustana 12 years ago!! The four of us had some good times that first year. While I have kept in regular contact with Laura, I hadn't seen Trina in years so it was a ton of fun to reminice and get caught up on our lives now. Dee and I also went with Laura to tour the new library and "central" building that was recently built on campus. So many changes but there were still so many memories tucked into every corner of that campus.

I've been subbing a lot this month. I've been ignoring my twice a week "rule" and have taken some stretches in the same classroom for 3 or more days. Its easy to do when those stretches of days are in my favorite places- a stretch of 3 days in kindergarten and another stretch of 5 days at the Virtual School. I'm looking forward to a nice paycheque after this month!

The sun has been shining the past few days and we are all getting Spring Fever! The boys are still loving to go out and spray the snow, and with the warmer weather they are staying out even longer, just coming into the house for refills on their colored water. I even had the windows open the other day and the cool but fresh breeze was so welcome and refreshing!

I've got some events coming up that I am hoping will help to promote my doula business. A few "trade shows" of sorts and a speaking opportunity at a prenatal class. I'm really hoping that I will get some clients and contacts out of these events and that I can get my business growing. I absolutely love being a doula and its hard to not get frustrated when I haven't got clients lined up, but I'm trying to stay positive and remind myself that building a business and client base take time and I need to be patient.

I'm working on a new project for our library board and I am so excited about it. I got the idea when we were visiting the Augustana library last weekend and decided then and there to get to work implementing it in Crossfield. This fall I am planning to have the first of many (hopefully) sessions of a Living Library. The concept is that rather than reading a memoir, someone (the "author") comes and tells their story. The audience (or "reader") then has the opportunity to ask questions and direct a discussion. Its an intimate and interactive way of hearing someone's unique story. I think that this will provide some more opportunities for people in our community to get out and participate in free events, as well as to connect people on a personal level when they share or hear their stories. If you have or know of someone who has an interesting and unique story to tell, please contact me! I'd love to hear from you! The Living Library concept is actually an international program that you can read about here.

Happy Friday, everyone! The visit the host of this weekly blog event, go here!

Did You Know?

2011-03-16T10:08:00.001-06:00

A really interesting video that I saw posted on facebook today. Really shows how our world is changing...at a pace we can hardly keep up with. I think that this was created in 2008 so it is probably fairly outdated in its stats already. But, it is interesting nonetheless...

Book List

2011-03-14T11:29:00.006-06:00

I've been meaning to do this for a while, ever since some of my other friends began doing posts similar to this on their blogs.

I love to read and always have a book (or 2) on the go. I don't always get through them as quickly as I'd like due to work, kids and other commitments cutting into my reading time, but I do read quite a few books.

I'm going to try to do a monthly list of all the books I've read (good or not so good) but this post will be more like a collection of the best ones that I have read over the past few months.

Unbearable Lightness
by Portia de Rossi

I loved this book. It was difficult to read at parts but it was really well written and had such a powerful message. I saw Portia on Ellen and Oprah talking about her book and she chose not to have a co-author for this book because she wanted all the words to be her own. She only wanted her story to be told, not the story that another person thought would sound better. I was even more impressed with the book after hearing that. It is written so well and flows nicely.

To read an exerpt from this book, go here.

Left Neglected
by Lisa Genova

I loved this book as well. When I read Lisa Genova's first book Still Alice, I couldn't put it down. It was such an easy read with a unique subject and I wondered if her second book would meet my expectations. It absolutely did. I couldn't put this one down. Again, it was a unique topic and her writing style is so easy to lose yourself in. I definitely recommend this book.

Synopsis here.

The Doula Guide to Birth

by Ananda Lowe and Rachel Zimmerman

I actually read this one because I was looking for a good book to be part of a few giveaways I was taking part in for my doula business. I wanted something easy to read and understand, not something that read like a textbook. This book was that and more. It was written from the point of view of two women that are both mothers and doulas. I felt that they did a great job of explaining what it is that a doula does and how a doula contributes to the birth process, as well as giving some really useful and essential tips for couples to use during pregnancy and labour. This book was the one that I chose for my giveaways. If you are expecting or know someone who is, this is a great book.

Room

by Emma Donoghue

I read this book in November, shortly after it was released and before I had heard all the "buzz" about it. I was initially drawn to the cover (yes, I totally judge a book by its cover!) and then the topic definitely drew me in. Written from the point of view of a young boy who has been raised in a small shed his entire life while he and his mother are held captive by their abuser, it is the story of their life in their "room" and their plans for escape. I was mesmerized by not only the topic but the author's ability to draw me in and have me seeing the world through the eyes of a boy who has never left the confines of the shed. A fantastic read, highly recommended.

Synopsis here.

Look Again

by Lisa Scottoline

I'm not much of a mystery reader but this one attracted me just from the short synopsis. A woman discovers that her adopted son, who she thought was abandoned as an infant, was actually kidnapped and then abandoned by his kidnappers. When the adopted mother finds out that her son's birth parents are still desperately holding out hope that their son will be found, she has to wrestle with doing the right thing, even if it means losing her son. As a mother, I can't even imagine having to make the choice that would ultimately mean I would lose my child, but also can't imagine being the mother yearning for her child's return.

I really enjoyed this book and think that the ending will surprise you but leave you with a sense of closure.

Synopsis here.

A Vintage Affair

by Isobel Wolff

Another book that I was first initially attracted to the bright, fun cover. I loved this one. It was a great "chick lit" read, something I haven't been reading much of lately. I've been trying to expand my reading horizons and have purposefully been avoiding the "fluff" books that I was drawn to in the past. But, this was a welcome break and really easy to lose myself in the story.

If you are looking for a great "beach read", something that is purely entertainment, this is the book for you. It had a great story and was so easy to read. A perfect bathtub read or holiday read.

Synopsis here.

The Unexpected Son

by Siobhan Bantwal

I LOVED Shilpi Somaya Gowda's Secret Daughter (see my post here) and this one was similar in that it is set in India and is full of beautiful descriptions of the culture and scenery. While the title might seem like it would be similar to the story in Secret Daughter, it isn't. I loved that this book gave me a greater understanding of the Indian culture and allowed me to create some beautiful pictures in my mind of a place I've never been. It was a beautifully written book with a story that captured my interest. If you liked Secret Daughter, you'll like this one!

Synopsis here.

Rescue

by Anita Shreve

I gave this book to a friend as a birthday gift and eagerly waited for her to finish it and lend it to me. I thought it was a good read but not my favorite. I liked the point of view and the story and it was a nice, quick read. Good entertainment even though it didn't strike me as one of my favorites.

Synopsis here.

Testimony

by Anita Shreve

This is one of my current reads. I'm only a few chapters into this one but am enjoying it immensely. The first page really sucked me in and I can't wait to find out where this story takes me. I'll try to remember to update on my thoughts in my next book post.

Money Smart Mom
by Sarah Deveau

My other current read. The author is a business woman that lives in Airdrie. I know of her (our paths have crossed at a few events) and she recently spoke at MOPS on her book. I like that the book is from not only a Canadian perspective but a local perspective as well. She has some great tips and others that are just not for us, but overall I'm finding that its a worthwhile read. I'm hoping that once I finish the book and decide on which suggestions to implement I will have a whole post about it!

What are you reading these days? What is on your "must read" list right now?

Snow Art!

2011-02-25T17:45:00.004-07:00

Get some spray bottles from the Dollar Store, fill them with water and food coloring.

Give them to your children to decorate the snow:

And just like that you have your very own Snow Art

AND as a bonus, it keeps the children entertained for as long as it takes to use up all the water!

Note to self:
Maybe next time, don't use yellow food coloring. Looks too much like pee and takes away from the pretty-ness of it all. ;)

Single Parenting - Clarification

2011-02-25T10:57:00.002-07:00

Wow. Apparently my post about single parenting hit a nerve with some people.

I got a few private emails about it and some of them weren't very nice at all.

So, just to clarify- I realize that there are people out there who single parent for whatever reason; people that truly are single parents 100% of the time. These are NOT the people I was talking about. I believe that "true" single parents are strong and I admire them. They don't have a date to count down to til their partner is home. There is no break in sight.

I was talking about MY relationship with MY husband and HIS relationship with OUR kids.

I do not like it when my husband is gone. The kids do not like it.

See, we are used to having him home, so when he goes away, everything is turned on its head. We don't have a smooth routine that works well when he is away.

Instead, which has been obvious this trip, is that Luca acts up. He has been whiney, disobedient and mean to his brother. He even had to be spoken to at school for not listening and that just isn't like him.

Levi cried every morning when he came into our bedroom expecting to see Daddy on his side of the bed and didn't find him there. Every night Levi cried, saying "I miss my Daddy". This is heartbreaking to me.

At 2 and 4 years old, the boys still struggle with the passing of time and how long 12 days is. To them, it is a lifetime.

Plus, just to add insult to injury, I've been sick for nearly the entire time Chris has been gone.

So, for those of you that took offence to my post about how I don't want to be a single parent and that I didn't sign on to do this all the time, take it for what it is. Take it for what I said.

I don't want to do this all the time.

And I don't have to.

Thank God for that.

Chris comes home tonight!!!!

Single Parenting

2011-02-20T09:21:00.002-07:00

Chris is in Houston for 12 days. We have 6 more days to go.

I won't lie. Its been tough. I hate when he has to go away and this is the longest he has had to go in as long as I can remember. The boys are at an age now where they really miss their Daddy when he is gone and as much as I love being able to sleep diagonally across our bed, I miss the warm, solid, comforting body of my husband lying next to me more.

Plus this has been a trying week with me being sick - first with a vicious flu and now with a nasty head cold.

Being a single parent is not something that I enjoy. At all.

When Chris and I were dating, we lived an hour apart. I was in college an hour away from the city he lived and worked in. Three years of our relationship as a couple was spent over the phone Monday to Friday and at either our parents' houses on the weekend or in Edmonton where he lived. We got really good at communicating verbally but I couldn't wait for the day that we could be married and share a home.

When we got married, the first few months of adjusting to living with someone else was tough, but spending every evening and weekend together was so worth it.

Shortly after we both graduated from our programs, Chris got a well paying job in the field he had gone to school for. Unfortunately, this job required him to be away quite a bit. I was working full time before I became pregant so it wasn't as lonely as I thought. Until I was pregnant and feeling rotten all the time and then I was an exhausted new mom.

Chris did this job for a few years, right up until Luca was a year old. It was really tough. The majority of Luca's first year dealing with sleep deprivation, teething, illness, and big milestones was "enjoyed" by me alone. It was really difficult being the one at home to have to shoulder the difficulties of life with a baby all by myself. But it was equally as hard for Chris to have to miss out on the first time Luca crawled, his first steps, and his first words.

We didn't choose to get married and have children so we could live apart and he could be a Daddy a few days out of the month. It was tough on everyone.

When the opportunity came up for Chris to take an office position within his company, we had many serious conversations about it. It would mean moving 2 hours away - to a place where we didn't really know anyone and had no connections. There were tears on my part because I was scared to leave the town I knew, the family and friends that were nearby and our first home.

And taking the job would mean a pay cut. Gone would be the overtime, the "bonus" pay for working away, etc. Being at the peak time for the housing market in Alberta, it would also mean leaving our relatively low mortgage and taking on a much larger one.

It was a decision that we didn't take lightly.

But what ultimately won out was that Chris would be home every night at dinner time and every weekend. We would be a married couple living together and a Daddy that got to tuck his son into bed every night. That was worth every penny lost in pay to us.

With this office job comes some travel, but it is usually just Monday to Friday one week out of every few months. Its not ideal, but we can handle that.

Just like the choice we made for me to be at home with our children during these precious young years, it was equally as important that Chris be home during these years as well.

When Levi was born, Chris didn't have to miss out on his big milestones. In fact, I'm fairly certain that it was Chris that got Levi to crawl for the first time.

This is the life that we wanted for our family.

I am missing Chris so much this trip. And I'm getting tired of people saying to me "you should try being a single parent all the time" or "you should try doing it every other week".

No thank you.

I didn't choose to be a part time single parent, part time partner. We made sacrifices so that we didn't have to live that life.

I realize that for some, this isn't an option. Some people have to deal with working away for whatever reason. We had to do it too for a few years. But, when there was an opportunity for us to live as a full time family, we took it.

One thing that Chris and I firmly believe is that our family comes first. Any major decision is always weighed against what would be best for our family.

And what is best for our family is that our boys have their Daddy home every night. When Chris walks in the door at 6 o'clock, the boys are as excited to see him as if he'd just been gone for days. We share a family dinner together at the table every night, even though it means that I deal with hungry, crabby kids from 5-6 until Daddy gets home. Its important to us, so we make it work.

After supper, Chris bathes the boys and gets them jammied and reads them stories, then we both tuck them into bed. Then we spend the evening together, the two of us, husband and wife - talking, watching tv, whatever.

This is our routine. This is our family. This is our life. I wouldn't change it for anything.

So, for those of you that have challenged me to "do it all the time", sorry but I won't be taking that challenge. I don't want to and we have made the choice to not have to.

The boys miss their Daddy so much and I miss my husband, my partner. Friday night can't come soon enough.

Disneyland! (a teaser)

2011-02-14T09:57:00.001-07:00

I promise that I have an entire post about our trip in my head and I will sit down to write it very soon, but until then, one of my favorite photos from our trip...

An explanation

2011-01-19T13:08:00.002-07:00

I know that many of you have been checking regularly for a new post and haven't found one in a while.

I've sort of put blogging on a back burner for now. It wasn't a conscious decision, just something that happened.

With Christmas and other things going on the past month, blogging fell to the bottom of my priority list.

I'm trying to focus my energy on my little family, rather than all the other "stuff" that has been consuming my days lately.

We leave for Disneyland in 1 week and I couldn't be more excited! I promise to blog about our trip when we return.

I fully intend to return refreshed and rejuvenated and will maybe have thrown my negative feelings and issues into the Pacific Ocean where they will be carried away...

Until then, thanks my faithful "checkers" (I'd say readers, but there hasn't been anything new to read, so since you check, I've dubbed you "checkers".).

Why I doula

2010-12-21T21:44:00.002-07:00

For the past month or so, I have been struggling with why I doula. Should I continue? Is it something that I should do?

These doubts came up because it seemed that I wasn't getting clients when fellow doulas were getting them in droves. Clients that I met with that I thought had made a connection with me hired others. After a few of these situations, it really took a toll on me and I started to doubt myself and question my choice.

Then I attended the birth of a wonderful friend. Being there for the first breaths of a new life reminded me why I love what I do and why I am going to trudge through the tough times to get to the busy times.

Even still though, there was a niggling voice that came up every now and then that made me doubt myself. You see, the most recent birth that I attended was very fast and I wasn't allowed in the room until the mama was admitted, which was also at the pushing stage.

I was so frustrated and felt like I had let my cleint and friend down by not being there while she went through hard labour (no fault of my own- hospital policy. I was, in fact, waiting outside the doors to the L&D unit). Even after her affirmations that hiring me was worth it, I still wondered "was it really? Did I really do anything that she couldn't have done without me?"

Then this evening, I am told to read this post.

Go there now....

I cried. It did my heart good.

I am a doula because I want to be. Because there is nothing in this world like welcoming a new baby into the world. I will get through this slow period and my day will come that I am as busy as my cohorts.

I am a doula and I love it with every fibre in me.

I am alive!

2010-11-22T15:52:00.003-07:00

Wow. I realized when Chris told me that I was really falling behind on my blog that it was serious. I actually recently discovered that he actually checks it of his own accord, not just when I tell him to.

So, to my few (if I have any left) faithful readers, I apologize. I'm lazy, that's really my only excuse. I could say that I have been working (true), gone on a 4 day trip to the mountains (also true) and just plain busy (true...sort of), but I'm not going to make excuses. I'm a no good, terrible, very bad blogger.

But I have some exciting news to share!!!

Last night I booked our tickets to DISNEYLAND!!!!!

I'm really not sure who is more excited- me or the kids. No, wait. I do know. Its most definitely me! I've never been to Disneyland (or California, for that matter) and got a teensy weency taste of Disneyworld when I was in Florida this summer. I'm am just beyond excited to get to go and to get to experience it with my boys.

And since I am not breaking into a sweat at the thought of getting on an airplane, I'm actually excited for the boys to experience their first flight. They are both fascinated with airplanes and I think that they will think its pretty cool.

We are going to be in Anaheim from January 26 to February 3. I just by chance checked the WestJet site last night to discover that yesterday was the last day of a seat sale and that we could book our seats for $148 each! Both ways! This is a small fraction of the price that the tickets were a few months ago. We've been waiting for a seat sale but I'd been slacking in watching the site. I'm glad I checked last night! So, for just ober $300 each, we can fly to and from California.

We had originally thought we would go from the 26 of January and come home the 1st of February but Chris pointed out that we would essentially have 2 days of travel that wouldn't really be "holiday". So, after checking the seat prices to see that the rates were the same a few days later, we (I) decided to stay for a few more days, giving us some more time to spend going to the parks, the beach, shopping...whatever!

We are planning to rent a condo so that we have a bit more space and can prepare the majority of our meals and pack lunches to be the most cost effective. I have found a few very close to Disneyland, so the next step is to just book one! Then we'll need to rent a car, but other than that, the big things will be booked!

I got the boys their passport photos today and was anticipating a battle to get them to sit "just so" and look "just so" but with one shot of each of them, we had it! They were champs, sitting still and not smiling. Yay! The forms are almost completed and we can get those off.

Things are really coming together! I'm so excited!!!!

Friday Night Leftovers

2010-10-15T15:19:00.003-06:00

I went for a very long overdue cut and color today. My hair looks so nice! I went a bit out of my comfort zone to try something new and I love it! I went quite dark on the bottom half of my hair, then a combination of blonde and brown hilights and lowlights throughout the top half. My bangs are also thicker. I didn't get much in the way of a cut, just my same long, layered style. The girl that did my hair is a new friend and we had a great visit getting to know each other while I sat in the chair. She took a few extra minutes to curl my hair in big, loose curls. It looks so pretty but I'm a bit sad because I know I won't be able to recreate the look quite the same. Oh well. Its fun to try something new!

Luca is loving preschool. He looks forward to it every week and I am thrilled with the program that they offer. I didn't expect it to be so academic, but they are doing an animated literacy program, learning about the food groups and healthy choices and even have a mini grocery store set up so the kids can "purchase" their healthy foods while learning about money! Luca is always so proud to show me the work that he did that day and to talk about the new letters and sounds they they focussed on.

MOPS is in full swing and Levi is loving MOPS days. So am I. As a Discussion Group leader this year, I was a bit nervous about how I might lead the group so that everyone got a chance to share and get to know eachother. I got a fantastic group of ladies and I'm so excited about the new friendships that this year will bring.

I'm subbing on average a day a week which is just perfect for me. So far, its going great. I've had the privelege of being in kindergarten, grade 2 and even at a Hutterite colony!

Just a teaser about another post I have in my head waiting to be written- I've been more and more interested in municipal politics. I know. You're thinking "not Janice!". Its a surprise to me too! Watch for my post about my new and surprising interests as of late.

Yesterday was 22 degrees above. Gorgeous fall weather. Today it is 3 degrees and snowy. Got to love Alberta! You can never get too used to the beautiful weather because you never know how long it'll be around for.

Chris is off to Houston next weekend, so I'll have the week leading up to Halloween on my own with the boys. I am anticipating a lot of activity that week as the boys get excited about trick or treating.

Affirmation

2010-10-05T13:08:00.002-06:00

I'm learning to tell people about books or articles that I have read that have touched me in some way. I used to tell one or two people about it but that's it.

Having a friend that is a writer and hearing from her perspective how important it is for writers to get feedback on their work has prompted me to be more forthcoming with my feelings and impressions on writing.

Today I discovered that another writer, Shilpi Somaya Gowda , author of Secret Daughter appreciated my "review" (if you will call it that) of her book. A quote from that post that I wrote has appeared on her website under the Reviews tab. (Near the bottom if you are looking).

More that being touched that someone would take a quote from me to put on their blog, I was proud of myself for making my feelings about a book known so that others might appreciate the book as I did.

If Ms. Gowda is anything like my friend, I'm sure that each nice thing that is written about her writing touches her and she appreciates it. I'm glad that I was able to (in a roundabout way) let her know just how much I truly enjoyed her book.

Tagged!

2010-09-20T19:40:00.004-06:00

My aunt tagged me in this fun little bloggy game and I had no reason not to play along. I love random posts about random things.

As part of the "game" I am to answer the following:

1. What was your most embarrasing moment?

Funny that this question came from my aunt because my most embarrassing moment (one of them, anyway) occurred at her house when I was about 13. My cousins (all male but 1), their friends (mostly all male, and one in particular that I had a crush on), and myself were swimming in the dugout near their house. Thinking of that brown water that we regularly swam in makes me shudder now. Eww. Anyway, I had borrowed a bathing suit from someone. I'm not sure who because it was too big, meaning that it could not have been my younger female cousin's. We were all taking turns jumping off the "dock" into the water. When my turn came, I jumped in and popped back up for air. However, my bathing suit did not. I emerged from the murky brown water topless. I was absolutely mortified. Even recalling this story makes me embarrassed.

I have many other embarrassing moments but I will save myself the humiliation for today. Let's just say that one happened as early as last spring, while I was subbing in Grade 1. It involved split pants, a stapler, bright blue panties and a cute guest instructor. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

2. Do you recycle? Why or why not?

Yes and no. We recycle paper and cardboard and cans and bottles. The rest of the stuff that I could recycle never seems to make it there. Probably mostly laziness on my part. And also because the recycling centre in town here is really not very accessable in that it is only open for short periods of time on certain days. Makes recycling everything too much hassle.

3. What is the most dangerous thing you've ever done?

I have no idea. I'm such a chicken and always play things safe. I may not have ever done something dangerous. Haha

4. what is your favorite movie and why?

I have a few. Dirty Dancing, Pretty Woman, Grease. I think probably what I like most is the romantic aspect in each of them. I love Dirty Dancing for the dancing, of course and Grease for the singing and dancing (I love musicals!). Pretty Woman is just one of those movies that I can watch over and over again. I love the shopping scenes and love to watch Julia Roberts' character grow from a lost woman to someone that is confident in herself. Plus, Richard Gere is a pretty darn good looking old guy.

5. Do you follow a sport on TV?

Ummmm, no. Enough said.

6. If you could live at any time in history for 1 year, when would it be?

Totally the early 1900s. I love their clothing, manners, way of life. I just love it. I would have absolutely loved to work somewhere like Heritage Park or Fort Edmonton Park.

7. What was/is your favorite school subject?

Language Arts/ English. I've always loved to read, so this subject came fairly easily to me. Best one to teach? Science. So much fun now that I am an adult!

8. What game do you most enjoy playing with a group?

I love to play games. Board games, card games, I'm usually in! Quite a fun one is called "Things". It is definitely one to play if you are getting to know someone and want a way to break the ice. Be prepared to laugh and be silly!

Ok, I think I am supposed to come up with my own questions, but I'm going to cheat a bit and just tell you to answer these same ones. Also, I am too tired to actually link your blog, so if you are reading this, you have to play along! Leave me a comment when you do so I can go read your answers!

The things kids say...

2010-09-20T19:18:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we were in Ponoka at Chris' parents' house. Chris's sister and her 4 children were there as well. The 11 of us were eating dinner and chatting when Luca says:

Luca: "Nona?"
Nona: "Yes Luca?"
Luca: "Why are you so old?"

Needless to say, all the adults around the table burst out laughing, but Luca was quite serious. I can't remember if Nona answered him or not...

God and Babies

2010-09-13T09:25:00.001-06:00

This is a conversation I had with Luca this morning. I thought it was pretty cute and a pretty good example of how a 4 year old's brain processes things.

To set the scene, I was looking at photos on my aunt's blog. When I came upon a picture of her son, Luca asked who that guy was and I replied Daniel.

Luca "Is that your cousin"
Me "yes, it is. You're very smart."
Luca "where are his kids?"
Me "He doesn't have any kids."
Luca "Why not?"
Me "Its not his time to have kids yet."
Luca "Are they in his tummy?"
Me "no, he would be a daddy because he is a boy. Only mommies have babies in their tummies."
Luca "Oh. (pause) so, is God making his babies for him then?"
Me "Yes, God is making them for when it is his time to have babies."
Luca "where is his factory?"
Me (after chuckling a bit) "God makes babies in Heaven"
Luca "Oh, so God makes babies in heaven? Does he live there?"
Me "yes"
Luca "Is God the boss of Heaven?"
Me "I guess you could say that."
Luca "Hmmm. God is a boss who makes babies..." (said thoughtfully while walking away)

Our Big Boy

2010-09-07T19:20:00.006-06:00

Today was a special day. The fact that it was our 8th wedding anniversary was overshadowed by Luca's first day of playschool.

For the last week leading up to today, Luca has been beside himself with excitement for school. He would ask every morning if "today was school day". He chose his lunchkit (Batman) and his backpack (Ironman - which I thought funny that he even knew who he was. Boys will be boys, I guess. Too cool for the Cars backpack now.).

When we went last week to meet his teacher, he wanted so badly to take his lunch kit and backpack. He was thrilled to give Daddy the tour of his classroom (I had already seen it when we registered), he was a bit shy when his teacher introduced herself, and loved to check out the toys and centres.

Yesterday I began to have mixed feelings about this momentous event. On one hand, Luca's excitement was so contagious, I couldn't help but be excited with him. But the mommy in me was sad, tears threatening to spill, questioning where the time went and how could it be that my first baby was starting school the next day?

This morning, Luca woke up just before 7am, crawled into our bed and snuggled. When I was truly awake, he said "Is today school day, Mommy?", knowing full well that it was. He was thrilled to find a "first day of school" gift waiting for him on the table at breakfast (some Firefighter action figures). He ate his breakfast quickly so that he would have a few minutes of play time with his new toys.

When I got him upstairs to get dressed, he was pleased to choose from his 4 new shirts (that he picked out when we went shopping) for his school outfit. He quickly got dressed and then announced that he would do "spikeys" in his own hair, that he was old enough now. He needed "school hair like Daddy has work hair". (haha)

Another moment of realizing that my baby was a big boy- he hauled his stool over to the counter, squirted some gel into his hands (under my watchful eye so as not to bathe in gel) and worked it into his hair. The end result required a bit of fixing by Mommy (glad to see he still needs me a bit!) but he was so proud to have done it (almost) on his own.

Before getting into the Jeep, photos on the front step were taken.

<

During the ride into Carstairs, Luca was fairly quiet, with the odd question about school breaking the silence. We were all lost in our thoughts, I guess.

When we arrived, Luca was excited to see his friends, his teacher and most of all, the paint! We hung his backpack on his hook, took a few more pictures and I started to say my goodbyes before heading out and leaving him for the morning. When it was time for a hug, I got a tighter, longer hug than I have in a long time. There were no tears (although at this point, I was close) and he assurred me that he would have a good day and tell me all about it when I picked him up.

And with that, off he went to explore all the activities.

Dee and I walked down the stairs with mixed feelings. We were both proud that our kids didn't seem too rattled about being left for the morning, excited at this milestone, but also sad for the time that has seemingly whizzed by.

While we were chatting by our vehicles, the playschool class came out of the building on their way to play in the park for a while. Luca and Adelynn were holding hands, bringing up the rear. They didn't see us watching them from across the street among the vehicles. They looked so grown up. So confident. So excited.

At 1pm, when I arrived to pick up Luca, he turned and gave me an enormous smile, ran to me and wrapped his arms around my neck. In my ear he whispered "I like it here!". What a reassurance to me that he did great and was comfortable there.

All the way home he chattered about what they did and stories the teacher read. It was wonderful to listen to the excitement in his voice, with a few yawns thrown in too. When I asked if he was tired, he replied "oh mom, all those kids made me so tired!". He fell asleep within moments of being in his bed tonight.

By all accounts, it was a great first day and he can't wait for Thursday so he can go again.

Secret Daughter

2010-09-04T11:13:00.004-06:00

Quite a few months ago, I came across a book during one of my visits to the bookstore. After reading the back cover, I added the title to my list of books to read in my Blackberry and continued on.

I'd see reviews for the book in various magazines and on summer reading lists. I always made a mental note to see if it was in the library, but would then be distracted by my current book(s).

During one of my visits to the library, there was that book again, staring back at me from the shelves. I already had 3 or 4 books in my hand at that point so decided to wait until next time to get it. (Our library is small and I don't usually have to wait more than a week or two to get a book on the off chance that it is out when I want it.)

The next time I went, there it was again, beckoning me, but once again, I had an armful of other books. I left without taking it with me.

Every visit to the library saw me pick up the book, consider it, then put it back on the shelf. I have no idea why I didn't takie it home, when I knew I wanted to read it.

Finally, on my last visit there, I signed out that book and nothing else. From the first page, I was drawn into another world.

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda was an incredible, touching, thought provoking, heart wrenching read.

From the back cover:

On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to a baby girl. But in a culture that favors sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter's life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son.

Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband, Krishnan, see a photo of the baby with the gold-flecked eyes from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion. Somer knows life will change with the adoption but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles.

Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and the child that binds both of their destinies, Secret Daughter poignantly explores the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love, as witnessed through the lives of two families-one Indian, one American-and the child that indelibly connects them.

Rarely do I find a book that I can't put down. This was one of them. This passage from the book really sums up the emotion in the book:

"[She] managed to find hope in the most unlikely place. In the midst of the poverty and despair of the slums, she showed the fierceness of a mother's love. And how we're really all the same in that way."

Put this book on your reading list and don't walk past it on the shelves! You won't regret it!

Lunch Ideas

2010-08-31T09:08:00.003-06:00

I was reading a friend's blog today and she had this post. What a great idea!

Clearly she put a lot of work into compiling this list, so I have to give her all the credit, I'm just borrowing it. I have a feeling I will be using it this year as Luca's playschool is from 9am-1pm so he will require a snack and lunch packed on school days.

Parents’ Ideas of Healthy Snacks:
• Fruits (apples, oranges, blueberries, kiwi, raspberries, strawberries, grapes)
• Vegetables (carrots, celery, mushrooms, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, alfalfa sprouts)
• Yogurt
• Granola
• Dried Fruit
• Popcorn
• Cheese
• Wheat Buds (Sobey’s)
• Homemade muffins, banana bread, Carrot Zucchini Cookies, snack bars
• Cereal
• Raisins
• Mixture of cereal/raisins/other dried fruit
• Crackers
• Applesauce
• Nutri-Grain Bars or Munchems
• Yogurt tubes

Parents’ Ideas of Healthy Lunches:
• Whole wheat sandwiches (egg, meat, jam, cheese, corned beef) (take a cookie cutter and cut out a shape or make a puzzle)
• Crackers, cheese, meat
• Noodles, pasta with sauce
• Wraps with cream cheese/jam/meat/cheese/spinach and cheese, cut into wheels
• Pizza
• Bagels with cream cheese/jam/honey/meat
• Soup/Stew in a thermos
• Vegetables
• Leftovers in thermos
• Meatballs with pineapple chunks
• Milk (white, chocolate, or strawberry)
• Homemade “Pizza Pops”—Dough (either homemade or Pillsbury) with ham and cheese/jam/hotdog/pepperoni stick folded inside or rolled, and then baked
• Cold pasta salads
• Grilled cheese sandwiches
• If you have more than one child in school, make one sandwich per kid, and then split the different sandwiches amongst your children—this way everyone gets a little variety
*Salad--lettuce, cucumber, carrots, croutons

Children’s Ideas of Healthy Snacks:
• Fruit (pineapple, banana, pear, apples, berries)
• Vegetables (grape tomatoes)
• Popcorn
• Cheese and crackers
• Fruit cups
• Banana bread/muffins
• Granola bar
• Raisins
• Yogurt
• Applesauce
• Cheese Strings

Children’s Ideas of Healthy Lunches:
• Sandwiches (on buns, bread, wraps, hot dog buns) (honey, jam, cheese, meat, veggie)
• Crackers, cheese
• Yogurt
• Fruit (watermelon, apples)
• Noodles in thermos
• Soup in thermos
• Cinnamon Toast

Thanks so much Momof4!!!

Sugar Me Softly

2010-08-31T08:48:00.002-06:00

My friend Tianna has a body sugaring business. I've been seeing her for months and have always been happy with the results.

What is body sugaring, you ask?

It is similar to waxing in that it pulls the hair out at the roots, but it is gentler (in my opinion). There are many other benefits to it as well, but I'll let you read them on her Sugar Me Softly Website here.

Visit her website, then come back and tell me if you've ever been sugared. If you've been sugared and waxed before, did you notice a difference?

Do this and leave a comment. I will randomly choose from the comments on Monday, August 6 and the winner will get $10 off a treatment with Tianna!

Slowing Down

2010-08-30T11:40:00.016-06:00

I know, I am the worst blogger. I promised more posts about MOPS convention and never got around to it. Sorry. I have so many other posts swimming around in my mind that I haven't gotten to either. Sorry.

My youngest son is sick with the flu. There is nothing like being forced to slow down and just be in the moment like cuddling a fevered, scared, lethargic little boy. Last night, after he had vomited and was scared by what his body was doing, I cleaned him up, gave him some Gravol for the nausea and some Motrin for the fever and just held him, his beloved blankie tucked up under his chin. We just snuggled in silence in the dark of his bedroom, him slowly relaxing and letting the Gravol soothe him and me thinking about how rare these times of cuddling are anymore.

There is no instinct like a mother's instinct. When my baby was sick, I dropped all thoughts of getting things accomplished to just be in the moment with him. When he tired of sitting on my knee and wanted to lay down in his bed, I sat on the floor beside him and rubbed his back until his soft snores gave me permission to leave. When he was up multiple times in the night crying from discomfort and fever, I forced my tired and weary body to get up and comfort him without wishing that I could get more than 2 hours of sleep at a time.

He woke this morning, still slightly fevered, but energetic and asking for breakfast. I cautiously gave him Cheerios, anticipating a mess to clean up when his stomach rejected food, but that didn't happen. He eagerly ate his breakfast then went off to play with his brother. I was cautiously optimistic that he was feeling better. I still am. So far, no more need for Motrin and he seems to be fine. He doesn't want to snuggle with his Mommy anymore.

We had plans for the day, but I'm actually glad to be forced to stay home and have a quiet day. To slow down. To tick things off my to-do list that never seems to shrink. To blog. ;)

I'm going to try to catch up on some of the goings-on in the lives of the Grahams for the past few week. I'm going to just make this a bullet point post, so skim if you'd like. It might be lengthy.

Luca starts preschool next week! Eek! Where has the time gone? He was registered in town but there are a few factors that I was uneasy about. It was tough that I wasn't able to muster up the excitement that Luca felt because of my worries. The opportunity for Luca to go to playschool in Carstairs (15 minutes away) came up and after Chris and I discussed the pros and cons, we easily decided to enroll him there. We went to have a look and Luca was thrilled. Tonight is his meet-the-teacher night and he is so excited. I'm now able to be excited with him and put my worries aside as they are no longer applicable.

I'm looking forward to spending 2 mornings a week alone with Levi. We haven't yet had the opportunity to have regular alone time so I'm really excited for it.

MOPS starts again next week! So excited!
I attended another birth last week and am continually amazed at the strength that women can pull out of the depths of their being to give birth. Each miracle that I am priveleged enough to witness is just that- a miracle. I lose myself in the moment each time a baby enters the world and I am there to be a part of it.
Chris's youngest brother got married on the 21 of August in Edmonton. It was a simple, elegant, intimate and gorgeous wedding. Everything about it reflected the personality of Tom and Lisa. No fuss, no big shows, just love and family. Beautiful. {Side note: Tom and/or Lisa- what the heck were you doing checking my blog while on your honeymoon in Paris?! I have a traffic feed, I know you were here!}

We haven't had the opportunity to get much camping in this summer. It just seemed that we always had something on the go, whether it was me being on call for births, Chris being on call or away for work, weddings, me going to Florida, or just plain, crappy weather. Hopefully next summer we will get more summer weather than we have had this year and will get more camping in.
We did spend an impromptu day in Banff as a family and it was wonderful. We are so blessed to live close enough to the beautiful Rocky Mountains that we can just wake up one morning and decide to make the drive into Canmore or Banff. We spent our spontaneous day trip hiking, sightseeing, eating, browsing and just enjoying time as a family of 4. All 4 of us love the breathtaking scenery, relaxed atmosphere and fun that Banff and/or Canmore provides.

A photo taken by Luca (above)

Momology

2010-08-09T10:24:00.006-06:00

I'm back! My plane didn't crash AND I was calm, cool and collected on all 4 flights!

Orlando was awesome! Here are a few highlilghts of the trip. I will post more details as the week goes on.

The flights were wonderful. Ativan is my friend. I was so relaxed and just felt calm. It was a welcome change to the usual nauseating anxiety I feel waiting in the airport, waiting to take off, during take off and during any turbulence. All of our flights were on time and all of our luggage made our connections.

On the flight from Houston to Orlando I had a window seat and was able to have clear views of the gulf as we passed over. I could actually see oil on the water from the spill. Of course, hearing about it is one thing, but actually seeing the vast area that it affected was really sad. I was able to get a few pictures, so once I make them a little easier to see, I will add them.

I was really surprised at the dense greenery as we flew into Orlando. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it surprised me just how lush it was. And the number of swamps and ponds visible from the air too. I was really surprised at the lack of flowers there, too. The majority of landscaping is done with different shades and colors of large leafed plants. The pinks and burgundys are gorgeous and the size of the leaves is almost unbelievable. I guess thats what happens when the plants are given lots of sunlight, warm temperatures and humidity.

I love the humidity. My skin has never felt softer! I was able to forego my moisturizer while we were there! A very rare thing for my dry skin!

Disney was amazing. We only had a few hours, so really it was just a taste and made me so excited to go in January to Disneyland as a family!

Convention was great! It was like being at MOPS for 3 days straight! Picture a few thousand women, all there to learn how to make their home MOPS groups better and to learn to be a better mom. Because "Better moms make a better world". We were treated to some special musical guests, namely Mandisa from American Idol and Richie McDonald, formerly the lead singer of country band Lonestar. Both performances were amazing!

Absolutely beautiful song by Mandisa:

I love Lonestar and was thrilled when Richie McDonald sang some Lonestar favorites: Already there, Mr Mom, Front Porch Looking In as well as some from his new solo album. He sang us his Airline song. We were all in stitches. Listen here:

We were also treated to a concert by children's artists Go Fish. They are a trio of men that started out making music for adults until they realized that there was not a lot of options out there for kids music that didn't drive parents craay. They are a Christian band and do mostly Bible based songs. They really are fun to listen to! Apparently when they first played at MOPS convention 5 or 6 years ago, that was when their careers as children's recordning artists really took off. Since then they have discontinued all outside advertising as they have discovered that word of mouth by happy moms is all it takes! This is a fan favorite, I'm sure you can see why, given the audience!

The hotel was beautiful. My only complaint was that they didn't have much selection for restaurants and what they did have was pricey. The resort wasn't close to anything else, so we were pretty limited in where we could go. We did manage to make a $15 sandwich last for 2 lunches though!
I got some shopping in! It has been so long since I have shopped for myself guilt free. I did buy gifts for the boys and Chris but I also went with a few things in mind to find for myself. I came home with some new running shoes (specifically for running to help with my shin splints), a skirt, 2 dresses (one for Tom and Lisa's wedding), 6 dressy tops, and numerous items of dressy but inexpensive jewelry. I have made it a goal to put more effort on a daily basis into looking good. Its amazing how just dressing up a bit can change your attitude. I was also excited to buy some jewelry from a Fair trade booth that was at the Resource Fair at the convention.

I also brought back a few books from convention as well as a few things for the boys (books and a Veggie Tales DVD).
I went to some great sessions and will be blogging about them later in the week.

I'm going to stop now, but watch for photos, a post about my trip to Disney World and some more posts about my sessions at Convention!

Eeekkkk!

2010-08-03T09:02:00.003-06:00

This time tomorrow I will be in the air, about half way between Calgary and Houston.

I'm actually not as nervous today as I have been. Excitement is starting to take over!

Once I land in Houston, we have an hour to get to our next flight to Orlando. Hopefully our luggage makes it too!

We will arrive in Orlando at 5pm Orlando time. The convention starts Thursday afternoon so we will have some free time until then. Friday is packed with conventions activities and then it wraps up on Saturday.

Saturday evening is when we are going to Disney World, to the Magic Kingdom. I'm so excited about that!

Sunday we head home through Chicago where we only have about half an hour to catch our connection. I'm nervous about that one and am not even sure I should count on our luggage making it!

We're scheduled to arrive home in Calgary at 8pm Sunday night.

Its going to be a whirlwind 5 days but I'm hoping to cram as much shopping, fun and knowledge into it as I can!

Mortality

2010-07-30T09:16:00.003-06:00

Last week, we attended the funeral of an 18 year old man that was tragically killed in a car accident. This young man was the son of Chris' parent's oldest friends.

It was a really tough funeral. He was so young, taken way too soon. I can't even begin to imagine how one would deal with such a tragic loss.

On the way home from the funeral, Chris and I were discussing the horrors of losing a child or a spouse. I didn't cry during the funeral, but I did cry on the way home, when it was just the two of us. I think that while talking about it with Chris and about our wishes for our own funerals, it just hit me how fragile life is. How your entire world can change in an instant.

The thought of something happening to Chris or the boys or my sisters or parents just paralyzes me with fear. I know that some day I will have to deal with death in my immediate family, but I just can't even imagine how I will cope with that kind of heartache. I guess you just do it when you are faced with it, and I don't think it is something that you can prepare for.

With me staring down my imminent air travel and the fears I have about that, in the back of my mind is this issue of mortality. (Note: I know that the likelihood of anything happening during my trip is so slim it isn't even worth thinking about, but this is what I do- think the worst.)

I know it is morbid, and I know that I always think of the worst case scenario, but this last week I've been thinking about what I would want my loved ones to remember about me if something were to happen.

I would want my boys to know that I love them unconditionally and with a fierceness I didn't know I posessed before I had kids. I delight in seeing them grow and learn new things every day. I wish I could bottle up their curiosity, the feeling of their soft little bodies, their sloppy kisses and their laughter to enjoy for the rest of my life. I would want them to know that even when there were days that it seemed I was always getting mad at them, that I loved them and would do anything for them.

I would want Chris to know that he is the love of my life, the shining star in my nights, the blazing sun of my days, my best friend. I can't even begin to imagine a life that we weren't at eachother's side.

I can't even continue this post because I know that it is crazy and also because I have now made myself cry. Time to keep calm and carry on, to take a deep breath and put my trust in God and focus on the wedding that we are getting ready to attend.

I just needed to let my anxiety come through my fingers onto the keyboard, to get these pent up feelings out. You may think that I am a raving lunatic, which is probably a little bit true. ;-)

Flurry of activity

2010-07-29T21:51:00.003-06:00

This past week has been busy. There has been so much going on, with playdates, appointments, Luca's library program, picking up a custom wedding gift (pretty awesome, I might add!), packing and making arrangements for travel and lodging for this weekend.

We are heading to Edmonton tomorrow early afternoon to take part in the wedding of a very good, longtime (childhood) friend of Chris. The boys are going to stay with his Aunties and Donny (and Gramma too, I think) for the weekend while Chris and I are busy with the wedding and enjoy a weekend child free.

Chris is a groomsman, so he is busy with the wedding party and all that entails. He will be spending Friday night at the hotel with his friend Blake so I will be staying at my brother and sister-in law's place in Edmonton. Then Saturday night we will be in a hotel near the wedding reception. We also have a brunch to attend Sunday morning that the Bride and Groom are hosting as well. It will be a busy, fun and exciting weekend.

We will arrive home Sunday night and spend 2 days at home before I leave for Orlando for the MOPS convention. I will be leaving my house at 4:30am Wednesday morning to be at the airport and ready for my 7am flight. We fly to Houston and then have a very tight connection to Orlando from there.

If you know me at all, you know that I am a nervous flyer. My wonderful doctor did prescribe me some anti-anxiety medication which I plan on taking but I have never flown without Chris as my "hand-holder" and the tight connection is making me nervous as well. I try not to think about the "getting there" and just focus on the "being there". I know people fly every day...our next door neighbor is a pilot for West Jet...it will be just fine. It will be just fine. It will be just fine...

I'm so excited about the convention, though. It will be great to be with thousands of other mothers of preschoolers, listening to speakers, getting ideas on how to make our MOPS group here better than it already is, and having a little vacation with a friend whom I hope to come back with in a deeper friendship. Plus, the shopping and the trip to Disney World while we are there doesn't hurt, either!

Chris has taken his holidays to begin tomorrow and go until the 9th of August so he will be home with the boys while I am gone. Its too bad that his holidays aren't being spent together as a family, but I also think it will be really good for all 3 of them to spend a few days without me. I know that there are already plans for activities that week, so I think they will have lots of fun.

Once I get back home, I have 2 births that I may or may not be attending (depending if they go early; while I'm in Orlando) and then Chris' brother's wedding on the 21st of August, also in Edmonton.

Before we know it, summer will be over and September will be upon us. I am hoping that the weather stays nice through September so that those of us that are Stay At Home Moms can make the picnics and trips to the splash park last just a bit longer.

Control Freak

2010-07-16T08:44:00.003-06:00

This is an update to my post yesterday.

Yesterday I had a tough day. It seemed like one thing after another was going wrong and I was losing control.

Yes, that's right. Control.

After talking to a friend about my feelings and then getting a comment on yesterday's post from my aunt, I sat and really thought through why I always feel a need to "fix" things.

I'm a control freak. My sisters, parents, husband, and friends will all likely agree. I am the oldest child, I'm bossy, I like to have things my way. Even when it comes to small things such as cleaning, it has to be my way.

When our oldest son was a baby, I had a hard time relinquishing control to Chris. I preferred to bath, change, dress and feed Luca because no one could do it as well as I could. No one else did it "just so". I did get better at letting him do things, it just took time.

I'm anal about many other things. Things that don't bother other people. My kids MUST eat and drink at the table - not anywhere else in the house. Toys belong in the toy room, not the kitchen.

I'm a book lover and spines must not be cracked, pages can not be bent or dog eared. My most loved books still look brand new. Many people won't borrow books from me because it is too much hassle to ensure that they stay in their pristine state. That's fine by me.

I don't like amusment rides, boats or airplanes because I am not in control. It has taken me many years to not freak out when Chris was driving, because, you guessed it- I am not in control.

I realized yesterday that my need to always fix things puts me in control of the situation. Not being in control is frightening and foreign to me. I don't know what to do when I am not in charge. I have a hard time letting someone else make decisions and leaving the "ball in someone else's court".

Its not a bad thing that I like everyone to be happy and do my best to make it that way, but as my aunt said in her post, its bad when I'm doing it to control the situation.

(I just have to point out here that my aunt is the oldest of 4 children, and a teacher like me. We have a lot in common, perhaps that's why we both struggle with letting go of control?)

Being aware of an issue is the first step to making a change. I'm trying to not panic when I'm not in control. Is not going to be easy, but I'm going to *try* to step back out of the spotlight and let someone else stand there for a bit.

People Pleaser

2010-07-15T10:24:00.002-06:00

One of my personality traits is that I am a people pleaser. I try to fix things. I hate it when there is discord or tension.

I will often try to "fix" the problem, even at the expense of my own happiness. When someone is upset, I swoop in, and bend over backwards to relieve any tension.

Its really tough for me to realize and remember that I can't always fix things. And that I shouldn't always have to be the one to make things better.

I lose sleep over things that I have no control over. I mull it over all day, thinking up various solutions or even trying to come up with reasons for why there is unhappiness in the first place.

I'm trying to keep reminding myself that I can't always make everyone happy and that I shouldn't have to take the weight of it all upon my shoulders.

Sometimes other people's issues just can't be my issues.

I'm learning, but trying to shut off a part of my personality is like trying to remove a limb. I can't seperate myself from this trait just like I can't just remove an arm or a leg.

I can't do it all. I wish I could, but I know I can't be the one to carry the burden for everyone.

I've done what I can for now. The rest isn't up to me.

The Nature of Friendship

2010-07-05T21:20:00.003-06:00

Growing up I didn't have many friends. I'm not really sure why this was the case - likely a combination of my nerdiness, shyness (something I am not anymore) and maybe clinginess. I wasn't comfortable with who I was growing up and found that I often tried to be something that I wasn't.

During college, I decided to just be who I was and if people didn't like that, so be it. I'd like to say that this transformation happened quickly and that I was suddenly this self-confident, outgoing, popular girl. That's not exactly the case.

I did make friends, and some of those friends I still count as my nearest and dearest. Others were friends for the duration of college and then we drifted apart.

I've been thinking a lot lately about friendships. I am so fortunate to have a handful of great friends- people I can count on to cry with, laugh with, vent to and just be "me" with.

When we picked up and moved 3 years ago, I didn't want to leave my friends. Those friends that I didn't want to leave, I have realized, were probably only in my life for a season. They aren't really in my life as friends anymore. Aquaintances, yes, but friends, no.

I was moving to a place where I knew only 1 person -one of the college friends that have been close to my heart ever since, my Dee. It took me a full year and then some to really make any friends. I met people that I could pass the time with and did enjoy hanging out with, but no one that I knew I could call on if I needed a friend.

We have been in Crossfield for 3 years now and I am sometimes astonished at how this shy, nerdy, clingy girl has somehow morphed into the outgoing, self-confident woman that I am now. A woman that is so fortunate to have a number of people in my life that I know I can call on if I needed something, whether it be a good chat, a cry, a laugh or a cup of sugar.

I have come to really realize that it is rare to have a friend for life. Perhaps we have 1, or if we are uber lucky, a few, that we can call a lifetime friend. But I think that some friends come and go in our lives when the time is right. Some friends are only for a season. That doesn't make them any less valuable or meaningful to my life when they are in it. Lives change. People grow apart. Commonalities change as priorities change. It happens. That's life. Its neither good or bad, it is what it is. I'm going to try to appreciate each of my friends every day that I have them because over time, they might drift away.

Each of my friends fills a different space in my heart- I have those that I don't need to talk to all the time to just pick up where we left off like there was no time gone. I have those that I know I can call at anytime, day or night, to lend a hand. I have friends that I know will always cheer me up if I'm feeling down. Others are always willing to talk out an issue with me and help me see both sides of the story. I have a very special friend that I can share anything and everything with and I never have a fear of her judging or criticizing me. I have new friends that I am looking forward to getting to know more. I have sisters that are among my closest and best friends and even if we weren't bound by blood, I'd still chose them to be my friends.

I know I am lucky to have all these wonderful ladies in my life. I really am blessed. I hope that I have filled one or more of those spaces for one of my friends.

To my friends- I love you and cherish you. Thank you for being the type of person and friend that you are to me. May our season of friendship last many years and create many happy memories.

O Canada!

2010-07-01T08:27:00.002-06:00

Happy Canada Day!

We have a busy weekend planned. Chris worked today and gets tomorrow off in lieu, so the boys and I are heading to see the Airdrie parade with friends then its off to Ponoka tonight for the Ponoka Stampede!

We'll see the parade tomorrow morning with my family and my aunt, then we are going to the afternoon rodeo with Chris' sister and her kids and my mother in law. After the rodeo, the boys are going to have a sleepover at my sister's house so Chris and I can go out with good friends to the chuckwagons and likely some beer gardens as well!

The weather for Stampede is notoriously rainy, but I'm hoping that we'll get some nice, hot sun this weekend!

I wanna look like a movie star without the exercise and plastic surgery!

2010-06-23T08:48:00.002-06:00

I think that there is one thing that all women have in common - we all want to be thinner, fitter, chestier, blonder, etc. We all want what we don't have to a certain degree.

We all see the women in magazines and on tv that continually make us feel bad about the way we look.

This is a constant struggle for me. I work out regularly and for the most part I'm comfortable with my body. Sure, I'd like to wake up one morning to find my "mummy tummy" gone and the stretch marks mysteriously vansihed and my breasts back up where the belong with the fullness that I didn't appreciate before I had children, but each morning I wake up to find my parts exactly as they were when I went to bed.

I dress as best as I can to hide my trouble spots and still be comfortable and get on with my day. Usually in my mind, I know that all those girls I see on tv and in People (or In Touch or Us Weekly...ok, my not-so-secret addiction) are way thinner than their healthy range for their body type and that they don't get to sit and watch a movie while devouring an entire bag of Nibs and a can of Pepsi (not that I do that!). I do fall within the healthy weight range for my body and I don't feel like if I were to sit and eat an entire bag of licorice and a pop I'd have to work out for hours the next day to work it off so I look good for all the paparazzi that trail me constantly.

I've actually got it pretty good. I just need to remind myself of that. I enjoy working out but I'm not going to sacrifice my time with my kids and husband to work out in search of the look of "perfection". I'm not going to spend thousands of dollars on surgery to make my body something it isn't because that money would be better spend on a family vacation where we can build memories, or our children's education savings or a new wardrobe to dress the best for my body. (hey, how'd that slip in there with those other more reasonable ideas? LOL)

There is also a certain time each month that I feel worse about my body than I do any other time. My jeans are a bit tighter than they should be, and I just feel *yuck*. Its during this time that the thoughts of disappointment over what my body has become creep in.

This morning I read this post and I had my AHA! moment. Well, actually it was Elizabeth over at Confessions that had my AHA! moment, I just had to read it. The last 2 paragraphs really spoke to me.

Without this body that I have a like-hate relationship with (not a love-hate relationship, I'm just not there yet), I wouldn't have my children. I wouldn't have the memories of pregnancy and birth. Moments that have shaped me into who I am today. My body is an outward sign of the changes that my life has embraced.

I'm learning to embrace the body that I have.

The Miracle of Life

2010-06-18T18:43:00.005-06:00

I am so in love with my job!

I came home today utterly exhausted, but filled with such an appreciation for the miracle of life.

I can't imagine what I witnessed today ever getting old- the looks of pure, uncensored love and amazement written all over the faces of brand new parents the moment their son entered the world.

Tears glistening in a brand new Daddy's eyes as he looks on as his little boy is checked and swaddled.

The quiet whispers of a new Mommy to her son, the affirmations of love and expressions of excitement over seeing his face for the very first time.

Gentle, intimate embraces and kisses between a couple that up until a few moments ago had only each other. They suddenly became a family of 3.

Praise, wonder and awe of an adoring husband to his wife over the long, hard labour that she managed so well to bring their son into the world.

It didn't matter to either of them that they had endured hours upon hours of hard labour, with him right by her side the entire time telling her how proud he was of her and how strong she was, all that mattered was that moment. The instant that their world shifted and the centre became that pink, wriggling little boy, yet to be given a name, but loved with every fibre within them.

Its moments like these that make my own eyes fill with tears as I stand there, a witness to another couple experiencing the miracle that is the birth of their baby.

I can't help but be whisked back in my own memory to the day that I became a Mommy for the first time and the pure joy that I felt that day, meeting my son and watching the man I love become a Daddy. And of course the day that our second son made his appearance, no less amazing and exciting than the first. Days forever etched into my memory.

I'm so honored to be a part of one of the most important days in the lives of those 2 wonderful people.

With each birth that I am able to be a part of, my smile widens a little bit more and my heart fills with the knowledge that I just might have found what I was meant to do.

I come home after a long day and night, exhausted but joyful and I can't wait to hug and kiss the boys that shifted the centre of my world and get ready to do it all again when the next phone call comes.

Not all its cracked up to be...

2010-06-15T15:13:00.003-06:00

The weather here is taunting us. We keep getting 1 or 2 nice, summery days when we let our guard down and think that perhaps, after a long drawn out spring, summer has arrived. But then, just when we're starting to get comfortable in our new-found sunshine, shorts and tank tops, it starts to rain. Not just afternoon showers, which I can deal with, but raining for days on end, with no sign of letting up. June is typically a rainy month around here, but the rain is doing nothing to bring my mood out of the pit that its been in lately.

I'm pretty sure that the weather is causing my children to be miserable as well. At least, I hope that is what it is, otherwise someone stole my kids and replaced them with ones that look like them but certainly don't act like them. The last week or so has resulted in many tears (from kids and Mommy alike), numerous bumps to the head (just the kids), yelling (all parties), frustration and just general gloom.

Yesterday was one of those terrible, awful, no good, very bad days (to quote Robert Munsch). It started out like any other- the boys snuggling into bed with me to watch tv while Chris gets ready for work and I catch a few more minutes of (not)peaceful slumber. Within minutes, this results in a kicking match to see which boy has more space that inevitably ends with Mom getting kicked, fighting while one wants to be covered up while the other doesn't, arguing because one boy can't see/hear/see and hear the tv due to the other talking/crying/yelling/sitting in the line of sight. Very soon, Mommy decides that this isn't working and we all might as well head downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast.

Upon arriving in the kitchen, the fighting begins over who will open the pantry door, who will pick their cereal first, what color bowl/cup/spoon they will get....

I am granted precisely 3 minutes and 48 seconds of peace until one boy is done breakfast and then begins bugging the other about who finished their breakfast first. An argument ensues.

I send them off to play while I try to eat my breakfast and drink my chai latte in peace before rushing upstairs to shower and get ready for the day. This almost never happens as I imagined it.

Hundreds of toys occupy our playroom, living room, bedrooms, and basement but inevitably there is always 1 toy that both boys want to play with at JUST THAT MINUTE. Crying/ hitting/ kicking/ biting (Levi's weaopn of choice lately) explodes into my thoughts as I am taking my 4th bite of oatmeal. I go to deal with the war, only to return to find my oatmeal has become cold and solidified.

I've been out of bed for about 22 minutes.

I drink my lukewarm chai and herd the boys upstairs to do something while I shower quickly. I'm finally enjoying a minute of peace while I shampoo my hair when I am interrupted by not 1, but 2 naked boys opening the door of the shower and climbing in, uninvited.

At least they aren't fighting.

I finish my shower, get out and get dressed, then go back to get the boys out and dressed. The race and eventual meltdown to be the first to be dressed begins. Is there anything these darling boys won't fight about?

The rodeo event that is getting everyone dressed finally complete, we head back downstairs where I load the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher as Levi takes them out again and Loki licks them, give the boys a snack because they are ALWAYS hungry, get them ready to head out to our morning plans (groceries, playdates, park, zoo, mall, etc).

Our morning outing goes fairly well, with minimal fighting because we are out and about. The moment feet cross the threshold into our house it begins again. Who sits on the side of the stair closest to the wall (or railing, depending on where the coveted spot is that day), who can take their shoes off first, etc....

I remind myself that its NAPTIME, my favorite part of the day (next to bedtime) and get the boys to their rooms as quickly as possible. If I'm lucky, I will get 1/2 an hour of "me time" before Luca starts asking if quiet time is over. He will do this every 5 minutes until I finally relent and let him out of his room where he will then stand over me and ask a zillion questions about anything and everything.

Levi gets up and is usually crabbier than he was before nap. That kid does not wake up well. After a while, IF Luca leaves him alone and lets him wake up in his own time, he will be happy. If Luca bugs him (the norm), he will be miserable until bedtime.

Snacks are handed out and eaten. Playdough is pulled out and played with, only to be found strewn about the house later, regardless of the fact that they are not allowed to leave the table when playing playdough. 5 minutes later, they are tired of playdough so we clean it up and they pull out crayons, coloring books and stickers. Throughout the next few days I find stickers stuck to my socks, even though the same rule as with playdough applies.

Four o'clock rolls around and requests for snacks and supper begin. I try to distract them with anything I can find.

Five o'clock and I begin making supper to complaints about what it is, regardless of whether it is their favorite meal or not. Complaining is almost an olympic sport around here.

Crying, whining, fighting, clinging ensues until 6 o'clock when Daddy (finally!) walks through the door. We have happy children for all of 5 minutes, until they are asked to sit at the table to eat. Then they remember that they don't want to eat what I have cooked and will then begin their marathon of crying and pouting throughout supper.

Mine and Chris' patience is tapped out, and as soon as supper is done, the boys are sent upstairs for a bath or shower, pjs, snack, stories and bed.

By 7:30, we hope that the house is quiet only to have to put Luca back in bed numerous times.

By about 9 I am so worn out from the day that I fall into bed and quickly drift to dreamland.

Only to repeat it all again tomorrow....

This was my day yesterday. Parenthood is HARD.

While reading my good friend Julianne's blog, I was reminded that I'm not the only one that has days like this. I'm trying to remember that and rather than wish these preschool years away in favor of more independent, less posessive kids, I remind myself to enjoy these times when they want Mommy to referee all their fights and kiss their war wounds better.

It won't always be like this.

This is What a Doula Looks Like

2010-06-14T17:03:00.002-06:00

I came across this article via a friend's facebook post linking to it. Its a really interesting article on the misconceptions that doulas are all hippy-dippy weirdos. And, I admit, for a little while, I thought this too until I learned more about the profession.

Check out the article here and then head over to her other site This Is What A Doula Looks Like to take a look at my profile as well as others from all over the world. Very cool! (The gorgeous black and white photo of a beautiful woman and her newborn is my friend and fellow doula, Melanie with her sweet daughter, Marlow.)

I've also joined the Red Deer Doula Association, as I'm hoping to concentrate on clients from Central Alberta. So, watch for my profile to appear on their website soon too!

And please refer anyone you might know to my Belly to Birth website where they can learn more about what a doula is and does as well as get in touch with me.

Thanks again to all of you for your support as I find my way along this fascinating journey!

Tooting my own Horn

2010-06-01T09:51:00.002-06:00

I got a beautiful testimonial today for my doula care.
Check it out on my Belly to Birth blog!

Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T11:17:00.003-06:00

I want to share this letter which was written to me by my amazing husband and left beside my bed for me to read this morning when I woke up after sleeping in. It is so touching and I am so honored that he would take the time to write this for me.

Mommy – A lot can be said by such a simple word. The range that it can imply is pretty impressive. From the instinctive “MOMMY!” a child cries when hurt to the play ground bully that calls someone a “mommy’s boy”, or tells them to go “Cry to your Mommy”. The simple consistent part of these situations is the reference to what is possibly the most important role a mother can play; the protector of her children.

The mother’s ability to protect a child before they even know they exist is a miracle in itself. Once the discovery is made a mother doesn’t complain that they are going to get stretch marks or lose their childhood figure. They rejoice that they have been blessed with such a thing. They brim over with joy and love at their new upgraded life. The next stage a mother must go through is one that will forever stand as a testament to their love of their child. Before a mother ever meet’s their child they will go through the most challenging, and life altering moment in their life. Giving Birth. Although this is a true test of a mother’s physical, emotional and spiritual strength, the reward is always greater than the risk. Once a child is born, so is a mother.

From that moment on a mother spends the rest of their life doing everything they can to make their child’s life perfect. From the moment a mother wakes up to when they go to sleep the safety and happiness of their children is always in their thoughts. Some mothers will tell you that the best parts of their day is the end when the children are in bed sleeping, and they can get some peace and quiet. There is no doubt that the quiet a sleeping child allows is truly euphoric but there is an underlying reason for a mothers happiness at this point. A sleeping child represents something that every mother strives for. A sleeping child is one that has been cleaned, fed, nurtured and otherwise “mothered” to bed. It is one that has been safely and lovingly placed there to get a nights rest. A sleeping child is one that a mother has successfully helped get through another day moving forward into their lives. The happiness that a mother feels when their child is sleeping is one that can only come when a mother knows their child is truly safe. A happiness that can not be enjoyed as little boys jump off the back of a couch to see who can land the loudest or father’s pilot the entire family through a mountain pass.

Mothers are a special and amazing sort. Although there is only one “Mothers Day” each year, I hope that we all realize without mothers in this world, our lives would not be the same. I know that when mommy is not around our house things are never the same. Sure boys will be boys, and we have our fun, but whenever someone gets hurt, or it’s time for a bedtime kiss, the first thing out of all our mouths is:

MOMMY!

Luca, Levi, Loki, and I are a pretty lucky crowd. For that we are thankful. The love and joy that mommy brings to our lives is nothing short of a miracle. We love you Janice and hope that today will help you understand just how much we appreciate you.

As well, we are blessed to have an extended family full of loving mothers. Grandmothers and Great Grandmothers, Aunties and Great Aunties. All of whom represent the love of a mother in their own special way. This year my family has lost our beloved Nona. She was the measuring stick that every mother in my life today is measured against. The love and commitment that she showed to her family was without a doubt one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

Happy Mother’s Day everyone, and I hope you all get to sleep in!

Sugar Doll

2010-05-04T12:19:00.006-06:00

I was tagged in this award/ meme by Raelene and my friend over at Just Another Mom Blog. Here's what you're supposed to do:
1) Say 10 random things about yourself
2) Tag 10 random bloggy friends for this award

Here are 10 random things about me:

1) I always wished I had lived in the "pioneer days". Think long prairie dresses and horse drawn carriages. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman style. I have no idea why I am so drawn to this time period, especially since even when camping I like elecricity and running water in the trailer. Life just seemed so much simpler then and families actually had relationships. Also, growing up, I loved watching Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman!

2) I am really comfortable with who I am. As a teenager, I just didn't feel like I fit in anywhere and then once I moved away to college, I began to slowly find my way in the world and find where I belonged. I've been questioned recently about my personality- why I'm so straightforward and honest, why I do what I do and how I do it. All I can say to those people is that I have found myself. I am blunt at times, I often say what's on my mind and I am an individual. I'm independent, I do things the way that work best for me. I'm neurotic and obsessive about some things and completely passe about others. I know the type of people I want to have in my life and the kind of friends I need. I'm not too bothered when people don't like me for who I am. This is me and if we don't "mesh well", then ok. That's life.

3) I'm looking into taking a Childbirth Educator course. This would enable me to teach prenatal classes as well as be a doula. Until I really got into the "birthing community", I didn't realize just how much I would love being involved in this aspect of people's lives. I think that just maybe I have found my calling.

4) I would love to be a great gardener but I'm not. I'm mediocre at best. And that's on a really good day.

5) I love, love, love to read. (ok, sidenote- I was just typing along, intending to write that I love, love, love to read and typed that I love, love, love to eat. HA! I guess my fingers know me best! LOL) Anyway, I do love to read. I have an entire bookcase overflowing with books in my bedroom to be read and I still regularly take out 2-3 books from the library every few weeks. Books are my addiction. I have to have them. I love to hold a book and smell it. It smells like paper and imagination. I love it. That being said, I am seriously thinking about getting a Kindle or a Kobo after seeing a friend's a few weeks ago. Originally I thought that it was stupid, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Would I be cheating on my books if I went to an electronic version? Would it be conflicting since I am on the library board in town and would then no longer need to sign out books from the library? I'm so torn.... If you have any opinions regarding the Kindle or Kobo, I'd love to hear them!

6) When I was a kid, I had these awesome, thick framed, big, baby pink glasses. I picked them out myself. Why my parents let me do that, I don't know. Perhaps I was being punished for something.

7) I used to hate exercise and now I am addicted to the endorphin rush I get when I work out and get sweaty and out of breath. Weird. I never thought I'd say that. I'm actually planning to sign up for a 5K run that is being held in town here in October.

8) I am absolutely, utterly petrified of tornadoes. Because of this fear, I am also terrified of summer storms. I can almost always convince myself that any cloud is the beginnings of a funnel cloud. I will literally make myself sick to my stomach with worry and will constantly look out the windows and check Environment Canada's weather radar. (I was taught how to read radar in a climatology class that I took in university. A little bit of knowledge can be dangerous!) I love summer but I'm also often anxious come late afternoon/ early evening rain storms.

9) When I was in high school, I knew that I was going to marry my husband. Call me crazy but I just knew. I told him that, too when he broke up with me in 11th grade. He thought I was a lunatic. Who's laughing now??

10) I am fascinated with learning about and reading true life accounts of the lives of Hutterites, Polygamists and the Amish. Maybe because their worlds are just so different from mine. It reminds me that there are so many different types of people in this world. In a way, I think I respect their lifestyle choices more when I learn about the basis for their decisions. Not to say that I would agree with some of their choices (sister wives? Not a chance!) but it reminds me that there are others in this world with different opinions and beliefs than mine and I can respect that.

So, that's it. Those are my 10 random things. If I don't tag you and you want to share your random things with me, please do so in a comment! I'd love to get to know you more!

Consider yourself tagged:
Julianne at The Dream to Write
Jay at Ramblings of an Eccentric Mommy
Carri at One Day at a Time
Karyn at Musings From Me
Rimini at Our New Arrival
Jenn at My Crazy Life!
Amy at McGiven Family Chaos
Tasha at The Tompkins Family

Ok, I know I only tagged 8 but that's all I've got right now! :)

Spring in Alberta

2010-04-29T19:16:00.002-06:00

A few days ago we were outside, enjoying the sunshine and gazing at the tulips and crocuses that were beginning to bloom.

This morning we were treated to another blast of winter.

Afterall, we do live in Alberta where snow is a possibility no matter what month it is!

Another milestone

2010-04-25T20:08:00.004-06:00

Today my baby boy turned 2. He's not really my baby anymore, but more of a little boy. He walks and talks and runs and jumps. He's a ball of energy!

We had a great party today with great friends and family. Here are a few pics from the party:

The birthday boy!

Presents!

The cake made by his talented Auntie Sarah!
Delicious!

And the customary birthday photo:

Happy Birthday, big boy!

On a side note, I had Levi on a Friday evening and this past Friday, I was in that exact same room, helping to welcome another little boy to the world! I love, love, love my new job!!!!

This and That

2010-04-21T09:34:00.010-06:00

I realize that I am really slacking when it comes to posting. I apologize. Everytime I plan to sit down and blog, something comes up. More often than not, I seem to be posting novel-sized posts and today is no exception. So, hang in there. Here goes:

I'm pretty confident in saying that Luca is potty trained. He is not night trained yet, but that was the least of my concerns when I was cleaning poopy underwear on a daily baisis. He still has the occasional "oops" in his pull-up at bedtime, but nothing like it used to be.

Last night I registered Luca for playschool. What a gong show that turned out to be! We were told by pretty much everyone that you needed to be there early as spaces were limited. Registration started at 7pm. Dee and I took lawn chairs and camped out there at 5. We were the first ones there, but apparently, that didn't matter because at 7 they opened the doors and it was a bloody stampede to get in, grab a form and race through filling it out to be up at the registration table as fast as you can. I was so irritated! The organizers didn't say a word about what the process was, what would happen after you paid your registration fee and handed over all of your child's information. To say that it was chaos is an understatement. I was really upset. It wasn't until afterwards that we were told that each registration form was assigned a number and that Dee and I did, in fact, get the first numbers and our info was inputted according to these numbers. Had we known this before, I would have taken more time to be a bit more careful and thorough in filling out the information. So frustrating!!! I was lucky enough to talk to one of the board members and found out that Luca and Adelynn did, in fact, get spots but typically you don't find this out until the end of May when a letter comes in the mail stating whether your child got in or not. And then there isn't any more information given until orientation in September. I feel a bit flustered and disorganized. I'm not really sure what to expect. I am trying to go into this with an open mind, but there are other factors that are causing my view on this playschool to be a bit colored. Crossfield could definitely use a second playschool to provide parents with some choice. But, that's an opinion piece for another time...

Since taking my doula course, I have attended one birth, I have another any day now and one booked for each of June, July, August and possibly December! I will be charging a discounted fee beginning September 1.

The birth that I attended recently was for a good friend of mine. I was delighted and so honoured to be there for her and her husband. It was amazing and just reiterrated to me that this was something that I wanted to pursue. Being present for such a beautiful and life changing moment for someone is an incredible privelege. I am anxiously awaiting my next birth, with my phone nearby, hoping for that call!

Levi turns 2 on Sunday! Seriously, how the heck did that happen??? My baby is 2!? Wow! He is such a funny little guy. He has new words daily and his pronunciations make us laugh, but he sure does try! He makes the funniest faces and is his big brother's shadow. He is constantly trying to do whatever Luca is doing. It is adorable to watch. He's also a pretty experienced fighter; it seems to be his and Luca's favorite pasttime as of late.

This year of MOPS is wrapping up next week and I'm definitley going to miss it over the summer. I have loved being a part of the steering team and am looking forward to possibly taking on a new role with MOPS in the fall. I am also so excited to be going to the international MOPS convention in Nashville, TN in August! My flight and convention fee are paid by MOPS, I am responsible for hotel and food. I am going with our MOPS coordinator, who I really enjoy spending time with. I am looking forward to getting to know her better and getting some ideas and inspiration on ways to run our MOPS group as well as some ideas on how to be the best mom I can be. As excited as I am, I am also a bit nervous. You see, I am quite afraid of flying and get motion sick. This is usually enough to give me some sleepless nights before a trip, but I usually have Chris there to squeeze my hand and tell me to breathe. This time, Chris won't be there. It is my first time travelling without Chris. I've already warned Jen that she might have to hold my hand during takeoff and landing! Haha

I'm only subbing a few days a month at this point. Partly because there seems to be less work available and also because I am trying to direct more of my energy into my doula business. When I am on call for a birth, its hard to accept some work in a school at the same time in case I'm needed at a delivery.

Last summer, Chris got a rollback to his salary due to the economy. Then in late fall, he found out that his company was taken over by another company. There was some uncertaintly as to whether he would still keep his company truck and whether there would be a change to his salary and benefits and job description. It seems like his job will be mostly the same as it was, he gets to keep his truck (although it is now covered in decals advertising for his company), and was given a generous increase in pay for his oncall time. the rollback in salary last year was the cause of a fair bit of stress and it is so nice to have that burden lifted from our shoulders.

Even after doing bootcamp twice a week for a year, I was very dismayed at the end of March to discover that not only was I gaining weight (somewhat expected when you build muscle) but that by body fat percentage had actually INCREASED! Quite a blow to my ego. After some sulking and then some serious thought, I decided that I needed to do more to change my eating habits. Needing a bit of motivation, I decided to challenge a few of my friends to a 6 week weight loss challenge. The key words being "a few friends". When I put the suggestion on facebook, I was anticipating 3 or 4 people that might be interested. When it quickly grew to 30 people, I was shocked! The deal was that it was a $20 buy in and the winner took the pot based on % lost. As soon as it was apparent that the pot was going to be quite substantial, I revised the rules to be a 70/30 split for the winner and second place. The challenge started on Monday and runs for 6 weeks and there are 34 people in the challenge! Pretty much makes my chances of winning pretty slim, but who ever does win is going to get a nice stack of money! I'm on day 3 and am doing quite well (except for that little slip-up at McDonald's but I blame that on the kids!). Wish me luck!

I am so, so, so excited that Spring is here! My tulips are poking their little green leaves out of the defrosted ground, my crocouses are blooming and the trees are budding! Grass is getting greener and all the boys want to do is play outside. We have had adventures up the hill behind the house, in the "forest" and the boys have found numerous 'treasures' in teh form of sticks and rocks. Hours have been logged in the sandbox, drawing with sidewalk chalk and riding bikes. The boys love their helmets and insist on wearing them whenever they play in the backyard!

Luca is registered for Learn to Play baseball which will begin in May. Instead of T-ball where one child plays and the other stand around with their fingers up their noses, the kids are split into groups and they do little games to learn skills for baseball such as catching, throwing, hitting, etc. They get a t-shirt and a trophy as well as a team photo, and all for just $40! He's excited about playing. I'm excited to watch him learn something new. Should be lots of fun!

At the end of March, Chris and I went to Canmore for 2 nights. Friends of ours have a timeshare and they got us a fantastic deal on a hotel so we went for some R&R just the 2 of us. We had such a fantastic time walking, talking, eating leisurely dinners, watching movies and all the other stuff you can do without kids around! ;) We came home refreshed and reminded of why we fell in love with eachother. I wish we could have little mini vacations every month!

I'm realizing that this is really quite long, so I'm going to just stop there even though I'm sure I have much more that I could mention. I know I say this all the time, but I really am going to try to post more often!

A Lesson

2010-03-18T14:46:00.003-06:00

Recently I have been encouraging my husband to get a hobby. I seem to be out all the time doing something or other, whether it be bootcamp, scrapbooking, visiting, attending meetings of organizations for which I am a member, etc.

So, anyway, I've been encouraging Chris to get out and do something for himself. He took this to mean that he should get a dirt bike.

By doing something for himself, I had in mind maybe joining a men's league sports team or something like that. He thought I meant get a dirt bike.

This weekend he will be like a kid again as he takes his new dirt bike for a spin.

This, my friends, is why you should never assume that what you say and what men hear are even remotely close to the same thing!

Its here!

2010-03-14T20:20:00.004-06:00

It's not finished and I'm not 100% happy with it yet but I do have a website up for my Doula Business.

Check it out here

I've also created a blog page for Belly to Birth for updates and to keep you all posted on how the business is going.

You can click on my link on the sidebar or go to http://bellytobirthdaoulacare.blogspot.com/

So, what do you think? I know its not ideal but for now it will hopefully get my info out there.

We have a bathroom again!

2010-03-04T16:35:00.005-07:00

I seem to have forgotten to post the pictures of the completed bathroom reno. Oops.

It would have been done last month but *someone* (not me) shattered the glass door of the shower when putting the handle on and it was a 2 week wait to get a new one.

So, without further ado, here are the bathoom pics:

Before:

AFTER:

Shower:

Tub and floor:

At some point the green counter top will be replaced with something that matches a little better but it just wasn't in the budget for this time.

I am so lucky to have a handy husband that did the majority of the work on his own. Is it absolutely perfect? No. But, its ours and it is beautiful and it is functional. So, thank you to my wonderful husband. Even though it took *way* longer than I thought it should have, you worked hard and did a beautiful job. I love you!

(To see more photos of the reno in progress, go to my November 2009 posts in the archives. There were numerous bathroom related posts from then on.)

Belly to Birth Doula Care

2010-03-02T15:48:00.004-07:00

So, I've decided on a business name and have made some business cards.

I'm so excited about what the future has in store for me as I venture into this new realm.

I am still accepting clients Pro Bono as I am working towards certification. If you or someone you know in the Calgary or Red Deer area are expecting and interested in a doula, contact me for more information.