A Great Moms Club...

Last night was our first ever Moms Club!
It was a great evening filled with many amazing moms and moms to be... not to mention many laughs and interesting topics! I can only see each meeting getting more interesting as the Moms get to know one another better, and conversation topics begin to fly.
From infant/toddler feeding, to bellies and breast, to husbands(partners)... the topics were all informative, fun and interesting ;) I cant wait till next month!

There was such a great group last night, with many more women that expressed an interest but unfortunately couldn't make it...this group could get big...and maybe a little loud. I have to thank OMG for the awesome wine glasses. I used them as a giveaway in honour of our first Moms Club ever! And with this group, I think they were more than fitting!








Check them out at www.omgisoneedaglassofwine.com





Kelly Spec of Spectrum nutrition came in to kick off our first meeting. She pumped us full of knowledge and answered and array of questions on infant/toddler eating habits and nutrition. All the information was fantastic! I am devising our daily "routine" and will begin this transition to proper eating for our kids soon... Keep you posted on that. I suspect there will be a few moms from last night that may have a grumpy household for a few days... but I cant wait for the end result and therefore benefit!

Kelly not only advises on infant/toddler/children nutrition, she actually specializes in weight loss. So if there is any need for an amazing Nutritionist, please check out her site or give her a call as her knowledge was fantastic and her personality, professional yet fun :)




Next months meeting, I have no doubt, will be as much fun if not more! Looking forward to growing friendships and mommy knowledge with a great group of woman.

~Moms, I am posting a page on my site that will be up and running by Friday. On this page you will find  what our Moms Club is/has been up to... along with any info you may find useful/informative! Last night, our guest speaker gave us an awesome handout on "Feeding Your Toddler." This will be on the page for your resource.~

"Mom's menu consists of 2 choices: Eat it or don't." ~ Unknown.


Thought this was fitting for our topics of conversation last night.


 

Another Milestone...30 weeks!

Today marks a pregnancy milestone. I am 30 weeks! The countdown to baby officially is on, the end is in site to my growing body and aching legs. Soon our new addition will be here!!

I am getting more excited as the date approaches. It is hard to believe we are already into September.
My lists are getting checked off and I am feeling more and more organized. Yes, our house looks like a bomb went off, as I have everything EVERYWHERE: Yet, in order to move things from point A to point B, it is bound to be a mess for a short while.

Our wall is being built tomorrow!! And by next Saturday, the painting will be done and my office will be re-located... therefore making room for the nursery.

Si's big girl bed has already arrived... yes, they said 6 to 8 weeks, and it was a quick 2. Gotta like that! Once I am finished setting her new room up, I will post some pictures. A few more things to go. It is looking great!
I figured with all the excitement on Si's room and the baby's room, I better make Kai feel included as well. Plane sheets and an airplane wall decal did the trick and he is IN LOVE with his new room!

Here is another bump comparison for all of you that haven't voted ;)

As the weeks pass I have an upcoming giveaway based on the winner of the baby bump guess, so be sure to register your vote. It will be an amazing prize...to be announced soon!

There are so many similarities and differences in all three pregnancies that it truly is amazing what the body can do and does do.
I have succumb to the fact that, aside from 2 pairs of jeans and a pair of cargo's, this baby is sitting low as pants are not comfortable and will barely do up... thank god for fall as it is time to bring out the leggings! With Kai, I recall jeans not to be much of an option either. Si, I wore jeans until 38 weeks...a week prior to her birthday!

We shall see... Boy or Girl!?

Happy Labour Day Weekend!

Cord Blood Banking...

I had a comment on this today, as to my thoughts and opinions on Cord Blood and banking and/or donating. It is funny the timing of the comment made, as I was just filling out our paper work and was going to blog this topic in an upcoming post.

I find Cord Blood Banking to be a very personal choice and topic. There are many aspects that go into making the decision to do or not to do this.
I have been speaking with a few pregnant friends lately on this topic, and all with varying thoughts and opinions.
Reasons differ from cost to religious reasons and views. In speaking with them on their reasons to mine, I realized how truly personal the banking process is. It is a decision that you make for your family either way.

For us, the decision was an easy one. We made it approximately three and a half years ago, before the arrival of our first child, Kai.
I look at Cord Blood Banking a little like Insurance if you will. I feel, that if we ever needed it (god forbid), and we decided against the process, then I would not be able to let go of the "what if" and possibility of having it. With banking our children's cord blood, our babies have the Stem Cells available to them if ever need.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with cord blood banking, there are MANY great resources out there that give you much information on the positives and negatives of it.

A quick overview of Cord Blood:

"the umbilical cord blood is now proven to be rich in adult stem cells. Hematopoietic stem cells are the adult stem cells responsible for the creation of all blood cells in the human body. Through transplantation, hematopoietic stem cells are capable of regenerating bone marrow and immune systems destroyed by invasive treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. Stem cell transplants have been successful in the treatment of many life-threatening conditions including cancer, leukemia, sickle cell disease, various forms of anemia and severe combined immunodeficiency." www.lifebank.com

The list of what cord blood stem cells are able to help with continues to grow as medical research continues to break new ground.

As for the costs related to Cord Blood Banking, I completely understand and acknowledge that this is something that weighs heavily on the decision to do so or not. Simply put, the cost to initially bank is the expensive part, and not all can fit it into the budget. Along with a new baby there are never-ending expenses: cribs, clothes, diapers, car seats, strollers, bottles, food... Some have a hard time accepting cord blood banking to be a part of the general costs of children. It is a choice. Your choice. And that choice has to sit right with you.
For us, yes the cost is steep...where we store it is a little under $1000 for the initial fee. This includes registration, the kit, collection, processing of the cord blood and the first years storage. From there, you are able to choose options...and annual fee of $125 or a one time payment of $1800 for 18 years. In all, the fee you have to bite the bullet on is the initial fee...as the annual fee of $125 doesn't seem as steep when you look at it in the form of $10.41/month.

To us, again, back to the Insurance plan... you buy the toys, the clothes, the "stuff." All the "stuff" that eventually gets tossed or handed down. So why not look at Cord Blood Banking in the same way you do many other baby items...a necessity. Obviously, it is a gamble. If you don't need it then you have lost $1000... to me a good gamble as it is also your child's life. There is a gamble with doing it as well, who is to say if you DO need it, that it will guarantee a fix... it doesn't come with a guarantee. That is why this choice is personal.
But for us, it comes with a glimmer of hope in a dark time if there ever is one. And I hope there never is one. I would give anything for our children. And this is just a very small tocken.

Please do your own research on Cord Blood Banking. There are many resources out there. The decision is yours. Our decision to do so is ours. This is my opinion and it is not meant to pose judgment on anyone who is reading this. I would love to learn more about everyones thoughts on this process and why you choose or choose not to do so.
Like in raising children, there is no right or wrong way, we just do our best with the knowledge we are given.

There is another aspect to Cord Blood Banking, and it is that of Public Blood Banks. If you choose not to bank your babies cord blood, instead of it going to waste, some choose to donate it to Public Banks. This is another option as if you ever needed a potential match, this is where it may possibly come from. This is such a broad topic and I am not even going to attempt going in to this. I am stating my personal thoughts and that alone. Again, my thoughts, nothing personal to anyone out there! I have included a link to a public site that offers a wealth of information on banking in general, along with the public aspect of it.

A few sites and resources on the topic:

Lifebank
LifebankUSA
Public Cord Blood Banks

"Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children."

Book Review and Giveaway!...

"Carla and Leo's World of Dance."
A children's book authored by supermodel Agatha Relota, Illustrated by fashion illustrator Thierry Perez and an Introduction by newly second time mom, Jessica Alba.

Carla and Leo's World of Dance is a story of two friends that love to dance! When they happen upon a dance class is session they become so taken by what they saw, they decide to join in on the fun! With the help of their teacher, Miss Paulina, soon Carla and Leo are touring the world with their dances; from Cha-Cha to the Waltz, and several more! Not only is this a cute story, the dance steps are broken down for the kids (and parents) to follow, for some reading and dancing fun!

The colorful and large illustrations keep the kids attention drawn, the author did a great job at keeping the words simple for most ages, and the penned introduction by Jessica Alba is a cute and added touch.

The book also inspires some added education as each dance that is introduced, background from the country and culture it came from is given.

This book will inspire the little eyes, and maybe even the parents too!

You can find this book for purchase at Chapters Indigo or one lucky winner can win it here!

Draw will be held tomorrow, Friday August 19, 2011.
To enter the contest you must do the following:

-Comment on this post via the website or on facebook
Extra votes for:
-voting on my baby bump pole
-referring a friend or liking us on facebook!

And it never hurts to click to vote us on Top Mommy Blogs!

Good luck! The winner will be announced tomorrow, August 19, 2011. Winner chosen by random.org generator.

Sticky Fingers...

Yesterday was a long day. From poop and cranky kids starting the day, to Si learning how to continuously climb out of her crib to end it. It was a long one...one that maybe in a few more days I will be able to laugh about.
As for today, so far, I think it is going a lot better. As Ryan is leaving for work, we both turn around to see Si's finger up Kai's nose. Yep, that's right; Si was picking Kai's nose for him. And the gong show at our house begins.
Today, amongst a few work and personal appointments, I have a few stops to make.
1) to get diaper covers @ the suggestion of another mom. Maybe this will help the no-poop brigade!?
2) to get a crib cover...in case the suggestion of turning the high part of the crib to the front doesn't hold her in.
I am not being defeated by a pack of monkeys tonight! Or today for that matter!

Time to organize and get these booger-fingered kids to grandmas house for a few hours of my own sanity today.

Happy Thursday!

Spring Cleaning...

Another "thing to do" on my list (you do not want to see my list; it seems to expand rapidly and never shrink). We have lots of things to clear out and I was thinking of having a "garage sale/friend swap." Who's in!? It's time to lighten the load in closet space and clear out the odds and ends sitting in our crawl-space.
We have kids/baby clothes, toys, men and women clothes, books, carpets...i don't even know what else! Another great reason to give it to a good home! (If we don't even know we have it, why do we have it!?).

Over the next little while I am going to organize...was thinking for a weekend (Saturday) in April.
If anyone is interested in bringing stuff and/or coming to check stuff out, let me know and I will see if I can organize a bigger "swap meet" for us all!

Happy Spring Cleaning...
For the Martha Stewart in you...here is her Spring Cleaning Checklist. Clearly, she has WAY to much time on her hands! Like any of that is likely in my house...my suggestions #1-800-house-cleaners! ;-)

Don't forget to Spring Forward TONIGHT!

Giveaway for the Girl!

This Giveaway comes in time for Spring/Summer.

It is for the Princess of the House.

I don't have a picture of the color I have. I have an overall Blue Color, with Pink Tie-dye highlights. Same as below, different color. 

Size 4T.

It is from "Little Gypsy."

http://www.gypsy05.com/shop/p_1074_Toddler-Girl-Sets-Clarie-Babydoll-Tank-and-Pants.aspx

How to win today's Giveaway:

- If you haven't already, become a follower on the website or "like" our page on Facebook. (follow the  link).
- Get a friend or friends to like the page or become a follower as well... the person who helps me add the most "likes"/ followers, wins today's Giveaway! Post who referred you, or who you referred, and the name that appears the most will win!
-Closes tonight, Monday March 07, 2011.

More Giveaways this week!! So the more likes the more winners :-)
Thanks everyone!!

Happy Monday!

Her Inner Angel...

"A daughter is a mother's gender partner, her closest ally in the family confederacy, an extension of her self.  And mothers are their daughters' role model, their biological and emotional road map, the arbiter of all their relationships."  ~Victoria Secunda


Today was a rough morning. There is nothing nice about taking your child to the hospital for any reason, but today I had two. Si is growing leaps and bounds... she is such a bright little girl, an eager learner, fast runner, loud speaker and strong fighter! I think with having an older brother to keep up to, she has learnt a lot and held her own.
Lately though, as she has been growing, her legs have been growing outwards... she is bow-legged. With having seen the typical "diaper stance" with Kai, we assumed for a while that this is all it was, but with her petite frame, it is very accentuated. And so, with a visit to our GP, we were referred to a pediatrician. Yes, the confirmation is that she has bow legs, and so off to the hospital we went today for a couple of blood tests and THREE X-RAYS. I think in some ways this becomes more traumatic on me as I knew what was coming, for her she went with the flow... until she had to be held down for the x-rays and held still for the blood work. Tiny veins and 5 TUBES OF BLOOD does not make for a quick, painless procedure... she did not get through all the tubes and I am praying to God that they got enough blood so we don't have to go back!
When a 17 month old has crocodile tears racing down their cheeks crying for their momma there is not much of a worse feeling. Having to put her through this made me feel terrible, but I know it is for the best in the long run.
So now we wait for our results... the blood tests are to help rule out things like Rickets and/or Vitamin deficiencies. The X-Rays are to look at the bone growth and determine if this is a stage of growth that she will naturally outgrow or if our next step will be to an Orthopedic... please let it be the first!
Apparently bow legged is quiet a normal thing to see. Most often, the children just naturally grow out of it. Gone are the days of leg braces, thank god! There has been no proven science that the braces aided in re-correction... just time; that makes me very happy and keeps me staying positive!
A parent always worries about their kids... i have been told, this will never end. From the minute the test says positive, life begins. My life began twice. I will do everything in my power to protect my kids, to keep them safe, show them love and let them grow and learn. 
I look at this obstacle as just that, a bump in our road that we will jump over and continue moving forward from.
As I said, Si is a strong girl... and if you don't believe me you can come over and see her wrestle her older brother to the ground. I have much to learn from her.


"A baby is an angel whose wings decrease as his legs increase." Author Unknown


I guess she is just holding on to her inner angel as long as she can. :-)

~5 weeks old (a fairy for Halloween)~

~holding on to that tutu (6 months)~

The Great Debate...

Enter the world of parenthood and everyday is filled with its own set of challenges.
Our current/upcoming topic that is a HUGE decision...preschool. Now the parenting begins and the playing is left till after school. Kai will be 3 in April and ready for his first year of preschool this September. These days, it is not only where to send your child, but at what age as well. There are some new "junior kindergartens" that take children as young as one. In essence it is a childcare facility at this age, yet they still have some structure to their days (as much as you can give a one-two year old!). The topic is on the table because over the next few weeks, registration begins!

We began our thoughts on this pretty quickly after Kai was born. The reason being, most of the good schools (yes, even preschools) have waitlists for years! If you can believe it, some actually register your name the minute you find out you are pregnant. A little excessive, I think yes! But to each their own.
We were originally thinking of sending him to a Junior kindergarten a few days a week starting this past fall. It didn't pan out for a few reasons and in the end I have been happy it didn't. What's the rush to send your baby to school so fast!? They have their entire lives to be there. Come the fall, I think he will be ready, and so will we by then.

Now for us, the decision is where...and why! Sienna follows Kai around everywhere. She loves to sit and read, and yet she loves to stick her hand in dirty diapers...yes discgusting! But she is a big factor in our equation of Kai and preschool. With Kai going a certain number of days/mornings a week, Sienna will still need to have a place to be. Currently, when I am working, the kids are with our part-time Nanny. She is fantastic and the kids love her, but realistically, we cannot afford to employ a nanny and pay for school; and so, our thoughts are leading us in the direction of a junior kindergarten where Sienna can be on the same "campus" as her older brother. The two of them can have the same schedule, and this in-turn makes a happy mom :-)

Here are some of my thoughts and "foreseen debates" that we are, and will be, dealing with:

- How many days a week
- Time of day (morning or afternoon)
Cost
- Preschool and part-time nanny
- junior kindergarten for both kids
- Preschool and daycare!?
Cost
curriculum
-Location
-Cost

For those of you who don't have children yet, or you do but you have not gotten to the stage of looking into preschools, they seem to charge an equivalent rate to University. Since the children are 1/4 to 1/2 the height of a grown adult, the tuition is reflected by 1/4-1/2 the price! Not really, but I figure, pretty damn close! So if we are shelling out this amount of money for our child's education and learning, I want to make sure that we are getting the most value for our dollar. Preschools are private and therefore you must pay...I can see another debate a few years in the future, private or public!?

We have looked into CEFA (Core Education and Fine Arts), and they offer some amazing things at their schools: from uniforms all the way down to meal planning. This is a Junior kindergarten. And here, the days are full from 9 to 5 if you want. Great for a working 9-5 parent, but not necessary for me...but maybe this is where the kids can go on the same 2 days a week and no more would be needed!??
Or do we go to preschool...there are some amazing ones in our neighbourhood: from Montessori programs to French immersion.
Wish us luck and please send thoughts, suggestions and advice...it is all welcomed and appreciated!

"It will be gone before you know it. The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher. Then suddenly they disappear." ~Dorothy Evslin

15 Step Program

I came across this "program" the other day and couldn't stop laughing in how true so much of it is!

This is a great test for all of those want to be parents in a very humorous way.

I don't fully adhere to lesson number 7 as I have vowed to never own a mini-van and am still holding strong...but discustingly dirty INSIDE AND OUT, it is!

This is kind of one of those lists that you wish was around when you were contemplating  child-bearing. But I do say that there are some essentials that have been left out. First read the published 15 step program, then I will fill you in on my additions...and my list seems to be growing, daily...no, by the minute!

The program is posted all over the internet and I am unsure who wrote the original, it may be "Mama Hippo."

Lesson 1

1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their…

1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child’s breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel….

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)

2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.

4. Set the alarm for 3AM.

5. As you can’t get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.

7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.

9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out..

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this – all morning.

Lesson 6

1. Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and a jar of paint, turn it into an alligator.
2. Now take the tube from a roll of toilet paper. Using only Scotch tape and a piece of aluminum foil, turn it into an attractive Christmas candle.
3. Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty packet of Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower

Lesson 7
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don’t think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don’t look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle Cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 8

1. Get ready to go out.
2. Sit on the floor of your bathroom reading picture books for half an hour.
3. Go out the front door.
4. Come in again.Go out.
5. Come back in.
6. Go out again.
7. Walk down the front path.
8. Walk back up it.
9. Walk down it again.
10.Walk very slowly down the sidewalk for five minutes.
11. Stop, inspect minutely, and ask at least 6 questions about every cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect along the way.
12. Retrace your steps.
13. Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbors come out and stare at you.
14. Give up and go back into the house.
You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

Lesson 9

Repeat everything you have learned at least (if not more than) five times.

Lesson 10

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is also excellent). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week’s groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 11

1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine month old baby.

Lesson 12

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you’re thinking What’s “Noggin”?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 13

Move to the tropics. Find or make a compost pile. Dig down about halfway and stick your nose in it. Do this 3-5 times a day for at least two years.

Lesson 14
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying “mommy” repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each “mommy”; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 15
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt sleeve, or elbow while playing the “mommy” tape made from Lesson 14 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Now, this post is probably not as laugh-out-loud funny to those that don't yet have children. This is over the top funny for those who do because we realize that there is significance in it all, and we have all experienced a variation of every number on the program in some form or another!

My additions based on personal experience:

Lesson 16

Never answer a phone call or attempt to phone anyone until it is after 730pm, before 7am or while in the car from your hands-free device while you are on your own. To talk above the screaming or fight with an infant over whom is holding the phone will only piss off the person on the other line.

Lesson 17

Know that any sense of SELF will be lost for at least the first 4-6 months of the child's life.  You are their food source (be it bottle or breast, they can't hold the bottle!), their support (to sit, to move, to roll, to see the world), you are their comfort. So much of this can be the most amazing feeling in the world, and at the same time, it can be the loneliest feeling. You are the WORLD to someone who can't tell you how much they appreciate what you are doing...and with those long days and nights and little to know sleep, you would kill for any form of a life of your own...honestly even a 10 minute coffee break, or better yet, NAP!

Lesson 18

Well, you're gone from your life, so what makes you think your relationship with your spouse or partner will remain the same!?

Children are amazing. They bring so much into a parents life...and being a parent, you embrace the good and the bad, the ups and the downs. Sometimes, it just helps to know what to look for to try to manage it all a little bit better =)

And if this list is a deterrent to anyone thinking of children...honestly, why would we keep going back for more if it was all so bad! I would not be the person I am today, the mom I am, the wife I am, the women I am, without having these two amazing kids of ours in my life.  They bring the love, the laughter, the strength and courage, the butterflies, the tears of joy and the smiles to my life. My life would not be complete without Kai and Si.

 

One last tip, said in the words of Rita Rudner: "My husband and I have decided to start a family while my parents are still young enough to look after them."   Thank you all so much! We are so fortunate to have our family around for support, love and help. We appreciate it and we know the kids do to!

Here are a few more quotes:

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.  ~Elizabeth Stone

It's not only children who grow.  Parents do too.  As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours.  I can't tell my children to reach for the sun.  All I can do is reach for it, myself.  ~Joyce Maynard

The one thing children wear out faster than shoes is parents.  ~John J. Plump

If it's not one thing...it's another!

Why does it feel like life is always, "if it's not one thing, it's another!"

Lately, LIFE begins to settle in one area and then LIFE begins building in the OTHER. If it's not you it's another that you are affected by.

My question, when does life become your own...for a year, for a minute, for a second...

I am quickly learning...it never does. If you have family, in ANY FORM, it never completely resides in your own hand; because, the minute you care for someone, family or friend, you never know where life will take you.

If it is not your life experience and learing, it is someone elses...

To the tears, the laughter, the love...

To learing...

To life... 

Thank you for tomorrow.

xo

Terrible Twos...

So I am discovering, on a daily basis, that the "terrible two's" are a real phenom; And with them comes the "terrible twenties" because I don't think I have ever been so mentally and physically exhausted! Mix a two-year old, with daily life and stress, with a walking one year old, and there is no mix in that equation for much of anything...let alone rest!

Kai is at a point lately where I can only leave him with a select few people, otherwise I can't leave him at all. Everything is "mommy do it" "i want my mom", when does this phase progress forward!? It's hard to wish away time, but when you are arguing with a 2-year-old, you quickly find yourself loosing your mind! 

In parenting, I find that with friends around you, you learn from one another. I constantly find myself in "growing friendships."  Within my circle of friends I was among the first, if not the first, to marry, to have a baby, to have a second baby... so I was in a place to "make new friends." With kids the learning and growing never stops, and to have people who can relate to the ages and stages of life help make the days go by! Thank you to all of my friends for being such a strong support system. I don't know what I would do to get through some days!

What I have learned about this age and stage that Kai is going through, is that he needs stimulation and exercise. He LOVES playing outside, going to the park, coloring and playing with his cars. When a tantrum begins sometimes all he needs is a re-direct on to a different activity. This is why Ryan and I have decided it is time for him to enter into Junior Kindergarten. We are now wait-listed for an amazing Junior Kindergarten school CEFA.  Check them out at www.cefa.ca

One of our amazing friends is involved in the Cefa School in Langley and we have heard nothing but the best! Check out her amazing blog at www.cefalangley.wordpress.com

Fingers crossed we can have a fresh start to 2011 and have both Kai and Si in this amazing program!

My feelings are that, like adults, kids need to be social and set into different environments. It only allows them to grow and expand their little horizons. There is so much to learn in life, and as a parent, we can't even begin to think we have the ability to offer it all! We all need a little help. A little piece of mind ;-)

a little...rest!

While They Are Sleeping

While they are sleeping is the one time in the day i can count on at least 1 hour for myself.

Well, i guess i wouldn't always consider this self time as i am usually doing laundry, cleaning, doing bills, running a household, but at least its quiet!

I have now decided to take some of this time for me. To sit down here and to write.

I am surprised with every minute of life these days. It seems that just as you begin to get one area sorted out or feeling more positively about certain outcomes, there is another worry, sadness, stress, whatever waiting for you. Is this called life!? I guess so!! Although many of these lessons aren't seen at the time we experience them, there has got to be a reason for them all in something...i hope!

Currently i feel myself struggling to find a sense of self and direction in my world of marriage and motherhood. With Kai now 2.5 and Sienna 1, i feel it's my time to discover the ever-ending question of "who am i" and "what do i want." I know who i am in the form of wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend...but who am i in this life that evolves around me and what makes me happy in the everyday? Before our two amazing kids were born i ventured in a few different career paths 1) realtor 2) photographer.

 I truly LOVE these both but find myself questioning whether these are paths i want to take as career and whether i CAN take these as career while still raising our kids. I need time away from the house and kids; i am sure this is something that every mother can relate to! I need it for my own sanity!

So what is the next great place!? Work! I know, a little crazy some might think, but this introduces a new place of "adult time", sense of identity, and knowing that i have the ability to contribute to my family on a financial level as well.

So here i am, stuck with the overall question of "what do i see myself doing."

I am sure a question most have asked of themselves thru life...but when do you see the light at the end of the tunnel clearly?