break it down

So it seems that every stage of toddlerhood is just a little funnier than the last. Currently, Lady M is in a stage where she likes to break down words for us, just like we do for her when she's trying to add yet another word to her vocabulary. She is a sponge right now, and I'm amazed by the things that come out of her mouth each day. She's blunt and eloquent all at the same time, and makes me laugh constantly.

On my birthday last week, she came running into my room and started my day by proclaiming: "MUMMY!! Its your birthday!! I got you a cup....". Interesting, because the day before she told me that she was getting me a ring, so I wasn't too sure what I would be opening. But, sure enough, as I unwrapped the birthday present that she and Cal had lovingly put together, I found an adorable mother/daughter 'cup' (read: giant mug) that she had chosen for me. Being a lover of a huge cup of tea, I was, and still am, thrilled.

Like I said, she is also breaking words down for us, and sentences too. We have to repeat after her, and then build our sentence by the end. Apparently she is a fan of phonics. However, she will also take a small word and give it extra syllables just for the purpose of being able to break the word down for us.

For instance, this morning while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, she decided to break down the word Tootles for me (a character on the show, for those who don't see it as often as I do). To get me to properly say the word she told me to say "too" (too), say "tuh" (tuh), say "ulls" (ulls). "Now put it together mummy!" Right, too-tuh-ulls. So, with a couple added syllables, I was able to say Tootles with no problem...what a great teacher I have!

I sometimes wonder what she's going to be like when she gets to Junior Kindergarten next year. Will she be as advanced as I think she will? Or am I just a typical mum who thinks her child is brilliant and is promptly applying for her Mensa membership card? Either way, I think she's progressing just perfectly, and that's all I can ask for.

On the newborn front, Lady A is four and a half months old and rolling all over the place. I'm fairly certain its only going to be a matter of time before she is crawling around the house on her tiny little 13-pound frame exploring everything she can. She is so full of smiles and cuddles, and I love every one.

Lady M is completely smitten with her, and speaks to her just like we do, calling her 'sweetie' and the like. She is an almost-three-year-old mother hen, and its so sweet to see their relationship. Of course Lady M is rewarded with smiles every time she chats with her little sister, so what more could she ask for? Well, I'm sure she'll be happy when she can start to enhance her sister's vocabulary along with Cal's and mine.

Well, I'm off to see what new words I will learn today thanks to my adorable toddler teacher.

the little apprentice

Lady M is often stuck to her daddy like glue. She is his faithful little helper around the house, quick to grab a hammer or screwdriver when needed; the first to grab a new lightbulb or battery as necessary; and even happy to take a step or two up the ladder to be just a little closer to whatever her daddy is doing. Its really quite sweet, and I know Cal doesn't mind having his little helper at his knee all the time. She's at a fun stage where she simply wants to take part in everything we do, ask a million questions and then try to do things on her own.

Her new favourite past-time is going to the office with Cal - to her it is a world filled with people who are kind and welcoming to her, a space with endless road cases to explore, and more importantly, her very own desk to sit at while she creates her colouring masterpieces.

I think I find this especially sweet because I can distinctly remember visiting my dad's office as a child and feeling so special anytime I had the chance to go there. At the time, my dad had an old-fashioned sort of desk with a little pull-out secretary's table, where I happily drew pictures and coloured. I recall making myself right at home, pulling my chair up to the little surface and colouring my heart out, much like Lady M does now.

I also enjoyed floating from office to office visiting his secretary and various colleagues. In fact, I can distinctly remember popping into one woman's office one day and listening to Patio Lanterns by a singer she told me was named Kim Mitchell. I was extremely confused as to why "Kim" sounded like a man, thus learning the concept of unisex names. In any case, 25 or so years later, I can still recall the happiness I felt when I went to work with my dad, so I love seeing the excitement in Lady M's eyes when she receives the same opportunity.

In every sense of the word, Lady M has become Cal's little apprentice, wanting to learn about everything he does, and more importantly, take part. I'm sure as soon as her hands are big enough she'll be picking up the guitar just like him too.

30 things...

In exactly one month I'll be thirty years old, much to the joy of all my friends well into their thirties who I have been teasing mercilessly for being so much older than me for years now (you know who you are!). Hitting this milestone birthday really doesn't bother me very much; in fact, having watched Sex & the City all through my 20's I'm supposed to know that the 30's are the best years, right? Well, works for me!! And I plan to feel the same way about my 40's, 50's, and every other decade I hit.

So I decided that as a little gift to myself, I would write down a list of 30 things that I'd like to achieve. As I work through the list, I'll have to decide whether its 30 things I want to do this year...or before I'm 40, or whether its more of a bucket list for the longer term, but we'll see!

I think everyone knows that a goal is more likely to be achieved if you write it down (Harvard Study anyone?), and I know its even better if you tell other people that you want to do it...so here we go. I will share with each one of you the thirty things I want to do, and you can hold me to it!

And onto the list...

1. Become a creative entrepreneur as an exciting side project (details to follow...)
2. Buy a boat or seadoo (or both!)
3. Complete the CN Tower stair climb
4. Complete my Master of Education degree
5. Complete Zumba Fitness instructor training
6. Donate blood (hopefully on a regular occasion, but let's go for once to start)
7. Explore more of Canada
8. Find and buy our dream home
9. Gain more teaching experience
10. Go on a European bike tour
11. Go parasailing
12. Go white water rafting
13. Grow my own vegetables and herbs (This is a real challenge for me; see my Green Thumb post.)
14. Have an impeccably organized home
15. Involve Lady M & Lady A in a fabulous and worthy volunteer opportunity
16. Learn Adobe Illustrator
17. Live abroad again
18. Plan a Muffy reunion somewhere tropical and fabulous
19. Reach my post-pregnancy goal weight
20. Read a minimum of four books for pleasure this year (yes, that's a lofty goal with two munchkins in the house and lots of school reading at any given time!!)
21. Share more stories on my blog so my girls will have a great memoir of their childhood
22. Start teaching a regular Zumba class
23. Take an art course (drawing, painting, sculpting...or something like that)
24. Take my family to Sweden, England and other areas of Europe
25. Take piano lessons again
26. Travel to Africa
27. Visit each country where my dad has lived, as well as India where his whole family was born
28. Visit every continent
29. Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity on a build
30. Write a children's story

So, there's the list. As it turns out, some are definitely longer term goals, some short term. I've noted the ones that I plan to complete by the end of this year in pink; nine in total. I'll be sure to keep you up to date as I finish each one, and feel free to help keep me accountable for anything on the list! 

a taste of fall in the summer...

Looking for something new to make? A little taste of fall flavours in the summer perhaps? My faithful baking assistant and I made a yummy recipe this past weekend, so I thought I would share it here. I had been thinking about making some oatmeal chocolate chip muffins and decided to go on a little recipe hunt. Thank goodness for the internet and the plethora of recipes you can come across at the touch of a couple buttons, because after a brief search, I found a recipe for pumpkin oat muffins with chocolate chips - fantastic!!

Lady M was quite excited to get into the kitchen to give me a hand, and promptly pulled her stool up to the sink so she could wash her hands when I asked if she wanted to bake with me. Moving over to the counter, we pulled out the bowls and some measuring cups. Helping scoop the ingredients is her favourite thing to do, and she was eager to place each ingredient into the bowl herself, and did a terrific job.

But, like any kid, her busy little fingers couldn't quite resist the bowl. I turned to grab one ingredient from the cupboard, and when I turned back around, I noticed her mouth curling, and her eyes looked slightly watery. I realized instantly what she had done...scooped her little finger in the bowl and popped some delicious baking powder in her mouth! Mmmmm. I was laughing, of course, and after the taste was out of her mouth, she was laughing too. She got it together to help finish the recipe, lined the muffin pan with her little bunny muffin wrappers and turned the light on in the oven so she could watch them rise. And even better, when we took them out of the oven, they were delicious!

So, if you're interested in a yummy new recipe to try, you can click here to get the recipe. They were a great, filling breakfast, but make a nice hearty snack too. I know we'll be making them again. Enjoy!!

Have a read...and make a difference!

My friend Kirsten had a rotten experience on the train the other morning where a new immigrant mum from Ireland, and her three little girls, were made to feel like they didn't belong by some horrible, unkind man who should have chosen a different train car that morning.

Please have a look at the post Kirsten wrote entitled "Let's Do Something Really Wonderful", and if you feel so inclined, you can leave a message for this mum and let her know that's she's awesome, and didn't deserve to be treated the way she was. It only takes a moment!

It's appalling to me that people think its okay to treat a stranger so poorly. Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness, and that's just the point that Kirsten is trying to convey. Please take a couple minutes to read her post, and leave a comment.

Thanks!!

stay small, little one

She's growing way too fast! At nearly three months, my sweet baby girl. Lady A, is already getting so big. She's smiling, giggling and tall enough to fit in 6 month old sleepers. How is this possible?

Ok, I know how the 6-month sleeper thing is possible, I married someone who is 6'5", and I'm not a shorty myself. But, does she really need to grow so quickly?

I already have one little lady who is wise beyond her 2 years and 9 months, and now a baby who is showing me once again how quickly time passes.

One of my girlfriends and I were chatting about this the other day, about how you want everything to go just a little faster with your first child - you're ready for the sleepless nights to end, you want your child to crawl, walk, and talk because each new milestone is so exciting. But not the second time around. In fact, I'm finding its quite the opposite; I want things to slow down. She's already trying to roll over, and before I know it she'll be strapping on her first pair of running shoes, and chasing after her big sister! I just want her to be my little snugglebug a while longer.

I do find I'm able to enjoy the baby stage in a much different way this time though, which is nice. Its likely because I know each stage doesn't last forever, and of course, part of it can be attributed to the fact that I'm more confident in my parenting skills this time so can relax a little more. But, since I can't make time stand still (although that would be a pretty awesome superpower), I'll just soak up each moment with both my girls, knowing that time passes all too quickly. Thank goodness each stage is so much fun in its own way.

roughin' it

There comes a time in everyone's life where you just can't help it. You just won't make it in time. You just have to do it right now. There's no other choice. 

Well, the other choice is having a very wet carseat. 

The other night, after a nice dinner out, and perhaps a little too much fluid at the dinner table, Lady M could not hold it any longer on the drive home, so like any good parents we contemplated our options: 

• suggest she hold it until we got home, risking the wet carseat
• find the nearest public restroom as quickly as possible
• or, the inevitable...

That's right; we pulled over to the side of the road, and let our baby girl pee in the grass. I always thought her first moment of roughin' it would be on her first canoe trip, or while experiencing some fabulous outdoor adventure. But no, it was on the local expressway, a mere five minutes from our home, with cars zipping by. No cottage scenery or waterlilies dancing along the water here...just a patch of grass, my little lady, and me holding her up. 

The best part of the whole experience was how fabulous Lady M thought the scenario was. Quickly going from grave concern, and a stern face as she tried desperately tried to hold it in the car, to realizing I was actually letting her squat in the grass to empty her bladder made her light up like a Christmas tree - she was thrilled! She started giggling, I started giggling, and Cal was laughing right along with us from the driver's seat. (Lady A was fast asleep in the back, blissfully ignorant to what was happening). 

So, it was no canoe trip, but my little lady's first experience of roughin' it was memorable. In fact, the next day when we were heading somewhere in the car she told me she didn't have to go to the bathroom beforehand. Thankfully, I knew her plan...but there would be no expressway pit stops that day.