Drowning in Laundry

New Location`

2008-02-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

Drowning in Laundry has moved here.

Cutting Back (my no shopping blog) has moved here.

Child labour and new blog news.

2008-01-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

I have been dedicating a lot of time to my new blog (formatting and stuff) and it is going quite well. I really enjoy that on Wordpress I can actually watch my stats and see how many hits each day I get on my site. It is encouraging to see those numbers - even though so very few people comment. I have learned that comments are like currency in the blogging world, and you need to leave some to increase traffic back to your site (which is how I have found many of my favorite blogs - through comment sections).

I bring this up because I have realized that on Blogger I only know who reads my site by how many comments I get; which is discouraging sometimes.

That is partially why Drowning in Laundry will be moving he re soon, So for the 6 of you who comment regularly you can update your links; and for the rest of you come and see me at Cutting Back (my second blog) and leave me a note!

Until then I leave you with photos of how housework gets done in this house. Because I know how to train men (ok, maybe just impressionable 18 month olds)...... :)

Moving.

2008-01-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

pssst.... I am over here now with my second blog called: Cutting Back.

Soon Drowning in Laundry will be moving to Wordpress as well. I just find it less clunky to use. Until then I will be updating on this site and moving archives over.

Later!

What I feed my Kid when I am Stuck. For. Ideas.

2008-01-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

I admit I am pretty lucky, Rito is a reasonable eater - but the boy gets damn picky at times. He also is not a very good meat eater, and does not appreciate all vegi's equally. I figured I would post some no fail recipes that I make when he is either being picky or what Dad! and I are eating for dinner is entirely inappropriate for a tiny digestive system.

Mac and Cheese with hidden Vegi's

3/4 cup elbow macaroni - cooked

1 tablespoon butter

1 to 2 ounces milk

1/4 to 1/2 cup Velveeta cheese (depending on how you like it) - melted

1/2 cup pureed steamed butternut squash

Mix it all together. It freezes really well too, so you can have it on hand for those days you don't want to cook.

Cheesy Tomato Pasta Stars with extra Vegi's

1 28oz can of tomatoes with the juice

1 cup of carrots

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/2 to 3/4 cup pasta cooked (small pasta like stars and alphabet noodles are really easy for the kids to eat when they are little, Rito likes this on elbow macaroni now)

Melt butter in pan, add tomatoes and carrots to pan and cook at medium temperature until carrots are soft. Puree mixture and return the puree to the pan. Add the grated cheese and melt. At this point you can freeze portions of the sauces or you can freeze the sauces plus the cooked pasta. Your choice.

Baby Meatloaf

This stays really moist, so the babes can chew it easy. Rito is not the best meat eater but he likes these quite a bit, in fact I should be making him another batch!

1lb lean ground beef

1 box stovetop stuffing (we like the cornbread one here)

Moisten the stuffing according to package directions. Add the raw ground beef and mix very well. Portion into muffin tins for cooking at 350degrees for about 20 minutes (may take up to 35 minutes depending how you portion them out). This recipe also gives you a ton of room to add softened or pureed vegi's to it, we like adding roasted red peppers or carrots and onions.

AppleSauce Muffins

These make a nice snack for your kid, and if you make the bite size small muffin tin size ones the adults love the "one bite" muffin effect.

1 cup butter, softened
2 cup sugar (1 white & 1 brown)
2 eggs
3 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups flour
2 cups applesauce

Mix all ingredients together and fill greased muffin tins or paper baking cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Batter can be stored in refrigerator and used as needed. Freezes well too. Makes 2 dozen. NOTE: I usually make 1/4 of this recipe and it makes about 18 bite size baby muffins (those tiny muffin tins).

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with a protein boost.

Make a regular grilled cheese sandwich, but instead of buttering the outer sides of the bread, drench it in whipped up egg (like french toast). It fires up easy and your kid will never know you are sneaking a shot of protein.

Creamy Cheese Sauce with Chicken and Broccoli

This one can be pureed as needed depending on age.

2/3 Cup edam cheese grated

1 cup milk

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp butter

1/2 cup broccoli steamed

1/4 cup chicken cooked and minced/diced/pureed to needed texture

Melt butter in a pan, add flour. Add milk and wait to thicken into a creamy sauce. Add cheese to melt. Finally add the broccoli and chicken. If needed chop or puree to a finer consistency. Freezes great and can be added to small pasta (alphabets or stars) to make a hearty meal.

Sick. Stress. And way too many brackets to count.

2008-01-14T12:58:00.001-07:00

I decided to wait on the laser eye surgery, mostly for financial reasons. But, barring a pregnancy it will be getting done this year (go figure you can't do laser eye surgery when pregnant - and having kids is my reason to want to fix my eyes). Maybe I will do it next month, I just need a bit of time to put the extra 1000$ together.

I had been waiting on a car repair that I have been DREADING the bill for (to do with the ABS system) and after taking it to a "friend" mechanic who said it could cost 1700$ or more to fix (for a new ABS module or 800$ for a rebuild), I decided to seek out a second opinion (after Dad! and I did some research online and Dad! encouraged me to take it to a shop that really knew their import cars). Today I got a call from the fantastic guys at the repair shop #2 with the good news that they suspect the problem is a simple $80 part. NICE. That totally made up for some of my shitty day. Getting a second opinion is always a good thing. The GreenMachine should be home tomorrow for hopefully a reasonable repair price.

Last night after Rito went to bed I had the freezing cold shakes so bad I was in tears, crying, shivering on the couch (in three piece polar fleece pajamas and a blanket). This morning I woke up (with Rito at 7am) with a fever, raging headache, shortness of breath and every bone and muscle in my body hurting. After consulting Dr. Google I decided that it sounded like I had the flu and that some rest may be a good plan. So now Dad! is watching Rito and I am lying in the spare room watching A Baby Story and playing on the laptop (I had a HOT shower and snoozed earlier and feel somewhat better but the headache still persists and I can't take another Tylenol for another hour). I think I will feel much better tomorrow once I shake the majority of this "Flu" off. Rito goes for a nap soon, and I think I will feel much better by dinner.

I just want to go enjoy my little boy, I miss him even when I am in the same house. Right now I can hear him running around the kitchen giggling - and it makes me smile.

A Week from Now ....

2008-01-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

A week from now I could have almost perfect or near perfect vision.

I know it sounds so very lame (and vain) but I have been considering laser eye surgery for some time now. I detest wearing glasses, and Rito tends to grab at them making them all smudged PLUS he has already broken an old "back up pair" of glasses. I have purchased many pairs and have never found a frame that I can stand wearing and looking at for more then a day or two at a time. They drive me nuts and I feel so gross and greasy when I wear them. Now, I normally do wear contacts which I sleep in (it is OK - really) and I have never had a problem with them. The problem with contacts is that I can't wear them forever and in a few years I will need bifocals - which I am so NOT cool with (and contacts when you need bifocals are a pain in the ass). The laser surgery will almost guarantee that I will never need bifocals but may need a light prescription pair of reading glasses. To me this beats the shit out of bifocals.

I have done a lot of reading on the surgery and recently I have had a consultation for the procedure. As well I have called 4 previous patients of the clinic where I had the consultation and they are all happy with the outcomes of the procedure (one guy needed "tweaking" in one eye but is very pleased now) and I talked with two people at the clinic who were there for follow up appointments (one day after the procedure and three months after) and they were both very pleased. The only thing holding me back is the cost. Almost $3000.00 for the most expensive and "safer" option or as low as $2200.00 for the cheap version. The price was a bit more then expected but only an extra $1000.00 overall. Our benefit plans do cover a chunk of the surgery fee (actually over the course of time it will pay the while thing off) but the initial outlay of cash is a little stressful. Doo-able but stressful. I hate spending large chunks of$$$ all at once. For me, being a stay at home and working part time Mom, a $1000 is a lot of money to spend on such a thing (even though I will get that money back in less than a month). And face it I spend at least 800$ a year on contacts and glasses alone, so the surgery will more then pay for itself over time as well.

I guess I could just quit shopping until spring and that would more then cover the extra cost.

Realistically I will go for the better more expensive and safer technology in the end; because why take chances with my eyes you know? I feel like I should do it sooner then later though, because the surgery can not be done while pregnant and since we are throwing all birth control caution to the wind in this house - pregnancy may not be far off. Seriously, two kids and glasses would suck.

Screw it - after this rambling rant I realized that it is OK to do this for myself. It is about tiem I do some renovations on SleepyNita. 'Tis is a New Year right?

Letters to My Son - 18 Months

2007-12-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

Dearest Rito,

You are now 18 months old. It seems like it was yesterday when we brought home a helpless, wrinkly and oddly shaped baby home from the hospital. Now you are tall, lean and independent little boy.

In the last six weeks you have gone through a HUGE growth spurt and clothing that was too big on you two months ago is now in the "I have outgrown it" pile; you have burned through an entire wardrobe faster then Mama ever could imagine was possible. You must be into another growth spurt right now as well since you have decided to wake up and eat every single night. Last night you were up five times between 2:11am and 6:30am; twice to eat and 3 times to holler at the top of your lungs. I don't think you will be the smallest boy in our playgroup anymore!

Christmas was a lot of fun this year, you attempted to open some presents (but preferred the boxes and wrapping paper over the contents of the boxes), ate a bunch of junk (chocolate! and candy canes!) and learned a new game called RUN from your much older cousins. Santa was very good to you this year and brought you a toboggan, which is still in the living room since you insist on "riding" it daily. All the gifts were great but your favorite new toy is not a toy at all, but a pair of winter boots. You love putting your boots on (usually on the wrong feet) and running around the house illuminating the dark hallways with the blinking lights on the side of your boots. We haven't even worn the boots outside yet because we don't want to take away your favorite new toy.

You have mastered eating with a fork, and you are getting pretty good at using a spoon now. Lately you prefer to have juice from a glass (yeah glass) not a cup or a sippy cup; it has to be a glass or you get pretty angry about it. This week you started calling me Mama (instead of the nagging Mahm! that you have been doing) which is music to my ears. Your vocabulary is growing each day and I can not even keep track of how many words you can say now but it has to be close to 100 words. Whenever I ask you to sing your "Christmas Song" you sing "Wa La La Wa La" (like the fa la la la la in Deck the Halls) it is the cutest thing I have ever heard.

In the last 18 months you have taught me how to be a Mom. You are the first thing on my mind when I get up each morning and the last thing I think of before I fall asleep. My dreams are filled with your smiling face and sweet voice. You keep me busy and perpetually exhausted. On the good days we laugh and chase each other around, and on the not so good days I always promise to do better for you tomorrow. I love you so much it really does hurt.

You are such a great little man that Daddy and I are crazy enough to try to do this again.

Love you more then chocolate,

Mama

P.S. Vegetables are NOT poisonous and even though you don't believe me your favorite cucumbers ARE a vegetable.

I call bullshit.

2007-12-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in the basement watching "The Perfect Man" a movie with Hillary Duff (from circa 2005). Yes, sometimes this is how I spend Rito's nap time.

But I digress.

This movie is supposed to be about a girl (who has her own blog, ironic) who's Mom runs away from every relationship and relocates her children to other towns where the man-pickings are fresh. The Mom works for bakers or is a baker but obviously never holds down a job for any length of time. Even "Hillary" walks in to a cheesy bistro and says "I can't afford this".

So what I want to know is how they can afford:

A 3 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn with insane architectural details
A 400$ Marc Jacobs tunic for a 15 year old girl
A $300 Marc Jacobs satin top (same on Britney Spears wore a few years back)
I think she (Hillary Duff) is also carrying a Fendi bag in one scene - about $1700.00 worth of Fendi bag.

Or does she get a ton of revenue as a 15 year old blogger? My ass. Unlikely. I would think a single Mom would be getting the kids clothing at Target or something affordable.

Only in freaking Hollywood.

A Bunch of Crock

2007-11-26T15:04:00.000-07:00

My new Crock-Pot is so hot. For real. I could take over the world with this thing.

For those of you who like using a slow cooker (which I have been using a ton lately) I have two handy things for you to check out:

Rival Crock-Pot /Slow Cooker Recipe Index

you have to try the Ginger Sherry Pork Roast - so good

Everyday Low Carb Slow Cooker Cook Book

My love for slow cooking re-started with the Low carb book which led me to asking for a larger slow cooker for my birthday. I was gifted the Giant Rival Crock-Pot and started using the cookbook that comes with that and mealtimes have been much nicer since then. I prepare dinner in the morning while Rito is happily playing alone and at the "witching hour" instead of trying to cook I can actually spend time with my family and look forward to a fresh hot meal.

**********************************************************

Today I had to finally take the GreenMachine (my car) to the body shop. I had an accident at the end of July and it finally got into the body shop this morning. I was pretty lucky, the other 3 cars involved were written off (including a brand new Honda Accord, a Saab and a Chevy Cavelier and I was the guy sandwiched in between all of them) yet my sturdy little VW Beetle had under $3000.00 damage and all that is obvious to the naked eye is scratches on the bumper. I guess that says a lot about how Safe Happens.

Some people think I am nuts for driving a little VW Beetle while having a child ("my god, you will get killed in that little thing!" or "but it's so small!") but this accident proved to me that not only is my small car safe but it is damn cute too. Right now I am driving a rental car (Dodge Caliber) which is OK, but I really expected it to have more room since it is so much bigger then my car. I guess space in a car is highly subjective because I can not get anymore items into this Dodge then I got into my little Beetle and the 4 doors are a real pain in the ass because they are so small. Getting Rito in and out is going to suck (there is a ton of room in a 2 door Beetle to maneuver a kid in and out because the seats fold forward and out of the way completely for access to the backseat) and I feel like I am driving a truck since the thing handles as well as a bulldozer. And the visibility is limited. The interior is cute though with some sweet red touches on the dashboard.

Anyways the GreenMachine will be out of commission for about a week, which is fine since I do have something to drive but I really want her back. :(

I am a lucky girl, a sick lucky girl......

2007-11-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

It has been a shit couple weeks in the McSleepy house. Rito gave me his cold and I have had it for 2 (TWO) weeks now and although the end of it is in sight I still have a couple days of coughing left ahead of me (my gawd the coughing is killing me and my sleep). I feel so tired and crappy and yet I still have a little man to take care of (and the big one too), work to do and a job to go to (need I mention that yet again I got saddled with doing the Christmas Party for work?).

All that being said I have been a busy bee on my days off work. We have had three family birthdays to celebrate recently (my brother-in-law J-Roc, Uncle Merv and myself) with another family dinner this week to attend (yay! I don't have to cook!). I also have been on a re-organization kick and finally attacked my laundry room with a drill and some screws creating an additional 18 feet of shelving and a drop down drying rack for my sweaters. The best part of the renovation in the laundry closet is that I now have an empty hallway linen closet, which means I now have a little bit of space to store some books and hide my purse out of Rito's reach (seriously the kid loves my purse and shoes, Dad! seems to be a little concerned). Dad! also moved some stereo equipment to our basement, allowing me to move the main floor toy corner to a different spot and put my family room furniture back where it belongs. Ahhh... bliss.

Next is a revamping of our main bathroom, where I am adding a towel rack (I took out the towel bar and replaced it with hooks already), a curved shower curtain holder, a rainshower shower head and possibly storage behind the door (which would totally clean up another closet). I love cleaning up and creating more storage. Then there is the new closet in the basement where I need a hose hanger and 4 shelves for games and puzzles which will add a ton more storage space. There is a lot of wasted space in this house to fix up. With the latest improvements we have added a ton (like 200-300 square feet) of storage and space to our home. I love making things more efficient and tidy.

Dad! and I have had a lot of family time together lately which has been so good for Rito. We have had family dinners (Rito drinks out of a glass now, no straws or sippy cups or he gets mad) and gone swimming (what a blast). Rito has been fantabulous with minimal tantrums and some pretty damn good nights of sleep. We had a couple playdates (but missed playgroup due to the cold) and visited some little cousins for fun.

Other then the cold I am such a lucky girl.

next post: Rito's ridiculous vocabulary and I got a new crockpot...... oh my lord it is SO HOT.

I wanted to add some photos but I am totally bloggers bitch today, which means the photo thingy ain't working again!

So Easy: Butternut Squash Soup.

2007-11-03T14:28:00.001-06:00

We had a Mom group get together at my place today. It was a lot of fun for all of us, but MY GOD that many toddlers in one place just creates chaos. Anyways, Bri-girl needed a Butternut Squash Soup recipe, and since she has tried mine before I promised to get her the recipe before she left. Needless to say in the mist of the gong-show it never happened.

Now first a word about choosing a Butternut Squash. Butternut Squash is the one that looks like a penis. OK? Got that? Now if you remember this perverted idea you should always get a good squash at the grocery store: the size of the balls don't matter but you need a big penis. Get a big penis, you get a good amount of usable squash.

Now you want to use the part of the squash that less perverted people call "the neck" (or the "penis" as Bri-girl pointed out one day) and not the "nuts" where all the seeds are (see? it is a fitting analogy). You can either use a sharp ass knife and cut the skin off (the skin is thin but woody in texture, and yet again the penis analogy works....) to get at the meat or you can cut the whole thing in half, score it in a crisscross pattern pour a bit of olive oil on it and roast it for 45 minutes at 350 degrees to soften it up to get the actual squash out. I find the roasting yields a it more usable squash. I usually use 2 large squash for this recipe; that will get you 5 or 6 cups of diced squash, you don't have to dice it small either big chunks will do fine.

The Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup flour
5 1/2 (five and a half) cups chicken stock
5 cups peeled, diced butternut squash
1 cup of dry white wine
3 bay leaves
3/4 tsp curry powder (I usually put more in like 1 1/4 tsp)
6 drops Tabasco sauce
1 cup whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

The Method:

In a big ass dutch oven (which is a big ass pot to the unfamiliar cooks out there):

Melt butter, add onion and cook until transparent (10 minutes or so)
Add flour and stir for 3 minutes
Add chicken stock and bring to boil, stir constantly (no clumps then)
Add squash, wine, bay leaves, curry powder and Tabasco sauce
Cook until squash is tender
Remove bay leaves
Puree mixture (a hand blender will do fine if you have it)
Stir in cream
Season with salt and pepper

**** remember NOT to add the cream if you are going to freeze it, you can always add this when you warm it up later

Serving suggestions:

Add a couple handful's of raw shrimp to a pot and saute them in a bit of soup, then add soup over top and warm up to serve.
Extra hot sauce dashed on top of the soup is good.... real good.

The Results:

edited to add the photo.

Vintage! If you were born in 1976 that is.....

2007-11-02T09:34:00.000-06:00

I get off work this morning at 8am-ish (after a painful 12 hour shift), and decide to go for groceries on the way home (without a screaming, squirming toddler on my hands). The grocery store for once was blissfully quiet, and I could get through the aisles without waiting for some ass-hat to move their cart that is parked in the middle of an aisle while they peruse the pickles. For once I could hear the music that plays on the intercom and was quite amused by the play list:

99 Luftbaloons (or 99 Red Balloon's) - Nena
Every Breath You Take - The Police (Dad! swears Sting music follows him around, I think the bugger is stalking me too....)
Whip It - Divo
Puttin' on the Ritz - Taco (ironically playing while I was in the cracker aisle)
Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson
Hangin' Tough - NKOTB
Land of Confusion - Genesis (again ironically playing while I was attempting to find the Fig Newtons - which for some reason were in health food since they have figs in it and NOT in the cookie aisle)
Red Red Wine - UB40
Baby Don't Forget My Number - "Milli Vanilli"
Little Red Corvette - Prince (as I was leaving to go to my little green VW in the parking lot).

I really only went to the grocery store for a few vegetables and some juice and yet I walked out with 5 bags and 80$ poorer.

Dad! has always said that if you are at a wedding or party that sucks, put on the eighties tunes and people will dance and make asses out of themselves. For me I think the vintage music makes me spend money on groceries (and I will dance like an ass-hat for a glass of wine or less, so the eighties music isn't necessary).

Conspiracy maybe?

Perfect Post Awards: Miss Britt

2007-10-31T12:14:00.000-06:00

I admit, I am a blog reading slut.

My bookmarks are over-run with tons of blogs I read for many different reasons, most because they are other Moms or because they are laugh out loud funny.

I love reading Miss Britt, a married young Mom of two with no guacamole making skills and exquisite taste in shoes. And the chick makes me bust a gut regularly. Once in a while though she gets serious for a minute and has a chat about depression, marital problems or domestic violence.

Becuase of this I decided to participate in the Perfect Post Awards put on by Petroville and Suburban Turmoil and made my first nomination.

This months post (that was actually posted yesterday) about Domestic Violence is titled "The Watchers", and it is obvious that Britt is close to a person in a bad situation and has watched from the sidelines while waiting to help any way she can. She goes on to say how she has become angry and resentful and her sympathy has been replaced with contempt as she has removed herself from the situation.

This post made me think if I really knew anyone who was abused, or at least suspected it in some situations. The statistics say that 1 of every 10 women (at least) is abused, which means Statistically speaking at least 2 of my friends is going through this crap, and seriously we all seem to be a bunch of strong girls and I can not imagine who would endure this. Maybe my group of friends is lucky, but someone who reads this knows someone else who needs help in some way.

Not enough can be said or done about domestic violence.

Letters to My Son 16 Months

2007-10-30T14:04:00.000-06:00

Dearest Rito,

You are now 16 months old. The time has gone so fast and each day passes in a blink of an eye. Never in my life did I think I was going to be a Mom to such a sweet and active little boy like you.

Last month Mamamama had to go away overnight for a work trip and you got to spend the night and Grams house. Now, Mamamama has gone to work overnight before but I have always been just minutes away from you and know I could spring into action if something was ever wrong. Going to a different city was a very scary experience for me. I was 3 hours away from you, and I now know that I am not so good at being separated from my little man. I must admit that I cried when LoudGranny picked you up from home to take you to Grams house. The evening I came home, I was so happy to see you in the tub and having a good time while Grams was giving you a bath, but I decided I wasn't going to go away for a while because frankly, I suck at leaving you.

In the last two months your vocabulary has grown immensely. You now have phrases you like to say such as : "where you going", "what we doing" and the newest one is "I'm running". You learned the word "stop" while playing with Dad! yesterday and finally said "Baba" to your Baba (and my goodness is she proud, her whole neighborhood knows you can say Baba now). You learn new words fast, use them lots and then the next day you quit using them (and figure them out again a day later, thankfully you have unlearned that swear word you figured out last month) and you have started adding words together like bubba-gum. I love listening to you talk, it is like music to my ears and our conversations are getting longer and more animated each day.

The cutest thing you have done this month is start to hold my hand when we are walking somewhere. Holding your hand makes me so happy, you walk so nicely with Mamamama and Dad! when holding our hands and I am proud that everyone can see that you are my little boy. I am pretty sure I puff my chest out like a proud peacock when we are walking together. You also have been really good with your listening. Now when Mamamama and Dad! tell you to put something in the toy bin, you do it with a little coaching and you are so happy with your accomplishment when you complete this task.

We also started in a new playgroup this month, and it is great to see you play so well with other kids. In our playgroup there is a baby who is about 6 months old and every time you see him you rock his baby seat and lie your head on his lap and hug him. This is almost cute enough for Mamamama to reconsider her one baby rule.... almost. You really do love smaller children and you always check out a baby car seat when you see one in the grocery store. You also love dogs and bark (wuuf) at them every time you see one (never mind that you bark at rocking horses at the store too); I hope you never lose this love of animals.

We have started pre-potty training at home. You have sown considerable interest in your potty and even like to sit on your potty when Mamamama is using the toilet. Last week we went and bought training pants, and when we are spending the day at home you wear your new training pants around the house. Seeing you run around in little underwear is too cute for words. Sure we have accidents (surprisingly few) but you know what the potty is for and you do try and use it. Yesterday we got a potty book to read to you so that you will become more comfortable with the idea. I find it funny that you are interested in the potty because Mamamama really didn't care if you waited until you were 3 or older to be potty trained (and maybe it will take that long, who knows?) but since you made the first step, Mamamama will cooperate and help you along at whatever speed you choose.

Each month you change so much, yet stay so much my little baby boy and I love you more each day. Some nights I am sad to even put you to bed because you really are such a joy to us.

Love you more than chocolate,

Mamamamama

P.S. PLEASE stop walking up the stairs (and standing on them half way up), I am seriously going to have a heart attack soon if this reckless behavior continues.

Consider these letters as your new baby book, since I am officially a year behind on the scrap-booking.

It's mocking me

2007-10-23T00:20:00.000-06:00

Seriously.

The evil paintbrush has been mocking me from the corner of the basement for the last few weeks. In my defense I would like to say that the replacement door was just hung last Thursday and I had to prime and repaint it (even though the other one had already been done) so it isn't totally my fault that the playroom is not done yet.

BUT.

By this time tomorrow the playroom will be completed. For real. The painter comes to do the walls in the morning and tonight I painted all the baseboards and one french door and primed the other one. So once I paint the other door tomorrow everything will technically be finished and usable.

Rito will be thrilled, he already loves to slide around on the cork flooring (highly recommend the cork floors) and shut himself in the closet (who needs a playroom when there is a perfectly good closet to hide in?).

All that is left to do is hang the bracket in the closet that will hold the central vac hose, get some blinds made for a little window and eventually put shelving in the closet to house puzzles and board games.

In the meantime I will be drinking a glass of wine and enjoying the lack of brightly colored baby crap in my living room......

bliss.

****edited to add that for the first time ever I hit spellcheck and had no errors. Dad! will likely be quite shocked.****

Very Impressive Vernacular

2007-10-16T15:56:00.000-06:00

Rito has really started to talk lately. A lot. You really need to listed closely to understand what he is saying (because he does sound a little like Latka on Taxi) but he has a lot to say. For my own use, I decided to list the words I know of that he is using and how he says it (because they grow up too fast, and alas I forget pretty fast too):

bubble (bubba)

bananas (nanas)

socks (sox)

spoon (poon)

shoes (ooze)

going (going - he says it right)

what you doing (says it clearly)

what we doing (says it clearly)

what's that (wha dat)

juice (joos)

woof (fine it is a sound, but he does it on command) (wuf)

vroom (another sound but whatever)

wham (wam)

water (wah wa)

hot (growl the word hot like haawwttt)

done (clearly)

Pablo (pahlo)

Mamamamama (clearly)

Dad! (loud and clear)

Daddy (dah-deeeeeeee)

dadadadada

Mom (Mum - drag the u out as long as you can)

gum (clearly)

bum (clearly)

boobs (bubz)

ball (bah)

Baba (clearly, my god my granny will have a heart attack when she hears this one this week)

He also has one swear down pat (and very, very clear), but Dad! doesn't want me broadcasting our sailor talk to the world.....

I just love hearing little people talk (when I say Little People I do not mean "those who get their own show on TLC and a DUI but have released a book like this) and each day I try a few new words out with Rito. Each day I am more and more amazed at how fast he picks it all up. Sure he is not doing long division like some peoples children :) but it is nice to get some verbal communication happening.

Speaking of up, my little monkey is waking up from his 3 hour nap right now (woot woot!).......

F*cktards

2007-10-15T22:05:00.000-06:00

Dad! and I were doing some "research" today and ran across a lit of information. Below I have a list of email addresses and Websites, maybe you can tell me what they all have in common?

Healthyincome@consultant.com (you know this asshat is going to put you on his spam mail list)

votedavedowling@hotmail.com (a hotmail account for a man looking for votes? come on now....)

Khal4mayor071@aol.com (hi there, what year were you born in? mmm 1971 maybe? or was Khal4mayor07 already taken?)

don@donkoziak.ca (nothing to say here)

georgeL7@Telus.net (hi George, come up with something better next time, like what is the L7 about?)

peterformayor@canadianredneck.ca (Peter here wants to be mayor but he is a Canadian redneck.... nothing like a banjo-playing cat-shooting hillbilly running for office)
canadianredneck.ca (Peterformayor's website - loves being a redneck)

CHE9@Hotmail.com (who is this, and another hotmail account? Puhleeze get a real email address, it looks more professional)
nakedcybercafe.com (would you want your Mayor to have a website called NakedCyberCafe? Good grief! Soon the capital city clean up will be clothing optional)

smandel@re-electmandel.com (we get it you are already elected once, and looking at this list of fucktards you will be again)

christisking@shaw.ca (maybe this guy is named Chris Tisking? or are we having a problem with the separation of church and state here?)
www.freenorthamerica.com (This is "christisking"'s webpage)

These guys, all 8 of them are running for Mayor of my city. Frankly it is embarrassing that we have 2 viable candidates running for Mayor in an area approaching a million people. How dare these other 6 morons even put some of this crap out there?

Onslaught

2007-10-11T16:29:00.000-06:00

I got this link from Carbon, and I think it is worth watching. That and I work this week so I am too pooped for a for real blog post right this second.

How many times have you bought into the notion that some cream will fade your red cheeks, or hide the dimples in your thighs? How many times have you wished that the "magic" diet pill on TV worked, or you have actually tried it realizing it only makes your pee smell funny (like asparagus) and turn bright orange? How many times have you thought that if you only had $5,000- $10,000 to spare you would be happy because your love handles would be gone?

I love make-up and beauty products, but really the whole beauty industry is bullshit.

Way to go Dove. I love the real beauty campaigns. BUT you still need to remember that this is still a campaign ADVERTISING their product, no matter how benign they like to make their product sound.

Maybe I should just build an ark. (Long Post.)

2007-10-05T14:15:00.001-06:00

When I was a little girl, all I really ever wanted was a cat or a dog. I think because of my love for all things furry or slimy or in a shell I was just a magnet for anything near death, abused, neglected or lost. Almost every week when I was a child there was a new animal in the house waiting to find it's rightful owners again (and the odd squirrel or gopher - one of which bit me and I still have the scar). Since I was not allowed to have pets for many unreasonable reasons (allergies, too much work, too small a home or my father being traumatized by the asshole that killed the cat) I was more then happy to take care of them for short periods of time. I would even take animal that I watched hit by cars to the vet, knowing that they would die (since there eyes were out of their heads) but wanting them to be held one more time before they died.

I loved having these animals for the small amount of time they were with me (even giving most of them names: Bear, Bernie, Puppy and Red) and some are still very strong in my mind as favorites. Often I would spend hours grooming a matted Cocker Spaniel (Red), getting a stubborn and aggressive Saint Bernard (Bernie) to walk on a leash and eat from my hand and cuddling a giant, unloved and under appreciated Samoyed (Puppy) in my little bed.

My parents never worried about me and these strange animals, for some reason I never had a problem getting them to come to me with a wagging tail, bathing them or getting them to sit for a good brushing. Once when I was a teenager, someone put a dog in my car - I think because they knoew I would take care of it (Puppy the Samoyed). The animals were never assertive or aggressive around me and often were quite protective; maybe because they understood I was just a child trying to help them. In fact the rule was in our house: I could go ahead and find their owners if I gave them a bath and brushed them out. Dad! and I even caught a salamander (George W) in our old apartment (4th floor how he got there, who knows?) but he died before we could help him.

Now, in our neighborhood there are a TON of dogs. In particular there is one very stubborn, smart and friendly Irish Wolfhound that insists on breaking out of his yard regularly. I have caught this dog MANY times and put him back in his yard, shut the gate and left a note for the owners on the door. This dog is the reason I carry a spare leash in my car with a dogbone. I feel that if BuddyLove ever broke out of our home I would want someone like me to catch her and take care of her until I got her back. So maybe my animal karma is a good thing right? (I may add that Dad is not happy when I catch stray dogs unless it is little Spice that lives up the road, so I only grab the dogs that I have caught before or act very submissive to me).

This week has been a busy one for catching dogs and amphibians. I caught the Wolfhound on Saturday when walking Rito and BuddyLove; this time I didn't need a leash, he walked beside me to his house. Then on Sunday I nearly hit a Chocolate Lab while on the way for groceries. I hopped out of my car to see the dog and he (his name is Finn) came to me wagging and rolled over for a belly rub - in the middle of the road. What a suck. I got another girl that was walking by with her Greyhound to walk him towards my house (with the lucky leash) since I couldn't put the strange dog in the car with Rito. Finn hung in the backyard with BuddyLove (after I called the owner and he confirmed Finn loves dogs I put mine out there - carefully with him) and played for a bit until his very grateful and crying owner came.

Today, my Mom popped in for a visit and when she walked up our driveway she say something that looked like black frozen poo with legs. This thing was a frozen near death Salamander. We didn't know what it was at first since he was so curled up and black and wrinkled so I scooped him up in a bowl and brought him inside (LoudGranny and I couldn't let him die). I put HOT water in a lasagna pan, put a bowl in the water, washed a rock from the garden in HOT water and put the rock in the bowl and then put the dead little guy in there.

The good news is he warmed up fast and turned Black with green stripes quickly. After an hour I packaged him up and I went to the pet store and talked to the Lizard girl.

So IggyPop (what I named him) is a Tiger Salamander (which I figured after googling native amphibians online), native to the area that has missed is burrowing season (which I also figured out online) and will die if released to the wild (duh). He can grow to be 13 inches long (normal is 8), he is currently 6 inches head to tail and is estimated to be 2 years old. He is quite friendly and interactive when he is not frozen.

The good news is that they make very friendly good pets and are easy to take care of. The babies are known as Water Puppies and are sold in may stores, but not here since they are native species and can not be sold. I had a choice to let him go in the ravine knowing he would likely die or keep him as a pet indefinitely. I initially chose to keep him as a pet. But, a few girls at the pet store really liked him and one already had some was pets and asked if I really wanted a lizard or if I just felt obligated to keep him, really I just felt obligated since I was in no way prepared for ever getting a lizard and the Mom in me couldn't release him and watch him die. So now he is going home to an established terrarium with a couple other Salamanders.

There we go. Now that I know more about them after reading online, I kinda wish I kept the little bugger. Easy to take care of, friendly non-biters, and quite interactive seems like a neat little animal to add to the family. Given where we live, I am sure I will someday catch more.

Tampons Crafts, Just in Time for Halloween!

2007-10-02T13:51:00.001-06:00

Next time the kids are bugging you saying "I'm bored" and "There is nothing to do" just go to your bathroom cabinet and whip out some lady-plugs and use this website to assemble some cute and sanitary crafts for the kids.

If I ever see Rito coming home from preschool with a Tampon ghost, we are going to switch schools. Period.

*****Found by reading comments on Avitable's Blog.

What a day. Already.

2007-10-01T14:17:00.000-06:00

My day started at 5:30am, how about you?

Rito decided 5:30am was a fantastic time to start throwing a party in his crib. Usually if he does get up that early (he is crying most the time) you can coax him back to sleep for a couple hours with a warm glass of milk. Today? Not so much, he woke up in full on chatterbox jumping in the crib mode. I got up, warmed some milk and gave it to him and all I got in return was a not hungry and very much awake toddler. Finally around 7am he zonked out again until 8:15, so at least I got to have a shower before the day started for real.

We had an appointment to go to the vet with BuddyLove for some shots and an examination. I was a little concerned about her teeth as the back teeth are gathering plaque very quickly even though we brush much more then most dog owners do, so we had her teeth looked at too. The Doctor said her dental problems are very genetic, and that there is not much we can really do to stop them, but there is a concern that her back teeth are taking such a beating before she is even 3 years old. Her front teeth are in beautiful shape but she has a touch of gingivitis which is to be expected with the issue with her back teeth. Of course you can always get them cleaned, but it is best to put it off as long as possible, because once you start cleaning them you don't get to stop.

So for now we are changing her food for a while to see if it helps. BuddyLove is on the best food (we feel) right now but it is not known for keeping a dogs teeth clean. So starting tonight I am phasing in the new food that is known to break down plaque. We have tried this once before but likely did not stick with it long enough, so to keep us on the program I bought a huge bag of dog food to last for hopefully 2 months. As well, we are changing to a children's or adults size soft toothbrush (currently use a baby one) and continuing with the LebaLab Leba 3 treatments to help with knocking down the buildup. We also got a new bottle of shampoo (mmm Canadian Vet Medicated Shampoo, makes her smell SO nice) and ear cleaner.

On the good side, she is doing a great job emptying her anal glands (yay! so I don't have to, it is such a gross, messy and stinky job) and has lost the couple pounds she had gained when Rito started feeding himself and throwing her food (she was over 27 pounds at one point now she is a slightly overweight 25.2pounds which is OK with the Doctor). I have worked hard the last week to slim her down because I was anticipating a lecture from the Vet about her chunk. The only thing worse then a Vet complaining about you fat dog is your own Doctor complaining about your fat.

On the way home we (Rito and I) stopped at Taco Del Mar and shared a chicken taco with rice and beans. Rito loved the rice and beans. I never knew that until today, so he will be getting rice and beans more often.

When we got home, Rito tripped on the garage stairs but seemed fine and kept going with no complaints. So, imagine my surprise when I saw BLOOD all over my linoleum. Little peanut cracked his lip a bit, but it seems fine now. Just shocked Mamamama (bonus though, he was really cuddly for an hour while we watched a little Finding Nemo and ate a snack and he is NEVER cuddly) to see her child's blood on the floor, and a lot of it too. I guess it always looks worse then it is.

Later, when I was peeing he went to his room and found his Bath and BodyWorks Rootbeer kids lotion and squirted it on his pillow. At least it smells great in there now. Oy.

Now Rito is napping and I have finished cleaning the basement so that the playroom can be moved down there once the painter gets his royal ass to my house and paints the room. I can not wait to reclaim a little of our main floor from the evil triad of Fisher Price, Little Tykes and Leap Frog.

Maybe this afternoon we will go to a fish store and look at fish. Rito just loves them when we go to the mall, and I think he would get a kick out of them at the fish store. Maybe when he is a bit bigger we will get him a fish for his room. You know, like at that age where he doesn't try to drink from the fishbowl or eat the fish?

At what price does kids clothing become disposable and not worth washing?

2007-09-30T13:18:00.000-06:00

I must confess. I have an addiction (and no Dad! not just to gin, tequila, Cadbury Fruit and Nut bars and all thing fattening and unhealthy). I like to shop sales and stock up closets for the next few seasons, especially when it comes to Rito's wardrobe.

We are lucky enough to have a The Children's Place Outlet (yes Outlet, not just the regular store or the online shopping - I think even Swistle would be jealous) in our city, now sometimes the deals still suck but this weekend I scored, and I scored big. It was like the Game 7 Play-Off hat-trick in regulation overtime of shopping scores (I am from hockey country give me a break).

Yesterday (when LoudGranny had Rito so I could get my haircut) I popped into the store since it is beside my salon and saw racks and racks of kids clothing for prices like $9.99 and then another 30% off. I thought to myself $6.99? Not a bad price for pants I should check it out. Not being the smartest girl in the world I failed to notice the 30 people in line to pay for stuff, and no $6.99 sale generates that kind of craziness.

I moved to the back of the store and that when I saw it. Five (5!) large racks of clothing in the little boys area for 0.99. Yeah 99 cents.... not joking, and it wasn't the crap stuff either. Since I was going to be late for my haircut and the lines were stupid, I decided to be back at the store for opening the next day (this morning) to beat the crowds.

So today, LoudGranny and I hit Hell-Mart for cheap laundry detergent and then went to The Palace (what my little cousin calls it, as in "You know that Palace store? They gots good stuff there you know" what a funny guy...) for door opening. We bought Rito a stack of stuff in larger sizes, one of my little girl cousins a few things for her birthday next summer and a whole ton of stuff for a 21 year old cousin who is a single Mom expecting her second boy in a few weeks.

For Rito:

3 Pique Polo shirts (red, orange and yellow) 99 cents each

4 t-shirts (love these so soft! grey,navy, orange and yellow) 99 cents each

4 pairs of flip-flops for next summer (2 green, 2 navy) 2 pairs for a $1.00

4 pairs of sunglasses (3 navy, one green) 2 for a $1.00

1 pair track pants (camo) $6.99

1 long sleeve layered looking t-shirt (beige with brown stripes) $6.99

4 baseball caps (in two different size ranges navy, green, beige and yellow) 2 for a $1.00

Basics in two size ranges (18 and 24 months) that can be layered with long sleeve onesies for inter yet my kid looks like a little Izod Lacoste ad (25$ including the two "expensive" items) - priceless.

For My Cousins Girl:

2 Tank tops (white and purple) 99 cents each

1 T- shirt (white with a pink layered one under it) 99 cents

1 Fancy tank top (white) - 99 cents

1 Shrug (purple) 99 cents

2 pairs of shorts (purple and blue) 99 cents each

Birthday gift that all coordinates and looks so cute and like I spent a ton ($7 so far) - priceless

For My Cousins new Baby Boy:

4 Pique Polos (blue, white, orange and yellow) 99 cents each

3 pairs shorts (camo, beige and khaki) 99 cents each

2 t-shirts (cute little graphic ones) 99 cents each

1 t-shirt (grey) 99 cents

1 matching pair cotton shorts (grey) 99 cents

2 hats - 2 for a $1.00

2 pairs of sunglasses - 2 for a $1.00

Rocking baby gift that looks like I spent a ton ( 13$ total) -priceless.

Photos of my steals (kinda; it was all this stuff in different colors and some others that are not online)

Sleep Regression and a General Update Until I become Coherent Again.....

2007-09-26T14:59:00.000-06:00

Rito has slept like crap for the last three nights getting up anywhere from two to six times each night. Right now he is working on two very stubborn molars that are making mincemeat out of his gums causing him to scream in his sleep (my god does that ever scare the crap out of me in the middle of the night) and not eat well during the day. The result is that he has been getting up to eat a couple times a night this week, which means neither of us is getting much sleep, but this too shall pass and it will hopefully be back to normal soon.

The renovations in the basement are almost complete, we are just having a problem with the french door not closing properly - hopefully by next week it will all be painted and I will have no more people trudging through my home creating dust and more cleaning for Dad! and I to do. I would love to get the shelving and stuff in for next weekend, but with some work obligations coming up I really do not think I will have time to complete everything in the little timeline that is in my head.

Rito loves the Backyardigans. I personally am sick of having the little songs stuck in my head and Dad! had to go make new words up to one of the songs and now I sing his version too. I must admit that I am happy I finally found the remote for the Crackyardigans TV (rolled up in the sheet from the bed if you want to know where it was Dad!) and could get 20 minutes of televised peace to do the laundry. Yesterday I also was lame enough to Google what the heck Uniqua was. She is nothing. I thought she was a Salamander or something but she is unique. Lame, you think if the rest of the Backyardigans are actual animals they could have made Uniqua something. Yadda Yadda I know, she is supposed to be the unique one, just sayin' it is lame.

It appears that the site is loading faster for my readers, thanks for the messages telling me how it was loading for all of you. If you are running into problems loading PLEASE let me know in the comments!

I will be back to my funny self once I get more then 2 hours of consolidated sleep......

Site redesigned...Help! (DogMama and ADW)

2007-09-24T23:13:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I redesigned the site to hopefully load faster. I have tested it using Safari and Mozilla and it loads reasonably for me here. ADW and DogMama, can you let me know if it loaded quicker now?

Where the Silence is Deafening

2007-09-24T15:26:00.000-06:00

Last week Dad! and I finally left Rito with LoudGranny and Grams and went away for a couple nights. Other then going to work, this was my first time ever leaving my little guy overnight, and it almost killed me. I would be lying if I told you I didn't cry a bit as I handed him over to my Mom when we left, but I soon got over it and so did Rito.

Dad! and I hid away in the mountains for two nights, and let me tell you with no TV or radio in our cabin, the silence was deafening. I really think I need some noise to get a decent nights sleep. I am so used to us having the radio on in our room and the baby monitor on at night, to hear nothing but a couple birds and the odd person going to the other cabins was just strange. I am such a city girl at heart.

The drive out was nice, and you know what made it so good? Having satellite radio in the car, we always had something to listen to (it is usually on Howard Stern when Rito isn't around) and we didn't have to resort to listening to park radio while driving through the mountains. Ahhhh, technology. Satellite radio is the best. thing. ever.

So I leave you with some photos of our trip and I am not lying when I tell you that I am thrilled to be back at home with my cranky, not sleeping and cutting-two-damn-molars-at-once little man. Regular blog posts will be resuming now.

The violent water at Kicking Horse

The Natural Bridge at Kicking Horse

The view from the balcony of our cabin

We actually hiked all the way around the lake (it was supposed to be a quick walk before dinner, quick my ass it was 2 hours and the last half of the hike was pretty treacherous) and canoed on it. For those who know me you may think that is craziness; SleepyNita canoeing????? That is all the hippy granola fun stuff I can handle for a couple weeks.

The World's Cutest Little Guy

Because all the cool babies rock a happy-face-and-crossbones T-shirt like this one. He has a matching doo-rag but doesn't care to keep it on too much.

Technical Crap

2007-09-23T22:39:00.000-06:00

Not really redesigning the site, but I am trying to figure out what causes the page to load so slowly for others..... All this tinkering has done so far is made me realize how much Bloggers templates and "add a page" elements and customization really sucks. SERIOUSLY. I never though tI would say it, but I much prefer tinkering with the HTML then the crap point and click tool they provide (not to mention but the template code provided with the stock templates is a total mess at best).

Blah

Question?

2007-09-14T09:42:00.000-06:00

Does the swimming baby doll on my header look a little too freaky-deaky, or is it pleasantly ironic? I am trying to reduce the size of my header so the page loads faster for all 3 of my readers ;)

With what we pay in taxes this service should be included.....

2007-09-13T14:02:00.000-06:00

The post where I use hyphens like they are going out of style.

2007-09-10T15:32:00.000-06:00

I watched the MTV Video Music Awards opening last night just to see the trainwreck live. I do have a bone to pick with the people in blog-land commenting on Britney's lack-luster half-stoned full-of-crap performance though:

This is NOT fat

Not by any extent of the imagination.

She is being called huge and bovine online. Well I will be damned because that makes me an elephant. Seriously I would have to starve myself for a year to look like that at all. The girl had 2 babies, and is no longer a boney ass girl but a WOMAN. Her body looks great. Now lets talk about the hair. Britney honey, we can see you poorly dyed real hair above your rats nest of extensions. Puh-leeze just get a rocking short haircut and own it. The fake hair isn't fooling anyone but you.

Sara Silverman is not funny.

I think she bombed-sucked worse then Britney.

Sara Silverman is not funny, she is loud and annoying and has the worst. voice. ever. but she is not funny. I have never seen her actually be funny on stage. Ok, I lie, she was funny when she did the Celebrity Roast of Pamela Anderson, but she had tons of time to prepare funny shit about her. And, why is a semi-funny guy like Jimmy Kimmel even dating her? Maybe he is deaf. Or like Dad! says, she puts out. She dooz it. A lot. Oh, and calling someones kids the "cutest little mistakes ever" is not funny, it is rude and shows how class-less and talent-less you are.

It was the worst awards show ever, with a ton of crap performances. For the MTV people, when I-am-so-bland-live-that-I will-get-ass-kicking-new-hair-so-people-forget-I-suck-Rhianna was the better performance of the night you have problems with your production. That was 3 hours I will NEVER get back, although it beat doing laundry. Barely. I vacuumed though.

P.S.

Hi Paris? My 75 year old Baba (grandmother) called, she wants her hair back. You know, the old lady hair that they get done at the salon each Friday and don't wash all week?

Uggers Hair.

All that money and that's what they did to her head?

All about Meme!

2007-09-07T09:30:00.000-06:00

Ok, for the first time ever I have been tagged by Maki to do a meme. Maki is a for-reals friend of mine who has a super cute food blog, but what is better then the food is her photography of what she makes. It is good. Give it a look over, and while you are there the picture in her header is her kitchen. Yeah, jealous much? I love her concrete counter tops with the inset pot holders and stainless steel back-splash, very smart indeed.

Back to the meme. I have to use my name and provide a tidbit about me that relates to each letter. Now since I am SleeyNita on line, I must think of ten things to tell you. Bleh on days like this I wish I used my real life name online, it would be much shorter.

Sleep, I know a lot about sleep. Seriously.

Love to shop, dear goodness I love to shop, but it is getting more and more complicated with a toddler who wants to run everywhere and dear god not sit in the stroller. The inhumanity.

Engineering. My background is in Electronics Engineering (with a Medical type specialty) and I like to consider myself a bit of a geek, but really I am not that big a geek.

Everyone likes my car. More important I love my car. Her name is LillyBubble. She is a green VW Beetle. Most people think it is an unpractical car for a Mom to drive (and high heels are unpractical to wear but whatever), but seriously it is bigger then it looks and stands up well in accidents (unfortunately I know this too well). What is really fun about it is the fact that little kids like to hit each other at bus stops when I drive by. Endless entertainment I tell you.

Parents. I only have have one left, my Mom. She is pretty cool and full of energy. Some days I feel like Rito has been ripped off by never being able to know my Dad. He would have been the coolest Grandpa ever.

Yesterday, I got up at 3pm prepped dinner, played with Rito, had Dad! take him to Grams house, got ready for work, worked a 12 hour shift, came home at 8am this morning, talked to Dad! for a while, had a shower, checked my email, let the contractor into the house, fed the dog, watched Dad! put away the dishes (thanks Dad!), let the dog out (2 times), had Dad! make me a coffee (amazing what men will do when you ask), and updated this blog. It is around 10am now and I should get some sleep but my basement ceiling is going in today so it might be too noisy. I need to go pick some paint colors though so I may do that while Rito is chilling with Grams this morning.

Not married. Surprises most people that Dad! and I have been together over 10 years and have not tied the knot yet. Are we going to? I don't know, we really do not see the point. I guess we just are not a traditional couple that way.

Interests- stole this one from Maki, but she got off easy with only four letters. I have a few interests including reading, my often neglected blog, making movies in iMovie on my computer, shopping and food. I love to eat out.

Target. I love Tar-jay. Best store ever. I so wish we had Target instead of Hell-Mart in Canada. When Dad! goes to the states there is always a shopping list for him to fill, and he does good picking shoes out for me at Target. That's a real man girls! ;)

Airlines. Damn I think they are trying too hard to play judge, jury and executioner with their customers. Where do they get off treating people this way lately? Now the most recent one is here, and although I think the outfit is tacky, it is no different then what Paris and Lindsay parade around in, and they would NEVER be kicked off a plane for a short skirt and tight shirt.

And now for a bonus letter since it didn't fit my name and I have to add it....

BuddyLove, the worlds greatest, cuddliest, sweetest and most patient dog lives with us. We are so lucky.

Now I get to tag someone. DogMama since you have bloggers block, you are it!

Letters to my Son, 14 Months

2007-09-06T16:29:00.001-06:00

Dearest Rito,

This last month has been a whirlwind with you. This month you have managed to not grow too much, yet the changes in you have been huge.

In the last month you have learned a few new things physically. Recently you have learned how to run. Now I must admit the first few days of running in the house was a little nerve wracking since you spent much more time falling then being upright. You do have the running thing totally down now and have burnt off much energy doing laps around the main floor of the house. You also started dancing a couple weeks ago, but you always held onto the coffee table each time you danced (it looks like a little jig, your little feet move so fast) but this week you have let go of the table and danced your little but off. Now all Dad! has to do is sing this little dancing tune and your little feet go like crazy. Three weeks ago you scared the crap out of Mamamama and decided to walk down the stairs (not "on your bum" like Mamamama commands you to do), you are pretty smart though and waited until it would be a short fall before you attempted this feat.

You are full of words and language now. You have added "gum" to your little vocabulary, we have not figured out how you learned this word since we don't actually chew gum in this house. You also like to knock on doors and yell "Daddy!" no matter who is on the other side. If no one answers the door, you like to find a heavy object to whack the door with hoping someone will hear you on the other side. You love to say "bubbas" which is of course bubbles in our language. This gets a little crazy though, since you always seem to want more bubbas, Dad and I started hiding the bubble containers because quite frankly, we are kinda tired of blowing them all the time. You have started saying Mamamama again, which is nice because you dropped that word for a while now and I was fearing you would never call me Mamamama again. Last night, I think I heard you say nanas too, and you ate the banana you were pointing at. Pretty cool, you can order your own food now.... as long as it is nanas and bubbas I guess.

Mamamama and Dad! love you SO much, and you are learning so many things each and every day. There is never a dull moment in our house since we had you; there is never a quiet moment in this house either but nevermind all that!

Love you more then chocolate,
Mamamama

P.S. Thanks for all the awesome sleeping you are doing, Mommy loves it when you sleep until 8am and take those 3 hour naps.

Dearest Apple Computers,

2007-09-01T21:49:00.000-06:00

I love my MacBook, really I do. So so much. I love the new features in iPhoto 8. But I hate that you keep trying to make things "idiot proof" and took away folder level access to my iPhoto library because some morons screwed up their libraries. This makes me very angry. If I wanted to do things ass-backwards and hack my computer to access my own photos to upload, I would use a PC.

Rewards and the price you pay.

2007-08-28T10:53:00.000-06:00

Reward:

Rito didn't get up until 8:15am. Leaving a happy perky Mamamama to chase him around. Alas, with all that sleep I have an obscenely perky and spirited Rito to chase around.

The price you pay:

Rito has learned to open drawers today, so my pots and pans are always clanking about.

Today Rito wanted to play with this treehouse toy and I keep all the extra little animals in a cheap "purse" so they stay contained and accounted for. So now he is walking around our house carrying a purse and talking like a little old lady. Should I be concerned? ;)

The temper tantrums OH MY GOD! All I have to say is Linda at Purple is a Fruit summed it up perfectly today. Her little Riley and my Rito seem to be cut from the same cloth some days.

Two days in a row now Rito has decided not to eat breakfast, which ends up making him cranky because he is hungry but he won't eat. It is a vicious cycle I tell you! I endured a temper tantrum over who the heck knows what at breakfast time... I think it was because I wouldn't let him stand on the kitchen table or drink my coffee. All I need is a toddler on caffeine. Dear god, could you imagine? Oy.

Currently Rito is chasing BuddyLove around with a decapitated snowman toy. This is the only reason I am able to update the blog before naptime.

And I must say minus the temper tantrum this morning, today has been a great day with my little guy. Now if I just could get him to eat something.

Favorite Baby Things

2007-08-26T20:25:00.000-06:00

You know when something fun happens, you think "Gee I should blog that". Seriously I have tons to blog about, but after a weekend of weddings and wedding showers (4 weddings this summer 3 of which I am going to, one that Dad! was able to make it to) I am seriously burnt out. Add to the fact on Thursday night Dad! and I thought it was a good idea to drink a bottle of wine and follow up with "El Presidente's" (giant margaritas) Friday was a slightly long and painful day. Oy. Oh and then there was Friday night at DogMama's house where we drank a batch of her Sangria, good times I tell you. Add in a wedding with an open bar, and you have a Mamamama who is now sticking to water for a couple days. Mmmmm water.

So back to the blog post. I thought I would list a few of the things I really liked having for Rito as a baby. It is amazing how much stuff you really don't need and what you end using the most surprises you. I have decided that when friends and family have babies in the future I am not buying clothing but instead some items from this list, because seriously we got way too much baby clothing.

The Raz Baby Raz-Pak.

This was the handiest little thing ever. I initially used it for portioning out formula when we went out, but now it houses crackers, cookies and other snacks for the day. I think it is the one thing we will use even after Rito is done with it.

Kipiis Bib Clips

Pretty useful, with this handy set of clips I don't have to worry about keeping a stack of bibs on me when we go out. Anything can be a bib with these. Rito also likes to play with these when he is sitting in his car seat. Whatever works right?

Bosom Baby Breastfeeding Pillow

Love Love Love this pillow. Rito is 14 months old and is no longer breastfeeding yet we still use it all the time. I like it because it isn't crescent shaped (we all know what pillow I am talking about) and is really big, so Rito still fits on it for our night time cuddles. It also makes a great pregnancy pillow (I bought it when I was 6 months pregnant) and the cover is removable and washable. Dad! has also been known to use it as a pillow for TV watching.

Nuby Stuff

I just love this brand. They make the best (I think) sippy cups I tried, they don't leak and you can get two different straw sizes which is great since Rito will have nothing to do with the sippy styled cups. I love their cutlery, it has large bowls in the spoon, so you can shovel larger amounts into the babies mouth Their ice teethers are the best! Rito loves the duck one shown below and is plain happy to chew on the duck beak.

Now there are many more things I could add to this list but I have covered my favorites. What are your favorites?

Decisions

2007-08-18T15:42:00.000-06:00

You know how everyone has an opinion?

What I want to know is what the heck is everyones problem with Dad! and I making the conscious decision that Rito is going to be an only child?

For the last couple months Dad! and I have discussed whether or not Rito will have a sibling. At first we thought that we would in another year or two try for another baby. Recently though we have come to the decision that one child is what is right for our little family. We put a lot of thought into this and have our reasons for wanting an only child and some are listed here:

I (Mamamama) am an only child. Did I ever wish for a brother or sister? Yes, when I was 7 I wanted a little brother. The novelty of that idea wore off. Do I regret not having a sibbling? Nope.
Dad! has a younger brother. Did he get any enjoyment out of his brother as a kid? Not really. In fact they didn't get along too well until Dad! was out on his own and they didn't live together anymore. Does he wish Uncle-J was never born? No, but being an only kid would have had it's perks too.
Being an only child was great. I had an opportunity to travel overseas with my parents, and they always took me out with them to nice places because one child was "easy to handle" in public.
People feel that kids need sibblings to play with, I don't believe that. I was forced to make friends and be outgoing to keep myself occupied.
With less children, my Mom and Dad could afford to have me in sports and music lessons. This may sound lame but now at days kids activities are both time consuming and very expensive. Juggling between a couple kids could prove to be impossible with multiple children.
I like to work part time. With more then one, I have to give up what I do for a living and I worked long and hard to get where I am (and I only work 2 times a week). Call me selfish, but I like to have my own spending money and help out with household expenses.

There are many other reasons, but what kills me is when friends, family and co-workers all weigh in on the fact that they think having an only child is the wrong decision or selfish. I am not advocating for ALL families to have only one child, do what is best for you. But for the McSleepy household, this is likely the right decision.

Seriously, what gives?

Because nothing seems to be made in the USA (or Canada) anymore.

2007-08-14T22:45:00.000-06:00

I don't know about my loyal readers, but I am personally sick of crap made in China and that crap being recalled for all sorts of safety issues. I have no problem with me being in danger, but when you piss with my son and his toys; it is time to open a can of whoop ass.

Today I found a website full of links and information about Chinese made goods, and it even calls for a partial boycott of Chinese made items (because a 100% boycott is near impossible).

If you choose to add them to your blog you will be entered into a contest for a $50.00 American Apparel gift card. Info on the contest is here.

Go ahead check them out!

Regaining Control of my Living Room

2007-08-14T14:01:00.000-06:00

I always thought I would be one of those uber-cool hipster parents that had no brightly colored baby crap strewn about their house. Before I had Rito, I envisioned him playing with neat stacking cups and brown monkeys that blended with the "decor" in our home. I thought we would spend our days reading books, listening to British import music, playing little games like patty cake and going for nature walks with BuddyLove in the ravine beside our home.

Reality bit me in the ass. Hard. Who has time for all of that? There is laundry to get done, you know.

My home is a shrine to all things toddler, including the big three: Fisher Price, Little Tykes and Other Plastic Crap Made in China. Primary colors now dominate our serene beige and brown (and some may say bland, so be it) color scheme and plastic things that sing and make noise are always eating our batteries.

Why did I deviate from my idealistic bullshit ideas? Anything for 10 minutes of peace, that's why.

Now that Rito has a ton of toys strategically placed (thrown.... left behind and abandoned) throughout our home we have come to the mighty conclusion that we need to develop the final room in our basement to be a playroom. Rito has some cool big wood toys like this huge bus that need to be built and played with, but it takes up so much room that we really needed extra space to put it in.

Dad! and I never really have anything we want for gifts, because let's face it we both have good jobs and pretty much buy what we want. What we really are short on is handy skillz (actually we are fine at handy, more short on hours in a day to do things), and the idea of developing the last room in our basement seemed like a logistical nightmare that we kept putting off.

Enter my Mom (who we can blame for the huge bus, but it is a cool ass bus).

LoudGranny (my Mom) has no handy skillz either but she is fantastic at hiring men, writing cheques and deciding that shit needs to get done. So for this year's Birthday and Christmas gifts for Dad! and I, we are getting a playroom courtesy of LoudGranny. I have spent the last two days picking out flooring (cork) and french doors. Later this afternoon is an outing to the hardware store to investigate lighting. The demo of what was in that half done room was finished yesterday, and once a couple more decisions are made the construction will start.

You may think the gift is more for Rito, but think about it first...... We are regaining some control of the main floor.

And that is the best gift I can think of right now.

Never Ever did I think........

2007-08-12T22:40:00.001-06:00

I would ever say the following as a mother:

No Rito! Do NOT put your maracas in the central vac outlet!

If we lived in a town where there was ample parking day or night.....

2007-08-12T22:02:00.000-06:00

The McSleepy family would look just like this:

Rito

Mamamama

Dad!

What is really scary is that Rito is bang on.

Toddler Batteries Chart

2007-08-07T15:04:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite bloggers is Secret Agent Josephine. She writes these long posts about her life living in her rented home on the beach with her talented photographer husband and cute little Baby Bug. I am usually envious of her trips to Starbucks and Sprinkles Cupcake Bakery but today I have another reason to be envious. She has put into pictures and graphs what I have spent HOURS trying to explain to people.

Behold the Toddler Batteries Chart. A sheer work of genius.

Toddler Batteries

Thanks to Brenda for letting me add it to my blog. Even the times are almost bang on for Rito's daily performances. I may be giving this chart to everyone that takes care of my little guy.

Only in this town.......

2007-08-07T14:24:00.000-06:00

can you get away with putting a couple dozen gerbils in a pen and calling it a zoo.

This morning Dad! and I took Rito to the zoo for the very first time. We had grand illusions of enlightening Rito with train rides and active animals in their habitats. Needless to say we were disappointed to find out (after buying train tickets) that the train was CLOSED for repairs for the WHOLE day. The cashier? Obviously not so bright. And the animals? Not so active and sometimes even embarrassingly absent from their habitats. Rito did love the monkeys (even the not so evil ones) and the Merry-Go-Round but hated the paddle boats (probably the sticky hot life preservers they make you wear in 3 feet of water). Overall, it was nice to spend some family time together but the zoo was a bit of a bust.

Lets hope I at least get a good nap out of Rito after all the excitement.

Letters to my Son. 13 months.

2007-08-06T14:05:00.000-06:00

Dearest Rito,

Mamamama has had a run of fantastic days with you. I really like the nice little toddler stage you are in this week. You have been sleeping quite well, taking nice long naps and being generally pleasant during the day. Even the temper tantrums have been at a minimum.

This week you have been eating very well, and yesterday you even ate ribs for the first time at LoudGranny's house. We have started trying to eat with a fork, but sometimes you forget what end goes in your mouth and need to be reminded which way it all goes. You really like stabbing tortellini with the fork and are pretty proud of yourself when you get it on the fork AND into your mouth in one try. So far letting you eat with a spoon by yourself is a disaster, and there is only so much yoghurt I can handle washing off the walls.

The most exciting thing this month is how you have turned into a full time walker. For the last few months when people asked if you were walking yet, we always said "Yes, but he likes crawling better". Now your primary mode of transport is walking and you crawl when you lose your balance. Climbing has turned into a favorite exercise with you, and nothing seems to be off limits. You climb on the couch, the coffee table and the dividing wall between the kitchen and family room, some day Mamamama is going to have a heart attack watching you climb everything in sight.

The Evil Monkey is still your favorite toy, and you like to grab his tail and rub it in circles around your left eye when you fall asleep. It is so cute. Around the house you have a little toy airplane that you push around and around the main floor while laughing your butt off. I fail to see what is so funny but the look of joy on your face when you do this warms my heart right up. Dad! bought you a cute little lookout tower and slide for the backyard, and you really love that, but you like to crawl up the slide and down the stairs which is just a little backwards.

This month has been pretty warm and Dad! and Uncle-J have invented a new sport with you, extreme wagon rides. Usually this involves putting you in the wagon and running around on bumpy ground pulling you as fast as they can, and sometimes they add in a big water hazard (the sprinkler). You love this game and could play it all day, unfortunately none of us is in good enough shape to do it for a long period of time.

I am looking forwad to what Month 14 is going to bring.

Love you more that chocolate,
Mamamamama

P.S. I am so thankful you were not in the car with Mamamama when that dingbat hit my car at the crosswalk. If you were in the car Mamamama would of been in jail for opening a big can of whoop ass on that girl.

Ambien and Napien - The Simpsons.

2007-07-27T10:10:00.000-06:00

For reasons known to me and a few others, I found these stupid funny. Homer gets all hopped up an Ambien and turns into a zombie. Watch them in order.

Underwear Underthere

2007-07-25T08:42:00.000-06:00

Like any yoga uniform wearing mom out there I am obsessed with Lululemon pants (honey you read this, wanna buy me a present or many presents?) but realize that the visible panty-line was becoming an issue. When you buy pants specifically designed to make your sagging derriere look nice you shouldn't be putting a big old panty-line picture frame around it. So now comes my issue, and remarkably a solution.

I hate thong underwear. I hate things shoved up my ass. I hate visible panty-lines. Dilemma much?

I have tried "seamless" boy cut underwear from many sources and have never found a truly invisible pair, seamless my arse. Last month I went to laSenza and bought a stack of these hoping that maybe finally I would have a solution to my problem.

Wonder of wonders, no more visible panty-lines, and nothing shoved up my ass. At the time they were on a super special of 5 for 25$ and I bought 2 thongs in the same material as a last ditch effort to hide the lines. Although a thong up my ass looks much like a 747 landing in the Grand Canyon, I admit this material is comfortable and seems to make Dad! happy. And yes the regular cut underwear is virtually invisible under my pants too.

For us humble Canadians they ship for free with orders over 69$ (who comes up with that number, 69$ free shipping at a lingerie store? dirty buggers), so you don't have to dig through the mess of piles in the store (you all know what I am talking about).

Now if they could just make a bra that fits a woman (not a jiggle-boobed teenager) I would be set.

EDIT:

I went to the website, where there is a crazy ass sale and then googled some coupon codes. So if you want stuff you get free shipping if the total is over 69$ BUT if you add VISA2007B as a coupon code you get an ADDITIONAL 15% off. It adds up fast since I bought more underwear (5 pairs), a lightweight robe, a pair of Yoga pants, a pair of cargo pants and a nice t-shirt (total with free shipping and coupon code used 89$) BARGAIN!!!!!

Diaper Update

2007-07-25T08:34:00.000-06:00

So, last night I tried the Pampers Cruisers overnight since I have been religious about using Huggies at night. I must say I am not impressed this morning. Rito had a particularly wet night and topped it off with a morning #2 and when I walked into the room, it didn't stink but the gel that absorbs everything was all over the place.

It was in his hair, all over the bars of the crib, stuck to the bedding and on the beloved stuffed evil accomplice Monkey. To top it off Rito was pulling the gel out of his diaper by the handful. I have NEVER had such a mess since the great puking incident of March 2007.

So maybe it was just a one-off, but I will be repeating the night test tonight since most mornings there is no number 2 to deal with.

Diapers

2007-07-21T13:22:00.000-06:00

Just wondering what people are using for diapers on their kids. Right now we really like Pampers Cruisers (size 3) in this house, but I use Huggies at night for leak avoidance (I admit I have not given the pampers cruisers and overnight test). We have NEVER had a diaper rash so sensitivity or allergies was not an issue for us, just fit and leak proofing.

I have tried all the brands out there, Kirkland from Costco (which are just Huggies), Parents Choice (Wal-Mart) Pampers (swaddlers, baby dry and cruisers), Huggies (baby shaped fit and supreme) and the Simply Kind (Save-on-foods brand). I used to be a 100% Huggies/Kirkland lover, but now that Rito is able to get around I find the Pampers Cruisers hold the shape through all the movement much better. For a budget diaper, you can't beat the Simply Kind ones, they are great for daytime use (not through a whole night though) and you can pick up the big bag for 10$ on sale a couple times a month.

I am now pondering the Teddy's Choice Supreme from Superstore... I may try them for daytime use and keep my Huggies/Pampers for nights. I worry because we HATED the Parents Choice diapers from Wal-Mart, they sucked.

What do you all use? Why? What didn't work for you?

Interview time...

2007-07-16T21:51:00.000-06:00

Right so I really don't have a clue what to post about (damn this blasted mini cold) so I figured I would interview my son and translate the answers for you....

Q. What is your favorite toy?

A. MMblppukk tititi ttt splech digdig didididede blep bli boo

Translation: My stuffed Monkey, he kinda stinks and needs frequent bathing but I think it is because I spit food onto his nose.

Q. Why do you climb everything in sight?

A. babababaaaaaaa dididdededede ti ti ti ti (clapping hands the whole time)

Translation: It drives Mamamama nuts and it is funny to see her run after me when I climb things.

Q. BuddyLove likes to play with you, but why must you head-but her all the time?

A. DigDig tititit beehhhh baaah spilddle doo (pointing finger at me)

Translation: So she knows who is the boss, and it is me! I also growl at her for good measure.

Q. What is with the diaper changing drama?

A. Mamamamama didid dee dahh subequeedoo dahhh dahhh.

Translation: I am trying to help Mamamama. By crawling away I am trying to get a breeze on my bits and pieces to dry off faster. I scream so you can find me.

Q. Where is the knob to Dad!'s stereo? It has been missing for a while now.

A. Blip blopp quedoo squee bloo dah dah daaaaaaa tititi da

Translation: You are not looking hard enough, I will never tell (smiles devilishly).

The climbing boy

2007-07-14T21:42:00.000-06:00

The terrible twos have started in this house. Although Rito is only 12.5 months old he has started with the picky eating, temper tantrums and getting into and climbing everything in sight. Rito has always been a climber, which seems nuts for a kid who will not walk regularly, but in the past week he has started climbing the following:

up the couch over the cushions and down the backside
on top of the toilet to play with items on the toilet tank
on top of the coffee table
up the dividing wall between the kitchen and family room (ending up 3 feet off the floor)
on top of multiple toys to get at items on our bar
tried to climb the railings going up the stairs
he is opening and closing everything in sight and getting into anything he shouldn't

As well, he has realized that there are shiny doorknobs and has been trying to open those too. I always thought kids were not supposed to know how to jump at this age, but he can do a little hop to make contact with the doorknobs.

Now for the photographic evidence:

Stealing my car keys and later getting my fancy sunglasses, the stuffed monkey is his evil accomplice, Monkey is NEVER far behind him....

Sitting on the coffee table, just because he can...

Template complete until new ideas spawn.

2007-07-13T22:40:00.000-06:00

DogMama

I am done your template. I do want to eventually fit in a secondary photo bar or choose a different photo for your header, but that is your choice what you want up there, what is there is just a place holder for now. As well depending ton the photo the font weight, size, spacing and color will change to work with putting the title on the photo.

If you see my laundromat page back, and you have not seen the approximation of what your site will me let me know I will repost the HTML.

Enough with my technical crap, I am drinking a glass of wine before bed.

Mad Dad Skillz

2007-07-13T12:11:00.000-06:00

The last 2.5 days Dad! has been in charge of all things Rito since Dad! is on holidays and poor Mamamama still has to work. I really thought a couple of nights with Rito getting up in the middle of the night and the ongoing temper tantrums would really make Dad! appreciate all that I do.

Nope. Not at all.

Why?

Because the men in this house are banding against me and Rito has been on his model super baby best behavior. For example:

sleeping through the night
sleeping 8 hours and then getting up for a glass of milk and sleeping another 4
minimal temper tantrums
eating well
eating without spitting out his food
sitting nicely at the dinner table each night and eating what we eat

I would also like to point out that Dad! has also been on his best behaviour:

mowing the lawn
washing cars
changing oil
taking Mamamama out to dinner
cooking dinner
ordering pizza
taking care of all things Rito
taking care of all things BuddyLove

So now that I know my men are more then capable without me, it is going to

bite Dad! in the ass because now I expect more from him.

Next time honey, do the laundry too, I am still drowning in it.

P.S. Dad! I think you are hot being all Daddy-in-charge, it almost makes

my uterus hurt.

Almost.

Getting back to normal

2007-07-09T23:26:00.000-06:00

LittleMan is finally sleeping again, knock on wood (and any other surface around). It has been another tough month ending in 2 teeth and a nasty fever but finally I am getting to sleep at night! This week Dad! is on holidays and he gets to take over parenting duties for a couple days while I work, it should be a good experience for both of my boys......

The template testing on my site will be done in the next couple days, then I will revert back to my good 'ole laundromat page. Until then I am playing with color schemes and formatting on here until I find something that looks pretty for a fellow blogging mom. That is her cutie patootie baby girl at the top of the page. Hopefully soon she will send me some photos to put there, I stole that one from her and I am sure a bigger file size would work better.

That's not me....

2007-07-08T23:40:00.000-06:00

at the top of the page, I am working on a redesign for a friend and my eyes have gone nutty hunting through the code for the sake of moving one line to the right. Since I am no where near done yet, I will finish customizing later (like tomorrow) with colors, new borders and backgrounds.

If I melted in your mouth

2007-07-06T23:16:00.000-06:00

And not in your hand, I would look like this:

Try it for yourself at become an m&m.

What a dollar can buy you.....

2007-07-03T22:17:00.000-06:00

As much as I hate to admit it, I love going to the dollar store. Around here we have Dollarama which I must say is a mecca of cheap junk that you never knew you needed. That place is always packed and seriously I am so lucky they do not take debit cards because I have to go in with cash and stick to a BUDGET (at the dollar store I need a budget - that is how bad it gets) and count how much I am putting into the basket. Heaven forbid if I ever got a cart, I would be broke filling the damn thing up.

Anyways, now that the Dollarama love-fest is done I will get on with it.... this post is not about a trip to Dollarama (note to self take camera there and take pictures of stupid junk people buy) but is about something I purchased for a buck.

Now, since I live in the same city as the MDF, Pine, Melamine and Allen Wrench craziness known as IKEA I must say that I frequent the store for many things. For a buck at IKEA you can get a decent breakfast (which is so cheap you can order LittleMan his own breakfast instead of feeding from your plate) a refillable cup of coffee (so necessary in the mornings, but they used to have an espresso machine where did it go?) or all 3 of these little toys for a dollar:

We have a shark, a turtle and an octopus......

Oh wait what is that I see?

Right. An Octopus with 1...2...3...4...5..... yup 5 legs. So what would you call an Octopus with 5 legs?

A Pentopus*.

*all credit for the witty toy name goes to Dad! because we all know I am not that funny.

So I lied

2007-07-02T22:00:00.000-06:00

Hells Kitchen is on so there will be no template mucking tonight!

What a mess

2007-07-02T21:18:00.001-06:00

I am playing with templates again, so bear with me it is gonna get messy before it gets better.

The Big One

2007-06-28T21:17:00.001-06:00

Ginger Beer Celebration
Originally uploaded by SleepyNita

Dearest LittleMan,

A year ago today was the second most important day of my life. On Wednesday June 28, 2006 we brought our little boy (YOU!)home from the hospital. At first I was amazed that i didn't have to pass some sort of exam or sign papers to take you home, it took a while for me to understand that you belonged to us. The day you came home was a hot day(32 degrees), the sky was blue and BuddyLove was pleased to meet you for the first time outside of Mommy's belly (you had been kicking her for months before this).

Mommy was so very tired after being stuck in the worst hospital room ever for days on end, and went to take a nap after coming home. Daddy took care of you and when you got fussy, he took you for a car ride to calm you down; we were amateurs back then and the car ride was a helped you relax when you were little.

That night was sweltering hot in the house (because Daddy took his time getting us air conditioning), and you spent it screaming, and screaming and screaming. We thought all babies screamed; Mommy was breastfeeding you at the time, and little did she know that because of an operation years ago you were not getting enough milk. You were a hungry little man. Soon we found out that Mommy needed medicine to help feed you and you needed formula to top you up. By the end of the week (Friday night) we had a little system figured out, and you became a pretty happy peaceful baby; until Mommy and Daddy wanted to eat, then you started to fuss and we ate many cold meals after calming you down.

Daddy and I can't really remember what our life was really like before we had you, and we would never change it for the world. Mommy had a rough year before you were born, and you have made me (and Daddy) so happy and proud; I could just kiss and squeeze you forever. You are the light of my life.

Love you more than chocolate,
Mamamamama

P.S. The most important day of my life was the day you were born.

Question?

2007-06-25T14:23:00.000-06:00

When you look at this blog from your browser, how does it look? On my computer I see it as I designed it, with three neat little colums the center one being the actual content. When I look at it from work (my bad) I can not see the far right column.

What do you see?

It Doesn't Add Up

2007-06-21T11:50:00.000-06:00

So far this morning I have consumed the following:

1 small biscotti

12 ounces of coffee with half and half cream

So far this morning LittleMan has consumed:

6 ounces of formula

6 ounces of Homo milk

1 bowl of cereal (about 1/2 cup)

1 bowl of fruit (also about 1/2 cup)

1 waffle

1 Big Sea Shell Pasta stuffed with Ricotta Cheese and Spinach in a tomato cream sauce (leftovers from date night last night YUMMY)

What I want to know is how is he not gaining weight (well gaining very slowly), and I am not losing it? I know I could eat better, exercise and stuff but I am not the biggest eater and my weight is still only coming off at a rate of a pound a week. Yes, I know biscotti is not the breakfast of champions, and I should eat more regularly.... but there are things to do and babies to play with you know?

It still doesn't add up.

Insert witty title here......

2007-06-19T09:38:00.000-06:00

So much has changed with LittleMan lately, I don't even know where to begin.

He has a few words now, the most amusing being Dad! (yup said with the exclamation point), so Dadadadada will now be known as Dad! on this blog since that is what LittleMan call him now.

Buddylove and LittleMan are still best buds, but with LittleMan getting bigger, he is also rougher and soon will outweigh BuddyLove. BuddyLove has been growling at him a little now when he gets too rough, which annoys me but LittleMan gets the idea and backs off.

Recently (in the last week) he has become Master of the Stairs (in BOTH directions); Dad! discovered this at Grams house while visiting last week, her stairs are closed in so I think he felt a little safer going up and down them (ours are wide open and a little intimidating). He has morphed this impressive skill into something we call the slide, which to him is much more efficient; instead of crawling backwards like any normal baby, he skootches over to the left side and slides down backwards. Although this is cute, he sometimes loses his balance and will probably tumble down the stairs any time now.

My Mom (LoudGranny) recently had surgery and I spent time there last week helping her home from the hospital and staying a night to make sure everything was OK. She is doing good now, just a little slow still and she can't pick up LittleMan which totally breaks her heart. We have gone shopping since her surgery, and it is a SLOW process since we need to stop for breaks all the time.

LittleMan has been sleeping like crap again lately, damn bastard tooth. Enough said.

Preparations are underway for the First Birthday Blowout...... but the party and all the issues (not many really) are enough for a whole other blog post.

Things are getting funky here....

2007-06-11T07:43:00.000-06:00

and it is not my son's diaper. Whoo!, he just crawled by me, maybe it is his diaper.

Seriously though; the site may look odd as I work on a new template. I have been thinking that my skinny serene yoga mommy graphic is false advertising. I am far from serene, am only skinny in my own mind and my idea of yoga is touching my toes on a good day.

Time for a redesign.

I love a funny video

2007-06-08T22:09:00.000-06:00

Baby with Kung Fu Face

David Letterman's Best Top 10 List This Year

Friday Feast! Moroccan Meatballs - Bulk Cooking

2007-06-08T16:43:00.001-06:00

Moroccan Meatball Stew
Originally uploaded by SleepyNita

I thought I would start a new feature on my blog for us busy Moms and everyone else I know. Every Friday I am going to (try to) post a recipie that I like to make for my little family. Sometimes it will be plain old good food, other times it will be something you can cook in bulk and freeze for those crazier days, sometimes they are one pan meals (seriously who needs to drown in dishes too?); and once in a while it will be something that is super good that you can make on the cheap-cheap (gawd I love a bargin, even in the kitchen)!!!!!!! Or today, it fits all the categories! I will tag it under Friday feast for now, that way you can always hit that tag and see all the related posts.

Todays Recipie is something you can batch cook the main ingredient (which I totally suggest because any other way is a pain for this) and can be turned into two different meals for the family!

Basic Recipie - Moroccan Meatballs

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp crushed dried chillies
2 lbs lean ground beef
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup currants (little raisins)
1 large egg
2/3 cup fine bread crumbs
salt and pepper to tast.

Combine all ingredients, (and I actually prebake the meatbals in the oven so it cuts down on cooking times later on) make meatballs and freeze. For 2 of us I freeze 16 - 18 meatballs in each ziploc bag and this makes a decent batch of food leaving enough for leftovers for ManToy to take to work.

Make some Tomato, Meatball and Rice Stew

Thaw a portion of the meatballs and cook (or warm up in a pan of you precook like I do)

1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cup beef broth
1 28 ounce time of diced tomatoes - use juice and all!
1/2 cup long grain rice (no instant Uncle Bens crap here girls!)
1 Tbsp liquid honey
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Optional but tastey: 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

Saute onion in small amount of oil until it is soft. Add beef broth and tomatoes (with all the juice in the can) to the onions and bring to a boil. Add rice, honey salt and pepper. Cook , covered for about 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Add the meatballs back ito the pan, add lemon juice (and optional mint) and stir well. Cook for 3 minutes until evenly hot. Serve.

Make some Moroccan Meatball Pitas or Wraps

I like to put the meatballis into a wrap with some sauteed peppers and onion, topped off with a little plain yoghurt. Makes a tastey lunch or a fast dinner!

The Nitty Gritty
I managed to score 10 lbs of lean ground beef for 10$ at a local grocery store on a super good special. With a bargin like this dinner worked out to about 4$ a night (including the rice, tomatoes, lemons and currants needed) and I could make about 16 dinners worth of meatballs for the freezer fom that 10$ of beef. Each batch I made fed the two adults and the baby (take the currants out for the little ones teeth) and leftovers for someone to take to work the next day.

P.S. Don't mind the photo, my presentation sucks since my 22 pound Sous Chef (LittleMan) was hanging off my leg the whole time.

I have been a bad bad girl

2007-06-06T17:56:00.000-06:00

And have gone almost a week without updating my blog. Life has been crazy around here, and LittleMan is changing daily. I shall update by the weekend, I promise!

Competimommies - not in my group!

2007-05-31T21:01:00.000-06:00

I hate them. Really I do.

That is why I am so happy to be a part of a New Mom's Group that really does not seem to have much or any competition going on. Our group met taking a New Moms class through the Health Center and once the classes ended we started to get together weekly with our babies. I am truly lucky to know this group of women and their kids.

Together we have watched the kids start rolling over, crawl, cruise furniture and for a lucky few walking has already started. Some of us have weaned our babies, while a few continue to breastfeed. We share emails full of tips and ideas; we complain about our kids continually changing food demands and we talk about almost everything. Some girls go running together, some have taken a Strollerobics class and others yet have joined baby gyms and library programs together. About half of us have returned to work and a few others have opted for the summers off (lucky and smart!!). Some had natural childbirths, others had C-sections, one cutie patootie was adopted and we have a set of twins in the group. Some, like LittleMan talk non stop and climb everything in sight, others are quiet and walk all over the place. The children are all so different yet what we all go through daily is very much the same.

Today it was my turn to have the girls and babies over for the afternoon for coffee and fun in the sun. We had quite the turnout! It was great to see some of the babies (which I haven't seen for ages) change and grow up so much! In my own head they were all still little and sitting on the floor, now they crawl, climb and chatter away like little people. A few have drastically changed in the looks department whch really suprised me,

Best of all there was no competition between the Moms, we were all pretty happy checking out what other babies were and were not doing and laughing at their antics.

Is it me, or am I just a really lucky girl to have such a good group of Mom friends?

11 months going on 13 years old

2007-05-27T12:56:00.000-06:00

Dearest LittleMan,

You are just over 11 months old now, and I have to admit you are officially a Toddler.

Sure you don't attempt to walk with any regularity, but you are as strong as an Ox and you can pitch little temper-tantrums like a seasoned pro. So far, you have not pitched any fits when we go out (knock on wood), you tend to only get mad when Mamamama won't let you crawl up the stairs or play with Dadadadada's stereo.

You are getting to be a rough and tumble little boy, you are never alarmed when you hurt yourself, and only cry when your pride is injured. This week, you have learned how to crawl on top of the coffee table and sit there to play with toys. You only seem to do this when Mamamama leaves the room to go pee. You are starting to manhandle BuddyLove, when sitting at the window she barks at the cars going by and you go "ooo ooo ooo" and then grab her collar and pull her down from the window like she is in your way. You now give her full frontal hugs and roll with her on the floor. Lately, you are most amused when she is playing fetch; you giggle endlessly at her antics. I can not wait to watch you and the dog grow up together. Someday, she will spend the night snoring in YOUR room.

Yesterday you finally learned how to go both ways on the stairs, now the problem is you never just go strait up them, you go up two then down two, up two the down two. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but since we do need to get upstairs to change your diaper I need to pick you up and that starts a tantrum; which is never pretty but is thankfully short.

Love You More than Chocolate,
Mamamamama

P.S. I know you like to play with doors now, but can you PLEASE stop locking Mamamamama in the pantry?

How I feel some days....

2007-05-25T20:26:00.000-06:00

There is a real post coming from me soon, like this weekend I promise.

More funny stuff.....

2007-05-19T08:12:00.000-06:00

This parent has some skill, and the kid has some serious patience to let the parents do this all day....

A week or two ago I posted the Pearl the Landloard video. Now here are the out-takes.

The Landlord Out Takes

Back to the Grind......

2007-05-18T13:42:00.000-06:00

So I have finished 2 out of three of my shifts this week. Things at work have gone well, I haven't forgotten how to do things and there were very few changes in the lab to learn. Stuff there never changes, I have been gone a year and some people are still complaining about THE SAME CRAP they did a year ago. I figure at this point they should quit complaining about it, because obviously it is not going to change. The same politics and arguments still exist, which is a little annoying too. Maybe it is my "New Mom" perspective, but I no longer care about that crap. I want to show up, do my job, get my paycheque ($$$$ YAY) and go home to my kid. That's it. I wish others would just chill out and adopt the same attitude.

Politics, it's not just for the government anymore....

LittleMan has spent 2 nights with Grams and is spending tonight with LoudGranny (aka my Mom). Things have gone well, he slept straight through the first night and got up once the second night for a bottle. He has been cranky when he gets dropped off, but I think that is because it is so close to bedtime that he is just tired by then, I am thinking of trying to move bedtime up about 15-20 minutes to accomodate this. Or I can continue dropping him off at the same time, and he should get used to it. I worry a little that Grams holds him or tries to contain him too much, he really likes to go go go all the time and if he doen't run around a lot, he doesn't take a decent nap which makes the rest of the day crap for everyone involved. I think Grams will get the hang of it in no time at all.

It is still hard to leave him at night and go to work, but I am so very happy to be working again and to me it all evens out in the end. I know as a kid I loved spending time and sleeping overnight at my Baba and Gidos home, and I want LittleMan to feel the same way too. I found having a couple photos of him in my daytimer and really spending good time with him during the day when I am awake have helped me transition back to work. Soon, we may be getting a new schedule at work, and being very part time I really do not want to work 3 nights in a row at all (I should only be doing 2 which is easy with a kid) because I find it to be too much for me, and too much to expect from the Grandmothers (granted the rest of my four week rotation is very nice - even just losing one shift alltogether would do for me).

It does get eaiser when they get older - doesn't it?

Letters to my Son

2007-05-16T09:09:00.001-06:00

Lion face
Originally uploaded by SleepyNita.

Dearest LittleMan,

Today is a very hard day for your Mamamamama and I am not coping all that well right now. Today I return to work, and a couple days each week I must leave you with LoudGranny or Grandy (when Dadadadada is not home). Now, I feel very good about having you spend more time with the grandparents and I think it will be good for you to spend time with people other then Mamamamama. But, I would be lying if I didn't admit that the thought of not seeing your little sleeping face in the crib at 10pm tonight is totally going to break my heart. I am sure returning to work will be harder on me then you and we will find our rythym soon enough.

This week I was working on the photo wall in our front entrance, and although I wanted an assortment of photos, I found myself ordering prints of you to fill the spaces (who am I kidding? over half the frames are photos of you). You will make that photo wall shine.

Lately you have this new thing that you are doing. You like to get under a chair or table and then tilt your head sideways to look up at whatever is on the bottom side of the chair or table. The look on your face is priceless when you do this, you look like you are really examining what is going on there. Yesterday morning you got over your fear of grass and crawled around our back yard, you also discovered the rocks and like to dig in them. This last week you have slept well too, only getting up once and then sleeping to 7:30 or later in the morning. Some days I have actually got up before you, made coffee, fed BuddyLove, showered and put up the babygates before you even started partying in the crib.

You continue to amaze me each day.

Love you more than chocolate,
Mamamamamama

P.S. I smell poo. Its not me and the dog is outside, so guess who gets his diaper changed?

This idiot thinks it is a horse

2007-05-15T20:30:00.000-06:00

watch the clip, I am too tired to blog and too fried to even try. Be back tomorrow.

I think someone screwed up.

2007-05-11T21:40:00.001-06:00

20030203-cheerios-wp-640x480
Originally uploaded by SleepyNita.

I was reviewing the Canada Food Guide today making sure LittleMan was getting all his nutrients when I noticed a glaring ommission in the food groups. Listed are:

1. Fruits and Vegetables
2. Grain Products
3. Milk and Milk Alternatives
4. Meat and Meat Alternatives
and of course Oils and Fats.

Let me ask this one simple question:

Why don't cheerios have their very own food group?

Changes....

2007-05-08T13:52:00.002-06:00

Dearest Littleman,

I want to tell you about how much you amaze me.

In the past ten months you have grown and changed in ways I never thought or believed possible. You have learned to crawl, attempted walking, can climb stairs at lightning speed and developed an impressive little vocabulary. You know what Monkeys are and really like the one Dadadadadada hung on your wall; and this week you have become attached to a stuffed monkey. Most days you are stubborn, noisy and are in constant motion. It is amazing that you even gain any weight since you move about so much!

In the last 3 days I have noticed something very alarming to me. You are becoming more a little boy, and less a baby. You do little boy things now; taking things apart, climbing stuff you shouldn't, pulling BuddyLove around and digging in the dirt. The things you do provide us with endless entertainment.

Although watching my baby dissapear and turn into a little boy makes me sad, I am excited to watch you become the boy that you will be.

Love you more then chocolate,
mamamamamama

P.S. We understand boys like dirt, but please leave the plants in the house alone O.K?

Reasons I love the USA, but.......

2007-05-07T09:53:00.000-06:00

1. Las Vegas
2. Palm Springs
3. San Francisco
4. Target stores; I wish we had target instead of Wal-mart
5. Better shopping
6. Factory Outlet Malls
7. In and Out Burger
8. Better Weather

(This list could go on and on, but the baby only sleeps so long.......)

But it has all gone a little too far when American "Authorities" think that our quarters are intruments of nanotechnology terror....

'Poppy quarter' behind spy coin alert'.

A sample from Yahoo news:

An odd-looking Canadian coin with a bright red flower was the culprit behind a U.S. Defense Department false espionage warning earlier this year about mysterious coin-like objects with radio frequency transmitters, The Associated Press has learned.

The harmless "poppy coin" was so unfamiliar to suspicious U.S. Army contractors traveling in Canada that they filed confidential espionage accounts about them. The worried contractors described the coins as "anomalous" and "filled with something man-made that looked like nano-technology," according to once-classified U.S. government reports and e-mails obtained by the AP.

The supposed nano-technology actually was a conventional protective coating the Royal Canadian Mint applied to prevent the poppy's red color from rubbing off. The mint produced nearly 30 million such quarters in 2004 commemorating Canada's 117,000 war dead.

"It did not appear to be electronic (analog) in nature or have a power source," wrote one U.S. contractor, who discovered the coin in the cup holder of a rental car. "Under high power microscope, it appeared to be complex consisting of several layers of clear, but different material, with a wire like mesh suspended on top."

"I thought the whole thing was preposterous, to think you could tag an individual with a coin and think they wouldn't give it away or spend it," said H. Keith Melton, a leading intelligence historian.

Good grief. I understand they are a little worried about terror attacks, but I don't think the Canadian Government or the Royal Canadian Mint is about to open a can of whoop-ass on the United States.

My Celebrity look alikes

2007-05-06T20:25:00.000-06:00

I had to keep trying to find a photo that did not compare me to Rosanne Barr 74%......

Battle Royale

2007-05-04T13:20:00.001-06:00

Battle Royale
Originally uploaded by SleepyNita.

On one side wearing the thermal carafe and a coffee grinder is the Cuisinart Grind and Brew on the other side with single cup brewing and easy clean up Keurig B60. Who is gonna win?

We take our coffee seriously in this house, especially since this Mommy needs her morning fuel to function. Recently ManToy went and bought a new coffee machine, and I must admit it is pretty damn cool, and NO CLEAN UP to boot!

Our old coffee machine, a Cuisinart Grind and Brew is still one of the best coffee makers I have ever had, but the clean up killed me, those coffee grinds are a real pain to get out of the grinder! So ManToy went and splurged on a Keurig B60 which uses handly little disposable filter cups to make your coffee, one cup at a time on demand!!

OK so I am a little excited about the new coffee maker, but knowing that I don't have to spend 10 minutes a day cleaning the coffee maker makes me more inspired to make that morning cup of joe.

No Makeup Challenge

2007-05-02T10:14:00.001-06:00

No Makeup Challenge
Originally uploaded by SleepyNita.

I am going to be brave and take part in the "no Makeup Challenge" put out by Adventures in Babywearing. I really had to go back a couple months to find a photo of me with no make up since I am usually on the other side of the camera.

Now you are getting it.....

2007-05-01T11:55:00.000-06:00

Dearest LittleMan,

Mommy would like to commend you on your excellent efforts towards household peace by sleeping in this morning. Finally I got to relax until 7:15am! I feel like I won the lottery or something, which means YOU won the Mommy lottery, I am oh so FRESH, and AWAKE, and ready to CHASE YOU AROUND!!!!! I am also impressed how you fell back asleep at 5am after you woke for a little feeding (which I understand concidering you threw up your dinner at bedtime, so your little tummy must have been pretty empty).

Right now you are in your crib, sleeping. I really love your 2 hour morning naps, they make our day quite nice, you get to sleep and Mommy gets a shower and some cleaning done. It is a great trade-off. I am sorry the stoopid window guy woke you up yesterday 30 minute into your nap, making you a cranky little peanut for the rest of the day.

When Daddy brings my car home we will go for groceries and maybe to Lululemon to get Mommy a pair of crop pants, I think I deserve a treat (1/2 way to losing the baby weight) and I wanted them for a while now. We will be missing out on the picnic with Mom group today since you have been coughing a little, I just want to keep you inside for a day or two until the cough dies down a bit. Daddy is also getting us AIR CONDITIONING today, which means we can truly enjoy the heat this summer knowing we can escape to our nice cool home. Trust me, you will appreciate it!

You are the greatest little man ever.

Love you more than chocolate,
Mamamamama

P.S. BuddyLove thinks you are great and I know you love love love her, but she doesn't like being choked by your chubbly little arms each morning. She is just too sweet to tell you herself. She prefers hugs, kisses, petting and CHEERIOS!!!!

Letters to my Son who can not read

2007-04-29T13:11:00.000-06:00

Dearest LittleMan,

Thank you for getting 2 new teeth this week. I must say they are very BIG, and SHARP, and WHITE!

Thank you for staying in your crib until 7am the last couple of mornings, even though it was becasue Mommy refused to come and get you out of it until 7am. Sooner or later you will learn that is the time we wake up in this house. I don't mind you getting up once a night at 4am, but can we go back to the way things were once upon a time when you would wake up, eat and go back to your crib, be quiet and fall asleep until 7 or 8am? This new "get up at 4:30 in the morning eat and then rock out in my crib making all kinds of racket until I collapse and Mommy finally gets me at 7am" routine is getting a little tiring for Mommy (and judging by your long daytime naps - for you too). Although, I must admit your rocking out in the crib moves are pretty good (I have been watching in the video camera) and may steal a few of them for the next wedding I go to, but don't worry I will videotape my dancing to embarrass you when you are a teenager.

Thank you for eating so well this week, and finally swallowing beef without gagging. As well, thanks for coming out to breakfast with LoudGranny and I this morning and being so good. You had tons of fun in the germ-pit high chair eating fruit and eggs and hitting the spoons on the table. FUN!!!

Thanks for the 3 hour nap you are taking now, Mommy needed a "do nothing in the house at naptime" break this week, it was a long and painful week.

Love you more then chocolate,
Mamamamamama

P.S. Do you think you could hang out with Dadadadadada while I make dinner tonight instead of crawling up my pantleg? Thanks in advance.

Swearing kids

2007-04-29T13:07:00.000-06:00

Funny Stuff....

The Landlord

Ticker factory

2007-04-24T20:53:00.001-06:00

Looking on line for neat-o things to add to my blog, I stumbled on this lame crap. But hey, I am happy that I am finally losing the weight I gained AFTER giving birth to LittleMan (and I may add that I can zip up my coat now).

The truth is I can stand to lose 40 more pounds but 19 will be fine!

But in better news, I can have a LittleMan ticker, how fun!

And how about this depressing ticker....

Boo Hoo.

You did't get the memo?

2007-04-24T12:27:00.000-06:00

LittleMan,

Thank you so much for sleeping until almost 7am today, I really appreciate your efforts. Now tonight do you think you could sleep through the full night, or only get up once and then go back to sleep until 8am? Lets give this a try, I think you (and I) will enjoy it. Please do not get up at 10:30pm, 2:30 am, 4:00am and then 6:45am, because this is not my idea of fun.

As well, can you find something other then a tube of lotion and the dogs collar (which she is wearing) to chew on? Mommy and Daddy have bought the fanciest and coolest teething things we could find, they freeze up for you, they vibrate, and they are squishy yet you would rather gnaw on the dog, lotion or table. Just remember someday, thas table may be in your first apartment (praise the day!) so you may want to have it in somewhat reasonable shape (although chicks dig babies so maybe you are onto something leaving your little tooth marks on it).

Mommy and Daddy love you lots, but we do not understand why you need to climb a full flight of stairs 3 times in 5 minutes. Now I know Mommy needs the exercise but I would much prefer to put you in your stroller and cruise the 'hood. As well, the barricades of boxes keeping you out of the front room are there for that reason, they are not meant to challange your climbing skills, which are quite impressive. Please develop a fear of doing dangerous things soon, ok?

Love you more then chocolate,
Mamamamamama

P.S. thanks for the super long nap you are taking right now, but we have to be at Gymboree in 24 minutes.

A Letter to my Son

2007-04-23T16:05:00.000-06:00

Dearest LittleMan,

You know how when BuddyLove is being a pain in the ass I threaten to trade her in for a wiener dog? Well, you LittleMan are almost reaching "trade for a wiener dog" status in this house.

Why?

Because deciding to get up at 5:15am is not acceptable to Mommy. Neither is reaching your little arms out of the crib and grabbing your wooden toy fish off the dresser and proceeding to clank the fish into the baby monitor making Mommy believe that house is indeed falling down at 5:15am. You know I am a way better Mommy when I get some sleep, and more then 5 hours at some point this week would be nice. Waking up with a headache (from lack of sleep) is not my idea of goodtimes. Now I understand that you are finally catching up to all the other babies and getting some teeth this week, but seriously don't YOU think you would feel better is you slept more too?

Just Sayin'

Love You More then Chocolate,
Mamamamama

P.S. How about cuddling on the couch with me in the morning instead of trying to eat the dirt out of the palm tree pot? Just a suggestion.

Sleepless nights, tired days and everything in between

2007-04-21T10:27:00.000-06:00

LittleMan has been sleeping like CRAP lately. Ever since he has been sick (going on 3 weeks now, but he is feeling better) he has gotten up at least once a night, and sometimes up to 5 times a night. Now I understand he isn't even 10 months old but I must admit that I have been spoiled for a couple months with a 7:15pm bedtime and him getting up anywhere between 6:30 and 8:00am after sleeping the full night. Once in a while he would get up to eat at 4am if he ate poorly during the day, but that I can handle. I miss my little sleeper, which means I am starting to miss my sleep. And ManToy will tell you that I am a much better Girlfriend and Mommy when I have had some consolidated sleep. Just sayin'.

So this means during the day we are a little tired and cranky around the house, and me being tired means I feel like I never get anything done. NOt getting anything done = Mommy feels like a big fat failure. LittleMan has also been taking his 2 daily naps into one, which is nice because he takes one long-ass nap around 11am - 1:30pm. I admit I get a lot done during this time around the house, but I do miss the 4pm 45 minute snooze where I had time to prep dinner without a little boy trying to crawl up my pant leg in the kitchen.

Seriously, between the dog sitting on my feet when I cook and LittleMan always trying to stand against my legs, it is amazing that no one has gotten hurt yet. Most likely to get hurt is me.

i also really need a decent blog design and a photo host. These blogger templates suck ass.

Know anyone cheap and creative? I think if I actually got a decent template I would be inspired to update far more often, especially now that we have the laptop with wireless.

Score, Score again, The Grandma Box and Anxiety

2007-04-20T21:27:00.000-06:00

Score #1

My Auntie that works at the Aerosoles store was working today and I got 2 pair of shoes that do not kill my feet! I would link to them, but it appears that the online store does not carry the cute little shoes adorning my feet right now!

Score #2 with a little bragging

Clothes at H&M fit me. Woot! Woot! I actually braved the lines at the store today to try on some stuff, all which zipped up with no fat roll camel toe issues. I finally lost enough weight (only 15 pounds) that I am not pushing the capacity of real clothing and knocking on the door of the big lady store. Let me tell ya, I love to shop and that is a relief! Now I only bought a white coat in a size Large (not XL but they dont have XL there so whatever) which is still a hoodie but a fashionable one. I really do need to break the mold of the Mommiform next and get some jeans that fit soon.

The Grandma Box

In 3 weeks I return to work, which means the Grandmas (Grams and LoudGranny) are going to be taking an active part in childcare for us. I am only returning to work nights mostly, but will be working 5 day shifts a month for the rest of the summer for staff coverage issues. So i have put together boxes for each Grannys house that has stuff that you need to keep LittleMan during a 24 hour period. I have tons of diapers, shampoo, soap, cereal, baby foods, sippy cups, diaper bags (so Grams and LoudGranny can leave the house), bowls, spoons, bibs, blankets, powder, rash cream, toothbrush, toothpaste, q-tips, baby cookies, lotion andcollapsible toy containers for the toys already at the Grandmothers house in the boxes. I hope I do not forget anything too important. Which brings me to the last topic:

Anxiety

I am nervous as all heck returning to work. Now, going back to work doesn't bug me and leaving my LittleMan with the Grandparents doesn't worry me either. What I worrry about is how the hell am I going to continue to do it all? I know I will have to rely on ManToy to pitch in a little more on the child care front, and when he is working I need to count on the Grandparents. But, I am going to be working nights, and need to sleep a bit during the day, and make dinner, clean and see my son. This all stresses me out. I know it is only 2 days a week (except 1 week a month is 3 days) but I already feel like I am stretched to my limits. I hope I can balance it all. ManToy is out of town when I first return to work so that gives me a bit of time to iron out any potential problems.

Wish me luck. I am going to need it.

Shop till You Drop

2007-04-13T19:56:00.000-06:00

And not spend a penny of your own money.

Thats how I like to do it.

Today LoudGranny, LittleMan and I went shopping at West Edmonton Mall. There were a few things on our list to do the most important one being raiding the new H&M store. Since I am an absolute "What Not to Wear" freak I was VERY excited to see this juicy shopping destination come to Edmonton.

It is about time that the shopping selection got better in this damn town. With the ridiculous amount of money floating around Edmonton, is it too much to ask for a couple stores? Supposedly we will be getting a Coach store sometime soon and a Sephora will be coming soon (whoop! no more ordering online).

Now, I was very hyped to check out the Madonna for H&M Collection and I must say that I was somewhat dissapointed with it. I found many of the pieces to be an unwearable shiny fabric which is unforgiving even on my size 8 mother, and some of the others to be very fashion forward (shiny bomber jackets) which at my size is not something I can do. For a store that carries up to a size 16 pair of pants, I found it odd that they didn't have shirts up to an XL, they stopped at a Large (which is fine but some are cut a bit small). I was pleased with many of their regular clothes as well as the kids and babies (LOVE!!!!) department. I found the accessories to be derivative and limited in selection and I did not find one decent handbag in the lot.

I did not buy a thing (lies! I bought a gold hairclip), but LoudGranny scored a pair of pants, a pair of capris and a shirt. I will be back for clothing, but since I am in the middle of a diet right now I would like to lose another 10 pounds before working on a few summer wardrobe pieces.

Then we went to Jack and Jill to exchange my son's StrideRite shoes for a smaller size, and whadda you know? We had the right size, the little bugger was curling his toes up making me think they were too big.

Then we were going to Naturalizer shoes to see an Auntie, but she was not working today so alas, no shoes for me (her discount makes them affordable for a stay at home mom). Now for a wanna be fashionable girl like me, what am I doing going to Naturalizer for shoes? My feet suck ass since having a baby, that's what and I must admit sime if their shoes are actually getting pretty cute. I want kinda cute but totally comfy shoes now, not my old die for fashion painful shoes. That is so OVER for me!

On the way home we stopped for dinner (and got some chow for ManToy to eat tonight) and then went to Winners where my Mom and I each scored a LeSportsac Delux Everyday Bag (hers a brown dot mine a bamboo print) with a cosmetic case. SCORE! I heart LeSportsac and really wonder why I bother with any other kind of bag since I keep going back to my old L.A.M.B LeSportsac bags. Maybe i should set up a Paypal link on my never read blog where people can donate money to a Tokidoki for LeSportsac fund. Hmmmmm......

Anywhoo!

Thanks to my loyal reader (yup reader... one reader) Carbon who called me at home to see if I fell of the face of the earth.

Nighty night.

Poor LittleMan, Poorer Mommy

2007-04-01T19:15:00.000-06:00

LittleMan is having a rough go of it lately. He is cutting a new tooth, and for some reason with each new tooth we also get to catch a nasty cold. But last night really took the cake......

LittleMan went to bed at 7:30pm, about the usual time. I listen to him at night on the baby monitor and I was happy to hear nothing abnormal happening (he has been getting up once and a while with the tooth). So at 10:30pm when I was ready to go to bed I peeked in on him, and my little angel was sleeping in a HUGE puddle of puke. He had blueberries and sausage in his ears, yoghurt in his hair and some bonus baby formula all over his face. Puke covered the wall, bedding, mattress pad, bedskirt and MrSleepyTurtle.

I took him to the bathroom stripped him down and lay him in the tub on some towels while I cleaned the mess and put new bedding in the crib. Then I washed him (he stayed asleep) and changed him.

Repeat 3 times.

It was a great night :(

CODE BROWN!!!!!

2007-03-29T19:24:00.000-06:00

Last week we had our first Code Brown here in the nuthouse.

What is a Code Brown you may ask?

I was giving LittleMan his nightly bath at 6:30pm, just like normal. LittleMan had a regular day and no strange events were anticipated while he was tubbing. So, I was standing beside the tub at the sink filling the resevoir for the humidifier and watching LittleMan play with his plethora of toys when I saw this new toy in the water. I thought to myself "what toy is that that he is so entertained with and chasing around"? LittleMan was absolutely thrilled with this 4 inch long brown tube and he was trying to catch it in the water. Finally he catches it, grasps it in his fat little hand and opens his mouth wide to put it in (he's teething you know). Thats whe I got really curious, got a little closer and realized.......

It was a human hershey bar.

Thats right you heard me, I "let" my son play with his poo in the tub.

A time to reflect.....

2007-02-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

Valentines Day used to be a day of chocolates, flowers and swanky nights out in our home; until two years ago.

Today on Valentines Day I want to take an idea from a fellow blogger and reflect on the men in my life that matter, or that really mattered in some way or another (in no particular order, since we all know my baby is number 1). Thanks a bunch for the idea Karen.

1. ManToy. I never knew there could be someone in the world who could accept me for who I am, for as long as he has. He takes me as I am and calls me on all my bullshit when I am less then I could be and will always push me to be more then I ever imagine I could be, and for that I love him dearly.

2. My Gido. A cantankerous old man with parkinsons disease who is bitter about the world and the hand he has been delt, yet he shows nothing but patience and love for his grandchildren and great-grandson. Gido, I will never forget catching my first fish with you (even though it was your fishing rod that I was holding at the time while you pulled the seaweed out of mine) or how you always shake my son's hand to say hello.

3. LittleMan. You have taught me endless pateince, unconditional love and instilled in me a fearless and ferocious overprotective fight to the death instinct. Thanks a bundle LittleMan, I never knew I had it in me.

4. Uncle M. You are probably going to live with Baba and Gido for the rest of their lives. You are fun, funny and generous with yor time, money and love. How are you not married with your own kids now?

5. Dad. You always wanted me to be better then I ever thought I could be. You were formally uneducated, yet the smartest man I ever could know. You came from a family full of poverty, violence, neglect and abuse yet I always felt wealthy, loved and cherished. You knew you were flawed yet wanted to do better, to be better for you family. You were so proud when I decided to return to school, and prouder yet when I financed myself through blood, sweat, tears and scholorships. You made me confident and strong, not a girl to be pushed around. You made me thoughtful and giving and willing to reach out to others. You taught me not to sweat the small stuff, and you can't take it with you when you die so have fun now. Sure we did not always agree on little things but when it comes to the big picture, nothing else really mattered. Thanks a bunch Dad, you and Mom are the reason I am who I am today..............

Two years ago today was my Dad's funeral. He died of cancer. From diagnoses to death we had seven months with him, and really never any hope of long term survival. He faced his illness with hope, courage and humor; he faced his death with acceptance and peace.

Valentines day will never be the same in our home again. Ever.

Today ManToy and I went shopping, ate chocolate and left LittleMan with my Mom (she probably needed the distraction) while we galevanted around the city. It was the only way for me not to spend my day in tears.

Hug your loved ones today you never know what tomorrow will bring.

Cheap Pants

2007-01-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

How I love a bargain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This past week I must have spent $150 at Old Navy. Not hard to do you say? Well let me tell you what I have purchased for myself, LittleMan and ManToy.

LittleMan

4 pairs of Polar Fleece Pants
3 Matching Polar Fleece Jackets
6 Pairs of cute Socks
2 Long Sleeve thermal shirts

ManToy

2 Long Sleeve Henleys
1 Long Sleeve Waffle knit top
1 Polar Fleece jacket
2 Pajama pants

Me

3 Long Sleeve long deep V neck shirts
2 Plain T-shirts
2 Pairs Black dress pants (one in super fat ass size, one for later when I lose baby weight)
2 Pairs Khaki casual pants (one in super fat ass size, one for later when I lose baby weight)
2 pairs Black and white chevron wool pants (both in super fat ass size, but buy enough pairs you don't have to dry clean them)
1 pair brown and cream pants like the ones above
3 pairs of gloves since I always lose them
4 scarfs
2 hats
2 dressy sweaters

I think I did pretty damn well for my 150$! Today I had a full bag of great deals none of which I paid over $5.49 for!

$1500 Dog Rescue

2007-01-02T19:49:00.002-07:00

As much as I love ManToy and LittleMan the other love of my life is BuddyLove, our dog. Sometimes I look at her beautiful white head, smiling mouth, black nose and constantly wagging tail and I wonder how we ever got so lucky?

We really wanted a Westie and waited for a while for one through a GREAT breeder, but when a couple dogs came up for purchase we did not feel it was a good time to get a puppy as my Dad was dying of cancer. Once my Dad passed away and things settled out the breeder called us and let us know she had a returned puppy available that was a breeding prospect but ended up having an undershot bite. Well, imagine our surprise when we saw BuddyLove and her teeth were perfect (silly previous owners did not deserve her anyways), BuddyLove did have a crooked tail but who can tell when its always waggin'? When she fell asleep on the grooming table against me we knew she was a keeper.

How someone could send a perfect dog back to a breeder we never will understand. She has the most fantastic personality, is gentle, protective of LittleMan, smart and very loving and cuddly. We can only think that the last jackasses did not get to know her for the beautiful loving dog that she is and judged her by her floppy ears and double jointed tail. ManToy and I consider her a rescue ($1500 rescue) since we saved her from a life of being under appreciated and being a breeding showdog. Now she is the ultimate family member (not a pet).

Why is she so great?

Every night once little man goes to bed BuddyLove knows it is her turn for some super one on one love with us. She puts her little paws on the couch until we pick her up and settles in for a supreme snuggle with one of us.

She takes her food out of her bowl, 3 pieces at a time and makes little piles of 3 on the kitchen floor before eating it (not kidding she can count)!

She is gentle and generally pretty quiet.

She waits by the door for ManToy when he comes home each night. She understands to wait for him to take of his shoes and wash his hands before looking for love. When he closes the bathroom door that is her cue to go crazy for attention.

She is super active and frisky when you want her to be and a perfect couch potatoe the rest of the time.

She loves car rides (my last dog was scared of cars and always pooped in them).

Once in a while I cry that someday I will no longer have BuddyLove, and how will I ever get anouther dog even half this great again? I know she is only 2 years old but I still dread the day something happens to her.

BuddyLove on Dogster

Let me tell you my Dogster page does nothing to express how I feel about this bundle of love. Each morning when I wake up and see her little body in her dog bed I remember how lucky I am to have had her choose us to be her parents.

Spit or Swallow?

2006-12-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

Spit or Swallow?

The age old question popped into my head yesterday (more about why later) while shopping with my 6 month old son. There are many reasons to ponder this question (and not just the first reason you think of). Let us now examine the list of things that can be spit or swallowed.

1. The first most debated and obvious spit or swallow contraversy.... Do you spit out or swallow the (auhhuuumm clearing my throat) male by-products of oral pleasure?

2. When going to a wine tasting, do you spit or swallow the wine?

3. You cough up a lougie in public, do you spit or swallow?

4. Chewing tobacco, do you spit or swallow the nasty ass stuff?

5. Brussel sprouts, do you spit or swallow?

6. When your son pukes it large all over your face at an expensive kids store and gets it in your mouth, do you spit or swallow?

Well, here are my answers.

1. No. (see how thats not a spit or swallow answer?)

2. Swallow dammit I probably paid for the wine tasting!

3. Spit if no one will see me, swallow if I would get caught spitting.

4. I don't chew tobacco but I think I would spit.

5. Swallow (I think I am starting to like brussel sprouts).

6. A real lady doesn't spit in public (as of yesterday) yeah, so that leaves swallow.

Probably the most disgusting moment in my short parenting career was yesterday. Little Man and I were at Princess and the Pea and he barfed on my face and got it all over my lips and in mouth. What are you supposed to do in this situation, is there advice in the parenting books on this one?

Yuck.