First of all, Happy Halloween!!! I hope everyone is out there having a good time whatever you may be doing. I just have to say, I love Halloween. Now that Hayden is super into it it's even more fun. The last 2 Halloweens she didn't really get it. And I feel so horrible I can't remember if she could even say "trick or treat" last year (mental note: video tape every moment of Hayden and Deacon's entire lives). Even now her "trick or treats" sound like she's saying, "Sick or Seat!!"
Hayden was a ghost for Halloween! Her choice! Last year I decided for her that she would be a little kitty cat, and she loved it. This year, she changed her mind every day what she wanted to be which made me a little nervous since I intended to sew her costume and that takes some planning. She went from wanting to be Jack-O-Lantern, to a parrot. And then silly things like a book and a trail-cam. So she decided on a ghost and thank goodness that it didn't require much sewing because I ended up spilling coffee in my sewing machine the day I finally got around to making it. Her costume was literally a square of white polar fleece draped over her head with eyes and a mouth cut out of it. And then elastics sewed on for her wrists. And Deacon didn't get dressed up. Sorry Deacon!!! Mommy is disorganized! Next year I'm going to put a lot more effort into their costumes. We are currently in the process of renovating and moving so things have been a little crazy.
Sidenote: hopefully everyone got their sugar-fueled little ones to bed without too much difficulty! I didn't have to worry about that tonight because Hayden and Deacon are both at Tyler's moms for a sleepover. God help her!
So I know it's been a very long time since my last post. In the beginning, the main reason for this was because Hayden stopped napping in the afternoon which was when I would routinely update my blog. ALSO, we moved Deacon's crib from our bedroom into the living room and his little sleeping head is literally 2 feet from my computer (also in the living room). I can't seem to type quietly enough to not wake him! You can tell from the above paragraph, that we desperately need more room.
ALSO, we are currently in the process of renovating our bathroom and packing our house because we are putting it up for sale ASAP! Hayden, Deacon and I have basically moved in with my parents at their farm so that we're not getting in the way.
I am at the house right now "helping". Since we've been sleeping at my parents house I've been sharing a bed with Hayden every night and to be honest, I love it. We get to snuggle all night and I get to listen to her say crazy things to her stuffed toys. Deacon's crib is in the same room so there's a lot of "SHHH"'s going on. But I still really really miss sleeping in my own bed.
Sidenote #2: Deacon is 1 now!!! I am writing a blog post dedicated to him coming shortly!
Sidenote #3: I am RE-quitting eating sugar starting November 1 until Christmas!!!!!! I have been majorly binging lately. In a hardcore addict way. My darn parents are just typical grandparents with their house all full of treats and whatnot! So it must be done. Wish me luck. Again.
xoxo Liza
Saturday 1 November 2014
Wednesday 24 September 2014
Two Sick Kids
When Hayden was a baby she got this terrible cold. She was all stuffed up and boogery and just grouchy all day long. She couldn't nurse, drink her bottles, or suck on her soother because her nose was too plugged. One night I just could not get her to sleep and she cried and cried. I think she must have been around 9 or 10 months old at this point. We ended up taking her for a car ride to calm her down and when it seemed like she could breathe through her nose I gave her a bottle in the car and she eventually fell asleep. We carefully transferred her to her crib when we got home.
So now that Hayden and Deacon are BOTH sick it's just a bit more challenging. Hahah. Today is Day 3 for Deacon and Hayden is pretty much over it. Deacon's temperament is a little bit more complacent than Hayden was at the same age so he's not unbearably irritable. For Hayden, even the smallest discomfort turns her into a completely different child.
Getting them to bed has been the hardest part. Hayden was up until almost 1am on Saturday because she just couldn't seem to fall asleep with her stuffy nose. Even once she's asleep it's still not the end of it. I am now seeing a pattern with Hayden that she has horrible horrible nightmares when she's sick. Thankfully that's not very often. I'm always in and out of her room at night as she rolls around in her bed crying. On Sunday night I went in her room and she was thrashing all around and screaming. I couldn't manage to calm her down so I woke Tyler up and he went in there and got her to relax. When we asked her what was wrong she pointed at me and said, "You go away!!" Fine with me! I gladly went back to bed. Tyler decided to sleep with her in case it happened again which it did. But the second time it took a lot for us to get her to calm down. It was actually really scary. She was asleep yet her eyes were half open looking around but not focusing on anything. She was calling "Mommy mommy!!" but even though I was right there saying "Mommy's here!!" she wasn't hearing me! I thought she was definitely possessed. I know this sounds mean but we even sprinkled cold water on her face to get her to snap out of it. She eventually woke up and even though she was all sweaty she couldn't remember any of it except for having watered poured on her face. Poor thing.
Deacon is difficult to put to sleep at the best of times. Deacon's sleeping patterns (which have become A LOT better in the past month) need a blog post all of their own. Today seems to be Deacon's worst day. He's also teething so that doesn't help his situation. He just cut a top tooth yesterday! I was hoping he would be feeling better so I could take them to play group tomorrow but they're still pretty boogery and we don't need to be passing that on.
So my house is covered with baby boogers and I am covered in baby boogers and we're all sleep deprived at the moment. BUT this too shall pass, right?
Apparently neither child is napping today so we're going to go to Walmart instead and look for birthday party stuff! Wish me luck! hahah
XO Liza
So now that Hayden and Deacon are BOTH sick it's just a bit more challenging. Hahah. Today is Day 3 for Deacon and Hayden is pretty much over it. Deacon's temperament is a little bit more complacent than Hayden was at the same age so he's not unbearably irritable. For Hayden, even the smallest discomfort turns her into a completely different child.
Getting them to bed has been the hardest part. Hayden was up until almost 1am on Saturday because she just couldn't seem to fall asleep with her stuffy nose. Even once she's asleep it's still not the end of it. I am now seeing a pattern with Hayden that she has horrible horrible nightmares when she's sick. Thankfully that's not very often. I'm always in and out of her room at night as she rolls around in her bed crying. On Sunday night I went in her room and she was thrashing all around and screaming. I couldn't manage to calm her down so I woke Tyler up and he went in there and got her to relax. When we asked her what was wrong she pointed at me and said, "You go away!!" Fine with me! I gladly went back to bed. Tyler decided to sleep with her in case it happened again which it did. But the second time it took a lot for us to get her to calm down. It was actually really scary. She was asleep yet her eyes were half open looking around but not focusing on anything. She was calling "Mommy mommy!!" but even though I was right there saying "Mommy's here!!" she wasn't hearing me! I thought she was definitely possessed. I know this sounds mean but we even sprinkled cold water on her face to get her to snap out of it. She eventually woke up and even though she was all sweaty she couldn't remember any of it except for having watered poured on her face. Poor thing.
Deacon is difficult to put to sleep at the best of times. Deacon's sleeping patterns (which have become A LOT better in the past month) need a blog post all of their own. Today seems to be Deacon's worst day. He's also teething so that doesn't help his situation. He just cut a top tooth yesterday! I was hoping he would be feeling better so I could take them to play group tomorrow but they're still pretty boogery and we don't need to be passing that on.
So my house is covered with baby boogers and I am covered in baby boogers and we're all sleep deprived at the moment. BUT this too shall pass, right?
Apparently neither child is napping today so we're going to go to Walmart instead and look for birthday party stuff! Wish me luck! hahah
XO Liza
Thursday 18 September 2014
Prairie Love
Two Sundays ago now I attended the first annual Prairie Love Yoga Festival. I've been writing this blog post ever since, adding and revising things which is annoying to me because I like to just write what I'm thinking at the time and then post it. Tonight I can't sleep and this topic is on my mind again so here I go....
As soon as I heard about the Prairie Love Yoga Festival back in June I knew I had to attend. I'd been dreaming of getting back into a yoga practice after having Deacon so I figured this was a good way to kick start things. But also, it was the name that struck a chord in my heart, "Prairie Love...".
I feel deeply deeply rooted to the prairies. I don't know what it is, but I just love it. I'm not going to attempt to pin-point my reasoning. Yes, my entire family is here. Yes, this is where my home is. But that's not it and I can't quite put my finger on it. I strongly feel that people should do exactly what they feel in their hearts they need to do and I simply have never felt called to relocate myself to another area of the county or world for that matter.
Sometimes it seems like there's this "traveling vs. having babies" debate going on. I've read many a blog listing reasons for people to see the world. Maybe I'm writing this because part of me wonders if I should have done more of that before having children. Yet at the same time, all I remember wanting to do from a young age was have a family to share my love with where someone else may have always wanted to explore the Earth. I can't describe what a truly phenomenal experience it is to have a heart so full of love for your children. But I would never make a blog post titled "10 Reason's To Have Children" because I know that is a path that not everyone feels the need to follow! Bottom line - let's all just follow our own bliss because we all know that no amount of persuasion can convince someone to do something they don't feel is right for them. Obviously you can travel AND have children. Maybe I'll hit the road in the future, who knows?!?!
So many people leave the prairies for the coasts. They want to be by the ocean. I get that. It's no secret that being by a large body of water is super good for the soul. But what about the wide open spaces and gigantic skies of the prairies? Is that not good for the soul too? I feel that it is. Today when I was out running on the country roads it occured to me that I couldn't feel any more free anywhere else in the world. Not on the top of a mountain or at the seashore. I like being in a place where I can literally walk in any one direction with no obsticals in my way. Its just fields and sky. No giant trees, mountains, ocean. It's so simple.
I feel so grateful to the women who coordinated the Prairie Love Yoga Festival for recognizing that there is so much beauty and love here in the prairies. There is a power here that is so often overlooked and so taken for granted. All we have to do is spread it!
XO Liza
As soon as I heard about the Prairie Love Yoga Festival back in June I knew I had to attend. I'd been dreaming of getting back into a yoga practice after having Deacon so I figured this was a good way to kick start things. But also, it was the name that struck a chord in my heart, "Prairie Love...".
I feel deeply deeply rooted to the prairies. I don't know what it is, but I just love it. I'm not going to attempt to pin-point my reasoning. Yes, my entire family is here. Yes, this is where my home is. But that's not it and I can't quite put my finger on it. I strongly feel that people should do exactly what they feel in their hearts they need to do and I simply have never felt called to relocate myself to another area of the county or world for that matter.
Sometimes it seems like there's this "traveling vs. having babies" debate going on. I've read many a blog listing reasons for people to see the world. Maybe I'm writing this because part of me wonders if I should have done more of that before having children. Yet at the same time, all I remember wanting to do from a young age was have a family to share my love with where someone else may have always wanted to explore the Earth. I can't describe what a truly phenomenal experience it is to have a heart so full of love for your children. But I would never make a blog post titled "10 Reason's To Have Children" because I know that is a path that not everyone feels the need to follow! Bottom line - let's all just follow our own bliss because we all know that no amount of persuasion can convince someone to do something they don't feel is right for them. Obviously you can travel AND have children. Maybe I'll hit the road in the future, who knows?!?!
So many people leave the prairies for the coasts. They want to be by the ocean. I get that. It's no secret that being by a large body of water is super good for the soul. But what about the wide open spaces and gigantic skies of the prairies? Is that not good for the soul too? I feel that it is. Today when I was out running on the country roads it occured to me that I couldn't feel any more free anywhere else in the world. Not on the top of a mountain or at the seashore. I like being in a place where I can literally walk in any one direction with no obsticals in my way. Its just fields and sky. No giant trees, mountains, ocean. It's so simple.
I feel so grateful to the women who coordinated the Prairie Love Yoga Festival for recognizing that there is so much beauty and love here in the prairies. There is a power here that is so often overlooked and so taken for granted. All we have to do is spread it!
XO Liza
Tuesday 9 September 2014
So Long, Summer
My mind is actually blown at how quickly summer flew by. Is time not speeding up??? I think so. I'd like to think we made the most of this summer. We went camping twice, spent plenty of time in the park, had a number of picnics, and had a few good swims. It is now apparent that Hayden has inherited Ty's Ukrainian skin since she is already far more tanned than I have ever been in my life, and that's with being sufficiently shielded from the sun so I don't know how that happened.
Fall always just creeps up on us all of a sudden doesn't it!? August is jumpstarted with this epic long weekend and everything is saturated in sunny summer bliss. Then 3.5 short weeks later, summer is over and it feels sort of like a nasty trick.
Compared to July with it's full schedule, August was a clean slate. We totally made our schedule up as we went along and it was really nice. We listened to lots of live music going on around downtown and The Forks. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at The Cube/Old Market Square there were live acts at lunch time so we took advantage of that when we could. It's easy for us to go downtown on the bus since we live so close to Main Street. It's literally not even 10 minutes and it's so nice not having to drive around trying to find somewhere to park. Other than that, we had a few awesome playdates and made some new friends.
Quarry Days weekend was memorable. I had fully intended to take Hayden to watch the parade and then go on some rides and check out the petting zoo on Saturday morning, BUT the night before Tyler decided to make margaritas which turned out to have way more alcohol in them than it tasted like. Before he mixed them I strictly said, "Not too strong! I don't want to get drunk!" I had no idea. It doesn't help that I've hardly drank anything since before being pregnant. I felt so horrible the next day, I couldn't do a damn thing and I even lost my hangover KD on the side of #8 hwy (a first for me). So I layed in bed at the farm all day while my mom and nana played with Deacon. Tyler took Hayden to the midway. It worked out in Hayden's favour because I would have never taken her on The Sizzler and let her have mini donuts for supper. I was magically feeling better at around 7:00 after eating a pickle and so Tyler and I went back to town and went on some rides.
The day after, the kids and I attended a friend's baby shower and it was just beautiful. I could have easily eaten all the food and cupcakes and even the insanely gorgeous cake that actually looked too lovely to eat. I've realized that I've become one of those people I hated when Hayden was a newborn. I'm now obsessed with newborns and babies. Because I value my friendships, I will totally control my baby hoarding urges.
On August 23rd Tyler's dad got married to his longtime girlfriend, Pete. It was such a wonderful wedding! Just a small backyard event. Everything was so nice and very "them". The weather was a bit tempermental that day but it ended up cooperating perfectly.
The long weekend was pretty uneventful! I took Hayden and Deacon down to the Forks for the Prairie Barge Festival on Saturday night. I hope they continue to organize this event for future summers because I really enjoy it!! I generally just enjoy The Forks at all times. Hayden and I would go there quite often when she was around Deacon's age but we had to stop when Hayden got to the age where she wanted to run away from me and apparently never come back. Just when you think they're out of the stage where they take off running in the opposite direction they go into escape mode when you least expect it. At least Hayden does. We had a rather embarrassing run around Target the evening before Tyler's dad's wedding. Haha.
So now you go outside in the evenings and sniff the air and you know that familiar smell! It's fall! For me, it's grain dust - the unmistakable smell of harvest. The days are getting shorter and the temperatures dip way down at night. Tyler and I have begun our annual dispute over which window to leave open at night and how wide.
As of right now, we're off to Dollarama to search for birthday supplies for Hayden's 3rd birthday party! Only one of the many fall birthdays for members of our family.
Happy Fall every one!
XO Liza
Fall always just creeps up on us all of a sudden doesn't it!? August is jumpstarted with this epic long weekend and everything is saturated in sunny summer bliss. Then 3.5 short weeks later, summer is over and it feels sort of like a nasty trick.
Compared to July with it's full schedule, August was a clean slate. We totally made our schedule up as we went along and it was really nice. We listened to lots of live music going on around downtown and The Forks. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at The Cube/Old Market Square there were live acts at lunch time so we took advantage of that when we could. It's easy for us to go downtown on the bus since we live so close to Main Street. It's literally not even 10 minutes and it's so nice not having to drive around trying to find somewhere to park. Other than that, we had a few awesome playdates and made some new friends.
Quarry Days weekend was memorable. I had fully intended to take Hayden to watch the parade and then go on some rides and check out the petting zoo on Saturday morning, BUT the night before Tyler decided to make margaritas which turned out to have way more alcohol in them than it tasted like. Before he mixed them I strictly said, "Not too strong! I don't want to get drunk!" I had no idea. It doesn't help that I've hardly drank anything since before being pregnant. I felt so horrible the next day, I couldn't do a damn thing and I even lost my hangover KD on the side of #8 hwy (a first for me). So I layed in bed at the farm all day while my mom and nana played with Deacon. Tyler took Hayden to the midway. It worked out in Hayden's favour because I would have never taken her on The Sizzler and let her have mini donuts for supper. I was magically feeling better at around 7:00 after eating a pickle and so Tyler and I went back to town and went on some rides.
The day after, the kids and I attended a friend's baby shower and it was just beautiful. I could have easily eaten all the food and cupcakes and even the insanely gorgeous cake that actually looked too lovely to eat. I've realized that I've become one of those people I hated when Hayden was a newborn. I'm now obsessed with newborns and babies. Because I value my friendships, I will totally control my baby hoarding urges.
On August 23rd Tyler's dad got married to his longtime girlfriend, Pete. It was such a wonderful wedding! Just a small backyard event. Everything was so nice and very "them". The weather was a bit tempermental that day but it ended up cooperating perfectly.
The long weekend was pretty uneventful! I took Hayden and Deacon down to the Forks for the Prairie Barge Festival on Saturday night. I hope they continue to organize this event for future summers because I really enjoy it!! I generally just enjoy The Forks at all times. Hayden and I would go there quite often when she was around Deacon's age but we had to stop when Hayden got to the age where she wanted to run away from me and apparently never come back. Just when you think they're out of the stage where they take off running in the opposite direction they go into escape mode when you least expect it. At least Hayden does. We had a rather embarrassing run around Target the evening before Tyler's dad's wedding. Haha.
So now you go outside in the evenings and sniff the air and you know that familiar smell! It's fall! For me, it's grain dust - the unmistakable smell of harvest. The days are getting shorter and the temperatures dip way down at night. Tyler and I have begun our annual dispute over which window to leave open at night and how wide.
As of right now, we're off to Dollarama to search for birthday supplies for Hayden's 3rd birthday party! Only one of the many fall birthdays for members of our family.
Happy Fall every one!
XO Liza
Saturday 23 August 2014
Peace is the Objective
I've been wanting to post to the blog for a long time now but I haven't because truthfully, I've been super agitated lately and I don't want to write from a place of negativity. Anyone who knows me well knows that I can be very emotional, very sensitive, and I can complain a lot when things aren't going smoothly. Here's the thing about my complaining: I do not internalize anything. When I feel negativity inside me, I need to get it out. Be it by journaling, running, complaining etc. Sometimes I even cry. But I don't hold anything in. Any "negative" emotion that infiltrates my headspace is questioned and analyzed and dealt with and released. Because I can't be a good mom when I'm in that place.
Anyways, things get crazy around here with Tyler on the road so much. Deacon's started scooting around and getting into stuff so he requires a bit more energy. On top of that he's teething and not sleeping well at night. It's not uncommon for him to be up 3 times in a night. This past week I decided I am done with night-time nursing. I feel like if I don't stop now, I may be stuck doing it forever (obviously not forever but longer than I'd want to). He doesn't care to use a soother so getting him back to sleep is challenging, but he's actually getting the hang of it! After the first couple nights, I was very tired during the day. You don't feel like doing anything when you're so exhausted, yet there's so much that needs to be done! I find that it feels so much easier to be out and about with the kids than be at home where I can see everything that needs to be done but cannot find a way to tackle it. It has also been very refreshing to get out of our daily routine by going on little excursions.
Tyler is home today and today only for his dad's wedding and I am totally taking advantage of the extra parent in the house. I went to the gym this morning which was awesome but even just having another person to defer Hayden's millions of questions to has been a huge relief. It's the little things that require so much patience. "Mommy, what is this?" and "Why?" are big ones right now.
What I've been meaning to write about over the past week but couldn't find a way to say it without sounding distressed is: Where are all the inspirational leaders/spiritual teachers/"life coach" types that are also MOTHERS? I've had days when I just feel so done with cleaning up sparkles and changing diapers. Sometimes I feel resentful or bitter and I don't want to feel that way because I am SO grateful for my babies and my life. I LOVE them so much I can't even bear it, yet they drive me bonkers! So I go to the library and I read Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Robert Holden. I understand their messages. They make perfect sense to me. Be grateful, free yourself from your ego, live peacefully, follow your dreams, create your own reality, trust in God! Honestly, I can't think of how grateful I am without getting tears in my eyes. There is no reality that I can or would want to create where my babies don't need me to be there for them 24/7. Like most mom's, I live for my children and that is something I know you cannot understand unless you are a mom. My list goes on: Oprah, Gabrielle Bernstein, Instagram's @yoga_girl - all women I look to for inspiration and guidance, yet none of them are moms. I'm just going to throw this out there, sorry if I offend anyone - Jesus, was not a mother. Buddha, was not a mother. Mother Theresa, not a real mother.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that sometimes it feels like on the path to enlightenment there's a toll booth and mother's are asked to pay just a little bit more than everyone else. Because we're carrying our little ones with us. Do you get what I'm saying?
I hope everyone enjoys their weekends!! All my love and gratitude. And to the other moms out there feeling like sanity is a struggle, we're in this together!
XO Liza
Anyways, things get crazy around here with Tyler on the road so much. Deacon's started scooting around and getting into stuff so he requires a bit more energy. On top of that he's teething and not sleeping well at night. It's not uncommon for him to be up 3 times in a night. This past week I decided I am done with night-time nursing. I feel like if I don't stop now, I may be stuck doing it forever (obviously not forever but longer than I'd want to). He doesn't care to use a soother so getting him back to sleep is challenging, but he's actually getting the hang of it! After the first couple nights, I was very tired during the day. You don't feel like doing anything when you're so exhausted, yet there's so much that needs to be done! I find that it feels so much easier to be out and about with the kids than be at home where I can see everything that needs to be done but cannot find a way to tackle it. It has also been very refreshing to get out of our daily routine by going on little excursions.
Tyler is home today and today only for his dad's wedding and I am totally taking advantage of the extra parent in the house. I went to the gym this morning which was awesome but even just having another person to defer Hayden's millions of questions to has been a huge relief. It's the little things that require so much patience. "Mommy, what is this?" and "Why?" are big ones right now.
What I've been meaning to write about over the past week but couldn't find a way to say it without sounding distressed is: Where are all the inspirational leaders/spiritual teachers/"life coach" types that are also MOTHERS? I've had days when I just feel so done with cleaning up sparkles and changing diapers. Sometimes I feel resentful or bitter and I don't want to feel that way because I am SO grateful for my babies and my life. I LOVE them so much I can't even bear it, yet they drive me bonkers! So I go to the library and I read Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Robert Holden. I understand their messages. They make perfect sense to me. Be grateful, free yourself from your ego, live peacefully, follow your dreams, create your own reality, trust in God! Honestly, I can't think of how grateful I am without getting tears in my eyes. There is no reality that I can or would want to create where my babies don't need me to be there for them 24/7. Like most mom's, I live for my children and that is something I know you cannot understand unless you are a mom. My list goes on: Oprah, Gabrielle Bernstein, Instagram's @yoga_girl - all women I look to for inspiration and guidance, yet none of them are moms. I'm just going to throw this out there, sorry if I offend anyone - Jesus, was not a mother. Buddha, was not a mother. Mother Theresa, not a real mother.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that sometimes it feels like on the path to enlightenment there's a toll booth and mother's are asked to pay just a little bit more than everyone else. Because we're carrying our little ones with us. Do you get what I'm saying?
I hope everyone enjoys their weekends!! All my love and gratitude. And to the other moms out there feeling like sanity is a struggle, we're in this together!
XO Liza
Wednesday 6 August 2014
Do You Snooze Cruise?
Today we went for a snooze cruise. In other words, I drove around aimlessly so that I could get a break while my children chilled out in the back seat. I've only ever had two such jaunts in my time as a parent. I'm pretty conscientious about burning unnecessary fuel, so only in desperate times does the snooze cruise ensue.
I'll start from the beginning:
Two nights ago, Deacon awoke in the wee hours with a small but noticeable fever. Putting him back to sleep was difficult. He was hot and uncomfortable and super grouchy, not wanting to nurse OR be held. Eventually, I rocked him back to sleep. Same night, Hayden was up and down because of an itchy rash she had acquired during the day somehow. It was bothering her and I had to keep applying cream to it throughout the night.
Needless to say, the whole next day I was feeling pretty sluggish. But on the bright side, Deacon seemed fine! His fever had vanished and he was his normal self all day. As for Hayden, she wouldn't stop itching this damn rash! I'd decided she must have gotten poison ivy somehow. We had just been camping, after all. We continued with the hydrocortisone cream, which really seemed to help.
Well, then night came and all hell broke loose! Deacon's fever returned and Hayden wasn't sleeping. Deacon's crying woke up Hayden, then Hayden would reciprocate the gesture. I finally got to bed at around 4am. Hayden eventually crawled into bed with me at some point after that (which would never fly if Ty had been home).
So this morning Deacon's fever was gone again, which was good, but when I went to change his diaper, this terrible rash had cropped up out of no where! Was this somehow connected to the fever? I didn't know. And what was I going to do about Hayden's "poison ivy"? I called Health Links! "Bring them to the Dr.!" she said. OK. So I called their Dr. and luckily was able to get them in at 2:30, during naptime, but oh well.
It turned out, Deacon's fever was not at all related to the rash but because he has a tooth about to pop through (DUH! Why didn't I think of that?) and Hayden's rash is not poison ivy but possibly heat rash. She sent me away with a prescription for Deacon's bum and pep talk about keeping diaper rash at bay.
Off to the pharmacy we went! We only had to wait 15 minutes for the prescription to be filled, but 15 minutes of walking around a pharmacy with a two year old can be deadly! She picked out a brand new tooth brush and tooth paste, some bubble bath, a nail polish, some baby food for Deacon, and some candies that were on sale for 50 cents so I let her keep them. Everything else was left on some random shelf. I treated myself to an organic, naturally sweetened dark chocolate bar.
We got back into the car, strapped everyone in, and drove out of the parking lot. I gave Hayden her candies in the backseat and I opened my chocolate bar. Well, it was such a tasty chocolate bar, I decided I'd just drive around a bit longer until it was finished! Then, wouldn't you know it, Hayden, for some reason, didn't like her candies so I ate those too! Before I knew it, I was cruising down the perimeter with two sleeping kids in the back seat and a serious sugar high. I turned the tunes up and drove off into the sunset...and then down Chief Peguis and then home.
I have to say, this was a truly blissful experience amidst a very trying day. I returned home feeling SO much better. I have to wonder, do other moms snooze cruise?
Goodnight all!!
XO Liza
I'll start from the beginning:
Two nights ago, Deacon awoke in the wee hours with a small but noticeable fever. Putting him back to sleep was difficult. He was hot and uncomfortable and super grouchy, not wanting to nurse OR be held. Eventually, I rocked him back to sleep. Same night, Hayden was up and down because of an itchy rash she had acquired during the day somehow. It was bothering her and I had to keep applying cream to it throughout the night.
Needless to say, the whole next day I was feeling pretty sluggish. But on the bright side, Deacon seemed fine! His fever had vanished and he was his normal self all day. As for Hayden, she wouldn't stop itching this damn rash! I'd decided she must have gotten poison ivy somehow. We had just been camping, after all. We continued with the hydrocortisone cream, which really seemed to help.
Well, then night came and all hell broke loose! Deacon's fever returned and Hayden wasn't sleeping. Deacon's crying woke up Hayden, then Hayden would reciprocate the gesture. I finally got to bed at around 4am. Hayden eventually crawled into bed with me at some point after that (which would never fly if Ty had been home).
So this morning Deacon's fever was gone again, which was good, but when I went to change his diaper, this terrible rash had cropped up out of no where! Was this somehow connected to the fever? I didn't know. And what was I going to do about Hayden's "poison ivy"? I called Health Links! "Bring them to the Dr.!" she said. OK. So I called their Dr. and luckily was able to get them in at 2:30, during naptime, but oh well.
It turned out, Deacon's fever was not at all related to the rash but because he has a tooth about to pop through (DUH! Why didn't I think of that?) and Hayden's rash is not poison ivy but possibly heat rash. She sent me away with a prescription for Deacon's bum and pep talk about keeping diaper rash at bay.
Off to the pharmacy we went! We only had to wait 15 minutes for the prescription to be filled, but 15 minutes of walking around a pharmacy with a two year old can be deadly! She picked out a brand new tooth brush and tooth paste, some bubble bath, a nail polish, some baby food for Deacon, and some candies that were on sale for 50 cents so I let her keep them. Everything else was left on some random shelf. I treated myself to an organic, naturally sweetened dark chocolate bar.
We got back into the car, strapped everyone in, and drove out of the parking lot. I gave Hayden her candies in the backseat and I opened my chocolate bar. Well, it was such a tasty chocolate bar, I decided I'd just drive around a bit longer until it was finished! Then, wouldn't you know it, Hayden, for some reason, didn't like her candies so I ate those too! Before I knew it, I was cruising down the perimeter with two sleeping kids in the back seat and a serious sugar high. I turned the tunes up and drove off into the sunset...and then down Chief Peguis and then home.
I have to say, this was a truly blissful experience amidst a very trying day. I returned home feeling SO much better. I have to wonder, do other moms snooze cruise?
Goodnight all!!
XO Liza
Tuesday 5 August 2014
Goodbye July!! Part II
OK Reeewinnd!!! Before I continue my recap of wonderful July, I have to mention that I re-read Part I and realized that it might come across as negative to some. That was not my intention at all and please know that my personal feeling towards our whole experience is very far from negative. I am not going to lie, July was a challenging month: Ty was out of town a lot and we had a packed schedule. I found myself stepping out of my parenting comfort zone on many occasions. BUT with challenge comes growth and grow I did. I am steadfastly approaching super mom status.
Also, I forgot to mention a very joyous reunion that took place between myself and my longest, dearest friend, Miss Sara Jolene. She came home from Salt Spring Island for a few days during Folk Fest where she was working in the Hand-Made Village. (I love you Sara! xo)
July 19th marked the wedding day of our long time friend, Lee, to his wonderful fiance Mel. It was a beautiful wedding!! The weather was great. All of our friends, new and old, were there from near and far. We laughed, we cried (well, I did.), we danced, we sang, we ate, and drank, until the wee hours of the morning! Truthfully, I didn't drink nor did I stay very late because hungry Deacon was waiting for me in Balmoral but I still had an amazing time. The next day we returned to the wedding venue, Camp Manitou, for post-wedding festivities. Hayden and Tyler swam in the pool and we filled up on a yummy Ukrainian lunch.
That was a very busy day. I tried and tried to get Hayden out of the pool so we could get to a birthday party on time, but it was not easy. We were late and naps were skipped, but we eventually made it to our friend Grace's 2nd birthday! We were the stragglers, arriving after most guests had already left but we still had a great visit/play.
The whole week after that, I think we must have had some down time between events but I can't honestly remember. One thing of note is that Hayden is part of the Winnipeg Library's Summer Reading Club! So we've been spending quite a bit of time at the library (which is literally across the street, AND air-conditioned!!). On our slow days we usually walk there and I plunk Deacon on the floor in the kids section while Hayden and I search for books. Right now she loves Richard Scarry books and books about dinosaurs! Haha.
Oh yes, I mustn't forget a visit I had with one of my favourite people, Jodi Bonkowski, visiting alllll the way from jolly old England. It was so great to see her and this is just a minor observation, but she looks more and more lovely every time she comes home so I think London must be agreeing with her.
The last Tuesday of July Deacon had his 9 month check-up. He'd gained 1.5 lbs since his last weigh-in. So now he's almost 27 lbs putting him in the 99th percentile for weight and 97th for height. He's big. As you can imagine, I am becoming very very strong.
The last week of July a whole bunch of my family went up to Hecla for more camping! There were very few mosquitoes and the weather was again beautiful. It was quite the party. Altogether we occupied 4 camp-sites and my cousin, Katherine, and her 2 little ones stayed at the hotel. It was nice to have someone staying there so we could take advantage of their bathtub and the swimming pool! Rocky was SO well-behaved that trip! He had so much fun at the dog beach fetching gigantic timbers from the water.
Dad usually brings his guitar camping to play around the fire and when I had to chance to play it, I was so surprised at how much I remembered. I rarely practice and I didn't play at all while I was pregnant. Yet it all came back! It totally reignited my passion for music and now I'm actively seeking people to jam with so if you're interested, feel free to join me in my basement after my children to go bed!
That just about sums up the month of July! August has a lot to live up to. But if it turns out to be a more mellow month, I don't think I'll be disappointed.
XO Liza ;)
UPDATE: It has been called to my attention that a couple very notable events weren't mentioned! Hayden, Deacon, and I attended Ballet in the Park at some point in July. Hayden didn't seem like she was really paying attention while we were watching but apparently the ballet made quite the impression on her because she's been doing little pirouettes and pointing her toes ever since! I can't wait to put her in dance classes!!! :)
Also, I had a major day of relaxation on the Saturday afternoon before Hecla when I went in to town for cupping and a hot stone massage by my good friend Catherine Waterer. When you deprive yourself of these "spa treatments" you really truthfully do not know what you are missing. I strongly urge everyone to take the time to treat themselves to an afternoon of self-care. It makes alllllll the difference.
Also, I forgot to mention a very joyous reunion that took place between myself and my longest, dearest friend, Miss Sara Jolene. She came home from Salt Spring Island for a few days during Folk Fest where she was working in the Hand-Made Village. (I love you Sara! xo)
July 19th marked the wedding day of our long time friend, Lee, to his wonderful fiance Mel. It was a beautiful wedding!! The weather was great. All of our friends, new and old, were there from near and far. We laughed, we cried (well, I did.), we danced, we sang, we ate, and drank, until the wee hours of the morning! Truthfully, I didn't drink nor did I stay very late because hungry Deacon was waiting for me in Balmoral but I still had an amazing time. The next day we returned to the wedding venue, Camp Manitou, for post-wedding festivities. Hayden and Tyler swam in the pool and we filled up on a yummy Ukrainian lunch.
That was a very busy day. I tried and tried to get Hayden out of the pool so we could get to a birthday party on time, but it was not easy. We were late and naps were skipped, but we eventually made it to our friend Grace's 2nd birthday! We were the stragglers, arriving after most guests had already left but we still had a great visit/play.
The whole week after that, I think we must have had some down time between events but I can't honestly remember. One thing of note is that Hayden is part of the Winnipeg Library's Summer Reading Club! So we've been spending quite a bit of time at the library (which is literally across the street, AND air-conditioned!!). On our slow days we usually walk there and I plunk Deacon on the floor in the kids section while Hayden and I search for books. Right now she loves Richard Scarry books and books about dinosaurs! Haha.
Oh yes, I mustn't forget a visit I had with one of my favourite people, Jodi Bonkowski, visiting alllll the way from jolly old England. It was so great to see her and this is just a minor observation, but she looks more and more lovely every time she comes home so I think London must be agreeing with her.
The last Tuesday of July Deacon had his 9 month check-up. He'd gained 1.5 lbs since his last weigh-in. So now he's almost 27 lbs putting him in the 99th percentile for weight and 97th for height. He's big. As you can imagine, I am becoming very very strong.
The last week of July a whole bunch of my family went up to Hecla for more camping! There were very few mosquitoes and the weather was again beautiful. It was quite the party. Altogether we occupied 4 camp-sites and my cousin, Katherine, and her 2 little ones stayed at the hotel. It was nice to have someone staying there so we could take advantage of their bathtub and the swimming pool! Rocky was SO well-behaved that trip! He had so much fun at the dog beach fetching gigantic timbers from the water.
Dad usually brings his guitar camping to play around the fire and when I had to chance to play it, I was so surprised at how much I remembered. I rarely practice and I didn't play at all while I was pregnant. Yet it all came back! It totally reignited my passion for music and now I'm actively seeking people to jam with so if you're interested, feel free to join me in my basement after my children to go bed!
That just about sums up the month of July! August has a lot to live up to. But if it turns out to be a more mellow month, I don't think I'll be disappointed.
XO Liza ;)
UPDATE: It has been called to my attention that a couple very notable events weren't mentioned! Hayden, Deacon, and I attended Ballet in the Park at some point in July. Hayden didn't seem like she was really paying attention while we were watching but apparently the ballet made quite the impression on her because she's been doing little pirouettes and pointing her toes ever since! I can't wait to put her in dance classes!!! :)
Also, I had a major day of relaxation on the Saturday afternoon before Hecla when I went in to town for cupping and a hot stone massage by my good friend Catherine Waterer. When you deprive yourself of these "spa treatments" you really truthfully do not know what you are missing. I strongly urge everyone to take the time to treat themselves to an afternoon of self-care. It makes alllllll the difference.
Sunday 3 August 2014
Goodbye July!! Part I
July was an absolute roller-coaster of a month. We were here, there, and everywhere and barely had a day to relax. So now I'm going to recap it all as best I can!!!
First, I'll just say, I know I've been really crumby at updating my blog this summer! I'm finding things getting a tad more hectic the older Deacon gets. When he was a little baby he was kind of more predictable with his naps and therefore I was able to fit in time to blog. Now, he's moving around, he's getting a lot more active and taking a lot more of my ever-abundant energy. So when I have some downtown, you can find me napping or writing in my gratitude journal (which, by the way, has helped tremendously to bring me out of my mid-summer slump).
OK so July began, as it does every year, with the celebration of our fabulous country's independence. I had wanted to plan something super fun for Canada Day. I'm not too keen on wading through throngs of people as is often the case for big Canada Day celebrations, so The Forks and Assiniboine Park were out of the question. I decided on Gimli for the day. Gimli is a favourite destination of ours because that's where Uncle Scotty lives. Plus, they have the lake/beach, an awesome splash-pad, plenty of picnic space, and on Canada Day there was to be a parade and other activities in the park. But, do we all remember how lovely the weather was leading up to this joyous occasion?? I do. And I prayed for it to be over by Canada Day. Thankfully, the rain was minimal while we watched the parade, but the wind was harsh and everything was wet and cold. Anything on our picnic table that wasn't weighted down was blown irretrievably off into oblivion. I was in such a bad mood, I think I actually shook my fist at the sky.
The following Sunday I attended a friend's wedding shower, which was so fun and a very much needed baby break. Then, as soon as I got home on Sunday afternoon I (almost) literally threw Hayden, Deacon, and Rocky into the car with all our camping gear and high-tailed it out to Falcon Lake where all our family had their campers for the week. Tyler left on his motorcycle before us as he had to be home a day early for work. It was not the most pleasant car ride as Deacon cried a lot of the way. Hayden "cried wolf" twice for potty stops, both times never actually peeing. The mosquitoes were VERY pleased with our presence on the shoulder of the highway. Camping was fun. Since I was very small my most anticipated summer events have been camping trips with the Latta's.
We came home from Falcon on Wednesday, relaxed for a couple days, then Friday we dropped Ty off at the airport and I couldn't help but be a little worried as he flew off to Las Vegas for our friend, Lee's, stag. "Where is Daddy going?" asked little Hayden. "He's going to Las Vegas." I replied. Hayden, hearing LOST instead of LAS said, "Is daddy lost in Vegas?". Egad.
Trying my best to forget about Tyler in Las Vegas, I had a stagette of my own to attend! (not my own, but of my friend, Laine.) Saturday, July 12, would mark my very first time witnessing the ridiculousness that is male stripping. I can't say I'm chomping at the bit to experience that again. But it completely fit the occasion.
Tyler made it home safe and sound on Monday. Then that whole week I think I just tried to "get caught up on housework". Try as I might, I am never caught up on housework. There are always random toys and objects littered haphazardly around the entire house. I could spend a whole day picking random objects/toys off the floor and returning them to their rightful places, only to find a whole new set of random objects/toys left in other random places when I'm "finished". It never ends! When I'm cleaning, my two main objectives are to keep the laundry done and the kitchen clean. As long as I have those two area's taken care of, I can somewhat relax. But looking at my floors makes me shudder.
Part II following very shortly!!! Much love all!! xo Liza
First, I'll just say, I know I've been really crumby at updating my blog this summer! I'm finding things getting a tad more hectic the older Deacon gets. When he was a little baby he was kind of more predictable with his naps and therefore I was able to fit in time to blog. Now, he's moving around, he's getting a lot more active and taking a lot more of my ever-abundant energy. So when I have some downtown, you can find me napping or writing in my gratitude journal (which, by the way, has helped tremendously to bring me out of my mid-summer slump).
OK so July began, as it does every year, with the celebration of our fabulous country's independence. I had wanted to plan something super fun for Canada Day. I'm not too keen on wading through throngs of people as is often the case for big Canada Day celebrations, so The Forks and Assiniboine Park were out of the question. I decided on Gimli for the day. Gimli is a favourite destination of ours because that's where Uncle Scotty lives. Plus, they have the lake/beach, an awesome splash-pad, plenty of picnic space, and on Canada Day there was to be a parade and other activities in the park. But, do we all remember how lovely the weather was leading up to this joyous occasion?? I do. And I prayed for it to be over by Canada Day. Thankfully, the rain was minimal while we watched the parade, but the wind was harsh and everything was wet and cold. Anything on our picnic table that wasn't weighted down was blown irretrievably off into oblivion. I was in such a bad mood, I think I actually shook my fist at the sky.
The following Sunday I attended a friend's wedding shower, which was so fun and a very much needed baby break. Then, as soon as I got home on Sunday afternoon I (almost) literally threw Hayden, Deacon, and Rocky into the car with all our camping gear and high-tailed it out to Falcon Lake where all our family had their campers for the week. Tyler left on his motorcycle before us as he had to be home a day early for work. It was not the most pleasant car ride as Deacon cried a lot of the way. Hayden "cried wolf" twice for potty stops, both times never actually peeing. The mosquitoes were VERY pleased with our presence on the shoulder of the highway. Camping was fun. Since I was very small my most anticipated summer events have been camping trips with the Latta's.
We came home from Falcon on Wednesday, relaxed for a couple days, then Friday we dropped Ty off at the airport and I couldn't help but be a little worried as he flew off to Las Vegas for our friend, Lee's, stag. "Where is Daddy going?" asked little Hayden. "He's going to Las Vegas." I replied. Hayden, hearing LOST instead of LAS said, "Is daddy lost in Vegas?". Egad.
Trying my best to forget about Tyler in Las Vegas, I had a stagette of my own to attend! (not my own, but of my friend, Laine.) Saturday, July 12, would mark my very first time witnessing the ridiculousness that is male stripping. I can't say I'm chomping at the bit to experience that again. But it completely fit the occasion.
Tyler made it home safe and sound on Monday. Then that whole week I think I just tried to "get caught up on housework". Try as I might, I am never caught up on housework. There are always random toys and objects littered haphazardly around the entire house. I could spend a whole day picking random objects/toys off the floor and returning them to their rightful places, only to find a whole new set of random objects/toys left in other random places when I'm "finished". It never ends! When I'm cleaning, my two main objectives are to keep the laundry done and the kitchen clean. As long as I have those two area's taken care of, I can somewhat relax. But looking at my floors makes me shudder.
Part II following very shortly!!! Much love all!! xo Liza
Friday 11 July 2014
Baby Burn-Out
Yes, I know it's been a long time since my last post. Rather than not write anything at all, I'm just going to come right out and admit that I've just been feeling pretty sorry for myself lately and I don't want to be super negative on my blog. From an outside perspective I know I have no real problems but there are two things I find myself complaining about a lot lately: 1) I get very little sleep and 2) I get very few breaks.
So I'm tired, and I have serious baby burn-out. I can do "no sleep" and I can do "no breaks", but not together. It's a combination that makes for a not very pleasant human. Ask Tyler.
My bitterness is a little more intense at the moment because Ty is in Las Vegas for a stag this weekend.
Annnnd there you have it. I know: be grateful, count my blessings, remember these years go by so fast, etc. I'm always the first to say it and it does honestly turn my sour moods completely around. But it doesn't change the fact that I get very little sleep and I get very few breaks....
Forgive me for being Debbie Downer on a Friday! On a lighter note, I AM going out tomorrow and I am going to try my very hardest to not feel guilty or worry about H & D while I'm having fun with my friends because god dammit, I DESERVE IT!!!!!
Everyone enjoy your weekends and this beautiful weather!!! xoxo
Liza
So I'm tired, and I have serious baby burn-out. I can do "no sleep" and I can do "no breaks", but not together. It's a combination that makes for a not very pleasant human. Ask Tyler.
My bitterness is a little more intense at the moment because Ty is in Las Vegas for a stag this weekend.
Annnnd there you have it. I know: be grateful, count my blessings, remember these years go by so fast, etc. I'm always the first to say it and it does honestly turn my sour moods completely around. But it doesn't change the fact that I get very little sleep and I get very few breaks....
Forgive me for being Debbie Downer on a Friday! On a lighter note, I AM going out tomorrow and I am going to try my very hardest to not feel guilty or worry about H & D while I'm having fun with my friends because god dammit, I DESERVE IT!!!!!
Everyone enjoy your weekends and this beautiful weather!!! xoxo
Liza
Monday 23 June 2014
The Soother Wars
Before I had babies I was firmly anti-soother. Why would I subject my infant to sucking on a nipplish-shaped piece of plastic / silicon? How unnatural! Humans have survived for eons without soothers. Animals don't use artificial nipples to soothe their babies. Growing up on the farm we sometimes had cats with a blanket-sucking habit. Yet those were the cats whose mothers had tragically abandoned them as tiny kittens. :|
Then I had colicky Hayden. I took many many different approaches to soothe her crying. Among them, soothers. Because when your baby is crying, you basically just want them to stop. She resisted the pacifier for weeks but then at 3 months she finally took it and never looked back. It was an instant sigh of relief. No more crying in the car, or in the grocery store, or when I needed to defer a feeding.
Bedtime was a breeze. All I needed to do was place sleepy Hayden in her crib, pop the "paci" in her mouth, and she was out. Eventually, if she woke up in the night, she could find the paci by herself and put herself back to sleep. Who needs mom?! It was great. I would fall asleep at night and think, Well, I've got this parenting thing pretty much figured out.
Then I had hungry Deacon. Since birth he really only cries to be fed. But that's like all the time. There's no deferring his feedings because he refuses to take a soother! He won't even consider it! It would be nice to not have to jump when he says jump. So he's a little more high-maintenance in that when he starts getting fussy I have to pick him up. (Wow, I feel like a lazy mom now that I'm writing this. lol) Yes, I know he has to learn how to "self-soothe". Well he can't. If he's grouchy and isn't hungry it's right into the Ergo for him. Then he's fine. And that's honestly how I get him to sleep some nights. He falls asleep in the Ergo and then I put him in his crib. No popping in the soother for night-wakings. Fortunately, he's sleeping through the night more frequently these days.
On the plus side of Deacon not taking a soother - at least we don't have to eventually take it away from him when he's two-ish like we've just had to do to his dear sister Hayden. The Easter Bunny came and confiscated her beloved "paci". She was OK with it at first because, of course, he left an abundance of Easter treats in its place. But, the first night without the paci she was up until 4 am. She has since learned to fall asleep without it THANK GOD. Hayden, my poor abandoned kitten, still often tries to sneak Deacon's unused soother into bed with her.
I still don't really know where I stand on the soother debate. On one hand, it feels wrong to let your baby be soothed by a piece of plastic. On the other hand, wow is it ever awesome to let your baby be soothed by anyone or anyTHING other than me! I know Hayden is happy with a few extra snuggles and songs from mom and dad to help her fall asleep. AND they're only this little once so I've gotta get all the snuggles I can. For that reason, I should have got rid of the paci ages ago!
Goodnight!!
Liza
Then I had colicky Hayden. I took many many different approaches to soothe her crying. Among them, soothers. Because when your baby is crying, you basically just want them to stop. She resisted the pacifier for weeks but then at 3 months she finally took it and never looked back. It was an instant sigh of relief. No more crying in the car, or in the grocery store, or when I needed to defer a feeding.
Bedtime was a breeze. All I needed to do was place sleepy Hayden in her crib, pop the "paci" in her mouth, and she was out. Eventually, if she woke up in the night, she could find the paci by herself and put herself back to sleep. Who needs mom?! It was great. I would fall asleep at night and think, Well, I've got this parenting thing pretty much figured out.
Then I had hungry Deacon. Since birth he really only cries to be fed. But that's like all the time. There's no deferring his feedings because he refuses to take a soother! He won't even consider it! It would be nice to not have to jump when he says jump. So he's a little more high-maintenance in that when he starts getting fussy I have to pick him up. (Wow, I feel like a lazy mom now that I'm writing this. lol) Yes, I know he has to learn how to "self-soothe". Well he can't. If he's grouchy and isn't hungry it's right into the Ergo for him. Then he's fine. And that's honestly how I get him to sleep some nights. He falls asleep in the Ergo and then I put him in his crib. No popping in the soother for night-wakings. Fortunately, he's sleeping through the night more frequently these days.
On the plus side of Deacon not taking a soother - at least we don't have to eventually take it away from him when he's two-ish like we've just had to do to his dear sister Hayden. The Easter Bunny came and confiscated her beloved "paci". She was OK with it at first because, of course, he left an abundance of Easter treats in its place. But, the first night without the paci she was up until 4 am. She has since learned to fall asleep without it THANK GOD. Hayden, my poor abandoned kitten, still often tries to sneak Deacon's unused soother into bed with her.
I still don't really know where I stand on the soother debate. On one hand, it feels wrong to let your baby be soothed by a piece of plastic. On the other hand, wow is it ever awesome to let your baby be soothed by anyone or anyTHING other than me! I know Hayden is happy with a few extra snuggles and songs from mom and dad to help her fall asleep. AND they're only this little once so I've gotta get all the snuggles I can. For that reason, I should have got rid of the paci ages ago!
Goodnight!!
Liza
Thursday 29 May 2014
Down Time
So I somehow managed to come down with a bout of shingles. Shingles: a dreadful itchy yet painful rash that affects those with high stress levels and weak immune systems. At first I was honestly baffled at how I, the epitome of health, could have possibly been so unfortunate. I get a sniffley nose (I wouldn't even call it a cold) maybe once a year. Every day I thank the powers that be for my incredible immune system.
So immune system asside, let's talk about my "stress levels". I feel like there must be way more people out there in higher stress situations than me who don't have shingles. I mean I'm not fighting crime in the streets of downtown (enter name of rough city here) or anything. I'm not performing brain surgury! I'm only taking care of my children. That's it. Yet, holy shit am I ever stressed out!!
When Tyler is home, this is a breeze. Especially if he is home for any of length of time. But for the past I-don't-know-how-many months he's only been home the odd weekend here or there. Most days I totally accept the craziness and I'm fine with it. Get up, maintain lives of children, go to sleep (if I'm lucky). But, sometimes I don't want to play toddler games, wash dirty faces, lug around a 25 lb 6 month old. Then I feel so guilty, like poor Hayden and Deacon! It's not their fault! Suck it up Liza!
Naturally, I'm left to take my frustrations out on Tyler. Last Wednesday morning Tyler left to go to Sault Ste Marie for about a week for work. I was surprised when later on that morning he came in the front door. Standing over Deacon at the change table and still in my pj's I asked, "What are you doing home?"
"I had to stop on my way out of town to grab my golf clubs. Just so I have something to do in my down time," said Tyler.
Down time. How nice.
Honestly, it's gotten to the point where I don't remember what down time feels like and that's a damn good thing otherwise Ty probably wouldn't have made it safely out of the house with his golf clubs.
But like, Hayden was sick last week, Deacon was sick this week, my grass is almost a foot high, and I fogot to put my garbage and recycling out today. So this month has not been a walk in the park. It's been a challenge but I'm rolling with it. Yes, I know it could be worse.
That said, the purpose of this blog is not just so I can go on about how awesome my life is. I would feel like a fraud if I were to lead everyone to believe every day is sunshine and rainbows. I just want to be real so that people can relate because that way we all feel better, right?!?
OK I'm going to bed now.
XO Liza
So immune system asside, let's talk about my "stress levels". I feel like there must be way more people out there in higher stress situations than me who don't have shingles. I mean I'm not fighting crime in the streets of downtown (enter name of rough city here) or anything. I'm not performing brain surgury! I'm only taking care of my children. That's it. Yet, holy shit am I ever stressed out!!
When Tyler is home, this is a breeze. Especially if he is home for any of length of time. But for the past I-don't-know-how-many months he's only been home the odd weekend here or there. Most days I totally accept the craziness and I'm fine with it. Get up, maintain lives of children, go to sleep (if I'm lucky). But, sometimes I don't want to play toddler games, wash dirty faces, lug around a 25 lb 6 month old. Then I feel so guilty, like poor Hayden and Deacon! It's not their fault! Suck it up Liza!
Naturally, I'm left to take my frustrations out on Tyler. Last Wednesday morning Tyler left to go to Sault Ste Marie for about a week for work. I was surprised when later on that morning he came in the front door. Standing over Deacon at the change table and still in my pj's I asked, "What are you doing home?"
"I had to stop on my way out of town to grab my golf clubs. Just so I have something to do in my down time," said Tyler.
Down time. How nice.
Honestly, it's gotten to the point where I don't remember what down time feels like and that's a damn good thing otherwise Ty probably wouldn't have made it safely out of the house with his golf clubs.
But like, Hayden was sick last week, Deacon was sick this week, my grass is almost a foot high, and I fogot to put my garbage and recycling out today. So this month has not been a walk in the park. It's been a challenge but I'm rolling with it. Yes, I know it could be worse.
That said, the purpose of this blog is not just so I can go on about how awesome my life is. I would feel like a fraud if I were to lead everyone to believe every day is sunshine and rainbows. I just want to be real so that people can relate because that way we all feel better, right?!?
OK I'm going to bed now.
XO Liza
Wednesday 14 May 2014
Toddler Talk 2
Raising a toddler has really made me question what it means to live peacefully and mindfully. I'm not writing this because of one specific incident that is still bringing up feelings of frustration. This has been on my mind constantly since the day Hayden developed a mind of her own. It's not even that Hayden is a particularly "terrible" two. But anyone who knows what two year olds are like can most likely relate.
You see, I have this intention to live a peaceful and positive existence, as I'm sure most people do. I want each moment to be met with as little resistance as possible. Naturally. I want to live in the moment, not riddled with a mind full of questions and concerns. Not always strategizing and formulating plans and routines. I want to live through a natural flow of things. Zen.
Enter the 2.5 year old. The two year old is not Zen. A two year old is not open minded, they do not embrace change, and they certainly don't go with the flow. For most toddlers, what's theirs is not yours. Hayden is a decent sharer I'll give her that. But change her routine and we pay for it dearly.
Toddler behaviour really makes me wonder, What is the meaning of this?? Babies are so sweet. They are born SO innocent and helpless, then within a matter of months they morph into little anarchists. I have to get behind the eyes of a two year old. They've had everything done for them their entire lives and then all of a sudden they discover that THEY are actually the ones in control of what they do! So they want to take advantage of it.
I find it so amusing that the natural instinct of a person at the "tender" age of two is to rebel. They want to think for themselves. Not only do they want the power to choose, they want the freedom to carry out their choices. Like, no wonder humans are always fighting for some sort of reform. We've been doing it since we were tots! Then as children we get blindsided by the many distractions placed in our line of vision. Maybe we forget that there's anything worth fighting for.
Anyways, unfortunately for toddlers, their choices are not always safe or practical, and their communication skills aren't the greatest. As a parent I often find myself flipping between "dictator" and "guide." While I'd love to spend my entire day helping Hayden express herself in creative and constructive ways, ain't nobody got time fo dat!! As a stay at home mom you'd think my life would be devoted to that, but let me tell you, it's exhausting and I get very few breaks with Tyler being on the road literally all the time.
Honestly, I don't know much about kids, but one thing I know for sure, a peaceful household doesn't happen once you've got all your toddlers straightened out, it happens within yourself first. The balance is so so hard to maintain, but when it's there.... Zen.
Love & Light
Liza :)
You see, I have this intention to live a peaceful and positive existence, as I'm sure most people do. I want each moment to be met with as little resistance as possible. Naturally. I want to live in the moment, not riddled with a mind full of questions and concerns. Not always strategizing and formulating plans and routines. I want to live through a natural flow of things. Zen.
Enter the 2.5 year old. The two year old is not Zen. A two year old is not open minded, they do not embrace change, and they certainly don't go with the flow. For most toddlers, what's theirs is not yours. Hayden is a decent sharer I'll give her that. But change her routine and we pay for it dearly.
Toddler behaviour really makes me wonder, What is the meaning of this?? Babies are so sweet. They are born SO innocent and helpless, then within a matter of months they morph into little anarchists. I have to get behind the eyes of a two year old. They've had everything done for them their entire lives and then all of a sudden they discover that THEY are actually the ones in control of what they do! So they want to take advantage of it.
I find it so amusing that the natural instinct of a person at the "tender" age of two is to rebel. They want to think for themselves. Not only do they want the power to choose, they want the freedom to carry out their choices. Like, no wonder humans are always fighting for some sort of reform. We've been doing it since we were tots! Then as children we get blindsided by the many distractions placed in our line of vision. Maybe we forget that there's anything worth fighting for.
Anyways, unfortunately for toddlers, their choices are not always safe or practical, and their communication skills aren't the greatest. As a parent I often find myself flipping between "dictator" and "guide." While I'd love to spend my entire day helping Hayden express herself in creative and constructive ways, ain't nobody got time fo dat!! As a stay at home mom you'd think my life would be devoted to that, but let me tell you, it's exhausting and I get very few breaks with Tyler being on the road literally all the time.
Honestly, I don't know much about kids, but one thing I know for sure, a peaceful household doesn't happen once you've got all your toddlers straightened out, it happens within yourself first. The balance is so so hard to maintain, but when it's there.... Zen.
Love & Light
Liza :)
Tuesday 29 April 2014
Deacon: 6 Months Old
I cannot understand how 6 months have gone by already. Obviously I have blocked the winter out as if it never occured. That explains how all of a sudden Deacon is 6 months old. My little man!! Excuse me for being a tad mushy in this post, but my itty bitty BABY is 6 months old!!
Let's be real here. Deacon is anything but itty bitty. When he was born he was a whole pound smaller than his 8.5 lb sister and I had always assumed he would remain smaller than her throughout infancy since Hayden was so massive. She was always in the 98th percentile for height and weight. Now, Deacon has long surpassed her and it completely blows my mind! I have no explanation for it. He wears 18 month and some 24 month clothes and he's in size 6 diapers which I don't even think they make them bigger than that so he litterally can't get any bigger. Just imagine trying to diaper a ball and that is basically the challenge I face daily.
He loves to eat, that much is evident. But he only loves the b-milk. Any time I've offered solids he has absolutely no interest in consuming it. I've taken a little break right now and will try again in a week. Not only will he only consume b-milk, he prefers it directly from source, meaning he will not allow any type of artificial nipple in or around his cute little mouth.
Despite his size, Deacon is pretty mobile! Hayden never was. She refused to exert any energy in moving herself and if she ever needed to "go" anywhere, she insisted you transport her. She didn't roll over until 7 months! Lol, Deacon has that under control. Heaven forbid he try to roll if on an incline or he might just roll away!! OK, am I mean for poking fun at my big babies?
Deacon LOVES music and he LOVES to dance!! It is unbelievable. If there is music playing and he's in his exersaucer, he actually grooves to the beat of the song. Change the tempo and so does he! Even if Hayden's just blowing in and out through the harmonica, he'll boogy like that's his jam!! I always imagined Hayden being the musical one because I took voice lessons until I was 7 months pregnant with her. I took art lessons through out my pregnancy with Deacon. So far Hayden has the artistic aptitude.
I am convinced he's going to be an early talker. He's been imitating talking sounds since he could make sounds! He already says, "Da-dee-da-dee-da" and variations of those sounds. He has the sweetest little voice. Tyler believes he "taught" Deacon to say "Da da" but I'll refute that.
Alas, my Deacon is not much of a night sleeper. I can count on 1 hand the number nights I've actually got to sleep at least 6 hours through. Last night was 1 of those nights! Deacon slept for 8 hours hours last night!! I was on top of the world this morning!! Honestly, when I get a good sleep, I feel as though I've drank 5 pots of coffee except without that horrid jittery coffee feeling.
I love my squishy ball of baby so so much. He is so adorable with his rosy round cheeks and little pouty lips. Yet he has this stately old man vibe about him. We often laugh when Hayden watches Thomas the Train because if we gave Deacon a tophat and monacle he could certainly pass for a mini Sir Topham Hatt. I literally can't take enough pictures of my babies. They are growing up too fast.
Sometimes I feel SO eager to get my "life" back but I know in a few years I'll just want them to be this little again. And writing this blog makes me realize that!!!
Here's to living each moment to its absolute fullest!!
XOXO Liza
Let's be real here. Deacon is anything but itty bitty. When he was born he was a whole pound smaller than his 8.5 lb sister and I had always assumed he would remain smaller than her throughout infancy since Hayden was so massive. She was always in the 98th percentile for height and weight. Now, Deacon has long surpassed her and it completely blows my mind! I have no explanation for it. He wears 18 month and some 24 month clothes and he's in size 6 diapers which I don't even think they make them bigger than that so he litterally can't get any bigger. Just imagine trying to diaper a ball and that is basically the challenge I face daily.
He loves to eat, that much is evident. But he only loves the b-milk. Any time I've offered solids he has absolutely no interest in consuming it. I've taken a little break right now and will try again in a week. Not only will he only consume b-milk, he prefers it directly from source, meaning he will not allow any type of artificial nipple in or around his cute little mouth.
Despite his size, Deacon is pretty mobile! Hayden never was. She refused to exert any energy in moving herself and if she ever needed to "go" anywhere, she insisted you transport her. She didn't roll over until 7 months! Lol, Deacon has that under control. Heaven forbid he try to roll if on an incline or he might just roll away!! OK, am I mean for poking fun at my big babies?
Deacon LOVES music and he LOVES to dance!! It is unbelievable. If there is music playing and he's in his exersaucer, he actually grooves to the beat of the song. Change the tempo and so does he! Even if Hayden's just blowing in and out through the harmonica, he'll boogy like that's his jam!! I always imagined Hayden being the musical one because I took voice lessons until I was 7 months pregnant with her. I took art lessons through out my pregnancy with Deacon. So far Hayden has the artistic aptitude.
I am convinced he's going to be an early talker. He's been imitating talking sounds since he could make sounds! He already says, "Da-dee-da-dee-da" and variations of those sounds. He has the sweetest little voice. Tyler believes he "taught" Deacon to say "Da da" but I'll refute that.
Alas, my Deacon is not much of a night sleeper. I can count on 1 hand the number nights I've actually got to sleep at least 6 hours through. Last night was 1 of those nights! Deacon slept for 8 hours hours last night!! I was on top of the world this morning!! Honestly, when I get a good sleep, I feel as though I've drank 5 pots of coffee except without that horrid jittery coffee feeling.
I love my squishy ball of baby so so much. He is so adorable with his rosy round cheeks and little pouty lips. Yet he has this stately old man vibe about him. We often laugh when Hayden watches Thomas the Train because if we gave Deacon a tophat and monacle he could certainly pass for a mini Sir Topham Hatt. I literally can't take enough pictures of my babies. They are growing up too fast.
Sometimes I feel SO eager to get my "life" back but I know in a few years I'll just want them to be this little again. And writing this blog makes me realize that!!!
Here's to living each moment to its absolute fullest!!
XOXO Liza
Sunday 6 April 2014
Peace, Love, and Potty Training
I wasn't going to do a post about potty training because I know it's not the lovliest of subjects and not everyone can relate. BUT, I've realized that something MUST be said simply because potty training Hayden was one of the more excrutiating tasks that parenthood has presented to me thus far.
Having only "trained" 1 kid, I won't presume to have any skill on potty training at all. My only intention here is to share my experience just in case it has some value to other moms in my position. I know it was a major help to me during the dark days to hear that I wasn't alone!
Hayden really did not embrace the whole concept of going in the potty. If it were up to her, she might still be in diapers today. But we pushed through, and now I think it's safe to say that there is no going back. She's in it for the long haul! This is our potty training journey from the very beginning:
When Hayden was maybe 16 months old, we put a $3 Ikea potty in the bathroom. At that point, we didn't make a big deal about her using it as she was still very young. She had only begun walking at 15 months so she was a long way from being able to sit herself down on it, in fact she still needs help sitting down on it! Eventually it became part of her bedtime routine that every night after her bath she would sit down and go before we put her jammies on. I thought I was on the right track, but no, I was not.
One thing the potty training methods always make reference to are the signs of readiness. In my opinion, don't even pay attention to that. A toddler may seem like they're physically ready or SHOULD be ready, but if they're not mentally ready then it is absolutely pointless to do ANYTHING to try to get them to go on the potty. Or at least this was my experience. You would think that if your kid tells you they have to go and stops going in their diapers then they must be ready to go on the potty. Not Hayden. Once presented with the potty as an alternative to going "elsewhere", it was as if I was asking her to sit on a bed of hot coals.
I quit all potty training attempts when I found out I was pregnant because I'd heard about kids regressing after a new baby was born. Then when Deacon was about 3 months old and Hayden was just over 2 I thought, OK she MUST be ready now. But it was the same struggle all over again!
At my most frustrated point I tried to put myself into her position just so that I could somehow get inside her head. Like, WHY doesn't she want to sit on the potty?! What could she be thinking? I remembered back to when I was 16 and trying to get my driver's lisence. It took me a very long time and I had to take my driving test 5 times. The 4th time I failed I was extremely discouraged and I had NO intention of doing it again. I had accepted the fact that I would be a life-long pedestrian and had no problem with that. But my mom said, "You are getting your lisence and that's that!" Sure enough I passed it on the 5th try and I'm certain my mom wished she'd let me be a life-long pedestrian from that point on.
Anyways, it hurt to think that maybe Hayden was just so discouraged that she'd given up or was too afraid to try and after that, it was a lot easier for me to have compassion for what she was going through.
Looking back, there are of things I would have done differently:
1) I wouldn't have introduced the potty so early. The potty was always just this optional thing in the bathroom and then all of a sudden one day she HAD to use it. I think that was confusing to her. Next kid, I won't tell him to go in the potty until I fully intend to begin potty-training.
2) Not sticking to any one method. I just assumed potty training would be a piece of cake so I didn't do any research or anything. I believe that if we had done the 3 Day Method from the beginning, it would have worked but at that point I think Hayden was like, "What do you want from me you crazy lady!?!?". The 3 Day Method took a week, but following those guidelines it worked in the end.
I feel like I would have to have a few more kids before I can say, "This is how you potty train." But this is what I learned from one kid so we'll see how it goes for the next one! I'm actually looking forward to it now that I've learned the hard way!
If you are about to embark on this mission, stay positive! Stay calm! They won't be in diapers forever!
Much love,
Liza :)
Having only "trained" 1 kid, I won't presume to have any skill on potty training at all. My only intention here is to share my experience just in case it has some value to other moms in my position. I know it was a major help to me during the dark days to hear that I wasn't alone!
Hayden really did not embrace the whole concept of going in the potty. If it were up to her, she might still be in diapers today. But we pushed through, and now I think it's safe to say that there is no going back. She's in it for the long haul! This is our potty training journey from the very beginning:
When Hayden was maybe 16 months old, we put a $3 Ikea potty in the bathroom. At that point, we didn't make a big deal about her using it as she was still very young. She had only begun walking at 15 months so she was a long way from being able to sit herself down on it, in fact she still needs help sitting down on it! Eventually it became part of her bedtime routine that every night after her bath she would sit down and go before we put her jammies on. I thought I was on the right track, but no, I was not.
One thing the potty training methods always make reference to are the signs of readiness. In my opinion, don't even pay attention to that. A toddler may seem like they're physically ready or SHOULD be ready, but if they're not mentally ready then it is absolutely pointless to do ANYTHING to try to get them to go on the potty. Or at least this was my experience. You would think that if your kid tells you they have to go and stops going in their diapers then they must be ready to go on the potty. Not Hayden. Once presented with the potty as an alternative to going "elsewhere", it was as if I was asking her to sit on a bed of hot coals.
I quit all potty training attempts when I found out I was pregnant because I'd heard about kids regressing after a new baby was born. Then when Deacon was about 3 months old and Hayden was just over 2 I thought, OK she MUST be ready now. But it was the same struggle all over again!
At my most frustrated point I tried to put myself into her position just so that I could somehow get inside her head. Like, WHY doesn't she want to sit on the potty?! What could she be thinking? I remembered back to when I was 16 and trying to get my driver's lisence. It took me a very long time and I had to take my driving test 5 times. The 4th time I failed I was extremely discouraged and I had NO intention of doing it again. I had accepted the fact that I would be a life-long pedestrian and had no problem with that. But my mom said, "You are getting your lisence and that's that!" Sure enough I passed it on the 5th try and I'm certain my mom wished she'd let me be a life-long pedestrian from that point on.
Anyways, it hurt to think that maybe Hayden was just so discouraged that she'd given up or was too afraid to try and after that, it was a lot easier for me to have compassion for what she was going through.
Looking back, there are of things I would have done differently:
1) I wouldn't have introduced the potty so early. The potty was always just this optional thing in the bathroom and then all of a sudden one day she HAD to use it. I think that was confusing to her. Next kid, I won't tell him to go in the potty until I fully intend to begin potty-training.
2) Not sticking to any one method. I just assumed potty training would be a piece of cake so I didn't do any research or anything. I believe that if we had done the 3 Day Method from the beginning, it would have worked but at that point I think Hayden was like, "What do you want from me you crazy lady!?!?". The 3 Day Method took a week, but following those guidelines it worked in the end.
I feel like I would have to have a few more kids before I can say, "This is how you potty train." But this is what I learned from one kid so we'll see how it goes for the next one! I'm actually looking forward to it now that I've learned the hard way!
If you are about to embark on this mission, stay positive! Stay calm! They won't be in diapers forever!
Much love,
Liza :)
Wednesday 26 March 2014
Updates!!!
Where to begin!? It feels like nothing ever changes yet at the same time Deacon and Hayden are both growing SO fast I can't even keep up. Here are a few updates:
KIDS: Hayden has become a little motor-mouth. She literally does not stop talking but I don't even mind because everything she says is both hilarious and adorable. I could give you examples but you really have to hear her little voice say it to understand the cuteness. She can't say her "R" sounds or "J" sounds. "Jolly Jumper" is "Zolly Zumper". "Rocky" is "Wocky". "Tree trunks" are "See Sunks". She's getting a little attitude and always demands things "NOW". Which is my fault because I probably say "NOW" to her once in a while (oops). It's sometimes hard for me to know - due to my lack of toddler experience - what is typical toddler behaviour and what is actually her true character. So I sincerely hope she is not actually developing dictatorial tendencies.
We live a 2 minute walk from the St. John's Library so we spend a lot of time there. Right now Hayden's favourite books are The Bernstein Bears and The Critters series'. If she sees a Thomas the Train or Caillou book we usually take those home with us too.
Swimming lessons start in a couple weeks and she is really looking forward to it. Thank goodness, because she's not a huge fan of the water. She hates getting water on her head! We'll see how it goes.
Deacon just does not stop growing. He is enormous. He's wearing some 24 month sleepers and onesies. It actually blows my mind that he's become the size he is completely off breast milk alone. It's amazing. He is the sweetest little man. But SO serious. Hayden could be dancing around and being hilarious and he just stares at her with an amused little smirk on his face. He'll laugh if he's being tickled but otherwise it is both exhausting and humiliating trying to get even a little giggle out of him. When he does it melts my heart.
Deacon is Mr. Grabby-hands these days! It's safe to say he's perfected the skill of grabbing objects. And obviously everything goes straight into his mouth. :S
HOUSE: We are officially the owners of land now!! You wouldn't believe how long it took for this one seemingly simple step to be completed. But it's done! So we now have 70 acres of land, plus our 500+ trees that we planted last spring. We are only developing maybe 3 acres and the rest will remain crop. We hope to have a massive garden and we are planning on sharing garden space with our city friends and family. #growyourown. Next step: Get the house plans drafted.
Other than that, I can't think of what else is news. In other less positive news, there were 3 people stabbed at the 7-11 on Main St. (3 blocks away) last night. It totally freaks me out because Tyler often goes there. Time to vacate the North End methinks!!!
Liza :)
KIDS: Hayden has become a little motor-mouth. She literally does not stop talking but I don't even mind because everything she says is both hilarious and adorable. I could give you examples but you really have to hear her little voice say it to understand the cuteness. She can't say her "R" sounds or "J" sounds. "Jolly Jumper" is "Zolly Zumper". "Rocky" is "Wocky". "Tree trunks" are "See Sunks". She's getting a little attitude and always demands things "NOW". Which is my fault because I probably say "NOW" to her once in a while (oops). It's sometimes hard for me to know - due to my lack of toddler experience - what is typical toddler behaviour and what is actually her true character. So I sincerely hope she is not actually developing dictatorial tendencies.
We live a 2 minute walk from the St. John's Library so we spend a lot of time there. Right now Hayden's favourite books are The Bernstein Bears and The Critters series'. If she sees a Thomas the Train or Caillou book we usually take those home with us too.
Swimming lessons start in a couple weeks and she is really looking forward to it. Thank goodness, because she's not a huge fan of the water. She hates getting water on her head! We'll see how it goes.
Deacon just does not stop growing. He is enormous. He's wearing some 24 month sleepers and onesies. It actually blows my mind that he's become the size he is completely off breast milk alone. It's amazing. He is the sweetest little man. But SO serious. Hayden could be dancing around and being hilarious and he just stares at her with an amused little smirk on his face. He'll laugh if he's being tickled but otherwise it is both exhausting and humiliating trying to get even a little giggle out of him. When he does it melts my heart.
Deacon is Mr. Grabby-hands these days! It's safe to say he's perfected the skill of grabbing objects. And obviously everything goes straight into his mouth. :S
HOUSE: We are officially the owners of land now!! You wouldn't believe how long it took for this one seemingly simple step to be completed. But it's done! So we now have 70 acres of land, plus our 500+ trees that we planted last spring. We are only developing maybe 3 acres and the rest will remain crop. We hope to have a massive garden and we are planning on sharing garden space with our city friends and family. #growyourown. Next step: Get the house plans drafted.
Other than that, I can't think of what else is news. In other less positive news, there were 3 people stabbed at the 7-11 on Main St. (3 blocks away) last night. It totally freaks me out because Tyler often goes there. Time to vacate the North End methinks!!!
Liza :)
Monday 24 March 2014
Happy Birthday to Me!
My 29th birthday will definitely be one to remember. I can't remember another birthday where I've ever felt so loved! In the past I've never made a big deal about my birthday or bothered putting much effort into planning what I wanted to do on my "special"day. This year, I guess I was feeling a little more selfish. But, it turns out that kind of thing is allowed on your birthday!
Friday, the 21st (my actual birthday): I'd spent the night at the farm since Tyler had been out of town for quite some time. My brother, Scotty, was visiting from Gimli so it was a real family affair. When I woke up, even though I hadn't slept terribly well (no surprise) my mom took my kids off my hands so I could enjoy a leisurely morning in my pj's. Later in the morning, a couple of very treasured family friends came over for coffee. We had a great visit. Before I knew it, it was nap time. Then my phone rang - it was Tyler. He'd returned from out of town early and needed to be picked up from his shop! Deacon and I rushed off to get him up while Hayden napped at the farm. It was a lovely, sunny, musical drive to the shop. When we got back to the ranch, my dad had brought home pizza, so we stuffed our faces before heading back into the city.
Before we went home, however, Tyler insisted we make one stop because he wanted to get me my birthday present - a mountain bike, which I desperately needed because I've been riding the same bike for 15 years. It's nothing super fancy or high-tech as I'm not a professional mountain biker or cross country cyclist. But, it's perfect for biking the gravel roads which I fully intend to do in the upcoming years.
Saturday, the 22nd: On Saturday we returned to the farm for a joint birthday party for myself and my Nana who's birthday was on the 13th. She turned 88 and is still very much the life of all our family get-togethers. When I watch her play with Hayden it feels like a flash-back to when it was me on her lap listening to her sing silly songs. I <3 my Nana!!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot that we did our taxes on Saturday morning! Hayden and Deacon behaved themselves beautifully at H & R block. lol
Sunday, the 23rd: This was just the best day ever. Probably because Deacon slept through the night for only the 3rd time in his life. We lazed around all morning. Hayden and Deacon both had nice long afternoon naps. It was a very slow-paced day which is rare when Tyler is home because he is always GO GO GO. Tyler often says how there needs to be 26 hours in the day. Lord help him...
Sunday afternoon I had a second birthday party at Tyler mom's. We were joined by his sister, Amber, and his Aunty Cindy. It was lovely. After dinner, Tyler and I escaped from our children for a while to go down to Osborne St for an evening stroll. We stopped at Baked Expectations for cake and coffee. It was delicious. Then we picked up the kids, went home, put them to bed (Deacon went to sleep early, hurrahh!) and watched a movie!
As if Sunday couldn't have been any more spectacular, this was the day Tyler got his driver's lisence back after coming off a 3 month suspension for being a speed demon. And it's spring! And the sun was shining! Ahhh bliss.
I really really hate to sound like a cheeseball here, but I seriously feel so blessed to have so many amazing, special people in my life. My family means everything to me. I can't imagine having a better birthday without them.
-----------------------------------
Thats all for now!
Liza :)
Friday, the 21st (my actual birthday): I'd spent the night at the farm since Tyler had been out of town for quite some time. My brother, Scotty, was visiting from Gimli so it was a real family affair. When I woke up, even though I hadn't slept terribly well (no surprise) my mom took my kids off my hands so I could enjoy a leisurely morning in my pj's. Later in the morning, a couple of very treasured family friends came over for coffee. We had a great visit. Before I knew it, it was nap time. Then my phone rang - it was Tyler. He'd returned from out of town early and needed to be picked up from his shop! Deacon and I rushed off to get him up while Hayden napped at the farm. It was a lovely, sunny, musical drive to the shop. When we got back to the ranch, my dad had brought home pizza, so we stuffed our faces before heading back into the city.
Before we went home, however, Tyler insisted we make one stop because he wanted to get me my birthday present - a mountain bike, which I desperately needed because I've been riding the same bike for 15 years. It's nothing super fancy or high-tech as I'm not a professional mountain biker or cross country cyclist. But, it's perfect for biking the gravel roads which I fully intend to do in the upcoming years.
Saturday, the 22nd: On Saturday we returned to the farm for a joint birthday party for myself and my Nana who's birthday was on the 13th. She turned 88 and is still very much the life of all our family get-togethers. When I watch her play with Hayden it feels like a flash-back to when it was me on her lap listening to her sing silly songs. I <3 my Nana!!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot that we did our taxes on Saturday morning! Hayden and Deacon behaved themselves beautifully at H & R block. lol
Sunday, the 23rd: This was just the best day ever. Probably because Deacon slept through the night for only the 3rd time in his life. We lazed around all morning. Hayden and Deacon both had nice long afternoon naps. It was a very slow-paced day which is rare when Tyler is home because he is always GO GO GO. Tyler often says how there needs to be 26 hours in the day. Lord help him...
Sunday afternoon I had a second birthday party at Tyler mom's. We were joined by his sister, Amber, and his Aunty Cindy. It was lovely. After dinner, Tyler and I escaped from our children for a while to go down to Osborne St for an evening stroll. We stopped at Baked Expectations for cake and coffee. It was delicious. Then we picked up the kids, went home, put them to bed (Deacon went to sleep early, hurrahh!) and watched a movie!
As if Sunday couldn't have been any more spectacular, this was the day Tyler got his driver's lisence back after coming off a 3 month suspension for being a speed demon. And it's spring! And the sun was shining! Ahhh bliss.
I really really hate to sound like a cheeseball here, but I seriously feel so blessed to have so many amazing, special people in my life. My family means everything to me. I can't imagine having a better birthday without them.
-----------------------------------
Thats all for now!
Liza :)
Monday 17 March 2014
This Winter in a Nutshell
One day, a couple weeks ago, I was returning home to the city after staying a few days at the farm. It had snowed a substantial amount in the days I'd been away from home. As I turned into the back lane I immediately realized there was no way I would be getting my car into my parking spot through the insane quantity of snow that had yet to be shovelled. I promptly backed out of the back lane and drove around to park on the front street, Hayden and Deacon both out cold in the back-seat.
I sat in the car and thought about what to do. It wouldn't have been a problem to park on the front street if: 1) I'd had a key for the front door. 2) The path between the houses had been shoveled, allowing me to open the side gate which was stuck shut between 3 ft of snow on either side. I concluded that I would have to somehow walk, with both kids, around the street and through the back lane to access the back door. But how? Twenty pound Deacon plus carseat I can hardly carry 20 feet let alone half a block! I had no choice.
I turned around to rouse Hayden from her carseat dreamland. "Hayden, wake up! We're home!" No response. "Hayden!!" *Snore*. I jiggled her - no luck. She's a good sleeper, God bless her! Would I have to carry BOTH sleeping kids down the block and around the backlane?! Now that was impossible. I eyed a shopping cart tipped over on the boulevard (not an uncommon sight in the North End). Ah-hah!! But we all know what pushing a weighted down shopping cart through snow is like. Scratch that idea. Then, I realized my porch was unlocked. I could put Deacon in the porch and then run with Hayden as fast as I could around to the back door. I didn't like the idea of leaving Deacon unattended in his carseat in the cold porch, but at this point I was running out of options.
As it turned out, my mother-in-law was only 10 minutes away, so she waited in the front porch with a very cranky tired Hayden and sleepy Deacon while I ran down the street, down the back lane and unlocked my back door.
And this, in a nutshell, is an example of the ridiculousness I have endured this winter. No other winter has the path between the houses gone unshoveled. There is just no where for the snow to go! Bla bla bla, I could go on about this damn snow and cold forever.
But, I have to remind myself that there have been a lot of good memories that came with this winter too. Like the day I decided to take Hayden and Deacon for a sleigh ride on one of the nicer days we had. Proud big sister Hayden held Deacon on her lap in the sleigh as we set off on our journey. We hadn't made it 15 feet before I veered off the path, tipping the sleigh, sending both Hayden and Deacon face first into powdery snow. They both cried but I couldn't help but laugh as I brushed the snow off their red faces. lol
Or today, my dad took Hayden for her first snowmobile ride. When she came inside I asked her if she'd had fun on the snowmobile. "No, Mom, I don't like the snowmobile!" she said. I asked her why! "The snowmobile is too noisy!" she replied.
Soooo don't call the WAHmbulence on me just yet. I feel like even though this winter has been excrutiating to say the least, we will all look back on it with a sense of amusement at what we endured. I know I will!!
XO Liza ;)
I sat in the car and thought about what to do. It wouldn't have been a problem to park on the front street if: 1) I'd had a key for the front door. 2) The path between the houses had been shoveled, allowing me to open the side gate which was stuck shut between 3 ft of snow on either side. I concluded that I would have to somehow walk, with both kids, around the street and through the back lane to access the back door. But how? Twenty pound Deacon plus carseat I can hardly carry 20 feet let alone half a block! I had no choice.
I turned around to rouse Hayden from her carseat dreamland. "Hayden, wake up! We're home!" No response. "Hayden!!" *Snore*. I jiggled her - no luck. She's a good sleeper, God bless her! Would I have to carry BOTH sleeping kids down the block and around the backlane?! Now that was impossible. I eyed a shopping cart tipped over on the boulevard (not an uncommon sight in the North End). Ah-hah!! But we all know what pushing a weighted down shopping cart through snow is like. Scratch that idea. Then, I realized my porch was unlocked. I could put Deacon in the porch and then run with Hayden as fast as I could around to the back door. I didn't like the idea of leaving Deacon unattended in his carseat in the cold porch, but at this point I was running out of options.
As it turned out, my mother-in-law was only 10 minutes away, so she waited in the front porch with a very cranky tired Hayden and sleepy Deacon while I ran down the street, down the back lane and unlocked my back door.
And this, in a nutshell, is an example of the ridiculousness I have endured this winter. No other winter has the path between the houses gone unshoveled. There is just no where for the snow to go! Bla bla bla, I could go on about this damn snow and cold forever.
But, I have to remind myself that there have been a lot of good memories that came with this winter too. Like the day I decided to take Hayden and Deacon for a sleigh ride on one of the nicer days we had. Proud big sister Hayden held Deacon on her lap in the sleigh as we set off on our journey. We hadn't made it 15 feet before I veered off the path, tipping the sleigh, sending both Hayden and Deacon face first into powdery snow. They both cried but I couldn't help but laugh as I brushed the snow off their red faces. lol
Or today, my dad took Hayden for her first snowmobile ride. When she came inside I asked her if she'd had fun on the snowmobile. "No, Mom, I don't like the snowmobile!" she said. I asked her why! "The snowmobile is too noisy!" she replied.
Soooo don't call the WAHmbulence on me just yet. I feel like even though this winter has been excrutiating to say the least, we will all look back on it with a sense of amusement at what we endured. I know I will!!
XO Liza ;)
Tuesday 4 March 2014
Psychotic Mom Alert (revised)
A couple months ago I wrote a blog post titled "Psychotic Mom Alert!" which I never posted. Basically, it was my warning to any over-eager baby snatchers to think twice before coming to my "rescue" when my baby starts crying. I reread it a bunch of times before deciding it was a little harsh to put out there.
Today I just read another blog post called "Mommy, Somebody Needs You!" where a mother describes her mixed feelings about being so needed by her small children and it put everything I'd tried to describe in "Psychotic Mom..." into perspective.
When Hayden and Deacon were both newborns, they did their fair share of crying as I'm sure most newborns do. I never minded the crying. At all. Until....someone else would come swooping in to save me from my crying baby. "Here. Let me." *snatch* For some reason, listening to my baby cry in the arms of someone else was pure agony! If that person did manage to calm the baby then be my guest, but otherwise I could barely give them 5 minutes before reclaiming my miserable little bundle of joy.
Now, Deacon is 4 months old and his fussy newborn days are behind him. Hayden as a newborn was a force to be reckoned with, but, those days are lonnnnng gone. Since we only plan on having 2 children, I will never have another newborn baby to soothe ever again. So I'm not and never will be sorry for hoarding my cranky crying babies. As for the toddler, she's all yours! ;)
That's it for now!
Liza
Today I just read another blog post called "Mommy, Somebody Needs You!" where a mother describes her mixed feelings about being so needed by her small children and it put everything I'd tried to describe in "Psychotic Mom..." into perspective.
When Hayden and Deacon were both newborns, they did their fair share of crying as I'm sure most newborns do. I never minded the crying. At all. Until....someone else would come swooping in to save me from my crying baby. "Here. Let me." *snatch* For some reason, listening to my baby cry in the arms of someone else was pure agony! If that person did manage to calm the baby then be my guest, but otherwise I could barely give them 5 minutes before reclaiming my miserable little bundle of joy.
Now, Deacon is 4 months old and his fussy newborn days are behind him. Hayden as a newborn was a force to be reckoned with, but, those days are lonnnnng gone. Since we only plan on having 2 children, I will never have another newborn baby to soothe ever again. So I'm not and never will be sorry for hoarding my cranky crying babies. As for the toddler, she's all yours! ;)
That's it for now!
Liza
Friday 14 February 2014
Just a Thought About Love...
I woke up this morning feeling less than romantic to put it mildly. Roused from my slumber a whole 2 hours earlier than normal by a shrill "MOMMYYYY!!!", I wasn't all that surprised. Hayden is currently immersed in an intense 3 day potty training boot camp. This was my cue to either run a kid to the potty or clean them up. The latter was the case this morning.
Feeling too tired to completely change all her bedding, I brought Hayden into my room and said, "Shhhhh. You can come back to sleep in Mommy's bed but you have to be quiet because Baby Deacon is still sleeping." Naturally, Hayden felt this was a great topic for early morning chit chat. I should have known better because the sound of Hayden's voice has always been like an alarm clock to Deacon. He then started squirming around in his own bed.
Luckily Hayden went back to sleep for another hour but Deacon was up for good. Man was I ever grouchy having already been up twice with him in the night. I sat there and stewed bitterly as I tried in vain to make him go back to sleep: What kind of a Valentines Day is this? I want breakfast in bed!! I want chocolates (even though I quit eating chocolate) and flowers!! Where's my love note on the counter?!? Boo hoo!
ANYWAYS... I somehow managed to flip my attitude at 7:30 this morning when I decided that Valentines Day, for me, wouldn't be about showering your significant other with love tokens. What if, on Valentines Day, we simply celebrated "LOVE" itself? You don't need to be in a relationship to do it. Why don't we just take a day to appreciate our capacity to love be it towards our family, friends, community, or even random strangers.
Love is such a powerful force in this world. There is no limit to how much love you can hold in your heart. There is no limit to how much love you can give. "All things grow with love." has become my mantra as a mom because I may not be a Pinterest queen of crafts, or Betty Crocker in the kitchen, or Molly Maid in the cleanliness department or anything that a stay-at-home-mom typically is. Hell, I don't even know what I'm doing from one minute to the next!!! But I can love my kids with everything I have and that will always be enough.
No apologies for my sappiness! It is Valentines Day after all! So even though there is no real "romance" in my forseable future, there is an infinite amount of love, and that is reason enough to celebrate on this day.
Happy V-Day Muchachos!! xoxoxox
Liza
Feeling too tired to completely change all her bedding, I brought Hayden into my room and said, "Shhhhh. You can come back to sleep in Mommy's bed but you have to be quiet because Baby Deacon is still sleeping." Naturally, Hayden felt this was a great topic for early morning chit chat. I should have known better because the sound of Hayden's voice has always been like an alarm clock to Deacon. He then started squirming around in his own bed.
Luckily Hayden went back to sleep for another hour but Deacon was up for good. Man was I ever grouchy having already been up twice with him in the night. I sat there and stewed bitterly as I tried in vain to make him go back to sleep: What kind of a Valentines Day is this? I want breakfast in bed!! I want chocolates (even though I quit eating chocolate) and flowers!! Where's my love note on the counter?!? Boo hoo!
ANYWAYS... I somehow managed to flip my attitude at 7:30 this morning when I decided that Valentines Day, for me, wouldn't be about showering your significant other with love tokens. What if, on Valentines Day, we simply celebrated "LOVE" itself? You don't need to be in a relationship to do it. Why don't we just take a day to appreciate our capacity to love be it towards our family, friends, community, or even random strangers.
Love is such a powerful force in this world. There is no limit to how much love you can hold in your heart. There is no limit to how much love you can give. "All things grow with love." has become my mantra as a mom because I may not be a Pinterest queen of crafts, or Betty Crocker in the kitchen, or Molly Maid in the cleanliness department or anything that a stay-at-home-mom typically is. Hell, I don't even know what I'm doing from one minute to the next!!! But I can love my kids with everything I have and that will always be enough.
No apologies for my sappiness! It is Valentines Day after all! So even though there is no real "romance" in my forseable future, there is an infinite amount of love, and that is reason enough to celebrate on this day.
Happy V-Day Muchachos!! xoxoxox
Liza
Wednesday 12 February 2014
A Day in the Life....
This winter has really been something else!!! I will always remember Hayden's first winter (2012) as the most mild and enjoyable winter I have ever experienced and Deacon's as the exact opposite. I have never ever been one to complain about snow and cold temperatures but I find myself counting down the days until spring!
Needless to say, our days have been pretty routine lately. We don't get out much, Deacon, Hayden and I. I know this is probably the least exciting thing anyone will ever read but let it just stand for historical purposes what my life was like during the worst winter ever with a toddler and 3 month old:
8:20 am - Deacon starts waking up in his bed. He just squirms around and grunts with his eyes closed for a while before he actually wakes up.
8:30 - Hayden wakes up! As little sleep as I ever get in the night, I always look forward to hearing her little voice say, "Mommmyyy!!! I'm awaaake nowwww!" I leave Deacon to wake himself up and shuffle to her room to greet her smiling face. I wouldn't want to start the day any other way!!
I take Hayden to the bathroom which she never fails to protest. I get her changed and then get her breakfast which is always cereal with fruit. I put on CBC (our one channel) for her to watch while she eats breakfast and to keep her occupied while I take care of Deacon.
9:00 - By the time I get Hayden all set up with her breakfast, Deacon is usually good and awake in his bed. Sometimes he'll have lost his patience by now, but he's usually pretty content to lay there and look around and squawk happily. Mornings are usually his best time of day. (Usually)
9:30 - After Deacon's changed and fed and happy then I get myself breakfast. I also enjoy a bowl of cereal on most days. It's fast. I eat my cereal while watching "The Adventures of Napkin Man" with Hayden. Then I sing the Napkin Man song for the rest of the morning. Either that or the Bookaboo song. Or the Jiggi-Jump song. Or the Lunar Jim song.
10:00 - Between 10 and 11 is when I can get a few things done because Hayden's still watching CBC and Deacon's still happy in his little baby rocking chair. Laundry, make the bed, get Hayden out of her pj's, tidy up the kitchen, etc.
11:00 - CBC gets turned off. It's exercise time!! I have a yoga DVD that I LOVE. (It's called MTV Yoga and I bought the VHS in 2002. I have tried TONS of other yoga DVDs since then but this is my all time fave. I just bought the DVD off Amazon a few weeks ago. I was surprised to see that it's still in production.) Or else I still really love Disc 2 of the Carmen Electra strip to fit series. Disc 2 is strictly an exercise routine and I feel like I get the most bang for my buck with the 30 minute work-out. Again, I have a few other work-out DVDs but I always go back to this one. Deacon likes to have a morning nap around 10:30 so it works out well. Hayden likes to play near my head and talk to me while I do yoga so it's not very zen but I still consider yoga to be essential to my sanity.
11:30 - Now is when I finally get dressed. Deacon is awake by now so he requires a little maintenance at this point.
12:00 - Lunch!! We eat small lunches. Usually we'll share a bagel with peanut butter and yogurt. Sometimes I'll make scrambled eggs and toast (I know! This is breakfast! I'm crazy!). My new favourite thing is hummus wraps: Spread hummus on a whole wheat wrap, sprinkle with shredded mozza cheese (vegan cheese works well too), roll it up like a burrito, brush outside with melted butter or margarine, and grill like a grilled cheese sandwich. The satisfaction of taking a bite of this delicious creation is nothing short of bliss.
1:00 - Nap-time. Hayden loves going for her nap. She sometimes asks to have a nap when its not even nap time. I know that the reason for this is because it's the only time she's allowed to have her soother. :S She's guaranteed to sleep for at least an hour and a half. Deacon is unpredictable. Sometimes he easily falls asleep. Sometimes I spend the entirety of Hayden's nap trying to get him to go for his nap. Nap time is another essential to my well-being.
2:30 - If Hayden is awake by now but Deacon is still sleeping we usually enjoy a little one-on-one time, reading, building with blocks, colouring, whatever... Hayden's new favourite thing to play is watch Mommy play with my toys like puppets and cry when mommy doesn't want to play with the toys anymore. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE playing with her and I love make-believe, but one can only put Minnie Mouse and "Dolly Doo" through so many fantastical scenarios before one's brain begins to disintegrate.
3:00 - Hayden eats a snack and watches a show on Netflix. Right now she is in love with Thomas the train. If's Deacon's still sleeping you can find me frantically trying to do as much as I can before he wakes up.
4:00 - Deacon maintenance complete - I play with both kids before I have to make supper.
5:00 - If Tyler happens to be home for supper, he will make it. If not, I make supper and I have to say I am very proud of how far I have come in the kitchen since having kids. We always eat healthy, well-rounded meals. That said, I still don't like cooking for other people. Even Tyler.
6:00 - 8:00 - The evenings always go by in a blur, especially if Tyler is home. To Hayden he is Mr. Awesome, always making up the best games on the fly. Sometimes I look at the clock and I'm like, Whoa!! It's bedtime already! As for the bedtime routine, I think I've already said enough about that in previous posts.
9:30 - Hayden's out and then it's time to get Deacon to bed. When Hayden was that age, she nursed to sleep every night and then slept 9 hrs right through the night. It was Heaven. Well, Deacon doesn't always like nursing to sleep and he won't take a soother, so I sometimes find myself walking him around in the Ergo until he's asleep and then plunking him into his bed by 10:30. I'm excited to see how his sleeping patterns evolve in the coming months, to put it positively. :S
10:30 - Deacon is sleeping. Prior to Deacon's birth, we would never ever have considered spending any time in our horrid basement. Now, we have a TV down there, some chairs, its all nice and tidy. It's our no-baby zone and it's awesome.
12:00 - I am a night owl! You'd think I would go to bed earlier than this considering I barely sleep at night, but I love my me time and time with Tyler. Also, I fully intend to have a life again one day and I won't be that gal who putters out at 9 pm. Party-mom on stand-by!!! KIDDING!
I can't wait to go back and read this when my kids are bigger and say, ahh those were the good-old days! Or will I?? Time will only tell...
Thanks for following the gripping saga of my life!! ;)
XO LIZA
Needless to say, our days have been pretty routine lately. We don't get out much, Deacon, Hayden and I. I know this is probably the least exciting thing anyone will ever read but let it just stand for historical purposes what my life was like during the worst winter ever with a toddler and 3 month old:
8:20 am - Deacon starts waking up in his bed. He just squirms around and grunts with his eyes closed for a while before he actually wakes up.
8:30 - Hayden wakes up! As little sleep as I ever get in the night, I always look forward to hearing her little voice say, "Mommmyyy!!! I'm awaaake nowwww!" I leave Deacon to wake himself up and shuffle to her room to greet her smiling face. I wouldn't want to start the day any other way!!
I take Hayden to the bathroom which she never fails to protest. I get her changed and then get her breakfast which is always cereal with fruit. I put on CBC (our one channel) for her to watch while she eats breakfast and to keep her occupied while I take care of Deacon.
9:00 - By the time I get Hayden all set up with her breakfast, Deacon is usually good and awake in his bed. Sometimes he'll have lost his patience by now, but he's usually pretty content to lay there and look around and squawk happily. Mornings are usually his best time of day. (Usually)
9:30 - After Deacon's changed and fed and happy then I get myself breakfast. I also enjoy a bowl of cereal on most days. It's fast. I eat my cereal while watching "The Adventures of Napkin Man" with Hayden. Then I sing the Napkin Man song for the rest of the morning. Either that or the Bookaboo song. Or the Jiggi-Jump song. Or the Lunar Jim song.
10:00 - Between 10 and 11 is when I can get a few things done because Hayden's still watching CBC and Deacon's still happy in his little baby rocking chair. Laundry, make the bed, get Hayden out of her pj's, tidy up the kitchen, etc.
11:00 - CBC gets turned off. It's exercise time!! I have a yoga DVD that I LOVE. (It's called MTV Yoga and I bought the VHS in 2002. I have tried TONS of other yoga DVDs since then but this is my all time fave. I just bought the DVD off Amazon a few weeks ago. I was surprised to see that it's still in production.) Or else I still really love Disc 2 of the Carmen Electra strip to fit series. Disc 2 is strictly an exercise routine and I feel like I get the most bang for my buck with the 30 minute work-out. Again, I have a few other work-out DVDs but I always go back to this one. Deacon likes to have a morning nap around 10:30 so it works out well. Hayden likes to play near my head and talk to me while I do yoga so it's not very zen but I still consider yoga to be essential to my sanity.
11:30 - Now is when I finally get dressed. Deacon is awake by now so he requires a little maintenance at this point.
12:00 - Lunch!! We eat small lunches. Usually we'll share a bagel with peanut butter and yogurt. Sometimes I'll make scrambled eggs and toast (I know! This is breakfast! I'm crazy!). My new favourite thing is hummus wraps: Spread hummus on a whole wheat wrap, sprinkle with shredded mozza cheese (vegan cheese works well too), roll it up like a burrito, brush outside with melted butter or margarine, and grill like a grilled cheese sandwich. The satisfaction of taking a bite of this delicious creation is nothing short of bliss.
1:00 - Nap-time. Hayden loves going for her nap. She sometimes asks to have a nap when its not even nap time. I know that the reason for this is because it's the only time she's allowed to have her soother. :S She's guaranteed to sleep for at least an hour and a half. Deacon is unpredictable. Sometimes he easily falls asleep. Sometimes I spend the entirety of Hayden's nap trying to get him to go for his nap. Nap time is another essential to my well-being.
2:30 - If Hayden is awake by now but Deacon is still sleeping we usually enjoy a little one-on-one time, reading, building with blocks, colouring, whatever... Hayden's new favourite thing to play is watch Mommy play with my toys like puppets and cry when mommy doesn't want to play with the toys anymore. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE playing with her and I love make-believe, but one can only put Minnie Mouse and "Dolly Doo" through so many fantastical scenarios before one's brain begins to disintegrate.
3:00 - Hayden eats a snack and watches a show on Netflix. Right now she is in love with Thomas the train. If's Deacon's still sleeping you can find me frantically trying to do as much as I can before he wakes up.
4:00 - Deacon maintenance complete - I play with both kids before I have to make supper.
5:00 - If Tyler happens to be home for supper, he will make it. If not, I make supper and I have to say I am very proud of how far I have come in the kitchen since having kids. We always eat healthy, well-rounded meals. That said, I still don't like cooking for other people. Even Tyler.
6:00 - 8:00 - The evenings always go by in a blur, especially if Tyler is home. To Hayden he is Mr. Awesome, always making up the best games on the fly. Sometimes I look at the clock and I'm like, Whoa!! It's bedtime already! As for the bedtime routine, I think I've already said enough about that in previous posts.
9:30 - Hayden's out and then it's time to get Deacon to bed. When Hayden was that age, she nursed to sleep every night and then slept 9 hrs right through the night. It was Heaven. Well, Deacon doesn't always like nursing to sleep and he won't take a soother, so I sometimes find myself walking him around in the Ergo until he's asleep and then plunking him into his bed by 10:30. I'm excited to see how his sleeping patterns evolve in the coming months, to put it positively. :S
10:30 - Deacon is sleeping. Prior to Deacon's birth, we would never ever have considered spending any time in our horrid basement. Now, we have a TV down there, some chairs, its all nice and tidy. It's our no-baby zone and it's awesome.
12:00 - I am a night owl! You'd think I would go to bed earlier than this considering I barely sleep at night, but I love my me time and time with Tyler. Also, I fully intend to have a life again one day and I won't be that gal who putters out at 9 pm. Party-mom on stand-by!!! KIDDING!
I can't wait to go back and read this when my kids are bigger and say, ahh those were the good-old days! Or will I?? Time will only tell...
Thanks for following the gripping saga of my life!! ;)
XO LIZA
Thursday 30 January 2014
Getting Back Into "Shape"
I always used to have a good laugh at the SNL parody for "Mom Jeans". I remember feeling completely baffled at the fact that mid-90's moms actually wore these hideous creations. You know the jeans I'm talking about: the high waists and roomy pleated fronts. Well, the truth is, these days I find myself yearning for a pair of mom jeans as a welcome alternative to leggings and other types of stretchy pants.
Once upon a time, before my life revolved around my beloved babies, you could often find me in the gym. I'd go to the Women's Goodlife Fitness on McPhilips at least 3 nights a week. I loved going to the classes rather than working out by myself because I'm not really very self-motivated. In the classes it's like, "OK if all these ladies can do it, I can too".
During my pregnancy with Hayden I made it a point to keep working out and walking because I really wanted to go back to my pre-pregnancy body without much effort. And sure enough, one month after Hayden was born, I actually weighed less than I had before even becoming pregnant. Because I was breastfeeding, I was always always eating and I still never gained weight. When I was pregnant with Deacon I gained the same amount of weight as I did with Hayden - 35 lbs.
SO I don't know what changed between my pregnancies with Hayden and Deacon. But I've recently realized that I'll be working a heck of a lot harder to get my waist-line back into existence this time around. This isn't so much out of vanity as it out of refusal to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe in a size bigger. Ain't nobody got time for that. Or money. My afformentioned lack of self-motivation is no longer a thing because every day at 11:00 am I tell Hayden, "OK it's excercise time!". Then I put on my pilates DVD and get to work. The lengths of my workouts vary depending on Deacon's patience but I can usually manage 10 minutes a day of cardio and another 10 of whatever else. Still, this extra baggage won't budge!
Foodwise, I'm not making too many changes besides quitting eating sugar. It's not like I'm any kind of a panic since I am breastfeeding and need the extra calories for that. I'm sure I will be into my old "regular" jeans in no time. If not, I might just try to bring the "mom jeans" back into style. Or I will remain happily comfortable in Lulu's for as long as necessary.
xoxo Liza
Once upon a time, before my life revolved around my beloved babies, you could often find me in the gym. I'd go to the Women's Goodlife Fitness on McPhilips at least 3 nights a week. I loved going to the classes rather than working out by myself because I'm not really very self-motivated. In the classes it's like, "OK if all these ladies can do it, I can too".
During my pregnancy with Hayden I made it a point to keep working out and walking because I really wanted to go back to my pre-pregnancy body without much effort. And sure enough, one month after Hayden was born, I actually weighed less than I had before even becoming pregnant. Because I was breastfeeding, I was always always eating and I still never gained weight. When I was pregnant with Deacon I gained the same amount of weight as I did with Hayden - 35 lbs.
SO I don't know what changed between my pregnancies with Hayden and Deacon. But I've recently realized that I'll be working a heck of a lot harder to get my waist-line back into existence this time around. This isn't so much out of vanity as it out of refusal to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe in a size bigger. Ain't nobody got time for that. Or money. My afformentioned lack of self-motivation is no longer a thing because every day at 11:00 am I tell Hayden, "OK it's excercise time!". Then I put on my pilates DVD and get to work. The lengths of my workouts vary depending on Deacon's patience but I can usually manage 10 minutes a day of cardio and another 10 of whatever else. Still, this extra baggage won't budge!
Foodwise, I'm not making too many changes besides quitting eating sugar. It's not like I'm any kind of a panic since I am breastfeeding and need the extra calories for that. I'm sure I will be into my old "regular" jeans in no time. If not, I might just try to bring the "mom jeans" back into style. Or I will remain happily comfortable in Lulu's for as long as necessary.
xoxo Liza
Saturday 25 January 2014
Updates!
I've been feeling a little boring this month. Our days have been pretty routine lately and with this weather and Tyler being out of town, I haven't felt like doing anything extraordinary. Personally, I feel super excited on days that I can shower and drink a hot cup of tea in silence but that doesn't make for a very thrilling blog post.
So here is what my kids have been up to...
Deacon is growing a ton every day. His newest feat is holding objects, though he often doesn't realise hes holding them until he bops himself in the face with said object. He likes to grab onto and manipulate his blankie, put his fist in his mouth, and lay on this back under mobiles. He's extremely sociable and will "tell stories" to anyone who will listen. I just love his little face with his furrowed brow and contemplative gaze. He's like a sweet little old man.
Hayden. Where do I even begin?!? She is just sooo darn sweet. All, "Please mommy..." this and "I love you mommy..." that. As she discreetly snips pieces off the tablecloth from under the table. Typical two-year-old stuff I guess. She's all of a sudden become extremely chatty since Christmas. I love our conversations. Here are some of our recent discussions:
"Mom, what's that sound???" (her favourite question)
Then I listen but don't really hear anything. "Ummm I don't know, maybe its the snow plow?"
"No, it is not a snow plow, its an airplane."
"Oh OK Thanks Hayden!"
OR
"Mom, look! My fruit snack has bunny ears!" (shows me her bunny shaped fruit snack)
"Cool, is it a bunny??"
"No Mom, it is not a bunny, it's a fruit snack."
I totally realise that these exchanges are probably way funnier to me than they would be to anyone else but you get the idea. She's a little smarty pants.
I'm not sure what else I can give you updates on right now. "How are the house plans coming along?" They are coming along. The subdivision has been approved so we are now in the process of getting the land title transferred...then we wait for the land title to come in the mail...then we go to the bank...then we order our house plans...then we apply for a building permit... etc. etc. It's such a long process. Longer than we ever imagined. I can see why people don't do this. But it all be worth it in the end.
That's all for now!!! Enjoy the rest of your Januarys!
XO Liza
So here is what my kids have been up to...
Deacon is growing a ton every day. His newest feat is holding objects, though he often doesn't realise hes holding them until he bops himself in the face with said object. He likes to grab onto and manipulate his blankie, put his fist in his mouth, and lay on this back under mobiles. He's extremely sociable and will "tell stories" to anyone who will listen. I just love his little face with his furrowed brow and contemplative gaze. He's like a sweet little old man.
Hayden. Where do I even begin?!? She is just sooo darn sweet. All, "Please mommy..." this and "I love you mommy..." that. As she discreetly snips pieces off the tablecloth from under the table. Typical two-year-old stuff I guess. She's all of a sudden become extremely chatty since Christmas. I love our conversations. Here are some of our recent discussions:
"Mom, what's that sound???" (her favourite question)
Then I listen but don't really hear anything. "Ummm I don't know, maybe its the snow plow?"
"No, it is not a snow plow, its an airplane."
"Oh OK Thanks Hayden!"
OR
"Mom, look! My fruit snack has bunny ears!" (shows me her bunny shaped fruit snack)
"Cool, is it a bunny??"
"No Mom, it is not a bunny, it's a fruit snack."
I totally realise that these exchanges are probably way funnier to me than they would be to anyone else but you get the idea. She's a little smarty pants.
I'm not sure what else I can give you updates on right now. "How are the house plans coming along?" They are coming along. The subdivision has been approved so we are now in the process of getting the land title transferred...then we wait for the land title to come in the mail...then we go to the bank...then we order our house plans...then we apply for a building permit... etc. etc. It's such a long process. Longer than we ever imagined. I can see why people don't do this. But it all be worth it in the end.
That's all for now!!! Enjoy the rest of your Januarys!
XO Liza
Thursday 9 January 2014
I Quit Sugar!!!
My name is Liza and I'm a sugarholic. I just can't get enough. As soon as Hayden and Deacon go for their naps I literally sprint to the kitchen for my "treats". It's my absolute favourite time of day!! I sit and relax with my sugary snack of choice and then I eat it in 1 bite. Then I keep going back for more until someone wakes up from their nap. Basically I'm a nap-time sugar binger.
Putting this fiendish behaviour into writing makes it sound so much worse than it ever was in my mind! Sadly, this is the reality of my sugar addiction. As of Jan.1, 2014 I decided to quit sugar.
The first week was the hardest with all the leftover Christmas sweets still lingering. Day 1 was actually a breeze. Day 2 I became acquainted with the addict's evil nemesis, "Mr. Justification". You hear yourself thinking, "It's so cold out, I NEED hot chocolate!", and "I can't let this baking go to waste!" (Trust me no baking will ever go to waste wherever Tyler is).
I was able to shake these justifications off for a few days until just a couple nights ago I fell off the wagon. Tyler and I decided to bust out the KitchenAid stand mixer we got for Christmas. Ty wanted to make cookies. Even though I had no intention of enjoying them myself, I still wanted to help. Alas, my will power crumbled as the first batch of cookies came out of the oven. I ate one. Was it worth it? NOPE! Anyone close to me has probably heard me complain about my crappy oven in any type of kitchen related conversation. The temperature is wonky!! We have to preheat our oven 50 to 100 degrees cooler than what you would normally bake at. The recipe said 375 degrees, we set it for 275. They still burnt. So I fell off the wagon for a burnt hockey puck. On that topic, nor I or Tyler have never successfully baked anything in our oven.
Besides this slip-up, the hardest part so far was when Tyler disposed of my stash of candy and chocolate that I'd kept on top of the fridge. I actually stared into the garbage in anguish at all the sugar that I would never consume. The strange part is that even though I'd quit sugar, I still wanted the treats in sight. Maybe just to keep my will-power in check. Like James Frey in 'My Friend Leonard' with the bottle of wine.
Now, I intend to maintain my sugar-freedom until my birthday in March. My will-power is actually pretty solid. At the store I can easily ignore that aisle with the sleeves of chocolate bars and the bags of fuzzy peaches. I don't drink pop or even honey in my tea. I just knew I had to quit because of how mentally unhealthy it feels to crave something so badly and not be able to say no.
My new nap-time treat is a strong cup of chai tea and I just love it. Of everything I've given up, I'm going to miss my driving coffee the most! I've decided to spend the extra $3 or whatever at the Itunes store instead. Not all treats have to be injested!
Faithfully back on the wagon,
Liza ;)
Putting this fiendish behaviour into writing makes it sound so much worse than it ever was in my mind! Sadly, this is the reality of my sugar addiction. As of Jan.1, 2014 I decided to quit sugar.
The first week was the hardest with all the leftover Christmas sweets still lingering. Day 1 was actually a breeze. Day 2 I became acquainted with the addict's evil nemesis, "Mr. Justification". You hear yourself thinking, "It's so cold out, I NEED hot chocolate!", and "I can't let this baking go to waste!" (Trust me no baking will ever go to waste wherever Tyler is).
I was able to shake these justifications off for a few days until just a couple nights ago I fell off the wagon. Tyler and I decided to bust out the KitchenAid stand mixer we got for Christmas. Ty wanted to make cookies. Even though I had no intention of enjoying them myself, I still wanted to help. Alas, my will power crumbled as the first batch of cookies came out of the oven. I ate one. Was it worth it? NOPE! Anyone close to me has probably heard me complain about my crappy oven in any type of kitchen related conversation. The temperature is wonky!! We have to preheat our oven 50 to 100 degrees cooler than what you would normally bake at. The recipe said 375 degrees, we set it for 275. They still burnt. So I fell off the wagon for a burnt hockey puck. On that topic, nor I or Tyler have never successfully baked anything in our oven.
Besides this slip-up, the hardest part so far was when Tyler disposed of my stash of candy and chocolate that I'd kept on top of the fridge. I actually stared into the garbage in anguish at all the sugar that I would never consume. The strange part is that even though I'd quit sugar, I still wanted the treats in sight. Maybe just to keep my will-power in check. Like James Frey in 'My Friend Leonard' with the bottle of wine.
Now, I intend to maintain my sugar-freedom until my birthday in March. My will-power is actually pretty solid. At the store I can easily ignore that aisle with the sleeves of chocolate bars and the bags of fuzzy peaches. I don't drink pop or even honey in my tea. I just knew I had to quit because of how mentally unhealthy it feels to crave something so badly and not be able to say no.
My new nap-time treat is a strong cup of chai tea and I just love it. Of everything I've given up, I'm going to miss my driving coffee the most! I've decided to spend the extra $3 or whatever at the Itunes store instead. Not all treats have to be injested!
Faithfully back on the wagon,
Liza ;)
Friday 3 January 2014
January 2nd
January 2nd is a strange day. We've all just spent a hefty few weeks immersed in holiday festivities. We've enjoyed the craziness of the Christmas season and the excitement of bringing in the New Year with our favourite people. And as hectic as it became to haul our families here and there, we did so with delight and a twinkle in our eye. All the while enjoying food and drink that we've waited all year to over-indulge in. Every Christmas seems so epic and magical.
And then... (sound of a record being stopped on the turntable)...back to reality on January 2nd. What?! Wait!? So I can't drink spiced rum and eggnog and eat fudge all night anymore? What do you mean "Set the alarm clock"? Where do all these empty boxes and bags go? Do I really need to stop singing Jingle Bells with my two year old? (Which by the way, is not even about "Christmas"). It's as if the holidays never happened! Now it's on to the next event on the calendar.
Tyler had 2 weeks vacation over Christmas! We LOVE having him around. He just never gets bored of playing Hide and Seek or Ring Around the Rosie. And he definitely keeps me on my toes. Tyler is not one for relaxing in his pj's all day. Even in these frigid temps he dragged us all out for post-Christmas shopping trips to Ikea and Cabela's one day and Polo Park the next. I would never have done this if he didn't instigate it, but it turned out to be very fun.
New Years Eve was uneventful. Deacon, Hayden, and I spent the night at the farm. Tyler went to a party. My initial plan was to wait until Deacon and Hayden were both sleeping at my parents house and then I would go out, making sure to be back well before Deacon's inevitable 3:30 feeding. This all sounded wonderful in theory, but Deacon didn't end up falling asleep until 11:45 so I rang in the new year snuggling my little baby :) . Next year, however....
I sincerely hope everyone's holdiays were as joyous as ours were! All the best to you all in 2014!!
Love, Liza
And then... (sound of a record being stopped on the turntable)...back to reality on January 2nd. What?! Wait!? So I can't drink spiced rum and eggnog and eat fudge all night anymore? What do you mean "Set the alarm clock"? Where do all these empty boxes and bags go? Do I really need to stop singing Jingle Bells with my two year old? (Which by the way, is not even about "Christmas"). It's as if the holidays never happened! Now it's on to the next event on the calendar.
Tyler had 2 weeks vacation over Christmas! We LOVE having him around. He just never gets bored of playing Hide and Seek or Ring Around the Rosie. And he definitely keeps me on my toes. Tyler is not one for relaxing in his pj's all day. Even in these frigid temps he dragged us all out for post-Christmas shopping trips to Ikea and Cabela's one day and Polo Park the next. I would never have done this if he didn't instigate it, but it turned out to be very fun.
New Years Eve was uneventful. Deacon, Hayden, and I spent the night at the farm. Tyler went to a party. My initial plan was to wait until Deacon and Hayden were both sleeping at my parents house and then I would go out, making sure to be back well before Deacon's inevitable 3:30 feeding. This all sounded wonderful in theory, but Deacon didn't end up falling asleep until 11:45 so I rang in the new year snuggling my little baby :) . Next year, however....
I sincerely hope everyone's holdiays were as joyous as ours were! All the best to you all in 2014!!
Love, Liza
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