Monday, March 29, 2010

Rockstars And Jelly Beans.


Lately I had given up on making dinner when The Hubby was working the later shift or at a gig.
A hot stove or oven was like a magnet, The Kiddos inevitably wanted to play RIGHT IN THE KITCHEN the second it was on.
But after watching Jamie Oliver on Oprah the other day, I was inspired. (And who wouldn't be, that man is wo-n-derful!) So out came the butter knives and two potatoes and voila! Entertainment and a home cooked meal! The Princess lost interest after 5 minutes and then went off to find a new pair of socks (happens multiple times a day) but The Prince, Oh The Prince, he was completely absorbed in his cutting and dicing for 35 minutes!
Genius. Sheer and utter genius.



While I was on a roll being super mom out to conquer the world and all, I decided that it wasn't unfathomable that I could manage TWO children at a concert. Right?

Sunday night came and since The Hubby was doing setup and loaning gear, myself and the mini munchkins were VIP guests for the evening (along with all the other VIP guests).
My children are kind of known for their energy and vivaciousness, as well and their superb ability to out run any adult within a five mile radius, but you play music in front of them, especially at higher decibels, and they become the most well behaved youngsters on the planet!


Put on a sports game for them and their attention wains within seconds. Put on a rock show for them and they become students of ROCK. It's so intense that I definitely see rockstar camp in their futures.

I was thrilled that The Hubby does "all that jazz" because it meant that I had the joy, nay, the privilege of enjoying the warmth of indoor heating while all other spectators froze in the nasty MARCH rain.
Later though, I had the "joy" of smelling 1200 wet teenagers wafting through my nostrils. Life has a way of getting you, eh? (Yes, eh seemed appropriate here. Deal with it. I AM CANADIAN.)

And The Prince found the treats set out for the band and inhaled (literally) three red jellybeans...=...Jumping off the walls for the next few days. DAYS I TELL YOU.







The most lovely moment of the weekend though, beyond middle of the night coffee with friends and potato chopping with The Kiddos and a Starfield concert, was waking up this Monday morning to The Hubby making me bacon and eggs... Love him.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Chandeliers, Pearls And Ribbons, OH MY!


The Princess has picked out her own clothes lately.
She empties all her drawers into the middle of her bedroom floor, looks for her Mini Mouse night shirt and her Disney princess sweat pants.
Unless I hide that shirt and those hot pink pants.
Then she puts on dresses and tank tops and skirts and walks around like she's practicing her final entry onto the runway after her very own fashion show.
Okay, maybe she's simply being a 2.5 year old girl.
And maybe I'm projecting.
But I'm fine with that.
Cuz she'll have lots of practice walking out with me at the end of MY fashion shows.
Okay, maybe I'm being a 25 year old girl.
And maybe I'm dreaming.
But I'm fine with that.


Come on though...
See those boots.
Those fuzzy pink boots that are the most impractical thing to wear in a Canadian winter, yet are the most worn thing in her closet.
I went grocery shopping the other day and came home to find her in the studio with The Hubby and only in a pullup with her spring jacket and these fuzzy boots on.
It was crazy cute.
She also picked out these pink polka dot earrings all by herself. Keeps me laughing because she can't really see them as well as she'd like in the mirror so every time she passes her refection she contorts her body to admire her newest studs.
(Nothing like her mother of course. I couldn't possibly have shown her jewellery and told her that to be my daughter she must be borderline obsessed?! Me? Never.)



Whenever I read a beloved magazine I wish that someone was beside me to page-shop, critique and oogle all the fab finds I see...
Then I remembered my trusty iPhone and decided that YOU (yes, poor you) must be forced to be my companion through magazines 1-4 where I snapped pics of all the things I am lusting after this (soon to arrive) Spring.
Heidi Klum is just thrown in there because I have a massive crush on her and want to be her best friend and call Seal "Buddy".
It'll happen.
Unless she sees this...?





I would offer you a cup of white tea to go with the drool pouring out of your mouth, but I am here and you are there.
And to prove what a fashion love I have this is a glimpse at my jewellery collection.
Most pieces I snatched up on a dime (or two) and hoarded over the last 7 years.
This is only 1/8th of my options.
Still I only wear a couple of pieces a week.
I have small children.
I am planning to be the most adorned mother at school pickup time when the kids are a little older.
I will get my fix. Even if I'm at swimming lessons wearing it!





The love of all things sparkle and shine can't end simply with my ring collection.
It is on the walls of my house.
If I had my own way, we wouldn't even have a ceiling fan in the kitchen. We would have some obese chandelier and we would rest our plates on top of the light bulbs.
The Hubby says he draws the line there. (We don't have central air. He thinks that removing our only source of air flow during summer heat waves would be unwise.)
I think that the view would be worth some extra sweat.
I think I'll wear him down... Someday.








And this pic? Well it was just to damn cute not to share it.

Now after crawling in the front door at 4:00am after a ladies night out and getting up at 7am... I can't function.

Off to snuggle The Princess asleep beside me. Pink Polka dots included.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Warner Bros. Forever.


We have fought the springtime battle of the nasty cold/fever for over a week now. Today we emerged from the cocoon of the house and ventured into the world beyond.

Adding as much cheese as I can muster up on severe sleep deprivation, I felt like I became a little more of a butterfly just by association.

Not only did I get to laugh and gab with a group of women who amaze me every time I see them (MOPS) I also went to lunch at a friends home with them afterward.

I had been starting to feel like a deflated basketball... still in the game but losing the bounce-back.
They were air I needed today.
We run on empty so often as mothers, even more simply, as females. We give because it's the right thing to do. Because it's a pleasure to care for someone else, and because it's what's required.
But today we were all just a bunch of women sitting around a kitchen table giggling about vasectomies and pregnancy cravings and potty mouthed parents (my major downfall) and guilt over the daily F***ups we all have.

The group of us shaved off another layer of misconception that we like to imagine is truth. And it was amazing.
It's always amazing when you can be real with someone.

It's always amazing when you can be there for a friend. Heck, even for a person who isn't yet a friend but deserves tender loving care.
I find it to be one of the highest honours to be able to stand beside someone walking through the fire.
Especially considering in our little corner of the world we have collected the GREATEST women who exist.

For instance:
My neighbour who on top of raising her wonderful son, travels for a job she is passionate about and relentlessly will work to find a remedy for The kiddos when they're sick via thousands of text messages back and forth. No matter where she is in the world. She is the most dedicated neighbour and friend. (And I am super duper lucky that she's a great homeopath.)Texting her right now actually.

My Sis who dotes on her niece and nephew endlessly and who sent me a note about a quote that fit us perfectly... "You can kid the world but you can't fool your sister." The most true statement ever. Ever.

My Emma who overnight has gone from one job to top job not only because she is capable but because she is so lovely that she befriended her interviewer in a matter of minutes. Almost a decade later and she's still my rock.

My Tals who tonight made a hard but mature decision to trust her instincts in the face of heartbreak. She has more guts than she knows.

And though I would like to continue, I cannot capture the depth of what I am trying to say.

I will be a better woman tomorrow, for the love I had today.



And also if I get a good night's sleep.
But that's looking less likely.



After my last post I made a truce with my house. And the toy bins.
If I can get a couple of evenings a week to relax in a tidy home, I will give up on trying to maintain that high level of organization throughout the week.
It's a fair deal.
I had my lawyers approve it.
They decided my sanity got the best end of the bargain but the bins are satisfied too that their load is lightened for a few bonus hours.



In the meantime, while I wait for the papers to be drawn up regarding the peace treaty with the laundry, I am thinking that my brain is slowly unwinding like a spool of wool and I suck at knitting so it's time I stopped the spinning.



My Dad used to tell me that if I crossed my eyes long enough they would permanently stay that way.
As a mother I now know why he said that.
It was to stop us from looking like idiots in public.
I think I'm going to tell The Prince that if he doesn't stop screaming "MOMMY" his vocal cords are going to permanently stick on that word and he'll never be able to say "I want a cookie" again.

Mwahahahaha.

The evil genius also comes out with only 2-4 hours of sleep. And with the help of other conniving mothers.
Yes, on top of (cheesy) blossoming like flowers in each others company, we plot ways to torture our spawn and TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD NARF! (We're Pinky we're Pinky and the Brain Brain Brain Brain.)



On that note, my rational has taken a back seat and I should go brush my teeth.
Goodnight.
Or not.
Ugh.


Monday, March 22, 2010

Buttons Make The World Go 'Round.


Sunday came in like a lion and out like a lamb.

There were cartoons and cat fights, pancakes and magazines, screaming and biting, snuggles and "I'm sorry"s.

Drowning in the chaos of our home reached an all time high, so armed with vim bleach and a broom I took control and saw to it that the first leg of Spring Cleaning was accomplished. Even have the bags in the back of the car waiting to go to Goodwill to prove it.

To ready myself for this massive task I dressed in a favourite summer shirt and put on my newest treat (love Robin), ginormous pink button earrings... It was a maid's dream uniform and I trumped every maid that ever existed. (Maybe.)



But I have two rabid bunnies under the age of 4.5 and when finished I couldn't see where I started and was already losing sight of where I finished. The house looked the same as before.

It is really only in the slowly warming climate that I get like this.
It's the hope of bringing out the summer wardrobe and shoving the winter gear in a box under the stairs to be forgotten for the next 5 months.
It's the desire to open windows and let the breeze sweep through our home and bring with it the beach scent that only comes with spring rain.
It's the intense desire to have morning coffee on the back deck even if it means frostbitten fingers and nose.
I am coming to a breaking point.
It's STILL March. (Argh.)




I have been trying to come up with something to do this afternoon.
I am coming up empty.
I have a snotty Princess who coughs like a drunken sailor every few minutes and a Prince who has emptied EVERY SINGLE bin of toys that exists and now I cannot find walking room anywhere! I am feeling like a claustrophobic giraffe stuffed into a washing machine with a load of towels.

I am actually allowing my children to push each other around in a stroller through the kitchen to attempt to burn up energy. (Enter Crazytown NOW.)

I knew despite my pumped up warnings that this day would come.
Even down to forgetting that it was class parent duty today and racing in and out of the shower in minutes to make it to The Prince's JK room to sit and cut out eggs for an Easter craft. Funny thing is there was no where else I would've rather been.

April is looking to have some nuttiness all it's own with thrilling new adventures and challenges that have never been faced. But I think I could also say that about May, June, July and August.
Life. Still getting used to it. (25 years later.)




On this rainy, cold and cooped up day I needed a reminder of flowers and flip flops and that dress at H&M that is on my (long, and rapidly growing) list of must haves.
But since I am house bound I thought I'd share some more of The Spring Collection.
I'll be found rocking these pieces at the lake in about a month. Possibly less. Snow or no snow. Wearing pink ginormous button earrings.




Saturday, March 20, 2010

Spring Showers Bring May Flowers... And Help With Housekeeping.



We have begun to drown in a mass of clothes.
Clean clothes no less.
And though I'm sure it could be worse and we could be drowning in a mass of dirty laundry, I am losing the ability to function.

At 3am I was climbing over a growing mountain of shirts and under ware just to prepare a homeopathic remedy for The Princess. If I am awake in the wee hours of the morning climbing over heaps of clothes I can be found cursing, and swearing it will never get this bad again.

I am usually an on top of it kind of housekeeper. One load of laundry a day, battle the dishes in the sink a bit at a time and take out the garbage every other day. Done,done and done.

But this has been the March Break. And I have thoroughly enjoyed going out EVERY DAY!

There have been movies and mall dates and photo shoots and errands to run. I have made dinner for friends and gone out for dinner with friends. Today I am paying for it.

If it wasn't for Robin who surprised me by showing up with applesauce treats ready to play with The Kiddos, I am fairly certain that that atrocious laundry catastrophe was going to grow limbs and eyeballs and eat me as punishment for the extreme neglect.


But shopping yesterday for sunglasses with The Prince was such fun, and he's rocking Sponge Bob like no body's business...
And Sis Extraordinaire made my hair look so brilliant that it actually turned heads! (She has brought me a long way since the days of the soccer mom cut and raspberry red dye job...)




So to be the icing on the cake of a week of shunned responsibilities I went out with Sis, Talia and Amanda and had a very grown up dinner at a very chic restaurant on Young St. then went for a Starbucks dessert latte at The Don Mills Shoppes. All the while feeling superb because the girls paid my ass some lovely compliments right before leaving the driveway and it boosted its ego a little too much. :)






Yet the fun I was having lead to reality when I woke up to snuggles and squeezes from a coughing, congested, feverish and sucky Princess who ate a banana at 3:15am while I got her a drink. And as much as I hate losing sleep, or tripping on socks when I should be sleeping, those cuddles I got, oh those cuddles, they were special and worth exhaustion to help her feel better.


Today, with those big puppy eyes, she got her coat her boots and her hat, and fever and all she put them on. Then she stood in the hallway and said "I wOnt to go OUtside, to a vAcAtion."
Since she was so adorable Auntie RaRa couldn't resist and off they went on a four minute outing up and down the walkway which satisfied her need for a vacation... but not mine...


Gradually the housework will be done and The Princess will recover and life will fall back into step but today I am indulging in sweatpants and tea and delighting in playtime with Robin.