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.

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.

Melodrama and My Spring Collection.

TWO hours of sleep. THREE nights in a row.

I believe I hit a state of delirium around 4:45am in which I thought I was trapped on a small dingy boat in the middle of the Atlantic with two insane midgets who were determined to kick me till I went mad. (The Princess is sick. Coughing. Constantly.)

At some point in the minutes following I entered sleep mode until 7am when the alarm clock rudely played Nickleback to start my day. (I think Nickleback should be banned from radio altogether but most especially in the wee hours of the morning when unassuming individuals might be dreadfully assualted by their "music" before the day even has a hope of being good.)

On TWO hours of sleep I jam-packed the schedule... between bouts of black coffee and yawning.

• Get dressed for the day. HAIR BLOW DRYED. Check.
• Get the kids ready and in the car to drive and pick up Jenna. Check.
• Get there safely. Check.
• Get home safely. Check. (Are you tired yet? I am.)
• Give a mini art lesson to a talented young girl. Check.
• Have a Spring photo shoot by the lake with excellent photographer Steve Ruiter and super cute one year old Noah. Check.
• Upload and edit pics. Check.
• Pick up The Prince from Noe and Popops' house for a fun day out. Check.
• Get McD's and gas. Check.
• Drive in Toronto traffic. Check.
• Ooogle outfits and accessories while entertaining a four year old (with ADHD). Big Fat Check.
• Race around in a red sports car and feed son to the crocodiles they have lying around Yorkdale Mall. Check.
• Drive home in even WORSE Toronto traffic. Check.
• Look in on The (sick) Princess and "let" Noe and Popops keep her for a sleepover. Check.
• Go to the grocery store. Check.
• Drive home in Pickering traffic. Check.
• Drive back to Noe and Popops' house with sleepover necessities. Check.
• Oh, and have important daily catch ups with friends on the way (with an earpiece of course). Check.
• Get back home and sit for the next 1.5 hours while dear Jenna slaves over dinner. Check.
• Eat. Check.
• Drink. Check.
• Do dishes while drinking. Check.
• Make brownies. Check.
• Get super talented Sis to do my hair just because she loves me THAT MUCH. Check.
• Sleep???

Not yet.









But I love you all so very much that here is a taste of the Spring Collection soon to be posted on Etsy...

Ooogle away people...

XO

Runaway Rollercoaster.

Our Wednesday (Saturday) was sunny and WARM and filled to the brim.

The Prince went out on BOY ONLY errands with Daddy and The Princess looked at me as they headed off and said "Mommy, I wOnt to go the the mAll." She read my mind. Such a smart little girl.

After spoiling her with a new cardigan (because who can resist a cute spring cardigan on sale, it's a weakness I tell you, a weakness!) The Hubby called and asked if the girls would like to meet up with the boys for brunch.

We accepted, of course with the understanding that it was only brunch and nothing should be read into it... joking.

Anyway...

It was a rotten brunch. Not the company. The company was cuddly and squirmy and smelled like the new spring rain laundry softener I don't know how I ever lived without.

No, the food was bleeh. The service was blah and the coffee was refilled only once. (I miss the breakfast place across the street. I think it's time we get over our fear of the new owners and walk in with a placard that states, We are a boisterous and noisy family who gallop up breakfast and make you suffer while we sit there for another 30min just to drink our fourth refill of coffee.)

Daddy never got to finish his refill, looked quite perturbed and the munchkins decided screeching was a helpful way to inform the waitress that they were finished with sitting still and poking at their Mickey Mouse pancakes. Charming really.

(Thank God for materialism and iPhones.)




But all that fun and silliness had to go visit Noe and Popops while Mommy and Daddy went to the Developmental Pediatrician to talk about The Prince, sans screeching and poking.

We made the requested list of all the reasons why or why not The Prince had Autism Spectrum Disorder. We felt bad. It looked like we forgot all the high functioning things about him. Not true. They all just fit into the symptoms of ASD.

The drive was different than in the past. This was going to steer us in whichever direction The Prince needed to go. And I was already sleep deprived.

Well over our allotted time later, the lovely and patient Doctor walked us to the door. By the end of the appointment the list was shredded and useless. He has ADHD.

ADHD.

ADHD.

(This is me breathing.)

(This is me taking it in.)

ADHD with some gifted areas (music/creativity) and some severe challenges (language/social), that could be mistaken and misdiagnosed as ASD.

He can be helped. We can be helped.

We've been on a rollercoaster ride. I hate rollercoasters. The last time I was on one I had a panic attack and ran off heaving.

Though I hate the drop in my stomach I'm getting used to it. I am losing sight of up and down and just catching my breath in between.

And it's better this way.

Way way better.

Because I'm finally getting that I can't drive this contraption. All I can do is ride with it. All I can do is breathe. So watch me practice the Lamaze I never put to use...

HeHe Ha.

Calling All Rockstars.

For the last couple of weeks THIS album has been my music of choice.

Now remember, I am VERY picky about my music. I am even picky about The Hubby's music. I am the first person to critique, qualified or not. (And I only have the album before you do because The Hubby has two songs on it! One of the perks of marrying a BIG SHOT ;))

Manafest's new album The Chase is superb rock out, sing at the top of your lungs, dance while driving (or doing anything else) music and if you do not get it you're CRAAAZY!

One of those must own and well use albums.

Now go and do as I say! (Please.)

Pre-release is only $10 at www.manafest.net... countdown... two days!

(P.S. Manafest is also an incredibly awesome guy married to a super hot/funny Chick. Maybe it's just me but I like nice rockstars. Prima donnas, not so much...)

Surviving With Style.

March 16.

Halfway through people!

And it has officially succeeded in being the best (1/2) March I have ever had.

Not only have I grown closer to stupendous mothers and dedicated friends, but I have also stepped into Perspective.

Yes, stepped into.

I believe in some tribes it's called GROWING UP.

Perhaps it's due to age. Perhaps along with the shape change that I am informed happens at twenty five (and is happening to me) also comes wisdom that for not lack of trying, is impossible to find before the first quarter century.

Maybe my children becoming (slightly) more independent is supplying me with time to see beyond baby barf and size 5 diapers. (What can I say, the kids were so chubby they ended up in size 5 diapers by 8 months and remained in them till, well, now.) I am certain the woman who I inevitably cash out with at the grocery store thinks that I have a herd of one year olds to go along with the number of size 5 diapers I have purchased in the last 4 years. I think I should have bought stocks in size 5 diapers. (No brand in particle. The sales determine the choice.)

It's also possible that I am feeling the winds of change. For five years we have been in a knuckle down and hold on for dear life pattern. In all areas. Possibly life is moulding into something new for our loud and obnoxious family...

It doesn't really matter what the instigator of this new found Perspective is. The important thing is that IT'S HERE.

I am really hoping that it's voice will gain strength and volume in my daily choices. I like what it has to say.

And as I have said before, I truly look forward to looking back on my immature ignorance as a twenty five year old, as much as I enjoy looking back on my immature ignorance as a fifteen year old.

But for today I am going to take in some of the sunshine this mid-March day has brought and I am going to smile at the daffodils my Mum bought me yesterday (I randomly posted on facebook that daffodils would make me smile, and so they did).

...

Before all this living though, I really think I should get out of my PJ's. (And get The Princess out of her's too.)

(P.S. My Mum found this pic of me at six. She also kept this well loved/worn dress so The Princess can love/wear it too! Full circle baby, everything comes full circle... Even bad hair!)