What August brought, and September brings....

So, August in our family brought a great busy month. Not only did our little Miss A turn 1, but my DH's twin brother got married. Not even 2 weeks later, another good friend of ours got married. Differences between the two weddings? One was without our kids! (Hello? I am talking a 24+ hour glorious vacation with NO KIDS! Holla!) 

I had gone back to work in July, so August was a very messed up month for time off that I needed. Yes, I did give work the list of days off, seeing as if I was to get no time off for the first wedding, my mother in law would probably hunt me down and shoot me, promptly followed by my sister in law. Yup, I would be shot on site. Fortunately, work saw it in their best interest to keep me alive for yet another day, so I got my days off! Our daughter R was flower girl at this wedding, and to everyones delight, she did her task very well! No melt downs, no tantrums, no fuss. Flower petals hit the ground, she looked like a seasoned pro! Miss A was sitting with me during the ceremony, while my DH was a groomsman. Yeah, I felt slightly jipped, but got to stare at whom I believe to be the hottest guy at that wedding in a tux, which was my husband! The day went well, but for 2 kids, it was so long. We used them as an excuse to leave by 9pm, and went home to have some nice quiet time with kiddies asleep! The end of this wedding marked the end of my sister in law being a bridezilla....ish. Naw, she was pretty good, though, keeping things to a strict time line just not my cup of tea for a wedding.

The second wedding 2 weeks later took a tad of coordination for it. The night before, we had to be at the wedding location for the rehersal, so that involved cashing in the free night of babysitting from my sister and her boyfriend (with much evil cackling that they didn't realize) to drive over an hour to a beautiful location! And even better for me, crap cell reception! YES! Downside was driving after the awesome dinner to go get the kids, put them to bed at home, pack the car, and yes, prepare to essentially do a diaper change, dress and go first thing in the morning when they woke up. They got shipped off to my mom's place, I got dressed for the wedding, and booked it like nobody's business in the hubby's Mustang looking in my opinion pretty damn hot. Hubby thought so when I pulled in to the hotel as he was all dressed up in his tux. Both weddings outside... though this one, twonie bar! And lots of wine on the tables at dinner! This one I found to be more enjoyable, because I didn't have to chase 2 kids, and could spend time with my husband. Go figure... we kinda looked at eachother later that night going, "Oh hey! There is the hot guy/girl I married, and fell in love with 12 years ago!" Yeah, sometimes that reconnection is a good thing!

It is what? September now, and I still wish I could be at the second wedding again most weekends since, seeing as I missed having that adult time with my husband. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but really, some days I feel like a glorified babysitter! Yeah... one screams like she's possesed by something from the Exorcist, while the other gleefully just laughs at me secretly. I might have to see about pawning the kids off on their grandparents on more of a regular basis for overnights, just so I can have some fun here and there!

On another note, a busy August brought about the start of a new chapter for us.... wait for it.... Parents of a Preschooler. Almost sounds like it could be warped into a horror movie title! Miss R started preschool, and her teacher the first day was all like, "She has so much energy! She was go go go the whole time!" Yeah, is it bad that I secretly laughed after I left with kid in tow thinking, 'This is why I pawn her off on you guys 3 days a week! I can't keep up with two, especially when this one does a great number of wiping me out!' Somehow, I think preschool for some of us parents is a funny thing... we bring our kids in, all glad that they are learning, but secretly, we are rejoicing at the concept of being kid free, or one kid less in my case for a few glorious hours! No hands trying for cookies in the store, no demands for Starbucks treats, just glorious silence! Yeah, silence, because for me, Miss A takes a nap for 4 hours not even an hour after R starts her class! 

So all in all, I feel drained from a few short weeks of summer activities than I do in a whole year of mat leave.... man, I need to win the lottery and hit up the Bahamas... kid free... for a week.... with some glorious man eye candy serving me mojitos!

Into the realm of baking.....

So J, my wonderful dear husband has a big thing for sourdough bread. Like I mean, BIG! So much so since I started baking our own bread here at home for the last few months, he has gone as far as last night to look up sourdough bread recipes! Needless to say, I had to chuckle inside at the fact that he took initiative to look up something for me! So, fast forward about 18 hours later to a point where I am not half asleep, and I have started what I hope will be a good attempt at making my own sourdough starter! Hurray! I love to bake! 

Did I mention that I did end up still baking a loaf of bread that day too?

And I have a girly girl for a kid???

So sorry it has been a while since I posted! So busy with life, Mother's Day and family! 

It seems that somehow, amidst all the chaos of my life, Miss R wound up being a girly girl. A what you may ask? Yeah, a girly girl... she likes getting her nails done, makeup, tutus and anything frilly and pretty. For those who know me, I like my jeans, comfy tank and lately skate shoes. Yep, polar opposite of me. I never was too girly as a kid, and now, I have a daughter who loves being a girl! So, when R is constantly yelling at me "Colour! Colour!" I have to make an excuse to NOT always paint her nails. I have however come across a all natural nail polish that when used, does not reek of chemicals and am hoping to find more colour choices. What is this glorious stuff you might ask? Why, Piggy Paint of course! Who knew that someone actually would make something that I can feel ok about putting on my kids!

Now, only to figure out how to avoid the constant tutu wearing! 


Piggy Paint is the website for this glorious product, and hopefully, I get to test out more colours soon on R!

Life Lessons and Memories...

Well, it has been almost 2 weeks that my grandmother has been in hospital, and yet she still doesn't seem to want to eat, nor is her health getting any better. I suppose that at 88 years old, she's doing famously well, for having had lived through World War 2 while a child and young adult in Poland, and then for having her husband, my grandfather taken away by the Soviets to a Siberian work camp for being outspoken about the Communist occupation of Poland. The things she has seen, and then to just leave her homeland behind almost 28 years ago is mind boggling. The day she found out I was born, my uncle tells me that she went on to make well over 100 pierogis and pulled out a bottle of wine from the piano! Now, that I'm on the brink of being 28, and her health in decline, I cannot help but be thankful for everything she has done to help me become who I am.

I remember as a child telling her that she was not allowed to pass away until I completed a set list of task, which are as follows:
1. I had to graduate from high school
2. I had to get married
3. She had to see me have kids
4. She had to be around to see me successful as an adult.

I hate to say it, but she has done more than what I asked... she's been there to see me have 2 beautiful daughters, I'm married to my best friend, I own my own home, and other things as well. The thought and sudden reality that she really might not be around for much longer hurts me terribly, and I could hear that realization in my own mother's voice as well tonight as I talked to her too, that perhaps we might be coming close to see the end of the matriarch of our family here in Canada pass away. It hurts me terribly... almost as much as it hurt me when my step-dad forced my grandmother to move out of our home when I was only 12 or 13, and couldn't deal with my routine messed up. She has always been there, and I do regret that in the past couple years, not calling or visiting her as often as I could have. I do though, have an opportunity which I am trying my best to take advantage of, which is bringing my daughters to see her, so they can at least be told when they are older, even if there are not so many pictures of it, that they were able to be there with their great-grandmother and spend time with her as young children. They help brighten her stay in the hospital, that's for sure... and I am so proud to be teaching my children that respect of elders is so important, even if it is visiting them in hospital to brighten their day. 

Just sitting here while everyone here at home is asleep and I am not able to fall asleep so soon yet, gives me time to think of all the happy memories I have of my grandmother. For that, I am so thankful, as well as being given the gift of being able to speak another language that is not French or English. One day, I want to take my girls to Poland, to show them around the country that their Grandmother and Great-Grandmother were born, and left so my mother could have a better opportunity in a non-Communist country at the time. Had she not left Poland, I don't think I would be here today.

Mamma, Babi.... Thank you...

Dziekuje... Kocham Cię

I'll take that coffee... as an IV drip!

Totally having one of those nights tonight where I need a coffee and bad. I did happen to get one on my way home from some errands tonight, after near about falling asleep while driving. One thing that helped was the sporadic kicks in the back from Miss R who sits right behind the driver. Miss A is happy as a clam sleeping, but R, she's a wild woman as my mom calls her. Almost 10pm, and she's still raring to go, but fortunately asleep.

3am though, that was another story.... R woke me up calling her usual "Mama....Mama..." cries, but they sounded a touch odd early this morning. I checked on her, and walked into the kids room to the smell of toddler vomit. 3am, and the smell of toddler vomit on her bedding, and floor and in her hair and on her clothes.... Imagine those scenes from the movie Shaun of the Dead, where they are doing their strategy/plan, and the scenes are so abrupt in how things are depicted. That is essentially my 3am. Run bath water, strip toddler of all clothes, toss crying half asleep toddler in bath, strip bedding, run bedding and clothing to washer, scrub toddler down, re clothe toddler post bath, place toddler in the big bed for the rest of the night with vomit catching receptacle. Yup... that was that. I fell asleep though while the stuff was in the dryer, and next thing I knew, there was a baby crying wanting to be fed at 7am, so then there was 2 kids, and me in bed. (Hubby was at work by now, so it is essentially fend for yourself as a mom between the hours of 1:30am till almost noon, 5 days a week, until 6 pm.)

Someone needs to remind me why I need to start going to sleep earlier. I fiddled around with doing taxes last night, but forgot to tell hubby what we can possibly expect for our returns. Yeah.. I really need to just buy shares in Post-It's and keep them everywhere. Hrm, that's not a bad idea... then again, some nutty ideas hit me at late hours, but doesn't mean I should roll with them... or should I?

It's cold outside, and I have a cold....

Well, not much to say other than this weekend held potty training going full steam ahead for R, and we're doing pretty well at that, but thanks to naked toddler time, she's come down with a cold. (Gotta love a kid who knows how to access the patio with ease) and passed said cold onto Miss A, and me. Last night was rough, because Miss A got sick enough to throw up... 4 times. 5 outfits later, I took her to the hospital ER to make sure she was ok. I don't want to have to go through what we did with Rose back in November when I hadn't even been home after a week in the hospital myself, and she had gotten so sick that she needed to be hooked up to an IV, all because we couldn't keep her hydrated.

Good news is, Miss A will be just fine... but I do have a lot more laundry to do all of a sudden, and the smell of baby barf is one that I don't find too appealing. Oh well...

Friday the 13th strikes?

So, Friday the 13th.... I am normally not one to be superstitious in the regards to that day, more so I am towards my Cancuks and the playoffs, but still. I was showing the sitter a few things, and while grabbing some socks for miss R, my 2 year old, somehow I hit my forehead on the corner of the table. Yeah, you heard me... forehead makes contact with corner of table. At first, I thought I was ok, till I felt like I got something fluid wise on my head, to only discover I was bleeding from there.Mind you, this is all going on about 45 mins before I have to be at a Tupperware party with my gear and such, and I also had to take wee miss A with me too. My husband said that I was "smart" and a few other jabs at me, meanwhile I am standing there hoping I don't need stitches. 

Luckily, I do not need stitches, and everything seems to be doing better. My forehead though is tender where the contact with the table was made, and I feel slightly more silly for it even happening. I am just happy that there was no extreme bleeding or stitches needed. I have been in and out of hospital way too much in the last well, 8 months if you count giving birth to Miss A in August. I do on the other hand, have a headache, but that can also be accounted to Miss R and Miss A both waking up a few times in the middle of the night. Miss R couldn't sleep in her bed for some reason, so off to Mommy and Daddy's bed for her. Miss A at 4am discovered she can pull herself to standing in the crib, and kept doing so for a half hour. So, I am sitting here with my first big cup of tea in hand, and something to eat before mommy duties call with due haste, and trying to type this all out.

Hopefully in the next couple weeks, I can get a couple more Tupperware parties booked, and go from there. Some extra cash flow would be great. Now, where did I hide that bottle of Motrin.... my head is hurting rather badly...