Tag Archives: simple parenting

Lost and Found Baby

Just came back from the morning school drop offs. As I was driving back home I looked back to check if 6 months old A3 had fallen asleep in her car seat only to realize she wasn’t there! My heart stopped! I pulled over with a million scenarios going through my head. Did I leave her on the side walk somewhere?

I glanced over and saw that she was sitting at the other DSC05106end of the back seat in A2’s chair! I had put her there by mistake! The weird thing is that I even took the time to actually shorten the straps to tighten them. I was clearly distracted and not in the moment.

I took the time to catch my breath and wipe the sweat of my face, and thought “wow, that was an intense second and a half!”

She seemed tightly secured and had fallen asleep, so I continued my way.

It often happens to me to be lost in my thoughts and lose touch of the moment or do things automatically out of routine.  Just this week, I got in the car to head to the mall, but instead almost reached A1’s school before I realized I had taken the wrong route and never even thought about it.

Or the time I was struggling to get a pair of pants on A1 until she said “Ma! These will never fit; they’re my little sister’s pants!”

I could go on and on…

I’m realizing that we all do this; I’ve done it my whole life. But now that I have children, this is a time that I cannot get back. They will be small only once, so I better be in the moment!

After all, this moment is the only one that is real. The past is gone and the future is still a thought and everything else is a distraction.

So enjoy the now and be grateful for everything that has allowed it.

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MOM! BALL! BALL!

MOM! BALL! BALL!

Ball? That’s no ball! That’s the decoration from the plant… how did you get that?
I should go check.

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May 26, 2013 · 9:05 pm

How to get a 20 month old to leave you alone for 2 minutes.

I’m trying to do something on the computer. A2 won’t let me. She found out about the Power button on the laptop so she can be dangerous while you’re working.

She already turned it off once and now she’s going for it again.

So I reach in the air.

“Oh look at the birdie! I’m going to catch it”

I pretend I did and hold my hands in bowl shape.

“Can you give it to Daddy, but please be careful”

She reaches out and opens her hands. I gently place the imaginary bird in her hands and she leaves.

Now I can get some work done.

“Julie I’m hungry!” It’s Jack.

Just eat the bird!

Today A1 asked “How come it’s always the mommies who cook the food?”

Ahhh..where to start my child?

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My solution for not having to sweep the floors after every meal.

My solution for not having to sweep the floors after every meal.

YOU CAN EAT OUTSIDE

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May 24, 2013 · 6:03 pm

Talking poop

Finally ! Some down time.

Jack is finally watching tonight’s game. It’s recorded so that he can watch it peacefully once the girls are sleeping. Last time we watched a game together, I asked too many questions and then really aggravated him when I said that the opposite team seem to be better skaters. “They glide better” I said, while our team was losing 5 to 1. Needless to say, I learned a new lesson.

Note to self: Do not say anything negative about the team during a bad game.

In fact, I should’ve stuck with simply not talking to him during the game. What was I thinking?

He was so emotional about it… jeez.

I’ve also learned that to keep our marriage happy I should only say half of the things I’m thinking to say. A less talkative me makes a much happier him.

Poor him he’s got 3 more to deal with, and they all seem to be growing up to be as talkative as me.

Today at the dinner table, A1 asked “Next time I sleep at granma’s I’m going to make cookies, do you think that’s a good idea, a bad idea, a very good idea, a very bad idea, a very very bad idea or a very very good idea?”

Waaaaaaaa? Again we just stand there without an answer. We lost you after “cookie” kid!

Last time at dinner, conversation was about Elephant Poo. “Do you think the Elephant poops this much?” A1 shows the size of a pile, “Or this much?” she show’s a bigger pile. Jack answers “Thiiiiiiiiis muuuuuuuuch!” even A2 was participating to the conversation, after all it was mostly sign language, and poo is a word she knows well.

Poo is a word we know well too. You expect to have to deal with poop when becoming a parent, but no one tells you that it will end up in your hair, on your face and under your socks at least once at some point of the process. You better wish it happens sooner than later, because the older they get, the more real their poop gets. When they’re new born and only drink milk, it barely qualifies as poop, it’s more like mud. It doesn’t even smell all that bad. But when they’re all food group eating toddlers….ooof!

I remember, a long time ago, when my grandmother was changing my bratty little brother’s poopy diaper, he wouldn’t stay put. Poor woman was left in sweats by the time she managed to get him cleaned up. She grabbed a wipe to wipe her face only to realize she had just used the dirty poopy wipe on her face.

I was 8, I laughed so hard not knowing life had similar plans reserved for me…

If someone’s ever scared you by running after you with a Kleenex containing a squished spider, a dirty diaper filled with stinking, hot S&*% is good payback.

Well, I just spent 260 words talking about crap. That’s why blogs are so great, anything goes!

I think next time I’ll write about farts. Oh! So much to say!

Btw after the last post I went to check on the kids and found this.DSC04415 - Copy

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Shhh! There’s a finger in the baby’s ear.

Jack’s watching the game, A1’s painting, A2’s talking in her crib and A3’s sleeping on the couch right next to me. I can hear the neighbour’s dog barking; a little one with a loud voice that barks at air, right outside A2’s window. That’s probably why she’s not sleeping.

A1 suddenly asks:

“Mom, are we poor?”

“Can you hear what I’m thinking?”

And while I stare at her with a thousand thoughts in my head, she adds “What are you looking at?”

What? I don’t know what to think. First of all, I never thought I’d have to deal with a pre-teen attitude so early on. Second of all, one question at a time. Well, I shouldn’t talk, if she’s anything like me, there’s no such thing as one at a time. Why do they only pick up our negative traits?

“Don’t run, you’ll fall!”  My father use to yell out every time I ran. If you saw the way I run you would be worried too. It’s a kind of running with inappropriate arm gestures and unequal steps. Now, that’s imprinted in my head, and every time I run, I fall.  This week as A1 was running, her godfather yelled out “Don’t run you’ll fall!”. I saw her run… like mother like daughter.

I just told A1 that it’s bed time. She yelled out “No!” with a little stomp in her foot. I can’t even get mad at her. I know I should… or shouldn’t I ? I don’t even know… She’s painting, in peace, alone, without A2 pulling on her hair and taking her things. I’ll let her be…

What’s more important, an obedient daughter or an understanding mother?

Poor A3, four months old, has seen more chaos than some people have seen in a lifetime.  Last week she got woken up by A2 pulling off her blanket and tickling her feet! “ Giddi, giddi, giddy” she said.

A1 just got up and did a tap dance.

“Shhhh your sisters are sleeping!”

I know with experience that the sound “Shhhhhhhh” is one of the loudest sounds you can make. Especially when you’re aggravated and are trying to express your anger towards the noise but can’t make any noise yourself.  It’s happened so many times that the “Shhhh” wakes the baby after the noise has already been made.

A3 just went downstairs. Its way past her bed time and Jack is surprised to see her still up. He’s yelling for me “Julie!”… I can’t yell back! A3’s sleeping right next to me!! I have to get up.

…Ok, I’m back. A1’s in bed.

Earlier, when A2 was still awake, I was rocking A3, she was crying hysterically because she couldn’t sleep in all the noise. I took her away from the family room into the living room. I rocked her to sleep but she was waking up every time the kids would make a sound. So as I was rocking her I stuck my finger in her ear. Her other ear was blocked because she was leaning on me. As soon as she seemed to fall asleep…Along came A2 wobbling on over, with a chocolate chicken in her hand. That chocolate chicken that I gave her and got in trouble for by Jack “Why are you giving her chocolate before bed time ?”

Oh my! I just realized that’s why she’s not sleeping and talking in her crib. It’s not the dog at all!

So, I was rocking A3 with my finger in her ear, when A2 came over with chocolate all over her hands and face. She came closer and closer. All I was thinking was please not the living room couches! I was torn! Should I call out for Jack at the risk of waking A3 up or stay quiet and let A2 ruin the couches?

What’s more important clean couches or a baby’s peaceful sleep?

I whispered “Jack!”, he didn’t hear me…  How could he, he’s way over in the kitchen. After a few seconds he came looking for chocolate covered A2 and took her away.

A few minutes later, she escaped from him again. This time I saw her going straight for the stairs. “Jack” I whispered… nothing.

What’s more important a baby’s peaceful sleep or a toddler’s safety?

I called out for Jack and woke A3 up.

Back to square 1.

Btw we use an upside down storage bin as a coffee table and the top of the blender as a pitcher… maybe that’s why she asks if we’re poor…DO YOU BLAME HER?

Home team won tonight. Jack will be in a better mood.

Yey for me !

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What was I saying? Doesn’t matter, no one’s listening. Game’s on.

Kids are asleep and Jack’s watching the game, perfect time to blog.

After 4 days of all the kids being home, the house looks like a war zone. The good thing about this is that if a robber breaks into our house he’ll think that this house has already been robbed. Everything is on the floor! Cleaning will have to be for another day because I’m beat!

This tiredness is unlike any other, it feels like finally getting home after a long trip and then having to do it all over again, right away without any rest, then again and again for months and months,  years and years…

“Take it day by day” I hear.

I’m trying, I’m learning to not think too far ahead, but it’s hard. I can’t help but worry about everything. I guess you’ve got to take it day by day for the sake of sanity alone. Kind of like a prison sentence I guess…

“Did she just call motherhood a prison sentence?!”

No, that can’t be right. They let you sleep in prison. Well, in this country anyways.

Lately, my memory is shot and worse than ever. It helps to have taken pictures of everything because it helps me remember what we did. Easter weekend, a lot of dressing up, we usually spend our weekends in pyjamas. Not this weekend! I’ll have to look at the pictures to know what we actually did. It’s scary how quickly we all forget everything. What did you have for lunch yesterday? Can you remember?

It doesn’t count! You remember because it was Easter and you were out.

What did you do Friday night?

Well ?

I sure don’t have a clue!

Maybe I’m the only one? Where am I going with this?

I have to move, Jack’s looking for the remote. Jack’s always looking for something. Where are my glasses?  Where are my dentures?  Where is my toothbrush?  You would think he’s an 80 year old man.

Jack just asked: Why are you laughing by yourself?

He looked over and saw I wrote “Dentures”.

Jack: What are you doing? Don’t write that!

Me:  (hiding the screen) Just let me write what I’m thinking before I forget, then I’ll let you read, and we’ll post it if it’s ok with you.

(If you can read all this it means he approves)

What was I saying? The good thing about a blog is that you can read back and know what you were saying. Let me look back.,,

Oh ya, dentures. He calls his mouth guard dentures. He sleeps with that thing because he grinds his teeth at night. A1 does too, in the worse kind of way. It sounds like she’s cracking candy with her teeth all night.

I’ve got to say, I can’t blame him for losing his toothbrush. A2 has a thing for toothbrushes, she’s attached to them just like some kids are attached to blankets or stuffed animals. We’ve bought her a few toothbrushes; she always has one with her but she keeps losing them. So we’re always looking for her toothbrushes.

Basically we’re all always looking for something. I sometimes find myself walking around the house looking for something, and having to stop because I can’t remember what I was looking for.

So when A2’s throwing a fit and I have to give her a toothbrush and can’t find any of hers I give her Jack’s.

Jack: Where’s my toothbrush?

Me: I’m not sure…maybe in the car?

Right this moment Jack’s getting mad at me because he’s been talking to me and it seems I wasn’t listening. I was busy writing about his toothbrush.

It’s ok, he does this to me all the time. Just earlier, while he was watching the game:

Jack: Where are my glasses?

Me: In our bedroom, behind the curtain of the middle window. Hello? Are you listening?

Jack nods while frozen standing in front of the TV : ya ya

Me: I just told you where your glasses are, you didn’t listen and now I’m going downstairs.

Jack: Wait! Where you going? I asked you where my glasses were?!

Me: Why do you ask a question if you’re not going to listen to the answer?

Jack: Huh? Leave me alone, I’m watching the game!

While he squints at the screen because he can’t see properly without his glasses.

Yesterday while we were driving home from somewhere…I don’t remember where, I would have to check the camera to remember. I asked Jack:

“What’s the most important thing a girl that doesn’t know anything about hockey, should know?”

His reply was something like this:

“First thing’s first. Names, teams, numbers, dates don’t matter. All she needs to know is not to bother the guy during the game. No talking, no arguments and especially no turning off the TV during the game!”

I did that once, I turned the TV off while he was watching the game. Not only that, I pulled the plug off the digital cable box so that it can take time to reload…yes…evil…I know.

We were newlyweds then, I’ve learned a lot since then. I would never do that today. I’ve learned to leave him alone during the game, and I wait for intermissions to talk to him. Unless he asks me where his glasses are!!

I mostly blog while he watches the game, this way I don’t bother him. Then at the commercials he starts talking to me and gets mad if I’m not listening…

Ok games over. We won. Jack will be in a good mood tonight.

Yey for me!

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A Real Hippopotamus

Finally, kids are asleep. That includes A3 who now at almost 4 months just started a semi-regular sleeping pattern.

What an evening it was ! Supper time was ultimate choas, A2 was covered in food by the end of it and we later found left overs in her diaper. A1 refused to eat, so out came the threats.

“You threaten your kids? Shame on you!”

I do whatever needs to be done. Threats, blackmail, we all do it, let’s not kid ourselves… “If you don’t eat I’ll tell the tooth fairy not to come see you in two years when you start losing your teeth”.

A1’s super excited about the tooth fairy business but she’s still only 4.

The other night, when I was lying in bed next to her as she requested, she was talking. I was so tired that I was slipping in and out of sleep. She was saying “Baby teeth don’t have roots, that’s why it doesn’t hurt when they fall” (is that even true?) When I woke up again she was saying “The eagle is the king of birds” and then I must have fallen asleep again. When I opened my eyes a few minutes later she was making shadows on the wall. Next thing I know i feel a little finger poking my face “Mommy, you’re sleeping ? But when am I going to see a REAL hippopotamus?”

Tonight A1 went up to bed by herself and this  is a big deal is this house. Jack and I can stop arguing over who’s turn it is to do it. We do it in code obviously.

“Ok time for bed, daddy’s going to take you up tonight !”

Daddy: But mommy! You should go, you tell such great stories !
Image

Me: Yes, but Daddy’s going to scratch your back!

Daddy:  Honey, who do you want to go up with you?

We all know the answer to that one… it never fails.

Mommy!

Ah! we’re going to regret this when they become teenagers and don’t want to have anything to do with us.

Parenting is a constant guilt trip.

Another big achievement in our house, A2 now picks us dirty rolled diapers and puts them in the trash. Then gives herself a round of applause.

With A3 sleeping a little better, A1 going to bed by herself and A2 picking up diapers, alot is changing around here. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then again, perhaps I don’t want to see the light, I don’t want this tunnel to end…

All this house playing business can get overwhelming but my overall attitude is to stay calm and truly enjoy it. They say “It passes fast, enjoy them”… and boy are they right.

Ah…I  miss them already, I’m going to go watch them sleep now.

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