Just Because

I sometimes get too wrapped up in the craziness of daily life. I feel exhausted, impatient, overwhelmed, and irritated.

Sometimes I don't take enough time to just sit back and soak in all of the amazing parts of our life together. It's not that I don't recognize and appreciate everything. I do count my blessings! It's just that some days life gets so busy that I miss the special moments. Then I see this sweet face...
And, I am reminded of all the miracles, magic and love there is in this world. She is so very special.

HI-LA-RI-OUS!!!

This is for all my Trinidadian family and friends. I had to laugh when I saw this. My Dad is Trini and when he and his family get together, this is what they sound like. LOVE IT!

Too funny! Enjoy.



P.S. Sorry for the two or three "choice words" in the video. Not meant for the ears of young children.

Ridiculously Easy Fettucine Alfredo with Shrimp

By now, you should all know that I'm not one for measuring ingredients when I cook. I do things by taste and fragrance...as well as by appearance.

Like all moms, I also don't have loads of time to prepare fancy homemade meals from scratch. I do cook our meals from scratch, but I just don't spend hours making them. Who has hours to cook when you have young children, right?

One of Hubby's favourite dishes is Fettucini Alfredo. I came up with a ridiculously easy recipe to have supper on the table in less than 30 minutes. I kid you not.

Ingredients:
-box of fettucini noodles
-a bit of flour
-a bit of butter
-a bit of milk
-salt and black pepper
-1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
-1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
-minced garlic
-chopped basil or parsley
-shrimp (I put about a cup of cooked shrimp)

Directions:
1. Cook noodles as per instructions on the package.
2. In a pan, melt butter and cook the flour to make a roux. Add milk and make sure the roux is not lumpy. You can also add the garlic at this point.
3. Add shredded cheese to the mixture. It's important to make a roux, otherwise your cheese will end up clumpy and not sauce-like.
4. Season with salt and black pepper.
5. Cook shrimp last, because it takes no time at all to cook shrimp.
6. Once pasta is cooked, drain well.
7. Add pasta to Alfredo sauce and make sure to coat the noodles well with the sauce.
8. Garnish with chopped basil or parsley.

Serve with a nice salad. I like serving this with salad greens and a balsamic vinaigrette.

Oh! Check this out! Some very exciting news for me and I'd like to share it with you!!! :)

URGH!!!

I get home from work. I'm tired. The house is a DISASTER. Laundry needs to get done. Dishes need to get done. Meals need to be prepared. Nothing gets done unless I do it and there aren't enough hours in the day to get things done. Seriously, how hard is it to replace the milk bag when it's empty? Or, how hard is it to clean up after the baby eats instead of leaving all the crumbs and leftovers that she thew all over the floor? I don't get it.

The farm eats up most of our time. We don't do things as a family because we have to maximize our daylight hours to get work done on the farm. We don't go anywhere because we can't leave the farm. Hubby and I both have to work several jobs to keep the farm running.

The baby is whining and yelling "Mamamamamamama!!!" as she claws into my legs and reaches up for me to carry her. Sometimes I feel like this soooooooo isn't what I signed up for.

Then I look at this sweet little thing...
Somehow everything else no longer seems to matter. I'm in luuuuuuuv with this precious little monkey. Even if she exhausts me to no end.
Oh, alright! We do go places together as a family. Not often though. We try to go away once or twice a year. This said, Little One's childhood will definitely be different from the one I knew and this makes me sad. I grew up with lots of traveling (within Canada, the US, and overseas). My parents took us to Trinidad and Tobago, Florida, New York, Virginia, and all over the place when we were kids). I want that for Little One too. I want her to explore the world and know that there is a lot to discover outside of the world she lives in. I want her to learn about other cultures, customs, and make friends with people from all over the globe.

We may still be able to do this. With or without Hubby joining us though. Someone (not Hubby) once told me that "farmers never leave the farm". Great.

Conversations with Hubby

Me: (in shock) Why does our daughter have a huge bruise and scratch on her face?!?!

Hubby: (rather nonchalantly) Oh. She fell off my chair and landed on her face.

***************************************

Scene: The morning after our final Burns Wharf Theatre performance

Hubby: Are you going to take a shower?

Me: I can't. I'm meeting the girls for brunch at Loco Beanz and I'm late! (I did wash my face and brush my teeth, by the way!) Why?

Hubby: Oh. It's just that you've got streams of sparkles all over your face.

Ack! Can't seem to lose those fairy sparkles!!!

***********************************************

(Hubby looking lovingly at his wife as she puts on her make-up and fixes her hair for a friend's 40th birthday bash)

Hubby: You look beautiful, Honey.

Me: What do you want?

***********************************************

Hubby: We have such a good life. We have a beautiful, smart, healthy daughter. We have each other.

Me: (bursting out in laughter) You're right, Honey. We do have a wonderful life. It's just not often that you come out with comments like that :)

***********************************************

Hubby: OH! DARN IT! Don't take off your diaper. Hey! Get your hand out of there. Oh, no! Don't roll off the...bed. URGH! That's a NASTY diaper.

Me: Go figure! The one diaper you got to change all day and it was a nasty one. LOL!!!

Little One exits her room, smiling...and naked. Crazy girl. Toddlers are hilarious.

Please and Thank You

I don't know if it's just me, but I've noticed a strange occurrence as of late. It strikes me that there is a large amount of people who have forgotten their please and thank yous.

Growing up, we learned to always mind our manners. This something we're trying to teach our toddler too. I remember in my earliest years, my parents would be on us for being polite, courteous, and respectful to everyone.
Oh, it's not this generation's kids I'm talking about. I'm talking about ADULTS too! Perhaps I'm wrong in believing that people should treat each other the way they'd like to be treated. Perhaps it's not to be expected that if someone does something nice for you, you return the favour. It's pretty frustrating, actually. What ever happened to common courtesy? Some people are severely lacking in social skills.

Now, I am well aware that everyone has a lot going on in their lives. Life gets busy. I get that. I often wonder if it would be less effort to act the same way some people do. Then I realize that it wouldn't make things any better. I'd feel awful for behaving the way some people do. (Note: This is not directed at anyone in particular. It's just an observation)

I know it is wrong to expect others to treat you the way you've treated them. One should do things from the kindness of one's heart and not expect anything in return. Do things because you want to do it or don't do it at all. Right? Hmmm...

Obviously, I'm not talking about this:I don't believe that is the right behaviour or mentality (above). I do believe in this though (below).

I have a few etiquette questions to throw out there:

1. Do you always remember to say thank you when someone does something for you?
2. Do you say please when you are requesting/asking for something from someone?
3. When carpooling with someone (either to work, out of town, on a trip, etc), do you offer to pay for a bit of the gas?
4. Do you constantly take without giving or without offering to give?
5. If you go on a trip with someone and they drive, do you offer to pay for gas or offer to buy them a meal? Or just take, take, take and don't offer to contribute in any way, shape or form?
6. If you know of someone who needs help, do you offer to help out?
7. Do you call loved ones to check in on them from time to time or do you wait for them to always call you?
8. Do you make any effort to cultivate and nurture relationships or is it always up to the other person?
9. If you're at a restaurant and someone else pays, do you at least offer to pay your share? When that person says, "It's on me" do you at least say thank you?

Let's just say that with all the things that have been going on lately, I'm doing some purging and cleansing of things I don't need anymore.

BlogHer $100 Question: What's Your Craziest Mommy Brain Moment?

I make it no secret to anyone that I suffer from Mommy Brain/Momnesia every now and then on a semi-regular basis. Okay, who am I kidding? I suffer from it every day.

As an English teacher, I pride myself on being a grammar guru. This said, I've gone from Grammar Queen to Don't-Know-How-To-Spell-Easy-Words girl. It is so frustrating!

It appears that there's a correlation between the busier and more active my little one gets and the less hours of sleep I get. This is directly responsible for my Momnesia. At least I like to tell myself that! Even the most obvious things don't seem so obvious anymore! My friends and family get a good laugh at my Mommy mishaps.

I get so unbelievably forgetful and absentminded and it really frustrates me. I'm not sure if I can name my craziest Mommy Brain Moment...because there are too many of them! Oh, alright! I guess THIS would have to be my craziest Mommy Brain Moment!!!

Can you answer the BlogHer $100 Question? What's YOUR craziest Mommy Brain moment?

The Kindness of Others

Every once in a while something happens in each and every one of our lives when we realize how fortunate we are to have the love and support of the people around us. Usually, it's after tragedy, illness, misfortune, loss, or some kind of emergency situation. It really is gives reason for a time of reflection.

I am thankful every day for the family, friends, and neighbours we have in our lives. Thankful every day.

A few days ago, my husband fell down a flight of stairs with the baby. His leg gave out beneath him and he and the baby tumbled down the stairs. His Daddy instincts made him fall in a way that he would protect the baby and not crush her. As a result, he fell in a way that caused him to injure his ribs and spine. The baby is fine. She managed to escape with just a bruised face and bruised legs. Hubby is not fine.

Hubby is unable to move. This is a problem, because our livelihood depends on him being physically active on the farm. There will be no bouncing on tractors, lifting heavy objects, or doing what he is used to be doing. At least, not for a while.

He is now able to get around with the use of a cane or walker for a few minutes a day. He can now sit, but not for long. I don't foresee him hopping on a tractor tomorrow or loading bales of hay onto the wagon.

This whole Hubby being out of commission thing has been a real eye opener. On my way home from work, I thought of all the wonderful people who have helped out. I've been overwhelmed with having to get up at 5 something in the morning to get to work, plus all the deadlines I have for some of the freelance writing gigs I have, plus the farm, plus the baby, plus the housework, plus errands, plus taking care of a husband who can't do anything at the moment. After a mini meltdown, I thought of how hard it would be to manage everything I already do and take care of the farm if Hubby cannot do anything. It would be impossible. Not to sound negative or anything, but I cannot manage a farm on my own AND do everything else. I can't.

Living in a small rural community, word gets around quickly. We've had phone calls and visits from neighbours offering to help out in any way, shape or form. Some people are aware of me working out of the home and from the home and have tried to make the load less heavy by bringing meals to us. My parents and mother-in-law have been tag-teaming to watch Little One when I'm at work or performing at the theatre. My amazing friends have helped out too. My lovely friend, the Carpenter's Wife brought over lunch for us when I was at work the other day. She offered to help either watch the baby, help me with farm chores and laundry, etc. I'm kind of stubborn and a little bit proud. I thanked her tenfold, but told her I could do the chores and household stuff on my own. It is nice to know that we have the support of our good friends and family though.

I was completely floored. I wasn't expecting this kind of generosity. Many, many thanks go out to everyone. We certainly are blessed.

Good news: Hubby is now walking (sort of)! He can't take long periods of sitting, standing or walking, but he's slowly coming around! I now have a dog with a crushed pelvis, a husband with injured ribs and spine, a toddler with bruises all over her body, and the fun just never ends! :)

Just a few photos of Little One. Just because Mommy's busy with work and chores, doesn't mean she doesn't have time to play with Little One!

You Won't Believe Your Eyes!

Friends of ours are getting married, and we hosted a Stag and Doe for the husband and wife-to-be on the weekend.

For those unfamiliar with a Stag and Doe (Ahem! Canine!), it's basically a fundraiser for the couple before their wedding. According to Wikipedia, a Stag and Doe (aka: Buck and Doe, Jack and Jill party) is a popular Canadian/Southern Ontario tradition. Funny, because prior to moving to Northern Ontario, I had never heard of such a thing.

The entire concept is completely foreign to me. For instance, tickets are sold for the event in order to raise money for the couple. There are games, draws, and auctions for which the proceeds go to the bride and groom as well. Basically, it is an opportunity to get together with friends/family/co-workers/strangers/people in your community, dance, drink, and be merry.

Anyway, my wonderfully talented friend, Maria made this for me (as my present for the bride and groom).



Isn't she talented!?!?!

It Suddenly Occurred To Me

Little One is not a baby anymore.

She walks runs.

She eats on her own.

She drinks from a sippy cup.

She talks. Okay, she babbles in a language only she understands.

Most of all, she's got so much character and a personality of her own.

She makes a scrunchy happy face and laughs when she thinks something is funny.

She puts her finger to her lips and says, "Shhhh!"

She is fiercely independent.

She's a bit stubborn (like her Mom).

She learns new things every day and is proud and excited to show everyone what she can do.

Yep. She's definitely no longer a baby.
This is where I start bawling my eyes out. How on earth did she grow up so fast?

Still a Rookie Mommy

Just when I thought I had this parenting thing all figured out (HA! As if!), it occurred to me that I'm not sure it's possible for one to ever have things all figured out.

I'm the type of person who always needs to be on the go. I need to get things done and do everything. Now that I have a little one, she just gets dragged along with me. To be honest, I don't even remember when we last had a day in of just chilling out at home and not doing anything.

On Saturday, we had a 3 year old's birthday party, a Canada Day parade, a bridal shower and a fish fry to attend. Of course, in true C fashion, I had to do it all.

By mid-afternoon, Little One wasn't looking too well. Her eyes looked really dopey and her cheeks were red. We stayed and enjoyed the festivities with friends and family. By Sunday morning, both Little One and I were terribly sick.

The moral of this story? Don't try to do it all. Learn how to pick and choose the most important things to do. Don't drag your poor 19 month old to every single event you are invited to. Babies and mommies need rest too.

Summer's Here!!!

When I was a kid, I remember the last day of school being bittersweet. I looked forward to having the summer off, but knew I'd miss my classmates, teachers, and being in school. Yes, I was a weird kid. I actually liked loved school!

Summers were spent going on family vacations, hanging out with friends, going swimming, and just having fun.

Our family used to go camping at Algonquin Park, Gatineau Park, and even down in the States.

What will you be doing with your kids this summer? Will you be taking any road trips? Speaking of road trips, check out my latest article here.

Happy 4th!

To all of my American friends and family...Happy 4th of July!

Oh, Mommy Brain...How I Love Thee!

Scene: Our farm. Walking towards the barn with my old roomies from when I lived in Toronto, their kids, Hubby, Little One. On our way to show the kids the tractors and the bull.

Dani: (whispering) C, do you have any "pee oh pee cee oh ar en?"

Me: (extremely confused) HUH!? I've never heard of that before. I have no idea if we have that on the Island or not.

Dani: (laughing hysterically) C! P-O-P-C-O-R-N!!! I just didn't want to say it out loud in case you didn't have any. I didn't want the kids to hear.

Me: Ohhhhhh! Now I get it! (laughing)

Dani: (still laughing) C! Some English teacher you are!!!

******************************
Facebook thread with a few of my gal pals.

SuperAmazingMommy: Ok, here's the scoop. We HAVE to set a date for pie!!!! Sunday July 11th? Or does someone have a better suggestion?

E: Sunday is fine with me!

Me: Sounds perfect. I think I work that day until 11AM though. Sometime after that okay? :) Thanks!

Maria: I don't know if I can or not... so many family birthdays that weekend.. Remember M & A's party is on the 10th!!!

Me: AHHH! Sorry, no can do! Thanks for reminding me, Maria!!! M's b-day on Sat AND I'm throwing a stag and doe for L and K on Sat (10th), and Sunday the 11th there's a baby shower for a friend in Wiki. Ahhhh...I almost forgot! Okay, so the 11th is not good for me after all. :(

Maria: You are so funny! How can you forget ALL of that!!!

Me: LOL! It's either Mommy Brain or I've got too much on my plate. Or both. Bahhh.

**********************************************
Phone conversation with a friend.

Maria: So, we need to talk about this cake.

Me: What cake?

Maria: The one you asked me to make for an upcoming event!

Me: Oh, my goodness! I forgot that I asked you to bake a cake for me! Thanks for reminding me!

Seriously, these days it seems that if my head weren't attached to me, I wouldn't know where it was. *sigh*