Post Christmas Blues

 Little One is not the only one who is suffering from Post Christmas Blues. She misses her cousins. I miss all the laughter, the hugs, and the togetherness that the Holidays bring. I miss seeing my toddler holding hands with her older cousin and playing with her twin cousins. The end of the holidays always makes me feel sad that we live so far away from my family.

I'm sad that Little One doesn't get to play with her cousins often enough. It makes me feel like we should contemplate having another baby just so Little One doesn't grow up alone.

It's not that she's "alone" alone. She really isn't. She gets lots of interaction with children her age. We have play dates, play groups, parties, get togethers, and outings with other kids. She just doesn't have a sibling...yet. Part of me thinks we should just have another child. The other part worries about having another preemie and the scary experience we had with my pregnancy with Little One.

 Then I think of how amazing it would be for her to have company all the time. True, we give her all the attention and love one child could ever want. She just doesn't have that special bond siblings have.

In the meantime, she's got her horse, her dog, and her blankie.

 I thought it was so cute how she piled her security blanket and her stuffed doggy onto her rocking horse with her.

This Christmas Was Extra Special Because...

 Our family was together for Christmas this year.  Since Middle Bro got married, he and his wife started alternating Christmas with his side of the family and her side of the family.  Hubby and I got married a few years later, and adopted that tradition.  This year, it was Christmas with my side of the family.

Christmas is my favourite time of the year, because that's when we all get together. Baby Bro lives in Toronto now and Middle Bro and his family live in K-town. To visit my brothers, it takes 6 hours to Toronto and 8 to 9 hours to K-Town. We made the trip to K-town with Little One and my ESL student in tow.

I was a bit worried about how Little One and her cousins would make out, since they only see each other once or twice a year. They got along amazingly well! They played together nicely, and there was no fighting at all. They all shared their toys with each other, and no one tried to dominate. I was in complete and utter shock. It was so nice to see the cousins so happy together. The laughter, smiles, kisses, hugs, and holding hands just melts my heart.

I really wish Little One could see her cousins more often.

 Lola and Grampy got Little One a tricycle for Christmas. Check out our big girl!

 Yes, family photo time and she's on the phone!

 My friend from England celebrated Christmas with us this year.

 My cousin and his wife announced that they are expecting in May!

 The twins, my nephew, and Little One made gingerbread men. Little One just wanted to lick the icing off of the cookies.

 Middle Bro made me this birthday cake!!! I was so surprised, since he said we were having "Christmas cake"! Of course, I believed him! Thanks so much, Middle Bro! :) You are so thoughtful!

 My parents really wanted photos of them with the grandkids. This was photo #21 out of #38. Not bad. Only two children seem unhappy and the other two are tolerating the photo shoot.

 The guys taught my student how to play poker. It was too funny. Apparently, the concept of having a "poker face" is somewhat of a difficult thing to grasp. :) I shouldn't say anything, because I don't have a poker face at all either.

Situation: A King on the flop and Dad says to my student, "Do you have two kings?"

Student: Yes.
Guys: (Roaring with laughter) I FOLD!! (in unison)

 Little One really enjoyed hanging out with her cousins.

 It was good for Hubby to spend time with "the men folk". They had a great time bonding over poker and assembling various children's toys. I am a firm believer in already-assembled-ready-to-play-with toys! Who knew toy kitchens could have a million and one parts and required assembly with a real screwdriver? Yes, as opposed to a fake screwdriver, much like the one Little One got in her toy tool kit! Yes! She received a tool kit for Christmas and absolutely LOVES it!

 Some of you have been asking me how Little One fared on that tremendously long, excruciatingly painful and treacherous drive from nowheresville to civilization and back. Well, this is pretty much what she did for the entire drive.

 I kid you not. She slept for most of the drive...which was about 12 hours since we had to drop my student off in Ottawa and then pick him up on the way home from Montreal. Oh, yes! We also went to Montreal to see the rest of my family after we left K-Town!

12 hours in a van. She played, she "read" her books, she sang, she chatted, she ate, she slept...
Yes, it was terribly painful traveling with her. I'm being sarcastic, of course.

Things that shocked me on our trip:
1. I was actually shocked that Little One fared so well in the van for so long. When she was a baby, she traveled really well. However, she is 2 years old now and doesn't like to stay put for long. She did very well!

2. Who knew that one could get lost in Pembroke, Ontario for an hour?!?! We couldn't find our way out of that place! All in the name of finding a Tim Horton's for a coffee (okay, so I could change Little One's diaper)!

3. Some people are not shy to speak their mind. We stopped at the McDonald's in Sturgeon Falls (I needed to get some milk for Little One and change her diaper). While waiting I was waiting in line, a woman stormed up to the service counter.

Manager: Can I help you with something, M'am?
Customer: Yeah. Your 7Up tastes like @$$.
Manager: (surprised) Oh, okay. Would you like something else to replace it with?
Customer: Yeah. You bet your (Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!) I do! Make that four Cokes, will you?

Wow. I was beyond shocked. Firstly, I was shocked at the customer's behaviour. Secondly, I was impressed by the way the manager handled the situation. I guess it's her job to handle things so well. She was cool, calm, and collected. I probably wouldn't have been so polite if someone spoke to me that way. Then again, maybe that's why I'm not in that line of work. That would be difficult to deal with.

Anyway, we finally returned to the Island. Our friends came over to greet us a belated Merry Christmas and gave Little One this amazing present!!!

 Our friend handcrafted this spectacular rocking horse for Little One. Everything is from recycled material. The wood is salvaged wood (from their old barn).

 It will definitely be a present Little One will treasure forever. Little One is too young to understand the meaning of Christmas. I would like to teach her (when she gets older) that it's not about the presents and the partying. I wonder when I should introduce her to the true meaning of Christmas? She is only 2 years old.

 For now, she knows that she has just spent some special time with her cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends.

Proof That I Am THE WORST Mom EVER!

Is it wrong that I think this is the most hilarious photo ever?

I know, I know. Bad Mommy!

For the past few weeks, Little One  has been really interested in Santa. Last year, she had her photo taken with Santa and didn't seem to mind. This year, however, a completely different story!

She patiently waited in line, smiled at Santa, yelled "Santa! Santa!", waved, and blew kisses at him. As soon as I placed her on his lap...

WAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

There was no consoling Little One. She totally flipped out.

My only consolation was that the six kids ahead of us bawled their eyes out too.

My Husband and My Friend Have Secrets from Me

It's been going on for about a month now. Random phone calls, unexpected visits at odd hours, and general weirdness between my husband and one of my closest friends. She never calls to talk to him and all of a sudden she's only calling for him. They'd utter something about her car being fixed and that sort of thing, so I never really gave much thought about their recent conversations.

My friend took me out for coffee (well, a Chai latte with soy milk) yesterday and made me go on some running around/errands with her after we finished work. When we got to my place, there were lots of cars in our lane way.

When I entered my house, I was greeted with this...

Everyone was wearing togas and the house was transformed into what looked like the Greek Acropolis. My friend's husband slaved all day in the kitchen, preparing all of my favourite Greek dishes. He even marinated olives! Amazing!

My husband, my friend (and two other friends of ours) managed to pull off the most amazing surprise party ever. I have no idea how they managed, because I'm usually in the know about everything! They did a spectacular job!

My husband also got me a gorgeous piece from Mo'Lovely Creations. I had been lusting over a particular necklace for a while now...and he got it for me!

 Yes, there was even a CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN!!! Heaven = A seemingly endless flow of chocolate along with all the fruit and other edible items to dip!

 Even Little One donned a toga (which sort of looked like a cape on her)!

My amazing birthday cake was made by Ultimately Chocolate. It was a total hit with everyone! Some people even asked for a second serving! YUM!

To think, I was worried about turning 35. 35 isn't that bad after all. In fact, 35 is pretty amazing. Thanks to everyone involved in making my birthday a very special and memorable one.

35

I'm officially in another age bracket.

You know, when you fill out surveys and questionnaires and they ask you to check the box that corresponds to your age group? Well, I've officially graduated to the next box. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Truth be told, my thirties have been the greatest. My twenties were fun and exciting, but my thirties are even better.

Here are 35 things you may not know about me.

1. I'm one of those paranoid, must double check, confirm and confirm again girls. I check three times to see if my front door is locked before I leave my house.

2. I can't sleep with anything covering my feet. My toddler has picked up this quirky little thing from me and can't have anything covering her feet when she sleeps either.

3. I am a grammar nut. One of my favourite websites is the Grammar Girl site.

4. I secretly get really annoyed when I'm out and hear whiny, tantrum-throwing, screaming children. The shrill sounds of toddlers and kids screaming in protest or because they don't get their way just pierces my ear drums. Please don't hate me for saying this!

5. I feel the same way when Little One whines and cries for me. I know she misses me and wants my attention, but when I have taught from 9AM to 3:30 PM, it's exhausting to come home to her wanting to hang onto me all the time. Cooking supper is hard with a toddler clinging to you. I love her so much, but the whining...ack!

6. I used to be pretty laid back and chilled out. I need to learn to chillax more.

7. I picked out my new glasses while totally doped up on cold meds and right after the optometrist put drops into my eyes to dilate them. Needless to say, because I was doped up and practically blind at the time of picking out my new glasses, my new frames are totally funky and totally purple. Totally not "me", but they are pretty cool!

8. I never know how amazing it would be to be a Mom! I love watching my Little One play when she's not aware that I'm watching her. I also love that when I ask her to throw something in the garbage, she actually does it! :)

9. I never knew how exhausting it would be to be a Mom! Whoa! Seriously? Nothing anyone tells you can adequately prepare you for motherhood :)

10. I sometimes feel like I need a time out!

11. I'm obsessed with Sharpies. I secretly think my handwriting looks better when I write with Sharpies!

12. I need to use medium point pens. Everything else just feels so wrong.

13. Hate, hate, hate fine and ultra fine tip pens.

14. I like chocolate ice cream. I like strawberry ice cream. I like vanilla ice cream. I just don't like them all together. For some reason, Neapolitan ice cream grosses me out and I cannot bring myself to eat it even when all my favourite flavours are combined together.

15. It really bugs me when people say "Napoleon" ice cream instead of "Neapolitan" ice cream.

16. I'm addicted to word games like Scrabble and Wordscraper.

17. I'm only a little bit competitive at games.

18. There was a time when I used to be able to watch horror movies in the dark, at midnight, in the basement...by myself.

19. Now, I'm afraid of horror movies.

20. I get freaked out if I'm at home at night and Hubby's away.

21. My toddler amazes me. She teaches me new things every day.

22. I recently learned that toddlers have selective hearing.

23. I have a million cookbooks.

24. I love collecting cookbooks.

25. I rarely follow recipes and end up throwing meals together from taste.

26. I'm obsessed with pillows. Pretty pillows.

27. I have 9 pillows on our bed.

28. My husband wonders why anyone would need 9 pillows on their bed. He sometimes doesn't even use one!

29. I love throwing dinner parties.

30. I need to surround myself with people. I thrive in that environment.

31. I also love having alone time.

32. I rarely have alone time.

33. I need more alone time.

34. I'm a mom of a toddler. I probably won't have alone time for a LONG time.

35. That's okay, because I love, love, love my munchkin.

Thoughtful Thursday

 I was just thinking about how much has changed in two years. This Christmas, Little One will be more aware of what is going on than she was last year. Last year she was just learning how to open gifts. Okay, she wasn't really interested in the gifts and preferred playing with the boxes, gift bags, and wrapping paper!

What spurred this pensive moment for me?

 Wean Green is having a contest and to enter, all you have to do is give Wean Green your "green" holiday tips and submit your favourite holiday photo. I won't tell you what my "green" holiday tips are. DUH! I want to win the prize too! However, I will share my favourite Christmas photo.

Of all the adorable, beautiful, memorable family photos I've accumulated and stashed away in photo albums over the years, this one of Little One's first Christmas takes the cake. True, it doesn't appear to be spectacular or anything, but the story that goes with it is.

When I gave birth to Little One, she was twelve weeks premature. That meant she'd have to spend the first seventy days of her life in the NICU. That meant she'd have to spend her first Christmas there too. With Hubby having to commute between the Island and Toronto every other week to be with us, being there on Christmas would be a challenge.

Not only was I not able to be at home with my baby, but my husband was six hours away from us DURING THE HOLIDAYS!!! I know, I know. Sob, sob. Boo hoo.

What happened next changed my perspective on the whole not being able to be with my family during Christmas though.

The Linden Fund put together a Christmas dinner for all the parents with babies in the NICU! When I walked into the NICU, the nursery was decorated with Christmas lights, garlands, ribbons, and each isolette and crib had a stocking hanging for each baby in the NICU. Books, stuffed animals, Lindt chocolate, and some useful items for parents and tots filled the stockings.

I was touched. I cried. It really, really meant a lot to me that people would go out of their way like that for parents who are going through a rough time and who have babies in the NICU. It also made me feel like Mount Sinai was home away from home and the NICU/Linden Fund/other parents were our extended family.

Little One did get her first photo with Santa (above photo). We couldn't take her out of her isolette, but Santa was able to pose next to her!

Thank you so much to everyone at the Linden Fund and  Mount Sinai's NICU. You will always be family to us.

It's Funny Because Most People Have Absolutely NO CLUE...

what cartoon this is...
I am a product of the 80s. I grew up on cheesy TV commercials, TV shows with catchy (albeit also cheesy) music, pop artists who wore fluorescent t-shirts and skintight jeans, lots of blue eyeliner and fire engine red lipstick...oh, and we can't forget about the big, teased bangs held up by a full can of hairspray. Those were the days when we had magazine pics of our favourite TV actors and pop musicians plastered all over our walls in our rooms and on the inside of our lockers at school.

Those were the days when we actually looked forward to Saturday morning cartoons. Saturday morning cartoons were actually really good back then.

I'll give you $10 if you can name my favourite 1980s cartoon.

No? Okay, I'll tell you anyway. Remember Kidd Video? This cartoon is the epitome of everything that was 1980s. From the new wave fashions, big hair, and super "cool" music, this show is the perfect example of 80s pop culture. Do you remember the show at all? Kidd Video is about a band (three guys and a girl) who get sucked into a mirror by an evil overlord record producer, which takes them to the "flipside". All the while, they play their music - which just happens to be the best music of the 80s.

I also loved these shows:

The All-New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show 
Dennis the Menace  
Dinoriders 
Denver the Last Dinosaur 
The Flintstones 
Fraggle Rock 
Garfield and Friends
G.I. Joe 
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 
Inspector Gadget  
Jem! 
Muppet Babies  
The New Fat Albert Show 
The Real Ghostbusters 
Smurf
Snorks 
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 
Transformers
Thundercats 
Tranzor Z 
Voltron: Defender of the Universe

I remember rushing home after school so I could catch the last bit of G.I. Joe. My brother, cousins and I would go to my grandparents after school, and my grandparents would have "merienda" (snack) ready for us after school. We'd watch G.I. Joe, and maybe one other cartoon, while we had our merienda and then we'd do our homework. If we were done our homework, we'd play outside with the neighbourhood kids before our parents came to pick us up after work. Those were the good ol' days. 1980s cartoons always remind me of this happy, innocent, carefree time. They also remind me of the time we spent with my grandfather before he died.

Which were your favourite cartoons?

On Political Correctness During The Holidays

I love Facebook because I get to reach out to friends and family en masse and keep them abreast with my Island life.  Family who live ten hours away, get to see my toddler from afar as she grows and meets all her milestones.  Since they can't make it to the Island often, Facebook is a great way for them to keep up to date and for us to communicate on a regular basis.  Facebook is also the bane of my existence sometimes, as the written word can sometimes be misconstrued or taken out of context. This is especially true when it comes to opinions about parenting, breastfeeding, talking about the Leafs and the Canadiens, and being politically correct during the holidays.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think there is anything wrong about wishing people a Merry Christmas. After all, I celebrate Christmas. Christmas is my favourite time of the year. This said, I do send out "Holiday" cards. Not because I'm being "culturally sensitive" or trying to respect everyone's religion by not celebrating my own, but for the simple fact that I have a lot of friends from many different faiths. I don't want to exclude anyone when I send out our annual greetings. For my Christian and Catholic friends, I add a "Merry Christmas" in their note. For my Jewish friends, I write "Happy Hanukkah". You get the picture.

That's beside the point. I said I wrote all my "Holiday" cards, not meaning that I call them "Holiday cards", but that the cards themselves are written for all holidays observed by friends and family (Eid, Christmas, Hanukkah, etc). Did that make sense at all? To be honest, I'm a little lazy. I'd rather send out our annual family photo card and write a little note than buy separate cards for each holiday. Okay, I'm lazy and cheap...frugal...practical.

Wait. It gets better.

On my latest Facebook update, I wrote:

Light the menorah and celebrate the festival of lights :) For all those celebrating, wishing you a Happy Hanukkah and hope you have a week filled with light...and latkes! For the record, [insert amazing friend's real name here]'s Dad makes THE BEST latkes EVER!!!

Did I not get a private message from someone saying that I am not Jewish, so I "shouldn't be wishing anyone a Happy Hanukkah"?!? Uh huh! Oh, yes! It really did  happen! Does this mean that if someone is not Asian, they should not eat rice? If someone's not Italian, they should not eat lasagna? 

I love and respect my family and my friends. I respect everyone's religion, even if their religion is different from my own. If I want to wish someone a Merry Christmas, Happy, Hanukkah, Happy Eid, Happy Festivus, or whatever it is that person celebrates, then I will! 

For the record, I don't call ours a "Holiday tree" either. It's a Christmas tree.

What do you think? Is it okay to wish someone a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah even if you don't share the same religion?