30

Today I’ve got 30 random points for 30 days in a row!

1. I am very suddenly going gray. Not pleased.
2. My new camera totally rocks. Can’t wait to take a photography course.
3. Good things come in threes… like kids.
4. My Mom is turning 60 on Sunday.
5. 5 year old boys only like to talk about farting and bums.
6. Baby J slept for 6 hours in a row last night. First time in a month.
7. My husband worked it so I slept until 10:30 this morning (only waking to nurse).
8. I am still really, really tired.
9. I wonder how long it will be until I get to sleep for 8 hours a night every night?
10. I’m super excited for Christmas this year.
11. We are doing theme gifts for our kids this year so we can buy them something meaningful to them.
12. I enjoyed writing every day this month… even if some posts were boring.
13. We forgot to go to Spiceworld when we were out west. Major bummer.
14. The movers lost all of the bolts for baby J’s crib. Also a major bummer.
15. My kids picked out the funniest birthday gifts for me. N really wanted to get me a splatter screen for when we make bacon. He was so pumped about it! The also bought me new wooden spoons to replace the ones they used as drum sticks and broke.
16. Baby J laughed out loud today when T was playing peek-a-boo. So cute!
17. Baby J has only pooped spontaneously 3 times in the last 2 months. I’m really good at giving suppositories now. Should I add that to my resume?
18. The glamour of my life makes me laugh on a daily basis!
19. I seem to have stopped losing weight. Looks like I’ll have to beat it off me. Does that mean I need to give up chocolate?
20. I’ve decided to wall paper one wall in my living room in some retro paper. I’m looking forward to it!
21. Ghirardelli dark chocolate with toffee chunks is my current favourite chocolate bar. We used to buy it at Shoppers but they don’t carry it here. Gonna have to work that out!
22. I’m loving spinach these days.
23. I have convinced my husband that we should have our kitchen cupboards painted. We are going to have the doors sprayed and then paint the frames. Can’t wait! Am not holding my breath though.
24. I miss knitting but I don’t have time right now. I want to make Baby J something for Christmas though so I’ll need to get on it!
25. GAP warmest jackets are the best. The kids and I all have them.
26. My daughter baked her first cake today. She wanted to make me a birthday cake and pretty much did it all by herself.
27. We had our first parent-teacher interview today. Our son is rocking kindergarden. He’s way ahead of where they expect him to be.
28. We are please because this confirms our belief that he is smart. It is also a concern. We don’t want school to be boring.
29. I’m getting my hair cut off soon.
30. That was a lot of days to post in a row. But I did it!

waste

After living here in crunchy-ville for a few months I could not believe the amount of waste I encountered out west. I knew it was bad but being away for a while absolutely magnified it. There is no curbside recycling. They* throw out EVERYTHING. Cereal boxes. Tin cans. Milk jugs. Water bottles. Pop cans. You name it, it goes in the trash.

It was sort of painful to watch my friends washing dishes while running the water the entire time. Or leaving lights on all over the house all day long. That sort of thing has always driven me nuts. When I see a running faucet I’ve been genetically programmed to visualize dollar signs washing down the drain! Now that I’ve lived here for a while I also see my kids future washing away. I like living in a city that thinks about the future and plans for more than just today.

The next time my garbage isn’t picked up because it’s in “violation” (ie. improperly sorted), I’m going to try to be thankful rather than ticked off!

*Some people do recycle but you have to pay an independent company to come and pick it up or collect the few items the city recycles and drop it off at collection bins located around the city. Most people find it more of a pain than it’s worth.

home

We are home! It is so good to be here. My kids are super cute when they are sleeping.

Our flight was great. Baby J slept most of the time. A friend of mine from childhood sat in the row in front of us with his wife and three kids. It was unexpected but fun to catch up!

There was a woman in the row next to us who had 2 little kids with her. She was drinking throughout the flight to the point that they cut her off. It was so sad to see her drunk in public with her children. I wonder what her story is?

7 am is going to feel like 5 am to us so I better roll!

Only 2 days left in this stupid blopathon!

there’s no place like home

We are heading home tomorrow. I’ve had a fantastic time here but I am ready to go home. I really miss our kids. It was great to have a break, visit some friends, get a little head space, etc. but now I’m ready for my life again. I just might be able to handle it now too!

Once we get home it is going to be a whirlwind until January. We’ve got a lot going on this month… N’s surgery next week, birthday’s to celebrate, Christmas to ramp up for and celebrate, family visiting. But right now I’m most looking forward to the hugs I’ll get Thursday morning.

busy

Yesterday I was feeling all nostalgic for the city we left behind. Today, I realized that I don’t actually miss the city at all. I hate line ups. I can’t stand rude sales people who don’t even acknowledge your presence except to bark the total of your purchase at you. I despise being cut off repeatedly when I’m carrying a baby in public. Traffic jams drive me crazy. I swear everyone in this city is convinced that their schedule is more important than anyone else’s and that they might die if they have to wait 2 seconds for a pedestrian to finish crossing the street.

Our new city has a lot of crappy restaurants and the stores tend to carry hemp instead of cashmere but the people are kinder and the pace is much gentler. People smile at my baby and I instead of considering us an imposition. I miss my friends but I am so glad we moved.

day

It’s my birthday! T (and various family members) surprised me with the BEST. BIRTHDAY. PRESENT. EVER!!!! Hello, Cannon Rebel XTi. Needless to say, I’m pumped. And rather shocked.

Tonight we are going to my favourite restaurant for supper. I think it will be a birthday to remember!

blech

We just had the best visit with some really, really dear friends. It was so good to be known and to be completely comfortable with friends. I am feeling positively sick to my stomach over having to say goodbye…again.

Visiting has been so very bitter-sweet.

edge

so baby J has had a rough time with traveling. It’s been great to see friends but he’s been up more at night than when he was a newborn!

Anyway - we’re off to see some old friends for dinner tonight and to stay over and hang out with them tomorrow. It’s always good to see those friends that are like family - you just pick up where you left off and enjoy doing life together.

So this is my second post today. I wrote the last one, hit Publish and got a database error. You’d think supergeek T would keep these things in order for me (just kidding).

stinky

I have used cloth diapers for baby J since he was born. I’m pretty sure that I have mentioned before that I love them. For our trip I switched to disposables so I didn’t have to lug old poop around with me for a week. Can I just tell you how disgusting I find them? That fake baby powder scent they inject into the diapers is making me positively nauseous. I’ve actually had to put J down a few times because his butt was giving me a head ache!

While I’m on the subject of poop, could I suggest some diaper etiquette for travelers? If your kid has a super poopy diaper that is filling the plane with toxic fumes, the kind thing to do would be to change it as soon as possible. And when you are done changing that wretched diaper, for the love of all things, don’t bring it back to your seat with you! The nice airline attendants would be happy to provide you with a plastic bag and a trash can to get rid of it. Then the people around you won’t have to use their refuse bags… Just a thought!

chocolate dessert

Last week we discovered a brilliant, ridiculously easy dessert recipe. Our kids flipped for it. It’s so yummy and good looking that you could serve it for company but it only takes about 10 minutes to whip up! Your last minute guests will think you are super chef but only you will know how lazy you really are!

4 oz semi or bittersweet chocolate (chips work fine but Bernard or Ghirardelli would be better)
1/4 cup butter
3.5 TBSP sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 TSP vanilla extract
1/4 TSP salt

Melt chocolate and butter slowly over a double boiler. While chocolate is melting whip the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Slowly add 2 TBSP sugar and continue to beat until stiff but not dry. Once chocolate is melted, remove from heat. Add remaining sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix 1/3 of egg whites into the chocolate to lighten the mixture and then gently fold in the rest. Divide mixture between four, six ounce ramekins and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. The outside will be cracked and puffy and the inside gooey goodness. Serve warm with a scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream.