The Karma-ma

er...looking over my entries..it's pretty clear activity here has slowed down to none...

that's because..for nearly 2 yrs now..I've been sucked in by the facebook.

Initially, it was a problem..it's secret name is 'crackbook'  so, if you must, you can find me there.

cause I seldom come 'round here anymore.

 

www.facebook.com

My husband came home last week with a new toy. He says his boss gave it to him at work  (he's been known to give away lots of things) I hope that's not a clever'cover story' because these aren't cheap video game units....but anyway...we've joined the world of Wii.

Of course there's all the 'stuff' you gotta buy extra...but now we've got 2 Wii wheels and a Mario go-kart game, which the kids just love. Eryn is impressively skilled at it...Aiden...well....he can either try to steer, or push the gas button, but can't seem to perform both together....doesn't stop him from 'playing' though.

I'm sure it won't be long before Eryn can beat her daddy.

Here's a few cute photos of them   (love Eryn's facial expression as she plays )...my  Wii Ones....   I also posted a video of them playing Wii...on my Facebook

 

 

Aiden's birthday was this week. It's so shocking to realize he's THREE yrs old now, babyhood, toddlerhood now nearly behind us.

He had a good birthday, busy busy day and he's VERY pleased with his 'transformer ' toys from Nana & Papa.  Now we just need to get him doing his thing on the potty. He's so stubborn though, things aways work best when he thinks it's his idea to do something. 

We're having a lil' party for him, with just his cousins over. 

Here's a few photos from his special day. The kids helped make Aiden's birthday cake, so they got to lick the spoons. ..makes for cute photos.

 

 

 

SURVIVAL!!!

 

My hubby went out of town on his first business trip since we married. He was gone for the week, returning friday night, late.  I've got lots of 'tools' in my 'bag' now, so I knew a few things to do to make the wek easier for me. 

I ensured I'd have super easy food & meals for the kids, that I'd gotten all the chores and laundry finished BEFORE he left, and all the grocery shopping done. I lined up a few 'playdates' and activities for the kids, gotten a few new crafts for them to work on, and rented an armload of movies from the store.

For bedtime, the first night I tried to do it myself the 'usual' way, but I felt like a game show contestant, running back and forth from room to room, tucking in each child, doing the requisite number of songs and stories and letting them know; NO FUNNY BUSINESS tonight.  For the rest of the week, about an hour before bedtime, I'd start a new movie in the dvd player and they'd chill-out with me and fell asleep pretty quick. Once soundly asleep I'd just transfer each one (VERY delicately) into bed and was done, with minimal energy expenditure and  zero resistance. 

Things I learned from my week;

 

It isn't worth it to 'sweat the small stuff'.

I CAN manage the kids alone, for days on end  (something I could not have done 1 or 2 years ago).

The kids were responding well by the end of the week, we became 'a crew'

  (I'm guessing because there were no mixed messages coming in from mom & dad)

Organization is the KEY to ease, and a PLAN lets the day 'flow'

The house managed to stay cleaner than when hubby is home

 

 

I pampered myself, when hubby returned, by getting my hair 'done' 

 

It's still tough to wrap my head around...that my lil' girl is FOUR years old now....  babyhood, toddlerhood are behind her, she's a lil' girl now. ......she's a lil' girl who can write and recognise letters & numbers, who can cut with scissors like a pro,  dress herself completely  (even putting on tights), completely potty trained,  rides in a booster seat in the van, talks on the phone, she can eat a popsicle or lollipop without getting it everywhere  (not even on her hands),  she has an enormous repetoire of songs she sings, she can talk about and describe her dreams, she makes up songs and stories, LOVES to play 'tea party', and wear dresses, she can competently use a computer mouse and loves playing on the 'kids CBC'  website. 

Hard to believe that four years ago today, Gary & I gave birth to our first child....this time, four years ago...we were just dumb-struck...looking at each other...thinking;   WHAT are we in for????     It's been an adventure...from not even daring to trim her newborn delicate teeny tiny finger nails  ('fraid I'd accidentally trim her finger off) to watching her ride a 2 wheel bike with no training wheels...on stunts Gary's built in the yard !!!

 

She woke up this morning...and immediatly asked if we knew that it was her birthday today  :)

Gary made her favourite;  french toast   for breakfast.  Then she opened a few lil' gifts from us  (she's such a big girl, she even shared and let her brother open a gift for her) .  She was SOOOOoo excited just by a few new pair of BIG girl undies and some new socks!!!  She kept exclaiming ;  THIS IS MY BEST DAY!!!

We also got her a tub of 'moonsand'...it's sort of 'indoor' sand  and it sticks together (a bit like play-dough...only messier)....it'll be MESSY...  but she was so thrilled!

 

Tomorrow, will be her lil' birthday party, we'll just have her cousins/family  over and some cake.

After she opened her few lil' gifts....Aiden began sobbing.....

He was having a hard time....  it was ERYN's birthday..not his..

BUT, mommy was clever enough to anticipate this reaction in her 2 yr old son...so she already bought him a lil gift too....  but he'll have to wait until Eryn's party...

 

 

here's a few photos from this morning's  gift opening

 

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I bought squirt guns for the kids today....'tis the season.... time to load up on 'sand toys', bubble solution, side walk chalk and  squirt guns!...next I'll need to update the sunglasses and sun hats and drag out the boes of spring/summer clothes. 

 

I also updated my site and photos for my dutch friends to see... (those NON-facebook europeans ;) 

HI Gaia..

HI   Peter  :) 

 (though Peter did succumb and join facebook ...JUST for me ) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My best girlfriend, Edie, came by the other day so her 2 kids could play with my 2 kids and we could maybe chat a bit...

I tried to take a video of 3 of the kids playing together, but the darn memory card was full!  Eryn & Isabella were running from Aiden 'the monster'...screamming all the way, trailed closely by Aiden making loud growly noises....they ran back and forth thru the house, every time causing baby Everett to be quite stunned, until finally crashing into him as he's taking shakey steps thru the house.  It was sooo cute..til baby got hurt.  I did get a few pics of their visit.... 

 

I am grateful for thermometers, sippy cups,  simple baby medicines likes gravol and tylenol, ice, electrolyte additives for water, laundry machines, baby wipes, Treehouse TV channel, soothers and  the telephone.

 

My kids are quite sick.They are feverish,  not eating, not drinking, vomiting, fairly immobile and lethergic, as well as congested. It's tough taking care of them. It's nasty cleaning up vomit and doing pukey laundry all day long, but I sooooo feel for them and their hurting bodies and inabilty to accurately voice what's ailing them. I worry and wonder... 

but at least I have all these modern day comforts.. I feel for mothers past and present that have helplessly had to watch thier babies get sicker and sicker and not know what to do, or even have the ability to DO anything.  As sick as my kids are...I am grateful...

and I know they will get better....

 

here's a photo I took when Eryn was VERY sick, and Aiden wasn't sick YET. He was a handful and when taking a photo of Eryn immobile on the couch, he had to be a part of it too!

 

 

As much as I  LOVE facebook  (or as my girlfriend calls it; 'crackbook').. I can't use facebook to create a memory album for my kids, the way I can using 'live spaces'

so...

I will endeavor to return frequently to post amusing stories of my kids childhood...which will automatically be posted to crackbook anyway...

 

Welcome back, AMy

 

 

p.s.  heres a pic of Eryn and a FANTASTIC tower she carefully balanced and built..it's truely an amazing lil tower..precariously balanced...