Quote of the week

"When I'm a Dad I'm going to drink beer at a St. Patrick's day party."

Little does he know that Dad hasn't attended any good St. Patrick's day parties since a certain someone was born.

The Very Hungry 5-Year Old

The little guy came home from daycare today and immediately started rooting around the kitchen for food. He ate one yogurt, two pieces of raisin bread and three cherry tomatoes but he was still hungry (just like the Very Hungry Caterpillar).

I didn't want him to spoil his dinner, so I tried to distract him by playing some games. The game very quickly ended up back in the kitchen where he proceeded to wolf down a banana and a plum. I tried once again to distract him by dancing him around the kitchen, but the phone rang. By the time I returned to the kitchen he was polishing off a piece of bread smothered an inch thick with peanut butter. But he was still hungry.

Luckily that's when the pizza delivery man arrived.

Yet he still only weighs 40 lbs. Where does it all go?

Little Mr. Sticky Fingers

Last night, I brought home a giant homemade chocolate chip cookie from my friend's house. I thought about that cookie all day. I was going to heat it for 10 seconds in the microwave and then eat it with a fork. I even contemplated buying a small container of vanilla ice-cream to compliment the gooey chocolate. Mmmm....cookie.

Unfortunatley the little guy found the cookie and gobbled it down. This was despite my careful efforts to put it in a spot I thought was out of reach of his small hands. There was a little pile of crumbs on the counter that marked the spot where the crime took place.

I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I am! And it doesn't help that hubby and the little guy laughed about it.

Grrrr....

Yes, I'm still alive

I bet you thought I had given up on my blog. I'd like to reassure you that I haven't. It has just been a rough couple of months. Forgive me for not elaborating but it's deeply personal.

The last couple of months haven't been all bad, though. We had a wonderful visit from Amma at Christmas followed by a family holiday in Seattle and Whistler. While in Whistler I did something I never thought I'd be brave enough to do -- I went ziplining. Over treetops, jagged rocks and an icy creek. My god it was fun! And terrifying. The little guy was in ski lessons while I was out hanging from that very thin line. When he heard what I had done he said, "Mom, can I go ziplocking too?" Too cute.

The ski lessons in Whistler have paid off in a big way. The little guy has become an amazing skier and totally fearless. He likes to say, "Mom, I have skills now." And he really does! On Sundays he takes ski lessons. Since returning from Whistler they've bumped him up multiple levels because he's heads and tails above the other kids. As a result he is feeling really good about himself and his abilities. Hubby is thrilled, of course. Skiing is his favourite thing to do in the world and now he has someone to share his passion with. I like skiing too but I'm far to timid to be a good ski companion.

In other news, the little guy has his first loose tooth. It is now dangling by a thread and he likes to jiggle it with his finger. This totally creeps me out. Makes me shiver just thinking about it. It won't be long until the tooth fairy makes her first appearance in our home. Frankly, I can't wait!

Speaking of our home, we are converting from baseboard electric to gas on Wednesday. The gas line has been installed, holes drilled etc... The switch is going to cost us a fortune, but will pay for itself very quickly. The cost of heating this place is out of this world!!! Plus, we are contemplating selling this place in the next year or two so it's a good investment. Just to give you an idea of how complicated it was to bring gas into the condo -- the line had to be run through our neighbour's basement, through another neighbour's storage room, through the sprinkler room, across the parking garage, and up though the ceiling of the garage to our balcony. Yah, it's going to cost us a fortune. Thank goodness March is a three pay month because our trip to Whistler is also going to be on this month's bill. Gulp. And did I mention that we may be buying a new car this month too....

That's it for now. I have lots more to share for another day. Don't worry -- you won't have to wait two months for my next update. I promise!

A letter to Santa

The little guy is too terrified to sit on Santa's lap. Instead, he just gazes down at him at him from the upper level of the mall. I think that's probably about as close as we're going to get.

"How is Santa going to know what you want for Christmas," I asked the other day.

"I'll write him a letter," he said.

So that's just what we did. Here is the little guy's letter to Santa (composed with a little help from Mom and Dad).

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Dear Santa,

I have been good this year. I want the cow trailer that has a momma cow, and the trailer is red, for Christmas. I like cows.

I love you Santa, and the way you say "Ho Ho Ho!"

You will get a cookie and milk here, and a carrot for your reindeers.

Love,
The Little Guy

P.S. The trailer has a door that opens and closes. And it's red. It has a handle.

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The part at the end was added later because he wanted to make sure that Santa had an exact description of the toy.

For several weeks he had been telling us that he wanted Playmobile and Thomas trains from Santa. But when we took him to a toy store this weekend so he could point out the Playmobiles he liked the best, he saw the trailer with the cow. It was love at first sight. Now, none of the other toys matter because this is "the one". I have to say that it is pretty cool. Take a look.

A love letter to my little boy on his 5th birthday

I've taken the idea of writing a love letter from Danigirl. It's a nice way to mark a milestone.

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Dear Little Guy,

I can't believe that you are 5-years old already! That makes you such a big boy. I know that you've been looking forward to this birthday for months. Lately, virtually every sentence that comes out of your mouth starts with, "When I'm five I'm going to...."

In the last year you have done a lot of growing up. You went from being incredibly timid on the play structure to a total daredevil. Last year you had a very hard time following instructions in gymnastics class. This year, you are a role model to the other kids. Last year, you were shy and socially awkward. You still are sometimes in new situations but, once you've eased in, you are so outgoing and fun to be with.

Recently I spied on you outside your classroom. I watched you hanging out with the other kids. I could tell that they all love hanging out with you. When I ask you about your day at school it's like pulling teeth trying to get any details. Spying on you for five minutes told me so much. It's quite obvious that you love school. For you it's a place of laughter and fun and discovery.

You have the best imagination of any kid I know. If I put you in an empty room with some mundane objects, you would find a way to transform the space into a magical wonderland. And even though you have oodles of toys, you are just as happy to play with a coaster, a rock or a piece of string. My favourite was the day you found a bunch of bowls and an empty aquarium and created your very own frog exhibit like the one at the Museum of Nature. Or the "simple machine" you made out of lego, a stack of toilet paper rolls and a plunger.

These days you can't get enough of your Playmobiles, farm animals and building blocks. I can't walk into a room without tripping over a farm, or a a crocodile pond, or an animal transport vehicle of some sort. I actually hate cleaning up at the end of the day because I feel like I'm destroying a piece of art!

We are so proud of how well you are doing at school! You have a natural aptitude for reading and writing. Last year you had a hard time writing your name in a straight line. Now you can write out sentences with perfectly formed letters. But, even more amazing, is that you know how to read a lot of words. Wow! The teacher also says you are so good with the other kids. You always go out of your way to make sure that no one is left out of the group. The teacher said that this was unusual for a kid your age. When there are disagreements, the teacher says you suggest ways that everyone can cooperate.

I don't remember having a best friend at your age, but you seem to have several of them. SM, of course, being the best friend of all. Both of you have been going to the same home daycare since you turned 1. You fight all the time but hard feelings never last long (even after the biting incident last summer). The two of you are inseparable.

You used to be hesitant to try new foods but we've made a lot of progress over the last year. There are still some things you won't touch (like sauce) but you will always at least take one bite (with persuasion). Avacado rolls, hamburgers and "steak on the bone" are your favourite meals next to peanut butter on toast. If I let you, you would eat peanut butter exclusively. Thankfully, despite your fussiness, we can always count on you to eat your fruits and vegetables. I don't think you've ever met one that you don't like.

Although it usually takes some convincing, once we get you into the great outdoors you love it. We go hiking and canoeing all the time in the warmer months. You love seeing nature up close and are always jumping into the bush to catch a frog or a butterfly.

If you could have three wishes, they would be to:
1) stay home and play all day
2) eat treats to your heart's content (you've inherited my sweet tooth)
3) be surrounded by family (grandparents, cousins, mom and dad) and friends ALL the time

I could go on and on, but I need to save some material for future blog posts. But what you need to know is that Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you and we love you more than anything in the world.

As easy as 1,2,3

Well, sort of.

The little guy is incredibly strong willed. Especially when he's angry. Or hungry. Or both. Usually the two go hand in hand. And even though he has a snack at daycare right before we pick him up, he is often in a foul mood on the way home. This is usually about the time he becomes bossy, rude and whiney. None of the distraction techniques work. Food doesn't work either. No matter what we offer him, it is the "wrong" snack. Nothing we say or do helps. It just adds fuel to the fire. So how, after we've all had a long day, do we shift the negative to positive?

Quite simply, we count to three.

This is the same strategy we use to get him to cooperate when we ask him to get dressed in the morning. Or to get ready for bed. Or to pick up his toys. 95 per cent of the time, we never actually make it past two. Because he knows that if we actually get to three that he is going to lose some of his special privileges (i.e. watching a bit of television before bed).

We tried the counting method in the past, but it never really worked. But now, as he approaches his 5th birthday, it works like magic. The key was to just follow through a couple of times to let him know we mean business.

The amazing thing is that he actually likes it when we count to three. It helps him to regain control when he's having trouble focusing (i.e. getting dressed in the morning). Also, when he gets into a negative frame of mind, it helps to turn the tide so we can actually enjoy ourselves and do fun things. And, of course, he's getting a lot more positive feedback because he's more cooperative these days.

Yay for parenting strategies that work!

Sharing isn't always good

Especially when you are talking about pinkeye. Hubby and I both have it. And, yes, it is horribly unpleasant. I should have worked from home again today because my colleagues were acting as though I had the plague. I'm not contagious anymore but admittedly my eyes are frighteningly red and angry looking (and still very itchy and oozy).

So how did we catch this horrid infection? We think the little guy may have had a very mild case of it a couple of weeks ago. In the morning, for three or four days in a row, he had gooey eyes. But they weren't red and they weren't itchy. We chalked it up to having a bit of a cold. I guess we were wrong.

But rather than stew in my misery, here are some funny things that the little guy had to say to me about pinkeye.

"Mom, you aren't allowed to touch any of my toys. And don't put your tongue on me because that's where germs come from. And, whatever you do, don't put your eye on my bus driver."

He's always full of good advice :-)

Quote of the week

Hubby and the little guy have been making daily visits to the neighbours cat for the past couple of weeks while the owners are away. Usually the cat comes running to the door to greet them. So it was quite unusual when, the other day, they entered the house and she was nowhere to be found.

They called out her name over and over again.

Hubby: I wonder where she is.

Little Guy: Well she's either sleeping or she's dead.

Thankfully she was only sleeping!

The poop debate

So the little guy stepped in a big pile of dog poop yesterday. And hubby and I fought all night about who was going to clean off his rubber boots. We even contemplated throwing them out and buying a new pair (yah, it was that nasty!).

Our conversation fight went something like this:

Hubby: I think you should clean the poop off his boots.

Me: Oh, really? And why do you think that?

Hubby: Because you are "pro" dog. You think dogs are so great and so cute. You don't care that they crap all over because dogs are so great and all. And I don't really like dogs all that much. They are kind of nasty and disgusting.

Me: So you think I should clean off his boots because I like dogs and you don't?

Hubby: Yes. Yes I do.

Me: You should also know that I am "pro" people picking up after their dogs. I am not "pro" letting dogs crap wherever they like.

I think you should clean off the boots.

Hubby: So what is your argument. I think my argument is pretty strong.

Me: Well, let's see. I made your breakfast, lunch and dinner today. I also did the grocery shopping. Plus I get the little guy up, dressed and out the door every single morning which, as you know, is not the easiest of tasks these days. And....(I went on for 5 minutes rattling off my list). So, you should clean the poop.

Or, I'll clean them in your shower :-0

Hubby: Okay, fine. Let's just buy new boots.

Me: Fine. New boots it is.

This morning it was damp outside so he had to wear boots. Hubby was in the shower and time was ticking so I ended up cleaning the boots. I soaked them in a bucket of hot water in the yard. Life is so unfair.

I should have tossed them in the shower with hubby....

Bowled over

Today, the little guy went bowling for the very first time. All that the he knew about bowling was what he'd seen on television. The rest he made up.

"Mom," he said. "Where can we buy some canons?"

"Why do you need canons?"

"I need them to bowl with," he explained.

"They aren't canons, sweetheart," I replied. "They're called bowling balls. But they do kind of look like canons."

"Oh...."

As we were on our way out the door, he said "Mom, did you remember to pack our bowling balls?"

"No honey, we don't need to bring bowling balls."

"But how are we going to bowl without bowling balls?"

:-)

Every day

Every day I have to pack a change of clothes in the little guy's backpack. Every day he wets his pants, and his change of clothes. Every. Single. Day. Sometimes he goes through three pairs of pants.

What is going on? He's almost 5 years old for crying out loud. I know that it's not a medical problem, since he never wets the bed. And there have been times when he's gone several weeks without having a single accident.

I have two theories. One: he's doing it for attention. Two: He waits too long to go to the bathroom because he's too busy playing. Or, maybe it's a combination of the two.

Yesterday, he wet his pants at daycare and didn't say a word all day. His pants were made out of a thicker material so no one would have been able to tell. "Why didn't you tell someone?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders. I think he was embarrassed. So he sat in wet pants for four hours! That couldn't have been much fun.

So what can we do other than to encourage him to "listen to his body" and run to the toilet before it's too late? We've tried everything else.

I'm sick of dealing with toilet training issues. I'm sick of taking two steps back every time we move one step forward. And most of all, I'm sick of all the laundry this problem is generating!

No wonder childhood obesity rates are on the rise

So, the little guy started senior kindergarten last week. Instead of each kid bringing a snack they will be having a"communal snack," aimed at teaching the kids about sharing etc... In principle, I support the idea. And from a practical standpoint it's great that I only need to provide a snack once a month instead of every day. But the reality is (and I speak from experience) that most parents make bad snack choices.

When the little guy was in nursery school there was also a communal snack. Virtually every day, he was fed a big pile of sodium-packed goldfish crackers. If it was once in a while, I wouldn't care but every day? Hubby did a a little research on goldfish crackers the other day and discovered that Dorito chips actually have more nutritional value. Even though parents would also send some cut up fruit, a lot of the kids would only eat the goldfish. It's all about the goldfish when you are a toddler.

On the first two days of school the little guy came home reporting that they had goldfish crackers for snack (surprise, surprise). Hubby and I thought, "Oh great, here we go again." Instead of sitting back idly, we spoke up immediately and suggested that parents be provided with some "snack guidelines." The teacher thought it was a great idea, and put us in charge of the project. I've happily taken on the task and am preparing a hand-out for parents that includes some simple, fun, and wholesome snack ideas. I also plan to include information on "snacks to avoid", how to read nutrition labels, avoiding overly processed foods etc... I'm hoping that other parents take the advice to heart.

Nutrition is only half the problem. The other half is that kids don't have enough opportunities to run and jump at school. The little guy only gets gym for 20 minutes, twice week. How pathetic is that??? Thankfully, he goes to nursery school after school and plays outside for a full hour before his caregiver picks him up. We also take him to the park every day to play on our way home. And in the fall, winter and early spring he is enrolled in sports programs a couple of times a week. The onus really is on parents to make sure that their kids are fit, because our schools are really letting us down.

Thoughts?

Boot Camp

So we were having a picnic at the park tonight when a group of ladies showed up for their Boot Camp class. The little guy and his friend decided to join in and run a few laps. I'm pretty sure they were the fastest ones there. After they got bored with the running part, they stood on the sideline to observe the class. They were joined by a giant, orange cat that they had befriended early in the evening. As the ladies ran laps around the field, the boys made sure to keep the cat out of harm's way.

"Be careful not to step on the cat!" they yelled as each person ran by.

I overheard the instructor say, "Thanks for the warning guys. I almost didn't see that enormous orange cat because he was camouflaged by the green grass."

*Snicker*

Then it was time for the ladies to use those resistance bands that look like skipping ropes. The little guy got really excited.

"I know what your going to do with those ropes," he said. "Your going to use them like cowboys!"

I'm pretty sure that that comment was the highlight of the class!
:-)

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I was in the middle of absolute madness at work today, when my cell phone rang.

It was my caregiver. First thought: OMG, is the little guy hurt? Is he sick? Does she need me to pick him up early?

No. She called to let me know that he bit one of the other kids. In the back. Really hard. It was so bad that they had to apply ice to the wound.

At first I thought she'd called the wrong parent. My child has never been the kind to bite! Or hit or push for that matter. On the whole he's a pretty peaceful guy (although he has been known to throw sand from time to time). What could have provoked him to do such a thing?

From what she told me, he just lost it when the other boy pushed him (this other boy pushes him fairly regularly). Well, I guess he'd been pushed one too many times.

Immediately after he bit the other boy, he knew he had done something terribly wrong. The caregiver said you could see the guilt and shame written all over his face. She, of course, had a long talk with the little guy about his behaviour. I'm pretty sure it won't happen again.

We didn't say anything to him about the incident after daycare today, on the advice of our caregiver. Best not to dwell on it, she said. He's made his peace and he already feels guilty enough. All has been forgiven. He has no idea that she even called to tell us what happened. Unless he wants to talk about it, we aren't going to say a word.

I am hopeful that the silver lining in all of this is that the other kid will think twice about pushing him again.

So much going on, don't know where to start

I guess I'll start with the big news (no, I'm not pregnant!). We bought a 16-foot orange canoe this weekend from MEC. It's beautiful and will, no doubt, provide us with countless hours of fun and adventure over the years to come. Our friend (RD) has graciously offered to provide shelter to our "new baby" in his garage. Eventually we plan to buy a cottage, which will be its permanent home. I have a picture but blogger won't let me post pictures anymore (WTF!???).

So our inaugural voyage in the canoe didn't quite go as planned. Lets just say that the little guy and I decided to go for an "unintentional" swim in some pretty slimy, disgusting water. Yuck! It was quite the scene! We had an audience and everything, including someone with a video camera :)

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Hubby and the little guy are still on vacation, but I am back at work after a two-week holiday. This year we went to Montreal with some friends for a few days and did a bunch of day trips. Usually we spend time at a cottage, but not this year. I'm actually okay with it because we visited some beaches and got plenty of fun in the sun. It was kind of nice to not have a schedule of activities. We just did what we wanted when we felt like it. All in all there were lots of fun time, good food, good wine and good company.

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Some other tidbits to bring you up to date:
- My dad is now on the waiting list to get the Liberation treatment for his MS in Poland! Very exciting. It could still be several months before he gets to the top of this list, but it will hopefully be worth it.
- The little guy will now eat fish! He's always refused to even take a bite of fish until a week ago. But apparently he'll eat anything if you put it in a taco.
- Got the little guy's entire fall/winter wardrobe at a consignment store for $65. Sweaters, pants, shirts etc....
- I'm thinking of putting off my road bike purchase until the spring on account of the canoe purchase. Unless of course someone wants to get me one for my birthday (I can always dream, right?)
- Project weight loss is under way. I'm doing well, but still have about 10 pounds to go.
- Making plans for our next reno project: converting to gas and getting whole new heating/cooling system, gas water heater etc...We need to get on this before the snow comes.
- Quote of the day: The ghost is clean (instead of the coast is clear)

Just as advertised

So the little guy has started to really paying attention to commercials lately. Every night we let him watch a little Discovery Channel at bedtime. Usually he falls asleep instantaneously, but there are occasions when he watches for longer because he's not tired yet. When that happens, we find out all about the advertisements he watched the next morning. He's like a walking billboard.

Here are a few of my favourites:

- "Mom, did you know that you can get two chicken wraps for ninety-nine dollars?"

- "If you eat Vector cereal you get to be really good at sports! It will make you ski and bike and run and do all kinds of sports."

- "Mom, did you know that Tylenol can make you be normal again? It's the one with the white letters and the red bottle. You can even go biking because it makes you normal!"

- "On CBC they said you can get a DVD to help your child ready for back to school time. If you get it, they can learn about numbers and letters and then they can get the help they need for school."

Sometimes word of mouth advertising is also effective.

"SM likes to eat chicken in a cup."

"He eats chicken in a cup. What's that?" I asked

"You know, the kind that has the picture of the guy on it," he tried to explain.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know, the kind of cup with the guy on it who's old and has a white beard," he urged.

"You mean Kentucky Fried Chicken? In a bucket?"

"No, that's not what it's called!"

"You mean KFC?"

"Yah, that's the one. He eats chicken in a cup from there. And he gets it at the place that has the big, yellow "M" on the outside."

"You mean McDonalds?"

"Yah!

The potty dance

The little guy has had more than his share of accidents lately. Usually because he's just so tied up with playing a game that he waits too long. Any time we see him doing the "pee pee dance" we say, "What is your body telling right now? Make sure to listen to your body." Often he denies that he has to go and keeps on playing. Then about 5 minutes later he yells, "I have to pee!!!!"

Today I asked him if he had to go. It was pretty obvious that he had to but he said he didn't have to, as usual. Not two minutes later he went flying down the hall to the bathroom, yelling. "Look mom! I'm listening to my body!" :-)

So proud!

Today the little guy hiked more than 6 km and mostly without grumbling! We met lots of jumping frogs along the trail today. His only disappointment was that he didn't catch one. The ice-cream after the long hike helped to make up for that :-)

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So we are officially on vacation now. I'm off for two weeks, and hubby is off for all of August (jealous!). We are just going to take it easy and not over-schedule ourselves. A couple of days at the cottage here, some day trips there, and a whole lotta relaxation in between.

I'll keep you updated on our adventures. I wish I could post photos but the post photo button seems to have disappeared from blogger. Has anyone else run into this problem????

Strawberry "shark" cake

Amma is visiting right now and has presented us with all kinds of treats, including strawberry short cake. The little guy thought it was called a strawberry "shark" cake and we didn't have the heart to correct him. So, instead, hubby carved his piece of cake into the shape of a shark's head and made eyes and teeth out of strawberries.

He also thinks that Whinnie The Pooh lives in the Hundred "Naked" Woods. :-)

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He can read! Although some of it may be memorized, we're pretty sure that he's able to read simple stories. He read me a story the other day, word for word!

We are being eaten alive by toys

Toys, toys and more toys. When does a 4-year old finally have enough of them? Apparently never. His wish list is longer than my arm. And while we try not to spoil him too badly, we do make the odd toy purchase here and there. After a while, it really starts to add up! Especially when you combine those toys with ones that friends and family give him, and items that he purchases with his own money at garage sales etc... The toy bins are completely overflowing and our small townhouse feels like it is shrinking in size.

I managed to weed out some of the baby toys recently, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. My new rule is for every new toy coming in, two have to go out. It's going to be tough to convince the little guy to go along with this plan, but I think he'll go along with it knowing that the toys will all be donated to less fortunate children.

Here are my top 10 toy pet peeves:

1. Little pieces of playmobile. I find them everywhere!! In the washing machine, in the kitchen, under the couch. Arggghhh!!!!
2. 90% of them are made in China, which makes we worry about lead paint and other harmful chemicals....
3. Ones that make noise. Why do people think that noisy toys make good gifts? They are horrible! Once the battery runs out, I let them work on imagination. And you know what? He plays with them more when they don't do all the work for him.
4. The clamshell packaging some of them come in. So much waste, and so hard to open!
5. "Trendy" toys like transformers and Lightening McQueen cars etc... He desperately wants them and then only plays with them a handful of times. Frankly, he's had more fun playing with the discarded cardboard boxes they came in.
6. They are so expensive! It makes so much more sense to buy them second hand.
7. The quality is crap! My parents still have the toys I played with when I was a kid and all of the grandkids are enjoying them all over again. I seriously doubt that any of the little guy's toys (with a couple of exceptions) will pass the test of time.
8. Too much plastic! Not only is their too much plastic in our lives these days, it's so unnatural.
9. Stuffed animals. As far as I'm concerned they are big germ and dust collectors.
10. They multiply like rabbits, which is what motivated me to write this post in the first place.