A word of unsolicited advice

You didn't ask for advice, but here it is anyway.  DO NOT teach your child how to bring a chair to the counter to "help you" until they are old enough to understand how to listen.

Today is a perfect example.  I was trying to get supper ready, stir fry- chicken for the boys- veggie for me.  I'm slicing up the chicken when in comes said little boy with his chair rapidly descending on me, and wacking me in the back of the knees.  Then he wants to touch the chicken, while my sharp knife is going through.  Said child almost gets his finger cut off.  Fingers keep getting in my way, and pieces of chicken get thrown on the floor.  AND not by me.  I take the child off the chair, he proceeds to have a meltdown, and clears everything on the kitchen table with one arm.  Now that's all on the floor.  As I go to take said child away, and clean up on the mess, he escapes and as I'm on my knees, I see he's already up on the chair, at the counter again, and this time he's got the knife in his hands.  Big scary knife, which when I shout for him to put down, he throws at me. 

And the chicken that I had started to stir fry on the stove is now burning because I haven't been able to watch it.  Wonder why.  Ok, so I turn it down, try to distract said child with TV.  It works for 2 min, then he's back, on the chair at the counter wanting to help me slice veggies.  Again, fingers in the way.  Instead of cutting his finger, I cut my own battling to keep him away.  He finally agrees to move over 1 cm, and I continue cutting.  He helps himself to the bag of mushrooms, spills them on the floor, and proceeds to take a bite out of about 6 of them.  Along the way he spits the mushrooms out on the floor.  As I try to clean this up, my pot of rice boils over.  I hurry to clean it up, grab the first cloth nearby before Dylan shows up, and wipe the glass top burner.  I wipe it with a cheap loonie store pot holder, that leaves orange burnt remnants on the glass top.  Great.

I'm all frazzled so I throw the veggies in with the chicken, not thinking, there goes my ability to make a veggie stir fry.  Guess i'm eating something else.  Enough is enough, so I put up the gate to bar said child from the kitchen.  Putting the gate up quickly is a tug of war.  He doesn't want it up, and I do, so it's a battle.  In trying to get it up, I nick the new paint.  Lovely.  He's now kept out of the kitchen, but is really mad, so he proceeds to throw anything he can find.  a bowl of crackers from an earlier snack, my sunglasses go tumbling down the stairs over the gate.... things are flying everywhere because he's mad he's barred from the kitchen, and he wants my attention. 

The shouting continues from the living room, and I return to the kitchen to see what's happening.  My onions ended up going in too early in the stir fry and they are limp and gross.  I throw the little bit of mushrooms that made it through the throwing, eating and spitting out in to the stir fry.  Said child is screaming and mad in the living room.  Husband walks through the door, comes up, sits down to eat.  Comments that the mushrooms could have been cooked more.  He's just lucky that he's got dinner.  And a wife with lots of patience.

So, may I just say, it's lovely to have children help out in the kitchen, BUT, a word of unsolicited advice, don't do it before your child can handle it.  The sanity of the mother may be at stake.  :D

Tomorrow is another day.
No photo on this post... can you guess why?

Happy Monday !   I've been so busy lately, sorry this post is late, and Friday's post... well.. it was nonexistent.  Oopsy.  Just been busier then normal !  But a good kind of busy which I will talk about more tomorrow !  (make sure you come back) 

Saturday afternoon we took Dylan to the Santa Clause Parade downtown.  We ended up leaving before we saw Santa, which was ok because Dylan really didn't care.  The weather was beautiful, cool but amazing.   

Cheif of the Kamloops Indian Band

Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar

Potty Talk

So we've been slooowly introducing the idea of the potty.  He used to love it, but for the last month or so whenever I ask if he wants to use it, his squeaky little voice says "NO".  So that's fine, we leave it at that.  Last week I decided to buy him the potty seat that goes right on the toilet.  See if that's more interesting for him.  It is.  Kinda.  But still, no real signs that he's ready.  BUT, the other day, I caught him in his room with a bunch of his teddies, and THEY were learning to use the potty.  Dylan was showing them what to do.  There were even sound effects. 

First Tad......

Then the moose puppet.....

 Tad again.... looks like there was some waiting involved in this trip....

 Then Dylan's favorite "sleeping baby"  Sleeping Baby looks very pleased with himself !!!  Good work Sleeping Baby !!!  (haha)

 And of course Diego had to come see what was happening... and NO, the cat didn't end up on the toilet.  Maybe next time.  :)  So perhaps there are some readiness signs.  For the stuffies... not Dylan.  :)



Wordless Wednesday

MEOW (it's a sound, not a word)

Dylan's Grandfun Class

So I've been teaching a couple of courses for children through the city, and it's been lots of fun.  On Thursdays I teach Grandfun for Grandparents with a really nice group of Grandparents and kids.  Dylan goes with me, and has lots of fun.  The first month he had Grannie to go with him, and I was a bit worried about how he'd do without her.  But he's doing well.  The socialization is great for him, and his attention span is getting better.  He loves the interaction and has become the greeter and goodbye boy.  Of course as everyone comes and leaves the class, I say my hellos and goodbyes.  Dylan now joins me in this.  He loves it.  It's a really good thing for him.  Here's he is before all the other kids come.  What a little sweetheart he is !

Lunch time reading

Today after Dylan and I finished lunch, I popped outside to grab the mail.  A bill (yippee) and the Arrow Life magazine.  (Daddy's employer)  I set the mail on the table,  and gave Dylan a piece of a the weird chocolaty squares I spontaneously made last night.  I was busy rushing around, tidying up the lunch mess, when all of sudden thought, OH-OH, it's WAYYYYYY too quiet in here, which usually means he's into something, and I'm going to have a mess to clean up.  I turn around, and find the little man reading.  I'm not sure if he was looking for a job, surveying the progress of the Arrow operation, or just enjoying the pictures of the trucks, but he sure was happy.....

Project Frenzy

Hello to everyone !  It's Monday, hope you all (however many of you read this) had a good weekend.  I spent my weekend shopping and shopping and shopping.  In case you missed my big announcement on fb, I've decided to start up my own photography business- Cherry Bliss Photography.  Website (cherryblissphotography.ca) coming soon.  I'm on fb, so find my page there !

It's been a lot of organizing and getting prepared.  Getting a backdrop, a backdrop stand, flooring, props, a newborn nest... on and on.  Being the crafty, and cheap person I am, I've decided to make several things.  I can't tell you what they are- but they are turning out really well.  I've also purchased a few cool things online.  I'm getting really REALLY excited !  I think it's a great move for me- photography is a passion for me, and I love the challenge and creativity involved in photographing little people and their families !  I'll keep you posted. 

Here I am armed with Michael's craft store coupons.  They say you can use one a day per person.  Pfft... forget that rule !!! 

We are in full fledged terrible two temper tantrums, not listening, doing EXACTLY what we are told not to, standing on the table, laughing when you do something naughty, exhausting Mom to the brink of insanity.  You think I'm exaggerating?  Let's just say that Mat has called home on weekdays to see if I'm hiding under the table.  haha.   I haven't (yet)

Talking to him and telling him his behaviour is naughty isn't working.  He just laughs in your face.  This loud cute squeaky fake laugh.  It's so cute and so funny, but we just tell him, "it's not funny Dylan"  Which produces the second loud, cute, squeaky fake laugh.  So anywho, this isn't working.   But we will prevail. 

We have bought a "naughty" chair.  We don't intend on strapping him to it or anything....hmmm... no no, we won't.  :)  But we have been giving him a five second time away and talking about the naughty behaviour.  Truth be told- it's still not working, BUT, I'm certain that painting the naughty chair will change all that ! 

So what phrase should I put on the seat of the naughty chair?

Please offer some suggestions, but note I've already decided against the following:

Sit down to reduce Mommy's insanity 

Sit, or else !

That was so bad, so so so so so bad !!!
Sit before I glue your butt to the chair !

So, help, what should I write on the seat, as you can clearly see, I need help....

Special Surprises

Dylan was in his room the other day and it was a little too quiet.  Diego was no where to be found either, so I knew there was likely trouble brewing somewhere that probably involved a little boy and his favorite cat.

Yup, here's what I found as I walked into Dylan's room.  He had found a treasure trove of ... well treasures...

 

Now in fairness to me, and my housekeeping skills, since we've moved here, there has been furniture covering that, so I've never cleaned it out I guess.  Till now.

Tracy  xoxox

Da-eee, Da-eee, Da-eee....

 So our little man has a very large

obsession with his Da-eee.  All day long we talk about Daddy.  He asks where he is, I say work.  He nods.  Done.  Till 10 minutes later when he asks again.  So we talk about Daddy lots during the day.  What he might be doing, what we did with him in the weekend, what Daddy said they night before, and of course how much he loves Da-eee.

Whenever the phone rings, he asks.. Da-eee?  I usually just say yes because then Dylan smiles.  :)  Today he was playing with a truck, there was a man riding on the back, and Dylan informed me it is Da-eee.

Because Mat is a die-hard Calgary Flames fan, he's been teaching Dylan hockey related things.  It goes something like this:

Daddy " Dylan, can you say Iginla" 

Dylan "Ig"

Daddy " Dylan, can you say go Flames go"

Dylan " goooooooooooo"

Daddy "Dylan, can you say Bouwmeester"

Dylan "Bo"

Daddy "Dylan, can you say Fire the Sutters now before our team is fully run into the ground"

Dylan "gooooooooo"

So I'm not sure how it got started, but Dylan now always wants Mat to put on his Flames jersey.  Dylan says to Mat.. goooo... and then tells him to come to the bedroom closet.  He points at Mat's jersey, telling him to put it on.  Then Dylan runs to his room to get his.  The other day it was in the wash.  He'd been wearing it with another shirt underneath.  When I took the shirts off, I took them off together leaving the Flames jersey inside the other shirt.  Not sure how, but Dylan knew this and found his jersey, inside his shirt.

Surprise surprise, when Mat came home tonight and went to get changed, Dylan insisted they wear their matching Flames jerseys.  So cute. 

Dylan so looks up to Mat and it's wonderful to see.  So cute.

It really is all about Da-ee.  So cute.

He even calls out his name... this morning at 12:15 am.  Not so cute.  Well, the little squeaky voice is, the 12:15 time- not so much. 

So awesome to see the bond between the two.  As I've said numerous times in this post.  Dyl loves Da-eee, and Da-eee is just as smitten with Dyl.  Probably more actually.  :)

IT'S THE GO FLAMES GO CHANT !



How do you lose a stripper?

I've neglected my chest of drawers that I showed you many posts ago.  Remember her?  Well, she got pushed to the back of the garage for a couple of reasons.  The sanding was not going well.  I took my mom's advice and bought some wood stripper.  I also got two funky handles, and a dark stain.  Had it all planned out, was excited.  And then, somewhere into the abyss, the stripper vanished.  A brown home depot bag with the above noted contents-  gone.  Like gone - gone.  Missing.  No where to be found.  How do you lose a stripper? 

So until those items can be located, ole Betsy will sit in the garage.  Sad and unfinished.

BUT, I have a new project.  haha.  Surprise Surprise. 

We (I) decided to do some paintings for Dylan's room to give to him as a second birthday gift.  Daddy is the creative consultant who tells me what works and what is correct/incorrect. Dylan (and Daddy) are soooo into trains, construction vehicles, trucks etc that we are changing the theme of his

 (Dylan's, not Mat's) room.  So here's a teaser of what I'm working on for his birthday gift.

Giveaway winner found

I've finished my handmade, cleverly designed Christmas Cards,and they'll go out later this week.  I was able to give away my shutterfly free 50 photo cards to a fellow blogger- YEAH, hope hers look great !

Ho Ho Ho... we have a light dusting of show on the grass here in Westsyde !

Playing Photographer

On the weekend I had the honor of photographing my neighbour and her awesome kids.  I've always loved photography, and since we had Dylan, and got a DSLR, my interest has really turned into a passion. 

It was so much fun to play photographer for the day.  I came back with sand in my hair from trying to get that beach shot, wet leaves stuck to my belly from laying down on the wet pathway to try to get the perfect shot of the kids running, and mascara all over the right side of my face from... ??  But it was awesome !  Of course I had to get to work right away editing because I couldn't let the pictures just sit.  I'm really pleased with them.

For some time now I've been thinking it'd be fun to turn my passion into a business, and after yesterday I started thinking about it more seriously.  Guess I've got some time to think about it. 

I hope my neighbours love the pics, and hopefully I find some other victims friends to photograph soon.  If you are interested, let me know.  For now, enjoy the pics.  The kids were so awesome, and of course it doesn't hurt that they are both gorgeous, and that they have a beautiful mom. 

Here are some of my favs....

What a lovely family !

Such a beautiful little girl.

I love how proud and loving Mom's face is

So sweet, I love how the photoshopping adds the emphasis on the kids.

The purple just "pops" in the photos

I love the natural fun aspect of this one

How cute is he?

I love the photoshopping here, how your eye goes to him first because he's in colour, and then next to Mom.



Sibling Love  :)



Giveaway !

Today I have 50 free Christmas photo cards from Shutterfly to give away !  You pick the style of your choice, upload the pic, chose the text, and you are done !  You do have to pay for shipping- $21.00 to Canada, BUT the cards are valued at over $100.  First person to say they want them will receive the special code from me !

Have a good weekend, I'll be back to blogging properly on Monday  :)

Tracy
xoxox

(must end my post with a pic)

THE POOP POST

Normally I blog in a lovely shade of blue/purple, today I blog in BROWN. 

 Last night Mat was giving Dylan a bath, and all of a sudden he shouts that he needs help.  Help in the bathroom is never the call you want to get.  By the time I arrive, it looks calm, but the running toilet gives away a clue.  " I just finished fishing out poop from the bathtub" says Mat.  Ah, we can now check this off Dylan's list of baby to dos.  He waited 22 months before he pooped in the tub. 

So at this point we decide to move Dylan to the en suite shower so he can clean up in there.  So in goes Daddy, and in goes Dyl.  Turns out they had a great time in the shower, so good that Dylan cried and cried when he came out.

An unfortunate casualty of the poop in the tub incident is that Dylan, for the first time ever took his beloved sleeping baby in the tub, and sleeping baby, although smiling, was laying face down in the poopy tub when I retrieved his limp body. 

(don't be alarmed, he's always limp, he is a plush toy after all)

I asked Dylan, did you poop in the tub?  He said "NO."  I asked again, "did sleeping baby poop in the tub"- Dylan looked at sleeping baby, looked at me, and said yes.  When Daddy came back to the room, I told him he had made a terrible mistake.  It was sleeping baby who pooped in the tub!!!!! Of course Mat asked Dylan, just as I had,

"did sleeping baby poop in the tub" again, Dylan said yes. 

Darn sleeping baby- that's the last time we let him in the tub !!!



Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies Recipe

Here is the recipe ! 

 24 maraschino cherries                                                           

1/2 c butter, softened

3/4 c brown sugar

1tbsp maraschino cherry juice

1tbsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 c flour

1 c chocolate chips

1/2 tsp veg shortening

Pat cherries with paper towels to remove moisture.  Place a chocolate chip in each cherry, set aside.In lrg bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in cherry juice and vanilla.  Gradually add flour to mixture and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle. ( for me, I had it in the fridge for 5 min)

Wrap a tablespoon of dough around each maraschino cherry.  Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 17-21 min.  Remove and place on wire racks to cool.

In microwave, melt remaining chips and shortening until smooth.  Stir well.  Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the melted chips.  Place on wax paper, and see if they disappear before the chocolate hardens.  :)  Enjoy, my family sure did.

Tracy xoxox