Santa

I started working on this post a few weeks ago, and even though Christmas has come (and gone!) I still want to post it. I often get asked, and ask others about their beliefs around Santa - as in, who is he to your family, do you incorporate him into your celebrations, and if so, how? Some of my friends celebrate the Christian Christmas, and some celebrate Christmas as a time to spend with friends and family, and give to others. Santa brings one of my friend's kids only handmade toys (wooden toys, puzzles, handmade clothes, a la elf workshop stuff!), another friend only gets family toys from Santa (board games, or movies for them to watch together).

For my family, we're still working on the balance between Santa and Jesus, and I know I've mentioned it before, but I love the book Santa's Favorite Story for that. For us, it's not either Santa or Jesus, but we're trying to find how Santa can compliment the spiritual meaning of the holiday. We definitely "do" Santa in this house - I love the mystery and fun of it. Santa has his own wrapping paper, special tags, and hand-writing. And with the added fun of Emma this year, there is NO doubt in Princess's mind that he's real. And I love that. I have always had a big imagination and I loved playing pretend growing up (I still daydream all. the. time... Ask my husband) and I love playing into my kids' imaginations now.

Obviously in all this we try to not put focus on the materialism the season can bring - we definitely can get overboard on the gifts, but we also give to charity and donate items as well, and talk to the kids about how lucky we are to have so much, and how some kids don't have all that we do. We're big on the family time, and gifts we can all enjoy together - this year Santa got Princess and Tobes one toy each, and then a couple of joint gifts (a shopping cart from Melissa and Doug, and walkie-talkies!) and then the family got a couple of board games. I also don't really like the "naughty or nice" about Santa. I don't think a gift should be based on behavior. Obviously I want my children to behave well and be polite, but if I want to give someone a gift, it's because I love them, not because of anything they've done to deserve it. Rewards are for behavior, gifts are for relationships. God didn't give us Jesus because we were super-awesome, it was because He loves us. We love our children, and so we want to give them gifts, so it's kind of weird to think of a man my children meet once a year (for photo opportunity) getting all the credit for all the gifts on Christmas morning. I'd rather them think that I'm the incredible mastermind behind the perfect present ;)
 
Those are my thoughts on the man in red, and now I pose the question to you - how does your family handle Santa?

Merry Christmas

29

Today I turn 29. One year from today, I will be 30 (which is apparently also the end of the world, or at least the end of the Mayan calendar. I am going to have one INSANE "It's the End of the World As We Know It, and Erie's 30!" party, but that's another conversation altogether). (Seriously though, it's going to be awesome).

I had goals for my younger 20's - when I wanted to graduate university, when I wanted to have a career, when I wanted to be married by, when I wanted to have kids, etc. But I never had "goals"/markers/whatever past the age of 25... It's a new stage of my life. I am married (coming up on 7 years!) I have the house of my dreams to raise my babies in, and on that note, I am done having babies! Now is a time to start looking beyond and setting bigger goals. I want to make a name for myself in my industry, and I want to be successful in my upcoming business ventures, and seeds are being sewn. I want to be a dance mom for Princess, and a soccer mom for Tobes (or hockey, except the idea of 4am rink times scares the crap out of me!) I want to be the best mom for both of them I can be. I want to be an amazing wife for my husband, and I want to keep growing and nurturing the amazing friendships I've made throughout my life.

I can't believe I'm already 29. Not that it's old, but I don't feel old enough to be 29, and yet chronologically, I guess it must be so. I look around me and am proud of the life I have cultivated, and the woman I have become. And I can't wait to see what the last year of my 20's shapes up to be!

Happy Birthday to Meee!

Guest Blogger Again!

It's that time again, folks! Time for my guest blogger. Princess has been begging me to let her "write" on my blog for awhile now ;)

So, without further delay, Princess!

***

P: "Hi Blog-people!"

Me: "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

P: "My name is *insert real name* and I'm 4 years old!"

Me: "Are you excited for Christmas?"

P: "Yeah!"

Me: "What are you most excited for?"

P: "Santa to bring me toys! That's what I'm excited of. And for Uncle J to get here! He's going to sleep in my room under my bed!"

**I should stop and make note here that Uncle J is my brother, who is coming in from Victoria and staying with us. Princess has a loft bed, so when she has sleep-overs (usually with Grammie), the sleep-over-ee is able to comfortably sleep under her bed. We're not talking about 6 inches of clearance or anything... But J is actually going to sleep on our pull-out couch...**

Me: "Do you know why we celebrate Christmas?"

P: "It's Jesus's birthday!! We don't see God and Jesus though. I have a book about Jesus and God. It's yellow."

Me: "If we can't see them, can we still talk to Jesus and God?"

P: "Yeah. We pray to them, and that's like talking to them. In my book Jesus has black hair. I like his hair."

Me: "So we celebrate Jesus's birthday on Christmas?"

P: "Yup! God sent him here so we would have peace."

Me: "What else would you like to say about Christmas?"

P: "Christmas is about giving. Like giving presents. God gave us Jesus when he was born. Do you think he would have been a cute baby, mommy?"

Me: "I think so."

P: "Can I tell your blog-people Merry Christmas?"

Me: "Sure! That would be nice!"

P: "Merry Christmas!!... Can I go play again?"

Me: "Sounds good, sweetheart."

***

Meet Emma

Wednesday night we had a visitor in our home. Emma the Elf on the Shelf joined our family for the Christmas season :) She's been here for 2 nights so far, and the kids are having a blast hunting her down and seeing what she's been up to in the night.

Emma herself. We thought we'd place her on the hearth - a good place for her to sit and listen to the goings-on around our house...

But one night here, and already she decided to change the place around! Thursday morning we found her in Princess' room with a brand-new nightlight that shines snowflakes on the ceiling...

We placed her back in her spot that day, but this morning we found that she had gathered up some of Princess's dolls for a party - complete with empty candy wrappers...

Saucy elf!

And in Emma's place? Another one of P's dolls!

 

I think my favorite part is all the places for her to hide, and the shenanigans she'll try. I'm also thankful for Pinterest, and my fellow elfing pals to bounce ideas off of ;) We're not using her as some are - I've read so many places where the elf is used as a ploy to help kids behave. Let's face it - I have a 4 year old and an 18-month-old. I'm 1) not withholding gifts if my children don't "behave" (I'm too excited to give them, and realistically while I expect a certain level of behavior, my children are mostly on par with that but punishing them at Christmas isn't going to help) and 2) we have a different view about Santa anyway... Which probably deserves it's own blog post. I have so many of those half-written in my cue right now...

Anyway, welcome to the family, Emma! We're excited to host you for the next 23 days!

I Love This Age!

18-month-old Christmas Princess spreading cheer to one and all!

It started with a simple question - because Princess and Tobes have birthdays that are just days apart (literally - 2 days) every milestone he hits or every holiday or event we encounter makes me think back to what Princess was doing at that time.

I did a search through my journals (while I'm relatively new to blogging, Princess' first 4 years are chronicled on an online forum... I need to blog more about my kids on here!) and found that at the age Tobes is now (17 months, soon to be 18), Princess had a vocabulary of over 25 clear words (compared to Tobes' 4ish... Though tonight he did learn how to say "Ho Ho Ho" courtesy of Princess). That search lead me to photos and videos of my little Princess... Baby Princess... 18-month-old Princess running down hallways and dancing to her Uncle's cellphone ringtone.

I miss that little girl. I love who Princess is now - I wouldn't change her for the world. My girl is bright, inquisitive, funny, kind, and loving. Looking back at those photos made me realize how much I LOVED that age, and how much I LOVE this age with Tobes.

At 18 months Princess was really starting to become independent in the sense that she loved to hit the ground running and explore. I have video of her tearing down the hallways of a building downtown on our way back to the car from a festival. She was verbal (again, 25+ word count... It was probably over 30 if I really think back) and so expressive. She had the best surprise face when she discovered something new, and her smile took up her entire face. When she didn't have words, she made the funniest noises. I have a video of her saying "WOAH!" at the sight of an indoor waterfall. When she ran her whole body ran. She was still very little, but I feel like it was the point where I looked at her and saw "toddler", more than "baby".

And Tobes is getting to be the same way. He might not be as verbal, but that doesn't stop him from talking (just this evening he carried on a conversation with Auntie L and Baby B for several minutes... I am guessing he was talking about his foot given the way he gestured emphatically at it more than once). He is just as expressive as Princess was, and gasps in surprise at the funniest things (like when we open the curtains first thing in the morning). I love watching him chase after Princess, and try to copy her (as I mentioned earlier, he learned how to say "Ho Ho Ho" this evening, and tried galloping like a reindeer as she did - he even tried to hold his hands in the same way she had hers). He laughs at his own jokes, and has even mastered the fake laugh when Princess finds something funny and he feels the need to join in. His current favorite activity is to shuffle around the kitchen when "his music" plays (we have a little fridge toy that you're supposed to use to make matches with magnets. He just uses it for the music it plays and gets quite upset if a magnet is actually in it).

We're done having kids, but I kind of wish I could keep a constant stream of 18 month olds around!! (as long as I had a nighttime nanny...)

It's such a fun age!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!!

I love my wood-burning fireplace. It's hard to pinpoint my favorite part of the new house, but this was a pretty big plus!

We've been completely flattened by chicken pox this month. The benefit of the illness (if you can call it that) is that my schedule was completely wiped for 2 weeks as we gave the kidlets a chance to heal, and all of us a chance to rest up.

And a beautiful side effect of that quarantine? Christmas decorating!! :D Banisters are wrapped in pine, little lights are twinkling everywhere, my village is up, and tonight we set up the first of our 2 (!!) trees! The second will come mid-December, as we're planning on doing one fake, and one real.

I love Christmas. I love everything about it. Spiritually I celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. We celebrate the gift given to us by God. I love the services at Church, and I never get tired hearing the Christmas story. Beyond that, it's also a time for my family to get together (my brother, who is the only one who lives out-of-province, comes home every year) and hang out. It's a time for parties and celebration, and getting together with people I might not otherwise see for awhile. I love decorating. I love baking, and cooking, and planning and hosting. And crafting. And decorating, but I think I already mentioned that. I also will happily admit I LOVE gift-giving. I love brainstorming, planning, shopping, hiding, and wrapping. I LOVE to wrap gifts. I love winter. I love watching snow fall outside while I stay in my pajamas and drink tea and play with the kids, and the magic and warmth of Christmas just adds to that.

I love that we have a wood-burning fireplace this year. I love that our fire isn't going to be provided by the TV (yes, I also love the yule-log channel) but by actual crackling wood. This is going to be the first Christmas in our new home, and the first year we're not running around all crazy-like (in-laws will all be out of town this year). I'm excited to start reading Santa's Favorite Story (my friend let me in on it a few years ago - Santa tells his animal friends about the story of Jesus. It's brilliant!) I'm excited for the Christmas services, and for singing carols, and I'm excited for Christmas morning, when Princess and Tobes see all the gifts.

I love Christmas :) And I love that it's just a few more weeks away!

My Christmas Village. The front room of my house is the PERFECT space for it, and it makes me smile every time I walk through the door!

A Firm Handshake with Change.

I have a secret.

I HATE change.

I can't embrace it. Most I can muster up is a cordial wave, and MAYBE a firm handshake. If I have to.

I hide it well, I know. Most of you can't even believe it, can you? ;) And yet, my life has been completely turned upside-down, and I'm coping. I am a planner. And my plans might change, but I still like being able to have a plan to focus on. And that's not the case right now.

We moved. Surprise! And my world turned upside-down. And now as the dust is settling, more changes are just around the bend. To keep this from being too cryptic, it's related to my livelihood(s). New opportunities are presenting themselves, and the comfort of routine isn't all that comfortable anymore. Or routine! I'm not intentionally leaving out many details, I don't have many to give! *lol*

I'm just sitting here, clutching to the sofa, and trying to ride out the waves!

From a House to a Home! Our First Celebration...

You can't tell in the picture, but the photos in the frames range from 5x5 and 5x7 to 11x14!! It takes up the ENTIRE wall of our dining room, and I love it!

We've now been in our home for just over a month! It still feels weird to head in the exact opposite direction from almost every place I usually drive to (we live on the complete opposite end of the city now), but I'm really getting used to the fact that I am now about 15 minutes closer to everywhere! Church now takes us a total of 4 minutes to get to, a far cry from the 35 minutes+ we used to spend every week.

We're slowly continuing to unpack boxes (now we're into the non-essential, less-than-fun stuff to unpack) and we've finally started to hang picture frames and make the house really look like our own. We decorated Princess and Tobe's rooms first - it was really important to us that they each get their own, unique spaces. Next up will be the kitchen (I'm going Mickey-chic!! Warm yellow, cranberry, and black... I will post pictures once I'm done!) and then we'll probably figure out our room. 

Last weekend our house really felt like our home as we hosted family and friends for Tobe's dedication ceremony. Our first celebration in our house was for the event of my husband's and my decision to dedicate our son, promising to teach him about God and His love for Tobes, to raise Tobes in a Christian home, and ask for God's guidance in our parenting of him. We dedicated Princess in the same manner 3 and a half years ago. Our faith means a lot to our family, and so this was an important event for us, and the perfect first celebration in our new home.

I still can't believe it's ours <3

Wordless Wednesday

Thankful

This weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada, and I am feeling especially thankful. I've been blessed beyond measure, especially in the past few months. We've gotten a new (FABULOUS) house, I'm getting so many opportunities in regards to my lactation consultant practice, Hubbyman and I are doing great, and Princess and Tobes are both growing up to be such fantastic people. Tobes is really starting to become his own little person, with his own likes and dislikes. I forgot about this stage from Princess. And Princess is imaginative, and I can barely keep up with her on the best of days... ;) I could go on and on about what I'm thankful for. Between family, friends, and my life in general, I have a long list!

But today I decided to switch it up a bit, and get a guest blogger in - my very first one! She is someone I am incredibly thankful for, and I wouldn't be who I am or where I am without her. Instead of me list off how thankful I am, I thought she'd have a really unique view on this weekend, and that we'd both have fun with this. She's an expert with words, though not as fabulous with the computer, so I'm here to help her along. Without further ado, I present my guest blogger, Princess.

 P: "Hi!" *giggle*

Me: "Did you want to tell the people on my blog a bit about you?"

P: "No thanks!" *to be fair, I am interrupting her coloring with this interview...*

Me: "What about telling them how old you are, or what you like doing?"

P: "No thanks! You can tell them!" *she looks up at me, smiling*

**Princess is 4. She loves to color, dance, and "read". She also informed me the other day that she no longer loves princesses, but she does still like princess movies, books, dresses, and tiaras.**

Me: "So Princess, this weekend is Thanksgiving."

P: "I know, I know, I know!"

Me: "Do you remember what Thanksgiving is about?"

P: "You thank people for all the stuff you have"

Me: "Well you don't have to just thank people for gifts, you can thank God for all that He's given you, and just be grateful for all the blessings we have. Do you know a blessing is?"

P: "What?"

Me: "It's like a gift, but you can't always see it. Like your family, or your friends. So what are you thankful for?"

P: "I'm thankful for... um... 1 minute!" *puts down her crayon* "I'm thankful for my princess cash register, and my baby brother Tobes, and for you and for Daddy!"

Me: "What else are you thankful for?"

P: "I'm thankful for all of my friends!! And our new house!! AND MY PINK ROOM!!" *at this point, Princess is dancing around my kitchen*

Me: That's a good list!

P: "I'm thankful for dance, but I need new shoes. Oh! Once you buy me new shoes, I can be thankful for that!"

Me: "Yes, you can."

P: "Mommy, I love you... Can I color now?"

***
I guess that ends the interview ;)

7 Years

 In 7 years,

• We moved Hubbyman in after 7 months of planning and waiting and watching the house grow from literally a hole in the ground into our very first home.
• We got married, and spent our wedding night in this house. I officially moved in that night.
• We spent the last half of our honeymoon setting up our new home.
• We welcomed our first furbaby, Sophie.
• We celebrated our first holidays and birthdays as a married couple in this house.
• We celebrated our promotions, and new jobs in this house.
• We started developing the basement, dreaming of the children who would one day play in the rec room.
• We found out we were expecting our first child.
• We spent months preparing the nursery, including the Winnie the Pooh murals Hubbyman painstakingly drew and painted.
• We brought Princess here, to her very first home.
• We celebrated Princess's firsts - her first holidays, her first smile, first words, first steps...
• We found out we were expecting our second child, but lost shortly after.
• We celebrated Princess's second birthday in this very backyard. All those we loved best were there.
• We found out we were expecting our third child.
• We finished the basement as much as we could to make room for our newest addition.
• With the birth of Tobes, our family was completed.
• We brought Tobes home here, to his very first home.
• We've celebrated his firsts - his first holidays, his first smile, first steps...

We have had many celebrations, hosted many friends, and our families over the past 7 years in this home. We've had our share of happy and sad memories in this house, but all of which important to who we are now. We became a family in this house, and have made this house our home.

Goodbye house. You have been so good to us <3

It's About to Get a Whole Lot Louder...

Princess loves Glee (the music). I love Glee. We listen to a lot of Glee in our house. Princess has been singing along since the beginning. Sometimes she whispers it softly, sometimes she belts it out - with or without music, or even correct lyrics.

One song she's currently obsessed with is "Hey Soul Sister" by Train, performed by the Warblers. We were out driving the other day, and Princess started an impromptu concert for me... And Tobes joined in at the end. ("Hey, Hey, Hey") ... It sounds like coincidence, right? Mommy and sister are singing, I'll make noise too. Fun. Nope. He very much joined in for the "Hey"s, and very much stopped to listen while we sang the rest of the song, joining in again once we got back to the "Hey"s.

:S

"Meticulous" feet...

I am one proud momma this week. Princess started dance again on Tuesday. This time she's in the "big kid" class (with only one other kid from her Tiny Tots class... I don't know if that means the others quit, or are still in Tiny Tots). This time she's in an actual competative class, and I think she's the youngest one there!

We've "practiced" over the summer, which has basically meant that we'll either both spontaneously break out into dance in the kitchen, or I'll randomly ask her to show me a "jump-2-3" during our day. Most kids go straight into the class she's in now if they start after the age of 5, so I knew that ANYTHING she did this summer would just be bonus.

But her teacher told me that she's "meticulous" with her foot position (something that has been 100% her doing) and a very good listener. And that just has me beaming. Almost as much as catching her practicing her "jump-2-3"'s on her own in her room on in an empty kitchen ;)

I keep saying that I'm a dance mom, but not one of THOSE dance moms. At the end of the day, I just really, REALLY hope she'll love dancing as much as I did. Seriously, that means more than any title or championship she could ever win...

(seriously, I caught most of the first episode of that show, and that is a whole other rant for a whole 'nother day. Scary. Just scary.)

Well Articulated...

My daughter is many things. My daughter is intelligent, hilarious, adorable, and beautiful. And of course I'm biased. I'm her mommy, and I'm incredibly proud of her (most of the time). I hope most people who meet here agree, but not everyone might.

But ultimately one thing that I think pretty much anyone who has ever met her (and those who even haven't but have heard stories) can agree on is that she is one well-articulated little girl. Very rarely do I have any issue knowing what she is thinking or how she feels.

I don't get told that she "hates" me, and she doesn't even call me yucky anymore (those with toddler/preschoolers know what I'm talking about!) Instead she tells me that if I continue to tell her to stop/be quiet/etc., that it will "make [her] mad" or "make [her] mad at me", and that she "doesn't like it". She will yell and scream, but generally it's about how she's feeling, and how she wants me to stop whatever I'm doing (correcting her behavior, sending her to time out, taking away a toy, etc).

And I'm actually ok with that... Don't get me wrong, I hate the attitude - it's a constant struggle to correct her behavior while being respectful of her feelings and her needs, but I am kind of proud that when she's angry, she can articulate it so well. She can tell me EXACTLY what's wrong, and EXACTLY how she feels.

She is one well-articulated little girl.

Parenting From 16 000 KM Away

(That's 10 000 miles for my friends south of the boarder)

Tobes is freaking out at me this afternoon. He's up and down off my lap, he nurses and then doesn't. He's a non-napped, played-out baby. I am also non-napped, and a little played out. He finds the cordless phones, and hands it to me, squawking and screeching. I take the phone from him and he looks at me expectantly. I call my mom, put her on speaker phone, and both he and Princess have been happily occupied for the last half hour, leaving me completely alone!

It's kind of fantastic, and it took me way too long to think of it.

On one of Greg's recent trips away, I was trying to put Princess to bed with an over-tired Tobes. I called Greg (in China) just to vent. Tara begged to talk to him, and he ended up "reading" her a story, praying with her, and even gave her a count-to-ten snuggle while I nursed and put Tobes to sleep, all from 10 000 miles away!

I know it's bad to let the TV baby-sit your children, but what about the phone...?

Not Gonna Lie...

Tonight sucked.

I worked at the NICU today. It's not an easy job, but it has always been something I've enjoyed (not always the politics, but the work itself has been rewarding). I used to say that for every sad ending, we had 10 happier ones. The walls of the unit are lined with letters and pictures and even scrapbook pages of our graduates. Are they "normal" and healthy? Not always. But every time a baby is born at as little as 25 weeks (remember that normal term gestation is 40-42 weeks) and survives it's a miracle.

Sometimes we have really sad stories. I used to be able to be compassionate to the parents, but ultimately remove myself from the situation long enough to work on the patient and stay focused. It has become exponentially harder now that I have children of my own.

Tonight was just one of those nights. Today was a little sad, and tonight it was so much harder for me to remove myself from the situation. It was so much harder to leave work at work and not think about it when I arrived home. Tonight kind of sucked.

The thought that keeps me going is that every time I face these babies, I am just that much more thankful for my own. Pregnancies are miracles. But nothing is guaranteed. Healthy babies and healthy children are absolute miracles too.

Goodnight. I am going to go cuddle the absolute miracle I call Tobes.

Remembering What Matters Most...

It's kind of funny that this post follows one on my undomestication. And that I'm still working on my "New House Resolutions".

But I have had the day from hell.

Well, that's not entirely true. It's been a difficult day. It hasn't been impossible - the kids are (mostly) happy, and I had a few laughable moments (like finding an entire roll of toilet paper in the toilet... cardboard tube and all). But it's been a trying day.

I made the decision yesterday that today would be my day at home. Today I would catch up on laundry, I would do some baking, Princess and I would craft, and Tobes would get all the sleep he needed! I decided that I would continue on my journey to pack the house (28 days until possession!!!!!!!! GACK!!) and would be little Suzy Homemaker.

Until that all fell apart.

Tobes woke up 2 hours earlier than he should have, which meant that Princess woke up about an hour earlier as well (I can't wait until the bedrooms and the play room are on entirely different levels!) I spent an hour convincing Tobes to take his morning nap, and his afternoon nap didn't happen at all. Baking happened, sort of, only as a result of SHEER WILL and total cravings of meat buns (for my Ukrainian friends, think perishky). ONE load of clothes got washed, but I totally missed my opportunity to sun out some stains on several items. And not a single item was packed.


Instead I spent the day couch-bound, nursing a miserably tired Tobes, and reading to Princess, who was slightly bored after her exciting day yesterday (we had her friend birthday party at the zoo). And I was super-annoyed. I had such big plans for the today. I wanted to get so much done today. I didn't want to spend the day on the couch, I actually had the energy and drive to get stuff done!!


But at the end of the day, I realize that my "ruined" plans were ultimately all for them. I want to be a better homemaker for my children. I want to bake for them, and have nice, unstained clothes for them, and we're moving because our new house is far better than this one for them. And my plans were derailed today for their sake. 


Of course I still want to improve my housekeeping habits, but I need to learn to chillax when my schedule needs to be cleared for a day of snuggles...

New House, New Dreams

Thank you Anne Taintor!

Another house post, I know. But this has really encompassed my entire life this month. Today's post is brought to you by two gigantic updates from just today!!

First off, it's completely official - our house is sold. We just got the papers in saying that all conditions have been removed. We were on the market for just twelve days, had six showings, plus two repeat showings. We had an offer on the table Saturday afternoon, signed by Saturday night, and now all conditions have been removed. It's done!

Secondly, we've got a conditional offer on a new place!! And it's completely not what I expected! We were looking for newer houses (we like the style), which led us to a few different areas. The biggest problem was space. The houses were big, but the backyards were tiny, and new houses tend to be in new developments, which are, well, new. The schools, and even parks and playgrounds tend to be further away.

Instead we found an older home in an older neighborhood. Eight blocks away from the local school and community league, just down the street from a park. The back yard is HUGE and private, and the house had major upgrades!! It has a sitting room, diningroom, breakfast nook, HUGE kitchen, livingroom, fully developed basement (though there's room for upgrades down the road there) three bedrooms, and two and a half bathrooms (one being an ensuite).

It's a major upgrade all-around! We are SO excited to move into it!

***

On that note, I have such big dreams for ME in this new house. I am domestically challenged. Try as I might, the running joke is that I don't cook, and I don't clean. But I grow cute babies! And between me and my husband, we have a pretty great balance of working both outside and in the home, and raising said cute babies.

This might not be an issue for some, but for me, it is. It's not an issue because Greg shouldn't be helping out. I sung my husband's praises on Father's Day, because I felt he deserved it, but I expect him to be an active member of the family.

It's an issue for me because I always wanted to be a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom), and I've always wanted to be Little Susie Homemaker. I've always wanted to maintain an amazing home for my family, and to cook delicious meals, and craft and sew and raise babies. I do the latter three quite well, but it's the first two I want to work on. This has not been the first time I've attempted at making a change in this area. But maybe a new house will help to inspire me. And I want to host more playdates, parties, and gatherings in my home. I always felt too far out of the way in this house, and the layout wasn't ideal for larger groups. But for those who know me, you can only imagine how excited I am to host family Christmas this year ;) (For those who don't, I LOVE Christmas, and a few years ago I pulled out all the stops - including personalized, embroidered, handmade bird ornaments for each guest). I am excited for backyard barbecues, birthday parties, and just having friends and family over for dinner. I have some great hostesses in my group of friends, and I have been jealous. I would love to join the cool kids in that club.


I think this new house deserves some new-house resolutions! I have 35 days until possession of the new house to think of some ;)

Homeless!!!

... As my friend, the Common Sense Crusader kindly put it ;)

Our house sold on Saturday! It's still conditional on a home inspection and financing, but by the end of this week, if all goes well, we're sold! I'm not worried about the inspection - we have taken very good care of the house. And apparently the financing should be no issue as well.

So yeah... And now we have 46 days to find another house, buy another house, and move!

Eeeeee!!

LISTED!!

 

It's official, we listed at the beginning of this week. Papers have been signed, and we're even officially up on MLS. Now to play the waiting game... So far we've had 1 showing, but it's been a slow week all-around - the weather has been really nice and people want to go out and play. 

We're sitting on our hands, waiting for an offer to come in before we buy anything ourselves, so we're waiting on looking as well. I've seen a few awesome homes that are on our list, and I can't wait to be able to check them out :) 

Fingers crossed that this all happens soon! It's a bit of a PITA to keep the house in show condition with the littles running around!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Farewell Rapunzel (Part 2)

 

I promise this was her own doing. Princess opted for a conservative 7 inches off her hair instead of the intended 10+. It means we couldn't donate, but she has a shorter, healthier, easier-to-maintain 'do!

Farewell Rapunzel (Part 1)

It was a stormy sky when this was taken

Princess is adamant that she wants her hair cut. She wants it short, like mine (above her shoulders). Right now her hair is down to her waist, and curls slightly at the end. We've cut her hair 5 times in her 4 years on the earth - once was when she was a week old and Hubbyman's grandpa passed away (I cut a small lock for his casket). Once was her first "official" haircut when she was about 14 months old - a dear friend of mine who's a hairdresser evened out her baby hair (the front was longer than the back) and gave her cute bangs. I then gave her 2 bang trims shortly after that, and then a month or two ago I trimmed the ends of her hair and took no more than an inch (if that) off.

But she wants a BIG change. She wants to chop off her 16" ponytail, and she wants to have short hair just like her mommy! We've actually even talked about donating said ponytail (in reality we'd probably cut off just over the 10" needed for Locks of Love) to a child in need.

I might have hinted to it before, but I don't handle change well. And while everyone has told ME that "it'll grow back", I'm still hesitant. I'm not too afraid that she'll regret it - she has been asking for this since October, and I've shown her countless pictures of short hair. I think I might be worried that she'll like it too much and want to keep her hair shorter. She's always had this long, flowing hair. She's always needed a hairband, clip, braid or ponytail. 

But this Sunday, we're heading out for a long-awaited playdate with the same friend who gave Princess her very first haircut, and her daughter. And at some point, I'll say farewell to my Rapunzel! ;)

Wordless Wednesday - Dance Practice

So This is Love...

Sometimes I think my life is a Disney movie ;)

Le sigh...

I'm in love, ladies. IN LOVE.

And I'm not just talking about my husband ;)

We have been house shopping! We went on Friday, and again tonight. Friday we looked at 6 houses from a list of 12 that I sent our Realtor throughout the week. We looked at 2 older houses in one neighborhood (literally right down the block from The Common Sense Crusader!!), 2 older houses that were just minutes away from there, a new house in a BRAND NEW development, and a newer (12 years old) house in a newer development. It was a great chance for us to see in person the houses that had caught our eye online.

Today our Realtor honed in on our comments from Friday, and picked out 4 more houses in the last neighborhood we looked at on Friday.

I am in LOVE :)

The neighborhood mixed all that we love about older neighborhoods (the homes aren't quite so cookie-cutter, lots of parks, schools and rec centers nearby, and the trees along the street are a little bigger) and newer developments (newer houses, open floor plans, and lots of young families).

The last house in particular that we saw was lovely :) It was 1800 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms. The basement is unfinished, but there was a HUGE bonus room upstairs, and a nice backyard. As soon as we walked in, we started daydreaming. We felt a little like we did back when we were house-hunting for our first home - newly engaged, fantasizing about starting a family someday. It's been on the market for awhile, and so my fingers are crossed that when we sign the papers to list (in 2 weeks, as long as everything goes well!) that the house might still be available when we're ready to sign (we were NOT ready to put an offer on it today).

There was also another one we saw today. 4 bedrooms (one in the finished basement), 3.5 bathrooms (again, one in the finished basement - a perfect guest suite!) a beautiful bonus room, and a HUGE deck in the backyard, with enough space to still fit in some sort of play structure for the kids (a newer item on our wishlist). Apparently they have been getting a LOT of showings, but at least we know that we have some good options out there when we go to list! We also have a few more neighborhoods to look at. I don't think they'll be as perfect as what we saw today, but they could definitely still meet our needs (and a few are cheaper too!)

On that note, just 2 weeks left! Eeek! We've said goodbye to the red paint in our livingroom and kitchen (I'll show before and after pics soon!) and the blue wall in our bedroom has gone taupe as well. (SUPER impressed with our painter. He was inexpensive, and did kitchen, livingroom, and bedroom in just under 6 hours! He's coming back at the end of the month to do the basement).

It doesn't feel like our house anymore with all of our personal touches neutralized, but that's ok :) Tonight I found some pretty awesome places we can personalize instead ;)

Fascinating Fascinators Sparked My Pinterest!

It all started with a last-minute trip to a local farmer's market last night, and specifically a stop at a vendor with amazingly adorable hair accessories - mostly clips, bows, flowers, and bands for little girls. Since chopping off my hair (it was almost down to my waist when Tobes was born!) I have been known to steal a flower clip from my daughter to tame an unruly curl on occasion.

I couldn't resist, and I bought Princess yet another flower clip (bringing her count up to 3, as well as a pretty pink chiffon headband from the same vendor on a previous visit) and picked out the brown lacy flower for myself (as seen in the photo).

And then I got to thinking - with my new fab 'do, I want to play around with fun accessories. Maybe not flowers all the time, but fun headbands, and dammit - I want a fascinator! (I may or may not have obsessed over the royal wedding, and I may or may not be desperate to try one myself). I had so much fun searching ebay and etsy which led to my next thought...

I'm a crafter...! What's to stop me from making my own pretties?? So I have started to round up all sorts of awesome DIYs and Tutes for beautiful barrettes, heavenly headbands, and yes - a few fascinating fascinators have made that list ;)

And to organize it all? I have stumbled onto an AWESOME website - www.pinterest.com. It's basically just a place to collect and organize different links, ideas, tutes, recipes, and more! You can make inspiration boards of different pins (for outfits, home decor, menus, etc) And as you build your boards, you can browse other people's for inspiration and share ideas.

It's PERFECT for my crafty self, and as I've started browsing, I'm getting GREAT ideas for the new house too!

So check it out, and find me on there - you can find my new follow button just under my profile on the side of my blog :)

Feeling a Little Displaced

If you've seen my house before (those who know me in real life), you almost wouldn't recognize it now!!

I've cleared the livingroom walls of all pictures in anticipation for this weekend, when our crayon-red walls get painted a nice, neutral taupe. We'll put a few pictures back up, but for the most part it's all staying down. The blue accent in our bedroom is going taupe as well (to match the rest of our walls). Thankfully we're leaving the murals Hubbyman painted in Princess and Tobe's rooms (he put a LOT of effort into them!)

We've got a storage unit for the extra furniture we have, and the basement is being measured for carpet on Wednesday (we've been promised installation by the end of July).

We have 3 weeks until we're hoping to list. We have 3 weeks left of certainty. I don't know how long it'll take to sell. We're hoping to be in a new home by Christmas, but that's just 5 months total from start to finish. How long will it sit on the market? How many offers will we get? What will the final price be? We built our first home, so the process was WAY different - we found the house, got the move-in date, and arranged our leases based on it.

We've obviously never done this before, so the thought of trying to orchestrate selling, buying, move-out and move-in dates. I know people do this all the time, but it's still new and scary exciting and daunting!

Eeep!

Why I Like "Crappy" Music... (and make no apologies for it)

All you people, can't you see, can't you see, NKOTBSB!!! :D

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Backstreet's Back (alright!) and have joined up with New Kids On The Block for every teeny bopper's dream concert! They'll be in town this Tuesday! I have seen Backstreet Boys EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. they've come to town, minus last year, when Tobes was a newborn and I had to make the choice between breastfeeding and Backstreet Boys (it was a tough call, ladies!)

My e-mail account used to be closetbsbfan @ hotmail dot com. I have loved BSB ever since I first heard "Get Down" in grade 9 (1996!). Nick was my favorite at first, but that later changed to Brian, and he's forever been my favorite since.

I make no apologies for my "horrible" taste in music (I like a lot of pop music, though I wish not to disclose other artists at this time ;)) and despite being teased incessantly, boy bands make me happy :)

It's certainly not the deep, soul-stirring lyrics ("You are my fire, my one desire...") or the synthesized music (let's call a spade a spade. Pop stars are NOT musicians. They are pretty faces who can sing and dance and sell magazine covers and put on amAZing shows) that gets my heart racing.

When I listen to my BSB playlist, I feel 14 again. I'm having sleepovers with my friends, and we're buying magazines, taping specials on our VCRs, and saving up allowances for CDs,  posters, and concerts. I had some AWESOME summers with the Backstreet Boys, and I go back there whenever I hear "Backstreet's Back" or "As Long As You Love Me".

So I'll be at that concert on Tuesday night. And I'll lose my voice screaming every time Brian comes on stage ;)

My Reflections on the Last 4 Years...

Tobes, 1 year ago

I have been writing this post over and over and over again. I thought that my "Mommyhood" post was born in May (and left unfinished and rewritten 10 times over), but a search (and cleanup!) though my drafts folder on Blogspot has shown me that I actually had 2 more starts to this topic dating back to March of 2009.

My post on Fatherhood came easily to me. My husband is inspiring, and an amazing father to my 2 children. More than I could ever ask for. It was easy to write about such a fantastic parent.

But what do I say about motherhood? And while I just celebrated my 4th anniversary as a mother, what makes what I have to say any more inspiring than anyone else?

I do not pretend to be an expert, and I do not pretend to be flawless. If anything, I am still climbing a very steep learning curve.

But this is what I HAVE learned about myself and motherhood in the last 4 years...

• Time for myself doesn't have to be time by myself, but it's important either way.
• I find the company of a 4 year old to be one of great fun, and great laughter. Most of the time.
• I finally appreciate my mom's "wait until it's your turn" comment when she seemed frazzled after I spent hours talking nonstop growing up...
• It's ok to be frustrated sometimes.
• It's ok to make mistakes. As long as Princess doesn't write a memoir...
• I am a good mom despite showering alone, having a hairstyle that takes time to style, scrapbooking, or spending money on things for me (those "repost this if you are a REAL mom..." statuses on facebook KILL me!)
• I am crazy-proud of my children for the most ridiculous things.
• I am not as patient as I thought I was. Actually, that's not true. I am just as impatient as I thought I was. And it's my impatience that is my daily lesson.
• Though it may take time for me to gather up courage, I am willing and able to do whatever it takes to protect me and my family no matter what I'm protecting them from.
• To do what's best for me, and to do what's best for my children aren't always the same, but I hope that I will always find a way to keep them compatible.
• Discipline and guiding behaviour is infinitely more daunting a task than I ever imagined.

And finally,

• Motherhood is, at the end of the day, about raising a person. Someday Princess and Tobes will be contributing members of society, and I hope that my family's values and beliefs are instilled in them. I hope they are happy, productive people. I hope they never question God's love for them, and I hope they never question our love for them. 

I am sure there is more I could add to this list, but my daughter's "reading time" is done, and I am being beckoned to pray with her and give her a count-to-ten-snuggle ;)

Family Photos/Pro B-day pics!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that we got family photos done before Sam and Tobes' birthday party (with Sam's family), and we finally got them back :)

The photographer, Jordan Verlage, did an amazing job as per usual ;) He took our maternity photos as well as Tobes 1 month shots.

And now, here's some of my favorites (along with my new banner at the top - did you notice it? It's all shiny and new)!



My babies. My heart soars with pride of them!



Tobes (right) and his bestest buddy Sam





This is going to be blown-up as big as I can and placed above our couch in the new home!



Best buds





Nursing moms (I love this shot)

One big happy family!

I can't post these without one of Toby's Brotha and Otha Motha (and Fatha...)

And here are pictures from Sam and Tobs' first birthday, by the same photographer!