Twinkle, my little star

After all the usual bedtime business around here the Lamb and I settle in for a good snuggle and a bit of a chat. Tonight I asked her what was the best part of her day and what was the worst part. She told me that getting dressed was the best part (total clothes horse obviously, today's outfit was a jean skirt and a blue striped top with collar, very smart. both hand-me-downs, smart mama). The worst part, she went on to describe, was at preschool. Playing "stage" she got up to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". She sang the whole thing over again for my benefit. I asked her if we were talking about the worst part of her day, because all this sounded kind of good...

"Oh, it was the worst part Mama. They were clapping at me, and they were listening..." shaking her little head in dismay.

I thought it was funny how she said that the other kids were clapping at her, rather than for her, and that she was so horrified that the class was actually listening to her... Sometimes you don't need an online personality test to know what you like and what you just don't.

Care for a distraction?

Here I am, sitting on the couch. I'm just messing around on the computer for a few minutes before I have to wake the Lion up, dress her up, drive to the Lamb's school, pick her up, go grocery shopping, then drive downtown to pick up the Professor, then come home, unload the groceries and cook dinner. So you can see why I'm stealing these few minutes for rest...

I was catching up on the blogs I check frequently and came upon a link for a personality test. I love all that get-to-know-yourself introspective stuff, so I took and it surprised me by how accurate it was.

I am:

warm and affirming by nature

intuitive

little patience for people who are not genuine

dedicated to relationships

good communication skills, especially written

take commitments very seriously
seeking lifelong relationships (romantic and other)

warm and caring parent

want their children to be individuals with a voice in the family

extreme dislike of conflict or criticism

striving for perfection, and may demand it in others

have very high expectations for themselves and others

not good with money & practical day-to-day life necessities

I didn't say all the comments were good. The last comment made me laugh out loud because anyone who knows me knows that I am easily overwhelmed with day-to-day matters like cooking, and I would much rather sit on the floor with my kids than vacuum it!!

If you're up for a bit of a distraction, you can do the same personality test, HERE.

Then to read what the results mean, go to this page:

http://www.personalitypage.com/****_rel.html

But substitute the **** with the letters you were given to describe your personality type.

For example, mine was http://www.personalitypage.com/INFJ_rel.html

Have fun! (send me an email and tell me who you are...)

Found my calling at last

The Lamb has watched a Berenstain Bears episode called The Talent Show. In this episode the Bear Country School is putting on a talent show and Brother Bear is the talent scout. He is looking to find people's special talent. In the wake of this, the Lamb has decided to take on the role of Utica Avenue Talent Scout.

Discovered today:

Ozayr's special talent is "showering" and mine is "putting things in storage."

Nice to know she sees the best in me. ;)

Cuteness lives here

Here's the thing about the Lion. She's incredibly feisty. Incredibly determined. She can throw a tantrum like no child I've ever seen. She can publicly humiliate you to the point of tears but 30 seconds later she is kissing you all over and you think you've never seen such an adorable child. You are thinking to yourself how lucky you must be even though a minute ago you were practically ducking for cover from the assault of her fury. She's sugar and spice. She has charm, that girl, charm. When she wants to use it. Here's a video for a quick example of why we keep coming back for more...

Over Breakfast:

Me: So the Lion slept through her early morning feeding this morning. She still hasn't nursed yet.

O: Wow.

Me: Yeah.

O: Maybe she's... self-weaning.


*pause*


followed by


**HYSTERICAL LAUGHTER**


Me: (sighs) whew! that's a good one.

O: (smiles) yeah...

the kings do the cooking

We've been having lots of conversations around here lately about dolls. Which are appropriate, which are not, and which dolls can be enjoyed, but maybe need a bit of discussion along with them.

The Lamb loves All Things Girly especially princesses, but because we don't watch the Disney movies, she's a little hazy on the exact details. She's kind of filling in the blanks on her own. I want the girls to be critical thinkers, I want them to question those fairy-tale mores, so our talks take on a bit of a comical tone, with me being the devil's advocate most of the time. But never doubt this: a 4 year-old has an answer for everything. :)

Buyers Beware

It is a treacherous sea of toy choices for your young ones... After doing a bit of holiday shopping this week I thought I would share with you some of the most confusing toy choices out there... Some are weird, some are baffling... some are just wrong.

This is the toy I spotted in a Walmart catalogue that inspired this post...


It's Robo-Panda. Because we all know that baby pandas are cute and cuddly... except when they are cold and metallic... with glowing eyes...

I could not possibly discuss toy trends for children without mentioning Bratz. There is no end to my dislike of these dolls (which incidentally are outselling Barbie, 2 to 1).

Huge eyes, giant mouths and no discernible nose. (oh yeah, and don't forget those hemlines...)

This toy makes me laugh. It's a motorbike, a scaled-down version of those cars for older kids. This product is geared for kids Hafsa's age. Let's go over that again. A motorized vehicle. For a 2 year old. Mine can barely be stopped from running out into traffic. With this she could drive herself into harm's way at every possible opportunity. Possibly the worst idea I have ever heard.


Haven't the Shrek people squeezed every last penny they could from their franchise success?

Apparently not - now there's Baby Shrek for the little girl crowd. I'm kind of baffled by this one because I just really don't think this doll is cute. At all...

And just for the ultimate combination of two commercial evils: Bratz Shrek.
This next toy just cracks me up. Heaven forbid you should put your child on a real bike and put him or her outside with real trees and roads. Why do that when you can buy this 'virtual' bike and he can 'unknowingly' exercise in front of the TV instead, without the possibly harmful effects of fresh air and social interaction?

And after the novelty wears off, does the child just hang his laundry on it like every other abandoned stationary exercise bike in civilization?

Let's PAY McDonalds to advertise inside our home, shall we?


And lastly, I thought I would leave you with this one. Not because it's particularly offensive to my sensibilities but more because maybe someone out there could tell me, WHY?

Happy Shopping!!

Hello. How've you been?

What can I say about the last few weeks except to say that I'm glad they are over? November has been exhausting and we're only halfway through it. Thankfully there are 2 things that are lifting my spirits and pulling me through this second half... (1) it's (American) thanksgiving next week and Ozayr has a FOUR day weekend (which means that I have a FOUR day weekend), and (2) we're booking our tickets to Ottawa - the official commencement of my anticipation and excitement over our upcoming winter trip. I will see my brother for the first time in a year, and hold my new niece for the first time... There are lots of things that I'm really looking forward to, not in the least is just spending some time with my husband, just relaxing and hanging out. We need a break and it definitely helps to know that there is one on the horizon.

Otherwise there is not much especially new in the world of parenting 2 young daughters... The Lamb is becoming ever-more sophisticated in expressing her needs ("but Mom, the crust on this bread is upsetting to me...") and the Lion can officially start her own race ("set! GO!") so life continues at its normal, neck-breaking pace with all the joys and tumbles that come with it...

I am going to visit the doctor tomorrow and hopefully start a course of antibiotics that will put an end to my troubles. Many thanks for all the concerned phone calls which started out with "you sound terrible!" Trust me, if you spoke to me today, this is BETTER.

Ah look, it's 9 o'clock now, my new bedtime as of late. Sweet dreams...

Coming out of the fog

It's early, something like 6:30 a.m. I have the cold that the Lamb had, that she gave to the Lion, who gave it to me. Ozayr came home yesterday and already says that he has a sore throat, and that's the beginning. We love to share in this family. Anyway, I'm up well before everyone else simply because my head WILL explode if I lie down another minute. So I've been up since 5:30, but with little energy. I've side-stepped the toys on the floor to go and make another cup of tea.

It's been a rough time, this last couple of weeks... Ozayr has been away a lot and the kids have been sick. My uncle Roger passed away late last week. But now that we are kind of coming out of all that, I am trying to look at the bright side (since when did I become the optimist?).

Good thing #1: In my uncle's passing I sort of reconnected with a few of my cousins, which was nice. Part of the letter I wrote to them was used in his eulogy, which is very emotional for me. I feel honoured that what I said mattered enough that my cousin would want to share it. I feel extremely pleased that I could contribute somehow.

Good thing #2: Though Ozayr and I have been apart a lot lately, there's a real sweetness in being together again. On the nights he has been in town we've just been sitting together in the evenings, drinking tea and talking, instead of each being preoccupied with our other interests, checking emails etc. It's nice. He even wrote me poetry on the road...

Good thing #3: The girls are SO CUTE when they've lost their voices, my goodness. I know it's just wrong to laugh when obviously they are so sick and all, but man, it's cute. The Lamb seems to have come out of the moaning misery stage, and the Lion is disturbed by her sickness, but not thoroughly unhappy, so they are getting better. *Yay* for healthy little bodies that bounce back.

Good thing #4: There's lookin' to be some Me-time this week. Oh God, you know I need this, lol. I have a hair appointment and book club and writing time and maybe even another escape to myself coming up this week. I am going to side-step the guilt and unwind a bit. I am very close with my girls and I adore them, but sometimes I need the opportunity to stand back a bit, to see them from a distance, to come home and be excited to see them again...

Good thing #5: This is about to happen any minute: big morning breakfast, ALL TOGETHER. Love it. :)

GOOD THING #6!! It is SO GOOD that I forgot to put it in my list and had to add it later! I have a new niece! Baby Z joined the family November 1st. Ozayr's brother has 2 sons already and now can add a little girl to the troupe! Ozayr brought back pictures of her and she is adorable, machallah. I can't wait to snuggle her in a few weeks' time. :) :) :)

Guess where my parents are right now?

See article (or let the title speak for itself):

East Gippsland

like an 'inland sea'

They are actually on the other side of Melbourne from Gippsland - but not far enough I would say. Flash floods, rocks falling on the roads, buckets and buckets of rain and gale force winds. On the phone this afternoon you could tell they were absolutely giddy for having survived so far in their little road trip with Dan.

They probably should have known better: they are traveling with Dan. Everywhere Daniel has traveled in Australia so far has been awash in record rainfall and downpours. Earlier this year he spent 10 days on the Sunshine Coast - and it rained every day. Now Mom and Dad are traveling with him somewhere just outside of Melbourne and the weather, well, it just ain't great (uh, see pics).

They are safe, and things are looking up, Dan's heading back to Adelaide for school today. Sunshine for the rest of the week I would imagine. We should consider sending the boy out to areas in the world suffering from drought. He could do a massive service to humankind.

a welcome and goodbye

he
wise
with a wry smile
and dry wit
rough cheeks
and a woodcherry pipe
my favourite memory
a careening boat
on lake baptiste
watching him
come into view
my childhood bags
in hand.
i am
his
niece

she
unknowing
pure
soft cheeks
yet to feel my kiss
all our memories
yet to come
welcome child
we will hold you
tight
your years ahead
to share.
you are
my
niece