MIA - Happy Birthday Anna

My fears came true. When I signed up for Holidailies I knew I would be ok until Christmas came around. Now I am a few days behind and am still in the throes of the Holiday Season and Celebrating Annas birthday!

I also have forgotten my camera at my Moms so there are no pictures of Christmas for the time being. They are coming though! I promise!

In the meantime,

I would like to wish my Baby Anna a very wonderful 1^st Birthday!

What a big girl you have become! I hope you have a wonderful day and that Lea lets you actually play with your toys!!!

When it rains

It pours.

We have had the strangest weather here this month. We have gone from record snowfalls (more in the last 20 days than all of last winter) to pouring rain today. And I mean pouring, coming down in sheets. It was so strange to take the girls out and to deal with rain once again. It’s the end of December, it should be snowing???? Of course all this rain leads to water problems for quite a few people, myself included.

I noticed yesterday that there were suddenly some wet spots on my living room ceiling. Of course I noticed them about 10 mins after Bee left for work… but that’s not the point. I called one of my neighbours to come and take a look and tell me what he thought (since I am clueless about such things) and he reassured me that the ceiling was not going to cave in and that it was most likely caused by all the snow/ice and rain. You see, when the house is frozen and covered in snow the water has nowhere to go, so it collects, then eventually the ice melts and the water comes in. Hence my living room ceiling. I was sure it was coming from my cupboard upstairs because it was in an almost straight line where the track for my closet doors would be, but I checked the closet, the ceiling, the carpet and all was dry. One of the pitfalls of home ownership is dealing with these kinds of things. Now my concern is that more water will come and it will need to be repaired, and of course there’s the staining as well.

Does that look like a patch job on the left? I wonder if this has been an ongoing issue?

I am very fortunate that it was not worse than it was and it seems to have stopped so hopefully some priming and painting is all it will need. I wonder what the rest of this Winter holds…

2 more dodos!

I have to admit that this is the first year that I have really been truly excited for Christmas in a very long time. There is something about having kids that brings all the magic back! I have been making all my preparations and am hoping to be done by Christmas Eve so that we can just relax and enjoy. Bee is on night shifts so I have spent the last 3 nights wrapping presents. And anyone that knows me, knows that I hate wrapping and that I suck at it! But with Bee working and me at home watching tv, it just doesn’t seem fair to leave it for him. I am pleased to say that I am almost done! All I have left to do is Bees stocking.

It’s so funny how every family tradition is different. Heather and I have been sharing our differences and it’s just so neat that everyone’s Christmas morning routine is different! We leave out empty stockings, the items in the stocking are wrapped, we open stockings upstairs before coming downstairs to see what Santa brought, we wrap gifts from Santa etc…

This will be the first year that we get to leave milk and cookies out for Santa and that has always been one of my favorite memories. I will never forget the year we left out a bowl of sugar for Rudolph and when we woke up the next morning there was an imprint of a reindeer tongue in the sugar! So magical! Last year Lea was still quite young and Bee actually had to work Christmas day so we unwrapped all our gifts on Christmas Eve, hence the no milk and cookies. But, this year we are all home and I think she is old enough to sort of understand that Santa ate the cookies and drank the milk! I can’t wait to see her reaction!

I have a great Christmas eve planned, and I can’t wait to just relax with Bee and watch a movie. I have picked up Egg Nog, chips and mixed nuts, and we are planning on watching the Santa Clause 3. It will be nice to just unwind and spend some time with Bee before the craziness of Christmas begins! Especially since he’s worked the last 4 nights!

The rest of my day...

After my rude awakening yesterday, I wish I could say that the rest of the day got better but it didn’t. (Not until the very end of the day). I decided to take the girls out to get some last minute shopping done and took my sister in law Kerri with me. I picked her up just after 11am and off we went. Lea was upset in the car the whole time, was actually throwing a screaming, hissy, tantrum, fit. She wanted Daddy and no amount of consoling would do. So, Kerri and I just did our best to ignore her and continued on our way!

Did you know, that the person at Tim Hortons will take pity on you when you go through the drive-thru with a screaming child and give you a large coffee instead of a small and then wish you “good luck!”

Things got better when I was able to get Lea out of the car and let her walk a bit. She was great in the store, and we averted a major crisis when she dropped her timbit on the floor by grabbing a package of fruit snacks and giving her one of those instead. The rest of the day went pretty well, Lea took a nap in the car on the way home and Bee got to sleep a lot later than normal since we were out.

I would like to say that Lea got better, but she has been so whiny these last few days. I just spoke to her Grand Father and apparently the Holidays can cause as much stress as a negative experience and the result is a tired, cranky child. Add to that the fact that she is 2 and definitely testing her limits and it makes for lots of challenges for us.

When dinner time came around, I had planned to have the always nutritious, quick and easy old reliable chicken nuggets, fries and frozen veggies. I have planned to make enough for all of us, but little did I know that we only had a couple chicken fingers and a very small amount of fries left. So, the girls ate, and we didn’t. Just one more thing to add to my bad day!

After Bee left for his night shift, I decided to bathe the girls. It is usually a good distraction for them (since they don’t like to see Daddy leave) and that was an adventure all on it’s own. I am learning that two kids means constantly changing routines and the way I do things. My new challenge is that Lea can now climb in and out of the tub on her own. When bathing the girls together, I used to take Anna out first, dry her off and dress her on the floor while Lea played in the tub. Last night, I took Anna out first, as usual and Lea decided to follow suit. I now had two, wet, cold, dripping girls to deal with. What a mess J

I know this may sound like a terrible day, but it actually ended very well. Anna was very tired, and grumpy and possibly teething. For the first time in months, she fell asleep on my chest and we just lay together on the couch that way for quite some time. One of things that I miss the most about having babies is cuddling with them, especially when they are asleep. It was such a great end to an otherwise lousy day; to lie on the couch, with the lighted tree and my sleeping babe (oh, and Young and the Restless of course!).

Tough Morning and Tough Love

I have always considered myself a morning person. I have no problem waking up early and starting my day (just don’t expect me to stay up past 10pm). One of the things that I have had to learn to accept and deal with when I had the girls was saying goodbye to my peaceful, quiet mornings. Most times I can get them up, changed and fed and then sit down to enjoy my morning coffee while they have breakfast. Today, that wasn’t the case.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love being a stay at home Mom and I really do cherish the time that I get to spend with the girls but, there are some instances that make it very very hard to not wish that I could be anywhere else on earth. This morning was one of those times. Bee is on night shifts (just finished his first one), which means that most times he is home and in bed before the kids wake up. Normally this isn’t a problem and Lea quietly comes downstairs with me. This morning was totally different. I think there is so much going on right now, preparing for the Holidays, Bees extra shift at work, his going out shopping (for me of course!), the girls’ colds, her teething, the list goes on and on; that it is affecting her behavior. Ever since she was very little she has always favored Daddy. She is the epitome of a “Daddy’s Girl” and no amount of spoiling, or time alone with me will fix that. I have come to accept it (for the most part, but people keep telling me it will change so I’m secretly hoping!) but there are times that it is very trying for me, to not be the one she wants.

This morning Bee was already in bed when Lea woke up. I’m not sure if she heard him walking around or what, but she woke up mere minutes after he came to bed. I went to get her as usual, wishing her good morning and what not, and she threw a fit. I believe her words were “no mommy, daddy!”. She threw herself down in her crib, buried her head and screamed. I calmly explained that Daddy was sleeping, that he had worked all night and that we would see him after lunch, but at this point she was so worked up that it didn’t help. I myself was still half asleep and in no mood to deal with this tantrum first thing in the morning. So, I used some tough love. I told her that if Mommy couldn’t get her out of bed than she could stay there and walked out of her room. This of course set her off even more. I sat on the foot of my bed and listened to her scream and tried to catch my breath. I would like to say that I wasn’t angry and hurt but that would be a lie. (Oh, about this time I heard Anna cry out too. No doubt roused from her peaceful slumber by her screaming sister *sigh*). After calming myself a little, I went back into Lea’s room and tried to talk to her again. At this point she seemed to understand that it was Mommy or nothing and she let me pick her up and bring her downstairs. She was a little upset for about 30 minutes but after having some milk and quiet time, she came around and now is acting totally fine, like nothing had happened.

I wish I could say that I felt the same. I know that she loves and misses her Daddy, I know that as a stay at home mom I am good old reliable Mom, always around, but it hurts to know that she doesn’t want me. Especially first thing in the morning when she’s been asleep all night. I hope that this is just a phase but I must admit that it’s one of the harder parts of raising a toddler, at least for me.

Is the coffee ready yet?

Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

I've been a good Mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the pediatricians office more than my own doctor, and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my daughter's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room, between cycles.... and who knows when I'll find any more free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache, (in any color, except purple, I already have purple) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy. If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, 'Yes, Mommy' to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting 'Don't eat in the living room' and 'Take your hands off your sister,' because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog. If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare chocolate a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my daughter saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think she wants me to feed her or take her somewhere..Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet. (you promised me last year you would lose some weight with me so next year you and I could be a cute size six...Okay, some requests go too far.....

Yours Always,

MOM

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children, healthy, safe. and of course, young enough to always believe in Santa.

*Santa has asked that this gets passed on to all the Mommies that you know.

Baked Tomato and Cheese Pasta

Every month I receive a copy of Today’s Parent in the mail. I have been receiving this magazine since before I knew I was even pregnant. It is chock full of good idea, articles, advice and my favorite, recipes! I trust that the recipes they print are nutritionally sound and approved by kids as well! The new January issue has quite a few recipes that I plan on trying, that I have actually gone so far as to get the ingredients for. When trying to decide what to make for dinner tonight, I remembered that I had bought Ricotta Cheese to try this recipe and that I had leftover pasta and sauce in the fridge from dinner a few nights ago. After all the cookie making fun, I decided that it might be nice to have an easy to make, quick dinner. I believe there is still some garlic bread left and I will throw together a salad for the adults in the house.

Now I need to figure out what to do with the rest of the Ricotta cheese. It is not something that I normally buy so I will need to find another use for it. Any ideas?

Baked Tomato and Cheese Pasta

1 lb (500 g) penne, rotini, shells or other medium-sized pasta shape
3 cups (750 mL) spaghetti sauce, store-bought or homemade
1 cup (250 mL) ricotta cheese
½ cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan
¼ cup (50 mL) fresh basil, chopped
1 ½ cups (375 mL) shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease one 9 x 13 in (23 x 33 cm) rectangular baking dish or two 8 in (20 cm) square baking dishes.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but not mushy. Drain well, then rinse under cold water and drain thoroughly. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together half of the spaghetti sauce (1½ cups/375 mL), the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and basil. Add the drained pasta and mix well. Spread some of the remaining spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish (or dishes). Cover with the pasta mixture, then spoon the remaining spaghetti sauce overtop. Sprinkle evenly with the mozzarella cheese and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned on top.

Makes about 6 servings.

Originally published in Today's Parent, January 2008