Worn Out, Worn Down and just plain worn...

I don't think I've complained for a while. So I'm due for a good rant.

I am tired. So tired that I'm sick. You know when you sort of get a cold from sheer exhaustion? That's what I have. My nose is runny and I've been fighting off a headache all day.

This fatigue is the result of several nights of poor or just plain rotten amounts of sleep. I have chosen to believe that Miss A is teething. She has cut both of her first molars on the top despite the fact that there is no sign of her top cuspid (fang) teeth or anything on the bottom other than the two central incisors that she's had for months now. This chart tells you approximately when all of their baby teeth are supposed to come in. As you can see A does not follow this chart in the slightest possible way. The only reason I care is because the fact that her teeth are coming in all willy nilly means I had NO FLIPPIN' CLUE what teeth she might be cutting. Knowing might help to explain her crankiness and help me to respond accordingly. At the moment I'm assuming she's cutting both her top and bottom molars. Why? Because I can't imagine her being more irritable and miserable than this.

It seems to be affecting her appetite hugely. The kid who normally eats everything and anything can't even tolerate the old stand by foods that she'll ALWAYS eat. Actually, I think her appetite is fine it is the fact that eating hurts that causes her to eat less. Last night at supper I made one of her favorite meals. She ate an adequate amount but then when I gave her yogurt which is always well received she actually threw it on the floor when I wasn't looking. When I asked her “Did you throw your yogurt on the floor?” she replied “No.” I then tried some ice cream thinking it would feel nice and cold on her sore mouth. This should have been a huge hit. After a few mouthfuls she refused this as well. If the kid won't eat ice cream then there is definitely something wrong!

The worst thing of all is that due to my lack of sleep I also lack patience. She is more needy and demanding and I am less equipped to deal with her behavior. Doesn't parenting sometimes seem like the cruelest joke is being played on you? Like – Although you are totally unable to deal with the slightest thing, such as spilling a tiny bit of cream on the counter without bursting into tears, you have this toddler who is completely unreasonable and inconsolable to look after. I almost start laughing sometimes because I can't believe how ridiculous things can be. Those are the times when I feel like I must really be going crazy.

Anyway, I am crossing my fingers for a good nights sleep tonight. Which will also make this fatigue sickness thing disappear and turn me into a perfectly patient, happy, wonderful mama by tomorrow. Yup. That's gonna happen.

Explanation

I realized that when I posted the video I was in that I never really gave much explanation. And surprisingly no one really asked any questions. Also somewhat surprisingly all the feedback was positive. Cool.

For any of you who don't know what the heck I'm talking about, here is the video.



I met Myles and his brother when I was 15. Since high school he hasn't been living close by for much of the time. He joined an art collective group for a while and made movies. But now he's living here again. We have been hanging out. And he writes music. And then we started singing together sometimes. And then we liked a song so much we decided to make a video to go with it. The End.

The best part is that the entire video was filmed in my living room with a blue screen behind us. And Myles magically put us in the subway, at an ATM and me – in jail. Awesome!

Anyway, thanks to those of you who have left nice comments. I'm not sure if there will be any more videos or not. It depends if anything else we do is that good again.

Winning Can Be So Sweet

I am happy to announce that long time client, first time winner Jen K is our Say WHAT? winner for this week. The quote certainly was from 'Weird Science'.


(Nice Picture Jen!)

I don't have a lot to say about this movie. I think it appeals more to the type of guys who essentially were the two main characters in the film when they were teenagers. Hormonally charged geeks. Since I have a weakness for geeks, it works for me.

Here's the trailer I found.

WARNING: There is a quick flash of a picture of a womans breasts. Just so that I don't surprise and thus offend any of you.

Say WHAT?

It's Friday again and that means it's time for Say WHAT? The AMAZING 80's quote trivia game. In case you haven't played before, here is the down low – At the bottom of this post you will find a quote from an 80's movie. If you choose to play you must, without using the internet as a resource, guess which 80's movie the quote has been taken from. But here is where the rules have changed. If by Sunday we still don't have a winner anyone may go ahead and Google away. The first person to give the correct movie wins! Fun, huh? Leave your guesses in the comments section and if you are the first to correctly identify the quote, you win! I announce the winner on Sunday and that winner receives acknowledgment, linkage and if they have a profile picture I post that also. I recap the winner every Friday and include all of the aforementioned information. And hey, even if you don't know the answer just give me a shout out. I like to know who's stopped by!

Jenn won last week by Googling the quote from 'Class'. Seriously people. Two Brat Packers. This one SHOULD be easy. (It's so easy for me to be smug when I don't have to guess...)



Time for today's quote. Don't forget to come back on Sunday (or maybe Monday if I'm lazy) to see if you are a winner. Have fun and good luck!

“We need more input. We gotta fill this thing up with data. We gotta make her as real as possible, Wyatt. I want her to live. I want her to breathe. I want her to aerobicize.”

YouTubesday

It's funny on these days I seem to gravitate towards music videos... Interesting.

The first time I saw this video (1994) I fell in complete and utter love with Blur. They are all stinkin' cute, even the drummer although he's last on the list. And I still remember all of their names. I especially loved Alex's hair swaying back and forth as he rocked the bass guitar. From that moment on I have been a devoted Blur fan. Watching it again, I realize I had forgotten about the strange kissing bald people...



And now there is The Good, The Bad and The Queen. I saw an interview with Damon Albarn on The Hour. It was a really good interview but I couldn't help obsessing over the state of Damon's teeth. They are looking frighteningly similar to Shane McGowan's.



It's such a shame because he's such a freakin' cutie and rotten teeth are such a turn off. Maybe he's doing it on purpose. Maybe he's tired of being so darn handsome. Perhaps he thinks his good looks are preventing people from taking his music seriously. Maybe he's rejecting society's idea of what is attractive. But me? I like a pretty smile, so it upsets me. Anyway here is a video of theirs as well.

The Blur

Now that the warmer weather has finally arrived we have been trying to get out more. We have started taking Miss A to various playgrounds which are close to our house. On Sunday evening the three of us went for a stroll and had a play on this fabulous structure. As you can see there are plenty of things on which our little monkey can hone her climbing skilz. Her Grandma would have had about five heart attacks if she had been there with us. “Watch out! She's going to fall. Don't let her do that. Please make her get down.”






I had to set our camera to the sports setting and still I often was only able to catch her blurry body running by.




I think her expression in this photo pretty much captures the level of excitement that she has for this activity.



The only downside to doing this sort of thing with her is convincing her that it is time to go home. Her Dada usually has to haul her away kicking and screaming. Poor little psycho.

I am looking forward to setting up her little inflatable pool in the back yard. (A couple of months from now, it's still WAY too cold for that yet) I think it's going to be a blast. Who knows I may even get a tiny bit of a tan. That would be astounding.

I'm a Rapper, Yo

Here it is. My Rap video debut. 'ATM is a Robot' written by Myles. Performed by Myles and Mama D. Video by Myles.

And yes, the camera does add ten pounds. At least.

Hair

There are some new developments with hair around here. Mine, first of all. It's been a long time coming. I made a valiant return to 'The Bob'. As you can see looking way back to October 2005 that is the haircut I was sporting.



And then it grew. And grew. And grew. Until it ended up looking like this.



Which wasn't so bad. I could braid it. And put it up. Wear it wavy or straight. But most of the time I just put it in a pony tail. And I was getting less and less creative when it came to doing something interesting with it for work. Because I'm a hair stylist this can be problematic. So one day a couple of weeks ago I was driving to work and as my hair was sticking to my neck I thought “This hair is too hot (and not in the Paris Hilton way), it's got to go.” So the next day I let my boss cut it off.

This picture was taken on Peter's birthday. Rockin' the new hair. You can see it in action tomorrow when I post the Rap video I am in.




And then there is Miss A. Yesterday I gave her her very first pony tail. (Not counting bathtub ponies) It was special for church. She kept touching it when I first put it in and then she forgot about it. I could only fit the mullet part of her hair into the pony and everything else just looked short. I thought it was cute anyway. I long for the days when she'll have luxurious hair that we can actually do stuff with. I know, I know by then she likely won't let me come near her head with a ten foot pole. Let me have my dream...

Stumpers

Jenn finally Googled the quote. It's from "Class". I can't believe I stumped you all so badly two weeks in a row. I guess I'll pick something easy next week. I didn't really think this one was so hard. It's got both Rob Lowe AND Andrew McCarthy in it. Wasn't that reason enough to see a movie back then?



I couldn't find a trailer or a clip that was strictly from "Class' so this one has scenes from both 'Pretty in Pink' and 'Mannequin' in it. Any true Andy fan will be able to tell which is which. Personally, I think he looks the cutest in 'Class'. But I am an absolute sucker for a baby face. Which I'm pretty sure was the reason for his success. Because the acting? Looking back now, leaves a little to be desired.

Jenn asked me to tell you what I liked about this film or whether or not I'd recommend seeing it and I have to confess that I don't remember seeing it myself. I wouldn't be surprised if I did in fact see it though. Peter was the one who suggested it because honestly... sometimes I can't come up with anything. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to start cycling through movies I've used already, just picking different quotes.

Anyway, here is the video.

Say WHAT?

It's Friday again and that means it's time for Say WHAT? The AMAZING 80's quote trivia game. In case you haven't played before, here is the down low – At the bottom of this post you will find a quote from an 80's movie. If you choose to play you must, without using the internet as a resource, guess which 80's movie the quote has been taken from. But here is where the rules have changed. If by Sunday we still don't have a winner anyone may go ahead and Google away. The first person to give the correct movie wins! Fun, huh? Leave your guesses in the comments section and if you are the first to correctly identify the quote, you win! I announce the winner on Sunday and that winner receives acknowledgment, linkage and if they have a profile picture I post that also. I recap the winner every Friday and include all of the aforementioned information. And hey, even if you don't know the answer just give me a shout out. I like to know who's stopped by!

Alas, I have no one to link this week. No one won last week by identifying "Dangerous Liaisons". Just in case that ever happens again. That I don't actually tell you to Google. When it's Sunday, all bets are off. Go ahead. Just somebody win already!

Time for today's quote. Don't forget to come back on Sunday (or maybe Monday if I'm lazy) to see if you are a winner. Have fun and good luck!



"One thing I don't need right now is the world according to Skippy here. Do us both a favour, huh? Just shut up."

YouTubesday

I got on the 'Buffy' train late. I resisted because it was so popular. But then Peter downloaded the first season a few years back. I reluctantly agreed to watch the first episode. Then the second, and the third. Next thing you know we had watched three seasons in one month and made up code language such as "Want to watch 'Buffy'?" Translation: "Wanna go to The Bronze?" (For non fans out there 'The Bronze' is the club they hung out at all the time as well as a place where much vampire shenanigans and slaying occurred.)

We finally caught up during the last season and had to wait to watch episodes week by week. It was torture. I was sad to see it end. It had been a fun obsession. One day I'm sure we'll watch all the episodes over again. It's fun to watch her style evolve from the late 90's to 2003.

Anyway, this is from the musical episode. (How cool is that?) Even if you aren't a Buffy fan you can probably appreciate this song or at the very least Anthony Head's singing. (Giles) Makes me a bit weak in the knees, it does.

"What can't we face if we're together?" Sounds like a good family motto to me.

Mama D's Journal (yawn...)

I'm not sure what's wrong with me. I don't really have anything to say. Well... nothing very interesting anyway. Yet I feel compelled to write SOMETHING, anything. So here goes.

Friday April 13th – Surprise party for Peter at our friends place. We had a BBQ and a DQ cake. Visited and played American Idol Karaoke Revolution. I was disappointed in my overall performance. I didn't dominate the way I did the last time we played. It was just okay for me, dog.

Saturday April 14th – After I finished work we finished the rest of our packing and headed to Winnipeg to stay with Peter's brother and family. Miss A periodically screamed for the last ½ hour of the drive nearly causing me to have an accident or purposely drive into oncoming traffic (just kidding). By the time we got there our nerves were frazzled but she wasn't finished screaming. We felt like terrible parents because we had zero patience left. Peter took A outside to play and all was well. We had a great supper and a really nice visit. Miss A refused to miss anything and wouldn't go to bed. She was very angry about being left in her playpen and wouldn't have anything to do with it. At 1 am I finally lay down with her in our bed and she fell asleep. I then snuck her back into the playpen where she slept the rest of the night.

Sunday April 15th – I went to the ABA while Peter and A stayed with the family. The hair show was pretty good. I was able to sit and listen to some really talented people and see some really cool hair. Miss A apparently had a really rough day because she was so dang tired. When Peter came to pick me up at the show she was already hardcore passed out in her car seat and proceeded to sleep the rest of the way home!

Monday April 16th – Peter's actual birthday. I arranged a babysitter and we went out for supper (gift certificate, YEAH!) and to 'Blades of Glory'. Yes, it was funny. We had a nice time. It was so great to have some time together.

Tuesday April 17th – Watched a friend's two kids in the morning, filmed a rap video with a friend in the afternoon. Yes, you read that right. I'm a bit scared, but knowing him it will turn out awesome. I will link the video when it is finished. Played volleyball in the evening and the other team killed us. At least I got to slide across the gym floor on my kneepads a few times.

That pretty much catches you all up. Looking back I guess I haven't had a lot of time to write either. Wake up! It's over.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Today is my dear sweet husband's birthday.

Happy Birthday, my love. You are my best friend, a wonderful father and the hunkiest man I know.

A video from the Karaoke Revolution surprise party extravaganza soon to follow!

No Winner?

I was away at a hair show today and I didn't remind you all to Google this quote.

It is from 'Dangerous Liaisons' set in the 1700's but an eighties film none the less. I find John Malkovich irresistible in this movie which is exactly the point I suppose. The hair, costumes and makeup are lovely and although it's a terribly depressing film it is also hopeful in a way.

Anyhow. Since it would seem that most of you haven't seen it, I suggest that you do. Here is a small taste.

Say WHAT?

It's Friday again and that means it's time for Say WHAT? The AMAZING 80's quote trivia game. In case you haven't played before, here is the down low – At the bottom of this post you will find a quote from an 80's movie. If you choose to play you must, without using the internet as a resource, guess which 80's movie the quote has been taken from. But here is where the rules have changed. If by Sunday we still don't have a winner anyone may go ahead and Google away. The first person to give the correct movie wins! Fun, huh? Leave your guesses in the comments section and if you are the first to correctly identify the quote, you win! I announce the winner on Sunday and that winner receives acknowledgment, linkage and if they have a profile picture I post that also. I recap the winner every Friday and include all of the aforementioned information. And hey, even if you don't know the answer just give me a shout out. I like to know who's stopped by!

The Big Fugr made a big comeback with his knowledge of Tom Cruise movies. Good job!



Time for today's quote. Don't forget to come back on Sunday (or maybe Monday if I'm lazy) to see if you are a winner. Have fun and good luck!




"Well I had no choice, did I? I'm a woman. Women are obliged to be far more skillful than men. You can ruin our reputation and our life with a few well-chosen words. So of course I had to invent not only myself but ways of escape no one has ever thought of before. And I've succeeded because I've always known I was born to dominate your sex and avenge my own."

YouTubesday

I know Plantain is not a big John Mayer fan but I keep trying to change her mind. Maybe this video can do it. It has to be my favorite song by him. Come on. How can you help yourself? The way he plays his guitar, both gently and rough. It's perfection.

And don't even get me started about his hair. Delicious.

Ah crap, I have to link it. Embedding is disabled. Go there. Watch it. Love it.

Why I Blog

I'm still trying to catch my breath after Easter. You would THINK that I would be rested because I took Saturday off which meant I had five, that's right FIVE days off in a row. But you see we traveled on Friday to see my mother in law and traveled back Sunday only to quickly unpack and head to my mothers for Easter supper. We were lucky enough to have Peter home on Monday as well but the day seemed to fly by with yet more food at my moms and my first class back at TaeKwon Do. (YAY!) And today wasn't much better. The A-ster and I were running all day. So needless to say I'm not feeling very rested. Sigh...

I do have a story for you all to enjoy. A story that will make the majority of my readers breathe sighs of relief that their children have never done such a thing.

The story takes place at Grandma D's house. Once we were settled in after the two hour drive most of which A spent sleeping the four of us were enjoying a bit of television together. Miss A often goes up to the television to point out something to everyone. Not a big deal. But for some reason she suddenly decided that it would be a good idea for her to try to climb the television. She placed one hand then the other on the top of the TV. We all sat there watching, yet seemingly paralyzed.

And then it happened. The TV began to fall. There was nothing any of us could do. And just like in an action movie Miss A somehow dodged out of the way of the falling television set. And stood there in shock as it sat screen down on the floor. I yelled her name out of instinct immediately causing her to begin crying. Peter set the TV back on the entertainment center only to find that the color was all messed up like the way a calculator screen goes all crazy when you push on it. Luckily we had a spare TV to use because, for goodness sakes what would we do without TV?

Grandma was very gracious and not at all angry. She was just so relieved that A wasn't hurt as were Peter and I but once those feelings wore off we were just blown away by the fact that our offspring had just destroyed something so expensive. She now holds the record in both our families for the most expensive thing wrecked by a grandchild.

I can't help but be embarrassed. I feel negligent. What if she had gotten hurt? Then I guess I'd just feel worse. Seriously, I didn't order such a busy, rambunctious, monkey of a child. I ordered a well behaved, calm, relaxed one. Who messed up my order?

We offered to buy Grandma a new television. Of course she declined. She 'needed' a bigger one anyway. Not to worry. Yeah. Thanks Grandma. We promise to keep her away from all of your expensive appliances from now on. Or bring a medium sized cage to keep her in when we visit.

My only consolation when stuff like this happens is that I can blog about it. Imagining the shocked looks, the “Oh No!”'s, the hands held up to you mouths when you read that A almost pulled a television set down on top of herself, makes it all worth while. Knowing that someone can feel comforted by the fact that while their child may be mischievous and get into their fair share of trouble they have never broken a television. That friends, brings me comfort and it is the reason I blog.

Ashamed to Win

The Big Fugr won although he was ashamed he knew the quote. When Peter threw 'Cocktail' out as a suggestion I had to look it up to see that it was indeed an 80's movie. Sure enough it was made in 1988. I always thought of it as more of a crappy 90's film. That made it seem like a good pick. I thought it might be more of a challenge.

I'm not a huge fan of Tom either frankly but if I had to pick a decade that I liked him most it would have to be the 80's. Back in the day before braces, jumping on couches and trying to give people advice on treating depression. Come on now. That's just silly.

But I have to say that 'Vanilla Sky' is one of my favorite movies. For so many reasons.

Anyway here is an infamous drink mixing scene for ya'll to enjoy. And also to remind you not to bother watching it again.

Say WHAT?

Happy Easter everyone! I'll be posting the winner on Monday. Have fun!

It's Friday again and that means it's time for Say WHAT? The AMAZING 80's quote trivia game. In case you haven't played before, here is the down low – At the bottom of this post you will find a quote from an 80's movie. If you choose to play you must, without using the internet as a resource, guess which 80's movie the quote has been taken from. But here is where the rules have changed. If by Sunday we still don't have a winner anyone may go ahead and Google away. The first person to give the correct movie wins! Fun, huh? Leave your guesses in the comments section and if you are the first to correctly identify the quote, you win! I announce the winner on Sunday and that winner receives acknowledgment, linkage and if they have a profile picture I post that also. I recap the winner every Friday and include all of the aforementioned information. And hey, even if you don't know the answer just give me a shout out. I like to know who's stopped by!

Omar is really getting into the swing of this game, pulling out another win last week. If he keeps this up he'll be setting records soon.

Time for today's quote. Don't forget to come back on Sunday (or maybe Monday if I'm lazy) to see if you are a winner. Have fun and good luck!



“I don't care how liberated this world becomes - a man will always be judged by the amount of alcohol he can consume - and a woman will be impressed, whether she likes it or not.”

YouTubesday

This song was performed at the Junos (Canadian Music Awards) last Sunday. I'd never heard of DJ Champion before. Wow. He is amazing. I love how he jumps around and pumps his arms excitedly. And I think Beatrice Bonifassi sounds amazing. Her voice is really incredible and unique.

Anyway, I had to share it with you all. It makes me want to dance. But then again, it doesn't take much...

Something for the Scrapbook

Due to the graphic nature of this post (mentioning pee and poo which I refuse to call anything other than those names) viewer discretion is advised.

Okay. Something really weird happened yesterday. As Miss A was finishing her lunch she started getting what I like to call the “doin' her business” face. And let me say now if I haven't mentioned it before that we've had the potty set up in our bathroom for a while now. You know just for her to get used to the idea. She's sat on it many times (mostly with her clothes on) and wiped her (clothed) bum with toilet paper. So she had the idea. Also my mother had been hassling me lately, telling me that she was so obvious when filling her diaper that she'd be 'easy' to potty train. Ha! I thought.

But today when I saw that face I thought, what the heck. So I explained that 'we' were going to sit on the potty. We took off her diaper and down she sat. I read her a book a few times in a row as she sat there and wiggled around a bit. I honestly didn't think she was doing anything at all until I smelled a little something. I assumed that she may have left a tiny poo behind which I would celebrate with her anyway. Then we looked through a home decorating magazine after which she seemed to want to get off the potty.

When she did I was shocked and surprised to see that there was a tiny amount of pee and a very nearly adult sized poo sitting in the potty. Quickly I started clapping my hands (as I've been told you should celebrate and congratulate the child) and saying 'Yay! Good girl! You went on the potty!' She clapped her hands also but seemed a bit confused and also shocked about what was in there.

I had to take a picture (I know what you're thinking but I'm comfortable with the fact that I'm a sicko) and I immediately emailed it to Peter at work with little explanation. He promptly called me back for further details. I can hardly wait to scrapbook this poo photo using decorative brown and yellow paper and stenciling 'Miss A's first Poo on the Potty!' JUST KIDDING!!! But it will make a great bribery photo when she's a teenager. “By all means A, go ahead and disobey me. Just expect to see that photo of your first poo in the newspaper next week.”

Now before anyone gets all “I can't believe you potty trained your child at 18 months!” let me be clear. I haven't! In fact now I'm feeling all this pressure to start potty training. When I put her on the potty I didn't actually think she'd do anything! I started getting all stressed about it after it happened like, so does this mean I have to start potty training or what? But she can't really tell me that she needs to go. How are we going to do this? I don't know what I'm doing... AhhhhH! Then I took some deep breaths and realized that I can take things slowly and gradually. And that is what we are doing. Today we haven't used the potty at all. Maybe after her nap. Maybe not.

But it's still exciting. The prospect of not having to buy diapers anymore is exciting. I know I have the accidents, bum wiping and so forth to look forward to but still... exciting. And although the poo photo exists and I'm tempted to post it because I am sick like that I'll simply post a shot of the infamous potty...

Tantrum Update 2007

Thanks to all of you who gave me any advice on toddler tantrums. Especially to my friend KT who actually contacted her sister-in-law (Early Childhood Educator) on my behalf. I've been taking it all in and applying advice as necessary. Upon re reading my post I realized that I made myself sound completely incompetent which, although that's how I may feel, is not exactly accurate. I will give myself some credit and say that after reading more about how to correctly deal with tantrums I have found I'm doing a lot of those things already.

I do find that the majority of things I read or am told apply more to slightly older children. She's really too young yet to understand if I try to explain stuff to her for instance “We are running late so I'm going to carry you instead of letting you walk down the stairs yourself because it'll take forever!” or “You can't run around on that wet floor because you're going to fall and crack your head open!” or “You can't have that pen because you are going to scribble all over the door (again) or yourself.”

But I am learning what is likely to set her off and so I can try to avoid it. Except for those times when it's just something random or a tantrum has resulted in pure fatigue, which is sometimes unavoidable. I don't know if it's getting better or if I'm getting better at dealing with them. Or just getting used to them. Except that eardrum piercing scream. I could never get used to that.

If nothing else I have a lot of great ideas that are going to be awesome as she gets just a bit older. Such as setting a timer for when it's time to get out of the bath. That one will be awesome. Right now it would be all - Ding! “Hey, that was a cool noise! Let me have that thing so I can bring it into the tub with me, I won't break it. What do you mean I can't? But I want it... I need it! Give it to me!! WAAAAHHHH!!!”

Um. Yeah. That's pretty much how it would go down.

But I do try to explain things to her. Even if I think she won't understand, because really, she's pretty smart. And she'll catch on eventually. Just look at me. Once I was just a girl with a new baby. Now I'm a Mama.

Does This Mean I'm Famous Now?

Have you noticed anything different about my blog lately? Anything? I'll give you a hint it's on my sidebar. The thing on the right. Scroll down. Way down. Past the Links and just above my sitemeter. It's a little shopping link. It's small, it's baby related and I GET $25 DOLLARS A MONTH TO HAVE IT ON MY SIDEBAR!!! Isn't that CRAZY?!

I mean I knew that you could get advertising to put on your blog and you could get paid for it and I always thought “How annoying.” Not the getting paid part but the big, ugly, flashing ads on your website. It would ruin the look of my pretty pink and brown page. But then the Crazy Hip Blog Mamas contacted me and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I could put this itty bitty, unobtrusive link on my sidebar and get paid for it. Well alrighty then.

So now that I'm getting paid to blog (sort of) I figure this means I can call myself a professional blogger. And soon I'll be famous. And then you can say “I knew her before she was famous.”

Won't that be cool?

Boys and War Movies

I had a feeling either Omar or The Big Fugr were going to get my quote this week but I was ready to be surprised and impressed that one of my female readers would know a war movie quote. But I found my suspicions were correct once I saw that Omar recognized the character 'Animal Mother' from 'Full Metal Jacket'.

This movie is one of Peter's favorites. I love Matthew Modine and don't mind a good war movie every now and then. Vincent D'Onofrio is amazing in this movie. Why that man has never won an Academy Award I don't understand, honestly.

I can't seem to stomach anything with much violence since having A so I don't know if I'll be able to watch these sort of movies anymore. Not such a bad thing I suppose. The last movie I saw was wonderfully fluffy and made me laugh out loud several times. I guess I'll stick with those kinds of films at least until my actual life is a bit less tense.

Say WHAT?

It's Friday again and that means it's time for Say WHAT? The AMAZING 80's quote trivia game. In case you haven't played before, here is the down low – At the bottom of this post you will find a quote from an 80's movie. If you choose to play you must, without using the internet as a resource, guess which 80's movie the quote has been taken from. But here is where the rules have changed. If by Sunday we still don't have a winner anyone may go ahead and Google away. The first person to give the correct movie wins! Fun, huh? Leave your guesses in the comments section and if you are the first to correctly identify the quote, you win! I announce the winner on Sunday and that winner receives acknowledgment, linkage and if they have a profile picture I post that also. I recap the winner every Friday and include all of the aforementioned information. And hey, even if you don't know the answer just give me a shout out. I like to know who's stopped by!

Jenn struck again last week so everyone needs to be on their toes...



Time for today's quote. Don't forget to come back on Sunday (or maybe Monday if I'm lazy) to see if you are a winner. Have fun and good luck!



"Believe it or not, but under fire, Animal Mother can be a wonderful human being. All he needs is somebody throwing grenades at him 'til the end of his life."

YouTubesday

Shake Your Rump - Beastie Boys

Cause I wanna.

WoooH! WoooH!

Deaf by Thirty-Five

Things have been a little low around here the past couple of days. There's been some lack of sleep due to really bad headaches and teething. Temper tantrums (Miss A's) have been at an all time high. I've been asking people I know with children if they can feel their eardrums rattle when their kids scream, because I can. The general consensus has been “no”. Bad news for us I guess. I'm predicting that Peter and I will be stone deaf by the time she's five, if not sooner.

I keep asking myself if there is something more I could be doing. I've tried various things. Ignoring her, getting cross and raising my voice, being calm and trying to calm her as well. Nothing works. It's like a hurricane that you just need to wait out. To be honest I'd like to put her outside at these times and board up my doors and windows.

Of course I've been getting a lot of advise. Some I've asked for and some I haven't. I take this advice differently depending on my mood. The most promising thing I'm told is that she'll grow out of it. But then I ask, “when?” and no one knows.

I love her, she's a great kid but lately there have been days when I think “I just can't handle another tantrum, I can't.” But then she'll have one because she doesn't want to get out of the bath or because she doesn't want her jammies on or because life is just so HARD!!! And somehow I get through it and put her to bed. Then I play Unreal Tournament which usually makes me feel better.

So because I had an adequate amount of sleep last night and I'm in a pretty good mood I'm welcoming any advice anyone might have on dealing with temper tantrums. Specifically for 18 months olds. Reasoning with her just isn't happening yet. Ready...Go.

The Best $2.99 I Ever Spent

I'm not sure if any of you out there are familiar with a show by the name of 'The Big Comfy Couch'. It's a Canadian show. It's basically about a clown named Loonette who has a doll named Molly and friends named Major Bedhead and Granny Garbanzo. There is singing, dancing and stories. There is also a cat named Snicklefritz.

A is in love with this show. IN LOVE. It just happened to be on a few times and we discovered how much she paid attention to it. How she smiled, laughed and danced when it was on. Sometimes she even tries to do the 'Clock Stretch'.

So the other day I went to Value Village. I checked out the toy section as usual. I often find vintage Fisher Price toys but on this particular visit I find something better... A Molly doll. I couldn't actually believe it and didn't have to think twice about buying it. Toys are ridiculously cheap there anyway. As long as they are easy to wipe down or throw in the washing machine (that's where Molly ended up soon after arriving to our residence) then they are keepers.

When I brought Molly home that evening I think I became the most popular Mama ever. A immediately knew who she was and tucked her under her arm. By morning she'd forgotten about her which was good because Molly was having a bath and air drying on top of the dryer that day. The following day however I made the mistake of introducing them again before breakfast. A would not be separated from Molly. Molly sat in the highchair with her during breakfast and was even offered toast to share. I had to take pictures because I thought it was sweet although I had to suppress my OCD and not worry that the freshly washed dolly was getting crumbs and butter all over her clean self.

It was rewarding to spend $2.99 and bring so much joy to Miss A. I hope she continues to appreciate affordable gifts as she gets older...

Drum Roll Please...

Jenn from And then there were four... is this weeks winner. I thought 'Back to the Future' would be a pretty easy one for most of you. It's always more fun when you just know it and don't have to look it up.



I admit it. I used to think Michael J. Fox was cute. Then I grew up a bit and realized that Crispin Glover is WAY more my taste. I like em' quirky you know.

Say WHAT?

It's Friday again and that means it's time for Say WHAT? The AMAZING 80's quote trivia game. In case you haven't played before, here is the down low – At the bottom of this post you will find a quote from an 80's movie. If you choose to play you must, without using the internet as a resource, guess which 80's movie the quote has been taken from. But here is where the rules have changed. If by Sunday we still don't have a winner anyone may go ahead and Google away. The first person to give the correct movie wins! Fun, huh? Leave your guesses in the comments section and if you are the first to correctly identify the quote, you win! I announce the winner on Sunday and that winner receives acknowledgment, linkage and if they have a profile picture I post that also. I recap the winner every Friday and include all of the aforementioned information. And hey, even if you don't know the answer just give me a shout out. I like to know who's stopped by!

Jenn won last week. It was a hard one which had to be Googled. This week's quote should be ridiculously easy. Just to mix it up.



Time for today's quote. Don't forget to come back on Sunday (or maybe Monday if I'm lazy) to see if you are a winner. Have fun and good luck!




“Last night, Darth Vader came down from planet Vulcan and told me that if I didn't take Lorraine out that he'd melt my brain.”

YouTubesday

Today YouTubesday will take us on a trip down memory lane. To a show that first aired in the late 80's and ended during my grade eleven year. “Life Goes On” had a huge impact on me. Especially the relationship between Jesse and Becca. During most episodes of the fourth season I was reduced to a sobbing, hysterical puddle on the floor at some point. The first five minutes of this particular episode nearly killed me and I was so upset that I distinctly remember my sister shocked at seeing me in such a state, reminding me “It's just a television show!” I had to splash cold water on my face during the commercial break to gain composure.

I forced anyone who was friends with me at that time to watch episodes that I had on tape and LIKE them, or else. Looking back it's a shock I had any friends at all. My love of this show at that time could not be described by any other word than obsession! I have calmed down a bit over the years but other shows that ranked up there in the obsessive category were “My So Called Life”, “X-Files”, “Dark Angel”, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel”. I am SUCH a shipper.

Anyway, here is a video of the wrap up of a great series.

Music-ee Meme

I have been tagged by Bon for a music meme. I have never heard of this one before and since I am too busy cleaning up poo to write a real post this will do nicely.

List seven songs you are into right now...no matter what they are. BUT. They must be songs you are presently enjoying. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

(I'm also going to link the videos from YouTube because that's what I did with most of Bon's songs.)

1.Fix You – Coldplay (Also known as my Canadian Idol Audition piece)
2.Raoul – The Automatic
3.Calm Down Dearest – Jamie T
4.Sweet Troubled Soul – Stellastarr* (Thanks Beth!)
5.Lesley Parlafitt – Bromheads Jacket
6.Starz In Their Eyes – Just Jack
7.Blue Monday – New Order

Now, who to tag...

1. The Big Fugr
2. Nikkie
3. This Single Spark
4. Sugarmama
5. Plantain
6. Jenn
7. Beth

Looking at this list I happen to know all of these folks will have cool taste in music. I can't wait to see what songs are on their lists.

Diapers are for Babies

I knew it was coming. I predicted it here. No amount of wishing it wouldn't happen could have stopped it.

Yesterday Miss A was in her crib 'napping' she took off every stitch of clothing which included – diaper, tights, onesie and jeans. Her diaper had poo in it. She gleefully smeared in all over her bottom sheet. After inspecting and cleaning her up it seemed she did most of the job with her feet.

Overall I thought I handled it quite well considering how frustrated I felt, not only with what she'd done but also with yet another day of nap refusal. I did count my blessings that she hadn't smeared it on the wall or anything that wasn't easily washable. I didn't even think of getting a photo. Although I guess that some of you with weak stomachs wouldn't be interested in seeing that anyhow.

As you can see she just doesn't think anyone should be wearing diapers or clothes for that matter. She gets very upset when I attempt to redress her dolls. Strange.







I am praying for a quick end to this phase. I'm not sure I'm up to it really. Not to mention I'm fairly certain that if Peter was confronted with the same mess he might just toss his cookies.

So This One Was Hard, Huh?

After being given permission to Google Jenn from And then there were four... won Say WHAT? for this week. I believe she said this was "the cheaters way" (sorry if I misquoted you Jenn) but I say that since it's in the rules then - it's not cheating. It's just not as satisfying as knowing without looking it up.



As I'm sure you've all noticed I've just started posting You Tube stuff from the movies I take quotes from. It's much easier than looking for good photos. But would you believe that there seems to be nothing on YouTube for 'Roxanne'? Since no one seemed to know this quote perhaps you would believe it. Anyway, in lieu of a 'Roxanne' video here's Steve Martin playing the Banjo on the Muppet Show.

Say WHAT?

It's Friday again and that means it's time for Say WHAT? The AMAZING 80's quote trivia game. In case you haven't played before, here is the down low – At the bottom of this post you will find a quote from an 80's movie. If you choose to play you must, without using the internet as a resource, guess which 80's movie the quote has been taken from. But here is where the rules have changed. If by Sunday we still don't have a winner anyone may go ahead and Google away. The first person to give the correct movie wins! Fun, huh? Leave your guesses in the comments section and if you are the first to correctly identify the quote, you win! I announce the winner on Sunday and that winner receives acknowledgment, linkage and if they have a profile picture I post that also. I recap the winner every Friday and include all of the aforementioned information. And hey, even if you don't know the answer just give me a shout out. I like to know who's stopped by!

My friend Omar won AGAIN last week. Apparently robots and computers are his niche so I'm choosing a quote from a movie with neither to try to stump him.

Time for today's quote. Don't forget to come back on Sunday (or maybe Monday if I'm lazy) to see if you are a winner. Have fun and good luck!



“I have nothing against cute. I just wish I could meet someone with half a brain this time. “

YouTubesday

I was desperately seeking something different to post for todays YouTubesday. I thought “I'm in the mood for something funny.” And I'm sure everyone else could use a laugh too. Of course if you don't know The Cure at all this likely won't be funny to you. If this is the case watch this YouTubesday first.

This is from a British sketch comedy show I'd never heard of before called Newman and Baddiel in Pieces. The fact that I find this funny is further evidence that I should have been born in England and that I am a Brit at heart. I also find this funny because it's a song I sing to Miss A. Well not the little teapot part. And not so depressed sounding either.

Cuteness and Cuddles

One of my best friends had a baby girl yesterday. 9lbs 2 ½ ounces! I was so excited for her because finally (this is her third child) she was able to have a midwife as she had always wanted to. The birth pretty much went awesome other than she was a tad on the large side... the baby I mean!

My friend called me shortly after having her sounding all normal and fine as though nothing major, like giving birth, had just taken place. She sounded the same way when she called me after her last baby was born, all nonchalant and stuff. I think she is a born mother.

It has been a while again since I have been up to the maternity ward in the hospital. It still sends all kinds of positive and negative feelings rushing back to me. My friend seemed to be doing as awesome as she sounded on the telephone. Her husband was cuddled up with the baby but I got to hold her for a while. She was sweet and tiny and she didn't even scare me at all. Probably because I knew I didn't have to take her home and look after her. That always helps. Still holding the little soul made me feel a little twinge of desire to have another one. And I figure that's promising when compared to my feelings of totally ditching the whole idea.

Because my friend has an incredible green thumb I couldn't resist getting her baby these. My friend thought they were great. And I also got baby's big brother a Bob the Builder book and big sister a princess coloring book. I hope it makes them feel a little less left out to get something since new babies always get a ton of gifts.



This friend is my inspiration. She is a fabulous mother and makes it all look easy, from giving birth to potty training and beyond. Yet she tells me the truth about the trials and tribulations that motherhood brings. I'm glad this is yet another bond that we share.

We're OKAY!

Today one of the fears that I'm sure all mothers who have a child in their arms while walking outside in the winter became my reality. That's right. I fell. While carrying Miss A to our house from the car. I was being careful but my feet slipped right from under me and I fell right on top of her. She sort of fell in the snowbank which sounds alright except that the snowbank has kind of melted and hardened a bit. I knew right away that she had hit her head on the snow and she started crying immediately. I think I had time to say “Oh sh!t!” on the way down.

All I could do was pick myself up and go inside with my hysterical baby. I took her hat off first afraid that her head might be cut or something. I couldn't even find a bump. Upon inspection I determined that she seemed to be okay. I checked out my knee which was stinging to find a bit of a scrape. I guess that the fall had simply frightened her which was why she'd cried so hard. She would have likely cried less if she actually had been hurt, tough little monkey that she is. I was relieved and now I feel like going outside and bashing at the ice with a sharp shovel to diffuse my anger. Honestly though I can't believe something like this has never happened before. I suppose I should consider myself lucky.

In other news I had my second counseling appointment today. It seemed more productive. I felt more comfortable and the experience was more positive. My counselor seemed warmer this time and I think we accomplished more. I was also much more emotional. I left feeling better but also drained.

It's going to be a long process. I need to make a concerted effort to stop looking at everyone else and thinking “See, they're normal. What's wrong with me?” Not that I want everyone to be messed up but I realize that how people may appear on the outside is not necessarily how they are on the inside. In fact other people may look at me and think “Look at her, she has it all together.” Which let me tell you, I certainly do NOT.



And finally, I don't know if you all noticed my new profile picture. I've been wanting to put up a new one for some time but none of our pictures seemed right. This one was taken during one of those rare moments when we caught A looking at the camera. And smiling no less! I think it's quite sweet. These days in most of our photos of her we get bizarre looks like this one...

Before the Spring

The snow is melting in a hurry so I thought I'd better post these photos while you all can still remember what snow is.

These were taken one evening while Peter and I tried to tidy up the snowy mess. Miss A like going for rides on the shovel...

On Fire!

After complaining that it has taken him months to win my game my friend Omar has won for the second time in a month. I think he's been fooling us all with his supposed ignorance and now he's going to win all the time. Seriously though Omar, if you are going to keep winning you have to start a blog or at least get a page at IMDB that I can link to!

Our quote was selected from the movie 'War Games' which is also apparently one of Omar's favorites. Does that make you think I'm even cooler? I must fess up that it is actually Peter's influence on me that caused me to choose this film. It's also one of his favorites.

For those of you that haven't seen it here's the trailer.

Say WHAT?

It's Friday again and that means it's time for Say WHAT? The AMAZING 80's quote trivia game. In case you haven't played before, here is the down low – At the bottom of this post you will find a quote from an 80's movie. If you choose to play you must, without using the internet as a resource, guess which 80's movie the quote has been taken from. But here is where the rules have changed. If by Sunday we still don't have a winner anyone may go ahead and Google away. The first person to give the correct movie wins! Fun, huh? Leave your guesses in the comments section and if you are the first to correctly identify the quote, you win! I announce the winner on Sunday and that winner receives acknowledgment, linkage and if they have a profile picture I post that also. I recap the winner every Friday and include all of the aforementioned information. And hey, even if you don't know the answer just give me a shout out. I like to know who's stopped by!

Last weeks winner was my good friend KT. Hey you, we should make a supper date!

Also, another friend of mine has a birthday coming up really soon. Stop by and wish her a happy one.

Time for today's quote. Don't forget to come back on Sunday (or maybe Monday if I'm lazy) to see if you are a winner. Have fun and good luck!




“What you see on these screens up here is a fantasy; a computer enhanced hallucination! “

YouTubesday

This is a blast from the past for all you folks that may be like me... Up to your armpits in snow!

Just try to imagine what it would feel like to have the summer sun shining on your faces and water lapping up onto your toes. Or, if you can't stand the sight of me in my bathing suit just close your eyes and listen to the sound of the waves and Miss A's excited splashing.

We've Come Along Way Baby

Just over seventeen months ago when I was dealing with a brand new jaundiced baby, breast pumps and Mastitis I would have never been able to relate to the feelings I'm having today.

Today and for the past couple of weeks Miss A has been increasingly uninterested in breastfeeding. This seems to occur mostly during the before and after naps feedings. We go about our usual routine and when I try to lay her back for a drink she cries and wants to stay sitting up. She will usually cuddle, suck her thumb and even lay her head down on my shoulder but when I try to lay her down again she protests.

I have been comfortable with the way she's been self weaning until now. It's been gradual, painless and even convenient. But I'm wondering if she's nearly ready to stop altogether and to be honest I'm feeling a bit distressed about it. I had fully intended on continuing until she was two, now it's looking like we won't make it that far.

It's funny because like I said, at the beginning we had so many struggles and I often considered quitting but I pushed through. I honestly didn't think I'd be upset when she one day decided to quit. In fact I thought I'd be happy. But the thing is I'm not. I'm not exactly sad either, just confused. I'm not sure if I'm reading her right or not.

At this age there are a lot of situations where it's like “Listen, I know you want to climb up on the dresser but it's not safe and I want the best for you so get down please...” I'm wondering if this breastfeeding thing is the same, that I need to be persistent because I know what is best. Perhaps she thinks she's too busy for it. My concern is if she stops nursing in the afternoon my milk supply will definitely drop. I know, I keep forgetting how amazing our bodies can be and that they adapt in whatever way it needs to.

I also don't want to try to force her to continue if she is truly done. Since this is my first time I have no idea how to go about this. Also, I imagine it's different with every child. Sigh. I would appreciate any ideas, opinions or suggestions that any fellow breastfeeders may have. And for those of you who might be all “You're STILL breastfeeding and your kid is 1 and 1/2!? Gross!” Well, yes I am. And no, it's not.

Feeling Like Good Parents

About two weeks ago Peter and I were making supper together. He was on biscuit detail. Miss A decided that her Dada needed her assistance. I was making turkey meatballs so my hands were a mess and Peter's were covered in dough and flour so neither of us were able to stop her.



We were both standing there cringing as she became covered in flour but then we stopped and realized – Hey, she's having fun. The flour would come off and eating some dough wouldn't kill her. We relaxed. We even let her use the cookie cutter to help make the biscuits.




Eventually she became bored and discovered that making supper is hard work. I think you can see that here in her expression. (the same expression I wear when I am making supper) I brushed the flour off and away she went.



It was a neat moment (or few moments) for Peter and I. We realized that sometimes we are so busy telling her to not touch that, be careful, don't do that, get down... that we forget to let her just have fun. When we saw how happy she was to just get up there and 'help' even though we knew it would be an awful mess, it was worth it.

I predict that Miss A will teach us many lessons like this one along the way. Getting her parents to just lighten up already! Parenting is a journey, isn't it?

You've got the Cutest Little Labor Face

I decided to take part in a photo tag. Stefanie started it over at Adventures in Babywearing. Check out her new profile picture... she looks like a model for goodness sakes!

So all those who take part are supposed to post a 'belly shot' from when they were expecting. I've posted this picture before but here it is again... in all it's un-retouched glory.




Not only is this a photo of me pregnant but I also happened to be in labor and only about five hours away from giving birth. I like to call my expression my 'labor face'. You can see I have the exact same expression earlier in the day both here



and here




during an outdoor church service and potluck lunch which followed. It could also be called the 'Holy Crap I'm about to become a mother!' face.

Miss A was born naturally at 3:14 AM at 8lbs 7ozs. I still can't believe that was nearly two years ago. And when I think back to how she was in those early days - stubborn and sometimes angry at the world, I realize that not much has changed. For some strange reason I find that kind of comforting.

My Friends Are Smart

For the second week in a row one of my real life friends won Say WHAT? KT is not a blogger (although she'd write the pants off me I'm sure) and she also hasn't starred in any commercials (that I'm aware of). She is however a fantastic mother, has an amazing sense of humor, and she's a wonderful person.

St. Elmo's Fire was indeed the movie quote this week. Although to clear things up it was actually Jules (Demi Moore) saying it to Billy (Rob Lowe). I haven't seen this movie in ages. Watching this video kinda makes me want to. I can't believe how much smoking they do in this movie. I guess that just goes to show how things have changed. You rarely see that anymore.

Watch. Enjoy. Get Nostalgic.

Say WHAT?

It's Friday again and that means it's time for Say WHAT? The AMAZING 80's quote trivia game. In case you haven't played before, here is the down low – At the bottom of this post you will find a quote from an 80's movie. If you choose to play you must, without using the internet as a resource, guess which 80's movie the quote has been taken from. But here is where the rules have changed. If by Sunday we still don't have a winner anyone may go ahead and Google away. The first person to give the correct movie wins! Fun, huh? Leave your guesses in the comments section and if you are the first to correctly identify the quote, you win! I announce the winner on Sunday and that winner receives acknowledgment, linkage and if they have a profile picture I post that also. I recap the winner every Friday and include all of the aforementioned information. And hey, even if you don't know the answer just give me a shout out. I like to know who's stopped by!

My friend Omar won for the first time last week. I don't think it will be his last either!

Time for today's quote. Don't forget to come back on Sunday (or maybe Monday if I'm lazy) to see if you are a winner. Have fun and good luck!



“You break my heart. Then again, you break everyone's heart.”

YouTubesday

I thought this video was really good. I really like Craig Ferguson a lot and after seeing this I not only think he's funny but I have so much respect for him.

I have been extremely disturbed by how the media made light of the whole 'Britney Spears gone wild' weekend. When I heard about the head shaving thing my curiosity got the better of me and I looked at the pictures on the internet. I felt sick. You could just tell by looking at her that she was in serious trouble.

I'm not her biggest fan by any stretch of the imagination and I'm not about to make excuses for her behavior but I think it's pretty obvious that she needs help. I can relate to this. I'm not going to shave my head or anything but I think perhaps I can understand what made her feel like doing it. And the fact that the media is treating her very public breakdown like a big joke is awful. What's worse is that a lot of people are eating it up. We are being brainwashed into thinking stuff that is horrible and totally messed up is actually funny and entertaining. I think Craig Ferguson says it better that I do so I'll leave it to him...