Monthly Archives: October 2009

Killing time…

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I am blogging this morning to kill time. I have a boatload of phone calls to make, and I need my children to stop screaming and my phone to finish charging before that can happen. So, here I find myself with another bit of Thursday randomness :o )

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I have been faithfully sticking to my one cup of caffeine a day. It’s going really well. I had a few headaches for the first couple days, but other than that I’ve been okay. I am realizing, however, that my insomnia is totally unrelated to my caffeine consumption. I’m still restless at night. Boo. I also find myself in a mid-afternoon slump, but I am sticking to my guns. I’ve only cheated once, on Monday night. I had a client meeting at 8pm and the thought of staying awake past 7pm was utterly horrific so I had a coffee. I slept surprisingly well that night!!
I’m still on my motivational kick to work hard and get my husband home. We miss him terribly when he is gone, and all I want is to play a part in keeping him close to Edmonton. I’m trying to keep my work schedule full so that my chances are better ;)
However, this is what happens when he watches them while I’m out working:
(we took the side rails off the cribs for a test run…
this is where I found C-boo the next morning!!)
I am on the fence about getting my kids vaccinated for H1N1. I am not against the vaccine. Sure, I am a little hesitant because it is so new, but I also know that Health Canada has very stringent standards for our medical system. I’m sure it is safe. I’m just not sure about all the hoopla. A lot of it boils down to laziness on my part – I really don’t want to go and stand in line with thousands of people for 3 hours to get the shot. Isn’t part of the prevention all about avoiding crowds?? Standing around with a bunch of unvaccinated people in the midst of a so-called pandemic sounds counterproductive to me… We’ll see how the lineups are next week and make our decision, I guess.
Gawd, my office is a disaster.
(How’s that for random??)
I would love a bowl of really cheesy French onion soup from the Sawmill today. Unfortunately, I’m not about to take my kids to a pub! And I’m definitely not about to use my good red wine to make it at home :p Besides, we don’t have any Swiss cheese.
That’s about it. Ta!

No mo’ Momo!

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Momo.
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Momo?
MOMO????

My children’s vocabulary has shrunk drastically from dozens of words to one word:
Momo.
As in Nemo. As in Finding Nemo.
And so, another generation is subject to the mesmerizing powers of toddler infatuation. Granted, it could be worse. It could be Dora, or High School Musical, or anything with an insanely annoying song in it.
And really, the message in the movie is really good. And there is none of the slapstick violence or Little-Miss-Attitude that is so pervasive in children’s programming today. So really, I should be grateful that it’s Nemo.
But seriously!!!!!!!
From the moment they wake up, all they say is, “Momo?” No, that’s not true. Kit-kat also says, “Watch?”
And like every good parent, I am letting them get away with it, because the sheer insanity that ensues when I say, “NO NEMO!” is more than my fragile nerves can take. They can spot Momo anywhere. I made the ridiculous mistake of bringing Momo and my laptop to the office the other day. Now, they are constantly pawing at my laptop bag. “Momo???”
They are watching Momo for the second time today.
Momma needs a drink. And some fishsticks.

Pro.

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I am a procrastinator.
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There, I said it.
You all already know it.
But have you ever found yourself in a place where you want to embrace such a negative label? Where it would give your heart great peace to say it aloud? It’s no secret that my life has been incredibly busy in the last, oh I don’t know, 20 months. There are only 24 hours in the day, and to be quite frank, my mind has been ON for about 20 of them on any given day.
That’s a lot on ON hours. I wish I got paid for overtime…
So, when I have days like today and yesterday where I just don’t feel like doing anything, I am okay with it. That’s a total lie. I am soooo not okay with it, because the very heart of me is a screaming perfectionist, and I feel panicky waves of anxious guilt at the thought of all the wasted hours accumulating at my under-productive feet.
What I mean is:

I am becoming better at accepting my procrastination. I am feeling less guilt about these days where I need to wander mindlessly. These days where I am only ON for 16 hours instead of the usual 20. I realize that my need to zone out and drift from room to room in my house is my body’s way of saying, “Meaghan, you need to chill out.”
While I may not move mountains at the time, a day or two of utter collapse in my activity is actually making me more productive. It allows me to think clearer when I need to be focused, and it helps me to stay calm and rational instead of living in a flurry of chaos.
On these lazy days, I do a lot of thinking, even if I’m not doing a lot of doing. I am taking a good, hard look at myself and figuring out what I need to do to get to my goals. I am recharging and refocusing my energy so that tomorrow, I can do great things.
But in order for tomorrow to come, I need to do what needs to be done today.
And today, I need to procrastinate.

Gratitudes

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I love when a week ends with more to be grateful for than disappointed in.
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*Above all else, that Leith is home this weekend. We really weren’t expecting to see each other until mid-to-late next week. The girls were at Gramma D’s house while I worked Thursday night, so they woke up to play with Daddy when we got home at nearly 11pm. The three of them were so blissfully happy together – I can’t begin to describe how lucky I felt to have my whole family in one room again.
*Motivation: the 9 days without Leith pushed me to work incredibly hard. I’ve developed a plan for myself and my business, and I know clearly what I need to do now to change our situation, and more importantly, to have him close to home.
*Labels, and clarity
*A photo shoot (finally!) with a family this morning; I did their maternity photos in May, so I finally got to meet their little boy :)
*A sa-weet new haircut from my little sister :) It took a couple days to get used to, but it is by far my favorite ‘do EVER. Love, love, love it!
*New winter tires for Constance
*Incredibly well-behaved bugz on Wednesday, when we ran errands from 6am-5pm, and then dragged them to an appointment from 8-9:30pm with only one dinner time meltdown. I am so blessed.
*For all the help from those close to us while Leith has been gone.
*Personal growth and self-discovery, opportunity around ever corner.
*Finding Nemo. Sanity. Silence…
*Bagels with cream cheese
Have a wonderful week!

Bliss.

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Guess what, guess what?? Leith came home last night!!!! A week earlier than we’d hoped!!! I am so freakin’ happy :) :) :)
We got home from work just after 10:30pm. He had just pulled up, and the bugz woke up and played with him until 11pm. The 3 of them were so happy; it makes my heart melt just thinking about it.
I cannot express how delighted I am right now! We have him all to ourselves for 3 whole days :) :) Yay!

Exhaustzzzzz

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Happy 400th post-day.
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Umm, I’m really tired. And my kids are really tired. They are watching Lil0 & Stitch on the couch, and I’m not entirely sure that they’re conscious, but their eyes are open.
We haven’t eaten dinner.
We still have 3.5 hours to go before bedtime…
We were up at 5am, to get ready and drive to St. Albert, so that we could spend $800+ on winter tires. Then we went for breakfast. Then we went to the office. Then we went to the doctor. Then the bugz had a nap for an hour. Then my sister cut my hair. Then we went to the pharmacy. Then we came home. Then I put on a movie. Then I had the audacity to suggest that we turn the movie off and eat dinner.
Meltdowns ensued.
Heart-breaking meltdowns.
So now, they are glued to the TV. We have to eat dinner and relax before I take them on an appointment with me at 8pm. You’ll notice that it will already be one hour after their bedtime. But I really have no choice. And it’s just a couple of insurance applications… So here’s hoping.
I can’t wait for Leith to come home.

19 Months:

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19 months old … more than a year and a half now. And each month is getting harder and harder to capture – these are more like snapshots than portraits, but hopefully you enjoy them anyway.
At 19 months:
*Kit-kat has 10 teeth and C-boo has 9.5 teeth. They each have 2 molars. Ooh!!
*C-boo is either precocious or diabolical. I haven’t figured out which one yet, but she is an interesting and manipulative little creature :)
*Kit-kat continues to be my baby, with a very sensitive soul
*They love, love, LOVE to watch Finding Nemo. They get into physical altercations over the Nemo diaper wipes box. They stand at the blank TV, asking pitifully for “Momo??”
*They love to read:


*They are still sleeping through the nights, going “Nigh-nigh!” at 7pm and usually getting up between 6am and 7am
*They are getting very good at trying to dress themselves – they can put their shoes/boots on and they can get a leg into each pant leg but have trouble pulling them up! They are obsessed with shoes and socks (“Soose & gocks”)
*They have started using short sentences now – mainly, “Dada go work?” and “Dada go bye-bye?”, but also “Bye-bye _____”
*They are very interested in potty training now, and tell you all the time what they’ve done; they also will follow you into the bathroom to say bye-bye to whatever you’ve just done. Gross. But Momma is too tired right now to put the effort into potty training. Maybe in November…
*Kit-kat has resurrected an old NICU soother that we found while we were unpacking, and she calls it her “baby sucky”
*Every child is a “baby” to them :)
*They miss their Dada an awful lot, but they are adjusting well. Every truck is “Dada truck?” and they go running into our bedroom each morning only to be disappointed :( But they talk to him on the phone every day and send him lots of photos.
*They give each other sister-kisses:

*Actually, C-boo is a master kisser, complete with puckered lips. I love it, because I really can’t stand slobbery toddler kisses. She has such prim little kisses.
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*Kit-kat is more of a hugger ;)
*They chase each other around and around, and into corners where they “ticka-ticka-ticka” each other!!
*They went for their 18-month shots and 18-month check up, and they are right on track for their real age – that’s right! We no longer have to follow their adjusted curve :) :)
*C-boo is 20.5 lb; Kit-kat is 21.5 lb. I love that they have maintained their 1-pound difference their entire lives!!!
*They have waaay too many words to count. Way too many.
*They are learning their animals and can recognize/say dog, kitten, cow, pig, duck, lamb, monkey, hippo, fish, and a few others. They also can do the sounds for dog, cat, cow, pig and duck!
*They had their first weekend sleepover with Gramma & Grampa when Leith & I went to Victoria, and they did very well. I am thinking of converting their cribs to toddler beds soon.
That’s all I can think of for now! See you again at 20 months!

Gratitudes

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This quiet Sunday morning, I am grateful for:
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…options
…that Leith got his BlackBerry working. I had a few hours of sheer panic at the idea of being out of touch with him from now until Hallowe’en!!
…sleeping bugz!
…TWO dates with Sherrie in one week! We had a girls’ night in on Wednesday and went to a friends Tupperware party on Friday. I can’t stand the excitement in our lives, lol!! Are we getting old, Sher?
…finally finding someone who knows what is going on with our water system. I may be able to drink my water one day!!!
…holy-canoly work productivity! I am excited to put these plans into action this week :) :)
…finding a couple of decent babysitters for the bugz!
…homemade soup and pancakes, courtesy of ME!
…sleeping in until 8:30am yesterday morning
…lunch and shopping with Julia :)
…milder temperatures after the hideous snow last week!!!
…surviving the first week of my one-cup-a-day coffee lifestyle. I haven’t had any nasty physical withdrawal symptoms other than one horrific headache on Thursday, but I sure do miss the energy!
…phone calls every morning and night from my other half
…turning a no-show appointment into a productive evening!
…finally getting out to see Kari and her baby Olivia. Wow, wow, wow. All my friends have had such big babies, so it was magical to hold someone closer to my girls’ size. And no, it didn’t make the clock start ticking again; it just made me wish I could turn back time every once in awhile…
..chatter-bugz! They are saying every word they come across these days!! They’ve moved onto sentences now, which is just amazing!
…solitude in the midst of chaos

Simply Friday

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Just so ya know, we still have a sense of humor over here ;)

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We are having a delightful, sunny October day. We went to Wal-Mart (ugh) and bought a schwack of vegetables, and I am making real soup. The bugz colored with their new washable markers or a giant piece of butcher paper. I even hung it on the wall. Now, they are watching an ABC/123 video and waiting for our potential babysitter to come for an interview.
Have a great weekend!!

Quickly, softly

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A short note to let you know that we are doing okay. We are about to turn the clock on Day 2 of 15, and we are doing okay.
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We miss Leith like crazy, and wish he was home, but we also understand why he isn’t. And I am doing everything in my power to change the balance of our lives so that we can control when he is home.
Meanwhile, Kit-kat and C-boo have both informed me that “Dada at work” and “Dada go bye-bye”. I’m not sure when sentences became so cool, but they have both decided that a) they know what’s up and b) single-word communication is totally passe.
So there ya go. We’re living it day by day, and living to tell.
But we still miss him.