Quarantine...

Ok, it has been nearly a month of our self-imposed quarantine.

Let me countdown the top 5 "you will never let them do this again" chickenpox boredom cures:

5 - LET THEM MAKE BREAKFAST.

The breakfast in question was a well balanced combo of halloween candy, hummous and green beans, served to me, in bed, while watching Toy Story (a long time personal favourite).


4 - THE MOVIE DAY.

So, I thought this was a great idea. What better way to keep them quiet and recuperative than to play movies, all day, back to back while they lay on my bed and eat. Please understand, the boys RARELY watch TV, movies or anything resembling TV or movies...we did this in an attempt to protect them from the insidiousness of corporate commercialism and to help them develop an imagination.

The reality of the situation was that after an hour of silence (while I was happily relaxing on the main floor, reading my new favourite Author Stephanie Meyer) the boys came tromping down the stairs, COVERED in about $150 of "Bare Minerals" makeup and most of my new lip-plumping gloss (Guess what Mama? It tastes like CINNAMON!!!!!).

Damn imaginations.


3 - CUT OUT SHAPES.

I realise that on first glance #3's title does not conjure up images of distaster...but let me ask you this: WHY did I teach my boys to use SCISSORS?? Smooch cut his own hair, then obliged Noggin (who needs all the hair he can grow to cover his huge cranium), all while I tried to have a 5 minute private bathroom break.

Note to self: NEVER again close the bathroom door.


2 - BATH BOMBS

Why I allowed them anything with the word BOMB in the title is beyond me. These brightly coloured bath treats tint the water, but not your body...unless you use an entire package while your Mom goes to get your jammies.

Enough said.


1 - FAMILY FACE PAINTING.

Let me start by thanking Gymboree for making such vibrantly coloured face paint crayons. The boys found the face paint somewhere (I am still not sure where because I thought I threw them out shortly after we received them) and decided that we should take turns paiting each other's faces.

Not to detract from my earlier Thank-you, but just a note to other parents...Gymboree Red is permanent (who needs tattoed makeup?), while Gymboree Black is demi-permanent and when scribbled around the delicate undereye area and removed with cold cream, resembles a black-eye for approximately 9 days.

So...all in all, the Chickenpox, while not the itchy, feverish illness of legends (at least not here), has been a barrel of fun around here.

Noggin may still be contagious, so come on over!

With a pox pox here and a...

Noggin has the Chickenpox.

I am not surprised in the least as Smooch's spots showed up in the night two weeks ago.

I noticed Noggin's first two spots this afternoon as we were cuddling on the couch.

He is quite proud of them and pulled his shirt up so Daddy could see when he arrived home from work. We're hoping that his case is as mild as Smooch's was...nothing but the spots, really.

We've chosen not to vaccinate the boys, at least for the time being, and have been hoping they would catch them sooner than later...so Iam so glad that within the week, it will be all over!

Lifetime immunity is a wonderful thing!

Crappy Parents

I can scarcely believe that it is nearly November.

Smooch has been in school now for two months...he is so happy there. I, on the other hand, am struggling.

I have worked hard to keep Smooch innocent.

I've avoided using sarcasm with him and, anyone who knows me well knows how difficult this is for me.

Alan and I have practiced manners with the boys, tried to keep them from being innundated with commercial messages, encouraged them to talk about their feelings, to be kind and loving.

It's at this point that I must complain, just a little.

A message to SOME parents of Kinder-garten and Grade One children; Your kids are mean. Cynicism, sarcasm and eye-rolling in a 5-7 year old is NOT attractive. Bullying is even less so. It is a token of your parenting that your children are unkind and rude. Pull up your socks and parent.

There...I said it...and I meant it. I just want to add that there are plenty of wonderful families at Smooch's school.

Other than that, we are all enjoying the Waldorf school, especially me...I have learned to knit, under taken a large volunteer project and met some amazing Moms!

Fall is here

I can nearly smell it...fall creeps in quietly, but it can't hide from me...I know it's here...I haven't failed to notice the tips of some leaves changing...the wind and the rain...I being to get the itch to stay home...cook...sew even(?)...

I LOVE this time of the year!!!

Smooth...

I love days that go off without a hitch. Today has been one of those kind of days.

I'be been reading a new book - "Have a New Kid by Friday" by Dr. Kevin Leman.

Don't get me wrong. I think my kids are fantastic...in my opinion, books like these deal far more with parenting problems than with kid problems.

I am a softie and let things go until I yell...there, I admitted it and admitting is, apparently, the first step.

The idea behind the book is that you should only have to ask your kids to do something (or stop doing something) once. It gives strategies for parents to turn kids who tune out into kids who listen...and reasons to stay calm. I think most of us can use some of these.

I am already using some of these strategies successfully and I can honestly say that I have not yelled once today...so far, so good.

We tidied the upstairs and throughly cleaned the kitchen, had a playdate, a snack and played with playdough. Visited the park, had lunch and put a loaf of bread in the breadmaker. Liam voluntarily pooped on the potty (which is good because it would have been messy) then I went upstairs with the boys and told them it was time for a nap...they are still sleeping.

Alan is due home in 2 hours and we will have a salad, fresh loaf of bread and soup for dinner.

I love smooth days...

Mumbo Jumbo Part Deux....

So...remember Aunt Moira and the funeral?

I was wrong...SO incredibly wrong...bad things don't happen in threes...they just HAPPEN.

Smooch had a headache last week...actually, both boys did. It was HOT outside and we played a LOT in the sun (but always with a hat and sunscreen). I chalked it up to the heat and maybe a little dehydration. I upped the boys fluids and Noggin seemed to feel better...but Smooch, not so much.

Saturday, while I was at a massage appointment, Alan, Smooch and Noggin attended a birthday party. They were there approx. 2 hours before noggin started to HOWL. He had a headache...on the way to pick me up, Noggin announced that he was going to throw up and promptly did...in a bag, thankfully.

He spent the next 12 hours gagging and retching. Eventually he stopped and was fine. That is Noggin for you, he gets sick and it's over.

Sunday night, Smooch goes to bed and all is well...he wakes me at 4 am, vomiting, with a headache and...(insert mumbo jumbo here)...stiff neck.

I get him some Tylenol and Advil (both work great together for migraines), we sit on the front step for an hour admiring the Tamarack in our yard while he vomits in an old ice cream bucket and eventually he is ready to go back to sleep.

He wakes up, no more vomiting, eats breakfast and I take him into the chiropractor (who does very gentle, non-manual adjustments) to see about the headaches and stiff neck. After his adjustment, he begins to throw up again...I take him back for another adjustment...his headache returns.

By 7pm I am convinced that he has Meningitis and take him to the Alberta Children's Hospital.

I was right.

After bloodwork, an IV and lumbar puncture it is confirmed that Smooch has viral meningitis.

Viral meningitis is caused by everyday cold, flu or entero-viruses and there is no vaccination to prevent it...not that it would help as Smooch is completely unvaccinated.

He is hospitalised and spends 3 days recuperating. He loves ACH...you get to lay in bed all day, watch treehouse, and they bring you food!

We are home now and he has no long-term effects...no short-term effects actually...he is completely back to his normal self.

Moms, listen to your intuition...it will not steer you wrong...

Oh and Aunt Moira...you suck.

Potty-training Part-2...Poop

Ok, so Noggin has been doing really well with the whole potty-training thing. We went out today, sans pull-up and he stayed dry.

Of course, I did put him on the potty every 15-20 minutes...which is no easy feat since he fell into a public toilet last month after his portable potty seat broke.

He completed a respectable #1 and spent about 1/2 an hour playing enthusiastically with Smooch, M & L when I lost sight of him for a few moments.

When I did finally catch sight of him, he was standing by a railing, shifting and looking somewhat conspicuous and uncomfortable.

"Oh CRAP"...I said to my friend, S, who was seated beside me, supervising her two completely potty-trained angels.

So Noggin and Mama began the long trip out to the car to retrieve clean clothing, then the bathroom where the pants he was wearing (thankfully old, worn-out sweatpants with a cuff that just kept holding on) found a new home in the garbage.

So, today I am grateful for several things;

1 - Extra clothes
2 - Paper Towel
3 - Foaming hand cleanser
4 - Good friends who are willing to watch (and discipline, if need be) other children when disaster strikes.
5 - (and really, most important), I am grateful for the close relationship I have with my kids, and that I know, just from a facial expression, everything that I need to.

Motherhood rocks...even when it gets crappy.