Worn Out

It was a tough first week "back to the grind" for Thing 2. The poor little guy contracted pink eye and was overflowing yellow-ish goop from his left eye earlier this week. Not a fan of the administering of eye drops, he fought ferociously each time his father or I inched close to him with the dreaded Polysporin bottle. He's got spunk, that one, and after experiencing some of the eye-drop-fights I'd say this young man may be headed for UFC one day . . .

Strangely, as his eye began to clear up, Thing 2 became increasingly miserable and was having round-the-clock bouts of crying and screaming. I eventually took him to the doctor one night, sensing that something was just not right. Luck was not on his side this week and he ended up being diagnosed with a nasty ear infection.

He was so tired and worn out that he literally passed out one evening while lounging with Daddy. So utterly unlike him, I had to capture the moment so it would stay with me. I'm hoping the rest of 2009 brings calmer waters for our little tough guy!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I am indecisive. Completely, totally, and utterly unable to make a decision. (It doesn't help in the least that my husband is the same way - together we are virtually useless.) I tend to waver on issues for months, never really coming to a concrete decision and never really feeling at peace with my choice. It's a vice with which I've learned to live, I'm afraid.

I have, on occasion, tackled the omnipotent pro/con list. I used to love to sit down with a clean, crisp piece of white paper and sturdy pen in hand, armed with all I needed to make this decision thing into a piece of cake. Into something that could easily be figured out on paper, thus eliminating the actual thinking aspect of the process. All in all, I found it to be a trying task that hasn't afforded me a great deal of satisfaction in the past. I tend to haphazardly fling items on each side until they inevitably even out and I end up having exactly the same number of pros as I do cons. Not the best method to help someone like me make a decision.

So, for now, I have resigned myself to the fact that certain things in my life are going to be difficult.

Challenging.

Damn near impossible.

Like ordering pizza. Choosing what to wear out to dinner. Determining which discipline method to use upon the Things. And I always feel that making the *wrong* decision, in any case, will send my life spiraling out of control. Like if I ordered extra cheese, with green pepper, but no bacon, and maybe someone didn't like that particular combo, on this particular night, that somehow the earth would falter slightly from its axis and things would just simply not be the way they should be from then on.

What it all burns down to is the fact that I want someone to tell me the way things should be. Then I wouldn't constantly be second-guessing myself, doubting myself and my ability as a grown, intelligent woman . . . as a phenomenal, loving, and grounded mother, and general all-around lucid human being. I fear the unknown, and I fear making the wrong decision.

Every single day of my life.

As I have recently done some soul-searching and had to make a few pretty hefty-sized decisions, I pressed the rewind button and transported myself back to high school, where I often found solace, comfort, and direction in Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken.

Stay tuned to learn more about my most recent decision-making escapades.

The 3 Things Holiday Extravaganza

I suppose normal bloggers contribute several Christmas posts over the holidays, so that they are then not stuck with the monumental task of compiling two-and-a-half weeks of laughter/fun/general holiday joy all in one post. While taking a break from one's blog is a necessary part of blogging (I've learned through reading and also living it myself), it does leave one a little overwhelmed when it comes time to open the blog floodgates and let it all spew out.

In a nutshell: We had a fantastic holiday!

We spent a week with Paul's cousin and family just outside of Toronto. We ended up leaving earlier than planned, as we were inundated with snow storms the week leading up to Chrismtas Eve. A&D were all too accomodating and were happy to welcome us into their home a little prematurely! The drive from Ottawa went pretty smoothly, the roads weren't great but we arrived safe and sound.

The 3 Things had a blast with their cousin A, and played round the clock until they couldn't possibly play for another single second. Their days were jammed packed with fun, excitement, new toys, cameras being snapped at them, playing, sledding, and generally no heavy thoughts to weigh them down. The grown ups had fun too, sipping wine or, for the incredibly brave, sipping Grand Marnier in the great outdoors in front of D's outdoor stove!

Thing 3 did her best to charm her way around a room, as usual.

Waving to everyone who came and went.

One of the only ways to bring all the boys down from their Christmas "highs" each evening was to capture their attention by engaging them in some good ole' holiday stories.

Things 1 and 2 poured their hearts into writing a note for Santa, and leaving him a carefully-thought snack. It was truly adorable and a melt your heart kind of mommy moment for me.

Happy faces and laughter could be found in every corner . . .

And when the right moment strikes, sometimes even mommies get all silly and start dancing.

And, to wrap it all up, here are a couple cute shots of what I like to call my 3Things + 1 shots.
3 Things + 1 in a tub . . .

3 Things + 1 on a couch.

Santa was good to everyone, and we all had a fabulous Christmas dinner and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with family and friends. We couldn't have asked for anything more perfect.

All the best to all my completely and utterly fantastic blog readers for a fun, relaxing, prosperous, and healthy 2009!!

WW - A Means to an End

Perspective

As I leaned over to kiss my oldest Thing good night, to tuck in the edges of his fluffy duvet in the side of his bed, and tell him I love him, he instantly put it all in perspective for me.

Thing 3 has had a rough go of teething lately and has been waking mommy up at a heart-breakingly early hour each morning. I'm a smidge tired and worn out, but I try to take it all in stride because I realize the holidays will be over before I know it. I've definitely been a bit of a grump around the house, and with the added effect of two Things wound up and entirely too excited for Christmas, we had a tough day here.

I whispered softly in Thing 1's ear.

"I'm sorry I was so grumpy and tired today. Tomorrow is going to be better. I promise."

He looked up from his pillow with those gigantic blue eyes the size of helium balloons. He paused, he looked at me, and then he took a deep breath.

"Mommy, you don't have to do it all, all the time. It's ok, really, it is."

I was completely stunned. Stunned by his perceptiveness, his ability to articulate his feelings, and his keen sense of understanding the situation from such a grown-up view. I didn't know what to say.

"And, mommy?"

"Uh, yes?" said the mommy blown away by her kindergarten-going son's maturity.

"It's okay to let Daddy help sometimes."

"Even if he does it wrong."

And like a slap in the face, lesson learned.

Instantly.

Ready to start giving

Like everyone these days, I am trying to be frugal and spend wisely this holiday season. One way I am doing that is by making many of my Christmas gifts. I've also not bought any new Christmas decorations this season, I am making sure I use what I've got. Although my stash is being continually depleted each day, as little tiny Thing fingers touch my glass ornaments and they shatter lifelessly to the floor. Thankfully, I have spent almost nothing on all the ornaments - they were all bought over 60 per cent off at post-Christmas sales.

Notice there are very few ornaments, and, um, NONE, at the bottom?

And the annual sugar-fest has started . . . and in all honesty it began a few weeks ago as I started to bake some items early so I could put them in the freezer. This butterscotch/peanut butter bar mixture is one of my favourites - I got the recipe from my teaching friend Shannon several years ago and have been making it ever since. So rich and so decadent. If I keep them cold, or frozen, they are easy to package up and give as little thank-you or housewarming gifts.


Teachers must really like their food, because I lucked into a recipe for truffles from my friend Shelly, with whom I also used to teach. I've made these suckers for five years - I finally perfected it this year and think they taste fairly divine. These are the big ticket item for me - almost everyone gets this as a gift from us.

This year, because I have been having a mild bout of insomnia and not sleeping well anyway, I decided to make my own boxes and cards as well. The boxes were easy to do, just trace them and cut them out and then I stamped Christmas sayings on them, glued them together and VOILA. Truffles are stuffed inside in wax paper.

I used my mom's bits and bites recipe to make a huge batch. I stuff snack-sized portions in cellophane bags, throw a ribbon around them and they end up looking kinda fancy. (Which is entirely ironic because clearly bits and bites are not fancy at all.)


Here are the goodies I will give out this week to Thing 1's kindergarten teacher, Thing 2's three preschool teachers, two school bus drivers, one dog groomer, and our hair dresser. As always I will forget somebody and need to grab something last minute, so I always have extras ready to go.

And last, but not least, here are totally delicious and melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies, which come from my grandmother "Gurney's" recipe. I cannot bake enough to last. Everyone seems to eat them. I think of my grandmother each and every time I sink my teeth into one. I think if she were alive, she'd be mighty proud that I managed to closely replicate her perfection. (I'm not saying they're perfect, I'm just saying they taste like hers!)

Hey, is that Santa???

I promise I will be posting all the recipes on my meal-planning blog, A Crafty Mom Eats, later this week when I have a bit more time!

Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

The bustling rush of the holiday season has not afforded me much time to learn how to use my new camera. I am hoping to dedicate some time to reading the entire manual in that quiet time that occasionally occurs between Christmas and New Year's . . . well, a girl can dream, right??

In the meantime, here is a fun shot of Rudy's uber-long tongue. And for those interested, no, he has not set foot on our bed since this day. We have been cocker spaniel-free for over a month now, and loving every minute of it.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

WW - snow this

Lookin' pretty happy for a guy who had just snow-blowed almost 20 cms of snow before going to work this morning.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

The Things and I are filled with holiday cheer and are just about ready for Santa to make his much-anticipated annual visit. Some of the most exciting aspects of the holidays - for me personally - are the emotions stirred up by creating and establishing our own traditions and memories.

As a child, Christmas was a warm, loving, electric time of joy for my family. When I was a little girl, I was a giant ball of energy before the holidays. I couldn't stand the wait and drove my parents crazy with my excitement and antics as December 25th approached each year. While I can pretty much guarantee they will tell you I was waiting to tip-toe down the stairs on Christmas morning and tear into the beautifully-wrapped presents that Santa left under our perfectly decorated and sparkling tree (and of course that is true), for me it was always more about the time we spent together as a family. I looked forward to Christmas Eve dinner at my Nan's house, when each year all of us Maritimers would dive into a steaming hot pot of fresh seafood chowder. So utterly rich and creamy. With fresh-from-the-sea local lobster. And fresh rolls. And something decadent for dessert. Like maybe hot milk cake.

We would then pile into our car and drive back to our house. As my sister and I snuggled and giggled in the back seat, my father would burst out - in such an eager and boisterous tone that at the time was always credible - that he had just glanced up in the sky and seen Santa's sleigh and eight little reindeer. We always fell for this. We would stare up at the sky, directly where he had been pointing and not move our eyes for a second, hopeful that we, too, we catch a quick peek of Saint Nick himself.

When we arrived home, we proceeded to put together a delicious snack for Santa and leave it on a plate in the kitchen. We would then slip into our pajamas and get ready for our father to partake in one of the best traditions of all.

As we all settled in nicely in our living room and sat in front of our old woodstove, he would read us that timely holiday classic, Twas the Night Before Christmas. We would hang on to each and every last word, not wanting it to ever be over. But when he eventually would reach the last page and wished "to all a good night", we would scamper up to our beds to wait for visions of sugarplums to dance in our little heads.

I'm so proud to be continuing this time-honoured tradition with my own Things. And I've thrown in How the Grinch Stole Christmas just for good measure! I absolutely love the looks on my boys faces when we lay down each night for our bedtime stories and they each beg me for these two favourite classics. And so we will continue to read them each and every night this December, right up until Christmas Eve on December 24th. As the holidays wrap up we will gently put them away with the Christmas-related decorations, not to be seen again until next year.

Want to take a peek at some more of our Christmas cheer? Having such a soft spot for crafts, most of my Christmas decorations are all hand-made, either by me, my mom, or other talented artisans.

Aren't these Santa gourds just the cutest??? A good friend of my mother's makes these - I LOVE them!

Happy Holidays blog-readers!!!