Thursday, October 28, 2010

When You Lose Someone

I suppose I'm not really losing someone, but that's what it feels like. My BFF is moving over 3,000 kilometers away tomorrow morning.

I feel very differently about it at different times. Like right now, I feel accepting of it. I mean, I know she's moving because that's where her husband can find work and she wants to be with him. Of course, it's nice for their 2 year old son to be with him as well. He is, after all, his Daddy.

But other times I just wish I could stop it from happening. Like I'm having a really horrible nightmare and I'm trying to wake myself up from it, but nothing I do works. I want to crawl into bed and cry thinking about how I won't be able to just meet her at McDonald's when I need to get out of the house and eat junk food because Pierce is driving me up the wall. I won't always be able to call her to talk if I'm having an issue I need to work out. I know that she'll be there for me like she always has, but she won't really be there for me, you know?

And I'm not the type of person who has a billion friends. I'll be the first to admit that I don't get along with people very well. So for me to find someone like her is a pretty big deal. We're so exactly the same and I can't help but wonder what fate has in store for me with this. Maybe I'm being taught to branch out and be more accepting of other people because there isn't always going to be people who I can have the female equivalent of a bromance with? And I know, I know, this is not really about me, but I kind of feel like people come in and out of your life for a reason. I do not believe in God, but I believe in fate, if that makes sense. But that's a whole other blog post. I guess for right now I'm trying not to focus so much on how sad I am about the situation, but what I'm supposed to learn. And I think that's healthy, right?

Also, if you want to see how truly nerdy Kristin and I are, we've started a joint blog here. You should check out our awesomeness. Because we ooze it, even when we are 3,000 kms apart.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

I'm calling for a boycott on Marie Claire magazine

Due to an article published on October 25, 2010 by Maura Kelly.

If you haven't already read the article, let me give you the highlights here:

It's an article about whether or not overweight couples should kiss or make out in private to spare the rest of us seeing it. No, I'm not joking.

Some of my favourite lines from the article:

"Yes, anorexia is sick, but at least some slim models are simply naturally skinny. No one who is as fat as Mike and Molly (from the CBS sitcom of the same name) can be healthy."

Really, Maura? Are you really that uneducated? It is outrageous of you to compare these characters (who are played by real life people, by the way, and I bet they even have feelings, too, unlike you) to models. Part of a model's job is to make her body look a way in which clothing will be appealing to those who want to buy it. Society dictates that skinny is sexy. So models are skinny as part of their job. These people, who you are referring to as the characters they play in a sitcom for no other reason than to make yourself feel better about slamming them for the way their bodies look, I'm sure, are not employed by the fashion industry and therefore do not depend on their bodies to land jobs and make money. In fact, I would be willing to hazard a guess that their size has probably given them a lot of set backs in their lives because of judgmental people like you.

"So anyway, yes, I think I'd be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other ... because I'd be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything. To be brutally honest, even in real life, I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room - just like I'd find it distressing if I saw a very drunk person stumbling across a bar or a heroine addict slumping in a chair."

Maura, I get more and more disgusted with you as I read your article. You are comparing an overweight person to a drunkard or a drug addict? You'd feel the same way about watching a sober overweight person walk across a room as you would about a drunk person doing the same thing, or a drug addict slumped over in a chair? Alcoholism and addiction are diseases. Not that I'm saying that obesity is 100% healthy because I know it's not. But this is like comparing apples to oranges. And let me remind you once again that the people who play these characters on tv are people, "in real life," too.

Maura goes on to say that she has friends who "could be called plump" and that she's "not some size-ist jerk." She says she knows that it can be difficult for "truly heavy people" to "psych themselves up for the long process of slimming down" because she's spoken to some guy at her gym about it. And then she gives us some words of wisdom regarding how to go about losing weight, which includes walking more. Really, Maura? After you say you feel uncomfortable watching an overweight person walk across a room you're going to tell them to walk more? Overweight people are just supposed to forget that there are judgmental people like you in the world who don't want to see them walking and walk anyways because you say so? No one is going to take your "YOU CAN DO IT!" seriously after reading the first part of your article. If you want to encourage people to lose weight being judgmental towards them is not the way to do it.

I'm calling for an apology from Maura Kelly for writing such filth and from Marie Claire for publishing it. Until then, I will not purchase a Marie Claire magazine and I urge all of my readers to do the same. Let's let Marie Claire know that we want to read articles about real things.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Boo at the Zoo!

On Saturday morning a friend and I took our kids to Boo at the Zoo. She's moving to Edmonton and she's leaving on Friday so she won't be here for Halloween and we wanted to get some Halloween pictures of our kids together.

I wasn't sure how the day was going to go because Pierce is so young and I didn't know if he'd get much out of it. Austin is 11 months older than Pierce, so I knew he'd have a blast, but it ended up being fun for all four of us! The kids were so cute in their costumes and because they were having a Halloween event they had a bunch of trick or treating stations set up all over the Kids' Zoo.

Here are a few pics of our adventures. Austin dressed up as a dragon and Pierce was, of course, a giraffe!

Here are the boys in their strollers all ready to go into the zoo!

The boys looking at bunny rabbits at the Kids' Zoo. Austin totally swung his leg over and before either of us could get to him (we were two feet away max) he was on the other side of the fence!

Our two hatchlings!

Pierce playing a game at one of the Trick or Treating stations. He was supposed to pull a worm out of the hat, but he was more interested in grabbing his prize!

We ran into another giraffe at the zoo!

But the dragon will always be this giraffe's best friend! (I die at the cuteness of this picture every time I see it. Kristin and I collectively have about 20 shots of this because we were just shooting away non-stop.)

We had to stop and visit the giraffes, of course!

Pierce and Momma taking a walk at the zoo together.

And eventually, since we spent four hours at the zoo and missed nap time, we had a little of this.

Followed by this.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Pierce lost weight

Pierce had his 12 month check up and immunizations on the 14th and we found out he lost 2oz from when he was 9 months old. The doctor is referring us to a pediatrician to follow his weight for a little while.

I have to admit, I was freaking out while discussing it with the doctor, but I had also been suspecting that he was losing weight. We moved up to size 5 diapers a little while ago and lately I've been wondering if we should switch back to size 4s because the 5s aren't fitting him as snug as I think they should be.

I felt like a horrible mom. I know that the reason he lost weight is because I wasn't feeding him enough. I guess I just didn't know how much I was supposed to be feeding him and since I was feeding him in conjunction with breastfeeding I figured he was getting enough. Obviously that was not the case.

One thing that kind of irked me was that my doctor asked me if I was still breastfeeding and when I told her yes, we were still breastfeeding four times per day, she said that it's possible that there's something wrong with my milk and that's why he wasn't gaining weight. She guessed that it's possible he was getting all his hydration from my milk and that's why he wasn't drinking his homogenized milk which has a lot of fat in it and suggested that I stop breastfeeding. I was a little annoyed at that advice because I know that the World Health Organization as well as Health Canada recommend breastfeeding at least until the child is two years of age. I've decided to just ignore her advice, though, after speaking with some of my twitter friends. :)

So lately I've been making a conscious effort to basically just throw food at him. I've been making him tuna salad sandwiches since he really seems to like tuna and that's pretty much the only meat he'll eat other than chicken. He's been having a big bowl of mixed grains cereal with fruit and some grapes as well as a yogurt in the morning for breakfast. Then I just spread some cheerios on his tray and let him eat as many or as little as he wants while he finishes his milk. He's also had some toast with peanut butter (no allergies here, yay!) and I've steamed a few pieces of broccoli in the microwave for him as well. I guess I should probably just be glad that my kid likes broccoli.

Some other ideas I've had of food for him are English muffin pizzas and quesadillas. I haven't put them into execution yet, though. Mostly because we don't have the stuff to make them around the house and I haven't gone grocery shopping yet.

I'm running out of ideas, though. The kid can't eat tuna salad every day. Well, I suppose he could, but I know I wouldn't want to. So what are your quick and easy kid-friendly meals? I'd prefer something I can make quickly when it is time to feed him, rather than something I have to make in a big batch and then heat up later.

Please share with me, I'm a little freaked out about all of this and would really like some input.

P.S. He didn't handle his immunizations very well. It was the first time they gave them to him in his arms and he wailed. Poor thing!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

I shaved my head for Ashley!

My BFF's cousin, Ashley has Hodgkins Lymphoma so a bunch of us got together last night and shaved our heads with her. It was a GREAT time. I wasn't sure I was going to end up doing it, but I did and I'm so glad! I love my new look! Here are some pics!

This is my "before" picture:


And here is Ashley shaving my head:

I was a little scared as you can tell by the look on my face in these pictures. I was worried it would turn out ugly or that I had a misshapen head underneath all my hair, but I think it turned out really well!

Here is the finished product:

KAPOW!

I think it looks great, and I can't stop touching it. I had a shower when I got home and it was seriously the fastest shower I've ever had! Although I don't really like that the shampoo doesn't foam up anymore. It's strange, I don't really feel like I've got my head clean without foamy soap. Also my head was really cold both in the shower and when I got out. That kinda sucks. I need to find myself a cute toque for winter. (I think you Americans call it a sock hat?)

Monday, October 18, 2010

ScrapFest!

On Wednesday I found out that I had won a contest I entered on Durham Region Kids for two VIP passes to ScrapFest as well as one class of my choice, and I was so excited. My BFF and I had both entered with the agreement that we would take each other if we won, so as soon as I got the email congratulating me on my win, I called her to let her know we'd be going. We were both squealing with excitement and the squealing continued until we left the show Saturday afternoon. We both had so much fun and left on a total high.

Here are some pictures of the fun we had at the show:

Here are Kristin (right) and I (left) super excited to be at ScrapFest!


We took Vicki Boutin's Easy, Detailed, Expert class. We got to do three different layouts, one easy, one detailed and one expert. It was a great class and Vicki is full of energy and so knowledgeable! This is a picture of the easy layout we created.

And this is the detailed layout! Isn't it pretty? Beautiful for fall! We didn't get pictures of our expert layout because, well, I didn't do it, I was feeling a little overwhelmed with everything we'd done and Kristin just cut everything out in class and took it home to assemble it. It's really beautiful, though. I would totally recommend taking a class by Vicki if you get the chance!

Almost every booth at the show had a (free!) make and take for us to do. We came home with eight of them total, and we didn't even do them all! Above I'm making a Halloween themed tag to go on a goodie bag filled with candy and be handed out to trick or treaters.

And here I am making a Christmas card.

And here are all eight make and takes that we made at the show. Top to bottom, left to right: memory box, Christmas album, Christmas ornament, Christmas gift tag, Merry Christmas card, snowman Christmas card, Halloween goodie bag tag, Christmas gift tag.

Pretty cool, huh? I can't wait until the next one!

Monday, October 11, 2010

I'm Thankful

I have a lot to be thankful for these days, even when it seems the exact opposite.

I have a beautiful baby (ok, he's not a baby anymore, but he's MY baby, damnit!) boy who is growing and learning and thriving each day. Even when I am having a bad day and I don't feel like getting out of bed, he is the best part of my day. He gives me a reason to live, a reason to wake up in the morning. I don't believe in God, but I truly have been blessed to have him in my life. I am truly grateful for him, and words cannot accurately express my gratitude.

And though it makes me sad that he doesn't seem to want to cuddle as much these days now that he is more mobile, it makes the rare cuddle that I do get that much more special. When I'm finished changing his diaper and he sits up to wrap his little arms around my shoulders in a hug, I cherish that moment and the feeling of us sitting there, in each other's arms. When I'm nursing him and rocking him to sleep and he unlatches to let me know that he's ready for bed, I pick him up, hug his tiny sleepy body to my chest and hold him tight for just a few minutes longer before I have to put him in his crib and close the door.

I am thankful for my husband who has stuck through this roller coaster in our lives that has been my PPD. Even though sometimes he doesn't do the dishes in as timely a manner as I'd like, or he plays too many video games, he's always there when I need him. It's been a hard year for both of us since Pierce has been born but I feel like I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. And that makes me so happy.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians.

Friday, October 8, 2010

I'm it!

I've been tagged in a game of blog tag by Kimberly at All Work and No Play Makes Mommy Go Something Something. I love Kimberly because not only is she Canadian, but she is Chuck Norris's mistress. Also, she has been a great help to me in dealing with everything I'm going through re ppd & ppa. And did I mention she's Canadian?

I've never done anything like this before, so here goes nothing. I have to answer these questions and tag 4 more people.

4 things in my handbag:
  • About a million receipts. Most of them are from Michael's
  • Two Peek-a-Blocks as "emergency toys" for when Pierce (or I) needs to be distracted.
  • An emergency supply of wipes
  • My sunglasses. Because I am terrified of getting crows feet from squinting in the sun. I wear them even when the level of brightness outside is questionable. Yes, I'm only 26, but I've had this fear since high school.
4 things in/on my desk: (I don't have a desk, so I'm using my coffee table instead.)
  • A pack of gum that was emptied on the floor by my BFF's 2 year old.
  • A package of Cheerios
  • About 100 packages of batteries
  • A textbook from 3 years ago when I went to school to be a legal assistant
4 favourite things in my bedroom:
  • My bed
  • My book of angsty poetry that I wrote in high school (I should think about sharing some on here if I'm brave enough)
  • My wedding dress (a purple cocktail dress with a plunging neckline...we eloped)
  • My pillow
4 things I always wanted to do (but haven't yet)
  • Go backpacking through Europe
  • Start an Etsy shop
  • Do the Weekend to End Breast Cancer
  • Donate blood
4 things I enjoy very much at the moment
  • My Fuze Refresh Peach Mango juice
  • That the sweater I'm wearing is not covered in cat hair
  • That Pierce is so enthralled by the Wot Wots and I can sit in relative silence while typing this post
  • That I am uploading Pierce's birthday pictures. I can't wait to see them!
4 songs I can't get outta my head:
  • Whataya Want From Me - Adam Lambert
  • The theme from Wonder Pets (This is sewious!)
  • Turn Me On - Ke$ha
  • All My Lovin' - The Beatles (I sing this to Pierce when I put him down to sleep for naps/bedtime)
4 things you don't know about me:
  • I am EXTREMELY anal. I think if I talked to my doctor about it she'd likely diagnose me with OCD
  • I never realized how much I love giraffes until I had a baby
  • I want to move to Edmonton
  • I hate the cold (which is, of course, contradictory to the point above)
Now I get to tag 4 more bloggers. Hmm...let's see

Kristin at Wipe Your Paws

Nicci at Changing the Universe

Alena at Charmingly Chandler

Abby at Life at the Poles

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Pierce's Birthday

Pierce turned 1 on Saturday. I was surprised about how well I dealt with it. Here are some pictures from the giraffe-themed party we threw for him.

The spread. We served macaroni & cheese, egg salad, tuna salad and bologna & cheese sandwiches, fruit and veggies and deviled eggs.

A close up of the banner. I made this myself using a friend's Cricut. I need to get myself one of those things!

I cut all the sandwiches into giraffe shapes using a cookie cutter and I made the labels with my friend's Cricut as well.

I bought plain brown cups and glued the yellow giraffe cut outs to them.

Here is the birthday boy enjoying an egg salad sandwich!

This is one of the only good "opening presents" pictures we got. Pierce was starting to get cranky and didn't want to sit still. Can you blame him?

I love his expression in this picture! The cake smash didn't get quite as messy as I'd hoped, but it was still fun to watch. Oh and just in case you were wondering, smooshed up yellow and brown icing looks exactly like baby poo. You're welcome!

"Oh hello. Was I supposed to share?" (I made two of the exact same cakes, one for him to smash and one for the rest of us to eat. Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of them before they were devoured.)

I love this picture of the three of us.

And this picture of Pierce with my mom (his Baba) is great, too!

Me with my toddler!! (sniff, sniff!)


"Please don't let me float away, Momma!"