Quote of the Day

Kai: "K..A..I Kai, K..A..Rae, K..A.. Auntie Angie, K..A.. Nana......."

Alice in Wonderland at the Marigold

Ian and I enjoyed some Mama and Son time at this anmazing production put on my The Truro Theatre Society. Ian showed some interest in theatre after we went and saw The Secret Garden, so he has joined the Drama Club!

First Days of School

Favorite Pictures of the Summer

Quote of the Day

Kai: "I use to be a fish.... last week!"

Kai: "Take your time waiting for me, Mommy."

Milestone

Kai has learned to ride his trike.

Quote of the Day

In the spirit of potty learning we have been visiting a lot of bathrooms I would otherwise avoid.
Kai: "This is a fantastic potty Mommy! And gross too!"

Quote of the Day

Kai (getting out of the shower): "There, my beard is all clean now!"

The End of Grade 1!

The end of another school year is upon us and I wanted to share the poem Ian wrote to his teacher.

If you give a teacher a picture, she’ll want some words to go with it.

Then she’ll want to show    it to the class.

When she shows it to the class all the kids will want to do show and tell.

Then the kids will want to play some soccer,

So the teacher will take them outside.

The kids will get very tired and hot so the teacher will take them for a drink.

When the kids go inside to get a drink they will see their crayons and want to make a picture.

The kids will want to show their pictures to the teacher, and she’ll want some words to go with it!

Written by Ian June 25th 2012

Cotterill Falimy 2012 Summer Bucket list

o Go to a sandcastle contest

o Swim in a lake

o Go to the ocean

o Eat s’mores

o Finish a chapter book

o Make mud soup

o Make a strawberry truffle

o Make a backyard dare-devil course

o Go to a movie in victoria park

o Have a family BBQ

o Make a water table

o Use the telescope

o Go to the Dutchman’s Cheese Factory

o Make Lemonade

o Have a picnic

o Make a bon fire

o Go to the Anne Swan Meuseum

o Go to the grist mill

o See the Extraordinary Costumes exhibit at the Meuseum of Natural History

o GO CAMPING

o Cook over an open fire

Quote of the Day

Kai: "My bum is frustrating me."

Quote of the Day

Kai: "Is that oatmeal for me?"
Me: "Yes."
Kai: "Ohhhh, lovely!"

Quote of the Day

Kai went outside without telling me.
Me: "Kai you scared me! I didn't know where you were."
Kai: "No, I did NOT scare you! I did NOT say BOO!"

A Perfect Moment Not a Perfect Family

Before you have children you have these grand illusions of what they"ll be like. I remembering being excited to have someone to make crafts with, and thinking when I was expecting my second how we would instill a deep sense of family in our household, so there would be little sibling rivalry... HAHA! That's just not the way it works, AT ALL! However, Ian has been home from school for a week and a half with a cold and there have been a few moments of that perfect parental bliss I dreamed of so long ago. Kai Ian and I sat on my bed together and read an entire Munchworks from cover to cover complete with hysterical giggles and cozy cuddles, it was a perfect moment. It's important for me to remember that even though this journey is nothing like I had anticipated there are those moments when all is right with the world.

Quote of the Day

Kai: "Ohhhh Grandma I like your fork!"

Quote of the day

Kai: "The horses on the bus say neigh neigh neigh..."

Quotes of the Day

Kai: "Hi Uncle Randy, you are strong and big!"

Kai: "What's that noise?"
Me: "The kitty?"
Kai: "No, it's Wednesday (the cat)."

Quote of the Day

Kai: "I AM MAD AT YOU, and I want milky."

Quote of the Day

Ian: "Doing dishes is fun!"

Bahahaha, now you're screwed!



"Lucky" to be a stay-at-home-mom

My friend went to the bank the other day to discuss her financial situation; she works part time and stays home with her daughter the rest of the time. Her banker told her she was "lucky to have been able to stay home as long as she has, and maybe it's time to consider returning to work full time." I have heard this mantra through out my career as a mom on more than one occasion, and every time it makes me see red. Why is it that I'm "lucky" to be my childs primary caregiver? Isn't that the natural order of thing? I understand there are times when people NEED to go back to work, single parents, financial crisis, sanity! But shouldn't it be that we are lucky to have an two cars in the driveway, a cell phone each, data plans, great sound systems, high-def and netflix? Aren't we "lucky" when we can afford fancy hair cuts, highlights and fake nails, not when can be with our children at their most vulnerable stages of life? I feel "lucky" that I live in house where everyone has their own bedroom, and that I can go to the store and buy pre-made foods, that we have a computer (okay maybe more than one) and the internet, and a machine that washes my clothes for me, and that I own more than 2 pairs of pants. I do not, however, feel "lucky" to be able to raise my own kids, we, as a family have made sacrifices and changes to our lifestyle to be able to afford one parent to be at home. I have worked on weekends, done child care from my home, taken on-line courses and chosen a career that can work around my kids needs and my husbands work schedule in order to be a stay-at-home mom, and that's not "luck," it's determining what's important to me and making that a priority, while passing up on things that are not necessary, like cable TV, costly pre-packaged food, trips to the movie theatre, a dishwasher and those much coveted new shoes. We chose to fix things rather than buy new ones, grow make and store our own food when we can, find entertainment outdoors, limit our screen time, and conserve our energy consumption because being physically present for my kids is a priority to me! *Don't get me wrong, I am not placing judgment on anyone or their choice of lifestyle, being a working-mom is just a tough a job!

Quote of the Day

Kai: "I is little. You is big."
Me: "What is Ian?"
Kai: "He is little too."
Me: "What is Daddy? Is he big too?"
Kai: "Ya, Daddy is big, he is HUGE!"

Maratime Marionette's

We enjoyed The Lonely Leprechaun as much as all the other amazing preformances.

Language Explosion

Everyday I am hearing things like "MOMMY! GET THIS SMOOTHIE OFF MY PENIS!" and "Grrrrrr, I'm frustrated and upset!" and "I have a question for you....." followed by no question at all. Spring has brough Kai many new experssions and uses for language.

Sometimes I revel in the brief moments of silence, though.

Happy Ostara

How much Heartbreak is too much Heartbreak?

Ian is sensitive and I will never be one of those parents who tells their kids that their dog has gone to live on a happy farm. I believe kids have the right to greive too. Ian's fish, of whom he paid very little attention to, died last week. He cried and creid and cried. We got some new goldfish and he named his Sad. Now the goldfish have died to, so the question is do we replace them and skip the second (third and fourth) round of heartbreak or do we let him greive agian, and again?

How much heartbreak is too much heartbreak?

Quote of the Day

KAi to his toes: "This little piggy had oatmeal, this piggy had soup, this piggy had oatmeal, this piggy went we we we we home!"

Quote of the Day

Ian: Ian: "Those Saints can do WAY better than that!"

Quote of the Day

After spending the weekend painting and moving Kai's room around I asked him :"How does it look?" Kai: "Ummm.... it looks messy!" *there were some train tracks on the floor :)

Reading

Kai: Bunny My Honey

Ian: Harry Potter and the Sorcers Stone

quote of the day

Me: "Daddy isn't feeling well." Ian: "Maybe that's because he always eats way too much!"

Quot of the Day

Rae: "Mel, Mel, Mel Where aaaare you??? There you is! My socks is beautiful!" Walks away.

Just for the Record

When Ian was about two he had a dog that he named Cupboard Banana, and today Kai named his teddy bear Olive. My kids are so "creative."

A Walk in the Park

Surprise

My beautiful, crazy sister surprised us with a visit...