Five things I loved about our Weekend to Remember conference

A few months ago, Peanut-lover marked off the Weekend to Remember marriage conference on two weekends of our April calendar. I was all, "I work weekends" and he was all, "Let's just see what happens".

Then I got my schedule for April and instead of working one shift every weekend as usual, I was scheduled to work two shifts each of the first two weekends and then have two weekends off. Yes. That's right. The same two weekends that Family Life was hosting their Weekend to Remember conferences in Seattle (where my dad lives). We were just days from missing the early-bird deadline so we signed up right away.

Here are five things I loved about the conference:

1. Focused time to work on our marriage

This Monday will mark 7 years of marriage for us. And we've had a pretty good marriage thus far. But, you know, it's hard to find time to resolve issues that come up, or even to spend time together when we get caught up in the busyness of life. It was nice to have this time that we had each dedicated to improving our marriage. I'm sure we'll be seeing the benefits for a long time.

2. Being reminded about the basics.

It's easy to get settled into the habits of daily life and forget that marriage is work. For me, one of the big things that stood out from this conference is that I've let my attention be focused on what is most demanding of my attention (kids first, husband second, God last) instead of prioritizing my attention by who deserves it the most (God first, husband second, kids third, everything else fourth).

3. Excellent speakers

The speakers were amazing! There were three of them, a married man and a married couple. In each session, they used clips from current movies to introduce the topic and to demonstrate what they were talking about. The speakers were transparent about their own relationships and really used their own experiences to highlight or expand on points. They were funny, believable, trustworthy, easy to listen to. I enjoyed each of them thoroughly.

4. Organization

Family life knows what they are doing when they do a conference. And they should. They run these conferences nearly every weekend of the year! When we arrived, we each received a book with notes to follow along in each of the 10 sessions. Every few pages, there was a "Making it personal" section where we would stop and consider how the information we'd just learned applied to our own lives and marriages. About half of the sessions were followed up by first some personal work and then some work to be done as a couple. These included talking about our hopes for the weekend, writing a love letter to our spouse, talking about our expectations with intimacy, and sharing what we had learned about our individual roles in the relationship. Some of the work was hard. I spent the first half of the weekend feeling raw, vulnerable, exposed. I couldn't look anyone in the eye for fear that the tears wouldn't stop if they started. But it was work that needed to be done to take our relationship from good to great.

5. Seeing hundreds of other couples dedicated to working on their marriages.

Marriage gets a lot of negative talk these days. It was great to be surrounded by couples who wanted to work on their marriages, who believed things could be even better. There were couples that were engaged all the way up to a couple who had been married 46 years! It gave me hope to see that no matter how long you've been together, you can always work together to achieve a new level of closeness.

Is your marriage all that it can be? Right now, Family Life is offering a 50% discount on the rest of their Spring conferences. Click here to find out more. Family Life Canada also hosts similar conferences in Canada, click here for the link.

Now it's your turn. What's your five things this week? Write a blog post and link up to join the fun. Or, if you don't have a blog, leave me your list in the comments. You don't have to copy my topic, but feel free if you need a little direction. I can't wait to hear what y'all have to say! ***Mr Linky stays open until next Thursday when I post my next Five Things Thursday, so join in whenever you are able***

More true confessions

While I'm in the confessing mode...

You know how the food is supposed to be served like this: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, supper, snack, bed?

Well, most some mornings, we do it snack, breakfast, lunch.... As in, "Here's a banana, go feed your brother. Mommy's going back to sleep."

Mornings are just not my friend, people.

True Confessions

I have a confession to make.

KK will be turning 4 in November. Registration for preschools for 2009-2010 was held in January to March.

Um, just between you and me: I didn't register KK for preschool in September... (and I'm okay with that!)

Shhh! Don't tell anyone!! In this area, where many children are starting preschool at the age of two, I could be severely persecuted for not putting my child in preschool.

It's not that I have a problem with preschool. No problem at all in fact. I just know it's not right for my little girl.

Why not? Well, it comes down to independence. Right from the beginning with KK, I have recognized that I can't push independence on her. Well, I could, but I know that it would create an anxious, mistrusting child. It has come up in every single level of independence that she has achieved. While I have felt pressure from outside influences to push her to the next level of independence (sleeping on her own, weaning, socialization), I have always known in my heart that she would more healthily attain that level of independence if I let her get there on her own. And you know what? She has!

I remember the early days of motherhood, when I would get an anxiety-provoking email from Babycenter about what my child should be doing at each age. Let's take falling asleep on her own for an example. Every single email told me that she should be falling asleep on her own. So I would chastise myself for not letting her fall asleep on her own and vow to teach her how. Those days were pure misery. I would cry it all out to Peanut-lover and he would remind me of the same thing each time: I was her mommy and I knew her best. As soon as I would go back to reading her cues, peace would once again reign in our home. And so, yes, I spent 15-18 months rocking her to sleep every night. Then one night, she pointed to her bed and said, "In there"... I put her in her bed and she has fallen asleep at bedtime on her own ever since. She was ready. And you know what else? I treasure the memories of the nights I spent rocking her to sleep. I don't get to do that with JJ. He was independent from birth. Well, when it comes to sleeping at least.

I have been fretting about this preschool thing for months.... looking into preschools and not finding what we're looking for.... checking my heart to see whether it is for her good or for my own good.... trying to figure out where the money would come from.... praying for God to show me what would work best for us.

Last night, or rather very early this morning, I came to a conclusion for which I feel a great amount of peace: She's not ready. And I'm not ready. And that's okay.

Academically, I'm not at all concerned. There is plenty of evidence out there demonstrating that children learn best from attentive interaction with their mother. Socially, I'm not concerned. Our city offers free preschool where parents attend with their children on a drop-in basis. That sounds perfect to me. And we have church and a-million-and-a-half cousins as well. If that don't develop you socially, I don't know what will.

As for the adjustment to daily kindergarten classes, I'm not concerned about that either. She will be an entire year older when that happens and I'm quite sure, because I am her mommy and I know her, that she will do just fine. If not, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

The best part? I spoke with Peanut-lover about it this morning, expecting a lot of resistance from him. But instead, he fully agreed with me. Yesterday, he had the opportunity to see KK demonstrate just how much independence she has developed when she made a friend at the park, all on her own.

Oh, and if anyone asks me if she's in preschool (which people have been doing for 2 years), I now have my answer: We're homeschooling :)

Not me! Monday

It's been a whirlwind week in our household. Last weekend, we took a trip up north to visit my brother and his family. Then, after a quick stop-over at home, we headed down to Seattle to visit with my dad and stepmom and to attend a marriage conference.

I have just finished unpacking the essentials and have finally settled my three loved ones to bed. As full of stories and thoughts and ideas as I am, this momma has a busy day getting back to life tomorrow... so I'll leave the stories/thoughts/ideas for later and instead give you a little taste of our past week in the form of a Not Me! Monday, a carnival which is hosted by MckMama over at My Charming Kids. MckMama is Stellan's mommy, the little guy who we've been praying for over the past 5 weeks. I'm not sure if MckMama is hosting the carnival while Stellan is hospitalized, but I'm going to write my list anyways!

I did not forget JJ's blankie on the way to the airport. And I definitely did not realize my mistake right outside the airport. And I most certainly did not make the taxi driver turn around and run us back home to get JJ's precious blankie so that I would survive the weekend.

Nope, not me!

I did not consume my entire caloric requirements in chocolate-covered toffee and balsamic & black pepper flavoured chips last weekend. And, after promising myself to reform, I certainly did not then consume 3/4 of a large bag of chocolates this past weekend.

Nope, not me!

I did not obsessively take pictures up north, at the park, or at the zoo. And I didn't manage to edit them down to 332 pictures that I want to keep to remember our past week.

Nope, not me!

Peanut-lover and I most certainly did not have a fight leaving the first session of our weekend marriage conference.

Nope! Not us!

I did not choose which bathroom stall to use at the conference based on my ability to access free wireless internet. Nope! And I certainly did not use every pee break to check facebook, check on Stellan's status, or check to see if Heather's new blog makeover was complete.

Nope, not me!

Just because I never want to forget...

Yesterday morning afternoon, I was about to climb into the shower and KK was sitting on the toilet (just keepin' it real here, people). I wiped her bum and she leaned up against my belly, which, let's be honest, isn't the most favourite part of my body.

"Mommy, I luuuuuuvvv you sooooooooo much."

Then rubbing her head all over my belly, "You so soft and comfy. I love to cuddle you."

Ah, who needs tight abs. Am I right?

Five things I love about being married to a student

Peanut-lover has been working on his PhD in Neuroscience for nearly 5 years. He's about a year away from completion. I often get asked about how we manage with him being a student and me working part-time. It's actually not as bad as it might seem because PhD students get grants to support their research. In many ways, it just looks like a job, now that he's done with classes. Of course, we haven't got to the "Thesis Writing Part" of it yet...

Remember last week? When I told you about the two different types of "Five things" posts? I'll let you guess which category this one falls under. (Actually, it really depends on what kind of day I've had).

Here are five of the things that I DO love about being married to a student:

1. Flexible schedule

Most of the time, Peanut-lover's work is fairly self-directed. Less time at work just means slower progress, so he's motivated to keep working. At the same time, he's able to take time off when he wants it. It means that we can work his schedule around events, camping trips, illnesses, my work etc. We remind each other regularly that we won't always have this kind of flexibility.

2. Tax breaks

Our government is big on education AND big on research, so we get tax benefits in both areas. That is a big part of how we get by on the income of a student and a part-time nurse.

3. Intellectual discussions

Yeah, sometimes he throws around words like "calcium-dependent facilitation" and "knock-in mice". Then he'll add a little "familial hemiplegic migraines" and some "neurogenetics and biophysics" and I have no idea what he's talking about... but most of the time, we can talk nerd talk and totally get what each other is saying. And let me tell you, that's quite a step up from the ex-boyfriend who used to tell me that I was only smart in the un-important things.

4. Bus pass

With his student fees, Peanut-lover gets a bus pass, which saves us hundreds of dollars in transportation costs. And it allows us to only have one vehicle between us. Not only does it save us money, but it gives Peanut-lover a little time to study/listen to music/pray on the way to work or on the way home. He's really learned to appreciate using transit.

5. Temporariness

When all else fails, and we get frustrated about where we are in life, we can always tell ourselves that our situation is temporary. (No one is a student for life, right? Right?) We try not to let it keep us from committing to the present, but sometimes, the temporariness of our situation is what gets us through the present.

Being married to a professional student, it's not so bad. Right? Right???

Now it's your turn. What's your five things this week? Write a blog post and link up to join the fun. Or, if you don't have a blog, leave me your list in the comments. You don't have to copy my topic, but feel free if you need a little direction. I can't wait to hear what y'all have to say!

Conversations with KK: Boys are Gross!

KK and I are having our bedtime snuggle-chat and talking about tomorrow:

KK: Us going to have a girls' day tomorrow. Just KK and mommy. Just girls. No boys. 'Cause boys is gross! I not like boys.

Mommy: Does that mean you won't ever get married and you'll always live with mommy and daddy?

KK: No. One day I'll get a husband. My daddy is going to pick one for me. And his hair going to be SO CRAZY!

Hmmmmm... so, are we talking crazy like this?

Or more like this?


Or perhaps, more like this?

Just wonderin'

Another time, we are walking into the girls' bathroom and KK tells me why we have to use a girls' bathroom:

KK: We use a girls' bafroom because boys is gross (true). All boys is gross.

Mommy: Well, not all boys are gross. It's just any boys who want to kiss you that are gross.

KK: Yeah. Them gross. Smile and wave boys, smile and wave.

(Can I get an Amen?)

On blending in and having a three-year-old

I'm the type that hates having attention drawn to herself. I have an unusual first name, which I love now, but hated when I was a kid because I was always having to correct substitute teachers on the pronunciation. Which meant I had to speak out, instead of hide under my desk where I was actually quite comfortable. There have even been some occasions where I have answered to an incorrect pronunciation of my name, just so as to avoid having to correct someone and draw more attention to myself.

In crowds or even in small groups of people, I'd rather just blend in.

But I have a three-year-old and three-year-olds do. not. blend. (One-year-olds do not blend either, but it's in a different way. A passerby will smile at his cuteness and we exchange a knowing glance and it's done.)

Since I don't want to pass on this fear of being noticed to my kids, I work really hard not to let them see how uncomfortable I can get in social situations. So when I'm out with the kids and the inevitable questions start, I try my best to pretend there is no one listening to what I'm saying and just answer the questions as honestly as I can. But I am SO UNCOMFORTABLE. I know everyone in the room is listening. Three-year-old voices are at a decibel level that cannot be ignored (I know. I've tried.)

We have covered everything from what that man over there is doing... to what that little white box in the bathroom stall is for... to why that other kid gets to have a candy but KK doesn't. No matter what the subject, and not matter how brightly my cheeks get colored, I try to answer as honestly as I can. But I am SO UNCOMFORTABLE.

It's not that I'm worried about what everyone thinks about my answers, because I really don't care about that. It's just that I'm not invisible anymore. And I HATE not being invisible.

Just another thing they don't warn you about in the baby books!

Five things I love about my van :)

If you've been paying close attention to my "Five things I love about..." posts, you may have noticed that these posts fall into either of two categories. The first kind are things that I actually love. These are the easy posts to write and include posts about Peanut-lover, KK, JJ, my mom, my dad, my brother, my job, and Spring.

The second kind are things that I tend to complain about. But, in my quest to learn contentedness, I am trying to focus on the positives about these things or situations. These are the harder posts to write and include living in a condo and still living in this city. Today's post also falls into this second category. I actually have a hard time writing these kind of posts because after listing two or three items, I can't think about anything else to write. So I have quite a few drafts waiting to be finished. Today's post is quite timely, because I didn't have my fifth reason until yesterday morning. If nothing else can be made of a bad situation, at least it gives me something to blog about, right?!

Today, I want to talk about five things I love about my van.


1. No monthly payments.

We bought our van about 18 months ago. We paid $1000 for it and about another $1000 for my FIL to fix it up for us. It has about a 100 billion kilometres on it, but we don't care. We're going to drive it into the ground anyway and instead of being tied to a car payment, we are just building up money in savings to have ready for when it dies.

2. It's a Ford.

Forgive me Dad, I know you raised me right. And part of that raising included shunning Fords. But... Peanut-lover's dad is a mechanic. A Ford mechanic. Our very trusted and reliable mechanic. He likes working on Fords, so it works out well that we drive a Ford. He has saved us thousands of dollars by being able to fix up our van for us.

3. Captain's seats in the middle row.

When we were looking for a van, I was adamant about having these and I'm so glad I fought for them. For the kids to be able to touch each other, they both have to cooperate. Which they do quite well. I'll often look back to see them holding hands across the aisle. Or passing food or toys to each other. But they can't hit, poke, or tickle each other, so until staring at each other becomes an issue, our drives will remain pretty peaceful.

4. It's shared.

Peanut-lover and I share one vehicle. It is challenging, but very good for our communication. We have to plan ahead together for who needs the vehicle and who can take transit. It's also eco-friendly. I like that.

5. Adding another scratch or dent doesn't matter. It just blends in.


It looked like this until yesterday. A little dent in the bumper and a key scratch on the sliding door. Then I misjudged a corner in a parking lot and scraped the entire right side across a BMW bumper. Oops. Instead of having my husband completely freak out about a new scratch on his precious vehicle, he just shrugged it off (and then held me while I hysterically cried for hours). The worst damage that occurred from my little accident? KK learned some new words that she's not allowed to use. (Oops).

Isn't this van a great thing? Who needs a new vehicle, right? (Work with me here people!)

Now it's your turn. What's your five things this week? Write a blog post and link up to join the fun. Or, if you don't have a blog, leave me your list in the comments. You don't have to copy my topic, but feel free if you need a little direction. I can't wait to hear what y'all have to say!

My big girl, trying to be bigger

Wednesdays are my morning out most weeks. Before I went back to work, I would use them as a chance to get away from the kids for a few hours. Then when I returned to work and didn't need that "me time" so much, Wednesdays became my errand running morning. Today, Wednesday mornings found a new purpose.

KK is taking an art class on Wednesday mornings and I learned very quickly that JJ could not be entertained for that hour without mommy nearly going crazy! So I decided to leave JJ with our sitter on Wednesday mornings and use the hour on either side of the art class for running errands and spending special time with my little girl.

So far, I'm loving it! It is so nice to be able to focus fully on my little girl. I'm loving giving her this individual attention. And is it ever easy to run errands with a three-year-old. I love it! After her art class, we are going to go get her some little girl makeup and she is so excited!

When I said goodbye to her in her art class, she got that almost crying look about her and her eyes filled up with tears. I asked if she'd be ok and she told me that her eyes were just watering for some reason. It was hard for me to walk out of there without her, but I did it. And yes, my eyes were watering a little too, for some reason.

Why does she think she has to be so big and so strong for me? Maybe because I think I have to be so big and so strong for her. Hmmmm...

Note to self: You do a lot around here

If I ever were to question what I do around here (or if anyone else in this household were to dare to question it), all I'd have to do is work for a weekend.

Seriously people, this place falls apart when I work. It takes me at least two days to catch up for each shift that I work!

And don't get me wrong, dude. This is not me complaining that Peanut-lover doesn't do enough around here. I'm not that girl. I don't feel that I need to make him experience what I go through. Being a stay-at-home-mommy is my job, not his.

When I work, I try my best to leave Peanut-lover with no expectations except that the children survive until I get home. I take care of the housework and meals for the most part. Not that he's not capable. Because he is. Very capable. But it's his weekend. And he gives it up so that I don't have to put my babies in daycare.

But when I get home from my shift and look around this place, let me tell you, I know my value.

...and (sigh) I know that the laundry will be my master in the morning.

Five things I love about my city

Welcome to Five Things Thursday!

This week I want to talk about what I love about where we live. We live one of the many cities that surround the beautiful city of Vancouver, BC. We moved here five years ago when we were ready to purchase our first home. It was the ideal place for us to buy because it was within our price range, yet still close enough to Vancouver where both Peanut-lover and I work. It's taken me some time to feel at home here, but now I really love this city. Here are some reasons why:

1. No hills

OK, apparently there is ONE hill in this city, but I have yet to figure out where it is. And since most of my walking involves either pushing a stroller or pulling a wagon, flat is fabulous.

2. The best mall

There are several malls in the city, but I love the central mall. It is big enough to keep you busy for a day, yet not so large that you'd have to spend days just trying to figure out where you're going. And it's not one of those malls that leads you around and around in circles until you can't figure out where you parked anymore. It's very logically laid out and that I like. The best part though is the range of stores. From low-end to high-end, there is such a great selection. I can find pretty much anything I want there.

3. The midpoint for all our family

It's not exactly the midpoint, but pretty close. And since we share ourselves between three sets of parents, it is nice to be within a few hours (or less) of each of them.

4. Cultural diversity

Our city is known for its cultural diversity. I love that we have many friends from different ethnic backgrounds and that my kids are exposed to different cultural customs. I know we will still have to teach them to appreciate peoples' differences, but I think it will be easier growing up here. And I love knowing where to get the best Chinese or Greek or Indian or Korean or Sushi or Mexican.

5. Pajo's

We have the best fish and chip restaurant right on the water. Literally right on the water (it floats). I don't eat the fish, but I love the chips. And I love the atmosphere there. It is so seaside and summer.

Now it's your turn. What's your five things this week? Write a blog post and link up to join the fun. Or, if you don't have a blog, leave me your list in the comments. You don't have to copy my topic, but feel free if you need a little direction. I can't wait to hear what y'all have to say!

How we almost missed the Doodlebops

Back in January, I got an urgent call from Peanut-lover. He'd found out that the Doodlebops were coming to town and felt it was important that we be there.

..and since we see a lot of this...

...and this...

...and this...

...at our house, Peanut-lover felt it was absolutely necessary to get FOURTH ROW tickets for our family.

So we did. And I marked April 24th on our calendar with big huge red circles. And then we sealed our lips around the kids and waited four months.

Last week, I was driving with the radio on. It's rare for me to have the radio on when driving because I rarely drive alone and if KK is in the vehicle, our van is rockin' to the tunes of the Doodlebops. But this time I was alone and happened to forget to switch stations when the commercials came on. And it's a good thing because there was an ad for the Doodlebops concert, on April 9. (Scroll up, that's not the date I'd circled.)

Being the genius mom that I am, I thought it was weird that they were coming for two concerts, and left it for a few days. But it lingered in my brain and I mentioned it to Peanut-lover who also thought it was weird that they'd come twice in such a short time. Then he suggested that we check the tickets, just in case. And guess what? April 9 is the date on our tickets.

Where did I come up with April 24? I have no idea. I'm just really grateful that we discovered the mistake in time.

Peanut-lover would have been pretty disappointed if we'd missed his concert.

Ambition

Recently, a friend asked me what my goals were for the next year. I mumbled something about a trip to see my brother and finding a preschool for KK, but really didn't know how to answer the question.

Being a stay-at-home mommy doesn't look very ambitious. It looks more like endless dishes and snacks and meals. It is finishing the laundry, only to find that another load has been created in the time it took to wash, dry, fold, and put away. It is cleaning up the mess in front of me, just to turn around and find twice the mess behind me. It is waking several times in the night and then trying to selflessly care for selfish little people all day.

Staying home with young children is so all-consuming that it is easy to feel like I have no ambition... until I get asked about my goals, and I mumble the wrong response, and I wish I could go back and change my answer.

Now, I realize that I'm not a full-time stay-at-home-mommy, since I do work on the weekends, but I call myself that because of where my focus lies. I really feel called right now to have my focus at home. Not to simply provide for my family's physical needs and clean my home, but to really know each person and to make our home a place of rest and healing.

Mommying doesn't look very ambitious because my goals are not the kind that you can complete and then check off the list. They are ongoing goals that I will never fully meet. Here they are in random order:

- To spend quiet time with my Lord each day so that we are walking side by side.

- To be a good steward of our finances, budgeting carefully and paying off our remaining student loans as quickly as possible.

- To find contentment in the present.

- To thoroughly dust my home, at least once, on purpose.

- To make time each day to look into my children's eyes when they are talking to me and really hear what they are trying to say.

- To interact with my kids in a way that builds a healthy self-esteem into them.

- To teach my kids how to be under authority, so that one day they can understand their place under the authority of God.

- To carry my daughter from one room to another, when she asks, more times than not, just because it makes her happy.

- To make my kids laugh at least once every day.

- To guide them and teach them in a way that is individually suited to their personalities.

- To keep in touch with and support my friends.

- To keep my freezer stocked with prepared meals so that I can deliver them to a friend at a time of need (as my friends have done for me).

- To love my husband the way that he receives love and to the depth that he loves me.

- To always show my husband respect, even at the very rare times that he doesn't deserve it.

- To support my husband as he transitions from school to career.

- To figure out a way to get my daughter to eat (hey, I can dream, can't I?)

- To do my physio exercises so I can be free from my daily back pain.

- To recognize that this job is hard and that some days, it's OK to just make it through the day without hurting anyone.

This is me at my high school graduation, full of ambition and dreams, with great plans for how I was going to succeed in life. (And out of control eyebrows, but that's another issue).

Where is that girl now?

She's still here. She's not been ignored or neglected. She has set certain dreams aside for the meantime, but only because she's trying more and more each day to focus on what really matters, right now. She doesn't lack ambition or drive. She just has her attention focused here at home, where it matters, right now.

She is mom.

And the three other people in her home, who matter the most to her in this world, are very happy about that.

The monster at McDonalds

Every so often, when Peanut-lover and I can't stand the children anymore desperately need a little help to get through the last couple of hours before bedtime, we pack everyone up and head to McDonalds.

If I had written a list of mommy goals before I had children, going to McDonalds on a predictable monthly cycle every so often would not have made it anywhere on my list. But before I had kids, I didn't have a clue how hard being a mommy could be some days. Don't get me wrong, I knew it would be hard, just not this hard.

Anywho, so about two weeks ago, it was time for another desperation trip to McDonalds. We grabbed a couple of flurries and settled in to watch the kids play.

KK played cautiously at first, eyeing the other children, but mostly sticking close to the ice cream mommy.

JJ, naturally, was the opposite. Within minutes he was up in the highest tunnel playing with the big kids. And yes, mommy did have to climb up to rescue him when one of the big kids did a cartwheel over him, thankyouverymuch for asking. That's what we get for letting a 15-month-old loose in a playplace that has an explicit age limit of 3-10 years.

Eventually the big kids invented a very cool game, which involved lots of running and screaming and climbing and jumping and hiding... oh, and it included our shy KK, running, screaming, laughing, climbing, jumping, and hiding along with all the big kids.

The game: running from the monster.

The monster: JJ

The funny part: JJ had no idea that he was playing. He was just so delighted to be playing with all the kids that he would throw his hands up in the air, in a very monster-like way, each time they approached him.

JJ was delighted.

KK was delighted.

Mommy and Daddy, who finally got to laugh off their stress, were delighted.

McDonalds, we'll be back.

Five things I love about Spring

I love all the seasons for different reasons, but Spring is my absolute favourite. Here's why:

1. Renewed hope

Spring seems to come just when it seems like it might never come, bringing with it hope of new life and better days. For so long, it is winter and cold and wet and misery... and then one day, it is just there... Spring. You can see it in people's faces. There is a lightness around everyone it seems. I love that day.

2. Flowers

I love me some spring flowers. Forget all the fancy, fragrant flowers of summer. I love the fresh, colorful, young flowers of spring. Cherry blossoms, tulips, daisies. In the Vancouver area, you go to bed one night and all the tress are bare. The next morning it seems all the trees are blooming as if the world has suddenly woken up.

3. Warmer weather

There is something so healing about the feel of the sun on your skin. I love how in spring, you can be chilled in the shade and then you step out into the sun and within a moment, you can feel the warmth right to your core. I especially love the weather in May and June when it is warm enough to go out in light clothing, but not at the point yet where the heat is overbearing. And that first day when you can leave your windows open... ah, heaven.

4. Our Wedding Anniversary

This may be circular reasoning, because I specifically planned our wedding for May because I love spring so much. Never mind that it hailed and snowed the weekend of our wedding. Or that they had to de-ice the plane before we could leave for our honeymoon.

This year will make seven years for us. I love celebrating how far we've come, because, oh, how far we've come.

5. Longer days

This one is really evident when I work 12-hr shifts. In winter, I will often go to work in the dark and leave work in the dark. I love when it starts to get light in the mornings. It seems a little less heavy walking to work when there is a glimmer of light in the sky. And how wonderful it is when there is still enough light after dinner for us all to go out for a family walk. At the same time, I love that the sky isn't light so early that my kids are up for the day at 5 am.

Spring. Fresh air. Flowers. Hope. Breezes. Sunshine. Youth. Spring will always have my heart.

What's your five things this week? Write a blog post and link up to join the fun. Or, if you don't have a blog, leave me your list in the comments. You don't have to copy my topic, but feel free if you need a little direction. I can't wait to hear what y'all have to say!

WFMW: Cleaning by accident

This week's WFMW is the backwards edition. Bloggers link up with a problem they are having and ask for advice (instead of vice versa).

My problem: dusting.

It seems I get a lot of cleaning done by accident around here. Other than the laundry and dishes (which just keep getting worse if left), the only way I get anything else cleaned is by accident.

Like the bathtub fiasco.

Or changing the bed because someone threw up in it.

Or washing the bathroom floor (and all the household towels) because the toilet has overflowed.

But I can't figure out how to dust by accident. And now that the sunshine is streaming through my windows every third day or so, I'm realizing how long it's been since I dusted properly.

(Let's just say it was when I was nesting just before JJ was born.)

(I'll let you figure out the math)

(Because it's downright unacceptable).

So how do you fit it in? What kind of catastrophe is it going to take to get the dust off my shelves???

Head on over to We are THAT family for more WFMW tips.

Conversations with KK: Bedtime chats and Stellan

KK and I are laying in bed together, having our bedtime snuggle-chat. Somehow, we got into bathing suits. I told her I was trying (unsuccessfully) to find a new bathing suit.

KK: Will you give away your green one to someone else?

Mommy: No, I should keep it just in case I ever have another baby in my tummy.

Startled, KK lifts right up on her elbows and looks me in the eye: Another baby in your tummy? What would you do with JJ?

Mommy: What do you mean?

KK: What would you do with JJ if you had another baby come out your tummy?

Mommy (not sure what she is getting at - does she think we would give JJ away? - and trying another approach): Well, what do you think I would do with JJ if I had another baby?

KK: I think the baby and JJ would both sleep in JJ's bed together.

Mommy: OH! Right. Well we don't need to worry about that because Mommy is probably not going to grow any more babies in her tummy.
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Another night, we are snuggle-chatting and KK reaches over and caresses my face.

KK: You are my frrrraaaaavourite mommy. You are so special to me. You so special that I not want to color you.

(It's true. Everything else does get colored. I didn't realize I was safe because of my specialness)
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This morning we are getting ready for KK's dance class.

KK: I'm going to go pee and then I'm going to pray for baby Stellan.

I come back to the dining room to find my girl with both hands laid on a picture of Stellan on our computer, praying her little heart out.

KK: Jesus, help Stellan's heart to work better. And help him to sleep. Help his mommy and daddy not be sad and give them your peace.

Amen, baby girl. Amen.