Last night after work I took the girls outside. We grabbed a blanket and my Yoga book and we had a stretching session. I'm amazed at the flexibility of my daughters. I was also amazed that Rose was interested in trying this out. Of course we had to eat Cheerios while we were yoga-ing, but they both took an interest and did some of the moves along with me.
My girls are quickly leaving the really little kid stuff behind. They will happily tell me some shows are too "baby" for them (Emma more than Rose) and they both understand the philosophy of passing on your too small clothes, so they can graduate into more new (to them) clothes. I don't really know when I noticed this stuff starting to happen, but it's in full flow now.
My favourite thing that is happening now is their ability to reason. There are many less "tantrums" as they've started flexing their reasoning muscles. We can (usually) calmly discuss sharing and taking turns, as well as if we watch movie A now we can watch movie B next time. This doesn't always end well, but we're getting there.
Along with reasoning is the knowledge that 'it is time to sleep when I'm tired.' Emma took a very long time to learn this skill. Rose is further along at a younger age, and actually goes and lays down for a nap if she's tired in the afternoon. We've gotten away from naps with her, but sometimes she'll just take one and not even tell anyone!
Last week my parents had the girls for 4 days at their place. Usually getting them there entails tears and fits and all that (even though they always have a good time), but not this time. Genuine excitement and full knowledge they were going to be there for a few days in a row. My mom told me that before they were brought back home they both - separately - went to her and told her they would miss her and asked for snuggles. How sweet, right? Then they were super affectionate with me when they got back, which I totally missed while they were away.
The real excitement for me was also last night. Emma watched her Murdoch Mysteries while I read Rose a story upstairs. When it ended she went up to brush her teeth and I looked for another Murdoch. The only one I found was the one she had just watched, so I put on Jeopardy! until she returned and gave me input on what she wanted to watch. Well guess what? She wanted to watch Jeopardy with me!! I don't think I've really watched it since Emma was born. And I could see her looking at (reading?) the words. She thought it was great! Let's hope she keeps her interest in it, so I can test my knowledge on any and all things another night soon.
Stay tuned for more random thoughts from me. Toodles!
Showing posts with label changes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label changes. Show all posts
Wednesday, 12 August 2015
Saturday, 18 July 2015
How Can You Gauge Your Kids?
Don't you wish kids came with gauges? I'm talking about dials or thermometers that show you their moods and basic needs. You know, hunger, sleepiness, happiness and all that jazz.
Just when you think you've got your kid(s) figured out, they suddenly change all their habits - am I right? The picky eater who has recently become a bit more adventurous suddenly regresses, the full of energy girl suddenly needs a nap or an earlier bedtime because she's "so TIRED!", and the kid that is always entertained by the screen can't find anything to watch.
Sometimes there just no winning with kids. I've had many days where I've missed the "actual" hungry time, and no eats anything for dinner (but then wakes up at 5am because their tummy is growling); and the fun days where you miss the ideal bedtime by about 15 minutes and, because of that, it's now an hour long bedtime, AND the kid won't stay in their room. I'm sure we've all had those days.
I would love a little cheat like a dial or gauge that has a nice green window for when your kid is perfectly hungry (and will eat most anything), and adequately tired (without being suddenly unreasonable about everything - I mean really, how hard is it to put on a pair of pajamas?!), and a mood indicator wouldn't be too bad either: happy. sad, grumpy, and totally unapproachable!
I sometimes think communication is key, but my oldest totally shuts down when her world is not going how she thinks it should be. And I mean she refuses to speak. About anything. To anyone. Especially if she thinks she's going to get in trouble. I know I perhaps enable this behaviour by just asking more questions (sometimes more loudly as I lose what was left of my temper) instead of finding an alternate way to approach the scenario. This is, again, where the gauges would come in handy! I am amazed, sometimes, at my ability to not actually throttle my children when they resort to this non-speaking state. Often I have to leave the room and take 3 breaths so I can re-approach with a clear head and (hopefully!) get to the bottom of whatever we're trying to do/fix/talk about.
Kids are confusing - do any of you readers have tips on keeping things on an even keel at home? I find now that the girls are older it's not nearly the same as the toddler timeframe, but nothing is a straightforward as it should be. Please, share your comments!
Toodles!
Just when you think you've got your kid(s) figured out, they suddenly change all their habits - am I right? The picky eater who has recently become a bit more adventurous suddenly regresses, the full of energy girl suddenly needs a nap or an earlier bedtime because she's "so TIRED!", and the kid that is always entertained by the screen can't find anything to watch.
Sometimes there just no winning with kids. I've had many days where I've missed the "actual" hungry time, and no eats anything for dinner (but then wakes up at 5am because their tummy is growling); and the fun days where you miss the ideal bedtime by about 15 minutes and, because of that, it's now an hour long bedtime, AND the kid won't stay in their room. I'm sure we've all had those days.
I would love a little cheat like a dial or gauge that has a nice green window for when your kid is perfectly hungry (and will eat most anything), and adequately tired (without being suddenly unreasonable about everything - I mean really, how hard is it to put on a pair of pajamas?!), and a mood indicator wouldn't be too bad either: happy. sad, grumpy, and totally unapproachable!
I sometimes think communication is key, but my oldest totally shuts down when her world is not going how she thinks it should be. And I mean she refuses to speak. About anything. To anyone. Especially if she thinks she's going to get in trouble. I know I perhaps enable this behaviour by just asking more questions (sometimes more loudly as I lose what was left of my temper) instead of finding an alternate way to approach the scenario. This is, again, where the gauges would come in handy! I am amazed, sometimes, at my ability to not actually throttle my children when they resort to this non-speaking state. Often I have to leave the room and take 3 breaths so I can re-approach with a clear head and (hopefully!) get to the bottom of whatever we're trying to do/fix/talk about.
Kids are confusing - do any of you readers have tips on keeping things on an even keel at home? I find now that the girls are older it's not nearly the same as the toddler timeframe, but nothing is a straightforward as it should be. Please, share your comments!
Toodles!
Tuesday, 16 June 2015
Old Friends Becoming Mom (or Parent) Friends
I am ridiculously excited. I have a coffee date tomorrow with a friend (who I love!) that I have not really spent any time with since before I had kids. My oldest child is now 6 so it's been a while. She has also had 2 girls in the intervening years so my pre-child friend is fast becoming an awesome mom friend.
This friend of mine has spent all of her time over the last few years completing a degree, often by correspondence, while having babies and toddlers and of that. She just recently finished up and I am so excited for her, not to mention in awe of the things she has accomplished during the very young child phase of her life.
Her daughters dance at the same studio as mine and now with this crazy rehearsal schedule we've been running into each other more. I was so glad she was as keen as I was to get together! I've tried reconnecting with other old friends with much less success.
In case you can't tell I am very much looking forward to this coffee date. Partly because I'm going to indulge in some fancy (expensive) coffee and snack, and partly because I miss sitting with my friends and just talking.
I hope this is the beginning of my return to doing the things I used to do all the time before kids. Of course the things will be modified and changed to fit my current lifestyle, but so will be the people I hope to do these things with!
Toodles!
This friend of mine has spent all of her time over the last few years completing a degree, often by correspondence, while having babies and toddlers and of that. She just recently finished up and I am so excited for her, not to mention in awe of the things she has accomplished during the very young child phase of her life.
Her daughters dance at the same studio as mine and now with this crazy rehearsal schedule we've been running into each other more. I was so glad she was as keen as I was to get together! I've tried reconnecting with other old friends with much less success.
In case you can't tell I am very much looking forward to this coffee date. Partly because I'm going to indulge in some fancy (expensive) coffee and snack, and partly because I miss sitting with my friends and just talking.
I hope this is the beginning of my return to doing the things I used to do all the time before kids. Of course the things will be modified and changed to fit my current lifestyle, but so will be the people I hope to do these things with!
Toodles!
Tuesday, 9 June 2015
Making (And Keeping) Friends Through All Stages of Life
I find the act of having friends changes many times through life. Is anyone out there still friends with kids from Kindergarten? I'd guess very few. I used to think I was not good at making friends, but I've since decided that's not the case. Sometimes the people you think you want to befriend are not the ones you should befriend.
It took me a long time to figure out who I actually wanted to be friends with in high school. Turns out who I thought I liked I didn't connect with. The problem turned out to be me. I didn't know who I was, so how could I know who to surround myself with? Once I embraced my quirks and individuality I found those people who liked me for me (and my quirks!)
Now that I'm a grownup and a mom, I feel friends are much different than when I was a kid. I had a collection of highschool friends, then University friends, and now, while I still talk to some of those past friends, my friend requirements have changed again. It's easy to be friends at school when you all have classes together, or live together, or share teams and other interests. Once you are truly on your own some of those friendships are hard to keep alive. For me, I moved into marriage and kids which left some of my friends behind. They were on the same path, just lagging a bit further behind than me. Also I moved apart from my friends - even thought we are still in the same town we are scattered around so we don't bump into each other without significant planning.
Once you throw kids into the mix, all bets are off. I chose to breastfeed, which means being with your baby 24/7 for what feels like ever. In reality it's like 4 months until baby can sleep for a long stretch or be more amused by other people, before mom (milk factory) can escape for a bit. I think it's normal to lose some non-parent friends at this stage. You're not in the same life phase, and oftentimes they just don't get what life is like with kids. But you are also in a perfect place to make new-parent friends. They can be found a playgroups, libraries, daycare centres etc.
Right now, in my life, I have very few friends that I see socially. I'm 35, married, 2 kids ages 4 and 6, working 30+ hours per week and blogging. There are a lot of people I think of as friends, but the categories they fall into are more co-worker, neighbour, and friends I talk to online but rarely see in person. And then, of course, there's my husband who's my best friend, and the friend I spend all my time with. :)
I try to plan and coordinate events or things to do with my friends, but life is busy for everyone. Now that my kids are finally out of toddlerhood and are happy with Dad or babysitter putting them to bed, I'm finding it easier to get out more. This Friday night I'm going to a concert - but likely by myself as I haven't found that perfect music-loving friend that would enjoy it as much as me.
Not sure if there's a moral to my story, but I've always been interested in the social changes people go through in life. Anyone out there have any other thoughts on making friends throughout life? Or tips for maintaining friendships through the busy stages of life? Please leave a comment if you read this all the way through (it's a long post for me!) and share your friend-making stories. Hope you enjoyed!
Toodles!
It took me a long time to figure out who I actually wanted to be friends with in high school. Turns out who I thought I liked I didn't connect with. The problem turned out to be me. I didn't know who I was, so how could I know who to surround myself with? Once I embraced my quirks and individuality I found those people who liked me for me (and my quirks!)
Now that I'm a grownup and a mom, I feel friends are much different than when I was a kid. I had a collection of highschool friends, then University friends, and now, while I still talk to some of those past friends, my friend requirements have changed again. It's easy to be friends at school when you all have classes together, or live together, or share teams and other interests. Once you are truly on your own some of those friendships are hard to keep alive. For me, I moved into marriage and kids which left some of my friends behind. They were on the same path, just lagging a bit further behind than me. Also I moved apart from my friends - even thought we are still in the same town we are scattered around so we don't bump into each other without significant planning.
Once you throw kids into the mix, all bets are off. I chose to breastfeed, which means being with your baby 24/7 for what feels like ever. In reality it's like 4 months until baby can sleep for a long stretch or be more amused by other people, before mom (milk factory) can escape for a bit. I think it's normal to lose some non-parent friends at this stage. You're not in the same life phase, and oftentimes they just don't get what life is like with kids. But you are also in a perfect place to make new-parent friends. They can be found a playgroups, libraries, daycare centres etc.
Right now, in my life, I have very few friends that I see socially. I'm 35, married, 2 kids ages 4 and 6, working 30+ hours per week and blogging. There are a lot of people I think of as friends, but the categories they fall into are more co-worker, neighbour, and friends I talk to online but rarely see in person. And then, of course, there's my husband who's my best friend, and the friend I spend all my time with. :)
I try to plan and coordinate events or things to do with my friends, but life is busy for everyone. Now that my kids are finally out of toddlerhood and are happy with Dad or babysitter putting them to bed, I'm finding it easier to get out more. This Friday night I'm going to a concert - but likely by myself as I haven't found that perfect music-loving friend that would enjoy it as much as me.
Not sure if there's a moral to my story, but I've always been interested in the social changes people go through in life. Anyone out there have any other thoughts on making friends throughout life? Or tips for maintaining friendships through the busy stages of life? Please leave a comment if you read this all the way through (it's a long post for me!) and share your friend-making stories. Hope you enjoyed!
Toodles!
Saturday, 30 May 2015
Pregnancies and Weight Stuggles
I was at my heaviest when I was pregnant with my first baby. Makes sense, right? Well yes, and no. I went ahead and had a second baby and I did not gain any weight, except maybe 5 lbs at the very end. In fact I started that pregnancy losing weight, which was somewhat of a concern to doctors, but not to me. I topped out at almost 200 lbs right before I had my first child. That was way too much for me. I'm only 5'2 so I would go so far as to say I was fat. I didn't lose any weight (at least that I remember) after Emma was born and I slept so little I may have even gained more. For 2.5 years I was quite large. Then I got pregnant with Rose.
For the first 2 months I lost maybe 10 lbs - not a concern to me, well except for the non-stop "morning" sickness which I had all day during both my pregnancies, since I was happy to see the scale going down, and then staying the same. The doctor (and her student doctor) were surprised to see my uterus growing but my weight declining. I did not gain anything during my pregnancy with Rose, and by the end (after birth) I think was down to 160 lbs. After her birth I realized at once she was going to be an "easy" child (after my first hellion who only nursed or cried for her first 6 months of life, until she starting being more mobile but still nursed and cried a lot). Rose was happy to sleep on her own (we co-slept with Emma for a year plus) and she only nursed when she was hungry, and I could put her down awake and she would stay asleep - all the most wonderous things a small baby can do to make a parent happy.
So I thought maybe I could try to get rid of a bit more of this extra weight, and I signed up with My Fitness Pal and tried tracking my calories. I was already down to a size 12 from the 14s and 16s I was wearing before I got back into my maternity clothes, and I had to buy new clothes to go back to work after my maternity leave. My Fitness Pal was actually great for allowing me to see where I was eating too many calories. So I tried to just eat a "serving" of each food I was eating (unless it was vegetables) and made an effort to cut back on eating at night and having too much junk. And you know what? It worked! I still eat everything I was eating before - just not as much - and I am (slightly) more active - I put on music and dance when I'm doing housework, and I've got a parking spot about 6 blocks from my workplace - and I'm happy with my weight right now. My youngest is now 4, so after about 3 years I've lost almost 30 lbs. Now my struggle is finding new clothes that fit. I can't really wrap my mind around the idea that I'm a size 6 now! That and I hate spending money on clothes when I have a whole closet full of stuff to wear, even though it doesn't fit!
Moral of the story - don't give up, and small changes really do add up. I feel more comfortable in my own skin now, and I have more energy for playing with the girls. Life is good.
Toodles!
For the first 2 months I lost maybe 10 lbs - not a concern to me, well except for the non-stop "morning" sickness which I had all day during both my pregnancies, since I was happy to see the scale going down, and then staying the same. The doctor (and her student doctor) were surprised to see my uterus growing but my weight declining. I did not gain anything during my pregnancy with Rose, and by the end (after birth) I think was down to 160 lbs. After her birth I realized at once she was going to be an "easy" child (after my first hellion who only nursed or cried for her first 6 months of life, until she starting being more mobile but still nursed and cried a lot). Rose was happy to sleep on her own (we co-slept with Emma for a year plus) and she only nursed when she was hungry, and I could put her down awake and she would stay asleep - all the most wonderous things a small baby can do to make a parent happy.
So I thought maybe I could try to get rid of a bit more of this extra weight, and I signed up with My Fitness Pal and tried tracking my calories. I was already down to a size 12 from the 14s and 16s I was wearing before I got back into my maternity clothes, and I had to buy new clothes to go back to work after my maternity leave. My Fitness Pal was actually great for allowing me to see where I was eating too many calories. So I tried to just eat a "serving" of each food I was eating (unless it was vegetables) and made an effort to cut back on eating at night and having too much junk. And you know what? It worked! I still eat everything I was eating before - just not as much - and I am (slightly) more active - I put on music and dance when I'm doing housework, and I've got a parking spot about 6 blocks from my workplace - and I'm happy with my weight right now. My youngest is now 4, so after about 3 years I've lost almost 30 lbs. Now my struggle is finding new clothes that fit. I can't really wrap my mind around the idea that I'm a size 6 now! That and I hate spending money on clothes when I have a whole closet full of stuff to wear, even though it doesn't fit!
Moral of the story - don't give up, and small changes really do add up. I feel more comfortable in my own skin now, and I have more energy for playing with the girls. Life is good.
Toodles!
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