This morning the kids pulled out the Barbie and Ken dolls to play
with. The almost-two year old was frustrated because he found a dress he
liked, but it wouldn't fit on his Ken doll he'd picked out. Trying to
promote my feminist values, I wanted to choose my words carefully.
"That dress is too small for your doll. You'll have to find something bigger."
But
after repeatedly picking out "girl clothes" for his Ken to wear, I
found myself finally saying, "No, that dress only fits a girl doll. You
need to find some boy clothes." As true as it was for the situation, I
hated saying that. I hate saying something is only for a girl and
something else is only for a boy. Specifically when talking about my
daughter, I want her to believe that it doesn't matter what you wear or
what you want to play with.
So, it got me thinking.
Do sexually ambiguous dolls exist? Are there dolls out there that,
depending on how a child styles them, they could be either a boy or a
girl. I'm envisioning a young face with no make-up and no hair. The
child can pick out a "wig" and there would be girlish clothes and boyish
clothes to choose from to form an outfit that's feminine or masculine
or somewhere in between.
Dolls are almost never given a
penis or a vagina anyway. Why not let the kids decide who they're
playing with? Why set so many limitations?
I didn't
find anything on the internet, but if anyone sees anything, let me
know. I would love to create a prototype, but I don't sew, I don't have
any money, and I wouldn't know where to begin in creating something like
this. But I do think it's a million dollar idea! Child-gender issues are only getting hotter!
Showing posts with label daycare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daycare. Show all posts
Friday, December 13, 2013
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Someone Tried to Scam Me!
I posted an add on Kijiji.ca about a week ago, to advertise open spots at my daycare. People looked at the ad according the counter, but nobody emailed me or called me. In less than a week, it had already gotten bumped to page 7, so I was thinking about re-posting it, maybe changing around some of wording, when I got a hit!
Mr. Henry Johnson emails to say he's looking for childcare, he'll be excited to find the right match, and could I please email my resume.
It was a very short and sweet email and the request for a resume was reasonable, so I spent four hours modifying my resume to highlight my relevant experience, as well as get my reference list in order and type a cover letter. It would have taken less time, but I've got a business to run, so I had my hands full with that.
After sending it off, I was so excited and hopeful to potentially get a new kid. I worked really hard on my resume and cover letter, soliciting Bob to proofread for me. I wanted it to be perfect.
A few hours later, around 5pm, I get this reply:
Just as I suspected, I never heard back from him.
Mr. Henry Johnson emails to say he's looking for childcare, he'll be excited to find the right match, and could I please email my resume.
It was a very short and sweet email and the request for a resume was reasonable, so I spent four hours modifying my resume to highlight my relevant experience, as well as get my reference list in order and type a cover letter. It would have taken less time, but I've got a business to run, so I had my hands full with that.
After sending it off, I was so excited and hopeful to potentially get a new kid. I worked really hard on my resume and cover letter, soliciting Bob to proofread for me. I wanted it to be perfect.
A few hours later, around 5pm, I get this reply:
Thanks for your email, We appreciate your response to the childcare service we urgently needed, as you know I'm Mr Henry Johnson, I am 50 years old and my Wife name is Linda. We are relocating to the city of Winnipeg from United State with our daughter Sarah. We will be offering you $450 weekly ($45/hr) for 10hrs a week, we will be needing your services for five hours from 10am-3pm or 4pm-9pm for two days in a week, probably (Thursday and saturday) or (Monday and Wednesday)
We would be needing the service of a childcare Nanny with positive personality to take good care of her for six months on a part time basis.Moreover, I will need someone who could be taking care of my child while I am off to work because we are expecting our second child soon ,I want to be certain you are fit for this position, you will need to prove yourself to be a reliable, honest, and hard working person.Our arrival date would be 6th of january 2014, you will start working on same day.It's okay if you prefer to be a live-out nanny as I can drop her at your home every time, I do not mind a live-in nanny if you can take care of her in our home.I will be spending about six months on an Oil spill research job While my wife would try to push to the market the book she just finished, and you will be rendering us your services for that duration, if you meet up to our expectation with your services. We have a financier that will be handling the payment and as well as our other expenses, so she will be the one that will be taking care of your payment, I will instruct her to pay for the first week before our arrival so as to secure your service.If you accept our offer, my financier would be needing the following for background check on you and your first week payment.Full Name :Home Address or Office Address(where payment should be mailed to.Pls no P.O Box) :City ::Postal Code :Home & Cell Phone Number(Best time to call Day/Night) :You Age PleaseMost importantly, I'll need your total honesty, organizational skill and ability to carry out the task with less or no supervision. I want to believe you will be committed to the work, you can be sure of a great time while watching over our child. I will be waiting to read from you.Regards,Henry Johnson For The Family.
I read over the email a dozen times, making Bob read it too. Something seemed really off about it all and then it dawned on me! Someone is trying to scam me! I was so mad. Just to be sure though, I sent this email:
Hello Henry,
It was good to hear back from you. Due to the nature of your proposal and your location, I feel as though I need to protect myself in the event that this is a fraud. If you don't mind, I'd like to know the name of the company you will be working for in Winnipeg as well as a number I can call to verify that you are who you say you are. Your response verges on being "too good to be true" so I am treading with caution.
Have a great weekend and I hope to hear from you soon!
Just as I suspected, I never heard back from him.
I looked back at the first email Henry sent me and saw that it was sent at midnight. I suppose he could live out west, (since he conveniently never mentions where he's from) maybe sending the email before bed. However, a seemingly educated man, one who does important research on oil spills and writes emails so formal he dresses them in tuxedos before hitting the send button, misspelled United States, the name of his country. Perhaps you also noticed his random capitalization of words and run on sentences too? His entire candor is sketchy.
Why is he asking for my full name and address when it's clearly stated on my resume I sent him? And doesn't he know it's illegal to ask me how old I am? Someone looking for child care fails to mention a single fact about his child, except her name, and doesn't even bother to ask me any questions about how I run my daycare. The day he gets into town, he's dropping his kid off? He doesn't want to check the place out first, maybe make sure I'm clean and friendly or even anywhere near where he lives or works in Winnipeg
Even the name of his family sounds phoney! They're such generic names, I couldn't get any hits on Google and I didn't expect to. I actually did find an American author by the name of Linda Johnson, but after reading her bio, it was clearly not the same woman.
The biggest and final red flag of all was the absurd amount of money he was willing to pay me. Nobody makes $45 an hour babysitting! If he's so rich that he has a financier and can pay me a ludicrous amount of money for 10 hours a week, why not go through an actual agency that would place him with a qualified nanny? What's he doing on page 7 of the internet classifieds at midnight?
He's trying to scam me, that's what! How does this scam work? I bet once I sent over the redundant information, he would start making excuses for why he can't mail me a payment and all the alternatives I suggest to him won't work, so he'll ask me for my bank account information in order to "give me the money" when in actuality he's draining my account.
Joke's on him though - I'm in overdraft! Good luck accessing my negative funds, bitch!
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Time-Outs & Time-Ins
After having a very frustrating day dealing with an impossibly defiant child, I decided that I needed to reevaluate my discipline techniques and possibly make some changes. As children grow and evolve, caregivers should recognize, rethink, and respond. I've had too many power struggles this week, all of which could have been avoided had I just done something differently.
Currently I have a couple ways of dealing with unacceptable behavior. First and foremost I ask the child to please stop doing whatever it is they are doing and I give a reason why. Or if it's a house rule that has been broken, I will ask the child if that type of behavior is allowed at Chelsea's house. The answer is always no, of course, but cheeky children like to smile and say yes. From there, they're either redirected to a new activity, a different part of the play area, or in some cases, a Time-Out.
I love using redirection. It doesn't usually evoke those strong tantrum feelings that issuing a Time-Out does. It's so simple and it feels mostly positive. I'm giving the child an alternative, not an order and the child often has some say in it. The problem I have with redirection is that if it doesn't work, I have to take things to the next level, and there are some instances where redirection isn't appropriate.
At Chelsea's house, you get one warning to try and correct your behavior yourself. I firmly believe that the more warnings and chances you give a child, the more and more chances and warnings you'll have to give in the long run and you won't actually make any progress. Imagine your city's by-law stated that a police officer could pull you over for speeding and give you a warning 3-5 times at his discretion before issuing a ticket. At what point would you minimize your speeding? Do you see where I'm going with this? Kids are playing roulette wondering how many times they can get away with something before somebody steps in and actually hands out a ticket.
After one warning the toy or activity is taken away or cleaned up, or a Time-Out is issued. In this house, defiance and not listening are the two biggest problems. I can't redirect a child who isn't following instructions. There's no toy to take away when a child is acting defiant. The best I can do is offer a choice and let the children choose for themselves what happens next, but sometimes I need to pull rank and make an executive decision. Time-Out is the only option left it seems. But lately it feels like I'm using it too much.
So, I started researching Time-Ins. It is a place that is slightly away from others and it's purpose is to help a child learn how to calm down by themselves. The best uses for it are for when a child is having a tantrum, a child is feeling emotional, a child is frustrated, or a child just generally needs to take a break before they explode. The Time-In is equipped with a big sitting pillow and a box of sensory items to help a child get back to being calm. Things I've read include snow globes, stress balls, odd shaped or textured balls, stuffed animals, little books, container of rice and spoon for digging, mirror, crayons and paper, rubix cube, pin-wheels, bubbles, something to smell like a candle, or even an ipod to listen to relaxing music or a book on tape.
I love this idea so much and I do plan on adding it to my arsenal! But I'll be honest, I sort of have my doubts. The majority of my issues with the kids are listening/calmly defiant ones, not emotional/aggressive ones. Does a child who says in a strong, firm voice, NO, when I ask to clean up the toys need a Time-In or a Time-Out? Does a child who ignores me when I try speaking to them about their behavior deserve a Time-In or a Time-Out? Does a child who doesn't listen to instructions after being asked twice need a Time-In or a Time-Out? It's not so cut and dry.
I understand the long-term psychological advantages of using a Time-In over a Time-Out in certain instances, but for my specific plight, I'm still confused. Time-Out is supposed to be a brief withdrawal from attention to calm down and reflect. Time-In can be preventative, should last as long as the child needs it to, and is supposed to teach a child appropriate ways to calm down, reflect, and analyze.
Discipline means to teach, not to punish. It certainly seems like Time-In should do a better job of that. But for a child that's already not listening, will asking them to have a Time-In really make a difference? I can't force a kid to sit on a pillow and shake a snow globe. Then that's just a cushy Time-Out with toys, isn't it? Either way, Time-Outs are not effective at correcting this behavior at this time and I do not wish to waste any more energy on it. The smug satisfaction a caregiver feels when they've "won" by successfully enforcing punitive discipline tactics pushing the child to the point where he or she gives up, cries, and obeys, is not the sort of relationship I want with my kids. Ever. I'll let you know soon enough if this works out.
Currently I have a couple ways of dealing with unacceptable behavior. First and foremost I ask the child to please stop doing whatever it is they are doing and I give a reason why. Or if it's a house rule that has been broken, I will ask the child if that type of behavior is allowed at Chelsea's house. The answer is always no, of course, but cheeky children like to smile and say yes. From there, they're either redirected to a new activity, a different part of the play area, or in some cases, a Time-Out.
I love using redirection. It doesn't usually evoke those strong tantrum feelings that issuing a Time-Out does. It's so simple and it feels mostly positive. I'm giving the child an alternative, not an order and the child often has some say in it. The problem I have with redirection is that if it doesn't work, I have to take things to the next level, and there are some instances where redirection isn't appropriate.
At Chelsea's house, you get one warning to try and correct your behavior yourself. I firmly believe that the more warnings and chances you give a child, the more and more chances and warnings you'll have to give in the long run and you won't actually make any progress. Imagine your city's by-law stated that a police officer could pull you over for speeding and give you a warning 3-5 times at his discretion before issuing a ticket. At what point would you minimize your speeding? Do you see where I'm going with this? Kids are playing roulette wondering how many times they can get away with something before somebody steps in and actually hands out a ticket.
After one warning the toy or activity is taken away or cleaned up, or a Time-Out is issued. In this house, defiance and not listening are the two biggest problems. I can't redirect a child who isn't following instructions. There's no toy to take away when a child is acting defiant. The best I can do is offer a choice and let the children choose for themselves what happens next, but sometimes I need to pull rank and make an executive decision. Time-Out is the only option left it seems. But lately it feels like I'm using it too much.
So, I started researching Time-Ins. It is a place that is slightly away from others and it's purpose is to help a child learn how to calm down by themselves. The best uses for it are for when a child is having a tantrum, a child is feeling emotional, a child is frustrated, or a child just generally needs to take a break before they explode. The Time-In is equipped with a big sitting pillow and a box of sensory items to help a child get back to being calm. Things I've read include snow globes, stress balls, odd shaped or textured balls, stuffed animals, little books, container of rice and spoon for digging, mirror, crayons and paper, rubix cube, pin-wheels, bubbles, something to smell like a candle, or even an ipod to listen to relaxing music or a book on tape.
I love this idea so much and I do plan on adding it to my arsenal! But I'll be honest, I sort of have my doubts. The majority of my issues with the kids are listening/calmly defiant ones, not emotional/aggressive ones. Does a child who says in a strong, firm voice, NO, when I ask to clean up the toys need a Time-In or a Time-Out? Does a child who ignores me when I try speaking to them about their behavior deserve a Time-In or a Time-Out? Does a child who doesn't listen to instructions after being asked twice need a Time-In or a Time-Out? It's not so cut and dry.
I understand the long-term psychological advantages of using a Time-In over a Time-Out in certain instances, but for my specific plight, I'm still confused. Time-Out is supposed to be a brief withdrawal from attention to calm down and reflect. Time-In can be preventative, should last as long as the child needs it to, and is supposed to teach a child appropriate ways to calm down, reflect, and analyze.
Discipline means to teach, not to punish. It certainly seems like Time-In should do a better job of that. But for a child that's already not listening, will asking them to have a Time-In really make a difference? I can't force a kid to sit on a pillow and shake a snow globe. Then that's just a cushy Time-Out with toys, isn't it? Either way, Time-Outs are not effective at correcting this behavior at this time and I do not wish to waste any more energy on it. The smug satisfaction a caregiver feels when they've "won" by successfully enforcing punitive discipline tactics pushing the child to the point where he or she gives up, cries, and obeys, is not the sort of relationship I want with my kids. Ever. I'll let you know soon enough if this works out.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Elmo Singing With The Stars
I popped it in today after lunch for the kids. I laughed hysterically through much of the video. The 3 year old kept asking what I was laughing about and I had tears in my eyes. I don't know what it was, but it was just so funny to me. I could be losing my mind.
Almost all the songs were parodies, but there was one song by Ricky Gervais that I laughed really hard at.
Just awesome! I also really enjoyed My Triangle by James Blunt.
And REM's Furry Happy Monsters was pretty good too.
Other artists I either enjoyed or laughed really hard at because I couldn't believe they were being parodied were Goo Goo Dolls, N'Sync, Destiny's Child, Fiest, and Alicia Keys. I was excited Adam Sandler was one of the artists, but his bit wasn't very good. And it ended kind of weird too, like he was trying to get away from Elmo.
This DVD was well worth the $9 and I'm so glad I bought it! It's so hard to find age appropriate music for kids that's complex sounding. So many kids tunes are just sort of simple and silly if you know what I mean. It's repetitive in an annoying way, or it's just boring to listen to. Sometimes when I put on the Galaxie Kids Stuff station I hear a good song or two, but most of it is just meh.
I'd be curious to find out if there are any children's music artists working in the rock, alternative, or indy genres. Most kids songs are too bubblegum pop for me. Is there a market for children's speed metal? The thought of it makes me giggle. I should send out fan letters to unsuspecting artists and ask them to write a children's song for me.
This blog is getting off topic now. I'll leave on that note.
To be continued....
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Crawling
Let it be known that on the 25th of April, Tesla crawled 2 steps. It looked very awkward and creepy like Tool's music video for Schism, but none the less she crawled!!! For pretty much the entire month, she's been working on getting into the correct position and getting stronger at holding herself up. Just this past week she's been really trying hard, getting into position and rocking. I just wanted to scream at her, YOU ARE SO CLOSE!!!
And of course when I praise her while she's in the act, she turns to look at me, beaming, and falls over. If she started crawling on my actual birthday on Saturday, that would be the best gift ever! Oh, and a thousand dollars would also be the best gift ever lol.
My little baby's almost 8 months old. Her wardrobe needed to be refreshed again, so I picked out the too-small clothes and brought in all her cute new ones. So many clothes, so little time. I wish I had that problem! I don't exactly get dressed anymore...
Yesterday Bob looked at me eating my supper, slouched on the couch and he laughed at me and told me I was really attractive looking. I hadn't showered and I was wearing grey sweat pants with baby spit up on them, and a brown Neil Young shirt. Of all the perks of working at home, I think I abuse the casual dress code most often.
Why should I get dressed up in nice clothes and do my hair and make-up, just so I can get puked on, and have dirty hands touch me with food and paint and slobber, all for less than 30 minutes face time with parents? Nobody really cares what I look like, and I don't really care what I look like. If the daycare was my garden, my sweat pants are my gardening gloves.
I know I could look better. I'm a stay at home mom, not a stay at home slob. At least I gussy myself up when I leave the house with Bob and Tesla.
And of course when I praise her while she's in the act, she turns to look at me, beaming, and falls over. If she started crawling on my actual birthday on Saturday, that would be the best gift ever! Oh, and a thousand dollars would also be the best gift ever lol.
My little baby's almost 8 months old. Her wardrobe needed to be refreshed again, so I picked out the too-small clothes and brought in all her cute new ones. So many clothes, so little time. I wish I had that problem! I don't exactly get dressed anymore...
Yesterday Bob looked at me eating my supper, slouched on the couch and he laughed at me and told me I was really attractive looking. I hadn't showered and I was wearing grey sweat pants with baby spit up on them, and a brown Neil Young shirt. Of all the perks of working at home, I think I abuse the casual dress code most often.
Why should I get dressed up in nice clothes and do my hair and make-up, just so I can get puked on, and have dirty hands touch me with food and paint and slobber, all for less than 30 minutes face time with parents? Nobody really cares what I look like, and I don't really care what I look like. If the daycare was my garden, my sweat pants are my gardening gloves.
I know I could look better. I'm a stay at home mom, not a stay at home slob. At least I gussy myself up when I leave the house with Bob and Tesla.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Running Errands
Bob and I ran a few errands yesterday. We entered IKEA for the first time to spend a gift card I received at Christmas. That place is set up like an airport. We got some shelves to hold my daycare stuff on, as well as a wooden train tracks set with magnetic trains and one of those roll up mats to drive mini cars on. IKEA is totally obnoxious and I will not be going back any time soon. It was difficult to navigate and it felt like we were walking forever.
After we got out we went and ordered my birthday cake from Baked Expectations. It's a Lemon Chiffon cake oh la la!
Then we went to Perkins to eat. We didn't have Tesla's travel high chair with us so we had to use one of Perkins' booster seats. Surprisingly, Tesla sat very well despite the chair having little back support and no safety straps. She did cute things like try to eat the table and read the menu upside down. We don't go out to eat in a restaurant often, but the waitress remembered our baby from the last time we were there lol and we overheard her tell someone she thought our baby was the cutest thing ever. Yay genetics!
At one point near the end of our stay, I was holding her steady while she sat on the edge of the table facing me. It all happened so fast, so I can't speak to exactly how it all went down, but essentially Tesla took a nose dive right into the booth and hit her head on the booster seat.
She screamed her head off like I have never heard her scream before. I said, Oh shit, and I quickly scooped her up and tried to comfort her, but I was killing myself laughing. It was so funny. There wasn't many people around us, so I don't think anyone really saw what happened, but Bob just hung his head and shook it as if to say he disapproved of me as mother in that moment and sort of tried not to laugh.
I reassured Tesla I was sorry and I wasn't trying to kill her. We're cool now.
Finally we stopped off at Canadian Tire where I bought a couple bins with lids to store daycare stuff in. The person ahead of me at the self check out left his 5 cents Canadian Tire money and I got to keep it. Sweet!
Bob put up the shelves and I filled them up. They look fantastic. I actually wouldn't mind getting some more but it's hard to say where I'd put them.
It was a good day running errands and the weather was nice. I look forward to our next outing.
After we got out we went and ordered my birthday cake from Baked Expectations. It's a Lemon Chiffon cake oh la la!
Then we went to Perkins to eat. We didn't have Tesla's travel high chair with us so we had to use one of Perkins' booster seats. Surprisingly, Tesla sat very well despite the chair having little back support and no safety straps. She did cute things like try to eat the table and read the menu upside down. We don't go out to eat in a restaurant often, but the waitress remembered our baby from the last time we were there lol and we overheard her tell someone she thought our baby was the cutest thing ever. Yay genetics!
At one point near the end of our stay, I was holding her steady while she sat on the edge of the table facing me. It all happened so fast, so I can't speak to exactly how it all went down, but essentially Tesla took a nose dive right into the booth and hit her head on the booster seat.
She screamed her head off like I have never heard her scream before. I said, Oh shit, and I quickly scooped her up and tried to comfort her, but I was killing myself laughing. It was so funny. There wasn't many people around us, so I don't think anyone really saw what happened, but Bob just hung his head and shook it as if to say he disapproved of me as mother in that moment and sort of tried not to laugh.
I reassured Tesla I was sorry and I wasn't trying to kill her. We're cool now.
Finally we stopped off at Canadian Tire where I bought a couple bins with lids to store daycare stuff in. The person ahead of me at the self check out left his 5 cents Canadian Tire money and I got to keep it. Sweet!
Bob put up the shelves and I filled them up. They look fantastic. I actually wouldn't mind getting some more but it's hard to say where I'd put them.
It was a good day running errands and the weather was nice. I look forward to our next outing.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Milestones
I hate researching milestones because it makes me depressed and anxious about my baby if she isn't meeting them, plus I also feel really pressured to "help" her meet all these milestones. She is almost 32 weeks old ie 7 months old and I decided to look up where she should be at because I haven't done it in a couple months.
Of all the great things she's accomplished in her short life, it's never enough is it?
Alright, that's probably a bit excessive. All babies develop at their own pace and these are just guidelines blah blah bah. Still... it does make me feel guilty because I am a stay at home mom and I should be dedicating my whole day to my baby, spending every waking second with her, playing educational games and encouraging her brain development through a variety of stimulating activities. That's what all stay at home moms do right? (lol)
Running the daycare does take time away from Tesla. I have to play with everybody and because Tesla is such a content and quiet baby, it's easy to pass over her and focus on the kid screaming PAY WIT MEE! PAY WIT MEE!
But today I took a stand in an effort to spend more time with my daughter and really focus on getting that crawling and babbling thing going. Mornings are now dedicated to playing with only Tesla. The daycare kids can amuse themselves or play with Tesla too. It's only for 90 minutes. When she goes down for her morning nap I'll focus on the other kids.
I know there's nothing wrong with Tesla, like, she's not autistic or anything. And she was premature, if that still counts for anything. Some kids just never crawl. As far as the babbling goes - she's always been a quiet baby, hardly crying or making any noises really. She has gone ba-ba-ba on occasion, but perhaps the lack of babbling is an extension of that.
Of all the great things she's accomplished in her short life, it's never enough is it?
- She can feed herself real food. She swallows it.
- She's been putting herself to sleep and sleeping through the night for 4 months now.
- She can roll all over the place and rolls over to things she wants.
- She also reaches for things she wants.
- She can follow sound, movement, and turns when you say her name.
- She loves jumping.
- She loves being read to and sung to, and Bob and I do it several times daily.
- She can sit unassisted for less than a minute, longer if there's a toy in front of her to lean on.
- She can squeal, laugh, blow raspberries, and roll her R's.
Alright, that's probably a bit excessive. All babies develop at their own pace and these are just guidelines blah blah bah. Still... it does make me feel guilty because I am a stay at home mom and I should be dedicating my whole day to my baby, spending every waking second with her, playing educational games and encouraging her brain development through a variety of stimulating activities. That's what all stay at home moms do right? (lol)
Running the daycare does take time away from Tesla. I have to play with everybody and because Tesla is such a content and quiet baby, it's easy to pass over her and focus on the kid screaming PAY WIT MEE! PAY WIT MEE!
But today I took a stand in an effort to spend more time with my daughter and really focus on getting that crawling and babbling thing going. Mornings are now dedicated to playing with only Tesla. The daycare kids can amuse themselves or play with Tesla too. It's only for 90 minutes. When she goes down for her morning nap I'll focus on the other kids.
I know there's nothing wrong with Tesla, like, she's not autistic or anything. And she was premature, if that still counts for anything. Some kids just never crawl. As far as the babbling goes - she's always been a quiet baby, hardly crying or making any noises really. She has gone ba-ba-ba on occasion, but perhaps the lack of babbling is an extension of that.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Retail Therapy
I've said it once, I'll say it again, I have a slight shopping addiction. When I find items I want to buy (or didn't know I wanted to buy) and then I buy them, I feel a small high. I'm excited and I can't wait to get it home. I could spend all day shopping if I had the money.
My favourite store these days is Value Village. Daycare is my life now and sifting through the junk to find that one great toy that costs 70% - 90% less than it would brand new is the best! And how can I not buy new toys for the kids? The 3 year told me she loved me today and gave me a hug and the 4 year old told me he was going to miss me over the weekend. Such sweet kids!
I don't just buy stuff for the sake of buying stuff. Children's books at Value Village are $0.99 and if you buy 4 you get the 5th free. I look through each and every one trying to find the best books. It's crazy how many I find that I used to own or remember checking out at the library. In the cart they go!
Puzzles, preschool games, dress-up items and complete toy sets are usually the things I'm on the look out for as I slowly check out every single box, bag, and toy on the shelves. Sometimes I even cruise twice to make sure I didn't miss anything. I often do find stuff I missed the first time around.
It's totally worth it though. In two hours I'll fill my cart to the brim and only spend $40. On top of all the money I'm saving from not buying new, I'm apparently helping out the environment and Canadian Diabetes by buying used. (Hooray for reducing waste by reusing unloved toys!)
Shopping is a great excuse to leave the house too. It's hard being inside all day. Walking around, pushing the weight of the cart feels nice. No babies... no talking... no interruptions. Shopping is sort of me time. It's my time to be alone and do something fun. Anytime we need something from the grocery store, I jump at the chance to go! I used to hate Superstore and now I love it. It's where I get breathing space and get to spend money.
Plus, sometimes you overhear funny stuff in the checkout line. Like tonight for example. Some 14 year old was with his friend buying swim trunks and recounting the tale of how a girl he met online on Facebook drove 3 hours to get to his house and when she did his parents were already at work, so he skipped school and did her in his room. Her head kept hitting the headboard and she was saying, "uh, uh, uh,"and it was cool.
It was very hard to keep my composure and not burst out laughing. The cashier and I had a laugh at his expense when they went away because I told her everything I heard.
These are all the reasons I love shopping and how retail therapy makes my life complete.
My favourite store these days is Value Village. Daycare is my life now and sifting through the junk to find that one great toy that costs 70% - 90% less than it would brand new is the best! And how can I not buy new toys for the kids? The 3 year told me she loved me today and gave me a hug and the 4 year old told me he was going to miss me over the weekend. Such sweet kids!
I don't just buy stuff for the sake of buying stuff. Children's books at Value Village are $0.99 and if you buy 4 you get the 5th free. I look through each and every one trying to find the best books. It's crazy how many I find that I used to own or remember checking out at the library. In the cart they go!
Puzzles, preschool games, dress-up items and complete toy sets are usually the things I'm on the look out for as I slowly check out every single box, bag, and toy on the shelves. Sometimes I even cruise twice to make sure I didn't miss anything. I often do find stuff I missed the first time around.
It's totally worth it though. In two hours I'll fill my cart to the brim and only spend $40. On top of all the money I'm saving from not buying new, I'm apparently helping out the environment and Canadian Diabetes by buying used. (Hooray for reducing waste by reusing unloved toys!)
Shopping is a great excuse to leave the house too. It's hard being inside all day. Walking around, pushing the weight of the cart feels nice. No babies... no talking... no interruptions. Shopping is sort of me time. It's my time to be alone and do something fun. Anytime we need something from the grocery store, I jump at the chance to go! I used to hate Superstore and now I love it. It's where I get breathing space and get to spend money.
Plus, sometimes you overhear funny stuff in the checkout line. Like tonight for example. Some 14 year old was with his friend buying swim trunks and recounting the tale of how a girl he met online on Facebook drove 3 hours to get to his house and when she did his parents were already at work, so he skipped school and did her in his room. Her head kept hitting the headboard and she was saying, "uh, uh, uh,"and it was cool.
It was very hard to keep my composure and not burst out laughing. The cashier and I had a laugh at his expense when they went away because I told her everything I heard.
These are all the reasons I love shopping and how retail therapy makes my life complete.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
My Husband, Lightening
The new boy started daycare with me yesterday. He's 4 going on 14 and very fun to play with. He has a lot to say and has no filter. For instance, when I told him Bob was my boyfriend he scoffed and said that Bob is a boring name and he is changing it to Lightening and I can only call him Lightening from now on.
Then, by freak chance,Bob I mean, Lightening stayed home from work today so he could take Tesla to her 6 month doctor appointment. This kid would not leave him alone. He followed Lightening all over the house, asking him to help him with stuff, play with him, he made crafts for him. I suggested Lightening take him out to play in the snow and this little boy died and went to heaven, he was so happy. I stood on the balcony and they threw snowballs at me. Later, they watched TV together and he was all curled up beside him, snuggling nice and close.
Of course Lightening played along all day. It was so cute! He's like the son we never had.
When Lightening had to leave to take Tesla to the doctor, the little boy was very upset and asked if I could take Tesla instead so they could play more. He told me Lightening was more fun to play with than me and kept asking when my husband would be back. Aw.
Finally I got his mind off of it and got some good play time in. We went outside to meet his mom at the bus stop and I threw snowballs at my balcony. The boy said I was better at throwing snowballs than Lightening was. Ha! Redemption. It felt good to hear that after listening about how Lightening trumps me in every possible way all freaking day.
Unless Lightening changes jobs, today will probably be the one and only day that boy will every spend with him. It's too bad, too. Lightening would be a really great male role-model in his life. Now, for the rest of the week and probably well into next month, all I'm going to hear about is my husband, Lightening.
Then, by freak chance,
Of course Lightening played along all day. It was so cute! He's like the son we never had.
When Lightening had to leave to take Tesla to the doctor, the little boy was very upset and asked if I could take Tesla instead so they could play more. He told me Lightening was more fun to play with than me and kept asking when my husband would be back. Aw.
Finally I got his mind off of it and got some good play time in. We went outside to meet his mom at the bus stop and I threw snowballs at my balcony. The boy said I was better at throwing snowballs than Lightening was. Ha! Redemption. It felt good to hear that after listening about how Lightening trumps me in every possible way all freaking day.
Unless Lightening changes jobs, today will probably be the one and only day that boy will every spend with him. It's too bad, too. Lightening would be a really great male role-model in his life. Now, for the rest of the week and probably well into next month, all I'm going to hear about is my husband, Lightening.
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