New Kitchen?

Nope, just a can of paint. Finally, after picking the colours last fall, and painting half of the main floor, Hubby pulled out the brushes and ladder and got to work. I don't have a before photo to show, but basically it was builders white. The first paint colour I chose was Pratt and Lambert's Manchester. Manchester is a grey/green and I had it in our last kitchen. I love it, a calming, soothing colour. But after we had painted the family room in Platinum and Toasted Wheat, then added the dining room in Vintage Claret. It became obvious that Manchester was just a little too subtle. The greyish green would just not have matched.

With a little help from my Mother and Father, both of whom are talented with paint and colour (my Mom loves to decorate and my Father is a painter by trade) we picked Blue Fox. I love blue in a house. It just makes me happy. But we have a table with green legs and dishes that are green too. The more I thought about it the more I realized that we need a new table anyway as it only seats four and we are soon to be five. And the dishes, well, they are about 14 years old now and are from another era before Hubby and I were together. So really, I just need a new table and some new dishes and the kitchen will be perfect. For now, they will just have to clash.

And on a totally unrelated to the kitchen note. I bought a Cranium game for J today called Hullabaloo. Oh my word. It is awesome. It can be played with one player or up to six. There are different shaped and coloured mats with different pictures on them. The main part is the little speaker that tells the kids directions like "slide to a red mat, tip-toe to a square mat". It is a little like Twister, but the kids can play all alone. J lasted a half an hour playing until he was burnt out. The best part about the $34.95 price tag? It was 50% off at Indigo! Run, don't walk to your nearest Indigo or Chapters, they have several different Cranium games on sale for 50% off. My Sister picked up one of the others for the kids to play.

Tiny Bubbles

I finally broke down about bought a bubble machine. J loves his bubbles so much I was getting out of breath trying to keep up with the constant need for bubbles. The only problem is that it uses so much solution, more if it's windy. But, hey he loves it, what's a Mom to do? And really with all that bubble popping, just add water and you have an instant bath.


Along with the wonderful bubbles that can occupy an entire afternoon in the backyard, I found a few green bubbles popping out on the trees. We have a very late blooming tree in our yard that we planted last summer and I was getting nervous that it didn't make it through it's first winter. Upon closer inspection, I could see the beautiful green popping through. My favourite colour of green is what I call 'Spring' green. When all the leaves pop out and are new and fresh, that is my favourite. Midsummer when they are a deeper darker green, I start to get nervous because I know what is coming but it's the first green that really perks me up.

Can I be Serious for a Moment?

I like to stay light on the blog, posting about happy things, occaisionally a few posts about not so happy things, but in general I try not to rock the boat. But, recently it has been brought to my attention that there are many Mom's out there who just don't like being a Mom.

You see, I bought a 'Women's' magazine recently, something I rarely do, but wanted to read an article. The magazine is supposed to be celebrating Mother's Day. I found that about half the articles were about how tough and hard it is to be a Mom, how they felt guilty for putting their kids in daycare in order to go to work. But, at the same time feel that it is their turn to be by themselves. One article even listed four or five books that you can read that deal with how motherhood isn't all its made out to be.

This magazine, which I won't name, neither will I name the books, has been around for many years. The more articles I read the angrier I got. I guess I really shouldn't feel angry, but I did.

I know Motherhood is hard. Being a Mom is hard. And you know what it should be (in my opinion). You are responsible for someone's life. A child that you created and made counts on you to be there for them. To teach them, to nurture them and to love them.

Sure there are days that are harder than some. Some days you are too tired to even think straight. Some days are exhausting just from answering a million questions, over and over again. And some days are perfect. That is just what happens when you are a Mom. But, you know what? That happens when you aren't a Mom and you go to work and have to deal with different things coming and going. The difference is when you leave work you can check that at the door and deal with it again tomorrow. When you are a Mom you can't just turn it off and walk away. That is just the way it is.

Several women in one article were asked if they knew it was going to be so hard, would they choose to have children again. Some of them actually said no. I couldn't believe it, their kids could be reading that article. They went on to say how much they loved their children but that if given a second chance they wouldn't do it again. It is just too hard. I was a little shocked at this. I guess I figure that most women I know either know they want to have kids or know they don't want to have them (and I am talking about grown women thinking into their future, not young adults or teens even who probobly don't know what they want to do for a job, let alone being a Mom).

Sorry, I am getting carried away. I originally wanted to write this to say how wonderful I think being a Mom is because I really felt these articles could scare away some good Mom's out there before they even get a chance. Maybe I will have to write my own article, that just talks about how great it is to be a Mom and how wonderful it can all be, just so the would-be Mom reading has both sides to look at. Because sometimes being a Mom is just the best thing in the whole world and you want to share that joy with others.

Wonderful Weekend

Words can't really describe the transformation our weather went through. We went from snowstorm on Monday to midsummer by the weekend. Complete with BBQ's, sprinklers and soaking in the sun. And yes, that is a new photo of J, complete with a new sunshirt. But because I bought his swimsuit bigger last year it still fits him! I may pick up another one just to be different.

J got a new telescope for his fort. It isn't really telescopic, but he doesn't need to know that. It's all about the fun.

Our grass seems to really have taken a hit from the good weather last fall, but we already have a plan in action to green it back up. Although we were super eager to get going on it this weekend we did have to remind ourselves that it was only April and we needed to wait a couple of weeks so we don't waste all our time.

One of the strangest things about this weekend was that the roads were quiet and the stores (except the lawn care centres) were quiet. It would seem that as soon as the weather is good everyone hangs out at home. Either in their own backyards or cleaning garages, we saw a lot of that this weekend.

It was so wonderful that we only stepped out for a few minutes each day to take a break from the sun and pick up a few necessities. All our neighbours that we haven't seen all winter were out in fine form and I got to start working on my tan. Unfortunately it won't be as dark as my little Sisters' but it is definately a start. The weatherman is forecasting more seasonable weather for the rest of the week, which will make it a good ten degrees cooler than it has been. But, hey, we got a good taste of summer and I like it!

I thought our weekend was really grand, then I got a photo from my Sister in Seaside, Florida where she was staying at a friends beach house for the weekend for a bachelorette. I included a photo so you could be just as jealous as I am.

Can you see it?

My wonderful banner that is? Let me know!

And you will have to wait...

...at least a little while to see that gorgeous new banner. I was able to see it, but apparently nobody else was. So, let me play around a bit today and hopefully you will be able to see it sometime this afternoon.

A New Day

With the great Spring weather today I wanted to post my new banner.

This most amazing banner was created for me by Secret Agent Josephine, otherwise known as SAJ. SAJ was one of the first bloggers I ever read. Dani being my first and the one to introduce me to this addiction. From Dani, I got a link to Ann Douglas' blog and Ann had this great section titled "artists that inspire me". From there I clicked on SAJ's blog and have been hooked from that day forward.

I can truly say that SAJ inspires me daily. Not only does she live in sunny California, but she we all got to watch her go through her first pregancy and this wonderful year with Baby Bug. SAJ is so honest about the things that make being a Mom hard as well as most rewarding that you just can't help stopping by to see what it going on. As I sat here all winter, not wanting to leave my house, I got to enjoy walks on the beach, trips to Starbucks and watch SAJ amuse Baby Bug all winter long. It made my days much easier to take.

I want to thank SAJ for adding some colour to my blog and making a such an approprate banner for me. I have another one that I am going to save for a later date. Be sure to stop by and visit her and see some of the other wonderful creations she has going.

Thanks SAJ!

How do you spell relief??

S..U..N!!!

Yesterday the skies opened and the sun shone through. The temperatures soared and all was well in our little world again. Today is supposed to be hot, yes hot! I better wax the legs and pull out the capris, we will be spending most of our day out in the sunshine!

Will take photos to share.

And this is what we woke up to...

Is is really April 16th??

I am sure if I check in on other blogs from the Eastern US and Canada, I will find similar photos or rantings at least, but I mean, come on already! The last time I saw snow this late in the year was when I lived in Winnipeg and that, at least, was expected.

Not only did we wake up to the snow, but we woke up because our power went out. Just before 6am the power shut down, which in our house, results in beeps and blurps filtering through the fire alarm system. This in turn makes our Huskey, Mickey, howl and whine because it is so high pitched that he hears more than we do. One of the alarms actually wouldn't stop bleeping, so we had to shut that breaker off completely. What a way to wake up.

The good thing about no power was that J had to survive until 2:20pm without TV or computers. I know, imagine having to play all day long! Once he got past the fact that there was nothing I could do he seemed alright. He would play for a while, then have a mini melt down, play again, melt again. This went on for most of the morning. We did go to the grocery store, but the roads weren't exactly stellar, so I didn't want to go far from home. And with the breaker off, if the power did come on I wanted to be able to flip it back on right away because it also controls our water heater.

The afternoon went quite well, the fireplace was still able to flip on and I could cook on the gas stove so we were doing alright. J wanted to go outside and play so I dug out his winter gear and let him out to play. He was trying to make snow angels, but the snow was so heavy you can't really tell where the angels were. The power came back on while he was out playing but I let him stay out for as long as he would stay, just because.

His reward was some curly fries and a kids show. Which he has already abandoned for his Lego. I have to admit that it was so quiet in here that the noise from the TV and refrigerator is really bugging me.

The only thing I missed during all this... my computer. I did grab a magazine at the grocery store and got some reading done.

Five Questions: The Interview

I read Whoorl's interview this afternoon, and although I wasn't going to ask to be interviewed (Whoorl has tons of peeps reading her blog and I figured a million and a half of them were going to ask for questions, so I didn't want to add to her list) but she offered and sent me five questions. If you want to play along, read the instructions after my interview and I will send you my interview questions.


1. What is the last thing you do before you get into bed at night?
Kiss J goodnight. Once in a while Hubby will go in and check on him, make sure he is tucked in, still in bed and kiss him goodnight. On those nights that I didn't get my goodnight kiss, I don't seem to sleep as well.

It is a good routine and I love it. I slowly open his door, let my eyes adjust (must do this as I almost stepped on him once when he was on the floor), hold my breath (not sure why I think my breathing will wake him up), check his covers, add another cover, bend over and kiss him. I step away and take a breath and whisper "I love you" as I leave the room. I leave his door ajar at night, just a crack so if (which is often thanks to my neighbours) he gets up he can pull open the door without without too much fuss.

2. If you could live anywhere, would you move?

This is a tricky question. My first instinct is to scream out 'YES"!!!! But, then reality sets in and I have to think about who I would be leaving to move. My dream is to one day live at my favorite Beach when we retire. But, that is a long way away. And if we could afford one of the million dollar homes to have as a summer house, then I would definately spend my summers there.

But, in all honesty, I would have a really hard time moving away from my Parents and my Sister. One of my Sister's moved almost two years ago (a three day drive) and it is really hard to have her far away. The other Sister has been gone for a while but, she is young and carefree and we see her often enough as she is in driving distance (15 hours). My Parents and Sister who is here really are a huge part of my life. I would have a really hard time being away from them, so I think I would have to stay put for now. Unless of course moving meant a huge amount of money so I could bring my family out anytime I wanted.

And I would have to add, that after watching SAJ and Whoorl have so much fun out in California and after visiting San Diego myself last fall. If I could live out there, I think I would. The weather is just so much more what I am actually living in.

3. What is your favorite recipe?

Well, in all honesty, I have many favourites. But because Whoorl posed the questions, I will think of her in my answer, just in case she needs a little Sangria in her life.

BeachMama's Sangria (which many peeps used to order when I was a bartender)
1 part red wine (and don't be cheap on your wine, it will show through in the Sangria)
1/4 part OJ (I always use pulp free, because it's my Sangria and I hate pulp)
1/4 part lemon and lime (If I can't find the mixers, or am going to the corner store, I get Fruitopia lemon)
splash of brandy (don't be cheap here either)

Shake this sucker up and server with fruit slices (Orange, lemon, lime) and cherries.
**I use parts because then you can make a glass or a pitcher, it's up to you. I usually use a bottle with a lid when I make a pitcher so I can shake it. And I never leave it sitting with ice in the pitcher, just pour it over ice in your glass, nobody likes watered down Sangria. And if I wasn't pregnant right now, I would be mixing Sangria and firing up the BBQ for some burgers.

4. What was the happiest moment in your life?

Hands down the day that J was born. It was a beautiful August day and I had no idea that he would bring so much joy into my life. I remember, very well, holding him and looking at him and just wanting to cry (ok, I did cry) because he was so gorgeous and I waited so long to meet him. There has been nothing sweeter for me than meeting my son.

5. What cheese do you prefer on your burger, if any?

Cheese, did someone say cheese? How can I pick just one? Yes, first of all, I do love cheese on my burgers. In fact I rarely eat one without cheese. Now because we usually only have cheddar around here, that is what gets put on my burgers the most. But, truthfully I prefer mozzarella. I love the way it melts and holds onto all the other condiments on your burger.

If we really have some fun cheeses, like havarti or gouda, I like to mix it up a bit and add them all to melt in harmony on my burgers.

Great, now I am drooling wanting a burger, which I probobly won't get for dinner, but hey I can pretend.

Instructions for an interview:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Great, now I get to bundle up in some winter gear and head to the hockey rink, for what I hope is one last hockey game of the season for A. This is the Championship!!

20 Weeks

Ok, this weather really sucks. Yesterday was warm and sunny and we played outside and soaked it up. Today is snowing (well raining now) and yucky. No, I did not bring out the winter jackets again we wore our fleeces and rubber boots. We weren't cold as it is above freezing, it's just snowing, this is so wrong.

On a more fun note I am officially at my halfway mark in my pregnancy. 20 weeks!! Woo Hoo!

When I was pregnant with J, I wrote everything down in my journal. All the little tweaks and twinges. This time, not so much. I actually don't like to talk about being pregnant too much. Must be from the losses, afraid to say too much in case I have to unsay it all again.

I swear I look like I am seven months along instead of five. And my scale says I should deliver any day now, but then again I was 15 pounds heavier than I was for J, so I guess I am breaking the needle this time around. I am also keeping it up with working out. I haven't been entirely faithful in the every other day, but I am surely working out more than I thought I would. I walk on the treadmill (or outside when it is warm and sunny) and go through my weight routine. I also have a circuit that my trainer gave me, but that one just about kills me so I only do it once a week at the most.

All else is good, I am feeling lots of kicks and nudges now and don't need my doppler any more. J likes to pat my stomach and ask when he will get to meet his Sister. I keep telling him at the end of the summer, hopefully after your birthday. Every now and then he tries to belt me in the belly but I usually catch him before he makes contact. I think he thinks he can help it out if he wacks me hard enough.

So, here's to another 20 weeks or less of nothing too exciting going on. And I'll try to get a belly shot of two this weekend.

I must be Canadian, all I can think about is the weather

We woke up to grass, but a dusting of snow happened upon us. I thought it was supposed to be warmer today, but apparently that is being saved for tomorrow. Yes, I have brought out my patio furniture, we actually needed to organize some of the space being used by the furniture and I needed a place to sit when the weather was nice. And yes, the weather turned bad again the day after I brought it out, so shoot me, but I was eager.

After preschool this morning J and I thought we should invite J2 over for another round of backyard shenanigans. The weather seemed nice, the snow had melted and the sun was shining. Of course, by the time they got here, the sun went into hiding and it was cool again. This year is really turning out fun as the boys can play outside while we stay inside and watch through the windows. Of course when it gets just a bit warmer, we will join them outside, but my Sister is a bigger wimp than I am when it comes to the cold so she won't even go out if I light the BBQ and bring blankets (I am kidding about lighting the BBQ, but I did offer if she really wanted to go out).

The boys had a great time, got a couple of hours of fresh air and only fought once. J2 got caught going up the ladder for the pool, which is stored beside the house, so he was trying to use the "force" on his Auntie but he forgot I am immune.

My only request is that this snow thing takes a hike until at least December so we can get on with our Spring and Summer. I truly am sick of it and refuse to pull out J's winter jacket again.

Is there such a thing as too much chocolate?

I think so. And I think our family ate more than it's fair share this weekend with many more pounds to go.

Easter was a little wishy washy this year. My Mother, having originally made plans to have guests for dinner before remembering it was indeed Easter weekend, had our family dinner on Friday night. Unlike most people my Father does not take most Statutory holidays as a holiday, he continues to work. Have I mentioned before that my Father is almost 70 and is a house painter by trade? Yes, so he won't stop working at his trade. So we arrive for turkey dinner on Friday and Dad is almost asleep, or dead on his feet as my Mother kept saying. My Sister arrives without J2, who five minutes before leaving starts puking his guts out. Her husband stayed home with J2 while the rest of us enjoyed our dinner.

All in all our usually packed table on Easter was quite small and quiet. Given that my other two Sisters were out of town and we were missing half of my other Sister's family. It was quite a small affair. Probobly the smallest we have had in a really long time. The food was delicious and J played happily by himself while we all filled up with turkey and what not.

Saturday we spent most of the day playing the Lego Star Wars II video game on the 360. It was a snowy yucky day outside and we really just wanted to hang out and play video games. Not something that has occured for a few years so it was kind of fun. We did have to head out to watch A play his hockey game later in the afternoon, which his team won. But, we weren't gone too long and came home to play some more. I should also mention that J was not quite himself, so we were waiting for the pukies to hit him too, but he held strong.

Sunday came around and we had to go to Hubby's Mom's for lunch. J still wasn't quite himself, but he ate breakfast so I figured what ever was bugging him was passing. Hubby went for a three hour run to train for a marathon and I was exhausted having been woken up several times in the night by my neighbours. We arrive for lunch a little worse for the wear and didn't they cook up a whole big turkey dinner! So, we were stuffing ourselves again. Oh yes, and just as we sat down to eat and J had put his first bite of bread in his mouth up came his breakfast and juice. So he didn't eat anything. He kep telling me he choked on the bread, but I think it was a bug. Needless to say we didn't stay long and headed home to try to return to normal for the start of the week.

All in all not the greatest Easter weekend, but you take what you get, I guess. J seems to be much better today as is J2. My Sister dropped by this morning and we dressed the kids up and sent them outside to play. Which they did happily for an hour and a half. I think it did them a world of good and they should hopefully be even more back to their normal selves by tomorrow.

Here's to chocolate...

Is is really Easter already??

Tomorrow is Good Friday. I feel like Easter is so, so early this year. I like to explain to J both the secular and Christian versions of holidays but since this one involves one of his heroes dying. And J is very sensitive to death, I don't think I want to be the one to explain this one. So, I think I will leave it up to Grandpa to share at dinner tomorrow, let him deal with the tears.

And to top off the early arrival of Easter, it is supposed to snow for the next two or three days. That just makes Easter Egg hunts in the backyard not so enjoyable. It was actually supposed to snow most of the day today, but somehow we seemed to escape it all. It's a good thing that J likes to play outside in the wet grass with his rainsuit on or else he wouldn't have had any fresh air since the weekend. I thought I would add a few photos of our dogs. They are a royal pain in the butt, but I love them just the same. The first photo is Cosmo (full name Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld). Cosmo is a collie-lab mix and just turned eleven. Not too sure how many years he has left in him, but he is getting really grey now. He is a gentle dog who has a bark that will scare any solicitors from the front porch faster than they can ring the bell. Next is Mickey (Mickey Blue Eye, as he has one blue eye and one brown one) who is seven and a bit. Mickey was a rescue and some days we wonder why we did it. No, just kidding. Some days he is just a little more crazy than others. He came from a litter at a pet store (of which a friend of ours also got a dog, hers had to be put down) that had been very over bred. The result is that he is a bit skittish and has taken him much longer to calm down then most huskies. Again, I don't always mind so much as it keeps strangers away from the front door. He is just as loveable as Cosmo and very protective of his pack (us) so I always feel safe with him around.

Not sure what inspired me to share about my dogs today. I guess because they are always here and I take lots of photos of them. Mickey is not as willing for a photo as Cosmo, he seems to like to be far away from the camera. Cosmo you could get right in there and snap away and he wouldn't care one bit.

Let's hope all the weather forecasters are wrong and that the next few days turn out to be not quite as bad as we think... Oh and Happy Easter!

Happy Birthday A!

FIFTEEN!! 1.... 5... Can I believe it?? Not one bit.

Dear A,
I have known you now for twelve of your fifteen years. I may not be your birth Mom, but I love you like you are my own. I don't talk about you a lot here on my blog because well, you're fifteen. Why would I share with the whole world your teenage insecurities or the fact that you just won't eat lunch at the caf at school.

You have always been a kind, loving and wonderful kid. You do things that we ask without complaint. You trail along with us to grocery stores and boring relatives. We do in turn let you sleep until noon or later, let you stay up way late and give you free run on the computer. Why? Because your Dad and I remember just what it was like to be fifteen.

You are the best big brother we could have ever asked for. J loves you to death and counts the days until you come again. You are loving and patient with him and teach him all your favorite (age appropriate) video games. You spend hours building Lego ships and let me have a rest. You allow J to talk your ear off with no complaint, even though he has probobly said more words in his three and a half year than you have in your fifteen.

We love you and wish you the happiest of Birthdays.

Oh yes, and you got your birthday wish. Yes, you will get to have a Sister instead of another Brother. We think it is pretty great that you are excited to be a big brother again and not freaked out that you will have a Sister fifteen years your junior. Maybe you see how much I love my littlest Sister and look forward to the same type of relationship with your siblings as I have with mine.

Love,
Your BeachMama

Tomorrow

Is ultrasound day (18 week). I keep forgetting. My Mom and Sisters are far more excited than I am. This isn't normal. I mean, now that I have been thinking about it I am excited, but because I keep forgetting, I feel like it isn't normal.

I think I am not too excited because I have had so many losses in the last two years, I am afraid to be hopeful. That, I think, is normal. I do remember being calm about the whole thing with J too. It wasn't until after 24 weeks that I really started to get excited.

Tomorrow we should find out what flavour of bean we have roasting. Unless the bean doesn't want to cooperate. J wasn't super cooperative. Although I knew before the tech told me that he was a boy. I saw his goods before she did and he was playing with himself, that kind of gave it away, but I remained hopeful for a girl until she confirmed it for me.

I am not ashamed to admit that I was devistated at first that I was not having a girl. At the time my thoughts were, if I only get one chance at being a Mom, shouldn't I get a girl. I live with boys, my dogs are boys and at the time I had six birds who were also boys. But, within a day or two I was completely and utterly fine with a boy. And now, well, I wouldn't have it any other way. J is the sunshine of my life, the boy that keeps me going, the one that challenges me every single day with something new. And really, I always hung out with boys more than girls, it was only fitting.

This time around, it really, truly doesn't matter one single bit. I just want to know so I can plan. If we have another boy, well less shopping for me and so easy to set things up. I just move things from J's closet to the baby's closet (after A moves to his new room of course... and after we build it this summer). But, if it is a girl! Watch out. I will definately, 100% need to go shopping. If a girl makes it into this house, she must have a girly room, must, must, must. Our house is filled with everything boy, it would be a shame not to take advantage of setting up a room in all things girly. Those are my thoughts. But, I will say that I will not, absolutely will not be disappointed either way, I just want a happy healthy baby, who maybe, just maybe sleeps in until 6am. You know, if I can ask for something to be added into the mix.

Hopefully, I will have a report tomorrow! If the bean cooperates that is.