In the car. Lam looks out his window at the unfamiliar street.
Lam: "Dada, why are we here?"
Roomie: "Because we're not anywhere else. Funny how space-time works."
I'd rather be living in Hawai'i again. just saying.
We were there 12 years ago today. Just missed the 1997 Red River Flood.
And it was PARADISE -- even with the risk of tsunami, volcano eruption, fatal centipede bite, and tropical poultry attack. Seriously, the ducks at this park are mental! Heaven help you if you happen to be coming home from the grocery store. They KNOW you have food. And they want it.
Anyway, I admit it -- Roomie and I were STARK RAVING LUNATICS for moving back to the land of ice and snow from Hawai'i. I'm sure we had good reason to do it, but I really can't think of any of them right now.
Roomie found this video on Youtube of Wailoa Park, the lagoon just outside our apartment in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai'i. And I, of course, got all weepy and nostalgic. I even miss the crazy ducks and geese.
Now, tell me, would a sane person leave this...
And it was PARADISE -- even with the risk of tsunami, volcano eruption, fatal centipede bite, and tropical poultry attack. Seriously, the ducks at this park are mental! Heaven help you if you happen to be coming home from the grocery store. They KNOW you have food. And they want it.
Anyway, I admit it -- Roomie and I were STARK RAVING LUNATICS for moving back to the land of ice and snow from Hawai'i. I'm sure we had good reason to do it, but I really can't think of any of them right now.
Roomie found this video on Youtube of Wailoa Park, the lagoon just outside our apartment in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai'i. And I, of course, got all weepy and nostalgic. I even miss the crazy ducks and geese.
Now, tell me, would a sane person leave this...
Earth Hour 2009 and the answer to "Mama, when are we going to get a kitty cat?"
"Today."
Introducing, the newest member of our family, Mittens...
And here she is on the annoying Caillou chair. (No, the chair isn't annoying. Caillou is annoying. But the chair is fine. We like the chair.)
Mittens is 5 months 2 weeks old, black and grey tabby, and she's a girl. She's the sweetest, gentlest little kitten. EVER.We had no intention of bringing home the first kitten we spotted at the Humane society, but we couldn't deny the instant connection. And now, in less than 24 hours, she has us wrapped around her paw. She has, in turn, deemed us fit to be her family.
Mini loves that she now has her little baby kitten. If she could slap a diaper on Mittens and change it periodically, she would. She cuddles her, makes her caves with pillows and blankets, and follows her constantly.
Lam just thinks she's nice.
That night though, Mittens was probably wondering what the hell kind of weird cult she joined, because at 8:25pm, the lights started to turn off all around the house until we were in complete darkness.
Meh, she'll get used to Earth Night. We do it often enough as you can see here and here.
Why? Because it's so much fun! The kids had their books and colouring books/markers. Mini and I coloured the rainbow in her colouring book. Roomie was doing math stuff...
... which would probably explain why he looks the way he does in this picture (he's the dude on the left behind the candles).
The Dreaded Outerwear Overflow of 2009
Originally published on March 27, 2009.Spring is a hussy. She is nothing but a little tease. She comes along, gives us a warm breeze here, a little melting there, then BAM! her miserable pimp Winter comes back, dumps more snow on our heads, and leaves us with a horrible case of the dreaded Outerwear Overflows. Ew.
Outerwear Overflow: a horribly unavoidable disease suffered by the closet or mudroom during winter-spring and summer-fall seasonal transitions when more than one set of outerwear is needed by members of a household in a very short period of time.
My mudroom has this. It's stuffed, full, and pretty darn close to the breaking point. And it's NASTY.
You know how it is. It's warm enough to pull out the raincoats and rubber boots, but it's still too soon to put the parkas and snowboots in storage. Cold one day -- warm the next. Then after that, it's snowing. In a span of a few days, you can easily need both sets.
Earlier this week, we got a pretty decent downpour. Yeah, rain. In March. In Winnipeg. Anyway, so my kids and I made our way to the mall to get my son his new Lightning McQueen rain jacket. Yay!
Wouldn't you know it, the Great Dump started the very next day. Not more rain. Oh, no, remember, we're in Winnipeg. It was snow. Of course. (And it hasn't stopped. I'm sitting at my couch looking out the window at our sidewalk, which my husband shovelled yesterday, but you wouldn't think it he'd even touched it because of the 2 feet of snowfall overnight.)
Needless to say, no Lightning McQueen rain jacket for my son to show off at school that day. It stayed home, hanging -- of course -- in our poor, diseased mudroom. Back to the parka. Boo.
And our wardrobe woes don't end there.
With us smack dab in the middle of winter again, my little girl now tells me her snow boots are too tight. Oh no! Do I upgrade her to size 10s now and hope they still fit in the fall? Do I have her feet sloshing around in size 11s which I'm sure will fit her in the fall? Or do I squeeze her poor little feet in her current size 9s for the remaining 1-2 months more of snow?!
Oh, wait -- do stores even sell kids' snow boots this time of year?! Yikes! I don't know! We just might be screwed...
So, yeah, this would all be so easy if we could just flip a switch and make Winter go away for good (or at least until Christmas -- snow is essential at Christmas). Enough teasing, enough taunting, enough leading us on.
Please tell me I'm not the only one going through this -- because I'd really hate to think I'm the only woman in North America driven to drink by her messed up mudroom. That would be really embarrassing.
.: This is an Original Canada Moms Blog post by Nenette AM who also writes about her sweet, snowed-under life at Life Candy.
snow will never get in the way of awesomeness...
Awesome #1: Let it snow, let it snow, let it freakin' snow! It was certainly not going to stop us from seeing our awesome little boy as The Herald in his class play, Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow.Right on cue, my son -- easily the smallest in his Grade 1-2-3 class -- stepped up to the front of the stage and delivered his lines, loud and clear:
"Hear ye, Hear ye! Let the competition begin!"
And with a quick air punch, he bowled the audiences over with his overwhelming cuteness and made his parents almost weep with pride.
I kid you not, the crowd gave a laughing cheer and clapped. For. My. Awesome. Boy.
Wish I could show you a picture of him on stage, but we took a video -- no still shots. I'll update this post tomorrow with some kind of visual, if I can. Maybe I'll dress him in his costume again for a photo shoot here at home. I just wanted to share before I burst!
I'm hoping Harmzie can fill in the blanks of the evening on her blog. Her Norah was one of the MCs, and Pepper was one of Prince John's knights.
Interesting how our 3 kids seemed to be the loudest and clearest kids in the play...
Awesome #2: Okay, I can't all mad at the snow-requesting doofus, because all this snow inspired me to write my latest post on the Canada Moms Blog, The Dreaded Outerwear Overflow of 2009. Go and check it out, you know, leave a comment, and tell me I'm not the only one buried under a crapload of snow and rain gear.
Awesome #3: Completely un-snow-related, I share my Secrets to Powerful Beauty on my fabulous buddy Jami's beauty blog Bionic Beauty! Go! Go there now, and find out why I look so awesome! LOL
Thanks again for posting my contribution, Jami! :)
"didn't I have sushi yesterday?" and alien jars...
Better late than never, as promised, here's one of Roomie's alien jars...
It's tiny for tiny aliens. Because I heard quite the uproar about not having a couch beside my kids' giant pencils in one of last week's posts, I decided to include my Iron Ring (which is worn on the pinky) to give you a sense of scale. Sorry, no picture of a piglet jar.
Okay, I know, you're going "Huh?", and I'm saying "Yeah, I don't know, either." Luckily, my husband's hottie-hotness and scientific brilliance makes up for... uh, alien jars.
Onward to sushi...
No, I did NOT have sushi yesterday. I wish I did. But alas, I was sushi-less. This week went by so quickly that it just felt like yesterday. I, in fact, had sushi on Saturday, with Harmzie, Myrtle, and our girlfriends, as we do every 3rd Saturday of the month.
We call this monthly ritual Sushi with Larry. Who's Larry? He's the poor sap who's name we yoink to make our reservations under at the various sushi joints we invade.
This month, we descended on Wasabi Sabi on Taylor.
I know you're dying to know what I had. So feast your eyes on this:
Huzzah! Looks yummy, eh?!
Okay, from left to right, 2 pieces of tobiko nigiri, mango tango maki, and another mango maki thing (do you remember what it's called, Myrtle?)
Sorry, it's missing some pieces. I started to dig in when I realized I was going to take a picture.
I really tried to control myself that day. And believe me, it's HARD. When it comes to sushi, I'm like a crack addict, and sushi is like my, um, crack. I always overdo it -- like "roll me out in a wheelbarrow because I'm too full to walk" kind of overdo.
Any sushi addicts out there? Yeah. Okay, so you know what I mean.
As I was saying, it's always HARD to keep my sushi order small when...
a) my crack dealers -- aka the awesome folks at Wasabi Sabi, and their other joints Wasabi Bistro and Wasabi on Broadway -- deal some frickin' awesome crack.
b) I'm dining with my equally-addicted enablers:
These are two the usual suspects.
Again, no, I wasn't drunk when I took this picture. I fuzzed on purpose. (Remember, my friends don't want anyone to know about their secret lives.)
I wanted to take a picture of them actually taking a bite, but those chopsticks are lethal weapons in the hands of my friends.
Especially in the hands of the one on the left.
It's tiny for tiny aliens. Because I heard quite the uproar about not having a couch beside my kids' giant pencils in one of last week's posts, I decided to include my Iron Ring (which is worn on the pinky) to give you a sense of scale. Sorry, no picture of a piglet jar.
Okay, I know, you're going "Huh?", and I'm saying "Yeah, I don't know, either." Luckily, my husband's hottie-hotness and scientific brilliance makes up for... uh, alien jars.
Onward to sushi...
No, I did NOT have sushi yesterday. I wish I did. But alas, I was sushi-less. This week went by so quickly that it just felt like yesterday. I, in fact, had sushi on Saturday, with Harmzie, Myrtle, and our girlfriends, as we do every 3rd Saturday of the month.
We call this monthly ritual Sushi with Larry. Who's Larry? He's the poor sap who's name we yoink to make our reservations under at the various sushi joints we invade.
This month, we descended on Wasabi Sabi on Taylor.
I know you're dying to know what I had. So feast your eyes on this:
Huzzah! Looks yummy, eh?!Okay, from left to right, 2 pieces of tobiko nigiri, mango tango maki, and another mango maki thing (do you remember what it's called, Myrtle?)
Sorry, it's missing some pieces. I started to dig in when I realized I was going to take a picture.
I really tried to control myself that day. And believe me, it's HARD. When it comes to sushi, I'm like a crack addict, and sushi is like my, um, crack. I always overdo it -- like "roll me out in a wheelbarrow because I'm too full to walk" kind of overdo.
Any sushi addicts out there? Yeah. Okay, so you know what I mean.
As I was saying, it's always HARD to keep my sushi order small when...
a) my crack dealers -- aka the awesome folks at Wasabi Sabi, and their other joints Wasabi Bistro and Wasabi on Broadway -- deal some frickin' awesome crack.
b) I'm dining with my equally-addicted enablers:
These are two the usual suspects.Again, no, I wasn't drunk when I took this picture. I fuzzed on purpose. (Remember, my friends don't want anyone to know about their secret lives.)
I wanted to take a picture of them actually taking a bite, but those chopsticks are lethal weapons in the hands of my friends.
Especially in the hands of the one on the left.
interview with my babies...
Mini is 4.5yo, and Lam is 6.5yo. And I've always wondered what goes on in their minds when they think of their mommy.
Now, I know they won't tell what they REALLY think -- especially when they're allowed only one piece of cake or banned from playing video games -- (although I'm sure I have a good idea), but this little meme gave me a little glimpse into their massive brain matter.
To avoid any cross-contamination, I interviewed these monkeys separately, because you know, they're monkeys. The boy's answers made me laugh. Especially #11 & #12. LOL!
1. What is something mommy always says to you?
Lam: Elbows off the table, because I do that a lot and forget.
Mini: I don't know.
2. What makes mommy happy?
Lam: Relaxing.
Mini: Taking care of her kids.
3. What makes mommy sad?
Lam: Getting sick.
Mini: When she's alone.
4. How does your mommy make you laugh?
Lam: Sometimes when you do funny things.
Mini: Funny jokes.
5. What did your mommy like to do when she was a child?
Lam: Play.
Mini: Play.
6. How old is your mommy ?
Lam: 39
Mini: I don't know.
7. How tall is your mommy ?
Lam: As tall as a school bus. (?)
Mini: 9 feet tall.
8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
Lam: Friends.
Mini: Dr. Who.
9. What does your mommy do when you're not around?
Lam: Mostly hang out with the girls.
Mini: Relax.
10. If your mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
Lam: A tv or movie star because you watch a lot of tv. For the experience.
Mini: Putting me on your blog.
11. What is your mommy really good at?
Lam: Sewing. (?!)
Mini: Hugging.
12. What is your mommy not very good at?
Lam: Figuring out how to use computers. (BWAH-HAHAHAHA!!!)
Mini: Playing video games.
13. What does your mommy do for her job?
Lam: Blog.
Mini: Going on her laptop.
14. What is your mommy 's favorite food?
Lam: I'd definitely think sushi.
Mini: Sushi.
15. What makes you proud of your mommy?
Lam: Saving me from a wildlife fire and saving me from a 200 alien invasion.
Mini: Hugging me when I'm sad.
16. If your mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Lam: Relaxi-Mom
Mini: Atomic Betty.
17. What do you and your mommy do together?
Lam: Almost nothing.
Mini: Play video games.
18. How are you and your mommy the same?
Lam: Sometimes we both like to relax.
Mini: We have the same coloured eyes.
19. How are you and your mommy different?
Lam: You're female, I'm male.
Mini: We have different coloured skin.
20. How do you know your mommy loves you?
Lam: She lets me do things sometimes that I'm not allowed to do.
Mini: She takes care of me.
21. What does your mommy like most about your daddy?
Lam: His bad jokes. Or singing.
Mini: His funny jokes.
22. Where is your mommy 's favorite place to go?
Lam: Sushi places.
Mini: Sushi places.
*updated* the life candy celebs...
... dance with Ellen... strike a pose with George Clooney on red carpet... nurse a starving baby in poverty stricken country... make it home in time to read stories to 6 multi-national children... flash va-jayjay stepping out of a limo...
And that's what they did just last week! Oh, and they also allowed me to interview them. :)
To read, just click on their name: Cyndi, Harmzie, Wyliekat, and Shar.
Thanks, ladies! It was fun :)
[Update: Just added Cyndi's interview. Be sure to check it out! Thanks, Cyn!]
And that's what they did just last week! Oh, and they also allowed me to interview them. :)
To read, just click on their name: Cyndi, Harmzie, Wyliekat, and Shar.
Thanks, ladies! It was fun :)
[Update: Just added Cyndi's interview. Be sure to check it out! Thanks, Cyn!]
*UPDATED* my husband probably shouldn't be allowed into the dollar store with more than $5
I've been sick for the past couple of days. No mucus. Just headache, sore throat, mild nausea, and - OMG - fatigue! My limbs have felt heavy and REALLY REALLY LONG like this dude's (he shows up at the 45 second mark -- holy crap, I almost pee'd watching this again after all these years!)...
So, on Wednesday, I asked Roomie to stay home to care for the kids -- prepare their meals and bring them to/from school -- because, I seriously couldn't do it. Our young'uns would've had to search for Cheerios in the sofa cushions for sustenance.
Anyway, after dropping off our kids at school, my hottie-hot errand boy went to various stores for provisions. We were out of juice, milk, and granola bars.
Oh, and apparently we were also out of Spiderman and High School Musical pencils. Sorry, that's GIANT Spiderman and High School Musical pencils.
This picture doesn't do it justice. I should've put a chair beside them or the couch, so you could scale it. They're about the length of my thigh. About 60% of the time, the kids have been using them as lightsabers.
So, yeah, Roomie made a pit-stop at Dollarama for some pocket notebooks and figured his kids needed freakishly large pencils. These things come with their own sharpeners.
Thank heavens or I'd have to start a-whittlin'. Then I'd need a porch on which to whittle. We'd have to buy a house with a porch, and frankly, that's just too much of a financial commitment for us right now. So, yay, sharpeners!
Roomie said that he would've bought more stuff if he'd had more cash on him. Riiiiiight.
[Update: Roomie told me today that he had also bought "alien jars". I said, "Uh, wha?" He said, "Alien jars. You know, little jars to put little aliens in. And maybe also little pigs." Again, riiiiight.]
Anyway, here I am, on Friday, slightly shorter-armed and 2 giant pencils richer. And I feel good enough to start my 100 pushup challenge on Monday. No, I haven't started yet. Yes, I've been very lazy. I KNOW! Don't judge.
So, on Wednesday, I asked Roomie to stay home to care for the kids -- prepare their meals and bring them to/from school -- because, I seriously couldn't do it. Our young'uns would've had to search for Cheerios in the sofa cushions for sustenance.
Anyway, after dropping off our kids at school, my hottie-hot errand boy went to various stores for provisions. We were out of juice, milk, and granola bars.
Oh, and apparently we were also out of Spiderman and High School Musical pencils. Sorry, that's GIANT Spiderman and High School Musical pencils.This picture doesn't do it justice. I should've put a chair beside them or the couch, so you could scale it. They're about the length of my thigh. About 60% of the time, the kids have been using them as lightsabers.
So, yeah, Roomie made a pit-stop at Dollarama for some pocket notebooks and figured his kids needed freakishly large pencils. These things come with their own sharpeners.
Thank heavens or I'd have to start a-whittlin'. Then I'd need a porch on which to whittle. We'd have to buy a house with a porch, and frankly, that's just too much of a financial commitment for us right now. So, yay, sharpeners!
Roomie said that he would've bought more stuff if he'd had more cash on him. Riiiiiight.
[Update: Roomie told me today that he had also bought "alien jars". I said, "Uh, wha?" He said, "Alien jars. You know, little jars to put little aliens in. And maybe also little pigs." Again, riiiiight.]
Anyway, here I am, on Friday, slightly shorter-armed and 2 giant pencils richer. And I feel good enough to start my 100 pushup challenge on Monday. No, I haven't started yet. Yes, I've been very lazy. I KNOW! Don't judge.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Wear green, grab your pint of Guinness, and enjoy this little bit of St.Patty's day muppetry...
sex cauldron?! I thought they closed that place down...
Gorgeous, ain't it? :)
(If you're going all "uh, wha?", you're probably reading this in a feedreader or via email, so go click over to my site right now.)
I wanted a more fresh and natural look, but didn't want to completely change lifecandy's template design. So, I used my mad coding skillz to rip off my soon-to-be-defunct, barely-started organic/natural beauty site. Go have a look if you wish.
With writing for the Canada Moms Blog, weekly volunteering in Lam's class, and my dailysitting on the couch, eating bon-bons, and watching hottie-hot Gary Sinise on CSI:NY reruns housework and parenting duties, I'll be shutting that site down. Yoinked the colours first though. :)
Lemme know what you think.
Onward...
This weekend, Mini went on a shopping spree and spent the allowance she'd been saving all these months (yes, MONTHS -- a 4yo doesn't get that much per week.) So, while her father and brother went to the mall cinema to watch the ever-yummy Rock... I mean Race to Witch Mountain... we raced around the crowded mall for these things...
Webkinz Cotton-Candy (bunny), Pinkie (fish), and the Playmobil Baby Nursery set... all thankfully on sale.
The pink bag is the carry case for the white/pink Webkinz puppy not pictured here. It's in her bag at school for Show-and-Tell.
Anyway, the addition of the new Playmobil Baby Nursery set has given new life to their entire Playmobil world. The whole bucket of accessories, including vacation home, DHL truck, portapotty, and airplane -- which is frickin' huge! -- has made its way back down into the familyroom "frequent use" zone.
Last night, Mini managed to harass her brother into playing Playmobil with her for the 18th time that weekend. I couldn't understand what they were doing, what stories they'd made up, who the characters were, why they were going on a plane ride, but boy, they were getting along. They're not fighting -- only fools break the peace by asking questions.
This morning, during a quick clearing-floor-of-toys session, Roomie found this piece of paper on one of the little buildings.
Yes, it says "Naked Ladies Club". In my son's printing. My kids have a strip-joint/brothel in their little toy town. Good grief.
(If you're going all "uh, wha?", you're probably reading this in a feedreader or via email, so go click over to my site right now.)
I wanted a more fresh and natural look, but didn't want to completely change lifecandy's template design. So, I used my mad coding skillz to rip off my soon-to-be-defunct, barely-started organic/natural beauty site. Go have a look if you wish.
With writing for the Canada Moms Blog, weekly volunteering in Lam's class, and my daily
Lemme know what you think.
Onward...
This weekend, Mini went on a shopping spree and spent the allowance she'd been saving all these months (yes, MONTHS -- a 4yo doesn't get that much per week.) So, while her father and brother went to the mall cinema to watch the ever-yummy Rock... I mean Race to Witch Mountain... we raced around the crowded mall for these things...
Webkinz Cotton-Candy (bunny), Pinkie (fish), and the Playmobil Baby Nursery set... all thankfully on sale.The pink bag is the carry case for the white/pink Webkinz puppy not pictured here. It's in her bag at school for Show-and-Tell.
Anyway, the addition of the new Playmobil Baby Nursery set has given new life to their entire Playmobil world. The whole bucket of accessories, including vacation home, DHL truck, portapotty, and airplane -- which is frickin' huge! -- has made its way back down into the familyroom "frequent use" zone.
Last night, Mini managed to harass her brother into playing Playmobil with her for the 18th time that weekend. I couldn't understand what they were doing, what stories they'd made up, who the characters were, why they were going on a plane ride, but boy, they were getting along. They're not fighting -- only fools break the peace by asking questions.
This morning, during a quick clearing-floor-of-toys session, Roomie found this piece of paper on one of the little buildings.
Yes, it says "Naked Ladies Club". In my son's printing. My kids have a strip-joint/brothel in their little toy town. Good grief.
sharing the love on pi day
What kind of nerd would I be if I didn't celebrate Pi Day?! So...
Happy Pi Day!
Here's how more than 3.14 of my fellow nerds party on this most irrationally awesome 22nd Annual Pi Day...
1. B-Mac eats some - and it's lemon meringue just like mine!
2. A number fundamentalist Christians aren't on board with?
3. Steph would rather have Pie Day (I don't blame 'er!), but celebrates Pi Day anyway.
4. Jen (Momma) shares her Pi Day ideas. I'm giving her a "High Pi". :)
5. Sing some Pi Day carols:
: Pi Rap
: Pi Day Song (Lose Yourself in the Digits)
: Pi Pi Mathematical Pi
: Pi by Hard n' Phirm
: Cherry Pie by Warrant
6. Get a widget or chicklet to countdown to the NEXT Pi Day here.
7. Buy Pi-raphernalia:
Pi Ice Cube Tray
no, because daddy doesn't use his knowledge for evil
It was warm -- warm enough for Mini to open her car window on the way home from school for a nice cool breeze.
Mini: "Mama, when we get home, can I leave the window open?"
Me: "No, you shouldn't. For one thing, someone might come in, start the car, and steal it --"
Lam: "No one will steal it if we make sure that we don't leave the keys inside the car."
Me: "Oh, you can still start the car without the keys. It's called hot wiring."
Lam: "Do you know how to hot wire a car?"
Me: "No, but your dad probably does."
Lam: "Uh... has Dada ever stolen a car?"
Mini: "Mama, when we get home, can I leave the window open?"
Me: "No, you shouldn't. For one thing, someone might come in, start the car, and steal it --"
Lam: "No one will steal it if we make sure that we don't leave the keys inside the car."
Me: "Oh, you can still start the car without the keys. It's called hot wiring."
Lam: "Do you know how to hot wire a car?"
Me: "No, but your dad probably does."
Lam: "Uh... has Dada ever stolen a car?"
'Armpit' Leads the Way to a Second Language
Originally published March 12, 2009.My kids have my dark hair and dark, almond-shaped eyes. Their light complexion is a genetic gift from their Canadian/Northern European dad, but it's still a warm olive tone. Yes, my kids certainly look Filipino.
Unfortunately, they don't sound Filipino. My children don't know how to speak Tagalog.
Oh, wait, they know one word: kili-kili. Yes, folks, my kids know how to say "armpit" in Tagalog -- Mother of the Year, right here.
I'm sure they learned it from my sister during a moment of silliness. But really, if she was giving them an impromptu language lesson, I wish she'd chosen a more useful word.
Let's face it, armpit doesn't get you very far... unless you need deodorant, are telling someone they need deodorant, want your underarm waxed, or for some reason need to convey that you don't want to be tickled "there".
Oh, I had such grand plans. I figured I would speak to my babies only in Tagalog from the moment they popped out of me. Daddy would speak to them in English. French -- Canada's other official language -- they would later learn at school. Plus, they'd have an easier time with French because studies have shown that being multilingual at a young age helps kids learn more languages in later years.
Well, some grand plans they turned out to be. Smartypants here didn't consider the fact that my own Tagalog, for lack of a better word, sucks. I'm painfully out of practice. My husband never learned it -- except for butiki, the word for "gecko". Try using that everyday in a sentence other than "That butiki will die here." My sister, who is fluent, can only manage short visits with us. So, the only real Tagalog immersion I can get is during the rare trip to see my grandmother in the US, and I doubt that's happening anytime soon.
Then there's the fact that I get better and faster results saying "Pick up your toys", "Elbows off the table", and "You put WHAT in the DVD player?!!!" in English.
Still, it will be helpful for my children to know Tagalog. I know it was helpful for me growing up. Knowing the language was my "in". It enabled me to take an active part in the large local Filipino community, to truly appreciate my heritage, and to share the beauty of my country of origin with the country that I now lovingly call home.
Canada is such a delicious melting pot where multiculturalism is embraced, even celebrated in festivals like our own local Folklorama. I want my kids to appreciate the unique part, the unique flavour, they can add to that melting pot.
And all that starts at home. So, starting today, I will be speaking to my kids in Tagalog more and more. I'll be working on teaching the hubby too. I'm sure they'll all be speaking it back to me faster than you can say kili-kili.
Do your kids speak more than one language? What other languages, if any, would you like them to learn?
awesomeness comes in 3s...
Legend has it that assy things come in threes, but you know, so do awesome things.
Awesome #1: I've been asked to be a contributing blogger at the Canada Moms Blog! To be among the group of awesome Canadian Moms on the blogging roster is quite exciting, humbling, and yes, nerve-wracking! (I'm talking Big Name mom bloggers, folks!) You can read my first article here. As I said, I'm still a bit nervous about it, so please head over there and leave a comment. Thanks a bunch!
Awesome #2: We've finally made plans to get a kitten. Whoa! Holy OUT-OF-THE-BLUE, Batman! Yeah, you thought we managed to distract Mini with the bunny catching contraption, but no, she wouldn't let it go. Eventually, Roomie and I decided that she needed a cat, and will be getting one just before Spring Break. She'll have a week to hang out with the little fur ball to let the novelty wear out. This way, she will less likely fake feeling sick in order to stay home from school to hang with Car... yeah, that's one of the names she's decided to name the cat. I don't know where she comes up with these things...
Awesome #3:My pretend boyfriend Gerard Butler is now on Twitter. Yes, it's the REAL him, and yes, I'm stalking following him. If you tweet him, he will deny that he is my pretend boyfriend, because, you know, we want to keep it on the hush-hush. ;)
Update 4pm: Well, heck, this probably isn't Gerry. Effing trolls. Reliable sources turned out may not be so reliable at all. Knew it was too good to be true. Will look into it more and see what I can find.
So, as a replacement awesome, I got my tooth fixed! I'm no longer Cletus, lisping, or feeling weird in the mouthal area. And it only cost $96, and not $3000 like my friend Trinity said. Thanks for the unfounded mini freakout, T! :)
So... ahem... anyone know if Ed Quinn's on Twitter?... ;)
Awesome #1: I've been asked to be a contributing blogger at the Canada Moms Blog! To be among the group of awesome Canadian Moms on the blogging roster is quite exciting, humbling, and yes, nerve-wracking! (I'm talking Big Name mom bloggers, folks!) You can read my first article here. As I said, I'm still a bit nervous about it, so please head over there and leave a comment. Thanks a bunch!
Awesome #2: We've finally made plans to get a kitten. Whoa! Holy OUT-OF-THE-BLUE, Batman! Yeah, you thought we managed to distract Mini with the bunny catching contraption, but no, she wouldn't let it go. Eventually, Roomie and I decided that she needed a cat, and will be getting one just before Spring Break. She'll have a week to hang out with the little fur ball to let the novelty wear out. This way, she will less likely fake feeling sick in order to stay home from school to hang with Car... yeah, that's one of the names she's decided to name the cat. I don't know where she comes up with these things...
Awesome #3:
Update 4pm: Well, heck, this probably isn't Gerry. Effing trolls. Reliable sources turned out may not be so reliable at all. Knew it was too good to be true. Will look into it more and see what I can find.
So, as a replacement awesome, I got my tooth fixed! I'm no longer Cletus, lisping, or feeling weird in the mouthal area. And it only cost $96, and not $3000 like my friend Trinity said. Thanks for the unfounded mini freakout, T! :)
So... ahem... anyone know if Ed Quinn's on Twitter?... ;)
a celebrity interview... sorta...
See this picture? It's one of my bloggie sisters, Ali of Cheaper Than Therapy, with Christopher Bolton of the Showcase show Rent-A-Goalie. Remember I mentioned that she interviews celebrities sometimes? Yeah. :)Doesn't she look happy here? Oh, god, who wouldn't be?! Just look at him!!!
Rumour has it this photo was taken just seconds before she licked him. Yeah, Ali has a little problem with that. We're planning an intervention.
Anyway...
When Ali -- aka, She Who Interviews Hot Famous People -- said that she'd interview me, I once again proved what a smartypants I am and said "hell, yah!". Okay, here goes...
1. What is your favorite movie?? Now tell us the one we REALLY want to know...the movie that you are embarrassed to admit that you love and can watch over and over and over?
Okay... sigh... The movie I can watch again and again? Grease 2. Oh, Adrian Zmed. He used to be so yum. "I need a C-O-O-L... R-I-D-E-R..."
2. If you could have any superpower, what would you choose? And what would your superhero name be? any ideas what your costume might look like?
Super-speed. Like The Flash. Imagine how much I would get done?!!! I'd be Wizz. No, wait. That sounds too much like peeing. The Whip. Or something like that.
I'd be in a black skin-tight aerodynamic outfit. Yeah. But I can't go too fast and burn off my outfit. Maybe I shouldn't wear an outfit. Then I'd be the New Flash. Get it?! Yeah, I slay me. :)
3. What is your biggest pet peeve? What is one thing that you do that might drive other people crazy?
When people allow their dogs to pee on my yard! The boulevard in front of my house is okay, but on the snowman my daughter made?!!! GRRR... Like, come on, really?!
My thing that may drive people crazy? The fact that I pee on people's yards? Kidding. No, I'll have to ask my hubs to be sure, but it may be my over-zealous use of bags and my habit of tying up said bags so no one can see what's inside. My husband can often be witnessed wildly waving around a tied-up bag and yelling "What's in this frickin' thing?!!!"
Or maybe the fact that I ramble and leave painfully long answering machine messages.
4. If you were offered a pain-free, cost-free, no strings attached plastic surgery, of your choice, would you take it and what would you choose?
Yes, but no major changes, just a boob lift. Seriously, pregnancy and gravity has done a number on "the girls", which have always been ginormous. Just enough to look naturally buoyant and perky without a bra. Sometimes you just want to go bra-free... like when I'm at the beach in my bikini or when I want to wear a strapless sundress or it's Thursday.
5. Create the playlist you would choose if you could hijack a radio station and be a dj for an hour.
Oh, since I've joined Blip.fm, this should be easy. An hour of songs should be, what, 12 tunes? Assuming I do the customary blah-blah-blah between songs, right? Okay, my playlist would include:
1: Finger Eleven - Paralyzer
2: Sarah McLachlan - Possession
3: B52's - Rock Lobster
4: Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime
5: Queen - Another One Bites the Dust
6: ABC - The Look of Love
7: Ace of Base - Beautiful Life
8: The Police - Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
9: Maroon 5 - Wake Up Call
10: Bowie - Let's Dance
11: Lady Gaga - Just Dance
12: Shirley Bassey - Goldfinger
If you would like to participate in the ME interview, here are the rules...
1. If you want to be interviewed, leave me a comment that says “Interview me”.
2. I will respond by emailing you 5 questions (I get to choose the questions).
3. Update your blog with the answers to the questions and let me know when you have posted it.
4. You will include this explanation and offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
the day I lost a tooth and embraced the fact that aliens are doing my laundry
Because I'm clearly not on enough social networks, I've joined Blip.fm. I'm my own DJ, and holy cow, it's been fun!
Although not too fun for the kids. I picked a whole bunch of "oldies but goodies", and I'm sure Lam and Mini are scarred for life after they were forced to witness their parents boogyin' to Rock Lobster. Oh, the humanity!
No big. I'll be playing more dance music around kids -- they like it and will dance after the initial shock.
If I dance with the kids, I can probably count it as part of my workout. I've neither lost or gained this week, hovering at 133lbs. I did my tabata workouts, but I haven't had the guts to start with the pushups yet. Call me coward. But I should get them going because I need to build my upper body and core strength, and well, my ass is sore -- Ew, strictly muscle, folks -- I don't roll that way.
Now, about the aliens. They have descended and parked their spaceship in our basement. It has flashing lights. It beeps and tweets and plays a little melody to get my attention. It THINKS. Oh, but what's even more awesome (yes, it's the awesomest!) is that this spaceship also does laundry.
Yes, folks, we got ourselves one of those newfangled front-loading jobbies. Ain't it purty?!
Just ignore the crap around and on it.
It's an LG WM2010. And because of it, I actually love doing laundry now. Did I say that? Oh, I think I did!
The folding and putting away still sucks ass, but after doing my laundry at the laundromat (albeit a real fab laundromat with a Tim Horton's across the parking lot -- a factor in my laundromat selection, of course) only once a week since June 2008, just being able to do this at home anytime I want to is a luxury.
So... dishwasher? Check. Washing machine? Check. Next big purchase? Garage door opener. Can't wait. The car hole, and I, really need one.
Oh, and my tooth. Well, it was Treat Day, and Mini asked if we could make caramel apples. She's been bugging me about it since last Treat Day, and I knew if we didn't do it, she'd kinda explode.
So, here they are: caramel apples.
Unfortunately, shortly -- like about 5 minutes -- after they were done and it was time to eat them, Mini's looked like this:
... and mine looked like this:
...Sigh...
Then I helped Mini with hers. After the first bite, my tooth came out! Actually, it's a false tooth that filled in a gap where the tooth never grew in.
Anyway, I started yelling, "I knew it! I knew it!" and freaked the kids out a bit because I did know, even when my dentist said it was fine at my last appointment after I told him it felt loose.
Ha! In your face, Dentist Man!
So now, I talk with a slight lisp (don't remember having one before), my mouth feels weird, and my husband calls me Cletus. Gotta make an appointment with Dentist Man.
I wonder what the Tooth Fairy would give me if I put my fake tooth under my pillow.
Although not too fun for the kids. I picked a whole bunch of "oldies but goodies", and I'm sure Lam and Mini are scarred for life after they were forced to witness their parents boogyin' to Rock Lobster. Oh, the humanity!
No big. I'll be playing more dance music around kids -- they like it and will dance after the initial shock.
If I dance with the kids, I can probably count it as part of my workout. I've neither lost or gained this week, hovering at 133lbs. I did my tabata workouts, but I haven't had the guts to start with the pushups yet. Call me coward. But I should get them going because I need to build my upper body and core strength, and well, my ass is sore -- Ew, strictly muscle, folks -- I don't roll that way.
Now, about the aliens. They have descended and parked their spaceship in our basement. It has flashing lights. It beeps and tweets and plays a little melody to get my attention. It THINKS. Oh, but what's even more awesome (yes, it's the awesomest!) is that this spaceship also does laundry.
Yes, folks, we got ourselves one of those newfangled front-loading jobbies. Ain't it purty?!Just ignore the crap around and on it.
It's an LG WM2010. And because of it, I actually love doing laundry now. Did I say that? Oh, I think I did!
The folding and putting away still sucks ass, but after doing my laundry at the laundromat (albeit a real fab laundromat with a Tim Horton's across the parking lot -- a factor in my laundromat selection, of course) only once a week since June 2008, just being able to do this at home anytime I want to is a luxury.
So... dishwasher? Check. Washing machine? Check. Next big purchase? Garage door opener. Can't wait. The car hole, and I, really need one.
Oh, and my tooth. Well, it was Treat Day, and Mini asked if we could make caramel apples. She's been bugging me about it since last Treat Day, and I knew if we didn't do it, she'd kinda explode.So, here they are: caramel apples.
Unfortunately, shortly -- like about 5 minutes -- after they were done and it was time to eat them, Mini's looked like this:
... and mine looked like this:
...Sigh...
Then I helped Mini with hers. After the first bite, my tooth came out! Actually, it's a false tooth that filled in a gap where the tooth never grew in.
Anyway, I started yelling, "I knew it! I knew it!" and freaked the kids out a bit because I did know, even when my dentist said it was fine at my last appointment after I told him it felt loose.Ha! In your face, Dentist Man!
So now, I talk with a slight lisp (don't remember having one before), my mouth feels weird, and my husband calls me Cletus. Gotta make an appointment with Dentist Man.
I wonder what the Tooth Fairy would give me if I put my fake tooth under my pillow.
doin' the happy dance -- not the forbidden dance
I'm doing quite a happy dance today -- for many different reasons. Okay, for exactly 5 different reasons.
But because I, like Jimmy James, am a cipher, a cipher, wrapped in an enigma, smothered in secret sauce, I can't tell you what they all are. Actually, I was told not to tell yet (how's that for mysterious and weird?!).
Wait, I'm lying -- only 1 of my happy dance reasons is a real secret. But because I'm trying to be all mysterious, I won't tell you the other 3 either. However, you may guess them. The 5th I will tell you now. Confused yet? Good. Welcome to my brain -- every frickin' second.
Anyway... A reason I'm doing a happy dance today is because my awesome RL friend Su of Vively Online has given me a Sisterhood Award. Su and I have been "sisters" for ages -- way back to our engineering days programming and load-building. And because "you can take the girl out of comp-tech, but you can't take comp-tech out of the girl", here we are, in front of computers again as blogging sisters.
So, now it's my turn to share the love (alphabetically):
1. Ali - My day is not complete without reading Ali's latest post. She's like your best girl friend you go shopping with, baby-sit each other's kids, and who knows all your secrets, except she also interviews celebrities sometimes.
2. Harmzie - One of my bestests. Made my comments section explode every time I posted until I finally told her "Get your own blog!" And she did.
3. Jenny - The Bloggess makes me laugh so hard that I cry. Seriously. Freakin' copious tears.
4. Karen - Karen wears motherhood so stylishly and fashionably, instead of all frumpy and bag-lady-ish, like I look most of the time.
5. Kari - Kari makes me wish I was in my 20s again. Doing things to make my life better. Except in my 20s, I did a lot of dancing at '80s Nite in the Village.
6. Paul - He's clearly butter side up, but can he please, please, please be a sister? I like him. He's as baffled about Shia LeBoeuf as I am.
7. Shai - Even if she doesn't post anything new, Shai is always updating photos on her blog. She makes you say, "Yeah! I'm doing that too, man!", and even if your photos don't look as good, you still feel like Ansel Adams.
8. Shar - A truly fun blog. Shar needs to post more often. Seriously, girl. Do it.
9. Toni - Going to her blog feels like going to a girlfriend's house for tea. With all your friends. And Edward from Twilight.
10. Wyliekat - She does awesome things like make chocolate pavlova. I like hanging out with clever people.
If I've nominated you, please DON'T STRESS OUT about doing it. But if you decide to, here's how:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received your award.
But because I, like Jimmy James, am a cipher, a cipher, wrapped in an enigma, smothered in secret sauce, I can't tell you what they all are. Actually, I was told not to tell yet (how's that for mysterious and weird?!).
Wait, I'm lying -- only 1 of my happy dance reasons is a real secret. But because I'm trying to be all mysterious, I won't tell you the other 3 either. However, you may guess them. The 5th I will tell you now. Confused yet? Good. Welcome to my brain -- every frickin' second.
Anyway... A reason I'm doing a happy dance today is because my awesome RL friend Su of Vively Online has given me a Sisterhood Award. Su and I have been "sisters" for ages -- way back to our engineering days programming and load-building. And because "you can take the girl out of comp-tech, but you can't take comp-tech out of the girl", here we are, in front of computers again as blogging sisters.So, now it's my turn to share the love (alphabetically):
1. Ali - My day is not complete without reading Ali's latest post. She's like your best girl friend you go shopping with, baby-sit each other's kids, and who knows all your secrets, except she also interviews celebrities sometimes.
2. Harmzie - One of my bestests. Made my comments section explode every time I posted until I finally told her "Get your own blog!" And she did.
3. Jenny - The Bloggess makes me laugh so hard that I cry. Seriously. Freakin' copious tears.
4. Karen - Karen wears motherhood so stylishly and fashionably, instead of all frumpy and bag-lady-ish, like I look most of the time.
5. Kari - Kari makes me wish I was in my 20s again. Doing things to make my life better. Except in my 20s, I did a lot of dancing at '80s Nite in the Village.
6. Paul - He's clearly butter side up, but can he please, please, please be a sister? I like him. He's as baffled about Shia LeBoeuf as I am.
7. Shai - Even if she doesn't post anything new, Shai is always updating photos on her blog. She makes you say, "Yeah! I'm doing that too, man!", and even if your photos don't look as good, you still feel like Ansel Adams.
8. Shar - A truly fun blog. Shar needs to post more often. Seriously, girl. Do it.
9. Toni - Going to her blog feels like going to a girlfriend's house for tea. With all your friends. And Edward from Twilight.
10. Wyliekat - She does awesome things like make chocolate pavlova. I like hanging out with clever people.
If I've nominated you, please DON'T STRESS OUT about doing it. But if you decide to, here's how:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received your award.
week 7/8: pounds and pushups
In case you hadn't noticed, I didn't do a Bikini Project update last week. There was no point. The update would've been too short. The "Got period; didn't exercise; ate ice cream; threatened to cut all who came between me and my ice cream" kind of short.Anyway, I was back to my happy, sweet, perky self about mid-week last week.
I immediately lost 3 pounds. Yay!
But it was just due to water retention. Boo!
Another 'yay' was realizing that my set point weight is now 5 lbs lower than the weight I started out with! Happy Dance Time!
Okay -- deep breath -- here come the numbers (about time, eh?)...
Starting: 138 lbs (which is a lot for someone 5'4" tall and small-boned)
Current: 133 lbs
At my medically-determined healthiest, I was 105-110 lbs, but because I'd like to put on some muscle, I'm aiming for 115-120 lbs. So...
Remaining: 15 lbs -- until bikini season! Yippee!
(Wow, sharing that wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. Cool.)
Now, when it comes to muscle-building, I've been thinking of doing a bigger challenge than my regular knee-pushups, squats, and planks -- check this: 6 weeks to 100 push-ups!I can't even do 10!
I KNOW!!! I'm a lunatic. I'm insane. I'm possibly also high. Whatever. I'm doing the one hundred push ups challenge.
Why? Well, this insane, high lunatic is always looking for the most efficient workout. Get in, get out, get the job done. No fiddle-farting around. Cheap is also good. Oh, and something I can do at home like I've been doing already.
Push-ups are all of those and more. I can potentially KICK MY OWN ASS with this challenge.
You want to try it out? Check it out here and let me know if you decide to do it to!
I'll be posting my progress within my weekly Bikini Project updates. I might even post a video, so stay tuned -- even if it is just for some laughs. :) And wish me luck!
Image by Niklas
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