Stop, Look and Listen -- That Means You City Hall!

In our house, Ben & FG call them the "big piano". The place where you stop look and listen, not just for your safety but alert drivers. My kids have known about "big pianos" since they could walk.

Apparently Andy hasn't.

If City Hall stopped to listen, they'd hear this city tell them we know a cross walk doesn't mean there won't be accidents no more than wearing your seat belt does. But what cross walks do, is put a little bit of safety and caution in place.

Bad Mom Hour

It's from 6-7.

That hour right after supper when I'm clearing the table, throwing in a load of laundry, picking up coats, boots and mittens blocking the porch door. That's when it strikes me the worst -- I'm a bad mom. I've been away from these guys all day and I know dusting and dishes can wait til tomorrow, children grow up to fast to our sorrow (I've seen the magnets at Hallmark). But for some reason, I like to let them watch Treehouse or Discovery Kids. I'm sure I'm supposed to be doing more; at least that's how I feel. But right now, when I do the daycare dash at 4:45, get them, get traffic, get home and get supper -- I just feel like letting the TV do a little child minding for 60 minutes.

No Island Princess? -- Bah Humbug!

Folks here don't seem to be so much with the marketing value of the Santa Claus Parade. Instead, in this year’s St. John’s Downtown Christmas Parade, there were lots of dogs in reindeer antlers (Beagle Paws, Greyhound Rescue, Daschunds and SPCA), cheerleaders from every school in the city and a bunch of service groups.

Not one commercial float.

I miss the Toronto Parade -- so wonderfully shiny and big business.

This year, they had the Coca-Cola’s Penguins and Polar Bears, Sears’ Hockey Night on a Frosty Pond, Scholastic’s Clifford in the Dog House and Mattel’s Barbie as the Island Princess. Even the descriptions on the Global broadcast are totally agency scripted. And why not? Those bloody floats cost an elf's annual salary to build.

Plus, around over 150 clowns were actually corporate types who pay up to $1000 for the privilege of putting on a clown suit! The Celebrity Clown programme has been running since 1983 and is a brilliant way of drumming up support for the parade.

I don’t know if the downtown businesses don’t see the value in the Parade or if they are simply just not in the Christmas spirit. Whatever the case, I suppose it doesn’t really matter. Ben & FG were just as taken with the guy in the ratty Winnie the Pooh costume from Walmart as he would have been with the giant floats rolling down Bloor St.

Pics: Ben dropping letter to Pere Noel to Canada Post Mail Carrier (btw, did I mention I love this program?; FG on Mama's shoulders; Santa on Duckworth)

Maybe Christmas doesn’t come in a box. Maybe it doesn’t come from a store. Perhaps Christmas means a little bit more – Dr. Seuss, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”

Bon news, bad news

Ben has always been a fussy eater. For the first 2 years, this drove me crazy but recently, I've found ways around the dinner table battles. Last night, I asked him what he ate at school.

"I had the snacks."

"And lunch?"

"Well, I have good news and bad news."

I waited patiently for his latest food tale.

"Bad news is it was soupe (soup in English). The good news is there was "nouilles de dans" (noddles in it)

Colour outside the lines

When Papa's away, Mama can be a bit slack. Picnics in the living room instead of supper at the table; popcorn in the afternoon or a TV show on Mama's bed.

Last night, Ben & FG decided they wanted a "camp out" in the pop-up tent. They loaded it up with pillows and blankets. I never thought for a second they'd sleep in there.

FG eventually went to her crib.

But Ben was too "cozy". He brought in his catalog and a few Rescue Heroes. I went back to check on him and covered him up with a blanket.

The little rascal slept there until 7 this morning and woke up with a smile on his face.

Sometimes its good to let them colour outside the lines.

Blah Blah Blah....Chill out!

Last night at dinner, Ben tested out a few new phrases.

"Chill out" (when I asked him to have 2 more bites).

"What does that mean," I asked curious to hear his explanation and a little taken aback.

"It means, stop talking."

"Do you have any other new words."

"Yeah, 'blah blah blah' means you don't know what to say."

Training Miss Frances

God love her. She caught on right away. I think the Dora underwear did the trick. That and the potty song (to the tune of Conga!) "Pee-pee dans le pot!" "Pee-pee dans le pot!" I remember nursing Frances and trying to train Ben 2 years ago. I nearly lost my mind! That year I think February had 128 days.

His own sandwich

From the child who eats very little, comes the unique, one-of-a-kind sandwich that only he come dream up. What's in it? Ben's reply:

Crunchy peanut butter, marble cheese stick (cut in chunks), pecans and dried bananas one side and strawberry jam and pineapple on the other.

He ate the works.

Say one thing, kids know what they like.

Sears Dream Book

Last year, it started right after Halloween. This year, it was early October. Ben doesn't want 3 stories or 3 lullabies -- he just wants his night light left on and "to be alone with his Catalog".



Most nights I go up after an hour and he's sound asleep, face stuck on the page with the ride-on Jeeps or the drum sets. I peel him off, pull up the covers and shut off the light.

But some nights, he wants me to stay there and tell him what everything is. "What's D?"

"Mega-rig Construction Truck"

"How about A?"

"Hot Wheels Dragon Fire Track Set"

"J?"

"Little Tykes Digital Drum Set".

He's already making his list and checking it twice. By Dec 24th, the book will be tattered and torn; some items circled other crossed out so "Santa doesn't get confused". And we all know, that this time of year, Santa needs all the help he (read: she) can get!

First Family of Halloween on Empire

It was our first Halloween on Empire and our neighbours certainly reminded us why we moved. Not only did they "ohh and ahh" over the kids costumes but our new neighbours were as excited about the spooky night as we were.

Ben said next year we have to start decorating earlier! Maybe now that we're a bit more settled we can.