Full Moon Re-do

Sometimes you just push the envelope a little too far with your kids until it all goes pie shaped. You know what I'm talking about. Last night was one of those nights complete with scuffed out hands, bloody noses and a 4 month with vaccination -- all at PL's School of Rock recital.

Someone blamed it on the full moon. On days like that, you think we could get a re-do?

Back at it.

After a year's absence, I'm back at it. Since my last post, we've had a new baby (Welcome to the world Luc William) and have decided to move to Montreal.

Big changes for our little family but we're excited about our new neighbourhood of Monkland Village. Stay tuned for the play-by-play of moving a family of five from Terre Neuve to La Belle Province.

Unfit Mothers

The oldest continuous sporting event in North America has a new team -- the Unfit Mothers.

I figure since we have been getting up at 6:35am for nearly two weeks, it's safe to say that we have rowing team.

There's still plenty to learn but already we know stroke from bow side, how to "let 'er run" and what it feels like to row in the snow (see pic).

And this morning, one of us announced our first blister.... Tomorrow we learn to feather.

Easedropping on Children - Scene 1

INTERIOR. VAN. DAY.

FG and BEN strapped into car seat. MAMA driving them to school. FG is playing with her pink Dora cell phone.

Ben: Frances, do you know what the big button is for on your phone?

FG: No

Ben: It's for taking pictures.

Funny, that's exactly what we used phones for when I was 5....taking pictures!!

Where's My Goat?

Unlike the guys at Henge Productions, I know where my goat is. Or was.

Her name was Dodi - a boney-kneed, floppy earred, black and white beauty that 

I bottle fed. 

My father bought me a lot of pets: a pony, dogs, cats, gold fish, hamsters, a bull (ok, not a pet but I didn't eat Dan), rabbits and, one summer, an ant farm.  But there was something about Dodi.

When I was 11, my father bought her for me from Dr Norman in Whitbourne.  I don't remember asking for a goat, but I remember how cool it was to have her meet me at the lane after school. She was like a dog but better. Dodi could chase a ball across the grass, then stop for snack. We had the best trimmed lawn in Chapel Arm. 

But as she grew, I did too. And basketball practice, drama club and hanging out with boys meant I didn't always come home right after school. 

"No sense in having her barred in the barn, if you're not going to look after her," my father said. He later sold her to a man in Thornlea for $30.  I never saw her after.

The Colour of Money

Buh-bye mini-van. Hello CUV ("compact utility vehicle"). The kids are excited about it too. Ben likes the hidden cupholders and FG, she likes the colour.

"Mama, do you know the colour of our new car?" Without waiting for my reply she said, "L'argent. That means money in French."

You say working mom, I say juggler

You're wondering who he is too...you know, the person at Eastern District School Board who makes the call to close school when its 5 cms of snow and a bit of freezing rain. This week in St. John's, we had 2 snow days. Fun for kiddos or teachers or businesses that close -- tough for working moms.

Let's get a few things out of the way first. I love cuddling with the kids on a snowy day, staying in PJs and baking muffins but when your juggling work deadlines and torn between checking email and finding Polly Pocket's shoes, it's not so good. 

It's snow days, when I'm trying to "work from home", that I feel I can't do anything well. Nothing or nobody gets 100% of my attnetion. That's the strruggle. 

This week, I remembered the first time I felt like this. Shortly after Ben was born, I was invited up North for a "writers' retreat" weekend with some friends. I was still breastfeeding him, was sleep deprived - the whole kit.  I hadn't written in a year and now had to bring something witty and insightful for my writer friends to read. 

"I can't go, " I told my friend Gill who had organized the whole thing.

"Take Ben, dust off some old material and come up."

But I struggled with the idea of trying to juggle both. Nothing would get 100% anymore.

But Gill, gave me a new way to do my math, "At times like that, give everything a little - 50% to your writing, 50% to being a mom, 50% to work, 50% to being a wife, 50% to your friends, 50% to yourself. That will add up to way more than 100%."

So on snow days, I remind myself to do a little new mom math -- it gets me through.

Who's the guy who makes the call?

Sugar rush?

The other night the youngsters were wild - running, dancing, singing. When I wasn't joining in, I was exhausted just looking at them! I couldn't figure out where she was getting the energy.

At one point, I turned to FG and said, "What are you running on?"

Her reply: "The carpet!"

Miley and OMAoG

'Santa' gave Ben Miley Cyrus's new CD Breakout for Christmas. After listening to it, non-stop on the morning trips to school - I have a confession. I'm finding the songs...ummmm...catchy.

The worst (best?) is Wake up America -- its a boppy, poppy 'save the planet' song complete with a nice dig to parents in the bridge:
"I know you don't want to hear it;
espcially coming from someone so young
But in the backseat, yeah
They want to hear it
So come on, turn it up...."

So, if you haven't already do your Act O' Green.

All I want for Christmas

Last night, Ben was pretty upset.

You see he mailed his letter to Santa "too early" and had some things he wanted to add. But because we told him he could only ask Santa for a couple of presents, he wanted "to change it, but now it was too late."

"What do you want to add?" I asked drying his tear but fearing this would send me beating through crowrds at Box Stores and scrounging on ebay. Or worse -- it would make him greedy.

"Silver and gold crayons for drawing pirates; tape like the one in Papa's office and Santa's extra cardboard for making craft."

I think Santa will be ok with that.

Stop Look and Listen - Part 2

You might remember last year, I wrote to City Hall requesting a cross walk on Circular Rd. They told me no.

Well, this year I asked again and guess what? It arrived! Last month the city put a shiny new cross walk at the corner of Bannerman and Circular Rd. (thanks to DC at City Hall for listening).
Who says you can't fight City Hall?

My name is Deb

Hey, I'm not a painter, an actress or a musician.
I don't go to rich galas all subsidized by taxpayers.
and I don't know Jack, Stephane or Liz from Canada,
although I'm certain they're really really nice.
But I have a Prime Minister who doesn’t know what resonates with ordinary people.

I watch Canadian movies in English and French, not American.
And I spell neighbour and honour with a “u” because that’s how Canadian writers spell it in Canadian books.

I can proudly download Canadian music on my iPod.
I believe in Cancon, Soncan, not American Top 40,
diversity, not assimilation,
and that Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell are truly proud and noble songwriters.
A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch (made in Canada by Canadian artists!)
and it is pronounced 'zed' not 'zee', 'zed' !!!! because that’s how I first learned it on Canadian Sesame Street.

Canada is the second largest landmass!
The first nation of hockey where Canadians sing the National Anthem on Canadian television.
and the best part of North America

My name is Deb
And I am an ordinary working Canadian!!!

My minivan is full of whale bones

My minivan is full of whale bones
from the beach where I grew up.
My son collected them on Sunday.
He liked the way the vertebrae looked
like picks and hammers.
Perfect for digging in the sand
making holes
finding lost treasure.

Tree school

I wasn't sure how FG would react with her big brother going to Kindergarten. They had both started daycare together and I was sure she would miss him. On the 2nd day of school I picked them up and she was sobbing.

I knew it. When I got her home, I took her in my arms, "You missed him today did you?"

"No," she cried. "You said I was a big girl."

"You are a big girl.'

"But I didn't go to tree school (meaning preschool) today. And all my friends went to tree school."

Ah, little one. As always, ready before your time.

Kreskin or Layton?

I swear my post was first
Layton proposes 150,000 new child-care spaces

Child care shift

Show of hands - how many people have heard anyone in this election address the working parents?

Ok, so the Conservations want to allow momtrepreneurs mat leave only when they pay an EI premium.

But what about the bigger issues of child care? (You do remember the mythical concept of publicly funded daycare, right?)

It's one thing to support moms and dads with newborns but the challenge is finding day care when you go back to work. Several friends of mine have their unborn children on wait lists for spots.

Here's my 3 point plan:
1. Support post-secondary schools in educating more Early Childhood Instructors.
2. Value them. Pay them more when they graduate.
3. Support opening more daycares in primary schools where infrastructure already exists.

Middle-aged white guys running for PM who likely never had to worry about it -- feel free to borrow it if you need to.

Kindergarten

Benjo posing on his first day of Kindergarten. Mama was fine until he was sitting at his first school assembly. No tears from him though. He was so proud! Thanks Madame T for making it a great first day.

Warning: my kitchen may contain traces of peanuts

Not those Peanuts, "the peanut" -- that highly-allergenic nut that my kids (and husband) would lick up by the tablespoonful! Now, it's a banned substance. Good grief!

Seriously though, some kids can have a scary reaction to it and I don't mean to make light of this.

But I was on Radio Noon yesterday in defense of the lowly nut.

Well, not just that nut but all banned food substances -- eggs, nuts, tuna, banana, kiwi, strawberry to name a few. Even though I would never send any of these items to school, my kitchen isn't peanut free. Traces of nuts are bound to be found on everything. So banning them only solves part of the problem.

Instead of making a growing list of banned foods, maybe we should get at the root of the problem. A little more research and a lot more education on the food allergies. The media doesn't help either. Think of the sensationalism around the Quebec teen who died of the peanut kiss only for the coroner to reveal it was asthma-related (traces of marijuana were found in her system).

Not the nut's fault after all.

A farmer called into say, that the reason why kids have so many allergies these days is that they don't play in enough dirt. I tend to agree.

Bristol's Baby...Where's Levi?

Not since Juno, have more people had an opinion on teenage pregnancy.

This isn't about lack of sex education in the school systems. Sure, we could use more straight talk. But even 20 years ago, kids were having sex in Grade 7. And I'm even less concerned that McCain picked a running mate whose daughter isn't a virgin. Who cares?

Careless, carefree teenagers have sex all the time -- some get pregnant; some don't. But there's one thing that hasn't changed since I was in school. Where's the father?

Levi should start taking a little bit of heat and 1/2 the responsibility. Even the new math says 1 sperm + 1 egg = 1 baby.

A friend told the Dad-to-be's My Space page says "I'm a f - - -in' redneck". Sure enough. He also likes to "snowboard and ride dirt bikes but lives to play hockey, go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some s- - - and just f - - -in' chill."

Nice.

Maybe Levi will just have to trade his dirt bike for a Jolly Jumper and opt to chill in the sandbox. And the potty mouth? Well that will take on new meaning when he's changing diapers.

Hopefully both of these kids will grow up quick, be responsible and become good parents.

As for a 40+ Republican Grandma in the White House, let's hope we don't have to worry about that.