July 29, 2012 - Down to Two Triops

This morning the Baby was being rather silly and got himself into this very comfortable position (I'm just glad he didn't have a stinky diaper!)

Everything was going well today with our prehistoric pets, the Boy fed his Triops three times and was getting ready to go to sleep, when I hear him crying.  He 'accidentally' squished one of his Triops.  According to him, it was the largest one where he could see the three eyes (I really couldn't see the eyes even with a magnifying glass!).  But none the less, the prehistoric shrimp was toast!  I wasn't prepared for the possibility of them dying before their thirty day life span was over. So I hadn't really thought of what I would say to the Boy to make him feel better. 

I think I can be creative and write his/or her (if they even have boy/girl parts) death announcement. This could be fun!

Triops Number One, passed away tragically on July 29, 2012 at 9:00pm surrounded by his only two friends in the Dish (Triops Number Two and Three).  Triops Number One was born on the afternoon of July 27, 2012.  He lived two and a half happy days in the Dish and soon after his birth, he was able to wrap his 140 arms around his new companions: Trioops Number Two and Number Three.  He led a simple life, swimming around the Dish eating bits of crushed carrots and baby food dropped by pipette by his owner, the Boy.  His death was sudden and possible caused by the curiosity of his loving owner.  The Boy accidentally squished Number One when checking for 'something'.  The actual details surrounding Number One's death are vague and not worth getting into, especially because they might be funny and cause undue pain and suffering to the Boy.  At the request of the Boy's mother and the late hour of his death, Number One has already been laid to rest in the 'Standard' fashion. 

I am not sure if I can add more to that, but definately send me your suggestions and perhaps when the Boy is a little older and the tragedy is not so fresh, I can read it to him.

July 28, 2012 - Triops

At one of the last school book orders in June, the Boy wanted to get a setc of books that came with a kit to grow Triops.  I delayed the start of them because I felt that they were going to be very difficult to grow and awfully time consuming.  The instructions were very detailed and it involved cleaning their water and feeding them three times a day.  However the Boy was persistent and I finally gave in.  We started them on Thursday afternoon.

It really would be easier to get a fish! I should have trusted my instincts.  First of all we had to make sure that their hatching water (which is Evian water) maintained a temperature between 74 and 79 degrees.  That took four hours to make sure.

This container of eggs has enough eggs to
do this experiment three times (so I would
assume there are about 45-60 eggs)

we needed to grate carrots for the bottom of the dish (I'm not entirely sure why.  But we did) Then we took the tiny container of seeds and carefully dumped out 15-20 seeds onto a white piece  of paper to be counted.  We had 21 - close enough for me.  I let the Boy count them and he got so close to them that he kept blowing them off the paper!

Then we left them overnight to grow and hopefully hatch.  I forgot to mention that they won't hatch if they are stuck to the sides so you have to keep flushing them off the side of the dish.

I know you can't even see them but there is
three of them in this dish.  They should grow
to be about an inch long, so they will be more
photogenic then!

Sometime yesterday afternoon one hatched.  I sent the Boy up to his room to check on them.  He was disappointed when nothing happened.  I checked and found one had hatched.  It was so friken small.  we needed a  magnifying glass to see it.

Once they hatch you need to start to feed them the included baby food. They need to be fed three times a day.

Anyhow the Boy is now responsible for his Triops which have now grown to three. I need to remind him to feed them, but he is doing alright so far. Tomorrow we need to start cleaning their water. Fish would have definately been easier. If he does alright with his Triops, we might just get him a fish for his birthday!

I forgot to mention that the Baby has taken to making this cute smirk smile when ever he is in a silly mood.  He squints his eyes and makes this flat smile, it is really silly and adorable.

July 27, 2012 - First Tooth

So today the Baby's first tooth finally made an appearance.  I think he will probably have four teeth within the next month, because his top two front teeth are also close to popping out. This explains his cranky behaviour, I just hope that is the worst of it for a while!

We also bought a fridge today.  We got a large Samsung (I guess I like Samsung products lateley).  It is a 28 cubic foot stainless steel fridge with external ice and water.  It is beautiful!  We got lucky and found a floor model in the discount centre, so I think we got a pretty good deal.  It is a little shallower than our current fridge and three inches wider.  So we had to remove some cabinetry to make space for it, but I can't wait to have a new fridge that keeps food cold and has a door that closes properly, and doesn't pop back open when you close the freezer door!

July 26, 2012 - What does sleep apnea sound like?

As I am tying this the Husband is snoring up a storm. It even sounds like he is choking sometimes. I wonder if this is sleep apnea? If not, it is really loud and I am hoping he doesn't wake the Baby!

July 25, 2012 - Refridgerator Delimna

So I am shopping for a new fridge. I initially started out wanting a white, standard depth, 22 cubic feet or larger fridge with external ice and water. Well it turns out white is premium and can cost $400 or more than a stainless steel variety. Initially, I wanted a standard depth fridge to fit into the current 33 inch wide space. But I have found out that perhaps I want to get the fridge that I really want after the kitchen is rennovated in five years.  I have also discovered that external ice and water is very expensive. So I might be getting a counter depth, 35 inch wide fridge with external water and ice, stainless steel fridge. Not my first choice but probably the most logical given the available options and pricing.

Why don't people like white appliances anymore?

While I was checking out fridges with my Mom at Lowes, the kids were geocaching with my Dad. The Boy had a great time and wanted to go out with him again after lunch. The Girl opted to stay home and passed on the second outing.

July 24, 2012 - No TV or video games today

So today we (I) decided that the kids would have a no TV day. They have been watching too much TV and I am afraid their brains are turning to mush already! They weren't too excited about the idea, but they did it anyway. I think we should do this more often. Instead of watching TV the kids worked on their scrapbooks and played. They used the Girl's LeapPad and made a video, even including the Baby in their 'show'.

We made a second attempt at the 'Priceless Playground' program that the city is offering this afternoon.  We headed over to the same park as yesterday, but there was no one there.  So I thought we'd try a different park.  We got to the park and there was no one there also.  This made me wonder if the program actually existed.  I also noticed at the second park, there was no kids there.  So I am also wondering, where are all the kids this summer?  I am not used to being off for the summer and having this free time, but for the moms and dads that do have the summer off, or for the baby sitters who have kids during the day, where do you take your kids?  My children would just like to play with some other kids for a couple hours in the afternoon!

Tonight was ball, I took the Boy to his game and asked the Husband to take the Baby with him to the Girls game. I really enjoyed my two hours off. I love the Baby but I really do need a break occasionally!

July 23, 2012 - Too hot to play?

So today we decided to try out one of the cities free drop in play programs. It is supposed to have all sorts of outdoor activities. But today because of the heat it was canceled. The kids were a little disappointed, but we stayed anyway and they played in the playground with some other kids.

Tonight it finally rained. Really rained. We needed the rain, it's been so dry. Even with watering the lawn regularly there is still brown spots on it. Until tonight it seemed as though there was a giant umbrella over the town and we kept missing all the rain storms.

On the negative, our front window is still leaking. We might need to replace it sooner rather than later. Which really sucks!

July 22, 2012 - Summer is Short

He Boy asked me tonight if he could watch the Hunger Games movie. I checked to see when it was out on video and told him after August 18, 2012. He said by then summer will be almost over. I responded yes, and I reminded him that I will be going back to work soon. This upset the Girl. Every time we talk about my return to work it ends in tears. The Boy just realized that the summer is very short! I agreed with him. 

A year maternity leave seems really long when you are near the start of it, but nine and a half months in, it seems like it wizzed by in an instant.  I feel like I haven't spent enough time organizing the house, I really need the house to be ready before I go back to work, or I will have no time to spend with the kids.  The days are going to be so busy, we won't be home until about 6:00pm and then I will need to cram, homework, dinner, cuddles, bathtime and story time into two hours.  Not to mention getting myself organized for the next day at work and preparing lunches for the older kids and for myself.  There is no way I am going to be sleeping for the next few years, or at least until the kids can fix their own dinner and lunch!!

July 21, 2012 - Cranky Baby

This morning we went to the market. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, sunny and hot.

Later the kids went into the pool and after dinner we went for a walk to the park. The Boy rode his skateboard and the Girl took her bike. On the way to the park, the Boy found a cardinal in a tree and several ducks in the stream. He is so observant when it comes to nature, I love that about him. The Baby was tired but didn't fall asleep while we were walking so he was super cranky. We didn't stay long.

I will be glad once his teeth finally come in, I think this will alleviate a lot of the sleeping problems and his moodiness!

I found something that the Baby really loves, the Marineland commercial. No matter what he is doing, when the commercial comes on he stops and watches until the very end. It is quite funny to watch!

July 20, 2012 - Friday BBQ

Today the kids had their last skating class.  The Boy passed his level and the Girl needs to repeat hers.  It is not really surprising that she needs to repeat her level because her last instructor said she should skip a level and we are sure that she missed out on some of the foundations that would have helped with this level.  In any case if she wants to do skating in the fall, she will reapeat it. 

In the afternoon we had my parents over for a BBQ.  It was a nice visit and we had a yummy meal. It is always nice visiting with them, and it has been great timing with my maternity leave and their retirement, so we are able to spend lots of time together and they get to see the kids alot.

July 19, 2012 - Refridgerator Shopping

We started looking around for a new fridge today.  The one we have has horrible gaskets and sometimes the door doesn't close properly. However I am torn between purchaing the fridge we want for the future versus the fridge that works for now.  Also I am disapointed in the availability of white for my appliances, whats so great about stainless steel anyway?  In the afternoon we went to visit the Husband's Mother, while he was there he painted her bathroom.

July 18, 2012 - The Girl's Minor Mite Debut

This evening the Boy had his last skateboarding class.  He managed to go down two ramps and even learned to turn a little bit.  He did pretty well for only three lessons and we are considering signing him up for a week long skateboarding camp in August.

Tonight the Girl played up in Minor Mite for the first time.  The team she was playing for needed extra players to help out because many of their team was on vacation.  When teams need players, they turn to the division below, the Girl wanted the opportunity to play, so we volunteered.  There are so many differences between her division and the next one up, I was most surprised to see the level of play that they were at in the Minor Mite division, this was way beyond anything that they had done in T-Ball and I am now concerned that even after two years of T-Ball she won't be ready to hit a pitched ball and field the ball.  I hope that the last few weeks of T-Ball teach her a little more and she is better prepared for next summer.

July 17, 2012 - Samsung Galaxy SII

So I've had my phone now for a few days and I have been playing around with some of the features and settings.  I really like the screen size and the speed of it.  The touch is great and very responsive.  What I am most frustrated with is the auto correct.  I find that it isn't very intuitive and makes typing difficult and frustrating.  It is constantly choosing the wrong words!  I guess I need to get used to it, perhaps it will grow to work better for me.

I really like the speech to text feature, I can dictate a text message or an email and it will type it out for me.  This comes in handy when I get upset at the autocorrect. 
I was excited about the possibility of doing my blog on the phone itself.  I can take great pictures and upload them to my blog through the phone.  However the Blogger app is awful and won't publish any posts that have photos in it.  I guess I will wait and see if there is another update to the app, and then try again.  So now I am back to emailing myself the photos and then doing my blog on my laptop. 

The SIII's camera is amazing and I am having tons of fun with instagram.  I think I might do an instagram photo a day for the month of August just for fun!!

Today the Girl's T-Ball game was cancelled due to the heat, so we all went to the Boy's game.   It was hot, we baked in the sunshine until around 7:30 when it felt a little cooler.  The Baby crawled around our chairs and tried to eat grass, it was quite amusing.

July 16, 2012 - Crazy Monday

Another week begins.  The kids had skating and then Girl had baseball practice.  This week she is playing up in the next division because they need help due to vacations and such.  So she practiced with the minor mite team.  She said she even hit the ball!!  The Boy had his reading club.  And I am exhausted because the Baby is not sleeping well and wanting to nurse three or four times between 1am and 7am.  So tired!!

July 15, 2012 - Summer Birthday Parties

Today we had my husbands family summer birthday party.  It was four parties in one and always a lot of fun.  Normally it is an outdoors/BBQ kind of party, but today it rained so it was inside.  The kids had a blast playing with their cousins and the baby amazed everyone with his crawling abilities.

July 14, 2012 - The Market

Saturday means going to the Farmer's Market.  Today I needed to pick up some fruit for the family party tomorrow.  We met my parents and walked to the market.  I couldn't believe the amount of fruits and vegetables that were available.  It felt like it was August.  There was even corn!!

July 13, 2012 - New phone!!

I'm so excited to get my new phone.  I've never had a top of the line phone before.  Now I just need to get used to it.  Lately I've mostly been using my iPod to check email and so on, so the Samsung Galaxy SIII is quite a change! 

I took a photo of it in the box because I was so excited to unwrap it.  It took a couple of hours before my SIM card was activated, but the customer service person with Bell was very polite and helpful.  I decided to switch over to Bell from Rogers.  For starters Bell has a great corporate plan with my employer that can't be beat by Rogers.  Also, I have been a Rogers customer for a long time (possibly over 10 years) and everytime I want to get a new phone, they always give us a hard time.  There is always some kind of reason why we can't upgrade or a change in my contracts expiry date that seems to move when I mention I want to get a new phone. 

So recently I called Rogers to confirm the actual day in July when my contract with them was over, and they told us that my contract didn't expire until September (we were told that July was the month way back in January).  So I was pretty annoyed at them.  At the moment I have two cell phones, my brand new Samsung SII and my old LG Neon (which doesn't work for more than an hour on a single charge). 

I was going to wait until September to get the new phone, but the Husband made me realize that we are already paying for a phone that doesn't work, so I should go ahead a get the new phone now.  I didn't get to keep my number, of course, but I'm not too upset about that.  How hard is it for people to update their contact information anyway?

July 12, 2012 - The Smurfs

He was caught red handed, pulling
the DVD's off the bottom shelf. 
It looks like he wants to watch
the Gilmore Girls (good choice)

Today after skating we stopped in at Wal-Mart to pick up a few items.   The Girl saw the Smurfs movie and wanted to pick it up.  It was only $15 so I picked it up for them.
But after the movie was over she was I  tears.  I didn't see the ending but from what she told me, she was sad when the guy (I'll call him Dooggie Howser) and the girl, (I'll refer to her as the Glee girl) had to leave the Smurfs at the end of the movie.  The Girl is getting really sensitive about some things, I might need to pay closer attention to what she is watching.  I don't believe that the Smurfs is an inappropriate movie for a five year old, in fact she had already seen the movie last summer and it didn't seem to affect her then.  I just think that she is starting to understand the greater meaning of movies a little better (I remember when she cried at the end of ET and we had to assure her that it would have a happy ending, I blogged about it way back on January 15, 2012).  

July 11, 2012 - Skating and Skateboarding

Today was lesson three of their skating classes. The Boy is really enjoying himself! He even mentioned that he would like to play hockey.   Not sure if his skating skills are good enough yet.   How well do they have to be able to skate before kids can play houseleague hockey?

This afternoon the Husband came home from his work outing and I took the Boy to his skateboarding class. He is doing well with the skateboarding too. It's not easy and he is really trying! Is it possible that we have discovered two sports that he likes!!

After dinner we went for a walk to the park, the Boy took his skateboard so he could show his Daddy what he has learned.  The Girl felt a little neglected and just wanted to play with the Boy.

July 10, 2012 - Baseball and skating

Today the kids had their second skating lesson, I remembered this time! In the afternoon we had a successful trip to Toys r Us. The Boy bought a 3DSi game, some playmobile and trashies. Everything made him happy.

Later they had baseball. I went to the Boy's game and my parents took the Girl to her game. He hit the ball three times and made it on base twice. The coach forgot the T so they had to pitch every inning. I am proud of him for working so hard on his batting stance and swing.

July 9, 2012 - Shit!

It was a busy day and he fell asleep during dinner!

So today the kids started taking skating lessons. Yes... I know what you're thinking! Skating in the summer? Yes, the city offers daily lessons for two weeks. Their classes are at the same time so it is very convenient for me. I was glad I got them to the arena, even though they were ten minutes late! We were sitting in the kitchen having a relaxing Monday when I looked at the calendar and realized the classes started in 20 minutes! We got here in a half hour and the kids had a blast.

In the afternoon we set out for Toys r Us so the Boy could spend some of his first communion money. However we never got out of the car, because the Boy forgot his shoes! Who does that?

Later their friend N from down the street came over to play. The kids love it when she comes over. N is one year older then the Girl and a year younger than the Boy. She gets along with both of them, and they fight over her! The Boy gets upset when he doesn't feel like he can play with them, or when they play something that he doesn't want to play. It's hard and it puts the little girl in a weird position. Anyway later this week they are both going over to her house.

June 8, 2012 - Busy Sunday

My sister and I played with these large dolls
when we were kids.  We took this nice photo
of them before dumping them.

During brunch someone said "crime scene" and
we knew how we were going to have some fun
with the dolls. 

Today we started of with lunch at my parents house. It was out way to end the family reunion. It was such a beautiful day, I could have stayed on the patio all day!   My Mom gave my sister and I a couple of boxes containing old toys from when we were children.  Some of the toys were in rough shape and in no condition for any kids to be playing with.  So we took some photos and tossed the toys.  I took home a lot of our wooden toys and the kids got lucky with my sister's Smurf and marble collection.

The Husband came back just in time to help
the girl doll with her crime!

The Boy had a birthday party at Palladium. We left the patio to pick him up at 1:00pm. He had fun and was happy to see his friends from school. The Boy would love to go back to Palladium again, it would be a great place for him to go with the Husband, since they both love video games.

Afterwards we decided to check out the Zellers liquidation sale. Our Zellers stores have been purchased by Target so they are starting to sell off everything. We managed to pick up some towels, a charging station, garden shears and a LeapPad for the Girl.

Then I took the Boy to his baseball practice. He was the only kid their other than the coaches son, so he got some extra help today which hopefully will spill over into the games. He was hitting the ball and throwing better. The coach even practiced catching pop flies and running to first base. Important skills!

After dinner the Girl and I had a movie date. We saw Madagascar 3, and I have to admit it was pretty funny! I loved hearing the Girl laugh at the funny parts of the movie. The Boy was a little jealous, but he needs to learn that he won't always get to do everything!

June 7, 2012 - Family Reuinion

Today we went to my family reunion. We hadn't had one in 21 years, and a lot has changed since then. We started the day running late (I hate being late). On the way to Barrie we drove through some pretty scary looking thunderstorms and missed the 400/11 split. 

Big Chute Marine Railway

Eventually, we met everyone on Team Janet (the teams were divided by my grandmother and her brothers and sisters) at the Big Chute Railway. This was really cool, it is a railway that carries boats from one lake to another (over a hill). It is the only one of it's kind in North America. What is interesting is the way the railway keeps the boats level on the way up and down the hill. The kids thought it was very cool.

I love the look on the Baby's face
definately up to trouble!!

After we had lunch at the Big Chute cafe. After lunch the kids went geocaching with their grandfather, Aunt C and Uncle S. I waited in the car with my Mom, Baby and Husband. We then took the scenic route back to Barrie and my Great Aunt and Uncle's house, which was the main location of the family reunion.   We had a nice BBQ dinner and visit with my extended family.  Everything was really great, the kids had lots of fun playing with their cousins, most of them are my mother's cousins grandkids (probably their second or third cousins, I loose track when I think about it!).

It was a long day and a late night, the kids were exhausted when we got home, but it was worth it and the weather was beautiful.

June 6, 2012 - Hot! Hot! Hot!

The Girl and her Grandfather hanging out in the pool.



Sleeping Baby - I didn't get another shot today:(

The Boy plotting his sister's demise:)

Today was a scortcher!  It was the hottest day on record since 1988.  The temperature was over 35 degrees without the humidity.   It was very humid too.  It probably felt more like 41 or 43 degrees outside.  After lunch my parents came over and we hung out on the deck and in the pool.  It was so hot outside, I brought the fan down from the Boy's room to try and keep the air on the patio moving.  The kids had a lot of fun having water fights with their GD.  While we were outside the Baby and the Husband took a long nap (I think they both needed it!!).

July 5, 2012 - Pool Day

Today the kids cousins came for a visit and a swim in the pool.  The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins, they were upset when they left!  We had a yummy "kid friendly" lunch: hot dogs, fruit, chips and cupcakes for dessert.  It was actually a beautiful day to be outside.  It was a hot day, but not nearly as hot as it had been this week.  So it was a managable heat.  Today the Baby even got into the pool.  He has been scared when we put his feet in, so I thought that he would hate it again, but I guess because I was in the water with him, he wasn't scared and actually seemed to like it.

After dinner I went into the pool again with the Boy and the Girl and we had a water fight.  It was so much fun to spend the time with them while the Husband was with the Baby.  We were out in the pool for almost an hour, it was very refreshing and very fun.  I hope I can play with them again soon!

I ordered some organic baby food from Living and Eating Well. (https://www.livingandeatingwell.ca/).  When we were in Florida I purchased some food from Happy Baby Food (http://www.happybabyfood.com/).  I was excited to see the variety of organic baby foods in the states, and disapointed in the variety here.  Then when I got back to Canada I was disapointed again when I couldn`t order the Ella`s food directly from their website.  Eventually, after lots of searching I found out that Happy Baby has a Canadian distributer and I placed an order.  I will blog again when my order arrives.

July 4, 2012 - First Skateboarding Lesson

This morning the Baby had his nine month check up.  Wow!  Nine months already?  The doctor is pleased with his progress and doesn't have any concerns.  He doesn't need to go back until his one year check up. 

I'm not sure what this move is called,
but he worked on it for an hour!

The Boy had his first skateboarding lesson today.  It was really hot out and even in the shade we were roasting.  The Baby did remarkably well and I wouldn't have been so hot if I hadn't been yelling at the Girl to stop doing this or that.  The Boy was learning to skate on flat surfaces and how to stop and rock back and forth on the board.  His instructor seemed pretty nice and patient.  While practicing on a small ramp he wiped out and proceeded to quit. There were some other guys there and they came over to encourage him to try again. It was a nice thing to do. They told him that all skateboarders wipe out and it`s OK.  He should keep trying because he can be good at it.  He tried again but was nervous to go back down the hill until the very end, and he held his instructor`s hands.


Hopefully next week it will be a little cooler and he will forget the pain of falling and try again.  I am hopeful that he will learn a little more in private lessons than he would have learned in the class.  The instructor seemed to agree that he could learn more.  I think it is up to the Boy.  He needs to find something that he really likes and that he can learn fairly easily. 

July 3, 2012 - Summer Vacation Day 1

Is it only the first day of summer vacation?  How many more are left before they go back to school?  The Boy just wanted to play video games today and the Girl just wanted to watch TV.  The Baby just wants to press random keys on my laptop making typing rather difficult.  And I think he managed to remove the F10 key. Fortunately, I don't think I've ever used the F10 key for anything!
We had an appointment with the breastfeeding clinic, the Baby only gained half a pound this month, and they aren't happy about that.  We attribute it to his teething and that he has become a picky eater lately.  Hopefully, it's just a fluky month and next appointment he is back on track.  After we went to the library to pick out books for the Boy's summer reading program.  I hadn't been to the library in a long time, and I'd actually never been to the branch close to my house, it was pretty busy.  At least now I know where it is.  The Boy will be going every Monday night for the Summer Reading Program with his school.  It will keep him reading throughout the summer.  I'm not that worried about his reading, he loves reading, hopefully he will be able to see some of his friends at the reading club, that would be a good thing for him.

July 2, 2012 - Rough Night

My Mother-in-Law with the kids.

We had a rough night with the Baby last night, he really didn't sleep very much.  The Husband and I were really tired and we kept dozing off while the Baby was awake in our bed.  I kept waking up and the baby had crawled off to the headboard, or only the Husband.  It is really hard to stay awake when the Baby is up and you are so tired.  I know we could have put him in his crib, but when I do that, he cries unless I am right beside him or holding him.  It is really frustrating when he won't sleep, it's not like I can nap during the day when I have two other kids to care for!

My Supermen!

Today we visiting the Husband's Mom and Sister (and family).  It was really nice for the kids to see their cousin J, they really like spending time with her.  The Boy used to spend a lot of time with her when my Mother-in-Law was watching him, so they have a special bond.  J took them over to the park for a few minutes, I think they had fun.  My Mother-in-Law sent us home with food for dinner, so we didn't ned to cook, which is always great!  The photos above are a recreation of a photo of the Husband that was taken when he was about 7 or 8 years old. He is outside his mother's house wearing a superman shirt.  So to have a little fun, we took a photo of all the boys wearing their superman shirts out front of my Mother-in-Law's house.