August 29, 2012 - High Chair Issues

So our wonderful Italian high chair (http://www.pegperegocanada.com/babyproducts-catalog/2012/PRIMA+PAPPA+DINER)  is in poor shape.  This chair was a gift for the Baby and we have only been using it heavily for the last 5 months.  The tray is bent and the food rolls away from the baby.  Also the plastic lining is torn in a few places.  I emailed the company and they informed me where to take it for service.  Today we dropped the chair off at a store in Etobicoke (http://www.minicircuit.ca/)  where they will hopefully repair the plastic (which should be covered by warrenty) and get me a new tray. 
The lady at the store noticed that the manufacture date on the chair does not match the date on my registration card.  She said that often people will return items to stores if they need repairs that are not included with the warrenty, in this case it is possible becasue the manufacture date has a difference of two years.  I am prepared to contact the store where the chair was purchased if the plastic lining is not covered becasue of the date discrepency.

On the other hand, the Baby is still cranky and in pain.  It is possible that he is now cutting his top two teeth, and those look a little painful.  We are still going strong with the breastfeeding, even though I am almost completely weaned from the Domperidone, tomorrow I start taking just one pill per day.  Without the help of the Domperidone I wouldn`t have been able to breastfeed for this long, and I am really grateful.

August 28, 2012 - Cooler Evening

Today we ran some errands and I got to mow the lawn and trim the edges. It was a beautiful day. After dinner the kids and I took a short walk to the park. I noticed that the street lights are on earlier now and that it is much cooler in the evening. It's sad to say that the summer is nearly over, but I really enjoyed being off with the kids even if they drove me nuts sometimes!

August 27, 2012 - Room Cleaning Day

Today I helped the kids clean their rooms. I spent a while with the Boy before the Baby woke from his nap. I knew I wouldn't get both their rooms cleaned in a day if I didn't have help. I bribed my parents to come over and watch the Baby with a chicken dinner. My Mom even helped out with the room cleaning by keeping them on track. They both get so distracted, room cleaning would be much less stressful for everyone if they could stick to the task at hand.

In the end we had a nice dinner and visit and the kids have clean rooms!

August 26, 2012 - Sunday in Toronto

Today we visited my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law. We had a nice dinner with my sister-in-law and her husband.

August 25, 2012 - CAA

So today I found out that I'm an idiot and had to call CAA while I was at home. This afternoon I loaded up the kids into the van to head over to the dollar store, I started the car and rolled down the driveway just in time for the engine to stop. I ran out of gas. The car is equipped with one of those little indicators on the dash board which shows when the tank is low, I saw the light. I reminded myself on my way home from the market today that I needed gas, but I didn't pass a gas station so I figured I would just get some this afternoon. Anyway I unloaded the kids, went back into the house and waited for he driver to show up luckily it happened when I was at home, instead of at the dollar store.  It would have been awful to wait 45 minutes for service with three kids in this heat.

August 24, 2012 - Go and Fly and Kite...OK!

Today the kids got to fly a kite with their GD.  He is so knowledgeable when it comes to...well, almost everything!  The kids love to spend time with him and learn from him.  I like to think the Boy is a lot like him. 

The Baby and I had a rough night last night and I got up and made sure the kids were ready to go, but I didn't really have the energy to help much...OK...I didn't help at all!  I just wish the Baby would finish teething so that we can all get some sleep.  I would like to be more agressive with the sleep training, but you can't when they are in pain from teething. 

Last night he was crawling and rolling all over me when he was in our bed, he wouldn't let the Husband hold him, he just screamed until he got back with me.  If I tried to hold him in my arm (in our sleeping position) he freaked out too.  We took the hint and gave him some tylenol, but it was over an hour before he would even consider going to sleep. 

After the kite flying the kids and I went to Wee Cycled.  I love this store.  I go every couple of weeks to see what they have.  I normally go to pick up clothing for the Baby but I have picked up a few things for the Girl.  Today I got two sleepers, jeans, a romper and a shirt for the Baby.  I also got two pants for the Girl.  They didn't have any pants in the Boy's size that he likes.  He prefers skinny jeans...LOL!    The total cost was $60.  I normally pick up things from the Gap, if possible, and I am careful to check for stains and rips etc.  They have so many cloths and most of the items are around $5 to $10 depending on the size and the label.

August 23, 2012 - Chingcousey Park

Today the Husband had the day off. The Baby and I had an appointment at the breastfeeding clinic. He gained 5 oz in a week. They are happy with his weight gain and want me to continue what I am doing. They gave me a green light to give him pork, fish, strawberries, mango and citrus. I don't have a family history of food allergies so there is probably nothing to worry about. I think now he can pretty much have everything we have now.


In the afternoon we took the kids to Chingcousey park to see the animals and play.  The Girl went on a pony ride and the kids both enjoyed the petting zoo.  They had a chance to play in the park before we left.  It was a nice afternoon.  I love going out as a family with the Husband, he would rather stay home and relax since his job is pretty stressful.  I can relate, however, I guess I am just trying to fill up the last few weeks of summer and my maternity leave with wonderful memories, and it is important to me that he is there!

August 22, 2012 - Off to the Park

Today I decided to take the kids to the park in the morning.  They have been bugging me about going to the Boy's baseball park because there is a cool playground there.  So since I am trying to get everyone up a little earlier in preparation for school, I thought I would take them over in the morning.  We were at the park by 10:15am, and the kids enjoyed over an hour of play on the equipment in the wonderful sunshine.  On the way home we stopped for groceries and then stayed home for the rest of the afternoon.  The Baby even napped today, which gave me the opportunity to make lemonade and cookies with the older kids.

August 21, 2012 -Night of Champs

Today was the Girl's Night of Champions.  It was her last game of the season (wow, summer really is winding down!).  I didn't get to see many of her games, but I noticed that she really has improved over last year and she likes to play the game. 

The Boy on the other hand, improved lots too, but he would never admit to liking the game for some reason.  It's hard to tell with him.  The Girl wants to keep playing and practicing and hopefully play rep one day.  She is already concerned with next year and having to hit a pitched ball.  

I will admit that she had a lot of fun playing, but she is unprepared for the next division up.  The division is designed to focus on 'fun' not 'fundamentals'.  Many of the girls don't even know what to do with the ball once they catch it.  She did improve on her catching and throwing, so individually she is doing well, but as a player, she doesn't understand the game yet!

At the mall today the Boy saw the outfit (pictured on this blog) and he liked it.  My question: is the bag in the photo a 'murse'?

August 20, 2012 - Last Reading Club

Today was the Boy's last reading club meeting. He did well over the summer and I learned some techniques to help kids with their understanding of the books that they read.  It's not so much the quality of the books, but whether or not they understand the story that they are reading and can take something from it.  The Boy prefers his factual books and likes novels with lots of pictures in them.  He wants to keep going to the library once school is in session to pick out books on various topics that interest him. I have no problem with that, however I will need to have a better system of keeping track of the library books!

August 19, 2012 - Sunday

Today the Husband cleaned out the garage (it looks great!), perhaps this winter we will even be able to park a car inside!!   I took the Boy and the Baby to the library since we had some books and a movie to return.  The Baby is still working on cutting  his second tooth, it is really close to being above the gum line.  I believe that out of all three kids, the Baby has had the worst teething experience (not just for him, but for the entire family!)

August 18, 2012 - Saturday

Today was a normal Saturday.  The Husband went to do some work at his mother's house and the kids and I went to the market with my parents. 

Afterwards, we just hung out at home and the kids played.  I both love and hate afternoons just hanging out at home.  I love them because I don't have to worry about being out at a store with three kids in tow.  I hate them because all three kids go stir crazy being in the house for even an afternoon.  The older kids can't stop screaming and jumping off the beds, which makes it impossible for the Baby to sleep.  Then with a cranky Baby it is difficult to cook dinner (or go to the bathroom for that matter).  Since we are often 'out', it is almost better to go out somewhere (even if it is just for a half hour), then to stay home and listen to the insanity!

August 17, 2012 - Centre Island

Today we took the kids to Centreville for the day.  We went with my sister in law and her daughter.  It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny, but not so hot making being outside unbearable.  The kids went on lots of rides (they could ride almost every ride in the park) and we got to take the ferry to the island, which offers amazing views of the Toronto harbor and the CN tower. 

August 16, 2012 - Birthday Dinner

Tonight we went out for dinner for my birthday.  We invited my parents to come along to one of our favourite restaurants: Wok of Fame.  It is a chinese buffet style restaurant, and the kids love it.  They always eat lots when we go, much more than if we ate at home.

August 15, 2012 - Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday. To celebrate, we went to Canada's Wonderland with my niece and her boyfriend. It was a wonderful day dispite the rain! I got to take the Boy on his first looping coaster and he loved it, it was a proud moment for me. It really could have gone either way because the he is not crazy about spinning so I wondered if he would like to be flipped. He loved it so much he went on again with his cousin!

The Girl couldn't go on as many rides as her older brother.  Mostly she rode the ones in Kidsville and Snoopy Land.  She had a lot of fun, but was disapointed everytime the Boy could ride and she couldn't.  The Husband invented 'Daddy Drop Zone' and 'Daddy Leviathian' and took the Girl on a ride in his arms.  She loved it and it became something special between them.  The Boy is a little heavy to be swung around like a rollarcoaster by his father.

August 14, 2012 - Wonderland Preparations

This morning the Baby and I had an appointment at the breastfeeding clinic. He lost some weight in the last two weeks. They basically said I'm not feeding him enough.

Today we went to Costco to pick up a few things. We are going to Canada's Wonderland tomorrow so there is lots to get ready for that. The Girl had a ball game tonight luckily the weather held out and it was sunny for her game. The evenings have definately cooled off somewhat, a sure fire clue that fall is around the corner.


The Baby was extra specially annoying and clingy today. I'm not sure if it is still the teething or whether there is something else going on. He has some moments where he is happy and playful, but without warning he turns into this unhappy, screaming baby. He cried while I was out at the Girls game, I am in trouble when I go back to work, because he is very much a mammas boy!

August 13, 2012 - Build-a-Bear

The Husband started working on the master bathroom. The previous owners painted the bath with incorrect paint and we were starting to get mold in the room. I picked out a new paint months ago but haven't had the time to paint it yet.

In the afternoon we went to Build-a-Bear so the kids could help make a bear for the Baby. As a family we made a very adorable puppy for the Baby. I just hope he likes his as much as the other kids love theirs.

The Boy had reading club tonight, and it was nice to go with him and be able to leave the other kids at home.

August 12, 2012 - Atom Finale

The Baby has been doing this really silly smile.  (See the photo).  He squnits his eyes and bears his gummy mouth.  It seems like he does it when he feels that he is adorable!  I love it!!

This afternoon we visited my Mother-in-Law. The Boy had his final baseball game at 4:30pm, so we had to rush back in time for the game.

He fielded much better than he had at his last game. Unfortunately he only went one for four at bat. It was his bad luck that he was the last at bat of the game and he ended the season with a strike out.

I managed to take a photo of the Boy with his trophy, he is proudly showing it and posing nicely for the camera.  Then the Girl wanted to take a photo with her big brother, but he wasn't having it.  I love the expressions on the kids faces in the photo below. 

August 11, 2012 - Weird Day

So today we had a busy day planned.  It started with the market and the mall for lunch.  The baton twirling club was going to be at the mall, and the Girl wanted to show the Husband the tricks she learned. 

While we were at the mall, I got a call that the Girl's party was cancelled.  She was a little disapointed, but handled it better than I thought she would. 

It rained all afternoon, and because there was so much rain, the Boy's game was re-scheduled for the next day.   So a very packed day turned into a lazy day. 

August 10, 2012 - Friday

Today is the Husbands last day of work before he is on vacation for a week. I can't wait to do done really fun things with the kids next week. We are planning to go to Canada's Wonderland and Centre Island.  The Husband also wants to go to the beach and I was hoping to check a few other small things off our bucket list (like flying a kite and baking a cake).

I figured since I always show Baby sitting in
his high chair, it would be neat to show his
adorable little feet under the tray!

It is rainy today so we are going to the library and then hopefully they will play nicely inside (a girl can wish cant she?)

August 9, 2012 - Still Teething?

So the Baby has two teeth showing now, and he is still super cranky! Last night was rough he needed feeding at 11:30pm and then several times between 2:00 and 7:00am. I don't know exactly how many times but it felt like he fed more than he slept!!

Today I let the kids paint since it is a rainy day. We also went to get a birthday present for the Girl's friend. She is going to a party on Saturday (at the same time as the Boy's baseball final game!).

It is always better to go toy shopping alone, or at least with a child who is too young to understand 'toy store'.  Sometimes when this isn't possible, you must try your best not to spend too much on toys for your own children when you are shopping for another child.  I normally set myself a budget and only let them pick toys within it.  Its hard, but it works!  And rarely ends in tears because they walk out with a new toy!  The Boy is easy, because he likes whatever collectable is cool with 7 year olds.  Lately it is Trashies, and for a few bucks he can get a pack.  The Girl however is much more difficult, but I can usually let her pick a Polly Pocket, they have sets that start in the $4 price point.

August 8, 2012-Panic

Today my cousin came to visit with her kids for lunch and we had a nice time.  Her daughter M played with my Girl, and the Boy tried to find his place with the Girls.  Her other daughter A, is adorable.  She is 19 months and quite a charmer.  It was nice to have a chat with my cousin and let the kids play.



I don't think he liked the flash!

This evening the Girl went to a trial class for baton twirling. They had a booth at the market a couple of weeks ago and she tried it there. She said she was interested in trying the class. She loved baton, the instructors were impressed with her smile and that she tried really hard to learn the basics. I think we'll sign her up for the year.



I am starting to have anxiety about going back to work. I am both worried about missing out on all the kids stuff and being able to do my job properly after a year off. I feel like my brain has gone a little mushy, I just hope that I am able to cope with three kids, a house and a job. I hope that I can find enough time in the day to get almost every thing done. I know that the baby won't remember my leaving him in day care but I will remember and I hope I can cope with that. I have enjoyed my time off a lot, but now that I am in the home stretch it is getting harder for me to have fun!

August 7, 2012 - Last Double Header!

Today we had to get ready for my cousins visit. She is coming over tomorrow with her kids. The Girl and my cousin's daughter M have so much fun together. They are about a year apart and are inseparable at family functions.

We also went to the library and got some groceries. Tonight the kids have baseball. It's the last week where both of them play on the same day, hopefully next year they will play on different nights!

It was really hard to get any cleaning done because the Baby is so clingy. I hate that! I am not a touchy feely person and I need my space, so when the kids are super attached I need to leave the area. This is hard with Baby because if I leave the room he freaks out!

August 6, 2012 - Holiday Monday

Today was the Civic holiday. Who knows what that means? It means even less to me since I am off work anyway. We didn't do much in the morning, which was nice. In the afternoon I took the kids to a splash pad to cool off and burn some energy. Turned out that one of the Girl's friends was there, so they had lots of fun.

On the way home I picked up some KFC for dinner. It's really hard to cook a meal when I am alone with the kids (mostly because of the Baby), so I do treat them on occasion!
After dinner we cuddled on the sofa and watched one of the movies we borrowed from the library. It was a nice day.
The Baby has cut his second tooth. I noticed this on Sunday morning (August 5). Hopefully his teething will slow down for a while, because it has been tough on all of us, especially Baby!

August 5, 2012 - BBQ

Today my parents had a BBQ for the long weekend. The kids had fun playing outside and the Baby enjoyed smiling at everyone and trying to eat leaves and sticks!

Their aunt C taught Baby how to give a high five. The kids played with glow sticks and sparklers and we all enjoyed a delicious meal.

August 4, 2012 - Tragedy Strikes Again!

This is the third summer long weekend! Where did the summer go? This morning we went to the market, but it was so hot it was hard to enjoy ourselves. The kids played in the water at city hall (I don't think they are supposed to do this, but no one complained).

This evening we realized fish would definately been easier!   My parents came over for coffee and the Boy wanted to show his remaining Triops (whuch I call Triopsey) to his GD.  Well, when they got upstairs they couldn't find little Triopsey swimming happily around his new bowl.  Just yesterday we transferred him to the dish that came with the Triops kit.  It is larger and has space for some sand and rocks.  Turns out that sometime this afternoon he passed away.  This again devestated the Boy.  He thought it was because he didn't love him enough.  I explained that Triops are not the type of pet that he needs to give hugs and kisses to, that he cared just by feeding him and cleaning his dish.  He is pretty upset and he wasn't sure if he wanted to try to hatch some more eggs again. 

The Girl helping to make Rice Krispie squares.
Her job was to count out the 20 marshmellows
needed for the recipe.  She did great!

So a warning to those who think that a Triops would be a fun interesting pet for your child.  Yes, they are very interesting and he loved watching Triopsey swim around his dish, but they are very delicate creatures.  We figure this one died as a result of injuries sustained in the dish tipping incident of a few days ago.  I don't think he ever recovered from the horror of that four foot fall from the dresser.  They don't take well to being touched and can be squished easily.  And they don't survive if you accidentally suck them up into the pipette and don't notice for a few hours.

The Boy practicing his stilt
walking, he is getting pretty good
at it, but not enough to join the
circus, yet!

I definately think fish will be the way to go, and we might find ourselves shopping today for a fish tank and some little guys to put inside.  However if the Boy decides to try and hatch some more Triops he now has more knowledge and experience in caring for them, and is better educated in what not to do if you want to see them grow up.