December 31, 2012 - Last Day of My Blog...just kidding!

So today marks 366 blog posts for 2012.  What a fun project and a great memory of my time off and most of the Baby's first year.  I will look upon this year as challenging and fun.  I have learned a lot about myself and my perseverance.  When I really want to do something I find the time.  So I guess all that cleaning is just something I'd rather not do!  I spent lots of time this week working on my 'office'.  It is really just a corner of the basement with a thin door and the electrical panel inside.  But it gives me space to put my crafty things.  This year I am starting off with an organized room, and I am planning to get back to some of the things I like to do in it.  I know that I probably don't have time to get back to quilting (however fun that is), but I think I can get a few scrapbook pages done and some cards when the occasion arises.  If only the big kids will finish the basement and pick up all the little toys that are choking hazards for the Baby, then I could actually let the Baby play in the basement!

2013 will hopefully bring another blog-type challenge.  I would like to continue to keep the photos up, even if I don't post one of the baby every day!  I will definitely keep taking them.  The Samsung Galaxy SIII  has been a great purchase as a phone (obviously) but also as a camera.  I am able to have it everywhere with me and I can easily take and upload photos.  I would like to add that Dropbox has also been my friend since I obtained the phone.  It is really the easiest way to get my photos to the computer and then up on the blog.

I am still hunting for a great 2013 project or projects, I am not afraid of more than one thing to blog about!

I would like to try a photo a week in the same position to see how much he has changed over the year.  That would be kind of fun.

Now back to our family's New Year's Eve events.  Since the older kids have been not babies, we have let them stay up to midnight.  The last couple of years we have watched a movie and then watched the countdown on CityTV.  This year both kids were sick, I wasn't expecting them to stay up, but I know how much they look forward to the late bedtime.

They wanted to watch a movie, and there was nothing on TV, so we picked something from our collection.  While choosing a movie, I realized how much of a ratings gap we have with our movie library.  We have a ton of rated G movies that the kids like, but that me and the Husband would rather not see for the millionith time.  Then we have a lot of movies that are not at all child friendly, with ratings over PG13.  Often we will let them watch PG13 movies (especially if it is just violence and coarse language!).  So while looking for a movie, there were only three choices for new movies that the kids hadn't seen.

1. Charlies Angels (the one with Cameron Diaz)
2. Planet of the Apes (the one with Mark Walhburg)
3. Top Gun (the one with Tom Cruise...LOL!)

They immediately didn't want to watch Charlie's Angel's.  Not too sure why, I didn't push it.  We have tried to watch Top Gun when it was on TV, but they couldn't get into it.  So we watched Planet of the Apes. The Girl fell asleep quickly, but she felt so warm.  We ended up checking their fevers, and they were both in the mid to high 104's.  Scary temperature zone.  We gave them a dose of Advil and Tylenol, and then a cold shower.  We managed to get their temperatures below 102, so we felt a little better.  But I knew that we were going to end up and the walk in clinic the next morning.


When the countdown started, the Girl was in her bed fast asleep, and the Boy was somehow still awake (he like the Planet of the Apes!).  We said happy new year, and took him to bed.  I folded a few loads of laundry and was asleep before 2am.  The Husband was kid enough to feed the Baby at 12:30 am so I took the 3:30 am feed.  For 2013, I am hoping the nighttime feeds disappear!  Two or three times a night for the last while is very tiring!

Thank you for reading my blog this past year, I hope it has been at least a little entertaining for you.  Please stop by soon to see what I am doing this year (when I figure it out!).

December 30, 2012 - Walk in Clinic Day

Last night the Girl's tempurature spiked to over 104, so this morning I took her to the walk in clinic.  I assumed that she has an ear infection, and I was correct.  We waited a while to see the doctor because she was late for work, but she made up for it by working quickly and efficiently.

In the afternoon we visited my Mother-in-Law.  By the time we were leaving the Boy was starting to feel sick. When we got home he had a fever of 103.  So I am assuming that he too has an ear infection.  This means that I will start my new year at the walk in clinic again!

Tomorrow marks the end of my one year challenge.  For the most part I did great.  I have a blog entry for every day with a photo of the Baby.  I missed about 10 days the entire year (but that's not too shabby).  The challege was great for me, and will provide me a very nice memory that is eternally available (hopefully as long as blogger is functioning) on line for me to see.  I am contemplating how to take the entries from ON line to OFF line so that I can make up some sort of book.  So far the only way I have figured is to copy and paste the entries into word, this will end up with a really long word file that I can have printed and bound at Staples or some other place.

I am not sure what 2013 has in store by way of challenges, but I have been thinking about what I want to do.  If you have any suggestions, please let me know!  I don't think I want to tackle another daily challenge, perhaps weekly would be fine!

December 29, 2012 - Housebound

We hung out in the house again today.  The Girl still isn't feeling well, and the Husband was at work.  The kids played Skylanders and the Baby didn't nap.  My parents came by for a coffee and to drop off some of the things we left at their place on Christmas.  We had a short visit, the Boy tried to explain Skylanders to my Dad.  As you can tell from my posts, they really, really love the game.  Santa Claus picked a great toy for them this year.

The Baby got this really cute Cat in the Hat gift set, it comes with the book and a hat.  So far everyone has put the hat on except the Baby.  He hates hats, when I manage to catch him in a 'good hat' mood I'll be sure to take a picture!

December 28, 2012 - Cleaning Day

Today I enjoyed the day at home cleaning.   I took the Baby to daycare (he likes it there and I am paying for it anyway!).  I hung out at home with the big kids.  They watched movies and played.  I took care of my sick girl, and cleaned out the dump room aka my office.  I have this lovely room in the basement that is all mine, but over the years things have just been dumped there, and since the Baby has been born, I haven't been able to spend any time cleaning it out.  More stuff gets piled in, and soon the room isn't even usable!  I would love to be able to do scrapbooking, sew and wrap gifts in the room, but for now it is a mess.

Today I worked hard on cleaning it out.  I threw out old cards, bills and other junk that shouldn't have been there in the first place.  I organized the school stuff (mostly in order) and tried to put all the photos and other memorabilia together in one place.  By the end of the day I could see the floor again and the room was looking much better.

December 27, 2012 - Sick Girl

We went out to do some returns today.  We hit Toys R Us to take advantage of their price guarantee and went to Walmart to return some tights that had holes in them.  Did you know that Toys R Us has a price guarantee?  It is really good to know that.  If you buy something and then the same item is advertised for less within 14 days of your purchase, just go to the store and they will refund the difference.  The Boy also picked up a couple more Skylanders to add to his collection with a gift card still left over from his Birthday.

After dinner I noticed that my baby Girl is sick.  I took her upstairs for a cool bath and a cuddle.   I just hate it when my kids are sick, but I have to admit I love the cuddles with the Girl when she needs me.  

December 26, 2012 - Boxing Day

I realized today why it is called boxing day.   Today is the day I take all the new toys out of their boxes!  My hands are all cut up from the plastic and my recycling bins are already full, but my kids are happy and that is the most important thing.

The Baby played with some of his new toys too.

December 25, 2012 - Christmas

Christmas day arrived, and the kids were so excited.  Sometime during the night the Baby's fever broke (perhaps Santa had something to do with that).  So he was in a much better mood.  The kids got Skylander Giants from Santa and the Boy was so happy.  The Girl got a Polly Pocket house and a dollar store Princess Microphone that echos when you speak into it.  The Baby loved his Little People Farm.

We spent the afternoon and evening at my parents and had a great Christmas dinner.  There were more presents and the kids had a great time.  The Baby was still a little tired, and wouldn't sleep while we were there, so we were home before 9pm.  The kids went off to bed dreaming about which toys they are going to play with in the morning!

December 24, 2012 - Pork and Ham Pie

If you ask me what my favorite adult Christmas memory/tradition is (get your mind out of the gutter people!) it is Pork and Ham Pie on Christmas Eve with my side of the family.  The pie is always yummy and there is never any left overs. In fact we often sit around and contemplate how to evenly share the last few slivers of pie with the dinner guests.  This year the Boy decided he would try the pie, and he loves it too....so now there is one more person to share it with!

The Baby was feeling a little better, but not 100%, so he was still really clingy.  We had to hold him most of the evening.  It was a nice time, and I was glad to see my Sister and Uncle (as well as my parents).  My Sister, the Girl, my Uncle and I made paper snow flakes using instructions I found on Pinterest.  It was a lot of fun and very relaxing.

December 23, 2012 - Hospital Day

Very early this morning (midnight) I took the Baby to the hospital again.  This time his fever had spiked to 104.6.  Feeling that the temperature was pretty high (and scary) we called Telehealth for advice.  Their advice was to take him to the hospital right away.   I arrived in emergency at about 12:40am and was discharged less than 2 hours later.   They were very fast and efficient.  I know that I just got lucky and there weren't any emergencies that night, but either way, the people were friendly and they were moving quickly.  Turned out the Baby has an ear infection and I was given a prescription for antibiotics.  

In the morning my Mom came over to watch the kids for a few minutes while I went to pick up the prescription.  I just couldn't bear packing up three kids into the  van and then hanging around the pharmacy while the prescription is filled.  The whole idea didn't sound like fun!

This afternoon, was family Christmas number one.  We went to the Husband's aunt and uncles place in Hamilton.  The Husband had to work in the morning so we arrived just in time for dinner.  The Baby was sick and so he was really clingy and didn't want to eat much or be held by anyone other than me and the Husband.  It is tiring!  Also the Husband's family love to hold him, so I am sure they were disappointed too!

December 22, 2012 - Last Saturday before Christmas

Today we did some present wrapping and my parents came over for steak.  Yeah!  I love BBQ'd steak in the winter...very Canadian.  The Baby is in a horrible mood still with fevers around 102-103.  Poor little man!

December 21, 2012 - Well the world is still here

Good thing, the world did not end. Looks like we will have Christmas in a few days after all!!  Today I baked like crazy, and got almost all the baking done.  It was a crazy day.  I definitely needed the two days off to get everything done.  I'd better do this next year too!

Tonight I was cuddling with the Baby, and I probably should have figured something was wrong when he fell asleep beside me on the sofa.  I took his temperature, because he felt warm and he has a fever....poor baby!

December 20, 2012 - Last day of the world?

Today is the last day of the Mayan calendar. Some people believe the world will end tomorrow. I am not convinced. I got 99% of the shopping done. Hopefully we will give the kids a great Christmas this year and my day of shopping won't be a waste!

Today we finally got our tree, and decorated it.  It was a rainy night, so not the ideal tree shopping weather, but we managed to find a nice tree that looks pretty great in our bay window.

December 19, 2012 - Last day of work

So today I got myself out of bed, dropped off the Baby and made it to work. I managed to keep myself busy enough to make the time pass by. Tomorrow we are finishing the shopping and Friday I am baking.  Christmas seemed to take forever to arrive when I was a kid.  The anticipation of waiting to open the presents was almost unbearable.  Now I never seem to have enough time to get ready, and even when I am done, I don't feel done!

December 18, 2012 - Almost done

Today is Tuesday. I have just one more day of work before I am off for the year. I am exhausted because the Baby is sleeping poorly and is so cranky in the evenings. I am trying hard to keep it going.

This is a horrible photo of the Baby, unfortunately it is the best one I have from today!

December 17, 2012 - Last Monday of Work this year!

Monday...uggh..I have just two more days until I am off work until January 7.  It is one of the best benefits of working at UofT.  Getting time off at Christmas (without taking vacation days!)  The kids are looking forward to spending the time with me, and I am looking forward to being at home.  We will still take the Baby to daycare, since I am paying for it.  This will give me some time to spend with the big kids doing things that are too hard with a baby in tow.

Tonight the Girl had her last Sparks meeting of the year, they had a party!  Each kid had to bring a snack, my mom graciously made gingersnaps (secret family recipe) for her to bring.  I was very thankful for the help!

The photo on top was taken by the Boy.  It looks like the Baby is sleeping but I think he is just sheilding his eyes from the flash.

The photo on the right is of the baby's hand.  It shows his favourite place to put it.  Whenever I am holding him he sticks it as far down as he can.  I can't recall when he started doing this, but I am sure it was during breastfeeding time.  Now if I remove his hand, and place it on my shoulder, he'll just stick it right back in.

December 16, 2012 - Santa Claus and Party Part II

Well another busy weekend came to an end.  I am not sure if he is crying because he is exhausted from the busy weekend, or if he decided he didn't like pizza today. 

This morning we went to get the Santa photo done. The Boy carried the Baby up to the seat beside Santa since the Baby is terrified of people in costume.  It worked!  The Baby didn't smile or anything, but he at least didn't cry!

After the Santa photo the husband took the boys to see his mom, because the Girl had a birthday party (number 3).  It was a McDonald's and as it turned out she was the only girl invited.  She had tons of fun, and loved the loot bag!  We also got to spend a few minutes just the girls, cuddling at home before we left for the party.  It was a nice day.

December 15, 2012 - Party Time

Today the kids had two birthday parties.  It was one of the days when the Baby spent most of the day getting in and out of the car seat and stroller.  He was pretty cranky by the end of the day.

The kids went to a bowling party in the afternoon and to the Superstore for a cooking party in the evening.  We managed to get a little shopping done in between the parties, which was great.  I am running out of days to get'er done!!

December 14, 2012 - Tragic Friday

Today a really awful thing happened at a primary school in the United States (Newton, CT).  I know this event is hundreds of kilometers away from my home and my children, but like many others, I am horrified and scared for the future of my children and their safety when they are at school and daycare.


The sadness that I feel for the 20 young children babies and the brave teachers that tried to stop him), that were taken from their families in such a violent and horrible way is very real.  It constantly brings tears to my eyes.  I know that people are sad from all over the world.  Sometimes I wonder if I am over emotional about it.

The reasons why this tragedy happened may never be fully known.  What will be remembered forever is the stories and memories of the beautiful people who died. Hopefully something great will come out of this, perhaps a way to make schools safer for children who walk through the doors everyday and open their minds to learning.

Like all parents, worrying about your children is a part of life, I worry everyday.  This horrible and senseless act makes me want to hug them a little tighter and forget a bit about the housework.  (OK, I can forget about housework anyday!!  But this is a better reason to do so!)  My kids will always be my kids, but they will one day I hope they will grow up and they they won't want to cuddle with me before bedtime, or help me fold laundry (just like Mommy does it).  I think I am going to try harder to enjoy every moment of everyday that I have with them.

In today's (blurry) photo of the Baby he is doing his "I don't know" gesture.  It is quite cute.  He does it when he is all done, or when you ask him something.  He is becoming very intelligent, and learning to follow simple directions.  He can give something to somebody, or find somebody.

December 13, 2012 - Thursday

Today was a nothing special day.  Just a Thursday.  We helped the kids with their spelling lists and spent the evening at home.  The husband made yummy pulled pork for dinner.

Oh yeah, I can't believe there is only 12 days left until Christmas!  I am not ready!

 

December 12, 2012 - First Skating Outing of the Year

Tonight the Boy was going skating with his Cubs.  Since the Husband was home, I decided to go along and bring the Girl.  It was nice to be out with the two of them.  The Girl is so much fun, she never complains.  She fell lots of times, and even took me down with her, but she never cried or gave up!


The Boy was pretty good too, apparently on his first trip around he might have had a snit, but he never came to me about it.  He was skating well, on a couple of occasions he pushed his sister out of the way to get around her or get off the ice!  How do you teach him to be nice to his sister???

I also practiced my editing skills with the photo of the Girl.  I was just about to post it when I noticed that her name is clearly written on the sticker on her helmet.  Left over from skating lessons.  I have been trying hard to keep this blog nameless (except for mine that is!) so I managed to figure out how to edit the name out using word and adobe acrobat!  Successful job I think!