Bella is quickly learning to use the toilet. She is dry most days. She’s been in pan*ties for a week and only had two accidents. (She’s two years and 3 weeks old.)

She generally poops in her crib when she wakes up from her nap before she changes out of her pull-up. She’s gone in the toilet by fluke a few times, but generally has no interest.

Last week she was standing by the dining room bookshelf and I heard grunting so I grabbed her and ran to the bathroom. When I took off her pants, I saw that she’d pooped in her pan*ties and slipped out a very quiet “Oh, crap.”

Fast forward to today…

She woke up dry from her nap and peed in the toilet. I asked her if she had to poop and she said “Not yet.” When I asked her what she would do if she felt poop coming, she said…

“I’ll poop in the toilet, and then you’ll say CRAP!”

Oy.

If I was a better blogger there’d be a picture of this. However, it tastes good enough to completely negate any bad blogger status.

The original recipe calls for sugar, white flour and way more butter. Trust me when I say this is not missing anything. It’s a definite family favourite!

Mommy’s Apple Pie Pancake

FRUIT:
4-10 med. Apples (depending if you want a bunch for on top or not – I always make as much as I can.)
1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. agave nectar
2 tsp. Mexican vanilla
A few dashes cinnamon

BATTER:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole milk
2 egg whites
2 lg. eggs ( I have just used eggs/flax/applesauce combo too – just get the general amount right)
1/2 cup ground flax
1 tbsp. agave nectar

Peel and core the apples, cutting them into narrow wedges. Melt the butter in an oven-proof (preferably nonstick) skillet. Add the apple slices and drizzle with agave nectar.

Cook the slices over medium heat, stirring them gently now and then, until the apples have softened and the liquid has mostly evaporated. Mix in the vanilla and sprinkle the apples with cinnamon. You can bake the pancake in the skillet if the pan has a heat-proof handle. Otherwise, transfer the apples to a deep-dish pie plate or a small shallow baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, milk, egg whites, eggs, flax and agave nectar. Beat the batter until the ingredients are well blended.

About 45 minutes before serving time, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour the batter over the hot fruit (if you have prepared the fruit in advance, heat it before adding the batter), and bake the pancake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake the pancake for another 10-15 minutes or until it is puffed and browned.
Before serving the pancake, sprinkle it with icing sugar or top with more apples, or do both.

Cut the pancake into wedges and serve immediately.

NOTE: The two main mixtures – the apples and the batter – can be prepared in advance, but the final pancake must be baked just before serving.

Serves 6.

I always double or triple – it makes a wicked weekday morning breakfast when reheated.

Enjoy!

Printing the letters
from the last year and a half.
A little behind.

How to find the time?
Scrapbooks are truly precious
Gifts of memories.

Blogging does suffer.
But it’s completely worthwhile.
A priority.

When we are not here
The scrapbooks will tell stories.
Letters from their mom.

The young person who wrote this is a role model for her generation. I sincerely hope that my children feel the way that she does, and that I can inspire the students I teach to think differently as well.

Dear Bella,

You’re TWO! Oh, so very two! And, honestly, I love every second of it. You’re adorable, stubborn as all get out, and the sweetest, kindest little girl I’ve ever met.

Oh, where to begin?

You are SO smart. You know all of your letters, most of your letter sounds and can count to 14 (which is sometimes followed by 16, some random teens and then 20). You speak as clearly as many three year olds and your grammar and vocabulary far exceed many of them as well. You regularly speak sentences like “Daddy will come home before supper and then we will go to soccer and I will cheer for Primo!” It’s seriously amazing. You do have some of the cute “little kid” speech idiosyncrasies though, like l=w (I will = I wiw; Primo = Pwimo) and th = d/v (they=dey/vey). You can read a few words (a, I, it, the) and love to look through books while making up the story that goes with it. You do so many things that are expected of kindergarten students that you blow my mind on a regular basis.

You love with wild abandon, and you love many many beings. You, of course, love Daddy and I. Primo is definitely your favourite person on the planet. You love your grandparents, and insist on phoning Grandma Betty every day. You love Chloe. “See’s a bootiful cat! I wuv her!” You love Thai & Mavi. “Thai & Mavi awe my BEST fwends! Dey awe so sweet. My sweet puppy fwends. I WUV dem!” You smother us all with hugs & kisses (especially after you pinch or hit us, and also include an “I so sowwy Mommy. I wuv you sooo much!”) I can’t think of anything better in the world that cuddling you and feeling your cute little cheeks pressed against mine. I have no doubt that we will have our struggles as we both deal with the female hormones of different ages & stages (particularly because you got your stubborn streak from yours truly, but know that I will always love you just as much as I do this day. While I can’t imagine loving you more, my love for you does seem to grow daily so perhaps I may even love you more when you’re acting like a moron during your teenage years.

You love – and I do mean love – pink. When I get your clothes ready for you, there must be at least some pink…preferably all pink…or you shout “Dat’s not pink! I WUV pink! I wear pink! It’s my favowit!” When I asked you what kind of birthday party you wanted to have, you replied “Pink. Princess and pink.” When I asked what kind of cake you wanted, you replied “Pink.” When I asked who you wanted to invite, you initially replied “Primo, Daddy, Mommy, Grandma Betty, Taffy and Baby Ty-ah and Pink!” Of course, you added all of your other grandparents and family members and a few other friends as time went on, but you never removed Pink from the list! I think you were just making sure I really understood that your party was to be a pink party no matter who came.

In addition to pink and your family, there are other things that you love. Babies top the list – real ones and play ones. You have more babies than you can play with but you rotate in a fair manner. You put diapers on them (actually, you get me to do it for you), take off their diapers and put them on the potty, get them dressed, feed them, tuck them in for naps, wake them up, take them for a walk in your stroller and then start all over again. You love ponies of all kinds, but especially your My Little Ponies (because there are lots of pink ones).

You have the best laugh, and when you and Primo get going the sound of the two of you cracking up makes my join right in. It brings tears to my eyes to see the two of you having so much fun together every single day. Your laugh is loud, just like mine (which is just like Grandpa Jack’s was). You laugh from the heart, and it shines in your eyes. You love to be tickled, and say so sweetly “Pees tickle me Mommy?” And, of course, I do – just to hear that giggle!

You, of course, play all day long, and you love to do crafts. You love to paint, colour, glue, play with Play Doh, stick stickers and do pretty much everything else that would qualify as crafts.

You are currently rather a crappy sleeper. You go to bed easily but wake up and spout the cutest little “Hi Mommy! I need a cudduw! Pees sing to me?” Therefore, it’s completely our fault that you’re used to coming to bed with us sometime between 11 pm and 3 am every night. You always go right back to sleep once you’re with us, but you generally only last about 10 minutes without crying if we put you back in your bed. I absolutely love to wake up to a smooch and a “Good mo-ning Mommy! I wuv you!” so I’m not really complaining, but it does affect Daddy’s sleep a bit. Just last night we decided we’d better start giving you a little cuddle and putting you back in your crib instead, and you seemed pretty fine with that. You’re still napping – about 45-75 minutes a day at home and anywhere from 2-3 hours when you’re at Michelle’s. (How is that even fair?)

Grandma Betty bought you your first package of big girl panties for Christmas and you’ve had one dry day in them already. You look so darn cute in them that it’s tempting to leave you in them all the time but we aren’t in the frame of mind for that yet. You do super many days but there are still times that you’re too busy to want to go to the potty so you’re obviously not really ready. You won’t poop in the potty yet either. You stand right in the middle of a room to poop in your pants and tell everyone else “I’m pooping. I need pwivacy. Pwees go away?” Maybe Easter vacation – we’ll wait and see when you decide to be ready.

Your second Christmas last month was a big hit. You were so excited about the songs, about Santa, about the presents…everything just thrilled you. You just loved our tree and asked to have the lights turned on as soon as you woke up in the morning. You were deservedly spoiled, but not rotten at all. In fact, when you opened the first pony from your stocking you hugged it and were just thrilled. When I asked if you wanted another, you said “I already got a pony, Mommy!” You loved everything – but more so the things that were pink, of course. We spent Christmas – ten days, actually – at Grandma Betty’s, which was awesome. Grandma Jeet & Grandpa Roger were in India so left gifts for us all at their house and we picked those up early to keep you entertained until Christmas. It was perfect as you and Primo both loved everything they gave you.

Bella, I just can’t imagine a little girl sweeter or cuter than you. I know all mothers are biased, but I know that you’re the most beautiful little girl I’ve ever met. I wish for you a lifetime of uninhibited joy, loud laughter, and dreams come true.

I love you from the bottom of the ocean to the top of the sky, and all the way around the world!

Mommy

She’s two. Already.
I can hardly believe it.
A princess in pink.

I may have redecorated, but it didn’t last long. We got home from my mom’s on the 28th and I redecorated that day as I unpacked all of the new (& SO cheap) purchases. It looked great, but Christmas was over and I was sick of it so it was all packed away on the 29th with the tree & ornaments to follow on the 30th. I’m still really glad I did it, though, because now it’s all put away properly and ready for next year. November 1st, baby! Down with Halloween. I’m so glad our Thanksgiving is early here so we can get out the holiday goods early – I’d hate to go through all of that work for just a few weeks because no matter when we decorate I want it gone by New Year’s Eve or whenever we get home from my mom’s.

For our New Year’s celebration this year, we decided to devote ourselves completely to the children (duh – story of our lives and we love it) so we threw a “Noon Year’s Eve” party for them and their friends (and, therefore, my friends). We had about 18 people here including us, and just ate some delicious potluck food, played, wore party hats & blew party horns. We did a countdown to noon and then screamed and kissed and hugged. It was all wrapped up by about 1:30 and the rest of the day was ours to clean up & hang out as a family. Once the kids were in bed, the Big Guy and I watched the Flames game as we do every New Year’s Eve, drank hot lemon water and relaxed. We headed to bed shortly after eleven because Bella had been up crying three times already so we just took her in with us. I was technically up well past midnight (thanks to my new toy) but the BG and Bella were snoring beside me by then.

New Year’s Day brought some great friends from out of town for brunch (have I shared my fruity french toast recipe with you? Because OH, it’s freaking amazing.) and then as we were about to head to my school to play in the gym another friend from out of town called and they were on their way over so we didn’t end up leaving the house all day.

I don’t really believe in resolutions simply because it’s time to buy a new calendar, but I do intend to drink more water and more hot lemon. Whether it’s a new year or not. And I still don’t have a new calendar. So there.

Yesterday we went tobogganing in the park behind our house, went to a live performance of Robert Munsch stories and then went to the school so I could check out my room before Monday and BG and the kids played in the gym. By then it was time for supper-bath-bed, thank goodness. We were beat. Then it was time to tackle the 10 bins of Christmas crap that covered our basement floor after being shoved down there so we could entertain upstairs. It’s all away until next year now, and if I ever get time to wash the cat hair and crumbs off the floor it will almost be habitable.

We took all three animals to the vet over the holiday. Thai is fat, Mavi has a yeast infection in his ears and Chloe has thyroid cancer, hypothyroidism, her body is eating her teeth, and a bunch of other things. Oh, the joy of loving animals. They get old too quickly. Thai and Mav are 6 and Chloe is 14, so nothing is out of the ordinary. The vet’s recommendation for Chloe is that she get $400 bloodwork soon-ish, and then we cure her cancer with radiation at which point she’ll go into isolation because she’ll be radioactive. If the radiation didn’t kill her, the isolation surely would. Her life expectancy with treatment. Average of 3 years. Without treatment? Average of 3 years. So, I think the decision is to love her and keep her happy as long as we can without major interference. As it stands, she eat & drinks, pees & poops, plays, purrs, and is as happy as ever. She just drinks and pukes a little more than she used to. She’s 14. I’ve had her since she was 8 weeks old. I don’t need to make her suffer. It’s a hard choice not to do a bunch of treatments, but at 14 I just don’t think it’s fair to her to make her uncomfortable in order to extend her life by maybe a few months. As I said, she’s happy & seems perfectly healthy right now and my gut tells me she’ll be that way for a while. If not, we’ll deal with it when the time comes. And when the time does come, how the hell do you explain euthanasia to children? Gah.

On that lovely note, Happy New Year! May 2010 bring you peace, and many many hugs.

Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. -unknown

I have a problem.
I just redecorated.
It’s the twenty-eighth.

I can’t help it. I just got a bunch of new Christmas decorations for next to nothing in the post Christmas sales, and I want them put away properly for next year. Since we’re having a New Year’s Eve party, I am leaving my decorations up longer than usual so the putting away is a ways away yet. So, I just put them all out. Including adding new ribbon to the tree.

I think I need help.

The Big Guy, my most amazing husband, bought me an Amazon Kindle for Christmas – something I didn’t even know I wanted until I held it in my hands.

Sure, I was hoping someone would send me one free, but I wouldn’t have paid three hundred bucks for it.

Until I had it. Now I totally would!

I bought my first book (boxed set actually – the Sookie Stackhouse 8 Book Set) for about half the price of the non-digital books, I had them instantly and have been reading all day. A smash it considering I only brought one book on vacation with me and I finished it four days ago. It’s way easier to read than I thought anything digital would be (six print sizes to choose from and you can read in bright light). My only complaint is that because it’s not a backlit LCD screen but uses electronic ink placement instead, you can’t read in the dark so you need a booklight or headlamp or something if there’s no overhead light (for travel or sneak-reading in bed).

So, what books should I order next?

Do you have a kindle? Love it? Hate it? Want one?

We have had a fabulous Christmas at my Mom’s place. The kids were utterly spoiled and screamed with excitement much of the day. We were spoiled as well, but with less screaming.

Photos to come – Bella’s crying so apparently I’m going to bed.

Merry Christmas!

(and also with you!)

Enjoy this throwback to simpler times. My children have watched it 4 times and are waiting for a chance to watch it again. In the era of cell phones for six year olds, this decidedly low-tech tv is still pretty great.

May your Christmas be filled with smiles, laughter and peaceful hearts.

Eggnog or hot chocolate? Meh. Hot chocolate if those are the only two options, but mulled cider or mulled wine would be much better.

Does Santa wrap the presents or leave them open under the tree? He wraps them in special paper that only he uses.

Colored lights on a tree or white? White. Only white. Ever.

Do you hang mistletoe? I haven’t, because I don’t have any, but now I want to! I hate the thought of missing out on a chance for another holiday tradition.

When do you put your decorations up? As soon as the Halloween crap is put away. Thankfully I’m Canadian so Thanksgiving doesn’t hog my Christmas time.

What is your favorite holiday dish? All of them. Is that cheating? It’s all about the traditions and the way it all fits together. If I had to choose (which, duh…) it would be tortiere, an Acadian meat pie made by my mom using a variation of my Dad’s mother’s recipe. My Dad grew up on it and we have it every Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning with breakfast. It was my Dad’s fave – loaded with ketchup. Mmmmmm. It’s what Santa gets at our house!

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Just one – everyone gets new pajamas which are freshly washed and ready to wear to bed.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? White lights, silver bows, silver and white balls, pinecones. I plan to add white flowers when I have some money to spare.

Snow: love it or hate it? Mostly hate it. I live in a country where it’s winter for half the year so it gets old fast. It’s pretty while it’s falling and fun to play in, but a few days would be enough for me.

Can you ice skate? Yep. Figure skated for ten years.

What is your favorite holiday dessert? Grasshopper pie and ice cream with Teddy Bear sauce.

What is your favorite holiday tradition? Tradition is what I’m all about – there isn’t one I don’t love! Building a gingerbread house, looking at lights, eating meatpie, going to my mom’s, and a new one this year – my annual pajama party!

Candy canes: yum or yuck? Meh. Whatever. I like them but haven’t had one in a few years. Don’t care either way, and not what I’d care to waste my calories on.

Favorite Christmas show? The Polar Express

Thanks Swistle for the easily pilfered inspiration!

I’m at my mom’s – and sick. I’ve had a cold for a week and thought I was just about better but now it’s in my lungs and I have laryngitis. But at least I’m home! I hope you all are able to spend the holidays with those you love most and enjoy whatever it is that you enjoy. Even if you have coloured lights.

5 = the number of hours I will be away from my family in the next two and a half weeks. From 8 am – noon tomorrow I’m at work and then we’ll be attached at the hip until January 4th. I can hardly wait!

Except of course when I’m getting my brows waxed and my hair cut – that’s my “me” time, but the kids will be with Daddy & Grandma so that doesn’t count.

Are y’all ready for Christmas? I’m one of those annoying people who starts shopping on Boxing Day and is done by November, but I gave the Big Guy a list of a couple of DVD’s and a couple of gift certificates and am STILL waiting for those. Tomorrow, he says. Grrrr.

I have a little reunion drink/food-fest with the crowd I grew up with next week which I’m totally excited for. Growing up on a military base, it’s pretty rare to have a group who stay in touch (thanks Facebook!) and knew each other for more than a few years. The base was just a few minutes away from a small town so the kids from there came to our base school and, of course, didn’t have to deal with short postings so they were with us all the way through. Many of our fathers took long-term postings to the base so many, like me, were there from Kindergarten though our grade 9 grad. Anyhoo, I’m excited to drink with people who’ve known me since I was wee.

I’m excited to skate with Primo on weekdays.

I’m excited to teach the Big Guy to skate.

I’m excited to buy Bella her first skates & hockey helmet. (The Big Guy and I need to buy helmets too.)

I’m excited to go on dated with my husband whenever I feel like it.

I’m excited to hang out with my mom doing nothing.

I’m excited to see all of my parents’ friends, most of whom I’ve also known my whole life.

I’m excited to sleep in occasionally.

I’m excited to work out.

I’m excited to get the hell outta dodge.

I’s excited to worry about nobody other than my own family for a week. No prep. No parent phone calls. No emails from complaining concerned parents. No worrying about feeding the child who came without breakfast. No worrying about whether someone is going to read with them at night.

Just us. Just me.

Aaaaahhhh.

Only 12 days until Christmas!

Only 6 days until I see my Mommy!

Only 5 days until I say goodbye to my classroom for 2 weeks!

Only 5 days until all four of us get to spend 15 days together!

I am SO excited for this Christmas break! Skating, swimming, toboganning, making a gingerbread house, cooking with my mom, having a houseful on Christmas day, hangin’ with the Big Guy, dates whenever we feel like it. Ahhhhhhhh.

We took the kids to see Santa today and got some brual pictures from the mall chick. Primo was so excited he just ran up to Santa, hopped up on his lap and started talking non-stop. Bella was pretty pumped but just sat on his lap but big eyes.

Five more days of work. Five more days of work.

I can do this.

My kids just got off the phone with Santa. Best thing – EVAH.

Primo talked his ear off and kept interrupting him. Bella said Merry Christmas to him and told him she wanted a new puppy in a purse.

Best.

Do it.

That is all.

Dictated by Primo & typed by me

November 27, 2009

Dear Santa,

What is Rudolph doing today?

I would like you to bring coffee for my Mommy, another barbecue for my Daddy, a toy dog in a purse for my sister Bella and can I please have a pinecone from Infinity & Beyond and a toy Buzz Lightyear?

Can you please phone me so I can talk to you on the speaker phone?

Thank you very much and Merry Christmas!

Love, Primo

I didn’t tell him anything other than to ask a question at the beginning. No tips to ask for anything for other people. He’s just that kind of a kid.

And Bella’s, which was written cooperatively.

Dear Santa,

How are you doing? Do you like pink? I like pink. It’s my favourite.

For Christmas can I please have a puppy in a pink purse that I saw at Costco? Every time I see her I say “See you at Christmas, Puppy!” so I’d be very happy to find her under the Christmas tree at my Grandma Betty’s house on Christmas morning. My brother Primo wants a Buzz Lightyear and a pinecone please. I want pink. Did I mention that I love pink?

Love, Bella