Magic Eyes (One Of My Favorite Parenting Ploys)

As a kid, I was always amazed when my mom could tell if I was up to something, even when she was in another room. I have cleverly inherited this genetic, and have magic eyes as well. J The magic  eyes kick into high gear, the moment my house gets quiet. A little TOO quiet!

Me: “K-aos! What are you doing?”

K-aos: “Nothing!”

I’ve learned that Nothing usually means Something.

And sure enough, if I go into the room where she’s hiding out, she’ll be doing something that she probably shouldn’t be doing.

 I have convinced her over the last couple of years, that I have magic eyes in the back of my head, hiding underneath my hair. She’s amazed that I can see her doing things, even when I’m not looking in her direction! Quite often, she asks to see them, but I have explained to her, that if I show them to her, they won’t work anymore. Now that she’s 5, she’s doubted the factualness of my enchanting eyes…

Last week, I told her to go upstairs, get her jammies on and go pee before bed. She was super-fast so I KNOW that she hadn’t gone to the washroom. I said, “Remember! I have magic eyes! I know you didn’t go!” So she goes to the bathroom again, and once more was a little too fast. She yells, “Ok I peed!”

I knew what was going on right away; she was testing me to see if my magic eyes were real! So, I say “K-aos!  Do you really think my magic eyes would let me down? You can’t trick them!” She gasps in amazement! “How did you know?”

What can I say? You can’t pull the wool over these eyes! Good ol' mother's intuition!

Let Them Be Little

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Speaking of Colourful Confessions, this one I just have to share! Recently when one of my day-home moms dropped off her 2 kids for the day, she laughed “You would not believe what E. did while I was in the shower! I was only 2 minutes I swear!”  When she came out she discovered That Princess E. had coloured her younger brother, from head to toe in blue marker.

Later that day when I was changing Captain C’s diaper, I discovered that he still had some blue marker on him. His sister had literally coloured EVERYTHING, including his genitals and anus with the blue marker! Bahaha! (Seriously what goes through kids’ minds sometimes?)

Later when their mom came to pick them up, I chuckled “Even his bum was blue!”

Then she looked at me and declared, “Kids can be so dumb!"

Unexpectedly, we both looked at each other and power laughed! A “Mom Power Laugh!” Like it was the most hilarious thing we’d ever heard! NOT because we actually believe kids are dumb (kids surprise me every day with just how smart they actually are), but because we shared a mutual understanding of what she meant by it. You just never know what these crazy little creatures are going to do next on their quest for knowledge and understanding. Sometimes they turn the ‘normalest’ of activities into something ridiculous and funny!

This is what makes parenting so much fun. Sharing in our children’s journeys of discovery and letting kids be kids. As hard as it is sometimes to let go of our “inner control freak,” letting them be little, and learn in their own way is so important. Eating the play dough, dumping out all the toys, jumping  in mud puddles, getting dirty and climbing on the table, are all just ways that kids learn about this crazy world we live in. Sometimes cheap fun (where we don’t have to go out and spend a small fortune) can be the MOST fun!

Anyways, I could ramble all day! But, this is a perfect example of a story that they better hope we forget about,by the time they’re teenagers! :D

My Little Camera Rebel

(And I am not talking about my ‘Canon Rebel’ either!)

Well I hope everyone had a terrific Father’s day weekend! A big thumbs up to all the amazing Fathers out there (HI DAD! I love you!). My weekend was pretty uneventful except for that I wiped out on our front steps in wet flip-flops, skinned my knee and ripped a hole in my favorite jeans! Besides that, I spent most of the weekend stressing out over our family pictures! We booked a time slot with Belle Photography and Design, who was doing a family mini marathon photo day on Sunday. This means, I got a 1 hour time slot and a cd with all the pictures that she took. I hadn’t had pictures taken of Little-J since he was really little, and he’s almost 2! Our daughter, K-aos had pictures taken twice by the time she was that old! It’s the whole second child syndrome!

 Little J’s first professional pictures I had taken when he was a newborn.  I have always loved those beautiful sleeping newborn pictures, where the babies look so innocent and angelic! Curled up in little furry blankets or wearing cute little angel wings! I thought it would be easy! I made sure he was fed and napping when the photographer got here; however, he woke up shortly thereafter and cried basically the whole time. Not only that, they had brought the cutest little knit hammock and diaper cover, which he proceeded to poop in, pee in, and throw up on. He showed me just how much he liked pictures! It was madness!  Why me?

So yesterday, we attempted professional pics with him once again (2 years later). It was quite surprising that we arrived only 20 minutes late for our appointment! Why does it seem so impossible sometimes to get everyone dressed and out of the house on time? (This time wasn’t even really our fault either; we were stuck in some really awful road construction.) It had been raining all weekend, but it let up just before our pictures. Whoo hoo!  So things were looking pretty good, and I was optimistic that things were going to go well.  I must say, Little-J looked pretty darn cute in his new threads and his fresh hair cut! He looked like such a little man!

So what do you think? Did the pictures go well? Was my little monkey perfectly poised?

Ummm not quite! Little-J would NOT sit still, he refused to sit on any of the props for more than 15 seconds, and he wouldn’t smile or look at the camera! The photographer (who was great, and very patient) even had a cute little Elmo that wrapped around her camera lens, but that didn’t work either. He knew exactly what he was doing and wanted nothing to do with the camera! The little rascal! K-aos on the other hand, was a perfect little model! She loved the attention. We could have taken her picture all day long. Oh well. Maybe next year!  I’m sure our photographer captured some good shots; I just hope there is one where Little-J is smiling a little bit! J If anyone has any tips for getting an almost 2-year old to sit and have his picture taken, fire away!  I guess the old saying is true “a picture is worth a thousand words”, and we were at least able to capture the true spirit of a toddler! Which is rebellion! Why do 2 year olds have to be so darn difficult? I guess I should just be grateful that he didn’t puke on anyone this time!

 

A Storm’s Brewing! Let’s Recharge!

Thunderstorm over Edmonton from www.flickr.com

 

The afternoon has been hot, muggy, sticky, and as I wipe off the last of the orange Creamsicle from Little J’s hands and face, the winds begin to pick up, the trees start swaying and I see in the west the menacing apocalyptic clouds moving in. Within minutes, the first large drops of rain begin to fall, and as predicted, I hear a clap of thunder…

One of the things I look forward to the most about summers here in the prairies, are the almost nightly electrical storms that move in. Just as all the stress and tension of the day builds up, one storm can seem to relieve all the stress and tension both from life and in the unstable atmosphere. The deafening booms of thunder, and the blinding illuminated sky, are exciting and exactly what I need to make me feel alive after a day of the mundane.

 It’s almost a guarantee that every other evening here in the prairies that we’ll get a refreshing thunderstorm to break up the mugginess. I love to sit with the windows open, feeling the wind blow thru and listen to the storm. The kids too, have developed my love of a good storm, and press their little faces up to the windows to watch the rain and flashes of lightening. If my husband is home, he often says, “Get those kids away from the windows!” and “Shut the doors!” Growing up it seemed that I was never frightened of these storms, nor did I feel the need to be. It seems like older generations are more apt to be cautious when the thunder roars. I’ve never really given it a second thought.

Last summer my sister was at a wedding rehearsal at Celtic Lodge on Cape Breton Island, (check it out, it’s so nice! http://www.kelticlodge.ca/) when a thunder storm blew in. She was leaning against a deck railing on a cottage when there was a HUGE clap of thunder and lightning struck about 10 feet behind her. She leapt across the deck, her heart pounding in her throat. The lightning strike was close enough that the alarms went off in the cottage and she felt charged the whole night. Although this makes for quite the story, it had to be frightening none the less!

So, now I’ve decided that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to do a little research, on what one should Really do when there is a thunderstorm warning. Maybe I should actually teach my kids, that pressing their faces up to the window screens might not be a great idea.

                                           kiddos watching a storm summer 2012 :S

"If you can see it, flee it; If you can hear it, clear it."

Ok. So there it is. A one sentence rule of thumb to follow! I was actually quite surprised by some of the information I came across with the CCOHS (Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety).

Did you know?

·    Lightning kills six to twelve people every year in Canada, and seriously injures another sixty or seventy people

·    A lightning bolt is a million times more powerful than household current, carrying up to 100 million volts of electricity. When someone is struck by lightning, an electrical shock occurs that can cause burns and even stop the person's breathing.

·    Although thunder and lightning can occur occasionally during a snowstorm, April to October are the prime thunderstorm months in Canada. Thunderstorms occur most often in late afternoon or evening, and around sunrise.

·    Because light travels faster than sound, you will see lightning before you hear the thunder. Each second between the flash and the thunderclap represents about 300 meters. If you can hear thunder, you are within striking distance.

What to do during a storm:

·         The number one thing to do during a storm is to go to a safe location in a large permanent building or metal vehicle is best. Please note that tractors, golf carts, and topless or soft-top vehicles are NOT safe! Unsafe places are near metal or water; under trees; on hills; near electrical equipment.

·         When inside a vehicle during a lightning storm, roll up the windows and sit with your hands on your lap and wait out the storm. Don’t touch and part of the metal frame or any wired device in the vehicle (including the steering wheel or plugged-in cell phone). A direct strike to your car will flow through the frame of the vehicle and usually jump over or through the tires to reach the ground.

·         If you are with a group of people in the open, spread out several meters apart from one another.

·          If you get caught in a level field, far from shelter, crouch down on the balls of your feet immediately, with feet together, place your arms around your knees and bend forward. Be the smallest target possible, and at the same time, minimize your contact with the ground. Don’t lie flat!

·         If you are in a building, stay away from doors, windows and fireplaces.

So there you have it! Some do’s and don’t do’s for your next powerful summer thunderstorm! The kids and I are about to do a unit on weather, so I think it will be fun to incorporate a “What to do during a thunderstorm” activity! Better safe than sorry!

Xo Amy

(Not so sure I can change my ways though!)