bear & lion

here's a peek into the highs and woes of our life

birthday invitations :: a DIY craft

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bear is turning the big five-o-roonie in a few weeks!!!
valentine’s day to be exact.


and what almost-five-year-old doesn’t want to have a birthday party with their friends?! of course i went on pinterest looking for birthday invitation ideas, but nothing sprang out at me. so, bear and i designed our own little invitations. so cute, perfect project for him to help with and easy enough for that it didn’t turn into some all consuming time sucker! 


here’s how we made ’em!

MATERIALS:

colourful paper or card stock
scissors
pencil
glue 
markers, sparkle pens, whatever really.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. choose a picture of the birthday prince or princess. get copies made.
2. decide on the colour, size and shape of party hats. once i made one that was the right size, i traced it and cut out the rest of the party hats from the card stock.
3. decorate party hats. bear did the decorating and he loved it. we kept it simple, but you could add pompoms or glitter or whatever, really!
4. glue the decorated party hats on to the heads. let dry.
5. then i loosely traced the backs of the photo heads, cut the traced heads out of card stock and glued them on to the backs of the photo’s. this way we could write on regular paper, than the slippery photo paper.


have fun making your own invitations!


still can’t believe he’s going to be 5!!!!
what?!
i’ll be writing my sappy post about being this guys mama closer to the big day.




xo, mama lola

to healthier times!

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* let me make it clear, i am not a trained health care provider or healer of any kind. i am a mama with a few suggestions that may help others with their sick families. please consult your health care provider. *

whatever sickness came a’knocking at our door last friday, sure has over stayed it’s welcome! It obviously then spread to us other folk who are struggling to get back to normal after being hit with the bug. Luckily we get paid when having time off work due to illness, as a result of the paid sick leave laws in the US. But hopefully we won’t have to worry about that again for a while! Anyway, this is how it started.

it hit our littlest lion fast and furiously! he was lethargic, developed a high fever, stopped eating and started puking. all weekend, dear hubby and i took turns holding the poor kid, as he was so clingy.
then on monday evening, it was bear’s turn. he had the usual super drippy eyes, fever, but luckily no puking! and then, it was dear hubby who was knocked down. it’s kind of unbelievable how all four of us have been kicked on to our butts, but the real shocker is that dear hubby has been kicked the worst. this is a guy who never gets sick, ever. he suffers terribly in the spring with seasonal allergies, but it is very unlike him to get sick. and then to kick things into more unusual territories, i am the one who has been barely affected. sure, i had a little fever in the night, and i’ve been sniffly and achy, but i have not looked like the living dead, like my dear hubby. he’s been sleeping a lot. he’s even missed a couple of days of work, which he does like, never!

there are a few tricks that i have compiled that help us get through these snotty times. sure, there are more, but the ones listed below are my top six. they are all kid and pet friendly and easy on the bank account! some of our tried and tested more natural remedies to fight sickness at our house include:



don’t forget the top three obvious ones:
1. keep washing AND moisturizing your hands.
2. change your tooth brush once you start to feel better.
3. do not share drinks, cutlery, toothbrushes or sloppy wet kisses with those who are sick.

i am so ready for good health to come knocking on our door tomorrow. maybe hubby and i should consider taking some dietary supplements that can boost our digestion and energy, and in the long run help fight these minor illnesses. one of my friends had read these activatedyou reviews and suggested that i get a regular supplement routine as well. i’m going to leave that for another day, but for now i am so ready to hear the laughter and fighting of my boys, instead of the zombied silence of a fever coma and the constant dull whining. i want my children to look and feel energized and to enjoy their days, instead of wasting away watching mindless television. i want their eyes to sparkle, instead being glazed with sickness.

i want the energy in the house to change, from lethargy to one of positive spirits. i know this all sounds a bit cheese and cliche, but a week of this is kinda ridiculous! we haven’t even really had the opportunity to enjoy our new beautiful hardwood floors or paint the walls, as planned this week. everything it seems has been put on hold.

so, let me hear three cheers to good health!
hip-hip- hooray!
hip-hip- hooray!
hip-hip- hooray!

xo, mama lola

nine fabulous valentine’s wreath ideas.

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valentine’s day  is only a few short weeks away, so i’ve compiled 9 awesome wreath idea’s for any DIY craft lover. some are more complicated than others and will take more time, but there’s something here to suit everyone’s taste! ENJOY!

2. valentine’s willow heart wreath :: the cards we drew
3. valentine’s day wreath :: the thriftress
4. pink floral wreath :: simply crafty
5. spiral rose wreath :: little birdie secrets
6. heart argyle valentine’s wreath  :: mine for the making
7. valentine’s fanric wreath :: project insprire
8. a paper wreath :: woodlands home
 
xo, mama lola

we’re a bunch of sicklings!

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i am in trapped on our couch under two sick kids and a sicko dear hubby. everyone is dripping snot, struggling with fevers and drifting in and out of sleep. 


lion was super-duper sick this past weekend, while the rest of us were fine. then yesterday afternoon, after a long day of being out of the house, as we were getting our new floors put in, bear’s health crash landed into a heap of tears and exhaustion. both of the kids chose to go dinner free and were fast asleep by 6:20pm! bear slept in my bed, and dear hubby snuggled in with lion. i feel better co-sleeping with the sick kids, then we, the adults have a better sense of what’s going on with them in the night. bear woke up a few times to have a drink of water, but basically slept straight through until 9am!


the first sign of sickness with bear are his drippy eyes. it looks like he’s crying, as they drip so much. poor little guy gets so frustrated and there isn’t much we can do about it. he’s had this issue for years and the doctor says it’s totally normal.


lion has been clinging on to us for days now. his fever is gone, but he looks tired and still is kinda lethargic. nobody really has an appetite, so today when i braved the cold temperatures to hit the grocery store, i stocked up on all sorts of smoothies, soups and berries and things. nobody is going to be cooking anything in these here parts for a while. i’m not a super fan of pre-made foods, but it’s a matter of survival, at this point.

hope you and your family are fairing better than us.
time to cozy in with the guys and watch a little tv.

xo, mama lola

the talk about privilege vs. right

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* this post was written a few days ago, but i wasn’t quite ready to post it, because everything felt so raw and frustrating still. so, here it is ready for a sunday entry. *

bear and i just had a $hit morning again. there is a definite pattern happeneing on thursday mornings happening at our house; lots of defiance and power struggles from him. thursday’s i keep him home from school and take him swimming at the local YMCA. he loves the classes and has been doing really well. but, his behaviour has been really, REALLY challenging on these mornings. last thursday he hit his brother in the face, then went to push me and well, i just couldn’t handle the thought of taking him into public in a mood like that. so we skipped swimming.

today, the kids played, there was some shenanigans, but nothing out of this world. then i had the kids sit down to a snack, then i asked them to pee and for bear to put his pants on. and well, it was all down hill from there. lion had his pee, i helped into his pants and piled all of our coats and boots at the front door. bear was dancing around wasting time and refusing to listen. i reminded him that if he didn’t get his pants he couldn’t go outside (it’s january and we’re in canada and it’s cold!). he kept up his defiance, and then i got mad and he got mad. and then, it was too late to go swimming and that’s when bear lost it. 

i just don’t even know what to do.

after we both cooled down i went upstairs and we had long talk. i tried to explain to him that his swimming lessons and ballet lessons are a privilege , rather than a right, like clean water, food, our home. he seemed to understand. i explained that he can show myself and dear hubby love and respect by listening to us when we ask him to do simple tasks, like helping set the table, getting dressed, being polite, or helping tidy up. by listening, he earns the privilege of participating in his extra curricular activities. i asked what his response is to his teacher at school when she says it’s tidy up time. well, of course he is positive at school and keenly tidies up a mess. 
sigh.
i’m glad he’s a respectful kid at school and listens to his teachers.



i realize that as his mama, i am a safe person, probably the safest  for him to throw his anger, tiredness and difficulties at. but, sometimes i just don’t understand why he fights me so hard on things like getting dressed, so we can get to swimming on time. he pushes, so i push back and then he pushes even harder. 

it’s a classic power struggle, but it feels like we should have had this fight a few years ago, like when he was three. is five really supposed to be THIS hard? surely i’m not the only one fighting over simple tasks? 
HELP ME!!!

xo, mama lola

mr. NO!

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i consider myself to be a very positive person. even during the darkest of times, i have looked at the positive with great optimism and tried to hold onto that a positive language and energy tightly.

[ how can anyone with a face like this be a downer? ]


my eldest son on the other hand, is kind of the opposite. i know this will be surprising to many, but he’s kind of a debbie downer, a negative force that is tough to live with. whatever i say, the first word out of his mouth is “no”. no matter what.

here are some examples:
me: “we’re going to your friends house tomorrow to play”
bear: “no, i don’t want to”

me: “ok, let’s get our christmas pajama’s on and go see the lights in the park”
bear: “no. i hate christmas and christmas lights are stupid”

me: “time to tidy up boys”
bear: ” no way, daba-day”

he’s been talking in this negative way for a long time, so i’m starting to think that he’s really this party pooper kinda guy. sometimes his negative vibe is stronger than at other times; it’s like he cycles through his deep dark moods. 

and, i get it, the kid is almost five so agreeing with me is not a top priority for him, but there’s gotta be something i can suggest that doesn’t evoke a such a quick and sharp NO from him.

right?
but, what is that?



xo, mama lola

night out! freedom!

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as a part of my resolutions for this year, a big one is to start taking care of ME. my goal is to try and make myself whole again, by doing things that i like; spending time with people i love, taking time away from the kids and the household, letting myself have a good time and enjoy life and not feel guilty about it.



so, this past weekend dear hubby and i shipped the kids to their grandparents house for one night. we actually had almost 24 hours of kid free, adult time! it was incredible! we went dancing with friends on saturday night and boy-o-boy did we busta move! dear hubby’s shirt was soaked in sweat by the end of the night! gross i know, but great evidence of a good time!



we drank lotsa fancy drinks, danced for hours and then eventually dear hubby and i dragged our butts home, walking as we couldn’t find a cab! ha! we totally felt like 20-somethings!



i felt such incredible freedom. a feeling i don’t think i’ve felt since becoming a mother almost five years ago. knowing the kids were in good hands with my in-laws, knowing there were no restrictions to our time out or the potential for fun, made it so much easier to go out and have have an awesome time with me peeps! it’s kind of unbelievable we’ve waited so long to send the kids away for a night, but it has always felt like a bad time for a variety of reasons like my health, financial obligations and just the notion of asking a favour of people to hang with the kids, is tough. i realize it sounds silly and what have you, but we have now learned. a new era has opened itself up and dear hubby and i intend to take full advantage of all the people we have around us who want to spend time with the kids! 

on sunday morning, dear hubby and i stumbled out of bed at 10am (yup, we totally slept in), headed out for breakfast and then came home and parked ourselves on the couch for some movie time/ nap time. we weren’t really hung over, just stiff and tired from the intense dancing and the super late night! the kids came home a little before dinner, happy and healthy, and ready to play. i love my kids, but they clearly need a break from me and dear hubby, as much we need a break from them.

can’t wait for our next dance night!
perhaps an 80’s & 90’s theme night? 
hmmm…

xo, mama lola

new year’s resolution check in.

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so, we’re about half way through the month and i’m wondering how everyone is doing with their new year’s resolutions for 2013? what were your resolutions? this is what i said i would do this year.


resolutions can be tricky things. people make them with the best of intentions of keeping them, but 365 days is a big chunk of time. especially if your resolutions are ones that are big goals, like losing a whole wacka load of weight or changing careers or doing something that requires you to save a big pile of cash.

this year my resolutions are big, but in a vague, abstract kind of way. i want to be whole. in order to achieve this sense of wholeness, i have to accomplish things in small steps and divide my life into manageable chunks. so for instance (in no particular order), kids, house, habits, sewing, friends, family, cooking, art, reading, blog, dear hubby, gym, and other.

i was talking with my chiropractor about setting goals and she said the best thing is to set tiny, achievable ones in weekly or monthly increments, which is more likely to set you up for success rather than failure. wanting to lose 30 lbs is a great goal, but to achieve that in it’s entirety will take a long time, a big commitment and a life style change really. but, if you divide that big goal into smaller, easier goals, like losing 5 lbs every two weeks (or whatever), it’ll be easier to psyche yourself up off the couch and exercise. Furthermore, taking a daily supplement that assists weightloss, perhaps from a company like gundry md, will help you to reach the goal without doing a crash diet or over exercising. These supplements also have many other health benefits such as stopping bloating and improving the feeling of fatigue. Smaller changes to daily life is the way to lose the weight.

i’ve divided my life into sections and then i want to make sure i meet some need in my sections monthly, to at least get the ball rolling in my goal to feeling whole. so each month i want to make sure i sew something, read regularly, spend time with my friends, try a new recipe etc etc. i know these goals don’t sound big or particularly life changing, but i find it difficult to find time to do a lot of the little things that i enjoy, as my family takes up a lot of my time and energy.

this month so far i have gone dancing with dear hubby and friends, found some great recipes to try, i have blogged regularly, i have hit the gym a few times, i have left the house in the evenings to avoid the chaos that ensues after dinner, i have seen friends and caught up on things, i have started reading a book i am thoroughly enjoying and i have booked an appointment to have my hair done. by starting small, i feel more motivated and i think in time i can increase my goals.

how do you manage to keep resolutions? or do you work hard in january and then just forget about them?

xo, mama lola
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