this moment

July 12, 2013 by mama lola

as inspired by souleMama; one photo from our week, no words, only an image to sum up our time as a family. one that captures a moment in time and is a visual reminder of where we were at this time in our lives.

these photographs were taken on lion’s 3rd birthday, july 8th, 2013. we had had a lovely sushi dinner and then headed to the wading pool downtown. the kids ran and ran, laughing and splashing the entire time! it was such a wonderful way to end our birthday celebrations!

still can not believe he is three…

make a paper mache pinata!

July 9, 2013 by mama lola

my lion turned 3 and i decided it would be fun to have a lion head pinata at his birthday party. i did some research on pinterest on how to make the perfect pinata, but decided that we would just do our own thing… i mean, how difficult could a paper mache lion head really be???

well, as with most of our projects things didn’t go as smoothly as i hoped. but, the end result was surprisingly marvellous, dontcha think?

i wanted it to be big, and a regular latex balloon just didn’t seem to be the right size or shape. so we used a clear garbage bag instead; filled it with air and shaped it a little by taping the corners down.

and off it started… lots of news paper ripped into various sized strips. dear hubby was in charge of the messy part, so he made a big ol’ bowl with flour and water mixed together (no recipe required). just make sure you don’t make it too think and depending on the project lumps don’t really matter either. especially in a pinata as the end result is that it is damaged badly, and quickly!

the kids got in on the action too! it was soooooooooo messy, but luckily the paste is super easy to wash up!

where the bag was knotted became the opening and the bottom of the lion’s head. this made it easier in the end for painting as i was able to prop the head up with my easel inside it. a broom or stool leg would work just as well.
for the ears i took a toilet paper roll, cut it half, made a cone shape, stapled it once i had it at the desired size. then the guys attached my paper macheing them on.

before you start painting make sure your paper mache is thoroughly dried first. the paint will adhere better and it will just be much easier.
to paint the lion head i just mixed a few different acrylic paints together; reds, yellows, oranges. the tone was more red than i had hoped. i painted it very haphazardly, intentionally trying to create uneven textures and colours. i used straight black paint for the detailing of the facial features.

the lion’s mane is made of various colours of tissue paper; gold, yellow, orange, violet, burgundy and black to give it depth and vibrancy. the pieces were all randomly cut with pinking sheers to create texture. i glued them on individually, which initially felt daunting, but went much faster than i anticipated. i just used kids white glue.

paper mache, pinata, lion head, birthday activity

i will post pics later this week from the actual party and the kids hitting in, but it was a total hit!

i discovered this amazing paper mache website for tons of info on different paste recipes and more at the ultimate paper mache.

and, here’s papaD getting his lion groove on while wearing the lion head after the kids got the loot! it was totally creepy and weird seeing him dance with that head! but, i’ll save it for halloween, i think! might be fun the! haha!

this was such a fun project! good luck with yours!

my baby is no longer a baby.

July 8, 2013 by mama lola

as i write this, tears are welling up in my eyes.
birthday’s make me a bit sappy, especially my children’s.

it is hard to believe that my littlest guy, my lion, was born three years ago! his birth was a nightmare and i won’t get into that now, you can read more HERE and HERE. this post is about the happiness he brings. lion’s short life has been full of adventures, laughter and love. he has brought such joy into our life and i am so honoured to be his mama.

lion is such a sweet little boy. his big blue eyes melt hearts where ever he goes, and his little voice is hard not to smile at. he is such a character; he loves to give kisses, loves to do puzzles and LOVES to help in the kitchen. his energy is always positive, even after a fall he typically bounces back quickly and says “me okay” . lion is very easy going, always keen to participate in whatever is happening, rarely throws a tantrum but, watch out as there is always a slight glint of mischievousness in his eyes!

it has dawned on me that i really do not have babies anymore. lion has been toilet trained (night & day) for almost a year, we took his soother away at 18 months, so there is nothing left from his baby days, which really emphasizes his big kid-ness. he is able to express himself, creating opportunities for adorable conversations. his speech is still a bit slurred, and now he has started stuttering, but i think with time they too will be outgrown. every day he is gaining more independence by striving for those big goals; having a big brother is very motivating and pushes him to try new things that maybe he wouldn’t otherwise.

i am so proud of my wee lion.
he is loving, kind, smart and super silly.
he lives every day to it’s fullest effortlessly.
he is so gentle and fierce, all rolled into one awesome little boy.

happy birthday to my sweet lion.
i love you.

(sniff, sniff… gotta go find some tissues now!)

this moment.

July 5, 2013 by mama lola

i would love it if you left a link to your { this moment }.

learning to be bear wise.

July 4, 2013 by mama lola

i am scared of bears.

i live in a country and a province that has bear. black bears, to be specific.
we’ve been at the cottage and i have seen several on the property on a couple of different occasions in the last 5 years. once, when bear was about 9 months old, he and i were playing in front of the cottage when i felt like someone was staring at us, and bam, when i turned around i made eye contact with a black bear up a hill, in and among the forest about 50 metres away!

this is my sweet little guy moments before i saw the bear.

immediately i grabbed my wee baby, ran inside, ran to the window and saw the bear sniffing the ground we had just been standing on. with my adrenalin kicking i tried to find my camera to get a picture, but my hands were shaking so much and my heart was pounding in my chest… it was hard and scary…

this was the picture i got of the bear making it’s way up the driveway. my dad gave a s#it for even trying to get a photo of a bear. you see, i stepped out of the cottage, just a little to snap this photo.

i have always been slightly nervous about bears.
at treeplanting we had bears visit our camp all the time. some people even had their tents ripped open by bears, but luckily this happened when they themselves were out in the clearcut working! ha! at treeplanting there are lots of rules about how and where to keep your items with scent, because shampoo’s and even a tiny lip balm container can attract bears. their noses are so incredibly efficient and curious!

a black bear.

[ source : government of yukon pages ]

this summer the boys, dear hubby and i are driving north in ontario for our summer road trip. we are heading up to thunder bay to where dear hubby and i met and fell in love! we plan on camping a bit, and i can honestly say that i am already a little worried. so, i did a little bit of research on google about bears.
i found this map.

[ source ]

it’s pretty good i think, doesn’t really make me feel better, but at least it’s a clear visual of what i should expect. and, i should expect bears.
sigh.

dear hubby bought be a book “bear attacks; their causes and avoidance” after one of my bear sightings at the cottage. i read the book cover to cover, and really came to the conclusion that there isn’t much you can do to avoid a bear, or a black bear specifically. if they are hungry, or feel threatened they may attack. bears do not typically eat people, but again, if they are hungry enough they sure will. what really worries me is the realization that it is difficult to get away from a bear, especially when with kids; bears are fast runners and excellent climbers. where do we go to get away?

plus that whole making noise to deter bears, well, it doesn’t necessarily work either. it can make the bears curious and draw them TO YOU, instead of scaring them and deterring them AWAY FROM YOU. that day at the cottage when bear was a babe and we saw the bear, i was actually singing super loudly and clapping in the hopes of scaring the furry beasts, as a few months earlier i had seen another bear sniffing the baby stroller we left outside!

clearly i have not shared my concerns with the kids. they know there are bears in the woods, because it comes up in conversation, the way the habitats of all sorts of animals do. but, i will not share my fears with them either, especially since my 5YO bear, is quite anxious at times already. hopefully we will not see any bears or evidence of them, but that being said… any night we sleep in a tent i will be laying there eyes wide open listening closely to each creak and tweet in the forest.

wish me luck!!!

a preschool and ballet update!

June 2, 2013 by mama lola

a week ago we went to an open house held by a local soon-to-open outdoor preschool after i saw the open house feather flags waving about all over the place, i was actually quite surprised when i found out it was a preschool. i was feeling hopeful it could be a place to send lion a couple of mornings a week. i am really starting to crave some alone time, and the wee guy doesn’t really have many friends of his own.

we spent the time outside in the sunshine; the kids played, painted and ate cookies. it was all very sweet and lovely!

the space was beautiful, with a full kitchen and dining area, and a classroom with adorable different play areas. the outside area was lovely also, as the school was renting space from a church with lots of orchards and CSA farming plots and community gardens. they own lots of land, enough to keep the kids happy and busy.

but, to my dismay after chatting and listening to the staff the schools mandate isn’t to be outside all the time the way i initially understood. they are hoping to get outside and explore the large property, but they will spend large chunks of time inside as well. the school is on the outskirts of town, and only accessible by car. plus, it’s quite expensive.

so, we won’t be signing lion up to this particular preschool.
gotta keep on looking!

* * * * * * *

bear had his open house at his ballet school last week.

i went with my camera in hand and was thrilled to watch him. but, he didn’t have the same glint in his eye as he has the previous times i have watched.

i think he’s bored. plus, we’ve been dealing with the whole ballet is for girls issue. i chatted with his teacher for a little bit after the class. she had some suggestions, but for now we are leaving the whole conversation of continuing ballet. i think he needs a break from the school routine and the ballet routine, before he can actually say whether or not he wants to continue. maybe missing it will tweak his interested again. in the fall he would be in the next level up, which means he’d need ballet shoes! aahhh!!!!
i really hope he continues.

* * * * * * *

i can’t imagine what juggling both kids’ schedules when they are older will be like. trying to decide who can do what and where, how to get there, balancing costs and school and family! oh, i’m already exhausted just thinking about it!

theme thursday: roadtrip tips [part 1]

May 30, 2013 by mama lola

PART 1 : ROAD TRIP SERIES!

as with any adventure, i walked away from our summer road trip last year with twenty/twenty hindsight. (read here, PART 1, PART 2) we camped and motelled our way from southern ontario to the eastern coast of canada. there we drove through quebec, new brunswick, prince edward island and nova scotia! from that big trip i learned what we should have packed, what we needed and i thought i would share my insights now that road trip season is almost here! Writing this actually reminded me of the plumber we recently had come and do some work to our bathroom. He had actually traveled quite far to get to us, but don’t worry he didn’t seem bothered in the slightest as he had just picked up his newly leased van. The price that he got it for really put a spring in his step, so I guess that shows the value of having a shop around for deals. Long road trips are certainly mentally taxing ventures so you could consider an alternative like having your vehicle transported to your vacation location for you, by a company like Cars Relo, so that when you arrive, using less stressful means of transportation, your car will be there waiting for you to use. This avoids the headache of countless hours of driving and the anxiety that comes with it. It also means you won’t have to add all those miles to your vehicle!

depending on your departure time, pre-packing your car as much as possible the night before is always a good thing, such a HUGE time saver, plus so much easier without the kids hanging around “helping”. If you’re particularly pushed for space, you might want to consider leasing a bigger vehicle such as this Wichita Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD for the duration of your trip. That way you can pack as many clothes and supplies as you want without having to compromise on comfort! I know I said about my roadtrip hindsight being twenty/twenty, well for the next time I’m definitely going to try to look for Help finding a ute canopies in Brisbane (yup, down under here we come!) this way I’m sure we’ll have more than enough space for all of our belongings. I imagine it will be a little more this time considering we’re heading to another country!
clean your house before leaving. that includes cleaning out your fridge and changing the sheets on your bed. when we came home exhausted from our trips i was quite pleased with myself for cleaning the day of our departure.
clean your car too. yes it gets super yucky on a big trip, but there’s something nice about starting out clean, inside and out.
don’t forget to write down your odometer pre/ post trip so you can see how many kilometres you actually clocked!
don’t forget to really psyche yourself up for being flexible and bring some extra patience too!

when travelling with kids always have food accessible, and not just crackers and chips, but also fruits. i had little tupperware containers for the kids that i would make snacks for them in and then pass them back. it prevented some messes, but unfortunately not all!
keep wipes, hand cleaner, toilet paper or paper towels handy too! spills happen, as do boogers, pee accidents or puke!
always have toys, activity books, markers, and books available and accessible for the kids. i had a bin of books in between the two boys (propped on top of sleeping bags) and then each boy had their own basket of cars or animals or whatever.
have a flashlight accessible up front in the car.
have a fully stocked first aid kit. make sure nothing is expired!
jars for collecting treasures is helpful. this tip was given by another mama, and boy am i glad i listened. for all the crab legs and stones and cones we collected the jars ensured safe travels for the treasures!
a toy/ treat stash that you can pull new books or activities from, to help keep the kids happy during the long drives.
laundry soap. on nice mornings, i always washed a few pieces of clothing and hung them to dry on our camp site for the day.
access to a variety of music to fit all kinds of moods and times of day. books on CD are fun too!

pack clothes by person and by need. i had the kids clothes in one bag, but each kid had a side, so when i needed a clean t-shirt for lion, i knew exactly where to look.
do not over pack clothes. remember, it is easy to wash items by hand, and on a summer road trip kids end up spending a lot of time in their bathing suits!
for things like rain gear, coats, sneakers and clothes that were not as needed, we kept in a bin with other items that we only needed so often. having things in bins makes it easy to see what’s inside and also easier to pack, at least in a minivan.
i had a “kitchen” box with all of our plates, cutlery, cups, cooking pans, mini cutting board, matches, olive oil, dish soap (i brought some from home and just put it in a jar) in it. so when it was time to prepare a meal, i just pulled the kitchen box out and set to work.
we had another big rubbermaid bin with all the camping stuff; tent, air matters & pump, rope, and tarps. this way when it was time to set up camp everything was together, or when it was time to take camp down, the kids were able to help by putting everything in the right bin.
go easy on towels. you don’t actually need one for everyone. they are big, take up an enormous amount of space in the bag and take forever to dry! sarongs work great and the kids love ’em! they dry quickly, are tiny when folded up and can used for a variety of reasons, as towels, blankets, scarves, skirts, toga’s, sunshade… you get the idea.
i had an administrative basket that sat in between the front seats, which contained important items like phone and camera chargers, pens, paper, adult pain killers, extra change, vitamins, extra hair ties, and other important odds and ends.

so….
what did i miss?
what are some of your road trip tips or tricks?
where are you heading to this summer?

this summer is in fact our third major road trip. we will be driving north to thunder bay, the city where dear hubby and i fell in love! we also drove to NYC with the boys that fateful halloween weekend when the nor-easter landed full steam in 2011! you can read about that trip here PART 1, PART 2, PART 3.

UPCOMING:
– games and activities for while driving, camping and at the beach
– quick, easy and fun snacks and foods to make while on the road and camping
– tips for camping with kids
– what to stock in your first aid kit

connecting with nature.

May 28, 2013 by mama lola

it’s a cool, rainy day here and we are taking cover inside. lion is happy playing with his cars, so i am happy to sit and write.

weather doesn’t always deter us from going outside, though. I try to teach the kids that being outside regardless of the temperature or what’s falling form the sky, can be really fun! I want to invest in some new outdoor garden furniture so that they can spend more time in the garden, simply doing whatever they would usually do indoors, like colouring or reading. Then at least they’re getting some fresh air and appreciating more natural surroundings. We’ve got great gear for all possible weather experiences and the kids are usually game to go outside. in fact throwing on rubber boots, rain pants and a rain coat is considered exciting!

all weather comes with it’s own pro’s and con’s. too much of anything is exhausting, unpleasant and possibly even dangerous. after our long winter (we’ve even had snow twice this may!) we are ready to strip down and frolic without all the layers of warmth!

recently we went on a great hike. i love that both kids are at an age where they will walk on their own without any carriers or equipment. we brought a knapsack with snacks and water, and a change of undies and shorts for lion. although, he is completely toilet trained, he still mastering things like peeing on a tree, which during our hike he failed miserably.

i enjoy hiking with my kids. there are moments when we see something interesting, like strange fungi growing on trees that provides a window for a wonderful conversation about how and why the fungi is growing there. we heard frogs in the marsh, so we stood in silence listening to the noises, and our stillness then allowed us to hear a range of other sounds.

my children, all children thrive in nature. it doesn’t have to be a lot or for long periods of time, but by providing kids opportunities to connect with nature is so vital in their development. i blogged about a book a few years ago that really made an impression on me; “last child in the woods” by richard louv. the book discusses the importance of nature in children’s lives and the growing deficit of the natural world in their daily experiences. you don’t have to go to the woods or on a long hike to witness the wonder of nature, all you need is a tree or a patch grass, and the life you can discover there is incredible. all you have to do is look, and teach children to look; to stop and to observe and use their senses to connect with the natural environment that surrounds them.

as people we tend separate ourselves from the natural world, creating boundaries between us and other living creatures. but, we are in fact a part of the environment we live in, even though we drive cars and live in houses and eat processed foods. the growing disconnect between humans and nature is frightening to see. that’s why dear hubby and i try to connect our kids to their environment, their food, the worms in our garden and the frogs during a hike.

being in nature is good for our physical health, our spiritual health, our emotional health and our mental health. Mother nature has a way of healing and calming us down and grounding us even in the most heightened of emotion. Nature comes in many forms, we can see it, feel it, even taste it, making us feel more intune with what is around us. Stress can take over a massive part of our lives if we let it consume us, luckily there are natural ways to help ourselves so we never stray too far from the path. Herbal remedies have become a staple in so many people’s lives to help them day-to-day, medical marijuana has been lauded by thousands, the same with its other form – CBD, but there is one that may not be as linked but can still have positive effects, and that is Shrooms. Click here to see how this is possible and can potentially be used for your own adult mental health. I have a lot to look into myself and research, I’m hoping that with my own mental health, I too, can find positives in every day.

i witnessed a car crash.

May 26, 2013 by mama lola

i saw something bad happen…
you know when you’re driving home in your own community after having a fun morning, and you want to get home quick for lunch and nap…

but then…

…you witness a car crash. You don’t expect to see it, you don’t even expect to ever be a part of one. But these things happen. That’s why if you are ever involved in a car crash you need to get yourself a lawyer, such as one from somewhere like this charleston law firm, that way you might be able to get the compensation that you deserve. I have no idea if it was distracted driving or just simple misfortune, but it was still horrifying to see. If you are worried about finding yourself in a similar situation or you just want a little more confidence with your driving, you may want to check out this online defensive driving NY school for more information on courses that could give you the confidence you need while out on the road.

i saw one car drive through the intersection and hit another car. i saw the face of the guy in the passenger side when the airbag deployed. i saw the kid in the backseat get lifted into the air upon impact. i heard the LOUD crash. i screamed. i felt my heart stop and then i felt my adrenalin set it.
dear hubby ran out of our car to see if he could help and i got my phone out to call 911.

* i have a recurring nightmare where i am in trouble and need to phone for help, but i can’t figure out how to use the phone. sometimes i’m at an old phone booth and sometimes i am using my own cell (a smart phone). but, i just can’t seem to coordinate my fingers and so i feel panicked.

anyhow, with my phone in hand, i dialed 9-1-1. and then nothing happened. just like in my nightmare. AAHHHHHH!
luckily i noticed my mistake and quickly hit the green “send” button. a voice on the other end asked me if i wanted police, ambulance or fire and i had no idea what to say so i said, all of the above! i didn’t actually know if anyone was hurt, bleeding or whatever but the impact was pretty hard and my motto is always better safe than sorry. i told the operator where we were, what intersection and that there had been a car crash. that was that.
then i waited in the car with the kids as dear hubby checked to see if anyone needed anything. it felt like years went by before we heard or saw the flashing lights of the approaching emergency vehicles in the distance. i was relieved when they arrived. the crash happened right in the middle of the fairly large intersection, and traffic was becoming agitated with all the waiting and slow flow of cars trying to avoid the crash scene.
because i saw what happened, and because i phoned 911, we thought we should stick around. and, i was asked to write a statement for the police. i was in such a heightened state that i actually forgot what happened; or i got confused about what was north and east and what was what. with the kids there i was distracted and my heart was still racing pretty fast.
i think i put down the wrong info on my statement.
feck.

but, i wasn’t the only witness. there were lots of people there when…
… at around noon today, a guy, a young man in his early 20’s ran a red light at a fairly high speed and crashed into a turning car who had the right of way. the guy’s son was in the backseat, in a carseat and dear hubby said they all seemed fine, well physically and for now, i suppose. later on other people saw him take a breathalyzer and saw him get arrested. the car that he hit had a young woman in it, who was driving after leaving her co-op at a nursing home (according to other bystanders). she was taken away in an ambulance, but we saw her and she was sitting up, conscious and was chatting with the paramedics. that’s a good sign, right?

it was one of those things, seeing that crash, that made me feel so fortunate that we were 10 seconds behind in the events that unfolded. of course i am sad that anyone had to be involved or be hurt, but i am relieved it was not my family. the woman’s car was hit in the rear door, which in our car means one of the kids would have been affected. lion specifically and the thought of that makes me sick to my stomach. the thought of my kids being hurt by someone else’s carelessness and selfishness makes me terrified. and angry.

that was no accident i witnessed. an accident is something that could not have been prevented, and, simply put, that car crash could have been avoided, only if that guy driving had made better choices in those moments leading up to it. it was his choice to run a red, to drive fast and possibly do it all while under the influence of drugs and or alcohol. those were no accident; they were all choices and decisions he made, regardless of how well thought out.
they were no accident.

i was very shaken when we eventually got home. my heart raced for a while and i felt tense and anxious. the crash has been playing on repeat in my mind for a while and i feel great sadness for all the people involved. i hope the young woman who was taken to the hospital is not physically hurt from the impact she endured. I also hope that she got herself a lawyer like Batta Fulkerson as soon as she can. She doesn’t deserve what happened to her and she deserves retribution. i hope they looked her over and that she was picked up by loved ones and taken home for some TLC. i hope she is able to overcome the emotional trauma from this incident with the support of family and friends.
i hope the little boy who sat in the backseat, who is about the same age as our bear, who watched his dad get arrested is somewhere safe now. i hope he is not traumatized by these events and i hope he is in the loving arms of his family. i hope his dad wasn’t high or drunk, and i hope he learns a big lesson in all of this.
it’s one thing to gamble with your own life, but to gamble with other people’s lives, simply to get to your destination faster is selfish and immature.

[ source ]

life is incredibly fragile and we are all so vulnerable in it. that is why we must remember that we are not alone in this, that what you do or don’t do has a ripple effect on the community around you.
love yourself enough,
love others enough,
err on the side of caution and slow down,
smell the roses, listen to the birds, savour the taste.

stay safe people.

rewards chart, it’s our first time.

May 22, 2013 by mama lola

i’ve mentioned here before how we have been having a hard time with bear lately. his day to day behaviour is exhausting to live with. his negativity, his sassy mouth and the potty mouth are the top concerns we have. so after talking to another mama, i decided to make him a rewards chart. we’ve never made one for our kids, not even for potty training, so i thought it was worth a try.

one day as bear and i walked home from school just the two of us, we had a chat : mom to son. i started off by saying he and i were in a rut and that we had bad habits in place for clear, honest communication. our response to each other was always the same, we were snappy and grumpy, just cuz. i admitted to having my own bad habits and i asked bear if he was willing to work together to change things up.
he said yes.
then i told him about the chart and that if he succeeded in filling it in with stickers, then we would go to the toy store and buy a wee toy. bear helped make the chart; he numbered the days and then helped decide what the categories should be. he wanted everything to have it’s own row, but i had to contain it all. not sure i did a great job, but so far it seems to be keeping us on the right track.

i’m not super excited about admitting that i am bribing my kid to behave, but i think that incentive can work effectively when used appropriately. and really, it’s about changing behaviour and hopefully by the end of this week, we’ll have both taken a turn for the better.

it’s a huge chart with 100 squares, but on the weekend some of the categories are not applicable (hang up back up, take out lunch bag etc), and we’ve given him a few “allowed oops'”, because we all make mistakes and forget or are tired. i’m not looking for perfect behaviour, but i am hoping for an effort towards courtesy, kindness and positivity.

i don’t have a chart for myself and alas, do not receive any stickers for my efforts. but, i do see the change in him and that’s all the reward i need. kids really do reflect back what they see and feel from us, the parents. they copy and mimic us in ways that is so surprising. i see and hear myself (and dear hubby) in the kids; sometimes i cringe in shame, other times i jump up with pride and think “wow, we are doing something right!”

this whole parenting gig is tricky and, as the kids get older it gets much more challenging intellectually and emotionally. sleep deprivation and battles with getting babes to sleep or to nurse, all seem so easy somehow in comparison. but, i suppose i now have the skills and confidence to deal with sleep issues, but i cannot say the same about dealing with a 5 year old who talks back with great sass in his tone. if you happen to be in the same boat as me, it’s best to contact specialists like Gwinnett Sleep, who might be able to help you with your sleep deprivation at least.

having said that, at the end of the day, i am grateful for whatever battles come my way. i am proud to be my kids’ äiti (mum) and happy to take each day as they come. as long as i get to drink my coffee as well!

happy days ahead!