Super Cool person of the week

This week's super cool person is Holly


Holly was my RA my first year at college.  We lost touch, but one day we were at the same play group with her then  two year old and a 1 year old JJ.  I think since that time we've gotten together almost on a weekly basis.  We were both pregnant with our little girls at the same time and she has since added another little one.


I've appreciated having someone around who is in the same stage of life.  We actually bought a house down the road and our eldest kids are in the same school (sister classes).  She inspires me to be a good person with her kindness, generousity, honesty and realness.  She is down to earth.


I was telling Matthew last night that Holly is someone I would like to be more like.

Picking your battles

It seems like everywhere you turn someone is telling you to be passionate about something.  Whatever their area of expertise they try to endorse perfection.  For example, Dentists are passionate about your teeth.  Their standard of excellence is brushing after every meal, flossing everyday, regular check ups etc.  The horror stories are enough to scare you into doing that.  Then you hear about how you need to go "green" ... people passionate about this share their ideals for how you should live.  Then someone tells you how the key to a good life is going to the chiropracter two times a week.  This is a must if you want to be healthy and happy.  Things like this are definately good!  Don't get me wrong ...

Then you watch a documentary on all the germs that can live in your house and in your bed  and you become passionate about cleaning ... but it has to be green products and you have to have flossed before you do the cleaning.

Then you get a pamphlet about how important it is to read to your kids every night.  Reading every night is a must ... then another pamphlet about how you need to work on certain speaking techniques everyday because it detrimental to your child's development.  And another pamphlet about fundraising.  You sense the passion in that because you want your kids to be well rounded.  

Then you read somewhere that it's so important to take some time for yourself everyday. And the key to a successful marriage is date night every Friday.  Oh and if you want to have daughters that date good men it's important to take them on dates too.  But it's also so good for your health and children's self esteem to be involved in sports teams and clubs after school and on the weekends.


But don't forgot  to get exercise every day ... and eat all the food groups ... especially the "superfood" of the month.  And your food must be organic because do you know what they do to regular vegetables?  Oh ... and stretch and warm down before and after those work outs.

Don't eat any fast food because you will implode if you do, make sure your car has regular check ups (that actually could implode so maybe you should take that one seriously), drink a glass of red wine every night because it's good for your heart.  Be a good Christian.  Always be thinking about others.  Always be thinking about your children.  Always have an antibacterially clean house.  Always, hug and kiss your husband before he leaves for work. Always have a good attitude.   Always have everything on hand.  Always be prepared.  Always have a perfect fitting pair of jeans and perfect bathingsuit for your bust size.  Always be ready for the Queen to visit!


Anyone else feel like they are spinning?  These things are all good, but reaching perfection everyday is not what life is about.


If one day everyone in the family didn't get their teeth flossed, no one made it to the chiropracter and you forgot to do your home reading, but you made healthy eating choices, took the kids for a walk and packed a litter free lunch you can count it a good day.  Maybe the next day you'll prioritize something else.

Just breathe.

Do your best.  Love people.  Live in hope.

Day 6 reflections

Those of you who know us well know that smoothies are a staple around here in the summer.  I usually pack my smoothies full of stuff, but a few months ago I decided to try cucumber in it.  To my surprise I realized I could add large amounts of peeled cucumber without Tee or I really noticing.  Then I learned that you can add lettuce and spinach too .... and without realizing it I joined the 14 day green smoothie challenge.

The 14 day challenge encourages people to drink 2 green smoothies a day in addition to their regular meals for 14 days and see what kind of results they find.  Now, I am not one to follow recipes.  I like to experiment. 

I have had 2 smoothies a day for 6 days now.  One smoothie is really "green" and it's usually just for me.  I usually add 1/3 head romain lettuce and a large handful of spinach.  I then add water and a few frozen berries.  It tastes a little bitter, but I've grown to really like it. If this scares you ... keep reading

My green smoothie

The other smoothie I make is shared with the family.  It usually has 2 handfuls spinach, 1/2 head lettuce, couple inches peeled cucumber and then I put in any combination of the following ... soy milk icecubes, frozen berries, fresh berries, watermelon, banana, cranberries, pom juice, almonds, sunflower seeds, honey, flax seed powder, milk, water, yogurt.  I must note that no two smoothies are alike.  You use what you have on hand, what will make the right texture and what you want to add to your diet that day.  I tell you, the second smoothie is good!  Bananas and stronger berries really mask any veggie in there!  This one can be more of a meal ... usually breakfast.  Whatever doesn't get used goes into icecube trays and put right back into the next smoothie.

Drinking her smoothie Tee style

My observations: (that may or may not have anything to do with the green smoothies)

1. I have been eating a good breakfast
2. I have more energry
3. I don't feel the need to snack as much
4. I still get cranky
5. I'm more motivated to live a healthy lifestyle
6. I still crave junk food
7. The breakouts around my mouth have slowed down
8. I don't worry about Tee's diet as much
9. I seem to have lost some belly fat, but the scales haven't gone down
10. I now crave the green smoothies.  I was actually tempted to pull some leaves from the tree and throw it in the blender, but I didn't want to take the risk of poisoning us.
11. My skin is softer

So this is the first week.  Looking forward to seeing what the second week brings.  

So, I asked Matthew if I was a basket case and it got us thinking

I have a great aunt, bless her heart, who is probably the most subtly funny relative I have.  To be honest, I was afraid of her as a child, but as I started growing up I started to see her warped sense of humour.  Perhaps this is where I get my humour from.  It wasn't uncommon to hear her say something like, "heavens to murgatroid child, sit down, you're making me dizzy."  She actually makes me giggle now.  Maybe because I've learned to sit down.

The other night I asked Matthew where the term "basket case" came from.  Now, this is not in reference to my great aunt.  Just bare with me.  We got curious about it and looked it up.  It's not totally known where the term originated from, but a common explanation was from WW1 when a soldier would lose all four limbs and would be carried in a basket.  One would be deemed useless which is a variation of the context we use it in today.

This got me thinking about other things we say and where they came from.  My aunt is known for her weird saying so I just had to look it up.  "Heavens to Murgatroid" comes from a 1944 movie called Meet the People with Bert Lahr and Lucille Ball.  All along I thought it was just something she said ...

There are lots of other sayings that have become second nature to say, but do we really know where the terms come from?  Did you know that "where in the Sam hill"  dates back to  1825 when Samuel was a devil in the opera Der Freishuetz.  When put with "hill" instead of "hell" it became a more approrpiate and mannered way to say "where in the hell" during a time when vulgar words were unproper in public. Excuse my language if it offends anyone.  I'm trying to make a point.

Did you know that "wet your whistle" came from pubs in England that used to bake a whistle into the bottom of their ceramic cups?  When the drink was empty you just had to blow the whistle for the next.  Or that "O.K." first appeared in a Boston newspaper in 1839 as a comedic way and spelling of saying All Correct? They deliberately spelled it Oll Korrect which is where we get O.K. from.  It actually became the slogan for President Martin Van Buren's campaign.

"I'll be a monkey's uncle" was originally a sacrastic remark made against Darwin's theory of evolution and "Son of a gun" was pretty much a slam saying a woman slept with a sailor between cannons on a ship.

Interesting how we just use terms without thinking about where they came from.  

Heavens to Murgatroid!  Where in the sam hill did the time go? I need to go wet my whistle before we're all basket cases! I'll be a monkey's uncle, everything is going to be O.K.  ....  Has a different meaning to me now ... 

The girls and I with my Aunt A. the last time she was in Ontario

The 7 year itch

They say that couples tend to reevalute their relationship after 7 years.  It's probably earlier these days, but the term "7 year itch" comes from a time period when the average marriage lasted 7 years.  It's also the title of a movie from 1955 that starred Marilyn Monroe.  7 years eh?  

Matthew and I will be celebrating our 7th anniversary soon.  We've joked about the 7 year itch, but it's probably wiser to learn why people get the 7 year itch.  Perhaps it's because most couples have had their 2.4 kids and are wondering what comes next.  Perhaps the marriage wasn't good from the start and people are starting to want "out".  Perhaps people get bored or are searching to understand who they are in each phase of life.   I'm not sure the reason or if the number 7 really means anything, but I want to avoid the 4 year itch, 7 year itch or 32 year itch. 

Matthew and I have finished all the "bigs" in life.  We've married, we've had our kids and bought our first house.   So, why stay together?  There is nothing big left to experience. 

I think the biggest reason I stay married to  Matthew is because I want to.  I know that sounds kind of redundant, but it's true.  There are lots of reason to stay with someone.  For the kids, because you're afraid of change, because you're stuck or to keep up an image.  I have loved the past 7 years of marriage and I want to stay married to Matthew.  The past 7 years hasn't been all roses, but the easiest and best part has been being partnered with Matthew.  I love him more now than that sunny June afternoon I told him I wanted to be with him until death do us part.


Now we've discussed the 7 year itch .... what I'd like to understand is the 7 year "I've got two kids, a house to clean and can't seem to find time alone with eachother" itch.  Things definately are not the same as when we first got married.  Seriously, what did we do with ourselves before we had kids?  Seems like we are doing our own thing all day and then when we've got some time at the end of the day our brains are mush and we just want to turn off.  It's not for lack of liking eachother, it's just that the honeymoon stage is definately over!  The man has seen me give birth to two children.  There is not much mystery left. .... Oh ... but is there?


I told Matthew awhile ago that I was looking old and his response surprised me .... "well, you did say you wanted to grow old with me".  Can't argue with him there.  There is still a mystery ... the mystery of growing old together.  I'm starting to see white hairs come out in Matthew's black afro (I do mean afro since he is in desperate need of a hair cut) .... it's so different to see and I think it's cool seeing him change.   There are so many more first for us.  We just had our first child start school this year, then there will be our first teenager or when one of our beautiful daughters gets married ... or *gulp* becoming ... grandparents.  Whatever God has planned for our lives I want to take this journey with my best friend.   I'd itch for 7 years just to spend one day with him. Had to throw a little cheese in there.  


See how much we've changed in the past 7 years ....

"So, you want to have two girls and name them Tee and JJ?"

"You are signing for our marriage now, but in 5 years we'll be signing for our first house in Cambridge"

"Jessica seems like a baby in this picture, but just wait until our first daughter wears this same dress in 3 years.  It will melt your heart"

"These little girls will be teenagers before you know it so use this as a lesson when our two little girls come"

Now my legs are kind of itchy.

Things they never tell you before you have kids

Having worked with kids a lot before having my own I would have thought I'd known a lot about kids .... what I didn't know about was parenthood.  Here are a few things they didn't tell me about before that I wish I had known ... or maybe I'm glad I didn't know ...

• Upon becoming pregnant your body will become an open book for people to comment on. 
• You will pee your pants in the third trimester
• You may think you didn't get stretch marks on the bottom of your tummy, but it's only because you can't see them and your husband wisely didn't tell you until after the baby was born
• When you start to nurse people will either leave the room or stare.  For some reason people tend to be curious and althought it's still your boob people will watch.
• You will have to bring your little watering can with you to the bathroom for the first week
• If you have girls, your house will look like a pink ballerina threw up in it.
• You will have the urge to chew on your child's cheeks because they are "just so cute"
• You can be frustrated with your kids, but if someone else starts messing with them these claws you didn't know you had will come out.
• You will genuinely get excited about year end sales for children's clothing
• "Did she poop today?" will be a common question
• When you hold someone else's baby you will temporarily forget how much work they are and starting giving your husband "bedroom eyes"
• It is soooo much harder to lose weight when you stop nursing.
• You will need to put a lock on your bedroom door if you ever want to have sex again
• Things will go easier if you know what fore/hind milk, thrush, BPA and bumbos are before you have your baby
• You may be worried about giving birth to a three-eyed elephant child, but your children WILL be cuter than everyone else's 
• Your kids will make you laugh every day
• Your kids will ask you the wierdest and funniest questions.  You will have to learn how to answer them with a straight face
• Start studying because before you know it they are in kindergarten and they are correcting you on how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly.

Trying to dress JJ in a shirt that's too small just after a thrush treatment.

No one said it was easy, but it sure has been an adventure!  Feel free to add your own to the list

Spring is Sprunging giveaway!!

Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are coming!  A day like today is a little preview of those warm summer days that will be heading our way.  Now, I'm definately one of those people who likes cooler, rainy weather, but even I can appreciate a warm, lazy morning hanging out by the "pool" ... you can't exactly swim laps in our pool, but a mommy can definately get wet sitting by it!

In honour of this beautiful Mother's day I'm giving away some freezie sleeves.  What are freezie sleeves?

 

These are freezie sleeves.  They are fun little holders to keep sensitive fingers from freezing.  I'm going to change font colours because JJ is watching over my shoulder and REALLY wants me to change font colour ... the rainbow affect will now take place.    A fun little tip I picked up a few years ago is freezing yogurt tubes.  They are a healthier version of a freezie, but still lots of fun on a warm day.  Tee actually won't eat freezies, but gets very excited over a frozen yogurt tube.  To enter the giveaway we want to hear about some of your best summer activities.  If you leave a comment about an awesome summer experience you will get your name put in the draw.  If you post this somewhere you will get 2 chances.  If someone new writes on here and says they heard about it from you, you will get 3 chances.  Can't wait to get some fun summer ideas from you!  The colour choices were brought to you by JJ ... Have Fun!

Nostalgia

You know what's even more rare than Tee taking an afternoon nap?  Tee and Matthew taking an afternoon nap.  You know what's even more rare than Tee and Matthew taking an afternoon nap?  Tee, Matthew and Julia taking an afternoon nap ... yep, I've had the afternoon to myself.

There's something I've been thinking and wondering about lately.  Yes, it's the title of my blog today.  Nostalgia.  I've wondered about it because I was curious about the guilty pleasure I get from watching old t.v. shows.  If I ever feel down or overwhelmed I like to watch shows from my past.  Why would the golden girls make me feel safe?  Why would facts of life make me feel like things were simple again?  Nostalgia is a yearning for the past in a idealized form.  I know that with nostalgia "the good old days" are romanticised, but there must be some positive feelings that go along with it.  If your past was terrible then you probably wouldn't feel safe when your senses are stimulated by something that reminds you of the past.

For a lot of people the smells and sights of Christmas bring back those nostalgic feelings.  This is probably why when I'm really down I like to watch the Christmas specials of old shows from the 80's and 90's.  Does anyone else feel this way?  I often get this with the change of every season too.  Those fuzzy feelings come back when I see the leaves start to turn and I get the urge to get new paper and pens and start being productive.  Or when the smell of spring comes I'm brought back to spring on the farm and playing in the creek that ran through our field. I don't really want to go back to those days ... I just enjoy the feeling that my senses give me when I see/feel/smell and hear these things. 


One thing I don't understand is that I get nostalgia for time periods that I didn't even exsist in.  Sometimes I really wish it was the 1950's ... perhaps this is just a nostalgia spin off from watching Leave it to Beaver and The Andy Griffith Show when I was a kid.  Wouldn't it be cool to live on a street like the Cleavers and go to the malt shop after school?  Doesn't that sound simple?  Of course, this is the romanticised version which is what nostalgia is all about ... 


Regardless, I like the feeling I get when I watch an old rerun of Who's the Boss and eat a warm bowl of soup.  It's my secret guilty pleasure.  Don't tell anyone.

For my Honey ... oh wait ... no food names ... For my Trojan

May the angels protect you
And trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when its time to go home
May you always have plenty
The glass never empty
And know in your belly
You're never alone

May your tears come from laughing
May you find friends worth having
With every year passing
Their worth more than gold
May you win but stay humble
Smile more than grumble
And know when you stumble
You're never alone  

Never alone

I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone