My mother is old school when it comes to raising children. She sterilizes bottles in boiling water the old-fashioned way. She heats milk on the stove top instead of using the bottle warmer. She still throws all diapers in the garbage bin outside the house instead of using a Diaper Genie.

And I JUST don’t get it!

Thank you.

Thank you for allowing me some time away from talking about children — yours, mine, anyones.

Thank you for reminding me of what’s important to me besides my two daughters and enabling me to enjoy those activities I’d enjoyed before children. Because the truth is, I’m not always good at remembering all that.

I forget about me.

I forget what I was like before my children were born.

I forget who I was before I was a mother.

I forget that I exist independently of my children.

Thank you for bringing me back to me.

This has been an insanely busy month for us. We spent the first two weeks visiting family in Calgary and these last two weeks are going to be spent with family visiting us from overseas. To say the least, this has been quite the change of pace from our usual routine. I’d say it has been especially challenging for my two daughters who naturally, like most young children, fare better with their normal routines.

There is an actual product called Sexcereal that is available on your grocery store shelves. I swear I’m not lying. It’s a legit for-real cereal that exists.

I’ve realized something recently. I’m getting old.

There’s not one specific event that has led me to this revelation but rather, a bunch of little things that slowly but surely have made me face the cold, hard truth. And trust me, it feels cold.

I love my husband but I miss my boyfriend.

Don’t get me wrong. My husband is my absolute best friend and can make me laugh like no one else can. He knows me better than anyone else and I truly cannot imagine my life without him. He has given me two beautiful children, a wonderful life, and a loving home. I don’t know how I got so lucky but I did. All that is something I cannot dispute and being so close to my husband is the best feeling in the world….except when it’s not.

Sometimes I just want him to go back to being my boyfriend for a little while.

Sales make me feel rich. Which, quite unfortunately, I most certainly am not. I don’t know what it is about that red ‘SALE’ sign that pulls me in like a moth to a flame. It’s becoming a problem. Especially now that I’m on maternity leave and have ample time to partake in the sport of online shopping. So much more fun than basketball or soccer in my humble opinion. And much safer, too.

I am obsessed with my younger daughter. Okay, fine. I’m actually obsessed with both my daughters but I absolutely love this infant stage that my youngest is at. She’s no longer a newborn and not yet a toddler. She is at the perfect part of infancy.

Why is it so perfect? I can give you so many reasons but I’ll try to stick to the top five:

When you’re a parent, you’re either a collector or a hoarder. There’s just no way around it—your children’s toys and baby gear overtake the house.

Life is fabulous right now. We have access to WIFI on airplanes. If we run out of gas, we can immediately call for help on mobile phones and they look nothing like the huge monstrosity carried by Zack Morris on Saved By the Bell. We no longer need a perm or crimping iron to be fashionable. Like I said, life is good.

But…..

Night-time feedings suck. There’s just no other way to put it. It’s no fun at all to be sleep-deprived and there is nothing appealing about constantly being woken up in the middle of the night.

But (FYI, there is always a but)….

I’m all about trying to make the best out of bad situations. Which is why I’ve figured out something that actually makes my night-time feedings much more pleasant. These feedings have become my time to read mommy sites online. Multitasking at its finest, obviously.

I try to be fair with both my daughters but it’s not always easy. It’s not my newborn. Infants are easy. As long as they're fed and clean, they’re happy. Toddlers, however, aren’t quite so easy. In fact, toddlers can be much more demanding. Mine is, that’s for sure.

My toddler still takes a nap every afternoon. I would lose my sanity without that nap. It’s like a little slice of quiet in an otherwise chaotic world. That being said, I go to great lengths to ensure that this aforementioned nap takes place. What that means is that I have to often get creative and figure out ingenious ways to entice her to lie down.

My daughter had her birthday this month and that means she had her birthday party this month. What THAT means is that she received birthday presents this month. And THAT has become the bane of my existence.

My daughter is one lucky girl and her life is full of amazing people who showered her with wonderful gifts. A lot of wonderful gifts. What sorts of gifts, do you ask? Umm, I wouldn’t know. I wouldn’t know because I haven’t let her open them yet. Sigh.

I’m so not a morning person, but I do love my mornings.

Go ahead and ask me why.

It's simple, really. My mornings are my time; my time before my hellions wake up and cause the usual chaos that only they can cause.

I love my children. I really do, but as a mom to a toddler and a newborn, my day is always b-u-s-y. Not busy like, “Oh-my-God I have to make sure I schedule my manicure and pedicure early in the morning so I have enough time to go shopping for something cute before my romantic dinner out!”

After my daughter was born, my mother stayed with me for an entire two months. Two freaking months and it was ah-mazing.

I come from a culture where women traditionally went to their parents’ home to give birth and recuperate but because it wasn't feasible for me to go back home, my mom came to stay with me. It is absolutely and without a doubt, the best thing possible after having a baby.

I’m on maternity leave and I’ve realized that means one thing is certain. It means I become addicted to daytime television. Oh Lord, help me because I cannot help myself.

It’s inevitable. It happened when I was on mat leave with my older daughter and I can see the tell-tale signs creeping in again. I feel powerless to stop it.

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I envisioned maternity leave as a wonderful time to conquer all the outstanding items on my always expanding bucket list. I was going to learn how to ride horses, ski the highest mountains, and explore the hidden gems of Ontario. I obviously failed to realize that I was also going to be a first time mother to an adorable but demanding new baby. Oh, and babies take time and energy. In fact, they can take so much time and energy that the bucket list can often get tossed wayside as you navigate sleepless nights, colic, and breastfeeding demands.

Cribs, strollers, baby monitors, bottles, bathtubs, and on and on. The list of products that first time parents need is never-ending and often overwhelming. But some of the stuff being peddled to excited new parents is just ridiculous and a waste of money! Money that could be better spent on diapers. Seriously. Do you even realize how many diapers you will need?!

I know it’s tempting to buy everything. It’s just so hard to resist all that cuteness but rest assured that there are some products being sold as ‘must-haves' that you will rarely (if ever) use.

I’m pretty sure I’m losing my mind. I’ve been cooped up in my house with both an easily upset newborn and a whiny toddler for far too long. I feel like either crying hysterically or laughing manically at the turn of a whim. I take a look in the mirror and have a feeling that this is what crazy looks like.