All of our kids are very active and they love being outdoors, so when I was asked to review Kick Scooters, I was happy to do so and thrilled that it would solve our current 2:3 scooter to kid ratio at our house.
Research is the key to any good product review, so I went to the website to find out what I could.
These scooters are huge in Europe. They are Swiss engineered and designed, but manufactured in Asia (Under strict quality control) where they produce more than 6,000 kick boards a DAY!
I’m not sure that everyone believes the saying “Giving is better than receiving”, but I do believe that that my step-daughter learned a little bit about it this weekend.
You see, she has been getting an allowance for taking care of the cat. Every week, she gets $5 and when she gets to $20, Tom takes her to the bank and she puts it in her bank to deposit it. This week, she had $20, but she had different plans for her money.
As I sit here writing this blog, I have baby puke stains on both, my pants and my shirt.
Think about it, what do they do all day? They sleep... okay, that part is cute, but from the moment they wake up it’s all down hill from there.
They dribble while they eat, drool because their teeth are coming. Then, the dribble and the drool combine to become that, gross, sour milk smelling stuff that gathers under their many chins until you somehow manage to get a cloth in there. They puke and burp and fart.
I have had approximately 5 hours sleep in the past 48 hours. My daughter has been puking for 3 days, and if you are a parent, you will know that means that even when she was sleeping, I was watching her breath, feeling her forehead, and waiting for the next horrible episode of dry heaving to begin.
Generally, by the time the dry heaving was done, the baby was awake any way, so if I was hoping to sleep, those dreams were shattered.
Tom was away, so it was just me to take care of them.
I don’t deal well with death, but then, who does? Besides, death has a way of showing up unannounced and usually way too early. Not a very good dinner guest at all.
The holidays are fast approaching. I know, you don’t want to hear that, but it’s true. This isn’t your typical holiday post though. It’s not about shopping, or decorating, or even holiday traditions, but it is about something close to my heart.
You see, I have a blended family. We have kids that are his, mine and ours. This time of year, I start thinking about how lucky we are that we get along with our exes. How difficult it could be if we fought over who got what kids when. I know there are people out there having that argument right now.
So, what’s your favourite part of the holidays? Is it the wonderful baked goods that you feel it’s okay to indulge in because it would be unfestive to say no? Is it the christmas carols 24 hours a day on the radio (yes, I listen to that station in December), or is it all that beautiful sparkling snow? Blech, hate the stuff.
So, I was nominated as the parent of choice to have “the talk” with my 10-year old step daughter.
We told her that, one night, when it was just her and I at home (that happens on Tuesdays), I would be talking to her about some changes that her body would soon be going through. She was eager to learn.
We had given her a body book a couple years ago to look through and prepare her, but we had never really talked about it. I wasn’t even sure how far she had gotten in the book.
You know that song, ‘It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year’? Well, I’m changing the lyrics to “It’s the most stressful time of the year”! Hello, it’s already Novemeber! In another month, I will be expected to make all the dreams and wishes of 4 small children come true. No pressure!
Soon the stores will be all a buzz with christmas carols, filled with all kinds of sparkly decorations and I’ll be hauling my kids to the Mall Santa demanding that they all smile at the same time... even if they don’t feel like it.
If you’ll recall, in my last blog, I offered up this space to anyone who had an idea for giving back.
Thank-you for your responses.
The Kindness Revolution is in full swing now, and the #bekind messages on Twitter are so inspiring. I read them everyday morning; it’s a good way to start the day. So, I’ve decided that not only will I share your ideas for giving back, I will perform each one before Christmas. I came up with a few of my own ideas too.
A couple months ago, I went to the local food bank to drop off donations. While I was there, I mentioned that our kids had volunteered at the Ottawa Food bank during Winterlude and what a great experience it was. I asked if they could come volunteer with them some time, and the lady said they didn’t allow young kids in the warehouse, but there was a day in November where they would have a huge drive and, if I watched over the kids, they could take part.
Halloween is one of my favourite holidays of the year. Of course, I love all the holidays, but do you know what makes Halloween special? I didn’t have to cook; I ordered pizza, and instead of having all my family over, we went and visited them (very briefly). No mess, no cooking, no cleaning.
Of course there is the mess of carving pumpkins and the decorations that need to be cleaned up, but there is no pressure to have it all done the day of.
