Yes my kids watch cartoons. They love Treehouse a little too much. I always said that TV was going to be a treat but in many cases it has become a help when I have work to do. Well my son is now really into watching TV and movies, and he will sit through it all. So because it is Spring Break I decided to let him stay up a little later with me a couple of nights. Tonight he is sitting beside me, all cuddled in which just melts my heart (and makes up for his not so nice behaviour the past couple of days) and watching Franklin when Little Bear comes on. I know how much he really enjoys Little Bear so I let him stay up and watch it too. Hopeful that maybe the extra 20 minutes will give me an extra 20 minutes of sleep in the morning!! Well the show ends and off up to bed he goes, I go up and turn on the humidifier (he has another cough) and tuck him in with a hug and kiss. Another thing that melts my heart! I come back down, sit down with my laptop and start working. An hour later I realize I am still watching Treehouse... maybe deep down I am as much of a fan of the shows as they are!!
I know I secretly love watching Berenstain Bears with him, I loved it as a child too! Little Bear, Franklin, and many others are cute little shows that have good meaning behind them. That and they might give me a couple minutes to send an email or start dinner.
Wow I admit that I let my kids watch TV, and more then some might think is okay.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
To the Doctor or not?
That I feel has been a question in my mind for months now. As many of you know I have struggled this past winter with a number of illnesses and it just seems like my body can't recover. I am not a fan of doctors and I don't like running to them for every little thing. I think if I was not sick in the first place I sure will be when I leave the doctors office!
Miss E has barely gone since she was born. My wonderful midwives cared for her first 6 weeks and then I just took her in when I had to. Her vaccinations have been all over the place as I am still not sure how I feel about them. Yes I gave every single one to my son and I feel bad about it. I was a new mother and I trusted in my health professionals to take care of him. Is that not what they should be there for after all? Well I started to learn better and I can't take back his but I can do what I feel best for her. I will never not vaccinate my kids, but I will do it in my own time. I have a really great friend who has a son with Autism and it is heart breaking to how she feels responsible and that vaccines are the reason for his change. I count my blessings every day that my children were the lucky ones.
Ever since I returned from my wonderful sunny vacation I have been dealing with this cold that is more of an aggravation then anything. Well a couple of weeks ago it turned into this cough. Both kids were sick with colds so I didn't get a lot of sleep. Kal will cough all night long but sleep right through it, it just keeps me awake. Miss E will not sleep. She is a horrible sleeper, and nothing I do about it will change anything. If she is sick, or dealing with anything (I will have to share our kitchen chair fall one day) she sleeps horribly. That means I don't sleep and when I don't sleep I get run down and then it seems I get sick. I am the type that needs 8 hours of sleep a night, or else I am not someone you want to be around!
This cough has not gone away, it has kept me from the gym, and keeps me awake most of the night. Thankfully it doesn't wake up the kids! I am sad that I can't work out. I tried going to yoga on Thursday night but had to leave halfway through the class because as soon as I went into downward dog I started coughing and could not stop. I didn't want to disrupt the class. I am really missing the gym, it is a great outlet for me. I would normally do pilates on Monday's but I can't do it, unless I spend the hour hacking up a lung. I am not sure what else I can do about my cough, I have tried everything but nothing seems to help. I don't want to go to the doctor for just a cough. Maybe if I am still like this in a couple of weeks I might re-think things but for now I am going to just try to deal.
If anyone has any tips for helping a horrible cough let me know. I am open to try anything!
Miss E has barely gone since she was born. My wonderful midwives cared for her first 6 weeks and then I just took her in when I had to. Her vaccinations have been all over the place as I am still not sure how I feel about them. Yes I gave every single one to my son and I feel bad about it. I was a new mother and I trusted in my health professionals to take care of him. Is that not what they should be there for after all? Well I started to learn better and I can't take back his but I can do what I feel best for her. I will never not vaccinate my kids, but I will do it in my own time. I have a really great friend who has a son with Autism and it is heart breaking to how she feels responsible and that vaccines are the reason for his change. I count my blessings every day that my children were the lucky ones.
Ever since I returned from my wonderful sunny vacation I have been dealing with this cold that is more of an aggravation then anything. Well a couple of weeks ago it turned into this cough. Both kids were sick with colds so I didn't get a lot of sleep. Kal will cough all night long but sleep right through it, it just keeps me awake. Miss E will not sleep. She is a horrible sleeper, and nothing I do about it will change anything. If she is sick, or dealing with anything (I will have to share our kitchen chair fall one day) she sleeps horribly. That means I don't sleep and when I don't sleep I get run down and then it seems I get sick. I am the type that needs 8 hours of sleep a night, or else I am not someone you want to be around!
This cough has not gone away, it has kept me from the gym, and keeps me awake most of the night. Thankfully it doesn't wake up the kids! I am sad that I can't work out. I tried going to yoga on Thursday night but had to leave halfway through the class because as soon as I went into downward dog I started coughing and could not stop. I didn't want to disrupt the class. I am really missing the gym, it is a great outlet for me. I would normally do pilates on Monday's but I can't do it, unless I spend the hour hacking up a lung. I am not sure what else I can do about my cough, I have tried everything but nothing seems to help. I don't want to go to the doctor for just a cough. Maybe if I am still like this in a couple of weeks I might re-think things but for now I am going to just try to deal.
If anyone has any tips for helping a horrible cough let me know. I am open to try anything!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Excitement!
I am really excited about a project I am working on. I am in the process of launching my wall art, just working on getting it on my website for everyone to be able to buy. And now I am working on something else that is very exciting! I can't share just yet, but I will very soon I promise. I am trying to decide right now if these items should be under the Grace Announcements name or if I should use my Lindsay Brewda Design. Oh the details...
Well off to finish designing and creating. I just had to share :)
Well off to finish designing and creating. I just had to share :)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Organization, or lack of it
I have been trying so hard to be more organized. I would think it should be easy, I am the queen of organization after all. But I think I listened to well to the saying "who cares what your house looks like, as long as your kids are happy" and now I find it hard to find the time to have my closets looking like Martha Stewart's.
Can I share a secret? I have always admired her!! Okay there I admit it, I am a Martha Stewart fan. I would watch all of her shows and read all of her magazines before I had kids. I always looked at her for inspiration for my home.
I am not organized like that now, I wish I was, but I am not. Most of my closets have still not been set up and organized. There are still boxes in them. I moved 8 months ago now, so I don't have an excuse. That is one of those items that I need to put on the top of my "to-do list". If I could just find the time to write is down!!
Well I decided I needed to keep track of my time and all of my appointments better. I have a lot of trades in and out doing repairs on our new home, I have clients picking up orders and I have my own personal appointments. I put them all in Outlook and use their great colour categories to keep track of it all. My son is one colour, my daughter another, I am one, my house is one, and business is another. Sounds great right?
Why have I missed the last two workshops at my son's school??? I put them in my calendar, why do I not notice it? Obviously I need to adjust my system, or have a backup calendar or two. Maybe a good old fashioned one in my office and kitchen might help.
Can I share a secret? I have always admired her!! Okay there I admit it, I am a Martha Stewart fan. I would watch all of her shows and read all of her magazines before I had kids. I always looked at her for inspiration for my home.
I am not organized like that now, I wish I was, but I am not. Most of my closets have still not been set up and organized. There are still boxes in them. I moved 8 months ago now, so I don't have an excuse. That is one of those items that I need to put on the top of my "to-do list". If I could just find the time to write is down!!
Well I decided I needed to keep track of my time and all of my appointments better. I have a lot of trades in and out doing repairs on our new home, I have clients picking up orders and I have my own personal appointments. I put them all in Outlook and use their great colour categories to keep track of it all. My son is one colour, my daughter another, I am one, my house is one, and business is another. Sounds great right?
Why have I missed the last two workshops at my son's school??? I put them in my calendar, why do I not notice it? Obviously I need to adjust my system, or have a backup calendar or two. Maybe a good old fashioned one in my office and kitchen might help.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Honey I wrecked the kids!
For many years now this saying has gone through my mind. It started bad after I had little Miss Ella and I was sure I was ruining my beautiful 3 year old. The thought was so bad that I had to start in support groups for PPD. It had actually consumed my daily being and I didn't realize that I wasn't ruining my son, that I was just not recognizing all the good things throughout my day. I was being really hard on myself and after days, weeks and months like this I was not able to see anything else. Thanks to much needed help I realized that they were okay, that I didn't wreck them for the rest of their lives and that we would all be okay. Well I am not perfect and still have times when life gets crazy, I spend too much time focused on my business, etc. and I feel like I may have just had one of those days. I was actually having one of those weeks after coming back from a much needed, not long enough to regroup vacation. I have been working hard to catch up on Grace Announcements stuff and everything else is getting ignored.
Well a great friend called me up and asked if I wanted to come with her to this speaking engagement the following night, by Alyson Schafer about her new book "Honey, I Wrecked the Kids". I knew at that moment that I HAD to go, and lucky me I was now. Wow what a night! Alyson was a great speaker, and I spent most of the 2 hours engaged in every word she spoke. I left energized and ready to take on my kids. I am reading the book to get even more insight into my two, and how best to deal with them. Alyson is a great writer and her style has great humor with many real life examples. One of the biggest things that I took from that evening was something that I have been hearing for a little while now - don't change them, change the way YOU deal with them. Here is a little of what Alyson has to say about the book:
"Honey, I Wrecked the Kids is a book for parents who have tried every parenting trick in the book but nothing seems to be working. In fact, you're pretty sure they are making matters worse! Just as antibiotics created super bugs, old parenting methods have created the discipline-resistant child, and parents are not prepared.
In the book, I give detailed instructions for implementing a new style of parenting for the 21st century kid. The democratic approach is both firm and friendly. It respects the child’s dignity and rights while ensuring the same for parents. It should not be confused with permissive parenting, but all too often, it is.
Unique from other parenting literature, Honey I Wrecked the Kids gives readers a simple method for diagnosing the four root causes of misbehavior applicable to every parenting situation. Once parents learns to understand their child’s motivation and goals, their new democratic parenting tools can be applied with great success."
Alyson has another book which I want to buy when my local bookstore has it in stock. Breaking the Good Mom Myth - Every modern mom's guide to getting past perfection, regaining sanity, and raising great kids.
Maybe these two books will show me that I am actually a good mother and I should stop being so hard on myself.
Well a great friend called me up and asked if I wanted to come with her to this speaking engagement the following night, by Alyson Schafer about her new book "Honey, I Wrecked the Kids". I knew at that moment that I HAD to go, and lucky me I was now. Wow what a night! Alyson was a great speaker, and I spent most of the 2 hours engaged in every word she spoke. I left energized and ready to take on my kids. I am reading the book to get even more insight into my two, and how best to deal with them. Alyson is a great writer and her style has great humor with many real life examples. One of the biggest things that I took from that evening was something that I have been hearing for a little while now - don't change them, change the way YOU deal with them. Here is a little of what Alyson has to say about the book:
"Honey, I Wrecked the Kids is a book for parents who have tried every parenting trick in the book but nothing seems to be working. In fact, you're pretty sure they are making matters worse! Just as antibiotics created super bugs, old parenting methods have created the discipline-resistant child, and parents are not prepared.
In the book, I give detailed instructions for implementing a new style of parenting for the 21st century kid. The democratic approach is both firm and friendly. It respects the child’s dignity and rights while ensuring the same for parents. It should not be confused with permissive parenting, but all too often, it is.
Unique from other parenting literature, Honey I Wrecked the Kids gives readers a simple method for diagnosing the four root causes of misbehavior applicable to every parenting situation. Once parents learns to understand their child’s motivation and goals, their new democratic parenting tools can be applied with great success."
Alyson has another book which I want to buy when my local bookstore has it in stock. Breaking the Good Mom Myth - Every modern mom's guide to getting past perfection, regaining sanity, and raising great kids.
Maybe these two books will show me that I am actually a good mother and I should stop being so hard on myself.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Two weeks of much needed R&R!
I think I can finally come to terms with sharing some photos of my vacation in the sun. It has been hard to be back in the horrible dark grey weather in this wonderful place I call home. I really miss the sunshine. We were so lucky in Florida, the weather was beautiful! We had an hour of rain the entire time we were there. The temps were in the mid 80's and the sun was always out. My kids love the sand and the ocean. We took Miss E to Disney for her 2nd birthday since we were there for the big day. They loved seeing Mickey!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Warmth and Sunshine Here We Come!
I am so looking forward to enjoying a couple of weeks of warmth and sunshine. Canadian winters are really hard on anyone and after weeks of grey days it can have anyone down. So off we go to sunny Florida for a little rest and relaxation! No more boots, coats, hats, mitts - no more snow. As exciting as it all is I am stressing a little over the airport and flight with 2 small kids. Lugging car seats and bags to the gate does not have me excited. But I have a suitcase full off exciting things to keep the kids busy on the plane. I stopped by Costco to stock up on snacks and gum to keep them happy.
So we are going to enjoy the beach and the pool as the weather is getting much warmer next week for us. We will visit the Kennedy Space Centre. I was excited that there was a space shuttle launch while we were there, but of course it has been moved to the day after we leave... at 4am... so even if we were there I would not be waking up for it. We are going to do some shopping and enjoy some wonderful restaurants. And who can go to Florida without going to Disney?! So yes we are off to Magic Kingdom for a day. If the weather is good we are going to take Miss E on her second birthday. I realized that my little girl will be turning two on the 13th (Friday the 13th) of the second month. Good thing I am not superstitious! Maybe the hubby and I might even get out for a couple of date nights since my mom is coming too.
I have to shut down Grace Announcements for a couple weeks which is always hard for me to do. But I deserve a vacation since my last one was over 4 years ago. Heck I was working the day I brought Miss E home from the hospital 2 years ago!
So we are going to enjoy the beach and the pool as the weather is getting much warmer next week for us. We will visit the Kennedy Space Centre. I was excited that there was a space shuttle launch while we were there, but of course it has been moved to the day after we leave... at 4am... so even if we were there I would not be waking up for it. We are going to do some shopping and enjoy some wonderful restaurants. And who can go to Florida without going to Disney?! So yes we are off to Magic Kingdom for a day. If the weather is good we are going to take Miss E on her second birthday. I realized that my little girl will be turning two on the 13th (Friday the 13th) of the second month. Good thing I am not superstitious! Maybe the hubby and I might even get out for a couple of date nights since my mom is coming too.
I have to shut down Grace Announcements for a couple weeks which is always hard for me to do. But I deserve a vacation since my last one was over 4 years ago. Heck I was working the day I brought Miss E home from the hospital 2 years ago!
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