Lacey The Wonder Pet

You might remember the famous TV dogs that look out for kids... Lassie... Littlest Hobo... Old Yeller... Let me introduce you to our dog Lacey. She is a 6 year old Boxer-Beagle. Before I tell you why she is our daughters' bodyguard, let me tell you how her life almost ended before it began.

In November 2002, there was a farmer who bred Boxers. He prided himself in the boxer puppies that he produced. Well one of his female adult boxers escaped one night bored with her surroundings. She wandered off to a nearby home where she met a dashing Beagle. He romanced her all night long. The lady Boxer at last realized that she needed to return home before she was missed. Life went back to normal at home although the lady Boxer often thought about her one-night stand with the handsome Beagle. Suddenly she realized that her body was starting to change again.

Surprise, Surprise!! January 2003, lady Boxer gave birth to 7 little baby Boxer-Beagles. The owner was outraged! What if word got out? He decided that he needed to "dispose" of these creatures. Well word did get out... and not only of the new litter but also of his plans to destroy the puppies. A group of folks including my sister-in-law set out to find homes for these cute little puppies. She gave us a call and we jumped at the chance and also helped her to find a home for one other puppy. In the end, she and her friends had found homes for all 7 puppies. Well the greedy owner realized the popularity of the puppies and apparently started breeding Boxer-Beagles after that.

Lacey has been the best dog since day one. Oh don't get me wrong! She had her "puppy" moments. Like chewing a pair of glasses, a cell phone and even our love seat. We took her to training and eventually, she became a well-behaved dog. She still has her faults but she is still by-far the best.

Why do we brag about our dog so much? Well 2 years later came baby #1... a beautiful baby girl. Some dogs might have their nose out of joint, but not Lacey. She set made it her task to watch out for the baby. Here are some situations where Lacey was looking out for our daughter:

Situation #1:We put our daughter to bed upstairs. We came downstairs and stepped out onto the back porch. After a few minutes, Lacey came running to the door. My husband thought that she wanted to go out so he grabbed the leash to take her for a walk. But he was mistaken... Lacey ran passed him up the stairs to our daughter's room. There she was... she had fallen out of bed and was crying. We could not believe that Lacey had come to get us.

Situation #2:We were at a family reunion. Lacey was playing with a puppy, jumping, barking and tackling each other. It was cute and playful. Suddenly, their little game started to migrate too close to our daughter. We literally saw Lacey's eyes dart towards our daughter and she steered the puppy in the other direction. Again we were so surprised at her behaviour but so proud.

Situation #3:We were at the leash free puppy park. Lacey was off running with other dogs. Suddenly another dog came running by us and lost her balance and accidentally knocked our daughter over. Lacey saw this and immediately came running over to check her out.

We are so proud of our dog. She is always so good to our daughter even when our daughter pulls her tail, steps on her feet and hugs her way too hard. We always try to ensure that our daughter treats Lacey nicely and she is getting better. Even now with baby #2, Lacey is very good with her as well. She is so gentle around her and occasionally tries to give her a kiss.

Here are some pictures of our beautiful dog:

Lacey as a puppy


Lacey enjoying a boat ride

Lacey (red collar) and her sister (blue collar)

Lacey Being Tormented

Pregnancy and Smoking Don't Mix

I am sure that you have heard all the health warnings about smoking, drinking and drugs during pregnancy. They seem to be everywhere... on cigarette packages... on billboards... on commercials and of course in doctor's offices. So then how come some people still haven't gotten it? Well if you talk to them they will tell you tales of people who have smoked during pregnancy and everything worked out fine. They must be the lucky ones. And the majority of those stories all took place in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Cigarettes are not the same anymore. Here is a story of a little girl who wasn't so lucky. Just to protect her identity... Let's say her name is Dora. I know she likes "Dora the Explorer" so she won't mind.

In September 2003, I got the phone call from her Dad. "I am going to be a Dad." That's wonderful I thought! Well everything after that all happened so fast. The Mom did not even know that she was pregnant for a few months mostly because her cycle had never been normal. My thinking might be biased but I am guessing that smoking didn't help that either. Well, here we go... fast as fast can be, here came Dora... November 2003. Yes her mom knew that she was pregnant a grand total of 2 months. Now that would seem great for all those who hate being pregnant like me but this was not a great beginning for a little girl. Dora was born on week 28. She was a little over 3 lbs. She was not a healthy little baby and being premature she had to spend the next 2 months in the hospital. She had the joy of spending her first Christmas in a prenatal nursery in the hospital. Even her mom had a few complications during the birth that made her stay a few extra days.

January came along and Dora finally got to come home. Mom and Dad were thrilled. For the next little while, everything seemed to be going well. There were the usual doctor's appointments. However, there was one catch... As far as I understand, all babies have a hole in their heart, but it closes up when we are born. However for premature babies, this hole can take up to 2 years after birth to heal. So the Doctor's told Mom and Dad that they would just monitor it until she turned 2 and then discuss options. This "monitoring" involved many trips back and forth from home to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto and they did not live in Toronto. So the next couple of years passed, Dora seemed like a typical little girl... hyper... terrible two's... first words... first smiles... first teeth. All the joys that come with being an infant then toddler. Everyone loved this little girl. She was the first grandchild in her family. There were a few other challenges in her life, for instance right after her baby brother was born, her parents went their separate ways but that's another story.

So age 2 came along... Dad took Dora to the doctor's and he got the news that he didn't want to hear. Her hole was not closing up at all. They would wait a couple of years and then she would have to go to Sick Kids Hospital for a special heart procedure. This procedure involved going through her femoral artery in her groin and inserting a stent up into her heart. This stent would be strategically placed in the hole and over time, pull the hole closed and allow it to heal. Sounds crazy but this was apparently a well known procedure and her chances were great. So for the next couple of years, we put this in the back of our minds.

So age 4 came along, Dad had to schedule her heart procedure with Sick Kids Hospital. Of course, there was a waiting period, but this would not affect the outcome. Dora was scheduled for her procedure in September. September finally arrived... Dad and Nana were extremely nervous. They travelled down for this procedure that was to take place on Monday morning and she was to go home that night. Dad, Nana and Dora arrived at Sick Kids Hospital. If you have ever been there, you will agree with me what a wonderful place it is. It looks like a huge shopping mall that is all decorated with themes that kids love. But hopefully, you never have any need to go there.

The Doctor's sat down and talked to Dad and Nana about everything that was to take place. Dora would be prepped and anesthetized. They would go in through the femoral artery in her right groin to insert the stent. Once the procedure is done, she will have a few hours recovery and then she could go home or at least stay with the friends that lived in town. That was what was supposed to happen... Two hours, later the surgeon came out and broke the bad news to Dad and Nana. There is a 1 in 100,000 chance that during the procedure the stent can malfunction. Dora became chance 100,000. The surgeon did an excellent job in maneuvering the malfunctioned stent and essentially saved Dora's life but the stent was of no use now. The only option now was for the surgeon to perform open heart surgery on Dora to remove the stent and sew the hole up manually. Now, if you are like me... you think of "old people" having open heart surgery. But remember, Dora at this time was only 4 and a half.

If you know anything about Open Heart Surgery, it is exactly as it sounds. The surgeon had to cut through Dora's chest to get to her heart, where she removed the malfunctioned stent and sewed the hole in her heart. While in there, she had to insert a pace maker to help monitor her heart. The surgery took the maximum number of hours that the surgeon said it would so when that time was up, Nana and Dad were going crazy wondering what was going on. If you have ever been to a service center for your car, the more modern places have a monitor on the wall that tells you the status of your car and where in line you are. Sick Kids does the same thing. Nana and Dad watched this monitor for over 4 hours. Finally, the surgeon came out and he took them aside. Dora came through the surgery with flying colors. She is now resting in recovery and Dad could go see her.

It was a wonderful but pitiful sight. There was Dora. The kid we remember as smiling, giggling, running around getting into trouble now lying almost lifeless in a hospital bed, hooked up to a heart monitor. She had an IV in her arm, catheters coming out of both groins from the original procedure and wires coming out of her chest from the pace maker. This was hard to see. She had her 2 toys that she was allowed to have with her (Tasha and Uniqua from the Backyardigans) both with arm bands like Dora's.

Dad is not a religious man but I am betting that he said a few prayers that day and a few thank yous as well. Dora stayed in the hospital for the rest of the week, 3 more days at their friends in town and then had her follow-up appointment with the Cardiologist and the surgeon. Dora was recovering well. She was on multiple medications. Some for her heart and some for the fluid that was in her lungs from being on the heart and lung machine during the surgeries. Dora was able to go home after 8 days. It's amazing how fast some kids recover.

Dora is now over 5 years old and so far everything is going well. Except for the fact that about a month after she went back to school, she was running and fell and knocked here 2 front teeth back. This poor kid... what else can go wrong? The dentist was able to help her out.

As for the Mom, did she learn her lesson about smoking and drinking during pregnancy? Not so much... Dora's little brother Diego was also born premature. He was born after 29 weeks almost the same weight as Dora at birth. He was born with a brain bleed that required him to stay in the hospital for 3 months after his birth. He later developed Strabismus. This is a condition where your eyes are cross eyed. Diego was far sighted and had trouble seeing things up close. He over-compensated by crossing his eyes. He had to go for surgery at Sick Kids Hospital also. This surgery involved correcting the muscles around his eyes. He has to wear glasses for his eyesight and to help his eyes to heal. He was 3 when he had his surgery just a month before Dora's heart surgery.

When I visited the Mom in the hospital when Diego was born, she was sitting up on the bed cross-legged and feeling no pain. I couldn't believe my eyes. I told her, "Wow!! look at you sitting up already." Her response: "Yeah I am very lucky my babies are small". LUCKY!! I bit my tongue. You are not lucky when your babies are premature, not healthy and go on to have surgery after surgery. I have also heard nurses talk about delivering babies from smoking mothers where the placenta was like jelly, hence making it hard for the baby to breathe. Other babies are born with more life threatening conditions and are not as "lucky" as Dora and Diego.

If you know of someone who is pregnant and is still smoking or drinking, feel free to share my story with them. Maybe it will help them to quit, if not for themselves but maybe for their baby. It is no picnic going through all those issues when you are old, let alone when you are a newborn or a child.

The happy ending to this story is that as long as Dora and Diego continue to heal well from their surgeries and no other medical issues arise, they should be able to grow up and live normal lives. They are the "lucky" ones.

Overcoming Adversity

We hear a lot of amazing stories about people who are missing a limb overcoming their challenges and still living their life to the fullest. I've seen stories of men with artificial legs running marathons and a woman with no legs driving a car. There are many stories of these people not letting their disability get in the way of living. I have a similar story. I have a tale of a man with only one arm who was a hero to many kids.

My grandpa Leonard was born in 1899. When he was 10 years old, he was tending to his chores near their horse and buggy. Suddenly something spooked the horses, Leonard was knocked over and his arm got tangled in the spokes of the buggy. The consequences of this incident were devastating. Leonard lost his arm. I don't know if in 1909 there was a such thing as a prosthetic arm but even so, Leonard's family was poor so it probably would not have been an option. Since Leonard grew up on a farm, he had to overcome his loss and figure out how to perform his share of the chores.

Well, since Leonard was born so long ago, I don't know a lot more than that about his childhood other than... I heard that when he lost his arm, his mother got angry with him for spooking the horses. Hopefully there is more to that story or I might think my great-grandmother was cruel.

What do I remember? Well what I do know is that Leonard was married to a lovely lady named Marjorie and they raised 11 children. Big families were common back then especially in rural areas. Leonard ran a small farm and had various jobs in town. Leonard also became a skilled carpenter and a wonderful grandfather.

So why do I consider him a hero? When I go back home and run into people in his old hometown, they share tales of Leonard making small rowboats as a hobby. He also made sleds so that all the kids in town could enjoy sliding in the winter. Not to mention, I have memories of my grandpa shuffling cards with his left hand and his right stump. Also, he used to bounce us grandkids on his knee. My Grandfather died when I was only seven but I am still grateful for the memories I still have. Here he is in his workshop.

Grandpa Leonard

Greatest TRUE Love Story I Know Part 3 (Finale)

Bill's personality started to get worse and he started to regress to memories of when he was a kid. One day, Herbena came home with her granddaughter and relieved her friend who was looking after him. The errand had taken longer than expected and it was Bill's usual dinner time. Also, there was a problem with the heating in the apartment building. All of these factors were affecting his mood.

While the granddaughter was in the next room, Herbena took Bill into the kitchen and was rushing to make him some dinner. In her rush to get his dinner on the table, his tea cup tipped and almost spilled. Bill started yelling at Herbena and calling her rude names. Their granddaughter could not believe her ears. Was this the same calm, sweet grandfather she had always known. The same grandfather that always called her "Sweetie Pie". She immediately stood up and walked into the kitchen and told him to stop yelling at Herbena. He was shocked because he had forgotten that the granddaughter was there. Herbena didn't even flinch, just stood there and took it. The granddaughter asked Herbena if he yelled at her like that often. Herbena said "All the time."

That summer, Herbena went away on a trip with 1 daughter, granddaughter, 1 son and daughter-in-law to a family reunion. She wasn't going to go, but her kids convinced her to temporarily put Bill in a home during the trip. She felt so guilty but could not deny that she had a great time on the trip. It was the first break she had in a long time. When she came back, she decided to look into a permanent placement for Bill.

Shortly after, Bill was in a home permanently. Herbena visited him daily for many hours. Family members visited him often in the home. Bill seemed to be doing well there. The staff was so good to him. Everyone just played along with whatever era he thought he was in. Some of these eras included times when he was a teen and playing in a band or times when his kids where young. He often referred to his granddaughter as his daughter. She didn't mind. She just played along.

The following Christmas, the family decided to bring Bill home for Christmas dinner. Nobody wanted to leave him out of the festivities. However, from the time he arrived at the apartment, he was confused about everything. His routine was interrupted. He yelled at his son. He complained about everything. Everyone tried to put on a happy face but in the end, Herbena was saddened by the whole event. When the kids brought him back to the home, he was a completely different personality and settled right back into his routine. Clearly, the home was the best place for him.

With Christmas behind her, Herbena tried to settle back into her new life but then illness hit her. She was in and out of the hospital. Finally, she went from one daughter's house to the other. Her other 2 kids lived out of town but stayed close to the phone and talked to her often. Then one day, her health got even worse and was rushed to the hospital. The doctor's stabilized her. But a few days later, her two daughters, both nurses knew that she would not be around for much longer. Nobody at any time told Bill what was going on. They didn't want him to be sad if he even remembered her. Also, they knew that he would not remember later anyways.

Finally on January 26, Herbena lost her battle with life. The kids and grandkids all came home. After the funeral, everyone took their shifts at the home visiting Bill. Still nobody told him anything about their loss. YET Bill kept saying things like "Well she's up there now doing her duty". When asked about it, he got confused.

Everyone went on with their lives trying to adjust to life without Herbena. Regular monthly calls to each other turned into weekly calls just to talk. Everyone, once again, banded together to support each other through their grief. Then it happened...

22 days after the loss of Herbena... Bill usually calm, living in other eras of his life, started to have a fit in the dining room at the home. Refusing to settle into his usual routine, he kept telling the nurse "I WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN AND BE WITH HERBENA". The nurses managed to calm him but during his dinner, he slumped over his plate and had a stroke. His kids rushed to the home and sat by his bedside. They held his hand and just kept telling him, "It's okay Dad, go to Mom, we will be okay." He died that night.

All the kids were shocked by the fact that Bill knew somehow that Herbena had died. Even if he was told by a nurse or someone else, how did he remember her and how did he manage to control the timing of his death. The kids all commented on how it seemed like he waited for her to go ahead of him and prepare a place for him in Heaven; looking after him in Heaven just like she did in life. In his grief, the eldest son joked that they were now orphans. Herbena was in her 82nd year and Bill was in his 85th year. They would have been married 63 years.

Nana and Papa... I'm sorry if I messed up some of the details of your life. Some of these events happened before I was born and some when I was really young. I only have 2 regrets about my relationship with you: 1 - I didn't come home the night before you died to say goodbye; and 2 - you never got to meet my wonderful husband and 2 beautiful daughters. Even though it has been 9 years since you are gone, I still miss you both very much. I love you.

Bill and Herbena

Greatest TRUE Love Story I Know Part 2

Life went on, they had their laughs and they had their cries. Herbena started to have quite a few health problems over the years, they ranged from heart attacks that led to open heart surgery (probably caused by her diabetes) to breast cancer. Through it all she came out with flying colors. Bill supported by his kids, endured it all and every time held his wife in his arms and prayed for the best. Bill had a few problems as well, not quite as life threatening but he did suffer pneumonia a few times that also affected his kidneys. Not to mention his hearing was going and Bill had to wear a hearing aid.

One day after Bill retired, Herbena received a sympathy card. You'd think that this would be a sad occasion, but Herbena couldn't help but laugh because the card said "We are sorry for the loss of your husband". Yes this was funny because Bill was standing beside her and also read the card and had a good laugh. But they then had to have the serious conversation with the party that sent it and explained that they had the wrong Bill and that he was alive and well.

When Bill turned 70, he was reminded by the fact that his Dad had died at 70 and something changed in him that year. He started to forget things, his personality started to change. Bill was always a quiet and gentle man. Herbena started to notice these subtle differences and shared them with her kids. Everyone, at first, just thought that he was getting older. One day when he was out for a drive with his eldest son, Bill decided to tell his son about his problem. "Sometimes I forget things so if you think that I am going to turn or drive in the wrong direction, please tell me." A few minutes later, he missed their turn and his son told him about it. Bill yelled: "Don't tell me how to drive!!". Other family members started to notice that Bill was repeating himself a lot and forgetting things. Bill was finally diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Herbena was devastated. Where was her husband, her partner and best friend? Now all she had was this man living with her that didn't always know her.

For the longest time, Herbena insisted that she could look after him at home. She was managing things fine for a while. At least that is how Herbena let everyone believe. She married him for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. This was her job to look after him. So Herbena decided that she needed to step up her responsibilities. Herbena, now 77 years old, had never had her driver's license. A few times throughout her life, Bill had tried to teach her but without success. They had finally just resigned to the fact that he would do all the driving. Well Bill was now 80 and had to redo his driving test. Of course, being diagnosed with Alzheimer's he was unable to pass. Everyone else started driving them around. His granddaughter found it easier to tell him a little lie that she was still learning to drive and she needed to practice. She felt bad for lying but it was easier than seeing his reaction and questions as to why he could not drive. So instead, she would just smile through it when he would give her instructions and ask her what to do at a stop sign.

Finally, Herbena decided she needed to get her license after all because she didn't want to rely on others to do all her errands or to drive her everywhere. She just wanted to be able to go to the bank, grocery store, church and hair dresser. So she picked up the phone and called the driving school. She had the best teacher. He would take her out for an hour each time and only charge her a few times. After 2 tries, she got her license. Of course, everyone helped her out with extra practice sessions. She was so proud of herself especially after there was an article in the paper about her.

Herbena continued to survive a life looking after Bill and his Alzheimer's. Everyone kept telling her that she needed to give herself a break and look into a home for him. She kept denying that she could not look after him. One day, she had to step out to run a quick errand and when she came home, Bill was gone. She immediately called her kids. Her grandson who was a policeman, called in a favour at work to try to get some help to start looking for him. After a few hours, Bill wandered home. He was confused why everyone was over and so happy to see him. He didn't seem to know everyone YET he looked right at his grandson who was in plain clothes and said, "What did you call the cops for?" After that, Herbena had the locks changed so that you needed a key on both sides of the door and she had a friends stay with Bill whenever she had to go out.

Please come back tomorrow for the finale of this story…

Greatest TRUE Love Story I Know Part 1

Okay I don't dwell on spiritual thoughts. I have my beliefs but don't always put a lot of thought or discussion into them. However, this story shows how even a "normal" marriage can show true love even beyond death. And in the spirit of motherhood and children, let's start the story off like this...

Once upon a time in a land far up in Northern Ontario, there lived a couple named Herbena and Bill. Yes I said "Herbena" and Bill. Blessed with being named after her Dad, she still had the charm and beauty to attract young Bill. No this story does not involve a princess or a prince or any monsters or witches... just a beautiful couple that had their ups and downs through life.

Herbena and Bill met in their late teens and were married in their early twenties. Their first challenge involved convincing their very religious parents why they should be married. You see, Herbena was Protestant United and Bill was Roman Catholic. Little did they know that this was the first of many challenges that would be laid in their path.

Bill and Herbena were happily married and had 6 children (3 boys and 3 girls). Bill's occupation as a nickel miner was quite a strenuous and dangerous job. Herbena was mainly a stay at home mom but when money was tight, she took some odd jobs, like washing hair at one of the local hair salons. Life was quite satisfying.

Shortly after their 5th child, Cathy, was born, illness struck. Doctor appointment after doctor appointment and the fact that this was the early 50's didn't help much in her recovery. Sadly, three months after her birth, Cathy didn't survive. Bill and Herbena were devastated. Thank God for their 4 children. Their 2 sons and 2 daughters occupied their time and brought their spirits up. This tragedy only seemed to make them stronger as a family. In fact, a few years later, Bill and Herbena had another child, a son. Of course, this baby would never replace Cathy, but they still had so much more love to share.

Now as I mentioned, Bill was a miner in a small town. One day, what started out as a typical day, Bill was doing his job underground. Little did he know that there was some kind of incident at the other end of the drift (tunnel). When suddenly, he and his partner were trapped in their area and the area started to fill up with water. They kept trying to radio for help but their rescuers had their own struggles getting to them. Bill started to pray and think about his wife and 5 children. Just as the water reached to his chest, a hatch suddenly opened over their heads and down came a ladder from their long awaited rescuers. Herbena in tears that evening took her husband in her arms and thanked God.

So life went on and the kids grew up to have their own kids. Bill and Herbena could not have been more proud. Their eldest son became a United Church minister, their next son became a Policeman, both daughters became registered nurses and their youngest son became a Chemist. What a brood!! All educated, successful, professional, beautiful people. All of these kids became wonderful caring individuals. Bill and Herbena did a great job!! Just when life seemed to be going so well again, they got the phone call that no parent ever wants.

Their son the policeman, Murray, was on a fishing trip with his wife and they had problems with their motor. When Murray stood up to work on the motor, it backfired and knocked the wind out of him. Wearing no lifejacket and heavy work boots, he fell backwards into the water. His wife tried to help him but he kept yelling at her to sit down. He sank to the bottom. His wife managed to make it back to shore safely. Police dragged the lake looking for Murray. They searched for days and days. The family all gathered at Murray's house to support his wife and kids. On the 10th day, they got the call that they had been dreading. His body was found. Murray was such a well respected man, husband, policeman, mentor to young kids, photographer and friend to all. At the funeral, there were friends, friends of friends, family, family of family. Nobody wanted to say goodbye. Once again the family banded together to get through yet another tragedy. All Bill kept saying was "A son is not supposed to go before his parents." This tragedy left a scar on Bill's heart forever that he would never get over. Herbena being the strong one, gave Bill the strength to go on and see how much the rest of his family still needed him.

Please come back tomorrow for the continuation of this story...

Create Your Own Vocabulary

Do you ever notice that when you have kids you invent new words or rename common foods to something that your kids will understand? It's funny because even after my daughter learned the correct words, we still defer back to the funny sayings. Here are some funny sayings that we have made up. See if you can guess what the real words are. The answers are at the bottom.

1. Cheesy Pasta
2. Shaky Cheese
3. Fishy Crackers
4. Uppy
5. Drinky
   

Some of these were probably easy to guess where others were probably created from our warped imagination. Hopefully, our kids will remember the real terminology before they go to school otherwise they will have no clue when other kids are talking. Answers:

1. Kraft Dinner
2. Parmesan Cheese
3. Goldfish Crackers
4. Up
5. Thirsty
   

Feel free to share some of the strange words that your family has made up for easy conversation at your house.

The Power of Homemade

What is it about a homemade gift that makes it so special? Over the years, I have received some homemade items such as cards that were hand-drawn, knitted baby blankets and quilts. Friends and families have also shared some of their talents with me. For example, my brother sang at our wedding, my friend played the piano at our wedding, and my cousin hand-painted many gifts for me and a lot of the accessories for our wedding. I have treasured all of those things knowing how much love, time and effort had gone into those items. Perhaps I appreciate those types of gifts because I myself have recently given some homemade items as gifts. My daughter went to a birthday party in January for another 4 year old girl. The mother is also my daycare lady and always raved about the sweater that I had crocheted for my daughter a long time ago. So it hit me... That's what we will give her little girl for her birthday. Not only did I save money but I also avoided the risk of getting her the same gift as someone else. And not to mention... another excuse to crochet something. When the little girl opened her gift, I got the reaction I was hoping for from her mom. It felt great knowing that I gave them something they appreciated. Well I actually got more of a crowd reaction than I thought. A few other moms started commenting and complimenting me on the sweater and even joking that they were going to submit their orders before I left. I don't like being the center of attention, I just wanted to give her something that was useful. A month later... another birthday party... What the heck!! Let's try the same gift only in a different colour. I guess I am addicted to that feeling I get when someone really likes something that I actually made. I don't have a lot of talents but the few I have I try to use them when I can. My family is very talented and I didn't inherit any except for the crocheting from my grandmother. The ironic part is when she got older, she didn't remember that she had taught me. Oh the reaction at party #2, you ask... the mom almost leaped into the bag as she was saying to her daughter... "Oh this is more for mommy." I felt great seeing that reaction knowing that my many hours of work were well appreciated. Try sharing your talents with others instead of expensive gifts and see how you are appreciated.

Who Appreciates Your Efforts The Most?

Being off on my maternity leave, I have a few chores that I have taken on to try to maintain a neat and tidy home while my husband works. I get up in the morning, feed the baby, make the beds for both girls, feed them breakfast, ensure the kitchen is clean and sweep/vacuum the floors. My husband is appreciative and also helps out a great deal. But do you ever wonder who appreciates your efforts the most? My eldest daughter's room is on the front of the house and gets all the afternoon sun. She, of course at the age of 4, could care less but I know someone will take advantage of the tidy room. When these 2 get there you'd never know that I made the bed. Check out my appreciative other "kids".

Who Was Your Barbie Stepping Out With?

This morning I was watching a show that was talking about the 50th anniversary of Barbie. The host and her guest started having a side conversation about who their Barbie was dating when they didn't have a Ken doll. The guest mentioned that her Barbie was dating Huckleberry Pie from her Strawberry Shortcake collection. It was cute and then I remembered I was just as bad as a kid.

My brother and I had a play room and played a lot together. But we had to be fair to each other. So when we played with his hot wheels, we took turns picking our cars and then played for hours making roads on the carpet; incorporating our Lego to make towns, etc. So when it was my turn, I, of course, wanted to play Barbies. Since I didn't have any sisters, my brother was all I had. So... He loved playing Barbies with me on 1 condition... His GI Joe figures had to be introduced. Of course... what man doesn't want to get together with Barbie even GI Joe. I didn't care, he was agreeing to play Barbies with me. Yes GI Joe was a little short but Barbie didn't have a lot to choose from, all she had was Ken. My brother and I played for hours and a few times, Barbie got happily married to Sergeant Slaughter. Okay now I am all grown up and I have 2 beautiful daughters so I don't see any reunions between Barbie and Sergeant Slaughter or any other GI Joe character but you never know who Barbie will step out with in our house. Who did your Barbie date? Feel free to share.

That song in my head!!

You know that annoying feeling when you get your favourite song in your head? It plays the same line(s) over and over again until you eventually start to almost hate your favourite song. Well that is nothing compared to getting songs from your kids' movies in your head. Yesterday, my daughter watched "Barbie and the Diamond Castle" for the 783rd time. Yes I counted. My daughter loves to sing along with the movie and even insists that I leave the movie on during the credits so she can put on her dress-up clothes and dance and sing. Very cute but with serious side effects... "Three Voices... One Song.... Connected... Connected..." Can't... get... this... song... out... of... my head....

Family Coloring Contest

My 4 year old loves to color and her coloring is finally getting better, she actually makes an effort now to stay in the lines. The other night my husband sat down and colored his own picture while she colored one, rather than working on the same picture. When he was all done, he proudly displayed his on the fridge for all to see. No not her picture!! HIS!! Hers became a paper airplane a few hours later. So a few nights later, when Dad was working night shift, I decided to sit down and color my own picture while she colored hers. Of course, I had to juggle the coloring with making dinner and keeping the baby happy. But I am not making excuses. When I was coloring, my daughter kept saying "Can I help you with yours?" Out loud, I responded with "it's okay but you color yours". In my head I was saying "NO!!!! HANDS OFF! I have to color mine nicer than Dad!". In the end, I posted both my daughters and mine on the fridge at the same height. When my husband came home, all he said was "I assume she didn't color these by herself". Hmmfff!! I told him I was trying to show-up his. And between you and me... mine wins.... LOL