The Online Yard Sale

... also known as Kijiji.
I heart you Kijiji.  Yep, I totally call it an online yard sale because in my opinion that's exactly what it is.  You can haggle and negotiate.  You find the strangest things.. and virtually always find what you're looking for (assuming you look long enough).  We've had a lot of success selling things on Kijiji, and this is only the second thing I've ever purchased. 

I've been casually looking through Kijiji for some outdoor toys for Kingston for the summer (I plan to spend a LOT of time outside!).  I've been looking since around Christmas because I figure the closer we get to spring/summer the more people will be looking for this stuff.  We have more than enough storage space in the basement for anything I do find and I'm looking for things like a slide, playhouse, sandbox, etc.  I did browse Toys R Us but even the sale prices are more than I'm willing to pay (playhouses usually start around $200.00).  I have a hard time paying that much for something that I plan to leave in the backyard and that will quickly become dirty and sunfaded. 

After once again looking through the London Kijiji section and finding nothing, I thought I should probably expand my search.  This past week Michael has been all over the place for work, and I knew he was going to Windsor on Thursday.  I looked for a solid half hour, before I found this little gem. 

Located just outside Windsor, this slide was for sale for $50.  It's never been outside (they used it in the basement) and is in perfect condition (other than the one small dent on the slide).  I looked it up on toys r us -- this retails for $99 brand new.  I knew I would have paid the $50 but of course I had to haggle a little.. and offered $40 and pick up the very next day.  Needless to say, Kingston has a new castle slide.  For now it's in the playroom but in the summer I will be moving it to the backyard!  His cars have enjoyed zooming down the slide all morning... and I believe Kingston may have found his new parking garage.  So much for playing on the window sil...

Art Project - Days 2 & 3

On day 2 (Thursday) we decided to add some orange, red, and yellow -- and while some of the paint was brushed on... the majority was 'finger painted' on.  He's starting to love the feeling of paint on his hands and fingers.  As per usual... lots of paint ended up in his mouth too.  Eventually he will learn that it's not food.  Unfortunately that day wasn't today!

Day 3 (Friday) -- we added green and some more yellow to his masterpiece.  I'd say 90% of these colours were distributed via his hands.  Kingston kept 'clapping' his hands together after he dipped them in the paint and laughing hysterically.  He also enjoyed painting his belly today with the paint brush (Big thanks to daddy for showing him how to do this!).

Gah -- he's so freakin' cute!  Not as much paint went into the mouth today.. however lots made it to his face/belly/arms/hands/legs etc.  We haven't decided yet if we're finished or if the painting needs a little blue.  Hmmm....maybe with a sponge? or a loofa?  So many choices!!

Brotherly Love

... Just 35 seconds of Charlotte's day-to-day experiences with her 17 month old brother.

(around the 28 second mark you can see the 'save me mom' look she gives me often!).

Art Project - Day 1

I recently watched a video of my nephew painting on canvas that reminded me that I had purchased some for Kingston to paint and never did it (whoops!).  So this morning while Charlotte napped, Kingston and I decided to start a multi-step art project that will hopefully hang somewhere in our livingroom when it's complete (Daddy is fighting to put it in his office...we'll see!).

The reason I want to do this project over a few days is because Kingston LOVES to mix colours.  LOVES it.  However... my kindergarten teacher taught me that all those beautiful colours mixed together = brown.  and I don't particularily want a brown painting.  So we are going to do layers of paint in colours that mix well.  Today we used purple, red and blue.  I think our next layer will be orange, yellow, and red.  Sometimes I have to remind myself who I'm actually doing this projects for.. M and I have just as much fun as Kingston!

Our project at the end of Day 1.



Lacking Inspiration

I don't know about anyone else -- but I have difficulty deciding what to make Kingston for lunch almost everyday.  His breakfast is always a different kind of dry cereal, some kind of fruit, and then his milk.  Easy - peasy.  Dinner is whatever we decide to have, adapted for him (the kid hates salad and let's face it, I live on it).  I think I struggle because I want to offer him variety... so I have to decide before lunchtime what I'm making for dinner and then work backwards.  Or else he could end up with pasta twice in one day, or the same vegetables, etc.  A lot of the time we give him random plates for lunch.  By random I mean whatever I can find in the fridge.  Some kind of meat, cheese, some vegetables, some fruit.  He LOVES these lunches.  I strive to 'mix it up' so that he likes lots of different foods.  With that being said we all know I don't cook :) and I am an extremely picky eater --  I do NOT want him to be that way.

Today while I was lacking inspiration, Kingston went to the pantry and pulled out a container of kraft dinner and handed it to me.  He hasn't had it in a few weeks, so I thought it would definitely be the easy choice for today!  Michael thinks its funny -- but when I make him meals like this, I always mix in vegetables.  I tried putting them on the side the first time I gave it to him, but he inhaled the pasta and left all the veggies.  Smart little dude.  So now I mix up the veggies into the KD and he gobbles it up with a huge smile on his face, which of course puts a huge smile on mine!  Through this process I've been able to get him to eat broccoli again (yay!) and we're working on green beans... he has never liked them but I'm not giving up.  I realize on the whole, he's a good eater -- I just want to keep it that way. 

His menu today:
Alphabet cereal mixed with blueberries for breakfast. 
Peach yogurt and strawberries for snack.   
Kraft dinner (whole grain!) and vegetables for lunch.
Cheese & fishie crackers for snack.
Chicken fajitas with peppers, onions, salsa for dinner.

Our bubba eats well.
Oh and on a side note, I think Charlotte will be starting solids soon.  She woke up this morning at 5 am STARVING, so I think shes ready to take on more than just formula...

This post is really random -- I guess I'm just needing some validation that it's NOT weird that my child has never had kraft dinner without having vegetables mixed into it?  Same goes for rice... :)

Growing like...

I've recently discovered that the phrase 'growing like a weed' really kind of bugs me.  I think it's because I'd be referring to my babies as weeds.. which is awful.  No one likes weeds -- they're annoying, they come back when you don't want them around, and they are always in the way.  No one enjoys watching weeds grow.  No one thinks they're pretty or .. really likes ANYTHING about them.  So why would I refer to babies as 'weeds'.  I mean, don't get me wrong I understand why people say it -- merely to refer to the speed in which babies grow -- but isn't there something else we could compare the speed of growth to?  Seriously.

I snapped these around the day Charlotte turned 4 months old.  She is the smiliest baby EVER.  If you smile at her -- she can't even stop herself from smiling back.  She loves looking in the mirror and will smile and then continue to smile when she sees that beautiful baby looking at her.  It makes us howl with laughter to watch her.  She has also turned into quite the 'chatty cathy' (we call her this all the time!).  She talks her daddys ear off every morning, and will have quite the conversation with anyone who will listen.  Hearing the intonation in her voice fluxuate as she has a discussion with you is hilarious!  You'd think she was really talking about something she's quite passionate about.  Gidget still loves playing on the floor, the couch or the pack n play, and she's pretty good at wiggling herself around to wherever she wants to be.  I watched her make her way around the floor gym this morning trying to get to 'Leonard the Dinosaur'.  She can roll over from belly to back and is very close to rolling back to belly.  We've also noticed that she is not only reaching for toys and objects, but once she grabs a hold of them, straight into her mouth they go.  Charlotte LOVES her jumperoo toy (much like her brother did!).  She doesn't do a ton of jumping/bouncing yet, but she stands and spins herself around in the chair looking at the different lights and toys.  The most amusing part of the jumperoo is that Kingston loves playing with Charlotte while shes in it.  Poor Charlotte has gotten enough pokes to the face that when Kingston approaches her.. she flinches in a 'don't hit me!' kind of way.  I feel bad chastizing Kingston because he really does adore her -- but man has he gotten her a few times!   

Kingston is 17 months & Charlotte is 4 months!

As for Kingston... He is an amazing big brother.  Seriously, I wish I could describe how happy I am that we decided to have these two babies so close together.  Don't get me wrong, there are hard days and not every family outting is easy, but watching them play (or Kingston TRY to play with Charlotte) melts my heart.  He is constantly hugging and kissing her, or trying to bring her HIS toys.  He shares all his toys with his sister.  The other day I was making lunch in the kitchen and came back to see Charlotte surrounded by cars.  Like 15 or so and I'm not exaggerating.  He was smiling from ear to ear and she was completely content letting her brother pile the toys around her.

   

He is also growing very quickly and becoming quite the active toddler.  We still have some reservations about his language or rather, the lack of.  After a quick checklist (for my ECE friends -- I did the Nippissing) he is measuring right up to par.  He is a very intelligent little boy and he understands 90% of the things that he hears.  He simply has no interest in repeating back any of what is said to him.  We label EVERYTHING we do, or that he does, and have started to work on sounds rather than words and that seems to be working. His gross and fine motor skills impress both M and I on a daily basis.  He adores art and we paint/colour/draw/glue everyday.  I think Kingston actually realizes now that when Charlotte goes down for her morning nap, I'm going to get some kind of art out for us to do.  He runs around screaming 'map' while I tuck her into her bed, and then heads straight to the kitchen table.  He learned how to do a somersault this past week at gymnastics and wants to do them all the time now!  Kingston is a dancing machine, willing to dance along to virtually anything that's got a catchy tune, and in any place. Watching him 'bust a move' at the doctors office last week was pretty hilarious.  Today we all went to the YMCA for a family swim where Kingston has rediscovered his love of swimming.  We haven't been able to go nearly as much as we would have liked this winter, but with weekly swimming lessons starting soon we wanted to see how he reacted to the water.  HE LOVES SWIMMING.  Period.  My little fishy splashed, kicked, jumped, floated, and laughed for an hour and a half in the pool.  We are making swimming a priority and we will be going swimming atleast once a week through the spring/summer.  Here are a few picture of K - taken this last week. 

 

     

Cupcakes!!

While I thought I would be more upset that I did not take on Kingston's first baking experience.. I loved watching (and taking photos!) of this ambitious activity between Kingston and his Auntie.  When my sister found out that we were coming up to Dundalk this weekend, she had to have a 'Kingston & me' special activity.. and baking confetti cupcakes was what she thought up! 

Sampling the cupcake mix... Yummmmm...

 

Adding water... and mix mix mix!

"Hmmm... I better try this one... you know.. quality control"

The finished product! (which Michael said were delicious!)

The 10 Most Irritating, Least Helpful Parenting Tips Ever.

A friend posted this link on Facebook.. and I had to share it.  Please read the article HERE.

(Charlotte & Kingston say 'hi!').



Proud mama moments from today...

My chunky monkey giggling like crazy..

Kingston sorts shapes..

(these are not things just learned today -- however it was the first time I was able to capture it on camera for both babies.. turns out Charlotte is as stubborn with the camera as Kingston is!)

Charlotte's Nursery

If you are on my FB -- you know that Charlotte's nursery came out really really pink.  And it's a little too much for me.  It actually hurts my eyes a little.  Now that things have calmed down a little I'm going to change a few things in her nursery.

Here is the before...

And this is her bedding..

So my goal is to change her room to a more chocolate brown/white/pink colour scheme, which will still work with her bedding I think.  Not to mention -- in another couple of months those bumpers will be coming out anyway and then all I really have left is the pink sheets.. and striped bedskirt.. which works for me! :)

My sister has made pillows and is working on a quilt for Charlotte.. so I will be working from those fabrics/colours.

My first project (well.. 'our' first project -- ie. Cathy & I -- let's face it.. I don't sew!), is a framed fabric photo board for above the changetable.  Depending on how this goes, we may attempt curtains, and rocking chair cushions.  Plus I will be painting two walls (the wall with the window, and the opposite wall) a nice chocolate brown.  I also feel as though she needs some kind of a storage shelf/bookcase in her room... but I haven't quite decided.  For the photo board,  I really like this style.

So this Saturday we will be attempting one of my first ever DIY projects.  Wish me luck! :)

I'm teaching Gidget early....

.. how to facebook stalk our friends.

(excuse Charlotte's strange eyes -- the red eye corrector does not like her eyes!)

Another weekend.. gone.

And here we are on a Sunday again -- how does the weekend go by so fast?

We once again started our weekend a little early with a trip to the children's ER (Thursday).  Kingston developed a wicked cough overnight, and we decided to have it checked out.  We weren't even there 10 minutes and the nurse told us it was croup.  He was having a hard time breathing because of swelling in his throat, and was given an oral steroid to open his throat up a little.  He hated it but almost immediately he sounded better.  This weekend he lived on cold applesauce and yogurt (and virtually nothing else).  He's definitely lost his appetite.  He's also developed a runny nose and the bright red 'I'm sick' complexion.  But he's a trooper, and nothing slows this child down! 

Friday he stayed home with daddy, while I took Charlotte to playgroup.  It was nice to have some individual time with her and a bunch of other babies her age.  She loved it and smiled at everyone.  They couldn't get enough of her and her squishy cheeks.  We got home in time for lunch and then a great visit from Linnett!  She stopped on her way to London and picked up my dress for her wedding... and yes.. it FITS.  WOO HOO!  My anxiety and fear that I would be panicking up until the day of her June wedding dissolved, and I enjoyed a not so healthy dinner out at BP with my good friend :)  There was of course shopping beforehand, but to protect those involved, I won't go into details... LOL.

We all settled in to watch 'Life as we know it' with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel -- what a waste of time.  I was so looking forward to seeing this movie, and it was painful to get through. 

Saturday was filled with a pancake breakfast, playing with babies and of course -- more shopping. We then had a surprise visit from my cousin Jess, and her fantastic boyfriend Jordan (yes Jordan, I just gave you a shoutout -- and yes I think you're fantastic!).  We had a nice afternoon and Kingston of course enjoyed having some new people to play with.  He had a busy weekend of visits considering he wasn't really feeling great.

Sunday we really wanted to get Kingston out of the house and into the fresh air since it was +2 here in london.  We had to reschedule his gymnastics class (apparently croup is reeeeally contagious).  So instead we went for a nice long walk through Springbank Park and had a great time.  The babies then had a 3 hour nap after lunch (Oh and daddy & mommy too!).  A normal afternoon and evening of playing, singing, reading and general silliness passed far too quickly and here I am.  Babies were asleep by 6:45.  Load 1 of 4 in the washing machine, 1 of 2 in the dishwasher and the rest of the house is pretty darn clean.  It all goes by so fast, and then here we are - back at Monday. 

It was wonderful to see my good friend, and to have some 'mommy time.'  It's amazing that M does this for me with no complains -- ever.  I'm very lucky.  I need to remind myself of that when he pushes my buttons and I snap at him a little bit (in normal married fashion of course).  Here are some pictures from our walk in Springbank Park!

Flashdance

I'm starting this blog post with nothing specific 'screaming' at me to write about.  So this will be one of those random update posts.

Last weekend = awesomeness.  It was exhausting, however we had such a wonderful family focused weekend, that I really REALLY didn't want it to end.  Saturday was the first day of gymnastics for our boy, and we weren't actually sure how he felt about it.  He spent much of the class running around and jumping on the different mats and equipment (which his teacher, Miss Erin, encouraged!).  After a conversation with M, and then the teacher, we decided to enroll Kingston until June.  She let us know that it was normal and expected that he wouldn't be able to follow along in the beginning, and we shouldn't compare him to the children in his class who are his age because most of them have been in the class since September.  We decided to enroll him on Sundays @ 9:15 --  and looked forward to a repeat of this weeks lesson the very next day.  Let me tell you, on Sunday Kingston did not disappoint!  He followed along and participated in the entire warm up, and then jumped onto the parachute (the way he was supposed to!) when Miss Erin brought it out.  She gave me a "told you!" smile, and Kingston enjoyed being the star of his class. He Knew what to expect and was enjoying every minute.  It was after the parachute games that I knew we had made the right decision (and a worthwhile investment!).  I know I keep talking about his gymnastics... I think it's because I'm so excited that my little boy is old enough to participate in an actual 'class' that is both age appropriate and enjoyable for everyone involved.  Michael and I took turns both days switching out of the gym (someone always had to be with Gidget), and I know if we could we'd both be in there every class!  I already wish it was more than once a week!  Here are a few photos I snapped -- he loved the balance beam, the parent-child roll down 'the big cheese' (haha!), and the parachute games. 

Impressing mommy and daddy by doing the skinny balance beam first.  Then he tried out the wider balance beam.  Since he figured out the skinny one first.. he basically FLEW down the wide one.  Wanted to do the beams over and over.

Rolling on the mats with Daddy.  I know you can't see his face but he had a HUGE smile the whole time!

After our Sunday class we headed to Sarnia to visit with Papa & Grandma.  As I was packing up some stuff in the morning for our day I said something about going to see "papa" and Kingston repeated back "Papa" for the first time!! The entire way to Sarnia I encouraged him to say it, and he did, over and over.  Of course once we got there he refused, but I know he can say it! :)

(His new words include knee, nap, papa, sad, and 'baaa' for the sheep of course.  Although if he's not paying attention all animals still 'Moo'). 

I'm not sure how Kingston ended up with Papa's golf club -- but maybe golf lessons are next?  He showed a definate interest in this putter. 



That's all I really have to talk about tonight :) The babies were both in bed tonight by 6:45, and Michael had to finish some work.. so I've enjoyed some nice free time tonight.  Granted, I also got an almost 2 hour nap this afternoon .. plus a shower!  Oh and I made TWO meals.. and ate really healthy.  Wow.  Today was actually quite successful. 

(as for the title of my blog -- Kingston now runs around dancing like in 'flashdance'.. I don't really know what this means but Michael thinks its HILARIOUS).

$14.97?

(for the record -- if you're tired of reading about my children, you're reading the wrong blog.  They are my life, and almost every single post will have something to do with them!)

The past few weeks, M has been really really busy with work, and his nights were mostly spent on his computer working on a few different projects.  So this weekend, he decided that he was 100% ours -- and we started our weekend a little early.  On Friday after going to Kingston's first playgroup session 'little circle of friends' (which was AWESOME by the way), I went out to do a few errands while the babies napped at home.  Michael and Charlotte spent the morning doing a few things out and about, so everyone was tired but momma.  I hit the LCBO, the bank, Michaels, etc.  And my last stop was into Canadian Tire to look for a sled for K.  Michael expressed that very morning that he really wanted to take Kingston tobogganing.  I love the little wooden sleds and so I went searching for one.  Maybe I'm just really cheap -- but $69.99 for a toboggan was a little insane.. so instead he got a shiny blue plastic one for $14.97.  After I got home we decided to go for a family walk, and let me tell you -- in one walk around our neighbourhood I got every penny back.  I pushed Gidget in the stroller which was challenging to say the least (doesn't anyone clean the sidewalk?) so after a short walk we headed back to the house.

 

Kingston and daddy continued around the neighbourhood, and I could hear both of my men laughing as they ran up and down our hills.  I have never heard Kingston laugh so hard and for so long.  His beautiful smile rarely left his face as daddy dragged him around in this cheap little blue sled.     

I wish as an adult I could go back to thinking like a toddler.  Does Kingston care that he didn't get the $70.00 toboggan?  Nope.  Sure doesn't.  He's just lovin' the quality time with daddy and mommy (and of course Gidget). 

Makes you really think about what's important, huh?