10 reasons why it’s hard being a toddler

While Kyle’s babyhood went by too fast for me, I’ve really enjoyed watching him grow as a toddler.  Especially since he turned 2!  He has such a personality, and his high-energy is so contagious.  Of course, there’s the other side of toddlerhood where I often find Kyle frustrated, mad or crying. This is obviously not a fun moment for either of us, but sometimes I just have to laugh.  If my son could write, I believe this is a post he would write.  So from a toddler’s point of view, here are 10 reasons why it’s hard to be a toddler:

1. I have too many rules to remember. Like, don’t bite your brother, don’t put your hand down your mom’s shirt or down your diapers, no jumping off the stairs, dessert is AFTER dinner, etc…
2. My eye level is aligned with everyone’s crotch.  That’s why I throw tantrums all the time.  You would too!!
3. I’m too short to see what’s on top of the counter. I know there’s a cookie there but my parents are denying it, and I have no way to prove it.
4. I have a younger sibling now and everyone is buying them gifts except I’m the one that truly appreciates presents. I mean, I’m the one that’s ABLE to unwrap them all, not my younger sibling.
5. I’m older than my baby brother but I have to go to bed before he does.
6. I want to do everything myself but “adults” won’t let me, like press the buttons on every machine possible or hold my new baby sibling without help from others.
7. I have to share my stuff with some kid I just met. And this is coming from my parents and I still don’t believe they are good at sharing themselves.
8. While I love playing the drums, I go absolutely nuts if my dad tries to play.  Same goes for air hockey and T-ball.  I can’t really explain it, but that’s how I want things done, so stop asking me “why”!!
9. I love my mom so much that I want to spend every single second of the day with her, including her time in the washroom.  She keeps on saying that she wants “privacy”.  I’m not sure what it is, but what does privacy offer that I can’t???
10. I don’t understand what the big deal is with potty training.  There’s all this talk about using the potty, rewards, being a big-boy, wearing underwear, etc… but come-on, why would anyone not want to wear diapers forever? Besides… I’ve seen those depends commercials.  I’ll be back in diapers eventually, so why bother getting rid of them in the first place???

on having a second child

I just had my second child two weeks ago and while the nights are still sleepless and the laundry is never ending, here are a few things I learned along the way that are different this time around.
1. Labour

During my first labour, I was in so much pain that I swore up and down that I would never have another child (don’t we all).  Well, this time around, I got an epidural at 3 cm and was smiling versus at 4 cm and experiencing hell.

2. Postpartum emotions
While I experienced baby blues after my eldest was born, I didn’t this time around (at least not yet).  Yes, I still get emotional here and there (hello hormones); I am afterall, the same girl that cried through her entire wedding speech!

Sparkling Vintage Jewelry!! My best giveaway ever – $250 to Bee’s Knees Gems (Open to Canadians)

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been a little obsessed with big sparkly gem jewelry this year.  I know they’re a big trend right now, and that might be why I’ve gone bling crazy, but you have to admit, they do look great.  I spent most of the winter season searching for a perfect necklace to wear for the various holidays parties, but all my searches resulted in me leaving stores empty-handed.  While I did spot some beautiful pieces they were too expensive, and everything that was more affordable just looked cheap.  I was left a little disappointed to say the least.

More recently, I was introduced to an amazing Canadian company that specializes in beautiful vintage Gem jewelry; Bee’s Knees Gems.  I probably spent a good hour perusing the web-site.  Every piece was so pretty and special.  I had a hard time deciding whether I should pick the trendy emerald-green and rose gold ring, the teardrop sapphire pendant on a rose gold chain, or the black onyx ring.  After much deliberation and some consultation with my husband (yes, he even helped), I decided to get the cushion cut pendant necklace.  I’ve been searching for something similar to this for a while now.  I also wanted something that I could wear on a daily basis but easily use to go from day wear to evening wear.

The worst kids book ever, and not because it’s about the Maple Leafs

Lucky for us, Kyle LOVES books.  He can literally sit down for a full hour and listen to me read book after book.  I actually read the entire page, no short-cuts, from start to end.  If anything, I’m the one that has to ask him if it’s okay to stop reading books because I just can’t continue reading out loud after an hour.

To fill his love for reading and books, I always seek out new exciting books for him to read.  My parents hunt for all Cat in the Hat / Dr Seuss books, and I search for books that relate to his most recent love and hobbies (i.e. anything to do with sports).

We probably own close to 200 children books and they are literally scattered all over our house as we never know when the mood might strike.

There is one book that I purchased that I just HATE.  It is really one of the worst children books that I’ve ever read.  I’m a little embarrassed to admit it because it’s a Canadian book and it’s about the Maple Leafs.  But there’s just no sugar-coating around this one.  It’s a major failure, and here’s why:

Winter time means dry skin. Why George’s cream is your new best friend {Review & Canadian Giveaway}

Here’s a guest review of George’s Cream by one of my readers, Fern from Gotcha Covered Baby.  George’s Cream is a great Canadian company that provides something for everyone in the family.  Lets face it, we can all use a little cream here and there in winter time.  Read her review and see details below regarding the Giveaway.

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I was recently lucky enough to be given the opportunity to test two of Georges skincare products.  This came at a perfect time for me since every winter my husband suffers from really dry, and red knuckles. Being a typically man though the only other product I could ever get him to try was Vaseline Intensive Cream which did nothing to help with his problem.  Since George products are fragrance free he was willing to give Georges Special Dry Skin Cream a try, and within a few days his dry red skin was gone. Now he uses this cream as part of his daily routine so that his dry red skin does not re-occur.

Sports! From the Girl’s Corner

The saying “and from the girl’s corner…” is a familiar one in my household.  My husband, an avid sports lover, likes to use that term whenever I make a sports-related comment or question that usually has nothing to do with what is actually going on in the game.  To be fair, he doesn’t mind that I watch sports with him and he doesn’t mind that I ask questions, he just thinks that some of the questions I ask are a bit “ridiculous”.  The thing is… I don’t really care if the Jays lost because they’ve had a string of injuries or that the Leafs can’t win because well…. from what I understand you can pretty much blame anything for this one?

I do like watching the games though and I like them more when I understand the rules of the games.  There are however, some rules that I still, no matter how many time they’re explained to me, will never understand. First example: Icing. I don’t know how many times have I seen icing called and I still couldn’t for the life of me explain this mystery “icing” rule to my son.  Second example: When a baseball player strikes out but ends up running to first because the back catcher didn’t catch the ball. What is that all about?

ah?

Third example: All of football.  This is probably my least favorite sport to watch (Superbowl excluded).  I honestly have no idea how anyone, including the players, understand the rules to football. If my husband is watching football I immediately reach for a good novel (Ok I reach for my phone to check Facebook – stop judging!).

Here are a few things about sports that do interest me (these will probably give you a good indication why my husband comments “from the girls corner”):

Toronto Family Day Event for a Great Cause; TheChill.ca #StoppingKidsCancerCold

Family day was first introduced in Ontario in 2008.  Beyond another long-weekend to break up the looooooong winter, it’s a great way for a family to spend some much-needed time together.  While my husband and I enjoyed this long weekend even before we became a family of three, we love it even more now that we can celebrate it with our little one.

I was recently told about a new and exciting event that will be taking place in Yonge-Dundas Square Toronto this upcoming Family Weekend (February 17th & 18th).  The Sears Great Canadian Chill (www.TheChill.ca) is a nationwide series of Polar Bear Dips that will Stop Kids Cancer Cold!  It’s mission is to raise money for kids cancer.  Specifically in Toronto, the funds raised will go to support pediatric oncology research and treatment initiatives at the Hospital for Sick Children.  This is such a great initiative that I just had to spread the word.

My love for flyers 2.0 – FlyerFlo Review & $50 Metro GC Giveaway (open to all residents of Ontario, CDA)

A friend of mine, who was my roommate a while back, introduce me to the fun of flyers over five years ago.  Fast forward and I have to say that I’m like a little kid come Thursday night. The local newspaper arrives filled with flyers.  I look through each one and before I know it, they’re scattered all over the floor.  Most recently, my son has joined my hobby.  Of course, he’s mostly interested in the Toys R Us flyer or any flyer that has toys in them.

While I despise couponing, I love flyers.  I love comparing the deals the various companies have and seeing what I may need / want that I haven’t realized I needed yet.  To say the least, Friday is definitely my favourite shopping day.

However, what I hate is going into a store, and asking the employees there if the item I’m holding in my hand is the one advertised in their flyer and getting a stare blank back from them.  To be fair, they’re not paid enough to remember the weekly flyer by heart (I guess), but it’s frustrating as a shopper.  ENTER FLYERFLO.

FlyerFlo is a great new free app for your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch that allows you to view all of the weekly flyers of your local stores with the touch of your finger.  No more schlepping around flyers with you to the store and no more memorizing the deals.  You can access all of your favourite deals from your favourite companies immediately.

Have you seen my son’s pacifiers?

My 27 month old son is obsessed with his pacifierS.  The problem is, they keep disappearing on us.  I don’t know where they go or how they get lost, but they do.  I kid you not, but we’ve probably purchased over 100 pacifiers in his lifetime.  If you’ve ever purchased any before, you know they’re not cheap.  The going rate is $10 for 2 (on average).  So if you do some quick math, we’ve probably spent invested somewhere around $500 on these plastic and rubber gadgets. I know what you’re thinking… “get one of those clips so he doesn’t lose them” or “just stop giving him pacifiers.”   Brilliant ideas and I should know because I’ve thought about doing both of these things, but it’s easier said than done.  First of… my son is smarter and stronger than he looks. He’s pretty up-to-date on what’s in fashion and what’s not, and apparently, the pacifier clips ARE NOT!  He immediately pulls them off his shirt so what we have left is a pacifier in his mouth with a clip hanging down from it.  Not useful at all.  I can’t stop giving him the pacifiers because he’s obsessed with them, and baby #2 is expected to arrive in about two weeks time.  As if I won’t damage this kid’s self-esteem enough (he’s a momma’s boy), to take away his one other true love (sorry Dad) would truly kill him.  Not to mention, I’m pretty sure one’s love for pacifiers are hereditary.  It’s no joke!  My husband John used pacifiers until he was 4 years old!! 

Difference between a first and second pregnancy

As my second pregnancy comes to an end, I had some time (read: sleepless nights) to reflect back about my current pregnancy and my first one.  I realized that there’s a lot of differences actually.  Here’s some of the major ones that came to mind for me:

1. During my 1st pregnancy, my husband came along with me to ALL of my Doctor appointments.  For this pregnancy the count is 0.