My Best Friend Multiplied! – Guest Post

I’ve known Wendy since junior-high and we’re now fellow residents of Riverdale, Toronto.  Wendy is smart, funny, witty and a very talented writer.  Her blog is www.sadinthecity.com and I’m constantly waiting for her next post to be published. I can’t get enough of her writing.  She also happens to be the inspiration behind me starting my own blog.  I often read her posts multiple times and then re-read them to my husband.  This is her most recent post and I just loved it so much, I had to have it on my blog too!

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Mothers love to compare labour and delivery stories in some zero-sum one-upmanship of who is really suffering the fallout of Eve’s disobedience. “You think  682 hours of labour is bad? When I gave birth, I walked ten miles to and from the hospital, uphill both ways. Barefoot. In the snow.”

I hope that Mcintosh tasted really good, Eve.

Our family is expanding!… We’re getting a fur child (and need your help with the name)

Short version: We’re getting a dog, and we need name suggestions!!

Long version:John and I always knew that one day, we would get a dog.  We just didn’t know when.

At the dog park, moments before a dog came and ate those crackers

Since we both grow up with dogs, we knew the responsibilities that came along with dog ownership, and we just weren’t ready for it. We figured we’d at least wait until we had some kids since surely we’d have to be responsible by then!  Once Kyle was born, our plates were full enough and we just figured the timing wasn’t right.  And so, we dragged our heals a little longer.

When Kyle was about 8 or 9 months old, I took him to our local off-leash dog park.  He had the best time sitting and watching the dogs run around.  It became our daily routine and the smile stayed on Kyle’s face for hours after watching the dogs. 

The Two Million Dollar Family

I’m always writing about some of the challenges that I’ve encountered to-date as a parent to one kid; now imagine four! Last week, my husband, son and I all flew to Edmonton to visit my brother and his family. They had just welcomed home their 4th child two weeks previously.  It also happened to fall on the Jewish holiday of Passover which made the dinners even that much more special. My brother’s kids are 6, 3.5, 1.5 and 0.08 :). However stressful and chaotic their home might be, my brother and his wife don’t skip a beat. It’s as if they’ve done this four children thing their whole life.

Top 10 signs you’re really sick…

10. Your house looks like a tornado went through but somehow you’ve convinced yourself it’s still fit for a queen and with a house this clean you’re not the least bit concerned if your child decides he wants to eat off the floor (see # 9 below). 9. You son dumps all of his raisins on the floor and rather than telling him to stop or clean them up, you’re quite happy he’s found a way to entertain himself. 🙂

8. You boss your husband around and he doesn’t say anything about it.*

My son and I are on a first name basis

At our home, I speak Hebrew to our son and my husband speaks English.  So when we were deciding what we wanted him to call us, naturally John wanted to be called Dad or Da-da and I wanted to be called Ima (mom in Hebrew).  When Kyle was born, we repeatedly told him who we were. Me, Ima and John, Da-da.  Of course, it wasn’t until Kyle was over a year before he said any real words.

I don’t want to brag, but Kyle’s first word was Ma-ma.  Not exactly Ima, but he actually meant me when he said it (not his favourite toy or stuffed animal, but me, really!).  His second and third words were Ball and Goal, respectively.  About a month ago Kyle started calling me by my first name.  It wasn’t just a simple Maya but usually, it was a very demanding, loud cry for help that sounded like MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYA!!  And from then on, it was “Maya, Maya… Maya,…Maya, Maya, Maya…Maya!”

Communicating through Baby Sign Language – plus a Course Giveaway! Winner selected: Katie

Thanks to everyone who entered our contest.  The winner has been selected!  Katie from Toronto.  CONGRATULATIONS! (Please e-mail me at mayay@rogers.com for details on how to claim your price).

I can’t remember what made me want to take baby sign language classes, but I was intrigued and jumped at the opportunity when Kyle was around 8 months old.  I signed up for a class taught by Sharon Isaacs Weisz (who I also went to high-school with) through the WeeHands program (http://www.weehands.com/profile.php?id=94).  Sharon is a Private Speech-Language Pathologist for children and adults in GTA and York Region, owner of Toronto Speech Therapy,  WeeHands instructor and proud mommy of a successful WeeHands graduate!  Sharon has graciously offered one lucky winner a free baby sign language course through WeeHands (see details for entering contest below).  You can also find out more information about her services on her website: www.torontospeechtherapy.ca

When I first signed up for my signing class, I hadn’t heard yet about all of the benefits of signing with your baby.  In fact, I was just looking for another activity to do with Kyle.  As it turns out, the class was more for the parents than the child.

What to do with Kids in Toronto! – Guest Post

Talk about a one-stop shop for all things going on in the city.  Melanie, a mother of two, has created what I think is the best resource for all things parents and kids in Toronto.  Her blog, aptly named Melanie OTG (on the go), lists various places and activities that one can do with their kids on a daily basis.  She rates each location / activity on a scale of 5 by activities, amenities and value and than gives an overall score.  She has activities categorized by age, location and type.  She even lets others rate / review a place as part of her online Kids’ OTG Activity Directory.  Talk about making it easy for your average busy, stressed-out mom.  I can’t say enough good things about her site and I’m so glad she agreed to do a guest post with me.  We’re also running the Bizzy Bee Playcentre Giveaway together.  Check out the contest details on my site or on Melanie’s and enter to win.  The contest closes this Friday!

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I’m a mom with two children and as you may have guessed, I love taking my little monsters out for fun things to do and provide them with opportunities to learn and explore a variety of activities. My aim for this post is to give you a broad range of ideas for things to do with your kids, young and old, in Toronto and the surrounding area throughout the year.

Some I’ve been to and others I haven’t. If myself or others have reviewed the place already, you can read the reviews by clicking on the links below. And if you have a baby, check out my post here which is geared just for babies (toddler post coming soon!), and my Fun for the Month posts that feature my monthly activity picks!

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the places I’ve mentioned below and if you have suggestions for other fun things your kids like to do!

Why can`t I just pee alone?!?!

For those of you confused by the title, you should know that I have an 18 month old son.*

When I was pregnant with Kyle, I heard that I wasn’t going to get much sleep or alone time with my husband.  But I was never told that I also wouldn’t be able to go to the bathroom without the accompaniment of my son.  Of course when Kyle was a little baby, if he was awake or not in his crib, I could take him into the bathroom with me and put him in his bouncing chair.  But as he got older and more mobile, I assumed he should be able to continue to play wherever he is as I’m only an ear shot away.