Update of the family kind

I don't really have the energy for anything that's not laying down so here's a sort version of "exciting" news on the family front.
Cason rolled over on Friday. For those of you paying attention, that's 3 months to the day. Last night he also laughed for the first time. Now things are starting to get exciting!

Kiara's almost 2 and showing it everyday. She's got strong opinions and a real need to do things for herself. Mostly cute. Mostly. Needless to say, she's my daughter as her attitude is showing me every single day.
Matt's kinda moving into a new position at work. He'll be taking on more of a "Project Manager" role in the future. He sounds excited about it so that's good. As much as he won't admit it, I'm pretty sure he likes to be "that guy".
I'm training. And wifeing. And moming. And trying to blog. Bleh. Started running trails now so that's super exciting. Much rather be there then the concrete jungle. Finished my first 10 km's on Sunday. Didn't kill me so that's a bonus.
We've got two rounds of family and one of friends coming in April so it should be a good month. Peace.

Dear So & So

You may not have got the memo but I'm training for the Death Race. It's kinda a big deal. I know I have to get ready for some "conditions". However this week you've already thrown ice, snow, wind, blowing snow, an exploding camel pack (I was literally talking about how awesome it was 2 DAYS AGO!) and a dead iPod at me. Oh, and I tweaked my knee grocery shopping. Can't believe I almost forgot the leak in the basement. Really this is too much for one girl to deal with. I'm getting up before 06:00. Both of my children are still sleeping. I'm pretty sure this is going against some rule of the universe. Throw me a bone big guy.
Let's make a deal; you get the weather sitch together and I'll keep recycling. Maybe even start a compost. Deal?

New Toy

I got a new toy. I've decided to name her Lacy. Random. She's a Garmin Forerunner 205 and so PRETTY! It's a little lame how excited I am about a watch. I wore it on my run today, 4.65 km's in 35:59 which is a PB for me. I even got it all set up by myself! Well except for the software...wish me luck.

Irritation Station

Things that irritate me:

1. People holding paper over their head in the rain. Really!? Do you honestly think a sheet of newspaper is gonna keep you dry? Why don't we make umbrellas out of old paper? Genius!


2. Slow movers. Driving, walking, pushing a shopping cart, GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!!

3. Rodents. In. My. HOUSE.



4. Dogs. Barking, jumping, growling, biting, pooping. Ok mostly everything about dogs.


5. People throwing garbage (or dog shit) in my yard. Don't.

6. Loud or quiet talkers. Just be normal. Gaaaaawd.

7. Snaggle teeth.



8. Cason's massive amount of puke. Maybe not irritating but definitely emotionally exhausting.


9. People not listening or hearing me.

10. Whining. Stop. Use your words.


Happy Friday y'all!

Meltdown

Kiara turned off the deep freeze. Maybe this morning but probably yesterday. Guess I have a "handy" dial on the outside that controls the temperature? Perfect. I had a solid 3 days of breast milk in there. My little white bags of freedom. The only fleeting chance I have of leaving the house alone is in those bags. I had a meltdown. Looking at my fresh(not frozen!) blueberries and now mostly soft bags of milk, I cried. Big-ugly-I-can't-catch-my-breath cry. May have over-reacted. May have blown it out of proportion. Judge me. I would.
After I calmed down, before I threw everything out, I went to every one's best friend:google. Read some things and decided I could risk it. Sanity restored.

Rough Times in the Hood

Yesterday may have very well been the hardest mom-day in my entire career. (I know, it's HUGE) (HA! That's what she said! SNAP!) N-E-waze...Cason fell off the couch. Yep. Little big man must up and threw himself over the edge. Matt got to him first, praise Allah, and he was perpendicular to the couch. We think he may have tried turning himself around (sweet new skill), pushed off with his little man feet and flipped off the couch. He's fine. We were pretty shaken up and nauseous for a bit.

"It's cool. I'm fine."

THEN, because my day wasn't awesome enough (clearly), Kiara snorted Chinese 5 Spice. I don't know what it is either. It's spicy, smells a little cinnamon-y and apparently burns like a hot damn. She kept twitching and I was certain she had brain damage. Good day. I blame the time change.

This however, is TOTALLY the best!

Mulitple Personalities

Maybe I'm crazier then the average house bound woman. The voices in my head refuse to listen to THAT blather. Here's a little taste of what I like to call "just the tip" of the crazy popsicle:
Took Cason to the pediatrician on Thursday. First time there. However, there were large signs EVERYWHERE stating "NO FOOD OR DRINK IN THE EXAMINATION ROOMS". Shit. Of course I have snacks and water in the diaper bag. Can't be THAT big of a deal right? I mean, I'm not going to walk all 3 of our asses back out to the car to empty out some snacks.
Into the exam room we go. Another large sign on the door. Meh. Of course our appointment is during prime nap time and Kiara is starting to fade fast. Guess what she sees? Her "cookies" in the diaper bag. She asks, and asks, and whines and cries. And I think, "Fuck it. It'll be quick. No biggie." I admit, I was in the "wrong" and I thought myself to be above the law.
As soon as I pass her the bag, the doctor walks in. "I really wish you wouldn't have given her that. There's large signs everywhere that say no food."
"I didn't think it was that big of a deal."
"We just never know who's going to be in the room next and they could have allergies. So if she drops food on the floor and THE NEXT CHILD IS ALLERGIC, PICKS IT UP AND EATS IT...you can see the problem."
Bring on Judgy Jane;
Damn straight I can see the problem. LETTING YOUR KIDS PICK UP FOOD FROM AN EXAM ROOM FLOOR AND EAT IT! Are you kidding me?! Now, before you all gather and uproar, I know it happens. Kiara picks food up quite often and eats it. Difference, it's in our house and SHE PUT IT THERE. Would she grab food off the floor somewhere else? Sure. She's 2. Would she bring it to me? Thus far, that's been the case.
If your child is THAT allergic that a morsel could be deadly. Keep them at home. Okay, only half kidding. But really, if it's that big of an issue, isn't it your responsibility as a parent to be extra careful? Why does this suddenly become my issue?
In other news, Cason weighed in at a whopping 13 lbs 8.5 oz. Jigga jigga whaa?! That's CA-razy! Just to top it all off, he's also 24" long. Oh ya, 2 solid feet baby! I think Matt's right, super heavy weight is where it's at.

Too Cute Not to Share

Getting some of that fancy vitamin D that we'll talk about later.

PUMPED for a walk with dad.

He's a big sleeper. Doesn't do much else...yet.

Hiding under the blankets. Not only does she love this, but she tries to do it EVERY TIME we attempt to fold laundry. Not frustrating AT ALL.

Bean pretending to be a telemarketer.

Earth/Cents

Thanks to my AH-MAZING Mama & other major influences in my life, doing the "right" thing is usually an easy choice for me. Not something I can really explain. It's a little like the Hollywood "It" factor. Either you have it or you don't, but you can't really articulate it.
One of the best lessons I've gleaned from the teachings of perfection is living a greener life. You know the 3 r's? Reduce, reuse, recycle? Well their kinda a big deal to me. I may have been called a recycling Nazi once or twice. I also may be that girl who'll hold on to her "garbage" all day cause there's no place to recycle while I'm out and about. Oh ya, I do it. I believe all the small things count. My entire house and garage use CFL's, I wash and reuse my ziploc bags, use cloth shopping bags EVERYWHERE, recycle every possible thing I can, carry water bottles and stainless mugs for refills (plus I totally save $0.10), I drive as little as possible, unplug things when not in use, shut the lights off and don't let the water run. It's just a way of life for me.
When I found out I was pregnant the first time, I knew I couldn't put my child in diapers. I couldn't justify the expense, but more then that, the massive amounts of trash I'd be sending to the landfills. Sure, they make ugly white fences out of old diapers but there's far too many diapers for them all to be used. I got online and did some research. Cloth looked great but they're so bulky and often you end up changing clothes every time you change a diaper. I was SHOCKED to see the selection available. Not your momma's diapers that's for sure!
I came across gDiapers. These looked perfect. I can compost them (total dream of mine), flush OR toss and they still break down? We are so in! Plus, the little g pants are too cute for words.
At first, I couldn't find them in Canada and had to order from the US. Yes, had to pay for shipping but it was a flat rate. So I'd order massive amounts at a time. Buying in bulk with the exchange etc worked out to about $0.70 a diaper. Certainly more expensive then regular diapers but it's good for the Earth and that's a cost I'm willing to swallow. Plus, I'll totally save money next time around because I already have the pants and liners. I was so pumped about it!
Few months ago, we started buying them locally. Local's always best right? WRONG. It dawned on me just last week that by doing that, I am now paying $1.60 PER DIAPER! Sure, I use less diapers then the average person. (By about half) But come on! With 2 sweet peeps in diapers, this is not a long term solution. Now I'm faced with a major dilemma, do I buy shitty landfill diapers because they're cheapest? Do I incur the start up cost of another cloth diaper system? The guilt I carry over this issue is RA-TARD-ED. Srsly.
Which leads me to another one I have major issues with: buying organic. Good golly miss molly I'd LOVE to buy all organic, all the time. Why is it so damn expensive?! Shouldn't it be easier to eat healthy? In the long run it's better all around. Better for us, better for the earth, better for our medical system. Yet, it's near impossible for the average family to afford it. Pretty sure it's cheaper to take a family of 4 out for fast food daily then it is to buy them organic food for a week. How does this work? Who's making these rules?
I just want to do the best for my family AND the Earth. I hate it when outside powers make doing the right thing, by my definition anyway, such a hard choice. Lames mcplains.

Looking Outside

I've been reading some other blogs for inspiration. (I WILL NOT copy and paste. I will NOT copy and paste. I won't paste. I won't...how would anyone know?) And found some sad and fascinating facts:
First, I think I may be the only person outside of New York that has a blog. Pretty sure this makes me trendy and possibly fashion forward too.
I never have nor will I ever, be in the "industry". Not sure which one, just know that it doesn't apply to moi. Then again, what does?
I am not doing this to be creative. I don't have these juices and voices that need an outlet. I am not in a constant state of making art, love and beauty. Sure, the bohemian life sounds great if you're not into mortgages, kids, monogamy and small town living. This brought a question forth, why am I doing this then?
Simple really. Validation. I want you to be stunned by my wit. Awed at my honesty. Shocked at my amazing sense of humour. I want for you to see a little of yourself in me, my life and my experiences. Laugh, scream and cry with me. Crazy is much more fun when you have someone pulling out their hair with you.
I have a somewhat demented need to (at least pretend to) know everything. So I went back to the beginning of a certain blog so I could partake in the evolution. I was jealous, dismayed and a little depressed to learn that within 24 hours she had 67 followers. 67. It's been about 3 weeks. I have 2. And 2 that I ASKED. (Totally love you guys!) Not only that, she had 93 hits. Me? 6. Oh ya, it's all about the numbers baby. My response? Quit writing. No one's reading it anyway. Big ol' infant cry. Then it hit me. Cue the light bulb. I don't want y'all to walk this life with me, I want you to TELL me you're walking with me. See it? Welcome to the madness in my brain.
As a result, from this day forward I am going to make a conscious decision to not give my power away. To stop looking outside for validation and acceptance. To not only seek it within but to have it be enough. I can. I will. I must. Trying to find the happiness in myself and all that bolly-who.
I am enough.
I have enough.
I do enough.
Thank you Sark!