It feels like summer..

May 1st, what a great day to have *gorgeous* weather. It was +25 C today, and Noah and I spent the entire day outside. We went for a morning bike ride with Dad (Noah in the bike trailer), played at the park, went for a ride in the wagon and then played in the front yard with the make-shift "sensory water bins". It was an all around awesome day.

~~~

"Say cheese!"

Laying in the sand at the park

~~~

Oh, get this. My little boy is "almost two". I say that because when someone asks us how old he is, we no longer answer with "21 months". We say, "he's almost two". I don't know when this happened, but it makes me very sad. I mean, he's so sweet and smart and funny - but I just can't believe he'll be TWO years old in a few months. 

Yesterday was a rough day with him, he literally whined all day, nothing made him happy. He got mad at me for offering something, then for not offering something what he really wanted. I was supposed to be a mind reader, apparently. There was a lot of screaming, for no reason, and hitting out of frustration, which is unlike him. He also went to bed an hour early, woke up at midnight extremely pissed off and didn't go back to sleep til after 2am. It was hard, and I felt very... done.  But then he woke up at 8am in a great mood and we had an amazing day today. No whining, no screaming, no fighting.

I know some days will be harder than others, especially with him approaching two years old. But having a great day right after a terrible one made my perspective quite a bit better. And he gives the best hugs and kisses, so that helps, too. 

Here's to hoping tomorrow's just as great as today - but if it's not, we'll get through it and I'm going to try to smile and laugh more with him, and yell less... even if I feel like I'm about to explode (or rip my hair out). He's just a little guy, I have to remember, and he doesn't mean to make me crazy sometimes. Sometimes I just look at him and I'm so overwhelmed with love and I feel like a terrible Mom for ever yelling or getting upset with him. I must remember to take a deep breath and let it out, listen to him then proceed. That's my goal, going forward. 

Re-making crayons

I have a toddler who *loves* to draw/color. He has a whole bin of crayons that have come from different places and people, I threw them all together rather than keeping separate crayon boxes, etc. I also keep him coloring books and stencils in the bin, too. It works great.

Of course with little hands (and, I should admit, my hands) doing so much drawing, crayons break. Even the thicker ones that are meant for toddlers. Noah will still use the little pieces to color with but they were driving me crazy.

Today I decided to try melting them down and re-making crayons. I pulled out a foil muffin tins and a silicone icecube tray, and that was really all I needed to do this.

Step 1 - Peel off the paper and put crayon pieces in the tins, in a cupcake pan. I preheat the oven to around 400 degrees (C) and then put these in the oven just like this. I checked on them every few minutes and I stirred them around with a tooth pick a few times. After about 8-9 minutes, they were full melted so I pulled them out.

Before going in the oven

After I took them out of the oven

Step 2 - Let cool, but only a few minutes, until you can pick the muffin tins up. If you let them cool too long they will start to set. Then pour into mold (any shape or size works!)

I only made enough to do these four, because I wanted to see how it turned out before a ton of them. 

Step 3 - Put the mold into the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until completely set. Took about 15 minutes for me. 

Step 4 - Pop the new crayons out of the mold!

They have a bit of "frost" on them in this picture, but as soon as they warmed up a bit and Noah started using them, it went away.

I was a bit unsure of how these would actual work, but they draw really well! I ended up with a redish/pink and a brown, but that's cause I just put random colors together in the muffin tins to melt. 

Here is the crayons and how they actually worked on paper.

And finally, Noah actually coloring with them. He loves how easy he can grip them and scribble, too!

It seems like Fridays are the only day I get a chance to sit down and write. It makes sense, as it's the only day I don't have extra kids here during the day. I wasted most of Noah's nap already - played on my phone, wasted time on Pinterest (though I did find a good sweet potato burger recipe for tonight) and did the dishes. Now, I sit here and can't believe I still have a few minutes to post here. He's still asleep, so I will write until he wakes.

Every day that passes brings us closer and closer to spring. I know this, but why does it feel like winter will never end? It's snowing *again* today. I'm sick of my winter boots that are no longer waterproof. I'm annoyed with pushing the stroller (and double stroller, some days) through so much snow. Boo. I am so ready for February to be over, that is for sure. Only one more week. March will be better, right?

This face tends to make everything okay. He got this take-apart toy for Christmas and suddenly *loves* it. He knows how to make the drill go and he can take out the screws himself. Once it's all apart, he calls for me to put it back together. And I do, and he takes it apart again. And, repeat.

He has so many new words and phrases all of a sudden. He loves saying "yeaaah!" and "Oh no!". He also puts words together now, like "Ruby, no!" and "Mama, draw?" and "Dadda, please!" He can sing the Batman song (Na Na Na Na Batman!) but he thinks all superheroes are Batman. Ha. He still loves kitties, dog-dogs and owls (who who) and he can show you *all* of his body parts and make almost every animal noise/sound. He amazes us so much.

We have a busy weekend ahead of us, thanks to Noah having a bad cold last weekend, so we got nothing done. We have a family dinner, tons of errands, groceries and a friends' baby shower. I'm exhausted just thinking about all the running around.

Flashback Friday

A quick post as I'm on my way out the door - Flashback Friday, since I haven't done one in a few weeks.

My boy, February 15th last year, and today! 

Tuesday Truth

I guess this constitutes as my Tuesday Truth post. It's definitely true that I'm feeling this way.

The roller coaster ride of emotions that is – deciding when to have another baby.

My husband and I always knew we wanted to have two kids. It was something we talked about before we were even engaged. He is one of two kids and I am one of three. Being the youngest of 3 wasn’t always fun growing up, especially since my sister is seven years older than me, and my brother is three years older. Paul and his sister are about three years apart, but have always been close since it was just the two of them.

Two seemed like the right number for us and I always wanted them close together. Well, it took *sixteen* months for my cycle to return after Noah was born (thanks, extending breastfeeding). It’s still not regular, either. So, now it’s looking like Noah will about about two and a half years old when we welcome a new baby (if it happens when we are hoping, in a couple months).

I can’t wait to be pregnant again. I loved being pregnant, even right up until I was overdue. I loved growing my baby – the morning (all day) sickness was well worth it. I had an amazing birth experience, and I’m so looking forward to doing it again.

But here’s the thing – I worry so much about how a new baby will affect Noah and our family of three. I know this is a normal concern (right?) but I keep wondering… will Noah’s feeling for me change? Will I feel the same way towards new baby that I did towards Noah when he was born? Will I feel differently about Noah? And all these feelings make me take a step back and really think how lucky we are to have such an awesome kid… and why would we change that?

I’m also constantly worrying about the age gap between Noah and potential new baby. I always thought I’d have two much closer together. Now I’m convinced that 2.5 years is a good gap, but what if Noah is right smack in the middle of the “terrible twos”? What if he’s not consistently sleeping through the night? How will I handle a two and half year old and a new born all day, by myself? I have so many questions.

But of course I know that it will work out the way it’s supposed to – it always does for us. I cannot help but feel like this decision is just *too* big. How am I supposed to know if I'm doing the right thing?

If anyone feels like weighing in on my feelings/thoughts here, please leave me a comment (experience, etc).

Happy Tuesday! 

Wednesday Review

Okay, I'm a day late... but I'm sure no one will judge me. I'm planning on posting review on Wednesdays - baby products, Mama products, books, toys, etc. My first one is my stroller; I hope it helps some Moms-to-be out there researching strollers (I know it can be overwhelming)!

Maxi Cosi Foray Stroller – Review

This product is – definitely – my most used baby item. I knew I needed an awesome stroller because of how much walking I do. I do not have a driver’s license therefore everywhere I do during the week, I walk (or bus). I didn’t even know I’d be using our stroller this much. I have used the stroller at least once (usually twice) every day for 18 months.

When we first started researched strollers, we only knew what kind we didn’t want. We didn’t want a “travel system”. I was undecided which infant car seat we were buying, but we’d figure that out later. The first stroller I found online that I loved was the Kolcraft ContoursOptions.  I loved the three-wheeled design, how the seat flipped to face towards the parents and then flipped forward, and how numerous infant seats could snap into it. And then I discovered it wasn’t available in Canada. So, back to the drawing board I went – but this time I knew what style I wanted. I Googled and searched and came out with a few other similar strollers, including the Maxi Cosi Foray. I knew nothing about this company but it got good reviews and looked really nice. And it was available at Babies R Us, and in our store. The only about it I didn’t like? The $399.99 price tag. But, off we went to look at it in person anyway.

It must have been our lucky day (or some kind of strange coincidence) because when we got there and found the stroller to “test drive”, it was on sale, for half price. This made it a done deal for my husband, though I just wasn't so sure. I really liked the stroller, and Paul kept saying “we’ll never find another stroller like this for this price”. He was right. But I didn’t think we were actually buying a stroller today. I thought we were just looking, test driving. So, I looked at others (nothing compared) and checked out every little thing possible about the stroller. I just loved it. My husband said we “couldn’t leave without it” so – we bought it. I was *maybe* 16 weeks pregnant.

So, yes, it was a long time before the stroller actually got put to use. Of course, my husband took it out of the box and put it together almost right away, so it was hanging out in the nursery for months before our baby was even born.

See?

Somewhere over the next little while we decided we needed the Maxi Cosi Mico infant car seat – one of the only downfalls to the Foray is that it only works with the Mico seat. Luckily, I found one in great shape that didn’t expire for a couple more years on Kijiji. There was no way I was paying another $200 for the car seat that worked with the stroller. 

Anyway, we used the stroller for the first time the day after Noah was born. It was the middle of July and a Friday evening, so we walked to the gas station to get Slurpees with our brand new, tiny baby in the Mico seat, snapped into the Foray base. It was the best feeling ever.

Noah outgrew the Mico car seat around 3-4 months – we upgraded to a convertible car seat and switched him to the main seat, which came with the stroller. He looked so small in it at the time. The stroller information says for use from infants 6 months up until 50 lbs. Well, Noah was a big 4 month old (around 18 lbs) so I know he was safe in there. I kept him facing towards me in the big seat until he was about 9 months old. I love having him face me – I could see if he’d fallen asleep and I could talk to him and whatnot. But by 9 months, he was ready to see the world and he was a lot happier to be facing outwards.

Here's Noah, around 6 months old, in the stroller with the big seat.

Around that same time (9-10 months) I started taking Noah out for a walk when it was around his nap time. Previously I had always nursed him to sleep but he made it impossible to transfer him – he’d wake up and be pissed off that I’d tried to move him. So, I decided to see if he’d sleep in the stroller. And he did. The best thing about the Foray is how the seat comes off easily. For months, Noah napped only in the stroller and when I got back to house, from my walk, I just lifted off the seat and brought him inside. I was then free to get stuff done (no longer stuck in nap jail) and he slept as long as he needed. Amazing. 

I have so many favourite things about the Foray. The brake is a one-step push with my foot and it’s awesome. The handle that goes shorter (for me) and longer (for my husband) is great too. And, of course, the fact that the seat can flip around and be lifted off easily is a huge plus. The seat also has many reclines, both facing the parent and outwards. Facing outwards, I can have Noah laying basically flat if I wanted him to be. The wheels on the Foray are great - large bike tire wheels at the back and two small wheels at the front that can lock (great for winter and snow) or be unlocked, giving it amazing turning ability. 

One of the only other negative things I can think of is the fact that the seat itself can’t be washed. I wish I could just take the seat padding off and throw it in the washing machine. It says “spot clean only” which is often difficult, depending on the mess. 

The basket underneath the seat could also be a bit bigger (it's small compared to travel system strollers) but it definitely does the job. 

I’m not a huge fan of the way the stroller folds up, but thankfully my husband is a pro at it and is the one who almost always folds it up / puts it in the SUV / unfolds it. Until Noah was about six months old, I didn’t even know how to do it because my husband was the one who did it all the time. Ha.

We have since bought a small, cheap umbrella stroller for quick trips or if my mother-in-law is taking Noah and I somewhere, etc (the Foray doesn’t fit as well in her car). My husband hates the umbrella stroller. He says it’s too short for him and he doesn’t feel like Noah is as safe in it.  I hate that Noah would never fall asleep in it. So we still bring the Foray 99% of the time, even now that Noah is 18 months old.

I’m lucky that my toddler still likes being in the stroller. He doesn’t fight to get out of it and he’s usually happy in the stroller for trips to the mall or the Farmer’s Market. Maybe it's because his Foray is so comfy!

I'm planning on buying a Buggy Board when we have a new baby in a year or so, which snaps onto the Foray at the base and would allow Noah (who will be about 2.5 years old) to stand on it while I push the new baby in the stroller. 

Just knowing I will get about 4 years out of my stroller (two years per baby) or more, makes it worth the $400 price tag. The fact that I got it on sale for $200 is even better, obviously.  

To conclude, if you're looking for a stroller that's "different", definitely keep in mind and check out the Maxi Cosi Foray. It's an amazing, stylish stroller, worth every penny in my books. 

Flashback Friday

Here it is - my (late) Friday post. This one blew me away, actually. It's so hard to believe how big my boy is already. 18 months! I'm not sure how it's possible.

January 18th, 2012 and today, January 18th, 2013

I know, I know. This is something every Mom says. But it's just so true. A year ago he just sitting up on his own, drooling alot (no teeth yet) and chewing on everything. He wasn't even crawling yet! And now, man, he's a more like a kid than a baby. *Mind blown*

And now all I can think about is how my Mom must feel. I'm her baby and I'm almost 27 and have my own toddler. It must be so crazy for her. 

~~~

I'm so looking forward to this weekend where we have nothing planned. It seems like every weekend since the fall we've just had packed with things to do. Sure, we'll get groceries and do our usual errands... but we have no obligations and have no set times to do anything. I hope Noah sleeps in tomorrow (ha!) and we can be lazy around the house most of the day. I'm hoping to get some reading and writing in tomorrow as well. 

It's supposed to get darn cold next week (-20 C), so bundling Noah up for our afternoon walks doesn't sound fun anymore. At least I got snow pants for Christmas and I recently bought a neckwarmer - I might not look stylish but I will not be cold. Noah has two snowsuits but I am liking the one piece better. I know we haven't had much of a winter yet (besides a ton of snow that is already melted), so the worst is obviously yet to come. But I will keep reminding myself that thanks to Global Warming our Spring usually begin in March now. Sooo, only 1.5 more months of winter! 

Ugh... before I know it I'll be planning the 2nd birthday party. Less than six months away...

Tuesday Truths

I just have about half an hour here to post. I have two toddlers napping and (as always) either of them could be up at any moment.

Tuesday Truths will be random things/facts going through my mind at the moment - all truths. They may even be things I haven't really said out loud before.

~~~

Truth #1 - My husband has been Smoke Free for SIX months as of today. He quit smoking the day of Noah's 1st birthday party and hasn't looked back.

Truth #2 - I got tattooed just four days ago and I already want another new piece. Before that, it had been 3.5 years since I got tattooed.

Truth #3 - I cannot wait to get pregnant again, but I'm terrified of having a girl. I, of course, will be happy either way, but I just can't picture myself with a daughter. I've always dreamed of having 2 (or 4) boys. I want Noah to have a brother.

Truth #4 - I eat entirely too much junk food/unhealthy food, but I walk *so* much that I'm pretty sure it cancels it out. And I'm down 25 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight, so I don't really see a problem. I also have zero interest in "working out", but I do go for at least 2 fairly long walks every day, so it's a form of working out, right?

Truth #5 -  I *love* being a stay-at-home-Mom and hate when people ask me why I didn't go back to work. I can't stand the thought of being away from my kid and having someone else hang out with him. Although, I did love going to see a movie with my husband this last weekend and leaving Noah at home with his Aunty. I love that I raised a kid who is rarely ever away from me but doesn't have a hard time adjusting when we are apart.

Truth #6 - I love when my toddler is sleeping, I love having even an hour to myself... but then I get bored and just sit there playing on my phone or on the computer and think to myself What did I do with my time before I had a kid? So, I love having short periods of time to myself. To recharge. But man, I love hanging out with my kid. He's so fun!

Truth #7 - I really love cloth diapers and clothing diapering Noah. So much so that I will be sad when he's potty trained. By then I'll have a newborn in cloth again... but still. I love seeing him in his adorable diapers.

~~~

That's it for now. I am hoping to get my stroller review typed out for tomorrow, but we will see. Happy Tuesday everyone!

Monday Montage

For my first edition of Monday Montage, I will post a collage of random pictures from this past weekend. Future weeks may have  specific themes, I can't say for sure.

Noah loved playing in all the freshly fallen snow. It was super sticky and I built him a snowman, and then we sung Frosty the Snowman (over and over and over). He's not a fan of reindeer but he *loves* snowmen. 

I'm off to have lunch and do some reading while Noah and Masen (little boy I babysit during the week) are napping. From 1pm to 2:30pm (ish) it's the most quiet and peaceful time of my day and I must take full advantage of it. If there's one thing for sure, it's that they will wake up and they will want to play, play, play!

Happy Monday!

Flashback Friday!

And here it is... I present you with January 4th, 2012 along side today, January 4th, 2013. The difference is quite literally amazing. One year older. Almost six months in the first picture (and *so* chubby) and almost 1.5 years in the second picture.

He was a baby in the first picture... and he's a kid now. It's so insane and amazing and sad all at once. I love this age. He is so smart and he understands everything I say to him. It's so cool to watch him learn things every day and see how excited he gets when he figures something out. But man, knowing he'll never be that baby again is pretty upsetting. I totally feel like he'll be heading off to kindergarten before I know it.

It's late now and my eyes are heavy - I wish I'd gotten around to writing out this post earlier. It's just about time to go put my toddler (*sob*) to bed.

Hopefully I will get another post written out tomorrow and posted either sometime on the weekend or on Monday. Have a great weekend!

So this is the New Year...

And to quote Death Cab, many years ago... "And I don't feel any different."

Well, except that it's definitely January weather outside. Today is *freezing*. Our snow is sticking around. It's winter, for sure. But this always happens in January, so I should not be surprised. Noah actually enjoys playing in the snow - he loves holding snowballs and throwing them. Next week I am planning on patting down some of the snow in the back yard (on the hill) and making a "slide", for Noah and Julia (the 6 year old I babysit after school). I'll probably go down it, too, I'm not going to lie.

I do plan on doing a few things differently in 2013, including blogging a lot more. I do regret not blogging/writing/reading much at all last year. Yes, I was busy. But there was always nap time. I do think that while nap time used to equal Facebook time,  now it will be my quiet time for reading  / writing. I'm very much looking forward to this. I really could stand to be on Facebook just a little bit less.

To force myself to stick with blogging regularly, I am now implementing some weekly posts. Perhaps Monday Montage? Tuesday Truths? Wednesday Reviews? Or Flashback Friday? I have tried these before and wasn't all that great and keeping up with them - but I'm hoping this year will be different. I'm going to attempt to do a couple each week to start. Today is Thursday and I can't come up with a clever Thursday theme... so today will be random. Ha.

Anyone out there that would like to recommend great books they've read recently, please do so in the comments! I'm always looking for new books to download for my Kobo reader.

Check in tomorrow - it will be Flashback Friday (a photo from sometimes over the past two year along with a photo from the current day). I'm considering also picking one random idea off -this- list to blog about on Fridays. What do you think?