Happy Halloween

Pumpkin lit....check!

Decorations up...check!

Kid approved treats by the door....check! check!

Complete meltdown of 5 yr old and the mother....check!

3yr old refusing to wear cutest Dash costume....check! check!

My favorite husband dressed in Oilers gear....double check!

Dog ate the feather boa off my witch costume....check again!!

Husband taking kiddos trick or treating....check!

Cold bevy poured for moi.....check!

Enjoy this Spooookalicious evening. Wahahahahah!!

Thoughts for the Day

"Keep my words positive:
Words become my behaviors.
Keep my behaviors positive:
Behaviors become my habits.
Keep my habits positive:
...Habits become my values.
Keep my values positive:
Values become my destiny.
-Mahatma Gandhi

This completely hit my heart.

I struggle with being positive...especially towards my self. Maybe I should have this tatooed on my head...heart...arm.

Treasure Hunt

Monday morning and there is snow on the ground. I really wanted to sleep in...like until 10. (Bahahah!!! So funny!) Sometimes, Monday mornings are a little trying. The weekend is over. My favorite husband is back to work. And...it's just the pressure...knowledge of the busy-ness of another week that slows me down first thing on a Monday morning.

Today was the same as all others. Except for the snow and an early morning blissful bubble bath during which no boys came in asking to join me. Wuhoo! How did I manage that? W was tucked into my bed watching Star Wars lego movies on You tube and Bup was in the living room watching Finding Nemo. Hello! Here I come bath tub!

Afterwards the boys had much needed hair cuts. I have been cutting their hair lately and it was "ok" but time for a professional do. Which is really funny when you see Bup's hair! He is a delight at the salon. Really. I sit with him on my knee, cross my legs over top his, wrap both my arms around him and hold on for dear life! He SCREAMS at the top of his lungs as he sobs and struggles, yells "THIS IS STUPID!", while the stylist just buzzes his thick, thick hair off. It's the only way now! He used to cry the whole time but sit....now there is no sitting and the screams are murderous. This child is so stubborn and HATES having anything done to him. Wiping his nose? It's kinda the same routine. So, it's a buzz cut for him and really I could do that at home if someone would just hold him down!

Afterwards, we came home for the boys to enjoy a Treasure Hunt while I prepared lunch. They loved the Treasure Box!

The decorative box is filled with dry macaroni, popcorn, rice and lentils. Hidden in the bottom are tiny toys....letter beads, animals, sea creatures, baby bottles, babies, sea shells, buttons, and any other tiny item of interest I could find.

A great sensory activity. A great way to keep them pre-occupied for at least15 minutes. Clean and inexpensive too! They liked it so much that W has asked if his friends could come over and play with the Treasure Box and Bup has asked again to play with it. Poor fella had to nap instead!

What interests me? The way the boys "organize" their treasures.

Bup is showing linear tendencies like his dad! All his butterflies lined up. All his shells grouped together and he fed the tiny naked baby her tiny bottle. Also, at first Bup would bury his hand in, come out with nothing and say, "I can't do it, Mom."

W? All grouped in a large pile. The faster he could find them the better!

And now...it's time to wake Sir Bup in order to retrieve W from kindergarten. Once home, the Treasure Box will be opened again.

Spookalicious Decor

It's so fun to see the neighborhood decorating and getting into the spirit of all things ghouly for Halloween. Some is very spooky! We're pretty low key compared to the neighbors with tombstones and flapping bats and spider webs, etc, etc. However, we the spooky spirit reigns here!

The Insane Asylum sign cracks me up. First, it's so accurate! Second, I came home for a tea date with my sister to find it hanging on our door. My favorite husband!

The wreath was created with an old berry wreath, black spray paint and some dollar store snakes.

It's hard to tell in the pic but on the mantle there are also tiny, squishy mice. Tina likes them too so they're kept up high. There was also a leaf holding mice and spiders on the desk...but Bup found those!

What ghoulish decor is gracing your home this week?

Life with a Dog

We are still adjusting to life with a dog. However, it's gone quite well all things considering.

She has only had two "accidents" in the house, both of which my darling husband cleaned up. Ya gotta love him for that alone!

Miss Tina is more and more accepting of the boys and quite loves when they give her belly rubs. Well, lets be real here. Bup YELLS that she wants a belly rub but won't give her one and W is more than happy to rub her bare, skinny belly.

The downside of living with a greyhound....besides, being the fat chick walking a skinny dog....well, to put it lightly....

She STINKS!

This dog has the smelliest bodily functions...gas...toots.."EEEWWWWW you fooooted!!!" as Bup says. UGH! I can hardly stand it. It's nauseating.

I thought living with three "boys" and their bodily functions was bad...ya know, R announcing that he had a "BIG HOT DOG POOP!" at dinner to guests....but this is gag-me-with-spoon type of stuff.

Must sign off.

Must find gas mask.

So Smitten Photography

This gal is a fantabulous photographer!

Check her out here.

Also she is booking for fall/christmas photos now, so if you, your family or your kiddos are in need of an updated, stylistic photo, do get in touch with Miss Lara.

You will be smitten with the results!

Parenting Pitfalls

It feels as if this past week or so I have lost any parenting skills that I think I may have had.

Tantrums....by all three of us.

Anger, frustration...are abundant here.

While tucking in W for his morning nap....yes we are back to morning naps since the boys are getting up at 530 again...& this afternoon kindergarten business is just wrong, wrong, wrong....I was reciting in my head over and over again, with gritted teeth, "I am peace and joy. I am peace and joy. I am peace and joy...." Hoping this mantra would take over and release the anger and frustration that is oozing from my pores.

All this anger certainly doesn't help the boys. Or my housekeeping skills.

Isn't it just sinful to wish the days of "to be seen and not heard" were real? That was a mantra when I was growing up....from both my father and my grouchy grandmother, Granny D.

Now, I know that generally speaking I have the sweetest, smartest little boys on the planet, but at the same time, their antics drive me bonkers. So, I freely admit that my frustration stems from within.

(As I vent here, one little boy has made his way to my bed for his morning nap after crying and crying in his own. So there are cute fluffy cheeks, and sad tear stained eyes laying on the pillow beside me.)

Okay, so I get that these feelings are my problems...not my childrens'. Now what do I do? How do I conquer this? Any suggestions, oh parenting gurus out there in cyber land?

A Little of This

Double Surgery Day

What a day!

What a trooper our Bup is!

It was surgery day...and oh, how I hope it's the last one....EVER!

Yes the surgeries were minor, adenoidectomy and hypospadias repair (thankfully a minor repair), however, it's still terribly hard to see your little one terrified and hurting.

R was a certifiable mess. In need of a tranquilizer before even entering pre-op. He was so distress over changing into the hospital jammies and the name tag....psycho!! It took everything for B and I to hold him in our arms without him throwing himself to the floor and ripping his pj pants off as well as the ankle-tag. Which he tried to do in pre-op, so I just removed it myself.

He woke up from the anesthetic in the same state, ripping his IV out, to which I instructed the nurse to remove it and I would get fluids into him myself.

It took a while for this naked little man to settle in my arms with his "kiki" and bottle. There was NO WAY a hospital blanket was even grazing his body. So, after an hour and a half, the fighting and sobs subsided to whimpering and staying in my arms.

In the mean time, B made a trip to Neurology to discuss the mix up on his latest med renewal only to find out it's quite possibly the Keppra which has turned our sweet little Bup into a defiant, contrary boy. Bup is still experiencing "wiggly hand" seizures so the Trileptal has been increased. What to do about the Keppra side effects? I don't know yet.

Next, our Neurologist Dr. M is leaving town at the end of the month. Heading east to Halifax, NS.

UGH.

No replacement Neurologist as of yet. Just on the docket....whatever on-call Neurologist happens to be working.

Lovely transition plan that our health system utilizes. Just a little bit p!$$#@, but trying to let it go for today because we all made it through a rough day.

Now, the rest of this week will focus on healing and getting Bup ready to pee on his own, breathe through his nose, and return to pre-school & gymnastics...happily!

Thanksgiving Recipes

Here are two of my favorite "holiday" recipes.

The Sweet Potato Surprise is a bit of a famous one among my family. I created it by adapting two recipes...years ago...and never eat it!! Sweet Potatoes, while in my southern blood and roots, have only just begun to entice me. I love the fries though!

Anyway, I'm quite proud of this dish because so many people love it. Yes, I will admit that I was a little miffed when my sister tried to copy it for dinner with my cousin, who then, (the cousin) said she was bringing "Annetta's sweet potatoes" to Christmas!! Ack! Pardon moi? Those are my sweet potatoes, not my sisters! My signature dish.

But I digress....This is not one bit good for you or low calorie. Which is probably why the masses love it.

Sweet Potato Surprise

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes

1/2 cup skim milk

2 beaten eggs (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 TBSP melted margarine

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

cooking spray

1 cup low fat granola

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 block cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 TBSP melted margarine

Combine first 7 ingredients, beat until blended. Spoon into 8 in square prepared baking dish. Combine granola, pecans & brown sugar. Sprinkle over casserole and drizzle with butter. Bake at 350 for 25 min.

Next on the Holiday Menu is cooked Red Cabbage. Again a dish that I normally would never try. I hate the smell of cooked cabbage, the texture, and anything to do with it. Don't even get me started on the sauerkraut that my mother always made. Yuck!

This recipe is super yum. I could eat this All. Day. Long!

Red Cabbage with Apricots & Balsamic Vinegar

6 TB butter

1 red onion thinly sliced

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 lbs red cabbage thinly sliced

1/4 cup apricot preserves

3/4 cup dried apricots, sliced

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter over med-hi heat.

Add onion and spices. Cook 1 min. Add cabbage and apricots. Saute until well coated - 2 min. Add preserves 7 vinegar. Toss until juices are reduced to glaze and cabbage is tender crisp - 6 min. Season with salt and pepper.

Store covered in fridge if making ahead.

What's on your menu this Thanksgiving weekend? Do you have any "secret" well-loved recipes?

Little Family Thanksgiving

Our little RWB family enjoying

a quiet Thanksgiving at home today. Probably the first one ever where it was just us or that we weren't on the go. Beautiful.

Don't get me wrong, it's always fun with others, and I will quite enjoy dinner at my sister's tomorrow, but the more relaxed pace is lovely.

W and I made hand print turkey pictures and wrote what we are thankful for on the bottom.

He's thankful for toys.

At dinner, Bup was finally up as he slept the whole day away because he was up all night ready top play...anyway, at dinner we gave a thanksgiving toast at the beginning of the meal stating our gratitude ...W...toys & a dog....R...toys, B....healthy family....Me...my little family and spending Thanksgiving together.

The boys, B and the dog were way ahead of me and we finally caught up for some rock throwing into the river, playing trains, running on the bridge, smacking into the side of the bridge....oh the tears! Pleas for a trip to McDonald's... a hamburger, boy toy and to play...more tears when that idea was kyboshed...After dinner we went on a Nature Walk by the river as I needed to get some running water shots for photog class.

no more gratitude as the parents are now jerks, saw a family of deer on our path, cried because not allowed to pet the deer, finally in the car and stopping for sugar free slurpees so everyone is happy especially when the sparkles on the car windows were noted. It had begun to rain.

I am thankful that a drink or small snack (NOT from McDs) turns a kid's disposition around. Whew!

And now bedtimes have come and gone with out much fuss....except I think my favorite husband has fallen prey to the child's race car bed and is asleep with him too!

(PS: Notice the "glasses" W found at the river....that the boys are in pjs for dinner?)

Seasonal Sayings

The boys are funny these days with things that come out of their brains and mouths.

"It's a booeful day" Bup... just cause he can't pronounce "beau"

"It's spookalicious!" W...cause he's just funny that way.

Happy Fall to you!

ACAD - Digital Photography Class

Only at an art college would you find this hanging in the hallway

I burst out laughing at the site of this pelt....right in front of the elevators...how many people have walked into it and slightly freaked out??!!

Tres cool is the art display of furniture made from cardboard boxes. Maybe I'll get a shot of them tonight.

It's so exciting to be enrolled in photography class. When I was handed my student id card, it was all I could do to refrain from doing a little dance! I felt real! I felt interesting! I felt smart! I felt like....wuhooo...I'm doing something smart and grown up. Yeah!

Tonight is class and I still have one more photography assignment to complete, which will happen when I have a subject that sits still. Certainly not the dog or the little boys.

Hmmmm.....B the husband, where are you?

Pre-School Drop Out

...no graduation day for you,

Pre-school drop out,

flunked coloring

and ate the glue.

We just may have one on our hands soon. A Pre-school Drop Out.

Pre-school was a total bust today. Bup does great during free play but once it's circle time....look out!

"I don't like YOU!"

"I'm telling on YOU!"

Throw in a little kick or pinch, lying on the carpet, sneaking away on his knees, requesting a big time out rather than sitting for story time, hitting a little friend while putting shoes on to leave....

Yup. Banner day at pre-school

Oh, did I mention breaking his glasses and throwing them across the room while in a time out?

And then in the car on the way home, I hear this little voice from the back seat singing, "Tidy up, Tiiiiidy UP, Everybody tidy up."

Well.....I'm at a loss what to do.

In the words of the literary giant, Robert Munsch,

"This kid is driving me crazy!"

Miss Tina the Greyhound

Introducing our new addition. Finally a girl in the RWB household! Miss Tina, the Greyhound.

She's a lovely little thing. So sweet, gentle and still a little shy. She's probably wondering why she left the track in Oklahoma to end up in this noisy house with two rambunctious little boys!

I've been "secretly" wanting a dog for my W. He is just so amazing with animals and has been begging for a black and white dog named Charlie for at least a year now. But, sigh, my sweet husband was not interested, with good reason, in having a big dog in the city.

Now, my favorite husband Mr. B, has loved and admired Greyhounds for years, ever since meeting one when he lived in Nova Scotia. Then one day recently, he started looking on line at Chinook Winds again and talking as if we would get one!!!! So exciting!!! ~ W keeps saying, "I didn't know I could get a dog!"

Here, we are, day one with Tina. This is her given name and we have a list of possible new names, but I don't know if we'll change it. The boys seem to be happy with Tina. My niece who is also Tina, may not be!:)

So, this little girlie is just tiny at 54lbs, is so sweet and kind, gentle, loves her walks, and is adjusting well. It's amazing how a strictly crated, racing dog can adjust so well to pet life. They are extremely low energy, docile and adaptable. Just what we need!