Gossip and Rumours

Another Rant By Mother Hen

 Gossip

1.      Rumour or talk of a personal, sensational or intimate nature.

2.      A person who habitually spreads intimate or private rumours or facts.

3.      Trivial, chatty talk or writing.

4.      A close friend or companion

5.      Chiefly British A godparent

Rumour

   1. information, often a mixture of truth and untruth,
       passed around verbally.
   2. gossip or hearsay
   3. Archaic din or clamour

   4. Obsolete fame or reputation

Ah yes, everybody's favourite thing, gossip and rumours. You can try to convince yourself that you are not guilty of either of these but you are only lying to yourself. We are ALL guilty of gossip and rumours at some point in our lives and for most, some point of our everyday.
I try my hardest not to get tangled up in rumours or gossip, but just like everyone else I have a weakness for them. Who doesn't love to hear the latest news about so and so! Or what what's his name and what's her face are up to!

Yes, gossip and rumours seem fantastic, till they're about YOU! Then they're not so good. Then they're rude, childish, and mean.

In the past few months some rumours about me have come to my attention and I admit they made me quite sour. They hurt and made me angry, as they would anyone else.
But then something quite interesting happened this week to me that has changed the way I view gossip and rumours.

I stopped caring and actually started to laugh.

I started to try to find the humour in these rumours. It wasn't easy at first by any means. It was hard to look at what was being said about me, or what others thought but after a while I found them to be humourous. I realized that I was too tired and too busy to give these rumours as much energy as they were getting!
Rumours can be based on peoples emotions and opinions when they receive the information initially. Rumours can make someone feel important, like they are privileged to someones special information that no one else knows...until they start spreading it around.
But mainly rumours are simply miscommunication.

"Paul is wearing a blue sweater" says Sue.
Moments later on an unrelated note Sue says, "I hate the colour blue."
End result, "Did you hear that Sue hates Paul?"

Yes, whatever the nature, rumours and gossip are nothing more than " information, often a mixture of truth and untruth, passed around verbally".
My favourite rumours are the ones that are up front and to the point.

 "I heard a rumour you were doing such and such". 

 These people aren't even fishing casually for information, they are bluntly coming out and asking for it!

You got to respect that.

Where these sort of questions used upset me and make me wonder how could people be talking about me behind my back? They now make me sigh and smile.

My old response would have been to either deny, admit, or try to change the subject. But now, regardless of the real answer I respond,

 "The thing about rumours is that you have to ask yourself about the source." 

You would not believe how many people this line has shut up. They'll stand back for a moment, think and then go, "Ohhhh!" ok." That's the end of the conversation.
I haven't given them an answer but have made them think. Rumours can sometimes be like a bad game of "Broken Telephone" where information sometimes can get mixed up or misinterpreted, plus some people have very over active imaginations and like to add details to a story when they retell it. Knowing your source can sometimes determine the validity.

I like hearing the rumours that are spread about me now, because they usually are so far from the truth that they make me laugh out loud. They are bits and pieces of the truth sewn together to create a new story and I find it interesting to see just how mixed up they can get. I also like to try to figure out the source if it's not easy to detect right away, that in itself can be a fun challenge.
I see rumours and gossip more like a game now than hurtful or upsetting. They make me laugh or smile and I don't take them to heart like I used to.

My old doctor, who took care of me from birth, always used to say, "Laughter is the best medicine." and you know what? He was right, because since I started to laugh these rumours off, I have felt a world of difference in myself!

I am trying my hardest now to avoid the "rumour train". If I hear people gossiping I'll try to leave the area, or not add my 2 cents. It's not easy, since sometimes the gossip is super juicy but at the end of the day, I feel so much better, about the situation and about myself.

There definitely was a time when rumours would upset me and I'm sure there will be moments here and there but for the most part I'm trying my hardest to laugh in the face of rumours and ignore those who spread them.

Bright Eyes

I'm in the middle of writing a rant, but just don't have time to finish it tonight so instead I decided to share with you all some beautiful pictures of B-Man!

The other day I posted on Facebook that he's got such bright eyes and my Mom reminded me that my nickname used to be Bright Eyes when I was a baby! I thought it was so cute that my handsome son would have the same nickname as me :) 

He really does have the biggest, brightest eyes :) so full of love and joy! He's always smiling!

Why I couldn't be Garbage Man

Before I start blogging I just want to state that I know that the term Garbage Man is not politically correct. It should technically be Sanitation Worker or Sanitation Engineer so that it includes both men and women but for the sake of the story, Garbage Man is what I'm using. Also, in this story the people involved were men and they were picking up garbage. Thanks for your understanding. 

This morning as I played with the kids we saw the garbage truck going by! Carebear got excited and started yelling, "Truck, truck, look Momma, truck!" (she loves trucks, trains, planes, cars and anything like that).

We watched and oow'd and awe'd as they Garbage Men collected our Green Bin and garbage. As they drove off down the street we continued to watch since Carebear and B-Man were both quite interested.

I watched as they stopped at a near by neighbours and both men had to get out of the truck. The neighbours had obviously either just moved or were going to be moving and had a TON of stuff on their curb outside their house.

Both men spent over 10 minutes continuously loading more and more stuff into the truck. My heart broke as I saw perfectly good furniture being loaded into the back of the garbage truck and then crushed.

It made me so angry and if Mr. Rooster had been home I honestly would have run down the street to save this beautiful green chair that they were about to toss!

It must be so disheartening to be a Garbage Man and seeing all the perfectly good stuff you have to toss in the back of the truck to get crunched and then dumped at the landfill. I know I could never be a Garbage Man, I would be fired so fast because I would leave all the good stuff on the curb, in hopes that someone would come by and pick it up or the owner of it would get a clue and donate it!

I have a confession. I am a garbage picker, well maybe the more politically correct way of saying that is, I am a garbage rescuer! When I first met Mr. Rooster I was so embarrassed if he ever came home with something he found on the side of the curb, but he always found the most amazing things though, all in awesome shape!

In fact our house is filled with our late night garbage treasure finds or things that were free! Some of my most prized pieces of furniture in the house are things we found in the garbage.

Old gramophone stand that we've made into our bar.

Beautiful dresser

Solid wood, heavy as heck table! 

Solid wood cabinet! Weighs a ton!

This soon became second nature to me as well and I found myself always quickly glancing at the sides of the road on garbage night for "the good stuff". We have rescued stuff for family and friends (they'd see what we had found and ask for it). We have also sold quite a bit too and donated a lot! :)

On a day when I have no time to stop or the van is full and I have no room my heart aches when I drive past something that was in such good condition but that someone just didn't want any more. Sometimes I'll even drive by later in hopes that it's still there!

What is sad is that this doesn't have to be this way. I know many times I've put something on the curb before garbage night with a big FREE sign and within an hour it would be gone! Someone would drive by and pick it up!! Free is always a good price!

And there are companies that will come and pick up your lightly used furniture (some for a small fee and some for free).

Here are just a few that I've found, depending on your location:

justjunk.com

Canadian Diabetes Association

Furniture Bank

Heck if you live near me I'LL even come and pick it up for free! I hate seeing perfectly good things that could be reused going to the garbage heap! 

In this world where everything is disposable I like to do my share and save what I can from the garbage heap!

I hope the next time you think about throwing out something that might still have some use, you'll consider donating it before tossing it!!!

You Don't Like Me

So much crazy stuff has been happening right now in my life so I thought what better way to express it then in a poem.

Enjoy....

You Don't Like Me

A Poem By Mother Hen

I heard through the grapevine, that you don't like me any more,

and although I am sad to hear and it makes me a little sore,

I'm too tired and too busy to really give a crap,

it's not that I don't care, I just don't have time for that.

You don't like how I raise my kids, the books, TV or games they play.

Pacifiers, bottles, breast feeding, co-sleeping, it's up to me at the end of the day.

Who I'm friends with or not, or who writes on my Facebook wall,

What I did or didn't do, what you think or what you saw,

It's not really any of your business to critic, comment or mock.

It's me that will pay the consequences, so please don't sit there and talk.

I've made mistakes in the past and survived, I'll survive the ones I make now,

and although you think you have the right, I'm too tired and too busy to care any how.

Pretending to be my friend, was just a waste of time,

because a friend that talks behind my back is no friend of mine.

All the talking, stories and the games, I've really had enough.

I'm way too tired and too busy to care about that stuff.

I'm sorry if being mean is how I'm coming across, 

but honestly if you don't like me, it really is your loss.

I have others that love me dearly, no matter what I do,
and in life all that matters, are the people that love you.

All grown up, eating together, fire, bright eyes and Little People

All grown up!

I can't believe how big my little girl is!

They eat so well together!

Carebear's Fire painting!

Bright Eyes!

Carebear set out her Little People on the rug...just cuz!

Playing together

I'm not sure how long it will last but my two little chicks like to play together. Carebear has no problem handing a toy to B-Man for him to play with (as long as it's not a toy she wants to play with LOL).

She loves to show him how to crawl or how to look at a book. It's so cute to watch them interact with each other and it makes my heart swell with joy to watch them play so well together.
I know it may not last for ever but because they are so close in age together they seem to play well right now and I'm in love with each moment of it!
I never really had that growing up. There's a big gap in age between my siblings and I and they never really wanted to play with their little sister.
I hated that when I was younger and always wished we were closer to each other. I'm hopeful that my little chicks will be close to one another, for as long as it lasts!

Kids do the darndest things.

Today Carebear was playing in the living room when she ran out into the hall, took off her socks and sat on the air vent by the front door. I thought at first that she might have been cold, but that didn't explain why she had taken off her socks. LOL She continued to do this for quite some time. She'd sit there for a bit, then get up and play in the living room for a few minutes and then run back and sit on the vent for a bit. I guess playing is better with a warm bum :)

Kids really gets some strange ideas in their heads that's for sure, but they always make me laugh!

Excuse the quality of the picture my camera is broken.

Carebear has these Little People horses that came with a farm set. She loves them and takes them every where. Out of the blue one day she named them; Mommy, Daddy and Baby.

Mommy is the big one, Baby is the middle one and Daddy is the small brown one.

Mr. Rooster wasn't too fond of the fact that the Daddy horse was smaller than the Mommy horse. No matter how many times he tried to get her to switch it, it was no good.

Today I was out and came across another Little People horse and was please to add to her little horse family, a NEW, bigger Daddy horse!

I introduced the Daddy horse to the family and to Carebear, but she just eye'd him strangely.

I told her, this is the Daddy horse and the small one was now another baby.

She's not too sure what to make of the new addition and time will tell if the "new" Daddy will be welcomed or not. LOL

I just think it's cute when they get an idea in their heads nothing can shake it!
Sorry Mr. Rooster, the Daddy horse might forever be the small one. :) LOL

My Little Helper

My chicks are 17 and a half months apart, (it was supposed to be 18 and a half but B-Man decided to make an early appearance!) :) When he first arrived home Carebear didn't take much notice with him, she got upset when he cried but it seemed more like she was worried about him. For the most part she just continued on her merry way and didn't give him much thought. She's very independent and never seemed to mind that I was giving the baby more time than her at the beginning. As time has gone on she has started to really like B-Man. She's never shown an once of jealousy towards him and I feel very lucky that way.

In fact her latest thing she loves to do is make him laugh. She'll pretend sneeze and go "Ah-choo!" really loud and he giggles himself silly! He just loves her so much, everything she does he watches with amazement!

She doesn't realize it but what she's also doing is helping me by entertaining him for a moment! B-Man is at that age when he wants constant attention and with two little ones, work and cleaning to do I can't always give him 100% of my time 100% of the time so that's where Carebear comes in. She's so good with him and loves to make him laugh and helps to keep him entertained for a moment here and there!

The other day I was getting her dressed in her room and B-Man (like usual) was with me. I had to run downstairs to get something so I decided to leave them both in her room for a minute. 

Since Carebear is in her room my herself at night and at nap time (if there is a nap time) her room is VERY baby proof (mind you she is always helping us test that theory by finding something that we thought was safe and getting into it) but seriously, for the most part, her room is safe, so I didn't give it much thought about leaving them in there.

As I was coming back upstairs I hear a squeal, this automatically made me shoot up the stairs, heart pounding, but when I got to the door I realized it wasn't a squeal of pain or upset it was a squeal of laughter, good, hardy, deep belly laughter! 

I peaked in and saw that Carebear had taken a giant stuffed giraffe and was making it pretend sneeze to make the baby laugh, and boy did he think that was funny. This made me smile because she did this all on her own accord, I never once asked her if she could make the baby laugh :)

Today the same situation occurred, we were in her room when I needed to leave it for a moment, I came back to see Carebear holding two stuffed penguins and making them jiggle and dance so that B-Man would laugh :)
I think it's sweet to see how connected they are together. He just loves her so much and she's starting to like him. I'm so glad I had my chicks so close together. Although it's a lot of work, my hopes is that they will always feel close to one another, that's something I've always longed for and wished for me and my sisters and sadly never really had when I was younger.

Carebear has become quite the little helper as of late! She'll run and get B-Man his pacifier and put it in his mouth, give him his bottle, and will happily find him a toy or a book to play with. 

He respond in kind by pulling her hair or trying to eat any part of her he can grab, all with a big smile on his face. :)

I'm a firm believer in chores and not paid chores but family chores, where every family member has jobs to do, not for money but because they are a member of the family and we all have to work together to make the household run smoothly.
I also believe that chores should start very young with simple, manageable tasks. I feel this teaches children responsibly, team work, and pride in their home and belongings.
So Carebear has started some chores! Now don't I sound like a mean Mommy? But wait, it's not hard labour, it's picking up her toys before we leave a room, or putting a piece of plastic in the recycle bin.
Nothing too hard and in fact she loves to help!

There's a cute little cleaning song I always sing when we're tidying up and now she sings it too. Clean Up Song

She sings along as we tidy up her toys and it's so cute! She loves to help around the house, her Grandma even made her a special "Carebear height" broom so she can help sweep up!

I know it probably won't last forever so I'm enjoying it now, one day I'm sure it will be like pulling teeth to get her to help or to spend time with her brother but for now I'm loving every minute of it!

Being an adult can really SUCK!

Back when I was about 22 or 23 years old I worked with a young girl, she was probably 16 at the time. We often gabbed about life, school and families. One day she came to me upset. She started to tell me of some of the troubles she was having with her boyfriend. As we talked I realized that what she was telling me was serious and more than just the drama that teen relationships encompass. I was worried for her safety and knew she needed help.

I told her, "I think you need to talk to an adult." she looked blankly at me. It was then I realized I was the adult and she was "telling" ME!
My brain switched quickly into "adult mode" and I got her the proper help she needed.

It was that day I realized, "I guess I AM an adult."
I had never really thought of it before. I sure didn't "act" like an adult and I sure didn't think of myself as an adult. 

Over the years as my life has changed and shifted onto different paths, I've had to deal with more and more "adult" things. Each one seems worse than the next. After having my kids, things changed even more and some of the stuff I've had to deal with seems so "adult". These are things I remember my parents having to deal with, and since they are what I class as an adult, I always feel so old when I'm doing them.

I remember when I was younger I couldn't wait to be an adult. I thought it would be great. You could come and go as you pleased, do whatever you wanted! You were in charge of your own life!

Little did I know what level of responsibility would come with that freedom!

As I've gotten older and now with kids, life seems to have gotten so much more complicated and busy. 

Back in highschool  (when I thought life was "hard") we could ask, "What are you doing Friday night, wanna come over to my house for a party?" The answer was simple. We just had to check with our parents and then it was a go!

Now when I want to see my friends we have to plan up to 3 months in advance, cross check schedules, organize transportation and spend a ton of time coordinating with all the different people involved to see what date works with everyone! There's almost always someone left out due to schedule conflicts.

It's sad.
When did life become so complicated?
There's bills, debt, car repairs, cleaning (lots of cleaning), house maintenance, chores, budgeting, childcare, work, the list goes on and on. 

Sometimes when I look back I want to give myself a hard shake and say, "You have it so easy right now! Don't complain!"
As I get older and things on my body start to break or not work as well as they used to I know that there will come a time when I'll look back at this time in my life and say these same words.
"You have it so easy right now! Don't complain!"
Maybe I should stop and listen and take my own advice NOW!!

But on a lighter note, 

Some funny things about getting older :)
Enjoy....

~ "My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be."

                                      

Some 15 year old girlfriends decided to meet for dinner. They discussed where to eat and finally agreed on McDonald's next to the Sea Side Restaurant because they only had $6.50 between them and Bobby Bruce, the cute boy in science class, lived on that street.

10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 25-years old, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the  Sea Side Restaurant because it had free snacks, there was no cover charge, the beer was cheap, the band was good and there were lots of cute guys.

10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 35-years old, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the Sea Side Restaurant because the combos were good, it was near the gym and if they went late enough, there wouldn't be many whiny little kids.

10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 45-years old, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the  Sea Side Restaurant because the Martinis were big, and the waiters wore tight pants and had nice buns.

10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 55-years old, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the Sea Side Restaurant because the prices were reasonable, it had windows which opened (in case of hot flashes), the wine list was good and the fish was good for their cholesterol.

10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 65-years old, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the Sea Side Restaurant because they had an Early Bird Special and the lighting was good.

10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 75-years old, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the Sea Side Restaurant because the food wasn't too spicy and it was handicapped accessible.

10 years later, the same girlfriends, now 85-years old, discussed where to meet for dinner. Finally they agreed to meet at the Sea Side Restaurant because they'd never been there before.

~"My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be. :)"

I am NOT just a SAHM

For those who don't use forums or use online short forms I'll help you out.

SAHM = Stay At Home Mom!

It has always been my dream to not only be a Mom but a SAHM. Thanks to my amazing Mr. Rooster I have gotten to live that dream. I've discovered that there is so much more to being a SAHM then most people think, especially when you have more than one chick!! I never imagined that being a SAHM would actually be "work". I thought it would be an easy, relaxing thing to do, then I had kids and found out that being a SAHM is a FULL TIME JOB! You work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, no weekends, no sick days, and no one to cover a shift if you can't make it in!
 Cooking, cleaning, playing, reading, teaching, and playgroups! Sure it sounds fun, but it's a lot of planning, scheduling and organizing all with chicks that sometimes scream their heads off or won't let you sleep at night.  I am always amazed at how much cleaning there is to do when you and your kids are home all day!
But it's the life I've always wanted and I'm so happy to be living it!

Yes, being a SAHM has always been a dream of mine and now a reality!
Though, recently I've come to realize, as my life keeps changing, that those four letters don't fully define what my current life is.
Although I still class myself as a SAHM and tell people that's what I do, things have changed and so should the title.

MFTSAHM/WAHM might be a better way to describe my current situation
Mostly Full Time Stay At Home Mom/Work At Home Mom

I work part time outside of the home right now, but only about 15-20hours a week. I also have a small from home business so sometimes I'm working from home. I'm also home with my chicks the rest of the time so I still class myself as a SAHM.

Gosh, now that I write it out there are so many more letters to add...
My title could be...

MFTSAHM/WAHM/GOAOAICM
Mostly Full Time Stay At Home Mom/Work At Home Mom/Get Out As Often As I Can Mom

When the weather is nice I love getting out of the house. Going for walks to the park, store, or playdate, I love getting out and enjoying the nice weather. Even in the cold we still go out for playgroups as often as we can!

The four letters that I once thought I wanted to define me have changed a lot over the past few years, though the basic meaning is still the same. I want to be with my chicks as much as I possibly can, but I wouldn't say I want to be just "Staying Home" there is so much more I want to do with them and there's so much more to me.

The Mom Language

I don't swear in front of the kids at all but before I had my chicks I had a bit of a potty mouth! Since I don't agree with swearing in front of children I have had to develop a new "language" to cope, one I call,
"The Mom Language". 
I find the funniest things coming out of my mouth in a moment of pain or frustration!
Some examples:
"Bang it" instead of "D**n it"
"Mother, Mother, Mother" usually when I'm in pain instead of  "Mother F*****".
"Fluff it" instead of "F*** it".
and a few other ones that must really sound silly to the outside world, but to my chicks, when they hear a steam of strange words, they know Mommy's in pain or ticked off!

Some of the things that come out of my mouth actually make me giggle at times.
The other day I caught myself saying, "Ah poop on a kaiser! LOL
A lot of the sayings I say aren't even to replace an actual swear word but more to give me something else to say.
I find myself saying weird things like, "Ah, pickle pop" all the time! My kids are going to think I'm so weird. LOL

The even funnier part of this is that I've now started to use some of these words when I'm not around my kids!
I'll be at work and bang my elbow and yell, "A son of a biscuit!"
I sure get a lot of strange looks.

Angry Birds

Carebear and B-Man's Uncle gave them a tablet as a gift last year and along with the tablet a funny little game called Angry Birds.

I had only heard of this game from the parody music video by a group called The Key of Awesome, and had no first hand experience with the game. Carebear fell in love right away and although she didn't understand at the time how to work the tablet or what the object of the game was, she loved to watch the birdies fly!

She caught on to how to make the birds launch from the sling shot pretty quick (although in the wrong direction). She still loves to send the birds flying the wrong way, but has recently discovered the joy of what happens when you send the birds the RIGHT way!

You get to hit the pigs!

What's crazy is watching how she handles the tablet! If you hand it to her, she'll turn it on, open the apps section and click on Angry Birds. We have other apps on there too and she'll pick and choose which ones she wants to play, open them up, minimize them, open another, flip through the open ones to go back and forth between them, close them and then open the internet, and hop onto youtube.com to watch Gummy Bear! It's crazy to think that she just turned 2 and she can do all this without much effort. She's even showed US a few things about the tablet we didn't know! LOL

She loves to play Angry Birds and would play all day if she could! I've recently discovered that there are Angry Bird clips online that you can watch and so she's been watching them over and over and loves them!
Angry Bird Episodes

I'm always amazed at how good she is at the game and how she's managed to beat a few levels all by herself!
I can only imagine what her generation will be doing by the time she is my age!
Wow!

Red faced and laughing...

I'm not one to follow trends or do what's "in", in fact I usually don't care and giggle at those who follow current trends. Especially when it comes to diets and fashion, I have no interest.
But yesterday the TV was on for a minute (something that doesn't happen as often as it used to) and I caught a few minutes of The Ellen Degeneres Show. Her guest for the day was Kirstie Alley. I'm not a huge fan of hers but I have watched an episode in the past of her show Kirstie Alley's Big Life, and although I didn't enjoy the show I could sympathize with her struggle to lose weight.
I myself have a lot of feathers to shed and have lost quite a few over the years but have hit a slump.
When I saw her on The Ellen Degeneres Show, she was talking about her experience on Dancing with the Stars. She has designed a challenge called 100 Days of Dance where you dance for at least 30 minutes a day for 100 days.
When I saw this I felt so inspired since I had been looking for something fun I could do with the kids for some physical exercise during the day since the winter is now here and walking isn't always easy to do. I love dancing (nothing choreographed or with a partner, but just moving to the music).
I decided I would join the challenge!
So today the kids and I did 30 minutes of dancing, well, kid dancing, which involved a lot of twirling, clapping, spinning and flipping. I tell ya, we were all red faced and laughing by the time the 30 minutes was over! We had such a good time and it felt good to know we were doing something with a purpose. We're usually pretty active during the day, playing, cleaning and such, but since the weather got snowy and cold we haven't been able to go for our daily walks like we were used to.
Playing in the snow is fun, but not always easy to do with the baby (a bit better now that we have a good snow suit for B-Man) but still, I wanted something we could do all together indoors!
It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to doing this each day!

"Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance." ~ Dave Barry

I gave myself the willies!

I have the tendency to give myself the willies on a regular basis. :(
I grew up watching horror movies from the time I was a baby. My Dad LOVED B-rated movies, especially horror movies! I grew up being the "Horror Queen". If it was scary, I'd seen it! I loved getting scared! It was fun and I LOVED scaring others! I used to think it was cool to know all about horror movies and scary things. Halloween was more than just a fun day, it was the highlight of my year! I used to be so obsessed with horror movies that I would sit there for hours and figure out how I would do things differently to survive! I also used to plan how to survive a zombie attack! If I was at someone's house I would plan how we would board up the windows and what our survival plan would be.

I was freaked about ghosts, and was sure I had seen a few in my day. I was also freaked about dolls!

Not that I blame them, but my sisters had a HUGE influence on some of this. They loved to bug and tease their little sister. They would take these two walking dolls that we used to own and tell me horrible things about them, like if I wasn't nice to them they would come to life and kill me!
I was just little and believe my sisters were telling the truth and it didn't help that this was happening the same time Child's Play (Chuckie movies) were coming out! 

Growing up I had seen almost all the horror moives, read tons of scary books and heard a bunch of ghost stories and loved them all and thought about them all the time.

The problem is that I also have a very over active imagination. Mix those two together and what you get isn't pretty.
The end of the world, zombies, ghosts and killer dolls is how I grew up and spent my twenties as well. Obsessed, paranoid and scared. 

Things got to the point where I was obsessing so much I couldn't sleep at times.
When I got pregnant I made a vow that I would not watch any more scary movies. 

As soon as I stopped I felt so much better. It took a while but my brain stopped thinking and obsessing and then with Carebear born I was so busy I didn't have much time to think about anything scary (aside from how the heck to take care of a newborn - Trial Child) 

I haven't watched anything scary since 2009 and don't plan on starting soon. We have been watching The Walking Dead series but I think because they're only once a week it doesn't seem so bad.

The problem is that I still have all these movies and stories stuck in my head and every once in a while they sneak out! Every once in a while I'll see something in the corner of my eye, or have a thought enter my head. The one that gets me all the time as I'm turning off the lights at night and heading up to bed is, "There's someone in the house." That one drives me nuts! I don't know why that one will sneak in there but it does! Or I'll hear a strange noise in the house and have to convince myself that it was "just the cats". 

So, how did I give myself the willies today??

There was a news report today that said there was a prowler lurking around a nearby neighbourhood. I read the story and talked to a few of the Moms I know in my neighbourhood. I started to get creeped out because of Mr. Rooster's work hours I am home with the kids alone sometimes. It's good to be cautious and aware but that's not where it stops for me. For me I get all worked up and start obsessing about it. 

A while after reading this news story I was on the computer (which is in the kitchen)and had my back to our side door when I hear a loud BANG! I got startled and looked towards the sound which came from outside, I saw our back gate swinging closed!

I jumped up and looked out the window for a better view. Sometimes the utilities workers will come and check the metre in our backyard so at first I was looking for someone either entering or leaving our property wearing a city uniform but when I looked out the window, there was no one in sight.

I went to the front of the house and still saw no one.
It was at this point my mind started to whirl with ideas and thoughts. Who could it have been? Are they still in my backyard? Are they lurking or waiting?? Are they casing the place for later???

I tired my best to shake these ideas away and busy myself with the kids.

I relaxed a bit and continued on with  my day.

About an hour later, BANG! Again I look out the window and see my back gate slamming shut!
At this point I'm freaked out! Then, like all the idiots I've seen in the movies that I usually yelled at, I went outside to investigate!

Yes, I was one of those silly people that went to check out a strange noise!
I headed outside and looked around, freaked out! My plan did include me taking the cordless phone in case anything did happen I could call for help!

Ya....

So..it turns out the back gate wasn't latched and the wind was catching it and making it bang closed. :(
Didn't I feel silly and relieved at the same time!?

It's sad to think of how much effect these movies have had over me, even after all these years I still give myself the willies from time to time!

I don't plan on letting my children watch any horror movies till they are much older and will be careful with the stories I tell them. I'm not sure if they'll have as big of an over active imaginations as I do, but the world is a scary enough place without having to add to it!

Living in a fog...

My head has many words swirling in it today; foggy, fuzzy, groggy, dazed, cloudy, muzzy, hazy, foggy (wait, did I say foggy already?).

Yes, my blog reading friends, once again I blog about that one thing in the world that we probably all need more of: SLEEP!

I knew before I became a parent I wasn't going to get much sleep. Everyone I talked to who had kids, told me the same thing. "Enjoy sleep now, because once the baby is here you won't sleep for 18 years!".
I have always suffered from insomnia and thus the nickname "Nightowl" so I figured I could hack it. I had a lot of pain during my pregnancy which caused me to be awake a lot at night. Again I was told, "This was the baby preparing me for not getting sleep."
Then Carebear was born.

I quickly realized that insomnia and pain during the night was NOTHING compared to having a baby! NOTHING!

There is a HUGE difference between not being able to sleep and not being able to sleep because of a baby! With a baby, it's not because you "just can't sleep", you can sleep, man can you sleep. You're so exhausted that you could probably pass out ANYWHERE at ANY TIME if given the chance. The difference is that someone won't let you sleep! :( This beautiful bundle of joy you called precious is now the cause of sleepless nights and exhausting days.

It's the mind numbing constant "Wake up Mom, wake up Mom, wake up Mom, wake up Mom." Whether this comes in the form of words (with older kids) or cries of a baby, it's all the same message. You're exhausted and ready to pass out and yet this little bundle of joy is not letting you sleep, night after sleepless night.

Carebear was a terrible sleeper (as I've mentioned before in numerous posts) but before B-Man was born she got into an awesome rhythm where she slept all the way through the night, every night. It was so good, since I was very pregnant and very exhausted. After he was born she continued to do awesome which helped so much with a newborn, but since the big move in September her sleep schedule is all over the place and she often wakes up crying :(
B-Man has never been a good sleeper :( and continues to not be :( we're always in the process of trying new things to help him sleep longer and better but nothing has worked yet. :(

Every time I hear people complain about being tired, or "not getting enough sleep last night" I want to kick them. Enough sleep, what is that? What is enough? Eight hours? Seven? What are these foreign number you people speak of? Because getting more than 3 hours of sleep in a row is what I call a full night sleep these days!

I know this is just a phase and that one day I'm sure our little chicks will sleep better, but until then sleepless nights cause us to live in a constant fog.

If you only knew...

Why do you fight so hard to stay awake?

If you only knew how precious sleep really is you would never fight it! If you only knew how when you get older you'll crave it, wish for it and hope to get some!
If you only knew that you are lucky to fall asleep whenever you want, wherever you want and most adults will think it's cute and let you sleep!
If you only knew that there was no need to fight so hard to stay awake, that all your toys and games will be here when you wake up!
If you only knew that it was for your best that we ask you to go to bed and that one day you would DREAM of someone "forcing" you to go to sleep.
If you only knew that you should sleep.

Maybe there is something you know that we don't, like the joy in staying awake just a bit longer to play, to read, to sing! 

Maybe if we only knew what you know...maybe.

Both Carebear and B-Man had trouble getting to sleep tonight. Both screamed, fussed, played, sang songs, and made noises. We spent a good chunk of time running from one room to the next trying to figure out what was wrong and what would make them feel better!

They both fought so hard tonight to stay awake, to play  just a bit longer. What I would give to sleep as well as they do, as long as they do, whenever THEY want to sleep!
I guess we all had our chance to sleep "like a baby" too bad we can't remember much of it!

My favourite time...

I love all the different activities I do with my chicks during the day but my favourite time with them is bath time!
We have our routine and sometimes we mix it up, but whatever way we do it, I love bath time!
Usually Carebear goes first and then she goes to bed and then I'll do B-Man. I split it up so I only have to do one kid at a time (since I do bath time by myself when Mr. Rooster is not home).
Both of my chicks LOVE the water! They would never get out if they didn't have to! They love splashing and playing with their toys (which I now clean and replace more often thanks to the wise words of cdnkaro (see #10).
Sometimes I`ll get B-Man to go first which Carebear loves! She loves getting to wash the baby, and splashing in his water! She gets so excited when I say it's bath time that she'll grab his tub and run to the bathtub to put it in! LOL She seems almost disappointed when I tell her that her bath is first! LOL

The other day I bathed the kids together for the first time and loved every moment of it! It was so much fun to watch them play in the water together! B-Man laughing as his sister splashed him with water! It was a lot of work bathing them together at this age though, maybe when B-Man is a bit older I'll try it again!

Bath time is the best time of the day, we're starting to quiet down and settle for bed, we're spending time as a family all together, we're all having fun, laughing and playing.
I have so many times during the day that I just love but bath time is such a special time for me.

Photo from thebathtubdiva.com

Trial Child

Every parent needs a Trial Child, so it's a good thing we all get one!
A Trial Child is the first born baby that you get to try things out on and learn from.
Carebear is our Trial Child.

When Mr. Rooster and I first had Carebear we were noobs, we were worse than noobs, we were utter noobs!
Both of our family and close friends hadn't had little babies for a long time so we had no fresh first hand experience to pull from. We took the prenatal classes and parenting courses so we would have something to start with. Although, a plastic doll that doesn't move while changing it's diaper is NOTHING like a real baby that squirms and wiggles!
We took the classes in stride and hoped that they would prepare us for our new lives as "parents". Then the big day arrived and Carebear came into our lives! I have never been so happy and so terrified in my LIFE!
We had taken the classes, read the books and had a ton of "advice" but nothing prepared us for the moment we held our baby in our arms for the first time. I was terrified of hurting her, dropping her, bathing her, changing her, you name it, I was scared!
When the nurse gave us the check list of things we'd like someone to go over with us before we left the hospital I think ever box had a check in it! LOL That poor nurse, we made her show us EVERYTHING! How to change a diaper, bathe her, feed her, EVERYTHING! The classes, books and "advice" meant nothing when faced with a real baby, that is 100% YOUR responsibility!
We were so new it was almost funny, and with that newness came paranoia! LOL I wouldn't let anyone leave Carebear alone if she was sleeping! LOL I hated bath time because I didn't know how to hold her properly. Those first few baths were few and far between and super fast! LOL Good thing it was winter!

It took a bit but we got the swing of things, we figured out how "we" liked to do things and what worked best for us. We tried numerous different approaches to things and there was a lot of trial and error, but we made it through that exhausting first year and really loved it a lot. So much so we decided to do it again and B-Man was conceived. :)

Carebear really is our Trial Child. We got to figure things out, decide what worked, what didn't, what products we liked, and which ones we hated, how to pack when you travel with a child, how to trust one another with a baby, how to work as a team.
She taught us a lot and so when B-Man was born it was such a different experience. When the nurse came in with the list for us to check off, we had nothing to check. It wasn't that we "knew it all" it was that it was still pretty fresh in our minds.
We knew how to bathe a baby, feed a baby and change a baby. We had the basics down. I just had to learn how to change a boy baby (something I HATED doing for the first few weeks till I finally figured out the trick, and yes, there is a trick to it). LOL
Our Trial Child is still at work as we start to battle the "terrible two's". We're learning each day how to deal with her and so when B-Man gets to this age we'll at least have a better understanding of what to expect and what to do.
Having children also opened doors for us to get to know other parents and talk to them about their experiences, what they like and don't like and to build some bonds that only parenthood can build.

Our Trial Child has taught us a lot and is still teaching us each day. I'm grateful for all the things I've learned and even though each child is sooooo different, the basics are there and I find I'm a much more relaxed Mom this time around.
I've done things with B-Man that I would never even dream of doing with Carebear, like letting him sleep unsupervised. LOL

This picture doesn't really have anything to do with today's post but I love it so much I wanted to share!

Things always change...

Kids, just when you think you've got it all figured out they change everything.

I keep thinking I'm starting to master this thing called Motherhood when all of a sudden my kids will throw something unexpected at me.
I'll finally get nap time down pat, things are moving smoothly and then WHAM-O! Carebear will decide to go on a sleep-strike for a week and refuse to take a nap! Or I'll have B-Man's bedtime organized and he's finally starting to sleep well and then BAM! He no longer goes to sleep easy!
I guess kids, just like adults are always changing. Different things happen in their day to day lives that effect all asspects of their lives.

I just wish they could stay the same for a short period of time so that I could just enjoy it for a bit!
They keep growing and changing faster than I'm ready for!

Today B-Man (I still can't come up with a better nickname) mastered the art of rolling back to front and front to back and now he's a rolling machine! I put him on the floor and he rolled to the couch, then rolled to his toys, then rolled to Carebear! I knew it was coming with the recent start of crawling for the past few weeks but to actually be mobile?? I've got to get my Mom game back on!!

Yes, they grow and change so fast sometimes I can't keep up, but I'm loving EVERY minute of it!

Carebear ~ 1 week old

2 years and one week old

B-Man ~ 4 days old

6 months old

I need a new nickname for my son.

I love nicknames. I think they're fun, creative and really create a bond between people. I've had a ton of nicknames over the years, most of them I've liked. Different people have used different ones based on funny things that we've been through together. Flash, Taco, Charlie, Nightowl, Grassy, and of course, Mother Hen. Each has a funny story or a reason behind it and each one makes me smile when I hear it being used.

My daughter has a few nicknames so far, Carebear and Bear, both I love so much, but my son so far only has B-Man. It's ok, but I've been thinking about this for weeks now and feel he needs a better nickname. He's too little to really have a funny story to create his nickname and unfortunately his real name doesn't help to create any new nicknames.

I've always loved names that could be broken down into other little names. My real name is Susanne and I love it. It can be made into Sue, Susie, Susan! Each one can depict a different mood I'm in. I use Susanne for when I need to be more professional. I occasionally use Susan if I'm trying to be serious. If I'm feeling fun or silly I'll use Susie. And about 90% of the time when I introduce myself to people I'll tell them my name is Sue because it's easy to remember and easy to spell right (no one spells Susanne right, they always spell it with a "z" and it drives me crazy).
So, yes, I love names that can be broken down into other little names. I love Carebear's real name since her name can be broken down into a few, but B-Man, poor B-Man. He's got maybe one other name his can be broken into. He was named after his Grandfather and I love the name dearly but no nicknames can really come from it.

So I'm stumped and guess I'll have to wait for a really good nickname to come around for him.
All this thinking about nicknames got me pondering the people I know and the nicknames they have. I can't really think of anyone who doesn't have a nickname at all, even if it's just a shortened version of their birth name.

I started to think about nicknames in general and why we even use them. I did some research and discovered some pretty interesting things, like how nicknames are used in various societies and how they can come from physical characteristics, personality traits, mental characteristics, lifestyle, social group, the list goes on and on. It doesn't seem to matter where you get the nickname, just that you have one.

So since they seem so important I guess I've got my job cut out for me to find the best nickname I can for my little guy!

Making life easier...I think not!

Do you ever do something to make life "easier" but then find out that it probably made life harder?

 That's me. I'm always doing this, big things and little things, all the time. It drives me crazy, but I still find myself in situations that I have to shake my head at myself and wonder why I ever thought that was a good idea!

Now to be honest most of the problems stems from laziness, what can I do to make this "less work".

For example (and trust me there are tons) I had to run to the van to get something quick, so instead of rummaging through the closet to get my winter shoes, I threw on Dom's since he had just come in and they were beside the door. So my size 8 feet trudged outside in size 12 men shoes and after about 5 steps I realized this was a BAD idea! It had been snowing which made the ground slushy and slippery. My great idea of "saving time" was now taking me twice as long to get to the van since I had to walk with extra care not to slip and kill myself. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I thought I'd only be outside for a few seconds so I didn't bother bringing a coat and so now was freezing to death!

Or the numerous times I've carried WAY too many things in my arms down the stairs, to "save" a trip later ending in either an item or myself falling down the stairs.

Or the time that I decided not to "scrape" the vomit off the blanket before washing it - if you have a good stomach please refer to my blog -  **Warning Gross story ahead **

I owe it to my Mother for teaching me the skill of multitasking! She's always finding ways to make things work better and faster! The difference is that she's good at it! LOL
NEVER leave a room empty handed is her motto and a good one at that. She taught me to find ways to make things quicker, easier and more efficient. Little did she know that she was teaching an accident prone daughter these valuable lessens!

My dear friend told me this quote today, although I'm not sure if the wording is right the statement sure is true!!

 If you don't have time to do it right,

 How will you find time to do it twice?

Yes, lazy, time saving, ideas keep leading me into these, usually funny, situations! I guess I'll just never learn!

My Year in Photos ~ 2011

So 2011 was an interesting year. We did a lot, learned a lot, laughed a lot and cried a lot. It brought new adventures and closed some old ones.

We're looking forward to 2012 and all the new things that it will bring.

I got this idea from Jackie at withjustabitofmagic.com. I thought it would be a good way to close 2011 and bring in 2012!

My Year In Photos ~ 2011

January

We WALKED into January with smiles and hope for a fun year! I was already a few months pregnant and Carebear had just started walking! 

February

February was full of love and fun!

March

Carebear got her own bed!! She had been sleeping on a mattress for a while but this was her first official bed! She loved it and started sleeping so well, so did Mommy and Daddy!!! Which was good, since I was 6 months pregnant and working and needed as much sleep as I could get!!

April

April was hard to find a picture to sum it all up. This April held birthdays, Easter, Anniversaries and so much more but one of the best was rainy Spring days! Carebear and I started to get out more since the weather was better but we both loved rainy days and splashing in puddles.

May

May started off slow. Mother's Day and some more birthdays but at the end of the month came the biggest surprise birthday EVER! B-Man made an early entry! He decided to come 4 weeks early and super quick!

June

June was all about getting used to our new little family of four! Carebear wasn't sure of B-Man at first but soon came to like him, well at least show him indifference! LOL

July

We had fun celebrating Canada Day and watching fireworks! What a great way to celebrate July!

August

Aw, spending good time as a family outside! What a great summer, not too hot, not too cool! It was perfect and what a better way to spend time as a family then being outdoors in the sunshine! Mr. Rooster also got a new job and thus started the whole adventure of us moving!!!

September was a busy month settling into our new home! It was a quick and crazy move, but well worth it! We love our new home! We're close to family, the kids have more space, we have a HUGE backyard, close to schools, tons of parks, shopping and right on a bus route! Perfect!

October

Ah October, another busy month! There were so many things this month that it was hard to pick just one photo! B-Man's Baptism, Thanksgiving, Oktoberfest, Birthdays, and our favourite holiday HALLOWEEN!

Yes, our little family loves Halloween, every scary little bit of it! This year we went as The Addam's family (with help from our dear friend)! We had such a great time. I love decorating the house and going all out on spooky foods and devilish treats! Yes, definitely one of my favourite holidays!

November

November marked B-Man's 6 months birthday! Gosh the time has just flown by! Carebear is such an amazing big sister! She loves to help get his pacifier, give him is bottle, help with bath time, and always finds toys for him to play with! She loves her little brother and he is just in awe of her!

December

December

December will have to share two photos because the month holds the two most important events! Carebear's birthday and Christmas! Both were magical and wonderful times! We were surrounded by all the people we love and got to create some beautiful memories.

It was hard for me to just pick one picture for each month. Anyone who is on my Facebook knows I have over 160 albums of photos (oops) and am adding to it on almost a daily basis! I love taking pictures of my family. Who ever said that the more kids you have the less pictures you take never met me! LOL My poor kids have a permanent flash mark on their eyes from all the pictures I take of them! LOL You think I have a lot of Facebook but I have a thousand more on my computer that never make it to Facebook! LOL What can I say?

Kids grow up so fast I want to try to remember EVERY second of it :) 

It was a good year full of interesting things, some I'd like to forget, some I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Happy New Year everyone, and may 2012 be a wonderful year for you all!