Hug!

M is addicted to this book. ADDICTED. I honestly think I read it to him 53 times today and that is no exaggeration.

I absolutely LOVE his love for books and the way he thrusts them at me and lifts his arms up to be pulled into my lap. I love that we're raising a reader!

Feeling Inspired

While home today taking care of a sick M, I was inspired to both be motherly and make him a treat but to also purge some items in the fridge & freezer. So, I made homemade Pop Tarts with puff pastry that has been claiming valuable freezer space!

So easy & really delicious!

Ingredients

Puff Pastry

Cream Cheese

Jam

Unroll the puff pastry and use a cookie cutter or glass to cut round shapes. Make sure you have an even number and then lay half the rounds on parchment on a baking tray. Put a dollop of cream cheese (maybe a tablespoon) on the centre and spread it a bit. Add a bit (maybe a teaspoon) of jam (I used raspberry) and spread it slightly. Add another round of pastry, crimp the edges with a fork and then brush milk across the top. Put an X in the centre before popping them into a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

M and I both loved them and they were a perfect afternoon treat!

Purge!

As usual, I got myself all worked up over nothing this morning and basically pitched a fit about the messy laundry counter, which morphed into a rant about our storage spaces (or lack thereof) in the basement before moving into a full-on freak out about mess, clutter and everything we have that we simply don't need that is taking up valuable space throughout the house.

We have all these mini projects started but not yet finished as well as a tonne of things on our wish list. I really want to live in a house that is free of clutter and where all our things have a proper home.

So, I got the itch today and started purging. I attacked our master bedroom closet first and managed to get two big bags of clothes ready for drop-off at Value Village (already dropped off so they aren't in the way) and then moved on to our spare bedroom, which is where everything that doesn't have a home ends up. I've got two bags full of garbage that we'll get rid of this week, a huge box of recycling and I'm on the way to having a free closet in there. I also managed to pull everything out of our yet unfinished hallway closet so it is empty when we line the contractors up next month.

I'll carry on tomorrow with the master bathroom (way too many toiletries) and M's room. The main floor is a big task but hopefully D & I can plug away at that together. It's arduous but so worth it!

Random Thoughts

A few thoughts for Thursday, August 19th...

• I've been back at work now for 1 week shy of 4 months and it feels like I never left.
• I'm obsessed with reality television... Bachelor Pad, Teen Mom and Jersey Shore are at the top of my "must watch" list these days.
• I haven't run in 5ish weeks.
• I am petrified to get on the scale right now.
• I have rediscovered and wholeheartedly embraced my love of reading so much so that I will reject a drive home from work just so I can read on the TTC.
• I love watching The Next Food Network Star.
• I really want to go to NYC for a weekend.
• I desperately need a colour & cut.
• I've been eating far too much ice cream these days.
• I am really enjoying M's age right now.

Over & out!

It's a SIGN!!!

Bwahahahahaha!

This was just in my inbox:

http://www.babycenter.com/0_your-15-month-olds-behavior-more-meltdowns_1213396.bc?scid=mbtw_post15m_3w_babycom:488

Someone out there wants to help me!

Never Again!

I will never travel with a toddler again. Ever. It was a disaster.

Okay, I lie. I'm sure we will BUT at least we know a few things going forward.

M is at that awkward age where he is too young & curious to walk with us, follow us directionally and hold our hands when needed. On the flip side, he's too old & active to be contained in a stroller for any length of time. He wants to explore but as with any 16 month old, he wants to explore on his terms.

So... that brings us to our next issue. Tantrums! Who replaced my sweet boy with a little man who melts down at the simplest of things?! Taking away something he shouldn't be playing with, putting him back into the stroller or not letting him take sips of coffee or beer drove this kid to distraction. The screeching and tears were unbearable!

And that takes us to the other big issue. Food. Sigh. That means anything edible and it doesn't matter if it comes via room service (where he walked back and forth between us begging for bites), Tupperware (Cheerios were our saving grace this trip) and any sort of time spent in a restaurant. Unless he is starving & the food comes immediately, he is not the sort of dinner date you want at a restaurant. We had more than one trip to a restaurant where one of us had to make a quick exit with him. If he's hungry, he screams. If he's full, he screams. If the food isn't coming quick enough or isn't to his liking at that moment, he screams. It's awesome.

Like that old rule of thumb of one minute of timeout per year of age, I think the same sort of general rule goes for attention span. I think 16 minutes (one minute per month of age) is the most we can get out of this kid. At that point, it's on to the next one and damn it, we have no choice in the matter.

The highlight of the trip? The 45 minutes of pure screaming on the flight back. Thank God we were flying in one of Porter's turboprop planes. For the novice out there, that means the loud humming drowned out M's screams and he simply looked like an oh-so-disgruntled toddler to all those gawking passengers.

Blessed.

Watching D with M as he enjoys his bedtime bottle and it hit me that I am so lucky to have such an awesome & loving father for my son. Such a sweet & tender moment to see them with their heads together, eyes closed and just savouring those last few minutes of the day.

Love.