Seriously?

Diaper changes, changing clothes or getting ready for bed have become absolutely horrible! He writhes, flips, twists and screams as if you're pulling every last toenail off with your teeth. I'm certain our neighbours hear this and must think we're torturing the little guy! He can manage to flip himself over (even when belted down) and get onto all fours, which allows him to buck like a bull. Offering toys or books does nothing anymore and there is obviously no way to reason with a toddler. I find myself hiding out when it's time to do any of the aforementioned activities if D is home. I gave birth to him! That gives me an out, no?!

October 2010

I've set a challenge for D & I and I'm giving us 5 months to hit the target. I can't really say what it is because it's fairly personal but I can tell you that it has absolutely nothing to do with having a 2nd child! I'm assuming that would be everyone's first guess so I'll cut it off at the knees right now.

What else?

Hmmm... not much. M started back at daycare yesterday and had an okay but admittedly rough day. Poor guy. Today was better so I'm hoping things are on the up & up. I've got everything crossed that he doesn't come down with anything else anytime soon. We need to get into a good routine.

We're celebrating Mother's Day with our families this weekend and are hosting it at our house. We're going simple with burgers but I need some new salad ideas. Any suggestions?

I haven't weighed myself in forever but *think* I'm going to do it this weekend. I know I need to start running or doing some sort of activity but I have absolutely no motivation. I'm like a giant sloth. I'm back at work so walking less BUT eating more frequent meals. I can't graze as much as I would normally though I tend to eat my entire lunch before 8am. I have to work on that one!

I actually feel like I'm making progress with cleaning & organizing the house. I finally took care of the front hall closet and we're getting rid of the playard in the kitchen, both of which offer a lot more space on our main floor. I'm determined to live a clutter free life!

Alright, over & out! The finale of America's Next Top Model is calling!

All Better!

It was a rough go and one where everyone around us (including all our babysitters) ended up sick but I think M is FINALLY all better! He finally turned a corner this weekend and had two GOOD days. Sadly, he's making the return to daycare tomorrow morning so I know the next bug or cold is just around the corner.

We had a quiet weekend, which is just what I wanted. I wanted M to get better but I also wanted a relaxing, errand free Mother's Day. I was spoiled with a new Coach handbag and we went out for a pint to celebrate on Sunday afternoon. D got up with M in the morning and I'm pretty sure I managed to evade most diaper changes!

Anyway, boring post but I'm checking in regardless. My little cleaning schedule seems to be working so far and I'm feeling on top of our home life. So far, so good!

Going Green in 2010

Okay, last post of the evening! Promise.

There's a great blog I follow by a SAHM who is attempting to "green" her family's life in 2010 by accepting a new challenge daily. I will admit to not always being the most green person but I often think of her tips and try to incorporate them into my life. I almost always think of her on recycling day because we have a pretty huge bin but I feel like I'm always cramming it full and adding separate bags at the curb.

Fast forward to last Sunday when I was moving all my products to the downstairs bathroom in preparation of starting work. I almost always use body wash but have lots of fancy soaps received as gifts hanging around the bathroom. I've decided that from now on, I'm going to use soap instead of packaged body wash. Almost all of the soaps I have are all natural and made by people we know, which is a nice bonus. It's not much but it's one less container to purchase that ultimately ends up in the recycling bin.

Check out Nicole's blog because I'm sure you'll find some inspiring ideas: http://greenin2010.blogspot.com/.

Obsessed

I'm currently obsessed with developing the ultimate cleaning schedule. Weird, I know BUT in my defense, we started my first week back at work with a clean house and it felt great all week. Granted, M & I weren't there to mess it up on a daily basis but we were at least in control of clutter.

I tracked my cleaning habits all week and came up with a mock schedule of tasks to be completed daily, weekly or as needed. I'm hoping to post this on the fridge in an attempt to be held accountable to my chores so I don't feel like I'm losing hours each weekend to keeping house. Hell, a working woman should still be able to enjoy a clean house and a life, no?!

Sunday - Vacuum upstairs & main floor; wash all floors and tidy living/dining.

Monday - Clean basement bathroom & laundry area.

Tuesday - Vacuum main floor.

Wednesday - Off! Relax with a bottle of a wine.

Thursday - Vacuum & wash main floor and tidy living/dining.

Friday - Vacuum upstairs and clean upstairs bathroom.

Saturday - Vacuum stairs from top to main as well as basement.

Daily Tasks:

• Clean kitchen (dishes, counters, highchair, bottles, etc.).
• Tidy M's toys (both main area & bedroom).

As Needed:

• Laundry (washed, folded & put away as needed).
• Take out garbage & recycling as needed.

I'm REALLY hoping to stick with this rough schedule. It's a nice feeling to come home from work and not be immediately confronted by a messy living room. I know that we aren't the most fastidious cleaners and let's face it, we both hoard crap BUT I think we can manage to live a relatively organized life. Fingers crossed!

We Survived!

We successfully navigated my first week back at work but we had a few hiccups along the way.

Firstly, it's good to be back at work. The first day was a little weird but by day 2, it felt like I'd never left. The week sailed by and when I put my feet on the floor on Friday morning, I had that 'TGIF' feeling as if it had never left.

But... M has the sickness. The sickness? Yes, the sickness. That disgusting viral bug from daycare that he just can't seem to shake. The poor guy has been feverish and suffered from all the nasty stuff like vomiting and diarrhea. We had to keep him home for the latter half of the week and ended up at Sick Kids for the 2nd time in 10 days on Friday afternoon.

*Insert mini rant here: D's mom was looking after M on Friday and he simply wasn't himself. He was lethargic and not eating or drinking. I ended up having to leave work early to take him to the hospital. Now, I normally wouldn't use hospital resources but was left with no choice when our doctor's office was open but NOT answering the phone on Friday. WTF?! I don't get it. I did try to find a walk-in clinic but didn't have much luck in our area. There are only so many times you can call your son's name when driving aimlessly because the addresses you have seem to be MIA and get NO response before you sh!t bricks and head to the hospital.

Anyway, M is feeling much better though still suffering from some tummy upset. Let's hope it's back to business tomorrow or we'll be scrambling again on Monday morning.

So, it was a decent week all in all. Let's hope it continues!

Welcome to the world, baby Ayden Louise!

Congratulations to C & T on the birth of their beautiful baby girl! Yet to meet her but love her already!