good lord woman!

During a ridiculously sleepless night that resulted in channel surfing, I came across a show about the Duggars.

All I can say is... holy crap Mama Duggar. That's a lot of bambinos. I have merely two children and I wish I could look that perky, relaxed and calm. And you're only a few years older than I am. My children, although clean, aren't as neatly groomed and yours. And my home is nowhere near as tidy! I couldn't even fathom trying to homeschool. I'm impressed.

My hats off to you Mama Duggar. Oh, and I apologize for swearing earlier in this post. There is nothing really holy about crap. You are a superwoman for running that household and looking so un-tired. There are days in my household when preparing dinner is so overwhelming that I scream 'I give!' and my husband knows to order a pizza. And when Jacob is jumping around like a kangaroo on caffeine that I'd like to send him off to camp for a week or three. And when Maiya has somehow managed to climb up onto the dining table for the umpteenth time and I have to dash across the room before she decides to do a swan dive backwards on her head. And when my husband gives me 'the look' I give him my look back that says 'not tonight... you've got to be kidding me' . And we convince ourselves that we're not exhausted but the bags under our eyes and our dishevelled look gives us away.

Maybe I need to believe in Jesus more.... I'm in if it helps keep me sane.

it's not a ghost

My husband thought he'd be a help and start folding laundry while I prepared dinner. When I walked by to let him know it was time to eat I just about peed myself because I was laughing so hard at what I saw... He was wrestling with the duvet cover and I swear it took him forever to get it folded. I don't know what he was thinking but he was actually inside it.

Needless to say he wasn't amused by my laughter.

I shouldn't laugh while he's doing any chore to help me out. Don't want to discourage him from ever giving me a hand again. Sorry honey.. I just couldn't help it. xo

just a few pics

Thought I'd post a few pics of the family since it's been awhile:

Maiya in the Circle of Neglect:


Jacob in a rare quiet moment... (he just woke up... lol)


And I think one of my favourite photos.... Daddy and Maiya enjoying the sunset together from our window... xo

eat your heart out Einstein

I've made a discovery that would make even Einstein himself proud. Sure he figured out the theory of relatively. That's child's play compared to mine that will make every mother realize she is not going insane... which is that the quantum theory of happiness is directly and proportionately relative to the behaviour of your children at any given moment in time. When Jacob has finished all his veggies and is not jumping-climbing-shouting as 3 year olds love to do, and Maiya isn't suction cupped to my boobs and sleeps through the night, I have the patience of Mother Theresa and the will of Ghandi. I can whip up a meal that would be worthy of Cordon Bleu, clean the house better than Molly Maid. And most of all.... I can get through the day without nagging my husband and perhaps even have some energy left over to entertain the thought of being Linda Lovelace. But if the kids are being naughty.... it's take-out food for dinner, and the home is doomed looking like a bomb went off. My husband's theory is simpler..... if the house is clean when he walks through the front door after work, he knows I'm in a good mood. But if it's a raging mess, no chance of Linda Lovelace... more like Linda Loveless. Sorry honey... but that's how we ended up with 2 children in the first place... lol. xo

lofty idea

Loft living is interesting and not for the faint of heart.... especially when you have kids. Sure, you can do laps on your bicycle here but there is very little privacy... so.. we converted the huge storage room into our master bedroom and these are the doors that you enter into.

Looks nice eh? They are made from 100 year old lead glass and a grand way to enter the bedroom.
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Except this is really the correct proportion and perspective.

See how tiny the opening is? And how the heck do we get up there?

For years the only way into the bedroom was via a ladder propped up against the wall and crawling in on all fours. Good thing I am used to climbing ladders and entering confined spaces. A bit tricky... especially when you're tired and it's in the middle of the night. Coming down is even dicier. As you can see there is no longer a ladder because ever since Jacob was old enough to walk he would make his way up the ladder lightning fast if my back was turned one second. I didn't feel the need to practice my medical skills at home... so, bye bye ladder.

Enter.... spiral staircase:

I love this staircase.... a bit safer but only 3 feet wide so you have to go up sideways. I still worry about Jacob going up there thus the industrial safety gate at the bottom.

Again, going down is dicey because it's steep and narrow. I have thought of putting a fireman's pole at the opening of the other 'entrance'. It would be a fast way to get down and I would be able to 'play' firefighter at home.

Except everyone coming over to visit would think I was a stripper.

neat freak

After having kids,one of the things that I have really had to adjust to is letting go of a neat home. I HATE clutter. I hate knickknacks and useless decorations and gadgets..... I like to keep household items to a bare minimum. Clutter drives me CRAZY and puts me in a bad mood. Ask my husband. I am constantly invading his space by trying to freecycle all his stuff. Most gifts I receive I end up giving away because if I won't use it I won't keep it... no point in storing it and letting it sit for years. If I am in a really bad mood the first thing I will do is find things do get rid of... dumping stuff always makes me feel better. But alas, with kids, one just can't get rid of their toys and expect them to idly sit and entertain themselves. Nor can you expect them to tidy up to your standards.

So this is what our home looks like today:




And this is a relatively neat day... it's usually worse. We have a playroom but somehow everything migrates here.... I omitted the picture of my kitchen sink because I don't want the health department knocking at my door. That's why I love the firehall so much. Although most stations are kinda institutional looking, they are neat and tidy and clean. Garbage gets taken out on a daily basis, floors are mopped once or even twice a day. Windows are Windexed, counter tops polished, the tarmac and walkways shovelled, lawns mowed, dishes washed and put away, equipment rustproofed, hoses rolled... Yesterday's newspaper promptly gets put in the recycling bin. Even the trucks are clean and shiny. When it's time to tidy, everyone swoops in because you don't want to be the one caught sitting down. The fastest way for a rookie to earn respect is to do all the cleaning and the scrubbing without hesitation or complaint.

Molly Maid... eat your heart out.