February 2012 - Forever In Mom Genes

The Dollhouse

Feb 27 2012

One dismal day a mysterious box arrived at my door. Behind said door, was a tired mother and a bored five year old, itching for something to do. I suspect Mom Central and Fisher Price may have some kind of “That Mama Needs A Break, ESP.” This was our first official toy delivery during our stint as a Fisher Price Family. The look on my daughter’s face when she saw her new My First Dollhouse…. …was sheer happiness. The look on my face when I read this… ….was all, “Gah! They’re talking about me. To the treadmill!!” *For the record, my husband’s hands are an average size. Santa brought Avery a Fisher Price dollhouse two years ago. But this new abode is a more pimped out version. So now, instead of one lonely home, we have the makings of a neighbourhood. It’s a G-rated version of Knot’s Landing (at least, that’s what is going on in MY head when I’m playing along). Avery has a corner of her room dedicated to her imaginary town. Recently however, I noticed both dollhouses were missing. It seems the kids picked up stakes and moved the town to big brother’s room. […]

Feb 21 2012

Many parents sleep better at night believing that teens and tweens who commit suicide are hopelessly troubled and come from equally troubled homes. This is not the case. Recently my friends’ daughter came forward to talk about her struggle with clinical depression. She attempted suicide at the age of thirteen. Instead of hiding in the shadows, Alyssa has chosen to share her story. By speaking out, this brave and poised young woman hopes to help other kids her age. If you find comfort in the notion that such a circumstance could never befall your child, you are wrong. Depression is an illness. It can strike anyone, at any age, in any social situation or family dynamic. Alyssa’s home is filled with love and structure and happiness, and yet she wasn’t exempt from this disease. The fact that she has chosen to talk about her experience, and to reach out to others who may benefit from her message, is a testament to the love and support from her family. Here is Alyssa’s story. How mental illness is affecting one teen and one family. http://www.ctv.ca/canadaAMPlayer/index.html?video=615232 Related: Teen suicide in the media Canada AM opens the floor to questions related to mental illness,[…]

Feb 10 2012

Children love to share things with us, don’t they? Their stories, their dreams, their love and…their disgusting germs. My first few years as a teacher, I was sick ALL THE TIME. My newbie immune system hadn’t yet built up an adequate cooty defense system. And since I taught young children (who suck and lick things, touch EVERYTHING, pick their noses….often, and sneeze and cough without covering their mouths) I didn’t stand a chance. Tired, stressed and thus “immune system deprived” parents are also sitting ducks. Recently both of my children came home from school with library books, spelling homework, and…Fifth’s Disease. “Fifth disease, also called erythema infectiosum, or Slap Cheek, is a viral infection caused by human parvovirus B19. It occurs most commonly in children with up to 70% of all cases occurring in children 5 to 15 years old. It’s called fifth disease because it was historically the fifth childhood infectious rash to be named. There is no vaccine. However, once you’re infected with the virus, you’re immune for life against future infections. It’s transmitted from person to person the same way as any viral cold is spread. About 50% of people living with someone infected with[…]

Feb 08 2012

Shiver me timbers, nothing beats a good back ticklin’. My love of ‘the shivers’ has been transferred to my children. Every night as we assume the cuddle position, one of the kids whispers, “Dot-Dot-Line-Line Mummy.” Anyone remember this childhood rhyme or did my somewhat twisted family make it up? The {non-twisted} version goes: Dot, dot, line, line {draw on their back} Let a {insert name of random animal} crawl/hop/slither/whatever…up your spine {squiggle your finger up their back} Crack an egg, on your head, let it dribble into your bed {do the action}. Tight squeeze {give their tummy a little squeeze} Cool breeze {blow on the back of their neck} Shiverrrrrrrr {lightly run your fingers up and down their back}. Good shivery fun right? What’s NOT good is absentmindedly reverting back to the version you learned as a child, which is nearly the same with the exception of the egg part. Which goes… Crack an egg, on your head, let it dribble ’til you’re dead. “WHAT did you say??” my son asked. Whoops. But he’s eight and old enough to handle the truth so I admitted to switching “dead to bed.” He suggested I avoid using the “scary” version with[…]

Archive - February 2012

The Dollhouse

Bringing Teen Depression Into The Light

Slap Face

Goosebumps and Shivers