Archive - October 2012

1
Mad Family Love
2
Parenting: A Glory Story
3
I’m A Loser Baby
4
Calendar Woes And Ice Cream Cake
5
Still Siblings…

Mad Family Love

  We recently went out for a family brunch and a lovely time was had by all, or so we thought… After looking through the photos it seems one member of our merry band was somewhat dissatisfied. Could it be she was disgruntled after being told she was not allowed to stick her head directly under the chocolate fountain, despite the fact that her mother did that very thing several years before at a wedding? What? I was dared to do it. Or perhaps eating a spicy pepper, mistaken for a tomato was causing ill feelings? Or maybe being forced to sit still for more than ten minutes was more than she could bear? Whatever the reason, this is the photographic evidence that *somebody* in our party was a little on the grumpy side. Funny, because she’s usually the happiest of the bunch. *My father-in-law is absent from this pic because he was taking the photo…

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Parenting: A Glory Story

You ponder the sleepless nights, the childish outbursts (yours AND the kids’), the emotional and financial drain, and the myriad of adjustments you’ve had to make to your life, and you wonder, “Is parenting worth the sacrifice?” The day my daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder is the day our lives changed forever. We were in the hospital at the time, our tiny girl hooked up to a feeding tube, when the doctor explained what we would be facing in the years to come. Appointments, hospital stays, and numerous therapies loomed. One parent would need to stay home to manage this hectic schedule. It was going to be me. My maternity leave was coming to an end, but I would not be returning to my job. More than a job, my chosen profession and passion. When this reality hit, I sat rocking my baby in my arms, grieving for my old life. A passing nurse peered in at a sobbing mother and soon a social worker arrived to talk to the woman in room 2C who was coming unraveled. It seems selfish looking back at how devastated I was to be losing my career. Was it really a loss[…]

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I’m A Loser Baby

  “I’m a loser baby, so why don’t you kill me?” A rather dramatic song lyric don’t you think, Beck? I may be a chronic loser, but it’s no reason to snuff me out. Maybe just let me nap for awhile. I’ll even get up and make you dinner if you just look for my lost stuff while I’m sleeping.    I can’t believe how many hours I’ve wasted searching for misplaced things, retracing my steps, looking for clues. We parents are all losers at some point. Sleep deprivation, hectic schedules and dividing our attention between spouses, bosses, children and pets… it’s no wonder we can’t keep track of our things.   Here are some of the items I’ve lost over the past few months. I actually made a list of them awhile ago but…I lost it. My sunglasses. And no, they are NOT on my head. I checked. My cell phone. I have to call myself several times a week to locate it. My kids think this is hilarious. Family movie passes. They didn’t find this hilarious at all. A library book which I found AFTER purchasing a replacement copy. A deodorant stick. It came home from the store…. and[…]

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Calendar Woes And Ice Cream Cake

  Like a tipsy outfielder squinting into the sun during an eclipse, I’m dropping a lot of balls. My husband says I’m the most disorganized organized person he’s ever met, while my friends have suggested I’m in need of a calendar revamp. They may be right.  My inability to sync my multitude of calendars plays a key role in this disorganized tale. In order to reinstate some balance to my topsy turvy schedule, the first thing I need to do is find a cohesive calendar solution. My current (flaky) system has not been serving me well. The fact that I actually have “Learn how to sync calendars” written on one of my calendars… is laughable.    Here’s the mess I’m dealing with: Calendar 1: the traditional paper calendar that hangs inside my kitchen cupboard — which apparently you need to LOOK at on a daily basis to avoid missing important appointments…like your physical, which has now been rescheduled for four months from now. Or like your kids’ doctors appointments. The ones you now have to pay $60 for missing because they charge an “idiot fee.” Calendar 2: the wall calendar in my office where you need to actually write things down in order to[…]

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Still Siblings…

My brother Mike and I circa 1976. Move over John Travolta… that stylin’ disco dude in the background is our dad.    Siblings fight. It’s totally normal. So apparently my children are abnormal. They’re still young though, so all hell could still break loose. But at this moment they are completely peaceful. They have never had a fight or disagreement of any kind. No bickering, hitting, tattling or vying for attention. I watch my son, the older of the two, and marvel at how fiercely protective he is of his kid sister. They are best friends.  This has absolutely NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with parenting. We have not taught them this behaviour. By all accounts the nine year old should resent his little sister. Her medical issues have resulted in him missing out on many outings and a large portion of attention has been diverted away from him to her. Instead of acting out, he simply loves her more. My brother, three years my junior, and I were the same; best buddies growing up. Apart from a few squabbles in our teen years, I don’t recall a single harsh word between us, ever. He’s a grown man now, but I[…]

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