April 2013 - Forever In Mom Genes

Cross-Eyed Cats and Smelly Schnauzers

Apr 30 2013

If you think staying in a B&B seems slightly odd, you’re right. But always up for an adventure, my husband and I stayed at a B&B in Muskoka a few times. We loved the quaint setting and got to know the owners a little. How can you not? You’re sleeping down the hall from them and sharing their bathroom. Our first time at “Top House” was memorable. We got engaged that weekend. On one knee in the forest, outside the little cedar church where we would get married, my husband proposed. We spent the weekend poking around little shops, lounging on a patio over looking Lake Rosseau, exploring nature and enjoy hikes in the woods. One afternoon as we returned to the house after a long hike — punctuated by several periods of hot and heavy, er, nature appreciation — we were greeted by the owners. As one of them commented on our flushed and healthy complexions, their dog bolted toward us from the living room. He made a beeline for my husband, jumped up and started enthusiastically sniffing and licking him. My husband mumbled an explanation which to this day makes me laugh out loud EVERY time[…]

Apr 24 2013

Full disclosure I used to think (and even squawk out loud) that I didn’t understand the purpose of ride on cars. “Shouldn’t kids be exercising? Make them pedal for heaven’s sake! Are we raising a generation of lazy kids?!” I’m here to say that I was wrong and stand corrected. To make amends for my judgey ignorance, I invite any parent to whom I may have spouted off about this, to drive over me with their kids’ ride on vehicle. My daughter has been asking for one of these forEVER! She’s seen other kids riding them in the park and down our street and she’s been relentless. So this Christmas, look what Santa (aka my friends at Fisher-Price) delivered… It’s the Dora Jeep Wrangler in all it’s glory. To say my child was thrilled is an understatement. She couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel. However, Canadian winters are cold so we took our fun to our unfinished basement/indoor playground. At first she couldn’t steer. Like, at all. It was comical. I had to redirect her constantly until she started to understand the relationship between the steering wheel and where she wanted to go. It was like a light bulb[…]

Apr 22 2013

Our daughter had her first seizure the summer of 2009. She stopped breathing and her heart raced out of control. There are times, even years later, that I stand in her room reliving that night, imagining all the what ifs in painful detail. What if the ambulance hadn’t made it in time? What if, what if, what if… After starting meds, the seizures continued, but lessened in severity. Each occurred during sleep. The neurologist believed the transition from one level of sleep into another was some sort of trigger. Then Avery had her first seizure while she was awake. It lasted a few minutes and stopped abruptly, leaving her left side limp, temporarily paralyzed. We thought she had possibly had a stroke. We later learned she had experienced Todd’s Paralysis — a focal weakness in part of the body, occurring after about 13% of seizures. It’s amazing how easy it is to mask your panic when you have another child to consider. Our son witnessed the seisure. “Oh no, oh no, oh no.” he repeated. “She’s fine,” we told him in an absurdly casual tone. “We’re going to take her to the doctor just to be safe. There’s nothing to[…]

Apr 21 2013

Do you ever think to yourself, “Self, why are you such a dork?“ I do. Like last week, as I enthusiastically waved at a friend across the vast veggie section the Super Store. The “friend” looked at me with one brow raised. This made me smile bigger and wave harder, as though by upping the ante, they’d recognize me. Well, it’s hard to recognize somebody when you’ve never met them. I was waving at a total stranger. How embarrassing though not quite as embarrassing as greeting someone’s wave with a toothy grin and happy return wave, only to realize they’re not waving at you, but the person directly behind you. My friend and I were discussing this humbling situation the other night and exchanged stories of past salutation humiliation. For the rest of the night I waved at her from across the room and when she smiled back, I shook my head and pretended to point to someone over her shoulder. It only took about 3 or 4 of these faux waves before she caught on. She’s one of my prettiest friends. Yesterday as I was returning from an appointment with my daughter, I decided to[…]

Apr 17 2013

When we asked our kids to name their absolute favourite Disney World ride, they unanimously agreed… The Hollywood Tower at MGM Studios was the winner! If you think our six year old would be terrified and far too little for such a ride, think again. She was the dang ring leader. When we up rode the rickety elevator for the first time, we did so together as a family. When the ride came to a stop, and the shrill screams of the riders (mostly my husband) subsided, it went silent. People were obviously catching their breath, and possibly swallowing down bile. And then amid the dark quiet a tiny voice cried out, “AGAIN!!!” My husband’s response to our daughter’s passionate plea was a solid, “Nope. Never again.” So we ditched that nauseated chicken and lined up and rode again. Several times. Yes, I felt queasy. In fact, I lost all blood flow to my upper body and my organs jellified at some point. But, I’d do it again. I love that my kids are fearless. That’s one of the most glorious benefits of childhood. Adventures aren’t obstructed due to pragmatic reasoning. Exhilarating experiences aren’t missed because of “what ifs?” or “maybe[…]

Archive - April 2013

Cross-Eyed Cats and Smelly Schnauzers

Life Is A Highway

Seizures and Todd’s Paralysis

Salutation Humiliation

Our Favourite Ride At Disney World