Mommy’s Got A [re]New[ed] Hobby

As moms, we tend to put aside our hobbies when baby comes along. More important things come along to fill up those empty moments of our day… Like coffee, showering and the occasional Netflix binge.

One of the things I missed the most (next to sleeping, anyways) was biking.

I was riding 15km to work every morning before I got pregnant. It was glorious and an amazing workout. Then, after a ten hour workday, I would ride the 15km route home… And occasionally, Jason and I would then ride from our home in Burnaby to Stanley Park or Yaletown.

 

S taking the Strider for a stroll through the yard at 19 months old

Then I got pregnant. I’m clumsy enough without the added change in body shape and size so I decided to retire my bike, in what was meant to be temporarily but ended up being a bit longer.

And I’ll be honest. It never occurred to me that I could get back on the bike with the boys in tow. I didn’t think about bike seats or trailers…. until recently.

Out for a ride!

I’ve fallen head over heels for biking again.

A couple of months ago, I talked my poor, poor husband into yet another stroller. This one doubles as a bike trailer and it’s been a terrific addition to our family.

I love being able to pull the boys along on a bike ride. Sammy laughs when we go over speed bumps and Dean is a great backseat driver (“STOP SIGN!” “MOMMY, GREEN LIGHT!” “USE YOUR BRAKES!”) Dean has been learning all sorts of road rules and about the different signs he sees as we ride along the bike paths. He knows how to find the bike paths and has fun trying to tell me of the turns before we make them.

D riding by the water on his strider bike, two years old

I love the new freedom of being able to hop on and off the bike and get us places without having to rely on the bus or trains, without having to pay for transit and with getting some exercise. The bike trailer has given us the ability to have new adventures.

However, we are still limited.

 

We’re not able to take the bike with the trailer onto transit. I can’t take the boys around Stanley Park, False Creek or along the Quay with our current set up. It’s a bit sad because we don’t have many places right by home that we can do on the bike, other than malls, library and a few parks. There are too many hills and I also don’t want to venture too far from home in case everyone gets too tired or uncooperative and we aren’t able to hop on transit to get back home in a timely fashion.

And that’s where I discovered cargo bikes.

Yuba Mundo – Dean with Lisa’s daughter, B, on board and ready to roll!

Did you know there’s a bike that is just a bit bigger than a regular sized bike but can carry children, too?! No trailer needed.

I’ve been researching them for a week now. And I’m so excited about the idea! We have to number crunch and make sure it’s possible but with Vancity’s “Clean Air Vehicle Loan” it could be made into a monthly payment rather than an upfront cost.

There are various brands and models and price ranges. The two I am eyeing are compact enough that they would even fit onto the bike racks on the bus and I can take them on board the skytrain but still has enough room to fit two kids! Sounds pretty spiffy, right?!

Bike Friday’s Haul-A-Day bike with room for two!

Last Wednesday I got to test ride a Yuba Mundo (it’s larger than the Boda Boda and fits three kids vs two) and became even more obsessed. They handle great – I had no problem loading up the two boys on the back and giving it a whirl!

Spokesmama, aka Lisa, who met with me at Science World to let me take her bike for a spin, also runs the Facebook group “Vancouver Family Biking“. I’ve learned so much from her website, from her and from other riders in the group.

Yuba’s Boda Boda – perfect for two kids but still compact!

If you are looking at getting on a bike with your young children, check out the workshop she is leading! You can find the link on her website, in the group or from the Crushed Cheerios Facebook page. There are more dates being added as others fill up – the June dates are full but July has a couple openings and there is also one scheduled for October so far. The course is free and there will be childcare available for free, as well. I’m looking forward to learning more about biking with the kids and how we can get more out of our time together on the road.

 

 

 

I’ve been bitten by the biking bug. A swarm of them.

 

I’m looking forward to all the kilometres I am going to log this summer with the boys!

 

 

 

Ninety Seconds…

Ninety seconds.
A minute and a half.

It’s not a lot of time.

Unless your child is missing. Then it can feel like an eternity.

 

We went to Science World today. It was busy. It was crowded. There were seven buses in the parking lot as we walked over from the skytrain. I knew it was going to be a madhouse.

It was such a madhouse that I had three different kids tell me they lost their teacher / school group. I found a Science World staff member, passed them along and carried about my day.

Splish Splash at the outside water exhibit

 

We were there a week ago with a friend of mine who owns a daycare. She brought her seven kids and another friend of ours who works part time for her. Three adults, nine kids. It was great – it was decently empty and the kids were all keeping close by.

In the past I have used a harness in the bigger, busier rooms so that I can physically feel when Sammy moves away and I can visually watch Dean. It just cuts down on the stress in a busy situation when you have two active boys. Because last week was so smooth, I didn’t even bother to bring the harness backpack.

And today was great, too. The boys were never much more than arms reach away. We spent two hours running around from room to room, exploring. We went outside to meet a lady who was generous enough to show me her bike (more about that in another post!) and the boys had fun playing on the grass with their daughter for a bit. Dean wanted to do one last room before we left so after checking out the bike, we went back in.

Sammy was not interested in staying close the moment we stepped back into Science World. I had to chase him twice as he ran for the exit, once as he ran into the exhibit, the opposite direction of the bathrooms we were trying to go to. I put him in the stroller, gave him a snack and enjoyed a moment of peace as he was strapped in

After about 10 minutes we moved on to where he found something that kept him occupied for a good 15 minutes. He hadn’t moved from the water/ball table for a while as I looked over to see an older boy push Dean over to get one of the parachute men that Dean was about to catch. Dean, crying, started coming towards me. I glanced at Sammy, still occupied, walked the seven or eight steps to meet Dean in the middle and turned so Sammy was in front of me. Still there.

Dean needed a moments pep talk to calm down (we had been pushing 3 hours there, after all!) and as I was standing up, my eyes still on Sammy, Dean had asked for a hug. I leaned down, hugged him and stood up tall.

. We explored a bit of the final room, starting at our usual exit side. Sammy doesn’t care about the stuff on that end (at least not more than he cares about food…) so he stayed content in there. When we got to the ball area, he wanted out. I stayed closer than usual to him since he was still a bit more of a flight risk than normal. My eyes were off him for two seconds. And even that is probably an exaggeration.

He was gone.

Sammy, last week, playing at the water table that he disappeared from today

I have this rule of thumb when we are out in busy places. Ten seconds. I give them ten seconds of me calling their name and of me not being able to see them. If I can’t find them by then, I get help – be it another parent, a friend or staff.

I counted as I scanned the room. I got to eight when I saw this woman in a Science World shirt and asked her for help. I gave her a quick description of Sammy (19 month old boy, purple shirt, black tights, blonde hair, scabs on his nose from a fall last week…) and she put a lock down in place. Within thirty seconds, there were five or six other staff members scanning the room we were in and the area just outside the room.

Somewhere in that minute, I had rounded up Dean and he was in hand while we power walked through the room. I could hear him crying. Or maybe I was just imagining it.

I was relatively calm during it all. I felt assured that he had just wandered and that he hadn’t been grabbed – there’s no way that someone could have left with him. He’s comfortable with stairs and wouldn’t take a tumble. It was just a matter of finding him.

His poor wounded face…

After scanning the room we were in, I felt in my gut that I needed to go out of the room and follow the crying. The first staff person had asked me to stay close (to help identify Sammy if they found him, I guess?) but I decided to check out the crying anyway. With Dean along side, we went out into the hallway.

There was Sammy, towards the opposite end of the hallway upstairs. He was crying, wandering around.

I called to him and he ran so fast and into my arms. We both bawled. I sat on the floor crying with him in my arms. So much for calm and cool…

I went back to the other room to call off the search. I set Dean free in the room, with strict boundaries, while I hugged and kissed Sammy until he was pushing me away and trying to squirm free.

 

Ninety seconds. That’s how long he was gone.

It felt like a lifetime.

Making rock music

 

My anxiety was through the roof and I needed to get out of there while I still had a bit of my sanity. I strapped Sammy into the stroller where I knew he wouldn’t be able to escape (easily that is, because you know, a five point harness is apparently nothing to that Houdini) and we headed out. Sammy was due for a nap and I was due for that heart attack that was building up.

 

Ugh!

No parent ever wants to go through even a moment of losing a child. Not a second of it.

Even hours later, I am still tearful thinking back to it.

 

 

I’ll be hugging him closer for quite a while, that’s for sure… Regardless of how much my little independent man pushes me away. ❤

[Product Review] Stroller : Thule/Chariot Cheetah 2

Guys.

I’m in love. Again.

 

So a couple of months ago, I realized that when we move, preschool will be a bit more work to get to. It will be a 45 minute walk, 45 minutes on transit or a 15 minute bike ride.

Insert a lightbulb emoticon here.

My big boys comfortably fit side by side!

After convincing my husband that yes, I DOOOOO need another stroller, I started the search for a bike trailer.

I found various trailers but nothing that really stuck out as a stroller that would be great for unhitching from the bike and using in the mall or out and about.

I bit the bullet and bought a Chariot. It was more than I (husband, let’s be real here) wanted to pay for a bike trailer but I have been in love from day 1! It was worth every penny.

I’ve decided to sell my single jogging stroller and use the Chariot as my every day stroller. It’s a bit wide, as a double, but I’ve only found one door that I can’t fit through – this is after many adventures! (And hey, so long as I can fit into Starbucks, life is good!!)

 

 

Thumbs up from my coach for a good run today!

Not only is this stroller fabulous for cruising around the city, but this is great as a jogging stroller! I’ve just started running last week, but in the five times I’ve gone running, I find myself enjoying the jogging set up more and more.

I may only be 5’2″ tall and a slow pace, but I apparently have a long stride. I’ve tried various jogging strollers and have found myself kicking the wheels or the bottom bar. I haven’t had any issues with this one.

 

Enjoying a snack after drop in before we head home (all downhill – booya!)

As a bike trailer, it is equally impressive.

While I was towing the trailer with 65lbs of child, I was so happy that it is a lightweight bike trailer! The trailer feels stable while going down ramps or off curbs. The kids are happy and secure in their five point harnesses and, thanks to the bright green colour, I know we are easy for cars to spot.

The axel mount ezHitch is easy to put on (or so my husband says – he’s the one that has been changing it back and forth between our bikes) and I love that it’s flexible enough that if the bike falls over, it leaves the stroller with precious cargo, untouched. The stroller is very stable in bike trailer mode.

I learned the hard way that the cover that goes over the stroller isn’t just for rain – my kids can attest, it’s meant to be used when used as a bike trailer. We went for a 35 minute bike ride last weekend and when I went to get the kids out of the stroller, I found them covered in dirt! #momfail at it’s finest! Whoops!

Photo from Thule

I love that the stroller folds flat – we took it on a trip to Vancouver Island a few weeks ago, along with two carry on suit cases for me and the boys, a suitcase for my SIL and my MIL’s bag. It was a three day trip in a Nissan Rouge and it worked terrific for us.

The pockets inside the sitting area are perfect for the kids water bottles, snack and some toy cars. I love how the kids can reach their pockets – even Sammy, while buckled in.

The back wheels are BIG. They provide a smooth ride while in stroller, jogging and bike mode. They tackle cement, pressed dirt paths, bumpy paths, rocks and sand with ease.

While the stroller is wide (needed for helping with stability in bike mode), it still fits onto transit. I have been taking this on our local skytrain. Due to the pole in the middle of the area by the doors, we don’t block any more width than with a single stroller (even moved to the side, people can’t slide between the stroller and the pole anyways) And it’s not as long as some singles, or at least the ones I’ve been using in the past couple years, so I actually take up less room from front to back. I haven’t taken it on the bus as of yet, but I have been told by someone that it does fit on board. I’ll hopefully try this out soon – I’m actually surprised that we haven’t taken the bus in THAT long!

 

I am loving my Chariot! it’s the jack of all trades but is also, truly, a master them all, too.

Photo from Thule

Now, for the nitty gritty details :
(Information taken from Thule.com)

Children : option for one or two children
Weight Capacity : 45kg
Stroller Weight : 12kg
Shoulder Width : 59cm
Sitting Height : 68cm
Dimensions : 115cm(L) X 80cm(W) X 107cm(H)
Folded Dimensions : 107cm(L) X 80cm(W) X 27cm(H)
Seat Belt : five point padded harness
Dual position handlebars
Mesh upper seatbacks and side vents for airflow
Front wheels store upside down on the VersaWing while in jogging or bike mode
Storage compartments : two small pockets inside by the seats, large pocket and small pocket on rear
EzFold Technology make it fast and easy to fold for strage

 

If you’ve ever considered getting a bike trailer, I highly recommend this one.
It’s been a fabulous family addition. It takes us everywhere we need to go and has been great motivation to get back into running and biking!

 

The views in this post are entirely mine. I have not received any product from them in order to do this review.

Mayhem At Its Best

Putting his baby brother to sleep

Sometimes I wonder what I got myself into.

Two kids, two years apart? What was I thinking?!

Ready, Steady, GO!

 

Up until a few months ago, it was like always trying to struggle to have two simultaneous conversations going on in two different languages while arguing two different sides of a story to keep both boys entertained, happy and prevent them from trying to murder each other.

 

Terrorizing the house

Lately, that’s changed.

At almost-one-and-a-half and three-and-a-half years old, they are becoming thick as thieves.

But it’s not as great as you would think!

Sammy follows Dean around the house, copying all his troublemaking ways. And Dean summons his little brother like a little puppy when Sammy loses interest for a half-second. They get into all sorts of trouble together…

Dean recently got a loft bed. It’s not a high loft bed but the KURA bed from IKEA that is about four feet high. It’s great – he loves the thing and it makes his room fun and roomy.

It also makes his room a death trap as both boys LOVE to climb and/or jump from the top to the double mattress that is on the floor. Dean also enjoys jumping from the bed and trying to “ring the bell” (aka hit the blind pull string) on his way down.

They wrestle on the double bed. Sammy has learned how to tackle and he does it quite gracefully. And Dean doesn’t stand a chance against his lower-centre-of-gravity brother who isn’t much lighter than him.

“Going to school”

Another new favourite is to take bins of toys from their room and scatter them everywhere. They run around, shrieking, as they spread the 1248905 toys around.

And laugh even harder when I trip or step on a piece of lego and shout some profanity that would make even a pirate cringe. Because Jason thought that one of those Fill-You-Bin-For-X-Amount only makes sense for a three year old when you fill it with a billion lights and single, tiny, little, itty bitty detail pieces.

Attack!!

 

The boys play together well, I have to admit.

It’s glorious when they can entertain themselves for a good twenty minutes so I can Facebook clean. And when I don’t have to read “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” for the twelfth time that day, it does wonders for my sanity!

Beddy-Bye, Goodnight

But when the hooligans get into some mischief together, beware. It’s going down. And it’s going down, fast. They can flip the switch so fast and I usually have to stop Dean from head butting Sammy, as Sammy is trying to smash Dean with a toy train. They can be best buds until they don’t see eye to eye on how to tear apart the living room… Then its all about tearing apart each other.

 

I can’t imagine any other age difference than the two years they have… It’s been a dream. Aside from when Sammy was going through the sleep regression at the same time as Dean was going through the peak of the terrible twos. I could have done without that!

I hope that as they grow, their bond does, too. ❤

 

[Service Review] [Product Review] Norwex – Anne Whitmore

Want to know a secret? A few days ago, I was actually pretty excited to clean my house.

Yes, you read that right. I was excited.

 

Want to know another secret? I cleaned my house without a single chemical.

I only. used. water.

Norwex has special microfibre that can remove up to 99% of bacteria from a surface. No spray, no soap, no chemicals. Just water.

 

When I first heard this, I was a bit skeptical. I wasn’t really believing that it would clean much with only water. I figured there had to be some kind of catch – a lot of elbow grease, maybe?

I’ve tried a few of their products before and have been happy with them but I have been very curious about the mop so knew I wanted to get my hands on her lending kit to test it out myself!

 

The kit included :

• EnviroCloth
• Dusting Mitt
• Window Cloth
• Mini-Mop System
• Rubber Brush
• Samples of Cleaning Paste, Ultra Power Plus Laundry Detergent, Odour Eliminator, Blue Diamond All-In-One Bathroom Cleaner, Dishwashing Liquid

EnviroCloth (photo credit : Norwex)

First thing I tried out was the Dusting Mitt. I used it *everywhere* I could reach and get my hands on. I used it on the hard to reach places that I save for once a month. And I used it on the places that I had used another duster on just an hour earlier. It was picking up so much dust and dirt! I loved how it was soft and smooth on my hand and that it was very comfortable to use. It glided over the surfaces with ease. I could slip it in to certain small areas to get cracks and crevices.

The second, and real reason I was dying to get my hands on the kit, was to try out the Norwex Mini-Mop System. I’ve heard many different opinions on it and had to try it out for myself. It’s very lightweight and the handle adjusts height (as someone who isn’t much past five feet tall, this is wonderful!) I love that it’s just water that I use to wash the floor. I use a steam mop and I always have to time my cleaning around the kids bedtime – vacuum as close to bedtime as possible so that I can then mop after the boys are in bed because the steam mop gets hot and leaves water that takes a bit of a time to dry. The kids leave footprints all over if I mop while they are awake… Ugh! I also have to plug the mop in.. Which doesn’t sound like that big of a deal, except our house has a serious lack of outlets and the cord is about three feet long. Total pain. Well, with the Norwex mop, I didn’t vacuum and I didn’t have to wait for them to get to bed in order to mop! I used the dry mop pad and gave everything a sweep. I used to rubber brush to pull all the hairs and dirt off the pad and into the pile of dirt which I then used our handheld Dyson to suck up. Then I ran the wet mop pad under some hot water, rung it out and slapped it onto the handle to get to work. Sammy was on the couch with a bottle, eyeing me the entire time, while Dean was on the couch playing an iPad game. I got the living room done in record time with very minimal effort and rinsing out the pad once halfway (which I don’t think I needed to do but I did it anyway!) Sammy, the second I paused to admire my work, hopped off the couch and ran right through the freshly mopped floor. He left footprints but once dry, I couldn’t find them anymore, unlike my steam mop.

Cleaning with just water means that this little man can help me and I don’t have to worry about his sensitive, baby soft skin. Sammy loved helping me with the Window Cloth!

There’s so many reasons to avoid harsh chemicals when cleaning your house. My kids aren’t licking the floor anymore (on a regular basis, at least) but they do spend a lot of time sitting or laying on the floor to play. I don’t want their skin, the largest organ of their body, to be absorbing residual bleach. I also don’t like having strong smells, even if many people associate it with “clean”, overpowering my house. While we aren’t “scent free”, we don’t really use anything that have scents. We’re doing more harm than good by using disinfectants and sanitizers. Not only are we leaving a huge carbon footprint by creating and introducing these chemicals into our water systems, we’re also killing off a lot of good bacteria, as well as keeping all the little bad bacteria that keeps our immune system working and evolving. And well, water is free. Skipping the endless cleaners that are around nowadays, you’ll be saving money.

I was very impressed with everything that she had in the kit. I enjoyed testing things out but was quite sad that I didn’t have more time to clean! It was amazing how easily everything came clean!

 

But don’t just take my word for it – check out the photos below!

 

One room down… The rest of the house to go!

After a quick vacuum with our Dyson, I tossed the Dry Mop pad on and gave it a whirl around the house…. I still got dirt, fur and junk off the floor!

Before and After – Just an EnviroCloth and water after a long winter in the yard!

Interested in ordering or looking for more information?
Contact Anne on her Facebook group or browse her online catalogue!

Unplugging From Technology

We’ve been having some really relaxing and peaceful days around here lately.

With the husband out of town and oldest just getting over a sporadic, high and quickly over fever, we’ve been taking it easy. Quiet days at home with minimal adventures. Staying close to home. Parks. Walks. Arts and crafts.

And, uh, a lot of television.

Like, a shameful amount.

Because, well, there’s only one way to keep my child calm and relaxed while fighting a 40.5C fever. And no, drugging him isn’t the way. 😉

 

I’m also very guilty for having my phone with me and on hand during these moments (read : extended periods of time) of calm.

It’s time for a detox – for all of us!

 

Tomorrow we will be unplugging ourselves from technology. No TV for the boys, no surfing Facebook for me. Between 9a – 6p, it will be just me and the boys and our sense of adventure! (And as per usual, my phones camera totally doesn’t count!)

So, until tomorrow night, once the kids are in bed, farewell!

 

When Daddy is Away…

The viruses will play?

 

Jason left yesterday morning for a business trip. Six days to Florida… Must be nice! Sunshine, Universal Studios (okay, maybe it wasn’t an all-business business trip), and sleep. Glorious, uninterrupted sleep.

I may be a bit jealous.

 

Twelve hours after his flight took off, Dean woke from his deep sleep, screaming and crying that there was muck in his bed and that his puppies were going to get dirty. I could tell it was a panicked cry that comes with a high fever so I went in thinking that the “muck” would be vomit. And the vomit would be everywhere.

Thank God I was wrong! The muck was just a hallucination. Phew! Poor guy was feverish though. He was 40.5c. I grabbed the Motrin, dosed the child and hoped it didn’t get worse overnight.

Two hours before he woke in a frenzy, I had committed myself to sleep training Sammy. No more sleeping with him in his bed – I swapped his double bed with the crib converted as a toddler bed. No more soother – he had gone to bed with some fuss but without it. I’ve been putting it off for months and decided that since Jason is out of town, it would be the best time. I have no choice but to get up with him every time. Being the only one that goes in will help with the consistency of getting him to learn to self soothe and put himself back to sleep… But oh man, it’s going to be a long week ahead!

Fast asleep in the toddler bed!

When Dean woke, crying, he also woke Sammy. Mommy was feeling to pull of both boys needing her so I made the executive decision of popping Sammy’s soother in his mouth as I walked by his room en route to Dean. Yup, two hours in and I already caved. Ha!

 

The boys slept okay. I stayed up for an hour or two after Dean woke so I could check his temp and dose with Tylenol if needed. When I did finally go to bed, Sammy woke. So I went back to his room, laid him back down and then stood at the door. I found that leaving the room would bring him to the doorway. But if I stood at the door, he would look for me then lay his head back down. After 15 minutes standing at the door I could slip out and go back to my bed. An hour later, Dean woke up. I got him settled with some more water and back to sleep. I went to bed again, then Sammy woke. Back to standing at his door. Then back to my bed. Then Dean woke. I ended up just bringing him into my bed so we could both sleep a bit. Add in to the lack of sleep the fact that it was Daylight Savings Time last night so we lost an hour of sleep from that!

Phew! Even just writing that makes me realize why I am so tired!

 

Today was a very slow, lazy day. Dean watched TV most of the day. We had to go get groceries so I loaded him into the stroller and put Sammy in the carrier and we went for the two hour trip to the grocery store. We came home and Dean watched more TV. The poor boy just wanted to sit and rest – didn’t even have any interest in playing in the backyard when I tried to bribe him into moving around a bit.

Too tired to even eat… Hard choice between sleeping, eating or watching TV.

We’ve hit the maximum doses for Motrin and Tylenol for a 24 hour period. I’m hoping for some peace and solid sleep, for all of us, tonight.

 

 

Five more sleeps until my husband is home. Then I’m sleeping in until the next afternoon! It’s been one night and I already feel exhausted!

Another Year, Another Half Birthday!

Holy moly… Three and a half!
What?!?!

Seriously, when did my little tiny baby turn into such an awesome *child*?! I can’t call him a toddler or a baby. And that’s pretty darned heartbreaking.

The stats :
Height – 39.5″ tall
Weight – 33lbs

Someone finally gained some weight (and kept it on!) We’ve been bouncing around 29-30lbs for months now…

Favorites :
Meal – Pizza
Fruit – Blueberries
Animal – Dogs
Toy – Lego and Duplo, tough to say which one more
Book – Lego easy readers – specifically the 3,2,1 Lift Off right now
Song – “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, still
TV – “Mighty Machines”
Activity – Riding your bike, bugging your brother, puddle jumping and baking

 

 

You are still a little ball of energy. Energy that is hopped up on energy drinks…
Life with you is constantly on the go. There’s things to do, people to see, places to explore. You don’t believe in holding back or slowing down!

Preschool started just after your third birthday. You’ve been loving it. It’s been full of adventure and excitement and chaos. There’s 12 boys in the class of 18 children – and you’re pretty much all first / only kids so there’s a lot of head butting (both figuratively and literally!) going on in the class.
You’re learning to play cooperatively with others. You’re learning empathy. You’re learning so much.

You and Sammy have begun to get into trouble together. It’s begun much sooner than I was expecting… The two of you are going to be such a nightmare when you can start getting into *real* trouble together.
You love to play together at times (I’ll be honest, there are times I have to keep you guys 10 feet apart!) If Sammy wanders away from where you are playing or goes to nap without you realizing it, you’ll ask where he is because you want to play with him.

You are getting to be so creative and have an amazing imagination! You create all sorts of things with your lego and duplo. You go on all sorts of adventures to space. You can take a simple path of stones and turn it into a lava game.

It’s so hard watching you grow. I don’t want to say goodbye to these younger years. But at the same time, I can’t help but watch in awe and love. You’re so full of adventure and love. And crazy. Definitely lots of crazy.

One of these days you aren’t going to fit onto my lap and snuggled into my chest like you can now. But until then, I will keep on getting all the cuddles I can!

I love you, my little Monkey Deaners.

Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016!

Here we are again, saying goodbye to another year. (Didn’t we just do this 12 months ago?!)

 

This year has been another great one for our family. It’s been filled with so much laughter, smiles and love. We’ve had many sleepless nights but that’s just par for the course, right?

 

Dean has been adjusting to his role as big brother. It’s been a bit bumpy as he learns to share and Sammy learns how fun it is to destroy everything Dean builds. But he’s enjoying his built in playmate and the two are having a blast getting into trouble together. Dean’s favourite thing to do lately is to get Sammy in trouble. The boys aren’t supposed to climb on their train table (but we don’t really reinforce it) and Dean will come tell me or Jason to come see something – he will be very excited and we come to the living room for what we think will be to watch his trick… Nope! As soon as we go into the living room, he shouts and points “LOOK! Sammy is on the table!” with glee, knowing he just busted his brother. A month or so ago, Sammy pushed the stool from room to room for Dean to turn on the lights. They giggled and laughed and shrieked as they turned on every single light in the house. Sammy loves his big brother and Dean is very protective of his baby brother when other kids get too rough with him.

Brotherly Love

Dean has grown so much this year. He is such a character! Every day he does something that reminds me how big he is but then when I give him a snuggle before I go to bed, as he’s laying there asleep, I am reminded about just how little he really is. This little boy surprises me every day with how much he is learning and has already learned.
He loves space, dinosaurs, trucks, airplanes, trains, cars, boats, mud, sticks, dogs, food, painting, dancing, music and anything else you can think of (okay, maybe not so much broccoli or the dark…)
He started preschool in September which has been monumental in his socialization. We regularly had play dates throughout the summer but it wasn’t structured in the sense of a free-play preschool is… If that makes sense. He’s learning to share and how to empathize with friends. The school is a parent participation and I am having a blast being a duty parent and going in with him once a month or so. It’s a terrific school and he has so much fun!
I’m about to start introducing a bit of structured learning time once a week with just the two of us. We’ll explore fun ways of practicing letter sounds and printing. We’re going to do more arts and crafts. And we’re going to get more one on one time with household chores being pushed out of the way and my attention on my biggest little man.
Dean, as he has been since utero, is still very active. He loves to move and pretty much never stops. He’s made leaps and bounds on his bike early in the year. He rides it pretty much every day when we go out – except if it’s raining or, like now, icy. He loves taking it to the skatepark and going up and down the ramps. He picks up on physical things very fast. And loves to try all sort of scary (to mommy) things!

 

Sammy’s year has been filled with many, many firsts. First laugh. First time crawling. First words. First steps. He’s growing like a weed. In one moment I will find myself thinking that this kid is so much like his brother – and then in the next, I think they are polar opposites. He’s definitely his own little guy, complete with a personality twice the size of himself, if not more.
This chunky monkey took his first steps just before his birthday but took another month to decide walking was worth it. He found crawling was much more faster and effective. He’s been a mover from the start, just like big brother. He was crawling even earlier than Dean was. And Sammy learned that moving on one level just wasn’t enough. He loves climbing. And it’s ridiculous how good at it he is! I’ve had to take him out of our top load washing machine on more than one occasion. Everything is fair game for this kid.
He loves to “go go” but loves his snuggles. We’ve had some challenges with his sleep this year… For pretty much the entire year. It’s been long and gruelling but we’re hoping now that he’s 14 months, that we can start helping him learn to sleep by himself and self soothe back to sleep.

This year was filled with many shared moments with friends. Our summer was filled with play dates in our backyard and at local parks. We made some close friends with moms and kids in the area. I love my little “mom village” with great resources and ideas. We do many different outings – from IKEA breakfast to local drop-ins. The kids love having friends to play with and mommy loves not having to pretend to be a tunnel for Dean’s cars, all. day. long.
We bought a trampoline early in the summer and it opened up the idea of hosting backyard play dates. I don’t drive so having friends come to us while having two little ones seemed like a great idea – and it turned out to be one of the best one’s I’ve had! We did weekly play dates in the backyard. The trampoline, little pool, ride on cars, sandbox and toys were a hit. The kids all had a blast.

We went on some great hikes this summer. Nothing too tricky as Dean was hiking it. He surprised us a couple of times by keeping up with us and making it nearly 5km on one of them! Sammy was pretty indifferent as he was packed around on my back but the fresh air made for some lengthy naps!

In June we went up to visit Grandma and Grandpa in the Yukon. It was a great visit – even if the long daylight (4am, bright sunshine…) totally messed with their routine. Sammy was waking up at 4:30a most mornings and so one day I eventually gave in and decided to walk the hour and a half to town to get breakfast while he was in the carrier to sleep a bit longer.

This summer was our first visit to the PNE. Dean went on his first ride and had so much fun! It was memorable and he still brings it up. The first ride he went on was a train that drives along a track, nothing special. The second ride?A bumpy, fast, kiddie roller coaster. Oh boy, the look on his face as it went down the first hill was priceless. I was watching with Sammy on my back in the carrier and I got worried that he would start crying but apparently, after he recovered from the shock of the first hill, he was ready to go again and again! He went on many of the kiddie rides – and we’re very excited for our first family trip to Disneyland in the next couple of years.

Halloween was a lot of fun. We went Trick Or Treating at Jason’s work a few nights before Halloween. Dean was very excited to run around and collect candy. Preschool had a dress up party as well. And then on Halloween night we went out for half an hour in his preschool neighbourhood. Dean was thrilled to knock on his teachers door and see the kids I used to nanny (and have since stayed close with) to Trick Or Treat.
Dean picked out his own costume (a pirate) and Sammy wore a sweater a very talented lady I used to go to school with knit for Dean during his Panda obsession a year ago. It’s not actually a costume but it was nice and toasty and so cute!

Christmas was busy – we ended up with the stomach bug that has infected everyone. Thankfully it left just as fast as it arrived. We lost a full weekend of Christmas excitement and events because of the stomach flu but we managed to make up for it! We had a blast doing all sorts of fun things together as a family.

The boys are taking after their father – they’re both little nerds! Dean and Jason love to play video games (okay, Jason does the playing and Dean sits and watches and bosses him around… but it works for them, haha!) It’s so heartwarming to listen to them building Kerbal spaceships together!

 

 

It’s been a great year. The boys are growing by leaps and bounds and we’ve loving every minute with them (okay, maybe not all – I don’t appreciate the 3am parties in Sammy’s room…) It’s so hard to believe how fast they are growing up to be little men.

 

Here’s to more memories and more smiles, laughter and love to fill our 2016. ❤

Train Table Bliss

I was going to a Christmas wind-down blog post  but I’m just too excited to share my project and how it turned out!

How cute is this, right?!

The boys love to play trains. Dean loves to drive his trains along the tracks while Sammy destroys the tracks climbing across them and smashing his train along the rails.

I wanted to give them a train table for Christmas – something that they can play together and no one is left in tears (them or me!) We’ve been to a few stores that have them and they always play so peacefully. It’s precious watching them.

I started browsing where to buy a train table but my husband encouraged me to take on the task of making one. I am so glad he did – it was so much fun designing and planning and building it! And I’m so happy with how it turned out and how much the boys love it. It’s easily the favourite Christmas present. Eat your heart out, Santa!

 

 

 

I began my research where I always do – PINTEREST!

There are so many options out there : built from hand, IKEA hacks, felt, painted… It’s never ending.

I know my boys are rough when they play. (Such an understatement!) I wanted something that would dampen the noise and wouldn’t get chipped off. Felt seemed to be our best bet. For a quicker base, we went with the infamous IKEA Lack table. It’s perfect sized for Dean’s bedroom and the kids are able to reach all parts of the table from the four sides (well, almost, Sammy is just out of reach for the turn table – darn!)

 

I left the legs off during the construction phase. I did prop the table top on some boxes so I could work on it raised a bit.

My supplies were as follows :
IKEA Lack coffee table (we went with the bigger rectangle)
Green felt that is big enough to cover the table top AND the edges of the table
Felt for the details – different coloured green for the bushes, blue for the water, etc
Wood Glue
Hot glue gun
Train tracks, roundhouses, turn tables, switches, bridges, whatever your heart fancies!
Duct tape (green or you can get creative with other colours or patterns)
Paint brush

First, create a plan. I took the tabletop and lined it with paper (the big roll of paper from IKEA is great!) and fiddled with the train tracks until I had a set up I liked. I took the tracks off, one by one, after tracing them, roughly, with a pen. It makes for easier assembly later. I cut my felt accessories from the map – I wanted a lake with a beach and then some bushes around for some contrast to the light green.

Next thing I did was sand the outer 3-4 inch border of the table top along with all along the outer edge. I wanted to rub off a bit of the smooth paint finish so that the glue could hold better. I used a 100 grit sandpaper sponge. Do this outdoors. Seriously. I didn’t think sanding it would be an issue indoors, but man oh man! It stunk up the living room. I ended up sweeping and mopping the area I was working in after to make sure I got all the residue that came off. Definitely do this outside where there is fresh air and not as much worry about the dust.

After sanding it down, I put the felt on the table in place. You want it to overhang down the sides of the table top and slightly more. Don’t cut it to size just yet.

Peel back a quarter of it and liberally apply the glue using a paint brush. You’ll want to start on an edge so it lines up properly. Trust me. (This is part of why I decided to do the duct tape along the outer edge – also because my children are feral and destroy things) Don’t apply it thick or it will seep through. Don’t try to skip the brush and just squirt the glue all over. It’s really essential to get a good solid hold.

Give that edge 10 minutes to dry. Go throw a load of laundry on, read a book, clean the kitchen…. Or put the kid back to bed. Because that’s what happened six times while trying to get the felt attached at my house!

Flip the fabric over so the large portion of the table is exposed. Slowly, in 4-6 inch sections, paint the glue onto the table and smooth the felt as you go. Do it slow, don’t rush. You really want the felt secure – this is the groundwork for years of fun!

Once the table top is covered, pop the table on it’s side and do all the edges. I was debating between a “present” or a flush corner but I decided the fold the felt on the corners for a little extra padding. I used lots of glue on the corners because it doesn’t matter too much if it seeps through. It isn’t super noticeable but does have a rougher surface. It has a slight white tint to it, too. I then cut the felt along the edge to make it flush with the bottom lip. You could make it go the underside of the table and that would help keep little fingers from finding the edge of it to pull at, but I decided to use some duct tape along the bottom edge. It gave it a nice finishing touch, in my opinion. Give the wood glue 12 hours to dry and set.

Now take your track map and reassemble your tracks accordingly. Make sure you’re happy with it. Fiddle more if you need to. Are you happy? Then let’s grab the glue gun!

Add the details with the glue gun. The water, beaches, trees, bushes, mountains, snow, whatever you want – the possibilities are endless!

You could leave the table free for the kids to assemble the tracks how they want on a daily basis but I wanted to attach them to the table top in a non-permanent way. The hot glue gun is perfect for this : it comes off the felt with minimal fraying and then peels off the train tracks without a mark! Piece by piece I took the tracks off, applied glue and then squished it into place… And then repeated for all 83250 pieces. If you have a piece that has to go onto a piece (vs a piece being able to be attached after) keep that in mind. My roundhouse was my first piece I attached. I stuck it down to the table and then realized that the way the doors sit atop of the track leading to it meant that I couldn’t pull that piece up. Whoops! So that piece didn’t get attached to the table but it’s being held in by the roundhouse.

I took trains as I was gluing pieces down and drove them down the tracks to make sure everything was in working order.

I was so excited for the boys to see their present on Christmas morning. Thank goodness it was too big and awkward for me to carry through the doors, otherwise I probably would have pulled it out from the garage the next day while Jason was at work!

On Christmas Eve we (okay, Jason, I ended up having some nausea and had to sit on the couch trying not to throw up) brought it in and put the legs on the table. I covered it with a blanket, tucking the blanket edges under the legs and pushed it to the opposite side of the living room from where the tree and presents and stockings were in hopes that it wouldn’t be spotted until after all the other presents.

Amazingly, the surprise wasn’t spoiled. There was so much excitement when we unveiled it. The boys were full of laughter as they immediately started driving trains all around the tracks. The smiles and giggles were worth every ounce of effort in creating the table.

 

It’s been four days and the boys are still ALL OVER their train table. Literally, in S’s case. The little man has figured out how to climb up on the table with a stool so we hid the stools only for him to learn how to climb up without a stool. Jerk.

My little climber

Mommy and Daddy won Christmas this year!