Time Has Flown By

Apologies for not being in touch and writing. I guess you could say life got in the way, or did it?

Life happens rather we want to admit it or not. Not a day goes by that something significant does not happen. Just take a look at your own lives, the lives of those around you and even the world. Think about it a moment, what were those significant moments?

I know with my life I went back to school full time, my son started JK and life became even more hectic. Is life crazy? Yes! Would I Change A Thing? No!! I love my life and I love my kids even more. Despite what is going on with me, my kids have been and will continue to be number one. Their needs go above and beyond anything I do for myself and for that I will live my life, without one regret and a smile on my face.

For those of you who complain that life is too hard, that you wish things could be easier; take a moment and think of all the blessings you have in your life.

I am very very thankful for the blessings in mine and I hope I continue to have those blessings that make my life very special and unique.

Stop the Madness

My plans for the funny “How I Met My Husband” blog came to a screeching halt today after I read the following news item:

Mother Decapitates Newborn, Eats Brain (San Antonio, Texas)

Sadly this was not some crazy tabloid story that had been made up to grab people’s attention or increase circulation. Despite being National Enquirer worthy, this particular headline appeared in the local newspaper I read each day.

What is happening to our world? How is this possible? Who is behind this Hannibal Lecter-ish madness?

We all know how CNN likes to pontificate endlessly on drama filled news stories (Michael Jackson anyone?), so I was curious to read their coverage of this gruesome tale. CNN.com provided no additional details that would answer my questions, but it did lead me to a list of (shocking) related links…which, in turn, left me seeing red.

Missing Toddler, Infant Found Inside Trash Bin (Dayton, Ohio)

Newborn Found Covered With Ants in Box Along Roadside (Ocala, Florida)

Baby Found in Shoebox with Breathing Hole (Long Island, New York)

Newborn Left In Motel Room Littered With Beer Cans (West Springfield, Massachusetts)

Now before we become too smug, in a “that would never happen here” kinda way, you should know that these baby tragedies aren’t just happening in America. Case in point – one of today’s front page stories in the Chronicle Herald (the main newspaper out here on the East Coast) read:

Baby Dies, Parents Could Face Homicide Charges (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

It seems that the 23 year old parents of a 7 week old little girl decided to use her as a punching bag last week… right here in our very own backyard. Oh no, we Canadians are not above such horrors.

That's six, count ‘em, S-I-X news stories in a single day recounting the death or neglect of babies by their PARENTS - madness, pure and simple. What's more frightening? I located these on the internet in under ten minutes - who knows how many more I would have found if I had kept digging…

Being a YM Wannabe these appalling headlines disturb and offend me, not to mention make me sick to my stomach. And although they are likely to make every sane, rational, reasonable, and empathetic adult feel exactly the same way, I would argue these types of reports hit Wannabes harder. For us, these stories portray a cruel irony…while we would do anything to protect the children we do have and morn the children we have lost, these people are literally killing the children they have been blessed with.

Listen people - if you don’t want them, don’t have them in the first place!*

Then maybe, just maybe, some of this madness will stop.



* Meaning take proper precautions to avoid pregnancy entirely. And if that doesn’t work, consider giving unwanted children up for adoption so those who are desperate to be parents or those who have lost a child through no means of their own have a greater chance of realizing their dream one day.

Kissing...The Magic Elixir!

Thanks to the fact that I have 2 boys aged 4 and under, I am constantly given the opportunity to see the world through their eyes. As many fellow parents can attest it is an absolutely fascinating world to look at. While there are some complexities involved, for the most part it is a wonderfully simple world that they live in. Often I like to imagine what the grown up world would be like if we just applied simple kids logic to it. One of my favourite thoughts on this deals with the subject of healthcare.

Given that this is summertime and the boys are often wearing shorts and T-shirts, there have been a fair number of scraped knees, elbows and bruises that I have had to tend to lately. Amazingly every time this happens I would usually apply a rub of the affected area combined with a kiss on the right spot then add a hug for good measure and suddenly all was better. It would appear that as parents we posses a unique magic elixir that enables us to heal all that ails our children with nothing more than a properly placed peck.

This power does unfortunately have its limits as I regrettably found out some time ago when my husband once told me while going to bed that he had a headache. To help out I proceeded to give him a kiss, but he quickly told me that she still had the headache. That being said, after applying this approach enough times with my kids I began to wonder what it would be like if this approach could be applied to ALL individuals regardless of age.

Imagine going to your local hospital E.R. after injuring yourself in some manner to be tended to. When you arrive it seems that all of the traditional medicines that you’re used to are gone and all that you see are rampant applications of nothing more than good old T.L.C. Sprains, strains, breaks and abrasions are all cured by various staff members who tell you it’s all right, coddle you for a bit, kiss the affected area and send you on your way with a lollipop. Suddenly as if by miracle you are cured and are ready to take on what lies ahead.

One of the clear advantages to this would be the immense savings in health care costs. Instead of expensive orthopaedic devices eating away at budgets, hospitals would only need to keep a healthy supply of Chapstick on hand. Instead of waiting hours, you could likely be out in minutes with your tears still embedded on your cheek. However it IS still possible that we could see long line-ups, with the delays now having more to do with treatment popularity as opposed to any actual staff shortages.

I suppose we would also see a renewed interest in young people wanting to become health care practitioners. All the best medical schools would have to adapt their curriculum and then deal with the onslaught of applicants. It would be anyone’s guess though as to what a school would set as its new minimum requirements for consideration.

However as I return to the real world I know that after a certain age the healing powers of a parents TLC diminish. In the meantime I’m going to relish the Supermommy status I maintain with my boys.

Daddy Daycare

Dear Husband:

I commend you on your desire to spend time with your sons and your courage to do so despite much ribbing you can expect from your co-workers and friends. There are just a few points, however, that I would like to draw your attention to, with regards to this period of time. Feel free to post this notice on your car calendar, toolbox, beer fridge or wherever you think best and most convenient as a guide to such an event.

1. This is not a holiday. It is not an opportunity to sleep in, play video games, watch TV or catch up on the news. In fact, instead of your standard 8-hour workday, you can expect a 12-hour shift of crumb- and disgustingly messing feedings, cleaning after each said feeding, frantic playtimes, cleaning after each said playtime, sibling rivalry, troublesome diaper changes and the child wrestling involved in each said change, hurried story times and tearful bedtimes. If you have enough energy left over after each shift is completed, you are welcome to use your free time to cook and freeze some meals, do the laundry, shop for groceries or for any other household-related initiative.

2. In the absence of a commute to another place of work, it can be difficult to distinguish work hours from leisure time, or weekdays from weekends. Please note, however, that this distinction is no longer relevant. During daddy daycare, every day is Monday. And your shift starts and ends at the whims of your clients.

3. Although miniature in stature, your clients are no less demanding. They do, however, at times, have difficulty communicating their needs in a calm, mature, eloquent manner. As such, you will need to learn to exhibit extreme patience and understanding—nothing upsets them more than a rushed or frustrated response—and interpret their various squeals, screams, cries and babbles. The sooner, the better for you all.

4. You’re welcome, good luck and enjoy.

Sincerely,

Your loving, devoted, exhausted, wife.

Things Can Only Go Up From Here

I have had one of the worst weekends!!! Everything goes at once.

1)While out on the weekend we got in the rain storm. No biggie, I thought. Well much to my surprise my husband thought it would be cool to plow through a puddle. Next thing I know the SUV is dead. Well we were sitting outside McDonalds - took the kids into eat. An hour later we come out. Try to start the SUV and much to my surprise it is still dead. Phone my dad which happens to be his Birthday. For an hour we try to get the SUV going with my kids in the back seat. No success! Left a note in the window for the tow truck driver. Time to transfer my two kids and all of our belongins to my dad`s car, where he preceeds to drive us home.

2)Get home. Kids are all in bed. I head to the master to change. I notice a huge puddle on the floor. Lovely!!! Found out my roof is toast and was leaking; another bill I don't want. To top it all off came downstairs to find my hot water tank gave and we had a flood to deal with.

3)I also have a broken key on my keyboard. Of all keys the "F" key is broken. Yes feel free to make fun *lol* I am ordering a new key kit.

Monday comes along and I speak to the mechanic shop. After hours of figuring out what was wrong they tell me the motor is no good! Excuse me?! Now I am fuming - not only have I had the weekend from hell I am now being told my SUV is going to need a motor. After shopping around we got a quote of $3400 - are you kidding me? Where am I going to come up with that kind of money. Not only to mention we aren't going to have the SUV for a week with all of the work that needs to be done along with getting the motor ordered in. At this point my husband is starting to look like he would be better as a shish kabob. If he evers pull another stunt like this again he may become a shish kabob. *lol*

I am starting to think if things continue to go this badly you may have to find me with the men and the white jackets..

You tell me, can things only go up from here?? I truly hope so.