I heart Florida

Damn we had a good time. So why does Sarasota kick Ixtapa's butt?

1. Vacationing with your in-laws = free babysitting.
HS and I went to see Brokeback Mountain. And we went out for dinner. And it wasn't even the same night! We had so much food here, I thought my stomach would explode. With happiness.

2. And free babysitting means time for shopping! Sadly, I seem to have lost the ability to buy things for myself. I don't know what is wrong with me. I used to work in the Eaton's Centre, and I could shop every day on my lunch hour. And I did. Not only was I well-appraised of what was in the stores, but I could also stalk my favourite items and snap them up as soon as they went on sale. Ah, sweet memories! I do, however, have amazing abilites to buy stuff for Charlie. We hit this outlet mall, where I purchased a full wardrobe for Charlie for the next six months and gifts for everyone I know with kiddies. (Why isn't there Carters in Canada? So cute! So reasonably priced! I found some sleepers at Costco once, but that was it.) I got great books at TJ Maxx, and not just the books with typos that seem to find their way to Winners, but Dr. Suess! and Eric Carle! And, of course, Target. Ah Target. How I love your aisles of cleverly designed, well-marketed merch. Where else can I get non-toxic stainless steel cleaning wipes, a flattering t-shirt cut just right for lower rise jeans, yummy and cheap chocolate truffles and the softest baby blankets ever all in one cart? Thanks to my brother-in-law for that gift card! Best Christmas present ever!

3. Sand, Charlie's favourite toy.
We went to the beach. A lot. Not because the weather was perfect, which it was, oh no. Because we discovered that with a purchase of a $2 shovel and pail, we had at least an hour of occupied toddler time. I don't think I've ever strung those words together before this trip.

4. Busch Gardens is great for toddlers!
Who knew? I thought it was all extreme roller coasters, but oh no. There are lots of animals to look at; two kiddie-sized play areas with lots of rides, a huge covered sandbox, a big bouncy area, and lots of climbing equipment; and free beer. That's right. Free beer. Because Busch Gardens is owned by Anheuser-Busch, ergo, free samples of Bud on tap. Of course admission was a whopping US$58, so is the beer really free? Not so much. But after two samples, it felt free. And it was not busy at all, so we didn't even have to contend with crowds. We normally wouldn't drag Charlie to an amusement park, but we were meeting friends there, so we were kind of stuck paying the massive admission price. I thought it would be $30 tops, so we wouldn't mind leaving early if Charlie was desperate for a nap. But after coughing up the $116 to get in, we stayed the whole day. And Charlie did ok until until 5 p.m. when a broken granola bar brought forth all the sadness and despair of the 21st century (complete with hot splashy tears and frequent wails of "granona bart!!! my granoooooona baaaaaart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Charlie fell asleep in the car on the way back and didn't wake up until 7 a.m. the next day.

5. Cracker Barrel!
Damn those biscuits are gooooooooooood.

So there you have it. I could use another week right about now. But today isn't so hideously cold. I even thought I felt a teeny-weeny hint of spring in the air. I must be hallucinating. Nevertheless, these delusions give me hope.

Florida, the back story

Finally. Charlie is sleeping. My proofreading project is in the mail. The guests are off visiting family. I have a few moments to myself. Sweet.

So finally, here is a post about our trip to Florida, or Why Sarasota with your in-laws is WAY better than Ixtapa when you're traveling with a toddler.

Why you may ask? Two words: gastrointestinal infection. Follow those two words with "the highest ungodly fever ever" and "no planes home until Saturday" and that pretty much sums it up.

Let me explain. As part of the deal in moving to Ottawa, HS promised that we would go somewhere warm every winter. Winters are long, cold, and snow-bound in Ottawa, and I hates me some winter. I am trying to like it, what with the new skates and the attempts to ski etc., especially since Charlie seems quite happy to roar around outside when it's -17C. Anywho, last year we went here. Looks lovely doesn't it? It is. And babycare too? That sounds like heaven! Um, yes, it SOUNDS good. But the reality? Let's just say (thanks to David Foster Wallace) that I dubbed our trip "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again." Yes, the location was fantastic: gorgeous, sunny and hot hot hot. We even met a really nice couple to drink margaritas with. And despite Charlie's lamentations, HS and I had some couple time while he was in the on-site daycare. We swam, we drank, we tanned. For three days. Sure the rooms were musty and buggy and the beds were rock-hard, but who cares when you're spending all your time outside, right? Well, you're gonna care a whole lot when your one-year-old suddenly spikes the highest fever of his young life along with a raging case of diarrhea. So there we were, stuck in a room that is one notch above a cabin at sleep-away camp with our sick, sick baby and no way to get home until the end of our week. It was hell.

We were determined to do something different this year.

The Internet has the best ideas

I find the best ideas on the Internet. Need a recipe for baked french toast? Find a totally orgasmic one on allrecipes.com, verified by a blogger at slashfood. (Really. I made this for guests this past weekend, and I looked like a culinary genuis! And it's so easy! I used challah bread instead of French bread and maple syrup instead of corn syrup, and oh man it was fantastic!) Need a baby card idea? Shamelessly rip one off from Martha Stewart. Need to find out what's going on in Ottawa for kids? Ottawa family fun has the update. Looking for general parenting stuff? I adore Blogging Baby. And now my love knows no bounds since they introduced me to this recipe for caramel dip. Not that I made this recipe, oh no. I modified it! And you can too! The Blogging Baby recipe (actually, the Rachael Ray recipe) has peanut butter in it, which is still verboten for Charlie due to the impressive depth and breadth of food allergies in my family.

But let me backtrack a bit. I am desperately trying to get Sir Charles to eat fresh fruit and veggies. For the most part, he refuses. But encouraged by his new willingness to eat corn (discovered at Swiss Chalet of all places. He ate an entire side of corn, kernel by kernel, by dipping each one into a vat of chalet sauce. It took so long that his fingers were pruney by the end of dinner. Luckily, he will still eat corn, sans sauce, much to my relief. I actually bought a packet of make-it-yourself chalet sauce, thinking, hmmm, what else can I get him to eat with this stuff? Strawberries? Grapes? Broccoli?), I thought surely if I coat apple slices with tasty, sugary dip, he'll gobble it up, right? And we happened to have a bottle of Smuckers caramel sauce, which never usually happens, and half a bag of milk chocolate chips. So here's my picky toddler chocolate-caramel dip recipe:

Throw a small handful of milk chocolate chips into a bowl.
Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir.
Add a squirt of Smuckers caramel sauce.
Microwave for 20 seconds. Stir again.
Everything melted? Good.
Grab your sliced apples. Dip sliced apple (without skin of course), and offer to picky toddler.
Watch hopefully as he takes a small bite and does not spit it on the floor. Think to yourself, victory is mine! He will eat non-sauced fruit! I'm the smartest mommy ever! Hurrah!
Offer second bite of dipped apple to toddler. See hopes dashed as toddler scrunches face in refusal as if you offered him a bite of his deadly enemy, ground beef. (Charlie hates ground beef with a passion.)
Eat entire bowl of dip yourself. At least you don't have to share.

Random Thoughts I Had While Shopping for Skates at Canadian Tire This Morning, Tim Hortons Coffee In My Hand

"Man, there are a lot of people in this store with Tim's coffees." and

"How Canadian is this?"

Somewhere, two brand managers are rubbing their hands with glee.

p.s. Canadian Tire is still having their skate sale. I don't know if it is just in the Ottawa area, but I totally scored a pair of basic, recreational CCM skates for only $29.99! (Regularly $99.99!)

Must remember this when he is a teenager

Charlie, last night as I was putting him to bed:

"Mom, you're my best friend."

(Inspired by the Dora "Best Friends Day" episode he watched that morning. Still, I almost tossed out every single birth control method in my possession. )

Dear head, Shut up.

I am supposed to start a new pack of birth control pills today. And I am hesitating. That's right, hesitating. And I'm thinking about calling Motherisk to find out if I can take St. John's Wort during pregnancy. What is going on?

Dear brain (and hormones, if you're listening, this one is for you too),

Now is NOT a good time to get pregnant. You are in a good space. Let's try life on an even keel for a while, shall we? Charlie is wonderful. Take time to enjoy him. And remember that list of things to do before having another baby? Why don't you try focusing on that instead, hmmmmmm? Please, please stop filling my head with warm fuzzy thoughts of newborns.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

That's why my grocery bill was $154 this week

I am currently drowning in editorial work and guests. It's all good, really. It's a treat to have friends around for a change. (We don't have a lot of friends in Ottawa. It's a little better now, but damn, the first year here was incredibly lonely.) And even though it's economics, editing is a nice change of pace. However, that doesn't really leave time for much else since I'm working during naps and after Charlie goes to bed. So this week, all of our dinners will be some sort of President's Choice product or another. Maybe a bit of bagged salad if I'm feeling up to it. But why do I have time to blog you ask? I don't. So I better stop procrastinating and get back to work . . .

My first meme, or how to avoid writing a longer post about my trip

Four jobs I’ve had
1. Flyer sorter and bundler for a weekly newspaper
2. Dishwasher at a resort
3. Copywriter for a Major Catalogue Retailer
4. Freelance editor

Four movies I can watch over and over

1. The Royal Tenenbaums
2. Finding Nemo (not really by choice)
3. Sliding Doors (I totally scored on the DVD. US$4.88! So, um, I guess it's not very many others' favourite movie.)
4. Only You (Yes, it's a terrible movie, but the star is neither Robert Downey Jr. nor Marisa Tomei, it's Italy. So gorgeous!)

Four places I have lived

1. Bracebridge, Ontario
2. San Jose, California
3. London, Ontario
4. Toronto, Ontario

Four TV shows I love

1. Gilmore Girls
2. America's Next Top Model
3. The Daily Show
4. Home to Stay

Four places I've vacationed

1. London, England
2. Capri, Italy
3. San Diego, California
4. Venice, Florida (and Italy because of the movie Only You)

Four of my favourite dishes

1. Anything with gorgonzola cheese
2. Butter chicken and naan bread from Rasoee
3. Fish tacos
4. Croissants from Bonjour Brioche

Four sites I visit daily

1. MUBAR
2. Dooce
3. The Awful Truth
4. Blogging Baby

Four places I would rather be right now

1. Anyplace warm with a nice, sandy beach
2. Oasis restaurant in Toronto
3. Surfing in San Diego
4. In bed, asleep, for a couple of weeks

Sweet, sweet naptime

Charlie is napping. At the usual time, in his crib, without a car ride to get him to sleep. How did this miracle happen? I ran him around the Kanata leisure centre pool all morning. I waited, patiently, until 1:00 p.m. to put him in his crib. And now I am totally exhausted! But sitting in the swirl pool this morning did wonder for my aching muscles. HS came home a bit early last night so I could go to the gym. And it was awesome!

I used to be quite lazy in my twenties. But I was one of those fat/skinny people, so I got away with it. And then I got married and started cooking a lot. And I turned 28. And the metabolism slowed way down. So I put on weight. Luckily I used to have oodles of time back then, a gym in the same building where I worked, and lots of friends who also decided it was time to get in shape. I started working out, and to my utter shock and surprise, I totally loved it. Despite minor knee and ankle injuries (which occurred basically because I hadn't used my muscles that rigorously before. Sad, but true), I kept up a fairly healthy and consistent regimen for three years. And then I got pregnant. I did lots of prenatal yoga and aquafit (which I seriously think helped a lot in labour and delivery), but then I had Charlie. I think I've been to the gym about 10 times in the last two years.

I forgot how good I feel after working out. And I've read many times how exercise helps with depression. So HS and I are going skiing this saturday night instead of dinner and a movie. And I'm really going to make an effort to get to the gym despite the cold, hassle, and lack of adequate parking. But now what I really need is a nap.

How does my head come up with these things?

Yes, Charlie skipped his nap again yesterday. And he was well on his way to another missed nap today, but I just drove to Carp and back, and now he is fast asleep in his crib. Thank god. Of course it is 3:30 p.m., really far too late for a nap, but whatever. We've got to nip this not-napping thing in the bud. Tomorrow morning we have gym 'n' swim, so hopefully that will tire him out so he is back on his regularly scheduled sleeping program. Uh huh.

So before I finish my "I heart Florida and all their Cracker Barrels and Targets" post, I thought I should mention a funny thing that popped into my head as I was driving on I75 in my rented minivan.

I want another.

Baby that is, not minivan. And there goes the debate at the heart of this blog: first or only?

But it makes sense really. This thought made it's rather strong presence known while I was on vacation. In warm weather. With four other adults (that I happen to love) to help look after Charlie. When going outside meant slipping on flip flops. And my mother-in-law was doing all the cooking or we were going out to eat. Clearly not reality.

Now that I'm back in the cold that makes going anywhere with a toddler difficult, if not impossible, and I'm at home with Charlie for most of the day, this thought is fading somewhat. Reason is taking over, reminding me of the PPD and the severe lack of sleep.

But Charlie is just wonderful these days. No, really. Despite the missed naps and the tantrums and the usual two-year-old stuff, he's such a sweetie. And I'm crazy about him. I wonder if he's always been this way, and I couldn't see it because of the PPD. Or maybe we're dovetailing nicely in a good phase of adequate meds and Charlie's temperment.

The debate continues, but I'm starting to lean toward first instead of only. Let's see how February and March go.

Trippin'

Yikes, it has been a while since I posted. But I have a good excuse. I was in Florida for two weeks. With my mother-in-law. In a retiree campground. And I had to fly by myself with a two-year-old and switch planes in Chicago. And it was the best vacation ever!

How is that possible you may ask? Well, for starters I get along well with my MIL. And even though he might half-heartedly deny it, HS is her favourite (being the baby of the family). Although she has always been quite reserved with me, with Charlie she is a kissy-kissy, gooey, goofball. So of course he is absolutely nutso about her.

Second, my MIL rented a trailer in a retiree campground for all of us (my MIL, my MIL's sister, her husband, HS, Charlie and me). Uh-huh. That's five adults and one toddler (although according to Parent Center, Charlie is now a preschooler. Already? When did that happen?). I was pretty sure that wasn't going to work, because even though they have monster trailers that look like they've been tricked out by MTV's Pimp My Ride, they usually only have one bedroom. Maybe a pull-out couch. But since this was my MIL's first foray into the trailer lifestyle, I figured we sort it all out somehow. Luckily, after one night in the rental, my MIL rented us a two-bedroom apartment with a full kitchen that wasn't too far from the beach or the campground. So we had some space (in the apartment and from the campground), Charlie had his own room, and my in-laws were spared Charlie's early morning yodelling. And y'know, there's nothing like spending a lot of time in a retiree campground to realize that maybe 34 isn't so old after all. And if you're toting a two-year-old around said campground, everyone is extremely friendly.

Oh bloody hell. Charlie is supposed to be napping right now, but instead he is bellowing his discontent with his crib. WTF? He's been napping like a champ since those two horrid days of no naps, and now we're back to this? Noooooooooooooooooooooo!

I will finish my Florida post later. Because there's more! Outlet malls! Free beer at Busch Gardens! and Sand! A two-year-old's favourite toy!

Whew!

After two days without an afternoon nap, I was getting panicky. What if this isn't a blip, but a full-blown, permanent change in behaviour? What if Charlie has decided that naps are so 23-months, totally passe for a big-boy two-year-old?

Thankfully, we seem to have returned to normal. After another full night of sleep (7:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.), Charlie dropped off in the car at 11:30 this morning. And I got him into his crib without mangling any limbs, so he stayed asleep. And he has been sleeping for an hour and a half. Bliss!

I'm sure HS will be disappointed. He usually takes the early shift with Charlie, so he was all excited at the prospect of an extra hour or two of sleep. Too bad for you, but good for me. Mommy needs her afternoon break!

No no no no no noooooooooooo!

Argh! This can't be happening! Not when HS is away on business until late tomorrow night! Charlie seems to have decided to drop his afternoon nap. WTF?

It started yesterday. He fell asleep in the car after playgroup, a fairly common occurrence, but I bumped his hand getting him into the crib, and he woke up. And. He. Would. Not. Go. Back. To. Sleep. So after twenty minutes of praying, I gave up and hauled him out. And he stayed up all afternoon. In fact, he wasn't even all that cranky. When 7:00 p.m. rolled around, he announced it was time for a snooze, and by 7:45 p.m., he was fast asleep. His usual bedtime is 8:30. He slept until 7:15 a.m. His usual wake-up time can be anywhere from 5:30-6:30 a.m. So by dropping his nap, the boy had a lovely night-time sleep. But dammit, I need a break in the afternoon, not at night when I have back-up!

At the moment, Charlie is chatting away in his crib, where I placed him half an hour ago. He doesn't sound drowsy. This is not good.

Help!

Yee-haw!

Wow! I have comments! Two comments!

I really didn't think I cared if anyone read this blog, but I seriously got a bit of a thrill.

So thank you for your lovely comments! You made my day!

I think that's enough exclamation points for one post.

And she only makes $6 an hour

Comment from Best Babysitter Ever: "You guys have given me so much business, it financed my new iPod."

In case you are wondering, she got a nano.

She's worth every penny.

Dial up

Egads, it has been quite a while since I posted. Now I do have the Christmas/New Year's at the in-laws with dial-up excuse, and I had a lovely post about last-minute shopping, warm fuzzy holiday thoughts, and the impending nightmare that seems to be our trip to Florida, but dammit, I'm sick again. Ugh. Another cold. Luckily, however, the kids are still on school break, so I have a few hours of relief. We have The Best Babysitter Ever, and she's downstairs with Charlie right now, keeping him happily entertained. I'm off to bed (and then the bank so I can pay her) for a well-deserved nap. More coherent posts later.

Time, time, time. See what's become of me.

Yikes. I just reread my post from the 21st. Internet note: no more blogging after two glasses of shiraz (thank you HS's company for that extra Christmas treat), when I only have three minutes of free time, and when I'm feeling morose and sorry for myself (I'm sure the wine and the dinner time temper tantrum are what did me in). My birthday was fine. The babysitter (who we LOVE) came early, I had some lovely gorgonzola-drenched food, and we saw Walk the Line (great movie. Makes me want to download some Johnny Cash with my iTunes gift certificate -- thanks to my sister and KB). Thirty-four just seems like a blah age, and since we moved to Ottawa, I feel like my life has been placed on hold in favour of HS's career advancement. Which it has, let's face it. You see, we had to decide about our move to Ottawa before Charlie was even born, and I thought I would love being a SAHM (with a little freelance work on the side). I quit my horrible, horrible job with a Major Catalogue Retailer halfway through my pregnancy because I just couldn't take the stress, constant blame, and some truly evil coworkers. So I didn't have a job to go back to after my leave was up anyway. And while I do appreciate that I can take this time to be at home with Charlie, because it is a gift and not everyone has this opportunity, sometimes the playgroups and Gymboree and toddler music classes grate on my very last nerve. So I think that looking back on a year that was quite difficult (what with the PPD 'n' all) and looking forward to another year of better mental health but more of the same, it was getting me down a little. I need a list of goals that have nothing to do with motherhood. A little time just for me. I used to make a list every year of new things to do, and I haven't done that since Charlie was born (and the list for 2003 was all about getting knocked up and baby stuff). There's something to think about over the next week or so while HS is off, and I will have more time to myself. Speaking of the holidays, I have a to-do list that's all about getting ready to go to my MIL's tonight, and I have done none of it. Gotta pack, gotta wrap, gotta find the portable DVD player for the car ride.

If anyone actually reads this, I hope you have a wonderful, restful holiday season with those you love.

Merry birthday

I know it's way cooler to bash the holidays, but dammit, I loves me some Christmas. Seriously. I love the food and the family time, and I'm really looking forward to celebrating with a somewhat aware two-year old. I love his blase approach to presents and the glee that comes with ripping up tissue paper rather than the truck inside the gift bag. Charlie's birthday is two days after Christmas, and he's way more into singing Happy Birthday than Jingle Bells. My birthday, alas, is tomorrow, and for some reason I'm quite bummed about it. I usually force all the friends and relatives that I can to having dinner at my favourite dive restaurant in Toronto, Oasis, for yummy tapas and sangria. And then a movie of my choice. But this year I'm stuck in Ottawa. And while dinner with my hubby is always nice, it's just not the same.

I need to call in sick

Ugh. Can't think. Want to post, but oh the mucus. And the sore throat. And the aches and pains. Our entire household has been brought low by one seemingly innocuous toddler ear infection (and a weekend playdate with a cutie-pie who now has the croup). Good times, good times. Luckily HS stayed at home today with Charlie so I could stay in bed. If he couldn't (and he can't tomorrow), I don't know what I would have done. Let Charlie sit zombie-like in front of six hours of Dora? Perhaps.

So now a dinner of chicken soup and Neocitran. HS has taken Charlie out for dinner so I can get some rest (or, um, blogging time). I'm going back to bed. The computer monitor, she is swimming, not unattractively, in front of my eyes.

How many more shopping days?

This morning I was living one of those parenting cliches. You know the one: crowded mall just before Christmas, frazzled mom, shrieking toddler. Just throw in the fact that I looked distinctly unwashed, my outfit surely would have landed me a spot on What Not to Wear, and the toddler was not only shrieking, but sobbing, arching his back, and trying to launch himself out of my arms and on to the tiled floor.

Now in my defense — to those Bayshore shoppers who didn't hesitate to shoot me a "what kind of IDIOT tries to navigate Winners with a cranky toddler?" look of condemnation (I recognize that one, having fired it off indiscriminately pre-motherhood) — I try very hard to avoid such situations. Honestly. That's why I never take Charlie shopping in the afternoons if I can help it. Only a lack of basic nutrients will lead me to wrestle Charlie into a shopping cart post-nap. And this morning, all signs pointed to at least a half hour of holiday shopping: yes, Charlie was up early, but it was 6, not 5 a.m., he had been well fed and watered (thanks to a stop at Tim Hortons), he was happily chatting away to himself in his stroller just before the screaming started. And I still have no idea what set him off. So I dropped the lovely cashmere-blend socks I found and hustled him out of the store. And when setting him free from said stroller only led to more mobile displays of discontent, I promptly used my "parenting skills" (as in, I'm bigger than you kid and I can carry your writhing body and push a stroller and carry the world's most awkward and heavily laden diaper bag) to get him to the car where he promptly fell asleep. So I will battle it out with the weekend shoppers instead, sans Mr. Ticking Time Bomb of Irrational Fury. And people (read: the childless) wonder why I haven't finished my Christmas shopping.