Milestone that proves I'm a geek

I'm a geek. I admit it. You just have to look at my list of favourite websites to know that. My original time wasting activity at work is wikiHow. It is a website that bills itself as "the how to manual that you can edit". I joined back in May 2008, and have been a faithful contributor every since. I have even become a volunteer administrator. Sounds fancy, but it really just means I can help out even more in the behind-the-scenes areas.

So I bring it up because not only do I love it and spend obscene amounts of time there, but I just reached an amazing milestone today. At least, I think it's amazing. I have patrolled over 50,000 edits! I know you're thinking gee, that's a big number, but what does it mean? Well, every edit that is made on the site is reviewed by someone else. They check that the edit helps improve the site, and either approve or revert it. It is a great opportunity to give feedback to other editors. And really satisifies my love of editting.

So I am very excited about it, and wonder if it will take another 2 years until I reach 100,000 edits patrolled. If you want to see for yourself, head over to my user page and check it out. If you're already an editor, or end up joining, leave me a message!

Milk baby

My little monkey was officially diagnosed as a milk baby by our new pediatrician. He looks chunky and healthy, but only wants milk. Even though he is 14 months, his diet is only homo milk. He wants nothing to do with food. We had blood work done, and while he is not anemic, yet, his iron is low. So we need to get him off his milk addiction and eating foods.

The pediatrician's method seems harsh, but he assures us it is the fastest and easiest way to solve the problem. What is the solution you ask? No milk for 2 weeks! That's right, cut him off cold turkey until he eats. Then he can start to have milk back. We have been warned that he will refuse to eat until he is too hungry to fight it. So it depends on how strong willed he is. The average child takes 1.5-2 days, but it can be up to 3 full days!

We started yesterday morning, and there is no eating yet. He doesn't even want water. He did drink a bit of water at bed, but only because the doc said we could use a bottle at bedtime. My monkey does not like the sippy cup, or a regular cup, he wants his bottle. So he had a bit of water last night, and a bit this morning.

Here's hoping he eats today. But he is a very strong willed little boy, so it won't surprise me if he holds off until tomorrow. But it sure makes me feel bad knowing he is super hungry. I want him to just give in and eat. The doc did warn it would probably be harder on the parents than on the child, and it seems like he is right.

Free chart

I won a free cross stitch chart! And all because I get the email newsletter from Stitcher's Place in Cambridge. I have never been in the store yet, but this is the perfect opportunity since I need to stop by and pick up my chart. They usually mail it, but since I live right there, I should go in. I just need to co-ordinate myself since they are only open on Saturdays.

This really looks like a sign that I should do some cross stitching! I can't wait to see what my mystery chart is.

Cuddle monkey

Reading blog entries from other blogs, I came across today's entry from one blog that relates to my sleeping through the night story. It is cuddling, and how you can't cuddle a baby too much. I totally agree with that.

My little monkey is a huge cuddler, and always has been. Our mornings usually start with a big hug when I first get him up, and then we cuddle and watch tv for the first little bit. He gets hugs and cuddles all day from daddy, and then more hugs and cuddles from me after I get home from work. When he gets mad, or upset, or hurts himself, hugs are needed. It seems like everything he does needs to be accompanied by a hug.

I have never really considered myself an overly affectionate person, but I love my monkey hugs, and I'm so glad he is a cuddler. I'm not sure how I would handle it if he didn't want hugs all the time. I'm sure I'd have driven him crazy by now, lol.

I just hope he remembers to give his mom a hug every once in a while when he's all grown up and it's no longer cool to show affection to your parents. Because otherwise I will need to embarrass him and drive him crazy by insisting on those hugs.

Sleeping through the night

Sleeping. Next to weight, it's probably the most common topic between moms when they talk about their children. Everyone knows someone whose baby starting sleeping through the night right away (my niece was one such baby), but what about the others? There are so many sleeping training techniques, and advice about when to start, and what to do.

My son did not start sleeping right away. In fact, he slept 45 min to 2 hours at a time up until he was about 6-7 months old. Then he started sleeping about 4 hours at a time. But that only lasted a short time and he was back to 1-2 hours at a time. In the last 2 weeks though, he has finally started sleeping.

Did we start leaving him cry? No. Did we do anything different? Not really. Well, okay, yes we did. We finally thought about giving him a stuffed animal to sleep with. And now he has 2 small bears he cuddles while sleeping. And his sleeping starting to turn around as soon as we gave him those bears. Why did we not think of it earlier? Don't know, but better late than never.

Especially since he slept right through for the first time last night! And I mean through as in 7:30 pm to 7:00 am! Woohoo! And the two nights previous, he only woke up briefly once around 4 am each night. So as someone who has not slept a full night in over 14 months, let me say that I am excited to finally get to sleep. And so happy that my son has learned to sleep all night, without having to use any sleep training. Now I guess I will need to learn to sleep through...

Book review: Left Behind

I have been reading the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. I have been thoroughly enjoying it, which did surprise me. I am not religious, and was leery of the series as it is heavily Christian. But I am finding it fascinating, and an easy read. Even without an indepth knowledge of Christanity, it is easy to follow, probably because all of the characters are new believers.

I am currently reading the fifth book. So far I have flown through Left Behind, Tribulation Force, Nicolae and Soul Harvest, and just recently started Apollyon. I am an avid and quick reader, so I am thrilled to have found a lengthy series to read. There are still 7 more books in the series, and there are a few related series as well. And since they are all written and published (I hate waiting for new books to come out), I should have a regular reading list for a while.

To give my impressions of the series so far, I am obviously impressed. The characters seem real, and very believable. Their emotions and thoughts are a huge part of the story, which makes them really come alive. There are no one-dimensional characters here.

Will the series make a believer out of me? I doubt it. But I am really intrigued by the story, and the ideas behind it. And definitely happy about the fact that I don't need to be a believer to enjoy the books.

Book review: The Best Laid Plans

As previously mentioned, I recently finished reading The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis. It is definitely not my usual type of book, but I did thoroughly enjoy, much to my surprise. It is the One Book, One Community selection for 2010 for the Waterloo region, so I thought I would give it a try.


The book is about Canadian politics, and centres around an ex-speechwriter who is trying to leave politics and a university professor who agrees to be the Liberal candidate in a no-hope-to-win riding. It is very funny to read; I found myself laughing out loud at times.

I have no interest and little knowledge about politics, but this story was definitely compelling, and captured my attention. I couldn't put it down until I was finished.

I have found out that there is a sequel coming out in Sept, and can't wait to read it. I don't actually need to wait, since the author is releasing one chapter a month on his website as a podcast. But I couldn't stand the suspense of waiting for the next chapter each week, so I will probably wait until the book comes out so I can devour it all at once.

This is definitely a must-read for all Canadians, where you care about politics or not. The book is about so much more than just politics, it has wide appeal.

Cross stitch

I have had an urge to do some cross stitch. I've felt it for 2-3 weeks now, so I don't think it's going to go away unless I do some. I have a box of thread and some patterns somewhere. But I found a really cool pattern online that I want to do. It is a Celtic World Tree at Heaven and Earth Designs. Very cool looking. It would probably take me months to complete, but I could use it as the main focus of a new blanket for my son, or as very cool wall art.

But cross stitch is so expensive to get started. I would need to buy the pattern (not bad at $15), the fabric (which has been surprisingly hard to find. 25 count is not that common, but I did find a local store that carries it for about $15), and I need a frame. The frame is the expesive part. I have hoops, but I don't really like them for big projects, and had previously decided that I would buy a frame set for my next big project. They run anywhere from $25 and up. So I'm looking at a cost of $50, before I even buy thread.  know I have a ton of thread, so I'd definitely need to find it and go through to determine what I actually need to buy.

Now if I just had the extra $50 or so to get started...

Toddler Bed is a Success!

The firetruck bed is a success! My son loves it. He plays in it, stomping on the mattress and running from the top to the end. And he sleeps in it without trying to escape. When he wakes up, he sits up and yells for someone to get him. He will only go to the opening if someone is standing right there to pick him up.

It was quite the challenge to get it home though. The pieces just barely fit in my car. It's a good thing we already had a crib mattress, because that definitely wasn't going in. But I did get it all in. Like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Had a much harder time getting all the pieces back out of the car though. And putting it together in his room was a treat. But it all worked out, and it looks adorable.

Canada Post Mailbox locations

I'm not sure why, but I was trying to find a map of mailbox locations one day. I expected to find it on the Canada Post website, but apparently not. But I did find a Google maps that someone created. See it here. It is obviously not complete, but if you know of a mailbox location or two, add it! The creator left it open for everyone to add too. I know it has become a recent obsession of mine to try to find as many locations in my area as possible.

Books I'm Reading

As mentioned earlier, I am currently reading one book in my spare time (lunch and before bed), while listening to another during my commute.

I just finished reading The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis. It is the One Book, One Community selection for 2010 for the Waterloo region.

I am about to start Soul Harvest, the 4th book in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

I am part way through listening to Seventh Son, the first book in The Tales of Alvin Maker series by Orson Scott Card.

More on my opinions of each book in a future post.

Toddler Bed

My little monkey is getting a toddler bed. He's only 14 mth old, but he keeps getting his legs stuck in the crib bars, so we are moving him up. To a fire truck bed. His daddy is so happy to have a cool bed to play in. I just hope Mr Magoo is happy with it too.

So my lunch hour is now a run to pick up a bed, which will hopefully fit in my car. So much for having a quiet lunch out with a trip to the library. Oh well, the sacrifices of being a mom, I guess.

Annoying noises

So our office is having some electrical work done. And the electrician is making horribly annoying noises. He keeps filing plastic pieces and it makes a super high pitched squeaking noise. Eeek... Very similar to nails on a chalkboard. *shudder*

What I do

To expand on my first post, what do I expect to write here? I don't have a list of random ramblings. It will likely be miscellaneous adventures of my son, books I am reading or listening to, and other such exciting things as are happening in my ordinary life.

My day usually has a set routine:
Wake up anywhere between 6 and 7. My son is my alarm clock. On the rare days he sleeps past 7 it throws everything off because then I am running late.
Get ready and out the door at 7:50.
Depending on traffic I get to work around 8:30. I usually listen to audio books during my commute. It makes the time go faster, and I love books.
I eat lunch every day from 12-1 while reading my book.
My actual work day is full of work, reading the online newspaper and surfing my usual websites. It ends at 5.
Then it is commute home, which takes anywhere from 20-45 minutes, depending on the craziness of the roads.
Then eat, put my son to bed, clean up the toys and do the dishes. Relax for an hour or two, then off to bed for it all to repeat the next day.

Start of a new blog

The first post of a new blog. There is always a feeling that the first post must be dramatic, grabbing and important. I haven't a clue how to write one like that. So I'll just explain why I started the blog. I have a lot of free time at work. There is only so much of one time-wasting activity that I can do, so I need to add another outlet. Hence, my foray into blogging.