Soccer and Dance

Today was Mikey's first soccer game. It did not go well. As in we didn't last even 5 minutes. Mikey started freaking out while we were in line to get his shirt. Once we got it and put it on him, total meltdown commenced. There was no distraction going to happen, so I ended up carrying him outside to see if I could calm him down.

Yes, we were that family. The one you look at and think "thank goodness that isn't me today". And then look at your child and praise them for being so good.

Mikey took about 10 minutes of walking around outside to calm down. But there is no way he was going back inside. Oh well, at least we got the soccer shirt. Hopefully next week we can at least last until our session starts. Otherwise, it will be a long 10 weeks.

After we were home and daddy was in charge of Mikey, I left to watch my niece's dance recital. The whole dance school worked together to put on Alice in Wonderland, with each class giving a performance. It was awesome to watch. The little girls are adorable, and some of the more advanced classes are amazing. I loved to see the girls that put everything they had into their dance, they were the best to watch. Laughed so hard at the faces some of the girls had while hip hopping. Attitude shone right through.

Apparently my niece has decided that we doesn't want to take ballet next year, she wants something a little faster. Hip hop is currently her top choice. Which will be adorable to watch. Can't wait.

Weekly Money Check-up May 23

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on regular bills.

2. Today I am thankful for the fun my son finds in small things. Like having me chase him from the kitchen to the living room and back for 3 min. It's one of his favourite games.

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was go on many walks with my son. Our walks are just around the block, but he has such fun. One of our walks on Saturday involved walking with a woman and her two grandkids. Mikey was told thrilled with them. We then passed a yard sale, and we spent 15-20 min with their dogs, much to the delight of the elderly gentleman sitting with them.

4. I will consider this week a success if I have a good interview on Tuesday. I would love if I got the job, it's close and with a good company. But even if I just feel like it went well will be a success.

5. I am currently craving crepes. But there is no grocery shopping until Thursday. I will be getting all the stuff to make them then though. Yummy!

Weekly Money Check-Up is a fill-in-the blank post once a week. The first four questions are always the same each week and the fifth is always different. Care to participate? Visit My Pretty Penny to link up.

Friday Night Leftovers - May 20

So it's the Friday at the start of the long weekend. At least here in Canada. Monday is Victoria Day. And this weekend is known as the May 2-4 weekend, the start of camping, summer, and beer on the patio. Hopefully it stops raining for at least part of the weekend.

Our plans for the weekend are nothing. Mike is off at a wrestling event tomorrow, so I am hoping the weather is nice so Mikey and I can play outside lots. This weekend is low key. Next weekend will be busy with Mike wrestling every day Thurs-Sun at a festival, Mikey's first soccer game, and my niece's ballet recital.

I am still waiting on the start date of the job I supposedly landed. So I have started job searching again because I'm not sure how long I'm supposed to wait. It's getting a little riduculous. I have an interview on Tuesday that I am really excited about. It's for a large company in town. A much shorter commute, and if I get in, there is good job security and lots of growth potential.

I realized today that I hate using nail polish remover. I broke down and took off the uber chipped, sad looking polish from my fingernails. They were looking pretty bad. For some reason I hate nail polish remover though. It stinks, and I hate how my nails are discoloured and rough after polish is taken off.

I think that's about it for this week.

Playing outside

We have turned into outside people. Or Mikey has anyway. That boy loves being outside.

We let him play on the deck outside the patio in his bubble clouds without having to put shoes on, provided it is nice out. Since he wants to come in and out and open and close the door a million times. It's fun for him. And I can just relax on the couch beside the door with a book knowing he is safe.

He stills loves throwing rocks into puddles in the yard. Our yard has not yet been cleaned up by the property management, so I don't care if he throws the rocks everywhere. It's not like we have grass that isn't in ankle deep puddles anyway.

We discovered that you can walk all the way around the outside of the property from our backyard. All around the outside of three townhouse rows. In very wet grass that has fabulous splashing puddles. It's fun for Mikey in his boots. Not so fun in flip flops because I don't have boots. It is cold water.

Mikey has finally learned the joy of swinging. Before he would always scream bloody murder if you put him in a swing, and don't even think about pushing the swing. Now? We spent 20 min just swinging today. When I took him out of the little kid swing, he went up to the adult swings. So I held him in my lap and we did more swinging. I love that our complex has a little swing set. I see us spending a lot of time there this summer.

We have started going for walks around the block. It takes about 15-20 min for Mikey to walk it. He loves it. I'm surprised his head doesn't fall off from swiveling so far and so fast. It is much faster and less dangerous when he is in his wagon during walks.

I have never really been an ourdoor person, but I can see that I will be outdoors a lot more from now on.

Friday Night Leftovers - May 13

Is it Friday already? Looking at the calendar, I guess it is. Fridays just don't have the same appeal when you aren't working.

Apparently it's our carseat that is the cause for puking in the car. I picked up a friend and his son for a playdate, and didn't he puke all over while sitting in it. So I'm blaming the carseat, not Mikey.

I love crepes. For Mother's day I was having a super urge for a crepe. So instead of going to stand in line for a crowded restaurant, we waited until the mall opened and had a crepe in the food court. So yummy. But so not cheap. So we went out on Wednesday and bought the fixin's to make them ourselves. The crepe part didn't turn out so well yesterday. But today I made several good ones and put the leftovers in the fridge. My crepe tomorrow will be super easy to make since I just need to throw in all together.

For the record, I make my crepes with Nutella, strawberries, bananas and whip cream. Yummy! And I'm sure it's healthy with the fruit and all.

This week has been full of gorgeous weather. We have played outside either in our yard or at the park every day this week. We even got a bit in today before it started pouring. It was so nice all week that our yard completely dried up. Now it's a lake again. Boo.

Birthday review

Gee, you get busy for one day, and suddenly it's several days later. Having no regular schedule has really caused my blogging to get off course.

Mikey's birthday was lots of fun. We went to a local zoo. It wasn't very large, but it was perfect for taking little kids for a couple hours. We were able to see everything without getting exhausted. They actually had quite a variety of animals: lions, tigers, bears, camels, lemurs, and a few more.

Mikey's favourite animals were the turtles. I think it was mainly because he could get really close to them. His other favourite part was the pony ride. We weren't sure if he would like it, but he loved it so much we bought a second ride for him.

My mom, my sister and her kids joined us at the zoo. It was a super fun time.

After the zoo, everyone came back to our place for a bbq and cake. The kids played in Mikey's new sandbox, and danced around popping bubbles from his new bubble machine.

Mikey didn't try even a bite of his cake. But it was yummy for the rest of us. Definitely a successful birthday.

Happy birthday baby!

Happy birthday to my son Michael who turns 2 today! I can't believe it's already been two years. They have flown by so quickly.

 

Mikey is a stubborn little ball of energy. He is usually a very happy little boy. Always has a smile. He has perfected the cutest "peas" and "tank oo" that can not be denied. He loves giving kisses and cuddles.

He loves cheesies, Doritoes and milk. He won't chew or eat any solid food. He throws up at least every other day: any time he gets over-upset, over-excited, or over-hot. He nevers sleeps through the night, although some nights he only wakes up once. He loves watching tv and movies, is a pro at using an iPad, and is trying to figure out how to use the mouse on the computer, and gets frustrated the monitor is not a touch screen. All his toys wrestle, whether they are "dudes" or stuffed animals. His stuffed animals are his babies, and are required for snuggling at night.

He loves helping out, whether it is throwing things in the garbage or washing dishes. He will drag a chair across the kitchen to get to the sink. He loves his new step stool in the bathroom so he can reach to brush his teeth.

He loves being outdoors. His wagon is his favourite mode of transportation, unless he can convince Mom to carry him. His new favourite game is throwing rocks into water, whether it is the river or the puddle in the backyard.

He is my little angel. My little devil.

Love you, baby! Although you are definitely not a baby anymore.

Good weather is here

Finally, some good weather is here. Yesterday was gorgeous, and so was today. Both days we spent time playing outside. It is amazing how a little bit of sun and fresh air makes you feel energized at the time and very tired at night. I am ready for bed now, and I have gotten used to staying up quite late.

It may also have something to do with the hot cocoa I made as a snack. I have hot chocolate mix, but I had a craving for cocoa, which is definitely not the same thing. I have a super easy recipe, which I will definitely be using again.

For one cup of hot cocoa:
Place 2 tbsp cocoa, 2 tbsp white sugar and a pinch of salt in a pot with 2/3 cup of water. Over medium-low heat bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 2 minutes while stirring constantly. Add 1-1/3 cup milk and bring back up to desired drinking temperature.

Yummy!

Canadian elections were yesterday

Well the Canadian federal elections were yesterday, and it was full of surprises. This magazine has a great article summarizing the results.

On a personal note, this is the first year I didn't vote in the election since I reached the age of majority. It was a result of a few things: our recent move made showing ID and proof of address very difficult; I'm really not into politics; and my riding always votes for a certain party, and it isn't the one I'd vote for, so it feels like a waste of time and energy.

With all the changes that have happened, and will likely continue to happen over the next few years, I will definitely make more of an effort to keep semi-up-to-date and vote next time.

Weekly Money Check-up May 2

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on food. Our biggest expense every month is always food.
2. Today I am thankful that I was able to find a new job in only a month. I know it seemed like a long time while looking, but it hasn't really been that long.
3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was visit family. It wasn't entire free since I used a tank of gas, but it was great to visit everyone.
4. I will consider this week a success if I finish my job negotiations. Once everything is finalized I will be uber excited to start.
5. One thing I appreciate about my mom is she is a strong independent woman. She raised three kids on her own, and all of us have turned out great.

Weekly Money Check-Up is a fill-in-the blank post once a week. The first four questions are always the same each week and the fifth is always different. Care to participate? Visit My Pretty Penny to link up.