Monthly Archives: February 2011

Monday Madness and a Little iphone Love

I’ve realized I should top talking about how busy every day is and just accept that this is the normal rhythm of our lives right now. Work is crazy, life is crazy – end of story.

Thankfully the weekend was a minor respite from the madness of work. Amidst the swimming lessons and trips to target (I should just deposit my salary there) we managed an unplanned trip to the Zoo. It was cold but the sun poked out once or twice and it was a lot of fun. Zoo membership means that we don’t have to try and reach every little corner of the zoo each time we go. It affords us the luxury of choosing so that our visit is not threatened by the meltdown of an overtired two year old and I think we escaped it on this visit by the skin of our teeth (what a horrible expression). This weekend we focused on the big cats and the primates. The Orangutans were the biggest hit, followed closely by the enormous pythons that seemed to be hidden in every corner (I think we counted five by the end of our visit). Such a fun family day.

But, alas, it is Monday and I need to get the kids off to a play date so I can head to work. This week is going to be busy (ahem – normal), so I am preparing myself for it now.

I have just enough time to share my I heart faces challenge photo. This week it’s all about the cellphone photo and I found this little gem hiding on my iphone. It was taken way back when the days were warm and the reflection of light off the table was enough to illuminate Samuel’s face – and what a sweet face it is. It was back when he still looked like a baby. Now he looks like the cross between an adorable toddler (on a good day), and an angry teenager (on a bad day).

I took a few photos of our trip to the zoo and hope to share them later this week.

Happy Monday…Oh and Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s day is one of those Hallmark holidays that I can give or take. Actually, now that I have children, it is actually quite inconvenient. Or maybe it’s just because I have small children – one of whom can’t yet write his own name and so I am forced to manage the entire valentine-writing myself. Then I have the other child who can write his own name but sees a pile of 30 valentines on the table and feels overwhelmed by the workload. We managed to finish them up in shifts throughout the day yesterday. I don’t know if there’s a Bah, Humbug! equivalent for this holiday but that’s how I feel.

On a not-quite-so-cranky note, we had a fabulous action-packed weekend. It began with Iron Bartender on Thursday night, then Friday was my first pre-op for my brand new laser eyes (coming soon!) and dinner and a movie with my husband while the boys hung out at daycare for a few extra hours (thankfully I was able to see again by the time the movie started – eye dialation is no fun). On Saturday we had swimming lesson, a trip to the safety Saturday at the fire station, a consultation to get french doors (yay!) and then another night out without the kids – dinner for one friend’s birthday and then a stop by at another party celebrating two more friends. Sunday involved a little furniture shopping and a nap for all four of us – we needed it.

So, because I have not had time to edit all photos from the weekend (surprised?), I will share this little one for the current I Heart Faces challenge. This week is all about RED for women’s heart disease awareness. I took the photo in the back of the car while we were waiting at the grocery store and, since he’s wearing a red shirt, I think it counts. I just love this little slice of life and it’s a good reminder that I need to capture more photos that record our daily adventures. I also love that he’s covering his eyes and not doing a silly face or fake smile for the camera. It makes this one a little different.

 

 

Loving on a Friday…

  • A tribute to the year of the Rabbit (aka MY YEAR!)
  • This exact conversation that occurs with Samuel at least 10 times a day lately. (no wonder the kid gets away with murder).

“Mummy?”
“Yes”
“I love you”

  • Oscar fever – and, after tonight, having miraculously seen 7 of the 10 best picture nominees, thanks partly to a couple of marathon aeroplane trips in the past 12 months. (ran out of time for The Fighter, 27 Hours and True Grit. In fairness, I’ll probably NEVER see 27 hours).
  • Thomas “reading” his Star Wars book to us each night and practicing during the day so he can read it to his friends at school.
  • Flavelsome Beats – plugging my baby brother’s latest gift to the ears.
  • Glee! Mixing my love of TV with my love of musicals. It’s perfect!
  • Dancers among us. Mixing my love of Musicals with my love of…well…life.
  • Feeling completely inspired after a couple of GREAT photo sessions – one at the Portland art museum with a group of coworkers (just for fun) and one for Iron Bartender last night (also fun, but for charity). A few of my favorites from the Portland museum are shared below.
  • 3 nights out in a row (a mummy miracle).

Happy Friday

 

Moments to Myself

A couple of Saturdays ago, Kei took the boys sledding. By himself.

It was a gift to me. A few solitary hours to do with as I wished. Well, almost. I did have a big work project that I had to spend a few hours on, but there was no way that I was completely giving up a Saturday all to myself – a SUNNY Saturday all to myself.

So what is an overworked, exhausted, creatively-drained mummy to do with a few hours to herself? Why, take pictures of course.

I headed down to Mississippi avenue – a place that we visit often but that I never really take time to look at, much less take pictures. I’m usually too busy chasing five year olds or two year olds to making sure they don’t run into traffic or, worse, other people.

Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with my family, but being alone for a couple of hours on a favourite urban street suddenly opened a whole new world of opportunity.

Like vintage stores with objects so fragile and beautiful that a two year old would find them irresistible…

Tiny galleries in which I could browse the collection of strangely engrossing (and quite hilarious) photographic art for longer than a five year old attention span.

Wonderfully spiky plants in apartment building doorways that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Replicas of Easter Island relics sporting Christmas lights well into January. (OK, not sure what that was all about and pretty certain the boys would have found it hilarious as well).

Beautiful signs against even more beautiful blue skies.

And, most importantly, more than a few minutes to sit in a cafe with coffee and brunch, read my favourite magazine and just watch the world go by. Perfect.