Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

A Warning to Worms!!!

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Boys love worms!

Image by Soil-Net

Calling all worms.  You! Yes, you! You’d better listen up, if you know what’s good for you!

I really appreciate all the work you do underground. I know you are great for our garden, flowers, and yard. We’ve maintained a friendly relationship over the years — you do your thing, and in return I leave you alone and promise not to make fish food out of you.

But something has changed.

I am so so so sorry to have thrown a wrench in things. I didn’t mean to. You know my sons A. and N. right? Do you remember how things went down last year? If not, let me refresh your memory.

Boys love worms

My boys love worms! Yes, they love you, and think you are the greatest things ever. They ADORE your sliminess! They love the way your move and groove, and they think it’s super awesome that you live in dirt — but BEWARE! These angelic, sweet and well meaning little boys love you too much! Is there really such a thing as too much love? In the relationship between children and worms — I’m afraid so.

“Come here little bug (if you dare).”

Last year, they often went in search of your kind. They made you their outdoor pets. They put you on swings, and swung you until you thought you might puke. If that wasn’t bad enough, they would pick you up, put you in the front packs on their bikes, and take you for a ride. Sure, traveling and doing new things can be fun — I’m just not sure the same is true in worm world.

I did my best to find and rescue you. I saved hundreds – no thousands – of you, but I am afraid to report that there were some casualties. I’m also very sorry about Walter Worm. Yes, he was the one A. was holding when he suddenly declared, “Uh oh! I bwoke him.” — and the one shall become two. Good thing you guys can just keep on going after an accident like that….hahahahaha

Oh sorry — perhaps that wound is still a little too fresh…

Anyway, I thought you all might have learned your lesson – but as I was pulling weeds the other day – I found tons of you little squirmies all over the place! As I said, I really appreciate all your hard work, but I just can’t – in good conscience – let you guys work your little hearts out (do worms have hearts? I need to look that up) only to become play things for my children. I can protect you a little but I am only one Mom.

“I see you little worm. Do you want to be my new friend? I’ll hug you, and sqeeze you, and call you George”

So my message is — RUN, or slither, or whatever you do. Seek refuge in the neighbor’s yards, dig down as deep as you can go, just don’t let yourselves be found by my children, unless you want to be their new BFF!

On your way out, you might want to warn your friends the caterpillars and rolly pollys too. All the best to you and good luck! You’ll need it!

Do your kids like to play with worms?

The Nitty Gritty of Cat Litter

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Sel-cleaning litter box with cat litterOkay, I know it’s not the most glamorous topic in the world, but it is important if you have a cat or are thinking of getting one. I adopted my very first cat less than 15 years ago. Before that time, I had decided that “I wasn’t a cat person.” I love all animals great and small but that doesn’t mean I want to own all of them.

Then – into my life – walked a cute little gray and white kitten, who I named Sadie. I was hooked. Two years later, I ended up adopting a precocious black kitten who I named Ozzie — aka The Million Dollar Cat. Now, I am a bona fide cat expert!

Well, maybe not quite but I do know a lot about cat litter. Not only have my cats tested just about every kind of cat litter there is — I also worked in the pet industry for two years. Because of this, what I lack in personal experience – I learned through the experiences of others.

How hard can it be to pick a cat littler anyway?

Here are some of the main types of cat litter. There is clay litter, clumping litter, corn, newspaper, pine, wheat, crystal, scented, unscented, natural (and not so natural), heavy and light weight. The main things people want to know are; which one lasts the longest, hides the odor and it the most eco-friendly? There are really so many things to consider. Who knew? I will explain some of the pros and cons of each and then reveal my MOST favorite cat littler in the whole world!!! 🙂

Clay Litter

Clay litter is probably the cheapest option, but it is heavy and doesn’t clump. This means it may need to have a complete litter change more often to prevent bacteria and odor. Clay litter may contain some chemicals to supress the odor. It also emits a lot of dust.

Found on Amazon.com

Clumping Litter

This can be made of any number of materials but essentually it clumps so it is easy to dispose of liquid waste. Most of these can help to supress odor and come in scented and unscented versions. The clumping clay litter still emits quite a bit of dust though.

Found on Amazon.com

Natural fiber litter

Corn, wood, newspaper, wheat, etc are biodigradable and most are natrual. You’ll have to check the pacakging. Some may be scented and some may contain chemicals for clumping purposes. I have used the corn, wood and newspaper varieties and the corn was my favorite for odor control. The pine litter I tried smelled great when I first put it in the box but it soaked up the liquid waste and got funky fast. Now, they offer a clumping version which I have not tried. I imagine it works much like the corn.

Found on Amazon.com

Crystal litter

Crystal litter has become popular in recent years. I have never tried it but people who have seem to like it. Many of them use it in their automatic litter boxes because it doesn’t get stuck in the tongs like some of the other litters can.

Found on Amazon.com

Scented or unscented?

This is up to you. Ozzie developed an allergy to one of the scented clumping litters I used when when he was a kitten. Sadie never had any problems but Ozzie’s paws got chapped and even started bleeding. It was horrible. That’s when I switched to an unscented version that the vet recommended. If your cat is prone to upper respiratory infections you should choose a low dust unscented cat litter.

Now for my VERY favorite cat litter! I absolutely adore this brand for many reasons…

Arm & Hammer Essentials Natural Clumping Litter

This wondrous litter is made using corn cobs and baking soda. It contains a light fresh scent which I love and luckily, Ozzie’s paws haven’t had an adverse reaction to it. I tried another corn litter before but the fine particles stuck to my cat’s paws leaving dusting cat prints all over the house.

If you have a cat I highly recommend this litter. They aren’t even paying me to say that — but they should!!! 🙂

Found Amazon.com

Of course, not all litters work for all cats and owners, if your cat is having issues using their litter box, it is best to consult the vet. Cats are really good about going in their boxes, so if they suddenly stop doing that — it may be the sign of a bigger issue.

TIP: When switching litters, it is best to mix a little of the new in with the old and slowly make the transition. Cats can be finicky and if you totally switch it might throw them off and they may refuse to use the box all together.

If you have any questions or suggestions of your own — I would love to hear them.

Do you have cats? Why type of litter do you use?

I am Home; Where is My Lightsaber!

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light saber

Image from DeviantArt

Last week I went on a business trip to Chicago.  I was gone for a full 7 days and the schedule and work load was absolutely brutal.  My wife travels quite a bit for work but it’s rare that I do so when I am gone for such a long stretch, the kids just freak out.  They don’t know how to deal with it.  It’s kind of odd that it’s mommy that they usually want but they deal with her being away much better than they deal with me being away.

Last year when I went away on a similar trip, I found these little plastic lightsabers that light up and brought them home as “prizes” for my two boys.  I made the mistake of using that trip as a reference point when I explained why Daddy was going away and what I was going to be doing.  I started the conversation off by telling them I was going away and saying “remember when Daddy left last year and came back with those two lightsabers?”.  Their first comment was that they remembered and those lightsabers broke because they played with them too hard.  They had sad little faces until the light bulb finally went off and they realized I was going to the same convention again this year.  Suddenly the sad little faces got happy and they started yelling that they were getting new lightsabers.  From that point on I could have told them I was going to China for 6 months, it wouldn’t have mattered, visions of lightsabers were dancing in their heads.

I created a monster!

I split up the drive out to Chicago to two days because we (me and one of my employees) weren’t able to leave until the afternoon of day 1.  At the end of  day 1, we stopped at a hotel and I called home.  First thing out of Sean’s mouth was “did you get our lightsaber yet!”.  I had created monsters!  They were more concerned with their potential prizes than they were they I had gone away.  Oh well, it was still pretty cute and once we got past that, they were genuinely excited to hear from me.

The rest of the week started off the same way but something really sweet happened half way through.  By the time day 4 rolled around, all they wanted to do was talk to me, find out what I did that day and tell me what they did.  It was really sweet and it made being away from home both easier and much more difficult.

When I finally returned home brandishing their brand new lightsabers (among other things) their first question was “Did you get us a lightsaber” and the second question was “did you get us anything else”.  Haha, oh well.  Finally by the third or fourth question they started asking me about my trip and how I was and their true excitement to see their daddy home started shining through.

Do your kids expect presents when you go on trips?

Waiting and Waiting For Warm Weather

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It is time for spring cleaning

Image on DeviantArt

Oh, I am so ready for spring! I know I keep saying it but it’s true. Being in the house is good..but not all winter. That is not counting the fact I am really not a cold weather person.

I have no idea how true the term Spring Fever is. The definition states that it is a “term applied to several sets of physical and psychological symptoms” such as an increased level of energy and vitality. The rest of the definition I am not going to put here because it looks as though a few other things increase and this is a family site (moms and dads know how to use the link provided).

Time for Spring Cleaning

Knowing that the warm weather is still a few weeks off here in the North I have begun what I call the “I need a change and can’t stand the clutter mode”. I start looking around my house with a look of vengeance. I want to get rid of all of the clutter and I am on a mission. In this house it means lookout Mom is at it again.

Am I the only one that gets like this? Probably not and some good does come from it. The house gets a thorough cleaning. Everything (almost) gets put in its place. Trash bags get filled and Salvation Army makes out very well. I even go through this phase that I am going to make some extra money and sell odds and ends that we don’t use on Ebay and Craigslist.

In the end it all turns out well and the boys find toys that they forgot they had as well as those cool jeans that I found in the corner of their room. Well, there are other things that I find but I am not sure what IT is supposed to be. Another lesson learned is that when I clean their room it is easier if they are not underfoot. It amazes me that things they have not touched in a year all of a sudden become something they NEED.

I actually move furniture and rearrange the rooms..it is a good feeling of accomplishment. As much as I love my family not one person warned me about the horror of clutter and socks before I married.

So, any idea on how to wait for the warm weather after this house is done? Could someone speak with Mother Nature for me?

Three Cheers for SPRING!!!!

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Spring Flowers

Picture from: B. Monginoux / Landscape-Photo.net (cc by-nc-nd)

Yes — I’m a little excited. I am just so happy that spring has arrived here, in the Pacific NW. Sure, it’s a bit soggy but our temperatures have warmed up and we are seeing some sunshine. If you don’t remember what that glorious glowing orb in the sky is — you are not alone. Every spring I feel like a mole peeking up through a hole in the ground.

Farmer’s Market

Spring is the beginning of so many fun things! For instance, we love going to our local Farmer’s Market! In the beginning the pickings are slim — but slowly the market fills up with fresh fruits, vegetables, the most beautiful bouquets of flowers, plants, and homemade items. The food vendors are our market are wonderful as well! I’m getting hungry just writing about it. It’s a great place to run into people you know and a fantastic way to support the local community and economy. Our boys absolutely love going to the farmer’s market in our area; it’s right next to a beautiful park downtown. Did I mention that they also happen to sell the most delicious cookies ever! We usually head down there on a Saturday morning, do our shopping, grab some cookies, eat them in the park and then head home.

Gardens

Spring also means we will start thinking about planning our garden for the year, getting the yard cleaned up, and planting flowers. I’m not much for yard work but I like having a garden and I love pretty flowers! Spring is also great because it’s still wet enough that I don’t have to remember to water the plants. Unfortunately, I’m not good at remembering that. I’ll try to be better this year…

When spring arrives we begin to make frequent trips to the park – in between showers that is – and the boys can play out back on their swing set more (which means less wrestling in the house). There are also fun activities like Easter egg hunts and the Tulip Festival!

Yes, indeed — spring sprung and I for one couldn’t be happier about it. Yay Spring — You ROCK!!!

What are you doing to celebrate the spring?

St. Patrick’s Day Fun Facts

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The shamrock is the symbol of Saint Patrick's Day

Image from Pixabay

St. Patrick’s Day is this Thursday — so I thought I would provide you with some interesting facts that you can use, to dazzle your friends and family. I assure you, they will be in awe of your vast St. Patrick’s Day knowledge!

I searched the web – far and wide – for what I thought were the most interesting and surprising facts about St. Patrick’s Day. So here they are:

Random Facts about St. Patrick’s Day

  • Shamrocks are the national flower of Ireland. St. Patrick used the Shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity; The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. The Four-leaf clover is used to represent; faith, hope, love, and luck.
  • The original color used to represent St. Patrick’s Day was blue — not green.
  • Each year – starting in 1962 – the Chicago River is dyed green in honor of St. Patrick’s day.
  • The original Guinness Brewery in Dublin had a 9,000 year lease. As noted on the Guinness website, “The 1759 lease is no longer valid as the Company purchased the lands outright many years ago.“
  • Corned beef is actually not the traditional Irish meal for St. Patrick’s Day. The Irish are far more likely to serve Bacon and Cabbage. Irish bacon was quite expensive so to save money Irish-Americans began using corned beef instead.
  • According to Irish folklore, when leprechauns aren’t hanging out at rainbows, hiding pots of gold, or granting wishes — they are shoe makers. That must be their day job. Hey — they’ve got to pay the bills too ya know!
  • Speaking of leprechauns, they were first described to be wearing red and gold — not green.
  • St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th because he is believed to have died March 17th in the year 461 AD.

Have a Wonderful St. Patrick’s Day!

Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Warning: When Explaining Things to Children; Think Before You Speak

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When our betta fish dies, I had to explain it to my kids

Photo from DeviantArt

When our Betta fish – Nemo – died, I wasn’t really sure how to explain it to my then, 2 year old twins. While we were out, he had jumped from his bowl and plunged to his death. I was shocked and sad — but most of all I was afraid the boys would be inconsolable. They really loved that fish.

What to tell your children when a pet dies

They saw my shock (yes — I know it was a fish, but I love all my pets) and started to ask what happened to Nemo. The first thing I blurted out was, “Nemo must have gone home to visit his Mommy and Daddy.” At this point my husband looked at me and said something like, “Just tell them what happened.” I don’t like lying to my kids — but I felt like telling them the truth would steal some of their innocence. I knew he was right, so I had to retract my story, and tell them that Nemo had indeed died.

Of course, they didn’t know exactly what this meant so I said, “Nemo went to Heaven.” One of their grandfathers past away shortly after their 1st birthday.  We have always talked about their Papa being in Heaven with Jesus, so I knew they would sort of understand what I meant by that.

I remembered seeing a Cosby Show episode where Rudy’s goldfish died. The family gathered around the toilet, said some nice words and flushed it. That seemed like it might be a good idea. We took our sweet Nemo into the bathroom, said some nice words, told him good-bye and flushed him down the toilet. Before the lid even shut A. turned to me and said, “Can we get another Nemo?” That made me wonder why I had even bothered with my story in the first place. Lesson learned.

We did get another Betta, his name was James. Yes — I said was. He lived about a year and then passed away. I told the boys straight up what happened; he died, he’s in Heaven with Nemo and all of that. I flushed him on my own, since it seems as though I’m the only one in the family who cares when our fish die. In case you are wondering –  we did get a new Betta – his name is Firefish Sam.

All poop goes to heaven

So anyway — last summer I began potty training the boys. They were doing pretty well and N. was really getting the hang of pooping in the potty. One day – as I was emptying out his potty chair into the toilet – he turns to me and in all seriousness says “My poop go to Heaven with Nemo and James and Papa?”

Uh Oh! What had I done? Since that time, I have had to explain over and over that the toilet is not the gateway into Heaven. However, I’m not sure if they completely believe me.

It was funny. It totally caught me off guard. It made me realize just how important it is to think about what I am saying, before I attempt to explain things to the boys.

Oh – and when Firefish Sam dies – he’ll be buried; not flushed.

How have you explained death to your children?

Considerations Before Moving

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Uhaul truck for movingOk, so it has been a while since I last posted and there is good reason for this.  See, I’ve decided fairly recently, to move to a new house.  Let me go over this decision with a little more detail.

It started about a year ago. I’ve always liked the area where my brother lives, which is about 15km away from the capitol city. It is a nice neighborhood with good, smaller schools, all the amenities you need, it is secure, quite picturesque in some areas, and quite secure as well.

So, I’ve been thinking about ways to be able to move there because of all the things I mentioned above but there were considerations I needed to go through first. Very important considerations for a single mom of two kids.

1. Cost

Much as I loved my brother’s area, it was definitely more expensive than where I am currently living.  It would take an additional 20k to move there.  It would mean an additional amount for commute expense, an additional amount for rent, and for water.  In dollars, that would mean an additional $466 a month.  That is not easy to do since that amount is a little higher than entry level salaries for a lot of jobs here.  I had to figure out how to make an extra 20k on top of the salary I get from my full time job.

2. Schools

My kids already have a school where we are now. It is just a preschool but, since my kids are only preschool age, it give me time to look around and budget for a big kids school.  Schools in my brother’s area were more expensive and were fewer in choice but the chances of getting a school with a good reputation for good education is easier. Public schooling in my country generally is not so great.  there are a handful of public schools that are considered very good so you can imagine what you need to do to get a spot there.  Ironic huh?  So, if you want to give your kids a good chance at making it in the future, you have to spend for schooling.

Those were the top considerations for moving to another area, specifically that area where my brother stays.  Needless to say, I suspended that thought and set it aside, thinking that I would not need to go back to it for another year or so at the least.

Well, turns out my parents were looking to move as well and decided to look in that same area.  Since it would suit all parties involved, we decided to join forces.  Because of that, we were able to come up with a good enough budget to sustain a household.

So, important things to think about when scouting for a change of address (as I have come to know and understand it from my experience):

1. cost of commute and utilities- some areas, being farther away from the business district, cost more to get out of and back to at the end of the day.  For the same reason, proximity to the capitol city, some utilities may cost more or less.  So there has to be room in the budget for these considerations.

2. cost of schooling- this is important if you have kids.  There is no use in moving to a place where you can afford the standard of living but not the schooling.

3. cost of food and shelter-  this has to be considered because it is part of budgeting your cost of living.

All three points are not ranked in order of importance because I think they are all equally essential.  Of course, I am currently in the process of moving so there are many things I am sure to learn as I go along.

I am interested to know what your considerations are if you think about making a move.  Are they any different from mine?

I will do my best to track this journey and to note the budget considerations as I go along.

What things do you consider before moving?

Is it Just Me or…

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My kids feel like sloths

Photo on Fotopedia

Are preschoolers slower than sloths when you want them to do something quickly? It might just be my boys – but I swear – the day they turned 3, someone turned their dials to dawdle.

Don’t get me wrong, my kids have a crazy amount of energy and are constantly in motion. The thing is, there are certain things they do very quickly and certain things that take f-o-r-e-v-e-r!

My boys can dismantle their room quickly, they learn quickly, and they can manage to find whatever it is in the house that I don’t want them to touch — you guessed it, quickly.

Things they take their time with

However, they eat slowly – which isn’t such a bad thing – but dinner time seems to drag on for so long sometimes.

Getting dressed takes awhile, but I’ve learned that if I remind N. that firemen get dressed very fast — he kicks it into high gear. However, A. isn’t motivated to move any faster than he wants to.

As we get ready to leave the house – even if it’s to do something really fun for them – they dilly-dally like you wouldn’t believe. Once we are all set and heading out the door; that’s when they decide they need something (like a book or favorite toy) that they have forgotten.

If we are crossing the street and there aren’t any cars waiting – they do it quickly. When there are cars waiting for us to cross – they are oh so slow!

Why is this?

I ponder this question quite often and all I can come up with is, they are young and easily distracted. They don’t really seem to have any sense of urgency — unless of course it’s something they want right now!

I have heard a rumor that this gets better as they turn 4 and even more so at 5. I really hope so.

Do your kids dilly-dally like this? When did they start to grow out of it?

Kate and William — I Just Love a Royal Wedding!

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Royal WeddingI’ve gotta tell you, I am really looking forward to the upcoming wedding of the handsome Prince William and his beautiful bride-to-be, Kate Middleton — which will take place on April 29th 2011. I am such a geek for the British Royals. I really am — and I don’t care who knows it. I have already watched three TLC specials documenting the upcoming affair, as well as a look back at royal weddings of the past.

Found on Amazon.com: LIFE The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton

After the death of Princess Diana in August of 1997, I sort of lost touch with my love for all things royal. That is until Prince William announced his royal engagement. I knew it would happen eventually, but didn’t expect to be looking forward to it as much as I am.

The allure of royal weddings

As a little girl, I loved fairy tales and dreamed of being a princess. So when I found out there was a real live prince, and he was soon to be married to a striking and sweet young woman – to me – it was like a fairytale come to life. Maybe there weren’t any dragons to slay, poisoned spinning wheels or apples, and though I was sure a pumpkin – turned carriage – wouldn’t be carrying the princess-to-be, I was still hoping for a little magic.

Found on Amazon.com: An Invitation to a Royal Wedding

I was six years old when Prince Charles married the Lady Diana Spencer, On July 29th, 1981. I was glued to the TV that day. It was the most magnificent thing I had ever seen. Ever! Prince Charles looked so handsome and Diana was breathtakingly beautiful. Her dress was everything I imagined a princess would wear, and more. I loved every detail of the event. The huge bouquet Diana carried, had flowers cascading down the front of her dress, almost all the way to the floor. It was just amazing. The crown she wore with her veil, was absolutely stunning. The train on her dress — Oh! That train! Magnificent. It was 25ft. long; the longest train in British Royal history.

After the wedding, my grandparents bought me lots of books on the subject. They are mostly coffee table books, with glossy pictures of the engagement, wedding, honeymoon, and then the birth of William. I thought Diana was just beautiful and because of this I would often ask to have a “Princess Diana” hair cut. My Mom finally conceded to my request and believe me when I say, it was not a good look for me.

So — as you can imagine, I was heartbroken to learn that the fairytale was not to be. I still loved Diana, and to this day I have never read any of the unauthorized tell-all books people have written about her. I was teary-eyed as I watched her funeral, but actually wept as I watched her two precious boys walking behind her coffin. That still gets to me.

Even though the royals haven’t had the best of luck in the marriage department; I have high hopes that Prince William’s marriage will be long lasting.

Sadly, I didn’t receive a royal wedding invitation, but you can bet that I will be watching – eyes glued to the TV once again – to witness the wedding of a future King and his Princess.

Are you excited for the royal wedding? Does news about royalty interest you in general?