The Olympics continue to make us all into sports fans this week. Last time I wrote about my ideas for Mom Olympic events. (Or Momlympics, if you will.) This week, after watching athletes crush world records in the aquatic events, I started thinking about what kinds of world records would be held by moms. You know, if someone had time to keep track of that kind of thing. (I don’t. Don’t ask me.)
Hi all,
Anyone else have Olympic fever this week? In honour of the Olympics I wrote a post for Her View from Home about what would happen if moms had their own Olympic events. Though I realized later that I forgot to add “Baby gate hurdles”, I think the other events are pretty solid.
Here’s a short excerpt: Continue reading
I don’t know about you, but there is a charity coming to my door at least once a week asking for money. As much as I genuinely support these worthy causes in spirit, it is impossible to support all of them financially. The person at the door may assume that I am selfish or don’t care about the cause. They don’t know that I have chosen two causes to support which mean a lot to me. Even though I feel terribly guilty telling the very nice representative that I can’t help the refugees/children/animals that their charity supports at this time, I know that it doesn’t make me a bad person.
I think parenting, especially in the early stages, is a lot like this. I wish I had known that going in. Continue reading
Anyone else completely hooked on American Ninja Warrior? For those who haven’t seen it, it is an obstacle course challenge where people compete to test their fitness and possibly win a million dollars. I have been watching for a few seasons now and I have to say that it is one of my favourite summer shows. As I watched last night, a thought struck me for the first time. Being a parent is just like American Ninja Warrior.
Okay, there are no commentators, no prize money and no muscled athletes (at least at our house). But there are many similarities between American Ninja Warrior and being a parent.
I am living in a dictatorship. Well, sort of. I actually live in a democratic country. It’s just my house that is a dictatorship. The great and merciful leader? Our baby.
Sure, he looks cute, but don’t be fooled. He rules our house with an iron fist. He has graciously permitted me to have 30 minutes of media time, so I have decided to use it to tell the outside world what is really going on in our house.
Babies are cute. I think we can all agree on that. They have sweet, gummy smiles and sweet, chubby cheeks. Yes, babies are super cute, but this doesn’t mean that they are easy to live with. On the contrary – babies are like the worst roommates ever.
Being a new parent is hard. HARD. But everyone you meet will want to tell you how great it is and why you should appreciate it. They are blinded by your baby’s cuteness and oblivious to their challenges. But from one new parent to anther – this is way harder than anyone can tell you. You deserve a medal.
First-time parents worry about everything. Okay, well maybe not everything, but definitely more than our more seasoned mom friends. After all, there is a lot of worry about. You are suddenly fully responsible for a helpless human being, who can’t tell you what they need. No pressure.
Though I consider myself to be fairly laid back, I have fallen into the trap of worrying over some pretty small things.
Here are some things first-time parents worry about: Continue reading
I. Thou shalt bring all the baby’s toys in hopes of distracting them, but all the baby shall want to do is play with napkins.
II. Thou shalt attempt to pack a sense of humour and some patience. Thou will not be able to fit those things in thine suitcases because of all the toys.
Today my baby and I got invited to go swimming. It is quite a hot day here, so I readily accepted. I got my baby to take a later nap to make the invitation time work. We were packed, sunscreened and ready to go. We got into the car and stopped by a bakery to buy some scones. Then it happened. It began with the eye rubbing. Just a little at first, but it soon developed into a few huge yawns.
No, I thought, we just had a nap. But there he was, yawning away. My heart sunk, as I realized that I would have to give up our afternoon plans. I turned the car around and headed back to the house. The baby cried all the way home until I put him to bed. He was asleep in minutes.
And just like that: Bam! I got nap sabotaged.
I’m sure this has happened to you, or someone you know. Maybe you didn’t know it existed. Either way, I have prepared an FAQ about the phenomenon known as the nap sabotage. You’re welcome. Continue reading
Before I had a baby, I thought that once you got the hang of breastfeeding, it was all the same from there. Not so, my friends!
Turns out that feeding a newborn is vastly different from breastfeeding an older baby. I decided to compare the highs and lows of breastfeeding a baby at different ages. Let me show you what I mean.
Positives: Ugh, are there any? Keeping baby alive is one. Cuddling is sometimes another. Also, you can watch TV while feeding without distracting the baby. Continue reading
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