Sick!

November 20th, 2011

I had plans to write another newsletter today, but I can’t be bothered.

It’s been a long sick weekend.  I seem to be getting sicker, but more likely it’s just running it’s course.  Hudson is sick too, and tonight I took him to the hospital.  As it turns out he has croup, which was amusing to me.

Of course I thought of Anne Shirley and how I needed her.  But alas I made due with doctors with no social skills.  So after a shot of steriods Hudson is breathing much better and is off to bed.

On my list of fun things tonight, trying out my new neti pot.

Fun abounds in the Berkan house tonight.

Wherein I write a scathing review for “Breaking Dawn”

November 20th, 2011

Seriously, such a bad movie.  My friend asked if it was wrong to view it as a comedy.

So.  Bad.

Really though, the whole series is bad, but I have read it 3 or 4 times, and have seen all of the movies, the last 3 in theaters, and immediately checked when the Part 2 would come out.  (in a year!)

The reason?

It’s a love story, I’m a sucker for a love story.  Even if it is poorly written and loaded with cliches.  Although sparkly vampires are original.

The movie….

Was loaded with statements, not dialogue.    The scene where the werewolves are ‘talking’ to each other in the lumber yard was funny, I laughed.  I don’t think it was meant to be funny.

I maintain that Edward was mis-cast.  I am not a fan of Kristen Stewart, although I can see how she fits the physical appearance of Bella.  (I may not like Ms. Stewart just because I don’t think she’s really the right Bella, I will go and see her in the Snow White movie.)

I hate cliff hangers!  I wish it would have been a few more scenes longer.  (spoiler!)  I wish we would have seen her a little more as a vampire.  And I have to wait a whole year to see the rest.  Just like with the 7th and 8th Harry Potter movies, the part one sucked and part two was much better.

So yes.  Go and see the movie, then marvel in it’s suck-a-tude.  Then go and see part two next year, and then it will all be over.

 

I survived!

November 19th, 2011

It’s been a long germy week.  And now it’s over.  Perhaps not the germy part, but the long part.

Tomorrow I go for a facial.  I’m excited, and to see Breaking Dawn.  I think I’m a Twihard?

 

42nd Month Newsletter (Beatrix)

November 17th, 2011

Dearest Trixie,

Sweet girl!  I can’t believe that we’re well into the 40 months!  You are so big, so amazing, so beautiful and most of all, so smart.  I am so lucky!

As always we’ve had a busy month.

We went to the dentist and I was so proud of you, so proud.  You kept your mouth open without any complaint as the dentist poked around your mouth and cleaned your teeth.  I’m not sure if you remember, but your first visit was pretty horrible, you cried so hard, I had to turn you upside down so the dentist could peek in on your teeth.  (Since you were crying with your mouth open she could see in.)  You were also so impressed that you got a little toy from the dentist, I think I could take you every day, you were so chuffed!  So the good news is that your teeth are great, although you do have a small calcified spot, so we have to keep an eye on that so it doesn’t develop into a cavity.  As a result we talk a lot about the little bugs that like to eat teeth, so you’ve more careful with your brushing.  (Can we talk about at the alarming rate that you go through toothbrushes?)  The dentist confirmed that your teeth are awfully crowded.  I really hope you won’t need a lot of crazy orthodontia later in life, but I think you will, I”m sorry.  If it’s any consolation your brother is going to need it as well.

In preparation for preschool I thought I’d send you to gymnastics camp, which was a full day camp for a whole week.  It was your first time to be away from a parent for an extended period of time, and you did well!  You were the youngest in the class, so it was hard for you to keep up and paying attention for that long was hard for you too, but you did well.  You were so proud to take your own lunch with you each day, and I even bought you your own lunch box and sandwich holder.  They made you look so tiny!  At camp  you did crafts and gymnastics, it was rather perfect for you.  I didn’t send you every day of the week, just a couple days, but I think we’re ready for preschool!  You’re so excited!

We’ve been to Great America a lot this month, we’re making use of our season’s passes.  We saw “Snoopy on Ice” and you loved it.  And the big news is that you’re finally big enough to get on the medium kid rides, not quite tall enough for the big kid rides, but you can get on the 35 inch and higher rides.  (just barely, but still!)  The first ride you did was one where the ride went up a pole and dropped down and slowed at the bottom.  Sadly because there was another Mama on the ride, and it was the last ride of the night, you had to ride without me, and you were totally fine.  Not even a little bit scared.  I was shocked, although we all know I am a total chicken when it comes to rides.  I think our favourite thing at Great America (besides the merry go round) was going up the tall elevator and seeing the fireworks from above them.  It was pretty amazing.

Some bad news this month.  Through a misunderstanding between Daddy and I the garage was left open and Daddy’s bike was stolen.  We were all upset, but you took it pretty hard.  I guess you are old enough to understand what it means to have someone steal something.  In some good news though, Daddy’s on the hunt for a new and more wonderful bike, so we can take lots of family bike rides again.

As always you’re cracking me up with your quips.  You asked me: “Do spiders have bums?  Where do they pee pee?”  HA!  Most days I just wish I could record everything you say to remember it all.  In my, totally unbiased, opinion you are so witty and smart.  Also you voice is adorable, you have the perfect little kid voice.

So I was pretty sure for a while there that you were on the other side of the terrible 3s.  I was wrong.  You’re still firmly planted in them.  Some days we have a lot of struggles and some days are blissfully easy.  I know it’s all a part of learning and we’re learning together.  Sometimes I need to remind you that I’m learning all about being a parent just like you are learning all about being a kid.  It’s hard I know.  We just have to remember that we love each other and that hugs and kisses do help.  Luckily we’re not short on those and give them freely.

Finally, a small milestone but an important one, you let me do your hair with no fuss.  I am in Mama heaven!  I love having a little girl with long hair.  I do maintain though that if keeping your hair neat becomes an ongoing issue we’ll have to cut it.  You’re pretty adamant though that we not cut your hair, so lots of braids, ponies and clips.  I love it.  Also you call ponies ‘poi-nies”, adorable!

Sweet sweet Trixie, you’re amazing, stunning and perfect.  I am blessed.

I’m the luckiest Mama, ever.

Love always, and forever.

Mama.

It happened.

November 16th, 2011

This past week my house has been a festering pit of germs and colds and nastiness.  And I somehow managed to stay well.  Until today.  The day Adam went back to work.  I’m sick.

ugh.

I feel like someone is boring a hole in my head, right between my eyes.  And although the children aren’t 100% yet, they’re still full of energy.  I want to crawl into a cave and sleep.

I knew this would happen.

ahhh the joys of motherhood.  Perhaps I should have titled this ‘birth control’.

Swimming

November 15th, 2011

A while ago I decided that I should learn to swim properly.  I love being in the water and I noticed how much better my back felt if I spent some time in the water, so I was doing a lot of water aerobics classes.  My back felt great, but I didn’t feel like I was getting much of a work out, so in addition to them I was doing some other stuff too, like spinning and running.  Then I started my lessons, and it was amazing!  Swimming is amazing!  My body feels good and I’m getting a decent workout in and I get the runners high from it too!  Some days, like today when I swam for 90 mins, I feel guilty, like I’m not really working out because I like it.  It’s funny how I have trained myself that it’s not a good workout unless I want to die and I am hating every minute of it.

Silly me.

bags!

November 14th, 2011

I’m on the hunt for a purse.  It’s been an ordeal to find something I love.

There’s the Stella and Dot one.

The Rickshaw one.

The camera bag in brown or blue flowers.

None of them are perfect, but they’re all lovely.  I’m pretty sure Adam won’t agree to me getting them all.

Oh the dilemmas.

11:43pm…

November 14th, 2011

I have 17 minutes.

I’ve had the craziest week.  Started out with Hudson sick last weekend, then Adam and finished off with Trixie being sick.  I’m still unscathed, but I’m scared.  (hold me?)

I’ve had meetings on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and 2 on Sunday at the same time.

I need to learn some more organizational skills, or hire some help.

I have a good life and my problems are good problems to have.  (except for the sick family)

 

Christmas

November 12th, 2011

It’s coming!

I’m really excited this year.  To further support the Occupy Movement I”m going to either make most of my gifts this year or buy from small business.  I am going to do everything I can to stay out of a big store for Christmas gifts.

What this really means is that I need to get my butt in gear now and start making them, which sounds all fine and good, but I’m horrible at budgeting my time.  For instance today, I was stuck under a hot, fevery, albeit cute girl.  Tomorrow I’ll start on the gift.  Tonight I write, I have so much to get caught up on.

Anyhow what are you favourite homemade gifts for the under 5 set?

I plan to make a sash for Hudson to hold his cars so he can carry more an 2.  I also want to make him some bean bags, I’m toying with making them in the shape of letters, but that might get difficult.

For Trixie I want to make her some hair bows and a blanket for one of her babies.  I’m still working out what else.  The hard thing is that they both have everything they could want, and I loathe bringing in more stuff into the house, especially stuff just for the sake of stuff, I’ve reached my stuff limit!

Sooo, ideas?

11/11/11

November 12th, 2011

Someone posted on Facebook that today is 11/11/11, not 11/11/11… I didn’t get it, until someone pointed out to me that it’s day month year, not month day year.  Then I got it. ha!

Anyhow Remembrance Day.  I talk about it every year.  It’s a very important day to me.  This year I really debated explaining it to Trixie, so she could share in it’s importance, but I decided to hold off.  She’s a smart girl, and would want to know more about wars, and then she would fixate on them and surely discuss the details of wars for awhile, and she’s 3.  I need her to stay 3.  (Adam took her to the tar pits in SoCal and she still talks about a lady that fell in and died because she couldn’t get back out.)  Anyhow, perhaps next year, we’ll see if she’s ready for it.  I don’t want to mess with her innocence yet.  But she will know about my Grandpa and what he did for his country.  She’ll know, she’ll remember.

Today I’ve been thinking a lot about recent vets.  I hate how the vets from WW1 and 2 are being forgotten, and I hate how young men and women are being disposed of today, to fight in unjust wars.  The term “hero” has been tossed about in my head a lot.  I don’t want to say that today’s vets aren’t heros, because they are making an intense sacrifice, but it’s different now than it was for WW1 and 2.  It’s the government(s).  They are using these young men and women today not to protect us, but to protect something else.  That’s not fair.  However, because I disagree with the government, does not mean I will not remember them.

For my Grandpa who taught me this poem:

In Flanders Fields

John McCrea

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.