Not the brightest crayon in the coloring box, now are we?

we recently celebrated deirann's second birthday. it was a week long gala filled with food, family and fun. of course there were also a whack of presents to be torn apart and greatly enjoyed by all. those who know me know that i am the queen of second hand bargains (aka princess cheapo) and often find family members justifying purchases for my girls' with "but it was on sale", or "i found it in the closet" and of course "it fell from the sky and i thought the girls would love it!". with that said, i also realize that birthdays are the time to be spoiled and indulge a little...so family members were given the green light to buy what they wanted for little miss d.

luckily everyone stayed pretty much in check and didn't go too crazy. a few good books (can always tell the teacher's kids can't ya?), cds, puzzles, wiggles' games, and gorgeous outfits were gracefully accepted along with a colouring book, paint set and some crayons. all excellent choices that will surely bring hours of fun.

i did have to laugh when the girls dove into the box of crayons later in the week and devin asked for a little help.
"mummy, can you help me with the clothes?"

" sure dev, you want to get your jammies on?"

"no mummy, the crayons' clothes."

?

"pardon devin?"

" i want to take the crayons' clothes off... they feel so much better that way."

"huh?"

when i took a look over, i noticed a little pile of torn paper forming on the floor near devin's chair....the paper belonged to the crayons.

"oh devin."

perhaps it was because the first few years of her life found miss devin in a topless fashion running on a beach, but whatever the reason, devin insists on taking the paper off of all newly purchased soap, socks off of deirann's feet and wrappers off of crayons. she can't stand being "fenced in".


while deirann enjoyed colouring the "big red car" orange with the crayons that came with the colouring book, devin refused to use them.


" i don't like the crayons."


"they slide across the paper."


"the crayons aren't right."


now keep in mind my alter ego, "princess cheapo" and i will at this point admit my love for "dollarama"...perhaps it explains where the crayons were purchased.


"but devin look, they have princesses on them!"


....silence....


oh well, there you have it, my child is a snob....a wax-colouring-utensil snob.


i did have to laugh at it all.


i can TOTALLY relate to the importance of crayons.


i remember for my 7th birthday, july 7th, 19?? (the month is relevant, not the year) i received my first box of 64 crayola crayons...with...the BUILT IN SHARPENER...and that beautiful cornflower blue. i swear i wanted to wear a cornflower blue dress for my wedding day while the sun shone in the cornflower blue sky and i gazed into my husband-to-be's cornflower blue eyes.....ahhhhh dreamy.


i remember getting other pressies but none would top those crayons. after colouring some pictures of almonzo wilder ( i KNOW someone out there relates!) my birthday party moved inside for some cake and mcdonalds' orange drink.


a short time later, my guests started to head home and i went out to gather my "loot". i remember being out front on the porch steps and seeing my crayons....and a little puddle (the therapist says it is good to talk about these things). i went to collect my prized pressie and realized something wasn't right....this is where you need to remember when i said my birthday was...especailly the month...

i vaguely remember my dad coming out and saying it was okay and "why not come and play with your fuzzy pump barber shop"...i think he even suggested a science experiment on what happens when wax meets heat.


but nothing was going to replace those crayons...those crayons that were now a big crayon...a big waxy lump of mass...july heat in canada causes things to melt...in the direct sun ....where i left my first new box of 64 crayola crayons with the built in sharpener...and that beautiful cornflower blue.


so, when devin complained about those "cheap" crayons i did what any intelligent, penny saving mother would do...I took her to michaels and bought the biggest baddest box of CRAYOLA crayons we could find....and used my 40% micheals' coupon i clipped a few days earlier.

"nobody buys my baby cheap crayons" johnny castle, dirty dancing.

blind date

so finally at the age of 38, i went on a blind date .


i had butterflies in my stomach when i made the call and left a message saying "ok, let's meet at 4 pm, my husband will be out and i desperate. i am tall, long brown hair, wearing a (surprise!) white tshirt, and navy skirt. looking forward to meeting you!"

so just before 4:00 i wandered down to the designated meeting spot...and waited. i kept smiling at people thinking " hmm...are you here to meet me? are you the friend i have been looking for?" finally a few minutes later, i heard "you must be noeleen."

i turned around to see a casually dressed parent with a toddler and a three year old.

"hi! you must be cora (ha! for all of you that thought i was meeting man....get your mind outta the gutter!) and this must be "insert kiddies names' here."

we made the intros between the girls and off they ran to play. cora and i spent a few minutes exchanging pleasantries and how it was so nice to finally find time for our girls to get together.

after moving to burlington a year ago, i am still looking for friends for my girls. i honestly look/sound like a crazy, stalker that goes up to people in playcentres and gives away my phone number. i slow down and look at kids walking down my street wondering if they are near the age of my own two kids...meanwhile i never really thought about what it must look like ...black suv with tinted windows that drives REAL slow passing children...while the driver takes a long stare at the lil ones walking past...kinda creepy when you think about it.

growing up i was crazy shy. my folks tried everything to get me to make friends...brownies, tennis, irish dancing...even bowling (cause apprently bowling allies are "the" place to meet people). but, i remained a very shy and awkward person up until late. now, i will talk to ANYONE if they have anything about them that looks remotely pink and "i know a four year old".

now don't get me wrong, devin has friends, however most of them are boys....boys who can tolerate princess etc for a very short amount of time if any at all. but lil miss d needs a bff that lives in ontario ....or at least canada ( see Spilling the Beans ) that enjoys the beauty of pretty things...not just star wars and batman.

so, cora and i hung out for a bit and the girls seemed to hit it off. she seemed like a parent that had the same "issues" i had...making me feel a little better for the time being. we laughed at our common thread (my sister in law met her at her place of business) and the things parents do for our kids.

when we left the park we said we would be in touch, "i'll call you" s were exchanged but leaving me with the unneeded stress of "will she call? or should i call her?" i think i actually got a little worried about the three day rule and if it acually applied to grown up-same sex friends.

luckily, birthday parties were in the future plans and invitations were exchanged. i was very excited to tell devin that she was invited to a princess party hosted by "insert new friend's name here" but was a little worried when she kept asking "who???" when i said the invitee's name. hmmm... i take it i am far more concerned about the situation than she.

so what have i learned outta all this??? that clearly i am a mother who worries far too much about her offspring making friends and that i gotta learn to relax when it comes to these little speed bumps in the road of life... all that and that there is surely $$$$ to be made in a lavalife website dedicated to "friendships for toddlers"....

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

our eldest, devin, has a big personality. she likes to test limits...stand right up to the boundary line and see what she can do. i have also had everyone from teachers to friends and even the grandparents comment on how determined she is....now being a teacher i KNOW determined is code for stubborn and man is she stubborn...when mules talk to each other about other mules, they can often be heard saying " yeah, my little mule billy is as stubborn as a devin" i swear it is true. she also has inherited her father's case of selective hearing-a trait that frustrates me more than almost anything in life....ok i hate hard butter a little bit more but you get my point.

case in point yesterday. within 15 mins of devin being outta bed, she had ignored me 6 times (yes i counted) and did the complete opposite to what was asked twice. i am a patient person but even i have my limit and it was met yesterday. i let the course of the day ride out and finally at bedtime...i had enough.

rob was out at baseball (man did i curse his name as the night went on) and i was putting the girls to bed. it was one of those nights that we jinxed earlier by saying, "they both seem tired, they'll go down no problem"..ha rookie mistake...but sadly i ain't no rookie in this game and shoulda seen the change up coming. so, i asked devin to brush her teeth while i attempted to clean deirann's...i would be safer tackling an alligators...and finally gave up ...throwing the toothbrush into the laundry basket in hopes to release some of my frustration (keep this point in mind throughout this tale). i gave her a few last cuddles and plopped her in her crib. i then went to devin's room to see how far she had come on the tootypegs knowing damn well there was no way she brushing them.

"devin have you brushed your teeth?"
she was in her room with her legs sticking out from under her bed no doubt searching for some lost treasure.
"look mama i found my magic wand!"
"great devin! maybe it can change you into a princess who realizes that she must brush her teeth in hopes to protect herself from the evil dragon!" i dug into the bottom of the day's creativity basket to pull that one.
"i also found my missing shoe..." ah...i see she was suffering from a severe case of hearing selectiveness at this point.
"hey devin, let's see who can brush their teeth first...me or you!"
with that, the ever-competitive devin zipped out from beneath the bed (with a shoe on her hand and magic wand between her teeth) racing to the bathroom.

"hmmm...that wasn't so bad" i thought to myself. i spent a few minutes sorting things in my room when i heard her at the door.
"are they all brushed princess devin? can we head to your room to read a book?"
instead of acknowledging i was speaking to her, devin had lost the wand and shoe and was now carrying her step stool and was placing it by the wall switch in my room.
"um, devin...? "
nothing.
"devin?"
nada.

at this point i should let those of you who don't know me that well, that my dad is irish and my mum is scottish... and i inherited many good traits because of this mix...as well as a GREAT temper.

i saw red.
i had enough.
i know she was focused on what she was doing and that i shouldn't get upset at such trivial matter, don't sweat the small stuff and all that junk...but i had had it.
somehow i managed to keep myself composed and said in a quiet voice,
" devin, you aren't doing as i asked so i am not doing what you asked. i am not reading you a story, go to bed."

now, at this point i should also let you know...devin had also inherited many good traits in her dna...as well as a GREAT temper.

wow. did she loose it.

that kid stormed into her room, slammed the door and threw the BIGGEST hissy fit known to humankind...ok maybe not the biggest but considering she is only three...i was pretty impressed with her fury.

i left her for a bit so we could both cool off. i could hear her in there saying a lot of stuff and making a lot of noise but decided not to poke the bear just yet.

of course all of this woke deirann up. i went back in to help settle her and enjoyed a little bit of time in the calmness of her room. meanwhile i could still hear hurricane devin tearing it up at the other end of the hallway. when deirann drifted off, i opened her door to be greeted by one sweaty, pissed off kid standing in the hall.

"i don't like my room."
" well that is too bad devin, i think it is a nice room."
"i don't like my room at all and i don't wanna be in it anymore."
so i scooped her up, sang "we shall overcome" and we went outside to watched the birds and rabbits in the garden, happy the storm had past.....

yeah right.

i followed up her last comment with my VERY adult comeback of " well, you can go back in your room or you can go sit on the front step with all the ants 'til daddy comes home." i am so mature.
"fine!" she screamed and proceeded to return to her room with a very dramatic door slam that made me wonder if the foundation would crack.
i could hear a little more rumbling in there and then silence. i waited a little longer then knocked the door.

"devin, can i come in?"
no answer.
hmmm...maybe she fell asleep.
i opened the door an peeked in.

i can see why she didn't like her room.
hurricane devin was a category 4 and did some damage.

she was lying calmly in the middle of her bed...with no sheets, blankets, pillows...nothing but her.
on her floor lay all the bed linens as well as everything normally found on top of the overstuffed ottoman she likes to read on (pillows, teddies, blankets etc).

feeling terrible that she was this upset, i sat on her bed and we had a good talk. we discussed what she was feeling and i let her know how i was feeling. i did what all the textbooks say to do, repeat back her statements so she knows i heard her, but still being firm with my own decision.

we settled up with a few heartfelt "i'm sorries" and enjoyed a good cuddle. we decided that it would be best to make her bed and even sang "what's going to work...TEAM work!" to help get the job done properly.

"mama, i really like my room you know."
"i know devin."
"mama this is the book you are going to read to me now..."

???
are you kidding me?

remember when i said she likes to stand as close to the line and see what she could get away with? she also likes to jump up and down on the line at times and laugh at you.

with that i said,
"goodnight devin i love you."

and heard " i love you too mama." followed by a giggle...

man we are in trouble when she is a teenager!

....and it brings back...those old emotions.....

so after 3 years i finally got my act together to start playing with my ipod.

we bought it with the great intentions that it would get me and the hubby moving a little more...as if it was the lack of music in my ears that kept me from going for a run at night! we bought it in the summer of 06 on a visit to canada before we returned to de island. thinking that we may get caught in customs uncle cheese, my brother in law (devin's nickname cause she couldn't say uncle steve) volunteered to upload some of music to the toy so it looked like we had had it for a while...aka bought it in bda. it was a great idea and we had no problem upon our return. i did have a problem when i when for my first outing and popped the buds into my ears. i scrolled around to find something to inspire me....when i realized....i so had the wrong man upload music.

uncle cheese is a HUGE beatles fan and all things related to them. me i am SO NOT a HUGE beatles fan and all things related to them. i can honesty not think of a band that i would rather not listen to ...ever again. i hate the beatles...yup i do....i hate 'em. i scrolled around some more and found that there was 8 .3 days of music uploaded ( i thought it would be a few songs!!) and it was a combo of the above mentioned act, billy joel, elton john, the eagles...can you get the idea? uncle cheese is 9 years older then me and this is very much his music...and very not mine. i can't stand any of it. now don't get me wrong, i enjoy listening to classic vinyl on xm and one of my favourite memories is driving through the mojave desert with cheese singing black dog at the top of our lungs while poor uncle bb (aka my sister in law, aunt karen) was rolling her eyes at us in the back seat. i do enjoy some classic rock but man, i am soooooooo not a fan of this stuff.

so i figured i would just delete the stuff i didn't like and add my own music. easier said then done. being the sneaky and o'so clever gal that i am, i tossed the instruction manual in canada so that those nasty customs officers wouldn't find it and figure out we had unclaimed goods (cause i was so guilty looking and much more harmful then the dope carring dude behind me in line!). finally one night after i put devin to sleep (she wasn't even a year yet) i plopped myself down on the couch and started "getting to know my ipod". i figured out a few things but couldn't find a delete button anywhere....! how can i get the music that i don't want off this damn thing? hmmm....maybe i can get some help online. luckily i found the manual i needed on a site and started to play around. i had an "aha" moment when i realized that i need to have it hooked up to my computer to delete things....i see. now, i won't bore you with the rest of the details, but anyone who remembers those early days of parenthood knows there is NO way you are going to waste those precious hours of childfree time trying to figure out how to delete 8.3 days of music from an ipod..besides who am i kidding? even elton john and almost the beatles was better listening then the damn lullabies that were being played in our house and car. so, the ipod kinda got tossed aside and almost forgotten about...

until a few weeks ago...devin came into the kitchen saying "look mama...look what i found...a breaving string"

i turned around and saw a long white string in her hand, when i looked a little more, i noticed the sting split in two and lead into her nostrils.

flashback....she had walked in a few nights earlier when i had a rerun of er on and asked why the man on the screen had a string coming out of his nose. i explained that it was supplying him with oxygen (once a teacher....) and quickly turned the channel.

apparently my ear buds were providing devin with much needed oxygen via the "breaving" string.

after taking the breaving string out...and disinfecting it...i realized that you know, i got some time these days, maybe i should get to know that ipod a little better....if i could only find it! thanks to a creative game of i spy and a fast little detective, devin located the device quickly and i was ready to get started.

where to start? i set up an account on itunes and started searching. i had tried this in bermuda but bermudian creditcards are/were not accepted (yeah i know, they will allow bermuda to take in guantanamo bay refugees but my credit card was questionable).it took me a while but i did finally delete most of the songs that good uncle cheese uploaded and was surprised to find a little stuff that we had in common...the clash, some hip even a little roxy music!

now onto the next problem. uploading music. when it comes to music, i like a little of everything. my tastes haven't changed that much and yes i will admit there are a few skeletons in my musical closet that i am embarrassed to know all the words to...like...shaggy(blame it on the dark n'stormies hanging out on the boat). i can't say i like one particular band or that there is an album that i could not live with out and i was finding it hard to figure out what i wanted to put on the ipod.
luckily, a friend (recently departed martin streek) posted a comment online around the same time "It really is amazing how a song can take you to a place, a time, from the past and make you feel the way you did back then...no matter how you feel at the present time... maybe that only happens to me...but I doubt it."

hmmm...what a great way to get started. i started think of songs that got me back to some part of my life and stirred up thoughts, memories, feelings...all that good stuff.

so below are a few (no real order, just the first ones i came up with...all over the place really!)of the songs/bands i have uploaded...i have even shared a few of the memories!

joy division love will tear us apart-high school dances, especially cfny roadshows & marty

the beat & specials- dancing & watching the mosh pit with tricia james at the special beat concert

irish rovers the unicorn-st peter's school in milton celebrated st patrick's day as if we were in dublin itself...my dad would take the day off work and take care of the lighting....i don't even remember what we did at christmas or easter....but man st patricks was fun! it is also one of the ones rob sang to my bumps and now the girls

u2 bad- one of the few u2 songs i actually like...camping at the koa with jenn russell

new order temptation-julie huyberts and i buying baseball cards at the 7-11 in bronte

the clash train in vain-driving to connecticut for a teaching practicum

54-40 baby have some faith & one gun- watching this awesome band i never heard of opening for the skydiggers at a ontario place

jerry garcia shining star- driving the cabot trail with rob and howling at stupid jokes

daughter pearl jam-pitcher tuesdays at the snail (wow i actually have memories from that time??!!)

the stones - you can't always get what you want- playing ucher in high school

nitty gritty dirt band you and me go fishin in the dark- jenny o...sauble beach...such a "talented, multitasking" friend...tee hee.

looking back, if someone asked me what do i listen to, i don't think these songs would jump to mind immediately but they made the cut. this was awesome, i had a starting point that and it looks like it has no end. poor rob is gonna wish i kept to my hobby of drinking wine...WAY cheaper than what the itunes bill will be!

so i put to you...what are your top memory songs? the ones that put you back to "that" place in time? the ones you know all the words to and sing at the top of your lungs with a goofy grin on your face....you know the ones....

now excuse me, i am off to enjoy a little jane's addiction....my most recent addition!

cool shoes

i recently had an acquaintance of mine commit suicide. the shock is slowly wearing off and i am coming to terms with the fact i will not have the opportunity to be in touch with him again and that there were many things i wanted to share with him. with that said, i have decided that i don't want to be in this situation again-one where i never got the chance to say what i really wanted to say to someone, let them know how much i liked them, admired them, enjoyed their company, simply felt blessed to know them. it got me wondering why this happens. i am one who will quickly comment on how cool a stranger's shoes are or how beautiful their child is, but i am not sure if i tell the people that really matter how i feel about them. i think i get too embarassed about putting those sorta feelings out there. sad really, but i am sure i am not the only person who feels this way. i don't mean for this to sound as trivial as it does but it is something looming over me right now. so, if you receive an email from me in the near future and i say i like your shoes, or your kid, have no fears, nothing bad is going on with me, i just wanted to let you know you are important to me for a reason.and marty, i liked your shoes.