#1 Goes to the Dentist

Although our paediatrician had recommended taking our kids to the dentist starting at age 3, I had put it off for a little over a year. I knew we would be moving to the suburbs, so why start with one dentist only to switch within a year? Also the sale of our condo and the birth of #3 were very time consuming…so I waited.

Just a few weeks ago, I was walking through a local mall with the older Girls when I came across a dental clinic. I would not have noticed it were it not for the kids playing in the waiting room. I approached the receptionist and inquired: Yes, they do have paediatric dentists. And only a few kilometres from our new home! I was able to get an appointment within a few weeks. And so it was that this last Tuesday, #1 and I headed to the dentist for her very first visit. #2 was napping, and #3 was in the trusty hands of Grandma.

I tried to prepare our daughter for her first appointment, and she did not seem too apprehensive. The waiting room included a kid's corner with crayons, colouring books, and picture books all about going to the dentist. We read one together. She must have really liked it as she requested that I read it over and over again.

Her name was called promptly at 14h, and we followed the dental hygienist to the office. The dentist was young, cool, and very nice. #1 seemed mesmerized. First they counted her teeth. Then she donned a pair of very cool pink sunglasses so that the bright overhead light wouldn't bother her. Next up, her teeth were cleaned, and she was shown how to floss. They attempted to take some x-rays, but they did not turn out to well due to motion artifact.

The dentist recommended we start a fluoride-based toothpaste twice a day, and floss once a day, neither of which we had been doing. Finally, the appointment over, our daughter picked out a sticker and received a new toothbrush.

Every day since her appointment she announces multiple times a day: I want to brush my teeth…Who would have guessed!

Showing off her smile and new toothbrush!

What my Toddler got me for Mother's Day

My toddler picked out some lovely flowers from the local farmer's market for Mother's Day:

Not quite understanding the concept of Mother's Day, she wished me a Happy Birthday. It was very sweet.

What I wished my toddler got me for Mother's Day:

-the opportunity to sleep in
-no whining for a day
-no cleaning for a day
-no meal preparation for the day

As it happened, my girls were particularly whiny on Mother's Day. My husband astutely pointed out: They are reminding you that you are a mother!

Cleaning House

CC taking a picture of me taking a picture of her

I would have never imagined that I would one day be hiring a housekeeper. Primarily because I enjoy cleaning. I do not think that I have obsessive-compulsive tendencies, I simply enjoy a clean, tidy abode. Ever since I was a pre-teen, I would clean and organize our fridge and cupboards, without ever being asked. My room was always spotless, and I even attempted to clean the grout between the kitchen tiles on a few occasions.

This sense of cleanliness was translated when I moved out. Our current home, a condo my husband and I purchased a few years ago, is, or rather was always spotless. Then along came the Brat. On the surface, the house seems tidy, however, I no longer find time for thorough cleaning. I don't remember the last time I emptied out the fridge and cupboards, or re-organized my closet. As the Brat gets older, the problem seems to have amplified itself. She has been feeding herself since she was 8-months old, as evidence by stains on her highchair, as well as the floor, walls and windows opposite her chair. When she is not eating, she runs around the house creating havoc everywhere she goes. She throws her toys, rids the bookcase of all the books she can reach, and enjoys writing on the floors and walls with her crayons.

My husband and I have been talking about hiring a housekeeper for several months. But how to go about this task? How often would we need him or her? Who could we trust? Would we have to pay for transport? Could we also ask them to cook a meal? There were so many unanswered questions, that I never took the next step of actually contacting someone.

Then very recently, a friend of mine mentioned that she wanted to cut down her housekeeper/nanny to 3 days instead of 5, but was worried that they might lose the housekeeper as she optimally wanted full time work. I instantly offered to take her once a week, and my friend easily found someone to take her on for another day per week. I had met this housekeeper during a play-date, and was duly impressed. When are you planning on cutting down?, I asked my friend last week. Next week, was the welcome reply.

I was so excited, and surprisingly nervous that I slept poorly the eve of her first visit to our home. Would she consider our home too dirty to clean? Would she refuse to clean the toilet? Would she quit the same day she started?

As it happens, my worries were unfounded. She arrived a few minutes early this Tuesday morning, and stayed for over 8 hours. I had left mid-day for work, leaving my baby in the care of my sister. When I got home, I was shocked. Never had our home been so clean. The chrome faucets shone like I never thought they could. We could see our image in the once-stained window facing the baby's highchair. One could eat off the floor in the bathroom. Why had I waited so long to hire a housekeeper? My husband mentioned that the housekeeper, upon leaving, said that there was so much to do, that she couldn't finish in one day, and that she would have to continue the following week.

I had a good laugh. So our home was very unclean after all...I had never spent more than three or four hours in a row cleaning our home, and never imagined that eight hours would not suffice. I wondered if she would ever have some extra time to cook a dish that would last a few days. Would our home ever be clean enough for her to spare an hour or so? Surely there are some chores that don't need to be repeated on a weekly basis. Or would I have to take her on an extra day, or perhaps hire a cook?