Lions and Tigers and Bears!

This Tuesday, we (S1, S2 and I) headed to Park Safari with two of my cousins and their children. I asked myself during the long drive over whether or not it would be worth it...

As it happened, the kids did not complain too much on the way over, S2 fell asleep on the way back. And in between, they enjoyed a water park geared towards young kids, enjoyed some ice cream, and saw many animals, including lions, a large tiger, and some sleeping bears.  So exhausted were they by 14h, that we decided to forego the driving safari, and instead drove home...Perhaps next year we will return, I told my toddler after she asked to return the following day!

A Reprieve From Chaos-Mondays

Since my husband headed back to work after his paternity leave, Mondays have been my most difficult days. He is home on the week-end, and my mother helps me all week except for Mondays.

Just before my husband returned to work, I considered hiring help on Mondays. How could I possibly handle three kids under age four on my own? But on the other hand, how would I find reliable help for one day a week... most professional nannies want full-time work. I thought of university students who are sometimes off one day a week, but would they have sufficient experience with young children?

In the end I decided to try it on my own to see how I fared. Somehow, I survived. I start off every Monday by reminding Baby #1 that I am all alone with three kids, and that I need her to be a "super good girl". Not only is she usually well-behaved, but I often hear her repeating my words while speaking to Baby #2: "I am all alone with you two, so you have to be a good girl." Between feeds, I place the baby in a front carrier, where she readily falls asleep. After breakfast, we head out to the park, returning just before lunch. At around 13h, I put Baby #2 down for a two hour nap... and it is smooth sailing after that. I suspect that things will get a little tougher as the outdoor temperature drops...

Thanksgiving Monday provided a reprieve as my husband was off work! We didn't do anything out of the ordinary, but the extra help was certainly appreciated. We took turns sleeping in, and after feeding the baby, I took the older girls to a nearby park. We enjoyed 20C weather, in mid October! The rest of the day was a blur, but it was certainly a nice break. I look forward to more holiday Mondays!

enjoying her activity mat

Yay Victoria Day!

Although not called Victoria Day in Quebec, this last Monday was nonetheless a holiday for both my husband and I. And the first day we both had off in a number of months. It had been so long that I had forgotten what it was like to:

-sleep in
-go out for breakfast
-simultaneously share parenting duties for an entire day

I had the pleasure of sleeping in until 8AM. Although that might not be considered "sleeping in" by most, everything is relative. And it is far better than 6AM!

Next, we headed to our favourite kid-friendly breakfast restaurant, Chez Cora. An hour later, with our bellies full, we headed home. Out baby and my husband then napped for a good hour, while my toddler and I enjoyed an hour of arts and crafts.

After a quick at-home lunch, we headed to Grandma's house. There, our daughters enjoyed the company of their aunt and grandmother as my husband and I went in search of a larger house. We visited two brand new houses in the suburbs, and I found myself hoping that we would soon sell our small condo!

My husband was playing tennis from 16-18h, and so the girls and I decided to hang out in a nearby park. After about an hour, my toddler insisted that we join papa in a game of tennis. We mostly stayed in an adjoining empty court, where the girls enjoyed playing their very own brand of tennis:

Our toddler taking a water break

Our ball girl

After their adventure-filled day, the girls slept soundly. Thus allowing their parents to do the same. Long live the Queen!

Let's Go to the Park!

Thanks to the recent warm weather, we made our first trip to the park this year. Our toddler had been countless times in previous years, but our baby had never actively participated. Last summer, she had either been sound asleep in her stroller, or lugged around in a baby carrier.

This last monday, as I picked up our toddler from pre-school, I suggested an impromptu trip to the park. There is a very large park across the street from her school that includes a wading pool (not yet open), a sand pit, and separate play structures for ages 1-4, and 5 & up. The weather was unexpectedly nice, and our trip was unplanned, so we had not brought along any sand toys; also I was unsure if the swings had been installed. As it happened, there were many children willing to share their sand toys. Additionally, the infant and toddler swings had been installed that same morning.

Overall, we had a great time. The baby had a large smile on her face the entire time, as she tried a swing for the first time in her life, and slid down her first slide. Our toddler was able to use the monkey bars without assistance for the first time. However, she declared herself "big enough" to use the big kid play structures, which made it a little difficult to watch both girls simultaneously...

On her first swing!

On the rocking whale

Already trying to climb up the slide!

Our little monkey!

In the sand pit.

Surviving March Break

At a local indoor playground

Enjoying March Break

A few weeks ago, I came across a headline in a family-oriented newsletter that I receive. It read: "How to Survive March Break." I did not bother reading the article as I mistakingly thought I did not have to deal with March Break for another few years...

Then, just two weeks ago, I overheard some chatter about March Break at the local YMCA.  I inquired if preschool was off for a week, and was surprised to find out that I would be home all week with my two lovely daughters! Since when do preschoolers need March Break, I thought to myself...In fact the YMCA hosts a March Break camp for older kids that are off school and needed the extra space.

On Monday, we ventured out with the double stroller for the first time in a long time. I timed the outing to coincide with the baby's nap time, and after putting up a bit of a fuss, she slept soundly. My toddler enjoyed the outing, but insisted we pick up some stickers before heading home. The afternoon went by surprisingly quickly, and before I knew it, my husband was home.

On Tuesday, we met my cousin and her two daughters at an indoor park in the West Island. I timed our arrival with the opening of the park, so as to avoid the large March Break crowds. It worked out well as we were the only ones there for almost an hour. And just when it started to get busy, we headed home. The baby slept on the car ride home, and once again, the afternoon went by quickly. After dinner, I took our toddler for a swim at a local indoor pool that I had just discovered. She had a great swim, jumped in about 50 times, and fell asleep quickly that night.

Wednesday went by very quickly. For the fist time since returning from maternity leave, I was working  during the week. My shift started at noon. We went out with the stroller in the morning, and once again, the baby fell asleep. We picked up some stickers on the way home. My mom had come over to help watch the kids, and I left at 11:30. I arrived home shortly after 20h, and both kids were asleep. Exhausted,  our toddler had fallen asleep very early, allowing my husband to easily put the baby to sleep. I should do more of theses 12-20h shifts, I thought to myself.

On Thursday, we headed to another indoor park, this one closer to our home. The girls enjoyed themselves, and once again, we left just as it was getting busy. The baby briefly slept on the way home.  That afternoon, we went out with the stroller, and not surprisingly, both girls fell asleep. Our toddler had woken up at 5:30 that morning, no doubt because of the early night she had had the previous night...

On Friday, I met my cousin and her two daughters at yet another indoor park. This park was much larger than the other two, but I thought that by arriving early, we would once again avoid the crowds. I knew I had been mistaken as we drove up to the parking lot. Even though the amusement centre had just opened, the line-up extended outdoors. Although the girls seemed to enjoy themselves, the park was enormous, making it very easy to lose sight of the girls. Thankfully, I only lost my toddler briefly, and for less than a minute. The place was a veritable zoo, and I could not wait to leave.

Perhaps next year we will plan a family trip during March Break...

Staycation # 2: a photo journey

Around the same time last year, we had our first stay-at-home vacation. And this last week, we had our second. It was so enjoyable, I am surprised we have only had two...

We played tennis together for the first time this year. We went swimming with both babies. We attended some great tennis matches at the Rogers Cup in Jarry Park. We had some very special out-of-town visitors: baby #2 met her grandfather, aunt, uncle, and cousins from Ontario for the first time.

But perhaps most refreshingly, I got to sleep in almost every morning. Our daughters are early risers, and with both my husband and I off Monday through Friday this last week, I finally caught up on some lost sleep...And what a difference it made...I had not experienced boundless energy in a long time.

Hanging out at the park with her cousins 

Practicing yoga

Reading with her cousin

Cuddling with her cousin

Enjoying her cereal

Yummy, eating mommy's chocolate pudding

Spring is Here!

Gardening

I had forgotten how easy it was to entertain our toddler outdoors. I remembered this week, as a warm front descended upon us, and we had record breaking weather. We had 5 days of temperature above 20C; typically the average March temperature is 2C!

We ventured to the park on several occasions. The baby slept soundly in her stroller, while our toddler ran around. The nice weather was so unexpected that the park's swings had not yet been set up. Our toddler was very content to be outdoors, and we found it difficult to convince her to return home.

Although the above average weather won't last, it was a nice distraction. Rather than mope around the house feeling exhausted, my goal was to get outside. And that I did, at least twice a day. Most often I was alone with one child while the other was being entertained by her father or grandmother. I am not yet confident that I can walk outside with both. What if our toddler decides to run into the street? The one time I ventured outdoors with both of them, our toddler insisted I carry her. "No," she said emphatically when I suggested she ride on the platform attached to the back of the stroller. Thankfully the park was only 50 meters from our house.

Napping

Invasion of the Daycares

CC builds a sand castle

The foul weather finally cleared up, just in time for the last few days of May.  A few days ago, the sun was in full force, and we decided to head out to the neighbourhood park.  The park, once derelict, had undergone impressive renovations.  There are three sections, one play area for 1-6 your-olds, a play area for 6 years and up, and a water park, consisting of large animal-shaped sprinklers that children can run through.  On this bright morning, we headed to the 1-6 year-old section.  I erroneously assumed that the timing was right, that the neighbourhood children would either be in daycare or in school, and my daughter and I would spend a quiet morning in the park.  As we approached the park, I quickly realized that that would not be the case.  There were roughly 50 screaming children, wearing their daycare garb, scattered amongst two of the three sections of the park.  There were only four adult supervisors for the lot, and I started to quietly curse daycares for invading our neighbourhood park.

I decided to give it a go, despite the screaming children, and the equally screaming supervisors (why couldn't they call their charges in quieter voices?). We settled into the only available space, a small corner in the sand.  We sat on the sand, and played with the shovel and bucket.  My curious baby was intrigued by the older children, and the time flew by quickly.  One of the daycare kids, a boy no older than 3 came up to us.
        
   "Hello," he said.
   "Hi," I replied.
   "I live in a group," he said.
   "You live in a group?"
   "Yes, I live in a daycare group."
   "What about your parents?"
   "No," he replied. "I live in a group."

I simultaneously thought this interaction humorous and pathetic.  But most of all, it cemented my thoughts on daycares.  I am fortunate enough to work in a place that is open 24 hours, and I can choose to work week-ends and evenings, thus negating the need for daycares.  But mostly I want our daughter to grow up knowing she lives with us, not in a group home!