I stopped to get my hair done on the way home from work Wednesday. It’s needed tending to for a while but we’ve been busy and I hate paying Ottawa prices. When I started to think about the trouble Karin would give me if I turned up in Toronto with my hair in that state, I decided I’d best take action. Big sisters aren’t afraid to tell it like it is, you know. I splurged, as I like to do, on a carrot cake and tea from Starbucks to have while I waited for the colour to set. Add to that the head massage one gets during the colouring and washing and it was a relaxing evening. Still when I got home and Reid said to me, “I missed you,” I could honestly tell her that I missed her, too. I enjoy having “me” time, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t want to give up my Reid-cuddles.
Archive for June, 2007
I missed you
Thursday, June 14th, 2007Books we read, June 13th
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007- Bear Hugs: Romantically Ridiculous Animal Rhymes by Karma Wilson, a romantic way to start the day, as I said;
- The Great Honey Hunt by Stanley and Janice Berenstain, back when the authors used their full names. The dad is, as is often the case with this series, a buffoon. We might stop reading them. If the mama was protrayed as a foolish but harmless character, I think I would get rid of the book. It’s tough, though, because the overall messages of many of the books are good ones and I hate to think of myself as the book banning type, though of course I am only deciding that they’re not right for our family;
- Smelly Socks by Robert Munsch, a book that makes me think of a song we sang at Kindermusik about sticking your head in a little skunk’s hole, Pee-yew!;
- If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff, a book that epitomizes the way life is with a 2 year old (and, I suspect, a kid of any age);
- The Way I Feel by Janan Cain, a book that fits well with conversations that we’ve been having lately, you know the ones that start, “I see that you are very angry…” or sad or frustrated as I try to help Reid pull herself together;
- The Very Bad Bunny by Marilyn Sadler; and
- At My House by Claire Clark and Susan James Frye, that I hear in Shannon’s (our Kindermusik teacher’s) voice no matter whether I am reading it or Ken is.
Love poems
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007This morning, while I was showering, Ken read love poems aloud. It was a romantic way to start the day. I’m sure Reid thought so, too, which is good since Ken was reading from one of her books and she was sitting right there on the potty listening with me. He had chosen Bear Hugs: Romantically Ridiculous Animal Rhymes by Karma Wilson to read. Or maybe she had chosen it. I didn’t care. If you can’t appreciate the romance of a love poem involving a bull dog or a snake or even bears, you must not have kids. I’m a sucker for pretty much anything Ken reads aloud to Reid. I just love to hear him sharing stories and spending the time with her. I’m ambivalent about the Diego story but that’s not his fault. In fact, Ken might argue that he should get extra credit for that one since he isn’t a Diego fan either. The things you do for love…
Dining out with the ladies
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007I’d brought Reid’s backpack in case she needed diversions while we waited for supper or while Amanda and I finished eating. At the last minute, Reid had asked to bring Baby with her and before supper she sat baby next to her booster seat and they played with the Viewmaster (how retro!) the waitress brought and chatted with each other and with us. Amanda and I ended waiting for Reid instead of the reverse but *we* didn’t have any toys. Instead, we had a nice girl talk.
At home, Aunty Amanda asked Reid what was her baby’s name. Reid replied, “Baby” in the matter of fact tone of someone who thinks an answer to be self-evident. Aunty Amanda suggested that Baby might like a more specific sort of name and Reid was a bit confused by the suggestion and so Aunty Amanda let it drop. I offered up the fact that not *all* dolls are named “Baby”, only the infants. The bigger ones with hair are called, “Dolly”. Except for the two Dora the Explorer dolls. They are obviously Dora.
Books we read, June 12th
Tuesday, June 12th, 2007I read Thomas’ Snowsuit by Robert Munsch twice today, to Reid’s delight as she loves supplying the “NNNNo” to all mentions of Thomas putting on his snowsuit and to Ken’s dismay as he seems as unimpressed by them as Reid is impressed. We also read:
- Wont You Be My Kissaroo? by Joanne Ryder;
- What Moms Cant Do by Douglas Wood, read by Ken because he hadn’t read it before, at least not a thousand times;
- Mama Loves by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, I like how Mama loves different things with each child, including “Her feet bare and free. Hiking and biking and being with me.” Sometimes just being with Reid is wonderful; and
- Hippos Go Beserk! by Sandra Boynton, a quick read before bed, if a little rowdier than I would usually choose.
Fire station
Tuesday, June 12th, 2007When we go to or from Melissa’s, we almost always drive by a fire station. Last night, on the way home we saw a pumper truck and a bunch of firefighters out in front spraying the grass. I slowed for Reid to see better but she couldn’t see it very well and told me so loudly. I turned around and went back and we saw that there was another vehicle stopped in the parking lot. We climbed out and the fire chief came over to explain that they were practicing. They’d set up a big yellow “corral” filled with water and were sucking water from it and through the pumper truck. We’d just read the book, Barn on Fire, at Melissa’s and in it the firefighters pumped water from a pond and so it was neat to be able to point out the comparison to the book. The fire chief also explained that the red helmets are worn by the chiefs, yellow helmets are worn by the firefighters on the line and white helmets are for bigger chiefs. After watching for a few minutes, we got back into the car and Reid wanted to talk about the helmets. She has a red helmet and so that means she is a boss. She wanted to know what helmet Daddy and I would have. I laughed and said that I would want a white one and Daddy would say that he’d have the yellow one. All the while, Reid was nodding and smiling. It made sense to her that I’d want to be the big boss.
Swimming in the sun
Tuesday, June 12th, 2007Melissa invited us for supper and a swim last night. Reid and I accepted but Ken stayed behind to clean his office, swimming really isn’t his favourite activity. Once we were poolside, Reid put on her lifejacket by herself and then grudgingly decided I could do up the buckles. She spent some time sitting on the steps but was soon propelling herself around the pool. It was surprising how bold she was and how quickly she learned how to twist her body to flip from her back to her front. I imagine it takes quite a bit of strength since the life jacket is designed to flip her onto her back. Reid didn’t like being on her back, though. I still got a few holding-on-for-dear-life hugs while we were in the pool but I was also kicked off the pool noodle that we were riding like a horse. Reid’s “diddy up, diddy up” and great big smile, filled with pride in her accomplishment, made up for the pool noodle. Now we have to continue to watch her like a hawk because she still gets water in her mouth when she swims around and she is bold. Just what I said I wasn’t sad to be missing.
Books we read, June 11th
Monday, June 11th, 2007At Melissa’s we read Love Song of the Little Bear by Margaret Wise Brown and also from an Appletree Farm treasury by Heather Amery, including:
- Pig Gets Stuck
- The Naughty Sheep
- Barn on Fire
- The Runaway Tractor
- Pig Gets Lost
- The Hungry Donkey
At home, Ken read Won’t You Be My Kissaroo? by Joanne Ryder and I read What Moms Can’t Do by Douglas Wood.
To demonstrate her unerring sense of when I need to sleep in
Monday, June 11th, 2007On Saturday night I stayed up too late – wait for it – filing bills and working on our finances. When Reid woke up at 5:30 and asked if it was waking up time and I said “absolutely not”. I dozed a bit but she didn’t and we got up at 6:00. We were dressed and out of the house by 6:30. Thank goodness that Eddy’s (or Didi’s as we call it) is open 24 hours. Didi was even there this week and our breakfast was served so quickly that we were back in the car by 7:15. We went to a 24 hour Loeb to get a few things that they didn’t have at Costco and then we went to the Byward Market in search of rhubarb (and because we still had an hour to kill before the museum opened). We found no rhubarb but we did get a couple of sunflowers in pots. I’d meant to grow them from seeds but going to San Diego and then home for Easter through me off my spring planting schedule ;+) Since we *still* had time to kill, Reid and I split a hot chocolate and a cookie from the pastry shop. We both liked the hot chocolate and rejected the very beautiful tulip cookie that was bland and hard. Sigh. We lead a tough life. In the end, we got to the Children’s Museum/Museum of Civilization about 9:05. We toured the China’s Treasures special exhibit. Reid was interested in the horse figurines, a brush for the calligraphy, some scrolls and figuring out if she could get on top of the cases. We moved (relatively) quietly, if quickly, through the exhibit and I know whether I want to go back (I don’t). For the record, we saw three horses and I didn’t let Reid climb on top of the display cases. I think I’ll use these preview options more rather than declining the special exhibit tickets as I usually do. We don’t pay extra for them since we’re members and at some point Reid will need to know how to behave in the non-children’s part of the museum. We spoke briefly with a fellow in a red serge RCMP uniform before a tour group rushed up for a photo op and rode the escalators for the sheer joy of riding the escalators before heading to the Children’s Museum. Reid was more interested in the displays than she has been before. She was more confident in going from one to the next and able to manipulate the interactive pieces. We had a nice visit, even though the outdoor part was closed, maybe even because it was closed since we weren’t rushing through. Next time we might only go outside. We finished up at a painting activity back in the main part. One of the artists whose work was part of the “In My Lifetime” exhibit of contemporary aboriginal art, Neal MacLeod, was helping with the painting activity. He suggested dipping the brush into the paint and then into the water before painting to create closer to a watercolour effect. I’d have never thought to do that. He also showed us to draw with an oil pastel and then paint with the same colour for a cool effect. Reid liked getting to use the water more often but wasn’t at all interested in the crayon/paint combo. She was interested to know as well that he painted pictures as a job, though. He is also teaches at Trent University but that wasn’t as interesting to Reid. Reid fell asleep about 4 minutes from home despite me tickling her and being as silly as I can be. I woke her for lunch and she got a bit of a second wind. Not me, I fell asleep while Ken was reading a before-nap book, albeit a long one because Reid got to choose it and she is wily that way. Reid and I both enjoyed that nap! After her nap, Reid went with Ken to the Aviation Museum for what was advertised as a Sunday Funday. They saw no evidence of any special activity but that’s okay. They like the planes. (No accounting for taste ;+) Reid was excited about a yellow helicopter that they could see into that is usually closed and also about a trio of helicopters, a daddy, a mama and a baby one. They tried to play on the structure too but it was too hot and they had to come home. I made curry for supper and Reid ate her body weight. The night before, she had three bites of pork chop, a couple cucumber slices and a swig of milk before going to read books to herself in the dining room. It’s true what my books say about looking at what a kid takes in over a week rather than just one day.