Archive for September, 2007

Cottage life, part 2

Wednesday, September 12th, 2007

Reid woke up at ten to six on Sunday morning. Since we were all in the same bedroom, Ken and I woke about then, too. As soon as Reid’s feet hit the kitchen floor, she was talking about going outside. I’d left the windows open until about 4:00 and the overnight temperature of 7 degrees Celsius made the cottage chilly enough that I knew to turn down Reid’s request to eat outside. We used the microfurnace to warm the kitchen and I cooked sausages (Reid’s favourite) and Reid made toaster waffles. I had to explain to Reid how the toaster worked first. She knew where to put the toast but not how to “flush” them. We have a toaster oven. She did a great job with the waffles and had fun, we’ll have to have them more often.

Ken dropped Reid and me off at Upper Canada Village just after 9:00 and went off to watch ships going through the locks. I saw more than enough ships go through the locks when I worked at Fort George and we decided that Reid wouldn’t enjoy the experience yet. We’ll take her to the Rideau Canal locks in Ottawa instead. Reid and I hadn’t been to the village in the morning before; we’ve always left home after lunch so that Reid can nap on the way.

In the morning, the costumed interpreters are busier in the morning or at least busy on different tasks. We saw some walking calves to the apple orchard to let them graze and using the pump to fill buckets for the trough. There were others raking the grass that had been cut the day before and some gathering corn and stalks for the oxen. We also got to see the men in the bakery punching down the bread and putting it in pans. The coals were still in the bread oven and I was able to point them out to Reid.

Over in the cheese factory, the man was stirring the milk as it cooked – it looked like pale orange cottage cheese since they’d already added the dye. Not so appealing, really. He explained about the process and also that the vast majority of cheddar cheese – more than 90% – is made in north eastern North America. He also told us that cottage cheese and cheese curds weren’t widely eaten until after pasteurization became the norm because of the “bad” bacteria that was in the milk. When I asked about aging cheese, he said that mild cheddar is aged from 2 to 6 months, medium from 6 months to 2 years and old for longer than 2 years. He said that in the 1860′s the main rule was not to eat the cheese before 2 months to be sure that the “good” bacteria had had enough time to destroy all of the “bad” bacteria.

We also saw a couple of men setting cauldrons to boil over an outside fire so that they would have lots of boiling water when they slaughtered the pig that afternoon. I didn’t mention the purpose to Reid, though, and while *I* saw the pig being cleaned and cut up later, I didn’t draw Reid’s attention to it. I’m sure she could have handled the sight. The area was clean, the people doing the work were respectful and it seemed sort of clinical. I didn’t think Ken and I were up to all of the questions, though. I don’t know enough about the finer points of running an abattoir or porcine biology.

For the first time ever, Reid and I took a ride on the carry all – a horse-drawn wagon that takes people around the village on a guided tour. Reid had never expressed an interest beyond watching the horses at a distance and there has always been lots of people on it. We were there before the crowds and it seemed like a good idea to propose it. The man driving told us lots about the buildings we drove by and also about the animals and crops – not so much that our brains filled up but enough to make it interesting. There are still buildings that I’ve not been in for 5 years and so it was good to hear what I’m missing.

We went into the print shop and saw a woman making posters for the Fall Fair that will be held on September 15 and 16. One announced the fair and the other warned “Beware of pickpockets”. Apparently some pickpockets followed a fall fair circuit since people carried much more cash when they went to the fair than was ordinarily the case. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this process before. Reid could relate to inking the stamp and had wide eyes as the press was retracted and the paper pulled off.

We stopped by the house where we saw the lady spinning last week and they were dying wool with walnuts. At the end of the process, the walnuts looked like charred black balls and the yarn would be a black-brown. Other than the cauldron over the fire, though, there didn’t seem to be much to see. The extra woman was weaving at a large loom but Reid wasn’t interested in watching her though she did watch the woman at the spinning wheel for a bit.

We noticed two swings in the backyard of the house next to where the wool-dying was happening and so made a point of going there. It amazes me that we’re still discovering things after all of our visits and I wonder what I’d do with a guest who had only a single visit. Reid had lots of fun on the swings – two ropes hanging from a branch with knots at the end and a wooden board between them. The one was too low even for her but the other was just right. I kept reminding her to keep her bum lower than her knees and she kept telling me to push her. It was a perfect activity in a perfect environment. There weren’t other kids waiting for a turn and the sunlight filtered in through the leaves of the apple tree.

We watched horses going in a circle in order to power a saw that was cutting logs. The one horse is grey and a favourite of Reid’s. I thought it was a white horse but the handler said that it had black skin and a white coat and was grey. A white horse has pink skin and a white coat, he said. The other man talked to Reid about the bark that was coming off the log and let her smell and touch the wood shavings that had fallen below the blade. No, not when the saw was working, when the horses were having a break.

We ate lunch at Willard’s Tavern, where we usualy have tea. I checked into the Harvest Barn, which is more cafeteria-like, but the prices were pretty much the same as Willard’s without the ambience or the view. I had a ploughman’s lunch plate and Reid asked for stew. She ate some meat and dipped her bread in the gravy and then spied my boiled egg. Since she asked politely if she could have my “fancy” egg, I happily let her have it. She didn’t like it and had trouble swallowing the bite and so I offered her a bite of just the yolk but that wasn’t right either. Of course, I had to taste it then and discovered that it was a chilled, pickled, hard-boiled egg. Pretty different from the warm, non-pickled ones I give her at home.

After lunch we went over to see a bit of the singer who was at the family activity centre as part of the special event. We were really there for the marionnettes but had some time to kill. Reid listened to one song but didn’t seem interested and I offered to go play outside. She shook her head and cuddled close and I picked her up. Before the next song was over, Reid was asleep.  I carried her to her stroller and she stayed asleep while a nice lady put the back down for me and then when I lay her down. We went to the quiet, shady spot of the path we’d walked down earlier for the first time and I sat on a little bench and wrote about our hot air balloon adventures while Reid slept for 45 minutes. I’m lucky that Reid isn’t ready to give up her nap, since it’s required at daycare. I also enjoy the quiet time (okay the chance to nap).

Ken picked us up at 2:30 and we all went to Prehistoric World. A one-kilometre long path runs winds it’s way through some gardens and a forested area and along the way there are cement dinosaurs of various types. For the first 2/3 of our visit we saw dinosaurs that looked similar to ones we remembered from school but had different names. There were a few sentences describing each dinosaur and so I’ll have to conclude they were properly researched. Still we were glad to see the Brontosaurus, Triceratops and T-Rex. We wondered if there was such a thing as “new dinosaurs” to go along with “new math”. The first dinosaur that really caught Reid’s interest was just being built. The wire frame shape was complete but the cement hadn’t yet been added. Ken dubbed it an “incompletasaurus” and we took a picture of it. He had names for the other dinosaurs, too. My husband has some trouble imagining cement dinosaurs as the real thing and he has a wicked sense of humour. Some of his alternate names were very funny.

We finished up digging in an “archaeological” sand pit. I’d read about it on the Prehistoric World web site and so had brought buckets and shovels. As we dug for dinosaur bones – okay, we were making castles, Reid wasn’t interested in digging for bones – a little boy came over and asked to borrow a shovel. He said please without prompting and we had a spare and I encouraged Reid to say, “yes”. His mom was somewhat horrified. I told her that he’d asked nicely and it was no trouble and then went back to playing. The sand pit was Reid’s favourite part. Without it, I’m not sure that she would have been as positive about the visit. If she was a dinosaur fanatic, like many preschoolers are, she would have enjoyed the range of types of dinosaurs. Parents see cement statues but I think the kids can imagine them alive better.

We had hot dogs and salads (good purchase ;+) and chips for supper on the deck at the cottage. I think the cold of the previous night killed the flies or maybe they were all sick with colds in their little fly houses. Either way it suited me. Reid had a hotdog and bun, until the bun “broke” and was unfit for eating (at least according to Reid). Then she smiled at her dad and convinced him to let her have the left over hamburgers that he’d been planning to eat. Ken is amused that Reid is such a carnivore. To be completely accurate, she loves meat and dairy products, likes most fruit and veggies and could take or leave bread. Oh, and she loves rice and pasta – will eat a plate of spaghetti noodles with nothing but parmesan cheese or a mound of rice.

There was a 3 year old and a little one about 18 months old, both girls, in the next door cottage. There was a little toddler boy a few cottages down. We saw some shy smiles exchanged and the other 3 year old girl said, “hi” but Reid didn’t speak. Reid is a reserved kid. She has some good friends at daycare but she isn’t the sort to run away hand-in-hand with someone she just met at the park. It’s funny. She likes to be in crowds but not necessarily talking to the other people.

We played more of the Winnie the Pooh Goes Together game and went to bed relatively early. Ken sat up in the kitchen reading and since Reid fell asleep so quickly, I even managed to get up for a while. We’d had such a busy day that I stayed up only long enough to have a hot chocolate but it was still an accomplishment for me.

Cottage life, part 1

Wednesday, September 12th, 2007

We got to our cottage at the Doran Bay Resort in Iroquois, Ontario just after 1:00 on Saturday. There were 10 cottages (one for supplies) all in a line with space between them to park a car. Each cottage had a deck, table and chairs and a barbecue. Lawn chairs were scattered around the grass. There were also a pool that was open from 9 until people stopped swimming, a couple of canoes in which we could paddle around the bay, a gazebo with some toys, a couch and chairs and a long table, and lots of open space to run and play on. There was a line of firepits set at a distance from the cottages, which meant the kids didn’t go near them during the day and at night people could have bonfires without disturbing people trying to sleep in the cottages. There wasn’t, unfortunately for us, a climbing structure, swings or a sand box or a beach. We had to re-evaluate our plans a bit for entertaining Reid. It would have been ideal if Reid were nine or ten and willing to make friends with the other kids and play on the grounds or if we’d been part of a group. In fact, Ken assessed it a perfect place for my family to gather. There were 2 cabins of people – grandparents, adult kids and small kids – that seemed to have discovered this for themselves.

We lugged our things in from our car (which I stil lovey) and all lay down for a nap. The cottage was delightfully cool, holding onto the chill of the night before and I was reminded of why I love late August in this part of Ontario: warm days for playing and cool nights for sleeping. While I got groceries, Reid and Ken took turns pitching and hitting with Reid’s new plastic bat and ball. I heard that Reid also rode her bike in the lane behind the cottage. Ken pushed her along the stones and practiced braking. Coincidentally, she was also breaking her dad’s back bit by bit.

We all played outside for a while and then Reid and I went for a swim. Reid brought her Dora the Explorer swim ring along and took it for its first test float in a real pool. She’s had it for more than a year but we’ve never taken it anywhere but Reid’s wading pool. The pool was kind of chilly for me – *only* 78 degrees – but Reid had no such concerns. After our swim, we sunned on plastic chaise lounges, watching Reid wrap herself more or less gracefully in a variety of arrangements. It was entertainment in itself.

Reid and I walked over to look at the river and the bay. We took a canoe for a “ride” – staying safely on the grass and letting the wind blow us along so that we could leave our imaginary paddles on the bottom of the boat. I joked that we should have brought Uncle Roge along to paddle us around, like our last canoe trip. We also went out onto the little dock, that Reid insisted on calling a bridge, and looked into the water. We didn’t see any fish – though the fellow in the next cottage reported having caught a few – and Reid was convinced that the dock, rather than the water, was moving.

Ken barbecued hamburgers for supper on the barbecue that was in front of the deck. It was a smoky affair and the results were lip-smackingly good. Paired with the salads I so carefully shopped for, it was a wonderful meal and we ate at the table on our deck. After supper, we went inside the cottage to get away from the flies and played the Winnie the Pooh Goes Together game that I got at the Dollar Store before we went to Chicago. We’d never played it before but Reid seemed to know the rules. She paired the soap and tub, wind and kite, and so on confidently and then turned them over to find the picture on the back. In theory, the picture on the back confirms the match. In reality, it does that and also provides a clue to what the other item might be. Reid was quite willing to sneak a peek at the back when stumped and eventually as a matter of course. I tried to stamp out this devious behaviour with a few, “Reid, you’re not playing fair” comments but since she was playing alone, no one was about to quit the game to make a point.

The temperature dropped as the evening came – not like those crazy days of 27 degrees at 8:00pm – and it would have been a perfect night for a campfire. The woman who runs the resort offered to set us up with wood for only $4 but we declined. Reid needed to go to bed and I knew I wouldn’t be far behind her in falling asleep. There were even extra-long handled hot dog or marshmallow roasting forks in the supply cabin. Mmmm, yummy, thinking back I wish we’d kept Reid up. Sunday went better for us having put her to bed on time, though, I’m sure.

My favourite children’s television shows

Wednesday, September 12th, 2007

When Reid was tiny, I watched Baby Einstein videos while I nursed. Baby Bach and Baby Mozart were the best – I had the impression that they wouldve been even more enjoyable while under the influence of mind-altering drugs. Being a new mother, with the mixed up sleep patterns that entails, is sort of a mind-altered state. The toys spin and slide in a sort of hypnotic manner and the music, played on xylophones and other similar instruments, was familiar and yet unusual, too.

At one point, maybe when she was sick since she was out a lot of her first year of daycare, Ken discovered Pocoyo on Treehouse TV. It’s the story of a boy who is 3, named Pocoyo, and his friends:
* Elly, a pink elephant who plays a big sister role;
* Pato, a fastidious duck who is the best friend;
* Sleepy Bird who can sleep through almost anything or wake up to chirp a complaint at being disturbed before promptly returning to sleep;
* Baby Sleepy Bird, who has as much energy as her/his mama has sleepiness;
* Loula, Pocoyo’s dog, who is just a dog;
* the voice of Stephen Fry as narrator; plus
* a variety of other characters who make occasional appearances.

(Wikipedia has a good entry on Pocoyo and his friends.)

My favourite episode ever involves Pato trying to stay clean while Pocoyo and Elly fingerpaint, eat sandwiches and then make mud pies. The latter lead to scenes feature Pato trying to avoid mud droplets in the same way Nemo avoids the bullets in The Matrix. It’s laugh out loud funny. Ultimately, Pato learns that getting clean is more fun if you get dirty first.

What about you? Which kids’ shows do you enjoy?

Note: Her Bad Mother, over at Mama Said Check This Out, just received some Farzle dvds and is giving them out for posts about What’s on Your Tube.

Shoes, sandals and rainy days

Wednesday, September 12th, 2007

Have you ever noticed how kids get slower and chattier when you’re standing in the rain, waiting to take them out of the car – where, incidentally, they are able to stay dry? It happens to us all of the time.

Reid was having a between-season footwear dilemma yesterday. I was all set to send her in sandals when Ken mentioned running shoes. Reid decided she needed shoes and socks and so I ran upstairs to get her socks. The socks went on okay but then the shoes I offered were deemed unsuitable. The second pair were no better. As the little vein on the side of Ken’s head started to pulse – he thinks he is Zen-like as he waits without speaking – I told Reid she’d have to take her socks off and wear her sandals. At which point, she discovered the solution for herself: socks and flip-flops. Ken blurted out a “that won’t work” kind of statement. I explained that she’d done it before, made me cringe but they aren’t my feet. I took her running shoes to the car, just in case.

When Ken and Reid got to daycare, Reid fiddled about putting on her shoes – I’m not sure whether it was sandals or runners she was working on – as Ken stood in the rain. Reid is never quick about getting out of the car but it seems that she is slowest on rainy days. Even on cold and snowy days, it’s not so bad since we can bundle up but we’re not slicker-wearing folk on the way to work. We’re working on Zen-like acceptance of the vagaries of nature.

Reid likes our Caliber, too

Tuesday, September 11th, 2007

When we first got our new car, Reid was mostly positive although she did miss “her” purple car some, too. I loved the Caliber from the beginning, as I’ve said. We haven’t talked much about the car lately. Grandma Joyce and Aunt Pam are here for a visit and they hadn’t seen the car yet. Reid took Grandma Joyce for a tour of the car. She proudly showed off each of the tail lights, the gas tank door (it’s a circle), the mirrors and the headlights. Reid pointed out the daddy sheep – it’s built Ram tough. She also told Grandma that there was an engine inside but Reid couldn’t open the hood to show it. I don’t think Ken and I have shown the car to that many people since it’s been a pretty quiet summer on the visitors front but she knows to point out her favourite features.

I discovered a little storage compartment in the hatch yesterday when I was loading groceries. There’s a door built in to the right side wall just behind the wheel well. This must be the first time in the 2 months since we’ve had it that I haven’t put the groceries on top of the stroller that I never seem to take out. In our Cirrus, we had a little bin with our emergency candle, “tinfoil” blanket and a couple other things that rolled around in the trunk. It was nice to find another thing to like about this car since we’ll be paying for it for another 43 months. My only complaint so far is that something weird happens when we drive with the windows open that sets up a bass sound that makes me naseous. Since it’s resolved by closing the windows, I’m okay with it. Reid would disagree but she’ll get over it.

And to think that Chrysler doesn’t pay me anything to say nice things about my car …

Toopy and Binoo come to Ottawa

Tuesday, September 11th, 2007

Ohmigoodness! I don’t know what we’ll need to do to top Reid seeing Toopy and Binoo live. (Toopy and Binoo are part of the Treehouse tv line up.) She found the whole thing absolutely mesmerizing.

We went to Eddie’s for breakfast and then to the Byward Market in search of a winter hat for Reid and some Russet apples for Ken. The market stall where the hats were supposed to be still had summer dresses at it. The lady who Aunt Pam spoke with about the apples told her she was rushing fall. Reid would have said that we weren’t rushing nearly fast enough. She knew that we were going to see Toopy and Binoo next and wanted to get to that part of the day.

We got to the St Laurent Centre about 9:40. The mall doesn’t open until 11:00 on Sunday and it was pretty much deserted. Still, we weren’t the first to arrive. There was a blanket on the floor right next to the barrier. We laid our blanket just behind the first one. I didn’t want us to end up with cricks in our necks, or worse, an obstructed view from being too close. We whiled away the time taking turns using the bathroom, watching Barney on one of the televisions on the stage. Once the Playdoh activity area was open – they were sponsoring the tour along with Hasbro and Canadian Family magazine – Reid and I spent some time playing before taking the Playdoh back to the blanket. I have to remark on how smooth and almost silky the Playdoh was. At home, Reid and I either make the dough or I buy it the Dollar Store. The new, real-deal Playdoh is the stuff of my childhood.

At long last, with a full crowd of excited children assembled in front of the stage, the emcee came out and told us that Toopy and Binoo would be coming in just minutes. The air was electric. When Toopy and Binoo climbed onto the stage, Reid stood up without a conscious thought, hands clasped in a clap in front of her chest. After a few minutes of entranced staring, I brought Reid onto my lap. Her gaze didn’t waver at all. Throughout the performance, Reid followed whatever suggestion that Toopy made (Binoo doesn’t speak) wiggling for the dances, holding her arm out as a trunk when prompted, that sort of thing.

Aunt Pam, Reid and I sat on a blanket on the floor. Grandma Joyce’s old bones couldn’t manage the marble floor and so she stood on the balcony of the second floor, above and behind the stage. Afterwards, Grandma Joyce said that she thought she’d had the best view of anyone since she’d been able to see Reid’s reactions. I’d only been able to see the rapture on her face from the side. I *was* able to feel the intensity of her focus. I can’t be sure if I’m glad to have shared her first obsession or worried that she could be so totally enthralled.

Edited to add: Her Bad Mother, over at Mama Said Check This Out, just received some Farzle dvds and is giving them out for posts about What’s on Your Tube.

Hanging out with Grandma Joyce and Aunt Pam

Monday, September 10th, 2007

Ken and I went out for dinner and a movie Saturday night while Reid stayed with Grandma Joyce and Aunt Pam. Aunt Pam took Reid for a walk. Once they were on their way, Reid took Aunt Pam to the park. Reid is good with directions and was able to lead Aunt Pam right there. Reid insisted on playing on the big kids’ slides and climbers, even though there were bigger kids running about. The bigger kids were careful to give Reid a wide berth and so she played safely. I think Aunt Pam’s favourite activity was trying to lift Reid high enough to reach the triangle that kids hang from as they slide across. Oh no, that’s not right. Aunt Pam said that she liked the teeter-totter thing that is constructed so that she and Reid could play together. It was me that smiled at the image of Aunt Pam lifting Reid waaay up to reach the handle. On the way back, Aunt Pam carried Reid on her shoulders for a while. Reid was wearing her white and pink dress (thanks again Sari, Melissa et al) and draped the skirt of it over Aunt Pam’s forehead. Next, Reid lowered it so that Aunt Pam’s whole face was covered. There was a lady walking near them who had a good chuckle at the sight.

Back at our house, Grandma Joyce and Aunt Pam let Reid lay on the couch and watch television. After a while, Reid announced that she went to sleep upstairs. Aunt Pam asked Reid where she wanted to go and then followed her to “Daddy’s bed”. After some expected hijinx, Reid fell asleep at her usual time.  What a pleasant thing to come home to – a sleeping kid at the end of an all-too-rare night.

The word you are looking for is “letter”

Saturday, September 8th, 2007

Reid announced that she wanted to write an email to Grandma (she didn’t specify which) the other night after supper. I told her that I’d get the laptop set up for her as soon as soon I’d finished eating. Reid went straight to her easel, though, and started “writing” with her markers. She talked as she wrote about where we’d been and what we’d been doing lately. Then, she got her scissors and made some cuts in the edge of the paper. When I told Reid we needed to go up to the tub, she told me that hadn’t finished the email to Grandma yet. I hear older people speak of writing people a “letter” when the mean sending an email. Reid, though, is a “digital native” and her words work differently.

Let me spell that out for you

Saturday, September 8th, 2007

When Amanda was over visiting recently, I asked her if she wanted something and spelled out the “something”. Not missing a beat, Amanda said the word and then said, “yes?” Something like, “You said,  ‘cake’ and what of it?” Ken and I laughed and told her that we spelled words when we didn’t want Reid to know what we were discussing, not when we wanted to test our friends. It’s funny the things that are sort of reflex for parents and just odd for people without kids.

I’m your family

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

Last night, Amanda was telling us about a family she knows in which the mother is taking the two kids and going to see her family in China for 2 months and then the kids (a toddler and a baby) will be staying for a full year. I can’t imagine being separated from Reid from a week (though I’m getting closer to being apart for a weekend) let alone a year. Somehow, Ken got to the possibility of a kid moving into the basement.

Reid’s ears almost visibly perked up. Sleep! In the basement! What an idea! Reid was going to sleep in the basement that very night. I told her that the basement was too messy to sleep in – and, by the way, we needed to remedy that before Aunt Pam and Grandma Joyce came to visit. (I smile in anticipation of the visit, if not the cleaning.) Reid stuck with wanting to sleep in the basement that night. I offered that she could sleep in the basement once my family arrived. Reid looked surprised and said, “I am your family.” Ken laughed and said, “She’s only 3 and she gets it,” and he mumbled something about me not being separate from my family of birth yet. When Ken and Amanda were done laughing, I tried arguing that I’d be lonely if she slept in the basement. At first, Reid argued that she would still be close and then she told me that I could sleep next to her on the floor. Being the problem-solving sort, she’d dealt with my concern that the basement was too messy by deciding to sleep on the floor and my loneliness by including me in the plan. Resourceful girl, that Reid.

Finally, Ken said that basement sleeping wasn’t going to happen with some variation of “because I said so” and Reid let the issue drop.