Saturday, February 26, 2011
New blog
Just wanted to post quickly that I've started a new blog. I've decided to try out wordpress, just for the heck of it. The new blog is entitled: west meets east ottawa. You can check it out here.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Winding down the blog and moving to the Other Side of the Universe
It came to me today, while I was at the gym, that it is time to wind down Dispatches of a rookie mom of one.
Change has been the theme of the last year. I've had plans change, said goodbye to relationships that were very dear to me, took up running, lost 20 pounds in the process and concluded that change is sometimes very necessary.
The biggest change is yet to come. We've sold the house. We've bought a house in Orleans. For those who don't know Ottawa, Orleans is an east end suburb. I like to call it the Other Side of the Universe. From Kanata, it takes about 30 minutes, depending on the traffic. When we were looking, I thought it would be highly ironic and amusing if we ended up moving to the east-end as we are staunch west-enders. The west end is awesome, we thought. We'd never leave.
Moving to Orleans, in part, was a financial decision. Yes, we could have moved to either the south or north end of Kanata or even up the road to Stittsville and settle for something we didn't necessarily want, but the house prices are a tad steep. Then there was the bus times to consider. We have it pretty good where we currently live. Moving to the north or south end of Kanata and even Stittsville would result in a longer bus ride. Also, there is a what-the-hell-let's-move-to-Orleans attitude. We don't know Orleans. But who is to say this is a bad thing? Stepping out of your comfort zone can be a very hard thing to do.
Moving, along with my growing disdain to the mommy industry (a totally different post) and the fact that my so-called freelance job zaps every ounce of energy when it comes to writing, it is time to wind down the blog. I've got ideas for another blog, but I'm putting them on hold for a couple of months. It has been a good run, and although I do reserve the right to change my mind at any moment, sometimes change is necessary.
Change has been the theme of the last year. I've had plans change, said goodbye to relationships that were very dear to me, took up running, lost 20 pounds in the process and concluded that change is sometimes very necessary.
The biggest change is yet to come. We've sold the house. We've bought a house in Orleans. For those who don't know Ottawa, Orleans is an east end suburb. I like to call it the Other Side of the Universe. From Kanata, it takes about 30 minutes, depending on the traffic. When we were looking, I thought it would be highly ironic and amusing if we ended up moving to the east-end as we are staunch west-enders. The west end is awesome, we thought. We'd never leave.
Moving to Orleans, in part, was a financial decision. Yes, we could have moved to either the south or north end of Kanata or even up the road to Stittsville and settle for something we didn't necessarily want, but the house prices are a tad steep. Then there was the bus times to consider. We have it pretty good where we currently live. Moving to the north or south end of Kanata and even Stittsville would result in a longer bus ride. Also, there is a what-the-hell-let's-move-to-Orleans attitude. We don't know Orleans. But who is to say this is a bad thing? Stepping out of your comfort zone can be a very hard thing to do.
Moving, along with my growing disdain to the mommy industry (a totally different post) and the fact that my so-called freelance job zaps every ounce of energy when it comes to writing, it is time to wind down the blog. I've got ideas for another blog, but I'm putting them on hold for a couple of months. It has been a good run, and although I do reserve the right to change my mind at any moment, sometimes change is necessary.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day
This is a little late, but Happy Valentine's Day dear readers. This has been a crazy, busy month for us so we we didn't celebrate Valentine's Day. However, at the last moment I whipped up some construction paper hearts, gave darling daughter some glue and she went to town. Maybe next year we'll get more into the festive spirit. But there is too much going on right now.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Dust bunnies never sleep
I've reach nirvana. I have a completely clean house. There is no clutter to be seen. There are no dirty dishes in the sink. Coats and boots are in their place. There is no mess in the bathroom. Yep, I've achieved clean house nirvana.
But I'll let you on a little secret: maintaining clean house nirvana is a high maintenance chore. Very high maintenance and immensely time consuming. You see, we let things lapse a bit earlier in the week. However, when we had to resume house showings on Thursday, it was back at to it. Luckily, darling daughter wasn't home. So for two and a half hours, I spent shining the sinks, sweeping the front foyer, folding laundry and most of all, battling dust bunnies.
Despite the fact I had vacuumed days before, the dust bunnies were back at it, mingling under my bed, in my closets and in nooks and crannies. Out came Dyson. He easily sucked them up. Unfortunately for the dust bunnies, they are attracted to Dyson like bees to pollen. It must due to his powers of persuasion that they'd have a better life inside his canister.
But dust bunnies never sleep. They keep on reproducing. They keep mingling. They keep conspiring. Less than 24-hours since I vacuumed, I was force to eliminate dust bunnies again this morning. Having no time to vacuum, I got out the Swiffer. What came out from underneath the bed was disgusting. I've realized that Dyson and I could vacuum every day and the dust bunnies would still have the upper hand. So here's to you, dust bunnies. You may win the war, but I will keep on battling you to achieve and keep house clean nirvana.
But I'll let you on a little secret: maintaining clean house nirvana is a high maintenance chore. Very high maintenance and immensely time consuming. You see, we let things lapse a bit earlier in the week. However, when we had to resume house showings on Thursday, it was back at to it. Luckily, darling daughter wasn't home. So for two and a half hours, I spent shining the sinks, sweeping the front foyer, folding laundry and most of all, battling dust bunnies.
Despite the fact I had vacuumed days before, the dust bunnies were back at it, mingling under my bed, in my closets and in nooks and crannies. Out came Dyson. He easily sucked them up. Unfortunately for the dust bunnies, they are attracted to Dyson like bees to pollen. It must due to his powers of persuasion that they'd have a better life inside his canister.
But dust bunnies never sleep. They keep on reproducing. They keep mingling. They keep conspiring. Less than 24-hours since I vacuumed, I was force to eliminate dust bunnies again this morning. Having no time to vacuum, I got out the Swiffer. What came out from underneath the bed was disgusting. I've realized that Dyson and I could vacuum every day and the dust bunnies would still have the upper hand. So here's to you, dust bunnies. You may win the war, but I will keep on battling you to achieve and keep house clean nirvana.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
A little pick-me-up
Yesterday was a bad idea. We got some discouraging news. I was operating on little sleep and dealing with a horrible cold and ended up driving in "heavy flurries" (didn't know such a phrase exists, but it does according to Environment Canada) to the doctor's office to get antibiotics.
While I was cleaning up, I discovered that darling daughter had tucked in her dolly on our bed. There she was, propped up on pillows and covered with the small afghan my grandmother made me when I was a baby. Darling daughter had made her comfortable before she headed off for preschool. Despite all the crap I've been wading through lately, this put a smile on my face.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Freckles
For the last two weeks I've been living in a sleep deprived haze. Between getting the house ready for showings, leaving for showings, and dealing will more illness, sleep has been a luxury that I haven't enjoyed. Today, I went down for a nap when darling daughter was having her usual afternoon siesta.
I woke up to a little voice chattering away in the crib in her room. At first, I thought she was saying "We have to go to J's." J is our relief daycare provider. When I stumbled into her room I finally figured out what she was saying. She wasn't saying, "We have to go to J's," but rather "I have something on my skin."
She was pointing to a freckle on her arm, trying to scratch it off. She seemed pretty concerned that this mark wasn't coming off.
Me: It's a freckle.
DD: Freckle?
Me: Yes, a freckle. (I pointed out a couple on my own arm).
DD: (Looking at the freckles on my arm) That's okay, Mommy. I have one, too.
I woke up to a little voice chattering away in the crib in her room. At first, I thought she was saying "We have to go to J's." J is our relief daycare provider. When I stumbled into her room I finally figured out what she was saying. She wasn't saying, "We have to go to J's," but rather "I have something on my skin."
She was pointing to a freckle on her arm, trying to scratch it off. She seemed pretty concerned that this mark wasn't coming off.
Me: It's a freckle.
DD: Freckle?
Me: Yes, a freckle. (I pointed out a couple on my own arm).
DD: (Looking at the freckles on my arm) That's okay, Mommy. I have one, too.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Hair cut in a shopping cart
I should have brought my camera with me yesterday to capture darling daughter's first true professional hair cut. But like most things that happen in my life, it was a spur of the moment thing with absolutely no planning involved.
For the third time within the week, we were at our local mall, killing time as someone looked at our house. Our community mall is pretty small and there are only so many things you can do to entertain a toddler before you are pulling out your hair. While eating lunch, I instantly had an idea. The department store has a hair salon. Darling daughter needed a hair cut. And we had time to kill. Hair cut it was. This idea did not go over well with darling daughter, despite the fact she was cruising around in one of those kids buggies in the shape of cars.
I've cut darling daughter's hair in the past. The results haven't been good. After my second hair cut, I vowed that I should leave it up to the professionals.
Big tears rolled down her face as we waited. The hair stylist suggested that we use a shopping cart to keep her in during the hair cut. Off went dear husband to get a cart while I tried to calm down an upset two and a half year old.
The beginnings of a mullet have ended. While short, it is not straggly. I think darling daughter is still peeved at me because every time I tousle her hair, she says in a stern voice, not to touch her head. Ouch.
For the third time within the week, we were at our local mall, killing time as someone looked at our house. Our community mall is pretty small and there are only so many things you can do to entertain a toddler before you are pulling out your hair. While eating lunch, I instantly had an idea. The department store has a hair salon. Darling daughter needed a hair cut. And we had time to kill. Hair cut it was. This idea did not go over well with darling daughter, despite the fact she was cruising around in one of those kids buggies in the shape of cars.
I've cut darling daughter's hair in the past. The results haven't been good. After my second hair cut, I vowed that I should leave it up to the professionals.
Big tears rolled down her face as we waited. The hair stylist suggested that we use a shopping cart to keep her in during the hair cut. Off went dear husband to get a cart while I tried to calm down an upset two and a half year old.
The beginnings of a mullet have ended. While short, it is not straggly. I think darling daughter is still peeved at me because every time I tousle her hair, she says in a stern voice, not to touch her head. Ouch.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Final thoughts for this final day of January
Four illnesses, busting my butt to get the house ready for market, and trying to work a casual freelance job (casual in all sense of the word), I managed to survive January.
Goodbye January! See you in 11 months.
Since my last post, it has been a roller coaster. I got sick. Dear husband got sick. And darling daughter was still sick. We managed to kick another gastro bug out the front door, but now darling daughter is sick again, this time with a cold. She isn't a happy camper as she is operating on very little sleep. However, she has plenty of two-year-old attitude to dish out to me and her father.
Despite battling illnesses, we managed to reach our goal and get our house up for sale. I didn't realize how much work is involved in getting a house market ready, but we have managed to transform our humble abode into something very nice. While I wanted to pull out my hair during the staging process, the results provide that it was worth every hurdle we had to jump over.
Now we wait. My house is immaculately clean. Hopefully it will sell fast. That's our wish, but we shall see. We don't know what the future holds. We know the house will sell, but what we do in the future is a mystery to us. I'm just taking it one day at a time.
Goodbye January! See you in 11 months.
Since my last post, it has been a roller coaster. I got sick. Dear husband got sick. And darling daughter was still sick. We managed to kick another gastro bug out the front door, but now darling daughter is sick again, this time with a cold. She isn't a happy camper as she is operating on very little sleep. However, she has plenty of two-year-old attitude to dish out to me and her father.
Despite battling illnesses, we managed to reach our goal and get our house up for sale. I didn't realize how much work is involved in getting a house market ready, but we have managed to transform our humble abode into something very nice. While I wanted to pull out my hair during the staging process, the results provide that it was worth every hurdle we had to jump over.
Now we wait. My house is immaculately clean. Hopefully it will sell fast. That's our wish, but we shall see. We don't know what the future holds. We know the house will sell, but what we do in the future is a mystery to us. I'm just taking it one day at a time.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Vomit
This is one of the mysteries of parenthood: why does my child decide to get sick at midnight?
My child has yet to wake up in the morning to tell that she is sick. All of her illnesses start at midnight. It is kind of freaky.
Wednesday night she got up around 11 p.m. for a bathroom break, which is routine. But then she was unconscionable, crying, demanding cuddles in the rocking chair. Then after we settled her down, she threw up. A quick cleanup of puke all over the bathroom floor, we thought we were in the clear until she threw up two hours later. And before dawn could break, there was another incident that involved vomiting.
The washer ran constantly yesterday as I had laundry from two beds, along with darling daughter's pukey clothes, to wash. Poor pink dolly. She got vomited on twice in a span of 12 hours. Fifteen minutes after she freed from the dryer, darling daughter threw up on her again. Back into the wash she went.
So far, we've been 24-hours free of any vomiting incidents. I finally got around to doing a major scrub down of the bathroom floor today as I wasn't happy with the quick cleanup job I did the other day. The laundry is done and put away. Hopefully we stay puke-free for the time being.
My child has yet to wake up in the morning to tell that she is sick. All of her illnesses start at midnight. It is kind of freaky.
Wednesday night she got up around 11 p.m. for a bathroom break, which is routine. But then she was unconscionable, crying, demanding cuddles in the rocking chair. Then after we settled her down, she threw up. A quick cleanup of puke all over the bathroom floor, we thought we were in the clear until she threw up two hours later. And before dawn could break, there was another incident that involved vomiting.
The washer ran constantly yesterday as I had laundry from two beds, along with darling daughter's pukey clothes, to wash. Poor pink dolly. She got vomited on twice in a span of 12 hours. Fifteen minutes after she freed from the dryer, darling daughter threw up on her again. Back into the wash she went.
So far, we've been 24-hours free of any vomiting incidents. I finally got around to doing a major scrub down of the bathroom floor today as I wasn't happy with the quick cleanup job I did the other day. The laundry is done and put away. Hopefully we stay puke-free for the time being.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Sock yarn love
It's official. I'm addicted to sock yarn.
If you aren't a knitter, crochet, a lover of fiber or have no idea what I'm talking about, feel free to stop reading now. I won't be offended. I promise.
My sock yarn love started in September when I went to Fiberfest in Almonte and was introduced to Turtlepurl yarn. I bought a skein of Ruby Love, which I'm knitting into a shawl. A shawl, you say? How old fashioned of you, Valerie. Not really. According to what I'm seeing on Ravelry, shawls seem to be a popular garment to knit these days. Plus, my Turtlepurl is too pretty to be made into socks. How am I going to show its glory to the world if it is on my feet?
I won a skein of Merisock as a prize in a knit-a-long recently. It was almost made into socks, but at the last minute I cast on my Knit Picks Stroll, instead. Again, the Merisock is too pretty. I think I'm going to make a scarf.
Today, jonesing for sock yarn, I went to my local yarn store and bought a skein of Cascade hand painted sock yarn and a ball of Austermann. I'm telling myself that they will be made into socks, but I have my doubts. They are both so pretty. How am I going to show off their awesomeness to the world if they are on my feet?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Bulletin board reading
Sometimes I find myself reading the bulletin boards at the gym. Postings for bridal boutiques, in-home businesses and daycare services are the usual reading materials tacked on the bulletin boards in the ladies locker room. However, one posting stood out yesterday that still has me shaking my head.
The gist of the posting went a little like this (and please note is not verbatim as I'm paraphrasing from memory):
To the person who accidentally took my Lululemon pants hanging outside of the sauna, could you please return them to the front desk? No questions asked. They were a Christmas gift from my kids. Thanks for not taking my shirt and underwear.
Wow. That takes some nerve to take a person's pants when they are in the sauna. Although I don't do it anymore because I'm addicted to running in my Lululemon shorts, I would often come to the gym wearing my workout clothes. This is making me think twice about doing that. That would suck if you didn't have pants to wear home, especially in January.
I don't know what is worse: having your pants disappearing or having the Christmas gift your children gave you taken away.
I hope whoever took these pants returns them. I guess the moral of the story is not to leave your pants unguarded as January scrooge may swipe them.
The gist of the posting went a little like this (and please note is not verbatim as I'm paraphrasing from memory):
To the person who accidentally took my Lululemon pants hanging outside of the sauna, could you please return them to the front desk? No questions asked. They were a Christmas gift from my kids. Thanks for not taking my shirt and underwear.
Wow. That takes some nerve to take a person's pants when they are in the sauna. Although I don't do it anymore because I'm addicted to running in my Lululemon shorts, I would often come to the gym wearing my workout clothes. This is making me think twice about doing that. That would suck if you didn't have pants to wear home, especially in January.
I don't know what is worse: having your pants disappearing or having the Christmas gift your children gave you taken away.
I hope whoever took these pants returns them. I guess the moral of the story is not to leave your pants unguarded as January scrooge may swipe them.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Fighting through the fog
I hate sickness. It ails me.
Enough of the puns. In all seriousness, I dislike being sick. Last week, I thought I was suffering through a bout nausea. Lately, I've been suffering through tiny bouts of nausea. Not all that serious. It sometimes happens. And before someone says morning sickness, that is not even a possibility.
So when I was feeling nauseous on Wednesday night, I didn't think much about it. I took a Gravol and called it a night. Well, this wasn't just a period of nauseous that sleep could cure. It was a stomach bug. By Friday, I was still suffering through it and dear husband had it. Amazingly, darling daughter has been stomach-bug free since I got sick (knock on wood).
Since Saturday, I've been trying to feel like more like myself. I'm still not back on the food wagon. I quickly got tired of eating toast, so I switched to pizza. It may not be the healthiest of choices, but it is something that I can stomach. (Oh dear, another pun). I may even attempt meat tonight for dinner. The poor chicken dish I made on Wednesday night is still in the refrigerator. There it will stay until garbage day. Such a waste, but there is not much you can do when most of everyone in the household gets sick and as a result falls off the meat wagon for several days.
Yesterday, in an attempt to fight through the sickness fog, I went to the gym. I ran. May not have been the wisest choices, but I felt marginally better. So between fighting a stomach bug and insomnia, I'm slowly getting back to myself. I can't wait to crawl into bed tonight. Hopefully I'll get some sleep and when I wake up tomorrow I hope that the fog has finally lifted.
Enough of the puns. In all seriousness, I dislike being sick. Last week, I thought I was suffering through a bout nausea. Lately, I've been suffering through tiny bouts of nausea. Not all that serious. It sometimes happens. And before someone says morning sickness, that is not even a possibility.
So when I was feeling nauseous on Wednesday night, I didn't think much about it. I took a Gravol and called it a night. Well, this wasn't just a period of nauseous that sleep could cure. It was a stomach bug. By Friday, I was still suffering through it and dear husband had it. Amazingly, darling daughter has been stomach-bug free since I got sick (knock on wood).
Since Saturday, I've been trying to feel like more like myself. I'm still not back on the food wagon. I quickly got tired of eating toast, so I switched to pizza. It may not be the healthiest of choices, but it is something that I can stomach. (Oh dear, another pun). I may even attempt meat tonight for dinner. The poor chicken dish I made on Wednesday night is still in the refrigerator. There it will stay until garbage day. Such a waste, but there is not much you can do when most of everyone in the household gets sick and as a result falls off the meat wagon for several days.
Yesterday, in an attempt to fight through the sickness fog, I went to the gym. I ran. May not have been the wisest choices, but I felt marginally better. So between fighting a stomach bug and insomnia, I'm slowly getting back to myself. I can't wait to crawl into bed tonight. Hopefully I'll get some sleep and when I wake up tomorrow I hope that the fog has finally lifted.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Resolution time
I've have one resolution for 2011: knit for myself.
Except for the socks I made for myself in November, I have absolutely no knitted garments for myself. Darling daughter, on the other hand, has an extensive knitted garment collection. I finished her latest sweater, a baby surprise jacket, an hour before the new year arrived.
I've found knitting for yourself is harder than knitting for others. For whatever reason, I'm not all that anxious to knit. I think it has to do with the fact that my choices are overwhelming. Should I start on the sweater that I've been dying to start? Or should I wait in case I lose more weight? Last night I decided on socks. Hand knitted socks feel divine on my feet. I've been craving to make myself another pair.
As well as the socks, I've got a pair of slippers on my needles and a shawl. I may start on a sweater. I may find that I'm more inspired when I buy more yarn.
Except for the socks I made for myself in November, I have absolutely no knitted garments for myself. Darling daughter, on the other hand, has an extensive knitted garment collection. I finished her latest sweater, a baby surprise jacket, an hour before the new year arrived.
I've found knitting for yourself is harder than knitting for others. For whatever reason, I'm not all that anxious to knit. I think it has to do with the fact that my choices are overwhelming. Should I start on the sweater that I've been dying to start? Or should I wait in case I lose more weight? Last night I decided on socks. Hand knitted socks feel divine on my feet. I've been craving to make myself another pair.
As well as the socks, I've got a pair of slippers on my needles and a shawl. I may start on a sweater. I may find that I'm more inspired when I buy more yarn.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Twenty-eight more days to go
It seems like a pity that I have to be so negative in my first post for 2011, but I honestly have nothing positive to say about the month of January. Nothing. Not one single word.
I'm not a fan. Not at all as I find January so bleak and dark. Maybe it is due to the fact that the Christmas crash has arrived. Everything Christmas is on clearance. People are packing the holiday decorations away and turning off the Christmas lights. It was like Christmas never happened.
The day after Christmas, I start to get anxious as I know January will arrive in less than a week. Forget happiness in the New Year. I'm too busy worrying how I'm going to survive January. Next to November, I've got absolutely no love for the first month of the year.
The new year is definitely here. The amount of traffic at the gym is astounding. Once January 1 arrives everyone dusts off their gym membership and head back to the exercise grind. The week of between Christmas and New Year's was so delightful. I had my choice of treadmill to choose from. I didn't have to inch myself to my locker in the change room because it was crowded with women. It was like I had my own private gym. Not anymore. I went to the gym on Sunday and it was crazy. It was no better this morning. Every bench, weight and weight bar was claimed in this morning's pump class. Learning from past experience, I claimed my spot and set up my equipment a good 15 minutes before class started.
So hurry up January. You can end at any time. I won't cry. Once I get to February, I'm on the home stretch to spring. Only 28 days to go to the end of the month and they can't go fast enough.
I'm not a fan. Not at all as I find January so bleak and dark. Maybe it is due to the fact that the Christmas crash has arrived. Everything Christmas is on clearance. People are packing the holiday decorations away and turning off the Christmas lights. It was like Christmas never happened.
The day after Christmas, I start to get anxious as I know January will arrive in less than a week. Forget happiness in the New Year. I'm too busy worrying how I'm going to survive January. Next to November, I've got absolutely no love for the first month of the year.
The new year is definitely here. The amount of traffic at the gym is astounding. Once January 1 arrives everyone dusts off their gym membership and head back to the exercise grind. The week of between Christmas and New Year's was so delightful. I had my choice of treadmill to choose from. I didn't have to inch myself to my locker in the change room because it was crowded with women. It was like I had my own private gym. Not anymore. I went to the gym on Sunday and it was crazy. It was no better this morning. Every bench, weight and weight bar was claimed in this morning's pump class. Learning from past experience, I claimed my spot and set up my equipment a good 15 minutes before class started.
So hurry up January. You can end at any time. I won't cry. Once I get to February, I'm on the home stretch to spring. Only 28 days to go to the end of the month and they can't go fast enough.
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