Snack Fail

This weekend our older kids were lucky enough to have a babysitter! She's the daughter of our daycare provider, so she knows the kids well and they really love her. Declan is her special boy, whenever I go pick them up he's always practicing walking with her and she carries him out to the stroller or van for me (which was a huge help when I was pregnant, let me tell you.)

When my brother and I were little, we were always excited to have a babysitter because that meant special treats for supper, like a TV Dinner. (Once we even had a can of ravioli!) And I totally used to sneak out of bed so I could share the chips & dip my parents had left the babysitter for a snack. So, I wanted to give our kids a little treat for their first supper with a babysitter, and I wanted to make sure we had some treats for the babysitter, too.

So I made a homemade pizza. (I used that new natural meat from Maple Leaf, have you tried it? No nitrites or nitrates or whatever it is that will give you cancer and stop your heart. Salt, sugar, celery extract, water. Delicious. But I digress.) I sent Rainer to the Esso to get some chips or something that a 12 year old girl might like. I was super smug with our awesome treats and was confident we were well on our way to being the babysitter's favourite family.

Before we left, the babysitter asked what the kids could drink for supper. I said milk or water, but that she could have whatever she wanted - not realizing that this actually meant milk, water, or almond milk. She asked "Do you guys have any pop?" and I realized we *might* not have thought about what normal people drink. While we were out for supper she called and asked if we had any ice cream or popcorn - we didn't. Ha. That's when I began to think we *might* not win her over with our awesome snacks, so the kids better be cute. SNACK FAIL!!!

So yesterday I went to pick up Talia from daycare and the girl who was our babysitter came out to the van to see Declan and Ruby as well, and her younger sister came along. I told the babysitter when we wanted her to come again, and this is the conversation that ensued:
Babysitter: What are we having for supper?
Me: Uh, I don't know, I haven't thought about it yet!
Babysitter: Let's have hotdogs! Does Deckie like hotdogs?
Me: I don't know, he's never had a hotdog.
Babysitter's younger sister (who comes home from school to have lunch with the daycare kids): He sure eats them like he likes them when he's here!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! So I guess Declan eats hotdogs at daycare, and I also guess our babysitter isn't the type to be impressed with a homemade pizza and a nice glass of almond milk. We're going to have to resort to letting her Pay-Per-View a movie next time if we have any chance of being her favourite family!!!!

We Survived

So we survived our big weekend without Daddyo. It was actually fine, we had lots of fun. I wasn't worried about being alone with the kids - hello, that's my gig for about 12 hours a day, everyday - but I was worried that I would really be dragging by today or tomorrow. Rainer pretty much takes over everything with the kids on the weekend, except for nursing the baby. I sleep in, relax, I might make a meal or two, but otherwise it's the Daddy show around here. I really get recharged during my weekends so I was a little worried that without that, I'd be having a hard time by now. So far, so good, though. Tomorrow the 2 older kids are in daycare while Ruby and I have appointments and run a few errands, and then it's the long weekend, woo hoo!

I sent this picture to Rainer whle he was on the road - bedtime the first night without him. I jokingly said I would send him "proof of life" photos throughout the weekend. I wonder if he worried when I didn't follow through on it?



Anyway, we all survived and have been loving the summer weather. This week we've played outside a ton and even had a picnic at the park. I'm quite proud to say that Declan's fair skin is still as white as a ghost, although Talia is darkening up by the minute. I'm so anxious about my fair skinned baby boy, Rainer and I are both in the fairly-dark-don't-really-ever-burn category, and obviously Talia is as well, so we have basically no clue what to do with Declan. I'm probably a little over-zealous with the sunscreen and keeping buying hats and deciding they just aren't good enough for my pumpkin's pumpkin head. But with 2 different grandparents from both sides of the family having had skin cancer, I'm pretty crazy about my kids not getting a sunburn. I even made them have their picnic in the only shady spot in the park - under the play structure. They didn't seem to mind, though!

Depths of Despair

Talia this morning, upon realizing her Daddy wasn't home: (sad face) My Daddy runned away. He no yalike me anymore.

Me: (thinking this was the saddest thing I'd ever heard) Oh Tally, Daddy loves you! He just went golfing, he's coming back.

Talia: (head in hands): But Daddy's all gone. WHO WILL TURN ON CAILLOU?!? ON DA TV!!

Rainer will be so touched that his little girl missed him, and his TV skills, so much.

Dear Cling-Wrap

Dear Cling-Wrap,

You have one friggin' job to do. CLING. Is that too much to ask?

Sincerely,

The leftovers in the Tupperware without a lid

6 weeks

A few weeks after Ruby was born, Auntie Shannon & Nicho came out for a visit and to spoil the kids. I remember pulling one super cute little 6-12 month outfit out of the bag, and thinking "that will be so nice for next winter."

Here we are, a month later, and 6 week old Ruby is wearing it:





Having a big baby is a new experience to us. I finally know what people mean when they say how fast babies go through clothes - unlike Talia & Declan, who stayed in the same sizes for months and months, Ruby is literally only wearing some things once or twice before they get packed away in the basement. If she keeps growing at this rate, she'll be 8 feet tall in preschool.