November 23rd, 2008
Written by: Julie Cole
I like to say I’m making the world a more beautiful place, one baby at a time.
Reading through the lines, what I’m really saying is yep, baby #6 is on the way. I think I’m about 16 or 17 weeks along, but that is the kind of minor detail that gets forgotten at this point in the pregnancy game. Long gone are the days of being in awe of your ever changing body and knowing things like when the baby gets eyelashes and fingernails.
For me, these pregnancy days pass much like any others really. Sure, I was tired and seedy for a while, but no one seems to take much notice. Indeed, I didn’t have time to take much notice either. I remember my first pregnancy – coming home at the end of the day and having a little snooze on the couch as daddy-o prepped dinner. By #6 you come home from the office, feed five little people, dress them for hockey or ballet, pack up school lunches, help with homework, read to the little ones and put the lot of them to bed. My lifestyle is identical to what it was pre-pregnancy. I may notice one little lifestyle adjustment this holiday season when I have to pass on the egg nog. As I like to say, from here on in I’m eating for two, and daddy-o is drinking for three!
Reactions to my pregnancy news are generally luke-warm at best. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard the phrase “are you crazy??” over the last few weeks, I’d be a very wealthy woman. I actually keep a top ten list of inappropriate responses I’ve received in my history of pregnancies. The former top spot went to a response I got to my third pregnancy which was: “I thought you were smarter than that”. The new top ranking position goes to a recent: “oh my god, are you going to keep it??”
Uh yeah, I was considering it.
So while the pregnancy bit gets a tad boring after a while, the part about having a new baby in the house never loses its charm with this mama. I’m just off the phone with my glowing cousin, Ariel-Ann who became a mama for the first time just a few days ago (OK, check out her baby Issac in the pic. I know….he makes you want another one too, right?)
It ignited that old feeling of baby excitement. As such, I’ve now formulated my new comeback to the bad reactions. It has formally been a sarcastic “I’m going to keep having them until I have one I like”. From here on in I’m going to say that with the fabulous and beautiful humans I create, it is only fair to give the world just one more.
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November 21st, 2008
Written by: Julie Cole
Congrats to Susan Smith!
Drop a line to caitlin@mabel.ca and she will sort you out with your holiday gift tags!
Looking for a cool teacher’s present? Make your kid the teacher’s pet by giving some cool Mabel products:
1) Mabel’s Classroom Pack….for the teacher who loves an organized classroom. Put a smile on the teacher’s face for only $12.00!
http://www.mabel.ca/mabel.php?n=classroom%20pack
2) Skinny-minis. Teachers love to label their staplers, pens, books and all that other stuff that has a way of walking out of their classrooms.
http://www.mabel.ca/mabel.php?n=skinny-minis
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November 16th, 2008
Written by: Julie Cole
About six months ago I told my friends at Disney Canada that they’d never catch me dragging my kids into an amusement park the size of Ottawa, Ontario. They rubbed their hands together as though given a dare. They welcomed the challenge of my anti-Disney sentiment and were confident they would one day convince me of the Disney magic. To prove it, they cooked up a plan to get me down to Orlando to see it all for myself. Those Disney folks may seem sweet, but underneath all that they are a determined and committed crew, especially when it comes to converting the Disney non-believers!
My reasons for never having been to Disney World and never planning to go were legitimate. First up, I find princesses profoundly irritating. The books my girl kiddos read come directly off the anti-princess reading list. I also get a bit antsy when I’m surrounded by hyper kids on sugar highs. It probably doesn’t help that seeing exhausted toddlers forced to stay up late makes me want to shake parents and say “can’t ya see the kid is no longer having fun??” Bringing five kids to Disney just seemed too hard, plain and simple. Plus, I don’t like to mess with a good thing and my kids think going to the cottage is high-end holidaying…..no need to raise that bar!
So I post this today fresh out of my first Disney World in Orlando experience. I attended an online media event where Disney Canada kindly hosted me and a half dozen other mama blogger types for four days of the finest they had to offer. As a Disney first-timer, my head is still spinning from touring fabulous resorts, visiting the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Epcot. I will have a hard time forgetting the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, Mickey’s parade, the fireworks, Playhouse Disney, Fantasmic, Downtown Disney, Character dining, IllumiNations and so much more. Let me tell you, once away from our computers, we mama bloggers can pack a lot of action into a few short days!
So am I a Disney convert? Well, let’s say that I will concede to now understanding the ‘magic’ I hear everyone going on about. Am I ready to pack up my crew and head for sunny Orlando? Perhaps. One thing for sure is that it no longer seems like the impossible and daunting task it once did.
***shameless Mabel plug: I wouldn’t step foot in the place without all my kids wearing our Mabel 411 wristbands!***
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November 9th, 2008
Written by: Julie Cole
Now that we have our ADORABLE Holiday Gift Tags out, I was thinking it would be a good time to do a give-away!
What does mama have on her list this year? Post a comment letting us know and your hat will be in the ring!
About our Holiday Gift Tags:
No matter what holiday you celebrate, this festive season will be full of giving, and there’s no better way to make every gift you give extra special than with some gift tags! Designed to stick to presents, Holiday Gift Tags are round personalized tags that are customized with any information you like. They are available in four unique holiday designs, from funky motifs to classic patterns.
Happy Festivus!
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November 2nd, 2008
Written by: Julie Cole
Halloween festivities got off to a rocky start around here. You may remember that each child took great care in selecting his or her pumpkin. Last Saturday the kiddos designed their pumpkins and around the kitchen table we embarked on the adventure all parents both love and dread – the annual pumpkin carving event. Something about huge knives and excited kids is scarier than any Halloween ghost or zombie I’ve encountered. We carved our way through our family of pumpkins and immediately displayed them on the front porch with tremendous pride.
Dawn came early and the kiddos quickly discovered that our pumpkins had been abducted. Once the tears dried and the melt-downs ceased, the bigger kids went into private investigator mode. With walkie-talkies in hand, they began to case the neighbourhood for clues.
They discovered some evidence at the local park. At first there were some identification issues, but short of having dental records, we felt confident in making a positive ID – they were indeed our family of victim pumpkins. Of course I was left to field the unanswerable question: “Mama, WHY would someone do this to our pumpkins??”
Hmmmm….. good question. I did a re-enactment of how I thought it went down, playing the role of several bored teenagers out on the suburban streets looking for action, daring and double-dog daring each other. While it provided some entertainment, it occurred to me that I was on my computer until after midnight on crime night and from my home office I have a clear view of the front porch. So assuming my stereo-type is correct and teenagers were the culprits, it means they were hanging in the streets of my ‘hood in the very wee hours of the morning.
Has the word “curfew” fallen out of the English language? I predict that in a few short years I will earn the label of “uncool mama” when my five teens are required to hang out with each other (this is what siblings in big families do) and then must also return home at a time set by me. I predict I will embrace my uncool mama status without a second thought or an ounce of hesitation.
I have put some thought into the teenage years and have devised a sneaky plan. I’m going to create that house where all the teenagers hang out. It will be a house equipped with things that draw them in – a heated swimming pool, a pool table, a teenager-friendly basement with a freezer full of microwavable pizzas and a fridge full of coke. Ah, teenage wasteland right under my nose – AND my watchful eye. I understand there will be drawbacks like outrageous noise levels and even the occasional liquor cabinet raid. It will all be worth it when I can sleep soundly at night during the Halloween season knowing that no teenager under my watch is thieving pumpkins from innocent neighbourhood children!
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