And The Winner Is…

WOOT WOOT!!!!

I can’t believe she just won that!!

I almost made up a name for myself and rigged the draw so I’d win.  Alas…set your eyes on the CAUSE LEAH…THE CAUSE!!

Anyway, if any of you are joining me for the cleanse then just know I wont be blogging until Tuesday morning and the cleanse will have started.  Over the weekend you need to research how to do the cleanse (it’s easy) and buy your supplies.  Just google Master Cleanse or Lemon Juice cleanse and you’ll find it.  There’s a book you can buy but other sites have all the recipes and stuff.  Don’t forget the laxative tea and that you need SEA SALT and not just regular salt for your flush.  I hope some people join me.  You don’t have to do the whole thing with me.  It’d just be fun to have someone else in agony too   You in Mommy??  I’m hoping for some wicked awesome results.  Especially in the energy and fat areas.

CAMPING!!!

This weekend we’re going to go to the town that roasts my very favorite brand of coffee and CAMP!!  Brent and I have never gone camping together even though I got all this amazing camping stuff from my family at my bridal shower.  So we’re FINALLY going to put it to use and enjoy our massive tent and our massive ice chest and camp stove and whatever else my Grandma packed into the ice chest.

I’m SO stoked about this.  We’re actually having a cousins reunion so all my siblings will be there…other than Juliet.  And some of my cousins will be there too!!  So I get to see family I haven’t seen in well over 10 years.  And I get to see JILL AND CORNELIUS!!  Oooo I can’t wait to squish my smelly nephew.  And my smelly brother as well.  (Does it sometimes sound like I have a million siblings??  there’s 5 of us )

Anyway, this camping thing is pretty important to me.  I grew up camping a lot and never ever ever in a camper, always in tents.  My favorite trips were going to Vancouver Island and camping on the beach, driving through Oregon and doing a loop through California and Nevada and Montana…and something else…ha ha.  We saw the grand canyon and stuff.  Annnd also going to Bella Coola and fishing.  They surprised me and brought Courtenay (did you know she was my best friend in high school and we hardly ever spent time without each other?) along.  It was WAY too much fun.  We were in these funny rain jackets as we climbed Perkin’s Peak and we pretended to be making a documentary and, for some reason, saying “as we ascend the Peak of Perkin…” was really funny to us.  I think we drove my parents nuts though ha ha.  We jumped into the glacier lake at the bottom and mom made us go back in because she didn’t get a photo…it was FREEZING!!  I can’t wait to bring my own kids on those trips.

Mark and I would put up these massive tarps so our whole campground was covered almost.  We’d stick them as high as we could into the trees and then we’d all be dry from the rain.  That was so much fun.  Mark also made the best camping breakfasts in the whole wide world.  YUMMERS.

When our kids are old enough to appreciate it, we’re going to pack them into the car in the morning and drive through the night to California, not telling them where we are going.  I did that once on my way to Mexico on a missions trip.  You wake up around Malibu and the kids will be like “AHHHHH PALM TREES!!  How exciting would THAT be?  Although, driving through Malibu can make anyone feel slightly inadequate as a person ha ha.

We’re also planning on driving to Manitoba and camping along the way very often.  Perhaps next summer we’ll finally do that.

Anyway, I’m stoked about camping and seeing my kids enjoying the lake and the sunshine all day long.  I’m expecting to be fairly filthy and to be very tired from them sleeping horribly.  I’ll enjoy sleeping beside Silas though .  Our tent has two rooms so Ikey can have his own.  I’m sure they’ll most likely think sleeping is an option.

I have a question about sleeping though, there’s going to be SO much going on.  Ikey usually naps at 10 am until between 11 and 12 and then they both go down at 2 and Silas will sleep until 5 and Ikey sleeps until about 3.  I’m wondering if I should forgo Isaac’s morning nap and put them both down a little bit earlier??  I would love to forgo Silas’ nap but Ikey needs to nap then anyway so we might as well do both of them.

Here’s a photo of Silas and I from just now that I took from my webcam.  He’s watching songs on youtube.  There’s like loads of kids songs on there…and The Wiggles…oh The Wiggles.

So, please let me know your favorite camping traditions or trips.  Perhaps some of them will be good for us to pick up for ourselves!

PS don’t forget to enter the draw a few posts down.  Only one person has emailed people about it.  You should do that to get an extra entry!!  Do it for Zaza!

Sleep Falling

Man 382 hits on my give away post…you’d think more people woulda signed up…SIGN UP!!  Just pretend you happened upon it so it wont be obvious that you’ve been lurking here for years .  I also had my record # of hits yesterday too…566!!  Holy smokes.  Sounds like I should give stuff away more often.  Sounds like only a few of you actually liked my purse ha ha.  Perhaps most people just felt unworthy of it’s glory.  That’s it.  I hope they at least check out Bags for Zaza.

Last night after I got back from sweating and hurting and panting at “Booty Camp” (Juliet’s name for it now) I went to check on Silas before my shower and I found this:

Notice that all of his stuffies (most are mine from when I was little) are placed around him, he is covered by his blanket and he still has his smushie and sucky in their proper places.  Hmmmm.  I thought I had heard a thunk a few minutes before I went in but could he have fallen and still ended up under the blanket and with his smushie in his arms??

The other peculiar thing about this incident was his bum was poopy.  Yes, my 2.5 year old is sleeping in his own feces.  The child who now usually begs for us to change his bum when he poops.  Odd.

He giggled the entire time we were cleaning him up, perhaps because we were giggling so hard.  What a funny scene!  To top it off, because I was just about to go into the shower, I was completely nude (wait until you’re married kids).  He also had one of those things…that guys get…when they’re sleeping.  Just to top it off on a WHOLE different level.

(K Silas is on the phone with Juliet right now telling her that Mommy and Daddy are going to go on a date, I think it’s because he wants her to come babysit him again).

So the question is:  did Silas fall asleep there or did he fall there while he was sleeping??  What do you think after reviewing the evidence??

Weight loss progress will be updated today.  I have exciting news!

La La La La La La La…La La

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the draw.  Remember to keep telling people about it because you have until Friday to enter.  The bag is perched on the back of my couch so I can lovingly admire it.  I think I need to make a replica for myself.

Weaning Isaac was very successful.  The look on his face when I put him to bed without nursing on Friday almost broke my heart so I cuddled him and sang him Twinkle Twinkle and then left.  Brent said he went to sleep fairly well.  He’s going to sleep like a champ now.  I’m taking full advantage of my freedom.  I’m nervous about the hormone changes that are about to ensue.  My body is so confused right now.

On Friday I was gassing up (I’m lucky to live moment away from the cheapest gas station in the Lower Mainland!) and I got one of those nasty energy drinks JUST because it said to not drink it while pregnant or nursing.  Gosh it feels gooooooood.  When you’re either pregnant or nursing you miss out on the fun all the time.  Now I can take diet pills or do crack guilt free!!  Ha ha ha.  I can have a drink at any time of the day!!  Sounds like party time.  Good thing I’m actually not going to do any of that.

One thing that I AM going to do because I’m finally allowed is CLEANSE!!  I have a date set if you want to join me.  I’m starting on Tuesday July first!  I make no promises but I’d like to make it to 10 days.  Join me, even for a day.  I’ll provide you with instructions closer to the date but I’m doing the Master Cleanse.  You pretty much drink a lemon drink and at night time you drink a laxative tea and then each day (or as much as you can handle it) you drink this salt water solution that actually comes out your bum…ha ha.  It’s an oral enema.  Fun hey?? Who’s with me??

My reason for doing this is mainly because I think it’s good to cleanse.  There’s chemicals in our bodies from everything we eat, touch, breathe, shower in, moisturize with, beautify with…etc.  So I’m gunna cleanse!  It might be nice to lose a couple pounds just to inspire my weight loss happenings.  I know most of it comes back but perhaps if you’re already losing weight then it might not all come back…just the water weight.  I’m also excited to get rid of any of my food addictions.  I’ve pretty much gotten rid of most but I still get cravings.  Especially cheese.  Let me know if you’re gunna join me!!  It’s happening in a week baby!!

This is taking me forever to write…Silas is on my lap and I can’t stop KISSING HIM!!  num num num num num.

BLOG GIVEAWAY!!!

******* The give away is now over.  Congrats to Courtenay!  Enjoy your bag!*********

My dear friends. It is time for my very very first blog giveaway!! What you see before you now is something I labored over all weekend long and now I bring to you the first zaza bag that I’ve made!!

It’s actually the first thing I’ve ever sewn (other than shorts when I was 7) but it passed all of the top notch standards of the Zaza Bag Queen Bee….My sister Jennie. Who’s so anal that my hands are sore from rolling the fabric so I could get the perfect press on each seam.

The Hounds of Baskerville is composed mainly of herringbone tweed (saved from a high school sewing project). It is rich in texture and class. This delicious number was inspired by thinking of a Grandpa sitting on the couch. It is artfully constructed and tastefully designed. A treat for the senses, to say the least. It has two pockets on the backside and two pockets on the inside. It also has a delicious cell phone pocket on the side. All of this bag is made from recycled fabrics and left over odds and ends. There’s even a bit of upholstery fabric samples in here. We do not purchase anything for these bags as we are working on keeping our planet green and we want to be able to donate 100% of profits to Zaza’s adoption fund.

two pockets on the back

a delicious cellphone pocket.

So here’s how it works. You need to leave a comment on this post to be entered in the draw. If you write a little bit about this giveaway and Bags For Zaza on your blog and include the links you can have an extra entry. Just leave another comment on my blog with the link to your post (if a pingback didn’t appear). If you don’t have a blog you can get an extra entry by emailing at least 3 friends about this giveaway and Bags for Zaza and email it to me along with your friends (matriarch83@yahoo.ca). Don’t forget to add the links.

If you don’t like this bag (ya right) you can check out Bags For Zaza and there is a bunch more up this week. Since loads of people ask for the same bag we are putting the bags up for auction. All of the bags will be auctioned at the same time. Auction closes at the end of the week so be sure to bid on the one you love the most. All of the proceeds go to Linda’s adoption fund. She’s adopting a darling little girl from Colombia. A cause I fully believe in. We’ve named her Zaza for the time being because we don’t know who she is.

So please enter the draw. Be sure to fill out your email address in the comment form. This is open to anyone. Land shipping will be free anywhere in Canada and the US. Other countries will have to pay the difference in the extra costs. Contest closes on Friday June 27th at 10:00 am Pacific.

PS I totally loved sewing this bag. I can’t wait to sew my next one. Who knew I could sew!??

Scenes From the Week

After a week of great photo opportunities I thought I’d share the bounty.  My garden is blooming and glorious and my veggies have burst from the ground.  Leanne’s garden is bursting with glorious life and I got to take home some baby greens and I’ve been REALLY enjoying them.

That one’s for you Mark

A typical Lucas scowl

*sigh*

These lupins are growing wild EVERYWHERE!!!  I had to be naughty and pick a few from the thousands.

Before…

AFTER!!  Cootie is a mass of hotness!!  I rock my own world.

The End of an Era

Dear Isaac,

I write this letter to you with mixed emotions.  Today is our very last day of nursing.  It makes me sad to say that but when I think about nursing you for even one more week, I know that it’s time to stop.

I hate doing this to you because you don’t know what’s going on.  You don’t know that tonight is the very last night you’ll have that comfort from me and that breaks my heart.  I feel so guilty but I know in my heart that this is the best thing.

Funny how I feel so guilty.  I fought SO hard to keep nursing you.  You and I cried and fought and fought for five whole months.  It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.  Once you finally calmed down, you’d nurse for two hours sometimes.  I’ve really done my share of the work.  I fought for this and succeeded yet I still feel bad about stopping.

It was easier with your brother, you were coming in two months and he weaned himself.  I knew I’d have you to nurse and I knew he was ready to stop.  Now it’s more me being ready than you.

There are two things that make this easier.  One is the fact that you’ve gotten so strong and you pull on my face and my hair, you dig your little fingers into my mouth and my nose and it drives me batty.  You’re also nursing with your top teeth and the pain is unbearable.  Secondly I’m craving freedom!!  I’ve been either pregnant or nursing since February 2005!!  That’s 3 years and 4 months my darling.  I’ve been producing milk for three years.  I just want my body back already.  It’s time.

My darling, I’m going to miss this so much.  I love watching your darling face as you nurse.  I love being so close to you, it’s the only time you’ll cuddle with me.  I love making you smile while you’re trying to suck, you break the seal but your little sucker is still going while you smile.  Usually milk starts dripping out the corner of your mouth, so adorable.

It’s hard to think that tonight might be my last nursing session ever.  I’m only 25 and am I really done nursing for ever?  Part of me is giving a resounding YES but the other side doesn’t want that to be true.

So tonight I hope we can make the most of it.  I made sure to make the most of last night too just in case you decided to be a pill tonight.  I love you so much and we’ll soon both realize that this isn’t the end of the world, it’s just a new chapter and mommy is going to be SO HAPPY to have a little more freedom!

I love you

Mommy

The boob has been blurred so you don’t have to see such things…I woulda just put it on there but then I though of Dad…and Grandpa…and Mark…and FIL so I didn’t.  Is that not the most precious nursing face ever???  I took this last night.

More photos of my big big boy

they got daddy’s eyelashes…lucky boys

Aparantly those safety plugs have other uses.

slobber string

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A conversation between Silas and I last night

Me: “Silas I love you with all of my heart”

Silas: “I love you with all of my circle”

Me: laughs hysterically

Silas: sees that Mommy thinks this is funny “I love you with all of my crescent!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sleeping Babies

I often find myself in my kid’s rooms every night, staring at their faces, trying to kiss them and smell them as much as possible without waking them up. There’s nothing as adorable as a sleeping child so I try to somehow embed their image in my mind so I can remember it later.

The trouble is, that I do this every night, and every night they’re a little bit bigger. I need photographic memory so I can remember how they looked a few weeks ago, and a few months before that. Perhaps we need replica dolls that feel, smell and look the same. Perhaps you could push a button so they’d warm up to body temp. for a replica snuggle.

I remember when Silas was a baby, Brent and I would kneel at his crib and stare and stare and stare. How come they’re so lovely when they’re sleeping? Even though we did all that staring and trying to remember, I still don’t remember. Probably because we do it every night still and he’s just gradually changed. I do remember how he’d look, though, when I had rocked him to sleep.

You see, I kinda swaddled Silas for many many many months. I also rocked him to sleep for many many many months. I’d sit in my gross old rocker that I got for 5 bucks from a garage sale when I was like 15 and rock and rock and pat and pat and jiggle and he’d fall asleep and then I’d just stare and stare and stare and stare and smooch and smooch and smooch. I miss those times. Sometimes I’d just sit and stare for an hour. I can still see him all wrapped up in his home made swaddling blankets, face pressed hard into his smooshie (this fantastic blanket that they LOVE sleeping with….my MIL made them). I wish I could do that one more time.

Sometimes, when I’ve gotten my fill of their sleeping skin and sleeping smells and sleeping sounds, I pull myself away with dread in my heart. Saying goodbye to them for the night somehow feels vulnerable. Will I wake up to them again in the morning? Will Isaac wake up and look less like a baby? I’m always thrilled to find them just as I left them. Still small and adorable. Cheeks red from being pressed hard against their beds. They both grab their smooshies and come to my bed for a cuddle.

The day begins again with Isaac trying to get into the toilet while I brush my teeth and Silas asking to “hode hayands?” ( hold hands) as we make our way downstairs to start our day, counting the steps as we go. As annoying as it is, I’m grateful that I woke up and I still have them, as they are. Precious simply because they exist, perfect because they are mine.

new weight loss progress updates today.

New Bags!!

You may want to check out Bags for Zaza today as there’s a fresh batch. Linda who’s the person adopting the child has joined the creative team and is making bags with a totally different flavor than Jennie does. They’re all quite lovely and the money helps Linda and her husband pay for their adoption from Colombia. In case you didn’t already know, Zaza is the name we’ve temporarily given her so we have something to call her. Kinda like how we used to call Ikey’s fetus “chim chim” awee……Ikey as a fetus….

I’m SO tired this morning. Isaac did NOT sleep well so then neither did I. I dreamed alllll night about Bags for Zaza because I was helping Jennie with photo editing last night.

We’re getting more people joining our flab to fab workout. It’s exciting to see more people wanting to come out and get into shape. It sure is helping me feel stronger and healthier. I don’t get nearly as many aches and pains (other than sore muscles) and it’s just feeling oh so good. I think I’m ready for level three as I’m feeling like our level two isn’t hurting enough. It’s funny cuz we just went up to level two but it didn’t stay hard for long. Jennie and I were noting how we aren’t almost dying at the end of our hill running. Before we were SO out of breath but we’re definitely seeing a difference in our cardio and our strength. I’m even finding that those evil muscles, that get wacky after kids (or with old age in Jennies case…MUHAHAHA) and make it so you can’t do anything without peeing yourself, are getting much stronger and I am no longer needing a fresh Depends with every work out…kidding…kinda.

I feel like I have seasonal allergies today. It’s yucky.

K I’m almost falling asleep. I wonder if this little warm body on my lap will let me have a little nap.

Another Great Trip!

Another lovely weekend with my parents!!  Aside from the chilluns not sleeping the greatest and getting up at 6:30 am, everything was swell.

Saturday mainly consisted of me and mom and Jules sitting around and sipping wine and giggling like little school girls.  Mom took me shopping for Isaac’s birthday.  We stopped at this really great toy store (who knew a small town had SUCH a specialty toy store?).  I’ve been thinking about trying to get better toys for my kids that are super good quality and a lot more thought about learning and development has been put into them.  Anyway, they had SKADS of Melissa and Doug things which I ADORE so I picked out this  Happy Hippo pull toy for Ikey (he loves it) and one of those wooden pound a peg boards where they hammer pegs (Isaac loves hammering…or just holding and hammer) and he LOVED them.  I was looking through the Melissa and Dough play food because I’ve been wanting to get some good quality play food for Silas that doesn’t have anything McDonalds in it!!  We found a BIRTHDAY CAKE!!!  It has candles you can put on it and these candy things.  It’s the cutest toy and SO perfect for SIlAS because he LOVES birthdays and candles and singing Happy Birthday.  He loves the toy and so do I.

This place also carried real tin Jack in The Boxes which are so hard to find.  I got the one with the sock monkey in it because clowns are frightening and this one had prettier colors.  Anyway, it was glorious (and it was kinda nice that at least one person remembered Ikey’s birthday ha ha ha…that wasn’t a hint…I really do think it’s funny).  My mom also let my borrow her sweater and then we went to the store where she bought it and she just bought me the same one…*sigh* I love her.

They’re building a house right now so we went out to see the big hole in the ground that will soon hold the foundation to a wonderful home.  I’m so excited to create new memories there.  Silas enjoyed walking around in the massive hole that will soon become a top vacation destination for our family.

That night Mark came home with farmers sausage and perogies so I took the hint and cooked them my best mennonite meal I could muster up.  No one can do the white gravy like my MIL though…no one.

Then I got to see Courtenay that night and I cut her hair.  It’s like cutting 4 or 5 or 6 heads of hair.  That girl has the thickest hair in the entire universe.  I think I did a good job on it.  I’d have a photo for you but a certain father figure of mine forgot to send them to me .  I also got to give her the Bags for Zaza bag I designed her, I was happy to see she loved it.

On Sunday Court brought Emily over in the morning for a little play time which was fun.  When Emily was coming in the door Silas was saying in his sweetest voice: “come here sweetie, come here”.  It was so precious.  Emily had told her Mom that she was marrying Silas so we’ll have to see about that.

Mom took Jules to go clean her teeth (Mom is so handy) and when they were close to being done, Silas and I walked down to have mom look at his teeth.  The first dentist appointment is mainly just getting them in the chair and trying to get a little look in their mouth.  So we slowly were able to get him to sit on me in the chair and mom had a little lookey-loo.  We were so proud of him that he opened his mouth for her.  She’s really persuasive without bribing!

For Father’s day we made Mark his favorite sausages which we over-cooked and they were kind of like eating saw dust but the flavor was still there .  The eggs were fantastic though.

Mom and Mark always enjoy it when we send the kids into their room at 6:30 am.  They love hearing Silas’ little voice say “good morning” and then he just climbs on up and cuddles with them.  Juliet and I always ended up in bed with them soon after ha ha, Mark is talking about getting a King sized bed because when all of us kids are there we ALL usually end up in bed with them…there’s 5 of us.  Ha ha.

It was a nice time.  I’m making it very important to get out there more often.  I love it out there SO much.  I always have a peace inside of me when I’m there.  Perhaps just the small town feel.  Laid back, completely not over stimulating for me like the city is…with people and cars all over.  *sigh*  I wish we could live there.  Perhaps one day.

Anyway, I’m going to sign off.  I’m going to get lunch ready and packed so we can have a picnic with Leanne and Lucas this sunny afternoon.