Raising a Man

I have mentioned this before, but prior to having Lucas little boys were a foreign entity to me, having grown up solely with sisters, and having mostly girl cousins to boot.  I was equal amounts excited and scared for what the future held for me when I found out I was expecting a baby boy.  I didn't really know what to expect, but figured that a lifetime of cars, trucks, and anything that revolved around a ball and sports would be running my life forever.  I wasn't really far off on that prediction.

But you want to know something.  I have loved every single minute of being a boy mom, and I can't wait to double that when this little guy arrives in 6 short weeks!

Boys seem to always have an endless amount of energy, pretty much only stop when they are sleeping, I never have a moment of peace until bedtime, and I know far more about trucks and cars than I ever thought was imaginable.  Scrapes and bruises are a common occurrence around these parts, and death defying climbing has already started giving me heart attacks on a regular basis.  Boys are also to a large extent so much more low maintenance than girls; he falls down yells out I'm ok and is on to the next adventure; starts having a tantrum most often than not a snack changes his mood (which reminds me boys are ALWAYS hungry); and daddy may be his hero and teach him all about hot wheels but its to mommy's arms that he always runs to in pretty much any situation.

I am raising boys, who will be teens, and one day men in their own right, and I don't have to look very far for a model in which to raise them.

I lucked out in the husband/father of my children department.  He is a kind man, puts his family's needs always first, is compassionate when necessary, fiercely loyal and protective of the ones he loves.  He can use a washing machine, show the kitchen whose boss, and never complains about vacuuming for me.  He's a provider, but never once makes me feel like my work at home is less than his own, and if anything helps me more than most men who are working all day.  He is an amazing role model for our sons on how to be a modern man.

I want nothing more in life than to raise our sons in that emulation.  I am completely aware and conscious that one day they will also be husbands and fathers, and I want them to be just as hands on as their father, and I have this innate responsibility to ensure that they are strong and purposeful men in their futures.  I never shy away from the stereotypical gender roles that my parent's generation grew up with, knowing that girls were raised to take care of the home, and boys to provide for their families; however I am a firm believer that those traditional roles have no place in the world that I am raising my sons.

I want them to learn to cook, clean after themselves, and be aware that they should be fulfilling those roles at home just as much as their future wives.  I want them to grow up respecting a woman, and provide a safe and happy home just as their father is doing everyday.  I want them to learn to fend for themselves and to never live in a world that teaches men that women should be putting the food on the table and keeping the house clean and organized.

I love that Lucas loves to be in the kitchen with father and I, that he is keen on helping me switch the laundry (which has been a blessing in disguise during this pregnancy lol), or that he knows exactly what a vacuum is supposed to do.  This also makes for learning experiences with him, and lord knows I can actually get some stuff done around the house if Lucas thinks its a game, which is what I do; make it fun for him.

 I'm not encouraging any child labour around these parts, just encouraging a little boy to a man one day.  I'm sure his future wife will thank me one day.

Niagara Family Getaway {June 2014}

Its been well over a month since we went on a little family vacay to Niagara Falls.  We wanted to just get away for some family down time before the hubby moved to a new job site that I knew would eventually be taking a lot of his time, plus we are saving the bulk of his time off for when the other little mister makes his debut in September.  We have actually never gone away with Lucas before, due to time and financial reasons and we weren't really sure how he would handle a new environment for naps and bedtime since he is a pretty routine kid.  We learned a few things on this trip but I must say that overall he was amazing.

 

The trips is a mere hour and half for us, and we decided to time our departure during Lucas' naptime to avoid any shenanigans and upsets from the little guy who for now still hates extended periods of time in the car.  We arrived in the city literally just as he was waking up from him nap, so I'm calling that one success so far.  We checked in, got settled in our room, and let Lucas explore the new surroundings.  We had no plans for that evening, since the real purpose of the trip was our plans for the water park the next day.  We headed to an arcade style area across the street where thankfully Lucas was happy just walking around and exploring the different "rides" without insisting on wanting to partake in any of them, score for mommy and daddy since those things are pricey! 

 

We headed to the Rainforest Café for dinner.  Lucas was in love with the scenery since he loves animals and being in "nature".  The waitress had advised us that there would be periodical "thunder storms" and we thought Lucas would get a kick out it, yup not so much.  The first time it happened he looked all around in such concern that you thought he was sure that some apocalyptic downpour was going to ensue.  Thankfully he got used to them eventually even if he was never a fan.  We never really have too many problems dining out with Lucas, he's pretty happy walking around for a little bit, or stays entertained with a video on our phones until his dinner arrives.  Then he will sit through his whole meal no problem.  Kid was hungry that night!  We finished our meals well before Lucas did, and while we usually take leftovers of his meal home, he cleaned his plate of pasta clean!

 

Before heading back to the hotel for bedtime Gianni took Lucas to the glow in the dark mini put.  While Lucas has no concept of the game, he loved running around the ball, and since the hubby has not enjoyed his usual golf game since Lucas was born, I'm pretty sure he was enjoying himself as well.

 

We pushed bedtime an hour later to avoid any antics, and Lucas went down no problem.  He did wake up in the middle of the night and transferred to our bed with us, but I'm blaming myself entirely for this problem.  First I didn't bring a night light, so even though the bathroom light remained open with the door slightly ajar, it was definitely darker than what he is used to.  Also I should have brought his aquarium with us, for some sort of comfort.  Finally our child is so tall, that the crib provided by the hotel, while appreciated was so small for him; and I really should have just asked for a small fold out bed and I'm sure he would have been much more comfortable. 

 

 



The next morning after breakfast we headed to the Fallsview Water Park that was connected to our hotel through a large skyline bridge.  There are really no words how much fun we all had at the park.. Lucas has always loved water and the pool since we introduced him to it at six months.  I have always believed that paying for tot lessons at such a young age is kind of a waste of money but I am a firm believer in making sure that he would not be afraid of the water, so I put the onus on the hubby and I to take him to the pool regularly, and it has certainly paid off.  He was not allowed down any of the big slides, but our little fearless one would have gladly gone down them had he met the height requirement.  We had brought lunch fixings with us so that we could have a quick lunch in our room, and then head back to the park, and let Lucas skip his nap for some more quality enjoyment in the water; but he wasn't having it.  After lunch he snuggled against me in the large king and just fell asleep for almost two hours.  Hey who was I to complain and deny the kid a family nap time!

We enjoyed a great dinner that evening, where Lucas walked the whole half an hour to the restaurant, and then again all the way to the falls!  He's so independent, and while by the end he was asking to be put in the stroller for a break, I sometimes find it lucky that he likes to walk on his own, always requesting that we hold hands. 

The last time the hubby and I were at the Falls was for our first dating anniversary and we have an identical picture to this one.  I actually recently found an old journal entry of mine from that trip, and wrote about how I knew that it was only a matter of time before him and I started planning a future together, getting married and having children, so its kind of nostalgic and beautiful to come back indeed together still and with our son.

We ended up leaving early the next morning, since there was little else we wanted to do in the area with a little one in tow.  For our first time away with a little one, I think we all did ok, and I am already planning, and looking forward to a big week long family trip next April with both my little boys! 

Birthday and Family Fun Weekend

Today is technically our Monday, as we are coming off of a long weekend celebrating Canada Day, and the hubby was fortunate enough to get both Monday and Tuesday off, for a much deserved break.  It was one of those epic summer weekends, where we spent 95% of our time outside, in the sweltering heat, but blissfully happy nonetheless.

Saturday the hubby took advantage to get some more work done on our kitchen ceiling renovation with his dad, so Lucas and I took off for the morning and spent it with my sister and niece.  They live about 45 minutes away from us, so its not always easy to see each other regularly, add to that busy lifestyles well it had been a while since we had hung out, and we were all missing each other.  We headed to the farmers market near my sisters house which conveniently has a splash pad that helped everyone cool down considerably.  Seeing the two cousins play and interact with each other is by far one of my favourite things to see.  They are about 18 months apart, and my niece Emily is such a doll with her cousin, while Lucas "plays" with her but still wants nothing to do with her per say, what a typical boy.

I can't get over how they are almost the same height in this picture!  The hubby is a pretty tall guy and clearly Lucas has taken after his father, which just means with baby boy number 2 on the way, I will be a look like a little munchkin in the middle of them by the time they reach their teens!

We headed out to dinner just me and the boys later that night to begin the celebrations for the hubby's birthday on Sunday.

Is there any better way to begin your birthday morning than snuggled up to this cup of sunshine!  The look of love and contentment on the little man's face is to die for, and it really seemed that he understood that it was daddy's birthday cause he was all snuggles and kisses for his hero.

We had breakfast with Gianni's family that morning, and then we took Lucas to a splash pad near my in laws.  I wish I had pictures, but this place was a lot larger than the ones near our place, and Lucas was just so overwhelmed and in absolute heaven that the two of us spent most of the time just keeping up with him and chasing him through the water.  It was a pretty hot day so after a few hours even the little man had had enough, so we headed back to my in laws for some lunch and a glorious two hour nap.  Glorious nap for Lucas that is!  I'm always worried about napping elsewhere with Lucas cause he is such a creature of habit when it comes to sleeping and rests much better in his crib, but I guess the combination of the heat and the morning activities had him easily passed out in bed with me, and on top of me!  I slept for half an hour and then I really needed to turn around since my hips are always in pain when I'm sleeping lately, but there was no way I was moving, kid was firmly ensconced on my arms and against me...oh well at least he got to rest.

We spent the rest of the evening hanging out with family and enjoying a lovely BBQ.

Monday, since Gianni had the day off we decided to have a family birthday celebration just the three of us, so we took Lucas to Downey Farms just north of our house, strawberry picking, and for some farm fun.  Funnily enough Lucas is not a fan of berries, he enjoys the taste of them in smoothies, but won't touch the actual fruit, so he literally could care less about picking the fruit.  We spent the rest of the morning just enjoying the farm activities, until the heat started getting too unbearable.  After another nice nap we headed out to dinner and a walk, capping off the birthday celebrations with a movie in bed!

Tuesday was Canada Day, and since we had spent the whole weekend doing lots of outdoor activities we had planned to tackle some home projects before heading to my sister in law's for BBQ.  Instead we vegged for most of the day since Lucas had an awful night, spending more than three hours up in the middle of the night alternating between laying with Gianni and I.  After he finally got back to sleep at 4:30am, it took forever for the hubby and I to actually settle ourselves.  So needless to say we were tired, and doing nothing sounded a lot more appealing.  

Here's my little cutie before heading out to dinner yesterday, sporting some obligatory red!  His new favourite thing to say when I take pictures is CHEESE, its too cute for words. 

Hope everyone else was out enjoying the wonderful weather this weekend!

Five on Friday

It's been a pretty busy week around here. We have been taking advantage of the nice weather and spending lots of time outside, and running errands. Lucas and I have slowly moved into our warmer weather routine that always includes daily walks and at least three visits to the park a week, sometimes more when we make it out in the evening with Daddy. Here are some highlights of my week!

ONE

Lucas spent a few weeks in April waking up super cranky from his naps, it was instant crying and fussing and wouldn't stop until either Daddy got home or well until dinner time. Not even a snack would make him happy and those weeks were plagued with some awful weather so we couldn't even go outside to ride out the bad mood. I'm happy to say that we are over that little road bump. Kid has been super jovial and playful the moment I grab him from his crib. We have been enjoying some time in his room reading some stories or just being silly and it makes for a more relaxed progression into our family time evenings.   I mean this face says it all, someone woke up on the right side of the crib!!

TWO

Growing up summer always meant lots of time outside, playing with water, and summer treats!! My all time favourite guilty pleasure was orange creamsicles. This week while at the store I spied a box and my big pregnant self could not resist and they made their way home with me. Just as I was about to indulge in some after dinner sweetness I decided to offer some to Lucas to see if he would like it  (kid is not the hugest sweet lover so I wasn't sure how he would react). Well he took one lick and the rest is history, and gone was my sweet.  I have to say though its amazing how much a pleasure it was to watch him enjoy something that is such a staple of my own childhood, and rather than grab another one for myself I just sat there and watched him devour it!

THREE

Sometimes Lucas is just so easy to please!  We headed to the mall this week to grab some water essentials for a mini family getaway and they have those contraptions that all parents dread and which brings instant glee to all kids.  The small mall rides that usually entices tantrums galore when the word no passes any parents mouth.  Usually Lucas doesn't show much interest but this week he was so keen when he say a car one, but I sadly did not have any change, or bills to even make change (it was seriously not a ploy, I would have actually gladly let him ride on until his heart burst with glee), I calmly told him I didn't have change but let him sit on the ride anyway since there were no other waiting children.  Well to my own happiness he was happy just pretending to drive the car for a good ten minutes.  Mom win!!

FOUR

Speaking of family getaway, we really have no means for an extravagant family vacation this year, with the new babe on the way, the hubby having a hard time getting time off since he's being transferred as foreman to a new job site next month (and needing all his precious time off for the new arrival anyway), added to all that we try to live on a very strict budget as a single income family so that we can always try to put as much in savings as we can.  So we decided that we will be spending the summer taking Lucas on several day trips to local attractions, with the exception of the beginning of June  We are off to Niagara Falls for three days where we are staying right on the falls and visiting the FallsView Water Park.  I cannot wait to see Lucas' face when we go to the water park, he's literally a bubble guppie during the summer, and visiting the splash pads are usually enough to bring him immense joy, this is going to totally blow his mind.

FIVE

I have been suffering from some bad back muscle aches, and to add to that I pulled a muscle in my left arm getting Lucas into a shopping cart yesterday.  So to say that I am looking forward to an hour long prenatal massage my husband is sending me off to tomorrow is really putting it lightly.  I mean I seriously cannot contain my glee!

I hope everyone has a great weekend, I will spending it with the handsome boys in my life, and speaking of handsome I leave you with this pic of the little guy.

Five on Friday

This week has literally flown by in a flash.  Lucas and I have been busy and I'm sure that has helped pass the time.  Even though the weather was pretty crappy in these parts with rain pretty much every day we made the best of the situation and went out when we could and did crafts and puzzles to pass the time.  On to some highlights.

ONE

Boys and their trucks!  Lucas is a very typical boy in that he is obsessed with anything that has wheels.  I still can't believe that with another boy on the way my life and house will forever surround around cars and trucks.  This past weekend my in laws got this little four wheeler for Lucas for the summer, and to say he was excited to see it is putting it lightly.  He doesn't even wheel himself that much in it, he just likes to get in and out of it.  Love this pic of him with his new wheels.

TWO

Lucas' new favourite hang out is on my belly lately.  He is just so sweet as he lays between my legs and rests his head against his brother.  Its really endearing actually when he's excited about something and talking up a storm his little brother is already responding to his voice, cause its at moments like those that I feel the baby move the most.  Cannot wait for him to get here so the brotherly bonding can begin in earnest.

THREE

I have been really enjoying my morning coffee this week.  The brew of choice is Paradiso for Tassimo, I refuse to drink decaf so I limit myself to one regular coffee a day, sometimes a tea in the evening.  I love that Lucas is usually great at entertaining himself after his morning bottle, and I enjoy sitting on the couch or the floor with him, and sipping on some much missed caffeine. To add to the pleasure of enjoying coffee, and the morning shenanigans is this adorable insulated mug I gifted myself for Mother's Day!

FOUR

I had the luxury this week of waking up at 7am on Wednesday, when Lucas decided to "sleep in" for a change, so I took advantage of his good mood and the rainy weather and we headed to the mall for the morning.  We always stop by bass pro shops to check out the fishes, and he was just so happy to see them that day, it helped that it wasn't busy there for a change.  We enjoyed doing some summer shopping, and then made a stop at Ikea for some lunch and play time.  After Tuesday had been a write off of a day with Lucas being a super crank pants, it was nice to have a good day right after and restore my faith in my mothering skills. :)

FIVE

We capped off the great week with a family date night last night.  After a three hour nap we went out to dinner, and then some chapters fun where Lucas is pretty much obsessed with the train table there.  On the way home Lucas enjoyed his first cake pop and devoured it!  I don't think I have ever seen Lucas so quiet in the car before!

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend, for my fellow Canadians a much deserved long weekend.  I'm pretty excited to take Lucas to his first fireworks this weekend!

A Spring Weekend

You know when you have those types of weekends that you never want to end (weekends for me are more sacred since it means more family time all three of us), well this past weekend was like that for me.  Despite a sprinkling of rain on Saturday afternoon we spent a lot of time outside, at the park, and Lucas playing with his first set of golf clubs (best $7 I ever spent at Walmart).

We ran some errands, hung out at Chapters, had a great family movie night on Saturday which included popcorn in bed!  Sunday Lucas woke up really really early after an awful night of sleep, and even though I was hoping for a good nap out of him because of it, I took the one hour he slept in stride, and we all just went outside and enjoyed extra time together.  We spent the morning at Ikea scoping out some new finds for a learning/craft corner I'm planning for Lucas' room, and the little man just loves to run around a muck in the children's area.  After a full weekend, we ordered Thai from a new place near our house, and it was easily the curry I have ever had.  The hubby and I capped off the night with a movie in bed, and snuggles before calling it a night.  I cannot wait for the weather to keep warming up, and spending more weekends like this all summer, playing in the backyard, hosting BBQS, and enjoying this time as a family of three (for now lol).

Someone wants to grow up and be just like his daddy!

Bought some cool children safe bath salts that colour the water.  I should have maybe mixed the yellow with another colour since this looks slightly like he's playing in pee!  But he loved it either way.  Bonus was having daddy join us for bath time, usually I take care of this part of his routine solo, but daddy decided to join us tonight!

Made his father so proud with how much he was into this golf set.  With another boy on the way they are close to forming their own foursome!

So excited to see the garlic we planted at the end of last season blooming.  Can't wait to plant the herbs next week, and the rest of the veggies after that!

This is what happy parenting looks like.

Five on Friday

I'm glad to say that Lucas is finally over his nasty cold from last week.  He's back to his usual exuberant self, and his appetite is back ten fold!  We have had a pretty quiet week around here since mother nature decided to rain on us all week keeping us indoors for the most part, but it helped me get some things around the house done that got neglected while we were sick, and rainy weather is seriously the best kind of weather for naps :)

ONE

Monday was the only sunny day we had all week, and after hibernating with sickness last week, both Lucas and I were raring to get out and play.  We hit the park pretty early in the morning and just ran around for hours.  Lucas is all boy when he's at the park, letting out his fearless little nature and always making the most of his time there.  On this particular day he was feeling more adventurous than usual and started climbing the ladder on the playground set.  He was so focused and I held him the entire time, and he was so happy when he got to the top; however I didn't let him attempt it again, there is only so much anxiety I can take while being pregnant!

TWO  

I try everyday to incorporate a learning activity with Lucas, usually they may be letter work sheets, or shape sorting, or colour recognition.  Although there are certain things we do all the time, namely reading (we do a lot of reading in this house, I recently read a study that says only 20 minutes a day with your toddler is enough to make a difference in a child's language and cognitive development, well we easily spend double if not sometimes triple that time reading a day, spread out at different intervals), we also do puzzles, and play with animals (their names and sounds), every day.  These are usually "games" that I will include in Lucas' playtime, and I find that doing them more often, and for less time during the day is easier on his attention span than doing it for a larger block of time.  This week I added a colour matching activity to his usual playtime since he got this puzzle for Easter and is obsessed with it.  He first seemed more interested in just getting the pieces in the slot, but is slowly understanding that they need to be matched in colour, and I usually get a good 15 minutes of learning time with him on this, and even when he gets it wrong I take the time to repeat often the name of the two colours.  So happy Nonna put this is his basket!

THREE

I have a whole post planned for my nursery plan for baby #2, but we decided that we are going with dinosaurs this time around.  We did a pretty traditional sports theme for Lucas, although we will be switching it up with some Star Wars when we move him to a big boy bed this winter.  I'm keeping the wall colour and furniture neutral and plan to add pops of colour starting with these prints from Etsy as the inspiration.  I really want to have a feature on the walls, but still debating how crazy I want to go.

FOUR

Mother's Day is just around the corner, and this year I told the hubby I don't want anything but a morning to myself.  I don't take time for myself that often.  Ok, let's me honest I don't take time for myself pretty much ever.  Its not that I don't have willing babysitters, or that my husband doesn't encourage me to go out and enjoy myself; I just have a hard time doing it.  I like to be there for my son, and letting go of the responsibility and carving me time is something I struggle with.  Being pregnant has made me evaluate the need to have me time every once in a while so this year I just want to go get a pedicure, have a coffee all on my lonesome, browse Chapters in the non kid section and feel free to sit and peruse a book I may want to purchase, maybe even go watch a matinee.  This will probably happen on the weekend after Mother's Day, cause on that day I want nothing else but to be with my little man, the person who gave me my most favourite job yet!

FIVE

I leave you with this too cute for words picture of my little man, who I realized after this picture squints his eyes in photos EXACTLY like his father!  As if they weren't already more alike!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Five on Friday

Its been a rough and amazing few weeks around here.  We had some great highs, but in the midst of it all my poor little man got his first big cold ever.  So here's how things have been going...

ONE

Things started really great last Thursday when at my anatomy scan we found out we are having another boy.  I had been feeling girl throughout this pregnancy because the symptoms have been so different this time around, but then on the morning of my appointment I had this overwhelming feeling that the news would be the other way around.  So when the technician showed me the clear indication that indeed I was expecting another energetic little man I was just so happy and excited to share the news with the hubby and Lucas.  Everything looked healthy at the ultrasound and now I am in the throes of planning a dinosaur themed nursery for my new little one, and debating names with the hubby.

TWO

On Thursday Lucas started getting really sick, and by Saturday he was just not his usual energetic and playful self.  So Easter turned out to be kind of a bust for us this year, we had headed to my parents earlier in the day and he passed out for a nap at 11:30 am which is so unusual for him, after spending the day miserable, constantly cleaning his runny nose, and nothing making him happy we decided to leave the festivities early and take the little guy home.  Sunday we skipped dinner at my in laws to keep Lucas indoors and just alternating between advil and tylenol, along with some homeopathic remedies I have at home to try and bring down his fever.  We ended up doing Chinese take out, and although the circumstances were kind of sad, it was nice to just spend the day relaxing with my boys. I snapped this adorable pic of him in the only time he was happy watching my sister's birds.

THREE

Unfortunately I got sick at the beginning of the week too so Lucas and I have been spending our days hibernating at home not wanting to risk getting worse especially with the temperamental weather we have been having.  Although its been fairly sunny its been pretty windy and cool in the mornings when we would usually go for our walks.  Lucas' fever finally broke Monday, but it makes me so sad to see him so under the weather and so lethargic, not even wanting to play with his trucks.  I snapped this pic of him on Tuesday, so cute but oh so sad eyes.  I just needed to document for his father that he was actually eating fishies, since he's been sick eating has not been high on his list, giving this mommy so much anxiety.

FOUR

Yesterday was finally a good day, and I started to see a big change in Lucas and myself.  I feel like we are at the tail end of this awful cold, and both mine and his appetite seem to be back.  My craving for vinegar took a back seat this week, and yesterday I gorged on salad with my fave new condiment sweet pickled red onions.  I had these at my mother in laws a few weeks ago, and the hubby made three jars last week.  They are divine and the perfect addition to salads and sandwiches.  Also my little man was actually playful yesterday, and I just love these photos of him.

FIVE

Yesterday was my wedding anniversary, and this year besides the fact that we have been a house full of sickies, we had decided to keep it really low key.  We made a lovely steak dinner for the three of us, and it was soooo good, and bonus was seeing Lucas enjoy his food again.  After putting Lucas to bed we just enjoyed a home date night with tv and dessert just the two of us, and appreciating everything we have in our lives, and making plans for the future.  I love this quote I found online, it perfectly describes the humour the hubby and I have in our marriage.  No one makes annoying me as cute as that hubby of mine!

Have a great weekend everyone!