Morning or Night?

Since my son was born and I have returned to work, I have had to shower at night.

I hate showering at night.

My husband and my friend both prefer to shower before bed. They figure that extra half-hour of sleep in the morning is more important than having a hot shower before going to work.

I disagree.

If I am getting up in the morning to go to work, I might as well get up and have a shower, too.

Then I am awake, warm and clean before heading to work.

By showering at night, I am loosing a half hour of my time – my time to write in my journal, read a magazine or a book or simply go to bed a little earlier.

Friday Fragments

It was an awful drive in this morning. I am going to blame it on an accident that happened further down the highway rather than the few snowflakes that were falling.

But it’s Friday and it’s the weekend and we don’t have much planned. I am hoping for a whole lot of sleep seeing how mine has been disturbed nightly this week.

I am hoping good night sleep all weekend long coupled by some afternoon naps. Who doesn’t love a good two-hour nap in the afternoon?

This week, my guy has started uttering a couple of phrases that make me laugh, usually out loud.

“Daddy says yes to me.”

This means my guy is saying his Daddy says it’s OK to play with razors, eat chocolate for breakfast, watch TV and a bunch of other things that I can’t prove because Daddy, conveniently, isn’t there.

“I’m busy. Five minutes.” This is good for anything from avoiding a diaper change to coming for dinner. This one might be my favourite.

Happy weekend, everyone.

Oh No!

I was really hoping my son wouldn’t get my sleeping issues. I have sleep parasomnia. I have self-diagnosed myself with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder.

I like to call what I have action dreams, in that I play out the scenes running through my brain as I sleep.

I have been known to clear off dressers in search of missing items, walk throughout the house searching, in late, for my son who has disappeared and hold conversations with whoever likes to listen.

The worst is the terror. I have these realistic dreams, which cause me to shoot out of bed and when I eventually wake, my heart is racing. I figure one of these days, my poor heart is going to stop.

So I had hoped, even though I know these issues are hereditary, that my son would not experience the fear.

It’s awful.

But Monday night, I heard my two-year-old call out to me through the monitor. I came into his room and he was pointing to his stuffed animal in his crib saying ‘No Cosmo. No Cosmo in bed.’ I reassured him Cosmo, the kitten, was not in his bed as Cosmo was sleeping with me.

But the damage was down. It took me three hours to settle my guy back down and convince him he needed to sleep again.

I gave him the advice that, sometimes, works for me – think happy thoughts and tell yourself no bad dreams tonight.

Tuesday night, he was again up for several hours and a hour last night, but I think it was association rather than bad dreams.

For me, these terrors are worse when I am tired (a known trigger). My guy had a shorter nap Monday so I will be doing what I can to ensure he gets enough sleep so his dreams are peaceful.

Music Bits

Music isn’t my thing. I would rather listen to silence than much of the music I hear on the radio these days.

I have an iPod and it’s filled with Disney tunes, musical soundtracks, Christmas selections and children’s music. My CD collection isn’t one that would be stolen.

There is currently one song on the radio that is driving me nuts.

I have no idea who sings it and I have never listened past the beginning line: “Do you ever feel like you’re a plastic bad, floating on the wind?”

Journalism 101 says you never lead a story with a question because if the reader answers no, they will turn the story.

The same should apply to a song. No, I can’t say I have ever felt like a plastic bag floating on the wind. What does that even mean? I can’t get over how stupid that sentence is so I immediately flip the station when this song comes on.

My husband, who isn’t as literal as I am, said perhaps the artist meant allowing yourself to be taken where the wind blows, allow yourself to be free.

Pretty impressive really.

I still hate the song.

Lady Gaga
A couple weeks ago on the radio, a broadcaster was talking about how Lady Gaga told an interviewer that she was an excellent, talent performer who gives a great show.

The DJ said in a world where everyone brings you down, good for Lady Gaga for standing up for herself. The DJ said Lady Gaga is right, the artist is fantastic and Lady Gaga deserves to say so.

My husband agreed with the DJ and Lady Gaga.

I completely disagree.

If you are a fantastic performer who gives a great show, the show, the ticket sales and the fans will prove this. You do not need to say it.

I hate arrogance and to me, that ‘I am the best’ attitude pisses me off and really turns me off.

Thursday Thoughts

Potty updates
On Feb. 2 my little guy peed on the potty, on purpose. He ran up to it, straddled it, strained and out came some pee.

We clapped and we cheered.

But when I suggested to my guy that he was sitting on the potty backwards, he informed me that no, he wasn’t.
Who am I to judge?

On Sunday, my brother asked if he could tickle my guy, but E said no because he was pooping.

On Tuesday in the bath, he started to pee. I told him we don’t pee in the tub and passed him a cup. His face lit up with delight when he half-filled the cup, which Daddy then poured into the toilet and flushed away.

Are we potty training? No, but we will get there eventually.

Disturbing Content Warning
Several weeks ago, my husband was watching a show about various ways to die. Most of the episodes were things like a woman had a thing for eating dirt. Sadly, she chose to eat the dirt in her neighbour’s garden.

Even more sad – and disgusting – was her neighbour was putting his feces in the garden. She died of E. Coli.

Another woman thought consuming a tapeworm to help her lose weight was a good idea. You can imagine what happened there.

In with situations such as a javelin thrower running into his stick and a S&M guy who had an anaphylactic reaction, there was one situation that I am disgusted someone included in the 1000 Ways to Die.

While all of the above ways to die are sad and unfortunate, I disagree the producers of this show added a tragedy in its lineup.

The video showed an airliner crashing into the ocean close to a Caribbean resort. According to the announcer on the show, the airline was hijacked and the pilot crashed his plane into the waters, killing most people on board.

While this is indeed a way to die, the victims had no choice.

The producers of this show had no right to include this tragedy in a show that mocks people’s stupidity.

Bring on Spring
It’s going to be warm and raining today and tomorrow it’s going to be double digits.

Sadly, the weekend is suppose to be cold and snow. But Monday is the Family Day holiday in Canada. Bring on the long weekend.

Beautiful

This morning, in between buildings, highway overpasses, hills and tractor-trailers, I had a glimpse of a giant red-orange ball of fire to the east.

It was so breathtaking, I almost missed my exit and I had to cross four lanes of traffic in order to get off the highway in time.

A beautiful sunrise, coupled with mild weather, makes today a great day.
Happy Monday, everyone.

The Best Feature on a Car Ever

The first vehicle I purchased was a two-seater Mazda B2200 pickup truck. It was a base model, with a cassette player, manual windows and locks.

It was also missing cup holders and a clock, two features I insisted on when my truck died too early.

My next vehicle was a Honda Civic SI. The entire Honda experience was disastrous and I will save my I Hate Honda rant for another blog posting. But the Civic did come with all the bells and whistles – power windows and locks, power and heated mirrors, power seats and my favorite – a sunroof.

When this car died, I bought a Pontiac Sunfire. My first four-door vehicle. This car went back to the basics – manual doors and windows, but a remote with a button to open the trunk, which I loved.

Sadly, one of the speeds on the fan didn’t work, which meant, in winter, it looked like I was in a sauna, with moisture dripping from the inside or, if I turned the fan down, ice. It had a CD player, but it didn’t work.

When this car was written off, I test-drove a number of cars before purchasing the Ford Focus Wagon, which I still have.

So far, I love my Ford. It is also basic – CD player that works, all fan speeds that work, manual windows and doors, but a remote, and my absolutely favourite feature – heated seats.

I will take heated seats over a remote, power any thing, and even the sunroof. On cold days or when you aren’t feeling well, it’s like being wrapped in a blanket right from the dryer.

Baby ‘Goshua’ (Joshua)

I picked up Baby Goshua, as my son likes to call my Cabbage Patch Kid doll, last night and realized Joshua's soother is broken. The ring has snapped.

Although saddened by this, I suppose I am not all that surprised.

Joshua has seen a lot. I received him as a Christmas gift from my aunt the year of the Cabbage Patch Craze in 1983.

I wasn’t expecting to get one but was so excited when I opened the package and saw his blue eyes starring back at me. (My aunt was hoping I would hate him so she could keep him but it wasn’t to be. Joshua is unique. He is smaller than a full-sized doll but is not a preemie.)

While Joshua was the perfect baby, I was much older than my son is now when I received him. And while I did leave him in the car once, causing his head to get super soft in the sun, I never threw him down the stairs, hit him, laid on him or bashed him on the floor because he was crying too much.

As a note, my guy is made to apologize when he does such things and I tell him we never throw babies down the stairs. Try saying that in a serious voice when talking about a doll.

So while I am sad my Baby Joshua now has a split soother, I am glad he is being loved all over again.

How About That Super Bowl

I dislike football. It’s likely because I don’t get it.

I went to a Toronto Argonauts football game once with my husband who, as a youth, went to the games weekly with his season-pass holding dad.

Last night, my husband and I watched the Super Bowl half-time show, which was surprisingly short, and then started to watch the game.

It was like trying muddle through my Cantonese lessons – or math. I was completely confused.

I know the Canadian Football League (CFL) is differently than the NFL but wondered if it was so different my husband couldn’t follow what was going on.

J. explained the differences between the two leagues but I must confess that my eyes glazed over and I had no idea what he was talking about.

I must have sounded quite rude when I cut him off and said ‘So you can follow the game then?’

And for the record he could.

I spent 10 minutes that I will never get back watching that game. I was confused, I had no idea what was going on, I kept losing the ball, I watched the wrong person and missed the action and toward the end of my Super Bowl watching experience, I realized I was looking without seeing.

So I went to bed.

I hope you enjoyed the game.

Light At The End of the Snow Tunnel

People, there is hope.

I noticed this morning it was getting light out at 6:45 a.m.
Tuesday, when I was driving home at 5:45 p.m., it wasn’t yet dark.

It is possible spring is coming.

I hope our neighbours to the south made it through the storm.



My guy and I had a fabulous snow day yesterday.

The Honours Keeping Coming

Annissa Rae from A Page in My Book let me know during my SITS day that she honoured me with an award – the Stylist Blogger.

Thank you, Annissa.

Here are the rules:
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you the award.
2. Share seven things about yourself.
3. Award this to other bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

Seven things about myself….
1. I was the Feature Blogger Friday and I was a nervous wreck at the beginning. Did I write something that was offensive? Did I misspeak? Did someone read one thing when I meant the other? After a while, I just enjoyed the ride and it was, and still is, lots of fun. Thank you, everyone.

2. One blogger commented how clean and crisp my blog looked. I forgot to mention my good friend Jo at Coconut Palm Designs combined my photographs to create the banner. She even installed it for me seeing as how I do not know how to do code. So if I am a Stylist blogger in looks, this award should actually go to her.

3. I used to require at least seven hours of sleep a night. I should say I likely still require it, but for the last two years I don’t think I have received it. However, I will take no sleep and the babe any day.

4. I used to be hot – temperature wise. I would wear T-shirts in the middle of the winter. Now that I am much older, I wear multiple layers and it’s not unusual for me to wear my jacket inside at work.

5. I am first-generation Canadian on my mom’s side. On my dad’s side, we have been Canadian forever. I consider myself Canadian. Not Canadian-Dutch.

6. I used to love winter. I once went winter camping. In a summer tent. Not smart. I think I still love winter if I don’t have to drive in it.

7. Jan. 28 was the first-year anniversary of my head-on crash. It’s also the first anniversary of the passing of Robert B. Parker. I had a dream about Parker last week. My thoughts to his family.

Share this award:
I have found some really great blogs. In no particular order:

http://mz-cellaneous.blogspot.com
http://home-shabby-home.blogspot.com
http://lady-mama.blogspot.com
http://rainforestmommy.blogspot.com - This is my friend Jo’s other blog. She hasn’t posted in a while but when she gets back at it, it’s interesting to see how one lives in a jungle.
http://thekatherinewheel.blogspot.com