What to share when it's your turn at preschool

We had a pretty good family day today. We took a drive to Bellingham and did a little shopping. Before our big food gathering spree we enjoyed a yummy brunch at the Old Town Cafe. We really enjoy the food there and as a bonus, they have a play area for kids. It's pretty grimy but hey, most places don't even have a place for the kiddies to enjoy a bit of freedom from the restriction of their car seats. It was Beans first long trip. She did really well. I think an hour and a half is her limit in the seat though. She grinned adorably with her two little front teeth at anyone and everyone that even glanced her way. Bubble was his usual jovial self, enjoying a ride in the shopping cart and playing the iPod of course. Anyhow, in the car on the way home we were asking him what he wanted to bring to preschool tomorrow as it is his day to 'share' something at group time. At first he was telling us he wanted to bring poo or some hybrid of that word but when prompted again, for something real, he came out with a real gem. 'I will bring my penis'...YUP, I want to share my penis. I couldn't contain my laughter...I hid it because I didn't want him to see me, but I'm sure my shoulders were visibly shaking. Luckily he didn't pick up on it. We of course let him know that we don't show our private parts to others but ack, what a mind. It's time for dinner now. The boys are singing...adorable. Love me

Jimmy Lin

So a few weeks ago before I had surgery, D and Bubble were playing 'construction worker' together and Bubble named himself 'Jimmy Lin'. Interesting name huh? We thought so. Anyways, over the course of a couple of days, anytime they played this game together he was Jimmy Lin. Fast forward to the day of my surgery when I was being driven home by my dad - in a fog of anesthetic and morphine I should add - when I had what I could only describe as a 'Kaiser Soze' moment ala 'The Usual Suspects' (it's a movie for those who are totally lost). I was in a daze, looking out the window when I noticed a realtor's sign and the name of the realtor was 'Jimmy Lim' (not Lin but Lim). Well, I had to do a bit of an eye rub as it was much too close to be just coincidence. The little monkey with the what I believe to be an almost photographic memory for words, must have asked me one day what the sign said and pulled it outta his little data bank when D and him were playing. Crazy hey!? Gotta love the mind of a 4 year old! Anyhow, had a great sunny day here today. Went out for 2 bike rides, one with his little friend and just soaked up what was one of the most beautiful days we have had in a while. Time for a well deserved sleep now. Love me

Wishes

Bubble loves to make wishes in the pond at our local park - when I have the appropriate coins on me that is - and his most recent wishes involved 'cake'. Yup, every time he made a wish for the last few weeks he wished for cake, whether he was making a wish for himself or for someone else (I always ask him to make a wish for someone he loves as well as for himself). So, I was quite delighted the other day when his Gramma came to visit (well, actually to help me out since I am still recovering from surgery-Thanks Gramma) and brought along a ziploc bag with what looked like hot chocolate mix in it. On the front she had written the following: 


3 TBS mix
2 TBS H2O 
1 Min in microwave


Inside the bag she had blended together a package of angel food cake and a package of regular ol' chocolate cake which apparently when mixed with water and poured into a little cup/microwave safe vessel of some sort, becomes a fluffy little mini cake. She did not know that Bubble had been wishing for cake and had also been wishing for cake for his Gramma, but there it was...a mini cake, the perfect size for him.


Being a mom that doesn't feed the little muppet much sugar - he gets just a little wired : ), I have yet to test it out on him, but next time I hear him making that wish in the pond I will be able to produce a wee little cake on demand. I cooked up one of these myself the other day (mostly out of curiosity of course) and it worked perfectly. It was fluffy like Angel food cake and just the little hit I needed of something junky. I think it would be perfect with some coconut ice cream on top...but that's just me...and to be honest I have been deprived of anything remotely decadent for the past year!


Anyhow, if you are looking for something quick and easy to give yourself a little sugar rush or to go with your afternoon tea/coffee, go ahead and blend some up. I think I will go make me a cake and some coffee right now! Who needs 'bucks when you got grounds and instant treat supplies at home! Now if I could only conjure up a really healthy instant meal in a bag that would be grand! Love Me

My son, the comedian

So, it's been a while since I posted. I think about writing and in fact have been writing blog posts in my head but have been too 'tired' to actually put word to 'paper' for the last few months. It has been the most trying winter I have ever had, both physically and mentally. I don't know what I was thinking but while I have been suffering with a very bad case of gallstones (sending me to emergency about 5 times since June of last year), we decided to also take on a renovation. Naively, I figured it would go smoothly in the hands of the seemingly competent people we hired. It did not....but I won't get into that. The bulk of the renovation finished just in time for me to head into the ol' hospital for surgery to remove my faulty gallbladder. That decision in itself weighed very heavy on me and I haven't been the most happy person to be around.


Anyhow, I am 3 weeks post-op and feeling relatively positive, although I have had a bit of a setback that I hope can be sorted out soon...bah! I am told it is not too invasive, although I will have to go back to the damn hospital to be put under again. Anyways, with spring in the air, a new hair cut - got myself some bang action after having a part in the middle for probably about 10 years - and some lovely blond and brown highlights (I finally realized that the grey hair wasn't going to magically disappear), I feel like a new person and am ready to be healthy and active again. The weather appears to be heading towards getting better and I'm hoping spring is going to spring...er, spring has sprung since I am tired of the cold, rainy weather. I will take warm rainy west-coast weather over cold any day...preferably with a sprinkling of sunshine : )

On Thursday I managed to get the boy out for an afternoon jaunt on the bus. He has been asking us for months to take him on a bus ride and we kept saying we would do it one day. I realized that it wasn't good enough to just keep saying 'one day' and really not fair to him, so on the spur of the moment, I looked up the bus schedule to go to Chapters, and away we went.


You see, we also have a good behaviour incentive program going with him whereby he earns a sticker if he has mostly good behaviour all day (can't expect a 4 year old to have good behaviour 100% of the time). Once he reaches five stickers he gets a predetermined award. Last week the award was a new book, so I figured why not have a bit of an adventure on the way to the book store. It was really great. He sat in quiet awe and watched with interest as more and more people got on, that was until a very different looking elderly lady sat across from us. She was a bit of an odd ol' gal and was staring at Bubble with not even a whiff of a smile, just staring. 


 My sweet little son, who is used to people smiling at him (at least I think that is why he said this), queried out loud to me 'why does her face look like that mommy?'. I don't believe she could hear him (noisy bus etc.), or maybe that is just what I told myself to keep from jumping out the window, but he did keep repeating the question so who knows. My strategy at first was to ask him questions back while trying in vain to distract him until he finally asked a question I could answer 'why isn't her face smiling?'. He was surprisingly satisfied with my question back to him...'Bubble, do you smile all of the time?, how about Mommy, does Mommy smile all of the time?'...to my absolute shock, his answer was 'yes I smile lots and Mommy, you do, you smile at me all the time'. Holy cow!! Despite me feeling like a horrible, grumpy, impatient mommy over the last few months, he doesn't see it that way. 


Oh, I love that boy. He is a really honest little soul and that just made me burst with happiness...And, thankfully the bus ride came to an end by this point too so there was no risk of more related queries about the big staring-eyed, expressionless lady. 
See a photo of Bubble waiting for the bus after the jump!