glogg blogg

I believe the last post had something to do with how over-the-top cute lulu is these days.
well she is still cute as a button...but well..definitely knows how to push my buttons.
That's for sure.
We took her to the Swedish Christmas festival down on the waterfront last weekend.
She has decided to skip napping- which in some ways is great, because now we can just do things during the day and not worry about getting home between 12-3 for her nap.
But in other ways it's well.....hell.
By 4 p.m. my little angel can turn into a little she-devil on the drop of a dime.
Also, no naps means no blogging for me.
or anything else for that matter.
well except things that involve crayons, glitter glue, toys and anything else interesting to a two year old.
the child is very intense when it comes to her crafts, that's for sure.


Anyhow I'm thrilled that she has tapped into her creative side and loves doing stuff like this, because truth be told, so do I.
But all this lack of napping also means that our sweet Lulu is completely overtired and run down.
She still won't sleep through the night and keeps waking up in the middle of the night, stealthily trying to make her way into our bed.
We usually end up taking her back into her room- though one of us usually wakes up in her bed.
Good thing we got her a really good mattress..
so as a result of all this naplessness- we are all sick with colds yet again.
wah wah wah...
but nothing so bad that a warm cup of Swedish glogg won't cure.

mmmmm...warm mulled spiced red wine....
So the month of November was spent in a bit of a transition phase.
we went from raking the leaves to shovelling the snow over night.
and are also trying to adapt to Lulu's new schedule.
Another great thing about no naps is a much earlier bed time.
As in 7 p.m.
woo who!
This means that big daddy and I actually have several hours in the evening to ourselves.
I have to say that I'm loving it.
At first I was all stressed out that Lulu wasn't napping like the 80% of other kids her age (according to everything that I've read) but there are some things I can't control.
We still have quiet time from 1-3.
which means she chills out in her room and I think it's working for both of us.
At least now I don't have to tip toe around the house with the fear of waking her up.
so yes, I'm still alive...though not blogging as vigorously as I did during those glorious nap days, but all is well and I'm liking this new phase.
It just took a bit of time to get used to.
but back to the glogg....so good.
I think I want my next vacation to be in Sweden.
But I'm sure Ikea will be the closest thing I'll get to Stockholm.
At least they sell the glogg mix there.

leaves are falling

I must confess I haven't really been feeling very bloggish these past few weeks.
Kind of ironic seeing as it's "blogging month".
Who came up with that anyhow?
Things are good though, and life is sweet.
A few random ( a.k.a.boring) things going on in my life:

~decided to chop off all my hair. no more ponytails. short and sassy.
I guess I am happy with the cut, it's been quite a few years since it was this short, but I'm digging it.
I feel neat and tidy.
Spiffy in a 1950's housewife kind of way. especially since these are everywhere and I love to accessorize.
Though I was a tad concerned this morning when Lulu said I looked a bit like a "guy".
hmmmm....not exactly the look I was going for...
oh well.

~my parents are travelling through Italy and not only am I jealous, but I'm really starting to miss them.
I would have laughed hysterically if someone told me that I would miss my parents after they had been gone only a couple of weeks back during those horrible teenaged years.
my how things change.
It's not that I see them that often, but I really miss just picking up the phone most days and having a chat with my mom.
I'm so glad they are having fun and I wish them well, but I am looking forward when they get back.
and man do I wish I was somewhere in Tuscany at the moment.
hell I would even be happy to go to College St. (little Italy) for dinner.

~ after years of scrubbing my own toilets I finally caved and agreed to get a cleaning service once a week.
Big daddy claims it is more of a marriage saver than just someone to clean the pee off of the floor.
I must say it's a nice treat and I was starting to get used to the idea of coming home every Monday afternoon to a spotless house.
This is so hard for me being the neat freak that I am (and I'm also super frugal) but I guess big daddy was right and it is a good thing.
only bummer is that yesterday when I got home, the bathroom floor was ruined with some harsh chemical spill on the new heated marble bathroom floor.
ummm- remember the part about being careful not to use anything but Method and all natural cleaners in the bathroom????
so now we have to get the floors redone.
which totally sucks.
I also feel really bad for the girl who does our cleaning. I just hope she doesn't lose her job.
maybe I should go back to being the main pot washer/ bottle scrubber around here.
or not.

~okay this is going to sound so monotonous but Lulu is so bloody sweet these days.
I feel like we have turned a corner and she is being soooo good.
almost no meltdowns or temper tantrums. I can actually reason with her. gasp!
I have to say she is so smart as well.
I am amazed at how well she speaks.
Not to brag...but how can I not? But she seriously speaks as well as any four year old at the park.
yet she is still only two and a half.
I know I know...I shouldn't compare.
She definitely has the gift of gab.
which is wonderful, but hopefully won't land her next to the teacher's desk like it did for me when I was a kid.
only time will tell.
Now if we could only get her to stop coming into our room every-single night at 2 a.m.
argh...

~ I have to say, there are many times that I wished I lived in the States. (especially when it comes to Target and J.Crew ;)However, November is not one of those times.
How do ya'll deal with thanksgiving AND Christmas so close together?
Flipping through all my favourite food mags and it's turkey turkey everywhere.
Which is awesome, except that you have to do the whole thing all over again in a few short weeks.
or maybe this isn't such a bad thing.
Is it?
any thoughts?

~speaking of the holidays...each weekend seems to be booking up as we get closer to the holiday season.
There are so many fantastic things going on around town. and now that Lulu is at an age where she really gets it, I can hardly wait to take her to all the festivities happening from now until Jan 01.
we might even try to brave the Santa parade this weekend...
Only every time Lulu sees Christmas decorations in a store she sais "mommy it not Christmas yet, it not cold yet! there's no snow!"
True. but I'm sure that will change soon.
In the mean time I'm happy to deck the halls while raking the leaves.

~T.V. couldn't not mention the idiot box seeing as this is where I seem to find myself more evenings than I care to reveal.
However I will share a few of my favourite guilty pleasures.
Prison Break. Last night's season finale did not disappoint. but who the hell is "the company??"
30 Rock. okay could this show be any funnier? The green episode last week was one I had to watch twice. hilarious.
The Office. Always funny and I can't get enough of Dwight.
Top Chef~ I'm a food network junkie, this show is one of my favs at the moment. Well that and The Heat and Fink.
I wish I had teachers like this guy when I was in high-school.
Lucky kids.
Oh and Jamie's Chef was a bit of a tear jerker too.
Big daddy loves when I watch Giada's Everyday italian.
is it me or do her tops keep getting lower and lower cut?
Then again, if ya got it- why not?
how does she stay that skinny while eating all that Pasta??
Dirty sexy Money. Lovin' it. it's like a modern Dallas only everyone has great hair.
Then again remember when everyone wanted hair like Krystle Carrington?
I can't remember the last time I watched a movie. any suggestions?

so that's about it for me.
Nothing too wild and crazy happening, just enjoying a nice November groove.

losin' my religion

It's a little intimidating writing about topics like politics or religion.
I don't ever want to offend or piss off any of the people who might be reading my blog.
But I gotta keep it real right?
so today's sermon is all about what religion means to me.
I'm a bit of a recovering catholic.
Spent my childhood going to church at least once a week sometimes even twice.
(went to a catholic grade school) my parents were both taught by nuns and priests.
My brother was an alter boy.
I fooled around with several alter boys.
you know what they say about catholic school girls ;
Eventually I convinced my parents to let me go to a public High school. whew.
One of the first classes I enrolled in was a world religions class.
Our big project for the year was to attend ten different "types" of services throughout the semester and choose one, and write an essay about that particular religion, and have a guest speaker come in to talk to the class.
Loved it and it was one of the few classes that I actually got a really good grade in.
One girl even got a Wicca priestess to come into the class and talk about paganism.
For me church was always something that felt forced upon me.
Unnatural.
all that standing, kneeling, sitting repeat a dozen or so more times.
It was always chaos trying to get ready on a Sunday in time and dressed appropriately.
I often felt like falling asleep and had no idea what the prayers were all about.
I dreaded going to confession. Sitting in a scary dark closet like room talking to a man behind a curtain thinking up "sins" seemed ludicrous to me.
not to mention just plain creepy.
by the time mass was over I was starving- as we "fasted" before hand each week.
What can I say my parents did what they knew growing up.
Eventually we stopped going as teenagers.
save for the holidays.
alleluia!
fast forward twenty years.
Haven't been to church aside from travelling to look at cathedrals and the odd wedding.
Married to a Jewish man.
when it comes to religion I'm not really sure where I fit in anymore.
I love celebrating all the Jewish holidays and I often get more enthusiastic about them than Big daddy does.
I just identify with the sense of ritual and tradition.
I've been to synagogue a couple of times.
It was interesting but not for me.
I chose not to convert.
So where does this leave me?
Do we need to "belong" to a religious group in order to be spiritual?
I don't think so.
But it is kind of nice.
So when a friend of mine (hi c) was singing a solo in a United Church Choir on Sunday I decided to go.
I took Lulu with me as Big Daddy was away for the weekend.
I have to say it was such a lovely experience.
The singing was beautiful.
Lulu was fascinated and was well behaved and sat listening quietly.
It was peaceful looking at the sunlight streaming in through the stained glass.
The sermon was interesting and relevant.
Overall a really nice way to spend a Sunday morning.
I may not go every Sunday, but I'll definitely go back again (especially to hear my friend C sing...what a beautiful voice!!)
It's probably good for Lulu to experience all kinds of worship.
We have friends that are Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist and atheist.
Mormon- not so much. No offense.
I'm so happy that we can all sit together and share our ideas and beliefs.
how lucky am I that I live in a country where this is not only possible but common practice?

amen.

ray of sunshine

Today was the first time in a while that Lulu and I went for a long walk outside on a beautiful sunny fall day and were not in a hurry or running errands.
somehow the autumn seems to have escaped me this year.
fortunately mother nature has taken her time with the cooler temps and colourful leaves so there is plenty to enjoy hopefully for a few more weeks.
it felt so nice to just walk and breathe. deeply. (and clearly without congestion) in what feels like a long while.
It's amazing how just taking several deep breaths can help restore the soul.
I can't believe how quickly September and October slipped by.
Two of my favourite months on the calendar were spent running around like a crazy woman and not actually having a chance to embrace and enjoy them.
Life can feel so hectic at times.
I honestly don't know how mothers with more than one child do it.
Now that Lulu is feeling better I feel like I can take a deep sigh of relief and relax and start enjoying life a bit more.
speaking of sunshine.
while out for dinner last night we set Lulu up with her usual crayons and paper and she drew a perfect yellow sunshine, rays and all. Big daddy and I were so proud watching her meticulously draw. she loved the praise, then announced that "I an artist"
That a girl. getting in touch with her creative side.
she really does love drawing and painting (then again, what kid doesn't?)
I feel like a broken record, but man, she is just over the top cute these days.
And could she be more affectionate? countless kisses and hugs all day long.
she melts my heart.
so focused.
so adorable.
so lulu.

came down the gutter....

on a piece of bread & butter......
I'll spare you the details, but needless to say the plague that entered our house two weeks ago finally decided to make a dramatic exit on Halloween.
sheesh.
not fun at all.
my poor little Zebra was only allowed to eat white rice, white bread and bananas all day.
no candy.
she was a good sport though and was all smiles as per usual.
I'm also finally feeling a little bit better after a really bad cold & flu and also very very relieved that a rather involved job I was working on is finished.
It was fun to work on, but a bit challenging while caring for my sick little gal.
that's life as a mom though.
I'm very glad that it's November.
nothing too crazy happening, and hopefully we can spend some quality time at home together as a family getting warm and cozy.
oh and finally catching up on reading my favourite blogs.
it's been a while, looking forward to seeing what everyone has been up to.