Recess Was Her Favorite Subject....

And, now....not so much.

While the hubs and I were traipsing off in Vegas last week, having a grand old time, enjoying our 15 years of blissful marriage, our sweet, friendly, innocent, doe-eyed little girl was getting punched on the playground at recess.

Yep.  Socked right in the eye.  By a little boy.  A 5 year old little boy.

Apparently what happened was that she asked him to play and he said no.  I'm assuming her feelings were hurt (she just wants to be friends with everyone!), then she asked him again, and then he punched her.  This was verified by other kids, so it leaves me to wonder:  how does a 5 year old know to punch with a closed fist, and why would he do that to begin with?  What has he seen in his life that has taught him that's it okay to punch? 

I have sympathy for this boy.  I mean, did he see his Dad punch his Mom?  Does he have an older sibling that does this to him? 

My daughter seems to be doing okay after a few days of not really wanting to be at school, and keeping a sharp eye out for any adult to be close to her, but I'm sure this has changed her thinking about how other kids are.  I'm so sad for her that this had to happen during her first few weeks of her school career, but after seeing how all of the other kids are so happy to see her at school every day, I'm sure she'll be just fine.

The school takes a hard stance on bullying, and this boy has been "grounded" from recess for a week, and then he has to be with a supervisor the whole time he's out for another week.  While I was picking her up after school on Monday, he came over and apologized (again) to her, and she got very nervous and managed to squeak out an "it's okay, thank you".  I thought it was brave for him to come over on his own in front of her Mom to apologize to her.  Hopefully this will change his ways, as this isn't the first time they've had an "incident" with him.

It makes me wonder how many parents sit their kids down and talk to them about bullying and about how they treat other children.  It makes me think about the "my kid would never do that" mentality and how it happens more than we think.

It's been a good lesson for her, in the way she treats her brother (and I'm sure all siblings have their scraps) and in the way she treats others at school. 

Hopefully the rest of the school year goes smoothly, and all we have to deal with is uneaten fruit in the lunchbox at the end of the day!!

Let's Move ON

I just need to get a post up, any post, to move the lip waxing post outta here - I cringe every time I see it! ha!

Vegas was awesome, won some money to help pay for the trip, and had a fantastic anniversary dinner (can't wait to do it again, and this time we're not waiting 15 years!!)

Christmas shopping is upon us and I've been really busy with Arbonne parties, the holiday line is A-mazing - there are going to be a lot of very happy gift recipients this Christmas!!  The kids are doing great in their schools, the boy is doing great in speech therapy, and things are just chugging along!

Potty training is another story - this boy is so stubborn, I'm not sure what to do here.  I think I'm going to opt for no diaper, no underwear, no pullup - we're going commando (well, he is, not me!) to see if that will motivate him to use the potty.  I need to drop everything and have this child live on the potty for the next week.  Starting tomorrow (we are home all day tomorrow and Monday is a holiday) I'm dropping the hammer!! 

Oh, and no snow yet!  On October 6th, that is a huge feat here up north, every day without snow is a great bonus!

Now to go get those leaves off my lawn....

My Lips Are Waxed

I've never thought of myself as being old.  I don't have grey hair, I still think of myself as 25 and I got carded yesterday.  Yes, that's right - a 38 year old got carded!  Waa Hoo!!!

However, I've finally decided to acknowledge a problem I know that I've had for some time.  My upper lip was starting to look like the testosterone was taking over a little too much.  In asking my sister if it looked like it was darker, she said that it looked fine (bless her heart, she didn't want my wrath).  In light of our upcoming trip, I decided to do something about it.

Let me back up a little.  The last time we were in Vegas, I was walking through a casino, and 2 drunk guys stumbled by me.  One of them said something to me, something that sounded like "nice moustache".  I'm sure that's not what he said, he probably said something like "I need cash", but then again, I'm pretty sure he didn't.

So the wheels started turning.  You know how when you stare in the mirror at your eyebrows, and pretty soon they are big and black and bushy, and it's all you can see?  Well, that's what my upper lip looked like.  Couple that to the fact that I'm sure I grew a mini beard when I had my kids (that my hubby made sure I knew about, just in case I couldn't see it myself), I have a complex about facial hair.

So, yesterday I took the bull by the horns.  I did an at home wax kit - sorry, not paying $35 to have my brows and 'stache waxed when I can do it myself for $5.  I am pretty sure it worked, although it's still a little too pink to tell for sure, but hey, it couldn't be worse, right?

I am coming to the realization that bad things happen as we age.  Facial hair, sagging body parts, memory loss....

courtesy Google Images

Now....what was I saying?
                                                             

My heart melts!

So much has been going on with the big girl starting school, today is show and tell (my bet is there will be at least 78 barbies...) and there are new friendships being made every day.  My daughter is, shall we say, a loud, unabashed free spirit.  She has the biggest heart and the best intentions but isn't quite in the know about socially acceptable behaviour yet (as I'm sure all kids her age aren't to some extent).  She makes her teacher laugh daily, and was called a "silly monkey" by said teacher last week (or so she says - she also has the biggest imagination).

Well, she has found her twin.  Yep, there really is another kid out there as, well, out there as Jayda.  It is the funniest thing to watch them meet on the playground every morning - with screams and hugs as if they hadn't seen each other in years.  That just melts my heart.  One of the things we want for our kids is to have wonderful, meaningful relationships with their friends, and I definitely see a long friendship between these two kids.  So awesome!

It's only been 2 weeks since school has started...wouldn't that be something if she found her true BFF 2 weeks into kindergarten? 

Letting Go...

I am a type "A" personality.  Just ask my husband, who is driven crazy by my 'I want everything done my way' ways.  In my defense, I like to think I'm pretty darned organized and even headed about it.  Except when we live out of a laundry basket full of unfolded clothes for a few days, but I like to think of it as having my priorities straight.

But I digress...

Anyhow, being this type of person, I also tend to let things get to me, creating a little gnawing feeling in my stomach.  I worry about the little things, wanting to do something about them right. now.  Last night I had a bit of an epiphany - I vowed that when things start to get to me, I am to immediately do something self-gratifying.  Whether that is eating ice cream, folding the aforementioned laundry, going for a walk - whatever gives me a boost at that moment.  The trick to this is,  when I do one of these things, I have to slowly let go of whatever is bothering me. 

And last night, it worked. 

I tend to make things complicated, when really, most things are quite simple.  Easy to say, hard to remember. 

And, I think it makes me easier to live with.

Now excuse me while I go fold my laundry....

Nose To The Grindstone!

Well, fall is here and it's time to get back down to it!  Jayda has started kindergarten (full days, every day!)  and Cash starts playschool in 2 days, so I am putting my nose to the grindstone.

My days are now filled with working my business.  I love this business, I believe in the products and love the freedom and flexibility it gives me!  Heck, I took the summer off and don't regret it for a second!!  Being new to this city, it is providing me with the opportunity to meet new people, and share exciting products that I love! 

Previous to moving to the north, I was a contact lens technician and optician.  The business I got my roots in is a high end boutique type of store, with awesome quality frames, lenses, everything!  I quickly realized that there is a definite benefit to buying for quality, not just for price.  I'm not a name brand snob, but I do appreciate high quality products.  I think that is why I love this business so much - it's not the same as other businesses - the research and ingredients that go into these products is absolutely incredible - and the proof is in the putting.

If you'd like to check out what I'm so excited about, and working so hard toward being a success in my endeavour, check it out!!  The new holiday line is out, and I'm just about jumping out of my skin at how much I love the yumminess of these products!!!

I so appreciate all of my clients, friends and family that are understanding what the fuss is all about here!  It truly is an awesome business to "work" for! 

FORWARD MARCH!!!

So Giddy I Could Spit...

Okay, I wouldn't spit ('cause that's just gross), but I am just so darn smitten with all that's been going on lately...

First off, a parental visit from my parents a couple of weeks ago - my kids were thrilled, as was I - my Mom is the cooker, cleaner and all around house lady that gives me a major break from my life while they are here.  Needed that break!!!  We had such a great visit, and look forward to their next visit (more on that in a bit...)

Secondly, my sister and her other half were here last week....what a great time we had!!!!  They are total foodies, so we ate like kings - my thighs will confirm that!!  We also had a fantastic time with them, and can't wait for them to come back!

Thirdly (is that a word?) my mother in law is due to fly in tomorrow for 8 days....it should be a really good visit as well, the kids will wonder why no one is coming to visit after she goes home!!  We used up all of our visitor cards within one month!

Jayda is starting kindergarten next week - so thrilled for her (and for me! ha).  She is so excited!  Should be a nice change of pace around here, as I will have more time to take the little man to speech therapy at will and not have the constraints of having to lug 2 kids around everywhere.

My Mom and Dad are coming back at the end of September to watch the kids for a week while Dan and I jet off to Vegas for our 15th anniversary!!  Dan doesn't know we are going, I'm hoping to hold off telling him until Mom and Dad are on our doorstep - if you know me, it's been really hard to keep this trap shut, but so far so good!!

And, finally.........Arbonne has launched their holiday line - I'm so flippin' excited - this stuff is awesome!!!!!!!!  I promptly placed my order this morning so I can share all that is yummy Arbonne holiday goodness with all of my peeps here - and now I'm just waiting for the mailman to come and deliver the goods!!  Check the line out - get some Christmas shopping out of the way now, you'll be glad you did later!!! (Just don't use it all up yourself before you wrap them! ha!)  www.clairedonison.myarbonne.ca 

Hope you had a great summer everyone!!!