Turn your head for a SECOND

and this is what you get...

My gratitude to my local mall

I am thankful to have a mall close by.

Several times a week Elijah and I head over to our friendly neighbourhood shopping centre and walk the loop of the mall. It has been a great place to meet up with people and enjoy shopping or pushing our strollers together.

It's amazing what a good workout you can get by pushing a stroller through the mall. (I'm told that walking the entire loop of the mall, including Sears, Walmart and The Bay, is 1.3 miles).

(I will offer this side note that the workout changes entirely when the 18 pound baby that was in the stroller decides that your arm is a much more comfortable place to be and therefore you end up pushing an empty stroller with said baby in ones arms).

So here are the specifics of why it brings joy to my heart:

1. Parental parking spots. These are wonderful and most appreciated when it's -40 out and you have crying child in your back seat. (I do realize that people may question the sanity of one taking a child out in -40 but seriously, we live in Manitoba, if you don't take a child out in -40, your window of opportunity for leaving the house decreases substantionally.)

2. Tiled floor with just a bit of rumble. Nothing like lulling a child to sleep when they're being pushed in a stroller.

3. Second Cup. Iced Mochachinno with whipped cream. Cancels out all the exercise from walking, but still worth it.

4. Family room. Great place to be able to feed in semi privacy with semi comfort.

5. Food court. (Does anyone else remember when it first opened? Somehow I recall Lisa Best on TV saying it wasn't a food court, it was a food experience. Ah yes, good old Lisa Best. What happened to her anyway?)

6. Walmart. For those of you that wonder, I did a price comparison and most stuff is actually cheaper at Walmart. My apologies to all the little guys who are still out there trying to make it. I'm cheap, I mean thrifty. Sorry.

7. Children's clothing stores. Thank you for your sale racks. You have fueled my addictions. Why do they make children's clothes so darn cute?

8. People watching. Have you ever stopped to notice the incredibly interesting people at the mall? Oh, how I wanted to talk to the lady with the side ponytail and the torquoise scrunchy.

I was going to make this a list of ten. It seems to be more complete that way. Unfortunately, right now I can only think of eight things that I am truly thankful for. I'm sure there are other things. I'm just not AS thankful for them.

More Elijah pictures

4 months

We went to the doctor for his four month appointment today. Elijah is 17 lb and 12 oz, 26 inches. No one ever looks at him and says "what a tiny baby". At least we know his mama's milk is being put to good use.

Ode to things like the Loch Ness Monster

I would like to introduce you to the view outside our living room window. Yup, that's right, it's a Loch Ness Monster. We didn't realize that it was there when we first looked at the house. Now I look at it with amusement. Who goes to the store to buy a Loch Ness Monster for your front yard? Where do you even get one of those?

There is a lot of stuff out there that I wonder "who would buy this?"


Another example of something like that would be my glass head. I first saw it in a Pier One in Alabama and after asking "who would buy this?", ended up getting it as a gift. Apparently MY friends would buy this. (Thanks again Richard for sacrificing your dignity by hauling it up in your luggage.) The glass head, which is currently being stored for safe keeping, has been a conversation starter where ever it has been seen. The thought of it, and the memories associated with it, always bring a smile to my face.

Maybe that's why people buy those things. Maybe my neighbour (who happens to be a very nice man who regularly clears the bus stop in front of his house) saw it and thought it would be a nice conversation starter. Maybe he too was with friends on a vacation and found it a humorous find. Maybe he just thought it would be a good landmark to have in his front yard so people could find his place.

The world is interesting. I guess as long as we keep buying these things, someone else will continue to make glass heads and large concrete Loch Ness Monsters. And we'll continue to have something to talk about.

Jolly Jumper Joy

Elijah sleeping in carseat

We got a nice warm car seat bucket liner for Elijah shortly after he was born. They are so nice to have in these beautiful Manitoba winters.

My thoughts on coupons

Coupons are really a wonderful thing. For a little bit of extra effort, you can get $4 off your Pampers, a second burger from McD's for free or a discount off your sub at Subway. It's nice to save money.

I'm just wondering why we need to go through the effort of hauling those little pieces of paper around that entitle us to a discount? How often do we see an item we have a coupon for a realize that we forgot the coupon at home? Why can't the places just reduce their prices?

Who came up with coupons anyway? Can you imagine if you were "that guy"? People ask you what you do for a living. Your response: I invented coupons. Do you think the guy made a lot of money off of the idea? (I am of course assuming that the individual that came up with coupons was a man. I would be quite happy to be proven wrong.)

So to the person who came up with the idea I say thank you. I enjoy a good coupon. I'm glad you went to work that day.

p.s. For those of you who enjoy a good coupon find, there is a website www.save.ca that has a wide variety of coupons that you can click on and have them mailed to you. All you have to do is ask for them.

Elijah watching TV

All I want to do is sleep

Why is it that my child thinks that 5:45 a.m. is an appropriate time to wake up? I realize that by that time he's gotten a full night of sleep so he's ready to go for the day but sadly, his mother is not.

I'm not at my best when it's still dark out. Unfortunately, he is.

You have never seen a happier or more talkative child at the crack of dawn. He is full of smiles that make me feel guilty for wasting them by wanting to sleep. I long for the moment a few hours later when I start to see his hands rub his eyes in the international baby signal for "I'm tired" and eagerly bring him to the bathroom to let the fan lull him to a morning nap just a little bit quicker.

Oh, and then the joy when he finally goes down for a nap. Maybe, just maybe I too can get some sleep. Alas, once again, just a half hour nap.

Better luck next time.

Elijah - tummy time

The inaugural address

So I've decided to join. Everyone else is doing it.

My musings will be interesting to mostly me but please indulge me. I'm a stay at home mom. Don't get me wrong. I love staying home with my little boy. There is nothing that brings my heart greater joy than seeing his great big smile. I am very happily spending my days and nights with him.

Having said that, I don't really have a lot to report to the world. Diaper changes (two today). Feedings (two and a half). Trips to the mall (one). Items purchased at the mall (six - including diapers for the aforementioned diaper changes). Yup. Life is exciting here in my world. I meant that sarcasitically but actually, I think it is.

Every day is an adventure. When will I wake up today? How long will he feed today? Will we take a trip to the mall? If we do, will we run into someone we know? What will we have for supper? Should we watch TV? If we watch Ellen at 9:00 should we really be watching it again at 2:00 since it is the very same episode? If he's fussy in his crib should I let him cry it out or go and cuddle with him? Should I read a book or better yet, organize my books? All the options...

So here it is. My blog. We'll see what it becomes. You are welcome to join me.