Category: Lifestyle

New Discovery at the Mall

I’ve always enjoyed the time I spend at the Lloyd Center Mall. And what’s even greater is that I am constantly finding out new things on offer there.  For example, I had vaguely heard whispers about the Momtopia program but never really looked into it.  Until yesterday.  And boy was I happy I did stumble upon this.  It’s all about the importance of being a mom, but simultaneous to that, of being a woman with needs too.  It’s about making extra time for us by either finding easy entertainment possibilities for our kids, or just doing something totally for ourselves.

So when I discovered the online section on some tried and tested ideas for kids on rainy days, I knew that would be perfect for me, as it would be something new to keep my kids busy (and out of trouble)!  One of the ideas was preparing food with the kids.  Now, of course Ethan is a little young (they suggested the youngest age being two) but Jayden is for sure old enough.  He started by cleaning the veggies (and eating some cucumbers along the way – it’s always been his favorite food!) and also measuring the dry ingredients (although much of the flour spilled on the floor but I didn’t make a big deal out of that).  And then, once we’d made a quiche (with zucchinis by the way, not cucumbers!) he was so excited to eat it.  I think he ate more at that one sitting than ever before.  Clearly the advice on Montopia about getting kids involved in food preparation is a good one.

I’m looking forward to learning more about how to take care of my kids – and myself – through Momtopia; another great gift from the mall, this time one that didn’t burn a hole in the credit card!

Looking Forward to Movies

Being the movie manic I am, I’m getting quite excited about the upcoming Annual Portland International Film Festival. Now in its 35th year, there are going to be a ton of different movies to choose from and I’m for sure not planning on missing out!                

It’s set to start in a couple of days’ time and run until February 25th.  Featured films will be from 36 countries and there will be 140 films on show – 93 features and 46 shorts – so there has to be something for everyone.  The trick is, to find something that both Daniel and I will be able to enjoy as a couple; that’s always a bit tough!  But you never know, with all those movies, there must be something!  I’ll keep you posted!  And in the meantime, I’m for sure going to see Breathing (the one that got the Canes Best European Film award).

Is Daniel Guilty?

So listen to this and tell me what you think.  Daniel like never buys me flowers.  He claims that I told him I hate flowers.  Now, it’s true that one time I said I can’t bear the fact that someone buys me flowers and then I have to deal with the whole thing and it becomes a task:  I need to cut the stems, find a vase and then, once they are dead, take them out of smelly, dirty water and wash the vase.  Plus, there are only a few types of flowers I like – for example I hate carnations.

Anyway, I digress. I probably have – since then, when we first got married nearly 7 years ago – complained that he never gets me flowers.  But that hasn’t affected his non-flower-buying behavior.  Until yesterday that is.  All of a sudden, there’s a knock at the door and this gorgeous bunch of large white calla lilies from Sammy’s Flowers arrives.  Now, Sammy’s Flowers is not just any flower store; it’s probably the best one in the whole of Portland.   

And it gets better.  The flowers arrived a gorgeous, simple, glass vase – just my style – so I didn’t have to do anything with them!  Now the test is whether or not Daniel will clear them away once they have died.

But, back to my original issue; I’m still wondering if Daniel is guilty of something.  I mean, why else do  men buy flowers?  Or, more to the point, why else would my husband, all of a sudden, after nearly 7 years of marriage, buy me some flowers when he knows I have all these issues with them?  All I can think of is that perhaps we are approaching the 7-year itch and now I’m paranoid he is hiding something (although you should know I totally trust him).  Watch this space.

Weekend Kids Fun

There were a bunch of family-kid oriented events going on in our neighborhood over the weekend.  I think there was some “family” theme going on.  On Friday night there was a classical concert that Daniel and I were going to go to but then we decided we’d rather spend the evening snuggling by the fireplace having put the kids to bed early.  So on Saturday, we decided to do something as a family, rather than staying under the covers and reading the weekend papers which I always find so tempting.  We went to Westmoreland Park playground where they had a Kidical Mass Ride which Jayden enjoyed a lot.  There was a guided tour too which was fun; we ended up at Oaks Park Roller Rink and I actually skated for the first time in about 25 years!  Ethan thought that was pretty amusing!  I wasn’t that bad, but, truthfully, I wasn’t that good either.

Saturday night we got a babysitter and Daniel and I went to the Hawthorne Hophouse to listen to Bitter Root which was a band I’ve never heard that combines funk, blues, rock and soul.  Not quite my thing but it was fun being out with Daniel without the kids who of course absolutely loved rocking out to the music.

So, that was our weekend.  It was nice.  I had a good time.  It was the perfect balance of resting, being with kids and reconnecting with the hubby.  What could be better? Now there’s just the laundry to get through.

 

Taking Ethan “Swimming”

Since we took Jayden to a friend’s hydrotherapy pool when he was 5-months-old for swim classes (well, actually it was really more like water-appreciation classes), we felt bad we hadn’t done the same for Ethan.  He’s already 15-months and it’s always been a priority for Daniel and me to not treat him like “second best” being a second child.  Problem was however, her pool closed a couple of years back and it is a bit tougher to get to the Children of the Sea Swim School.  Which shouldn’t really be surprising since the friend’s hydrotherapy pool was on our block.

I was certainly glad Daniel did finally make reservations for the class however, since Ethan had such a great time at his first class last night.  We signed up for an initial four classes.  Daniel said it was pretty similar to what Jayden had done – dunking the kids under water; singing with them; putting them on plastic horses, etc.  At first Ethan – perhaps not surprisingly – was a little cautious.  I mean, it’s not as if we could explain to him as we were putting swim diapers on him where he was going or that he was about to be submerged under water for around 5 seconds four times in 20 minutes.  Still, Daniel said that after a while he really got into it.  Since I wasn’t able to go (I did some stuff with Jayden) we didn’t get a photo this time but hopefully at some point we’ll both take both the boys (to actually teach Jayden to swim; right now he thinks he can swim which is the worst scenario) and then we’ll make it a fun family activity.

Anyway the staff at Children of the Sea is really excellent – professional, child-loving, caring and enthusiastic about what they are doing – so we think it’s going to be a great fit for both our boys.