For Adrienne & my Mum...

How to post comments on a blog.. the beginners guide..

Go to this link:

http://darraghdoyle.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-comment-on-blog-beginners-guide.html

I think on mine you have to click where it says '0 comments' and then you can write it in...??

Hope that helps!!

New do...

So after a few years of torture and abuse to my hair I finally decided to get it cut... yes I know this is not the normal me... hello... biggest spa fan.. lets just say after practically back to back babies I have been in a pregnancy rut..?? Also finding a new hairdresser is the scariest thing in the world. Despite the picture above (which are not terribly flattering) I have INSANELY curly hair and it is easy to turn me into a prized poodle..... But I seem to have found a good hair dresser in our tiny little town. Hurray!

Manitoulin on a snowy day...

Coming into Gore Bay

Ice Lake Causeway

I have decided that I will share a little of Manitoulin with you. We drove to Little Current (across the Island) for Caleb's speech therapy appointment today and it was snowing. Now I realize if you live in England this may be a huge shock that we drive in these conditions but for those of us that live in the great white north (does Manitoulin qualify?) this really is nothing, if it were 'bad' I wouldn't drive in it. I do find it however really hard to concentrate especially at night when the roads are like this as it all just kind of blurs together.. roads, fields... it just all looks white!! I find it particularly mesmerizing when you are driving into the snow... then all I seem to focus on are the white chunks coming at my windshield!

Billings Stretch

Somewhere near Honora Bay?

Caleb Skating 18/01/09

So I thought I would post a few videos of Caleb skating last week for all the people that won't use facebook! (my Mum, Adrienne just to name a few :) He did really good considering this was his first time this winter skating. We went this week too and he managed to stand up by himself once he wiped out which was kinda cool... All his friends from daycare were also there and they are a few years older than him so it was really cute to watch them try and pick him up when he fell over!




Ok so it's taking too long I'll post the reast tomorrow or something I am going to bed... and my husband is in the basement like a man man with his big table saw going cutting up god knows what as we ran out of fire wood and didn't get a chance to get some more this weekend. When I get up in the morning I may come downstairs to find we are missing a few doors...... (FYI we also have electric heat and an oil furnace for heat in the house so if the wood stove goes out, we won't freeze...)

My new favorite meal...

That's right folks Slim Fast... yummmmmmmyyyy.... I have had a really tough time with my weight ever since my boys came along because as have found out pregnancy kicks your metabolism in the ass so to speak. So I get upset throw away my clothes and then I eat.. it's a vicious circle. No more!! Pre-pregnancy I weighed 128lbs. That was my heaviest weight ever, now at 165lbs I hope to get down to 135lbs...... eventually. That is my goal lose 30lbs (though in my current frame of mind if I lost 5lbs I would be happy) If I lost that weight I would be happier pysically and emotionally, I mean I could jump and spring through the air and land gracefully instead of with a thud. Ok ok that's my floating in a green field with the clouds in the background kinda day dream, but you know what I mean.

So the first week was tough... I had headaches, felt sick, dizzy etc.. My problem is not what I eat, but how much I eat which has never been a problems until now. I always cook from scratch, eat veggies, fruit and rarely buy processed food but it's time to slash the portion size. After a week I can now do just the slim fast and dinner but it took me until now to slash my stomach size! Luckily the shakes taste good otherwise I couldn't do it. I did however today go to the grocery store and stared at the fried chicken. So the deli counter guy now thinks I am crazy. Maybe I should wear a sign indicating that I am starving, then he'll understand. So what's for breakfast tomorrow.... vanilla or chocolate fudge??

Funny....

Look what I just discovered while printing off some colouring sheets for the boys...

Tonight's 20/20

I was a little excited to see he story on home births on tonight's 20/20. But after watching it it left me irate and really mad. According to this story couples choosing home births are selfish and only thinking of themselves.. not the child the are bringing into the world. As a mother who has had a hospital birth and a home birth I could write pages comparing both experiences and why our choice was so clear that our second birth should be at home and how our natural birthing experience benefited our child.

Our first birthing experience was by no means a horror story as some people describe their birthing experiences to be when they are in hospital sometime not by their own choice or wish to be there, and in the case of an emergency or things not working out as planned at home the back up plan is to always head to the hospital. But when did birth become a surgical procedure? When you look at the statistics it seems a bit alarming to me that according to 20/20, in the US one in three births are a surgical procedure... that there has been a 50% increase in c-sections and medical interventions. When I toured Windsor Regional they volunteered the information that 80% or more of their births end up being c-sections. I don't really think that that is something to be proud of. The fact of the matter remains that with the right guidance, knowing and listening to your body and in a case where there are no complications birth is one of the most empowering experiences a woman can have. I am so thankful for our amazing midwife and doula that were there every step of the way, making this a truly personal experience - just us and our baby - how it should be. This is what my body was made to do.. so why should I let someone take that right away from me, stick a needle in my spine and slice me open?

Now I can understand an OBGYN's dilemma... They don't want to stick around and endure the labour for however long it may be, I mean it could interrupt the planned golf game or charity ball and think of all the money that can be made by sticking this woman under the knife, a quick procedure that can be billed for big bucks and doesn't tie up all their day and night.... Am I a little cynical? How troubled is our medical system in the 'western world'? Now the American Medical Association is agreeing to support legislation that would make it impossible for couples to have a home birth. Wanna baby? You have no rights, no say in what will happen with your body take these drugs and under the knife you go!

20/20's website and the article stemming from the program I just watched led me to the website for Ricki Lake's documentary 'The Business of Being Born' I am really intrigued to see this documentary and any positive experiences for home birth. I agree that home births and drug free births are not for everyone, it is not what we all look for when it comes to our birthing experience but never stop fighting for your rights to be able to bring your child into the world in the most natural way, instead research look at the benefits and don't let our messed up medical system scare you into being a c-section statistic.

1st Blog post of 2009!

And what am I writing about?? Christmas! I am so behind I should be writing about New Years! Oh well better late than never!

Our Christmas.. low key. Partly because I am exhausted and have a case of the winter blues happening. Christmas is always such a stressful and emotionally exhausting time, I really felt it this year. As far as enjoying it with the kids and my hubby and some of our wonderful friends that came to visit it was wonderful, but if I didn't have to leave my house or change out of my PJ's it would have been better. It also would have been better if I was around my family... I was choking back the tears on the phone when I called to say Merry Christmas and my ENTIRE family was together except for me. It kills me that my kids haven't got to spend Christmas with my family and it pains even more that most of my family have never even met Mason. Well that's what you get for living a million miles away I guess. It usually doesn't bother me as much but this year I seem to be a little more emotional than others.

I never did get the popcorn on my tree, I think we ate most of it watching the batman movie but the boys didn't care and had so much fun. Caleb was especially fun now that he can understand a little more of what is going on. He is totally cute and asked for days before if Santa was coming tonight, when I said no not yet he then demanded that I take him to see him (he has met Santa 3 times over the last few weeks)... well you know Santa is busy at this time of the year....

My poor Mason was sick on Christmas day :( Christmas Eve I went to church with Sean's parents then came home and we stayed up until 7am with Mason who had a fever. He was such a trooper on Christmas day trying really hard to be excited with the 'ahh put me back to bed' look on his face... we did try.. no luck, no sleep. He finally crashed at 8.30pm and was in much better spirits on boxing day!! So we ate turkey, unwrapped presents, gained 20lbs, had not enough sleep, too much sleep.. the goes another Christmas. It is now back in the box until next year!!!!

Oh and my hubby thinks I am the best wife in the world...... His face when he opened his new 120gb ipod. Engraving on the back "Lets rock on Dad, Love Caleb & Mason xx"