Something to Ponder....

To work, or not to work?

I already know the answer to that question. 

Before Coral was born, before she was even thought of, I knew that I wanted to be a stay at home mom once I started having children. Some people grow up, dreaming of their careers, I grew up with the dream of having babies, lots of babies (breathe Andrew), and staying at home with them. I didn't want the career (and no, despite what some people may think, that doesn't make me lazy and it definitely doesn't mean Im not smart enough to have a career), I just wanted a family.

I grew up in a home where my mom was around, every single day, all day for me and my siblings. She was there to wipe my tears away when I got hurt when I was little, she was there to wipe my tears away when I got emotionally hurt when I was older. She was my constant, and I knew I could always count on her being around when I needed her.  But her staying home with us meant sacrifices. I only wore hand-me-downs,  our christmas tree wasn't loaded with presents underneath, we didn't go places like Disney Land, or Hawaii. Would I have traded anything from my childhood? Nope. Not a single thing. I would make all those sacrifices again to have my mom stay at home with us. 

Working at Kids Camp a couple of weeks ago only solidified my decision to be a stay at home mom. My days went like this : wake up, get coral out of bed, rush to get myself and her ready (i'll be honest, most days she left the house still in her pjs, without having had breakfast). Leave the house at 7: 20 to drop Coral off. Switch her car seat over to grandmas car. Continue driving to the church. Kids camp all day. Leave the church anywhere between 5-5:30. Pick Coral up, switching back the car seat. Drive home in traffic, making it home around 6:30. 

Corals bedtime is 6:30. Yes I know that sounds insanely early, but most days, by 6:00, she is a noodle on the ground, so she goes to bed. She sleeps right through the night until about 7. Yup that means I have my whole evening off. But enough about that, my point is, I would just get home, and would have to take Coral straight up to bed. I hardly saw Coral that week, and by about mid-week, I was going crazy. The fact that I had a child, but didn't get to spend time with her, drove me nuts. The fact that shes MINE...my daughter, MY responsibility, and someone else was looking after her, felt completely wrong.  Yes, putting her to sleep when she just finally got home, was hard, but I did it. From what I have read, a typical working mom, not yet having spent time with their child, would have kept the child up, resulting in the child being over tired, and the already tired parent getting frustrated at the child for being difficult. I understand why they would risk it though, I would have given just about anything to see Coral more that week. 

 One thing I did notice though, when I was "working", my house stayed a lot more clean (minus the kitchen, which when Im at home, gets cleaned multiple times a day). My little tornado wasn't around to re-arrange things on me, and make a mess everywhere. 

Being a stay at home mom was a decision I made, and its what works best for our family. When I was pregnant with Coral, I got asked all the time what kind of job I will get once Coral is a year old, and I should be working again.  My usual response was something like this "ooh I don't know, I haven't really decided yet." I confess right now to lying. I knew exactly what I would be doing. I would be at home, raising my child. Truth is, I always felt judged for that. I felt like people were looking down on me. Isn't it funny that 50 years ago, no one would have even asked a pregnant lady that. It would have been assumed that she would be at home, taking care of her family. Now people assume the opposite, that you will leave your child in the care of someone else, and you will work. 

Being a stay at home mom IS work. That week at kids camp was a real eye opener for me. While I was exhausted from "working", I found that I am equally exhausted when Im at home, chasing my toddler, keeping up with the house work that she creates. It also means lots of sacrifices for Andrew and I. We have a strict budget when it comes to our money as we only have one income. Thats ok though. 

I don't want to offend anyone by writing this post. Some people just really are career people, and they would rather be at work then with their children all day. My mother-in-law LOVED her teaching job. She was a career women, but she was also an amazing mother to her two boys. Some people would really love to be a stay at home mom, but they truly cannot afford it. I always say to each his own, its your choice. Im just telling you about my decision to stay at home with my kids, and why Andrew and I back up that decision. 

I love being at home with Coral. Yes there are some days when I would rather drop her off at a day care and let them deal with her (like when shes teething...gah). I love that I have become Corals constant. Someone who she can always count on, and that she knows is always going to be around for her. I love that we have created a sense of home for her. There is no other place where Coral is happier, then when she is in her own home, with her mommy and daddy playing with her. Our house is not just another house to her, its her home.

I love that I am the one raising her, fully.

That she will need to follow MY rules, and not other peoples rules that have been given to her. 

I love that I get to witness every new thing about her, from her first steps, new words, new discoveries. 

I love that I will be the one potty training her, teaching her to tie her shoes, etc.

So, if you chose to be a working mom, thats great for you. Just remember that us stay at home moms are working hard too. Remember that being a stay at home mom IS a full time job as well. And remember that the sacrifices you will make to be at home with your child, is well worth it. 

In the last week.....

It started with a trip to the dentist, 

which was followed with a trip to my parents in Port Rowan, 

which was quickly followed with a trip back home.

Long story short, Coral and I headed to Port Rowan to visit my family that came all the way from Manitoba. We don't see them very often, and I was so excited to show Coral off...however, I did not want to show Coral off in the state that she was in. Normally I don't even notice when Coral is teething, and cuts a tooth. She cut three molars without making a peep about it. This time, she was working on her last molar, two bottom teeth, and her two eye teeth...all at the same time. Her mouth was so swollen she could hardly talk (which also meant no eating, no drinking, and even giving her medicine was a chore). She cried all day, everyday. She didn't sleep, and I ended up holding her in my arms all night as she cried (thankfully my dad took shifts with me, and eventually at 5:30 in the morning she fell asleep in his arms). SO, not wanting to miss out on another nights sleeping (knowing she would sleep much better in the comfort of her own bed), I made the drive back to Toronto, half asleep the whole time. 

Next came my awful grocery store trip with Coral.

I like to think Im well prepared when I bring Coral into stores with me. 

As soon as she sees either her stroller or grocery cart, she starts asking for her snacks.

This trip to the store was different. 

Coral was in a mood.

Not a bad mood, a goofy mood, mixed with a little toddler attitude. 

I would put groceries in the cart, she would throw them out.

Screaming at the top of her lungs was funny to her.

Trying to climb out of the cart was a game to her.

There were snacks everywhere in the store. My purse was emptied dozens of times. Bottles were spilt. People were staring. People were saying things as I walked by them. All I wanted was to pay for my groceries and leave. Coral, maybe next time its grocery day, you can stay home with daddy.

We got two free meals this week.

Andrews grandparents took us out for dinner (which I was hesitant about since our grocery store adventure, but Coral did so well...I brought a box of 360 stickers with me, which kept her well entertained).

Then we went to Andrews parents for dinner.  Mmmm have you ever gone to Brenda Hodgsons for dinner? My mother-in-law is one amazing cook.

We got caught up on One Tree Hill season 8.

Enough said.

I re-painted the trim on our main floor. 

The previous owners did a hack job when it came to painting in this house. There is blobs of paint everywhere. First of all, before they painted, they didn't sand or wipe the trim down, which makes for really gritty looking trim. It looks dirty when its not. It drives me nuts. The paint that they got all over the floor drives me nuts. It can be scraped off, and most of it has been, but it has been such a chore.  I do love freshly painted trim though. 

We had a family day at Cedar Park. I call that place a hidden gem. Its not that well known, but its a blast for children. Coral hated the splash pad (which is more of a splash pool. The water was up to her chest), but she LOVED the big swimming pool. We went with my sister and her little family. Emma and I tackled the splash pad, getting dunked by the huge bucket of water multiple times, and going down the water slides over and over again. By the end of the day we had perfected our route to get to the slides, timing everything so that we didn't get splashed or dunked on. Let me just say, those waters slides may be for children, but they were a blast. 

We of course have had trips to the park this last week.

Have you all noticed that crisp cool air?

Coral got her last round of needles until she is four.

Thank-goodness that is done and over with.

It was much worse this last time, as she is more aware of what's going on around her.

She saw the needle coming and started crying and screaming "NO NO NO NO" as she desperately tried to wiggle out of my arms. 

It was a sad sad day (mostly for mommy because Coral forgot about her "ouchie" as soon as she saw her cheerios.)

And now my mom is here with my grandma from BC.

We are spending the day at Crystals, babysitting the kids for her.

That has been my week. A busy week, but a wonderful week.

A Trip to The Dentist

Coral has beautiful teeth.

They are shiny white.

They are all straight...or at least they were...

Coral had her first visit with the dentist yesterday.

No Im not that mom that takes her baby to the dentist as soon as her first tooth pops out. Im not even the mom that remembers to brush her babies teeth everyday, twice a day, as recommended. Nope, this trip to the dentist was definitely unplanned.

Did any of you see that video I posted on Facebook of Coral bouncin away on her big girl bed? Coral loves to bounce and "jump". She jumps when she gets excited, she jumps when shes dancing. She jumps on the couch, she jumps on her bed. I know some parents would see that and think "she needs more discipline, she shouldn't be jumping on the couch." But it doesn't bother me. Personally, I feel as parents we have to pick and chose our battles when it comes to discipline. I will be tough on her with the issues that really matter to Andrew and I, but jumping and bouncing is not one of them. It can however, be slightly dangerous if say, your toddler does a big bounce and hits her mouth on the side of the bed. Gulp.

Andrew was in the room with her, and I walked into the room just in time to see it happen. There was a thud, followed by a scream. Now Coral is one tough little girl. She cried for only a few minutes, then was right back to her usual self running around, as her mouth was full of blood. Andrew and I tried every tactic to get her to open her mouth and show us her tooth. When she finally did, we saw that her tooth was loose, and now crooked. 

I was on the phone calling our dentist to see what we should do, and Andrew was texting our friend Jordan (whose wonderful fiance is a dental assistant). Both advised us to take her in and get her mouth looked at. The only problem was, it was 6:30 at night, and most dentists were closed. We stopped at four different dental offices, and finally the last one was open, and the dentist was willing to see her.

After all that, it turns out she is going to be fine. Her tooth is loose but should go back to normal in a little while. In the mean time she has to eat soft foods or liquids only. That also means she gets off the hook from me brushing her teeth for a few days which she will be quite glad about. She woke up today a bit grumpy, and acting like her mouth is in pain. Her gums around her tooth are swollen and her tooth is still loose.

I cannot tell you how sad it was to watch Coral go through that. Of course, I think it was more painful for me then it was for her. I also don't do very well with blood, and just the amount that was in her tiny little mouth was enough to make me dizzy....I just hope I never have to deal with stitches.

One little monkey jumpin on the bed.....

West Coast Bound

Do ya'll remember my friend Christy from BC who recently had little baby Carter? Remember how much I love her and miss her?

Well, I don't know if I mentioned this before, but Matty is actually from Ontario. He grew up not to far from where Andrew and I live. A good friend of his is getting married at the beginning of October, and Matty is standing up in the wedding. That means that Matty is coming to Ontario, but Christy isn't. Traveling with an energetic toddler and a newborn would not be my thing either, so Christy, I totally understand. Not to mention that Malachi would be two by then, which means they would have had to pay for three plane tickets. Yah, not going to happen. 

Matty has specific plans to come and hang out at our place, and skateboard with Andrew. That left me, alone with Coral in Ontario, and Christy alone with Malachi and Carter in BC. We were both sad and jealous of our hubbys. 

Don't worry fellow readers, this story Im telling you doesn't have a sad ending. 

While working on a painting, Andrew came into the room and said "Go online and find a seat sale to BC." I didn't hesitate. I got online right away, found the cheapest flight I could, and booked it! Following that there was a lot of screaming and jumping that went on between Coral and I (she got very excited when I told her she would get to play with Malachi...even though Im sure she doesn't remember who he is). 

I told you this story has a happy ending. Andrew will be trading Coral and I, for Matty from the end of September to beginning of October. Yup, that means its only four short weeks away till I am back in the West Coast. The decision was made so fast that I feel like I am still in a bit of shock. I haven't allowed myself to think about traveling with a toddler all by myself across the country yet. 

Anyway, just thought I would share that exciting news with you. 

A Family Weekend

Kids camp has come and gone.

I was exhausted by the end of the week.

But I am back.

Back to being a full time stay at home mom.

Back to being a stay at home wife.

Back to sharing my not-so- exciting, but wonderful life with you.

I know I promised I would write about my week, and the challenges I faced with being a mom and having to go to "work". Thats not going to happen today. My mind is waay to tired to write a serious blog right now. I need to get my thoughts in proper order first. So today, I will share my weekend with you.

It has been a while since the Hodgsons have been able to do a family outing. Between weddings, and Andrews work (either with Timbren, or photography) our weekends have been packed full, but not packed full together. 

After an exhausting week, I thought once the weekend rolled around, all I would want to do is rest. That is true, I did wake up on Saturday wanting to stay in my pjs all day and do nothing but cuddle my baby (bah...sadly though she stopped cuddling months ago). But we knew that a weekend with all three of us around is rare, and didn't know when the next time that would happen, so we packed up the car, and headed to Centre Island.

Coral loved the ferry ride.

This was her favorite place to be. Whenever we would put her down she would do a mad dash for the water. There were so many ducks and they were so friendly. Coral gave one of them an animal cracker and the duck took it right out of her hand.

She loved the farm there. She thought the pigs were pretty funny as well as the rooster. In this picture she is "moooooing" like a cow.

Coral had her first experience with rides this weekend. She was quite serious when she first got on the train, but once we started moving she was all giggles.

I wish we would have taken a picture of her on the carousel. She loved it. She waited in line patiently and every time the lion went by she got excited. When it was our turn to go on the ride, we made a mad dash for the lion when we saw no one had taken it yet. She thought it was pretty cool that she got to ride on a lion.

My favorite part of the day was the quadricycle. Andrew and I got to peddle in the back while Coral enjoyed the ride up front. We went as far as we could on the island. It was so beautiful and lots of fun exploring. Coral did really well just sitting there for over an hour.

It was a great day. We spent about six hours on the island, and we didn't even have the chance to do everything that there was to offer. We missed the park and the splash pad, and I would have really loved to rent a canoe (or paddle boat) and explore the island from the water. Coral did so well on the amount of sleep that she got. I was really proud of her. 

And now, there is still no time for rest. My house looks like a bomb went off inside of it. I call it my Coral bomb. Her messes are explosive. Better get cleanin while the baby is sleeping.

Stay Tuned...

I know.

I have been slacking.

My blog has been non-existent this week.

Well, can ya'll just hang in there for a few more days? This week I have been volunteering at kids camp, and honestly, at the end of the day, blogging is the last thing on my mind. This week has given me such a good glimpse at what it would be like to be a working mom. From dropping Coral off in the morning, cooking dinner when I have worked an eight hour day, laundry at night, to grocery shopping after the baby has gone to bed. Stayed tuned for my thoughts on this past week, and being a stay at home mom vs a working mom.

In the mean time, there are two more days left of kids camp. Prayers are always needed, especially for this last leg of the race. We have two more days to show campers the love of Jesus Christ. Two more days to impact them. Fill us up, and send us out Lord.

Taa-Daa!

Here are a couple of projects I have been working on.

Before

After

I don't have a before picture of this chair, but you get the point. Painted white and re-covered. Remember that fabric?  It was the large sheet I had gotten from the Thrift Store.

Ok, this last before and after is a big one.

Before

After

Yes I gave our backsplash a little make-over. I really did love our old backsplash. In fact it was one of the things I loved the most when looking at our house to buy it. However with the fresh coat of light paint on the walls, the back-splash just seemed to dark. Plus, I LOVE the look of painted brick. 

While our backsplash isn't huge, it was still a big project for me. Painting brick is no easy task and is definitely time consuming. I stood with the paint brush in my hand for a long time debating if I should do it or not. Its not something that you can really undo. Once that paint is on, its on. What if I hated it? I finally just dipped my brush in the paint, and without looking did one quick swipe over the brick. Ah, to late to go back, so lets do this.

First I washed the brick with a water and hydrogen peroxide mixture. I had to make sure all the grease and everything was taken off, or the paint wont stick in those places. I let the backsplash dry for a good 4 hours before I did anything else. Brick will often appear dry, when in fact it really isn't.

Next I had to prime it. I got a good primer, guaranteed to stick to anything (ceramic tile, metal, you name it). The bricks weren't shiny, so I didn't need to sand them. However I was sure that there was some sort of protective seal on them, so I did two coats of primer on them, making sure that the paint would stick and not eventually chip off. Like I said, painting brick isn't easy. You have to make sure you get into every nook and groove with that paint brush, and then go back again and again to make sure there are no drips. AND you have to do that with every single coat of paint you do.

Next was to put the actual paint on and make that backsplash look polished and shiny. I used Behr, two in one paint in a semi-gloss. Its paint with primer built right into it. I know I know, I already did two coats of primer, but this paint is the good stuff. This paint is thick and will last. I ended up doing three coats to really get that shine I was looking for. It turned out great. After doing my first coat of paint, I was sure I would want to do some sort of urethane to make it more shiny, but after the third coat, it was perfect. 

The whole room really seems a lot brighter now. It even changed the color of the  cupboards, making them appear lighter. I love the look of the white brick with the dark counter top.

Do you have backsplash that you cant stand or want to change? Go ahead and paint it, it may just change the whole look of your kitchen.

Mr. Potato Head

Coral made a little creation yesterday. It was so cute I thought I would share it with you.

Meet Mr. Potato Head. 

Well, Corals version of Mr. Potato Head.

Coral does this thing where she comes absolutely obsessed with one certain toy for a while. That toy, which ever one she choses, will be the toy she focus on for days and days. She will play with a few of her other toys, but that one toy will be her main source of entertainment until she discovers her love for a different toy. That toy will be the first word out of her mouth in the morning , and most likely the last word she says before bed. These last few days, the word we have been hearing, is "head". 

Mr. Potato Head has been sitting in his little bucket since I rescued him from Value Village months ago. He has been waiting patiently for his time to shine. Mr. Potato Head, your time has come. 

Coral loves to look at all the different parts to "head". She examines all the sets of eyes, noses, lips, arms, and then tells me which one she wants Mr. Potato Head to wear. 

Last night after her bath, I was putting away some laundry, and Coral was playing on our bed. I could hear her say all of the body parts (hat, nose, eyes, ears, arms). When she had finished she let out a squeel of delight. I examined her work of art, and thought it was perfect. No, not all the parts are where they are suppose to go, but she did it, and she did it all by herself. Ah, I do love that little creative mind my toddler has.