Clearly I Need to Manually Journal…

…because it’s as if my hand has forgotten what it’s like to hold a pen. My kids are not yet old enough for homework, so no writing required there. If not for the occasional grocery list or signing of a Visa slip, I’d have next to no use for writing. And that ain’t write right!

I came to this wild conclusion last week, as I was out shopping. Everytime I went to sign my Visa receipt, my signature changed. I had to actually think about how my name is spelled so that my signature actually had some sort of physical form to it. I didn’t just want it to appear as a flat line.

The other advantage to a pen & paper journal–I can be completely free to discuss whatever thoughts are on my mind… I do realize that this is my blog, but I can’t totally divulge everything to the internet world. I’d lose my credibility, followed by the friends I do have. Not cool. I don’t want people talking to me apprehensively, wondering if the intimate details of our convos will end up on the blog.

How Well Do You Know Someone?

Every now & again, I’m confronted with something (person, place, thing) that make me question how well I know people. Two things last weekend made me wonder.

The first (actually, the easier to explain): The spiritual gifts seminar at my church. We’re using a workbook that does a pretty good job at helping to determine one’s passions, gifts & personal style. One question was along the lines of if your name is mentioned among friends, what would they say are your passions or interests? That made me think not only of how my friends would respond, but how I would respond about some of my own friends. Some people are easy–they practically wear their passion like clothes. Some are more challenging, where their passions are like the soft notes of a great perfume…there, but subtle, yet appropriate. I’ll have to see if anyone asks me for their opinions on their passions.

The second (the more difficult to explain): A immigration-type letter on someone’s behalf to stay in Canada. When I first saw the email request, I thought hey, I like to write, I could do this. But then I read the entire message and had my mind changed. As I reread it again & again, my mind stay firmly planted on the thought that I really could not write a letter on this person’s behalf.

In the email request, we’re asked to state important things that I honestly and truly don’t know about the person. Things like: they’re not a burden to society; they’re responsible; their community involvement; how I know them and for how long; why it’s in Canada’s best interest to let them stay here; and how they have aspirations for themselves that can only be acheived by staying in Canada and contributing to this society.

Can you see my dilemma? I know who the person is and could point them out to you on the street, but I really don’t know them personally all that well. Certainly not enough to honestly include all that criteria in a letter. And I don’t just want to write a fluffy letter for the sake of adding to the numbers. I don’t even know what country this person is from (I know the continent) or where they’d have to go if they must leave Canada. I don’t even know why the immigration status is in question to begin with.

This is just reason enough to keep talking with my friends, and ensuring that I do know plenty not just about them, but about who they truly are.

Walking Alongside The Bandwagon

Yes, I realize that the phrase is more commonly “jumping on the bandwagon”. There is good reason for the enhancement.

I’ve started exercising again.

A while back, quite some months post-Jamayia’s birth, I’d begun exercising. I wanted to stay healthy and reasonably fit & active in order to keep up with my little girl. My routine was going quite well at the time. I was using this fun video. I tried to do it while Jamayia was awake and playing on her own. There are three exercise options: 10 minutes line dance, 20 minute walk routine or 30 minute aerobic & muscle toning routine. But, she wouldn’t always let me have peace and would often want to be picked up. Well, it didn’t work well to hold her on my hip and exercise without injury. So I resorted to strapping her onto me (thank you cuddly wrap) and went about my routine. Eventually, this fad died out.

In between, I’d purchase a couple of Leslie Sansone’s Walk Off The Pounds DVDs. They’re super cool…I’d highly recomment them. Perfect for those who don’t want or can’t get out.

Fast-forward to life today. Pregnancy #2 really stretched me out. I mean really!! I was all belly, pretty much, while the rest of me shrunk. The only disadvantage to that is that I still look all belly, but Jhyelle is here. So, now that I have a loose “routine” with the kids, it was time to begin again. I’m happy to report that things are progressing nicely thus far. I do a combination of the 2 videos. Usually I’ll try and walk 3 miles (each) on Monday, & Wednesday, and do the 30 minute aerobic & muscle toning on Tuesday & Thursday. Fridays are my optional days, only because I’m usually vaccuuming & mopping and cleaning, which constitutes movement already. And the weekends are my days off.

Here’s my progress thus far:

Feb 19…walk 1 mile
Feb 23…walk 2.5 miles
Feb 24….30 minutes aerboic & muscle toning
Feb 25…walk 3 miles
Feb 26…30 minutes aerboic & muscle toning
Feb 27…20 minutes walk
Feb 28….10 minute line dance
Mar 2….walk 3 miles
Mar 3….30 minutes aerboic & muscle toning
Mar 4…off
Mar 5….off

I hope I can keep it up. I have no lofty goals. I just need to go shopping for smaller sizes that actually fit me. And I don’t have the money to keep buying clothes as my size keeps changing.

Battle: Sleep

So, the battle continues. However, I’m happy to report that it’s slowly ebbing out.

The past couple weeks, Jamayia has succumbed to nap time pretty easily. Thank God, because that’s the time Jhyelle usually wakes up, and well, it’s hard to stay on top of the battle with a toddler while breastfeeding an infant.

The evenings have been slightly more challenging. I wish I could tell you why. At least it doesn’t take the two (yes, 2) hours it used to take to get her to stay in her bed. On the roughest nights, she may fight for about 30 minutes. On a mild night, she may come out of her room once. But slowly, she’s working at staying in her bed when we put her in it.

Yay!!

Can You See Me Now?

One minute they were there, and the next minute, they’d vanished.

Both my hubby & I wear contact lenses. We each have two pairs. Both of his are in identical cases. One of mine is in a case identical to his, and then I have a different coloured case as well. Well, last Saturday evening, I noticed that one of my cases was missing. It definitely wasn’t Jamayia this time, as she’s too short to reach the medicine cabinet. When asking Jon for them a couple days later, he pointed to a random case on a shelf above mine and said that those must be mine, because his other two pairs were grouped together-ish.

Do you hear my doubt??

When I picked up the supposed case, I knew they weren’t mine. The case itself was slightly worn. Then I took out the first contact, and knew for sure that it wasn’t mine. There was a green hint on it, but mine have a blue hint to them. The shape was also different. So I put those back and looked at the other set of lenses. Same feel and look as the first. I even tried one on–no dice!! The third set was missing….

When Jon got home after work, his first comment was a complaint about the contacts and how they’d been bugging him all day. Well, it was no wonder, I told him…

They’re mine!!

We both got a nice laugh out of it. He was just impressed that this was the first mix-up in five and a half years of living together.

She’s Got Her Routine

Jhyelle does. For pooping, that is. More specifically, for poopy explosions.

My second trip into Mommyhood would not be complete without a poop explosion story. Thanx, Jhyelle!

Last week, I’d dressed her in a long-sleeved onesie and pants. She hadn’t pooped in like two days, so I was expecting nasty whenever it was to happen. Well, that afternoon, she did. And when it’s visible through the clothes, you know it’s awful. It must’ve taken about twenty minutes and a bazillion wipes and a couple paper towels to change her. At that moment, I wished I was rich, so that I could just cut the shirt off her body and discard it without missing it. Then came the handscrubbing of the shirt. At least it all came out in the washing machine.

Fast forward to today. She hadn’t pooped in nearly a week. I dressed her in the same shirt as last week. Lo & behold, while playing in her exersaucer (same poop spot as last week too, no less!), she exploded again. And we did a repeat of the previous paragraph.

If I believed differently, I’d really wonder if her shirt had anything to do with it. I guess if she hasn’t pooped in a while, I’ll just dress her in that shirt and place her in the exersaucer.

Why Am I Sleeping Less??

This bed thing continues to be quite the battle war. After the initial 2 hr disciplinary-type session of constantly returning delinquent toddler to bed, Jamayia finally falls asleep. But then she wakes up partway through the night, and wants to join us in our bed. She did not have this problem in the crib. Used to sleep the whole night through in her crib, without any issues.

So, we’ll keep plodding ahead and praying hard. I must say, though, that I can kind of understand the need for caffeine. But only kind of. And no, I won’t be indulging in coffee at all, personally.

I can’t stand the smell.

One Is Better Than None, Right??

So, I tried to exercise today. I have a Leslie Sanson “Walk Off The Pounds” DVD. There are two options…either an express 3 mile or 4 mile super challenge. I opted for the latter because it moves at a slightly quicker pace. I figured that my time would be limited, so I knew I’d cover more distance in a shorter time with the 4 mile option.

Jamayia saw me setting up the DVD and announced that she wanted to join me. On my back. That’s right–I strapped on the Ergo carrier and she was ready to go. Talk about feeling the burn. Partway through the first mile, Ms Jhyelle was no longer content in her exersaucer. So, I had to pick her up and held her, praying to complete at least a mile.

So, that was my first mile. Only mile so far. I do hope I can squeeze in some more exercise time this week. No guarantees though, as tomorrow is a doctor’s appointment for both kids. And 4 months=immunizations for the little one. She was fussy last time; something tells me she’ll be fussy this time too.

A Quick Chance

Before Jamayia grabbed the camera from me, I had the chance to take a couple shots of her & Jhyelle. Oh, but not together, of course. That would’ve just been too easy, right?! LOL. At least I actually got Jamayia. Lately she’s been more into either snapping the shots or posing with her doll (she the scenery in her pic, to see Baby).