in the works.

I'm WAAAAAY behind on my blogging and if I ever get more than 5 minutes on the computer at a time, I'll be working on the following posts:

* Gabe's 4 month update

* our family vacation

* a Valentine's giveaway

* the emotional rollercoaster that was January

* my mommy survival tips & kit

* Saige'isms

 

care to comment on which post you'd like to see first?

define sexy.

As I'm watching The Bachelor this evening I can't get over the number of dates this season that require the girls to tread water. It's a good thing I found Trev-bob the old fashion way {ie. being blind-sided by a blind date} because I'm 100% certain the show would never pick me based on my inability to stay afloat among other things... if jumping off a yacht in a one piece and life jacket doesn't scream "SEXY" I don't know what does.

Speaking of SEXY - a word I cannot say or think without LMFAO's song, I'm sexy and I know it being stuck in my head on repeat - I've created a little link up party for you to share the quirks & qualities that you find über attractive {and I vow to read, follow and comment on every single entry}.

via

In last week's confessions post I revealed a portion of my 'hot & bothered' list and was happy to read that many of you agree with my definition of sexy and better yet, have real life baby wearing, literature reading, blazer sporting partners.

So now it's your turn wise followers to weigh in on what's sexy in 2012 - do wide brimmed glasses makes you weak in the knees? what about name tattoos? knitted toques? or guys who run in rain? {bonus points if there's a zip up hoodie involved}. I wanna know, what does it for you??

Add a link, post a comment, send a photo, define your SEXY...

blackmail.

just when I think the girl can't take a bad photo to save her life, she goes and gives me this...

** oh the wedding slideshow we will have.

confessions.

WOAH week slow down a little would ya?

jeesh!

Wednesdays just keep sneaking up on me giving me little time to craft well thought out confessions. Today's post may be a bit T.M.I. so consider yourself warned.

- I continue to end sentences with "psych" and "not" even though the rest of the population retired their use of this in the late 90's. The best part is that Trev falls for it every. single. time. "wanna hop in the shower with me................... PSYCH!"

- speaking of sex, my drive's in park... {there's the T.M.I. I warned you about}. I'd like to blame our 4 month old, but if I'm being perfectly honest, I've been plugging the "let's just cuddle" meter since Saige arrived. The dirty 30's better not be a myth or I'm going to have one disappointed hubby on my hands.

- guess who joined the Twitter party?! Question: is being 3 years late still considered fashionable? You probably won't want to miss out on my ahh-mazing twits tweets so join my fan base {hi mom!} and start following @saigewisdom HERE. Question: what's a hash tag?

- I met a lovely fellow mom at a friend's birthday party the other week; we started chatting and it turns out I went to high school with her brother-in-law's mistress! {how we got on that subject I'll never know}. When I realized I had graduated with "the other woman" I got all revved up and told the nice lady {really loudly} to "shut up!" and simultaneously smacked her arm {really hard}. I'm pretty sure I left a mark and I'm pretty certain the other party goers were a combination of "WOW" and "glad I wasn't standing next to the red head"... what can I say, I'm excitable.

- I find men who wear wedding rings attractive. Don't worry ladies I'm not one of the above, I just find the symbol of their commitment sexy. I actually have a whole list of strange things that only I find sexy. Examples:

... men who wear chapstick

... men who wear baby carriers {but only if there's an actual baby inside them}

... men who sing along to the radio

... men who play guitar

... men who wear flip flops {especially the worn in leather kind}

... men who pair blazers with jeans

... men who cry {but only once or twice per year and over really touching stuff like babies being born or dying grandparents}

... men who carry messenger bags

... men who read {Maxim magazines and instruction manuals don't count}

~ I planned on taking a picture of Trev in his flip flops, jeans and a blazer, holding a guitar, reading a book, shedding a tear all while wearing chapstick, his wedding ring and Gabe... that was my plan but he called it a night before I could play husband dress up ~

- I use ... A LOT. I can't seem to stop myself, it's like a nervous typing tick or something... dot, dot, stop.

- On Monday I stayed up waaaaaay passed my bedtime reorganizing my pinterest boards {and I'm still not done}... what's wrong with me? why can't I be normal and organize stuff that actually matters?

- When I hear the gentle buzz of my iPhone alerting me of a new email, blog comment or facebook message, I can't stay away... even if it's 2:18 in the morning and I'm enroute to the bathroom. Trevor's looking into a support group for me, social networking annonymous.

- I've taken my iPhone to the potty... how's that for T.M.I.?

Happy Hump Day!

whew.

1. let your freak flag fly  2. pre-school prep  3. catching flies  4. explorers  5. best buds  6. pink Picaso  7. spectators  8. prime real estate  9. jumping bean

10. laundry mat  11. choo-choo  12. snoweeeee! 13. mini-photog  14. silk pajamas & soy  15. first class  16. poser  17. crazy driver  18. circus training 

verdict.

Want to know what's worse than giving up dairy for 3 weeks and gluten for one?

Having to give up BOTH for who knows how long.

{oh and anything made with eggs too}.

When we left Gabe's naturopath appointment today I felt a bit teary - not only have I been reduced to a diet of meat, rice and almond milk {okay it's not that bleak, but I'm trying to garner your sympathy here}. But to finally have someone - a professional - validate what we've known all along was chicken soup for the 'please help our son' soul. Here's what we knew:

- we knew that an exclusively breastfed baby shouldn't have man smelling farts that burnt nose hairs and cleared rooms.

- we knew it wasn't normal for babies to go 8-12 days without pooping.

- we knew that our baby was in some serious pain every time he woke up screaming with drawn knees and rock hard abs.

- we knew Gabe's feeding schedule, every hour on the hour, was a bit extreme.

- we knew that most babies didn't like to be folded in half and vigorously spanked patted, but ours would fall asleep like that.

- we knew it had something to do with my diet, but we didn't know what...

And now we do. I'm pretty sure this is the healthiest I'll ever be eating - no milk, no cheese, no bread, no cereal... meal planning is no longer a resolution, it's essential.

If you have any gluten/dairy free recipes that are quick and EASY {emphasis on easy} please forward them along.

Truthfully I was considering a switch to formula; we actually planned on asking the naturopath for a brand recommendation. I thought it might be best for everyone if I stopped nursing altogether; Saige - who typically adores her baby brother - asked if we could leave Gabe at home the other day so she didn't have to hear him cry. 

My main reason for wanting to continue breastfeeding has more to do with convenience than with the 'mothers milk is best' mantra. Most moms who've formula fed for one reason or another swear that formula is waaaay easier, but I just don't see it. You have to buy it, mix it, bottle it, pack it, warm it, etc. and with boob feeding you just have to whip it {out} and maybe cover it if you're trying to be discrete. Am I right or am I missing something?

Anywho, here's what my breakfasts are going to look like from now on. Don't let the box fool you, gluten free cereal is disgusting...

confession & obsessions.

I'm only sharing one this week because it's beyond humiliating and a girl can only take so much embarrassment.

confession.

- while we're both trying to forget it ever happened, I'm 93% certain our neighbour saw me in my undergarments the other morning. He was in his backyard scooping up dog poo {lovely} and I was rummaging through living room laundry baskets in search of my favourite pair of fleecy pants. I'm pretty sure I screamed squawked before making a beeline for the stairs. Once upon a time this may have been quite a show, but granny panties paired with a milk stained nursing bra does not a fantasy make. I foresee a lot of awkward lawn mowing going on come Spring... it's a good thing I leave the yard maintenance up to Trev. 

obsessions.

- Almond Breeze Chocolate Milk, it's heaven in a carton.

- Netflix documentaries. I'm kind of a documentary junkie and Netflix doesn't disappoint. Remember when there were actual video stores and Blockbuster employees would chose their picks of the week? Well mine for January would be 'Waiting for Superman' and 'Dear Zachary'. Anyone interested in forming a documentary discussion group? Kind of like a book club but better?

- Spit bubbles courtesy for Mr. Gabe...

- The Bachelor. I haven't been this excited for Monday night television since Jillian Harris agreed to be the Bachelorette {you can read her recap of this week's episode here}. Call me Shawntel - another Bachelor fave-o-mine - but I've hearted Benjamin ever since Emily's season. I'm loving the dates and drama and I think Ben has good selection of quality girls to choose from. I'm currently on TEAMS:

- Saige embracing winter sports - skating, x-country skiing, snowshoeing - our girl won't let snowflakes and sub-zero temperatures get in the way of her outdoor fun. I'm sooooooo looking forward to our end of the month stay-cation where Saige'll be be strapping on her first pair of downhill skis! I dreamed of these days in the delivery room awaiting her painful arrival and now they're finally here! I love 3.

- Appearing on blogrolls. Today I discovered that Courtney from Little Glass Box added ME to her blogroll! say WHAT?! For those of you who don't know, she's kind of a big deal and therefore being on her list is kind of a big deal. So very flattering and I couldn't have asked for better company...

A big cyber squeeze to all of y'all who make this little ol' blog of mine a daily read. Your traffic and comments encourage me to continue. 

us weekly. {& I'm not referring to the celebrity gossip magazine}

Okay so things got a little serious last post; apparently before & after photos of Leann Rimes is my last straw.

Moving on...

the Knol's had a fun filled week of wiggling out of vibrating chairs, thumb sucking, skating lessons, snow days, sibling snuggles, eye appointments, dental check-ups, a long overdue date night, grocery shopping with mini-carts, snooze fests and cousin sleepovers.

What I thought was a milk intolerance and the pediatrician thought was reflux turns out to be a gluten issue {we're 80% sure with a naturopath appointment on Wednesday to confirm}. Can I just say that the only thing harder than cutting out dairy is cutting out carbs.

It's amazing how much self-control I have when it comes to my wee ones {with online shopping being the exception}.

 

rant.

January. We're just 14 days in and already I'm nauseated by the sheer number of weight loss goals, diet plans and gym memberships. It seems that everywhere I turn there's 'motivation' to get skinny...

via pinterest

But what if that's not on our list of 2012 priorities?  

What if we had other plans for the new year that didn't involve mirrors and scales?

In my world being healthy and being skinny are not synonymous.

In my world you can eat AND be happy. 

I have MUCH to say on the topic of body image - and the above image - but to be honest I'm tired of talking about it. I'm tired of sitting in a lunch room full of highly intelligent women listening to how many calories their salad has and how many L.B.'s they gained over the holidays.

I won't say I haven't been sucked into conversations about muffin toppage or fat-free sour cream, I'd just rather these talks be limited to every few months, not everyday.

I'm going to save the rest of my rant for another time and instead share some inspiring facebook posts from the past week. 

This one got me thinking... thanks Liv.

and this one got me crying {big surprise}... thanks Shaylene.

view full post here



** So I'm curious, how do you promote a healthy body image in your household?

{ Friday Finds } iPHONE CASES

It's no secret that I brokedown and got myself an iPhone - can you say holy instagram Batman? I debated on whether I truly needed my email/facebook/bank account/stranger's blogs/etc. at my fingertips 24/7 and a resounding 'heck yes' won out in the end.

Because Saige is equally enamoured with my first ever Apple product {good-bye dark ages}, I'm in the market for a protective covering.

I recently started following this blog thanks to a recommendation following this post and I discovered that Adriane is not only a talented blogger, but a talented artist as well...

one who sells very cool iPhone cases in her very cool shop.

Now the hard part is deciding which one?

help me choose:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

pollcode.com free polls

dog days.

Ever notice that homeless people have the most well behaved dogs?

ours are anything BUT

They're still mad at us for going on a truck ride without them and coming home with 2 noisy, non-fur babies {like the house wasn't cramped enough already}.

Speaking of this small house, in home addition news our rather attractive contractor - Anthony - dropped by the house today with a 'design contract'... forward movement is good, let's keep this momentum going Tone-dog.

fort building.

nothing says childhood like secret hideaways made out of blankets

and

 couch cushions

confessions {family edition}.

{with a twist}

meet Saige

she's petite and peculiar and she's got A LOT of confessing to do...

- Saige eats boogers. it's disgusting but we can't seem to put a kibosh on it. {your anti-nose picking suggestions are more than welcome}.

- when she thinks no one is looking she'll stick her finger in Gabe's mouth so he can suck on it {ummm did you all read the first bullet? YUCK!}. When we try to scold her we'll get this in return, "but he likes insert whatever breakfast food she had that morning" {ie. peanut butter or cinnamon toast}. At present Gabriel's battling a nasty cold, hmmm... I wonder why?

- I've caught her more than once curled up on the couch watching 'Family Guy' with her dad {and popcorn}. 

- leaving daycare yesterday she explained that she "was screwing around" and therefore forgot to say bye to her good friend Monte. No Trevor she doesn't understand Stewie Griffin and animated television at all {did you pick up on the sarcasm?}

- she tries to blame everything on her imaginary friend Jamie:

Me: "uh-oh you need to clean up your box of Little People that got dumped"

Saige: "but I didn't do it, Jamie did"

- as much as I didn't want this to happen, Saige is obsessed with iPhone apps... we limit her to one game per day, but that is one too many in my opinion. are there any kid friendly EDUCATIONAL apps that I should know about? Tom Tom the Talking Cat is getting put down very soon.

- Saige was the world's worst dental patient on Monday {I almost lied and said I was the nanny so the hygenist would stop blaming me with those squinty eyes of hers}. It didn't matter that we practiced ALL weekend or that Dr. Anthony made her a special balloon animal, that kid of mine {yes I claimed her in the end} wouldn't open up for anything - not even my desperate timbit bribe {donut holes for my American readers}.

- speaking of fast food, Saige has ate at Mc.Donald's before *holy GASP*

- bodily functions will put her into fits of giggles and farts in the bathtub? well that's just hysterical - the bubbles, the underwater echo... it's hilarity to the max.

- Saige does what she wants, when she wants.

- she cries crocodile tears.

- she swallows toothpaste.

- she jumps on couches.

- she sneaks chocolate for breakfast.

- she laughs at her own jokes.

- she's so much like me, it's scary {except for the booger eating part and the not being swayed by baked goods}.



love games.

 Trev & I play the game who loves who more?

sometimes I let him win.

keeping it real.

I'm tiring of perfect mom blogs

you know the ones

I'm pretty sure they're lying

and their lies make me feel bad

I'm not inadequate

just real

{and maybe a bit jealous}

I love my kids

just as much

if not more

I promised I wouldn't lose myself in them

that I'd have a life outside of them

that's not selfish

it's good role modeling

I'm a mother

I'm not perfect

I'm tiring of the pretending

*****

these five blogs get 5 gold stars for their perfectly refreshing honesty & content...

link

 

thanks ladies for keeping it real.



{who would you add to this growing list?}



the party that almost wasn't.

In the wee hours of morning, while attempting to rock one smiley - and very awake - little baby back to sleep, I decided mid-exhaustion to have Saige's party at our house instead of the teeny-tiny art studio I mentioned in my last confessions post. I'm pretty sure Trev thought I was stark raving mad when I had to wake him up at 3am to tell him. I just might have a little crazy in me because {A} we've never hosted a kid-friendly event at our abode and {2} I had exactly 30 hours to cancel the original venue, buy supplies, contact all the invited guests, prep food, blow up balloons, borrow tables, pick up baked goods and CLEAN... clean like there was no a party tomorrow!

So running-around-like-a-chicken-with-its-head-cut-off-me not only forgot to charge and change batteries in both cameras but I emailed party guests the WRONG street address {I've only lived here for like 8+ years}. I didn't even realize my 4th instead of 45th Ave mistake until one of the moms called to say she couldn't find us on mapquest.

Talk about pre-party chaos, but despite some last minute venue changes, directional mishaps and very few photos being taken, I do believe our art party was a huge success... I mean who doesn't love cupcakes for breakfasts?

With my new year resolutions in mind, I let Becs hold my baby and Byron sweep the floor while I focused more on Saige and less on playing perfect host and photographer.

Saiger's birthdays have all had themes: little cupcakes, a teddy bear picnic and now a budding artist party. I had so much fun pinning ideas and executing the ones I felt I could handle...

1 / 2 / 3

All 9 kids went home with their very own masterpiece and together they created a canvas for Saige to hang on her bedroom wall... is it not the most awesome 3 year old collaboration you've ever seen? 

In my efforts to simplify - and save money - I opted for an evite.com invitation rather than an Etsy one. Believe it or not I didn't even care that the ,photo  of Saige looked more like Zoolander's daughter than her, I just wanted a recent pic of her in front of her artwork and I also wanted to follow in Becca's footsteps and host the party on her actual birthday.

Saige's 10am-noon party is all about making messes & masterpieces so bring your creativity and a paint friendly shirt or smock.

Your presence is present enough, but if you'd like to bring Saige a gift, her bedtime routine could use some help in the form of your favourite 'before bed' book.

I'm beyond excited about all the new bedtime stories she received for gifts. Dean gave Saige her favourite book from daycare and it's become my favourite too. I highly recommend it for the child in your life's bookshelf.

the birthday song {well partially}.

happy, happy.

today we celebrate TWO very special occasions...

the birth of Saige

&

the blogiversary of Saige Wisdom

{we've come a long way baby}

xo

confessions.

Pardon my recent absenteeism, I've been really busy doing absolutely nothing. Well that's not entirely true; I did manage to wear non-fleece pants long enough to take G-man to his appointment {more on the pediatrician's verdict later} and I did de-Christmas the casa. Other than that I've been attempting to  throw together a party for our almost preschooler who turns 3 on Friday. P.S. - the room I booked for her and 9 friends is a tad lot too small... hahahahaha... that's my impression of me laughing instead of screaming {see 2012 resolution numero ten}.

I got lots to confess so without further ado here's my addition to E, Myself & I's

- I got fitted for ski equipment the other day {by an employee who obviously worked on commission} knowing full well that I wouldn't be buying any of it. I just needed to see if the size 26 boots posted on kijiji.com were the right fit for my fat feet.

- I'm probably the last blogger in cyberspace to get an iphone and I've now spent the better part of my evening trying to upload instagram photos and create collages!!! A tutorial would be MUCH appreciated... thanks in advance.

-  My first car was a Fiero. I picked it up for $600 from a woman I'm 99% sure was a stripper. I loved that car. I could dedicate an entire post to that car... I think I just might.

- while Trev was at work this morning, Gabe & I played around with the thermostat and got the house temperature up to a tropical 27 degrees celsius.

- I cried every day last week, every.single.day. 

- I'm slightly panicked that someone is actually going to follow through with their threat and nominate me for that show "Canada's Worst Driver". Sure I've had my fair share of car accidents {minor fender benders really} and yes they've ALL been my fault - while in reverse - but am I really that bad?

- Gabe's only 3 months old and I'm already fretting about puberty. If boys masterbate as much as I think they do... just kill me now. "Don't buy navy sheets" - that's the advice I got from moms with teenage sons... seriously?!... I'm so not okay with this... please help.

** Whew, it feels good to get that off my chest. Is there anything you want to unload, upload or download?

twelve for 12.

I don't normally make resolutions for the new year, but I once read that if you put your dreams to paper they're more likely to be realized. I considered putting together a 30 Before 30 bucket list like all the other cool bloggers out there, but I'm turning thirty in April 2013 and accomplishing 30 things in that small amount of time seems impossible for a mom that doesn't get out of her pajamas most days. Instead I've committed myself to 12 goals...

twelve for 12.

(1) take better photographs.

(2) learn to run.

(3) drink more water.

(4)  try new recipes. meal plan.

(5) spend more time outdoors.

(6) start our home addition.

(7)  simplify, simplify, simplify.

(8) go on a family trip that requires passports and sunscreen.

(9) be a better wife.

(10) laugh more. scream less.

(11) read more fiction and non.

(12) get organized.