Posts tagged kids

For some reason it took me awhile to get on the natural cleaning bandwagon. I mean it’s not like I’m a real clean freak or anything (laundry’s cool once a month, no?), but when I do clean, I clean for keeps. Picture me 10 months pregnant bleaching the baseboards with a toothbrush—I’m that thorough. But kids lick everything, really just get right into the crevices with some deep tongue action every time you turn your head. When there’s 3 of them at it, you simply must resign yourself to believe we are symbiotic with dirt and the dried out piece of pear the baby is eating out of Raggedy Andy’s overalls is just nature’s own sweet gift.

Bottom line: bleach and the other thousands of harsh chemicals found in conventional cleaners will do way more damage to baby innards than a fuzzy pear or two could ever inflict. Rather than slowly poisoning your kin, try mixing together equal parts plain white vinegar and water in a spray bottle, which works to disinfect everything from mirrors, to counters, to toilets, tubs and floors. Extra tough stains? Sprinkle the mess with baking soda first and then spray the whole deal with your vinegar/water solution and scrub away. I’m not s-ing you people: this shiz even gets bright yellow baby back-side “magic” out of area rugs and it’s super fun watching it fizz.

Don’t enjoy the pickle-y smell? Try the anti-bacterial and sweet smelling lovlieness of essential oils: mix 2 cups water with 25 drops Tea Tree Oil and 25 drops of Lavender Oil for a more fragrant germ buster.

So stop letting those nasty bubbles check out your fancy bits-go natural instead.

Single-Mom-ing-it-up for the next couple days. Kids have a lot to say, whether they can “talk” or not. Once those whipper-snappers are in bed, though, that’s when I hit productivity overdrive: I watch Days of Our Lives online and write helpful, evergreen articles about pertinent topics for numerous publications under various pseudonyms. And I wash sheets, because Pull-ups are for suckers.

I also think about food. Alot.

But if if I’m not cooking for manfriend, I’m a lazy toad. I fed the munchkins good stuff, no worries there. But as for me, today I ate an entire loaf of Bubby Rose’s Farmhouse Sourdough and not much else. Now I feel nutrient depleted and I dream of this:

I put batteries in my camera and this is the the spicier than usual curry I yummed about last week. And I want it now. So brightly flavoured, multi-textured and full of healthful goodness. And yet I’m too weak from bread to cook. For shame!

I also want CNN to go back to normal. Ever since that redesign their reporting has become infused with a melodramatic flare that would be more appropriate on Days of Our Lives. Did I mention I’m watching Days right now. It’s really bad. But my curry is good and I don’t feel like writing about allergy-free lunches right now. Will you do it for me?

Tomorrow: high-protein vegan breakfasts. I promise I’ll be less scattered. And if you’re reading this, please leave me a comment with your favourite high-protein vegan breakfast. I want it so bad. I may even give you something for it….

What a week!

Just got home from meeting the most beautiful baby that didn’t come out of me. Did I ever need to be surrounded by the relaxed, unconditional love that is the Core.

The Core is five of us lovely ladies that have been best friends since elementary school. We call ourselves “the Core” because we are all very different and we’ve all branched off and made friends with similar interests at various times, but when it comes right down to it, the five of us are at the Core of it all. We will always be friends and always come back to each other.  And even though we’ve spread ourselves across the globe—one of us now calls the Cayman Islands home—and chosen markedly different paths in life, it is so comforting to know that when we do get together, everything is just as it’s always been.

Four of us have kids of our own now, the latest addition to the Baby Core having the courteousy to be born on one of her surrogate aunties’ birthdays yesterday. I am so excited to watch our babies grow up together and so thankful to have such kind and funny people in my life that can pull me out of any funk I stumble into.

And that is the key right there: we have been through some intense and stupid stuff in our 20+ years of friendship, but we always, always, always know when to let stuff go and smile and laugh again. I love my girls like family, even though I don’t talk to them every day or even every month. There are no secret grudges or imaginary plots (well, maybe some, but we drink those puppies away). We understand that life is busy and it often gets in the way of communication, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be there in an instant when we’re really needed.

The Core makes all the bull-shit seem even more bull-shittier, but also funnier and less consequential in the long run. I have the love of an amazing man who is my family, my life. I have three super-incredible babies who make every second of my day make sense. I have caring and supportive parents who will never judge me no matter how clueless I can be at times. And I have friends: plenty of fabulous, amazing, gorgeous friends who are marrying and procreating at an alarming rate and will keep my heart busy and happy for the rest of my life.

Things are good. I can breathe again now.

I have plenty of children and they make plenty of messes, plenty of dirty clothes, plenty of tears, plenty silly games, and plenty good times. I am plenty sleepy a lot of the time. You have to love all those baby rearing manuals and women’s magazines that insist you take time for yourself each day and not lose yourself entirely in the role of motherhood. What a great theory, but to be completely honest, I think both me and my children would be much happier if I had nothing else to do but give them my undivided attention.

But, alas and alack, I have housework and deadlines and personal hygiene and husbands (well, maybe just one of those) to think about. I have childless girlfriends to stand-up repeatedly. Oh, what I’d give to lay in the grass beside my two-year old and say “airplane” over and over and over again with him without thinking about all the other crap I have looming in the margins. But, not unlike our neighbours’ ridiculously loud Cantonese radio program, it never stops.

Get it stuck in your head. It’s just lovely.