IF YOU WERE HERE FOR TEA.

*  Remember how we just had a week off?  Well, more holidays are on the horizon!  Our students have a five day weekend.  We have a two day weekend, followed by a P.D. Day, followed by a mid-week, two-day holiday.  Two teaching days ONLY next week.  I think we can handle that ;)

*  Tomorrow is Halloween.  There is much debate about this holiday here and my mom's group is ON FIRE with controversy.  Nonetheless, we were able to secure some Reese's peanut butter cup pumpkins at the grocery store and we are having an X factor evening with friends to celebrate the holiday :) 

*  This weekend there is an international volleyball tournament at the school.  We will be proud members of the cheer squad for as many games as we can! 

*  Nory has a doctor's appointment on Saturday (her first one in a couple of months).  We are excited to show off her crawl skills that the doctor denied would exist until "at least 10 months of age".  She will also be able to show off her THREE teeth (a top one popped through last weekend)!

*  Phil is at hockey tonight and won't be home until about 8:30.  I've been going to bed around 7ish, but I am never able to get to sleep until I know that he is home safe.  Instead of being restless in bed, I decided to make a cup of jo and embrace the evening!  Really wild, right?  Perhaps the caffeine fix will keep me awake until 8:35! Yikes, that means I've got to survive another hour.....(sip, sip).

*  I really want to decorate for Christmas starting on Friday.  It's the weekend and I could do with a little HOLIDAY CHEER (following tomorrow's HOLIDAY FEAR, that is).  What do you think?  Phil's gonna say no.  But I'm pretty sure I could sway his vote by reminding him that:  a)  it's Nory's first Christmas (why not extend the celebration?), b) times flies when you're 30/a parent/a teacher (you won't even notice the tree is up for two months!), and c) a happy wife = a happy life (it's my favourite time of the year).  Celebrating this holiday RIDICULOUSLY EARLY (yes, I am aware of that), is possibly the ONLY INSTANCE where I could CARE LESS what others think.  Yep, for some magical reason (SANTA, obvs), I am not bothered by those who detest my holiday love.  I feel like an ELF IN A BUBBLE - immune to the naysayers!  Ohhhh I love Christmas!!!!!!

*  I have been searching for ear protection for Nory online.  This is all in preparation for the World Junior games in December.  If you have any recommendations, please send them my way!  I have found two companies, but knowing my daughter, one of them is just not an option!  I need something a little more discreet.......haha.

*  The treasure hunt club girls gave me a phone strap (they own a company).  It's a beaded strap that I can attach to my phone and wear like a purse.  It's proven to be really handy at school, as I don't have any work outfits that have pockets!  Nory loves it too.  Don't be surprised if I report a "BEADS ARE EVERYWHERE" state of emergency at the house in the near future......

XOXO

Nory in a NUTSHELL:

We love this little mover & shaker.  She's the best.

Saturday, Event #3

Talk about a social schedule.  Soccer game, autumn fair, and then Baby Amirah's ONE YEAR birthday party at McDonald's!  Nory was quite the socialite today ;)

We couldn't stay long for the birthday party because it started late (that's how things roll here), but it was still nice to see the birthday girl and catch 45 minutes of play time before we had to head back home in rush hour traffic!  We also met an 8 month old baby girl and a 10 month old baby girl, who we hope to play with someday soon!

Here's the strange thing about being gone ALL DAY LONG.  You walk in the door at 6 p.m. and your house is STILL, SOMEHOW a disaster.  Is this parenthood?  Or is this us?  I swear to you, we have a TIDY REPUTATION and I'm just not sure how to justify what you see in this picture:

Is this a good time to believe in ghosts?!  Haha.

The weekend is over.  It's bedtime, folks! xo

The Autumn Fair :)

So, the whole reason behind Nory dressing up today was because of the Autumn Fair hosted by my Expat Mums Group.  Since she won't be going trick or treating for REALS on October 31st, I knew this event would be the PERFECT opportunity to wear a costume and embrace the Halloween spirit :)  It took place at a local learning center and it was many rooms of AWESOME for people like us (ah-hem, people who celebrate wacky holidays like this one).  There were activities for children of all ages and if it wasn't so PACKED with Families Galore, I think we would have stayed longer and enjoyed it even more!  Here are some pictures (some are from GEM, thanks GIRL!):

Halloween treats!  I think I would be able to make those Rice Krispie pumpkins quite easily.  There's an idea for you bakers out there!

Nory playing "Creepy Crawlies".  You had to collect three different creepy crawlers in a basket in order to get a stamp on your fair paper.  The kind old lady running the station allowed Nory to complete the task minus the blindfold (how sweet! ha!) and she even stamped Nory's paper without having her finish the task completely ;)

Soccer, ghost bowling, comfort crawling on squishy mats.  SO MUCH FUN!  It was here that a man said to her, "you must originally be from Kansas, sweetheart!"  YAY!!!!!  The best compliment is people recognizing your costume :)

The haunted house!  They really did a great job on this room.  I think this was Nory's favourite part of the whole afternoon!

The "music" section of the haunted house.  Here, you had to make as much noise as possible with various instruments in order to scare the ghosts away!!!!

The spooky tunnel!!!  Thank goodness we had practiced this at home beforehand ;)  She maneuvered this obstacle with courage and DESPITE WHAT THE RUDE 8 YEAR OLD BEHIND HER IN LINE SAID, she did it very quickly!  (Can you tell that I almost got into a fight with a minor?  Haha.  Auntie Gem told him off before I had the chance to!)

The spooky net!  She loved watching the colours of the room change from green to blue to pink to red......

Some last minute light-gazing before departure!

Baby parking!  Haha - I made Emily take a picture of this.  It's just too darn cute!

We really did have a great time this afternoon.  It was nice that Auntie Em was able to come with us (no Halloween costume required!) and it makes me feel more at home here when things like this are going on.  One day, we'll be hitting up an honest-to-goodness pumpkin patch (or two).  But until then, I'll welcome any desert-done shindig that bursts with heart and soul :) Three cheers for the mighty Expat Mums group! 

One Saturday Morning!

The weather is BEAUTIFUL and our day began with Daddy's first U14 soccer game.  The team looked sharp in their black uniforms and Phil surprised the boys by sporting his very own #15 jersey (somebody actually enjoys matching, despite what he claims).  Those jerseys, I tell ya - they mean BUSINESS!  BLACK MEANS BUSINESS!!!!

Nory and I found some shade where we could stand and cheer on the boys.  I think the ball came straight for us three times (how is it that the soccer ball ALWAYS FINDS the ONE BABY in the area?), but luckily I was super on-the-ball (HA!) and was able to dodge the ball like a BOSS.  Nory didn't really seem too into the whole game.  Once the warm-up was over, she called it a morning and slept through the entire game!  Perhaps this was her way of telling us that she's more of a basketball girl.....

VICTORY!  The boys won 4-2!!!!!!!! You can tell that Nory was super pleased with the "W".  You can also tell that she believes in only one kind of "football" - and that is the AMERICAN kind.  (What to do when the only appropriately-sized Bulldogs onesie is in the wash?!  I suppose you wear any other kind of sporting attire you can gather up!) 

Here's a close-up of her outfit.  But, more importantly, she'd like you to know that although she enjoys athletics, she's still a high fashion gal (as demonstrated with her COACH BAG teething toy).  

What a great way to start the season, BULLDOGS!  We can't wait to cheer you on at the next match! 

Our DOROTHY Darling :)

TA-DA! Nory's first Halloween costume revealed! The one we spent FOUR HOURS looking for at the mall yesterday. (You really don't understand how difficult it is to find a BLUE dress for girlies until you're on the hunt for one!)

Dorothy from OZ.  And a TOTO to boot!

The last picture is especially CLASSIC.  Thank you "AUNTIE EM! AUNTIE EM!" for capturing the outfit.  I think Phil and I were far too close to having an adorable-overdose to function a camera on our own.......

OH I LOVE THIS GIRL.  SO MUCH.  SO, SO MUCH! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYBODY! xoxo

More from the A&C DEPT.....

Introducing.....Nory's BABY-SIZE RAIN STICK! 

We're into NOISE in this house.  All kinds of 'em!  Come on over and I bet you'll want to go home feel right at home in no time ;)

SOMETIMES housework makes me HAPPY :)

Sophie, Halloween tins, and Halloween cookie cutters.  All make for a spectacular-looking drying rack ;)

There's nothing like "TWO MONTHS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!" to bring you back to the blogging world....

Another week has come and gone.  MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS - it's almost NOVEMBER!  Which means it's almost DECEMBER!  Which means it's almost CHRISTMAS!  Baby's FIRST CHRISTMAS!  (And my 28th).  Haha.

This week seemed long and stressful.  Stressful because of many things: work, home, friends, family, personal stuff.  It just seemed drawn out and exhausting.  Every night that I could, I was in bed by 7 p.m.....trying to catch a few extra Zzzzz's to survive until the weekend.  Of course, instead of sleeping, my mind took those extra hours as a chance to race around the same scenarios, over and over until that in itself exhausted me sleep ;)  I wonder what life is like for those who are anti-worry-warts.......

N-E-WAYS.  Let's catch up.  What's fun?

I have a favourite student (don't lie - you have one too!), and yesterday she said:

"Miss!  I have come up with a new name for myself.  It's (name), (name) The Fabulous!!!"  It was amazing.  Complete with a little shoulder shimmy.  And her enthusiasm makes me believe that we were actually sisters in another life. 

In other student news, I had one of my darlings say:

"Miss!  I have a talent.  I can write on my paper with no eyes!"  He continued to showcase this"talent" and after checking out the final product, he looked back at me and said, "but the problem is that my pencil goes wherever it wants on the page!"  If things like this qualify as a talent, our world is bursting with talented individuals ;)

What else?

THIS video made my life.  Thank you to Ms. Sophia for posting it on Facebook and giving me a much-needed smile at work this week!  I LOVE IT.

Other things that are making my life.  Halloween.  I am not usually a huge fan of the holiday.  I don't like scary things.  I hate it when people use eggs for reasons beyond food or Easter.  And I'm not really big on bags of candy.  To be perfectly honest, I see this holiday as a means to an end (the end being Christmas!) and I half-pretend to enjoy it for the sake of my own optimistic, happy spirit.  HOWEVER, THIS YEAR, I'm diggin' it.  Turns out Halloween is a pretty O.K. thing when you're dressing up a little one!  Today we spent 4 hours searching for Nory's costume and she gets to wear it at the Autumn fair tomorrow!!!  I can't wait.  Like - I can't even STAND how adorable she's going to look.  I have her costume laid out in the living room and it's taking everything I have not to wake her up, put it on, and start an early trick-or-treating ritual ;)

Also, tomorrow is Phil's first soccer game with the U14 team.  As well, we have a first year birthday party to attend at 5 p.m. 

Mmmmmm hmmmm....busy people, I tell ya!  Schedules like ours are how it's almost November.  Yep, THIS IS HOW it is almost November. 

Enough rambling.  Let's call this a post ;)

XOXO

WHY SO SERIOUS?

She tried plums for the first time today.  Didn't seem to pleased about the whole thing either....

What resulted was a wasted serving of pureed plums, a stained bib, a hard-to-get-clean face, and a JOKER of a baby ;)

Hmmm....I think I will be freezing the rest of the batch and saving it for a later date.  Perhaps the taste will grow on her ;)

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR TEA.

*  You haven't seen a disappointed face until you've seen an 8 month old mistaken her exer-saucer for her "jumperoo".

*  Today is the last day of holidays.  We have quite a few things to get done - marking, food prep, laundry, etc.  I suppose this is what happens when you procrastinate choose to spend time with your adorable baby girl instead.  (NO REGRETS EITHER!)

*  If you aren't already, you need to start following "HUMANS OF NY" on Instagram.  Don't ask, just DO!

* Nory slept from 6:30 last night until 3:30 this morning.  It's clear she was EXHAUSTED from three nights of little sleep, but it's also clear that these beautiful nine hours of rest were unfamiliar enough to seem ADEQUATE.  BIG MISTAKE, NORY!!!!  Haha.  The joys of parenting ;)

*  Does talking to loved ones on the phone make you MORE homesick at times?  Happens to me sometimes.  Like this week.  I talked to both my Nan and my Dad and I hung up both calls feeling blue :(  The good news is that our busy schedule makes days fly by and we'll be having tea in person in no time!

*  Speaking of blue (the colour, though!), yesterday we watched "Smurfs 2".  I have the BIGGEST soft spot for these guys and I can't help but giggle every time I hear a word with the endearing "smurf" worked into it.  Examples:  happy SMURFDAY, OH MY SMURF, SMURFTASTIC, etc.  Cheesy just WORKS for these creatures :)

*  The laundry basket has become somewhat of a new BFF around here.  Just throw in a fuzzy blanket, a pillow, some toys, and a NORY, and you've got one heck of a controlled entertainment center!  We had lots of fun yesterday because I tied a skipping rope to the basket and was pulling Nory around the house.  She was on cloud nine!

*  Someone else you should follow on Instagram?  Charlotte Olympia.  MY GOSH.  She is the CUTEST designer, I swear to you!  She has some Halloween-inspired flats right now that I want so badly.  Not sure where you can purchase them, but Google and I are tight ;)

*  Remembering that the Olympics are happening this winter is really exciting.  I have so many happy memories watching the Olympics with my family (we're all OLYMPICS FANATICS!) and I can't wait to start the same around-the-clock-craziness with my own family.  During the London Oympics, I was pregnant with Nory and feeling terribly nauseous in our little Beaches apartment!  This year, Mom P will be visiting us during the games.  VERY EXCITING!

*  TWO MONTHS until my birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

Learning about "THE KITCHEN".

The kitchen seems to be a bit of a discovery hotspot for Nory.  She gets into everything no matter where we are in the house, but it seems to me like she is especially excited while exploring the kitchen.  It's like "Getting Into Everything - 2.0" and we can't really look away....even for 0.2 seconds.  Perhaps it's due to the fact that we haven't so much baby proofed that area of the flat, or maybe the kitchen truly is the coolest.  Regardless, the other day we brought a little bit of the kitchen into the family room to make things SAFER.  It was a kitchen stuff field trip - safer AND lower maintenance for Ma and Pa than an honest-to-goodness kitchen experience.  

VOILA!  Minutes of fun ensued (let's be honest....no baby can stick to a single activity for HOURS...unless the secret of sustained play has not been told to me).  Watch her curiosity in action....

The lettuce dryer.  SUPER FUN!  It spins, makes noises, has a funny feeling part on the inside.  She was working really hard to turn the handle herself!

Hey!  Is that ME that I see?!  Other fun facts about pot lids?  They make REALLY fun sounds when banged with an ice cream scoop ;)

Oohh laa laa.  The strainer.  Another thing that feels really strange ;)

We whisk you were here with us ;)  If you recall, this is the same whisk that Phil brought home last year as a surprise for me!

The spatula.  A cool name.  A not-so-cool object if you hold it the other way and stick it too far into your mouth.

A CANADIAN AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!

This house is a HAPPY, HAPPY one! Yesterday the embassy called to tell us that "Eleanor Douglas" is OFFICIALLY a Canadian citizen!  We weren't expecting the paperwork to be finalized until next April, so we're assuming they expressed the application after taking Nory's sweetness into consideration ;)

This may be a minimal deal for some people, but I am just over-the-moon, full-of-happy-tears about the news.  For 8 months, our daughter has been a citizen of NOWHERE.  Although she was born in Kuwait, she was not granted citizenship here and it took the government of Canada some time before they would recognize her as legitimate.  NOW, though.  NOW she is a full-fledged, Maple Leaf Sporting Gal.  She IS Canadian.  She BELONGS.  And she's going to be showing off her Canadian pride at this year's World Junior Hockey Tournament in Malmo, Sweden.

Mmmm hmmm......Baby's First Christmas is going to be a really special one!

Can you even IMAGINE?!

We saw this "triplette" stroller at Toys 'R Us today.  I thought it was placed in the baby section as a joke at first.  Like, "hey - if you think ONE is bad, try managing THREE!"  But then I remembered that I've taught triplets two years in a row now and there are many other sets of triplets in our school community.  Therefore, this stroller was NOT placed here as a joke.  Three babies at a time ACTUALLY exists and a three-seater stroller is a legit item for some.  

SCARY!!!!!!!!!

God bless the women of multiples! YOU GO, GIRLS!

THE MAGNOLIA BAKERY!

Mmmmm hmmmm....all that New York goodness has finally come over to our area of the world!  The place is beautiful and it took me 0.2 seconds to realize I was head-over-heels in love...

I love the colour schemes. 

I love the service. 

I love the beautiful desserts. 

I love watching the cake artists in action. 

I love that they have a Halloween cake menu.

I love that they are sporting the pink ribbon this month. 

I love it, I love it, I love it!!!!!!  

Phil took Nory and I here after her big trip to the salon (what an amazing day, right?!) and even with a squirmy 8 month old babe we were able to enjoy the experience (and take lots of pictures)!  Check it out:

Pristine, right?  I really feel like this shop is more of a museum than a cafe...

I repeat.  A museum.  Not so much a cafe.  We were lucky to catch some of the cake-decorating in action.  The way they whip these suckers up is UNREAL.  I want a lesson.  Or at least the opportunity to set up camp right smack outside and non-awkwardly observe the process for days....

The manager was SO SWEET and delivered this mini cupcake to our table for Nory.  SO THOUGHTFUL!

Nory had a little taste of the icing but was much more interested in the texture than the taste...And just imagine ten Filipino men watching her with love in their eyes....(for real - they came over to our table and offered to BABYSIT HER while we were eating!!!). 

Phil's order:  red velvet cake crusted french toast (pictured here).  My order:  a roasted veggie wrap (with pumpkin, eff ya!).  It seems silly, but I didn't order (nor even really desire) a cupcake or other dessert.  I think the visuals were so sugar-infused that I couldn't handle the real deal!

I took a menu with me when we left.  They deliver.  And I'd love to have my own cupcake museum at the house.......