Another Bad Idea?

Watching Sean and Catherine's wedding on a night that Phil has left the country for the weekend.  I mean, it was basically just throwing salt on the wound after Nory blocked the front door, untied his shoelace, and we both cried during his departure. 

I'm mostly missing him because he's the best.  But a little part of me worries about that whole "here are the passports in case you have to leave the country in an emergency" thing.  Yep, him being in a COMPLETELY OTHER COUNTRY always gets me a wee bit nervous.   

The good news is that it is already Friday and he comes home on SATURDAY!  One more sleep until he returns.....

Wish us luck in this Daddy-less holiday :)  And wish Phil good luck on his basketball tournament in Bahrain!!!

Doing internet research on the last day of the week, on a spirit day?

Not the best idea I've ever had.  Even with non-stop room circulation, you could bet these hyper pre-teens were off-task more than they were on it!  Alas, it DID lead to some funny moments that made me laugh out loud.  Here they are:

Student #1:  (Jumps up out of seat)  I FOUND MY HOUSE IN SPAIN ON GOOGLE MAPS!!!!! 

Student #2:  (Giggling uncontrollably. Like....struggling to get the words out!)  Is it true that you buy your milk in a bag in Canada?  MILK IN A BAG?!!!!!!!!

Student #3 and #4:  (Girls, obviously.  Girls that are decked out in spirit gear.)  MISS, PICTURE US!!!!!  [Translation:  Take our picture, please!]

Student #5:  (makes a peace sign as I walk by)  YOLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Laugh/Sigh.  It's safe to say that NONE of these students were very concentrated on factors that affect lung capacity.  Oh well.  Another day, another dinar, another week ahead! 

What did the fox say?

Thank you Auntie Shannon for the hoodie that inspired the whole performance ;)

In the words of her Grandpa, "I think she's feeling better!"

Her first birthday is getting closer and closer and.....

I really don't know how I feel about it.  It's a happy and sad sorta thing.  I'm happy that we've survived year one of parenting (ha!).  I'm happy that she's becoming a tiny human with a personality of her very own.  I'm happy that she can walk to the door when I come home from school.  I'm happy that she can say "MA-MA-MA" to tell me that she wants me.  I'm happy that she can order "people" food when we're out at a restaurant.  I'm happy that we're getting closer and closer to that "she will totally LOVE Disney" stage.

BUT..................

I'm sad that she already craves independence and freedom.  I'm sad that she's more wiggly than cuddly.  I'm sad that I've started to use the word "NO" and I'm sad that she gets mad at me for it.  I'm sad that time goes by way quicker than it ever used to.  I'm sad that there's only 17 years (minutes?!) before she could be out of the house forever....

Now I'm sitting here like a fool.  REALLY, TRULY thinking about this "AGE ONE" thing.  Crying.  And completely understanding how my parents must have felt as we all slowly left the nest.  And how they must feel now.  And how I want to hop on the first plane home and give them a big hug.

Gah.  Heartache.  That stems from the GREATEST LOVE your heart will ever feel.  It's so awesome and terrible all at the same time.......

C'est La Vie!!!!!!!

The Sort and Snuggle.

Another video to showcase her laundry-love!  It went on for at least 20 minutes.

MELTS.  MY.  HEART.

Chicken HATES the car.

And we had this BIZARRE mindset that once we turned her car seat around, things would magically turn better.  No more grumbling.  No more "how long is this car ride?!".  No more "distract the baby like it's your job!".  No more "if it's more than 15 minutes away, we're NOT doing it." 

Well, the joke's on us.  We could optimistically blame the first-time-yet-still-fussy experience on the sole truth that the seat was new.  We could optimistically say that once Nory got used to it, we'd be SAILING.  But I'm thinking it's best to take the pessimistic approach here and realize that road trips are just not our forte as a family of three.

Nory ONE, Mom & Dad ZERO.  Ha!  Not all of my optimism has vanished ;)

It's against everything I believe to.....

.....look at the sweet, smiley Indian man that prepared this gourmet beverage for me and tell him that I really didn't want the whipped cream, caramel stars, or gingerbread man that he so delicately arranged on top of the latte itself.

So I accepted it graciously and drank this sucker like it was Guinness-World-Record-breaking quality.

Then I said "THANKS SO MUCH" when I left.

But that's just what I believe in.

Better Than A Paternity Test.

Eleanor Goes to Practice.

Yesterday afternoon, Nory and I walked to school to surprise Phil at practice.  He was so excited!  And so were the boys!  She did some assistant coaching while we were there and even started to mimic the hand-pointing pose her Daddy is showing in the picture above.  

We practiced our walking on the free side of the gym, played a passing game with one of the lady bulldogs, and made sure that all of the basketballs got back onto the rack.  She also had a blast acting silly with her Uncle Steve, who she hadn't seen in a couple of weeks.  Wait.  Who are we kidding?!  She hadn't seen ANYONE/ANYTHING in about two weeks because her parents put her in get-better-confinement at home.  Poor thing.  Sometimes, you just gotta GET OUT and EXPLORE!  So that's what we did.  And Girlie was a much happier camper because of it!

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR TEA, TAKE TWO.

*  Technology was NOT my friend last night.  FaceTime and Skype failed me and then Blogger went ahead and did so too!  I'm telling you, I SAVED and SAVED and SAVED my post and it all disappeared COMPLETELY once I hit "publish".  Not sure what happened, but I'm sure it involves some techno curse that haunted me all evening. 

*  Nory is still not feeling 100%.  The good news is that she is starting to sleep through the night again (mostly) and we are slowly catching up on some Zzzzz's.  It will be nice when she is able to wake up without such congestion and coughing.  And when she gets her appetite back!  Poor chicken.  It should be impossible for a baby to catch such a never-ending cold!!!

*  Phil's teams played their first games of the season on Monday night.  Nory couldn't make it due to her cold, but she must have left some lucky vomit on Phil earlier that morning because both teams WON!  I, embarrassingly, suffered from a clapping injury before the end of the first game (out of practice, I suppose), but I persevered and remained a solid cheer-squad member until both games had finished.  The next game isn't until February, but the boys have a tournament in Bahrain coming up next weekend.  GO BULLDOGS!!!

*  Movies we've watched lately:  Frozen (AMAZING!), Adore (SUPER WEIRD), The Internship (FUNNY, BUT TOO CRUDE AT PARTS), and Saving Mr. Banks (GREAT!).  Now that Oscar nominations have been announced, we have the same intention we do every year:  to view all of the nominated films prior to the awards show itself.  We NEVER EVER seem to accomplish this mission, however, and it's due to the fact that Oscar movies are.............BORING/STRANGE.  For the most part.  In my opinion.  So - after about 10 minutes - each Oscar movie is usually switched off, as my husband suggests we watch something a little more "Lindsay-friendly".  He's the best.  And he's helped to create our annual, awards season tradition! HA!

*  Sometimes I abbreviate "Kumari Poppins" to "K-POP" and it gives Phil and I a really good laugh. 

*  I've had many friends and family members tell me about the extreme cold back home.  Ew.  I feel bad for you.  But I feel happy for me.  That I am here and not there.  Because I sit here in warm pajamas, with a housecoat on top of these warm pajamas, and a blanket on top of my warm pajama/housecoat combo......and I'm sipping on a coffee.....and I'm STILL a wee bit chilled.  This proves that you would likely not want me there either.  It would be a complain-fest like you've never seen it before!  HANG IN THERE, all of you REAL CANUCKS!

*   I can't believe I haven't wrote this next blurb yet.  Nory is basically walking!  I say "basically" because I'm not quite sure when you can deem your baby a "walker" with 100% confidence.  She is taking more steps with greater balance and confidence than ever before and we've lost track of any "consecutive steps record" because she's been so swift.  Does this mean she WALKS?  I think so?  Although she sure does take her fair share of tumbles.  Like the one last night.  Nose dive.  Crying fit.  Google:  "how do you know if your baby broke their nose?"  Not nice.

*   This weekend is only a one day weekend, as we must attend a P.D. conference at school on Saturday.  I foresee this ONE-DAY-WITH-NORY-ONLY time being nothing but terrible.....

*  Being a Mom/Dad is THE BEST.  We can barely keep our eyes open (HELLO EXHAUSTION!) and I still have nothing but INCREDIBLE AMOUNTS OF LOVE for Ms. Eleanor Douglas.  She's such a heart throb.  And in some magical way, the smiles she spreads have this stress-eliminating, happiness-inducing quality that makes everything better.

Time to get ready for work.  THANK GOODNESS IT IS THURSDAY!!!!!!!!!!!  

I just spent 45 minutes writing a blog post and it is ALL GONE.

I think it's time for this day to be over.

GOODNIGHT!

A Nory update before I pass out right here on this very couch....

This morning she woke up over-the-top congested and coughing like you wouldn't believe.  She ended up vomiting several times - all over the bathroom floor - and was the most unhappy we've seen her.  So, after consulting with some of our "peeps", it was decided that it's better to be safe than sorry.  Phil took her to the doctor-on-call at the five-star hotel swanky hospital and it turns out she has nothing more than a really terrible cold.  What a relief this is!  At 5 o'clock this morning, you can bet we had all sorts of nasty scenarios racing through our minds......

The doctor gave us some tools to help Nory feel better ASAP and we're keeping our fingers crossed that they work like MAGIC in the next 24 hours.  She's going to miss out on the first basketball games of the season tomorrow night (big bummer), but you never know how far those screams of hers can be heard ;)  It just might sound as though she's cheering the boys on court-side! 

She's asleep now, which means we're heading there to.  GOODNIGHT ALL!!! xo

Thanks to the RADIO for reminding me of this song:

And thanks to my SHAZAM app for telling me all of the information necessary to download it :)

KUMARI POPPINS and THE FAIRY GODMOTHER.

Where would we be without these two people?  Surely I wouldn't be having a tea as a SOMEWHAT human, half-awake and almost-smiling...

Remember those wonderful words that Phil ended my blogging with last night?  The sweetest ever "she's sleeping" words?  Well - they lasted for a truthful twenty minutes before a five hour sleep battle began.  Around midnight, Nory finally started to sleep in one to two hour intervals rather than in 20 minutes intervals and we considered this a BIG WIN.  Alas, we still "woke up" EXHAUSTED and needed to call in the world's best nanny for back-up.  I FIB YOU NOT, she swooped in here at 6 a.m. and got the entire family to sleep for a solid three CONSECUTIVE hours, before de-hurricane-ing the house and doing all of the laundry (bed sheets included!).  As deemed so by Phillip, the world's best nanny has earned herself a new name:  KUMARI POPPINS!!!!!!  (Sometimes I think Mr. Disney created her just for us)! 

An appropriate t-shirt for this day of Nanny Magic.  POOF!  Can you tell she's not herself?  Turns out it's MUCH EASIER to get an un-blurry photo of her when she's under the weather :$

Okay.  Onto the next gem in our life:  AUNTIE GEM!  The "Fairy Godmother" as she is forever more declared....

With Nory's first birthday quickly approaching, we have been working hard on the party planning details.  Wait.  That's a lie.  We had decided on a theme and were SUPPOSED to be working hard on the party planning details.  I had high hopes that THIS WEEKEND would be THE WEEKEND to get to work on this big-deal agenda item.  Well, as soon as sleep went out the window, the idea of planning a party did too.  In yesterday's breakdown, I remember sobbing to Phil, "...and what about Nory's party?!!!"

Fast forward to this evening.  The Fairy Godmother writes us with the most unbelievable news.  The party is planned!  The invites are ordered.  Other labels/tags are ordered.  The decoration list is made.  The cake is designed.  The "to purchase" items are listed.  Tasks have been delegated.  It's all DONE, DONE, DONE, DONE, DONE.  Gem took the theme and ran with it and now the sweetest first birthday party of all time is happening on February 14th!  We love you, GEM!  Thank you so, so very much.  XOXO

Our family is so appreciative of these two amazing women who are helping us to survive this gosh darn cold virus.  We are hopeful that Nory has a good rest tonight (pray for us!) and that we all feel like ourselves again tomorrow :)

Looking ahead, it's clear we have some major "PAYING IT FORWARD" to do.  xo

This holiday weekend is a BUST.

The other day one of my colleagues (who is a single man) asked me what exciting things I had planned for the weekend.  I went on about playing with Nory, trying a new recipe in my crock pot, and being really excited for grocery shopping with Phil after parent-teacher conferences (and picking up a chai latte while at the store!).  He laughed.  But I laughed harder.  Because the prelude to my tale of events included a party-party-party description of his upcoming weekend in Dubai.  Clearly, we are at completely different points in our lives, each having a unique definition of the word "exciting". 

Anyways, parent-teacher conferences went well on both Tuesday night and Wednesday.  Grocery shopping/chai-latte-sipping went well too.  We enjoyed our Thursday off with a trip to the Avenues (where else?!) and I made lime chicken with rice in the crock pot for dinner.  It was a good day.  Minus the fact that we were tired from a bad night's sleep with Nory.  Minus the fact that Nory was starting to get sick.  Minus the fact that Nory stayed home from the mall to rest. 

Earlier in the week, both Phil and I had some sort of a bug.  We were hopeful that Nory wouldn't catch it, but we should have made our hopefulness span across all bug varieties.  Because she didn't seem to catch what we had.  Instead, she caught one HECK of a cold.  Combine this nasty virus with another nasty thing - TEETHING - and you've got yourself an all-nighter extravaganza!  Yes.  I don't think we slept for more than 20 minutes at a time last night.  Nory was so uncomfortable that she just couldn't stay asleep.  We tried everything we could think of.  Everything that seemed successful in the last two colds she's fought through.  But nothing seemed to work and she went all day again today with little to no sleep.  I'm just not sure how she hasn't passed out yet.......

So, today we drank ridiculous amounts of coffee.  Took turns playing nurse.  Faked smiles.  Courtesy laughed.  Sometimes real laughed.  Sang.  Rocked.  Cried (well, eventually I did!).  Made steam rooms.  Had warm baths.  Did whatever we could think of to make Nory somewhat comfortable from one minute to the next....

Ah!  There's a bed that's calling me.  Phil just appeared with the sweetest words of all:  "she's asleep!"

This post stops HERE.  GOOD NIGHT!  (And please send all your get-well-wishes this way!) 

P.S.  The same colleague who went to Dubai this weekend changed his status to "feeling rough" earlier today.  I could have written the exact same words.  I wonder how our definitions of this phrase compare.....

The week, so far:

You would never guess that parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for this Tuesday and Wednesday...............

Should be fun!

This is HYSTERICAL / I'm glad Phil didn't test me....

Sunday's are FUN-DAY'S. Here's proof:

We went to school and I got to work on my new bulletin board!  We did an activity in class today that I hope to mark and post on and around the board tomorrow :)

Emily sent me this text message after school.  HA!!!!!!!!  #onlyinKuwait

Nory turned 11 months old and we had non-stop laughs during our endless games of tag, hide and seek, copy cat, etc.  It was some SERIOUSLY outstanding family time :)

ELEVEN MONTHS!

And already seeking out eligible bachelors ;)  KIDDING!  But she did partake in a wonderful Bachelor soiree this weekend!

Sigh.  Just like THAT, we're planning her first birthday party.  Let's choose to replace any comments related to this milestone with some behind-my-macbook-tears.  You get the picture.  Here is an update: 

*  Changing her (diapers and clothes) has become QUITE the chore.  She wants to be GOING ALL THE TIME and trying to distract her whilst whipping things on and off as quickly as possible is sometimes tricky.  Instead of laying still?  She's trying to roll-over, do a sit-up, kicking her legs, and all the while laughing at you as you let out a continuous string of seriously frustrated "NO NORY's"!!!!  Kumari said it best, "TOO MUCH HAPPY JOKE"! 

*  She is quite aware now of who "MA, MA, MA" and "DA, DA, DA" are.  Sometimes she wants me, sometimes she wants Phil, but lately she has been going through a bit of a "Daddy's Girl" phase.  This could be, in part, due to the aforementioned "NO NORY'S" that occur at the change table with Mom.  

*  Avocados have got to be her most favourite food right now.  She will gobble them up in no time and be begging for more! 

*  I keep telling people that Nory has a wild side and I think she's going to be a really wild child in the future.  (Side note:  This is what I think, not what I hope.  Haha.)  Anyways, during this afternoon's performance of removing clothes, spinning in circles, yelling out random sounds, diving around the living room and eating anything within grasp.....Phil finally gave in and said, "She might be a handful."  MIGHT?!  Perhaps I'm really bad at predicting the personality of little babies, but if I were to tell you my amateur opinion of what Nory might one day become, I would guess that HANDFUL just about covers it.  It could be that little bit of ginger in her.....(Heaven help us all).

*  I've told you before, she is going through an anti-clothes phase.  It's not so much that she hates clothes.  It's more-so that she hates them ON HER.  Once they are off, she INSISTS on carrying them around the house.  Just TRY to put them in the laundry basket!

*  She is still taking about 10-15 consecutive steps before falling down, but she is much braver this past week and is quite okay with falling down, laughing, then getting right back up.  Most of the time her "crash" is a cause of over-excitement that is preceded by a bit of a run.  I keep meaning to capture videos but I'm too afraid she will have a big wipe-out during the filming!  We are following her around non-stop to prevent any serious injuries.  It would be correct to say that the Parkinson's have opened their own home gym ;)      

*  She has started to outgrow some of her 9-12 month outfits, with most fit issues being related to the leg region.  Ah-hem, calf region.  Ah-hem, will she really end up with Grandpa's calves?!  I keep thinking it's baby fat and that the shape of her leg will eventually become more pant/sleeper/boot-conducive.  But.....it's been a little too common for strangers to comment on these suckers.  This could mean she is a Douglas through and through!  (Phil is PUMPED for the athletic potential!) 

*  Nory continues to visit with people of all sorts without fear (a trend I hope continues!).  The other day she was scooped up at the IHOP and sat in a booth with our KG principal's family.  We were out of sight completely and she was as happy as ever for fresh people to play with. 

*  She's a chatty wee thing.  A current sound in her repertoire is "boc, boc, boc", like a chicken.  This is hilarious because we often refer to her as "Chicken" :)

*  She still LOVES music and gets her groove on when she hears a song come on.  She has a few signature moves that, AGAIN, I should really videotape! 

Our sweet Eleanor Douglas.  You're the happiest little thing.  The (at times) loudest little thing.  The most active little thing.  The most curious little thing.  And despite the moments where we can't keep our eyes open, we wouldn't have it any other way!  We love the heck out of you, CHICKEN! 

Love,
MA MA MA and DA DA DA
xo

Something's BUGGING Me!

You know when you're not feeling that great and you hear/see/think/feel little-to-nothing?  THAT'S ME (and my excuse for the lack of posts)!  Kumari was sick earlier this week, Shannon was sick on Thursday, and I started to come down with something yesterday morning.  It seems to be making its rounds and my vitamin C tablets just aren't cutting it!  Lucky for me, my husband is INCREDIBLE and let me have two big sleep-in's this weekend in an effort to help me fight this thing.  He also made me many-a-tea to enjoy IN MY JAMMIES, ON THE COUCH, with episodes of the Real Housewives.  I think I have the very best caretaker anyone could ask for :)  (Thanks PHIL!)

Here's to hoping I can get out of bed for work tomorrow morning!  It's parent-teacher conference week (Tuesday night/Wednesday all-day) and we have a holiday for the Prophet's birthday on Thursday.  I THINK I CAN DO IT!!!!!!!

I hope all of you are staying healthy and warm in the greatest country of all!!!!  MISSING YOU!

XOXO

A Bake Sale.

While lining up for class.....

Student #1:  MISS!  We have something very exciting to tell you!

Me:  What is it?!

Student #2:  (as excited as all get out)  We're having a bake sale!!!!!!!!!

Me:  That's wonderful news!  What are you raising money for?

Student #1:  (with a big grin)  For you and Mr. Phil.

Me:  (laughing)  Huh?  We don't need any money!

Student #3:  Well it's actually for Nory!  You can stay at our school because we will pay for her things.

Student #1:  Health insurance, airplane ticket......

Me:  (tearing up)  Aw....that is so sweet of you.  But the deal is done.....

Student #4:  Miss, we know that you have papers with the new school....

Student #5:  (clearly a smarty pants)  It's called a contract!!!!

Student #4:  But it doesn't matter because we will have a bake sale for Nory!  And we will give our own money too. 

Student #6:  (clearly the rebellious one)  AND WE WILL BURN DOWN YOUR NEW SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone:  (laughter)

This here is special.

I spotted it on Etsy weeks ago and made one brief comment to Emily about how much I adored it.  Fast forward to my birthday, and I get a little note saying that it has been ordered and will be in my hands after the winter break!

Well, today was THE DAY!  I put it on immediately and felt such happiness in knowing that my own little Cairo was being carried around my neck.  That city, as chaotic as it is, will always be loved-the-heck-out-of by me.  It's where I found two of my most favourite people.    

Thank you Gem and Steve for this beautiful gift!  XOXO

Unlucky Meets Lucky.

Unlucky:  Nory has started to take her clothes off.  Lucky:  She SOMETIMES allows you to cover her up with blankies!

Unlucky:  Today Kumari got really sick out of the blue, called me crying, and had to go home at about 7:30.

Lucky:  I got to come home from work and have a BONUS NORY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes, I got to play toys, bake muffins, make a nice dinner, and do some chores with NORY BY MY SIDE!!! 

How to ENJOY traveling with a BABY? Here's what we learned this time around.....

*  The flight situation is still an interesting one for us.  We've heard parents say that they prefer overnight flights because their kids sleep most of the way.  Perhaps this will be us ONE DAY, but since Nory is LITTLE MISS CURIOUS, she doesn't seem to understand the nighttime aspect of a red-eye journey.  Although she was fantastic both there and back, Phil and I definitely had more patience during the daytime flight to Copenhagen.  For our sake, that may just be a preference in the future (if possible!). 

*  Apartment style accommodations are the way to go.  Although our first hotel was SUPERB (and Nory fell in love with the staff), the second place we stayed was more spacious and had its own kitchenette.  This made things much easier!  Nory had room to play, was more relaxed, and we were too!  We didn't have to worry about finding a microwave to sterilize bottles and a cup of tea was only a button away (rather than a cafe away!).  We could also store snacks in the mini refrigerator!  

*  It's nice if you're staying in the downtown area or near the city's attractions.  Walking distance is ideal because it allows you to pop back to the hotel for a rest/nap/snack/warm-up break.  We are lucky to be big walkers (fast ones, too!) and so staying right smack in the middle of things isn't necessary.  But staying nearby is really helpful!   

*  Sometimes, you just need to bite the bullet and pay the taxi fare.  We truly contemplated taking the train from Copenhagen to Malmo, but after packing up ALL OF OUR THINGS (ah-hem, the traveling roadshow), it was simply easier to take a taxi directly from one hotel to another.  Sometimes, time and convenience outweigh cost. 

*  Be prepared to leave really exciting things at a moment's notice.  Example:  Team Canada scores a goal to tie it up and the arena goes MENTAL.  These are the times it is best to run out with the baby and celebrate with the other mom's who've done the same!  We did our best to read off of Nory's cues and went somewhere quieter when things became overwhelming. 

*  The ERGO remains our BEST FRIEND.  Strollers can be really inconvenient in terms of sightseeing, so if you can get away with strapping your baby to you, DO IT!  Waiting for elevators, navigating uneven terrain, going in and out of shops = NO PROBLEMO with a carrier!

*  Although we prefer to carry rather than stroll, you might find yourself in a situation that requires a carseat and, in this case, a carseat/stroller combination is really handy!  If nothing else, a stroller is a great way to carry your carry-on's through the airport ;)

*  Have white noise on hand.  You never know how many screaming children will be in the room next to you.  Or how many drunko's will stroll into the hallway at 2 a.m.  Or how many fireworks will be set off in the evening/morning hours.

*  Don't plan for a jam-packed day.  One activity?  Perfect.  If you get there, GOLD STAR!  If you don't, maybe tomorrow!  AND - you still get a GOLD STAR!  

*  MOST IMPORTANTLY, RELAX!!!!!!!  Nory reads our cues like she's known us for decades and if WE are stressed out, the entire family unit is in jeopardy!   

Talk about PERFECT TIMING!

One thing I definitely miss from Canada is my lazy, could-spend-all-day-long visits to Chapters bookstore. There really is nothing like it. Getting a chai latte, reading the headlines in the magazine section, then browsing throughout the rest of the store.......it's relaxation at its finest!  The children's area has always been a particularly long stop for me, and now that we have Nory, I think my love for entertainment gossip (People, Us Weekly, In Touch) will be 100% overshadowed by this section for littles (and BIGS!). (GASP!  THIS IS A BIG DEAL, PEOPLE!)

Finding storybooks in English can be a bit of a challenge here.  I've lucked out at the kindergarten book fair and I've also lucked out with Amazon-imports that have been given to us as gifts (thanks EVERYONE!).  It's a real treat to receive a book, especially when you've rotated through the same few books so many times that you've not only MEMORIZED the words, but you've had to rely on making up your own to maintain any interest in the "teach your child to love literature" process.  And that's a FACT!  Phil and I do an incredible rendition of "Daddy Cuddles" and would love to present it to you in the future.  We'd have to rehearse it a few more times though.  That is until our personal lines become less hilarious and we can read with greater fluency.  Then we will be STAGE-READY!

Today was our first day back at school and we arrived to a mud pit of a parking lot (they are doing construction), along with a lack of anything technological.  Phil's gym had puddles and report cards (which are due tomorrow) couldn't be completed by anyone on staff.  BUMMER.  But all of these stresses magically disappeared upon the arrival of these book sets courtesy of "Uncle Steve":     

YIPPEE-YA-HOO!!!!  SEVEN NEW BOOKS brought back from New York!  SEVEN NEW BOOKS to jazz up our well-established rotation of good reads!  SEVEN NEW BOOKS waiting to be enjoyed and memorized within the upcoming weeks!  SEVEN NEW BOOKS!!!!! 

Thank you Uncle Steve for this wonderful, much-needed, sanity-saving present.  We were jamming to "Barnyard Dance" and talking about antonyms in "Opposites" this evening.  You're a SAVIOUR!!!

Like Mother, Like Daughter.

Turns out we have something else SERIOUSLY in common:  our love for CHRISTMAS.

Alas, as much as I'm itching to put up the tree in the fall, I am even MORE proactive about taking it down and ridding all signs of "Christmas" once the big day is over.  Post-25th, I feel this lingering sadness and hear nothing but a tiny, horrible voice that whispers "364 more days....SUCKER!"  So - we put it all away ASAP and try not to wallow in the sadness of it being over so quickly.

Next up?  VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!

Sincerely,
The Holiday Gal (and her MINI-ME) xo

The most SPOILED people in the world?

Shamefully, I admit that it is likely us.  And when I tell you why that is, you're ONE HUNDRED PERCENT going to agree with me.  And then maybe roll your eyes.  And then MAYBE desire to smack us back into the reality of the homeland (ah-hem, Canada).  Prep yourself......

So we go on this trip.  (SPOILED).

The trip comes to an end.  We hop on a red eye back to Kuwait.  Nory decides to pull an all-nighter and flirt with every passenger possible instead of sleeping.  But she's still in the best mood ever.  She's as sweet as pie, smiling extra big and working her charm.  (SPOILED).  

We get home to the apartment and Nanny Kumari is here - changing bed sheets, folding clothes, etc.!  This was done WITHOUT our previously discussed "we'll call if we need you" phone call.  (SPOILED).

Phil and I make five piles of laundry, put out all the dirty bottles and then go to bed.  (SPOILED).

We all go to sleep for four MUCH-NEEDED hours (Nory included!) and wake up to ZERO PILES of dirty laundry and ZERO dirty dishes!  (SPOILED).

Insert embarrassed face HERE. 

Are we all on the same page now?  THE MOST SPOILED PEOPLE ON THE PLANET = US.  And let me tell you what else JUST HAPPENED.  Kumari came out, said "Madam, not so good you do cutting baby's nails," and then continued to show me that she did a better job of it this morning.  She then took Nory in one arm and a broom in the other and said, "let's go clean the floor!"  I'm not making this stuff up.....

Alright.  Back to "reality"???  We are HOME SWEET KUWAIT! xo

Soon to be HOME SWEET HOME!

Our flight back to Kuwait leaves tonight and we should be cozy (and perhaps really tired) in our little apartment early tomorrow morning.  Funny enough, I think we are all eager to get back.  It's true that absence makes the heart grow fonder and I think we've all come to appreciate our country of residence a bit more over the course of this vacation.  Here's why:

1)  Kuwait is SUNNY.  Mostly ALWAYS.  It's not necessarily WARM at this time of the year, but you can count on the sun to be in your corner ;)

2)  The service in Kuwait is UNBEATABLE.  I challenge you to go to a restaurant and have a bad outing.  It would be IMPOSSIBLE.  You can expect a ba-zillion people to inquire about your dining experience - including the manager or owner! 

3)  You're going to laugh at my next point, but it's the truth.  Kuwait just feels SAFER.  I don't walk around with paranoia about getting robbed, attacked, etc.  (For the record, you can leave Copenhagen out of this!  It felt safe, too!)

4)  When there's not much to do, you can always count on THE AVENUES!  The mall is always open and ready for business (really special holidays included)!  And it's one HECK of a mall, too!  The best one I've ever been to, in fact :)

5)  Starbucks is everywhere.  EVERYWHERE.  And Tim Horton's might be one day too..... 

Of course, we also can't wait to return to our Kuwait family and exchange stories from our holidays.  Nory has new toys waiting to be played with and I have a cake pop maker and a crock pot to try out as well!  Basketball season is officially here and Nory's first birthday is quickly approaching!  There is much to look forward to once we get HOME.

In moments like this one, I realize that staying in Kuwait in our near future is the absolute best decision for our family.  Kuwait has been so good to us.  We've saved up for and purchased a house!  We've had a baby!  We've traveled!  We've met lifelong friends!  And if we could somehow tow the continent of North America this way, things would REALLY be swell ;)

Farewell dear SCANDINAVIA!  We liked you too.  But there just really is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!   

When in Sweden....

"Parkinson Rules" are still in effect.  In other words, if it's rainy and cold and you find some of the best movies of EVER on your hotel television, bid a confident farewell to any tourism activities and WATCH AS YOU PLEASE!  (Once stocked up on snacks and beverages, that is).

The Princess Diaries - never gets old!

High School Musical 3 - incredible performances that ALSO never get old!

Okay - so it wasn't ALL critically acclaimed films.  We also took in some Swedish hockey and American Ninja Warrior.  Alas, you get the picture:  THE HOLIDAYS RULE!  

In other REALLY IMPORTANT NEWS.....

JUAN-uary is HERE!!!!!! 

Emily and I have some t-shirt-making to do before episode one airs this week.  Yes, weekly viewing attire will be in FULL EFFECT this Bach season.

NANNY - don't forget to tune in!  You said you would watch it this time!!!!