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^^^  Juliet LOVES running around with this scarf over her head.  She giggles non-stop and gets the whole house giggling too!

^^^  Phil and the girls gave this bangle to me on Mother's Day.  I LOVE IT SO MUCH!  It has the latitude and longitude of where I became a Mama.....at the Royale Hayat, Kuwait!

 ^^^  Phil and I at the Activities Banquet.  It was at a fancy venue and, even though he was up on the stage a couple of times, it was pretty much a DATE!  GO TEAM! 

 ^^^  Here we are on Kumari's Birthday, May 18th.  We love this woman SO, SO MUCH and I am already dreading our summer farewell this Thursday.  Watching her say goodbye to the girls is as heart-wrenching as it gets....

 ^^^ One of Juliet's favourite things to do in the courtyard is cruise around in this little wagon.  Nory, of course, has to hop in there sometimes, so as not to be left out ;)

 ^^^  It is UNBELIEVABLE seeing our mugs in a store!  It is even more UNBELIEVABLE watching someone purchase them!  I am still in awe of how far we've come since that little "I guess we're starting a business" conversation a couple months back.  LOVE YOU, GEM! xo

 ^^^  Nory in her new shark suit.  I like these swim suits because they limit the duration of The Great Sunscreen Battle.  Nory is a fan of all things under-the-sea and she insisted on giving her dollies a bath in her fancy new shark suit :)

 ^^^  A student made this drawing for Phil and I.  It features Phil (clearly!) and a quote that I always say/sing to my students.  I love gifts like this one - so meaningful and thoughtful :)  Thank you, E!

 ^^^  Left Side:  Nory as "Rapunzel" on her top bunk.  Right Side:  Snow White in the library at our school.  Snow White has spent a few days at our school this May/June and we've had fun showing Nory all of the wonderful things she will get to do starting in August (JUST LIKE SNOW WHITE)!

^^^  Here is our Summer 2016 Bucket List, featuring DANIEL TIGER!  Last year we had Olaf as our main man, but Nory's new big thing is D. Tiger and Company :)  We can't wait to get home to Canada!!!  I get butterflies just thinking about it!

 ^^^  I did a big clean out of the craft cupboard a couple of weeks ago.  It was a DISASTER due to a variety of reasons:  children that can now access it independently, cats that jump in the moment it opens, and a Mama who puts anything from the kitchen table inside of it when people are coming over.  Things are much more accessible post-clean-up :)

June is the weirdest month ever.

It's a month that seems SO FAR AWAY in August, yet maintains the power to surprise you upon arrival mid-year. 

SERIOUSLY!

How many of you count the months/weeks/days until June throughout the school year and then, BAMMMMMMM, wake up all baffled when it's finally here?  Either I'm just a freak, or you ALSO feel shocked when the month you've been dreaming of appears in an expected time frame....

In other weird news, Nory - our STAY CLEAN girl - insisted on making "slime" after school yesterday.  We had what we needed to make some slime-like OOBLECK instead, and we gave her the standard "you're going to get messy" pep talk before she got started. 

WELL. 

To our surprise, after minimal hesitation on her part, Nory (and some toys!) took the PLUNGE and played happily in Oobleck until bath time was the only option.  (That's why I tried to Facetime you, Dad!  I wanted you to witness the NORNADO getting HAPPILY MESSY!)

This is a GIANT STRIDE, people!

I'm also happy to report that Nory has become a little fact/wisdom-sharing guru.  Some examples for you on this fine Canadian Hump Day....

While eating a cookie at a friend's place: "This cookie is delicious.  (pause) And apples are crunchy!"

While getting ready to paint: "I'm happy you're going to paint with me, Mama.  (pause)  Just remember, everybody makes mistakes!"

It is SO, SO ADORABLE.  And random.  And that is the joy of AGE THREE :)

As for Juliet, she's been more social in the last couple of weeks and is absolutely IN LOVE with babies - real and pretend!  Here she is holding sweet Baby Liesel and two of her favourite dollies:

Please don't let this passion of hers give you any ideas about a third Parkinson child.  We're exhausted as is.  AND WE HAVE TWO CATS.  And although our cats SOMETIMES look like this:

There are other times when they look like this:

So.  In regards to Juliet's love for babies and a third Parkinson child.  The answer is NO :)

Phil and I have been busy at school - marking final projects and exams and cleaning up our classrooms.  Phil is officially done teaching for a while and he is having fun moving into an office on another floor of our campus.  I am trying to ignore the fact that my once colourful and inviting classroom now looks like a jail cell.  I'm also trying NOT to cry every time a student gives me a hug.  Transitions and goodbyes?  NOT.  MY.  JAM.

Only 10 days until we are HOME SWEET CANADA!  TEN!!!!!!!!  We can't wait to see all of you and make some more wonderful memories together this summer.

Oh - and in case you didn't get the courtesy call, IT IS JUNE!

Love y'all!
XOXO

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 ^^^  I was so excited when The Threenagers decided to have a "movie afternoon".  NOT SURPRISINGLY, mine only lasted about two minutes before she wanted to get up and play again!

^^^  Juliet has been teething the past couple of weeks.  On this particular day, she was only happy if she was pushing an imaginary baby in the stroller.  #WhateverWorks

 ^^^  First of all, Nory is OBSESSED with this Minnie Mouse onesie which she calls, "HER COZY ONE."  She insists on wearing it everywhere, including outside in the courtyard.  Secondly, these two are so cute together.  Sometimes.  Like......maybe 25% of my camera roll.

^^^  Water is the best invention ever.  I have a feeling we will be spending many hours doing this exact thing on our back deck in Canada.  

^^^  A picture of all four of us that's not a selfie!  Thank you for capturing this, Steve!  I love it even though none of us are looking :)

 ^^^  Left Side:  Nory "helping" make rainbow pancakes.  Right Side:  Jettie seriously upset about coming inside from the courtyard.  We keep telling her that she's going to practically LIVE OUTSIDE this summer :)

^^^  MY MINI-ME!!!!  She's a going concern, I tell you!  :)

^^^  It's POPSICLE WEATHER and Juliet and I love to make Daddy and Nory cringe with our messes ;)  

^^^  Is it possible to go insane singing "Old McDonald Had a Farm"???  If it is, we are well on our way because that's Jettie's favourite tune and it's been on repeat in the Parkinson House.  #HelpUs

^^^  The Glue is going better than we ever could have anticipated!  If you haven't yet had the chance, please check our Facebook Page and Instagram Account :)  We'd love to share our business journey with you!!! :)

So, we started a business.

Just the two of us - Emily and I.  Which makes us ENTREPRENEURS.  BUSINESS LADIES!  And THE PROUD OWNERS OF A NEW COMPANY!

I'm sure none of this is surprising to you in the least.  (Ha!  Yeah right.  I'm not sure about Emily, but I am visually picking up every family member's jaw from the floor.  Love you guys!)

I think it will make a lot more sense to you when I tell you that it happened BY ACCIDENT.... #MoreLikeLindsay #ButIsSheForReal?

At our very first business meeting :)

You see, we have a serious, unnecessary, HONESTLY EMBARRASSING obsession with mugs.  And not mugs of the standard variety, but of the large, trendy, and ADORABLE SAYINGS variety.  The kind you might find on Etsy or in the world's sweetest boutique.  Ones that you would order online in Canada, only to bring them across an ocean to where you live for 10 months a year.  The ones you HAVE TO HAVE because your coffee and tea will taste so much better in their SUPER-SUPER-CUTE presence.

It was our plan to divide and conquer the BEST MUGS world, with each of us purchasing our faves from the Interweb and then having them delivered to our homes in Canada (and eventually flown back to our kitchens in Kuwait.)  Alas, our grande plan was KIBOSHED by the cost of mug delivery, making it a totally unrealistic feat to pursue.

Bummed out at Costa Coffee one afternoon, re-living the failure of our BRILLIANT IDEA, Em made a remark about having to make our own mugs.  To which I replied, "Okay, so we're starting a business?"  To which SHE replied, "I GUESS SO!"

BAM!

The Glue was born.....

The Glue designs the mugs we've always dreamed of, showcasing memorable text in either black or white font.  Please follow us on Instagram @thegluekw to follow our journey and take a peak at our very first (GASP!) mugs!  You can also follow The Original Basket Boutique @obb_kuwait, where our mugs will be sold exclusively :)

As for the reason behind our company name,  we believe that tea time or coffee time is the simplest bonding ritual of all......
Truly.....how many times have you sat down to read my blog with a hot drink in hand?  NAN?!  MOM?!  DAD?!  SARA?!  EVERYBODY?! 

Thank you to everyone who has supported The Glue this far.  We couldn't have asked for a better response to our product!  By the end of this week, our customers should be enjoying a conversation with their new favourite mug in hand :)

Happy Sipping!

Love, Emily and Lindsay
XOXO

Hey! Yep, Still Kickin'

But, it's MAY.  So.................BARELY.  #teacherlife

I MISS YOU, GUYS!  Here's what's new:

1)  Two weekends ago, Nory was knocked out with a fever.  Like, KNOCKED OUT.  Not asleep, but not moving.  On the couch.  For an extended period of time.  (Who needs a thermometer when your child becomes NOT YOUR CHILD?  Ha.)  Jettie also battled a bit of a cold/teething/both/we-have-no-idea and went through a few days of needing extra cuddles and attention.  Then Phil and I took a turn with something stubborn and I ended up on antibiotics with a sinus infection.  We're all (I THINK, YET SCARED TO TOTALLY ADMIT) on the mend and hoping to fly home healthy on June 10th!  

2)   Did you see that last sentence?  JUNE 10th!!!!  We will be done school and HOME SWEET CANADA in less than a month and we can't wait to put on our glam for the Fairy Festival June 11th.  Watch out Lakefield!  The oldest one is as fierce as ever and the littlest one is RUNNING AROUND!

3)  Phil went to a conference in Dubai for a few days last week.  It coincided perfectly with 50% of the family feeling ill.  That's HOW WE ROLL when we give up man-to-man defense ;)  Phil enjoyed the opportunity to meet with Activities Directors in the region, although we were all so excited for him to return just in time for the long weekend in Kuwait.  Here's a picture that Nory and Phil sent me during their Daddy/Daughter date at the Hello Kitty Cafe....

4)  Zach and Sarah had their baby!!!  Little Liesel Ada (TEAM GIRL!!!!!!) was born on May 3rd.  She is as cute as a button and so loved already :)

5)  I've always wanted to write for the Huffington Post and so a couple of weeks ago, I decided to email Arianna Huffington directly.  Well, she wrote me back.  The same day.  And then an editor of hers wrote me the following day.  And now..........I have access to the contributor platform and I've written two articles for the site!  I'm still in disbelief!  You can read my articles HERE and HERE! 

6)  Since the start of this week, Jet seems to have turned a corner in the "EVERYONE I DON'T KNOW IS SCARY" department.  Not only has she been smiling at others, but she has approached them without encouragement OR bribery!!!  This is HUGE news and I wonder if it's something that will stick.  Either way, it's fun to see a different side of her sneak out of nowhere :)

7)  Mother's Day was FANTASTIC (even though we had to work)!  The girls gave me a beautiful silver bracelet with the latitude and longitude of where I became a Mama (I LOVE IT!) and we spent the evening splashing around in the courtyard.  Or rather, THEY splashed around, while I GOT SPLASHED ;) 

8)  Yesterday, Phil and I visited Nory's teacher for next year and got to see her classroom.  It was a serious "IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?!" moment, but I actually think Nory's going to have the best time.  Her teacher radiates enthusiasm like no other and the classroom has everything you could possibly imagine.  We took some pictures to show Nory all the fun activities and she demanded that we go to school "RIGHT NOW".  She can't wait to start school and she'll tell everyone who will listen that she's going to go to school in August :)  Check out these two parents with an almost-school-aged child:

Ahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's also the fact that Emily and I are entrepreneurs, but I think that will have to wait until another post. 

LOVE YOU GUYS!

XOXO

Juliet's First Haircut.

SPOILER ALERT:  It was TERRIBLE.  But perhaps a bit funny in retrospect....

So, I'm against child mullets.  Nory had one for the longest time as a baby because Phil seemed to be pro-child-mullets.  Or, as he claims, pro "I-want-my-daughter-to-have-long-hair!!!!!!"  Anyways, I finally convinced Phil (with the help of Gem) to get Nory's mullet chopped off way back when and I just recently re-convinced him that Juliet's needed to go too. 

Well.

Nory, being the social butterfly that she is, soaked up the haircut experience when she was small.  All eyes on her, being pampered and photographed like a mini-celeb.  Alas, as their personalities would suggest, Juliet's "first haircut" experience was not nearly as fabulous.

A visual for you on this rainy Saturday morning:

Now, to describe the various elements of this photo:

1)  Juliet is visibly freaking out.  She sees her Daddy in front of her, but is unable to be in his arms.  A nightmare situation as the shadow of another.

2)  Phil is pulling out every funny/silly/happy sound in the book to turn Juliet's mood around. 

3)  The hairdresser is panicking and working as quickly as possible whilst saying "ALMOST DONE, BABY!!!  ALMOST DONE, BABY!!!"

4)  Nory is using Phil's phone to capture the milestone and all we could hear from that area of the scene was "CHHH!  CHHH!!!  CHHH!!!!  Because you know how kids take pictures.  Red button!  Red button!  Red button!  Red button!!!

5)  And then there was me - trying to capture the perfect picture of Juliet....optimistically believing that the MILESTONE SMILE I was hoping for would finally come through as a result of Phil's circus performance. 

Haaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!

I think we were only moderately annoying to the people who were waiting their turn.

So sorry, Baby Jet.  But your mullet-less hair is ON POINT! :)

WE LOVE YOU, JETTIE!
xoxo

This mom went on a date and now she's my superhero.

***  Note:  You may also enjoy this very post on The Huffington Post.  (Insert jumping up and down HERE!!!)

While doing my usual HuffPo scan yesterday, I learned that one of the world's most beautiful people, Chrissy Teigen, went on a dinner date with her husband.

Pretty normal, right?

Well, the Internet world went crazy about it.  Like, crazy, crazy, MEAN about it.  Reason being, she left her 10 day old baby at home for the outing.

Sigh.

Are these people FOR REAL?!  

I automatically had two thoughts:

1)  Is Chrissy Teigen like me?  Did she have to be ENCOURAGED, CONVINCED, and REMINDED that time away from your kids is a HEALTHY THING?  Did she feel guilty for leaving the house, and more and more guilty with every passing moment?  Did she actually enjoy her food or did feelings of worry take her appetite away?  Did she embrace the child-free conversations with her husband or was she too distracted checking her phone for possible updates from the nanny?

2)  Is Chrissy Teigen unlike me?  Did she get excited while choosing a restaurant for her first date post-baby?  Did she shower and get dressed up with a smile on her face?  Did she giggle throughout dinner and get lost in conversation with her best friend?  Did she peruse the dessert menu and order a tea or a coffee too?  Did she feel like, "YES!  THIS IS JUST WHAT I NEEDED!!!" on the drive back to the house?

If Chrissy is my first thought, LIKE ME, these online critics are making her feel EVEN WORSE than she already does.  And if Chrissy is more like my second thought, UNLIKE ME, she's the person I've been striving to become.

Before this sentence, there were only three people in the world who knew that, since having Juliet, I've been dealing with post-partum anxiety.  The guilt and worry has been a constant battle and I just wish that one day I will wake up and have a little more CHRISSY in me.

Thank you, CHRISSY TEIGEN for going on a date with your husband 10 days post-partum.  In doing that, you've become a Mama I look up to.  

Remember our Bunny Brunch? Well, after that we DOG-WALKED.

In what seems to be the middle of nowhere in Kuwait, there is an animal shelter that hosts open days for families.  On these days, visitors can pay a small fee to watch, feed, cuddle, or walk the animals.  We hadn't been to one before, so Spring Break seemed like the perfect opportunity to take the plunge.  (Or rather, the long drive to the desert, while Juliet is napping back home and Nory is having quiet time in the car.)  

TO K'S PATH WE WENT!!!!!!!

After walking around and seeing some of the other animals, Nory was thrilled to learn that she could walk a dog on her own and was matched up with a sweet puppy that had as much energy as she did (GASP!!!!!).  We had to keep telling the two of them to take breaks, since we had to keep a certain distance between our group and the next group of dog-walkers.  "Sandy" and Nory were TEAM SUPER-SPEEDY :) 

Here's Nory at one of the resting points we had to enforce:

Notice her big smile, rosy red cheeks and the scary dinosaur shirt that she NEEDED TO WEAR to the animal shelter.  Alas, this is actually the last smile we saw this day because, after what had been the most perfect Easter outing, Nory took a tumble, skinned both knees, and was in full-blown hysterics for an amount of time that even the most patient of parents would struggle with....

Luckily, our crew took two vehicles to the shelter and everyone who wasn't a Parkinson kindly offered to take the other vehicle back home.  HAAAAA!!!!!!!!!  Also LUCKILY, wounds heal and you only have to hear the story about the epic ANIMAL SHELTER FALL OF 2016 until the scabs are totally gone and there's not a single mark left as a reminder ;)

Outings with CHILDREN.  There aren't too many I can think of that go off without a hitch :)