I MISS YOU, I MISS YOU, I MISS YOU!!!!!!

It's been pretty much a legitimate FOREVER since we last hung out.  But I pretty much have SEVERAL legitimate reasons for our time apart....

MY LEGIT REASONS:

1)  The girls battled hand, foot, and mouth disease for 10 days after arriving in Kuwait.  It's the worst way to make new friends because it's super contagious and weird looking.  Also, it's not the greatest conversation starter with those who have landed in a brand-spanking-NEW place.  Luckily, we've rose above the quarantine, reconnecting with old friends and making many new ones :)

2)  Phil and I won an Olympic Gold.  And, just like Penny Oleksiak, we had to return to school immediately afterwards.  #OlympianWoes

3)  Nory started preschool or "CDC" as they call it here.  She is doing the morning session (7 to 10), riding in with us before 6 a.m. and taking the school bus home with her little friend Sydney.  It's been an adjustment (HELLO EARLY MORNING WAKE-UPS!!!!), but a really positive one overall.  She's decided that after taking two years off, the odd nap here and there can't be too awful ;)  She's also decided that, with free dress week being over, she needs as many pink accessories as possible to jazz up the blue uniform.  More pictures to come! :)

4)  Juliet is in the thick of TANTRUM SEASON, Pebble-Style-Pony-Tails, and Side-Tongues.  By the end of the day, her particular-ness has taken it's toll and we're ready for BED.  Like....IMMEDIATELY.

5)  We received the sad news that THE BEST PUPPY DOG IN THE WORLD has gone to heaven.  Our sweet and caring Coco became sick and had to be put down last week.  We're struggling to explain this concept to the girls and my heart breaks every time Juliet hits my computer and yells "NANA!  GRAMPY!  COCO!!!!"  We haven't had a FaceTime chat since she's been gone and, to be honest, I am dreading the moment that we do.  That "puppy" was so full of love for all of the grandkids.  It's just not going to feel the same without her next summer.

6)  Em and I have been working hard at The Glue headquarters (Em's apartment!).  It's so much fun to have this little company together and, even if it doesn't grow in size, it's grown more and more meaningful over time.  I love you, Gem!  It really is THE GLUE that keeps us together :) xo

7)  Lastly, Bitmoji.  Don't get it, you guys.  It will CONSUME YOUR LIFE.  And this is not an understatement....

The FABULOUS news is that we are on holidays until September 18th and I will have (I mean, theoretically) lots of time to catch up with y'all :)

Miss you guys!

Freezies Are The Worst

*** Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Mr. Freeze ;)

My most recent revelation in the summer treat department is that freezies are the worst. I don't know how they ever became a thing or how they continue to remain a thing in recent times. 

Here's why:

1) They are cold. And I know that other summer treats are cold, but freezies are the only ones that don't accommodate your temperature needs with a stick, cone, spoon, etc.

2) You need scissors to open them. Scissors and little people aren't super compatible. Neither are scissors and tired parents. 

3) They cut the sides of your mouth. Or, even worse, they cut the sides of your teething toddler's mouth.

4) They can't be consumed without a small child asking you to help them "push it up", which exposes yourself to the aforementioned cold temperatures and interrupts the five minutes of peace you hoped for.

For these reasons, it seems like a no-brainer to abolish the freezie phenomenon and stick to ice cream and popsicles. At the very least, freezies should be sold exclusively to those with more patience (so, grandparents). 

Sigh.

Good luck in the final weeks of freezie weather, Fellow Parents.

I get it. 

They are the worst. 

Back in Kuwait!

Another interesting journey with two little ones is behind us!  We did it.  And I'm even kind of AWAKE today to tell you about it ;)

Major Points of Discussion:

1)  Nobody vomited the entire way!  GO TEAM!  (You might remember that both children did this on the way to Canada in June.)

2)  Juliet hardly slept on either flight, although when you expect this to be the case, you're not even disappointed when it happens ;)  Her age makes her a wiggly travel companion and we're just sucking that up and moving on....

3)  The Airplane Fairy is our saviour.  If we've learned ANYTHING at all by traveling with kids, it would be this:  BRIBE, BRIBE, BRIBE!!!  (Ha....maybe DON'T take any parenting advice from this site.)  Here are the girls in their new "cozy ones" that we changed into at Toronto Pearson (after going back and forth on the moving sidewalk a bazillion times because it was located conveniently by the family washroom):

Our two beauties, so full of smiles pre-flight #1 :)

4)  Nory hardly made a peep the entire second flight because.........STICKERS.  I couldn't believe it when the flight attendant asked us what was "going on here".  OBVIOUSLY, I was doing my darnedest to make sure everyone else on board had the most enjoyable flight of their life.  I also don't think she realized that taking the stickers OFF the headrest (ah-hem, CLEAN-UP) was Juliet's half of the activity.

5)  Both girls started to lose it as we began our descent in Kuwait.  It was perfect timing!  If you haven't tried waiting over an hour for luggage when nobody in your family has ANY PATIENCE LEFT FOR EACH OTHER OR LIFE.......I recommend you don't try it EVER :)  Haha.  It wasn't that bad.  But it felt that bad on zero hours of sleep.

Our reunion with Kumari was the sweetest thing.  She was waiting for us outside the housing complex when the taxi pulled in and the girls were thrilled to see her!  Even Juliet wanted to be held by her and Jet's been glued to Phil all summer long.

It feels nice to be back at our Kuwait house.  Ben and Winka are flat favourites and Kumari seems to be the adult of choice for playtime.  Phil has been going into work (#DreamJob) and I've enjoyed some Gilmore Girls on Netflix ALL BY MYSELF (gasp!).  All of us are fighting through jet lag and colds, but the girls slept for 15.5 hours IN A ROW yesterday, so we are well on our way to getting back to normal :)

Emily and Steve arrive tonight and we are so pumped!  I still can't believe Steve will be a hallway away this year!  Just like old times :)

Sending much love to you on this Tuesday morning!
XOXO

YOLO Grandma

For the longest time, we called Grandma (Phil's Mom) "Crash/Bang/Boom/Blend".  This nickname goes way back to our post-baby days, when we would stay at The Parkinson House and wake up to the sweet, SUPER LOUD sounds of a woman up and at 'em!  She drove us NUTS (sorry, Grandma!), but it was her house so.............ya know.  We lovingly declared her CBBB and laughed off every ounce of sleep we missed out on.

Then came this summer.  And her 10 day visit.  And I realized that CBBB no longer applies.  And there is another title that is much more fitting...

YOLO Grandma!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who don't hang out with 13 year olds ALL DAY, for most of the year, "YOLO" stands for "You Only Live Once".  It's basically the equivalent of "Carpe Diem" for the younger generation and, after this series of pictures, I think you'll understand how it applies to this wild and wonderful woman that the girls call Grandma:

1)  She jumps on the trampoline - without the standard BEGGING that results in ME going on the trampoline.

2)  She goes swimming in the pool - also without the standard BEGGING that results in ME going in the pool.

3)  She makes Lucky Charms Squares WITH SPRINKLES ON TOP!

4)  She plays Pie Face.  #LikeAChamp

5)  She believes in EASTER IN JULY.

6)  She believes that "getting Nory ONE PAIR of shoes for school" is a flexible thing.  (And that Jet should never, ever be excluded from a trip to the shoe store!)

Oh YOLO Grandma.

We LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

We can't wait to see you in February at Nory's FOURTH Birthday Party!!!!

XOXO

LAPTOPLESS is not my best look.

My computer is basically my third child, so I've been quite distraught this past week not really knowing it's fate.

It all started a few weeks ago when my MacBook picked up a weird "trovi" virus, causing my entire computer to MOVE AS SLOW AS MOLASSES (#NoPatienceToBeginWith).  I always thought that Apple products were IMMUNE to these sorts of things, but WHATEVER, I was able to (oh so slowly) Google the way out of that dilemma.  I felt pretty tech-savvy for the first time ever and assumed it would be smooth sailing moving forward.

But nope.

A week or two later, when the girls fell asleep early one evening, I jumped at the opportunity to write a spontaneous blog post or two.  I started my unexpected blogging session as I always do, with a big smile and a happy little click on the iPhoto icon.

ERROR MESSAGE.

I was told my iPhoto library was totally inaccessible. 

I tried to open it again.

STILL INACCESSIBLE.

And again.

STILLLLLL INACCESSIBLE.

My heart started to race as I thought of all the summer photos that had yet to be backed up.

Eventually, I transitioned from Sobbing Baby Mode to Problem-Solving, "I just removed a virus from this laptop BY MYSELF" Mode.  I had faith that a quick reboot would solve everything, as it tends to do with all technological devices that exist....

Well, friends.

This "solution" was the poison apple of my MacBook story - sending my computer into a long, un-boot-up-able sleep.

SWEET DREAMS (of an overdue date with my blog) SHATTERED. Technological confidence CRUSHED.  Lots and lots (and lots) of crying over potentially lost pictures ensued....

Here's a really cute picture of my kids to distract you from the sadness you inevitably feel for me:

Cutting to the chase here, we were able to contact the local Tech Ninja (#LakefieldForTheWin) and he solved all of my computer troubles.  Four days, a new disc drive, and a new somethin', somethin' cable later and WE ARE BACK IN BUSINESS, my friends!  It cost us a bit of coin, but I think Phil's just happy I've stopped crying.

Also.

I thought I had 12,000 pictures on my computer that were at risk of vanishing.  Turns out I had 39,000.  And 1400 videos.  So glad I discovered this AFTER the Tech Ninja came to the rescue!

It's August, So Here's a Parkinson Tidbit FOR YOU! :)

While making a salad one night, I stumbled upon:

1)  Nory's Chelsea doll

2)  Jettie's partially nibbled rice cracker

3)  Our collection of summer hair ties

Turns out Juliet has been using the salad spinner as her hiding place this summer and, despite our discovery, she continues to use the container as a long-term storage bowl for all of her treasures.  Stickers, random pieces of fluff, markers without their lids.....everything that she deems as AWESOME will find its way into the spinner.

And it is allowed to stay there.  

Because we don't have the heart to remove EVERYTHING (with the exception of half-eaten food) from it.  Also, we'd much rather face the embarrassment that comes with our friends making a salad at our house....OY.

Happy August, everyone!  Only 12 more days of Salad Spinner Treasures until we fly back to Kuwait.

Nory is the best big sister.

I mean, the girls sure do fight with each other.  And there is sometimes pushing and hair pulling.  And there is practically always an issue with sharing toys (ughhhhhh).

BUT.  

That's regular sister stuff.  Sibling stuff.  Normal stuff.  It doesn't define what makes a big sister GREAT.

THIS STUFF, HOWEVER, DOES:

*  Reminding people that, "my sister can't eat too much chocolate because it makes her sick."  She does the same thing with blueberries, too :)

*  Snuggling Jet on the couch in the morning, giving her a gentle kiss and whispering, "You're so cute.  I love you so much."

*  Playing peek-a-boo to make Juliet smile.  It's Nory's go-to baby game and, even though Juliet seems to be past the whole peek-a-boo phase, it's a trick that works well between the two of them.

*  Making crafts to surprise Juliet.  "And this special one, I made it for you, Sister!!!"

*  Always thinking of Jet when she's shopping without her.  "But what about Juliet?  We need to bring her something too!"

*  Letting Juliet know what's going on.  "Today ______________ and ________________ are coming over and it's going to be so much fun!"

And then there's the ultimate proof that Nory is THE BEST BIG SISTER.  The validation that comes from the BEST LITTLE SISTER.....

Juliet is constantly asking for Nory.  She loves to know where she is or what she's up to.  It's her first word in the morning and it's often her first word when she talks to other people.  I used to think she was introducing Nory to our guests, but now that it's continued with the regulars, I'm pretty sure she's saying, "There's Nory.  She's my big sister.  And she's got my back."  It's as though Nory is her safety net and I can't think of a better Strong Girl to have on her side :)

After writing this post, I am inspired by Nory to be a better big sister to my two sisters, but also, a better "sister" to the wonderful gals I call FAMILY.

Here's to being more kind and more thoughtful to the people around us.

Happy LONG WEEKEND, Canada!
XOXO

WATCH THIS!

Nory wants us to watch everything she does.  LITERALLY, EVERYTHING.  Even when there's nothing particularly interesting going on, like when she's sitting at the island in the kitchen, asking me to watch her various poses.....

"WATCH THIS!!!!!!!!!"

 

"WATCH THIS!!!!!!!!!"

She has even learned to say, "here comes the really good part!" when she feels as though she's about to lose our attention.  It's really, really sweet.  Unless you try to converse with anyone other than her whilst "watching this".  Then the Nornado comes out and lays down the ground rules.  She doesn't believe in The Multi-Tasking Viewer.  #sigh

Anyways, speaking of WATCHING THIS, the village of Lakefield was lucky to overhear a non-stop rendition of Frozen's "Let It Go" last weekend.  Residents can thank Grandma and Grumps for the new dress-up clothes that prompted the afternoon of musical theater.  For your convenience, it's been shortened to under a minute :)  Don't forget to hang in there for "THE REALLY GOOD PARTS!!!"

Well, I think this video has just about encouraged me to LET GO of the horrible bedtime experience I just endured with the Nornado.  She's sleeping.  I got to blog.  And now Phil is going to watch an episode of The Bachelorette with me!

We hope you had a wonderful weekend! XOXO

Our Trip to Ripley's Aquarium

It all happened rather spontaneously.  I wanted Nory to visit the aquarium because of her underwater/water obsession and Phil was reluctant to take the whole family because of Juliet's hatred for the car.  So, I recruited/begged a Kindergarten teacher with a "GO WITH THE FLOW" attitude to make the aquarium dream come alive!  If my girl Sara can handle 30 little ones for 10 months of the year, 2 little ones (plus ME!) for 8-ish hours should be a BREEZE!  (Love you, SARA!!!!!! xo)

Here we are at the start of our journey, post-Tim Horton's and pre-"BUT ARE WE THERE YET?!"  The start is always such a happy time ;)

Sara drove like a rockstar to Toronto and we actually got to have some adult conversations while the girls played with Shopkins in the backseat.  Even the traffic jams on the DVP or the confusion of finding a parking spot didn't ruin her stride.  ALSO, she purchased our tickets online (brill!!!!), which bought us the privilege of skipping the extra long queues at the aquarium entrance.  GIRL'S GOT SKILLS ;)

Some initial thoughts about our arrival:

1)  YAY!  We're here!
2)  Where's the washroom?
3)  Every single day camp in the region has the same idea as us, on the same day as us.
4)  GO WITH THE FLOW (as discussed in our pre-game pep talk).

We made our way through the first few exhibits with Nory saying "I WANT TO SEE THE SHARKS" every five seconds.  (How many times does 5 seconds go into 30 minutes?  HAAAA!!!)  We were all SO THRILLED when we finally spotted them!!!

"Eeee!  YAY!!!!  Ohhhh!!!!  WOW!!!!!  LOOK!!!!!!" - Everybody

The never-ending tunnel of sharks (with the slow-moving sidewalk!) was super impressive, although the girls seemed most impressed by the crawl-through tunnel before our lunch break.  AGAIN!!!!  AGAIN!!!!!  AGAIN!!!!!!!  Look at those two brave girls up there :)

After lunch (which we ate on the floor, as per our "go with the flow" motto), the girls played on some equipment, touched some crabs, awed at some jellyfish, and then shopped at the gift store.  Nory got two baby mermaids for both her and Juliet, along with a National Geographic book about sharks.  Neither of the girls slept a wink on the ride home, but MANY WINKS were had by Nory overnight.  It was a busy day for our shark-struck three year old!

A big thank you to Sara and Adele for such a fun (albeit slightly crazy) outing!  Upon reflection, going with the kindergarten teacher and her five year old niece was a much better option than forcing smiles out of Phillip, while chasing a 1.5 year old through an impossible sea of people :)

A Family of Business Ladies :)

Last week, the kids decided it would be a good idea to go inside, close the sliding door, and start a "sticker business."  It was a KIDS ONLY affair, which meant Phil and I were left on the deck to observe the chaos that accompanies entrepreneurship.  It was like watching Em and I in action at The Glue headquarters - two girls gobbling up snacks and trying to make the people on the outside get ya.  I related completely. 

They must still be in the brainstorming phase of the sticker business because an actual product has yet to be presented by the duo.  I mean, unless you count the sticky windows.  In which case, the potential customers are NOT super keen about it.

Anyways, this is basically a post to say that I love these girlies, I love their Auntie Gem, and I love the company that Gem and I started together.  I can't wait to work on our fall collection when we return to Kuwait in August.  We have so many fun ideas to share with all of you!

As for the sticker business, I'm hopeful it comes to fruition.  Imagine being a teacher with a STICKER CONNECTION?!  Ahhhh!!!!!!  I'd have it EVEN MORE MADE than I already do :)

Happy Tuesday, y'all! 
XO