How to Carve a Pumpkin

Buy a pumpkin (we're city folks)

Find an eager two year old.

Let two year old go for it! This is yucky!

It's not that yucky.  See?

Well, okay!  If Daddy can do it, I'll try.

Still yucky!!

I'll use a spoon instead.

That's better!

Daddy...try some!

It would be easier to just pick it up and dump it out!

All done..now what?!

Happy Halloween!!!

I Can See Clearly Now!

The silly snowstorm delayed the arrival of my new glasses..they were supposed to be delivered yesterday according to my tracking number. I can't complain too much though...they are still a week earlier than promised. It's really quite impressive since they (clearlycontacts.ca) had to fill 10,000 orders and my eyes are especially bad so I required special lenses. So here's the picture I created online and the picture I took tonight. What do you think?! It's my first time ordering frames/lenses online but it was a success as far as vision goes. I can see perfectly with them and the lenses fit the frames very well...those with poor vision will know what I'm talking about here. It's always a concern that the lenses could be too thick for the frames but they fit just right. For future reference, I believe that clearlycontacts does their free glasses promotion at least once a year and they have a Facebook fan page that you can "like" so you can keep up with their updates and not miss out on the next big give away.

My "Virtual" Glasses

My Real Glasses!

Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?

Winter Already?!

We had our first snow yesterday and it was a big one!  Not only did it snow a lot, but it was (and still is) extremely windy.  Of course, I had to go to class last night at the university which is at the opposite end of the city.  It took me a good 45 minutes to drive there through painfully slow traffic due to the icy roads.   I finally arrived about 15 minutes late and it took me a while to get focussed.  My presentation wasn't until the second half of class so at least I had some time to get settled before I had to speak to everyone.  I thought I would be nervous but I really wasn't.  I think I got all my nerves out with the drive to the university and it was just nice to be warm, dry and safe.  My presentation went really well...at least I think it did!  I also handed in a few of my homework assignments so it felt good to get those done as well.  I did a lot of homework this past week but I really need to get back on the treadmill and stay fit.  It's been challenging to find the time to do both.

The best time for homework is when the kids are sleeping so I have to choose between running or homework.  Today, I will be running.  I should also pick a race to train for as I find it hard to motivate myself to run just for the sake of being fit and healthy.  I like to train for a race and have some sort of goal in mind.  On the other hand, I am not a huge fan of winter running especially since we have a treadmill in our nice warm house.  To use a word from my class last night, I have digressed!  Back to the topic at hand which is crummy winter weather.  I took a couple photos this morning so you can see the snowy loveliness we have had bestowed upon us in the last 24 hours.  We also have a great view of the highway overpasses behind our house and I wouldn't recommend highway travel based on the number of police cars, tow trucks and vehicles in the ditch that we've seen.  Of course, there are more vehicles on the roads today but they are going very, very slowly.  My personal favourites of the evening though had to be the guy riding his bicycle home through a blizzard and an old white car driving through the city without any tail lights.

Here's what we woke up to this morning...

Lollitops and Sock Monkey Hats

I have been super busy doing homework lately which is a good thing but it hasn't left much time for blogging.  I have an oral presentation tomorrow night in which I have to present a chapter from our grammar text book.  It's not terribly difficult but I am going to need to switch gears from presenting information to a two year old to post grad students.  Ironically, this is the subject of my presentation...how people are able to adapt their dialects for various discourse communities.  I am sure that sounded like "blah blah blah...blah blah blah" to most of you so I'll get back to something everyone can relate to...cute babies!

I was inspired to take a couple photos of my little girl in her Lollitop hat today since it was the product featured on BabySteals this morning.  Aleena is a pretty good little model...you wouldn't even know she was having a cranky morning.  That is, until I got too ambitious and tried her Blueberry Hill Sock Monkey hat on afterward.  She was not impressed.

Just a little hint for you fellow "stealers" out there.  If they have sold out of items on their website, you can often check back around 4-5 pm Saskatchewan time and they put up cancelled orders so you have a second chance to order.  This doesn't always work but it happens often enough that it's worth checking if you missed out on something you really wanted.  They also add items to their archive on occasion because they sometimes they end up with extra stock or returns from undeliverable mail orders.

I didn't buy any more Lollitops since we already have two although there was one hat in particular that would look spectacular with my little girl's blue eyes. Here was my favourite from their selection today. It was a bit pricier than usual since they included an extra headband and flower clip.

Procrastination at its best!

So Clearlycontacts.ca had a promotion a few days ago and gave away 10,000 pairs of free glasses.  I ordered a pair through the promotion although it wasn't totally free since I had to upgrade my lenses because of my terrible vision.  However, it was still a great deal as the frames and basic lenses were free of charge.  I wanted to see how my new frames would look so I tried their virtual mirror which turned out to be way too much fun...of course I had to "try on" almost every pair they have. While it would appear that I have a lot of time on my hands, that's not exactly true.  I have two sleeping kids and really need to be doing some homework, which is what I'll be doing in about two minutes from now.

By the way, I am actually "wearing" the frames that I ordered.  They are supposed to arrive by November 4th so I'm pretty excited to receive them as I haven't had new glasses in a few years since I normally wear contacts.  Since my vision is so poor, I thought I better see what my kids would look like sporting some stylish frames just in case they have inherited this unfortunate trait.  As for Jeremy, I couldn't find a decent picture of him without glasses so I just put some rose-coloured glasses on him instead.  Enjoy!

Favourite Baby Things - Numero Cinq

Despite what it might seem like, I don't buy everything that I adore.  Here are a few things I've come across online in the past few months and bookmarked for future reference.

The Owl Hat

If you want great handmade items in your choice of colours, then Trendy Babies is for you.  My personal favourite is their Owl Hat.  Like other companies, you can "like" them on Facebook or check out their website for a huge variety of products including bags, blankets, headbands, boots, shoes and much more.  Of course, the fact they are a Canadian company is a huge bonus.

The Wheatfield

Yes, I'm a prairie girl so maybe that's why The Wheatfield appeals to me.  The items are sold through Etsy which I am sure you all know is a place for individuals to sell their handmade goodies.  I haven't become obsessed with Etsy like some but I still enjoy checking out the different Etsy shops to see what's available on occasion.   I love the designs from The Wheatfield shop and envision this particular one in my little girl's nursery.   It would go so well with her tree and birds!

Elephants on the Wall

Elephants on the Wall sells DIY paint-by-number wall murals.  They were featured on KidSteals a couple months ago and I had to restrain myself from buying the one of a girl on a swing.  I still love it but I know my very artistic and talented mother-in-law could do an even better job if I just show her the mural.  Before that happens, we have to repaint part of Aleena's nursery anyway so I'll just dream for now.  It can be a future project as part of her little girl room.

Andee Lew Clothing

I had to practice great restraint the other day when BabySteals had Andee Lew long sleeved onesie's for sale.  I rarely see good quality, simple baby clothing without logos, patterns or designs.  Their long-sleeved onesies are perfect for winter layering.  When I look through my baby's clothing, I see lots of cute outfits but it's hard to mix and match.  Cute outfits are great for going out but it's all about comfort when we hang around the house which is really what we do most of the time and I don't expect that to change with winter ahead of us.

Zoobies

These were on BabySteals today.   No, I did not buy one but I would be lying if I said I wasn't tempted.  Fortunately, my favourite of the bunch, the tortoise, sold out quickly and took the decision out of my hands. It's a fun idea though...stuff animal to pillow to blanket.  They have lots of other cute animals which you can check out on their webpage.  Zoobies come in three sizes: baby, regular and jumbo.  Kind of a fun idea for a Christmas gift!

My Grammar of Choice is "Toddlerease"

I've been busy with my university class these past few days so this particular post will be low on words but high on cuteness.  I have a presentation on "A Grammar of Choice" next Tuesday.  It sounds dry and boring but I kind of lucked out since my chapter is a fairly easy read compared to the last couple.  I am convinced that some academics make up words like collocational, constrastive, corpus, and treatises just to make themselves sound more intelligent and increase their chances of having their articles published.  I frequent dictionary.com while reading some of the articles...life would be so much easier if we all just spoke "toddlerease".   Wouldn't it be easier to say "Want go lunch?" as opposed to the long drawn out "If you're available, would you be interested in going for lunch today around noon?"  Just sayin'.  Okay, must stop procrastinating and get back into the academic rhetoric that is an inevitable part of aftergrad classes.  Enjoy the photos!

Modelling yet another pair of BabyLegs

My reading materials hidden behind the couch by a certain little man.  I have varied tastes.

How can you tell that Mommy was at her university class?

Poor doggy

The Stink Eye

Hello, my name is Connor.  I am addicted to trains.