The weird kind of thoughts that cross my mind

I've been trying to make a more concerted effort to write down those little tidbits that pop into my tired and strangely designed head each day (hour, minute, second...).

Things like, how every time I see the baby sun in Teletubbies, I think it looks more and more like Dwight Schrute.

Just me? OK, that's fair. I couldn't find a good shot of the sunshine anyway, thus rendering my attempt to validate this observation moot. For the life of me, I couldn't find one solemn still of the sometimes creepy but cute little sunshine. I needed the concerned, slightly grumpy face the sun has right before realizing that it's a brand new day in teletubby land. I swear, that on TV that kid looks just like Dwight right before the moment of happiness.

Maybe I'm spending way too much time in Teletubby land. I think most would agree that anything over two minutes is way too much time to spend in Teletubby land.

Speaking of those darn little Teletubbies (oh Po, how I just want to hug you, you little rapscallion):

Did you know that Poland has put together a committee of psychologists to investigate if the Teletubbies are promoting a homosexual lifestyle on the young'ins?

No? Well it's true.

Apparently some senior official just recently noticed, for whatever reason, that Tinky Winky, the purse carrying purple thing... I mean.. teletubby, is considered male. So a team has been put together to investigate if the show has any undertones. Seriously, based on this article the government sounds more than a wee bit homophobic.

I wonder what they would think of Boohbah? Now there is one trippy show.

why it pays to learn customs

I hate it when I do this: I travel outside of Canada, fail to know a particular custom and cause what would constitute a international scandal if I was someone famous but I'm not a celebrity (well maybe in my own mind, but that doesn't count) so it doesn't make headlines.

I might score being the subject of a dinner time conversation among the people who witnessed my social gaff, but definitely no more than that.

Well this guy - he made international headlines for his gaff, all without the aid of a celebrity status.

Somehow he thought it was "acceptable behavior" in Germany to walk around public places donning just his birthday suit.

That's not one that I've heard before. Bartering for goods in Thailand, different ways to hold a glass when having a drink poured for you in Korea, paying for a complete round when hitting the pubs in the UK, those I heard before traveling but I never heard of sight-seeing naked in Germany (Pop Quiz: Acceptable customs in Germany: sunbath nude in public parks? Ja. Attend Oktoberfest without lederhosen or any form of clothing? Nein).

This reminds me of when I was in Thailand a few years back. There was a female German tourist that spent the entire time naked. She was with her family (husband, teenage son, and young daughter) and they were staying at the same bungalow rental as me.

She was probably in her late thirties or early forties. It was really hard to tell under the crazy tan she had - she was the color of a chestnut with the whitest blond modified mohawky-buzz cut I'd ever seen. She looked like a shiny, mommy-fied Wendy O. Williams.

She scared me.

Not because she was always naked and resembled a woman who liked to blow things up (the constant nudity was traumatic) but she scared me because she was always yelling. She yelled when she was happy, she yelled when she was mad, she yelled in the early morning, and yes, I unfortunately also know (along with half the island) that she yelled when she was having relations. And here is some advice, don't sit next to this lady in a bar because she inexplicably becomes louder when under the influence. How is that possible? I don't know but she defied convention.

I must mention the reason I thought about this particular blast from the past was because it wasn't socially acceptable in the area we were staying to be bare all that you got.

And yes, she was always naked.

Wait, no that isn't true, she always wore the same bikini bottoms to all meals.

How did I feel about this? Let's just say, I didn't rent a moped after I saw her returning from town one day. I didn't really have any problem ignoring the fact that she was in the buff, she had a wide-shoulder atheletic build and looked like she could qualify for a light-weight class in the WWE. But it was impossible to ignore her voice and need to talk yell all the time.

Here's a picture of the restaurant at the bungalows (that open air area on the left). The food was divine and I still dream of it to this day. The seating consisted of plastic deck chairs which apparently warranted a layer of lycra to protect from possible sticky situations.
I always felt bad for the local staff when I saw this lady. They were so obviously uncomfortable around her, yet they were always gracious and polite to her. Each time the young waiter finished with her table, he would give us this face that said "I'm dying and I don't know where to look when she talks to me". He was such a nice man and he revealed his feelings about her after a night of hanging with us at a local bar. He was an excellent Thai boxer and had a really interesting story. Maybe that is a post for another day.

That restaurant was also the scene of many of my traumatic experiences that involved this particular lady and her need to engage all people within a hundred foot radius in her conversations:

IT IS HOT TODAY, YES?

*Nodding my head in agreement, I grin like an idiot while waving and attempting to run by as quickly as possible while trying to look like I'm not trying to run away*

What can I say? I'm Canadian, by custom we try not to be rude.

seriously lacking in content

GUILTY YOUR HONOR!

I'm completely, 100% guilty of lazy blogging.

It's true, all I have been doing lately is reviews (which is a good thing) and links to articles that make me go "huh?" or laugh. But what can I say, I have blogstipation so it's what I'm doing and I love to share the things I discover during my daily grind.

Speaking of grind - if you want a good giggle, go read this article that SB send me. The note he included said "I was ahead of my time" and oh boy, let me tell you that he was.

I always thought the way that my husband introduced himself was an accident but apparently that grind to my backside was purposeful. I guess it was a good thing because my momma always told me to check the goods before buying (no she didn't).

Seriously though, can you believe that 3.5% of the surveyed women really thought that having a guy touch their their breasts when first meeting was an "acceptable alternative to hello"? Because last time that happened to me, an acceptable response involved my knee meeting his family jewels. I'm just saying.

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We road tripped it this weekend and while puttering down the 401 with all the other polite drivers, we saw this license plate. I know this is completely in poor taste but I couldn't resist.

I just couldn't resist at all.

Seriously, I bet this guy gets a huge number of high fives and honking horns from men he doesn't know.

I'm so immature

On that highly immature and non-mommy related note I will sign off and just think, my next post can only be more tasteful and insightful. Actually, the label from a tin of tainted tuna would probably be more tasteful and insightful than this. Whatever.

Even June Cleaver Would Forget The Juicebox

When I was pregnant, I read only one book aimed specifically at parenting. The main purpose of that book, Becoming the Parent You Want To Be, was to start a dialogue between SB and myself about our parenting style in relation to discipline, religion, how to talk to Bumper about the serious stuff, and other important childhood issues. I thought that this book would cover all the subjects that I needed to know to be a mom. Easy-peasy, right?

I did read multiple baby books so I could deal with the everyday “what-the-heck-is-happening with my precious child” sort of things but I slowly came to realize that there always seemed to be a subtle or not-so-subtle parent guilt message in the text. I think the one that kicked me hardest in the guilty-mom-o-meter was a famous sleep-advice book that told me that children who had sleep schedules that solely accommodated the parent’s lifestyle end up stupid and working at dead-end jobs for a lifetime. I took this one right to heart.

While I do agree that keeping little Johnny up all day so Mom can go socialize, shop, or eat bon-bons while watching soaps is bad form, I really took this advice to the extreme. I freaked out every single time I kept Bumper up five minutes late or OMG I missed the naptime window of opportunity because I wanted to eat, go pee or do something else equally as selfish. I was a total freak about the elusive sleep and I was thoroughly convinced it was all my doing that Bumper couldn’t get a good night’s sleep.

In addition to my failure to have Bumper sleep properly and the fact that I was screwing up her chances of being a productive member of society, I also felt the need to have every possible baby educational product available (thankfully my wallet did not agree with these urges). I constantly checked and rechecked the baby-milestone charts and tried to figure out what I was doing to prevent her from reaching every single one of the checkpoints. Sure, I tried to act all cool on the outside but inside I was a mess.

I didn’t try to compare myself to other moms and I tried not to have negative thoughts about my parenting skills but I heard the voices in my head and they weren’t very nice. I really thought I was going to be the perfect mom and I tried everything in my power to attain my goal. I really thought I was going to love every single minute of being a parent. But it was not to be. And this made me feel terrible.

If it hadn’t have been my discovery of parenting blogs I would probably be in worse shape but thankfully, I found some like-minded moms who felt the same way which made it easier for me to cope with my guilt. But despite this, one thing that I really needed was how to change and banish this mom-guilt way of thinking.

Dr. Anne Dunnewold’s Even June Cleaver Would Forget The Juice Box addresses just that: a new paradigm and solution for this age of extreme parenting. Extreme parenting, according to Dr. Dunnewold, is basically “parents pushing to control their children's lives to perfect ends”.

Of course a parent wants to protect and never have their child experience failure, rejection, and pain but children need to know how to deal with these realities. I cannot get over some of the examples in the book of parents who take this level of protection to the extreme. I could quote many of the examples but those stories alone are worth the read.

Many parts of this book made me smack my forehead and say “OMG – I understand what she is saying and how it applies to me.” What I love most about this book is how Dr. Dunnewold not only identifies the problem but outlines strategies for a solution and how to share it.

The chapters contain mantras to help moms remember the new way of thinking. There are exercises that challenge you to reveal to yourself how you think. Dr. Dunnewold lists stumbling blocks that moms may encounter when trying to change thinking or behavior and how to deal with these hurdles.

Parts that really spoke to me were Illogical Thinking (I am the queen of illogical thinking but that is changing), Types of Moms (gone is Ms. Extreme and hello Perfectly Good Mom!), and Safety in Numbers – No More Mommy Wars (we’re in this together and I’m here to help).

Dr. Dunnewold based this book on research and writings from many different sources all outlined in the extensive appendices and index. Appendix Two is a fantastic collection of the “Perfectly Good Mother Mantras” which she suggests can be in your wallet, daytimer, on your dashboard, or refrigerator. These can help you stay focused on your new and, more importantly, attainable goal of being a perfectly good mom.

The mantras that I’m now applying to my life are: “Look what I accomplished today” and “It’s no big deal”. Sound easy? Well not as easy as you think.

After reading this book I can honestly say that I do feel like a perfectly good mother and the quest to be a perfect mother is not one that I want for my friends or myself. We all need to work together and stop this need for perfection.

And how can I not like a book that quotes Stephen Colbert? You know truthiness doesn’t just apply to politicians; it applies to all extreme parents on that doomed quest to be perfect.

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This review is part of the Parent Blogger Network coverage on Dr. Dunnewold's book Even June Cleaver Would Forget The Juicebox, you can read more review here.

Making Moms everywhere feel more confident...

... that they are doing a good job because you seriously couldn't be this much of an idiot.

This mom drove her son to the store he was going to rob, knowing full well that he was going to hold it up with two friends. Her justification? She was afraid he was going to get hurt. Her wonderful specimen of a son was charged for participating in a robbery that ended with the store owner being stabbed.

She was quoted as saying "I knew he wanted to rob the shop and I was very worried about him".

How does that saying go? The road to hell is paved with good intentions... and apparently this mom was willing to drive her son down it.

I'll bet she was one of those moms that was never able to say no to her child - ever.

Yo Ma, can you drive me over to bank? I got somethin' to do...

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This coming Monday I have another great book to review for the Parent Bloggers Network and this one deals with parenting. I think that this particular mom could have used this book.

The Dangerous Book for Boys

Up until my early twenties I spent a week each summer at my Grandmother's home, about an eight hour drive away from the city where I grew up. I loved her house so much. Sometimes it makes me sad to think that Bumper won't get to hang out in that beautiful home, in that beautiful town, surrounded by my Dad's boyhood possessions.

Yet I'm pretty sure that due to a dominate family gene that dictates we are all pack-rats, Bumper will probably be able to feel the same way about going to her Grandparent's home and catching glimpses of my childhood.

Each year on the drive up to Nanny's, I'd plan my days and what I was going to accomplish. The house was filled with wonderful treasures that included old photos, clothing and tin toys and regardless of my age I always had something to look forward to doing. Almost every night we were there, I would settle down with one of my Dad's books that were kept under the stairs in a glass front bookcase, never tiring of the boy's-life theme from the 1930's and 40's. Adventure stories, survival tips and practical reference guides for Boy Scouts and young mechanics were the common themes.

The book I was asked to review by the Parent Bloggers Network reminded me of many of those books from my Dad's childhood all rolled up into one great package. The Dangerous Book for Boys is a fantastic reference of things for not only boys, but for anyone who likes how-to instructions, projects, survival tips, facts, and trivia -- to name just a few of the topics covered.

The book is organized along the lines of a reference book but is also mixed with short stories which are all meant to teach the reader various valuable lessons. Just think how useful it is to know how to tie the five most essential knots, basic first aid, and the rules of poker (this being completely useful for me because before reading this chapter I had to write down what card beat what and keep it on my lap which makes bluffing even more difficult than it already is for a spaz like me).

The writing is done for a young male audience but the book is useful to all. But because it is the "Book for Boys" it also includes a chapter simply titled "Girls". That was one of the first chapters I read and it started out well. I was impressed with how the first point of advice started: "It is important to listen." But then it confused me with the fourth point which instructs boys not to put their name on Valentine's Day cards in order to create mystery, and then it made me laugh out loud in point number seven which instructs on how to offer a girl help.

The book also includes "stories of courage"* like Scott of the Antarctic, a story that makes history read like a classic adventure tale. The author included these kinds of stories because they are"examples of extraordinary acts by ordinary people" that can be seen as inspirational or just appreciated for the exciting adventure.

The projects are classic, like how to marble paper or build a workbench but the steps are modern (suggesting computer grade paper) and sensible (you should start a first time carpentry project using pine since mistakes are cheaper) .

There are chapters dedicated to good, solid, basic facts like grammar rules and interesting and obscure facts like the Navajo Code Talker's dictionary. Imagine all the trivia games to be dominated and bar bets to be won after reading chapters like "Famous Battles", "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World", and "The Patron Saints of Britain".

When I read the forward, I immediately liked the authors' intention for creating this book. It starts:

"In this age of video games and cell phones, there must still be a place for knots, tree houses, sad stories of incredible courage. The one thing that we always say about childhood is that we seemed to have more time back then. This book will help you recapture those Sunday afternoons and long summers - because they're still long if you know how to look at them."*

I remember those summers, and I would love to recapture some of those hot and humid days spent in the shade with a good book. I wasn't disappointed and found the book fun to read. It also is a useful book to have around just for some of the tips and projects.

It makes me feel more confident knowing that I have facts on hand like how urine can be used to make invisible ink -- we all know that could be useful one day! Or maybe I just watch too much TV?

If you want to read more reviews about this book go check out what they are saying over at PBN and enter their contest to win a great prize. Readers who leave a comment on the PBN launch or mid-campaign post will be entered to win a two-man tent from The North Face. A super cool prize for boys and girls of all ages.

Free mummy with every home sold

We've been watching the real estate market for a few years because we would like to own a home in the city. This being an expensive city, I've noticed some of the best "deals" are bank foreclosures and I often see ridiculously priced condos going for low prices. But those homes are never in the part of town that we want to settle in so I just keep my eyes and ears to the ground and march through the listings every chance I get.

But a deal sometimes comes with freebies I wouldn't want, no matter how much money I saved on the purchase.

Check out the bank foreclosure deal a man purchased recently in Spain. Can you imagine finding the previous owner mummified on the couch!?!

Ewwwwwww... no amount of steam cleaning or fumigation would make me comfortable and happy in that home. And I can only imagine what might be found in the storage closet if that was what was in the living room.

this post is brought to you by the number five

Mom of 2 and Wife of 1 tagged me for a meme and her timing is fantastic because I wanted to post tonight but I'm so tired because B hasn't been sleeping so my brain is on standby.

So I'm glad I have a meme to do because I have this urge to write even though when this type of mood sets in I usually would just go visiting other blogs and commenting to my hearts delight BUT I have this total urge to talk and talk and talk and use run on sentences and OMG these words must be painful to read, especially by more grammar gifted readers (which would be all of you), so I will stop NOW.

MB gasps for air...

Aren't you glad I have a meme to respond to and not a rant or something equally as painful to read? Aren't ya?

So without further ado on with the meme!

It came with instructions!

INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.

1) Elizasmom
2) A Lifetime
3) The Life & Times of a First Time Stay at Home Mom
4) Mom of 2 and Wife of 1
5) MotherBumper


Next I was supposed to select five people to tag: (but it says if you don't want to, it's cool so I may update this later but I'm not doing it right now)

The blank five people to tag list:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

What were you doing 10 years ago?

That would be 1997 right? From what I remember, I was working on my psych degree part-time while working full-time (with two part time jobs). I was single and I remember going camping often that year. Life was pretty good.

In 1997, I had a friend who had a beautiful boat and during the Spring, Summer, and Fall we would go out about once a month with a few dozen beers and make her husband be the responsible one. We occasionally would help with the sails or the cute little BBQ they had hanging off the back but mostly we would sing Rio at the top of our lungs and whale watch.

OMG I miss the ocean so much.

What were you doing 1 year ago?

I was slightly more insane then I am now because Bumper didn't sleep at all. At all. But I also remember this was pretty much when I was getting the handle on things. B was six months old, she was fun to play with, didn't seem as fragile, the weather was brighter and there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

And there still does.

Five snacks you enjoy:

1). Chocolate
2). Ice Cream
3). All Bran Brown Sugar snack bites
4). Cashews
5). Lays BBQ or Curry chips

Five songs that you know all the lyrics:

1). Itsy Bitsy Spider
2). Wheels of the Bus
3). Baa Baa Black Sheep (do you see a pattern here)
4). Frere Jacques
5). Da Da Da by Trio (I couldn't have it all be songs I learned at the drop-in centres)

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

1). Save someone close to me who is in need
2). Spoil our families
3). Buy a home
4). Take a really awesome trip
5). Would there be any left over by number five? Probably enough to stock a wicked chocolate tuck box.

Five bad habits:

1). Bad diet
2). Too much time online
3). Procastination
4). Laziness
5). Snark first, think later

Five things you like doing:

1). Being creative
2). Helping other people
3). Being with family
4). Reading great books and watching fantastic films
5). Camping

Five things you would never wear again:

1). low waisted anything
2). pink angora
3). stirrup-pants
4). Frankie Goes to Hollywood t-shirt in XXXL
5). anything neon

That entire list right there, with the exception of number 1, will come back to haunt me when I'm a senior and living in a retirement community somewhere warm. Yes, even that awesomely comfy FGH t-shirt at #4 will probably come back.

Five favorite toys:

1). My Mac
2). Digital camera
3). CENSORED
4). Wii
5). my lightweight stroller because it makes life so much easier

There I'm done!

If you want to do this meme sign up in the comments - I'll come back later and update the links to the tagged blogs.

Maybe.

gratuitous photo of Bumper trying to burn a doll carriage in a large outdoor oven

Baby IQ DVD: The World Around Us

The Parent Blogger Network asked me to review a DVD for the baby toddler set. Honestly, I’m skeptical of television programs aimed at babies but I do know that there are a few good ones out there.

I’m glad to say this is one of those good ones.

Baby IQ’s “The World Around Us” is a keeper for a few good reasons:

• It has high quality, delightful images mixed with fantastic puppetry
• Beautiful classic music pieces preformed by the London Symphony Orchestra
• Educational themes that aren’t overbearing for each segment - colors, animals, counting, seasons, shapes, patterns, and movement

The World Around Us was produced in association with the UK’s National Literacy Trust campaign “Talk To Your Baby”. This campaign encourages parents to talk and share experiences with their children during the critical foundation years from birth to three. Conversation between adult and baby “helps them become good communicators, which is essential if they are to do well at school and lead happy, fulfilled and successful lives.” Makes sense to me.

Even though she is a toddler, I still need some inspiration and encouragement on those long rainy or sick days with Bumper. I can only describe what I’m doing so many times before I want to run away from myself.

When I first became a parent I was shocked how difficult I found the one-sided “conversations” between us, yet I understood the importance of talking to her. It is difficult to talk to someone who is non-responsive and I could have used something inspirational like this.

Baby IQ’s “The World Around Us” made Bumper point, laugh, and babble right off the bat. The blasts of colour in the first sequence always get her talking. It is very relaxing to watch and I found it easy to talk about with B.

The images are perfectly set to the music, which is preformed flawlessly by LSO. I was impressed that instead of having the movement in the images dictate the rhythm, the images move to the music like a well-choreographed dance. The puppets are cute and incredibly expressive (for puppets) and Bumper always yells “OHHH” each time the orangutan or owl appears on the screen.

In my opinion, Baby IQ’s The World Around Us DVD fulfills what it sets out to do; it is engaging, visually appealing and inspires conversation between adult and child. I like this quote from Baby IQ:

"We can't promise to make babies brighter, but we will make them smile."

And it’s true.

Running time: approximately 35 minutes

blast from the past

One of grocery store I frequent has a pretty good book section. I often see the latest releases of popular fiction & non-fiction and Bumper enjoys the wide selection of board-books (Bumper is a book addict - thank goodness for Book Ends and the library).

We often finish our shopping in that section, mainly because it's on the way to the check out, but I also love to scope out the latest magazine headlines without Bumper screaming at me. She is always too busy reading Busy Kittens, or Busy Pigs, or Busy Ducks (see a pattern here?). That kid can't get enough of busy animals.

Wait, I'm totally getting off topic here... back to the beginning.

So I'm cruising the new releases in the book section and lo and behold, what do I see in a jacketed hardcover? A total forbidden blast from the past: Forever by Judy Blume.

I remember buying that book like it was yesterday. Holy cow... I was shopping with two friends and they dared me to buy it. I was eleven and ballsy so I had no issue going to the cash to buy what was probably the most controversial teen novel that we had ever heard about.

What can I say? We were young silly Catholic school girls living in a (still) heavily influenced religious part of the country (I can't wait to see what Google hits I get from some of those word combos).

For me, it was allowance well spent. I loved a little controversy which at that age was difficult to come by. As we all know, sixth grade scandals were lame back in the day. Things as wicked as talking to the kid everyone hated or (gasp) ratting someone out for emptying the paper-towel dispenser all over the school bathroom floor were about as hot as shit got for us.

From what I've read online, Forever is still considered controversial since it portrays a couple of high school seniors dealing with a physical relationship in a mature, educated way (for the 70s) and aren't punished with pregnancy or worse (which was how many teens-having-sex novels of that time seemed to always end).

What a concept. Responsible young adults having healthy physical relationships.

Oh what am I thinking... how controversial - BAN IT!

I kid.

I wish I still had my forbidden copy of Forever but I was the kind of kid who liked to spread joy amongst my peers with any prohibited items. Forever got lost in the teen-age shuffle of mixed tapes containing the Violent Femmes, copies of Playgirl, Less Than Zero, and the like.

Later in grade seven, early on a Saturday morning, a classmate came to my door and asked, in a hushed voice, if I had a copy of the Judy Blume classic. I gladly lent her my copy, passed in a white bag like it was The Pill itself.

That may have been the last time I had my hands physically on it but I remember many asking to borrow it. I probably sent it down the line without it ever returning to the little box of contraband, buried in my room.

I wonder how many minds were corrupted by my contributions *smirk*.

I wonder how many minds were enlightened by my contributions.

I know there is a more indepth post in here but it's not coming out today.

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I must stop and think about this news story some more:

What a concept, dressing up road kill.

I wonder if this strange exercise has made anyone think about the lives lost during that brief flash of the unexpected?

Years ago, I worked with a wonderful woman who had an interesting borderline eccentric family. For instance, her husband used to pick up roadkill during trips and rebuild the skeletons.

He was a biologist but still, this was for himself and he did it on family vacations. She cursed him out a million times for leaving the bones boiling too long on the family stove but last I heard, he had only curbed his selection.

By the way, you never, EVER, open a pot on their stove to see what's cookin'. No matter how good it smells. I swear that squirrel smells just like beef stew.

But it sure as hell doesn't taste like beef stew.

Of cheese doodles and sawdust

I am not pregnant. I repeat: I am not pregnant.

Apparently more than a few of you thought I was by my last post title.

Oops.

For that misunderstanding, I apologize.

Often when I'm writing a post, I am reminded of movie titles usually for some obscure reason. Obscure as in ... well I won't go into my thought process at getting to the thin blue line reference because trying to understand my thought processes could potentially be scary.

And regardless, just trust me, if I was in the club you would be the fourth person to know.

I sometimes consider the blogsphere a single person. I imagine this single entity sits in front of the computer screen in pjs with a large bag of cheese doodles, surfing the seemingly infinite links the 'sphere has to offer.

Oh wait... that's just me looking in the mirror.

Anyone know how to get orange cheese powder stains out of flannel?

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I'm so glad that the warm weather is here (duh, who isn't? Mr. Plow I guess... really he is the first and only one to pop into my mind... but really, who hates Spring?).

The mornings are beautiful, bright and sunny. This week we have celebrated our good health (finally) by visiting our favorite neighbourhood parks and thanks to a friend who is also a mom, we've been introduced to another fan-freakin'-tastic park close by.

It has toddler swings! It has toddler-sized equipment! It has teeter-totters that only require a teeter if you don't have a totter! It has sawdust on the ground! It has a splash pad (that thankfully wasn't on, because it wasn't that freakin' warm).

The over-punctuated emphasis on sawdust is a great selling point. Toddlers should essentially bounce on sawdust, no?*.

* I do not advocate or encourage testing of my theory. It just seems so much bouncier than anything else I've encountered in my playground experiences.

So just in case B figures out how to launch herself out of the swing while I'm distracted by the text messages pouring in from my Facebook account, I feel that the sawdust will minimize impact. Please let me live in my delusional state, 'k?

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NEW POSTS UP AT MommyBlogsToronto!

Seriously folks, I have no shame. I will flog it until the cows come home and kick my butt.

But go read it because I said so, and stay because it's good.

Plus if you go to read my new post, you find out if I'm a failure at being green, I talk about enviro-snobs, and to boot, you get to see what I look like. Isn't that just worth the click alone? No? Well that wasn't very nice. I wonder what you look like all the time. Seriously, I do.