What to do on rainy days

School holidays and once again it's raining! Not sure how it is that every year during the July school holidays it rains. Not just for a day or two, but it seems like for the full 14 days! Now if I was in Vancouver or Seattle, I'd get it. It probably wouldn't even phase me, being so used to the rain. But we're living in sunny Australia right now and I've forgotten how to be a duck. Especially a duck with ducklings.

However, as my move back to the rainy wet coast is nearing, I am desperately trying to remind myself that in fact rain is good and there's so much to do on rainy days!!

Here's my list:

1. Splish-Splash. Put on those rubber boots & rain jackets and go hopping in puddles. Some of the best walks Little Mr. Man and I have had have been in the rain!

2. Go the the museum or art gallery: Not an original idea, so try and choose one that isn't as popular as the others. Might not have all the bells and whistles as the regular haunts, but on the plus side it won't be as busy and it'll be something new!

3. Read. I used to love curling up on the couch with a good book and waste away the hours of rainy days. Not so easy to little ones under 3, but it's a great opportunity to instill in your love of books in your little ones.

4. Enjoy the theatre. Not the real theatre, but a puppet theatre at home. Depending on the age of the kids, rainy days are great to make puppets and then put on puppet shows. If kids are too little, then just the puppet shows are great fun!

5. Go to the library. Tired of your own books? Pop into your neighbourhood library. Some even have readings and most have great kids sections. A great place to spend an hour and not spend any money!

6. Speaking of spending money - I have to add the mall to my list. Depending on your willpower, you can even get away without spending any money. This outing is great with toddlers that are learning to walk. There's usually a quiet spot in the mall, you know, the floor with the really expensive shops or the gov't agencies, go there and let the little one free! We used to take Little Mr. Man to the zoo when he started walking, but his time around it's been much too wet to take Little Miss there, so the mall's been a saving grace. Bonus are the malls that have play centres/structures and stores with Thomas the Tank Engine tables! Pet stores are another great place to hang out around.

7. Bake. Baking is a great way to spend rainy days. It warms up the house and make it smell great! Plus you get to eat the results of your hard work. Win-win!

8. Let your children dictate activities. So often when the weather is good and all the regular activities are on, the schedule gets filled up very quickly and there's little time to just hang out at home letting the little ones do what THEY want to do. It's amazing what sorts of games they come up with and they can amuse themselves without your help. It's also amazing what they can teach you!

9. Go online. There's a world of really great things online...for your kids!! Sesame Street is a great place to start. Everything is searchable to character or theme and they have great games to teach your little one about using a computer. Here are some of my other favorite kid sites:

Story Cove - Stories from around the world

How the Body Works - Great little video clips about how different parts of the body work. Definitely for older kids, but my 3 year old loved it! Could be because he got to see where pee and poo comes from!!

Knee Bouncers - great for the little ones.

Fisher-Price - after all that money you spend on their toys, it's nice to get something for 'free' on their website!

Most brands like Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, etc have websites as well that usually have games for kids.

10. Pick up one of those 365 free things to do with your toddler/pre-schooler, etc. I have a few of these books kicking around the house and for most of the year I forget about them, but when the rains start, I live by them. A super quick resource for all kinds of things to do, from making goop & playdough to making forts with your kids. Your house will be a disaster after this, but isn't there a saying about a messy house, means a happy house?! And cleaning up should always be a part of the activity. Many hands make light work!!

Please dear reader, add to my list!

Pierced Ears

When I was a baby, my Mom had my ears pierced. At what age, exactly, I am not sure. In fact, I'm sure I wasn't a 'baby' in the traditional sense, but I was young. Under 5 maybe?

Nowadays though, piercing a baby's ears is akin to mutilation. A comment on a recent blog read: "seeing a baby with pierced ears makes my stomach churn". Come on people, really. Pierced ears is so horrible? Now the writer of blog said she couldn't get her daughter's ears pierced because she didn't want to see her in pain, she remembers getting hers done and that it hurt like the dickens.

I remember a friend of mine piercing my ears when I was a teenager. A shot of Brandy, a safety pin, a potato (so the safety pin didn't pierce my neck) and some ice. Done! It wasn't that bad. In fact it wasn't bad at all. And I have an extremely low threshold of pain. So, I'm thinking that if you go to a professional place to get it done it probably won't 'hurt like the dickens'.

Having said all that, I will probably wait until Little Miss is a bit older. Maybe 5. Maybe 7. I'm not sure. Why wait? Quite simple. It's bad enough when I go shopping, even for me, I end up buying really cool clothes for Little Miss & Little Mr. Man. Once her ears are pierced, I won't stand a chance of getting anything! At least now, if in the jewelry store, it's all about me!

Sharing

But Mommy, you said you were hungry

Don't take parenting advice from me

So, today the first food that passed my son's mouth was a cookie, soon to be followed by another cookie. Let's just say, by the time he sat down for his healthy breakfast of mini-wheats, well, he wasn't really hungry. Surprising, no.

He was of course, very hungry at snack time, which since we were at the doctor's was some other easily transportable food item (read: chock full of preservatives and most likely other things not really related to nutritional value).

Of course all this could be tempered if we actually went out and played outside in the fresh air. But, that didn't happen. No, instead, we hung out on the couch and watched TV! Oh yeah baby, the mother who wouldn't let her child watch the 'evil' box for his first 2 years and now wastes the afternoon away in front of the ol' box! In my defence, we're all sick! Ok, we could've read books or done a puzzle...but sometimes you just gotta say what the f#%k!!!

And it wouldn't really be right if I can't end a least a few of my posts with the tag: "maybe tomorrow I'll be a better mother"

OK, so that's my bad parenting confession for the day. Feels great already having it off my chest!

The price of sleep

How much does sleep cost? Well, in my house, it runs around three hundred bucks a night.

With two young children, having a good night's sleep usually means something around 6 hours of uninterrupted shut eye. Or if you're really desperate it means going to bed when your kids do, around 7:30 pm so you can get sleep in the double digits!

But no matter what you do, you will be woken up. Whether you've had 3 hours or 12, early morning will come and with it dirty nappies, runny noses, screams, hollers and chants of "I'm hungry" or some other ridiculously loud, barely comprehensible chant. The idea of leisurely waking up and enjoying some quiet time in bed before starting your day? Ha! Breakfast in bed seem like a good idea? Ha! Idea it shall remain. Quietly sipping your morning coffee whilst reading the morning paper? Ha! Another "idea" that will remain just an "idea", or so I thought. Until I had the "idea" of checking out and checking in. That is, checking out of my house and checking in to a hotel. For some, this might seem like an extravagance that's just not worth it. However, for many of you, I'm sure you are thinking "now why didn't I think of that!".

It's really quite simple. A mini-holiday. 24 hours of freedom. 24 hours to do with as you please. I choose to sleep for most of them. 16 of those 24 hours were spent in a glorious king-size bed with my eyes shut and drool escaping from my mouth. You can probably tack on another couple of hours in that bed, as I enjoyed an exquisite breakfast (exquisite in that it was made my someone else) and read a book, a couple of magazines, a newspaper and watched some TV, all in that very comfy bed...the whole time, undisturbed. Can you say, "heaven"?!!

If you are ever stuck for a gift idea to ask for, I suggest ask for a voucher for their favorite hotel. If you want to get a deal check out wotif.com. They offer last minute hotel deals in most large cities. Or just check out the hotel website. I've found very little difference in the price, and in fact, many hotels will match the best price you, especially if you're doing a last minute booking.

A few tips on making it a memorable and worthwhile getaway:

1. cab it - for starters, parking at hotels is expensive, and there's something indulgent about being picked up at your house, suitcase in hand, and getting in the taxi, waving good-bye to your loving (read screaming) family

2. don't plan your time away - that is, don't plan your hubby's time with the kids. He's a big boy, he can figure it out. Part of the joy is being plan free and that includes, not worrying about what the kids and Dad are doing.

3. pretend you really are on holiday. Check out the city. Spend an hour in a coffee shop. Do with your time whatever it is YOU want. DO NOT shop for your kids or husband. It's about you!!

4. indulge - be it an hour in the bath / a facial / massage / something from the mini-bar - just do it. it's your holiday!

5. turn off our phone - and DO NOT call to check in on the family. it's 24 hours. I'm sure they'll be OK!!

6. The brand of hotel doesn't matter. Just make sure they have comfy beds and black out blinds. The Westin boast heavenly beds, The Hilton brag about their pillows. A quick Google search shows that hotels of all stripes offer special "rejuvenate" packages - from special soaps in the rooms to special 'quiet floors' - your very own mini holiday is out there.

7. indulge - (I know I've already used this heading, but it's important...deserves to be used again!) - don't skimp on the food or the wine.

8. ignore the guilt - if you're anything like me, you'll start feeling guilty before you reach the hotel in the cab. Don't. You deserve the break. In fact, you deserve a longer break!!

9. kick back & enjoy!

10. if you can, extend for another night ;-)

Now, I slept my mini-holiday away and am very happy about it. What would you do on a 24 hour mini-holiday?

Wordless wednesday

No, Little Miss, you don't put the ham on your head....in your mouth!!

Sadness

Flitting through Twitter and Facebook, as you do, you are never really prepared for anything more moving than "need caffeine to get through the day" "kids driving me mad" or some helpful soul trying to sell you something or other. My online surfing is done sporadically throughout the day, stolen moments here and there. Never really thinking I'll stumble across something of significance or moving. Today, however I did, and I wish I hadn't.

Somewhere out there, there is a mother, a family, grieving for the loss of their 19 year old son. A son that, from what I understand, has battled with drug addiction for a number of years, and due to a drug deal gone wrong, has died.....

It is the sort of thing you read about in the news all the time. What you never get is the story behind the tragedy. The feeling, emotions, realness of the people that are living these lives. The fact is, this horrible and tragic reality could become our story. Any one of us. That is the scary part.

This mother's reality puts things in perspective and reminds me that things really could be a hell of a lot worse. Katie, my thoughts are with you and your family. I am truly sorry for your loss.