Isn’t this an innocent little face? The kind of face that belongs to a tiny angel? Yes, they all look that way when they sleep. It’s when they’re awake that you have to worry.

Tonight we headed out to Hayley’s first official soccer game of the season. We arrived at the field at the same time as the thunder and lightning did – the game was immediately canceled. Since we were home about 45 minutes earlier than I expected, I decided to quickly wash the dishes I had left behind and then went ahead and did a bit of work that I still had left, figuring if I could get it done before the kids went to bed the rest of the evening would be mine.

Hayley was drawing pictures at the table and Breanna had been watching her. All was quiet and I was typing away.

Be ye warned – when they’re quiet, there’s a 95% chance they’re doing something you don’t want them to be doing!

While Hayley was indeed still drawing away, Breanna had left the table. She then walked up to me with her hands out in front of her, asking, “What dis Mommy?” She appeared to be coated in some sort of thick cream. I jumped up, trying to think what cream had been left lying about. Then my nose kicked in and I knew it was not cream.

It was the mostly congealed fat that I had not yet emptied from the grease trap in the bottom of the grill that I had used to make burgers. Which she had, apparently, pulled out and played in. I managed to only shriek quietly (mostly), and I grabbed her and steered her by the elbows towards the bathroom, passing through the kitchen. That was when I noticed she had pulled out the entire grease trap and used it to *fingerpaint* all over the side of the deep freezer.

And it was in her hair too.

Cue the quick bath and shampoo (three times with the shampoo!), after which I cleaned up the “art”.

Good lord.

But then she came up to me, wringing her fingers, and said, “I forry Mommy.”

And really, how the hell can you be mad at someone who says “forry”?

Awhile back, Hayley told me her class was going on a field trip to the fire station and they needed a few parent volunteers. She really wanted to go so I said sure. The truth is, I think I was just as excited as she was because I had never been to a fire station myself – I must have had a deprived childhood!

We went last Thursday and I wasn’t sure what to expect of a group of Kindergarten kids outside of the classroom but they were pretty good most of the time. What was especially cute was the fact that they had all watched a fire video the day before so they knew all kinds of random trivia. They kept putting their hands up and telling the firemen things like, “your ladder goes 100 feet high!” and “your boots have steel in them”. The firemen were so surprised at how much a bunch of five- and six-year-olds knew.

We got a tour of the hose truck, the ladder truck, and even the search and rescue boat and they were all really nice. They clowned around with the kids a lot. At the end they did a demonstration of the ladder, the one that goes 100 feet up. My god. It is insane. I took one look and said if I ever needed to be rescued with that, they’d have to shoot me up with Valium or knock me out before they could get me down the damn thing. Even one of the firemen said he’d been on one that goes 130 feet high and he admitted, “yeah, it’s a bit… uh, SCARY.”

Yes, just a little scary.

Just when they were finished putting the ladder back down, the alarm suddenly went off. We got to see first hand (as we all rushed off to the side to get out of the way) exactly how fast they can get dressed and in the trucks. It was quite a bustling end to our visit but at least we were done rather than just starting out!

The kids were super animated on the way back to the school and then we sat while the teacher read a fireman story to them. Once that was done it was time for lunch so I left Hayley for a couple more hours, but I really enjoyed going. Too bad the year is over and volunteering is almost over. Because I went to this and to an event earlier in the year and George recorded them singing at Christmas time, we got invited to a little assembly and tea. I’m not sure if we’ll go but it’s really nice that they show the appreciation. I know not all parents are able to do stuff like this so I’m really grateful that my schedule allows for me to take part.

I don’t know if all families have our weird sense of humor or if it’s just us, but it works. Some people have peaceful, serious, thoughtful dinner conversation. And we have this:

*bing* The grill signals that the next round of burgers is done cooking. George gets up.
Sherry: Oh, you don’t need two buns, I only put on a second one for you, I only felt like having the one tonight.
George: Aw, that’s too bad, I was going to give you the bun that I just dropped on the floor.
Sherry: Joke’s on you, I farted in the bun bag.
George: You’re freaked out.
Hayley and Breanna: *laughing hysterically at the mention of the word “fart”*

Who wants to come over for dinner?

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While I’ve enjoyed Mother’s Day in the past, this year was the best one ever. It really ended up being an entire weekend. George had to do some work out near my parents on Saturday so the kids and I went over there. It was so much better to go see my Mom on the Saturday because we got to spend a lot more time with her, we had dinner there, and it was less rushed than if we had tried to fit a visit in on Sunday. I got my mom a DVD of The Waterhorse because I knew she would enjoy it and when I called her on Sunday to wish her a happy Mother’s Day, she said that she had watched it with my dad on Saturday night and she absolutely loved it.

On Sunday, I got to sleep in a little bit, and even though it wasn’t hardcore sleeping (I dozed, mostly), it felt great. Hayley brought in a beautiful card that she had made in school and it’s the best card I ever got. Then she went off with Breanna and George in the other room and came in with a bag for me. They had gotten me a new MP3 player. My sister had gotten me one for Christmas, but the volume button got stuck one day and when I tried to press it to turn it up, it actually jammed right up inside the player. As a result, the player worked but I couldn’t turn it up (or down since I couldn’t bring it back up later – Amanda, take note, the buttons jam easily, don’t bust your volume too!). It was hard to hear outside with traffic. I still use it in the bedroom with a pair of old computer speakers so it’s still getting plenty of use (every night I listen to my current favorite album and then I go to sleep with the sounds of white noise playing on it). Now though, I have another one that I can use outdoors again and I love it.

They got dressed then and left me by myself on a quest to get some breakfast. They came back with McDonalds and oh my god I haven’t had a Mickey D’s egg and sausage McMuffin in years. That was so damn good.

I managed to get Breanna to sleep for about 45 minutes just so she wouldn’t get cranky from nap deprivation and when she got up we headed out to a used book store. I couldn’t browse quite as much as I would normally like (we have to go back just George and I some day), I did enjoy poking around and I got myself two books – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants which I always wanted to read, and don’t laugh but I also got Dianetics. Yes, the Scientology-applauded book by L. Ron Hubbard. Relax, I’m not converting – I used to study religion and I was fascinated by cults so this is the sort of thing I enjoy reading simply for the sake of curiosity.

(If I suddenly start talking about Xenu, please stage an intervention.)

The man who owns the store was super nice, chatting with everyone who came in, giving the girls lollipops (and being nice enough to discreetly ask us first), and then giving me a carnation for Mother’s Day. I can’t wait to go back!

After we left the store we drove down to the water and hung out for a little while on the banks of the St. Lawrence, enjoying the waterfront. We’re planning to go back soon for a picnic just because it was so beautiful and the kids loved it.

We headed towards our own corner of suburbia and stopped for some ice cream, then headed over to see George’s mom for awhile. We hung out chatting while the kids played with their aunt, and then we finally came home for supper, bath time for the girls, and a very easy bedtime. They were both so tired it didn’t take much for them to fall asleep.

There’s a photo album from the weekend over here on Flickr. Despite taking 147 photos over two days (!) I managed to bring it down to just 13, don’t worry.

It was definitely the best Mother’s Day I could have asked for. Next year has a lot to live up to!

Hayley is so sensitive sometimes that it amazes me. Lately there have been a lot of snails around our place – at the park, in the field, on the sidewalks, everywhere. I’m used to finding them sometimes (and usually when we find them, the shells are already empty) but I’ve never seen so many all at once.

The other night it rained and there were snails everywhere, all over the sidewalks. A few of them had been stepped on and crushed and Hayley was horrified. Before we could go anywhere, she had to save the snails. She crouched down carefully on the sidewalk and she would gently tap the top of the shell until the snail went back inside. Then she picked each one up and placed it out of harm’s way on the grass where it would be safer. Lather, rinse, repeat.

When she had finished being a superhero, we started to leave when she spotted a few more further away. I was in a bit of a hurry so I told her it was okay, we could just leave those ones, they’d likely make it to the grass on their own. My sensitive little girl looked up at me with tears in her eyes and asked me please, couldn’t she just go save those ones too.

Please, what could I do? I was completely powerless to such a heartfelt and not all that unreasonable request. And so Hayley saved three more snails that day.

We left the one that we saw on a fire hydrant though, figuring he was definitely out of danger of being accidentally squished way up there. Besides, we thought he might be the world’s tiniest firefighter and maybe he was on duty in case of a sudden fire. We didn’t want him to lose his job, so he got to stay put.

I’ve always known Hayley is a sensitive kid, but I never realized it extended to the planet’s slimy creatures too.

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I just reviewed the awesome book Were You Raised by Wolves? Clues to the Mysteries of Adulthood by Christie Mellor on behalf of the Parent Bloggers Network. Go check it out, it was a great and fun read.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, coming up this Sunday. I had half forgotten until I got a card in the mail from my sister, wishing me a happy Mother’s Day.

Over at the Parent Bloggers Network, they’ve asked how we’d like to be recognized as a mother. What do *I* want for Mother’s Day?

There are some things I wouldn’t mind (something with Hayley and Breanna’s birthstones, or some kind of electronic gadget because let’s face it, I’ve been a geek and a dork longer than I’ve been a mom!), but most of the things I’d like are not objects and don’t cost much if anything.

I would like to sleep in just a little bit. Not noon or 11 am or anything crazy, I’d just like to sleep until 9 or 9:30. Sometimes I just refuse to get up and I lie in bed in the morning on the weekend, but I’m not sleeping. If I’m lucky I might doze on and off but I’m not fully asleep. I’d really like to sleep.

I’d like some breakfast but I don’t really need to ask too much for that; George often makes breakfast on one morning of the weekend anyway, making eggs and bacon and toast. I love that.

I’d love it if the kids would stop bickering for the entire day but that’s unlikely so I’ll settle for at least toning it down a notch.

I’m looking forward to whatever Hayley is making for the big day at school, and so far it’s a surprise which is even better. I also hope someone will get Breanna to draw me something too. I love homemade cards and drawings from my kids.

That’s pretty much it. I know that because I’m not the only mother here, part of the day will be spent visiting my mother and George’s mother, but if I can squeeze a few of those things in, it will be a good day for me. If our parents lived out of the area, I’d probably request a visit to the big nature park that I love so much, but family visits are good too.

See? The commercials on television may make it out as though women everywhere only want diamonds and extravagant meals out. I’m pretty low-key, I don’t want anything crazy or out of the ordinary.

What do you want for Mother’s Day?