A part of yesterday afternoon was spent saying good-bye to my first charge's grandmother.
Prior to heading out I quickly posed a question on a group about tips for taking a toddler to a funeral. The only response was, "leave her with someone". Well, we do not leave the tot so that was not an option.
Here are my top 5 tips for attending a funeral with a nearly preschool aged child
1. Know your child. If you are in tune with them you will have a good idea if such an idea is likely to be a success or a flop.
2. In advance: it's really handy to already own appropriate attire. Shopping for hours for shoes and a dress is not fun for anyone.
3. Talk about what will be expected. My wording was, "we all need to turn our talking off while the service is on. I will let you know when we can talk again". No threats or bribes. I did say that if we all got too loud we would need to leave the room and I really wanted to be there for our buddies.
4. Bring quiet, easy to dole out snacks. I offered raisins one at a time. Lesson here: bring the snack in a quiet container.
5. Sit close to an escape route. We did not need to use the quick way out but we were prepared in case that would have been necessary.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Let's eat in
Dinner out attempt #2 was going well until out tot stumbled on a shard of hard plastic in her ice cream . The server's only comment was "sorry about that". And with that my restaurant reviewing career ends with a message sent to Alberta health services with a complaint.
In other news, today was Field Trip #1 for the Mama Preschool pals. I thought it was going to be a weak turn out for Sports day but was thrilled to have 7 kids join us for some active play. We spent two hours playing, laughing, chatting, snacking, and enjoying our buddies.
In other news, today was Field Trip #1 for the Mama Preschool pals. I thought it was going to be a weak turn out for Sports day but was thrilled to have 7 kids join us for some active play. We spent two hours playing, laughing, chatting, snacking, and enjoying our buddies.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Cafe in thr Selkirk Hotel
I was looking forward to reviewing yesterday's lunch visit but the meal did not quite go as planned.
The cafe was busy but not bursting. It took a long time to be seated. How long? Long enough for a bathroom visit plus handwashing plus 5 more mibutes of waiting. The hostess promised water aftet seating us. No water.
No server.
Tried to make eye contact with the hostess, and the 3 servers but they did not glance our way.
We waited.
And waited.
New people arrived, were served water, and had their orderd taken.
I would have waved or got up to ask for service but there was a long stretch of not seeing any staff at all.
For the first time in my life I opted to walk out.
The upside: we will go somewhete for dinner tonight
The cafe was busy but not bursting. It took a long time to be seated. How long? Long enough for a bathroom visit plus handwashing plus 5 more mibutes of waiting. The hostess promised water aftet seating us. No water.
No server.
Tried to make eye contact with the hostess, and the 3 servers but they did not glance our way.
We waited.
And waited.
New people arrived, were served water, and had their orderd taken.
I would have waved or got up to ask for service but there was a long stretch of not seeing any staff at all.
For the first time in my life I opted to walk out.
The upside: we will go somewhete for dinner tonight
Friday, August 29, 2014
not Kid Friendly
Eating out as a family now means choosing kid welcoming restaurants.
My top picks
*Cactus club Jasper Ave
*Famoso
*Guru
*Chianti -whyte
*Urban diner
I think I shall shift focus a little and dedicate some time to a project I shall call Foodie Family Faves and Flops.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
cookies
Today is not a day for healthy cookies.
We baked 3 versions of oatmeal cookies: plain, chocolate (milk and white#, and raisin coconut.
Of course we needed to sample a cookie to be sure they are tasty enough to share. Of course I explained why had to stop at 1 cookie but we could have a 2 nd cookie when the guests arrive. And of course I stealthily devoured 2 cookies as soon as nap time was in progress.
All versions are share worthy.
In an hour or so our home will be opened to a couple of grieving friends. I do not know what to say but I do have a good handle on what not to say. And sometimes it is better to not say a word. Say nothing. Offer tea and cookies. And cry.
We baked 3 versions of oatmeal cookies: plain, chocolate (milk and white#, and raisin coconut.
Of course we needed to sample a cookie to be sure they are tasty enough to share. Of course I explained why had to stop at 1 cookie but we could have a 2 nd cookie when the guests arrive. And of course I stealthily devoured 2 cookies as soon as nap time was in progress.
All versions are share worthy.
In an hour or so our home will be opened to a couple of grieving friends. I do not know what to say but I do have a good handle on what not to say. And sometimes it is better to not say a word. Say nothing. Offer tea and cookies. And cry.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Nap when they nap
Prior to becoming a mom I am sure I looked forward to the event that would be known as napping-when-they-nap.
Advice at the shower included: nap when baby naps.
Words spoken to me when I looked/look tired: Nap when the tot naps.
Here's the thing: I am not a man-napper. I can not simply plop on a chair, couch, floor and commence snoring. I typically need time to unwind, pee, perhaps eat something that is non-nutritive but oh so yummy.
Once I am fed and watered and pottied it is possible that I could fall asleep. You know what is worse than no nap? Falling asleep and being woken up 10 minutes later.
Very few in my mom circle nap-when-they-nap. There are other things to do. This is not being a busy martyr mom. This is, for me, sanity saving.
For me, I find it incredibly rejuvenating to just be. To be quiet. To not be talked to. To numb my brain with screen time. To read a few pages of a book. To selfishly whittle away those moments doing whatever the heck I feel like doing.
My advice to new moms: do whatever the heck you want to do when they nap. As long as it isn't cocaine. Don't do that.
Advice at the shower included: nap when baby naps.
Words spoken to me when I looked/look tired: Nap when the tot naps.
Here's the thing: I am not a man-napper. I can not simply plop on a chair, couch, floor and commence snoring. I typically need time to unwind, pee, perhaps eat something that is non-nutritive but oh so yummy.
Once I am fed and watered and pottied it is possible that I could fall asleep. You know what is worse than no nap? Falling asleep and being woken up 10 minutes later.
Very few in my mom circle nap-when-they-nap. There are other things to do. This is not being a busy martyr mom. This is, for me, sanity saving.
For me, I find it incredibly rejuvenating to just be. To be quiet. To not be talked to. To numb my brain with screen time. To read a few pages of a book. To selfishly whittle away those moments doing whatever the heck I feel like doing.
My advice to new moms: do whatever the heck you want to do when they nap. As long as it isn't cocaine. Don't do that.
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