Missed 2016... oops

I guess I just slept through 2016

Wow. So much happened last year.

I was made a manager at work and I have two wonderful women that report to me.

Ryan went on his first trip without Neil and I. Gabi and Sandor (my in-laws) took him to Dominican Republic to a beautiful resort (Samana, DR). Longest time apart from him for me, 6 ½ days and I was okay. I didn’t cry which I was surprised about, they were good about calling and sending photos.

I was very anxious until they called after they got to the resort. Just my 5-year-old going to another country without me and the worry something would happen. However, once I heard they were at the resort I could relax and just enjoy a quiet house. Indy got a lot of walks that day because I was so high strung. Haha

Then RIGHT after that, and I mean the next morning after Ryan got home, we went to Florida to a cruise.

Poor kid was so cooked that Sunday, soon as our room was open on the boat we had a pretty sweet family nap time.

We went on Norwegian for the first time because they had an amazing deal. Ended up costing about the same as Royal would have cost. It was a blast but I still like Royal more.

Now this year we are planning our BIG DISNEY TRIP!

We are going with Chris, Tara and Sloane and the Parks. We have our trip paid for, fast passes booked, Ryan is getting a pirate makeover and Jedi training, dinner at the Castle… it is very exciting. Also, to make it even more insane we are driving because flying is insane expensive.

I have been working on getting our signature book together, getting fancy markers from the dollar store, have stocked up on glow sticks and necklaces for the kids for the evening parade.

I have even started pulling Ryan’s summer stuff and making sure it still fits because this kid is insane tall now.

Speaking of, Ryan is reading. I think he plays lazy with me because he rather I read to him still but today… WE GOT OUR FIRST HOMEWORK!!! A reading assignment!

I am so excited to do this with him. Also, he is accelerating at math. He is in Senior Kindergarten and doing multiplication and percentages and rocking at it. I think the Montessori way of teaching helps. It’s taking objects and using them that way so a child can shape the brain into visualizing it, it memorizing it.

We have signed him up for French Immersion for first grade and will hear back in march if we got in. Because it is not his primary school we enter a lottery. His current French teacher said he thought Ryan would do well in FI.

Fingers crossed because the French school is MUCH better rated then the school we are zoned for.

L

Ryan has changed a lot. He is still very close to us (more to me) and loved getting books at night. But now he showers on his own, we will help him out of the tub and then he dries on his own and puts on his clothing on his own. We are trying to push for more independence.

Wait... what... you can do math now?!

Ryan has been learning math at school. Now since he is not yet 3 and sometimes still struggles with his shapes I thought maybe they were just teaching him numbers and what math is.
Nope. He busted out last week with "hey mom did you know if you put 2 and 1 together they make 3.
WTF
They sure do buddy...
This morning he busts out with "hey mom 2 and 2 make 4."

He has this huge interest in time as well. Now I remember when I was kid not understanding WHY adults said it was 11:30 when the hand was pointing at 11 and 6. Why was it not 11:06? Once I understood how a clock worked I got it but I remember struggling with the idea of time and the 5 min increments.
I am trying to help with him and I think next trip to Ikea we will get him a clock for his room. But he loves to run around the house yelling out the placements of the clock hands. hahaha

School update

I am insanely proud of my son. He is doing so well in his school.

He is doing great learning his letters and numbers but now he has moved on to reading (language) and math (basic). This is crazy, he is not even four yet (will be in April).
I feel so proud and lucky to have a healthy kid who (I already knew but its nice to hear from his teachers) has a hunger to learn and he kind and respectful. Such a change from last year at this time.
Oh man, last year we had so many behavioural issues at school and at home, it was brutal. We were so lost on what to do and kept trying to help him but nothing was working, or so it felt.

Right now is amazing. He wants to help set the table and make dinner, he likes to vacuum and help with Roag (cat). When Sarah (his new cousin) cries he runs over to calm her. This kid has a huge heart. When we do disagree or one of us gets mad about something we talk. We talk about how we should treat each other with respect and love. And HE GETS IT!

Ever day I am so grateful for my little family.

If you are having a hard time with your kid please be a supportive and patient parent. The kid will not always be this way. Put yourself in the place of the child. Is there something going on at daycare/school? Something at home? Are you as a parent taking time for yourself, having time to unwind and relax? This was a huge thing for me! I needed time alone to be myself. Not a mom, a wife, a designer, a friend. Just ME.
:D

Oh this kid

I put Ryan to bed tonight and told him I was going downstairs to workout. I go down and start my workout. (with my music playing). I hear Neil (husband) saying something to the kid. A min later he comes down laughing.
He pauses my workout and says "Ryan said you should go to bed because you are tired. I told him you are working out to get a healthy heart. Ryan comes back and said 'Yeah I know but I also make a good point about mommy going to sleep' hahahaha."

Oh this kid.
Every day is more awesome. Today we just cuddled for a bit after his nap. He told me how much he loves me and I told him how much I love him. We curled up and watched Shrek 2 after dinner.
He makes me laugh so much.
Sometimes I see the little baby I used to hold while he slept but that is becoming less and less. It does make me sad, I miss some things about him being a baby but then he will open his mouth and say something awesome, funny, sweet or goofy.

This kid is the best.  No lie.

Enough People

I am tired of everyone complaining about Christmas and Holiday decorations being out and up before Dec 1st.
Just stop.
What does it matter if the stores have out Christmas stuff before Halloween is even over, or if your neighbours put lights up. It is pretty. It makes people happy when it can be a pretty dressing time of year.
Here in Canada November can be so depressing. Fall is pretty much over, no more yellow/orange/red leafs. Just bare trees and dead grass. It's grey and cold and wet.
If you walk into a store and it smells like Cinnamon and you see red all over and holiday jolly music playing softly in the background do this... close your eyes. Take a deep breath and remember what this season is about.
Family
Joy
Giving Back
Love
Happiness

When I see my neighbour putting lights up I think "oh smart, this will be the last warm weekend we have till Spring next year, good call buddy."
Not "Ugh it's not even Dec, what a dick for putting pretty lights out that make everything look like a wonderland!"

STOP BEING SO NEGATIVE.
We are very lucky people, whom ever is reading this. You can go to the store and get food/clothing, you have a home/place to live that is not a tent or box, you can turn on a tap and drink the water, you can see a doctor, you can chose your schools to send your offspring.
WE ARE LUCKY.

So please. Before you complain about Holiday decorations or anything inane like that take a look at your life, pause ... and be grateful.


Or I will send the Grinch to go pee on your car handle.

Kids VS No Kids

Why is it a battle???
Let me explain.
A friend of mine posted this on his facebook.

http://www.mandatory.com/2014/07/08/an-average-saturday-morning-with-kids-vs-without-kids

He said "Right side, hands down!" Part of it made me laugh, others made me cringe. I wanted to write "Ryan would never act like this, its all how you raise a kid yada yada yada." Then it struck me. Maybe he is tired of his family assuming him and his wife want to have kids, maybe they are trying and not having any luck, maybe he JUST DOESN'T want to have kids. Or maybe it was just a funny thing is saw and it made him laugh.
Then I looked at the comments. WOW... I don't know the people that responded but goddamn, they are coming off as crazy breeders. Take a JOKE people. If your kid even remotely acted like this he is an ASSHOLE and you should feel bad. :D


SO I sent this link to my friend and told him he should post it to see if more people freak out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AhGvR0143s
HEH.

New school, round 3

We switched schools for Ryan at the end of his school year and now starting into Summer school.
So far I feel good about it. I am not sure if it is that I am in the better place (emotionally), Neil and I are in a better place, or its just timing.
When we moved Ryan from Peekaboo to a Montessori school we thought he would like it. It had uniforms (so cute) and great teachers.

Something we did not think about too much was that we had just moved a few months before (while being homeless for a month) WRITEN HERE or that it was the middle of a school year would be such huge issues.
Ryan did NOT do well. Now he was learning and he was growing and changing and he was also have behavioural issues. BAD ones.
Around March/April the owner and principle of the school meet with us. Ryan had pushed a kid and he hit his head on a table. The kid was okay but that was the last straw for the school. We were giving till the end of the school year and we were not allowed to come back. I was sad about this because I loved his teacher. She was sick (like spent the night in the hospital) and she STILL called me at work and talked for 45 min with me about Ryan. After seeing we were on the same page the only thing we could do to change was start having time out with him. That helped but we were looking at time out 3 times in the course of 2 hours sometimes. It was brutal.
Do not raise your voice, stay calm, be there but do not engage until he has calmed down. it is SUPER hard.
Happy to say he is MUCH better, today was the first full on melt down in almost a month. (during soccer). He cried and grunted in the car but no screaming or hitting me. After we had a very good talk.
Maybe its that he is 3 and we give him more freedom. Maybe he feels that I am a happier person (running, eating better, its summer so I don't have the winter blues).

Back to my original thought, Ryan's first day of school was July 2nd. We walk in and right away we see Sloane there. (THANKYOU!) Ryan runs over to her and hold her hand. We go together to put Ryan's stuff in his cubby slot. I ask Sloane to show Ryan how the water dispenser works and introduce myself to the teachers again, warn them of his forgetting to pee and give Ryan a big hug and kiss (and Sloane too) and tell him to be kind, use his words and have an awesome day.

He wears no uniforms in the school, also because its summer its much more chill (a better way to introduce him) and he has Sloane with him in the morning and afternoon. She is 8 months older and is transitional into the older class. But they have those 2 hours together. I am so grateful for her. They can sometimes be a bad influence on each other but she is also a huge calming part of his life. Someone he has always known. And someone he loves.

(splash)

So far its going so great, he likes his teachers and he even got an invite to a party from this super cute little boy that told me Ryan and Sloane are his best friends (OMG so cute).
Overall things are going great. I really hope it keeps up! Oh crap. I hear him waking up from nap. More to update later. I promise to keep this up better starting now. Ryan is changing so much and saying the funnest things and sweetest things "you are a pretty princess mommy!"
I have to keep track of this awesome kid.