Its the small thrill of it all...

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Ever have a week begin with a burst of ambition, energy and good intentions? 

The kind of feeling that motivates you to start off the week with such lofty ideals like staying on top of the laundry?

Well, whenever this strange mood strikes me I can usually contribute it to the fact that I changed my sheets on Sunday. Somehow going to bed on Sunday in crisp, clean sheets seems to start me off on the right foot for the week-how long that feeling lasts I cannot guarantee!

Here's a pic I took yesterday to document the fact! Note the wrinkly sheets, etc. I do however, have a little  luxury item that I love:

Its this Pecksniff's Fresh Linen Spray in Freesia and Poppy. It makes your sheets smell like an English garden. Actually, I'm pretty sure its how Jane Austen's bedroom smelled. I found it for about $5 bucks at Homesense and it is definitely worth it! 

Fridays deserve a pretty scarf...

I saw this scarf yesterday and I can't get it out of my head! 

I've been trying to figure out why I like it so much, and I really have no rational explanation other than its orange, has giraffes on it (which can never be a bad thing), and would express a certain whimsy to any outfit. I think most outfits are sadly lacking in whimsy. As is life. 

Anyways, I'm drinking my coffee while eating some prosciotto for breakfast as I try to make a new flatbread recipe. Theres a chilly drizzle outside, two babies having "naps", and one hubby reading Winnie-the-Pooh to his daughter. I'm still debating what really needs to get done today. I'm leaning towards eating my fresh flatbread while reading copious amounts, but I have a basket of laundry taller than my oldest child and a floor that hasn't seen a mop for much more than fortnight. We'll see what happens-have a wonderful first weekend of May!

Baby stages

This munchkin is 4 months old. Its already time to start shifting his schedule to a 4 hour feeding schedule instead of three-I'm a devotee to the Baby Whisperer...I feed my babies on a schedule....I admit it....call the mom police.

Although it seems as if one of my babies is passing from one stage to another almost constantly, its always both surprising and sad when their stages end and begin. I think I'm getting better at enjoying each present stage a bit more as I get a little more mom experience under my belt. I definitely don't feel the urge to propel Max to walking, I am over the moon in love with having even one child immobile! The prospect of 4 mobile children is a daunting one!

I love this squishy, immobile, chubby baby stage between 3 and 6 months where their little faces light up as soon as you come into their sight line and they thrive on being held for hours and hours on end...oh wait that last part??

G.K. of the Day!

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‎"FOR those who study the great art of lying in bed there is one emphatic caution to be added. Even for those who cannot do their work in bed (as, for example, the professional harpooners of whales), it is obvious that the indulgence must be very occasional. But that is not the caution I mean. The caution is this: if you do lie in bed, be sure you do it without any reason or justification at all. I do not speak, of course, of the seriously sick. But if a healthy man lies in bed, let him do it without a rag of excuse; then he will get up a healthy man. If he does it for some secondary hygienic reason, if he has some scientific explanation, he may get up a hypochondriac." 

~GKC: 'Tremendous Trifles.'

Seven Quick Takes vol. 13

Its been almost forever since I've done a decent Seven Quick Takes-so here goes nothing!

Make sure to go to Jen's for the real deal!

{one}

This week's weather has been dismal. I hate to be one to complain over weather, but this spring is starting to get to me. And by spring I mean lack thereof. I had to keep everyone inside yesterday because the wind was so fierce and its snowing as we speak. Or as I type. A huge dose of warmth, greenery, and sunshine would feel like a million bucks right about now.

{two}

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Its St. Gianna Beretta Molla's feast day tomorrow, April 28! I feel like I owe her big time because I prayed to her frantically through my last couple of pregnancies. I think she's a perfect saint for pregnant mothers to pray to; what better example of motherly sacrifice could you get? Just thinking about her life and especially the fact that she gave birth then died a mere week later brings tears to my eyes. Her courage staggers me, as I'm the biggest wimp during pregnancy and through childbirth. I really believe she interceded for me in a big way especially in my last birth which went unbelievably well! So tomorrow to celebrate her feast day I think we should all hug our babies a little tighter and toast to her a nice glass of Italian red.

{three}

I just finished this book yesterday. Rules of Civility was toted as an urbane, well-written novel about a woman navigating society in 1938 New York City and how chance encounters change the shape of our lives...or something similarly pretentious sounding. And although I thought the writing was beautiful at times, I found myself disappointed as it became just another contemporary novel that holds up its characters as charming when really they are meandering through life bouncing from one empty sexual encounter to the next trying to find meaning in it all. I wanted to like the main character as she toted Agatha Christie novels around, liked to hang out in empty churches, and do the odd crossword puzzle to pass the time, all things I'm partial to doing myself, but again the loss of any real insight into her actions left me cold. So I tried to read something current, only to be disappointed yet again...

{four}

Etsy find of the week:

photo: byMart

I really like this neon leather fold over clutch! Very trendy, nicely colour-blocked, handmade from a woman in Plovdiv, what's not to like?! Here is the cute little shop.

{five}

Here's my little Max bumbo cooking with me yesterday:

I partly put him in the bumbo on the counter because its cute, and partly because it keeps him safe from swarms of siblings!

{six}

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I'm contemplating making a terrarium. They're beautiful, they're planty, they're everywhere. I'm just trying to figure out if I have anywhere to put them where kids couldn't get a hold of them and discover a really convenient indoor sand box to destroy. Nicole from Making it Lovely had this beautiful tutorial.

{seven}

Ok, I'm outs to go dig out the kids snowsuits from the closet. And then maybe look into moving somewhere where spring doesn't include a weekly snowstorm! Fingers crossed for a warm May! 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Toddler hangovers

Look at that hungover face...

Eat my remaining porridge without griping about it?? I don't think so.

And full scale hangover meltdown.

Oh, the toddler hangover.

You know what I'm talking about. The day after a fun-filled day with friends, or a day spent being spoilt by grandparents, or the morning after a day stuffed with too many sweets, where little people wake up with an attitude that reeks of belligerence, tantrum, and blatant grumpiness.

This morning was a toddler hangover morning. Yesterday we had plenty of little friends over, and I allowed everyone to go completely crazy and eat junk all day. It was a good time! This morning I had to send someone to their room because I wouldn't "fix" a toy to their liking and this resulted in a complete and utter breakdown complete with screaming and floor kicking and talk a girl off the edge because we didn't have the correct fruit for her porridge. And all before they had time to whine for cheerios!

As the grumpy moods gradually wore off, I felt it a minor personal victory and step towards sanctification in the fact that I didn't have to resort to heavily spiking my morning coffee.

In my house...

So everyone living in blissful southern climes where beautiful branches have been in bloom for weeks, well you can just try not to be too jealous, because in the last few weeks I've been able to bring in the only blooming branch we've got: pussywillows. They're kinda odd, kinda fuzzy, but at the same time they have a strange outdoor-ness that makes your home feel a little more alive. Which is desperately needed when my green, blooming spring is still a few weeks away. They're also very Canadian. I think they are one of the first branches that bloom through most of the country, barring the almost tropical West Coast. 

They may not be as colourful than other branches, but I love them because its what we've got!