Simple Times

When I was a kid I would spend most of my summers in Florida. My parents would ship me off to the extended family - grand aunts and uncles, cousins and family friends. My grandmother had a ton of younger brothers and sisters, and their kids were around my age. Going to Florida in the summer was sort of like going to Summer Camp or the cottage.

I had and still have much more family in Florida than anywhere else.

There were a handful of cousins that I was particularly close with. When I went back home to Toronto we kept in touch, in anticipation for when I would return.

Keeping in touch back then was different than keeping in touch is now. If you recall, 15-20 years ago there was no text messaging, or Twitter. We weren't on Facebook or Hotmail.

Keeping in touch meant that we would actually write letters to each other. I would receive a package in the mail from Florida that would have letters from my closest cousins (each with a unique take on what was happening in their lives and often expertly decorated), and accompanying the letter would be pictures, postcards, other memorabilia. Once I even received a cassette tape (remember thoses?) that had meaningful songs. Their voice chimed with a greeting in when I popped the tape into my stereo.

My responses always took much longer. I wrote individual letters to each person - looking for a new way to rehash my stories. Reminiscing about the "inside jokes" that we had. If you were boy crazy I would talk about my latest crush at school, if you were into music I would tell about the concerts coming up in Toronto. I would try to put a lot into my responses.

But like everything, time changes things. Growing up, moving on. So much has happened to all of us since those days. Graduations, weddings, careers, children. I went to Florida to be a Bridesmaid in one of my cousins weddings not to long ago, and now she has two children. I have a little one myself.

We do try to keep in touch - emailing, texting, long distance phone calls - when we find the time. I don't get to visit everyone in Florida as often as I'd like to.

This weekend, one of my favorite cousins is coming up to visit. This is the first time that she is meeting the baby. (I can't begin to tell you how excited she was for us when I broke the news that I was expecting.)

So although I won't be able to go to Florida this summer, like I used to, I'll have a little bit of Florida up here with me.

~ humps

In the Kitchen

I used to love cooking. Sometimes it would start off as a recipe, other times a dish was inspired by an ingredient. What I loved most was cooking for others - having someone pleasantly surprised by my food. I love cooking mainly because I love entertaining. Putting together a great meal, and delicious desert, a signature drink - maybe some great wine - was part of that experience. I used to love cooking.

Do you notice that I speak of that in the past tense? That was me BEFORE I had a baby. Now there are no quaint dinner parties. No intriguing conversation over a glass, or two, of Merlot. Hell it's 5:00 pm and I'm still in my pajamas. I am online instead of doing the laundry that is piling up in my living room. If anyone wanted to come over now I would freak the hell out.

I don't cook anymore. I hardly spend anytime in the kitchen. I go to the kitchen to get something from the fridge - hopefully something that I can eat with one hand while nursing "Baby", or playing with her, or rocking her to sleep. If I could eat said item while changing a diaper that would be great too.

In my world for the past three months since "Baby" has been in our lives, I have reinvented what cooking means to me - boiling. Since I never really know if the little one is napping for more than a few minutes, I never really know if I will have to abort the cooking process. I don't invest time in getting that cooking thing started. If it can't be boiled then it's not for me.

But this week I decided that I needed to get back in the kitchen. Maybe experiment with something one step up from boiling. Tonight I am making vegetable LASAGNA. Yes boiling is involved which is great. There also chopping, the lasagna assembly, and the baking. But since I can start and stop those things at a moment's notice, I'm ok with this. You would be impressed.

However, like all new mommies, I ain't no fool. I no I am not. I made so much Lasagna that I'm freezing a whole pan of it. We will have so much Lasagna in this place that I won't have to cook for weeks. Why? Because I USED to love cooking.

~ humps

Censorship

It's been a while since I blogged. In addition to having a mountain of internet issues, I also came down with a tooth infection that had me cowling in bed for a while. My addiction to Orajel wasn't pretty.

But now I'm back on solid foods and back to the blog.

I've had this story to share for a while now that I've been dying to get out. A few weeks ago I was at a cousin's barbecue. Like most family gatherings there was no shortage of young kids running around and getting into trouble.

At one point in the day, I was upstairs in a bedroom changing and nursing "Baby" while the little kids in the house were in the hallway playing. It was easy for them to forget that I was there as they busied themselves with their games.

I was - for the most part - minding my business, when one of the kids started to sing songs. Not lullabies or nursery rhymes but radio hits. Think top ten on BET. It was innocent enough at first I guess. I thought about those YouTube videos that you would see of little kids dancing to music videos, or something. Until....

Until a little one - maybe around five years old - starting singing a new song call "Birthday Sex"!! And all the little kids joined in.

I was holding my two month old baby while a chorus of kindergartners where singing BIRTHDAY SEX, BIRTHDAY SEX in stereo outside of the room! My heart stopped beating, my body was convulsing and I think I threw up in my mouth a little. Then I froze.

After my life flashed before my eyes for a moment, I gathered myself and Baby and stormed out of the room - trying my best to be an intimidating parent. (I had no idea what to do.) They ran.

That was the exact moment that I decided that there would be full censorship in my own for "Baby". Poor girl. No radio. No MTV, VH1, BET, MuchMusic. No chance that I will catch her 5 year old self singing the next version of BIRTHDAY SEX, BIRTHDAY SEX while shaking her little booty. I don't care if she doesn't understand. That can't be good?! Can it?!!!

Call me Castro but our house is not a democracy. It is a full dictatorship and I'm in charge. You don't get a vote, little one. What I says goes. Period. End of story. At least while you're under my roof.

It all started when you were two months old.

XOXO humps

On The Move!

XOXOX humps

Desperate

I'm online!! My prayers have been answered. If you were to see me now, you would know how desperate I am.

I am able to connect to the internet through a wired connection to my modem. (For some reason my wireless router isn't really working out.) The wire is MAYBE two feet. I'm sprawled out on the carpet of my living room, manuals and laptop "stuff" EVERYWHERE. Baby is sleeping in her Quinny Bassinet. I am in stained track pants. I really should be taking a shower on not on the floor trying to get online. You would shake your head at me right now.

I'm really hoping to at the very least get through some emails!

Thank you Jesus. Internet.

~ humps