Obligatory 'what we got' Christmas post

Another Christmas come and gone. I'm both sad and excited that it's over. 

Thankfully this year was no where as hectic as last year. 

Madi came over the night before Christmas eve and opened a few of her presents. Eric has the pictures of that. I worked at 6am on Christmas Eve morning and we drove to visit family that evening. We stayed in a motel room at the motel Eric's mom and her boyfriend run. Chloe was with us, obviously. We hung out with his family and saw mine for about an hour that night.

We each opened a Christmas eve present at his Moms, and opened our stockings in the morning in our hotel room. We cooked breakfast at his moms then the rest of the family got there and we opened presents. They spoiled us a ton. 

From his family, Eric and I got:

PJs each

Griddle

4 slice toaster (finally!)

A tin filled with pasta utensils, along with some pasta and sauce

Wal-Mart gift cards

Chloe got:

A play house with little people
Pop-up princess hamper

PJ set with a bathrobe

A storage ottoman

Play-doh kit with cutters

Hair ties

And probably a lot more than I'm forgetting. We opened a few of our gifts to each other there, but saved some for when we were with my family. We ate turkey dinner with Eric's family then packed our car and went to my sister's to meet up with my brother, nephew, mom, aunt and uncle, cousin and their significant others. 

Stuff Chloe got from us and my family: 

Princess Little People castle from Uncle Scott

Lalaloopsy baby from Uncle Coady

A sick baby with doctor accessories and candy from Grannie

Portable DVD player from us that we've been using in the car since October

Minnie Mouse with a convertible car and dress up accessories

Innotab with Dora the Explorer game (Bubble Guppies game is still wrapped to open later)

Sled from my brothers girlfriend

Lots of clothes from me

Play-doh and coloring books, crayons and finger paints

Dora and Bubble Guppies movies (one Dora movie from my best friends in NB)

Toddler bedding I bought brand new from someone in town who didn't need it

She seemed to enjoy playing with the toys my nephew and Eric's nephew got though. I think it's time to branch out and get them a few cars and racetracks to play with. 

Eric got (from me):

Case for his 3DS

Mario and Luigi Dream Team Game for 3DS

Mod Nation racing game for PS3

Loot Crate that included an Ewoking Dead t-shirt & Zombie Survival Guide

New pair of jeans (he knew about) from Old Navy as well as a regular t-shirt and boxers covered in pigs

Axe body kit

Beef jerky (maybe his favorite gift)

I got from Eric:

Pj bottoms

Starry Night puzzle

Light for my Kobo

The Emperor's New Groove dvd

Coconut Lindors (didn't know they existed! So good)

Lipgloss

Ardene gift card

Shick Intuition shaver refill kit (came with St Ives body lotion, loofah etc)

Nail polish and body lotion

(All things on my list, he got)

And we got ourselves a Rachel Ray pot set when they were on super sale at Wal-Mart a few months ago.

Overall, a pretty great Christmas. At times it didn't really feel like Christmas, but still an enjoyable time. 

Today, for Boxing day I get to hang out alone with my little girl. Eric is at work until 8:30 so it'll be a long day. I'm hoping to take her out in her sled later and mostly just relax. She's got a bit of a cold so her nose is running like crazy and her voice is extra squeaky and she's a little extra cranky. New toys are helping, but they don't kill the whine completely :p

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well! Glad this obligatory Christmas post is done. I love to have these things documented, but I hate doing the work. 

My best friend is a two year old

My best friend is a two year old. No lie. There's no one I have more fun with, who makes me laugh more, and makes her happier than my two year old. 

***

A couple of nights ago she was lounging on the couch, teenager-style, watching some Bubble Guppies. She was in a complete trance when I asked her if she wanted to come shopping. It's like that's all we do lately. But she hopped off the couch immediately and said "Yeah, shopping. I come too." And off we went. Such a trooper. Maybe she's just catching on that she ends up getting treats on 1/3 of our frequent shopping trips and that's why she's so happy and willing. But I think it's because she's my bff. 

***

I think she gets sarcasm. I called her my Chloe bear a couple of nights ago. So she called me her Mommy bear. The way she said it with that glint in her eye leads me to believe that she's teasing me with sarcasm, but who knows. 

***

She sleeps in a big girl bed now, full time. Eric and I converted her bed last Sunday and she's been going strong ever since. She is very proud of it, too. I'm glad she was never a climber. We switched her bed because she wanted to sleep in a big girl bed, not because we were scared she'd break her neck. Madi's been in a toddler since she was like 18 months because she was a climber. Strange how two children can be so polar opposite. 

***

I love what daycare does for my daughter. I'm not the biggest fan of Christmas music. There are only a few of the classics that I can stomach. Luckily, daycare managed to teach my daughter Jingle Bells and I had no idea until she belted it out like a star one random afternoon. 

Having a two year old is fun. I'm still waiting for the terrible twos *knock on wood* but so far she's just amazing. That's why I'm in no rush to have another child right now - I'm just drinking in every moment with Chloe right now and loving every minute of it. I'm glad I don't have to divide my attention. And my next child might not be as easy as Chloe is now. Chloe was a bit of a terror as an infant, but she makes up for it so much now. I'm scared of what another child might be like. I'm okay with waiting a bit longer to find out. 

I'm so over Christmas shopping

I typically love shopping, especially when it's guilt-free and for someone else. But this year Christmas shopping is getting to me.

I've already searched all stores in town for one present for a friend, only to have it not in stock when on sale, or extremely expensive otherwise. After buying and returning two things, I ordered something online that I KNOW will probably come late.

I've already returned two things for Eric and bought something else to replace them.

I've unwrapped and returned two gifts that were under the tree, and now I'm considering doing it for a third.

I bought Chloe a Minnie Mouse dress up toy - a little plastic toy that comes with snap on dresses, shoes and bows and purses. It's adorable, and comes with a car. I bought her a smaller version of this toy (less accessories, no car) for Eric's family Christmas exchange. She likes it, but enough that her and Madi each need a Minnie? I wasn't too worried about it until I saw a bunch of Dora the Explorer toys on clearance at Target. There's this one Dora toy she plays with everytime we're at Target or Toys R Us. Now that it's really cheap, I'm wondering if I should switch Minnie for Dora. It's exhausting. I should just leave well enough alone.

We've over spent, and since overspending I have yet to look at our budget. I'm scared. I know we'll make rent and bills, but winter tires are on our list of things we need to buy this month and I know we've dipped into that money. I have all season tires, but I don't they don't feel me with much security when I'm driving. They do a lot of sliding and getting stuck. I need winter ones. They are so expensive.

So yeah, that's where I stand on Christmas shopping. I just can't wait for Christmas itself to get here so I dont have to worry about shopping and returning and wrapping gifts. I'm over it. I just want to see Chloe open her presents.

10 Things I've Done in the Past Week

1. Almost finished all my Christmas shopping. Just need a couple of stocking stuffers and small things for one or two people and I'm done. I'm also waiting on an Amazon order to arrive, but that's already paid for :) I love shopping for other people. 

2. Finished the book 'Finding Emma' on my Kobo. It's only the second book I've finished since I got the Kobo in October 2012. My goal for 2014 is to read a lot more. 

3. I started season 4 of Desperate Housewives. I'm so addicted to it now. Can't believe I never tried to finish it sooner. Eric is a little into it too. 

4. I want to go back to my old job, insanely badly. I wish it was up to me. I messaged my old boss to see if we could work something out. 

5. I've started cooking more for me and Chloe. Now that I have my breaks at work around 10:30 am (for a 7am-4pm day) I'm too hungry to wait for Eric to get home. It's both a good and bad thing, since it means I'm eating better food, but since I'm not a huge veggie fan I tend to have to go out of my way to throw a veggie in for Chloe. 

6. Chloe's been waking up through the night more nights than she sleeps through the night. I don't like it. 

7. I get to listen to our upstairs neighbors music most nights. One night it kept me awake later than I wanted. Another night it was on so loud earlier in the night that we could barely hear our tv so Eric went up and asked them to turn it down. They don't listen to it as loudly since then, but it's still annoying. 

8. We've been working a lot at trying to get our place organized. I can't wait until its done. 

9. An unexpected payment came out of my bank account for one of my student loans. That was a big chunk of money I would've liked to not have to lose the month of Christmas, but we can live without it. 

10. I can't think of 10 things. 

Moving, Christmas Shopping and Lost Purses

We have finally moved. 

Actually, it was all done a week and one day ago. Chloe spent the day in daycare and my friend Sarah and her sister and boyfriend helped us move. I'd say the day went pretty smoothly. Luckily Eric and I both had Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, so lots of time to put stuff away. Still not enough time but whatever. We're still working at it. 

Madi's been over once since we moved - for the night for the first time since she moved out. And she slept through the night. It was magical. Chloe didn't though. She's been waking up once a night a little often lately, but luckily she goes back down super easy. 

She never stops talking anymore and I love it. 

Things she's told me lately:

"Mommy, shut up." - Said to me as I silently cut grapes for her. Wasn't sure where it came from but her father said he taught her it. 

"Mommy I tired. I cranky." She wasn't. She was actually in a great mood when this was said. 

Thanks to Halloween, she now thinks all treats are called "trick or treats", and she asks for them constantly. 

She can count to about 14 and sing the entire ABCs, I think I may have mentioned that before. 

She just so much fun. They call the twos terrible (and I don't want to jinx it!) but so far I love the twos! 

We've been doing a lot of Christmas shopping lately. As of today, I'm almost completely done. Last night I stupidly left my purse hanging on a chair in Wendy's. Even worse - I'd had my credit card and bank card in my coat pocket all night so I didn't have to drag my purse into every store. I'd put the cards back in my wallet just before I went to Wendy's. Call it a Christmas miracle, but it was untouched and I got it back today. I'm so happy about that. Luckily I had no cash in my wallet at all, so maybe someone would've tried to rob me but didn't want the hassle of credit card theft so they just turned it in. Either way, I'm so grateful to have everything back intact.  

Anyway, here are some pictures of us lately. 

Here are some pictures and stuff

This will probably be my last update for a little while. 

It's my one day off before moving, and I've spent most of the day packing. I'm writing just as an excuse to sit down for a few minutes. The main floor of our townhouse is looking empty. The basement looks like a war zone. The top floor is somewhere in between. 

I was watching Desperate Housewives on Eric's Xbox today when the batteries died. I'm pretty sure we each packed one of the battery chargers, not knowing one of us had packed the other one. That will suck later when I want to relax and watch tv. Moving is fun. 

I went out to get milk today before the stores closed. I ended up spending almost $20 on new Christmas ornaments. Just more stuff that we'll have to move with us. But they were on sale and really pretty. Eric may kill me. Or not, because I already packed it in boxes so he won't know until we're all moved, unless I tell him. 

Chloe's at her father's. I miss her. She sings the ABCs like a pro now, and can count past 10 with only a few mistakes. Her brain is like a sponge right now. Absorbing everything and getting smarter by the day. She's so much fun. My best friend is a two year old. 

For lunch today, I had baked bacon, baked haddock and a fried egg. A little weird if you ask me, but one of the best meals I've had in awhile. 

Except the breakfast I had with Chloe and Eric yesterday. We ordered pancakes for Chloe and they came with whipped butter, which is now my new favorite thing. I only ate the pancake cold, but loved it. I know what I'll be eating next time! 

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here are some pictures. 

I just swept the floor then walked in to see this. 

New coat from Target. Yes, we finally have a Target. 

I have hair

Madi eating a wooden sandwich

Hard to tell they both ASKED to go in the crib. 

Moving stuff

We are moving on Friday.

There are boxes everywhere. We've sold some furniture. Took pictures down. It's starting to look empty. Usually I look forward to moving. This time, I'm in an 'in-between' place. I'm not excited or disappointed. I'm a little bit of both. We'll miss our current place and all the space it has. The new place seems like it'll be so much cozier though.

Only time will tell if we'll really like it or not. At least it's cheaper though.

I'm currently down to my last hour of work after a 6 day stretch. I can't wait for it to end.

Chloe, on Potty Training

A few days ago I used 'the naked method' in hopes to get Chloe to go on the potty. She has no problem sitting on it and trying to push, but the timing is never right. She would rather hold it until a diaper is on, as I've learned. 

After having her naked and sitting on the potty watching tv for 15 minutes, my naked girl got up and grabbed a diaper from the cupboard in our tv stand where they are kept. Both hers and Madi's diapers are in there, but she managed to grab the right size. She then took the diaper to me and lay down on the floor in front of me, demanding that I put her diaper on. Since it was almost time for me to put her in bed for a nap, I went along with it. 

Being the crazy toddler she is, after I put the diaper back on her, she went right back over to her potty, sat on it and peed in the diaper. 

She's stubborn, but at least she understands what the potty is for. 

Chloe - 1

Potty training & Mommy - 0

Until next time...

Toddler Moments

Last night's toddler battle: 

"Chloe, stop drinking the tub water."

*Giggle, then drink more*

"Chloe, you're going to be sick if you keep drinking tub water. It's dirty. Ew. Gross. Stop."

*More giggles*

Repeat about 6 more times before giving up. 

Then there was when she peed on the floor immediately after the bath. Luckily, right before I took her to my bed to be diapered and pj'd. Unluckily, I had to move and wipe down furniture anyway. 

--------------------

Chloe always goes to bed like a dream. Without a fight. Gives lots of hugs and kisses and loves to swing before going to bed. 

That's why I was surprised when she started crying as soon as I sat on the couch after putting her to bed. I grudgingly went upstairs to see what was up. 

"Ohhh no!" She screeches, no longer crying, as soon as the door opens. "Mess!"

Sure enough, she managed to get the cover off her sippy cup and her crib was drenched in milk. Even though the sheet and blankets and her clothes had absorbed a nice amount of milk, there was still enough to make a big puddle in the middle of the crib. 

Toddlers are fun. 

Halloween and Fun Chloe Stuff

Today is my last day off before a stretch of 5 days of work. It's just me and Chloe home today. 

So far since Eric left for work, we've watched tv, had a mid-morning snack of eggs, bacon and cheese. She's played with her babies, made a puzzle, and is now sitting on the floor behind me playing with a bag of balls. I'd share a picture if I hadn't left my phone upstairs. 

She really amazes me. All the things she says lately. How loving she is. How much fun she is. 

Everytime I pick her up from the sitter's, she runs to me yelling "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" like she hasn't seen me for weeks. She's so full of hugs and kisses. When Eric leaves for work, she runs to him to give a hug and kiss without being asked. As she walks away she always waves and yells "Bye, see ya!"

She calls her instruments 'impotence'. 

She can identify so many things. Tigers. Trains. Lady Bugs. 

She sings like all the time. She sleeps through the night basically every night without a problem. 

She loved Halloween. She sounded adorable saying 'trick or treat' and 'thank you' and then her usual 'Bye, see ya!'

Everything with her is so much fun lately. 

And here's some Halloween pictures. 

Halloween & Moving Stuff

We're moving. We looked at a place, applied, and got it. We gave our notice. We've started selling our stuff. We have to sell SO MUCH stuff to be able to fit in this new place. I'm both sad and excited. The new apartment seems more cozy, and definitely cheaper. I just don't know where we'll fit all our stuff.

Today is Halloween. I'm super excited to take Chloe, and hopefully Madi, out trick-or-treating for the first time. We bought their costumes months ago. Madi's mother doesn't want us to take her, but I'm not sure she actually plans on taking her herself. She admitted she doesn't have a costume for her. Hopefully it will all work out. Eric will be pretty disappointed if it doesn't.

Speaking of Eric, he and I celebrated adult Halloween on Saturday night. If you follow me on Instagram, I posted a picture there. He was Santa Claus and I was Mistress Claus, or the 'Ho Ho Ho' as we called it a few time. We went to a party at his sister's house. It was a pretty good time.

I'd love to do a real update on Chloe lately, because she's been talking up a storm. She can sing the ABCs and Twinkle Little Star very well. She often says please when asking for things. She's so much fun to be around.

I hope everything is going well with whoever still reads this blog. I try to read blogs every now and then too :p

Changes in Career, for now

I got a new job.

 

I'll be pouring coffee and handing out donuts. It's pretty glamorous. It's at a place that I frequent almost daily, so it should be like nothing has changed :p

 

It's crazy to me, that this is the turn my life has taken.

 

I was comfortable in the job I've had for the past 4 years. I felt like it was a place I could stay and potentially grow. I thought when I spent the past year at my temporary job, that I was just doing more 'growing'. Learning a new aspect of the company, branching out, opening myself to more opportunities. Instead, here I am at the low end of the totem pole. I'm working two days a week. Back when I was the 'new girl' I was working 3-4 days a week, and that was tough. Now I've been around longer than some, and I'm working half the shifts I was working when I first started. My career sure did take a 'hit'. It might be months before I could get full-time at this company again, even though I'm working between two different locations. I never thought, four years later, this is where I'd be.

 

So I'm going to be pouring coffee and handing out donuts.

 

I'm a little sad, but I'm also a little excited. I like change, I like fast-paced, and I like the schedule this new job should be able to give me. It's the right move for my family.

 

Who am I kidding? It's the only move.

 

Now that my job situation is coming together, we're stuck with another problem.

 

Do we keep our 3 bedroom townhouse with the finished basement that we've grown to love, or do we trade it in for something smaller, cheaper, with heat included? I keep going back and forth on this. Neither of us want to move. Do we suffer it out for a bit, and hope our financial situation improves? Or do we bite the bullet and move to a cheaper spot, to make sure we don't have to be so financially scared?

 

It is so hard to know what the right move is to make. I wish someone could make these decisions for me.

 

Ps.. does anyone know a free fortune teller?

What more could possibly happen?

I still exist. Barely. 

My job ended and last week I worked a total of 2 days. I was busy running around getting my car fixed, going to a concert, hanging out with the girls, and finding out we were losing custody of Madi. 

Just like that, the mediator thinks she should be with her biological parents as much as possible so she now lives with her mom and will see us on her father's days off. But when Madi's mother didn't want her, she fought for me to keep her 7 days a week, and almost got her way then too. Funny how things work out for some people no matter what they do. We are not those kinds of people. 

I'm hoping to start a new job in the next week or two. I was supposed to hear back about when I start training Friday that just passed, but they didn't call. Hopefully I'll get a call tomorrow. I need this job. We cannot survive with just Eric working, especially after losing Madi. We'll soon be paying child support again. Joy. 

I've started selling some stuff we don't need and putting it away for a damage deposit for a new apartment. We need a cheaper place as soon as possible now that we don't need the 3rd bedroom for Madi. I can't explain how much I do not want to live in a smaller place. We've gotten really used to having our 'hang out' area in the basement when the kids go to bed. We have a tv, bed and all our crafts down here. I don't know where we'll fit any of it when we move. I think we'll also have to sell Madi's dresser and a lot of her clothes to fit her stuff in the room she will have to share with Chloe when we move. 

Things are just too crazy to wrap my head around. 

Yesterday was my birthday. It doesn't feel like it. I'm 26 now. I spent the day with cranky Chloe, and had dinner with her and Eric when he was off work. Luckily Chloe was pretty easy to deal with during dinner. The most surprising part of my day is that my father's family was all having dinner behind us at the restaurant. I didn't notice at first. I haven't seen or spoken to my father in about 11 years. My step-mother came to my babyshower and met Chloe afterwards. She stopped and said hi to us on her way to pay for her meal. Then my father did the same. First time in 11 years. It was kind of nice. 

Here are some pictures from my 26th birthday. 

Our new kitten, Jasmine

The Ending of an Era

My current job ends tomorrow. I can't believe it's been over a year since I started the job. Covering someone's maternity leave. I knew the job was temporary. I had no idea quite the situation I would be in when it ended though. I always thought I'd be able to go back to my previous job. It's within the same company. I don't even know for sure if I can't go back to the old job, but it's Thursday, and I don't know the next time I'll be working. Again. I needed to know weeks ago. 

I've applied to almost every job. And nothing. It's been about 4 years since I've had to rely on anyone but myself to pay my bills. This is where I'm going to be. Struggling to get by. Hoping the government will pay me unemployment benefits in the meantime. Hoping our savings doesn't run dry. Hoping a job that works for us somehow falls into my hands. 

I can't take just anything. If it doesn't fall into certain hours, we'd need a private babysitter. The government helps us with daycare, but not a private sitter. After travel and babysitter costs, I'd be working for nothing. I need something that allows the kids to be with me or Eric as much as possible. 

This is scary shit. 

But the point of this post is, I blog from work mostly. I don't have much time for computers at home. So while I don't blog much, I might start blogging less. Unless I never get a job. Then I'll have plenty of time to blog. 

Some Things...

Chloe's been 'off' lately. I thought she was teething but I don't think it's that anymore. She pretty happy and fine all day, but she's been sleeping horribly and seems a little bothered at night. Maybe a doctor trip in our near future but I hope not. 

On the plus side, while Chloe's been sleeping badly the past two nights, Madi has slept through the night and that's rare. 

Speaking of Madi, when the kids are done with daycare October 11th, Madi is going to start going to her mother's more due to a new 50/50 trial custody arrangement. Her mother wants full custody back. We're not on board with that. I'm definitely on board with the 50/50 though. Hopefully it'll be less stress on everyone. 

I'm paying our photography deposit this weekend. It's time to lock in this wedding date. 

I'm also getting my hair cut for the first time in about a year, and with my favorite hairdresser who I haven't seen in over a year. Excited! 

I don't want to jinx things, but I've been feeling better lately. My appetite is back for the most part, and I'm even eating slightly healthier. I still can't stomach most fruit and veggies, but I've been having yogurt, almonds and cheese instead of chocolate and chips. 

I actually kind of succeeded at a photo challenge on Instagram. I even took my photo for October 1st yesterday but still haven't posted it yet. I'm not very 'insta'. 

"I Wish You Had Life Goals"

With all the changing coming up this month in our household, I've been doing a lot of thinking about other families. You learn a lot about the differences in families when you're a regular on a local Facebook 'Mommy' group. 

We're on of the 'working' households. We both work. Full-time right now, until my job ends in a couple of weeks, but hopefully I'll have something full-time shortly after. We will be doing shift work. We don't eat family suppers because Eric is rarely home for supper and the kids can't wait until 7pm to be fed. We rarely have weekends together. 

Do don't do many fun family activities. We won't be apple picking. Hell, we can barely manage all our errands some weeks. 

But we survive. Our kids are fed and have more clothes and toys than they could ever need. We live in a decent townhouse. We have one decent car. Sometimes we struggle, but we get by. 

There are many that are less fortunate than us, and many that are much better off. 

I never have, and still don't want to be a full-time stay at home Mom. I love my kids, but I also love my break from them. I love helping to provide for my family. But I'm jealous of stay-at-home Moms. I'm not sure of all their different circumstances, but what it all adds up to is that they can financially afford to be able to stay home. We can't. 

Sometimes I think it's because it's cheaper for them to stay home than to pay for childcare and I can totally understand that. But some of them still stay home after their kids are off to school. It sounds nice to have that option. 

I'm not sure we'll ever be that family. Eric and I both have very basic jobs. We're not doctors or lawyers or plumbers. We just do what we can to make the ends meet. After thinking about this one day, out of no where I told Eric "I wish you had life goals." At first he was confused, but I wish there was something he wanted to do with his life. A career passion. I wish living on one income could be an option for us someday, so money wouldn't always be a worry. 

But I understand all too well what it's like to not know what you want to do with your life. I thought I knew, but from that all I got were huge student loans. He doesn't want to make the same mistake and I can't fault him for that. 

I still can't stop myself from wishing it was different though. But either way, we're in this together. 

5 for Five

Five Things to Do LAST Week

1. Put the summer clothing bin away, and take the winter one out.

Yes, I actually did this!

2. Keep up with my $5 budgeting app. Especially come payday. 

I'm trying. My accounts are up to date. Need to update Eric's. 

3. Bring a real meal to work for lunch twice, not counting today. 

I don't think I did

4. Say 'thank you' more. 

Nope. 

5. Organize at least 20% of the basement. 

We may have done that much. 

Five Things to Do THIS Week

1. Try to sell as much of our unwanted stuff as possible. 

2. Don't miss anytime at work between Tuesday-Thursday.

3. Menu plan for at least 3 days this week and bring leftovers to work at least once.

4. Do not buy ANY kids clothes, used or new. 

5. Get the kids to help pick up their toys at least once a day. 

10 Things I Did This Week

1. We celebrated Chloe's second birthday!! 

2. I got addicted to cupcakes. 

3. I started to find my work days really dragging on lately. 

4. I got addicted to Scary Mommy Confessions. 

5. I got tired of budgeting and planning etc. I just don't want to do it all anymore. The app I downloaded doesn't help, because it isn't organized enough for me. 

6. We made an appointment to look at a townhouse. The cost is about the same as the place we're in now - rent is more, but heat is included. The downsides to this place is there's no basement or yard, but it's a lot nicer and it's closer to both of our jobs, which will help with the no-car situation. 

7. Eric got a surprise day off work (that neither of us wanted him to have) so we had lunch downtown on Friday. 

8. We managed to pay off a decent chunk of Eric's credit card. 

9. I can't think of anything else. 

10. ....

5 FUN Things I Would Buy if I Won a Lot of Money

Never mind my student loans, my car loan, our credit cards, and our children's future educations. These are the fun things I would want to look into buying right away if I ever won a lot of money. 

1. Cupcakes. 

I was never a huge cupcake person. I even got a local (popular) baker to make Chloe's birthday cupcakes, but I didn't like them much. But then I won a $10 credit towards a new little bakery that opened that specializes in cupcakes. We bought some. I tried some. I went back the next day and bought more. Nanaimo, Rolo, Peanut Butter Cup, S'mores, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Red Velvet. Those are just some of the flavors we got. Our of the 10 cupcakes, I ate 6 and a half of them. In less than three days. They only lasted  three days because I ate the last one for breakfast yesterday. And I've been thinking about them constantly since. All I think about are cupcakes. There must be some kind of drug in these cupcakes. I'm addicted. I get the cupcake hype. I totally get it now. 

2. Updated Wardrobe. 

Ever since I had Chloe, I only want clothes for her. I've started to really notice lately how much I hate everything, and don't enjoy getting dressed much anymore. Also, I hate to admit it, but I'm finally starting to like the look of skinny jeans, and I want a pair. Maybe even in a random color. I know, weird for me. 

3. Furniture Upgrade. 

Well, honestly if I won a ton of money, I'd be buying or building a house first. But ignoring that, I'd love to makeover some parts of my apartment as it is. We upgraded our bedroom furniture this winter, but this time I'd love to makeover Madi's room. She just has a white toddler bed and Eric's old wooden dresser. I'd love to get her a single bed, with a matching furniture set. Maybe even go as far as to get bunk beds, to prepare for later when the girls are old enough to sleep on a top bunk and share a room. I'd love to get a new livingroom set and dining room table as well, but that's another story. 

4. Boxed Sets. 

Tv shows on DVD. I'm obsessed. I have collections I need to complete (Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, etc) and new shows I wouldn't mind owning and watching. 

5. A Vacation.

I guess like most people I wouldn't mind taking a real vacation to somewhere nice if I won a lot of money. I've never been outside of Canada. I'd love to go somewhere warm, but I'd also love to visit the U.S., Italy, or anywhere really. 

Christmas is coming too. So I would also accept any of the above as gifts :p Or pots. We really need new pots and pans chez nous. Really. 

What's the first thing you'd want to do if you had a ton of money to blow? Bills and being reasonable with it doesn't count. 

Chloe's Second Birthday Party

Birthday girl!

I almost skipped blogging today, because I wasn't feeling it, but it's too important of a day to skip. 

Today my special princess turns 2. I can't believe it. 

Two years since I went into labor while watching The Lion King 3D in theatres with my friend Sarah. Two years since my c-section. Two years since life changed completely. 

Let's talk about her birthday party first. 

Some friends came up early, and helped me get ready when Chloe went down for her nap. She woke up from her nap when almost everyone was already there. She was so excited to see all the Dora the Explorer stuff everywhere. Girl is obsessed. 

We socialized, we snacked, and then we opened presents. 

Some of her presents included: some adorable clothes of course, two small Dora the Explorer dolls, a play tent, a Dora coloring book, a Cabbage Patch doll (from me, my favorite), some doll furniture and doll accessories, a LeapFrog Violet, and so much more. Spoiled little girl. 

We took some pictures, played with the toys, and ripped open the pinata. All in all, a pretty great day. 

Now today is the day of her actual birth. The poor girl is stuck in daycare while I'm at work. I'm hoping to leave early to have more time at home tonight with the girls. 

And some even more special news, this morning just after 3am, one of my closest friends gave birth to her baby boy three weeks early, so he shares his birthday with Chloe. Congrats to their entire family! And Happy Birthday to my little miss Chloe! 

Madi and Scott on a stick giving kisses

Dora pinata that my wonderful bosses got for Chloe, candy included! 

Chloe with one of my best friends, Ashley

Kisses for cousin Braden

Mom, me, nephew Braden, Grandfather, and Birthday Girl

Typical bad family photo

Lots of toys and clothes!