ten minutes to myself

throne

Since we stepped back onto Alberta soil about one month ago, Madeline's potty seat has become a forgotten friend. I was okay with giving her a couple weeks grace, and her enthusiasm for wearing undies did return, but we were back to the old routine of holding for hours and hours and hours and then having an accident. Because she refuses to have anything to do with the potty seat, of course.

I thought we'd turned the corner this week when she asked me to find her a pink potty. If she'd use it, I certainly didn't mind investing in a different potty. We went to Superstore, Wal-Mart, and TRU looking for pink potties. No luck. At TRU I told Madeline that she could pick out any other potty that she liked, instead. The store is undergoing renos, so the potties were in a temporary location with no prices marked anywhere. I figured that M would choose the Dora the Explorer one. But no ... she picked the flashy musical one that resembles a toy toilet. I nearly died when the clerk rang up the total at the cash desk. I think that Madeline picked the most expensive potty in existence! A case of disposable diapers would be cheaper! Gosh, I hope it suits her royal behind because it's the last potty she will ever own ...

Unnappable

Today was Day 1 of Operation: Quiet Time. I explained to Madeline no less than three times this morning that after lunch, she was going to have "Quiet Time" and she could nap, read, or play quietly in her bedroom. After Quiet Time, she and I would do something fun together. Madeline seemed excited about it, initially. Honest. She actually told me that she was going to use her Quiet Time for napping, too!

So, after lunch (her favourite perogies, btw), I helped her make a nice nest of pillows and blankets on her bedroom floor, outfitted her with a drink and many books, said goodbye, and set the kitchen timer for 40 minutes. I think that she lasted about five minutes before she was asking me for one thing or another, ten minutes before she needed a cuddle and a story, and twenty minutes before she was outright howling in protest. The mission was aborted at that point. Boo. I don't know what I was doing wrong, either!  The kid fell fast asleep on my bedroom floor at 5:30 this evening. I let her stay there only long enough to check my email.

What to do tomorrow?

On another note, I've been enjoying my weekly emails from Babyvibe - they publish a Calgary edition. The one that I received today featured Natural Pod, which is the first retailer that I've heard of from Canada specializing in naturally-sourced products for children. I could never afford to shop there, but I think that the stacking rainbow puzzle is really cool!

I've been lurking on a local parenting forum, and I'm getting a real Stepford vibe from it. Today someone else new to Calgary posted, asking if anyone with similarly-aged kids wanted to get together for coffee, and the great majority of the replies just told her that they'd love to if she forked over the moolah to upgrade to the next level of membership. Geez. Would it have killed someone to say, "gee, how does Friday sound?" or "let's get together at Such & Such coffee shop"? Ugh.

in the loop

In most ways, I think that St. John's is a better place to raise a toddler than Calgary is, though this weekend Madeline and I enjoyed a couple of the things that this sprawling monstropolis does better. First, I picked up a copy of the free monthly parenting magazine (Calgary's Child). I don't know of a better way to find out about kid-related things like community clothing/toy/gear sales, consignment stores, playgroups, special events, etc. In St. John's, all of this stuff seemed to be spread by word-of-mouth, which poses a problem when one is new to town and knows no one.

Second, we went to one of the kid-and-coffee joints that I was mightily wishing for back in February when it was too cold and windy to play outside and the most interesting indoor outings I could think of was another trip to the Y or a trip to Chapters so that Madeline could jockey for a spot at the train table. I think that an indoor place place with a few tables for parents to meet up at over tea would be a brilliant business to open in St. John's.
The one that we went to today was the Urban Treehouse, which is actually located outside of Calgary in Airdrie. It don't normally travel that far away for anything, but it seems to have a mythical reputation here, and I was curious. Madeline wasn't into the place as much as I expected, but the Treehouse was by far the cleanest indoor play place I've ever seen! So much cleaner than Coffee n' Scream or Jump n' Java! It was surreal!  Madeline dropped a bit of the cookie I'd bought for her on the floor while we were there, and I didn't think twice about picking it up and giving it back ...

a rare naptime post

Long time no post ...

Enrolled Madeline in Gymboree classes again, as she seems starved for social interaction. I mind that insidious clown more than the price of the classes. Madeline was mesmerized by the bubbles, as she was a year and a half ago. I'm glad that some things haven't changed!

Madeline hasn't been on a nap schedule since returning from Edmonton back in January. She seemed to do okay with the missing sleep for awhile, but I think it's clear now that she does need an afternoon nap, however brief. More and more she's dozing off at 5 pm, and then she's up until 10:30 or 11 at night, which isn't cool with me. I am planning on introducing the concept of "quiet time" in the afternoon next week, and thinking of setting up a little napping corner of some sort as well. Of course today, Madeline nodded off on the sofa at a completely acceptable quarter to three ...

Somehow we misplaced the x-ray fish from the Little People zoo during the move from St. John's, and I am going batty trying to locate it! Madeline, of course, noticed that it was missing right off ...

we're going on a bear hunt

I think that both Madeline and I were a little blue this morning after bidding adieu to my mother-in-law (better known as Nana). Madeline sure had fun with all of the trips to the nearby playground with Nana, and I appreciated having someone else around while I ran around at lightening speed, trying to do all of the things that need to be done before our next move. Anyway, my proposed cure for the blues: a trip to the library.

This was our first visit to the library since arriving back in Calgary, so we signed Madeline up for her very own library card (free!) as soon as we arrived. She was quite thrilled to carry it around (and eventually abandon it on the shelf by the children's DVDs). She helped me to pick out a couple of movies, then played at the activity cube for about ten minutes. She filled the canvas bag that I was carrying with a half-dozen picture books. I am the most excited about reading Fancy Nancy with her, but she's partial to blue aliens!  An elevator ride downstairs to the check-out desk completed the outing nicely.

So much nicer than the last time we were there, in 2005, when Madeline was merely interested in pulling all of the board books off of the shelves!

quotable madeline, take two

Madeline spies a plastic filler egg beside her easter tote this morning. "Where did this come from, Mama?" she asked.

"I have no idea!"

"Maybe it came from Michaels!"

Umm ...