This week is kicking my ass. Yesterday, I completely lost it with Elliot and groveled at her feet afterwards. She forgave me instantly. Honestly, I need to remember sometimes that she is only 3 and is allowed to be incredibly annoying. That’s her job. It’s my job to be the adult and gently steer her away from her aggravating ways. Anyhow, I really don’t feel like complaining about my kids today. So I’m going to answer more questions. Here goes:
Mrs. Chicken wants to know:
Shaken or stirred?
I’m going to go with shaken. Unless we’re taking about babies. Babies should never be shaken. (Sorry, I’m SO tired of being reminded of this fact by the public health nurses – I KNOW, already.)
From Candace:
How are your best posts created? Do they percolate for days to just pour out randomly?
A bit of both. I usually write furiously and then edit endlessly. I could edit a post a thousand times and still not be entirely pleased with it. At a certain point I have to make myself stop. My posts tend to percolate for a few days. A sentence will pop into my head and I’ll have to write it down. This is why I have scraps of paper scattered all over my house. Ya, I’m anal retentive that way.
Cate had a few questions:
When are you coming to Ottawa? ha!
I know you were joking about this, but seriously, Ottawa is on my short list of Canadian places I’d like to visit. It looks so pretty there. If I do, I will look you up.
Do you think you will have more children? How many children do you think you will have / would you like to have?
Funny you should ask this. I was dead-set on stopping at two for a number of reasons. Among them: small house; the children’s favorite food group seems to be money and I don’t have all that much of it; my last pregnancy was sort of, well, hellish; I don’t like the idea of the kids outnumbering the adults; I’m not really a huge fan of being attached to a baby 24/7; and I’m a wee bit selfish in that I like working outside the home in addition to being a mom and childcare costs, etc, start adding up after awhile.
On the other hand, the second one is way easier. And Arlo is such a sweet baby. So much so that Jason and I found ourselves saying that maybe three wouldn’t be that bad. But then I worry that one of the kids would be the odd one out. And I am NOT having four!
So the very LONG answer to this question is that I’m 99% sure that we’re done. I like the two I have and feel like I’d be tempting fate to try again. I fear he/she may be a colossal jerk to make up for the (mostly) pleasant personalities of the other two.
Annie asked:
You are on maternity leave. Are you going to keep this blogging gig up when you return to work?
Yes! I’ve met too many great people and am far too much of an attention whore to give this up when I go back to work (which isn’t until May or June, anyway). I was blogging prior to going on mat leave, and I write for a living (won’t say where), but the work fluctuates a lot. Some days I barely have time to eat lunch, while others are super-lax. Like surfing-the-Internet-all-day-lax. I actually have more time to blog while I’m working than while I’m at home.
And lastly, from my sister Jenny (sadly, blogless):
Who bought Arlo his “I Love Sports” shirt featured in the Flickr pictures ’cause I know it wasn’t you?
Good call, Jen. Yes, it wasn’t me, but his Nana. I love the color of this shirt, but am perplexed by its declaration. Does anyone really love ALL sports? It’s rather unspecific, don’t you think? My sister is a die-hard hockey fan and has threatened to turn my kids into fans too. Being someone who knows nothing about sports (and is married to a man who also doesn’t follow them – well, except for boxing), this freaks me out a little.
********
Well, that’s the last of the burning questions. Well, besides a few of them which will warrant an entire post. Oh, crap. Does this mean I have to start actually writing real blog posts again?
Yep, I’d have to say sport shirts didn’t make it onto my kids’ backs until much later, when they were allowed a say in what they wore.
I love Q&A’s…it’s like a shortcut to getting to know someone.
If you keep being so darn fascinating I might just threaten to look you up next time I’m in Alberta. =P
When I saw that pic of Arlo I thought the same thing. I like sports but do I really like ALL sports. And what constitutes a sport. Does poker count? They play poker shows on the sports network – so maybe it does? And I would never really watch water polo or billiards (again is that really a sport) – so I can’t say I love ALL sports.
And then I think – I’m one big loser who thinks far to much about Arlo’s shirt.
Sports is so very unspecific. Curling! Great!, Sumo Wrestling? Bad.
I’m going to have to catch up on your pregnancy posts! No kidney stones, I hope!
I’d like to know how you met your husband. (Please don’t tell me it was in rehab or I’ll feel really bad for asking.)
Curling a sport – nay I say! Now drinking………
i have a hard time remembering that kids are supposed to be annoying too…
Joline – The “how I met my husband” story is coming. Jennifer also asked that, but I didn’t think I could quite fit it into a
Q & A. I’m going to do an entire post on it as it is an odd little story (and I can’t promise that I don’t look like a wee dork during it).
We have 3 kids so I can speak from experience… Don’t worry about any of them being the “odd one out.” Kids are very flexible and interactive and don’t just play in pairs.
Do I get to charge for my advice?
Glad to know you’ll be keepin’ on bloggin’ when you go back to work
As for the conversation about curling? Not a sport in my opinion – a bizarre oddity, maybe, sport -no! And, yes I’ve played it and had the trip to the ER for my trouble lol!
Jeff – Gah! Don’t tell me that having three works out just fine; now you’re totally adding to my ambivalence about having another. Can’t you just let me live in Happy Faulty Logic Land?
Having said this, yes, I know many families who have three and the kids seem perfectly well-adjusted. Damn you and all the other great parents out there making me think I might just be crazy enough to have one more. Must book the husband in for the snip-snip before I have time to consider this as a possibility…
Super-lax. Is that a job where they dole out ex-lax? Hmmm…I need me one of those jobs. snort.
Work never stops anyone from blogging. I should know
Stop at 2! You won’t regret it, you can always get another cat if you feel like something’s missing. Besides your sister needs to catch up one of these days.
PS I like “swirled” over shaken and stirred. I think that you are even allowed to do that to your kids.
“I Love Sports” would be jarring on my kids too.
I’m the person who ducks during softball games because I’m terrified of the ball.
Screw I love sports, where’s the I Love Chocolate shirt?
Dont’ listen to Irma Blacksheep! If I could I would have had 3 even though I’m all about the even numbers. Your sister can always ask GODDESS for triplets to catch up. A cat isn’t a sibling – duh!
You ladies who have a girl and a boy have it easy when it comes to making the “is our family complete?” decision.
Jerk.
I absolutely love your header.
Yup – shaken over here, too.
You BETTER keep up the blogging! Work is the perfectplace to do it!
It is possible to love all sports believe me. Especially my beloved oilers. Hopefully me and sis can convert Elli and Arlo to super-fans as well.
I have 3-year old triplets and I can definitely see that three is a crowd. They get along great sometimes, but other times, it breaks my heart to see one of the kids completely excluded. I also have a 4-month old baby that everyone tells me, will soon become the companion of the odd triplet out.
I’d love to have another baby. But, knowing what I know, would I stop at five, an odd number?? If I had one more beyond that, I’d be able to count the number of children I have on two hands. And that’s just nuts…