Morning at Maplewood Farm!

^^ dream come true! ^^

We spent most of the morning at Maplewood Farm in North Van the other day. I had never been before and Gene, although growing up in North Van, doesn't recall ever setting foot on the grounds! As a result, it was the first time for little Max. The weather was absolutely fabulous for us this day and the day prior, which made for a not so muddy farm experience (regardless, i highly recommend bringing an extra pair of shoes for kids unless you don't mind crap on your upholstery). Furthermore, even though it was a pro-d day for school, the farm was relatively empty when it came to people and crowds. This was definitely an added bonus as there were plenty of opportunities for Max, who was already unsure and a bit scared of some of the animals whom he'd only seen in books, to run, play, and touch them. Max had a great time and actually didn't want to leave, more specifically he wanted to stay and feed the birds all.day.long even though the birds weren't eating the bird food...i mean these must be the most well fed chicken and birds in the neighbourhood with all the traffic that comes through this farm! 

^^ this little lamb was so sweet with Max! it just stood there letting him caress his head for so long ^^

^^ for a while i thought this goat was a statue because it just stood there for such a long time ^^

^^ he wanted to take this home ^^

^^ just a little scared of the poultry that were oh, about 1/2 his size in height! id be scared too ^^

^^ hi chickens!! ^^

Harmonica Love

we recently came across a couple of Harmonica's and just had to buy them. we've been slowly accumulating some random instruments at home with the intention that Max will one day play them. but y'know instruments are such an individual thing and in my opinion you really need to be called by the instrument to endure such a love affair. commitment, passion, hard work, happiness, connection with the music...it's like a freakin' relationship. 

anyhow, the harmonica has been such invaluable source of entertainment lately. when we first whipped it out of the packaging, he reached for it right away...probably because it was nice and shiny...but he didn't let go of it because he was interested. first and foremost, the instrument is great for toddlers as the skill to produce lovely sounds involves some simple breathing. sure the sounds aren't official songs (but really, the beauty blues harmonica is how cathartic it is, is there really sheet music for it? i don't know), but it took Max all of 5 tries to understand how to play and slide his mouth left to right as he blows (or more precisely, exhale and inhale to create sound).

i love how the harmonica is apartment friendly, pocket friendly, handbag friendly; just take it and go! lately Max has taken it to my parents house, the park, and the mall as his carry around toy. i can totally picture Max keeping this in his back pocket say in high school and whipping it out to woo some friends (or girls) with his mad blues skills! haha! i know a little too ahead of myself, but start them young and so many years to enjoy and practice! 

because we got 2 harmonica's, i've also been on youtube trying to learn how to play myself. um, i've watched 2 youtube video's and barely have advanced passed how to hold the thing! it's not easy, and you have to wrap your mouth/lips a certain way around the holes so you aren't always playing two notes but able to selectively play notes as individuals, as pairs, as groups, and do tricks that involve hand movement and inhaling and exhaling. let me reiterate, it's not as easy as it looks! all fun times nevertheless. 

i totally recommend a harmonica, that is a real harmonica vs. plastic play things you can buy at the local big box store. sounds better, plays easier, and if you think of it from an development investment point of view, wow the talent to be had can be mind blowing. love love love for years to come.

Science World Date

in my quest to find a balance with Max and mamma time, i finally bought an annual pass to Science World.

by finally i mean, Max is old enough to enjoy the exhibits and activities. by Max and mamma balance, i mean Max will eventually get really sick of being dragged to the malls with me and then rushing home for nap time...he needs to be stimulated in an environment not surrounded by consumerism (duh! right?!)  so here we are. i happily coughed up $75 for a 1 year pass and have added hours and hours of science world fun to our weekly/twice weekly/trice weekly fun and rainy day activities. Our first day there we had a date from 1030am-130pm (nap time), and as he napped i hopped on the sky train and did my sightseeing and shopping rounds, when he woke up we headed back to main street for some playground fun. home by 530pm, dinner ready or ready to be ordered, productive day accomplished! As an added bonus, I really like the playground in this area as it's very toddler friendly (i judge it base on slide height) and Max get's a huge kick out of that car with 4 steering wheels that he can pretend to drive, Max drive mamma to Metrotown! get my drift about the malls? ha! 

^^ one of my best friends lives in the area and we can easily meet up for lunch! on another note, YES this guy is really walking the safety guard rail. he didn't fall, the weather was perfect, but nevertheless i still think he was nuts! ^^ 

^^ there was an exhibit about landfills and how long things take to breakdown. this was a puzzle activity but clearly Max was more about using the broccoli as a microphone or pretending to eat it, Max love broccoli! he exclaimed ^^

^^ this was the take home message of the day for Me. AHA! moment. Gene and I are now vowing to not flush the toilet overnight after voiding, small changes big impact ^^

^^ the only mathematical concept Max learned here was that he wanted all of this fake pie ^^

^^ if you stared at this for 10 or so seconds as it's spinning and then changed your focus say to someone's head, you'll see their head getting bigger. Illusion! There's also hourly educational shows at centre stage, one about Illusions...all equally cool ^^

^^ he loves these circles on the ground where you block the beams of light and in turn a funny sound is made. the sounds are so bold and loud! there's a drum version too ^^

^^ imagine if i had quintuplets?!?! 5 Max's to manage! OMG ^^ 

^^ all LEGO pieces! ^^

thanks Science World, we'll be seeing you every.single.week! 

Hello Spring! Life Lately

happy Spring Vancouver! 

today is my first day off from work and i'm still recovering from my first ever cold since Max was born. by first, i really mean first.ever.illness in 26 months! i have felt like crap all week, had a cough that's kept me up all night and all day, short of breath lying down, nose dripping standing up, achy muscles, y'know the works (woe is me)! and what did i learn during the trajectory of this illness? time to rest and recover doesn't exist for this mamma in our household! at day 8 of this cold, i still have a cough and still have somewhat of a runny nose. mind you i haven't been taking any drugs because i can't stand popping pills, which i know my being a nurse who dispenses drugs all the time is kind of odd to say, but multivitamins is about all i can manage and not daily. i've been going through the 'teaspoon of honey' route which has actually helped suppress my cough at night. it's not a curative measure but not only does it taste good, it worked a bit (psychosomatic maybe?).  how do other mom's cope when they're ill but still need to take care of little ones? how do mom's with chronic illness deal? i wish you strength fellow mom's!

aside from being sick, being a mom, and being a full time worker (did i mention i didn't call in sick at work?) ...i also am studying for the CNA Exam under the palliative care specialty. i've known about this exam oh since November and I'm finally feeling the crunch right now....the exam is on April 5th! working is studying right? you can't study for psychosocial questions right? bell curve marking right? i give major kudos to mom's in school trying to make a better life for themselves. career...academia...motherhood....self care...it's not impossible, but wow it's not easy! 

^^ my baby still fits in this little storage container ^^

As for Max, he's also sick but it's not even phasing him! some parents are the type that they take their kids to the doctor right away at any sign of illness, me i judge how unwell he is on how much he plays. little kid still wants to go to the playground? hallelujah, he's alright! speaking of playground, Max started counting 1-10 on his own this week! i started actively teaching him a couple of weeks ago and what triggered him to do it on his down was climbing up the ladder on the playground. just randomly helping him and supporting his bum, and there he goes counting from 1 to 10 with each step ...my jaw dropping but trying to shut my mouth to let him finish...and there it was, milestone. my baby is no longer a baby. I'm still working on the alphabet but I'm trying to teach him to recite it with meaning (ie. A is for apple) rather than just memorizing a song (but as for memorizing, he's up to G!).  i also bought him this alphabet puzzle to work on....so far, he get's O right all the time! haha. as previously mentioned, i stopped letting Max use the iPad a long long time ago for various reasons. if you let your kids use digital technology, i highly recommend this app, Max loved it and he was so good at it at at 18 months! 

anyway, I've figured out ways to incorporate new things into Max's life and so far it's been working especially with food. the key thing is to say, "mamma love ____" and/or "papa love _______" and since he loves what we love (or so it seems), he seems to want to do what we're doing. a few nights ago, I heard Max saying Max love broccoli! as he stuffs his face with dinner. and sometime during one of our outings, he randomly said Max love cake! where that came from I don't know since I'm not a huge fan of cake nor where we anywhere near cake, but it's really nice hearing him express what he likes vs. the old guessing games of infancy. 

and there we have it, life lately! I'm going to work in the light, and going home from work in the light!! our outdoor time has significantly increased since it's still light out after dinner (just need to dress warmer) too, i can't wait to experience play life with a near 2.5 year old! picnics out doors? playing chase? sandbox castles? warm weather? yes to all! 

happy spring everyone!

^^ Max at 26 months ^^