Daddy's Bed

Houston, we have a problem.

Got a fantastic 8+ hours of sleep on Tuesday night and totally thought we had gotten an easy pass out of our co-sleeping problem.

Until last night...

Hannah went to bed without a fuss at 7:30 but promptly awoke 2 hours later. We let her toss and turn for a while but I eventually had to go in. What a mistake!

"Daddy's bed....daddy's bed..."

Oh no, I thought. I want my pillows all to myself. So I offered to read her some stories but was met with absolute hysteria. I had the idea of bringing daddy's pillow into her bed which calmed her down instantly. So I began to read her books, sing her songs and sit beside her but almost an hour later I was freezing on the floor and she was jumping up and down.

So, I logically got out a blanket and a pillow and made myself comfy. But wouldn't you know she wanted to join me in slumber on the floor.

So we slept together for a good 2 hours on the hard floor. At about 2am, she was fast asleep and my side was in excruciating pain, so I gently lifted her up and plopped her into bed. She didn't move...until I left the room when she popped up and started shrieking.

Another floor attempt with lots of rustling around and we ended up back in "daddy's bed" at 4am.

Oy vey. What a mess I've made. It doesn't help that we'll be away for the weekend sharing a room with her.

Tonight, I will not go into her room. No matter how loud the crying gets.

Kind of feel like I'm ferberizing again.

Any suggestions? I want my bed back!

Sick Breath

The temperature outside this weekend hovered around 0 degrees celsius. And while most families were out an about enjoying the mild weather at multiple kid-friendly carnivals throughout Montreal, we were stuck at home.

But our indoor temperature was more than mild. Hannah had a 103 degree fever all weekend long. No fun. Lots of tempra, fluids and soup but she just couldn't shake it.

She morphed into a new child. A calm, TV-watching little girl that only wanted hugs and to be carried around. Snuggles on the couch...who is this child?

And while I savoured our moments of love (her sick breath aside) all I wanted was for her to feel better.

Not wanting her to cry unnecessarily, she made it into our bed every night. And while my back is aching from her sideways sleeping position, we are most concerned about a new habit we may be developing.

We worked so hard to break the co-sleeping habit at 8 months but it came back so naturally.

I hope with all of my might that once she is feeling better (which may be today seeing as it was a Tempra-free day) she will break the habit on her own and snuggle up under her covers all night long.

Maybe I caved too easily. Maybe she will bounce back to her old routine.

Whatever the outcome, I think I need to get myself a new sick strategy...any ideas?

Mommy goes MIA

What a week its been....

5 days in Toronto, an incurable cough and an unexpected sick day for Hannah today with a fever of 101.

Guess that's what happens when mom flies the coup. Payback, baby.

So as much as I'll admit that I was quite content to have a few days to myself, working trips are anything but relaxing. I logged a total of 25 hours on my feet manning a trade show booth and could now use a pedicure and a massage.

Granted, I did have a Saturday to myself that I quite enjoyed. It started with breakfast in my hotel room, a visit to the hotel gym (still so proud of myself for this), 6 hours at Yorkdale mall and a solo visit to the movie theatre. I admit, it was quite heavenly.

But while I was pounding the trade show pavement, Hannah and her dad and doggy were at home fending for themselves. Sure, I left a detailed calendar, pre-scheduled plans for playdates and a fridge full of food, but they did very well on their own.

Props to daddy for taking care of Hannah and Winston for 5 whole days. I honestly doubt that I could have done the same myself (mostly just the Winston part). But he managed to set up a high-tech system between the baby monitor and his iPhone to make the late night dog walks happen.

Pretty ingenious if I do say so myself.

With any luck my next work trip will only be in April (San Antonio, Texas anyone?) But instead of worrying about it already, now I know that they can manage without me. But the real question is can mommy manage without them?

Probably. If there's a spa, that is.

Mini Boden

Wow, has it really been almost two weeks since my last blog entry?

Five days away from my family in Toronto and weeks of trade show prep seem like a good excuse but, not good enough. So while I'll recap my big "getaway" in a subsequent blog, today I thought I'd make up for my absence on a lighter note.

Sure, we may have just gotten 15-20 cm making the roads a mess and sweaters all the more comfy but I'm already thinking about spring. You'd think my 6 hours of "alone time" at Yorkdale mall would have had something to do with it but my inspiration arrived in the mail the other day.

The Mini Boden Spring 2011 catalogue.

Just about the cutest kids' clothes I have ever seen. And while I admit to having never ordered anything from their catalogue (yes, they do ship to Canada), the steep price tags might be slipping my mind while flipping through the pages of this catalogue.

Here are just a few of my favourites that you may see Hannah sporting this spring/summer:

Stripy Boat Neck - so classic

Printed Classic Jeans - have you ever seen anything cuter? Strawberries!

Vest Dress - only $40!

And for baby girls and older boys...

Stripy Chambray Dress

Graphic T-shirt

Just a few of the absolutely adorable items available. And the women's stuff is pretty cute also.

Ever ordered from Boden? Would love to hear your feedback about their quality.

Caillou (& Hannah) Loves Winter

With forecasts for the weekend weather dropping way below zero, I'm already thinking about how to keep Hannah busy and warm.

While we seem to have made the most of Montreal's indoor family friendly activities (we finally tried Kidnasium last weekend), there is one I would definitely consider revisiting.

The Biodome.

We went on New Year's Day and Hannah and her best friend had an absolute ball. From walking through the different environments to enjoying their unique animals and entertainment (slides, egg seats & play areas) it was a morning of pure fun.

But best of all, they loved the Caillou Discovers Winter section. With a live daily storytelling session and a totally kid-friendly play area, this addition was truly the icing on the cake.

The play area had dress up penguin and bear costumes, an igloo tent, an icy slide and plenty of huge ice cube blocks for building. While we could have stayed all day, nap time quickly approached and the long drive home was a relaxing one for all of us.

Here's just a glimpse at some of the fun awaiting if you decide to head east this weekend, (btw, the exhibit ends February 6 so better hurry while it lasts):

Gwyneth Paltrow is a Working Mom

I don't think I've mentioned this one before but I love Gwyneth Paltrow's newsletter Goop.

From recipes to travel tips, she covers everything in an easy to read format that any mom can relate to.

This week Gwyneth featured an article titled "A Day in the Life..."

She takes us through the daily routines of 2 moms and herself. There are some great tips and here are just a few that I've pulled from each of them:

Juliet de Baubigny: Ok, so maybe we can't all have a trainer knocking on our front door on Monday mornings to motivate our weekly exercise routine and a weekly blow out may not be in the budget but...

• I love that she stresses the importance of family dinners (thanks to my FoodFun side)
• Truly devoting an hour to your kids every night (no cell phone, no email, no distractions...)
• Get your girlfriends together - so important, enough said.

Stella McCartney:

• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day (FoodFun again..)
• Reading together is special bonding time.

Gwyneth Paltrow:

• It's all about balance.
• Multitasking is key: hair conditioner while doing stretches

Sure, these are some high power moms but just like the rest of us they are struggling to find a balance between work and family.

Some of my tips include preparing the week's meals on Sundays and making tons of to-do lists. My biggest dilemma at the moment is trying to squeeze exercise into my routine. Although 6am seems to be the only time slot to make it happen, getting up in the dark is making it most difficult.

What about you? How do you get it all done?

Orlando Redux

We arrived home from Orlando, late Friday night, having been indulged in being bumped to business class but passing up on all of the first class extras because of a sleepy child that was too wound up to get any shut eye.

That basically was the theme of our vacation. No, Hannah wasn't on a constant sugar rush or Minnie Mouse high but our trip seemed to be equal parts amazingness and exhaustion.

After 5 days and 4 nights in Orlando I came to the conclusion that travelling with a toddler is not a vacation but rather a trip. You go away, you enjoy, you make memories but you DO NOT rest. I guess that's what adult-only trips are for, not that I've had one in the past 2 years :)

So here's redux of our journey for those of you planning an upcoming trip to Orlando or the rest of you who just may be curious to hear how it went.

Hotel: We stayed at the amazing Sheraton Vistana Villas. We lucked out and got an amazing rate on a 1000 sq. ft. 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom villa with full kitchen. Definite luxury and convenience. The resort boasts about 7 pools, numerous play areas and tight security. In my opinion, its only shortcoming is a lack of decent restaurants, but I guess there are enough of those in Orlando to go around.

First stop, of course, was the Magic Kingdom. We had a full 11 hour day with a character breakfast (Minnie, Donald, Goofy) at the Cape May cafe. A bit on the pricey side but well worth it. Then off to the big D for a day full of rides (Hannah's favourites were A Small World & Jungle Cruise), parades, shows and being called a Princess (me and her) every which way we went.

Other activities that I'd highly recommend are:

On a rainy day: The Orlando Science Centre. KidsTown is GREAT for toddlers with live animals (alligators, turtles), a kitchen play area, orange picking production exhibit, dinosaur bones and so much more.

To get outdoors and into nature, without the huge crowds head to the Green Meadows Farm in Kissimmee. We rented a wagon and pulled Hannah around the farm during a 2.5 hour walking tour of all the animals. They had everything from ponies to zorses (a cross between a zebra & horse) to ostriches. Best part, was that we could actually walk into some of the pens and feed and hold the animals. I even got to milk a cow!

And lastly, here are some family-friendly, healthy & affordable restaurants that I would highly recommend:

Sweet Tomatoes

Chipotle

California Pizza Kitchen

So, like I started off saying, we had a ton of fun but I could use another getaway now. Maybe the trip was too short or we just packed in too much. Maybe the terrible twos are making meltdowns a bit more common. But I guess that's what family vacations are all about.

But one thing's for sure: there's no better place to make a kid happy than in Orlando!