Warm and toasty!

And still sick. Ugh. I have one nasty persistent bug. Every time I start to feel better, it comes back with a vengance. Nothing like having your 2 year old tell you "Mumma's sick. Mumma was barfing. Mumma's sad." Yep, all of the above. Thank goodness for my folks living so close - my mom made an emergency run to Rexall for ginger ale, pedialyte and Imodium. I slept most of the day, and have managed to keep everything down since last night. Bryan was a sweetie and made me some Jello today, and kept Lily amused while I rested. At time of posting, I am feeling OK. It's Lily's last swim lesson tomorrow, and we promised her a special waffle brunch for finishing them! I don't want to miss it.

Back to the warm and toasty part - the furnace install is 90% done. There are 2 heat runs for the basement that need to be installed. I'll call them on Monday to make arrangements for that. The crew had forgotten their paperwork, so they missed that part of the work order. And because they didn't have paperwork for us to sign, they didn't take our cheque. The crew was great, right on time, really polite and cleaned up their work area. And didn't use any technical language. Even when it took them at least 2 hours to drill through the concrete wall for the venting required for the high efficiency furnace.

Overall, I am really happy with the new system. The furnace is super quiet, and has a great recirculating fan that keeps the house at a nice even temperature. The tankless water heater works a bit differently than a regular tank, but it's fine. The hot takes a bit longer to get going, but once it's there, it doesn't run out. I had a blissfully warm bath last night before bed! After reading the manual, I've found that I can program the tankless unit to recirculate from 6-9pm so that the hot water is instant during that time. Most tankless units work on a demand system. Turning on the tap triggers the heating unit to fire up, and once the water has travelled through, you have hot. That means that the first water you turn on isn't hot because it hasn't travelled through the heating unit. In addition to the on-demand supply, this system has a small (2 gallon) holding tank that will recirculate the hot to eliminate the lag in hot water supply.

I can't wait to see the gas savings this winter. In the cold months, we were paying between $300-400 a month on the old no-efficiency furnace. I'm hoping for $80.

There is so much more space in the basement! Now that this is done, the real work will start. Next is some hardwood upstairs for Miss Lily, and then our electrical upgrades. After that, demo demo demo. Stay tuned!

Think warm thoughts for me tomorrow...

Our new furnace is being installed and we won't have a lot of heat from 9am until 1pm. After that it should be smooth sailing!

On Friday our tankless water heater is installed. We decided to change from a tank system to an on-demand tankless to save some space. They are also very energy efficient and have way fewer emissions than a traditional tank that is heating water all the time. I love that it won't take up any space and that by removing the old tank, we gain a lot of space in the middle of our basement. Yes, the middle. When the house was built, the tank was placed exactly where a hallway should be. With it gone, that's where the hall to our downstairs bathroom will be. The new furnace will be a bit smaller than the old, but the placement doesn't change.

I have some floor plan ideas, but nothing concrete so far. Once the furnace and heater are done, I can plot out some walls. I'll be sure to post more about the layout when we have it finalized.

Off to find my warmest woolliest socks to wear tomorrow...

The List

The lists have been requested, and here they are. (Links included where possible.) Please note, that while it would be really generous of the gift givers to do so, these are not all-inclusive lists! They are suggestions, ideas and things we would love to find under the tree. Please feel free to spin off from the lists, or even surprise us with something not on the list. (But not a pony or a puppy. We don't have the room.)

Lily's List (because Christmas is for the kids anyway!)

In light of the recent recalls of a lot of children's toys, we have been looking at more creative, classic toys for Lily. Wooden puzzles, blocks and play food. Paper and crayons. Dress up items. Imaginative play is our theme!

Crayola Crayons the basic everyday crayons, not the fancy twisty or Color Wonders stuff. You will probably have a hard time finding the old 64 box, but it's still out there.

Paper The big plain floor pads are what work best. Or, the Mala easel and paper roll from IKEA. Paper roll = endless drawing!

Play kitchen items We have it on good authority that Santa is bringing her some wooden play food, so she'll need something to cook with! The IKEA Duktig line is great. Mumma and dad found her a wooden play kitchen and a few accessories already, feel free to add more. Home Sense has some really neat wooden accessory sets right now.

Books She loves to read - right now her favorites are books with pop ups or flaps. She loves Sesame Street, Curious George, and anything with monsters. Evan brought over The Gruffalo the last time he came to play and it was a hit.

DVDs - Pixar Animation Shorts, Madagascar, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Wallace and Gromit Three Amazing Adventures, Ruby Gloom, Elmo Says Boo, and the Sesame Street Old School Vol 1 DVD set. Even adding one of these to her list of 'mooshies' would be fun. I do love Monsters Inc, but 457 viewings later, I can recite all the lines.

A monster She already has the small Big Toe doll and three Cookie Monsters. But...another ugly monster would thrill her to bits! Anything monster related is a hit here. She was quite disappointed to learn that Halloween was all done. If you can find a Doom Kitty stuffed animal from Ruby Gloom, she will give you extra hugs and kisses.

Practical items she needs some warm long sleeved 2 piece pyjamas. Her 1 piece ones from last winter still fit, but are not great now that we are potty training!

Bubble Bath Kiss My Face makes a new kid's line of bath products. We have the bubble bath and the hand soap already, and it's yummy! You can find this at Planet Organic, and a lot of health food stores.

Bryan's List

Because he knows how, he is free to edit this post to include any other items. These are just a few things that he has mentioned.

Helly Hansen work socks The ones from last year are much loved, but worn out. And smelly.

Books etc The Watchmen graphic novel. (This is available at Chapters - I made him promise not to get it so it could go on this list!) All 6 of the original Dune series of books. Apparently he will only read a series if he has ALL the books at once.

Movies Hellboy II, Ironman, Incredible Hulk (not the Eric Bana version), Children of Dune (obscure and hard to find...)

BBQ Tools Some long handled stainless steel bbq tools. Especially a grill brush. I think Jumpy Squirrel took off with the current one. (Stupid squirrel hides peanuts in our bbq!)

He had no other ideas to share, but I can tell you that he could use some nice dressy casual clothes. Not that we go out a lot, but something to wear on a night out. It needs to come with free babysitting!

Carrie's List

You can't go wrong with something for the garden or the kitchen. Lily has stolen all my oven mitts, and I would love some new whisks.

Le Creuset Multipan I am smitten with anything Le Creuset makes! The 3-in-1 22cm multipan in red would be a lovely addition to my kitchen, and would allow me to get rid of my non-stick pans. I'm not fond of bits of Teflon flaking off in my food...

Plant Markers Bryan wasn't too impressed when I used his lunch spoons to mark the lilies in the garden. And I wasn't impressed when Lily found them in the flower beds, pulled them out and gave them back! So some real flower and plant markers would be great. These are neat (selection A or B, or both!)

Wireless Weather Station My dad has a wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer that is pretty neat. I have no idea why I thought it would be a good idea to mount my outdoor thermometer to the full sun, south facing wall of my garage. I must have put it up in the winter, where a warmer temperature there makes you feel better about yet another day of minus 20 in February. Something a little more accurate would be better.

Sharpening Stick This would be nice to have, as I tend to leave my garden shears out in the rain, or use them to trim stuff they are not designed to trim.

Pampering items

• Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious Shampoo, Conditioner and Defining Creme. I love love love this stuff! You can get it at Beauty Junkie in WEM and LUX Beauty on 124th street.
• Lemony Flutter Cuticle Cream. This is from Lush. Smells like pie and keeps my nails strong.
• Philosophy Makeup Optional box. Bry - this was a hit, please feel free to copy your own gift idea from last year!

Murphy's Law is a cruel thing.

(From Wikipedia)

Murphy's law is an adage in Western culture that broadly states, "if anything can go wrong, it will." It is also cited as: "If there's more than one possible outcome of a job or task, and one of those outcomes will result in disaster or an undesirable consequence, then somebody will do it that way"; "Anything that can go wrong, will," the similar "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong," or, "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way." In a less dramatic fashion, the law can be expressed as "Anything that has a probability of happening greater than 0 can and will happen. No exceptions." The saying is sometimes referred to as Sod's law or Finagle's law.

In my case, it means that the night you put the toddler to bed early so she can get up early for her first day of daycare, she will wake up every two hours. And refuse to get up at 7am, the time you really need her out of bed.

It was an equal opportunity night of wake up calls - I was up 3 times and Bryan was up 3 times before 5 am.

During one of the middle of the night wake up calls, when I was wondering if anyone would be willing to buy her for a quarter, she looked at me and said in the sweetest voice:

"But I want to hold you Mumma."

You can't compete with that. She's never said that before, and it hit me right in the heart. So we sat down for cuddle-in-chair number 452 of the evening (or was it morning?)

Today is her first day at the Daycare Co-op program. This morning, Lily was so excited to go, and told me in the car that she wanted to "Listen to the teachers." We have been talking up the daycare for her, so she knows what she should expect. She has a new lunch bag, backpack and shoes, and we got her a warm coat for playing outside. I've been working hard at raising a polite child, and most of the time she remembers to say please and thank you. Yesterday she sneezed and said "Bless you" to herself. Like any kid, she thinks it's hilarious when she toots, but she is learning to say "Excuse me" when she does it. I have been reminding her that she needs to use these manners when she is at daycare, and that she has to listen to the teachers. Thus our conversation in the car.

We got there early and met Gidgett (yes, her name is Gidgett, and it is perfect!) and the other teachers.

When we arrived, Lily was eager to explore and check out all the toys as Gidgett gave me the tour and let me know about the routine for the day. Lily jumped right in and played with blocks and the water table, and was painting on tinfoil when I left.

I didn't cry. I wanted to - I've never left her with anyone other than family. (Auntie Keltie counts as extended family!) I know she is in good hands, but it is a huge leap of faith to trust your kid to strangers. She will learn so much and have so much fun today, and every week. She needs this, and I need this. The time alone will be so good for me, and seeing her at the end of the day when she yells out "Mumma!" will be so worth it.

I'm hoping that she plays hard, and sleeps well tonight.

The Christmas lists are coming...

Really.

Sandwiched

So now that Lily is going to daycare on Mondays, I have to pack a lunch once a week. Miss Lily is in the throes of I'm two and I don't like anything.

"I want to push a button"

has been replaced with:

"I won't like it"

and

"I won't like it more".

Translation, "I really don't like it". Argh.

Well, there are some things she'll eat. Ranch dip. Jam. Ketchup. Applesauce. Yogurt. So we serve everything else with one of the above sauces in hopes that some of the food coated actually hits her tummy. Yesterday she surprised me by eating a lot of ham. You never know. Then again, she did put most of the chopped ham into the strawberry yogurt before eating it. Sigh.

Back to the lunches - what will I pack for her? I have to abide by the no nuts policy that is in place in most care centres. That's easy enough to look after.

Sandwiches are easy when you know what your kid will eat. Not so easy when she HAS to eat it as there is no other option. Maybe that's the trick. Hopefully she'll play so much that she'll be starving, and the peer pressure of 17 other kids will cause her to eat every morsel.

So, blog friends, what is your favorite sandwich? I have an ulterior motive here, as I am trying to win a contest, and get an extra entry if I post this in my blog as well.

My favorite guilty pleasure sandwich: cream cheese and bacon on toasted brown bread.

My favorite comfort sandwich: tuna salad on light rye, made my my Auntie Eleanor.

My favorite fancy sandwich: grilled ham and cheese on cinnamon raisin bread.

My favorite hot sandwich: tuna melts made by my Grandma P.

Sandwich I would never eat: a Reuben. Just can't do the sauerkraut!

Sandwich I have been craving: one of Christine's Cuban sandwiches, or her other amazing creation, the Chicken Caesar Po'Boy.


And the contest? Pop on over to a peek inside the fishbowl to see what's up.

I am so excited!

I actually jumped up and down and squealed today.

Why, you ask?

A while ago I wrote about a daycare co-op program that I really wanted Lily to get into. On a gamble, I sent them and email asking if any spaces were available. I really didn't expect to hear back, but I did, and they told me the wait list for Lily's age group was 'not too terribly long'. I didn't ask what the definition of that was, preferring to be surprised. I expected to get a call after Christmas. Everything I have heard about their space and program has been amazing, and it's a tough one to get into. But, once you are in...

I was wrong - the call came today. She can start next Monday! We're going to start her on the 17 th, not the 10 th as we have to get a few things together and this week is super busy. After I spoke to the coordinator, I put the phone back on the cradle and jumped up and down and told Lily that she's going to school!

The program is a once a week, Mom's Day Out co-operative daycare. It's designed for parents that stay at home or work part time but still want a break without having to rely on family and friends to take the kids. The fees are super reasonable (Under $100 a month...I know...) Parents have to volunteer a day of their time, and do other duties related to running the program. It's going to be so much fun for her! She will be going on Mondays for now - if another day comes available, then I will try for that. I wasn't picky about the day that I wanted, on the hopes that it would get her into the program sooner and it worked. It's a learn by play based centre. The activities coordinator used to work for Disney Cruise lines - I have heard amazing things about her!

She'll be there from 9:30 to 3-ish. The only bad thing about Mondays is that many statutory holidays fall on Mondays - I'll have to ask how the fees work for those days.

While Lily is going to have so much fun playing with other kids, the one that will benefit the most from this is me. Yes, I am putting her in the program for mostly selfish reasons.

I need the 'Me' time. Even if it's for a few hours a week, it will make a huge difference. I am going to use this time to recharge. I promise not to use this time to pick up extra hours at work, to grocery shop, do laundry or clean my house. I have 6 other days to work on that. I hope to use the time to do fun things, like window shop on Whyte Avenue, or wander through the Art Gallery when it opens, or sit in a coffee shop and get back my writing. I will continue my search for a decent pedicure that doesn't cost $200. I may even treat myself to a massage. Yes, my mind will wander to what my girl may be doing, and my cell phone will be right beside me. I'm sure I will be checking the clock to see how close it is to pick-up time. But that's ok - she'll be in good hands.

There was a mouse in my house!

She was the cutest mouse...she alternated between calling herself a mouse and Ratatouille. Especially when it was naptime and time to take off the costume.

"Nonoooononoonoooo! MoremousemoremouseonononononNoooooo! MoreRattatouillerightnowrightthere! NOoooooooo! "

Mumma won.

Heading out to Lala and Buppa's for dinner and to show off the costume.

That's my cheesy girl!

Ready to go.

She had a ton of fun, and didn't take long to figure out that if she knocked on the door, someone would give her candy. She was really polite and said thank you to just about everyone, and even said the ocassional "Trick or Treat" in a teeny tiny voice. And she only said "More" a couple of times, much to my embarassment! One lady was so taken with her that she gave Lily all the colors of Playdough. I haven't introduced her to Playdough yet, but upon opening it, I was transported back to my own childhood. That's what Halloween does to you when you are grown up. As Bryan and I walked from door to door, we recounted our favorite costumes. Any guesses? Bryan's was Batman, and mine was Bug Bunny. But I think that my favorite Halloween memory was when my Mom and Dad switched costumes to go to a Halloween party. My Mom went as Sylvester to complement our neighbor's Tweety Bird. What was my dad, you ask? He borrowed my Mom's Raggedy Ann costume, complete with yarn wig. I don't think he wore striped tights, and he certainly didn't shave his moustache off for the party, so the effect was more Klinger from M*A*S*H* than Raggedy Ann.

Ahhh, childhood memories.