Sugar Sugar

Earlier this year our friend's son was diagnosed with type one diabetes.  Nearly six months later, after a big learning curve for everyone involved, they want to share in their experience to help promote awareness and education to parents, teachers, caregivers or anyone touched by diabetes.  We often think about coping from the caretaker's point of view, part three of this series is the perspective of Rehan, 11 years old, on his life with diabetes. 

Rehan - Age 11

1. What has changed the most since you were diagnosed with diabetes?

I'd say my home life has changed the most. There are a lot more things I have to do.

2. Your mom and dad have both done a lot of research on diabetes since you were diagnosed. have you done any reading about diabetes on your own?  What have you learned?

No not really.

3. What is it that you hate the most about having diabetes? Are there any positive things?

The thing I hate most about diabetes is the constant pricking on the body. It is sometimes nice to have a break from activities for a while.

4. There are a number of celebrities and athletes (Chris Dudley, Nick Jonas, Dustin McGowan, Chris Jarvis) that have very active jobs but still perform at the highest level with diabetes, does it help to know that these role models are out there?

Well, yeah in ways those role models have kept me going sometimes. Chris Jarvis has really inspired me. Note: Chris Jarvis is an Olympic Rower with T1D who founded the 'I Challenge Diabetes' activity group.

5. How did your friends react to you having diabetes?

Some were curious and some just said ok while others tried to help out.

6. If you were to meet another kid your age who was just diagnosed with diabetes what advice would you give them?


Um, I guess I would tell them how to get through the first months because after the first months it's not so bad.


To read the first two parts of the series about symptoms, resources and family life after Rehan's diagnosis click here and here

Eat the Rich

We've all seen those ads on TV for the local lottery.  You know the ones I'm talking about where most of the fun of the lottery ticket purchase is when you imagine what you could do with your winnings.  Chris and I don't buy lottery tickets.  With twin toddlers all of our spare money goes towards caffeinated beverages and alcohol (I'm only half joking).  In a couple of weeks Molly and Jack will have been in daycare for two years. This means that over the past two years we have invested over $60K into daycare costs for the minions: which is insane.

Don't get me wrong, I love our daycare.  They have been kind, compassionate and fantastic in helping Jack with his speech therapy.  They have taught both children all the ins and outs of such children's classics as The Wheels on the Bus, The Alphabet Song and have provided them with important social skills like the importance of sharing and tidying up.   

Today I want to indulge in my own lottery commercial.  Below are ten things that we could have purchased if we had not been paying double daycare fees for the past two years.


10,833 lbs of lobster...That's 29 lbs a day!

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

120 days with a private/personal chef.

A year's tuition, including room and board at Harvard.

15,000 Cash for Life lottery tickets.

1 cruise "around the world in 180 days" with 20K in spending money...sorry Chris I'm going solo.

2,600 movie tickets including popcorn and drinks.

1,090 of Starbucks most expensive beverage: The Sexagintuple Vanilla Bean Mocha Frappuccino

Image Courtesy of BuzzFeed

Over 425 full days of housekeeping, including some hefty tips!

4 mid-range Rolex watches.

6 Flash mob dance routines.


We don't need a lottery, despite what our bank account balance says.  The truth is we already won it with our million dollar family.

To see my post from last year's daycare spending potential click here

Forever Young

One of the big things that some parents focus on when they first find out they are expecting is how becoming a mom or a dad isn't going to change them.  We made plans for all the ways we were going to keep up our old lives despite being parents and for the most part we've done an okay job of it, but the truth is that it has changed us and looking back that's not such a bad thing.

Our weekends are no longer long lazy stretches of sleeping in and late late nights, although sometimes there are late late nights followed by early early mornings. We have less time for "us" but I think we try to use all of our time more wisely.

Being a parent myself has given me a new appreciation of my mom and dad and their own unconditional support which as children I think we are far too self-centred to really comprehend.  A while ago Chris was at a business conference and one of the keynotes was Canadian Comedian Jessica Holmes.  In her segment she talked about being a parent and the epiphany moment, while she was holding her infant daughter, when her mother simply said, "You understand that I love you just as much as you love your daughter, right?"  When he told me about it I marinated on it for quite some time.  It's something so completely obvious, but as a child I just didn't get it.

This week we attended a funeral for a close friend's mom.  For the entire service I kept thinking about how terrible it would be to lose a child, at any age.  I thought about my friend having to tell her grandmother that she had lost her daughter and how incredibly terrible that would have been.  I found myself watching my friend's grandmother intently wondering how I would deal with losing one of my kids, whether it was tomorrow or when I was in my 80s.

 I have seen some of the changes that come with being a parent or growing up and I am very happy about most of the things that are different in my life.  I have less time, so I'm trying to focus on the things that I love and what on earth could be scary about that?

I have been nominated for Voiceboks 2014 Multiple Parenting Blog Awards - If you have a moment to spare: Click Here Now and cast your vote for Multiple Momstrosity #27, it's the little heart icon that pops up in the top right hand corner that registers a vote NOT clicking on the photo.  If you follow any of the other blogs or enjoy them like say HDYDI (#21) you can vote for them too - you can vote for up to five different blogs daily.

The End

On Sunday morning I sat on the living room couch and wept.  Suddenly it had all become very real to me - this was the end for my shadow, my friend of 15 years.  Molly walked over to me and asked me why I was crying, so I explained to her that I was sad because our cat was very sick.  Apparently Molly lives in the same place of logic as The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper, "When people are upset, the cultural convention is to bring them hot beverages."  Molly brought me over two cups of imaginary tea to make me feel better.  Jack waited until I stopped crying and eventually curled up in my arms to cuddle, but only after I'd finished my "tea" so I wouldn't spill it.

Jack 1 month old and Pan 

On Monday morning I called our vet and confirmed everything that I already knew in my heart.  This would be the beginning of the last week or two of Pan's life.  We would need to find him some secure place to allow him to rest, spoil him rotten and eventually when the fluid in his lungs becomes too much, take him into the vet to end his life.  So we secured his space, cuddle him often and give him a bottomless plate of tuna every day.  Now we wait.

We ask ourselves the question of what we tell Molly and Jack when he finally goes.  My vet told us about story books we can read to help them understand what's going on.  I did some research online and we may pick one up when the time comes.  I know that they probably won't remember him; the way they scolded him when he jumps up on the table, because if they aren't allowed to sit on the table then neither should he, the way the patiently sat there as they tried to "gently" brush his fur or the way Molly would pile stuffed toys and blankets around him because he was sleeping.

Pan was my longest standing roommate, guard cat, judge of character, lap cat and trusty friend.  I'm going to miss him so much.  There is going to be a lot of imaginary tea in our house this week.

Cartoon Heroes

We make a solid effort to limit the amount of TV that the kids see.  That being said, there is some pretty repetitive programming that goes on in our house and we are always looking for ways to avoid seeing yet another episode of Tooupee and Binoo.  Naturally we were thrilled when another parent told us about Teletoon Retro so we could expose the minions to all of the cartoons that we grew up with.

The antics of Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner and their slapstick undoings became fast favourites, particularly with Jack, and have become a part of our Sunday night before bath and bed.

Wile E. Coyote - contemplating the gravity of the situation...

The other night we sat down to watch a half hour of cartoons before story and bed time.  In a half hour of programming (which is more like 20 minutes with commercials) we saw two "suicide gags" in the classic cartoons.  I'm not talking about dropping an anvil on someone's head or falling off of a cliff.  I'm talking about skits ending with the main characters taking a gun to their heads and killing themselves.  Our jaws dropped.

When I began researching these incidents I found out that many of these "gags" have been edited out of TV, but apparently someone at Teletoon Retro decided to let this slide, twice, at a time when many young kids are still up.  Why these were ever deemed funny is a mystery to me.

So where do you draw the line?  Are anvils and pianos okay but guns not?  Pre-screening every show before they are allowed to watch it seems a little helicopter parent for my liking - at the same time I don't exactly want them to witness anyone (cartoon or otherwise) playing russian roulette.

Realistically I know that my children have as much access to a gun as they do to anvils and dynamite - zero.  I also know that they grow up in a world where they will have fire drills AND safety drills on what to do if someone with a gun enters their school.  These are discussions that we will have with them, that their teachers will have with them.  I'm just not sure if I want this education coming to them via Porky Pig.


Are we stuck in the bubblegum sweet world of TreeHouse until the kids get old enough for us to really explain to them why that is bad?

What is a happy medium between cataloguing and pre-screening their doled out TV time and giving them carte blanche to watch violent TV?

I have been nominated for Voiceboks 2014 Multiple Parenting Blog Awards - If you have a moment to spare: Click Here Now and cast your vote for Multiple Momstrosity #27, it's the little heart icon that pops up in the top right hand corner that registers a vote NOT clicking on the photo.  If you follow any of the other blogs or enjoy them like say HDYDI (#21) you can vote for them too - you can vote for up to five different blogs daily.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - A Review of Saving Mr. Banks

Last fall Funky Lindsay posted a brilliant list entitled Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Mary Poppins on her blog. This along with my love of children's stories had me itching to see Saving Mr. Banks when it came out.  Chris and I attempted twice to see it in theatres, but both times it was sold out, so we saw it at home last week.

Here is my review of Saving Mr. Banks.

Summary

Financially struggling author P.L Travers begrudgingly considers selling her bestselling book Mary Poppins to Walt Disney and is thrust into the magical world of Disney.  As a result she must deal with some demons from her past while she considers selling out into a Disney film in this "based on a true" story.

Best Parts of the Movie
The details in this movie are fantastic, from the very UK way that Thompson sits with a blanket in her lap to Walt Disney being a chain smoker who doesn't want to be seen smoking.  The decoration in the scene where Travers enters her Disney themed hotel room is an excellent satirical take on the excess that is Disney.  The best chemistry in the movie is between Paul Giamatti and Emma Thompson.

Worst Parts of the Movie
About half an hour into the movie Chris turned to me and said, "We get it, she's a B...now get on with the story." which pretty much summarizes my thoughts on the movie.  They could have cut down the length significantly to make it a tighter script and cut some of the syrupy sweet sentiment to make things feel more genuine.  The movie was a little transparently Disney PR, but they didn't advertise it any differently so I didn't exactly feel swindled.

When would I Let Molly and Jack watch this movie?
This is not a kids movie.  I may let them watch this should they ever become big fans of Mary Poppins, when they're a little older - over 10.

Overall Rating
I would rate this movie 3/5.  This movie did for me what I'm sure it's aim was: it reminded me about Mary Poppins and now I really want to watch Mary Poppins with Molly and Jack.  I'll possibly grab a copy of the book myself and read it to them both at bed time in a few years.  Darn you Walt, why'd you have to be so charming!

To read my review of Maleficent click here
To read my review of Bad Neighbours click here

Want Multiple Momstrosity updates on Facebook click here

I have been nominated for Voiceboks 2014 Multiple Parenting Blog Awards - If you have a moment to spare: Click Here Now and cast your vote for Multiple Momstrosity #27, it's the little heart icon that pops up in the top right hand corner that registers a vote NOT clicking on the photo.  If you follow any of the other blogs or enjoy them like say HDYDI (#21) you can vote for them too - you can vote for up to five different blogs daily.

Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)!

Everyone has heard of the legendary "terrible twos", and mentally I prepared myself for a double dose of it when Molly and Jack reached their second birthdays.  Two came in like a lamb and for the most part has been a very positive year in terms of growth, development and ease with the minions.  What I wasn't prepared for was the "trying threes", which arrived a month and a half early and we are now facing a daily grudge match with Jack where he tries every ounce of my patience.

A couple of months ago two dirty little words entered Miss Molly's vocabulary. When I brushed tangles out of her hair she'd cry it.  When we turned off the TV or said it was time for bath or bed or told her to tidy up the box of toys she'd spread all over the floor, she'd say it again - and I have to admit it broke my heart every time she screamed, "Go Away!" at us.

This is not a phrase that we use at home, so I'm convinced that these two words are something that she'd acquired at daycare, akin to some sort of virus of the genome "parentaldisrespectus".  We immediately and quite successfully began work on etiquette and manners with her.  Molly loves to be praised for being a "big girl" and hates to be given time-outs.  She also can't stand being embarrassed in front of her favourite people.  So by simply saying things like, "You hurt my feelings" or "I guess I should tell your favourite person at daycare that you were being rude"  she usually stops.  These instances slowly decreased in frequency.  That being, said she's three and Chris and I have also found that sometimes it's best for everyone to let her have a complete meltdown so she can spin and then calm down.

My two cubs!

Unfortunately parentaldisrespectus mutated when Jack developed it.  It started slowly, when he got upset that we were going out and demanded that his sitter (who he quite likes) "Go Away!".  Over the weeks to follow our easy going, affectionate little man became a terror.  I immediately began to implement the methods that worked with Molly and they did not work.  They got worse.  Bed time began with over an hour of crying and screaming from Jack, followed by a 2AM stretch where he'd be awake and inconsolable for at least an hour, hellbent on climbing into bed with Chris and I.  By morning everyone was exhausted and patience was thin as I endured karate kicks to the chest and screams of "Go Away" as I tried to get him dressed.  He'd throw things, pinch, cry, holler and hurt my feelings immensely as he'd scream about wanting daddy, to go back to bed and told me to go away.  Exhausted, I was being a tyrant to both of them: when Molly's only crime was being overtired because her brother screamed all night.  The more time-outs we doled out the worse he got.  It didn't help that Molly offers running commentary including, "Jackie's being naughty.  He hurt mama's feelings.  Jackie needs a time-out".  I'm fairly certain he's going to clock her pretty soon.

The other morning after Chris had to take over our morning routine with Jack because I was so angry and frustrated he turned to me and said, "You know he doesn't mean it right?  He's three."  I knew it, but somehow I needed to hear it from someone else.  I don't speak baby, but I do speak English and his words were really hurting me, even though he doesn't understand cause he's freaking three!

Our one sized fits all solution for "Go Away" wasn't going to work for Jack because drum roll here: He and Molly are very different people.  I began my research.  Jack has always been such an easy going fellow that you literally forget about him, so he has been feeding off of this negative attention lately.  This combined with bad sleep and the weird phenomenon that both of my children are pretty jerky whenever they are about to achieve some sort of milestone has been particularly terri-bad.

So I found some great research on dealing with different phases with your kids and why they throw tantrums and have gleaned the following:

• Don't acknowledge bad behaviour, just walk away
  This took a ton of self-restraint yesterday when I asked Jack to put his sun hat on and he threw a ball at my face, twice.  As we work on perfecting the walk away, Jack has started to chase us, which I think shows it's working.
• Yelling back or attempts to minimize tantrums make them last longer
  I know this but it's really hard to stay calm and not scream back, "WE DON'T HIT PEOPLE" at the top of your lungs when you've been pinched, hit or kicked.
• The part of the brain that regulates emotion and allows kids to control social behaviour is the last to develop and doesn't begin to develop at all until four
  I have at least thirteen more months of this, yippee! 
• The average tantrum lasts three minutes
  So if you're going nuts...put on some music...the average pop song lasts 3-5 minutes.

I keep reminding myself "This is only a phase!" again and again, however I would rank this as the third most painful child rearing experience so far.  The only things worse have been daycare illness and colic. One day we'll look back at this and laugh, although I'm pretty sure that day won't be tomorrow.


I have been nominated for Voiceboks 2014 Multiple Parenting Blog Awards - If you have a moment to spare: Click Here Now and cast your vote for Multiple Momstrosity #27, it's the little heart icon that pops up in the top right hand corner that registers a vote NOT clicking on the photo.  If you follow any of the other blogs or enjoy them like say HDYDI (#21) you can vote for them too - you can vote for up to five different blogs daily.

The Whole World is Our Playground: Lakefront Promenade Park

We wanted to go to a park with Chris's parents that was half way between their place in Mississauga and our place in the Junction that had a decent view, a picnic area and a splash pad.  My search led me to a parkland area that borders on Etobicoke/Mississauga called Lakefront Promenade Park. 

My park review disclaimer: If you don't live in the area I hope you enjoy the pics and can use some of the ideas to inspire and explore in your own city. If you have any recommendations for great playgrounds (or new criteria I haven't thought of) please post a comment on this post or email me.

Park Name:

Lakefront Promenade Park

Parking:

 There is quite a bit of parking inside the park near the splash pad, but it fills up quickly.  By the time we went home people were sharking for a spot.  You can take the Lakeshore street car west to Long Branch and hop on the 23 Bus to get there, but it's probably much easier to drive.

Theme of Park:

Get away by the lake.

Ground Coverage:

Mixed grass, concrete paths, astroturf, woodchips, and boardwalk.

Variety of Equipment for different ages:

 This park has a climbing structure, slides and variety of nozzels and sprinklers in the splash pad area along with giant umbrellas for parents to supervise under.  There are also bike paths and a board walk along the lake for some exploring.  Most of the kids playing were between 6-8 years old.

Best Parts of the Park:

This park has a lot of different spots to picnic and explore.  There was a food truck and snack bars if you forget your picnic basket at home.  The walk along the lake was neat and we spotted a lot of boats, a kite, some ducks and a swan.

Downfalls:
 The set up of the park area  is not ideal when you have toddlers who wander, with a lake on one side and parking structures and roadways on the other. We were constantly on our toes - even with four adults.  Parents with kids aged four and over seemed significantly more relaxed.

Overall Rating:
I won't go back to this park until Jack can obey traffic laws and knows better then to throw himself into the lake.  This park would definitely score higher in the summer since the splash pad is the main attraction.  I'd rate it 3/5, but just because I couldn't relax...My rating may change in a couple of years - which will likely be how long it us until I venture another visit.

To read my review of Marie Curtis Splash Pad and Playground in Etobicoke click here


I have been nominated for Voiceboks 2014 Multiple Parenting Blog Awards - If you have a moment to spare: Click Here Now and cast your vote for Multiple Momstrosity #27, it's the little heart icon that pops up in the top right hand corner that registers a vote NOT clicking on the photo.  If you follow any of the other blogs or enjoy them like say HDYDI (#21) you can vote for them too - you can vote for up to five different blogs daily.

A Question of Time

Earlier this year I posted my New Years Resolutions (nitty gritty details here).  I don't think I've ever followed resolutions this far into the year, but it's definitely kept me honest.   This is my mid-year Resolution Check In:

Read More Books for Me
In 2013 I only read 10 books for pleasure.  So far this year I've read eight books which puts me on pace to read 16 this year.

Here's what I've read lately along with my mini reviews:

Sacre Blue by Christopher Moore
There is an evil "blue" monster tormenting famous and infamous tortured artists in Europe.  Entertaining moments, but nothing new.  I fought to finish this - this is not one of Moore's best.

I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined) by Chuck Klosterman
What if DC didn't create Batman and he was a real person in New York City?  How would people react?  Why do we love to hate certain bands?  Klosterman explores villains, imaginary and real, in his classic essay style all while grappling with the inner villain inside.  A great read, couldn't put it down and read it in two days.

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
Why, How and When does the underdog win?  This lightly academic read is an interesting and entertaining take on human nature and the ability to find the perfect storm needed for the "Davids" to gain the upper hand.

Girl Boss by Sophia Amorusa
What was the secret of  Nasty Gal Sophia Amorusa's success? This mostly bio, part inspirational book was an entertaining perspective from Sophia's shoplifting to CEO life.   Is it going to give you insight that will shatter all other business advice? No, not really, but it's a quick entertaining read that can inspire on the virtues of finding your passions and rolling up your sleeves for a little hard work.

Night Out Circa Summer 2012

Have More Date Nights With Chris:
I'd have to say that this has been an epic fail lately and Chris and I really need to make more "us" time - we've focused our babysitter time on social activities and completely ignored the couple activities.  Thankfully with the nice weather we have managed some time out in the backyard together when the kids are in bed.  I have booked a babysitter for a one on one date night next weekend.

Read more stories to Molly and Jack
Reading has taken a bit of a back seat as we'd rather have more time out in the evening playing than an extra story, but we still manage to get in 1-3 stories most nights.   Last night after reading the same story for what seems like the hundredth time, I've determined it's time to go out and get some new favourites onto our bookshelves.  We may want to make it a birthday gift priority for the kids next month because when Chris and I get bored we don't want to read to the kids as much.

Be Less Strict with Toddler TV Time
We've incorporated a family movie night on Sundays where we let the kids watch about half of a movie before story time to give them a little more screen time.  We have also made exceptions when they're sick or the weather is crummy.  We've been alternating picks to keep things fair, especially since Jack selects Frozen  almost every single time.  Molly's favourite movie is Cinderella followed by Peter Pan.

Book More Time For Me
It's so easy to get stuck in the martyr trap as parents.  I am a better parent to Molly and Jack and a better wife when I make more time for me.  I have found myself increasingly frustrated the past two or three weeks when work or other obligations have had me on solo shifts more than usual.  This coupled with Jack who's been particularly stubborn, disobedient and up in the middle of the night of regularly has not been a good combination.  I have managed two massages in the past two months (although one was completely medical after I pulled my back).  I have my next brunch date booked for the 20th and will try to book some more time for me before I'm ready to snap.


How did you do on your New Years Resolutions?

To read my three month check in and mini book reviews click here

Want Multiple Momstrosity updates on Facebook click here

I have been nominated for Voiceboks 2014 Multiple Parenting Blog Awards - If you have a moment to spare: Click Here Now and cast your vote for Multiple Momstrosity #27, it's the little heart icon that pops up in the top right hand corner that registers a vote NOT clicking on the photo.  If you follow any of the other blogs or enjoy them like say HDYDI (#21) you can vote for them too - you can vote for up to five different blogs daily.

Go the Distance

In the past few years I have spent a lot of time in two places: work and alongside the minions.  What this means is that I have read an alarming number of children's stories and seen an obscene amount of G rated movies.  Since toddlers like to watch things over and over again I have had plenty of exposure to a handful of their favourite films.  I have a ton of commentary on the Disneyfication of our youth, however repeat exposure to Walt and his successor's works has sparked a great deal of debate between Chris and I surrounding Disney and Business.  Walt was a great creative mind, but his empire was also a business.

Below are 8 lessons about business that are brought to you by Walt Disney, the letter B and the number 3.

From The Little Mermaid.

1. Always Read the Fine Print
   The devil is in the details was one of the major lessons that Ariel learned when Ursula the Sea Witch came to collect on her contract to make her temporarily human to pursue her love.  The same can be said of vendor contracts, employment contracts and pretty much anything you sign in business.  When in doubt have your lawyer look it over.
2. Treat Everyone with Respect and Dignity
   My sister got her first job as an assistant to the president of a major corporation in part because she was the only candidate that was kind to the receptionist.  In Beauty and the Beast the prince was turned into a horrible Beast after turning away a beggar woman because of her looks.  
3. It doesn't matter what your intentions, you will fail if you can't work together as a team
   In Sleeping Beauty, Princess Arora is sent away under the charge of the three good fairies (Flora, Fauna and Merry Weather) who are completely incompetent at every day tasks, they undo each others work, attempt tasks that other players are masters at (like cake making and sewing) only to fail, flounder and argue.
4. Know Your Team's Talents and Utlize them well
   Alternately once they are able to use their magic, the three good fairies are able to give Prince Phillip the Shield of Virtue and the Sword of Truth for the final fight with Maleficent, the sword enabling Phillip to destroy Maleficent and her evil with one well-aimed blow.
5. Sometimes your Allies and opponents are obvious...other times they aren't
   In Frozen the gentleman from Wesleton is obviously looking out for number one whereas other people are better at hiding their ambitions.
6. Everyone needs a Champion...or Fairy Godmother
   Look for allies in the work place and beyond to vent to, bounce ideas off of and talk you up as your personal sponsor to help challenge you and provide great opportunities.  The fairy godmother only needed to give Cinderella until midnight to change her life forever.
7. Hakuna matata or Let it Go!
   It means no worries, You can't control what other people say or do, only how you react to it.  Sometimes you need to take a deep breath and move on.
8. Have Faith in yourself and you can accomplish so much!
   Because all it takes is faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust!  Hard-work and sticktoitiveness also helps!

I have been nominated for Voiceboks 2014 Multiple Parenting Blog Awards - If you have a moment to spare: Click Here Now and cast your vote for Multiple Momstrosity #27, it's the little heart icon that pops up in the top right hand corner that registers a vote NOT clicking on the photo.  If you follow any of the other blogs or enjoy them like say HDYDI (#21) you can vote for them too - you can vote for up to five different blogs daily.

Hats off to the Stranger

On New Years Day 2013, I came across a great blog entry by the Bloggess where she tracked the strangest search results that led people to her blog.  After this I started keeping a closer eye on the random things that bring people to Multiple Momstrosity and hopefully keep some visitors.  In the first six months of 2014 I saw nearly 35,000 visitors and I'm so happy for the support and connection with many families, parents and friends.  I hope that many of you are regular visitors and enjoy my take on life with two plucky toddlers, although I still assume that many people stumble across this blog by accident in the search of other things (like porn and videos of guys getting punched in the crotch) because even Google can't predict everything we are searching for.

Below in bold are the strangest/most memorable search terms that have led people to my blog in the past six months.  I hope that it helps some of you explore some of my older items that you may have missed.


Justin Bieber Strip
There are so many more clever things that others have said about young Justin that I know I can't come up with anything better.  Disappointed visitors who searched this were taken to an entry where I praise Comic Strip Mama for her cartoon take on the "Biebs"

Sarabeth Stroller Orgy
I have no words for this one - nor do I want to understand what it means.  "I don't know what you have planned tonight Homer but count me out!".  This brought people to my description on what a "Candy Orgy" is after our rental car got broken into in BC.

Kids Fight Over Bong
There is a lot of content on YouTube featuring kids fighting over a bong, unfortunately this has nothing to do with my blog.  This takes you to a post where I talk about Wonder Woman being violated at the minion's first birthday party and when Cher from Clueless gets bong water spilled on her shoes because of Breckin Meyer, which also leads me to add that this is the second time I've written about Breckin and what he did to Molly's name.

Comparing Different Boobs
This search led people to a post about how I turn momvisible when I'm pushing my children in a stroller.


I have been nominated for Voiceboks 2014 Multiple Parenting Blog Awards - If you have a moment to spare: Click Here Now and cast your vote for Multiple Momstrosity #27, it's the little heart icon that pops up in the top right hand corner that registers a vote NOT clicking on the photo.  If you follow any of the other blogs or enjoy them like say HDYDI (#21) you can vote for them too - you can vote for up to five different blogs daily.

The Whole World is Our Playground: Review Little Norway Playground

I first saw this park in BlogTo's Best Playgrounds in Toronto Edition last summer.  We decided to explore it with the minions this weekend to see what the fuss was about.

My park review disclaimer: If you don't live in the area I hope you enjoy the pics and can use some of the ideas to inspire and explore in your own city. If you have any recommendations for great playgrounds (or new criteria I haven't thought of) please post a comment on this post or email me.

Park Name:

Little Norway Park

Parking:

 There is a little bit of parking on Stadium Road near the park, but while we were there people who didn`t obey the signs were ticketed.  This park is a three minute walk from the Fleet Street Stop on the Bathurst Streetcar line.

Theme of Park:

Little retreat in the big city.

Ground Coverage:

Mixed coverage of sand, concrete and grass.

Variety of Equipment for different ages:

 This park has a couple of unusual features (Lion Slide and Tunnel) and spider web climber as well as a very basic wading pool.  Most of the kids playing here were six and under.

Best Parts of the Park:

If you want to check out some neat sculptures and a city view this is a great park to relax and enjoy the view.  It's well hidden with some decent shade covering on a hot and steamy day.  For kids who are obsessed with planes you can see a lot of take-offs and landings because of the close proximity to Billy Bishop Airport.  The people-watching at this park is unparallelled: If you've ever wanted to know where "the beautiful people" go to hang out, Little Norway Park is the answer: from the fitness buffs doing boot camps, to hot moms, to those sunbathing, there is a lot to see.

Downfalls:

 After exploring some of the neat sculptures, the slide and a once over all of the playground equipment, the kids got bored. Some other patron took a deuce in the wading pool they had to shut it down for half an hour while they chlorinated (it wasn't my kids, I checked.  No seriously, I checked). That's when we knew it was time to go home.

Overall Rating:

This people-watching paradise is something that is worth going to at least once to check out the scenery and relax - Chris now refers to it as "Hot Mom Park".  If you live in the area, find yourself nearby or are waiting for a flight from Billy Bishop it may become more of a regular retreat.   Rating 3.5/5.

To read my review of Marie Curtis Playground click here

To read my review of Dufferin Grove Playground click here

To read my review of Vermont Square Playground click here

I have been nominated for Voiceboks 2014 Multiple Parenting Blog Awards - If you have a moment to spare: Click Here Now and cast your vote for Multiple Momstrosity #27, it's the little heart icon that pops up in the top right hand corner that registers a vote NOT clicking on the photo.  If you follow any of the other blogs or enjoy them like say HDYDI (#21) you can vote for them too - you can vote for up to five different blogs daily.