First Birthdays - PARTY or party?

Alright mummies, what do you do for a first birthday? Big PAR-TAY, with all the babies we know invited? Small grandparents/aunts/uncle type party? Casual drop in for friends and family? I don't know what to do! I have less than a month until Little C's first birthday party.

My brain tells me that a casual, low key, family and friends get together would the thing to do. Playtime for the kids and cake. I mean, really, what will he remember? Probably not much. Having more kids to play with and getting to eat cake would probably be a lot of excitement all on it's own.

On the other side, my heart (which is, as always, filled with mummy-guilt) tells me to make it the best party ever! We're talking Pinterest inspired party - thematic treats, decorations, games, favours... the whole nine yards.  Sure, it would really only be for the adults, but he'll be really impressed when he's older and looks at the photo albums, right?

So, I need to know. What did you do for your baby's first birthday - giant bash filled with fancy decorations and food, or chill open hous afternoon with just a few friends and family. Help!

Summer is Over, And So Is My Bucketlist

Summer is officially over, and so is my Summer Bucket List. I'm so happy that I made it, and even though I wasn't able to check everything off, I was able to check off quite a bit.

The Zoo - We didn't make it to an actual zoo, but we did go to a small petting farm, a large petting farm, butterfly house, and an aquarium. I think I can say that this was a success!

Kings Landing - This was a fail. We didn't get to Kings Landing, but there is still hope. We may get there before it closes for the year, or maybe in the spring. I guess it's still on the to do list.

Eat at Ossie's Lunch - Check! It was even better than I remembered it to be!

Make Pickles - Another fail! I'd like to say that there is still time to do this, but if I'm being honest with myself, there is NO TIME! I'm currently fighting my first cold of the season, and I'm swamped with work. On top of that, I have a first birthday to plan and (hopefully) a Halloween costume to make! That takes priority!

Playgrounds - Check! We've been to at least 6 playgrounds - From St. Andrews to Prince Edward Island. I'd say this was a success, and Little C still loves the swings!

Uptown Self-Guided Public Art Tour - Check! Little C and I managed to do this on one of the final days of my maternity leave. We had a good time, wandering around uptown Saint John, looking at art that we may not have stopped and taken a good look at before. It's nice to slow down and see the beauty in your own city. Here are some pictures. I'm sure you can tell that my favourite art pieces in Saint John are the John Hooper displays. I've loved them since I was a kid, and they remain my favourite today. They are so detailed, that every time I see them, I notice something else.

"People Waiting" by John Hooper
St. Andrew's Bicentennial Square (Barbour's General Store)

"Timepiece"
by John Hooper
There is so much to see
in this piece.

"The Moosehead Challenger"
by Forest Hart
This is a life-sized bronze moose.
Fun fact from the brochure?
 There's a can of Moosehead Lager
inside the statue for good luck!

 The following are inside, at Market Square. The Trade and Convention Centre is being renovated, so there were many pieces in storage, but we were able to spot some.

I think this one is called "Ocean Bone"
by Marie-Helene Allain.
As a kid, I thought this was the coolest thing.

Another John Hooper - "People Apart Moving Together"
Everyone seems to stop to pose, pretending they're
on the move with the crowd.

This really shows the detail of the Hooper pieces.
Check out the reflection in the woman's glasses. So detailed.

We stopped at a lot of places on our tour, but the spot I can't wait to return to is the Saint John Arts Centre.  It's in the area of Peel Plaza, which is new. It looks like there's lots of room for more public art to be added.



The picture is missing something.
I think (and hope!) there will be something added here soon.
It's just begging to be the new home of something special.

"Fiddlehead" by James Boyd

"Figurehead" by Carol Taylor
Inspired by the city market and
the figureheads of historic ships.

This is just a small sampling of what you can see in uptown Saint John. If you're interested in taking the Public Art tour, check out the Discover Saint John website.

Farmer's Markets - We've only been to two, but there have been many repeat visits. The Sunday Queen Square Markets in Uptown Saint John are great, because they are so close - very little driving necessary. I'm sure we'll get there a few more times before they end.  We also made it to the Kingston Farmer's Market a couple of times. Hopefully, this fall, we'll make it to Fredericton for the Boyce Market.

Visit St. Andrews - Check!

Buskers Festival - Check! I still can't believe it's taken me all these years to attend the Buskers Festival in Saint John. It was great! Lots to see and do, and I love seeing the uptown busy with locals.

Back To Work

My maternity leave is over, and I'm starting my third week back at work. (Which also explains the lack of updates last week. Oops!) I'm happy to be back to work, but its also hard. Besides being away from my little guy all day, I've learned some things.

1) I miss nap time. Honestly, I rarely participated in nap time, but while Little C napped, I had some quiet time. Now there is no more quiet time. Is just rush, rush, busy, busy time. I've discovered that I am an introvert at heart, and need the solitary time to recharge. I need to learn to take a few minutes here and there for myself, so I can get at time.

2) My vocabulary has changed a lot over the past year. I was always a person who didn't like "fart jokes" and firmly believed that some things should not be discussed publically. Now, I laugh at farts, cheer when Facebook friend's kids use the potty for the first time (even though I still thinks an over-share), and have talked more about dirty diapers in the past year than I'd like to admit. Fart, poop, pee... all spoke many times a day. This is all fine to me, but it also means I have to learn to talk to adults again. Some words are not really considered part of professional dialogue. 

3) My secret dream was always to live in a musical. Well, having child makes that dream come true. I sing everything. Diaper changes? "There's a little bit of poo in there, just a little bit of poooooo!" Leaving the house? "Let's go, let's go, to the truck, to the truck!" The songs go on and on. I sing about lunch, letting the dog out, making supper, and don't even get me started on playtime. Everything becomes a song - a constant musical narrator. So, I guess I'm living the dream. The problem is that I could get some funny looks when I'm singing while setting up my laptop, writing down notes, or scheduling a meeting. I should also mention that singing is definitely not my forte. I have to watch myself. Or, maybe I should just let the songs flow! 

4) I can't stand still. I've heard this happens to parents, but I didn't really believe it... Until now. I was standing today and found myself swaying back to back. I have had to rock my son like hat in quite a while, at least not on a daily basis. Still, I couldn't stop myself. Sway back and forth, back and forth.

So, if you need me, I'll be at work, swaying, singing to myself, yawning and talking about poo. Life is good.