Sleep, Sanity and Skinny Jeans

Sleep, Sanity and Skinny Jeans tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2010-01-18:/the_forty_week_wait//82 2013-05-15T02:56:19Z Join Amanda, mom to three girls, as she experiences the joys and struggles of having a newborn again. You can get more Amanda at her personal blog, Kicky Boots. Movable Type Pro 4.37 Wild and Free tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13877 2013-05-15T02:52:04Z 2013-05-15T02:56:19Z

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/ My wild things:

Each of them so vastly different, so beautiful in their own ways, so flawed, so growing, so lovely.

I am blown away by the life that fills our home and I am so thankful for these crazy, rambunctious girls we get to call ours.

]]> Day of the Momma tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13868 2013-05-13T01:53:19Z 2013-05-13T02:28:59Z

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/

Mother's Day: was mine perfect? No way.

There were still bums to wipe, lunches to pack for the next day, temper tantrums to endure and sibling fights to break up.

But there was also Eggs Benedict on a sunny patio. And homemade gifts. And a nap.

And the three beautiful girls who have made me a momma.

Perfectly imperfect, always. Story of my life. Choosing to focus on the Eggs Benny rather than the Pull-up blow-out.

Happy Mother's Day to all the strong, loving, gorgeous mommas I know (including my own)!

]]> Test of Humanity tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13841 2013-05-08T04:33:14Z 2013-05-08T04:49:35Z

Being the fat kid sucks.I was overweight from the age of 8 - 15 and it was brutal. All my friends had boyfriends, but I didn't. Gym class was agonizing. I felt so uncomfortable in my own skin, betrayed by...

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/

I was overweight from the age of 8 - 15 and it was brutal. All my friends had boyfriends, but I didn't. Gym class was agonizing. I felt so uncomfortable in my own skin, betrayed by my frame.

Then, I lost weight (in a totally unhealthy, stupid way) and began a roller coaster ride with my body image that lasted a painful decade. I had a horrible relationship with food; I was either starving or bingeing. No middle ground. It was awful.

Things are better now, but the struggle will never be completely behind me. As Geneen Roth says, where things are broken, that's where the light shines through, and many of the cracks in my heart and soul are as a result of my struggles with food, weight and body image.

That being said, I am in a better place than I have ever been and I am so thankful. I know it's possible for old habits to creep back in, but I have made so much progress in accepting my body as a wonderful and imperfect house for my spirit, and I am not afraid of food anymore. I can eat what I want and my body tells me when I'm full. How novel. Only took me 15 years to figure that one out!

The latest piece of the puzzle for me has been exercise. I used to view it as only a means to burn calories, so I could lose weight, or rationalize that 12th piece of pizza. But a couple years ago I started a boot camp class, thinking I would only stick it out for a few weeks, drop 10 pounds and make a mad dash for my old ways, but alas, here I am, still getting up at 5:45 am to go and squat and lunge and sweat and it's the best thing I've ever done. It has totally changed my perspective on fitness: it's something I do because it makes me feel good, makes me feel strong, makes me feel healthy and alive. It has opened the doors to so many new experiences, because I feel ABLE to try things now. Want to hike to the top of this mountain? Sure! Want to try a new dance class? Yeah, I can keep up! Want to go mountain-biking? OKAY!

That's what I did today: mountain biked. Was I good? Not especially, but I DID IT.

Do I still have a tummy pooch? Yes. Cellulite that stretches from my hips to my knees? You betcha. Stretch marks from three babies? Totally. Do I look like a bikini model? NEVER.

I have jiggly thighs but under that jiggle there is some hard-earned muscle, and today it helped me bike to the top of a mountain and see the lake and feel the breeze and know that all those mornings of squatting and lungeing were well worth it.

]]> iLove You, iPhone. tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13791 2013-04-29T17:22:08Z 2013-04-29T17:31:05Z

I got an iPhone.I have had a cell phone for the past four years, but it was without a data plan and I was only able to use it for texting and calling (oh, the horror!). I longed for a...

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/

I have had a cell phone for the past four years, but it was without a data plan and I was only able to use it for texting and calling (oh, the horror!). I longed for a phone with a better camera, one that had access to the internet so I could use it as a GPS, and also be able to pull up important info for work, etc.

And now, here we are. I am loving it. Especially the fantastic camera and all the Instagramming it helps me do. I am photo-boming everyone's Facebook feeds with important images like this:

And this:

And this:

I am actually glad that I waited this long to get an iPhone, since I take the responsibility of it seriously, realizing that I don't want to have my eyes glued to it 24/7 and get sucked in to the online world all hours of the day.

It's a super-fun phone and I love it.

]]> (Don't) Say My Name tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13758 2013-04-23T02:29:45Z 2013-04-23T02:54:51Z

I was pregnant three times. That equaled over 27 months to stew about our future babies' names. And stew I did. My husband and I did not exactly see eye to eye about names.Here's how it would go: I would...

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/ did. My husband and I did not exactly see eye to eye about names.

Here's how it would go: I would spend hours combing baby name books and blogs and come up with a list of potential names. Then, one by one, he would POOP all over every suggestion. Thanks, Steve. Super helpful.

With each pregnancy we found out the sex of our baby so we only had to fight about half as many names as we would have, had we not taken a sneak peek at the babies' private parts. But still. Names. Gah. It was rough.

I had always loved daydreaming about my future baby's name, but then when I realized I had to pick it with someone else's input, and someone whose opinions were vastly different than mine, it was a lot less fun.

Anyways, we did it. We successfully named three girls and managed to agree on beautiful names that we both love and totally suit them. (Well, the road to 'Karenna' was a little bumpy and we took a wrong turn, but we made it eventually. Spoiler alert: we changed her name when she was 11 months old. Woopsies!)

That being said, there are still all these unused names in my vault that I'll never get to use! I have so many friends having babies right now and I adore talking about names and all the fun options out there.

So, even though this ship has sailed for me, here are some of my favourite baby names that we'll never use, but you can:

1. Anneliese. Anyone who read my blog waaay back in the day will remember that I had my heart set on this name for our first daughter. But, aforementioned husband took a hot crap all over it right from day one and even after a grueling 40 hour labour, still refused. Still love that name SO HARD.

2. Paige. It's my middle name and we gave it to our eldest daughter as her middle name, but had I known we were going to have, like, 26 girl babies, I would have kept this one in my back pocket for a first name. It's a gooder.

3. Millie. I think this is so adorable and classic. Really. I tried to find a full version of the name as an option and the closest I came was Milena, but hubby didn't take the bait.

4. Ruby. And Scarlett. And Violet. And anything remotely associated with a colour. Our last name is Brown, so these options just didn't fly. Ruby Brown? Makes me think of how one might describe a bloody stool. If one had to.

5. Jordanna. I love little twists on familiar names. So pretty.

That's all I can remember. I know there were more, but I guess that part of my mind has kind of shut down.

Do you have any fantastic baby names that you just didn't get a chance to use? Let's talk about names, baby. Let's talk about you and me. Let's talk about all the good things and the bad things you gave me. Let's talk abooouuut names.

]]> Sucks To Be Two tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13730 2013-04-17T23:02:10Z 2013-04-17T23:15:45Z

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/

The day Brinley turned two years old, her will emerged. And it was a strong one, that will. No surprise there, it seems to be how we breed them.

Two is such a wonderful, yet hard age. She is SO cute and her vocabulary and level of understanding grow everyday, so fast I can barely keep up. But then there's the tantrums, the potty-training gone awry, the middle of the night wakings and the frustration she feels from not being able to do everything her older sisters can.

Perhaps it's the fact that she is our last baby, but I haven't been quite as bewildered by her take at the Terrible Twos since I know she'll outgrow them, and I know it's the last time I have to do this. So I am taking the time to really look at her soft, two year-old thigh rolls, the drop of drool on her chin, the funny way she says some words, the way she snuggles into my arms at night and sings "You Are My Sunshine" along with me.

She might be a bit of trouble, but she's also a whole lotta sweet. That also seems to be the way we breed them.

And I wouldn't have it any other way. We've got a house filled with strong and mighty girls. Watch out, world!

]]> Now That's Smart! tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13674 2013-04-15T12:00:54Z 2013-04-17T01:44:19Z

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/ I suck at cleaning.

While I appreciate a clean house, I have yet to master the art of maintaining one. That being said, when spring comes along and the sunlight begins to stream through the windows and the kids start playing outside again, I usually get hit with a (short-lived) desire to tackle some spring cleaning projects. For a few days, I am a MACHINE. I will purge closets, wash windows, organize spice drawers and basically clean the way most civilized adults do for the rest of the year.

This year, the cleaning spurt hit just as I was given a sample of Clorox Clean-Up spray to test out and it came in a brand new bottle exclusive to Clorox that uses Smart Tube® Technology.

You know how usually when you come to the end of a bottle of cleaning product, it's impossible to spritz the last of the the cleaner out? If you're me, you just have 13 bottles with 2 cm of product left in their bottoms lining your cleaning closet. I never know what to do with them! But this new technology is awesome. See how it works:

It gets every last drop out so there is no waste, no mess and more value overall. For this cleaning-challenged girl, it's a win-win.

Here's a link to some coupons so you can test out the technology for yourself!

Clorox is also offering one of our own UrbanMoms members a chance to win a Clorox Spring Cleaning prize pack, featuring a selection of the latest product innovations from Clorox including its new SMART TUBE® Technology bottles. For a chance to win just comment below and tell me what your least favourite spring cleaning job is!

Valued at approximately $200, the prize pack has everything you need to give your home a spring makeover! Each prize pack includes:

*A years supply of Clorox cleaning products including Clorox All-Purpose Cleaner,

Tilex Fresh Shower Daily Cleaner, New Clorox concentrated bleach and more!

*All-purpose cleaning cloths and sponges

*Tile brush

*Latex cleaning gloves

*Bathroom squeegee

*Window chamease

*Dish wand

*A basket to hold all your cleaning supplies

*$100 LIfe Experiences gift card

Contest closes May 6th, 2013

Click here for Contest Rules and Regulations.UrbanMoms.ca members are eligible to win so don't forget to sign-in.

Not a member yet?

Click here to join.

]]> Who Wants 20 Bucks? tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13692 2013-04-11T16:06:32Z 2013-04-15T18:23:41Z

Updated! The winner, according to Random.org was commenter #57, chel22. I will be contacting you via email to get your prize to you!"There's six feet of snow on the lawn and it's minus 25 degrees with the windchill!" my mom...

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/ Updated! The winner, according to Random.org was commenter #57, chel22. I will be contacting you via email to get your prize to you!

"There's six feet of snow on the lawn and it's minus 25 degrees with the windchill!" my mom choked out yesterday. She lives in Saskatchewan. Poor bunny.

This morning's Facebook posts were riddled with photos of a snow storm that hit Ontario. A snow day, in April?! That's not OK.

Right now, in beautiful BC, it's been mild and spring-ish but pretty rainy. I'll take it over snow any day.

I know for me, it's crazy how much the weather affects my mood and motivation, so for all of you out there who are waist-high in a snowbank, cursing the chill and taking the kids' mittens out of storage one day after you packed them up, I offer a little pick-me-up:

Leave a comment here on this post and I will pick a winner at random to win a $20 gift card to Starbucks. If you can't get Vitamin D, caffeine is the next best thing, right?

You can get a hot chocolate to warm your frigid hands, or a latte to warm your frozen soul. This isn't a sponsored post; just me, digging into my piggy bank to spread some cheer on this chilly Thursday morning across the frozen tundra of Canada.

Leave a comment below and I'll pick the winner on Monday morning.

Good luck!

]]> Extra Pepperoni. ON MY FACE. tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13677 2013-04-09T21:06:34Z 2013-04-09T21:20:27Z

While I may have the sagging bosoms and bottom of a 30 year-old mother of three, I have the face of a 16 year-old.A 16 year-old with a bad case of acne, that is.It's bad, you guys.My break-outs used to...

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/

A 16 year-old with a bad case of acne, that is.

It's bad, you guys.

My break-outs used to be confined to the week before my menstrual cycle would start, but as of late, my whole face has been peppered with pimples all month long. I know it's partly related to stress and I joke that for every real estate deal I work on, I get a canker sore and a volcanic zit to show for the stress of pulling things together. (See, clients? This is how you know I care!) And my zits are not just little. They are EPIC blisters of near-boil proportions. And they pop of everywhere: on my chin, forehead, in MY MUSTACHE. (That last one really added insult to injury.)

I have tried ProActive, and tea tree oil and nothing really seems to help. This just doesn't seem like a problem I thought I'd be dealing with in my thirties.

Anyone else reliving the Pizza Faced days of their youth? Should I go see my doctor? Or just grin and bear it?

]]> Look At This Stuff, Isn't It Neat? tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13663 2013-04-08T02:11:56Z 2013-04-08T02:29:15Z

Our kids have been obsessed with the movie "Annie" lately and it's so adorable hearing them belt out, "Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, Tomorrow!" and "It's a hard knock life for us!" all the live-long day. There are just some...

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/

1. The Parent Trap.

The original with Hayley Mills. I love everything about this movie, especially all the pranks at camp.

2. Hook.

I was borderline obsessed with this movie as a kid. I wanted to fly like Peter Pan and swim with the mermaids SO BAD.

3. The Little Mermaid.

Tell me I'm not the only girl who sang "Ahhhhhhhhhh, ahhhh-ahhhhh-ahhhhhhhh" at the top of her lungs in the shower every day. ADMIT IT. "Part of your worrrrrrrrld."

4. BBC Chronicles of Narnia.

I devoured these as a kid. I would sometimes try to push my way through the back walls in our closets for myself, trying to sneak into Narnia. Didn't work. Geez.

I have adored sharing these well-loved movies with my own kids. Do you have some old time favourites that you've enjoyed for a second time through your children's eyes?

"Look at this stuff. Isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?" (That's what you can say to your kids when you show them these gems. Make Ariel proud. Don't let all that shower-singing from 1989 go to waste!)

]]> Can You Talk "The Talk?" tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13640 2013-04-03T18:40:50Z 2013-04-03T18:49:18Z

It started last year, my eldest daughter questioning where babies come from. Caught off guard, I mentioned something about "a special hug between a mommy and daddy" then changed the subject. It satisfied her curiosity at the time, but recently...

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/

I was hesitant because while I didn't want her to learn about sex by hearing some raunchy kids talk about it on the school playground, I also didn't want to prematurely boot her of the land of childhood innocence.

Upon the recommendation of a few good friends, we checked out the book "It's Not the Stork" and this past weekend I climbed on the couch with all three girls and we read it together, talking about it the whole time.

They had questions, and I answered them frankly. All in all, it took about 20 minutes and they haven't dwelled on it too much. I found the book to be very age-appropriate and it sparked conversation without embarrassment.

I feel SO much better, knowing that we have taken the first step to educate our kids in an appropriate way about sex and where babies come from. I want our home to be one where there can be a safe and open dialogue about sex, where we can help our kids form a healthy view of it. This feels like a great first step in that direction.

How did you approach "The Talk" with your kids? Did you tell them about the birds and the bees proactively, or did you have to respond after they got socked with the truth from older kids? What age did you find was best to talk about it?

]]> Quick Easter Summary tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13618 2013-04-01T03:45:53Z 2013-04-01T03:48:16Z

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/

Easter was great. I ate too many mini eggs. The end.

]]> Gimme a Break tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13600 2013-03-26T21:44:50Z 2013-03-27T03:43:49Z

Spring break.Break. That's funny.Three kids under seven home full-time and you tell me how restful that break is.I am not complaining...the change of pace has been nice and with the long-awaited sunshine we've been able to get outside and hit...

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/

Break. That's funny.

Three kids under seven home full-time and you tell me how restful that break is.

I am not complaining...the change of pace has been nice and with the long-awaited sunshine we've been able to get outside and hit the park and play in the yard and eat later dinners and not feel obliged to bathe the children regularly.

We've started some spring-cleaning projects, like tackling the garage and playroom, both of which magically fill up with hordes of junk every year, and I even mopped the floor. Go me!

I am feeling the pull to purge and simplify around the home. We've been hauling bags of who-knows-what to the local thrift store and it's slowly starting to feel like I can breathe again. I hiked the mountain for the first time this season. I finally got the Vitamix blender I'd been lusting over so we've been living off of green smoothies and buying spinach by the tonne. I've been working a lot. We went to the ski hill and played in the snow. It's been good.

But. When next week comes and the comfort of routine is upon us again, that will be good too.

Hope the tail end of your spring break (ha-ha!) is swell.

]]> (Sn)O(w), Canada! tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13579 2013-03-23T19:55:09Z 2013-03-23T20:04:45Z

Spring break hasn't been all the springy, if you catch my drift. SNOWDRIFT, that is. Based on all of my Canadian friends' status updates on Facebook bemoaning the latest blizzard, closed highway or white-out conditions, it's pretty clear that we're...

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/

Spring break hasn't been all the springy, if you catch my drift. SNOWDRIFT, that is. Based on all of my Canadian friends' status updates on Facebook bemoaning the latest blizzard, closed highway or white-out conditions, it's pretty clear that we're actually on winter break, not spring.

Owell. We are a hardy stock, us Canadian girls. Yesterday I braved the cold, slipped into my snow pants and hit the trails on our snowshoes with a good friend of mine.

When I quit my belly-achin' about the cold and just actually get out there and enjoy the winter wonderland, it's actually very beautiful.

Peaceful, quiet, and fresh.

And then afterwards you get a litre of Bailey's with a splash of hot cocoa. Totally earned it.

How have you been coping with the chilly spring break we've all been dealt?

]]> Mac. tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/the_forty_week_wait//82.13557 2013-03-20T22:33:20Z 2013-03-20T22:37:45Z

I know that looking at photos of other people's pets is kind of the same as having them tell you about their latest whacked-out dream...meaning, it's cool and interesting to them but not to you.But, COME ON.This little guy is...

Amanda http://kickyboots.com/

But, COME ON.

This little guy is so cute, it just kills me. He is fitting in perfectly with our family and is just the right blend of social and cuddly and playful. Sure, there are logs all over my floor, but it's OK. The kids love him and so do we.

Thanks for being so swell, Mackie!

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