Ewan is mobile! Sort of....

So while playing on the floor with Ewan this afternoon as well as simultaneously getting back to emails, I looked up after pressing send and Ewan was across the living room! Now the living room is not that big - so he probably only moved about 4 feet, I don't want to sound like a negligent parent - but he actually moved without me assisting him! Granted he is only moving backwards, but it is movement all the same. Also, Ewan is finally showing that he actually has interest in moving - so it may only be a matter of days before he is fully crawling - whether or not this is a good thing for me I'm not sure! So all you crawlers in the Enchantments class tomorrow - just watch out, Ewan is going to back up over you!

New Hobbies....

So in January, I began a new hobby - photography. I bought a digital DSL camera and enrolled in a basic photography class at Algonquin college. My interest in photography has been long standing and I was interested in learning how to take more creative photo's of Ewan for his scrapbook (another hobby that I would also like to dedicate more time to). I have to give photographer's a lot of credit - it is a difficult hobby to take up. There are so many aspects to taking good pictures - the composition, lighting, focus, shutter speed and apertures - there is a lot to take into account!

Although I am very much enjoying my Thursday evenings out on my own and meeting new people with similar interests - and getting my Starbuck's to sip on during class (this may in fact be my favorite part!), I do not think I was cut out to be a professional photographer! It was going to be my next career, but I do not think I have the patience. I do feel that it was a useful skill to learn and I must say that my photos have improved. But I do still like to simply point and shoot!

The next hobby that I am planning on starting is gardening. Now that I have a backyard, I would like to do some landscaping. I just bought a new gardening how-to book - how hard can it be? I have already planted herbs and several veggie seeds in little green houses and as of today some have started to sprout! Now I just need to build a raised garden rock wall and get the plants in there. No problem, right? Any tips would be appreciated - I hope I am not getting in over my head!

March Break camps - good times!

Today, the March Break camps have come to an end. After going on Space, Superhero, Princess & Knight, Pirate, Dinosaur, and Pop Star adventures, completing obstacle courses & crafts, as well as having a St. Patty's day party, it's back to the old routine on Monday. The week was very successful - both with the number of children attending the camps as well as simply having a great group of children to play with all day. We were lucky to have many 'old' faces returning as well as meeting many new friends this week. While it will be nice to get back to the regular schedule, we are very much looking forward to summer camps - which are now only 3 months away!

Spring is here!

Is it too soon to say that Spring is here? I hope I do not jinx it! The past week has been such beautiful weather, I have tried to take every opportunity to take advantage of it. Ewan has been to the park three times and absolutely loves it! Even though he cannot yet move - you would think it would be any day now - he loves playing in the sand, throwing sand and eating sand (only once, I turned away for a moment). He also loves going down the slide, which is also a good arm workout for me. The swings are another favorite that brings about non-stop giggles. And after we have made the rounds of the park, Ewan can watch the other children running around for another half hour more. We have very much been enjoying the park!

On another note, Ewan now has 4 teeth, Yay! And he is much happier and much more playful. However, he is still not liking when I put him down. Is anyone else going through a clingy stage like this? It is not stranger anxiety and not really separation anxiety - if I actually leave the house, he does just fine. But if I am in the house, he needs to be in my arms constantly, even through nap times. As a bonus, I have never had such muscular arms before, nor have I read so many books!

After moving to a new neighborhood in late August, it is wonderful to see so many familiar faces in the area. I am so happy that I am now living in such a family and child centered neighborhood. I look forward to seeing more of A Gym Tale's guests outside of the center through the spring and summer at the local park!

Teeth!!!

So it has been awhile since my last post, my apologies. Ewan has had both of his front teeth coming in for the past week and has not done well with them. The first two came in and we never noticed until he bit my finger one day! However, with the top two teeth, he has barely been sleeping, unless he is sleeping in my arms, and just overall miserable. Needless, to say I am also exhausted and my home is a disaster because I have not been able to put him down. One tooth is completely through and the other is so close - hopefully any day it will be through. 

With all of this going on, I have also have not been successful with getting my 8 hours sleep each night - or my resolution to exercise each day (that was this weeks resolution). Obviously, Gretchen Rubin did not have a baby when she took on her project!! I will keep trying...

One resolution that has been successful is to tackle a nagging task. Each day this week I have tackled a task that has been on my to-do list forever. The first one was to return a pile of things to Staples that have been sitting in the garage since January another was to bring in two posters to have framed. It definitely felt good  finally getting these things done!

Well Ewan is up, I promise to update again soon!

The Happiness Project

I have just finished a wonderful and inspiring book called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It highlights one woman's challenge to herself to try all sorts of resolutions to make her even happier. She was not unhappy before, but she felt as though there were some aspects of her life that could use improvement in order to allow her to make the most of her life. The 11 resolutions ranged from energy to marriage, parenthood, leisure and money. Each month she attempted several resolutions related to one area of her life.

After reading this book, I have decided to create my own 11 resolutions and put each one into effect over the next year. For the month of March, I am going to work on increasing my energy. This week I am attempting to get 8 hours sleep each night.

My hope in writing this is that I will feel more accountable to myself. If anyone else has read this book or put their own happiness project into effect, please let me know your thoughts!

For more information on this book visit www.happiness-project.com/