When everything has fallen apart, have a "Yes" day.

Over the past few weeks, life in this household has been anything but easy.

A terrible terrible flu bug has swept through each and every person in our family and taken down every little person one by one, until it then hit Terry too.

So for 2 weeks straight I held buckets, held back hair, rubbed backs, handed out popsicles, checked temperatures, changed clothes, washed hair in the middle of the night, did millions of loads of laundry, disinfected every inch of the house, stripped bed linens at 3am, comforted whiny, worn out, horribly ill kids, and a horribly ill husband...and tried to keep this family and life together, when everything felt like it was starting to fall apart.



Because when the flu hits a household of kids, everyone goes down fast.

So late night bathroom chats, over the dim light of nightlights, were had by a mom and a poor little girl who was up sick literally all night long.

"It's going to be over soon, the morning is almost here, we're going to get through this together"...anything, anything at all that I could say to ease my poor girls aching body. Because when your kids are sick, a mom's heart breaks just a little every step of the way.

And just when Mya started feeling better, just when the last of the bed sheets were washed and the house was disinfected and we thought we were in the clear, it hit Carter, and then Sophia...and then, just when I thought it was over,  I heard the front door unexpectedly open at 2pm one afternoon, and my poor husband walked in from work looking white as a ghost, and we started up all over again.

So, with Terry's birthday falling in the midst of all of this chaos, and just days before he got sick himself, he came home to a wiped out wife, exhausted, hanging by a thread, sick little girl hanging off of her, cranky baby starting to get sick herself and a big rib dinner that I literally have no memory of putting together--but the cake? Well, easy was the key word here---so a donut cake he got. Thank you bakery. And thank you Terry for never expecting a thing, but being thrilled with some balloons, hand made Happy Birthday signs stuck to the walls, made with whatever white paper I could find and some Crayola scribbles, and cheap party tablecloths and some yummy food.  

So after he got hit days later with this bug, and went down hard, he finally peeled himself from his bed and got himself up and out and feeling better again. So I cleaned the entire house from top to bottom, declaring that the illness was officially done, and woke up the next morning and announced to the kids that it was a special day.

"Today is YES day!" I said to them, all excitedly..like it was pretty much Christmas morning.
And they looked at me like I had maybe lost my mind, but they smiled knowing it must be something good.

"Whatever you ask me today, the answer will be YES", I told them.

Their eyes lit up.

"So throughout the whole day, whatever you ask me, I'll have to say YES, so think carefully about what you ask for".

I saw them trying to figure this out in their heads.
Then Mya piped up and said "Can we have a cookie mom?".

I looked at her, and ignored that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my mommy stomache that screamed "It's 7am! We haven't even eaten breakfast yet. Children can't have cookies at 7am!" and smiled at her and shouted "YES! Let's go pick one!".

And oh my goodness, the joy that this brought.

Beaming children, wide eyed, giggling to eachother as they ran to the kitchen to find their cookie. Because sometimes when it feels like everything has fallen apart, a day of simple joys like cookies at 7am, and kids feeling like this day is as exciting as some special holiday, is worth it.
 
  
And just after those big cookies were gone, and breakfast was served, Carter piped up and said "Can we go play outside in our pajamas?"

"YES!" I said. And off we went into the backyard.

Then just as we came in and got ourselves dressed for the day, we heard our front door open and there stood their cousin Oliver, beaming too--"I heard it's YES day here!".

And the kids then proceeded to explain exactly how exciting this was, and exactly how well it works "Ask her anything Oliver--she'll say YES!" Mya told him. "It's so fun--try it!".

And he looked at me all wide eyed--"Can we have a popsicle?!".

"YES! Go ahead!" I said, as I watched all three of them tear over to the freezer.

And the questions then continued...

"Can we play with the hose?" ...

"SURE!"



And just as I was about to make lunch..."Can you do all my Barbie's hair with me mom?"

...{insert tired, just about to start something, mom here} "Of course I can Mya!".

"Can we play in the sandbox and pour lots and lots of water into the sand and make mud castles {and get ourselves completely and utterly covered in mud}?"

"Go for it!"

"Can we blow up balloons and draw on them?"

--"Sure thing".

"Can we go swimming 10minutes before dinner is ready?"....

"No problem! Dinner can wait".

"Can we have a dance party?"

"Sure thing--let's crank up that music".

Then Sophia joined in..."Can I have a nap?"

"You got it kiddo".

Anyone else want a nap??? My answer will be YES!

So here is the thing--a YES day can't happen every day. Of course it can't. The word "No" is just as important as the word "Yes".  But in a world where we can find ourselves saying "No" so often to our kids, it's fun to throw all caution to the wind for just one day and let them feel what it feels like to hear YES. And thankfully they're young enough that their requests remained pretty innocent--an extra popsicle and some playground dirt on their pajamas is just plain old fun.

And ultimately, what it did for us that very day was it brought us out of the funk of long days, cranky kids, tired mom, sick dad...and brought some joy to a bunch of little people who also needed a pick-me-up.

A little YES Day can go a long way.

Enjoy your weekend everyone. And happy (early) Father's Day dad and Terry! Love you both.

Erica xo

A homecoming to remember

We snuck into their house when they were in Romania for two weeks, and filled their counters with their favourite treats, wine and handmade cards from the kids. We strung balloons at the doorways, decorations from the ceilings and "Welcome Home!" signs from the door frames. Because when Nana and Papa leave this country, they have a lot of people who miss them.

And if there is one thing that my parents have taught us over and over again it's that love is showing up. So show up we do.

So we changed our schedules, skipped swimming lessons, switched our plans around, packed up the kids, and all met at mom and dad's house--and stared longingly at the windows until we spotted that silver car pulling up into the driveway.

And before Nana and Papa could even get out of the garage and into the house, they had a herd of excited kids jumping into their arms.









Welcome home mom and dad! And Mike and Ana (my cousin and his beautiful bride who got married in Romania), thank you for getting married in the most amazing place and encouraging my parents to spoil themselves with the trip of a lifetime and a chance to spend more time with you. From the pictures we've seen, what a wedding that was!!

We're all so incredibly happy though that they are home again.
 


But when they were gone? Well, we kept ourselves busy.

Because great neighbours invited us to have our first swim of the season in their pool. And the kids just couldn't get enough of it.

And when the weekend rolled around, little helpers planted our vegetable garden...



carefully and meticulously placing each little seed just so.



And we pretended that we actually knew what we're doing, but really we were just planting, watering and praying that something would grow so that these two eager little gardeners could feel the excitement of growing their own food.

And just as we started to see some life from those little seeds--just as some beautiful green plants started peeking up from the earth and a strawberry was found, those kids ran out to see their hard work come to life, and ironically we found this lounging rabbit...staring longingly at a potential feast that he will thankfully never get his paws on. 

 And then while mom and dad walked the streets of Vienna, I was knee deep in melted chocolate, prepping for family birthday celebrations at our place, dipping waffle cones for the kids...

creating chocolate cupcake toppers, and drizzling those cupcakes in melted chocolate with crumpled Reese cups on top--just for a little decadent birthday treat.

And while dipping strawberries the morning of....

I recruited my little baker-in-training to help me bake up a storm.

Then just as the kids started to really  really miss my parents--just as the countdown to their homecoming got closer, we distracted them with a huge long-weekend brunch full of all of their favourites...

and our little boy was kept busy for hours on end with his new-to-him tool set (thanks Fred!).

And then when the day was finally here, when their flight was coming in, this sweet little girl took one last nap before we sped over to greet them...and we all tried to contain our excitement.

 Welcome home mom and dad! We missed you. We love you. We're so glad that you're home!!

And thanks for always teaching us that love is showing up--because in the end, showing up for you that day meant that our kids got to experience the joy that being there can bring to others. Which is really the best lesson of all.

Erica xox

Ice cream sandwich cake--easiest summertime dessert ever!

Sometimes there's a good reason to pull together a yummy summertime dessert--but sometimes no explanation is necessary at all. Surprise your kids one day out of the blue with this sitting waiting for them when they get home from school. Invite some friends over to dig in. Turn it into a birthday cake for a party--no baking required. Make it for the long weekend--because, well, it's the long weekend. Seriously it's delicious and amazing---and I promise you, it's ridiculously easy to make. For the person who can't even imagine making a cake, this one is for you. You can impress your guests with a home made ice cream cake, and it will literally take you minutes to pull together.





I've made ice cream cakes in the past (click HERE and HERE for other recipes), but then my sister told me about a recipe that her old neighbour told her about (thanks Krestena!)...so we just had to try it.



It's ice cream cake. Made with ice cream sandwiches. Filled with whatever ice cream you want, whatever decadent chocolate bars you want to chop up and put inside and whatever favourite toppings you want to add. You can't mess this up. You can't go wrong. Just add whatever you love and it will turn out amazing.

I had made this one awhile ago and decided that I'd go with chocolate ice cream, Reese peanut butter cups chopped up, chocolate sauce and melted peanut butter drizzled in between. But you can choose whatever chocolate bar or treats or combo that you prefer.

So, here is how I did it:

Line a dish with parchment paper (keep the edges sticking out so you can use them to pull the cake out of the dish in the end) then lay as many store bought ice cream sandwiches down flat as will fit to cover the bottom completely.

Add ice cream on top and smooth it down carefully, making a layer of ice cream about an inch thick.

Drizzle chocolate sauce (or whatever sauce you like) over top of the smoothed out ice cream. I added melted peanut butter over top of mine as well. But do whatever you prefer!

Place another layer of ice cream bars on top.

Then add another layer of ice cream, chocolate drizzle and chopped up chocolate bars or Smarties or whatever you choose. If your dish is really deep, keep layering until you reach the top (but make sure to end with ice cream and drizzle and chocolate bars on top as a garnish).

Then pull the parchment paper up and out of the dish and place the cake on a serving tray. Or dig right in--whatever works! Instant ice cream cake. Try it..you'll love it!

Happy long weekend everyone!
Hope it's amazing.

Erica xo

When Mother's Day is still as exhausting as any other day

All that I want for Mother's Day is a picture of me with the kids, I told Terry. Just a picture, please.

Because I'm always worried that since I'm the one behind the camera most of the time that our kids will one day look back on our family photos and wonder why there are so few pictures of them with their mom throughout their childhood.

So, as we hurried the kids through the morning trying to rush over to mom and dad's for our traditional Mother's Day brunch, we stopped for a moment to try to get that picture that I wanted.

So the flash went off, as we stood on those stairs, and everything was good for a moment...

then in a flash--literally--things went downhill fast.

Because babies will cry without warning...

And the words "Just keep shooting Terry" will come out of my mouth--because a few seconds of shooting something that resembles a photo is better than nothing at all.

And as I ultimately gave up on this little photo shoot moments after those baby tears fell, and then snuggled my girl until she was calm again, I took a look through the images that Terry caught that morning and it made me laugh. Because THIS is what Mother's Day really looked like in our house yesterday.

A simple photo shoot that ended in tears and a missing boy who gave up and left to get his truck part way through it--this is what motherhood sometimes really looks like.



So as much as I'd like to claim that my Mother's Day was relaxing, refreshing and calm (as it's apparently supposed to be)--the true reality of a mom with little ones is that you never really get a day off. You never get to sit back and hand the baby over for the day and pretend that no one is going to call your name a million times or need a scraped knee kissed, or their food cut up, or their clothes changed or another drink. Because motherhood is something that doesn't stop for a holiday.

And you know what?
That's okay.

All the moms and their kids (including adult kids!) at our Mother's Day brunch that we have every year.

Because this moment in time that we're living in right now--this moment where babies need you constantly, where kids still cling to your leg, wake us up at night and cry over the simplest of things...well, these are the days that we'll look back on and pine for one day. But these are also the days when we need a Mother's Day the most--because these are the days with little kids when we're in the thick of parenting. When we're living a life where every inch of us is spent raising our family and caring for everyone else around us, most times, instead of ourselves. So the dream of a day where we get catered to completely, a day where we can relax, a day where we don't have to lift a finger--well that's the ultimate dream for Mother's Day, which to most of us just isn't reality.

So as I was prepping the brunch details, nursing a baby, tying ponytails in hair and convincing little people to please go pee, the words "I just want to at least feel like I'm getting some sort of break today" came out of my mouth as Terry equally took part in the busyness of the day. And then, that night after the kids went to bed, as I fell into the couch exhausted from the day, Terry put out his hand to me and led me to our ensuite where a warm bubble bath was waiting for me. A bubble bath with soft music playing beside me and dimmed chandelier lights glowing above me. A bath where I could just lay there alone--in peace and quiet. Where the only interruption that I had was Terry coming in to ask me if I'd like another sip of the drink that he had put beside me.

So no, at this stage in our life, Mother's Day is just not going to be a fairy tale day of peace, quiet and relaxation. And that's okay.  Because I got my moment. And if I've learned anything from being a mom it's that you need to enjoy the moments that you get--the good ones, and the tough ones...because ultimately those moments will tell the story of your family and your life.

So the moments when big sisters write little brothers sweet notes when he is away for the day...

or the moments when big kids find Sophia's extra soothers and I find them set up in the living room looking like THIS... (remember it wasn't so long ago when the Soother Fairy came and visited Carter??) ...this soother went into hiding again SO fast after we had a good laugh at these two...

or the moments when time stops as a little boy inspects worms...

or when he gets to live out his dream and sit in huge cement trucks that pour cement onto our new walkway...

or moments when babies remind you every day how lucky you are to be their mom...THESE are the moments that we need to remember on Mother's Day.

We'll save the spa days and full days off for when the kids are a bit older.

So although I'm not exactly at a point in our life where a complete day of pampering and relaxation is my reality, I'll take the moments that I get. I'll take the hugs, the kisses, the "I love yous" and the home made gifts made at school that I'll cherish and hold onto forever. I'll take the moments where I'm told to sit down, the moments when my plate is served for me and when I'm told to eat first--because these are the little things that make Mother's Day, to me, feel almost as good as a full day at the spa.

Almost.

And a bubble bath? Well, I'll take that any day. Thanks Terry.

Happy (belated) Mother's Day to my most wonderful mom and mother-in-law. We love you!
And Happy Mother's Day to the rest of the moms out there in the thick of parenting alongside us, and also to those who are done raising their families and who get to now step back and admire the great job that they have done.

Love Erica xo