Sucky day

• Today is fire inspection day at Ye Olde Apartment Building. Those alarms, they sure do work. Loudly, piercingly, repeatedly, for hours. Even though D. knew what was happening and had heard them a few minutes earlier, she burst into tears when it blasted again unexpectedly.
• When we got up this morning, the water was running sort of sluggishly out of the taps. I thought, “Hmm, maybe they’re testing the water mains too, or something?” But no, the water ran less and less and colder and colder. Of course, the water mains had burst this morning. Oh joy. I had just finished cooking a massive and dirty-dish intensive lunch (sort of a pre-birthday lunch for the Redhead) when I finally checked with the super and learned the ugly truth. MANY dirty dishes. I feel scuzzy and coated in cooking residue and I want a long shower so, so badly.
• In order to be marginally clean for school, instead of a quiet afternoon of studying, I shall have to hike through the snow to my mother’s house and shower there, only to advance again in the opposite direction to take the subway to class this evening.
• D. is having one of those days where she defiantly and wilfully and purposely misbehaves and then crumbles into hot, sad tears at some random moment during the process of being reprimanded.
• That evil, orange “service engine soon” light. What? What is it, brand new engine that we got this summer? What is your freaking problem?
• I slept badly and I am now a very cranky, tired person with a crick in my neck.
• Other stuff, too, that is making me pissy.

I cannot wait until bedtime, so this day will be OVER.

Boys & booze, already?

D. only just turned 3 in November. Now I’m hearing that she’s got some sort of situation with a boy at playgroup. Apparently the poor kid has a huge crush on my baby redhead. He kept saying hi, grinning and flirting and trying to get her to talk to him. (Her response? “No.”) He tried to make his dad wait for D. to be done putting on her coat and things so they could walk home together. Really cute, but a little premature, maybe?

She asked for beer in Ikea after her other mom mentioned it was on the menu at their restaurant. Then there was her enthusiastic singing of “Ice wine, ice wine, ice wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine” over and over in the car, in response to Sassymonkey’s comment about the warm winter affecting the harvest.

So I’m a little worried.

Music, music, music

I just spent an hour with the kidlet watching music videos on YouTube. I was watching a cool Coke ad from a link somebody sent me and she climbed on my lap (with the laptop, this is precarious) to watch with me. As soon as it ended she said “I want to watch more music, like this one.” Well, the video had a White Stripes soundtrack, so we started with some more of them, and some Parlotones, Sarah McLachlan (her favourite, I think, it inspired the most singing along), Johnny Clegg, Joan Jett, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Tegan & Sara, Metric, etc. It was loads of fun. YouTube is now on my list of emergency distractions from tantrums. It is a short but illustrious list, containing things like playing with her piggy banks, big baths with all! the! bath! toys! at! once! and Dora Candyland.

Ikea

Did you know that different playlands at Ikea have different height requirements? We have broken D’s heart every time we went to our closest Ikea because that playland is right at the entrance and she just hasn’t been tall enough. She has been so sad because the two requirements were 1) get potty trained and 2) grow! She has accomplished number 1 beautifully but number 2 just hasn’t been happening as fast as she’d like. However! We went to a different Ikea yesterday, and rather than 39″ she only had to be over 37″, and she is just about 37 1/2″. Happy baby redhead. This will now be our default Ikea, I think.

There will be more about Ikea over here sometime, I’m sure. We got a Christmas tree there yesterday for $20, and with that came a coupon for $20 off a future purchase. Pretty sweet. Goodness knows there are a few things we need (new bathmat, storage box, etc.) that we’ll get in the new year with that coupon.

Now, some love for Ikea:

Sometimes I worry…

D. has interesting eating habits. For days she will reject every apple slice, green bean, bit of pumpkin, carrot stick, or green pepper cube I put in front of her and refuse to eat any protein, either. She will subsist on carbohydrates: Crackers, bread, pasta, and potato. And just about when I start worrying about her she will eat an entire giant banana and the biggest apple I’ve ever seen in the space of 30 minutes, for lunch. And then she will ask for yogurt and chicken and cheese and eat some more. And then I think, it must average out somehow, right?