Gifts From Grandma

Grandma paid a visit from Newfoundland, bringing gifts galore. One of the first gifts she gave the girls was musical dolls from Germany that she picked up on her trip. Taylor was fine with hers but Mackenzie said, "I don't like her" and passed the doll back. A few minutes later she said there might be another girl who likes her so give her away. Grandma asked what Mackenzie would have liked her to bring back for her, "a rock." Turns out she meant a rock like the one Taylor got at the gift store. Mackenzie also pointed out something Grandma hadn't considered, Taylor's doll had nicer shoes!

Unexpected Behaviour

Taylor and I went on her class trip today to have a ride on Theodore Tugboat in Halifax Harbour. Taylor, like the other kids were getting rangy and rather wound up. So when we were home to meet with the summer sitter at 3pm I didn't expect her to quietly disappear. Mackenzie hung around chattering away; wound up herself on meeting a new person and having a sleepover at Grammie and Grampy's. Later this evening, I learned that Taylor hadn't been quietly watching the movie, Hercules, as I assumed, but rather CLEANING HER ROOM!!! When I tucked her into bed I was astounded to learn that she had not only made her bed and put her clothes away but there was nothing on the floor any more to accidentally step on or trip over or stub a toe on. It was a mother's dream. :) Of course I praised her on being so grown up and responsible and called Daddy in to see what Taylor had done without any prompting. What a girl!

Growing Up

Last week Miss Taylor got dressed right away in the morning with no extra encouragement. Daddy wasn't feeling well so he was staying home that day and wasn't up getting the girls' breakfast. After getting Mackenzie and myself dressed, I went out to the kitchen wondering what to get the girls for breakfast but Taylor had beat me to it. She had warmed up a pizza pocket for herself and a frozen pizza for her sister. And...she has also gotten her lunch bag out of the fridge and packed it in her backback for school. Wow! Now if this could only happen more often. :)

Mackenzie's Dog Tick Experience 3 June 2009

We live on almost two acres of land with woods around us, painfully obvious after winter winds blow several down. We have had deer, rabbits, fox, snakes, and a bear through our property but ticks have never been an issue... until this spring. This spring it has been difficult to stand at the edge of the driveway to look a lady slippers or stain the front steps without getting a tick on oneself. I had noticed this while staining the deck and mention to Daddy that we need to check the girls each night for ticks. We both forgot. Tuesday Mackenzie and I were outside for awhile as I was staining the front steps. I worked that night and wasn't home to dress Mackenzie but she often dresses herself now anyway. The next day Mackenzie dressed herself as well. At one point in the afternoon I decided to check on Mackenzie to see why she had been in the washroom so long. I had to open the door to find her with a sink full of water, and up to her elbows in bubbles, washing her brass horse, Mackenzie-dubbed "trophy." She had stripped off her sweater to keep her sleeves dry and I was able to notice a black spot on her back. "What's that, Mackenzie?" I asked out loud instead of keeping it to myself. It was a tick. Yeah. I called mum, the retired nurse for advice since I had a tick on me while camping years ago, as had we all. We didn't have the liquid on hand to put on it to get the tick to "back out" so she suggested the old match method (light it, blow it out, and touch the tick). Mackenzie squirmed a bit when I tried this and I was afraid I'd burn her. The tick didn't budge. Mum suggested making it hard for the tick to breathe and something hot like a muscle relaxation lotion. I put some "Tiger balm" on the tick, and again, it didn't budge but Mackenzie had a red spot where the balm had been. I then went online to research a solution. The wisdom of the Internet said not to use the old match or Vaseline method but to grab a hold of the tick with tweezers, as close to the head as possible, a pull slowly and steadily. So up to the bathroom we went. Mackenzie was getting more upset now and said it hurt when I tried to pull the tick off her. It had a strong hold on her and Mackenzie's skin would pull as I pulled the tick. The tweezers weren't able to hold on and it slipped out repeatedly. Mackenzie was in tears by this point and thought the tweezers were hurting her and didn't want me to go near her with them. I had some rubbing alcohol to drop the tick into at hand and held this to her back and the tick. I hadn't read in my first aid book at this point that this is supposed to loosen a tick's hold. I thought it might kill any "germs" if nothing else. The tick still wouldn't let go and Mackenzie had lost her willingness to co-operate. I told her I'd take her to a doctor to have the tick taken off. We still had 20 minutes to pick up Taylor at school so I went back to staining the front steps and Mackenzie buckled herself into her car seat, ready to go. Mackenzie fell asleep in the car so I gave the tick another try before leaving for Taylor. The tick kept slipping out of my tweezers. At the walk in Family Focus clinic, we waited a brief while before seeing a doctor. He said he removes a tick about every other day and that his tweezers are sharper. He also pulled the tick with a quick, removing-a-band-aid, technique. He bottled the tick for testing for rare lime disease (found in deer ticks). He checked the area where Mackenzie's tick had been but didn't swab it or anything else to care for it. Kenzie was incredibly calm at the doctor's office, and calmly lay on her tummy. She did ask if it would hurt and was told, "no." She later confirmed that "it didn't hurt a bit." We also received a phone call later to tell us it was a common dog tick. Both Mackenzie and Taylor were reluctant to go outside or to bed for the next three days and were regular with checking for ticks. I bought some bug and tick spray that worked at keeping the ticks off. The only difficulty was that it contained deet and wasn't to be used on children under the age of 12 years old. I sprayed the girls clothes instead. This meant that Taylor still got a tick behind her ear and one on her back. Regular checking for them kept any ticks from getting a good hold though and we had no more trouble with them. And we're thinking of getting a dog? What are we thinking? Ah, what's one more "baby" to check for ticks?

Mackenzie's Favorite Shoes

Mackenzie has grown into a very girly girl. She likes to wear dresses or skirts, especially the fancy ones. She has even gotten into my lipstick a time or two. She likes to wear headbands, and to have her hair in a neat ponytail. She doesn't even like to take her ponytail out for showers or baths. And of course, she has to wear dress shoes, not sneakers. Well, she found a pair of white dress shoes with bows and pearls that tap nicely when she walked in them (better than the squeaking sandles she once had). She got it in her head that they used to be my shoes when I was a girl and was a flower girl. No idea where that thought came from. But that is often the case with Miss Mackenzie. She has worn the shoes to death; wearing them in all kinds of weather wet or dry and in muddy backyards or dry sidewalks. The paint wore off of them, the bows came off - twice, the soles wore down to the next layer, and the toes were worn clear through. We painted them twice, before I tossed them in the garbage. She helped paint them the second time and I told her to go for it and dug out the glitter glue. When the toes wore through and the paint wore off yet again, I snuck them into the garbage on garbage day. Mackenzie found a black velvet pair of dress shoes in her possession when she couldn't find the white ones and was satisfied; fortunately. She asked three days later where her white ones were, if I had thrown them out. Surprisingly, she understood and didn't get mad at me. I'll have to keep in mind that she likes shoes that tap. Mind you, when she goes to school next year she's needs indoor shoes in the form of sneakers. She'll have to keep her dress shoes for playing outside.

Mackenzie School Orientation 29 May 2009

Mackenzie has been going with me every day I drop Taylor off at school for French Immersion for almost two years. She has gone to Taylor's Christmas concerts, the cookies with Santa event, an ice cream social, a pajama dance, two Spring flings, gingerbread house construstion, a craft help day, and so forth. She also knew on April Fool's day that I stood in line at 5:30am to get her into Taylor's French Immersion school. We also got the call early (late May) that Mackenzie had been accepted into French Immersion. So, when primary orientation day came, Mackenzie was VERY confused when I dropped Taylor off but not her. She went to her orientation at Sackville Heights. There were children there from our neighbourhood surprised that she was starting this year and thinking that their child would be attending with Mackenzie. Mackenzie ended her orientation labelling many of the children that she had recently met as her new friends and "in my class." I so wish that the French Immersion school would let the first five or so kids orientate at their desired school. It is so confusing to so many. I wonder how Mackenzie will take it when I drop her off at the French Immersion school in the fall.

Feeding Smokey the Bear 24 May 2009

Forgetting about gymnastics, I pushed the idea to go visit the Oaklawn Zoo in Aylesford. Warren said it was too late to go and it was supposed to rain but went along with us anyway. It rained on the drive down but the weather was cloudy and dry while we were at the zoo and the crowds were down and the animals were out to see. We were finished walking around by 5:30pm and thought we may as well stay for the 6pm feeding. It was a new experience to see the cats fed, and the bears. Smokey the bear came to the front of the cage to take a peppermint from between the trainer/feeder's lips, to stand on his hind legs to reach some meat passed through the fence by a visitor, and took peppermints and peanuts through the fence from anyone who wanted to feed the bear. Taylor and Mackenzie both took turns. Mommy and Daddy weren't interested. Mind you, staying later for the animals' feeding meant were were late feeding ourselves and had supper at Swiss Chalet at 8:30pm, and didn't arrive home until 10:30pm. Way past the girls' bedtime. But what a great visit!