The highs of my week were Norah sleeping 7-8 hours straight two nights in a row, having our new cable services hooked up, sushi lunch with my dad for his birthday on Monday.

The low of my week was realizing how crumby the housing market is right now. Kyle and I have been looking at houses, but there’s not much out there that fits the bill for what we’re wanting. We even put an offer on a place but the sellers were out to lunch with their counteroffer and we couldn’t make a deal happen. I don’t know if we’re just being too picky with what we want in a house, but it’s depressing. At least we’re fine in the house we’re in now.

An internet find I loved was the SipSnap. While I haven’t coughed over the dough to buy a set, I think they are a super amazing idea for little restaurant goers! While so many places offer kiddie meals, a lot of them aren’t necessarily “kid” friendly when it comes to beverages. Who gives a toddler an adult-sized cup without a lid or straw?!

image via SipSnap

The best money I spent was on pyjamas and undies for Isla. Her current ones were getting a little snug so off to Carter’s we went to pick out some new ones! She picked out some glow in the dark and princess pj’s and “Days of the week” undies. We’ll see how it goes when I try to get her to wear the correct day of the week ;)

My favourite Isla and/or Norah moment was not having to fight with Isla to sit in the grocery cart at Costco. Seriously. She usually rides on the back of the cart, but I had 100 things to buy and didn’t want to chase her around the store and yell at remind her to stay on the cart. In the past she’s put up a huge fight in the store when we try to get her to sit in the cart, but not this trip! I think the secret is to talk to her at home before we leave about what we’re doing and what I expect her to do.

The song that has been stuck in my head is an instrumental bit from Back to the Future III. It’s the song the band is playing during the festival and it’s been stuck in my head since last weekend. How dorky and random is that?

My favourite meal of the week was homemade mac & cheese! I’ve been craving it for a while now but haven’t been able to make it because Kyle has discovered that he has a sensitivity to cheese :( But, last night I was able to make a small batch of it for myself and it was the best thing ever. {Recipe here}

My plans for the weekend are a bank appointment today (adulting, FTW!) and that’s about it. Maybe I’ll hit up the Farmer’s Market Saturday. I haven’t been since, oh, May? I need to get my bannock fix, me thinks.

What are your weekend plans??

The highs of my week were a fun little outing at the pet store with Isla (and Norah) on Wednesday after a challenging day with her on Tuesday. Mind you, I used the pet store trip as bribery for Isla to get her to leave the dance studio, but she loved it! (We went and registered her for dance class in September and she wanted to go to class instead of leave.) She watched the budgies, pet a bunny, watched the kittens play, took pictures of the mice, looked at the fish, and saw bearded dragons. The pet store is seriously the best (and cheapest) entertainment for little ones! Before we left Isla chose some treats for the dogs and it was overall just a fun little adventure. We were maybe only there for a half-hour, but Norah slept the whole time so we got to just enjoy our time.

Isla wanted to take pictures of the mice. Not bad for a 3 year old!

The low of my week was finding out that Molly, Kyle’s old dog that his sister had adopted from him, had passed away. She was just shy of 11-years old. From what Kyle’s sister had told him, it sounds like she passed in her sleep. She lived a good life and was an awesome dog, and she will definitely be missed by everyone.

An internet find I loved was The 10 Commandments of Costco, posted on Scary Mommy. It’s hilarious and oh-so relatable! Our local Costco’s parking lot in a gong show, especially near the entrance to the gas bar. Complete gong show.

The best money I spent was $8 on a baby gate for the top of our stairs. We had one but Campbell decided to bust through it, so it broke. I managed to find a replacement gate on a local mom swap group, so whenever Norah starts crawling (which won’t be for a while) she won’t be able to escape/fall down the stairs. I’m a good parent that way ;)

My favourite Isla and/or Norah moment was Isla finally being brave enough to sit in the hair dresser’s chair all by herself. Up until today, she would cry and ask to sit on my lap to have her hair cut. This morning I gave her a little pep talk and explained that she has to sit by herself because I had to stay with her baby sister. I was skeptical of my chat actually working, but when we got to the salon she ran right over to the chair and climbed into the seat. Woo!

The song that has been stuck in my head is “Want You to Want Me” by Jason Derulo. I blame So You Think You Can Dance and a commercial for a radio station that comes on during the show that plays a snippet of that song.

My favourite meal of the week was not a meal, but the cornmeal jam-buster muffins Isla and I made. I’ve been craving them for a while now but it calls for buttermilk and it only comes in 1L cartons, so it would go to waste. I found a chicken recipe that called for buttermilk as well, so I thought it would be a good excuse to do some baking! (As a bonus, it was a rainy day when I made them, so the house didn’t heat up while the oven was on!)

My plans for the weekend are potentially switching our TV and Internet provider. Exciting adult things FTW! Other than that, it’s a free-for-all this weekend and we have no particular plans.

Please, tell me something exciting going on in your life!

The highs of my week were seeing Norah smile a “real” smile for the first time. Also, Isla has been taking herself potty which is a wonderful thing, especially when I’m stuck under Norah nursing.

Also, Kyle catching a little baby crow was pretty hilarious. It couldn’t fly yet and was stuck on the lawn at his mom’s place, so he scooped it up to show Isla. Its parents were not too impressed by our antics, so he put it back where he found it.

The low of my week was finding out that Costco’s online photo centre had been hacked and that they had suspended access for the time being. I have a bunch of photos I want to upload, so it’s super frustrating!

An internet find I loved was this post by Danielle at Sometimes Sweet. In it she talks about the decision of whether or not to have more kids, and it hits the nail on the head for how tough of a decision is really is.

The best money I spent was on some new songs on iTunes. The music in my car has been pretty stale, so it was time to refresh things a bit.

My favourite Isla and/or Norah moment was Isla’s love for “exercising.” Kyle showed her how to walk on the treadmill and lift weights, and now she loves to go downstairs with him and “exercise.” Perhaps I have a future marathon runner on my hands? Either way, it’s a great way for her to burn off some crazy, toddler energy!

The song that has been stuck in my head is the one that’s in the new Apple commercial. I didn’t even know what it was called or who sung it but it’s bloody catchy and stuck in my head. I eventually figured it out (“Freedom” by Pharell Williams) and went and bought it on iTunes. Very clever, Apple. You win, Apple. You win.

My favourite meal of the week was probably the beef stroganoff I made yesterday. Funny story: I was going to make it at home but Kyle ended up working overtime and it was going to be WAY too much food for just Isla and I. It was too late to switch plans because I already had most of the ingredients prepped and chopped. I was talking to my mom on the phone and she suggested that I just bring all the ingredients down to her place and cook dinner there. Done! I made dinner at my mom’s and it was great!

My plans for the weekend an appointment at the bank later this afternoon, nothing planned for Saturday, and I think Isla will be running the last 100m of the Kamloops Marathon with Kyle’s step-dad on Sunday. Fun!

What songs are you currently rocking out to in the car?