The high of my week was finding out that my contract at the university is being extended by two more weeks. Also, planning our gender reveal party has been a fun little side-project, even though it’s not going to be super fancy. Here’s the cupcake toppers I made the other day:

The low of my week was going into our local Target store and seeing how empty it already is. It’s pretty disappointing that Target wasn’t able to make it in Canada, but really, I’m not surprised. The US Target stores have much better pricing and selection and I think we were just expecting too much. (Things are NEVER cheaper in Canadian counterpart stores, IMHO.) The liquidation started yesterday and I don’t expect much to stick on the shelves for long. I went in on Tuesday just to browse and maybe pick up some maternity clothes and there was nothing that would fit me. Boo.

 A blog post I loved was this post by Melissa at So About What I Said. Mid-February to April has been a tough time for me since my Grandma passed away 3 years ago, so this post came at the perfect moment for me. It made me realize that sometimes dealing with a loss can change a person in a good way, despite how hard it can be to cope with.

The best money I spent was actually money I didn’t spend. When I went to Target on Tuesday, Isla grabbed some kind of toy and was playing with it while I looked around. She was fairly certain that I was going to buy it for her, but I had no plans to. A little temper tantrum ensued (“Mommy, I neeeeeeeed it! Mommy, we pay for it!”) but I convinced her that we didn’t need it and she begrudgingly put it back. Go me!

Another treasure she found but put back, with no fight.

I also ordered cupcakes for our gender reveal party through the home baker who made the cupcakes for my friend’s wedding back in September. A dozen cupcakes for just $15? I call that a huge win, considering the bakery I had originally thought of going with wanted $41 for a dozen! Pffft.

My favourite Isla moment was just being able to spend time with her on Tuesday. Going back to work has made me really cherish the time off that I’ve been able to have to be with her and raise her. Being a working mom is tough in a lot of ways, as it turns out. I’ll talk about this more in a future post, but for now I’ll just say that I really just enjoy soaking up our moments together.

The song that has been stuck in my head is Missy Elliot’s “Get Ur Freak On,” thanks to the Superbowl Halftime Show. I literally ran to the living room when I heard her name being announced. It’s was like being back in high school again, lol.

My favourite meal of the week was the Swiss steak Kyle made for dinner on Sunday. He’s a far better multitasker than I am in the kitchen and this is one of those meals where everything needs to fall together at the right moment in order to get it in the oven on time. I’ve been craving Swiss steak for a while, so I’m happy that Kyle jumped on deck to put it together!

My plans for the weekend are a date night with Kyle Saturday (Isla’s going to my mom’s for the evening), which so far consists of watching American Sniper. I’m heading to a Tupperware party Sunday afternoon and then Monday is a holiday here in BC, so I’m sure it will just be a day of relaxing before my big day of appointments on Tuesday! :D

What are your plans for the weekend? What was the best “non-purchase” you made?

The high of my week was getting my ultrasound appointment booked for February 10th! I was super excited when the ultrasound clinic called, and I’m hoping that they can get the results to my doctor’s office on the same day so we can find out what we’re having! Kyle will have to work, so I’m having the MOA write down the gender and seal it in an envelope so we can open it together when he gets home from work. Yay!

Another high of the week was finalizing my contract/paperwork for the temporary position I landed at the university. I start on Monday! (And am pretty nervous about the whole thing since I haven’t worked in almost 3 years. Eep!)

The low of my week was that it was a rough one on the potty training front. I thought Isla was doing SO well, but she reverted a little at the beginning of the week and it nearly left me in tears. She did way better yesterday though, so let’s hope it was some kind of phase.

A blog post I loved was this one by my favouritest local photographer, Jo Leflufy, about tossing those New Year’s resolutions away. I couldn’t agree more with her; I’m most definitely a deadline-driven person instead of a goal-driven one.

The best money I spent was on some plastic containers to put all of my homemade turkey soup in. Pretty lame that this excites me, but now I have a bunch of frozen lunch-sized containers of soup that I can easily thaw out and eat for lunch at work. I win.

My favourite Isla moment was taking her to an art session at one of the local baby/mom stores on Wednesday. She had SO much fun painting and hanging out with the other kids and was so sad when it was time to go. A bonus? Our favourite little friend and his momma lead the sessions, so it’s extra fun for Isla!

The song that has been stuck in my head is Anaconda by Nikki Minaj, and I hate myself a little bit for it. I even downloaded and threw it onto my USB stick for my car, and Kyle got a good chuckle out of it. Oh well.

My favourite meal of the week was the homemade turkey soup I made on Thursday. It was a pain in the butt to make (the turkey didn’t fit in my soup pot, I burnt my hand ladling it into its containers), but in the end it was really tasty!

My plans for the weekend are visits with an out of town friend tonight, a comedy show tomorrow, and prepping (mostly mentally) for my new job on Monday!

What are your plans for the weekend??

The high of my week was finishing off my Christmas shopping. There were a couple of stocking stuffers I wanted to get Isla, so on Tuesday I dropped her off at my MIL’s and got the rest of my shopping done. Man, how I forgot how easy it is to shop without a kid in tow! I made four different stops and not having to pack her in and out of her carseat was just wonderful! (It’s so much harder in the winter too, with her jacket and boots and such.)

The low of my week was my failure at making fudge. I wanted to make this orange chocolate fudge and everything seemed to be going well, but it’s just not firming up :( And now that I read the can, I used the wrong type of milk (evaporated vs. condensed). Oh phooey. I guess I’ll try again! I really wanted to make it to take to dinner with us tomorrow evening.

A blog post I loved was Danielle’s post on parenting. I’ve followed her blog for quite a while now and I think she really hit the nail on the head.  It’s so hard to remind yourself that this whole parenting gig is one where you’re constantly learning, regardless of how old your kid is. I often feel like I’m not doing something right, but really, Isla’s turning out just fine. The other day she peed her pants (my fault for not realizing how long it had been since she had gone) and I was telling Kyle about it, and he just said, “Oh well, accidents happen. You’re doing a great job though.” That was so reassuring and then reading Danielle’s post really reminded me that I’m not the only one.

The best money I spent was $7 on two pairs of tech-friendly mittens from Target. They’re cheap so I won’t cry if I lose one, and I don’t have to take them off to look at my phone and such. Win!

My favourite Isla moment was Tuesday evening. She almost always sits in the front window and waits for Kyle to come home, and then waves to him and tells him to come in the house. Well on Tuesday she was waiting but got distracted by something on the TV, so she didn’t get to wave or tell him to “Come on in!” and she was very saddened by this. Like, “I don’t want anything to do with either of you,” sad. So Kyle asked if she wanted him to go back outside so she could wave, and she said yes, so he did. She got to wave and after that she was 100% a different kid. So strange, that daughter of ours!

The song that has been stuck in my head is “Take Me to Church” by Hozier. After hearing Matt McAndrew perform it on the Voice and then watching Hozier sing it during the VS Fashion Show AND on the Voice, it’s STUCK. Such a beautiful and dramatic song, and the music video? So powerful.

My favourite meal of the week was the breakfast Kyle made Sunday morning. Eggs, bacon and potato pancakes! I had never had potato pancakes before, and Kyle claimed that was unacceptable, so he made me an amazing breakfast and the pancakes were delicious!

My plans for the weekend are an early Christmas dinner with Kyle’s dad and his girlfriend tonight, followed by yoga Saturday morning (which will be needed), then a get together with Kyle’s other side of the family Saturday evening, and (hopefully) a relaxing Sunday! I’m thinking we’ll be hermits and watch Christmas movies all day and order pizza for dinner.
ALSO: Keep your eyes open for a super exciting announcement here on the blog on Monday. (But if you’re friends with me on Facebook or follow me on Instagram, you may just find out sooner!) ;)

What are YOUR weekend plans? Are you ready for Christmas?