When my two year old is flipping his lid about the silliest things, like his bunny ears not staying in place when he runs around, I find myself telling him to breath & chillax...
 

At times this seems to work & he registers that he needs to calm the heck down...At other times this seems to enrage him more & he performs, like the drama queen he is, a full on tanti act...A big flop to the ground, dramatic tears when he knows I''m watching & a big ending in which he refers to himself in third person, "Noal mad mumma, Noal mad"...

I get it, heck at times I want to do that exact thing...However, I find myself lately in need of taking my own bloody advice...Breath & chillax...
Some days can just do your head in as a stay-at-home-mumma....I mean the everyday life...The other day was one of them for me...
Noal didn't want cheerios, wanted toast, then didn't want toast, wanted cheerios, then the cheerios didn't have enough milk for his liking so he resorted to asking for icecream...Then the tanti described above happened...
This was followed up by a call that Pip needed to see another specialist on top of what feels like the zillions she already sees...She was whiny, clingy & had barely slept the night before...And the poor dog was just flat out bugging me...Twenty minutes later I found myself packing it & them all in & booting it to the park...
On my way there I noticed I was right frenzied up- I was pushing the stroller like it was my job, as if we were late for the park, distracted by my own annoyances & was just bugged about it all...

The funk had come in & had come in hard...

My little mind was just racing- Irritation, Pity & Exhaustion wanted to come in to party...And I was allowing them to have a cocktail, maybe even some appetizers...But right when they were about to cheers to more, my boy got them the hell outta there...
A dirty, bloody seagull was milling about & Noal yelled out, "Look mumma a duck, a duck, a duck." 

 Good try right? 

 So I stopped the mad woman stroller-pushing, leaned down towards him, about to teach him the difference between a duck & a seagull when he busted out with, "What does the duck say? Ning, Ning, Ning, Ning, Ning, Ning, Ning Na Ning" to the beat of his new favourite song- What Does the Fox Say?

Hello, how could I not let go & shut down the funk pity party...Noal & his "Ning Ning Ningings" took Irritation, Pity, & Exhaustion to the door & pretty much told them to "beat it"...
I laughed out loud to Noal's delight, told him how brilliant he was & realized I needed to breath & chillax...I mean really...Who cares that Noal wanted 3 different things for brekki...I should be grateful he's eating, growing & has a mind of his own....Who cares that Pip has appointments almost everyday this week, I should be grateful to live in a country where they care about her development, have a wicked healthcare system & those appt are absolutely free...
As I walked, I really did take in deep breaths, I became aware of my surroundings, I let the annoyances of the morning fall away, I slowed down the pace, even sang the annoying, yet catchy Fox song with Noal the rest of the way to the park...Be thankful you weren't walking by...
And all of a sudden, just by being, just by everyday mumma-life, I was overwhelmed with thankfulness...
There I was dwelling on my "first-world" problems & if I really took a minute to shift or re-think about it, I have a pretty swell life...
I thought of mummas in other countries who have a life I couldn't imagine...Who have to flea for safety, fight for their children or their own rights, don't have clean water or enough food...I pondered what would have happened to my precious Pip if I had been in a country that didn't accept her- didn't fight for her health like Canada does...
I have the opportunity to walk freely with my babes, enjoy a morning in the crisp fall air at a park, walk to a store, pick up food a plenty, feel safe in my community, love who I want, be who I am & have resources to help Pip medically, physically, developmentally...I live in a fan-freaking-tastic country that allows woman to take a year off to be with their babes...That has a healthcare system that all others should be envious of...

I'm lucky lucky lucky & sometimes it takes a toddler thinking a seagull is a duck to shut down the pity party & realize it...