No, I do NOT know all the words to "Let it Go"

In fact, I had to actually google the song title to write this blog post. Cause honestly, all I could think of was the title "Let Her Cry". Then I realized that's cause it's an awesome Hootie and the Blowfish song. I am not literate in the "Frozen" world. For some odd reason, Frozen is one of the only Disney movies my boys do not care for. So no, I do not know all the words to the song (clearly, I don't even know the song title). And I look like a complete idiot when moms are talking with their kids about the movie, and they turn to me and say "oh you know what it's like". Ummm…. no I don't.

Instead I'm immersed into a world of Lego, Skulls, Pirates, (occasionally Dora) and mostly all BOY things! Not saying Frozen is not for the boys. But just not my boys. So for all you non-Frozen moms out there (and for the few other strange children who did not like the movie) here is some awesome new Quinn & Lane swag that is NOT Frozen related..

Character Mitten Clips $6/pair or 3 pairs for $16
Exclusive to Facebook Fans ONLY! Dozens more
styles available http://facebook.com/quinnandlane 

And of course for you Frozen freaks fans… (did you really think I would forget about you and leave you out of this awesomeness?)

Character Mitten Clips $6/pair or 3 pairs for $16
Exclusive to Facebook Fans ONLY! Dozens more
styles available http://facebook.com/quinnandlane

Now the only catch to these beauties is that they are EXCLUSIVE to Facebook Fans only! All my character Mitten Clips can be viewed and ordered through the Quinn & Lane Facebook Fan Page. However for those of you who prefer to shop through my Etsy page, you will be happy to find tons more different styles there too! Check them out under the Mitten Clips section!

Oh, and for the Hootie fans, here you go…

We Committed an Easter Crime

We had company from out of town this weekend. So the Easter Bunny came Friday night for the boys to celebrate Saturday morning allowing our company to fully enjoy the experience of our kids excitement. I shared some pictures on my personal Facebook on Saturday of the festivities only to be met with comments that suggested we had our days mixed up and celebrated on the wrong day. I really thought at one point we had committed some big Easter faux pas. But then decided, meh…who cares what others think (I really need to remind myself of that more often).

Lane enjoying all the "gawk-let",
(chocolate). Look at the floor!

Anyway, the boys really had a lot of fun. Lane was totally into all the chocolate. Or "gawk-let" as he says it. He really understood the point of the egg hunt this year, and had a blast looking for "more gawk-let mama"! Luckily he got distracted by other things so I was able to re-hide some of the chocolate for another day (like far away, in the depths of my cupboards for when I need a melty-goodness treat myself). Hey. Don't judge!

Captain America (aka Quinn),
planning his next big rescue!

Quinn loved the egg hunt too, but was way more into the toys. He's been asking for months for some Captain America gear. The bunny was generous this year and provided exactly what he wanted. He was so proud wearing his helmet all day. It made him feel quite special. He kept rescuing us "wescue you mom" all day. Apparently we are in need of a lot of rescuing during the day in the eyes of an almost 4 year old.



I hope your festivities will filled with lots of love, laughter, fun & family! We certainly felt very blessed this weekend for so many reasons.

Oh and on a little side-note, I've been slacking in the Friday Freebie department for the last two weeks. But I promise I will have a new one up this Friday and it will totally be worth the wait :)

Make plans, then be prepared to change them!

This is going to be my new piece of advice for anyone asking me what it's like to be a mom. Sure, I've received great advice over the years: sleep when they sleep, keep track when you last showered (not a joke, sometimes I still can't remember) and my favourite, if they get sick, be prepared to fall ill yourself. You WILL catch every. single. germ. they bring home!

This is what happened to us this weekend. We had big plans. The weather was suppose to be beautiful (and it was) we were finally going to be able to get out and get some fresh air. After all, the kids were scheduled for minor surgery today for ear tubes. So we wanted to pack the weekend full of fun!

Then Saturday morning Quinn started vomiting. He's never vomited before. Never even spit up as an infant. Needless to say he was confused and kept saying "sorry mom, sorry". He learned the valuable benefit of a "puke bucket" this weekend and mastered the art of hitting his target like a pro. Once we got him to bed we thought we were in the clear. Well we were. For Quinn.

At about 10pm as we headed up to bed, Lane was crying. He had already been sleeping for 3 hrs at this point and he starts vomiting. It was a long night. Four bed changes and PJ changes he finally settled in about 2am with an empty stomach and no more vomiting. I spent the night with Quinn in his bed, while my husband slept in the bed in Lane's room next to his crib. Neither of us managed to get much sleep. But wait…it get's worse!

I wake up about 3am vomiting. This went on until 7am when the kids woke up. At which point I told my husband he was on his own for the day as I would be hiding in bed. I honestly never felt so awful in my life (including the flu I had last month). It was bad.

Lane after surgery stuffing
his face with cookies.

As I laid in bed, all I kept thinking (cause I wasn't doing much sleeping) was that we were going to have to reschedule the boys ear tube surgery. Putting it off another month which I really did not want to do. But by 5am when I woke up this morning I felt so much better. The kids were better, so we packed them up into the car and headed to the hospital. I figured we would tell the staff at the hospital what occurred over the weekend, and if they felt they weren't up to the surgery we could reschedule.

Quinn, not yet awake
from the anesthetic.

I'm happy to say all went well. Both boys had their tubes put in, neither of them worse for the wear and to be honest I don't think either of them remember now what transpired this morning. They are so resilient! So yes, my new piece of advice is "if you make plans be prepared to change them" cause it's incredible how quickly things can change when you have little ones at home. The unexpected always seems to happen, and at the worst time. 


It's going to be an early bed time tonight for all of us I think. It was a busy weekend, but not in the way I had hoped and we are all exhausted!

Mother Nature is Missing!

It's not official yet, but I'm pretty convinced that {{{Mother Nature has gone missing}}}. Or abducted. We should probably file a missing person's report and put out an Amber Alert for her. The ridiculous amounts of ***snow*** we've been getting over the past two weeks should be proof enough. Kinda getting annoyed now. So once again, I'm left trying to entertain and keep two toddlers happy and saving us from going cUCkoO.

20 Ways to Keep Toddlers Busy
www.teachingmama.org

Found this great link today, LOVE LOVE LOVE these ideas. But today I'm feeling lazy so we have just stuck with the good ol' sensory bin filled with water. In today's bin we have paintbrushes, measuring spoons, straws, colanders, medicine droppers and toothbrushes (hey why not sneak in a {dental hygiene} lesson while were at it)? Although Lane did more teeth brushing using the pain brushes rather than tooth brushes.

I love how this photo looks like everything is tidy and dry. This photo was taken at the start people. Trust me. Things were not so dry (kids either) after 5 minutes. But they had fun. I got about 20 minutes of quiet time. Made a coffee without "help", went pee by myself (that seems to be a new trend this week and I'm totally loving it).

What are some of your favourite activities to keep your kiddos busy? I'd love to hear them. I don't think "spring" is around the corner anytime soon!

It's Time to Say Goodbye! *sniff*

Ok so this is sort of mean of me. But I knew that title would grab your attention. You did click it after all right? Well, no worries. I'm not going anywhere. Neither is the Quinn & Lane shop. But…

…the time has come to say goodbye to some of the Sippy Cup/Toy Strap styles I have in my shop. Some of the fabrics have been discontinued and I can't re-order. I do have a few of these still available in very limited quantities. Some have already sold out:

Green/Grey/Lime Diamonds on White

Green Stripes

Orange/Green/White Dots on Teal

Red/Blue/Lime Argyle

Lime Dots

In case you haven't already guessed, I get a little attached to my products. So to see these styles go for good makes me a little sad. I put a lot of thought into the fabrics I choose, thinking about what styles YOU would like for your little ones. What colours would make your little ones happy? These were definitely some of my favourites!

But I have good news too! I've been able to re-stock some of YOUR favourites that have previously sold out and I ordered some brand NEW styles too! I can't wait for you to see them. I think you and your kiddos will love them! I promise to post a sneak peek soon! In the meantime, make sure you snatch up these great styles before they are gone for good. They won't last long!

Hello! What's Your Name?

Quinn is a very chatty child. He likes people. He does not discriminate. He will chat with anyone. Even strangers. Because of this he gets asked a lot "hello, what's your name"? Even though Quinn likes to talk, a lot of people have a very hard time understanding him.

There was a time when his words were all gibberish. They really didn't mean much. He just jabbered on and on to anyone who would listen. After he started speech therapy last year, he finally start to actually try REAL words. And now he has tons of real words, and tries new ones all the time. But most of the time, we are the only ones who understand him.

Quinn will be 4 in July. He starts school this fall and we will be enrolling him into french immersion (the speech language pathologist said there is no reason why - nor do any studies show - that introducing a second language to a child with a motor speech delay will cause any problems or be any more difficult compared to a child with no delay). But it got me thinking…

He can say his name. But it's not that clear (no one would probably guess it). And as for teaching him his phone number etc right now, it just isn't coming out properly. Then I had a moment of panic. What if we were out at the park, shopping, etc and I got separated from him? If he was able to find help, how could he tell them who he was? How to find me?

Toddler Bottle Cap ID Tags

Then I came up with these! Of course, I just HAD to make them cute (that was not an option). I made them so they clip on and off super quick & easy to his jacket/sweater zippers, his shoe laces in case he's not wearing a jacket, or even his pants/shorts belt loops. So he at least knows that if he can't find mommy or daddy to show someone his really neat "tag". He show's it off and says "wook (look), it's me"!

This little thing, gives me at least a bit of peace of mind we ever were to get separated. Obviously the WORST feeling a parent can ever experience and I hope none of you reading this (including me) ever have to have that gut wrenching panic.

Did you know that in 2011 there were over 46,000 missing children reported in Canada alone? That number is scary! And during those first few moments of panic after you've called the police, you are asked to provide all your child's information (what they were wearing, weight, height, age, eye/hair colour, etc) and to provide a photo. Not an easy task to do when you are in utter shock and despair. So I found this really cool app for my phone called FindMeID which is completely FREE. It allows you to input your children's photo, information about them AHEAD of time - like RIGHT NOW - (identifying marks, height/weight, eye/hair colour, etc). Should your child ever go missing, you can submit all that info (that you've already recorded ahead of time in the app) directly from the app right to Missing Kids! So if you have a smartphone, download this app now, and start filling in your children's information. It only takes a couple of minutes.

And most importantly, many do not know this… you DO NOT have to wait 24 hours before reporting your child missing!!! So do not wait. Better to report a false alarm (and be safe) rather than letting such precious first minutes in finding your child slip away.

Seven Years

Today you would have turned 7 years old. Some people say time heals. Nope. Even with two healthy rainbow baby boys, I feel your loss even more now than the day I met you and said goodbye. Seven years ago. I have to say it a couple times to believe it. Doesn't really feel that long.

It's your Daddy's birthday today too. I'm glad he shares his birthday with you. It's such a special day. The day we met you. They day we said goodbye to you. So many memories and emotions packed into one day. I know your dad doesn't see his birthday the same way anymore. He feels lucky to share the day with you but I know he feels extra sad on his birthday too.

I can't help but keep thinking what a great big sister you would have been. And what a great helper to Mommy you would be. Every time we take the kids somewhere to play, and I see Quinn connect with a little girl about your age, I can't help but smile and think "that could have been you".

I miss you baby girl. Always will. Will always wonder why you aren't with us. We see you in the boys. We think of you every day. We miss you more than anyone will ever know.

Mommy "aka"

Making "Sketti" and Trying to Survive!

It's been a L  O  N  G winter here in Timmins Ontario. The snow started flying in October and it hasn't stopped since. In fact it's been snowing pretty much all last weekend and all week adding lots more snow to the tons we already have on the ground. I don't think there are many snowbanks out there less than 5 feet high (any locals reading this feel free to comment and let me know if I'm wrong). And that's AFTER the city did a major snow removal on our streets.

It's also been VERY {{{cold}}} most days are too cold to bring the little ones out to play. Even bundling them up to go to playgroup is not worth it on those days. Needless to say I've been running out of ideas to keep me and the kids from going crazy. We are just barely surviving now. Our noses glued to the window waiting for the snow to stop. I said to Quinn the other day "look outside, it's snowing" (cause really, it was pretty)! Quinn is a boy with few words (he's been in speech therapy over a year now and making great strides) but even he managed to say "oh no, not again"! So yeah, even the boys are feeling the cabin fever. Every morning Quinn wakes up and says "no outside mom, cold". So there you go.

Yesterday he wanted to make "sketti" (spaghetti). Obviously, I'm an awesome mother (right now he's eating dried parmesan cheese from a bowl with a spoon) so I won't let him use the stove. So instead I set up a bucket of water and let him "cook" his own pasta in cold water. It took a while. A long while. But it did eventually get soft (he may or  may not have eaten some). But it kept him and his brother busy all afternoon. So yeah…awesome mother right here! Kids were happy and I had a bit of a break (I got to pee by myself).

Today I filled the bin with cheerios. We have boxes and boxes of cheerios. No one ever eats them. My kids are probably the only ones on the planet that don't like cheerios. So I figured I'd let them scoop them, shovel them, dump them. Whatever. Again. I got to pee by myself. Twice! Life is good!

Any of my blog followers still out there?

I've had this blog for a while. Going back to 2009!!! I used to have a lot of followers. It's had a few different names over the years. "My Scrappy Floor" was the last one I used for my scrapbooking projects (when I used to scrapbook). I've recently changed it over to suit my new online shop "Quinn &  Lane". But curious if any of my old followers are still lurking? If you are, let me know. And if you've been wondering how we've been doing, see my post below. And in case you want to see, the boys have grown so much! Here are a few pics I took last fall. Enjoy :)

I have fallen in love...

...with this picture. We were out at Fielding Park last weekend (where Hugh and I got married in 2007). Just a little picnic and a walk along the trails. Brought Clyde with us (my Canon Rebel) just to take a few random shots, nothing posed or planned. Just for fun.

I suppose that is why it's not so surprising I ended up with a new favourite photograph of Quinn. The best ones are always random, when you aren't trying. I just love this boy to pieces! And this photograph just melts my heart....

...his dirty Italian leather shoes, his cute little "shuffle" as he walks and inspects the road in front of him, swinging his left arm so carefree, with his sippy cup in a football hold under his other arm. Seriously. Does life get any more precious than this?

Best. Picture. Ever!

I just LOVE this photo...

This is why I'm starting to become addicted to Instagram... quick and easy pics like this, that I won't bother editing it Lightroom or Photoshop cause they just turn out so cool on their own. Love these guys so much...

Insta-what?

Instagram. It's a photo app thingy. It's fun. Check it out if you have a smart phone and follow me Catherine_Stewart. I haven't used it a whole lot yet but so far it's pretty fun. Kinda like Twitter for photos.

Other than that, not much else is new. Enjoying my boys, they are both growing so fast.

And we are really looking forward to the summer and going on holidays! Any suggestions where we should go?

Dying to get away from here,

Love my bunnies...

So a couple weeks ago when Hugh was traveling, the boys and I had a little fun taking some Easter pics for him. Lane didn't seem to notice the bunny ears. Quinn had to put them on himself (non of this "letting mommy do it for me" stuff). He also had a blast "counting" the Easter Eggs over and over (which consisted of dumping them and putting them back in the bucket one by one, dumping again, rinse, repeat).

Here are a few of my favourite shots...

Hoppy Easter,

Falling in love with a new man...

Mr. Pro, MackBook Pro. *sigh* I never thought I would buy an Apple. Don't get me wrong, I love my iPhone but always thought I'd be a PC girl. Not anymore. Only took me about 5 minutes from the time he booted up for me to fall in love with him. Can't wait to start editing photos.

Already he has his own little nook on our kitchen counter, and counter space around here is prime real estate (our kitchen is tiny). But he deserves it. So far, he's done everything I've asked of him (and more) with great speed!

An Apple a day...

Just what I needed, more indecision!

As if I didn't have a hard enough time making up my mind before, now I've made it even harder on myself. So far I've learned to take pretty good photos straight out of the camera (SOOC) but then I discovered Adobe Lightroom! And of course after that followed her friend Adobe Photoshop! Then I met The CoffeeShop Blog... Presets & Actions, Oh my!

Really, is the photo editing ever going to end? I could edit a single photo 5 different ways (or more) and love them all! Which ones do I post to share? Which ones do I print? And which version do I blow up and frame? Gah!!!!!

Here's just a bit of the editing I did today... let me know what you think, which are your favorites?

Original (after a few small edits in Lightroom)

After a CoffeShop Action

Original after white balance and brightness edit

After a CoffeeShop Action

Original SOOC no edits (point & shoot)

After CoffeeShop Action

Original SOOC no edits (with DSLR)

After CoffeeShop Action

After CoffeeShop Action (different one)

So a question for my photog friends... (if you've gotten this far and are still reading and haven't been blinded by all the baby cuteness): what do you choose? Does it depend on your mood that day? Do you have a certain "look/style" that you always go for? Do you edit all your everyday photos with actions/presets? I'd love to hear your feedback!

So overwhelmed,