Thank you for being a friend.

Motherhood isn’t easy.  If anyone told you it was they were lying to you.  It truly takes a village.  I’m not just talking about a village to help mold your little one’s life but a village to help you, the mom, during this ride.  You need to be sure that you keep your friends close to you during this time.  Whether those are the friends that you’ve had since you were in the first grade, met when you were four at Sunday School or more recently in a mommy group where you commiserated about your kids not sleeping through the night.  These women will be your tribe.  They will help you in ways that you don’t even realize.  They’ll be the shoulders that you’ll cry on when you’re at your wits end and they’ll sit with you over a cup of coffee or glass of wine when you need to just have someone present with you.

I’m not taking anything away for your spouse, partner or family.  If you are fortunate to have these people present in your life, they are important in a different way.  Girlfriends are different.  There is an unspoken bond of understanding.  They will answer that text at 11pm or 4:30am when you can’t sleep because they’re up too.  They will drop by with a Starbucks when you can’t leave because your child has been hit with the latest virus and you’re stuck close to a bathroom.

To all of you in my tribe, thank you.  It has been a heck of a ride for me so far but I’m just grateful to have you all in my life.  Thank you for being a friend.

Avatar photo

Roula

A little ditty about Jack and Diane...no really in all seriousness I'm a daughter, sister, wife and mother. I'm a Greek-American, who has transplanted in Canada. As a first time mom I'm sharing some things as I go along.

More Posts

Baby

Well it was just another fabulous Friday.  I had decided to forget about how my week didn’t go as planned and get excited about the hectic weekend ahead that would be filled with family and friends.  So I as I mentally got prepared for bath time a feeling of panic went over my body.  Baby, Baby was missing, worse I remembered where Baby was.  Baby was in school.  I grabbed my phone and called the school, the teacher told me they closed in 15 minutes.  I told her I was on my way.  I grabbed the kid, threw some shoes and a coat on the both of us and out we went.  She kept asking where we were going and I said an adventure.

How did I let this happen?  I never send toys to school but Friday morning had been exceptionally hard and Baby came to drop off.  Then Baby came inside to see the school.  Then it was decided Baby could stay for a show and tell. I kept playing pick up in my head.  I walked in and they had just come in from outside.  The ECE warned me that my kid had of course found the biggest puddle in the play area (thank you Peppa Pig and your muddy puddles).  So here she is, still having her snow pants, coat, boots on and is just a mess.  Literally it looks like she rolled around in the puddle, which I can neither confirm or deny happened.  Regardless all I could do was laugh.  We washed her hands, and I grabbed her shoes and off we went.  Upon further investigation at home the snow pants, gloves and coat did the trick, she was completely dry inside.  So we went upon our normal routine.

Back at school I had one teacher helping me find the Baby, we looked everywhere, two rooms, closets, baskets, everywhere.  Another teacher who was leaving walked in and offered to help, grateful for another set of eyes, we continued.  We asked the kid what she did that day, where she remembered baby last.  The investigation provided nothing.  As I was beginning to explain to the kid that Baby was gone and we’d have to go home without her, the second teacher who came in to help yells, “Is this her?”  You hear the kid shout out, “Baby!” I ran over and hugged her.  Thanking her I asked where did she find the doll?  She said she was right here, by the sink.  The kid then pipes in, “we gave Baby a bath mommy.”  Upon further investigation of Baby it made complete sense, Baby had flecks of green paint in her blonde hair, as well as yellow paint on her blue eyes.  The kid obviously wanted to do a complete makeover on her.  Needless to say we left the school so happy and giving Baby extra hugs.

My kid never was one for attachment items.  She threw the pacifier away at 4 months.  She never had a favourite blanket or stuffed animal.  About 8 months ago she started not liking taking baths, which is completely normal at this age, so we had switched to showers.  Daddy being the great guy that he is found a doll that could go in water and even had a bathtub that came with it.  Six months of trying and finally two weeks ago the kid requested a bath, with the doll.  Since then the doll comes with us every bath.  I gave up our quick few minute showers to 15 minute baths full of toys and bubbles, and sometimes that isn’t enough time in the water.  I don’t want to say to soon that my water baby is back, but we’re getting there. Needless to say that I’m happy my baby, who certainly is no longer a baby, has her Baby back.

Avatar photo

Roula

A little ditty about Jack and Diane...no really in all seriousness I'm a daughter, sister, wife and mother. I'm a Greek-American, who has transplanted in Canada. As a first time mom I'm sharing some things as I go along.

More Posts

How to not sound like an EllinoAmeriKanadezaki

So as I sit here and type I am trying to figure out the best way to continue the Greek language with the kid.  Obviously I want to make sure she can communicate with her grandparents and family members in Greece.  I try to think back about my upbringing and I can remember being in first grade doing spelling words with my tenant because my parents couldn’t help me.  Thinking back to that moment, I’m sure I’m not the only first generation American/Canadian/Australian who was in that boat.  Our parents immigrated to other countries so that we would have ‘a better life,’ which really meant more opportunities.  Greek was my first language and I do believe it helped me learn English. I don’t want to have a Mr. Portokalis moment alla My Big Fat Greek Wedding but the root word of many words is in fact Greek.  Saying all that how did my parents know how much to push me to make sure I learned Greet to not sound like an EllinoAmerikanaki and in my daughter’s case to have her not sound like an EllinoAmeriKanadezaki.  Yes I totally made that word up but if you’re Greek, you get my point.  I don’t want her to have that accent.  I don’t want people in Greece to think of her being any less Greek because she wasn’t born there.  A difficult thing for me to grasp is why so many programs and Greek Schools start at a later age.  Most language is grasped in the first two to three years so why wait until the child is four or five years old?  Would it make sense to come up with a curriculum that is play/song based to get our little ones going?

So help me out parents, at what age did you put your child in a Greek program? At what age did see your child engage with their Greek friends/family members in Greek? Do you think we should be doing more, earlier?

Avatar photo

Roula

A little ditty about Jack and Diane...no really in all seriousness I'm a daughter, sister, wife and mother. I'm a Greek-American, who has transplanted in Canada. As a first time mom I'm sharing some things as I go along.

More Posts

Greek Music

So as I sit here and type, I’m streaming Greek Boston’s Zembekika Music playlist and it has me thinking…am I the only one who prefers Greek music to today’s mainstream English music?  Honestly I couldn’t tell you who is in today’s Top 40 listing but I can sing you pretty much every word from Μαρινέλλα – Άνοιξε πέτρα which was released in 1968. This came up at New Year’s Day dinner with my father in law who is a joker and said he’d dance a zembekiko if I could find a particular song.  So he rattled some song and I didn’t need to look for it, I knew the song and sang the refrain.  Now the song from what I can find out first came out in 1978.  Needless to say he was a bit stunned that I knew the song and words.

I remember going to see Marinella and Yiannis Parios at the Orpheum Theater in Boston when I was 6 or 7 years old and sitting in the third row thinking this was the best thing since sliced bread.  Back in the day, my dad was in a band, so maybe it is in my blood.  My uncle was the singer and I remember many a times my xsadelf and I would be driving around Boston, sun roof open, belting out tunes at the top of our lungs. I remember being in Athens in 1997 at an ourdoor nightclub with thousands of people and making my way on stage with Anna Vissi.  My friends mortified I’d get us kicked out, but no fear of that, we danced our way into the early morning on stage and all was well in the world.  I guess you can say, I like to be surrounded by song.  So what about you my Greek peeps, am I the only one like this or do you also like to zone out to your Greek music??

Avatar photo

Roula

A little ditty about Jack and Diane...no really in all seriousness I'm a daughter, sister, wife and mother. I'm a Greek-American, who has transplanted in Canada. As a first time mom I'm sharing some things as I go along.

More Posts

Welcome 2017

Happy New Year to each and every one of you and welcome 2017!  I’m not going to sit here and write about all of the amazing resolutions I’ve made as that isn’t really my thing.  I don’t feel that you need to wait for January 1st to make changes in your life.  Every day is  a new beginning so I don’t buy into all of the hype.

We had a low-key entry into the year and it was just what the doctor ordered.  The one thing we had trouble with this year is finding a pomegranate.  For my non-Greek readers, it is a tradition that we have and my friend Greg over at the Pappas Post did a good job of covering so go here to find out more.  Well after 5 supermarkets we found out that there has been a pomegranate shortage in Canada since October.  So my hubby being the innovator that he is, bought a bottle of POM juice and wrote 2017 outside of our home.  That counts right?!?

New Year’s Day was surrounded by family, which was perfect.  The kid got the coin from the vasilopita for the second year in a row.  Good luck my little one, may it always surround you.  I have no doubt that this year will be another amazing one for you.  As for me, I have a few things up my sleeve.  I can’t give too much away until everything is said and done but you’ll be the first to know.  Well maybe 3rd after my family and closest friends 🙂

Whatever 2017 holds for each of us, I have three wishes for you: my first wish is that first and foremost we have our health, as without it we are nothing.  My second wish is that we are not afraid.  Fear manifests itself differently to each of us.  Whatever that fear looks like to you take it by the horns and challenge it.  Don’t be scared to try something new: get that new makeover, apply for the new job, go skydiving, whatever it may be that is holding you back.  And my third wish is that you love with all of your heart.  Be vulnerable to love and see where it takes you.  Yes you may get hurt but baby let me tell you, when it is right, it’ll take you on the ride of your life.  May my three wishes lead to an amazing 2017 for each and everyone of you!!

Avatar photo

Roula

A little ditty about Jack and Diane...no really in all seriousness I'm a daughter, sister, wife and mother. I'm a Greek-American, who has transplanted in Canada. As a first time mom I'm sharing some things as I go along.

More Posts