Vaccination Hell

Happy two months to my sweet little monster.  Sadly, we celebrated by getting her first round of vaccinations – a whopping four in total! I’m all for the miracles of modern medicine and believe in vaccinations, but four in one go seems brutal.  Andrew was always a bit touchy on the day of vaccinations, but he was usually right as rain within 24 hours.  As for Maeve…holy hell! I was not prepared for the fussiness that descended upon my typically-happy little camper. Of course, as luck would have it, she started to get a cold on the same day as her shots.

We are now four days post-vaccination and she is still a fussy handful. It’s hard to say whether her crankiness and lack of appetite is due to the cold or the shots now.  I think the combo of both was just a little too rough, poor sweetie.  Of course, because I am the receptacle of all her bodily fluids, guess who also got sick?  I feel like I have been hit by a truck.  You should see the two of us sprawled on the couch, both drippy and cantankerous, it’s not a pretty sight.

So far the boys have managed to escape the bug. I’m not holding out much hope though because these things usually make the rounds.  Parenthood…not for the weak!

Return to the blogosphere

Yup…I’m still kicking. Try as I might, over the past few years I just haven’t been able to get back into blogging.  Between working and raising an active four-year-old, I could barely string together a coherent sentence by the end of a typical day.  But now that I am home on maternity leave, I’m going to try my darnedest to get back into it.

Yes! You heard correctly. I am now on maternity leave for the next year. We finally had our baby girl after several years of deliberation and then a few losses. I look at her and have to pinch myself sometimes to remind me that this isn’t a dream. I was getting to the point where I was considering throwing in the towel on having our last child, and now here she is. 

Little Maeve came into the world on May 28 via planned C-Section. Everything went like clockwork.  Surgery is certainly easier to endure when you know what to expect and it isn’t an emergency. Thankfully I got that instant maternal bond the moment I set eyes on Maeve. I was worried about post-partum depression again like I had with Andrew, but aside from a few normal hormonal bouts, I seem to be in the clear this time.

Being a Mom for the second time has been far easier. I have less trepidation and I’m more content to just sit, snuggle and cherish the little things. Having gone through this age once, I know how quickly it all passes. Of course, my contentment is also aided by the fact that Maeve really is an easy/ textbook baby.  If she cries, I go through the typical checklist and she is easily settled…not like the uncontrollable crying from colic that her poor brother had.

Life with two kids has had certain challenges but the adjustment hasn’t been as difficult as I imagined thus far. In general, I think the second child just has to be more portable than the first. Andrew has adjusted beautifully and is very sweet with his baby sister. Any small bits of jealousy have been directed at either hubby or I and never at Maeve. If anything, he wants to include her in everything!  We do our best to give them each their own special time with us, but he usually wants Maeve included in whatever we are doing with him.  I think the age gap helps because he is old enough to play independently and keen to help.

So that’s what has been keeping me busy over the past few months - slowly navigating my way through the new “normal”.  I will endeavor to capture the next year at home not because I’m overly interesting, but rather because writing is a good outlet…otherwise I find myself making up songs about the baby to the tune of whatever happens to be playing on the radio…really!  A lack of adult companionship during the days will mess with your head.

Welcome to the world baby girl!

Never a dull moment

Life with a four-year-old is exhausting, but certainly never boring.  Every day our mealtimes are peppered with questions, facts learned in school, and what can only be described at oddities.  I am always amazing by the dichotomy between childishness and maturity at this age. One second Andrew is spouting off some eloquently-phrased gem of wisdom, followed swiftly by robot noises or the proud announcement of flatulence.  It’s like living with someone with multiple personality disorder.

A few newly acquired oddities and phrases: 

Shocking people - Andrew loves to make use of the dry cold weather and the abundant static electricity that comes with it.  Just don’t let the kid near polar fleece…it’s not a happy ending for anyone.

Patriotism – singing the national anthem loudly and off-key while on the toilet.  I really should remind him that there are more appropriate places to play homage to our country.

Chilling – “I’m just going to chill here for a little bit.” Usually said while sprawled on the couch, fighting to keep his eyes open and avoid a nap.

Sugar – “Oh my God!  I LOVE sugar.”  Revealed in utter amazement, with slightly glazed eyes, after sampling the goods from a birthday party loot bag.

Possessiveness – “Where is MY baby?”  Yes, he thinks that the baby in my belly is actually “his” and that it is merely being grown by me until it comes into the world..."his" world. This will be the most over-protective big brother in the world.

Science – “Holy cow! I did science.”  The response I got one day after asking him what he learned at school.  He now thinks he is a master of all things science.

Birds and Bees – “How did that baby get inside your belly?”  My answers have all proved unsatisfactory to date.  “With love” just isn’t cutting it as an answer. Time to whip out the big gun answers I guess.

Despite the fact that I am pelted with a constant barrage of chatter, ill-timed jokes or questions, I wouldn’t swap out this stage of my kiddo’s development for anything. Because all these silly little things combined brighten my day.  And hopefully, this has brightened your day a little too.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, here is kiddo learning about static electricity at our local science museum.  Note to self: Don't give your kid a buzz cut before this experiment...ruins the effect. The sheer look of terror, however, PRICELESS.  Here really did love it...I swear!

So this happened this week...

Can you guess why? It’s a GIRL!

Hubby and I can hardly believe our luck. We always figured that we would have two boys. I would have been happy with another little guy, especially after all the ups and down it took us to get to this point; a girl is just the icing on the cake. I actually cried when I found out during the ultrasound.

To celebrate, I did what any other woman would do – I shopped! I just had to rush out and mark the moment by getting baby girl her first frilly little outfit. I’ll admit that I felt totally out of my depth in the girl’s department – the clothing just seems so much more complicated. Something tells me I’ll get the hang of it though.

Drew’s reaction to the gender reveal was very sweet. He is very excited to have a little baby sister to “protect” and has already started taking the role quite seriously. He is forever kissing my belly, calling her beautiful, and telling her about all the neat things they can do when she comes out. It's fun to see how engaged he is and how much he wants to be part of the process, I guess that’s one of the benefits of a larger age gap. He gets the concept a bit better at this age and is eager to help. The one burning question he does have is, “How on earth did she get in Mommy’s belly?” No doubt, the response will likely need its own blog post.

Sexy laundry

First off, get your mind out of the gutters!

I’m a mother of a crazy four-year-old boy and I’m rapidly approaching porpoise size with my current pregnancy. You know darn well there is nothing in my current wardrobe befitting of the title “sexy.”

While my clothing certainly leaves a lot to be desired, at least I can say that the room in which I wash said clothing is looking a little more fashion-forward. Gone are the days of lusting over designer dresses and accessories, now I fantasize over dressing up my laundry room. Perhaps it’s a wee bit depressing, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t happy. After all, I do seem to spend a good deal of my “free” time in the laundry room. Basically, I just needed a functionality overhaul. Because my laundry room is on the main floor of my house, and readily visible to guests using the powder room. I would often leave the door open, revealing a bulging shelf and a myriad of washing supplies and towels strewn around. It wasn’t very practical. So this Christmas my husband fulfilled a longstanding request – the need for more storage!

So far we have put up new cabinets, added a cheap table top over the machine for folding clothes, and I splurged on some glass tiles to freshen up the space. Not being the handiest of people, I have to say that I am pretty proud of both hubby and I for our progress so far. Once we got into the reno spirit, we decided to rip out the hideous stained utility sink, and replace it with a modern stainless steel one. These projects always have a domino effect – you start with one little thing and you soon find yourself doing a whole room remodel.

So here is the look thus far. I wish I had taken a true "before" shot. Today we tackle the sink (side note - plumbing frightens me). I may go around wearing hideous clothing, but at least I will clean it in style. As you can see, I totally have my priorities straight.

We aren’t cool anymore

First day back at work after the holidays and Drew’s first day back to school…sigh.

As if returning to the office wasn’t enough of a punch in the gut, the little guy’s enthusiasm was the real kicker this morning. He was so happy to be back from holidays. I suppose I should be thrilled, but a small part of me wishes he would show a tiny hint of remorse over not getting to spend the day with his father and I. When it comes down to it, we’re just no competition anymore when it comes to entertainment. I can’t say I blame him though, how do you live up to the same excitement as a whole classroom full of buddies?

I am hoping I can redeem my coolness this weekend by bringing Drew out to a museum or some sort of little excursion. The poor kid has been bottled up inside for the past four days straight because the temperature has been hovering around a bone-chilling – 27ºC (- 40º when you tack on the wind). I was supposed to bring him out yesterday but hubby’s car would not start so he needed to take mine for the day to go into the office. Needless to say, kiddo was none too happy. Here’s hoping the deep freeze tapers off soon because we’re all going a little stir crazy. I am both proud and ashamed to admit that this was the first day, in about four days, that I have gotten dressed. To mark the occasion, I even combed my hair ; )

New year, new start

To say that my blogging abilities went downhill in 2013 is an understatement. I believe that my last post was a thrilling number written some twelve months ago about sitting in chocolate on my seat at work and the ensuing embarrassment…riveting stuff. Seems that’s all the effort I could muster in a whole year. WEAK.

I could blame it on being busy, on being a working mom or having other priorities but, truth be told, I just lost my writing mojo. And in a very sad way, I started to see myself as a bit dull. Who would possibly want to read about a 30-something year old working Mom that lives her life down to the detailed second? And therein lies the problem, I forgot how to take the time to have a personality or, better yet, to check in with myself from time to time to see how things were going. I forgot that writing doesn’t always have to be satirical on entertaining, sometimes it is just plain old therapeutic.

To say that 2013 was easy would be a lie. I lost two much-wanted pregnancies, my mother had a horrible fall which still has her laid up seven months later, and hubby suddenly lost his job after almost eight long years of happy and gainful employment. Work was also increasingly stressful for me, at times making me seriously consider whether I would need to take a break from it all. At times it was difficult not to wallow in the “bad” of 2013. But there is the good that helps counterbalance things.

So instead, let’s focus on the positives of a whirlwind year. I had a beautiful family vacation on Lake Erie, I won a job competition at work, Andrew started school and loves it, hubby found an ever better job only six weeks after losing his job and I am now 18 weeks pregnant. And, while work stress continues to be at all all-time high, I am just thankful to be employed. In many ways, 2013 helped to solidify what things in my life really matter, and what items are simply "extras".

As a new year begins, I’m not going to reveal a master plan of detailed resolutions. Instead I will only say one thing – this year I will take time for myself, whatever form that may take.

Wishing all my readers, if indeed there are still any out there, a healthy, happy and wonderful New Year.

I have this friend...

You know your workday is going to be awesome when it starts out as follows:

You arrive late to the office because you are stuck behind a plow

You have to endure two hours of advanced French training, reviewing le plus-que-parfait

You eat a Kashi bar with renegade chocolate chips that break free and somehow magically slip their way under your posterior...completely unbeknownst to you.

You arise from your lightly-coloured chair only to discover a chocolatey surprise.

You endure a brief moment of panic and self doubt where you question whether your IBS suddenly kicked things up a notch

You make a hasty dash to the bathroom to clean your chocolate-bedazzled pants

You make another hasty dash back to your office to clean your chair

You have to explain to surrounding colleagues why you were running like a crazed fool

You ask another co-worker to examine your posterior for any possible leftovers

You sit in wet pants, on a wet chair, with only a dry toque between the two as a buffer.

You concede to the fact that your colleagues may very well call you "sweet cheeks" for the rest of your professional life.

Of course, this is all just a hypothetical situation. This couldn't possibly have happened to anyone with red hair...

Write off

Just got back from the collision centre and I’m sad to report that my beloved Tucson is broken beyond repair. The rails that hold up the engine are twisted and it would never drive the same. I’m gutted.

Going back and seeing the car, without the post-accident adrenaline rush, was pretty horrible. I had a chance to fully absorb the damage and ponder what could have happened had I stopped one fraction of a second later. I got teary-eyed as I took out the rest of my valuables and fished out the last of Andrew’s little traveling toys and trinkets. The Tucson was a wonderful family car and I’ll miss driving it.

Speaking of driving, I have yet to try it again since the accident. Thankfully we do have another car, although I’ll admit that I hate to drive it because I have become so accustomed to sitting higher up.  I know I have to work up the nerve, bite the bullet and have another go at it. My confidence is shaken and I’m apprehensive about now having to but another unfamiliar vehicle.  But running away from problem never helped anyone and I know this is just one more thing that I’ll have to work past. If my Mom could get back in a car after her horrible accident, I have little excuse.

So what now? Being chauffeured by a very loving and patient husband and feeling like I’m back at damn square one.  Oh course, the insurance company is also taking their sweet time in determining the payout for the car. If this goes on much longer, I’m going to have to settle for a rental until I can buy a new car. 

In the grand scheme of life, I know this is just a mere hiccup- albeit an expensive one. 

Happy to be alive

It’s thanks to my guardian angel that I am able to make this post today. I had a very close call in an accident yesterday morning. I consider it a miracle that both I and the other driver walked away unscathed. My car is totalled, but I have to keep reminding myself that metal is replaceable, while people aren’t. I got to sleep in my own bed last night and hug my child, while I could have just as easily been lying in the morgue. I still get the tremors when I think about it. 

In short – I am at fault. It is a hard and horrible thing to admit. I was turning left at a busy intersection that unfortunately doesn’t have a protected left turn. Just opposite me was another large vehicle making a left turn as well. I thought I could see around him although my view must have been partially obscured. I proceeded to make my turn only to find a large commercial truck barrelling down on me. I stopped a fraction of a second too late and he attempted to swerve around me to avoid T-boning the car. The passenger side of his truck ended up hitting my front passenger headlight and continued to slice straight across the front of the car. It knocked the front bumper clean off as well as some of the hood, leaving my engine exposed. 

With adrenaline running on high, I was surprisingly calm and had the good sense to pull my car out of the intersection and onto the side of a road. After making sure my neck was okay, I hopped out and ran to the truck to make sure the other driver was alright – that was my chief concern. Thankfully, we both walked away without injury, albeit a bit of stiffness in my neck. My car was goner, while the truck had a few scratches and some flat tires. We were very lucky. A fraction of a second off and I could have been hit directly in the side. I doubt I would have survived because the truck was pulling a 1 ½ ton loaded trailer. When I stopped to survey the damage and was being looked over by the paramedics, that’s when it really hit me. I started crying and shaking. I could have killed someone, Drew could have lost his mother and Dan could have lost his wife. 

I understand that accidents happen, but I can’t shake the horrible feeling of knowing that it was my error. I could have sworn the way was clear; I turn at that intersection almost daily and just never imagined I could do something like this. I am lucky that I can live to tell the tale and learn from it. This has shaken my confidence as a driver but I’ve got to get back out there, provided insurance will even still be affordable. I am currently waiting to hear back from the auto body shop to see the final assessment of the damage. I wouldn’t be surprised if insurance decides to write it off. See image below.

And this is how it happened – my car is the black box and the red one is the truck.

Please everyone. Be extra vigilant on the roads. If there is ever any doubt in your mind when making a turn, don’t proceed. Be damned with the cars behind you and take your time.

On the road again

Anyone out there? Hello?

Here it folks - proof that I'm still alive and kicking. I have been totally out of touch with the blogosphere these days. Not only have I been completely inactive in posting, I haven't even had a chance to read up on my favourite bloggers out there - a sure fire sign that work is dominating my life again.

I have been putting in an obscene amount of overtime in my new"ish" position at work. While many of you enjoy the lazy, hazy, dog days of summer, I'm up late writing speaking notes and turning my hair prematurely grey...no seriously, ask my hairdresser.

Event season is on. Normally I love working events but even I will concede that two biggies less than a week apart may well send me to the funny farm. On the plus side, I get to travel.  On the downside, the most I see is what passes by me from the airport to the event and back again.

I'll be heading to Calgary in two days for my first event. I'll be getting there on the opening of the Stampede but sadly, will not take in any of festivities. It's back to Ottawa on a red eye flight to spend a day with Andrew and remind him that he does, in fact, still have a mother.  Then its off to Vancouver for another event next week. I'm looking forward to the end of that one because I'm giving myself a rare day off to sightsee. I so rarely treat myself these days and hubby agreed that I day off was in order for me (and probably for him too because I haven't exactly been joyful to live with these past few months).

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to the end of summer. Hopefully September will see a lull in event requests and a return to 'relative' sanity.

BUNNY!

I love that my child sees beauty where most normal children would see fear. Happy Easter!

Score one for the “Tooth Doctor”…

Every now and then my kiddo manages to stun me. As luck would have it, he was a total gentleman for his first visit to the dentists last night. Hubby and I couldn’t have been more surprised. We were fully expecting an epic meltdown, followed by red-faced apologies and a mad dash out the door.

While he did whimper when hubby tried to put him in the chair, our savvy dentist decided to take another approach. Hubs got into the chair first and Drew sat on his lap; this seemed to put him at ease. The dentist then gave Drew a few tools to hold to get him interested. Wouldn’t you know it…he opened his mouth and jammed them in like it was nothing. The window of opportunity to actually get a decent look at his teeth was short-lived, but at least he didn’t cry. I helped coax his mouth open a few more times by getting him to roar like a dinosaur. Fortunately, all his teeth are there and spaced nicely. As for the snaggletooth, it seems to have been caused by his finger sucking. Drew ditched the soother when he was little and started sucking on his index finger even well before his teeth started to grow in. It turns out that he actually managed to affect the shape of his pallet, causing one tooth to grow in longer. Sounds pretty horrible, but the dentist assured us that the problem should correct itself as he stops sucking his finger – a habit we have been encouraging him to indulge in only at bedtime now.

Perhaps the best part of the whole appointment was when the dentist took Andrew over to a small treasure chest to pick out a reward for his good behavior. It doesn’t take much to win over my little guy. He picked out a little race car (of which he already has numerous) and all of a sudden you could see the love and adoration in his eyes. Just this morning, Drew was telling me how much he enjoyed the “Tooth Doctor” – score! We’ll see if he loves her so much when he actually goes for a real cleaning in nine months….that may take several cars.

Dental distress

Tonight will mark a new milestone for our family – Drew’s first visit to the dentist I’ll readily admit that I have been avoiding this visit like the plague. If you even come remotely close to the little guy’s teeth, his hair gets redder and his horns begin to sprout. Our twice-daily tooth brushing routine is typically accompanied by unearthly screeching, swatting hands, tears and many expletives murmured under our breath. In short, dental hygiene is a battle.

Despite the struggle, I know that it’s high time that Drew sees a dentist. To put things delicately, he has a snaggletooth that has grown visibly longer than the rest of his teeth. While we have come to love the tooth and accept it as part of his quirky charm, it probably does warrant a quick look to see if it is affecting his bite. We would be remiss if we ignored it.

Even if Drew did have the "snaggle" issue, the kiddo still has to get used to the dentist. I pray that he won’t grow up to be one of those individuals that is paralyzed by fear each time they get into the dental chair. It’s just another little life lesson that he will have to learn - you may not “like” it but you have to “endure” it. If all else fails the old creative dishonesty may work. Something tells me that the explanation, “if you don’t go to the dentist, your teeth will fall out and you’ll never be able to eat again,” might resonate best with him…he loves food THAT much. We’ll see how desperate I get.

Wish us luck.

5 simple ways to mess up your tween daughter...

Allow her to get a perm when she is already going through an awkward stage of life

Dress her in red when she has red hair…polka dots are an added bonus.

Add plenty of volumizing mouse to her hair to ensure that perfect triangle shape

Make sure her glasses cover “at least” half of her face

Allow her to carry stuffed fireman puppy companions

I’d love to tell you all that I don’t know who this kid is but the sad truth is

...drum roll...

It’s ME circa 1992

I would like to thank my father for bringing back horrid and painful memories of my youth, especially on Facebook for all to enjoy. Lovely Dad...just lovely….

On the plus side, I did eventually grow into my looks and grew the perm out. Oddly enough, as an adult I accidentally discovered that my hair is naturally curly. Looks like I could have saved my parents a good $100 on the bad perm. Actually, I’m glad they paid so much for my coiffe; I consider it payment for the other fashion atrocities they made me endure ; )

Chalkboard Hermetic Jars – FTW

I am proud to report that I have completed my first of several Pinterest-inspired projects. While most of you were likely doing more normal weekend-type things, like being sociable or generally useful around the house, I was meticulously painting chalkboard paint onto hermetic glass jars. “Why?” you ask. Because I can!

Actually, the reason (if you can justifiably call it ‘reason’) behind my project is that I am always looking for new ways to showcase food when entertaining. March is rapidly approaching and hubby and I will be hosting a joint St. Paddy’s/ Birthday party. Playing on the old Irish stereotype, I want to have a “build your own mashed potato” bar. Sure I could put the garnishes in regular old kitchen bowels, but where is the fun in that? Instead, wouldn’t it be superb to have each item in its own little glass jar with a chalkboard placard on it denoting its’ contents? Anyone? I tried to explain the necessity of such a concoction to hubby and I don’t think he got it – give the man potatoes in a gold bowl or an old shoe and he would be happy either way. However, being the patient hubby that he is, he allowed me to do my “thing” and watched Drew while I scoured the Dollar store for jars.

This was probably one of the easiest DIY projects I have ever completed, not to mention one of the cheapest. Eight glass hermetic jars cost me only $12. The chalkboard paint was $25 but I still have a myriad of other little projects I plan to use it on….yes there will be more! My next plan of attack will like be chalkboard dipped wine glasses (another cute party idea) and a menu board for the kitchen. While I’m at it, I might as well paint a little blackboard for the kiddo to use in his playroom.

I’ll be sure to post pictures of my little creations once the paint has dried. By then, I’ll like have a hundred other things on the go. I knew this website would spell trouble for me.

Ode to freezing rain

You make me slip,
You make me spin,
And often late when driving in.

You cover my driveway with a coat of ice,
Which cleaning off is less than nice.

You wake my child,
You coat my car,
You cancel trips when traveling far.

So please why don’t you go away,
And freeze someone else’s miserable day?

~ The Rambling Redhead

New eyes

Oh how I wish the title of today’s post was true.
Instead, I’ll have to settle with a new pair of glasses.

I have been wearing glasses since the tender age of one, when I was diagnosed with “very messed up eyes” (which I’m sure was the exact terminology used by the doctor). My eyes were crossed quite badly and needed surgery to get them pointed in the right direction. While I’ll admit that they did a pretty great job, I was left with a fairly ludicrous prescription. Not surprisingly, I have amassed quite a nice collection of coke-bottle glasses over the years. Tack on the 80s fashion, carroty hair and a bad perm that lasted for three years (no joke) and you have yourself a veritable target for the popular kids in school. Oh well – there are certainly worse fates to endure! I could have been blind so I consider myself fortunate.

Thankfully a bit of wisdom came with age. I used to hate wearing glasses as a child. Now I have come to like them on me; they’re just another fashion accessory even though my prescription still limits me from most of the trendier styles. The only painful part is the price. I have major appreciation for my Mom and Dad who shelled out major bucks over the years to ensure that I had thinnest lenses possible. Now that I pay for my own glasses, I have found out just how pricey they can be. No discounts or cute little two for one deals for me, a simple pair can easily set me back $600. Not surprisingly, I have to be very comfortable with what I choose. I tend to avoid trends because I know I’ll be stuck with my glasses every stinking day for about four years or so.

As if the stress of choosing the “right” pair of glasses wasn’t difficult enough, guess who stupidly decided that it might be a fun activity to share with her toddler? Bloody hell – what was I thinking?!? Of course he was going to throw a tantrum and want to try on the hundreds of shiny glasses within his reach. Thank God for hubby and the fact that there was a pet store close by. I was in the store for well over an hour due to computer issues and not enough sales people. Had I known that were going to be so many issues, I would have gone by myself. I think poor hubby counted every damn fish in that pet store twice over. Did I ever mention that I love him?

Thankfully I did walk away victorious last evening, albeit poor. My new eyes should arrive in a week or so. I’m also happy to report that hubby and I are still on speaking terms.

Pining to pin

Has anyone seen my life? I have been looking for it since jumping onboard the latest and greatest internet behemoth – Pinterest.

“What is Pinterest?” you ask. Aside from being a large, time-sucking black hole, it’s actually quite a neat tool for internet-based brainstorming and collective idea sharing. The concept is very simple – sign up for an account and start posting pictures and links of things that interest you. It’s similar to pinning pictures on a communal pegboard for all to see. You can get great ideas on pretty much everything under the sun – recipes, décor ideas, crafts, fashion, DIY projects, etc.

In a nutshell, Pinterest will likely become the bane of my existence. As if I wasn’t busy enough, I now have about 10 different craft projects that I want to execute around the home. The Gods of Pinterest have spoken and I cannot silence them. I cannot simply admit that something is a good idea, I have to try it myself and perfect upon it.

You know, come to think of it…Pinterest may kill me.

So tell me, are you also pining to pin?

Toilet Talkers

Life is all about the simple little pleasures. Typically we take these things for granted, never fully appreciating them until they are compromised.

Do you know what simple little thing makes me happy? Getting to do my “business” in peace and solitude…

Perhaps my yearning for solo toilet time stems from the fact that, since becoming a mother, my bathroom breaks are frequently interrupted by a curious toddler. At home we have adopted a fairly laissez- faire, open-door policy. Because we are potty training, I encourage our little guy to take an interest in general bathroom mechanics. Usually though, he just tries to flush the toilet or steal the toilet paper…we all have to start somewhere.

With the situation at home, it’s not surprising that I aspire to have a little peace and quiet on the workplace throne. Unfortunately, however, there is little to be done about the dreaded “toilet talkers.” I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about; perhaps you have even been one yourself? The toilet talker is usually an uber-friendly person that tries to carry on an amicable chat in the next stall. Usually they have best intentions, trying to break the awkward silence with a little banter. It’s almost as if the toilet talker is afraid of bathroom sounds, like they are trying to disguise that fact that “bathroomy” things are going on around them. I’m not sure what is more awkward, cutting one loose in the silence or interrupting a friendly conversation with a tell-tale noise. Personally, I like to put on my blinders when I enter the bathroom. My modus operandi is - get in, get empty, get out.

If you insist of being a bathroom “buddy”, try these tips for success:

- give a quick “hi” or head nod before a person enters their stall
- save the banter for hand-washing time
- don’t continue long chats in the bathroom (awkward for other stall users)
- finish your chat in the hall

So what is your opinion of toilet talkers? Are you guilty as charged or are others just as anal (pun totally intended) as I am?