Kids say the funniest things. . .

The Dude is becoming so talkative. He really does take after his mother! So imagine just how hard I laughed at a conversation we were having about Skunks, in the middle of Longhorn Steak House!

The Dude had his kiddies menu and some crayons, and was happily coloring away and naming the animals as he turned the pages. Here's what followed:

The Dude: What this? (he's not worked out how to put the 's' at the end of What)

Mommy: That's a Skunk

Daddy: Skunks are stinky

The Dude: Skunk stinky. Bleugh, yuck, smelly (Visualize the facial expression and hand waving in front of his nose) . . . Bath?

I love it! Absolutely hysterical. He's amazing and it absolutely made my day.

What's new in baking?

What's new in baking these days? How about the fact that I think I've finally mastered it.
Yep, that's right. I learned how to bake this weekend. I made some blondies and some apricot oat bars for a bake sale, and people actually bought them; they even tasted good! I can't believe it. Usually, I produce paper weights. I'm very excited.

The proceeds of the bake sale went to 'Share our strength', a very worthy cause working to end childhood hunger in America. And given my disdain for baking, I am happy to report that I would bake my heart out for this charity any day of the week.

I feel it might be necessary to do a ceremonial 'I can bake' dance right now this very second.

Baby days

I love having an infant in the house. She's now smiling, laughing and babbling away to anybody who will listen. She's trying desperately to roll over and has started playing with toys that are handed to her.

I never realized how much fun these milestones are. When my son was going through the same steps, it blew my mind. But I was so much more focused on making sure he was hitting the target, rather than enjoying the ride.

But it made me think hard about the milestones that I've still yet to hit. My parents still worry about me on a daily basis, almost as much as I worry about my own kids. I never thought to ask them how they felt about me having children and them becoming grandparents. How did it make them feel? Or rather, how do they feel? What were their first thoughts when I decided to relocate to the US? How do they feel about my writing career? What crossed their minds when I bought my very own house?

Parenting is way more than just first steps, teething, pre-school, graduation and driving. It's a life-times worth of work. Even now, my parents are guiding me through the decisions I make as an adult - as a mother. Kids may grow-up so fast, but the love we have for them just grows. Period.