Andrea Mulder-Slater

The day began with Jan, Geoff and I working feverishly to transform a wood panel walled basement into accommodations fit for a world class pianist. No matter the question -  colorful bowls are the answer. Always. Daily Snap - 06.30.12 | by Andrea Mulder-Slater

The dinner plates were cleared away and then... the dessert board appeared. Blueberry pie, chocolate cake, caramel pudding, strawberry shortcake. Though she had never before tried it, my daughter knew exactly what she wanted on this day.  "Shtrawberry shoatcake!"  Dig in little one.Dig in. Daily Snap - 06.29.12 | by Andrea Mulder-Slater

It's a hectic morning. Computers are crapping out. Shipments need to be sent. It's her father's birthday and I am praying for her to have a nap. Ten minutes, that's all I'm asking. Then, comes the question. "Mommy, can I paint? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaase?" Um. Yes. Yes you can. Daily Snap - 06.28.12 | by Andrea Mulder-Slater

Snapped behind a building in an industrial area of the city. Should we all be afraid? Daily Snap - 06.27.12 | by Andrea Mulder-Slater

  Sometimes the smallest hands hold the most power. She may have her daddy wrapped around her finger, but today, she was the one with the tightest grip. Daily Snap - 06.26.12 | by Andrea Mulder-Slater

by Andrea Mulder-Slater It all began several mornings ago. Geoff (hopeful): “Are you winking at me?” Me (indignant): “I’m not winking at you. I just woke up. I’m half asleep.” Geoff (disappointed): “You’re eye is completely shut. Don’t you feel that?” I walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My left eye looked tired, bag-ridden and wrinkled. Perfectly normal. However, my right eye - up to my eyebrow and down to my cheek - was far more swollen than usual. Like a grapefruit. Or a puffer fish. My mind raced as I tried to determine why I looked like I had just lived through ten (okay two) rounds of a boxing match. Did I doze off on a wasp? Did I sleep-punch myself in the head? Really, anything was possible. I have a tendency to worry   fret   freak-the-hell-out and so, I decided to calm my fears by self-diagnosing with the help of the Internets. Because, only good things can come from Googling symptoms at six o’clock in the morning. Am I ri...

There was a small Fisher Price incident today when the fire truck tried to get fresh with the school bus. Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street... Daily Snap - 06.25.12 | by Andrea Mulder-Slater

When you live in a construction zone, you find odd things in your yard. I've become somewhat obsessed with PicMonkey and so -  because love is not enough - I've decided to issue a challenge (to me and me alone). The challenge is to post a photo a day from here on in. Until I die. Or until I lose interest. This is the first day of the rest of my life.  Daily Snap - 06.24.12 | by Andrea Mulder-Slater

by Andrea Mulder-Slater I had a “ What Not to Wear Moment ” the other day. As with most of these moments, I was convinced I looked remarkable – until a nasty flash of self-awareness hit and I realized I did look remarkable, but in a train wreck kind of way. The clasp on my nursing bra let go while I was placing a bag of heavy groceries in the back of my car. (There may or may not have been a watermelon involved.) Fortunately, my maternity t-shirt was snug enough to conceal my runaway boob, affording me the ability to discreetly clip myself back in place before grabbing a bag of chips and acknowledging the cigar smoking gentleman in the pickup truck next to me. Here’s what’s wrong with the previous paragraph. I stopped nursing my daughter more than a year ago and… I’m NOT pregnant. To make matters worse, the jeans I was wearing did not have a zipper and could easily be worn by someone in their second trimester. You know how some women (celebrities and other freaks of nat...

by Andrea Mulder-Slater My daughter asked for paint and paper again this afternoon - as she often does. Several paint strokes later, this is what materialized. Me: Wow - it's wonderful. The colours are terrific. I love the turquoise, purple and green that you chose... My daughter (interrupting my rambling): It's a "scaremanon". Me: Oh, ok. It's what? My daughter (matter of factly): A scaremanon mom. Me (excitedly): Ooooo. What does it do? My daughter (sighing): It's for people to use when the monsters are coming. Me: Of course. I see now. Then, my 3 year old sat down and patiently began elaborating. She pointed out the various part of the picture, y'know, to make things clearer for me. My daughter: See mom, it has a handle. And there's food inside. Kind of like a picnic basket. Then, she described the food in the basket, the people who would use the basket and how far away the monsters were. And this, my friends,  ...

My 3-year-old daughter and I were traipsing through the online fields of YouTube when we discovered “Ten in the Bed” - a song, which shall forever be known as the second most persistent earworm I’ve ever encountered (the first being “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go”). Damn you, Wham!. Before I go on, I feel it necessary to post this open letter to George Michael. Dear George, I love you - really I do. But please, for the love of cake (or shoes, or crack, or whatever), don’t ever (EVER) start singing children’s songs. If you do, I will be forced to stick my head underwater where I hope the sounds of your wickedly catchy voice singing row, row, row your boat, will be barely audible – you know, over my cries for help. Thanks in advance. Signed, me. It’s not that I dislike children’s music. On the contrary. There are many songs I love – like Over in the Meadow, Tonight You Belong to Me and Little Boxes. (Those are all kid-friendly, right?) It’s just that after three years of abso...

by Andrea Mulder-Slater “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” I’ve always embraced this John Lennon quote. Ok, I’ll be honest. I wish I could embrace this John Lennon quote. If there’s anything being a mom has taught me, it’s how to go with the flow. Understand, this has not been an easy adage for me to adopt. As creative as I am, I’m still a list maker who dreams of organized sock drawers and an empty inbox. Instead, I’m lucky to find matching hosiery and I have 3083 email messages that silently mock me from the safety of my computer. Still, today – at our house - I floated with the current. Now that she’s three, I like to encourage my daughter to choose which art supplies she feels like working with. On this day, she dug out a few little pots of acrylic paint, some paintbrushes, small paper plates and oil pastels. While she laid out the materials, I filled a small bowl with water. Together my girl and I dabbed bright juicy c...

by Andrea Mulder-Slater I can’t express how happy I am to be living in the country, far away (at least 20 minutes) from civilization and the nearest Tim Hortons. The air is clean, the water is pure and the people who live nearby are kind and industrious. However, now that we live in the wilds, I’m finding there are certain requirements. From what I can tell so far, there are at least three. Number One: If you have a dog, it should be larger than a beaver and it should have significantly sharp teeth so it can fight off any and all eagle attacks. In fact, adopt a raccoon instead. Then, set it free. Number Two: If you see a coyote, you must kill it and place it at the end of your driveway and position it so it looks relaxed, or drugged. I’m not sure if this gesture is meant to attract more coyotes, or if the intent is to scare away additional coyotes. Either way, I need a gun. And a morphine drip. Number Three: You must “keep” chickens. And by keep chickens I mean, ...