Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Get Outa My Space- And into a new one!

Today is October 1st and for the first time in thirteen years (hopefully that is a lucky number for me)I am renting studio space. My new spot is 245 Central Avenue North just by the post office on the second floor by Trish Braun's Accounting and above Casey's restaurant and Core Fitness Gym. I am super excited to make the move to a studio space that will allow me to focus on work and home separately.

Like many moms I have struggled with going back to work and making the right decisions for me, my kids, my family and clients. I am confident this will be a win, win scenario. I have found an amazing babysitter that the kids love which is such a blessing. It is awesome to have another mom give a piece of her home, her time and her care to watch over my babies so I can do my work and pursue my dreams and help support this crew of ours. It really means a lot to me.

This can be a hard time for so many moms. Their baby turning one may mean that they might start sleeping through the night, they stop breastfeeding, they learn to walk and play on their own. Your place as caregiver takes on a new role. Put on top of that going back to work, trying to cut sugar, flour, and fat out of your diet to lose the baby bulge, hormone fluctuations and it can make for one insane mama.

My photoshoot tonight really is a visual representation of how I feel torn between being at home and going to work. Trying to juggle it all can make you feel a little divided sometimes! I will let you know as soon as I have some hours set and I am ready for all of you to come and visit my new space.....


Here are the out takes. First of all I can't believe no one complained (even Patrick the guest photographer) I let the kids "come as you are"


I know you are asking. "Ok if this was in your closet why didn't you wear it in your fashion show post?" Well I just bought the purse at "Empire" which is a fabulous place to shop although I think I may need the equivalent of a seeing eye dog because I have no idea what is cool anymore. And the dress is from my fabulously stylish friend Kari who also lends it to Kristen so we have a three way joint custody on the dress. The tights are maternity tights which are almost hanging to my knees (here is my tip of the day put your husband's underwear on top of the tights to hold them up. I am lucky to be almost the same size as my hubby so maybe it won't work for you!)

What do you mean you are going to wean me? Can we talk about this?

Way Back Wednesday and Walking Wednesday

In digging through my box of pictures I found these ones from 1991 when I was 19 years old and I ran for "Miss Saskatchewan Roughrider". Another local girl was in the pageant, Laura from Photoworks. We have a whole lot of hair in these pictures!

On the field before the game


At the mall in front of "AU Coton!"

That is me in front doing my pageant wave. "Miss Eisbrenner GM"



Pat really wanted me to post "Walking Wednesday" so ....Look who learned to walk!! We have a number of sayings around the house that drive Dad crazy including "Happy Birthday Pauly" (from one of the Rocky movies. You are allowed to say that one about once) another one is Flavor Flav's "Yeah Boy" Ellie has it perfected!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Tummy Tuesdays- Part Four- "Testing Testing 1,2,3"

From even before you are pregnant there are tests! You can purchase an over the counter ovulation test kit to help you get pregnant, the new pregnancy tests are so sensitive they can detect if you are pregnant before you have any symptoms. If you buy the twin test kit with two tests in it and they both come back positive it does not mean you are having twins. They have made the tests easier and easier to read so that you can tell if you are having a baby or not. My opinion is that if you can't tell whether there is a + or - sign on the stick or if you think the pregnancy test is too expensive maybe you should look into adopting a puppy or kitten instead of having a baby because puppies and kitties won't bring home math homework in five years for you to help them with. Speaking of puppies and kitties when you go to the SPCA to adopt and animal there are forms that you have to fill out that prove to someone in authority that you will be able to care for this animal physically, financially, emotionally and that you have thought over this serious decision and you are ready for the commitment.

Can you imagine if the same was true for having a baby? I can picture it a young couple walking up to the counter to apply for a conception certificate that will allow them to have a baby. You would be seated in the lobby and asked to fill out a stack of forms.

Name: (I hope you can answer this without any help from your partner or by looking to see where your mom wrote it in your underwear)
Age: (I am not sure if there is a right answer for this one.)
Occupation: (What you do to make a living now)if your application is accepted and you become a parent your new full time job will be, bum changer, nose wiper, slave to the laundry room, cuddler, human milk machine, 24 hour a day supportive caregiver.

Answer the following questions yes or no. If you have more yes answers than no answers your application will be denied for conception at this time:

Do you like sleep all night?
Do you like to sleep in on weekends?
Do you like to sleep without another person in your bed kicking you in the face, scratching you eyes or peeing on you?
Do you like to spend all your money on yourself?
Would you mind having stretch marks, hemorrhoids, droppy boobs, drippy boobs, bread dough stomach, muffin top and never putting your belly button ring back in ?
Do you like to eat your lunch sitting at the table?
Do you like to eat your supper while it is hot?
Do you like to talk on the phone and hear what the other person is saying to you?
Are you planning on naming your baby after a vampire or video game character or by putting a poll on your facebook page?
Do you have at least three seats in your car?
Is the material in your vehicle resistant to pee, poo, snot, puke, popcorn twist, milk, juice boxes and granola bars?
Do you mind giving up watching your tv shows to watch Barney, Teletubies, Dora, Diego, Four Square, Yo Gaba Gaba?

"Hey Hey come back here.......You didn't finish filling out the forms....."

This weeks season premier of Desperate Housewives really hit the nail on the head when Lynette Scavo (who I can so relate to) was in the Ob/Gyn's office with a young, excited mother. Their conversation went like this,

"You will never wear a bikini again."
"But you've had four kids and you look good!
"You haven't seen me naked. My stomach looks like Spanish stucco and my breasts resemble two balloons you find behind the couch a week after the party."
"You know most women say this is the greatest experience of their life."
"Most women are liars. My mother was a liar and her mother was a liar and your mother is a liar. It is a lie that ever generation tells the next so they can get grandchildren."
"Stop talking to me."
"No you need to hear this. You have to be prepared. Your children will hate you and steal from your purse. Your husband will begin to buy your birthday presents at the car wash and the kicker is for the rest of your life there will be so many moments when you feel lonely but you will never be alone."
The young lady starts to cry......

Ahh That was great I laughed and then I cried!

(Sorry Miss K I know you hate Tummy Tuesdays but you will be ok! You can go do something fun at University that I should have appreciated more when I was there!)

Monday, September 28, 2009

Monday Morning Mash Up

It's Monday so here is a little this and that. Here is the winner of my reader entry if you would like a chance to win next Monday for a free sitting and 8x10 send your funny story and/or picture to corla_rokochy@hotmail.com
As I was trying to get ready to go out one night I left my then almost 2 year old daughter to play in my room while I was fixing myself in the en suite bathroom. After several minutes of primping myself I realized it was pretty quite in my room. A good indication that Summer-Dawn was up to know good. Little did I know that she too thought she needed to get beautiful and she found the perfect necklace… Check it out!

Yes those are my underwear she is wearing as necklaces. I simply got a “mom I petty!” (her word for pretty)
My daughter is now 4 years old and I still watch my underwear drawer!

Thanks Brandy! Such a cute story and a cute daughter. If my kids went in my underwear drawer it would be a giant white tent not a cute little necklace like that!

Have you seen the advertisement for the Cadbury chocolate bar with the crazy eyebrows. I saw it for the first time at the gym. I love watching chocolate bar commercials while I am on the treadmill. Anyway I thought since it was filmed at a photography studio it would be perfect for our first Circus House Video Production. Olivia just got glasses so that was a good showcase for her. Kelsey just got a watch for his birthday that he is in love with. This summer her wore our friend Neil's (I am not actually allowed to mention his name on my blog but I am a rebel) watch at the cabin he didn't want to take it off....except to shower. He came out to the kitchen where we were eating supper completely naked except for the watch and he was covering his unmentionables with his hand. He had his hand with the watch covering his boys and came out asking, "Can someone take this watch off?"

This was our first "Circus House Video Production"Levi was the techie, Miss K was the videographer Carson was the understudy for the male lead and I played the role of the fashionable grey clad photographer. You can play them both at the same time and it is kind of fun. The kids were thrilled to be on you tube!


Here is one from the Blooper files. Carson is playing the part of the eyebrow boy and kept looking at the watch so the kids were yelling at him. He kept his cool though and is so cute!


Friday, September 25, 2009

What Not To Wear

There is a bond between moms with young children. Many things tie us together. When you are in line and the supermarket and there is a mom with a couple kids hanging on her cart are fighting and screaming and pulling gum from the shelves you give them a knowing supportive look and maybe say something like "ah kids!" But you do not judge you do not suck your teeth and roll your eyes because you know, you have been there and you may be there tomorrow. You support each other.
Another thing that strongly binds together moms of small children is the awful experience of searching through your closet for something to wear. A typical scenario may be an evening out with your special fella. You are thrilled to bits to be getting a sitter, getting out of the house and going somewhere where no one will throw food at you, you don't have to cut anyone's meat, you don't have to eat your supper on an angle to the table while holding a baby in your lap to keep them from grabbing food off your plate! You have worked all day to tidy the house so the sitter doesn't call social services because of the back up of dishes in the sink and the fungus growing beside the toilet. You made some fantastic supper for the kids that was quick and easy and something they would love and you are glad you aren't eating like chicken nuggets and fries and kd, pizza pops and rice crispie cake! Your husband has just breezed in the door and your realize that is your que to leave the sitter with the kids and run upstairs to throw yourself together!
At this point you are still excited. The clock is running and you have approximately a three hour window until your cel phone starts ringing with the news that your three year old has locked himself in the bathroom the middle two are fighting and they can't find the baby's soother and then your night is over so time is of the essence. You are not surprised when you come home to find out the sitter has torn the page out of the phone book that has her number. You have a two second shower to wash of marker, glue, pablum or whatever remnants of the day are hanging on. You put on a robe and do your hair (kind of well at least it isn't a pony tail) and makeup ( even if the makeup is expired and a little crusty and you use your seven year old daughter's lip gloss). Hey this isn't that bad you are looking good!
Next comes the part that leads to many mother's post partum depression. You try to find something to wear and by this time your hubby is thinking you are about five minutes away from departure so he has gone to kiss the kids and grab the keys and head to the van. Then he sits and sits and sits and then finally comes back in to find you in the bedroom with every drawer in your dresser open. A stack of clothes on the bed all in a heap and turned inside out and you are sitting there in your maternity tights and nursing bra (cuz those are the only ones your have) at the brink of tears. Everything is too tight, uncomfortable or doesn't have a top to match or makes you look like a the Michelin tire man showing every left over baby lump and bump and if one person tonight asks when you are due (because your baby is five months old and you are not pregnant!) you may never leave the house again. You can put the "fit" in out fit and you have a mini mental breakdown. Your husband pats your hand and says you look beautiful just put that first thing you had on.
The same is true for going back to work and I am so excited to share that I rented a space for my studio and kids accessories that I will be moving into next week. I thought it is time to go through my closet and see what I can use for my return to the work force as "Corporate Corla" working mom. Fashion and function ready to conquer the world!!
I need your help to decide which look to go with.





I would like to thank Carson my guest photographer for my "back to work" fashion shoot.



This past September long weekend we went camping at the landing and I asked my husband to throw a few things in a bag for me to wear. Keep in mind we were boating, roasting hotdogs and hanging out with a hundred kids getting dirty. He packed me a white skirt I wear to weddings and this skirt that I believe I wore on one of our first dates and then never again. I am not sure how this fit into his camping fantasy but it wasn't part of my camping plans. My Dad used to call these "duck skirts" and inch bellow the "quack".

This look may be too formal but if I have a gala to go to then awesome. The fuzzy cape I love even though it looks like something a care bear coughed up.

I know this will be my friend Kari's personal favorite. It is all pink a lot of lace and satin. I bought this three years ago on our family vacation to West Edmonton Mall. The tags are still on it as I think I may have been suffering sleep deprivation when I purchased it. The only thing it needs to complete the look is a french braid.


This is definitely in the running. I like the silhouette. The only downfalls are that the pants are not only camel colored..... They ride up a bit and I think you could show a movie on my bum or as Sam would say my "blankle" ( when your bum goes all the way down to your ankle.)


Alison has told me in the past that "my pants are too short". What?I thought the camo "Dawgs" would be an excellent accessory they fit in with the color scheme. My hair, skin, clothes and shoes all seem to be the exact same tone. I felt a throw back "banana clip was in order. I look like I could work for UPS.


Maybe we just all need a personal shopper. My mom bought me these pants in Arizona. I have to say they are pretty close and actually work with a long sweater. I do find they are a bit high in the rise. Do you agree? I find the extra muffin top seems to make everything a little more snug and pants and skirts seem to ride up to just under your boobs. The shirt is from a store I would prefer to not name but lets just say I bought it from the same place I can buy rat traps, diapers, and school supplies all under one roof. I have only worn this top once since I went to a Credit Union function and someone who was pregnant was there and wearing the same top. And for my hair I borrowed my daughter's headband.

Pink is my signature color and I paired this skirt I can barely do up and have never worn with an undershirt my kids took to the park this summer and tie dyed.

Throw on a sweater and let your hair down for a whole new look!

Maybe I will just stick with what works....


Have a great weekend.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Yummy Mummys


This is the part of my job that I love! I had seven fabulous ladies come to my house tonight. They paid me money to hang out, drink slush, visit, laugh, eat cake oh yeah and take their individual and group portraits! I can't wait for them to see the final results but here is a quick tease. Thanks girls for the awesome time.


I almost got one whole floor of the house clean and threw everything else in Levi's room so I think now he is feeling like the princess and the pea sleeping on a mound of clothes, towels and blankets. I put the dirty dishes in the dryer because they wouldn't all fit in the dishwasher so I better go get those out before I forget and turn it on.
The highlight of the night was that I wore my one and only "fancy shirt" that I am wearing in every post I appear in the blog and it got a good laugh. Good thing I was on the other side of the camera!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Way Back Wednesday

As I was digging through albums for pictures of Levi, I had a great time reminiscing about the past. I decided to share a way back story and some images. Where is the best place to start? Well why not the beginning!

Ten years ago next month I met Pat on a blind date. We were set up by Devona , a friend of mine from Saskatoon who works with Don's Photo and had graduated the same year as Pat from Foam Lake and the co-conspirator was my future sister in law Shannon.

During one of our regular phone conversations, I mentioned something about boys and finding a date and Devona said she had a friend named Pat that was living in LeRoy and needed to find a date. She asked if I would be interested in going on a blind date with him and I was a little leery. We put together a scheme where I would come to the Foam Lake Flyers Halloween cabaret that they were putting on in conjunction with a hockey tournament. The plan was she would point out Pat and if I was interested great and if not there were seven other hockey teams to pick from! It was a great plan until Pat found out. Pat is a man of action and not to leave his fate in someone elses hands asked that we exchange pictures and one evening shortly thereafter called me and asked me on our first date. Dinner and a Blades game in Saskatoon (that's another story). He wanted to make sure I was his date for the Halloween Cabaret in Foam Lake two weeks later.
So here is the outfit I wore the first time I met my in laws. Can you imagine the first impression they had of Pat bringing this girl home. I was wearing a flesh colored dance leotard that I glued about five leaves to and was "Eve". Some commented that I had a lot of balls to wear that outfit and I am not sure if he meant he thought I was a dude or not but I didn't look a little drag queen of the forest.

I went over to meet my future brother and law and sister in law before the dance. They just brought their newborn daughter home from the hospital (Ellie and her share a bday). I was wearing a leather coat so it looked like I had no clothes on at all and I think Shannon was regretting setting me up on this blind date after all (she loves me now!)

Well there I was Pat's girlfriend of two weeks and the hockey tournament had been cancelled so as you can see by the picture of me dancing there wasn't anyone there! I think there were about 7 people in attendance. Somehow I won best female costume which was a season pass to the Foam Lake Flyers Hockey Games ( I think someone went around the corner and wrote the pass out on a piece of a Pilsner beer box).


Pat was a monk!

The empty Foam Lake hall where little did I know but one year later to the day Pat and I would be getting married and doing our wedding dance in the very same spot with a few more clothes!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Teenage Tuesday


Well Miss K is sick of my "tummy tuesdays" so I interupt this regularly scheduled tummy tuesday for "Teenage Tuesday". That's right my oldest turned 13 last week! He thinks he doesn't get enough time on the blog and that Carson is the star of the show but it is just because he is three. So here is to Levi "Happy Birthday!"

Here is what every 13 year old boy wants for his birthday...13 pictures from the good old days!













Monday, September 21, 2009

Giveaway Monday

Thanks so much for your entry! Little Mr. "A" just won his family a free session and an 8x10 and he is entered into the monthly draw. If you have a cute story or picture (even from when you were young) just share it with me and the world at corla_rokochy@hotmail.com and you could win next Monday!




With Pre-School starting again this year I just wanted to share with you a picture of "A" from last year after I picked him up. I had my camera with me hoping for some awesome first day of preschool shots, and this is what I got! He wasn't sad to stay at school he was devastated to leave all those awesome toys at school. All these great things you try to do for your child as a mother and it just seems to bite ya in the butt!



Speaking of contests I just thought I would share with you that I won one of the top seven prizes out of hundreds of entries for the "Please Mum" summer writing contest.

You can check out my winning entry and the other winners. I received a $50 gift card so that is $10 per kid! Shopping spree.

http://www.pleasemum.com/writing-contest

Have a great week!

Friday, September 18, 2009

What we can learn from corn!

Lots to do today and this weekend. On Monday  I will announce the winner of my reader entries for funny pictures and stories.  There is still time to send in your entries this weekend.


As I was changing Ellie's diaper today I was inspired to write a quote for all you our there who may be struggling to keep it together.

"We should all aspire to be like a piece of corn.  When everything around is turning to poop, corn is able to come out the other end unchanged and in tact!" 
Corla Rokochy 2009

Have a great weekend!
 

Thursday, September 17, 2009

The "Eyes " have it!

At Olivia's urging I made appointments for the kids to get their eyes tested. She is so much like her Dad in her organizational skills that she had the appointment written in her daily planner for two weeks before and reminded me daily. It was pjama day at school which is always an iteresting day to take your kids downtown for appointments. I love to look at the world through my kids' eyes. Everything is an adventure for them. An eye appointment is fun and a chance for us to spend some one on one time together. After we were done our appointment we walked down to Urban Ground and shared a drink and more importantly a visit. It reminded me of the trips my mom and I used to make to Regina for orthodontist and eye appointments. It was more about the shopping, visiting and lunch at Gino's restaurant and ice cream at DQ. It is nice to take a minute away from the rat race (sorry for saying the "r" word) and enjoy some time with each of the kids!













We found out Olivia needed glasses and I asked the Dr Godenir if she could be lying to get glasses and she assured me she really needed them. I got my glasses when I was in grade four so it brings back lots of memories for me! I guess I should have just believed her.


For once there was some destruction that had nothing at all to do with me or my travelling circus. Someone had walked out through this pane of glass before we got there. I swear we didn't do it!


Car trying on glasses before his appointment. So cute!
















Just like driving a car!



And here she is in her snazzy new frames waiting for the bus for her first "I can actually see the board day". She was so excited about her new glasses!