Author: Rebecca Cuneo Keenan

Rebecca Cuneo Keenan is a writer who lives in Toronto with her husband and three children.

Categories
Uncategorized

Uh, Hello Landlord?

DAILY SNACK

I found a bottle of Windex lying on it’s side in a corner of the bathroom.

I’m usually careful about putting cleaning products away,

And now that Reenie’s getting into things,

I was really kicking myself for leaving it out.

The top of the bottle had been loosened,

(Young C?)

And there was a small pool of blue liquid on the floor.

When I went to wipe up the spill,

The top layer of linoleum tile (cheap and old, but still) came up too.

The Windex had dissolved the bathroom tile.

Okay mirrors,

Vinegar and newspaper it is.

Categories
Uncategorized

Canadian Coins, Take One

DAILY SNACK

Young C emptied out his piggy bank and was filling it back up again.

Right in front of his 10-month-old sister, of course,

Who was going crazy because she wanted to ingest the money.

“Oh look, Mommy,” C said, “It’s my favourite because it has a ship on it.”

“That’s a dime. It’s worth ten cents.”

I scooped up Reenie to put her down for her morning nap.

“And this one has a beaver!”

“That’s a nickle. It’s worth five cents.”

I was all the way down the hall when I heard,

“And this one has the tooth fairy!”

Categories
Uncategorized

Bed Schmed

DAILY SNACK

Some days you just take what you can get.

nap

You’ll only lie down for a rest if I make a nest for you on the floor?

And it has to be right here in the doorway to my bedroom?

Deep breath. Sigh.

Sure, why not.

Categories
Uncategorized

Hummus and Other Mideastern Threats

DAILY SNACK

Was making myself peanut butter on toast this morning,

When I inadvertently opened the fridge and took out the hummus.

Oops.

But then I started wondering.

With peanut allergies on the rise,

And even allergy-free tots being advised to avoid peanuts until two years of age,

And peanut bans in schools,

Is hummus the new peanut butter?

It’s soft and easy and mild.

(Unless my husband makes it. Then it burns yummy garlic-styles.)

We never had hummus at home growing up,

But it’s a regular part of my children’s diet.

What’s going to happen to the jam, then?

And what will the terrorists take from us next?

Falafels the new burgers? Baklava the new pie?

They can’t have my mac and cheese!

Categories
Uncategorized

Gone Fishing

DAILY SNACK

Walking through the CNE midway late last night,

We finally spotted a little fishing game.

$5 for 3 fish.

Ed helped Young C catch the first fish with the magnet on the end of his fishing line.

But I was an all star carnival fisher as a little girl,

And saw much room for improvement in C’s form.

I passed Reenie over to her dad and got to work.

“Use two hands, C, like this. Right. Now carefully hold the rod over the fish. You want to touch their heads.”

The third fish he caught all by himself.

He was so proud. I was so proud.

He carried his prize toad all night.

The toad sat beside him on a bench to eat a snack,

He climbed inside army tanks with C and Ed,

And he sat up at the breakfast table this morning.

toad

(Later that night, C also won a small orange fish for his sister.)

Categories
Uncategorized

Rainbow Over Keele Street

DAILY SNACK

We sat down for dinner at Swiss Chalet last night,

Just as a wall of water hit the window.

By the time we left to go home,

The rain had stopped,

And a rainbow stretched across the sky.

As we paused to admire it, Young C looked over at the road.

“All of those cars need to stop driving,

And look at this beautiful rainbow!”

Categories
Uncategorized

Bedtime Bust

DAILY SNACK

I put Reenie down to sleep last night,

While Ed did tooth brush and story duty with Young C.

He then quietly tucked him into bed and returned to the living room.

It all seemed so quiet, so orderly, so easy.

Something was not right.

I crept down the hall to investigate,

And this is what I found:

art

Categories
Uncategorized

Pants on Fire

DAILY SNACK

Milk is good for kids.

At least I think it is.

But after having eaten two bites of Cheerios,

Three blueberries and half a peanut butter sandwhich,

And exactly one bite of pizza all day.

I started to rethink the seven or eight cups of milk,

That Young C asked for and drank.

So this morning I made it clear that he could only have a glass of milk,

After he finished his cereal.

(He was welcome to as much water as he liked.)

I stood up to bring something over to the sink,

And C slid his bowl behind the package of baby cereal on the kitchen table.

“I finished my cereal, Mom.”

What is this? Lying, trickery, deceit?

You know not who you mess with, young man.

“I am going to ask you again, C. And if you tell the truth you will not get in trouble.

But if you lie then you will lose a toy for two days.

Where are your Cheerios?”

“They’re in my tummy.”

“Tell the truth, C. Did you hide them.”

“No. I did not.”

The balls on this kid.

Suffice it to say that we won’t be seeing Lightening McQueen around these parts for a couple days.

Categories
Uncategorized

Prizes, Prizes, Prizes Galore!

Playground Confidential is hosting a raffle to raise money for breast cancer research at the Princess Margaret Hospital.  I will be walking 60 km during The Weekend to End Breast Cancer, September 12 -13,  and have only three weeks to raise $2000.  Read the post Money Can Buy You Love for more about the walk and my motivation.

DONATE HERE to enter the raffle. Every $10 donated will automatically get one virtual raffle ticket. (Make sure to include your contact info so I can get the prizes to you.)

Extra big love and thanks to my generous sponsors for donating such fabulous prizes! Here they are:

The regularly “scheduled” (ha!) Playground programming continues below.

Continue reading “Prizes, Prizes, Prizes Galore!”
Categories
Uncategorized

Heartbreaking Cancer Story 1

As you probably know, I am walking 60 km over two days in the Weekend To End Breast Cancer this September to raise money for breast cancer research. If you read my last post, you also know that I don’t have a personal breast cancer story, not yet. But lots and lots of people do.

Since I know that you want to donate to this worthy cause. And I know that you mean to donate. And I know that you already have contributed a lot to various causes this year. And I know that you think that you will, just not right now. I will bombard you with stories that will break your heart. And you won’t be able to look away because they are so compelling and you won’t be able to say no. And you will read them and you will DONATE HERE. (And you could win prizes … I’m working on the prizes … but that’s not even the point, right?) And you will do that NOW. Because I have only three weeks to raise $2000 and I need your help.

From the UK’s Daily Mail:

A masterclass in parenthood:

Dying mother spends final weeks teaching husband how to raise their two toddlers alone