In a casual conversation with my oldest daughter, she mentioned that she wanted to start thinking about her birthday day. I hate birthday parties (longer story here), so in our family, the birthday child gets to pick an activity, and a restaurant to go to/do on their birthday, with one friend of their choosing. She says she wants to go and get a pedicure with her bff from kindergarten, Mycah. hmmmmmm......did I mention she will be turning....SEVEN?
I am currently pondering what the best thing to do is....and what kind of msg I want my answer, and decision to send. Do you think it is appropriate for 6yo's to be going to the Spa? I know it is possible (we know other kids who have done it!)......but there is a world of difference in being able to do something and whether you (she) should! hmmmmmm...................................
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
A Perfect Day with a bit of Gratitude
Today was our second day back from our holidays, and our first day with Brian back at work. And what a glorious day it was...
Who can complain about waking up to a blazing blue sky, with temps supposed to get to 25C (which they did)?
Or about the fact that I have a wonderful mate who takes responsibility for earning our income? And that he can hold a job? and show up? and that he seems to be good at it?
Or how about the fact that my children all slept in until 8:45-9am? And woke up in great spirits with lots of hugs? Or the fact that they rarely, if ever fight, instead, they generally play for hours. A fact I was so aware of today (as they systemically demolished the house while they played and got along so wonderfully).
And that they are healthy, a fact that I consider to be no small blessing, and never a guarantee.
Or how about the fact that I woke up this morning? Something we generally take for granted. Not just that
my children are healthy, but that I am too, and able to care for them.
After a leisurely breakfast of cereal, milk, yogurt & strawberries...#1 & #2 sat down to a bit of homeschooling: some manuscript writing and some math. With a minimum of pain and fooling around.
I got to continue puttering in the kitchen....weeding through stuff and making another bag for the thrift store. Today, I said good-bye to our bibs. Yet another part of babyhood that is now behind us.
#3 ended up back in diapers for the duration of our trip.....but has transitioned seamlessly to the "potty" again.....with NO accidents today : )
While the girls played (outside in the pool, in the pool with the barbies, downstairs, in the living room with the magnetic triplets)....I made bread. I thought I was set to make ketchup....but somehow I am completely out of vinegar...? So instead I made a big batch of granola bars. And washed all the dishes.
Everyone got dressed...#1 got in the tub, and washed herself completely, including her hair! How grown up she is at almost 7!
Add in a bit more homeschooling...bit more playing.....a great phone chat with one of my BFF's S.P.....
Another quick phone chat to catch up with Auntie J.....and carrots washed and cut, fridge cleaned out and organized....
I was conscious today that gratitude is an attitude, and one that we can choose to cultivate. I choose so.
I was grateful for a fridge full of food (of which very little was wasted)...and that we have money to go and get more.
For the running water that we drank from, that I used to cook with and to wash with.
For my house, however small and humble.....we have a roof over our heads, and a place to call home. a space that is ours. More than some do.
That while there are still renovations to be done, we have been fortunate to do lots. (being married to an electrician helps)
Then I prepped dinner, vacuumed, mopped, played with the girls, paid the bills and organized the budget.....registered #1 for The Bel Canto Children's Choir. She loves to sing, and I think that it will be a good fit for her interests. So that would lead me too.....being grateful that I can read and write. That I had (however little) some money in the bank, at least enough to write a cheque for $25!
After debating, I decided to put Kenna down for a quick nap.....a good decision, since she was out in 5 minutes for 1 1/2 hours, and it took me half an hour to wake her up!
Then, I made popsicles. I was grateful for the Internet, and that I had both the time and space to cook, something I love to do, more and more.
I also had a quick chat with my mom, and found out that they thought my dad was having a heart attack a couple of weeks ago-and that it was not. He is a more than likely candidate, so yet another thing to be grateful for (not that he is a candidate for a heart attack, but that he didn't have one).
The girls and I had planned to ride their bikes around the area to some new parks/playgrounds....and today we headed off towards one on (I think) Francois Cres)....a nice one, with a playground appropriate for both older and younger children. #1 has been trying and trying and trying to learn how to ride a 2-wheeler....and she is SO CLOSE! She really only has one obstacle at this point: her attitude.
While being grateful for the fact that my children had bikes, and that we had a safe area to ride them in, I also worked to accept and respect the fact that this her process.....on her schedule, at her pace. Accepting this is sometimes easier said than done. It is so...so...HARD not to want them to "get it" as fast as possible.....
That sound you just heard? That was me letting go. She will master this someday. When she is ready, not me. : )
After we got to the playground and played, we wandered over to Tim's for a bottle of water and a timbit each. I had some disbelieving looks (we only get ONE?!!!!).......but they managed to choke it down ; )
Then a much faster bike ride home, where Brian was home and was waiting....
The Chicken Pad Thai I had prepped was ready a few minutes later, dinner as a family....and more gratitude. That we had food-and the means to buy it and cook it. That I had a husband who loves us, and can't wait to come home to us, that he has a job that allows him to come home at night and one the weekends (mostly)....that we got to eat as a family, and share the stories of our day(s). I am truly blessed!
Then a bit of play, jammie's, and everyone tucked into bed. As I paused to reflect on my exceptionally wonderful day, I thought-I there are so many small things to be grateful for and to give thanks for!
Now though, my mate is upstairs, and I need to go and visit with him.
Who can complain about waking up to a blazing blue sky, with temps supposed to get to 25C (which they did)?
Or about the fact that I have a wonderful mate who takes responsibility for earning our income? And that he can hold a job? and show up? and that he seems to be good at it?
Or how about the fact that my children all slept in until 8:45-9am? And woke up in great spirits with lots of hugs? Or the fact that they rarely, if ever fight, instead, they generally play for hours. A fact I was so aware of today (as they systemically demolished the house while they played and got along so wonderfully).
And that they are healthy, a fact that I consider to be no small blessing, and never a guarantee.
Or how about the fact that I woke up this morning? Something we generally take for granted. Not just that
my children are healthy, but that I am too, and able to care for them.
After a leisurely breakfast of cereal, milk, yogurt & strawberries...#1 & #2 sat down to a bit of homeschooling: some manuscript writing and some math. With a minimum of pain and fooling around.
I got to continue puttering in the kitchen....weeding through stuff and making another bag for the thrift store. Today, I said good-bye to our bibs. Yet another part of babyhood that is now behind us.
#3 ended up back in diapers for the duration of our trip.....but has transitioned seamlessly to the "potty" again.....with NO accidents today : )
While the girls played (outside in the pool, in the pool with the barbies, downstairs, in the living room with the magnetic triplets)....I made bread. I thought I was set to make ketchup....but somehow I am completely out of vinegar...? So instead I made a big batch of granola bars. And washed all the dishes.
Everyone got dressed...#1 got in the tub, and washed herself completely, including her hair! How grown up she is at almost 7!
Add in a bit more homeschooling...bit more playing.....a great phone chat with one of my BFF's S.P.....
Another quick phone chat to catch up with Auntie J.....and carrots washed and cut, fridge cleaned out and organized....
I was conscious today that gratitude is an attitude, and one that we can choose to cultivate. I choose so.
I was grateful for a fridge full of food (of which very little was wasted)...and that we have money to go and get more.
For the running water that we drank from, that I used to cook with and to wash with.
For my house, however small and humble.....we have a roof over our heads, and a place to call home. a space that is ours. More than some do.
That while there are still renovations to be done, we have been fortunate to do lots. (being married to an electrician helps)
Then I prepped dinner, vacuumed, mopped, played with the girls, paid the bills and organized the budget.....registered #1 for The Bel Canto Children's Choir. She loves to sing, and I think that it will be a good fit for her interests. So that would lead me too.....being grateful that I can read and write. That I had (however little) some money in the bank, at least enough to write a cheque for $25!
After debating, I decided to put Kenna down for a quick nap.....a good decision, since she was out in 5 minutes for 1 1/2 hours, and it took me half an hour to wake her up!
Then, I made popsicles. I was grateful for the Internet, and that I had both the time and space to cook, something I love to do, more and more.
I also had a quick chat with my mom, and found out that they thought my dad was having a heart attack a couple of weeks ago-and that it was not. He is a more than likely candidate, so yet another thing to be grateful for (not that he is a candidate for a heart attack, but that he didn't have one).
The girls and I had planned to ride their bikes around the area to some new parks/playgrounds....and today we headed off towards one on (I think) Francois Cres)....a nice one, with a playground appropriate for both older and younger children. #1 has been trying and trying and trying to learn how to ride a 2-wheeler....and she is SO CLOSE! She really only has one obstacle at this point: her attitude.
While being grateful for the fact that my children had bikes, and that we had a safe area to ride them in, I also worked to accept and respect the fact that this her process.....on her schedule, at her pace. Accepting this is sometimes easier said than done. It is so...so...HARD not to want them to "get it" as fast as possible.....
That sound you just heard? That was me letting go. She will master this someday. When she is ready, not me. : )
After we got to the playground and played, we wandered over to Tim's for a bottle of water and a timbit each. I had some disbelieving looks (we only get ONE?!!!!).......but they managed to choke it down ; )
Then a much faster bike ride home, where Brian was home and was waiting....
The Chicken Pad Thai I had prepped was ready a few minutes later, dinner as a family....and more gratitude. That we had food-and the means to buy it and cook it. That I had a husband who loves us, and can't wait to come home to us, that he has a job that allows him to come home at night and one the weekends (mostly)....that we got to eat as a family, and share the stories of our day(s). I am truly blessed!
Then a bit of play, jammie's, and everyone tucked into bed. As I paused to reflect on my exceptionally wonderful day, I thought-I there are so many small things to be grateful for and to give thanks for!
Now though, my mate is upstairs, and I need to go and visit with him.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Pain
Blogger has been paining me (and busy busy as usual), hence the lack of posts. Either I am already hopelessly outdated or......at times, this program is just NOT user friendly.
Blahhh! More to follow....soon! : )
Blahhh! More to follow....soon! : )
Monday, July 5, 2010
I have been remiss in updating this...and I will confess, right about now, I would rather be in bed.
Life is busy, as always....and I have written tonnes of posts in my head. I marvel at those of you who update your blog at least once weekly....gives me something to aspire too...?
So, on that note, the weekly menu:
Week of July 4th-9th
Dinners:
Leftovers
Curried Cauliflower Soup with Naan and Romaine salad
Pierogies and Garlic sausage, peas & corn
Chicken Korma, curried rice with peas, and naan
Beef Wontons, vegetable Stir Fry
Homemade Mac N Cheese, salad greens
We are going camping this weekend so....
Hot dogs, pasta salad
Kabobs of some sort, corn & rice
Lunches:
Fruit salad, yogurt
beans & wieners (camping)
tomato soup
veggies & dip, tuna sliders (I am using the small "slider" buns from Superstore, they are designed for mini hamburgers)
Scrambled egg burritos
Breakfasts:
Banana Bran Muffins
Pumpkin-raisin cereal
PB & J toast
?
Others:
Pineapple Popsicles (these were SO SO good!!!)
Spanakopita
Multigrain Bow-Knots (I am going to try and make extra to freeze)
Yet more jam (Success last week, now I just trying to stockpile them)
Honey Lemon Cookies (these were also SO good!!)
Life is busy, as always....and I have written tonnes of posts in my head. I marvel at those of you who update your blog at least once weekly....gives me something to aspire too...?
So, on that note, the weekly menu:
Week of July 4th-9th
Dinners:
Leftovers
Curried Cauliflower Soup with Naan and Romaine salad
Pierogies and Garlic sausage, peas & corn
Chicken Korma, curried rice with peas, and naan
Beef Wontons, vegetable Stir Fry
Homemade Mac N Cheese, salad greens
We are going camping this weekend so....
Hot dogs, pasta salad
Kabobs of some sort, corn & rice
Lunches:
Fruit salad, yogurt
beans & wieners (camping)
tomato soup
veggies & dip, tuna sliders (I am using the small "slider" buns from Superstore, they are designed for mini hamburgers)
Scrambled egg burritos
Breakfasts:
Banana Bran Muffins
Pumpkin-raisin cereal
PB & J toast
?
Others:
Pineapple Popsicles (these were SO SO good!!!)
Spanakopita
Multigrain Bow-Knots (I am going to try and make extra to freeze)
Yet more jam (Success last week, now I just trying to stockpile them)
Honey Lemon Cookies (these were also SO good!!)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Menu for the Week of June 27th-July 3rd
The last two weeks have been completely crazy! Since Monday is #1's last day of kindergarten... I decided to take it a bit easier this week. And, notice that there are some things from last week being carried over....things I didn't get to last week! Enjoy!
Recipes on request!
Dinners:
Homemade Cream of Broccoli soup with homemade Multi-Grain Bow Knots
Baked fish with Yam fries
Chicken Korma with Curried rice & peas, Naan and one side I am still deciding on.
Turkey Meatball Soup w/ whole-wheat buns & Romaine salad
Pork Souvlaki on Pita w/ Tzatziki
Homemade Mac n Cheese with a butter-crumb topping and steamed peas and corn
Spaghetti w/ Cesar salad and homemade Garlic Bread
Misc:
Banana Bran muffins
Carrot cookies
Hummus & Pita
Strawberry Freezer Jam
Beef Wontons (these will be frozen and used in a future meal)
For Lunches: (L.F. this one is for you!)
Turkey, Swiss & cranberry sandwiches
Homemade tomato soup
Cheese & crackers, with chopped carrots, red peppers, cucumber & snap peas w/ dip
We will probably have hummus & pitas for lunch one day...
Since I am making bread & jam this week, I see some PB & J Sammie's on the menu..
Leftovers
Breakfasts:
Cheese & Dill scrambled eggs with (I hope) homemade English muffins
Cold cereal with yogurt,OJ, & fruit saladPB & J
Banana Bran muffins
Hot oatmeal with raisins, currents, yogurt, etc.
Waffles with homemade Strawberry Syrup (this was jam attempt #1)
This picture ended up sideways...and I have NO IDEA how to remove it or rotate it. Your suggestions would be welcome.
Friday, June 25, 2010
My Weekly Menu-June 20-26th
This is a something I intend to do on a regular basis-publish my weekly menu. I read another blog where the author does that, and I will confess, I love reading her menus!
I enjoy cooking, and find that with a family it is such a central part of our lives-the purchasing, preparing, cooking and consuming of food (and the cleaning up).
My oldest daughter brought home her report card yesterday, and I smiled to see her mark (4/4) on nutrition-it is reassuring to know that all my harping on what is healthy and what is not is actually being retained!
So...here we go. This is actually my menu from last week, but since last week was a complete fiasco, I shifted it forward to this week.
I also haven't attached the meals to any specific day, as I quit doing that about 2 years ago. Now, I tend to plan the days meal based on the schedule for the day, as some of our days are a lot busier than others!
Pan-fried, seasoned salmon with cheese sauce, whole wheat penne & asparagus.
Dilly Quiche with a fresh garden greens salad.
Chicken en Croute with Strawberry Skewers, Cinnamon-Yogurt dip and a green salad.
Souvalaki seasoned pork roast with rosemary-garlic roasted potatoes and candied carrots & cauliflower.
Cream of Broccoli-Soup with homemade Multigrain Bow Knots
A couple of breakfasts for this week:
raspberry-orange danishes (homemade!)
bran muffins
cheese scrambled eggs with homemade whole-wheat, flax seed bread (err, toast)
Some snacks:
Banana-date Popsicles (I have already made these, and they were SO good!)
Hummus & pita ( I will make the hummus, Superstore made the Pita)
Cheese & apple boats
and lastly, this will be round two of strawberry-freezer jam. My first batch was more like strawberry syrup, so hopefully this will be second-time lucky!
I haven't included the receipes for the meals above, but feel free to ask! I am happy to post them : )
Saturday, June 12, 2010
At the End of the Case...
Here is what I am currently pondering... I have 6 disposable diapers and 7 Pull-Ups left (a Pull-Up is like a disposable diaper, only the child steps into it). Kenna is 31 months....we are at the beginning of toilet training (and have been, since March).Now what? I was SO SURE when I opened my last case of diapers that that would be it....then end!
I have toilet trained (I am not actually sure how to describe the process of toilet training my children, since their consent is pivotal here, and if I describe it as "I toilet trained..."...well, anyway, you can get the idea)...2 children already, and thought I had it down.
I was so, so sure we would be done. However, expectations can be a dangerous thing. As is clearly being demonstrated to me. We have had 1 success in over 2 months. My schedule is stupidly busy. I have two other children getting into mischief, and #3 will invariably scream "I need to peeeeeeee" when I am in the middle of cooking something that can't be left, or I am doing something that is AS difficult to leave. Compounded by the fact that she REFUSES to sit on the "potty" for more than..say 45 seconds at a time, compounded by having 1 sister sitting on either side of you screaming "Go Kenna! Hurry Kenna! Let your pee out! I think she peed!"...well, you can get the idea I think! While I am glad they want to be supportive....it stresses me out, and I am not the one trying to pee!
So now what?
One of the few regrets I have in my parenting is that we never used cloth diapers....and I can't decide if things have just really changed since 2003, or if I just never looked that hard. My husband was totally unsupportive of cloth diapering (unusual for him, since he is so easygoing)...and I was overwhelmed with new parenthood....and well, here we are. It's a bit late in the process to go and stock up on cloth diapers.....
Yet, when I looked at cloth training pants JEEZ! EXPENSIVE! $18 for a pair? I would need 8-10 or so.....and I just can't justify it. I figure a case of diapers costs me about $40 CA and a box of Pull-Ups is about $30CA.....so that would give me $70....anyone have any non-disposable ideas of what I might use for the next few months to get us through this period?
I started snooping around, and there isn't much available in second hand diapers...but pre-folds, or flats are pretty cheap. I found a great link for how to fold them : http://www.diaperware.com/picturepages/flatfolding.htm
I am wondering if they are a good way to go? Seems like all you need would be: probably 12 or so and a couple of covers? I had a snoop around today....and Kushies has flat diapers for $14.70 for 6 (see pic)....then a couple of covers at $7.50.....would still put me at less than $70...if they WORK!....
Have you tried "flats" or "pre-folds"? Where did you get them, and what do you think? Any ideas on what I might use/purchase, that would still fit my budget?
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Excess
I wanted to write about excess......the excess of clothes. I pride myself on the fact that I am a "smart" shopper.....that I rarely buy something full price....
And right about now, it really shows. We are positively drowning in clothes for the girls. I have Rubbermaid tote after Rubbermaid tote...all full of clothes. Clothes someone is growing into. Clothes someone is growing out of. Clothes that are too small. Too big. For the opposite season. You name it, and I feel like I probably have at least 3 of them.
I love the clearance racks and the "surprise" sales, the thrift stores, and the overstocks/clearance section online.......
And right about now, it really shows. We are positively drowning in clothes for the girls. I have Rubbermaid tote after Rubbermaid tote...all full of clothes. Clothes someone is growing into. Clothes someone is growing out of. Clothes that are too small. Too big. For the opposite season. You name it, and I feel like I probably have at least 3 of them.This is what happened: I took #1 & #3 shopping with me to the mall this morning....word is, there are some pretty good sales on spring and summer clothes already. And indeed.....there were. Everything in Please Mum and The Children's Place was 60-75% off.....and I eagerly started looking... sorting...trying to eyeball things to see what would make a good fit for next year.
Then, as we were leaving, it struck me. Today is June 8th. JUNE 8th! Summer hasn't even started yet! Why I am worrying about buying clothes for next summer.....when we haven't even had this summer yet? ......
Why not just stop. Look through everything I have already bought, keep only what I really love, and return the rest. Cause really? By the time #1 needs it next year, it should all be on clearance again.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
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