Are We There Yet?

Love Is in the Air

Funny how a cheesy little Hallmark holiday can cause such a stir!  Making Valentines, treats for the party, a little something for the kids, finding the right shade of red to wear, the perfect card for my hubby, it goes on and on, but oh such fun! 

This Valentine’s was full of wonderful little surprises and funny little moments to remember.  It started with a grand gesture from our principal.  She bought us all a red t-shirt that read, “My Boss Thinks I am Kind of a Big Deal”.  Karin, our principal, is a riot and a boss like no other.    It was hilarious to see us all walking the halls today wearing our same red shirt.  The kids thought it was great.  Too funny!

I was lucky enough to end up with one of my most favourite people as my Secret Valentine at work over the last few days.  Notice the keyword, “secret” ….however Kristin is a bit of a open book and couldn’t keep it under wraps.  She spoiled me with the most perfect little gifts.  Magnetic bookmarks for the booklover.  A yummy loose tea from Teavana for the tealover.  Partylite spicy scented candles for the pumpkin lover. And a precious little notepad to use as notes in the kids’ lunches.  She knows me oh so well!!  A big shout out to my “secret” valentine!!

My little girl surprised me with the most amazing birthday/valentine’s gift.  Her most recent pottery creation was wrapped up just for mom and couldn’t have been more adorable and perfect.  Thanks sweet girl!

Blaine and I have never been into big, elaborate Valentine’s gifts.  My husband is sweet, affectionate and generous.  He tells me how much he loves me everyday.  Jewelry and expensive flowers on Feb. 14^th don’t hold a candle to all of that.  Thankfully, he is also the first guy to drive out late at night when I have an ice cream craving.  We exchanged our usual thoughtful cards and he brought home a fantastic bottle of red wine we will enjoy together sometime this weekend when we aren’t competing with curling and hockey, as we are this evening.  Love you, hon!

And to top it off my most comical Valentine’s moment came when a new grade 2 girl at school, funny enough with the name “Shawna” ,gave me a Valentine that was addressed to, “the lady with the books”.  So cute…made my day!

Happy Valentine’s everyone…I hope yours has been as fun, heartwarming and filled with love as mine!

Where Does the Time Go?

In a blink it is the middle of February. 

 As of late, we have been crazy busy, like most…hence the lack of posts.  The end of January brought a weeklong work trip for Blaine, out to the west coast.  This left mom on her own and without much down time.  That was followed by report card writing, which uses up every spare moment of a teacher’s life for a while, and then some. 

And this past weekend was one of the busiest and most fun I can remember.  Our Community Club hosted it’s yearly hockey tournament, which meant volunteer time, five games (three on Sunday alone), and a Friday night visit to the Beer Gardens with the team parents, while the kids had the run of the rink and the best of times.  We ended the weekend with our team winning Silver and a mom with no voice.   It was super exciting and a ton of fun.  This is not an experience my little buddy will be forgetting anytime soon.

We also attended a 70’s party that was extremely well done and such a blast.  It was hilarious to see the fros, the cheesy moustaches, the loud prints and tons of polyester in the crowd.  They say dancing is good for the soul!  What a night!

I look forward to things settling down over the next few weeks.  With a quieter long weekend coming up and not as much on the books it’s time for life to slow down just a little. 

But first this week consists of a birthday for me, 39 and holding….I will enjoy every minute of my 39^th year as the majority of my friends reach the big milestone before me.  Hee…hee!  And of course -Valentines.  Happy ♥Day everyone!

Where does the time go?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spidey Senses

For years before I had kids of my own, my sister would complain to me about how her little ones always seemed to have an inkling that their momma had something going on. Every time she had an event, a trip, a long awaited date with her hubby- absolutely anything- her kids would get sick or something would go wrong.

I now know exactly what she was talking about. My little ones have super spidey sense's when it comes to me and anything I do. As moms, we look forward to a night out, a weekend getaway, or hell, a solo trip to the grocery store. We wish for a time where we can hang up our "mom hats" for just a moment and get away from our never ending to do lists. Of course my heart is in my home, but sometimes the need to re-charge my battery or reboot my system arises. I am fortunate to have a husband who never gives me the gears about going out for dinner or drinks with the girls. Although the times I take advantage of it seem to come infrequently, when they do, something always goes wrong.

I'm not trying to throw my hubby under the bus, but last time I went out, he "forgot" to change the girls diapers before bed so I had a disastrous night. Both girls were up at 2am soaking wet and I had to deal with the reprecussions all night long. If I'm not home for bedtime, I'm guaranteed to have some sort of issue throughout the night, not because of Jared, but just because I'm not home. Like clockwork, just when I find my perfect comfy bedtime position, someone is up.

Whether it's a cup of coffee in the afternoon or trying to blog on the odd day they both nap, someone wakes up. It's as if they just know that mommy has something to do and they don't want me to complete it!! Oh, and we can go months and months without being sick, but without doubt, if we are going away on a family trip a cold or flu rears its ugly head.

Maybe it's just me and Mol? Or maybe it's just a reoccurring coincidence? (I think not!!) I love my girlies so very much so I really do adore the fact that they want to be with me all the time. Really I just want them to have a rough night when it's daddy's turn to get up!!

 

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Easy Meal Idea

Over the last few weeks I have been making an effort to spice up the meals in our house. I love food so much that I always buy my "food" magazines, but rarely make anything out of them. This week I chose a few dishes I wanted to try and grocery shopped accordingly (I chose recipes where I could use most ingredients multiple times). This recipe is out of my new Rachel Ray mag. She typically isn't one of my faves, but I thought it seemed like something I could prep in the morning and cook later- which I did. Absolutely delicious and even better the next day!!

* I hate green olives so I left them out and I grilled naan bread to go alongside .

Happy Cooking,

Spanish Stew Chicken Thighs

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (2 lbs.)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 pound cured chorizo, chopped
• 1 red mild frying or bell pepper, chopped
• 2 - 3 small ribs celery with leafy tops, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno or fresno chile pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 (15 oz.) diced or crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup sliced pimiento- stuffed olives
• Crusty bread, for mopping

directions

• In a large skillet or dutch oven, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper; add to the skillet and cook, turning once, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the chorizo to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add the frying pepper, celery, onion, garlic and chile. Cover partially and cook until the vegetables are just softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the sherry and cook, stirring up any browned bits.
• Add the tomatoes, stock and chicken to the pan. Partially cover and simmer until cooked through, 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley and olives.

 

 

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Big Girl

My beautiful little Ruby....3 months old!

Where does the time go?

 

 

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Crafty Katie

I've never really thought of myself as a "crafty" person.  I know I have the ability to be creative, but crafting has never been my passion. Like my sister, lately I have found myself endlessly browsing Pinterest looking at the incredible DIY projects that are really easy and really cute.

I bought these wood letters at Michael's a long time ago. At our old house I painted the IVY pink and hung them over her crib to add a little something to her wall (kind of boring).  They have been sitting in her closet since we moved so I decided to add additional letters to fill up a bigger space and to make my first attempt at Mod Podging (is that a word??)

Here is my before picture and tomorrow I'll post my after. While I know this isn't the hardest project in the world, it's a small way of putting a special touch in my little Ives room. Wish me luck!!

The Cost of Colour

Back in December Nate and I went to Perkins for brunch. While we waited for Blaine and Sarah to join us, we did the activities on the placemat that most restaurants offer. Nate was really into the word searches, the tic tac toe and all of the other activities. He was engaged, calm and happy as can be. Nate sipped his coveted drink as Blaine and Sarah arrived. For our two, pop is a treat reserved for special occasions and restaurants. Therefore, Nate had excitedly chosen a “wild cherry” sweet treat as his beverage of choice. Can you see where this is going? By the time our food arrived my sweet, well behaved and calm Nathan was colouring on his face with the crayons and crawling under the table. He was spinning.

I can’t say I have never seen this not so agreeable side of Nate before. On occasion, we have seen this difficult to manage, hyper side of Nate in the past, and had come to refer to it as “Sugar Nate”. For that reason we are always very cautious about the amount of sugar he eats. That day the quick transition in him was uncanny. We managed to reign him back in and enjoy the rest of our lunch, but as we headed home, something didn’t sit right with me.

Call it mother’s intuition but somehow I knew there was more going on here. My gut told me it wasn’t the sugar in the drink that was the problem….it was the colour. That afternoon I spent hours on the Net researching food dyes. This was a topic I knew a little about, but what I found out that afternoon blew my mind. I read countless websites and reports. General themes that seemed to be mentioned throughout were; food dyes are BAD! I know this is not news to many of us, but I am not sure I realized just how bad they really are. Food dyes are banned in many European countries. When tested in rats and other animals, they often cause cancer. Food dyes are made from petroleum. There are links to hyperactivity and behavior problems in children. There is tons of debate on this one, but for me after reading all of the blogs and anecdotal feedback offered by parents, and witnessing the changes in my own kid after eating red or yellow food dye, I am a believer.

Here is a direct quote from an article that really spoke to me, “During the past 50 years, the amount of chemical dye used in foods has increased by a whopping 500%. Could it be one of the causes of the alarming rise in child behavioral problems, aggression and ADHD? Studies show it’s a definite possibility.” To read the rest of the article click here.  

It seems that children with learning disabilities, attentional difficulties and other issues can have a heightened sensitivity to food dyes. Nate’s link to PANDAS makes him a likely candidate to be more sensitive than others. After experimenting with the colour thing a couple of times there is no doubt in my mind Nate is sensitive to food dyes. We now try to limit his exposure to colour as much as possible, within reason.

I am a label reader because of Sarah’s peanut allergy but the amount of label reading we now do has increased even more so since that day. “Colour” is listed as an ingredient on many things, in many cases surprising things. I now try to avoid it as much as humanly possible, particularly, red and yellow (tartrazine). The first time I sent Blaine out shopping after our enlightenment he was gone for three hours. But like anything, it gets easier.

I don’t want Nate to resent this shift in his diet so we make sure there are still options for treats he can enjoy. Really, candy and ice cream are the toughest ones to get around. However, there are some fruit gummies (Real Fruit Minis) that are ok, as well as Florida’s Natural Nuggets. Smarties are made with natural colours and most chocolate is still good to go. Nate has been great about choosing plain chips over ketchup or 7 Up over Orange Crush. He made it through the holidays without missing a candy cane too much and we made Imperial Cookies instead of sugar cookies with dyed icing, this Christmas. For Valentine’s Day I will add raspberry jam to our icing for our cupcakes. It is a great and tasty alternative!

I encourage anyone with a remote interest in this topic to spend 20 minutes researching it on the Internet. The amount of information out there is frightening, but I am so relieved to have made the connection for my colour sensivite boy.  Unfortuenately, there is a lot of food out there today with a lot of crap in it.  

Around here we are going to try and avoid the food dyes when we can and  I will continue to enjoy my sweet, calm, loving, and a little less "colourful" boy.

Here are a few of the websites I found most interesting but truly, there are too many to list. http://www.cspinet.org/new/200806022.html

http://cspinet.org/fooddyes/testimony.html

http://www.mamasagainstdrama.com/2011/08/one-dye-at-a-time/

http://inspirationgreen.com/food-dyes-linked-to-behavior-problems.html

http://raisingnaturalkids.com/2012/11/05/a-look-at-food-dye-sensitivity/

Date Nights

It started at the beginning of the year when I announced to my little Mags that we would be attending the Taylor Swift concert together in June.  Auntie Katie, Mags and I have 3 hot little tickets to the biggest event in June.  We are pumped and Mags is absolutely over the moon.  It will be her first concert and if it is like my first concert with my mom, I will remember it forever.  I will never forget Rod Stewart in his white suit, Fabio-esque hair framing his face singing "Hot Legs" and "Maggie May".  I hope my own Maggie will remember this big night forever. We'll do it up right, dinner, t-shirts, the whole bit.  It is a bit of a countdown but we both know it will be worth the wait.

Sharing the news with Maggie was tough as it was more than a letdown for my other little girl who was absolutely brokenhearted that her mom would go without her.  She is just too young!  My Sadie looked at me with her big baby blues and asked if we could do our own date night.  She wanted Wiggles and so we settled on Strawberry Shortcake last weekend.  It was wonderful.  Well, not entirely. It was a great lead up, Sade in her fanciest dress, meeting Ivy and Auntie at the door. Pantages was bustling and the girls seemed pumped but the wait to show time was a bit long and patience isn't always plentiful with 2 and 4 year olds.  The balcony we settled on because we bought so late was a sweatbox.  The kids were rosy cheeks and they started squirming.  Neither Ivy or Sades bought into the Doodlebops opener..can't really blame them.  When Strawberry finally arrived, they were nearly done.  We tried to bribe them with goldfish and though there was some dancing and some interest, there was far more negotiating.  It was great for us and I loved being out on a girls date but I a sure if the girls LOVED it.  We took refuge from the cold in our van on the way back home and Sadie announced with a tired sigh, that was the best concert EVER.  She LOVED it!

These 2 dates have turned into 4 as Ty has decided that if the girls get alone mom time then so should he.  I couldn't agree more, that little boy of mine or really not so little boy of mine is growing so fast.  Unfortunately for me, the dynamics in our home often leave Chad in charge of boy "things" while I handle two little girlies.  I can't wait until I can have uninterrupted time with my little man at the upcoming Jets game.  He is decding which ones but it won't matter one bit, he is all the entertainment I need.

My hubby and I decided to take a night out, too, as we celebrated a great new career opportunity for him.  We took in the home show first, fun, but not entirely celebratory but with an upcoming renovation, it was exciting.  We snuck in a pint at Elephant and Castle and then headed to Chop for dinner.  It felt like the old days, with the kids sleeping over, we were able to sit and just relax and visit.  Really visit.  We enjoyed the company and the food immensely and we both agreed that we need to do more of that.  He is still my favorite person.

How blessed am I that all the important people in my life want to spend time with me and though it isn't always in great quantity, it more than makes up for it in quality.

The Incredible Two's

My first baby is turning three this year and I literally shake my head in disbelief every single day when I think about where the time has gone. My once only child is now a big sister and is growing up in front of my eyes.  My big blue eyed blondie is one of two bright shining lights in my life that make every single day worth living for.

My little "Bibes" is many things- most noteably beautiful, inside and out.  Every moment of every day she surprises me with something that is laugh out loud funny or so sweet that my heart breaks just to hear it again. Her language and speech is beyond incredible for a two and a half year old and her wit and sense of humor are out of this world. She knows exactly how to use phrases and jokes in context and blows us away when she pulls a one liner fit for an adult. She keeps me on my toes and can make me smile in even the most trying moment.

When I look at her I see parts of both me and Jared. From her dad, an energy that just doesn't quit along with the Dueck family tooth gap, from me, a headstrong attitude that even I am prone to give into. When I glance at her quickly I see so much of my mom, a beauty not to be forgotten.

Two and a half, while very challenging, is by far the funnest age.  If I could freeze time, I would be thrilled to keep her exactly as she is right at this very moment. Since I can't, I am taking in every minute of it and remembering how incredibly blessed I am to have this little monkey in my life.

Fresh Start

With the new year comes the usual soul searching and reflections of the things that made the Last year so wonderful. We think about how we can recapture more of the same and improve on the places that need it. For me, it's not just about making resolutions, it's that feeling of a fresh slate. The feeling that the year is sprawled out in front of me with endless possibilities is a wonderful feeling. The year seems optimistic at this point and I love feeling that the year can start anew, that it can start energized full of hope and organization, health and family. For me, it means I have run every day again, something that I LOVE that became more sporatic through the weeks leading to Christmas. I have run outside and in with my new Garmin(thanks dad and judy) and without. I have tried to slow the wine consumption at night and instead I have curled up with my new iPad (my most favorite gift to our family EVER)and made plans of healthy meals and organization tips on Pinterest. I have cleaned my freezer, my fridge, my closet, my Christmas storage and I am working on the toy room with the kiddies. It is liberating ditch the unused and tidy what is left. I have big hopes of tackling the photos on my computer and finally getting them into some organized fashion. I am taking these last few days to do what I love, relax with my kiddies, excercise and hang out in my Jammie's and bake. I am still trying to figure out how the freshly baked Citrus, Chocolate and Pomegranate scones cooling on the counter fit into healthy eating. That is why anyone that sees me tomorrow will have a sweet treat to indulge in. While the optimism and motivation may be replaced in a month by life and the rat race, it doesn't matter because today I feel pumped and ready to go. Happy New Year to all of you, may 2013 be one to remember!

 

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