Food review : from week of Jan.21st

Last week I tried a couple of new recipes. The first one was the bolognese sauce from my Everyday Italian cookbook. It was really simple, but quite good. Both the hubby and Love Bug ate it, which is saying something because even the hubby and I have very different tastes when it comes to spaghetti sauce!

I also tried the meatball soup from Deceptively Delicious. Not a winner! It sounded really good, and I think if I made some modifications it might work. For one, the meatballs were the weirdest texture...very puffy and mushy. They actually doubled in size once I dropped them into the soup. Also, it is the kind of soup that is best to eat the day you make it. I put leftovers into the fridge and the pasta soaked up all of the tomato broth.

I was going to make a Beef and Barley soup from my Canadian Living Cookbook but didn't get a chance. I am going to make that sometime over the next couple of days.

Beautiful day

The Love Bug used to watch Treehouse, but has taken to CBC Kids morning shows now. Part of the reason for his switch is the theme song...hey, hey, hey, a beautiful day. He will actually ask to watch CBC kids by singing the song. So cute!

We have a DVD player in our mini-van which we only use for long trips. Usually a Max & Ruby show will be playing. Lately, the Love Bug has been asking for "hey, hey, hey beautiful day" to be on and we have to explain that we don't get it in the mini van.

My husband had an idea of playing U2's Beautiful Day song as a consolation. Well, the Love Bug really has taken a liking to U2 now - which is great. Yesterday, on the way home from nursery school, he asked for "mommy and daddy's beautiful day". We has previously explained to him that mommy and daddy played that song at our wedding.

We have a bunch of U2 songs on the CD and he likes quite a few of them now. When "elevation" came on he said to me "mommy I really like this song". Good choice!

Menu Plan - week of Jan.28th

Monday - left over pot roast, roasted potatoes, carrots & gravy

Tuesday - Sheppard's pie and salad

Wednesday - pecan chicken, rice, green beans

Thursday - chicken stew and biscuits (I have a few biscuit recipes that I use including a cornmeal one which I really like. however, I am going to try a recipe recommended by a friend MTM.)

Friday - TBD

Saturday - going out for dinner!

Sunday - Super Bowl Party - possibly chili, burritos and a salad - whatever my hubby would prefer for his little get-together.

Weaning

I have been trying to wean the Missus for a little while now and have been making a small amount of progress. I have her down to 3 breast feeding a day; one when she gets up, one before afternoon nap and one before bed time. The rest of the day I am trying to get her to drink homo milk from a sippie cup. We realized last week that she will actually drink more of it when it is warmed up for her (which makes sense).

She still wants to be breastfed all of the time though and comes up to me saying "mamama bobobo" which I think is "mommy I want boobie"...we have always referred to breastfeeding as them wanting boobie...I know, kind of silly.

Part of me feels bad about denying her when it seems like she is begging me, but on the other hand, she is almost 13 months old and never took a bottle or formula. So, I do think I deserve a bit more freedom since I have been tied to feeding her every few hours for over a year now.

I breastfed Love Bug until he was 9 months old, but he weaned really nicely once we found a formula that he liked.

Mommy-guilt...the worst!

Fun times with book orders...

Is it just me, or do people not communicate enough and expect too much sometimes? The Love Bug goes to nursery school 2 mornings a week. Because it is a co-operative nursery school they rely on help from the parents - which I am happy to do. I volunteered this year to run the monthly book program for the school. I am happy to do it although it does take time every month organizing the flyers and writing little notes to encourage people to purchase books. I then have to distribute the flyers to everyone, collect the orders, input all of the orders into the wesbite, and then organize and distribute then to everyone when the order comes in. Also, keep track of back-orders.

Not to mention, deal with issues that arise. For example, in December I picked up the orders and noticed that there were 3 order sheets given to me for Book Clubs which we don't participate in. There was no note attached so I thought that perhaps the parent meant to give the order forms to their older child's teacher (not the one in nursery school). Since there was no letter I had to go ask the teacher if they knew anything about it. They had to ask the other parent for me since they weren't in the Love Bug's class. It turns out they thought I could submit the orders on their behalf so their older child wouldn't see the books. Ok, I don't mind doing that but I really think it would have been nice to be given a note of explanation. It did create a bit more work for me. I did it and never heard anything afterwards...like a thank you.

The second incident happened this month. After the Christmas holidays I took Love Bug to nursery school to find a book (in the bag I distribute them in) sitting in Love Bug's cubby basket. Again, no note of explanation. I went home and looked to see if I had made a mistake distributing the books. Nope! When I went to pick Love Bug up, I again had to go ask the teacher what was going on. She told me that the parent didn't like the book and wanted to know how to return it. Again, a note would have been helpful. I said I would be happy to check in to it. I looked up the return policy, typed up a detailed letter on how the parent could return it, and put everything back in to their child's cubby basket.

The next time I was there, I heard someone mention the kid's name and I asked the mother if she was the one who wanted to return the book. She said yes. I explained that if she shipped it back to the company they would refund, exchange or credit her but they didn't pay for the shipping. She looked at me (mildly annoyed) and said "can't you do it for me?" I calmly explained to her that I was a parent volunteer running the book program, and since the company didn't pay for the return shipping, she would have to incur the expenses of shipping it back. At that point the teacher heard the conversation and came in. We had a bit of small talk on whether or not it was a difficult return policy (which I didn't think it was). I then left and haven't heard anything since.

I'm not running the program to get recognition, just to help the school out. I just wish people would maybe respect the time and effort I am putting in to it a bit more.

First steps

Well, she finally did it! We weren't sure when the Missus was going to walk/take her first steps because she didn't seem ready yet (and the Love Bug didn't walk until he was over 13 months old). We have been practicing having her stand by herself and have been holding her hands walking for a while. Today, while we were at the mall with a friend and her kids, the Missus stood and then took about 3 steps towards my hubby. We were so happy and surprised! We tried again a couple of time but she thought that once was enough.

It was funny timing too because we had just been talking about how she wasn't walking yet. Kids always make liars out of you ;)

Feb.7th

That is the day that the rest of our kitchen cabinets and pieces are suppose to be installed. We just got a phone call from the cabinet maker yesterday. We are still missing the crown moulding on the top of the cabinets, the gables beside the fridge, a cabinet door, a kit plate under the desk and all of the filler strips. It will be so nice to have it done! Then we can do things we want to do like under counter lighting and the back splash.

Now, we have to get on our builder for the rest of the items that need to be fixed. They started off really well when we first moved in and now they just keep telling us they'll put stuff on a "list" to get done. But, nothing ever seems to happen!

Food review from week of Jan.14th

Food Review from last week. I tried out a few new recipes for dinner and one new appetizer recipe. I am posting the recipes if I could find them online.

Mushroom pork medallions - from the Canadian Living Make It Tonight Cookbook - these were Really good! I will definitely make them again. The recipe only makes enough for 2-3 people, but it would be nice to serve to company if you doubled the recipe amount.

Warm Potato salad - from the same cookbook above. I made them together and my hubby didn't think that the flavours complimented the pork dish. The warm potato salad had a vinegar-y taste that would probably work better with a more bland meat dish like a BBQ steak. I would make this recipe again though and probably just serve a plainer rice dish with the pork.


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Ginger apricot chicken -from the Complete Canadian Living Cookbook - my FIL stayed for dinner the night I made this and it seems like it was a hit with everyone. It was extremely easy to make and had a nice flavour on the outside. Another keeper!

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I decided to try another recipe from Deceptively Delicious - the macaroni and cheese. When I made it last week I used cauliflower puree in it. Both my hubby and I thought you could taste the veggie, but we liked it. The Love Bug wouldn't touch it and said "mommy, what's that smell?" I even had him "help" me make it to try and encourage him to eat it. When it was done he looked at it and said "Mommy, I don't like soup." I agree with him, it was way too saucy!

I made it again yesterday and this time I used squash puree and I added an extra 1/2 cup of pasta. It turned out really well and the Love Bug ate it for lunch and asked for it again at dinner!

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Hot Asiago Artichoke Dip - from Canadian Living
I made this for the first time on the weekend for our little dinner party. People loved it! It was so easy to make too. I think this is a great appetizer because you can make it in advance and then just heat it up for 20 minutes when your guests arrive. I will be making this again for sure!

Menu Plan - week of Jan.21st

This week we are incorporating some left-overs into the meal plan. We seem to have a lot of them lately and I hate it when we forget about them and end up throwing them away! I am also going to be making 2 different soups to have for lunches.

Monday
grilled marinated flank steak
rice pilaf
sesame asparagus with mushrooms (all leftovers from Saturday)

Tuesday
beer braised beef roast with carrots & mashed potatoes

Wednesday
Chicken and bean burritos
salad

Thursday
pasta with homemade bolognese sauce (from my Everyday Italian cookbook)

Friday
leftovers!
salad

Saturday and Sunday are TBD right now

Lunches - I don't usually post about this, but since I am planning on making a few things this week (instead of just our usual sandwiches), I thought I would list them.
macaroni and cheese from Deceptively Delicious
Meatball coupe from Deceptively Delicious
Beef and Barley soup (from Canadian Living cookbook)

Adventures in babysitting

Well, Saturday was my mom's birthday and today is my hubby's. As mentioned in my last post, we went out for dinner on Friday night with my mom and step-dad to one of our favourite local restaurants called Chinook. I love the food there! We had such a nice time.

Our babysitters definitely had their hands full! My hubby went and picked them up around 7pm, so they could meet and get comfortable with the kids before they went to bed. Since the Missus is a social butterfly, she loved the attention she was getting. The Love Bug is a bit shy and took a few minutes to warm up. But, he was comfortable with the babysitters in no time.

We put the Missus to bed before we left so our babysitters only had to deal with one kid. When we were leaving, the Love Bug said "Is daddy going to work?". We said yes since he is used to my hubby's shift work and knows that daddy goes to work at different times of the day. Then we told him that mommy was going to work with daddy, but we would be home in a little while. He gave us kisses and seemed fine.

We got our coats on and heard him ask the babysitters "Where did mommy and daddy go?" They replied "work" and he said "ok". We quickly left (around 7:45)

Apparently, just after we left, the Missus woke up because she pooped in her diaper. They changed her but couldn't get her onesie or sleepers back on...she is HORRIBLE to get dressed and always has been. They eventually abandoned the effort to get her dressed again (she went to bed with just an unbuttoned onesie on) and tried to put her back in her crib, but she kept crying to get out. Finally the younger babysitter said "we are just going to have to let her cry it out" to her older sister. They did and she was asleep in less than 5 minutes.

The Love Bug is a bit of a pain to get to bed because he often gets up several times before finally settling. And, he was true to form. Because of his frequent night visits, we have one of those childproof handles on the inside of his room on his door handle. His babysitter didn't realize this and while in the room with him, she shut the door. She had never used one of those door knobs before and couldn't get out of the Love Bug's room. Apparently both her and Love Bug were at his door softly banging on it and Love Bug was saying "help, help" to get her sister's attention. They didn't want to bang too loudly in case they woke the Missus up. I could just visualize the 2 of them at the door and it really makes me laugh, although I'm sure our babysitter didn't think it was funny at the time.

After they got Love Bug settled and asleep finally, they sat in the family room quietly not watching TV or anything in fear of waking the kids up. Thank goodness we weren't too late! Poor things, how boring would that be?!?

The next day we had 3 couples (friends from my hubby's work) over for a dinner party. Our baby sitter's parents were there and said the girls enjoyed babysitting and would be happy to do it again. I was kind of surprised 'cause it sounded like they had to work hard or their money. But, I'll happily take them up on the offer!

Dinner out!

I am so excited...we are going to dinner tonight...without the kids. I mean, I love them like crazy, but it is so nice to go out to a nice restaurant without them. Usually we have one of our parents babysit them, but tonight we are going to be trying a couple of our friend's daughters. There are 2 of them and they have both taken the baby-sitting course.

Let's hope they go to bed ok and it works out. It would be soooooo nice to be able to go out for a date-night with my hubby once a month. It would be worth paying for babysitting :)

Food Review from week of Jan.7th

Last week I tried a few new recipes and thought I would share the outcome.

Hits

The Chicken and Black Bean Burritos are definitely a hit and we'll be making them again soon. They were easy to make, taste great and you can freeze the batch or individually for later.

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/chicken_and_black_bean_burritos.php

Not-so-popular

The fish and chips were just ok. My hubby and I liked the potato wedges, but I have better recipes for tilapia that I will stick to instead.

The Jerk pork chops were ok but not as spicy as I would like them. I didn't care for the rice at all. It has cinnamon in it (which I would normally like) but it didn't work in this recipe. I think if you omitted the cinnamon the rice would be quite nice.

De -Railing

It was almost one year ago that we moved the Love Bug from his crib into his single "big boy bed". He was only about 20 months old at the time. He made the transition so well. Since he was so little at the time, we put railings up on either side of his bed to help keep him in (and to make his feel secure).

Well, it is less than a year later and it is now time to take them down. Essentially, they are just being used as decorations now. About a month ago he asked us to not put it up when he was going to bed that night. So, we didn't. He has been sleeping without them ever since. My husband and I decided to take them off for good tonight and put them in our very cluttered basement until the Missus moves into her "big girl bed" one day.

Now, if only the Love Bug would toilet train so easily!!!!

Menu Plan - week of Jan.14th

An interesting week. We are going out for dinner one night and are having company twice because it is my hubby's birthday. Plus, I am trying 3 new recipes!

Monday
Chili
Salad

Tuesday - NEW - from the Canadian Living Make it tonight cookbook
Mushroom pork medallions
warm potato salad
green beans

Wednesday - NEW - from the Complete Canadian Living cookbook
Ginger apricot chicken
roasted potatoes & carrots

Thursday - from Deceptively Delicious cookbook
Mac and Cheese
Salad

Friday
Out for dinner to one of my favourite local restaurants for my mom's birthday (I hope!)

Saturday
We are having a group of friends from my husband's work over for dinner.
Appetizers
Apple brie Phyllo triangles _ I have already made these and have them in the freezer
warm artichoke asiago dip with crostini and baked pita chips
Meal
Napa Cabbage salad - this is good because it makes a lot
Grilled marinated flank steak
Sesame asparagus and mushrooms
Not sure what potato or rice dish to make or dessert to make yet

Sunday

We are having my FIL and step_MIL over for my hubby's birthday.
Beer braised beef roast
mashed potatoes
spinach salad with toasted pecans, apples, mushrooms and my honey mustard vinaigrette

Cookbook Addict

I am a self-confessed cookbook addict. I got three of them for Christmas alone; Everyday Italian, Canadian Living "Make it tonight" and my most recent addition The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook.

I happen to love the recipes from Canadian Living magazine so decided to invest in a couple of the cookbooks. I find that people (well, at least my family) seem to really like the recipes that I make from them.

I am in the process of doing my meal plan for this week and will definitely be incorporating some new recipes from my latest cookbook. There are so many amazing recipes to try!

I am also going to try a some from Deceptively Delicious which I have had for a while (but just haven't had time to make the veggie purees). I am a bit skeptical of it, but know that a couple of friends have had some success. And, my toddler is VERY, VERY picky these days. He used to be a good eater and now it is so difficult to get anything in him, let alone veggies!

Wish me luck!

The piggie and the owl

That is my kids I am referring to.

My husband has been working night shifts this week - and is now done. My son (love bug) has been having trouble going to sleep, staying in his bed at night and has early morning wake-ups. He goes through phases like this a lot since he turned 2. I'm starting to wonder if he is nocturnal?!?

This week I have been handling it alone. Last night was so brutal I think I only got a few hours of sleep. He was in and out of his bed (and mine) from about 2:30am until 6:30am. He finally went to sleep again around 6:30 until 7:30am. Needless to say, I am tired!

My daughter (aka the missus) is in that one year old stage where she has an insatiable appetite. As soon as she sees anyone eating, she is right there hanging off of you with her mouth open looking for hand-outs. It is cute. I remember when the Love Bug was like that. There were times when I thought he was going to eat us out of house and home. Now I'm lucky to get a few bites in at meal times!

Menu Plan - week of Jan.8th

Monday
-leftovers!

Tuesday
Fish and potato wedges with spinach

Wednesday
Chicken and black bean burritos
salad

Thursday
Jerk pork chops
peas, pepper and rice

Friday
Burgers and salad (we haven't had burgers for months!)

Saturday
Pasta with artichoke pesto and grilled chicken

Sunday
Mushroom pork medallions
warm potato salad
some veggie??

A birthday re-cap

Well, it was an eventful weekend. On Friday our baby girl turned one. We started the morning singing "happy birthday" to her. Afterwards, our 2.5 year old son looked at us and said "is it time for cake now?" Hmmm...I don't think we will have cake at 7:30am...although I must admit that the thought did appeal to me slightly.

At dinner time we gave her a cupcake for her birthday and she got to open one of her presents from us. My hubby went out and bought her a jewelery box that had her name engraved on it. He is such a softy sometimes!

On Saturday my hubby worked but I got ready for our big birthday party - preparing food, cleaning the house, making little thank you gift for people.

We had her birthday party on Sunday morning at 11:30am. It was primarily family, including a couple of my aunts and uncles and my hubby's grandparents. There were about 20 adults and 6 children including mine. I was ambitious and made hams, turnip & butternut squash and green beans with almonds. My mom made scalloped potatoes and my step-MIL made a salad. It turned out to be quite a nice lunch!

I had searched high and low for a pretty party dress for my 1 year old. I finally came across a pink frilly dress, which I wouldn't have pictures myself buying, but couldn't help myself. She looked so pretty! My mom put her hair in a little ponytail for part of the party.

My baby girl was extremely spoiled with present of course! But the good news is that most of it was clothes. She only received a few toys. Clothes are always welcome!

After lunch she got a piece of birthday cake which she definitely enjoyed. It wasn't as messy as the one she received on Friday, but she definitely enjoyed it!

My poor kids didn't end up having afternoon naps that day but they were both so good! Thank goodness 'cause it was a long, but wonderful day!

Happy birthday to my beautiful daughter!

I can't believe that she is one already! I found that I was extremely emotional when my son turned one. This time I think I am in denial. I have been planning a party for her since before Christmas, but I still find it hard to believe!

She was quite sick over the holidays but is feeling better now - thank goodness! She is back to her usual self crawling like a maniac, cruising around everything, and cracking herself up. Yes, even she finds herself quite amusing!

I have decided to take a few days to update on her current milestones and to reflect on her being one. For now I just want to enjoy her and her birthday celebrations.

Here is her first experience with cake.

I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as she enjoyed the cake!

A year in review

2007 was a big year for us.

It started off with our beautiful baby girl being born on January 4th. Later that month we bought a new house. In April, our son turned 2 years old. In May we started getting our old house ready to sell and put it in the market in June. In September our son started nursery school. In October we moved out of our old house which was emotional since we were married and had both kids while living there. And we moved in with my mom and step-dad. In November we finally moved in to our new house. In December we got ready for Christmas and wanted it to be special since it was our baby girl's first.

And here we are today! Celebrating our daughter's first birthday!

I don't make new year's resolutions but just want my family and friends to have a happy and healthy 2008. I'd also like to be the best person, mom and wife I can be...and I'll figure that out as I go along!

Happy new year!

A Fresh Start

A new year, a new start...

After contemplating deleting this blog, I have made the decision to use it as my primary blogging place. My other blog is very personal with details and names so I am going to stop blogging there instead. I will talk more about my family and children here but will not use actual names...keep it a bit more anonymous.