Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Ah, Anthropologie

While browsing the web tonight looking for bridesmaid dress inspiration I happened upon the Anthropologie website - which I had been neglecting. Now, I can't say that I found bridesmaid dresses, but I did find these wonderful things that I must try to replicate for my house...



Sunday, December 19, 2010

Christmas Movies

Here are the movies that I'm looking forward to watching while snuggled under a blanket this holiday season:






Tuesday, December 14, 2010

My Kind of Christmas Tree

I came across this tree on Curbly tonight - and I love it. Especially after dealing with what the cats have done to our tree this year. It's called the Tannenboing Tree and I wish that one of these trees would just jump itself all the way here and attach itself to my ceiling.

Man, would I love to see the cats try to climb this tree! Bwahaha!!!

Of course, I think the kids would quickly try to turn it into a tree fort. Of course, one could decorate the tree to discourage blanket draping, but I think I prefer it au-natural.


Sunday, December 12, 2010

Overheard While the Kids Were Playing

Mikah:    Alek, did you just fart in my face?
Alek:       No
Mikah:    Well then why does my face smell like a fart???

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Prepare for Takeoff

Tomorrow afternoon I am leaving on one of these

to spend a few days here at a work conference


The Mr is on parent duty while I'm on leave.
Sucker.


Monday, September 27, 2010

I'm Back with my Sanity Mostly Intact

It's been awhile but hopefully you will understand. It feels like it's been such a long time since I've been on here, and I'm a little worried that I may have lost my "voice" so to speak. I guess I should just dive in, so here goes...

We decided that we needed to move to a bigger house; we found the perfect house; closed on the house and moved - all within 3 weeks! It has been a CRAZY time I tell ya. We just finished with our old house this weekend and now can concentrate on fully moving in to our new home. Which means I may be able to stop living out of the suitcase someday soon.

We moved from one side of the city to the other which has been a huge change for all of us. Alek started at a new school and it's been a hard adjustment. The new school is about triple the population of his old school and is freaking me out too, so I can understand where he's coming from. He's having a hard time making friends and the boys in his class aren't being overly welcoming, which is very hard for this mammma to handle. So please, cross your fingers for me that they will soon see what an awesome kid he is.

Lukas is now in a big-boy bed and the transition has been surprisingly easy. Although I find him curled up on the floor almost every morning. He told me this morning that, "me not fall out of bed, me just like it here." Ok, whatever floats your boat Lukas.

Mikah is almost four. We are having boundary issues daily. I can't wait until he is old enough to be mostly reasonable. Seriously; I can't wait.

School has started back up for me as well and I have a full plate of math and language arts students. I've got a nice mix of new students and returning ones which keeps me on my toes; but I wouldn't trade it.

There you go. A short and sweet post. How did I do?

Friday, August 6, 2010

Changes



Big changes are happening for my family. Big.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Telling It Like It Is

Parenting is a hard and mostly thankless job. Yes, of course your kids love you and of course you love them back but even that amount of love doesn't make the job any easier. Especially on the days when you don't actually like your children very much.

I've been so happy to see the recent acknowledgement of the fact that parenting really isn't the rose colored dream that you picture when you are planning a family. In my dream we were all dressed in white and happily skipping hand-in-hand through a meadow. In actuality the meadow is the back yard, because I haven't had the time to cut the grass, and the children are busy trying to outrun one another so that they don't get whacked with a stick or a toy. You would find me collapsed on a lawn chair praying that no one gets hurt so that I could have even a few minutes to myself. Now that's an honest day in parenting.

This morning while my children were screaming at me like possessed banshees demanding pop, yeah right, I found this post on From the Cheap Seats. I thought the post was fantastic and she did a great job describing parenting/mothering.

Read it. You'll enjoy it.

Readers, how do you find parenting?

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Murphy Was Definately Not a Mother!

I know all about Murphy's Law, but I'm  wondering if there is such a thing out there that just applies to the laws of mothering. A Mother's Law if you will. Maybe I should start one...

Mother's Law
  1. When you are busy rushing around trying to get way too many things done in way too little time, one or more of your children will sabotage you. Yes, sabotage you. The most common form is the "innocent sabotage." Someone will need an emergency trip to the doctor; a mess of unimaginable proportions will be made; someone will get an earache; the list goes on. You know what I'm talking about. Quit while you're ahead. Seriously.

I just took a job making 300 dainties for a wedding this Saturday. They are being picked up tomorrow and I started today. I've been busy rushing about the kitchen in a well ordered chaos. My plan was perfect and it's all about timing. Nothing should go wrong. This should be easy. Bake one pan and prepare another batch while the first one is in the oven. Repeat this process about 10 times. My plan was being executed perfectly and I even had time to sit down and grab a quick bite of supper with my little guys. We are finishing about 2 minutes before the timer goes off when I hear the sound of running water. Wait a minute, running water falling onto the floor. What the??? It sounds close. Really close. Like sitting across the table close. I glance down at the floor and see that my would-be-potty-trainer is in the process of emptying his King Kong sized bladder all over his chair! Ding Ding  that would be my oven timer!  Shit, shit, shit!!! If only mom's could freeze time. I would have been able to at least save the pile of books that I had placed on the floor. But no. I had squares to save and a lake of pee to clean. Then I had to wash the floor, wash the chair, wash Mikah and wash myself. And as I'm wont to do when the going gets tough, take a few minutes to blog about it. My timing is off and my schedule is down the crapper.

Speaking of crappers, just as I'm about to get back to work Lukas decides to make me a present.  Sweet.

Friendly Friday Follow


Here I am! I'm so happy that you stopped by to check out my musings on life, motherhood and food from the Canadian Prairies! I'm looking forward to checking out other blogs and hopefully getting to know some more fabulous people!

May my blog make you smile :)

Monday, July 19, 2010

Boogers, Burgers and Babies

We have had 3 nice days in a row here in Saskatoon. Yes, I said it. 3 sunny days in a row. Frankly, this is amazing blog worthy weather for this summer. Mostly it's amazing because I'm cheap. What does being cheap have to do with nice sunny warm weather you're wondering? It's important, because in the early spring I bought a big pool for the backyard. I had visions of lazily floating around the pool in the afternoon; watching Alek and his friends happily splashing away for hours; and introducing the two little ones to the magic that is a pool.

Well, here we are in the middle of July and I have managed to climb into the pool a grand total of 4 times. Alek maybe 6 times. And my babies have been in twice. There have been rain and storms here almost everyday this summer. On the plus side, the rain has kept the pool filled but it has ruined my dream of lazy-sunny-floating afternoons. Or has it? Maybe we are just off to a slow start.

As I type this I am currently blogging beside the pool while watching Alek and his BFF snort, splash and swim. So far so good. The truly exciting part? This is the third day in a row that we have been able to use the pool!!! Alek loves it, his friends love it, I love it, Mikah tolerates it and Lukas strongly dislikes it.

Are you wondering about the booger part? Well, Mikah and Lukas both have head colds. Let's just say that a healthy dose of salt water and a head cold does not a pleasant swimming experience make. I'm sure that the swimming pool is just a glorified Nettie Pot to them. And Alek's friend. ~sorry, I just gagged a bit at the thought of all that snot.~

A quick recap... I'm loving the pool, when I get a chance to use it; pool water + babies = boogers; and sitting outside in the warn sunny weather really makes me want to BBQ some burgers. Too bad we ran out of propane.

Potty Training Setback

Mikah has been doing really well at the "going on the potty" business. His grandpa took him for a little over a week about a month ago and they worked hard at getting the consistency down. I find it's really hard to be consistent when we both work and the kids are at a babysitters for the day. Anyway, in the last month he has had maybe a handful of accidents. Pretty darn good!

Then there was yesterday.

Yes, Mikah peed in the potty.
He also peed on the couch. Twice.
At the bottom of the stairs. Once.
In his shorts. Well, everytime.
In an empty box on the living room floor. Once.
On a big weed outside. Twice.

My poor carpet cleaner got a workout. The funny thing was that since Mikah's been in-training, lukas has decided that he should be too. Lukas is also our resident streaker so I naturally assumed that all of the potty accidents were due to his diaperless bum. But no, his bare bum was dry and Mikah's clothed one was always wet.

Poor, poor Mikah. Hopefully today will be better.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Little Kisses

Mikah just came upstairs with a sweet mischievious grin on his face and a story to share with me about his daycare friend.


M:  "Mommy, today Bailey and me had lots of kisses."

Me: "You and Bailey had lots of kisses?"

M: "Yes. We had lots of kisses in her room. Then we wiped our mouths and said, yucky, yucky and went back to play."

Ahhh, sweet little kids.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I Know, I Know

I'm a terrible, terrible blogger.

I haven't been able to manage life and a blog (or 3) at the same time. Yep, I suck.

In my defence though, life around here as been even more hectic than normal in the last few weeks. Let's see...
  • I got the flu. Seriously thought I would die.
  • Then Alek got the flu the next day. Not good.
  • All of this happened while I was supposed to be getting reports finished for the end of the school year.
  • Speaking if the end of the year, I needed to finish up all kinds of stuff with my students. It just crept up on me this year. Must have been the crappy weather; it made me forget that it's now summer.
  • Oh yeah, and I lost my camera which has really bummed me out. There have been so many good photo opportunities that I wanted to post but was too depressed by the once-again-disappearance-of-my-camera to do so. maybe this would be a good time to do a shout out to Canon. "Hey Canon, I lurve your cameras and would do an amazing review in exchange for a new camera! Come on, please???? You don't want a mommy and blogger to be without a Canon camera do you??? Please help a sad, sad mommy out. I know you want to..."
  • We are in the midst of potty training 2 boys. 2 boys and 1 bathroom. Enough said.
  • And the rain. The rain has been downright depressing. Living in Saskatchewan we get enough dark, dreary hours during the winter thank you very much. I did not need grey days all spring as well! Let's just say that I have not been in a tolerant mood the last few weeks. Ok, I'll say it; bitch on wheels.
  • Oh, and then the Mr got the flu. Thankfully the little ones didn't get it. I'm not sure how, but I'm grateful. Nothing is worse then everyone having the flu at the same time. With 1 bathroom. That is family bonding time that I never need to experience again. Ever.
  • I did manage to go paint balling with the students. I got shot in the head. Twice. The kids thought it was hilarious. I think that I need to buy a paintball gun, or 6. I forgot how much fun it was, aside from the shot twice in the head thing.
Ok, once I typed it out it doesn't seem that bad. But add it to the usual working, cleaning, cooking, mowing, refereeing, laundry, driving, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning... I've been busy.

Summer session starts soon and I'm hoping for a smooth summer. With most of it spent floating in the pool. If the rain ever stops that is. Maybe I should just build a raft to float along on...

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Mood Music

Literally.

I just found THE BEST SITE. Pick your mood and it selects the music for you. Amazing!

The playlists are filled with songs that we already know and love as well as an excellent mix of music that we will be loving to discover.

Check-check-check it out....   Stereomood.com


~edited to add... OMG, it even has a play list for cleaning!!!~

Monday, May 24, 2010

Make Mine Cosa Verde

I was blog hopping today (One Pretty Thing...to...Indie Fixx...to...) and I came across the most fabulous, amazing, beautiful site ... Cosa Verde! It's similar to Etsy but is dedicated to selling sustainably handmade goods direct from independent artists. I'm talking about re-purposing baby! I lurve people who manage to find new uses from older items. And I'll admit, browsing through the site got my creative juices flowing, and those waters have been stagnant for awhile now.

Sing along with me now, "Here are a few of my favourite things..."




Saturday, April 24, 2010

Oh, To Be a Man

(and no, this isn't a disparaging post)

I saw this party write-up on Hostess with the Mostess today. I lurve this idea; it makes me wish that I was a man so that I could have a Grumpy Old Man Party.

A Grumpy Old Woman Party just wouldn't be the same. Let's compare possible itineraries...

Grumpy Old Men (this was the original party-goers itinerary)
  • get up really early
  • put on awesome old men clothes
  • go to a donut shop and read the newspaper
  • go longboarding
  • work on the car
  • breakfast at the local diner
  • 18 holes of golf
  • lunch at the clubhouse; plus whiskey and pipe smoking
  • shenanigans in the parking lot (likely thanks to the whiskey)
  • jacuzzi time
  • swim racing (even grumpy old men need to compete)
  • BBQ for an early supper
  • drinks at the local dive bar
OK, what could a Grumpy Old Woman Party include
  • wake up early
  • get dressed in old woman clothes
  • grab huge purse and head to the beauty salon for a "set"
  • gossip while getting hair did
  • go out to a pancake house for breakfast and coffee
  • gossip while having breakfast
  • head to a watercolor class (which could actually be fun. Anyone heard of watercolor nudes???)
  • light lunch and complaining contest (mostly cocktails LOL)
  • bargain shopping (everyone would have to pull a metal cart behind them and would only have a certain amount of money to spend; who could do it the best)
  • relaxation time (pedicures at the spa; let's get those corns looked after)
  • supper at a swanky restaurant where we laugh uproariously and have no verbal filter
  • drinks at a blue collar pub; where we can harass all the men for a change
Well, I've changed my mind. An Old Woman's party just might be simply delightful!


What ideas do you have for activities??? I just might have to throw one of these parties, so throw the ideas my way!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Funny Boy

The weather here has been really nice. I mean, REALLY NICE. The temps have been way above normal; we're talking shorts and tanks people! It seems like everyone has been wearing sandles for weeks now, but I am slow to catch on. Yesterday I realized that my kids were still wearing their rubber boots. There have been no puddles for least a week. Their poor little feet must have been sweltering in those boots. Yes, I'm Mommy of the year material for sure.

So, off to the shoe store we go to get their little piggies outfitted in some swanky new Dawgs. Hey, they may be ugly, but they can put them on themselves and every little bit of help helps me. Lukas picked out his own pair, while Mikah layed on the bench feigning indifference to the whole process. In fact, every time I turned around the little bugger had put his rubber boots back on. I figured that he would embrace his new shoes tomorrow.

Tomorrow came (this morning) and he in fact did embrace his shoes. Or would have, if he was wearing socks in them. There was a fit of epic proportions when he realized that his very mean Mommy, whom he hates by the way, was in fact going to make him wear the shoes sans socks. I wouldn't normally be so heartless, but I was too lazy to do the laundry last night or hunt around for matching or even semi-matching socks this morning. I was sure I would be on easy street with one less thing to get ready in the morning thanks to the new sandles. Mikah was not having it.

It turned out that his aversion to the sockless sandles was not the feel of the shoes, it was not the cooler air upon his feet, it was not the shoes themselves, it was not the color of the shoes, it was not the fact that he hadn't picked them out himself. It turned out that he needed to wear socks so that no one saw his "bare-naked-toes."  All the screaming, thrashing, yelling, and yes swearing was over bare-naked-toes. I told him that no one would care and that all the other kids would have bare toes as well. But no, he was convinced that the babysitters would look at his "bare naked toes."

His mean mommy, whom he hates, threw him in the van sockless. He would have to chance it.

He wore his shoes all day.

Now I've Gone and Done It

I have a new quasi-blog.

http://hipmammma.tumblr.com/

I came across Tumblr. tonight and thought, "now, what is this?"

The next thing I knew, I had another blog. My Tumblr account will be dedicated to all of the amazing things that I stumble across online. Many of the things that people make/do are too awesome not to share.

Check it out, and if you suddenly, magically have a Tumblr. account, follow me so that I may in turn follow you.

Night all.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Love.

Last night was the first time that I heard this out of my baby's mouth;

"Wub You"

Aww, I wub you too Lukas!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Welcome to Holland

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
         by   Emily Perl Kingsley.


I am often asked
to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability -
to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience
to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

 
When you're going to have a baby,
it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy.
You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans.
The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice.
You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives.

You pack your bags and off you go.
Several hours later, the plane lands.
The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say.
"What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy!
 I'm supposed to be in Italy.

All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan.
They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

 
The important thing
is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease.
It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books.
And you must learn a whole new language.
And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place.
It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy.
But after you've been there for a while
and you catch your breath, you look around....
and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....
and Holland has tulips.
Holland even has Rembrandts.

 
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy...
and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there.
And for the rest of your life,
you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go.
That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that
will never, ever, ever, ever go away...
because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning
the fact that you didn't get to Italy,
you may never be free to enjoy the very special,
the very lovely things ... about Holland.

~This poem sums up how I am feeling at the moment; it's amazing how I can feel blessed and emotionally devestated at the same time. I love my life in Holland, but I do wonder what life in Italy would have been like.~


Saturday, April 10, 2010

How Old Are We

Mikah: Mom, you're going downstairs?
Me: Yes
Mikah: We can't come. I'm not old enough yet, me only 3.
Me: Yay! Yes, that's right, you're 3!
Mikah: Yeah, and Lukas is 2.
Me: That's right!
Mikah: And you are 6. Right Mom?
Me: Awww, of course I'm 6. How old is Alek?
Mikah: What is dad's name?
Me: What is dad's name?
Mikah: Yeah, that guy is old. He's older than 6.
Me: What about Alek?
Mikah: Oh, Alek is 3. He's the same as me. We're old as each other. Can I come downstairs with you?

This conversation marks the first time that Mikah has told me how old he is. He has refused to admit that he is now 3. What a milestone! And for those of you not in the know, Lukas is 2, Mikah is 3, Alek is 9, and we are older than 6. And yes, the Mr is older than me.

~As I type this Mikah and Lukas are in the living room playing Time Out. Funny how nicely they can sit in time out when it's only a game.~

Friday, April 9, 2010

My Week Off

In the words of my love Mika; Relax, Take it Easy...

New Look

What do you think?

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Glamping

And just what is glamping you ask? Glamping is glamorous + camping of course! And it sounds like my idea of roughing it for sure!

Glamping Girl breaks it down for us, "Glamping truly originated in the early 1900’s, with the popularization of the safari, The word safari is an Arabic verb meaning “to make a journey” and an entire industry was created to cater to the needs of the demanding European and American travelers, looking to bag a trophy and experience adventure in the wilds of Africa. Naturally, the wealthy travelers weren’t eager to part with the creature comforts of home, and instead stayed in luxurious canvas tent lodgings. These tents were fully furnished with beds, luxurious bedding, Persian rugs, antiques and fully staffed with chefs, guides, porters and butlers. A new trend of glamping has emerged with luxury camping resorts, safari camps, eco-resorts and campgrounds offering every amenity imaginable, from 5 star dining to spas. Manufacturers are catching on, offering designer gadgets and gear to bring style to the wilderness. Regardless of budget, you can enjoy the great outdoors without sacrificing luxury."

I have been dreaming of rehauling an Airsteam trailer for quite awhile now and making it a cozy camping oasis on wheels. One of my favorite sites, One Pretty Thing, dedicated a roundup today all about Glamping. Check it out, you'll likely decide that glamping is for you too. I love tenting and camping, but there is no reason to be uncomfortable while doing it! Who's up for a Glamping adventure???

More importantly, does anyone have an Airstream trailer that they no longer want???

Wow.

Last night I had a dream about shopping. It was so strange. I was in a place that reminded me of Macau, with little shops open to the street and people with a party attitude everywhere. Ok, that's not so wierd, but the stores were. Here's a few that I remember...
  1. The Sock store. Ok, maybe not so strange except that all of the socks had the toes missing. Like leg warmer socks. Oh, and the socks were all brown.
  2. The Organic Clothing store. You customized your own clothes. Sound good? Well, you customized them by picking out the clothing item that you wanted AND an essential oil fragrance. The clothing was then permanently infused with that scent. The store was packed with people and the scents were crazy. I don't really remember them, but I do remember being awed by the whole concept.
  3. The diaper store. All the diapers had animal tails on them. Disposable diapers with animal tails. WTF???
  4. The Liquor store, where you could just open up a bottle and take a swig to test it out. If you didn't like it you just put it back on the shelf. Then the next person would come along and take a swig out of the same bottle. And yes Lev, this even grossed me out.
There were more but I can't quite put my finger on what ecactly they were anymore. Maybe it'll come back to me. I do remember that the stores became too overwhelming for me at some point and I went and sat in a random alley for a long time while my shopping partners carried on. Until the cops came that is...

I wonder what I had to eat or drink last night before bed???

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Cupcake Courier

My cupcakes can now travel in style! Up until tonight my cupcakes have had to brave pampers boxes, cupcake pans, paper box lids, shoe boxes and more to get to their destination in one piece. I never bought one of the Wilton carriers because, seriously, who ever just takes a dozen cupcakes? Not me, that's for sure!
Tonight at HomeSense I found this... The Cupcake Courier.
It holds 36 iced cupcakes! Three dozen cupcakes is definately how I roll.

In case you are wondering; yes, I do have something special planned for it's virgin voyage in the next couple of days.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Their Baack...

Disgusting moths! In case I haven't shared this yet, all it takes is a moth sighting to send my body into convulsions, my feet running in the opposite direction and my arms over my head as if to protect myself from an incoming missile. Oh, and I scream. I can't help it. Everything about their disgusting furry bodies and lifeless-grey wings makes me feel faint. I literally break out into a sweat if I am the only adult at home, and therefore must attempt to kill the creatures myself.

Ugh. They crunch when you hit them with a rolled up newspaper; or a broom (I can't get too close, they might touch me).

We're having a pretty good wind here tonight and it caught the screen door and was swinging it wildly around. I raced down the stairs to shut it before the sound woke my sleeping angels (whom I don't want to have to see until morning). I grabbed the door and pulled it shut only to see about 6 moths hanging onto the window. They were smiling demonic smiles at me. I'm sure of it. Sleeping kids be darned, I slammed that door and raced back up the stairs. Hey, I didn't scream though; that's pretty amazing for me. Just ask my Mr. if you don't believe me. Or any member of my family. It's really quite pathetic to witness. The snow hasn't even all melted yet. Gross, gross, gross.

Toys x 2

I've been wanting to get the boys Doodle Boards for quite awhile, but at $30 a pop x 2... I wasn't sure if they wouold like them or if it would once again be money wasted. Just by chance I actually looked at the Toys R Us website last week, and wouldn't you know, they had them on sale for 10 bucks! Now that's my kind of deal. Were the doodle boards a hit? We're on day 3 and they are still playing with them! Amazing! the only things in the past that have held their attention for so long are dollar store toys and cardboard boxes. Two identical Doodle Boards means less fighting. Aren't they cute...

On another note, those of you with twins or kids really close in age, how do you handle the toy buying/sharing issue? I've pretty much been buying two of most things that are exactly identical. This cuts down on all of the squabbling over whose toy it is. That said, we still have plently "single" toys in the house that the boys LOVE to fight over and occassionally manage to work out some way of sharing.

What do you do?





Cupcakes Help Save the Day

A couple of weeks ago, on my blogging hiatus, Alek's school had a fun night to help and raise money for the new playground. When I heard there was going to be a bake sale table... my imagination went into overload! It's nice to have a creative project with a deadline; this ensures that I will actually make the time for some fun in the kitchen. I ended up making 7 doz cupcakes and 12 bags of carmel corn. The popcorn was a last minute addition, mostly beacuse I had the ingredients on hand and time to kill between batches of cupcakes. I'm pretty happy with the way that the cupcakes turned out, and they were a huge hit, even at $2 a cupcake.





Bubblicious












 
Triple
Chocolate
Death












Orange You Glad
      It's Spring










Up & Away











Mint Explosion










Under the
 Rainbow






Original
   Oreo







Caramel
  Corn

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Mikah Swears

Mikah is just like the parrot that has an unbelievable vocabulary of inappropriate words that are expressed loudly at inappropriate times. Honestly, this kids vocabulary would make a trucker proud. Alek really never swore so this is a new one for us to deal with. And, as the parent who is most guilty of helping him increase his vocabulary, I get the job of trying to explain why he can't use bad words. As you can imagine, reasoning with a know-it-all 3 year old never goes over very successfully. For instance, and please try not to judge me too harshly, in the yard today Mikah and Lukas were fighting over who got to sit in the car when I heard this come out of my darling's mouth, "get off you stupid asshole." I reprimanded him right away and he looked up at me with his deep blue eyes and said, "it's ok Mommy, I was only talking to Lukas, not you." Somehow he is smart enough to grasp the concept that certain language can be appropriate within your own peer set, but how to convince him that "asshole" is not the type of word one would use when your peers are 3 years old???

Yes, my own love of "bad" words is coming back to haunt me. In spades.

Overheard From the Back of the Van

Here's another soon-to-be-classic...

Today while Lev and Alek were out-and-about all was quiet in the car. When the car is quiet you know that Alek is in deep reflection about something. Sure enough after about 15 minutes of silence Lev hears this come from the backseat

"Dad, why don't you ever tell the Government about my ideas?"

Our dear son considers himself an inventor extraordinaire, as well as a military strategist who would love nothing more than to share his wisdom with the people in high places. I have no doubt that he is going to accomplish amazing things in his life, but I pity the people who unexpectedly experience his 9 year old onslaught of "knowledge." His ideas of how things work (or should work) is such a mishmash of arcane facts and fantastical imaginings, yet he is so sure of himself that at times you actually doubt what you know to be true.

Hmm, on second thought, maybe we should try to find him a direct line to the Prime Minister - it might not hurt!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

I just spent an evening belly down on the couch watching Motherhood. I had no idea what it was about, besides the fact that Uma Thurman was in it. Once her character started Blogging, I was hooked. Blogging about motherhood and life no less! Would she be honest or would she be one of the closet-drinker-mom's, as I refer to them. You know, the ones who are all rainbows, cotton candy and perfectly accessorized lives. How can that level of perfection actually exist??? But... I digress; another post for another day.

My Mr. and I watched it together; ok, he watched with one eye on the screen and another buried in a book, but as he did offer up the occasional comment or question I am choosing to believe that he was way more attuned to the movie than the book. One thing that really struck him was how women respond to other women out in public. Yes, we really can be nasty, unsupportive bitches to one another. Why is it so hard to offer support one aspiring super-mom to another? Would it kill us? I choose to believe that it would make us stronger, individually and as a group. Imagine getting home after a day of errands with kids in tow with your head held high and a smile on your face because another mom offered a verbal commendation to you instead of a snide aside. Wow, wouldn't that be amazing? Everyone would be in a happier mood. You might even be happy to see your other half walk in the door after work instead of resenting the fact that he does not have to deal with this BS on a daily basis. I know that such an event would help me appreciate the gifts that I have in my life instead feeling constantly pressured and stressed that I am failing my job evaluations as mommy, wife, homemaker and employee.

Motherhood, left me feeling both validated and yearning for my moment of clarity.

Oh, and the soundtrack is killer.

This aspiring super-mom recommends that you watch it.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Tough Guys

I've been super busy lately and without much sleep or time, it has been hard to get on here and post anything coherent. Please be gentle as I attempt to climb back on the horse.

Hmm, maybe a funny story is the way to ease myself back into the saddle; good thing there is no shortage of those around here.

Alek's best-bud Steven was over awhile ago and they set themselves up on the couch in front of the Wii playing some military game that they love. You know, the kind with lots of shooting and bravado. It was Alek's turn at the controller and the conversation went like this:

     Steven: Why did he just call you Bulldog? You're guy's name
                 isn't Bulldog.
     Alek (in full out lecturer mode): Well, he called me Bulldog
                 because my guy is a Commando. Commando's are tough
                 and so they need tough guy nicknames. You know, like
                 Bulldog, or Sarge, or Ice Cream.
     Steven: Oh.

A classic Alek and Steven conversation. Those boys just make me laugh and laugh.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Dearest Readers

Thank you for not abandoning me; even if it appears that I have abandoned you. I'll be back shortly with hilarity, stories, recipes, pictures, ideas and crafts. Be patient with me please...

                                          xoxo ~ Barb





Friday, February 19, 2010

Dora, Dora, Dora

Ok, Mikah is obsessed with Dora the Explorer right now. So obsessed that I have this song running constanty through my head this week.



Could it be that I am a grumpy old Troll who wishes she had a bridge to hide under lately?

Is it in your head now too???

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Ground Beef... Blah.

After the baking this afternoon, followed by lots of cuddling of Lukas, it was almost supper time. Gah!!! Where did the time go? What was I going to make for supper considering that I hadn't taken anything out of the freezer. Ground beef was going to save the day, but the thought made me kind of sick. I really don't like ground beef and needed to do something other than spaghetti sauce, meatballs or hamburgers. Hmm, what else did I have? Rice and cauliflower. I just might be able to do something with this.

Curried Cauliflower Casserole
2 cups cooked rice
1 lb. ground beef
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp corriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 med. diced onion
1 small head cauliflower
1/2 pt. sour cream
Salt & pepper to taste

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook rice so that you have 2 cups of cooked rice.
- Saute beef and onion . Salt and pepper lightly. Add curry powder, corriander and turmeric.
- Steam cauliflower until tender, but not over cooked.
- Take a casserole dich and mix beef, rice and cauliflower. Layer sour cream over top.
-Bake for 25 minutes.

~I think it would be even better if topped with plain yogurt instead of sour cream but it was still pretty darn good. Alek didn't even complain about the cauliflower, and they all loved the spice.~

Barb's Boy's Banana Bread

We're in the middle of our February Break here, which means that 3 boys and I are rambling around the house. Well, we should be if the littlest boy wasn't very very sick. Since Friday the house has been filled with horrible smells, crying, wimpering and bad behaviour from the older two from being cooped up and not having enough parental attention.

Today would be the end of all that, I decided! Enough is enough. But how to turn our blues around??? Baking, of course! We were in need of some serious comfort food baking and what comforts better than banana bread? So, we came up with this recipe, which is fantastic if I do say so myself. The only thing that would have made it better would be if I actually had the chopped walnuts that I was imagining were in the freezer. Oh well, I'll eat it any way. This recipe makes a lot, but you will be wanting a lot. Enjoy!

Barb's Boy's Banana Bread
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2  cups white sugar
2 eggs
4 or 5 ripe bananas
4 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts

- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix the butter and white sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and mix until well blended. Mix in the banana's. Pour in the flour, baking soda, salt. Stir to incorporate it into the wet mixture. Add in the sour cream and brown sugar; mix until well blended. Stir in the walnuts.
- Pour mixture into 2 or 3 well greased loaf pans (depending on their size). Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes depending on your oven.

Try to contain yourself until the banana bread cools enough so that you can eat it without burning your mouth. Oh, and make sure that you slather your piece with butter before you eat it.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Celebrate The Boy!

I love crafty projects. When I have the time (and my sewing room is clean), I could spend hours whipping up some wonderful things for my kids. The only problem, aside from my room never being clean and never having enough time, I have 3 boys. It's hard to find and think of wonderful projects to do for them. I try, really I do but I think I've made more things for my 2 neices lately than for my boys. Sad but true.

Then, after blog-hopping late last night, TA-DA, I discovered that Dana over at MADE has dedicated the whole month of February to projects for boys. Yay! Click on the button on the side and you will be able to see all the wonderful projects for yourself. The projects are boy-worthy and the tutorials are fantastic.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

New Canadian Indy Music

If you know me, you'll know just how much I lurve the Canadian Indy music scene. I've been sadly neglecting my musical needs lately, so here are my new favorite tracks. Check out my playlist; pay special attention to The New Lightweights, Hawksley Workman, and Kathleen Edwards.

http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/playlists/playlist.aspx

Who do you love???

Work Inappropriateness

I'm pretty sure that someone at work has a crush on me.

Does, "I was just going to turn you on," sound appropriate for the work place?

I think not.

I'm feeling harrassed.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

DIY Sweater Boots

O.M.G! Look at what I just found! Urban Threads has the most amazing and in-depth tutorial for making your own sweater boots out of recycled materials. I have been wanting a pair of these, but haven't been able to part with the cash to actually buy some. This sounds better, and we all know how much I lurrve a DIY project. Grab the tutorial for yourself here. I'm thinking vintage buttons instead of embroidery though...


p.s.   Heather be prepared for this project when you come to visit this weekend :)

Monday, February 1, 2010

Vehicular Woes

The past few weeks have not been great for our poor vehicles. Let's see...
  • first the car was involved in a middle of the night hit and run where the front end was smashed in. We figure it must have happened while the kids were up, because who could hear anything outside over their racket;
  • then about a week later, the van was broken into and someone made off with my purse that I had stupidly forgotten stashed between the seats. Thank god for the wonderful lady down the street who not only found my purse in the morning, but also scoured the street and picked up all my id and miscellaneous purse contents. She saved me the biggest hassel trying to get all of that replaced! Honestly, I had no idea that such wonderful people still existed out there.
  • and then today, the Mr and Alek were involved in an accident where no one was hurt, thank god, but our car did not survive. Now begins the arduous and stressful task of dealing with the insurance and all the other junk. I'm really not sure how we are going to manage with only 1 vehicle.
Ok, do those count as things-that-happen-in-3's? Please say yes. We could really use a good break right about now.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Overheard While Tobogganing

I took Alek, two of his friends and Mikah sledding today. While we were standing around waiting for the two boys to get down the hill I guess Mikah found a cigarette butt on the ground that he really wanted.

          Girl:   Barb, I told him not to touch it because it is gross
                     and he could die.
          Me:    That's right, smoking is disgusting.
          Girl:   It is! That's why I'm never going to smoke.
                    I'm just going to drink.

Oh, kids! They are so hilarious without even trying.


Friday, January 29, 2010

Missing

Missing: 1 camera. Last seen: Christmas 2009.

If you have seen said camera, please tell it to come home.
It is missing valuable photo opportunities.

This Weekend In Saskatoon

Please pray for me dear readers.
Pray that Alek stays away from the radio this weekend.
Pray that no one tells him
that the RV show is happening.
If he hears, 
I will have to take him.
If I have to take him,
I will never hear the end of it.
Seriously.
I'll never hear the end of it.
Remember the Haggis incident?
Please pray for me.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Fighting the Call of the Carbs

It's almost 10:00 and the carbs are calling my name. They are SO LOUD! I've been doing a good job of avoiding the olive bread and olive oil/balsamic vinegar that my body is sure that it needs. It really wants it BAD, so I've been avoiding the kitchen and surfing instead.

Then I found this. The Pioneer Woman is amazing, but I think that she has just doomed me. Twice. I'm pretty sure that the olive bread is going to win, and I just know that supper tomorrow night is going to center around these Crash Hot Potatoes. How have I never thought of this???

Can anyone look at this picture and not want this; desperately want this???




Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I'm in Need ...

of some inspiration and introspection. Hence, K.D. Lang.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Quick Lentil Salad

This salad is super quick, thanks to canned lentils, and really yummy! It's quick, healthy and tasty; you won't be disappointed.

Quick Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large can of lentils; rinsed and drained
- half of an english cucumber; cut into small cubes
- 2 or 3 roma tomatoes; cubed
- 1/2 cup of sliced black olives; or to your taste
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil
- lemon juice
-salt and pepper
- greek spice (optional)
(you could add cubed red pepper and red onion if you wish)

Directions
- Add all ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with approx. 1 tbsp of olive oil and 2 Tbsp lemon juice. Season with salt, pepper and greek spice.
-This salad can be eaten right away or it will keep in the refrigerator for several days.


I made a bowl of this a few weeks ago and took it to work where it fed me for several days worth of lunch. I made another one tonight and Mikah LURVED it! Try it, you'll thank me!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Overheard From the Back of the Van

Mikah: (laughing hysterically)  Something just came out of my
                                             bum...    It was a fart

Hysterical laughter follows from all 3 boys.



My life is seriously awesome.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Overheard From the Back of the Van

Alek and his friend Steven ambushed me when I picked Alek up from school today. Steven was coming to play and it was already Ok with his dad. Alrighty then boys, hop in the van.

As we were driving to pick up the other two from the babysitters, I could hear bits and pieces from the conversation that was happening in the backseat. It started as a fun discussion about comic clubs and video game clubs at school that was escalating into indignant 9 year-old voice tones. Of course, my child was getting carried away with himself and his version of reality. Steven was accusing him of lying and Alek was saying that he wasn't.

Steven: You're lying! There isn't a Star Wars club!
Alek: No I'm not!
Steven: Well, I don't believe you cause you're lying!
Alek (says with exasperation in his voice): Well, I'm not lying. Did Columbus lie about finding America? Is the great Wall of China a lie? Is the war in Afganistan a lie? Those aren't lies and I'm not lying about the Star Wars club either!

Who is this child of mine and how is he related to me??? I'm lucky that those things register on my radar even now let alone when I was 9 years old. Of course, the whole conversation was ridiculous and, of course, he was lying.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Lhasa de Sela



Lhasa de Sela
September 27, 1972 – January 1, 2010
Soar, and cover us with your melody.

First Book

Ok, Twilight is done. I finished it last night and thought it was good, but I wonder what I would have thought if I hadn't seen the movie first??? Honestly, I was more riveted by the movie than the book, but we'll see if that changes as I move on to the next few.

For some reason the story seems to take a lot out of me. I've been unable to start the second book for some reason tonight. The story has made me too nostalgic; thinking about simpler times without diapers, and dishes, and bills LOL! On that note, here's a blast from my 18 year old past...