Monthly Archive for January, 2007

A Favorite Childhood Book

Dragon
While agents were showing our house the other night, we went over to the local library. I came across this book that I remember having as a child. I borrowed a copy (for Liam of course!) and have read it and re-read it, enjoying it just as much as I did years ago.
I won’t write up a book review on it, but I do think it is a really cute little story with an important message! Basically, the dragon in the story grows bigger and bigger until finally he is noticed.
In a simplistic way, it reminds me of words of wisdom that I have heard and learned from some of the women in my life. Often, life presents situations that you *need* to see or hear, even if you are not willing to be open to them. At first, they are nudges, and then, they become stronger. If you are not open to them, sometimes you are eventually “broad-sided.”
And while there have been no recent dragon sightings in our home, I am trying to listen to the nudges in my life, opening myself to possibilities and trying to see situations as having many possible positive outcomes despite much uncertainty. I never have been good at having faith that things will work our for the best, but I am learning to trust that this is indeed true.

Just Gimme the Vicks and No One Gets Hurt!

Tropical

We’re all a little under the weather with the flu just now. It has been quite a while since my last bad cold, and I had forgotten how utterly grouchy they can make you, not to mention how grouchy they can make kids!

Coupled with a teething baby and various other life stresses of late, including cleaning like mad as we try to sell our home, I am really wishing for a break. Somewhere hot would be nice…ah, if only!

Exer-Saucin’

Exer-Saucin'

I’m a loser too!

Yes, it’s true. I am a loser. In a really good way though!

Since shortly after Christmas I have begun really working at the weight loss, and so far, I have lost 8 pounds! I am pretty proud of myself as I am doing the “solo weight-watchers” method. In other words, I am too cheap to pay the start up fees and weekly costs, and I am following the WW program indepentently. I have made rather small modifications to my eating habits and am finding even these minor changes are very effective. I am eating way more green stuff (veggies), not as much white stuff (bread, rice, sugar) drinking tons of water, not eating in the evening, and just being more cautious. While the weather was good, we were also getting outside a lot for walks.

I will admit, that there have been a few “treats” especially McDonalds hamburgers consumed in the past few weeks however. Yes, you are reading this right. I suppose it must be something to do with nursing and something nutritionally, perhaps iron that I am missing in my diet, as I have not eaten red meat in ten years. I ate it a few times while pregnant, and am now a regular once again, at times, craving it like there’s no tomorrow. Stuart is worried that before long, I’ll be chasing down the deer out back of our house! :-D

I guess the most important thing I have learned in the past while “dieting” is that you have to remember to have treats so as not to feel deprived. I still frequent Tim Hortons, but now, instead of having a whole donut, I just have a Tim Bit or two.

Anyhow, since it is that time of the year of newly made resolutions and all, I thought I would just broaden mine to simply living better, and taking care of me, so that I can keep up with my kids’ demands. This encompasses a whole list of ways I can be better to myself, but for the moment, my focus is on my overall health.

8 pounds less, and already, I am feeling great! I still have about 25 to go, and I know that I can and will do it!

Bubble and Squeak Recipe

I recently tried my own version of this traditional British dish, after laying awake one night wondering what it is and how it is made (no I am not kidding, and I guess I must have been hungry at the time!)

I looked up several versions of it on-line, and finally settled on my own rendition. Again, this is a really simple recipe, and takes no time at all to make. It was also pretty good, although Liam wouldn’t touch it. Big Surprise there!

Bubble and Squeak

1 Package Ground Meat (I used cooked ground turkey)

1 Onion (chopped)

Leftover Boiled Potatoes (cubed)

Leftover Boiled Cabbage (sliced)

Combine meat and onion in a frying pan over medium heat to brown meat and cook onion. Once cooked through, add in potatoes and cabbage. Slightly brown the potatoes (like you would home fries) and cook until thoroughly heated.

That’s it! Easy as anything!

 

Happy Birthday Dear Blog

Happy Birthday

Wow - One year old tomorrow. I’m so proud!

It seems that I just started my blogging journey, and here we are a year later, and so much has changed…yet, stayed exactly the same.

I am the Mom of two beautiful children, and when I began my blog, had only one. Liam and Gwyneth are the joy and inspiration in every day of my life. I cannot imagine my life without them, or what on earth I ever did with so much free time before motherhood!

My husband and I have recently embarked on a whole new way of parenting as he began his Paternity Leave in December. So far, it has taken a bit of getting used to, but is very enjoyable for all of us! I am thrilled to have him home with us until May!

We are hoping to move this summer, and find a home in a neighbourhood less populated by students and more suited to our family’s quiet nature. We have recently realised that the home we purchased three years ago no longer suits our growing family, and so we have begun to search for something else. I’m sure moving with two small children will provide plenty of writing material!

Who knows what the next year will bring. One thing however is for certain. I will continue to update my blog with the current goings-on of our daily lives, offer more yummy recipes, and am hoping to get myself a new camera that I have had my eye on, and continue taking photos.

Here is to another year full of what life has to offer!

For Kiki

For our little friend Kiki, who died on Tuesday. She was “just a bird” but she was our pet, and will be sadly missed in our home.

Your little body was too hurt, and you were too weak to tend,
And so your short but happy life has come to it’s quiet end.

There’s an empty space upon the shelf where your cage used to sit,
I try to place a treasure there, but nothing seems to fit.

I listen to the silence and I wait to hear your call,
But the quiet that I hear must be the worst sound of them all.

I need this hurt I feel to leave, but don’t know where to start,
Just promise that forever you will stay within my heart.

If you know someone with children who is experiencing pet loss, this web-site might help.

Weather Worries…

Although most of us have been enjoying the unseasonably warm weather of late, we all know deep down that this sort of unusual weather is a trend that we are seeing more and more of, and frankly, should be very concerned about.

I remember back in the nineties, there was a huge trend of “eco-friendly” everything. Role models such as David Suzuki told us that our planet was in big trouble, and many of us actually listened. As a rather rebellious teen-ager, I took it upon myself to do as many earth-friendly things as I could back then. I joined “Peaceful and Ecological Minds” our high school environmentalists group where I got informed and began taking action by educating others. I became a vegetarian, a lifestyle change that I maintained for many years. I became very aware of animal testing for consumer products, and boycotted as many of these products as I possibly could. I made homemade household cleaners, my own soap, and made sure all laundry in our home was hung to dry. I even researched what I could about water usage reduction, and I took short showers, never ever let faucets run unnecessarily, and installed a water-saver in our toilet! Wow - so much change for a young person.

I am embarassed to say however, that I have dropped almost all of these changes from my home as an adult. I don’t think it is anything more than the simple fact that I “forgot” to maintain them. Perhaps we all need a refersher course in the small changes we can make to make big differences globally?

When I logged onto Yahoo this morning, I noticed the “Yahoo Answers” forum, and decided to check it out (seeing as I had the time because my children and husband were all still asleep)

I wanted to share some of the advice given to the question “What do you think it will take to reverse the effects of global climate change?”

If you have a few minutes, click here for some good advice on this topic. I didn’t realise that some of the things we already do in this household could have such an important affect on our earth. I feel inspired to do more again. I know we can do it, and it isn’t really all that hard. It really comes down to reversing some of the bad habits we have slipped back into, and re-learning how to do things in an earth-friendly way.

Fellow blogger Katherine Seibert also has many useful tips and articles about Environmentally friendly alternatives and Globally sensitive issues on her blog at Edeva. Check it out! She recently informed me of a company called Norwex, who produce earth friendly alternative products. Let’s all try as hard as we can for some positive change! We owe it to ourselves and to our children to be respnsible Stewards of our planet.

Siblings

Hanging Out