new year

At the beginning of every new year I tend to make a few resolutions.
But this year I've got nothing.
Okay maybe not nothing, but it's just that I feel like I've been making resolutions all year long.
Each week I tend to give myself these mini pep-talks.
Like for example:

Stay healthy- and exercise, eat well and get enough sleep- check.
well that is when I'm not struck down with some unfortunate plague.

Read more watch less television- check.

Be organized and manage my time better- check.

Cultivate and form good solid friendships-check.

Find some babysitters so that Big daddy & I can have more time either alone or together.
Chhh...oh right no check- darn.
Still working on that one.
Who knew it would be so hard to get a sitter during the holidays?

Try to be a better parent- more patient and calm in frustrating situations.
Okay really need to work on this one- big time, especially after the holidays.
See above re: desperate need of a babysitter for some occasional alone time.

Try to embrace more that the city has to offer in the way of arts & entertainment for families- check.

Seize the day and make to most of it- rain or shine- or even when it's 30 below and your eyeballs freeze the second you step out the door.
Try to spend more time outside- even if it's just going for a walk around the neighbourhood after Lulu has gone to bed.
There's something very restorative about walking aimlessly in the dark to clear your head at the end of the day.

Be more Positive- look at the glass as half full and give people the benefit of the doubt- check.
or at least I'd like to think I do most of the time, but there's always room for improvement in this department.

Finally- Be more grateful.
It's so easy to take all the amazing things in my life for granted- so I need to constantly remind myself how good I've got it.
Life is very very good.

So in a nut shell, I just want to continue trying to be a better person, wife and mother and I'm hoping that this decade is as exciting and fortunate as the past 10 years have been for me.

Wishing you much health and happiness in 2010!

T'was the night before christmas

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there

Anyone else have little inquiring minds asking what Santa does if the fire has been burning all night and the chimney is hot enough to cause first degree burns?

Or what if the house doesn't have a chimney?

Or what if the kids live in an apartment with a doorman?

Or does Santa know the code for our security alarm?

and does Rudolf have GPS in his nose?

and why aren't there any girl reindeer's? that's not fair.
(I say Vixen to that one)

But she has no eyelashes- and all girl reindeer have long eyelashes mama......

It's gonna be a long day.

squeek

Not a creature was stirring.
not even a mouse......

played like a fiddle

I made a promise to myself that I would do my best to refrain from blogging about being sick all the time.
Last year (and the year before) I feel like that was all I ever wrote about.
Damn germ filled school system...
For the most part I have kept things to myself this year.
But truth be told- the sickies have been making their rounds here at casa petitegourmand since well...the second week of September.
Since then it has been a rotation of one thing or another.
flus, colds, strep throat, bronchitis.....and that's just me I'm talking about!
And I always thought I was so healthy.
What a joke.
We were almost NEVER sick before Lulu started school.
That being said-I am still so grateful that we all have a week off from being sick while we were away in November.
Very Grateful.
I think I would have had a breakdown if that hadn't been the case.
But since we have been back, things haven't been so rosy.
Big daddy had the flu on my birthday 2 weeks ago for the third year in a row- yay!
Lulu has missed three different birthday parties, a Hanukkah party and same goes for me.
Not too into going out these past few weeks due to a very nasty cough that won't go away.
I feel okay- minus the headaches caused from coughing my brains out- but I guess all this phlegm is starting to take an emotional toll on me.
To top things off, Lulu woke up last night complaining of ear pain.
grrreat- here we go again....
she's just getting over 2 weeks worth of feeling terrible and now something new?
I gave her some Motrin and she slept through the night. Fortunately for both of us.
But she woke this morning- super glum.
No temperature- but not herself.
She said- and I quote- "I'm just feeling sad because the sun isn't shining and I feel like staying in bed all day"
I thought these excuses not to go to school weren't supposed to start until at least the 4th grade?!
She also cried her eyes out when big daddy left for work- also not normal behavior.
So I really didn't know what I should do.
Let her stay home and get some rest in case she really isn't 100% better.
Or make her go to school and hopefully being there would bring her out of her Monday morning funk.
There were plenty of tears while I was trying to assess the situation and make a decision-and that's just me I'm talking about...kidding...sort of....
so in the end- Lulu managed to squeeze another home day out of me.
Funny enough-she made a miraculous recovery as soon as I hung up the phone to her school.
sigh....
So how do you really know when your child is really sick, or maybe just feeling melancholy or even just plain tired?
and how do you react?
Oh and am I the only one catching every single virus out there?
It seems like I'm the only mom I know who is chronically ill- or am I imagining this?

don't judge a book by it's cover

Well these may not look like much.
A bit of a plain Jane looking cookie on the outside.
But it's what's on the inside that counts right?
Trust me- these babies are worth buying the cookbook for the recipe alone.
Chunky White chocolate Cranberry cookies.
yum.
Though- to be completely honest- mine for some reason are not even close to being as good as the author's version.
Maybe they used Ghirardelli White Chocolate instead of President's choice?
Either way they are still fantastic.
I was a lucky taster during the shooting of the book.
Two very talented sisters (and friends) wrote this fantastic cook book and I think it's a real winner.
I was drooling over all the delicious recipes last night, putting post-its on page after page.
Oh and the photography isn't too shabby either ;
If you are looking for a great holiday gift- this book won't disappoint.
oh and even Heather agrees- it's a Heather's pick.
She always seems to get it right.

post-mortem

We are back from California.
I'd have to say that all in all it was a fun trip.
We went to Palm Springs for Big daddy's brother's second wedding.



It was a bit of a long haul.
A 4-5 hour flight then 3 hour drive-but it was worth it in the end.
So glad they decided to have the wedding in Palm Springs.


Lulu was a champ and didn't fuss in the least.
We stayed here and were fairly impressed.
Very funky decor and lots of inspiring little details.


Very pretty grounds with nice views and 2 different outdoor swimming pools.







That being said- in my experience with Boutique hotels- it's often style over substance.
and for the prices we paid there were plenty of details that were over looked.
Mostly the fact that it was so child un-friendly.
I know I know, not every hotel wants kids- but business is business.
Anyhow we tried to make the most of it.
But after spending $18 on a hotdog by the pool for Lulu the first day we wised up and decided to leave the hotel for the rest of our meals.
Especially breakfast.
I mean $23 for oatmeal!! for a 4 year old!
and it wasn't even very good.
so needless to say Starbucks was our best friend all week.

does that look like it is worth $18. U.S.?
I think not. oh and the the fries were cold.
Shoulda gone to Jack in the Box.
But fortunately I found this place.



Aside from the crazy portion sizes it was the perfect breakfast and lunch spot.
I think I scored a few points with my inlaws since they had things like chopped liver, kishka and matzo ball soup on the menu.
Speaking of my in-laws..
One of the highlights of the trip was the fact that we got there a few days before the rest of the family and wedding party arrived so that we could spend some quality time with Big daddy's parents whom we don't see very often.
It was so nice to spend time alone with them.



It's taken me almost 13 years, but I must say that I really hit it off with my M.I.L.
I think sometimes certain relationships take a while, and now I can totally relate to the need to protect your "baby".
Big daddy being the youngest of 4 boys and her "baby".
So now I get it.
And funny enough I discovered that she & I are more similar that I had originally thought.
Who knew?
But most importantly, Lulu got a chance to really bond with them and that alone was worth the almost 12 hour journey.

The wedding itself....well what can I say?
Big daddy's brother "p-diddy" seems really happy, and that's what really matters.
we are really happy for him, and it's nice to finally have a sister-in-law that I have a few things in common with.



Lulu was absolutley adorable as a flower girl.
Such a shame that I have no photos of her in focus.



We managed to sneak away from all the wedding hoopla for a drive to Joshua Tree.
So glad that we did.
Very breathtaking.



Bonus that our rental car had satellite radio and we were chilling out to some sort of restorative yoga trance music.
Just what our souls needed.



Mind you we could have done without the constant chatter in the back seat wondering "how much fuuuuuurrrther????"
That was a tad annoying.
Okay very annoying.
But I have to cut the kid a bit of slack seeing as the week was so packed with stuff.
She was pretty great considering..
oh and the 4:30 a.m. wake-ups kind of sucked too- damn three hour time difference.
Just when we got used to it, it was time to come home.
Ah well it was all worth it.
One of the best parts of the trip for me was that for the first time ever-I really felt like a part of Big daddy's family.
Like I mentioned, sometimes relationships take time to develop.
I'm also very happy that Lulu has so many loving people in her life and family.
She's one lucky girl.
But most of all, lucky to be home.
Because as nice as it is to go away, it's always good to be back.

california dreamin'

We've been in Palm Springs all week and having a great time.
Lots of family, sun & fun.
Oh and a few wedding vows as well.
Lulu was the flower girl and can I just say how absolutely adorable she was.
My heart melted hen she walked down the aisle last night.
There's plenty more to write about- but I have to shower and get the very thick coating of hairspray out of my hair before the good-bye brunch this morning.
I had my hair and make-up done by the fabulous Jose- it looked cute- but holy flammable.
I avoided all the candles for fear that my head might explode.
The morning after.....


Anyhow very to happy to report that we are really enjoying ourselves and have all managed to stay healthy and happy for an entire week. yay!

germ killer

I wish I had invented hand sanitizer- the stuff is every where these days.
I used to joke that I needed a holster to carry my bottle around everywhere with me-and this was a few years ago, pre swine flu paranoia.
Now I'm sure they exist somewhere- or I'm sure someone somewhere is in full-on marketing mode coming up with one as I write this.
I can just picture it- designer hand sanitizer holders from Louis Vuitton.
Just today I noticed clip on personalized hand sanitizers for kid's backpacks the while at a toy store.
I bought ten.
Kidding.
And pretty much every grocery store in the city has large bins of the stuff at the end of each aisle and wipes for the grocery cart handles- not to mention one at every cash register in the city.
Finally!
Our school now has them at all activity tables and in the washrooms.
The last few times we were at friend's houses there were bottles to use at the front door.
A little extreme yes- but I think a good idea considering that there were new born babies and pregnant women in these particular houses.
But what next, miniature Christmas ornaments filled with mini hand sanitizer?
hey not a bad idea......
remember folks you read it here first.
anyhow I'm glad that people are finally getting proactive about the spread of germs- it's about time really.
Me being the germ-a-phobe that I am and always have been, no longer feels like a freak of nature.
In fact I'm kind of feeling a little bit like one of the cool kids at the moment.
I'm actually trying my best not to stand in the middle of a crowded mall food court and yell "I Told You So People!!"
Only I have been completely avoiding crowed places - a la Howie Mandel.
What can I say? the guy is a pioneer.
My mom takes things one step further and almost never leaves the house without gloves- even on mild days.
the apple doesn't fall to far from the tree in this constant quest for cleanliness department.
Not a bad idea really- I wonder if in the 50ies people got sick less whilst wearing all those cute white gloves and pill box hats?
And would I look ridiculous in a pill box hat?
definitely- but a fun thought.
I say bring back the cocktail glove- even at the park- no make that ESPECIALLY at the park.

In addition to the mass use of hand sanitizer and improved hygiene habits, I'm also feeling a bit more relieved now that Lulu got her H1N1 shot a couple of days ago.
No line ups- super easy, super fast and no tears at her doctor's office.
AND she got her usual lollipop and sticker before leaving.
Doubt they had that at all the flu shot clinics around the city...
I'm so glad we didn't wait in a line for eight hours like some people we know.
sheesh.
Poor things.
Still waiting for ours though- and not sure when that will be.
But I'm so relieved that the most important little person in our lives is protected at the moment.
Though having said that-I have to share a mini horror story from this morning.

Upon returning from piano lessons this morning- the phone rang- so I didn't get a chance to immediately escort Lulu to the kitchen sick to wash her hands- like I ALWAYS do- the SECOND we get in the door- usually with coat still on.
So I'm chatting on the phone and Lulu sits across from me and starts licking every single finger.
Oh.My. Gawd.
How many kids does her piano teacher teach and how many tiny germy fingers have touched that particular piano?
and has he EVER cleaned his piano keys.
Not bloody likely.
I have no idea why Lulu decided to do this-aside from maybe trying to give me a stroke.
The kid knows which buttons to push with me I tell you.
Oh and the other day while cleaning the bathroom- my favourite thing in the world to do btw- she lifts up the lid of the toilet and wipes the porcelain with her finger and says "mommy looks like daddy got pee on the potty again"
ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
no make that double AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
never mind hand sanitizer- maybe I should keep a bottle of bleach next to the sink.
nuts.

teaching the teacher

There are days when I need to remind myself just how lucky I am.
I need to stop feeling so blah and look at the positive things in my life- and there are plenty.
I just got back from my first parent- teacher meeting and can I just say how lucky Lulu is to have such a great teacher and to go to such a fantastic school?
I feel like we won the teacher lottery.
She gave Lulu glowing reviews and I felt so proud...and quite relieved.
Who really knows how your kid acts when they are at school vs. under your watchful eye?
I'm so glad she is thriving and enjoying all the challenges that school has to offer.

I am also feeling pretty grateful about her very entertaining piano teacher.
She had such a fun lesson this morning that it had me wishing I was four again and taking music lessons.
I was so proud watching her play her first full song today on the piano.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart- no less.
Okay sure it was twinkle twinkle little star but still.
and who knew that Mozart wrote that when he was 4 years old?
humph...you learn something new every day.

So all this worrying about Lulu and her happiness is something I can put on the back burner for today- because she (&I) are so fortunate to have some really amazing people in her life.

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. ~Eric Hoffer

bat mobile lost it's wheel

seriously do I really need another mini Kit-Kat bar?
yes...yes I do...

Well another Halloween has come & gone.
Fun was had by all- but for some reason I have been feeling a little out of sorts these past few weeks.
I suppose being sick with the flu/strep throat for almost 4 weeks made me feel a bit off.
Lately things that don't normally bother me-have been.
I've been feeling extra vulnerable and very protective of Lulu these past few weeks-then again, who isn't these days re:H1N1?
Very freaky stuff- but that's another post.

But back to Halloween.
I was the class volunteer at Lulu's school for her Halloween parade-party on Friday.
And we were late. (I'm almost never late for anything)
Only by 5 minutes- but still-we ended up having a hard time finding her class amidst the crowded hallways filled with parents and flashes of cameras.
Damn rain.
Anyhow by the time we found her class (in the gym- which I had no idea where it was) she was more than a little terrified.
Poor thing.
I felt awful.
The party/craft experience was marginally better for her- but again- I think the whole day just started out on the wrong foot.
Like I said- I've been a bit off my game.
Me being me- has being feeling guilty ever since.
So I wanted to make it up to her on Halloween night.
We decorated the house, baked cookies (see above) and invited some friends over for the night for some trick or treating fun.

Blah blah blah...edited after a week of thinking about things.
decided not to post some negative thoughts and delete.
posting and P.M.S. is never a good idea.

Or maybe I'm just ultra sensitive and feeling extra protective of my girl.
Either way I just feel bad about the whole thing.

Blah Blah Blah

Anyhow all was not lost this weekend as we had a really fun time at a 4oth birthday party today (happy birthday dan) and Lulu had a blast with all the kids at the party.
No drama- no tears.
And that's just me I'm talking about ;