Little Big Daddy

We went to the TIFF on Saturday and they happen to have free activites for families on the weekend.
And who doesn't love FREE activities on a rainy day?
We had fun making clay figures and then got to learn all about claymation.
I think I had more fun than Lulu.
I made a mini version of big daddy.
She made a princess a butterfly and a bird in a nest.



Big daddy made a witch.
At least that's what he was calling it.


It had better not have been a model of me....



It was super fun making the stop motion videos.
I would love to do this at home.
I can't wait to see the mini episodes in a few weeks.



So if you are looking for something fun to do check out Tiff.

To celebrate the wild world of Tim Burton, TIFF Bell Lightbox presents a season of weekend fun for families.
Free Drop-In Activities
Every Saturday and Sunday until April 3, 2011 (excluding February 20, 21)
Ages 8+

From 11:30 am to 3:30 pm, parents and children can drop by the RBC Learning Studios on the 3rd floor to participate in the following free activities:

Crafty Characters*
Create your own Burton-inspired creatures from our bins of quirky parts, pieces and craft supplies.
Animation Station
Take a favourite toy or a creature of your own design and bring it to life through the magic of stop-motion animation.
Be in the Scene*
Through the magic of green screen technology, immerse yourself in the stunning sets of Tim Burton’s films.

* These activities will also run every day the week of March 14-18.

california dreamin part deux

I can't believe another week has come & gone.
It's hard to imagine that this time last week we were in sunny California.

Our trip to L.A. was a lot of fun.
It was really nice to see family, and for the first time ever, it went absolutely smoothly staying with relatives.
No drama whatsoever.
Usually by the second or third day we are all ready to get home, but this time was an exception.
Not only were my brother-in-law and wife great hosts, they also happen to have a gorgeous home in the Hollywood hills.
So it was a real bonus being so close to all the action.
Action being the Oscars last week.
Holy hoopla.
And holy traffic.
I may never complain about Toronto traffic again.
But aside from the gridlock and seemingly endless time we spent in our rental car, we really enjoyed L.A.
We managed to do some hiking and got to hang out in some nice parks.
It was so nice to see green leaves and green grass again.
We also spent a day in Santa Monica and went to the pier and saw the ocean.
We didn't have any celebrity sightings but it was fun riding the ferris wheel and walking around all of the shops.
Speaking of, stopped here en route.
Definitely worth the stop.
Especially the almond croissant at Farmshop.
Yum.



We couldn't go to California without a day trip to Disney.



Though as much fun as Lulu had there, she couldn't wait to get home to Davey her "dog cousin."




And as much as she enjoyed a few of the rides when I asked her what her favourite part of the day was, her response was "the shuttle bus from the parking lot to the park, I thought that was really fun".
Go figure.
Could have just skipped the park and taken public transit for a thrill instead.
Clearly our next activity should be to ride the TTC for a day.

Oh and no trip to the states would be complete without a pit stop at American Girl.
Lulu was in H.E.A.V.E.N.
I have to admit, I kind of was too in an osmosis kind of way..
Big daddy not-so-much.

We also managed to do some fun things for Big daddy & I as well.
We went to a very hip neighbourhood- Silverlake- to check out a few stores I've been wanting to see.
Had delicious lunches and went to the farmers market which was great.
Big daddy & I also got to have a dinner date on our own which was a treat.
Too bad it wasn't two days later though, we might have spotted Christina Aguilera getting sloshed at the table beside us.
We went to Mozza- Mario Batali's L.A. restaurant and it was excellent.
Needless to say it was good people watching and more importantly our meal was delicious.
We also went for sushi one night and as we left had to walk through a sea of paparazzi waiting outside.
L.A. is one crazy town.
I'm just glad we didn't run into Charlie Sheen a.k.a. Mr. Train Wreck.
What a mess.

We really had a fantastic time, and the absolute highlight was getting to spend time with family.
I've never seen Lulu happier than when she is with her extended family.
It really was so nice to see.
And what a bonus that we have brothers that live in such fun cities.
Next stop San Francisco or maybe Taipei?....

LaLa Land

Went for a nice long hike yesterday.
stumbled upon this sign.

I could so live here if it wasn't for all those pesky paparazzi following us around everywhere..

off the charts

Why is getting rid of clothing that is too small for Lulu so emotionally difficult?
I'm not sure why, but I always feel a little sad when Lulu outgrows something.
At least it's getting a bit easier than it was when she was a baby.
It was always so hard to give away all those cute tiny clothes.
These past few weeks she's had a major growth spurt- leg cramps in the middle of the night and all.
Almost overnight all of her shoes no longer fit, her pants are all short and her tops are getting tight.
5T is officially too small for her and she's now wearing a size 13 shoe!
how did this happen so fast?
Good thing spring is right around the corner.

This song kind of sums up how I'm feeling about all this growing business.
If the song link didn't work- it's You & Me- Family Tree.
Frances England is Lulu's favourite singer.
We just love her music.
Hope you do too.

Love is in the air

Happy Valentine's day!

Parental Bliss

Last week on a scale from 1-10 my patience level in the parenting department was about a 4.
Not sure why, other than that maybe it's mid-winter and as much as I've been trying to stay active and be positive, everyday was (is) starting to feel like groundhog day.
Let's face it, as much as I try to candy coat the winter, for the most part it pretty much sucks.
I mean the daily battle with snow suits, wet mitts, not to mention wet floors at the front door which equals perpetually wet socks, wearing big clunky boots day in and day out- what's to like?
No amount of tobogganing or ice skating is gonna eliminate the winter frustrations.
I would much prefer it to be 25 degrees with no humidity and a gentle breeze blowing.
Wouldn't you?
But that's not life in Canada is it?
Well that, and I was coming down with a cold- which is always cause for extreme crankiness on my part.
I hate getting sick.
Wah wah.
Needless to say, last week I doubt I would have won The Mother Of The Year Award, or as big daddy likes to refer to me "a Moty"
The weekend was marginally better, and I'm hoping that the week continues to shape up,
Despite the snow that keeps on keepin' on.
Anyhow I read this article this morning and it was just what I needed to hear.
Nothing like a gentle reminder to appreciate my little lady while she is small, no matter how irritating it is getting her in and out of her snow suit each day...

Only 48 more days until spring

January turned out to be a full and busy month.
I kind of thought that it would be more a time for hibernation and being home-bound due to not wanting to venture out in this frigid weather, feeling lazy, and generally a time for quiet reflection (aka watching a ridiculous amount of television).
Definitely this has not been the case for us at all.
During the month we went up north to a ski resort for a weekend which was super fun.
Visited with family.
We've been out socially probably more than we had during the holidays.
Which is pretty often I must say.
We've been out to dinner a bunch of times, went latin dancing, yes I said latin dancing.
I know I know...not my usual kind of thing to do, but I figured why not?
Can't think of a better way to stay warm than to shake my booty to some salsa music.
I've had a few girls nights out too, which is always so much fun.
I love connecting with my girlfriends and even better when you actually get to make new friends too.
Who knew "tupperware" parties, book clubs and cougars night out could be so much fun?
We have also really embraced the winter this year doing lots of outdoor activities like skating and tobogganing.
Lulu is getting so great on skates.
It's so much easier to skate with her now that I don't have to hold on to her constantly.
Lulu even got the opportunity to be in her first video this month.
She had her own lines, which she delivered like a pro.
It goes without saying that her social life has been even more active than ours.
Lots of play-dates, dancing, drama class, piano recitals, building killer snow forts with her dad, going to plays and the ballet, visits to the Science Center...life is very good for a five year old around here.
I've been busy with some creative work projects which is always a good thing.
I've also been on a reading roll this month and read a few really excellent books.
Nothing better than escaping into a great novel on a cold winter night.
So all in all not a bad way to pass the time during the winter.
Now, only 48 more days to kill until spring is finally here....


Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories. ~From the movie An Affair to Remember

Feeling Flaky

These day's I'm trying to stay on track and continue to eat right.
Especially all the feel good mood boosting foods like sweet potato, avocado, blood oranges and grapefruit, kale and collard greens, brown rice, tofu, green tea, pomegranate, salmon, walnuts and almonds, oatmeal and quinoa.
You name it, I'll do or eat anything to boost the ol' mood and keep
Mrs. Crusty McGrumpiness at bay.
It's mid January and ridiculously freezing outside and lately I find myself finding it harder and harder to get up in the mornings despite the 4-7 hours I'm spending at the gym each week and the solid 8+ hours of sleep I've been getting.
Isn't exercise supposed to make you feel more energized?

Anyhow, my diet is good, I exercise, I'm getting plenty of rest these days, I take my vitamins- yet I still feel blah.
So what's a girl to do?
I'll tell you what.
Hit her local bakery that's what.
Carbs- schmarbs.
Nothing beats the blues like a warm pastry from one of the amazing french bakeries in my neighbourhood.
A few weeks ago we shared one of these..



mmmm....warm, perfectly flaky with a soft almond filling...yum.
Now that my friends is enough to banish the blues away (or at least until my next trip to the patisserie.)
As is custom for a new year Galette de Rois there is a little treat inside the filling.
Whomever finds it is king for the day (or has to make an emergency trip to the dentist.)
Guess who found it?
Thankfully before choking on it or ruining my pearly off-whites.
Now that makes me happy.

Last time I checked I've never found a miniature porcelain trinket inside a banana.
I'm just saying...

january blues fire side

Well here we are, mid winter, snow falling and temperatures plummeting..
A couple of nights ago, while feeling a touch of the January blues, I had to make a choice between two wintery night options.

1. Stay inside, preferably cozied up to the fire reading a good book and drinking a nice warm cup of herbal tea.
okay or more realistically parked in front of the t.v. with a glass of wine watching several hours of mind numbing (yet sadly comforting) episodes of Flipping Out on HGTV or Top Chef All Stars on the food network.
Love those shows!

or

2. Book a sitter and get the heck out of the house and go for dinner at a new restaurant just south of College St. with some good friends that I haven't seen in ages.
Guess what I decided to do?
So we went to Woodlot a great new restaurant on Palmerston.
It was the perfect place for a cold and crappy January night.
We sat on the second level overlooking the big wood burning stove and all the people below.
I love a bird's eye view.
The food was very good.
I had the smoked white fish and potato salad with watercress to start and the Red Fife papardelle with wild boar.
Big daddy had the salad (pictured above) and duck cabbage rolls with chestnuts and prunes.
Comfort food is an understatement. yum...
Casual, comforting, unpretentious and mostly local.
Great service too.
My kind of place.
They offer a vegetarian menu as well, which was handy as one of my friends doesn't eat meat.
My only criticism would be the wine menu.
Not that I'm an expert, but it would be nice to see more options by the glass, specifically local wines.
As a result of the lack of options we were "forced" (wink wink nudge nudge) to order that second bottle of wine....
Other than that, I loved it there and can't wait to go back again soon.

It was nice to catch up with some old friends/ work mates.
After dinner we ended up going to Reposado Tequila bar on Ossington.
Yes I said tequila.
Now that's a way to warm up on a cold winter night with some friends.
Bonus there was some very good live jazz playing there as well which is always nice.

I'm so glad we decided to go out mid week for a change of scenery.
I didn't really post a new year's resolution list, mostly because I don't really have anything specific in mind these days other than
the usual stuff that I'm always working on.
But I do want to get out more.
Both big daddy & I are fairly social, but in the winter it's so easy to become a hermit and not get out as often as we do during the rest of the year.
Nothing beats the winter blues like eating, drinking & laughing with friends.

That being said, can't wait to cozy up to the fire tonight with a good book.....or better yet, wonder what's on the Food Network tonight?

her fearful symmetry

I'm starting the new year with a new book club.
The last book club I was in, was a result of this blog.
Twelve other bloggers met each month to discuss different books.
While I enjoyed the diverse selection of books and people, I found I couldn't always commit to the book each month.
And to be totally honest there were some months (okay many months) that the book held absolutely no interest for me.
There are so many other great reads out there that I started to feel discouraged about having to read ones I didn't really want to.
But I felt obligated, so I always read them- like them or not.
Eventually I dropped out of the book club, after much debate I might add.
I felt like if I couldn't commit to reading the book of choice each month I should make room for someone who really wanted to be a part of it.
(there was an online waiting list of people wanting to join the bookclub)
But like I said, I really enjoyed the mix of women (and one man) and found it interesting going to various parts of the city for our meetings.
I occasionally check in on line to see what they are reading and if it's one I feel like picking up I do so.

I really enjoyed being part of a book club and have been kind of missing being a part of one ever since.
Not only does it encourage you to read books you might not necessarily pick up on your own, but I love hearing what others thought about the book.
Not to mention it's a great way to get out of the house on a weeknight (especially in the middle of winter.)
As luck should have it, my local book store has a monthly book club and tonight I decided to check it out.
I love this book shop, the staff is so friendly and so well versed on so many topics.
They are very passionate yet completely unpretentious about book suggestions.
I don't think they have ever steered me in the wrong direction.
Every single book I've purchased from there was a winner.
So it comes as no surprise that my first meeting was a positive one.
It was informative and interesting.
We read Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Neiffenegger.
I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.
There was some very interesting discussion about it and overall everyone really enjoyed it.
Even though I only gave it a seven out of ten- I thought it was extremely well written and the characters were well developed but the ending kind of knocked off a few points for me.
Not that it was a bad ending, but once I finished, I was just kind of meh...but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
However the majority of the group rated it nine out of ten and in some cases 10 out of 10.
So like I said, worth picking up.
It's nice to meet with other women from the neighbourhood as well.
Bonus I can walk there in five minutes.
The best thing is that if I don't feel like reading the book each month there's absolutely no commitment.
But to be honest I'm already in the middle of the book for next month and loving it so far.
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute in case you were wondering.
The list for the rest of the year looks fantastic as well.
So it is unlikely that I'll want to skip any meetings, because after-all....

"To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting." ~Edmund Burke