Saturday, April 29, 2006

spring has sprung


I love the spring.
the weather is great, not too hot, not too cold.
everything just feels clean and fresh, (no smog alerts yet)
the flowering trees are breath taking.
People are generally happier and therefore friendlier.
well, with the exception of the staff at TNT blu in yorkville....
talk about bitchy.
and those are the male employees I'm talking about.
I think they give you attitude if you are pushing a stroller...ewww "breeders"...
or maybe they just give everyone attitude??
who knows.
I do know that big daddy was in need of a little retail therapy, and was ready to drop a bundle to find some new jeans.
BAD service= NO sales.
we ended up at Over The Rainbow and although the place is in desperate need of a facelift,
the staff were so much more helpful.
So maybe they didn't have quite the selection as tnt, but they still had loads of jeans, which is what we were in search of.
The clincher was that they gave lulu a free over the rainbow tee...and a balloon.
Happy & Distracted baby=Big sales.
let's just say that the therapy session was a successful one.
that being said, I would love to avoid anymore shopping this weekend and just enjoy the FREE eye therapy.
the trees and flowers make me far happier than a good fitting pair of jeans...
okay, that's not entirely true, but i think I will enjoy sitting under a tree in my new jeans.

Monday, April 24, 2006

happy birthday




today is the day.
one year ago today, our lives were forever altered.
The weather is exactly the same as when sweet lulu entered this world.
rainy & cold.
but as the saying goes, april showers...bring may flowers...and we certainly have a little flower in our lives.
in fact, the week she came home with us all the blossoms appeared in the backyard.
to the day.
amazing how sentimental you become when you are a parent.
This has truly been the fastest and most eventful year of my life.
Before lulu was born I had no idea what to expect.
Would I be a good mother?
would I know what to do?
would I lose touch with myself and become just.."mom"?
so many unknowns.
But I never would have guessed that having a child (specifically lulu) would enrich my life so much.
I can't even begin to try to express how much I love her (though most mothers know exactly how I feel)
I mean she is just the brightest little ray of sunshine, and always makes me smile..yes even in the middle of the night.
I enjoy spending time with her and teaching her new things each day.
Her personality is becoming more pronounced, and she has this great sense of humor.
Thank-god for that, because I think humor is the one thing that can help you get through life.
she is amazingly friendly and social, and loves to flirt with anyone who flashes her a smile.
lately she has really become extra affectionate...this morning while lying on the pillow next to me she was making her attempt at stroking my cheek...(it was more like poking me in the eye and slapping me) but hey I'll take it, I know her heart was in the right place.
ahhh sweet little lulu.
We had a party for her (and us..) this weekend, and it was so much fun.
we had about 20 people or so, and she loved all the action.
especially the birthday song, cupcakes and great presents from all our generous friends.
today it's just going to be the three of us.
our little family.
grandma & grandpa did pop by for a visit and of course more presents....
but tonight it's just us three....
so happy birthday lulu...
we love you more than you can imagine.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

to do lists




I can't leave the house without a list of some sort.
The problem is that when retreiving the post-it-to-do-list from my pocket I end up finding about a half a dozen,
so then I have to figure out which one is relevant for that particular day.
Though most of them look about the same
diapers
soy milk
baby food
burt's bees baby stuff
baby mum mum's
toilet paper
insert (dinner du jour)
p/u dry cleaning
bank
blah blah...
I must say I actually like making lists and getting everything done on them.
this week I need more than just a post-it (I wonder if post-it's come in scroll form?)
as I'm getting ready for the big birthday bash this weekend.
And insane me has decided to cook everything (from scratch) no cutting corners, aside from buying already smoked salmon rather than setting up a smoker in the back yard and doing it myself...
oh and after two seperate attempts to bake the birthday cupcakes (recipe testing, I know I'm a nut) I decided to meet big daddy half way and get them catered, from an amazing cupcake delivery place called eini cupcakes.
www.eini.ca
they are sure to be a real show stopper.
plus my cupcakes sucked the big one.
one more thing to add to my to-do-list...
speak to therapist about making too many to-do-lists.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

chocolate matzoh



lucky lulu gets to celebrate both holidays.
easter & passover.
needless to say a very busy couple of days, but lots of fun.
thursday we had our first seder together (just the three of us) I love passover, and I'm the catholic one in the family.
we had gefilte fish, haroset, matzoh and all the fixin's.
it was the worlds shortest seder, as we had about a 30 min. window before lulu started getting impatient for her bath.
We were actually invited for a big seder with friends, but we were worried that lulu wouldn't make it past 7p.m.
and we were right.
But at least we made the effort.
I guess there's always next year.
Good friday we went to an annual mother daughter luncheon at a friend of my mother's.
Such a fun day and lulu loved all the attention.
It was so nice to have time with just the "girls".
Also nice to have traditions.
we had a lovely dinner at my parents, and then we jumped in the car for the drive back home.
Usually we stay over night, but we decided to just head home so that we could sleep in our own (comfortable) bed.
Saturday & Sunday we enjoyed being at home and running errands.
Funny how I have grown to enjoy getting groceries etc.
so domesticated.
big daddy cooked a nice ham, scalloped potatoes and minted mushy peas for dinner.
And he's the jewish one in the family. He claims that the Ham was Kosher though...
god I hope his mother never finds out about this blog.
Anyhow we both grew up celebrating easter/passover with different traditions, food and customs.
But it's so nice to celebrate something different than what you grew up with,
yet also very comforting celebrating something that you did.
So I'm glad that lulu gets to enjoy both holidays.
lucky girl.
so happy East-over...or is it Pas-ter??

Thursday, April 13, 2006

tag..i'm it.

well I guess I was tagged.
thanks sunshine scribe.
so here goes, a bit about me.

4 jobs I've had in my life

} at a small town bakery...I guess I kinda baked stuff, but mostly I just goofed off with my girlfriends who worked there as well.
the owners were ultra cool (from a highschoolers perspective) as they were hippy draft dodgers from Berkeley california and spent the majority of the time not only baking bread but themselves as well.

} Canada's wonderland...no, not dressed up as smurfette...I spent the summer working at Kingswood concert area...that was the summer that the Grateful Dead played there and the highlight of the job was riding the canadian mind buster with the keyboardist brent middlewood (now gratefully dead) I had no clue who he was but every-single other person on the ride seemed to..I even asked him if was going to the concert that night...he just looked like another hippy in a tie-dyed tee smelling like patchouli...duh..

} bank teller..."can I help you down here please?" one of the most boring jobs ever. the only interesting thing ever to happen while there was an actual bank robbery..pantyhose over the face and all.
I was on my break so I missed all the action..no one was hurt, and they caught the guy on his way out the door.
his getaway vehicle was a 10 speed bike. the bank was next to a Tim horton's and 2 cop cars were already there getting coffee and donuts...duh

} fashion wholesale rep/stylist... a fun yet vacuous job. lots of perks i.e.. free threads, and access to all the best sample sales and fun travel trips. good while it lasted, but once I hit 3o it lost much of it's appeal...I still miss the free clothes though.

(currently a photo-stylist (a.k.a. prop stylist), mother to an increasingly high maintenance 11 month old, wife to an already high maintenance husband...but best job to date.)

BOOKS I COULD READ OVER AND OVER

quite honestly, once I've read a book I've read it. so I can't recall ever reading a book twice, with the exception of
"good night moon" ..I still find that book a bit weird, but lulu loves it, so who am I to critique.
but if I had to reread these books I would do so happily.

} The Alchemist- paulo coelho

} Toujours Provence- Peter Mayle..or pretty much any of his books, especially good when reading in the sun with a pastis in hand

} The Mists Of Avalon- Miriam Zimmerman Bradley

} a bit predictable but I did enjoy the book-The Da Vinci Code-Dan Brown, though I cringe when I think of Tom hanks as Robert Langdon

4 WEBSITES I VISIT REGULARLY

} the weather network

} scotia bank

} epicurious.com

} blogs

4 MOVIES I COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER

}see profile

4 SONGS I COULD LISTEN TO OVER AND OVER
just 4...that's going to be tough...but here goes

} Billie Holiday- you don't know what love is...especially on a rainy sunday morning with a coffee and newspaper in hand

} Crosby Stills Nash & Young- Carry On..even better sitting around a campfire up north or in the car on the way up north.

} Angie Stone- Wish I Didn't Miss You

} Vivaldi: Le Quatre saison-concerto No.1

} Kings Of convience- The girl from back then

} Rain- nude dimensions cd- excellent for the elliptical.

} Norah Jones- Come away with me (reminds me of Thailand..long story)

} Van Morrison- I'll be Your Lover

okay okay..last but not least....
} Cat Stevens- How can I tell You?

that last one goes out to you big daddy....
that was way more than 4, but I couldn't stop myself.

4 PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW

} in bed catching up on some sleep

} New York staying at the W Union Square. shopping my ass off.

} British columbia visiting all my friends that came to their senses and moved west.

} anywhere in France

4 MOST WONDERFUL PLACES I HAVE BEEN

} Cambodia specifically Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor...really incredible

} France, it's a toss up between Auvergne and Champagne...specifically Hotel Niepces.."the white room, La chambre blanc"

} Thailand, Ko Lanta- the narima- fortunately not damaged by the tsunami..

} Barrie Ontario..kidding.

} Switzerland-Interlaken Berner Oberland on a bike riding around one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen.

4 of my FAVORITE FOODS

another tough one...just 4..yikes.

} heirloom tomato, basil and buffalo mozzarella salad drizzled with affiorato extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of Maldon sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

} anything with truffles

} ikea hot dogs..only when absolutely starved...alright alright, I secretly crave them....

} Dark chocolate

} chabichou goat cheese and pinot noir (is red wine a food?) w/ a side of venison salami thinly sliced

] home-baked Mac and cheese

oh, right just 4...

4 REASONS WHY I BLOG

} somewhere to post the thousands of pictures I love to take of my uber cute child. (not biased)

} a good creative outlet

} lulu can't grab the laptop from me when it's up on the counter, where as she tries to eat my pen when writing in my journal.

} it's fun

4 PEOPLE TO TAG
I'll have to get back to this one at a later date....

so that's it..me in a nutshell. oh and one more

4 REASONS WHY I'D BETTER GET MY ASS IN GEAR AND GRAB A SHOWER

} because I only have an hour before lulu wakes up from her nap
} It's past noon and if someone came to the door at the moment they might just think I'm a complete slob
} I feel really gross
} it's a beautiful spring day outside and I'd rather be out there and not in here typing a blog.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

sniff sniff


well I was right, lulu caught a cold. me too.
I think it's her third or fourth one so far, and lots ahead of us I'm sure.
It's hard to tell what's bugging her more, the stuffy nose or the damn teeth.
They really are taking their sweet time coming in.
I feel so bad for her, she's been so cranky and fussy all week.
I feel bad for me.
All this crankiness is causing a bit of upheaval around here,
big daddy being a real ass tonight.
I love that I can write that down, it makes me feel so much better.
extra bonus that I know he will be reading this. (you dumb ass)
the guy has never had to spend more than two hours alone with her,
never mind any alone time while she is sick and teething.
he has no clue. (double dumb ass)
enough venting.
I think that Cold-FX stuff is a crock.
I picked it up and I really don't think it works.
so I'm headed to bed. praying that I can get 5-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

pusher man



little lulu isn't so little anymore.
well she is still only 18 lbs, but she seems so much bigger these days.
I guess you could say she's in transition from baby to toddler.
she now fits into the swing at the park, and is loving every minute of it.
I am still getting the hang of things at the park myself.
it's a whole new world.
big daddy got home early the other day so we went for a quick swing..
he was the only dude there, it must be even harder to fit in when you are a stay at home dad.
looks like lulu caught a cold though...fun fun.
I'm guessing the next few nights will be sleepless ones..what else is new.

Sunday, April 09, 2006

land of the living






april is such a busy month.
lot's going on and it's great to be getting out and about.
the w.m.e.g's (world's most enthusiastic grandparents) came to babysit this weekend.
gotta love that.
big daddy and I had a fun filled couple of days.
saturday we did some shopping and enjoyed the sunny (very brisk) weather.
then we went out for dinner at Izakaya (on front st.) fun and hip atmosphere, pretty decent food.
we actually sat at communal table, which was nice.
ironically I sat next to the only baby in the place and new mom, so of course there was a bit of baby talk,
but it was fine by me, she was such a sweet gal.
Not the kind of place I would have expected to find a change table but they did infact have one.
I was impressed. (I mean Terroni doesn't even have one and it's always filled with kids, what's up with that??)
then off to our next destination.
the drake, for a birthday soirée.
lot's of fun.
so great to see so many people all gathered together to celebrate my favorite british man about town's b-day.
I can't believe how busy it is now down on Queen w. , things have really changed over the years.
I wondered if by being a s.a.h.m-part.time/freelancer??? (still trying to figure all that out) I would have anything interesting to chat about with my childless-downtown-hipster-friends (vast majority being gay), but I did, and it wasn't all about baby.
a bit, but not all.
anyhow we had such a great time that I didn't realize the time and got home past curfew at around 1:30, can't remember doing that for a while.
this morning when lulu wanted to play at 6 am, I was reminded why I don't stay out past 11 these days.
but it was well worth it.
so refreshing to have a grownup evening and be reminded of my former self (which I discovered last night, is not all that different from my present self)

today was another socially full day, but far more tame.
Afternoon tea at the windsor arms, for a baby shower.
there must have been 3 or 4 showers happening today in there.
it was a full on estrogen-fest.
but so nice and relaxing.
Funny enough the conversations weren't all about babies either.
so a fantastic weekend...
I'm wiped. But in a really good way.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

sweet treats



we finally decided to send out the invites to lulu's first birthday party.
the list went from 60 people to 15-20ish.
much more realistic in regards to the capacity of our tiny toronto house.
Even that (if the weather doesn't cooperate) will be a tight squeeze,
but it's comprised of all our favorite people who all want to celebrate with us, so it should be fun.
big daddy and I have been discussing the menu, he sais "let's cater it"
I say "no way, I can do it."
So I'm doing some test recipes to make sure no-one goes home from the party with food poisoning.
I have a bit of a theme going, being that it's spring and we have such a sweet little girly.
Think-pink.
so last night after frozen pizza (gotta love the president's choice blue line low cal pizza's), caesar salad and some cabernet sauvignon I decided to start baking.
so at midnight this is what I came up with:

White Chocolate Macaroons
funny enough I really don't like white chocolate I'm definitely a dark choc-o-holic,
but in keeping with my "theme" gotta go light and airy.
1 cup almond meal
2 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon flour
4 egg whites
2 tablespoons caster-sugar
filling
8 oz white-chocolate (melted)
pink foodcolouring

mix first three ingredients set aside
beat egg whites until soft peaks form then add caster sugar.
fold both together
drop tbs. amount onto cookie sheet (lined- I love my silpat)
bake @ 320 F for 12-14 min
don't open the oven
let cool on tray
spread base w/ white(pink) chocolate and sandwich together.

So I did a bit of sampling, and they are pretty good. Very sweet, and light and fluffy.
I think I got around 16 from this recipe (but big daddy may have had something to do with the number not getting to 20 cookies total)

coming soon....coconut cupcakes.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

O.C.D.



while shopping at Business Depot I decided to pick up one of those label makers.
I think I'm addicted.
I'm a label maker addict.
I love it.
I want to label everything in my house.
not sure why.
I mean when you look at a jar of penne and a jar of rotini you know the difference,
but I had to label them.
I think I'm spending FAR too much time in my kitchen.
Admittedly my kitchen is my little castle.
And it's much easier to cook in a hurry when you know where everything is and what's what,
but I think I've gone overboard.
I picked up these stackable magnetic spice containers and went hog wild!
But I love opening the cupboard and seeing all the rows of spices..so neat and tidy.
I used to open the cupboard and everything would fall out everywhere because it was all crammed in and miss matched,
old and stale. I mean I had about 4 bags of sesame seeds...those things are a bitch to clean up.
and god forbid lulu eating a hot pepper-flake that made it's way to the floor because a negligent mom had a messy spice cupboard....
what has happened to me?
I used to eat out 5 nights a week and didn't give a rat's ass haw tidy or messy my cupboards were...that's why they have doors, so no one can see what's inside!
hmmm, what else can I label??
I'm totally addicted.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

not really a recipe



in response to sunshine scribe's recipe swap..
well this isn't really a recipe, but I really liked the shot, so I wanted to post it.
I love finding beautiful and unusual ingredients.
Cauliflower and broccoli aren't exactly rare or obscure, but green cauliflower is not always available.
So this is what I did with it after taking it's picture:
I sprinkled with olive oil, Malden sea salt and curry powder, roasted for 30 min or so...
I served it with grilled lamb chops and Yoghurt w/ coriander and lime juice.
very simple and fast.
de-lish.
I will track down some sweet recipes, I have lots up my sleeve.
lame post, but lulu just knocked over a glass of juice all over the carpet...
first of many spills I'm sure.
gotta dash.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

play that funky music


I brought lulu to her first "concert" yesterday, and she had a blast.
Actually so did I.
"Bobs and lolo" rocked.
there was about 50 moms +50 babies there or maybe more.
Lulu was in stimulation overdrive.
she was squealing like a little piglet. Bouncing up and down to the music and clapping her hands.
She was jonesing to get into the "mosh pit" with the wild and crazy 3 & 4 year olds and kept squirming to get away.
too funny.
There were lots of newborns and wee 3-4 month olds.
It felt strange to be one of the "older kids" lulu looked so much older than all the tiny babies,
even though she's still only around 17/18 lbs, she just seemed bigger by comparison.
Not that I miss those days...no siree... but it made me think about just how fast this year has gone.
this time last year I was watching the clock..due date april 14.
I really love the stage she is at currently, lots of snuggles and funny reactions to everything new and exciting.
she's still my tiny baby.
I'm thinking she's got the music bug though.
She really responds to instruments, her latest fixation is the xylophone...
she's actually getting pretty good,
but if I'm being honest (did that sound too simon cowelish?) her preference is to just put the sticks directly into her mouth.
ah well.
maybe we can become Bobs & Lolo groupies...
I wonder when they are playing here again?

Monday, April 03, 2006

hot rod weekend




okay so big daddy redeemed himself by driving like a civilized human being this weekend.
we decided to go for a road trip with the new wheels.
So we went to visit my folks. a.k.a. the world's most enthusiastic grandparents.
we had a nice drive down to their place,
lulu now get's to face forward in her seat, and she was absolutely delighted by the change of vantage point.
(she's still an lb. or two shy from the 20lb mark..but it's not like we were pulling a Brittany Spears front seat with baby fiasco)
we needed to return some baby clothes/gifts across the border to the states..bit of an inconvenience,
but thoughtful gift none-the-less.
so off we went to the "outlet mall"...not exactly my idea of a fun way to spend the day, but when in Rome...
we managed to get in and out of there in an hour and a half..not too bad.
we only spent about $100.00 us.
but it's so funny how when you are crossing back over the border you start to break out in a cold sweat- "rehearsing" what you are going to say and declare.
it's not like we are smuggling anthrax back into canada..
two baby sundresses a couple of tee's and a sweater.
Big daddy gets really panicky, it's so funny.
I always declare everything, so big deal if you have to pay the tax and duty.
Frankly it's just not worth the headache to lie.
we managed to go out without baby for a dinner date.
the food was phenomenal.
Wine was equally good.(could have done with a glass or two less...next day was a tad rough around the ol' edges)
It was so nice to have a grown up evening while my parents baby-sat.
Bonus that they live in Canada's largest wine region.
note to self: we really should visit more often.
the only draw back was the sleeping arrangements.
two single beds.
not that I mind having my own space once an a while, and it's not like we were planning any "naughtiness" while in my parents home...tsk tsk.
but lulu refused to sleep in the play pen and ended up in bed with big daddy.
poor guy barely slept, worrying about her falling out of the tiny bed.
at one point I looked over and lulu was in the middle of the bed, head on pillow sleeping like a princess.
big daddy was hanging off the edge.
I managed a few drunken zzz's.
what a guy.
So he is no longer in the dog house.
even if on the way home yesterday he was totally riding the car in front of us's ass.
Is "us's" an actual word?