"spring" break

Just back from spending a week in Florida with Lulu & my parents for March break.
It was really nice to travel with just Lulu.
The last time it was just the two of us she was just a few months old and sat on my lap the whole time.
She's a bit of a seasoned traveller now and is at that age where she can actually help out with luggage, passports etc.
Looking around at all the crying babies on the flight I had a hard time not feeling a bit smug, knowing that those days are far behind me now.
Then again, Lulu never once cried on a flight.
I know, I'm pretty lucky in that department.
She's pretty awesome when it comes to travelling.
Next stop Asia??

Anyhow, it was really nice to get away and soak up a bit of sunshine, blue skies, green trees and perfectly manicured gardens everywhere.
Not to mention enjoy all the spotlessly clean shiny cars and pothole-free freshly paved roads.
Florida is a drivers paradise.

We spent the week at my parents place. Which was.....interesting.

I haven't actually spent that much time with them since I moved out 24 years ago.
I love them and we are close, don't get me wrong, but it was a bit of a flash back from the past and there were several times when I felt 14 again.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact that my mother followed me (and my dad) around reminding me (us) (relentlessly) to apply more sunscreen, wear a hat and watch the sun.
I know, I know, she just cares, but geez...we are in Florida after all.
And a bit if vitamin D isn't going to kill me.
For the record, as soon as I get up I slather on the 65 SPF and for the most part avoid the sun when it's the strongest.
Gone are the days of applying sun-in to my hair, copper tone tanning oil and lying in the middle of the black paved driveway frying like an egg.
We were so idiotic back in the day.
Boy if I knew then what I know now....
Clearly this woman isn't worried about too much exposure and didn't have someone following her around with sun screen.
Nuts.

So that was a tad annoying and I had a really hard time biting my tongue.
There is a fine line between caring and being concerned and nagging.
I think I walk that line every single day actually.
What mother (wife) doesn't?
I find it difficult not to constantly repeat myself and go on about things that I feel are just in someone I love's best interest.
But it was a bit eye opening.

note to self: try not to nag at Lulu (and big daddy) all the time and cut them some slack and try to be be more relaxed about stuff. (especially sun screen)

Speaking of, unfortunately big daddy couldn't join us.
Or at least unfortunately for us..him not so much.
As nice as it would have been to have him there, he would have gone mental spending the week with my folks.
All due respect.

But it did get me wondering if some day Lulu will feel the same.
Will she want to spend lots of time with us, or will I drive her completely crazy.
I'd like to think that we will be close and want to take vacations together even when she's an adult.
But who knows.
Only time will tell.

an oldie but a goodie

I'm not much of a baker.
Love to cook savory, but sweet not so much.
I do love to eat sweet things though.
And there are few scents more heavenly than home baked treats permeating the house.
But recently I came across this recipe and figured, why not?
Simple and who doesn't love a rice krispie square?
O.M.G. such a subtle little change to a classic recipe yet it makes ALL the difference.
Bonus it took about 5 minutes to make.
My kind of baking.

I love reading Smitten Kitchen and have been a follower of her blog for years. (long before the awesome cookbook)
I highly recommend picking up a copy.
I have yet to make one thing that didn't turn out perfectly.
Not necessarily light on calories, but still an excellent cookbook filled with recipes that are not too daunting or complicated.
Her little personal stories about each dish make it even more enjoyable.

oh and as a side note if you do make this recipe I used mauldon sea salt which always bumps things up a notch.

Horse Kottbullar

While reading this morning's news I came across this and was pretty horrified.
How could anyone want to eat horse meat?
I just find it so sad. (and gross)
Nothing against cows or chickens but for some reason that doesn't seem as bad as eating a dog or horse.
Every time I look at my sweet Chelsea I think- "How could they??"

I know, I know, many cultures eat all kinds of things that most North Americans deem unacceptable, but really?
Seabiscuit and Hidalgo?
Not to mention War Horse.
ewww...
Lulu would be even more horrified than even I am.
She has a "Saddle Club" and her and her little friends are currently horse obsessed.

I'm a pretty adventurous eater, but that just makes me sad. It also kind of makes me want to become a vegetarian.
Anyhow, I'm so glad that last week while at Ikea, I decided to skip the hot dog and swedish "meat"balls and stick with the frozen yoghurt cone..

Patience is a virtue

Recently I had the opportunity to hear Jennifer Kolari speak at our school.
I had never heard of her before, and to be honest, this was my first time hearing a motivational speaker or "parenting coach" talk.
I am so glad I did.
She was funny and informative and I left feeling so much better than I did before I got there.
Of late, my patience has been on thin ice.
Literally.
Holy g-d it's been freaking cold out during the month of February! brrr
But I digress...

The past few weeks (okay months) I have not been the most patient parent on the planet.
Same goes for Big Daddy.
Neither one of us are candidates for parent of the month this month, that's for sure.
I'm pretty sure the primary reason being that we haven't had any time away from Lulu in ages.
Our last child-free date night was in December.
And as nice as Miami was, it was Lulu 24/7.
So romantic it was not.
To have an uninterrupted conversation has become almost impossible.
And when we fall into this pattern, Lulu tends to get more needy and clingy.
It's sweet that she loves spending so much time with us and wants to be a part of every single conversation, but it also becomes extremely frustrating.
She has even started hanging out beside me when I'm sending an email or text and reading them asking questions about who, what, where and when??...grrr
Which then equals a lack of patience over the smallest of things and the envitable explosion of temper ensues.

But after hearing what Jennifer had to say, I felt this big sigh of relief and a feeling of "Hey I'm not alone and it's normal to feel frustration as a parent. We all drop the ball from time to time and there are tools I can use to help me cope with life's obstacles and be a better more focused parent."
The timing couldn't have been better.
I needed to hear this advice more than I even thought I did.
It was like a two hour free therapy session.
Did I mention that our school's Home & School association funded this event?
So now even some of the doubts and questions I had last week about private vs. public school have been answered.
She was sold out of her books (that's usually a pretty good sign) but I'm picking up a copy the next time I'm at Chapters.
I can't remember the last time I read a parenting book actually, (maybe the baby whisperer 7 years ago??) but I'm thinking hers would be of great value and help me to become a more loving (if that's even possible) "connected" parent.

Speaking of being patient and learning techniques on how to be more calm and patient parent, Lulu finally lost her first tooth!
Alleluia.
I can't lie and say that I haven't been a wee bit anxious about the fact that she is almost 8 and hadn't even lost a single tooth yet.
Especially when most of her classmates have mouths full of new teeth.
Plus her new teeth have started coming up behind her baby teeth.
Um hello orthodontics....I'll most definitely be needing an extra helping of patience when dealing with her braces down the road. *shudder*
But at last, one finally was pulled  popped out.
I remember all the fuss when that tiny tooth first appeared.
The drooling, fever, sleepless nights, tears, angst and overall misery that poor Lulu went through when she was teething.
Boy did I even need patience back then.
Wish I had heard of Jennifer 6 years ago!

Some kids are so lucky, getting and loosing teeth is no big deal.
My Lulu, not so much.
Poor thing.
Anyhow it's out now..whew... I may have actually been more relieved than she was.
Clearly I need to get a life. sigh.

The good news is that the tooth fairy came and went and hopefully is keeping it nice and safe.
And with a little patience there will be plenty more where that came from..

Happy Valentine's Day

♥ Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence. – By Vincent van Gogh

skool vs school

The current situation with the TDSB (Toronto District School Board) is so frustrating.
I know I know, one of my new year's resolutions was no not get involved in school politics, but how can I not when they directly affect my child?
The strike doesn't look like it's going to end any time soon, or at least that's the impression I'm getting.
Then again, who knows? as there's been such a lack of communication between the parents and the school during this whole dispute.
Currently there are no extra curricular activities (choir, sports, school plays), no pizza lunches (even though we already paid for the whole year) and now no more field trips.
Isn't going to places like the Science Centre, The AGO and The ROM part of the learning experience and done during school hours?
As a parent I feel so frustrated and helpless.
All of this has been extremely eye opening.

I've always considered us to be lucky that we live in a community where we have such a great school, but now I'm not feeling so sure.
Clearly over 60% of our teachers are on the side of the union, unlike some of our neighbouring schools who are still running programs like field trips and school musicals etc.
So that makes me really question which of the teachers are really there for the kids?
How can we as parents know who voted which way?
Earlier in the year I was completely in support of the teachers but now as the year is half over I'm just feeling confused and discouraged.

To make matters worse, Lulu came home last week and told me that she was told that they have to run the tap water for 20 seconds to get rid of the lead in the pipes before drinking out of them.
WTF?! Lead?
Isn't that like um POISON?
She also mentioned that 6 out of the 8 bathroom stalls were not usable last week.
As in floating fecal matter in every one.
OMG- and parents wonder why things like Pinworm are contracted at school.
SO So gross.
Our school is in desperate need of renovations and is close to 100 years old but I'm not holding my breath.
(unless of course I'm in the vicinity of any of the bathrooms)

So as a result of all this we have been investigating private schools for Lulu.
I went on a tour of a school last week and can I just say that I was completely blown away.
You really get what you pay for that's for sure.
It was so impressive.
The teachers all seemed so enthusiastic and professional.
The classes were organized, bright, clean and inviting.
The kids were all so attentive in every single class from JK all the way to grade 6.
So polite, so well groomed! I just love school uniforms..
The quality of the education is above and beyond what I would have even expected.
I know it's not the most important thing, but when Lulu comes home and expresses anxiety about having to use the bathroom at school, to me that's a problem.
Needless to say all the bathrooms were spotless.

So the big question is what to do?
Do we bite the bullet and make the switch?
The only thing holding us back is the hefty price tag.
When you add up the numbers it is very daunting that's for sure.
But maybe in the end it will be well worth it.

Then again, one of the main the reasons we moved to our neighbourhood in the first place was because of the schools' fantastic reputation.
It's one of the reasons families pay a premium to live here.
I love belonging to and being a part of a community and the great people we've met through our school.
I also really love that we can walk to school and as she gets older, Lulu can walk on her own or with a friend and gain a sense of independence.
If we were to stay in the public school the grade 3 & 4 teachers are amazing and I've been looking forward to having Lulu in their classes since we started there.
I know it's hit and miss with teachers in the public school, sometimes you win the lottery, some years not so much.
But for the most part I think we have a lot of really good teachers who DO care about the kids in our school.
And let's face it- it's FREE.

Ultimately I just want what's best for Lulu and because we only have one child it would be great if we could give her any advantage possible.
Private school would be completely out of the question if we had more than one child that's for sure.
It's such a huge decision and I feel like what ever choice we make now will have such a huge impact on her life down the road..
No pressure or anything. gulp.
Oh what to do...

missin' the heat

Being Canadian you would think that I would be used to the winter by now.
That I would embrace and love it.
Get into the spirit of things and strap on the skis, lace up the skates and savour the crisp (aka frigid) air.
But for some reason this year I just can't get into it.
No matter how hard I try, I would rather just cozy up inside and wait until it's over.
And to be completely honest the weather hasn't even been that bad so far this year considering we experienced above record temperatures in January.
edited to add: should have kept my mouth shut- holy snow storm!!
So I'm not sure why I'm so anti-winter this year.
But then again, when I really think about it, I do tend to get like this every February.
So I suppose this isn't really anything new.

Having just spent last week in Miami, I can't help to wonder how much better life would be if you didn't have to bundle up every time you stepped outside.
Putting multiple layers on everyone (even on the dog) trying to figure out how to be somewhat fashionable and practical, yet still warm enough to feel the tips of your fingers and toes.
Doing your best not to brush up against salty car doors or step in wet salty puddles at the front door when taking off  big clunky boots.
And I'm sorry...I don't care how trendy they are, I still feel super unattractive when sporting winter clothes.
They really don't do it for me.

So I can't stop thinking that if I didn't live in a climate that was so extreme, would I feel happier and healthier?
Would I be a much more active and positive person?
Do people who live in warmer climates lead better lives?
Get less colds and not suffer from super dry skin (damn all that hand washing & germ fighting) not to mention indoor heating cranked to the max.

I'm probably just in a bit of a post holiday slump.
And kind of bummed that concept of retirement on the beaches of Florida are far away..

But maybe a weekend on the slopes or on the nearest skating rink sipping hot chocolate will make me feel better and help me to get into the glacially numbing spirit of things.

Or not.

Then again, maybe a weekend in front of the fire reading, watching movies and drinking wine would be much more fun.

Only six more weeks to go after all.

will you accept this rose?

Well I wouldn't be a good wife if I didn't give Big Daddy a big shout out for his appearance on last night's episode of The Bachelor.
He shot the episode back in September and I've been dying of suspense to see him in action with all the ladies (and I use that term loosely) on the show.
I have to admit, last season was the first time I ever watched it (purely for research ;)  but I'm officially hooked.
How can you not watch? so juicy, so funny, so over the top dramatic....
Apparently I'm not alone, over 15 million other people are tuning in each week to see who will accept the rose...
As long as Big daddy accepts my rose...I'm good.

A B12 C D

So as per my last post I really want to be healthier this year. Or as healthy as I can be while still having to be exposed to the endless cycle of elementary school germs and viruses.

I eat what I consider to be a pretty well balanced and healthy diet.
I don't really eat much in the way of junk food or processed foods.
Though I'm sure there's always room for improvement.
But for the most part, I think I'm on track when it comes to what and how much I'm eating.

I finally got back to the gym this week and it felt so awesome.
I'm definitely an adrenaline junkie and really enjoy working up a good sweat.
It was also so great to see all the ladies and regulars back in class.
I think I missed the camaraderie more than the actual exercise.
I work out with such a nice group of women.
Who knew that an all women's gym would be so social, motivating and fun?

Speaking of fun, it's a shame that I derailed my health kick by indulging in one too many glasses of wine with a girl friend last night....oops..
But I also kind of needed that after being cooped up all during the holidays.
Though I really wish I could somehow find the will power to always stop after my second glass of vino..
But then again, grapes are an antioxidant after all ;

Anyhow aside from my diet and exercise I really want to do whatever I can to help boost my immune system.
So I take a few vitamins each day.
The question is, what should I really be taking and how much?
Currently I take 1000 iu of Vitamin D.
And Multi vit see above re: emergen-C.
Sometimes I take an Omega fish oil capsule.
Sometimes Calcium and Magnesium with Zinc.
and occasionally I'll take Pro- biotics.
is this too much?
or not enough?

Anyhow I'm just curious what other woman take when it comes to supplements.
Tips? Suggestions?

hello 2013

Well I dare say I am finally on the road to recovery.

Not to be a Debbie downer, but this was the Christmas break that was anything but.

We have barely left the house since school got out on the 21st of December.

Cabin fever is an understatement.

Anyhow it's a new year and must move onwards and hopefully upwards.

Aside from feeling sorry for myself for the past couple of weeks, I did manage to spend a bit of time reflecting on my life and things I aspire to for the new year.

I'm not really a resolution kind of person as I tend to try to do that throughout the year.

But I do hope that I can make a few personal changes that will help me to find the sometimes elusive feeling of contentment and happiness.

The number one thing I would like to change is to stop thinking about everyone else's "greener grass."

I have a tendency to focus on what others have or how great they seem to have it.

Great vacations, bigger houses, more time off, never seem to get sick...grrrrr

I need to remind myself on a daily basis how blessed I am with my life.

Things are good;  really good.

And even though we don't technically have any "green grass",  flagstone and boxwoods are okay too.

Speaking of our abode.

I really hope we can start putting our plans into action when it comes to the renovation.

As much as I resist change, especially when it comes to my home, it's time.

As daunting as it might seem to have to move out and start from scratch, the purge will feel good.

And hopefully the end result will be well worth it and I can stop obsessing about the house.

There are so many more important things in life than a house.

But still....can't wait to get the wrecking ball rolling.

I've set a few goals in the career dept. as well.

Nothing too different from last year.

Working for big daddy twice a week.

Have to make sure I make that more of a priority.

The last few months things kind of slipped through the cracks, so I'm looking forward to making more of a contribution and helping out.

As far as fitness goals I guess just keep doing what I've been doing.

I still love my favourite classes at the gym and my favourite instructor.

I would like to offset it with a bit more stretching- aka Yoga and also more outdoor activities.

Hiking, cycling, walking the dog etc.

But not being able to get to the gym much over the month of December has been tough.

I miss feeling "strong fit & healthy"

inside joke.....

I really want to make more of an effort with this blog.

I'd like to get back to shooting food and feeling inspired about what I feed my family.

It's still one of my passions and even though there are a ton of incredible food blogs out there, I need not be intimidated.

I just need to cook.

Also bring back the restaurant reviews.

Haven't done that in ages.

Mostly because 2012 we ended up going to many of the same old same olds.

But there are a ton of new places in the city that I can't wait to try out and write about.

Listen more. Talk less.

Okay I say this every year, but must watch less T.V and read more.

It's not like I don't have a ton of great books I'm wanting to read...it's just that I get stuck in a rut and end up on the sofa in front of the television watching a whole lotta crap every night.

I mean Breaking Amish, The Bachelor, Top Chef, The Real Housewives of Vancouver, Beverly Hills AND New York....crazy.

I do however draw the line at Jersey.

Even I won't stoop that low.

But I am a confessed reality T.V. junkie and it has to stop.

Or at least be reined in a little.

Boardwalk Empire doesn't count. Currently my favourite show. So great and can't wait for the next season to start.

But there really should be a few nights where the boob tube (literally) stays off and I find other more intellectually challenging things to occupy my evenings.

Speaking of things to occupy my evenings..

I really really want to edit all my digital photos and print a few photo books.

I'd love to maybe send some to the grandparents as a surprise.

Aside from school pictures, they barely have any of Lulu.

It's crazy that after 8-9 years I haven't created a photo album.

Not to mention how much space all the images are taking up on my computer...yikes...

It's definitely on the top of my to-do list for this year.

Avoid school politics.

Have more fun.

Take a family vacation.

Life is short and it flies by so quickly.

Continue to embrace and enjoy having a seven year old.

Every single day is a gift.

Periodically remind myself to stop what I'm doing and colour a picture with Lulu or help do Barbie's ponytail...

The dishes can wait.

It's such a cliche but keep trying to not sweat the small stuff.

Because on the grand scheme of things, so many of the things I tend to worry about really aren't worth the head space.

see above re: school politics..

So last but not least, I want 2013 to be a happy & healthy year.

Especially not just for myself but for my family as well.

And you too (all three of you ; ) thanks for still dropping by and reading this often mundane blog.

I promise to put in a little more effort and try to make things a little more interesting in 2013.

                                                        Happy New Year!