perfectly chilled

These are by far my favorite water tanks for my kids! They are by Thermos, and they are awesome! I bought them while we were away, because at Target they were $13.00 and here they are close to $20.00. I filled them with cold water from the fridge in the morning, by 10pm, the water was still chilled! A downer is that they are on the heavier side, but I think we can make do, and give up the luke warm water. They were a perfect addition for our trip to the Woodland Zoo!

I also love the addition of the name labels by Olivers Labels, get your own today!!!

K

perfect cure..

A heavy feeling is still weighing on my heart. I thought it would go away..it has joined me for the whole summer. I am hoping by the time I go back to work, and Noah starts school again, that the routine will bring an easier feeling...my chalkboard in my kitchen reads "This too shall pass, eventually" I have been waiting a while now, thought with the sunshine it would be gone...its something I really have no words for, I don't even know how to begin explaining it.

It's 7:59 pm, Anabelle is sleeping, Noah is at his Nonna's (Grandma's) house, Fredo is working. I have an urge to go and wake up my sleeping angel and cuddle her, squeeze her, let her know how sorry I am for yelling, and scolding her for being naughty (and man can she get naughty!), let her know I am sorry for not taking her to swimming lessons because I don't want to put on a bathing suit, and tell her that her and her brother mean the world to me, no matter how mad they make me.....this feeling of nostalgia will pass by morning I am sure.....but some moments, songs, videos, tv shows help you to put things into perspective...I am sorry I have been somewhat absent for the past while...

I put Anabelle to bed, and made myself something....a rootbeer float, this, felt like a HUGE hug...a much needed hug. It felt incredible.

K

ask and you shall receive!

I thought out loud the other day how fabulous it would be to have a diaper rash spray....I love the bum bum balm, but wondered if such thing was even available.....turns out it is!!! I quite like it!!!! This may sound selfish, but I hated getting gunk under my nails whenever I have them on (BSF04's of course!). I found it at Target. So far, I think you can only order it from the States, Toys R Us has it on the US site www.toysrus.com

toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3910211

I hope the link works??

Happy to have found it, and glad I gave it a shot, so far so good!!

K

"wait on the carpet by the front door!!!!!!!!"

We are done.....another week of soccer camp, finished! Man its a challenge to get three people fed, ready, snacks made and packed and geared up to be out of the house by 8:15 am five mornings in a row!! Noah sure loves his soccer camp, but who's idea is it to start at 9 am, at Town Centre in Coquitlam!! (wink). I wink, because that person would be my husband.....he is gone, alone by 7:30 am, he misses the chaos, and leaves the channel on TreeHouse, does he have any idea how distracting that is for a 3 year old that's trying to finish his eggs and toast in a timely manner, ha. But we sure do love what he does, it allows Noah to have a BLAST for a week with buddies at soccer camp, Coquitam Metro Ford Soccer Camp!

I think as soon as you become a mom, you learn a lot about the importance of timing and organization, and it definitely gets tested when you add on more children. You think you have one ready, then you find the other playing tea set, or puzzles, then you realize they haven't brushed their teeth, nor have YOU brushed your teeth! Your stress level rises and before you know it, you are yelling for everyone to "wait on the carpet by the front door!!!" After saying, "okay lets go" about 10 times, you have the keys and you are out the door...once the kids are buckled in, and you get yourself in the front seat, SHIT you realize you forgot your coffee.....out you go again, lock the car door (someone might come and take the kids) run inside, grab your to-go Tim Hortons cup, and you're off 8:29 am...thank goodness the clock in the truck is about 10 minutes fast! You can breathe a sigh of relief once you pull into the parking lot, we made it!!!

I am sure Noah wishes he could go to soccer camp everyday of the summer, but I sure am happy I can have a leisurely morning tomorrow!!

K

chicken lettuce wraps

This is a super easy meal that takes barely anytime at all, and the kids love it (sans the lettuce for them). I don't make these as often as I should, they are so yummy! I use ground chicken, but you can also use ground pork (maybe turkey, I am just not a fan..)

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 package of ground chicken

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 minced garlic cloves

1 minced onion

3 minced celery stalks

1 minced carrot

1/4 cup oyster sauce

1 head of lettuce

Serve with Hoisin sauce, chopped green onions (and crushed peanuts if you like).

First things first, cut the stem off your head lettuce, enough so that you can pull the leaves away, trying to keep the leaves as big as possible, this gets tricky when you get to the inside leaves, but no one is judging you and your lettuce leafing skills. So long as you can put some chicken inside, its big enough. Put aside.

On medium heat, heat the oil, garlic and onion in a sauce pan. Let cook until garlic is fragrant and onion is slightly soft. Add the ground chicken, cook until no longer raw, then add the celery and carrot, mix, then add the oyster sauce. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, until everything is done to your liking.

I usually put my lettuce leaves, chicken, green onions (peanuts) and hoisin sauce on the table in little platters and bowls, and let everyone help themselves...creating their own little pocket wraps. I serve rice along with because the kids really enjoy it, and when they aren't having a 'wrap' it gives them something to eat with their chicken.

Bake up some spring rolls to enjoy with your wrap to make it an Asian inspired night! Clean up is fast and easy!

K

bubbly

Absolutely DEVINE!!! Nice and chilled, a few glasses went down way too smooth....having received this bottle as a gift I had never heard of it, but am so grateful to have experienced such pleasure!! You can find this at Everything Wine for $25.99 a bottle. Col de Salici Extra Dry Prosecco is what you are looking for.

I have found that whenever I go out to eat, I check the menu for a glass of bubbly, so far, I have been in luck at Cactus Club and Browns. Both serving delicious varieties. Prosecco is my drink of choice. I truly enjoy a nice flute (or 2 or 3....)!

Cheers!!

K

mini blueberry muffins

I had blueberries to use up, they were starting to get wrinkly.....so I made these :-)

Mini Blueberry Muffins

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 large egg

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 400. Combine sugar, salt, flour and baking powder. In another bowl combine all the we ingredients, egg, oil, milk and vanilla. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet, mix lightly, add blueberries. Combine until a soft batter forms. Fill your mini muffin tins with cute papers. Fill, and bake for about 12 minutes or until the tops are golden.

A perfect size for perfect little hands!

K

hallelujah

I have finally found something that cleans my glass flat top stove! Don't trust those commercials for the 'Scrudge' sponge by Vileda! I have tried them all....nothing seems to work...until now!

I went to a Norwex party, I have been to one before, but this time I decided to buy the cleaning paste, my sister told me it was amazing, so I gave it a go! I asked the consultant about using it on my stove top, she was confident that I could. That was the first thing I did when my package arrived! And let me tell you, it worked wonders!

For those of you who aren't familiar with Norwex, its an environmentally friendly alternative to cleaning without the use of chemicals, great for those with kids and pets!

You need the slightest amount, with a finger in a cloth, rub the paste, and rub your stove top, it wipes right off!! The best thing is this paste can be used on pretty much anything, smells great and lasts for a long time!!

Contact Carlene Stott to view an online catalogue, monthly specials or to book a home party! carlenestott.norwex.biz

Happy Safe Cleaning!!

K

Creamy Prawn & Mango Curry

Thank you Devon Hall for sharing this amazing recipe from Greedy Gourmet !! It was simply divine, and so so easy!!

Creamy Prawn & Mango Curry

200 grams king prawns/shrimp cleaned and peeled

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp mild curry powder

100 ml light cream

1 ripe mango cubed

cilantro to garnish

1. place oil in a large fry pan

2. place the prawns in the pan and sprinkle with the curry powder

3. when the prawns are pink and almost cooked, add the cream and let it

bubble for a minute or two

4. when the sauce has thickened slightly add the mango stir thoroughly and serve right away.

5. serve on rice (I used Jasmine) and garish with chopped cilantro (I obviously forgot the cilantro!!)

The recipe says it serves 2, I doubled it, you may want to triple it, depending on how many you are feeding.

Delicious!! Will definitely be making this again!! Fredo said next time we should add some green beans!

K

thank goodness for hats.....

I didn't have a shower today....I had no energy. I needed to wash and blow dry my hair, but I didn't...it was hot, I was annoyed and irritated, I still am as I write this....only now I have a beer and dinner on the way! I told a girlfriend my kids got a stomach bug, that lasted a week. I got a 'Beyond irritated/no patience bug" that has lasted pretty much the whole summer...I am sure my neighbors are tired of hearing me yell and discipline....all day!

That is why I say, thank goodness for hats...and thank goodness I found this one at American Eagle for only $9.99! I do remember I was wearing a hat at my bridal shower....it was a Sunday, back then I didn't do my hair on Sundays...that was my lazy day, after watching Coronation Street!!! I might add that the shower was a TOTAL surprise, and I was not happy that my hat blended in with the cream tiles on the walls....I was wearing super big jeans, and my furry boots..I was super shocked they pulled off a surprise, the ugly outfit makes for a better story.

Anabelle laughed at me when I came close to her with my hat on....I guess she thought I looked funny. I was just glad I didn't have to do my hair.

Hoping this 'bug' goes away soon!! and yes...I will shower tomorrow morning.

K

mmmmmmmmm....

My father in law would always make this veggie dish that was so delicious. I finally asked him one day how he did it, glad I asked, because since then I have made it numerous times, and have just started to add it to pasta....we normally would have it as a side dish, or put it on fresh bread (that is still good!) but since the kids love pasta, and it is a great chance for them to eat their veggies I toss it with any kind of noodles. This time, I used Mafaldine?? I have never bought it before?? It's kind of like long, skinny lasagna noodles?? I liked the wavy edges! This is what he told me to do.....

8-10 roma tomatoes

peppers (I used one red, one yellow, one orange. No green, changes the taste!)

1 large eggplant

2 chopped garlic cloves

Chop everything up lengthwise. In large saucepan, fill the bottom with olive oil, maybe 1/4" thick?? Seems like a lot, but it makes a nice sauce with the juices from the vegetables. Add the chopped garlic. Heat the oil and garlic a bit, then add all the vegetables. Let everything heat up and start to cook, once things start to get soft, turn the heat right down, and continue to cook, uncovered. I let it cook for a good hour, I found the longer it cooks the better. Once everything is juicy and kinda mushy, its done. Cook your pasta, drain, then add to your saucepan with saucy vegetable mixture. Coat pasta, add some parmesan cheese and enjoy!!

We had our pasta with a radicchio salad. I love the bitter sting and snap of radicchio, along with the tang of balsamic vinegar. I added chopped celery, some sliced radishes and chopped cucumber. Tossed it with a bit of olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. It tasted fresh and delicious!

Seems I am starting to get back into the swing of things....July was a terrible month....

K

g.r.e.e.n.s......

I have felt an intense need for greens....I picked up Kale and Swiss Chard....this is what I tried..

Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp seasoning salt

Snip off the leaves from the stalk, and break into bite size pieces. Wash and dry thoroughly (best with a salad spinner) In a bowl toss with olive oil and seasoning salt. Arrange a single layer on a cookie sheet, bake at 350 for 15 minutes, until the edges are golden but aren't burnt.

I just googled this recipe. I will be honest, I was not a big fan?? I don't know if I did something wrong, or maybe I just didn't like the taste. Glad I tried them though.

Second......

Sauteed Swiss Chard

This was delicious!! Wash and chop one bunch of swiss chard. In a saucepan put 2 tbsp of olive oil and 3 chopped garlic cloves. Heat the oil and garlic, add the swiss chard, cook until wilted. I put this on top of my pizza that night, it was so yummy! And then the next day I added some things to the cold swiss chard, and had a nice hearty salad...

I added a can of corn, and a can of black beans...it already had the olive oil and garlic from the swiss chard, so no need to add anything else! It was super quick and really delicious!

K

my top 5 diaper bag essentials

I don't know what prompted me to do this post. I think I was watching Anabelle digging in my diaper bag, and thinking about the goodies that consumed the pockets....four out of these five things I had in my diaper bag for Noah as well....so I figured, they have done me good, I might as well share!

#1 Bum Bum Balm by Dimpleskins

This diaper rash balm is awesome!! It seemed to clear up diaper rash just like that! It smells lovely, is a clear balm so you don't get white stuff all over everything while trying to hold legs, grab wipes and a diaper....made locally! 100% cruelty free, and like they say "Never a chemical. Never a worry" They have a little store in New West that carried their whole line of products, as well as some other little baby trinkets (also sold at retailers, check website for locations)! I also loved their unscented Avocado Soap!! I used it the most with Noah, even in the hospital. Their 'Cradle Me' for baby cradle cap, 'Sniffles Eucalyptus Rub' 'BooBoo Goo' and also 'Sweet Cheeks' for chapped cheeks from teething ect. What the heck, the WHOLE line is amazing! I started with a little kit that had sample sizes of everything, so I got to try before I bought large sizes of them all. The kit is $23.95 and the single tins are $12 each. Find them online www.dimpleskinsnaturals.com

Totally worth a drive to the store 451 E. Columbia Street, New Westminster

Tues-Sat 11-5 604-395-MAMA

#2. Travel Sleep Sheep

Oh the sleep sheep...I have both the travel size and crib size! I randomly put this on my registry after a girlfriend was talking to me about while noise and positive sleep associations...I used this consistently in the stroller, playpen, and at home in her crib. For naps and bedtime, Anabelle still uses it, loves the sound of the water. It has 4 soothing nature sounds, a timer, and requires batteries, so maybe a 6th and 7th essential for your diaper bag should be extra batteries and a little screwdriver to change them!! The velcro strap makes it easy to attach to the car seat handle or stroller, and the sound machine is removable so you can easily wash the sheep, or like I did, just bring the soundbox and tuck it behind the car seat padding to avoid extra bulk :-) Another positive was that it has a volume setting, so whenever we were out, I would turn it up all the way to drown out some of the noise.

This is the one I never had for Noah....I WISH I would have!!

Check out the whole line of products www.sleepsheepandfriends.com

#3 Re-usable travel wipe case

I do not use Huggies diapers or Huggies wipes. I have always preferred Pampers products, a personal preference I guess. However, the Huggies travel wipe case I really like! I picked one up one day when I needed extra wipes, then just kept refilling it. It lasted well into Anabelle. Then I did need to get a replacement. You can find nicer ones, but this one suited me just fine. And, it fits nicely into essential #4...see below (my favorite wipes are the Kirkland brand from Costco)

#4 JJ Cole Diapers and Wipes Pod

I had one of these for Noah, and got a girly one when Anabelle came along. Its a sleek wipeable case that comes with a wipeable change pad, will fit a travel wipe case and a few diapers. I liked this because it fits in my diaper bag, and then when Fredo would take Noah or Anabelle out, he would just take this little case instead of the whole bag. He was never gone for long, so all he needed was a diaper change, and it was conveniently packed in this little durable bundle! They carry the line at Babies R Us, as well as a whole slew of other locations....check the website for locations near you! They have come out with some pretty nice new patterns!

www.jjcolecollections.com

#5 Sassy Diaper Sacks

I loved having these tucked inside one of my pockets for when I was out at a friends place, and had to change and extremely stinky diaper! I would either tie it in a sack and leave in my diaper bag to dispose at home, or put it in their garbage, usually the kitchen one, as thats the one that gets taken out the most. I knew that with the fresh powder scent, it would disguise the mess inside the bag! You can buy them all over, I get mine at TJ Kids, $2.99 for 50 Baby Powder scented disposable sacks...I think they are a bit more at Babies R Us

And this, is the bag that holds all the goods!! Skip Hop's Studio Diaper Tote in Pewter Dot!

www.skiphop.com/product/21500.html

I loved that this bag looked like a purse, but was a functional diaper bag! I was hesitant about the stroller clips that replaced the long strap ability to slide over the stroller handle, but they are awesome! They easily clip to my single and double stroller. I got mine at Baby's World but again, they have them everywhere!!

www.babysworld.ca

K

big step

Noah did something huge while we were up in Shuswap at a friends family cabin. The day we arrived, Noah said to me "mom, I am not going on the boat" I didn't ask him too, nor did I even bring it up. It didn't take long for him to change his mind though. The next morning he asked to get his swim stuff and life jacket on, he wanted to go tubing.......

Anabelle was napping at the time so my friend offered to keep an ear out for her, and get her when she woke up. I didn't want to miss what Noah claimed was about to happen, so I jumped on the boat with Alfredo..

When the boat stopped, and the tube was ready to be loaded, Noah did not even hesitate. "My turn, I want to go tubing!" and on he hopped....I was not nervous, I was not scared, I was so happy for him! I could not believe he was about to do this...I was unsure how it would go, but he was doing it non the less. With a smile on his face he accepted the directions from the driver, thumbs up to go faster, thumbs down to go slower.....and we were off....not once during the ride did he take his hands off the handles to give directions, he relied on his buddy (I think he knew if he let go he would have flown off!). I sat watching him all those feet away, at the end of a rope, bouncing on the water on an inflatable device, being pulled by a speed boat. My little Noah...thank goodness for my sunglasses and the wind blowing my hair in my eyes to disguise my tears, I was overcome with emotion, I was so proud of him, WE were proud of him, Alfredo and I could not believe it!

After this first time, he went a few more over the next few days we were there. He had so much fun, Fredo promised him anything he wanted when we got home for being so brave, lol. He chose a plastic mini golf set...

K

every mom needs these!

Thank you to my neighbor who introduced me to individually packets of powdered Pedialyte!! Noah has been quite sick, and to keep on top of his vomiting and diarrhea I have wanted to keep him well hydrated. I normally buy the bottles of Pedialyte and end up throwing it away, usually half full because it has been in the fridge too long! These lovely little packets make 1 cup of Pedialyte, the perfect amount to see how the intake goes!

I know many pediatricians recommend the use of an oral electrolyte solution like Pedialyte to prevent them from becoming dehydrated, especially after diarrhea and vomiting. Pedialyte restores the body's potassium, sodium, and chloride minerals. Something that is key to have on hand, you never know when something like the flu or a tummy bug will hit (like the middle of summer, while on a family vacation! grrrrrrrrrr!).

The crappy thing, is, again, they don't sell them in Canada. They sell the brand Electrolyte here, but not Pedialyte. We all go down to Target, don't we? Make a note to pick some up the next time you go to the USA.

K