Monday, April 30, 2012

Day 127 - YAWN!

We had a good morning - the Little Diva and I went to the play center and hung out with a few of her little friends. She had a blast doing puzzles, reading books and running around like a little goober. She was soon pretty tired and ran to the door and simply told me "home" - it was adorable that she was trying to take her favourite toy with her. I did unfortunately have to remind her that we couldn't take it and when she realized that I was actually going to take her home she was happy to drop off the toy.

She fell asleep in the car on the way home and had a lovely nap (at home). She wasn't however impressed when she woke up to rain and we couldn't go play in the back yard. I'm really hoping that we get some nice warm weather tomorrow because she has all kinds of energy that needs to burn off and there's nothing like fresh air to help speed that along!

Anywho I am off to bed for now - Happy Tuesday to everyone!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Day 126 - Back on Track!

Today was an amazing day. We found a place to hold the Little Diva's second birthday and I'm all excited to get planning. The hubby and I are a little beat up after running after her all afternoon but it was totally worth it! She had a blast and so did we.

I'm looking forward to this week and hoping that potty training will go better. I'm thinking that The Little Diva and I will find more things to keep us distracted this week and hopefully I can sneak in the training! If the weather holds we will for sure be spending WAY more time outside.

Here's to a wonderful week!!

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Day 125 - May resolutions!

Whew - WHERE the HECK is this year getting to? We are fast approaching May and then June and then HALF the year will already be gone... eeek! The time is nigh for me to reevaluate my terrible habit of forgetting to exercise. Ugh I have absolutely no staying power when it comes to this - I was really enjoying my pilates and was super bummed when it got canceled. Perhaps I need to find a new work out that I will have to attend and stick to.

So here it is my May resolution: I WILL get my butt on that treadmill at least 5 times a week (unless I sign up for another workout and then I'll subtract some walking) and I will work harder to cut a bunch of sugar and carbs out of my diet.

Just typing that makes me feel better and now I really have to actually do it. Wish me luck!

My little family and I had a blast with Grano and Grandpa today - we had a delicious lunch followed by a lovely walk outside. The Little Diva had a blast and it tired her out good and proper! She is fast asleep and I am off to unwind a bit before bed time.

Happy Sunday to all!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Day 124 - YAWNERS!

“Sometimes the most productive thing one can do is to sleep".... I found this quote and figured it was fitting for how I'm feeling right now. It's been a long week of potty training and we've had a fair number of successful trips so I'm all kinds of hopeful for next week to continue going well. I'm also really pooped though - looking forward to spending the weekend with my family. :)

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Day 123 - Potty training is kicking my ass...

So yes the Little Diva is starting to "get it" - you know the whole peeing in the potty thing. She's just not seeing the big picture yet. I have spent the majority of this week sitting in the washroom entertaining a little pumpkin on her potty and I have got to say that I am a teeny weenie little bit tired. Potty training is not for the faint of heart! I have also come to the conclusion (sitting in the washroom) that we REALLY need to repaint. What were the previous owners thinking when they painted this dinky room a dark horrendous blue?

But wait - I do digress. So I was saying that the Little Diva was starting to get it. Let me explain what I meant by this. At some point this morning she had a wee little accident (pun intended!) in the kitchen and ran to the washroom for a wipe and change of underwear. Once there she wanted to empty the potty into the toilet and flush the loo. I had to try my best to explain that the peepee made in the kitchen didn't miraculously show up in the bathroom.

Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day! I know the Little Diva can get this I just wish I knew how to make it easier for her.

Sweet dreams to all and a big 'ol happy Friday to yas!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Day 122 - Is this week over yet?

Although we had 3 "successful" potty trips today and fewer accidents there were WAY more tantrums. I am not a fan of crying and screaming. :( Ugh. The little Diva is SO happy when she does use the potty and gets to flush what's in it - down the toilet. I just wish she would connect the two and be HAPPY to go! Oh well - I have my fingers crossed that tomorrow goes better. We have survived 3 days of potty training so far and I'm hopeful that means that the worst is behind us.

I am fast becoming a fan of the "Book of Awesome" blogger. This guy had an AWESOME idea and ran with it and look how well it worked out! I am racking my brains to come up with a unified blog idea of my own. Right now I'm randomly blogging about my day and recipes and I think I lack a little direction.... oh well lets see what I can come up with :)

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Day 121 - Puddles!

So day two of potty training went better than day 1 - we actually had 2 successful potty trips! Woooo hooo! We did have 5 little puddles but I'm getting better at picking up on the Little Diva's cues so I'm confident tomorrow will go even better. She also does not enjoy getting "wet" and alerts me to the problem ASAP!

The little Diva's birthday is coming up fast and we are putting our heads together to plan a super-duper second birthday bash.  I'm looking forward to getting together with friends and family to celebrate. On that note thought, I do need to do some research about places in our area to do parties at so I'm going to scoot and use me some google!




Monday, April 23, 2012

Day 120 - Vegetable Soup!

There's nothing easier than throwing on a pot of yummy chicken and veg soup. Ok - yes perhaps there are MANY things easier - things like pouring a glass of milk or eating a candy bar. But the point I'm trying to make is that soup is easy to make. I started mine out with a little olive oil, onions, mushrooms and garlic in the bottom of my biggest pot. I fried the mix for a few minutes stirring often. I then added a mix of carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, turnips, celery, peppers and 3 chicken breasts. I added water to the pot so that it was almost full - pay attention to the volume of water you add because you need to know how many stock cubes to add. I used a mix of chicken, onion and vegetable cubes. It is possible to find stock cubes without MSG and yeast and other not so great ingredients. Bring the pot to the boil and then let it simmer for the afternoon. Enjoy :)

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Day 119 - Potty Training - Should I be scared?

I have a BIG week planned for the little Diva and myself. We WILL be potty trained by the weekend and by we I mean the little Diva - I myself have been "potty trained" for a good long while already. Wish us luck!

We have 3 adorable potty books, a pile of the cutest teenie weenie little undies and all kinds of patience. At least I hope the patience holds out! I am prepared for a few puddles and tantrums. The little Diva is however a smart cookie so I'm hoping that things progress relatively quickly. FINGERS CROSSED.

In other news if you happen to get your hands on a box of Kraft Minit tapioca GRAB it FIRMLY with BOTH hands. I made this for dessert tonight and it was an instant hit. It took me right back to my childhood. Granted the dessert caused me some grief as a child. An uncle who will not be named told me it was made from frog eggs and that made me cry. Thankfully my mom was on hand to tell me he was a big old liar - not sure If I actually ate the pudding though....

Happy and Healthy week for everyone!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Day 118 - Carrot Salad!

We had a lovely day spent with family and my brother's friend "M" who was visiting from England. The little Diva was at first not too sure about this new guy but she actually gave him a "high-five" before we left so I guess she thought he was ok! :)

I made a carrot salad for the family lunch today. It is REALLY simple to make. You just grate up (shred) a bag of carrots, add a canfull-ish of crushed pineapple and a quarter cup of orange juice. Mix, chill and serve. Remember that you don't want it to be too watery - the orange juice is simply to make sure it's not too dry. This salad is a great accompaniment to a BBQ.

I was all set to hand grate/shred my carrots when my mom reacted with horror that I didn't have a food processor. I honestly didn't know that was what they were for - I just assumed people used them to slice up copious amounts of veggies to make GIANT salads. AND heck - I'm not in the habit of making giant salads so surely I don't need one? Anywho thank goodness Mommers was there to set me straight and my kitchen-aid now has a lovely shredding and chopping attachment. I'm tempted to try make those hash-brown patties with shredded potatoes - because apparently I can do that with this machine - YAY!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Day 117 - Recipe tomorrow?

Ok yes I know I said I would share the recipe today but it is already late, the recipe is downstairs and I am upstairs, and really if someone wanted the recipe that badly I'd probably have a comment requesting it! :)

The little Diva and I had a blast with Grano today. We did some shopping, some mall walking and some attempted potty training. The little Diva had fun telling Grano that everything was "Noo big!" while shopping and we sometimes had to reign in her overzealous exploration of stores. It is amazing just how much energy little ones have! It's exhausting to watch them buzzing around sometimes. hehe Exhausting but oh so rewarding!

I had a weird moment at the grocery store. The cashier stopped and started the conveyor belt and told me to look at the milk. It was jiggling and jumping all over the place. He giggled because as he assured me "it goes jiggle jiggle jiggle". I agreed that yes it was hilarious and felt a little like he was molesting my groceries. Either this kid was crazy or high.  I'm not sure which would be better... lol

I hope that everyone has a truly wonderful weekend and before I go I found this online today and had to share - I just think that the "we have given ourselves" might need to mention some divine intervention too but I do love the words:


To be a parent is to love and nurture,
to lead a child to be a good person.
It is to guide them along the right path
and to both teach them and learn from them.
It is to rein them in, and to give them wings.
It is to smile at their joy, and weep at their pain. It is to walk beside them,

and then one day allow them to walk alone.
To be a parent is a great gift we have given ourselves.
and the greatest responsibility we shall ever have. 

 

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Day 116 - Peanut butter raspberry squares!




I will share this recipe tomorrow cause it's pretty late and I need me some sleep. But if you must have the recipe before then - I got it from my Today's Parent magazine and I'm sure you can find it on their site. These squares are really yummers!

Sweet dreams to all :)

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Day 115 - Quiche FAIL

I decided to make a diet friendly quiche for supper today. The recipe sounded promising but the end results were a tad scary. Ok so yes instead of canned corn kernels I used frozen but I didn't think it would make THAT much of a difference. The quiche was still way to wobbly by the time it was supposed to be cooked so I left it in for another 20 minutes at a higher temperature and it was STILL not done. By now everyone was starving and so I just popped our servings in a frying pan and "scrambled" the extra liquid out of it. I served our hideous quiche with veggies. It tasted great but it looked like some seriously complicated scrambled eggs.

I was able to pour liquid off the rest of the quiche and it now looks like a freaking quiche! I'm thinking that our leftovers are going to taste better than the original :)

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Day 114 - Euro Shams ARRGH!

So here's the deal - the little Diva likes to bump her head on our headboard. Ok maybe she doesn't "like" to bump it - but it happens every now and then and us parentals are not thrilled. The solution we came up with was to buy a stack of Euro Shams - they are nice big square pillows that completely cover the headboard. The regular sized pillows are not to good at it and often look like they are covering it and then whammo you have a headache to show for it!

So yes we have 4 gorgeous big pillows. All I need to do is find covers for them. You would think this would be easy... but apparently no one carries them! The only ones I've found so far were at The Bay and they were $90 for ONE freaking cover! AND they weren't even NICE! The pillow cost $10 - how does a $90 cover make any kind of sense?!?!

Sigh so yes I am currently contemplating making my own freaking cushion cover... stay tuned for THAT adventure :)

Monday, April 16, 2012

Day 113 - Spring Cleaning!

My new favourite spring cleaning tool is those awesome bags you fill with clothes and then vacuum into a flat and easy to store baggy. We are making so much more space by vacuuming and storing extra blankets and stuff. Yay for an almost usable linen closet again! I am De-cluttering like a fiend. There is something deeply satisfying about clearing out stuff you don't use and don't need. I dropped off a bunch of stuff at Goodwill today and hope that by the end of the month I'll have everything organized. Here's hoping I keep the momentum going. I think I just need to watch a few more episodes of hoarders and my house will be immaculately clean and organized!

It was a gorgeous day today - lovely temps in the 20 plus range. The Little Diva and I were able to do our errands without Spring jackets today. I just LOVE that Spring is here a little more every day. My primulas are flowering like crazy and the pansy's I planted in my hanging basket are still happily blooming. I was a little worried that a cold snap would kill them off. I need to get into the back garden and get rid of the weeds that are peeking out from behind my perennials. I'm thinking we need to plant a few blueberry bushes this year to keep up with the little Diva's demand for them!

Until next time :)

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Day 112 - Safe skin care products?!

Ugh! So I'm trying to find safer cosmetics. I currently use the Vichy line to clean and moisturize my face and was pretty confident that they aren't too bad. I got an invite from one of my friends to attend an ArbonneSpa party and thought I would look into those supposedly healthy products. Everything I plug into this website: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ gives me nothing but scary results. I'm not about to grow my own herbs and mash them into pastes so here's hoping my research lands me with some good info. Right now I'm just frustrated - everywhere you turn nowadays somethings going to mess with your hormones or cause cancer. I worry enough about stuff that doesn't matter to add this to my plate as well!

So yeah - if any one out there has some good skin care and make up advice I'm all ears. I'm looking for stuff that preferably doesn't contain scary negative ingredients.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Day 111 - Sleep Deprivation...

I was up WAY too late last night and up WAY too early this morning so I apologize for my lack of typing! We were at the hubby's parentals for a yummy supper tonight and now I sadly need to get my bum to bed. Sweet dreams to all :)

Friday, April 13, 2012

Day 110 - I killed a 6 pack of mingos...

Ugh... so I'm sitting here - watching "Easy A" (LOVE this movie!), trying to blog and thinking about my day. I still can't believe that I went out with the little Diva specifically to pick up yogurt and cereal for her and then left the freaking yogurt on the shelf in the kitchen. By the time I fed her, bathed her and got her to bed the yogurt was warm. UUUGH!! I felt terrible throwing out 6 perfect little tubs of Mingo yougurt - but what can ya do?! Sigh. Here's hoping that I'm not so scatterbrained tomorrow!

Happy Friday everyone - BRING ON THE WEEKEND!!!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Day 109 - Granola bars!

I made the yummiest granola bars today. I found the recipe in my Today's Parent Magazine and was really impressed with them. The recipe claims that they are healthier than store bought ones but they are pretty full of sugar, maple syrup and even a little corn syrup. The hubby suggested that the "healthier" part might be a lack of preservatives. Whatever it is: these things are seriously yummy and when you have a little Diva to fatten up - whole, from scratch filling foods are awesome. The only changes I made was that I used almond flour instead of oat flour and instead of using cranberries I used a mix of blue berries, cherries and cranberries.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup oat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flax meal, seeds or wheatgerm
1/2 cup dried chopped apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbsp corn syrup

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together. Mix liquid ingredients together. Combine together and mix well. Grease a 20x20xm (2l) cake pan and line with parchment paper - allow this to stick over top. Press mixture into the pan and press down well. Bake in the oven for 30 - 35 minutes. Remove from heat and leave in pan for 30minutes. Using the parchment paper pull the bars out of the cake pan and allow to cool like this for a further 30minutes on a cooling rack. Slice into desires size. I sliced mine longways and then simply broke them into chunks rather than leaving them "bar sized".

Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Day 108 - Paleo Diet anyone?

So my sister has convinced me I need to read "The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet" by Robb Wolf. I decided not to buy the book but to come by it the old fashioned way. NO not stealing - geez who do you think I am? I got the book from the library. It was out when I first looked it up but placing a hold meant that it was soon available. I've read the first couple of pages and yes I am intrigued. I'm just not convinced that it will be an switch. I mean NO gluten or grains of any kind... no lentils? No BEANS? Hmm... lets just say that I am currently Uber skeptical but I will keep you all posted as I read more! I also picked up a Paleo cookbook while I was at the library and am intrigued to try a banana bread that is made from almond flour. If I get a moment tomorrow I might try it. 

Stay tuned for more fun and craziness.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Day 107 - Happy Meals!

The little Diva had her first ever happy meal from McDonald's today. We don't eat out very often any more so we figured that junk food once in a while can't hurt. She enjoyed the fries - wasn't too enthused with the chicken nuggets and absolutely LOVED the BOX the meal came in! The toy was a hit too but seriously the box got the most attention. This box was useful for eating fries out of and also doubled as an AMAZINGLY stylish hat. It was a wonderful fun filled family filled day :)


Monday, April 9, 2012

Day 106 - So sleepy!

I don't have much to type - I'm feeling pretty sleepy. The little Diva seems to think her bed time is an hour later than it technically is and she's still waking up at her regular time or earlier so this momma needs to adjust pretty quick if we can't get her back on schedule.

We had a lovely day yesterday with my brother and his family. Aunty M cooked up a wonderful Easter Feast! We were super stuffed when we went home. Any party with 3 desserts is all right in my books. EVEN if one of them looks like Chicken! Hehe There "M" I mentioned the chicken breast pears!  :D They were delicious but definitely looked like a tray of chicken simmering in some sauce. Yummers.

The Little Diva had a blast with her Easter Basket. Our lazy bunny didn't hide her goodies this year but she still had a tonne of fun carrying her basket around and packing and unpacking the goodies. She also had fun playing with two of her cousins. We were a little bummed that the rainy weather kept us all inside but what can ya do!

Here's hoping for more warm weather so we can keep playing outside!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Day 105 - Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

I made carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for Easter gifts this year. I used THIS recipe. I didn't put the walnuts in though because certain little people sometimes spit things out if there are too many textural surprises.... unless of course she's eating peanut butter cookies - then they can be as chunky and filled with chocolate chips, coconut and oatmeal as can be imagined and she'd still eat them!

The recipe is actually for a cake but I used it successfully to make cupcakes. I backed them for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. I hope you have the same success. Keep them refrigerated and they are even yummier!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Day 103 - Happy Weekend :)

Here's wishing you and yours a truly Blessed Easter, Passover or long weekend - No Judgement here - you just better make sure to make the most of this weekend. EVEN if making the most of it means sleeping :D

Today was a GORGEOUS sunny day and we're hoping for more of the same tomorrow so that our kiddie can have fun outside with her cousins tomorrow. Stay tuned for a play by play run down of the Easter Festivities and of course the recipe for the yummy cupcakes I baked tonight.




Friday, April 6, 2012

Day 102 - No baking but I got some Chocolate Chip Hot-Cross buns!

Hmm... so yes I didn't do any baking today - BUT I did go for a lovely walk to our neighbourhood bakery to pick up some hot-cross buns. They unfortunately didn't have a Halal sticker on them - but I'm just going to go ahead and assume they are Halal. :P

This bakery makes both traditional and chocolate-chip hot-cross buns. I saw them there last year but wasn't brave enough to pick up a batch. This year I did and had a chocolate one earlier today. I was pleasantly surprised. I think I might have used a different brand of chocolate chips but on a whole they are pretty darn yummy. There is a regular hot-cross bun sitting downstairs right now calling my name and as soon as I've blogged I plan to have a lovely cup of decaf coffee and enjoy the bun.

The Little Diva, Hubby and I had an awesome low-key day. I spent some time with the Diva outside in the garden and sandbox while my awesome hubby did out taxes. I think I definitely got the better end of the deal even if I spent a large chuck of time trying to convince a determined little munchkin to keep the sand IN the sandbox. We eventually had to come back inside because little fingers were getting chilly. I'm hoping that the weather doesn't get too cold again any time soon because it is fun to let the Little Diva explore outside!

In other news I am still so freaking stuffy I could contemplate spork removal of sinuses again. I'm wondering if it's time to change the furnace filter or if I really need to do a deep vacuum and dusting of the house. What better excuse for in-depth Spring-cleaning than suspected allergies? Ugh - perhaps I'll have to do that tomorrow. It will definitely be awesome to leave the house on Sunday for Easter brunch with the family and return to a spotless house. Now here's to actually putting that plan into action tomorrow :)

Wish me luck with my spring cleaning and I wish you all a wonderful Easter Weekend.


Thursday, April 5, 2012

Day 101 - It is too early for allergies :(

Ugh - my nasal passages are currently not my best friends. I really hope that I am fighting off the start of a cold because if this is the start of my allergies I have a LONG allergy season ahead of me! I didn't really do too much today. I ran a few quick errands this morning and spent an hour or two walking around the mall with my awesome little family. The little Diva's table and chair set arrived today and once Daddy put them together she was super happy to sit on her chair and watch TV! I really think I need to cut back on her couch potato-ey habbit just a wee bit. But I know as soon as it warms up a little bit again we will spend the majority of out time outside - YAY Spring!

Anywho I am pretty exhausted so I'm going to put my bum to bed and hope my sinuses get over their "being plugged" phase while I sleep. Stay tuned for my carrot muffin recipe tomorrow or Saturday.


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Day 100 - Hot-Circle Buns!

 Okey dokey so today was the day to bake my Hot-Circle Buns. I haven't had the greatest luck with Google-ing bun recipes in the past so I turned to my mommers. This picture to the right is her Hot-Cross Bun recipe. Now you may be asking yourself why the recipe says "Chelsea Buns" at the top. If you read further you will also be wondering why it has no instructions after a portion of step two.

These are both really important questions..... For whatever reason the Chelsea bun recipe works great as a Hot-Cross bun recipe.... and well I'm not sure my mom actually knows what happened to the rest of the recipe. So lets ignore all of that and pretend we know what we're doing! I would suggest reading the instructions on whichever yeast you decide to use. Mine was the quick rise stuff and I was told to knead the dough (5 minutes-ish in my Kitchen Aid); let it rest for 10 minutes and then shape it into buns. I had to leave the buns covered in a warm spot until they had almost doubled in size.
Ingredients:
835ml Cake Flour
10ml instant dry yeast
60ml granulated sugar
1 egg beaten
45g softened butter
200ml lukewarm milk
1 cup of raisins
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1 tsp cinnamon
2 or 3 tbsp maple syrup (for glaze)
1/4 cup icing sugar (for decorating)

Set the oven for 350 degrees.

I sifted all of the dry ingredients together and then added the liquid ones. I used the hook attachment in my Kitchen Aid to knead it all together. If it is too dry or too wet simply add a little more milk or flour until it looks like dough. Let it sit in the mixer for 10 minutes to rest. Make sure you check what your yeast tells you to do. After 10 minutes I broke the dough into pieces and rolled them into balls. I places these on a greased (with olive oil) baking sheet. I covered them with cling wrap and placed a dishtowel over that. I spent the next little while checking to see if the buns had grown in size and after about an hour they were looking good.

If you would like to pipe the circles or crosses onto the buns before you bake them you can use a mix of flour and enough water to make a thick paste. Put this paste in a zipper bag - cut off a corner and pipe over the buns.

Put the buns in the oven. The cooking time will vary based on the size of your buns. I would check them after approximately 20 minutes. They should be slightly browned and tapping on the bottom should produce a hollow sound. Once they are cooked remove them from the oven and place onto a cooling rack.

While they are still piping hot use a brush to coat the buns in the maple syrup. If you are icing the crosses or circles on now wait until the buns are cold. Use 1/4 cup icing sugar and enough water to make a thick icing to pipe on the circles.

If you have cherries I would suggest subbing some of them in for a portion of the raisins. I unfortunately didn't have any in the house but they are super yummy in this kind of bun. You could also use more traditional pecans in place of the pistachios. Oh and I put my raisins in a pot with about a cup of coffee and boiled them for 5 minutes to plump them up before draining and using them in the recipe (let them cool a little first).

I hope these work out for you - happy baking! I have an AMAZING carrot cake muffin recipe to share later this week :D

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Day 99 - So sleepy!

So the Little Diva, Dadoos, Daddy and I had a lovely day shopping today. The little Diva got a few cute things for summer and I cannot wait for it to warm up enough to put the little girl in shorts and skirts! Speaking of warming up I do hope that it's nice enough for her to play outside in her sandbox tomorrow. 

Anywho I would love to type more but I think I will save it for tomorrow. Stay tuned for my hot-cross bun recipe - there will be pictures :D

Monday, April 2, 2012

Day 98 - Halaal Hot Cross Buns

Ok so I HAVE to share this because it is making me laugh and I figured there were more people out there who could do with a good laugh! So there is a Grocery Store in South Africa called Woolworths - I guess the Canadian equivalent is probably Longos, but that is really besides the point. Woolworths has upset a handful of Christians because their Hot Cross Buns are certified Halaal. Here is the news article *CLICK*

I cannot get over how ridiculous this is. Who freaking cares? If anything it would be nice to offer a Muslim friend a Halaal certified bun if they happen to pop over around Easter time. I'm all for sharing your religion - just not in the knock on doors and try and recruit method (I'm not judging though - I just wouldn't have the staying power to keep going with all the doors that get closed in your face). Every year I have a blast stuffing and cooking Halaal chickens to share the Christmas holiday's with my Muslim family; and every year I look forward to celebrating Eid with them too.

The little Diva is super spoilt with all of the family holidays she gets to celebrate. I think diversity is absolutely necessary and absolutely wonderful. Imagine how boring the world would be if everyone did and believed the same things. The way I see it - humanity is a diverse collective of souls and there is simply more than 1 road to God. And I use the term God loosely - you can fit "divine spark", "earth mother" or whatever you need to into that spot. As long as you're a decent human being and follow the golden rule of "do unto others as you'd have done to you" it really doesn't matter if you're Hindu, Catholic, Agnostic, Muslim, baptist, Anglican, Buddhist, Scientologist etc.

I really don't get why people are so freaked out by these buns. Seriously if your religion is so tied to a little fruit bun with a cross on it that you have to boycott a grocery store for making it Halaal then you really have bigger issues to deal with. The worst part is that Wolworths has bowed to public pressure and now offers Halaal and non-halaal buns. Which is just rediculous because you know the only difference between those buns is that one has "Halaal" stamped on the packaging. This makes me laugh way too much!

So after all that - I am planning to make hot cross buns this week - to share with both the Muslim and Christian side of our family. I'm contemplating putting circles on my buns. Perhaps the circles could symbolize Inclusion or unity. Stay tuned for that baking adventure. In the mean time here's wishing everyone a happy stress free evening!

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Day 97 - Pistsachios with salt AND pepper!!

OH MY GOODNESS - if you haven't tried salt and pepper pistachios yet you really need to do yourself a favour and try them. I am never going to chose plain old salted pistachios over the pepper ones again if I have a choice.

We had another fun family day today. We took the little Diva shoe shopping and all that really accomplished was that we learned two things: 1 - she could "stomp" really well in the shoes she tried on (yup tantrums cause she wanted Timbits LOL) and 2 - that the mall we picked really wasn't optimal for kids shoes we kept having sales associates tell us to go to another one. So yes - we will make a point to do that at some point :D

Anywho it's time to relax and get ready to watch Spartacus AND Game of Thrones - YAY Hope the week ahead brings health and happiness!