Day 5 - Trust me you wish you were there!!

So today has been a wonderful freaking day! We spent part of the afternoon with my Mom and Dad and my brother and his family. My sis-in-law M made the most DIVINE Cape Malay food to celebrate our South African Heritage and of course the end of the year! Trust me when I say to you that YOU WISH YOU WERE THERE!! Nothing hits the spot quite like a good curry (Tomato Bredie) and then a delish dessert (Koeksusters with coconut) to round it all off.

I don't have an in-depth recipe to share with you today - after our yummy lunch we needed something light for supper. I ended up making tuna sandwiches and cut up veggies. My one "cooking" tip today (if you like curry) is to add a dash or two of curry to your tuna and mayo. I think it's freaking yummers!

I cannot believe that 2011 is winding down all I keep thinking to myself is "Where did the year go??" But then I retrace the last few months and realize that there were many, many things that filled our days. There were highs and lows, happy times and sad times, milestones that were reached and many, many amazing fun, family and friend filled days! There were way less doctor visits for the little Diva and for this I am truly grateful. She is growing so well and learning new things every day!

I can't believe how blessed I am with my wonderful family and friends. Thank you so much to all of you - the ones I see often, those I hear from via email or phone call and those on Facebook - even those of you who read my blog :D I'm not sure there are too many of you but I'm having fun so I will keep it up.

I hope that you all had a wonderful 2011 and I hope that 2012 brings only good things your way!

Day 4 - Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

 So today has been quite the busy one. The poor Little Diva is growing molars and they turn her into quite the grump-a-lump! She took two naps today which she hasn't done in AGES and then she was a wee bit of a handful to get to sleep after her bath. Here's hoping she's a happy camper tomorrow! I did end up making two pots of soup today - but it's already late and one of them still needs to be pureed - so I may blog about those later in the week. For now I figured I'd share a recipe I discovered and edited a few months ago. My sis-in-law was having a get together. The conversation went as follows:

Me - So do you want me to bring anything?

Sis - yes that would be great could you make a dessert?

Me - sure thing any requests?

Sis - how about a coffee cake?

Me - do you mean a coffee flavoured cake or a cake you eat with coffee?

Sis - a cake you eat with coffee..

Me - ok I haven't made one of those before but I will find a recipe!

 

We will skip over the part where sis-in-law was surprised at my lack of coffee cake experience. Trust me - I was equally horrified :D I guess I tend to make cakes with icing of some sort. Anywho to get to the point - I found a recipe and substituted buttermilk for sour cream, walnuts for peacans and the rest is history! This cake tends to get finished when taken to functions. Here it is - enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Margerine
• 5 ml vanilla essence
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 5 ml Baking Powder
• 2.5 ml baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup chopped peanuts or walnuts 
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat sugar, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add to sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.
2. Mix walnuts or pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spoon half of the pecan mixture into greased donut shaped cake tin and top with a third of the cake batter. Repeat the layers.
3. Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack. Loosen cake from side of pan with spatula or knife. Invert cake onto wire rack; gently remove pan. Cool completely. 

DAY 3 - My "not quite tartar sauce but it's yummy" sauce!

 

Okey dokey - so we in this household do love our tartar sauce with out fish! One fine "fish for dinner" evening we had run out of our condiment of choice and after perusing some tartar sauce recipes on the internet I came up with the following recipe. It's not exactly the same as tartar sauce but we enjoy it!

Put the following ingredients in a bowl:
1/4 cup Mayo
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped pickles (sweet)
1 clove garlic chopped
1 heaped table spoon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

 What to do with the ingredients:
Give them a good mix and put the bowl in the fridge until you're ready to eat it!

This recipe makes enough for 2-4 people. I served it with crumbed pink salmon, brown rice and beans and carrots.

Day 2 - Indian Style Tofu

 Ok so lets make something savory today. The hubby and I have been on a health kick for the last couple of months (damn you high cholesterol!!) and I try to cook meat-free dishes every couple of days. The diet has done wonders and it really has changed the way I cook and the way we eat! This recipe is one of our favourite meatless alternates.

some of the ingredients required

 Ingredients:
1 packages of Tofu (prefer the xtra firm silken)
1 large tomato
1medium onion
1 pepper (any colour)
30ml (or to taste) Clubhouse Indian Masala curry*
15 ml lemon juice
15ml olive oil
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

The tofu is now ready to go into the oven

What you do:
Set the oven to 425F/220C and line a baking tray with lightly oiled foil. Open the tofu and pour off the water. Cut the tofu into squares and put it into a dish with a lid. Cut up the onion, garlic, pepper and tomatoes into smallish pieces and add to the dish. Now add the lemon juice, olive oil, spices, salt and pepper. Close the lid and gently move/shake the container around to mix the contents. If you have time to waste you can place the container in the fridge for an hour or two to marinade - but if like me you need dinner ready then just go ahead and dump this onto your oiled baking tray.

Cook for 30minutes on the middle rack.


 How to serve it?

Indian style Tofu with couscous and mixed steamed veggies

 I tend to serve the tofu with rice, couscous or quinoa and an assortment of steamed veggies. This evening I used couscous and a mix of cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and lima beans.


* If you don't have the premixed clubhouse spice these work just as well:

15ml Curry powder
2.5ml Tumeric
Red Chilli powder to taste

If there are any recipes that you would like me to share or to try please feel free to leave me a comment and I will see what I can do!!

Day 1 - Spiced Chocolate Crackles

Ok so here we go with the first tried and tested recipe! I have made these cookies several times over the holiday season. They are gluten and dairy free and are richly decadent!

The recipe comes from The Toronto Star's Advent Cookie Calendar. Here is a link: http://www.thestar.com/living/article/1097718

I followed the recipe for the most part but left out the chilli spice. I doubt that they spice actually makes the cookies "hot" but they were going to be consumed by children so I didn't want to take the risk! As it turns out the cookies are soft and rich like Chocolate brownies and the little Diva throws a fit if she even catches a glance of them and isn't offered at least one bite!! The hubby wasn't the biggest fan of these but the majority of the other family members who tried them (3 of them Gluten intollerant) LOVED them!

I plan to make my Indian Style Tofu tonight so stay tuned for the recipe and pictures tomorrow.

For those of you not wanting to click the cookie link here is the text recipe:

Spiced Chocolate Crackles
 
225 g semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter
1-1/4 cup (310 mL) ground almonds
1 tsp (5 mL) ancho chili powder
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each: ground cinnamon, ground cloves, table salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
1/2 cup (125 mL) icing sugar, sifted

In double boiler or heatproof bowl fitted over a gently simmering pan of water, melt chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. (I just did mine on low heat in a pot) Remove from heat. Stir in almonds, ancho, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

In large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla until pale and thick, 2 minutes. Fold in chocolate mixture until combined. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. (I left mine in the fridge over night and they worked perfectly)

Form dough into 1-inch (2.5-cm) balls. Roll balls in icing sugar. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets 2-inches (5-cm) apart.

Bake on middle rack of preheated 350F (180C) oven until puffed, cracked and dry at edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely. Store in airtight container up to 1 week.

365 Project!

Ok so here's the deal - I am going to attempt to complete a 365 project. This endeavor (whether or not I succeed) is my little sister's fault. And I say "fault" with all kinds of sisterly love. It is also her fault that I have an almost complete first draft of a novel on my laptop - and I love her for that. I'm not sure that I've ever been terribly disappointed by one of her suggested adventures :D

Sooo in a nutshell the point of a 365 project is to do something each day for 365 days and to blog about it. Here are a few examples:

http://astrangeraday.tumblr.com/page/2 - this person spoke to a stranger a day using tattoos as a conversation starter

http://365jars.com/ - this person hid "art jars" each day for a year with her contact info on them and collected info about the finders!

Anywho there are lots and lots of examples out there on the big old internet if you have a search engine and some time to blow. I personally would LOVE to do a "hiding" project because covert hiding operations and hearing about who found your objects sounds like WAY too much fun. There are however logistical issues that have convinced me that this is a bad idea. Firstly and really this one is pretty much the reason I don't want to do it - the idea of strangers figuring out who I am or where I live freaks me out no end. Also I know Id be convinced that everyone was following me or looking at me suspiciously as I tried to hide whatever it was I was hiding. Let's just say that I wouldn't be a prime candidate to replace either Santa or the Easter Bunny. :D

Plus and this is a biggie - I'd be exposing the Little Diva to the same scary, creepy, stranger fearing experience and I cannot do that!! Picture me screaming and running hysterically through a park - pushing the Little Diva's stroller at a ridiculous speed while non stalking strangers eyes us suspiciously as we pass. It is not a pretty picture - hilarious - but not pretty.

So I thought to myself - What the heck can I realistically expect to do on a daily basis that I can blog about? I considered doing a photo blog - but that didn't really include much writing and as a person who fully intends to get published (and  to rake in some movie deals) I thought it may be a wee bit important to practice my art.

So yes I was at the questioning stage. I concluded that I spend the vast majority of my time running after the Little Diva - and I also I tend to prepare at least 2 or more meals a day (WAY more if you consider all the things I offer the Little Diva throughout the day). Cooking and Baking was the clear winner. I decided not to exploit my kid (much) - although you can bet she will get several mentions throughout this blog (as will the hubby) because lets face it - they are generally the people being exposed to my baking and cooking. So yes this will be a 365 recipe sharing adventure.

Welcome to 365 days of Eating - let the adventure BEGIN!!!

Adventures in Gluten-free baking (and cooking)!!

A number of my family members have (in the last year or two) discovered that they have various "intolerances". NO I'm not talking about intolerances to stupid people, waiting in line, snow, calories and fungus-infested-unidentifiable fridge leftovers. I'm taking about gluten and dairy intolerance. I love baking so it has been entertaining to try various gluten-free recipes to feed to these family members. I find that many recipes are little disappointing and that it does take some time to find things that work. The hardest part is making things that don't taste "gluten-free (GF)". Many of the GF flours have strong tastes to them and they can alter the taste of a cookie quite dramatically.

My little sister who is Gluten and Dairy intolerant (also SEVERELY allergic to stupid people) is currently visiting from South Africa and spent a week with us. We tried several recipes while she was here and most cooking escapades started with me handing the sister several ingredients and saying, "Check can you eat these?" If she said "no" to any items I invariably handed her a different option and this continued until we had amassed enough "safe" ingredients with which to construct something edible!

I have a family "dateball" recipe that I often used to make when I was a student as a study snack. The original recipe calls for crushed marie biscuits but when my sister and I recently shopped for ingredients we couldn't find a suitable GF biscuit and the store we were at. It was late - the little Diva was getting cranky and so we settled on a box of GF brown rice crispies. The plan was to make these together after The Little Diva went to sleep.... buut thanks to teething she didn't go to bed until after her aunty. I ended up making these myself before bed because I needed to unwind. The resulting snacks were - if I may say so myself - freaking awesome!! I might even go so far as to say they were better than the originals.

Here is the recipe I used in its modified form:

Ingredients:
175g butter (I used Earth Balance buttery flavoured spread - you can get this at Metro, Superstore etc)
 200g palm sugar (Bulkbarn)
100g white sugar (you can use palm sugar here too I just didn't have enough! :))
250g dates finely chopped
1tsp vanilla essence
approximately 3 cups of brown rice crispies (Metro, Bulkbarn or Superstore)
Coconut

Method:
Melt the butter in a large pan on the stove (medium heat) and add the sugar. Stir until it has dissolved. Add the dates and cook until they feel soft.You should continue to stir the mix to keep it from burning (I like to up the heat a little if I'm actively stirring). I tend to cook the dates for 5 or so minutes after they soften because I like the date balls to be firmer. Remove the pot from the hot stove plate and stir in the vanilla essence and the rice crispies. Stir in enough of the rice so that the mixture isn't too sticky. You need to be able to roll it into balls. Be warned that the mixture is going to be VERY VERY hot. Using a spoon grab a nice heaped teaspoon and drop it into the coconut - dip it and then roll into a ball. I find that it's easier to do it this way until the mixture has cooled enough. Perhaps it is all on my head but the coconut seems to act as a bit of an insulator! When it is cooler you can go ahead and roll the balls before dropping them in the coconut. Leave them to cool and enjoy :)

There you have it - the first of hopefully many tried and tested GF recipes!

Mobile's and music things and why they SUCK!

The inventor's of Baby Mobile's have, via disgustingly complicated equations and nightmare inducing experiments on cute fluffy animals, discovered exactly how much music it takes to send a teeny, tiny, little human directly to slumber land. They have used this information to ensure that EVERY single mobile/wind up musical ornament stops exactly 10 seconds before this happens. Try as you may - there is NO way to wind these damn things up any further. If you succeed in winding them further than intended they usually cease to make any sound at all.

The little Diva, had until recently been terrified of the two wind up mobiles on her shelf. The music would start - she'd seem happy and then the little bottom lip would start to quiver and all out sobbing would commence. The only way to calm her down would be to get her as FAR from the offending musical gadget as possibly... that or hide out in the washroom with the extractor fan going!

Anywho - a few weeks passed and she kept bugging me to play with her music box. I thought, "What they heck lets try this again". It turned out she'd got over her irrational fear of the plinking music and was finally a FAN! The only problem was that she wanted me to wind up said musical gadgets to lull her off to sleep.

It takes a minimum of three wind-ups to get her to sleep. I'll be rocking her - she'll be heavy - I'll be convinced that "She's REALLY sleeping this time" and the music will stop. Her eyes flick open, she points and says "Shhhtop". I wind up the toy. Re-adjust the Diva and we do it all again.

Those of you thinking, "Well why don't you just keep humming the music when it stops?" Let me tell you how well this works: NOT AT ALL! I mean I know I don't have the greatest singing voice, but come on even I can hum. It DOES NOT WORK.

I can hear you in the back there - muttering to yourself, "Why don't you just quickly wind the toy before it stops - I'm sure she will stay asleep". This DOES NOT work either. Do you want to know why? BECAUSE the sadistic toy inventors have made it IMPOSSIBLE to quietly wind these things. It CAN NOT be done!

So yes - I'm currently contemplating recording the music box's sound and playing it on a loop. I'm sure however that the Little Diva won't be fooled. The freaking toy needs to move too!!



(Honestly though I do enjoy my snuggle time with The Little Diva - I just sometimes (after the 4th or 5th wind) wish that the toys could wind up just that much longer!!)

World Prematurity Day...

I have been absent from my blog for a while doing this: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/dashboard
You can take a look at the site but basically I'm trying to write a novel in 30 days - so far I'm terribly behind but being a mommy (and a naturally born procrastinator) will do that to you - but the creative juices are flowing and I'm convinced I'm sitting on a New York Times Bestsellers List book so stay tuned!

I decided though that I really needed to take a break from the fiction scribbling to acknowledge World Prematurity Day. I've spent a large part of today reading stories from other families with preemies and I'm about to burst with all of the emotions within me. My heart breaks for those families who didn't get to bring their babies home and it overflows with joy for those who did. You can check them out on Facebook but you probably should have a box of tissues handy: http://www.facebook.com/WorldPrematurityDay

Our story began on May 31st when I was rushed via ambulance to a hospital with a level 3 NICU when we were just 26 weeks pregnant. My cervix had started to open and there was a very real concern that the little Diva's birth was imminent. A doctor there painted a very grim picture of possible infections for myself and the little Diva - he wanted us to have an emergency c-section that night.

I am eternally indebted to the nurse who comforted me and told me in no uncertain terms, "Don't you DARE agree to a c-section tonight - you are going to be here for weeks still growing your baby". I was an emotional wreck - we all were - but her words were the anchor that got us through that first night.

I went on to spend 2 and a half weeks on hospital bed-rest. We delivered our 2 pound 4 ounce baby girl via emergency c-section at 28 weeks and 4 days. She was the smallest baby we had ever seen. We were terrified. She was so tiny and seemed so fragile that I was afraid I'd hurt her just by holding her.

They say that You don't know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have  and the next 3 months were a true reflection of this quote. We went through the roller-coaster that is the NICU. There were good days and bad days - days I'd like to forget and days of immense happiness. We came out the other side stronger as a family and more terrified of germs that any one should ever be.

We've had our Little Diva home for over a year now and she is doing wonderfully. We (as a family) are forever grateful for each of the doctor, nurses, friends and family members who accompanied us on our journey through the NICU and the days since we came home. I hope that all of the families still going through their NICU journeys are as blessed as we were with a loving and caring support system and I hope for long and healthy pregnancies to those who are pregnant!

Being Alive in the Moment..

I read a comment in my "Today's Parent" magazine where a mom spoke of combating stress by remembering to "live in the moment". I've been thinking a lot about that comment ever since. It has really resonated with me because I tend not to "live in the moment" a lot of the time. I'm so busy thinking about the next 3 million things I have to do that the present too often becomes a blur. I end up stuck in an anxiety filled puddle - worried that I'm not doing enough. Worried that I'm somehow less of a person because I can't seem to keep on top of the laundry and the cleaning and every other freaking thing I seem to think I HAVE to do!

Well that ends NOW.

Or rather, I'm going to work on ending this destructive pattern of thought day by day until I'm once again a happier, more relaxed individual. My family are my priority and as long as they are happy and healthy then the laundry can wait for another day. (Unless of course we're basically out of clothes: Then I might need to harness some stress to get it cleaned. I'm thinking that having to join a nudist colony will add another whole dimension of stress. I'm not a big fan of stranger nudity - especially if said strangers is doing something like mowing their lawn or stooping and scooping after their dog - UGH!)

Here's to focusing on the moments as they unfold. I tried this today while walking at the mall with the Little Diva. I stood tall, savored each sip (ok most of the sips) of my coffee and laughed with her as she sprinkled her treats and milk all over herself. Enjoying her enjoyment makes way more sense than being frustrated because she spilled her milk! Who cares!! In the grand scheme of things getting sticky is fun - and milk washes out :) Also, I'm sure there are a few critters living in the mall who are right now enjoying those treats!

Anywho I'm on my way to being "in the moment" as far as refreshing sleep goes. So I'll bid you all a GREAT, AWESOME and AMAZING night! Sweet Dreams all :)

Adventures in Weaning!

I have decided that it is time to wean the little Diva. I have this terrible fear that if I don't hurry up and get with the program she'll soon be commenting in full sentences about the milk. "Yo mommers could you lay off on the spicy food - I feel like I have to chase my milk with some tums" or, "Mmm the almond butter  you had for lunch really enhances the flavour". I'm sure that in reality we are a LONG way from that but she has started trying to climb down my shirt in public and really I think enough people have already seen my cleavage without her adding the entire checkout line at the grocery store to that list.

So yes, we were at the point where I had decided to commit to this plan. The little Diva though didn't quite share my enthusiasm. The plan was to only breastfeed in the morning when she wakes up and in the evening before she goes to sleep. The rest of the day would be devoted to her sippy cup.

We tried a ridiculous amount of different bottles and formula's before giving up on those and moving on to sippy cups with homogenized cows milk. We tried cups with spouts, cups with nipples, cups with straws, cups with silicon spout things; we tried warm milk and cold milk and milk chilly right from the fridge and the responses were pretty much the same. The little Diva would chew on the spout/nipple/straw get a tiny bit of milk into her mouth and make a ridiculous noise. This noise sounded something like a mix of hissing and gargling and the point she's making was CRYSTAL clear. GROSS I DON'T WANT THIS!! 

So with this in mind we picked out the cup that was least offensive and planned to add cold milk right from the fridge (the least offensive way to drink it apparently). Day one of weaning was heartbreaking. The little Diva was so unimpressed with me. She knew what she wanted, and she knew that I KNEW what she wanted and she couldn't understand why on earth I wouldn't give her what she wanted! I kept offering the sippy cup and all manner of snack and tried to shush the little voice in my head telling me what a horrible human being I was. We finally reached a truce and went our for our errands - the horrible sippy cup in tow - and the little Diva slept pretty much the entire time we were out.

Day two went a lot better - she drank a bit more milk throughout the day and we didn't have any angry outburts aimed at yours truly. The little voice got a little quieter and a different voice started whispering about how big the Little Diva was getting and I felt a sense of nostalgia for the days when she'd fall asleep on my chest. We spent all that time in the hospital teaching and urging her to breastfeed and now I'm trying to convince her to move on to a cup. Yup the little voice is still whispering ever so quietly...

Anywho enough about the voices in my head and lets fast-forward a few days. We went to visit Granny and while trying to convince the Little Diva to use her sippy cup granny suggested trying a different bottle that she had. Granny's bottle was an INSTANT hit. I was absolutely floored. We spent so much time and money trying the other bottles and the one she's decided she likes is a teeny little Rubbermaid lunchbox bottle!! A lovely $2.57 at Walmart. Since the discovery at Granny the days have been a LOT easier. The little Diva is actually excited to see her bottle - now if I can only teach her not to shake and squirt it everywhere once she's had enough!

Best of luck to anyone else out there who is battling with weaning and the self inflicted guilt!

Where has the year gone?

I find that the more I promise that I'll post more frequently - the less I actually post. So here's to no more promising of posts - if I type, I type and if not - well then there won't be anything to read....

Life has progressed at its usual, hectic, and fun-filled pace since my last post. As a result there's so much to type I don't really know where to start. Hmmm... well the last BIG event would have to me my becoming a Canadian Citizen! It was an amazing day and I'm so thrilled to be able to call myself a Canadian! The little Diva had fun too for the most part until she became over tired and then it took two sets of Grandparentals and her daddy to get her to sleep. I had to sit with the other "Canadians in the Making". When she wasn't over tired and cranky she had fun waving my little Canadian flag and running around while Granny hung onto one of her hands. I was off to the Passport office a few days later and am now also the proud owner of a Canadian Passport - YAY!!!

We had two separate family get-together's to celebrate my Canadianism and both were fantastic - so wonderful to be able to spend time with everyone. I cannot believe that it is already October... seriously where did the year go? It feels like just day's ago we rolled into January and now here we are. It is October, the little Diva is running all over the place and we've even dared to take her to the Early Learning Centre near our house. For the most part she seems to enjoy herself there. She tends to keep more to herself at the moment but I"m sure she'll interact with the other children more and more. Hopefully as she gets less shy, this mommy gets less terrified of potential germs!

I finally managed to book myself in for a massage today and although I now know EXACTLY where each and every one of the hundreds of knots in my back are - I do feel better. I just need to squeeze in a few repeat appointments before the end of the year.

I'm also in the process of trying to wean the little Diva to a sippy cup. She however has other ideas and is not that impressed with my attempts to convince her that Homogenized Cow's milk is just as tasty! About a month ago she decided to start refusing her one morning bottle (the one I hid her vitamins in) almost as if she could sense my impending attempt at weaning! It has been entertaining trying to find a bottle or cup that she'll take to since then. Right now we've settled on a playtex sippy cup with a spout and it looks like we're having some success.

Anywho it's getting late so I best be off. I'll typed again when I do!

:D

It has been a while...

Well it has been a while since I blogged and I must apologize for that! The last week or so has been pretty crazy busy. It was filled with apple picking, a play date, Eid celebrations X2, shopping with Granny, a birthday party celebration for the Diva's aunty (Queen Mom) and the EXCITING news that I am becoming a Canadian citizen on Thursday! I am super excited about it. The ceremony is at 9am so hopefully the little Diva lets us get to bed at a decent hour the night before so that I can actually look as excited as I feel!

The apple picking was quite the experience. The little Diva spent the majority of the time watching her older cousin pick the apples. She seemed pretty amused and I could almost hear her thinking that this process was WAY more involved than picking up a bag of apples at the grocery store! We spent about an hour there and by that time the sis-in-law and I were MELTING. The humidity was wreaking havoc with my straightened hair and we were both concerned that dripping makeup was imminent! We quickly sat down for a picnic lunch. We spent the approximately 10 minutes it took to wolf down our food fighting off scary looking hornet-type creatures. They seemed to be after our drinks and food and they scared the heck out of the little princess. Bugs or no bugs though she was happy to get going because she didn't want to eat her tea biscuit because it had "leaves" in it. Damn that parsley!!

The little Diva had a play date with a little friend of hers last week and they had a BLAST playing with her ball popper. She was quite happy to share her toys until the toy in question was her black cow (it is part of an adorable farm animal set from IKEA)! Who knew that this one had any sentimental qualities? I sure didn't. The little Diva got a lesson in sharing and sobbed until we distracted her with something else. The brown cow didn't work!

Hmm what else - The Eid celebrations were a lot of fun. Getting dressed in traditional Indian Clothing is a blast. I'm a huge fan of the sparkles! The little Diva pulled of her outfit beautifully and kept everyone amused as she ran all over the place with either myself or Daddy hanging onto an arm. I just about have an anxiety attack several times a day since she started walking. Every wobble or lunge or too fast step has me panicking that she might fall or bump her head. I'm seriously beginning to question how parent's survive? I do need to learn to relax a little - either that or I need a good shrink or some heavy duty anti-anxiety meds!

The little Diva and I went shopping with Granny on Friday and I got a few lovely tops at Reitman's. The little Diva is quite the shopper - If I go into a shoe store without my mom now she starts to say Granny. Something tells me that Granny an I spend perhaps too much time in shoe stores!! We also stopped by at ARDENE'S and I got some cute Halloween earrings to wear in October. I was ABSOLUTELY GROSSED OUT when the sales girl told us that they accept returns on earrings and that they put them right back on the shelves. She suggested ALWAYS cleaning earrings before wearing them. Thank gawd I always use some rubbing alcohol to clean any new ones before I wear them. I can't believe that they would accept them back. She also went on to say that a friends of her's works at an underwear store that ALSO routinely accepts stuff back and puts it on the shelves! Seriously I'd hoped that intimates were a FINAL sale. If anything this is a reminder about why it is important to wash things before using them! You don't want to think about the possible butt cracks that have straddled a thong while yours is doing the same!! EWWWW!!!

Queen Mom's birthday celebration was on Saturday and I'm happy to report it completely decimated my diet for a day. There was soooo much good food there was no way I was even going to TRY stick to a healthy calorie controlled diet. The little Diva got her first taste of the family's secret recipe milk-tart and seemed to enjoy it. She even stole a huge bite out of my slice before deciding to spit some back out.

And that brings me to the news that I will become a Canadian citizen on Thursday! Check back for my update on that day.

Anywho I'm yawning my head off and hope to be back here sooner than last time! Night night to all and sweet dreams :)

Having kids does strange things to one's body....

Don't fret, this isn't going to be a post about "weird extra belly skin", "droopy boobs", "scars that will SCAR you", or even "expanding hips and thunder thighs". No, this entry is going to mention other weird and wonderful results of child rearing. I say "rearing" because you don't necessarily have had to carry your precious little one around in your belly to display these maladies.

Hmm where to start. I think I'll mention "personal hygiene" first. Don't get me wrong though, I for one do not condone using children as an excuse to smell bad. There is no excuse for that; other than perhaps a recent skunk attack. I'm thinking more about the "non-essential" hygiene practices. A GREAT example is shaving.... Many a new parent (and I'm thinking more about the dad's on this one) go through a "hairy mountain man" phase - the rugged "two-days-ago-5pm-shadow" goes really nicely with the sleep deprivation bloodshot eyes.

I myself currently have one baby smooth leg and one leg that is bordering on fuzzy. You may be asking yourself if I am making some kind of political / feminist statement or if it is some ridiculous new trend that I have fallen prey to. Alas no, my excuse is far simpler than that - I was half way through my shower (at 3pm mind you) when the little Diva decided (AND LOUDLY) that her nap was OVER. The end of her nap called for the immediate end of my personal grooming and there you have it. One side of me is decidedly more sexy than the other - and regardless of the weather I'll not be wearing a skirt or shorts until I'm able to rectify the situation.

Hmmm then there's makeup - I try to at least apply the minimal amount of product required to make myself appealing enough to be viewed by the general public. Most of the time though the "minimal amount" really just means I  have brushed my teeth, washed my face and applied some moisturizer. If you're lucky I may dazzle you with mascara and eyeshadow! There were days when the little Diva was still in hospital where I'm sure I scared people with my appearance. Luckily no one actually recoiled in horror - but even if the had (and maybe they did) - it wouldn't really have mattered. There were things way more important to worry about than the possibility of terrifying people with my disheveled appearance - at least I didn't stink!

The we get to hair - Once upon a time I used to spend time straightening or defining my curls - now I'm a BIG fan of what I like to call the "Structured crows-nest". Really I've just scraped my hair back into a pony and with some tweaking flipped over the elastic band to make a smush of hair to disguise my less that coiffed hair.I could pretend this makes me looks laid back, yet sophisticated but I'd be lying to myself. It looks lazy! I know it does, you know it does and I know that you know it does - but honestly I don't have time to care!!

Ok let's move away from appearance for a moment... and let's talk about the obsessive swaying. It is easy to pick out parent to small children in any line up - anywhere! They are the goobers who are standing in place quietly swaying rhythmically from side to side. They probably don't even realize they are doing this. If you want a good laugh though - KEEP watching them. If at some point they DO realize that they are swaying like a doofus, (soothing a baby that isn't there) you may get to witness a comedic chain of events. The sway-er will immediately FREEZE and then glance furtively around to see if anyone noticed - if you're lucky they will even blush. This has happened to me on SEVERAL occasions. I love when it does happens and upon freezing I notice that someone else is doing the same thing ahead of me.

Another goofy thing I've noticed that I now do is humming. I'll be minding my own business in line at the bank, hiding one hairy leg, hair smushed on my head, dark glasses hiding my sleep deprivation, swaying like a lunatic, wondering if the little Diva is giving dad a hard time with eating and I'll notice that I'm humming happily to myself. I'm surprised I haven't been approached by security. Can anyone look more suspicious, or more like, well.... A PARENT!

Being a parent is definitely a rewarding and exceptionally entertaining calling! I find myself doing ridiculous things on a daily basis. Stay tuned and I'll share more of the craziness with you.

Night night to all - the little Diva is fast asleep and I'm hoping the thunder doesn't wake her up!

Dear sinuses: you and I are not on speaking terms!

I am pretty sure that I have already threatened to remove my sinuses with a spork in an earlier blog entry. You can rest assured this threat is unlikely to ever be carried out because, A) I'm a wuss and B) I don't actually own a spork. Using a regular spoon or even a fork just doesn't sound like it would be all that effective.

It has been a while but I'm back at my sinus removal threats. This past week has been an exercise in allergy hell. I'm not sure which punk of a plant is flowering or which woolly mammoth of a creature is shedding but it's wreaking havoc with my nasal passages. I'm sneezing, dripping, scratching and pretty much all out whine-y and gross - heck I don't even want to be around me when I'm like this!

I finally decided I'd had enough and went to see my doctor on Saturday. She inspected all of my facial orifices and once again gave the verdict: ALLERGIES. She was not impressed that I hadn't been using my nose spray on a daily basis. I explained that because I'm still breastfeeding the little Diva I'm hesitant to take anything unless the symptoms are actually serious - ie: I'm in danger of keeling over as a result of said symptoms. I'm pretty sure my doctor resisted the urge to slap me at this point. She politely and patiently explained that the nasal spray she prescribed is even safe for use DURING pregnancy and that it is VERY safe for use while breastfeeding. She assured me I could even take several (obviously not all at the same time) of the over the counter allergy tablets in conjunctions with the spray she prescribed.

The entire time she was putting my mind at ease regarding the meds I pictured her repressing the urge to grab me by my suspenders, Shake me, get right in my face and yell, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? Are you some kind of GRANOLA munching, tree hugging HIPPIE?!?! MEDICINE is NOT THE DEVIL - IT WILL HEAL you not hurt you!! SPRAY THIS CRAP in your FREAKING nose and you'll stop feeling like your sinuses are out to get you!!! USE THE SPRAY. YOU know YOU have Allergies - I KNOW you have allergies and thanks to my YELLING EVERYONE ON THIS BLOCK knows you have allergies. USE THE DAMN SPRAY!!!"

I pictured myself meekly thanking her and slinking out of the room.... So yes, I have allergies and hopefully by spraying this "unscented-but-burns-like-acid" nose spray in my nose twice a day I'll avoid the sinus infection that is looming thanks to my hippie tendencies...

Anywho it's late and I need to get me and my sinuses to sleep - till next time :)

The great Diaper hunt of 2011.7 (There have been a few already)

There is a recurring pattern with my diaper buying habits. This pattern or story if you will plays itself out once every couple of months - oh heck, who am I kidding; it's more like every couple of weeks. Diapers go on sale and I say to myself, "Self - you don't want to be one of THOSE people."

By "those" people I mean the ones who go completely loopy for diaper sales. They buy 10 boxes of diapers and half way through the first box their baby has a growth spurt in the nether regions and they are left with 9 and a half boxes of diapers that cause some serious muffin-top! So yes I tell myself that I don't want to be like the loony diaper hoarding savers. I then try and rationalize buying maybe 2 boxes of the Diva's current size and 1 or two of the next size up. This part takes a few minutes and I ALWAYS talk myself out of it. "Self" I say to myself, "Diapers will go on sale again and what if spontaneous potty training happens in the next two minutes - you'll be no better than THOSE people with their useless hoarded diapers!" I notice the strangers eying me suspiciously in the diaper isle and I wonder just how much I've said out loud...

I leave the store with two boxes of the Diva's current size of puddle protection and a sense that all is well in this department.

Fast forward a few weeks and the supply of diapers is running decidedly low. I frantically scan the flyers only to discover that the smaller box of her size is on sale at a few stores. I try one store.... then another.... and another. For some reason I can only ever find the 12 hour diapers in her size when I'm frantic to find more diapers. The over night diapers give the little Diva a rash so we stick to the cruisers 24/7. It's good if she decided she needs to go for a crawl at 1am. Good for her that is - I'm never happy with plans to crawl at that hour.

Anywho - so there you have it. I'm a bit of a dunce when it comes to keeping our diaper stash in check. I've never actually run out but I have wasted way too much time looking for diapers. I even made the guy at No Frills go look in the back for more boxes. He came back empty handed and tried offering me a box of Huggies at the sale price. I repressed the urge to recoil in horror and politely declined. I wasn't careful enough hiding my reaction because he asked, "you really don't like these ones?"

I most certainly do not. I once had to cave and buy Huggies when more than a week went by without success during a diaper crisis earlier this year. It was a messy experience and I was left convinced of my Pampers persuasion. Don't get me wrong though - I'm sure Huggies are great; people just tend to be loyal to their brand. I was told that the Diva's diapers would be back in stock when the store opens so we will be heading there bright and early on Wednesday morning!

Anywho that's all I have for tonight - sweet dreams to all!!

Socializing attempt = EPIC FAIL

Our day started out PERFECTLY. At 8:30am the coffee was ready, I was eating cereal and feeding the little Diva her yogurt - we had tonnes of time to spare. All that was left was to change her clothes, slip on some shoes, squeeze and fold her into her car seat (she spins like a crazed Ninja to avoid being put in there) and get in the car. Thanks to the snuggle the Little Diva and Daddy had soon after she woke up (Not for the first time since midnight mind you but more on that later), I was dressed and ready to get going.

We were heading to an Ontario Early Years Centre for the FIRST TIME! They have an hour long program for 9 to 18 month old little ones and we thought it was about time we let the Little Diva interact with other children. This wasn't a decision we made lightly either - with her being born prematurely we have kept her away from pretty much EVERY single gathering that didn't comprise of a handful of health family members. This approach may have frustrated people but it kept the little Diva healthy and I never actually had to slap anyone. Boy was I ready to slap germ infested people if they got too close. If you approached me and the Diva a few months ago and you so much as sniffled you probably would have ended up with a bruise. The doctors and nurses and pretty much anyone you meet in the hospital put the FEAR of germs in you. You start to see them EVERYWHERE. They do this with good reason though as preemies who catch colds/flu's/etc. do for the most part end up seriously ill due to their tiny nasal passages and premature lungs. But lets not dwell on all that.... We (the hubby and I) came to a consensus that it was the right time to start introducing the Diva to these kind of environments and that is why 9:10am found the Diva and I sitting in the car.

We drove to the centre without incident and got there with 8 minutes to spare. At this point I was patting myself on the back. Being early - heck being ON TIME is somewhat of a foreign concept in this house. So the 8 minutes was truly something to celebrate. I grabbed the diaper bag, umbrella and the little Diva. It was raining pretty hard and she was somewhat amused by the whole experience. I rushed through the puddles in the parking lot and quickly entered the centre.

The girl behind the desk asks for the little Diva's name and I gave it adding, "we actually still need to register". Her response, "Oh ok - Just sign up here and the group starts at the end of September".

END of September? It's only August 9th today!

What a giant let down - I cant believe that we have to wait another couple of weeks. When I stopped by there earlier this week for more information the person I spoke to told me about this group and said that registration starts on the 9th. She didn't specify that registration didn't coincide with the group actually meeting and I didn't think I needed to clarify! Oh the joy of assumptions!!

Soooo we braved the puddles back to the car and we drove home. I would have gone to the mall for a walk but the Diva was falling asleep and I figured it best to take her home for a nap. So yes - in future I will be clarifying dates etc!

I'm exhausted - the little Diva had a nap late this afternoon and then refused to get to bed until 11pm - I'm thinking it's time for me to get to bed. She hasn't been sleeping so well lately but I'm sure it has to do with her 4 top teeth. They are not entirely out yet and she spends a large amount of time chomping.

Till next time, sweet dreams and always remember to ask for CLARIFICATION!!

Could I have a moment of silence for our dear friend Piglet please

It is with great sadness that I share the following information: Piglet has gone missing.

He was last seen cavorting with the little Diva in her stroller in Walmart. They were overheard discussing such issues as "global domination" and "the merits of brightly coloured socks". Witnesses claim the discussions got quite heated and that the Little Diva was seen throwing Piglet around and even chomping on his ears. Some of these witnesses went on to suggest that Piglet RAN away rather than being pig-napped. Those closest to the Little Diva do however maintain that their relationship was a loving one and that Piglet enjoyed the roughhousing!

I personally remember the day Granny and I went to adopt Piglet. He was one of several toys I picked up just before the Diva came home from the hospital. They all went through a clean cycle in the washer and were ready to dazzle the little Diva. She however only had eyes for one of them - the oddly 'donut shaped' pink Piglet. She would lie in her bassinet and stare at him for ages. Then the little hand would come up and the tiniest little fingers would carefully trace his nose and eyes. She'd often fall asleep with a little hand outstretched just making sure Piglet was still there. I know it's silly but I do feel a little heart broken that he's gone. He was the first toy she ever connected with and he helped make her bassinet more homely and differrent from the one in the hospital.

I regret to inform my readers that the search for the beloved Piglet has unfortunately been called off. We went back to Walmart and had someone look in their "lost and found" box. She rattled through the box unceremoniously and I had to repress the urge to insist on going behind the counter to look in the box myself. She said he wasn't there and we had to take her word. We even traced our steps from the fateful day in the hope that someone had found the poor lost piggie and propped him on a shelf somewhere. But alas, the donut shaped Piglet was gone. He is presumed kidnapped, or garbaged or worse....

I respectfully request a moment of silence in his memory. Even if the little Diva isn't really aware that the toy is gone, her mom is mourning the memories that are attached to the silly pink toy. I only hope that whoever has him now will continue to lavish him with the same love and attention that the Little Diva did.  

One annoying, slightly used cat for trade - will accept twix candy bar or nearest offer...

It is official - we have one of the MOST annoying cats on earth.

Sure he's cute, fluffy, orange and he's got the whole giant, sparkly anime eyes of innocence thing going for him - BUT he is still ANNOYING. And, when I say annoying I mean  the patience trying, "gawd I want to kick you out the back door" kind of annoying. 

Please don't let my earlier rant dissuade you from considering a trade. He does have some merits. He is fluffy, chubby and loves having his belly rubbed. Really, who doesn't love to rub a purring belly? That opportunity should be enough to have you rushing over to negotiate a trade! As a PLUS he is also super amazing at hiding q-tips so if you ever need an entire box of them strategically stashed throughout your apartment or house - then he's your cat! He's even been knows to get really creative and hide them UNDER carpets and piles of laundry.  Oh and did I mention that he has cute little freckles on his perfectly pink nose and that he has the most perfect pink toes.

This cat is also a GENIUS at sniffing out hair bands. So if you're terrible at keeping track of these little elastic circles he'll help you out. Just make sure to supervise the hunt - if you're not there to claim them as soon as he's found them he'll store them in his water bowl for you. There are few things grosser than knowing your ponytail is being held up by a little circle drenched in kitty backwash water. So get on your hands and knees and follow the fuzzy critter as he hunts out your hair bands! Exercise - that has to be a positive reason to take him, no?

Hmm what other redeeming qualities does he have... He is GREAT at bringing up dirty laundry from the basement. His specialty is socks and boy does he let you know when he is laundry hunting. He sounds like a foghorn coming up the basement stairs. If you have small children and love having them woken up 5minutes into every single nap then THIS is the cat for you! Plus, how fun is it to have your kids yell out "Cat" when they hear a REAL foghorn.  Pretty darn funny!!

He loves to play fetch so if you ever wanted a puppy that you didn't have to walk then this guy is PERFECT for you. You just have to change his litter, feed him, give him some attention, some water and put up with his idiosyncrasies. He is a tad less than graceful so you'll always know exactly when and where he's jumped up onto furniture. The overturned knickknacks and item's lying on the floor (smashed or otherwise) will provide you with a lovely game of "lets guess what the crazy cat was after. Plus the cleaning up after him gives you more EXERCISE - what a bonus!

Now that I'm sure I've convinced you just how wonderful this annoying cat is, I'll wait patiently for the swap offers to roll in. In the meantime, Sweet dreams to all :)

Disclaimer:
Don't worry, the annoying cat is safe and won't actually be kicked out of the back door or be traded for candy (Unless it's REALLY good candy).

Birthday party for the definitely "not-so-terrible" two year old!

So today was the little prince's second birthday party and we had a BLAST! The little Diva had way too much fun and so did her Daddy and I. What's not to love - Excited kiddies and two AWESOME cakes; a Fireman and a Fire Truck! My sis-in-law really did an amazing job with them. I have to say though, that when I noticed afterwards that the fireman was chocolate cake and the truck was vanilla - I wish I'd insisted we cut off his boots instead of chop up the truck!! Not that the vanilla cake wasn't amazing mind you - there's just something EXTRA awesome about a chocolate cake. The little Diva and the little prince did their usual stunt of fighting over Granny and then fighting over Grandpa. Really the issue is that they want to make sure that they're not missing out on ANY potential attention from either granny or grandpa. Really, how can they be expected to SHARE a lap?

I know this post is really short - but I'm totally wiped and I'm hoping that inspiration will strike as I sleep and that I'll have something profound and witty and all out entertaining to type tomorrow. I'm planning to run errands as early as I can so that I can spend the rest of the day trying to get some semblance of order back into our house. The hubby goes back to work on Monday and I know that after his break the little Diva will miss him terribly so she's bound to be a little crabby. AND let's face it - I'm really not my best when I'm sleep deprived either!!

Sweet dreams to all :)

More than half of car seats contain at least one toxic chemical - Parentcentral.ca

The title of this blog is the cheerful headline to an article I came across this evening. I really wish I hadn't. Turns out it's not just alien abduction and toxic baby bottles we have to fear. Apparently the VERY seats we're using to keep our babies safe in cars are ALSO FREAKING TOXIC. GAWD HELP US!! Seriously WHAT isn't toxic or dangerous or habit forming these days. I apologize for the excessive us of capitalization but this is as CLOSE to screaming as I can get at this moment. The little Diva is fast asleep and really she doesn't need to wake up to the sound of her mother hysterically ranting about the toxicity of FREAKING EVERYTHING!!! Especially considering I've already 'put her to bed' twice since we got home from our lovely visit with Dadoos and Dadda.

 Part of my issue with every new study that comes out is that I:'m already paranoid enough about the little Diva's well-being. I always thought I'd be a bit of a nervous freak-show as a parent... but then the Diva decided to arrive 3 months early and my paranoia and germaphobia and general fear of pretty much everything was thrown into overdrive. I really don't need to be terrified of her car seat as well. Thankfully the one that we do have measures low on the threat scale. We hit a 0.3 score. The higher the score the more SCARY the seat. There's one on the list that hits a 4.6! A 4.6!! How scary is that, bromine, lead, chlorine and some other unnamed substances of terror!!!!!! Yes, yes my exclamation use is out of control...

The article in question (I have a link after my rant) points you to a list of the seats studied... obviously I ended up there in order to deduce that we scored a 0.3 with our Graco. What further rankled my feathers (um yes a weird bird reference), was the fact that the website has a disclaimer that basically says the following: "Even though we can tell you that all these scary things are in your seat, we can't actually tell you what the actual exposure level/danger to your wee one is".

So really after being terrified by the title, wishing our chair scored a 0 (only one did and it is a booster seat), then realizing I still didn't know how scared I should be - I turned to my blog to get the frustration of out my system. I apologize for those of you who are now terrified and running to grab your chairs to see where they rank on the list! I hope you're not the 4.6er....

As it is - we do need to get the little Diva a convertible seat in the near future so we'll be doing our homework and trying to find a less noxious seat. I already spent a huge chunk of time making sure we only purchased BPA Free products for the little Diva before a study came out that mentioned crazy amounts of un-regulated and possibly more terrifying chemicals in the BPA free plastics. At that point I thought - AW DAMMIT and I went out and purchased glass bottles. Her toys are a mix of BPA free and "I'm not sure what's in it" plastics. She only has one bottle a day in order to get her vitamins in so here's hoping there aren't too many chemicals leaching out of everything she's putting in her mouth.

What is a parent to do... seriously? WHAT do you do with all this terrifying information? I'm off to bed and hopefully no nightmares about chemical leaching. Here is the link as promised:


More than half of car seats contain at least one toxic chemical - Parentcentral.ca

It's official; I'm falling apart!

OK, now that the title to this blog entry has grabbed your attention I better down play it ever so slightly... I'm not REALLY falling apart - I'm just a little tired and stiff - the heating pad that is attempting to melt my stiff neck muscles is working wonders! I steam sterilized the Diva's soothers and managed to burn myself with the steam - I don't think it's even going to blister so really I"m just whining at this point...bear with me - I promise to stop and get with the stories, please continue reading...

We have had quite the busy last couple of days, we had a lovely BBQ with my parentals and my brother's family on Friday night. The little Diva had an absolute blast playing soccer with her cousin the little princess. She crawled all over the lawn to get the soccer ball that her darling cousin rolled back and forth for her. Saturday of course meant swimming lesson time and we had a blast. It was the final lesson and the hubby and I both got to go in with the little Diva. She had an awesome time "Swimming" back and forth between mom and dad. We did dunk her at the end of the lesson and she was slightly unimpressed. The poor little goober doesn't seem to like her ears getting wet. They were the first things she was concerned about when she came back up. She grabbed her ears and gave daddy a violently dirty look. She's getting quite good at dishing out the cut eye when she thinks it's called for. Her "grumpy" face is hysterical. She scrunches up her nose - the more scrunched it is, the more displeased she is!!

Sunday meant a wonderful day spent picnicking in the park for Dadoos' birthday party. We had a great day - we BBQ'ed, spent some time on the beach and enjoyed the gorgeous surroundings from under a shady tree or two. The guys got quite engrossed in a Frisbee game and it was pretty entertaining to watch. One of the hubby's cousins spent the day trying to convince the little Diva that she liked him. Buut in true Diva style she stuck to her guns and wailed every time the poor guy tried to get in a snuggle. She is stubborn when she's decided she's going to react a certain way to a person. We had a lovely time and hope Dadoos enjoyed her birthday as much as we did! After cake it was time to go back home and try get some sleep before Monday's shenanigans!

When Monday rolled round we were off to the Zoo with my brother's family and my parentals. We had a great time seeing all the animals and getting to spend time with family. The little Diva had a tiny portable fan on her stroller and with some coaxing from Granny - we were able to keep her in there for a chunk of the day. She kept her feet up against the fan and seemed to enjoy her first Zoo experience.

It is now technically Wednesday and I still don't feel fully recovered! I'm thinking it's time for bed and tomorrow we visit the Dada and Dadoos. :)

Sweet dreams to all!

This smells like South Africa!

So as of today we are trying to stick to our healthy diet again... We never really stopped following it exactly - we just got a little lax with sticking to the rules. Thanks to this new found commitment to getting slim and healthy I made sure that we got our two servings of fruit in today. We had a banana with breakfast and an orange with our dinner. I cut the orange up into slices because I'm not really a fan of peeling them.

As soon as the knife broke the skin on the first orange and the gorgeous fruity scent tickled my nostrils I thought to myself, "This orange smells like a South African orange". Imagine my surprise when I spun the orange around and actually saw "South Africa - Navel" printed on the teeny little sticker. I don't think I've ever had such a strong reaction to a fruit before. It sent me on quite the little trip down memory lane!

I've never really thought about the dissimilarities of fruit that are grown on different continents. I guess it does make sense though that fruit trees put a little something of the land they grow on - into their fruit. I wonder if there are any studies done of the "continental flavourings" of fruit!?

Countries flavour more than just the fruit they export. Even people tend to have a "flavour".. and NO I'm definitely not condoning cannibalism - ick! This flavour or quirkiness is why immigrants delight in meeting people from the same countries. One of my favorite things about Ontario is the multiculturalism here - I love that so many people from so many different continents/countries/walks of life, are for the most part able to live in harmony!

Wow was that even a tangent - all because an orange smelt like South Africa :)

I think I'll have to end off here with a question for you: What flavouring did your country of origin leave you with?

Gluten Free brownies :)

Yesterday was another sleepy day, but the little Diva and I did get some baking done before visiting Dadoos and Dada. We went over there for a lovely evening after the hubby got home from work. I loved the spicy dinner but I'm thinking that the Diva's crabby pants today may in part be blamed on my spicy indulgence last night :D Oh well - one half of her heritage is spicy so she'll have to get with the program!!

Back to the baking:

The little Diva sat in her highchair in the kitchen, munching on cheerio's while I got the Gluten Free brownies flung together. I used the El Peto mix and was pleasantly surprised. I'm usually a "from scratch" person so I feel a little iffy about "box" cake mixes. BUUT this one really did deliver. The only issue I has was that the box said to cook the brownies for 20 minutes at 325 degrees. For whatever reason - this temperature and timing did NO cooking whatsoever. I ended up hiking the temperature up to 350 and cooking the brownies for a further 20 minutes which totally did the trick. I hope that the box simply had a misprint and that there isn't anything wrong with my oven - I"ll have to whip up another batch of something yummy to test it I guess!

I iced the brownies with an icing made from icing sugar, lots of cocoa powder and water. I sprinkled walnuts on top of this and we were set. The refrigerated brownies were AWESOME with coffee this morning. Speaking of coffee - I have, for the most part avoided caffeinated coffee and an still surprised by the strength of the cravings I get at times. I just have to smell coffee brewing and my mouth waters - decaf really doesn't quench the craving. Oh well all I can say is thank gawd I'm not addicted to anything stronger than coffee - because if the coffee craving are this bad I'd be sure to be a repeat offender on worse addictions!!

Anywho as per usual I'm pretty beat - The Little Diva had a rather clingy day - so I think I'll call it a night before her toofies have her back up and needing more snuggles. We're looking forward to seeing Granny and Grandpa tomorrow!! Sweet dreams to all!

Sleep is totally overrated - no wait I mean UNDERrated!

As you can imagine from the title to this post - Our household is a wee bit sleep deprived at the moment! It all started last night when I pulled off an almost picture perfect "get the Diva to bed" performance. She was bathed, fed and fast asleep in bed by 9:10pm! The hubby and I watched the latest episode of "True Blood" and thought we'd get to sleep early. What could possibly go wrong?

...

The little Diva woke up at 4am and I fed her. This in itself wasn't hugely out of the ordinary - since she started teething she's been waking up in the early mornings for a snuggle and feed and then she GOES BACK TO SLEEP... This morning though, she decided to mix things up a little and somehow remained WIDE awake through her mid-morning snack. I tried in vain to walk her to sleep and then Daddy gave it a shot. By this time it was 5am and I sent him back to bed hoping he'd get some sleep before the work alarm went off. I spent another hour alternating between walking, rocking, and feeding the little munchkin. There was some pretty crazy thunder and lightening that slowed down around 5:30am and I'm sure that had something to do with her not getting back to sleep.

I eventually did get her snoozing and snuck into bed. The poor hubby was still awake but was able to get in a few more hours of sleep before work. All in all though, we were a pretty chipper group today despite the lack of sleep. The little Diva was her usual happy self for the most part and when she got cranky a teether and a nap eventually fixed the grumpy attitude again.

As can be imagined we really didn't do much today so I'm hoping we all get some sleep tonight so that tomorrow can be a little more adventurous. I'm thinking we need to get the little Diva a sand box/turtle so she can learn a little more about different textures. She's got over her grass phobia and instead of standing on one foot like a flamingo she now sits herself down on the lawn and pets it with both hands. I'm just worried she's going to try taste it - but so far we haven't had to do lawn extraction from her cute little mouth!

We did chitchat to the neighbour a little today while watering the lawn and when she reached out and shook the little Diva's hand I'm happy to report I didn't actually slap her (A few weeks ago I'd have been running backwards before her hand could make contact with ANY part of the little Diva). I mean I did come back inside and wash the Diva's hand but I didn't freak out. Step by slow step I'll ease back on the germaphobia... If the neighbour had been coughing or looked sickly in any way I can guarantee she wouldn't have got close enough to shake a hand.

On that note though - the sleeplessness is starting to catch up with me and I better call it a night.

Sweet dreams to all :)

Sleeping like a baby?!

Whoever it was that coined that phrase, "sleeping like a baby" obviously never spent an entire night watching the average baby sleep! Well ok, let me be more specific - teething babies do not "sleep like a baby". And yes - sleeping babies do look very peaceful; but if said sleep doesn't last for more than a few minutes it really can't be called sleep - can it?! OK, ok this may be the 'sleep deprivation' and 'caffeine depleted' part of my brain talking - I really don't mean to sound like a whiner extraordinaire. I just don't always function too well on fractured sleep and no coffee.

Our poor little Diva is currently dealing with 4 top teeth that are fighting their way out of her gums and it's making her a little cranky come bedtime. The poor little pumpkin is waking up several times a night and really just needs some comforting to get back to sleep. On a whole though she's pretty chipper for someone who is dealing with sharp little pearly whites breaking through their gums! I know I'd probably be a big slobbery, frustrated, bawling mess if I had to deal with teething at my age. I know this phase will pass fast enough and before I know it we'll be packing her off for her first day of school. So I try not to will the cranky parts to pass too quickly because I'm already feeling the need to hit the pause button some days. It truly TERRIFIES me how quickly the days fly by.

The little Diva's vocabulary is growing every day. She spent the better part of today practicing to say "Grampa". It really is too cute. Even the cat's were "Grandpa" today. A few days ago they were Granny. She doesn't however say "granny" - she simply calls her "Guh".

She's pulling herself up against everything and has taken to lunging at people - so I'm sure it will only be a matter of days before she takes a true "step" and then my days will be spent running instead of crawling after her. I marvel everyday how someone so small can have SO MUCH energy. She never sits still and ends up super cranky when I have to tell her "No - you can't jump off the bed" or "No I don't think you should try pull off the cat's tail", or "no you shouldn't nose dive onto the concrete varanda". She has quite the little temper but I'm told this is perfectly normal for her age. She's starting to learn she can communicate and she's big on exploring. To her little mind I'm always telling her "no" and she can't reason with me or explain why it is she NEEDS to nose dive out of my arms and into the garden!!

We had a lovely evening with her Dadoos and Dadda (the hubbies mom and dad) tonight and I FINALLY got her to say "dadoos". It's hilarious because I KNOW that she knows all these amazing words (and she KNOWS that I know) but if I ask her to show off to others and say them she totally clams up and makes me look like a liar! :D I'm assured by the sister-in-law and my brother that ALL kids do this though!!

Anywho I think I need to end there for tonight - I need to do some research and find out if there are any "preemie friendly" mom and tot's groups in my area because the Diva and I definitely need more things to do other than the once weekly swimming lessons!

Sweet dreams or Good morning to all - I'll be back again soon
:D

On watering lawns and neighbourhood cars...

To say that our front lawn looks like the Sahara is almost an understatement. The dust patch in the middle of the brown withered grass was getting bigger each time I looked at it. I think there were a few instances where I blinked and actually CAUGHT the patch expanding. It's not that I haven't watered it at all... - really I swear I have. What's worse is that I've probably watered it everyday now for a few weeks. It's just that I tend to do the watering when I have the little Diva in one hand and the hose in the other. She tends to get heavy pretty fast. She does enjoy being outside and getting to help out in the garden though so it's been fun - it just hasn't been that productive.

My focus on the ever expanding desert out front only intensified when my brother pointed out last weekend that my Alberta Spruce (I think that's what he said it was) was thirsty and on the verge of getting crispy. So now you have the background story. I've been mentioning purchasing a sprinkler (that ACTUALLY fits on the hose connector we have out front) to the hubby for a couple of days now but hadn't actually gotten around to picking one up. I was super happy when he came home with one tonight!!

I got it all connected and nicely placed in the middle of the sand patch and then the fun started. I had to inch into the back of the garage past my now larger car (The old one couldn't hold anything more than the Diva's stroller in the trunk!) to turn on the water. I turned the tap all the way on and then the hubby a tad on the hysterical side started yelling - "NOT SO MUCH, TURN IT DOWN - MORE DOWN - MORE DOWN - MORE DOWN!!" I looked up and through the open garage door, past my car and say a GIANT plume of water gracefully watering the lawn, halfway up our tree and over the hubby's car parked on the driveway.

I turned the water down to barely a trickle and even then had to move the sprinkler a little more to the right :) I was in hysterics when I saw just how much I'd "watered" on my first attempt. The spray had showered both the car on our driveway and our neighbours car - thank Gawd our neighbour wasn't still sitting out there because she would have been SOAKED! I also watered the front door of the neighbours on the other side!! All in all an hysterical watering experience.

I left the sprinkler on for a good little while and here's hoping the lawn can be revived..

Until next time - take care :)

On Absences and Budgets...

So it's been a while since I've typed a little here, but I'm back! I had my citizenship test this morning and have been madly studying for the last week - hence the hiatus. I know a lot of people say they just read the book once or twice and they're fine but I'm not one to do half a job when it comes to studying. I hate feeling unprepared. It really was a lot of waiting around for a 10-15minutes 20 question multiple choice exam. The examiners check everyone's documents, make sure you can carry a conversation in English and once everyone has been checked you write the exam. I'm pretty sure it went well so I'll check the mail daily and hope that I get an invite for a citizenship ceremony soon!! I am definitely looking forward to taking a more active role as a citizen - especially now that I've studied and understand how the government and voting work. Just think - by next Canada Day I should be Canadian!! I'm thinking a party will definitely be in order :D

The hubby and I are currently working out a budget. I'm not planning to go back to work right after my maternity leave ends so we really need to start planning for when that EI stops coming in!! I'm also starting to think I really need to get some kind of "work from home" gig figured out for when the cheques stop too. It'll have to be an evening and weekends thing... at least until the little Diva gets older. I'm looking forward to this - I need to get back into a workout routine too - all important things that have been a little neglected since the insane summer we had last year.

The Diva is getting more autonomous and I'm ready to get back into making healthier meals and making sure we all take better care of ourselves - in the little moments where she can entertain herself in her playpen. She's teething at the moment though and her 4 top teeth seem to be fighting it out up there so she's a little too clingy for playpen time at the moment. She needs and wants her mommy and as frustrating as her tantrums can be - I absolutely love that I can be the one she needs when she just needs a hug and a neck to hang onto like a lovable little spider monkey.

Here's to making small positive changes every week. I think my first "change for the better" will have to be getting back into a workout routine- so tomorrow I WILL run on the treadmill :)

Sweet dreams till tomorrow - here's to an AWESOME Wednesday filled with all kids of opportunities.

Ideas for things to do with the little Diva!!

I am in desperate need of ideas for things to do with the little Diva. We, are both getting terribly bored with our current routine. Due to her being a preemie she's lived a very sheltered life and as much as I'm ready to start changing this - I know it will have to be done in baby steps. I'm wondering if other preemie parents have a hard time breaking out into the real world. Do you feel comfortable joining mom and tot groups? Are playgrounds OK or do you consider them germ-covered mine fields? The little Diva just turned one and is incredibly active - she crawls everywhere and pulls herself up on everything. So I'm sure she'd be only too happy for other kinds of entertainment. We've started playing out in the backyard on a blanket on the grass but even that has it's appeal for only so long.

I'm thinking we need to get more of a routine going. Maybe breakfast at X-o'clock, followed by a walk, followed by a snack... etc etc. I'm wondering what other parents do to fill their days? Do you find that routines keep things flowing smoothly or are children pretty much going to call the shots anyway?

Anwho enough of that - I'll get myself googling after I'm done typing here and hopefully I come up with some ideas!

We decided to go out for breakfast this morning and even the little Diva had fun from her vantage point in her car seat on top of the table. She munched Mum-mums, chewed on teethers, threw her toys on the table and watched mom and dad eat breakfast. She was a perfect little angel and even had our waitress commenting on how well behaved she was. As long as she has interesting things to see and stuff to distract her she's happy to hang out with her folks!

Till next time, take care and I hope to hear some good ideas for things to do with little ones!!

Second-hand Caffeine keeping the Diva awake?

For about a week and a half the little Diva would not sleep through the night regardless of the tricks I tried. Cereal closer to bedtime, protein in the afternoon, bath time later etc etc. I was doing a little online research and came across an article which suggested that Mom's caffeine intake may affect a breastfeeding baby's sleep and feeding patterns.

I thought to myself, "What's a few day's of withdrawal headaches if I can get some sleep?" So I cut out all the caffeine save for a cup of tea midday. Would you believe she slept through that very night and every night since? I have to admit I am a little skeptical, maybe she was a day from sleeping through any way, who's to say FOR SURE it was the coffee? Perhaps her teeth were bothering her and finally settled down or maybe be got used to a scary shadow that was bothering her on the ceiling...

I'm finding that I like sleep a little to much to test my theory by having a cuppa joe with the good stuff still in it! I'm sure at some point in the near future I'll slip up and my theory will get tested but for now, as long as I'm breastfeeding I think I"ll have to stick with tea or wimpy decaffeinated coffee. Speaking of which, I think I'll go brew a pot while the Diva sleeps. She's not entirely herself today and I'm monitoring a slight fever - if it gets any higher after her nap I'll be giving her a dose of Tempra. It seems the three needles from yesterday have caught up with her. She's not miserable; just a little more sleepy and snugly than usual. Here's hoping she feels better after her nap.

Before I go; has anyone else had issues with Coffee and breastfeeding?

Baby Shots and Parental Trauma!!

So I had the fun mommy-job of taking the little Diva for her one year shots today. For some HORRENDOUS reason Health Canada has decided that the 12 month mark require 3 shots instead of the original 2..... one in an arm and one in each thigh. The poor little pin cushion was NOT impressed in the least.

I'm at a point where I think I'm going to start showing up an hour after the actual appointment because that seems to be the amount of time one has to wait at this office. What really bums me out is that we have to get the little Diva naked for her weight and measurements and then we get to hang out in a diaper for an hour while we wait for the Doctor. Being the paranoid mom that I am there is NO WAY I'd let her play on the floor and there's only so much shredding to be done of the paper covering the bed.. so I prance around the room like a lunatic pulling out every one of my Diva distractions! If I had my way I'd rather wait clothed for 40 minutes then do the weight etc and 10 minutes later the Dr. walks in. Maybe I"ll put a suggestion in the box... haha anywho we do love her doctor so back to the story: The visit started out well, she even smiled at her Doctor. Last time we were there she screamed hysterically from the moment her Dr entered the room - and last time she didn't even get a shot. Poor girl probably thought, "Well last time wasn't so bad maybe this Dr. Lady ain't all bad".... boy did she change her mind fast. I stood by helplessly as three of her limbs got stabbed with teeny little needles and then I got the biggest hugs. She sobbed hysterically, pulled away and glared at the doctor, did some shouting and more sobbing and within 5 minutes the horrible ordeal was over. She went back into her car seat without a peep and we went home. I figured she'd probably sleep the afternoon away. She had some milk and went down for a nap...

Then our neighbours decided it would be a GREAT time to CHOP WOOD in their garage. I'm not sure how I feel about our neighbours wielding an axe... The sound reverberated up through our house and woke the little Diva up. It wasn't too bad though because I'd realized our Tempra had expired and figured it was a good time to go pick up some more in case she started to get cranky or run a fever. I'm happy to say that we haven't needed to use it and despite the 3 pokes the little Diva was pretty much her usual wriggly self today. I have to admit I was surprised because I was anticipating at least a fever.

Anywho she is fast asleep and I'm tired too, post traumatic stress or something - I hate taking my little Diva for her shots even though I know it's for her own good and she's not likely to remember and hold it against me later on :) I think it's time to do some reading and then get some shuteye!

Night Night world - positive energy for everyone out there and especially for preemies and their parentals - hang in there things will get better.

How do you get over being a germaphobe?

The question, "How to get over being a germaphobe" has been bugging me for a few weeks now. As a preemie parent, I am used to disinfecting people... I have used so much hand-sanitizer in the last year that Purell should be paying me for the amount of advertising I've done for them. Everyone who even came close to the little Diva was asked to wash their hands and then use the sanitizer. If you didn't pass the "are you sure you're healthy" questioning phase you didn't even make it to our porch let alone through the front door!!

In the last few weeks we have cut back on our hand-sanitizer use and as a result all ended up with a cold. Luckily the little Diva just ended up with a stuffy nose that has started to clear on it's own with the use of a humidifier. The hubby and I had two days of a sore throat followed by two days of coughing and general stuffy sinus grossness. Despite our first intro into "getting sick" territory we are still not fully relaxed around other people. I about have a conniption-fit if a stranger approaches the Diva with an outstretched hand. So far my tactful "jiggle-giggle-back-away-from contaminated digit" move has worked pretty well. If they are too persistent I simply explain that she was born three months early and we're pretty careful about what we expose her immune system to. A hasty " not that I think you're covered in germs" comment is thrown toward the would be groper if they are a friend who's being offended could pose problematic to happy family relations :) And yes... I do think that they probably are covered in germs :( I have unfortunately been made all to aware of germs and other nasty bugs and it's hard to come back from seeing everyone as a germ covered entity - but I am working on it.

I haven't yet had to deploy the "crazy protective mom slap" but I can guarantee if a sniffing/coughing or otherwise ill person attempted to touch the little Diva I'd deploy it without a second thought.

I've signed the little Diva up for swimming lesson's next month and I'm trying to convince myself that it will be fine. She's a year old and I really need to ease up a little. I'd really like to know how other preemie parents get over their obsessive cleaning and overall protectiveness. I want to be able to take the little monkey to play groups and let her interact with other children but I'd probably break out in a cold sweat if one of them coughed. I know that I"m being ridiculous... but I'm working on it!

Here's to being less paranoid, more healthy and sticking to that happiness plan :)

The Little Diva's Birthday :)

I cannot believe it has been a WHOLE year since the little Diva graced us with her early - yet still wonderful arrival into our family.

I find it hard to believe that at this time last year my Hubby and I were recovering from an emergency C-section and worrying what the future would hold for our teenie - weenie incubator dwelling preemie. Thankfully the year has been a good one and things have gone well for all involved. The Diva is crawling everywhere, pulling herself up on everything and loves laughing and smiling at everyone important in her life! The important people are mostly her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins -- oh and of course those extended family members and friends who also love and adore her :D The hubby and I have also mostly lost the "sleep-deprived/deer caught in the headlights look" and look more like our "regular sleep deprived parental" peers.

I've done a fair amount of reflecting on this time last year and I am grateful for the way things turned out. This time last year we were completely out of our elements; we were scared and confused, yet still hopeful that things would work out well. Thankfully they did and along with our family and friends we can celebrate a year well spent and look forward to many, many more.

I was driving home from the garden center with the little Diva yesterday and I realized something really important. I realized that I am truly, madly and deeply in love with my life. I love my husband, my daughter, our extended family and friends, my home, the neighbourhood we live in, the country which it is in... etc ETC ETC!!! I am - at my core - truly happy - despite all the little annoying things I let get to me on a daily basis. I wish I knew why it is that we let things get to us - if I could figure that out maybe I could get past it... and be more like the duck!

There was an email going around at some point and the punchline read something to the effect of: You need to be more like a duck and let problems run off you like water off the duck. Over the years my mom has often told me to be "more like the duck" and my response has become, "and not give a F@CK? You can fill in the missing letter yourself. Despite it being a silly retort it really is GOOD advice. I hope that sometime before my daughter learns to say the punchline, I no longer need to be reminded to be duck-like.

I challenge all of you to "BE MORE LIKE THE DUCK and DON'T GIVE A F@CK!!

I'm going to go get the little Diva ready to open her presents! As soon as Daddy gets home we'll have some more partying to do!

Till next time - keep QUACKING!!

Mini road-trip :)

Whew it's 11:24pm and I am BEAT! I spent a wonderful day with the Little Diva, two of her adorable cousins and my Mommers. The Diva absolutely loved being in the backseat with her two little cousins when we took a little road-trip to a garden center. She jabbers non stop to them whenever we get together and I wonder what on earth it is she's saying to them. Whatever it is - it makes her happy and her cousins love getting the attention too! We'll call her cousins the Little Princess and Prince - they're both older than her and super excited for her to get a little more mobile. They spent some time kicking a ball around in Granny's backyard and I know that before long we'll have three little monsters galloping around the yard.

The little Princess spent some time today trying to teach the little Diva to walk and jump today which was really, really cute. She had a super attentive student but didn't quite end up with a walking, or hopping cousin at the end of it. I'm quite sure that our little bunny will be walking within a month - she's been pulling herself up on things for a while now and her latest trick is to let go and wobble in place for a while before grabbing onto something again or falling on her bum.

Seriously where has the time gone? There were moments when we were still in the hospital with her that it felt like we'd be there forever and have the school bus pulling up at the front of the hospital to take her to school... and now I look back and those days feel like they were just yesterday but in the same instant feel like they were a LIFETIME ago! All I know for sure is that she's growing up way too fast and in the moments when I realize that; I panic, and wish I had a pause button. I wish I could tell every preemie parent - you spend all that time worrying that they aren't growing fast enough - each hospital weigh in is a stressful/hopeful experience.... and then when they do start growing like weeds you wish that you could pause moments.... :) Watching my little Diva laugh and squeal at the beauty in everyday makes me happy to be alive - it doesn't get much better than that! A happy baby definitely does make a happy mommy! :D

Anywho - back to the day.. Our little road-trip took us to a garden centre where we were supposed to see a pony. We'd been home for several hours before we realized we had neither seen, nor looked for the horse!! The kiddies were too mesmerized by the bright flowers and water fountains.. Granny and I took turns carrying the little Diva and watching that we didn't lose the little Prince or Princess in the blooms!!

After a healthy dose of fresh air and the purchase of a fern and acacia tree seeds we made our way to the prince and princesses new home where their parentals were painting and cleaning up a storm! The new house is gorgeous and I can't wait for them to be all moved in so we can visit for a proper housewarming! Also it'll be super fun when the floors are clean and the little Diva can crawl around after her cousins.

Anywho I'm super sleepy so I better get my head to my pillow for some shut eye :)
I had a tonne of fun with my mommers and the little ones - here's to enjoying each and every day!!