The Perils of a Working Mom

Baking Bread

2013-02-10T17:29:00.001-05:00

I love to bake. Liam loves to help me bake. So, yesterday, I decided to bake a batch of whole wheat bread. And of course, my little man was ready to help.

"Do you really have to take my picture?"

"Hey mom, what is this stuff and why is it growing??"

"This is HARD to stir!"

"Really? I can use my hands?"

When baking with a 4 year old boy, one must always be prepared for unexpected dough monster attacks!

Whole Wheat Garlic Herb Buns

Whole Wheat Bread

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rasin Bread

Everything baked and ready to be eaten.

"We made this? Really?

Here is the recipe I use. I have no idea where it originated, it is the recipe that my mom has used for as long as I can remember!

Whole Wheat Bread

1 cup lukewarm water

2 tsp. sugar

2 tbsp. yeast

Combine above ingredients and let rise for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, heat:

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup shortening

Once shortening has melted, add:

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 1/4 cups lukewarm water

Mix well and add yeast mixture.

Gradually add:

6 cups whole wheat flour

6 cups white flour

Knead dough for 10 minutes. Let rise until doubled in size.

Punch down dough. Cut into 4 pieces.

Let rise 15 minutes.

Shape and place in greased pans.

Let rise until doubled in size.

Bake at 400F for 30 minutes.

Lightly glaze loaves with shortening or butter.

Yeild: 4 loaves or 4 dozen rolls.

For garlic herb bread/rolls:

Knead one teaspoon garlic powder and one teaspoon Italian seasoning into one loaf before shaping.

For Cinnamon Raisin Bread:

Mix 3 tablespoons brown sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon.

Knead cinnamon sugar and 2/3 cup raisins into one loaf before shaping.

Conversations With Liam - The Driller Bug Story

2013-01-30T12:07:00.000-05:00

When you have a four year old with a very active imagination, you never know what the next conversation is going to be about or when you might have to have it. This one happened at 3:00 in the morning yesterday.

Liam: "Mommy, MOMMY, MMOOMMMMYY!"

Me: Stumbles out of bed and across the hall. "What's wrong?"

Liam: "Turn on my actual light."

Me: Turns on light. "What's wrong?"

Liam: "Come sit with me."

Me: Plods across the room and flops onto the bed and closes my eyes, realizing that the boy is not upset, he is happy and full of energy.

Liam: "Mommy, sit up and open your eyes. You need to look at me."

Me: Slowly sits up. "Why aren't you sleeping?'

Liam: "Mommy, a long time ago, when I was a baby a driller bug drilled these two fingers."

Me: "What?!?"

Liam: "A long time ago, when I was a baby a driller bug drilled these two fingers."

Me: "What is a driller bug?"

Liam: "A driller bug is a green bug with four legs that goes 'chut chut chut bzzzzz' and drills."

Me: "Umm, OK, where did you see a bug like that?"

Liam: "I saw it a long time ago when I was a baby, when it drilled these two fingers. But it's OK. WHen I grew up and was a three year old, the thing the driller bug gave me when it drilled into my fingers died and fell off."

Me: "Ummm, that's good."

Liam: "I think the driller bug is under my bed or a big rock."

Me: "There is no driller bug under your bed."

Liam: "What about a big rock?"

Me: "I guess there might be a driller bug under a big rock somewhere."

Liam: "No, Mommy, under my bed. Is there a big rock under my bed? A giant rock?"

Me: "No, there ar eno rocks under your bed."

Liam: "There is something under my bed. It is either a driller bug or a big giant rock."

Me: "No, there's not."

Liam: Leans over and looks under the bed. "You're right. It must have disappeared."

Me: "Can you go back to sleep now?"

Liam: "Yep, good night Mommy."

Me: "Good night Liam." Turn off the light and close the door.

Liam: "MOMMY!"

Me: Open the door. "What?"

Liam: "You forgot to say I love you."

Me: "I love you Liam."

Liam: "I love you too."

So, I have no idea where I was when the driller bug was drilling into my baby's fingers. Or why I didn't notice when the "thing" died and fell off. But there you have it. The Driller Bug Story. The fun things I do at 3:00am!

Christmas and a Birthday - Hourly Photo and Instagram Style

2012-12-31T11:47:00.000-05:00

Christmas Day - Hourly Photo and Instagram Style

8:00am - Opening Presents from Santa.

9:00am - Playing with presents!

10:00am - Getting organized to go to my Nana's house and then my parent's house.

11:00am - Silly Birthday Boy on his way to Grandma and Grandpa's.

12:00pm - At my Nana's house for Christmas lunch.

1:00pm - My Dad carving the turkey.

2:00pm - Dessert time! So many choices.

3:00pm - Time for presents!

4:00pm - Arriving at Mom and Dad's house.

5:00pm - Relaxing at my parent's house.

6:00pm - Lego building, a great way to pass time until dinner!

7:00pm - Time for Birthday Cake! Happy Birthday Liam! (Liam turned 4 at 7:02pm)

8:00pm - My brother, Quinten, modeling the new hunting apron that mom made him.

9:00pm - Driving home. Too dark for a real photo!

10:00pm - Taking inventory of Liam's gifts so he can write thank you notes!

11:00pm - Admiring the quilt my mom made for Liam. She also made him a tote bag filled with activity books! Awesome!

12:00am - Good night and Merry Christmas!

Christmas Favorites - Mulling Spice

2012-12-17T21:15:00.001-05:00

Some how crazy amounts of time have passed and it is December 17th. A week from now it will be Christmas Eve. A week from now I will be begging an overexcited three year old to go to sleep so that I can do last minute wrapping and probably decorate a birthday cake, because that three year will be turning four the next day. So, it is double excitement for this boy who knows that "December 25" is his birthday AND that Christmas comes on HIS birthday. Because you know, being a "the world revolves around me and me alone" three year old, his birthday must have come first!

In an effort to slow down and enjoy the season, I am going to take some time this week to share some of my holiday favorites with you!

Mulled apple cider is something that I've had around the holidays for as long as I can remember. Mom would dump a jar of home pressed apple cider, that we made the previous summer from the apples from my Papa's orchard into the slow cooker. She's throw in a couple of cinnamon sticks and and is she had them, a handful of cloves. It was simple and it was good.

Then I grew up and on a trip to Niagara on the Lake, years ago when we lived in Hamilton and could go visit the wineries whenever we wanted, we bought a bottle of mulling wine with a package of spices. And it was so good! I have been hooked on Mulling Spices ever since. About two years ago, we discovered that Mulled Cranberry juice with Ameretto or Rum was a perfect Christmas drink.

Normally, I buy an already made mulling spice mix but this year, I decided to make my own. And I don't know if it was the freshness of the mixture or what but I think it is the best I've ever had.

And it was fun to make ... I mean really, who doesn't have fun smashing things with a hammer?? Oh, and also cheap (enough of all ingredients to make a double batch was $10 at the Bulk Barn) and easy!

First you take the hammer to a bag of cinnamon sticks.

Don't put that hammer away yet, next you get to smash up some nutmeg. I always wanted to buy whole nutmeg, just because it is cool, but never had a reason until now!

Cinnamon Sticks and Nutmeg ... starting to smell really good!

The Allspice is a little trickier because it is small, the hammer didn't work so well. So, for this I used my marble rolling pin and just rolled it back and forth over top of the buds.

Cloves and dried orange peel are kind of boring, there is absolutely no smashing or crushing involved, they just get dumped in as is.

Throw it all in a bowl together, mix it up and you are done!

Put it in a little jar and it makes a good gift, but once you try it, you aren't going to want to give it away because it is SO GOOD!

Mulling Spice

6 cinnamon sticks

1 whole nutmeg

1/2 cup whole cloves

1/2 cup whole allspice

1/4 dried orange peel

Add two tablespoons of spice mixture to four cups of beverage (apple juice or cider, cranberry juice or red wine).

Put in slow cooker and simmer for a couple of hours. Serve hot. (Can also be done in a pot on the stove for about half an hour if you are in a hurry.) Longer = more flavour.

For red wine, add 1/2 white sugar or else it will be very bitter.

For the grown ups, add a shot of ameretto or run to your apple or cranberry juice when serving.

Procrastination Is My Middle Name

2012-11-05T21:13:00.001-05:00

Procrastination is my middle name and it is way past time to change that.

At home it is five minutes at my computer before I do <insert task, chore, anything that needs to be done here> and next thing I know it is 10:00pm and I should be in bed. But I have successfully avoid the task that I was supposed to do. Damn it, I'll do it tomorrow ... after I check my e-mail, facebook and twitter and I should probably check here for comments (even though I get e-mail notifications) and something interesting may have happened on twitter or facebook while I was doing that.

At work it is a quick break from whatever task is melting my brain to organize a pile of papers into proper files and next thing I know the office looks like something has exploded in it because I have decided to organize while taking a break from the brain melting task. Organizing which no doubt involves making piles of things that I don't want to deal with at the moment and will procrastinate finishing until some day when I am procrastinating doing something else.

(Right about now, I hope my boss doesn't read my blog! Although, if you are reading, I assure you that all the really important, time sensitive stuff gets done on time. Usually, I think!)

So, please people, I need some suggestions, what is a better middle name for me to adopt? Procrastination just isn't working for me anymore. It is bad enough that I procrastinate when it comes to things that I don't like doing or that cause my brain to melt, but when it comes to doing things that I like, that's a sign that it is getting a little out of hand.

I should go start making Christmas cards . . . but I think I will go get a drink first and then check Facebook and Twitter. By then it will be too late to be bothered starting. Maybe tomorrow would be a good time to start. Or next week? I still have a month before they have to be in the mail . . .

From Pumpkin Patch to Pumpkin Pie

2012-11-04T17:35:00.001-05:00

Our journey from Pumpkin Patch to Pumpkin Pie started a couple of weeks ago. On a sunny Saturday morning, we went to Miller's Farm in Manotick in search of pumpkins.

We took the wagon to the pumpkin patch to look for the perfect pumpkin.

Although there were lots of great pumpkins in the field, all of the REALLY big ones were already at the store area and we wanted a REALLY big pumpkin! We came home with a 40 pound pumpkin.

Then it was time to get that pumpkin cleaned out and turned into a Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween. Once all the guts were removed, it was carved into a scary face, as per Liam's instructions.

As is the case with all good Jack-O-Lanterns, when Halloween is over, so is their life.

The 40 pound pumpkin turned Jack-O-Lantern was destine to be cut into pieces ...

... put in a 350 degree oven ...

... and baked for an hour.

As if that wasn't enough torture for poor Jack, he was then peel and chopped into smaller pieces ...

... tossed in the food processor ...

... and made in to puree.

And that my friends, is what we used to make a lovely pumpkin pie for dessert!
(And A LOT left over to go in the freezer for future pumpkin goodies!)

Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 375 F for 50 minutes.

For a large deep dish pie, double recipe.

Allergies

2012-11-03T20:53:00.003-04:00

My eyes itch and water.

My nose is stuffy and drippy.

My throat is dry and scratchy.

I feel like I have blown my nose a million times today.

My eyes are bloodshot.

My nose is red.

I have taken allergy medication.

I sit here sniffling.

I wait for it to start to work.

I hope it kicks in before I scratch my eyes out.

Because I really do like being able to see.

I really think my allergies are trying to kill me tonight.

I really hope they don't succeed.

Because I have things to do tomorrow.

And the next day and the day after that.

So, allergies, if you are reading this,

Please, get the message.

I want you to GO AWAY!

Six Word Friday - Questions

2012-11-02T22:07:00.001-04:00

Questions

Everywhere I turn there are questions.

Questions being asked. Questions needing answers.

All day long, home and work.

I feel bombarded by the questions.

Sometimes answers are easy to give.

Sometimes I silently look for answers,

to impossible and even ridiculous questions.

Sometimes I just want to scream:

"Go figure it out for yourself."

Sometimes I really don't understand why

the question is even being asked.

Sometimes I am happy to help,

to find an answer for someone.

It all depends on the question

and why it is being asked.

Who? What? When? Why? Where? How?

The questions will never, ever end.

Some will bring joy and excitment.

Some will bring angry and frustration.

Some will bring indifference and boredom.

But they will always and forever

Be an everyday part of life.

This post was written as part of Six Word Fridays at My Memory Art, take a minute to pop over and see some other "Question" posts.

Halloween Fun!!

2012-11-01T20:26:00.000-04:00

Every year, Halloween gets more and more exciting! Two years ago, we Trick or Treated at 2 houses because every time someone opened their door, Liam cried. Last year, we had to be right beside him to knock on doors, ring door bells and take the candy when he decided to be shy. This year, he was a pro! Walking up to houses by himself, knocking on the door, saying Trick or Treat and Thank You and having a wonderful time!

Here is our Halloween adventure in photos!

Miller's Farm in Manotick. Liam would have played on the hay bales all day if we hadn't reminded him that we were there for a pumpkin!

Checking out the pumpkin patch. So many pumpkins!

"I want these two. One can have a happy face and one can have a scary face."

"You want me to put my hands in there? I don't think so!"

"Are you sure I have to touch this stuff? It is like slime."

"I guess it's not so bad after all."

The scary pumpkin. (We got a small pumpkin that was supposed to be the happy face, but it started to rot before we craved them.)

Captain America . . . ready to save the world . . . if you have candy!

"Come on people! There are more houses to go to, lots more houses."

Captain America and all his goodies. We told him that he could choose 2 things to eat before bed. He was very good about it but probably only because he was too exhausted to put up a fuss! We stopped Trick or Treating because he asked to go home to bed! I don't ever remember asking to stop Trick or Treating, we were always trying to talk Dad into one more house! But then again, I don't remember being three years old! When he finally went to bed, Liam was very sad that he couldn't wear his Captain America suit to bed!

Conversations With Liam

2012-09-23T13:55:00.001-04:00

As time goes on, conversations with Liam get more and more interesting. He is just over 3.5 years old and he loves to talk. My mother will tell you that he gets that from me. She always said that once I started talking, I never shut up and I find myself saying the exact same thing about Liam on a regular basis.

Here are just a few of the conversations that have occurred over recent months.

Liam: "I need two mommies."
Me: "Am I not good enough?"
Liam: "No, I need two mommies."
Me: "Why do you need two mommies?"
Liam: "Because I am a little boy and little boys need two mommies and a daddy."
Henry: "Who do you you want your other mommy to be?"
Liam: "I don't know, you can pick. But you can be my one daddy."
Me: "Do I get to be one of your mommies?"
Liam: "Yes, but I need two mommies. Daddy, who is my other mommy going to be?"
Henry: "I have to pick now?'
Liam: "Yes, I need another mommy soon."

Driving home, Liam could see smoke from a bush fire, he said:
"Look at all that smoke, it must be a volcano. I want to go see the volcano right now."

He frequently tells me the following:
"When I grow up, I want to be Tony Stark because he had a lot, a lot of money, he is really smart and he's IRONMAN!"

There are a lot of made up words in our conversations lately, but everyone has a meaning.
Liam: "Mommy, is that a shickhitter?"
Me: "Huh? What's a shickhitter?"
Liam: "It's a small, very tiny, little digger machine. You should know that."

Friends of ours, Ashley and Danny recently got engaged, Liam will be their ring bearer, although I don't think he has any idea what a wedding or a ring bearer is, he has plans for their special day.
Liam: "Ashley should get married in a princess castle."
Me: "No, Ashley's not getting married in a princess castle."
Liam: "OK, I want Ashley and Danny to get married on a horse. Actually on two horses, one for Ashley and one for Danny."

Liam wants a castle:
Liam: "Mommy, I really think we need a castle."
Me: "Really?"
Liam: "Yes, a big one."
Me: "Where are we going to find a castle?"
Liam: "We'll have to build one. I want to build it with you."
Me: "I don't know how to build a castle."
Liam: "That's OK, it's easy, really easy. First you get all the parts and put the parts together and then you put the top on. Then you put lots of toys inside. You put in the floor and paint it. They you put the walls on and paint them. And you have to put on a top that you can walk around on. That's a castle."
Me: "What colour are you going to paint it?"
Liam: "We can paint it red or blue or grey or any colour, really."
Me: "But what colour do you want to paint it?"
Liam: "Well, red, I think red is good."
Me: "What colour are you going to paint the floor?"
Liam: "Well, blue of course."
Me: "are you going to live in your castle?"
Liam: "Sure. I want you to live in my castle with me."
Me: "OK. Who else is going to live in your castle?"
Liam: "All the kids from preschool."
Me: "All of them?"
Liam: "Of course."
Me: "What about Daddy?"
Liam: "Well, sure, Daddy can live with us."

There are some farms close by that use propane canons to scare birds out of the corn fields. Here is Liam's interpretation of the situation.
"That noise is to make the birds fall off the corn so that the farmers can get the corn and feed the corn to the cows in the winter because cows are hungry in the winter."

I really never know what he is going to say next. I wish I could always have a paper and pen near by to capture some of the stories that he tells because I can never remember them all.

Wordless Wednesday - Saunder's Farm

2012-07-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday we met up with my sister, Teanna and my nephew, Denver at Saunder's Farm. We have never been before, I looked at their website last Halloween and thought that it was a little too expensive for what Liam would have gotten out of it at that point. And I honestly didn't know until about a month ago that they had summer stuff! I always just thought of them as a Halloween activity!

I wasn't sure how the day would go, Liam and Denver really do get excited to see each other and have fun when they are together but I was worried that at a place like this with so much to do, the difference in age (Liam is 3 and Denver is 7) would prove to be too much to keep them together and both happy. I was pleasantly surprised at how content they were to do most things together.

The boys had a wonderful time and Liam is already asking to go back again.

Seeing as how this is supposed to be a Wordless Wednesday Post, I guess I should get to the pictures! (I don't do the Wordless part of Wordless Wednesday very well!)

I wasn't sure we were going to

"It's OK, we don't have to go anywhere else, we can just play here all day!"

"Umm, I got up, but how do I get down?"

"This is supposed to be challenging? For who?"

"THIS. IS. AWESOME."

"No, I'm not going to fall, I'm good!"

I'm not going to lie, I had a blast on the jumping pillows and would have spent more time there if the boys hadn't lost interest!

Mazes from the look out tower.

"I can find my way through here, no problem!"

"Just follow Denver, he knows where he is going!"

Liam wasn't too sure what to think of the splash pad. He's never been to one before and isn't a fan out getting sprayed with water.

He did however have lots of fun spraying the water and running around the edges!

Witch's Mountain Slide. I was very surprised to see Liam go down by himself! It is very high and very fast!

After a few runs on his own, he talked Auntie Teanna into a couple of rides.

And even one with Mommy, but then he requested Auntie Teanna again!

Much like the tree house when we first arrived, we weren't sure that we were ever going to get to leave once the boys found the pirate ship play structure!

Six Word Fridays - FOUND

2012-07-13T22:20:00.001-04:00

Found

An opportunity I did not expect.

New challenges, new confidence, new experience.

New insecurities, new obstacles, new struggles.

Pros and cons. Positives and negatives.

Changes in every direction, every day.

I know I will make mistakes.

I will learn. I will grow.

I will find solutions, fix errors.

I will do lots good things.

I have already done good things.

May be for a short time.

May be for a long time.

I don't know, no one does.

It's one day at a time.

But it really doesn't matter.

It is where I am now.

As long as I am there,

I will enjoy. I will succeed.

Where Does Time Go?

2012-07-02T11:31:00.000-04:00

It has been almost 2 months since I have written a blog post here. How is that possible? As the days, weeks, months, years go on it seems as though time just keeps going faster and faster. Sometimes I wish I would just slow down but I know that's not going to happen. I do know that I need to learn to make more time for the things that are important to me . . . writing, scrapbooking, reading are a few things that come to mind. However, making more time for the "me" things is a work in progress. In the mean time, here's what's been keeping me busy and away from the blog for the past two months.

I started a new position at work. I am now Acting Supervisor of our preschool building. Although it took me just about as far away from my comfort zone as I could possibly get, it has been a welcome change. There have been lots of new challenges and I am learning a lot. As of right now, it is a temporary position and we have no idea how long it may last but I am going to enjoy it while it does and take the opportunity to learn everything I can about the job so that I can do it again if the need arises.

The whole family got together for a BBQ at my parents place for Mother's Day. With my youngest brother in college in Lindsey, my youngest sister going to college and working in Peterbourgh, my other brother doing shift work as a firefighter, my other sister only having her son every other week, and us living almost 2 hours form my parents, this doesn't happen very often.

We all had a great time and there was even a family game of monkey in the middle with a football. Give that I am very uncoordinated and as athletic as a stick, I choose to stay on the side line and take pictures!

As always, I spent a weekend (and lots of time before the weekend) helping with the New Moon Rabbit Rescue garage and bake sale. Although it was a long, busy and exhausting weekend, it was a hue success.

Then came gardening! Well, gardening started with that week of unseasonably warm weather we had in March, but in May I planted the vegetable garden which means much more time is spend playing in the dirt! You can read all about my gardening adventures (and see lots of photos) on my gardening blog, My Almost Green Thumb.

We spent a weekend camping in June. Henry and I have loved camping since before we were married. Liam loves anything that he can do outside, loves fishing and going to the beach. Camping is a perfect little get away for us. We enjoyed the weekend at Fitzroy Provincial Park and are looking forward to get out and doing some more camping this summer.

We celebrated Liam's birthday. Christmas is far too busy to fit in a birthday party, so we opted to do a half birthday party for Liam this year. We had a BBQ, hung out outside and it gives him a chance to get summer presents.

It has been a fun and busy start to the summer. And I expect it to stay that way! We have lots of things we want to do around here (build a new shed, expand a flower garden, put in a shade garden . . .) and I am sure there will be lots of picnics and trips to the beach and other fun stuff.

Six Word Fridays - Charge

2012-05-04T22:21:00.000-04:00

This week’s Six Word Fridays topic: CHARGE. Charged up? Charge on! Lead the charge.

In Charge

Next week is when things change . . .

Am I ready for this change?

I don't really know them yet.

They don't really know me yet.

But we will be thrust together.

They will look up to me.

They will be asking me questions.

They will be following my guidance.

I will have to have answers.

I will have to have solutions.

I will have to lead them.

Am I ready for this change?

Do I have what it takes,

To really, truly be in charge?

I am ready to work hard.

I am ready to be challenged.

I am ready to learn again.

I won't always have the answers.

But I will find the answers.

I won't always have the solutions.

But we will all work together.

There will be headaches and times

that I just want to scream.

But,

I know I can do this.

I know I will enjoy this.

Are YOU Listening? Seriously, are YOU?

2012-04-27T11:12:00.002-04:00

I am participating in the 5 for 5 writing series at Momalom where bloggers write a post a day for five days about a given topic. Today's topic is LISTEN.

The twist on today's 5 for 5 post is that it is also Six Word Friday over at Melissa Camera Wilkins' Blog!

Listen, hear, feel, understand and write.
The voices, stories in your head,
Let them out. Set them free.
Share your stories with the world.
Write them, Blog them, Journal them.
Share your creativity with the world.
Don't just keep it to yourself.
This is me, trying to share,
Some of the voices, stories memories,
that bounce around in my head.
Read, enjoy, comment, come back again.

My Rambling Thoughts On Age

2012-04-26T21:08:00.001-04:00

I am participating in the 5 for 5 writing series at Momalom where bloggers write a post a day for five days about a given topic. Today's topic is AGE.

We all know what age is. Simply put, it is the number of years we have been alive.
We all know that there are certain rights of passage that come with certain ages.
Four year olds get to start school. Sixteen year olds get to learn to drive. Eighteen year olds get to vote. Nineteen year olds get to drink.
As child there are always things that you want to do but can't until you are older. How many times did you tell your parents that you couldn't wait to be an adult and move out on your own?
As an adult, there are so many things that you could only do when you were younger.How often do you wish you could be a carefree child again?
I think back 20 years, to when I was 15 and thought that my parents were old and my grandparents were really old. Now that I am the age that my mother was then, it really doesn't seem that old. And then I realize that my parents are around the age that my grandparents were at that same time and I wonder why I ever thought that classified as REALLY old. Time really does change ones perception of age and what is old.
A few years ago, I was at a Brownie Meeting, my first year as a leader, and had this conversation with three of the girls:
Keira: "Nicki, how old are you?"Me: "How old do you think I am?"Katrina: "You are old enough to have a husband and a house."Keitha: "You must be really old then!"Keira: "But not as old as our moms because you aren't old enough to have kids yet."They all huddled together and whispered for a moment and looked at me again.Katrina: "We think you are 19."Me: "Good guess girls!"Keitha: "Are we right?"Me: "Nope, but let's just pretend that you are!"(The 30 year old me was very happy to pretend that I was 19 again!)
And there you have it, my migraine induced random thoughts about AGE! (By the way, right about now, on day two of this monthly migraine, I would love to go back to an age before I started getting these lovely headaches!)

A Photo That . . .

2012-04-25T05:00:00.000-04:00

I am participating in the 5 for 5 writing series at Momalom where bloggers write a post a day for five days about a given topic. Today's topic is PICTURES.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do for today's 5 for 5, with the topic of Pictures, I had a few ideas bouncing around in my head, but hadn't settled on a direction when Pam at writewrds posted her Hostel Bookers 7 Super Shots post and nominated me to participate as well. So, I gave into the peer pressure (just kidding, I thought it was a neat idea) and decided to do two challenges as one! So, here goes, I am taking part in Hostel Bookers 7 Super Shots AND Momalom's 5 for 5 with this post!

First, I needed to pick seven photos, that shouldn't have been difficult as I take hundreds of photos every month, but in my typically obsessive nature, it took me half and hour of searching for the "perfect" photos for each category. But, here they are!

A photo that . . . takes my breath away.

This past summer, I was fortunate enough to happen upon these two butterflies who were too busy . . . "enjoying each other's company" to notice me and my camera. I got a number of gorgeous photos of these two "friendly" creatures. And it still amazes me that I was able to get pictures of such a beautiful, natural event. And it makes me giggle that I witnessed this event at Upper Canada Village!

A photo that . . . makes me laugh or smile.

This is Liam and I in September 2009 at the New York State Fair. It always makes me smile because there aren't a whole lot of photos of Liam and I (I'm always the one with the camera) and most of the ones we do have are posed. This is natural. We are happy. We are having fun. We are on holidays. We are waiting for Liam's first ever concert to start, Sara Evans. Since then, he has been to many concerts and loves country music as much as his Daddy and I do!

A photo that . . . makes me dream.

Seeing my little boy trying to do grown up things that he sees his daddy do makes me dream about his future. I wonder who he will be. What he will become. Where will the future take this little person with the huge personality.

A photo that . . . makes me think.

My messy flower beds, at the beginning of spring makes me think of what is to come. Sunny summer days, filled with beautiful flowers and a vegetable garden overflowing with home grown produce. I hope that is what life has in store for me . . . happy times with good friends, loving family and enough of everything we need to stay healthy and happy.

A photo that . . . makes my mouth water.

Homemade hamburger patties, cooked on an open fire . . . really, does it get much better than that? Well, maybe if they were accompanied by a bottle of red wine. Now I am hungry . . . who wants a burger?

A photo that . . . tells a story.

We were camping, we needed fire wood, Liam found us fire wood. My sometimes serious, always helpful little man, doing his part to get the fire started so we could cook supper!

A photo that . . . I am am most proud of (aka my National Geographic Worth Shot).

I grew up with my mother and papa being avid bird watches. Although I am no expert and can only identify the most basic of birds (this is a chickadee!) I do love feeding the bird in the winter and when it's not too cold, trying to get some pictures of the fluttery little creatures! And every so often I get what I think is a pretty good shot!

And there you have it, by 7 Super Shots. I could keep going with dozens of other photos but that might just get to be too much! Hope you enjoyed my pictures!

Finally, to challenge five other bloggers to jump on the Hostel Bookers 7 Super Shots Challenge . . .

Karen at Karen's Chronicles

Alex at I don't Blog But If I Did

Amy at Keep Your Head Up

Allison at Ali's Adventures

Krista at Life In The Hutch

Why? Why? Why?

2012-04-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

I am participating in the 5 for 5 writing series at Momalom where bloggers write a post a day for five days about a given topic. Today's topic is WORDS.

Babies make such cute little sounds when they are brand new. I remember Liam making little grunting noises that reminded me a little baby piglet. But then there are the times when they scream and scream and scream, when nothing you do can soothe them. Haven't we all in desperation said to our little babies, "I just wish you could tell me what's wrong!"
Before you know it, that little baby isn't a baby anymore. Suddenly, you have a walking, talking toddler, who amazes you everyday with the new words they are learning to say and use. They are finally able to start putting words to their needs, making things a little easier for you when they want something. There are still lots of moments where they are just babbling and making no sense whatsoever to anyone but themselves, but it doesn't matter. They are finally using the words that you were so desperate to hear.
In our house, we have moved past the toddler talk phase and into the three year question phase. Liam has words for just about everything. Sure, there are lots of words that he still needs to learn to say, like amphibian, which he heard on a Dinosaur documentary last night, but for the most part he can articulate his wants and needs. His biggest need is to know EVERYTHING!
The questions are constant. "Who is that?" "What are you doing?" "Where is my car?" And the most frequent of all questions, a single word, "WHY?" Everything from the simplest task to the most complicated device in the house needs to be explained, repeatedly!
I know that why is a very important word when you are three years old and learn about the world and everything in it. But sometimes it is just plain exhausting having to explain everything. I know that repetition is how three year olds learn and remember things but do I really have to answer the same question 10 times in a row? And I know that it is very important for you to know the exact answer to every question that pops into your head, but I really don't know all the answers, all the time. I wish I did. I wish I had the words and knowledge to answer every question that my little man asks but it just doesn't work that way!
So, even though 3 years ago, I was wishing that my little baby boy had the words to tell me what he wanted and needed, there are now times when I wish he would, just for a little while, stop using those words and give Mommy a few minutes of peace from the questions.

Depression Changes Things

2012-04-23T10:50:00.000-04:00

I am participating in the 5 for 5 writing series at Momalom where bloggers write a post a day for five days about a given topic. The first topic is CHANGE.

Many people think of depression as just feeling sad all the time. Unfortunately for those of us who suffer from depression, we know that there is a whole lot more to it than that. Depression effects just about every aspect of your life, not always at the same time or in the same way but it touches everything in someway.

Everything changes when you become depressed. The way you look at life, the way you interact with people, the way you do your job, your thoughts, your choices, your hopes and desires.

Some of these changes are easy enough to get back on track once you learn how to control your depression. But some of them are not. Sometimes it seems as though depression has changed certain aspects of your existence for good.

Before I developed depression, I was full of energy and motivation, always ready to try new things and make decisions, although I was a little bit shy, I wasn't afraid of meeting new people and I was no super model, but for the most part, I was happy with my appearance. Now, even though my depression is under control, I have changed.

I don't have the energy and motivation that I once had. Even when I want to do something, it can be a struggle to motivate myself to get up off the couch or move away from the computer. I miss the enthusiasm that I once had for many things. I hate having to push myself to do the things I love.

I look in the mirror and I don't like what I see. I need to get healthier, not only for me, but for my family. I need to eat better and eat less. I need to exercise more. I need to stop just saying these things and actually doing them.

I am tired of worrying about what people think of me. I am tired of seeing things so negatively. I am tired of not being able to make a decision. I am tired of the way depression has changed me. I am tired of depression being in control. It is time I learn to control my depression.

It is time to CHANGE.

Can I Wrap My Boy In Bubble Wrap?

2012-04-17T21:25:00.000-04:00

Liam has been an accident waiting to happen these last few days.

It started with a splinter in his hand at Home Depot on Friday. It was quickly removed, but apparently I didn't get all of it as on Saturday is was red, swollen and puss filled. Fortunately, it was quickly taken care of and by Sunday, you could hardly even see the mark!

Saturday morning, he had a run in with the cat. I hear "Mommy, come quick, Tickles picked me two times and I can see my bone!" Needless to say, he was being a little overly dramatic about this. He actually only had three little scratches on his hands. There were no exposed bones! Perhaps this will teach him not to follow the cat under the bed! And to go away when she hisses at him!

Supper time on Saturday came the first big one. I really don't know how he did it, but he fell, hitting his forehead on the edge of the dining room table. At the time, it was just red and a little bump. It looks a lot worse now than at the time!

Sunday, when he was napping, he fell out of bed. Luckily there were no injuries from this! And he even went back to sleep!

On Monday morning, he was spinning in circles in the playground at daycare when he got dizzy and fell (funny how that happens when you spin in circles!). He hit his eye on the slide and now has a cut, swollen and bruised eye.

I am thankful that none of these have been serious injuries and we haven't had to make any trips to the hospital or anything! But if this doesn't stop soon, I am seriously going to think about wrapping Liam in bubble wrap to keep him from hurting himself!

Homemade Hot Cross Bun

2012-04-07T14:31:00.000-04:00

When it comes to food at Easter, one of the first things I think of is Hot Cross Buns. But not the ones you can buy in the store, for me, only homemade ones will do!

When you grow having something homemade your entire childhood, it's just gotta stay that way! Thankfully, not only did my mother teach me to enjoy and appreciate homemade baked goods, she also taught me to bake them!

So this morning, Liam and I hit the kitchen together with my Mom's recipe to make Hot Cross Buns. As always, he was eager to help bake but rather disappointed that we would not be putting smarties in the hot cross buns! (I guess smartie cookies are on next weekend's baking agenda!)

Come on Mom, Let's get baking!

Here is the recipe, complete with instructions and photos!

Hot Cross Buns

1 cup warm water

2 tsps sugar

2 tbsp yeast

2 cup milk

1/2 cup margarine

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 eggs, beaten

10 cups flour

1 1/2 cups currants (I use raisins because I like them better.)

Mix dissolve 2 tsp of sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle in yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes. (Note: do this in a bowl where it has space to rise, I use a 2 cup glass measuring cup.)

Melt margarine. In a large bowl, mix milk, margarine, 2/3 cup sugar, salt and cinnamon. After yeast mixture has sat for 10 minutes, stir and add to milk mixture. Add eggs, beat well.

Stir in currants and 3 cups of flour. Add remaining flour 2 or 3 cups at a time, stirring to make a soft dough.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, place in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled in size, usually about an hour.

Punch dough down. Divide into 36 even pieces form into smooth balls. Cut cross on top with a sharp knife. (I usually make mine a little smaller, so that I get 48 buns.)

Allow to rise, again, about an hour.

Bake at 375 F for 15-20 minutes.

Glaze with sugar water. Ice crosses when cool.

Watching the yeast rise was interesting and provoked a lot of "whys?" but for the most part, Liam was too excited and eager to do stuff that he didn't care about the answers!

Stirring and tasting are the best parts of the job!

Adding the flour in small amounts (2-3 cups at a time) makes it much easier to mix.

Reading for kneading!

"You really want me to use my hands? Are you sure?"

Kneaded and ready to rise.

Risen!

Every little person's favorite part . . . punching down the dough!

Shaping the buns.

Ready to rise again!

Ready to bake!

Baked and cooling!

Finished and waiting to eaten!

Conversations With Liam

2012-03-27T22:21:00.001-04:00

These days we never know where a conversation with Liam will take us. It could be short, sweet and to the point or it could be long and confusing, leaving you wondering where this child came from! One thing is for sure, there are a lot of laughs to be had. And I really don't know how the kid knows the things he knows!

Here are some of my favourites from the past few days.

Liam: "Today I was a bad crocodile."

Me: "How do you be a bad crocodile?"

Liam: "I do this." <looked at me with a mean glare> "And I have a big long nose with very big, very sharp teeth. Crocodiles have big scary teeth."

Me: "Yes, they do have big teeth."

Liam: "And crocodiles have sharp toes with very sharp nails that come out of their toes for scratching, like this." <he put his hands up to demonstrate scratching> "Crocodiles have really big, very big tails that they use to hit things. And they swim in the water. Bad crocodiles eat animals that they hit with their big tails and grab with their sharp toes and sharp nails."

Me: "Are there any good crocodiles?"

Liam: "No, crocodiles are all bad. They bit and scratch and hit. They are just bad crocodiles."

Liam: "I know how to make tuna melts.

First you put the tuna on and then you put the cheese on.

And then it just melts."

Liam: "Mommy, I want to you to get in the bath with me."

Me: "No thank you, I don't want to take a bath right now."

Liam: "But it is fun to play with dinosaurs and sharks in the bath with me."

Me: "Maybe another time."

Liam: "We need to buy you a bathtub of your own so that we can have baths together. We can go get it later at Walmart. No, maybe we'll get it at Costco. Costco is better."

On the way home from work/daycare:

Liam: "Daddy, who built your truck?"

Henry: "Ford built it."

Liam: "Where does Ford work? Does he work at Walmart or Costco?"

Henry: "Ford isn't a person. Ford is a company that makes trucks."

Liam: "Where is Ford now? Is he going home?"

Henry: "Ford is not a person. This truck was made at Ford in Virginia"

Liam: "Why?"

Henry: "Because there is a big factory in Virginia where Ford makes lots and lots of trucks."

Liam:"Does Ford do it all by himself?"

Henry: "No, lots of different people helped to build this truck."

Liam: "How?"

Henry: "Someone makes the engine, someone makes the radiator, someone puts on the doors, someone puts in the seats."

Liam: "What do they use to make trucks?"

Henry: "Metal, screws and bolts."

Liam: "And glue. Ford uses white glue to build trucks."

Henry: "No, they don't use glue, glue wouldn't hold the truck together."

Liam: "Yes it would. Ford uses white glue to put the door on. They just use lots and lots of it."

Henry: "White glue is just for paper. It wouldn't work for building a truck."

Liam: "Yes, it does. I know it does."

Liam: "What is this yellow stuff in my ear?" (in a very concerned tone)

Me: "Wax."

Liam: "Who put yellow wax in my ear?" (sounding horrified)

Me: "It's OK, wax just comes out of your ears sometimes."

Liam: "I don't like it when wax comes out of my head into my ears."

Big Boy Means Big Changes

2012-03-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

March 1st, 2012 was a day that we have been thinking about since Liam was 6 days old and counting down to since his last visit to the Orthopedist, in September. March 1st, 2012 was the day that we could finally say that Liam was finished with treatment for his club foot, finished treatment that started when he was only 6 days old.

In the three years that he has been wearing his Denis Brown Boots and Bar, we have gone through three pairs of shoes, from the little tiny ones that wouldn't stay on his feet because they were too big to the biggest ones, that we soon going to be too small.

We were all thrilled to be able to put the "sleepy shoes" away forever!

The end of the sleepy shoes for Liam meant that it was time for another change. Even though he was already 3 years old, Liam was still sleeping in his crib as we didn't want him trying to walk in his boots and bar. However, the last few months, he's been asking for a big boy bed and it would break my heart every time.

Last night sleeping in his crib!

The first Friday after we were done with the sleepy shoes, we set to converting the crib to a toddler bed.

Liam was excited, not only to be getting his big boy bed, but also to help Daddy!

What is this piece for?

I wasn't sure how the transition to a bed would go. I have heard lots of horror stories of kids who wouldn't stay in their beds, wouldn't sleep in their beds, parents who would sit outside the bedroom door for hours to keep the child in the bedroom, I could go on and on.

But, really, Liam has been amazing! He stays in bed, even when he is upset and doesn't want to go to sleep, he doesn't get out of bed. He stays in bed in the morning until I go in to get him up. Even after his afternoon naps, he doesn't get out of bed until someone comes in to get him! Not sure what we did to get this lucky!!'

Trying out the newly assembled toddler bed.

First night sleeping in his Big Boy Bed!

Sound asleep like he'd been sleeping in a bed for months!

My sweet little angel!

Kitchen Renovations - Part One

2012-03-25T11:20:00.001-04:00

I came to the realization a few months ago that at big part of the reason that I have come to dread cooking and hardly ever bake is that I hate my kitchen. I know that as long as we live in this house, I will never have a kitchen that I am totally in love with, it just isn't feasible, however, I need to have a kitchen that I can stand to be in for more than 30 seconds at a time without wanting to run away from home!

When we bought this house in late 2002 and started painting and making it ours, I was dead set on a blue and yellow kitchen. And although I did, at the time, like the finished product, it was never quite what I had in mind when I planned for blue and yellow. This time, I didn't know what I wanted. We had dozens of paint chips stuck to the walls and cupboard doors for weeks, trying to decide. And we changed our minds almost every week.

My blue and yellow kitchen, getting ready for a makeover.

Finally, we decided on green and tan. We choose a light, sage green for the walls, and what Henry calls a coffee with too much milk colour for the cabinets.

Tennessee Haze and Onion Skin were the colours we settled on (third from the top on both cards).

Over the course of a week, we spent our time on the weekend and after work, painting. Everything needed two coats of paint to cover up the old colours. The cabinet doors had to be taken down to paint. It was a big job but it was so worth it!

Newly painted kitchen!

Newly painted kitchen! Complete with Henry's latest batch of hard cider, fermenting in the white pail!

Newly painted kitchen! So much brighter and enjoyable to spend time in!

Yesterday, Henry took down the old, very dirty ceiling fan and put up a nice new track light. He also installed LED strip lights over the counter, sink and stove! The lighting is so much better now!!

New track light! Prettier and better lighting than the old ceiling fan!

We are still a long way from done, the kitchen still needs a new counter top, sink and floor. Unfortunately, these renos have been put on hold for a little while as we have some outdoor projects that need to be completed this spring. But as soon as the outdoor projects are done taking up our time and money, we will be back to finishing the kitchen!

Until then, we have done enough to make me enjoy my time in the kitchen again!

Potty Training Tuesday #16

2012-03-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

When The Time Is Right . . .

We have finally had potty training success with Liam! Since my last Potty Training Tuesday post in . . . August, has it really been that long? We have had literally no success with potty training.

A couple of times Liam announced that he was a big boy and didn't need to wear diapers anymore, but he also refused to use the potty.

Over the Christmas holidays, I tried some serious potty training, wear underwear and sitting on the potty every fifteen minutes. Still nothing.

Although I desperately wanted Liam to be potty trained, I wasn't going to push the issue. At his three year old check up in January, the pediatrician told Daddy that Liam really should be potty trained. His advice . . . put him on the potty every 30 minutes if he wants to or not and give him a sticker when he pees. (I am not even going to get into all the things that are wrong with that advice! At least not right now!!)

Daddy thought that this sounds like a good plan, so we gave it a try, for about two days. Liam was miserable every time we made him sit on the potty and we had absolutely no success.

At the beginning of February, the daycare decided that it was time for some hardcore potty training for a number of the children in Liam's group.

I crossed my fingers, prayed to the potty training gods, sent lots of extra clothes and hoped for the best, but expected the worst!

In the beginning, there were LOTS of accidents and no success.

The there were fewer accidents but still little to no success. Liam's teachers seemed to think that he was "holding it" as he would pee as soon as they put a diaper on him at nap time. And although it's not as good as actually using the toilet, it is a good step as it is a sign that the child is gaining some control.

Then, finally, one day there was a pee on the toilet! And soon after that, success was a regular thing. But only at daycare. At home it was a struggle to get him to sit for even a few seconds. But I was not discouraged! Progress is still progress even when it is slow!

It took his daycare teacher telling him that if he used the potty at home for me that she would give him a big sticker the next morning, to get him to start at home.

And now, about 6 weeks after they started, I am thrilled to say that except for naps and night time, Liam is about 95% toilet trained. He wears big boy underwear, has very few accidents and can mostly use the potty by himself. He still wears a diaper when we are out, just in case we can find or get to a bathroom fast enough but even then, he usually asks to go use the toilet!

So, when you are getting discouraged that your child isn't potty training fast enough, just think of me, the daycare teacher who has potty trained countless kids in her 14 years of working as an ECE who couldn't potty train her own child!

It will happen when the time is right!

Stay tuned for more tips, tricks and advice every Tuesday! And please do share your own experiences! I am always looking for ways to make potty training easier for myself, not only at work, but also at home as I will soon be jumping in head first to potty train Liam!