Virtually There

Gluten-free Monday: favourite pancakes

2013-02-04T09:35:00.001-05:00

Obviously I took a week off but... here I am today, nursing a cold, ignoring a nasty diaper, and generally pinning things to my Pinterest boards that I really want to sew.

My love of sewing has been reignited the last few months. It began when I pulled out my long forgotten and unfinished Christmas tree skirt (still unfinished, I might add). Whenever I start to sew a project again (rather than just sew on Girl Guide badges or make minor repairs), I fall in love with sewing all over again. My next project will be a fun bag to tote my Girl Guide stuff in. After that, it is finishing some other quilts while making some summer skirts for the girls. But first, I MUST finish my Christmas tree skirt.

I also have a Gluten-free goodness board on Pinterest. You can find it here. And like most of my other pins, I haven't made a single recipe on there yet. Maybe I'll change that this week and try one out. I'm thinking the chocolate cookies. Yes..... I see a project for Henry and I today! Expect a review next week.

In the meantime, I'm going to share my favourite pancakes with you today (sorry no photos). This is a recipe that I got from Baking Beauties but I have fully changed around to make much better (in our opinion). We always add blueberries but plain is good too, as is any other fruit you can think of. You can also add canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices for a really great treat.

Karen's Pancakes

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
3 tbsp tapioca starch/flour
1/3 cup potato starch
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 egg
1 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla)
1 1/2-1 3/4 cups milk, depending on how thick you like your pancakes.
3 tbsp oil
2 tsp vanilla

Whisk all dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients separately, whisking well. Add wet to dry and mix well. Sometime I have to add extra milk to make a thinner batter as I don't like my pancakes too puffy. Melt butter in frying pan and add large spoonfuls of batter adding blueberries or whatever fruit you like.

This batter also keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

I honestly don't think a wheat-eater could tell the difference eating these pancakes. There is not GF texture here at all. Yum!

Gluten-free Monday: GF flour blend & Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2013-01-22T11:43:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. It's Tuesday. I realize now that posting on Mondays will likely be difficult because Brownies is at 4:00 every Monday which means my Mondays is normally dominated by running around, getting craft supplies ready, doing some shopping, etc.

Yesterday we had a skating party at Brownies so there was little running around and no crafting to be done but Emily was home sick so the day was strange and didn't follow routine AND I am starting to cut/limit Henry's naps so there was that added in the mix as well.

And so, on this very cold Tuesday, I give to you Gluten-free Monday: the second edition!

Last week, Julie asked if I would post my gluten-free flour blend. I'll happily do that today.

In full disclosure, this is actually Carol's Sorghum Blend and not invented by me at all.

I love this blend. I've tried many and this one is by far the best for our tastes. No rice flour: win! Easy to mix: win! As close to wheat in texture and taste that you're gonna get: win!

I don't use blends too often, however. Normally I gravitate to recipes that have a number of different flours and starches in the recipe and do not depend on an all-purpose blend. These recipes tend to work best as the ratios have been determined for that specific recipe. This is why I like MGCC's website so much. Their GF guru, Julie, doesn't use blends either.

There are some instances that require a pre-made blend however. I have a couple of recipes that ask for one and I go to this blend for converting some of my square and muffin recipes. It works well. I wouldn't use it to convert a cake or cookies, though. Be forewarned, it won't work. It is great for thickening sauces, stews, or other recipes that ask for 1-2 tbsp of flour as a thickener. This will be a great replacement.

Carol's Sorghum Blend

1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups potato starch (not potato flour)
1 cup tapioca starch/flour

Mix and store.

I've used this recipe in the following muffin recipe to rave reviews:

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

I can't even remember where I got this recipe... AllRecipes, maybe? It's a GREAT addition to kids' lunches if they survive an hour past baking.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp shortening
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups Carol's Sorghum Blend
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Cream shortening and sugar in big bowl.
Add eggs and applesauce, mix well.
Mix dry ingredients, add to big bowl.
Add in vanilla, yogurt and bananas.
Mix well.
Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour into muffin cups. Bake at 350F for 24-30 minutes. Makes 20-24 muffins.

Gluten-free Mondays

2013-01-14T10:02:00.000-05:00

I've decided, on the spur of the moment as I devour another gluten-free cheese bun that I baked this morning, to start a new series on the blog: Gluten-free Mondays.

I've been eating totally gluten-free for two years next month. I was dragged kicking and screaming into a gluten-free diet after almost two years of ongoing and sometimes serious health issues revealed that gluten-free was the only cure for my many issues. You can read about my health journey to this discovery here.

Since then I have found and developed a lot of GREAT gluten-free recipes. My mantra when I started out was that if it wasn't as good as the wheat version, I wouldn't eat it (or make it again). I've been able to stick to that and in some cases, my gluten-free version is better than the original wheat version.

We now have a completely gluten-free household. Emily and Hope showed signs of gluten-intolerance about a year ago and have been GF since about then. Henry has shown signs for a while and has been GF for about two months. I'm still not convinced that this is the answer for him or that he is truly intolerant but given that gluten-intolerance is hereditary, there's a good chance that he is, even if it isn't solving his current issue.

John decided to join us as the last man standing and after reading an article that scared him off modern, North American wheat for at least a while, if not a lifetime.

I've only just started to convert my own recipes over to a GF version recently. More often than not, I scour the internet for an already tested recipe. I find that if I do choose to convert, my best luck happens with muffins, quick breads, pancakes. I still haven't mastered a from-scratch homemade bread recipe. Bread still eludes me. It is the toughest thing to replicate given that it is reliant on gluten to make it 'bready'. If we want bread, I buy a tolerable version at Costco or get the Bob's Red Mill everyday bread mix.

Several of my friends are starting to consider going GF because they have ongoing gut issues etc. And they have asked me for recipes. Instead of putting all my links together, which would take me a LONG time. I've decided to feature one of our favourite GF recipes here each Monday. Most often it will be taken from someone else's website or a cookbook. So, kudos to all those people out there who have mastered recipe conversion. My family benefits daily from your perseverance.

This morning, as I mentioned above, I baked cheese buns. These are not normal buns. They're called Chipa and they're common to South America. My sister-in-law, who is from Brazil, makes these often. Their texture takes some getting used to - they're very chewy inside. We're totally addicted over here. They need to be eaten the same day they're made so if you aren't going to eat 48 little buns in one day, put some of the batter in the fridge to use the next day. That's what I normally do and it works great.

I found this recipe on Mennonite Girls Can Cook's gluten-free page. It's become one of my go-to GF recipe sources. I've only had one recipe not work out (bread, of course). And of course, being Mennonite, they appeal to my desire for traditional Mennonite recipes converted to GF. This week I'll be trying their wareneki recipe from their cookbook. Can't wait!

Chipa

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3 cups tapioca starch/flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cups of strong grated cheese

2 eggs

1 cup milk

Mix all the dry ingredients together.

Add oil, beaten eggs with the milk and stir in till the dry ingredients are well moistened.

Put into greased mini-muffin tins.

Bake at 350 til golden brown, 20-25 minutes. I bake mine on 325 convection and leave them in for 15 minutes.

Delicious cheesy little pillows.

Toilet training Henry Day 2

2013-01-10T12:23:00.001-05:00

Friends, after only one day, I'm off the wagon. Yesterday afternoon saw one very small, perhaps accidental success. The rest of the day was a series of wet underpants and small puddles. This kid is a camel. I plied him with juice all day and it never reappeared. That makes toilet training a bit challenging. Even this morning his diaper did not reflect the amount of liquid he consumed yesterday.

Baffling.

I was forced to take some social time for myself this morning at Starbucks, mainly for my own sanity. There is only so many times I can sing the pee-pee song without losing my shit.

After Starbucks, it was off to Costco to return two bathing suits for Emily for a bigger size. I had to do it today before they sold out because kids' Speedo suits at $11.99 won't last long.

So now we're home, diaper still on, Dora on the iPad. I hope the afternoon will produce some successes. If so, you're sure to hear about it here.

Update: Lots of pee today. All in diapers except for one prolific pee in the underpants. However... a realization! Henry seems to have been routinely dehydrated, which explains why he didn't pee much yesterday. He drank all that juice, didn't pee much, but today, had a much easier time with pooping than he has in.... months. Oh my. Feeling like a bad mother. Although, I offer him drink a lot but the guy doesn't want them unless it's juice. He'd rather drink nothing than have to suck back water during the day.

Live blogging: toilet training Henry, Day 1

2013-01-09T13:37:00.001-05:00

1:38 pm Henry is sleeping and I'm about to put some cookies in the oven. He hit the mark once and I suspect he's saving it all up to unleash in his diaper during his nap.

12:35 all Spider-Man underpants heading to the washing machine. No pee has yet to hit the toilet. We may have a difficult case on our hands. Time for a lunch break. Ham with ketchup. Lunch of toilet training champions

10:20 all decked out in Spider-Man underpants.

9:55am Ready to go

Posted with Blogsy

And now to resume the toilet talk...

2013-01-09T09:05:00.000-05:00

It seems that I've largely abandoned this space, my personal space on the massive landscape that is the World Wide Web. I've been thinking more and more lately about how much I miss spending time here, crafting my words, sharing our stories and connecting with people who find their way here. I've also given time to trying to figure out why I have found it so hard in the last year, and especially since July 24, the date of my last post, to make time for my blog.

There has been one major addition to my life in the last year: Girl Guides of Canada.

The reality is that running two Girl Guide units has dominated my free time in the evenings when I normally spend a little bit of time here. I love my work with Girl Guides and that won't change. Nor will the amount of time I devote to it.

And, with my current attempts to get back into paid employment with the government, it isn't likely that more free time is going to open up any time soon.

And so, while it may not be of interest to current readers (if there are any current readers left?), I'm going to change my use of this space somewhat and use it to share meeting ideas, craft ideas, issues and celebrations about my Girl Guide units. I will still use it as my personal blog. it won't entirely be Girl Guide-related but since that is a big part of my life, it only makes sense that it becomes more of a feature on the blog. And if it means that I get back to writing more often, then it's the right answer.

But for now, the blog, at least for this week, is going back to its roots: poop talk! Bum talk! Toilet training talk!

Both of my girls played starring roles here during their toilet training adventures. And it seems only fair that Henry's foray into all things underpants (his favourite word for underwear) and toilet is documented as well. Not just for posterity and your enjoyment, but for my own psychological health.

As you may recall, I hate toilet training. I've said it before and I'll say it again: if there is one part of parenting I'd like to be able to hire out, it would be this part. I'll take barf, discipline, sleeplessness, illness over toilet training anyday. I. HATE. IT.

Maybe that's why we generally suck at it over here. Although Hope's experience was way better than Emily's and maybe that means that Henry's will be even better.

All I really know is that I'm likely to be washing a lot of underpants today.

Today is Day 1 and currently Henry is still sitting on the couch watching Grover in his dinosaur jammies and a fully stocked diaper. My resolve is still building. I still need a shower. Although maybe it would be wise to delay that until I really need it. Right now I'm only mildly dirty. Just wait.

Feeling ready for those underpants! All positive and full of smiles. Just wait.....

And so, you can expect updates today. Hopefully many positive ones. Probably many poopy ones. Although, given this guy's propensity for being backed up, it may be all pee. I think I'll be considering myself blessed that he can't produce the deuce without a lot of grunting and red-facedness.

See? Already starting on the poop talk and I haven't even pulled out the Spiderman underpants yet. Oh, this day is going to be good. Aren't you glad I'm back?

Our last feed

2012-07-24T07:55:00.002-04:00

I can't let another moment go by without writing about something that took place this week. It seems I've breastfed my last child for the last time. Weaning Henry has been a drawn-out affair. The boy likes his booby. A lot. He got to the point of pointing at me and saying "dat milk!" (as opposed to the milk he gets out of a cup). I still enjoyed nursing Henry, for the most part, but I was also done being pawed at and having my shirt lifted up over my still clinging-on baby belly, sometimes in public. And yes, there was still milk. Our bodies produce milk as long as milk is still being taken out by a searching little mouth.

My last few feeds with him weren't great - it hurt. The guy has powerful suction and a lot of teeth. But the last feed (or what I assume was the last one as it was about 72 hours ago), was lovely. Exactly what I wanted it to be. As he snuggled up and fed, I rubbed his head, caressing his soft curls, just like I've done hundreds, nay, thousands, of times before.

I've spent countless hours feeding my babies. I don't feel sad that this era has come to an end in our lives. I still nourish them on a daily basis in so many different ways. I'm happy to be leaving this behind now. And I'm so glad to have taken this journey with them. It was hard. I really struggled with feeding Emily and Hope at the beginning, not because of a lack of milk supply (I had an over-abundance) but because of engorgement, cracked and bleeding nipples, blocked ducts, a baby (Emily) with a tiny mouth. It was so hard but so worth it.

And it will stay with them, and me, for the rest of our lives.

Breastfeeding Emily for the first time with the help of my amazing midwife, Sarah.

Breastfeeding Hope on Day 1 or 2. Hope was born at home and with a toddler around there were few chances for photos.

Breastfeeding Henry for the first time with the help of my other amazing midwife, Mina (different midwife because Henry was born in Kitchener).

Spring back: photo look-back Part 1 - May 2012

2012-07-19T06:59:00.001-04:00

The last couple of months have been filled with sports, end of school events, outings, travel, baking, get-togethers, gardening, and general (good) busy-ness. Over the next few days, I'm going to take a photo tour, month-by-month, of what we've been up to this spring.

My 40th birthday bling bash was totally fun and rocking (well, as much as a group of 40+ women can rock it out when we are tired from kids and work and the usual stuff at the end of the day). We met at Sassy Bead in The Glebe (one of my favourite stores of all time - and sadly, now closed) and made jewellery, ate, drank and laughed and talked until we exhausted our creativity and our store hosts. We were planning to head to a pub after that but instead, a few of us who still had energy, albeit waning, went back to mine and finished the evening over tea and raspberry cream cake. A fitting way for the 40-crowd to end an evening, dontcha think?

The birthday girl... ready to par-tay!

Ready to get our bead on

Finally a shot of the photographer (Pam, middle)

Meredith and Julie in deep concentration

Andrea made the most complex jewellery of the evening

So many choices, so little time!

Isobel and I looking fab!

A final group shot (minus Pam)

Spending an evening with a group of women like this, all close friends, who I've known for a long time or come to know in the last few years or even months, is the best way to welcome your forties. It was a really special night.

And then only about a week later (on May 19), Henry turned two. No kidding! The tantrums, screaming fits and general grumpiness on his part leading up to this birthday gave us a clear indication of his age and warning of more fun to come. Man, this kid has a temper. Still wonderful and tons o' fun though (she says through gritted teeth).

Happy to get a sandbox for his birthday (truthfully, we already owned the sandbox - it had been in the garage - we just filled it with new sand - can you say frugal and awesome!?)

Could this be the last Dora cake I every make? Please make it so.

Filling his face with Dora at Pam and Jim's.

And that, my long ignored friends, was our May (for the most part). Stay tuned for a June round-up!

40 eve

2012-05-09T23:25:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow I turn 40. I'll have more to say about that tomorrow, for now I just want to say: Hi! How've y'all been doin'?

It's been a while. A LONG while. So sorry.

I've been preoccupied with selling 105 cases of Girl Guide cookies. I was starting to dream about Girl Guide cookies although, ironically, I can't even eat the damn things since they're chalk full of gluten.

Other things have been going on in my life as well. I've done some stuff, learned some new things, made some decisions, done stuff with the kids. Such as:

I'm learning to do this:

First try. Not bad. Will get better. Homemade fondant.

And yesterday I did this:

Definitely good for a first go. Too sweet though.

And last week I did this:

Major cutbacks happening in Ottawa!

After previously looking like this (it was actually a few inches longer than this even):

Major improvement. Who's the hippie?!

And a few days ago I made this:


It's time to get fascinating. This will be my headwear at a tea in June celebrating dear Liz's long reign.

This week I also attended (and helped with) Hope's first t-ball game and Emily's first baseball game of the season. I also watched Emily rule the stage during the talent show as she showed off her made hooping skills. I'm planning my birthday shindig for Saturday. Eating too much of that darn cake above and making promises to get outside and move my jiggly butt more. I've been gardening and redesigning the garden and loving every minute of it.

And now, it's time to say goodbye to my thirties. Tomorrow I wake up 40 and fabulous!

No pushing

2012-04-03T21:50:00.001-04:00

I've learned a lot from my years as a parent... mostly I've learned from the many mistakes I've made over the years. Here are two important things I've learned that I wish I knew way back when:

(1) kids will figure out how to do things on their own time
(2) don't apply (1) to every situation

Which further feeds into something else I've learned: you'll be faced with a lot of different situations. Even if you're dealing with the same kid, the same rules may not apply. For example, I totally pushed Emily into toilet training before she was ready. MAJOR mistake and thus ensued months of pain and torture and poop. That did not often land in the toilet.

Next example, I did push Emily to learn to tie her shoes during the summer between SK and Grade 1. I knew she could do it if she just practised. I was right and she was tying like a pro before the first day of Grade 1. Goodbye velcro ~~loser~~ shoes.

Next example, riding a two-wheeler. Emily is a ~~scaredy-cat~~ cautious kid to put it mildly. She can't watch movies. Period. Because there might be something scary. Or emotional. She has trouble with change. She doesn't like loud noises or crowds. She's generally just sensitive. So when faced with getting rid of her training wheels, she loved the idea but was scared of even trying. I knew that if pushed, this could be really bad. But I also knew that it really didn't matter when she got off her training wheels. I don't care when she rides a two-wheeler. However, she'd become embarrassed by her training wheels and was refusing to ride a bike at all last summer. So a little research by me discovered that a bike too small can yield great results by acting like a push bike and feel stable because the child doesn't pedal until she has the balance figured out. So Emily tried it a couple of days ago on a neighbour's bike. She realized that she might actually be able to do this. So, when Anna pulled her bike out again today, Emily got on and WITH NO INVOLVEMENT OR PUSHING (literally) BY ME AT ALL (in fact, I was on the phone while all this happened), this was the result:

Score one for this lazy yet seasoned parent! (Oh, and score one for Emily too.)

Up and At 'Em

2012-03-21T05:37:00.001-05:00

I'm not a natural morning person. If it were up to me I'd be in bed until about 8:00 and later on weekends. But, being a mother of three forces you out of bed with the roosters. Especially when one of your children is a very early riser.

Henry got up this morning at 5:15. On the plus side, he only got up once last night, at 11:30, and it was clear I hadn't dressed him well enough so a quick change and then he slept until the ~~ungodly~~ hour of 5:15. Up and at 'em, boys!

But it sure gives me a leisurely morning. I get a shower before the craziness starts, I get lunches made, I get breakfast ready and I can even have some tea or my own breakfast. On some mornings, the dishwasher is even unloaded. (Not today.)

Or blog! (I can't guarantee that I'll be coherent though.)

So, that's one in the plus column for this morning.

Another tick mark is that one of our Brownies, who is the age to move up to Guides for next year, is planning on doing so. That makes me very happy. I didn't know if she would but she's "super keen" I'm told and that is a huge testament to the Brownie program we've run this year. I'm really pleased for her and what this will hopefully mean for her for the coming years.

And another tick mark (Brownie-related again) is that it looks like I've found another Guider to join us next year taking the pressure off if one of us is sick, and taking some of the work off our hands. Huge tick mark!

As I said to John, everything is coming up Karen!

What's going well for you today?

He's a screamer

2012-03-18T08:30:00.001-05:00

This little guy, while super cute, lots of fun and laughs, is killing me:

He's up too many times a night for his age but the problem is that he screams bloody murder VERY LOUDLY if left to cry, thus waking up both John and Emily who are both light sleepers. Therefore, I'm in his room giving him a hug and putting him back down before I get to go back to sleep. Yes, he still screams when I leave but it's a short burst and then done. But I still have to get up and he still continues to do it nightly since his RSV rather than figuring out that he's not getting what he wants (BOOB).

I'm a bleary-eyed bag-eyed iron lady today. I'm sure teaching Children's Hour at church is going to be AWESOME. Thankfully we're doing The Prodigal Son with a theme of forgiveness which I plan to instill as any iron-lady would and force the children to forgive my lack of effort in the lesson planning.

March Break 2012: Friday

2012-03-17T12:26:00.000-05:00

Wow, March Break flew by quickly! Too quickly, in my opinion. The girls and I both have wished out loud that there was another week off. That must mean that they've had a great time at home. In other words: mission accomplished... and with very little stress or distress for me!

Yesterday was a day full of adventures. We left the house by 9:30 to get to the giant Asian grocery chain near us, T&T Supermarket in order to get a few things for the pad thai I was making for dinner last night. Unfortunately, T&T has a pathetic assortment of South Asian supplies, focussing more on Chinese and Korean products. I had to get tamarind or the pad thai wasn't going to happen so I made the decision that we'd have to head to Chinatown at some point yesterday.

But first, it was time to make our way to the Museum of Science and Technology for the Franklin reading by author Paulette Bourgeois. Pulling into the museum parking lot, it looked as though every other family in Ottawa had the same idea. Turns out that most of them were there to see the usual exhibits and we were near the front of the line for Franklin and only had to wait about five minutes before they opened the doors to the auditorium. We had second row seats, a perfect view of the stage. We were all excited!

Hard to tell but I did brush her hair before leaving the house!

Old enough for his own seat now.

All ready for the big show.

Paulette's reading chair. Reminds me of The Friendly Giant. As you can tell, we were up close and personal.

And out came Paulette who does a great presentation about how she came up with the idea of Franklin, with an excellent slideshow to go along with it. And, unlike some authors who read their own work, she is GREAT at reading to an audience, doing different voices and adding little tidbits of information to the story.

Smartly, they projected the pages of the book on a big screen.

Paulette laughing with big, creepy Franklin. A girl behind us was in tears.

After her reading was done, she invited everyone to get in line for her to sign books (we brought a few with us) and to have photos taken with the giant Franklin guy (some guy in a Franklin suit). The line was huge so we went into our favourite exhibit: the light tunnels, which have a better name than that but I can't remember it. After a snack break, we headed back toward the line. Still too long! We decided to forgo getting the books signed and head to Chinatown for our ingredients (and maybe a fun lunch).

I parked right near the newish (okay, not that new... but new in the last five years or so) Chinatown gate which I love and reminds me of the gate in Edmonton. Kowloon Market, our destination was very close as was the dim sum restaurant and an all-you-can-eat sushi place. Everything was at our fingertips it seemed.

Posing with the lions who welcome you to Chinatown.

The big newish gate.

Chinatown is a great mix of old standbys, like the place pictured above, and newer restaurants (none of which, thankfully, are chichi).

Lots of this in the windows.

We went to Kowloon first. I used to shop there semi-regularly when we lived on Preston St. It was close and was the best Asian market in Ottawa, in my opinion. But them we moved south and T&T opened closeby and I never go to Kowloon anymore. I think that may change. First, T&T is always so crowded and I find it so hard to find anything because there is so much product. While Chinatown parking isn't always easy, the drive to get there is about the same and I can find everything I need, including lots of tamarind! In different forms! Even different brands of the same product. Hooray! And, for added entertainment, the live fish, clams etc are all at kid's eye level. Everyone was happy!

We left Kowloon with our purchases and looked at the menu at the sushi joint and decided to try it. I'm so glad we did. The food was great, ordering easy and delivery fast, the kids all found something they loved (even Hope who decided that she loves plain old cucumber rolls while Henry ate his weight in edamame). Emily and I snarfed lots of different kinds of sushi. Ye's Sushi in Waterloo is still my favourite all-you-can-eat sushi but this is at least an Ottawa replacement.

Henry trying out his chopsticks.

Hope found spearing the sushi was the best way to do it.

The afternoon consisted of cleaning and preparing dinner. We had some good friends and their kids over last night. Fun had by all. And the pad thai was spectacular!
It really was a great March Break. We did a lot but didn't break the bank and the kids were really happy to stay at home this year. Hope was not interested in reliving the barfing-in-the-car-travelling-to-Papa's experience this year. And neither was I.

I think you can call it a successful break if everyone is left wishing for more.

March Break 2012: Thursday

2012-03-16T07:09:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was largely another at-home day. I spent the morning doing some cleaning and allowed the kiddies to lounge in front of the t.v. for a while. After I put the kibosh on that, it was craft time and play time. I continued to clean while the kids played. In fact, I did a major spring clean project: I took everything out of the front hall closet (I should have taken before and after photos), mopped the floor inside the closet, cleaned the baseboards, sorted through things and reorganized. It felt so good to have that done.

Soon after that, John came home and I packed up our swimming stuff and put Henry to bed. Turns out that he wouldn't nap at all and John had to eventually retrieve him and bring him to the basement to watch a little b-ball.

Meanwhile, the girls and I headed to Splash Wave Pool for some super-duper wave action fun.... along with every other family in Ottawa, apparently. I have never been to that pool when it was so busy. Even over Christmas holidays it wasn't as busy as it was yesterday. It was total insanity. Which meant the wave pool was a mixture of squeals of delight as we were lifted up high by the waves and annoyance as people rode on top of us with their foam surf thingies.

Our system was to rotate from wave pool to water slide (super fun!) to warm pool and back to wave pool again. My personal favourite was the water slide. I could have done that over and over again but I could only convince Emily to do it once so we had to take that out of our rotation. Boo.

The girls had a great time and felt going to Splash was the big outing of the week, making up for the decision to not go to Cosmic Adventures (a huge indoor playground). I'm so glad I opted for this instead as it saved a bundle of money - Cosmic would have cost about $60 not including snacks while Splash cost $14 plus about $8 more for a stop at Starbucks after for some warm drinks. Value for money! And who can really put a price on being swum over again and again?

I have no photos of our adventure yesterday. My camera is not waterproof and change-room photos are just creepy. So, today's post is a photo-less update but tomorrow! Stay tuned for photos of Paulette and Franklin! Today's the day!

March Break 2012: Wednesday

2012-03-15T07:56:00.000-05:00

There is always a day in a week like this where things don't fall into place as you planned. Wednesday was that day. It was still a good day and we had lots of fun but it didn't turn out as we expected.

Our plan was to go to the Science and Technology Museum to hear Paulette Bourgeois read from one of her very famous books, specifically Franklin's School Trip. Apparently there would be a person dressed up in a Franklin costume, too. The girls picked out a few Franklin books to have the author sign.

Just before heading out the door, I went online to confirm the time the reading would take place: 10:30. On Friday. Oops!

New plan: Little Ray's Reptile Zoo! Not far away and I had a Groupon.

I went online again to retrieve my Groupon only to find that it isn't valid during March Break (of course, should have known). Oops again!

Discussion: what should we do today? Not surprisingly Emily voted to stay home for the day but I insisted we leave the house (for my own sanity). We settled on something simple: go to The Glebe and check out the chocolate shop, Truffles and Treasures, that I went to the other night with friends and on the way there or back we'd finally drop off all the stuff that's been crowding the car at Salvation Army.

We parked the car and started walking down Bank Street towards the chocolate shop when we found a new-to-me bike shop that seemed to focus a lot on kids and family bikes. We popped in to look at their helmet selection and left with a very cool new helmet for Hope. The shop was called Joe Mamma and I will definitely be going there again. The staff was really friendly, knowledgeable AND there was adog in there that kept Henry so distracted that he didn't knock any bikes over. Miracle! I'm thinking we may get Henry a scoot bike for his birthday and I'll definitely be getting it there.

Henry took an immediate shine to Hope's helmet and wore it like a uniform for the rest of our time in The Glebe.


This is Henry's usual pose for having a photo taken. Don't know why but it's darn cute.

All read to try some chocolate.

We finally arrived at Truffles and Treasures. The kids were mesmerized by the chocolate-making video that was playing. I was taken (yet again) with the colours, smells and displays.

Not only does the place smell sensational but it's a feast for the eyes as well.

These are the chocolate pieces they use to make hot chocolate... my neighbour comes here just to buy them to make hot chocolate at home. It's that good.

I bought the chocolate-dipped marshmallows last time I was in and the girls claimed they were homemade marshmallows and the best thing ever.

Next time, I'll be trying this...

....or maybe this... if I have a team to eat it with me.

The colours of the Turkish Delight were gorgeous and reminded me of Spring.

We ordered hot chocolate from their amazing list of hot chocolate offerings, deciding to split them between us (the cups are huge). Hazelnut for Hope and Henry and peppermint for Emily and me. Emily also chose out some chocolate-covered gummie bears to share (ew). And I bought a Nutkin to share also.

Look at those choices! So hard to decide.

I did try one. My verdict was "weird."

The truffle case... I could spend a lot of time taste-testing.

By the time we were done, Emily and I had stomach aches from the sweet richness but we were fueled! They honestly have the best hot chocolate in town... a bit rich, but a decadent treat. I highly recommend the peanut butter hot chocolate I had last time. Although the pepermint was great also. I also recommend sharing.

This map by the cash shows all the place people have sent or eaten their chocolate. Wow!

After that little adventure, we headed home with a quick stop at Salvation Army for our drop-off.

Soon after we got home, it was time to walk across the street for the girls' haircuts. A woman on my street has a mini-salon in her basement and does great work (and very reasonably priced). Henry was again entertained by a dog and the girls are neat and tidy for a while now.

During Henry's nap, I sat down with the girls to work on some of Emily's Brownie badges and had Hope do them too, just for fun. We made time capsules and book posters. Two more badges completed!

Hope's time capsule. Seems fitting to use a Girl Guide Cookie box.

The contents of Emily's time capsule. She had a hard time choosing what to put in there.

After that, it was outside play time. The girls scooted, I started supper and then brought Henry out after he woke up. I showed him his new-to-him bike helmet (I know, I know, you're not supposed to transfer helmets from one kid to another. Moving on....) and he went bananas for it... as you'll soon see. He was also MILDLY taken with his first ride on the tricycle, throwing a minor fit when I told him I had to go in to cook supper. Today there will most definitely be more tricycle time.

And for the rest of the day, Henry insisted on wearing his helmet.

While he watched shows on the iPad. While he ate supper.

Wednesday nights are John's night class. So, given that it's March Break, I declared it a movie-and-supper-in-the-basement-night. We watched Barbie Princess Charm School (sounds horrible, I know... but not nearly as bad as I thought... I liked the attempt to focus on character over looks, although there was still a lot of hair, dresses and shoes going on) on my computer as I couldn't figure out how to burn it to DVD, which I've done MANY TIMES so don't think I'm a total computer loser... I just couldn't get it to work last night. I think my Mac doesn't like the discs we have. Anywho....

The sweetest moment came when Henry got in trouble for trying to yank Hope's cookie out of her hand and after crying on my lap for a few moments, ran right over to Emily (who wasn't involved in the altercation as victim or disciplinarian) for comfort. It was so cute.

And that was our Wednesday. It's funny how things turn out. I was slightly concerned in the morning that it would turn out to be an "I'm bored!" kind of day... but it didn't at all.

Today we'll be home during the morning and then I have a surprise planned for the afternoon. John's coming home early to stay with Henry while I take the girls to the Splash Wave Pool.

Hopefully it will actually happen!

March Break 2012: Tuesday

2012-03-14T08:06:00.003-05:00

We had another lazy morning yesterday. In fact, it took a lot of convincing to get the girls out of their pyjamas.

Our gorgeous kiddies enjoying the ride together. Hope looks healthier, doesn't she?

We drove over to our local O-Train station and boarded the train towards Carleton. John met us at the platform and we walked over to the food court to have lunch together. The lunch options at the Carleton food court have expanded a lot in the last year or two. I had a decent red curry chicken over rice. John had Singapore Vermicelli. Emily had sushi. Hope had an A&W hamburger and fries. Henry oscillated between hamburger, fries, pizza and chocolate milk. The kids drew a lot of smiles and laughs from the students sitting near by. I remember how odd it felt to see little kids when I was in university because you almost never see them when you are squirreled away studying and attending classes. It was always a refreshing glimpse into real life.

Enjoying our lunch in the Carleton Food Court. We were a spectacle, especially when Henry started doing laps around the tables.

Henry's hair, back view. He has the most gorgeous curls. I could just smush my face in there all day long. Sometimes I do.

We walked John back to his office, where Henry contaminated the elevator and part of the History Department's hallways, before heading back to the train. When we got back to our stop, we made a quick stop at Bulk Barn where everyone got to choose a small bags of treats to take home.

Henry went for his nap, the girls got to indulge in t.v., I lounged on the couch. After that rest time, Emily and I headed out into the beautiful sunshine to finish her bird feeder that we've been working on this week. The girls were really keen to do some woodworking this week and these kits from Rona fit the bill: no cutting required - just gluing, measuring and nailing. Hope eventually came out too and we started and finished her birdhouse in one afternoon. The birdhouse kit is definitely the quicker project of the two. I can see us doing this in Brownies next year.

Emily's bird feeder. I'm sure the squirrels will really enjoy it.

Hope's almost-completed bird house. This one was really fun and easy.

After that is was scooting with the neighbours as Henry came out from his nap and played in the "ball pool" and on his cars.

Oh... balls!

It was a simple, easy and wonderful day. The girls declared it "the best day ever," further evidence that doing something simple but out of the ordinary (meeting Daddy for lunch) can be the most special event of a week.

Today: heading to the Science Museum to meet Paulette Bourgeois, the author of the Franklin books. Or calling a plumber. Hopefully the former.

March Break 2012: Monday

2012-03-13T06:50:00.000-05:00

I'm not surprised that the girls are more interested in hanging around home during March Break than packing our week with outings. By this point in the year, they're pretty tired of having to leave home most days in the week. And while we do have some special things planned for later this week, Monday was an at-home day, made even more important because of Hope's slow recovery from Fifth Disease.

If you're wondering what the heck Fifth Disease is, you're not alone. But you might be surprised to find out that you've probably had it. Apparently 50% of kids have it at some point. It's really common. And really contagious. It's characterized by a rash on the cheeks (which can spread elsewhere), earning it its alternative name of "slapped cheek". It's called Fifth Disease because it is the fifth of the common childhood diseases in the category of ailments that have a rash and fever (such as chicken pox, measles, etc). For some reason no one has thought to rename it on the moleclular level as they have with the other diseases. So, we're stuck with the clunky name of Fifth Disease.

Hope's red cheeks... cleared up a bit from the day before.

Poor little one.... all red and snotty.

A bit hard to see here but the rash had spread to her arms a bit but looks more mottled than red there.

Anyway, it sucks. Like chicken pox, it's a slow recovery. The fever hangs around for quite a while. Lethargy, fatigue and cold-symptoms ensue. Not fun for March Break.

Advil does wonders however in making sure that Hope has energy for at least a couple of hours in the day. The rest of the day is generally spent cuddled under a blanket.

So, yesterday we stayed at home. We had a breakfast of blueberry buttermilk (gluten-free) pancakes. I made a big batch of chai. We didn't get out of our pyjamas until noon, me included. I started organizing all my Sparks and Brownies binders and files that I've been allowing to languish in piles on the floor around my desk.

Finally, after Henry went for his nap, we headed outside where I started to organized the garage and the girls played in the driveway with the hula hoops and skipping ropes that have been missed through the winter. Henry joined us for a popcorn picnic in the sun.

The barbecue was lit for the first time this year and we had warm homemade corn tortillas wrapped around tequila-lime chicken, peppers and onions.

All in all, it was a great March Break Monday.

Today, we're riding the train to meet John for lunch. Stay tuned for a rundown tomorrow about March Break Tuesday.

The sugar bush: our annual outing

2012-03-12T10:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we took our annual trip to the sugar camp. We've tried different ones over the years but have pretty much settled on Sand Road Sugar Camp as our favourite. It satisfies a few things for me: (1) great food which must include des oreilles de crisse (cured smoked pig jowls) which I would describe as pretty much the best bacon you will ever taste; (2) nice setting with good walking trails; (3) sleigh ride; (4) maple syrup lines, buckets, operation close to the food building so the kids can discover; (5) not overly busy. The kids would add maple taffy to that, which of course they have. You can't be a sugar camp in Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec without offering maple taffy.

As an aside, if you're not from these parts, you might wonder what the deal is with sugar camps... or what the heck it is. A sugar camp/sugar shack/cabane à sucre is pretty much a maple syrup farm. And every one of them in this part of Canada has a sugar shack where you come and have a huge brunch (Ontario) or supper (Quebec). The food is good, bountiful and there is lots and lots of maple syrup to pour on top and to buy. After stuffing yourself you can usually watch the farmers make syrup, walk trails, have a sleigh ride, etc. Each camp does it a bit differently. And there are a lot of camps in the Ottawa area.

For me, Sand Road meets all of my requirements to a tee and if you go at breakfast time instead of lunch, which we always do, you really don't even have to wait in line.

The forecast for Ottawa yesterday was a little bit of gorgeous at 8 degrees and sunny. There was still a good amount of snow so the sleigh rides hadn't turned into wagon rides yet, which meant that the ride was still through the gorgeous sugar maple forest. The cold temperatures of the last few days meant they weren't boiling sap (the lines were frozen) but by the time we left the sap was running through the lines (it's pretty loud!) so the kids had lots of fun watching that and checking the few old-style buckets they have around.

Hello Sand Road!

Henry is primed for a sugar high!

The traditional-style buckets. The sap was frozen when we arrived.

The view looking at the food building.

Well-fueled after a big breakfast, the kiddies must top it off with maple taffy on the snow.

Time for a sleigh ride.

Old friends, Nevan and Emily, cozy up for the ride.

Hope, who I just diagnosed with Fifth Disease (more on that later), snuggled into the corner and didn't really move.

A stop halfway allowed the kiddies (and adults) to pet the horses.

The two academics talk shop.

Why play with snow or sap lines when there is this exposed pile of dirty gravel to see about?


Sneaking in on my gravel, are you?

Still loving the gravel!

You do realize this is gravell?! Why am I the only one who is fascinated?

Pass the Lysol

2012-03-06T09:25:00.002-05:00

What a go these last two weeks have been. I'd love a do-over with everyone healthy and happy. But one thing two weeks like this gets you is a renewed thankfulness for health and happiness.

Almost two weeks ago, Henry came down with the runny nose and cough that the girls had had but for Henry it turned worse quickly. By Thursday I realized that this was more than your run-of-the-mill cold and took him in to the doctor who told me he had RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and the normal treatment for RSV is a trip to CHEO (our children's hospital). But she thought he was "just on the cusp" of having to go in and we should try and treat him at home with the steroids but be prepared to go to the hospital in the night if required. Thankfully we made it through that night at home, with lots of steam and steroids and Advil. The next few days were a constant stream of crying, nursing, whining, sleeping, coughing and cuddling. And Dora's Christmas Special. Know around here as "Dora Ho"... Henry's term, not mine. Honestly, if it wasn't for Dora Ho, I don't know how we would have survived those few days. It was the only thing other than nursing that stopped him from crying and the only thing that gave me a laugh during those few days.

It was more than a week until he was back to himself. In fact, yesterday was the first day that I would say he was totally back to himself. He actually ate real food - he didn't eat anything but breast milk and apple cider for an entire week (he's looking a little skinny now compared to his previously chubby self).

And now we deal with the clean-up as it were: back to night-weaning (he was fully night-weaned before the RSV), to getting him off the whiny train, and back to better eating habits.

In the midst of all this, I succumbed to a cold (my first in about two years), we started Emily on a gluten-free diet (seems she has inherited my sensitivities) and John was down with a cold. I won't use the MAN COLD term here in case he's still sensitive about it. Oops, already done. Sorry, J!

All this to say, I am so thankful now for good health, happy kids (Emily is still struggling with having to give up some of her favourite things but she's getting better... more on that in a future post) and the time to start to clean the house after all this turmoil. Having a toddler on top of you most of the time means that the house is sorely neglected... more so than usual, even. I plan to Lysol the house top to bottom.

Thank goodness March Break is coming. I really need a break from running around to activities, school projects... and the constant onslaught of germs.

Winterluding a little bit

2012-02-11T08:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Ottawa. It was a high of minus 1 or so and sunny and only a light wind. I decided it was high time for a skate on the canal since we've stuck to our local outdoor rink thus far. But when I checked the canal conditions, it looked sketchy.

I had a Plan B: the newly installed Rink of Dreams, still downtown amidst the action, still outdoors, perfectly human-made ice and right in front of City Hall.... beside the canal. So I packed the kids up - it was unfortunately 4:00 pm by the time we were organized enough to leave the house - and headed downtown.

I parked at the National Arts Centre's underground parking. It took us a looooong time to find our way to a door that would get us out of the parking garage and I was decidedly grumpy by the time we hit the outdoors. My mood vastly improved with fresh air though and with the girls' excitement about getting to walk through one of the main Winterlude sites: Confederation Park. It's the site of the best ice sculptures and other great Winterlude public art.

They (and I) and Henry were not disappointed. They ooed and awwed at the ice sculptures and even got to sit on one (these photos were all iPhone specials (and not the 4GS... so sorry for the quality).

Emily and Hope try out the ice chair... and keep sliding off.

We loved the lost mitten sculpture (I'm sure that red and white number is mine.... I lost it earlier this winter. I loved those mitts but I'm not really willing to knit another at this point).

Dancing by the lost mitten sculpture. Henry is showing that he knows what mittens are.

That red and white one... there! Mine! (maybe)

More cool public art... hockey related, of course. This is Ottawa after all.

We stopped for a while to look at the infared wolves. These were very cool and I think they would be even better in the dark.

Favourite public art.

And finally we made it to the rink. We stayed in the middle so the kids wouldn't be run over by the speedy gonzaleses whipping around the perimeter and so Henry didn't get in the way in his stroller. There weren't may people using it (most people were on the canal) and the ice was perfect. My kids couldn't get over the condition of the ice. They'd never skated on perfect ice before. Emily was amazed at how well she was doing. Wait until I introduce them to an arena. Their minds will be blown.

Just starting out. Love Hope's laces.

Henry was content to be pushed around by me. Didn't like it so much when we stopped.

And with a gorgeous view of Parliament and downtown.

The lights on the boards change colours. Sounds tacky but actually really funky.

This is a shot I took of the new Convention Centre, which looked amazing all lit up. Couldn't get it on the iPhone but thought this was a cool effect anyway.

We headed back to the parking garage after only about 20 minutes of skating (and I realized we parked right around the corner from the door out... I just headed in the wrong direction when we left the first time). We were hungry and John was waiting for us at home. This was just a first taste. We'll certainly be back. I give a thumbs up to the Rink of Dreams. We'll definitely head there one day right after school and have a longer skate. For tomorrow however, it's back to our local outdoor rink where the ice is choppy but the parking is easy.

Something's gotta give

2012-02-10T10:11:00.000-05:00

Whenever I write a post up for the Girl Guides Canada blog (which is almost as RARE as my posts that go here), I get back in the groove of writing and wonder I'm not making time for more of it. And then I remember, oh yeah, that's because I do this and this and this and in the evening I absolutely MUST make time for Words with Friends because I now have another addiction to add to my list but this one is sort of good for me, right?, unlike the ongoing addiction to Coronation Street which also takes up part of my evening when I should be spending some time on things that make me grow in some way - such as writing or sewing - or eating.

And for an extra twist of irony, this is exactly what my GGC post was about and I'll post the link here when it goes up although I may have scared Talya off with it's verbosity. It's quite scary. Even for me.

Word of the day: loquacious.

That be me.

And now, I must go and change Henry's stinky and leaking diaper. I've ignored it (and him) too long as I wrote my post for GGC because something must be ignored at all times if I'm to get something else done. Unfortunately this time it was Henry. And earlier this morning, personal hygiene.

Conversation with Hope

2012-01-27T14:13:00.001-05:00

Hope is sick. She's been sick all week which means she's spent almost the entire week in her pyjamas. Today the buses were cancelled due to ~~Ottawa's seriously crappy January weather~~ freezing rain. This mans that Emily, who always insists on going to school on a snow day, has to be picked up at the end of the day instead of taking the bus home. And this means that I prefer that Hope gets dressed. And thus this conversation:

Hope: I wish I could play outside.

Me: Wait, you want to play outside but you're not willing to get dressed to go pick up Emily.

Hope: I don't mind wearing clothes, it's just that I don't want my hands to have to put the clothes on my body.

Even in sickness, this kid is super awesome.

New-found time

2012-01-26T06:57:00.002-05:00

Henry is in this habit of getting up in the morning at 5:45 or so. Today he slept in to a more reasonable 6:30 but that's rare.

And what do I do with this extra time that's being forced on me when so much of Ottawa (and my own house) is blissfully asleep?

I make lunches, read the paper, read email and blogs, make coffee (or tea) of course.

But I'm thinking that I should treat this extra time as something more special (rather than consistently wishing I was still asleep as I do most mornings). Yesterday I decided I would start trying to head out for a morning walk. This only works if John is home. Which he isn't at the moment.

For the mornings when he isn't here or it's too damn cold and icy to convince myself to head outside, I'm going to use some of my time to blog. I've been complaining and whining and lamenting about the infrequency of my posts, which is truly due to how many other things are vying for my time (read: Guiding). I don't really have an excuse if I've got an extra 30 minutes to myself in the morning.

Oh, Henry? What's he doing during this time? Well, watching Netflicks on my iPad, of course. The kid knows how to find it, choose a show, adjust the volume, get back to the start of shows. He'll probably be sending you an email to tell you all about it.

I have some ideas whirling around in my brain about goals or projects I want to undertake for this my 40th birthday year. Blogging is going to play a part. I've got some more thinking to do on it before I tell you all about it. But I'm beginning to think this extra time in my day will play a crucial role.

Christmas until now: a catch-up

2012-01-20T23:27:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time there was a blog. And the blog was happy.

But then the person who loved the blog ignored the blog and the blog was sad.

And then the same person needed the blog to build a house and to sit on its stump.

That's when things got weird.

Christmas. Beth's visit. New Years. Back to school. Brownies and Sparks starting back up. It's January 20 and almost a month (!) since I last posted. I'm not sure I've had such a long hiatus since I started blogging way back in 2006 but I'm noticing this trend among some of the blogs I follow. Maybe we all just need a break from ourselves.

However I still need to preserve our family memories since my personal memory is abysmal and getting worse with age and the less sleep I get so here goes.

Christmas was lovely. We had Christmas morning on our own and then we bundled the herd up and headed to Pam and Jim's for a great Christmas dinner that we didn't have to cook. And Jim made awesome Pomegranate Cosmopolitans.

Here is a selection of photos from Christmas Eve and Christmas morning:

Christmas Eve dinner before we got dressed up and headed to the Christmas Eve service at church. We had our usual German dinner of sausages and sauerkraut. This year we added scalloped potatoes. And ended with the traditional boutentelle (sp?).


Emily begins unloading her stocking

Happy Hope on Christmas morning

As expected, Henry loved his book about buses

After a breakfast of Chelsea buns and fruit salad, it is on to the main event. Emily was happy with her Spirograph from Santa.

Hope opening her Barbie camper. It's seen lots of play since.

John is befuddled by the way the firetruck was attached to the box. Hey Santa, next year take stuff out of the packaging before you wrap it, okay?!

By the end of the gift unwrapping, Henry was an old pro.

On December 29, Family Reyburn descended on our house. Beth and Kate arrived from Texas and my dad and Donna from Gravenhurst. We crammed into our wee house and no one got maimed. We went tobogganing (Kate's first time) and made snowmen and went to the Nature Museum and made necklaces at Savvy Bead Company (one of the favourite activities we did) and went to A Gym Tale and Beth and I went to Spa Nordik on the coldest day we'd had so far this winter. Next time we're taking toques to wear with our bathing suits and bath robes. We also made a huge gourmet dinner on New Years. Beth introduced me to the wonders of St. Germain Elderberry Liqueur. All in all, it was an awesome visit.

Beth and Kate take the GT for a run

Emily, Hope, Kate and neighbour Anna pose with one of the best snowmen we've ever produced.

Kate works on her creation at Savvy Bead

Emily lines up her beads

Hope concentrates while she strings her necklace

Back to the routine come January 9. And since the snow fell on Christmas Day, winter has been hitting us full force in Ottawa with temperatures each morning around minus 17. I'm ready for a thaw. The cold temperatures are giving us perfect skating conditions however so we're going skating this Sunday for the first time this year. I'm really looking forward to it, as are the girls.

Henry turned 20 months old yesterday and he really deserves a post (or several) all his own. He is everything that is perfect about this age right now. Sure, he still has the occasional grumpy day (like today and yesterday) but mostly he is crazy fun to be with. He is cute as all get out. His hair is soft like feathers and curly like Art Garfunkel's. He gives us coy looks when you ask him questions looking for a laugh. His words are coming out faster and furiouser now. He pipes in for the "HI!" part of the Dora theme song... you know in the last part: da-da-da-da-da-Dora - HI! - da-da-da-da-da-Dora - HI!. He shouts out the HI! all on his own. One of his favourite parts of the day is when I play puppets with his bear and lamb that he sleeps with. He goes to sleep giggling away. He calls out "Mama!" over and over again through the day when he wants me to see what he's doing, what's he's built, the trouble he's getting into, or if I just haven't looked at him in a while. He loves playing in the snow, which is surprising given his age. Emily and Hope didn't take to it until they were over two. He refuses to get out of his sled when I'm pulling him around in it. He is crazy-crazy about Kindermusik and starts the next level next week. His favourite characters are Dora, Barney and "Toot", aka Thomas the Tank Engine. While his allegiances definitely lie with John and me, he is totally enamoured with Hope. He calls her name throughout the day if she's home or not. Sadly for Emily, he refuses to say her name although he loves her to bits too. She's dealing with it well but would love for him to give in and say 'Mimi'. For now, it remains all about Hope. Here is Henry's cuteness at work as well as the evidence of his fondness for saying 'Hope':

There have been some great moments with Emily and Hope from the last few weeks. While Beth and Kate and my dad and Donna were here, John and I and the girls played sleepover in the master bedroom. John and I were on air mattresses while the girls stayed in their beds. John has been known to snore now and again (that's called "glossing over the truth") and Emily is a light sleeper like me. Here is the list that Emily wrote one day while we were all sharing a room:

Beth and I just about popped a gasket laughing so hard when we read this. We did our best not to let Emily know how funny we thought it was. I think we failed. This gem is going right into her memory box.

This past week at Brownies we started to teach the girls how to hand sew. They embraced it enthusiastically and Emily came home asking me to show her how to sew on the machine. Two days ago she sewed a hot pad and Hope played around with different stitches on the machine. As Emily sewed her first line of stitching on the hot pad I found myself saying: "Emily, Nana would be so proud!" and felt tears welling up in my eyes. I was surprised by how emotional I was about it. This was a direct connection to my mum and a deep connection between my mum and my girls. This weekend each girl is going to sew a skirt for the Barbies. I can't wait.

Emily had her first piano lesson on Thursday, another connection straight to Mum. For the last year, I've been teaching Emily so this was her first lesson with someone other than me. She loved every second and I was pleased to get confirmation that I've done well with her in the last year because her teacher (the wonderful Lynn) was really impressed with how much Emily already knows.

I took the girls for haircuts over the Christmas holidays and you'll note from the video above that Hope had all her locks cut off. She's now sporting an adorable short cut that I absolutely love. She's really happy with it too. Hope continues to be my even-keeled, loving, cuddling, soft-hearted, reliable, hilarious and fun-loving girl. I can now add budding reader to that list. I'm so impressed with how her reading is coming along and thrilled that she isn't struggling with it. And unlike Emily she seems to have much more patience for sounding out words and working at it until she gets it. How refreshing!

Kudos to you if you've lasted this long. I think I can count on one hand those of you who are still with me. But this gets me mostly caught up and hopefully back in the blogging saddle.

Christmas came to Ottawa...

2011-12-25T21:14:00.001-05:00

...in the form of snow today. Just in time to make it magical.

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