Adventures From J-Z

Coke Zero Steak

2012-09-18T13:59:00.002-07:00

In a lg freezer bag:

* 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

* 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

* 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

* 2 tbsp Oil

* 1/8 cup Brown Sugar

* 1/4 cup Soya Sauce

* 1 can Coke Zero

Then add up to 4 steaks.

Zip up the bag and mix the ingredients around. Store in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Grill and enjoy the perfect mix of hot spicy and sweet!

Cat Like A Dog?

2012-09-10T22:54:00.002-07:00

We've had our Smushy now for three months and we love her to bits and pieces! She's cute and playful and cuddly and she has her own relationship with each member of our family.

But there are a couple of things that she does that make me scratch my head.

1/ Don't cats demand privacy when they use their litter box? Every cat I've had has, but not Smush. No, as soon as she hears that you're cleaning her litter she's right in there. Sometimes she just watches, but most of the time she gets in her box and pees...right in front of me! As if to say, "Hey look! I know how to do this!"

2/ She eats like a dog. She sits under the table and licks up our scraps. And if the boys leave food around, she'll eat it. It doesn't matter what it is! My other cats would eat dairy products or lick salty foods, but that's it. Not Smush, she's our little vacuum cleaner!

Isn't that strange? Are you a cat or a dog, Smushy? Oh well, at the end of the day she's still a little princess!

Natural Art

2012-08-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

The boys new room is going to have an outdoor theme. I wasn't able to find any art work for the room, then I came up with a DIY project.

What you'll need:

* a variety of leaves
* picture frames
* paint
* paint brush
* waxed paper
* scrapbook paper
* rolling pin

What to do next:

* cut your paper to fit the frame
* paint leaf

* lay it face down on paper
* place waxed paper on top

* use rolling pin to smoothly flatten the leaf
* carefully pull leaf off

* allow to dry

* frame

OR?

Boring Hot Pads

2012-07-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

I find plain cork hot pads boring! If you do too, then here's how you get spruce them up!

What you'll need:

* cork hot pads
* heat resistant spray paint
* newspaper
* stencil
* fresh air!

What to do:

* go outside
* lay newspaper down
* place cork hot pad on newspaper
* spray with first colour

* do as many coats as needed
* lay stencil on top

* spray with second colour
* carefully remove stencil

* allow to dry

Crayola Art!

2012-07-23T19:57:00.001-07:00

A couple of months ago I saw Crayola Art for the first time on a Children's Facebook Page and fell in love instantly! Right there I decided I wanted to do our own version for the boy's new playroom. I really liked how it turned out and I can't wait to hang it up once we move. Here's how we made our Crayola Art:

What you need:
* canvas
* crayons
* glue gun
* hairdryer
* waxed paper
* Sharpie

1/ Decide on what size you want and purchase corresponding canvas and crayons.

2/ Pick out what colour of crayons that you want to use and arrange them in any grouping/order
you wish.

3/ Heat up your glue gun and glue your crayons onto the canvas.

4/ Lay waxed paper around your working area to catch any flying wax.

5/ Stand your canvas.

6/ Use your hairdryer to melt your crayons. Point the hairdryer at different directions and locations to
achieve the look you want.

7/ Allow it to dry.

8/ If you wanted, it could be finished now. Or you can add materials to it or draw on it.

9/ If you want to draw on it, take a pencil to outline what you want then fill with a Sharpie.

We drew Z and V onto it!

10/ Then I melted more crayon onto the drawing to show they were being rained on.

This is our finished product!

Summer Cupkins

2012-07-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

I love these little bites of sunshine and that's why I've called them "Summer Cupkins" They are bright, pretty and tiny! Layered colours just put these cupcakes over the top!

Here's how to make them:

* Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

* Line mini muffin tins

* Make white cake, box or scratch

* Divide batter into three bowls

* Mix colour into batter

* Fill muffin tin 1/3 full with the first colour, rather with a spoon or piping bag

* Then proceed with other two colours, each time filling another third

* Bake for 15 minutes or until baked through...don't over bake!

* Allow cupcakes to cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes then remove to cooling rack

* Ice with favourite butter cream icing when fully cooled

* Enjoy!

Poor Ven Ven

2012-06-27T23:11:00.004-07:00

Well, we're learning that when it rains it pours for our little Ven-Ven. This past month he was in the Emergency twice and at the Clinic three times.

First, he sprung off a friends couch, right into a coffee table. Mike brought him up and I took him because Mike's not good with blood. I am, but I was freaking out inside. Everything is different when it's your child.

My friend drove us to the hospital and my husband stayed behind with Zaden. From there, it was a series of misfortunes. First, they tried to sedate him but it didn't work. Then they tried to freeze the area, but that didn't take either. The poor boy was screaming like I've never heard before. What really broke my heart was when he started to scream, "GO HOME! GO HOME!" They stitched the muscle and then the skin with dissolvable stitches and put glue on top of it.

After we did get home, the sedation kicked in and he couldn't walk. He fell asleep quickly. I stayed with him; didn't want to leave his side. After he was asleep, he started to have 15 seconds between his breaths...an effect of the sedation. I stayed awake until his breathing returned to normal, wondering the whole time if I should take him back in. Not fun!

The next day, he wasn't himself, but his head looked good!

That didn't last long, though. As the stitches dissolved, his wound would bleed and the blood would get trapped under the glue. So it looked really bad.

About eleven days after, he wound up looking like this:

So I took him to the clinic to make sure things were alright, and thankfully they were!

Shortly after, he caught the cold that was going around our home. With Ven, the colds always turn into mild croup. This time things were the same but after a few days, he seemed to be getting much worse than usual. I decided to take him to a clinic just to make sure things were under control, but even though they weren't closing until 9:00 pm, they stopped allowing patients in at 8:00 pm.

I didn't think it was Emergency status so we went home. Big mistake!!! That night, he slept in our bed with us and he was up every hour, crying and trying to breathe. It sounded so painful! At 6:00 AM I took him to the Emergency. Sure enough, he had Croup...bad. They took him in right away and treated him. I've never had such speedy service in the hospital, so I knew it was bad! They let us go home a few hours after treatment, warning us that we may have to return. Thankfully, we never had to!

Happy to be eating popsicles!

A couple days later I noticed a piece of thread coming from his head wound and the area around it was inflamed. I knew it was a stitch that didn't dissolve...what else could it be, right? So I tried to pull it out but it wouldn't budge.

Back to the clinic we went. The doctor tried to pull it out, but couldn't, so he cut it off. He said that he wanted to wait and see if the body would absorb the rest, but that if the infection got any worse that Ven would have to go back to the hospital and they would cut his wound open and remove the rebellious stitch.

All that in four weeks!

It's been a couple weeks since that last visit and I'm pleased to announce that the infection cleared up!
We're not out of the woods yet though as a small piece of stitch is starting to poke through again. Watching and waiting is what we're doing now...and praying that we won't have to cut it open.

Meet Smushy!

2012-06-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

I am a cat person. My Dad bought me my first cat when I was 3, after my little heart was broken when our neighbour's cat died. His name was Tigger and he was a huge Tom Cat. He would actually jump on dog's backs and they'd run through the streets barking! No lie! Then one day he left our home, looked back, meowed to us and he never returned. My Mom always said that he knew he was dying so that was how he said good-bye to us.

A year later, when I was 5, my short-haired black cat Nickie was brought to us. She was found at the dump, rescued by a co-worked of my Dad's. She was young, but still so loving...to me at least. She didn't like anyone else in the family; I was her Mama! She let me dress her up and she slept on the corner of my bed every night. She grew up with me, moved away with me, and she grew old. When she was 18 years old, I had to put her down. It broke my heart, but she was now deaf and her nails stopped retracting and would pierce and get stuck in her paws. It was probably the hardest thing I've had to choose to do.

With renting, it's tough to find a place that will allow you to have a pet so I never had another animal after Nickie. Plus my husband thinks that "co-habiting with animals is primitive!" And then we had babies. I went without a cat in my life for 12 years. I've just been waiting patiently for the right time and opportunity!

That day has arrived! When we go by the pet store, the boys and I have been looking at kittens for the last 6 months, because when we move, we can have one small pet. 3 weeks ago I saw the most beautifully cute persian kitten. I fell in love big time with her! I couldn't get the kitten out of my mind. So after a week, I told Mike about her. After a few mentions about wanting a cat from both the boys and I, Mike agreed to go with us and check her out!

Next, I had to check with both our current landlord and our new one. They both said it would be all right! I was set! That weekend Mike came with us and, long story short, fell in love with her instantly! After much thought, we purchased her and she joined our family!

It took us one day to name her. We thought of many names but Smushy stuck and we're happy that's the name we chose!

Smushy has a cute smushed face. I love her colouring and long hair. And I think her short little legs are adorable! She's all hair, I don't think she even weighs one pound!

The boys love her! Zaden doesn't like to touch her; he gets scared. But he enjoys running with her and talking to her. Vennex has adopted her as his own, to our surprise! He picks her up all the time. He brings her to us, to her bed, to the food or litter box! It's really cute!

I spy with my little eye, a kitty.

Mike cuddles and protects her! It's great to see his softer side! And needless to say, I'm over the moon! I love our little kitten more and more every day!

Making herself right at home!

Colours Of Our Garden

2012-05-15T10:46:00.004-07:00

Spring is in full bloom!

Here are some photos that I took from our garden.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Long Over Due

2012-05-09T21:34:00.002-07:00

Last weekend I went and got my hair done for the first time in eleven months. That's right, eleven! Needless to say, it was long over due and felt amazing!

I used to get it done three times a year, then, after Zaden was born, twice a year. Since Vennex arrived I've been averaging once a year. I don't know why, I guess it's tied with money and timing issues.

Looking to save some cash, I looked up some Hairdressing Schools. I was really impressed with one, made an appointment and took the risk.

I am more than pleased with my experience and the outcome. No one can tell that I had my hair coloured and cut by a student. More importantly, I saved almost seventy-five percent! I thought it would be around fifty percent but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the bill! They now have a new life long client!

Alphabet Magnets: Live & Learn

2012-04-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing I would tell a new parent it's this, "Don't buy alphabet magnets!" These colourful, educational toys are a royal pain!

I don't know why, but soon after I had Zaden I thought they were a baby staple. I was so excited to purchase them and I felt so proud of myself when I washed them and stuck them on the fridge. Sure, they were fun for awhile. It was great to watch my baby sit at the fridge and play with letters I could envision him pronouncing one day while I cooked dinner. I didn't even mind cleaning them up.

But as Zaden grew, my love for them started to waver. Before long the "put everything in my mouth" stage was upon us. I remember being scared as I realized one day that Zaden had stuffed the letter O into his tiny mouth. So all the choking hazard letters were put away. Then we entered the "I'm going to throw everything onto the floor then walk away until you put them back up and then I'll do it again" stage. At first, it was fun/cute. But after picking up all those letters many times a day, and most packs come with a few of each one, it wasn't cute anymore. As we were in that stage, they also started to go missing. I still have no clue to this day where the MAJORITY of them are! It's likes the missing socks...where did they go? Well, eventually I recycled the few that were left.

After Vennex started sitting I began to feel I needed to be a good Mommy and buy more alphabet letters. What child grows up without them? This time I thought I'd be smarter and I purchased larger letters. They were so big, I thought cleaning them up would be easier and we wouldn't be losing them as quickly. Wrong! They were equally annoying and somehow we lost more than half. The only good thing was that they weren't a chocking hazard...that was huge plus.

Today I made the decision to recycle the few that we have left. Sure, I love it when Vennex grabs a letter then tells me what it is! It's always nice to see your child's mind develop. But we can use a book to do that, too! And honestly, I've picked up alphabets for three and a half years....I've done my time, so now I'm punching out! No more! Believe me when I say there were days I cleaned up those letters five to ten times a day. But today's my last!

So for you new parents, what should you purchase then? To you I'd say pay the bigger bucks and find a "Leap Frog" magnet system. They're great! You can still lose pieces, you still have to pick them up, but not as many. They're educational, you can get the alphabet if you want. We have an Animal and Automobile sets. The boys still love to put the pieces in and hear the sounds. They actually play instead of just throw them around, which is great.

Also, after I threw Zaden's out I made my own. I went to Michael's and found wooden painted animals. I purchased small magnets from the Dollar Store and hot glued them on. I took them down after Vennex arrived. I don't want them up until he stops putting things in his mouth because the magnets are a choking hazard. But once that phase is done, they'll be up again!

Our Easter

2012-04-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

Our Easter was exciting this year! It was spread over four days and was fun and relaxing! Through those days we coloured eggs. Both boys were engaged and enjoyed the craft!

Zaden didn't want to listen when we told him not to taste the water.

Needless to say he didn't enjoy the vinegar!

We went to a friend's home for a family brunch and Easter egg hunt. It was amazing! The weather was fantastic and so was the food! I can't wait until next year's!

We had my Mom over for Easter dinner. We had a traditional ham supper with cake for dessert. I made an egg shaped cake and decorated it appropriately. It's great to be able to make a cake with girly colours! I was aiming for it to be a layer cake: blue-purple-pink. But it marbled, much to my surprise and joy! It looked better this way, I think!

Then our four day extravaganza ended with an Easter egg hunt. The boys ran around the home in search of their eggs and suckers! The joy that filled the home was contagious!

All in all, it was our best Easter yet!

Apple Crisp

2012-04-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

Preheat your oven to 350.

Peel and dice: 4 Granny Smith Apples

Toss with: 2 tsp. Flour
2 tsp. Cinnamon

Put them into a round baking pan.

Cut together: 1/2 c. Butter
1 c. Brown Sugar ( packed )
3/4 c. Oats
3/4 c. Flour

Pack oat mixture onto apples.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until it's golden brown. It'll smell amazing!

Let it cool for 15 before serving. Top with ice-cream!

Sleep Training

2012-03-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

I really don't like sleep training, especially training a strong-minded toddler to sleep in a big bed! My memories from training Zaden are so vivid that I've been dreading this moment in Vennex' development since he was 18 months old.

My original plan was to train Vennex in June. He would be 2.5 years old and it would give us 2 months to settle him in his new sleeping arrangement before we moved. (I would have waited longer; he only ever used a quarter of his crib!) But we didn't want to bring the crib with us to our new home, we wanted the boys to be sleeping in their bunk bed. So that was my timeline.

I guess I didn't communicate that to Vennex very well, or he just had other plans! About 2 weeks ago, I heard Vennex crying after he woke up from him nap. He does that from time to time, and I've learned just to leave him be for a while. He's much happier after I come and get him that way. Well, as I was giving him a few minutes to wake up, I heard the door slam. Realizing Ven must have fallen out of his crib, I went out and there he was, in the dining room, crying on the floor! He was very mad at me for not attending to him earlier and he let me know it!

About a month before, Mike had flipped Zaden's bed over to convert it to a bunk bed, so it was ready. And the fun for them started....the headache started for me.

The first night went as expected. Vennex got out of bed many times, running through the house and climbing up --in his sleep sack-- to be with Zaden. I decided that if they wanted to co-sleep it would be safer on the bottom bunk, so Zaden joined him there. They were asleep after a hour and a half.

Their first night co-sleeping!

From there, things got harder. Nap time is such a hair pulling experience and by bedtime, my patience is almost gone. The first week was the hardest. Now we have some naps or some bedtimes that go wonderfully! But just when you think you've endured the worst of it, the next day is horrible again.

Today, I had Mike leave me the iPod so that I could play games in their room while they fell asleep. Until now, I've left their room, just to return every few minutes --if not seconds-- to return Vennex to his bed. I have sat in the room and inched my way to the door as they fall asleep. I've also returned Zaden to his bunk to see if that would help. These things work some days, but other days, nothing does. It's "who's going to give in first?" I've watched enough Super Nanny episodes to know that I NEED to win the battle so some nights we've waged war ! And I think it's paying off! The boys were asleep within a half hour today! Yay! If I didn't have the iPod I would have gotten way more frustrated because Vennex tried to climb up to Zaden's bed 3 times while I was in the room!

There have been some cute and funny moments through this experience. One morning I woke up to Vennex trying to put the tip of the whipped cream container into my mouth...how generous of him, hey? Then there have been the nights where he's gone back and forth to the kitchen, stock-piling food in his bed....mostly canned goods. We've had much joy listening to the boys laugh with each other as they've been staying up late. And there's last night: I walked in as I always do to see if they were in bed. Lo and behold I found Vennex fast asleep in Zaden's bunk. It was so cute! I couldn't help but grab my camera before returning him carefully to his bed.

I can't wait until I can just put them down to bed and leave the room like I use to. I know that this day is still a bit away, so I try to remind myself that this too will pass! I try to take deep breaths to stay calm, as I'm unable to even eat my lunch in one sitting ---and I'm starving. Most of all, I'm thankful that even in the hard times small things arise to give us joyous memories and put a smile on our hearts.

Wonderful Day!

2012-03-16T13:57:00.001-07:00

I never know what to expect on the days my husband works his day/night shift. I know it'll be a long one, and the fact that today was the second one in a row for us meant I wasn't assuming it'd be good.

But to my surprise it was wonderful! Vennex woke up crying at 1:30 am, so I woke Zaden up (because he was sleeping on the bottom bunk) and had him go into my bed so that Ven and I could sleep in his soon-to-be-new bed. Thankfully my mind didn't start racing and I fell back to sleep....until 9:00 am! It was great!

Old Favourite: "Superman!"

At first I didn't think we were going to be able to head out, as it was cold and raining. I sat down to delete a couple hundred pictures off our camera and by the time I was finished the rain had stopped.

I had my shower and as soon as I was dressed, the boys and I were off to feed the ducks. We have a park close by to us so I made the boys walk there and back for exercise. That was the first time we went there without a stroller and it was great! So much easier!

Seeing the boys have so much time with the ducks and geese warmed my heart! And no one fell in, so that was a bonus! We walked around the park for a bit, but it was really cold so it wasn't soon 'til we were heading back home.

To warm us up I made the boys some "warm" chocolate (as opposed to "hot') and it did the trick! Next on the to-do list was to make muffins. As both boys are getting older, they are able to help out more with the baking and each time they do more. It's great! Today they helped from beginning to end, and we didn't even make a huge mess! I only had to bring my Swiffer Vac out once!

Old Favourite: Me and my man at our favourite place!

I made them lunch and they ate while the muffins cooked. Soon after it was nap time, but first I practiced counting with Zaden. He can now count to 20 without any assistance so we worked on counting to 30. He's starting to get it; a few more days practicing and he'll have it!

During their nap I was able to watch some TV and eat my lunch. Then I was on my computer researching electronics for our new home. It was lovely considering I had a cup of coffee in hand!

Zaden slept for just an hour and a half, so we cuddled and I showed him a Cake Boss where they made the Transformer "Bumblebee." He loved it!

Vennex woke up shortly after and climbed/fell out of his crib! That was the low part of the day! He was all right, but now I know I can't put off big-boy-bed-sleep-training. It was exhausting with Zaden so I've been dreading it with Vennex, but if he's falling out of his crib, I have no choice.

The boys enjoyed the freshly-baked muffins at snack time and they played with "Cars" and read books while I made dinner.

Because my man wan't home for dinner, I made chicken nuggets and yam fries. They boys love it! I love that my Zaden is eating meat and veggies! And Mike's happy because that meal doesn't fill him up at all!

Old Favourite: Pregnant with Vennex

They both ate every bite so they had a piece of Rice Krispie square for dessert. They were a mess by the end of it all, but that was all right because it was shower night. Off they went to play in the shower and I did the dishes, took out the garbage and swiffered the floors.

I just love freshly bathed, pajamaed kids! They're the best! We had about a half hour after clean up was done for more play and the boys decided they wanted to play fight. I'm still getting used to this kind of play but my husband tells me it's normal and fun!

We started our bedtime routine early because of sleep training. I hoped that by the time Vennex went to sleep it wouldn't be too far past his normal bedtime. I'll fill you in with how the sleep training went another time.

As for the rest of my night, besides getting up and down many times, I was still able to watch The Celebrity Apprentice. I PVR it because it's too long to watch with commercials, and it's great to have something to look forward to on nights I'm by myself.

I just love days like this. It was productive and fun. I was able to achieve items on my to-do-list. I was able to comfortably perform my daily tasks. I had quality time with both boys, but they also had some time to play alone and with each other. There wasn't much fighting, time-outs or temper tantrums. It was wonderful!

Old Favourite: Family Photo 2010

Chicken Chilli

2012-03-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

I love this recipe! It's a wonderful twist to a classic! Hope you like it!

In a slow cooker, mix:

* 2 tins of Crushed Tomatoes
* 2 tins of Mixed Beans
* 1 c. Corn
* 2 tbsp. Chilli Powder

Then mix in:

* 6-8 Skinless-Boneless Chicken Thighs

Fill with Salsa until an inch from the top.

Chop and place on top:

* 1/2 Green Pepper
* 1/2 Red Pepper

Cover and cook for 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on slow.

With one hour left, take the chicken out and shred it. Place it back into the pot and allow it to simmer until cooking time is done.

Serve with cheese on top. Add a bun, cheese biscuit or focaccia bread for dipping!

Daylight Savings

2012-03-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite days of the year is the fall daylight savings day! It's great being able to sleep for an extra hour. My least favourite day of the year is the spring daylight savings day. I HATE it!

If I could, I'd go to bed an hour early so that it wouldn't affect me so much, but I'm just not tired. So I go to bed as normal and wake up tired. It doesn't help that since turning 27--many years ago--losing sleep has affected me so much more than what it used to. Long gone are the days of 3 hours sleep with no side effects. Oh, how I wish for that part of my youth to return! But it's gone, and so the loss of precious sleep means that I need to play catch-up for a good week until I don't feel the affects anymore.

I find too that the spring time change affects the kids a lot more. I find it's harder for them to go to bed/nap at the new time and it normally takes them a couple of days to adjust.

It's crazy, we changed our clocks forward not even three and a half months ago. It barely seems worth it! Can't we just leave it?

Medical backs me on this one. Studies have shown that the number of heart attacks and strokes increase the week after we lose our dear hour of sleep. But the numbers of the above decrease the week after we receive the gift of an extra hour. It's crazy how the loss or gain of sleep affects us, isn't it?

So now I brace myself, as my least favourite day approaches. In two nights, I'll be earnestly attempting not to forget to change my clocks before bed. I'll be taking them down, I'll attempt to fiddle with the tiny adjuster on the back of them. Then I'll have the best job of all, rehanging them. This job is getting harder as my eyesight slowly goes!

After all that I'll go to bed knowing I'll feel like crap the next day. What joy. After I rush us all out the door to church, I'll have to take the time to review my car manual to see how I change the car clock...I can never remember!

I must remember the pros to this time change: First, more sunlight! Notice I didn't say more sunshine? We haven't had much of that lately. But I will enjoy it not getting dark as early. Second, it's always fun to see who forgot to set their clocks in church! You just know that there will be more than a handful of people walking in late, but to them, on time. And the look on their faces when they realize what's going on is priceless! Third, at least we'll keep the clocks set at this time now for eight-ish months!

The boys playing "sleepover" with the blanket my Grandmother made me.

Sick & Sleepy

2012-03-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

This winter has been the worst for our home with regard to illness. The boys have had cold after cold, with Mike and I catching close to every other cycle. There is always someone sick in our home.

In January I took Vennex in because he'd been sick for close to 6 weeks, with just a few days of "normal". Ended up that he had a sinus infection, so the doctor prescribed him antibiotics.

Mike developed strep throat in February, that knocked him out for about a week. Having to wait 3 days to get the results back before starting the antibiotics didn't help!

Then there's Zaden. He's had a nasty cold for about 3 weeks. On Sunday, at 4:30 pm, he started to complain about his ear hurting; he started to cry soon after so I gave him Tylenol. I checked to see what clinics were open and --go figure-- they all closed at 4:30! By 6:00 I made the decision to take him to our Children's Hospital Emergency. I was expecting it to be busy, but I was shocked with how packed it was.

It wasn't long 'til I saw a sign informing us that we'd have a 4-5 hour wait to get to a room. Within 2 hours, the sign changed to 6-7 hours! It was nasty! Zaden was crying and was tired. Thankfully at 9:00 pm a nurse gave him Advil, which worked! He stopped crying and finally wanted to eat!

At 10:00 we were in a room, but didn't see a doctor until 11:30. Sure enough, he was diagnosed with an ear infection and the doctor wanted him to start antibiotics right away. So we headed home and I woke Mike up so he could put Zaden to bed. I drove off once again to a 24-hour drug store. Thankfully, it's not too far from us so I was home by 12:30 am! I woke Zaden and gave him his first dose, then finally I was able to head to bed.

Z's feeling much better now! But I'm still feeling the affects of the little sleep I had that night. It seems like the older I get, the more sleep I need and the longer it takes for me to rebound! If only I could take a day and sleep as much as I needed to catch up on the last 4 years. But we know that'll never happen!

One of many movie nights. No one has much energy by the end of the day.

Healthy Banana Muffins

2012-02-22T21:59:00.000-08:00

Any parent of a picky eater will know that you need to make sure each bite counts. So I have resorted to adding healthier ingredients to my baking. Zaden has no idea what's in it and honestly we all benefit from the added nutrients.

For a while, I have been making banana muffins for snack time. He won't eat blueberry or any fruit filled muffins for that matter. So banana it is. After receiving an amazing grater at my "Favourite Things Party" I knew I wanted to see if I could add carrot to the muffins without him noticing. And it worked! Neither he nor I can tell they're in there! It's like they liquify, thanks to being grated so finely. It's great! I also add flax seed and use whole wheat flour for an extra punch of nutrients.

This special grater came from Superstore.

It grates veggies to be super fine!

So here's how I make me Healthy Banana Muffins:

* Heat your oven to 325

* Line 2 muffin tins

* Cream: 3/4 c. Butter
   1 1/2 c. Brown Sugar

* Beat in: 6 ripe Bananas
   1/2 c. "No Sugar Added" Apple Sauce. Homemade is best!

* Add: 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
   1 1/2 tsp. Salt
   1 tsp. Vanilla
   2 tsp. Cinnamon
   2 c. Whole Wheat Flour
   1/2 c. Flax Seed

* Mix in: 1 Carrot finely grated

* Fill all the muffin liners evenly and bake for 18-25 minutes or until baked through. Test with a toothpick.

* Take muffins out and let them cool on a rack.

Mike and I are both amazed at how you would never know carrot was in these muffins! We also believe that the carrots make these muffins very moist! Considering that they're made with whole wheat flour, they're not dry at all!

Our Valentine's Day

2012-02-17T18:33:00.000-08:00

When I was a lot younger, I refused to celebrate Valentine's Day. The thought of someone needing a date on the calendar to tell the one they loved how they felt depressed me. I also didn't enjoy that the day became a brag-fest for people to outdo each other, as if they were loved more if their day was "the bomb." And the last thing that I didn't enjoy was that it was a one-sided event. It seemed like it was just up to the man to express his love, and that the women just took.

After Mike and I had dated a couple of years, and as I matured, I realized that even though you should express your love to one another on a regular basis, having an extra special day in the year was a good thing. Kind of like a bonus anniversary! And for this to occur in February--a boring month--was just what we needed.

To start off, we decided that we would take turns planning a lovely night for each other. I'd take one year and Mike would get the next. Our first Valentine's Day married fell on "my year". Mike loves all things superheroes so I decided to show I loved him by surprising him with a trip to the theatre to see "Daredevil." It was opening night and I knew he would never guess that would be my plan for him! It was great! He was totally surprised and loved that I took him there.

Little did I know that my romantic husband had a surprise up his sleeve too! When we arrived home, I was shocked to see cute words and arrows printed out on white paper with Valentine's candies. The candies led me to our bedroom and when I opened the door I was speechless. Our room was filled with balloons, candles and chocolates! Never would I have guessed that he would do this for me! It was over the top but he wouldn't have had our first married Valentine's any different!

The years that followed consisted of us not seeing one another because Mike taught music in the evenings, but I always made sure to get him a nice card and gift. For myself, I'd arrive home and would find rooms or tables of goodies waiting for me. He always set things up nicely/romanticly and every year I was thankful for his effort.

Having kids has once again changed this day for us. It has now become a family affair! We now celebrate the love that we have for one another.

This year, Mike worked a day and night shift, so we celebrated on the 15th. The boys and I made Mike a Valentine's Day card, and we put a small Starbucks gift card in it.

The boys and I also made a cake for dessert. We cut it into a heart and made chocolate icing for it. The icing was amazing! I thought all cocoas were the same, but not anymore! I purchased this cocoa from Costco and it's so good!!!

So we had a nice supper together, then we ate our cake. As you can see, Vennex made sure none of the icing went to waste!

After supper we gave each other our Valentine's gifts. Mike loved his card, and he bought me a new coffee travel mug. All my other water bottles or coffee travel mugs are too big for our stroller so now I can take my beverage out with us! So excited! He also bought us some candy!

All in all it was a great family night! Days like these are the ones that are filled with good memories. My hope is that as our boys grow, these traditions will not only add joy to their lives, but make them look back fondly! I also hope seeing Mike and I BOTH express our love to one another and BOTH treat one another thoughtfully will show them that while it's important for a man to treat his wife like a princess, she can also make the effort to treat him like a prince.

Cream Egg Goodness

2012-02-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

I LOVE Cadbury Creme Eggs! They are hands down my favourite Easter Candy!

As a child, my brother and I rarely received them because they were too expensive. I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think they may be the same price today as they were then! I remember a few times I would get one at a friend's home....they were better off than us so it wasn't a financial issue for them. The very fact that I can remember those precious times, with such clarity, is evidence to what a special treat they were!

Fast forward to today and just the sight of those shiny foiled eggs makes my heart skip a beat! I'm not even kidding! Last year, Mike went into a gas station and when he came back to the car he opened his hand and there lay a Creme Egg for me! I was thrilled and felt so loved that he would surprise me with one! It was by far way more romantic than a dozen roses!

I don't know if you've found the same thing, but I find that every year those yummy eggs come out earlier and earlier. This year seems to be the worst yet! When I went shopping the weekend after New Year's, I walked into the grocery store and my vision was hit with a wall of Valentine's merchandise and Creme Eggs! I could not believe my eyes! For one, it was like Christmas never happened! There weren't even any items 70% off for goodness' sake! The Valentine's decor didn't shock me too much, just a little. But the Creme Eggs....really? You would think that I would be over the moon, that the sight would have made my weak. I would be lying if I said I didn't have a pinch of excitement within me. But mostly I felt dread. Dread that for the next 4 months, I would be battling the desire to purchase a few every grocery trip.

The freshness of the cream inside can be a problem too now that they arrive so early in the year. I find that when you eat one when they're newly out, the cream inside is soft and runny. But as you get closer to Easter, the chances of getting one like that diminishes greatly. The cream seems to become more like icing. It still tastes good, but it wrecks the eating experience of the egg. So now I'm almost forced to enjoy them sooner than later!

It goes without saying that with such a strong love for a chocolate comes the need for an equal amount of restraint! So how am I doing with my will power? Well, they've been out for 6 weeks now and I'm happy to say that I've had three - and man - they were all oh-so-yummy! I will continue to fight temptation and pass them by from time to time. If not for the number on the scale, then so that I don't over-supply my taste buds and ruin the whole idea of a "treat". I don't want them to become "everyday" to me. So even though I'll try my best to control myself, I do look forward to savouring my prized Easter treats now till April!

Healthy Chicken Nuggets

2012-02-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

My Zaden is an extremely picky eater. He's been this way since about 18 months old. After trying many different methods to make him eat, with no success, his doctor told me to stop all of it. He told me it was my job to offer him healthy meals, it was his job to eat it. This gave me great relief, as my whole day was being affected by his lack of eating. I would get greatly frustrated and meal times were awful battles no one won.

As time has passed, the food he'll eat has stayed the same. The only meat he'll eat is meatballs and--most of the time-- chicken nuggets. The only veggies he'll eat are yam fries. Very limiting, hey? I don't make meals around what he'll eat, but I do try to have meatballs and/or chicken nuggets once a week just so I know that he's ingesting animal protein once a week.

I've created a new chicken nugget recipe this month and I had to share it with you! We really like it! Mike told me that I never have to purchase pre-made nuggets again! And both boys eat them up!

So here's how you make Healthy Chicken Nuggets:

* Preheat your over to 400 degrees.
* Cut up 2 chicken breasts into chunks.
* Beat 1 egg in a small bowl.
* Add 2 tbsp of flax seed & 6 tbsp of italian breadcrumbs to another bowl.
* Dip a piece of chicken into the egg, then generously coat all surfaces with the flax/breadcrumb mixture.

* Place chicken onto a baking sheet that's lined with parchment paper.
* Bake for 10 minutes, flip, bake for 10 more.

These nuggets are crispy, and biting into a big chuck of real 100% undisturbed meat is refreshing!

Add some yam fries, fruit, milk and vitamins = a meal my Zaden will eat, and I'm just thrilled!

Mr. Hair

2012-02-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

For as long as I've known my husband, one thing that has remained the same is that his hair is constantly changing. He gets bored of having the same style so he's constantly growing and cutting his hair. His styles are always changing.

I call this his "hockey hair".

But that's not all there is to the story. Life would be so much easier for him if he had one style and stuck to it. You see, his hair is naturally the kind that requires a high level of maintenance. His hair is incredibly thick and strong. So in order to cut it, it must be styled and he must return regularly.

He was a part of a hair show once and they coloured his hair blonde. Not good!

The problem with that is, hairdressers rarely cut his hair to his--or my--liking. I don't know what it is. Maybe they were used to just cutting, not thinning? Or maybe they just got used to cutting men's hair short, that they lost the art that various male styles entail? Whatever the reason, Mike has gone to so many hairdressers in search of one who not only listens to what he wants done and doesn't argue with him about it, but implements it, and at that, is able to do so more than one time.

Medium long hair.

He would find a hairdresser, rather they'd do a horrible job and he'd never return or they'd do a good job once, but after, it was like they had never cut his hair before because it was at a different length and required a new skill to do what he wanted done. Time after time, we'd pay large amounts of money just to have him unsatisfied and he'd often come home and fix his hair...on his own.

Sensing that something had to change, he started to watch and study their techniques. He would see what they did that he did or didn't like and take note. It was like he was building a mental file of hair tricks and preparing an exit strategy.

I call this his "Dad hair".

Well, after a lifetime of arguing with hairdressers and continuing being disappointed, Mike had such a bad experience and such a bad cut that he never returned to a hairdresser ever again! He had seen this hairdresser two other times. The first time she had done a great job, the second not so much. But the third time...it was so bad you would have thought that she had never cut hair before. It was nasty! And it was so bad in so many ways that there was nothing he could do to fix it but shave it off. It was so sad!

One month after he cut all his hair off. Thank-goodness it was summer!

After that, Mike decided that he was not going to see any hairdresser again and that he would learn to cut his own hair. At first I was really nervous! He has difficult hair; trained people have a hard enough time taming it. How could he layer, thin, cut and style his own hair with zero training?

We purchased him some basic supplies and before my cousin's wedding--yes, a wedding--he cut his own hair for the first time in our hotel room! I was so scared! I intimately knew what a bad haircut looked like on him and I didn't think that it was smart for him to take such a risk before such an important day. But he proved me wrong! He did a great job!

His first cut!

After that, I stopped worrying prior to his haircutting adventures. At each length and style, he has been able to pull it off! He knows what he wants, and even if it takes him three hours to get it just right, he does it!

My favourite style that he does! Shorter with scruff!

He's been doing this now for two and a half years. He has now grown his skill to include cutting Zaden's hair. When long, Zaden's hair curls, so it's not easy to cut and style it. Well. at least the way we like it!

His short to medium length cut.

Before the boys received lice from someone, Mike had cut Zaden's hair one time. It was an adventure. Zaden wasn't that happy and found it hard to sit for one hour! But they did it and it looked really good!

Mr. Hairdresser!

Then we had to shave both the boys heads to get rid of the lice and we haven't had to think about their hair since. (Well, we've thought about how much we've missed their curls, but you know what I mean).

Zaden's hair around his ears has gotten out of control and it was quite a bit longer in the back than in the front. So this weekend Mike trimmed Zaden's trouble spots. Zaden did wonderful this time! And so did Mike! It took just 10 minutes and it was done!

Best part, it doesn't have the look of just being cut. You know what I mean, how hair normally has the "line" where it's been cut that stands out for about two weeks later? It's not there! Mike blends it so well that you wouldn't even know it was cut!

Second best part, it's free!

'Z' Fashions

2012-01-27T08:54:00.000-08:00

I used to be able to find clothes for my Zaden, buy them and they would look great on him. Well, those days are gone! The last couple of times I've bought his much-needed jeans or shirts without him, they've looked terrible and I had to return them.

I think the problem is his body type. He's tall and lean. He needs the length of 5T and the width of 3T. He's always been this way. Well, not at first because he was born pre-term. But from about 8 months old, he has been 85th percentile for height and 35th percentile for weight. Now that he's older and taller, I guess there's so much more material showing that at times things just don't look right. Like, if clothes are too loose, they look like night gowns on him. So I now have to take him with me and try the clothes on.

New Sweater

Honestly, I was hoping that I could get by without having to shop for either boy for another month. I don't like buying clothes at the end of season because I want them to be able to wear what we buy. Too many long sleeved, warm shirts wouldn't be a smart purchase right now because we only have another 2 months at most till we'll be in short sleeved ones. But Zaden has just gone through a growth spurt and clothes are not fitting. It's so humiliating to take him out with these shirts that are all noticeably too short. So that was it, we needed to take him out and find him new ones.

We went out last weekend as a family to a couple of stores to see what we could find. Not one item fit him properly or looked good! Discouraging...yes! Any Mommy that has a son knows how frustrating it is to find boy clothes that you like, period! You walk into any store and 3/4ths is filled with cute girl clothes and the other 1/4 is shared between the cash register and boys clothes. The pickings are slim! So for the few choices that I do have, to not fit his body type, is really frustrating. Sometimes I wished I didn't care what he wore or what he looked like, but I do.

New Shirt - He's starting to get bored with our fashion show.

Driving home, I thought of H&M. I've shopped there a few times and I do find their clothes fit a bit tighter. I also really like that they have trendy clothes for cheap. We don't have one close to us, so I thought I'd try again in a couple of weeks. Well, I couldn't wait that long! I took the boys for a drive and I braved the store with suckers in hand. Yes, I give my kids candy so they sit quietly and I can look.

It was a success! Yay! I was able to find him one sweater, one dress shirt, one long sleeved shirt and one short sleeved shirt. They all fit great and together only cost $34! Doesn't get any better than that!

Sunday School Time-Outs

2012-01-23T15:29:00.001-08:00

Our Vennex is a such a Mama's Boy. He's incredibly affectionate...if he decides it's time for hugs and kisses there's no stoping him! And he'll continue lovin' on ya for as long as it takes for him to get his fill.

But Vennex is also a climber and a thrower. He's been climbing since he was 10 months old. Even before he could crawl he would get so frustrated because he just wanted to get going.

His throwing started soon after. At first we thought it was just a part of his normal development. Having one son already, we knew this phase would come. So as his food ended up on the floor and as toys were smashed, we held our breath and waited for the phase to end. But it didn't!

At first we would tell him, "No throwing!" Then we would take the toys or food away. Nothing worked. As he got closer to 2, we started time-outs. They didn't seem to have any affect either and I'm ashamed to say but I got so tired of losing the battle that I wasn't as consistent with them as I should have been. It really drained me so I ignored it at times.

But that was until last Sunday. I dropped Vennex off at Sunday School and went up to church as I always do. When I went to pick him up one of his teachers informed me that he was given a time-out for throwing toys. I wasn't surprised, but then I felt really humiliated.

At first it really bothered me; I took it personally. I would like for my boys to be enjoyed and appreciated by all and when it came down to it I was ashamed that someone besides us knew that my son wasn't perfect. As if anyone thought that anyways...silly, right? But that's how I felt and I had to take some time to figure out not only what I was feeling, but why I was feeling it.

I realized that a part of my shame was due to knowing that I had turned a blind eye to his destructive obsession for too long. I knew his throwing was a problem. A bit is normal, but too much is just wrong.

So when we picked my husband up from work later that day, I told him what had happened and we both agreed that we needed to be 100% consistent and not let this go on anymore.

Vennex is now at the age where time-outs are working, and this week wasn't bad at all. He rarely threw anything, even food. But when he did he'd get one warning and then he was off to time-out.

When I dropped him off at Sunday School this week, I told him, "No throwing, ok?" I sat in the service wondering how he was doing and if our hard work was paying off or not. I held my breath as I waited in line to pick him up. When I got to the front, Vennex came running up to me and gave me such a tight hug. I nervously asked one of his teachers if he had behaved and the teacher said, "It was his best week yet!"